Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
“Araiya no, just please, stay down just in case…”
“I have to know if I can stand and hold myself up. I have to know.” Araiya struggled up on to her knees, when Korine helped her to her feet.
“You’re okay, we are okay.” Korine held her close as she stood on her shaking knees. “Are you ready?” Korine felt her nod and then slowly stepped back, trailing her arms down to hold her hands. Araiya was like a brand-new foal, all shaky knees. She tried to stand up, but she was bent, like a crone.
“No, no, no, no. This can’t be it.” Araiya tried to stand again. She pulled Korine closer and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Can I?”
“Whatever you need. Do what ever you need.” Korine watched on as she struggled to stand and was gutted. “This isn’t the end Araiya, don’t give up.”
She took a deep breath and then pushed and pulled on Korines shoulders to stand straight up. She kept pushing and pulling and her hands refused to find purchase. Her back refused to straighten, and Korine took it. She stood there in front of her, and held her arms and pulled, or pulled her waist. Anything to try and help. She took the pain from Araiya pushing down on her shoulders, trying to pull herself up.
She tried and tried, each time becoming more and more panicked. Until finally, she was screaming. A soldier ran in and assumed she was attacking Korine, he separated them, placing Araiya’s chain back around the post, and Korine was chained to the bed.
There they wept, wept for each other. Araiya knew she couldn’t save Korine in her current state. Korine, well she wept because for the very first time in their lives, she saw Araiya break. She watched on in horror as Araiya’s soul broke when she realized she was now crippled.
“Get up now.”? Talon paced the room that the men were in. The three were still out. Talon was keeping watch as the three others recouped from the days of searching and healing that River had to continuously do now. But the others needed to wake up, something was wrong. He felt down the bond to Araiya and something wasn’t right.
Terran groaned, “Where’s Araiya?”
“She’s where we left her, in the desert.” Talon kicked his foot. “Get up.”
“What’s wrong.”
“She’s in pain. So, she’s awake.”
“I can feel her…” Terran’s voice was awed. “I can feel the bond.”
“Yeah, that’s great, but don’t you feel her pain?”
“She wasn’t lying that she was really hurt.” Terran stood and tried to work out the kinks in his back. The feeling of the chain to his soul that trailed back to hers. The chain was vibrating with the pain, he wrapped his power around and sent power down it to try to reach her, but it hit a wall and it bounced back.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but-“
The screech that ripped through the air was all encompassing. Mac and River, who were previously out cold, were dragged from oblivion to wakefulness. They sat up and responded to the call. Each man roared in echo of their mate’s call, even Talon responded. The men looked at him and he shrugged.
“The protector’s bond is going crazy. She needs help, and she needs it now.”
Each man was on his feet and headed up the main vent, the throat of the volcano.
“What’s going on?” Mac grabbed Talon’s arm.
“Something is wrong, Araiya is being hurt. Hurt enough she’s screaming out down the bonds for help. She has no access to her power, no way to save herself.” Terran grabbed Mac and pushed him ahead. “Pull down the defences, we need to get to the top and you have the way still blocked.”
“The call came from the desert; we can pin point her if we get close.” Talon pushed them forward. “Get this fucking shit down now!”
Mac strode forward and waved his hand, the lava and fire dissipating instantly. The others followed closely and made their way to the top look out. It was the last overhang that hung over the main vent of the volcano. The overhang doubled as a look out because there were cracks on the outer wall that were big enough to slip out of if you knew where they were; an upper entrance of sorts.
The crack they used exited out into a cave that had large crystal deposits. The towers of crystalized minerals were different colors. The light shone through them, broke and danced over them as they made their way out of the cave.
“What is this place?” The awe in Talon’s voice rang out as he slowed to look around.
“Crystal cave.” Mac guided everyone through it as quickly as he could.
“That explains nothing.” Talon tapped on a giant green crystal, which flashed when he touched it.
“This is the last look out for the volcano, how the dragons enter our Keep, our hidden entrance that is too high up for the others to reach. It is also where Fire Dracoy find their mate gift. Each crystal reacts to power, but there is always one that sings when a dragon touches it. They take the crystal and create jewelry, or something suited for their mate so that when they touch, the crystal sings at their joining.”
“Would there be a crystal that sings for me?” Talon grazed a finger on a yellow crystal, that lite up bright sunshine yellow.
“I don’t know.” Mac shrugged. “Only Fire has ever come here. Now if you don’t mind, our mate is hurt.”
They cleared the cave and shifted into their dragons. They flew over the Strait of Coals, and into the main land of Fire. They were headed North East when the second screech rent the air.
The four men nearly dropped from the pain in her call. Impossible or not, whether it was due to spirit or the Goddess, Araiya was able to mimic Draconian mate calls.
This should be impossible.