Page 25 of The Dragon's Gambit
“It’s nothing. Just missing home, and I wanted to feel the sun on my skin.” Reiya smiled tightly. It was a lie, and she never was good at lying. But the truth wasn’t something she could come out with. The map of Elysia that she had found weighed on her mind, and she wanted to know why they had one. Could she trust the answers that came out of their mouths? More importantly, she didn’t want to hear their answers, because she knew she would believe them. She wanted to do her job as the future leader of her people and objectively search for an answer. There had to be a logical explanation that didn’t include utter betrayal.
Lee looked at her, unconvinced. His eyes then flashed to Brody, who refused to meet his gaze. He knew there was something more. For now, he wouldn’t push the issue, but he would find out eventually. No matter how he had to obtain it, he would get an answer.
Chapter 16 The Future
“Okay, Reiya. Let’s go back to the castle.” Lee smiled at her and nodded his head.
“We have a gown prepared for you for the banquet this evening.” Xander swung his arm around Reiya’s shoulders andgrinned down at her. Quite honestly, he liked a girl with a bit of fight in her.
Reiya felt like she just got whiplash from Xander's mood swings. Wasn’t he angry at her a moment ago? Now, he was grinning and draping his arm on her. Maybe it was a dragon thing. Who was she kidding, though? Werewolves were like that. Brody could be like that, too. This was just their typical moodiness. A feral animal thing.
She allowed herself to be corralled along toward the castle. As they approached an area that overlooked the forest below them, she suddenly paused, staring out into the dense forest area.
“Reiya?” Xander stopped abruptly when she did.
Reiya could barely hear his muffled voice. The forest was warping before her as she watched the trees burst into flames. She was suddenly alone, looking down onto the barren land, watching a massive army draw closer to Elysia. In front of Elysia was another army, consisting of fairies and werewolves. There was also another group there, but she couldn’t discern what they were. They seemed to have formed an alliance with the werewolves, though.
A deep, icy chill slithered down her spine, and she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach. She could see the devastation that the demon army was causing. She frantically watched as the two armies drew closer. She felt like she was there. Suddenly, she was brought down in the heart of everything. She could see her mother and father, and her brothers, all bracing for the attack. Her eyes widened as the air stung her face. Off to the side, she saw herself, and Chelsie was near her. Dirty tears streamed down her face as she stared up at the sky, looking for something that wasn’t there. She could hear herself yell for Lee, but he never appeared.
Reiya felt her stomach turn. Her chest tightened, and she, too, was now desperately looking around. There were no dragons,not even her summon. She was having a hard time breathing. The air burned her nose as the demons continued to approach. The time was upon them. The battle was happening, and she was about to lose everyone and everything.
The armies collided together. Brody and Chasen were fighting side by side in the fray. Seraphina flew high in the sky, casting her fire downward. Hunter was being overtaken. A girl raced to her brother’s side, coming to his aid. At the same time, her father also rushed to help them. Then, she saw a demon with scythe-like claws impale Brody. There were just too many … too many demons. Reiya tried to join in, but she couldn’t. She was just a bystander who had to watch the events unfold in front of her.
A light blue glow radiated from Elysia and shot into Reiya.We must have the Ocean’s Tear, Reiya. Find the Ocean’s Tear!
Everything was gone. She was staring out toward the lush trees below her. Her body could still feel it. Could feel the heat … smell the sting. Salty water trickled from her eyes and her body slightly trembled. She could feel a hand around her and another on her shoulder. It was Xander and Lee. In front of her, she could see Chelsie and Brody. Brody was calling out to her, his eyes filled with worry.
Brody. Her blue, watery eyes focused on his. She took a staggering step forward before she ran into his arms. Once she was safely buried in his chest, she began to sob. She couldn’t make sense of what she had seen. Was it a premonition? Did she fail to bring the dragons to their side? Where was Lee? Did he abandon her too? Was this a “for sure” future, or just one from this moment? What if she could bring the dragons to their side?
One haunting question continued to loom in her head. Where was Lee? Regardless, he should have been there. Why wasn’t he?
Reiya clung to Brody. She had watched his blood pour out onto the ground and his eyes fade and become dull. She had to protect him. She had to save her people. The Ocean’s Tear … what wasit? And how would she find it? Was it something that could help them in battle?
She had never had a premonition before. She knew that her grandmother had a couple, but her great-grandmother had been extremely gifted in that aspect. She knew about the impending battle with the demons, which did give her a hopeful thought. Her grandmother had seen the impending battle and had actively tried to change things for it. If that was the case, maybe this future wasn’t set in stone. Maybe it was just a premonition of what was to come for sure with the demons, but there might still be time … time to alter the future. She could still bring the dragons to their side. But Lee … what happened there? Why would Lee not come to her? Was she just a tool that he was using? She was driving herself nuts with these thoughts. Her mind and heart battled against each other. She wanted to believe in Lee.
Reiya tightened her grip on Brody and controlled her breathing. She couldn’t get emotional. Both a gift and a curse, the premonition had shown her what was to come. Now she had to use that to her advantage. Now, more than ever, she knew she had to win the dragons to her side. She also needed to learn about the Ocean’s Tear and where it was.
“Reiya, what happened?” Xander’s gentle voice called out to her.
Reiya peeked at him from Brody’s arms. She could see him and Lee standing close by, their eyes filled with concern as they studied her. Was it real concern? Her eyes moved from the amber eyes of Xander to the blue eyes of Lee. She felt shattered inside as she gazed at him. She knew what she saw, but it wasn’t how she felt. She felt like she could trust him. Maybe she was a fool. She had to be a fool, because she wanted to be in his arms. She wanted to feel his gentle touch and take comfort in his embrace.
Reiya.She heard Brody’s voice call in her head. She couldn’t talk about this right now. She needed to talk to her mother. She would be able to help her make sense of everything.
Brody, I need to talk with mom.
“Chelsie, go and let our mother know that we need to speak with her when she can.” Brody looked over at Chelsie, who nodded in understanding.
“I’ll get in contact with her.” Chelsie patted Reiya’s head, then turned and headed to a nearby pool of water.
“Reiya.”
She looked over at Lee, who had extended his hand to her. She stared at it, feeling confused. She wasn’t sure if she could trust herself anymore.
“Reiya, please.” Lee’s voice almost sounded like it was cracking as he held out his hand, practically begging her to take it.
She looked into his pleading eyes. He looked like he was hurting. She bit her bottom lip and sucked in a deep breath through her nose. Then, she cautiously reached out her tiny hand, placing it in his. The moment she touched it, his hand encompassed hers and pulled her from Brody. She was soon flush against his chest and held by his two protective arms. She couldn’t help it; she felt soothed. Was she damning her people by trusting him?
She felt his hand run through her hair. He lowered his head next to hers and she heard him breathe in her scent. “Reiya, what happened?”
