C13 The Road to Skyrend
Dawn arrived beneath a broken sky.
The breach above the mountains remained visible even after the battle ended.
A jagged wound in reality.
Darkness churned beyond it.
Watching.
Waiting.
The Shadowborn had retreated.
For now.
But nobody believed they were gone.
The war had only begun.
Kael stood at the edge of the ruined valley.
The cold morning wind tugged at his cloak.
Below him, dragons and Veilbreakers worked side by side.
The sight still felt strange.
For his entire life, he had been taught they were enemies.
Now he knew the truth.
History had lied.
Again.
“You’re staring.”
Seraphine joined him.
A notebook rested beneath her arm.
Despite everything that had happened, she was still taking notes.
Kael smiled faintly.
“Some things never change.”
“Someone has to record all this.”
She gestured toward the dragons.
“Imagine trying to explain any of it later.”
Fair point.
For a moment they stood together in silence.
Then Kael looked toward the northern mountains.
Toward Skyrend.
His destiny.
Or his prison.
He wasn’t entirely sure which.
⸻
A shadow passed overhead.
Nyxara landed nearby.
The Dragon Queen folded her massive wings.
Her golden scales reflected the morning sunlight.
Ancient wisdom lingered behind her eyes.
Yet now Kael saw something else.
Weariness.
She was tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The burden of centuries weighed heavily upon her.
The council is waiting.
Kael frowned.
“Council?”
Nyxara turned her gaze toward a distant cliff.
There, gathered upon a stone plateau, stood dragons.
Dozens of them.
The oldest among their kind.
Their leaders.
Their guardians.
Their survivors.
“The dragon elders,” Seraphine whispered.
Even she sounded nervous.
Nyxara nodded.
They wish to meet the Echo.
Kael immediately hated the title.
⸻
The council lasted hours.
Some dragons regarded him with curiosity.
Others with suspicion.
A few openly distrusted him.
One ancient red dragon named Varkor was particularly hostile.
The Echo should never have awakened.
His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder.
The seal was working.
Kael clenched his jaw.
“I didn’t ask for this.”
Intentions do not matter.
The red dragon’s eyes narrowed.
The Veil weakens because you exist.
Murmurs spread among the council.
Several dragons nodded.
Kael felt anger rise inside him.
Not because the accusation was unfair.
Because part of him feared it might be true.
Then another dragon spoke.
A silver elder named Elyria.
Her scales shimmered like moonlight.
Without him, we would not know the truth.
The council quieted.
The Shadowborn fear him.
Her gaze settled upon Kael.
That alone makes him valuable.
Nyxara nodded slowly.
Agreed.
The debate continued.
Arguments.
Doubts.
Warnings.
Eventually only one conclusion remained.
Skyrend had to be found.
Immediately.
⸻
By midday preparations had begun.
A small expedition would travel north.
Fast.
Light.
Secret.
The main dragon forces would remain behind to contain the breach.
The mission would include:
Kael.
Seraphine.
Three Veilbreakers.
And a dragon guide.
The final member surprised everyone.
The wounded black dragon.
The very dragon who had first spoken to Kael.
His name was Veyrath.
At least, now Kael finally knew it.
The dragon limped slightly as he approached.
Several wounds still marked his scales.
Yet his golden eyes remained sharp.
You look disappointed.
Kael blinked.
“What?”
You expected someone larger.
A grin entered the dragon’s voice.
Kael laughed.
For the first time in days.
A real laugh.
“Maybe.”
Rude.
⸻
They departed before sunset.
The northern route was dangerous.
Few maps showed it.
Most travelers avoided it entirely.
Ancient legends claimed the region was cursed.
After everything Kael had learned recently, that possibility seemed disturbingly reasonable.
The mountains grew harsher as they traveled.
The forests became darker.
Older.
Stranger.
By the second evening they reached a narrow pass.
Veyrath suddenly stopped.
Every scale along his neck stiffened.
Something is wrong.
Instantly everyone froze.
The Veilbreakers drew weapons.
Seraphine reached for a hidden dagger.
Kael listened carefully.
At first he heard nothing.
Then—
Whispers.
Soft.
Distant.
Everywhere.
The sound drifted through the mountains.
Like voices carried by the wind.
A chill ran through him.
“Do you hear that?”
Seraphine nodded.
Her face had gone pale.
The whispers grew louder.
Closer.
More numerous.
The shadows between the trees shifted.
Moved.
Watched.
Veyrath growled.
Low.
Dangerous.
They found us.
A dark figure stepped from the forest.
Then another.
And another.
Dozens emerged from the darkness.
Shadowborn.
Their glowing eyes illuminated the night.
Silent.
Patient.
Hungry.
Kael’s pulse raced.
The nearest creature smiled.
The exact same smile as the one from the breach.
The same terrible confidence.
Then one stepped forward.
Unlike the others, it wore black armor.
Ancient armor.
Marked with a symbol Kael recognized instantly.
The symbol of the Dragon Speaker.
Impossible.
The Shadowborn removed its helmet.
Kael’s breath caught.
The creature’s face looked almost human.
Almost.
But not quite.
And somehow…
It looked familiar.
Far too familiar.
The Shadowborn smiled.
“Hello, Kael.”
His voice was calm.
Friendly.
Terrifying.
Then he spoke the words Kael feared most.
“I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”
The mountains fell silent.
And for the first time since learning the truth about the Echo, Kael wondered whether the Shadowborn knew more about his past than he did.
