Firestorm (26 page)

He bowed again, and stepped briskly away towards the long lines of fascinated riders. It took a moment for the full implications of the instructions to filter into Nolita’s conscious
thoughts. The orb was on the peak of a neighbouring mountain. The only way she could get there was . . .

She looked at her huge blue dragon and her stomach convulsed. Firestorm had been fitted with a dragon saddle. It was as if the jaws of a huge trap had just sprung shut around her. She would have
to ride him to retrieve the orb – ride him on her own.

Somehow she restrained herself from being sick on the spot, but she knew that one more convulsion would see her heaving what little food she had managed to eat onto the rocky floor of the
cave.

‘Peace, Nolita. Be calm. You have ridden on Aurora. Riding on my back will be no different. The sister peak is no more than a few minutes away. It will be over before you realise
it.’

Firestorm’s attempt to play down the significance of what was being asked of her did not work.

‘No different!’
she thought back, her anger momentarily swamping her fear with its burning power.
‘No different! Of course it’ll be different. When I rode Ra,
Elian was behind me. This time I’ll be alone – alone on
you
! Don’t tell me there’s no difference between riding Ra and riding you, because you feel it as much as I
do. I know you do. I feel your thoughts. I feel your
. . .’ Nolita paused. The shock of what she could feel emanating through the mental link with the dragon sent her mind spiralling into
confusion. ‘. . .
fear! Oh, gods, what fear! But that’s not
. . .
I don’t understand.’

A sudden beam of light stabbed down from the roof of the chamber, striking the lowest step like a great golden spear. Even with the backdrop of the open sky at the end of the cave, the shaft of
light seemed a solid column of amber fire. It was beautiful, yet it was also terrifying. Nolita knew that this must be the signal for the beginning of her trial.

She looked around nervously, half expecting to see hordes of screaming monsters materialising in every corner. She took a deep, shuddering breath and held it for a moment. Nothing. She expelled
her breath silently, not wishing to make any noise in case it triggered something horrible around her.

‘Everyone fears something, Nolita. It is ironic that you embodied my fears, as I have embodied yours. I have lived in fear ever since I met you, for you were not what I expected. It is
quite likely that our fears have fed on each other, as our bond allows emotion to pass between us.’

Nolita turned and faced Firestorm, looking him properly in the eyes for the first time. The pain and hurt there were clear to see. The thought that she had been the cause of that pain touched
her deep inside. It did not lessen her fear of him, but a tiny piece of understanding seemed to click into place within her.

‘Are you telling me that some of my fear isn’t mine at all?’
she asked.

‘I would say that is likely, yes.’

‘But what can
you
possibly find to be frightened of in me?’
she asked, wondering if he was somehow making it up to make her feel better.

‘I fear that you will not find me worthy of acceptance,’
Firestorm replied, his mental voice suddenly timid as he opened his heart to her.
‘I fear rejection. I fear
that other dragons will see me and say, “Look, there’s Firestorm – the dragon so pathetic his rider would not acknowledge their bond.”’

‘But that’s not—
’

‘Not true,’
he interrupted.
‘Not the reason you cannot be my rider. Yes, I know. I know it as you know it. I understand your fear, Nolita. I taste it in my mind
constantly. How could I not come to understand it? But look around you, Nolita. Do you think the others here understand it? Can you see why my fears are every bit as valid as yours?’

Nolita looked around at the lines of watching dragonriders, and then turned to look at the ranks of dragons. She shuddered. A week ago she would have fainted under the scrutiny of even one pair
of those huge, lurking beasts’ eyes. Since spending a week in the presence of dragons she realised it would take more than a dragon’s stare to produce such a response in her again.

‘I think I understand,’
she admitted slowly.
‘What do you think they see, though?’

‘I believe they see us both standing tall and facing our fears without flinching,’
Firestorm replied.
‘If you were to climb on my back now and let me carry you up to
collect the orb, then they would likely consider us heroic, for we would have achieved something that many of them do not wish to attempt.’

‘So this is the test? All I have to do is ride you to collect the orb?’
Nolita asked.

‘It appears that by doing so you will have faced your deepest fear. That is what the test demands.’

‘And you? Where is the test for you in that?’
she demanded, feeling very much that she was getting the worst of this test.

‘I face the possibility that you will baulk and walk away. My shame amongst my peers will then live with me for ever.’
Firestorm paused for a moment to let his words sink in.
‘I know how difficult this is for you, Nolita, but I will not beg you. This is
your
choice. Will you come with me and collect the first orb? It is waiting for us.’

The churning in her stomach intensified as she forced herself to consider climbing into the waiting saddle. The silence in the great cavern was deafening. She closed her eyes and tried to
remember the feeling of bravery that the Oracle had momentarily inspired in her heart. If she failed, the Oracle would die. She did not want to be responsible for killing the one who had given her
hope. If she climbed into the saddle and let Firestorm carry her up to the orb, her companions would be ecstatic. The image of their response was vivid in her mind’s eye. She would be a
heroine worthy of the tales she had so loved as a little girl. How hard could it be?

Nolita drew in a deep breath through her nose and expelled it through her mouth. She inhaled another and then took a step forwards. No sooner had she made that first step than a deep rumble
shook the chamber. Was the volcano about to erupt? Was it an earthquake? The floor of the chamber ahead of her bucked and heaved before crumbling and dropping away. Her breath caught in her throat
and she dropped to one knee for stability as she found herself facing a narrow bridge of rock that spanned an abyss of immeasurable depth between her and Firestorm. There was no way around. The
walls to either side were sheer, offering no alternative route.

‘Don’t look down!’
Firestorm said quickly.

‘Too late,’
Nolita replied, her head spinning as she fought to control her breathing. Sweat broke out on her forehead and every muscle in her body tightened. It’s not
real, she told herself. It can’t be. The other dragons and dragonriders would have reacted if it was real. There would have been panic.

‘Look at me, Nolita,’
Firestorm said, keeping his tone calm and supportive
. ‘Concentrate on me. Treat everything else here as illusion. This is a test, but the Oracle
wants you to succeed. It doesn’t want to harm you. You felt that in your encounter. Barnabas and the dragons don’t want to hurt you either. You know it’s true. Come on! Focus. You
can do it. I believe in you.’

‘It’s so narrow,’
she thought back, as she took in the yawning depths to either side of her. The bridge was not even a full pace wide and although it was formed of rock,
it did not look strong enough to support her weight.

‘It’s not real,’
Firestorm assured her
. ‘The cavern is as it was. The ground beneath your feet is solid.’

She clenched her fingers into fists, feeling the slickness of sweat on her palms. He was right. She knew it, but her mind could not accept it over the evidence of her eyes. What would happen if
she were to fall off the bridge, or ignore it altogether and step off the cliff?

‘Don’t do that,’
Firestorm warned.
‘The illusions created by dragons can feel very real. Just look at me and concentrate on walking across the
bridge.’

‘All right. I’ll do my best.’

Nolita stood up slowly and looked ahead at Firestorm. His appearance had changed. He looked to be almost leering at her. Was that a hint of red in his eyes? Had his horns grown longer? His lips
were drawn back to reveal a toothy grin that looked distinctly evil. She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to see if she could dispel the image. She opened her eyes. If
anything, Firestorm looked even more evil than before.

‘It’s all illusion,’ she said aloud. ‘It’s not real. I can do this. I am strong enough.’

With grim determination she took a step forwards onto the narrow span of rock. It held her weight. She took another. The bridge shuddered and there was a horrible sound of grating rock, but it
held. Her stomach was knotted so tight that it felt as if she would never be able to eat again. Another step forwards. Right foot in front of left. Left in front of right. Step by step she moved
across the span until she reached the mid point. Left in front of right – suddenly the rock under her right foot crumbled and she stepped forwards quickly as a section of the bridge began to
fall away behind her.

‘
Run!
’ Firestorm urged.
‘Don’t think. Just run!
’

A crack appeared a pace ahead of her and she leaped forwards, entering a madcap sprint across the rest of the span. As she ran the bridge continued to crumble away behind her, the segments
falling silently into the black void. Ahead of her the dragon got to his feet, his jaws opening wide in anticipation of her arrival on his side of the abyss. Nolita skidded to a momentary halt.
Which was the better end – to fall into the abyss, or be eaten by the waiting beast?

‘No! Don’t stop, Nolita. Keep going!
’ Firestorm urged.

For the first time, Nolita felt trust and love flooding through the bond. He was right. This was the test. He was not the evil creature she could see. She had felt his pride when she had warned
him of the dragonhunters. If she did as he said, she would feel his pride again. It felt good to have someone proud of her. The apparition before her was horrible – enormous and terrifying
beyond belief, but somehow she closed her mind to it and sprinted forwards again. For a moment she felt she was not going to make it. The collapsing sections behind her cracked and fell with
increasing pace, but with a final surge she launched into a flying leap that carried her across to the far side even as the bridge fell away beneath her.

As she landed, she fell and rolled forwards until she was directly beneath the slavering jaws of the beast. Her heart nearly froze in her chest, but the beast made no move to attack, so she
climbed carefully back to her feet.

‘Well done, Nolita,’
Firestorm said, his proud voice filling her with warmth. It felt good. She could do this. It was possible. Ignoring his appearance, she moved towards
Firestorm’s foreleg. In her mind she tried to imagine that she was about to climb onto Aurora’s back as she had done every day for the past five days. She pictured Elian climbing into
position behind her and his steadying hands on her waist. It was a comforting image, but it shattered when her fingers touched Firestorm’s scales.

The sensation she felt as she touched him for the first time sent a shock through her body. Her instinctive reaction was to pull back as if burned. This was nothing like touching Aurora. The
sensation was a world apart, as if her fingertips were touching an extension of her own body. Her fingers somehow joined with the dragon in a way that felt astonishingly intimate.

Her instinct was to turn and run. If she went through with this, she would have to face it every day. To face
this
every day? It was too much for them to ask of her. Shudders of horror
ripped through her body. She began to turn with the intention of escaping as fast as she could, but as she did so, the Oracle’s voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Its words froze her in
place as it echoed through her mind.
‘Attain ye the orb; vanquish the fears. Attain ye the orb; vanquish the fears. Attain ye
. . .’

She did not want to let the Oracle down. The Oracle had given her hope. It would die without her help. Repeating this over and over in her head, Nolita regained her focus. With gritted teeth she
placed her hand on Firestorm’s side and with swift, unthinking movements, she climbed his foreleg and swung her body up into the saddle. She gripped the pommel, her palms slick with sweat as
another convulsive shudder rippled through her body.

‘Take us out of here, Firestorm,’ she shouted, her voice reverberating in the huge cavern. ‘We’ve got an orb to find.’

Firestorm did not need telling twice. He let out a roar of triumph and in two quick paces was airborne, his joy at his rider’s courage lending his wings extraordinary power. As they soared
into the air and climbed through the glorious golden pillar of light, the cavern filled with the cheers of the gathered riders and the approving roars of the assembled dragons.

The view as they emerged from the mouth of the gigantic cavern was extraordinary. They were inside the crater of the volcano, surrounded on all sides by vertical walls of rock. Below them, the
crater’s floor was punctuated with pockets of greenery and pools of water. The very centre was effectively a shallow lake, its water sparkling like the surface of a giant jewel in the midday
sun. Nolita had never seen anything like it before and, surrounded by the walls of rock, she forgot about heights as Firestorm circled upwards to escape the volcano’s throat for the open sky
beyond.

When they reached the rim of the crater, the sister peak became apparent immediately. It was a few leagues south and west of the peak containing the day dragon enclave. Firestorm flew towards it
at speed to minimise the time in the air for his rider.