Vera's Song (Creatures of the Lands Book 2)

by Natalie Erin

  “Where are we supposed to go?” Maekrel got up with help from his Accompany, still playing with this thumbs.

  “To Nesting’s Haven, where else would we go?” Ana told him. “We have to let the Council know that we found Wyntier. We obviously can’t capture him alone.”

  “How are we supposed to get there? I can’t fly any more, remember?” Maekrel protested.

  “We go to the desert and find a dragon who can,” Ana said.

  It took the two a surprisingly short time to make their way out of the mountains, but once they reached the desert, it would seem that their trip was futile. Ana and Maekrel tracked slowly across the barren landscape. It had been three days, but they hadn’t seen a single dragon. “How much longer are we going to be here?” Maekrel moaned.

  “We should see dragons at any time now,” Ana said. “We have to.”

  As she said this, a large roar reached their ears.A blood red dragon that was missing one horn came stomping out of a cave. “Who dares to enter the land of the dragons?” he roared.

  Ana stood as tall as she could. “I am Ana, and this is my Changer, Maekrel,” she said calmly. “We need to get across the ocean, to Nesting’s Haven.” She pointed to the sky to emphasize this point.

  “What makes you think that I will believe that human is a Changer?” the dragon questioned cruelly.

  “He was mutated by an Accompany named Wyntier,” Ana told the dragon and his eyes flashed. “I know it’s hard to explain, but you have to take us at our word. We have no proof.”

  “Why do you need to get there?” the dragon asked.

  “Wyntier has been in trouble with the Council for many years. He stole the child of my brother, Keota, and his wife, the fairy Kiatana.” She swallowed. “We must get there to warn the Council of his plans. Otherwise he may just succeed in destroying everything.”

  “Kiatana?” the dragon’s eyes grew wide in recognition. “I am Bloodbath. Kiatana saved me from my imprisonment so I could return home safe. I would be happy to help you.” He crouched down and the Accompany and Changer climbed onto his back clumsily.

  “Thank you Bloodbath. I can’t repay you for this, but if I could, you would be rewarded greatly,” Ana told him, wrapping her arms around his thick neck. She looked back at the human behind her. “Hold on to me, Maekrel. I don’t want you to fall off.”

  “I’ve flown millions of times. Sitting on a dragon’s back cannot be as hard as being a dragon,” Maekrel argued.

  “This is from the guy who didn’t know how to use his thumbs,” Ana mumbled, and Maekrel blushed.

  Maekrel wrapped his arms around Ana’s waist and the dragon took off, soaring higher and higher into the clouds.

  Vixen cooed softly to the newborn child in her arms. The labor had been long and hard, and no one had been here to help her in Kia’s small cabin save for Dragonstar, but Vixen had successfully managed to deliver a healthy baby girl. “Hello there, little Lyrica,” Vixen said softly. “Mommy loves you very much, yes, Mommy does.”

  The girl looked up at her mother with the blue eyes of her father, a small fluff of black and red hair covering her head. She had one small fist wrapped around her mother’s finger. Lyrica smiled and giggled the soft giggle of an infant. Her voice was the prettiest Vixen had ever heard.

  There was a crackle in the bushes outside and Vixen looked up, glancing around nervously. She laid the infant in one of Kennu’s old cradles and made a shushing gesture. Lyrica quieted and Vixen went back outside to check for the danger she had sensed.

  Lyrica heard her mother screaming, and then all went quiet. The infant began to cry and when her mother didn’t return, she wailed louder, wanting her mother to come back and hold her again.

  No one came. The child was alone.

  Hours later, a large figure entered the house. Crashing through the front door, Dragonstar found the baby and put his golden horn to her heart. “There, there, dear child. I am here. You shall be cared for, my little Lyrica.”

  Bloodbath made it across the sea in record time. As Ana and Maekrel entered the tropical city that was their home, they turned to Bloodbath. “Thank you for your help. But I would suggest now you go back home to the desert. There are many people who don’t appreciate strangers here.”

  “I may be old, but there is still some toughness to my scales,” Bloodbath told her with a wink. “I hope you have luck with your task.”

  As he left, Ana ran toward the large building that held the Council, and Maekrel followed. She wasted no time charging towards the front desk.

  “I need to speak with the Council,” she demanded. “It’s urgent.”

  “Of course, Miss Ana. The Council is currently in recess, but Nicodemus is in the main chamber. You can see him immediately,” The woman at the desk said nervously, looking at her badge and Maekrel with a slight bit of fear. “Why are you acting so strange? And who is with you?”

  Ana ignored the question and ran to the door that led into the main chamber, tearing it open and striding in the door as if she herself owned the place. She stood in the center of a circle, looking up at a giant desk that rose several feet above the ground, towering over her. The room was huge, large enough to fit several dragons, and Maekrel pressed himself closer to Ana as he turned on the spot in the center. An Accompany with a white beard and multiple wrinkles sat behind that desk, a brown python slithering along his neck.

  “What is this?” the python hissed. “Come once again to bother us with your silly delusions?”

  “Lukas, leave us,” the Accompany commanded, waving a hand. The python flicked its tongue and then slithered down the desk and onto the floor, flicking its tail at Maekrel as it went.

  The Accompany rustled his maroon robes and adjusted his tall, strange hat. “Ana? What are you doing here?”

  “I found Wyntier,” she panted. “This time, he’s in the Lands.”

  “There is no way Wyntier is in the Lands,” the head Council man said smugly. “Last time you claimed to have found him it was merely a look alike. What makes you think we will believe you now?”

  “Because it’s true, Nicodemus!” she shouted. “I swear it!”

  “How dare you call me by my first name!” Nicodemus howled at her, jumping from his chair. “Being Head of Security does not mean you have that right! And how dare you bring a human here as well!” he added, pointing to Maekrel.

  “I am not a human,” Maekrel growled. “I am Ana’s Changer, and will be treated as such.”

  “You expect me to believe you’re a Changer?” Nicodemus laughed cruelly. “You must be daft.”

  “I was mutated by Wyntier, by a concoction he had formed,” Maekrel said.

  “Mutated? By Wyntier? That’s a likely story,” Nicodemus chuckled.

  “If you do not believe me then ask me a question. Any question,” Maekrel said.

  Nicodemus smiled, the edges of his mouth curling into a nasty grin. “How many times did Ana’s brother go through the ceremony before he got Ionan?” Nicodemus asked the question so quickly, you could barely understand what he was saying.

  “Three.” Maekrel didn’t hesitate in the slightest, glaring at Nicodemus with all his might.

  His eyebrows raised, Nicodemus leaned forward in his seat and stared at Maekrel, dumbstruck. “Fine. I suppose that you could be Maekrel, in some way, somehow. But just because I believe that the human is Maekrel does not mean that I believe you found Wyntier.”

  “But I did! He’s in the Lands, hiding in the Ice Borns,” Ana told him. “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “I believe you, dear.” A soft hand fell upon her shoulder. “I have always believed you.”

  Ana turned around and stared into a pair of golden eyes, similar to her own. “Dad!” She flung her arms around him and he hugged her close. She pulled away slowly and looked up at him. “I can’t get him to understand,” she said, looking desperately into her father’s eyes.

  “Well, who cares what a few old men say?” Ana’s father t
old her with a chuckle, shrugging slightly.

  “Amancio!” Nicodemus snarled. “Priests have no place in the Council halls! You know that!”

  “Yes, but the Council has no place interfering with me reuniting with my daughter,” Amancio told him slowly before turning back to Ana. “Did you find your brother?”

  “Yes, he lives in the Lands now. The Great One married him to a fairy, and they had a son. He’s five now. He was kidnapped by Wyntier, and now they’re trying to bring him home,” Ana said quickly.

  “There is no way Keota could marry a fairy. It is forbidden.” Nicodemus snarled. “The Great One would never allow it.”

  “Oh, but Vixen did.”

  A soft voice echoed around the room, and Nicodemus jumped in his chair. He turned to stare at the fairy crouching on his desk, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “Who are you?” he gaped.

  She grinned foxily. “Vixen is Vixen, the one who married Keota and Kia. Vixen is also the Great One. Vixen does not like it when people make assumptions about her, especially if they are stupid.”

  Nicodemus glared at her. “I don’t even know if you really are the Great One. What if you’re an impostor?”

  Something changed in Vixen’s eyes. The entire room began to shake, and chairs started to fall over as cracks started appearing in the walls. “THE GREAT ONE NEVER LIES!” she screamed, and Nicodemus covered his ears. At this the room stopped shaking, and Vixen sat down in the biggest chair in the room. “Vixen is the Great One and you will like. No exceptions,” she said with a smile.

  “That’s my chair you’re sitting in,” Nicodemus complained “I demand you get out of it immediately.”

  “Ana!” Vixen called down commandingly, bouncing in her seat. “Go find some butter!”

  “Why do you need butter?” Ana asked her, completely confused.

  “Vixen has decided to make some toast,” she replied with a nod. “And toast is no good without butter.”

  “How are you planning to make toast?” Nicodemus asked insultingly. “Is it going to just pop out of the sky?”

  “No,” Vixen smiled evilly. “Vixen is going to turn you to toast with her lightning, just like she did to Malaki Shaman. You will be oh so crispy.” In her hands balls of fire instantly appeared, and she began laughing a cruel, maniacal laugh that sent shivers up everyone’s spine.

  Nicodemus ran across the room screaming. He hid behind a large set of curtains and cried out in a high pitched voice, “Please don’t hurt me, Great One! I didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else. I just wasn’t sure you could be trusted. I apologize, please don’t toast me!”

  “You will not be toasted if you send a group to catch Wyntier!” she demanded. “Vixen does not like him running around and causing mischief!” Her smile dropped from her face. “Wyntier hired elves to attack Vixen, and they tried to kill her. Vixen was forced to lead the elves away so they wouldn’t discover her Lyrica. Vixen misses her so.”

  “What is a Lyrica?” Maekrel asked blankly. Ana shrugged.

  “Yes, I’ll send anyone who is willing to go!” Nicodemus cried out. “Ana can lead them herself! Just, please...leave me in peace!”

  Vixen leapt from the large desk with a spectacular backflip, grabbing Ana’s shoulder. “Come, my child! We must find this nasty worm called Wyntier and put an end to his madness! Perhaps there will be toast after all!” she said victoriously.

  “Should I come with you?” Amancio asked, turning to his daughter.

  Ana shook her head. “No Father. I know how you are, and Wyntier has no use for the words of a priest. You have to stay here where it’s safe.”

  “Don’t worry Amancio,” Maekrel said, stepping forward. “I’ll take care of Ana. I always did when I was a Changer, and I don’t see any reason as to why I can’t now as a man. No matter what, I’ll defend her with my life.”

  For a reason she didn’t understand, Ana blushed.

  Chapter Ten

  A Bond of Loyalty

  Casiff stood on a rock overlooking the horizon. Many forests and plains encompassed the landscape, but the western Ice Borns dotted the very edge of his view. They were like shadows and blended in with the sky, which was turning grayer by day. The leaves had fallen from almost every tree and the wind blew fiercer than it ever had. The animals journeying with the fairy shivered. It could snow any moment. No doubt it was part of Wyntier’s plan to steal Kennu and Allie late in the year so it would be that much harder to get them back. The very weather was against them.

  Keota came up behind him. “How much longer will it take?” he asked.

  Casiff shook his head. “I can’t be sure. I know where I’m going, but I think we’re a little lost. It would help if we knew where he was hiding them,” he huffed, frustrated. He glanced at Kia. “I took her knife. I’m not so sure if it’s safe for her to have it.”

  Keota glanced at his wife, who was giving him a glare like she wanted to murder him. “Good idea.”

  Cornia and Lilja walked between them. “We want our pups back,” Cornia growled.

  The fairy and Accompany looked to Lilja. “We don’t know how much longer the pack can go on without us,” he explained. “Winter is setting in. If we don’t find them soon…” His voice drifted off unhappily.

  “We need to find a faster route,” Keota murmured. “Ionan, do you think you can scout ahead and discover a quicker way to the mountains?”

  The green dragon rose up from his resting place. “I can, but I’m not sure if I’ll be successful.”

  “We can give you a day. After that, we have to get moving,” Casiff said firmly. “Before Kia’s memory gets much worse.”

  Ionan reared up on his hind legs. “One day,” he promised. “Then I will return.” He opened his wings and soared into the air, using his remarkable memory to map out the land before him.

  He was about halfway to the Ice Borns when he saw a purple dragoness gliding away from the gigantic slopes. For the first time in his life he felt no love, but rage. “Vera,” he snarled, and he let out an enraged roar.

  She saw him and turned instantly to flee. He caught up to her and she dodged his claws, barely avoiding a direct hit. Ionan took a deep breath and let out an enormous plume of fire, while Vera turned and let out flames of her own.

  The velocity he was going at forced the two Changers to collide. They smashed together and fell rapidly downward, both of them trying to bite the other’s neck. Vera tried to escape but Ionan furled his wings around her, forming a trap.

  Closer and closer to the ground they flew, until Vera realized Ionan was going to crush her. She brought up her tail and slammed it against his head, the spikes grazing his face but not sinking in. He roared and let go, and both Changers sent trees flying as they smashed into the ground.

  The dragons got up quickly and began circling. Ionan lunged at her wing, but he missed and Vera opened her mouth, biting deep into Ionan’s neck. He thundered a colossal scream, dragon’s roar melding with his voice to make a combined yell of pain.

  “How can you do this to me?” he yelled and brought his enormous tail up, pointing the arrow head at her. She let him go and ducked the blow. “Don’t you have a heart?” he cried.

  “My heart was broken long ago,” she cried, and the two collided, rearing up on their hind legs. Ionan lost his balance and toppled backwards. Vera climbed on top of him, holding her fangs at his throat.

  Ionan paused, not daring to breath. The lightning went out of her eyes and she let him up. “I can’t fight you, Ionan. Even if you must kill me. Go ahead. I’m already wanted by the Council for murder.”

  “Murder?”he snarled and crept down, expecting another attack. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just tell me where Allie and Kennu are...”

  “And you’ll let me go?” she laughed. “No, Ionan, I don’t want to be set free. If anything, I want you to kill me.”

  “What are you talking about?” he growled suspiciously.

  “Look at me, Ionan, and
see.”

  Ionan’s growl soon slid off his face as he finally saw Vera for what she was. Her pink feathers were molting off in clumps. Her scales had always been purplish in color, but in some places they were unnaturally dark blue. Some of her spikes were chipped and her shoulder barb had been broken. She turned her head and showed him her black eye, lifting her front leg to display her hurt wing.

  “Who has done this to you?” he cried angrily, all resentment forgotten.

  “Wyntier. You knew what he was doing to me while we were in school. The abuse didn’t stop when we left, Ionan. I have faced years of suffering at his hands.”

  “No Vera! I will burn him alive!” he growled, smoke furling out of his mouth.

  She looked at him softly. “Don’t worry about me. It’s your children and pups you should be concerned about now.”

  Ionan rushed to her side. She laid on the ground and looked at the day lilies growing all around her, the flowers that reminded her of their childhood. That seemed so far away now, and she didn’t know if she could remember a time when she was happy at all.

  A waterfall rushed behind them, and pine trees encircled the scene while green grass grew all around. A small pond flowed delicately nearby. Vera looked at it and said, “Strange, that there is such terror in the world, and yet such beauty around us as this.”

  Ionan lay next to her. He put his head on her shoulder. “Let me come back with you. We can face him together.”

  She sighed. “I could never fight Wyntier, not even after all he has done to me. I love him too much, but I don’t know why.”

  “This isn’t love, Vera. This is anything but love.”

  Vera sighed. “Love is a strange thing. But I suppose it cannot be love if it causes such destruction.”

  Ionan snuggled her. “Oh Vera. I hate what he has done to you. You deserve so much better. You need someone who can take care of you.”

  He paused and she looked at him. “I’ve been waiting to say this to you for so long but…Vera if I was ever to have a mate, it would be you,” he whispered, feeling rather foolish.