The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village

by Ronesa Aveela

  “How do you even know she’s alive? Lamia sacrifices children.”

  “I don’t.” Nia had to be alive.

  “If she is, she’ll be lucky if Lamia made her a servant. The less fortunate work in the mines,” Diva said, leaning closer. “So, how do you think you’ll ever get into Lamia’s castle, past her guards, find your sister, and get her out of there?”

  “I don’t know, but—”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know.” Diva snorted. “How did you get to Dragon Village, anyway? Usually the only humans here are the ones the Samodivi bring.”

  Theo told her about his adventure: Old Lady Witch, the magpie, the gateway, the carriage ride.

  Diva studied him closely. “Do you still have the medallion you used to open the gate?”

  He nodded and pulled it from beneath his shirt.

  “Hmmm, that could mean ...” She flipped through more pages, stopping every once in a while as she traced her finger over words.

  “What?” Theo leaned closer to study the strange characters in the book. They were similar to the runes on his medallion.

  Diva caressed a page with a picture of a woman with fiery-red hair. She held a black bow decorated with a golden snake. The woman’s hand reached behind her to grasp an arrow from a quiver. Diva looked at the woman, then scrutinized Theo.

  “Who’s that?” Theo asked.

  “A beautiful queen.” Diva sighed. “We should get going.” She stuffed the purple, leather-bound book into a large shoulder pouch and packed fruit and other items. Then she snatched her bow and quiver of arrows.

  Theo choked and coughed. “Why? Is the Harpy coming back?”

  “No, Sur didn’t patrol with me last night. I’ve lost my connection with him, so I know something’s wrong.” Tears rimmed Diva’s eyes, and she choked out her words. “I’d planned to go to the temple of the Great Goddess Bendis today ... and tell her about my sister.”

  “A-a goddess?” Theo’s voice squeaked. “Can she destroy Lamia?”

  “No, but I think she can give us guidance.”

  “Isn’t she all-powerful if she’s a goddess?” Theo asked.

  Diva huffed. “That’s not how it works with Thracian deities. All divine beings work together to keep the balance of Nature stable. No one of them is supreme. Lamia offset the balance when she stole the power of others.”

  Theo shuddered. If a goddess couldn’t harm Lamia, how was he going to rescue his sister from the dragon? “So no one can beat her?”

  “You can.” Diva gave him a small smile.

  She had to be joking. “Me? I-I only said that because I was angry.”

  “Trust me. Bendis will explain.”

  Trust her? He thought about the Stone Forest where he had entered the gate to Dragon Village. People had performed blood sacrifices to ancient deities there. Or was it really Samodivi who had held those rites? Is that why Diva wanted to bring him to her goddess? For a sacrifice?

  He backed away. “I-I ...”

  “Still scared of me?” Diva shrugged. “Then stay here and wait for the Harpy to return tonight.” Her hands trembled as she tied her hair into a ponytail using ivy. She picked up her pouch and strode out the door.

  “N-no, I’ll come.” Theo pushed down his fear. “Boo, are you joining us or staying here?”

  As if in answer, the magpie flew out the door.

  ***

  Like a shadow, Theo trailed behind Diva through a forest of towering, burned oaks. A soft carpet of decayed leaves beneath his feet kept his steps silent. Paths led in all directions, many barely passable, but Diva strode with confidence. Only slivers of light peeked through the tangled canopy of branches. As he passed gnarled trees, twigs crackled as they clenched and opened like a beast flexing sharp claws while preparing to snatch its prey. Out of breath, Theo puffed as he hurried to keep up with Diva.

  “What’s this place called?” he asked. “It’s rather spooky.”

  “Rodina Forest.”

  Birds ceased their chatter, and scurrying animals remained still. Boo zipped back and cowered on Theo’s shoulder, pushed deep into his neck.

  Hundreds of blue, glowing objects blinked around the trees. A low, growling murmur swept through the forest like wildfire. Boo burrowed even closer to Theo. Diva stopped short, and Theo plowed into her.

  “D-d-did you see those flickering lights?” he asked.

  “Shh. This isn’t good.”

  He glanced around the forest. The lights came closer.

  “Don’t look at them.” Diva put her hand in front of her eyes. “Hurry, but don’t run.”

  Theo lowered his head, staring at Diva’s feet as he walked behind her. “Wh-what are they?”

  “Gnats. They should be singing, not growling.”

  “What will they do?”

  She stopped and leaned closer. “I’ve read that when they’re angry and growl, they’ll crawl into your eyes, nose, and mouth. You can’t get rid of them even if you duck under water. They’ll swarm above, waiting to trap you in their deadly net. Once inside, they’ll eat you from the inside out.”

  Theo covered his mouth and nose as Diva increased her pace. His legs ached, and his teeth chattered, but Diva kept a steady gait for what seemed like miles. Little by little, the growling dwindled.

  Diva stopped. “We’re safe now.”

  Theo dared to uncover his mouth. Boo flew off his shoulder and landed at the base of a pure white tree, pecking at red, thorny plants.

  Diva walked around the tree, its trunk so large Theo couldn’t have wrapped his arms a quarter of the way around it. “This is a special tree. The Great Goddess Bendis planted it herself when the temple was finished.”

  Theo looked back. No flashing lights followed them. Still, he’d rather be inside. “How much longer to get to the temple?”

  “It’s at the end of the tunnel,” Diva said.

  Theo took a tentative step forward. The ancient tree’s massive white limbs intertwined with other branches on both sides of the path. Multi-colored lights shimmered, making the inside look like fluffy white clouds.

  A tinkling echoed down the corridor. Tiny lizards with butterfly wings and golden antennas fluttered inside, dashing between entwined roots and branches. Boo flew around one that nestled on a pink-and-white Lotus flower.

  “Those lizards ... butterflies ... whatever they are. They’re beautiful,” Theo said. Not everything in Dragon Village was destroyed—or dangerous.

  “No time to admire them. Something’s wrong. I can’t see the temple’s glow.” She grabbed his hand and ran down the tunnel.

  The creatures scattered, disappearing into the crevices of the trees. It was then Theo caught the first whiff of smoke.

  At the end of the tunnel, curling tendrils rose around the stones of what must have been the temple. The smell of charred wood tinged the air. Patches of white dotted the blackened granite building, now a jumble of rocks. Only one arch remained upright. On top, soot-covered jewels extended along the rays of a carved sun. Two dulled, golden-horses lay at the base, shrouded in a mist.

  “No!” Diva rushed forward and stood in the midst of the destruction.

  With the temple destroyed and no goddess in sight, would anyone be able to help him find Nia? Theo kicked at the ash. A tarnished, emerald barrette skittered forward. He picked up the jewelry and wiped it clean with the bottom of his shirt before bringing it to Diva.

  She groaned. “That belonged to one of the temple guards, my sister’s good friend.”

  More people gone—maybe all dead. He could keep the memory of at least one of them alive. He eyed the mass of wild, white-blond curls tumbling over Diva’s shoulders. “I think I found a perfect place to put it for now.” He clasped the barrette over a lock of her hair.

  Her cheeks beamed with a rosy glow, then her eyes opened wide. “I have to find Sur!” She ran past the ruins, with Boo flying by her side.

  Theo hurried after her. All along a white stone path, mosaics of phases o
f the moon intermingled with scenes of women dressed in tunics like Diva’s. In some pictures, the women rode six-winged horses as they fought fearsome-looking creatures. In others, they danced beneath the moon’s bright glow. Theo reached Diva where she stood in the middle of a scorched field.

  “Gone. They’re all gone. Bendis. The temple attendants. Sur.” The shine in her eyes dimmed, her shoulders drooped, and she cradled her head in her hands. “Why didn’t I feel that something bad had happened to him?”

  “Maybe he’s hiding in the forest.”

  “No!” Diva spun around. “The deer are warriors. They’d never hide. Lamia’s either killed them or imprisoned them. And Bendis ... surely the beastly dragon didn’t capture the goddess!”

  Softly croaking, Boo landed on Diva’s shoulder and nuzzled her neck.

  “Kosara,” Diva whispered. “She’ll know what happened ... if Lamia hasn’t captured her, too.” She darted down the decorated path into the forest.

  Theo bolted after her. “Wait for me!”

  Chapter 5

  Something in the Water

  Dusk crept toward the horizon by the time they reached a glen.

  “What is that?” Theo gaped at a glowing, violet-hued tree.

  Diva’s eyes sparkled with specks of the same color. Blinking, she pressed her palms to her cheeks. “The holy Znahar Tree.”

  “Tree” didn’t do justice to what stood before them. Silver heart-shaped leaves clustered on the branches. In their midst sat a bird with wings like flames, gold burnishing the edges. Gilded water sprang from the base of the trunk into a pool. From there, it disappeared under a rainbow.

  Around the tree rose a mist smelling of sweet honey. A young girl materialized from the vapor. She looked like an apparition with her translucent skin. A wreath of blood-red flowers adorned her snow-white hair. She wore a silver gown, woven with black symbols of the sun and moon. In her hand, she held a crystal orb with golden strands swirling inside.

  “Kosara! Lamia’s destroyed the temple!” Diva’s hands shook, and she gripped her bow. “The goddess is gone, her attendants, and the deer, too.”

  Kosara lowered her head, closed her eyes, and hummed a tune. “All is well for our great protectress. The goddess has returned to her heavenly realm.” She paused. “The others, I’m afraid, have joined your sisters in Lamia’s prison. None have been harmed as yet.”

  Diva let out a long breath and relaxed her grip on the bow.

  “Wh-who are you?” Theo whispered.

  The girl bowed. “I’m Kosara, the keeper of the Znahar Tree and protector of its messenger, the firebird.” Her voice rose as sweet and pure as the misty scent. “My tribe has held this honor since ages past.”

  “What’s a Znahar Tree?” Theo asked.

  “A World Tree, a tree of wisdom, venerated for its power because its three parts provide harmony between heaven and earth, and earth and the underworld,” Kosara said. “The crown seeks divine wisdom by towering heavenward, where all celestial beings reside. The solid and stable trunk links all earthly creatures—to everlasting life above, with its branches, and eternal death below, with its roots.”

  Kosara circled the tree and touched a branch extending over the pool. The leaves rustled, sending melodious music skyward. The firebird spread its wings. Sparks shot off in a multitude of colors, but the bird remained silent.

  Diva’s shoulders slumped. “He’s lost his song.”

  “Yes,” Kosara replied. “Since the dragon cast her spell over our land, the bird has no spirit. Without his song, our land is cracked and thirsty, without bloom.” With sad eyes, Kosara looked at Diva and Theo. “Time runs out for all of us. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have the power to keep Lamia’s poison away from the sacred spring.”

  “Lamia ...” Theo clenched his fists.

  “Have you come to seek answers?” Kosara asked.

  “Yes,” Theo said. “Can the tree help us find a way to rescue my sister, Nia?”

  “It reveals truths to those who respect it. Come. Touch my hand.” Kosara waved him forward with palm outstretched. “It will give you the answers you need to know.”

  Theo glanced at Diva, who nodded. He stepped closer and placed his fingertips on Kosara’s palm. She closed her hand over his.

  Sparks bit through his skin and rushed up his arm to his chest, then down his sides. The medallion under his shirt heated up, burning into his flesh. He yelled as he yanked it out and lifted his shirt to rub the sore spot.

  The symbols had transferred onto his skin like a tattoo, forming a circle of words:

  “The sign we’ve waited for.” Kosara smiled as she released her grasp.

  Diva slowly smiled. “So what the books foretold is true?”

  “What does it say?” Theo lowered his shirt and dropped to his knees on the moss in front of the pool where Boo was pecking for bugs. His rubbed an ache in his sides that had begun to swell.

  “Unborn hero,” Kosara said. “Now, stretch your hand over the water.”

  Theo did as instructed, wondering what the message meant and why it had branded him. The medallion had never left even a discoloration on his skin, and he wore it constantly.

  He leaned back when the pool bubbled beneath his outstretched hands, filling the glen with an intoxicating honeysuckle scent. A glow below the surface intensified until it became a spinning orb. The color pulsed from violet to indigo to blue to green to yellow to orange to red.

  “Ask your question now,” Kosara said. “The oracle is willing to give you a sign.”

  Theo closed his eyes, removed the golden scale from his pocket and squeezed it in his palms. “How can I defeat Lamia to save my sister?”

  He opened his eyes and peered into the now-still water. The orb pulsed violet again. It disappeared, leaving the surface reflecting not Theo’s image, but a cracked, leather book covered in black dragon scales. In the vision, a squat creature appeared, and its frog-like hands opened the tome.

  The water rippled, and the scene turned into a burning village. The raging fires separated into three flames that streamed from Lamia’s heads as she wreaked havoc. Infernos flashed in the night sky each time the dragon tossed her beastly heads, spewing fire that ignited buildings and inhabitants alike. People scrambled in all directions to avoid her destruction. A beautiful, red-haired woman ran screaming, an infant wrapped in her arms.

  The flames in the vision drew closer, licking at the water’s edge, grasping toward Theo. He watched the scene in fascination and horror, unable to move. Lamia hung low in the wide path between two buildings, cornering his double in a dead-end alley.

  “Try to save your sister, and I’ll do worse to you than I did to my brother, Zmey,” she roared. “I should have torn him apart limb by limb, but I only banished him. Leave Dragon Village, or you won’t escape my wrath.”

  “No! You’re mine!” The image of Theo in the water drew a silver arrow from his quiver.

  Sweat poured down his double’s face and dripped into his eyes, making it hard to keep a true aim. Lamia landed, and the ground shook under her clawed feet.

  No, it wasn’t the ground trembling. It was him. The real him.

  Theo screamed, and Kosara disappeared into the mist. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the terrifying scene remained etched in his mind.

  Diva rushed forward. “What happened? What did you see?”

  He opened his eyes. Before he could reply, steam rose from the pool and crystalized into thousands of golden gems that crackled as they fell back into the water. From within their midst, a human-sized black opal pushed its way to the top. It whirled, shattering the gems around it. Thousands of hissing golden snakes emerged from the fragments and slithered out of the pool and onto the moss, flicking forked tongues. A pungent sulfur scent overpowered the fragrance of flowers.

  Theo jumped up and kicked aside the reptiles curled at his feet. Boo seemed unfazed as he pecked the ones slithering past him.

  The opal in the pool burst open
. Theo gulped in air. A black cobra uncoiled and arched its head. Its dark, evil eyes locked with Theo’s. Boo screeched. The cobra zipped around and struck at the magpie, snatching him with its fangs.

  Diva fitted an arrow into her bow.

  “Boo!” Theo rushed headlong toward the cobra.

  The cobra swayed, its eyes focused once again upon Theo. Without hesitating, Theo jumped into the midst of the golden snakes still in the pool. His feet sank into the mass of wiggling reptiles. They crawled along his pants and over his shirt. He swatted and kicked them, but they covered him. Giving up, he pounded the cobra.

  “Let Boo go!” he screamed.

  The creature hissed and leaned back, ready to strike. It opened its jaw, dropping Boo. The magpie’s torn wing hung limp. Theo grabbed the bird, tucking him inside his shirt. The cobra’s jaw opened wide. Theo would give the beast something to munch on besides him or Boo. He grasped a handful of tiny snakes squirming around his throat and shoved them into the cobra’s mouth.

  The beast’s jaw snapped shut. All around the creature, the remaining golden snakes ceased squirming and curled into balls. The cobra thrashed its head, and its eyes flashed, before it stiffened and dissolved into a cloud of black smoke.

  Theo coughed and swept the smoke from his face. The cobra was gone, and the tiny snakes had reverted to crystals, which dissolved into golden water. In the pool lay a black bow engraved with a golden snake—like the one the queen in Diva’s book had been holding.

  He collected the cobra-turned-bow and climbed out of the pool. Boo snuggled against him, croaking in bursts as if gasping, the magpie’s heart pounding fast against Theo’s chest.

  “Awesome bow,” Diva whispered as she caressed its shiny black wood.

  “You have passed the test.” A soft, tinkling laughter came from the mist by the Znahar Tree. “You will do well on your journey, courageous little one.”

  “Courageous?” The word raked against his dry throat. Fear, not courage, had made him fight the snake so he could save Boo. Had Kosara meant for his friend to be hurt, or had she only expected Theo to think of a way to defeat the beast?