Liselle relayed that to the rest. Sir Danth asked, “What of this monster? I believe perhaps that would be more important for the moment.”
“Sir Danth asks of the monster,” Liselle told the ship.
“Yes, I understand the hollow one’s speech, though the others do not understand me,” Aermoirre replied. “Telling you of my mothers will help you to understand why I do this task for the monster.”
Liselle told the others that. “As Aermoirre tells me the story, I’ll repeat it to everyone.” They agreed and the ship began telling of her mothers.
“Once there lived a coven of witches in a mountain valley. They danced naked in the light of the moons and cast spells of joy and mischief. At times, they would travel down the mountains to find men to seduce and love. It was a happy life for them.”
Liselle blushed a little when relaying the part about the naked dancing, but decided it might be fun and that she might do so one night for Vevin when the two of them were alone.
“After a while, soldiers were sent into the valley to punish the witches for kidnapping men, for the men were always handsome and usually married. The coven fought the soldiers off, but there were losses. One especially harsh winter, avalanches collapsed both of the passages out of the valley. The coven was very unhappy and spent a good deal of time trying to figure out what to do.”
“Men are useless anyway,” Emmaoen mumbled.
“The collapsed passes kept the soldiers from attacking the valley, so they decided not to clear them. That’s when they pooled their magic together to make me. The witches had traveled to a coastal town in their journeys and liked the ships they saw there. They based my design on that, but made it so that I would float on air, not water.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Vevin said. “Floating on air is so much more fun than floating on water.”
“Out of curiosity, are you capable of floating on water?” Sir Danth asked.
“Yes, I do so on occasion. Fish tickle my keel and I like to play in the waves,” Aermoirre answered. “Powerful magics were used to create me from enchanted trees. My sails were constructed from the silk of giant butterflies and woven with diamond needles. My bell was made with the purest gold smelted with moonlight.”
“You are truly a work of art,” Sir Danth told her.
“Thank you, hollow one,” Aermoirre replied with another soft blush. “The coven would sail me over the mountains to collect the men and sail them back. It worked wonderfully for more than a century.”
“How long ago was this?” Emmaoen asked. “I don’t remember any mention of ships taking the men of Kethril.”
“It was twelve centuries ago. There were fewer people in your lands then. Those that were there lived near the coast.”
“Does the coven still exist?” Tathan asked.
The next tones of the bell were sad and the vibrations in the deck and wheel lessened. “It does not. One day, skeethies poured out of the mountains. The coven fought them off, but more came the next day and the next. For months, they poured out of the mountains until all of my mothers were murdered.”
“That’s terrible, Aermoirre. I’m so sorry.” Liselle ran her hands over the wheel comfortingly. The vibrations grew a little stronger in response.
“Why didn’t the witches escape the valley?” Tathan asked.
“Their power was in the valley. That is all I will tell you about that,” the ship answered.
“Skeethies don’t normally attack for that long,” Emmaoen said. “They’re never organized very well.”
“Something chased them from underground. The coven captured some of them who talked fearfully of ghosts driving them away,” Aermoirre responded.
“I wonder if the Rojuun chased them out,” Sir Danth mused. They thought about that for a moment, but the ship offered no clarification. “So you’ve been out here alone for more than a millennium?” the knight asked.
“I have my children and we’ve been sailing in the mountains for that time. It hasn’t been a bad life even though I miss my mothers,” Aermoirre answered.
“Your children?” Liselle asked.
“My mothers were so happy with me that they made me children. A ship they saw had little lifeboats for humans to escape on, and I was lonely at the time, so they made me two baby lifeboats.” Aermoirre portrayed love in her communication, along with worry.
“Where are your babies now, Aermoirre?” Liselle asked.
The ship vibrated heavily, causing everyone to balance. “The monster took them! He holds them captive and threatens to hurt them unless I bring him sheep.” Liselle gained the impression that Aermoirre was crying and told her companions as much.
“I won’t let my children be hurt. Please understand, please help me,” Aermoirre pleaded with Liselle.
“Of course we’ll help you,” Liselle reassured her. “Won’t we, cousin?” she asked Tathan, although it was more of a demand than a request.
“I have a feeling I don’t have much of a choice in the matter,” he replied dryly. “I’d like to know a little more about the monster though.”
“I will lay my existence on the line to save the children of such a noble ship,” Sir Danth said. “However, I must admit the practicality of Master Tathan’s request. Perhaps we will be able to come up with a complete plan this time instead of only half or none at all.”
“I like not having plans. It’s more fun that way,” Vevin said with a toothy grin.
“What can you tell us about the monster, Aermoirre?” Tathan asked the ship. “Also, do you know where your children are and what dangers we’ll face trying to rescue them?”
“My children are trapped in a cave where they’re tied down, unable to fly free.” The ship shuddered as if sobbing. It alarmed those who were standing on its deck, including the horses that pawed nervously. “It scratches their wood to make them cry. It’s an evil beast!”
The ship began to rise in the air and the gangplank slid back into a slot in the side. “Aermoirre, what are you doing?” Liselle asked worriedly.
“I will take you to the monster and tell you of it on the way. I sense the power in you, the knight, the dragon and one the shadows watch. You can defeat the monster. I know you can. You have to,” Aermoirre told her in desperation.
Liselle relayed the ship’s statement, using Tathan’s name instead of the ship’s description of her cousin. Looks of concern were exchanged, but no one protested. Vevin did a somersault, startling all of them. “Yay! It looks like we don’t have a plan after all.” Then he promptly proceeded to do a ‘no plan’ version of the happy dance.
“Someone must rescue my children while others fight the monster,” Aermoirre declared.
“Alright,” Tathan said after listening to Liselle repeat the ship’s statement. “I have questions and need answers quickly. I need to know as much as possible so we can be prepared.” He put his hands on his hips and spoke directly to the bell. “How big are your children?”
“They are as long as three men are tall. They have a single mast and sail, which the monster makes them keep down. They are in a smaller cave in the back of the main cave behind a locked iron gate.”
“How easy will it be to get into the main cave?” Tathan asked.
“There is a tunnel as long as I am that I can fit through easily, but I won’t go in. I would just get in your way,” Aermoirre answered. “The main cave is large and humid with a heated spring in one corner and treasure in deeper caves.”
“Treasure?” Vevin and Tathan said in unison.
“Yes, you can have all the treasure if you rescue my children.”
“I want something else in payment,” Tathan said. “If we do this, you sail us to Mayncal by the shortest route possible.” Princess Anilyia, smiled at first, and then her face fell as she realized it meant her time with Tathan could be coming to an end. Tathan took her hand as the princess rested her head on his arm.
“If you rescue my children, I will do so, but you must not
hold them hostage and I will go free after we reach Mayncal,” Aermoirre responded.
“Done,” Tathan agreed. “Now tell us about this monster.”
With the agreement made, the ship no longer dodged the subject. “It is a dragon.”
Tathan said words that Liselle didn’t understand. Lots of them. She was fairly certain she didn’t want to understand them. Especially after seeing Anilyia and Emmaoen blush deeply. The princess covered her ears with her hands. Sir Danth’s arms were folded and he was looking at his feet.
Vevin shuffled nervously from side to side in concern and Liselle could see a trace of fear in his eyes. She knew he was still young for a dragon. He was also skinny and small compared to most. Liselle knew what a full size dragon looked like and she definitely didn’t want to fight one.
“Wait! What about the pact?” Anilyia asked suddenly. “Humans aren’t allowed to kill dragons.”
“I am no longer human, though I am not certain of victory and I wonder how Master Vevin feels about it,” Sir Danth said.
They turned to Vevin, who looked very unhappy. “Dragons don’t fight each other. There’s no rule against it, but it never ends well. I don’t know what to do.” He looked to Liselle for an answer, but she didn’t have one. The only thing she could think to do was embrace him in comfort.
“I’m pretty talented, but I don’t know if we can handle a dragon without your help, Vevin,” Tathan said.
Something occurred to Liselle. “The flowers told me a dragon has been stomping on them recently. I wonder if this is the same dragon.”
“Yes, the monster steps on flowers and says they’re too pretty to live. It doesn’t like pretty things,” Aermoirre told them.
“It does step on flowers?” Liselle asked, flames appearing behind her eyes. She looked at Anilyia. “I’m only half human, does that matter?”
She shrugged in response. “I really don’t know.”
“Dragons aren’t allowed to steal livestock including sheep either. That’s part of the treaty,” Emmaoen mentioned thoughtfully. “I think we are justified in defending our property, even if the dragon used the ship to commit the crime.”
“You may have an argument,” Anilyia agreed, forgetting their dislike for a moment. “I think it’s enough, but if we’re wrong . . .” she trailed off. Liselle remembered that princesses were used as ransom in disagreements between humans and dragons.
“Don’t worry, I won’t even let dragons take you,” Tathan assured her. It was a bold statement, but for some reason, Liselle believed he might succeed in protecting the princess from dragons.
The ship stopped moving and the gangplank slid out to the ground. During the discussion, Aermoirre had reached the lair of the monster. “There is his cave. He never comes out, so he’ll be inside. Please save my babies.”
At first glance, everything appeared peaceful. They were in another valley and the sun was beginning to light the eastern sky. Then Liselle saw the truth in what the nightflowers had told her. Shreds of flowers lay all over the valley. Downed trees had their bark scratched off. Sheep bones were scattered about and the blood of the innocent animals fertilized the grass.
“I hereby declare that this dragon has been stealing sheep from the peasants of Kethril and is in violation of the treaty between dragons and humans,” Emmaoen announced. A deep rumble echoed from within the cave as though the dragon had heard the statement. The duchess took an uneasy step back and fear filled her pink eyes.
Liselle took a deep breath and focused her thoughts. They were about to fight a dragon. She couldn’t afford to be overcome with fear, or let the anger welling up in her chest over the murder of flowers cloud her judgment. Fear: the word came to the front of her mind. Vevin used dragon fear to frighten his enemies and this one might try the same. Liselle thought about Vevin’s dragon fear and the way it worked. By altering one of the spells he had taught her to protect her mind, she could protect them all from the fear.
She used words and gestures she felt would help strengthen it and cast the protection on all of them. They sprang to action when they felt the spell touch their minds. Tathan and Sir Danth drew their swords and jumped over the rail, not content to walk down the gangplank like normal people. Vevin stayed next to Liselle, still indecisive. Emmaoen touched various pieces of jewelry on her hands, neck and ears while speaking words of power. Liselle felt little energy bursts come with each activation. There was a shimmer of power around her that Liselle believed to be some sort of shield. Anilyia was hiding behind the wheel, knowing that her own life was in grave danger.
“Son?” a voice boomed from the cave. A ferocious-appearing white head materialized. The depraved dragon moved out of the cave, unfolding its scarred and blackened wings. There were cuts all over the body and face. It looked in Vevin’s direction with cruel, black swirling eyes, as though someone had poured ink in the liquid silver. Its tone was wicked and snarling. “It is you!"
Chapter 25
The beast was twice as large as Vevin’s dragon form. It was also much thicker, even pudgy. Tathan moved silently to the dragon’s left flank, trying to ignore the foul stench that came off the creature. Sir Danth stood in front of it with his sword raised high. Tathan could swear the knight was grinning like a madman.
Tathan knew the ship wanted him to save the baby boats, but he wasn’t willing to leave his companions alone yet, especially not with Vevin frozen and the dragon’s attention near Anilyia and Liselle. This was the dragon that had made the gash along Vevin’s face and the one thing Vevin was more afraid of than anything.
There were a number of things wrong with the dragon that most people might miss, but Tathan noticed them right away. The first was the fact that the dragon didn’t have a shadow. He had heard of creatures or items having their shadows ripped away. It was said to be painful and Tathan considered it one of the worst crimes in the world even though he didn’t always get along with shadows.
Another thing was the dragon’s eyes. They were obviously tainted, but Tathan could see deeper into eyes than most people. He could see what haunted a person or creature. The dragon had been tortured, but there was more to it than that. There was a twisted joy for pain in the creature’s soul. It had liked the torture it had received and wanted others to suffer just for fun.
Even if Tathan hadn’t agreed to rescue Aermoirre’s children, even if the dragon weren’t a mutilator of flowers, which Tathan had come to consider a crime since traveling with his cousin, and even if the monster hadn’t abused Vevin, Tathan would have killed it.
Tathan had met a few people and creatures of pure malevolence. They hurt everything they touched and made the world worse. The looks of suffering in the eyes of children and their parents came from the wickedness of such creatures. Tathan couldn’t bear the looks of suffering he saw in those eyes and would do anything to stop those that caused it. This dragon would die and it would do so by Tathan’s hand.
The dragon spoke again. “What are you doing in that human form, Son? And . . . is it? . . . Yes, it is. You brought me a princess as an apology . . . two in fact!” The dragon glanced first at Anilyia, then at Emmaoen.
Vevin cowered behind Liselle when the dragon began to speak. He was trying to be brave, but childhood memories of horrible abuse bent his back and caused his muscles to shake. Tathan had seen countless abused children and felt genuine sorrow for his friend.
“You will never hurt my mate again,” Liselle declared defiantly. Blue fire burst from her limbs and engulfed her.
“Your mate?!” The dragon exclaimed in glee. “Such a magical creature and so pretty! I shall enjoy torturing her and listening to her screams.” The dragon licked its lips. Instead of the forked tongue that most dragons had, the monster’s had been shredded into a hundred thin strands.
Tathan advanced. There was no way he was going to allow this abomination to harm his cousin. If he didn’t know that dragons could see invisible creatures, he would have activated his ring. Sir Danth whirled
his sword in a flourish, ready to drive it into the monster’s heart.
They were both too slow. The threat to Liselle was enough to overcome every moment of fear that Vevin had ever felt at his father’s claw. He came out from behind Liselle and leapt at his father’s head with a primal scream. In an instant, he was transformed and biting down on his sire’s snout. The son was half the size of his father, but his rage made up for it.
The white dragon reared in pain and snapped its head to the left in an attempt to shake his attacker off. Tathan ducked as Vevin flew over his head and hit the ground hard behind him. Tathan tumbled out of the way, as the white dragon’s left foot landed right next to him. Then he stood and sliced Lifedrinker into the ankle where the tendons would be. Dragon scales were hard and magically enhanced, but Tathan’s dark weapon cut deep and snapped the tendons. Droplets of blood flew out of the wound, drawn to the sword that drank the supernatural liquid with enthusiasm.
Things slowed down for Tathan. He recognized Liselle’s touch in the magic that increased his speed. In addition to that, strength flowed through his veins. It didn’t feel like Liselle’s touch, so he figured the duchess had done that part. It was good to know that they were keeping their heads about them, but he also hoped that they had protected themselves first.
At the same time, the dragon lifted its foot in pain. Its eyes swirled in surprise and outrage as it noticed Tathan for the first time. Then it yowled in agony and immediately whipped its head around. Tathan had to tumble as the white body jerked in reaction to Sir Danth’s sword sliding into its undercarriage from the other side. It was a fantastic blow to the chest where the heart should be, yet the dragon lived.
Vevin hit it again, directly over Tathan who was beginning to think that being on the ground during a dragon battle was a bad idea. The side of Vevin’s tail bumped Tathan, sending him rolling and confirming his beliefs. Sir Danth was knocked to the ground by the enormous bodies rolling over him. A normal man without magical armor would have been crushed.
Kethril Page 27
