Bartoom, she thought. The mighty black dragon they had been following for days had attacked…a tree? That made no sense, she thought. Then she looked at the two men. They seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t see them clearly enough.
She sent the hazy mental image of the two men back to Tig, who had spoken to her in the dragon way. She waited impatiently for a reply, partly because she felt that she somehow knew the two men, and partly because it was a departure from the tedium of following Bartoom. The big black dragon had seemed tireless at first, and her pride had grown weary in pursuit. Finally the bigger dragon had gone to ground, taking refuge in a large thicket of wiry bushes. They were surrounded by miles of plains and there were no other places where her own pride could rest. Brianna had stood watch while her dragons slept. Then she had gotten rest on the back of Selix.
The pride flew together unless it became necessary for one or two to hunt. Wild horses were common on the plains of Falxis. Horseflesh wasn’t the first choice for dragons, but being on the move made it difficult to hunt at all and they took whatever they could find.
When the image came back to her, Brianna had to hold onto Selix to keep from falling off. Her heart beat madly and she felt like shouting. She had found Zollin at last. She couldn’t wait to see him, and at the same time she felt afraid. What if his feelings for her had changed? She wasn’t sure exactly how long they’d been apart, but she knew a lot had happened in that time. She wasn’t the same girl. She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted now, but her heart was divided between her love for her pride and her love for Zollin. She wondered what she would do if they weren’t compatible.
There wasn’t much time for consideration, however, as images came back to her of Zollin and Mansel preparing for battle. She understood their need to defend themselves against unknown creatures, but it frightened her as well. She knew Zollin’s power was great-she had seen him do things she never thought possible-and she was more than a little worried that he might use his power against her pride.
The dragons were fascinated by the magical power radiating from Zollin. Brianna couldn’t sense it, but the dragons could, as if it were a delicious aroma from a finely cooked meal. They had questions and were insatiably curious creatures. She had to remind herself that they were really just newborns. Their instincts were incredibly strong and they were very intelligent, but so many of the things they were experiencing were brand new to them.
She pushed out a mental image of herself floating down to the burning tree alone. Immediately she was hit with several mental images from the other dragons. Some were mere emotional discharges, such as fear or just surprise, while others showed her being attacked, and some showed her surrounded by the pride.
She did her best to reassure them, but they were quickly approaching the area where Zollin and Mansel waited. She could see the light from the burning tree in the distance and she prepared herself to leap from Selix’s back. She sent one last message to her pride, instructing them to circle the area but to stay high in the sky until she called them down.
Selix was almost directly over the burning tree when she leaped from the large, golden dragon’s back. She flipped several times before slowing her decent. She could see Zollin and Mansel with her own eyes now. Mansel had his sword drawn and ready. Zollin was watching her with fascination, but he was also in a defensive stance. She swayed from one air current to another-most weren’t strong currents, but she was so buoyant in the air now that she could use almost any movement of air to lift herself up or slow her descent down.
She landed near the tree, close enough that she knew Zollin and Mansel wouldn’t be able to come because of the sheer heat. She saw Zollin’s face contort for a moment, then he was running toward her, shouting her name.
Brianna’s heart felt as if it would burst, and even though she was getting mental images of danger and worry from her pride, she ran to Zollin. He caught her in his embrace, swinging her around in circles for a moment before setting her down again.
“Are you real?” he asked. “Are you really alive?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m alive and well, Zollin. I’m so glad I found you.”
“What are doing here?” he asked.
“I came looking for you, but we were following Bartoom.”
Zollin looked confused.
“The big black dragon,” she tried to explain as a look of panic crossed Zollin’s face.
“You’re with the dragon?” he asked. “The dragon that tried to kill me?”
“No,” she said. “I’m not with Bartoom. It’s a long story, I’ll explain it all soon, but first I want you to meet my pride.”
Zollin looked dumbfounded and Brianna felt an icy stab of fear. She knew that she had as much to explain to Zollin as she did about Zollin to her pride.
“Look, a lot has changed, but I’m still the same girl from Tranaugh Shire,” she said, holding his arms and looking into his eyes. “I still love you, Zollin. I still want to be with you, to be your wife.”
“I want that too,” Zollin said, finally finding words.
“Okay, so let me show you what I mean,” she said, sending the mental command to her pride high above.
“The dragons are coming down,” Mansel said nervously. “We’ve got to find cover.” He was pulling on Zollin’s arm, but Brianna grabbed Zollin’s other hand.
“No, wait,” she said. “They’re with me.”
“The dragons are with you?” Zollin asked.
“Yes, they’re my pride.”
“Your pride?” he asked, incredulously.
“Yes, you know, like a pack of wolves or a pride of dragons,” she explained. Zollin and Mansel’s eyes went wide with wonder, and then the dragons touched down all around them.
Chapter 17
Zollin could hardly believe his eyes. The light from the burning tree illuminated the glistening scales of the dragons around them. His heart was racing with fear. They were beautiful, but even the smaller dragons looked ferocious, and every instinct was telling him to run, to get as far as he could from the dragons.
“This is Selix,” Brianna said, walking over to the golden dragon, who lowered its head in a sort of bow. Brianna patted the golden dragon’s neck.
“This is Ferno,” she said, and the dark green dragon growled menacingly. “They’re friends, Ferno,” she said firmly. “You can trust them.” A puff of smoke shot out of the big dragon’s mouth, but it didn’t move forward.
“You can put away your sword, Mansel,” Brianna said. “I promise they won’t hurt you.”
He shook his head, “Sorry, force of habit I guess. It’s not every day that I get this close to dragons.”
“These are Tig and Torc,” Brianna said, approaching the two smallest dragons. “And finally, Gyia,” she said, giving the purple dragon a scratch on the top of the head.
“How did you find them?” Zollin asked.
“I didn’t find them,” Brianna explained. “I made them.”
“Hang on,” Mansel said. “You made dragons? What am I missing here?”
“My power,” Brianna said, still speaking to Zollin. “You remember what the dwarves said?”
“I do,” Zollin said, with awe in his voice. “They said you were a fire spirit, and that dragons were the offspring of fire spirits.”
“Offspring isn’t really the right word,” Brianna said. “I made them using my power, but I’m not their mother. These five chose to stay with me, but we’re more like siblings.”
“I’ve got to sit down,” Mansel said. “If ever I needed a drink…”
Mansel backed away from the dragons, then walked slowly into the darkness.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Brianna said. “But I’ll do my best to explain it.”
“I know you will, but we have time. For now, we need to check on Nycoll and get settled in for the night.”
“Alright,” Brianna said, a little hurt that Zollin’s excitement had been replaced with uncerta
inty. She wasn’t sure what she had hoped for from him, but his attitude wasn’t making her fears any less pointed. “What would you like us to do?”
“I’m not sure,” Zollin said. “We found Nycoll yesterday. She and Mansel are close, but I’ll let him tell you that story later too. She’s had a difficult time lately. I’m not sure how well she’ll take to seeing dragons.”
“We’re not horrible creatures,” Brianna said.
“No, but I don’t think scaring her will help.”
“We won’t scare her.”
“You won’t have to,” Zollin tried to explain. “Let’s just give her some time, okay? I’ll check on her, and then I want the whole story.”
“Alright,” Brianna said.
It hurt Zollin to see Brianna looking so disappointed, but he was in a slight state of shock himself. He didn’t know how else to respond. He was fascinated by the dragons, but in the dark, as tired as he was, he had to admit they were frightening creatures. He wanted to make sure that Mansel was okay and that Nycoll didn’t need anything.
He walked away into the darkness, letting his magic flow out in search of Mansel and Nycoll. He felt a little guilty for keeping his magical shield up, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to roasted alive the second he let his guard down. All around the yard where Nycoll’s cottage had once sat were small hills. The hills were formed by sand and most were covered with thick weeds. Zollin found Mansel not far away. Nycoll had fainted and Mansel was trying to wake her up.
“She’s out of it,” he said. “You think she’s okay?”
“Yes,” Zollin said. He was letting his magic probe Nycoll to ensure he hadn’t missed anything physical. “She’s been through a lot, but physically she’s fine. She just needs rest. We all do.”
“Where do you suggest we do that?” Mansel asked.
“Here’s as good a place as any. I’m going back to talk to Brianna. You stay here and shout if you need me.”
“Alright,” Mansel said. “But be careful.”
“You don’t trust Brianna?”
“I’m not even sure that is Brianna. Did you see the way she came down out of the sky? It was like she was a bird or something. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“I have,” Zollin said. “She was jumping and flipping like an acrobat before the dragon took her.”
“Well, what do you think of her new friends? How can we know they aren’t using her to get to you?”
“I don’t know,” Zollin said. “I guess I’ve just got to trust Brianna.”
“Your funeral, pal,” Mansel said. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when one of those beasts cooks you for its next meal.”
Zollin laughed and gave Mansel’s arm a reassuring squeeze before walking away. He was pretending that the dragons didn’t bother him, but the truth was, he didn’t like dragons. They were vicious and cruel. He wished more than ever that he had killed the big black dragon in the Highlands, but he hadn’t. Brianna had convinced him not too, and now she was with a whole group of them. It made him feel sick to this stomach, but he remembered the power that Brianna had discovered in the caves of the dwarves and how she seemed to embrace that power completely. It made him feel like a hypocrite to judge Brianna after she had given up everything to support him when he revealed his own magic.
He walked back out into the clearing and found Brianna all alone.
“Where are the dragons?” he asked.
“I sent them to hunt,” she said, her irritation showing. “We’ve been tracking Bartoom for days now and they haven’t had the time to feed the way they should.”
“I’m sorry,” Zollin said. “I know I’m being a bit skeptical, but I thought you were dead.”
“Why?” Brianna asked. “Bartoom didn’t take me by force. If he wanted to kill me, why wouldn’t he have done it in the valley instead of taking me away?”
“Come on, what was I supposed to think? Our plan was to kill the dragon, remember? Not heal it, and certainly not to take off with it. I was worried sick. I tried desperately to find you, but you were just gone. And then…” he let his voice trail off.
“And then what?” Brianna said.
“And then things just went from bad to worse. We lost Kelvich, and we almost lost my dad. I didn’t know what had happened to you, but the way things were going I couldn’t help but think you were dead. When I saw the dragon, I fought hard hoping to find a clue as to what happened to you, but he slipped past me. You know he’s working for Offendorl, the master wizard of the Torr, don’t you?”
“Yes, but it isn’t Bartoom’s fault. The wizard has found a way to enslave Bartoom. It doesn’t have a choice but to obey.”
“You’re saying the dragon doesn’t want to do bad things?”
“No, it really doesn’t,” Brianna said. “It didn’t kill me, and it could have.”
“It killed a lot of people, though-hundreds of them. It burned villages, and it even fought with Offendorl, attacking the Orrock city walls. It even carried Offendorl away, just when I almost had him.”
“I’m sorry for that,” Brianna said. “And honestly, I think Bartoom is too. It’s hundreds of years old and has survived countless atrocities, most of them at the hands of people. It’s no wonder that it acted so viciously. Look, I’m not excusing what Bartoom did, but I have a different perspective now. I can relate to how they feel.”
Zollin took Brianna’s hand and they walked to the far side of the tree from where the horse carcasses were burning. The poor animals had died instantly from the dragon’s fiery breath, and Zollin was a little embarrassed that his stomach was growling from the smell of the roasting horse flesh. They sat down on the grass, facing each other.
“Well, I am very happy that you are alive,” he said.
“Did you miss me?” she asked.
“Of course I did. I wanted to curl up in a ball and die. If I wasn’t forced to fight armies and chase down evil wizards, I probably would have.”
“You could have come looking for me,” she said.
“I would have,” Zollin said. “I would have spent the rest of my life searching for you.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand.
“My pride can help you,” she said. “The dragons are powerful, Zollin. They almost killed Bartoom less than a week ago.”
“I wish they would have,” Zollin said.
“Bartoom is returning to the wizard that enslaved it.”
“Not without taking a shot at me every chance it gets,” Zollin said. “And the wizard’s name is Offendorl. He’s old and powerful, but I’ve got to stop him. He led an army to attack Yelsia and used the dragon against us.”
“I know,” Brianna said sadly.
“And the army that invaded Yelsia is now on its way to Osla. Rumor has it that King Belphan was killed during the battle of Orrock. And there’s a witch too-have you heard about her?”
“Yes, your father mentioned something about a witch,” Brianna said, fear stirring in her heart again.
“You’ve seen him?” Zollin asked. “Was he with Miriam?”
“Yes, they seem very happy, although he’s worried about you.”
Zollin nodded, happy that his father had found a place to call home.
“I think the witch is actually a sorceress, but apparently she has some sort of magical control over men,” Zollin said. “She bewitched Mansel and Quinn. Mansel tried to kill Quinn twice, and he did kill Kelvich.”
“What? No, Zollin, that can’t be true.”
“It is, but he wasn’t acting on his own. That’s why he’s been with me. He feels like he owes me something. He met Nycoll on his way down to Osla with Quinn. They got separated and he ran into trouble. She patched him back up and now he’s in love with her.”
“Well,” Brianna said, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. “Of all the things I’ve seen, that’s the hardest to believe. Who would have ever thought that Mansel could fall in love?”
“Not me, but it
’s true. In fact, it’s obvious. We’ve been on a mad dash to get here before the army that’s marching south, but we were too late. They had already burned down her cottage. Lucky for her she hid, but even then she almost didn’t make it. We were waiting here for Eustice and getting a little rest. I hope he shows up soon. We don’t have any supplies left now,” he said, waving at the tree.
“Who is Eustice?” Brianna asked.
“He was a servant of Offendorl’s, but the coward left Eustice behind when he fled. The poor man was so grateful that we let him live that he’s been following us ever since. He’s a eunuch, and Offendorl cuts out their tongues too. It’s horrible.”
Brianna wasn’t sure what to say. She had heard of eunuchs in stories from long ago. There was a time when people were enslaved, their bodies mutilated because of some insane belief that without the normal desires of men they would work harder and be more subservient. She shuddered at the thought.
“So, tell me what happened after you were carried away by the black dragon.”
“Bartoom,” Brianna said. “We went high into the southern range of mountains and found a cave. I stayed with Bartoom and learned as much as I could of dragons. They are really incredibly creatures. I tried to get Bartoom to stay with me, but the wizard’s call was too strong to resist. After Bartoom left, I had an overwhelming urge to create more dragons.”
“How?” Zollin asked. “Did the dragon…do something to you?” he asked quietly, partly ashamed for asking and partly afraid of the answer.
“What? You mean sexually? No,” she said sternly. “That’s not even possible. Dragons don’t reproduce. They’re not even male of female, Zollin. How could you ask that?”
“I don’t know,” Zollin said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how else you could create dragons.”
“With fire,” Brianna said, letting tongues of flame dance on her palms. “I did things I didn’t know I could do. It was amazing. I got so hot, Zollin, that I was literally swimming through solid rock.”
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