A/N for Destiny readers: Móðiras is replacing G-Ma and Faðiras is replacing G-Pa (what Ren and Rose originally called Leafë and Niom), which are a blending of the Old Norse (which the ancient language is partially based upon) words for "mother" and "father" with "god", thus making a new word (courtesy of moi) that means "god-mother" and "god-father"; also, Leafë's hair is officially being changed from black to silver, and Nathan's nickname will be spelled as "Nate" with an e from now on. Mom and Dad are also being changed to the Danish words Mor and Far, as well as Móði for Mommy and Faði for Daddy.

Picture of Niaomi up above.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the world had finally stopped spinning, Niaomi Leafësdóttir was kneeling on a beach. The gritty feel of sand stung even through her stockings, but it did not compare to the sting of pain she felt in her heart.

"Far! Where did you go?!"

There was no answer as the brisk wind blew her cries out to sea. Nia stumbled towards the lapping waves, frantically searching the ocean. She waded deeper and deeper as she screamed. "Far! Far! Faði!"

A high-pitched screech halted her, and she looked down at the dragonet she still carried in her arms. It scrambled higher, trying to escape the water's coldness, and Niaomi mindlessly placed it on one shoulder. The baby dragon clung with sharp talons that she could almost feel through the spaulder. Going further, she stopped once she was chest deep, the riptide almost tugging her feet out from under her. Wheeling her arms till she was stable once more, she tried to settle her thoughts so that she could call out again, this time with her mind.

What are you doing, silly girl? Teeth lightly nipped the back of her neck as a strong jaw clamped onto the collar of her shirt and lifted her out of the water. You're going to get yourself killed at this rate.

"I-I h-have to - have t-to..." The chattering of her teeth made speech impossible, and eventually Nia fell silent.

Cloud was worried. Her yawë fricai was shivering violently, and the pegasus knew flying was not helping her. The grief Cloud had heard in Niaomi's voice was heart-wrenching, and she knew that there was little she could say to the young woman that would be able to ease her hurt. Nevertheless, she could - and would - strive to prevent Nia from harming herself.

Their landing was not gentle, but Niaomi barely felt the jolt of her body hitting the sand. She lay face down as the dragonet shrieked in her ear. Ignoring the sound, her mind drifted back to that image of her father and his dragon sinking down into the ocean, replaying that scene again and again and again.

"Nia!" The wind blew the cry to her ears, but Niaomi could barely acknowledge the call at all. The screaming was too loud, the visions were too painful, the wind was too fierce. She wished it would sweep her away, far into the heavens, into the stars, where she may see her parents drawn in the sky. Belatedly she realized she was sobbing, and took note of the fact detachedly.

The voice yelled again, and she idly wondered if the person would ever shut up. Hands grabbed her, turned her over so that Nia was blinded by the brilliance of the sky. Tears blurred her vision as she continued to sob, and something warm curled on her chest. A presence touched her mind, wordless thoughts containing emotions: confusion, desperation, sadness. Not feeling sorry for her, but being sorry because of her. Because she was hurt, pained, broken.

No, not broken. The other mind was adamant about this fact, even if it could not find the words to express it. Not broken, just bruised. Still whole.

A drop of water fell on her forehead, and Niaomi noticed she wasn't the only one crying - wasn't the only one there. She wiped away her tears, leaving a streak of sand in their wake. Blinking rapidly to clear away the grains, the face above hers came into view, the blue she thought was the sky turning out to be eyes. "Rose."

Rosaminda Belindasdóttir smiled at the sound of her friend's voice, even though it was hoarse from crying. Drying her eyes with the back of one hand, she helped Nia sit up, who was careful not to disturb the young dragon. The droplets on its white hide made the scales glimmer, iridescent and beautiful. It climbed onto Niaomi's shoulder, chirping softly as Rose gently asked, "Are you okay?"

"Physically? Yes." As the other girl wrung out her clothes and curly dark hair, Rosaminda scanned the beach for the tenth time. The coastline was unfamiliar, paler than the one on which she had been born and lived on for her entire life up to now. The ocean was different, too: choppier, grayer, colder. There was no sign of the others. She'd been lucky to find Nia; if Cloud hadn't been with her, Rose doubted she would have found her friend at all.

A tug on her hair made her glance down at the other dragonet, held in her arm. Its scales were a dusky shade of pink, as rosy as her own name implied. Squeaking impatiently, it struggled to free its claws from the blond snarls. Rosaminda winced before carefully untangling the dragon, whose thoughts filled with kindness directed towards her. Reminded of the bond, she again tried to search for her own pegasus, but Loivissa did not respond to her call.

Niaomi abruptly stood up, making Cloud whinny as she walked determinedly towards the ocean. Worried, Rose set down the dragonet - her dragonet - and jumped up to stop her. Grabbing one arm, she ignored the coldness of her skin and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find my parents," came the reply.

Rosaminda's grip tightened as Niaomi tried to pull free. "We're not in Alalëa anymore," she explained gently, thinking that her friend was confused.

That was not the case. "I KNOW that!" Nia screamed in reply, wrenching out of her hold. "I'll still manage to find them!" Violet eyes flashing, she began to stomp towards the sea once more.

Anger flaring, Rose shouted, "And just how are you planning to do that?!"

Niaomi froze. Rosaminda never raised her voice in an argument. Turning around, she finally looked at the other girl. Her hair was drenched, darkened from its normal golden shade to a honey blond by the water. The dress, already made worse for wear by the trials, was torn further - the skirt and sleeves hanging in tatters while the bodice was peppered with semi-revealing holes. Rose's eyes were narrowed in slits of anger, and her stance was strong despite the fact that her shoes had been lost in the chaos.

It was obvious she's been through the wringer just as much as Nia had. If the beauty looked this bad, then she herself didn't want to glance in a mirror anytime soon. Remembering the question she'd been asked, Niaomi hung her head in shame, defeated. "I-I don't know..." she whispered, fighting tears. "It's useless anyway, isn't it?"

The anger drained from Rosaminda, and tears came to her eyes. Without a word, she drew Nia into her embrace. Unable to hold back, they both cried for what they'd lost. The white dragonet glided down to the pink one as one of Cloud's feathery wings wrapped around the two young women.

And for a moment - one short, bittersweet moment - Niaomi felt warm once more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Groaning, Nicholas Niomsson concluded that he'd never felt worse in his entire life, and that hurried teleportation was worse than Tartarus.

Once he remembered the reason for the hurried teleportation, he corrected his earlier analysis and decreed to himself that hurried teleportation was better than Elysium, and the level of exaggeration varied depending on the subject's state of arrival. Turning to the left to empty his stomach of its contents, Nick decided that the exaggeration was medium but steadily rising.

His arms felt like rubber, no doubt do to the struggle of pulling himself out of the water. He still could not find the strength to stand, and so Nicholas rolled away from the upchuck and lay with his back against the sand. Remembering the events of the day that was quickly turning to evening, he stated aloud, "This has got to be the worst birthday ever."

"You can say that again," a tired reply came, and Nick glanced to his right to see Renata Belindasdóttir lying a foot away. She looked no better off than him, yet the sight of her made him smile and feel a bit better about their situation.

He was not so lovestruck to imagine that his body felt any better. With a great effort he managed to scoot close enough to gently stroke her face. Ren's nose scrunched as he left a trail of sand in his wake. "Sorry."

Renata looked at Nicholas, who looked so apologetic she had to laugh, even if it hurt. Rolling over so that they were nose to nose, she touched his cheek in return. "Now we're even."

His slanted green eyes lit up with a smile, and she closed her own as his lips touched hers. Their kiss was soft and sweet, and as Ren pulled away slightly she recalled the events that had lead to them washing up on this beach. Her smile faded in remembrance of her god-mother's sacrifice.

Nick studied Renata's face as water pooled in her gray eyes, turning them silver. He didn't have to ask her what she was thinking about, since he was remembering the same thing. In his mind's eye he saw his mother dissolve into energy before him, heard his father's last words in his head. Pushing back the memories, Nicholas drew his love into his arms, ignoring the pain, to kiss her once more.

She could feel his desperation, taste his sorrow, and Ren wrapped her arms around him in return. She too felt the need to escape the pain, and the best way to keep it at bay was through another strong emotion. With her Nick, it was love combined with lust, an urge to let herself be swept away by her feelings.

His tongue stroked hers, their kiss hot with desire. Renata had to pull away, to breathe, and Nicholas moved so that her back was pressed against the sand once more. He lay atop her, heavy but warm, those sinful lips trailing the column of her neck while her nails raked across his back. Somewhere in her mind she knew this wasn't the proper place, not the right time, but Ren didn't care. Nothing mattered accept her fiancé.

Mind growing hazy, Nick could barely think as she kissed him back with an ardor to rival his own. She was the only one with the power to wipe his thoughts of nothing, nothing except for her. His hands slid under her shirt, her skin feeling smoother than silk in contrast to the sand's grit. Renata's moans filled his ears, making his heart thump as fast as the beat he could feel under his palm. She dragged his head back up to hers, kissing him fiercer than before.

The storm that was raging through his body made it almost impossible to hear the shriek, but Nicholas did. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder just in time to see a green blur crash into his face. Jumping up, he gave a short yell before stumbling over and falling down.

Ren sat up, confused. One moment Nick was posed to remove her clothes, and the next he was lying in his own vomit with a green dragonet on his head, who looked quite proud of itself. She sighed as her own baby dragon glided onto her shoulder. It's mind touched hers, confused as well, and she thought to it, Men always give such mixed signals.

Groaning, Nicholas concluded that throwing up should be done in the ocean instead of on the sand where one could fall into it, and that moments such as this one should be reserved for Tartarus's eternal tortures.

Once the reason for his current situation clawed his face with a high-pitched screech, he corrected his earlier analysis and decreed to himself that baby dragons such as his should be reserved for Tartarus, and the torture's level would depend on the situation of the subject. Bringing a hand to his aching head and feeling the dried vomit in his thick black hair, Nick decided that the level of torture was medium but definitely rising.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ow!" Nathan Niomsson complained for the fourth time in a row. The gleaming orange dragonet on his shoulder chirped an apology as it tried to keep its claws from digging into its Rider's shoulder.

The said Rider saw the futility of his dragon's efforts and reluctantly decided to hold it in his free arm. The other was carrying a brown-speckled werecat that used to be just white who'd refused to walk another step once she'd fallen into a mud hole. Behind him followed a soaked mistwolf, an uncomfortable griffin, and an agitated darksnake. Almost stumbling into a tide pool for the sixth time, Nate himself was soaked, uncomfortable, and growing more agitated by the minute.

When the griffin asked if he was sure he did not know where they were, he snapped.

"For the last time, no! No no no! No means no - not yes, not maybe, but NO!" And with his tirade finished, Nathan stomped on ahead and almost landed in another tide pool. "Godsdammit!"

Rumble, the griffin, was very surprised. He wasn't sure why Nate was so hopping mad, but then again - even after almost eleven years living among humans - he still didn't quite understand their emotions. Turning to the snake slithering beside him, he asked mind-to-mind, Are you aware of the reason for Nate's unprecedented anger, Ruyi?

Ruyishewa the shadowsnake (or darksnake if one preferred) glanced up at her fellow yawë fricai with slitted emerald eyes. I believe he does not like being questioned so.

When the griffin did not reply, Ruyi turned her focus back to following Nathan's vibrations. Flickering her forked tongue, she could scent the emotions swirling in the air around her: confusion, anger, regret, disgust, boredom. It was easy to tell which was coming from who by their actions, but she did not have time to placate everyone. Her focus was on making sure she didn't slide into any mud holes like the one Ava had walked into. Ruyishewa always made sure to learn from others' mistakes.

The disgruntled werecat Ava was the source of the disgust Ruyi had felt. My poor, beautiful fur, she moaned so that everyone could hear, unwilling to attempt to clean herself. Mud tasted horrible, and so Ava knew she'd have to get Niaomi to bathe her once they found the girl and the others. She would have asked Nate to do it instead, but he was already carrying her and in a bad mood.

Unfortunately, mistwolves were not as sensitive to emotions as werecats were, though if it was due to a lack of perception or just plain ignorance was unknown. True to his species, Dewdrop did not realize (or perhaps did not care to realize) how high-strung Nathan was at the moment; all he knew was that he was bored. And when he was bored, he was whiny. When are we going to find the others? Dew howled, slumping to the ground in defeat. It's taking forever.

Ruyishewa felt the spike in the level of anger, and decided it would be beneficial to take the time and warn Dewdrop. I would be patient if I were you.

He huffed, golden amber eyes glaring at the darksnake. Being patient is boring - I'd rather have the answers now!

"Well, you can't!" Nate exploded, rounding on the mistwolf with a vehemence that had all three bondmates skittering backwards. "Don't you think that I want to know what happened, too? Don't you think that I'm worried about the others, too?! Of course not, because it seems as though you're currently lacking the presence of a BRAIN!"

Though his ears had gone down as he'd been scolded, the insult made Dew raise his head and say in a haughty tone, Well, yelling about it isn't going to solve anything.

"You - I can't - you make me want to - argh!" With a shout of frustration, Nathan spun wildly and stormed off, only to fall into a tide pool. Ava meowed in alarm as the topaz dragon shrieked, both clawing to escape his arms and jump to dry land.

And so Nate was left in the pool alone, drenched to the bone, and everyone braced themselves for the coming wave of unprecedented anger. But the young man managed to astonish them all by laughing, the sound full of exasperation and defeat with a kind of twisted joy. Nonetheless, it managed to make the rest chuckle along as well until all four bondmates were roaring with mirth.

Only the dragonet was left out, somewhat confused about the situation; however, despite its lack of understanding, it managed to find pleasure in its Rider's slightly deranged amusement - despite the fact that underneath it still lurked the deep and abiding pain.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Circling above on feathers the same shade as the clouds and as Cloud's, Loivissa scanned the ground below her for her Rosaminda. Where could they be? she asked the pegasi who flew beside her, distraught at the distance they'd traversed with no sign of their bonded partners.

They must be near, her mate reassured, gently letting his wingtip overlap hers. Leafë could not have transported us far from each other.

But what if we're flying in the wrong direction? What if we -

Calm down, sister, Delois interrupted, halting the other's panic. Vissa looked over into her wise gray eyes. All will be well, you'll see.

Vindrlíf shook his long forelock out of his eyes, putting on a burst of speed so that he flew a little ahead of the others. Look there, on the beach! Isn't that Cloud?

He angled his wings as the others came forward so that they could see. Seeing the happiness light up Loivissa's big blue eyes made Vinny feel a surge of satisfaction for pleasing his love. That's her! Cloud! Cloud!

From the sandy shore below, the pegasus's head reared up, and she scanned the sky. Niaomi looked up from her seat on the ground and asked what was wrong. Cloud snorted, stamping a hoof in frustration. I was sure that I heard Vissa...

"Vissa?" Rose stood quickly, looking around wildly. "Where?" Suddenly, in the outer reaches of her mind she could hear a familiar voice call her name.

Rose! Vissa yelled again, soaring out from above the clouds. She hoped that the blonde head she spotted was her partner, then felt a twinge of regret towards her sister, knowing that consequently she was hoping it wasn't Ren.

"Vissa!" shouted back Rosaminda with her mouth and her mind, relieved at the sight of the four pegasi flying towards them. In her arms the pink dragonet squirmed, and she loosed her hold on it. The winged horses came to a running stop in front of them, and Rose barreled forwards to wrap one arm around Loivissa's neck.

The pegasus's nose snuffled through her hair, comforted by the familiar scent of her bondmate. The rest walked forwards as well, and Malthinae was the first to ask, Where are the others?

"We don't know, Malt," Nia replied, her voice grim. "You four are the first ones to come across us."

Well, what are we waiting for? Vindrlíf neighed, rearing up in excitement before launching himself back into the air. Let's go find them!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Flair struggled to stay in the air, trying to grip the thunderbird in her talons as gently as possible without letting him fall. She could not remember how long she'd been flying; Leafë had teleported them all in a rush, and the resulting disorientation - coupled with her exhaustion - left her without a sense of time. All the phoenix knew was that she must keep moving, for Ion needed help.

It was he who was the thunderbird she held, and he who'd been injured in the fight on Alalëa. Soaring overhead now, Flair knew they were no longer on the island, but in her tired state she could not fathom where else they could be. But what she did know was that the others could not be far off, and all she had to do was find them.

Her wings faltered, and the two birds lost altitude before she managed to catch the air with her wings once more. If only I could muster up the energy to catch fire, Flair thought, knowing that her bright red plumage would be an even greater beacon if flaming. She was, after all, a member of the greatest of all three firebird species: blessed with immortality unlike the sunbirds of the south or the emberbirds of the east, and able to burn with the brightness of the Sun God himself. And now, the phoenix was unable to even cast one tiny ember.

The wind suddenly changed direction, blowing against her and sending Ion tumbling from her claws. Flair screeched in fear, tucking her wings in to dive after him. Catching up, she managed to grab his limp body, but her strength failed her so that now both spiraled downwards toward the earth. She folded her wings around the thunderbird and braced herself for the impact.

Before they could crash into the trees, a white blur zoomed by, and the phoenix was whisked from her plummet into a pair of arms. Staring down at her were a pair of bright purple eyes, shiny from unshed tears. Nia...?

"I'm here." Niaomi gripped her bondmates to her chest even tighter. The golden glow that usually lit up Flair's black eyes was dimmer than she'd ever seen before, and Ion was unconscious and bedraggled. A surge of hatred suddenly welled up, directed towards Liress Elianasdóttir, towards King Galbatorix, and - most of all - towards herself.

Cloud slowed her flight so that the others could catch up. "Are they okay?" shouted Rosaminda, consternation clear on her face.

"Flair's merely worn-out, but Ion has yet to wake." Clinging tightly to one shoulder with its tail curled around her neck for balance, the dragonet leaned forward to examine the two birds with ivory eyes only a few shades darker than its spines. "What happened to him after I left?"

"Liress didn't release him until Flair swooped in right before - before Móðiras finished Alalëa." Nia tried not to remember the last image she had of her mother, that beautifully awful glow illuminating her skin as each particle of her being turned into energy. Unable to turn away from the mental images, she cursed the spell that had taken Leafë away from her and taken her away from Niom: Alalëa.

Noticing her godsister's clenched fists, Rose swallowed past the trembling in her throat and continued a steadier voice, "Once she'd finished the spell, the barrier around her expanded and we all disappeared as it touched us, including Liress."

So she could be here, as well? Vinny said, his large brown eyes rolling in worry.

"Yes." Rosaminda felt her stomach knot as she felt Vissa shudder beneath her. The fact that it was her aunt who'd caused this devastation, her own flesh and blood, made her sick. How could someone with the same face as Belinda the Beautiful do something so cruel? Clutching her abdomen, Rose struggled against the bile that rose up in her throat.

Squeaking loudly in her ear, the consciousness of the pink dragon touched her own, soothing away her ire and despair. She scratched it under its chin, listening to the gentle hum it made as Malt suddenly swooped to their right. On the beach - it's Nick and Ren! She raked back her long hair as the rest of the pegasi followed Malthinae's lead, eager to catch a glimpse of her twin.

Renata felt a familiar tingling sensation, and spun around, calling out for her sister. When she didn't spot her on the ground, she turned her eyes to the sky and smiled with delight at the sight that met her eyes. "Nick! Nick, look!"

Still rubbing his hair to make sure no traces of his stomach's contents remained, Nicholas followed his fiancée's gaze to see the five flying horses bearing down on them fast, with his own at the forefront. "Malt!"

They both ran forwards, and Nick buried his face into Malt's mane as Ren rubbed her hand through Delli's forelock, waiting for Rosaminda to dismount. As soon as she did so, the twin sisters ran into each other's arms. Niaomi smiled at the two, but her mirth quickly faded as her youngest brother approached. She only had to look into her triplet's eyes before bursting into tears, and Nick pulled her into a firm hug as she clung to him as if her life depended on it.

Having regained enough strength to speak, Flair spoke up from her place between Cloud's shoulders. Nia, Ion must be tended to.

Sniffing, she reluctantly pulled away to wipe her eyes dry on the tattered remains of her elbow-length sleeves. "Of course." Nia took the thunderbird in her arms, placing her left hand over him as the magic of his element coursed within her, making the blue opal (native only to Alalëa) on her charm bracelet flare. She spoke her next words in the ancient language. "Lightning, rejuvenate this thunderbird and heal his body. Let your energy course through me and into his veins."

A spark of electricity crackled from her hands to Ion, spreading out over his dark blue feathers before vanishing. All gathered around with bated breath, silent for moments that seemed to stretch on endlessly until the bird finally twitched and opened one eye. Sighing in relief, Niaomi stroked his crest as Ion shifted shakily to his feet, asking in a deep voice, What happened?

"You didn't stop when I told you to," she scolded gently, holding out her free arm so that he could flutter onto it. "You decided to try and keep containing Liress until her magic finally overpowered your barrier and left you nearly drained dry."

Stupid bird, the phoenix sneered, but everyone could detect the relief in her voice. Nia gestured to her right shoulder as she settled Ion on her left, and Flair glided to her perch as the white dragonet screeched in alarm at the new arrivals. Its Rider quieted it with a quick stroke on its head.

Where do we go from here? Vindrlíf asked with a touch of impatience, eager to find his own bonded partner. His mate nudged his flank, releasing some of the tension from his body. Before anyone could make a suggestion, voices carried to them on the wind from further down the beach. Cantering around the bend, Vinny neighed in joy as he spotted his Nathan.

Nate pressed his nose to his pegasus's as he reached him, for his arms were currently full of a baby dragon and a werecat. Ava meowed happily as Niaomi and the others came into view, content to remain in the crook of Nathan's arm and wait for her yawë fricai to come to her while the others bondmates converged upon her.

Dewdrop, being the fastest, reached her first. Nia! It took us forever to find you, and I was so bored of waiting, and -

What happened to my spot? demanded Ruyi, coiling her body so that she almost reached the height of Nia's knee and staring up at the dragon who was draped where the darksnake herself usually lay.

Before the girl could try and explain, the griffin stated in his rumbly even tones, To think how many years I spent living without your presence and yet how strange it was to spend so long from you. His reddish-amber eyes scanned her for any sign injury.

Yeah, it was really weird, and we couldn't even tell where'd you gone cause you were far away and we were so dizzy from our trip and -

What. Happened. To. My. Spot? Ruyishewa hissed, and the mistwolf grumbled at the interruption.

"Here, Ruyi." Pulling the dragon from her neck and settling it in one arm, Niaomi bent down to settle the snake around her neck where she belonged before rising to face the rest of her companions. Her gaze fastened on her other triplet, but Nate just hung back and faced away from the group. Rose went to him as she said to the rest, "We're still missing Gedwëy, Bramble, and Sky. I know Gedwëy and Sky can probably find us on their own, but unless Bramble's with one of them, I don't think he'd show up anytime soon."

"Luckily that wasn't the case," a bell-like voice sounded from their right, and they turned to see a unicorn emerge from the trees with the speaker, a fairy, perched on its horn.

Nia's dragon gave a delighted squeak as it glided from its Rider's arms to approach Gedwëy. Laughing in delight, the fairy flew to meet it halfway, her tiny arms hugging the dragonet's muzzle as Bramble too stepped forward, his coat full of his namesakes.

Cloud came forward, the happiness in her violet eyes mirrored in the Bramble's own matching ones. They nuzzled each other as the other horses trotted forwards, Vindrlíf happily greeting him. Bramble! Where've you been?

Running through the forest with Gedwëy looking for you guys. Snorting, the unicorn shook his head. Should've guess you'd be flying.

Try not to be too jealous of the wings, Delois couldn't help ribbing, her eyes twinkling as she gave him a horsey grin that he just returned with another snort.

"This isn't a time for fun and games," Rosaminda said in an uncharacteristically harsh voice, looking at her smiling twin beseechingly. "Our god-parents, Móðiras and Paðiras, have just died."

"Like we didn't know that already?" Nicholas sniped, glaring at the other girl. "Thanks for the lovely reminder."

His brother spun around, eyes flashing in anger. "Would you rather pretend that it hasn't happened? That we're all still on Alalëa, and they're still waiting for us to return back at the glade?"

"We are all grieving, Nathan," Niaomi said, using his full name to emphasize her displeasure with him. "We're in a new land, with an enchantress no doubt still on our tail, the same one who caused our parents' deaths. But we don't have time to dwell on that right now."

"Oh, will you just shut up, Niaomi! You may be the eldest, but you're not the only one with the power to lead us anymore."

She gaped at Nate in shock. "Are you still hung up on how I'm godblessed and you're not? Well, I am so sorry, brother dear! I'm sorry the gods chose me to bear these accursed gifts, and I'm sorry for trying to ignore them for your sake, and I'm so godsdamned sorry that they didn't warn me of what would happen to Mor and Far! Are you happy now?!"

With her rant finished, Nia felt her knees give out, and Flair and Ion flew from her shoulders as she crumpled to ground hanging her head. A pair of arms came around her, and she pressed her face into the brown vest covering Nathan's shoulder, trying to keep her sobs contained as the four other Riders came to join them. Ruyi slithered out from the bunch as they all hugged each other and shed tears over their loss, and the baby dragons keened at the sorrow in their hearts.

It was a long time before they'd cried the last tears, laying on their backs in a rough circle as they all stared up at the strangely colored sky, a washed up version of the bright blue blanket that had always shrouded Alalëa. Nate reached out to link his fingers with his sister, and she squeezed back in acceptance of his wordless apology. The dragonets lay curled up on their chests like living jewels, bellies full from the jerky Nick had managed to rustle up somehow. It was Rose who finally asked in a soft voice, "What do we do now?"

Predictably, it was Nicholas who had an answer. "We'll have to find somewhere safe to make camp, distribute the charms Far invented that prevent anyone from scrying or sensing our presence, and plan our next move."

"We also have to track down that woman from the cavern," Renata pointed out. "The Progenitor. Didn't she mention something about 'the mountains beyond the Spine'?"

"And that Nia was the key," her twin added. Niaomi resisted the urge to shudder at the words, reminded of the visions that were sure to come

Her oldest brother spoke up. "Well, we can figure that all out later. Right now, let's find a place to spend the night. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse - and there are six available."

Not funny, Nate, Vinny said scathingly even as the six of them retreated backwards a few steps, making the rest chuckle. They were all relieved that Nathan was able to joke around once more.

Running her hand over her dragon's sleek snow white hide, which glittered in a myriad of colors despite the setting sun, Nia suddenly realized something. "Gedwëy?"

"Yes?" the fairy replied from her seat in between the gap of the white dragonet's spines where head met shoulders.

"Is my dragon a girl?"

"Of course. Am I not female?"

"Of course," the young woman echoed back weakly, stunned at the revelation that should not have been such a revelation. "Well, that's nice to know."

Stifling a laugh, Rosaminda was about to speak up when a shadow moved across them. All five Riders rose to their feet despite the complaints of their sleepy charges, and Skystreak wheeled back around to alight onto the branch beside Flair and Ion. Ruffling her gleaming gold feathers, the gem owl said in her eternally wise voice, While you all have been lounging about, I have scouted a place to camp, and Liress seems to be gone from the surrounding area.

"You're a real gem, Sky," Nate decreed, his teeth flashing white against his brown skin. "Let's get moving, shall we? New land to discover, new villains to topple, new mentors to find - we haven't got all day!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "You're right, Nate, we haven't got all day only, but all of the next as well. And the next, and the next, and the next..."

As her brothers began to squabble and the twins merely looked on in amusement, Niaomi examined the gedwëy ignasia that had been seared onto her right palm as soon as she touched her baby dragon, forever branding her as a Dragon Rider. She had known it was to be her destiny from the time she was five, and had eagerly been expecting it ever since. But as her visions had begun developing, her doubt increased. They had all gotten their dragons at a cost that was far too high.

Even now, her eyesight dimmed as the red-haired woman in the long white robes from the cavern where they'd found the dragon eggs appeared before her to beckon from a mountain peak. Shaking her head to dispel the image, Nia started after her family as they followed Skystreak through the forest, and turned back to look at the ocean and make one last vow to the parents that were lost to her forever.

Mother, Father, I swear this to you now: I will do whatever it takes to protect our family, even if it means going against destiny itself.

The white dragonet in her arms squeaked, and Niaomi hugged it - her - tighter to her chest before hurrying onward to catch up with the others, just in time to miss the sight of a black-clothed woman with golden hair wash up onto the beach behind her.