Dragonlinked

by Adolfo Garza Jr.

  The person on the ground moaned and struggled to his feet. “Aeron?”

  It was Jessip!

  The nahual-ton, for Aeron was certain this had to be the creature Trader Dellia had spoken of, turned back to Jessip.

  “No!” Aeron shouted. He cast Safisha’s Flame on the thing, adjusted to cover the creature. At first he had trouble anchoring it to the beast, but then he focused his thoughts, concentrating, and the spell was complete. The intense heat caught the creature’s fur on fire, and it screamed, a horrible sound. Aeron would maintain the spell until it burned to a crisp!

  “Yrdra’s tits,” Jessip muttered as he stared at the creature next to him, now partly visible, covered in flames. “What is that!”

  Suddenly, Aeron felt a pulse of magic and saw his spell unravel. He felt the magic rebound, like a punch in the gut, as Safisha’s Flame collapsed. The nahual-ton had somehow removed his spell! It lashed out at Jessip.

  “Look out!” Aeron yelled, but too late.

  The creature caught Jessip across the left shoulder and chest, slicing through his jacket easily. Blood sprayed across the snow as Jessip fell back to the ground. Aeron stared at the blood, splattered in a dark thin arc across the pale snow.

  “Oh shit,” Jessip moaned.

  We must get it away from the stable!

  What? Aeron asked, eyes still on the blood. It was black in the wan light from the stars.

  Quickly! Or it will attack your friend again.

  Anaya roared at the creature and backed away. Aeron, his shock at seeing the blood broken by her roar, backed away from the stable with her.

  It was working! The nahual-ton followed them, slowly, as Jessip lay on the ground.

  Two guards burst around the far corner of the stable and stopped. They looked at Anaya and Aeron and then at Jessip.

  Tell them to stay back.

  Aeron, not sure what Anaya was trying to do, shouted, “Stay back! We’ll kill the creature!”

  The guards looked around, and one asked, “What creature?”

  Aeron, brows knitted, said, “What? That one!” He pointed at the nahual-ton. It was now about fifteen feet away from the stable.

  Suddenly, Aeron felt a pulse of magic, heard the buzzing again, and his chest felt like it would burst. He let out a sharp gasp. Through the intense pain, he saw the beast, jaws agape. It was the nightmare, all over again! Even looking like clear glass, the creature’s maw was frightening. He tried to concentrate. If he could hit it with Safisha’s Flame again, maybe that would be enough to kill it.

  “We don’t see any creature.” The guard was suddenly suspicious. “Did your dragon attack Jessip?”

  Aeron felt another pulse of magic, and an odd peacefulness descended over him. There was nothing wrong. He was going to be fine. Maybe he should lie down? He did feel a little tired.

  Aeron lay down on the ground. Absently he noted that the guards were watching him. He ignored them. And who was moaning? It was him. No matter. He had not a care in the world. He had no reason to moan. In fact, he felt fine, didn’t he? Well, other than that strange, ever-so-slight feeling of tightness in that corner of his mind. Maybe if he twisted . . . here?

  Something released.

  “Aeron, you need to promise me something.”

  Mommy? Why was mommy on the floor? And what was that weird noise? She raised up on her elbow and looked at him. She seemed very worried. Was she crying?

  “Are you listening to me? This is very important.”

  “Yes, mommy. Why are you crying?”

  “Don’t—” His mother let out a little gasp. “Don’t worry about the tears. Just listen sweetie. Do you remember the game we used to play, the one where you concentrated really, really hard?”

  “Gone like a ghost!”

  “You’re so smart! I want you—” She gasped again!

  He ran to her. “What’s the matter mommy?”

  “I want you to get inside that trunk over in the corner and play the game right now. You hear me? Play it right now. Play it better than you ever have before. Promise me!”

  “Mommy?”

  “My precious baby, please!” She put her hand on his cheek. She was crying again! “Get in the trunk now. Play the game.”

  “Okay, mommy. Please don’t cry. I promise I will play it better than ever.”

  “That’s my precious boy. Get in, and close the lid. Good. Now, play the game.”

  “Is it okay if I look out the keyhole?”

  “No! Please, sweetie, lie down and play the game. Hurry!”

  “I’m starting now, mommy.”

  “Be sure you concentrate hard, sweetie. And don’t talk anymore. You hear me? No more talking. Just play. Play the best you ever have!”

  His mother lay back down, her head on the rug, and stared at the trunk. He could see her through a tiny crack near the bottom. If he turned his head, he could see even though he was lying down. She hadn’t said not to look out this crack!

  But she was right, he wasn’t concentrating enough. He tried harder. Mommy would not be disappointed! He was going to make her proud. He could feel the little happy ants starting to crawl over his body, feel the strange beat, like really loud drums. He concentrated harder. She was going to be so proud of him! He saw the pretty ribbons appearing around him and nudged them in the right direction. They would hide him. Around and around they wrapped, vibrating, before snapping into shape.

  “That’s my baby.” Mommy closed her eyes and sighed.

  What was that crashing sound? But mommy was still lying on the floor, eyes closed, so maybe it was nothing? He shook his head and concentrated. He would be invisible, like a ghost. No one would be able to find him, feel where he was. He breathed as quietly as he could, feeling the beat, the pulse, like goose-bumps on his skin. This was the best he’d ever played the game, he just knew it!

  Wait. What was that? What was that furry thing that was looking in from the hallway? It was hard to see, the only light came from the lamp in the room, but—concentrate, Aeron! Don’t forget to breathe slowly and concentrate. Still, what was that? It was getting closer. Mommy, get up! That thing is getting close to you! It has scary teeth! Oh, mommy, please get up, you have to run! Look out!

  It swung its arm and hit her.

  Mommy!

  Something splashed across the floor, the trunk. He heard the drops as they hit. His eyes widened and everything went black.

  He couldn’t see. But it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to remember.

  Somebody must have found him, eventually, because he was in bed. Was it daddy?

  Aeron, get up.

  Where is mommy?

  Aeron, you must get up now.

  But, where is mommy?

  You must fight, Aeron.

  I don’t know whether I can, whether I want to.

  “You can do anything you put your mind to, my precious boy. You must always remember that.”

  Mommy?

  You must fight! Look at the bands of color. You can see them. Do you see what they are doing to you?

  Aeron did see the bands of color, the ribbons. How had he ever forgotten them? He recoiled from the freed memories.

  Aeron, you must fight off the effects of the spell!

  He tried to shake off the lethargy, but it was so difficult! It was that thing’s fault. One of them had come in the room. One of them had killed . . . He clenched his jaws and concentrated.

  There were two spells that enfolded him. For a moment, he wondered how he could see the spells at all, but then he shook his head. Concentrate, Aeron! He focused on the one that was making it so hard to think. He needed to get rid of it. How had the nahual-ton removed Safisha’s Flame? He struggled to remember what he had seen. It had woven a spell into his, using weak points in Safisha’s Flame to pry it apart. He saw how simple it had been. There were three spots in the creature’s spell he could attack. He quickly began weaving a spell around and through the
evil enchantment and then finished it.

  Suddenly, the lethargy slipped away, and his thoughts cleared of the strange glamour. The pain returned then, a vicious tearing at his chest. He grunted and opened his eyes. The nahual-ton was maybe a dozen feet away, its head turned to the side so it could see him around its gaping mouth. Its stench was thick, intense, and horrible.

  “What are you playing at, boy? I asked you, did your dragon attack Jessip?”

  Aeron struggled not to gag and glanced over at the guards. They hadn’t moved. How much time had passed?

  “No.” Aeron heard Jessip’s weak voice. “It wasn’t Anaya, it was the other thing.”

  Aeron looked back at the nahual-ton and grew angry. He stood up, though the pain in his chest was fierce. He saw the creature crouch slightly. Was it going to attack him? Aeron narrowed his eyes and took a step back. The creature leapt for him.

  Aeron felt the odd stretching feeling again and watched as the nahual-ton slowly flew through the air. He heard his heart beat, a loud pulse in his ears. He saw snow fallen from the creature’s legs hanging in an arc behind the beast. He saw its claws slowly moving to an outstretched position to swipe at him when it landed.

  He blinked and looked over at Jessip, lying on the ground. The blood in the snow near the injured boy was like the blood in his terrible memory. By the building, the guards were still standing, staring at him. Maybe he could stop the beast long enough for the guards to help kill it?

  He turned back to the nahual-ton. It was still arcing through the air, now past the halfway point, descending slowly toward him. A fierce rage was etched across its features, and the evil beast would unleash that rage when it landed.

  “I don’t think so,” Aeron muttered. He raised his arm, though it was completely unnecessary, and cast Xing’s Levitation upon the beast. He adjusted the bind anchor so that not only would it lift the nahual-ton ten feet into the air, it would also lock the thing in place, stopping its forward motion. And when the spell landed, there was a surprised expression on the creature’s face as it started to rise higher into the air.

  Aeron had hoped that the nahual-ton’s distraction would have caused the beast’s other spell to end, but it remained, so he quickly studied it and, with another short spell, easily removed it. The end of the pain was a small shock.

  Everything sped up again, returned to normal. The nahual-ton’s slow rise became a bow-shot that ended with a jerk, and the beast sat floating, spinning slowly, head over feet. It thrashed its arms as it tried unsuccessfully to stop its rotation.

  Aeron stood ready to cast the levitation spell again, in case the thing removed it. Hopefully, fighting for balance would keep it distracted long enough. He made to call the guards over.

  Do not call them. I will finish this thing.

  Aeron looked at Anaya, unsure what she meant. The young dragon breathed long and deep, and Aeron felt a short pulse of magic from her. Was that Safisha’s Flame? Before he could study it further, it winked out. Aeron’s eyes grew wide as an enormous gout of fire burst forth from Anaya’s wide-open jaws, engulfing the nahual-ton. The terrible beast let out an agonized scream.

  Aeron stared in disbelief, mouth agape. Anaya could breathe fire?

  The guards heard the frightening scream and saw the creature outlined in Anaya’s fire. They gasped and raised their swords.

  Anaya stepped closer to the creature and narrowed the flame, focusing it. As she did so, the sound of the flame’s roar shifted, and its color changed, tinting toward blue. In the midst of the intense flame, the creature writhed spasmodically, the pitch of its scream going up. But Anaya did not stop—she bathed the creature with her flaming breath. Higher and higher the pitch of the frightening scream rose; it started to hurt Aeron’s ears.

  For what felt like an eternity, Anaya kept her bright fire steady upon the beast. Finally, the screaming stopped, the thrashing stopped, and in the sudden silence, the sound of Anaya’s flame was loud. The smell of burning flesh, combined with the already horrible smell of nahual, nearly made Aeron’s stomach heave.

  Anaya extinguished her flame, worked her mouth, and let out a satisfied rumble. It is no more.

  Aeron stared at the charred remains floating in the air. No longer did it emit a glow. No longer was the blackened flesh transparent. With a final grunt of disgust, he removed the levitation spell, and the smoking corpse fell to the ground.

  Over by the stable, Jessip moaned. Aeron, remembering the slashing attack, turned and ran to him, the guards only moments behind. He gently pulled open Jessip’s coat and saw the terrible wound that ran at an angle down from his shoulder and across his chest.

  “That’s bad,” one of the guards said.

  The other ran off, shouting, “I’ll fetch the healer!”

  “Healer’s not going to be able to do much for him,” said the remaining guard. “‘Cept maybe bind the wound. That’s so bad it needs a surgeon, and quick too. He’s bleeding freely.”

  Aeron used tatters of the coat as a compress and put pressure against the gash where it was bleeding the most. He didn’t know what else to do.

  “What was that thing,” the guard asked, looking at the smoking ruin of the creature lying in the snow.

  “A nahual-ton,” Aeron replied, distractedly, still pressing on the wound. Jessip was no longer conscious.

  “Nahual-ton?”

  “It’s a new kind of nahual.”

  “Where’d it come from? First thing I knew of it was when it was being burned by your dragon.” The guard looked at Anaya with no small amount of respect. “It’s not angry or anything, is it?”

  “First off,” Aeron began, frustrated with people not knowing how to address Anaya, “SHE is not angry at you or anyone. And her name is Anaya, by the way. Second, the nahual-ton was here the whole time. Apparently what we heard about them is true. They are invisible to most people.” He would have to think more about that. It seemed like no one had been able to see the creature except for himself and Anaya.

  Jessip moaned and Aeron looked down at him. “And last, where in all Yrdra’s hells is the healer?”

  A few minutes later the other guard returned, armor clanking and out of breath, trailed by another person. The guard breathed in lungful after lungful of air, unable to speak, and merely pointed at Jessip.

  The healer, also winded, quickly made his way over to Jessip and knelt next to him. He opened a small work satchel and said, “That’s good, keep pressure there while I get a bandage ready.” He quickly removed a few items and then said, “Alright, you can stop now. I’ll see about binding that up.”

  The healer sucked breath between his teeth when he saw the extent of the gash. He quickly pressed down on the wound. “I can bind his wound, but . . . he needs a surgeon to save his life. And our surgeon is not back from the Caer. She was visiting a sick relative.” A look of worry crossed his features. “I can’t repair that nicked vein. I don’t have the knowledge. I . . . I don’t think he’s going to make it.” He looked at Aeron. “I’m very sorry.”

  “What?” Aeron asked in shock. “Why?”

  “Even on the fastest horse, it will take far too long to get him to the Caer. He has but minutes to live. He’s losing too much blood.”

  I fly faster than a horse.

  Aeron glanced at Anaya. “I can get him to the Caer within ten minutes on Anaya, if we push it.” He turned back to the healer. “Will that be fast enough?”

  The healer looked stunned and turned to Anaya. “You can ride the dragon?”

  Aeron, frustrated, asked impatiently, “Will that be fast enough?”

  “It just might.” The healer looked at the items he had removed from his bag. “I will bind it very tight, but the position of the wound will prevent me from completely stopping the blood loss. You will not want to tarry long.”

  Aeron looked at Jessip. “Do it. We’ll get him there in time.”

  The healer nodded. “Alright. Put pressure here again while I get everything read
y.”

  Aeron did as asked and told the first guard, “I need you to get me some rope, and plenty of it. We will need to tie Jessip onto Anaya’s saddle so he doesn’t fall off as we fly back to the Caer.”

  The guard nodded briskly and ran to the stable.

  All said, it took longer than Aeron liked for everything to be done, but the tight-fitting bandages had definitely slowed the bleeding. A small crowd had formed around the side of the stable, but a stern woman, who had arrived shortly after the healer began bandaging Jessip, kept the onlookers back from them.

  The guards put Jessip in front of Aeron, with rope around Jessip’s waist tied to the handholds of the saddle. This allowed Aeron to put his arms on either side of Jessip while holding onto the saddle himself, helping keep the unconscious older boy upright.

  “Hurry!” the woman said when they had finished.

  Aeron didn’t bother to respond, instead telling Anaya to get them to the Caer as fast as she could. She lifted off, her wings beating mightily in the cold winter air.

  Even with the hastily tied ropes around him, Jessip was thrown back against Aeron and slid abruptly to the right. Aeron gripped the handholds tighter and caught the injured boy between his arms. Though Jessip still slumped back against him, Aeron was able to right him on the saddle. Heart pounding, Aeron trembled with nervousness.

  Once she reached altitude, Anaya flew them west to the Caer.

  We’ve got to make it in time, love.

  I think we will.

  After only a few minutes, Aeron felt something warm on his inner thighs and crotch. He reached down to feel around. Had Jessip relieved himself while he was unconscious? When he brought his hand up, the fingers of his glove were covered in something dark. Black drops blew off his gloved fingers in the wind, and Aeron’s guts froze.

  What is it? Anaya asked, alarmed by the shock she felt through the link.

  He’s bleeding freely again! The binding must have come loose! What are we going to do? I don’t know how to rebind it!

  Remain calm. I will try to fly faster. Do not let him fall.

  Anaya’s voice did calm Aeron somewhat. He felt her wings beat faster as she increased her pace. But he knew that while carrying two she could only go so fast. And there was so much blood. He felt its warmth along his legs. He tried to think about what he could do. But he knew nothing of the healing arts or of healing magic. If only they could get there faster!