Forged by Magic (Falling for Fables, #1)(41)
“Are you up for this?”
I glanced down at the welts on my arms. They were still inflamed, and I was tired, but my curiosity had given me an extra dose of energy. “I can manage.”
The elf attached a bedroll to his pack, then handed me a second one to carry along with a small tent that didn’t look nearly waterproof enough. Without any more explanation, he moved to the door and motioned outside. I went along with it, though I found the entire episode increasingly odd.
I jogged down the steps and called out over my shoulder. “The Fildur Trial is starting today, right? Should we really go on a mountain hike that could take all day?”
“This is important.” He joined me on the dirt-packed road. “We’ll focus on the competition when we get back.”
“It’s more important than winning the Games so you can protect this place from Isveig?”
A moment passed before he answered. “No, but it’s connected. Just come with me, Daella. I can promise that you’ll want to see this.”
I was exceedingly intrigued. Whatever this was, it must be big indeed. I thought back to his disappearance the other night. He’d returned smelling of dragon magic—reeking of it, really. Was that what he wanted to show me? Had he gone to Mount Forge that day? Admittedly, that put a slight waver in my step as I followed him out of the village, heading in the opposite direction from where I’d first arrived. I had no idea what lay ahead. If there were any Draugr in that mountain, they would want to stop me from reporting them to Isveig. Was that was this was? Rivelin realizing he needed to hand me over to them?
If only I had my mother’s dagger.
We followed the path out of the village and into the forest beyond, Skoll scampering along beside us. The trees were full of birdsong and thick humid air that wrapped around me like a gentle hug. The brush rustled as rabbits and deer bounded deeper into the woods. Rivelin and I fell into a companionable silence only interrupted by the occasional thump of the satchel against my back. And even though I had no idea what lay ahead of me, the fresh fragrant air settled my nerves in a way that only being outside amongst the elements ever had. Even some of the residual pain from my welts faded.
After a few hours, we crossed a small wooden bridge over a river and reached the foothills. Up close, the mountains were breathtaking. Low-hanging clouds scuttled across the jagged peaks, where the rich, verdant moss was lit up by the afternoon sun. There wasn’t a speck of snow in sight.
The tallest mountain was flat on the top, and a plume of smoke curled from within. It was a volcano, I realized, just as a blast of dragon magic hit me: sulphur, salt, leather, and dust. The sight before me blurred as dizziness clouded my eyes.
“No,” I choked out, stumbling away. “Why have you brought me here?”
To cause that potent of a scent, there must be hundreds of Draugr in these mountains. Thousands, perhaps. I’d never experienced anything like it before. No wonder I’d smelled them all the way back in Wyndale. Terror buckled my knees as I tried to run. I hated cowardice, but I wasn’t a fool. I couldn’t fight this many, especially unarmed, especially if they were as powerful as they smelled.
“Whoa, whoa.” Rivelin wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me into his side. I tried to squirm away, but his grip was firm. “Calm down. Nothing here will harm you.”
I trembled and closed my eyes. The memories threatened to drown me beneath their weight. “Let me go. If you have any kindness in your heart at all, don’t make me face all these Draugr. They’ll know who I am, just as you did. And they will kill me.”
“There are no Draugr here, Daella,” he said softly. “I was telling you the truth. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
I flipped open my eyes and tried to wrench away, but he still held me tight. Steam hissed between us, but for once I didn’t revel in it. I just wanted to get as far away from him as I could.
“My nose has never failed me. There are hundreds nearby,” I said, tensing as I took another whiff. And yes, just there. It was coming from beyond the foothills, near the base of the largest mountain. Where Rivelin had mentioned we were headed.
He steadied me. “You’re smelling dragons, Daella. Not users. Dragons.”
My entire body tensed. I gazed ahead at the looming mountain and the smoke puffing from the volcano’s summit. The heat seemed to throb like a living thing. When I’d first arrived on this island and scented the dragon magic, I’d thought there could be dragons nearby, but I hadn’t truly believed it. Deep down, I’d doubted their existence in this place. Years ago, Isveig had his mercenaries kill them all. And they were the one thing he’d never ordered me to face.
“How is this possible?” I whispered as Rivelin finally loosened his grip on me.
“Just as hundreds of elves, dwarves, pixies, and humans escaped the Grundstoff Empire, so did dragons. They made this their home.”
“Hundreds?” I asked incredulously.
“No. Just four.”
“And they’re in that volcano.”
“There’s a cave at the base of Mount Forge where they sleep. They like the heat.”
I took a step back. “Their power is dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous when others try to bond with them and use their power as their own, but no one here does. We leave them in peace.”