The elk lay dead on the ground next to a fire. A large red dragon took bites out of the flesh as a man roasted a chunk of the meat over a fire.
“Shouldn’t we search for whoever was hunting this elk?” a clean-shaven man asked.
Naveen’s eyes shifted, and she noticed a second dragon. Her body tensed. There were two dragonriders. Fear overcame her. Her emotions quickly turned to hate as she watched the two men—the same two dragonriders who had come to her village and murdered her friend. She clenched her teeth.
“Probably just some villagers,” the man roasting elk by the fire said. He had a thick red beard. “Don’t worry about them. We’ll deal with the village to the south in the morning. I want a safe night’s sleep for once. Sooner or later, one of these villagers is going to snap and try something on us.”
The clean-shaven man laughed. “Let them try.”
“I know they won’t be successful. But we’re hanging their friends and family. Someone is bound to snap.”
“Meh, who needs a bunch of traitors in the empire anyway?”
“I hope they’re all traitors,” the red-bearded man by the fire whispered.
“What’s that?”
“I just find it strange that we’re sent on a killing rampage just after the battle in the west.”
“It’s not strange. The emperor is showing the people what happens to traitors. The last thing he wants is more foolish people joining the resistance.”
Naveen tapped Lesharo’s shoulder. She dared not speak, not knowing how well the dragonriders could hear, or the dragons for that matter. He pried his eyes away from the dragonriders to look at her. She motioned for them to leave. He nodded.
They barely made it ten steps before Naveen stepped on a branch. It snapped. The two dragonriders stopped talking. A low growl filled the silence.
Lesharo and Naveen looked at each other with wide eyes. They ran. Naveen didn’t turn around, didn’t try to keep Lesharo in sight, all she did was run. Her senses took over her navigation as she twisted and turned through trees until finding a bank at the bottom of a tree overhanging a small cliff. She dropped to the ground and found a hole paralleling the ground next to the roots of the tree. She didn’t want to think about what might live inside. Naveen took a deep breath, put her feet into the hole, and pushed her body inside as far as it would go. Once secure, she lay motionless. Her senses relaxed.
She heard commotion near her and held her breath. A man grunted.
“Now, now,” she heard the voice of one of the dragonriders. “What are you doing way out here in the forest by yourself?”
“Hunting,” Lesharo muttered.
“Hunting ... alone? Do you often travel the forests by yourself?”
“I enjoy hunting alone.”
“Where’s the rest of your party?”
“I am alone.”
“I don’t buy it, do you?” asked Red-beard.
“Nope,” the clean-shaven man said.
“The question is ... what do we do with him?”
“Hmm ... well, our dragons are hungry. Or, we could hang him in the next village as a lesson not to disobey the Dragonia Empire.”
“Why is he this far away from a village in the winter?”
The clean-shaven dragonrider raised his eyebrows. “Good question. He should already have a reserve of food for the winter.”
“I believe we may have caught our first resistance scum.”
A short silence followed.
“I believe you may be right. Tell me, hunter, are you with the resistance?” Red-beard asked.
“No. I am loyal to the empire.”
“Do you believe him?” Red-beard asked.
“Not even a little.”
“What do you think we should do?”
“Take him back to the general ... after searching for his companions,” the clean-shaven man said.
“I am alone.”
A smack and a thud as someone collapsed to the ground followed. Naveen shivered, but remained silent. She hated that Lesharo had been captured, but she couldn’t let herself be captured as well. A stick broke under her arm as she tensed.
“What was that?” one of the dragonriders asked.
Naveen’s entire body became rigid. She held her breath as she heard footsteps approach. The air surrounding her warmed as she heard a strong sniff. Dead leaves all over the ground swirled up in front of her in a tornado. Sweat covered her face. After several long seconds, she heard footsteps leaving.
She remained still for several minutes until she heard flapping wings disappearing into the distance. Her body collapsed onto the ground and she let out a long breath.
Chapter 9
Zaviana scraped the ground with a stick. Her mind jumped all over the place. She needed to get away from Derkas, to help the resistance, to help the woman trying to find them. She needed to know where the resistance was. Most of all, she wanted a bath. She’d spent years as a slave in the Dragonia Empire, and now weeks traveling with the mercenary. All the while, she hadn’t bathed but a few times, and not once during their travels.
“Can I have a bath?” she asked.
Derkas craned his head away from the fire to stare at her. His brows furrowed, and his bottom lip slid to the side.
“A bath?”
“Yes.”
“We’re stuck out in the wilderness, trying to stay hidden from the Dragonia Empire ... and the foolish people of the resistance ... and you want a bath?”
Her nose wrinkled. “Yes.”
“Look, we don’t have time right now for you to be a proper lady.”
“Proper lady? How would I ever feel like a proper lady? I’m chained to a flaming tree!”
“I’m sorry I have to do that, but I can’t trust you.”
“Look, a bath has nothing to do with me being a proper lady. I’ve been stuck in the wilderness for weeks now. Before you purchased me, I was with the Dragonia Empire for years. They hardly let me bathe either. I’m filthy, and I haven’t had an actual bath in months. All I want is to feel clean for once.”
“This is not the time. A war is about to begin.”
“What war? The war you pushed? It’s not going to be a war, it’s going to be a slaughter!”
“You’re right. It is. That’s why there’s no need to support the resistance. They won’t be here much longer. We’ll see them crumble.”
“Why does the flaming war matter anyway? You said you brought me far away from the empire to safety.”
Derkas paused, his eyes flicking from side to side.
Zaviana’s eyes widened. “You didn’t take me away from the war, did you?” She shook her head. “Of course you didn’t. You can’t stay out of it; you want to see the destruction firsthand.”
Derkas was silent.
“But why would you want that? As a mercenary, you could aid whoever is winning, or offer help to the victor. But that would require doing another job, and you’re supposed to be protecting me. So, either you want to know the outcome firsthand, or you want to be close enough for me to witness it.”
He remained silent.
“You’re hoping the resistance falls. That way you can show me how hopeless it is to fight the empire. That’s it, isn’t it? With the resistance crumbled, you’re hoping I’ll crawl into your arms and ask you to protect me.”
“The resistance will fall,” he said.
“Perhaps, but I can still hope. The Dragonia Empire needs to fall.”
“They won’t. They have dragons.”
“So do you.” Zaviana raised an eyebrow.
“I have one dragon. They have hundreds.”
“The resistance has opposed the empire for a long time. Don’t you think they’ve developed a way to combat dragons by now?”
“One or two, maybe ... but a hundred? They don’t stand a chance.”
“So, where are they?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“The resistance. Where are they?”
Derkas remained silent.
“We’re just outside the last village south. There are no villages south of Whistauf, are there? I believe there once were, but they were destroyed in the dragon war that brought the empire to power. There are no forests around here. The resistance won’t be in the open. They’d have to have a refuge away from civilization.” She gasped. “They’re in the mountains, aren’t they?”
Derkas glanced away.
Zaviana smiled.
“I’m going to find dinner,” Derkas said.
“If you’re so intent on keeping me safe, why are you brining me to the heart of battle?”
“The safest place is right under their nose. They’ll never suspect you being there, or me.”
“Close enough to smell the blood,” she whispered. “Does that make you feel good?”
“Excuse me?”
“Knowing you condemned a bunch of innocents to their death?”
Derkas gritted his teeth. “They are not innocent. They are traitors, and they deserve what’s coming to them.”
“No one deserves that,” she whispered.
Derkas grabbed some supplies. “Stay here, I’m going to fetch dinner.”
She raised her hands into the air, showing him the shackles. “You don’t leave me much of a choice.”
He shrugged before disappearing into the trees.
Zaviana scowled. The dragon walked over to her and lay on the ground behind her. Zaviana took a deep breath, sat, and leaned her head against the side of the dragon.
“I wish we could convince Derkas to do the right thing.”
The blue dragon, whose head rested on her paws, lifted her head to look at Zaviana.
Zaviana stroked the dragon’s muzzle, feeling the soft scales of the dragon’s face.
“I just wish he would see how evil the Dragonia Empire is, how corrupt they are. No one should govern people with fear, with tyranny. I just want peace in the land, and that won’t come with the Dragonia Empire. If there’s some way we can make the resistance win, I believe everything would get better.”
The dragon rumbled, as if it were purring. It leaned closer to Zaviana, nuzzling against her leg. She giggled, moving her hand behind the dragon’s ear. Zaviana scratched hard behind the creature’s ear. The rumble increased and its foot began to tap on the ground. Zaviana laughed, imagining the dragon as a giant dog. Its mouth opened, and a cool blue mist trailed out. It covered several sticks on the ground, turning them a light blue. Zaviana knelt on the ground and touched one of the sticks. Her hand recoiled, burning from cold at the touch. She kicked the sticks and watched as they shattered into millions of pieces. Zaviana looked away from the crumbled sticks as an idea formed in her mind. She continued to pet the dragon, soothing the creature into a slumber. Once the dragon was asleep, she leaned her head against its belly and closed her eyes.
A little while later, Derkas returned to the camp carrying a handful of fish. A grin split his face as he tossed them by the fire.
Zaviana yawned. “Are those the largest fish you could find?”
She frowned at the pile of small fish.
Derkas dropped a large bag on the ground. A large silver fish slid out. He whistled faintly, startling the dragon awake. Derkas smiled at her, his expression warming with love.
Sometimes I wish he looked at me that way. Zaviana’s face twisted. What am I thinking, no, I don’t wish that. I don’t need to feel for this scoundrel. He’d have the whole resistance collapse because he’s too scared to do anything about it.
Derkas tossed the fish toward the dragon, who caught it in its mouth. It swallowed it whole, then licked its chomps.
Zaviana recoiled, not at the act of the dragon eating the fish, but at the smell that began to come from the creature’s mouth.
Derkas cooked the fish, and when they were done, the two of them ate a silent dinner.
“Are you going to lie on Chalce all night?”
“I think I will,” Zaviana said. “She’s comfy.”
Derkas frowned. He checked that her chains were secure, then bundled up in blankets and lay down next to the fire.
Zaviana watched him, listening closely for his breathing. When his breathing came in slow steady inhalations and exhalations, she waited for another ten minutes before beginning her plan. She leaned forward, careful to not wake the dragon. Zaviana reached over and began scratching Chalce behind the ear. The dragon was still asleep, but a rumble began inside of its throat. Zaviana carefully moved her other hand above the dragon’s snout, holding the chain steady in front of its mouth. She increased her scratching behind the dragon’s ear. The creature shifted in its sleep, but still didn’t awake. Its mouth opened and a blue mist flooded out, encasing her chains. She watched with wide eyes as her chains turned from gray to blue. Zaviana carefully removed her hand from behind the dragon’s ear and lay against the dragon’s belly once more. She laid her chains on the ground next to her and slammed her foot on the frozen links. They shattered with a crunch that echoed through the camp. She slid the broken chains under her legs and closed her eyes.
She waited for several minutes, listening to the breathing of the dragon and Derkas. Neither breathed irregularly. She opened her eyes and noticed they were both in the same spots. Her eyebrows raised, her eyes smiling, she stood, took one last look at the dragon and the human, and carefully made her way out of the camp.
Chapter 10
Naveen walked into the camp. It was abandoned. She couldn’t even tell her companions had stayed there. The fire pit had been buried, and all tracks were erased. Naveen wasn’t an expert tracker, but she couldn’t find footprints anywhere, or anything that would have implied a party of people had stayed there a few days prior.
She glanced around one more time. Naveen was sure it was the spot. Her extra sense had led her back. Naveen’s ability had never led her astray.
They were gone.
Naveen was alone.
She took a deep breath, sat on a log, and reached out with her senses. The blackness under her eyelids transformed into a red glass lens as she viewed the forest in her mind. She reached out, searching the forest, like she was running in it herself. Even with her senses stretched, she still could not sense or see any trace of anyone.
Something touched her shoulder. The red lens disappeared. She opened her eyes, rolled forward, reached for an arrow in her quill, and brought it in front of her like a weapon.
A man stood behind the log where she had sat. He had a weapon on his belt, but he didn’t reach for it. His hands were spread apart, palms up as he watched her.
Naveen’s hands quivered, ready to spring. She relaxed slightly and focused on the man. Naveen recognized him. He was from the first village, one of the men who followed her.
“Kadier?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Where is everyone?”
“When you left to search for food, Cederic posted guards all around the camp. Good thing too, because one of them spotted a dragon in the sky. It’s lucky he could see so well in the dark.”
“Is everyone safe?” Naveen asked.
He smiled reassuringly. “Yes, we all hid in a cave west of here.”
“A cave?”
“Yes, another lucky find. From the same man who saw the dragon, actually.”
Naveen bit her lip. “Interesting. I would like to talk to this man.”
Kadier smiled. “Let’s head to the cave. I believe we all have a few questions for him. He’s also the one who told me to come out here and find you ... as if he knew you were going to be here at this exact moment.”
Naveen furrowed her brow.
NAVEEN WAS RELIEVED to see everyone inside the cave. Besides the hunter who was captured with her, no one else had been harmed. Kadier introduced her to the young man who’d sensed the danger. She walked with him away from the others so they could have a private conversation.
“I heard you had a feeling where I was.”
He nodded.
“And that danger was com
ing.”
He nodded again.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“Fraeyn.”
“It’s nice to meet you. You’re young.”
“Fourteen, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? Well, I see your parents raised you well. Where are they?”
His eyes fell. He took a deep breath as he stared at his feet. “They were hung, ma’am.”
Naveen nodded. She had expected as much. “And this ability of yours ... how long have you known about it?”
He shrugged. “All my life. My parents told me to keep it secret. That people wouldn’t understand.”
“They were right. My parents told me the same thing.”
He looked up, meeting her eyes. “You ...”
She nodded. “Yes, I can sense things as well. Until I met you, I thought I was the only one.”
“What is it? This ability we have ... is it magic?”
Naveen laughed. “I don’t know, Fraeyn. Magic has always been a fairy tale. It’s something old men say around a campfire. I don’t think it’s real. It seems we have an extra sense. Instead of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, we also have a danger sense or a sense of where someone is. Perhaps it’s a directional sense.”
Fraeyn frowned. “Are you sure it can’t be magic? I heard a legend that dragons were a fairy tale as well ... and now they’ve been used by the Dragonia Empire for over a hundred years to establish a tyrannical government.”
Naveen bit her lip. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we haven’t unlocked its full potential.”
“How do we do that?” he asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to explore that together. Tell no one. I think it’d be best if we keep this our secret for now.”
He nodded his understanding.
Chapter 11
Stars filled the night sky all around Zaviana. She lay alone on the grass, staring up at them. They were always much brighter in the winter when they only saw the red sun. Zaviana had eluded Derkas for one day, but she didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to avoid him. She knew she was close to Whistauf and her last destination before fleeing to the mountains. Zaviana hoped she’d be able to make it in time. Derkas wasn’t slow; she remembered that. A part of her, a part she hadn’t known’ existed, missed him—his touch, his concern for her, and his watchful eye. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Zaviana had every right to hate him. He’d kidnapped her, taken her against her will. Yes, he did it out of concern for her ... and that was sweet ... but she was missing the point. He was a scoundrel, a mercenary. Derkas couldn’t possibly care about her that much. He cared about money. She couldn’t count on him. Yet, she couldn’t get him out of her head.
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