In reality—which was increasingly becoming an extremely ill-defined word—Spike was a small ball with spikes that covered most of his spherical surface. In the outlands, Spike could become enormous, and clearly, he was doing so now.

The High Halls bid me follow you for a reason, Spike said. You cannot perceive what you refer to as the outlands with any subtlety. I believe Terrano can, but it requires work on his part.

“Did the Avatar tell you to tag along because he thought we’d end up here?”

You will have to ask. Spike towered above them. From a distance, he looked Draconic, but neither Kaylin nor Terrano had the advantage of distance. Long neck, long tail, six legs that could barely be seen above the constant, moving fog, only Spike’s eyes retained color, and it was the familiar speckled black Kaylin had always associated with Shadow. No, that wasn’t entirely true. When he opened Dragon-sized jaws, the interior of his mouth was blood red.

Perhaps you wish to ride, he told them both. We will have to cover a great deal of ground, as you call it, and you may lose me otherwise.

In any other circumstance, the possibility of losing something the size of a Dragon would be laughable. Not here. Also: Spike was considerate enough to create a riding space that wasn’t hard, spiky, or scaly.

Look ahead, Chosen. You might be able to see what we are following; it is a very, very fine thread.

Kaylin nodded. She did try, but she couldn’t see what Spike could see. Neither, apparently, could Terrano—but he was more annoyed at the inability. They both climbed up Spike’s back.

“Hope?”

Don’t be ridiculous, her familiar said. He glanced at Spike, shrugged, and transformed, from an almost Aerian-like being to a much more Draconic one. I am perfectly capable of following Spike’s trail without the need to encumber them.

Kaylin nodded. “Hold on tight,” she told Terrano.

Spike began to move.

28

Holding on to Spike was more work than ideal. If he’d offered to carry them, he clearly wasn’t accustomed to passengers—or to keeping them neatly on his back while he was tearing up the fog that passed for ground in the outlands. Kaylin regretted not asking for Hope’s help, because she was certain he wouldn’t let her fall.

She was distracted by a distant building—an oddly shaped blur that seemed faintly familiar. It had no tower, and what appeared to be walls or roof were uneven in composition. It was the only feature in the otherwise gray, foggy landscape, and it appeared to be Spike’s destination.