Exile

by Victoria DeLuis

  My first stop was Twmbarlwm, where Thomas and Summer were visiting the Supernatural Council. When I’d first learnt of the council’s existence, a warm fluttery feeling surfaced in my stomach. The Iron Age fort had been the heart of the Silures’ territory. Whether human or dragon, clans came together as one tribe, lived under one identifying banner. We were the Silures, and we were proud of our land and our heritage. The ramparts and roundhouses of old had long since disappeared from the site, but the cairn remained. I took comfort in the knowledge its power lay undiminished, even if that power had moved underground.

  An image from the past rose in my mind as I flew. In dragon form, I’d taken my position to the left of the giant Bran, while Alwyn, my leader stood to his right. Most humans would be dwarfed standing between two dragons, but Bran was a giant and stood over fourteen feet tall. Every part of his bearing communicated his strength of leadership. He could be ruthless and fierce when the need arose, but was also fair and honest. A good man. As the son of the Sea God, Lyr, and the maternal grandson of the Sun God, Belenos, he stood proud as the king and tribal leader of all the Silure clans. Flaming torch in hand, he led a procession of eight brown-clad druids and ascended the hill. Their clan followed behind, singing a low chant as a drum beat out a song of unity. At the top, Bran and the druids gathered in a circle around a pile of brushwood. I was just a youngling, but I stood with Alwyn, honouring our friends and presiding as witness to their celebration of the spring equinox. The time when day and night are almost equal in length.

  The day had been spent gathering wildflowers and relishing nature’s beauty. Now, the sun sank lower in the sky. When the last rays of daylight remained on the highest tip of the hill fort, Bran stepped forwards and set the pile alight. We looked across the valleys and fields. One by one, fires lit the night sky on the neighbouring hill forts. Alwyn and I roared into the air, our voices joining those of our counterparts at each fort’s celebration. The day of Alban Eilir was coming to an end. The forces of light were equally balanced with the forces of darkness.

  The villagers gathered around the fire, and, one by one, approached Bran, who would reach into a basket at his feet and hand them a hen’s egg painted bright colours by the children of the tribe. They bowed to their king, thanking him for the blessing of renewal and rebirth, before hollering in the air in jubilant celebration.

  After the ritual element of the festivities was over, Alwyn and I changed to human form and joined in the revelry. The tribes rejoiced throughout the night. Children scattered petals of the flowers they’d gathered and sang merry songs. Neighbours sat and enjoyed the simple company of their friends and loved ones. Everyone was joyful despite the threat of Roman invasion hanging over their heads.

  It was with a heavy heart Alwyn and I approached Bran the next day and advised our king of the decision of the Silure Dragons to remove themselves from human affairs. This cycle of rebirth needed to run its course without our intervention.

  My thoughts returned to the present when I landed on the top of the cairn and caused the cows grazing on the lush grass to retreat off the Tump to lower ground. My eyes took in not only the cities of Newport and Cardiff, but also travelled all the way to Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons. They travelled across the Bristol Channel and all the way to Devon in the South. Beneath my feet, the bones of the great warrior king lay buried, undisturbed for almost two-thousand years. I shifted form and knelt. My hand trembled as I pressed it to the ground.

  “Rest well, my friend,” I said.

  A shiver shook my body. I drew in a shallow breath and rose to gather my pack and dress before seeking the hidden entrance to the council.

  “Over here,” Thomas called when I neared the car park on the common below the Tump.

  I forced a smile despite the tightness in my chest and took in a few deep breaths to clear my head. For too much time I’d lived in the past. The Silure Dragons had stopped progressing, and I didn’t exclude myself from that statement, despite my status as an exile. We were all exiles.

  After a quick greeting, I fell in step with Thomas, entered the magical doorway, and walked along an underground tunnel. The air swam with the constant thrum of magic, making it feel as fresh as the air outside. We came to a large metal door, which opened to reveal a vast chamber of pristine white, peppered here and there with glass cubicles. Coblynau, gnome-like creatures of myth, scurried around, moving documents and answering phones. But it wasn’t their visage that caused me to freeze in my tracks.

  “Wow.”

  The giant standing side by side with Summer looked a dead ringer for Bran. He didn’t have his height, and his presence, while commanding, didn’t carry the same fierce power as the King of the Silures. But his face and hair could have been transposed from my friend.

  He stepped forwards with his arm outstretched. “Trystan, I presume. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Unable to move, I simply stared at his face.

  “I’m Joe,” he continued, his hand still outstretched.

  I snapped out of my daze and ran my hands through my hair. “Sorry,” I said, reaching for his hand. “You remind me so much of someone.”

  Joe smiled. “That’s not something I hear every day. Though, I guess as a dragon, you’ve seen a lot of faces during your lifetime.”

  “That I have, and yours is certainly one I’ll never forget.” I laughed. “It must be fate to find you beneath the hill of his home.”

  This time, Joe froze.

  “You knew Bran?” he asked, his voice tinged with awe.

  “I did. He was a true friend.”

  “Then, I would be honoured if you also consider me a friend.” Joe bent his head in supplication. “I am proud to be the oldest living ancestor of Bran the Blessed, and do my best to protect my homeland the way he did.”

  I smiled and fell to my knee. “Then you are the true ancestral King of the Silures. As a Silure Dragon, I pledge my oath of loyalty to you.”

  Joe shifted on his feet and cleared his throat.

  “Oh, no, no, no.” Summer shook her head. “Absolutely not. Do you have any idea how unbearable he can be as it is? If dragons start swearing loyalty to him, his head wouldn’t fit in the room.”

  My first instinct was to protest the insult. I turned with half a mind to scold Summer for her disrespect, but saw the glint of affection in her eye and decided to hold off. Her words were banter designed to gloss over what I now realised was an uncomfortable moment for the giant.

  Joe rolled his eyes and pulled me to my feet. “Despite Summer’s less than eloquent way with words, she is in fact right. I have no wish for you to swear loyalty to me. Although,” he bobbed his head in Summer’s direction, “life might be a damn sight easier if someone else did.”

  Summer shot him a look and made a harrumph sound.

  After a moment’s silence, Thomas cleared his throat. “We’ll put a pin in that idea to bin later,” he said. “I thought we were on a time-sensitive mission here; shouldn’t we get to work?”

  He had a point. With seven fast approaching, I needed to focus on the task at hand. I smiled. Looking at Joe, I suddenly felt that my plan might have some merit after all.

  “I have a favour to ask,” I said. “How do you feel about going to meet a few more dragons?”

  Joe eyed me as though thinking, then clapped me on the shoulder and nodded. “It might be about time,” he said, smiling.

  Seven

  After running through what I needed everyone to do, I headed home for a few supplies before travelling on to Newport.

  The clouds drifted apart, and shadows diminished as the slowly increasing light welcomed a new day. The quiet streets came to life as night shift workers returned to their homes and others woke to start their day. I tried not to focus on the fact I hadn’t had a wink of sleep last night. Sure, I was tired, but a dragon can go three days without rest if needed. A cup of coffee would sharpen my mind.

  I’d arrange to meet Mega
n at the Coldra roundabout. The location sat on the edge of Newport, one junction led to the motorway and another to Caerwent. Plus, the surrounding trees, gave ample cover to change form and walk to the services.

  I’d only been to the burger joint once, not the best food, but serviceable, and I’d heard breakfast fared better.

  I went to the counter, where a teenage girl eyed me suggestively and took my order of a sausage and egg muffin and two cups of coffee. I waited for my food and surveyed my surroundings. Quite a few businessmen and construction workers alike sat at the tables with their food. Many more called at the drive-through outside.

  When my order was ready, I took my cue from the workers and sat at a table with my tray. Then I waited for Megan to arrive. The food tasted better than expected, but the coffee left much to be desired — I downed the first cup — though the metallic taste in my mouth may have affected the flavour. The thought of seeing Megan tightened my stomach in knots. I couldn’t be sure what game she played, but the certainty she played one rested forefront in my mind.

  She finally arrived when I’d eaten half my meal.

  Stay calm. Stay focused, and don’t let her mess with your head. I must have told myself those same words over a million times. The idea of trusting Megan should have long been erased from my psyche. I forced down thoughts of the times she’d led me in battle. She was young and new to power. Many of the other guardians questioned her leadership, but I never had. Once upon a time, I’d been trained to follow her orders. Now, I hoped that training didn’t prove too difficult to shake off.

  Stay calm. Stay focused, and don’t let her mess with your head. Maybe that needed to become my new mantra. There was one thing I could take comfort in. Megan had a weakness to exploit: her unwavering belief in her ability to outsmart everyone else.

  “Trystan?” she asked. “You have news?”

  I motioned for her to sit and continued with my food.

  She stared at my two cups of coffee and then at me. “You look tired,” she said after a moment.

  “Nah.” I took a final swig of coffee, savouring the bitter kick. “Just needed a pick me up.”

  Megan tapped her fingers on the table. “I don’t have time for this, Trystan. Did you get the stone or not?”

  “Not.”

  She stood to leave. “Damn it. I thought you were better than this.”

  “Sit down and stop your blustering. You’ve had five, no, six days to work the case and you haven’t found the stone yet.”

  Her temple twitched, belying her anger. She exhaled and sat back down. “If you haven’t found anything, then why the meeting?” she asked.

  Much to Megan’s obvious annoyance, I smiled and popped the last piece of my muffin in my mouth.

  “Ahhh,” she growled. “I forgot just how damned frustrating and smug you could be.” She frowned and gave me a quizzical look. “You know where it is, don’t you?”

  I gave her an amused grin. “Course, I do.”

  “All right. You have my attention.”

  I scanned the room to make sure no-one was listening and lowered my voice. “I traced the theft to a goblin named Jones.”

  “A goblin,” Megan whispered back. “I guess that makes sense. If anyone would know about the stone’s powers, it would be another supernatural.”

  She nodded as though thinking. “Why haven’t you retrieved it?” she asked.

  “I went to. Even set a blaze outside his house.”

  Megan raised an eyebrow when I didn’t continue. “And?”

  I cleared my voice. “And nothing. I found who took the stone and decided the best course of action was to come and get you. We can retrieve it together.”

  “But that’s...” She stopped mid-sentence. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I just need to make a phone call first.”

  She stood from the table and moved outside.

  “Of course, you do,” I muttered.

  Eight

  The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, as the air pressure changed and the wind picked up. The clouds overhead darkened further, and the first droplets of rain fell from the sky. The promised storm arrived. We soared through the sky towards Draethen and Jones’ house. A buzzard wouldn’t be able to fly in such conditions, but any human who spied us in the air would shrug off such a fact. We needed to move quickly, the air felt heavy and charged. Even a dragon couldn’t fly in a thunderstorm. I cursed, wondering how the weather would affect my plans. The thought of Megan and her plotting didn’t sit well. She turned her head to face me, and even through the limited visibility, I saw the intense stare in her eyes, the malice behind them.

  By the time we reached the secluded valley, even with my enhanced vision, I could only see around ten feet in front of my face. I bit back a curse. Conditions weren’t ideal, but they were the best I had to work with.

  I hovered in front of the house and let out a bellowing roar. Silence greeted me. Unlike during the night, no-one ran from the house to confront me. I landed and switched form, then quickly dressed.

  “There’s no need to hurry on my account.” Megan stood naked in the rain. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen you naked.”

  I resisted looking at her perfect body. Stunning she may be, but that beauty came with razor sharp claws she wouldn’t hesitate to stab me in the back with.

  Megan chuckled and moved to the remains of the fire. Dragon fire had reduced the cars to no more than a patch of charred remains, which puddled in a black pool on the ground.

  “Your handy work?” Megan glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes with a look that said she wasn’t impressed. “There’s no-one around. Your weak approach gave them a chance to escape.”

  The rain started coming down in sheets, but Megan paid no attention to the torrential downpour. Instead, she froze as though testing the air. “I sense magic,” she said after a moment.

  “Goblin, remember? Plus, I located Jones through a magic worker involved in the theft. They probably use it a lot in their work.”

  She eyed me and I saw the questions on her face. She was tempted to pull out, but that’s where her weakness came in to play. She had to believe she had the upper hand. She was the smart one, not me.

  I shivered and scanned the area for signs of life, even though I wouldn’t be able to spot anyone if they were watching.

  “What is it?” Megan asked.

  “Nothing. Get dressed. I’ll start searching the barns.”

  I left Megan and moved to the barn furthest away from the house. My clothes adhered to my skin like a heavy wet blanket, and even though I knew the stone to be inside the house, I made a show of carefully searching one barn before moving to another.

  “Over here,” Megan called from the barn nearest the house. “I’ve found the jewels.”

  I ran to her, shielding my eyes from the wind and rain. “Where?” I asked when I reached the barn she was in.

  “Up here.”

  Water sluiced down my face as I climbed a rickety ladder to reach Megan in the attic space. Rain dripped through cracks in the wall and pounded on the tin roof, making an almighty racket. I walked unhindered by the darkness until I reached Megan’s side. She sat on the floor, surveying an open chest.

  I sat next to her. “Any trace of the stone?” I asked.

  “I can’t see it, but...”

  “Let’s take it downstairs to get a better look?”

  We carried the chest to the ground floor, where we searched it by the light from the open door. Our night vision was good, but amongst the jewels, the stone we were looking for may prove hard to spot. After a moment, I found a light switch and flicked it on. A single bulb flared to life in the middle of the ceiling. By its light, we confirmed the absence of the stone amongst the jewels.

  Megan cursed and, for a second, I wondered if I’d misjudged her. She seemed genuinely annoyed with its absence, but then she turned to the door and tutted.

  “I’m going to get wet,” she said, and I realised sh
e was bone dry. “I shouldn’t have listened to you and bothered getting dressed.”

  I gave her a wry smile. “We still need to check the house,” I said.

  My mood was pretty dour when we ran from the barn to the house. Water poured from my body, soaking further into my clothes. I shivered. A firm kick gained us entry and we began to search from room to room. I took the upstairs, while Megan focused her attention downstairs.

  I thought of walking away, of leaving while she searched. Good luck framing me for the theft if I’m nowhere in sight. Jones had mentioned the stone being in the farmhouse, so I knew we’d find it. Megan could retrieve it, take it home and tell her father anything she wanted. Did I really care what he thought? My brow furrowed and I experienced the same stab in my chest I’d felt when I’d been exiled. Damn it! I cared too much what Alwyn thought of me.

  Upstairs, I found a study. Even with the light on, the wood panelled room was too dark for my liking. I’d always preferred to work with a natural light source, but the windows in the study were shuttered and a quick glance at the dust around the edges showed me the shutters were never opened.

  I scoffed at the dark den, no doubt the base for Jones’ nefarious deeds, and the perfect place to keep the stone.

  Stacks of paperwork peppered the desk around a PC. I fanned through the documents; receipts, emails, the usual correspondence of someone running a business. I moved to the filing cabinets lining the far wall. More paperwork. For a criminal, Jones sure kept meticulous records. I began to wonder if Megan had more luck downstairs when I opened a drawer and found a lockbox inside.

  A feeling of relief settled on my chest, as I instinctively knew the stone lay inside. I tore through the lock with my bare hands and lifted the stone. It fitted in my palm, no bigger than an apple. Rocks just like it can be found on any beach. Their holes having been created by the natural flow of water boring through the rock. But this serpent’s egg was the true Glain Neidr. Its hole was created from the saliva of dragons, paired with the magic of the druids. Over three thousand years old, it possessed a power found in none of the simple beach rocks. It possessed true magic.