"How is Yizinia?" Emma asked Nephie on their way to the realm. Emma was extremely sad about leaving Lazarus alone. She wanted to stay with him, but he insisted that she left. Yul and Magnus too were pushy. They asked her to leave as soon as possible along with Angus. At the same time, she was excited to meet her mother.
Angus was excited when he saw Nephie for the first time and couldn't hold his excitement as he started touching her and speaking to her as if she was his pet. Nephie snorted which was akin to an eye roll, but she allowed him to touch him, check her scales or wings or snout without fussing. Finally when his curiosity died down, he climbed her. Emma sat in front of him. "Gods, Emma! You have a dragon as a pet! How cool is that! Please, can you give your pet to me?"
Nephie shook her head and let out a sigh. She wondered how her pups were going to be. She had mated with Rirsyr and she was sure that she might be laying eggs anytime soon.
"Yizinia is a lovely place," she said through their bond.
"Are their fire-breathing dragons everywhere?" Emma asked wondering if the realm was perpetually shrouded in heat and dry land.
Nephie huffed as if she was chuckling. "It is a beautiful realm, dear. I won't tell you much about it. Just wait for it."
Angus had clutched Emma tightly around her waist. He was about to sleep. It was already too dark and the winds were blowing strongly in the sky. Emma felt his hands and said, "Angus, cover yourself with my cloak."
"I am fine…" he replied lazily. This was the most journey the ten-year-old had ever taken.
"It is going to become even colder, Emma," Nephie said. "You should wrap another cloak or a shawl around you. We will be ascending in a short while. If you feel that it will be an issue, I can stop and you can take a rest."
"No," Emma replied. "If I rest, it would be too late. I—" she bit her lip. "I want to meet my mother and go back to Lazarus."
Nephie nodded. "I understand, Emma. Then I am going to breathe a little fire and use my magic to envelope you with the warmth it creates. Stay still and don't get jumpy."
Emma laughed. "I won't!"
A guttural sound came from Nephie's throat. Emma could feel the heat radiating from the dragon's belly and when Nephie opened her mouth next, she breathed fire. With a gush the fire swooped towards Emma and Angus. Angus shrieked out of fear, but before the fire could touch them, the heat from it had reduced to warmth that surrounded them. It enveloped them completely and safely.
Angus was surprised. Eyes wide, he remarked, "Gods, your dragon is wonderful. I love her already!"
Emma started laughing. She was happy that he wasn't afraid of Nephie which would have been the reaction from most young boys.
Soon they ascended more and passed through the clouds. She saw lightning and thunder in the distance. "Nephie!" she shouted. "Don't go to that side!"
"I have already seen it. Don't worry. I won't go there, but even if I go, I will come out unscathed. It's you who I am worried about."
Emma was astonished. "Just how powerful you are, Nephie?"
They flew for a very long time and Emma and Angus slept on her. It was her warmth that kept them cozy. Her dreams were full of Lazarus and red eyes and the palace. She had a restless sleep.
When she woke up again, she saw a beautiful rainbow in front of her covering a little part of the rising sun. They were flying over the clouds. Emma sighed at the beauty of it and inwardly wished that Lazarus was with her on this journey. Her heart sank, thinking about Lazarus. She wondered what must be happening in Wilyra. "When are we going to reach?" she asked Nephie who had been flying nonstop.
"Before the sun rises up to the middle sky," she replied. "When it is time to enter the realm, I will let you know. You both must eat something."
Emma didn't wake up Angus because she knew that he was simply too tired. When he woke up an hour later, she gave him a loaf of bread wrapped in leaf with dry meat. "You haven't eaten anything," she said to Nephie.
"I can stay without food for more than ten days if needed, so don't worry. Right now I want to reach Yizinia as soon as possible." She flapped her wings in powerful strokes and speared through the sky. In two hours, she warned through the bond, "Emma, the portal to Yizinia is up ahead. As I fly through it, you will experience a lot of turbulence because you are not a part of this world. The portal will try to resist you, but keep holding me. You should let Angus come in front of you, so that you can press him against me when we enter."
"What? Won't your magic work?" she said aloud to which Angus listened. He became tense.
"No, I can't use my magic through the portal. It is prohibited!" Saying that she veered left and descended. "The portal is between those two peaks!"
Emma saw two mountain peaks up ahead. The snow on them was glinting orange and red in the sun's light. It looked so calm that Emma couldn't believe there would be turbulence.
"Be ready!" Nephie warned her.
Emma pressed Angus in front of her and Nephie dived into a very high turbulence area. And as soon as she entered the portal, rough and strong winds slapped their faces. The portal howled and growled. Their faces mottled and for a moment Emma thought she would be ripped apart, but she kept herself tightly coiled around her brother. After almost ten minutes of typhoon-like winds, they suddenly entered into a calm.
"We are in Yizinia!" Nephie let out a purr, loving the air of her world.
When Emma lifted herself and saw ahead, her mouth dropped at the sheer beauty of Yizinia.
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