by Simone Pond
Evelyn thought about the goats she’d dealt with back on her mother’s farm and how they were nothing but trouble. The prince’s horses were well-behaved specimens and she had confidence in their abilities. She sat up straighter and kept her focus sharp as they moved along the edge of a steep incline. Stopping now wasn’t an option.
“I’m fine,” she said.
Something overhead lit up the night sky in a blaze, startling Evelyn. She gazed up to the murky blue-black sky as an arc of fiery orange descended behind the jagged Vindius Mountain peaks. Was it lightning or … wait, was that a tail? No, no. That would implicate the possibility of a dragon, and the dragons of Galicia hadn’t been seen in nearly eighteen years.
The distraction caused her to misdirect the horses and the wheels of the carriage went directly over a hole on the path, causing it to bounce up and hit the ground hard. Ciara rustled from inside the carriage and began banging on the wall that separated the front from the back. Great, she’d woken up her obnoxious passenger … Evelyn rolled her eyes, trying to ignore Ciara, but the girl was relentless and began shouting over the clomping horses and rattling wheels.
“What are you doing, goat girl?!”
“Just a bump in the road,” Evelyn called over her shoulder.
“We’ve been traveling for hours and I must relieve myself.”
“We’re not stopping,” Evelyn said.
“What’s going on back there?” Doran shouted.
Evelyn waved her hand. “Nothing, keep going.”
One of the reins slipped through her fingers and before she had a chance to grab it, the strip of leather dropped between the trotting horses. She quickly lost control of the horse on the left, which set off the one on the right. She grasped the rein, but the horse was too spooked and started bucking and pulling. The carriage began to totter and one of the back wheels dipped over the ledge. Ciara peered out the window and screeched, further upsetting the horses. They both began neighing and bucking. Now the entire back half of the carriage was hanging over the side of the incline.
“Be quiet, Ciara!” Evelyn hissed. “You’re making things far worse. You must calm yourself or you’re going over the side with the carriage.”
For a brief moment, Evelyn thought perhaps that wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario. Maybe Ciara’s fate was to end up at the bottom of a ravine? Maybe she’d be better off dead rather than relegated as a chambermaid … As much as she loathed the wicked girl, she couldn’t allow her to fall to her death.
“If I get as much as a scratch on me, my mother will see to your beheading!” Ciara shrieked.
Or maybe she could look the other way …
Evelyn knew she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t do something, so she tossed her travel bag to the ground and quickly hopped out of the driver’s seat. Doran jumped off his horse and ran over, but Evelyn held up her hand and without speaking requested him to stay back. She carefully slipped between the two bucking horses and once again grabbed hold of the reins. She pulled each one over her head and belted them around her waist as she turned, facing forward. She rubbed the mane of each horse and cooed softly to them in reassuring tones and clucks of her tongue until they settled down. Once they were in a submissive state, she proceeded to walk forward, keeping their reins secure around her waist with an even balance between the two animals. She took one careful step at a time until each horse followed suit and began to trot forward back onto the path of the incline. They trudged onward and the back wheels of the carriage rolled up over the side and back onto flat ground.
“Whoa.” Evelyn directed the horses to stop. She took the reins and handed them to Doran. “Hold these a moment, please. And don’t move or you’ll spook them.” She released each horse from the driving cart and motioned for Doran to walk forward with the pair.
One of the carriage doors shot open and Ciara jumped out, landing on the rocky path. “What in Galicia’s name have you done, you idiot? You were trying to kill me!”
Evelyn ignored Ciara’s outburst and placed her palms on the carriage and began to shove the thing backwards. It took a few grunts and some muscle power, but she finally got the buggy rolling. Ciara gasped as she watched Evelyn push the thing over the ledge. They stood on the path as it dropped down along the side of the mountain, breaking and splintering into pieces along the way.
Doran nodded with a look of satisfaction. “Interesting choice.”
Ciara’s mouth remained agape a few moments until the last of the carriage burst onto the boulders below. “My cloak was in there … Now I’ll freeze to death.”
“Had I not gotten control of the horses you would’ve gone over exactly like that,” Evelyn said.
“But now how will we reach the castle?” Ciara snipped.
Evelyn sighed, knowing she’d never get a word of gratitude from Ciara. She grabbed her travel bag from the ground and hoisted it over her shoulder. “We have two perfectly healthy horses. We wouldn’t have survived these mountains with that carriage. I’m simply not skilled enough.”
Ciara huffed loudly. “You can say that again. The only skill you have is making cheese curds.”
Doran actually glared. “Have some respect. She just saved your life.”
“You mean, she saved me from a horrific mistake she made. Just wait until the prince hears about this!” Ciara folded her slender arms across her chest, shivering in the cold night.
Evelyn walked over to the horse on the right—the less anxious one—and mounted him.
“You expect me to ride a horse like a man?” Ciara asked.
“I don’t expect you to do anything. But I’m following these two to the castle.” Evelyn patted her horse and started moving forward.
Doran ran back to his horse and mounted it in one impressive leap, then resumed trotting up the incline. Evelyn wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn she heard him chuckling to himself. This made her smile.
“Wait! Goat girl!” Ciara shouted.
“Incorrigible,” Evelyn mumbled, glancing back.
Ciara stood with the horse’s reins loosely in her hands and a look of complete befuddlement on her face. The girl was a helpless mess. Evelyn suddenly felt an overwhelming appreciation for her mother’s constant drive to keep up the farm and the goats. Had she not pushed her daughter, she might be in the same position as Ciara; one of weakness and dependence.
“You can’t just leave me out here for dead!” Ciara shouted, her sapphire eyes glinting.
“Actually … I could,” Evelyn said.
“But you wouldn’t!” Ciara released the menacing glare and softened her gaze. “Would you? You’re not like that …”
“Not like what?”
“Like … like …” Ciara stammered. For the first time ever, her confidence waned.
“Like what?” Evelyn goaded.
Ciara shrugged and gave Evelyn a shameful head tilt. “Like me, I suppose.”
Evelyn broke out into a roll of laughter. The moment was something she’d cherish dearly. It was nothing short of a miracle. The day Ciara broke.
“I guess I’ll help you. But there are conditions,” Evelyn said.
“Anything. Just please don’t leave me out here alone.”
Evelyn didn’t trust Ciara to follow through, but she had nothing to lose by making a request. One that she believed rather important. “If I help you get onto the horse and we reach the castle alive, you must promise to allow me to explain to the prince what happened on our journey. And there shall be no mention of the spear or the thieves helping us. I’ll explain the carriage and take responsibility. But everything else must remain between us.”
Ciara sighed in relief. “Absolutely. I will put this journey far from my memory once it has ended. You have my word.”
Evelyn coughed out a laugh. Ciara’s word was about as binding as a castle made of sand. But it was getting later and colder, so she jumped down and assisted Ciara with the horse. After a lot of struggling and a bunch of complaining, Ciara
finally settled on top of the poor horse and they were ready to continue.
The girls followed the rocky path and caught up with Doran and Vaughn. The two thieves didn’t say anything. Instead, the group continued up the steep incline in concentrated silence. Evelyn considered mentioning what she might’ve seen in the sky, but she didn’t want to worry anyone about the possibility of a dragon if that wasn’t the case. It was probably only lightning, she told herself as she refocused her attention on the path. The continuous clomping of horses’ hooves droned on in a rhythm that nearly lulled Evelyn to sleep, but she forced herself to stay awake and alert. They still had hours to go before dawn.
2
The horses continued along the edge of the mountain and came around the bend just as the sun rose in the east, the glorious landscape spreading out below. The lush green valleys and hillsides were sprinkled with violet and pink wildflowers, and from where they were on the highest mountain ranges, all the others seemed small in comparison. Though it was springtime many of the peaks were blanketed in snow. The ocean was no longer visible; they were too far north. And the hamlet of Ocelum was a distant memory, many miles away and far beyond the western mountains and forests.
“No turning back now,” Evelyn murmured.
“Was that ever an option,” Ciara said with a bite. Her confidence had returned and her derogatory demeanor had resurfaced. Evelyn was too exhausted to argue.
“Doran,” Evelyn called ahead.
“Yes, my lady?”
“We must rest now.”
Doran charged ahead with his brother trailing behind. Ciara grumbled under her breath while they waited and Evelyn closed her eyes for just a few moments … Her head jerked to the side, jolting her awake. She couldn’t wait to lie down and sleep.
“Come along, ladies,” Doran’s voice echoed from around the boulders.
Evelyn nudged her horse to trot forward and Ciara followed. They maneuvered through a narrow passageway in the large rocks and made their way into a secluded clearing. The space was large enough for all five of the horses and the four of them.
Ciara slid off her horse in a sloppy manner, her dress getting caught in the reins and exposing her legs. Vaughn, the simpleton, chuckled. This enraged Ciara. “And where will the both of you stay?” she asked the men.
Doran scanned the area. “Right here, miss.”
“Plenty of room for all,” Vaughn added.
Ciara folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “Absolutely not.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes at the thieves and dismounted her horse. She found a nook in the clearing, dropped her travel bag, and slumped to the ground. Using her bag as a pillow, she rested her weary head.
Ciara marched over to Evelyn. “What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?”
“You’re going to allow these … these … beasts to stay in the same sleeping quarters as us? Have you gone mad?”
Evelyn yawned and yanked Ciara’s dress, pulling her down to eye level. “I do believe if I don’t sleep I will indeed go mad. And if that happens, there’s no telling what will become of you. So I suggest you sit down and shut up.”
“But they’re thieves. You trust them while you sleep?” Ciara had a look of genuine panic in her sapphire eyes.
“There’s not much left to steal. If they want the horses, fine. I’m too tired …”
Ciara stood up. “Fine. I’ll stand watch while you sleep. I’m not letting either of these derelicts out of my sight.”
Evelyn muttered something incoherent and tried to repeat it, but the wall of sleep had already closed in.
***
The heat throbbing against Evelyn’s bosom woke her from a deep and heavy slumber. She patted her bosom to find the crystal stone pulsing. It took a moment to orient to her surroundings—Ciara was fast asleep in a fetal position a few feet away, Vaughn was sprawled out on his back, and Doran crouched between two large stones near the clearing’s opening, his crossbow at the ready. He gave Evelyn a watchful nod and held his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to remain silent. She started to slowly rise and he motioned for her to stay, but she wasn’t about to leave her life in the hands of a thief. She had seen what happened to sitting ducks. He shook his head at her disregard and went back to listening.
“What say you?” Ciara muttered, half asleep.
Evelyn groaned and paused a moment. Any sudden movements might wake up the troublemaker and they needed to keep as quiet as possible. As soon as Ciara rolled to her other side, Evelyn proceeded toward Doran. The blazing sun poured down into the clearing and sweat dripped along Evelyn’s temples. More from nerves than heat. She removed the crystal stone from her corset and clenched it in her palm. A surge of energy roiled through her fist and up her arm, then twitched through her entire body as the crystal stone morphed into the spear. She gazed at the glowing weapon in awe, wondering how such a magical thing could be real.
“Not that thing again!” Ciara yelled from behind.
Doran shot a look over his shoulder and gestured for her to stay quiet.
“No thieving forest bastard tells me what to do!” she said.
Evelyn glanced over her shoulder just as a black object flew over the side of the wall of boulders and landed in the clearing. She tried to focus on the thing, but whatever it was moved entirely too fast. Vaughn sprung up off the rock and aimed his crossbow, but the object whizzed around in a blur of black.
“What is it?” Evelyn shouted.
“It’s a zeevil!” Doran rushed over and aimed his crossbow toward the cyclone of dust zipping around.
“Whatever it is, make it stop!” Ciara swatted the air and ducked.
Vaughn released an arrow and another couple in rapid succession, but missed each time. Doran was more conservative with his supply and waited for the perfect shot. But the creature moved too quickly. It spun like a black tornado weaving between the four of them and the horses. In its wake, the thing snatched up Ciara and rose out of the clearing, taking her over the rocks.
Evelyn stood frozen with the spear pulled back and ready to hurl. “What just happened?”
“I believe dat zeevil done ran off with your friend,” Vaughn said, reloading his crossbow.
“She’s not my … oh, never mind. Can we go after that thing?”
Both of the thieves chortled at the suggestion.
“I’m serious,” she said. “I know she’s a horrible person, but I can’t abandon her on Bispos Peak!”
Doran straightened himself and smoothed back some of his unruly dark curls. “Of course, my lady. Please pardon our rudeness.”
“I say we’re better off without the skank,” Vaughn blurted.
Evelyn wanted to agree and had she been as conniving and belligerent as Ciara, she might have. But she had this nagging belief that it was somehow her duty to get Ciara safely to Verubri Castle.
“Perhaps,” she said. “But I won’t go on without her.”
Vaughn shook his narrow face. “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
Doran stepped in front of his brother. “We can track down the zeevil to its cave dwelling, but I must say this will add to our travel time significantly. And even if we reach your friend, we’ll be up against hoards of the whirling nudniks. It will be dangerous.”
“What do they intend to do with her? Eat her? Sacrifice her?” she asked.
“Oh, no. They’re herbivores. But they are quite messy and are known to capture females, forcing them into slavery to assist with … tidying up.”
Vaughn chuckled. “Your friend will be stuck cleaning up zeevil dung the rest of her years.”
Evelyn pictured Ciara scooping up and carrying waste in a bucket and smiled inwardly. Still, she couldn’t abandon Ciara regardless of their poor relations. She clasped the spear and forced it back into the form of the crystal stone, then slipped it into her corset. Doran raised a brow, but kept quiet. She grabbed her travel bag from the ground and hoisted it over her shoulder.
“Trust me, I want nothing more than to reach the castle and take a steaming hot bath and get some proper sleep, but I have a duty to my … to Ciara.”
Vaughn laughed. “You said doody!”
Doran shook his head and mounted his horse. “Please forgive my brother. His manners were lost at birth.”
She smiled and climbed up onto her horse. “Why is it that you both are so … different?”
“Long story,” he said.
“Long journey,” she replied.
Doran grinned. “The zeevil caves are usually at the lower sections of the mountain ranges. Warmer temperatures. Which is the opposite direction of where we need to go. After we retrieve the girl, we’ll have to make our way back up. Vaughn, I want you to remain here with the other horses. No need to strain all of them.”
“But, brother. The rules are we never split up.”
“Rules are meant to be broken,” he said.
Evelyn laughed at the comment. Of course this would be the thief’s maxim. Rules didn’t matter when you made a living robbing people. Doran then nudged his horse forward through the clearing and trotted through the passageway with Evelyn trailing behind. Vaughn grumbled to the other horses, grudgingly obeying his brother’s request to stay back.
The blazing sunlight nearly blinded Evelyn as she and Doran headed down the narrow path along the side of the mountain.
“Bright up here,” Evelyn said, trying to make conversation.
“Highest peak in all of Galicia. You can see hundreds of miles in every direction from Bispos Peak. Lore says the first dragon of Galicia originated from this very mountaintop. A blast of molten fire that shot up from the belly of the mountain.”
Evelyn knew about the infamous dragons of Galicia, but superstition kept most people in her hamlet from discussing the topic. They’d had many years of peace; why risk calling any of the beasts out of hiding? Despite what her mother believed—that her father killed the last of the Galician dragons—Evelyn didn’t feel comfortable with the subject so she redirected the conversation.
“Why do you and your brother sound so different?”
