The Dragon Scales, #2
Emberclaw
by L. R. Lam
Contents
48. Arcady: Nightmare
Overview
Arcady wakes from a troubling near-memory of her grandsire opening the Veil and fears his role in the plague. Discovering Everen missing and townsfolk awestruck by something in the sky, she realizes he has gone to Magnes. Ammil invades her mind, claiming he wooed Everen but will coerce her. He orders Arcady to take the medicine, rejoin the trials, and come to him by tomorrow or Everen dies by sunset.
Summary
Arcady jolts awake from a hazy, intimate memory that hardens into a disturbing recollection of her grandsire speaking a spell, opening the Veil, and riding a dragon without a bond. The image forces Arcady to question whether her taie helped unleash the plague or if some other cause exists.
Reaching for Everen through their bond, Arcady finds only silence; Everen has walled her out. She stumbles into the pre-dawn cold to the lock shop’s door swinging open and townsfolk staring skyward in stunned awe, confirming that something inexplicable has just occurred.
Connecting the signs, Arcady concludes that Everen has gone to Magnes. As panic rises, a distant voice—Ammil—intrudes on her mind. He boasts that he snared Everen with “honey” and tells Arcady she will only respond to force.
Ammil issues his ultimatum: if Arcady wants to save her dragon, she must take the medicine, join the trial, and come to him tomorrow. If she refuses, Everen will be dead by sunset, and the world will follow. Arcady recognizes the trap has snapped shut around them.
Who Appears
- ArcadyProtagonist; wakes from a troubling memory, discovers Everen missing, and receives Ammil’s coercive ultimatum.
- Ammil (Magnes)Antagonist; telepathically taunts Arcady and demands she take the medicine and rejoin the trial or Everen dies.
- EverenArcady’s bonded dragon-shifter; blocks the bond and disappears, apparently drawn to Magnes.
- Arcady’s grandsire (taie)Figure in Arcady’s memory; opened the Veil and rode a dragon, fueling fears he sparked the plague.