Firestorm

by Mark Robson

  They descended further and further until they were almost skimming the surface of the water. As they approached the narrow strand of clear ground between water and woods on the far side of the lake, Ra tilted into a turn and Elian could sense her pleasure as she deliberately trailed the tip of her left wing along the surface of the lake like a giant gull.

  With admirable accuracy her turn brought her perfectly over the narrow beach area and she back-winged to a gentle landing. Fang landed just a few paces behind. The dusk dragon let out a hiss as he settled and Elian heard Kira’s sharp intake of breath as she experienced echoes of her partner’s pain.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked, turning in his saddle.

  Kira nodded, but her face looked pale. Elian moved to put his hand on her shoulder, but the glare he received stopped him before he had raised his arm more than halfway.

  What is it with her? he wondered. She’s more prickly than a prickle-pig! Aloud, he addressed Ra, whose head had twisted round on her long neck until she could regard him closely with her huge eyes. ‘So where’s the day dragon, Ra?’

  ‘About ten paces in front of you, Elian. Do you not have eyes in that little human head of yours?’

  Elian looked ahead and realised that what he had taken for a line of blue-grey rocks was actually the head and neck of a dragon protruding from the tree line. Its body was largely hidden amongst the pines. The dragon looked nothing like he had expected. He had always imagined a day dragon to have glorious blue scales, and a proud, upstanding posture. This dragon looked tired, washed-out and grey.

  ‘What’s the matter with it?’ he projected, looking at the dragon with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Something was not right here. There was no sign of the dragon’s rider. Was it a rogue?

  ‘He is worried and a little depressed,’ Ra answered, her emphasis and tone clearly disapproving of Elian’s use of ‘it’. ‘Human troubles, I believe.’ She snorted, though whether she did so in amusement or in disapproval of Elian’s diction, he could not tell.

  ‘Dragonhunters?’ Elian asked, his eyes instinctively scanning the tree line for signs of movement and his heart accelerating at an alarming rate.

  ‘No, not hunters. It’s his rider; she doesn’t want him.’ Ra’s tone was scathing.

  ‘Doesn’t want him!’ The shock of it brushed aside Elian’s momentary panic. ‘I don’t get it. You said we were predestined. Is this dragon’s rider different?’

  ‘No. The bonding leaves no choice,’ Ra said firmly. ‘She is Firestorm’s rider whether she likes it or not. According to him, the girl’s mind is filled with a maelstrom of fear. Worse, it appears she is more terrified of him than anything else. She runs from him whenever he draws near. He is devastated. For a day dragon, courage is the most important attribute in a rider. The day dragon fraternity value their reputation for bravery above all else. A cowardly rider will make Firestorm the laughing stock of his kind.’

  ‘Can Firestorm help Fang?’ Elian asked, worried for a moment that they had come here in vain.

  ‘Yes, he has already agreed to do so. His depression won’t prevent him from helping us. It is a matter of honour for a day dragon to assist those in need.’

  ‘Excellent.’

  Elian remained close to Ra as Fang limped forwards and turned to allow Firestorm to see the wound. Kira ran to be by her dragon’s side, but then paused, dithering for a moment before stepping reluctantly away to the side. Longfang looked at her and Elian felt he could almost hear their exchange as he observed the expressions on their faces. Kira was not happy to have to stand so far away, but she did as she was told.

  Firestorm turned his head on his long neck until his nostrils were no more than a handspan from the gaping hole in Fang’s thigh. The day dragon paused and stared intently at the wound for a heartbeat before drawing in a deep, slow breath.

  ‘What’s he going to do?’ Elian asked.

  ‘He’s going to breathe his fire over the wound,’ Ra replied.

  ‘He’s going to sear the wound! I could have done that last night!’

  ‘No, Elian. Firestorm isn’t going to sear it. Watch and you’ll see.’

  The day dragon breathed out, but the fire that he blew was no roaring orange flame. It seemed to ease from the dragon’s mouth like a blue whisper of cloud, covering Fang’s wound in a nimbus of hazy blue fire. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but Firestorm did not stop. His breath kept coming and coming. When finally he ceased, the blue nimbus clung to Fang’s leg for a few seconds more before dispersing.

  Kira ran to Fang’s side the moment the fire dispersed. Elian was not far behind her. To his amazement, the wound had not just been seared shut by the fire – it had totally healed. There was no sign on Fang’s thigh that he had ever been wounded at all. It was a miracle.

  He watched as Kira tenderly ran her fingers over her dragon’s thigh, a glorious smile of pleasure lighting her face. Fang turned his head slowly towards her and Elian backed away, embarrassed. For all he would like to have taken a closer look at the site of the healed wound, this was a private moment between dragon and rider. He did not want to intrude. ‘That was incredible!’ Elian projected to Ra. ‘I had no idea that a day dragon’s healing fire would be so effective. Firestorm has helped us. We should try to help him in return. Where’s his rider and what’s her name? I think I should try talking to her.’

  Ra told him. Elian called to Kira to let her know where he was going, but she took no notice. Her focus was on Fang. He thought about trying again, but decided against it. She was unlikely to miss him for the short time he intended to be gone.

  He was beginning to feel hot in his flying clothes, so he stripped off his jacket and fur-lined trousers, leaving them on a large, flat rock near to where Ra was settling to bask in the sunshine. It was plenty warm enough to enjoy the freedom of a short-sleeved tunic and lightweight trousers.

  This was a beautiful day to walk by the lakeside. A variety of water birds bobbed on the wavelets of the lake, whilst still others wheeled and dived above it, squawking and crying with high-pitched voices. Higher, a pair of eagles soared in elegant silence, circling in lazy, aloof fashion on the air currents.

  Fish jumped frequently, chasing the flies that skimmed and swarmed over the surface. A flash of white tails startled Elian as a small herd of deer scattered in front of him. They leaped and bounded into the nearby forest with astonishing speed.

  ‘Some hunter I’d be,’ he muttered with a smile and a rueful shake of his head. He had been within a dozen paces of them without any awareness of their presence. Their camouflage was almost as good as Fang’s against the background of the trees.

  He found the girl around the next bend in the shoreline, crouched by the water’s edge, washing her hands. There was a strange fervour about the way she scrubbed at her skin. She looked nervous, or frightened, at having touched something. What had she been doing to require such vigorous cleaning?

  As he approached her, Elian realised she was not aware of him. He did not want to frighten her further, so he introduced himself from a few paces away.

  ‘Hello, Nolita. I’m Elian.’

  He was right to be cautious. Nolita leaped up like a startled cat, and Elian found himself facing a skinny, wild-eyed girl with a belt knife that she had drawn so fast he had not seen her hand move.

  ‘Stay away from me! Don’t come any closer. I’ll use this if I have to.’

  ‘Hey, relax! I believe you,’ Elian said slowly, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. ‘I’ve just come to see if you’re all right. Your friend was worried about you.’

  ‘My friend? I don’t have any friends around here. Who sent you? Not . . . the beast? Has it found me again? Please tell me it hasn’t! It has, hasn’t it? Did it talk to you as well? Why won’t it leave me alone? I can’t take much more of this!’

  The girl’s panic-filled blue eyes darted around to look for signs of Firestorm, but never left Elian for more than a heartbeat. He took in the od
d contrast between her dishevelled, dirty clothing and her clean hands, face and hair. Her shoulder-length blond tresses looked recently combed. The strange mixture of care and disarray was a mystery.

  When she had satisfied herself that the dragon was nowhere close by, Nolita’s shoulders slumped and tears of relief formed in her eyes. Elian took a step forward with the intention of offering comfort, but with a blur of speed the girl was poised with her knife once more.

  ‘You won’t catch me that easily,’ she snarled. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I told you – I came to see if you’re all right. Your friend, Firestorm, is very worried about you.’

  What was it with girls? Elian wondered. Twice in two days he had tried to help them only to find himself facing a deadly length of steel. The next time he tried to help someone he resolved to keep his jacket on. At least the thick leather would offer some protection.

  ‘You . . . you’re one of . . . of them, aren’t you? Don’t deny it. You couldn’t know the beast’s name if you weren’t.’

  ‘If you mean I’m a dragonrider, then yes, I’m “one of them”,’ Elian responded with a nod of acknowledgement. ‘I just met my dragon a few days ago. I’m here with another rider, Kira, and her dragon, Longfang. They’ve not been together much longer than Aurora and me. Hunters injured Fang a couple of days back. Your dragon kindly healed him.’

  As he spoke, Nolita’s hands began to shake and what little colour there had been in her cheeks drained away until her skin reminded Elian of the corpse of an old man who had died in the fields the previous harvest. For a moment he thought she might vomit.

  ‘It’s NOT MINE! I want nothing to do with it,’ she spat.

  She shuddered violently and with a sudden flash of insight Elian began to understand what was going on inside her head. His use of the word ‘dragon’ had set her hands shaking. Some feared snakes or spiders. Others feared heights or enclosed spaces. Nolita, it seemed, had an intense fear of dragons.

  Elian could understand something of her terror. After all, his own first thoughts when he had met Ra were of becoming her lunch. A dragon was a top predator – a beast worthy of fear. The only major difference between Nolita and himself was that he had accepted the evidence of the dragon’s friendly behaviour where she had not. How could he help her overcome her fears and accept the truth?

  ‘It seems you’ve got a problem, Nolita,’ Elian said softly, taking care to keep his hands in front of his body. ‘Firestorm’s going to keep following you until you accept him. Partnerships between dragons and riders can’t be changed. I’ll be honest – I understand that Firestorm isn’t thrilled about it either. I think he expected his rider to be more enthusiastic’

  ‘Do I look like I care what that thing thinks?’ she snapped. ‘I’d rather die than be near it.’

  ‘Try not to be so negative,’ Elian continued, keeping his voice calm and reasonable. ‘It’s a great honour to be a dragonrider. Some people spend their whole lives dreaming of what it would be like to be chosen.’

  ‘I don’t want honour. I just want to be left alone. I don’t want any of those creatures anywhere near me. Make it go away. You’re a rider. Get your beast to tell it. It won’t listen to me.’

  ‘No, of course he won’t!’ Elian said, shaking his head. ‘He wouldn’t listen to Aurora either. He can’t. Don’t you see? Neither of you has any choice in this. Destiny can’t be altered. If it could, then dragons could pick and choose their riders. You’re afraid. So was I when I met Ra. In fact I was so scared that I accidentally backed off a cliff. Only Ra’s quick thinking saved me from being a splatter of mush in the Haleen Valley.’

  ‘You fell? Off a cliff?’ she asked, her voice cracking with amazement. ‘Are you mad? You wouldn’t catch me anywhere so high. I can’t even climb a tree without getting dizzy. If I go anywhere high up my stomach churns until I puke.’

  Inwardly Elian groaned. It was getting worse and worse. If that was her reaction to heights, then it was a fair bet that she would be terrified of flying. How could he hope to help her? Her fears were so deeply rooted. It was time to return to Ra and admit defeat.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Facing the Fears

  ‘We’re not leaving without Firestorm and Nolita,’ Ra told Elian, her mental voice strong with determination. ‘Fang feels it too. We’re meant to help these two resolve their problems so they can come with us to see the Oracle.’

  ‘Then I hope you like the scenery here, Ra, because we’re going to be in this spot for a very long time. Nolita’s terrified of dragons. The only way you’d get her on Firestorm’s back would be to knock her out and tie her there! If we were in Racafi I could make a potion to help calm her fears, but I don’t recognise the herbs and plants here. If I tried to make something, I might accidentally poison her. I daren’t risk it.’

  Ra’s nostrils flared. She snorted in a most unladylike fashion and then lowered her head until her lower jaw rested on a large, flat rock in front of Elian. Her huge eyes of amber stared through him in such a way that for a moment he wondered if she were looking into another dimension.

  ‘Sounds like you’re going to need my help again.’

  Elian jumped. He hadn’t heard Kira approach. A twinkle in Aurora’s eyes gave Elian the impression that she had enjoyed seeing Kira catch him unawares. He clenched his teeth beneath tightened lips and schooled his expression as he turned to face his fellow rider. Much as he felt his bond with Ra was growing stronger every day, he did find her sense of humour irritating at times.

  Kira had changed out of her flying gear and was now wearing a brown tunic, several lengths of colourful beads around her neck, and a short skirt.

  ‘Do you get scared then, Kira?’ he asked. ‘You don’t seem the type.’

  ‘No. Not much frightens me,’ she admitted as she sat down cross-legged on the ground next to him. ‘But there was a boy in my tribe who was a bit like Nolita.’ She grinned, her teeth gleaming white and her dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

  ‘And?’ he prompted. Despite his annoyance at having been startled, Elian was intrigued.

  Kira bent and picked up a stick with which she started drawing patterns idly in the mud.

  ‘The boy was terrified of snakes. Just the mention of a snake would make him run a mile. The men were really embarrassed to see the boy acting so cowardly. Our Medicine Man said his only hope was to face more and more snakes until he learned to control his fear.’

  ‘Did it work?’ he asked.

  ‘It went quite well until the boy chose the wrong snake to stand and face.’ Kira looked up from her doodling and met his gaze. ‘It bit him.’

  ‘Ouch! I’ll bet that made it even harder for him the next time,’ Elian said, wincing.

  ‘Actually there wasn’t any next time,’ she replied nonchalantly, returning to her scribbles. ‘The snake was poisonous. The boy died within minutes.’

  Elian’s jaw dropped. ‘Great!’ he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Can I suggest you don’t mention that story to Nolita? I don’t think she’d appreciate the ending.’

  Kira’s grin stretched wider and she cocked her head slightly as she viewed the marks she had made. ‘The principle of the Medicine Man’s cure was good, though. And at least in Nolita’s case there’s no chance of her dragon biting her.’

  ‘True,’ he admitted. ‘But as we’ve already seen, riding a dragon can be dangerous in other ways. How do you suggest we convince her to face Firestorm, let alone ride him?’

  ‘I guess we’re just going to have to lead her by the hand.’

  ‘That might not be as easy as you think,’ Elian said with a sigh. ‘You haven’t met Nolita.’

  Kira looked up and casually discarded the stick. ‘Then it’s time I did,’ she said, standing up and brushing down the back of her skirt. She drew one foot across the patterns she had drawn, destroying them with a single sweep. ‘Beautiful as this place is, I don’t want to get stuck here. Now that Fang’s healed, he’
s itching to get to the Oracle. His itch is already annoying me nearly as much as it is him, but he’s convinced we should stay and help Firestorm.’

  Elian knew what she meant. As his bond with Aurora was deepening, he found he was sensing more and more of her feelings. Her conviction that it was right to stay and help Firestorm was firm, but he wondered how long it would be before the draw of the Oracle would prove too strong to ignore.

  ‘Come on then. We’d better get moving.’ Kira picked up her knapsack and looped it over her shoulder. The two walked along the water’s edge until they rounded the corner where Elian had last seen Nolita. He scanned the line of the trees, but there were no signs of her anywhere.

  ‘This was where I spoke with her, but it looks like she’s on the run again.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be so sure,’ Kira said softly. ‘Nolita’s not far away. She’s watching us.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Don’t keep looking round, you fool!’ she hissed, picking up a smooth, flat pebble and sending it skimming across the surface of the water. ‘I trained as a hunter for my tribe, remember? I can read the signs. She’s in the trees.’ She paused for a moment and then continued. ‘Let’s see if we can draw her out. Start gathering up some of this driftwood. I’m going to make a fire.’

  ‘Here? By the water?’

  ‘Yes,’ Kira affirmed. ‘Here. Just do as I say. It’s a nice spot for a picnic. I think it’s time we had breakfast. Nolita must be hungry too. The breeze is in the right direction. If I was going to put coin on what would bring her into the open, then I reckon the smell of cooking meat would be a fair bet.’

  Elian paused for a moment, looking for flaws in Kira’s plan, but as he had no better ideas he decided not to criticise.

  There was plenty of driftwood along the shoreline. Kira sorted the wood and placed the smaller sticks carefully into a cone shape before taking some dry tinder from her pack and tucking it into a recess in the centre of the stack. A few strikes of her flint and steel sent showers of sparks into the tinder. Within moments Kira was nursing a tiny flame, which licked hungrily and spread through the sticks. When she was sure it was not going to die, she started to add progressively larger pieces of wood, feeding the fire in a way that encouraged its orange tongues to grow until it reached the optimum size for cooking.