Grace Unchained

by Heather Walker

  Jamie went sailing across the ford. He crashed through branches and hit a large rock. He slumped to the ground fighting to stay conscious. He barely got the stars blinked out of his eyes when three more giants reared up out of the ground. Where did they come from? That question meant nothing when it came to the curse. They could come from anywhere. They could spring out of the very air.

  The four giants stomped through the woods, laying waste to the landscape with their feet and clubs. They uprooted trees. They overturned boulders. They flattened hilltops with their clubs.

  Jamie climbed to his feet. He balled his hands into fists before setting off running toward the giants, bellowing out loud. That roar boiled out of his deepest soul. It called the dragon to erupt out of his fragile body to visit his vengeance on his enemies.

  Grace’s voice pierced his brain. “Jamie, no!”

  He didn’t hear. He ran. His foot touched the stepping stones across the ford, and he launched at the nearest giant. Before he got off the ground, the behemoths turned around and saw him.

  Something bigger than the Earth itself flattened him to the ground. He lost consciousness for an instant. Then he became aware of a heavy weight holding him down. Vibrations rumbled through him. He shook his head, but he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

  He looked up into the sky, and a huge ugly face smiled down on him. It spread its lips in a stupid grin, and a giant laughed. It picked him up in its fingers. He dangled by his shirt before the creature’s eyes.

  He twisted this way and that in his effort to get free, but the giant held him tight. Jamie saw more giants all over the place. He swam through his stupor to count them. There were over fifteen giants scattered through the woods.

  A mixture of shock and rage filled him to bursting. He pulled his saber and slashed the giant’s fingers. The big dope dropped him with a screech that shook the mountaintops.

  Jamie hit the ground. The saber fell out of his hands, but he never got another chance to use it. He didn’t see Grace anywhere, but he didn’t care. He jumped to his feet and rocketed at the giants one more time. He had to get aloft. He had to fight them as a dragon. He couldn’t fight them any other way, and he was only one man. He wasn’t even sure a single dragon could defeat them, but he had to try.

  He made it two steps before a different giant sent him flying with a swift kick from the side. Jamie sailed through the trees and smashed into the hillside. He couldn’t move to get up. His head reeled, and every limb hurt.

  Grace screamed from somewhere. “Jamie!”

  Out of nowhere, he felt her delicate hand on his face. She was touching him. She was murmuring into his face, “Oh, God, please get up. Oh, no, please be all right. I can’t let this happen to you. Oh, please no!”

  He swirled through space on a dreamy cloud. She cared. She was right there next to him, even though he couldn’t see her. Everything was okay. He didn’t need or want any more.

  Another vibrating tremor shook him awake. His eyes fluttered open. He didn’t see Grace, even though he still felt her hand resting on his chest. He looked up at a giant framed against the blue sky. It swept its beady eyes over the landscape. Then it walked on away from him, heading north into the mountains.

  While he lay there in a daze, another giant crossed his line of sight, heading north. Jamie realized they must be springing up from the same site where the last batch fell. Then they pushed on toward their destination.

  Jamie didn’t sit up. He didn’t move a muscle. A force beyond himself yanked him off the ground and hurtled him through the air. Grace cried out one more time, “Jamie, no!” but it was too late.

  The frail, ineffectual skin of Jamie Cameron remained behind, and pure dragon power blasted through him and out of him and in him. He stretched out his neck and unfolded his wings. His skin hardened to gleaming golden scales. In the blink of an eye, his reptilian form streaked through the trees. He screeched his wicked challenge to the giants.

  He didn’t have to turn around to see the look on Grace’s face. She would stare up at him in astonishment, but at least she would know. He didn’t have to worry anymore about her finding out. No more hiding. No more sneaking around and lying. This was him. This was the real him.

  He catapulted off the ground. The giants spun around to face him, but he whizzed between their heads and soared high into the sky. He zoomed past their startled eyes. Two of them raised their clubs to strike him. They swung and bashed each other in the heads instead.

  They bellowed in fury, but Jamie was already too far away for them to reach. He climbed into the dizzy blue firmament, and there he stooped to take aim at his foes.

  He narrowed his slitted eyes at them. He summoned all his murderous hatred and retracted his wings. Gravity caught hold of him, and he plummeted toward the Earth. The wind screamed over his scales. The slightest twitch of his wings sent him in a wide arc toward the giants.

  The giants fixed their sunken eyes on him. They raised their clubs to smash him out of the skies. At the last second, he veered right to cut between them. He unleashed his fire, first on one, then on two others.

  He rocketed between them and swooped out of the way before they could recover. When he stalled in mid-air to make another pass, he gazed down on the three giants going up in flames. They tried to pat the flames out with their hands. The inferno woofed into the air. White-hot plumes of fire blasted skyward.

  The giants staggered and went down on their knees among the woods. Jamie measured the distance. None of them was close enough to put Grace in danger. He paused in mid-air and dove. Back and forth he screeched over the landscape. He scorched them one after another with his fire. He set them burning and vanished before they could catch him.

  Seven, eight of them he burned to the ground. They stumbled, fell, and didn’t rise. They sank into the Earth and vanished among the trees. Nine, ten. The last remaining five broke out of their surprised stupor to charge him. Only one had the idea to wait for him to make another pass.

  The others came at him with their clubs swinging. He chortled deep in his throat, and the sound shook the Earth beneath him. Now these idiot creatures gave him something of a challenge. He dodged between them. He reveled in his speed. He cut sharp corners around their clubs, clipped their ears, and nipped their noses before he tore away to the shelter of the skies.

  Only that one particular giant didn’t move. He glared at Jamie under his heavy brows. He stood still with his club poised, but he didn’t swing or stomp or lumber around. He just stood there in deep thought.

  What he might be thinking about, Jamie couldn’t imagine. The giant watched Jamie annihilate his comrades one by one. Not even that made much of an impression on the thing. Jamie set his sights on the other four. He would leave this strange one for last.

  He raced out of the Heavens on an intercept course for his enemies. He spat four times. He hit two giants, but the third swung his club at a surprisingly intelligent moment. He hit Jamie’s wing and sent the dragon spinning through the trees.

  Jamie’s wings whomped outward to stop his headlong tumble. He spun around to see the last three giants lined up to face him. Jamie didn’t hesitate. He pumped his wings to rocket across the landscape. This time, he took no chances. He gauged the giant’s swing. At the last second, Jamie threw his wings out to both sides. He braked hard. The giant’s club whistled an inch beyond his nose.

  The giant spun with the momentum of his own swing, and Jamie made his move. He took off at full speed heading straight for the giant’s face. He let loose his fire into the giant’s eyes. In a second, flame engulfed the monster’s head. His hair crackled in the heat, but Jamie didn’t stop.

  He dove over the giant’s shoulder. He swooped down the giant’s back and set his clothes and skin on fire. He didn’t let up until he covered the creature all over in flame. He zoomed between the giant’s legs and did the same thing to his front.

  The giant smashed his club right and left in rage, but Jamie already raced a
way to the next giant. This one watched his friend go up in flames, and he spun around to meet Jamie incoming. He roared out loud, but he didn’t try to swing his club at the flying object. He set his club on his shoulder, waited until Jamie came near, and slapped the dragon aside with one hit.

  Jamie went spinning away. He came to a stop some miles away, and he turned around to face his enemy. Some of these giants weren’t as stupid as they seemed. He picked up speed on his way back, but he took more care this time. When the giant brought back his hand to swat the dragon away, Jamie dodged under the monster’s arm.

  He came up spitting fire right and left. He torched the giant from behind, and while the monster did his best to deal with the situation, Jamie zoomed around in front.

  The giant’s eyes flew open when he spotted the dragon in front of him. He hauled back his enormous hand and dealt Jamie another catastrophic smack. Jamie somersaulted head over heels, but he didn’t come to rest some miles away.

  He untangled his long neck to find himself on a straight course for the other giant, the one who stood still and watched. Before Jamie could react, this one smacked him back toward his friend. He laughed a big, rolling, jolly laugh. They would keep slapping Jamie back and forth all day long if Jamie didn’t think of something.

  He waited until he got near the first giant’s hand. He measured the distance exactly. At the moment of impact, Jamie threaded his neck and tail through the giant’s fingers. He latched his teeth into the giant’s skin and hung on for dear life.

  The giant wailed. He tried to shake the dragon off, lifting his hand to whip it downward. That was the moment Jamie chose to let go. He went spinning into the sky and left the giant still shaking his hand and looking around for the pest.

  All this time, the flames Jamie let loose against the giant licked around the monster’s legs and back. They climbed up his clothes. Jamie didn’t wait around. He took off flying with all his might. He made a circuit of the giant. Already the giant happened to notice the burning sensation along his neck. He kicked against his pant legs to stop the itch, but it was too late.

  Jamie whizzed between his legs and up in front of the giant’s chest and face. He poured his flame over every inch of the creature. The giant screamed aloud, but he couldn’t stop it.

  At that moment, the last remaining giant ran up to his friend. He snatched Jamie out of the air and crushed him in his fist. Jamie wriggled and fought, but it was no good. His head thrashed back and forth, but he couldn’t break free. The giant held his limbs and wings tight against his body.

  Jamie glanced around in desperation. The giant brought him close to his face. He peered into his eyes, and a wicked grin spread over his big ugly face. He put down his club and raised his other hand to do God knows what.

  A scream pierced the stillness. A female voice shouted out, “No!” Grace ran to the giant’s foot and stabbed him with a knife. The giant thundered in Jamie’s face. Before the giant could bend down to react, Jamie let loose his fire into the creature’s face.

  Flame sprouted around the monster’s eyes and nose. It flickered into his mouth when he spread his lips. He wheeled right, flailed his arms into the sky, and flung Jamie onto the ground with all his might.

  Jamie smashed into the ground, and he knew no more.

  Chapter 11

  The great golden dragon hit the ground right in front of Grace. He bounced and lay still at the giant’s feet. Grace rushed to his side. The instant she went down on her knees next to him, he started to change. His neck retracted. The spikes along his back sank out of sight. His whole glorious being collapsed and imploded into the form of a man.

  The giant waved his arms against the sky overhead. He couldn’t stop the flames consuming him all over. He roared in impotent rage. He raised one foot to stomp, and he lost his balance. Just before he fell over, his foot caught in the branches of a nearby tree. He toppled, and his foot yanked the tree up by the roots.

  The giant hit the ground, his foot sailing into the air. His leg pounded down to the ground with the tree still tangled around his foot. The tree’s massive root ball tore out of the ground.

  The roots ripped up the sod. Dirt and soil flew into the air. The upheaval tossed Grace and Jamie into the air. Grace crashed down hard and lay still, not sure what to do next. Nothing happened. She didn’t hear the thump of flames anymore. She didn’t hear anything but birds twittering. She listened. Nothing.

  She raised her head to look around. Jamie lay next to her with his eyes closed. Grace sat up and looked around. She was in the woods, and familiar woods at that.

  She crawled over to Jamie. She touched his pale face. “Jamie! Are you okay?”

  He blinked and looked up at her. “Lassie?”

  She burst out laughing, but a lump stuck in her throat. “You’re okay! I thought you were dead.”

  He rolled over on his back and threw his arm over his face. “Me head hurts.”

  “I’ll bet it does,” she chuckled. “Come on. Can you sit up?”

  He groaned when she heaved him off the ground. He cradled his head in his hand. She let him sit there for a few minutes until he finally raised his head to look around. He frowned. “Lassie?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are we…are we in…?” He didn’t finish his sentence.

  “No, we aren’t.”

  “Where are we, then?” he asked.

  “We’re in my world. We’re in Finlay Park.”

  He frowned even deeper. He scowled at the woods. “How did that happen?”

  “You were unconscious. That last giant you killed, he kicked over a tree. The roots threw us into the air. We must have crossed the doorway by accident. I don’t know. It just happened, and now we’re here.”

  He struggled to get to his feet. “We mun’ go back straight away. I cinnae stay ’ere.”

  He got himself upright before his knees buckled. He went down on the ground.

  “I think you better sit tight for a while,” she told him. “You don’t know what’s back there, and even if you did go back, you’ve got nothing but that cottage to protect you. Why don’t you come back to my house for a while? You can rest up until you’re ready to return.”

  “I cinnae leave the village unguarded.” He lifted his head, but he made no move to stand up.

  Grace observed him from above. “You’re in no condition to defend the village anyway. Besides, you already got rid of those giants and the villagers are all up in the mountains. You probably bought them a little time. You can lay low for a few hours, at least until you can stand up without passing out.”

  He hung his head. “Aye. Ye’re right.”

  She didn’t say any more. She studied the back of his neck. He was human. He was as human as any man she’d ever met. While she stood there watching him breathe, he raised his head one more time. His eyes migrated to her face. “Lassie?”

  For one instant, they stared into each other’s eyes. A spark of recognition passed between them. She knew. She knew the whole truth now. He was a dragon. All of them were.

  Angelo said Jamie’s brother Fergus had the same mysterious power hidden under his skin. The rest of the brothers must have the same thing. Under their skin, they were dragons. That was their secret. They were dragons the same way the McLeans were wolves.

  His chin fell on his chest. She lost sight of his eyes, but the reality still surrounded him. It radiated out of his skin. He was pure dragon all over. One part of her wanted to shrink from his alien nature. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. She wanted to take refuge in a world where he didn’t exist.

  Here he was, in her world. He contradicted everything she knew and believed and cared about. As long as he remained on the other side of the doorway, she could pretend none of that ever happened. Now he was here. She couldn’t pretend any longer.

  What was she thinking? He just used his dragon powers to slaughter fifteen giants. He saved her life and the villagers besides. She had no reason to shri
nk from him, and she wouldn’t. She learned her lesson letting Lachlan McLean walk away without thanking him. She wouldn’t make the same mistake with Jamie.

  She bent down and took hold of him. She hooked her arm around his chest and wedged her shoulder under his armpit. She’d never supported a grown man’s weight before. He was a lot heavier than she expected, but she forced herself upright. “Come on. I’ll help you. You can’t stay out here.

  He grumbled something like, “Leave me alone, woman,” but he couldn’t stand on his own. She helped him back to the path and down the hill.

  She paused to rest at the Aviary. She leaned him against the brick wall, and he didn’t fall over. He closed his eyes and took deep, ragged breaths. “Ye mun’ forgive me, lassie. I didnae mean tae do this tae ye.”

  “You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” she replied. “Just tell me one thing. I can only assume the other four know about you.”

  “Aye. They ken it all.”

  “How did it happen?” she asked. “How did it really happen? Tell me everything this time, and don’t leave anything out.”

  He pried his eyes open to peer at her. His expression changed to one of serious, hardened determination. “It’s like I told ye. That spell cast a curse o’er me family. We kenned naught aboot it. Then out o’ nowhere, these wraiths attacked our castle, not far from Kinlochleven. They killed me father, and me and me brothers went on the run. A wizard told us we had tae go tae this particular castle. We went there, and the wraiths hounded us all the way. By the time we got there, we had lost all our men. ’Twas naught but the five o’ us left. We found Carmen on the way, and when we got there, we found the place deserted and under a curse, too.”

  She listened with new ears. In the short time she’d known him, her world had changed. It included all these forces now. She could well believe every word he said. It made sense, even now.

  “Inside this castle, we found this huge throne o’ black wood. It’s the Phoenix Throne. The forces o’ the curse attacked us again and again. We fought and almost lost our lives in the struggle. ’Twas the last day, and we didnae ken what was afoot when this witch appeared. It’s a laing story, lassie. I cinnae tell ye all, but we fought her. She threw this flaming ball o’ fire, and it struck the Throne. The whole thing went up in smoke, and while it was still burnin’, she hit me brother Angus in the chest. The blow sent him spinnin’ intae the flames, and he burned up wi’ it.”