The Arena novel Chapter 15

I didn’t know the kestrel, and I barely trusted Ishir, but I didn’t have a choice. I can’t fly to my cave of treasures, so I need Ish to carry me if we’re going to get there in this century.

We pick up the kestrel first. She’s still healing from her injuries, but she looks pretty good. “Are you able to shift?” Ish asks her.

“I think so. It’s good to see you again, Tana,” she says quietly.

“You as well. I never got your name.”

“Jena.”

“Well, Jena, Ish here thinks it’s a good idea for all of us to move to the city. What do you think?”

“Umm, well, I don’t have any money.”

“Then it’s a good thing for you that Tana has money, and I have jobs for both of you,” Ishir says.

“What kind of a job?” she asks. Jena is young. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s barely an adult.

“Apparently, I’m going to need a babysitter in a few months.”

Jena’s eyes go wide. “Oh,” is all she says, looking at my stomach before turning to Ish.

“What about my sister? I need to find her.”

“I’ll search for your sister once we’re settled. It may take some time to find her, but I won’t stop until I do. That’s a promise.”

“Okay, what’s next?” she asks.

“First, we need to get to my cave. I can’t stress enough how much my dragon will kill you if you ever breathe a word of its whereabouts to anyone. A dragon takes their treasure and possessions very seriously,” I say to them, making sure they understand how serious I am about it. I like both of them, but if they ever try to steal from me or tell anyone about my cave, I won’t hesitate to kill them.

Ishir looks at Jena, “Are you good with that little Kestrel?”

“I won’t say anything. I swear.”

Ishir looks at me. “I don’t have many friends, Tana. Those that I do have, I treasure with my life. I would never betray you.”

“Okay then. Let’s get going. It’s going to take a while to get there, even in your tiger form.”

I may not know where we are, but I always feel a pull to my treasure cave. It’s like a beacon to my dragon. Over the next couple of days, I direct Ishir to where we are going. Jena flies as much as she can, but she’s still healing, and our days are long. When she can’t fly anymore, she joins me on Ish’s back.

Carrying me is slowing Ish down and consuming a lot of energy. Consequently, when we stop at night, he eats like a starved man. I do as well since I’m eating for two. Jena doesn’t eat as much as we do, but she is also able to grab and eat small birds while she’s flying to help with her stamina and healing.

As we sit around the campfire on our second night, I tell them we should reach the cave tomorrow. The terrain we’ve been climbing has become rockier over the last day. Tomorrow will be particularly grueling for Ishir. Tigers can climb, but not usually with a heavy person on their back. I warn him that the last part of the climb will be very steep, nearly vertical.

“We’ll manage, Tana. And once we have what we need to start our life, we’ll find a way to get it and you back down the mountain.”

The next day is as grueling as I warned Ishir that it would be. I have to practically lay on his back to help him keep his balance. Jena flies to the top of the mountain and waits for us, watching from her perch. The cave was meant to be reached by a flying dragon, not a four-legged animal.

When we get to the top, Ishir collapses on the ground. Jena has been flying and collecting wood for a fire. I light the fire and wait while Ishir catches his breath. As the sun sets, Jena brings Ishir some birds; and then she picks up some small night animals and a couple of owls. Ish stays in his tiger form, so he eats everything she gives him whole, usually in one or two bites.

“Let’s wait until morning to open the cave. The sun rises early here on the mountaintop. We can get an early start and figure out how much we need to get settled. Once I have the baby, I can fly back here and get more if needed.”

We all sleep well, knowing that nothing can attack us here on the mountain. As the sun rises, I wake and look at my cave. It’s covered with a rock formation, so it’s not easily seen by other flying creatures; not that many animals fly as high as dragons anyway.

I walk to a large boulder that I placed in front of my cave and push it out of the way. As soon as I do, the sun hits the gems that I have stored away, and I hear a gasp behind me.

I turn and see Jena, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Wow!” She looks at me. “May I?” she asks, awe in her voice.

“Just remember what I said. I’m very protective of my treasures.”

“I can see why,” she says, taking a tentative step toward my cave.