by Matthew Lang
“A task which we all failed,” the one who was probably Sir Pascal said, his gray eyes tired. “We were beset by the beast and swayed by its temptations. Our lives are forfeit.”
“It offered you a chance to live,” Adam said with a shrug. “I might have taken that.”
“But you did not.”
Adam’s smile was bleak. “Those weren’t the options she gave me.”
“And what did she offer you?” Esmeralda asked suddenly. “And how did you know how she’d respond?”
“She was grandstanding,” Adam said. “Everything she was doing with all of the people—it screamed ‘look at me, look at me, look at me.’ And she did, she made everyone look at her, made everyone bear witness to her power. Only they couldn’t really, because they were already in her power. She wanted to be acknowledged by those she did not control—and because I had Wyrmbane….”
“She wanted you to acknowledge her power?”
“Exactly,” Adam said. “All I did was not give it to her.”
“But what did she offer you?”
Adam shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“I… guess not,” Esmeralda said, looking away from him and back to the three Aergonites, who had stayed kneeling, unmoving.
“May I speak, my liege?” the last one asked.
When the silence stretched out beyond comfort, Esmeralda looked over at Adam and coughed meaningfully.
“What? Oh, right. Sure. Go ahead… Sir Baltazar, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, my liege,” Sir Baltazar replied. “If our lives are not forfeit, then what is our penance?”
Adam started to laugh but stopped when he saw the earnest looks on the faces of the three men before him; none of them could have been much older than he. “Can we trust them?” he asked, turning to Esmeralda.
Stepping forward, Esmeralda laid her hands on each of the men’s heads in turn before answering. “Their minds are clear,” she said. “I believe they are themselves once more.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes.”
“All right,” Adam said. “I charge you with the safety of the Princess… Queen Esmeralda. You will follow her directives and defend her new kingdom, whatever it ends up being called, and ensure equal and fair treatment for human and haerunwoln alike. It’s a near impossible task, given that there’s only three of you, and if you do it properly, most people are going to want to kill you. How’s that sound?”
“It shall be as you say,” Sir Baltazar said, and the other two hastily followed suit.
“Good,” Adam said. “Then please escort Her Royal Majesty to the palace, where she will collect what is required next, and see to her safe return here.”
Somewhat stiffly, all three Aergonites looked at Esmeralda.
“You will treat all orders from Sir Adam as if they had come from me,” Esmeralda said archly. “Sir Edmund, Sir Pascal, come with me. Sir Baltazar, please stay here and guard the temple. Keep the people away inasmuch as that is possible.”
As Esmeralda walked up the thoroughfare toward the large square and the keep, the cheering began, and the crowds started to gather again, this time with the electrical energy of celebration that had been so missing from their gathering only minutes ago.
“Who killed them?” Adam asked suddenly.
“The h—the Children of Selune?” Baltazar asked.
“Yes.”
Sir Baltazar fixed his eyes on the queen’s impromptu procession. “It was one of myself, Sir Edmund, and Sir Pascal, as we still draw breath,” he said finally, his voice careful and nearly monotone. “Do you truly wish to know more?”
Anger brought Adam back to his feet. “He was important to me, so yes, I want to know!”
Baltazar met his gaze without flinching. “Then let it be said that I killed him, my liege. If that grants me a traitor’s death, it is not more than I deserve.”
The rage drained away almost as quickly as it had come, and Adam turned away. “You didn’t do it,” he said, sitting back down on the temple steps. “And even if you had, how can I blame you for falling to the compulsions of the dragon?”
“How could you not? I do.”
“Tell you a secret?” Adam said. “At least, if you swear never to tell Esmeralda this?”
“I swear on my life I will tell no one.”
“Khalivibra offered me the kingdom and Esmeralda as my queen.”
“That is what she offered me.”
Adam turned to look back up at the temple, the body of Khalivibra still lying in its grand entrance.
“You weren’t in love with another man, though, were you?”
When Adam turned back, Sir Baltazar’s eyes were wide. “No, I was not.”
“Well, there you are, then.”
“It is said that the Blessings of Selune are manifold, and that while she looked down on her Children, they could not truly die unless it were by the touch of the gods.”
“That’s nice,” Adam said. “Pity she’s not here.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for your loss, my liege.”
“Thank you, Sir Baltazar, but I’m not your king. You do know that, right?”
“You are and always will be,” Baltazar said firmly. “And I will be proud to serve in your name.”
“In her name,” Adam corrected, looking back toward the gates of the keep, which Esmeralda was nearing.
“There will be no difference in people’s minds.”
“That’s good—I think.”
Epilogue
From The Writings of Queen Esmeralda I, Cycle 5, The New Aracao Calendar
WHEN I returned to the Temple of Selune, the entire city followed, cheering with jubilation as we walked from King’s Square to the Thoroughfare of the Gods. Had Adam been standing triumphant over the dragon’s corpse, the crowd would have swarmed the steps with a roar that would have reached the depths of Aergon itself. As it was, the cheers of jubilation diminished into the tense hum of speculation, the people keeping a respectful distance as he sat on the steps of the ziggurat, head bowed in grief. As I walked up to him, every muscle in my body trembling with fatigue, I cast my mind back to his triumphant return after facing the moon spider. “A hero has to be seen as such,” he had said later. So does a queen.
He rose at my approach, his face impassive, and according to the stories now spun in drinking houses across the city, he gave a grand and rousing speech, brandishing Wyrmbane to the sky and causing the heavens to open and the silvery light of Selune herself to stream down upon us all. I like that story. Sometimes I feel it is my best creation—a story of hope and exactly what the people of Aracao need in these hard times. It is said that Adam swore to return, to bring back what was lost, and since that is, after all, the official story, I will quote it here.
“People of Aergon, people of Aer Goragon, people of Boolikstaad. We are here to bear witness to the dawning of a new era. A time free from the threat of dragon wings in our sky. A time to come together and rebuild, to rediscover what was lost and forge ahead into the future. We stand in the ruins of a city cast low by pride, but one that will be rebuilt anew until it is once again the Golden City!”
After the cheers subsided, he continued, “However, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you I am leaving you—too soon, I know, for we have only just met. But the world is not yet set to rights, and it can never be so while Helene grants us only the most grudging of light and Selune hides her face from us in shame. I leave you now to find her—to beg her forgiveness and entreat her return to our fair land. So be good to one another. Help each other. Rebuild beyond the glory that once was so that her return to her family, Children, and those who love her will be in a place she can be proud to call home.”
It is said then that the domed roof of the temple lit up with moonlight, which cast its glow over the body of the great dragon, Khalivibra, and the people of Aer Goragon in benediction. This at least, I believe to be true. When Sir Adam used Wyrmbane to strike down the dragon, he pierced
both her skull and the Monument of Selune, which released the merged powers of the monument and the sorcerous magics of the dragon herself. When I opened the portal to send Adam home, I had no idea that the power was there, although in retrospect I should have. Regardless, the resulting portal was larger than anything I have conjured before, and the silver light that shone through was the first moonlight I have ever seen, and it is something I hope someday to see again. In the quartz dome, we saw the image of the night sky, just as Adam had told me about on our journeys—a sky as black as the dark with tiny pinpoints of light, and a large round circle that could only have been Selune, shimmering in iridescent glory.
Adam smiled and walked into the temple as the corpse of Khalivibra crumbled, consumed by the energies that sustained the portal. He leaned down and paused to kiss Duin’s body on the forehead, and then he stepped into the center of the silver light and was gone. The silence that followed was broken by a sudden coughing, and healers rushed to the sides of Joeri and Thera, who were breathing once more, and I am not too proud to say that I ran to them as well, crying with joy.
“But how…?” I remember asking again and again.
Some sleeps later, when they had both been nursed back to health, I finally got my answer.
“Neither silver nor fire,” Waur Thera had said, sitting up in bed as she drank some soup.
“Silver or fire?” I had echoed dumbly.
“In Selune’s majesty, it is said that only the holy metal silver or the fire of Helene will end a Child bathed in her light,” she said. “If what you say is true, then we were blessed by the light of Selune and live once more.”
“But then, Duin…?”
“I do not know,” Waur Thera said. “Perhaps he went through the portal with Sir Adam.”
“Perhaps,” I agreed, and I hope it to be so, for we never found his body. One day perhaps they will return. One day, perhaps Selune will as well, even as the writings of Solmento tell us.
Somehow, though, I feel that I may have seen them both for the last time, and my only choice is to go on and rule as wisely as I can in their memory, and in the memory of all of those who sacrificed all that we might have victory.
This is the truth of things, and I write it here, pieced together from all who remember the reality of the past, so that it may not be forgotten by those who come after me. Those who hold power here in Aracao must know that the legends are true—or mostly so. They must know that which is not told by the bards—that our world was saved by a man who was not born a hero, did not wish to be a hero, but became one because we asked it of him. We must remember that it is this quality, more than a trick of birth, that made him what he is: Sir Adam, the uncrowned King of Aer Goragon and savior of the people of Aracao.
WHEN ADAM could no longer see the brightness of the silvery white light through his eyelids, he opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden dimness. The warm air smelled of eucalyptus and freshly cut grass, overlain by the faintest tang of car exhaust. Looking around, he found himself staring at the familiar metal poles and white streetlamps of the university, almost exactly where he’d been when he had disappeared in a shower of golden light, hard concrete under his boots once more.
“Where am I?” a familiar voice asked weakly.
“Duin?”
“A-Adam?”
Turning around, Adam found Duin lying on the pavement, a light pink scar running across his chest where the mortal wound had once been.
“Duin! Oh my God, I thought….” Adam fell to his knees and hugged him close. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I… thought you had too. Is that… Selune?”
Adam looked up. “No. At least I don’t think so. It’s just the moon.”
“Same thing,” Duin said. “She healed me.”
“What, so you’re really a werewolf, then? Can only be killed by silver and regenerate health in the moonlight?”
“According to legend, silver and fire, yes,” Duin said. “Although I really don’t know about these werewolves you keep talking about.”
“I’ll show you on YouTube,” Adam said. “Oh my God, I have access to YouTube again.”
“What?”
Adam laughed and kissed Duin’s cheek. “Never mind. We have lots of time here. And hey, look at you—no fur.”
“No fire,” Duin replied.
Adam reached into his pocket, pulled out his Zippo lighter and flipped it open, then held the flame to Duin’s face. “Nope. Still no fur.”
Duin stared at the moon in wonder. “Maybe she used up all the magic in healing me, or maybe it’s not Helene’s fire anymore….”
“Can you change at will now?”
Duin frowned. “No. At least, I don’t think so—I don’t know how.”
Adam shrugged. “There’s no magic here, babe. I told you.”
“Then how did Esmeralda conjure you in the first place? Or send us back? Why am I alive if that’s the case?”
Adam pressed his lips to Duin’s to silence him, breathing in his lover’s scent. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I don’t know, but right now I’m just glad you’re here with me. Right now that’s enough.”
“What if I change next sleep? What if it’s only Helene’s face that changes me, not all fire now?”
“Then we’ll deal. I love you, haerunwoln or human. And what if you never change again?”
“You mean, what if I become normal?”
“No,” Adam said. “You’re amazing, not normal. You are much better than normal, and don’t you ever forget it. Okay?”
He felt Duin smile and pull back enough so he could look Adam in the eyes. “Okay.”
“Good. Can we get up now? I just killed a dragon, and my legs are starting to ache.”
“I just died,” Duin retorted. “But we can get up, yes.”
Adam grinned and grabbed his gym bag in his left hand. “Come on, let’s get you home, and we can find out what date this is and how long I’ve been away. If anyone asks, we were at a fancy dress party, all right?”
“A what?”
“A fancy dress party. Never mind,” Adam said, grinning happily as he helped Duin to his feet and threw Duin’s arm over his shoulders for support. “Just let me do the talking if there’s any questions, and don’t let anyone know our weapons are real.”
“All right,” Duin said. “Adam?”
“Yeah?”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Of what?”
“Home.”
Glossary
Aer Goragon—The capital city of Aracao. Lair of the great dragon Khalivibra.
Aergon, Caverns of—An underground cave system in the southern mountains where the Aergonites took refuge from the dragon Khalivibra.
Anu—Riding lizard. Ridden by Princess Esmeralda.
Aracao—Human kingdom predating the Fall. Under occupation by the great dragon Khalivibra.
Blackwater Keep—The stronghold of Prince Fernando Aergon before the Fall, and the site of the dragon Khaled’s death. Rumored to be the resting place of the sword Wyrmbane. Located in Blackwater Marsh.
Blackwater Marsh—A peat bog to the south of Aer Goragon. Northdark of the Caverns of Aergon.
Book of Solmento—The collected ravings of Ignatius Solmento, as recorded by High Priest Mennos. Considered prophecies telling of the days after the Fall, and possibly the return of Selune.
Boolikstaad—A tree city formed in the branches of seven interlocking giant evergreen trees. Refuge of the Children of Selune exiled from the Caverns of Aergon.
Children of Selune—Humans chosen by the goddess Selune. Before the Fall, they were able to shift between human form and that of a haerunwoln, with a bipedal bestial form in between. Now they change involuntarily in firelight. Their “condition” is seen either as a blessing or a curse.
Chtick-tick—A freshwater crustacean found in rainforest pools. It has no name in human language. The moniker Chtick-tick comes from the kanak, who have been observed catchi
ng them.
Cokudrillo—A six-flippered crocodile-like creature. Found in Blackwater Marsh and some of the larger rainforest rivers.
Darius—Captain of Princess Esmeralda’s personal guard.
Dark—See Light and Dark.
Esmeralda—Princess Esmeralda of Aergon, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Aracao. A trained enchantress.
Faas—One of the elders of the Children of Selune.
Fall, the—A mystical catastrophe where the moon fled the sky and dragons descended upon the world. Day and night ceased, and life has only survived in the band of twitterlight around the edge of the world.
Fernando Aergon—A prince of the royal house at the time of the Fall. A warrior, magician, and scholar, Fernando forged the sword Wyrmbane and used it to slay the dragon Khaled. He died in the battle, forcing his people to seek the sanctuary of the Caverns of Aergon.
Flitterfish—Flying, arboreal fishlike creatures that occupy the ecological niche of birds in our world.
Haerunwoln—A local name for the thylacine, a striped marsupial carnivore. Colloquial name for the Children of Selune.
Hele—Riding lizard. Ridden by Darius.
Helene—Sun goddess. Twin sister of Selune. The gold dragon is one of her forms and said to be an instrument of her will.
Henricus the Third—King of Aracao at the time of the Fall.
Ignatius Solmento—Magister serving in the court of King Henricus the Third. Ignatius was driven mad by visions of the Fall and events thereafter. His ravings form the basis of the Book of Solmento.
Joeri—Chief hunter of Boolikstaad.
Jirsca—One of the elders of the Children of Selune.
Kanak—Large four-armed humanoids who live in the rainforest. Known to eat people.
Khaled—A great gold dragon. Mate of Khalivibra. Killed by Prince Fernando Aergon during the Fall.
Khalivibra—The great gold dragon who, along with her mate Khaled, terrorized the Kingdom of Aracao during the Fall. Reportedly favored by the Sun goddess, Helene, Khalivibra is said to have magical powers of mind control.
