Page 86 of Taloned Heart

The Baron grumbled under his breath, but it was Algor who bowed low and deep. “We are lucky to have a goddess on our side, Fallen Star. Thank you for our new and temporary homes while we prepare to save the humans who have been enslaved by the dark and dangerous woman who sits on the Umbral Throne.”

Lore grinned at him, and then nodded. “Shall we plan for that, then? I believe there’s enough room for everyone now. And I would like to steal back what Margaret has taken.”

CHAPTER33

Abraxas soared through the clouds with his son at his side. And even though it felt strange to fly with his boy, knowing that he soon would be stripping away even more of Hyperion’s childhood, Abraxas took the time to enjoy this for what it was. What no one could take away from either of them.

This was the first time they’d flown together. The first time that they’d gotten an adventure alone. Without Nyx. Without Tanis. Without even Lore.

Hyperion wheeled through the sky in front of him. His wings spread wide and the sun glittering upon his emerald scales. The long tendrils of his beard and mustache floated behind him as though the wind had untangled them almost straight. And his long, serpentine body flowed like the undulating waves of the sea.

Abraxas had never seen a green dragon up close like this. He’d never even thought it would be possible until he saw the color of Hyperion’s egg. And now? He counted his blessings for what they were. His son was the first of his kind again, and soon, there would be ever more dragons awaiting them back home.

“We’re getting close,” he rumbled, his voice slicing through the wind toward his son’s ears. “We’ll have to be more careful that we are not seen.”

“And why don’t we want to be seen?” Hyperion slowed in his wild careening through the sky until he was next to Abraxas. Almost as though the fear had gotten to him. “Don’t we want the people of Umbra to know that we’re back?”

“We want them to know we’ve returned when we want them to know. The last thing we need is mass hysteria befalling the entire kingdom because a handful of mortals saw dragons that they no longer thought existed.”

And that was exactly what would happen. The humans would spread the word, or perhaps the magical creatures. And he didn’t know if that would be a good thing, or a bad thing.

Lore would know where the rumors came from, of course. None of that would be a surprise to her or the people helping her.

Margaret, on the other hand, would know something was up. She’d get a whiff of that and wonder about Lore and Abraxas’s plan. Perhaps she would even realize that they’d brought their children over and that could only mean one thing.

He didn’t fear the other magical creatures so much. They would be pleased to see that there was more of his kind, perhaps. There had to still be some of them who saw the dragons in the sky and remembered a time when they had been the guardians of Umbra. But there was still the very real possibility that no one remembered such a thing, and all they remembered was Abraxas melting the skin off their family.

Sighing, he shook his head again. “It’s too great a risk right now, my son. Soon they will know that we have returned. Soon, they will know that our family is here to stay. But right now, we have to focus on getting the memories into you so that you know how best to attack this new stage of your life.”

“Attack.” Hyperion snorted and his wings spread wide as he plummeted from the sky, wheeled in a circle, and then appeared over Abraxas’s head. “I know how to fight already. A few measly humans won’t take me down.”

Abraxas had a flash of memory, as though he could see the future. Giant green balls of acid that melted through wings and wriggled underneath scales to burn against skin. Burning such as he’d never experienced, and he was a dragon. He was meant to burn.

Abraxas tilted in the air until his wing was before his son’s face. A wing that was ragged and tattered, with holes all through it and many scars scratched permanently on the surface of his scales. “Battle is not fun, my boy. It’s not a battle of wits where you might win. No one wins when there is a war, and we all leave with scars just like this. Even dragons.”

As his son stared at the wounds, he mellowed. The bravado that Abraxas was proud of melted out of Hyperion until they reached the shore. And when they did move through the clouds, jumping from each one as the sun allowed them, Hyperion stayed very close to his father.

If he was a better man, he might have tried to ease the tension in Hyperion’s wings or reassure his son. Instead, he only felt his chest puff with pride that even now, with Hyperion half the size of Abraxas, his child sought him out for protection.

They glided in as much cover as they could until they reached the small forest near Lux Brumalis. Abraxas remembered this place well. The Hall of Heroes where monks lived who had given themselves no leave for happiness for virtue. And, of course, how could he forget their proximity to the most evil magician alive? Or perhaps the most unfortunate.

He landed hard outside the forest, his gaze already sweeping for anyone who might have tracked them. Abraxas lifted his head, scenting the air and drawing it deep into his lungs.

To his immense pleasure, Hyperion did the same. His boy lifted his head and muttered under his breath as he picked out each individual scent. “Deer. Boar. A mating pair of foxes. Why isn’t there more in this forest? Certainly that’s not all the animals here?”

“The forests have been dying in Umbra for a long time.” Abraxas settled, certain there was no one close to them that might bother them on their journey. “I told you that.”

“You didn’t tell me they were so... sad.” Hyperion stepped between the trees, his form already loose and limber as he maneuvered between the thin trunks. “They are hurting.”

“Many people cut them down.” Abraxas shifted back into his mortal form, otherwise he’d never be able to follow his son. “Most of these trees are younger than the ones you’ve seen.”

He could almost feel the discomfort rolling off Hyperion in waves. His son was so connected to the forests and the trees, apparently it was almost like a physical pain to him. As though the trees themselves were whispering to Hyperion of all the dark deeds that had been committed here.

Hyperion shook his head and moved deeper into the young, meager forest. “This place used to have trees taller than you can stand. There were hundreds of them, all stretching as far as the eye could see. The elves came and cut down some, but not all of them. Then the humans came, and they destroyed the entire forest for their homes.”

“I was alive for it.”

“These trees are so young and they have endured so much.” Hyperion paused and gently wrapped his tail around a tree that was larger than the rest, and maybe the only one in the forest that could hold up Hyperion’s weight. “This one has been here longer. It remembers the pain. The screaming as all the trees were sliced down. Not with magic, but with axes. They bit, they struck, and the trees bled.”

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