by Kyra Dune
Heat rose in Micayta’s chest, traveling quickly to her face. She looked at her brother. “Is that what you think too? That I’m not ‘qualified’ to be in charge here? You’d rather follow him?” She pointed at Tech. “Let him make all the decisions?” She crossed her arms. “You think I can’t keep you alive?”
Pytaki looked helplessly from his sister to Tech and back again. He sighed. “I follow you, like always. You know that.”
Micayta gave Tech a smug look. “Seems like you’re outvoted two to one.”
Tech looked at them both with the strangest expression on his face. “Fine, I’ll take first watch.” Then he was the black bird flying out into the swirling snow.
There was a long moment of silence, broken only by the sounds of the horse eating. “Be sure and feed the mare too.” Micayta turned back toward the fire. She sat, feeling strangely off center. It was Tech’s fault. He had no right to usurp her authority or to look at her as though she’d done something wrong when clearly she was only trying to protect her brother.
Chapter Fourteen
Micayta woke in darkness, heart pounding in her chest, that same nightmare of flames slow to fade from her mind. Pytaki was curled up beside her, buried to the top of his head under the blankets. Whatever dreams he dreamed were obviously giving him no trouble.
The fire was burning brightly, but rather than warm her, it only added to her chill. She pulled the top blanket off the pile and wrapped it around her shoulders, then made her way to the cave entrance.
Tech was standing several feet outside the entrance. The wind ruffled his black fur. He turned at the sound of her footsteps and padded toward her, becoming a man by the time he stood by her side.
“Bad dreams?”
Micayta shrugged and drew the blanket closer around her neck. The wind was chill, but tonight she preferred it to the fire. “What makes you think I have bad dreams?”
“Do you think I haven’t heard you whimpering in your sleep every night? That I didn’t notice how you wake, clutching the blankets, and stare out at nothing? How you’re unable to go back to sleep?” He stared intently at her averted face. “Is it the dragon you dream of?”
She shivered as an image of the red scaled beast perched atop the crumbling bakery flitted across her mind. “No I…I never see the dragon. Only the flames. But I know he’s out there, waiting. I can feel him.” She blushed, uncertain of why she should say such a thing to him.
“What else can you feel?”
She looked at him sharply. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. It’s only a question.” But something in his eyes suggested it was more than idle curiosity.
She met his eyes, but found it hard to hold his gaze. Turning her head, she stared back out at the swirling snow. “I feel stupid standing here in the cold when I should be enjoying the fire.”
“Did you see the dragon when it attacked Talphan?”
Micayta shifted her feet. “No.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Really?”
“I said no, didn’t I?” She was beginning to wish she’d stayed inside with the nightmare.
“All right. All right.” Tech held his hands in a defensive gesture.
“What do you care anyway?” She turned toward him. “Why are you asking me these questions?”
“Sometimes talking about things helps; that’s all.” It was his turn to stare out at the night, a distant look in his eyes. “You and your brother are lucky to have survived. Lucky to still have each other.”
Micayta glanced back into the cave at her sleeping brother and tried to imagine what it might be like if she lost him. The thought was too painful to bear thinking. “I can’t help but wonder why. Why us, when so many others died?” Like their father, but that was a discussion she had no intention of starting.
“Maybe fate has other plans for you.”
She answered that with a short, brittle laugh. “I don’t believe in fate. You live, and then you die. There isn’t any reason for it. And after? Who knows?”
“Let’s not call it fate then,” he said. “Let’s say instead that it’s something inside of you. Something not easily defined or understood. Something that chose you, for whatever reason. Something that pulls you. Haven’t you ever felt like there was something you should be doing? Someplace you ought to be?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” she said. “I would have been perfectly content to live all my life safe at home in Talphan.”
“So you say.” Before she could offer a retort, he turned back into the wolf and trotted out into the darkness.
Micayta stared after him, her thoughts in turmoil. For so long as she could remember, she had wanted nothing more than to run. Even before she lost her mother, she had dreamed of something elusive, something waiting somewhere for her. But that was because of her mother, who was a dreamer as well, not because of fate or any other outside force. To even entertain the notion that something might be calling her west was ridiculous.
With a frown, she went back to the fire. She would not think of such nonsense and she would not to let Tech drag her into such a useless, pointless conversation again.
Chapter Fifteen
The snow was falling fast, blown slightly slantwise by the wind. The siblings kept their horses to a walk as they neared the dead forest, not wanting to take a chance at a faster pace. Paw prints were clearly visible in the snow around them.
Pytaki drew his horse close to Micayta, his gaze on the prints. “Should we be worried?”
“No. Those tracks are old. The wolves are long gone by now.” She was aware of Tech gazing up at her from his perch on the pommel of her saddle, but preferred to pretend she wasn’t. The prints were clearly visible, only slightly obscured by fresh snow. They couldn’t be more than five or ten minutes old, if she remembered Delane’s lessons correctly. But she saw no reason to worry her brother if the wolves had moved on.
Micayta’s horse whinnied, sidestepping so that she bumped into Pytaki’s smaller horse.
“Easy, girl.” Micayta stroked the mare’s neck and strained her eyes to see the source of the horse’s concern.
Two gray wolves stepped through the sheets of falling snow. They were so thin, bones showed clearly beneath their skin. It might have been a sight to be pitied if it weren’t for the fact that they posed such a threat.
“What do we do now?” Pytaki’s voice was tight.
“Stay calm,” she said. “They’re small and weak. We can probably outrun them.”
Pytaki’s breath came harsh and fast. “I don’t think Palo can do it. He’s carrying too much weight.”
She knew he was right. The smaller horse would be easy prey for the wolves and once he fell, there would be no way for Pytaki to fend off an attack.
“Well, maybe Tech and I could–” Micayta’s mare reared back as a darker wolf rushed them, snapping at the horses’ feet.
The thick snow cushioned Micayta’s fall and kept her from any serious injury. But still, the air was knocked from her lungs and for a moment she could do nothing but lie there on her back and gasp for breath. When at last she managed to roll over to her side and push herself to her knees, she found herself face to face with the darker wolf. Her hand went for her dagger, but not nearly fast enough.
The wolf lunged, his front paws hitting Micayta solidly in the chest and knocking her backward in the snow. His claws dug into her shoulder and scraped across the upper part of her chest. She thrust her left arm up, into his throat, using all her strength to hold him up and away from her face. Saliva dripped into her eyes as the wolf scrabbled to sink his teeth into her throat.
With her right hand, Micayta desperately tugged her dagger free from its sheath. She managed to push the wolf up higher, so that his front paws lifted slightly off her chest. With as much force as she could muster, she slammed her dagger into his stomach and drew it up toward herself.
The wolf let out a single, strangled growl, before going limp. Micayta pushed him away and l
ay panting, sharp pain coursing across her chest and shoulder. There was blood everywhere, running down inside her sleeves and pooling across her chest. It was even flecked across her face. The smell was metallic and mixed with the noxious odor of spilt guts and bodily fluids, was making her head spin.
“Micayta.” Tech dropped to his knees beside her and laid a cool hand against the side of her face. “You still with us?”
“Where’s my brother?” She turned her head to the side and saw nothing but blood splattered snow and the carcass of the dead wolf.
“He’s fine. I’m fine. The wolves are all dead. Now, how about you?”
Pytaki came running up to them, but stopped a few feet away. “Is she…is she…?”
“I’m not dead, Py, and I’m not going to be.” She made the attempt to sit up, but a stabbing pain stole her breath and her will to move. A low moan escaped her lips before she
could stop it.
Pytaki stepped up beside Tech. “I-is that all hers?”
“I don’t think so.” Tech pressed two fingers to her throat and counted the beats of her heart. He nodded. “Pytaki, I need you to round up the horses and cut one of the smaller blankets into strips.” He retrieved the bloody dagger from the snow and handed it to Pytaki. He grimaced as he took it in his hand.
Micayta stared up at the gray sky. The colors were fading before her eyes, growing darker and darker and…a sharp slap brought things back into focus. “Hey.”
“Sorry.” Tech smiled down at her, a smile that never touched the worry in his eyes. “Wouldn’t want you to fall asleep and forget to wake up.”
“Thanks a lot.” She sighed, noting that Pytaki was no longer beside them. “How bad is it, really?”
“I won’t know until I can get a better look.” He glanced toward the forest. “Pytaki has the horses; they must not have gone far.” He turned back to her. “Can you lift your arm? No, the left one.” He frowned.
“What?” Micayta stared at her left arm. It lay unmoving. She frowned, concentrating on lifting it. Nothing. She swallowed back a sudden dryness in her throat. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Shh, here comes your brother.”
Pytaki came back to them with a double handful of blanket strips. “Now what?”
“Now, we pack the wounds to stop the bleeding.” Tech peeled back the layers of clothing stuck to the wounds on Micayta’s chest and shoulder, then took the strips of blanket from Pytaki and carefully packed them in around the wounds.
“We need to get you warm, quick.” Tech stood, easily lifting her into his arms.
“I can walk on my own,” Micayta said, though at the moment she was having a hard time finding the strength to keep her eyes open. Tech looked down at her. “I’ll take care of you. Trust me.” Micayta opened her mouth to reply, but darkness descended upon her before she could think of what it was she wanted to say.
Chapter Sixteen
Warmth brushed Micayta’s face. Her eyes snapped open, panic seizing her muscles as she stared into writhing flames. She made an attempt to rise to her feet, only to find herself hampered by mounds of blankets and a less than cooperative left arm.
“Easy, easy.” Tech laid a hand on her shoulder. “Everything’s all right now.”
Assured that she was no longer in the midst of a nightmare, Micayta allowed herself to lie back. Above, the gray clouds were starting to thin; a sure sign night was beginning its approach. “How long was I out?”
“Longer than I like,” he said. “But you don’t seem to be bleeding anymore. That’s good. How about the arm?”
With an effort she managed to raise her left arm above the blankets, drawing in a hissing breath at the pain. “Seems good.” She lowered it back again, catching his look of surprise. “I tend to heal quickly.”
“You moved your arm.” Pytaki came to stand beside her. “Does that mean you’re okay? You feel better?”
Her head throbbed with every heartbeat, her throat felt as if it had been scraped with rocks, her chest burned, and she felt a bit like throwing up. “I feel like sitting up.”
Pytaki leaned over her. “Here, let me help.”
“I don’t need help.” She struggled herself into a sitting position, careful not to put any weight on her left arm. There was a tree at her back and that helped, especially when the world started to spin.
Pytaki backed away, and then turned toward the fire. “Look, Tech made us food.” He turned back with a piece of sizzling meat on a stick.
Micayta stared at the meat, unwilling to take it though her stomach cramped mightily at the scent. “What is that?”
“Wolf.” Tech leaned back. “They were dead anyway and now there’s more than enough to see us to Phadra.” He nodded to the meat. “Eat. You need to get your strength back.”
Meat was in scarce supply, even in Talphan, and she was certainly not going to turn it down. They ate in silence, listening to the wind whistle through the branches of the trees. Somewhere far off in the night, a lone wolf howled, a haunted, mournful sound. There was no reply.
As the night wore on, the temperature dipped. But the fire burned brightly and the fresh meat warmed even where the fire could not. Pytaki was curled up on his side, softly snoring, and even Micayta felt calmer and less strained, though she had no intention of sleeping.
“Staying up all night won’t help any.” Tech stared at her through the flames.
“I need to stay up and keep watch.”
“I’ll keep watch. You need to rest or you’ll be too weak when the time comes to fight.”
“Fight? Fight what?”
Tech picked up a few sticks and tossed them into the fire, avoiding her gaze. “Bandits. Wolves. Something worse, maybe. You never know.”
“You’re right, I don’t know.” A sudden agitation sparked inside her. “I don’t know anything, really. Not about you or why you’re doing all of this.”
“I told you, I need your help.”
“To hunt a dragon. Yes you said that much. But why? You’re a shape shifter, why not be a dragon yourself and challenge the red to a fight that way? Why drag my brother and me into this?”
“Don’t you think that’s something you should have asked me days ago?”
“I’m asking now.”
Tech stared at the flames. “It’s hard to explain. I-I don’t know where to begin.” He frowned down at the ground a long moment, then sighed. Rising to his feet, he came around the fire to sit beside her. “It wasn’t Bethseda where I first saw you. It was in Talphan. I was there that night.”
“What?” Micayta stared at him, unable to pin down the whirl of emotions this caused. “What do you mean, you were there?”
“I was following the dragon, you see, and I–”
“You were there and you didn’t try to stop it?”
“Stop it? How could I have done that?”
“I don’t know. You could have attacked it; you could have at least tried. Instead, you stood by and watched a city burn? Watched innocent people die? My father–” Her voice choked off at the sudden threat of a sob.
“You don’t understand.” Tech’s voice was strained. “I can’t fight him. I’ve tried before but it never….” His voice trailed off as he seemed to realize what it was he was saying.
“You’ve tried before?” A coiled fury rose inside of Micayta, driving her to her feet despite the pain it caused. “Do you know this dragon?”
Tech rose to his feet as well. He took a step back. “I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to say it.” She reached for her dagger, only to find it wasn’t there. Her hand curled into a fist instead. “Is he a shape shifter, like you? Are you working together? Why are you really taking us to Phadra?”
Her increasingly loud shouts echoed through the desiccated forest, rousing Pytaki from his sleep. He blinked up at them. “What’s going on?”
Micayta snapped her fingers at him. “Give me my dagger.”
Pytaki looked from her to Tec
h and back again. “I don’t think that’s a–”
“Don’t think, brother, just do as I say.”
He reluctantly dug through his blankets and came up with her dagger. “Are you sure you want to–”
She snatched the dagger from his hand. “You let me handle this.” She leveled the blade at Tech’s stomach. “I don’t know what you’re up to but I’m no fool who trusts blindly. You tell me the truth right now, or so help me I’ll gut you like I did that wolf.”
“I saved your life. Several times now, if you recall.” Tech said. “Think about what you’re saying.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” She made an unsteady lunge at him and the muscles across her chest knotted painfully.
Tech stepped back as she lost her balance then caught her with one arm as she stumbled. It took no effort for him to wrench the dagger from fingers she could barely feel.
Micayta panted heavily against his chest, blood thrumming in her ears. “If I wasn’t hurt you’d be dead now.”
“If you would grow up a little you wouldn’t behave like such a child.” Tech easily swung her off her feet and into his arms, paying no attention to her sounds of protest.
He placed her back on the blankets. “You’re tough, but too quick to anger. It’s going get you killed someday.” He wrapped the blankets around her as she sat glaring at him.
“Is everything okay?” Pytaki asked.
“Everything’s fine.” Tech retrieved her dagger from the snow. “Just your sister being her delightful self.” He crouched beside Micayta and held the dagger out to her. “Do you think you can behave yourself for five minutes and try to listen to what I have to say?”
“Maybe.” She grabbed the dagger away from him, feeling the slightest tingle as her fingers brushed his. “Do you think you can tell me the truth?”
“Maybe.” He smiled slightly, which only annoyed her further. “I know the dragon, it’s true. But before you try to kill me again, let me say that we aren’t on friendly terms. Bethseda and Talphan are not the only places he’s destroyed.” His smile faded as a haunted look came into his gray eyes.
