Page 39 of I Am the Night

"Nope. I'm ready to roll," I say, closing the door behind me. "How far is this place?" I ask as I look around for his carriage, but none is in sight.

"Too far for horses. You will ride me," he says, shifting into dragon form.

"Yeah, um, as tempting as that offer is," I say trying not to laugh. "I can actually fly, so let's try that first?"

"You think you can keep up with a dragon?" he scoffs, his voice even deeper now.

"Why don't we do this thing and find out?"

"Very well, Fate. But I'll be here when you tire."

Oof, the arrogance.

Racul takes off into the sky and I summon my magic to follow him.

He continues to accelerate, pushing his speed faster and faster. I'm pretty sure he's just trying to show off, but he doesn't know who he's messing with. I wrap air around me, using fire to stay warm, using light and darkness to give me an extra edge, and I keep pace side by side with him. I even give him a thumb's up when he glances my way, an incredulous look on his dragon face.

We fly like this for some time, and I do start to tire out, but I can't give him the satisfaction of knowing, so I push harder, determined that he and I will arrive together, as equals, and he can shut his mouth about it all. We are heading west and soon begin to pass over areas I've never been, though I recall these parts from the maps I studied in Elijah's office. Somewhere around here is giant territory, though I see no evidence of them at present.

And then we reach a place that doesn't exist on any maps I've seen. A body of water that spans miles, with an isolated island stuck in the center. That appears to be our destination.

When he finally begins his descent, I'm so relieved I nearly cry, but I land like a boss and grin like it was nothing.

He shifts back into human form, and I pretend like I'm not completely exhausted.

"I was not expecting that," he says, a curious look on his face.

I'm pretty sure he keeps seeing his dead girlfriend in me, which is a bit creepy but also super sad, so I give him a pass and instead ask, "Where now?"

We are in a dense jungle in the middle of an island that looks like it shouldn't exist. The temperature is sweltering so I use my air magic to cool myself. Vines coil around tall trees and fall from thick branches like snakes waiting to snap. The dense undergrowth is teeming with a hidden world of insects. A canopy of lush foliage blocks out the view of the sky, and in the distance a strange kind of shriek that might be a monkey calls out.

Racul points west and I can see through the trees the ruins of an old castle that looks like nothing more than crumbled stone at this point. I follow the Fire Dragon to a spot in the center, stepping over heavy roots that have taken over the area, my boots sinking into the decomposing plant life of the jungle.

He points to an area thick with vines and undergrowth. "There should be a door here that only you and my mother can open."

I nod and use my earth magic to clear everything away, revealing a circular metal door with a handprint in the center. I place my hand on it, but nothing happens.

"Um, do you know what I'm supposed to do?" I ask.

"I've never actually seen it opened," he says. "Though I have tried myself."

Shit.

First, I go with Liam's approach to life. I try to blow shit up.

The fire ball lands on the metal door and fizzes out, having zero effect.

"I'm not impressed," Racul says, dryly.

"Good thing I'm not actually trying to impress you," I say.

Next I use my air and water magic it to create lightning that I zap from my hands, but again, nothing.

"This is getting us nowhere," the impatient dragon says.

I step aside and gesture to the door. "Would you like to try?"

He glares at me but says nothing.