by B. H. Savage
“Anye, I…”
“Glenn, what are we?” she asked. “Is there…”
Before Anye had the opportunity to say anything else he placed his hands on her cheeks, pulled her close, and pressed his lips against hers. Anye remembered the kiss she’d given him the night of her escape, but always wondered if that was wise. She’d hoped so, but this moment now cemented the feeling that it was. She kissed him back, feeling her body grow warm as she leaned into him, but the moment lasted only briefly. Glenn slowly ended the kiss and pulled his head away from her while keeping his hands on her cheeks, looking into her eyes as she looked back into his.
“Glenn…”
He stepped away from her and smiled. “Good night, Anye. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As he moved away from her, Anye grabbed the hands resting on her cheeks, savoring the moment. She had dreamed of a moment like that for years, and it was euphoric for it to have finally happened. She only wished it could last longer and had occurred under less stressful circumstances. Still, she was happy and didn’t want to ruin the moment. “Good night,” she whispered before she let go.
Glenn backed out of the cabin, keeping his gaze locked with hers until the door closed in front of them. Anye stepped away from the door towards the beds, feeling as if she was walking on air. It would have been a perfect end to the evening if Alistair didn’t decide to be a jokester and whistle a cat call at her, apparently having observed the entire interaction.
“Shut up, Alistair,” Anye barked as she fell to the bed to sleep.
______
The journey back to Mark's Landing aboard The Empress was uneventful. The crew and passengers all expected to be harassed by the foreign navy on their return from the 'forbidden' land but the ships all kept their distance. Bikke assumed it was because of the large dragon they had picked up that circled around them as they sailed. "There’s something about seeing a giant fire-breathing monster that just seems to strike fear in people," was a joke captain Bikke took a liking to saying.
Whatever supplies were still needed had been quickly purchased when they reached the island’s port, and then they quickly departed once more continuing east across the sea on their way to Belrun. During the time on the water, Anye used the open area of her cabin to practice using her new weapon and abilities. Not much of the magic she had learned was new per-say, but rather an enhanced form of what she had been taught during her training and years of servitude.
The new magic she had learned was what took up most of her time. The ancient blade contained knowledge of magic she’d never heard of before. There was a method of utilizing raw energy to deal extra damage with each blow she could land, another for drastically enhancing her senses, and even storing magic in isolated locations, releasing it when deemed necessary for tactical reasons. Control over the elements also became much easier for her to grasp than before, and she mastered enchanting the blade with various charms quickly, much like Yarik Boulderson had done in the tournament. But the most useful, and notable, augmentation to her abilities was the ease of which Anye could enter an enlightened state. Unfortunately, doing so was not without cost and she knew it would be best to save such magic for dire situations.
Glenn offered to spar with her, to help the physical aspects of her sword play, something she hadn't had a partner for since before she had left Delrich. In doing so, the lancer surprised her with new techniques of his own, showing increased mastery of the spear. He explained that he also knew a form of magic she hadn't heard of before. He called it a Spirit Link, and explained that it required a temporary union of both the dragon's and the rider's souls. The act was terribly straining on the human body, but it granted so much power and strength that the caster became nigh invulnerable, if only temporarily. When asked if he would demonstrate it for her Glenn declined, telling her that he "didn't want to risk not being able to use it should the need arise unexpectedly." It sounded extremely similar to the enlightened state, and she wondered if they were connected in some way.
The evenings became increasingly romantic for Glenn and Anye as each day passed, something that Amadi caught on to quickly enough. He allotted to sleep below deck with the crew to provide the newly christened couple with some privacy. Anye didn’t complain, nor did Glenn. They took advantage of the solitude, letting loose desires for one another that had been pent up for years. The courtship was exhilarating, and was everything Anye had dreamed it would be and more. Captain Bikke asked them to keep it down on several mornings following as a result.
The Empress finally returned home to the port at Mark's Landing after only a few days more than it took for them to reach the Western Isles. Eisenzahn had flown higher than the clouds to avoid causing a panic in the town, informing the group that he would wait for them in the hills outside of its borders, and that Glenn would know where to find him.
At the end of the docks leading to the town stood Captain Bikke, along with Mr. Evans, who looked to like he wanted to have a word with the ferried passengers. Anye suspected what it was they wanted to discuss based on the look on the old captain's face; money.
"Glad to see you've recovered from your illness, Master Amadi," Bikke joked regarding Amadi’s lack of alcohol tolerance. "Don't worry. The more you partake, the less you feel."
Amadi chuckled and nodded his head to the vessel's captain. "I'll remember your advice, Captain."
"Now then, down to business. There's the matter of the money I was promised during our stay in the Western Isles," the captain stated. "When should I expect to receive payment for our additional passenger?"
Anye opened her mouth to speak and give an answer she had been brewing in her head, but Amadi stepped up and spoke unexpectedly. "Lord Taggart will happily send a courier with the funds you are owed," he explained. "He is an honorable and trustworthy man, I'm sure you know."
Bikke nodded his head towards the dark-skinned boy. "Aye, he is. He's never left a debt unpaid if the stories are true."
"Then we have a deal?"
"You are not Lord Taggart, Master Amadi…but you helped us when the sea’s wind refused to blow. Aye, we have a deal."
The two grabbed hands and shook their arms to seal the agreement. Bikke looked happy enough to have been promised more than double his original payment, and so after releasing the boy's hand, he and Evans bid farewell to the travelers and returned to their ship.
The horses Anye and Amadi had rode to the town when they originally left Bridge Port had been well cared for in the town's stables, and were ready to go the moment Anye and Amadi showed their faces. Just like the ship that had carried them west and back, Lord Taggart had previously paid in full for the care of the horses, so the group was not bothered for any more payment when they took them out and left the town.
"It's been a while since I rode horseback," Glenn commented. "I've actually become rather accustomed to riding bareback dragon."
Anye climbed on to the saddle of her steed and patted behind her lightly, indicating to Glenn to hop on and hold on to her. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't fall off," she joked, though the grin on her face denoted the subtle statement she was making.
"You could always ride with me, Sir Glenn," Amadi grunted as he climbed aboard his horse.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Amadi, but I think I'll ride with Anye," Glenn replied. The trio shared a laugh as he jumped on and wrapped his arm around Anye's waist.
“So, how far out did Eisenzahn land?” Anye asked as they rode out of the town’s main gate. “He said you would know how to find him.”
“And I do,” Glenn answered. “Our minds are connected to one another. He can see what I see, feel my emotions, even communicate with me. I can do the same with him.”
“Your link with the dragons in Delrich wasn’t so potent,” Anye replied. “You and the creature were linked, yes, but not to such a degree.”
“I’m ashamed to even say I was a part of such an abominable practice,” Glenn told her disdainfully. “The
way the order of Dragon Knights was formed was based on the methods I learned in Toran. It is a bastardization of what the bond originally was; of what it truly meant and symbolized.”
“What do you mean?”
“In ancient times, long before Delrich became a kingdom, before and during the time of the legendary war, those who fought with dragons were part of an honorable order,” Glenn explained. “The dragons were not hunted down, herded, and bound to a soldier against their will. The way Eisenzahn told me how he and Doluka came to fight together was that he had to prove his worth to the dragons; to show that he was worthy of fighting alongside such a proud race of creatures.”
“So what changed? Why did those practices stop?” Anye inquired.
“Mankind is a fickle, power hungry race. Eventually, people thought they deserved to control the dragons instead of prove their worth. Now, they’re hunted, taken away from their roosts, and kept in cages. They are forced to obey their masters,” Glenn told her. “The magic that binds the dragon to their master is cast by man. It enslaves them, preventing them from fleeing until the day they die and shackling their minds, tearing away their free will. My link with Eisenzahn is mutual; it is a bond between us like we are brothers. I would give my life to protect him and he would do the same. That bond is what gives us our link to one another.”
“I see…”
“Tales of the order are known to my people, Sir Glenn,” Amadi chimed in as he rode next to the pair. “The dragons and their riders were highly revered in my home.”
“Thank you, Amadi.” Glenn was grateful for the praise but he still seemed troubled to Anye. The look on his face changed a second later though, as he picked his head up and looked to the left, to a small wooded area beyond a hill in the plains. “There, in the woods.”
“You’re sure?” Anye asked. “He said he’d be hiding in the hills somewhere.”
“I’m sure,” Glenn told her confidently. “He needed to hide, but he also needed to eat. He’s waiting for us in there.”
Anye and Amadi didn’t argue, so they changed their courses and headed off of the beaten path towards the woods. Birds flew out from the tree tops as the ground shook slightly, presumably from Eisenzahn taking a step that shook the trees and made the leaves rustle.
Glenn yelled out as he dismounted Anye’s horse. “Eisenzahn, come out!”
A low grumbling came from within the trees, accompanied with the snorts of the large creature as it breathed. Before long, the trees in front of the group swayed as he took to the air and flew around to meet them, landing beside the trio just on the edge of the woods.
“Good, you’ve arrived,” the dragon greeted. “We don’t have much time to waste. I can feel Stragus’ power growing stronger.”
“You can sense him?” Amadi asked.
“I can. We dragons are much more attuned to concentrations of magic than humans are,” Eisenzahn explained. “As we grow older, our senses become more acute. I was able to sense your power grow even as a child, young one,” he said as he faced Amadi.
“You humble me,” Amadi replied.
The dragon turned his head back to Anye and Glenn before speaking again. “He has yet to return to his full strength, but we must warn your kingdoms before we break the seal,” the dragon informed them. “He has been summoning fractions of his power from within the seal for centuries, but he should still be weakened. Regardless, if we fail in our task, they must be prepared for war.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Anye asked, surprised by the definitive statement. “You have a plan? Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“Nor I,” Amadi added. “Sir Glenn, what haven’t you told us?”
Glenn climbed on to Eisenzahn’s back before giving his comrades the explanation they sought. The action visibly annoyed Anye. “Stragus Markal was sealed, frozen in time in the hidden kingdom of Del’Mond,” Glenn told them. “Our weapons are the keys to breaking the seal binding him and the holy ground. We need to bring them to Del’Mond to do so and kill him before he is able to break free himself and wreak havoc on the world.”
“Wait, if he was trapped there and is sealed within, in time, then how is he able to do anything at all?” Anye asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“The seal binding Stragus is not the first that was used to try and stop him,” Eisenzahn explained. “Even with all of our might, those who fought alongside your ancestors could not defeat the dark wizard. After many attempts, we eventually came to accept that it was ultimately futile, but it was also the only way to stop him from destroying everything. So we locked him away, knowing that the time would eventually come for him to be stopped once and for all. The seal that still holds him has done its job well, limiting how much power his consciousness could control, but it has been a very long time. If we allow him to finish gathering his strength unchecked, he will break free, and the horrors Amadi fled from in the mother lands will spread like wildfire to every place on this world.”
Anye and Amadi remained speechless. Eisenzahn hadn’t spoken much of Stragus since they had met, but being that he was alive during the battles against him, and he still spoke with such fear, indicated that the horrors they spoke of really were as terrible as the legends made them out to be.
“Now, climb on my back. I shall carry you to the town you call Bridge Port, where you will convince your allies to help prepare for his return,” Eisenzahn said.
Anye and Amadi did as they were asked, leaving the horses to graze on the grass of the plains. Before the dragon spread his wings he let out a mighty roar, one that was likely heard for miles all around, causing the horses to flee in terror. Anye hoped that someone would find them and take them back to a stable for caretaking.
The dragon flew high into the air, higher than the clouds, and soared at speeds faster than Anye had ever traveled. It was terrifying being so high in the air, but it was also amazing. The view of the land below was magnificent, making everything look like little children’s toys. Anye was also surprised at how much faster they were traveling than by land, covering the distance needed to reach Bridge Port in comparatively no time at all.
“Glenn!” she shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past them. “Why didn’t we do this to get back home in the first place?”
“Eisenzahn is a living creature, not some flying ship!” Glenn yelled back. “He’s carrying at least an extra five hundred pounds of weight on his back right now! It gets tiring!”
Anye laughed at the response, not because she thought it was a joke, but because it simply sounded funny. Still, she was appreciative of the ride and their presence. She knew full well that if they hadn’t appeared when they did, she would have found herself being the new owner of a hole in her chest and the resident of a vulture’s stomach.
Bridge Port came in to view just over an hour into their flight, and from Anye’s vantage point in the clouds it looked like the most peaceful place in the world. She could see everything, from the town’s entrance through the market square, the open area where the arena had been built and was still being deconstructed, and then Lord Taggart’s estate.
“Remind me where the governor’s manor is located. It’s been many years since I last saw him!” Glenn shouted to her.
“Beyond the town. It’s the building surrounded by farmland,” Anye replied.
Glenn patted Eisenzahn on the neck and leaned forward to where Anye presumed his ears were, telling him where they needed to go. Soon after, they entered a rapid dive towards the ground and increased their speed. Air rushed past them, creating waves on their skin that made them look like they were composed of gelatin.
Eisenzahn’s descent had been spotted by the people going about their business in the town, being that he lowered himself to be just above the rooftops. They ran screaming, scared of the apparent assault by the creature, but Anye laughed like a child pulling a prank. She knew Eisenzahn wouldn’t cause any harm to them as they soared overhead.
When the dragon reache
d the entrance to Lord Taggart’s estate, he slowed his advance with his wings, bringing himself to a slight hover above the ground. The wind he kicked up moved everything that wasn’t fastened to the ground all around until he landed with a loud thud that shook the building.
Guards from within the home of the nobleman poured out from the building and ran all around the giant dragon, pointing swords and spears at the group while they jumped down from the Eisenzahn’s back. Anye assumed that they had never seen a wild dragon before and likely had no idea what to do about the situation.
“Guards, I am Amadi of the Azubuike tribe of the Frontier! You know who I am, I must speak with my uncle!” he yelled out at the men.
“You expect us to believe that?” a guardsman yelled at them.
“Of course I do,” Amadi replied annoyingly. “Do you not remember me?”
“Guards, stand down!” the voice of Micah Taggart yelled from behind the circle. “That is my nephew and his company. You will treat them as guests.”
The guards instantly raised their weapons upward in a form of attention. A single one of them turned around to face his leader and speak with him. “Sir, they have a dragon with them!”
“I can see that,” Taggart replied agitatedly. “You will do it no harm. Return to your posts!”
The guard bowed his head and turned away, joining the men as they dispersed.
“Amadi, you have returned!” Taggart exclaimed as he approached his nephew with open arms. “And Anye, you have returned as well, and with friends.”
“Yes, Your Lordship,” Anye replied as she bowed.
“Your attire has changed, as has your weapon,” Taggart commented. “I take it that sword is the artifact I sought?”
“It is…” Anye paused, unsure if she should share knowledge of the weapon’s sentience.
“So you really are the heir of Armonde’s bloodline,” Taggart interjected before she could finish her thought. “I thought as much. Come, I assume you wish to speak with me. I want to know everything.”
