by Linda McNabb
‘Race you up to the wall heights,’ Rem said, slinging her arrow quiver and bow over her shoulder. She scooped up a small amount of dust from the edges of the canyon and rubbed it between her hands. ‘The first person to reach the heights and shoot all three of their targets wins.’
Seth’s eyebrows rose as he worked out what she intended, then he grinned and quickly shouldered his own quiver. He checked the balance of the small bottles and nodded. Three green bottles and three brown bottles sat in the middle of the canyon, balanced on small rocks.
‘Ready. Go,’ Rem shouted, as she sprinted down the canyon and leapt onto the wall. Her tiny hands found small crevices and protrusions and she began to scale the immense wall.
‘You’ll not beat me this time!’ Seth said, running down the canyon and out into the pass.
Rem glanced down and grinned. Seth’s hands and feet were far too big to scale the wall, but he ran much faster than her. It would be a close contest! She let go of all thoughts as she climbed nimbly up the rock, recognising handholds that she had taken in the past and avoiding those that had led to difficulty.
She heard a squawk from above and balanced carefully before looking up. Cree was watching her with interest and had tilted his head to the side as if confused as to why she was climbing the rock face. Rem had to agree that being able to fly like the big bird would be much easier. Dari had just flown off to see what Seth was up to and Rem turned her attention back to the climb. Hopefully the guard up above wouldn’t see her and tell Marrik. The tower guardian seemed very nervous when she climbed like this. She didn’t feel as if she was in any danger and unless she did something silly it was perfectly safe. Still, she didn’t want to upset the old guardian as he had been so kind to her since she arrived.
She reached the top, swung her leg over the wall and paused to glance along the narrow walkway that ran along the side of the canyon. A lone guard was patrolling and he shook his head in mock chastisement. Rem grinned, as she knew this guard and he would not tell on her. There was also no sign of Seth.
Rem took an arrow out of her quiver and slipped her bow off her shoulder. She calmed her breathing and notched up the arrow. She was a good shot, but Seth was faster to aim and shoot.
She could hear the guard’s footsteps he began his ascent up the steps that led to a second lookout. She loosed her first arrow as she let her breath out slowly. She didn’t need to watch it to know it would hit its target, instead she was already focusing on the second bottle and reaching for an arrow at the same time.
Rem notched up her arrow, drew back her string, then froze. She was sure she heard something. Sounds travelled easily up from the canyon and she flicked her gaze to the fallen bottle. No, that hadn’t been the noise; it was more of a scraping sound. Had Seth decided to try climbing the wall? She was just about to lean over the wall to look when a movement caught her eye. Someone was standing in the shadows by the end of the canyon. Had they been there when she and Seth were down there? Surely she would have seen them.
As her eyes tracked the noise so her aim followed, and she eased off the tension on the string.
Rem blinked, and then blinked again. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She blinked a third time and her heart-rate shot up. Emerging from the shadows by the far canyon wall were three immense black cats.
Marrik had described night-shadows to her and Seth, but she hadn’t imagined them to be so large, nor had she ever expected to see one, let alone three!
She wondered why the guard hadn’t raised the alarm as she pulled the string tight again and held the creatures in her sights. Perhaps he hadn’t reached the upper walk yet. She knew she could hit her mark but would it be enough to fell one of the great creatures? What about the others? If Seth were here he would be able to take care of the other two easily. She listened out to see if Seth was approaching but there were no hurried footfalls on the steep stone steps that led up to the lookout walk.
She swallowed her fear and focused on the lead cat. Perhaps if she took him down the others would be scared off. Him? She wondered why she had decided the larger cat was a male. She pushed the thought away and refocused on her prey.
The largest cat stopped and turned its head up towards her as if it knew she was there. Green eyes locked onto hers; unblinking and mesmerising. Rem swallowed again and willed herself to loose the arrow but she didn’t move. She stared back at the cat and readjusted her aim.
A niggling thought tugged at her mind and she tried to remember it but as usual there was just a blank space where her memories should be.
‘Step aside!’ A voice stunned her from her trance and she blinked and looked up to see Seth racing towards her. He was grinning and nodding towards her bow. He already had an arrow notched up in his own and was drawing it back and raising it over his head as he did so. ‘I see you’re still taking aim. Just trust your instincts and shoot.’
‘Seth!’ Rem exclaimed, leaping to her feet but keeping her arrow trained on the cats below.
Seth pulled up sharply and kept his bow raised but the string taut. He frowned at Rem and tilted his head to the side in query at her odd behaviour. ‘What’s wrong?’
Rem flicked her attention back to the cats and loosed her arrow with deadly accuracy. She heard Seth’s bowstring snap next to her as she reached for her next arrow.
‘Breach! Breach!’ came a call from the upper walk. It was followed a second later by a bell ringing furiously.
‘Did we get any of them?’ Seth said, peering into the shadows as a dozen guards arrived at the top of the steps and fired their arrows into the canyon.
Rem searched the shadows but there was no sign of green eyes. She knew she hadn’t missed. She vaulted over the wall and began to descend at a speed she had never achieved before.
‘Rem, what are you doing?’ Seth yelled after her. The bell was still ringing and it all but drowned out Seth’s voice. ‘They could still be down there.’
She ignored him and continued her descent, slipping the last few body lengths to the floor of the canyon. Her bow was in her hand and ready to fire as her feet touched the ground. She glanced up and saw that all the guards had their arrows trained on the shadows. Seth had gone and was probably on his way down the path.
She hurried closer to the shadows, vaguely aware that someone above was yelling at her to stay away. She searched the ground near the shadows but there were no dead or dying cats. More than half a dozen arrows lay on the ground and it appeared that all of them had missed the night-shadows. The creatures had gone back beyond the barrier.
Chapter Six - Waking the Dragons
‘I thought you were tired?’ Darius said, floating alongside as Eagan hurried down the pass.
Eagan just glared at him and ran as fast as he could. The bells had woken him with a start and a feeling of dread. He had slept very little all night. A sense of unease he couldn’t place had woken him again and again. He should have listened to his instincts and increased the patrols.
Someone had said that Rem was in the canyon and the thought of the night-shadows attacking her had spurred him into a pace he didn’t know he was capable of. As he arrived in the canyon it seemed as if the entire population of High Gate was there. He stopped to catch his breath for a few seconds then the guards moved aside to allow him through.
‘Well, Eagan, these weren’t human,’ Marrik said, approaching him and shooing the guards back to the other side of the pass.
Eagan looked around and felt a sigh of relief when he saw Rem standing over by the wall with Seth. She looked unharmed and he turned his attention back to Marrik.
‘There was more than one?’ he asked.
Marrik nodded and beckoned Eagan closer to the wall. The sun had risen enough so that there were no shadows in the canyon and the paw prints in the soft mud were clear. There wasn’t the mishmash of paw prints that Eagan expected, instead there were three distinct sets. Two of them ventured only a few paces from the wall, while the third came several p
aces further out into the canyon.
‘So they just stepped back through the pass when they were seen?’ Eagan said, noticing that the prints were slightly blurred where the creatures had back-tracked.
‘It looks like it,’ Marrik said with a shrug. ‘But how did they even get through? Is there a weakness in the barrier?’
Darius walked along the rock wall then stopped and leaned his head against it as if listening for something.
‘There’s nothing wrong with the barrier?’ Darius said. ‘It is just as it was created two hundred years ago.’
‘The barrier appears to be effective,’ Eagan told Marrik. ‘It must have been a temporary problem.’
‘Well, it looks as if we’ve sent them a message,’ Marrik said, nodding with a satisfied expression. ‘They know we are constantly watching the pass and I doubt they will try again for a long time. And we have Seth and Rem to thank for that. Seth’s marksmanship is remarkable.’
The head guardsman raised his voice as he spoke the last few words so that everyone around could hear. Seth blushed and looked both embarrassed and pleased. The guards still in the canyon nodded a grudging thanks in Seth’s general direction, but only a few made eye contact.
Eagan wasn’t surprised as he doubted that the troubled young man would fit in easily anywhere.
‘And Rem…’ Marrik continued. ‘I’ve never heard of anyone descending that wall, and armed with just her bow and boot knife, to go and take on three night-shadows single-handed!’
At this, all the guards murmured their appreciation and respect. Several even went over and slapped her playfully on the shoulder.
Seth, noticing the different reaction, glowered at those closest to him. Dari and Cree squawked loudly and took to the air. They soared out of the canyon as the guards all backed off.
Marrik sighed and lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘It’s well known that it’s only safe to be close to Seth if his mountain bird is nearby. I’ve even caught a few of the guards calling him a night-shadow.’
Eagan nodded. ‘Yes, I can see why they make that connection, but as far as I can tell he’s not absorbing the life-force on purpose.’
Marrik just shrugged. ‘They don’t see the difference.’
Eagan watched as Seth stood up and headed out towards the pass. Rem was keeping in step and appeared to be trying to calm him down. He wondered how much life force Seth had drawn over the years. What did he do with it? Was it still stored inside him like a night-shadow or did he just release it?
Darius floated in front of Eagan and blocked his view, forcing him to look directly at the wizard.
‘I can guess what you’re thinking,’ Darius said. ‘And I hope we’re not around if Seth ever works out how to harness all that life-force. But back to the breach.’
‘If they were here to attack they wouldn’t have left so easily,’ Eagan said, walking all the way to the entry of the pass in case there was some sign that the great cats had gone further. All he could see was boot prints from the guards.
‘Do we really want to take the chance?’ Darius argued back. ‘It’s time to get ready for an attack. These creatures were probably just scouting out the area. What chance would we have against a hundred of them?’
Eagan stared at the illusion of the rock wall at the far end of the canyon. It appeared solid enough and there was no sign of an obvious breach.
‘How did they get through it?’ he muttered to himself.
‘The point is really that the seal is no longer stopping them as it should,’ Darius said in a loud voice right in Eagan’s ear.
Eagan jerked in surprise and glared at his friend. He held up the staff and banged it twice on the hard ground of the rocky pass.
‘Are you suggesting we reseal it?’ Eagan asked, and one of his eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘Won’t that use up the last of my magic allowance?’
Darius frowned and walked off a few paces, then turned and shook his head. ‘Since you haven’t chosen an apprentice that would be a foolish thing to do.’
Eagan wondered briefly if it had more to do with the wizard’s own future, since nobody knew what happened to wizard masters once they left the staff.
‘So we should tell Marrik that the pass is no longer secure,’ Eagan suggested.
Darius shook his head again. ‘It would only cause panic. Just suggest they triple the guard until we can work out how the creatures got through and fix it. You know what must be done now.’
Eagan glanced up again at the illusion of the rock wall. Everyone there except himself and Darius thought it was a real wall. He remembered it as it looked two hundred years ago, a wide open path that led through the mountains. Then his mind brought up an image of it filled with night-shadows. A shiver ran through him as he could almost hear their roars and he sighed deeply.
Yes, Darius was right, it was time.
Marrik was busy stationing extra guards at the neck of the pass and Eagan waited patiently for him to finish.
‘Marrik,’ he called out as the head guardian headed up the pass. ‘Walk with me.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Marrik said, falling into step with Eagan. ‘It’s just a precaution. I don’t think they’ll be back.’
Eagan pressed his lips together. How did he approach this without telling him about the pass?
‘You know how you’ve always said you would like to see a real dragon,’ Eagan said in the most casual manner he could summon.
Marrik did not answer but his eyes opened wide with surprise.
‘It is time to wake the dragons,’ Eagan said calmly. He was definitely not feeling calm but he dare not show it.
Marrik stopped dead and stared at Eagan for several seconds then looked back down the pass to the canyon. When he turned back to Eagan he had regained his composure and he nodded.
‘How long before the pass will be breached?’ he asked in a low voice.
‘I don’t know,’ Eagan replied. It wasn’t an outright lie as he didn’t know when the creatures would come back. ‘The dragons need time to mature before they will be able to drive back the creatures, so the sooner they hatch the better.’
‘We should warn Merra to be ready as well,’ Marrik suggested. Eagan nodded in reply and Marrik spoke quietly to the nearest guard. The guard hurried off and less than a minute later a single drumbeat rang out across the land.
At least the town of Merra was forewarned. He could do nothing else to help them just yet though. He had stopped in Merra a month ago and the wall had been repaired and everyone now lived inside. Training had begun in a newly-established town guard. Yes, Merra would be able to protect itself and the lands beyond if it had to.
‘Right, let’s go wake some dragons,’ Eagan said, as an answering drum beat responded from Merra.
Eagan remembered the huge, powerful and terrifying dragons well. They were the only natural enemy of the night-shadows and were only awakened when the creatures invaded.
The great flying beasts had long ago become barren and no eggs had been laid in many hundreds of years. Their race was slowly dying out and only two dozen eggs lay magically suspended – waiting for a time of need.
That time was now.
A dragon lived for a hundred years and if not trained properly it could be almost as troublesome as a night-shadow.
Eagan took Marrik to a door that led to the basement of the tower. He was the only person with a key and he kept it on a chain around his neck. Marrik followed down the steps a few paces behind, looking both delighted and terrified.
Eagan had been in this room more times than he could count but it was the first time he had brought anyone with him. Over the years he had done his duty of checking the dragon eggs were still safe. As he reached the bottom of the steps he paused to let his eyes adjust to the dim light.
‘I have wanted to come down here my entire life,’ Marrik said in an awed whisper, striking a light to a low-burning lamp and holding it higher to let the light seep into the deepest recesses of the darkness.
The room was round, as it took up the entire lowest floor of the tower. A dozen shallow crevices were spaced evenly around the wall and a wooden staff stood in ten of them. Darius stopped and stared at one of them and shook his head.
‘My staff will end up here soon, with you in it!’ he said in a bitter tone, but Eagan ignored him.
‘Where did all these come from?’ Marrik asked. He was leaning close enough that his nose was almost touching a staff. ‘It looks a lot like yours.’
‘You know about Darius,’ Eagan said, and waited for Marrik to turn and nod. He waved his hand around the wall to indicate all the staffs. ‘All of these once held the knowledge of such a wizard.’
‘What happened to them?’ Marrik asked, turning back to look at the closest one in awe.
‘They still do imprison a wizard!’ Darius bellowed in Eagan’s ear and Eagan blinked back the pain. ‘The stupid apprentice didn’t choose his successor in time and ended up stuck in the staff with nobody to channel his magic through.’
Eagan ignored Darius’ intended snipe about how he should be choosing his own apprentice, and forced a smile as Marrik turned to see why Eagan hadn’t answered.
‘Without an apprentice, the magic of the wizard within cannot be accessed. And no, before you ask, the staff cannot just be handed to someone new. The new apprentice can only be chosen by the outgoing one and it is too late for that now,’ Eagan said. Marrik’s expression showed his disappointment but he shrugged and turned his attention to the middle of the room.
Most of the floor was covered by a nest that looked to be woven out of thick strands of gold. Resting on top of the nest were several dozen mottled-grey eggs. They were almost as tall as a man’s torso and twice as wide.
‘How did they get down here?’ Marrik asked, looking back up at the door and sizing it up. ‘A full-grown dragon wouldn’t fit through there would it?’
‘No, the eggs were here first. The tower was built around them to protect them,’ Eagan replied.
‘How many will hatch?’
Eagan shrugged. ‘They will only wake if they feel a threat is near. A dragon must have a human counterpart, a companion for life that will care for the dragon unconditionally. The eggs will only begin to mature if a suitable match is near when I send the request to wake.’
