Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising by Peter Koevari

insignificant detail
that you may not be thinking about, said
Keturah.
    Oh really, and what is
that? thought Vartan, following Trisa down
the grassy hill. Finn took flight to watch them from far
above.
    You are supposed to be
training, remember? Staying strong, keeping both of us alive. I
quite like the thought of us staying in the world of the living,
not wasting time sightseeing, said
Keturah, her voice laced with fear.
    I have no plans on dying
any time soon, but you do raise a good point, thought Vartan.
    They soon reached a tunnel under a
steep hill that led to the falls, their steps echoed deep into the
darkness. Luckily, the tunnels were inhabited by glow-worms that
provided enough ambient light to guide their way
through.
    “ Trisa, did Karven mention
anything about my training to you?” asked Vartan.
    “ Yes, you are to resume
your studies once you swim in the falls, and once he has returned
from Trahoterra.”
    “ Surely he didn’t mean for
me to wait that long, did he? I think I’ll interpret his
instructions as ‘once I’ve had a swim or once he has
returned’.”
    Trisa just smiled and
shrugged.
    Finn landed far ahead of them, on the
other side of the tunnel. He was growing in size, but had not yet
reached a size that was appropriate to be ridden.
    “ Are you coming yet? Who
knew that Vartan, the almighty saviour of the world, would turn into a tired old
man,” teased Finn sarcastically, as only his brother
could.
    “ Yet another joke from my
side-splitting brother, Finn. Who knew that you would turn into a
grand jester?”
    Trisa’s eyes narrowed and
she put her hands on her hips. Her voice was harsh as she said,
“Stop it, you two! Or I will pour the oil of unquenchable itch onto
somewhere sensitive while you are both sleeping.”
    “ You wouldn’t dare!” they
said in unison.
    Actually, she
would , laughed Keturah.
    “ Some things never change,”
said Leon, approaching the tunnel entrance beside Finn.
    Vartan and Trisa winced in the bright
sunlight, trying to let their eyes adjust from the dark tunnel. A
blurry image of Leon limping toward him, soon cleared in Vartan’s
vision.
    “ Father, what are you doing
here?” asked Vartan.
    Leon smiled and said, “I am returning
from the falls to take these back for Nymira. I only need to carry
half the load now that you are back on your feet again.”
    Vartan embraced his father, almost
knocking the water jugs out of his grip.
    Vartan released him slowly and his
voice warmed as he spoke, “I haven’t made the time to thank you
father, and cannot express how much your efforts mean to me. If it
wasn’t for your help, I may have never made it back.”
    Leon worked on regaining his
composure, as he was not used to open displays of affection from
his son.
    “ You’re welcome, but it’s
no different from what any father would do, Vartan,” he said
sheepishly.
    He turned to Finn, always conscious of
giving both his son’s equal attention. He put a hand on his son’s
scaly face, patting him gently.
    “ Finn, what a fine dragon
you have turned into. Who knew that such a proud day would come for
a father? I am blessed to have you both, now please… enough with
the bickering. You need each other, like two halves of an orb.
Marithia also needs both of you to save us,” said Leon, “Now, I had better
get back to it. It’s a perfect day to visit the falls, enjoy your
time there,” said Leon, turning to walk away.
    Vartan caught sight of Leon’s smile
spreading across his face. In that moment, he felt how blessed he
was to have such a family. Finn grinned at Vartan, and then took to
the skies once more, sending leaves and dirt flying below
him.
    “ I’ll watch out for any
danger from above, brother,” said Finn.
    “ Thank you,” responded
Vartan, resuming their walk through Trahoterra’s forest.
    “ Karven left books of
advanced magic for you to read while he is gone, I will show them
to you when we get back to the caverns,” said