Iris's Guardian

by Lisa Daniels

  She hoped.

  Chapter Two

  Seated in her new home, Jackie concluded it was a step up from her former living arrangements. For a start, Durza gave her the run of the place. So instead of being stuck inside one building, she could wander in and out of the caves as she pleased.

  By way of explanation, Durza said, “I never made a tower, because I never intended to keep princesses. I chose a different life. So, well – if you want to take your chances and escape, be my guest. You may find it slightly awkward to do so, though.”

  Durza’s words held weight. Outside of his rather impressive cave lay a terrifying, twisting domain of cliffs and mountains, with thin rope bridges connecting each of them. Even if Jackie risked life and limb to crawl along the bridges to the bottom of High Mountain, she then had a rather charmingly named area called the Forest of Madness to go through, and she knew enough about the Forest of Madness to understand that anyone who entered such an area without adequate protection would be cursed to wander the confines of the forest, never dying, even though their bodies aged and sagged. Even when their minds dissolved into nothing, leaving gibbering nightmares.

  The people in that place wandered like silent ghouls, not harmful to anyone, but a horrifying, twisted reminder of the deceptive calm of the forest, which housed a sinister evil. An evil that whispered into their minds and drove them to the brink of insanity, then pushed them merrily off the cliff, snapping their minds.

  “The air is cursed as well, so if anyone tries to fly through it, and they’re not dragons, they’ll be attacked by the Hunger Clouds.” Durza pointed to some fluffy, pure white clouds floating in the air just above them, when they stood at the entrance of his cave. “Those turn into jaw-chomping monsters if they sense people violating their airspace.”

  Jackie gaped at the clouds in astonishment. “If you’re a Quest Giver, how do you expect people to reach you in the first place?”

  “That’s why only the exceptional can come to us,” Durza replied. “And that’s why our rewards are substantial for any Quester who succeeds.”

  Since being taken by Durza a week ago, Jackie had slowly been adjusting to life in her new home. On High Mountain, she had a fantastic view of the Wilderness in all directions, seeing the bump and change of terrain, from forests to swamps to plains, and even a desert. The only thing she couldn’t see was any of the kingdoms, signifying just how deep into the Wilderness they lived.

  Durza employed small animals to help tidy his place, from mice to squirrels and birds, and they did a fine job keeping his floors clean, the sink and bathtub unblocked, and the bedsheets always fresh. He aimed for blue and gray tones in his cave, from pale cyan carpets and tablecloths to dark blue sofas, and paintings depicting cloud-strewn skies. Pale orange light illuminated the place. Jackie slept two doors away from Durza, and admitted that her new small bedroom was a massive improvement on her former home – despite the obvious fact that it would be even harder to rescue her than before.

  Only the brave and the foolhardy would penetrate so deep into the Wilderness.

  Durza proved an interesting study of character as well. He didn’t match the prince stereotype at all in his build. Light brown hair, dark brown eyes, a body neither too muscular nor slender, neither too tall nor short. Just average, really. Except for an “average” body in terms of sliding out of the blonde hair/blue-green eye spectrum, he looked like a fine specimen indeed. There was something about his oval, chiseled face that gave an aura of softness, of eerie beauty that matched the way his eyes glared out from under his long eyelashes. And when he smiled, two dimples formed on the sides of his lips under his high cheekbones. His eyes held a thousand years of wisdom, sadness, and observation, so when they looked at her, she felt as if she were being undressed, with her ribcage exposed to allow her beating heart scrutiny.

  No, she wasn’t in love. Jackie didn’t fall in love like that, didn’t feel that overwhelming need to commit herself to anything or anyone. But she was fascinated. Yes. Fascinated by the space he occupied, the soft, melodic drawl of his voice, the self-assured way he conducted himself, like someone who was bold enough to be himself, and brave enough to be himself, no deception necessary.

  Coming from a world where no one acted like themselves, but rather as a caricature of what the kingdoms expected them to be, it was refreshing. A breeze of lemon-scented air.

  If Jackie couldn’t escape, she could study. And through studying, she learned how to operate and conduct herself in this place, and to operate the kitchen enchantments so she didn’t starve to death.

  “What are your Quest rewards, actually?” Jackie followed Durza outside his cave, to where one of the thin rope bridges swung tantalizingly, making her ill at the notion of ever having to cross it. “I can’t imagine you have an infinite supply of artifacts to give away.”

  “Our rewards are potions,” Durza explained, leaning against a rock, smiling lazily at Jackie. “Morgana’s a very good Brewster, and possibly the only witch in the world who knows how to craft the potions included. The effects are permanent, of course.”

  That could be a way to make a profit. “Well. What are they?”

  “One gives the ability for your body to regenerate from damage quickly. It will regenerate pretty much anything but being decapitated. One gives the ability to pierce all illusions, sense all dangers, and navigate the Wilderness safely, and the last gives you the ability to track rare items and see up to ten seconds into the future – when you want to.”

  All fantastic-sounding abilities. Jackie whistled, impressed. The ten seconds in the future one would be absolutely perfect for preventing fatal accidents and anticipating people’s moves in combat – and for gauging reactions to words. She knew instantly that if she had a choice, that would be her potion. “Morgana can brew these?”

  “Yes. It took her half a century to find the right ingredients, but she, Elzara, and I have drunk them all, and we’re offering the same chance for anyone who is able to essentially gather the ingredients.”

  Jackie reflected upon this, biting her lip. Magic that lasted in the soul was a whole different brand of desire from gaining an artifact that may grant the same effect. “Have you had many Questers come?”

  “More than you think,” Durza said. “The smart ones tend to take the future potion first, since it makes it easier to obtain the other two. The rare tracking is also another good choice, but it won’t stop you from dying like an idiot.”

  Such complicated potions! Jackie had to compliment Morgana; that witch knew what she was doing. She considered asking to take the potions herself, but with such magic in her blood, there was nothing to prevent her from just walking away. And, well, Durza could probably read ten seconds into her future, and gauge her intentions. If he happened to be activating it.

  “If you want the potions for yourself, you can take them on certain conditions,” Durza said. “You help us operate a fourth potion trial for a few months. Morgana’s come up with a new recipe. It’s a potion with an ability to heal someone with a touch. So, if you want to be a Quest Giver, you’ll be in charge of this little beauty.”

  Jackie blinked. “Are you sure about making me contribute to your schemes so early? You don’t know me. I don’t know you. I’m interested in the potions because I can use them to escape. I’m not so interested in being a Quest Giver, nor do I really understand how I can be one, anyway.”

  Durza nodded, impressed. “I see you’ve figured out that you need to be honest.”

  Jackie let out a choking laugh. “If you can see ten seconds into the future and sense danger, I suspect that helps you in detecting lies as well.”

  He winked. Then he pointed at someone making their way along one of the thin rope bridges. “Look! There’s a Quester!” The bridge swayed dangerously and the poor figure clutched at the ropes, clearly terrified out of his mind. Jackie clapped her hands over her mouth, urging the poor soul on, not wanting to see him plummet to his death.

  �
��Couldn’t have made that easier, could you?” She indicated the rickety bridges.

  “Where’s the fun in easy?” Durza said, grinning. “Anyway, if they want the potion of healing, they need to grab six incredibly rare ingredients. One of them you saw when we found you in the Swamp of Illusions last week. It’s called a gloamfly, and they can only be found at night in the Swamp of Illusions. The rest, well… I can tell you, we had some fun seeking those out.”

  His nonchalant attitude, his willingness to include her from the start rather than lock her away, puzzled Jackie. She expected a dragon to associate with her only when necessary. Instead, not only had he, his sister, and friend saved her and Andrea, they also easily shared the details of their lives in High Mountain. Jackie sucked it all up, her interest blossoming, because out of all the things she ever dreamed, she had never once put “Quest Giver” on her list.

  All this nice talk didn’t change the fact that she was trapped, though. Stuck on High Mountain. Her best bet was to take the deal, drink those potions, then find her way back home alone. Without relying on the incompetence of others around her. A soft breeze curled through her long, blonde hair, stirring the ruffles on her yellow sleeves. The air had a way of biting into her bluntly, cold and electrifying at the same time, the kind of atmosphere that woke you up from the inside out. A fine, light freedom existed here, different from the heavy aromas of the streets in her kingdom, packed with bakeries and horse droppings, and the pungent flowers they used in the royal gardens to try and mask the scent of the city.

  Eventually, she saw the Quester head into a small cave.

  “Ah,” Durza said. “That’s Morgana’s cave. If he accepts her Quest, he’s looking for the rapid heal potion ingredients.”

  “Huh.” Jackie nodded. “Would you be doing the same for Andrea? Will you make her a Quest Giver as well in exchange for trying out the potions?”

  Durza grimaced. “She’s not the type. You are. She belongs in her kingdom, though Elzara’s determined to make her more of a Wilderness princess. You, on the other hand, do not. There’s something about you that tells me you can handle it.”

  Flattering as that was, it also singled Jackie out and made her slightly regret being too brash and truculent in her mannerisms. She had some issues with keeping quiet, with tucking her sharp tongue under wraps.

  They visited Elzara and Andrea an hour later, and all of them sat around Elzara’s round table. The female dragon had blue hair. Jackie had no idea if it was dyed or natural, but the hair matched her intense, abyssal blue eyes and mischievous face. The resemblance between the siblings held strongest when it came to their jawlines and eye shapes, but otherwise, they could have been from other sides of the planet in terms of how related they looked.

  Andrea sat on Elzara’s left with a sullen, puffy expression, the kind that occurred from centuries of crying nonstop.

  “Are you sure you won’t trade with me?” Elzara asked, pouting as she examined Jackie. “She’s not bad-looking, is she?” When Elzara licked her lips, Jackie felt suddenly uncomfortable – intensified by Durza delivering a similar expression. As if noticing her fully for the first time. Noticing her curves, the way her breasts squeezed into the yellow dress, and the manner in which her hair cascaded over her shoulders, trailing to a thin waist. The brown in his eyes shrank, turning black.

  “No, dear sister. I already told you. She’s mine.” The possessive way he stated mine made Jackie feel off-kilter, and also wonder how she could manipulate the situation to her advantage. Clearly, Durza liked her. In a physical way. So did the sister, apparently, which was nice, but not really her thing. Jackie had broken one of the main princess rules a long time ago, by pretending to be a servant and having sexual relations with a known gigolo in the area. She paid him to learn everything she could about sex. It had fascinated her, reading about it in the books, reading about the attractions people harbored, forbidden or not, passionate and dark and sad all at once. Enough for her to taste it for herself.

  These people aren’t idiots. They won’t be like Horace or Reginald, who refuse to listen to reason. No. They’ll reject lies and eat the truth.

  Andrea, however, was examining Durza in a new, lustful light. Uncomfortable with this, Jackie cleared her throat.

  “So, uh, how long have you all lived here?” Small talk. She hated it, but didn’t want to sit here in awkward silence as Andrea drooled over Durza, who sat there in a casual white tunic and black pants, his thick collarbones showing through the top of his shirt, the sleeves covering his muscles just a little bit too tight. Andrea looked stunning as well, with an incarnadine dress, gold bangles on her wrist, and matching ruby earrings. Elzara claimed that she wanted her princess to feel comfortable by having her creature comforts. Jackie wanted to explain that princesses just didn’t think like that.

  We’re not grateful, or appreciative. We just gobble up everything that’s in front of us, never mind if we end up squashing you in the dirt.

  “Oh, about fifteen years,” Elzara explained. “We came from Vrytal, one of the royal kingdoms. Let’s say the royal family there really wanted to marry me off to one of the princes, and my brother offered to let me come along and help fulfill his dream of being a Quest Giver. Then we met Morgana in her little cave here, and well… that’s what we’ve been doing ever since.”

  “You didn’t want to marry a prince?” Andrea gaped at Elzara, shocked beyond reason. “Why?”

  Elzara gave a half shrug of her shoulder. “Not for me.”

  “But doesn’t it get lonely here? Don’t you, like, want someone by your side?” Andrea refused to let the concept go. Again, Elzara shook her head, a gentle smile upon her face.

  “If it happens, it happens. But I’m not looking for anything, and I don’t feel obliged to do so.”

  Durza’s gaze kept wandering over to Jackie, sometimes giving her a deliberate once-over, sometimes allowing his hand to creep nearer to hers on the table. Twice, they “accidentally” brushed, and Jackie considered how blatant he was being. How confident he acted. What did he intend?

  He leaned over to hiss in her ear, “You know, if you want, later on, I can show you better around High Mountain. You can ride me and explore the best of what we have to offer.”

  Ride him. How quaint. Did he intend for that innuendo, or was he genuine in his expression?

  One calculated glance his way, and she knew he intended it. Definitely. His eyes glinted in impish delight. Her cheeks pinkened in response, as she considered the fact of a powerful, handsome dragon flirting with her. Taking his chances to touch her, sometimes with his legs under the table, sometimes with his hand leaving fiery trails along her hand, and shivers up her back.

  Did he “rescue” Jackie to have a little bit of fun on the side? It likely got lonely in High Mountain, waiting for Questers, or travelling into dangerous domains to procure ingredients for new potion experimentation.

  Before Jackie asked about how she needed to act as a Quest Giver, they heard a tentative knock upon the door.

  “Come in!” Elzara yelled, and everyone turned as an embattled knight staggered through the door. Two pieces of his black armor were missing, and cuts covered his forehead. He staggered forward a few steps and gasped, “I did it… I completed…” before collapsing.

  “Shoot.” Elzara sprang up, followed by Durza and Jackie, who helped haul the knight onto a pink sofa and shove a healing potion down his throat. As the knight lay recovering, Durza rifled through his backpack and nodded approval.

  “Good job, Sir Larrus. You’ve got all the appropriate ingredients for a mystic potion. My sister’ll get you the reward now.”

  Elzara smiled and walked off to her treasury to grab a small blue bottle. Larrus trembled, and Andrea watched him like a hawk as Elzara tipped the blue liquid onto his tongue. He swallowed eagerly, throat bobbing, before closing his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and grinned like a demon.

  “It works! I… feel different.”

 
; “It takes a while to adjust,” Elzara assured him, smiling. “But that potion will allow you to make it through the Wilderness with ease. You’ll be prepared for the dangers, and you’ll stumble across artifacts more often. So, well done.”

  Larrus nodded, grinning triumphantly, before his eyes lingered upon Andrea for a moment. Elzara spotted the exchange and winked at Jackie and her brother. “Tell you what, Larrus. Why don’t you come over here and talk to Andrea? Tell her about your adventures. I’m sure she’ll love to hear…”

  The happy knight followed the dragon, brimming with the success of his adventure, and Durza and Jackie left shortly afterwards, with Jackie tired of hearing the knight boast about his exploits. Success or not, he was a damn nuisance.

  The other damn nuisance was Durza, and the way he regarded Jackie.

  Back in Durza’s place, she put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips speculatively. “You were flirting with me.”

  “Yes,” Durza replied, unashamed. The sultry glances he gave her, the compliments on her attire, the attempts to lightly brush her hand and to whisper into her ear – she didn’t know how to react to them. Yes, it was… appealing. But Jackie didn’t want to be on High Mountain. She didn’t want to live the life of a lonely Quest Giver, and she wanted her books. She wanted her freedom. A freedom she’d lacked for over two years, though arguably, in her small, sandwiched kingdom, she’d never known true freedom.

  At the same time, though, it would be a shame not to try out Durza for herself. She pressed down the irritable voice of wisdom and started taking off her clothes in front of him.

  One way to be free was to let go of all her doubts, her worries and inhibitions. The rest would then hopefully fall into line.

  His light brown eyes widened in confusion. His beautiful, rounded face made her heart stop for a moment, as it crinkled up into that endearing arrangement. “What are you doing?”