Solivagant

Chapter Fifteen

Wade wasn't sure what to stare at: the ocean or the dragon sleeping next to his legs. His eyes kept flicking between the two, trying to take it all in.

For now, he watched the sea. A strong breeze blew in from it, tousling his hair and whisking grains of salt and sand into his eyes. As the day had lengthened and the clouds drew apart to reveal the azure sky, its color had deepend into a dark, beautiful blue. The endless, shifting mass of water seemed infinite, stretching out toward the sky until the two halves of the world blurred and merged into one. Some part of him wanted to go sit on the cliff and dangle his legs over the edge, watch the raging waves below. The rest, however, thought only of the terrible drop that awaited him if he fell. So he stayed a safe distance away, next to Aurum.

Aurum . . . Wade yet again found himself looking at the dragon. A creature he'd only heard stories of, sleeping mere feet away. How could he not stare? Aurum's sides rose and fell in deep, even breaths. His scales caught the weak sunlight, gleaming darkly. He was huge, twice as big as Ember.

The dragon twitched and growled in his sleep, exposing twin rows of jagged white teeth. Wade flinched away, startled. He glanced automatically to his left, where his father was tending to Ember. He'd been there for some time: the blacksmith seemed even more unnerved around Aurum than Wade was, though he at least trusted the dragon enough not to eat either of the boys.

"This can't—gah!"

Not far behind Wade, Asher was glaring at a tree. He kicked the bark and swore, his eyes flinty. He'd been standing there for around twenty minutes now.

"You alright, Ash?" Wade asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did the tree do something to you?"

"Yes. No." Asher scowled. "I hate magic."

"What's wrong? It didn't look like you have had trouble before now."

"Every time I try, something stops me. It's like I can't breathe. I bet she's doing it somehow." Asher took a deep breath and walked over to Wade. He collapsed on the ground, looking out across the ocean. His hair was even messier than usual, and there were deep circles gouged under his eyes. "I think I'm close, though."

"We're not in a hurry right now."

"Sure. As long as Rivas or that Idris woman don't find us."

"Rivas?"

"That's the Valkir from Aleran."

"Oh. Him."

"Yeah." Asher paused and scowled. "It shouldn't be this hard to find someone."

"You can do it, Ash. You're good at this."

"I'm really not."

Wade shrugged. Silence swelled between them. Wade peacefully listened to the crashing waves; Asher seemed drawn inward, tugging invisible strings to find a young woman who had done the impossible—who had killed a Valkir.

After some time, Wade grew bored and edged a bit closer to the cliff's edge. His heart hammered harder as he neared the steep drop, and the ground seemed to tilt beneath him. A foot away, he stopped. Wade held his position for a moment before reeling back, a harsh breath escaping his lips. But he'd done it, if only for a few seconds.

Asher, his eyes downcast and unfocused, didn't seem to notice. A few more minutes ticked by until he shook his head and spoke.

"I think I've got it." He sounded more weary than triumphant.

"And?"

Asher turned to look at the mountains. "That way. It's faint, but I can feel something tugging me towards them."