Dragon Aster Trilogy

31: A DRAGON'S HAIN



Hain knew enough about females to know that if he let up on the guard on his Threads, he would lure in the one who stalked him soon enough. Yri was old, and for the most part merciless, but her bitterness would lead her to wanting to play with her prey before killing it. She soared the skies with the confidence of the High Guard’s protection, who she had brought herself to believe were already her own. Yri was too much like his Bond the more he thought about it.

Kas was well out of the way now with Sybl, and he knew that the kid could outrun anything, least of all a small, swimming dragon if Loki did pick up on his trail. Hain intended to follow, but not before finding out why his mother-in-law hadn’t tried to kill him by his Threads yet.

Something was off, and he wanted to know what. Curiosity finally won over him, and he opened a Rift out of the Keol and unsomned as he emerged on the outside. Moments later, a rush of wind passed through him, as the semi-transparent daoran landed in the small clearing before him. Her yellow scales wavered with hints of estus energy from her soul within, making her look more of a tarnished gold than the paler yellow she was.

“I was forewarned that he would send over an Awl that he did not want returned. I am delighted to see that it is you who I get to burn.”

Hain’s eyes narrowed in on the Priestess as she walked closer, unsomning without the slightest bit of fear of him. She trailed her elegant yellow dress in its glitters behind her. It carried over it her blond hair that reached her ankles. She held her sharply chiseled, pale-white face high, as she hunted with her grey eyes his life Threads and took hold of them.

But she wasn’t ready to kill him—yet. She was looking for something. So a messenger he was to play, and a quick one as he sensed the White Death breathing down his Threads. It couldn’t hurt to grab his psi’s and attention and pull it into the future conversation. What could a few more dragons do to him that a small army couldn’t? “Do you not want to hear the message first, before you kill me?”

“Oh I am well aware of your message. You removed the Caelestis and my brother from the equation quite elegantly. I must say, I was almost impressed for the insolent vagabond that you are.”

“That’s not what your daughter thinks of me.” Hain laughed, before it was choked out of him in a reminder that he was playing as her prey, not her mocker. But she wasn’t going to stop there, and Hain quickly brought his estus energy back under his full control. The heat of her fire burning the Threads to him now had the intent to kill.

He folded the Threads Yri had caught of him into the deeper cold, brittle estus energy of his being. A shadow of wings surrounded him in defiance to the web of aeri Animus all around him that would not be used to kill him today.

Yri staggered back at the sight of the demon Awl.

“So Vanir sent an Awl to do his dirty work,” Hain said as he cut the Threads of her remaining control away with the feathers of his wings. “I’ll have to meet him if you think he’s as good as me.”

“You are not Vanir’s Awl?”

“No, I’m not. But I do have a message for you from the Sanctus and its High Priest.” His wings faded away as he let his estus energy subside in its cold defense. “The Caelestis was here, and now she belongs to us. Nice try though. Oh by the way, I’ll be back for my Bond.”

Yri somned in her rage and sent her claws at him. They missed him as he dropped his hand to the ground and opened a Rift into the Keol. He knew better than to kill the mother of his Bond—Kayla hated him enough to last an eternity as it were. “Yeah, I know you would follow me into Hell with all your love, mom. I’ll show you around it another time.”

At that, he slipped through the Rift and away from her rage, as the High Guard landed and became entirely focused on her. Hain had made public the conversation through the Threads of the White Death, who to his surprise, listened to him. Of all his years he never would have wagered a dragon playing a part in saving him. Not that he needed help. At least not until they learned how to fly through the Keol.

“Vanir?”

“You would betray us all by siding with our enemies?” Cirrus asked in disbelief.

Lintrance looked at Cirrus as he was posed to grab and strangle the treachery out of their aunt himself. Many of the High Guard had fallen into their own whispers between each other. “It all makes sense now. That’s where that Awl came from. Vanir wouldn’t send someone incompetent to do his dirty work—he doesn’t keep such company.”

Yri’s chin rose higher in defiance to them both.

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Lintrance said.

“You will still die for killing my brother,” she snapped back.

“An Awl would make it possible to break through the defenses of the best dragoon. I’m willing to bet that your newest ally had a part in it. I’m going to drag that evidence to my innocence back as allowed by our Laws, that you would sooner forget.” Lintrance somned and took to the air at that.

Cirrus somned and gave a threatening low growl at her closest family of the High Guard.

“He’s a murderer, Cirrus!” Wyr, a younger red dragon who was Yri’s nephew shouted at him. “You will be a traitor as well if you follow him!”

“No more a traitor than the rest of you who serve a Priestess who would see us become slaves. I’m going with Lintrance, and if you try and stop us, be warned that I won’t.” Then he sprung into the air in a fury of wind.