The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village

by Ronesa Aveela

  He laid Nia on a pile of leaves and folded her hands over her chest. “I’ll get the others to help me bring you back.”

  The body swelled to three times its previous size, and the stained garment shredded. Red eyes blinked at Theo from a pale face, and the huge creature sat up. Its hood fell to the side, exposing horns and fangs.

  It wasn’t Nia.

  Theo tucked the dagger into his quiver, drew an arrow, and backed away from the ghastly creature. He thought the demon Torbalan lived only in the horror stories his mother told him. “What did you do with Nia?”

  The creature hissed and withdrew a sack from within the torn clothing. He pounded his fists against the ground. Shock waves knocked Theo down, his bow flying behind him. The demon stood, his head disappearing into the blackness. The earth shook with each step the monster took.

  Theo scrambled backward, focusing on the demon. He touched the smooth bend of his bow, but it disappeared from his grasp as hands grabbed him from behind. He punched and kicked, but the attacker held firm.

  An arrow whizzed past Theo, slicing through the creature’s neck. Without even a shriek, Torbalan ripped it out. Blood gushing from the wound turned to a trickle as the gash healed. Roaring, he bounded toward them.

  “Run like the wind, brother,” a familiar voice said.

  Jega’s hands wound around Theo, lifting him and throwing him over his shoulder. Theo’s savior raced away from the monster.

  “Theo,” Nia’s voice called to him. “Save me!”

  “Jega!” Theo yelled above the bells and pounded on the Kuker’s back. “Let me go. Nia’s still out there somewhere. I have to find her. Can’t you hear her?”

  “No. They’re playing with your mind, Theo.” Jega continued to run. “Your sister’s not here.”

  “Don’t believe him, Theo,” his sister whispered in his ear. “I need your help. Don’t let me down again. It’s your fault I’m here.”

  “Please, Jega, stop!” Theo squirmed to free himself. “You must hear her.”

  “I have magic to protect me, as does Zima.” Jega stopped running and set Theo on the ground near Pavel and Diva. “You’re safe, at least safer, now.”

  Zima handed Diva’s bow and arrow back to her. He yanked the dagger from Theo’s quiver and thrust it into Theo’s hands, pointing it in the direction they had been traveling earlier. The light shone full force, driving back the demon.

  “Be more careful.” Zima shook Theo. “You put the rest of us in danger.”

  Diva pushed both Kukeri aside and helped Theo up. “They’re right. You have to be careful, or we’ll all die. You should have listened and stayed with us.”

  Theo moaned. “Why can’t I get the voices out of my head?”

  “Use the concentration trick I told you about to block out the voices,” Diva said. “I told you the creatures get inside and prey upon your worse fears. They’re not real. Once we’re out of the forest, they’ll go away.”

  His body shaking, Theo nodded. He took deep breaths to slow his heartbeat. It wasn’t Nia out there. He hadn’t failed—yet. One by one, he looked at his friends. Pavel’s face was as pale as the demon’s Theo had encountered. Diva had worry lines around her eyes, and Boo’s feathers were ruffled. Jega scanned the forest, while Zima stood straight and tall, ever alert.

  A hero would find a way to save his sister without risking the lives of his friends.

  “Let’s go,” Theo said. “The dagger’s showing us the way.”

  Chapter 19

  Devil’s Throat

  The light from the dagger led them to an outcropping of rocks covered with moss and vines before it dimmed and went out. Theo walked around the area pointing the dagger, but the beam didn’t return.

  “What now?” He rubbed his throbbing temples, the voices continuing their incessant jeers. “Maybe the other clue is the next step. What did it tell us to do?”

  “Let me see.” Zima held out his hand for the dagger. He read the inscription, “ ‘He wails within a darkened womb.’ ”

  “That’s not helpful,” Theo added. “Read the first clue again, please.”

  Zima turned the dagger over and said, “ ‘Lightning light to guide and pierce.’ ”

  “Guide and pierce,” Theo repeated. “It’s guided us here. Now let’s see if the beam can do some piercing.”

  He took back the dagger and pointed it at the roots and ivy where the beam had gone out. Nothing happened. He moved it in a horizontal motion across the expanse of ivy. About halfway across, leaves on the vines sizzled. He kept the beam there until only a blackened twig remained. Then the burning stopped.

  “Keep going,” Diva said.

  Theo nodded. He pointed the dagger above the charred area. More leaves fizzled and withered. Up and around he went, forming an arc. As he started the downward path, the stone beneath the ivy became exposed.

  “There’s something carved here.” Jega grabbed the ivy and ripped the remaining covering away.

  A face like a devil’s snarled at them from the boulder. Deep within the earth, a rumble sounded. Stones crumbled, leaving a gaping maw that resembled a throat with jagged stone fangs lining its mouth. Screeches and growling came from the depths of the tunnel.

  “What is that?” Pavel sidled close to Diva.

  “It must be the entrance to Devil’s Throat,” Zima said. “An underground cave some say leads to Hades.”

  Theo squeezed his eyes shut. “As if we haven’t already been there.”

  “Everyone’s going to die if you go inside,” the voices in Theo’s head taunted.

  He pushed them away. No one was going to die, not even whatever creature waited for them—not if he could help it.

  Pavel moved behind Diva. “I think I liked it better when there was no way in.”

  Boo squawked and flew to a tree branch.

  “You can stay here with the bird, but I think the rest of us are going.” Zima looked at the others, and they nodded.

  “No. I’ll come, too,” Pavel said.

  The Kukeri brothers bent to walk between the stone fangs. Diva followed.

  Theo waited while Pavel handed him a flashlight from his backpack. He took the lead after he entered.

  Damp moss, reeking like a dead carcass, covered the walls of the steep passageway. It was foul, but Theo’s nose seemed to be adjusting to bad odors after all the nasty things he’d smelled. A muttering waterfall echoed from the depths below, and a noise like wind beat with a steady pulse, intensifying the farther they descended.

  “Bats!” Theo yelled and crouched.

  Pavel crammed his body next to Theo. The Kukeri and Diva pressed themselves flat against the walls.

  The beat of thousands of flapping wings swarmed overhead. When the air cleared of the swell of bats, Theo let out a deep breath.

  Pavel groaned and swabbed at his head with a tissue. “Rodent pellets, I have bat guano in my hair.”

  They proceeded down steps spiraling deep into a dank darkness, with tunnels swerving off to the sides, until they reached an enormous, stifling-hot cavern. A waterfall thundered, crashing into a body of thick, yellow water that smelled like sulfur. Flames exploded in bursts from the midst of the churning liquid. Around the edge of the pool, crystalized minerals had formed columns. Some hung from the ceiling while others rose from the floor, looking like sharp teeth ready to grind their victims.

  “The land of the dead,” Zima said. “This is where legends say Orpheus, the great Thracian musician, came to bring back his dead wife, Eurydice.”

  “Not my idea of a place to sing to a loved one,” Pavel added.

  “Orpheus didn’t come down to serenade her,” Jega said. “He wanted to bring tears to the eyes of the king and queen of the dead, so they’d let his wife return to the land of the living.”

  Theo looked around the cavern, but saw no signs of life. “Eurydice’s spirit was a shadow like my mother’s in the orb. I wonder if there’s a way to bring my mother back.”

  Diva
shook her head. “No one has yet, and we have lots of magic here.”

  Theo sighed, still thinking about his mother.

  “So sad to lose Eurydice, his eternal love,” Jega said.

  Zima snorted. “He was warned not to look back until she was out of the cave.”

  “Love is impatient. He couldn’t wait one more minute.” Jega cleared his throat and recited a portion of the ancient poem.

  “In silence they trod along the dark, steep slope.

  Near the end, blackness transformed into gray shadows.

  Joyful, he stepped into the daylight of the upper world.

  Eager to see her, he turned to gaze upon his love.

  Arms extended to hold her, he grasped nothing but air.

  As she disappeared into the gloomy land of death,

  One faint word scarcely reached his ears:

  ‘Farewell.’ ”

  At the end, Jega rang one of his bells, the sound echoing like evil laughter in the beast’s belly.

  Something howled across the sulfur pool. An object thudded on the ground, rolling to Theo’s feet. He shone the flashlight on it. “Ugh.” He jumped away from the bloody remains of a purple bat.

  “Whatever’s over there must be out of tomatoes,” Pavel said, “because it didn’t like your music, Jega.”

  “Then it cannot be a lady fair.” Jega jumped as if performing a ceremony, making the bells ring long after he had stopped moving.

  The creature howled again, more mournful than angry. The sound echoed off the walls, beating against Theo’s eardrums.

  “We’re wasting time.” Theo pointed the dagger around the cavern. The beam once again flashed from the tip, lighting a narrow path along the sulfur pool. “I want to see what’s over there. I’m sure it’s guarding the final soul.”

  Diva nocked an arrow in her bow. “I’m coming with you.”

  The Kukeri said in unison, “We’re coming, too.”

  “Someone should guard this side.” If the voices in Theo’s head were right, he had to make sure the others stayed safe. “Who knows what else might crawl out from the paths?”

  Zima and Jega nodded and stood back-to-back watching the dark tunnels.

  Theo gave Pavel back his flashlight and crept along the thin pathway with Diva behind him. Bits of rock crumbled, splashing into the boiling sulfur. He clung to the wall. Only one more soul to destroy. He could do this.

  The howling and snarling roared from a tunnel veering away from the sulfur lake. Theo pointed the dagger in that direction. The light continued to flow from the tip.

  “I guess what we’re looking for is down there,” he said.

  They walked along a gore-covered path that led to a small cave. The hair on the back of Theo’s neck prickled as something grazed across his cheek. It was nothing, he convinced himself. He took more steps, stopped, and gasped, frozen where he stood.

  In front of him, a man ... no, a wolf-like beast, erect on two feet, stared back. Hair covered the creature’s face, and its nose and jaw jutted out like a primate’s. Jagged teeth curled back, and hate poured from its glowing gray eyes. The beast howled, shaking the chain wrapped around his neck that bound him to the cave walls. Bloody saliva dripped from his fangs onto the pile of bones lying at the creature’s feet.

  “Sitara,” Diva whispered.

  The creature lurched forward, thrusting his claws at Theo.

  “Ahh!” Theo stumbled back, slipping in gore.

  Diva grabbed hold and kept him upright. They both scrambled a safe distance away.

  The creature’s constraint jerked him back. Throwing his head up, he howled and pitched himself at Theo and Diva once again, straining at the end of his chain.

  Theo placed his hand over his racing heart. “I-is that a Vurkolak?”

  “Yes.” Diva kept her eyes on Sitara. “From what I know of his legend, many centuries ago, he was a man who died in the wilderness. After forty days, his swollen corpse turned into this beast. He went mad and tried to swallow the sun and moon, so the goddess Bendis banished him here.”

  What a horrible fate. Surely the creature didn’t deserve such a harsh punishment.

  Once again Sitara howled, frothing as he swung his beastly head from side to side.

  Couldn’t something else be done to restrain Sitara without putting innocent people in danger?

  Theo took a step to the side. Sitara followed his movement. “Distract him, while I try to find Lamia’s soul,” he whispered.

  Diva nodded and edged closer to the beast. Sitara leapt forward, thrusting his claws at her face. She dodged his attacks.

  Theo crept along the edge of the cavern, pointing the dagger into dark crevices. Its light revealed a golden cage, tucked far behind the beast. Inside, a white dove cooed as if no danger lurked nearby. Theo stole back to Diva.

  “I found the soul,” he whispered. “But how will we get past Sitara?”

  “I have an idea.” Diva ran back the way they had come.

  “Rescue me,” a gravelly voice said.

  Theo backed away, his eyes darting around the cavern. Was someone else there?

  Only Sitara stared back at him, the creature’s eyes looking as if he wanted to tear Theo limb from limb.

  Had the Vurkolak spoken or were the voices from Tililei Forest still chattering in Theo’s mind? He pressed his back against the wall and slid farther from Sitara. His backpack snagged against something. When he reached back to release it, his hand stuck in a gooey substance. He wiped off the gore of what appeared to have been Sitara’s previous snacks. Theo backed out of the cavern as Diva returned.

  “These are—” she started.

  Theo put his finger to his mouth. “Shh, Sitara might hear.”

  She spoke softer, “These are sulfur granules. I can mix them with herbs to make a sleeping potion. He must be thirsty in this heat.” Diva ground the sulfur with a rock and added herbs. She mumbled words over the powder, bore a hole in the fruit, and sprinkled the yellow mixture inside. “Now to give it to him.”

  Theo grabbed it from her hand and darted back into the cavern. The heat overwhelmed him. He wiped drops of sweat from his brow, only to have more replace them.

  “Here, Sitara. Are you thirsty?” He held out the fruit.

  The Vurkolak roared, struggling against the chains. His gaze latched onto Theo’s hand.

  “Throw it to him, Theo!”

  He tossed the fruit toward Sitara, quickly stepping back. The monster grabbed it mid-air and crushed it in his jaws.

  “How long do you think—” Theo started.

  Sitara toppled to the floor with a loud crash. Before Theo could move, Diva shot past the Vurkolak’s huge body and grabbed the cage. The dove flapped its wings, darting around the enclosure, hissing and growling like no dove had ever done before.

  “Diva, hurry. Sitara’s moving.”

  Sitara opened his sleepy eyes and pounced on Diva, trapping her beneath him. The cage tumbled beyond her grasp.

  “Hold on, Diva. I’m coming.” Theo rushed toward the monster, waving the dagger in front of him.

  He stabbed the Vurkolak’s leg, but the monster kicked out, tossing Theo against the wall. The dagger flew from his hand, banging against the floor. Dazed, Theo picked it up and staggered back.

  “Theo, get the cage and go, please!” Diva shouted.

  “No! I’m not leaving you.”

  He had to destroy the creature so he could save Diva. Theo pointed the dagger at Sitara, ready to stab the beast again.

  The laser beam shot from the tip, piercing the creature’s stomach. Sitara convulsed, and blood gushed from the wound, flowing onto the rocks. Yellow steam hissed where it made contact, shrouding Sitara in mist. A putrid smell of rotting guts overpowered Theo, and he covered his mouth and nose. When the mist dissolved, a young, blond man lay groaning where the creature had been.

  Sitara had survived.

  The cavern shook, and rocks fell from the ceiling. Theo ducked out of the way. Cracks app
eared along the walls as the rumbling continued.

  Diva freed herself from the man’s grasp. “Hurry. Get the cage, and let’s go.”

  “Not without him. He asked me to rescue him when you went to get the sulfur.”

  “It’s Lamia’s ploy to gain your pity.” Diva grabbed the cage and shoved it into Theo’s arms.

  “What if it’s not?” Theo said. “I have to try, please!”

  “Go!” she yelled over the landslide of rocks as she pushed him down the tunnel. “I’ll help Sitara.”

  More rocks pelted Theo. Dust clogged the air. He scrambled over large piles toward the sulfur lake. The path crumbled around him. He clung to cracks in the wall. The dove growled and pecked at his chest. He held the cage away from his body and crept along the path until he reached the other side of the sulfur lake.

  A pile of stones littered the empty cavern.

  “Where is everyone?” he shouted to Diva.

  “I sent them back already,” Diva yelled from behind him. “Keep going.”

  The floor shook again. Rocks fell into the sulfur, splashing him with the hot liquid. Grasping the cage, Theo clambered up the steep path, darting from side to side to avoid the falling rubble. A pinprick of light filtered down from the exit. He sprinted the last few feet and rolled out moments before a boulder buried the mouth of the cave.

  Theo looked around. Pavel had collapsed by a tree, holding his head between his knees. Boo pecked at the ground beside him. The Kukeri brothers stood like sentinels with their spears crossed. And Diva ...

  “Where’s Diva?” Theo cried out.

  Chapter 20

  Destruction of Beauty

  Theo wrestled with a rock and tossed it aside. Then another, trying to get through the blocked entryway to find Diva. Had he doomed his friend to her death because he wanted to save Sitara? No! The voices weren’t going to be right. No one was going to die.

  Hot tears burned his face. Why did bad things keep happening to the people he cared about? Diva had been kinder to him than his sister ever had. She believed he was a hero and stood by him, patiently teaching him what he needed to know in his quest. He refused to leave her. He would free her.