Something Wyverian This Way Comes

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  DO YOU HAVE TO ORDER EACH OF YOUR LEGS TO TAKE A STEP WHEN YOU WALK FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER?

  Err, no. I do it without thinking.

  PRECISELY. IT IS THE SAME FOR US. WE ALL KNOW HOW TO FLY. JUST LET THE ACTIONS COME NATURALLY.

  So what’s the deal with the tail? The freakin’ thing acts like it has a mind of its own.

  SAME AS BEFORE. DO NOT FIGHT YOUR TAIL.

  Tell that to the tail. Okay, let’s see. If I want to turn to the right then I should…

  He felt part of his body start to automatically move somewhere on his right side. Deciding against fighting the urge, he let his body’s movements play out. Sure enough, his right wing dipped down and he began a gentle turn to his right.

  WELL DONE.

  Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without you.

  IT HAS BEEN MY PLEASURE, ALTHOUGH I WILL ADMIT THAT I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN KEEPING YOU ALIVE.

  Steve laughed, which in his dragon form came out as a throaty chuckle. I stay alive and therefore Pryllan’s body stays alive, is that it?

  EXACTLY. NOW, SOMEWHERE NEARBY IS THE ZWEIGELAN. SEARCH FOR THEM. PRACTICE YOUR TURNS. DO NOT FIGHT THE SENSATIONS YOU FEEL AS YOUR BODY ADJUSTS ITSELF TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR NEEDS.

  Got it.

  Steve went through a series of wide, careful turns to the left and then to the right. He banked to the right a second time and stayed that way until he had flown in a complete circle and was once again facing north with the sun on his left.

  UP AHEAD ABOUT THREE HUNDRED FEET ABOVE YOU.

  Is it the Zweigelan?

  AYE.

  Steve angled his head up and reacted with astonishment as suddenly the tiny figure he had spied in the distance jumped into focus. Syrreth and Ferreth were each holding a human. Looks like Syrreth was holding Sarah and Ferreth was holding his body. A quick check of his body’s face indicated that, sure enough, someone was inhabiting it as he could see his face turn from left to right as if he was searching for someone. They must be looking for him!

  Suddenly both Sarah and his body were looking straight at him. The Zweigelan must have spotted him and announced his presence to the humans. That was odd. It looked like his body was crying. Is that what he looked like when he cried? No wonder guys don’t like crying in public. He looked terrible.

  I WILL LEAVE YOU NOW. GIVE PRYLLAN MY LOVE.

  I will. Thank you again, my friend.

  YOU ARE MOST WELCOME.

  Kahvel’s strong presence faded from his mind and he was then left to fend for himself. Struggling slightly with a powerful air current, he looked up at the rapidly descending Zweigelan and rose to meet them. Both Syrreth and Ferreth warily watched him as he approached. The Zweigelan dropped down another fifty feet and matched his speed. Before Steve could say anything his body called out to him.

  “Steve? Is that you? Are you okay?”

  Being addressed by one’s own body in one’s own voice was somewhat disconcerting, Steve thought wryly. He’d like to think stranger things have happened, but so far, this one had become the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him.

  “It’s me,” Steve confirmed as he tried very hard not to stare at himself.

  “Are you okay? What happened? How did you get out of that nosedive you were in?”

  “It wasn’t easy. I had some help.” Steve stared at his body, who was staring back at him with equal fascination. “Pryllan? Is that you in there?”

  Sarah raised an arm.

  “I am here.”

  Steve stared at his wife. Or, rather, what he thought was his wife.

  “Are you Pryllan?”

  Sarah’s body nodded. Steve stared incredulously at his own body. “Sarah, does that mean you’re…”

  “You?” Sarah finished for him. She nodded. “Yep. What an experience this is turning out to be.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Sarah laughed.

  “Do you really want me to go into that here? What happens if I have to go to the bathroom? You have an entirely different set of plumbing, you know.”

  Steve burst out laughing, which coming from Pryllan’s body sounded like deep resonating growls.

  “Laugh it up, Mr. Chuckles,” Sarah told him with a frown. “You realize right now you’re a girl dragon? So if I told you to go lay an egg, you could. Think about that.”

  That sobered Steve instantly, causing Sarah to burst out laughing.

  “Point taken. So, what do we do now? How do we revert back to ourselves again?”

  “Well,” Sarah began as she brushed the back of her hand under her nose to give it a good itching, “for all we know, this spell might just wear off on its own.”

  Pryllan turned to look at Sarah.

  “And if it doesn’t? What then?”

  “We’ll get Shardwyn on it. He should be able to break the spell or at least nullify it.”

  “Are you sure?” Pryllan let her human hands drop into her lap. “I do not think I can take much more of this human existence.”

  Sarah turned to her body and put her hands on her hips in a very feminine move.

  “And what’s wrong with my human body?”

  The sigh Steve let out was loud enough to be heard by all. This got Sarah’s attention.

  “What was that for?”

  “Don’t put your hands on your hips like that. It’s not a good look for me.”

  Sarah stared at the dragon. She slowly folded her arms over her chest.

  “I could make it worse. Much, much worse if you catch my meaning.”

  Steve narrowed his green slitted wyverian eyes and glared at his wife. “Don’t you even think about it, lady.”

  Sarah smiled sweetly at him. The problem was, it was his own face smiling back at him.

  “That’s just it. I’m not a lady at the moment, am I? You know, I’ve always wondered just what –”

  Steve let out an irritated breath, which sounded an awful lot like a growl.

  “Fine, you win. I’ll shut up now.”

  His face smiled back that creepy smile of his.

  “So what happened to us?” Steve asked, hoping to change the subject. The last thing he wanted was for Sarah to do something that would embarrass him, and since she was in his body, the possibilities were endless. “How did the wizard switch us around? And why weren’t Syrreth and Ferreth affected?”

  “Flew around that cloud, we did,” Syrreth told them.

  Sarah turned to look at the Zweigelan’s left head.

  “What cloud?”

  “The one that placed itself directly in your path,” Ferreth helpfully informed her, as though he was doing her a favor. “We suspected you did not notice. We did. Flew around it, we did.”

  Pryllan glared at Syrreth.

  “Why would you not warn us?”

  “Moved quickly, it did,” Syrreth recalled. “Small and wispy, it was. Only because we were flying somewhat lower than you were we able to avoid it.”

  “Why would he do this to us?” Sarah asked. “What possible good can come from us being shifted around like this?”

  “He’s neutralized us,” Steve told her as he flew closer to the Zweigelan.

  “What?”

  “Think about it. Pryllan didn’t have her fire, but I did. At least I did until I ended up over here. You might be able to produce some flames but not nearly as effective as I can. Then look at you. Your teleportation is far and away the most useful jhorun we have, only now you’re me and can’t use it. Pryllan has access to your jhorun but no knowledge of how to use it.”

  “Why bother with Pryllan?” Sarah countered. “He could have neutralized us by simply switching just the two of us. Why include her?”

  Pryllan was watching and listening from her position in Syrreth’s talons.

  “Because she’s a dragon,” Steve answered, “and she’s responsible for helping us get to where we need to go. We count on her for protection and transportation and now she cannot provide either. Whoever th
is wizard is, he knows what he’s doing.”

  “Why not just kill us?” Sarah asked. She noticed that Pryllan was nodding. She must have wondered this, too.

  Steve thought about shrugging but since he was managing to keep himself up in the air, he didn’t want to risk doing anything that could have jeopardized that. “I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want any deaths on his hands? Maybe he has a sense of humor? Who can say? All I know is that this is a fine pickle we’re in.” He briefly glanced down at the passing forest. “What now? Do you really think that Shardwyn can fix this?”

  “He’s a wizard, too. He might be a bit quirky, but I do have faith in him.”

  Steve lifted his massive head up and turned to look back behind them.

  “Well, shouldn’t we return to R’Tal so we can get switched back?”

  Sarah shook her head. “That’ll take time. I think that’s exactly what the wizard wants us to do. He’s trying to stall us without really hurting us. I’m sorry to say he’s succeeded. Brilliantly, if you ask me.”

  Steve scowled. Was that a trace of admiration in her tone?

  “So we’re going to try and continue on like this? What if something happens? What if we need to defend ourselves? We’re sitting ducks like this.”

  “What is a duck?” Pryllan asked.

  “It’s a bird,” Sarah answered. She glanced over at her body to see how Pryllan was doing. “Well, it’s a kyte to you. Likes to live near the water. It’s relatively defenseless and easy prey for many predators. How are you holding up over there?”

  “Are you asking if I am well? No, I am not well. Being this small is uncomfortable.”

  “And you think being this large is?” Steve countered with a low growl. “We should turn back. I can’t even begin to imagine carrying one of you in my hands. Claws. Whatever. I’d be afraid I’d crush you. I’m pretty much useless over here.”

  Pryllan fixed him with a stare. “You are now a dragon. You may not have your fire but all your other senses should be working just fine. Hearing, sight, and smell are all more advanced than any other creature here in Lentari. Just have a care with my body. I will want it back.”

  “I’ll give it back as soon as the first opportunity presents itself,” Steve vowed.

  Pryllan raised her left arm and pointed down at the distant ground. “Behold! It appears as though we are approaching our destination.”

  Steve looked down at where Pryllan was pointing. A large rectangular glade was visible in the midst of the forest and was occupied by half a dozen dragons. Before any of the dragons on the ground could see that a two-headed dragon was about ready to land in the clearing, Steve and his less than stellar landing drew everyone’s attention. Nearing the ground he pumped his wings hard to bring himself to a stop. However, as soon as he touched down on the ground he tripped on an overturned log and stumbled nose first into the tall grass. Embarrassed, he rose to his feet and gave a sheepish smile to the other dragons.

  “Wow. That stupid log just jumped right out of the brush, didn’t it? I totally meant to do that.”

  “They are going to think I am a clumsy fool,” Pryllan moaned from somewhere behind Steve’s body.

  A red dragon with purple flanged wings approached. He was bigger than Steve. In fact, as Steve looked around the small clearing, every dragon there was bigger than he was. They had better be friendly.

  “Pryllan? Are you injured? What kind of landing was that?”

  The dragon knew him? Well, it knew Pryllan? That was just great.

  “Ummm…” Inspiration struck. “Er, could you come with me? It’ll be for just a second, I swear.”

  “Why are you talking like that?” the red dragon inquired as he followed Steve to the far side of the clearing. “You must have hit your head after that dismal landing.”

  “Hey, bite me,” Steve instantly snapped back, annoyed. “You try to land in a body like this when you have no experience with it.”

  The red dragon cocked his head to one side and studied him. He stretched his neck over to Steve’s head and gave a few sniffs, much like a strange dog would have done when trying to decide whether or not a stranger was to be trusted or not.

  “You sound like Pryllan and you smell like her, but you don’t talk like her and you certainly don’t fly like her.”

  “It’s because I’m not her,” Steve confided to the red dragon in a low voice.

  “Who are you?” the red dragon demanded. “What have you done to Pryllan?”

  “I am here, Rhamalli,” a soft voice called out.

  Rhamalli blinked his eyes in rapid succession as his eyes scanned the glade.

  “Who speaks?”

  Pryllan appeared by Steve’s right rear leg, clutching Sarah’s arm tightly as she still hadn’t mastered the supremely difficult art of bipedal locomotion on her own.

  “I do. Look down. I am Pryllan, but I am in human form now.”

  Spying the small human female next to the male, Rhamalli lowered his head to the ground and stared at the woman.

  “Not possible,” Rhamalli decided.

  “Is he a friend of yours?” Steve asked, turning to look down at Pryllan. “Can we trust him?”

  Pryllan nodded. “He is a friend, aye. We can trust him.”

  “Good. Rhamalli is it? My name is Steve. As I already mentioned, I am in Pryllan’s body. Pryllan is in my wife’s body. Sarah, my wife, is in my body.”

  Rhamalli stared at the three of them as though they had all lost their minds.

  “Just forget about that for now, okay?” Sarah looked up at the red dragon. “We’ll deal with returning to our rightful bodies after we deal with this curse. Can you tell us what’s going on here? Why are there dragons milling about? I thought once you fell victim to this curse then you lose your desire to live and want to just hole up somewhere and die. That’s what Rinbok wanted to do.”

  Rhamalli’s eyes opened a little bit wider.

  “You spoke with the Dragon Lord? What did he say?”

  “We told him what we knew about the curse and who’s responsible for it.”

  Rhamalli’s huge head nodded eagerly.

  “When was this?”

  “Several hours ago.”

  “That coincides with when we learned what was happening to us. The Zweigelans are responsible. As it happens, one lives nearby. We are waiting for several more of our brethren so that we can finally drive the abomination away from here.”

  Syrreth unwisely chose this moment to poke his head out from behind Steve’s body. Rhamalli caught sight of the Zweigelan and gave a warning growl. The red dragon’s growl was so low and dangerous that Steve inadvertently took a step back. Without saying another word Rhamalli advanced on Syrreth. Ferreth’s head appeared moments later. Both Zweigelan heads hissed with alarm and retreated behind Steve’s body once more.

  Steve’s first reaction was to raise both arms in an ‘easy’ gesture, but in wyverian form, all that happened was both wings had snapped open, blocking the Zweigelan from sight. Rhamalli instantly changed course and began stomping around Steve’s wings so that he could get to the two-headed dragon on the other side. Steve urgently looked down at Sarah.

  “You’re going to need to get his attention. Use my jhorun to stop this. Get mad. Point your arms up and blast your jhorun straight out though your palms. That should blast out several jets of fire. Hurry!”

  Sarah did as she was instructed, but only managed to generate two rather small spouts of flames that lasted no more than a few seconds. Thankfully it was more than enough to draw Rhamalli’s attention.

  “Listen to me, Rhamalli,” Steve implored. Once Rhamalli had looked his way he continued. “Syrreth and Ferreth are helping us deal with this curse. Are they partially responsible? A little. Did you guys bring this upon yourselves by treating them as outcasts? Yes. I heard it myself. ‘Drive the abomination out.’ So you dragons are not without guilt here.”

  Rhamalli dropped his eyes to the ground. Steve nodded.
r />   “You clearly know what I’m talking about. You want to drive the other Zweigelan out of here? Listen to yourself! He’s a dragon. You shouldn’t harm or bully other dragons just because they’re different. How would you like it?”

  A commotion drew everyone’s attention from somewhere behind them. Another three dragons had appeared in the clearing and were being heartily greeted by their companions.

  Sarah scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “You need to put a stop to this.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” Rhamalli admitted. “They are angry. They are all at stage two or three. Word has spread about the nature of the curse and who is responsible. It seemed the logical thing to do.”

  “Give us some time,” Sarah pleaded, eliciting a low growl from Steve who didn’t like to see himself with such an imploring look on his face. “Let us go to him.”

  “What do you hope to accomplish?” Rhamalli asked in a low tone. “The abom – er, Zweigelan is angry and bitter. You will get no help from him.”

  “Perhaps,” Steve told him. “But we still have to try. Where can we find him?”

  Rhamalli told them where they could find the second Zweigelan’s lair. All they had to do was find the large fissure on the northwest face of Rhamalli’s mountain, located less than a mile from where they were presently situated, and look for the place where the fissure had naturally widened. From what Rhamalli told them, they should look for this ‘cave’ about halfway up the mountain.

  The group looked east. Everyone could see the craggy peak rising thousands of feet into the air that Rhamalli called home. Whereabouts his cave was no one knew as Rhamalli hadn’t volunteered any details. With a sigh, Steve watched as Syrreth and Ferreth took to the air. Sarah and Pryllan had elected to ride with the more experienced dragon as Steve was certain his takeoff wasn’t going to be pretty.

  Desperately flapping his wings in an attempt to correct a dangerous tilt he was experiencing as he rose unsteadily upwards into the air, Steve tried to ignore the swelling panic he felt in his chest. Why wouldn’t his wings just cooperate? He had tried very hard not to overcorrect himself during his takeoff, but the only thing he had ended up accomplishing was becoming more and more grateful that he didn’t have to worry about any passengers. He didn’t know how Pryllan managed it. Trying to keep his wings extended and level while tucking his forelegs up tight against his body, all while using his tail as a type of rudder were beyond him. Way beyond him.