She had black scaled feet with deadly, shining black talons at the end of each toe. She looked at Kristanya and saw a dragon staring back at her with pure black eyes.
In the blink of an eye, they were Andinna again, and Mave groaned as she went to her knees, her body weak, but nothing was bleeding, and her back was no longer broken.
“My power healed you because it needed a vessel, and you proved yourself. However, it will also take its toll. Every time you use the most destructive of its abilities, you will quicken your pace to your own demise. The mortal form isn’t supposed to contain such power. Use the power wisely.” Kristanya knelt in front of her. “You and I are bonded now. I will always answer your call to give you guidance or a warning.”
“Is there anything else?” Mave asked, looking up to Kristanya.
“No. You can go now. Go to your brother, the Avatar of Lariana, and let him point you toward war. Be his Champion.” Kristanya turned away, looking into the storm again. “Show them, my Avatar, what happens when the black dragon flies again.”
The goddess disappeared, but Mave heard what the goddess had said.
Alchan succeeded. He’d done it. He was out there, waiting on her now.
She’d always had faith in him.
She took only a moment to decide how she wanted to get off this mountain and return to her family.
Mave ran into the storm, not letting the battering winds stop her or push her around. She reached a cliffside, spread her wings.
And jumped.
46
Mat
Mat felt as if there was lightning in his veins. It got him out of bed, panting and holding himself as something raw and powerful reached out to him and touched him from his bond with Mave.
“Mat, are you okay?” Zayden asked as Mat ran for the door.
“She’s…” He could feel her, but everything was wrong—different. He hadn’t had much time to adjust to the bond before she left, and for days, she had gone so far from him, he felt as though he was going insane. He had needed her, and she was out of his reach. He didn’t understand how she or Luykas could tolerate the vast distances they managed.
He burst out of the bedroom, glad he had slept in loose pants. He ran through the temple, his heart pounding, frantic to find her and figure out what was happening. He heard footsteps behind him.
“Mat!” Bryn called out. “Mat, slow down!”
He couldn’t. He ran out of the temple and reached the giant platform and saw something in the sky. He was speechless as his bond tried to tell him something he wasn’t certain he could believe. It couldn’t be real, could it?
“Is that a wyvern?” Emerian asked, confused at what Mat was watching.
“No…” Zayden said, sounding more wary. “Way too big to be a wyvern, I think.”
“Mat, what’s wrong?” Bryn asked, touching his arm.
The beast in the sky turned to him. Mat had to back up, fear overriding his other emotions. They backed away, practically scrambling as a monster drew closer in the sky, taking cover in the open temple door because none of them were scared enough to run inside.
“By the Skies,” Zayden whispered first. “Not a wyvern…a dragon. It has four legs. See? Wyverns have their wings attached to their front legs. Dragons have four legs and wings coming out of their back.”
“There’s only one black dragon! Is it…” Bryn stopped talking.
Mat watched as it soared through the air toward them as if it had realized they were there and wanted to see them…or eat them…or destroy them. He had no idea what he was feeling anymore because he couldn’t trust any of it, but Zayden was right.
It was a massive black dragon with wings.
“Kristanya doesn’t have wings,” he said, not really talking to the males. He had to say it out loud for himself to really believe. “She gave them to us.”
The dragon landed on the platform, taking up most of the space. The beast was probably five times the size of Rain’s wyvern form and three times the size of the biggest wyvern on record.
It roared into the sky, shaking the entire temple. Around him, his friends grabbed onto each other, but Mat held his own balance. The bond was still too confusing. He couldn’t understand. He couldn’t believe.
When the roar was over, the dragon twisted its head and neck until it was on the floor and staring at him.