by Kara Jaynes
Well, it almost didn't matter anymore. I needed to talk to Taloos and confirm he could talk to animals. If he couldn't, I wasn't sure if this plan would work. The dragon would come back, but when? A beast tamer could definitely expedite the process.
I couldn't find Taloos either, and with every moment that passed, my irritation grew, simmering into anger.
I stomped back to Elysa's cottage, and nearly bumped into Glacia at the front door. She looked up at me sleepily, her hair tangled and wild about her head. “What's the matter?” She covered her mouth with a slim hand as she yawned.
I turned around, and we both went out into the yard, Glacia shutting the door behind her.
“Jett is gone,” I growled, “and I can't find Taloos, either.” I hurriedly explained the state of Jett’s place.
“Hmm.” Glacia tapped her chin with one finger. “I would guess something tipped Jett off. He left before things got even crazier. I mean, what if you succeed? He would have a very angry village on his tail. After all, a leader is supposed to keep his people safe. He didn't, but the people thought it was because no one could keep them safe. Until you.” She beamed.
I snorted. “I haven't defeated him, yet,” I grumbled.
Her smile widened. “You will.”
“Well, what about the beast tamer?” I asked. “Why is he missing?”
Glacia peered up at the sky. “He's probably sleeping, Silvan. It's quite early.”
I scuffed at the dirt with the toe of my boot. “Oh. I guess I did wake up pretty early.”
Glacia led me to a dilapidated cottage close to the south edge of the village. She marched up to the door and knocked loudly on it.
Nothing.
Glacia frowned, and knocked again.
A few long moments later, I heard shuffling feet approach. The door slowly creaked open and Taloos peered out, his face scrunched in suspicion. His brightened when he recognized Glacia, and opened the door wider. “Morning, Glacia. Come’on in.”
Glacia went inside, and I followed, eyeing Taloos, and saw the distrustfulness I felt, mirrored in his eyes.
His house was a filthy disaster. The wooden floorboards creaked under our feet, and were coated in dust. The table and narrow counter were greasy, stacked with unwashed dishes. I looked around, expecting to detect some signs of insects or rodents, but found none. Interesting.
Taloos sat on an uneven, three-legged stool, and motioned us to sit across from him on a dusty, sagging sofa.
Glacia pursed her lips, but sat on the edge, folding her hands in her lap.
“So, what's the plan, in detail?” Taloos yawned. He stretched his lanky arms above his head. He had both windows open, creating a nice cross breeze. A bird swooped in and landed on Taloos’s shoulder, chirping excitedly.
“Yes, I know,” Taloos said to the animal. Reaching up, he very gently stroked the bird's back. “Don't worry. It's not after you.”
That seemed to soothe the bird and it flew out again.
And that was enough convincing for me. The boy was definitely a beast tamer. There should’ve been mice in a place this dirty, and no robin in its right mind would willingly come in contact with a human being, not without being trained. And after listening to what Glacia had said about Taloos, I suspected the bird was plenty wild.
“You're going to lure the dragon here with your ability,” I said. “I’m going to be lying in wait for the Beast the appear, and Glacia—” I swallowed hard, “will be tied to the tree. She is going to be the bait.”
Taloos’s nose wrinkled. “Is this a good idea?”
“No,” I said, the same moment Glacia said, “yes.” I smiled ruefully at her.
“If it works, it'll be a splendid idea,” Glacia said.
“What if it doesn't work?” Taloos asked, voicing my fear.
Glacia waved a pale hand dismissively. “It'll work. Silvan will be here.” She laughed. “Now if he wasn't, then yes, I'd be worried.”
“I'll be there, obviously,” I growled. “But in battle, things do have a way of throwing the unexpected at you.”
Taloos was silent for a moment, staring down at the threadbare rug on the floor. Had his mother woven it?
“I'm afraid.” He exhaled heavily. “I'm very afraid.”
Glacia cast him a sympathetic look. “It'll be all right, Taloos. You'll see. Then everyone will see. You'll be a hero.”
“You think so?” A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips.
I stood. “I need to scout the area,” I said, “so I can figure out the best vantage point. I need to be able to see Glacia, and manage to stay perfectly hidden.”
Taloos’s gaze flickered to me. He tried to sound casual, but I could hear the burning curiosity, just under the surface. “So, how do you plan to defeat the dragon?”
I grinned mirthlessly, showing too many teeth. “You’ll find out.”
Taloos dropped his gaze. “Wonderful,” he muttered.
Glacia leaned from her seat, patting Taloos on the knee. “Trust me, Taloos. This will work.”
The beast tamer laughed like Glacia had just told a joke. He shook his head. “What could go wrong?”
I didn't laugh, gloom settling over me like a blanket. Anything could go wrong.
Everything.
35
Glacia
Night began to fall. The day had passed with agonizing slowness. I'd spent most of it helping Taloos in the gardens, contenting myself by digging in the dirt. The weeds seemed to grow twice as quickly as the crops the village would need to survive this coming winter. I looked at the potato and onion plants sadly. “Grow,” I whispered to them, keeping my voice low so Taloos wouldn’t hear me. “You need to keep these people safe. It won’t do them any good if we get rid of the dragon, only to have them starve to death.”
I paused for a moment, wondering if plants could hear. They certainly didn’t have ears, but there was something about them that made them seem every bit as alive as myself, or the dog or the goats.
“You don’t have to do this.” Taloos’s face matched the worry in his voice. “You don’t have to take this risk.”
“I know,” I said. “But I want to. I want to help.” I glanced sideways at the beast tamer. “I don’t know why everyone's so worried.”
Taloos barked a humorless laugh. “You’re really something else, you know that? Is your faith in Silvan so strong?”
It was my turn to laugh. “You saw him take that troll. Silvan is strong. He’s powerful. He can do anything.”
And I couldn’t. I scowled, and winced when I accidentally pulled an onion out by the roots. I did my best to put it back. I had to contribute something. I was so useless. If I could act as a lure, then at least I could say I’d done my part to end this madness.
“Hey, those vegetables are growing better than the others,” Taloos said.
“Huh?” I blinked, looking at the row I’d finished weeding.
Worry was replaced with open curiosity as Taloos leaned over my shoulder to get a better look at the plants. “Wow, that’s pretty neat.” He chuckled. “Looks like our weeding and care is paying off. You have a way with plants, Glacia.”
“Do I?” A warm glow grew in my stomach, spreading out to my limbs.
A cold breeze suddenly sprang up, whipping my hair about my face. I shivered as goosebumps ran up and down my arms.
“Sure as fire, that’s a cold wind,” Taloos growled. “Not a summer breeze. Spirits take it, I hope that doesn’t mean we’re in for an early autumn.”
I didn’t respond, the warm feeling in my stomach turning to ice. I knew what would happen if the crops froze. Winter came after autumn, and if that happened too soon . . .
I shivered again, wishing I had a shawl like the ones the Roamer women sometimes wore, draped lazily over their arms.
“You look cold,” Taloos said. “Do you want to go back to my place?”
Shaking my head, I curled my fingers around another weed and pulled. “Let’s hurry,” I said.
“I want to get this done before Silvan shows up.”
I tried to focus on the task at hand, but as much as enjoyed gardening, my mind kept circling back to our ploy, and I wondered, over and over, if it would work.
I believed it would. It had to. At some point, Silvan and this creature would fight. This territory wasn't big enough for two dragons.
Silvan had been gone for most of the day, doing what, I wasn't sure. He said he needed to find the best spot to for ambush, but I doubted that it would take the whole day. When he suddenly appeared with the twilight, his eyes sad, his body tensed with worry; I felt my first twinge of doubt.
“It's time,” he said solemnly.
I nodded and stood, brushing the dirt off my hands. I followed him through the village. Taloos had started a vague rumor that the dragon would strike tonight, and the villagers watched us with large, worried gazes. I could almost read the unspoken questions in their eyes. Were we going to defeat the dragon as promised? Or were we trying to leave, like Jett had?
We reached the old, gnarled tree that had been used for several sacrifices already, I shivered. Silvan gently pressed me against the trunk, the rough bark scuffing my arms.
Taloos followed us there, using flint to light a large bonfire. He’d been with me most of the day, so I suspected Silvan had gathered the wood for the fire. The beast tamer’s brown eyes were somber as he gave Silvan a coil of rope, and left without a word. I watched him disappear into the forest.
Silvan uncoiled the rope and began to wrap it around me and the trunk. When I shifted my arms, testing the bonds, he clicked his tongue. “Don't move.”
“You're tying me up for real?” I hadn't expected that, and a tendril of uncertainty wormed its way into my heart.
“Yes,” Silvan replied. His voice was expressionless, but I could feel the tenseness in his hands, and saw the stiff stance of his body. “Dragons are clever. If he sees you aren't truly bound, then the game is up.”
“I see.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat, trying to hide it. “Well, I'm glad you're here.”
Silvan finished tying the rope, and took my chin, forcing my gaze up to his. His silver hair glowed like a halo was around his head with the fire behind him. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? If you are having second thoughts—”
“No,” I interrupted quickly. “I want to help.”
He nodded, not arguing. He knew me well enough to know I'd made up my mind. “Try to escape,” he said. “I need to make sure I tied it right.”
I pushed against the rope, first testing my strength against them, and when that didn't work, I tried to slip out of them without success. “I'm stuck.”
Silvan watched me, his gaze oddly bright in the flickering light. “Good to know,” he murmured, then coughed, running a hand through his hair. He smiled crookedly at me. “I'll be close, Glacia. Don't worry.”
I smiled up at him. “I don't doubt you, Silvan.”
And I didn't. Not when he stepped away, his face regretful, not when he turned and slipped away into the woods. Not when I was alone, tied up as a living sacrifice to the Beast, lurking in the woods.
I trusted Silvan.
Completely.
Nothing would go wrong tonight.
36
Silvan
I cast one long look at Glacia before I slipped into the forest, finding a hollow in the ground, beside a fallen tree. Settling in, my muscles were taut and coiled, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. The dragon would be a stupid fool if he fell for this. It was too obvious, too clear in my mind, what we had planned. It was too simple. Use girl as bait. Kill dragon. The end. Still, we were running out of options. We needed to try this. At worst, the dragon would simply stay in the forest.
My breath was shallow from repressed adrenaline, so I tried to employ a meditation breathing tactic that Master had taught me. In. Out. In. Focus on the breath. I was inhaling a fine, pale white mist of calm, exhaling the dark cloud of doubt and despair. In. Out.
This had to be the stupidest, riskiest thing I had ever done. What was I thinking, gambling with my heart?
Glacia wanted to help these people. I did, too, but not at risk to her. Her life wasn't one to be gambled, like coin in a wager. Her life was infinitely precious, and if lost, would shatter my heart, like glass on stone.
I shook my head, annoyed with my wandering thoughts. I willed myself back to my breathing practice. Light, in. Darkness, out.
There. Slight movement flickered on my right. My muscles tensed further as I watched, peering into the thicket, dense woods.
A long, sinuous snake of darkness whipped out of sight, tearing down a small trail. The dragon.
I leaped to my feet and took off, chasing him through the twilight woods.
He was fast, but not as fast as last time. I'd never gotten close enough to actually see him, but now, I could see flickers of darkness ahead, weaving down the trail. I sped up, practically flying down the path. I wondered: if he had wings, why didn't he use them? Glancing overhead briefly, the answer came almost immediately. The woods were too thick, trees growing close together. He could fly, or rather, I could, if the situation demanded it, but it wouldn't be easy, and would slow down the dragon considerably.
I grinned, a triumphant growl rippling from my throat when the trail bent, giving me another glimpse of the shadow ahead of me. I was gaining on the creature. I summoned my power about me, and as the trail opened up into a clearing, I prepared to transform, my fingertips glowing with gathered power.
Except there was no dragon. A dragon coiled and shifted before me, but even now it was fading, its form floating away to blend in with the falling night.
An illusion. A fraud.
Magic.
This was not the dragon. It was his magic. I could feel an extension of the Beast, even now, but it was not him.
He was still out there.
Glacia.
No! I spun around, terror clawing out of my throat in a strangled scream. No!
I ran back the way I had come, raw, blistering fear giving me speed. Glacia, no. Please no.
I prayed to the heavens, to the Defender, to anyone who would listen, desperately pleading for Glacia's life. I had to save her. Everything I had done, the sacrifices I had made, would all be for nothing if I couldn't protect her.
“Glacia!” I yelled, even though I knew she couldn't hear me. “I'm coming! Hold on!”
I ran, feeling the growing evil before me. The evil that now coiled about the village.
I was close. So close. Would it be enough? How? How could she survive? I'd fallen for the dragon's trick. I'd done exactly what it had wanted me to do.
I reached for my magic once more, pulling it about me as I hurtled through the trees, ready to attack. To hurt. To maim. To kill. To destroy.
To protect.
What if she died? What then? Where would I go? What would I do? Aside from tearing the dragon into bloody shreds, what purpose would there be in my life?
I knew my Master would have blathered about how life goes on, even after losing loved ones.
I gritted my teeth, my breath coming in savage gulps. Master had been wrong.
The trees began to thin, and I knew I was close. Close to the dragon. I could feel its evil, nearly as ancient as the earth itself. It was in the village.
I was almost there. Was Glacia still alive, or would I come upon her broken and torn body?
A shriek ripped through the night air, freezing my blood.
She was still alive, if only for a moment longer.
I knew once I cleared the forest and was back in the village I could transform. My ability stirred to life, preparing for release as I burst from the cover of the trees, taking in the awful scene before me.
37
Glacia
I stood alone, bound to the tree. When the townsfolk realized what we were up to, they'd fled to their homes, bolting doors and shuttering windows. With Silvan nowhere to be seen, a
nd fear beginning to creep up my back, I couldn't blame them. Unable to move, my mind came up with all sorts of things that could go wrong.
Taloos was gone, too, somewhere in the forest.
His job had been to summon the beast. Was he doing that now? Would he succeed? I didn't know. And the only thing I could do was peer nervously into the gloom and wait. I hoped Taloos was all right, and that Silvan was safe.
I snorted, unable to stop a nervous laugh. If everything went according to plan, Silvan would be in extreme danger very soon.
And it had all been my idea.
Hissing softly through my teeth, I scanned the dark forest edge again. If the dragon somehow won and killed Silvan, it might as well kill me. And it almost certainly would.
I sensed the dragon before I saw it, a great, hulking, dark presence of evil. I shivered, pressing my back harder against the tree in an effort to shy away. It was different from the demons, but the same threads of hate, malice, and corruption shuddered through it.
When it stepped out of the forest, glowing eyes fixed on me, I blinked, unsure of what I was seeing. Multiple red eyes swam before my vision, and I had to count twice before I was sure.
The dragon had seven heads, each one of their gazes locked on mine. I cringed as it came closer, the beast reeking of blood and death.
I inhaled through my mouth, and coughed, tasting the stench. Where was Silvan? Taloos had obviously succeeded in luring the dragon, but the key to our victory hadn't shown up yet. Had this creature already destroyed him?
I didn't know. And looking at this seven-headed dragon as it approached, I was suddenly unsure if Silvan was strong enough to defeat it, anyway.
One of the heads hissed, gray, putrid acid drooling from its jaws. Another head snickered, the sound a terrible guttural, clicking sound. The dragon began to advance, slowly bearing down on me, wings held close to its body.
“S-Silvan?” I called, annoyance threading with my fear when my voice squeaked. “You can attack, now.”
