Heartscale

by Lola Ford

  Tell me more about Cimmeris? What kind of protege? Graith urged, slowly rubbing his cold hands on her warm scales.

  Grandpa is one of the eldest and wisest of our people. He was one of the heroes of the Great War. He saved so many dragons from your people.

  What war? Graith asked.

  He didn’t recall any lessons about a war. The three nations lived in harmony as far as he could recall.

  Zel stiffened.

  I may not have been alive at the time, but even as one of the youngest of my people I know about the war. Your people - the people of Lutesia - invaded my home, Etria, and committed genocide against my people.

  Graith was taken aback.

  Lutesia attacked Etria? When? he asked astonished.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, but he was horrified that he hadn’t known.

  About 130 years ago. Every dragon and human in Etria knows about it.

  We never learned about that in the history classes in the village, Graith said.

  His mind was racing, wondering how they would have ever been able to commit such atrocities but at the same time it made sense. Why dragons were so hated by his people. Why the knight had known that Zel was more intelligent than a beast.

  His whole life, he had been taught that dragons were nothing more than feral monsters. After meeting and getting to know Zel, he’d learned that to be the farthest thing from the truth. It seemed like the truth about dragons had been hidden intentionally. Not only from him, but from all citizens of Lutesia.

  It wasn’t right.

  Your king and his ancestors are not good people, Zel told him, her voice seething.

  Why do they want your eggs Zel? he asked, horrified.

  If the king knew that they were more than animals - more than something tamable - what could he possibly want with the eggs. Graith felt sick.

  I don’t know, Zel said quietly. If he was like his ancestors, he would have just killed them. But he wants them alive for some reason. He doesn’t need them - or at least not all of them - so whatever he wants them for must be personal.

  Reaching out and laying his hand on her wing, he said for what had to be the dozenth time, We will find them and get them back.

  ***

  The following morning dawned dark and cold. Snow drifted lazily down from the sky and Mero’s mood had darkened again. Promises of treats and a warm stall did nothing to cajole the horse, and he trotted in a slow pace, his head drooping nearly to the ground.

  Alix could be heard shifting uncomfortably along Zel’s back and muttering faint curses as he tried to warm his hands. Graith had his hands tucked under his legs, his clothes so covered in mud that it almost created an insulating layer.

  Almost.

  As a stiff breeze blew across the snow-covered land, Graith frowned.

  It was time.

  Zel, we need to separate now. The tree cover is ending, and we are too close to the capital for you to be seen.

  They stopped, and Alix climbed down from his perch upon Zel’s shoulders. Graith then hoisted Alix up behind him on Mero’s broad back. They looked over at Zel, only to see that her hide was an ashen gray and that she looked as exhausted as the rest of them.

  You will keep in contact with me? she asked.

  Her eyes were anxious and dull. Her tail, which normally would have been twitching was laying limply in the mud.

  Of course, Graith promised. You can always see with my eyes, hear with my ears. In the meantime, find a safe spot. Then, tonight, go hunt. You haven’t eaten anything but scraps in weeks.

  I’m fine, she complained weakly but Graith saw right through it.

  No, you are not.

  She walked over slowly, shrinking as she walked, until she was a little smaller than Mero. She nuzzled both Graith and Alix, and then she turned and jumped into the sky. It was early enough that her hide blended in with the slate cloud cover. She had told Graith that she would find a clearing and settle down to wait.

  He didn’t know how long they would be in the city. He wasn’t even sure where to start looking, but he knew for now, that this was as close as they would come to a goodbye.

  ***

  Hours later, sides heaving, Mero’s hooves touched the stone of the road for the first time since they had entered the bog. The slow clack clack clack on the snowy pavement was unnervingly loud in the silence that surrounded them.

  No one was on the road on a day like today, and it left the wide expanse feeling eerily empty. Deep winter had set in, and Graith thanked their lucky stars that they had made it this far. The city was a growing smudge on the horizon, but even from here, smoke could be seen from the innumerable chimneys that kept each home and store warm.

  “Graith?” Alix asked after some time.

  Graith had thought the boy asleep from how he was slumped against his back.

  “Yes, Alix?”

  “I don’t care where we stay or what we eat, as long as we are warm. But… uh…” he trailed off, and Graith turned around to look at the boy.

  “Yes, Alix?”

  “I know I’m not your son, nor am I any relation to you. If you want me to go my own way after we get there and get warmed up, I will.”

  Alix was fidgeting with the back of Graith’s cape and not looking him in the eye.

  “Now lad, why would I want you to leave?”

  Even as he said it, he knew he did not want Alix to leave.

  In the month since he’d met the boy, he had realized something. He might have been an outcast in his village, but he had missed being around people. Having Alix around showed him what he had missed out on by not starting a family.

  Before Alix answered, Graith continued.

  “I would like you to stay with me, and Zel. For as long as you want of course.”

  Alix’s eyes got wide as he looked at Graith.

  “I want to stay with you both!” he said with audible relief.

  “Well then, welcome to our little, dysfunctional family.”

  Graith hugged Alix from his awkward position. Alix hugged back as tight as his small arms would squeeze.

  After a moment, Graith nudged Mero, trying to get the horse to move faster. He wasn’t going to push the horse if he didn’t respond, but Graith wanted to get them somewhere warm. Luckily, Mero seemed to have realized they were nearing their goal and picked up his pace slightly.

  The sun, if it had been visible would have moved slowly across the southern sky, but as it was, the gray clouds seemed to lighten slightly, and the snow fall eased over the course of the next two hours.

  Unlike Dunlaith, there was no town surrounding the walls of the city. Instead, a wall, easily forty feet high, a stark contrast from the plains that surrounded the city. Towers loomed at even intervals along the wall, and Graith could see large contraptions atop them. More immediate - a gate at least twenty feet high and wide was all that stood between them and Tesia. As they approached the portal, the guards on duty stood straighter and waved them over.

  “Well, you two look like you were just dragged through the mud. What brings you to Tesia today? Not to stir trouble I hope.”

  The guard, a man in his mid-thirties, eyed them both with disgust.

  “No sir. We lost our wagon and most of our supplies on the journey,” Graith replied, but the words came out in a croak.

  The guard gave them a second disgusted look, and Graith looked down at himself and realized how dirty and thin they really were.

  “Where are you heading from then?”

  The guard didn’t seem hostile, but he had put himself between the gate and Mero.

  “Kelna,” Graith answered truthfully, but received an elbow in his back from Alix.

  “Oh? Why didn’t you take a boat down the river?” The guard’s eyes narrowed.

  “A dragon attacked! We were on the docks when it struck. Destroyed our cart. Scared us so bad, all we could do was get here. Didn’t want to stay there a minute longer,” Alix told him, his young voice pitc
hed high in fear.

  “A dragon? We thought those damn sailors were lying. Guess I owe Randy a drink after all.”

  He shook his head in disbelief but moved aside and motioned for them to enter the city.

  Mero moved forward, raising his head at the smells from the city. Right inside the gate seemed to be storehouses and military barracks. The military was made up of recruited civilians. They would head to the capital for training and then their assignment. Not many came from Graith’s village as more often than not, fathers would convince their sons to stay and help with their farms.

  The river, which they had followed to the capital ran along the northern side of the city, emptying into the largest body of water Graith had ever seen. He thought he remembered from the map that it was an inland sea. He had marveled at its expanse as Zel had flown over the city.

  “Hello Sir!” a young man called to Graith.

  He was leaning against some stacked crates. Waving, he walked towards Graith and Alix, smiling. He was tall and lanky, his blue eyes sparkling as he smiled at the travelers. Graith estimated him to be in his late teens or early twenties. Graith nodded and Alix peered out from around his back. Spotting Alix, he winked at the boy.

  “My! You fellows look road weary if I’ve ever seen such.” His voice was light and cheerful, “I work at the Running Ship Inn, and I would love to escort you there! If you’re so inclined of course.”

  As if on cue, Alix’s stomach rumbled and he prodded Graith in the back, gentler this time.

  Smiling, Graith nodded and said, “Well, I suppose that we should follow you then.”

  As they walked through the city, the man, who introduced himself as Kade, pointed out shops and sights. A large market was filled with people even in the late afternoon of a day with such harsh weather.

  They passed a theater, bakery, and several shops that had small items and trinkets. Many shops held cloth and clothing, and Graith tried to commit them to memory so that he could get Alix and himself new clothing.

  However, within minutes, he couldn’t even remember whether they had last taken a left or right turn. Only after he was thoroughly lost did they stop. They were in front of a large three-story building with shuttered windows and a small stable. Both Alix and Graith nearly fell off Mero in exhaustion as they tried to dismount.

  “Go on in, I’ll take care of this fine fellow. Tell the proprietor, Doreen, that Kade brought you.”

  He waved them on, then slowly walked Mero to the stable.

  Graith looked up at the place again. For an inn, it looked sure did look closed. Maybe it was just his imagination, or maybe it was the weather, but had Kade not led them here, he wouldn’t have looked twice at the building. As he approached the door, he saw a small plaque to the right that read “Running Ship Inn” with a little painted two sail ship.

  Opening the door, they found themselves face to face with a plump woman in her early fifties. Her hair had been artificially colored an unnatural red, and her lips were a nearly identical shade.

  “Oh, do look what the cat dragged in!”

  Her voice was sickly sweet, and she shook her head at them, clucking. Then between one slow blink and the next, she was somehow suddenly between Alix and Graith, dragging them by their elbows to a table.

  “Uh...Kade brought us,” Alix told her, trying to look around her girth at Graith.

  “Of course, he did! He’s such a good lad. Now, what shall I be gettin’ ya?”

  She had plopped them both down before answering herself.

  “Don’t ya worry, ol’ Doreen will get’cha sorted out.”

  She turned and made her slow way to the kitchen. Graith and Alix stared at each other in wide eyed disbelief. They were so exhausted and hungry that they didn’t care if whatever they were served turned out to be stale bread.

  They took the moment to look around the inn. Like the outside of the building, it was rather nondescript and didn’t even look open for business. An older man sat in a far corner, the only signs that he was awake was the occasional puff of smoke from his pipe and the slow rocking of his chair onto its back legs.

  The building was warm, and before Doreen returned with their food, the mud, which was soaked into their clothes and then frozen had defrosted. They were in a sorry shape. Graith’s hands, where he had gotten red welts from the cold were burning and Alix was shifting uncomfortably from riding sores on his legs.

  Doreen came waddling back out, carrying a large tray. As she placed it on the table, they saw it had two steaming mugs of tea, a small mountain of bread, and two large bowls of a soup that still simmered tantalizingly.

  “Now dearies, you eat up, and ol’ Doreen will fish you out something to change into. I’ll also start heating some water for you to bathe in.”

  She patted Alix’s head and pecked Graith on the cheek. Both flushed red and thanked her in mumbles. The moment passed and she was moving again. As soon as her back had turned, they dug into their meal.

  With a sip of the tea, Graith felt his throat unstick and he realized how dehydrated he was. Alix had forgone his spoon for slices of bread dunked directly into the soup. Kade entered the inn while they ate, briefly informing them that Mero had been groomed and fed, as well as given a stall and blanket. He had then disappeared into the kitchen after Doreen.

  Doreen continued to refill their bowls and mugs as they emptied them, until neither could stuff another bite into their mouth. By the time they were both done eating night had fallen and they were struggling to keep their eyes open.

  Kade and Doreen reappeared moments later and helped them both to the back of the kitchen where a large tub of steaming water waited. Their clothes were taken, and they were left to wash themselves.

  “Oh, you are handsome. We’ll get you supplies to shave tomorrow if you want,” Doreen giggled at Graith, who had been surprised by his reflection with a beard that nearly reached the bottom of his neck.

  Clean, if baggy, clothing was proffered and then they were led to a room with two small beds. Their saddlebags lay on the table and the sheets had been warmed. They crawled into bed, and Doreen pulled the door shut.

  Graith thanked the gods above for having met Kade as he laid there. He didn’t care if the boy was there looking for customers daily. He had brought them here and Graith doubted they would have been as well taken care of anywhere else in the city.

  Forcing himself to stay awake for a moment longer, he sent the image of himself and Alix warm, full, and safe to Zel. She responded with an outpouring of love and thoughts of her own meal that she was hunting.

  Unable to think straight and hearing small snores from Alix, Graith drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Nerie

  The beat of Kiriga’s wings was thunderous in the quiet night. The sun had been close to setting as they departed Cian, and while they flew to the east, the sun dipped below the horizon quicker than Nerie had ever seen.

  Nothing was visible to Nerie’s naked eye on the ground below, but Kiriga shared with Nerie what she could see every time they flew over a town or village.

  It was like looking at something in twilight, but it was all crisper - that was the only word Nerie could think of to describe the sensation. The buildings stood out sharply, with no trace of a shadow. No one was out in the streets at this late hour.

  Nerie found herself unable to relax on the flight, instead constantly looking forward as if she might see Roria in the darkness. Well before they had even reached Tocria, Riya joined them. The dragoness who had been so happy and chatty on their flight out to Cian, was now silent. Her red eyes glowed in the darkness and she took up a position above Kiriga, as if to guard the younger dragoness and princess.

  We must make better time sister, she told Kiriga curtly.

  Riya angled herself downward and the combination of gravity and her current speed caused her to race ahead.

  Kiriga followed suit moments later. Nerie’s heart raced at the steep dive, but once agai
n Kiriga shared her sight, and Nerie was able to relax. They quickly settled into a pattern of alternating between diving and climbing in the sky. Nerie couldn’t tell if they were actually going any faster, but Riya seemed pleased with their progress.

  They were joined a few hours later by Mazen. His eyes were a luminescent purple in the darkness. Nerie could see his eyes from her perch as they easily tracked his two sisters’ movements in the dark.

  I’ll take it from here Riya, he said quietly.

  He positioned himself to take over the high altitude that Riya had returned to when they had slowed to a glide to rest.

  Riya ignored him.

  I can fly alone! Kiriga told her siblings in annoyance.

  It was a weak argument and when both elder dragons looked at her, she dipped her head in embarrassment.

  You, sister, are not our main concern, Mazen told her after a moment. You carry the heir of the empire. She must make it to the capitol safely.

  If we needed to be escorted home, why didn’t Wyla fly with us to Tocria? Nerie asked the dragons, looking between Riya and Mazen.

  Wyla must not leave her post at the border. She is our first line of defense if Lutesia were to attack, Riya answered.

  Her words were clipped short, and her eyes constantly roamed the ground below them.

  Especially at a time when we do not know where the attack in Alluvia came from, Mazen added.

  What’s going on? Nerie asked.

  She understood the seriousness of an attack, but she did not understand why they were being escorted while flying through the sky at night.

  No one answered her.

  Kiriga growled softly, thinking of what she would do if anyone dared come near Nerie. It didn’t make Nerie feel any better.

  Instead she grew more worried. She knew they had passed Fostos over an hour ago, yet Riya did not turn to head back to Tocria.

  ***

  Roria was as dark as every other city had been. A few fires glowed dimly in the night, barely illuminating the wall that surrounded the city.

  The palace however was alight, visible for miles from the sky. Nerie knew that it was unlikely anyone in the whole building was sleeping.