by LH Nicole
Oh boy, Aliana thought. Like with other ruins she had seen on digs with her father, this altar was probably the most important thing to those who inhabited the place. Still not seeing any sign of life, she left the shelter of the wall, carefully making her way closer to the outer rim of the courtyard. From there she could see the arched entrance to the keep. It was flanked by short walls.
To get inside she would have to walk right out into the open where anything keeping watch would easily discover her. She hunched, crawling under one of the stone tables to hide while she figured out her next move.
It was then that she saw it—poking out from beneath a bench that had been turned onto its side was a leg! It was burnt orange in color with black splotches, the tattered remains of what appeared to be an animal-skin boot partially covering it.
Cold shivers shot down Aliana’s spine as she crawled oh-so-carefully across the dry grass to get a better glimpse. Peeking around the upturned stone, Aliana found a sleeping monster with greasy black hair and a grotesque body covered by a tattered animal-skin shirt and pants that Tarzan would have been proud of.
She wanted to scream and run but quickly covered her mouth before she could. Her chest tightened as she tried to breathe past her cold terror, but she couldn’t manage more than a hyperventilating gasp. This horrible monster must be the Sidhe that Deidre had warned her about.
Its body was bulky like that of an out-of-shape quarterback. His harsh face bore a wide, flat nose and a cruel mouth filled with pointed teeth. He had big arms with large hands tipped by pointed nails that were stained black like the spots covering its whole body. Lying just inches from the sausage-like hand was a twisted dagger tipped with dried blood.
She tried to back away, but lost her balance, falling flat onto her backside. Scrambling backward, she collided with a large stone. Eyes wide, she scanned the area, praying that there weren’t any other beasts around, but her luck seemed to have run out. It was as if her eyes had been covered with a film before, blinding her to the presence of the Sidhe. Now she saw that there wasn’t just one—there were a dozen other bodies poking out from behind the scattered stones.
Biting her lips to keep from screaming, she scrambled to her feet, frantically looking toward the keep’s entrance. There were no Sidhe bodies blocking her way. Thank God! In her panic, she wanted to make a mad dash for the pointed archway, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and move carefully and quietly through the courtyard to avoid waking the monsters.
Finally making it to the planked entryway, she glanced back at the courtyard. None of them had awoken, but she couldn’t help thinking, It’ll be a miracle if I get out of this alive.
3
Hidden from her sight, I watch the girl. Is it really true—this common, mortal girl is the one who will restore the Golden King? I am not sure she will even survive the Sidhe. The Pegasus, still by my side, huffs at me, pawing its hooves. Clearly the creature disagrees with me. We will have to wait and see.
~~J’alel
ALIANA GLANCED AROUND the inside of the keep, not surprised that it was as damaged as the outside. Piles of small rocks and dust littered the stone floor. A set of stairs wound up and around a thick pillar in the middle. The large, curved room was bare of furnishings and decorations save the torches lining its walls.
As she circled the stairs, she saw that not only were there steps leading upward, another set also descended. The outer edges of both sets of the winding stairs were crumbled and cracked, as if some kind of railing had been violently torn away.
“Somehow going up seems like a bad idea,” she whispered, hoping the sound of her voice could help brush aside the dead air and calm her racing heart.
The light from the torches only penetrated so far through the gloom of the wide lower stairs. They looked stable enough, but the darkness had panic rising in her chest again. She imagined the walls closing her in, trying to trap her below in the dark forever. Shivering, she decided to risk the upper stairs.
Slowly climbing several steps, she kept as close to the inside edge as she could, avoiding the cracked stone pieces. On the last few steps, the stones had started to scrape and shift against each other. Heart in her throat, she climbed to the next step. The one behind her crumbled away, leaving only a stump of stone attached to the pillar. Gently, she tapped the next step with her foot. Nothing happened, so she stepped onto it, and just as she did, it disintegrated. Throwing out her hands, she just barely caught the edge of the next step and dangled above the floor twelve feet below her.
With all the strength she could muster, she tried to pull herself up, but she felt her grip slip. Struggling to hold on, she heard another crack sound from under her fingers and her heart shook. But she couldn’t let her fear rule her. From this distance, she could hit the ground without getting hurt too badly, but once there, she’d have to be quick to get away from any crumbling stones that might rain down.
Letting go of the step, she held her breath and bent her legs, bracing for impact with the floor. She hit the ground harder than she had expected, and the air rushed from her lungs. Her legs buckled, her foot rolling over a small chunk of littered stone. Using her momentum, she tucked her body and rolled to the side. Rough stone scratched against her arm. Her abused hands grabbed at the floor as she rose to her knees, bracing her feet against the ground.
“Son of a biscuit.” Looking around, she expected to see the Sidhe surrounding her, awakened by the sound of her fall, but none came.
Panting, she glanced up to where she had been. Too many steps had fallen away and there was no way she was going to be able to go up now. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her shaking hand, breathing through the adrenaline rush. Her palms and fingers were red and raw. Dust and dirt covered her arms, and a thin stream of blood trickled past her elbow.
Untying her cotton scarf, she dabbed at the blood. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was long. She hissed as she pressed the cloth against the cut but gritted her teeth and wrapped the wound tight. Then she pushed up from the floor, grabbing her cell, grateful it hadn’t been damaged when it had slid from her pocket after the fall.
“Guess the only choice now is down.” Shoring up her courage, she turned on the flashlight app and carefully made her way down the first few steps.
The light from her cell phone lit the narrow stairwell enough for her to see a landing and a door a few steps below. Thankful to have made it safely down the first flight of stairs, she stepped onto the landing and held up her light, studying the heavy, chipped wooden door. Gripping its rusted brass handle, Aliana tried twisting, but it wouldn’t give way. She pushed at the door, then pulled, but it refused to open.
Sighing, she peered down the next flight of steps, hoping to see another landing, but all she saw were dark stairs. Why does everything have to be so dark? I mean, these things are magical! Why don’t they have magic little balls of light in here? She scowled. Suck it up, girl! As long as her cell phone didn’t go out, she’d be all right.
She made it to another landing with another door, and like the first, it refused to open. She continued down the stairs, surprised that the panic she had felt was slowly ebbing away. At the third level down, there were two doors, one on each side of the stairs, including a small one that led into the pillar. She tried the bigger one, which was in the same disrepair as the others, and like those before, it refused to open for her.
The door in the pillar was less damaged, but it also felt different from the others. Wondering what kind of room would be in the middle of a pillar, Aliana lifted the ringed door handle and was surprised when it turned for her. As the door opened inward, a wave of hot air hit her. Its scent reminded her of a hot spring she’d visited with her mother years earlier.
Sticking her head inside, she saw that the room was small and round, lit by several old-fashioned lamps hanging from the walls. She slipped into the room, quietly closing the door behind her and sliding the lock into place. Resting her suddenly heavy for
ehead against the rough wood, she closed her eyes and took a breath as the last of the adrenaline in her system burned off.
Her eyes shot open again as a deep, rumbling growl came from behind her. Please God, No! She slowly turned around, her numb fingers gripping the door handle tightly, ready to flee from the room if she had to. Hanging from the ceiling was an ornate cage of gold and bronze with twisting bars and small glowing stones. The cage was partially covered by a piece of cloth so tattered that looked like a good wind would completely destroy it.
She didn’t know what could be in the cage, and she was way too morbidly curious to not find out. Stiffly, she reached up, grabbing a corner of the fabric and yanking it away from the cage.
“Oh my stars!” she breathed, shocked but amazingly unafraid. Trapped in the cage was a real, live Dragon!
Aliana gazed at the small, marbled Dragon that watched her from the dangling cage. This creature was nothing like the monsters she had imagined as a child—no bulky body or spiked tail. Instead it had a long, snake-like body and large, clawed feet. Its thin wings flared slightly, showing leathery skin riddled with veins of silver. But its head was the most fascinating part—elongated and angular, topped with short, pointed horns and covered with more veins of silver. Its mouth hung slightly open, giving her a glimpse of sharp teeth. The little creature’s ears pointed out to the sides as if straining to hear something.
Staring back at her were eyes as clear and purple as amethyst jewels. She should have been terrified, but somehow, she knew this Dragon meant no harm to her. Pulling out her cell phone, she snapped a picture of it. Unlike the little fox thing, this creature looked the same in the image as it did in real life. The Dragon was real!
“Hello.” Aliana waved, half expecting the Dragon to answer. “Avalon has certainly proven to be full of surprises, so why wouldn’t a Dragon talk?”
The Dragon just stared back at her, as if waiting to see what her next move would be.
“I guess you can’t talk, huh? Oh well.” She didn’t disguise her disappointment. How amazing would a talking Dragon be? “Judging by that big ol’ lock on your cage, I’m guessing you aren’t in there by choice.” She inched closer and examined the ornate lock. “This doesn’t look like any lock I’ve seen, but there’s a hole for a key.” She glanced around the room before turning back to the Dragon.
Now that she was a mere foot from the cage, the creature seemed larger than it had before. She realized that there was some kind of power radiating from it, like a warm buzz she could feel brushing her skin inside and out. It comforted her.
“Where is that key?” she murmured. The Dragon held her gaze for a moment then flicked its head to the side before glancing back at Aliana. “Over there?” Arching her eyebrow, she made her way to the table along the wall. It was cluttered with sheets of paper and scrolls.
She searched the desk but couldn’t find anything that might open the lock. Another low growl had Aliana jumping in shock, knocking her knee into the table and sending everything scattering to the floor. Wheeling around, she glared at the Dragon. “What the heck was that for?” she demanded in a low voice, her Southern accent slipping out. “I’m trying to help you and you go scaring the life out of me!”
The Dragon’s head tilted to the side, watching her for a moment. Aliana could have sworn the creature was smirking at her. Then it nodded down to the floor.
Glaring at the magical creature, she took its hint and crouched, starting to go through the papers again. Picking up one of the fallen scrolls, she noticed a pin dangling from the leather cord that held it shut. A closer glance revealed a twisting gold knot at the top and a bent tip.
She looked back at the Dragon and held up the scroll. The creature nodded its head once. “Well I guess it’s worth a try. You might not be able to speak, but at least it seems you can understand me.”
Yanking the key off the cord, she threw the scroll onto the table and grabbed the cage lock. Hot sparks erupted from the metal and zapped her fingers. “Shoot!” Aliana cradled her hand, checking for signs of a burn. “Great. How the heck am I going to get that thing open if I can’t even touch it?”
Glancing around again, she saw a pair of thick leather gloves hanging on a peg next to the door. Putting them on, she took a deep breath. The lock sparked again when she grabbed it, but her hands were safe. She jammed the key into the lock, twisting and juggling until it fell open in her hand a few seconds later. Looking at the Dragon, she saw its eyes light from within as it stared at the lock.
“You’re not going to jump out of there and fry me are ya?” Maybe the Dragon had been locked up for a reason. So why wasn’t she scared of this creature? Any person in her right mind should be scared. It growled softly again, its tail twitching like a cat’s did right before it pounced. The Dragon lifted its gaze to her. “Fine, but if you try to fry me, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.” Her warning sounded hollow even to her ears. What could she possibly hope to do against even a small Dragon?
After dropping the lock and gloves, Aliana opened the cage door, and the Dragon shot out to freedom, the strength of its wings knocking the door from her hands. Gray and silver wings filled her sight as she watched the creature zoom around the room before landing on top of its former prison. Its long body wrapped around the top of the cage, its face coming to eye level with Aliana. Transfixed, she stared at the little thing. It was so beautiful with its wings flared and purple eyes glowing with power.
“So you are the Destined One? You’re taller than I thought you would be.”
“You talk?” Aliana snapped from her stupor.
She was startled by the gravelly laugh that came from the Dragon. “The magic that held me in that cage trapped me in many ways.” Its voice was ageless and deep and distinctly male.
“You called me ‘the Destined One’—just like Deidre and J’alel did. So the Lady of the Lake was telling the truth about that.”
She didn’t think she would get used to being called that, though.
The corner of the Dragon’s mouth turned up in a smile. “What else did our Lady tell you, Destined One?”
“First off, my name is Aliana, and the Lady of the Lake only told me that I was destined to awaken King Arthur.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Honestly, I’m not sure she had all her marbles in place. If nobody else can wake him, how am I supposed to?”
The Dragon growled softly. “Typical of a Nymph. They never tell you what you need to know.”
“What do you mean?” She gazed at the creature, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Only the Destined One will be able to bear the power needed to awaken the fallen king.” Before she could ask one of the dozens of questions in her head, the Dragon answered one of them. “My name is Daggerhorne. My role is to serve as guide and protector to the Destined One. There will be many challenges which you cannot hope to complete on your own.”
She felt her chest tighten. Doubts screamed at her. Yet, despite that, something felt right about this. For the first time since her parents’ deaths, the wound inside her heart felt smaller. She remembered what her father had always told her: “Never give in to fear, little star. Accept whatever comes. The important thing is meeting it with courage and giving it everything you’ve got.”
Letting out a breath, she gathered her courage and said, “Okay, so with your help, I’m supposed to awaken King Arthur, reunite him with his knights—who all died hundreds of years ago, by the way—and restore them to their former glory. Have I missed anything?”
“Sarcasm is not becoming, my lady.”
“Sorry, but right now that’s about all I’ve got.” Her father had always told her that she had the explosive spark of a star inside of her and that was what made her the spitfire her mother had always called her.
“Did you really think I was going to ‘fry you’ for freeing me?” The Dragon laughed.
Aliana arched her eyebrow. “You’re the first Dragon I’ve met. How was I to kno
w you’d be so friendly?”
Shaking his head, he continued, “Did the Lady of the Lake tell you anything else?”
“Yeah, she gave me a magic map showing me the way here. I am meant to find Loyalty and Magic.” The Dragon nodded and stayed silent, causing Aliana to tap her foot impatiently. “I’m gonna guess you’re what I’m supposed to find. Does that mean you know how to get to Arthur?”
“You’re half right. I’m Magic, but you’re still missing Loyalty. Without him, we will not find the hidden entrance to King Arthur’s hollow.”
“Him? There’s another creature imprisoned here?”
Daggerhorne chuckled. “Sir Galahad is not a creature. He was the most loyal of Arthur’s knights, trapped here by the Sidhe hundreds of years ago.”
Hundreds of years? How could a man survive imprisonment for so long?
“I have heard the Sidhe talking of a warrior trapped below the keep. I believe we’ll find him if we go down the stairs just outside this room.” Aliana didn’t like the thought of traveling deeper into the Sidhe’s home, but there was no way she could leave a man imprisoned, whether or not he was the one who could lead them to King Arthur.
“We need to go quickly,” Daggerhorne warned. “Moonrise is fast coming, and we need to be gone from this place before then.” He jumped from the cage, landing on her shoulder. His claws dug softly into her skin as he twisted his warm body around her neck like a necklace, but she could barely feel his weight.
