"Do not worry, Hekla. Astrid has always been the one to care for us. She will do fine on her own," Svana said, more to convince herself rather than her sister.
Svana could see a hint of worry in her younger sister's eyes, as Astrid disappeared from sight, and she knew she wasn't alone in her worries.
"Come on, we have much ahead of us."
Svana tugged Hekla's arm and they headed off Northeast away from the volcano.
Hekla released a deep sigh.
Svana could sense that her sister had many things to say, but for the moment, they both walked in silence. Neither of them noticed the brilliance of the sky or the clouds that speckled the horizon.
"Do you worry about what is to come?" Hekla asked after a short time. She used her scepter as a walking stick. Speltus didn't seem to mind. He was happy to have a ride, well as happy as the sullen creature could be.
"Only that I don't know what to expect. We've not done much killing, and I fear we'll have more experience with death than we ever desired. I wonder about that..."
Svana's tight lipped expression was enough to fill in the blanks for where her thoughts were headed. They had hunted but never taken a human life. Again, the dragons seemed indifferent.
"I, too, don't want to kill. Melifera taught us that if we must, then we need to do it well and quickly. An enemy will surrender to a deadly warrior," Hekla said knowingly.
"I would prefer not to kill, but if it comes down to their life or mine, I still wonder if I can do it."
"You will do what you must," Speltus commanded.
"And if that means that we take a life?" A cloud hung over Hekla as she spoke, her dark azure eyes wide. "I know. I will do it."
"Don't be so shocked, little one," Lingaria said, irritation coloring his voice.
"Do not treat me like a child, Lingaria. Death does not shock me, but killing does." Hekla poked her nose in the air slightly, and hurried ahead of Svana.
Speltus' tail flicked back and forth against Hekla's back as she picked up speed.
"Killing should never be easy," Svana advised. "You know they are not familiar with our ways. I don't think he meant anything by it, Hekla."
"That may be so, but he doesn't need to treat me like a child," Hekla retorted, hand firmly on her scepter as she turned to face Svana and her dragon-aide.
"Sister... do not be so quick to anger. It was simply a miscommunication, and honestly... there are times that you are childish. We're tasked with saving a nation, and you have been fighting it the whole way." Svana put her hand on her hip, feet slightly apart.
"Who are you? Astrid? You don't get to mother me. In case you haven't noticed, all three of us have been given this task whether we chose it or not." Hekla flipped her wild blue hair out of her face.
"See, that is what I mean, defensive at every turn. Now is the time to plan your next step, to be prepared for what comes." Not wanting to argue with her sister anymore, Svana began moving forward. She swung her blade from side to side practicing with each step. Every so often she would roll forward, blade in hand, then jump to her feet and lunge valiantly.
"I understand that," Hekla finally said, angry tears falling over her pale face. "I am still human. I am allowed to be upset that everything we know and loved has been ripped from us!"
That stopped Svana in her tracks, and when she spoke again her tone had softened. "No one is telling you not to be human, but there comes a time when we must accept what is to come. Do you think I don't care? Do you think I graciously accept that I must fight to the death, if so required? Inside, my heart is hurting as much as yours. Yet I know we must do this. You heard the stories Melifera told us. My hope to see the kingdoms united again, is greater than my desire to stay where I am safe with people I love."
Svana picked up speed again, and the gentle whirring of her blade slicing swiftly through the air encompassed Hekla.
"Well, I am not made of stone. I can care about the future of Verdil, and still mourn what I have lost," Hekla replied sternly.
"Yes, my sister, you can, and in your mourning, I join you. Just remember that sorrows only last for a night." Svana glanced over her shoulder, flashing a gentle smile.
Hekla answered with a smirk. "That is true."
With peace restored between them, their conversation quieted. Svana focused on using the time on the road to practice running and driving her blade down hard into the ground.
"I sense much aggression in you," Lingaria said, as he watched her quick, jolting movements.
"No, I just enjoy the ease of the blade and how it feels when I swing. I've never experienced anything like it.”
Lingaria's mouth opened in a wide toothy grin.
"Like it was made just for you?”
"Don't be a smart-aleck. I know that it was, but compared to the dulled blades of home, the balance of this is like a dream." Svana did a full circle, swinging the blade around with her as she went, just to illustrate how easy it was. From her full turn, she dropped to the ground on one knee and jabbed the blade forward at an unseen foe.
"I only tease because that is what I do. I must admit, that you swing it well. When and if we must battle, having me combine with it will make you even better. You will never miss," he said smugly, crossing his red scaled arms over one another as he curled up in a tight ball on her shoulder.
"How does that work?" Svana stopped, sliding the blade into its scabbard at her left side, while continuing to walk.
"Do you humans forget everything that is told to you? I will become one with it, it will be as if I am the blade itself. Does that make sense?"
She shook her head. "No, but I suppose when the time is right, I will learn."
As if to silence her, his mouth opened wide in a noisy yawn.
"Keep practicing human, I must rest."
Touchy little beasts, the lot of them. She thought, and then waited for his retort, but he was snoring softly, his dragon nostrils flaring with each breath.
12
Hekla
A bond between man and dragon is an interesting thing. On one level, they are completely different beings, but on a more relatable level, they are more alike than most realize, and both strive for companionship above all else. Deep down, that is what all men and dragons want--a companion--a friend. Sometimes, it may not seem that way, but if you bond with a dragon, despite the tension between the two of you, you'll see that the bond is unbroken, and a friendship arises.
King Ansel the Humble, First King of Aequoris, 257 A.V.
Hekla watched her sister; envy pursing through her veins at Svana's elegant sword dance. Her sword seemed to be everywhere, and nowhere, all at the same time. She studied her sister's form and wondered if she could do the same. Hekla stood farther back, and to the left of the path they traveled, where she tried to echo Svana's movements with her sword. Only her scepter was longer, more awkward. She found it harder to swing the staff as skilled as her sister managed to swing her blade.
"Do not worry about being like Svana," Speltus said kindly.
"Comfort? That is unlike your character," Hekla retorted, still agitated by the conversation with her sister.
"Do not spit fire at me. I am here to aid you, remember? You and I are not at war. I trust you to remember that."
Hekla whipped her scepter around her head in a circular motion.
"Why was I given this as a weapon? This is not a weapon for battle, it is for magic."
"Indeed, it is for magic," Speltus said.
Glaring at the glorious orb that adorned the top of her staff, she stopped to watch the pools of color that glowed from within in. Speltus wasn't telling her something.
"My sister's each have weapons that work without their dragon guide, but Aronus and Lingaria both complete them in some way. How do you complete me and my weapon?"
"Now we're getting somewhere." Speltus flittered off her shoulder, and flapped lazily in front of her. "Do you know the truth about magic?"
"Of course. True magi
c exists, but no human has ever been allowed to touch it. Not for many ages. Humans are far too corrupt to use it without trying to fulfill their own selfish desires," she parroted what she'd been told.
"So Melifera has taught you a thing or two?" Speltus said with satisfaction. "Perhaps you can learn then." He snorted and a tendril of smoke escaped. "True magic does indeed exist, but only in the realm of dragons. You must remember that above all else when I show you what I am about to do."
Her stomach churned with anticipation and wonder. A tiny spark of excitement began to grow.
"Will I be capable of magic?" she burst out, nearly jumping up and down. Speltus' taloned claw covered his face.
"You have completely missed the point of what I just said. I told you that only dragons are capable of magic. Now take that information, and what you know of your sisters' dragon companions and tell me what you come up with?"
They had continued walking during their conversation, the only noise to accompany them was the occasional swish of Svana's sword which had grown quieter as she was farther ahead of them on the dirt road. Speltus jumped from her shoulder and hovered effortlessly nearby.
"Well, I'm assuming magic..." she began to speculate out loud when the air around her became heavy with the presence of something unseen. Svana had continued, unaware that anything had changed, but the tiny blue hairs on the back of Hekla's neck stood up straight. Her ears perked abruptly, listening for unwelcome sounds.
"Speltus, do you feel that?"
Speltus landed and rested on her right shoulder.
"Easy, Hekla..." he whispered, "ready your staff in case of attack."
Hekla nodded her head, her stomach somersaulting. Maybe it's just an animal? Half of the day had come and gone with their travel to Telluris, but it was still bright enough to see clearly. Standing tall, hand firmly on her scepter, she held the staff straight up, like a torch.
Curse the overgrowth and trees, anything could be out there.
Her eyes were swift, looking from side to side for anything that moved. Any branch that shifted unnaturally, and a chill began up her back. She heard the softest crinkle of leaves, which she would have missed had she not been so attune to it. Seizing the moment, she turned halfway around, swinging her staff at whatever may attack, but there was nothing there.
"Speltus, help me please..." she said quietly, not wanting to alert whatever may be out there. Surprise would be essential if it tried to attack her.
"Easy, Hekla. I will when it is time. Keep your ears open," Speltus said.
Hekla nodded in response, and then heard another crackle to her left. She swiftly turned, swinging her staff with all her might. Immediately behind her, heavy footsteps could be heard and she felt herself being catapulted to the ground. She tried to duck and roll, but it wasn't a move she had perfected and she ended up landing hard on the rocky surface. Hekla lay crooked and uncomfortable on her back, her rucksack having broken her fall, face toward the sky.
A large man appeared over her, his bearded face furrowed in an angry scowl as he grabbed her arms and yanked her upright. In the scuffle, she had lost her scepter, and without it, she felt completely powerless. Another brigand stood holding it, a menacing grin on his grime stained face.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?” the bearded man spoke in a gravelly voice, peppered with low and sinister tones. He looked her up and down.
"Please, sir," Hekla said as innocent as she dared, hoping to appeal to his compassion. Not that he looks as if he is capable of anything of the sort. "I'm simply lost, I didn't mean to..."
"Shut yer' mouth. I've no interest in anything you've got to say."
The way his eyes crawled down her skin sent a shiver through her body. He yanked her arms forward, and pulling a rope from the side of his belt, began tying them tightly, the bristles cutting into her skin. She fought a battle between terror and fury. She needed to fight.
Svana! Where was she? And where was Speltus? Had they all abandoned her?
Looking longingly toward her staff, she wished she could yank it from the brute's dirty hands and bash his greasy head. All life is valuable, her conscience reminded her.
"I don't care!" She yelled loudly, drawing the attention of her attacker who had begun to pull her along. "I don't care!"
The unnamed man turned to face her, and without warning, his hand raised up and landed hard on her face.
"Make any more noise, and you'll be dead when I do what I'm going to do," he said with a malevolent grin.
"Oof!" Hekla's attention was drawn to the filthy man's side kick who had held her scepter. Only he wasn't standing anymore. Svana had pinned him to the ground with her foot, and her sword pressed firm against his Adam's apple.
"Where's my..." Hekla had meant to say scepter, but saw that it levitated above the earth, the orb it contained glowed brilliantly from the top.
"Let my sister go, or the only thing you'll be doing is burying your friend." Svana stood unmoving on the rotund man, who whimpered when she pushed the blade further into his throat.
"Eh, go ahead. Stupid mongrel is no use to me anyway," the dirty man challenged.
Hekla knew her sister wouldn't take the surrendered man's life. Unless absolutely necessary, she remembered.
"Sister, call Speltus!"
Oh, Svana was merely distracting the evil brute from the scepter!
"Speltus, come to me!"
The Staff immediately came to her, and the orb atop began glowing brighter and brighter nearly blinding them all. With its brilliant light, the ropes around her wrists burst and fell to the ground. With her hands free, she grabbed her scepter.
Afraid, the dirty man tumbled backward, landing roughly, and holding his arm over his face as Hekla pointed the scepter at him.
"Now, my sister... what should I do with this monster?" Hekla grinned at Svana, knowing that she was incapable of actually doing anything.
Speltus, please help me here, she pleaded inwardly.
"Turn him into a newt, so that his slimy belly can slither upon the ground for the rest of his life and turn his friend into a fly so that he'll eat him," Speltus said.
Both men whined and begged for their lives. Svana threw her head back and laughed.
"Very well, newt and fly it is. Good riddance!" Hekla yelled, pointing her scepter forward, wondering what, if anything her dragon would do.
She saw the dagger tipped end of his tail, and a flash of smoke and within a split second later, the tiny unseen guide had tied both men to a nearby tree.
Not what I would have chosen, but perhaps they'll learn their lesson.
The women took off running, trying to put as much distance between them and the men as they could. Darkness had set by the time they felt safe enough to slow their pace, and with it, they fell to the ground, laughing and shaking their heads.
"Can you believe what just happened?" Hekla's voice raised several notches.
"I cannot. I thought I would lose my courage, or accidentally slit that man's throat," Svana confessed.
Speltus and Lingaria appeared then, Speltus emerged from the orb and sat on Hekla's lap. Lingaria made his presence known from Svana's shoulder.
"You both did well. Your ability to keep your footing under pressure is a good start, Svana." Lingaria said, his voice genuine.
"Yes, and Hekla... quick thinking pointing the scepter at him. It is my fault that I did not show you how to use it sooner, but I will rectify that immediately. I can only be angry at myself in the moment, for I nearly cost us dearly," Speltus said.
"I want to disagree, but can't," Hekla said, her hand gently scratching the top of his head. "We are better without secrets between us. Teach me and pray that such a thing doesn't happen again, Speltus."
"What is with the petting? I do not give my permission for you to pet me. I am not some house pet," he said, his nose slightly raised in the air.
"Don't be so smug, Speltus. You love it." Hekla's fingers found their way under his scaly chin and
scratched lightly.
"Fine, but I am a revered dragon. I am not your pet."
"Fair enough, Speltus. It'll be our secret." She winked at him.
"Fancy that, petting and a chin scratch. If that doesn't make you a pet, I don't know what does," Lingaria teased him.
"Lingaria, don't instigate. You're one head scratch away from being one yourself," Svana prodded.
"This is fun and all, but you humans need to rest. Especially you, Hekla. I've much to teach you tomorrow," Speltus' voice was stern.
"Resting sounds superb." Svana rubbed her eyes. "I'm exhausted."
"What if those men come after us?" Hekla asked. "I don't know if I can sleep."
"You needn't worry about those men, it'll be days before anyone discovers them," Speltus chuckled. "Hekla, you need to sleep. You've much work to do tomorrow."
Hekla nodded, the soft blues of her eyes clouded by heavy lids. "I'm tired, but so much has happened today, it feels almost surreal."
"None the less, we must try," Svana urged.
"Yes, Hekla has much to learn, and tomorrow night we reach Telluris. That is when you will part ways. You must make sure you are ready," Lingaria reminded them. "We will keep watch and keep you safe while you sleep."
Svana and Hekla exchanged despondent glances as they stood and began their preparations to make camp, lighting a fire and rolling out their blankets for the night.
"Do you think we've journeyed far enough away, sister?" Hekla asked.
"Yes, I think here should be good. I'll clear a place for us to sleep. We are lucky that autumn has descended on us so quietly," Svana noted, using her foot to brush aside dried leaves that had fallen.
Hekla set about making a circular pit for the fire then surrounded it with rocks. "That should be good enough, I'm going off to gather wood."
"Just make sure to take Speltus with you," the concern in Svana's voice was obvious.
Dragon Sword Page 8
