Wings of Arian by Devri Walls Page B

the charred land. The front of the smoke plume nodded back and forth, looking for something. It snaked its way up a blackened hill curling around the side and continuing on its way up the back. She followed its course around a massive hole in the ground; the smoke circled around the edge before it slid in and was gone.
    As Kiora inched herself closer to the hole she peered over, looking for the smoke. A roar exploded upward with a blast of heat. She scrambled backwards as fast as she could. Another roar came, sounding closer than the last, and then a dragon the size of a small house came shooting out of the hole and into the sky. Behind him another dragon came hurtling out, followed by another. She watched them as their wings strained, pushing themselves farther into the sky, growing smaller and smaller before disappearing into the blackness.
    The darkness enveloped Kiora again. When the light returned, she stood on the cliffs of the Garian Sea. She watched as another plume of smoke snaked its way across the sky, this one was blue. It dropped out of the clouds and plummeted straight into the sea. She nervously looked on, expectant of some other great beast exploding upwards, but instead the darkness began to close in on her again.
    When the darkness began to clear, this time it swirled around her licking at her feet. Squinting, she looked ahead to make out the towering cliffs of the mountains that surrounded them. It looked familiar, two peaks, their sides swooping in towards each other creating a pass between them. There, between the two mighty mountains, stood a gate of enormous proportions. Iron bars swirling up and around, the two halves affixed in the center with a giant lock. Standing in front of the gate was the silhouette of a man, laughing.
    The mist became thicker, obscuring him, and then faded, sending her back to reality.
    “Wait! No, I haven’t seen anything yet!” She shouted at the mist. It didn’t matter. The vision was gone.
    Moaning, Kiora blinked furiously trying to get the room to come into focus. Not three inches from her nose, leaning over her with anxious eyes, was Emane. Yelping, she scrambled backwards like a crab, pushing herself against the head of the bed.
    “Emane? What are you doing here?”
    He leaned back a little, his eyes still raking over, as if checking to make sure she was ok. “You had a vision while we were talking. Aleric suggested I bring you here while you finished it.”
    Her face turned bright red, “You saw me have a vision!?”
    “Yes, we were talking, remember? You just, fainted.”
    “Oh no.” Pushing herself out of bed, Kiora shoved past Emane.
    “Kiora!” he said stumbling out of her way, “I know your still mad at me but—”
    “I have to talk to Eleana and Aleric.” Pushing the tent flaps open Kiora put her arm over her eyes to block the sun. “I was out all night?!”
    “Yes, you stopped moaning after a while and Aleric figured you had fallen asleep.”
    “You stayed all night?” she asked. Sheepish, Emane nodded. Kiora blushed, turning her head away. “I have to go.” She took off, weaving back and forth between the trees as she went. She could hear Emane’s feet pounding a little ways behind her.
    “Kiora, where are you going?” Emane yelled.
    “I have got to talk to Aleric.”
    “You don’t even know where he is!”
    “Of course I do, I’m following his thread,” she shouted back over her shoulder.
    They ran right past the tent where they usually ate and into a part of the Hollow they had not seen. Kiora came to a sudden halt and looked around.
    Emane caught up to her. “Now what’s the matter?” he asked leaning into a tree. Rolling to the side he put his hand on his chest taking in great gulps of air. He shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “You have got to be kidding me!”
    “I’m sorry?” Kiora asked.
    “You are in better shape than me, too.”
    “Too?” Kiora turned in a circle frowning, “I like to run.” She took