The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding (Book One)

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  ***

  Jahrra had been enjoying a particularly wonderful dream of racing unicorns through the forest with Phrym when a sharp, authoritative voice shattered the enchanted scene.

  “JAHRRA!”

  Jahrra woke with a snort, not quite sure what had awoken her. The flash of gold and silver and the musical notes of unicorns crying out still echoed in her mind.

  “Wake up!” the rude voice came again. “Let’s get this over with while the day is still young.”

  Jahrra turned one tired eye up to her window and saw the silhouette of Jaax’s massive head glaring through, black dragon-shape against the near black of pre-dawn.

  “What?” Jahrra said, closing her eyes again.

  It was far too early to think, to do anything but sleep, and she had no idea what Jaax was talking about.

  The dragon took a deep breath, let it out in a huff and said rather plainly, “I’ve come to Oescienne for one purpose: to see how good you are at fighting and defending yourself and I don’t have all day to do it.”

  Jaax seemed a little irritated, Jahrra thought. Perhaps he was still angry about yesterday, or maybe he hadn’t slept well. She didn’t really care. All she cared about was being woken up so early. Fighting and defending myself? What on Ethoes is he talking about? I must still be dreaming. Jahrra pondered sleepily as the cool air enticed her to stay right where she was.

  “I’ll not ask you again!” demanded Jaax’s grumpy voice, shattering all hopes of this all being a dream. Not a dream, a nightmare.

  Jahrra tempted herself with the idea of staying in bed just to spite him, but she didn’t want to see what would happen if she did. He was bad enough in his normal, non-agitated mood. She got up and dressed quickly, not wanting to anger him further.

  “Good morning, Jahrra,” Hroombra greeted as she shuffled into the main room of the Ruin. “Are you excited about your new lessons?”

  Hroombra sounded a little guilty, and Jahrra gazed at him through half closed eyes and said, “New lessons? Huh? What’s going on?”

  She was too tired to be annoyed that she hadn’t been told about this sooner, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

  “We discussed it last night and decided that it would be best if you took part in some extra-curricular activities. I know you think going on adventures with Gieaun and Scede is enough, but I think this will be better for you. We’ve even found you two trainers who are excellent in teaching swordsmanship, archery and advanced riding skills. I’m sorry, I did mean to warn you in advance, but Jaax insisted you start right away.”

  Of course he did, Jahrra thought heatedly as she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, attempting to drive away the sleep, only Jaax would think up ways to make me miserable.

  She grabbed something for breakfast and made her way to the door, braiding up her hair while she held a biscuit in her mouth. She was still confused by this sudden change in her daily life, but she was curious nonetheless. She found Jaax standing in the great field, looking towards the north, towards the path that led to the old castle.

  Jahrra tied off her long braid and took the biscuit out of her mouth.

  “Should I go and get Phrym?” she asked, not caring if she sounded dumb.

  Jaax just turned his head to the side and nodded once, slowly returning his gaze to where it had been before.

  I’ll never understand that dragon, Jahrra thought as she traipsed through the cold, wet grass. Waking before sunrise and signing me up for some defense lessons without telling me.

  Jahrra’s pants were soaked up to her knees by the time she reached Phrym’s stable, but she didn’t care, they would dry when the sun came up. Hours from now, she thought sarcastically. Phrym poked his head out over the gate, wondering what could be making so much racket this early in the morning. When he saw that it was Jahrra, he gave a happy whinny. Jahrra couldn’t help but smile back at Phrym’s cheerfulness. If only she had the same positive attitude about this whole strange morning.

  “I brought you an apple as a peace offering for getting you up so early,” she said as she fed him the fruit.

  Phrym didn’t seem to mind at all that Jahrra had awoken him early; he was just glad to get the apple. Jahrra quickly saddled him and cantered over to where Jaax stood. She pulled Phrym to a stop just behind the dragon’s shoulder and waited. He still stared off into the woods, but Jahrra waited for him to speak first.

  “Are we ready to go?” he asked sardonically, returning his gaze to her face.

  Jahrra responded with the same tone, “Phrym and I are ready. I don’t know about you.”

  Jaax gave her an annoyed look and then started off, Jahrra and Phrym keeping their distance behind him.

  “So, where exactly are we going then?” she asked through a yawn once they reached the main road.

  “Somewhere where I can test what skills you have, or lack thereof.”

  Jahrra ignored Jaax’s last comment and wondered why they couldn’t just stay where they were, but she wasn’t about to question him further while he was in his foul mood. They walked down the well-worn road for several more minutes. Jahrra thought the trip would’ve been more pleasant if there had been conversation, but she couldn’t imagine a pleasant conversation with Jaax.

  Instead of starting a discussion that would more than likely end in an argument, Jahrra passed the time by listening to the sounds around her and taking in the early morning grandeur. The birds were starting to sing and the owls were heading off to bed, and the smaller animals were searching noisily in their morning breakfast hunt. The sky was no longer solid ink but the washed-out blue and grey of the approaching dawn. Jahrra breathed in the cold air as the warmth of the sun’s first golden rays touched her face.

  Finally, after what seemed like ages, Jaax stopped walking and turned his head to talk to Jahrra.

  “We’ll stop here. This looks like a nice, flat open space.”

  The great dragon stepped off of the road, merely a small path to him, and started heading west through the new grass that was still quite short. Jahrra sighed and led Phrym after him. I can’t wait until this is over, she thought to herself. A ring of tall eucalyptus trees decorated the furthest edge of the field, and Jahrra could see beyond the rim of the bluff just beyond. A sliver of the distant blue ocean and taupe-hued dunes, glowing brilliantly in the morning’s golden sunlight, were visible between the trees.

  Jaax’s voice finally interrupted Jahrra’s thoughts, “Shall we continue?”

  “What?” Jahrra said, not realizing she’d stopped to ponder the scene before her.

  “I want to be done with this as much as you do, so it would help if you paid attention.”

  Jahrra turned pink. Stupid dragon! He shouldn’t be allowed to be so rude all the time. She clicked Phrym forward to catch up with the dragon, now walking towards the middle of the large field. Jaax stopped and began to gaze lazily at his surroundings, surveying the open space the way a deer might contemplate an unknown meadow. Jahrra just sat atop Phrym, who began to paw at the ground, and waited for her next order. She let out an obvious sigh, hoping that it would coax Jaax into speaking, and shifted in the saddle, causing the leather to squeak in protest. For someone who’s in such a hurry, he sure is taking his time, she thought as she crossed her arms in vexation.

  It seemed a full five minutes before Jaax finally spoke.

  “Alright, I guess the first logical thing to do would be to see how you handle yourself on a horse, since you’re already prepared for it,” he said, looking Jahrra and Phrym up and down in a bored fashion.

  “What would you like us to do?” Jahrra asked composedly.

  She had no idea what Jaax wanted her to do with Phrym, but she figured it couldn’t be too difficult. She’d become quite a good rider since she began her lessons with Gieaun and Scede, and Phrym trusted her completely.

  “Take him to the edge of that small grove of trees and back.” Jaax nodded to a fe
w young eucalyptus saplings growing away from the main wood. “If you know any maneuvers or other “tricks”, go ahead and show them to me.”

  Jahrra rolled her eyes and clicked at Phrym, bringing him into a sudden canter. The semequin easily covered the distance in a short time and soon Jahrra was weaving him in and out of the trees as she ducked and swerved adeptly from stray branches and limbs. She quickly turned Phrym, keeping her balance as he jumped over three fallen logs on their way back to Jaax. Jahrra was tempted to keep riding back to the Ruin, but instead she pulled her tall semequin to a sudden stop, causing foraging birds to scatter raucously and forcing a large cloud of dust to rise up around them.

  “That was adequate,” Jaax sniffed.

  This was a surprise to Jahrra. She thought she’d done rather well. She just sat straighter in the saddle, trying to look unaffected by the dragon’s judgment.

  “Is that all you can do?” he continued.

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Jahrra stammered, feeling somewhat flabbergasted.

  “You ride well and move with Phrym well, but can you do anything else besides weave through trees and jump logs?”

  Jaax was beginning to sound like Master Tarnik and Jahrra was starting to wonder what could be bothering him to make him so aggravated.

  “Can you ride fast and shoot with a bow?” he continued fluently. “Could you cover rough ground and fight off five full-grown men while staying on Phrym’s back? Could you make a higher or wider jump if you had to without falling from the saddle? These are things that you’ll need to learn, so therefore, your overall horsemanship is merely adequate.”

  Jahrra was stunned. Why on Ethoes would I need to fight off full-grown men!? she wondered in exasperation. She didn’t bring these questions up to Jaax, however. She thought that he was just being overly dramatic and assumed further questioning would only anger him more. Jahrra slumped in the saddle, waiting to receive her next set of marching orders.

  “I guess we’ll test your archery skills next,” Jaax said shortly, and then added mordantly. “You did bring your bow?”

  Jahrra slid from Phrym’s back and untied her bow and quiver from the back of her saddle. She allowed Phrym to wander off to graze and then turned back towards Jaax. “Do I have a target, or am I to just shoot at whatever moves next?”

  “I’ll tell you what to aim for, and you’ll try to hit it. That is generally how it works,” the dragon answered to match Jahrra’s cynicism. “Not all of your targets in real life are going to have bull’s-eyes on them you know.”

  Jahrra burned with annoyance, but she pulled her gloves on quietly and readied an arrow.

  “Alright, what am I to kill?” she said as pleasantly as possible.

  “I’ll go easy on you on your first attempt. Do you see that tree over there?”

  Jaax nodded to a small apple tree, about fifty yards away that was covered in new leaves and unopened buds. Jahrra noticed the large knothole on its trunk and was happy to agree with Jaax on this next task being easy, that is, until he spoke again.

  “I just want you to hit any of the blossoms growing on that tree for now.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Most of the buds were smaller than her thumbnail.

  “You must be joking!” Jahrra blurted out, making her thoughts known.

  “No, deadly serious,” the dragon whispered dangerously. “You can’t always risk missing an exact target, you must be precise, or it could mean your life.”

  Jahrra stepped back nervously. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this. It could mean my life? Who could possibly be that threatening to me? Then she thought with a slight panic, Maybe someone told him and Master Hroombra about what happened in Kiniahn Kroi! Could Ellysian and Eydeth really be trying to kill me?

  Jahrra swallowed hard and pulled back on her bowstring, aiming at the largest blossom she could find. It’ll be a miracle if I hit any part of the tree, she thought apprehensively. She released the arrow with a thick twang, but it sailed right past the tree, not even nicking a leaf. Jahrra stood there, turning bright red. Jaax didn’t say a word, and Jahrra was sure he was savoring the moment.

  Finally, the dragon spoke, his voice calm, “I am very glad I decided to start your training early. Now, the last thing I want to see is how you defend yourself when provoked. I’m going to attack you and I want you to fight back. In a sense, I want you to try sparring with a dragon. A dragon is probably the deadliest thing you’ll ever have to face, so this is a good learning experience for you.”

  Jaax walked away from the numb and embarrassed girl and, using his teeth, broke off a dead limb from a nearby tree.

  “Here,” he said, spitting it out at her feet, “pretend that is a sword. You have a good imagination, something you proved with the story of the unicorns yesterday.”

  Jahrra’s eyes were stinging with humiliation and rage, but she wouldn’t allow herself to cry, not in front of him. She picked up the branch and broke off the end to a suitable length. She was somewhat afraid to attack Jaax. After all, he was a huge dragon and she was just a girl, but her pride ruled her more than she wished. She took a deep breath that was meant to steady her mind and stepped forward, holding the branch as best she could from what she’d gathered about sword fighting.

  Jaax rose up on his hind legs and let out a mighty roar mixed with fire and smoke. Jahrra stopped dead. She’d never heard him roar like this before, and she became even more apprehensive. Now she understood why people feared dragons.

  “Come on, attack me! Don’t be afraid!” Jaax boomed down at her.

  He was twice as tall as usual as he balanced on his hind legs and tail, his great wings stirring the air as they held up his great weight.

  Jahrra lifted the stick she held and swallowed hard, bowing her head against the beat of his wings. She took a deep breath and let out a yell of her own, charging at full speed with her eyes shut tight and her heart racing. She felt a crashing as she sprinted forward, and before she knew it, she had been slammed to the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the earth shake slightly as Jaax returned his forelegs to the solid ground.

  Jahrra opened her eyes and looked around dazedly. She was lying on her back and her lungs ached. Groaning, she rolled her head to the side and saw her imaginary sword lying on the ground a few yards away. Phrym was whinnying in distress but seemed too timid to approach. Jaax was standing above her, his great tail wrapped around the perimeter of the battlefield.

  The dragon leaned his enormous head down right next to Jahrra’s and said in a whisper, his breath moving the sand beside her head, “Never approach an enemy in anger, and never, ever close your eyes.”

  He lifted his head and walked off to the other end of the field and sat down, his back turned to the stunned girl. Jahrra sat up, furious with herself and extremely angry that Jaax had actually knocked her down. She shook the dirt and dead leaves from her hair and glared at him, hurtling as much hatred through her eyes as she could.

  Since his back was turned, she decided to take the opportunity to surprise him by creeping up on his blind side. She kept her eyes wide open this time, and as she drew nearer, she lifted her wooden sword in preparation for an attack. Jahrra thought she was doing well. She’d gotten within a few feet of the dragon, but it was no use, his hearing was too good. He swiftly turned around, and as Jahrra swung at him, he grabbed the branch with his scaled hand and lifted both the girl and her weapon high above the ground.

  Jahrra clung to her stick and hung helplessly in the air, kicking and flailing as Jaax held her up to his face.

  “Not good enough, Jahrra. Come now, you should be able to hit me at least once!” he taunted, smiling in amusement.

  He dropped her from five feet up, but this time when Jahrra hit the ground she got up much quicker than before, taking Jaax by surprise. The dragon began to lift up once again on his hind legs, but before he could get his front legs into the air, Jahrra swung her branch with all he
r strength. The hard wood cracked against one of his left knuckles, and to Jahrra’s surprise and horror, a scale went flying off.

  “Oh no! Jaax, I’m sorry!”

  She dropped the branch and backed away, worried that he’d be furious. But the dragon merely shook his front foot as if to stop the stinging.

  “Ha, don’t worry. That scale has been loose for weeks.”

  The dragon’s scowling mood was suddenly gone, and in its place Jahrra could almost detect a hint of approval. “You did well. You caught me by surprise and actually made contact. Unfortunately, if I were truly an unfriendly dragon, you’d be dead by now, but we’ll worry about that later.”

  He smiled and Jahrra felt her strained muscles ease a little.

  “Jahrra, go pick up that scale you knocked off and bring it over here.”

  The scale wasn’t hard to find. It glinted with the blue, green and gold that made up the hue of all of Jaax’s scales. Jahrra picked it up out of the grass and looked at it. It was heavier than she’d anticipated and fit nicely in the small center of her palm. If she didn’t know any better she would’ve said it was a glittering stone she happened upon in the field. After admiring it for awhile, Jahrra brought it back over to the waiting dragon.

  “What will you do with it?” she asked as she dropped the small scale into Jaax’s opened paw.

  “I’ll find a use for it,” he said. “Maybe the elves of the north can reattach it for me. Now, we’d better head to Aldehren, there is someone waiting to meet you.”

  Jahrra was glad to see that Jaax was no longer as disagreeable as he’d been earlier that morning, and she was even starting to feel more relaxed and optimistic. Maybe the loose scale had been bothering him and she’d actually helped him by removing it. Whether that was the reason for his sudden easy mood or not, she didn’t care. She was just glad of the change.

  Jaax watched as Jahrra went and collected Phrym from the edge of the clearing, his hard eyes dark with thought. She reminded him of someone he once knew, long ago, someone just as stubborn and just as unrelenting. It would be a long while yet, however, before the Tanaan dragon realized just how similar the two were.

  For now, he needed to focus on her improvement. She had so much to learn. She had to become stronger, that was a must, and more flexible. Her reflexes needed improvement and her archery needed to be fine-tuned. She had to learn how to wield a sword, and although she rode quite well, she needed to become even better in the saddle. Perhaps she was too young to begin these brutal and trying lessons, but Jaax knew that it couldn’t be helped; the sooner she learned how to survive the unthinkable, the better.

  Jaax shook himself like a horse shaking off a shiver of unease. This whole process of delaying his busy schedule to check in on Jahrra had been a thorn in his side, and his patience had been worn thin by it. It had also saddened him in a way. He had always meant to have a greater part in Jahrra’s life, that is, until other matters came up; matters outside of Oescienne that were so much more urgent than helping Hroombra raise a child. This in turn had angered him, for some of these issues could’ve been dealt with by someone else, and some of them, well, some of them Jaax hadn’t anticipated on happening so soon.

  Oescienne may be resting peacefully on the other side of the great Elornn and Thorbet Mountains, but outside of the province it was a different story. Although the signs were not obvious, it was apparent that the world was growing restless. For several years now, the wandering tribes of Rhiim and eastern Felldreim had been joining together, creating bands of warring criminals, raiding and attacking isolated villages. What was more disturbing, Jaax thought ruefully, was fresh news of the Tyrant’s soldiers and mercenaries being spotted as far west as the Aandhoul Plain. Several years ago he’d heard of scouts and spies being spotted here and there, but now he was seeing troops of men on the move with his own eyes. Has Cierryon somehow found out about Jahrra? Could he know where she is?

  The dragon squeezed his eyes shut, as if doing this would push the worries from his mind. He forced a blistering breath from his nostrils and opened them again with weariness. I must focus on Jahrra while I have the time to do so. I can think about everything else later. Including the dreams he had been having lately . . . Later, he reminded himself with determined vigor.

  He looked over at the girl, now sitting patiently atop Phrym. He smiled and finally let his qualms melt away for now. He’d been impressed with the way she caught him off guard on her third attempt to attack him. Perhaps she isn’t hopeless after all.

  He grinned more purposefully as he thought about her reaction to his crude derision the day before. Most children would fear him or, in the case of her friends, be in awe of him, but not Jahrra. He had written it off as a bad attitude, a lack of discipline on Hroombra’s part, but now that he gave it some genuine thought, he was starting to see that her will and her pride were much stronger than he’d previously believed. At least now I have one less thing to worry about, he mused, his anxiety dissolving a little. But now she has to learn how to use those assets against her foes, even though she won’t face them for some time . . . At least, he hoped she wouldn’t have to face them for some time.

  The young dragon directed Jahrra to the road and on towards Aldehren. Jahrra led Phrym ahead of him without argument, and Jaax paused only long enough to watch them in the glow of early morning.

  “Someday,” he whispered to his surroundings as the semequin and the girl moved out of earshot. “Someday, you can know the truth of what you are, Jahrra, but not now, not yet.”

  -Chapter Eighteen-

  The Elves of Dhonoara

  The normally short trip down the Sloping Hill took longer than expected, what with Jahrra and Jaax stopping every now and then along the way to greet familiar faces. Jahrra couldn’t resist saying hello to the mailman, Mr. Dharedth, whom she hadn’t seen since she started riding Phrym to school.

  “Jahrra! My how you’ve grown! You look a full foot taller than last time I saw you.” His kind eyes crinkled in amusement. “How old are you now?”

  “Eleven,” Jahrra answered proudly.

  “You don’t say . . .” the mailman mused. “She’s gonna be a tall one, that girl,” he added to Jaax. “Say . . .” Dharedth said, looking at the dragon more closely, “you don’t look like Master Hroombra. Jahrra, who’s your friend here?”

  “Oh,” Jahrra said in surprise, forgetting that Jaax only ever visited her and Hroombra. “This is Jaax. He doesn’t visit often.”

  “Huh, well it’s a pleasure to meet you. Jaax is it? I go by Dharedth. How do you do?” Dharedth didn’t seem intimidated by Jaax one bit, and Jahrra was glad of this. The mailman was used to seeing Hroombra, so the sight of a dragon wasn’t as shocking as it would’ve been to anybody else, she decided.

  “I’m glad to meet you, and I’m well.” Jaax cast a firm glance at Jahrra before continuing in a rather diplomatic manner, “I wish we could stay and chat, but we have an important meeting in town.”

  “Oh, I best be off now too. You two may have the day off, but we delivery folk don’t. Have a nice day.” He waved cheerily as he clicked his old horse on down the road.

  “You too!” Jahrra called after the clattering mail cart. She stopped smiling when she turned and saw the look on Jaax’s face.

  He spoke before she could give his serious gaze any more thought.

  “Jahrra, the lessons you’ll be receiving and those who’ll be training you must be kept a secret. You cannot tell anyone about them. And in case you’re thinking of telling the whole world just to upset me, remember that this request comes from Hroombra as well. Luckily your mailman friend wasn’t overly curious, but in case we see anyone else they’ll receive the same explanation I gave him.”

  Jahrra risked another look at him, but when she saw more than just sternness and no trace of smugness in his gaze, she quickly focused her attention on the road straight ahead and nodded in subtle ob
edience. Had that been fear she saw behind Jaax’s stony green eyes? Fear or not, Jahrra could see that this issue was very important to the dragon. As much as she disliked him, however, she felt that on this matter it would be best to do as she was told, no questions asked.

  Jahrra cleared her throat as they came to the bottom of the hill and said, more to disrupt the awkward silence than anything else, “So these lessons are going to be like my Kruelt lessons? Top secret?”

  Jaax didn’t answer for a while so Jahrra shot him a sideways glance. He was smiling, though his eyes were trained keenly on the path ahead.

  “So,” he drawled, “Hroombra has finally started teaching you the language of the dragons.”

  Jahrra nodded. “Do you speak it?”

  “Tehna.”

  Jahrra’s heart skidded to a halt. She knew tehna meant yes, but she was suddenly terrified Jaax was about to start speaking to her in Draggish.

  As if reading her thoughts, the dragon said “Shall we continue the conversation in Kruelt?”

  “No,” Jahrra said too quickly.

  She immediately flushed. Now she was going to have to tell Jaax just how much of a challenge the language was for her. One more point against me, she thought miserably.

  She was surprised when he answered, “Very well, another day perhaps.”

  Jahrra had been so absorbed in their conversation that she was surprised to look up and see a crossroads ahead marked by a crude sign. The arrow that pointed eastward read Aldehr Lake & Edyadth and the one that pointed northward read Raenyan Wilders & Glordienn. She remembered taking the eastern road when she and her friends went to Aldehr Lake once, but Jaax motioned her to lead Phrym down the northern road this time.

  “I thought we were going into Aldehren,” she commented, her voice overtaking the soft plodding of dragon’s feet and horse’s hooves and the delicate swish of Phrym’s tail.

  Jaax waited a long while before answering, “We’re not going into the city but to the home of two elves, Viornen and his wife, Yaraa. They’re old friends of mine and just happen to be excellent trainers in the arts of combat. They can teach you basic defense and attack maneuvers, fine tune your horsemanship and perfect your archery.”

  Then his grim mouth tweaked into a tiny grin. “Not to mention, they’re the only people in this province that I can trust with this task.”

  Jahrra blinked at him and secretly wondered if Jaax truly trusted anyone. But elves! she thought with a thrill.

  The path they now followed ran snuggly along the base of a range of steep hillocks. Jahrra looked around warily and frowned, despite the bright sunshine warming her skin. The trees along the dreary road appeared to be sick with a cold and the empty wood and its depressed surroundings would surely turn away any traveler that happened by; except for one girl and the dragon following her of course.

  Well, this path sure goes well with Jaax’s personality. My new trainer is probably just as bad as he is. Jahrra thought with a sigh, forgetting the wondrous images of magical elves she had envisioned earlier. She tried with all her might to make light of the situation, but she simply couldn’t find anything pleasant to look at, even the occasional lizard or bird was dull and comatose.

  They continued down the trail for another half hour or so and gradually the intermittent oaks became so crowded that any light making its way through the thick canopy was stopped before it could reach the ground. These trees, Jahrra noticed, looked less depressed than the others, but she was convinced it was only her imagination. A few more turns around the dusty lane proved her wrong, however, when they came upon a bright cottage tucked back into a secluded gully.

  Jahrra gaped in surprise, astounded at the contrast the cheery white house made against its boring surroundings. It was a single storied place, constructed of stone and topped with a red wood pole roof. There was smoke of a peculiar purplish color rising out of the tall chimney, and the front door, a rich blue in color, was open to a stone path that led out onto the road.

  Window boxes, painted to match the door, overflowed with flowers, and a trail of herbs, vegetables and wildflowers complimented the white fence surrounding the entire place. Glittering sunlight, looking like beams of golden magic, spilled through a great gap in the leaves of the tall oaks, giving Jahrra the impression of a fairy cottage she’d once seen illustrated in one of Hroombra’s books.

  “I’ll approach first,” Jaax spoke, jolting Jahrra from her quiet survey. “Yaraa and Viornen know me, and they’re wary about strangers.” He turned to gaze down at her. “That’s why they live so far away from town.”

  Jahrra nodded numbly and watched as Jaax casually approached the beautiful little cabin. She finally felt at ease when a man and woman came out of the charming setting and approached the dragon peacefully. They were too far away for Jahrra to get a good look, so she busied herself with soaking up the enchanted scene while she waited. She raked her eyes over their small but impressive garden, picking out the plants she knew. She detected the fragrance of jasmine floating on the air, brushed aside every now and again by the smell of something wonderful cooking inside: a savory blend of roasting poultry and sweet, fresh bread. Her mouth watered against her will and she longed to climb down from Phrym and stretch out her legs, but she feared if she moved it would cause this wonderful place to disappear back into the dreary wood.

  Several fat, mottled chickens wandered around in the yard clucking contently and looking for grubs. They were guarded by a watchful, grey-speckled rooster that gave her an accusing glare. A ruddy colored sow and her piglets ran by making quite a racket and kicking up dust off of the dry road. The family of pigs was trailed by a scraggly gray deer hound that seemed to find endless joy in harassing them. Jahrra smiled as the noisy bunch hustled by, completely ignoring the marble-gray semequin and his rider.

  Jaax turned his head then to look back in Jahrra’s direction. She saw him and quickly straightened in the saddle. She tried to look attentive, but the dreamy atmosphere made it hard to do so. It was almost as if this small house and its surroundings had been enveloped in some sort of magical bubble. It glowed with enchantment while the trees, hill and road nearby seemed to be sleeping under a cloak of dust and grime.

  Jahrra kept her eyes on Jaax, hoping he would signal what she should do next. After several minutes of gazing directly at her without so much as blinking, he gave a single nod, letting her know it was safe to approach. She led Phrym slowly towards the edge of the path where the dragon and the two elves stood. She felt a strange tingling over her skin as she moved closer to the cabin, and she thought she could hear faint singing in the corners of her mind. She shook her head and focused on reaching Jaax, wondering if Phrym was being affected in the same way she was.

  Once Jahrra moved closer to the couple, she could see that there was no mistaking them as elves. The man was slight and shorter than most adults she knew, and the woman was just the same. They both had dark green-brown eyes and long, rich brown hair that shone like gold. The man had his hair pulled back neatly into a ponytail and the woman’s was fashioned into a long braid. They both stood attentive with their hands clasped behind their backs, the sharp features of their faces looking rather statuesque. If Jahrra had to guess their ages, she wouldn’t know what to presume. The couple looked younger than middle-aged, but being elves they could be hundreds or even thousands of years old.

  “Jahrra, this is Viornen and Yaraa, and you’ll refer to them as Master Viornen and Mastress Yaraa. They’ll be your trainers for your new defense lessons.” Jaax nodded to each of them in turn.

  Jahrra slid off of Phrym, not wanting to be disrespectful, and approached the two elves timidly.

  “Nice to meet you. I hope to learn a lot from you.”

  The pair smiled brightly, and Jahrra relaxed a little.

  “We’re pleased to meet you, Jahrra,” Yaraa said in a melodious voice. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

  She gave a
welcoming gesture with her arm, the white sleeve of her simple cotton shirt fluttering with the movement.

  Jahrra smiled again and gave a slight curtsey, something she felt odd doing in leather pants and an old stained, tattered tunic.

  “We’re eager to train you in the old ways Jahrra. We haven’t had this opportunity in many years.” Viornen spoke this time, his kind voice just as musical as his wife’s.

  Jahrra took a minute to wonder if this was an effect of the magic surrounding this place, but grew attentive when Jaax spoke again, using his most commanding voice, “As I have told you, Viornen and Yaraa are true elves, something that is not too common in these parts. You may also have noticed that they have inherited the gift of magic. It is used to help keep their home hidden. If the wrong people found out about them there could be trouble, so I want to stress the importance of keeping these lessons secret, even from your closest friends. They may mean no harm, but like I said, if the wrong people were to find out. . .”

  Jaax let the end of his sentence hang in the enchanted air. He gave Jahrra another one of his steady, intrusive glares and Jahrra knew that he was serious. The grave faces of the two elves only supported the dragon’s words and not for the first time Jahrra wondered about these secret lessons. She also wondered why these elves were hiding out in the first place. Surely they wouldn’t be shunned in town? She took a deep breath and nodded to the dragon and her new trainers, signaling to them that she understood.

  Suddenly, the intense mood was interrupted by an explosion of noise. Three young children, the spitting images of the two adults, came bursting through the front door of the cabin. Jahrra watched as two girls and one boy went tearing around the corner of the yard after the lazy chickens, which instantly became alive with terror. The dog that Jahrra had seen earlier trailed after them, barking and chasing the chickens in a playful ruckus.

  “Oh, don’t mind them,” laughed Yaraa. “They have just all gotten over a spit of sickness and they’ve been cooped up for weeks.” Then she added with a sly grin, “Looks like they’ve recovered from their shyness as well.”

  The children finished their lap around the house, breathless from their exertions, and stopped dead when they saw Jaax.

  “Whoa!!!” said the young boy, eyes wide as saucers. “A dragon!”

  The two girls skidded to a halt behind their brother, gaping in awe. Jahrra forced away a smirk as she reminded herself that these children wouldn’t be so impressed if they knew what Jaax could really be like.

  “Samibi, Strohm, Srithe,” Viornen said, his arms crossed tightly across his chest, “don’t stare, it’s rude.”

  “Sorry Pa, but isn’t it magnificent!” the little boy piped.

  “It’s alright, Viornen, I don’t mind,” Jaax laughed softly.

  Jahrra looked up at him in surprise. When has Jaax ever laughed before? she wondered, unable to ever remember the dragon looking so much at ease.

  “Hey, who are you?” asked the oldest girl when she spotted Jahrra.

  Jahrra, who’d been standing back and watching in mild amusement, flinched when the attention was suddenly directed at her. It took her a moment to register what the girl had said.

  “I’m, I’m Jahrra.”

  She blushed in embarrassment. She wasn’t used to anyone taking such positive interest in her. Usually it was the opposite.

  “I’m Samibi,” the girl replied, not at all noticing Jahrra’s awkward discomfort, “and this is my brother Strohm, and my sister Srithe.”

  Jahrra smiled and felt her muscles relax. She was so used to the laughter and sneers from the younger children in the schoolyard that it was a treat being so easily accepted here.

  Samibi, Strohm and Srithe soon lost interest in their two guests and started a game of tug-o-war with their dog. While the children tried their best to wrestle the rope away from the hound, Jahrra tried to guess their ages. They looked to be four, six and eight in Nesnan years, but like their parents, they could’ve been much older considering the endless life span of elves.

  “Samibi, why don’t you go show Jahrra your tree house and your garden?” Yaraa suggested kindly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind a sharply pointed ear.

  “Oh! C’mon, it’s grand!” the eldest girl chirped, her face radiating happiness.

  The children grabbed Jahrra’s hands and dragged her off behind the cabin to see their world.

  Jaax turned to the two elves as soon as the four children were out of sight, and just out of ear shot. “So, what do you think? Will we be able to pull this off?”

  “She definitely looks human, but are you absolutely sure Jaax?” Viornen asked quietly, donning a more serious face now that the children were gone.

  “Yes, absolutely. I arrived in Crie as soon as I could,” the dragon insisted, “and she was only a week old when I arrived. She had blue eyes as an infant. That could only mean she’s human.”

  “After all these years . . .” Viornen said in a quiet voice, his face paling slightly.

  “Oh, Jaax,” Yaraa cried, hardly able to hold back her excitement, “finally, finally she’s come to us! Jahrra will be the start of a new era, I’m sure of it!”

  “Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She’s still quite young and has much to learn,” Jaax answered. With a more serious and warning tone he continued, “You must understand, she’s been raised believing she is Nesnan. She mustn’t know who she really is until she is ready.”

  “You’re right to do so,” Viornen said after a thoughtful pause. “I don’t think she’d be able to comprehend the truth now. We’ll prepare her for that day the best way we can.”

  “Very well.” Jaax nodded agreement. “For now, we focus on getting her strong and capable to protect herself. I’m counting on you two, for you are the best ones for this job.”

  Yaraa flashed the dragon a look of slight confusion.

  “Jaax, we’re flattered by this honor,” she began, her usually smooth brow furrowed, “but surely there must be someone more suited, what about . . .”

  “No,” Jaax interrupted, his voice like a whip.

  There was a silent pause as the tension in the air nearly solidified. Finally, Yaraa went on delicately, “She deserves another chance you know, and she’s skilled in more ways than we are . . .” but Yaraa stopped when she saw the threatening look on the dragon’s face. Whatever memory or notion she’d been trying to evoke fell short and stayed buried in her mind.

  “I know who you’re thinking of, and that is absolutely not an option.”

  Jaax finished this sentence rather harshly with fire building in his nostrils.

  Yaraa backed down timidly, something she didn’t often do.

  “Besides, the energy it would take to find . . .” Jaax began again, but stopped himself and shook his head to clear it. “No, like I said, it’s not an option.”

  Viornen broke the awkward silence that followed with a light-hearted chuckle, “You’ll just have to make do with us then. We’ll start with the basics after tea. Did you test her already Jaax?”

  Jaax didn’t answer at first. He was staring at the ground, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a sharp breath, releasing a miniscule stream of smoke as he exhaled, “Yes, and I would start at the beginning. She has some skill, but it wouldn’t hurt to start her from the bottom and work your way up.”

  “Will you join us for tea, then?” Viornen queried.

  “Oh no, I can’t. I have business outside of Oescienne that I’ve neglected for too long as it is. It’s taken precious time stopping in Oescienne at all, but it had been so long since I checked in on the girl,” Jaax said coldly, without emotion.

  Yaraa, unable to be fooled by Jaax’s iron facade, smiled lightly. She donned a maternal look and placed a gentle hand on the dragon’s scaly foreleg, “Someday I hope to see you back to your old self Jaax, before . . . well, everything. Until then, promise me that you’ll s
top every now and then to relax a little and enjoy this life, however dismal it may seem.”

  Jaax gazed back with those silver green eyes of his and said shortly, “Life can’t truly be enjoyed until the Tyrant is purged from his throne. Goodbye Yaraa, Viornen. I’ll see you again, but at what time I don’t know.”

  The two elves nodded somberly, as if honoring some ancient code that had been long since forgotten. Jaax returned the gesture just as quietly and just as slowly before turning to leave. As he started back down the lane he spotted Jahrra in the yard behind the cabin, bent over with her hands on her knees, examining the deep blue flowers the elfin children were pointing out to her. He must have lingered too long, because Jahrra turned her head and saw him. She stood up straight, said something to the children, and walked over to the dragon.

  “Where are you going?”

  Jahrra’s question sounded sincere, catching Jaax a little off guard.

  “I have to leave, but you are to stay here and begin your training. I take it you remember how to get home?”

  Jahrra’s earnestness vanished the instant Jaax’s sarcasm registered, taking her feelings of disappointment with it.

  Her cobalt eyes darkened as she crossed her arms ferociously and took on an unyielding pose, “Oh, so you’re just going to leave me out in the middle of nowhere with perfect strangers while you go off to tend to your “business”?”

  Jaax felt the beginning of a dry smile as he turned his gaze down the lane. He took his time to answer, something that chafed at Jahrra’s patience.

  “They’re not complete strangers,” he finally said with an amused sigh. “I know them quite well and am not at all worried about leaving you here with them. I just hope they can make something out of you.”

  Jahrra had grown too irate to answer, her face turning red like a boiled thermometer.

  When she didn’t reply to his rude statement, Jaax continued, “I’ll see you in a few years, if I get a chance to visit this part of Ethoes again. If not, good luck with your training.”

  Jaax snapped open his giant wings and lifted effortlessly into the blue sky, leaving a flustered Jahrra to kick at the earth in irritation. She was angry that she had actually felt disappointed he was leaving; angry that she didn’t have a snide reply for him. Now she wished she hadn’t apologized earlier for hitting him so hard with that branch.

  Jahrra tilted her head so that she was looking at the canopy of the giant oaks, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. She was overwhelmingly tempted to gather up Phrym and leave this bright little cottage for good. Alright, she thought to herself as the light from the sun filtered through the green leaves and onto her face, I hate doing anything that Jaax says I have to do, but on the other hand these so called ‘lessons’ could be very useful against the twins.

  She smiled as she imagined dropkicking Ellysian and sparring with Eydeth in front of the whole school, only to leave him sprawled in the dust. Oh yes, that would definitely be worth giving into Jaax’s wishes. And besides, it’s not like he’ll be around to spy on me and make his rude comments.

  Feeling that Strohm, Samibi and Srithe were quite fine on their own, Jahrra headed back down the shaded lane to where Viornen and Yaraa patiently waited, watching her like a pair of attentive hawks. She felt guilty that they’d been kept waiting as it was, but she didn’t want to approach them when she was still in a temper over Jaax.

  Of course, the elves knew this already and used the time it took her to walk up the road to discuss their own private thoughts.

  “That dragon sure has gotten into the habit of quick fixes,” Yaraa whispered amusedly to her husband.

  “He does seem to be in such a hurry these days,” Viornen answered, just as quietly. “I wonder sometimes if he even thinks his decisions through.”

  Yaraa hugged her elbows in thought. “The girl is quite young, that’s for sure, but she has spirit and although I admire her own unique wisdom, there is much she needs to learn.”

  “She’ll be alright, I think,” Viornen murmured as Jahrra closed the gap between them, leaving all other speculation for another time.

  “Sorry,” Jahrra said bashfully, “your children were so excited about showing me their garden, and then we found the toad . . .”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Yaraa cut in kindly. “They do have a way of kidnapping newcomers; we don’t get many visitors out here. Besides, it’s only natural you’d want to talk to Jaax before he left.”

  Jahrra flushed at this statement. She hadn’t realized they’d been watching her for so long.

  “Oh, well, I wasn’t . . .” she stammered, not wanting to admit she’d wanted to say goodbye to the dragon and feeling a bit ashamed they’d read her secret thoughts so easily.

  “He shouldn’t have left you so suddenly like that. You have every right to be angry.” Viornen’s kind smile seemed to relax their surroundings.

  “How did you know I was angry?” Jahrra asked humbly, knowing that she’d done her best to let that emotion pass before approaching the couple.

  “Well,” Viornen said with an impish grin, “other than the fact that you attacked the road with your foot when Jaax flew off, I was born with the ability to sense the slightest change in moods.”

  Jahrra stared blankly. “You can be born with that ability?”

  Viornen released a good-natured laugh, and Yaraa smiled along with him.

  “I’m sorry!” Jahrra said apologetically, flushing once again. “That was extremely rude of me!”

  She was completely mortified by now. These elves could read her emotions like words on a page and she didn’t even know them.

  “It’s quite alright, I assure you,” Viornen chuckled. “It’s not as simple as that, so I’ll explain. People, of all races and species, have a chance of being born with magical properties. Some have stronger ties to magic than others and some have none at all. It’s not detectable at first, but once it is, depending on one’s level of magic, they are trained to use it and recognize it.

  “Now, elves are more inclined to be magical and so are dragons and dwarves, but that doesn’t exclude all the other races. I myself happened to be born with a slight level of foresight. I can’t read the future; in fact, a mere fortuneteller would put me to shame. What I can do is sense emotions in other people better than most, and I can bring out the good emotions in other living things as well. That’s why our plants and trees seem so happy.”

  Viornen waved his hand around gracefully to point out what he was describing. Jahrra eased a little more, eager to learn all she could about these elves.

  “But my abilities are nothing compared to Yaraa’s. She can speak to animals.” Viornen gazed at his wife in open admiration.

  “You can, really?” Jahrra said excitedly, forgetting all about proper etiquette among new adult acquaintances.

  “Now Viornen, I can’t exactly speak to them, but I can touch their minds. Bring me your horse and don’t tell me his name,” Yaraa said calmly, shifting to a more relaxed posture.

  Jahrra quickly scurried over to the other side of the road and grabbed Phrym by the reins, leading him grumpily away from the patch of clover he had been devouring.

  “Now, this is what I can do.”

  Yaraa gently lifted her arm and stretched her hand out flat, placing her palm upon Phrym’s forehead.

  Phrym, who was usually twitchy around strangers touching him, acted as if nothing were happening. Then suddenly he became alert and looked Yaraa directly in the eye.

  After some time, the elfin woman spoke, “He tells me that you gave him the name Phrym. He also tells me that he’s not a horse, but a semequin, and is glad to have you as a friend.”

  Yaraa pulled her hand away from Phrym’s forehead and Jahrra almost cried with happiness. She hugged Phrym’s neck and he nickered lightly as if laughing at Jahrra for ever questioning his fondness.

  “You can take him back now. He also told me those are the best clovers
he’s ever eaten.”

  Yaraa smiled as Jahrra led Phrym back to his snack. Jahrra took her time ambling back to where the two elves stood and gazed longingly at both of them, eager to learn more. Yaraa and Viornen may have thought their own abilities were insubstantial, but she thought they were fantastic.

  “You don’t need to be so anxious Jahrra. We’re going to help you grow into someone far greater than you know.” Viornen tried not to sound so serious, and donned a fresh smile as he continued, “But for today, I think we’ll just get to know one another a little better, that way you won’t feel so overwhelmed when the real training begins.”

  The elves invited her into their home to have tea and Jahrra gladly accepted. When she stepped through the front door, she was immediately overwhelmed by the size of the place. The room they stood in was rather large and spacious. Two fat couches and a few comfortable looking chairs dominated the living space with a wide stone table set between them. The walls were covered in bookshelves from ceiling to floor, generously stuffed with books of every size and color. On the opposite end of the room was a pair of blue and green stained glass doors that led out into the backyard.

  Jahrra gulped and peeked into the kitchen, just off of the main room. Great ropes of faded, dried flowers and vegetables hung in the rafters. A faint scent of cinnamon, vanilla and ginger spiced the warm, soft air pouring from the oven, and the age-polished stone floor that stretched beneath Jahrra’s feet felt smooth and cool even through her leather boots.

  Viornen motioned Jahrra to one of the overly stuffed chairs as he took a seat on the couch. Yaraa glided into the kitchen and poured some tea into three cups, setting them on a tray. She offered the cups to Viornen and Jahrra, and then took the tray back into the kitchen, disappearing from sight for a while.

  “Now, we’ll definitely start you with the basics, whether or not you’ve had formal training before. Have you?” Viornen stated, lifting his cup of tea from the unusual table.

  It looked like a foggy multi-colored crystal that had been cut and polished to just the right size and shape. Jahrra had never seen anything like it, and didn’t hear Viornen’s question at first: she was too busy studying the stone’s intricate beauty.

  Viornen smiled as Jahrra continued to be lost in the beauty of the coffee table.

  “It comes from our home land, the great valley of Dhonoara in the east.”

  “Huh?” Jahrra turned her goggle-eyed gaze to the elf.

  “The stone slab that is the top of our table.” He gestured towards the table top, not at all slighted by her bemusement. “It was extremely difficult to get it this far, but Yaraa and I had to have a piece of the walls of Dhonoara to remind us . . .”

  The elfin man paused, cleared his throat and set his cup down, clacking rather noisily against the smooth surface of the table. Jahrra gazed at the polished stone with renewed vigor, absolutely flabbergasted at this new bit of information. Dhonoara! That’s miles upon miles away! she thought, remembering that she’d seen the name once on one of Hroombra’s maps of Ethoes.

  She hadn’t noticed the dark shadow crossing Viornen’s face, however, but by the time she glanced back up at him, the shadow was gone.

  “I thought it’d be a good idea to get to know each other a little better before we start training. How about we start by telling our life stories so far?”

  Viornen smiled once again, shaking off his moment of dark reverie. “Yaraa, would you like to do the honors?” he prompted.

  “Oh, most certainly,” Yaraa answered cheerfully, sitting down on the great couch next to her husband. Jahrra jumped slightly, surprised that she had rejoined them so quietly.

  Jahrra listened intently as Yaraa spun the tale of their past. Both the elves had been born in Dhonoara in a time of trouble and hardship. It was right around the time the Crimson King took power, when their unique abilities could be easily exploited by the Tyrant. Shortly after they married, they’d fled their homeland, seeking refuge in the west. Yaraa explained that it was extremely hard to leave Dhonoara Valley, so they’d brought a piece of the valley with them. She rapped her knuckles against the coffee table and grinned.

  After settling in Oescienne, they started a family. They raised their first children, now grown and living in other parts of the west. As the years passed, they longed for more children and so came Srithe, Strohm and Samibi to fill their home and keep them busy.

  Yaraa recited several centuries of history as if it had only been a decade, leaving Jahrra to sit and gape. They’ve lived through all of that? Through the creation of the Tanaan Dragons? Jahrra was astounded and desperately wanted to ask a thousand questions, but she knew she’d be treading on fragile ground. Instead, she sat there with her head buzzing, wondering how her own story could compare to such a broad history.

  “I hope that wasn’t too long for you Jahrra. I kept it as short as I possibly could.”

  Yaraa was smiling warmly once again, and Jahrra grinned reservedly.

  “Now for your life story,” Viornen encouraged, picking up his neglected tea once again and looking at Jahrra in anticipation as he took a cautious sip.

  “There’s not much to say,” she said, rather modestly with a weak grin.

  “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” Yaraa persuaded as she cuddled her own mug in her delicate hands. “Go on, it’ll help us to understand your true character.”

  So Jahrra took a deep breath and dove into her own story, secretly thinking of how to make it more interesting so that it might be worthy of these elves. She told them about how she was found abandoned in Crie and how she was adopted by Lynhi and Abdhe. She described her own little cottage and apple orchard, home until her parents died and Hroombra became her guardian.

  Jahrra paused when she got to this part of her story. She hadn’t realized that talking about the death of her parents as a passing bit of information in a tale could have such an effect on her, and she had to take a few short breaths before continuing. She talked about Gieaun and Scede and how she acquired Phrym, but ended her tale explaining her feelings towards school.

  “I don’t enjoy school so much; some of my classmates are simply dreadful. There are two Resai children who absolutely despise me, but Gieaun, Scede and I find ways to avoid them.”

  Jahrra took a quick sip of her tepid tea and eyed the two elves nervously.

  “Are you finished?” Yaraa asked kindly when she saw that the girl was not going to continue.

  Jahrra nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

  “I know you may not believe it, but your story will help us in formulating your lessons,” Viornen said, draining his cup and placing it down upon the polished stone table with a hollow thlunk. “We don’t focus on just the physical nature of training, but also on the mental aspects of surviving in a challenging world as well.”

  For the remainder of Jahrra’s visit, the two elves described some of the exercises she would come to learn. She listened in wonder as they depicted a few of the different skills she would gain as she progressed in the program. Viornen spoke of the many ways to break away from an enemy or wriggle free from a tightly bound rope. Yaraa explained the dexterity it took to sneak up on someone in the middle of a forest full of dry leaves without making a sound. Viornen then listed off the exercises needed for the various forms of fighting: using a sword, using a bow and using one’s bare hands if the need to defend oneself or another arose. Once Viornen, Yaraa and Jahrra finished the last of the tea, the two elves stood to bid farewell to their new student.

  “We’ve learned much about you today Jahrra,” Viornen said after some time, “but it’s getting late. We’ll meet again tomorrow to discuss your training schedule and maybe show you a few maneuvers.”

  Jahrra looked up expectantly, but Viornen continued with a raised hand before she could form any words.

  “Don’t worry, these lessons won’t interfere with your schooling. Your training will be taking place strictly during
the summer months. As you grow older, however, we will expand your practice to also include the days you don’t have school.”

  “This doesn’t mean, however,” Yaraa added firmly, “that you don’t have to practice during the rest of the year. We expect you to keep up with exercises, flexibility stretches and meditation.”

  Jahrra nodded resolutely, her head still buzzing with this new endeavor, and went to gather Phrym from his clover patch. Though she had a thousand questions on her mind, she thought it best to ask them later.

  “One more thing,” Yaraa added as Jahrra climbed into the saddle. “We wish for you to keep these lessons secret. We live far away from town for a reason. You may tell your closest friends, but don’t tell them our names or where you take your lessons.”

  Jahrra promised them both that she’d keep their secret, just as she’d promised Jaax. She grinned secretly, however, when she imagined how satisfying it would have been to rub it in Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s faces. She was certain they would turn an awful shade of green if they knew she was receiving such privileged lessons from true elves.

  Viornen and Yaraa waved one last time and then watched her in silence as she and Phrym walked slowly down the lane.

  “She already shows an appreciation for Ethoes and all the life that she gives,” Yaraa murmured once the girl and her semequin were far enough away. “The way she observes the life around her is astounding, especially for one so young.”

  “She’s content with the wilds of the world, I can see that,” Viornen added silently. “Yet, her mood is not happiness, and I wouldn’t want it to be. Happiness about one thing or another can so easily turn. Contentment is the best, at least for now. With contentment one can never grow bored or disgusted. She fits with the life of this world, and she always will. I can feel a strong spirit within her.”

  Yaraa smiled up at him, glad to hear her husband’s wisdom.

  “Yes, she’s had to deal with much sorrow in her life, too much for someone so young. I feel she’s lost her childhood in a way, but she’s still far too young to be an adult. One thing is for certain, however,” she sighed, her voice taking on a much brighter tone as her mouth curved in a sly grin, “she’s definitely going to give Jaax a run for his money.”

  Viornen chuckled at his wife’s comment, squeezing her tightly against him. They both stood gazing down the lane until the first star could be seen peeking through the black veil of the sky before going in for the night. They knew that this new responsibility would be a challenge, but they also knew the importance of what they did. They had the ability to mold the future of Ethoes, and they felt that finally, after all the years of waiting and hiding, their gifts could be used to help save their world.

  -Chapter Nineteen-

  Invasion of the Twins

  The spring months slowly drifted away and the lazy rainclouds swept gently across the sky, draining their life-giving waters and pulling the soft air of summertime behind them. The last frosty clutches of winter had crawled away from the sleeping earth months ago, and outside the Castle Guard Ruin the little garden by the window was overflowing with fragrant flowers. Summer was in full swing in Oescienne, and another school year was finally over. Jahrra didn’t mind this passage of time, however. Not only would she be free of her classmates during the warm months, but she would be starting her new lessons with Yaraa and Viornen.

  The only bad thing about these lessons, Jahrra reminded herself, was that they took time away from Gieaun and Scede. They also meant following through with Jaax’s wishes.

  It was times like these that Jahrra would wonder about the enigma that was Raejaaxorix and how much he irritated her. She tried to convince herself she was glad the Tanaan dragon had arrived and left so abruptly, but if she wanted to be truly honest with herself, deep in her heart she was disappointed. When her curiosity finally overruled her stubbornness, she asked Hroombra about the other dragon’s strange habit of visiting the Castle Guard Ruin then disappearing just as suddenly.

  “He has obligations outside of this province Jahrra, and many of these obligations require extensive traveling.”

  “He always has excuses, he can’t be that busy!” she complained, forgetting she didn’t care either way. “And why does he get to tell me what to do anyways? He’s never here!”

  During the final weeks of school before summer, Jahrra told Gieaun and Scede about her new schedule. She kept her promise by not telling them about her mysterious elfin instructors, but she hadn’t been able to hide her irritation with Jaax.

  “I’m sure he isn’t trying to be mean Jahrra,” Gieaun encouraged. “It’s probably his way of being supportive.”

  “Supportive!?” Jahrra snapped, and then she added with thick sarcasm, “That’s right, you’re not around when he insults my intelligence or accuses me of lying.”

  Gieaun flinched and didn’t say another word. She knew how frustrated Jahrra got when discussing the Tanaan dragon, so Gieaun thought it best not to say anything else unless asked directly.

  The weeks passed and Jahrra thought more about this sudden change in her life. She found herself wondering, not for the first time, exactly why Hroombra and Jaax insisted on the swordsmanship and archery lessons with the elves. She longed to ask her guardian, but she knew exactly what he’d say: ‘You’ll understand one day,’ or ‘It’s for the best that you don’t know’, or ‘These lessons will strengthen your character.’ Why couldn’t he just give her a straight answer for once?

  As much as Jahrra hated not knowing the exact reason for these lessons, however, she showed up at the little cabin the first day of summer, more eager than when she had first begun riding lessons with her friends.

  In those first few weeks of summer, Jahrra got to know the elves a little better. Both Viornen and Yaraa had a way of informing her of her mistakes without making her feel ridiculous, and for once in her life Jahrra didn’t feel like she needed to prove something right away. Her typical week composed of rising early and spending anywhere from four to six hours a day working on archery, horsemanship, and fencing. Yaraa taught her meditation to help focus her mind and calm her nerves and Viornen taught her how to escape from several enemies without a weapon.

  “Maybe they’re training you to become an assassin!” Scede offered energetically one day as they stretched out in the field beside the Ruin, watching clouds sail by.

  “Oh, don’t be silly!” Gieaun scoffed. “I’m sure Master Hroombra has a good reason, but I can’t think of any right now. That is, unless he thinks Eydeth and Ellysian are truly dangerous.”

  “Too bad you can’t come with me,” Jahrra sighed, brushing a ladybug off her arm.

  “I wish we could too, but mother and father need us to help out on the ranch during the summer,” Scede complained.

  Jahrra was grateful she didn’t have to make up excuses as to why they couldn’t come with her. Yaraa and Viornen did, however, encourage Jahrra to pass on what she learned to her friends. When Jahrra mentioned this to Gieaun and Scede, however, she got mixed reactions.

  Scede, of course, was ecstatic with the idea.

  “You’re going to teach us fencing and self defense! Really?”

  Gieaun, on the other hand, had no interest in participating.

  “Learn to fight? I don’t know, I think I’d rather just watch you two beat each other up.”

  She smiled wryly at her friend and brother and all three laughed as they imagined Jahrra and Scede sword fighting with branches and reeds.

  When Jahrra was with her friends she almost forgot about all those questions she’d been asking herself lately, but a few important ones still refused to escape her mind. The most important concern being why Hroombra, and sometimes Jaax, two dragons, would be the ones responsible for raising her. Now that she was getting a little older, she found herself wondering why Hroombra had never placed her with another Nesnan family after her parents died. Before, when she was a child, she took everything f
or granted, but not anymore.

  As her fierce anger for Jaax dulled, just as it always did after his brief visits, Jahrra began to wonder with a clearer mind what his role was in all of this. She knew that he’d brought her to Oescienne, but why? Why not leave her where she was? Why not find a family in the place where she was born? Why not let another Nesnan bring her here if it was so important that she be in Oescienne?

  Hroombra would be the best one to put an answer to these questions of course, but she never worked up the gumption to ask. She would just write them down in her journal to save for a later time, whenever that time might be. Luckily, Jahrra had plenty to distract her restless mind with now that summer had begun.

  The first month of practice was torture. The elves had her running long distances every day to get into shape, and then after that, myriad drills and exercises to help strengthen her arms and legs. By the end of her first week, Jahrra was so exhausted that she fell asleep atop Phrym several times on the ride home. When this happened, she would grumble to herself in embarrassment, praying that no one had seen her slumped in the saddle as she made her way up the Great Sloping Hill.

  As tough as those first weeks were, Jahrra’s hard work was soon paying off. By the end of the third week, she was able to run to the waterfall below Lake Aldehr and back to the elves’ cabin without even feeling fatigued. Her speed and balance were improving as well, and her reflexes were much quicker and more accurate than they had ever been. Jahrra was so pleased with her progress and her trainers’ praise that she completely forgot about her lingering irritation at Jaax.

  The summer progressed in this fashion and as her days of freedom ticked by, Jahrra felt a familiar dread growing in the pit of her stomach. The end of summer meant the beginning of school, and that meant another year of enduring the twins’ wrath once again. Viornen and Yaraa gave Jahrra the last week of summer off, and she gratefully took advantage of her time by spending every day of it with Gieaun and Scede, going to Lake Ossar or visiting the ocean shore.

  The three of them would race their horses down the beach and then lay out on one of the great sand dunes and listen to the waves and shifting shore grasses as they soaked up the blazing sun. They would breathe in the cool, salty breeze and think up new ways to avoid Eydeth and Ellysian this year at school.

  “It’d be nice if they just stood there like dead fish,” Jahrra said as she dug her toes into the warm, soft sand.

  Her boots were off and she’d rolled up her pants to her knees, after shoving her short sleeves up over her shoulders. Her long golden hair, usually kept bound in a loose braid, was gathered together with a leather band and now resembled a horse’s tail. It was a hot day, hotter than usual. Jahrra shot an envious look at Gieaun, who was sprawled out beside her with a wide-brim hat shading her face. She’d had enough sense to wear a short-sleeved sun dress and sandals. Scede had on short pants and a short-sleeved tunic and sandals as well.

  “But you know they’ll have something to say back, and they always have friends with them,” Scede said knowledgeably as he pushed aside a clump of needle-sharp dune grass so he could sit down.

  “I just wish I could say something brave to them, without a nasty retort from Ellysian,” Gieaun sighed, sliding down the sandy slope and causing an avalanche of powdery sand.

  Jahrra and Scede went sliding down after her, laughing and squealing as they tumbled down the steep incline. Phrym, Bhun and Aimhe, who were nibbling on some willow leaves at the base of the dune, looked down at the pile of children below them, their ears perked forward in curiosity.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a swim to Reed Island,” Scede said, standing up and brushing off the sand that stuck to his skin like sugar.

  “Me too!” Gieaun breathed. “Let’s enjoy a few more days of freedom from the twins while it lasts!”

  The three friends climbed atop their horses and pointed them eastward. As they approached Lake Ossar, they heard the cheerful voices of other adults and children enjoying the warm summer day. Jahrra smiled as Phrym’s hooves thudded against the boardwalk spanning the glittering lake. She smiled because she knew that not one of those voices belonged to any of her unfriendly classmates. They walked the length of the boardwalk and tied their horses up under the grove of willows just off shore.

  “C’mon you two!” Scede called hurriedly as the girls dawdled behind him. “Let’s see if our boat is still where we hid it last!”

  He began digging around in a particularly large clump of reeds and let out a bark of triumph once he found the tiny vessel still intact. Once all three of them were inside the crude water craft, they began paddling out to the middle of the lake where their island of reeds sat waiting.

  “We haven’t been here in months!” Gieaun breathed. “I hope no one has taken over our island.”

  Jahrra agreed, but as they approached, they found their island just as they had left it: a small patch of dark, damp earth covered in moss and surrounded by a thicket of tall, shady reeds. Scede pushed the boat through a tiny gap in the rushes on the far side of the little islet and Jahrra jumped out into the knee-deep water to pull the boat closer. Scede and Gieaun helped her, quickly pulling it up over the reeds. The girls laid out some of the blankets they’d brought with them as Scede spied on all of the other people that were enjoying the lake. He saw families walking along the boardwalk, but no one he recognized. Many people were fishing, swimming or simply relaxing.

  “Anything to report from the outside world?” Jahrra asked as she and Gieaun sat down on one of the blankets.

  “No, just the usual,” Scede replied, giving up his post and joining the girls.

  After relaxing for a while, Scede and Jahrra decided to have a race from their little island to the boardwalk and back. The rules were that they would swim to one of the pier supports, swim clear around it, and then swim back. Gieaun was to be the referee, since she refused to swim so far out into the lake.

  “Don’t you two remember the lake monster father always talked about on our camping trips?” she queried teasingly.

  “Oh, Gieaun, there’s no such thing!” her brother groaned.

  Jahrra laughed and glanced back at Gieaun, who looked a little vexed.

  “Don’t worry, Gieaun!” Jahrra snickered. “If it does eat us, think of it this way: at least you’ll finally know for sure it exists. And besides, you’ll be safe if you stay on Reed Island!”

  “Very funny!” Gieaun chirped. “I remember you used to be afraid to put even a toe in the lake Jahrra!”

  “Oh, that was ages ago!”

  “Ugh, are you going to race or not?” Gieaun asked, sounding a little exasperated.

  When Jahrra and Scede gave her a tense look she took a deep breath and said, “Ready . . . set . . . GO!”

  They dove into the water and began swimming frantically towards the boardwalk. Gieaun watched them carefully, squealing dramatically every time something other than Scede or Jahrra broke the surface of the water.

  “Look out! It’s the lake monster!” she shouted after them.

  When the two friends reached their post and started making their way back, they were neck and neck. By the time they were only ten yards from the small island, however, it was clear that Scede was trailing quite a bit. Jahrra reached the small island first and was panting over the muddy bank a full thirty seconds before Scede reached the shore.

  Both were out of breath, but Scede managed to say between gasps of air, “Looks . . . like . . . those lessons . . . Jaax . . . is making . . . you take . . . are paying off.”

  Jahrra hadn’t realized it, but swimming to the boardwalk and back hadn’t been as hard as it used to be. It also got her thinking that maybe she should be working on swimming lessons as well as everything else. She made a mental note to herself to bring it up with Viornen and Yaraa the next time she saw them.

  For the rest of the afternoon, the three of them stretched out on their blankets an
d watched the clouds roll by overhead. Jahrra spotted a variety of objects, everything from a mouse evading a cat to a kruel of dragons gathered in assembly. Behind them trailed a group of prancing horses and a watchful owl. Scede said he saw a centaur in one cloud, and Gieaun swore that the cloud she was looking at resembled Ellysian.

  “It looks just like her!” she insisted. “You know, when she is marching around the schoolyard, telling everyone what to do.”

  The children had a good laugh and were soon on the subject of the evil twins once again.

  “Ugh, I can’t believe school is starting up in a week and we’ll have to see them again!” Jahrra complained as she continued to stare skyward, her hands behind her head. “I wonder where they went on vacation this year!”

  The twins always came back to school with tales of how they’d visited such places as the strange and tropical shores of Torinn or the mysterious and magical lands of Felldreim.

  “No one can visit Felldreim!” cried Gieaun, watching the strutting cloud that was Ellysian break up and form into another shape, a mythical mihrcor. “I’m sure they were making that one up! Father says the entire province is surrounded by magic and only those who belong there can enter!”

  Jahrra wondered if this was true as she watched what looked like a herd of gelbu taking form above them. Hroombra had taught her a little about the Northern Province, but he never went into much detail, even when she begged. She’d heard many stories from the children at school about Felldreim, but everything she’d heard seemed impossible. As much as Jahrra thought what her classmates said was total nonsense, she hoped in her heart that such a place really did exist. After all, she had seen unicorns in the Wreing Florenn once.

  Jahrra rested her head deeper in the soft clump of moss she was using as a pillow and allowed the unpleasant thoughts of the twins to sink to the back of her mind. Before her eyes closed she caught one more glimpse of the streaming clouds above, appropriately shaped like a herd of dancing unicorns.