PART TWO

1. Speculation

Back on the Isle of the Eldunarí, things were far more chaotic and panicked. As soon as Tenga was gone, Brom immediately scryed his mother to try to warn them. His spell had been terminated only seconds after he started speaking, which, he assumed, could only mean Tenga had arrived and already frozen all magical effort. From that moment on, Brom resolved not to contact his mother, who could undoubtedly still use magic, just as he and the other elves, so as to not give Tenga any clue of his existence. It would be best for them all if Tenga never knew of Brom or his skill until it was hopefully too late for him to do anything about it. Brom decided he would ask Nefin or Hanna to communicate with their parents via scrying, since Tenga obviously already knew about them and their elven magical abilities. Why else would he have rendered them unconscious during his attack?

The next most pressing matter was getting the dragons to leave. They had all awakened within minutes of Talon's furious roar. Keeta had been the closest to reaching her dragon, since Tenga hadn't immobilized her, but once Tenga's spell ceased, the others were equally as anxious as Keeta.

Brom spoke directly into their minds, knowing verbal words would just as likely be useless. Everyone stay here. Somehow we're not Dragon Riders anymore. I already tried talking to Talon, but he doesn't recognize or remember me at all. They are wild, and wild dragons would never consider letting two-legs approach or communicate with them without reason. They are also very confused and disoriented, which will make them even more dangerous. They don't remember us and are wondering where they are and why they are here. I'm going to try to vaguely suggest that they leave so none of us gets hurt.

Brom was relieved when all of his friends stayed in place. Sit down, he added. Just in case.

Then Brom tried anonymously touching the seven dragons' minds—also including any other nearby and formerly bonded dragons—with an image of the nearest island that was a nesting ground and home for some of the wild dragons. Without using a verbal language that would identify himself as a two-legged sentient being, Brom conveyed a picture of many other dragons flying and living there, as well as a sense of belonging and purpose.

Please, he thought to himself. Please work. The best he and his friends would be able to do to protect themselves against seven huge, angry wild dragons would be to guard against their flames until they stopped breathing them. But to fight them off? All of the Dragon Riders were incredible fighters, but they didn't have the weapons needed to fight off adult dragons, nor would any of them be able to turn against and harm some of their closest friends, even if they did.

In their confusion, Glimmer and Blackfire, the oldest female dragons, actually did start haphazardly breathing their fire. Brom did just as he was prepared to do, immediately casting the ward that would prevent the heat from harming his friends, grateful that Hanna had enough presence of mind—for she wasn't dealing with the shock of losing a bond with a dragon—to help him.

Talon, who had always been a leader of the younger Dragon Riders' dragons, just as Brom always was among his friends, finally leaped into the sky, heading toward the island Brom had suggested he go to. The other dragons, who apparently remembered one another, though none of them spared more than a bewildered glance in the direction of the ten youth grouped together between them, followed suit and flew after Talon within a few seconds of him leaving.

Brom breathed a sigh of relief as he released his spell. "Everyone stay calm," he instructed. "We need to go inside and see how things are going in there, make sure everyone is safe. Then I will explain all I can about what just happened, though my knowledge is far from complete."

"Lena," Will desperately whispered. "What happened? Please at least tell me that much right now."

Brom stared at him in compassion. "I can't do that very well without simply delving into everything," he gently said. "She was kidnapped, Will. But the man who took her means her no harm."

"Who took her?" Will insisted, his hands clenched into trembling fists. "Who was that man?"

"Tenga," Brom answered. "I promise I'll explain. Now let's go."

-:-:-

Their younger siblings were clearly fine. Most of them had simply slept through the confusion, since the elves inside had been incapacitated in the same way Nefin and Hanna had and hearing a dragon roar outside the Great Hall wasn't anything new to any of them. So the ten youth gathered in the courtyard with the elves and other Dragon Riders on the Isle, along with their siblings closest in age, allowing the youngest children to remain undisturbed inside.

Brom naturally took charge because he was the only one with any awareness of what had actually transpired. He began, "Brin woke me up in time for me to shield myself from Tenga, who somehow discovered a way to cancel our bonds as Dragon Riders and make our dragons forget us."

To the other Dragon Riders, who were still dazed and disbelieving, Brom reassured, "Your dragons are fine. I encouraged most of them to simply leave along with ours, which is for the best. I'm just grateful no one was hurt. We will have to hope what Tenga did can be undone. Anyway, the first thing I noticed after I shielded and made myself invisible was an incredible source of energy descending toward the Isle. It was a white Eldunarí, larger than the whole Cave of the Eldunarí. Tenga had magically reduced it to hide and carry behind himself, but I noticed it energetically. He was drawing off its power, something the dragon seemed completely apathetic about.

"The best I can figure is that Tenga came here only to perform the spell needed to complete his plan, which somehow involved that Eldunarí, as well as to kidnap Lena. He had a few other living beings with him. One felt something like another dragon, two felt like elven women. I'm guessing they were Iduna and Nёya, the Caretakers of the Dragon Rider pact, who also must have been central in Tenga's plan. The other dragon-like creature might have been the spectral dragon they had tattooed on their skin, though I can't be sure of any of this. I don't know anything else about how he did what he did because I was too focused on communicating with Lena before Tenga left."

Will leaned forward, carefully listening to every word. "I couldn't help her, Will," Brom apologized. "Brin warned me not to fight back."

Will turned on Brin. "Why, Brin! He took Lena!"

"Angela appeared in my dreams right before I woke up," Brin heatedly defended. "I simply told Brom what she told me."

"Will," Brom quietly said, "it's not Brin's fault. Tenga would have instantly killed me had I tried. It's a blessing he wasn't aware of me since I had time to shield my mind from his awareness. Otherwise I would have been unconscious and helpless like the other elves. Tenga needs to continue thinking I don't exist. But that's what I told Lena. She needs to figure out how he did what he did and if there's a way to reverse it. I also asked her to learn about that Eldunarí because if he—it was male, I'm sure of it—continues to indifferently allow Tenga to draw off his power, I'll never be able to defeat Tenga. Ever. It was huge. I can't imagine how big the dragon that it came from must have been."

"Perhaps it was Bid'Daum," Blödhgarm suggested. "That seems to fit all that you learned, Brom. A white male Eldunarí, impossibly large, and somehow inexplicably tied to the Dragon Riders. He was, after all, the first bonded dragon of them all."

"Bid'Daum," Brom repeated, sensing the rightness of Blödhgarm's speculation. "That does seem likely. Do the elves have any knowledge of what became of my father's namesake and his white dragon?"

"Very little," Blödhgarm replied. "After inestimable years of living in Alagaёsia, they simply disappeared one day, never to be seen again. This too fits a pattern we are familiar with. Ancient Riders, their dragons, and even old wild dragons often retired to live in solitude, sometimes simply allowing themselves to slip away in the exhaustion of their endless lives. And a dragon that old—thousands and thousands of years—would have been immense indeed. As large as a mountain range, with almost no ability to fly or even walk, as huge as its body would have been. But how Tenga would have learned this and discovered their whereabouts is beyond me."

"My father told me that Tenga was a man always searching for answers," Brom related. "A notion Angela confirmed to my father later on. She said he would have a question, feverishly work to uncover the solution, and move on to the next one. Perhaps this question, of what happened to the first Dragon Rider and his dragon, has been occupying Tenga for some time now. And I can see how he would have wanted to do away with the Dragon Riders. No other magical force is strong enough to challenge a magician as old and skilled as Tenga, expect perhaps for the combined might of the elves. And the high queen was always sending parties out to search for him, which must have troubled him enough to finally want to do something about it."

Brom looked over in concern as Ajh hung his head in despair. "Sorry, Ajh. I'm not trying to cast blame, just understand this situation."

"I know, Brom," Ajh dismissed. "But we need to trust Lena with that. All the better we can do here is speculate. Our parents are far away, trapped on a remote island. But my sister was taken and we are ready to act, to do something. We have a ship, and we need to use it. I say we turn this discussion to those plans."

"Agreed," Will fiercely seconded.

"Yes," Brom said. "I agree too. So we need to leave. As soon as possible. And now we know why there are only going to be nine traveling with us, Keeta. Because the whole reason we will be traveling is to rescue Lena. But many of us have younger siblings who might not be capable of caring for the youngest in our and our parents' absence. Var and Will, for example. Me and Zadí. Willow, Monrow, and Evan are only thirteen."

"We'll help," Brin's sixteen-year-old sister Ginnee unexpectedly said. "Me, Ben, Kent. We'll all help. And the elves will still be here, along with some of the other older Riders. We will look after Ollie, Meri, Tage, Ari—all of the two and three-year-olds. They'll miss you, but they'll be safe."

"Thank you, Gin," Brin gratefully said.

"Will you be careful?" Ginnee anxiously asked.

"Yes," Brin reassured. "We'll stick together, just like you will."

Ginnee nodded firmly.

"So what next?" Will demanded. "The ship is ready, right Keeta?"

"Yes, Will," Keeta confirmed. "The only things we need to gather are personal clothing and toiletries you are currently using, though I have supplies of all of that to last for about a year. I just decided to leave that up to each of you so I wouldn't have to come rifling through your personal things, nabbing clothes you probably use all the time. Ajh might need our help to collect some last minute food stuff, things that wouldn't have kept on the ship. But the rest is there. All ready."

"I love you, Keeta," Will sincerely said, grabbing her and lifting her into a tight embrace. "You're amazing."

Keeta grinned. "Glad I took care of my job when I had time. Otherwise you might have just said, 'I hate you, Keeta,' and pounded me into the floor."

Will grinned along with her. "Not a chance, honey. We would have just gotten to work and done it as quickly as possible. But now we can leave right away." He set Keeta down and looked at Ajh. "What do we still need, Ajh?"

"Not much," Ajh answered. "I hoped we could take some of the chickens. I feel really stupid admitting it, but I always thought I would be able to use magic like I could before all of this happened. I'll have to figure out how to manage some of the things I had planned without."

"I'll help, Ajh," Hanna quietly offered.

Ajh looked at her and smiled. "Thank you, sugar," he replied in the same soft way.

"What else do we need to do?" Brom wondered. "Help me remember everything."

"We should probably scry Gerik," Keeta suggested. "Make sure Arûna isn't wreaking havoc in Tronjheim and that he's all right. I'm not sure how he'll get her to leave if she's trapped under the mountain. He won't be able to communicate with her at all like you were Brom."

"True," Brom said. "I can help you with that."

"I could too," Nefin offered. "And while I'm at it, I can contact my mother or father. Is there a way setup to reach Gerik?"

"Yes," Keeta confirmed. "Before we left Tronjheim after Arûna hatched, we enchanted a mirror in his family's home so he could stay in touch with them. The enchantment will still work, right? Even though I can't use magic anymore?"

"I think so," Brom said. "And that would be good. We should do that as soon as possible, and it's actually better if Nefin be the one. I think it's best if my presence in this group be as secretive as possible. I don't mean to sound self-important, but I think it's safe to say that I have been prepared all along to face Tenga. If he has no knowledge of my abilities or me at all, I have a better chance of taking him by surprise and actually defeating him. If Lena can figure out that Eldunarí. We're still all in this together, even though she's not with us. I don't know if Tenga could have known this, but taking her was probably a big mistake. She has been working on this problem for years and has a more intimate knowledge of the mistreatment of Eldunarí than anyone because of her father. Will, if anyone is capable of doing what needs to be done in not only solving this problem, but defending herself against Tenga, it's Lena."

"I know," Will agreed. "We just need to get to her before he figures that out and does hurt her."

"How will we know where to go?" Zadí asked. "He could have taken her anywhere."

Will held up his left hand. "Her ring," he said, pointing to his blue one. "You all know I proposed a few days ago, but that's not when I first gave Lena her ring. I gave it to her on our sixteenth birthday as a promise ring. They're enchanted. Part of that spell makes them draw toward one another. I can already feel which direction we'll need to go. I'm sure Lena will take off her ring and keep it hidden from Tenga as long as possible so the spell will draw me to her."

Zadí smiled. "How lovely."

"So when do we leave?" Will impatiently asked. "Packing these last things won't take as long as simply walking to where the ship is now anchored."

"Can we at least wait until the little ones awaken?" Zadí requested. "So we can say goodbye and maybe even let them speak with our parents."

"We will stay in close contact with your parents," Blödhgarm promised Zadí. "But we will let you scry us only when you feel it safe, so as not to draw undue notice to you."

"Would it be easier for them if we left before they woke up?" Var wondered.

"Easier or not, I still want to say goodbye," Zadí insisted. "This trip might be dangerous. There's a chance we might not all return."

Var nodded. "I see your point, sweetie," he said. "We can gather everything we need to still pack and be ready to walk to the ship right after the little ones wake up."

Everyone turned to look at Keeta, who immediately knew why. "Just bring clothes," she instructed. "For all seasons, especially winter, since we will apparently be traveling by sea during the coldest months. And any toiletry items you want to use up or have immediately on hand. I imagine it will take a few days for the rest of you to get familiar with the ship. There are packs stored there, but I can't see how having extras would hurt, in case we have some need of transporting goods. I have tried to ensure that we will be prepared for any eventuality."

Nefin smiled proudly. Then he said, "Shall we scry Gerik now?"

"Yes," Keeta said. They turned toward the Great Hall, intending to use the enchanted mirror inside.

Before they went, Blödhgarm said to the elves, "Let us quickly spread out and determine if Tenga did any damage beyond the obvious. Or if the dragons did before leaving. I will also check on the Eldunarí in the Cave. Report back here in an hour."

The others all dispersed to fulfill their various tasks. The former young Dragon Riders left to pack their clothes and personal items. Their next-down younger siblings headed to the kitchens to begin preparing breakfast. Nefin and Keeta quietly went to the scrying mirror, where Nefin performed the spell that would hopefully get them in contact with Gerik.

The first person to appear in front of the mirror in Gerik's home was his mother. "Oh, Keeta!" she cried. "Gerik has been beside himself! He went to bed just fine and woke up not an hour later, screaming about his dragon being killed. Arûna was off hunting by herself, and Gerik is torn between going in search of her now or waiting until morning, since he can no longer sense her. He doesn't want to get lost in the mountains at night."

"That's good!" Keeta exclaimed. "If he's still there, we need to talk to him right away."

"Let me get him," his mother replied before hurrying off to do just that.

Moments later, a stricken-looking Gerik appeared in front of the mirror. "Keeta! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let her go off alone."

"No, Gerik," Keeta soothingly began. "Arûna is fine. I know it feels like she's gone, but it's really not that. And it's actually really good she went by herself and wasn't inside Farthen Dûr tonight. Let me explain what happened." So she did.

By the time she was finished, Gerik's face looked less troubled. "But I can't help you now, can I?" he miserably said. "I'm trapped here in the mountains. A journey by land would never get me anywhere near where you might end up on the ship within the next few months."

"No, but it's all right, Gerik," Keeta reassured. "You're still a Dragon Rider. We don't know what Tenga has up his sleeve, but you can still help where you are. If no news of this disturbance reaches the dwarves—in other words, if nothing seems to change—then all the better. But if any sort of unrest or panic begins to threaten, help people stay calm and peaceful. We will do all we can to figure out a way to solve this problem while we're on our way to rescue Lena."

Gerik nodded his understanding. "Thanks for thinking of me," he quietly said. "Thank you, Nefin."

"Glad I could help, Gerik," Nefin replied in the same tone. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," Gerik promised. "And you take care of yourselves. And her." He stared at Nefin intently, and Nefin only nodded. Neither one of the boys looked at Keeta to give away their meaning, though it seemed obvious enough anyway. Then Nefin ended his spell.

He looked down at Keeta. "We should probably go get our things and wait to scry our parents until we're all together and the elves are back, don't you think?"

"Yes," Keeta agreed. "But my clothes are packed. I just felt like this big thing would happen today."

"And it did," Nefin sadly said. "But I'm so grateful, Keeta, just like Will, that you did your part when you could. Not only does it mean that we'll be able to leave right away, but it also means you have probably saved us all. No one else could have been as thorough as I know you have been, and we will no doubt all be grateful in the coming months. Though it was hard when you were gone all that time, thank you, Keeta."

Keeta shrugged, trying to brush off Nefin's sincere praise but swelling with happiness just the same. "I hope you're right, Nefin."

"See you back here soon," he said, and they both turned to go their separate ways.

-:-:-:-


A/N: Thanks for all of your thoughts and feedback at the end of Part One. I'm glad it was an unexpected twist and that everyone is eager for more. If any of you reading this have a user account and have ever reviewed any part of my story (including The Cycle Continues), in almost all cases I have sent you a PM thanking you. Some users aren't aware that they have a "back office" area as part of their account. If you are logged into fanfiction, you should see your username up in the right-hand corner next to the logout link. If you click on your username, it will take you to your personal account area where you will find a Private Messaging subcategory, among many other things. Anyway, I have actually developed friendships with some of my regular readers via that feature and would certainly correspond with anyone who wanted to.