Of Dreams and Dragons

by Karpov Kinrade

  I'm surprised he's shared so much with me, and his comment about his wife makes me smile. "Why are you here then? You seem to miss her."

  "Her and our daughter," he says, with a faraway look. His wolf seems to hear us and gives a soft bark at the talk of them. "But coming here wasn't a choice. Not really."

  I think of my own choice that wasn't really a choice. If I had refused, so many bad things could have—would have—happened.

  "Tell me about your home and your family," I say, wondering if I'm pushing this conversation too hard, but curious about this man who has been teaching us.

  He tells me of lands in the North, the brutal cold, the harsh beauty. How on long hunts with his wolf he would stay warm by a fire in caves at night. "My wife… she is not free to be here. She has other responsibilities in our world. But when we are together, she is my everything. She pulls me out of myself, and we dance outside at night under the goddess moons and stars."

  He speaks of his wife with such tenderness that I almost don't recognize the man who barks orders at us all day every day until we can barely walk. "That sounds… incredible. How—"

  "Quiet." His face is hard once more. Commander. Master. The man in love with a woman back home is gone, as he raises his hand and closes his eyes. Listening.

  His wolf is just as still beside him, nose in the air, as if trying to catch an elusive scent.

  I look around and see nothing, but I close my eyes and focus my senses. And then I hear it. A collective flapping in the wind, like a dozen beating hearts.

  And my own heart skips a beat. Because I know what this sound is.

  The dragons are coming.

  Twenty-Eight

  Red Dragon

  "Take defensive positions!" screams Cilia. "Protect the Ashlings."

  "We can help," Landon calls out, drawing his sword.

  I draw mine as well, and see others doing the same, but I feel ill-prepared to fight a dragon. My mouth goes dry and my skin feels too hot.

  "Just keep your heads down and don't die," Cilia says. "That's the best you can do for us right now."

  A dragon flies above us, engulfing the sky in its massive silhouette. "Is that full grown?" I whisper, huddled with the others of my squad.

  Zev shakes his head, wide-eyed. "Not big enough. It's a drake. Basically a teenager."

  I gasp. It's huge. It looks as if it could swallow me whole. And it's not full-grown. Holy hell. No wonder they kill them when they're hatchlings.

  The drake is gleaming in the sun with blue dragonstone scales as it swoops down and grabs one of the Boxen pulling the wagons. The great beast screeches in pain, foam forming at its nostrils as it struggles against the claws of the dragon, fighting to regain its freedom. Blood drips from it as deep gashes pierce its flesh, carving into its soft brown fur. It's horrible to watch, but we are powerless to do anything but stand and pray to whatever gods any of us may believe in. I hear Bix mumbling something that sounds like a prayer under his breath. The rest of us stare in shock and fear and awe.

  Cilia rushes to the ballista on the other wagon and swerves it around to face the drake, but before she can fire a shot, the young dragon flies just above her and drops the dying Boxen onto the ballista.

  Cilia dives off the wagon, using her Spirit to avoid injury, as the poor animal collides with the weapon, and the entire wagon crashes beneath the weight of the beast, shattering into useless pieces of wood and metal.

  Another screech fills the air, and two more drakes appear in the sky above us.

  "Everyone!" Vane yells. "Grab the dragonstone and ride for the wall. I'll hold them off."

  He jumps then, and a piece of the cliff juts out under his feet. It slides upwards, following his movements toward the drakes. Then he leaps and, using his great sword, slashes one across the neck, severing its head. As he falls, another stone juts out under him, catching him.

  "How's he doing that?" I ask, as I grab a bag of the dragonstone and tie it to my horse.

  "Must be his Spirit," Zev says. "It appears rumors of his skill have not been overstated. Interesting."

  I grab another bag and a blue horn slips out. I pick it up and am about to put it in my bag when a drake swoops down in front of us, ramming into the horses, sending them flying, and just barely missing us.

  "What are they doing?" Zev asks. "It's almost as if they're trying to cut off our escape. But they're supposed to be mindless."

  "Even animals know how to hunt," I whisper, watching as the drakes seem to coordinate another attack on us.

  "Keep moving," Cilia says. "Head to the wall on foot."

  Another drake heads our way, and we look toward the direction of the Wall, but Vane… we can't just leave him to fight two more drakes.

  What if more show up?

  One of the Ashknights, the dark haired one who lost the bet, grabs me by the shoulders and pulls. "Come. Did you not hear her?"

  We move then, all of us in messy formation, carrying what we can, but mostly trying to get away as quickly as possible. Cilia jumps into the air, sword forward, a white Spirit spiraling around her. It's a silver swan that seems to glow.

  She pushes the blade forward, into the drake's mouth, the steel tearing through its head, but then the jaws collapse around her body, breaking it in two, killing her instantly.

  I freeze, paralyzed by the brutality of it. The drake drops her body, both of them now dead.

  The Ashknight hides a face full of pain. "Come. Move it, Ashlings."

  "But Cilia," I say. "We need to get her body."

  "It's too late. She's dead," he says.

  "What do you mean? Won't she regenerate?"

  The Ashknight pulls me away from the carnage. "There's no regenerating after a dragon kills you. There's no sanctuary. She's gone, and if you don't move, she will have died in vain."

  I move then, and my fear escalates as his words sink in. I'm used to feeling mortal. To feeling like this fire could be the last fire I fight. But my battle with Pike changed something in me. Gave me a small feeling of invincibility.

  That feeling died with Cilia.

  We can be killed, and quite easily it appears.

  This is madness.

  The remaining drake lands near his fallen brother, near Cilia's body still trapped in the dead drake's mouth. The drake leans over the bodies and… something changes in it. Its spikes and horns shimmer blue and he seems to get bigger.

  "He's absorbing her Spirit," Zev says. "He's going to grow more powerful. He—"

  The drake dashes then, faster than it moved before.

  I feel it move past me, and the dark haired Ashknight jumps between me and the drake to protect me.

  It all happens so fast.

  He pushes me to the ground, and as I struggle to stand, to help in whatever feeble way I can, the drake sinks long, sharp teeth into his torso and shakes him like a cat playing with a toy.

  His friend curses, and the Ashknight screams, blood spraying from his mouth.

  The remaining Ashknight jumps toward the drake, attacking with speed and agility, sword aimed at its mouth. He's trying the same move Cilia pulled.

  Giving his life to slay a drake.

  But this one is faster now. Stronger. Deadlier even then before.

  It dashes around him, then swipes at him with claws, ripping through his chest and throat, killing him instantly.

  He's dead.

  All the Ashknights are dead.

  The drake turns to face us now, its eyes and body glowing as it absorbs two new spirits. It grows visibly bigger, stronger.

  We back away, our swords held in wavering hands. Only Raven looks calm. Ready.

  Even Bix, our fierce warrior, quakes a bit at the sight.

  "Stay together," I whisper to them. "Keep our backs together. Swords up. Spirit at the ready. There's seven of us and one of him. We can do this." My words are meant to bolster morale, but they fall flat as we are all too terrified to heed them.

  We know we're about to be dra
gon food.

  Just as the drake is set to lunge at us, Vane catches up, moving on a stone slab like a surfer on waves. "Run," he yells. "Run!" He jumps at the dragon, and before I turn to run, I see them clash in the sky.

  We flee down the road, running at full speed, using our Spirits to make us faster.

  "Seems like Vane might just hold it off," Landon says, as the drake and Master Vane fade into the distance.

  It would be easy to imagine we were just in training right now, doing our daily run, pushing ourselves to prepare for a future of dragon fighting and Spirit hunting.

  Almost.

  Until a new drake arrives. This one is smaller than the others, but still bigger than the hatchling. It hid under the cover of the forest and dashes out to attack us once Vane is too far away to intervene. As if it knows we are the weak link.

  It lunges for Landon first, it's claws grabbing his leg, as if trying to pull him back into the forest with it.

  Landon screams in pain and attempts to attack it with his sword, but his aim is off. Raven attacks, cutting the dragon with the black sickle her hand transmutes into, instantly severing its head.

  The drake falls to the ground, dead, and Landon collapses as the claws loosen around his leg.

  Umi chatters in my ear, shaking in fear as I kneel by Landon to offer first aid. His leg is mangled, and though he will regenerate, it won't be fast enough. I tear off cloth from my cloak and grab a stick to form a make shift splint. I use the stick to stabilize his leg, then wrap the cloth tightly around the wounds. "This will stem the bleeding and keep your leg stable, but infection is a risk until it heals," I tell him.

  He nods, his face contorted in pain. "Thank you."

  His eyes flick to Raven, who stands watching. "And you. You saved my life."

  She shrugs, and Bix tries to help him up, but Landon pushes him away. "No, I'll only slow you down. Get out of here. All of you."

  Bix ignores Landon's protests and lifts him easily into his arms, carrying him like a child. "We get out together, or not at all."

  "He's right," I say. "We have to stick together."

  No one responds. Bix and I exchange a glance. The others seem frozen. Terrorized by the events of today. They need a leader, I realize. Someone to focus them. I look to Raven, our Squad Leader, but she's looking to me, waiting for me to make a decision. Her body is covered in dragon blood, and she looks pale. Scared. I remind myself that though she may be the most deadly fighter of us all, she's still only a kid, however hardened her life has made her.

  This falls to me. I need to get us all out of here. I suck in my breath and close my eyes, imagining my training in the fire department. The times we stuck by each other during horrible wild fires that spread through our forests. The long days and nights of never ending fire fighting, where everything smelled of smoke that was impossible to wash off, and the days we all bled together and it seemed as if the entire state of California would burn to the ground if we didn't do our jobs.

  I can do this.

  I open my eyes and meet each of theirs. I steel myself with resolve and purpose. "We need to head through the woods," I say. "There's more cover that way." I turn to Bix. "How long can you carry him?" I worry for the big man's stamina.

  Bix smiles. "I carry bear bigger than this man many miles after hunt, to praise of my people. He is nothing."

  Landon would likely take offense at that, if he didn't look ready to pass out. I hand him a flask of water. "Drink."

  He obliges, and I feel his head. It's warm but not too hot. Still, he's badly injured. We need to hurry.

  "Follow me," I tell the group.

  I expect one of them to object. To say I don't have a right to lead them. But none do.

  This day is fading. And we are all exhausted as the sun begins to set and the forest is cloaked in darkness. The moons aren't strong enough to penetrate the tall canopy of trees above us beyond a stray beam of pale light here and there.

  Based on how long we've been walking, we should be close to the Wall. I say as much, and this gives everyone a burst of confidence. Our pace increases, and we see something in the distance.

  "It must be the Wall," Mabel says.

  She sounds relieved, as we all are.

  I run ahead to scout the area and nearly hit a wall of black stone, face first. My hands brace the impact, palms scraping against jagged bits of stone. "It's not the Wall," I say, as they approach.

  Bix looks up at the structure before us. "It's a cliff."

  "There must be a way around," Enzo says.

  "No time for that," Raven says as she leaps onto the side of the cliff, digging her transmuted hands into stone. "Come. We must climb."

  "Wait. We have to secure Landon to Bix so his hands are free." We tear more of our cloaks and make something resembling a baby wrap parents on my world use to carry their infants. We strap Landon to Bix's back, making sure the fabric will hold. Landon is silent during this, whether from pain or frustration at being incapacitated I do not know.

  When Bix is ready, we face the cliff. No one but Raven looks keen on making this climb. Our Spirit powers are still rather rough for most of us, but we have been trained for this. More or less. And we need to keep moving. This might be our only way forward. From the vantage point of the cliff we should be able to see which direction the Wall of Light is in.

  I jump after Raven, my hands transmuting into silver claws that clutch the stone with ease. One hand slips as the stone breaks, but I regain my balance and climb.

  Bix lands at my side, the rock crumbling beneath his weight as he scales the cliff with more ease than I would have thought, given his size and burden.

  Enzo and Mabel follow, and we climb as fast as we can.

  Until we see them.

  Something in the sky. "What is that?" Enzo asks, his voice shaking, his accent so thick I can barely understand him.

  I turn to look and see what he's pointing at. A dragon in the distance, making loops in the sky, but not coming toward us. It's red, and it's huge. The size of a mountain. That's no drake. That's a full grown dragon.

  Zev reaches the top of the cliff and pulls himself up to standing, Raven beside him. "I've never heard of that kind," he says, and I don't know whether he means the color or the size or something else.

  "Why doesn't it attack?" Mabel asks as she climbs faster.

  "It's waiting for something," I say quietly.

  The dragon lands above us, on the peak of the mountain connected to our cliff. It roars, shaking the ground with its thunderous voice. A moment later we hear the beating of wings approaching. In mass.

  "It's calling for reinforcements," I say. "Climb. Faster!"

  One dragon breaks free of the thunder, and swoops down, catching Enzo's arm with a giant claw, pulling him off the cliff.

  Enzo screams as crimson lines open up in his flesh.

  "No!" I yell, and without thinking, acting entirely on instinct, I jump, transmuting as I do, and hit the dragon in the head. It's like hitting a boulder with a feather, but it distracts the beast long enough for me to grab Enzo. We fall, his arm ripping from the dragon's claw, his blood spraying into the sky.

  I use Spirit to pull us up, and it's as if I'm flying as I throw Enzo's body onto the cliff's ledge, while I land beside him.

  Another drake comes at us, and Raven attacks this one, holding it off.

  And then another comes.

  There's no time to think. To plan. To strategize.

  Bix throws his spear and it hits the drake in the shoulder. The thunder of dragons disappears into the clouds, only to return in a new formation.

  "They're cooperating. Like they have a battle plan," I say. "But how?"

  I use the distraction to make a fast tourniquet for Enzo's arm, and he stands, shaky but ready to fight, holding his sword in his good hand.

  "Get in a semi-circle," I shout. "Backs to the cliff. Protect Enzo and Landon." We place them within our circle. They are both armed, but we know they can't f
ight effectively yet. Raven, Bix, Mabel, Zev and I take positions to surround our injured friends. The dragons are in flight again, heading straight for us.

  There's another roar, this one huge, closer, and it shakes the ground beneath us. Pieces of the cliff break off in chunks from the vibrations. It's the red dragon, closer than ever, flying overhead. It opens its mouth and spews fire.

  The ball of flame shoots down at us and I leap to the side to avoid instant incineration. The ball explodes when it hits the ground, and Bix falls to the side, his skin burning. He yells in pain and fear. Zev is trying to drag Landon away from the flames.

  Raven helps Enzo.

  I throw my cloak over Bix to help put out of the fire. "Roll on the ground," I tell him. "Then pour cold water on the burns as quickly as possible."

  There are three drakes coming for us. Now that we are divided, our ranks broken, our people injured.

  They know. They know we are at our weakest.

  That we are vulnerable as prey.

  They've picked us off, one by one. Taken our leaders, then each other, until we could easily be killed.

  I don't know what to do. I reach for my sword that fell from my hand during the explosion, and I see the hatchling's dragonstone horn that must have fallen out of the bag on my hip.

  I hold it in my hand and stare at it, my mind tumbling in on itself. Is this what we have all died for? Some bits of dragonstone to make people live longer? To make them more powerful? Was this worth the loss of so much life? Cilia and the other Ashknights? The injuries and possible death of my squad?

  I choke on a sob, scared not just for me, but for all of us.

  This isn't over yet.

  I won't let this be my last stand.

  Not here.

  Not now.

  Not today.