ZALAS

"What do you mean you can't find it?" I snarled, nose to nose with Unabonan.

His white eyes narrowed as he glared back at me. It wasn't normally an expression that I saw on his face, and I knew that I was in a terrible mood but the rage simply wouldn't dissipate.

The black dragon is gone, but I can still track Anthemin.

I threw up my hands in frustration. "It can't just be gone!" I roared. "It was a giant fucking dragon for heaven's sake! You are supposed to know about these things Unabonan, I thought that Zarska was dead!" The words hissed out of my mouth, an accusation.

She is. Unabonan's eyes had narrowed a little further and a whisper of smoke curled out from his nostrils. Do you doubt my eyes as well as your own? We both watched her die.

I was pushing his patience, I could feel it and I turned my back on him before we really got into a fight, running my hands through my thick mane of hair and growling with frustration. "I don't understand!"

"Maybe, if we track the girl we will find an answer," Elika piped up, her blonde head popping up over the side of the saddle. She looked down at me with a small smile. "Remember the other dragon was originally in pursuit of her. Maybe it has continued to track her?"

I glared at her, feeling pissed off that I did not think of that myself. I tried to think of an alternative but what she had said was simply too relevant. "Fine," I snapped eventually. "Let us continue with the original plan, Unabonan, if you are still able to track Anthemin, we must follow after him at once."

Unabonan agreed. But first, he said, I must eat. I will be back later on. We will rest here for the night.

"Fine!" I retorted angrily. "Elika, get down here and help me with the saddle. The sooner he eats, the sooner we can leave."

The Air Sprite jumped nimbly off the giant dragons back, landing like a cat on the ground, her knives in hand. We undid the buckles that held the saddle in place and I lifted it off his back by manipulating the air around it, setting the whole thing gently down in the middle of the clearing.

"Go," I said sullenly. "This island isn't very large, so you might have to find other land or just go fishing. Whatever you do, make it fast.

Elika ran over to me as Unabonan's wings stretched out and with a colossal gust of wind he lifted himself into the sky, his thought words lingering in my head as he disappeared out of sight.

Be safe brother.

Be safe. I scoffed at his warning. I had been conscious when we had landed on this pitiful pile of earth, the island was tiny, there was no danger here. I knew that his warning lingered from the worry that he had felt as Elika had tried to revive me after pulling me out of the ocean, but it only served to fuel my rage.

That dragon ... he had come out of nowhere, so fast that I had not time to defend myself. The impact had been shattering, instantaneous. Suddenly I was conscious and suddenly I wasn't. I could have died if it wasn't for Elika, those moments could have been my last and I would never have known.

My hands balled into fists. Never before had I been bested. Never before had I had to rely on someone else's skill and quick thinking to save my life. I knew that I should be grateful but I felt nothing but bitterness.

I could feel her looking at me, waiting for me to instruct her on what we were to do next, but I was ashamed. What gave me the right to tell her what to do after what she had done for me?

"Give me a knife." I held out my hand and she placed the blade into it silently.

"Start a fire, I am going to find food. Do not follow me."

I turned away from her and walked into the forest, my anger refusing to leave, even once I knew I was out of sight.

I walked aimlessly through the forest, not really focusing on where I was going. This land was a typical island shape, rising to a point in the middle and the ground sloped upwards steadily as I continued. Try as I might, I couldn't stop thinking about that dragon. I tried to remember any details I could but for some reason, the image of it evaded me. It had been so dark ... I rubbed my eyes, stopping for a moment.

I had been arrogant. That was why it had caught me off guard. I hadn't viewed it as a serious threat; I hadn't assessed the situation properly. As a Prince, as a future ruler, I had fucked up big time. My anger swelled and I threw the knife with deadly precision. It buried hilt deep into a tree a couple of hundred meters away and I sat down suddenly, my chest heaving as I stared at it.

I had never felt desperation like this, the burning need to redeem myself somehow, for the honour that I had lost through my foolish decisions and childish ignorance. I didn't know how much time had passed before I stood; finally managing to get some sort of grip on the anger and shame that poisoned my body.

I flew over to the tree where the knife was and pulled it out in one swift motion. Tasting the air around me I located a herd of deer to the east. I floated silently in the general direction and after a few minutes spied them grazing between the trees. Making no sound I prowled around the edges of the herd, being sure to direct the wind away from them so my scent would not give me away.

I watched the deer for a few moments, noting their long graceful necks and large, almond eyes. Their coats were a lovely soft brown that blended in with the surroundings. Wary that I was on Earth Kingdom land, I said a quick prayer, asking for the blessing of the spirits as I carried out this hunt. I knew that it was customary for the Elves to do so before taking any creatures life and after learning what had happened to the Elf King after he had insulted the Earth Spirits ... well it was in my best interest as a visitor to show respect for the customs.

I breathed in one breath, my eyes sharpening in on my target, a large female and threw the knife. The herd scattered and my prey fell. I leapt nimbly out into the open, fluidly pulling the knife out of her flesh and murmuring thanks as I gently slit her throat to bring an abrupt end to her pain. I crouched at her side, a hand placed on her soft pelt as I felt the warmth leave her body, letting the blood drain before attempting to carry her back to the campsite.

The sun had dipped below the treeline and the air had grown a little cooler. I scowled when I noticed that I had a little blood on my leggings and my shirt, the blood in my hair and on my hands not bothering me. Blood was hard to get out of clothing and although I was using to it, killing was not a causal sport for Air Sprites, other-wise we would wear less white. It was the Dragon in me that brought out my animalistic side, even now I could feel my brother through our link, gnawing at some giant fish that he had caught south from where I was now. He would be done soon and it was with this thought in mind that I took the knife and the deer, lifting us both into the air as I flew back to Elika.

She had started the fire I had requested in my absence and had fashioned a spit for whatever meat I brought back. She acknowledged my return with a tilt of her head, but her eyes did not meet mine. She was sharpening her knives again.

"Hand me a larger blade."

She complied and I set about skinning and gutting the deer. By the time I had finished I had resigned myself to the fact that my clothing was unsalvageable. Steam rose up from the carcass and although I discarded most of the innards, I kept a hold of the juiciest bits, the heart and the liver. After spearing the body on the stick and lifting it over the fire; I sat cross legged on the ground and ate the heart raw. It was delicious.

Elika looked at me with disgust. "Do you really have to?"

I looked up from my morsel, blood dripping down my chin to give her a scathing smile. "You don't have to watch if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Sometimes I forget that you are half beast."

I tore at the delicate flesh and considered her. "Beast you say? Remember that this is your Prince you so casually insult." The threat was soft, but it hung in the air. I knew I had no right to talk to her like that after she had saved my life, but I couldn't seem to stop the words from slipping out.

She looked at me levelly before standing up and coming to kneel in front of me. I swallowed the rest of the heart and my eyes locked onto hers. Her small face was open, her bright eyes wide with emotion. They were darker than my own piercing white irises, but only slightly like her hair. We sat there looking at each other for a long time.

Suddenly she reached out and her fingertips touched my red chin. I closed my eyes and let her tilt my head back, snarling softly under my breath as her fingers parted my lips, revealing elongated incisors.

"Did I offend you my Prince? Naming you as the beast you are?

"A Dragon is not a dumb beast, foolish girl."

"I didn't say it was."

"Your tone implied it."

"Then I am sorry." Her voice was sincere.

I opened my eyes as she withdrew, taking the ends of my long white hair with her. She dragged her fingers through it gently, combing out the red that marred the ends and the tense mood dissipated.

"Your hair is so long."

I shuddered a little, surprised by how her touch at the ends of my hair resonated all the way up to the roots. "It has never been cut."

"Really?"

"It never will be."

She released it and it floated back to where it naturally hung, down my back.

"Why not?"

I smirked. "I can see you trying to figure out if it gives me some kind of power."

A faint pink tinged her cheeks. "Well does it?" She demanded.

"Of course not," I scoffed. "Don't be stupid."

"Then why?"

I stared her down. "Wouldn't you like to know."

I relished in making her frustrated and I could see that she was getting that way now. The real answer would disappoint her, for in truth, it was more of a traditional thing. The men in my family did not cut their hair, believing it to be a show of wealth and power and was my Mothers wish to follow the traditions of the generations before me. Who was I to argue against that?

Elika had risen in a huff, moving to check the deer and turn it on the spit. I chuckled at her tantrum and checked in on Unabonan, instructing him to land a little way away so as not to extinguish the flame as he came down.

I had busied myself with checking the maps, pin-pointing our location while the deer cooked and by the time it was done I was ravenous. Unabonan had taken one look at my appearance and scoffed that I had made a mess of my meal as per usual.

I had snorted at the insult and pointed out that the only reason he wasn't in the same state was because he had gone to the ocean for his dinner.

He was now lying down a little way away from the fire, his eyes closed as he rested. I could pick up the drift of his unconscious thoughts through our link, he was full and contented, but just like me, the black dragon was playing on his mind.

I tore into the food once it had cooled a little, the meat juicy and tender and groaned out loud. It was delicious. Elika ate her portion with a little more restraint but I could tell that she too was savouring the cooked flesh.

"So do we know where we are headed? I mean, I know that we are tracking Anthemin, but where is he going?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. Unabonan will go in the direction that pulls him."

She frowned. "Are we not able to track the girl directly? What if they split up after we saw them?"

I paused from eating for a moment, another thought that hadn't occurred to me. I was losing my touch. Before I could speak however, Unabonan spoke for me, suddenly alert.

It is a possibility child. However the two were just recently re-united. I doubt that they would be willing to part again so soon. Even if they have split, the young dragon will be heading for a specific place. The people that he greets at this place may be of use to us, if they are his friends.

They continued talking and I returned to my food, but there was something else that was playing on my mind, someone actually, my sister. I still hadn't heard from her. My brow furrowed as I realised this was bordering on the being the longest time we had ever spent apart, but despite always being within reach of each other she had grown away from me and I was only beginning to realise this with Ambrose's report on what he had apparently overheard transpiring between Circe and Aranel.

If what the Water Sprite had said was true, and I still wasn't entirely convinced that it was, then I knew my sister even less than I thought. If she had stolen the egg, framed the traitor and then stolen the egg again, she had done it right under my nose. It had obviously been planned with Nelonimi, but it was still a colossal feat to achieve by her-self. I felt a twist of unease in my gut as I considered her potentially having an accomplice.

Suddenly it seemed as though I was directing my attention towards the wrong problem. I had already found Circe, and she had made it clear that she didn't want me near her. Should I now abandon that pursuit and focus on looking for my sister instead? The things that she was doing could potentially have catastrophic consequences, for her as well as for my Kingdom. I had to find out what she was doing, discover her plans ... she had taken off with a Dragon egg, what use could she possibly have for it?

"Unabonan," I abruptly interrupted their conversation and both turned to look at me. "Can you track Nelonimi?"

My voice held certain urgency to it and acknowledging this, the great dragon closed his eyes and all but turned to stone as he concentrated. Minutes ticked by. Finally he opened his eyes, his tongue licking out from between his teeth.

Yes I can, faintly. She is in the other direction to the younger one though.

I felt myself relax slightly. For a moment I had almost expected him to come up negative. To hide her presence from her Ruler was a very serious crime, if she was out in the open then they both must be fine.

However ... "Make sure to keep tabs on her Unabonan, but don't alert her to the fact. If she disappears, you must tell me at once." I instructed.

Better to be safe than sorry. I couldn't afford to pursue Aranel now and pull her out of whatever mess she was getting herself into. If she was foolish enough to do this, then she could suffer the consequences. And anyway, if what Ambrose had said was true, then Circe would be able to confirm his story.

I excused myself, saying that I needed a wash before sleeping; irritably agreeing with Elika's requested to come. The girl could not fly and so I carried us both, reluctant to walk through the dark, unfamiliar territory. The beach was located easily and we landed on the soft sand, the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore echoing out through the still night air.

I opted to undress first to offer her some privacy, my bloody clothes discarded quickly and tossed away into the forest. I had brought a fresh set with me, which I now lay down on the sand in a neatly folded pile.

I waded out into the ocean, surprised to find it pleasantly warm despite the cool air. If I had known it would be this welcoming I would have chosen to go fishing instead of hunting on land. The moon was full tonight but it only illuminated the dark water turning clear as I washed my bloodstained face, the vibrant red saved for the sun's eyes only.

I was aware that Elika had joined me but I did not turn to face her. I felt her come up from behind me, her hands reaching out to touch my hair again as it floated, weightless in the water. I let her play with it for a moment before scolding her to stop.

She swam around to the front of me and I ignored her, making sure that my hands and face were washed thoroughly before dipping under the surface for a few seconds and then breaching, wiping the water off my face with a hand.

I could feel her watching me.

"What is it?" I snapped.

I looked at her, a little startled as she moved closer, but that was quickly covered up with a scowl. Her eyes were large and round, the moonlight reflecting off the white of her iris, as I was sure it did to mine as well. Her long white hair floated down around the soft slope of her shoulders, covering her modestly.

I could see the answer to my short question there, trembling on her lips and I sighed, realising that I was speaking too harshly. I ran a hand through my wet hair and tried to soften my tone.

"Just tell me."

"Are you angry with me?"

There they were those words. I should have known that I would be asking for them, but how to answer. I looked away from her and sighed again, giving up on thinking it through.

"No." I said quietly. "Not with you."

The water swirled as she moved a little closer, her fingers reaching out to brush against my chest.

"You shouldn't punish yourself." Her voice was pleading.

I shut my eyes, unsure how I felt about her tone. It was different, when she spoke to me like this, it made me feel too much. I didn't like it.

I pushed her hand away. "Do not concern yourself. Are you finished? It is time to head back."

I didn't look at her as she made her way into shore and I told myself that it was to give her privacy and not because I didn't want to face the look I knew I would find if I met her eyes. Oh how I hated her pity, but I could not fault her for it. I could only silently swear to myself that I would not give her a reason to pity me ever again.

I waited until she called out to me before exiting the water, drying myself with a blast of air before pulling on my clothes and drying her hair for her in silence when she requested. I didn't say a word as I scooped her up in my arms, holding her tightly as we flew back to camp, sensing that she was growing tired now that she was fed and bathed. I placed her down gently and she yawned, a hand coming up to cover her mouth.

With a mumble of thanks and a 'goodnight,' she made her way over to the saddle, climbing into it and locating a blanket. I watched as she disappeared below the rim, finding a spot and getting comfortable, one last yawn echoing through the clearing before her breathing evened out.

Sure now that she would not be moving again I sighed, looking over to Unabonan. Suddenly I felt exhausted. I wandered over to where the dragon lay, curled up like a cat with his head tucked under his wing and I remembered back to when we were smaller and would always sleep together in the dragon hold, bonded by soul, body and heart.

A gigantic wing tip lifted, revealing a white eye and an invitation. He read my mind. A smile touched the edges of my mouth and I slipped beneath the cloak of his wing, nestling into the crook of his leg. His scales were soft and his head rested back down as his wing returned to its former position, shutting us in for the night. I breathed in a huge breath of air and let it out in a colossal sigh. Deep within Unabonan's body, a purr began, the shuddering rumble lulling me to the very edge of consciousness.

I am glad you chose to remain with the living brother.

I smiled. I am sorry you know, for almost dying.

A hot breath of