Amáne of Teravinea - The Chosen One (The Teravinea Series Book 1) (8 page)

“Any cup will do,” the Healer answered, perplexed — her eyebrows nearly touching.

I poured two cups and brought them to the table, trying in vain to calm my heart and my shaking hands. First my healing black eyes, next, the bag of Eshshah’s scales and then Eshshah wants to meet the Healer. I didn’t know if I could continue successfully with this deception.

The Healer took a sip of her tea in silence.
Was she waiting for me to say something?
It looked like she was wrestling with her thoughts. Then she said softly, “Amáne, are you all right? You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks with your mother’s passing — then going alone on your memorial journey. Do you have anything you’d like to tell me? Would you like me to accompany you on your continuing journey?”

“No!”
Ugh, that came out way too quickly
. “I mean, thank you very much for your concern and your offer, Healer, but I’ll be fine. Truly I will.” I wasn’t ready to reveal my secret to anyone, yet — terrified that Eshshah and I would be separated, even though Eshshah assured me that could not happen.

“You know if you need me, I’m here for you. You can confide in me if there is ever anything you need to speak about. Just remember that, Amáne.”

I nodded and thanked her.

Just then a shadow crossed the window and I saw Eshshah’s large golden eyes fill the frame, trying to get a look at the Healer. She had an attraction to her for some reason and just couldn’t control her curiosity. I swallowed the groan that was rising in my throat.

“Eshshah.” I warned through thought transference.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I saw no indication the Healer had noticed. She slowly finished her tea, then stood up, “Well, thank you for your hospitality, Amáne. I must be going.
I’m relieved that I found you home and I’m pleased that your memorial journey has set you on the road to healing.” She gave me a long hug and stated, “I’ll await your return. We have a lot to talk about ... when you’re ready.”

All I could do was nod again.
Does she know? Would she have said anything if she had seen Eshshah?
My stomach twisted in knots as I walked with her out the door, struggling with my decision.
Was I doing the right thing keeping the truth from her?
I sincerely wished I could share my tremendous secret. Maybe Eshshah was right and she could help us. But what could the Healer do with a girl and a dragon? My stubborn resolve took over. I forced a smile and bid her goodbye, promising I would come to stay with her when I was done with my journey.

Standing on my front step, I watched the Healer and Thunder until the dust from their departure settled. The pressure of hiding my situation from someone I should trust, as well as my shame in my deception, then got the better of me and I fell apart. Slumping to a sitting position on the step, I put my face in my hands and sobbed. Eshshah rushed to my side and hummed a soothing tune.

Eshshah and I planned to stay at the cottage for the night, and then fly to our cove just before dawn. Once the rising sun began to light the sky, we would leave for the furthest island. We hoped to make it there in half an hour or less. If we felt like staying the night, we were prepared. I had packed extra provisions.

I went over the Healer’s visit in my head. “Eshshah, you’re probably right and we should confide in the Healer, but I truly want to do this ride. So, let’s not stay long on the island, maybe just the day. I’ll talk to her as soon as we get back. What do you think?”

“I guess another day won’t hurt. But as soon as we return, we must reveal ourselves to her. I have a notion she may know more than we think — I sense she is a person we can trust. I like her.”

That night I found it difficult to sleep. My unsettling dreams had me tossed about in a small boat while large waves crashed around me. I awoke with a start when I was thrown from the boat.

“We might as well get to the cove. I’m not getting any sleep, and it’s close enough to dawn.”

I gathered my pack and in the light of a small lamp, I secured the harness on Eshshah, quite pleased with my work. “At least this is an improvement over the rope. Again, I apologize for such crude gear.”

“Amáne, I know your heart. Soon enough we will rise to our proper position, and we’ll receive the honor we are due.”

“You mean due you. I don’t deserve any kind of honor.”

“You’ll need to stop thinking that way.” Eshshah reprimanded, “Dragon and rider are equal. We are a linked pair.”

“Sorry, I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Everything was in order. I latched the cottage door and put out the lamp. Eshshah stooped down and put her foreleg out to give me a step up. I pulled myself up, swung my leg over her neck, grabbed the long leather straps and gave her the okay. With her muscular hind legs she kicked off and beat her wings in a powerful downward thrust. We were airborne and heading toward our cove. It was a swift exhilarating trip. My heart was ready to burst out of sheer delight.

We had about an hour before it would be light enough to leave for the island, and Eshshah was hungry again. I waited by the cliff while she hunted. She returned well-sated just as daylight broke.

I put on my pack and tucked my skirts up. A thrill coursed through me as I anticipated our upcoming adventure. Eshshah shared my excitement. It’s always an elated rush whenever we’d take off — a wondrous feeling, unlike any other experience I’ve ever known. In no time we were gliding smoothly over the glassy sea. My screams of joy were not restrained. I was in utter ecstasy.

We relaxed as we took in the fresh ocean air and felt like we owned the world. Watching the calm azure water pass under us,
I could see to a great depth. A shark and several large schools of fish slipped by. Dolphins joined in a playful game as they danced in Eshshah’s shadow, keeping pace with us. It was magnificent. The beauty and peace of our flight overwhelmed me as we soared. But there was a twinge of guilt that kept me from fully enjoying our freedom. Maybe I should have confided in the Healer.

A sudden blast of hot wind interrupted Eshshah’s smooth course, and she lurched slightly. Pulled from my thoughts, I looked around and gasped — my stomach twisted. To my horror, whitecaps began to form on the waves that just moments ago were nonexistent. Out of nowhere, a strong wind whipped around us. A Valaira was surely brewing and we were in open ocean with no place nearby to land. The islands nearest us were small and offered no protection. It would have been more dangerous to be caught on one of them. Too late to turn around — our intended destination was closer than the beach we left behind. We had to continue on our current path, as we searched desperately to find a larger island — our only hope for safety.

The storm progressed and the waves grew in violence as they fell one on top of the other. The wind swept their mountainous tops and threw the salty spray in our faces — we were still flying too low.

As Eshshah lifted higher above the swells, a powerful gust rushed under her wings and threw her off balance. Unprepared for the sudden pitch, I lost my grip. I screamed as I slid off her shoulders toward her back. Panicking for something to hold on to, my hand closed over the leather strap just before it slipped out of my reach. My dragon fought to recover. She tried to hold level so I could pull myself back to the harness. The fury of the Valaira increased. Eshshah was tossed about like a ship on the raging sea
— with me banging around between her wings. I was terrified that as powerful as my dragon had grown, she may have been no match for a full-blown Valaira — which was what we were in for.

It took all my strength to hold on as I tried to avoid her wings. I fought my way back up to her shoulders. Hand over hand I painfully inched forward. My palms bled from the rough leather straps, making them slippery and harder to hold. Each time I thought I would succeed, the anger of the howling gale beat me back again. How foolish of us to think we were ready for such a flight. I shouted encouragements to Eshshah. We had to keep going — we had no choice.

Eshshah struggled to keep us above the furious waves. With sheer effort I managed to get myself back to the harness and into a sitting position. I wrapped the leather straps tightly around my left wrist and hand, then pressed against her neck and held on for my life.

My skirts came untucked, exposing my bare legs to her rough scales. I bit my lip to keep from crying out every time my flesh was pinched between them.

We were still flying too low and the rising waves exploded in our faces, drenching my clothes.

Eshshah rose higher again. “Amáne, our only chance is to get above the turbulence.”

“Let’s go then! Do what you need to do,” I shouted.

She pumped her tired wings and slowly we rose high above the water. Higher than we had ever flown before. The height was terrifying, but the alternative was the Valaira. Our fear joined us closer, firmly linking us. We pushed ourselves beyond what we thought we were capable of. We were one as we fought — our minds melded together as I tried to offer her what little strength
I could. Higher and higher we climbed. We reached an elevation where the air became thin and bitter cold. Cold doesn’t bother a dragon, but even as closely as we were linked, her venom running in my veins, I was still only human. The cold was numbing, especially with my wet clothing. I lost feeling in my hands that moments ago were screaming in pain. My legs burned with the effort of trying to hold on.

We finally rose above the Valaira, no longer buffeted, but riding smoothly in the frosty thin air. However, I wasn’t sure how long I could endure the cold. My body became numb. Ice formed on my eyelashes and my wet clothes. Dizziness overcame me.

“Stay with me Amáne,” Eshshah encouraged. “Hold on. I’m going to soar up here for a bit of a rest before we go back into the squall and find someplace to land.”

“Okay, Eshshah. Don’t worry about me, I’m all right,” I stuttered. I shivered so badly, my teeth were in danger of breaking. My uncontrollable spasms violently jerked me. In a short time, the spasms subsided as the drop in my body temperature made me drowsy — all I wanted to do was sleep. Lethargy set in and nothing mattered anymore, I just needed to close my eyes.

Then in triumph, Eshshah cried, “Look, there’s an island big enough for us to land. We’re going to make it, Amáne. I see a cave in the cliffs where we can take shelter. I’ll stay up here until the last minute, then I’ll dive in and head for it.”

“Eshshah, I don’t care if I make it. Just save yourself,” I slurred.

“Amáne you will stay with me. I need you. Fight! We’re almost there. Hang on tightly, we’re going in now.”

With that, she folded her wings and dove into the savage storm. We plummeted faster than I thought possible. My stomach
slammed to my throat as I was wrenched from my stupor. I screamed in terror. No longer listless, I clung desperately to the harness as the wind pressure pushed me back again toward her wings.

As if the Valaira were a living evil thing who knew we were about to win the battle for safety, she suddenly hurled a blast of hot dry wind at us. It flung me from Eshshah’s shoulders. The leather straps, still wrapped around my left wrist, jolted me to a stop. They saved me from plunging into the water far below. But the force of my fall caused the leather to dig into my arm. It peeled my flesh to the bone as I swung from her neck by my wrist. My screams of pain competed with the howl of the Valaira. Eshshah fought to keep upright as she headed for the opening of the cave.

I strained to reach the harness with my free hand, needing to make it to her back before we landed. As my left wrist threatened to break with the force of our flight, I made one last lunge and caught the harness with my right hand. At that my strength failed. I couldn’t urge my body to make the extra effort to climb back up.

“We’re almost there. We’re going to make it, Amáne.”

Eshshah and I hurtled toward the entrance of the cave. She back-pumped with all that was left of her strength, but too late. She could not slow down enough as we approached the cliffs.

A strange calm came over me — I could see everything clearly. I resigned myself to the fact that the end of our lives was imminent. These last moments became like a vivid dream that moved slowly. There was a large cave halfway up the mountainside, like a mouth of a monster opened wide to swallow us. I noticed it was an unusual cave with colors that didn’t seem natural. It intrigued me to see it come at us so slowly.

In my dream-like state I had plenty of time to gather the last of my energy to pull my legs up so they wouldn’t get ripped off
at the entrance ledge. We almost succeeded in entering the mouth without a mishap, but the tip of Eshshah’s wing caught on the stone ledge and she tumbled head over tail. I felt my feet hit the stone floor, and was pleased my legs were still connected to my body. Propelled backwards full speed, my head struck the ground. I felt no more.