Solivagant

Chapter Thirty

"You awake, son?"

Wade's eyes snapped open as a hand fell on his shoulder. He was on Ember, arms wrapped tightly around her neck to keep his balance as she picked her way across the rocky ground. His father kept pace beside the horse, carefully watching Wade.

"Yes," Wade replied, stifling a yawn. He couldn't have slept if he wanted to—the throbbing ache in his chest from the earlier excitement made sure of that. But he hadn't exactly been awake, either. His eyes drifted to the blue dragon, hobbling alongside Aurum as she led them further north. They were on a small, rocky path, wedged between a cliff and a steep drop to the forest floor below.

"Kira and I are going to go look for food; we only have a day's worth of it left," Wade's father continued. "Will you be alright here?"

Wade tilted his head, something in his father's voice catching his attention. "You're bringing Kira?"

"She has a talent for finding edible plants." Wade jumped and turned; Serafina strode behind the two of them, one arm wrapped absentmindedly around Kira's shoulders. She looked down at her sister and grinned. "You read all of old Jack's books on them, didn't you?"

Kira nodded, her cheeks reddening at the compliment. But Wade noticed a certain tightness in the way that Serafina clung to the girl, and the tense lines around his father's mouth. He frowned but kept his mouth shut, lifting his head to scan the forest. Ember paused and followed his gaze, her ears twitching.

Wade's eyes flicked from the pines—which were gradually replacing the bare oaks as they moved deeper into the mountains—to the sky. It was yet again shielded behind a layer of dark clouds. A light rain fell from them, just enough to dampen Wade's clothes and chill him to the bone.

I'll go with them, Aurum added, glancing over his shoulder at their ragged group. His sister halted, giving him an incredulous glare. Aurum met her eyes, his presence receding as a flicker of thought passed between them. The blue dragon's wings drooped a little, and she leaned forward to lick his cheek before allowing him to retreat down the slope.

Wade's father followed; Serafina nudged Kira after him, but the girl broke from her side and trotted to Ember instead. With some surprise, Wade realized that she'd removed the jacket he had given her days before, hugging it to her chest in a crumpled ball.

"Here," Kira pushed the jacket into Wade's lap, tilting her head. "You need it more than I do."

"Thank you," Wade said, but she was already running toward Aurum. He watched in silence as he let her clamber on top of his back and started down the slope, Wade's father trailing behind. The blacksmith seemed to be struggling, and Aurum subtly moved to let the man cling to his shoulder.

Wade swallowed, his heart twisting. His father was strong, but his body was not meant for this sort of travel.

"He'll be okay," Serafina said softly, materializing beside Ember. She laid one hand on the horse's snout, frowning. "We're close to the other dragons."

"Is that why they're leaving?"

The blue dragon snorted; Wade glanced up to see her waiting at a bend in the trail, her tail lashing at the ground. He nudged Ember's sides with his heels, and she resumed her pace.

"Yes," Serafina said, fixing her eyes ahead. "They're..."

"Too young," Wade continued for her, hating the words. "And too old."

"Yes." Serafina bit her lip. "Henry can take care of Kira, and I'll..."

"Take care of me?" Wade forced a grin, despite how much it stung. He was so tired of being useless, of needing protection. He wanted to do something, not sit and watch as Serafina exhausted herself and his father grew more and more weak.