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  "If he disowns you, you won't be destitute like you would have been seventeen years ago. I have a home and enough money to live comfortably on. We won't be importing lingonberry jam or eating live shrimp covered in saffron sauce, but we'll be fine." I pick up another mushroom cracker from the tray. I'm afraid to try the pungent cheese, but Daelis seems to be enjoying it.

  "You want me to come live with you when my father strips me of my name, title, and wealth?" Daelis asks, an eyebrow raised.

  "Why wouldn't I? I want you to live with me regardless of your father's reaction. You still owe me seventeen years worth of lost time."

  We sit in silence and watch the children splash in the water. I'd join them if I was in better condition. The skin on my leg hasn't quite knit back together yet, so it's best not to immerse it. Maybe I can still put my feet in if I have someone to support me in the event my balance fails. Shan said the water is quite warm, and it would be a shame to completely avoid it just because my thigh is full of sutures.

  Daelis sits upright and stretches his arms over his head. He's still guarding his left side and doesn't raise that arm as high as the right.

  "Does it still hurt?" I ask.

  "Not too much. It's getting better." He waves at Yana, who returns the gesture with a smile. "It's a little stiff."

  "It will be for a while, until the scar tissue stops forming and starts to break up. Same with my leg." The call of the water has become irresistible. I may not be able to tolerate being on my feet for long, but I need to spend a couple minutes with my feet immersed or the lake will nag me all night. "Help me up. I want to walk in the water. Or stand in it. I don't think I'm up for much walking. I'll need you to hold onto me so I don't fall."

  "Certainly."

  Day 28, part 5

  There are sounds in the night, sounds I can't explain. Distant, hollow sobs and a repeated crackle like a dry summer lightning storm. They drift in through the open window and hover around me like dust eddies. Am I still hallucinating?

  The lights are low. The Hycinth turn off their crystal lights when the village sleeps. It's so quiet out there aside from the sobs. Fog-kissed water gently lapping at the rocks, the collective breath of the not-sheep herd, the faint rumble of shifting rock. The crying is nearly lost within the ambiance, but now that I've noticed it, I can't stop hearing it. Perhaps it is a Hycinth baby who woke in the night and is calling for milk within the safety of its stone house.

  No, I don't think it's a baby. The pitch is too low, too mournful. And, a baby wouldn't explain the crackles.

  "Come back to bed, Rin." Daelis's arms are around me from behind. I lean my back into his chest but I don't step away from the window. The ledge offers a better writing support than the bed does.

  "Do you hear it?" I ask. My voice is too loud. I hope I don't wake the children.

  "Yes."

  "What is it? Do you know?"

  Daelis nuzzles my ear and kisses my nape. "That's the sound a dragon makes when it dreams. Haunting, isn't it? Come back to bed. You need sleep."

  Day 29

  It will take me more than one entry to write this. I'm tired and my scrambled mind is still sorting through what I've seen today.

  Shan said we've been here for seven low light cycles. A week, have we been here a week? My numbering system is getting more and more inaccurate, but I can't change it. It's based on perceived time, not real time, and it's likely the Hycinth don't adhere to a 24-hour day. I can't think about it too much or I'll be trapped in an endless spiral of decaying time.

  Anyway, back to this morning. It's too early in this narrative to be off on a tangent.

  Afa's apprentice came to our room not long after breakfast. He was a jittery, disheveled thing named Gur. Odd name, falls from my tongue like a lackadaisical growl.

  "Can you walk to see dragons? Sorry, dragon. Only one Erisda," Gur said. He kept his eyes fixed upon the floor. I wasn't sure if he was shy or if he was afraid of us.

  "Yes. We want to meet Erisda," I said. It took some effort to stand from the bed. My thigh was sore and stiff, but I no longer felt as if I was being stabbed with every movement. My head still felt fuzzy, but the headache was mostly gone. I knew what that meant. It was almost time to leave Aes. It was tempting to consider staying longer, but we were only guests of the Hycinth and their spectacular violet cavern.

  We followed Gur out of the house and into the village. The house we stayed in was similar to every other stone structure in the village. It seemed that many of the houses were uninhabited, though not neglected. I wondered if the population of Aes was larger in recent times, and if it was, what happened to decrease the population to its current level. Shan mentioned something a day or two ago that he learned in a biology class— population bottlenecks due to the founder effect—but I wasn't sure what that meant. Something about having a small original population so every member ends up related to every other member within a few generations, potentially spreading hereditary illnesses. Shan thought perhaps fatal illnesses were killing many of the Hycinth either in infancy or before they were mature enough to have children of their own. He said either the population will recover in time or the Hycinth will be extinct in two or three generations.

  Daelis and Shan helped support me as Gur led us along well-worn paths. We turned away from the lake after the last stone house and headed toward the cavern wall. The light gradually shifted from overwhelmingly violet to golden. We went around the wide base of a towering mushroom and a tree came into view. Not a tree-shaped mushroom, but an actual tree. It was massive, with a smooth, straight trunk and drooping fronds that flowed from its crown nearly to the ground. Green fruits the size of my fist speckled the shining fronds.

  "That's a weeping goldtree," Daelis said. He let go of me and put his hand to his mouth. "I've never... I've never seen one, and standard goldtrees don't give off light like this. How is it... what is it doing down here?"

  Gur tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at us. I took his expression as quizzical, but it may have been condescending. "This is Forerisda. Dragon tree. Ancient Hycinth found the seed embedded in Erisda's scales when they helped her be free of the chains. It was planted above her resting bed, and the garden keepers thought it would not grow without light. It grew from light below instead of light above. Heat light. Lava light. Forerisda grew strong and tall. She gifts us with fruit and yellow light. Yellow is wrong word, is it not? Gold. You say gold."

  "Yes. Gold. Golden tree. My family is called Goldtree," Daelis said. He raised his hand to touch the closest frond, but then thought better of it and lowered his arm to his side. "Sacred trees are common in elven religions, and many of the great families are named for them. The Goldtrees were named for the weeping palm. This tree. It may be extinct now, save this one. I wonder... I wonder if your dragon came from the Auran Desert, or maybe the Redcairn Mountains and Scarlet Canyons to its north and west. Redcairn isn't far from Jadeshire. On a clear day, you can easily see the peaks from the top of the Citadel. Maybe that is where we are. Beneath the Redcairn range."

  "Possibly," I said. My leg was already throbbing. I wasn't as healed as I hoped I was. "I was taken from Greeble. That's a three day ride from the Redcairns. This tree has been here for ages, and weeping goldtrees may have been widespread in ancient times.

  All four of Gur's hands rest on his hips. "Many words are unknown to me. Garden keepers have tried to make more trees from the seeds, but none grow. This tree is alone. Tree and dragon, both only of their kind in Aes." He rubbed his flat nose and turned away from us, toward a downward-leading staircase situated between two thick tree roots. "Come, friends. We will visit Erisda now."

  I need to stop writing for now. Fatigue is numbing both my fingers and my mind. I've dropped my pen twice because of it. I'll take a nap now and finish when I wake. I hope that beautiful tree finds its way into my dreams.

  Day 29, part 2

  I'm awake again. Daelis is still napping, Shan and Yana are busy, and I'm too sore to m
ove, so it's a good time to finish what I started earlier.

  Gur led us down the stone staircase. I couldn't put my full weight on my injured leg for the descent, so Shan acted as my crutch. Daelis and Yana walked ahead of us. If I fell, I would tumble right onto them. The passageway was long and weathered to a smooth—and sometimes slippery—finish. Crystal lights were embedded in the walls, but their light was overtaken by an orange glow as the air grew warm and sulfurous. It was stifling by the time we reached the bottom. We wouldn't be able to stay down there long.

  The dragon's glowing tail bulb was the first thing I noticed. It sat near the cavern entrance. Yana stood next to it, and it was as tall as she was. The green glow was dull, not powerful enough to drown the orange fire of the lava flow at the far end of the cave. The roots of the goldtree were visible high above us like trusses in a temple roof. White flower clusters grew between the roots. A fragrance similar to blooming lilac overtook the sulfur odor and left me feeling light and refreshed.

  Her long tail was wrapped around her body several times like a protective fence. My eyes followed the curve of crimson-flecked gold scales until I found myself looking upon the face of Erisda. I'd seen dragons from a distance before, but never one this large. She was a sleek, almost serpentine beast, and must have been at least fifty yards long from nose to tail tip when fully uncoiled. Thirty-five or forty yards of that length was made up solely of her tail. Her wings were retracted flat against her lithe body, leaving no clue as to her wingspan. Despite her enormity, she only took up a fraction of the cavern. The Hycinth builders had left her ample room to grow.

  Her splendor overtook me and I failed for some time to notice the extensive scarring on her body. She had more scar than scale in some areas along her ribs and legs. A large segment of spine was exposed near the base of her tail, and another on her slender neck. These were injuries that would never heal. The Jarrah had left her mutilated, and the Hycinth were right to send her into a place where she felt no pain. She didn't deserve a life of such agony. Nothing did.

  "Oh, you poor, beautiful girl. Aren't you magnificent? May I touch her?" Daelis asked. Gur nodded and Daelis pressed his hand against a particularly metallic section of tail scales. "She's immense, absolutely immense. She has to be two thousand years old, maybe even older. I saw juveniles at Mountain Home and my grandmother has her mated pair of blue oasis dragons, but I've never seen one like this. She may be unique in all of our modern age."

  I broke away from Shan and limped along Erisda's perimeter. The lilac scent was overwhelming at some points and I wondered if it was coming from the flowers above or from the dragon herself. I couldn't understand how a hibernating beast had grown so large. I needed an answer. "Gur? What do the Hycinth feed her? You must be feeding her somehow or else she wouldn't have grown this large. She was much smaller in the drawings we saw."

  Gur approached me with his hands folded together. "We do not feed Erisda. The healers intended for her to remain in her smaller state, but over time they noticed her grow. We believe she feeds off either the heat or the light of the lava pit."

  Daelis let out a clipped laugh. He picked up wide-eyed Yana and joined Gur and me near the dragon's head. Shan wandered out of sight around the curve of the beast's back.

  "No wonder is so hot down here," Daelis said with a smile. "You have your own solar dragon. I read some of the legends about them when I was a child, but the illustrations looked nothing like this beauty. They were named based on their appearance, not their origin like most other dragons. Golden dragons of the deserts and arid canyons. Intelligent animals, and some myths described them as tricksters." His smile fell as he studied Erisda's scarring. "Poor girl. Your people did her a great service by taking away her pain. A dream life is better than a tortured waking one."

  Sweat poured down my spine. My vision grayed around the edges. "I want to stay longer, but it's too hot. Yana isn't looking well. We need to go back up."

  Gur held his arms out and ushered us back toward the stairs. "Yes, is difficult to stay in the heat. Come. The food makers are preparing a feast and your family is invited to eat with us. Later. Not ready yet."

  We left Erisda behind and reentered the cooler violet cavern above. Shan had some difficulty aiding me, and I wasn't certain if it was from the heat or from some other factor.

  I didn't find out the reason until we were alone in our room. Daelis was helping Yana with the water pitcher, so Shan drew me behind the dividing curtain.

  "I did something," Shan muttered. He wouldn't look at me, but instead stared at the rumpled bed blankets.

  "Something bad?" I asked.

  "Something stupid. Bad, too."

  "What did you do, Shannon?"

  Shan reached into the large pockets of his robe and pulled up two objects. Eggs. Gold-flecked yellow eggs, each the size of my hand from wrist to fingertip.

  "What... Where did you get those?" I asked.

  Shan returned the eggs to his pockets and shrugged. "They were tucked under her hind foot. I only noticed them because I bent to pick a rock out of the sole of my shoe, so I don't know if the Hycinth even knew they were there. I mean, I doubt they're viable, right? Not if she's been down here since she was a juvenile like Daelis thinks. Even if they were viable, I'd think they would have hatched by now since they've probably been there a couple thousand years. Right?"

  "Shannon, you're right. You did do something stupid. Don't tell anyone else you have them, especially not Yana. The Hycinth seem peaceful, but I don't know what they'd do to us if the found out we stole something so precious from their sacred dragon. Just wrap them up safely in your satchel and we'll figure out what to do with them when we get home."

  Shan had tears in his eyes as he hugged me. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just saw them and wanted to see them closer, so I picked them up. Then it was time to leave and I slipped them into my pockets. Realized halfway up the stairs that I still had them, but it was too late and I couldn't put them back without Gur noticing. Mom, I'm sorry."

  I smoothed his hair and forced him to look me in the eyes. "I know. Hide them and don't speak of them again or take them out until we are safely home. I'm afraid they'll hurt you if they find out, so this is our secret. Now, go do with them what I told you to do and pretend like nothing happened. Drink water, relax, and prepare yourself for the Hycinth feast."

  "What if we're the main course?" Shan asked. He was reluctant to let go of me.

  "We won't be, as long as you mind your behavior. Now compose yourself. We'll leave here as soon as I can walk without support."

  Oh, my sweet boy, my Shan who has always stayed out of trouble, what have you done? What are we going to do with a pair of solar dragon eggs, even nonviable ones? Breathe, Shan. Find a mask to wear and strap it on tight. Just for a couple days. Give me a couple days, and I'll be ready to run again.

  Day 29, part 3

  I think Daelis knows something is wrong. He may have overheard our hushed whispers earlier. I want to tell him about the eggs, but I still think it would be best to wait until after we leave Aes. It's easy for me to forget what his position in Jadeshire entailed, but not in this situation. He's an educated lawyer and was the head of Law and Security for the city. Would he willingly overlook what could be a locally unforgivable offense? I don't think he would place the customs of strangers above the life of his own son, but I need to keep my journal away from him for now.

  Why am I suddenly afraid of Daelis? That doesn't make sense. I trust him. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and he certainly wouldn't do anything that could potentially harm Shan. However, I have memory to provoke my anxieties. Daelis yanked out my heart once in the name of upholding his own honor, so why wouldn't he do it again? No, he wouldn't do that to us again. He's older now, less self-centered. He loves us. He'd never betray his family even if meant disrespecting the law. Us, his real family, not the people who birthed, then belittled and neglected him. Those are the people I hope he's strong enough to bet
ray.

  "Are you all right? You seem agitated," Daelis says. He sits on the end of the bed. I shift toward the wall to hide my writing from him. He lays down so his head is next to my hip.

  "All those onions are bothering my stomach. I can still taste them." I ruffle his hair and force a smile. "I'm restless on top of that. I think we need to leave. Tomorrow or the next day. Soon. Are the kids asleep?"

  "Nearly. Shan's still reading the insect book I lent him from my satchel, but he can hardly keep his eyes open. Yana's mumbling about eating too much. Her eyes are closed so she'll be asleep shortly." He reaches up and strokes my cheek. "You're right, too many onions. They were so familiar, though, so much like home. Are you writing about them now? About the feast, I mean?"

  "I'm about to. Right now I'm writing about how much I wish we were on my bed in my house in Jadeshire, above ground and safe with stars in the sky and green grass outside. I want to be home and I want you to be part of that home." I sigh and lean against the wall. He holds my free hand to his lips and kisses it. "Aes is beautiful, but we don't belong here. I want to leave in the morning. Shan will have to wear my rucksack because I can't handle the extra weight, but we need to go."

  "Yes, I believe you're right. I'm growing more uncomfortable by the day. If you think you're ready to go, we'll go. We may need to move slowly for a while, but I think we'll be fine as long as you can still swing your sword. I'll let you finish your entry now. If this is going to be our last night sleeping on a bed for a while, I want to savor it."