by Amy Bearce
“Who goes there?” an older man said, limping into the front room.
Nell laid her coin purse on the table. “Hello, Alastair. I need some of your fine products.”
They settled down to business. She had at least enough coin for white fur cloaks and boots for everyone. And the furred boots with special fish-scaled soles might look strange but would grip the snow better while keeping their feet protected.
“Going somewhere cold, then?” Alastair asked as he wrapped her purchases.
“Looks like.”
He frowned but said, “Just as well for you. Trouble’s coming ’round these parts.”
“Oh?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“There’s talk these days about a new man; local crew’s serving him now. Sounds bad.”
She lowered her voice. “I’ve heard of him myself. He’s moving fast, too, seems like.”
Alastair slapped his hand on the counter. “We’re no saps ready to show our bellies to a bigger dog. If this Dragon wants us, he’ll have to take us over our dead bodies.”
She smiled fiercely. “I have no doubts about Port Ostara’s loyalty. Thank you.”
He flushed. Rubbing a finger under one ear, he added, “And uh, if you’re going to be in snow, you might want some of these.”
He held up a strange-looking scrap of white gauze, with ties on each side. “It protects the eyes. The sun off the snow will blind you just like white sands in the desert. I’ll make a good deal for you.”
Alastair looked so sincere she even listened when he recommended light-framed tents for them, ones with removable, bendable willow branches to hold its shape that would pack tight and light. And when he suggested the special water flasks the mountaineers strapped inside their coats to keep their water from freezing solid, she figured she’d better buy some of those, too. By the time she left, her coin purse was empty and her hands were full of packages.
The hike back from the port was long with the new supplies weighing her down. Halfway back, she stilled, brow furrowed. The woods had gone silent.
She dropped her packages and grabbed her sword. Sweat prickled along her skin and she crouched into a ready position, all senses on alert. The unnatural quiet screamed louder than any sound could.
A man stepped from the trees onto the path.
He was tall, taller even than Corbin, with muscular arms bared by a leather vest. An elaborate dragon mask carved of painted wood covered his features from his forehead to just above his jaw line.
Her breath snagged, but she gripped her sword tighter. The Dragon. It had to be.
He wore two longswords crisscrossed on his back and walked like he knew how to use them. A dagger hung from a scabbard at his waist. With his height, strength, and reach, he would be tough to beat even if they were equal in weaponry. Which they weren’t.
A jagged red scar trailed past the edge of the mask, along his right jaw line and down his neck. Dark hair with one thick streak of white lay across broad shoulders. His age was impossible to determine, but an aura of power surrounded him.
“Stay back,” Nell warned.
He sauntered toward her. “Nellwyn Brennan. I see you are preparing for a journey. Perhaps to the Ice-Locked Lands, hmm?”
Shock stunned her for a moment. “How do you know me?”
“Who in Aluvia doesn’t know you? And you didn’t answer my question.” His voice was deep, amplified by the mask covering his face, distorting it.
“I don’t need to answer your question. Why don’t you just go back to the frozen land you came from?” She couldn’t tell if he was smiling under that mask, but he rocked back on his heels, looking unconcerned in his pose.
He shook his head. “There’s no going back now, even if I wanted to. I’m taking over Aluvia, with all magical creatures placed under human rule. My rule.”
He drew one sword from his back and swung it in an arc. The sun glinted on the sword as it fell. A black substance glistened on its tip. Poison?
“I don’t think so.” She stepped back.
“I’m not asking you to think. You’re the girl who united the ports and villages. You have the people’s hearts. I just want you to hand them to me.” He pointed his sword at her.
“Is that a threat?”
“A request―for now. But if you cause me trouble, I’ll kill you.”
She laughed. “You can try.”
He swung at her then, an overhead strike that blurred with speed.
She blocked his sword with her own. The tremor from the clash ran up her arms. She licked her lips and shifted her feet, readying to take the punishing blows she knew he would deal. If that was poison on his weapon, all it would take is one nick and she could be incapacitated. Or dead.
Nell warned him, “It’s not just me who’s brought change to Aluvia, you know. All the keepers have taken the message to heart. They’ll stand against you.”
“They can’t fight like you.”
Well, he had that part right. She lunged with a hard stab. Her move should have taken him by surprise―she was fast―but he knocked her sword aside easily.
“You’ll have to do better than that. No one is my equal with a blade. Not even you.”
She smirked. He obviously didn’t know her. “Why not just take me now? If you can.”
He attacked, but she spun out of range and jabbed at him. He took a step closer and forced her sword to one side.
His breath wasn’t even strident under the mask. “None can match my strength, but you could be my equal in power. I don’t wish to kill more than I must. If you were on my side, the people would follow me without violence, without resistance. Wouldn’t that be better?”
“I’ll never help you destroy our world.” She struck at him again.
Their feet scuffled back and forth along the path. Steel chimed over and over. Nell kept a close eye on the glistening tip of his blade. Dust rose and coated their boots, dried her throat. If she found an opening, she could end his assault on the ports before it started. The voice couldn’t have foreseen the Dragon showing up like this. Killing a man went against every promise she’d made to herself in her new life, but in this case, she was willing to make an exception.
He stabbed. She parried.
She slashed. He blocked.
He was good, she gave him that. Really good.
Above the clanging of the swords, he said, “We would stop the destruction of the mountains by those monstrous dragons. Not like mine, tamed and fireless. All magical creatures will serve me and my people soon enough. We’ll take back nectar from the fairies. The ocean will be ours to fish and travel, not blocked by that ludicrous treaty with the merfolk. Of course, I have my own transportation.”
He stepped back and gave a sharp whistle. With a shriek, the wind picked up.
A creaking sound came overhead, like a thousand sails opening at once on a speeding ship. A gust of icy wind made Nell shudder, and there in the middle of the dirt path from Port Ostara to Covenstead, a dragon landed, shaking the ground with its weight.
tanding as tall as the tree line, the beast filled her vision. An ice-blue dragon with white eyes. It lifted its head and screeched. Frosty mist blasted from its nostrils, sending the temperature plummeting. Its cry rode down Nell’s spine like the sound of metal on metal.
Coldness drenched through her, springing not only from the dragon, but from within. She struggled to take in enough air. She’d never even heard of a dragon like this. She’d seen dragons before―red, fire-breathing dragons. They had been magnificent and terrifyingly deadly.
But this? This was so much worse. Dread seemed to flow from the very skin of the animal itself. Up close, the dragon radiated a hatred she hadn’t sensed from a magical creature since their world began to heal.
The beast shrieked and sent a blast of icy breath onto the tree beside it. Not just frosty mist this time―ice coated the branches, thick and hard, white vapor swirling up around the trunk. The dragon blew again, eyes glowing white un
til the tree suddenly fell with a deafening crack, split right down the middle, frozen brittle and shattered.
Her sword hilt loosened in her hand. Every joint in her body went weak before training swept in and had her gripping her sword in a defensive position. Not that it would do much good now. This dragon could kill her in a heartbeat, a frozen corpse left here on the dirt road.
Frost crackled the grass at the beast’s feet, and the man stood there, unafraid. This, then, was the man who Jasper deemed worth his loyalty. Not just a warrior, but something more.
The man calling himself the Dragon interrupted her spinning thoughts. “It’s already too late to stop me, so don’t waste your energy on that foolish journey. The next time we meet, you’ll have to choose: me or death. Consider your options carefully, Nellwyn.”
He lifted his empty hand. The dragon lowered its mighty head, and the man gripped its neck frill, swinging up just behind it. When the beast stood tall, he climbed down its neck using the ridges as steps to land in a leather seat on the dragon’s back.
He rode a dragon. The impossibility robbed her of words.
“I’ll have taken Port Iona before the full moon rises tomorrow, as I should have long ago. And I won’t stop there. Know this well: I’m coming for all of Aluvia!” His last words rose to a shout.
He lifted his sword in the air, and the beast rose onto its back legs with a mighty roar. The sound thundered through her bones. Its wings moved, and the air around her smelled of snow and jasmine and musk. Dragons had a scent―she hadn’t known. The last time she’d met one, all she smelled was the burning of the forest. She’d never been this close to one since then.
She wished it had stayed that way.
The dragon and its rider rose through the sky above her, flattening bushes and cracking tree limbs. A flurry of wind beat upon her, a blast of freezing air that stole her remaining breath. And then he was gone, along with the white-eyed dragon, flying fast … heading toward Covenstead.
Her sisters.
Her mother.
Corbin.
She snatched up the supplies and ran.
This man knew who she was. He could easily know where she lived, who she loved. As she raced home, the ghost of her eight-year-old self ran alongside her, reliving her darkest memories.
The moment of disbelief when her mother had told them about their father’s death. The crying of the babies all night long, their mother unable to offer comfort. Death had come without warning to Nell’s home that day. It could have come and gone again today already.
It was late afternoon when Nell finally reached the healing cabins. Her lungs burned from running with the extra weight of their supplies. The little village was quiet. Maybe the Dragon hadn’t come here after all. But when she entered the clearing by her house, she staggered.
Her home.
The thatched roof had collapsed, coated with a thick layer of ice. The door, split down the middle, lay warped on the frozen grass. No.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she had no time for them. “Ma! Girls!”
She raced to the front edge of the crumbled home and yanked away one stone after another.
“Nell! Wait!”
It was Corbin’s voice. She didn’t look away from her task. “Help me!”
“They’re okay. Do you hear? They’re okay!”
His words finally sank in. She turned slowly, blood on her knuckles. “They are?”
“Grace saw the dragon coming and warned them in time. They’re with my parents now and will stay there. They’ll be safe that way.”
“Thank you. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m so sorry about your home. We’ll rebuild it.” Corbin held her close.
“He… he threatened me, told me to join him or else.” Her voice shook but grew firmer. Louder. Her family was fine, just as Corbin had said, but only because they got lucky.
“I can’t believe the dragon breathed ice,” Corbin said, both awed and disturbed. “In all the books and scrolls I’ve ever read, dragons only breathe fire.”
Nell couldn’t care less about the mystery of the man’s blue dragon. What mattered was he’d come after her family. Grace had saved them, but the Dragon had made his point. He’d pay for it.
The sooner she got the sword of Aluvia, the better.
“I want to leave now,” Nell seethed. “We can march straight through.”
“A good night’s sleep will help you more than anything. The others won’t be ready tonight and he’s gone now. The news will hold until tomorrow.”
“Fine, but we’ve got to warn Port Iona before we head to the Ice-Locked Lands. You know that, right?”
“I wouldn’t have it otherwise. We’ll do it first thing in the morning.” He stroked her hair.
Against her will, her thoughts returned to the giant dragon. Its white eyes. Its freezing breath. She imagined it destroying Corbin’s home the next time. Or Sierra’s. Or entire villages. Death would be swift. Countless innocents would die.
“What if I can’t stop him?” The words were pulled from her in a harsh whisper. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
“You will.”
“How do you know?” She tilted her head up to meet his gaze.
“Because I know you.” He smiled at her.
His faith in her was its own magic.
Nell awoke to the dim glow of early dawn, rested and ready. She’d slept in her healing hut after salvaging what she could from her home, thankful her packed bag was fine. She put on her summer travel clothes, keeping the new winter gear packed away until needed. Her sword and bow came next. With a dagger strapped to her thigh and a quiver alongside the waterproof backpack, her weapons were all within reach.
As a final step, she tucked her small back-up knife inside her boot. Given Jasper’s attitude, perhaps not everyone in town would be receptive to the warning they came to give. She wouldn’t invite violence, would even seek to avoid it, but she wouldn’t allow anyone in her circle to be harmed.
Thanks to the voice, they knew where to go and what to get in order to win. And she would fight with a sword of legend. With a slow smile of anticipation even in the face of overwhelming, dangerous odds, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Four years ago, Nell had walked to Sierra’s holding a sword in preparation for a dangerous journey. This time, Nell held Corbin’s hand. His wonderful scent made her smile, the honey and cinnamon fragrance of his fairies mixed with soap and spicy herbs. His hand in hers lifted her spirits further.
Corbin wasn’t a morning person, but that was fine. They both relaxed into the sounds of the forest: the shy wood thrush whistling a welcome to the morning, the crickets chanting their last songs before retiring for the day. His fairy queen skimmed along the tops of the trees with her wee ones. The beauty of the forest built a happy cocoon around them, making yesterday seem like a strange dream.
When they approached the cottage, though, the small bubble of peace popped. Her grip tightened on Corbin’s hand.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her.
“I know,” Nell said. She wished she believed it as much as he did.
Believe it said the voice inside. This time, the voice wasn’t a whisper. It sounded like someone had spoken into her ear. Goose bumps raced along her arms.
She’d had a voice living inside her for years, and now it was powerful enough to speak in her mind. Maybe strong enough to take her over completely? She had no idea what this change could mean on top of everything else, but first things had to come first.
Sierra led them to the kitchen, where Tristan and Phoebe already waited at the table, packs at their feet. Micah was there, too, ready to journey in his human form. A nip of cold hung in the late summer air.
“Corbin and I have some news. Bad news.” Nell explained her confrontation with the Dragon, including the attack on her family. The recounting fueled her rage further.
She spoke throug
h gritted teeth. “He has to be using magic on his dragon. Dragons would never serve any human willingly, but this one came to his whistle, like a dog. Furious, but obedient.”
Micah’s eyes widened with horror. “Dragons are fierce, proud creatures. They will sometimes respond to our singing, but they only consider other creatures of the sky as equals.”
“Creatures of the sky?” Nell stared at him, baffled.
“Flying creatures, you see,” Micah explained. “There used to be quite a few. Firebirds. Windsteeds. Griffins. Snow sprites. Dragons live within caves and forests, which is why fauns can sometimes influence them, but they still consider the sky their home.”
“Oh.” Nell hoped this Dragon couldn’t control all those things too.
“I’ve never heard of snow sprites!” Corbin leaned forward in his chair.
“They are ancient beings―small, mischievous elementals made of the air itself that live among the snowy lands. It’s said they could travel anywhere the wind could go. But dragons are far more powerful.”
“And dragons wouldn’t voluntarily serve a human the way fairies work with us?” Sierra paced around the small kitchen.
Micah frowned. “No. Dragons are less tame than even the wildest griffins, dangerous but not evil. Though perhaps they have too much magic to keep contained safely now.”
Sierra sat down at the table with a thud. “I thought magic was good. We didn’t have enough―how can too much magic be bad?”
“Imagine, if you will, a world with a long drought,” Micah said. “Then the rains come pouring down. The dry ground cannot absorb the sudden rain well. Some places flood, yet others receive little relief as the water runs off the too-hard surface.
“I think in many ways, Aluvia has been like this. The merfolk have finally received the sea’s magic, as the fairies have their own, but the dragons seem to have both too much magic and yet not enough. I don’t fully understand, but it might be why they are setting too many fires.”
