Lhysa tossed Adriel aside and flapped her wings to land beside Ash. Before she could make it, the mountain fell in on top of them.
Jimmy scrambled to his feet, dragging Ash behind him. Ash yelped and fought him, reaching out to where Lhysa struggled against the falling rocks. Still weak from the chains, Ash lost the battle and Jimmy was able to tear him away.
With everything swaying and tumbling toward them, Jimmy didn’t know which way to go.
“Over here. A door!” Isaac called from nearby. It was so dark, Jimmy could only follow the sound of his voice, barely audible over the earthquake and war still waging outside.
Jimmy ran toward him.
There was another violent shake. Rowan screamed in pain.
Jimmy froze.
He looked at Ash who still wailed for his mother. This was his destiny, to save Ash. Not to save a girl he barely knew, a girl who betrayed him.
Jimmy shoved Ash toward Isaac, toward the light, and went back to find Rowan.
The air was thick with debris. Jimmy pulled the shirt up over his mouth to breathe. “Where are you?” He felt around blindly along the ground.
“Here. My leg.” It sounded like he was right on top of her, but he couldn’t see. Then he felt something. Jeans. His fingers ran along the side of his own pants, still on her legs, and up the side of a large rock holding her down.
“I’m stuck.” Rowan coughed out the words.
“Push,” Jimmy said, and leaned all his weight on the rock.
When it was clear they weren’t going to move it, Rowan slapped Jimmy’s hands away. “Go,” she whispered and turned her head away from him.
Jimmy pushed harder, but the rock wouldn’t budge. “No,” he cried.
Just then, the boulder moved. It rolled off Rowan’s leg and she screamed worse.
Lhysa stood over them, a deep gash above her eye. Chunks of scales had been ripped away. Most of her scales had turned red with blood.
She roared, loud, in their faces.
And this time, Jimmy heard a mother’s cry. She was telling them to run!
Jimmy pulled Rowan to her one good leg, threw her arm around his neck, and carried her to the light.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Into the freezing white light.
Jimmy’s body reacted to the cold so swiftly, he almost dropped Rowan. Isaac took hold of her and said, through chattering teeth, “I think I picked the wrong door.”
There was a loud pealing cry behind them as Lhysa flung herself through the door. It disappeared behind her, along with the rest of the castle and mountain.
In its place stood trees, white trunked, blue leaved trees.
Snow blanketed the ground where Jimmy and Ash laid Rowan. She stiffened in the cold, then raked the ice over her injured leg.
“Is that dangerous?” Jimmy asked.
“Feels good,” Rowan said slowly. She hugged herself and rocked.
“Actually, the snow may numb the pain, and slow the bleeding, as long as we keep her core temperature up.” Isaac began removing his shirt to give to her but Ash made a low noise.
Ash nudged Isaac out of the way and nestled in beside Rowan. He gently wrapped a wing around her.
“He’s cold blooded -” Isaac started, but Jimmy nodded toward Rowan.
She seemed to calm down. Rowan leaned back and allowed Ash to hold her.
Imagining her warmth made Jimmy shiver harder. He and Isaac instinctively huddled closer together.
Lhysa stepped forward and spread out her wings, shielding everyone from most of the cold.
Jimmy looked around for any signs of where they were or how to get out.
The trees were wide, their white trunks thin and tall, but with no branches for climbing, not until they blossomed into large blue bushes. They looked like rounded Christmas trees, a thought which broke Jimmy’s heart.
He stared at the empty space where the mountain had been. He would never see his family again.
“Hmm,” Isaac said. He left the comfort of Lhysa’s embrace and walked over to examine one of the trees.
“What?” Jimmy asked, not following.
“Aside from the blue…” Isaac sniffed a low hanging flower, full of small red petals. “Yes, this is a Rowan tree.” Then he snickered. “Feel anything bad, Rowan?”
“You mean besides half my leg falling off?” Her lips had a blue tinge to them, Jimmy hoped from the cold.
“Rowan trees are supposed to ward off witches,” again Isaac continued to amuse himself.
“Ugh, don’t start with that crap, or-” Rowan’s usual fire sapped out of her and the threat fell flat.
“I cannot believe my darling, Sune, fell into the hands of mortals who believe such drivel,” came a haughty high-bred voice.
All eyes turned to Lhysa.
“Did she just -” Isaac asked.
“I think I lost too much blood,” came Rowan’s reply.
Ash erupted in excited yips and jumped up and down, nearly forgetting that he had Rowan in his wing.
Jimmy noticed, yet again, that his cute little pet dragon had grown larger since arriving in this new land.
“Valonde,” Lhysa drawled. Her mouth moved, slightly, but not in a way Jimmy felt would be necessary for speaking. He found himself wondering if it was an affect for their sake instead of listening to what she was saying. “…of this land and all you see beyond is, Valonde.”
“Oh, Ash,” Jimmy left Lhysa’s wing and went to Ash. “Can you talk, too?”
“Do not call him that. You have no authority to name him. And of course my Sune can talk. With the proper training, which you are ill equipped to offer him, he will be reciting sonnets in no time.” Lhysa dropped her wings and raised her head.
“Sune.” Jimmy tried the name out. “I like it,” he said.
Ash squinted his round yellow eyes and shook his head with a tiny ‘no.’
Lhysa sighed. Tendrils of greenish gray smoke escaped her nostrils and froze in the air. “Sune means ‘son’ in my language. Until his Naming Ceremony, it will have to do. Now, let’s find a way out of here before your blood turns as cold as mine. I at least owe you that much.”
Lhysa stalked past them, halting for a moment to run a wing over Ash’s head and whisper something in his ear. Jimmy couldn’t hear what it was, but it must have been something motherly, because his bond with Ash flooded with warmth.
“Owe us? I don’t blame you for destroying the mountain. We had to get out. And Adriel deserved it,” Jimmy said.
Lhysa paused momentarily, “Not for destroying it, for calling it down in the first place. The blame lies with me.” She straightened herself and continued on, ending the conversation.
While Ash and Jimmy figured out the best way to carry Rowan, Isaac ran to catch up to Lhysa. “You know, I don’t really believe all that kid stuff about witches. They’re just silly wives’ tales.”
“Do wives grow tails where you’re from?” Lhysa snipped.
“No, tales, without the - ah nevermind.”
They hadn’t made it far when Rowan begged to stop. She grew weaker by the minute. Jimmy’s whole body hurt from helping her through the dense forest, so he gladly sat her down under a tree.
Isaac, who had talked Lhysa’s ear off the whole way, leaned in beside her. Ash took up sentry on the other side.
“We have to huddle up,” Isaac said when Jimmy walked toward a different tree.
Jimmy knew it, but couldn’t bring himself to sit there, all hugged up with Rowan. Not letting her die was one thing. Keeping her moving so they could all get out of the jungle was his own survival. This — he watched Isaac and Ash wrap themselves around her shivering body — was more than he could handle.
“I’m just gonna scout for a bit.” Jimmy tried to force an upbeat tone in his voice although he wanted nothing more than to collapse on the cold wet ground and sleep for a month.
Lhysa perked her pointed ears.
Jimmy expected her to stay on top of Ash, after havi
ng just found him. Instead, she squeezed herself between two thick trees and listened. If they’d been on Earth, Jimmy thought to himself, she’d be invisible. Her scales were the color of the leaves on the giant oak in his backyard. The underside of her wings could pass for tree bark in low light… back home.
Surrounded by friends and in the middle of the biggest adventure of his life, Jimmy wanted his mom.
“What are you doing?” Jimmy whispered, tip-toeing over to where she had settled, ears still turning. He didn’t know why he felt the need to be so quiet, but Lhysa clearly did too.
“We are not alone.”
The hair on Jimmy’s neck prickled. What sort of creatures could be lurking in the woods in a place like Valonde? He began imagining the worst, claws and teeth and more claws and teeth. A shiver crawled over him.
Lhysa’s eyes narrowed. “Your breed of monster, not mine,” she said. Exasperated mother translated in any language, apparently.
“My breed of… men? You hear men?” Excitement rushed through Jimmy at the thought of someone like him being in this strange land. Then, remembering Adriel who looked in every way like an ordinary man, stepped closer to Lhysa’s protection.
Lhysa took him into her wing. It was then that Jimmy realized how dangerous their situation was. His body temperature had dropped so much that his skin warmed where it touched her scales.
“Are dragons common in Valonde?” Jimmy asked after he stopped shaking.
“In some regions,” Lhysa answered. “If we are where I think we are, not so much.”
“What do we do?” Jimmy felt glad to defer to an adult again, even in dragon form. Considering where he found himself just now, he hadn’t done very well taking control of his own life, or his friends’.
In the distance, faint voices began to take shape. Voices and boots. Jimmy strained to make out what they were saying, which way they marched.
Lhysa closed her eyes. Long seconds ticked by. Seconds Jimmy worried they couldn’t afford. “We must go,” she said at last.
“Great!” Jimmy agreed. After a deep breath to brace himself against the cold, he left the comfort of Lhysa’s wing.
“No,” she pulled him back. “Not you.” Lhysa picked Jimmy up and placed him at Isaac and Rowan’s feet. “Come, Sune,” she said to Ash.
“What?” Jimmy rushed to block her. “What are you doing? No!”
“We will not be welcome when they arrive. These are your people, not ours. Come,” Lhysa motioned again to Ash.
There was a rustle behind them, much closer than expected. Swords slashed at underbrush and men’s voices right upon them.
Lhysa turned to flee, giving Ash a firm, “now.”
Ash hesitated, turning his head back and forth from Jimmy to the break in the trees where Lhysa was leaving.
Jimmy knew he should tell Ash to go, follow her. This was what they’d come for, wasn’t it? But now that the time had come, he couldn’t bear it.
“Children?” The voice of a very large man rang through the small space.
Jimmy turned to see a giant towering over him.
CHAPTER FORTY
Rowan, even in her weakened state and confronted with a real life giant, took offense. “I’m not a child!” She leaned up as best she could, a fierce look on her face.
A man, smaller than the giant, though not by much, stepped out in front. “Jerrick, I thought you said you cleared the Rowan Woods,” the man called over his shoulder.
“Told you,” Isaac whispered.
Jimmy slid Ridire-solas from his side to his back, in case one of these adults decided children shouldn’t play with swords. He also stood as tall as he could, and tried to look as large as possible, like a cornered animal. He wasn’t sure just how big Ash had gotten, but hopefully this was enough.
The knight, covered in layers of different animal pelts, still had his back to them, laughing with his men about Rowan’s temper. One made a crack about the trees not doing their jobs, and Jimmy thought Rowan would come off the ground at his throat.
On the knight’s back, Jimmy saw a large wooden shield with a two-headed yellow snake wrapped around it. The giant beside him had four shields, though three were adorned with fierce dragons.
On his head, the knight wore a helmet of bone and leather patchwork. As he turned to them, thick leather plates ran down each side of his face and nose, leaving only bright green eyes and a wide red smile visible.
The smile disappeared in an instant and he drew his sword. “Stand back!”
Ash, who had become increasingly agitated at the sight of the men, took this as an invitation to snarl and growl at the knight.
“Stop it,” Jimmy whispered. “He’s still bigger than you. And that one,” he nodded toward the giant, “is bigger than everything!”
“Stand back, child,” the knight demanded again.
“Whoa,” Jimmy jumped in front of the man’s blade. Up close, he noticed it was decorated with intricate patterns, lines slithering all the way around the sword and its handle. “He’s only a baby.” Then, to Ash, he said, “He’s here to help us.” And back to the knight, “You are here to help us, right?” Jimmy’s teeth chattered.
The sword lowered a bit, but not much. “What are you children doing here?”
“Stop calling us children.” Rowan tried to stand but fell back onto Isaac.
“Are you injured?” The knight turned his attention toward Rowan, dropping the sword even more. Then, remembering the dragon, raised it again. “What are you doing with that thing?”
“He’s mine,” Jimmy said, defiant. “And I’d thank you to lower your weapon.”
The knight snorted. “Yes, sir. You sure he’s safe?” His green eyes flicked to Ash who bristled with anger behind Jimmy.
“He will be when you’re not pointing a sword at him.”
The knight studied Ash, then put the sword away. He bent down to Rowan in the best imitation of a formal bow as he could muster in the bulky furs. “Lord Sweyn at your service ma’am. How did you become injured?”
“Um,” Rowan stuttered.
They couldn’t very well say a mountain fell on her, could they? Oh, and then disappeared.
Isaac fussed over Rowan like a good doctor and took the lead. “We got lost and she took a tumble, got wedged between a boulder and a tree.” He raised a patch of blue leaves that he’d used to bandage her thigh.
“Ah, looks painful,” Lord Sweyn said. He stood and turned back to his men. “Havardr,” he said to the giant, “carry the young lady to camp and have a medic tend her.”
The giant moved to obey and Rowan stiffened.
Ash’s growl deepened.
“Guys, we don’t have much choice.” Jimmy motioned with his hands for everyone to calm down.
Rowan visibly relaxed and the giant picked her up.
“Now,” Lord Sweyn addressed Jimmy, “I cannot, in good conscience, allow that beast near my camp. He will have to stay in the woods.”
“I’m staying with him!” Jimmy barely waited for the knight to stop talking.
“I imagined you would. I’ll get you near the perimeter, but that’s as far as you’ll go.” He patted Jimmy on the head and walked off.
Jimmy and Ash looked at each other, then at the woods where Lhysa stood no more. “Where did she go?” Jimmy wondered, barely audible.
Through their bond, Jimmy felt Ash’s sadness. She hadn’t even waited for him.
They both lowered their heads and followed the soldiers through the frozen forest.
By the time they reached the edge of the blue forest, Jimmy could barely walk. What little energy he had left from all their recent excitement was spent on staying upright and not freezing to death. Somewhere along the way, Lord Sweyn had wrapped an animal pelt around his shoulders, but it did little for the rest of him. His toes had been numb longer than he cared to admit.
Ash followed close behind, blocking some of the snow and heavy winds, but Jimmy could feel him growing weaker, too. When Lord
Sweyn motioned for them to wait, both dropped to the ground and scooched in close.
Although only his eyes were visible, Jimmy saw pity in them as he asked again if Jimmy would come to camp with them.
“If he has to stay out here, so do I.” Jimmy folded his frozen arms in front of him.
“You can’t survive out here,” Lord Sweyn tried once more.
“Not a good argument for me to leave Ash behind,” Jimmy answered.
Lord Sweyn sighed, heaving his enormous barrel chest and clanking the various weapons strapped to him. “Here, at least take this.” He removed a large shawl of thick fur, bear or whatever this world’s version of one, and offered it to Jimmy.
“I can’t.” Jimmy shook his head, although he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in its warmth. His insides shriveled to shards of ice as he watch Lord Sweyn’s body heat rise off the pelt.
“Take it.” Lord Sweyn shoved the fur toward Jimmy. “Look,” he said, and stretched his other arm toward the clearing. A beacon of pale pink light shined on it. “No snow over here,” Lord Sweyn said. “Only in there with you two fools.” There was laughter in his voice, and something Jimmy decided to interpret as respect.
Indeed, as Jimmy looked past Lord Sweyn, he saw fields of blue grass and clear pink and orange sky. He even thought he heard birds chirping in the distance over the sound of Lord Sweyn’s army marching away.
Jimmy snatched the pelt and wrapped it around him and Ash. He let out an ecstatic ‘ahhh’ as they began to thaw. He started to ask why it would only snow in the woods, but decided it was one more magical strange thing about this place called Valonde.
Lord Sweyn must have seen the confused look cross Jimmy’s face because he said, “Gods turned their back on those woods long ago.” Something like regret filled his voice. The knight pointed toward his men, the giant with Rowan leading the way. Her bright orange hair swayed in his arms. “I’m going to settle them for the night then come back to keep watch over you.” The knight lifted his head and listened. The motion looked so much like Lhysa had earlier, Jimmy expected to see ears perk up on top of his helmet.
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