“How did you sleep?”
“Decently.”
“No problems?”
“None.” Ivar glanced toward Bevin and Dex. He turned to Soren. “I implore you. I have said it before. We must travel on foot. The area is dense near the fortress. There will be no place for your dragon to land.”
“We will deal with that when the time arises.”
Ivar’s gaze turned to the north. “We must go on foot.”
Soren breathed out slowly, willing himself not to yell at the man. “I will not discuss this. The decision has already been made. We fly.”
Ivar opened his mouth and then closed it. He pushed past Soren, walking past the fire. He stopped at the edge of the clearing, gazing into the woods.
Bevin walked over to Soren. “What was that about?”
“More of the same. He wants us to walk.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“Neither does Dex.” Soren sighed. “Unfortunately, we need him to find the fortress.” He made sure Ivar was out of hearing range. He leaned closer to Bevin and told him about Ivar’s night time activity.
“I’ll be sleeping with my dagger close by,” Bevin said. “You are in luck. He won’t come near you as long as you sleep by Dex.”
Soren reckoned that was true as the man clearly avoided the dragon. They quickly ate and broke down the camp. Ivar stayed away from Soren, obviously still annoyed by his refusal to leave Dex. When it was time to leave, the man trudged over to Dex and mounted the dragon, settling in his spot behind Soren. Ivar avoided his gaze. Soren sighed.
If he thought Ivar would stop with his plea for them to abandon Dex, he was mistaken. The man approached him as they took a break for a noontime meal.
“I cannot do it,” he said. “I cannot see the landmarks from the air. We must travel on foot.”
“I thought I made it clear,” Soren said. “That isn’t an option.”
“It does no good if I cannot get my bearings and know which way to go.”
“We will have Dex fly lower, and we can stop more often so you can get your bearings, but we will not leave Dex.”
Ivar opened his mouth as if to object again. His eyes met Soren’s, and he closed his mouth. He walked away, muttering under his breath.
As they flew that afternoon, Dex kept low, close to the treetops. It must have been enough for Ivar to tell where they were. He tapped Soren’s shoulder twice, gesturing course adjustments. Now as they set up camp, Soren saw Ivar glancing his way. He took a step toward him but then stopped. Soren wondered if it was because he stood near Dex or if the man figured it would do no good to once again make his case for traveling by foot.
Dex took off to hunt for his dinner as Soren walked over to the fire where Bevin had already started their own meal. The guard certainly has a knack for catching small creatures. Tonight, a rabbit roasted over the fire. Soren saw Ivar watching them. The man adverted his eyes when he saw him looking.
Soren sat across from Bevin, who pulled out his sword and began running a cloth over the blade. The aroma of cooked rabbit filled the air, and the fire snapped as the juices from the meat dripped. He glanced back at Ivar. The man was sitting on his bedroll, watching them again. He clutched something in his hand, but Soren couldn’t see what it was. Soren pulled out his grandfather’s journal and started to read. Much of it was about his life as a dragon rider. There were also sketches of harnesses, medical treatments for the dragons and even a few diagrams of training exercises.
As he turned the page, his fingers shook. He gripped the book harder.
“You still get the shakes,” Bevin asked.
Soren nodded. “Sometimes.”
“But nothing like when you collapsed?”
“No.”
Bevin shook his head. “Man, you have had it easy. I told you about my Uncle. He would be shaking up a storm for days. He had the sweats. He would lie in bed, not eating or sleeping. Of course, his answer to it all was to drink again. Do you think…could it be because of the dragon blood? It causes you to heal faster. Maybe it lessens your reaction to being without the ale.”
“I don’t know. I don’t recall a time when I wasn’t drinking so I have no way to compare. I just wish my hands would stop doing this.”
“How long has it been since your last drink?”
Soren’s mind flashed back to seeing Bevin in tears on the steps outside the building in Camden. Again, he felt a flash of remorse at Tevor’s death. “Four days.”
Bevin’s eyes watered as it dawned on him what had happened that day. He covered his eyes and bowed his head. He took a deep breath and then another. When he looked at Soren, the grief showed in his eyes.
“I am fine as long as I’m busy. If it wasn’t for this trip, I’d be dwelling on his death,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. He sighed. “As for the shakes, I think you are through the worst of it. It should get better from here on out as long as you don’t drink.”
Bevin turned to check on their dinner. Soren stared at the man’s tense back. He felt horrible for reminding the man of his father’s death. He opened his grandfather’s journal and continued reading. A short time later, Bevin declared the meat done. As he dished it up, Soren glanced at Ivar. The man made no move to join them. Soren grabbed a plate and walked over. Ivar started to rise, but froze midway. His eyes went to something over Soren’s shoulder. Soren heard Dex’s wings and knew the dragon returned. Ivar hastily sat back down, stuffing something under his bedroll.
“Here,” Soren said, handing him the plate.
The man ducked his head, muttering his thanks. Ivar’s eyes flirted to the dragon before he quickly looked away. To Soren, this time he didn’t seem afraid of the dragon as much as annoyed by his presence. Soren wondered about it as he returned to the fire and his own dinner. He could think of no reason for it but then again, the man’s odd behaviors often didn’t make sense to him. He and Bevin ate and cleaned up with little discussion. As Bevin built up the fire to ward off the cooling night air, Soren glanced over at Ivar. The man lay on his bedroll.
“He has gotten quieter as we have gotten closer to the fortress,” Bevin said.
Soren nodded. “At least he didn’t say anything about walking this evening.”
“I’m sure you will hear about it tomorrow along with another reminder that he will not go near the fortress.”
“He is adamant about that.”
“Can you blame him?” Bevin said. “He said no one returns. I have been trying to decide what types of traps Drachen may have set to protect his fortress.”
“Traps or magical traps?”
“Now that you say that, probably both. He is a wizard after all so there should be magical traps. And here I was just thinking of trap doors and sharp weapons on spring releases.”
An image of being impaled by a spear flashed before Soren’s eyes. “You had to say that, didn’t you? And now I will have nightmares.”
Bevin laughed. “Sweet dreams, Soren.”
He scowled at Bevin as he settled next to Dex. Again, he thought about a spear impaling him. He pushed it from his mind but the image of falling through a trap door replaced it. Every time he pushed one thought away, another came in its place. It was Dex’s steady breathing that finally lulled him into a restless sleep.
Hours later, Soren woke with a start. He felt Dex shift slightly. But it wasn’t the movement of the dragon that woke him. It was the sounds of a struggle. He sat up. It was too dark to see anything.
“Dex, the fire!”
The dragon jerked awake as Soren repeated the order. Dex breathed out a stream of flame, lighting the logs in the fire pit. The blaze lit the camp. On the other side of the fire, Bevin and Ivar fought. The pair rolled across the ground. In Ivar’s hand was a knife, the blade dark with blood. Bevin’s hand was wrapped around Ivar’s wrist as he tried to keep the man from slashing him.
Soren jumped to his feet. As he raced over, Ivar flipped Bevin and pinned him to the ground. He presse
d his knee into the man’s chest as he fought to free his wrist from Bevin’s grasp. At the same time, Bevin shoved at the man’s face.
Soren grabbed Ivar’s shoulders. He yanked backwards, pulling the man off Bevin. He clutched Ivar’s arm, hauling him to his feet. Ivar twisted toward Soren, but Soren anticipated the move. He stepped backward, staying behind the man as he slid his hand down to Ivar’s forearm. He twisted it behind the man’s back and jerked it upward. Ivar cried out. Soren pressed the man’s arm to his back, holding him still.
“Drop the knife,” he said, his lips close to the man’s ear.
Ivar dropped it as Bevin scrambled to his feet. With a couple quick steps, he was in front of Ivar. He punched the man in the face. Ivar’s head whipped back, narrowly missing hitting Soren in the face. Ivar twisted, trying to break Soren’s grip as he swung out toward Bevin with his free hand. Again, Soren jerked Ivar’s pinned arm upward. The man screamed.
“Stop it,” Soren said. “Or I’ll do that again.” His eyes went to Bevin’s bleeding arm. “Are you okay?”
Bevin touched near the wound. “It doesn’t look too bad.”
“What happened?”
“I woke up to find him standing over me,” Bevin said as he crossed the camp to his bag. He grabbed a rope from it.
Soren propelled Ivar forward back toward the fire. Releasing the man’s arm, he shoved him toward one of the logs. Ivar fell to his knees.
“Sit.” Soren stepped forward, towering over him.
The man scrambled to do as ordered as he rubbed his sore shoulder. Bevin knelt before the man. He grabbed his wrists, bounding them together.
“Was this your plan all along?” Bevin demanded. “To kill and rob us? Is that why you kept trying to get rid of Dex?”
Ivar refused to meet the man’s eyes. He stared at the fire instead.
Soren walked over to his pack next to Dex and retrieved his medical kit.
“Take off your shirt,” he said as he walked over to Bevin.
The guard glared at Ivar. “Don’t even think about running.” He glanced toward Dex, jerking his head toward the beast. “He’ll get you before you can get a few strides.”
Ivar shuddered. Bevin continued to watch the man as Soren cleaned the wound and sprinkled it with the powder to stop the bleeding. He bound it with a bandage as Bevin continued to glare at Ivar.
“We should leave him out here,” he muttered, “and see if anyone comes to untie him before he starves.”
“We can’t,” Soren said. “We need him to find Drachen’s fortress.”
At the mere mention of the wizard’s name, Ivar began to shake. He rocked back and forth as he stared at the fire.
Bevin flexed his arm, testing the bandage’s hold. “How do we even know he knows where it is?”
“He knows.” Soren knelt beside Ivar. “And you will take us to the fortress.”
Ivar’s face paled. “I…I…I cannot.”
Bevin motioned Soren over. “We can’t trust him. How are you sure he knows where it is?”
“His fear. It is real. There is something about the fortress that scares him.”
“Now that is comforting.” Bevin rolled his eyes. “How are you going to get him to agree to take us there?”
Soren looked at Dex. “Can you intimidate him for me?”
“Intimidate him?”
“Yeah. Threaten to eat him or something. He is obviously afraid of you. You might as well give him a reason.”
“You want me to threaten to eat him?” Dex’s eyes flickered over to the thin man by the fire. “Eat that? I don’t think so.”
“You don’t have to eat him. Just threaten him. Make him think you will eat him. Don’t worry. I will do the talking.” He walked over to Ivar, kneeling beside the man. “I know you know where the fortress is. You will take us to it.”
Dex rose. He took a step forward. Ivar’s eyes immediately snapped to the dragon. He shook as Dex took another step closer. He tried to scoot backward, but Bevin stood behind him, cutting off his escape route. Dex towered over the man. He lowered his jaw until it was inches above Ivar. He breathed out, ruffling the man’s hair. Dex opened his mouth slightly. A thick drop of drool fell onto Ivar’s shirt. The man jumped backward bumping into Bevin’s legs. Soren grabbed his arm to keep him from trying to bolt in another direction.
“If you don’t cooperate, Dex here will eat you.” He struggled to hide his smile as Dex sniffed at the man’s head.
Ivar pressed his eyes closed. He shook his head. “I…I…I cannot go into the fortress.” He opened his eyes and shrieked as he saw the dragon's face in front of his. He pressed his eyes closed. “I will take you. But you must promise to release me. I must not enter the fortress. I…I should not even venture near it.” He opened his eyes and met Soren’s. “Promise me and I will take you.”
“Agreed,” Soren said, “but double cross us and I will have Dex eat you for a snack.”
Ivar gulped as he bobbed his head in agreement.
“Ugh. Please stop saying that. The mere thought of eating something so stringy turns my stomach.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Later the next afternoon, as they flew over the treetops, Soren noted the ground grew rougher. Off to his left, he could see a glimpse of the sea. He imagined cliffs pounded by the waves. Maybe the image popped so readily into his mind because ahead of them, atop a steep rise of rocks lay a tall, thin stone structure.
Ivar thumped Soren’s back. He glanced back at the thin man who now rocked back and forth with his eyes adverted from the fortress. Dex flew higher, circling it. Three sides were protected from the sea by cliffs. The rock face appeared smooth, and Soren imagined it would be nearly impossible for anyone to arrive at the fortress from that direction. A thick forest protected the landward side. Soren could barely see the winding overgrown path that led to the front door. An open area spread out before the gate at the base of the hill meaning Ivar had been wrong about there being no place for Dex to land. The dragon settled a few hundred paces from the gate.
Soren dismounted. Ivar’s face was pale. While earlier he had adverted his eyes, he now stared at the fortress as he trembled. His eyes stayed glued to it as he climbed down from Dex.
“We should not be here.” He turned to Soren and stuck out his bound wrists. “I have done as you requested. Release me. Please, you promised.”
Bevin joined them on the ground. “If he wants to go, I say we let him.”
“No, no, no,” Ivar said, shaking his head. He looked toward the gate and trembled. “It is too late. He knows we are here. He knows.”
Ivar turned and ran toward the forest. Soren took a step to go after him, but movement near the gate caused him to turn. At first, he thought it was a trick of his eyes. Something dark rose from the rocks before the iron gate. Its wispy form resembled a shadow freed from the creature that cast it. The edges rustled and billowed in the wind. Bevin pulled his sword as it floated toward them. Soren glanced back to see Ivar had stopped running. He now watched with a look of horror on his face as the thing advanced.
“What is that?” Bevin asked.
“It is a Shadow Stalker,” Dex said. “A creature of magic conjured by wizards to do their bidding. I thought they had all been killed a long time ago.”
“Please, no,” Ivar wailed.
The man had stopped at the edge of the forest. He stared at the creature. Soren also turned. The black figure seemed to be carrying something.
“What is that it is carrying?” Soren asked as he pulled his dagger.
Bevin held his sword in front of him as he stepped in front of Soren. The black figure floated across the grass. As it neared, it began taking form. It stretched out in size, growing larger until it was almost the size of Dex. The body elongated as it took the form of an emaciated dragon. Long black spikes covered its bony back. Horns protruded from its thin face and long, skeletal wings sprouted from its scaly sides. In its claws, it held something dark in the shape of a man
but not a man. It was as if it held someone’s shadow.
“It’s Ivar’s soul he holds.”
The Shadow Stalker held up the shadow for them to see. It dangled from its claw. Slowly, it reached out with its other claw, snagging the darkness and ripping it in two.
Ivar screamed a gut-retching shriek. A light began to glow from deep within his chest. He clutched at it as the light grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it was as if his skin burst and the light was free. Soren shielded his eyes. When he looked back, Ivar was gone and in his place was a pile of grey dust.
“What…what happened?” Soren asked, shaking.
“It destroyed his soul. He’s dead.”
Bevin turned to stare at the dragon. “It killed him? How did it even get his soul? It was nowhere near him.”
“Its coming this way,” Soren cried as the creature turned its attention to them.
Dex stepped forward. He spread his wings and leapt into the air.
“Dex! What are you doing?”
“Shadow Stalkers can only be killed by dragon fire.”
“That’s why Ivar didn’t want you to come.” Soren swore.
“I think he was more worried about his soul,” Dex said. “Bevin asked how he got his soul. I think the Shadow Stalker has had it for quite some time.”
“What?”
Dex didn’t answer. The Shadow Stalker emitted a loud, high-pitched scream as it leapt into the air to meet the dragon. Soren held his breath as the two creatures barreled toward each other. Dex shot out a stream of fire. The Shadow Stalker rolled with its wings tucked to its body as it avoided the flame. It then flew higher than the dragon. Though they were similar in shape, the Shadow Stalker was still smaller than Dex. It dove, claws outstretched.
“Dex! Behind you!”
Dex twisted but not quick enough as the Shadow Stalker smashed into him. Its claws ripped into the dragon’s shoulder. Soren doubled over as the pain hit him. It felt like his own skin was ripping.
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