by Holly Hook
It was clear from the tone that Sven had made a Slayer mistake. The guy below couldn't believe this. Then I heard vines rustling as the guy below starting climbing. Dirk scooted up the roof—we couldn't risk standing—towards the flat top and I followed him to one of the chimneys. If we hid fast enough, Sven could come up with an excuse.
I ducked behind the chimney beside Dirk as the vines continued to rustle and Slayers kept shouting down below.
"Are you stupid?" the man shouted at Sven. "Get down here and—are those papers slipping out of your chest plate?"
I gulped as a fist of panic squeezed my heart.
Caught.
More vines rustled as the guy climbed back down. Sven thundered up the slant and peeked around the chimney at us.
"We have to go," he said. "This is the last chance. That Slayer's gone down to tell the others about me. Shift now. There should be room. You're vulnerable as you're doing it so you can't wait. I'll hop on your back."
"But—" I started.
"Do it," Sven said. He grabbed the sides of my face and planted a desperate kiss on my lips. "I trust you, Felicia."
"Cut the vines," I said. "Your sword."
Sven nodded and slid back down to his window, disappearing. Dirk and I exchanged a glance, sharing dread. There was no time for jealousy now. I hoped it went faster this time and didn't hurt as much, but the fear of pain didn't match the fear of dying in front of Sven. And most of all, it didn't match what the Slayers might do to him once they learned he was a traitor. Dirk crawled to the other side of the house to allow room. My magic turned to a storm inside me. Even one of those wouldn't stop the Slayers inside the house now. Not without hurting Sven.
Heat gathered in my heart. Popping sounds started somewhere as Dirk began the worst. Holding my breath, I lay on the flat expanse and willed my magic to expand. Everything exploded and pushed against my skin. My joints turned into agonized firecrackers that everyone must be able to hear. The Slayers would know we were up here. I hoped that Sven could slow them down. I didn't want to kill, and I knew Dirk didn't.
Everything turned to pain, but it progressed faster than before, building to a sickening peak. The hand of darkness waited behind my eyes as flames danced, inviting me to dive into it and escape, but I didn't. If I went unconscious, I might die. So I dove into the agony instead, trying not to scream. I turned to a mass of anguish. Sven shouted my name, and just as the hand opened to swallow me whole, the pain abated and left me able to breathe again. My body felt different, and I was lying with my side against the chimney. It was much smaller now.
Silence fell for a second.
"Felicia. Wake up."
I grunted, unable to speak, and opened my eyes to see his faint red glow. Sven stood on the top of the slant, eye level even though I was lying down. My foot hung off the other side of the roof's flat section, catching a shingle or two. My whole body—all twenty feet of it—was lying across it now.
I clawed at the rooftop, pulling up shingles by mistake. Behind him, Dirk recovered, now in his bronze dragon form. He took a breath and forced himself to stand, shaking. As he did, the roof groaned.
The two of us could be in major trouble.
"Let me on," Sven said. "I got your necklace." He held it in front of me as he motioned for me to lie as flat as I could. "I couldn't cut all the vines. Some of them are growing into the brick of the house and they're wedged in there—"
"Sven!"
I snapped my head up as Dirk growled.
Now I could see down the slant to the edge of the roof. Mr. Olsen stood at the bottom, decked out in armor and brandishing the sword that once belonged to Beowulf. He held a metal shield in front of him. He turned his look of rage at me and then his son as he tightened his grip on his weapon. The Gems on the handle glowed with a furious red as Dirk and I faced him down.
"You disgusting traitor," he said to Sven. Something vile shone in his eyes. "You disgusting, worthless traitor. I should have known you would turn on your own kind. You've always been weak. I'll have another son. One who will match me. One who will help with the leadership of this Society."
Sven backed away to stand in the few feet between me and Dirk, eyes widening in shock.
His father was the leader of the Society?
His father fixed him with more hate than I thought anyone could muster. Stepping towards his son, he raised his sword.
Sven's own father wanted to kill him. Even with two dragons here, that was his first concern.
I rose, growled, and stepped over Sven, struggling not to put my feet down too hard and collapse the roof. Mr. Olsen turned his gaze up at me as Dirk stayed behind, hesitant to fight. I'd kill this horrible man before he could hurt Sven any more.
"So," Mr. Olsen said. "It's you."
"Felicia! No!" Sven shouted, running in front of me.
But his father turned in a lightning quick motion and struck him over the head with the broad side of the sword. A horrible clunk followed as Sven stood there, dazed, and fell to the shingles.
"I find it ironic that you corrupted my son," Mr. Olsen said. He pointed the sword at my heart as I froze at the sight. The sword itself seemed to freeze me to the core. I didn't understand. It was just a sword. But it had an evil glint I couldn't quite see. The man looked at me without fear. Instead, there was a wild hunger in his eyes. Greed. Maybe even amusement.
Dirk growled and charged at Mr. Olsen.
I couldn't tell him to stay away fast enough, not even with my gaze. Dirk swiped at Mr. Olsen, striking and making him fall down the slant of the roof. The roof groaned, trying to hold our combined weight and shifted underneath me. It would fall soon, crushing anyone inside. Sven turned over, grasping his head. I nudged him with my snout, urging him to hurry. If the house collapsed, it might kill him.
Mr. Olsen rolled, absorbing the shock, and got right back up, gripping his sword and ready to strike. He gazed at Dirk's vulnerable underside. He read Dirk's body language. Mr. Olsen was trained. He knew Dirk didn't want to kill.
And he wouldn't be fair.
I charged him.
"Felicia!" Sven shouted.
It was too late. I snapped at Mr. Olsen as he whirled to face me, but he dodged behind one of the chimneys. The fire raged inside, begging me to unleash it on this excuse for a man. I glimpsed Sven staggering towards me. The sight of him cooled the fire. I couldn't kill his father. Not in front of him.
"You've taken my heir!" Mr. Olsen shouted.
He was every inch knight. The sight re-ignited the inferno within. Mr. Olsen flipped his visor down and raised his shield, predicting my actions. I unleashed fire on him for what felt like an eternity, but as soon as it faded and stopped roaring, leaving small flames poking from the shingles, Mr. Olsen lowered his shield and charged again, undeterred. He dove, pulling the sword back to stab my vulnerable spot as I wondered why he wasn't dead or on fire.
"No!" Sven shouted, ramming into him from the side.
Mr. Olsen's sword flew, sliding down the roof and toppling to the ground. Shouts came up from below as the other Slayers caught wind of the happenings. Crossbows cracked from all around the surrounding yard and pain exploded in my back as an arrow lodged into me. The Slayers were in full attack mode. Sven held his father down, trying to restrain him.
And then Mr. Olsen reached up and punched Sven across the jaw.
Sven backed off, grabbing his jaw. Mr. Olsen gave him one last glare of hatred, sliding towards Sven's window in his clunky armor. I advanced, nothing but his blood on my mind. A man like that didn't deserve to live. More pain exploded in my side as another arrow struck. My flesh sizzled, trying to pull together around it, but it would have to wait.
Dirk advanced on the monster, too.
Mr. Olsen scrambled down the vines, outmatched. He ran for the weapons shed. Once that happened, he would open fire.
Dirk growled in pain as another arrow struck.
More pain exploded in my side, deeper this time. I breathed in on
ly to have agony explode. An arrow had punctured my lung. We had to go.
"Stop!" Sven shouted at them all. But more clicks followed. "Stop firing! We don't have to do this!" He waved his arms to my left as I got down. Flames flickered and smoke rose. Supports creaked and threatened to go out.
I had caught the roof on fire. The Manager's House was burning, and I was the doer of the deed.
Sven wrapped his arms around my neck as I ducked, urging him to hurry. "I know you haven't done this before," he shouted, "but I know you can."
The sky stretched out above. This wouldn't be like any dream of flying. This would be real and if it was anything like trying to walk for the first time, it would end in disaster. I looked over at Dirk, who stood there, looking at me in terror. Another arrow punctured his wing, and he growled, flapping them both.
And then he rose into the air as Sven climbed onto my back, grasping spines or whatever he could. He trembled. I could feel it.
Although they felt foreign, I could stretch my wings, hardly able to believe they were mine. But my nerves connected. Another arrow ripped through one and Sven ducked.
"Continue fire!" Mr. Olsen shouted as he emerged from the shed.
He stood in the backyard, lifting a crossbow at my heart.
I had to force myself to look away and leap off the roof, unfolding wings and catching air beneath them.
Dirk did the same, flapping his wings but crashing to the backyard. He landed in a heap as Mr. Olsen leapt back, then straightened up and tried to get his wings working again. He rose, struggling to catch air as I circled around the Manager's House. Slayers scattered below, vying for position, as Mr. Olsen took one final aim at me and fired.
He missed. The arrow zoomed past and arced back to the earth.
The sky waited and the stars watched. Sven held on for life. Beside me, Dirk rose with great effort as we took off into the night.
Chapter Six
The key to flying was to drift.
Dirk and I were side by side. Dirk flapped his wings, trying to catch up with me and he was having a hard time. Sven continued to hang on as we left the Manager's House behind. I didn't dare look back because I knew what I'd see: flames taking and smoke rising. People running around, trying to salvage what they could. Now that I was away from them, the first pangs of guilt started in my chest, disrupting the magic like a breath blowing on a candle. I thought of summoning another storm to put out the fire, but Sven was on my back and a storm might throw him off. He clung onto spines with his life and ducked to avoid the wind washing over me. I could feel his cheek against the back of my neck.
"Felicia!" he shouted over the atmosphere. "We need to land as soon as we get away from here!"
For the first time, I absorbed how high we were.
The freeway cast a concrete line on the ground in the distance. Dark patches of trees divided fields. A few cars cast headlights on the distant road. Though the world looked gray, I could make out scattered houses. Farms. Access roads I hadn't realized were there. If I looked to the side, I could almost make out my family's olive farm, where my parents were no doubt worrying about me.
But Sven had a point. It was late, but someone could see us up here. The moon illuminated some distant clouds, casting light. We were almost as high as them.
Though the air itself was doing a lot of work keeping me up, I could feel it burning as it tried to force itself through the hole in my wing. An arrow still stuck out of it. I could feel it rubbing against injured flesh. Other points of pain came to my awareness. It still hurt in my side to breathe. I must be bleeding. The thought took me away from watching the world from above.
"We have to land!" Sven shouted.
I tried to nod, but the air lifting me from underneath made it hard. I had to heal. We had to regroup. And Dirk was still struggling with this flying thing. He didn't realize that less was more. He panted with exhaustion as he tried to keep pace.
Landing might be scarier than taking off. But I searched for a cluster of trees that promised to hide me. A thought passed that I could land at my farm, but we'd have to go to the other side of town. And the more I thought about the pain, the worse it got. The thought of going all the way there, even if it wouldn't take too long, was unbearable.
So I pulled my body back, trying to create drag. The move was instinctive, and I slowed, descending towards the forested patch I'd chosen. The tree branches wrapped around me as I fell through them, snapping branches and creating a lot of noise. At last, my feet met ground.
And next to me, Dirk landed, splitting a tree trunk. He was having a lot of trouble with this and once he shifted back, I was sure he'd say something about never wanting to do this again.
As soon as I landed and lowered myself to the ground, Sven slipped off and sighed in relief. "I almost lost the laptop and the papers," he said. "Felicia, I need to pull these arrows out of you and Dirk. The two of you are bleeding. I don't know what'll happen if I don't do it before you shift back."
Concern and love filled the spaces between his words. Sven only wanted to land not to ruin the magical moment, but to make sure I'd survive the Slayer attack. Bracing myself, I listened as Sven walked through the underbrush of the forest, his feet graceful and confident. With him I'd be all right in no time.
"I've trained in how to treat injuries," Sven said. "Well, human ones, but once these are out, you'll heal. There's one here." He placed his hands on the injured wing. "I'll pull it out this way." A brief flash of pain followed as he removed the arrow and threw it somewhere in the foliage. "I'm coming over to your side now. You have two there."
I closed my eyes and waited. Sven walked around and placed his hand on my side. His touch calmed my racing, nervous heartbeat. I thought of flying with him again. How had he felt about it?
"Ready?" Sven asked.
I nodded.
He pulled, and I grunted in agony as the arrow came out, and then another. My flesh sizzled, and the pain calmed as it pulled itself together. Sven's touch made it bearable. Meanwhile, Dirk waited and grunted, begging Sven to hurry. He moved side to side as he tried to dislodge some of his arrows. I heard one snap and fall to the ground.
"I'm never speaking to my father again."
Sven spoke with hatred I hadn't heard from him before. Anything between the two of them was over. And I was the cause.
"You made me see what he is," Sven said. "He didn't even tell me he's the leader of the Wiglaf Society. That's how little I know about him. I've been living with a stranger who's been lying all my life." As if trying to escape, Sven walked over to Dirk and pulled an arrow out. "Sorry," he said when Dirk grunted. "They shouldn't have done this to you when you weren't even trying to kill them. You didn't even kill my father when you could have. I commend you for that."
At Sven's words, my stomach turned over. He might hate his father, but he didn't want to see the man die. His grief at losing his cousin swept over me. That was one awful secret still floating between us. With it there, I felt as if I could never be open with Sven and it wasn't a good feeling.
"There," Sven said. "I got all the arrows out. Now we have to figure out what to do next. The two of you can't stay here for obvious reasons. I'll find you some clothes before you shift back. The last thing you want to be is to be vulnerable when you get back to your human forms." Though I couldn't see him with my eyes closed—while thinking about his cousin, it was unbearable to look—I sensed his body heat as he drew closer. "Stay low until I get back. I might have to break into a house or two to find you some clothes, but I'll manage. And I'll have you guard the papers and laptop." Sven shifted as he pulled them out of his chest plate. "Dirk, I'll have you guard them. I think no one will mug you guys. Plus, you're the computer nerd."
I could watch as Sven placed the laptop and papers on the forested ground in front of Dirk. Dirk placed his claws over them, ready to do his duty. And Sven walked off into the trees, leaving the two of us to think about the horrifying events at the Manager's House.
* * * * *
We waited for over an hour in silence. I heard no sirens in the distance like I should have. The forest remained silent as if terrified. And I couldn't blame it. I heard no Slayers drawing near. They'd know the general direction we had flown, but now we were miles away from the House that was still burning. There was too much rural ground to search. I knew they were out there, hunting and maybe drawing closer, and them finding us here would mean having to abandon the papers and laptop we'd stolen from Mr. Olsen. It would mean having to give up finding wherever they kept all the stolen treasure. It would mean a slow death for the dragons and soon, extinction. The Wiglaf Society would grow in power, suppressing people wherever it could.
They did not deserve it.
Underbrush and twigs snapped as someone approached. Lifting my head, I tensed until I realized it was Sven, walking with a grocery bag of clothes dangling from his hand.
"These aren't glamorous and I found them in a barn, but they'll work," Sven said. "Sorry, Felicia. The houses I found all had alarm systems that would get the police called."
I was glad he had tried nothing too illegal. Sven would have no protection against the law. Sven pulled out overalls, a plaid shirt that would be too big on me, and boots. He had grabbed three sets of farm clothes but they were better than nothing.
"We're clear," Sven said. "There's a road about half a mile from here that I found. If it wasn't for the moonlight, I wouldn't have got that far."
I braced myself for shifting back. Crawling away from Dirk, I found a thick spot with lots of underbrush and trees. I lay down, focusing on the magic flowing through me until I grasped onto the energy flowing around the outside of my body. It responded, intensifying at my attention as I pulled it inward, ordering my body to shrink.
Though it took a minute to do, shifting back went faster than it had the first time. Joints snapped and pain exploded, but it was shorter this time. I had the sense that the pain would never go away. It would only get more bearable with time and I'd get so used to it that soon, I wouldn't fear it anymore. Dizziness swept over me and threatened to make me black out as my form twisted and adjusted, but I resisted the hand of darkness.
