Firestorm

by Mark Robson

  Elian met Kasau’s gaze with a sullen, defiant stare. No more than a few heartbeats passed before the hunter shook his head.

  ‘I thought not. You only met her for the first time yesterday. Why should you know? I doubt she’ll use fire, even if she can project it. She’ll not risk hurting her rider. Aside from that I can think of little she could do against a standard set of dragon traps. We’ll prepare as best we can. Husam – you and Tembo take three men and set traps on the western edge in case she’s a wily one. If we have time later, we’ll set more to the north and south.’

  He turned to Elian’s guards. ‘You two remain with the boy. Don’t let him out of your sight. If he escapes, I’ll personally gut you where you stand.’

  There was a moment of tense silence. Kasau stared at the two guards almost as if trying to hypnotise them. Suddenly he broke eye contact and turned away. In silence he led the majority of the men off to the eastern quarter of the wood. Elian shuddered. The leader of the dragonhunters was the creepiest man he had ever seen. His mismatched eyes were strange, but it was more than that. There was an aura of coldness about him that made him almost inhuman.

  It was a while before Elian dared to move. After Kasau’s warning the guards looked poised to stamp on him, or worse, if he so much as twitched. With his fur-lined garments over his normal clothing, it was not long before he began to overheat in the warmth of the late afternoon. Initially he was determined not to ask for anything. However, as he began to sweat, so his headache returned. His skull throbbed and pounded until he was forced to ask for water and to take off his outer layer of clothing.

  After careful consideration and a quiet, whispered conference, the guards decided to allow his requests. The water tasted brackish and stale. It quenched his immediate thirst, but he was too dehydrated for the drink to grant a quick fix to his headache. It would take time for his body to absorb the water. The best cure was sleep, but it was hard to contemplate sleep when these men were preparing to kill his dragon.

  ‘Don’t come back for me, Ra. They’re setting traps for you. Don’t come back. You must stay away . . .’

  It was not much, but it was the best he could do. He repeated the warnings over and over again in his mind, concentrating through the thumping pain of his headache with dogged determination. It was hard to say exactly how long he kept it up, but the light under the trees was fading fast when Kasau appeared, as if from nowhere.

  ‘Give it up, boy. She’ll not hear you,’ he said, his calm, soft voice making Elian jump guiltily.

  ‘How did you know what I was doing?’

  ‘It was written all over your face,’ the dragon-hunter said with a shrug. ‘Your mind speaking won’t work over long distances. You might as well shout out loud for all the good it will do.’

  ‘How do you know?’ Elian asked.

  ‘I’ve been doing this a long time. I know dragons. The mind link appears common to all types of dragon, but it normally only works over a relatively short range – a few hundred paces at most. Under exceptional circumstances I’ve seen it work over longer distances, but that was unusual.’

  ‘But you told the others that you’ve never seen a dawn dragon before.’

  Kasau’s eyes went distant. ‘That’s true, boy. I haven’t. Dawn dragons are rare – extremely rare. I wasn’t even sure any existed until yesterday. To take such a beast will mark the pinnacle of my career.’

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ Elian asked. ‘If you know dragons, then you know they’re friendly and intelligent. Aurora is good and noble. She hasn’t hurt anyone. And you know the Overlords don’t allow the hunting of dragons, except for rogues. Even night dragons are protected. I don’t know what the punishment is for killing a dragon, but I expect it’s unpleasant.’

  ‘Death, boy. The penalty is death. As for why we’re doing it – the answer should be obvious. Gold. What else?’

  ‘You’d risk your life to kill an intelligent creature for a few gold pieces? That’s sick!’ Elian exclaimed, unable to contain his horror.

  ‘No, I wouldn’t do it for a few gold pieces, boy. But that golden dragon of yours is worth more than a few gold pieces. Magicians will pay more gold than you could possibly imagine for a single piece of horn from a dawn dragon. Every part of her is saleable: the scales, the bones, the eyes, the talons, the teeth – everything. The beast is worth a fortune greater than any of the Overlords will ever possess. Tell me that’s not worth the risk.’

  Elian didn’t answer. He could believe what Kasau said about Aurora’s worth, but there was an edge in the man’s voice. The dragonhunter was hiding something. He talked of the gold, but there was no passion in his voice as he did so. Whatever his motive for wanting to kill Aurora, it was not the money. Elian was sure of it.

  Was he a man who killed for the sake of killing? Did he get some perverse pleasure from killing a creature that nature had made larger, stronger and faster than himself? Or was it something else? Whatever his motive, Elian could see that Kasau would not be turned by anything a young dragon-rider said.

  The dragonhunter did not seem concerned by Elian’s silence.

  ‘I’m going to tie you up now, boy,’ he said. ‘I’ll not risk my men making a foolish error that might allow you to slip away. We’ll be lighting the fire shortly, so you won’t freeze. Now put your hands behind your back.’

  Elian stared defiantly into the man’s strange eyes and did not move.

  ‘We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,’ Kasau said, his soft voice impassive as he met Elian’s stare with a cold, heartless expression. ‘It’s your choice. I care not.’

  The dragonhunter pulled a length of cord from a pocket and wound one end around each hand to form a garrotte. Elian maintained his stare for another few heartbeats before relenting with a sigh. He placed his hands meekly behind his back.

  ‘Ah, you do have some intelligence then. That’s good. I like to see that in a boy.’

  With swift efficiency, Kasau tied Elian’s hands together. Despite Elian’s best efforts to work some slack into the cord as the dragonhunter bound him, subsequent testing proved the knots to be well tied. Kasau then bound Elian’s ankles together, and pushed him to the ground. A third piece of cord was used to join the two sets of knots together. He left about a handspan of cord running between the wrist and ankle knots, allowing Elian some flexibility to alter his position, but not much.

  By the time Kasau had finished, Elian realised that although he could manoeuvre his body to lie on one side or the other, he could not roll through a full three hundred and sixty degrees. He was helpless. Within moments the shame and frustration of his situation built within him until tears began to well. He had been a dragonrider for a day and already he had failed Aurora so badly that she might die.

  ‘Give it up, boy,’ Kasau ordered. ‘There’s nothing you can do. Get some rest. It’ll be over soon enough. When we have your dragon, you’ll be released.’

  Elian did not believe Kasau for a heartbeat. The dragonhunters could not let him go. Once they had killed Ra, they would have no choice but to kill him as well. He had to escape. It was easy enough said, but how?

  Darkness fell swiftly under the leafy canopy. Dusk had barely settled before the blanket of night smothered the campsite. The guards lit the fire and sat idly chatting about how they would spend their fortunes, whilst Elian secretly worked to free his hands and feet.

  Throughout the evening he felt the ground around him for a stone with a sharp edge, or anything that he might use to cut through the cord. Pretending to seek a more comfortable position was not difficult, for in reality he never achieved one. He moved frequently, shuffling his body a little at a time to extend his search, but he found nothing. Hiding his straining muscles from the guards with careful body positioning, he flexed against the cord until the pain became unbearable. He tried so hard he felt sure he was in danger of breaking his wrists, but the cords remained as tight as ever.

  Eventually, late into the night, exhaus
tion caught up with him and he slipped into a troubled sleep. Waking with a start, the first thing Elian noticed was that his hands and feet were totally numb, as was the whole of his right arm from having slept on it for some hours.

  ‘Be strong, Elian. We’ll be together soon.’

  It was Ra! She was nearby.

  ‘No, Ra! You mustn’t! They’ve set traps for you. They’ll kill you. Please stay away,’ he thought, focusing hard to project his words loud and clear.

  Even as he completed the thought, he noticed Kasau silently waking those men still under blankets.

  ‘She’s back,’ he whispered as he shook them. ‘Get to your positions.’

  If he had not been so frantic with worry, Elian would probably have admired the men for their response. They melted into the trees in the pre-dawn half-light without a sound. Having roused his men, Kasau made a final check on Elian’s bonds.

  ‘It won’t be long now,’ he said, his soft voice tight with suppressed excitement.

  ‘I hope you rot in hell!’ Elian responded, spitting at the man’s back as he turned to follow his men towards the eastern edge of the woods.

  Kasau did not look back. Within a few heartbeats he was gone, leaving Elian all alone next to the smouldering fire pit. ‘Why haven’t the dragon-hunters left a guard?’ he wondered aloud. ‘Because I’ve already served my purpose,’ he breathed. ‘Ra’s back and I haven’t managed to get loose. They’re right. Why should I suddenly be able to get away now?’

  ‘Because you have help,’ whispered a voice right next to his ear.

  Elian nearly jumped out of his skin. ‘Who—?’

  ‘Shh!’

  It was a girl! Who was she, and why was she helping him? He felt the cord tying his wrists to his ankles part with a jerk and he stretched out his legs, luxuriating in the relative freedom. She cut the cords binding his wrists next, followed swiftly by those around his ankles. Within a matter of heartbeats he was free, but he could not move.

  ‘Come on! Quickly! We’ve got to get out of here!’ she urged.

  ‘I can’t. My feet are numb, and my legs are cramping. I don’t think I can walk,’ he replied, deeply shamed by his weakness.

  ‘Here, take my arm,’ she offered. ‘I’ll try to support you, but we have to move now. Aurora won’t be able to buy us much time.’

  ‘How do you know Aurora’s name? Who are you?’

  ‘I’m Kira; and my dragon, Longfang, told me. No more questions. There’ll be time for that later. Come. We must go.’

  She was a dragonrider! Elian grabbed his fur-lined gear, which was in a convenient pile within arm’s reach. He shoved the hat on his head, fumbled the jacket on, stuffed the gloves clumsily into the jacket pockets, tucked the trousers under his right arm and slung his pack over his shoulder. There was no sign of his sword anywhere, but while having a weapon might have brought comfort, he knew nothing of fighting with a blade. If the hunters found him holding a sword they would be more likely to kill him. He was better off without it, he decided.

  The blood was returning to his hands and feet, and the pain it brought with it was excruciating. Kira dragged him to his feet, pulling his left arm around her shoulders and tucking her right arm around his waist. Without her support he would have collapsed in an instant.

  In the shadowy half-light, Elian could see she was almost as tall as he was; slim, but with surprising strength for one with such a slight build.

  ‘Come on! Come on!’ she whispered through gritted teeth, as she all but carried him off into the trees. From what he could tell they were moving just north of westwards.

  Elian did his best to comply. Behind them Ra roared a challenge from some distance to the east of the woods. With the racket she was making, it would be hard for the dragonhunters to ignore her.

  ‘Whatever you do, don’t look back,’ Kira warned.

  ‘What about the traps?’

  ‘Let me worry about those. I know where they are. Fang is waiting for us just beyond the western edge of the trees.’

  With feeling returning to his extremities and the pain receding with every stride, Elian progressively leaned less on Kira. His hands and feet felt as if they were being repeatedly pricked with a million needles whilst roasting in a hot oven, but he knew the sensation would pass. By the time they reached the outer edge of the woods the worst of it was over, but to Elian’s dismay Kira’s dragon was nowhere to be seen.

  A sudden bright flare from behind lit the countryside around them with an extraordinary golden light. Cries of wonder from the dragonhunters quickly turned to yowls of dismay and pain. Elian began to turn, but Kira stopped him.

  ‘Don’t look. If you do, you won’t be able to see properly for a long time. Come on. Let’s get out of here. Give me a moment and I’ll give you a hand up.’

  She unhooked his arm from round her neck and, to Elian’s total astonishment, she seemed to climb into the air in front of him. He blinked in amazement as she twisted into a sitting position seemingly suspended in midair. She offered him her hand.

  ‘Come on. What are you waiting for? Fang says we must go. Now! The strange one has realised you’ve gone. He’s coming.’

  Still not quite believing his eyes, Elian grabbed her hand and tentatively raised his foot only to find what he thought to be thin air was in fact solid dragon. The camouflage was superb. He could have walked within a handspan of Longfang and never seen him. A few mind-boggling heartbeats later he was seated behind Kira. He could feel the ridge between them, but even holding it, he could not see the dragon.

  ‘Have you ridden bareback before?’ Kira whispered.

  ‘Once.’

  ‘Well hold tight then. A dusk dragon’s best defence is its camouflage. It’s effective, but flying when you can’t see your ride takes a bit of getting used to.’

  Elian did not doubt it. He felt himself lifted higher as Longfang stood up. Then they turned away from the line of the trees and Kira glanced back over her shoulder.

  ‘Here we go,’ she warned.

  Elian’s recent experience flying on Aurora proved invaluable during the next few heartbeats. The initial surge of acceleration was abrupt, but familiar. He felt the first downward sweep of the dragon’s wings and a sense of exultation rushed through his stomach. They had done it. They had escaped the dragonhunters.

  Chapter Eight

  A Brave Flight

  Husam’s skin prickled as Kasau appeared next to him at the eastern edge of the woods. He had not heard the hunter approaching. How did the man move so silently? The ground was littered with twigs and leaves, but Kasau seemed able to breeze across any surface as if walking on air. It was eerie.

  The golden dawn dragon paced back and forth about a hundred paces from the tree line, just out of range for a spear throw. This dragon is either very canny, or very stupid, he thought. She turned again, lashing her tail with anger and apparent frustration. It was unusual. She had drawn attention to herself, allowing them time to get into position. Most dragons would have charged into the trees by now.

  ‘She’s waiting for the sun to rise,’ he heard Kasau whisper. ‘Whatever she’s going to do, she’ll do it as the sun breaks the horizon.’

  The moment was imminent. The eastern sky was brightening by the heartbeat.

  ‘Another dragon!’

  Kasau’s exclamation was little more than a whisper, but it caught Husam’s attention. His head turned instantly to see where Kasau was looking. The strange hunter had stiffened, but to Husam’s surprise his eyes did not appear to be focused. It was as if he were in a trance.

  The hairs on the back of Husam’s neck prickled again and he instinctively made a warding gesture he had been taught as a child.

  ‘Gods, but this is a wily one!’ Kasau breathed. ‘She’s not coming in after her rider. She’s got someone else to do it for her.’

  Suddenly Kasau’s eyes refocused and his head whipped round. His gaze pierced Husam with a chilling intensity.

  ‘Husam – you�
�re with me. Bring Tembo. Quickly!’

  Husam had more sense than to question the order. He scrambled through the undergrowth to where Tembo was waiting.

  ‘She’s beginning to glow!’ the big man said in a hoarse whisper. ‘Look, Husam. Can you see? Isn’t she beautiful?’

  Husam did cast a lightning glance at the dragon. Tembo was right. It was almost as if the dragon were beginning to illuminate from within, but he knew better than to get distracted.

  ‘Tembo, we have to go. Kasau wants us. Now. Bring your weapons.’

  The big man grumbled for a moment, but did as he was told. Soon the two were racing through the trees towards the campsite. When they arrived, they found Kasau examining the remains of the cords with which he had tied the young dragonrider. The cords had been cut. No dragon could do such a thing. This was the work of a human accomplice.

  ‘This way,’ Kasau said softly. ‘Be ready. There’s another dragon nearby.’

  ‘How—?’ Tembo began.

  Husam signalled his friend to silence and they moved to follow Kasau. From behind them a sudden flare of light blazed, dividing into slices of golden fire through the trees. An instant later there followed cries of pain and dismay from their fellow hunters. Husam and Tembo instinctively turned. By chance, they were both in the shade of trees as they looked towards the light. Had the tree trunks not shielded them, they would have been temporarily blinded. When Husam checked to see if Kasau had been less fortunate, he was amazed to find that the strange man had not stopped. The quiet hunter had kept his focus ahead and was still moving forwards.

  ‘Just inhuman!’ he marvelled as he and Tembo did their best to catch up with Kasau’s silent charge through the trees.

  They reached the edge of the woods and for a moment Husam thought he was witnessing some sort of powerful witchcraft. The young dragonrider was floating in midair behind a girl of similar age. Beneath them the air shimmered like a heat-haze as they accelerated away from the stand of trees.