Fire and Fate: Part 1 & 2 (Dragons of Galicia)

by Simone Pond

  The man who Evelyn assumed was the leader of the trio reached her and smiled. “What do we have here?”

  She kept her shoulders back and pushed down any signs of fear, knowing weakness would only give these men more power. “We’re en route to Verubri Castle. Chosen specially by Prince Kieran himself.”

  The leader turned to the third man, a scrawny, malnourished imp, and laughed. “Hear that, Vaughn? Chosen by the prince himself …” He bowed mockingly and pretended to tip a hat he wasn’t wearing. “Well, my lady, this makes the situation even more fortuitous.”

  Evelyn was surprised the thief had such an extensive vocabulary. His rough and ready appearance suggested he’d been living in the woods for the better part of his life, achieving no greater status than “ruffian.” He eyed her from head to toe as if examining livestock. She shuddered. It seemed the only way out of this situation would be killing all three men.

  The scrawny man named Vaughn hopped down from his horse and made his way over to the carriage. Evelyn thought for sure the two men would pin her down, making her completely defenseless, and take advantage of her. But instead of joining his buddy, Vaughn chose to yank down Evelyn’s travel bag from the back of the carriage and pilfer through its contents. He tossed the few nice dresses she had packed to the ground, then rummaged around until he pulled out the gold locket her mother must’ve slipped inside the bag when she wasn’t looking. The sneaky scamp pocketed it with a grin. She watched as Vaughn pulled out the leather-bound journal and flipped through the pages. Surely he can’t be literate, she thought. After a few moments, he grew bored and tossed the journal into the dirt.

  The man standing in front of her lifted her chin with a gentle touch. He peered into her eyes. His were a pale green and she thought he would be rather striking had he not been a thief.

  “Please tell him to stop,” Evelyn pleaded, pulling her cloak around her.

  “It’s no use, my lady. Vaughn has quite the sticky fingers as I like to say. Whatever he touches seems to go with him.”

  His friend chuffed. “I ain’t taking none of these dresses!”

  Evelyn glared up at the man before her. “Besides stealing what little we have, what else do you have planned for me and my … for us?” She couldn’t seem to form the word friend in reference to Ciara.

  “If you must know the nitty gritty details, my lady, we’ll send notice to the prince that we have his ladies and request payment for your return. That is, after we’ve had our way with you.” He reached for her cloak and touched the material with an approving smile. Evelyn batted his hand away. She needed to think fast.

  “If you soil us, the prince won’t give even a speck of gold for our return,” she told the man.

  He chuckled and shoved her toward the carriage. “That cloak is made of fine material. Good for cold nights.”

  Just then two things happened. First, a guttural howl rose up from the woods. Second, Vaughn pulled out what appeared to be a spear from Evelyn’s travel bag. How in all of Galicia had something that size and caliber even fit into the bag, she wondered in great befuddlement.

  “Doran …” Vaughn muttered, lifting up the spear. Then he dropped it to the ground as if the thing had bitten him.

  The leader, now known as Doran, kept his eyes locked on Evelyn. “I’m busy!”

  “But, Doran …”

  Just then Ciara came barreling out of the woods with the burly man clambering after her, blood pouring down his forehead. Evelyn took the moment of distraction to leap away from Doran and tackle the skinny Vaughn, knocking him over. She snatched the spear up from the ground, then jumped to her feet, holding out the sharp end of the weapon toward the attackers.

  Doran whipped around to grab Evelyn, but froze as he took in what he saw. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “Good gods of all Galicia. The invincible spear of Gorias …”

  7

  Evelyn glanced down at the spear, taking in its majestic sparkle and shine. The instrument looked as though it was made from the purest crystal found only in the Vindius Mountains. As she gripped it in her right palm, it was like she’d held the spear a thousand times before this moment. It fit perfectly in her hand. The warrior-like feeling flooding through her was preternatural and instinctual. She thought of her mother and the words true destiny came to mind. The blood that pumped through her heart and ran in her veins was of a dragon slayer, and the spear of Gorias knew this before she had realized it fully.

  “We apologize for the inconvenience.” Doran, leader of the thieves spoke, keeping his head bowed low.

  Vaughn, the slight man who had been pawing through Evelyn’s belongings, took off toward the trees without looking back. Ciara, in her torn and soiled dress, darted toward the carriage—the large beast of a man still chasing after her—and ducked behind Evelyn, simpering and panting. “Kill them. Kill them all!” she cried.

  When the burly man reached the group and took note of the spear in Evelyn’s hands, he dropped to his knees and bowed, mumbling apologies.

  “What is that?” Ciara asked, suspicion starting to replace her fear. “Where did it come from and why are these animals bowing down to you?”

  “That’s the spear of Gorias,” said Doran. “It’s been missing for many years. Legend says the one who holds the spear is the most powerful dragon slayer in all of Galicia.”

  Ciara let out a cackle of laughter and stepped next to Evelyn. “I’ve never heard more idiotic words spoken. A goat farmer being a powerful dragon slayer.” She laughed again for emphasis, then reached for the spear to snatch it out of Evelyn’s hand.

  The jolt was electrifying and sent Ciara back at least twenty feet, lighting up the path like a shower of falling stars. The two thieves snickered under their breath, and though Evelyn felt a burst of satisfaction seeing Ciara flattened on the dirt in a disheveled heap, she hoisted the spear toward the men.

  “Silence, you fools!”

  The burly one grunted, but Doran slowly stood up and politely said, “Apologies, slayer … We’re mere men with no manners. Do you have a name? We’ve never heard of any female slayers.”

  Evelyn wasn’t sure if engaging in a conversation was the smartest move. She certainly didn’t trust them. But she was craving information about the spear of Gorias like an itch deep down in her core that she couldn’t reach. Perhaps these degenerates could give her a lead of some sort. Anything would be better than nothing. But she had to play her hand with the utmost cleverness. She had to think like her mother.

  “Why would I disclose my name when just moments ago you were pillaging our belongings, preparing to have your way with us and then ransom us? Oh, and let’s not forget you killed our driver, the only person who knows the way to the castle.”

  The thick-headed one, who was still bleeding from where Ciara must’ve smashed a rock over his head, grumbled, “I’ve had enough of this.” He rose and stalked toward Evelyn.

  She held the spear tight in her grip and warned, “I wouldn’t come any closer. You saw what just happened to my … to that one.” She motioned to Ciara, still passed out in the dirt.

  The brute chortled and increased his speed to a charge, ignoring Evelyn’s warning. She heard the quaver in her voice, so she wasn’t surprised he wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated. Still, Evelyn held her ground and gripped the spear with both hands. As the beast ran to her she planted her feet into a solid position and kept her focus locked directly on the man’s chest. She didn’t waver; she knew if she relented even a centimeter it would be over for her. As the man got closer, his eyes, once narrowed, opened wider. And when he realized that Evelyn wasn’t budging, his ruddy face shifted to ghost white. It was too late to turn around and his momentum had propelled him full-force ahead, directly into the invincible spear of Gorias.

  “Arrrrhhhhh!” he cried out as the tip of the spear plunged into his chest, lighting up his ribcage like a thousand moons. He fell backward onto the ground, gripping his heart and moaning as the blue-white light
shimmered through his veins. After a minute of severe and intense twitching and jerking, he finally lay still.

  Doran walked over to him and felt around his neck for a pulse. He looked up with a pleasant smile. “Cold as a stone.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Evelyn inched back, disgust ricocheting against her stomach walls. She didn’t feel so good about killing someone even if he was a monster.

  Doran stood, keeping his hands held up in surrender. “I’ve only heard tell about the spear of Gorias, but to actually see it … well, my lady, I’m quite impressed. Beyond impressed. I’m astonished.”

  Evelyn felt something like pride warming over her shoulders, but kept her distance. “Not much of a compliment coming from a thieving rapist.”

  He snickered. “I wasn’t going to rape you, my lady. That’s just part of our scare tactics. I was, however, going to use you for ransom.”

  She pointed to Ciara. “What about her? Your devilish partner seemed to be intent on having his way with my … with Ciara.”

  “I’m not responsible for the actions of others,” he said.

  “Well, you should be. Especially since you’re their leader.”

  He remained quiet a moment, pondering Evelyn’s words. Then he whistled toward the woods. After a moment, Vaughn came out from behind the bushes and slowly made his way over to his partner.

  Evelyn held up the spear again. “You saw what this thing does,” she said.

  Doran laughed. “No, no, my lady. I wanted to let my brother know that we’re finally free of the brute. That you took care of him for us.”

  Vaughn grinned, displaying his mouth of missing teeth. “Thanks, my lady.”

  “Okay, what’s going on here?” Evelyn asked the men.

  A rustling from down the path came about as Ciara returned to the living and sauntered over to the group. She held a large rock and kept it hoisted high, ready to crush anyone who got too close.

  “I don’t know what you just did to me, goat girl, but if you pull that again, I’ll crush your skull,” Ciara said.

  “You actually did it to yourself. For future reference, you probably shouldn’t touch my spear.”

  Ciara scanned the area and noticed the burly man sprawled on the ground, obviously dead. “Well, I see you finally did something useful and killed that beast. Now, what about these other two derelicts? Can’t you use that thing to put them down like you did him?”

  Evelyn eyed Doran and his brother Vaughn. Though they were thieves and had made reaching the castle far more complicated and maybe even impossible, she didn’t have it in her heart to kill either man. They weren’t like the brute that had chased Ciara into the woods. She could tell just from looking at them they weren’t all bad.

  “I don’t think they’re as bad as the other one,” Evelyn said.

  Ciara coughed out a laugh. “I don’t care about the degree of their degeneracy, they need to pay for what they’ve done. Now put yourself to use and kill them.”

  Evelyn stared at the men, contemplating her next move. She glanced over to Ciara. “These two thieves might be our only way through the mountains.”

  Ciara squinted her cold sapphire eyes and glared toward the ominous mountain ranges looming in the distance like the pointy scales of a dragon’s back.

  Doran cleared his throat and with his hands still held up in surrender, he said, “We know these woods better than anyone. Most certainly better than either of you ladies. Pardon my bluntness, but you won’t make it over those ranges without guidance. My brother and I would be most pleased to assist.”

  Evelyn knew better than to trust either of these vultures, but what choice did they have besides turning around and heading back to Ocelum? Perhaps Prince Kieran would send another driver for the girls. Or maybe they wouldn’t even make it back to their hamlet. They’d been traveling for hours already and it was late, the time of night when the creepiest of crawlers come out from the shadows. There could be far worse encounters awaiting the two May Day ladies if they turned around.

  “I’d rather die than rely on you two animals,” spat Ciara.

  Doran lowered his hands and patted Vaughn’s shoulder. “Come, brother, it’s obvious there’s little sense in these two. Let’s make haste before our competitors start making appearances.”

  “No, wait,” Evelyn said, lowering the spear of Gorias so that the luminous crystal pole collapsed into itself and shrunk down to the size of a nutshell. Surprised, she stared at the coin-sized crystal rock in her palm. So that’s how it fit into my bag, she thought.

  “My lady?” Doran glanced over his shoulder as he began preparing to saddle onto his horse.

  “Will you take us to Verubri Castle?” Evelyn asked.

  “Are you mad, goat girl?” Ciara shoved Evelyn so that she stumbled back a few feet.

  Evelyn steadied herself and stepped up to Ciara. All those years of the girl’s nasty intimidation tactics and torture that had weighed Evelyn down and kept her hidden away from the world slipped away. She clutched the crystal in her palm, feeling its energy coursing through her blood and fueling her with a new vitality. A new life force that pulsed through her body like that of a true warrior.

  “Get into the carriage, Ciara,” Evelyn said. “I’m taking the reins and following these two thieves through the forest and over that peak to the castle.”

  “But …”

  “Shut your mouth. You’re no longer calling the shots,” Evelyn said sternly.

  Evelyn heard Vaughn snickering behind them, but she ignored the distraction. A calm fell over her from head to toe. Ciara started to say something, but promptly closed her mouth and climbed back into the carriage. Evelyn gathered the items Vaughn had tossed to the ground and placed them back into her travel bag, then set it up front on the driver’s seat. She stalked over to Vaughn’s horse and held out her hand. He didn’t vacillate, but immediately reached into his vest pocket and retrieved the gold locket—her mother’s locket—and handed it to Evelyn.

  Doran smiled at Evelyn. “I promise you, my lady, that we will do right by you and the spear of Gorias.”

  “I know you will,” she said, turning away to climb up to the carriage.

  The men galloped ahead with the third horse tied to them and Evelyn, who was well versed in steering horses from her years of selling goods from her cart, tugged the reins and instructed the two horses to carry on. They obeyed their new commander with ease.

  As the carriage bounced along the dirt path, Evelyn thought how grateful she was for her mother teaching her how to handle horses. She was suddenly grateful for all of the lessons her mother had imparted over the years. Deirdre had been quietly and covertly prepping her daughter for a far greater purpose and Evelyn could finally appreciate that fact. The grueling work had made her much stronger and tougher. While the other girls were busy learning how to become beautiful brides, Evelyn was learning how to become a warrior. A dragon slayer like her father.

  The moon beamed its brilliant white light through the passing trees overhead as the path grew more rocky and curvy. Doran glanced over his shoulder from time to time to check on Evelyn and with a curt nod, she’d let him know she was keeping up. Evelyn had no qualms or fears about her situation. She had settled comfortably into her newfound confidence.

  At least for the time being …

  PART II

  The Journey North

  1

  The night wore on as Evelyn directed the horses and carriage through the dark and biting Branbury Forest. She kept a safe distance behind the two thieves in case they decided to pull any more of their shenanigans. Ciara was most likely sleeping in the carriage and utterly useless. The path became more and more perilous the deeper in they ventured. Sleep weighed heavily on Evelyn, but she refused to stop until morning. She didn’t want any more surprise encounters with marauders, vicious brutes, or whatever other dangers were possibly infesting the woods. Without their driver, she and Ciara were now fending for themselves and she needed to be vig
ilant. Evelyn supposed they could’ve faced far worse scoundrels in those woods than Doran and his brother Vaughn … although, planning to use the girls for ransom discredited them quite a bit. But now that she had the spear of Gorias, she had the upper hand.

  She glanced down toward the bosom of her dress where she had placed the crystal stone safely inside her corset. This was the safest and most hidden place she could secure the magical element. The spear of Gorias and her mother’s gold locket, which now dangled around her neck, would be constant reminders of who she was and where she’d come from. Something she had promised her mother never to forget. Evelyn patted the crystal stone, knowing if there were any more sudden attacks, she’d have quick access to the crystal. She’d remove it from its hiding place and enable the spear to come to life.

  Why hadn’t her mother told her about the spear? Or mentioned anything about her father or the fact that he was a dragon slayer until now? Evelyn could’ve been studying the leather-bound journal and training instead of tending to those silly goats.

  “Such a waste of time …” she said to herself.

  Doran peered over his shoulder, his eyes catching the moonlight at just the perfect angle. His profile appeared stoic and courageous, which annoyed Evelyn. He’s a thief who was willing to ransom you, she reminded herself for the third time. But why did he have to be so handsome and well spoken? It was all too distracting. Wasn’t she on her way to live in Verubri Castle to become one of Prince Kieran’s ladies-in-waiting? What in all of Galicia had gotten into her? She blamed lack of proper sleep and the high altitude. And her obnoxious traveling companion, Ciara the shrew.

  “Shall we stop for a break, my lady?” Doran shouted.

  “I prefer to continue until the first light of dawn,” Evelyn replied.

  “As you wish,” he said, turning back to face the rugged path ahead. “But I must warn you, we are approaching the mountain range and it will become increasingly more difficult to manage.”