Page 28 of Dragon Valley
She snorted her reluctant agreement as I climbed on and off we went. We landed in our village center fifteen minutes later. I straightened my back and put on my best bitch face as I strode over to the chief’s pavilion.
It felt like forever since I spent any time in this place. My own small hut was bare and empty since gathering supplies for the journey. Everything I owned was packed in a small bundle in Caden’s tent. The last few nights, I hadn’t even slept in my own place. Caden and I stayed up talking and laughing until my eyelids drooped. Dusa would be already curled up and asleep by the fire. When Caden offered me extra blankets and his spare sleeping pad in his tent, it only made sense to accept.
He slept ten feet away in his own bed. I barely slept at all that first night and just listened to the sounds of his deep, even breaths. His chest rose and fell in the darkness and I wondered how it would feel with my head resting there as he slept.
I told myself I’d have to get used to sleeping next to him, provided we’d be doing it while out on our mission.
Who knew how much longer I’d be able to tell myself that was all it would be?
As much as I yearned to walk far away in the opposite direction, I entered the Chief’s pavilion without an ounce of hesitation. I wouldn’t allow him to see me nervous or reluctant.
Smoke billowed from the central fire, filling the whole pavilion with a soft haze. He sat directly on the other side, ominously obscured by the smoke.
I kneeled across from him and lowered my gaze respectfully.
“You wanted to see me, chief?”
“Azel has sent me a vision.”
My breath hitched and I fought the urge to jerk up my eyes. That was not what I expected.
“A vision, chief?”
“Yes. He came to me in a dream,” he said very matter-of-factly. “The Dragon God has chosen him not only as the next chief but as a Dragon Seer. He can speak to us across great distances and see through the eyes of dragons. There hasn’t been a Seer in over a thousand years.”
My eyes darted from left to right to see if Azaria, another Rider, one of his wives, anyone else was hearing this. The Chief was clearly hallucinating. Even when he sounded so sure of himself, he had to be disoriented or confused. There was no other explanation for him saying these things. But we were alone together in the smoky pavilion.
“I’m dying, Nadiyah,” he went on. “Azel knows this. But the Dragon God is not finished with him. My old bones don’t have much longer but I’ll hold on for as long as I can.”
“Chief…” I didn’t know what to say.
“He had a message for you as well, Nadiyah.”
“Me?” Forgetting myself, I looked up. Hope filled me, despite the absurdity of it all. His mind was breaking down. I couldn’t put any stock into what he was saying.
“He said to love the sky, don’t fight it. Trust the man bathed in blue and gold, not the girl under the tree. The dragon’s heart lives in four bodies.”
I lowered my eyes again, blinking back the tears. Our chief might as well already be gone. He was spouting nonsense and claimed to be talking to Azel when that was impossible.Oh great Dragon God, please bring Azel back to us soon.
“Did you hear me, Nadiyah?” he pressed. “It’s very important that you remember those words while on your journey.”
“I heard you, Chief,” I said sadly, and repeated the nonsense back to him. “Was there anything else you needed to see me for?”
“No, Nadiyah. Although—”
I froze midway through standing up, desperate to get away from this uncomfortable conversation.
“I will most likely not be here when you return,” he said with only a slight tremor in his voice. “So I would like to tell you now that I’m proud of you for taking on this endeavor. You will change how the world sees the people of Dragon Valley for the better. If Azel has any sense, he will honor you as a hero when you return.”
I swallowed thickly, willing myself not to cry. As frustrating as he was sometimes, he was the only Chief I ever knew. I couldn’t imagine coming home and him just not being here.
“Thank you, Chief. May the Dragon God carry you home.”
“You as well, Nadiyah, Rider of Dusa.” He bowed his head and quickly snapped it back up. “Take care of Azel and be patient with him, even if he’s not your favorite at all times.”
I paused for half a beat before leaving the tent, sucking in mouthfuls of fresh air and wiping my eyes.
I made a beeline for Dusa, but Azaria walked up to me immediately like she’d been waiting for me to come out.
