by Jeanna Kunce
She remembered the vivid red burst of Will’s blood after he received a hard elbow to his nose and how Saara almost threw the children into her, Darien’s, arms. The guard slumped to the ground when Saara landed an unexpected punch to the side of his jaw, after which she placed a foot on his chest, saying, “That’s for laying your hands on my son, you filthy birmglop.”
Darien remembered glancing at Rian as he touched the tender bruise on his cheek. In a flash, Saara and Will tied the guard, gagged him, and locked him in the cell, while Darien looked after the children in the hallway.
She remembered smiling to herself as she watched Saara command Will to lie down while she gently doctored his bleeding nose.
“Wait!” Will’s urgent tone brought Darien out of her fading memories and back to the task at hand.
Saara looked at him with concern. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure that going this way is best for us,” he told her.
“But I just assumed that you’d want to help Darien free the dragons,” she said.
“If it was just me, there’d be no question. But for you and the children to go? I’m afraid it’s too risky,” he said.
“Well, walking upstairs, out of the palace, off this island, and out of the city is not going to be without risks either,” she reasoned. They all stood quietly for a moment, weighing their options.
Darien chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. Something was tickling just at the edges of her mind, but she couldn’t quite coax it out. Why am I thinking of that scary twisted man in the food cellar right now? she wondered. What a strange time to remember. . . . And then it came to her.
“I can’t make any promises,” Darien said, “but I did hear someone say that there’s a secret way out. Maybe we’ll find it after we go through the door.” Something else was nagging at her, but she wasn’t sure what, until suddenly it hit her: “Wait a minute—the dragons! Grown-up dragons are very big, so I’m sure they didn’t just tiptoe past all the people in the city and squeeze down the stairs. The king’s men had to bring them in somehow without being seen. And if they could get them in, we can probably get them out the same way.”
“What do you think?” Saara asked Will.
After a moment’s consideration, Will nodded to her. “Let’s see what’s behind the mystery door. And if we have the chance to help Darien along the way, all the better.”
Darien smiled and was secretly glad they had chosen to come with her; it was nice to have companions again, even if they would probably go their own way before too long. She slipped the key into the lock and turned it until she felt the bolt slide back. Taking a deep breath, she put her hand on the knob and told the others, “You’d better stand back. The dragons might be angry, and there’s no telling how they will react to seeing us.”
They needn’t have worried. To Darien’s utter disappointment, the dragons were not behind this door either. With a weary sigh, she looked around at what appeared to be some kind of large workroom. Much like the other rooms, this one was rather dark, although it had many lanterns around the perimeter that were not lit. The only source of light was one larger lantern suspended from the middle of the ceiling by a heavy iron chain. Along both side walls were long work tables that held a scattering of disorganized tools and castoff heaps of wood and metal. Against the opposite wall was a black, sinister-looking machine, which Will warned them to stay away from, though none knew what it was for.
As they walked further into the room to examine its contents, Darien, her feet still bare, noticed something peculiar. This was the first room she had been in since entering the palace that had a wooden floor—strange, since the basement was damp, one would think the wood would rot very quickly. The wide planks in the middle of the room were covered by a large, thick, woven rug, worn and dirty with use. While Will picked up some metal rods from the work table and Saara tried to keep the children away from the sharp tools, Darien couldn’t help staring at the rug, so ordinary and strange at the same time. Perhaps it was the touch of comfort and coziness that made it seem out of place, when everything else had seemed so hard and utilitarian.
Right in front of Darien’s eyes, tiny wisps of smoke curled up out of the rug’s center, and the room became filled with an eye-watering stench. In order to contain it, Will ran across the room and closed the door behind them, locking the bolt for good measure.
“Help me,” Darien called to Will as she pulled on the heavy rug.
“Roll it,” Saara suggested while trying to fan the smell away from the children’s noses. By the time Darien got the edge started, Will returned and they easily got the rug rolled out of the way. With it gone, they could see through the slight haze of smoke that there was a large hidden door set into the floor and attached with strong iron hinges. There was no handle of any kind, but the edge opposite the hinges had a narrow lip just big enough to slip their fingers into. The moment the trapdoor pulled away from the floor, a purplish cloud of smoke puffed into the room, making them all cough and rub their eyes. It took the strength of Will and Saara working together to get the door cracked enough so Darien could jam a stool in to hold it open.
From outside the other door they heard shouting and heavy footsteps. Darien and her friends knew their time had nearly run out. Will stuck his head under the trapdoor and found a rope ladder, which he untied from its holder and began to lower to the wet floor.
Darien took a minute to yank her tights and shoes on for protection from the cold rocky ground she had glimpsed below. She gave Saara her scarf, and together they made a sling that kept Qwinn tied securely to her mother’s body. And at the last moment, she searched frantically along the worktables to find something, anything, that might be useful.
“Come on, Darien!” Will beckoned with urgency. She turned to go, but then she saw a rusty old knife with a stout handle and thick blade, the whole thing only about the length of her forearm.
It’ll have to do, she thought as she grabbed it off the table along with a short piece of rope. She used the rope to wrap the knife against her upper leg and then skidded over to help Saara get Rian on the ladder. Will was already a third of the way down, wanting to be the first to face whatever dangers were ahead. Darien climbed onto the ladder right after Rian, shoved the stool away, and ducked as the trapdoor slammed shut just inches from her head.
They didn’t hear any sounds from the room above them yet, though they still hurried down the ladder as fast as possible. Darien was worried that Rian would hold them up, but he seemed nimble and sure of himself. It was actually Saara who was the slowest, picking her way down methodically while keeping a close eye on both children. Nevertheless, they still made good progress, and one by one they splashed into a shallow puddle of water at the bottom of the ladder.
They found themselves in a large underground cavern with wet walls and many more puddles dotting the floor. No one noticed, however, because they were riveted on the sight directly in front of them. The backs and tails of two very large dragons were toward Darien, and though she couldn’t see their faces, she could tell things were not good. Their fore and rear legs were chained to the walls, and their wings were pinned cruelly against their bodies with thick rope. The dark brown one on the left began grunting and trying to turn its head enough to see them, but it was muzzled and tied down with more rope. The deep burgundy-colored dragon on the right wasn’t moving at all, except for its slow quiet breathing.
The four family members stood in awe of the beasts. Darien, the only one among them to ever have been up close to a dragon, broke free and ran to help.
“Look out!” Will called as Darien dodged a brown tail aimed at her, the only part of the dragon not tied down.
“Stop it!” Darien yelled at the dragon. “We’re here to help you.” As she got closer to its face, she could see one eye glaring at her. Even so, the tail made no more swipes in her direction, so she took that as a good si
gn.
Breaking free of his fascination with the dragons, Will threw Rian up onto his shoulders, piggy-back style, and grabbed Saara’s arm. Running and weaving between the two dragons, they went to see what was beyond, hoping to find the way out.
“I’ll come back to help, Darien,” Will called as he ran by. “I promise.” Darien saw Rian staring raptly at the dragon as his father ran by and heard the dragon snort in their direction.
With her heart pounding and knowing that at any time she could be caught, Darien yanked the knife from its crude holder and approached the brown dragon.
“Hurry, put your face down and I’ll cut you free,” she said. The dragon grunted and pulled its head away. “Please, please, trust me!” she pleaded. “Are you Audric? I came here with your son, Amani. We came to rescue you. I can tell you more, but please let me start getting the ropes off, we’re almost out of time.”
The dragon finally put his head where she could reach, but he still eyed her warily. She began furiously cutting and yanking on the ropes, careful not to nick the dragon, even though it was doubtful he would notice given that the knife was very dull and his hide was very tough. Every few minutes, Darien had to turn her head and discreetly cough because the dragon was still leaking smelly smoke from his nostrils. The instant the last bit of rope pulled free, the dragon cracked his huge jaws open and Darien jumped back.
It was only a quick stretch, then he snapped his mouth shut. “Go,” he commanded in a deep, hoarse voice, “go to her.” His eyes were focused on Brisa resting uneasily nearby. Darien didn’t even think of questioning him. She ran over and headed toward Brisa’s face, but Audric directed her to the leg chains instead.
Knowing her knife would be of no use, Darien grabbed the biggest rock she could find and brought it down on the linked iron. After five tries she was breathing hard, but she kept going. On the ninth hit the chain broke. With a rush of adrenaline, Darien ran to the next chain, only three left to break. This time on the fourth hit, it was the rock that broke, crumbling into sharp bits that cut painfully into her hands. Frustrated and starting to panic, Darien grabbed the first rock she saw, and with a loud yell, she smashed it down so hard that the chain shattered apart.
She calmed somewhat after that and tried to pace herself. Grabbing another handful of rocks, she came to Audric’s side to work on Brisa’s last two chains. Periodically, Audric would ask her questions in between trying with renewed effort to yank his own chains from the wall. Through their sporadic conversation, Audric learned that Darien had come there with Amani, how she had tried to convince others to help, and most importantly that Tabo had gotten to safety.
“Brisa, Brisa!” he urged, “You’ve got to wake up now. This human girl—”
“Darien,” Darien interjected.
“Darien,” Audric continued, “has come to help us. She said that our baby is safe. Brisa, please, you’ve got to wake up.” His words were emphasized by a loud pounding overhead, indicating that the guards had managed to get into the workroom. Their way was blocked again, however, because the trapdoor had jammed in its frame when Darien let it slam shut.
Brisa began to stir weakly as Darien broke the final chain then started cutting at the ropes around the dragon’s jaws. Up close, she had expected to feel the same heat as Amani’s radiating from Brisa’s body, but all she felt was a cold tremble.
“Brisa, you’re almost free now,” Darien encouraged her. “Let’s get out of here and go back to your baby. She’s so beautiful, I can’t even tell you. But she needs you. You have to come see how beautiful she is.” When Brisa’s mouth was clear of its bindings, still she didn’t speak, but her eyes filled with huge wet tears that made wavy streaks down the sides of her face. Darien wiped them away and then ran over to help work on Audric’s chains.
Before she could get even one chain broken, a brutal arm grabbed her from behind and jerked her away from Audric. Darien struggled, but the more she fought, the harder the man’s arm tightened around her neck. She battled against a wave of darkness but it rushed at her too quickly, and she fell limp in the man’s rough grip.
11
Release, Rescue, Relief
A jarring ride jolted Darien back to consciousness. She was surprised to find herself loosely strapped to Brisa’s back as the dragon was running through a dark tunnel barely big enough for them to fit through. A dark figure up ahead carried a small lantern, their only source of light.
“Hey!” Darien hollered weakly. The man turned and she saw his face. It was Will! “What happened?”
Will slowed his pace to jog next to Brisa. “I went with Saara, you know, to find the way out and get the kids to safety,” he told them. “We found this ancient mining tunnel. Workers must have discovered it when building the palace and realized that it went all the way to the surface of the mountain (a handy secret to have if you’re an insecure ruler). I think we’re still under the lake right now, feel how wet it is?” He held the lantern to the wall’s edge, and they could see that it was slick with moisture. “Anyway, it just goes on and on, so at some point I let Saara go ahead with the children while I turned back, hoping to meet you on the way. Obviously, you know that you ran into trouble getting the dragons free. I made it back just in time to see one of the guards using you as a shield against Audric, who was still chained but now able to breathe fire, thanks to you. You were unconscious, so Brisa carried you out, and here we are.”
“He’s being modest,” Brisa added. “You should’ve seen the way he came in swinging that metal rod. They fought, the guard’s sword against the rod, but you see who is still standing.”
Will’s face remained hard and grim, even with this praise. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay—I just have a little headache,” Darien dismissed his concern. “But where’s Audric?” she asked, squinting into the darkness swallowing their trail.
“Once I took care of the guard and got you back safely,” Will said, “Audric kept the other guards at bay using his tail and fire. He insisted we leave, and Brisa and I didn’t see any other option, with more guards coming down the ladder and the dragon hunters beginning to come down a huge platform they were lowering with chains. I guess that’s how they were planning to take the dragons up to the courtyard for the king’s entertainment tonight.”
“I never would have left him,” Brisa added quietly, “but he used the children against me. Said it would be better they have at least one parent than none. I’ll never forgive him if he doesn’t come back to me.” They could hear the deep anguish in Brisa’s voice, yet she moved on steadfastly, despite her cold, aching joints and weakened state.
“I have to go back,” Darien said after a moment’s thought.
“Darien, you’ve done more than anyone could have expected of you,” Will told her. “You should be proud of yourself.”
“I don’t care about that!” Darien cried angrily. “They’re going to kill Audric, maybe even worse now that we almost got away.”
“You did your best, child,” Brisa said. “Our family will forever owe you our lives. But if you want to make yourself useful, you could release me from the ropes around my wings; they’re terribly painful.” Darien furiously wiped away tears of frustration, then used her knife once more to free Brisa.
After a short while, Darien felt strong enough to be on her feet again, so she jogged next to Will in silence. Truth be told, riding on a dragon who is crouching and lumbering through a low tunnel was not nearly as nice as riding on one who is flying smoothly through the open air.
Before long, Darien noticed that the ground, walls, and even the air seemed to be getting drier. They quickened their paces, hoping that it was a sign they would be reaching the exit soon. Darien’s already tender feet protested each step, and even though her soles were more protected from the stony floor, her dressy mary-janes were definitely not meant for running as they rubbed and bit painfully agai
nst the back of her ankles.
They didn’t reach the exit as soon as they would have liked. The tunnel kept going on, sometimes level and sometimes at a slight incline, which of course made their journey even more tiring. Now and then they passed other tunnel openings branching away that had been crudely walled up with rock. But at long last, they began to sense a hint of fresher air and the smallest lifting of the darkness around them.
Any relief they felt was short-lived. As they neared the end they could hear someone—it sounded like one of the children—screaming in either pain or fear. Will blasted ahead like a madman, reaching to unsheathe a sword he had taken from the palace guard. When Darien and Brisa reached the exit, they saw a heavy door camouflaged with rock, lit from the outside by the dying flames of a broken lantern.
Darien looked around quickly and saw Rian trying to hold Qwinn, who was the one they had heard crying. She appeared to be all right, though scared and frustrated at being away from the safety of her mother’s arms. The children watched with alarm as their mother attempted to fend off two dragon hunters with her metal rod. For a moment, the men remained at a distance while Saara spun her makeshift weapon through the air. Soon the hunters got bolder, realizing they were two against one with superior weapons, and began to close in.
A third dragon hunter heaved his considerable frame up the hill and headed for the children. Darien ran to them and pulled out her rusty knife again, while Will sprinted over to Saara’s aid. They could hear more men shouting and climbing toward them up the rocky hillside. Brisa stretched her wings, and though she was still too weak to fly, she was able to keep the newcomers at bay by using her tail and powerfully snapping jaws.
Saara knocked out one of her attackers, yet two more took his place. Will was disarmed, but then tackled his opponent to the ground where they rolled and wrestled and punched. Will’s nose was bleeding again, although fortunately the other man seemed to be tiring.
