Shadow

by Mark Robson

  ‘Fang? Is there anywhere around here that we can stop without being seen by the night dragons?’ she asked.

  ‘Aurora just asked me the same question. There are few places here that offer much cover,’ he replied. ‘But I do know of one. It isn’t far.’

  ‘Good. I think we all need a short rest after this morning’s adventure.’

  Fang cruised along the valley at a fast glide, only beating his wings when it became a necessity. Unsurprisingly there were no signs of human habitation. The great peaks around them were majestic and awe-inspiring, but they offered little to mankind aside from a place to retreat from the rest of the world.

  Is that why the night dragons have adopted it as their home? she wondered. The day dragon enclave had been quite accessible and hospitable. The thought made her wonder about the other enclaves, and the dusk dragon enclave in particular. It was in Ratalusia, and Ratalusia was a long way away. Will we need to visit the home of the dusk dragons, too? she mused to herself.

  ‘We’ve arrived,’ Fang said suddenly, his voice in her mind interrupting her thoughts.

  Kira could see nothing welcoming in the bleak landscape, but as Fang descended, he turned purposefully to the left, towards an outcrop of rock. They touched down before Kira saw the entrance to a cave, concealed in the crook where the rocky ridge projected out from the base of the mountain.

  ‘Gods alive, Fang! How did you find this place?’ she asked aloud. ‘I would never have spotted it.’

  ‘That is because you are not a dragon,’ he responded, his tone aloof, but gently teasing. ‘We have a certain affinity with caves . . . though, in truth, I found this one by chance when dodging night dragons during my last trip to this part of Areth.’

  The admission made Kira smile. She was quietly pleased that Fang had a sense of humour, given his formal speech and archaic code of honour. Dragons were strange creatures. Even though she had initially wanted to hate Fang for taking away her chance to be a hunter, she found herself caring deeply for him. Kira had vowed that she would never forgive him for destroying her dream, but the quest had given her the opportunity to be a part of a different kind of hunt.

  The inner conflict tangled her mind and heart with a confusing mess of emotions. She envied Elian his enthusiastic thirst for adventure. Had she not been so close to her goal when Fang had come along, she might have enjoyed a similar attitude. Instead she felt forced to hide the little flame of resentment that continually burned inside.

  Kira dismounted and let Fang lead the way. A refuge like this in such inhospitable terrain looked a likely lair for one of the larger mountain predators, but Fang was quick to report the cave empty. It was a bit of a squeeze for the dragons to enter through the mouth, but once they were past the threshold, the cave opened out into a chamber that was easily big enough to accommodate them all.

  The riders went outside and found some large flat stones to use as seats. They had no torches, so they only dragged the stones as far as the mouth of the cave where it was light enough to see. The dragons were happy to lie in the darkness beyond, their eyes gleaming eerily from the deep shadows. The blue nimbus of Firestorm’s healing breath lit the cave briefly as he healed Fang’s bruised scales, giving the underground chamber a momentary feeling of enchantment.

  Kira sighed as the nimbus faded and the cave returned to being a mundane hole in the cliff-wall. There was something magical about the day dragon’s healing powers.

  ‘There is no magic in Firestorm’s breath,’ Fang said quickly. ‘His healing fire is a natural phenomenon. Fish can breathe under the water, but that doesn’t make them magical. They were designed with the ability. Magic is unnatural and distorts the order set in place by the Creator’s hand. It is dangerous, practised by foolish men who seek power and control over their surroundings. Mankind was not designed to handle such power. Neither were dragons. It is one of the major differences between our kinds that we dragons have more sense than to dabble with powers not meant for us.’

  ‘But if magic isn’t meant for us, then who is it meant for?’ Kira asked.

  ‘That is for the Creator to know, and for us to ponder,’ he replied.

  ‘You’re evading the question.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Kira burst out laughing, and the sound echoed around the cave. Elian and Nolita both turned to her with inquisitive expressions.

  ‘What’s so funny, Kira?’ Elian asked.

  ‘Dragons,’ she replied. ‘Dragons and their “holier than thou” attitudes. For all their years and experience, it’s good to know they’re as ignorant as we are about some things.’

  Kira did not explain further, but continued to chuckle quietly to herself for a while. It felt good to laugh. She had not found anything much to laugh about for a long time. Her spirits felt lighter for it and with the nagging pain of Fang’s wounds now gone, she began to feel much more positive about their situation.

  ‘Would anyone like some hot food?’ Nolita asked suddenly.

  ‘We don’t have any fuel for a fire,’ Elian pointed out.

  ‘I know,’ she replied, her voice tentative as she explained. ‘We won’t need a fire. I could just eat a bit of fried mutton with some of Kira’s herb mix right now. We’ll need a plan if we’re going to get into the enclave of the night dragons without causing trouble. And I always think better with a full stomach.’

  ‘I won’t argue with that,’ Elian agreed, his expression showing curiosity. ‘And I’m intrigued to see how you intend to cook food without a fire.’

  ‘So am I,’ added Kira. She watched as Nolita gave them both a shy smile and flicked her blond hair back from her face.

  ‘Actually it wasn’t my idea,’ Nolita said, sounding embarrassed. ‘Here, give me a hand.’

  She led them outside where she selected several large stones. Kira followed with Elian and a quick exchange of glances established that he was as bemused as she was. Between them, they carried the stones into the cave and then built them into a pile at Nolita’s direction. With Elian’s help Nolita laid a final large, flat stone across the top, testing it thoroughly to make sure it was stable.

  ‘That should do it,’ Nolita said, satisfied. ‘Now I suggest we step outside for a moment, and bring our packs.’

  ‘Whatever you say, Nolita,’ Kira replied, her tone dubious. She looked across at Elian, who shrugged.

  They all walked out into the open and paused. The breeze was chill, but the blue sky above showed no signs of rain.

  ‘Over here.’ Nolita beckoned them away from the mouth of the cave and down along the ridge-line.

  ‘Where are we going, Nolita?’ Kira asked. ‘Is it far?’

  ‘No, not far,’ she replied. ‘In fact, this should do nicely.’

  Nolita stopped and looked back at the cave entrance. Kira glanced at Elian. He looked as confused as she felt. A sudden familiar roaring sound drew everyone’s attention towards the cave entrance. Visible waves of heat rippled the air immediately outside the cave. The sound of Firestorm’s roaring flames continued for a considerable time. When the resonating blast stopped, Nolita led the way back inside. The flat stone on the top of the stack was glowing red with heat.

  ‘It’s too hot to cook on at the moment,’ she said, ‘but Fire tells me it will be fine in a couple of minutes, and should continue to give off heat for some time. He says it’s not the best rock for holding heat, but it will suffice for our needs. Who’s going to do the cooking?’

  ‘I will,’ Kira replied. ‘I’ve never cooked on a hot rock before.’

  She watched, mildly amused, as Elian bowed and thanked Firestorm for his efforts. He was so polite it was funny sometimes.

  ‘He says it was his pleasure,’ Nolita informed Elian.

  Nolita ran her fingers through her hair. The gesture was not like that of most girls. Rather than a subconscious preening, it almost looked as if she were digging gouges into her scalp with her fingernails. Kira had seen Nolita do it before – normally immediately after co
mmunicating with her dragon.

  That must be it, Kira thought. It’s another of her little cleansing rituals. What she thinks it will do, heaven only knows!

  A few minutes later the aroma of sizzling meat filled the cave. Elian drew in a deep breath and sighed happily. Pangs of jealousy tweaked at Kira’s heart. He looked so comfortable.

  ‘Any ideas on how we approach the enclave, Elian?’ she asked, deliberately dispelling the contented feeling of the moment.

  His brows furrowed. ‘Not really,’ he admitted. ‘We could just fly up to the entrance and ask to see Pell, I suppose.’

  ‘We could, but I suspect that would end our hopes of completing the quest,’ Kira replied, trying hard to keep the scorn she felt from her tone. The idea of offering up such an ill-thought-out suggestion appalled her.

  Nolita nodded. ‘Fire says he can’t go anywhere near the enclave and hope to stay safe.’ She sounded relieved.

  ‘Fair enough,’ Elian said, pursing his lips. ‘Ra tells me that the same goes for her and Fang, though surely Fang would have the best chance of getting close without being noticed. Especially if he approaches at dusk, when his camouflage is at its most effective.’

  Kira looked into the darkness towards where she knew her dragon was lying. ‘What do you think, Fang?’ she asked silently. ‘Could you get into the enclave?’

  ‘I could get you in, but I would not be able to stay,’ he replied. ‘I could not conceal my presence for long. The night dragons would sense me, even with my camouflage at full effectiveness.’

  ‘He says he could get me in, but then he’d have to leave or the night dragons would find him,’ she relayed to the others.

  ‘Get you in?’ Elian said immediately. ‘Don’t think for a heartbeat that you’re leaving me behind, Kira. Fang managed to carry us both when he was injured. I’m sure he can carry us both now he’s back to full strength.’

  ‘You’re not going to leave me here alone with . . .’ Nolita didn’t finish her sentence, but she did not need to. The fear in her voice filled in the missing words.

  ‘It would be a lot safer here, Nolita,’ Kira said soothingly.

  ‘I don’t care,’ Nolita replied immediately. ‘I want to come with you. Could Fang carry me too?’

  ‘I can carry you all,’ Fang confirmed to Kira. ‘The enclave is not far from here. It is in a box canyon off this main valley a little way to the south. The problem will be getting you out again. I will not be able to remain close enough to hear you call if you get into trouble.’

  Kira related this information to the others and silence fell as they thought through possible solutions. To Kira’s surprise, Nolita was first to offer up a possibility.

  ‘Fire tells me that there’s no chain or prison that could hold Shadow captive,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘So if they’ve imprisoned Pell, they’ll be holding him somewhere that Shadow can’t reach him. Shadow would never abandon Pell, so he’d effectively be tethered to the enclave until Pell found a way out.’

  ‘That sounds logical,’ Elian replied. ‘But I don’t see how it helps us.’

  ‘Well, if Fang thinks he can get us in, then Shadow could fly us all out,’ she said. ‘She’s much bigger than Fang. I imagine she could carry the three of us, and Pell, with ease. If we don’t find Pell the quest will fail, but if we can get him to Shadow then we’ll still have a chance.’

  This is ridiculous, Kira decided. These two have no idea what they’re talking us into.

  ‘If we can find Pell. If we can free him. If we can get him to Shadow. That’s a lot of ifs,’ Kira said aloud, her tone sour.

  ‘Have you got any better suggestions, Kira?’ Elian asked. ‘I’m not sure we’ve got much choice. Nolita’s plan isn’t watertight, but it could work.’

  ‘It sounds about as full of holes as a colander,’ she grumbled. ‘But if I can’t think of anything better by dusk, then I suppose we’ll have to try it.’

  Chapter Eleven

  Into the Jaws

  Kira watched silently as Elian ran through the sequence of sword strokes she had taught him. She had not wanted to get involved, but Elian had got the blade out and started waving it around as something to do whilst they were waiting for the sun to set.

  It was a fine weapon. Kira had recognised that much from the moment she first saw it. The blade, once the property of the dragonhunter who had dogged their steps all the way from Racafi, was shaped from a length of dragonbone and was harder than any metal. Elian had picked it up from the meadow where, in their final confrontation, Shadow had eaten the dragonhunter. The man had taken Elian’s sword from him during their first encounter, so there was a sense of justice in his keeping this one.

  At first, Elian’s efforts were painful to watch. To her eye he was now improving rapidly, though she was hardly qualified to judge. Few in her tribe carried swords, and none of those were masters with a blade. Hunters favoured spears and bows and had little time for close-quarter weapons.

  She smiled slightly as memories of her own lessons surfaced. She had nagged Bemi, one of the more friendly hunters, to teach her swordplay. He had been kind enough to humour her, and they had spent many hours fencing with sticks, laughing at one another’s mistakes and cheering the victories. It had been fun.

  The smaller children often gathered to watch, so she and Bemi played to their audience. When defeated, the loser had to ‘die’ the most spectacular death they could, bringing squeals of delight from the young ones.

  For Elian, however, drawing his blade would have more deadly consequences. How he would fare if faced with someone actually trying to kill him, she did not want to think about. His footwork looked all right when he was moving forwards and he was getting much faster with the practice patterns she had shown him. But when moving backwards he still looked clumsy and uncomfortable. The one major thing that would weigh in Elian’s favour in a real fight was his sword. There was little that could stop a dragonbone blade. If he swung it hard enough, it would sheer straight through a metal one. Any swordsman would be thrown off guard by having his blade chopped in two.

  The gloomy shadows around the mouth of the cave were beginning to deepen. It was time to go.

  ‘Give it up, Elian,’ she said, as he stumbled again during a retreating sequence. ‘It’s time we made a move.’

  ‘It’s no good,’ he replied, slowing down and running through the sequence in slow motion one last time. ‘I just can’t seem to make my feet go where I want them to.’

  ‘You won’t learn to fence in a day,’ Kira laughed. ‘Much as I hate to admit it, you’re doing a lot better than I did when my friend taught me. I don’t recommend getting into any fights just yet, though. You’d be sliced and diced by any half-competent swordsman. You need proper lessons if you’re going to be any good. I’ve only ever played with sticks.’

  ‘How comforting!’ he said sarcastically, carefully sheathing the sword and slipping the straps over his shoulders so that the scabbard seated comfortably against his back. ‘I’ll try to bear that in mind.’

  The three young riders dressed themselves in the darkest colours they possessed. Their riding jackets were all made of similar dark grey leather, the perfect colour to blend in against the rocky crags. As a final effort at camouflage they each took strips of dark cloth cut from one of Kira’s tunics and used them to cover the lower half of their faces and their foreheads, leaving just a slit for their eyes. Together they moved outside and Fang followed, leaving Firestorm and Aurora to rest.

  ‘I’ll take the saddle,’ Kira said, her voice muffled by the cloth. ‘Nolita, you sit behind me and Elian can sit behind you. I’d offer you the saddle, but I think you’ll feel better being sandwiched between us when Fang uses his camouflage. It’s quite unnerving the first time your ride disappears from under you!’

  Nolita nodded silently, but from what Kira could see of her eyes she could tell the girl was thankful. They all mounted, and Fang camouflaged before moving out into the open to begin his take-off
run.

  Kira would have preferred to leave Nolita behind. She suspected the girl would be a liability, but could not find it in her heart to force the issue. One look at Nolita’s face when she thought she was going to be left alone with the two dragons, and Kira knew they had to take her with them.

  The blond rider held tight around Kira’s waist from the moment she took her place on Fang’s back, but squeezed even tighter when they started to move. Kira tensed her stomach against the pressure, but said nothing until they were safely airborne and climbing along the centre of the valley.

  ‘You can ease off the death hug now, Nolita,’ she called over her shoulder. ‘There’s very little wind. It shouldn’t be too bumpy.’

  Her prediction was correct. The air was smooth, though Kira soon grew to feel a little grateful for Nolita’s closeness. She had not flown much by night and little enough at sundown. The mountains loomed larger than ever in the fast fading light of dusk, hulking over them, dark and menacing. There was a sense of brooding awareness hanging in the air that Kira knew to be her imagination playing tricks. Nevertheless, it felt as if at any moment one of the great peaks might reach out with an enormous rocky arm and crush them like bugs.

  Don’t be a fool, Kira, she told herself. You’re far too old to be afraid of the dark.

  They tracked along the great valley at speed. All sense of texture on the mountainsides gradually disappeared, leaving only deep black shadowy walls that seemed to climb away for ever. This was amplified when Fang suddenly plunged into the dark abyss of a narrow valley.

  Kira instinctively held her breath as they entered the pitch-black void and she heard Nolita gasp behind her. The narrow band of sky above them was the only ribbon of reality. How Fang could see where he was going Kira had no idea, but he powered on and she sensed no hesitation in him through the bond. His confidence bolstered hers and for once she was truly glad of the intimacy of her alliance with Fang.