Dralin

by Carroll, John H.

  Two younger men washed dishes and cleaned silverware while a woman worked on pastries. The cook was calmly doing prep work for lunch, a much different disposition than he had on Pelya’s previous visit. The girls snuck quietly toward the door. Pelya opened it and gave Ebudae a little shove to go through. “Why is the basement door open?” one of the dishwashers asked.

  Pelya dashed through and closed it behind her. As she did so, she heard the cook’s muffled voice. “It’s those stupid rats! That worthless girl didn’t kill a single one the other day and now they’re bold as can be.”

  She thought for sure someone would follow them down, but the girls made it to the bottom of the steps without the door opening. Pelya took one of the lanterns and led Ebudae to the back. She didn’t light it right away. Instead, they hid behind some crates, waiting to see what would happen. After a few minutes, everything remained silent. Ebudae magically lit the lantern with words Pelya couldn’t hear and then took the warrior’s invisible hand.

  The two girls went down the stairs to the sub-basement. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a single lantern floating through the air and surely would have run away thinking a ghost was coming. Pelya quickly pulled her to the secret passage. Ebudae had two more of the rune balls, but they didn’t want to use them right away in case they were needed later. Fortunately, the young warrior had a memory that was becoming finely honed and was able to find the opening mechanism.

  The door opened and they went through, closing it behind them. They listened for a moment before rushing down the passage to the stairs. A minute later, they were at the door to the lab with no incidents. Like before, it was unlocked. Pelya thought Lord Uylvich foolish for being overconfident just because a secret passage hid the lab.

  Unlike before, there was a man in the room. He was a tall, fit man wearing green robes that had runes embroidered in rich gold thread. Unlike the cook, he didn’t blame the mysteriously opened door on rats. “Who’s there? I see your lantern, now show yourself or die,” he growled with hands in front of him as though ready to catch the invisible intruder.

  Ebudae let go of Pelya’s hand to cast a spell. The warrior girl saw air warp in a bolt toward the wizard. Before hitting him, it dissipated. The gold thread on the wizard’s robe flared briefly, indicating it had protected him against the spell.

  Pelya rapidly pushed Ebudae to the side as the wizard began to circle his hands in front of his chest while speaking words of magic. She saw a mysterious wind blow his hair back. It didn’t affect anything else and she realized he was gathering energy for a spell. That energy gathered in an icy cloud in front of the wizard.

  When he cast it forward, the magical wind that only affected him switched direction and slammed into his back. Meanwhile, shards of ice flew from the cloud to pierce the door, wall and ground where the girls had been standing. They ran around behind him while he watched the shards melt. Pelya realized that she had drawn her sword at some point, so she leapt forward and stabbed him in the back of the thigh with it.

  The golden runes on the robe flared as the sword slid deep into the leg causing the wizard to scream. It was the first time Pelya had ever drawn blood on anyone and it scared her. To make matters worse, it had been a weak thrust with bad aim. Had the blade not been magical, it wouldn’t have done real damage. She immediately pulled the sword out, causing hot blood to spurt from the open wound all over her. As the wizard clutched the wound and fell to his knees in agony, Pelya realized the runes in that area had burned away in failed protection. Had she stabbed with a lesser weapon, the result would have been much different.

  The blood did not become invisible when it sprayed the girls. They realized they would be easy to target from that point on and both deactivated the necklaces at the same time. Ebudae had a rune ball in her hand and said the activation word. With amazing aim, she hit the wizard on the side of the face. It exploded in a cloud of dark blue dust that the wizard instantly inhaled while attempting to gasp for breath. The dust went into his mouth and disappeared. He collapsed.

  “Did you kill him?” Pelya asked in alarm. The sword was shaking in her trembling hand.

  “No. It was a sleeping mist stored in the rune ball. He should be unconscious for an hour or so,” she answered excitedly. It was clear Ebudae was enjoying their adventure. “Although, he’ll be dead in less time with that wound,” she stated, pointing at the blood-soaked cut.

  “We should bandage it,” Pelya said in alarm.

  “No! We have to save Rizzith,” Ebudae said, pointing at the dragon that was looking at them in curiosity from the cage.

  Pelya glanced at it and then back at the wizard. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’ve never killed anyone, Ebudae. I don’t really want to.” The wizardess stared at her in surprise. Pelya made a fast decision, put her pack on the ground and retrieved the healing kit. She grabbed a bandage and wrapped the leg with it as tightly as possible. It was instantly soaked in blood. She hadn’t cut the artery, but it was still a deep and serious wound.

  “You bandaged it, now let’s rescue Rizzith,” Ebudae said in exasperation while pulling on Pelya’s shoulder. The young warrior reluctantly went with her, still staring at the injured wizard.

  They stood in front of the circle around the cage. “I can do this,” Ebudae insisted quietly. Rizzith had managed to lift his head, but it swayed tiredly.

  “No! It would kill you.” Pelya forgot about the man and focused on her friend. Hezzena had talked aloud in the wizardess’s presence about how to deactivate the circle of runes around the cage so they could release him. Then she had talked about how to reverse the energy in the globes to bring Rizzith back to health.

  Ebudae understood everything that was said and told Hezzena that she would deactivate the runes. The dragon woman had instantly forbidden it. Children should never perform magic. Only after puberty should it be considered and it was best to wait until adulthood. A child’s body was developing and the energies could stunt that growth or even deform a person. Ebudae was in severe danger just with the magic she had already performed in her short life.

  Even with that knowledge, the wizardess stood there with her fingers twitching. Ebudae had told Pelya in the past that the power was like a drug she wanted more of each day. “Let’s take care of the secret door,” Pelya encouraged, pulling her friend in that direction. Ebudae reluctantly followed, still staring at the dragon cage and orbs.

  They set down their packs and Ebudae grabbed a set of eight medallions Hezzena had given them. She set the medallions on the floor in an outward arc from the edges of the secret door. Pelya carefully pulled out a special rune ball Hezzena had also given them. It was larger than any she had seen before, filling up her hand. She readied it along with her courage while the wizardess activated the medallions.

  The normal way to open a secret door protected by magical triggers was to know the activation words and gestures for it. However, the runes had been made specifically to work against Hezzena. Even after listening to Pelya’s description of everything, understanding eluded the dragon. So she chose the solution the girls were implementing.

  Upon activation, hundreds of orange lacework lines emitted from the medallions and connected to each other. They shimmered upward to the ceiling in an arc around the entrance, creating a barrier of magical force. Ebudae had to continue chanting a series of magical words in order to keep it activated. Her voice had an otherworldly quality to it and a strong magical breeze ruffled her hair and robe.

  Pelya threw the rune ball hard through the glowing lines. Hezzena told them that things could pass from their side of the force field, but nothing could get through from the other side. The medallions had to be placed exactly right and the words spoken correctly though. It was an enormous risk to leave it to a child wizard, but she would do anything to save her son.

  As the rune ball passed through the lines and just before it hit the wall, Pelya yelled the activation word loudly. The timing was another thing that had to be j
ust right. It was foolish to leave that to a child as well, but the dragon was desperate and had no other options.

  White light flashed as the rune ball detonated and the building shook with an enormous blast. Hezzena had told them what would happen, but it was still a shock. The lacework barrier protected the girls from the worst of the flash and sound as well as the entire explosion. It also channeled all of the force into the secret door. Not only was it blown open, but half the wall on either side and stones from the ceiling collapsed in the rubble. The force shook the ground and knocked the girls on their backs. The orange barrier disappeared once Ebudae’s concentration was broken and she couldn’t continue chanting.

  Everything had worked exactly as planned except the part where the two girls were dazed. They crawled to their hands and knees and tried to regain their senses. Pelya glanced at Rizzith in his cage. The orbs and circular runes around it were still intact, too powerful to be disturbed by the secondary force of the explosion.

  Then she saw the wizard move and heard his groan through the mild ringing in her ears. The barrier had absorbed most of the sound and flash, but not all of it. Coupled with crashing stone, it had hurt their ears and created spots in front of their eyes.

  Ebudae was scrambling to get the medallions and put them away. She cried out in pain when stone from the ceiling fell and hit her in the shoulder. Pelya rushed over to her. “Can you move it?” she asked. Ebudae’s robe was dirty, but not torn. She moved her shoulder and groaned in pain, but it wasn’t broken. Pelya helped her to stand. “The wizard is waking up. We need to hurry.”

  They snatched up the rest of the medallions as quickly as possible before scrambling over the rubble. Stone dust clogged their noses and they looked up to make sure nothing else would fall on them from the gashed ceiling. Pelya looked back as they entered the passage. The wizard was gingerly moving, but hadn’t gotten up yet. Ebudae pulled on her hand.

  There were large double doors a few hundred feet up the passage with magical lanterns exactly like the ones outside the doors from the ruins where Hezzena would be waiting for them. When they reached them, Pelya noticed Ebudae panting heavily. She grabbed the wizardess’s face and saw dark circles under her eyes. “Ebudae, what happened?” Pelya asked in alarm.

  “Very tired. It was so hard keeping the medallions activated.” Exhaustion dripped from her voice.

  “You just relax. I’ll open the doors,” Pelya told her. When the wizardess nodded, Pelya grabbed the picks under her tunic. She pulled one out and held it in front of her. When it glowed hot, Pelya wanted to cry.

  “Use this.” Ebudae handed her one of the small rune balls that would deactivate wards. Once it was in Pelya’s palm, the wizardess told her the keyword and advised her to throw it from a distance. They took a few steps back and glanced down the hallway to make certain no one was coming yet.

  Pelya threw it and yelled the activation word. The ball flashed along with eight previously invisible runes drawn in a circle on the doors. Three of the runes disappeared with crackling sounds, but the others remained, flickering dimly. The warrior felt another rune ball placed in her hand. “Activate it the same way,” Ebudae told her. Pelya did the exact same thing and the remaining runes vanished with more crackling. She rushed forward to the door and discovered it to be locked.

  With a deep calming breath, Pelya pulled out her lockpicks again. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. Uncle Bobbell had told her to always push ahead no matter how tired or frightened she might be. It helped that the picks were magically enhanced to be steady.

  It took a minute and switching the lockpicks twice to figure out the right combination. Ebudae leaned against the wall tiredly while Pelya worked. When the lock clicked open, they exchanged happy smiles. The smiles faded when they heard voices behind them. “They went down the passage!” one yelled. Pelya hurriedly put the picks away while Ebudae pulled one of the doors open.

  Instead of being in the ancient ruins, they were in a room filled with crates and tables. It looked like a storage area and secondary workspace. Across from them was another set of doors. Ebudae pointed excitedly while Pelya pulled the current door shut. “Those are the doors to the ruins. They look exactly the same.”

  They ran toward them, but Ebudae held out a hand just before they reached the doors. She handed another of the small rune balls to Pelya who took it and threw while yelling the activation word. More wards flashed and crackled and she immediately threw the last rune ball that Ebudae handed her to finish them off.

  Once again the doors were locked. Pelya pulled out the picks that had opened the last one. The lock looked the same and she prayed they would work. The tumblers inside clicked just as the doors behind opened. “There they are! Kill them!” Pelya looked back and saw the limping wizard and two others coming into the room. One was a female wizard preparing to cast a spell while the third had a wicked looking sword in his hand.

  The girls frantically opened the doors, each pulling one back. Relief flooded their hearts when they saw Hezzena in the entrance. She was crouched with taloned hands in front of her, teeth bared and furiously swirling eyes staring straight ahead at the attackers.

  What happened next was so fast that Pelya barely had time to digest it all. In one blurred leap, Hezzena reached the enemy and thrust both hands into the chest of the woman casting the spell, killing her instantly. The energy of the thwarted spell turned into wisps of green fire that burned the woman’s skin. Hezzena pulled out flesh and flung it in the faces of the men. Pelya heard herself scream in horror. She knew about death, but was really beginning to hate the concept. It was messy, violent and painful to those who experienced it. What she didn’t notice was Ebudae watching everything with her head tilted in fascination.

  The warrior hit Hezzena in the shoulder with the sword, causing runes in her vest to flare. It clanged off the dragon woman’s magical shirt and hard skin without making a cut. A rumbling growl emitted from Hezzena, shaking the room as she turned to face him. The warrior dropped his weapon and took a step back, fear conquering his eyes. Hezzena grabbed his throat with her left hand and his head with the right. She squeezed and the warrior’s head was crushed like an overripe melon. Then she ripped the head from his body and threw it against the nearest wall where it splattered violently. Pelya emptied the scarce remaining contents of her stomach onto the floor.

  The wizard tried to limp away but Hezzena’s talons raked down his back. When he fell, she stood on his legs and slashed furiously into his body over and over, digging into it like a dog burying a bone. Pelya finally turned and covered her eyes, sobbing in dread.

  Hezzena was back suddenly. She took their shoulders one by one with bloodied hands and pulled them close. Putting her face next to theirs, the dragon woman whispered, “Shh. I’m not supposed to kill humans, but you’re never going to tell anyone, are you?” Her voice was sinister and her eyes spun with insanity.

  They both shook their heads vigorously. Pelya felt urine running down her leg as she wet herself. She couldn’t handle any more and wanted to go home to hide in bed for the rest of her life. Hezzena let them go and turned back toward the room. “Where is he?” she demanded.

  Ebudae rushed forward to the other set of doors and led Hezzena past the bodies into the corridor. Pelya considered not following, but after looking into the dark ruins behind, decided that sticking with them was the best choice. Plus, she didn’t want to leave Ebudae alone. It was extremely uncomfortable to walk with her pants wet, but she ignored it the best she could. Between that, walking through sewers, having thrown up and sweating so much from the exertion, she smelled terrible.

  Pelya caught up with them as Hezzena positioned herself in front of the cage and began casting. Ebudae was scrutinizing every detail while Rizzith cried out piteously to his mother. Pelya waited by the rubble of the formerly secret door and watched.

  The incantations were vastly more powerful than anything Ebudae had done. Hezzena gestured
fluidly like a dancing reptile while the wind of magic gusted back and forth around only her. Layers of magical words slithered throughout the room, echoing off the walls. The circular runes glowed brightly as energy from the orbs switched direction, flowing back into the young dragon who perked up instantly.

  In just a few minutes, the orbs were dark. They all shattered at the same time and fell to the ground in shards. The stands they floated above crumbled as well. Then the rune underneath the cage began circling. Hezzena’s gestures became exaggerated turning motions as she spun the rune faster and faster while wind gusted around her. Then it burst in slow motion with a tinkling sound before disappearing into thousands of tiny sparks that snapped into nothingness.

  Hezzena jumped forward, grabbed two bars and ripped them apart. The scream of protesting iron filled the room, causing the girls to cover their ears. Then Rizzith had his foreclaws on his mother’s shoulders while licking her face with forked tongue. It looked extremely odd considering Hezzena was still in human form. “You must transform into a human, my beautiful son. I am too large to fit in my natural form,” she told him.

  Rizzith concentrated for a moment then took the form of a six-year-old boy. The transformation was instantaneous and surprising. However, his teeth were overly large, causing his mouth to stretch grotesquely. “Smaller teeth, dear,” Hezzena told him. He made the adjustment and his appearance was almost normal. He still had the same dragon-like features as his mother, but at least it didn’t frighten the girls.

  Pelya was tired and she could tell that Ebudae was more so. Hezzena picked up her son and the packs the girls had left in that room. “Show me the way through the sewers to the southern plains,” she ordered, handing them the packs.

  “But we’re tired,” Ebudae whined. “I just want to go to sleep.”

  “That’s what happens when you play with magic, you silly little fool. Besides, you can’t go back that way. I hear people coming from beyond the door. We must escape and I’m not finished with the two of you,” Hezzena told them sternly. “Now move your tailless behinds.” She pointed past the rubble toward the passage to the ruins.