Resplendent and regal, Nimbronia’s countless icy turrets and spires pierced the sky, resembling a forest of frosted swords raised in battle. Wherever the morning sunlight fell, the ice and stone glittered and shone like delicate crystal; a polished crown set atop Ethoes’ highest summit. Arched windows and doorways opened to the elements as well as stone courtyards topped with balustrades and cornices of carved ice flashed by. Thin tendrils of white - roads, paths and alleyways dusted with snow - spread throughout the city’s tiers like great, tangled spider webs. People, elves and other beings smaller than the dragons, bustled about along the roads or gathered together on patios and courtyards, busy with their daily commerce. Their brilliant clothing easily set them apart from the muted colors of winter, like flower petals sprinkled in the snow. Jahrra now understood what Jaax had meant when he suggested she hadn’t seen this city properly.
At the very apex of the mountain, a shard of pure granite rose high above the tallest towers. Wrapped around the spire of rock like a coiled serpent was the gnarled pine tree she’d seen the day before. A black cave yawned beneath the conifer’s base, framed on either side by the tree’s thick roots. A narrow path, carved right into the stone, wound back down the mountain peak toward the city. Jahrra narrowed her eyes, remembering what Ellyesce had told her of the Sacred Pine.
A sudden flare of warmth at her wrist ripped her attention away from the tree. Jahrra gasped and glanced down, only to find the rune on one of the wooden beads of her bracelet was glowing like starlight. The Pine bead, no doubt.
“Are you alright, Jahrra?” Jaax called back to her, turning his head slightly.
“Fine!” she replied, adjusting her grip. Then, to dissuade her guardian’s concern, she shouted, “What’s in that cave?”
She indicated the Pine and the small opening in the rock beneath it.
“That is the Sacred Pine of Ethoes,” the dragon answered back. “The cave is home to a temple of sorts, a temple the Oracles once used. It is said this tree of all those sacred in Ethoes is most closely connected to the goddess, and that the Oracles can somehow communicate with Ethoes herself from within that cavern. And for those who can see bits and pieces of the future, I have heard there is a scrying pool within that can help them sort out which visions show certainty and which ones only show possibility.”
The thought of having that particular knowledge made Jahrra shudder. Even if someone could learn of the future, would she truly want to know it? She thought of her friend, Archedenaeh the Mystic, and wondered if she was entirely grateful for her gift of foresight. Probably not, her sensible side told her.
Jaax circled the Pine one last time, giving Jahrra the opportunity to take a final, thorough look before dropping back down toward the eastern side of the castle. He landed on the balcony of his ward’s room with much more grace than he’d done so the day before, and when Jahrra slipped free of the harness straps and dropped to the ground, her good leg almost gave out under her weight.
Once steady on the ground, she turned and looked at her guardian. “Thank you, Jaax. For the flight, for showing me the city and the Sacred Pine.” She gave him a wry smile. “As much as I hate to admit it, you were right. Getting some fresh air has helped.”
Jaax only smirked and replied, “I often am right about these things.”
Jahrra ignored his smug remark and asked, “What time is the dinner tonight?”
“Not until sunset. I’ll come and meet you then, or send someone to get you. Dervit and Ellyesce will be joining us as well, but I’ll be busy until then. Meetings with the other diplomats and members of the court and those Coalition affiliates residing in this city. As much as I’d like to simply relax and enjoy some time alone, it seems that is not my fate.”
Jaax made a face, and Jahrra almost laughed.
“What will you do to pass the time?” he asked, ignoring her mirth at his expense.
Jahrra shrugged, then brightened up a bit. “I think I’ll go find Ellyesce and Dervit and ask them if they can take me to the stable where Phrym is staying. Oh, and whatever became of Whinsey and Erron? I’d like to check in on them. Oh, and Pendric, too!”
Jaax grinned. “They are a level down from us. I do not think they will be coming to the dinner, so you might want to drop by on your way to the stables. Just don’t expect to linger long. Pendric will want as much time alone with his family as he can get, I would imagine.”
“Of course,” Jahrra chirped.
She moved toward the door, eager to reunite with her friends, but paused and turned back toward the dragon.
“And Jaax? Thank you, for getting Pendric out of Cahrdyarein.” Jahrra bit the inside of her cheek and averted her eyes. “With everything that’s happened over the past several days, I forgot about the promise you made to me.” She glanced up at him, her eyes filling with tears again. Perhaps she should just throw in her cards and admit today was a day for all of her emotions to show.
In response, Jaax gave her a regal nod of his head. “You are very welcome, Jahrra. Now, if you need me, I’ll be in the northern conference room most of the day. Simply ask any of the guards on duty, and they should be able to show you the way. I believe Dervit’s room is the next one over, and Ellyesce’s is two doors down, across the hall. I asked the castle staff to ferret out a set of crutches for you to use until you are fully healed.” He indicated a set of wooden supports resting in the corner of the room, and Jahrra rolled her eyes.
“My knee isn’t all that bad, really,” she insisted, but when she put weight on it, a dull pain pulsed up her leg. Jahrra gritted her teeth. Jaax only gave her a chastising look, and she crossed her arms in irritation.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll use the crutches.” At least, they would be better than the one make-shift crutch Ellyesce had provided on their trek through the Serpent’s Tomb.
Jaax turned back toward the open sky, his wings unfurling. “Oh, and one more thing,” he added, angling his head to look at her, that mischievous glint back in his eyes. “You might want to consider a change of wardrobe if you are going to be wandering the castle halls and grounds of Nimbronia.”
His smirk turned into a full dragon’s smile before he pushed back off the ledge, stretching his wings wide and letting the drafts of the high altitudes carry him off to his awaiting duties.
Jahrra shot her eyes downward, studying her attire for the first time that morning. Although the jacket she wore covered most of her torso, there was no denying the fact she was still wearing her pajamas from the night before. Letting out a cry of dismay, she wondered how on Ethoes she had forgotten what she was wearing before taking Jaax up on his offer to show her the city, and worse, how many people might have seen her.
Gritting her teeth and quietly cursing Jaax for not telling her before they left, she marched over to the corner of the room where the castle staff had kindly brought up her traveling bags. As she rifled through the wrinkled tunics and pants, she realized her irritation was already slowly evaporating. Jahrra paused in her search and rocked back onto her heels, wincing as her leg reminded her to take it easy. For the first time in weeks, she felt as if she and her guardian were back to the old rapport they’d shared before leaving Lidien.
Fishing out a shirt that was less crumpled than all the rest, she laughed out loud, taking full advantage of her sudden good mood. For so many days now, she had been tied up in knots over the worry and fear for her friends, then the painful betrayal of Keiron, all the while being at odds with Jaax. Her friends were now safe, she had come to terms with what had happened with the steward’s son (to some extent) and she and Jaax were no longer angry with one another.