The Finding

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  Jaax sighed as he suddenly remembered the main reason he’d made this journey to Oescienne in the first place. Jahrra may be too young to know the truth, but she was old enough to prepare for her future, even if she had no idea what that future was. His purpose in coming back to Oescienne now was to make sure she was learning what she needed to learn, and one of the things she was lacking in was self defense and basic fighting skills. Someday she would be taking on many foes, both elf and beast alike, and she needed to be prepared to defend herself.

  Jaax laughed softly at this thought. She was only a child, what level of fighting skills could she possibly possess? That didn’t matter, however, for no matter how ill-prepared she might be, she could become better with the proper training.

  Jaax had expected this; he knew that Hroombra would not have thought of defense lessons. What he hadn’t expected was this nonsense about a herd of unicorns in the fields just beyond the Ruin. And her reaction to seeing him . . . He’d expected the girl to be a little distant, but he hadn’t expected the cold dislike that practically oozed from her. Now Jaax allowed himself to give this a little thought. Had Hroombra somehow left out some form of discipline on Jahrra’s part? Had he softened because of her great loss and been easier on the girl than he normally would have?

  Jaax had already seen signs of a lack of discipline in the young girl. Had she not been disrespectful the very moment she saw him? That was all he needed, an out of control little brat and her wild stories about magical creatures to make this visit less than unpleasant.

  Jaax shook his head to clear his mind. If Jahrra was turning out to be an impossible child, then he would just have to find a way to work around it, or repair it. He already knew she would be averse to the trip they would be taking the next day, so Jaax decided to go to bed early and enlighten her in the morning.

  I’ll need all the rest I can get if I’m to spend the day with her tomorrow, he thought to himself as he stepped through the dragons’ entrance of the Castle Guard Ruin. He walked into the great room and curled up in the corner away from the fireplace and slowly drifted off to sleep, trying not to think too much about the prophecy or of unicorns.

  ***

  Jahrra had been enjoying a particularly wonderful dream of racing unicorns through the forest with Phrym when a sharp, authoritative voice shattered the enchanted scene.

  “JAHRRA!”

  Jahrra woke with a snort, not quite sure what had awoken her. The flash of gold and silver and the musical notes of unicorns crying out still echoed in her mind.

  “Wake up!” the rude voice came again. “Let’s get this over with while the day is still young.”

  Jahrra turned one tired eye up to her window and saw the silhouette of Jaax’s massive head glaring through, black dragon-shape against the near black of pre-dawn.

  “What?” Jahrra said, closing her eyes again.

  It was far too early to think, to do anything but sleep, and she had no idea what Jaax was talking about.

  The dragon took a deep breath, let it out in a huff and said rather plainly, “I’ve come to Oescienne for one purpose: to see how good you are at fighting and defending yourself and I don’t have all day to do it.”

  Jaax seemed a little irritated, Jahrra thought. Perhaps he was still angry about yesterday, or maybe he hadn’t slept well. She didn’t really care. All she cared about was being woken up so early. Fighting and defending myself? What on Ethoes is he talking about? I must still be dreaming. Jahrra pondered sleepily as the cool air enticed her to stay right where she was.

  “I’ll not ask you again!” demanded Jaax’s grumpy voice, shattering all hopes of this all being a dream. Not a dream, a nightmare.

  Jahrra tempted herself with the idea of staying in bed just to spite him, but she didn’t want to see what would happen if she did. He was bad enough in his normal, non-agitated mood. She got up and dressed quickly, not wanting to anger him further.

  “Good morning, Jahrra,” Hroombra greeted as she shuffled into the main room of the Ruin. “Are you excited about your new lessons?”

  Hroombra sounded a little guilty, and Jahrra gazed at him through half closed eyes and said, “New lessons? Huh? What’s going on?”

  She was too tired to be annoyed that she hadn’t been told about this sooner, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

  “We discussed it last night and decided that it would be best if you took part in some extra-curricular activities. I know you think going on adventures with Gieaun and Scede is enough, but I think this will be better for you. We’ve even found you two trainers who are excellent in teaching swordsmanship, archery and advanced riding skills. I’m sorry, I did mean to warn you in advance, but Jaax insisted you start right away.”

  Of course he did, Jahrra thought heatedly as she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, attempting to drive away the sleep, only Jaax would think up ways to make me miserable.

  She grabbed something for breakfast and made her way to the door, braiding up her hair while she held a biscuit in her mouth. She was still confused by this sudden change in her daily life, but she was curious nonetheless. She found Jaax standing in the great field, looking towards the north, towards the path that led to the old castle.

  Jahrra tied off her long braid and took the biscuit out of her mouth.

  “Should I go and get Phrym?” she asked, not caring if she sounded dumb.

  Jaax just turned his head to the side and nodded once, slowly returning his gaze to where it had been before.

  I’ll never understand that dragon, Jahrra thought as she traipsed through the cold, wet grass. Waking before sunrise and signing me up for some defense lessons without telling me.

  Jahrra’s pants were soaked up to her knees by the time she reached Phrym’s stable, but she didn’t care, they would dry when the sun came up. Hours from now, she thought sarcastically. Phrym poked his head out over the gate, wondering what could be making so much racket this early in the morning. When he saw that it was Jahrra, he gave a happy whinny. Jahrra couldn’t help but smile back at Phrym’s cheerfulness. If only she had the same positive attitude about this whole strange morning.

  “I brought you an apple as a peace offering for getting you up so early,” she said as she fed him the fruit.

  Phrym didn’t seem to mind at all that Jahrra had awoken him early; he was just glad to get the apple. Jahrra quickly saddled him and cantered over to where Jaax stood. She pulled Phrym to a stop just behind the dragon’s shoulder and waited. He still stared off into the woods, but Jahrra waited for him to speak first.

  “Are we ready to go?” he asked sardonically, returning his gaze to her face.

  Jahrra responded with the same tone, “Phrym and I are ready. I don’t know about you.”

  Jaax gave her an annoyed look and then started off, Jahrra and Phrym keeping their distance behind him.

  “So, where exactly are we going then?” she asked through a yawn once they reached the main road.

  “Somewhere where I can test what skills you have, or lack thereof.”

  Jahrra ignored Jaax’s last comment and wondered why they couldn’t just stay where they were, but she wasn’t about to question him further while he was in his foul mood. They walked down the well-worn road for several more minutes. Jahrra thought the trip would’ve been more pleasant if there had been conversation, but she couldn’t imagine a pleasant conversation with Jaax.

  Instead of starting a discussion that would more than likely end in an argument, Jahrra passed the time by listening to the sounds around her and taking in the early morning grandeur. The birds were starting to sing and the owls were heading off to bed, and the smaller animals were searching noisily in their morning breakfast hunt. The sky was no longer solid ink but the washed-out blue and grey of the approaching dawn. Jahrra breathed in the cold air as the warmth of the sun’s first golden rays touched her face.

  Finally, after what seemed like ages, Jaax stopped walking and turned his head to talk
to Jahrra.

  “We’ll stop here. This looks like a nice, flat open space.”

  The great dragon stepped off of the road, merely a small path to him, and started heading west through the new grass that was still quite short. Jahrra sighed and led Phrym after him. I can’t wait until this is over, she thought to herself. A ring of tall eucalyptus trees decorated the furthest edge of the field, and Jahrra could see beyond the rim of the bluff just beyond. A sliver of the distant blue ocean and taupe-hued dunes, glowing brilliantly in the morning’s golden sunlight, were visible between the trees.

  Jaax’s voice finally interrupted Jahrra’s thoughts, “Shall we continue?”

  “What?” Jahrra said, not realizing she’d stopped to ponder the scene before her.

  “I want to be done with this as much as you do, so it would help if you paid attention.”

  Jahrra turned pink. Stupid dragon! He shouldn’t be allowed to be so rude all the time. She clicked Phrym forward to catch up with the dragon, now walking towards the middle of the large field. Jaax stopped and began to gaze lazily at his surroundings, surveying the open space the way a deer might contemplate an unknown meadow. Jahrra just sat atop Phrym, who began to paw at the ground, and waited for her next order. She let out an obvious sigh, hoping that it would coax Jaax into speaking, and shifted in the saddle, causing the leather to squeak in protest. For someone who’s in such a hurry, he sure is taking his time, she thought as she crossed her arms in vexation.

  It seemed a full five minutes before Jaax finally spoke.

  “Alright, I guess the first logical thing to do would be to see how you handle yourself on a horse, since you’re already prepared for it,” he said, looking Jahrra and Phrym up and down in a bored fashion.

  “What would you like us to do?” Jahrra asked composedly.

  She had no idea what Jaax wanted her to do with Phrym, but she figured it couldn’t be too difficult. She’d become quite a good rider since she began her lessons with Gieaun and Scede, and Phrym trusted her completely.

  “Take him to the edge of that small grove of trees and back.” Jaax nodded to a few young eucalyptus saplings growing away from the main wood. “If you know any maneuvers or other “tricks”, go ahead and show them to me.”

  Jahrra rolled her eyes and clicked at Phrym, bringing him into a sudden canter. The semequin easily covered the distance in a short time and soon Jahrra was weaving him in and out of the trees as she ducked and swerved adeptly from stray branches and limbs. She quickly turned Phrym, keeping her balance as he jumped over three fallen logs on their way back to Jaax. Jahrra was tempted to keep riding back to the Ruin, but instead she pulled her tall semequin to a sudden stop, causing foraging birds to scatter raucously and forcing a large cloud of dust to rise up around them.

  “That was adequate,” Jaax sniffed.

  This was a surprise to Jahrra. She thought she’d done rather well. She just sat straighter in the saddle, trying to look unaffected by the dragon’s judgment.

  “Is that all you can do?” he continued.

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Jahrra stammered, feeling somewhat flabbergasted.

  “You ride well and move with Phrym well, but can you do anything else besides weave through trees and jump logs?”

  Jaax was beginning to sound like Master Tarnik and Jahrra was starting to wonder what could be bothering him to make him so aggravated.

  “Can you ride fast and shoot with a bow?” he continued fluently. “Could you cover rough ground and fight off five full-grown men while staying on Phrym’s back? Could you make a higher or wider jump if you had to without falling from the saddle? These are things that you’ll need to learn, so therefore, your overall horsemanship is merely adequate.”

  Jahrra was stunned. Why on Ethoes would I need to fight off full-grown men!? she wondered in exasperation. She didn’t bring these questions up to Jaax, however. She thought that he was just being overly dramatic and assumed further questioning would only anger him more. Jahrra slumped in the saddle, waiting to receive her next set of marching orders.

  “I guess we’ll test your archery skills next,” Jaax said shortly, and then added mordantly. “You did bring your bow?”

  Jahrra slid from Phrym’s back and untied her bow and quiver from the back of her saddle. She allowed Phrym to wander off to graze and then turned back towards Jaax. “Do I have a target, or am I to just shoot at whatever moves next?”

  “I’ll tell you what to aim for, and you’ll try to hit it. That is generally how it works,” the dragon answered to match Jahrra’s cynicism. “Not all of your targets in real life are going to have bull’s-eyes on them you know.”

  Jahrra burned with annoyance, but she pulled her gloves on quietly and readied an arrow.

  “Alright, what am I to kill?” she said as pleasantly as possible.

  “I’ll go easy on you on your first attempt. Do you see that tree over there?”

  Jaax nodded to a small apple tree, about fifty yards away that was covered in new leaves and unopened buds. Jahrra noticed the large knothole on its trunk and was happy to agree with Jaax on this next task being easy, that is, until he spoke again.

  “I just want you to hit any of the blossoms growing on that tree for now.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Most of the buds were smaller than her thumbnail.

  “You must be joking!” Jahrra blurted out, making her thoughts known.

  “No, deadly serious,” the dragon whispered dangerously. “You can’t always risk missing an exact target, you must be precise, or it could mean your life.”

  Jahrra stepped back nervously. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this. It could mean my life? Who could possibly be that threatening to me? Then she thought with a slight panic, Maybe someone told him and Master Hroombra about what happened in Kiniahn Kroi! Could Ellysian and Eydeth really be trying to kill me?

  Jahrra swallowed hard and pulled back on her bowstring, aiming at the largest blossom she could find. It’ll be a miracle if I hit any part of the tree, she thought apprehensively. She released the arrow with a thick twang, but it sailed right past the tree, not even nicking a leaf. Jahrra stood there, turning bright red. Jaax didn’t say a word, and Jahrra was sure he was savoring the moment.

  Finally, the dragon spoke, his voice calm, “I am very glad I decided to start your training early. Now, the last thing I want to see is how you defend yourself when provoked. I’m going to attack you and I want you to fight back. In a sense, I want you to try sparring with a dragon. A dragon is probably the deadliest thing you’ll ever have to face, so this is a good learning experience for you.”

  Jaax walked away from the numb and embarrassed girl and, using his teeth, broke off a dead limb from a nearby tree.

  “Here,” he said, spitting it out at her feet, “pretend that is a sword. You have a good imagination, something you proved with the story of the unicorns yesterday.”

  Jahrra’s eyes were stinging with humiliation and rage, but she wouldn’t allow herself to cry, not in front of him. She picked up the branch and broke off the end to a suitable length. She was somewhat afraid to attack Jaax. After all, he was a huge dragon and she was just a girl, but her pride ruled her more than she wished. She took a deep breath that was meant to steady her mind and stepped forward, holding the branch as best she could from what she’d gathered about sword fighting.

  Jaax rose up on his hind legs and let out a mighty roar mixed with fire and smoke. Jahrra stopped dead. She’d never heard him roar like this before, and she became even more apprehensive. Now she understood why people feared dragons.

  “Come on, attack me! Don’t be afraid!” Jaax boomed down at her.

  He was twice as tall as usual as he balanced on his hind legs and tail, his great wings stirring the air as they held up his great weight.

  Jahrra lifted the stick she held and swallowed hard, bowing her head against the beat of his wings. She took a deep breath and let out a yell of her own, charging at full speed w
ith her eyes shut tight and her heart racing. She felt a crashing as she sprinted forward, and before she knew it, she had been slammed to the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the earth shake slightly as Jaax returned his forelegs to the solid ground.

  Jahrra opened her eyes and looked around dazedly. She was lying on her back and her lungs ached. Groaning, she rolled her head to the side and saw her imaginary sword lying on the ground a few yards away. Phrym was whinnying in distress but seemed too timid to approach. Jaax was standing above her, his great tail wrapped around the perimeter of the battlefield.

  The dragon leaned his enormous head down right next to Jahrra’s and said in a whisper, his breath moving the sand beside her head, “Never approach an enemy in anger, and never, ever close your eyes.”

  He lifted his head and walked off to the other end of the field and sat down, his back turned to the stunned girl. Jahrra sat up, furious with herself and extremely angry that Jaax had actually knocked her down. She shook the dirt and dead leaves from her hair and glared at him, hurtling as much hatred through her eyes as she could.

  Since his back was turned, she decided to take the opportunity to surprise him by creeping up on his blind side. She kept her eyes wide open this time, and as she drew nearer, she lifted her wooden sword in preparation for an attack. Jahrra thought she was doing well. She’d gotten within a few feet of the dragon, but it was no use, his hearing was too good. He swiftly turned around, and as Jahrra swung at him, he grabbed the branch with his scaled hand and lifted both the girl and her weapon high above the ground.

  Jahrra clung to her stick and hung helplessly in the air, kicking and flailing as Jaax held her up to his face.

  “Not good enough, Jahrra. Come now, you should be able to hit me at least once!” he taunted, smiling in amusement.