The ride back to the lair took hours, but without having to stop and lay low as she had with Slate on the way to Beelzanborg, it wasn’t nearly as long as it had been going. As Nya flew on Gator’s back, she looked down at the ground and saw a slew of people pointing up at them, some waving, others gazing curiously. How long had it been since anyone had seen dragons flying in the daytime? How long had it been since a dragon, other than Slate, had flown over these villages? None of these people could’ve possibly been alive the last time the dragons were able to fly. To the people staring up at them, she imagined it was both terrifying and awe inspiring.
She wondered what they had thought when the enormous thunder had flown over earlier, especially if they had seen the people on their backs. Did they begin to realize that the people who had been taken by the dragon during the festival were not actually dead after all? Some of those people were over a hundred years old now, though they didn’t look or seem that old. What would they return to in their villages when this was all over?
She had a while to think about all of those thoughts as Gator made his way back to his home. Finally, the mountain came into view in front of them, though obscured by a thick fog. Even after Nya could see it, it still took quite some time to reach it. The mountain was so large, it could be seen from quite a distance.
When they reached the opening, Gator touched down, and Nya scrambled off, assuming he would be tired. He changed back into his human form and took a few deep breaths, wiping sweat from his brow. She knew it had been a very long time since he’d flown at all, so she had to figure those muscles were not exercised the way his human ones were.
“Thank you,” she said quickly. She wasn’t tired at all. “I’ll take this inside now.”
Gator said nothing, so Nya ran through the entrance and took the slide down to the overlook. From there, she hurried to her feet and took the stairs down two at a time, hustling not only so she could transfer the power from herself to Slate since he probably already needed it in battle but because she didn’t want to second guess what she was doing. She had made up her mind already that she was just going to hand the magic over. If she stopped to think about it, she could change her mind--again.
As she ran toward the castle, a few people came out to greet her. “Congratulations!” they called. “You’ve done it!” She waved but hurried along, not wanting anyone to interfere with her chore. She didn’t know why these people were left behind, but she thought, not everyone could be a warrior.
Once she reached Slate’s home, she ran down the hallway to the library, nearly colliding with one of the maids. The blonde woman was someone she recognized from earlier, when she’d been staying there, though she couldn’t remember her name. “Excuse me,” she said.
“Pardon me, miss,” the blonde said, stepping aside. “Please, continue.”
Nya smiled at her, figuring the woman knew what she was doing, and went on to the library. Her eyes darted around the room until she saw the chest in the wall that Slate had described. Quickly, she rushed over to it, opening the door, and then spinning her bag around so that she could reach the opening. In just a couple more seconds, she’d be done, and the choice would literally be out of her hands forever.
Nya pulled the Heart of Magic from her bag, and the ruby red gemstone gleamed in the light, catching the red that streamed in the windows from the artificial glow outside, making the scarlet color even deeper. It was entrancing, this magical rock, and the idea that she should just put it back in her bag and go home crossed her mind. Then, she thought of Slate, thought of the kiss they’d shared, and no longer wanted to keep it at all. Nya took the stone and inserted it into the chest, ready to drop it onto the plush looking red pillow laying there.
“You don’t have to do that, you know!” a male voice, breathing labored, called from behind her.
Nya froze, the stone still in her hand. She turned to look and saw Gator standing in the doorway, sweat still gleaming from his forehead. “What’s that?” she asked, not sure what he was getting at.
“The Heart of Magic is very powerful. Are you sure you want to give all of that power away? Especially to the man you came here to kill?”
Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated what he was getting at. She thought that Gator and Slate were friends, that Gator was one of his most trusted allies. Now, here he was trying to get her to do something other than turning over the Heart of Magic. Why would he do that?
“I don’t understand,” Nya said, her hand automatically pulling away from the chest as she turned to look at him. “Isn’t Slate your king? Your friend?”
“Yes, he is my king. I’m not sure about the other part of your question.” Gator’s face turned to a scowl. “I don’t know that anyone is his friend. He seems incapable of being a true friend to anyone.”
“Why do you say that?” Nya asked, confused. Slate had never been anything but kind and respectful to her, even if she had been trying to kill him when they’d first met.
Gator smirked. “He’s certainly been telling you lies. Let me guess. He did something to make you think he might be interested in you--romantically--didn’t he? A sweet embrace? A peck on the cheek? More even?”
Nya felt her cheeks turning red as she thought about the kiss they’d shared and other intimate moments. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“Because… that’s what he does. To get his way. And then… he tosses that person aside as soon as he has used them. He’s already promised to the princess of Handor, you know? They have had a treaty for years. As soon as he received the Heart of Magic, he will be married to her, and their two kingdoms will unite. They will be the most powerful kingdoms in the world.”
Nya knew little about the kingdom of Handor, only that it lay far to the west of her kingdom of Frindom and was allegedly made up of ogres. A dragon shifter and an ogre? Married? The proposition seemed odd to her. But what if Gator were telling the truth, and Slate really was supposed to marry this other woman? Was it possible he really was just using her, toying with her emotions to make sure that she did what he wanted her to do and handed over the Heart of Magic?
Nya’s eyes drifted to the rock in her hand. What if she kept it?
“Nya, I know you want to keep that. I don’t blame you. I would, too,” Gator began. “But trust me. I know a way that we can use it so that both of us will become powerful beyond measure. Even beyond what you already wield with just the stone. Come with me, and I’ll show you.” The larger shifter beckoned with his hand for her to come.
Nya’s stare went to the stone again and then back to Gator. He looked sincere, but she didn’t know if she could trust him. Why did she need him anyway? Wasn’t she powerful enough if she just kept the stone for herself?
Once again, she was in a position where she’d have to choose between trusting Slate and keeping the magic for herself, only this time, after hearing Gator’s words, she was even more unsure of what to do.
“Hurry, Nya. We need to go now before the others that he left behind figure out what we’re up to. Come on, let’s go!” Gator beckoned again, but this time, his free hand danced above the hilt of his sword, making her doubt him even more. She’d already bested him once, and that was before she had the magic.
What was it going to be? The sword or the stone? The dragon or the human? Love or dismay? Whatever Nya did in the next few seconds would seal her fate forever--and there was no one there to help her make up her mind. No one she trusted, anyway.
For a moment, she looked into Gator’s eyes and let everything play out both ways. While her mind’s eye had failed her a bit lately, once she was done letting the scenarios run in her head, she knew exactly what she needed to do--even though it was going to hurt.