Aurora (6 page)

‘If we’re going to succeed in this quest, then I don’t see any of us having much choice,’ Elian replied, keeping his voice calm and steady. ‘Nolita can’t go
to the day dragon enclave alone.’

‘Perish the thought!’ Pell muttered sarcastically. He stabbed a stick into the base of the fire and a flurry of tiny sparks leaped upwards, spiralling and dancing into the air like a
cloud of fireflies.

Elian ignored Pell’s comment. ‘Of all the dragons, Fang is the best equipped to move through the other world safely,’ he continued. ‘The soldiers there won’t shoot
their stingers at something they can’t see. We don’t know where the last orb is. Our best chance of finding it is to visit the dawn dragon enclave and look for clues.’

‘So you keep saying,’ Pell said. ‘But what makes you think you’ll find anything there? I don’t see anything in the final verse that leads us to want to look
there:

What’s any of that got to do with the dawn dragon enclave? Look what happened to me when I went to my enclave for help.’

‘No disrespect to your enclave, Pell,’ Kira interjected, ‘but I doubt we’ll experience the same sort of welcome at the dawn dragon enclave that you received from Segun.
The rhyme says the orb is a dragon’s device. Maybe one of the dawn dragons has already made the final orb. We won’t know until we ask. Also, we can request some of the dawn dragons to
pay a visit to the dusk dragon enclave in Ratalucia. Fang ran rings around three night dragons in the snowstorm up in Isaa. Imagine the chaos a dozen or more dusk dragons could cause amongst
Segun’s ranks. The dawn dragons could bring the dusk dragons through the other world and have them here in Orupee in a couple of days.’

Pell’s expression became thoughtful as he considered Kira’s words. His brow remained furrowed, but his eyes lost some of their inner anger as he followed her logic through.

‘I agree that having more dusk dragons to help us would be useful,’ he conceded. ‘But I still don’t see why Nolita can’t go to the day dragon enclave alone.
It’s her enclave and she’s been there before. Or Kira could go with Nolita, and I could come with you. Nolita has flown Firestorm every day for the past few weeks. It’s not as if
I can hold her hand from Shadow’s back. Besides, we know now that Aurora can heal Shadow if she gets injured, but she can’t heal Fang. Putting day dragon with night and dawn dragon with
dusk will weaken the partnerships. The abilities of the dragons clash, rather than complement.’

‘Nolita can’t go alone because none of us should fly alone at the moment,’ Elian explained patiently. ‘Both parts of this plan are equally important and cannot be
entrusted to any one rider. If we don’t find the final orb, the quest fails. Aside from Fang’s abilities, Kira also has the orb of vision and I’d like access to the power it
offers during my search. There might be a way of using it to find the final orb. Likewise, without the help of the day dragons we’ve got no chance of getting past Segun. If you want to give
Segun a bloody nose, the best way would be to hit him with something hard. I’d say you could do worse than to turn up with a flight of several hundred fire-breathing day dragons at your
side.’

Elian watched Pell across the fire. He could almost see the picture forming in the older boy’s mind: a mass of blue dragons with a single black dragon at their head. Pell’s ego would
place him nowhere else. He was close to accepting the plan. Elian could see it in his eyes, but he also knew that Pell was like the fish he had caught earlier. He was not the sort to just roll over
and allow himself to be hauled in. He would fight all the way to the end.

The biggest worry now was not Pell. It was Nolita. Leading her felt like walking a tightrope. One false step and it would all be over. She had come so far. Elian could not shake the feeling that
the Oracle’s message about working together held a significance that went beyond teaching Pell a humbling lesson for his rebellious trip to the night dragon enclave.

The blonde girl was hugging her knees, rocking back and forth gently and staring into the fire. She had said nothing throughout the exchange. When Elian had first mentioned going to fetch the
day dragons he had noted that her initial expression held a mix of fear and excitement. Fear had dominated her features each time the possibility of her making the journey alone was raised. Nolita
had successfully travelled with Kira all the way from the north of Isaa to the far side of Orupee. It was clear she had become comfortable in Kira’s company and Elian felt a stab of guilt for
separating them especially as he knew that she did not like Pell. Was he really sending Pell with Nolita because he thought the combinations made for the best teams? Or did he want to offload Pell
because he preferred Kira’s company?

For the briefest moment Elian thought about taking Nolita with him, but he dismissed the idea instantly. Sending Pell and Kira together was a recipe for disaster.

Kira was the most able leader of them all, yet she was also able to follow when the situation demanded. She was tough, both mentally and physically. With her painted face and her braided hair
she looked, from head to toe, the hardened tribal huntress. The intelligence and strength behind her eyes lent confidence to those who followed her lead. She had some strange ideas at times, but
Elian respected her skills and liked her straightforward approach. Although he knew her to be capable of subterfuge, any ulterior motives that Kira might have were subtler than Pell’s.

‘Fire tells me that Nolita is close to despair,’
Aurora warned.
‘She draws a lot of strength from Kira’s company. Fire is worried. He says she is considering
drastic measures to avoid having to go with Pell.’

‘What sort of measures?’

‘He would not say,’
the dragon replied.
‘But I can tell from his tone that her plan would not help our cause. You had better talk to her.’

Elian thought for a moment. He did not know what to say to Nolita, but he knew that Aurora was right. If he did not deal with her feelings now, she might do something silly – hurt herself,
or worse.

‘What do you think, Nolita?’ he asked gently. ‘You’ve not said anything yet.’

‘Why would you care what I think?’ she replied, still staring into the fire. ‘I’m just here to make up the numbers now.’

‘Nonsense,’ Kira said quickly. ‘You’re as much a member of this team as any of us. Of course it’s important what you think.’

Nolita looked up from the fire and met the eyes of each of the others in turn before beginning to speak. ‘I think we’re in out of our depth,’ she said eventually. ‘I
think that all paths are fraught with danger and that I should never have been chosen for this quest. I’m not suited to life as a dragonrider. I’m not comfortable with any of this. I
don’t want to fly to Racafi with Pell and I certainly don’t want to go back into that other world again. Given my own choice I wouldn’t fly anywhere – but you know that
already.’

‘I sympathise with your feelings, Nolita.’ Elian reached across and placed a hand on her shoulder as he met her troubled gaze. ‘But what do you think we should do?’

‘I think we should give up on the quest,’ she sighed. ‘Segun is brutal and ruthless. He will kill us all rather than let us deliver the orbs to the Oracle now. He’s got a
mass of support from his fellow night dragonriders. Even if we do get the day dragon enclave to intervene, what good can they do against an army of night dragons?’

‘She has a point,’ Pell acknowledged. ‘If it came to a straight fight, the night dragons would dominate. They are stronger and faster. Besides, I’ve been having second
thoughts about restoring the Oracle for some time now. Let’s just say for a moment we’re successful and we find the final orb in time and somehow get past the blockade – what will
happen when we throw the last orb into the Oracle’s pit? I don’t trust the Oracle. It’s up to something. It’s not been telling us the full story about these orbs. I get the
feeling it’s been playing us for fools ever since we set out on this quest.’

An uncomfortable weight seemed to settle in Elian’s stomach. A strangely cold burning sensation crept up through his chest to the back of his throat as he recalled his last encounter with
the spirit creature. Pell was right. The Oracle had not been totally honest with them. When Pell gave it the second orb, Elian had not felt at peace in its presence. There had been something in the
Oracle’s voice – a note of greed maybe? He had tried to put his concerns out of his mind for the sake of his dragon’s life purpose, but doubts had been raised. What was more, he
knew his dragon shared those doubts.

The crackle and pop of the fire seemed to get louder as an awkward silence settled. Other noises began to intrude on Elian’s thoughts. Insects chirruped and whirred through the air on
gossamer wings. The leaves whispered at the caress of the evening breeze. An owl screeched, the sound carrying across the water with startling clarity.

‘The question we must ask . . .’ Kira began. She paused until she was sure she had everyone’s attention. ‘The question we must ask is: What is the alternative?
Let’s say we accept that the Oracle has ulterior motives. I think the Oracle’s agenda is unlikely to be as dark as Segun’s. We need to think about what will happen if we abandon
the quest now. We know something of Segun’s intentions from Pell’s experience in the night dragon enclave. As soon as the Oracle is dead he plans to launch an offensive. Is he serious,
Pell? Does he really think the night dragons can dominate Areth?’

‘Absolutely!’ Pell said without pause. ‘And he’s probably right. Segun said the death of the Oracle will free his hand to seize ultimate power and rule the world. He
called it “the age of dragons” and he’s deadly serious.’

‘Assuming we let the Oracle die and Segun embarks on his plan, what do you think he will do first?’ she asked.

Pell looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘He’ll look to remove his most dangerous opponents from the field,’ he said. ‘The day dragons are the only enclave strong enough to
give him any serious problems. He’ll look to crush them swiftly. Once the day dragons are no longer a threat, he’ll send night dragons throughout Areth with the same message –
submit to his authority, or face the consequences.’

‘That’s what I thought,’ Kira said, nodding. She turned and looked Nolita in the eye. ‘We don’t have a choice, Nolita. This isn’t a game. Scary though it is,
the fate of Areth is in our hands. If we fail, our families and friends could soon be answering to Segun. Is that what you want? Can you imagine the night dragons paying a visit to your family in
Cemaria?’

Nolita shuddered and Elian found he could almost picture her thoughts as the images tumbled through her mind – the black dragons swooping down from the sky to the tiny village in the
woods. The people there had no weapons that would be effective against a night dragon. She had told him that her sister and brother, Sable and Balard, were brave, but their bravery was likely to
get them killed if they resisted Segun’s men. He watched her face intently as she came to the realisation that Kira was right. Segun could not be allowed to see his plan through.

‘I’ll do it,’ Nolita said softly. ‘I’ll go to the enclave with Pell. The thought of the journey scares me, but the thought of not acting scares me more.’

‘Thanks, Nolita,’ said Elian, his voice sounding both grateful and relieved. ‘I knew we could count on you. You’ve been brave throughout this quest. Your family will be
so proud when they hear about what you’ve done.’

‘
I’ve
not agreed to go yet,’ Pell pointed out.

‘But you
will
go,’ Elian said firmly. ‘If we’re going to get past Segun, we’re going to need all the help we can get. Getting the day dragon enclave to
support us is our best chance.’

‘What if I decide I want to help the Oracle less than I want to hurt Segun?’ Pell suggested. ‘If I’m honest, I don’t trust either of them. And I like them even
less.’

Elian’s eyes narrowed with anger. ‘Sometimes I think you argue for the sake of it, Pell,’ he muttered through gritted teeth.

Pell gave a short bark of laughter and shrugged his shoulders. ‘That’s a fair assessment,’ he admitted. He poked at the fire again with his stick. ‘But you’re
right. I will go. It will be worth the trip just to see Segun’s face when the day dragons line up against him – assuming they will come, of course.’

‘They’ll come,’ Nolita said, her eyes distant and her voice sounding strangely prophetic. ‘They will come and Areth will never be the same again.’

Chapter Six

‘Look after her, Pell,’ Elian ordered, keeping his voice to barely more than a whisper. ‘I know how you feel about her, but she’s braver than you give
her credit for and I can’t help feeling she’s still got an important part to play in this quest.’ He glanced across to the shelter. He could just make out the mop of blonde hair
unmoving inside.