by A. R. Cook
Coming back up the steps, Desiree scanned the sand dunes, coated in a warm tangerine hue by the setting sun. She called for Luna, watching carefully for any footprints her mentor may have left behind. It did not take too long for the girl to find the old woman seated on top of one of the dunes, eyes fixed on the sky above.
“There you are, Grandma. What are you doing out here?” Desiree ascended the dune, the sand still a little too warm for her bare feet. She sat down next to Luna, wondering when her teacher was going to acknowledge her presence.
Luna let out a deep sigh. She watched the stars seeping out through the dying rays of the sun, the vibrant scarlets and oranges of evening fading into the purple of night. Desiree thought Luna looked very tired, even somewhat ill. Luna’s hair, usually so fine and soft, was dull and frizzed. Her face was gaunt, yet her eyes were as bright and lively as ever, shining their beautiful sea green.
“What’s wrong?” Desiree ventured to ask after some time of silence. “Do you want me to go away?”
“No, Desiree. Please, stay.” She folded her hands in her lap, a tiny smile gracing the corner of her lips. “It’s lovely, isn’t it? This has always been my favorite time of day. Where day and night cross, they make such wonderful colors.” There was a note of sadness in her voice, although she looked upon the heavens with wonder.
“Yes, it is lovely.” Desiree rubbed her arms, the night chill creeping in. “I’m sorry I’ve come so late, but I didn’t really have enough money to stay at an inn in Ulomin, and besides, I wanted to see you right away—”
“It’s all right. I’m glad you came tonight. Tomorrow would have been too late.”
Desiree furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Luna let out another sigh—or maybe it was labored breathing. “I am afraid, my dear Desiree, that we must part tonight.”
The girl did not understand—or perhaps she did, all too well, and did not want to face it. She leaned in close to Luna, placing her hand on her arm. “No…no, don’t say that. Are you sick? I can run back to Ulomin, I can get a doctor—”
“Oh, Desiree, you know better than that. There’s no need to fuss over an old woman like me…” She trailed off, turning to look at Desiree. She smiled kindly. “Although…I shouldn’t leave you thinking you’ve been fussing over an old woman now, should I?”
The way Luna emphasized the word “woman” made Desiree both curious and nervous. In a way, Desiree had always known she wasn’t being tutored by an ordinary woman. She had tossed around the thought that Luna was a witch—a good one, of course—or maybe a shaman who had been blessed with great insight by the power of the temple she lived in. She had once even pondered if Luna was truly as human as she appeared, but it did not matter much to Desiree, not then. Now, though, it looked as if she was going to find out, and she was not sure if she wanted to know.
“Grandma Luna…” Desiree felt a pressure in her head, and tears forming in her eyes. “All I look forward to is seeing you. I don’t want things to change…”
“But they must, my dear. I have been around for longer than you can imagine, and believe me when I say nothing remains the same for long. It is the nature of the world. It is the very spirit of life itself. Nothing is ever finished; it continues to change. Even when we descend into the Eternal Deep, we do not remain there. We come back again, different than the times before. Thus we learn, through many different eyes, the many lessons the world has to offer us.” She gestured for Desiree to sit in front of her, facing her. Desiree did so, and found herself locked in Luna’s eyes. The connection was so strong, the girl felt Luna’s very heartbeat, beating in synch with her own.
“I don’t want us to part. I want to help you…” Desiree bit her lip to hold back a sob.
“And so you shall, if you truly wish to. What I am about to ask you is important, Desiree. You must answer honestly, and without fear. If you feel any doubt, any fear in your heart, then you must not consent. However, if this is something you know you can face, then I give you my blessing, and we shall not have to part. I will always be with you, guiding you, and I will bestow on you my greatest gift.”
Desiree was overcome by grief, wonder, anxiety, and some sensations she couldn’t quite label. As she stared into Luna’s eyes, she could feel a change. There was a new sense of courage she hadn’t ever known, a courage that wanted her to face whatever it was Luna was going to ask of her. Luna could see this in Desiree’s eyes, and knew that she could reveal the truth now. Then another change occurred, this time with Luna. Desiree did not notice it right away, for Luna’s eyes remained the same enchanting green, but everything else of her was slowly shifting, slowly morphing, slowly blending into the design of another form. She was growing, her neck extending, her body expanding, yet her eyes remained level with Desiree’s. Luna’s hair was enveloping her whole body, changing from soft wispy hair into moonlight-blue scales, edged in gold. Her skin, which was visible from her chin, along her long serpentine neck to her underside, was warm golden ochre in color. Wings flared from her shoulder blades, stretching after many centuries of hiding beneath a human guise. The delicate membranes were gossamer, almost sparkling in the fading light of day. Before Desiree now laid a dragoness, about a hundred feet long from the tip of her equine nose to the end of her tail.
“Now you see me as I truly am,” came the soft, tender voice Desiree knew so well, and yet it spoke inside her mind.
Desiree was not afraid. In fact, she was now less afraid than she had been a minute ago. There was no denying that this was a shock, and yet, Desiree knew in her heart that she had known all along. She reached out a gentle hand, placing it on Luna’s muzzle. “You’re so beautiful,” she said.
Luna smiled—as best as a dragon can smile. She lifted her head with some difficulty, but managed to touch her nose to Desiree’s forehead. “I give you this gift, with full trust, with full love. May it guide you, and help you in guiding others. May the path of knowledge lead you to wisdom, and thus shall you find truth. May you listen to the voices of life around you, so you will know you are never alone on your journey.”
Desiree could feel a tingle in her forehead. At first it was sharp, but it quickly turned soothing. Desiree closed her eyes, peace and joy filling her.
“Thus I, Bellaluna of the Blueshine, make you, the human Desiree, my heir. I grant you all I have obtained over time, all that has given me wisdom, all that has given me life. I bestow on you the words of Dragontongue, the secrets no other shall know.” She did not speak these secret words aloud, but somehow Desiree instantly knew them, knew how to speak the dragon phrases, knew the secret of Blueshine in her heart.
Luna withdrew her nose, lifting her head high, casting her gaze to the sky. Ia Ternaut was bright in the heavens now, its silver light shining down. “You must understand the gift I have given you. I have little energy and time left, but I will show you the Blueshine.”
Her wings outstretched, her neck fully extended towards the sky, Luna spoke the words of Dragontongue in melodic, moanful tones, and released a howl unlike any Desiree had ever heard. A gentle blue aura enveloped them, enveloped all that Desiree could see, as if everything had been caught up in an ocean of moonbeams. She could see wisps of light and shadow dance before her, the ghosts of good and the apparitions of evil. In the ever-growing magic of Blueshine, the evil presences melted away, the terrors of night overcome by the hopes of dreamers. There were swords, spears, tea leaves, books, birds, ships, wolves, stars, clouds, a menagerie of shapes that whirled through the blue aura around them, but all were good, driving away darkness. It felt both cool and warm, frightening and comforting. She could understand the Blueshine: it dissolved all things evil, left the good untouched.
The blue aura suddenly dropped away, and Desiree sat there as if nothing had happened. Luna went limp, falling to the earth, sending up a cloud of sandy dust. Desiree immediately got to her feet, coughing as she scrambled through the lingering dust. She knelt next to Luna, placing a han
d on her neck. Luna opened an eye, and looked at Desiree. She smiled weakly.
“Do not be afraid, Desiree. Remember to listen to your mind, and to your heart.” The light of her green eyes faded. She closed her eyes for the last time.
Desiree was paralyzed, but then came the torrent of tears. She put her arms around Luna’s neck, weeping bitterly against the soft scales. Then she was holding nothing, for Luna was no longer a physical body, but was now pure essence, a swirl of fading light and smoke. It floated around Desiree, mixing into her own essence, seeping into her body. It was not invading, not to Desiree. Her sadness ceased, and she was relaxed, at ease. She sat there for some time, watching Ia Ternaut, the Traveler’s Lantern, as clouds passed across its glowing face. She arose from the sand, walking back to the ruins of the temple. Once inside, she had a drink of water from the well, and then sat down in one of Luna’s chairs. Draped on the chair, there was a blanket, and Desiree covered herself with it.
Tomorrow she would go back to Ulomin, retrieve her horse and head back to her family’s camp. Tomorrow she would leave, thinking she would never return to this place again. Tomorrow, she would realize she was different, and she would have to invent a story to explain the new moonstone on her forehead.
But that night, she would sleep, dreaming of the Blueshine
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Hunt
Mac wasn’t used to staying in any one place for long—such was the life of a wandering merchant. He had learned one thing in the last few days, and that was Juka Basin was a poor selling spot. The Ahshi had little need for much of anything, and they were not interested in luxuries. Mac did not have anything much to sell to them anyway, except for the few minor trinkets in his pockets, and the elves considered them impractical and frivolous. All of Mac’s good wares he had left with Kurl, back on the outskirts of Syphurius. He didn’t worry about his strongback, for they had always had an understanding of what to do if they got split up. They would make their way back to the Bayou and meet up there, even if one of them should take a particularly long time. He imagined that Kurl was probably there already, if not close. The strongback had a good sense of direction, if he didn’t have sense with anything else.
It had been four days since Chiriku’s grandfather had passed away. Chiriku was spending her time alone by the plot in the garden where old Hibbletom was buried. Everyone was keeping their distance from her—even Mac knew better than to approach her during this time. Gila Gul and Miss Clova had spent the last few days in deep, serious deliberation, trying to figure out what the next course of action should be. Mac had eavesdropped from time to time, and the two Hijn did not seem to worry about his presence. Desert Rain had said how they needed to find a Knight who stood a chance against that demon fellow, and Miss Clova kept bringing up someone named Kidran and how they should try to convince some elves up north to release him. There were also mentionings of someone named Woasim, different leaders of the Knighthood, and wizards or witches that could be located. It really wasn’t much of Mac’s business, not having much knowledge in the ways of Hijn or Knights or wizards, but he was starting to wish that they would decide what to do and get going with it. If he had to go much longer without meat, he was going to start chewing on his tail.
He also noticed that Gila Gul had taken an interest in that particular human family, and a special interest in that guy in the big silly hat. Mac was observant by nature—he had to be for his line of work. He saw how anytime that fellow passed by, Desert Rain was watching him, or how she was making daily visits to that family when she needed a break from thinking about the future. It didn’t bother Mac in any way, for he was glad that she had something to do in this boring place. Miss Clova spent her off-time puttering in the garden, causing flowers to grow or collecting seeds for her magic pouch. It was Mac who was running out of things to do, and he was not going to go fairy-hunting again. His head couldn’t take it.
It was late evening, nearly night, when Mac got the excitement he had been craving.
It was after dinner, the usual fair of vegetables, nuts and fruit, and Mac thought he would sit under a tree outside to enjoy the cool breeze. He leaned back against an apple tree and closed his eyes, crossing one leg over the other. He hummed a little tune to himself, day-dreaming about the things he normally dreamed about: the mansion he would one day have, the finer threads, his own lounge—something more upscale than the Mudpuddle Oasis. His day-dreaming was interrupted by something flittering by his ear. He swatted at it, thinking it to be a bug, but then he was swatted on the nose. Shooting open his eyes, he instead saw a very large bug—a bug person, floating on rapidly-beating wings of translucent blue-white. It was about four inches tall, female in shape, but it had enormous black eyes and two feathery antennae coming out of its forehead. It was dressed in a flimsy dress made of spider silk, and it was staring at Mac impatiently.
Mac rubbed his nose. “What do you bug people have against-tkk my face?” he asked casually, as if this were no surprise at all.
“I am not a bug,” the moth-fairy squeaked. “I’m a Twiight, you twit.”
Mac sat up, yawning. “So, one of you li’l buggers-ssck is finally surrendering, eh? Knew that one day ol’ Mac was gonna get-tkk you?”
The moth-fairy laughed, spinning around in the air and darting around Mac’s head. “Get us? You can’t even get a clue. But I know something you don’t know.”
Mac cocked an eyebrow. “Unless-ssck it’s something profitable, I’d rather get back-kk to my nap.”
“I guessed you would say that. But you gave us Twiights such a good laugh, trying to catch us in your silly cage and all. We like it when someone can make us laugh—you mortals never appreciate the value of laughter. It’s what makes us Twiights live so long, you know.”
“I’ll keep that-tkk in mind. Now unless-ssck you’re gonna let me catch you, you can just-tkk fly on outta here.”
“My point is,” the moth-fairy huffed, “that I thought I should warn you about what’s coming, since you made us laugh. You like to trade, right? Consider this a fair trade.”
Mac scratched his nose, sighing. “What’re you talking about-tkk? Warn me about what?”
“About the Zi’Gax. They’re coming this way. They’ll be here tonight.”
Mac shot up in alarm. “ZI’GAX-ssck! Good toads, not Zi’Gax-ssck! Anything but that-tkk!” He paused, and leaned back against the tree again. “What are Zi’Gax-ssck?”
The Twiight flitted about cheerily. “We saw them in the forest. They don’t look too happy.”
Mac stood up, stretching. “Well, that’s nice-ssck and all, but I don’t-tkk have a clue as to what you’re talking about-tkk.”
“Your friends might,” the moth-fairy said with a grin. “You might want to tell them.” Then the Twiight fluttered upwards into the tree and vanished into the leaves.
Mac scratched his head. “Bug people…go figure.” He walked back into the temple, finding Desert Rain and Clova on their mats. Desert Rain was playing a light tune on the lute, as after-dinner entertainment for the children. Mac sat down next to her and poked her in the arm.
Desert Rain continued playing as she acknowledged Mac. “Is something wrong, Mac?”
“Not really wrong, I don’t think-kk. Wondering if you knew what a Zi’Gax-ssck is.”
Desert Rain stopped playing. Her eyes widened. “Why do you ask?”
“Funniest thing happened. You know those li’l bug people I was-ssck trying to catch? One of them flew by my head while I was outside, and she was-ssck saying something about a Zi’Gax-ssck something or other coming here tonight-tkk.”
Desert Rain dropped the lute. It landed with a loud thunk on the floor, causing everyone nearby to turn their heads. Clova’s jaw dropped, and her hands began to tremble. Most of the children who heard what Mac had said looked confused, but two of them, Alana’s twin brothers, went pale. As children will, they saw no reason to keep this information private.
“THE ZI’GAX!” The
y were off like wild horses, running as fast as their little legs could carry them, shouting the warning to everyone within audible reach. “THE ZI’GAX ARE COMING HERE TONIGHT!”
A buzz of panic spread like wildfire on dry wood. Some brushed the warning off as a prank of two reckless boys. Others huddled closer to one another in petrified clumps. A paranoid few immediately began gathering up their things in order to get out of there. The elves tried to calm everyone, but the murmurs crescendoed into urgent and fearful chatter that echoed throughout the room. Clova tried to shout words of reassurance above the roar, but no one could hear her, or they weren’t paying her attention.
“Thanks, Mac,” Desert Rain said under her breath.
As the packed-up group was about to scramble out the front door, they were blocked by Chiriku standing in the way. When they moved to push past her, the bird girl produced her warhammer from a sheath on her back, and held it defensively. Everyone halted.
“Move it, kid!” a Falcolin ordered. “We gotta get out of here!”
Chiriku was set like stone, resting her warhammer on her shoulder. “So is this how Syphurians are? You always run away when someone threatens you? I thought Syphurius was a city of proud, brave nobles. Even I expected Falcolin to have more backbone than this.”
The people glanced at one another, mystified.
“I’m sick of running away. I’m sick of Syphurians being scared. This time, I’m staying and fighting.” Chiriku grasped her warhammer in both hands. “If you people would stop acting like frightened mice and start acting like Syphurians, we can show these Zi’Gax who’s boss.”
