Song of Smoke and Fire

by Megan Linski

  I hate climbing stairs, but I have no problem hauling up them to the fortress. When I reach town I spin on the spot, searching the skies for dragon wings.

  They’re as clear and blue as ever. My thought is that I’ve angered the dragon, and that he’s going to emerge from his cave and take out my mistake on the town, but that doesn’t seem true. The growling is gone, replaced by birdsong, and the peasants mull around in their usual business. Nobody’s screaming their head off or taking cover. There’s no cries of fear or warning.

  I wait until I’m sure that the dragon isn’t coming before I start back to the fortress. My mind is spinning with questions. What exactly happened? I provoked the creature, so why didn’t it follow? Did it simply mean to scare me off?

  Maybe it’s concerned with protecting its treasure and doesn’t want to leave it. That must be it.

  When I enter the fortress, I decide not to tell Wanda about it. I was eager to before, but something holds me back. What happened in the cave is my secret.

  “Wanda, I’m back,” I say, opening the door.

  I look up. It feels like a hand is choking me as I witness Wanda holding a knife. She’s pointed it at her own throat. Her arms are trembling, tears bright on her cheeks. The basket drops from my hands.

  “Wanda!” Before she can strike I rush forward and grab the blade, and knock it out of her hands. The knife slides away, under the bed. I grab it before she gets any other ideas and tuck it into the back of my dress.

  “What were you thinking?” I blurt, rounding on her. “You want to take your own life? For what reason?”

  Large tears pool out of her blue eyes, and her lip quakes. “This!” Her hand trembles as she holds a piece of parchment aloft. “It’s a letter. Read it!”

  “Wanda, I can’t read,” I remind her patiently.

  “Oh. Yes, that’s right.” Wanda gives a loud sniff. “Well, I can’t either. But it’s a marriage proposal. From Prince Reinhold of the Germans.”

  “A German prince?” I ask, astonished.

  “If I don’t marry him, he says he’ll attack Krakow,” Wanda blubbers. “He’s threatening war if I don’t become his bride.”

  “The king would never consider selling you off to a German. You have nothing to worry about,” I argue.

  “But he is considering. Father wants to break off my courtship with Krzysztof and force me to marry Reinhold.” Wanda’s sobs only get louder. “So we don’t have to go to war.”

  Wanda flops herself on the bed and wails loudly. “What am I going to do? I’d rather die than marry a German!”

  “It’s not worth dying over,” I protest.

  “I want to be with my true love,” she insists. “With Krzysztof! If I can’t have him, I won’t have anyone! I want to marry my knight!”

  “And you will!” I assure her, though I have no possible way of confirming that.

  “How?” She throws her hands up. “If I say yes to Reinhold, I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life, slaving away and selling my body to make some German happy. But if I say no, my people will die and my village will be destroyed.”

  She shakes her head. “The only possible solution I can think of is to end my life, so I don’t have to go through with it. Then the German will look elsewhere for a bride, and leave Krakow alone.”

  “It can’t be as desperate as all that,” I say.

  “But it is!” She wipes at her tears with the back of her hand. “I’ll throw myself into the river if he comes for me. I will.”

  “Wanda. Hush.” I sit beside her, and give her a hug. “Your father will figure something out.”

  Wanda sobs into my shoulder. I pat her on the head, to try and get her to calm down. She’s overreacting, but I know she truly loves Krzysztof. Her heart will be broken if she doesn’t marry him, and it would be terrible for her to have to move away from Krakow to be with the German prince.

  “Come on.” I shake her shoulders. “We have to get ready for the ball. We’re already running late.”

  “I don’t want to go.” Her tears start slowing.

  “You must go, and have a wonderful time.” I sort through the racks of clothes and pull two dresses out. “Which one? Red, or blue?”

  Her bottom lip sticks out. “Blue.”

  “All right.” I toss the dresses on the bed, and start combing her hair, braiding it with the baby’s breath. I sprinkle rosewater on her shoulders, and dust her cheeks with the facial powder.

  When she slips on the dress, I shove her in front of the mirror and say, “There. You’ll be the prettiest girl at the ball.”

  “Pretty for Prince Reinhold,” she sulks.

  Her gaze falls on the basket, and she tilts her head. “What did you buy, Fliss?” she asks curiously.

  When I bring it out to show her, that’s when she brightens up. “Oh Fliss, it’s so pretty. You must put it on right away.”

  I slip on the garment and twist my hair up into a bun. Wanda dabs a bit of powder on my face. When I turn around, I hardly recognize myself. I appear so pretty, like the daughter of a lord. It’s easy to pretend I’m not a slave in this dress.

  “Come, let’s go,” Wanda says, pulling on my arm. Now she’s excited. “We’ll be late for the ball!”

  “Very well.” I follow her down the stairs, to the dining hall. It’s already crowded with members of the court, dressed in their finest garb. Musicians play a happy tune on lutes, drums, and flutes, and servants carry large trays of golobki, paprikash, and my personal favorite, chrusciki. I notice the decapitated head of the copper dragon is mounted above the fireplace, still dripping blood on the stone.

  Lovely.

  Servants introduce Wanda with a formal entrance. King Krakus laughs with a group of his knights in the corner, his face red from too much ale. All thoughts of the Wawel dragon seem to be far from his mind.

  “Look! There’s Krzysztof!” Wanda exclaims. The German prince is forgotten. Wanda scampers off to be with her knight. His face brightens when he sees her. I suppose he hasn’t been told the bad news yet.

  It’s dull to watch Wanda fawn over Krzysztof, so I leave her be and find an excuse to fill her cup with wine. When I near the table, I bump into a young man around my own age. I’m about to apologize, but he beats me to it.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, miss,” he states, stepping backward. “I didn’t mean to.” He looks me up and down. “Have I seen you before?”

  He thinks I’m one of the guests. I brighten. “No, I don’t think so.” I shake my head.

  “You look very pretty in that dress. Would you like to dance?” He extends a hand.

  I open my mouth to say no, but then stop myself. Would it be so wrong to dance with this nice boy? I would get in trouble if I was caught by my master, but I’m sure the king won’t notice. He’s too busy.

  “I actually would love to—”

  The party crashes to an abrupt halt as a tyrannical roar shakes the walls. The floor trembles and people fall down, losing their balance as the entire fortress quivers. I stumble, and the wine cup flies from my hand. The boy catches me by the arm, to save me before I hit the ground.

  “Krakus! Krakus!” A deep voice, a terrible, ominous one, permeates the thick wood. People scream at the awful sound. “I have business with you!”

  My insides shrivel up with fear. I don’t have to guess to know that’s the voice of the Wawel dragon.

  Chapter Five

  This is my fault. I should’ve known that my adventure into the cave today came with some sort of consequence. The guests of the party cry out in terror. My head whips from side to side, to figure out where the dragon’s voice is coming from. I hear the beats of heavy wings from above. The dragon’s flying overhead.

  Wanda clings to Krzysztof’s arm. Krakus’ face, once so red with ale and cheer, has gone ghastly white.

  “Yes, what is it?” Krakus booms. “What do you want?”

  “I am no longer satisfied with your offers of coin and jewels.” The dragon’s voice
shakes the floor. “It is not enough. I demand more.”

  Pawel was right. The dragon isn’t satisfied with his piles of gold. But what could he possibly want? Did my disturbance cause him to change his mind about the gold, and want something else?

  “Speak your mind, dragon!” Krakus’ hand is on his sword, eyes narrowed as his gaze swoops the room. He acts like the monster is here among us.

  “I demand a virgin,” the dragon states, and my stomach tumbles. “A woman pure of heart, pure of soul. One untouched by men.”

  “And what would you have of her?” Krakus demands. “Do you want her to eat, or to ravage? Do you want monthly offerings of virgins now?”

  “I only have use for the one. And what does it matter to you what I do with her?” The dragon’s voice grows closer. He’s spiraling downward.

  “Stop hiding in the shadows! Reveal yourself, coward!” The king’s frustrated. He unleashes his sword and swings it around. Several people gasp.

  “I am the fire glowing brightly in the dark. The nightmare that looms at the edge of your dreams,” the dragon hisses. It feels like he’s whispering the words right into my ear. “I am everywhere, Krakus.”

  “I refuse to offer you a helpless girl!” the king bellows.

  “Then I shall burn your town. Devour your men. And take what is mine by force,” the dragon demands. “You have one hour. Don’t think to tempt me, for my fire burns brighter than any dragon you’ve ever faced.”

  There’s a great gust of wind, and some of the wooden logs lining the walls crack. The party guests scream, and duck down to avoid the fragments of wood that scatter everywhere.

  “One hour, Krakus,” the voice repeats. Then it is gone.

  The ball erupts into chaos. Though the dragon is no longer here, you wouldn’t think it with all the bloodcurdling screaming that’s going on. Guests begin pressing against the doors, desperate to get out. The noise is so loud I have to cover my ears.

  “SILENCE!” Krakus yells, voice booming over the riot.

  The guests skid to a halt and look to their king, but Krakus is searching for something else. He scans the hall, sight jumping from woman to woman.

  His eyes land on me, and stay there.

  Wanda notices before I have a chance to beg. “No, Father, no. Not Fliss. Please. Anyone but her.”

  She rips her arm away from Krzysztof and flings herself on her knees in front of her father. “Don’t make Fliss do it. It’s not fair.”

  “We need to offer him a virgin. Someone pure of heart,” Krakus says calmly. “Fliss is the only one I know that fits these qualities besides you, and I won’t offer up my own daughter to a dragon. I apologize, Fliss.”

  “It’s all right, Wanda.” My mouth moves of its own accord, and so do my legs. This is my fault, anyhow, that the dragon demands a virgin. I need to pay the price. I crouch down, helping Wanda to her feet. “I’ll… I’ll go.”

  “What?” Wanda asks, but Krakus’ face shows relief.

  “It needs to be done.” My mouth is completely dry. “To save Krakow.”

  Krakus nods. He flicks a hand to his knights. “Prepare the horses. We leave immediately.”

  Krakus swoops his cloak around him, and says to me, “Fliss. I need to speak with you privately.”

  “Wanda, I’ll be back,” I whisper to her. Her fingertips slip from mine as I follow the king dutifully to the throne room.

  The steps I take make me feel like I’m a ghost. I’m going to die. The gods have fated me to perish at the claws of a dragon.

  Krakus closes the door behind him slowly. I hate the pitiful gaze he gives me when he turns around. He’s the one that decided to offer me up to the dragon like a roast pig. He shouldn’t be sorry.

  “I again apologize, Fliss.” The king bows his head. “If I had time to investigate other options, I would.”

  “I’ve been living on borrowed time,” I reply. “Perhaps it was always my fate to be killed by a dragon, and the gods have come for their debt.”

  I don’t believe this at all, but saying it makes me feel better, because I have to make sense of this awful situation.

  “I appreciate your cooperation,” he states.

  “Yes, well.” I shrug. “Better to go with dignity than to embarrass myself on the way out.”

  “Very true.” The king grasps my arms. “Listen to me, Fliss. I chose you purposely for this task. There’s no one else I can trust.”

  “Why?” I ask. Am I that bad of a servant he can’t wait to be rid of me?

  “I don’t believe he intends to devour you,” Krakus says. “If that were true, he could’ve taken anyone. Same if he wanted a maiden. He has other plans.”

  “What do you mean?” I say. “What could a dragon want with me?”

  “It’s your purity. He needs it for a spell, is my guess,” Krakus says. “But I can’t be sure.”

  Krakus lets go of my arms. He begins to pace. “Hear me well, Fliss. The Wawel dragon is very smart, and clever, but I think you can outwit him.”

  “You want me to spy?” It seems like a ridiculous idea.

  “If possible. Find out what he wants. Who he is, what his weaknesses are,” Krakus says. “If you can escape, come to me with the information. We’ll use it against the dragon to kill him.”

  “Forgive me, sire, but what you’re suggesting depends on whether I live long enough to do so,” I object. “He could kill me before the night is up.”

  “As I said, if that were the case he wouldn’t have been foolish enough to risk threatening an entire village,” Krakus protests. “The Wawel dragon is very powerful, but he knows my fame as a dragon slayer. He wouldn’t have come out to challenge our agreement unless he had to.”

  Krakus claps me on the shoulder. “Have courage, Fliss. You’re a brave girl. You know dragons. You understand them. If anyone in this village has a chance of surviving, it’s you.”

  The king has faith in me, but I’m not so sure that I know anything about dragons. What Krakus said doesn’t take away the fact my head is going to erupt into flames the moment I step foot into the dragon’s cave.

  “Say your goodbyes, Fliss.” The king instructs me. “A horse will be waiting for you outside the gate when you’re ready, but don’t linger.”

  The king takes long strides out of the throne room, as if fleeing the situation. The air closes in around me. I feel like I’m suffocating. A black heaviness rests on my chest, crushing my insides. If I had only known today would be the last time I would feel sunlight, I would’ve stayed outside longer, and let its beaming rays warm my skin.

  Now all I have left to experience is the cruel darkness of night. I take a shuddering breath, and exit.

  Two knights are outside the door when I enter the hallway. They trail me like shadows as I take the stairs up to Wanda’s room. They’re following me, to make sure I go through with the plan. Like I could run away and leave Wanda to a dragon’s wrath.

  I stride into Wanda’s room, and shut the door behind me. I’m crushed against the wall when Wanda tackles me full-force, wailing even louder than she was earlier in the day.

  “Wanda, it’s okay.” Even though I’m the one being delivered to a dragon as a sacrifice, I’m the one who has to comfort her. I hold her tightly and try not to think that this is probably the last time I’ll ever hug her. It’s hard not to break down in tears myself.

  “It’s not okay!” Wanda’s bawling buckets. “How dare my father do this! How dare he! He should ride down with the knights and take care of the dragon himself, the great coward he is!”

  “Don’t speak of him that way. The king has a plan.” Now I’m convincing her, instead of myself. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

  “Is it a similar plan to me marrying the German?” Wanda wipes at her face. “Father doesn’t know what he’s doing. You’re going to die, and I’ll follow right after!”

  “Wanda, if I’m busy worrying about you how am I ever going to be clever enough to outsmart the Wawel dragon
?” I insist. I shake her by the shoulders. “You must promise that you won’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. No rash decisions, no matter what! Even if the German prince comes.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll do without you, Fliss! You’ve always been here,” she weeps.

  “I’ll do what I must so I can return to your side,” I assure her. “Maybe there’s a way to manipulate the dragon, so he’ll let me go. I don’t know why he wants me. We have to see.”

  Wanda slaps at her face. “Yes. I… I’ll stay strong for you, Fliss.” She nods her head. “If you can handle a dragon, I can handle a German prince.”

  She gives me a sloppy, teary smile, though it wobbles like a boat on the ocean.

  “Yes. It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”

  I give her another hug. My limbs are shaking. I’m more concerned for what she’ll do to herself when I’m gone than my current fate.

  She’s the only person I care about in the world. If something happens to me, I at least want her to be safe.

  I don’t take anything with me, as I don’t see why I’d need it. A pile of ashes can’t wear clothes, anyhow. Wanda tearfully kisses my hands before I leave.

  I tell her to stay behind. I don’t want her to witness me walking to my executioner.

  The knights escort me down to the lower level, then the courtyard. A black horse waits, surrounded by a group of guards.

  King Krakus rides his stallion up front. I climb on my horse, and he starts forward silently. The rest of the guards follow, and so do I. No one dares to say anything. It’s ridiculously morose. I’d laugh if I wasn’t so terrified.

  I expect town to be deserted this time of night, but I see peasants have gathered along the dirt path with torches. They light the way. I guess good news travels fast. People I passed just this morning toss roses and flowers along the path for my horse to walk on.

  And me, dressed in black. I feel like I’m going to a funeral.

  I suppose I am. Mine.

  I feel like screaming when we reach the bottom of the hill. The cave is within sight. For a moment, I think of running. But that would be useless, as I can’t ride well and they’d easily catch me.