her had been afraid that something might happen to it on the journey—or worse, something might happen to it here.
The Hive was a special place. She was one of the few who could locate it. Phoenix’s grandmother, Morian, was the Priestess of the Hive, and her Uncle Zoran was the ruler of Valdier; they also knew where the Hive was. Most of the others were symbiots. The Hive housed the river that the symbiots came from. All of them would one day return to it.
Phoenix, well, she was a child, and she didn’t understand how she knew what she knew or how she did some of the things that she did. Her grandmother thought she was destined to be the next Priestess, but Phoenix didn’t think that was the reason. There was something else—something deeper, but she didn’t have a name for this feeling that was thrumming inside her.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy,” she whispered, staring at the driving rain outside the cave.
Stardust lifted her head and rubbed it against Phoenix’s chest, right over her heart. Inside, she could feel the flame of her dragon trying to warm the chill from her bones—and her spirit. She hugged her inner dragon close to her heart and wrapped her arms around Stardust’s neck, burying her face against the symbiot.
“I’m never alone when I have you two with me,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against Stardust. “Let’s rest for just a little while before we search the cave.”
Stardust melted in her arms and reformed as a sleeping bag next to the fire. Phoenix giggled when the top layer lifted invitingly. She pulled her boots off and placed them next to the log. Surely getting warm, dry, and taking a brief nap after the exhausting flight wouldn’t hurt.
It will only be for a little while, she promised her dragon, who was already sound asleep.
She snuggled down against Stardust, lovingly rubbing the soft flow of energy. Her eyelashes fluttered and she yawned. She just needed a few minutes, that was all, just a few minutes of rest.
Aikaterina? she silently called, searching for the Goddess. She hadn’t seen her for a long time, and Phoenix was worried.
A soft sigh escaped Phoenix when there was no reply—again. She frowned when she felt a distant tug on her subconscious. Someone was calling for help.
I’m coming. I’ll help you, she promised, hoping that whoever it was could hear her.
Isle of the Monsters
“We should stop for the night. This is as good a place as any,” Nali said as she reined in her beast.
“It isn’t the Manticore Inn, but I guess it’s better than nothing. It will rain tonight,” Ashure said.
“How do you know?” Asahi asked, looking up at the clear sky.
“All pirates are a living barometer. If Ashure says it will rain, it will to rain,” Nali said with a sigh.
Ashure grinned. “It helps to know the weather when your life depends on it at sea,” he acknowledged.
“In that case, the hut looks very inviting—as long as the roof is still structurally sound,” Asahi replied.
“It will be if the dwarves built it,” Nali said, dismounting when her steed kneeled.
“I’ll take care of the beasts,” Ashure volunteered, dismounting.
“Asahi and I will check out the hut to make sure there are no unwanted visitors inside,” Nali distractedly replied.
Asahi held on to his steed’s thick mane as it lowered itself to the ground. He slid off, quickly untied his duffle bag, and stepped away. Ashure gave him a sympathetic glance when he winced at the sudden discomfort in his thighs and buttocks.
“Ahh, the joys of riding. I suggest asking Nali to give you a massage, otherwise tomorrow morning you may be in worse shape,” Ashure quietly suggested.
Asahi tried to forget the suggestion, but couldn’t completely erase it from his mind, and it tempted him into a full-blown fantasy. He distracted himself by pulling the duffel bag strap over his head and opening one of the zippered side pockets. He ejected his spent clip, placed it in the bag, and grabbed a full one.
Out of habit, he checked to make sure the clip was full. Satisfied that it was, he slid it into the pistol and double-checked the safety. He holstered the gun and pulled the other empty clip from the cargo pocket of his trousers. Later tonight he would take some time to refill them and do an inventory of his supplies.
“Is everything alright?” Nali inquired, noticing the gun in his hand.
He looked up and nodded. “Yes, hopefully we won’t