Chaos Descending Read Online Free
away, but Lorik could see her ears turning red and guessed that her face was flushing. She had called Yettlebor the king, and Lorik was not so smitten that he didn’t realize the true meaning behind her words.
“Go, and have safe travels. I will be along shortly,” Lorik said.
Issalyn’s whole body was stiff. Eventually she hurried away, choosing not to say anything at all. Lorik watched her leave and felt the inevitable shifting of his world. He’d felt it before, when Vera and Stone left the Marshlands and Lorik had been left behind. Now he was being spurred into action by the same feeling of unease that had seized him when the Norsik invaded. He would have to march into his enemy’s lair and face the demons he knew were waiting to bring everything he cared about crumbling down around his ears. But at least he would have a few days of peace once Issalyn left. And he would get to see Stone and Vera again. His friends had chosen to build a home in the fertile land just south of the Wilderlands. Perhaps they might even join him on one last foolish adventure.
Chapter 3
It was getting late and Brianna knew she needed to go back home, but she was flying on the back of a dragon named Sorva, sailing around the pinnacles of enormous mountains and dashing through puffy white clouds. It was exhilarating to Brianna, who had no fear of falling. In fact, she often jumped from one dragon to the other. The entire pride was flying together, matching speed and staying in a tight formation with no need to communicate. The dragons were in perfect sync and there was a feeling of ecstasy being part of the group.
Brianna loved her life. She had welcomed the months of languid pace after being in danger and constantly on the move for nearly a year. She had enjoyed building the house, although she didn’t play a very big role in its construction. And she loved Zollin, although she had to work harder of late to convince herself that her feelings were real. The truth was, pregnant or not, she’d grown bored and was now thrilled to be going on a tour of the Five Kingdoms. The pride of dragons weren’t as keen about the idea, but Ferno insisted on going. The big green dragon was still very protective of Zollin, and Brianna loved that about the powerful beast.
Tig, the small blue dragon that had lost its twin to Bartoom, a giant black dragon enslaved by a wizard in Osla, didn’t want to come. The small dragon still seemed to be in mourning, and Brianna worried about Tig. It was possible the dragon might never be okay, but there was nothing Brianna could do to ease the beast’s pain. She had conceived all the dragons in the Five Kingdoms except for Bartoom. Using her power as a Fire Spirit to melt the rock of a mountain, she dove deep into the center of the massive monolith. Then, in the very heart of the mountain, she’d found the gold to make each dragon’s heart. Her creation of the incredible creatures was a fevered dream to her now. She hadn’t slept or eaten, or even taken the time to rest between making the dragons. She formed their bodies from solid rock around hearts of gold. It almost seemed like a dream to her, but each of the dragons around her was living proof of her work.
She didn’t control the dragons—they were fiercely independent. The pride was something they formed for kinship, not control. She couldn’t force them to come south or to carry her on their strong backs, and she wouldn’t even if she could. The dragons saw her as one of their own, an elder—even though she was still in her teens—but not really a mother, and certainly not their master. Brianna had seen Bartoom, the great black dragon, forced to follow the evil wizard Offendorl’s will. Bartoom had resisted for days, but in the end, the beast was powerless. It was a situation that haunted Brianna. She knew her dragons were safe in the highlands, and she was zealous about preserving their independence. Still, she needed at least two to carry her
“Go, and have safe travels. I will be along shortly,” Lorik said.
Issalyn’s whole body was stiff. Eventually she hurried away, choosing not to say anything at all. Lorik watched her leave and felt the inevitable shifting of his world. He’d felt it before, when Vera and Stone left the Marshlands and Lorik had been left behind. Now he was being spurred into action by the same feeling of unease that had seized him when the Norsik invaded. He would have to march into his enemy’s lair and face the demons he knew were waiting to bring everything he cared about crumbling down around his ears. But at least he would have a few days of peace once Issalyn left. And he would get to see Stone and Vera again. His friends had chosen to build a home in the fertile land just south of the Wilderlands. Perhaps they might even join him on one last foolish adventure.
Chapter 3
It was getting late and Brianna knew she needed to go back home, but she was flying on the back of a dragon named Sorva, sailing around the pinnacles of enormous mountains and dashing through puffy white clouds. It was exhilarating to Brianna, who had no fear of falling. In fact, she often jumped from one dragon to the other. The entire pride was flying together, matching speed and staying in a tight formation with no need to communicate. The dragons were in perfect sync and there was a feeling of ecstasy being part of the group.
Brianna loved her life. She had welcomed the months of languid pace after being in danger and constantly on the move for nearly a year. She had enjoyed building the house, although she didn’t play a very big role in its construction. And she loved Zollin, although she had to work harder of late to convince herself that her feelings were real. The truth was, pregnant or not, she’d grown bored and was now thrilled to be going on a tour of the Five Kingdoms. The pride of dragons weren’t as keen about the idea, but Ferno insisted on going. The big green dragon was still very protective of Zollin, and Brianna loved that about the powerful beast.
Tig, the small blue dragon that had lost its twin to Bartoom, a giant black dragon enslaved by a wizard in Osla, didn’t want to come. The small dragon still seemed to be in mourning, and Brianna worried about Tig. It was possible the dragon might never be okay, but there was nothing Brianna could do to ease the beast’s pain. She had conceived all the dragons in the Five Kingdoms except for Bartoom. Using her power as a Fire Spirit to melt the rock of a mountain, she dove deep into the center of the massive monolith. Then, in the very heart of the mountain, she’d found the gold to make each dragon’s heart. Her creation of the incredible creatures was a fevered dream to her now. She hadn’t slept or eaten, or even taken the time to rest between making the dragons. She formed their bodies from solid rock around hearts of gold. It almost seemed like a dream to her, but each of the dragons around her was living proof of her work.
She didn’t control the dragons—they were fiercely independent. The pride was something they formed for kinship, not control. She couldn’t force them to come south or to carry her on their strong backs, and she wouldn’t even if she could. The dragons saw her as one of their own, an elder—even though she was still in her teens—but not really a mother, and certainly not their master. Brianna had seen Bartoom, the great black dragon, forced to follow the evil wizard Offendorl’s will. Bartoom had resisted for days, but in the end, the beast was powerless. It was a situation that haunted Brianna. She knew her dragons were safe in the highlands, and she was zealous about preserving their independence. Still, she needed at least two to carry her
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