Brother Of The Dark Places

by Miranda Bailey

  I got up and paced, hoping it would relieve the problem, but it didn’t go away. A knock came at the door and interrupted my pacing.

  “Hello? Thyra? I am Ingrid, I have brought you clothes.” A lovely young woman came in from behind the door, a bundle of clothes in her hands.

  “You said my name properly.” I observed, noting she had the same kind of accent as Endre, something similar to my father’s Norwegian accent but slightly different.

  “Teer-ah? Why? How else would it be pronounced?” She gave me a sunny but confused smile and I brushed it away.

  “You wouldn’t believe how many people call me Thy-rah. Nevermind, it’s not important. What have you brought me?” The girl was dressed in a gray sweater and a long almond colored dress, a thick beige shawl around her shoulders that looked almost like grass woven together caught my attention.

  I walked up to her; the fur wrapped around me, and inspected her clothes. They were rather old fashioned and simple looking, but she didn’t seem to be affected by the cold so they must be warm.

  “What is this made from?” The grass looked wooly, almost like a yarn, but I couldn’t place it.

  “Just a sea grass we’ve adapted to take the place of flax. This yarn has been adapted to make a thick thread, for shawls such as this. My dress and sweater are made of the same, it’s just a different yarn style, you see, look here at my top.” She paused as I inspected the material to see that it was indeed the same, only far finer than the yarn of her shawl. “Now, I’ve brought you a pair of pants, some socks, boots, and a sweater. If you’re going out, I’ll have to find you a coat.”

  She was quite pretty, with ice blue eyes, and a wide smile. Her eyes were curious as she watched me dress, but she didn’t say anything more. As it was only a dream, I didn’t turn away, just dressed in a hurry and stood up, pounding my feet into the boots as I did so. They were made of more of the odd leather and fur, with a thick sole designed to keep me from slipping. I’d inspected the soles, also made from leather, and wondered at just how well they were made.

  This is one awesome and creative; dream I decided as I followed her out of the room.

  I think that’s the part where my jaw just dropped and stayed open, gaping like a kid plunked down in Christmas land. Women, men, and children crowded into a small kitchen and great room, laughing, talking, repairing broken items, doing inventory from the looks of it, and generally making noise. The walls and furniture were made from rough wood, plugged with some kind of mud, and ran parallel with no side rooms.

  I could see a large fireplace in the kitchen and at the other end of the hall, for lack of a better word, and utilitarian furniture that appeared to be handmade. There were thick blankets in some parts of the walls and I wondered if there were windows in those places. I walked out into the midst of noise and bustle and stared rather openly at all of the people speaking in a language that seemed familiar, but was strangely spoken. I realized it was similar to my own father’s language and tried to catch more of it as I passed by people.

  “We need to get those last tents up....” One man was saying to another. “Keep the children under control. Endre has been alone for centuries, we’re probably driving him mad already,” a woman in her 40s said to a teenaged girl with fear in her eyes.

  The woman soothed the teenager with a soft hand against her cheek and a smile. “Don’t be frightened, my love, he’ll get used to it and all men growl. It will be alright.”

  The girl smiled a wobbly smile and I moved on, understanding now that these people had only just arrived to Endre’s land. What an odd thing to dream.

  I moved around the room, looking for Endre, but heard someone mention he was outside so found my way to the door. That’s when my wonder turned to something else, an itchy feeling in the back of my neck that crawled up and down my spine. Ice cold air blasted me as I opened the door, but then settled down to something that wasn’t so face-freezing. I stepped out into a world in a bubble.

  High overhead there was something that looked like a huge bubble instead of a sky. It was bright, like the sky, and light filtered through, but there was something odd about it. It looked like, I squinted as I paused to figure it out, it looked like ice that was very thin. It couldn’t be though, could it?

  I stepped out to look behind the house on a hill, and saw that the bubble spread far behind us, for miles perhaps. I turned back to the front and saw that a green field was covered in tents, cooking fires, and even more people. I didn’t see Endre, so I took a step out into this very strange world. Where was I exactly?

  I heard the sound of pebbles beneath my feet and looked down to see that black pebbles peeked through the green moss that seemed to grow on everything. Only a few moments before I’d been safe, in a cave of darkness where the world could not intrude. Now, I was in a very real world, and I felt the idea that this was all part of a dream start to crumble.

  Those pebbles were too real, Endre’s lips on mine were too real, the smell of cold and what I could only assume was smoke and the natural scent of the moss was too real. It was all too real. I felt my knees start to give way and found a larger pile of rocks to plunk down on. This was real. All of it.

  I stared around me, my wonder turning to panic. Where was I and how was I going to get back home?

  5

  Endre

  I saw Thyra come out of the house and cut my conversation with Taka short. I saw her face and knew she was in trouble. I could also feel it as a burning itch that drove straight up into my skull from somewhere around my toes. I hurried quickly to her as she began to hyperventilate and took her hand as I knelt in front of her.

  “It’s alright, Thyra. Just breathe my heart.” She looked at me, her eyes like that of a panicked deer. They went from place to place, not settling on one thing, just moving around wildly.

  “Let me take you back inside.” I pulled an extra knit hat, something one of the new women had given to me in gratitude, and put it on her honey colored hair. Summer was on the way, but it was still quite cold here in this haven nature and my own brand of magic had created.

  “No, I…” she stuttered to a stop, her eyes taking it all in. “I want to see it all.”

  “Would you like to see it properly?” My heart thudded to a stop as I spoke, because I knew what those words meant, even if she didn’t. I hadn’t meant to speak them, but I’d dreamed about it for years now. It felt natural to ask her that, it felt natural to expose myself.

  “I think I might like that.” She said vaguely, her eyes still staring into the distance.

  Better to get it all over with at once, that way she won’t think I’m hiding anything from her, I told myself as I stood up and away from her.

  I thought about things I should say, promise you won’t run away, this might be a shock, or prepare yourself, but knew there was nothing that would truly keep Thyra from reacting, however she might react. I expected screams, running, and blind panic when I shifted, and did the only thing I could do.

  I shifted into the black dragon that had carried her to this frozen world only the day before.

  I didn’t expect fainting.

  My great dragon eyes blinked as I stared at her on the ground, my long thin snout nudging at her. “Thyra.”

  I thought the words into her mind, but she didn’t respond.

  Damn. Now what?

  I shifted back into human form and scooped her up from the ground. She’d slid down from the rocks when she fainted, and the ground was just too cold for her to lie on. Picking her up, I took her into my arms and shifted once more. My dragon hands made a perfect resting place for her as I flexed my wings and took to the sky.

  I heard the people below cheer as I flew overhead, and felt a spark of gladness in my heart. At least we dragons are still respected. The people always became excited when they saw us in our animal state, and would often cheer. I hadn’t heard that sound in hundreds of years now. I flew higher, heading for the tunnels that would take me out into the no
nmagical reality of Antarctica.

  I could have taken her back into my home, soothed her with food and warmth, coddled her into sanity, but I think she would respond better to logic and reality. Besides, I needed calming myself; I hadn’t exposed myself to a human in centuries. They did hunt us for a while, after all.

  Being in my dragon state was always best for me when I was agitated. I felt in control, powerful, and unbreakable. Power surged through me, both physical and magical, and I couldn’t really be harmed in this state. I ducked into a tunnel, my long barbed tail writhing behind me to help me maintain balance, and then turned, heading up to the real sky.

  Summer in Antarctica meant more sunlight, and a lot less darkness. By the time Christmas came around the sun would not go down at all. For now, we had light for a few more hours and I planned to make use of it. I flew out into the open, cradling Thyra to protect her from the wind as she began to come back to life. I could see the bubble of ice below, frozen but clear.

  It didn’t melt because of the temperature outside, but it did allow in the light, even when it snowed and became covered in a fine film of the crystals. Inside, it would soon become warm enough for plants to grow, though there were few plants that were still natural to the region. I brought in seeds to plant vegetables, and used the rich soil beneath the long-gone snow to grow them in. I’d created my own world here, a world that would become warm enough for short sleeves soon enough and it was far enough away from the humans on the coastline that they could not find me. I even managed to evade the satellites I’d heard about from others when I left my world to visit others.

  The tunnels helped, also. The only way to get to my kingdom of one was through those tunnels. One had to know where to look to find them, if one were brave enough to venture this far into the frozen continent. Few did so I knew I was safe, for now.

  “What…” I heard Thyra cry out as she came awake and changed course to land on top of a high peak so that I could talk to her in my human form.

  I landed and set her down just as she started to look around and push against my midnight scales.

  “Holy fuck, a dragon!” I heard her screech, just before I shifted into my human form.

  “It’s only me, Thyra”

  “You’re a…” She paused, pointing at me with her index finger, her face a mask of shock. She tried again after swallowing. “You’re a dragon.”

  “Yes, I am. And if you don’t come here, you’re going to be a human popsicle.” I pulled her to me and created a barrier around us to block out the cold. Warmth filled the space that humans could not see, but her face started to lose its frozen look.

  “You’re a dragon.” She mumbled against my neck, her shoulders quivering.

  “I am.” I repeated, holding her as a sob broke from her throat. “It’s okay, Thyra, it will all make sense soon enough. You’re safe here. It’s cool, baby.”

  I’d picked up some of the lingo over the years, more modern ways of speaking, though my brain sometimes seemed to get stuck in the 19th century. As a dragon I could speak the language of anyone around me, at any point in time.

  “No, it’s not cool, Endre! It’s fucking freezing! Holy hell!” She clutched at her arms, despite my protective bubble and her teeth began to chatter.

  She was dressed in suede from head to toe, the fur inside the suede should also help to keep her warm, but she was still cold. I pulled her tightly to my chest and we stood there for a moment until her chill passed.

  “Better?” I asked, kissing her forehead. She didn’t back away, she just stood there, inhaling me.

  “You’re real then?” She asked after a long moment of deep breathing.

  “Very real.” I said simply.

  “Okay. This is freaking me out, just a little, so give me a minute, alright?” Her hands were clutched in my coat, pulling the collar tightly closed, but I knew she was fighting not to panic so I didn’t complain.

  I knew that’s why she’d still felt the cold, so I let her have her moment. I’d pushed her to the limit of her own belief, now she had to come to grips with it. Her head turned, looking out at the sea of white before us. She inhaled sharply and her body tensed. I knew she was stunned, what else could she be when she was looking at such a landscape.

  She’d been on a boat not long ago, not exactly tropical, but still, there’d been no ice where she was. Now, the world was gone for all she knew, frozen and hidden beneath ice.

  “This is all real, Thyra. You have to believe that.” I kissed the top of her head as she melted into me, her body quivering once again, but this time it was from understanding and maybe even fear. I could sense it around her like an aura.

  “I do. I just don’t know if I can handle it. I’m a fairly logical person, I’m not religious, I don’t believe in magic.”

  I stopped her at that last part. “But you must believe in magic, otherwise you wouldn’t see me, you wouldn’t have been tied to me.”

  “That might be, I don’t know, maybe I do, in some part of me.” Her head went down, as if she needed to look away. It came back up as she stepped away from me. “The point is, this is hard to believe, but I can’t deny what I can see, feel, or touch. I can even taste the air on my tongue.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend sticking your tongue out, even in the bubble.” I made a move as if to stop her and she looked at me incredulously.

  “You made a…bubble? Around us?” Her eyes closed and she breathed in deeply. “Of course you did. I need a drink.”

  “Do you want to go back to the house?” I wasn’t going to make her stay out if she felt she needed to go back to my home.

  “I don’t know, Endre. Can’t I go back to…?” She paused, her face scrunched in thought. “Well, I guess I don’t have a home to go back to, do I?”

  “I don’t suppose you do, no.” If she’d invested all of her savings into the boat, then she was effectively homeless. At least in her world. She’d always have a home in mine.

  “What do I do?” She’d walked to the very edge of the peak we were standing on, the terrain spread out before us in a vast stroke of white, blue, and black. She wasn’t facing me now, but I could picture her face anyway. Afraid, but brave, scared, but standing strong, the way she’d always been in my dreams.

  “You stay here with me, Thyra, you build a life with me. We are mates. Don’t you feel it?” I’d gone up to her, my hands on her shoulders to pull her close, back into the bubble of protection I’d created for us.

  “Is that what this sensation is? I feel like you’re pulling me with some invisible rope, right here.” She put her fist against her navel, the area about her that had fascinated me only an hour before.

  “I suppose it is. Do you feel anything…here?” I put a hand over the area where her heart was, but the proper place, just a little to the left of center.

  “I do.” Her words were almost breathless as her face searched mine for answers. I only had one.

  I pulled her up to me, our lips fused together as she inhaled through her nose. It was a slow kiss, one that lingered as we sought out only comfort from each other, not desire. She pulled away after a moment, her eyes searching mine. I lost my breath as I looked at her, I forgot I needed to breathe, I just needed her.

  “A long time ago, I loved a woman. A girl, really, she was barely 19 years old when I knew her.” I’d tried to push her memory away, I’d tried for hundreds of years, but I just couldn’t do it anymore.

  “What happened to her? Did you…outlive her?” She’d said that word tentatively, as though it was something that had occurred to her only then, that we obviously didn’t age the same way.

  “I suppose I did, in the end, but that’s not what separated us. I wanted to marry her, but she was a thief from a village we raided. Back then, in the land we called Tirfothwin, we were raiders, what you people call Vikings now, but we called ourselves Vikingrs then.”

  I paused and I could see her watching me, curious. What was I going to tell her next, her eyes
asked me.

  “We raided a new place, a place with gold, and a lot of women. It was a different time.” She’d looked at me sharply and I cut off her horror. “I killed men, but the rest, the raping, that was others not us.”

  She didn’t look as relieved as I’d hoped she would. “It was a brutal life; you could die at any moment from infection or a blade. We wanted only to live.”

  I paused again, breathing, remembering that other time. “We found Riever in a village, she was one of their warriors, but instead of killing her, we took her captive. She was put into the household of my betrothed, Astrid. The waters had risen by then, the land we used to walk had become a sea, and Riever and I crossed the waters in the same boat. I…got to know her. I fell in love with her.”

  I could still remember those eyes of hers, fierce and golden, just a shade lighter than Thyra’s.

  “She was put into Astrid’s household, this fierce little warrior woman, and made a slave. She slept in a barn, waited on Astrid hand and foot, but Astrid,” I paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “She and Astrid fell in love. Our king didn’t like that.”

  “But, you’re a king, Endre.” She interrupted, her face confused.

  “I am, but then I was only the servant of my brother. He sent us all out eventually, to our own kingdoms, but my kingdom was a punishment. One I’ve now kept of my own will. Wruin found out that Astrid wanted to call off our engagement, and tried to force her to marry me. I refused. I couldn’t let either of the women be forced against their will. I’d grown up with Astrid, and Riever, Riever was all that I wanted then.”

  “What happened?” Thyra asked, her tone quiet, curious.

  “Sex back then was different, we didn’t have all this nonsense about two women being in a relationship being a sin, you loved who you loved, but you also married who your king ordered you to marry. Astrid didn’t want to marry me. She was fine with sex with me, but marriage? She wanted that only with Riever.”