Monstrous

by MarcyKate Connolly

  Barnabas is somewhere nearby, just waiting for the right opportunity.

  And I will be there to stop him.

  The city guards prepare their weapons, but I have no need for such things. I am a weapon, and besides, I have precious little to call my own. I spread out my meager possessions on the bed. In addition to my satchel, belt, and cloak, I have the clothes on my back and the pressed form of the last rose from my garden at the cottage. It has dried now, but the bright red hue clings to it still. Ren’s mother found it after I left it on his pillow and kept it along with the book of fairy tales. When she discovered it was mine, she insisted I have it. I both love and hate the memories it carries in its fragile form.

  “Kymera?” a soft voice behind me says. I drop the flower on the bed as I spin around, pulling my hands behind my back so whoever this is won’t see that my claws have shot out at being taken unawares.

  Delia hovers in the doorway, the fingers of one hand clutching the frame while the other fiddles with her long blond curls. My sister. Who I no longer resemble in the least. Who has every reason to despise me.

  “Yes?” I finally say. We have avoided each other ever since my return. She ducks into her room when I am in the hall and vice versa. Her smile in the palace court when Oliver pronounced me Bryre’s protector is nearly the only contact we’ve had since Belladoma.

  I simply don’t know what to say to her.

  “Good luck,” she says. “I think if anyone can defeat the wizard, it would be you.”

  “Oh, well, thank you.” Awkwardness hangs between us while I struggle to find something else to say.

  “I’m sorry,” she says.

  All the breath leaves my lungs. “You’re sorry?” I cannot fathom why she thinks she should be sorry. She has done no wrong.

  She stares at the floor, the window, the doorframe—everywhere but at me. “Yes. You saved me and those other girls, and I—I have not been very welcoming to you.”

  I retrieve my things from the bed and stuff them in my pack. “You do not have to apologize for that. I could hardly expect you to be. You would not have been in Belladoma in the first place, if not for me.”

  “But I should. You’re—” She stops short and balls her hands into fists at her sides. “You were my sister. It’s just that I thought I was getting past her—you—being gone, and now you’re back.” Her brow furrows as she considers my monstrous shape. “Sort of.”

  My long-lost affection for this girl stirs deep in the pit of my stomach. It is a warmth, like a tiny ball of sunlight. Only a hint, but that is enough. For now.

  “I wish I remembered you better.” I do, terribly. Flits and flashes are all I have. Lately most of them are of Ren, since he’s been telling me about Rosabel, but every so often I catch a glimpse of a small, blond girl, too.

  She steps fully into the room. “Your eyes are hers. Exactly. Right down to the tiny brown fleck in the left one. The shape of your face resembles hers a little, too. Everything else is . . . different.”

  “It was the magic the wizard used. He tried to make me this way so many times, it burned up all but the parts you recognize.” Fear trembles down my neck. Please don’t let this girl ask where the rest of me came from.

  To my relief, she just nods.

  “I’m sorry, too,” I say, because I must, however ridiculous it may sound. “I’m sorry for stealing you from the hospital and sending you to Belladoma. The wizard tricked me. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  Delia shivers and takes an unconscious step back. “Yes, I remember when you explained how you thought you were saving us. And when you found out that was wrong, you came with Ren to save us for real.”

  She remains in the doorway, still shivering. I can do nothing but gaze at her miserably. Would Rosabel have embraced and comforted her younger sister? I cannot imagine Delia would welcome that sort of comfort from me.

  Yapping and flapping distract us both from our circling thoughts. Pippa soars into the room. Delia ducks, startled by the flying sperrier. She laughs as Pippa skids to a landing at her feet and yelps for attention.

  “What an odd little thing!” she says, scratching Pippa right between the ears just as she likes best. The sperrier leans into Delia’s hand, practically purring. Then Pippa flies up and lands in Delia’s arms. Her nonstop tail wags her entire body. Delia laughs and grins over Pippa’s wings.

  I grin back. I may not know what will happen to me or whether we’ll save Bryre, but it warms me to see that Pippa—and Delia—will be in good hands.

  When I move to pet Pippa, too, something draws my attention to the window instead.

  Screams. My heart burns in my throat.

  Barnabas must be back already. So early! I was sure he’d wait for nightfall.

  “What is it?” Delia asks.

  “I don’t know, but I fear the worst.” I fly by her and out the cottage door. Greta and Delia’s feet pound after me. I make it only a few yards before I realize what is happening.

  City folk have come out of their homes, and are staring, pointing at the sky.

  Batu circles overhead, his great granite-hued wings spread wide as he soars. He is truly a majestic creature. Slowly, he circles down to the street level and settles onto the cobblestones, careful to fold his wings and curl his tail around the street corner. He is taller than the buildings.

  Delia and Greta finally catch up, panting. “D-dragon!” Greta exclaims. “Kym, get back! He’ll eat you alive!”

  I grin back at them. “Not this dragon.”

  Sister. Hot air brushes over my face in a comforting, familiar breeze.

  “Batu!” I say, amazed. “What are you doing here?”

  My dragon lowers his head to my eye level. I heard rumors of the forest by the city being unmade, and knew the wizard had to be near. I realized you were quite serious about fighting him, and I came to a decision.

  “What decision is that?” I place my hand on his scaly cheek.

  I am alone. I have been alone, and scared, for too many years to count. But since I found you, my life has felt full. I decided I would rather risk dying with you than go back to living alone.

  My heart swells and I throw my arms around Batu’s snout.

  “I am so glad you’re here.” I pull back and take in the sight of all the quivering city folk. “Batu, I think I should bring you somewhere less exposed. Did you see the palace when you were circling?”

  Batu nods.

  “Good. Go to the garden there. You’ll have more room to stretch out, and a smaller audience.”

  He launches off the ground, and I follow suit, fueled by renewed hope.

  Batu reaches the palace garden first and lands with his tail amid the hedge creatures and his head on the grand front steps. The ground trembles when he lands, and the guards come running, swords drawn, only to halt and gape.

  “It is all right,” I say, landing in front of Batu. “The dragon is with me. Which means he is with us. Please, get the king.”

  “The king is already here,” Oliver says from the wide marble entrance. The guards immediately step in front of him. Ren appears behind the king, his face ashen when he sees Batu.

  “It’s real,” Ren chokes out.

  “Of course it is,” I say.

  “Kymera,” Oliver says, looking like he just realized he swallowed something poisonous, “what is the meaning of this? Dragons are dangerous. They are notorious for destroying cities like ours and—”

  Actually, Batu says in his think-speak, that would be fire dragons. They always were temperamental. No rock dragon has ever destroyed a city.

  Oliver gapes. Ren leans against a marble column for support. They both must have heard Batu.

  Delia and Greta race down the garden path, panting. “Kym, have you gone mad?” Greta says.

  I sigh. I never did stop to consider what the Bryrians’ reaction might be to a dragon in their midst when I begged Batu for help. “He is here, at no small risk to himself, I might add, to help u
s defeat the wizard.”

  Oliver’s eyes go wide. “You cannot be serious?”

  “You can’t trust a dragon. He would eat you as soon as look at you!” Ren says.

  I shake my head. “I am serious and no, he will not.” I smile at Batu, placing a hand on his snout. “We are like brother and sister. We protect each other.”

  “I must say I share Ren’s concern,” Oliver says. “Dragons are not tame creatures by any stretch of the imagination. They may be wise, but they can be vicious. They are feared for good reason.”

  I glance at Batu—his rocky shimmering scales, the dank breeze of his dragon’s breath, his pure hatred of wizards. And his kindness. Batu saved my life; he is my friend. “I don’t fear this one. And neither should you. The wizard murdered his whole clan. Every member of his family, his entire race. Barnabas has been chasing him for years. He has just as much stake in this as any of us.”

  I swear on the mountains I mean you no harm, King Oliver. Unlike my fiery brethren, I have little desire for wreaking havoc. All I want is to live freely and without fear.

  Delia and Greta stiffen, exchanging a stunned look as Batu speaks.

  Oliver takes a step toward Batu. He quietly considers the beast on his steps for a few moments.

  “I trust you, Kym. That’s why I named you Bryre’s guardian. If you swear this dragon is here to help, I don’t think I have much choice but to believe you. Who can say no to a dragon?” He reaches out to take my hand. “With the wizard bound to arrive at our gates any hour, we are in no position to turn down assistance, especially from something that has a real chance of defeating the wizard for good.”

  “You won’t regret it, I promise,” I say, squeezing his hand. Batu inclines his head as if in a bow, and huffs his acknowledgment of the king’s approval.

  “Be careful. Even with this unexpected help, Barnabas is bound to be angry now, and that makes him more dangerous than ever before,” Oliver says.

  “Don’t worry, I will never let my guard down again.”

  Soon we’ll be free from all this madness. With my dragon by my side, no wizard can stop us.

  DAY SEVENTY-SEVEN

  BATU AND I HAVE BEEN GUARDING THE WALL WHERE THE MONSTER BRIAR burst through since the sun set earlier in the evening. Now it is well past midnight. The wall keeping our enemies out is down in one spot, just wide enough for two men to walk through. The foundation is in more of a shambles than the last time I saw it, and between the rubble and clog of briars, it’s now nearly impossible for the repair workers to reach. I suspect Barnabas prepared for that sort of thing. And I’m sure he already has a plan to get around it.

  Batu barricades the way into the city proper with his massive body where the briar gives way to the street. The night is bright and clear, and I try to pick out constellations in the stars. It reminds me of another time I gazed up at the night sky, with Ren. It feels like forever ago.

  What do you see in the sky, sister? Batu asks.

  “The stars.” I lean against the scales along his tail. “Once a friend told me that when people die, they become stars. My mother and the girls the wizard took are all up there watching over us. I’d like to think the dragons and other creatures he killed are up there too, but I don’t know if you have to be human to become a star.” I worry my bottom lip. I don’t know if I’m human enough anymore to qualify.

  Humans, dragons, hybrids—we are all animals in some form. And we all return to the universe when we pass from this life. Batu points with his tail to a group of lights in the sky. The outline of a form suddenly comes to mind.

  “They do make a dragon!” I say. Tears of relief cloud my eyes and the stars blur together in a sweeping brilliancy. Someday, I can rejoin the family I lost to the wizard, even if it is only to look down upon Bryre from above.

  Branches rustle in the dense woods nearby. Up until the small clearing Barnabas created by ungrowing the trees, it’s impossible to pass by in silence. I crouch lower in my hiding spot near Batu, concealed by a nasty patch of thorns.

  A shadow-cloaked body steps through the gaping hole in the wall, past the boundary that thwarted the wizard’s plans for years. The air buzzes with the hum of magic thrumming beneath the surface of his skin, and the briars shrink back to let him pass. My pulse quickens. I despise him. He can’t be allowed in any further.

  A revolting grin crosses Barnabas’s face when he spies Batu.

  “Ah, my old friend. I thought I caught your scent in the woods. This is better than I had hoped.”

  I step out into the open where he can’t miss me. Barnabas’s eyes widen.

  “Both of you? Of course, you would have befriended a dragon. Get out while you can, Kymera.” A sly grin creeps over his face. “Or you could join me. You were so helpful before.”

  I struggle to maintain my composure, letting the anger boil inside, but keeping it focused on one thing: finding an opening to sideline him for good.

  We block his path into the city streets. The briar clogs any other route in. Hidden from view in the streets behind us, ten men with lassos, maces, and crossbows lie in wait. I can smell their fear, but they’re not here to kill him; their purpose is to distract and slow him down if he gets past Batu and me.

  Barnabas raises an eyebrow.

  “We won’t let you hurt any more girls,” I say. Batu growls, a sound like rocks grinding together.

  He laughs. “I never cared about the girls. They were a means to an end. Oliver must pay for services rendered one way or the other. More importantly, he must pay for taking everything that should have been mine. Aria. You. The magic I could have wielded if I had spilled your blood when you were an infant. He ruined all my plans. He will suffer for it, and he will watch me destroy his entire city.”

  “Oliver did nothing wrong.”

  “Nothing? He promised me you, did he not?”

  I bristle, but try not to let it show. “Only because you tricked him. We won’t let you hurt him. You won’t kill anyone ever again.”

  “I will kill whoever I please.” He leans in. “You have made it easy for me. Everything I need to take my revenge on Bryre is right here waiting for me. I could not have planned it better myself.”

  At the flick of my tail, Batu attacks, leaping past the briar with huge, sharp teeth and talons bared.

  Dark light spews from Barnabas’s outstretched hands like glowing shadows. The ground and city walls shake when it touches them. Batu shimmers and fades in and out, feinting and ducking at Barnabas.

  My dragon is glorious, wings stretched wide to their full span, scales glittering in the half-light, yellow eyes ablaze.

  He is also afraid. Though he looks terrifying, the way he carries himself makes me certain of it.

  One of the dark coiling lights strikes Batu on his wing, and I can’t help but shriek. I clap my hands over my mouth, terror rooting me to the spot. Barnabas is determined to hurt everything I hold dear. Rage comes on like an ocean wave slamming against the rocks. My claws are out, my tail taut, and I burn for his blood.

  Our plan is for Batu to fight Barnabas first, with me keeping him trapped between the wall and the briar if he tries to run into the city. I don’t know how much longer I can stand back, yet I don’t want to get in Batu’s way, either.

  Batu’s left wing smokes where he was hit, and it folds against his side. He cannot maneuver as easily without it. Barnabas hits his paw and side in quick succession with his magic, but Batu claws Barnabas’s arm and knocks his feet out from under him as he flickers out of sight.

  Barnabas laughs from where he fell and meets my eyes.

  I fly straight for him.

  No, Kym! Batu reappears behind Barnabas, his yellow eyes focused on me. Barnabas mutters something I cannot make out.

  Suddenly, my body jerks and I hit the ground, the breath knocked from my lungs. I twist to see a briar vine curling around my leg. Barnabas’s evil magic has brought the beastly plant more to life than ever. It grows at an alarming rate, new vine
s appearing every second, slithering toward us.

  I scream and thrash, but the briars pull harder. I slash at the one wrapped around my ankle and the stung plant recoils. I scramble to my feet, but the vines still approach—reaching, prickling, stabbing—and they curl even more tightly around me again.

  More shadow ropes approach Batu along with briar, but he does not vanish like he did before.

  “Batu, flee! Go!”

  I cannot. Something stops me.

  “It was foolish to bring the dragon into the open, Kymera. Did you not think I would know all their tricks? I have more than enough tricks of my own.”

  “No!” I lunge forward again, but the vines hold me in place. I swing my tail, trying to gain enough momentum to rip free of the hateful plant.

  Though I can sense Batu’s fear, he does not give up. He leaps into the air, then crashes to the earth, making the ground tremble and crack. He yanks huge chunks out of the wall with his tail and begins hurling them at Barnabas.

  Barnabas rises to his feet, neatly dodging the cracks in the earth, unfazed. As a boulder hurtles toward him, he casts his dark light, and the rock ricochets back to the dragon. It strikes Batu square in the side, but then something odd happens. It doesn’t hurt him as I expect—he absorbs it. Wide-eyed, I watch while his curled wing unfurls again, now whole.

  The rocks may make my rock dragon stronger, but Barnabas is barely slowed. If anything, he redoubles his efforts. Before Batu can take flight, Barnabas lashes out with a glowing shadow coil, and it wraps around the dragon’s neck. One yank, and Batu’s giant craggy face is slammed to the ground. More shadow coils and twisting vines snake around his body and legs and wings. He attempts to stand, but the vines pull tighter and tighter and force him back down. Batu struggles to breathe. I clench my fists against my sides and a low keen rises in my throat. The briars that hold me are alive with writhing black shadows and they move as one deadly entity. It burns cold where they touch my skin. I struggle violently, desperate to break free and help Batu.