“Anything else?”
“Yes. The final ingredient is a secret, and the heavier, the longer it’s been held, and the less people know of it, the better.”
“How does one contain a secret?”
“I don’t know. Have them write it down, or speak it aloud, or both. It’s not like these directions are super clear.”
“I’m sorry. This is the ritual that may possibly bring you to life or banish you from existence forever. I’d like to know whether it needs to be spoken, written, or what.”
“Tough cookies. Do whatever your gut tells you is best.”
I let out a groan of frustration, but she just laughed. “If you’re annoyed now, imagine how I felt collecting all this information over the span of all of time and magic without being able to interact with anything, and also…” She trailed off, leaving me waiting in the lurch for her to finish her sentence, except she never did.
“And also…?”
“Nevermind. We’re getting off track. So, once you have the ingredients, you must wait for the next night of the new moon. Then, exactly at the witching hour, you find an open field and place a metal fire bowl down. It must be smelted metal, made of ore and fire, or it won’t work.
“You put the dragon scale at the bottom then place kindling of white birch bark. Then you can have Bronn light it with his dragon’s breath.
“You say the words I told you earlier, and you say them exactly. If you mess up, you have to start again with a new dragon scale and new kindling.
“Then, once the words are gone, the secret must be spoken. No one can say a word after the secret is spoken except for you. Then at that point, you declare the power of the words and how they belong to me and tie me to your plane. Then, you add the tears of the maiden to the water of the moon, then the blood of the betrayed, and pour it over the fire until every flame is out.
“This parts kinda gross, but I need you to breathe the smoke in deep then exhale it out. Once you do that, reach in and grab the dragon scale. I promise you won’t burn. Then, you crack it in half and order me to the field. Badabing, badaboom, Davie’s back in action.”
I gulped as I tried to remember each and every step.
“How about we go over it again?”
I recounted the ritual to Davie’s friends for what had to be the fourth time. Only on this occasion, we weren’t alone. There were several advisors with us as well. Or at least that’s what Bronn told me they were. To me, they looked like the wealthy, crusty men who would make rules that made it harder for poor people back home, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
“Braunigan would be the oldest dragon we have in the family. Even older than your grandfather,” one of the men said. “The only thing is that we would have to go to him, he could not come to us.”
“Why is that?” Bronn asked, looking curiously to him. “I am not familiar with this Braunigan. Is he in poor health?
“No, his health is fine, all things considered. The issue is that, in his old age, he has lost his ability to hold his human form. He spends his time as a dragon in one of the caves of the wild.”
“Right then. Send a team to him immediately. We need them there and back within days.”
“Of course, sir.”
“But what of the secret?” another asked. “I know recent history would like to prove otherwise, but we don’t have many between us, and certainly none that would carry the weight needed to perform such an intricate spell.”
No one said anything for a moment, but there was an air of expectation, like everyone was looking to their neighbor to confess to some great secret. The silence dragged on uncomfortably before Mallory cleared her throat.
“I have one,” she said quietly. “One that the persons involved don’t even know I know. In fact, they’ve tried to keep it a secret for me since I was young.”
“It’s not that you’re adopted, is it?” Mickey asked.
“No,” Mallory said, looking her with an incredibly serious and guilty expression. “Nothing like that.”
“Then it’ll do,” I said, cutting everything off before something could get revealed before it was time. “And tear of the maiden?”
“Does it have to be a woman?” Bronn asked, his face completely serious.
“Why?” Mallory taunted. “Are you saying that you qualify otherwise?”
“Yes,” he answered with a shrug. “Why, is that so strange?”
“What? Really? I mean, uh…nope. Not at all. Good for you, man.”
“I suppose there could be some wiggle room,” I said. “But I would prefer to play it safe and stick to a woman’s tears.”
“Fair enough. It wasn’t like equality was on the mind of these old spell writers.”
“What about you, Mallory?” Bronn asked. “I notice that as of late, your eyes are often quite watery. As is your nose. Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?”
“No can do, bucko, I do not fit the bill, and I’m fine. It’s just allergies.”
“If you say so…”
“I can do it,” Mickey said quietly. “I guess for me, crying comes easily nowadays.”
It was hard for me not to be surprised. Despite her scarring, Mickey was a beautiful woman and I could feel warmth and caring emanating from her core. Were Americans wholly blind for missing out on her, or had she chosen to dedicate her life to her sister and her sister only? It was hard to say but going off of how Davie had spoken of her with such respect and love, I was going to hazard a guess that it was the latter rather than the former.
“Alright. The water and the fire bowl are easy enough. We’ll order one online and have it overnighted. One of our staff can pick it up from our false house in the city.”
“Wait, you’re going to order it online?” Mallory asked, as if that was shocking.
“Yes. How else did you expect us to procure it?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you guys have some old-fashioned forge with some shirtless guy who swings a hammer and, like, breathes fire or something?”
One of the advisors gave her an incredulous look. “What century do you think we’re in, miss?”
“Alright then, point taken. So, if y’all don’t mind, we’d like to gather the easy stuff while you all handle the dragon scale and the bowl. Sound good?”
The prince nodded. “This sounds agreeable to me. Everyone has their orders.” He stood and faced his men. “We need the why of all these errands to never leave this room. Somehow, the other side hasn’t learned of Davie’s death, and I’d like to keep it that way. I fear, should they find out, we won’t have time to perform the ritual before they mount an attack, and that wouldn’t be good at all. Do we have an understanding?”
There was a chorus of affirmative answers and then everyone was heading out. I was still a bit unsettled by the whole thing. Less than four days ago, I had just been another orphan struggling to make it on the streets. Now I was embroiled in a world of magic and dragons and a lone girl who could apparently save the world. Could we really just be a few steps away from concluding my part in the story? It all seemed to be going so fast!
“Hey, you okay?” Mal asked.
I grinned at her appreciatively. Ever since we had arrived late in the afternoon the previous day, she had been beside me explaining how things worked and where I could do what. I had the feeling that she took on the responsibility herself, not that anyone ordered her.
“Yeah, just trying to wrap my head around everything that’s happening.”
“That’s fair. It’s been a bit wild here, hasn’t it?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
She offered her hand to me and I took it, allowing her to pull me to her side where she slung an arm over my shoulders. “Look, I know how it feels to get dumped from one world into another, but believe me when I say these are good people. I’m not of any use to them, and if anything, I make it more awkward, but they’re still kind to me and treat me as one of their own.”
“How
do you make it more awkward?”
“Well, I’m from another reality, alright, but I’m here. And Davie, who apparently is the patron saint of being loved by everybody around here and is from this reality, didn’t make it. It’s almost like I took her spot. If I was in their position, I don’t know that I would be nearly as welcoming as they are.”
“Oh… I never even thought of it that way.”
“No, you’re still a bit young, aren’t you? You’ve got enough on your mind with finding food, puberty, and all of that other fun stuff. Once we get some solid meals in you, then you can try to experiment with empathy.”
“I know that this is what Davie promised me, and it’s largely why I agreed, but it is so difficult to imagine having a meal each day and living in a place like this.”
“I know exactly what you mean. But don’t worry, if we don’t accidentally smite ourselves with this whole resurrection ritual thing, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it.”
“Thank you,” I said as she walked me back to the room that we shared with Mickey.
“No problem.” She saw my expression and ruffled my matted hair. “Don’t go and get sentimental on me. I guess you just kinda remind me a little of my baby brother. Not that I need a familiar connection to treat someone nicely, I just— Uh…”
“It’s alright. I get it.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to introduce you to something truly magical.”
“What’s that?” I asked, wondering what could possibly top dragons and spells and castles.
“It’s called a dual-headed shower and a whirlpool tub along with a boat-load of hygiene supplies. It’s time to get you washed up.”
15
One Heck of a Long-Distance Call
Krisjian
I looked out at the setting sun nervously, watching it bed itself in a rush of brilliant corals drifting down into a velvety blue. Mal was right, I was starting to acclimate to castle life, and I didn’t think that I could ever go back to my previous life.
I woke up each morning without gnashing hunger in my belly and I went to sleep each night just as sated. I no longer had to sleep with the bugs and the dirt, and my prized possession was no longer just a thick blanket. I truly was living a fairy tale life.
I didn’t forget where I came from, though. Once everything was settled, I was going to go back and bring all of my friends over. I knew we couldn’t all live in the castle, but I was confident that the dragons would have places where we could work for them and earn our keep.
Granted, all of that was if we survived the ritual that we were supposed to perform. Bronn’s workers had scoped out the field we were supposed to use, and sure enough, we had all of the ingredients too.
“Are you ready?” Mal asked, coming up behind me with a steaming cup of tea that she handed to me.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “Is anyone ever ready to resurrect a woman they’ve never met from the dead?”
“Yeah, I imagine that’s not a common occurrence in anybody’s life. Or at least I hope not.”
“Given the strange world I’ve fallen into, I’m not sure what is commonplace or not.”
“You and me both. You know they don’t even have public burnings in this place?”
“…you say that as if that’s a commonplace thing where you come from.”
She shrugged and sipped from her own mug. “We are getting sidetracked. Just focus on the ritual.”
“Oh, I am,” I said, drinking from my mug as well. It was tasty, in an earthy sort of way, and warmed me down to my feet. It wasn’t lacking in spice and made my tongue tingle pleasantly. “Believe me, it’s been haunting all of my dreams of late.”
“Huh. I imagine it would. Sometimes I envy all of you with your greater purposes and grand tasks. All I really do is hang around. But when I see how much stress it puts on all of you, and the pain it brings, I can’t help but think I’m lucky my part in the story is over.”
“I don’t think it is,” I said, taking another drink. “You’re playing a part now, and I’m sure you’ll play a part to come.”
“Provided that we don’t die tonight.”
“Yes, provided we all don’t die a horrible death tonight.”
“The two of you ready to head out?” Mickey asked, coming up behind us with a heavy pack on her back.
“Just finishing up a warming drink,” Mal said. “What are you carrying there?”
“Supplies. Nothing in the ritual says we know what condition Davie will be arriving to us in, so I prefer to be prepared.”
“Good thinking,” Mallory said, coming up behind her with her own pack. “All I did was grab some of her old outfits. Do you think they’ll fit? Or do people lose weight if they’re dead?”
“I… I’m not sure.”
Mallory shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out one way or another. I’m not going to stress over what we can’t control and choose to concentrate on what we are able to do.”
“Which is perform a great ritual and drop an intense secret?”
Mallory’s face darkened. “Yeah, that.”
I took a few more sips of my drink before Bronn joined us as well, a whole group of his well-suited workers behind him. It was strange walking around with bodyguards whenever any of us strayed too far from our rooms, but I appreciated that they were just trying to keep us safe. After all, us seers were a valuable commodity.
It was still uncanny to think that. I didn’t feel like some sort of magical being, just like a more well-fed version of myself. Maybe after tonight that would change. Or maybe I would ruin everything.
I guessed we’d have to see.
“Let’s head out,” Bronn said. “If we walk at a crisp pace, we should arrive a bit after dark.”
“Perfect,” I said, setting my mug to the side. “Let’s go bring Davie back, shall we?”
“Let’s.”
We headed out together, our footfalls cutting through the soft earth. I was still surprised at the sheer amount of guards and security that they had set up all over the castle. Whoever this Baelfyre was, he had certainly done a number on these people and their ability to trust.
It was a quiet walk, all of us stuck in our own thoughts. Just a week ago, I would have been both sore and winded by such a stroll, my body eating itself in an effort just to have some fuel. But now, well, a whole new world of physical activity was open to me, and it was a little mind-boggling.
We reached a wide open field, the sky laying over it like a heavy, ebony blanket complete with little pinpricks of starlight. The bodyguards all set up a perimeter, while Bronn, Mickey, Mallory, Mal, and I all stood in a circle.
The dragon prince set down the fire bowl first, and once it was settled, I placed the dragon scale in the bottom. It was a brilliant, glistening red, with a sort of iridescent sheen to it that reflected the stars above us in a shifting pattern.
Then there was the kindling, which one of the guards handed me in a clear bag. I set it atop the scale in a generous pile, then stepped back for Bronn to set it alight.
I hadn’t seen a dragon transform since my mad chase through the city, and it was strange to see him do so partially. His jaw elongated, and his eyes lengthened while becoming more reptilian. Just when he was in the uncanny spot between human and reptilian, he stopped shifting and blew a stream of fire into the bowl.
The kindling went up instantly, and I could feel the heat even from where I was standing. Approaching it, I raised my hands and spoke the words that Davie had told me.
“Through time and ages, our souls have spun, woven by past and futures as one.
We call upon one we have lost to the stream, who walks in moonlight and speaks in dreams.
Gather yourself, heed our call, feel our offering, and find us all.”
It felt a little silly to stand there and speak in rhyme, but Davie was insistent that was how all the old incantations worked. So I said the words exactly as she told me, remembering her inflections and vocal stresses.
When I finished, nothing happened. Not that Davie told me that something would, but it kind of seemed like something should…
After a moment’s hesitation, I looked to Mallory. It was her turn to speak her secret, and I motioned her to come to the fire. She approached it, looking even paler than usual, and cleared her throat before she spoke.
“Davie, you often said the fire was the worst moment of your entire life, and one of the only things you would ever try to change. I know you think it’s just some weird curse that seers have, but the truth is that my parents were part of a group paid to perform several acts of arson throughout the city that night.” I heard Mickey gasp and take a step forward, her mouth open to cry out no doubt some very strong words, but I held up my hand. Davie was absolutely clear that only I could speak after the secret was revealed.
“I don’t know if they hit up your house specifically, or if they were a decoy that was meant to distract and scatter firemen, but either way, they’re a part of what stole away so much of what you loved.
“I didn’t find out until we graduated high school, when I was looking for my birth certificate for college. I guess my mother had some incredible medical bills from her spine issues before I was born, and they needed the money. They didn’t have any idea they would be hurting someone. They thought it was corporate espionage or something.
“That still doesn’t make it right, but I was so scared that if I told you, you’d never talk to me again. So, I’m sorry, Davie. I’m sorry for keeping that from you. You deserve so much better than I can ever give you. That is my secret.”
She stepped back and suddenly, the fire shot up like a wide and narrow stick, almost as high as my shoulders. Careful not to say a word until I was ready, I took the vial that contained the moon water and handed it to Mickey.
She was still standing rooted to her spot, but she was shaking with pure rage as she stared down Mallory, who was staring at the ground. Angry tears were already pouring down her cheeks, so it was not difficult for her to scoop one up in the vial and hand it to Bronn.
The prince held it a moment, considering the two women but not saying anything. Good. If any of them uttered a word now, I might uppercut them myself.
Power of the Seers Page 8
