“Milord.”
Vahrik turned to his lieutenant, a young soldier of similar age with a rough voice. Cathair had joined him from the far southwestern fjords of Hadeon and pledged his loyalty only to him. He had been the first, and together, they had organized the others.
“Follow me.” Vahrik led him to the living quarters. They needed privacy to speak to assure that the wrong ears would not hear.
Once inside the intact structure attached to the keep, they diverted to a private room. There Cathair closed the door behind them, sending a dull thud echoing in the chamber.
Vahrik stomped to the windows. “If not for that Isolder wench vanishing, I’d be free of this. He’ll never trust me now.” He paused long enough to ball his fingers into a fist and slam it into the wall. “Damn them all!”
Plaster of knotted gold design flaked off to reveal the raw stone beneath.
“Milord, what of the dragons?”
Vahrik turned on his chief advisor. “Let them eat him. Better, get me what magic protects that forest. With such power I’d not fear the dragons.”
Cathair raised an eyebrow.
“Do it!” How dare the soldier question him.
In a flowing motion, the young man bowed and whirled away. In a few long strides, he was out the door, and it closed between them.
If he possessed what magic the creatures of the forest used to extinguish the flames, he, Vahrik, might find a way to defeat Tyrkam with it. The idea flourished within the vortex of anger in his soul, drawing a smile to his lips. Yes, the defeat of his own overbearing father would satisfy him.
A shadow chilled through his soul.
“Why ask the boy for tricks when a sorceress can give you so much more?”
Vahrik straightened at the silken voice and turned to face her. “Demon wench.”
A sinister smile curved up black-red lips. Lusiradrol glided from the shadows with the silence of a predator stalking its prey. “No different from your father.” She traced the gold-threaded design along the front of his black tunic before turning her eyes up. “You also underestimate me, little prince.”
His temper flared at the insult. Vahrik grabbed her delicate, feminine hand and squeezed it so tight any ordinary woman would have knelt in pain.
Not Lusiradrol. Her smile grew, and darkened. Vahrik shuddered from the cold shadow that fell over him and released her hand as if stung.
“Much better.” She might have laughed but it was a small, cold sound. “Now, have you any desire to live, you’ll open your ears.”
Sure, he would hear her purposes for bothering him, but he did not have to cooperate. He crossed his arms and watched her circle around him toward the window draped in dark linen. “What do you want?”
After a brief pause, she lifted the covering aside and peered out. Something sinister passed over her in that moment.
Vahrik blinked, finding himself a step back from her.
“Destroy the forest.” Lusiradrol dropped the covering and turned to him, all semblance of amusement gone. “You saw the attack. They live in the forest, thrive on the life there. I want them gone! Cut down the trees! Burn them to ashes! Whatever it takes, I want it gone!”
Vahrik restrained a smile. Have you a weakness, Lusiradrol? Can you not have your way this time? Tension slackened within his muscles. Why the urgency now? Here was a power play he might use to his advantage. “What is the worth of this act?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Destroy the forest and I’ll give you the princess.”
“The Isolder cow?”
The sly smile crept back to her lips as she approached. “If I feel generous, I might toss in her little friend too.”
“Darius!” The woodsman had caused him trouble from Tyrkam for the taking away the princess and hiding her that day she escaped him. When he visited the single-room house all those cycles ago, after the disappearance of the princess from his care, Vahrik felt something odd. Nothing he could place his finger on, but he knew something was amiss. The air sizzled with tension. Darius feared him, something out of character for the bold but silent woodsman.
Vahrik returned later to follow up and discovered him gone and noticed the small footprints in the soft earth next to the woodsman’s larger prints. His anger consumed him into burning the house to the ground, but it lacked the satisfaction of torturing the woodsman.
“Not Darius; your mystery rebel.”
Vahrik sucked in a deep breath. The bandit from the rumors. “How?”
“When guilt bears the burden upon one’s heart, friendship and loyalty carry the soul.”
He frowned, uncertain what riddles she spoke.
“She’s of minor consequence to me, but of some importance to you.”
“She.” A woman. They suspected, although he doubted a woman committed the acts reported. That a woman could take on several men at once and walk away without harm intrigued him. Here was a woman he would enjoy taming.
“I have your interest?”
Vahrik snapped from his sadistic fantasies and focused on the dark woman once more. Her smile teased him. She was desperate to raze the forest. The creatures helped the princess escape, and he wanted it destroyed as much. But, if she wanted it enough to give him what he desired, why had she not done so herself?
She could not.
For the first time since she appeared, a smile crept to his lips. “Cannot the mighty Lusiradrol, who can grant me my desires, not fight her own battles?”
His throat pinched. Vahrik gasped for breath and clawed at his throat, but his fingers could not remove the claw. He blinked, making out a shadowed visage hovering above him.
“Do not forget who I am—what I am.” The deep growl made his heart pound and the air thin.
With unexpected suddenness, he gasped for air and received it. He sucked it in gulps, seeking to relieve the throbbing of blood in his ears and chest. He braced himself against the wall.
“I’ll not tolerate insolence from any man. Do as I ask, and this incident will be forgotten.”
Vahrik looked up at the slender figure standing with her arms crossed and all the fires of the Dark Hills blazing in her eyes. “And if I dare not?”
When the fires flared hotter, he flinched. Her menacing scowl sent a shiver down his spine.
“Deny me nothing,” she said in an icy tone, “or you’ll be next!”
A plume of fire consumed her in an instant and as quickly vanished. He stood alone in the room, able to breathe and think again.
In a few seconds, he made his decision. Considering Lusiradrol’s strength against him, he dared not challenge her. Though bold in facing her this time, he now understood why Tyrkam feared her. Never again would he underestimate her.
Besides, she made a delicious offer. He would destroy the forest for the chance to punish the princess and the woman who caused so much trouble for them.
Vahrik breathed deeply of the pleasures to come. Not only would he have the pleasure of the princess and the woman who could defeat men, but Tyrkam and Dorjan would not dare to turn against him with Lusiradrol at his side.
__________
Calli
Calli pulled her fur-lined cloak tight around her throat and peered aside at the two men riding behind her and the mountains rising high above them. The woolen wrap covered her face against the biting cold as the leggings and coat warmed the rest of her. The rough leather of the gloves prevented her reins from slipping through cold fingers. The men were dressed much the same.
Their horses wore quarter blankets attached to the back of their saddles, gifts from Marjan for taking on the risk. Having lived in the warmth of the valley, the horses’ winter coats had yet to grow long for the cold season.
When they had first emerged from the magic hiding the entrance to the valley, Duke let out a snort at the white of snow and tossed his head. Fresh and fattened on the lush grass of Arronfel, he had crow-hopped beneath her and picked his feet up extra high with each step.
After several
days of travel and sparse grass, he walked with his head low. They needed rest and good feed. Marjan might have been right. She had not considered the lack of food for the horses.
Winter had hit full force over the land. The horses stepped through the white fluff covering the roads. The foothills contained less snow than the mountains, by the few inches covering the grass. They could rest for the night and hobble the horses to graze, since they would not find any farms in that area.
Calli patted the gray neck and reined Duke to a halt on the hilltop. He responded without objection. On either side of her rode Ellead, the farmer’s eldest son, taller than his brother back at the fortress with his shoulder-length blonde hair tied out of his long face, and the stout, black-bearded Fenwar, the younger brother of the blacksmith and also his apprentice. She trusted them. Each led another horse packed with food and a few supplies.
Through the covering over her mouth and nose, she said, “We camp here tonight.” They nodded their agreement and dismounted. The cold gave them one benefit—Tyrkam’s army gave up their pursuit of Marjan’s forces into the mountains and left the area. She hoped he never returned.
After erecting a temporary barrier against the eastern wind, they spent the night in the valley huddled around a warm fire with wood from the scattered trees. By morning, the horses tossed their heads in good spirits but had huddled together with their butts to the wind.
In the following days, they stayed off the roads and stopped at occasional farmhouses for recent news and warmth, especially from the harshest weather. Calli heard stories of terrible red beasts picking off the occasional cow or horse and sometimes taking a person. She never doubted Taelyn’s story of the fire-breathing beast with claw-tipped wings pursuing him into the mountains. Both Ellead and Fenwar expressed their discomfort of the situation and the possibility of facing one of these dragons.
After little more than a couple snowfalls and another eight cold days, they reached the edge of what had been Cavatar’s border with Hadeon.
Calli led the three through the trees and rocks along the banks of a shallow stream. A hill rose on the opposite bank, blocking their sight to what lay beyond. Unconcerned, they let the horses drop their muzzles to drink the flowing water.
With the shushing of the horses’ steps through snow-covered grass quieted, other noises rose to her ears. The stream trickled over the rocks and tree roots. A few winter birds twittered in the trees. Something like the wind groaned.
Calli let out a sigh, her eyes on the sky above for the red death that haunted the land.
“Not a raider in sight, milady.”
She glanced aside at Ellead, who scanned the wilderness around them. “Be glad. I’ve no love of fightin.”
Fenwar snorted. “I’d not o’ guessed it.”
“You’ve not known me long enough.”
“I’d rather raiders than those dragons.” Ellead shivered.
She agreed completely on that. A cold shudder ran over her shoulders. She looked up to the sky, afraid they might see one of the fire-breathing beasts. So far in their journey, they spied one of the horrible creatures from a distance and only briefly as it vanished into the sun.
Gray clouds threatened snow that day. They should find a place to stay sheltered that night, where the horses could eat well. She had no intention of trading Duke for a lesser mount.
She pulled her cloak tighter to her and studied the land around them. The chill of winter hushed through the grass and leafless boughs. The active stream raced ahead of the freezing air and the approach of nightfall.
“Best to find shelter for the night.”
The two men agreed.
The horses finished their fill of the cold drink and splashed through the flowing water to the opposite side. They climbed the steep embankment at an angle, finding some footing on the wild grasses beneath the snow.
At the top of the hill, Calli halted Duke. Her heart pounded a mad race at what her eyes beheld.
Ellead gasped.
Still a ways ahead but too close for comfort, one of the red beasts chewed something large. Hooves and legs hung from its jaws. Blood dripped from large, sharp teeth. For a wide radius around the beast, the land was black with ash. It posed a stark contrast to the gentle tufts of snow beyond.
Calli knew she should back away, but horror froze her thoughts. She could only stare.
“M’lady—”
She tilted her head aside at Fenwar’s whisper, her eyes focused on the gruesome dragon tossing its meal up to open its jaws wider. The dead animal slipped down the dragon’s throat.
When he said nothing more, she tore her eyes away to him backing down to the river. She followed his lead. With all luck, the dragon would not notice them.
They dipped below the knoll, the red mound no longer visible.
Ellead pointed at the edge of a forest down river from where they watered the horses. Calli nodded and led them to the barren trees. It might not hide them, but it would make them difficult targets.
As they neared the leafless boughs, a chill froze her blood. Duke snorted, his head perched high with his ears forward. He stood like a rock, along with the other horses. All five heads fixed on something ahead to the left.
“I—”
Calli held up a gloved hand to hush Ellead.
Branches swayed in the wind whistling through the trees.
Upon it rode something else. Another sound set her on edge, something faint and indistinct, but not natural.
The bay Fenwar rode blew out its breath in a long snort. She half expected him to bolt, but the gelding remained under control.
Over the wind, a low rumble sent a shiver down her spine. Calli swallowed, afraid of what creature made such a sound. She guessed only one, since she knew nothing like it in her eighteen years.
From behind came a roar muffled by the hill.
Calli glanced at both companions and pointed into the forest in a line diagonally away from both threats. The men nodded agreement and followed her.
She took the lead, urging Duke forward in spite of his hesitation. The horses trod through the snow one-by-one, leaving only a single trail.
Although they left the dragon behind them, the hairs at the back of Calli’s neck stood up. Something other than the chill of winter made her shiver. She scanned the trees they rode through. Nothing moved; neither squirrel, wolf, nor bird. Her heart raced and her hands gripped the reins tight. Duke pranced until she noticed how stiff she sat.
Nothing followed. Why worry? She relaxed in the saddle, and Duke slowed his steps.
A rumbling roar shocked her out of her skin. A flap like a tablecloth shaken in the wind tore her eyes from the land. Above the barren trees soared a red beast. Its reptilian eyes fixed on them, its jaw opening.
“RUN!”
The others already fled. She gave Duke his head, and he surged between the bay and the chestnut to take the lead.
Behind them, a blaze erupted within the forest. It rained down from above, following their trail.
Icy wind stole her breath through the scarf. In sharp contrast blew the heat from behind.
The crackle of smoldering branches rose around them. The trees burned like candles.
Duke stretched his nose ahead, and Calli leaned low over his neck. She glanced back; Ellead and Fenwar stayed close at her heels. Small relief when the dragon swooped low overhead, its jaw once more opening.
She focused ahead, made a quick decision, and reined Duke into a tight turn to the left. From the corner of her eyes, she caught the other two a little slow but following with the pack horses.
The lumbering beast above let out a shriek and soared skyward with the flap of its enormous wings. It could not maneuver with its prey. With Duke full out beneath her, she continued to race. Neither fallen logs nor boulders slowed him. He ran in panicked flight.
Low branches slashed at her face. One snagged her hood and nearly choked her with her cloak. The thin branch snapped off before she lost her balance
. She ducked others but a couple snagged her hair briefly.
When the giant shadow loomed before her, Calli barely had time to avoid it.
She gulped and looked up. Her heart thumped against her chest.
The dragon glided down from ahead, tooth-filled jaw opening. This time it ducked low. She realized in an instant its intentions. No. It could not end like this!
In an effort to avoid the beast, she sat back, intending to turn Duke.
The gelding slid on the snowy ground, tucking his hindquarters beneath him so he almost sat, but the slippery ground sent them sliding toward the open maw approaching.
Please—please—please—please… In time with her rapid heartbeat, her thoughts repeated. She closed her eyes, hoping Duke could rollback before becoming dragon food.
In the instant before he regained his footing, a slap of wind knocked them down. Duke fell beneath her. Calli kicked free and rolled from the saddle, barely avoiding being crushed by the horse.
Trees splintered around her.
She ceased her roll and brushed snow from her face. The cold clung to her skin with her hair and froze her cheeks.
A glistening body of gold scales blocking her view of the red dragon, whose tail slapped up from beneath gold wings. The larger dragon stood on four legs, its wingtips free of claws. The smooth scales contrasted the rough, jagged scales of the smaller, red dragon.
“Are you hurt?”
Calli turned to Fenwar, who stopped his mount without incident. She rose to her feet.
The gold dragon snapped at the neck of the red beast, which jerked away.
Wishing to put distance from the fight, Calli rushed to Duke, who stood trembling. She took the reins in one hand and, with her other, rubbed the horse’s face to calm him. He made no move, except for the quivering of his entire body.
“Easy boy.” In spite of her best efforts, her voice shook with the fright of their close encounter.
The crashing of bodies behind them blended with the flapping of wings as the red dragon took to the air. The gold pursued, and the chase carried them beyond the flattened swath of trees.
Legends Page 7
