tips nearly brushed each other in their synchronized downstrokes, he blew a short burst of fire. “I must now use my flames to create a hole in the dimensional fabric that will take us to your mate’s dwelling place.”
Trying to keep her distance from the larger dragon, Thigocia descended a few feet and skimmed the tops of the clouds. “You said we would find Roxil and search for Makaidos with her.”
“We shall. First we are going to the Bridgelands, the place where I believe him to be. Although I have scoured many of the fields and forests of that land, I have not been able to locate him. But the place is so large, it is impossible for one dragon to complete a search, especially since he could be on the move.” He dropped down to Thigocia’s level and flew close again. “Perhaps with your help and Roxil’s, I can find him. Before we contact Roxil, however, I want to show you what is occurring in the Bridgelands so you will better understand our mission.”
Thigocia set her gaze straight ahead. “Very well. Lead on.”
Shooting another stream of fire, Arramos wheeled to the left, keeping a sharp angle as he traced a tight circle and aimed his flaming jets at a center point. As the fire stretched downward into a tornadic funnel, Thigocia kept pace with him, her own wings fanning and twisting the flames.
Arramos flew faster and faster. Thigocia strained to keep up. The flaming tornado grew wider, hotter, brighter, slurping the clouds as it twisted. Soon, at the focal point at the top of the spin, the sky ripped open, a small hole at first, but as the cyclone expanded, the surrounding air crumbled into the hole, widening it into a black chasm.
“Follow me!” Arramos ordered. He dove into the dark void.
Thigocia flew around the flames, slowing her speed. Should she follow? Was it mad to dive into the unknown, trailing a mysterious, sadistic dragon that kept her danger alarm trumpeting? As she slowed, the hole began to contract, so she beat her wings faster, trying to keep the chasm entry open. What choice did she have? She said she would follow, and, besides, she didn’t even know where she was or how to get back to Ashley. It would be unthinkable to give up on this mystery now.
Taking a deep draw from the sun above, she steered into the blackness. Instantly, the air supporting her wings vanished, and she floated in a vacuum, yet she still sensed forward movement at a dizzying rate of speed. After what seemed like several minutes, air began to fill her nostrils and billow under her wings. Light also returned, dim at first, but soon, a field of grass appeared below and a red dragon standing near a pool of water.
She descended in a wide circle, scanning the area for any movement, but Arramos remained the only sign of life. Purple flowers dotted the field, raising a sweet aroma, but with her danger alarm still pricking her brain, this was no time to savor any simple pleasures.
When she fanned her wings out to land, Arramos thumped the ground with his tail. “I was beginning to wonder if you had decided to renege.”
Thigocia settled her claws in the soft grass skirting the pool and collapsed her wings. “Yet you waited.”
“It was a mere passing thought. I have not so soon forgotten your integrity.”
Thigocia dug her claws deeper into the turf. “It is sad that you have forgotten your own.”
“A sharp tongue is unbecoming of a dragon queen, but I will overlook your indiscretion. Your fighting spirit will be of great benefit.”
“I will not argue the point.” She scowled, twitching her ears for emphasis. “Just get on with it.”
“Very well.” Arramos brushed the ground with the tip of a wing. “We are in the Bridgelands, a connecting byway between Earth and Heaven as well as between Heaven and Hades. It is likely impossible to conceive with finite minds like ours, but you might think of it like this.” He dipped a claw into the pool. Black ripples scattered from the entry point, creating a dark expanse across the surface. “I brought you here so that you could see the plans of God and men. Many pools in the Bridgelands reflect invisible realities, but this one reveals the structure of the dimensional cosmos.”
A Saturn-like shape appeared on the pool’s dark canopy, but instead of rings around a planet, a large flat disc surrounded a smaller, nebulous