Chapter 15

Through Evelyn, Lumin bombarded Isak and Safir with questions about dragons and their abilities. While they didn’t always answer directly, or at all if they felt it was too soon for him to know, Lumin felt satisfied with the plethora of knowledge they bestowed upon them. Evelyn was also grateful. Being partnered with a dragon made her all the more excited to learn about them. It made her feel like she was talking with her mother again.

She wanted to ask Isak or Fukayna if she and Benjamin could see their mother soon, but there never seemed like a good time to ask. She didn’t want to impose it on Lumin, but she missed her. Thinking about introducing her to Lumin excited her almost as much as being with Lumin on its own. When she began to daydream about them meeting again, she was pulled back by another set of questions Lumin wanted her to ask.

After an hour of driving, they turned down a dirt path that gradually scaled the mountain to their left. A few twists and turns later, the main road was out of sight, so Isak asked Evelyn to pull out the map marked with the dragon's general location. They examined the coordinates and parked as close as they could get in the truck. With great relief, she swung the door open and hopped out.

The dirt under Eelyn’s feet had more give to it than she anticipated, nearly making her slip. There were murky puddles littering the path from recent rain. She prayed the eggs were not caught in a storm. An aquafin egg may be fine, but anything else, especially a flamebreath egg, would suffer.

With Safir’s eyes, Isak scanned their surroundings. Evelyn felt helpless and exposed with her own vision. Her sight for a normal human was fine, but from what Isak said, a dragon's vision is far superior, which made Lumin rumble with pride.

When they were satisfied no one followed them, Evelyn climbed into the bed of the truck and removed the tarp from Jalibamawt, who was curled into a ball with a paw outstretched to give him balance. With a groan, he stood up and arched his back, stretching his extremities. Evelyn was startled by how much his back cracked.

“It feels good to be out in the wild again.” The ichneumon lept from the truck and kneaded the soft dirt.

“How are you feeling after that drive?” Evelyn asked.

“That was nothing,” he said. “Stealth is a specialty of mine, hence why I was picked for this mission.”

Isak joined them and placed the map on the open tailgate of the truck. “If our intel is correct, the rendezvous point is about a quarter mile…” he pointed at the direction it indicated relative to their location, “that way.” She followed his finger up the mountain on her left towering over them. It may as well have been a cliff for Evelyn.

“That’s it?” Jalibamawt said, a hint of disappointment in his voice that stabbed Evelyn directly in her confidence. He then slithered between the foliage up the side of the mountain.

Nudging her forward, Isak told Evelyn, “Go on, then.”

The forest on the mountain was dense like the one bordering Cove, perhaps more so, however it was less tropical. No vines or enormous leaves, but thick, protruding roots and thin trunks. Loose rocks and boulders covered in damp moss gradually became more prevalent on the ground as they rose in elevation, which she first noticed when slipped on one, then another. Combine that with the thorns from the brush, and Evelyn received a multitude of scratches and bruises, making her skin tingle with aches and itches. On top of it all, the bottom of her feet and the palm of her hands were wet and blistered, small droplets of blood smearing her hands.

Trying to appear tough, Lumin did not complain, but Evelyn could tell he was bothered by the irritating sensations. He floated the idea of him sharing his impenetrable scales with her, but they both knew that would use too much magic. Evelyn doubted that was even an ability riders could have, and she dared not ask. Isak.

Initially, Isak had some difficulty with the climb. He moved slowly, but never fell, leaving his hands and knees unmarked. After a few minutes, though, he acclimated to the conditions. Jalibamawt was in a league of his own, bounding his way up the steep slope with ease. He would stop occasionally to allow Evelyn to catch up.

After a while, the path flattened out into a wide ledge. The rocks were replaced with lush grass and the atmosphere felt relaxed. The air was chilled. A thin layer of mist hovered over the ground. Crystallized droplets mottled the leaves and the grass had a thin layer of dew, giving the air a moist, petrichor smell. A shiver crawled through Evelyn’s body, her skin rough with goosebumps. Usually, she was not a fan of the cold, but the humid air mixed with the chill calmed her irritated skin.

Evelyn and Isak followed Jalibamawt to the center of the ledge. Through the thin layer of trees, they found a clearing. In the middle of it was a beautiful trio of trees intertwined into a braid all the way to the canopy. The twisted three. The mist surrounding it was highlighted by the sun, giving it an ethereal aura.

Isak grabbed her shoulder and put a finger to his lips. “Slow and quiet, Lass,” he whispered. “This dragon will be scared and defensive.”

Evelyn nodded slowly. Startling them could start a fight which would bring unwanted attention to them. Jalibamawt froze mid step. It was as if he turned into a statue in front of the natural phenomenon. Evelyn and Isak followed his lead.

Isak’s eyes turned into Safir’s. He glanced around the tree for a second. Then he squinted his eyes and nodded. “Do you see them?” He asked Evelyn. She followed his gaze, but all she could see was tall grass surrounding the moss covered tree trunks. When she shook her head, Isak continued, “Use Lumin’s eyes.”

“Wouldn’t that use his magic?”

“This will use minimal magic. It would be dangerous only if you used it for a prolonged period or simultaneously with other senses. This is a good opportunity for you and Lumin to get a feel for using magic. Don’t worry, I will make sure you do not push too far. Close your eyes.” She did as she was told. “Now, Lumin, ease your magic into Evelyn’s eyes. Do not overload them. Evelyn, when enough magic is shared, you will feel a pop. When you do, tell Lumin to stop. Then, open your eyes.”

She gave Lumin’s conscience a nudge, telling him she was ready. A second later, she felt a tingling sensation come through her optic nerve and flow into her retina. Soon, the magic expanded through the entire mass of her eyes. It felt as if a flood of tears were forming. The pop felt like an air bubble in her pupil bursting. With another nudge, Lumin stopped and Evelyn opened her eyes.

The world around her changed. Most of the colors that brightened the environment around her were muted and grayed. The only colors she could see were blues and browns. Every other color was either faded or various shades of gray. It startled her at first, but she realized that now she could see finer details. The veins on the leaves twenty yards away were prominent, the ants crawling on the tree just beyond the twisted cluster were in a clear, calculated formation, there was a sparkle of reflected light from a droplet of water hung from a blade of grass teetered on the edge, eager to take its final leap to the dirt below. The detail in the world stunned her.

‘Your vision is amazing, Lumin!’

‘I still wish I could see all of the colors you do. Everything is so pretty in your eyes.’

‘I beg to differ, you see so much more of the world.’

She felt Isaks hand pat her shoulder. “Good, now look closely. Do you notice anything peculiar about those trees?”

“Well, it really is a beautiful display of nature's wonders. I’ve never seen trees entwined like that. Plus the light makes the moss kind of look like scales… Wait…” Evelyn focused on the moss surrounding the bark. They didn’t look like scales, they were scales. It was subtle, but they slowly rose and fell like a creature's chest would while breathing.

“Good spot. Retract your magic, Lumin. We have our dragon, now how would you approach them?”

Evelyn blinked and felt the magic rush from her eyes back into the rest of her body, her vision returning to normal. Her past experience with Delain crossed her mind. A slow approach was a no-brainer. While she was relieved to not find any indications of injury, it meant she needed to find another approach to convince the dragon she was friendly. Not that her original plan helped since Delain tried to kill her anyway… until…

She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her mothers medallion and flashed it to Isak. “They’ll know this, right?”

The experienced rider nodded and signaled for her to take the lead. With her heart in her throat, she shuffled past Jalibamawt and snuck forward. Having prior experience and friends to back her up did not settle her nerves.

She tried to be quiet, but the grass under her shoes made a soft, squishing noise. The same sound came from behind her as Isak and Jalibamawt crept forward as well, but it did not rouse the sleeping beast. Ten feet from the camouflaged dragon, she straightened her back and took a deep breath. She held the medallion in her palm, the insignia facing forward.

“E-excuse me,” She said with a reticent tone. The air in her lungs froze when a yellow eye appeared, the slitted pupil looking directly at her. Every fiber of her body told her to run, fearing a reaction similar to Delain’s. She probably would have if not for Lumin’s reassuring presence in her mind.

Everyone stood still while Evelyn was carefully scanned by the eye. It was focused and piercing, but tired. She swallowed before continuing, “My name is Evelyn, and this is Isak and Jalibamawt. We’re here to help you.” She lifted the medallion higher, drawing the eyes' attention. When it was spotted, the eye glimmered.

It closed and the ground rumbled, putting Evelyn off balance. As she waved her arms to regain stability, the grassy scales rose from the base of the trees along with the dirt below. She realized that it was also covered in scales, perfectly blended with the ground and bark of the tree, revealed only by the now contorted surroundings. The figure of a dragon started to manifest against the backdrop of trees and fog.

The dragon stood tall, their head reaching halfway up the towering trees. Evelyn guessed this groundclaw was just a few feet shorter than Safir, though their muscles were bulkier, shoulders broader. Just like Foto, their muzzle was rectangular, but thinner at their nose. The colors intrigued Evelyn; when she read about groundclaws, the books said they were either brown to indicate earthy heritage, or green for plant based heritage. None mentioned a groundclaw with both. From the top of their head to the tip of their tail was green as the leaves, the green scales protruded from the side like a canopy. Their belly and chest down to their legs was brown, matching the trees and dirt, almost shifting shades to match their surroundings.

“Thank the drakes, I began to worry we were forgotten.” Her voice was soothing and youthful with a cheeriness Evelyn did not expect from a groundclaw. “My name is— oh wait, I am supposed to ask you to show me unity? And you show me the logo thing… which you already did… sorry, I’m not good with formalities. My name is Camadh, it is a pleasure to meet you all.” She bowed her head.

The tension around the group seemed to dissipate. “The pleasure is ours,” Evelyn responded.

“I’m so excited, I never thought I’d meet friendly riders, let alone ichneumon. You are riders, right? Oh, I have so many questions!”

‘Sounds like you two would get along well,’ Evelyn said to Lumin.

‘You think so?’ He responded earnestly.

Camadh looked at Jalibamawt. “Is it true that your kind also manipulates the ground? If so, I would love to compare our abilities. Oh, I wonder if I will meet another groundclaw, too.”

”Perhaps we will get a chance while we make our way to the base,” the ichneumon responded.

“As much as I hate to cut our greetings short,” Safir interjected through Isak, “we have a small window of time. This will have to wait until we are at the base. Do you have the eggs?”

She nodded and uncurled her thick tail that encircled the trunks. Hidden under it was a gap between the twisted trees. In it, a nest made of the most lush looking grass Evelyn had ever seen contained three dragon eggs. They varied in size, but they were all close to the size of Lumin’s egg.

The first was bright, flame red with a soft, orange fire pattern on the lower third. The little sun that broke through the canopy glistened off the moisture, making it look like there was an inferno inside. It was the closest in size to Lumin’s, being just a tad larger. The second was a deep, majestic violet with lavender waves and bubbles decorating its exterior. Its shell seemed to ripple like sparkling waves in the ocean during sunrise. Lastly was the egg that bore a striking resemblance to Camadh: A vibrant green bottom with a muddy brown on top, mottled with specs of umber. When Camadh revealed the eggs, her tail held that last egg with longer than the others.

‘Maybe it’s her child?’ Lumin said when Evelyn pointed it out.

‘Perhaps, though she sounds young to have an egg.’

Isak walked carefully to inspect the eggs. “Glory to the drake gods, they all look healthy.” He looked up to the groundclaw. “You’ve done great work, Camadh. Any word from the other escapees?”

She shook her head. “I have not heard from anyone unfortunately. The last time I spoke to them was when they gave me the eggs and made contact with your informant. Since then, I have been waiting here.” Her ears drooped and she lowered her head. “I hope everyone is alright, especially the shockwing. She was so nice, but so reluctant to give up her egg.”

A mournful feeling flooded Evelyn’s heart, she looked away, unable to look Camadh in the eye. In contrast, Lumin perked up. ‘She knew my mom? Maybe she can tell us about her.’ Evelyn gave his concious a subtle touch in agreement, but she hoped they would not press the topic further just yet.

To her relief, Isak spoke. “No worries, Lass. I am sure they are fine. As for the eggs, Evelyn and I will take great care with them, else Safir would eat us alive. As for you, Jalibamawt will escort you underground and cover your tracks.”

“Of course. I promise to help where I can, Jalibamawt.” She turned to Isak and Evelyn. “Please take care of them,” Camadh said as a hole opened in the ground in front of Jalibamawt. He stepped in first, waving to the riders before disappearing into the void. The dragon slowly followed, taking one last look at the eggs before shrinking into darkness, a hopeful smile on her face. After a second, the hole sealed behind them, leaving a large dirt patch.

Isak beckoned Evelyn to him. He pointed to the groundclaw egg and said, “That one’s your responsibility.” He scooped up the other two eggs, one in each hand. Evelyn squatted down and wrapped her arms around the bottom of the groundclaw egg and lifted it, almost losing her balance.

Struggling just to hold the egg, she worried about the descent. Unlike escaping with Lumin’s egg, there was no flat land, and she could not wrap her arms around the egg completely. That was impossible with this egg, so she had to support it from the bottom.

‘How come he gave you the biggest egg?’ Lumin asked.

‘It wouldn’t make sense for him to carry this with another egg, would it? And do you think I could really carry two eggs down this cliff?’

‘I think you could.’

’Don’t you start lying to me, mister.’

’I’m not, though…’ he whined.

When she approached the steep slope, she looked down to see Isak practically sliding down the mountain. He danced along the slick rocks, using the built up condensation to keep his momentum. Any struggles he had while climbing seemingly vanished.

‘Should we do what he’s doing?’ Lumin asked.

‘Absolutely not. You have way too much confidence in me. We are going to be careful and move slowly. I am not going to explain to Camadh that we killed her egg because we tried to be fancy. Just tell me if I’m about to fall.’

With a thud, the groundclaw egg was placed in the bed of the truck next to the two others. Evelyn panted and leaned against the ledge. The bones in her arm ached. Her fingers were stiff and felt like they would break with the slightest bend.

The journey down the slope was long and arduous. While Isak skipped down as if he were on a modest, joyful hike, Evelyn struggled. Each step was stressful, having to focus with any small movement in order to not slip and drop the egg. Images of it smashing against a boulder, or tumbling toward the dirt road plagued her mind. Never in her life had she clutched onto something so tightly. She was thankful dragon eggs were more durable than other eggs; any other would have shattered in her grip.

Even with the help of Lumin’s shared strength —which Evelyn reluctantly accepted after a near tragedy— it took her twice as long to descend as Isak. When she finally reached the truck, he was watching her from the tailgate.

With the tarp, she covered the eggs. As she wiped her brows and made sure the eggs were not visible, Isak slapped the roof of the truck, making her jump. He was hanging out the side of the truck, one foot in the driver's side. “Let’s get going, Lass. There is one more stop we have to make. If we’re quick, we may make it back before nightfall.”

She leaned down and placed a hand on the eggs. “Don’t worry, this won’t be for long, little ones.”

As if the ground were shifting, she stumbled when she stepped onto the dirt path. Her legs felt like jelly and her mind was foggy. What was worse was Lumin’s presence was muted. She still felt him, but he was distant and apathetic.

‘Are you alright, sweetie?’ She asked.

It took a moment for Lumin to respond, but just before she reached out to him again, he said, ‘Fine, I’m fine. Just tired.’

When Evelyn got settled in her seat, she asked Isak about Lumin’s weariness.

“Using his magic is not the only way to drain him. He is in his magical form, so magic energy is his strength. It is a combination of that and using his sight that exhausted him. It is nothing to worry about, though. He should be his usual self by the time we leave Gleannach.”

“We’re actually going there? I thought it was a cover?”

“It is, but it would not be a good one if we came back with the goods we left to sell. Besides, the resistance needs to get money somehow.” Isak revved the engine and drove back the way they came.

The drive to Gleannach was only fifteen minutes. When they arrived, she noted the lack of a checkpoint like Cove. Given it was in old Faiyan territory, she thought it would also receive the same treatment. Isak explained that because the small town became a large tourist destination after the war, the empire removed the major checkpoints to keep visitors happy and money rolling in.

As they expected, the primary street running through the town was bustling with tourists. Souvenir stores and gimmick attractions on either side were lined with Aonachans on their vacation. Evelyn could see the employees consisted of Faiyans happily tending to the customers' needs, and any time she saw what looked like a manager or anyone in charge, it was an Aonachan. Something about the Faiyans' smiles and cheerful demeanor made Evelyn feel weary. Perhaps it was just adrenaline still pumping through her veins from the expedition, or maybe Lumin’s slow rise in energy getting to her, but she did not believe their smiles. The town hadn’t changed much since her family visited when she was a child, but it felt different this time. It felt fake.

Maybe dragon abuse isn’t the only reason to fight. There is no way these people are happy.

As that thought crossed her, Lumin regained enough energy to ask about everything in sight. ‘What are those lights above the streets for? How do people build buildings this big? What is that loud screeching noise coming from the cars?’ And many other questions. Evelyn tried her best to answer all of them, but his curiosity grew with each answer. For the time being, she made sure to keep her concerns to herself.

Eventually, they turned down an alley and weaved through a few side roads. Stopping at a garage door on the side of a taller building. The sign at the front of the store was a tuna with a chef hat, which amused Evelyn.

“I hope these fish are more fresh than the one you and that other guy gave us,” she said, eyeing Isak.

He chuckled. “Aye, we save the best for this joint. They be our best customers.” As he reached for the door, he told Evelyn, “make sure our other cargo stays hidden while we offload.”

Evelyn nodded and departed the truck.

The sun was mostly blocked by the tall buildings surrounding it. What little light there was came from a flickering porch light hanging above a rusted garage door. Isak rang the doorbell next to the garage and Evelyn climbed into the bed once more and gently slid the eggs out of the way of the first box, careful not to remove the tarp concealing them.

The metal creaked loudly as the door slowly opened, the sheets rattled as they lifted and curled out of sight. Inside a man with a black beard wearing a collared shirt and khakis greeted Isak. The two spoke for a moment, both using sailor inflections and phrases. Then the man waved his hand, guiding a forklift out of the garage. Evelyn moved to allow the operator to maneuver the forks under the box and lift it out. She held her breath when it came close to the eggs, but the operator was careful when nearing the tarp. Once the first box was unloaded, Evelyn moved the eggs to the other side and the other box was unloaded with ease.

Isak signed a paper and shook the hand of the first man. The door closed as he walked inside. After preparing the truck for departure, they returned to the road.

The drive back to the highway was mostly uneventful. Lumin became quiet again, contributing to her boredom. Once they were near the highway, though, she noticed Isak looking into the rearview mirror more frequently. At first she thought he was just making sure the eggs remained safe and in hiding with the extra room they now had, but something felt off. He kept his composure, however he stopped tapping his finger to the music.

When she brought it up, Isak grunted and hinted at the mirror. “Do not turn around to look. There is a guard car tailing us.”

Leaning against the window, she angled herself to use the exterior blind spot mirror to look behind them. A car length behind them was a black sedan. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, upon closer inspection, Evelyn could see the driver through the lightly tinted windshield; a man wearing sunglasses and a gray jacket carefully watched the truck. Next to him was a monitor similar to what Benjamin had in his guard car.

“They have no reason to pull us over, right?”

Isak let out a long sigh, taking a longer look in the mirror. “Something isn't right about this. If we do get stopped, I will do the talking.” Evelyn nodded in acknowledgement, gripping a chunk of fabric on her pants.

They continued driving, following the laws perfectly as to not warrant any stop. At each turn, the guard followed, keeping the same distance the whole time. There was no doubt that he was following them.

When they finally made it to the highway, a light mounted to the windshield of the sedan flashed red and blue lights. Without hesitation, Isak turned the wheel and came to a stop on the side of the road. After a moment, Isak reminded Evelyn to stay quiet and rolled down the window.

A burly man walked up to the truck, sunglasses covering his eyes and a cap shielding his bald head. On his shoulder was a red ribbon, which Evelyn quickly recognized as an indication that he was no ordinary city guard. ‘An Empire Guard,’ she told Lumin. Anticipating his questions, she continued, ‘City Guards enforce the laws in each city, however, Empire Guards answer directly to the Emperor. They can basically go wherever they want. That’s what Ben told me at least.’

Despite the window being rolled down, the guard tapped on the door in what Evelyn felt was a condescending way. “Documents,” he said in a demanding tone. He had a scowl on his face that told everyone he would not tolerate noncompliance.

With a nod, Isak pulled out their forged documents and handed them to the guard. “May we be enlightened to the reason we be stopped fer?” Isak asked with his inflection. Without another word, the guard flipped through the documents and walked back to his car. “Lovely fellow… Stay alert.”

A minute went by, then two, three. As the time ticked by, Evelyn’s nerves rose. Through the mirror, she tried to see what the guard was doing in his car, but it was too difficult to tell. Lumin offered his eyes, but she refused to drain his magic any further. Thankfully, Isak had the same idea. With Safir’s eyes, he stared at the rearview mirror. But nothing came of it. All Isak could discern was that he was typing things into his computer.

The wait dragged on for five more minutes. The sound of sirens made her heart sink. A marked guard car pulled up behind the first, then another and another. Five cars in total.

Isak slowly reached for his gear shift and gripped the steering wheel.

She envisioned her brother laughing in her face at their predicament, thinking they would be able to escape the guards; it was impossible to do that.

At the height of anticipation, doors swung open on every guard car, including the unmarked one that had pulled them over. Each guard stood behind their respective door with a gun drawn, pointed at the truck.

“Driver and passenger, by order of the emperor, step out of the vehicle. Now!” The empire guard yelled. The other guards joined him in a choir of similar orders.

With a defeated sigh, Isak glanced at Evelyn. “When I say,” he whispered, “duck down and grab onto something.”

‘Why are we not fighting? I’m sure Isak and Safir could take them all,’ Lumin said.

‘Fighting is way too dangerous. I’m sure they have a plan… I hope.’

“I said step out of the vehicle!” The guard called again. Isak did not move. He only watched them in the mirror with Safir’s eyes. Evelyn wondered why he was waiting. It’s not like the guards would get bored and go home.

After another moment that dragged on for what seemed like forever, the guards became uneasy. A few of them shifted their stances and the empire guard stepped forward, lowering his gun an inch as if to approach the vehicle again. When that happened, Isak shouted, “Now!” He shifted the truck into gear and put his foot through the accelerator.

Evelyn folded herself and clung to the bottom of the seat. The sudden forward motion pinned her chest to her knees. With a sharp crash, the rear window of the truck shattered as bullets flew over her head. Tiny fragments of glass showered her and she instinctively put her hands on the back of her head. The truck swerved to either side, the tires screeching like wild turkeys.

Once the shooting stopped, Evelyn struggled to get upright. When she did, she looked behind them. All of the guards leaped into their cars and took off after them, sirens wailing. To her surprise, the truck was moving with pace she thought impossible of the rusted vehicle. Though with each turn Isak made, the tires cried out and the metal around them creaked and moaned.

The eggs shifted back and forth and the tarp covering them flapped violently in the wind. The tailgate behind them still prevented the guards from seeing them, but the faster they went, the more the eggs teetered.

A guard in the passenger seat of the car just behind the first leaned out of the window, drew his gun and fired. Most of the bullets went wildly astray, but a few hit the tailgate. Evelyn could see there was a bullet hole where the latch was supposed to be. Before she could say anything, Isak swerved again to avoid traffic. When he did, the tailgate shook violently and flipped open.

With a gasp, she yelled to Isak, “The eggs are exposed!”

The rider looked in his mirror and muttered a curse. He quickly looked around at their surroundings and said, “I have an idea, just make sure the eggs stay in the truck.”

She unbuckled herself and knelt on the seat facing their pursuers. With a deep inhale, she started to climb through the rear window. As she did, she saw the guard reload and lean back out, firing another round of shots. Most missed again, but they were closer; the last one even whistled by Evelyn. She felt a sting on her cheek. A small trickle of blood dripped down her cheek.

In that moment, the fear of her mortality overwhelmed her. Everything around her became irrelevant. Isak might have shouted something, if he did, it was probably important, but she could not process his message. All she could hear was the static buzzing in her mind. Her heart nearly stopped; she felt cold with fear and stared into the abyss. What was she doing? Why was she here, nearly dying? What would death be like and. Why did it scare her so much?

‘—eggs.’ Lumin’s words were lost onto Evelyn, but the urgency in his voice along with a panicked poke of their minds broke her from her trance. ‘Evelyn, the eggs!’

She blinked and her vision came back. The first thing she saw was the eggs rolling toward the broken tailgate. With renewed vigor, she climbed through the broken window, cutting her hand on a shard of glass sticking out from the frame. She winced, but paid no mind to it and landed in the bed of the truck with a loud thud, gripping the side wall for balance.

The air lashed her without the protection of the windshield. Her hair whipped into her face, making it hard to see. Holding her hair to the side, she saw the eggs slowly tumbling away, tarp long gone.

She released her grip on the wall that held her in place. The ground beneath her shifted as she slid to the back with little control of her body. Twisting her lower body, she planted her foot in front of her and dug into the ground, slowing herself. Once she had full control of her body, she stood up and wobbled to the eggs. Stepping over them, she reached for the tailgate in an attempt to pull it closed. She grabbed at the top of it, but could not maintain a strong enough grip to lift it while maintaining her balance.

Before she could come up with a new plan, something pressed against her back, nearly knocking her over. She realized the eggs were just behind her. She stuck out her arm and a leg to prevent the other two from rolling past her. The strain on her limbs was heavy; they both cried out in pain.

‘Let me help,’ Lumin said.

‘No, I’m not risking it.’

Slowly, she began turning around, retracting her leg and placing it behind her, then stuck out her other arm to replace it before the flamebreath egg could resume its escape. She glanced back and through her dancing hair saw the empire guard removed his shades, eyes wide and his jaw dropped. He fumbled with his radio before shouting something into it.

After getting into a better stance, she slowly pushed the eggs back toward the cab. “Isak,” she called. It was a desperate call, the wind should have been too strong for anyone to hear her. To her surprise, he turned his head slightly, acknowledging her. “I think they know we have the eggs.”

He turned back to look at the road and sank into his chair. “I can tell.”

Evelyn looked up. Just in front of them stood a man about her age in the middle of the street. A wave of familiarity crashed over her, but she did not know why.

From the ground below him, a wall of fire burst out, spanning the width of the road. The heat warmed her face. She gasped and pursed her eyes shut, ducking down and bracing for the pain.

Just a few feet away from the fire, Isak swerved into the gully to their right. The truck started to spin; Isak had to fight with the steering wheel to maintain control of the fishtail. They whipped past the man and his wall. It was only a millisecond, but their eyes locked. His auburn eyes seemed familiar and unknown at the same time.

The truck skipped back onto the road, the tires squealing when they landed on the asphalt. They lost a lot of speed, but the wall also forced the guards to slow down as well. Seconds after they passed it, the flames dissipated and the guards continued their pursuit, the rider —his status Evelyn deduced from his ability to control fire— crouched on the roof of the empire guard’s car.

Isak muttered curses as he swung the truck back and forth as streaks of fire joined the volley of bullets. “Bah, blast it,” he said at a moment of brief reprieve. He straightened out the truck and stuck his hand out of the window, his palm facing back. From his hand he manifested a jet of water aimed at the pursuers. The first car screeched out of the way only for the one behind it —the one with the passenger firing potshots at them— to be struck, shattering the windshield. It startled the driver enough for him to lose control and spin out, collecting another car with him. Though as they drove past an on-ramp, another guard car joined the chase.

As the car straightened out, Evelyn could see the rider’s eyes widen, then narrow, a wry smirk forming. That reaction was in stark contrast to what she expected him to have. It was as if he was glad he was chasing another rider.

Her focus shifted from the exchange of attacks to holding the eggs in place. The aching in her arms was growing, not stopping even after repositioning herself for better leverage. If they did not lose the guards soon, she feared she would not be able to hold on for much longer. Lumin’s strength would help, he offered it multiple times, but Evelyn refused. She cared for the eggs and would be heartbroken if they were lost, but she would be damned before she lost Lumin.

After relaying her concerns to Isak, the old rider said, “I have an idea, just hang on a little longer, Lass.” Just then, he made a sharp turn onto an exit. Evelyn strained to stay upright, let alone hold onto the eggs. The pursuers struggled to react in time, one of them lost control and slammed into the barrier, leaving three cars on their tail.

On the junction roads, Isak had to swerve harder and more frequently to avoid hitting other drivers. This slowed them down significantly, but at the very least it did the same to the guards. However, the rider did not relent with his attacks. He did not seem to care that some jets of flames struck innocent cars that Isak weaved around.

This can’t go on. Someone is going to get hurt, she thought. She looked around for any way they could get out of this situation. That’s when she realized where Isak was going.

A sign caught her eye, which read: Lake Nuris. Evelyn remembered vacationing there with her family when she was a little girl. It connected to the Uwhay river which fed into the sea. Understanding the plan gave her minute hope of escape. That hope, however, was rattled as one of the city guards rammed into them, nearly sending Isak into a spin. They were still a mile away from the lake, but the guards were gaining on them, and they seemed to have an awful disregard for bystanders. The arrival of the rider must have changed their rules of engagement.

Unsure if they would make it to the lake in one piece, she looked to Isak in desperation. If he was scared, he did well to hide it. On occasion, when there were no civilians caught in the crossfire, he shot a few more jets of water back. Only a couple hit their marks, but it did not take anyone out of the chase. Fortunately, it forced them to maintain at least some distance.

A few turns and close calls with fire later, the scent of heavy moisture reached Evelyn’s nose. The lake was nearby.

They swerved onto a single lane road. Only a thin line of brush separated them from the lake. She expected Isak to stop and diffuse with Safir, but he kept driving. Just as she was about to inquire about a plan, he lifted his hand toward the water, struggling to keep it upright. At first, she thought Safir’s magic was running low, but then her eyes were drawn to the lake. As if a whale was leaping from the water, a bulge formed at the edge of the lake a quarter mile in front of them. It grew unnaturally high; under normal circumstances, a bubble that size would have bursted instantly. When they drove next to it, Isak swung his hand inward.

With the sound of a thousand waves crashing, the water swung toward the road and washed over the guard cars. Evelyn was in awe. The pillars Safir controlled were massive, but they were twigs compared to what Isak just unleashed. Is this what Safir meant about fusing unlocking their full magic?

When the mist settled, Evelyn was relieved to see a pile of cars overturned and crumpled against each other on the side of the road, but was quickly overcome with dread as the unmarked car slid, but regained control and avoided crashing out. The rider remained on its roof, soaked and furious.

Evelyn warned Isak of the remaining threat, to which he cursed. “When I stop, you take the truck and hide with the eggs.”

“But—”

“Just do it.”

Until then, she never heard of riders in direct conflict. Whether Isak could defeat this rider one on one, Evelyn did not know, and she didn’t want to leave him to an uncertain fate. And she had no clue where to go. If more guards joined the pursuit, they were doomed. There had to be another way.

‘Let me shock!’ Lumin cried.

‘What? No!’ She snapped. ‘We cannot use your abilities! We don’t even know if you can.’

‘I can, and I’ll be fine.’

‘You were exhausted just helping physically. It’s too risky.’

‘Evelyn, please trust me!’

Trust… She remembered what Safir had said about trusting him and how she needed to do that in order for their bond to grow the way it needed to. Despite that, she wanted to forbid it, but her arms were shifting from aching to numbness. With a hiss, she relented. ‘Alright, I trust you.’

In sync with her dragon, she pushed the eggs firmly against the cab and slid toward the tailgate, ducking under a jet of flames. Grabbing the tether preventing the tailgate from flopping against the bumper, she stopped just before falling out and raised her arm.

It started to tingle, then gradually started burning, similar to what she felt during the test of their bond. She gritted her teeth and closed the eye opposite to her arm. Her nails dug into her wrist and the tether squeezed her fingers, making them bleed. At the peak of the pain, a cluster of bolts formed around her fingers, balling up in her palm. When all the magic escaped her arm, lightning shot at the remaining car in a scattered frenzy, knocking Evelyn onto her back.

The air in her lungs escaped and would not return, even with a desperate gasp. It took a long moment for her body to willingly accept a fresh breath of air. When it did, she sat up, cringing in pain. Behind the truck, the unmarked car stalled and overturned, the rider tumbling to the ground. He slid to a halt on his stomach. Dirt and blood on his face, he looked at them one last time in shock. They were in the clear.

‘You… You did it, Lumin.’

No response came.

‘Lumin?’

His consciousness was there, but as weak as ever. Panic set in. Then her vision began to fade in and out, her peripheral vision clouded by a dark haze. She was light headed, every limb of her body drained of energy.

“Evelyn!”

Isak’s shout caught her attention. She slowly turned her head around and saw the eggs tumbling toward her. Out of pure instinct, she stuck her arms out and caught them just as they reached the edge, but the arm she used to guide Lumin’s bolt went limp at first contact. She could do nothing except watch as the groundclaw egg tumbled out of the truck. With a thud, it smacked the hard ground, bouncing a few times and coming to a stop on the side of the road. She tried to tell Isak, but nothing came out. Her throat seized and shut. She found it impossible to breathe. The only thing keeping her from giving into the void was the knowledge that if she were alive, so was Lumin.

Even worse, where the egg came to a rest stood the figure of a man she hoped to never see again. Crouching over the egg was Oliver. The menacing rider glared at her, gave her a smug smirk, then took the groundclaw egg and vanished into the wilds behind him.

No…

For what felt like an eternity, she used every fiber of her will to hold on until they finally swerved off the road toward the lake, practically using her entire body as a chock. She would not let Oliver take another egg.

The sun disappeared as they entered a structure and the truck came to a sudden stop, sending the eggs back to the cab and throwing Evelyn to the floor. The haze of her vision grew darker and took away more light. The last thing she saw was Isak run to her, shouting something. Then the world around her faded to black.