by Nathan Roden
“No, Helena,” Simon said. “Boone is right. He did not dismiss you. He means to keep you safe.”
“He means to become my father!”
Simon chuckled.
“No, no, no. He does not mean to become your father. Make your bed and get some sleep. We will all think clearer after we have rested. We will have to.”
“You are one to talk!” Helena said as she stormed away. She tossed her head and murmured out loud.
“Don’t go in the woods, little girl! It’s far too dangerous, little girl! But I am a dragon, and I will waltz right into the castle and visit the Queen if I wish!”
Simon lay on the floor and closed his eyes. Helena gathered the leaves and straw that littered the cave floor. She lay down, closed her eyes, and immediately began sneezing. She sneezed several times and then closed her eyes again.
Seconds later, the sneezing began again. Helena jumped to her feet in a huff. She swore as she kicked the bedding away from her. A cloud of dust rose from it. Helena stomped across the floor, and out the door.
Helena screamed.
Simon leaped to his feet and ran outside.
Helena stood still—face-to-face with a black wolf.
“Do not move,” Simon whispered. He inhaled. And then he held his breath.
The wolf stood on its back legs and transformed into a tall lady in a black gown.
Magdalena grabbed Helena and stood behind her.
Helena jerked her arms. She kicked back with her feet.
Magdalena did not seem to even notice.
“What are you doing here?” Simon snarled. “Let her go!”
“Turn off your fire, and I will let her go,” Magdalena said. “That is only fair.”
“The only way to turn off the fire is to starve myself,” Simon said. “Unless you know of another way. You are my Creator, after all.”
“It was a joke, Your Highness,” Magdalena said. “It is one reason I always look forward to our meetings. I so seldom get to express humor while in the village.”
“This gives me an idea for what to do with you,” Simon said. “We could place you in stocks, in the village square, and let you entertain the people until your tongue falls off.”
Magdalena laughed.
“That was delicious, Dragon-King! It is a shame that such a creative mind wastes away in filthy caves!”
“We have played these word games before,” Simon said. “This gets us nowhere.”
“No. It does not.”
Magdalena lowered her hands. Helena could not believe it. Neither could Simon.
Helena ran and hid behind the dragon.
“What is this?” Simon asked. “Some new kind of magic?”
“No,” Magdalena said. “No magic, at all. I propose that we come together in common purpose—
“Before it is too late.”
“Do not listen to the Witch!” Helena snapped. “There is even more treachery in her truth than in her lies! She thinks only of herself! Bring your fire and send her to Valhalla!”
Magdalena waved her hand.
“Please, let us hear all of your insults and wishes for my eternal damnation now, so we may get on with the things that matter!”
“Helena has as many reasons—” Simon began.
“I know all about the Queen’s handmaid,” Magdalena said. “I attend the castle often, if that fact has slipped your mind. Do you think it has escaped Sterling’s notice that the Queen confided in this girl much more than she should—?”
Simon raised his head into the air and blew fire from his nostrils.
“I will not stand silent while you insult the Queen! Do you begrudge her having a single confidant? One friend—in the entire Kingdom? Sterling would find a reason to hate the Queen, even if there was no reason. And by Helena’s association with her, she is hated, as well.”
“She will tell them I am alive!” Helena said. “Lucien and Sterling will believe that the queen was involved in—!”
Magdalena clapped her hands and laughed.
“She is a bright child! Perhaps she will not be as much of a liability to us as I previously thought.”
“Stop talking like we are on the same side, Sorceress!” Helena screamed. “Sim—your Grace, please tell me that you are not listening to—”
“I could burn her to ash in seconds,” Simon said softly.
“Yes, you could,” Magdalena replied.
“Your Grace….Simon,” Helena whispered. “NO! She is tricking you! You cannot listen to her!”
“The proof is simple,” Simon said.
“Lift the curse.”
Forty-Four
“That is not what you want,” Magdalena said. “Not now.”
“Are you mad?” Simon roared.
He turned his head aside just in time. Flames blasted through the door of the cave.
“Get out, Witch. Before I lose all patience.”
“You must listen to me—” Magdalena said.
“I said get out! A dragon will not sit the throne of Morgenwraithe! You dare come here to propose an alliance. To what end? Even desperate people must have someone to rally behind. Without a rightful King, there is no such man!”
“You are wrong, Simon,” Magdalena said. “The people do not look for a king. They look for strength.”
“Ha!” Simon said. “Did the people cheer the strength of the dragon on the king’s name day? Was the arena alive with support for the mighty fire-breathing beast? Or did they curse it in the name of every burned man, woman, and child ever consumed by dragon’s fire? Did they curse it for every destroyed field? The people have no love for any dragon—!”
Magdalena stared at the ground.
“It would be far too dangerous for me to attempt to lift the curse.”
“I swear on all that is holy that you will not be harmed,” Simon said. “I do not seek vengeance. That is not why—”
“Listen to me!” Magdalena yelled.
There was silence.
“Yes, I was born with gifts,” Magdalena said quietly. “And I learned much from my Gram—but her skills were limited. Magic among women is not encouraged in the Southlands—and it is far worse within the Kingdom. The few old men with the power of magic guard their secrets. They have been watched closely since the days of Vehaillion, and they live in fear.”
“Fear of what?” Simon asked.
“Fear of death!” Magdalena exclaimed. “Men who rule by fear do not trust magic! And they do not sit by and watch its secrets shared freely.”
“What are you saying?” Boone said. “You cannot lift the curse? You dare come here on bended knee with no ability to—?”
“I am saying that it would present a risk!” Magdalena said.
“The old man who taught me in secret is long dead. If I tried to lift the curse, it might work. Or it may bind you inside the dragon for all eternity.
“It might even kill you.”
“Then we search among those with magic who remain,” Helena said. “That they may guide you.”
“There are no more,” Magdalena said.
Boone shook his head.
“Surely there must be someone—”
“Lord Sterling has killed them all,” Magdalena said. She looked at Simon.
“The only hope for you, or for the entire kingdom—lies elsewhere.”
“She is lying,” Boone said. “We have seen her magic at work. She knows your curse keeps her alive.”
“You are a powerful and intelligent dragon,” Magdalena said. “Without the curse, you are nothing but another man.”
“A man who is the rightful King!” Helena screamed. “The people know this is true!”
“I am not talking about these people.”
“What are you saying?” Helena asked.
“We must raise an army in the south.”
Helena and Simon exchanged a look.
“Very well, then,” Simon said.
“No!” Helena shouted.
“L
ift the curse, this minute,” Simon said, “and we will leave for the Southlands immediately. It should be a simple campaign. How could any rational people oppose it? I have prepared my plea—listen to me, Sorceress, and tell me that I am wrong!
“I, the Dragon-King,
“Simon Morgenwraithe, the rightful King of the land, come to you with a request of mutual benefit. Rally your forces behind me and we will overthrow the usurpers! We will vanquish the unjust who have kept you poor and sick! And your reward will be gold, and lands, access to the ports of Islemar and seats of influence within the Kingdom!”
Magdalena shook her head.
“The people of the Southlands do not care about ‘rightful kings’—or any king at all.”
“How do you profess to know so much about the Southlands?” Helena asked.
“I was born there,” Magdalena said.
“You were not!” Helena said. “She’s lying!”
“Why would I lie about such a thing?” Magdalena snapped.
“Because you are a wit—!”
Magdalena’s face lengthened and her mouth grew large. An intense growl sounded behind a row of vicious fangs.
Helena whimpered and fell silent. She stepped back. Magdalena’s face returned to normal.
Simon and Helena stared at Magdalena as she paced the floor.
“I lived in the Southlands with my family, for seven years. My mother took ill and died. I spent most of my days with my Gram. We shared the power of magic—but she warned me to keep it secret, always. I never knew why. She grew feeble and old.
“My father had a difficult time feeding us. The crops failed for three years. My brothers disappeared—one at a time. I believe they were sold, but Father would not speak of it. One day a big, gruff man came to our home. He and my father argued. They argued over the price for me. I watched the man pull a dagger and cut my father’s throat.
“I ran to my Gram’s hut. The man chased me there and knocked down the door. Gram ran at the man with an ax. He…he killed her. And he dragged me away with him. He brought me to Morgenwraithe and sold me the next day.
“He had me bound, hand and foot. You may think this would discourage anyone from my purchase, but it does not work that way. These people know there is far more magic in the south than in the villages of the kingdom. And many believe magic can bring them riches.
“There were many bidders. Your grandfather was chief among them.”
Helena held her hand over her mouth.
“I spoke to the queen,” Magdalena said.
“You spoke to her? Concerning what?” Simon asked.
“Her behavior,” Magdalena said.
Simon started to object. Magdalena held up her hands.
“Her pouting behavior that threatens our purpose and endangers her life! She has been in the throes of such depression that it is an embarrassment for Lucien and Sterling. This cannot be allowed to continue.
“I also…implied that Helena was alive.”
“You…” Helena whispered. “Did you really do that?”
“We will discuss this matter,” Simon said, “among ourselves.”
“There is not much time,” Magdalena said. “The new heir to the throne will be born in six months.”
“If the child is a boy,” Simon said.
“The child is a boy,” Magdalena said.
Simon nodded.
“Look around you, Simon Morgenwraithe. We are all orphans,” Magdalena said. “You, me, the Blankenship boy, and Helena. If we do nothing, the queen will also become an orphan—just before they kill her.”
Magdalena bent over and transformed into a wolf. And she was gone.
Helena and Simon finished preparing new beds.
Helena yawned.
“And I thought we had much to think about, before.”
“Aye,” Simon said. “I hope that we are able to rest after such a visit.”
Simon’s stomach growled.
Helena scowled.
“I heard that! I am also hungry. If I wake to the smell of roasted meat, I may kiss that boy.”
“I might, as well,” Simon said. They laughed and lay down. They were asleep immediately.
Simon was startled awake.
Boone announced his arrival with a whispered yell.
“I’m back! Don’t roast me!”
Simon stretched.
“Try not to wake Helena. She needs sleep more than food at this moment.”
“Very well,” Boone said. “I have a deer and two boars to dress. And I bagged something I haven’t been able to bring down for a long time. I thought you might want to give it a try, so I left it alive.”
“What’s that?” Simon asked.
Boone grinned.
“A wolf.”
Forty-Five
Boone looked over his shoulder as he ran down the hill. Simon raced behind him, crashing through the trees, with Helena on his heels.
Boone stumbled and Simon almost ran him over.
Boone waved his hand. He was out of breath. Simon ran on ahead.
He stopped in a small clearing.
“No…,” he whispered.
The Lady Magdalena lay on the ground with an arrow through her upper leg. She writhed and moaned. She changed part of the way into a wolf and then back into a woman.
“Oh, no,” Boone said. “I didn’t…why is she…? What are we going to do, Simon? She was running straight at me!”
“It is a sign, from the gods!” Helena said. “Cut her throat and be done with it!”
“Maybe she’s right,” Boone said.
“And maybe I don’t want to remain a dragon forever!”
“She’s not going to lift the curse, Simon!” Boone cried. “I’d wager she doesn’t even know how!”
“I would wager the same!” Helena said. “She stood right in front of you and refused to lift the curse, knowing you could send her to hell with one breath! She’s bloody mad, I tell you!”
“It does not end this way,” Simon said.
“Let’s discuss this for a moment—” Boone said.
“I am the rightful King of the Kingdom of Morgenwraithe!” Simon roared. “The very day I sit my backside on that chair, I will be expected to speak sound judgment! And my judgment says the sorceress does not die this day—and she does not die by my hand!”
Boone cleared his throat.
“Very well. Then, what do we do with her? She’s the one with the magic, and she’s not long for this world without it. If she was gut-shot, she would be dead already. But the way she’s bleeding, it won’t matter for long.”
“It would be good to know if her house remains under guard,” Simon said.
“Aye,” Boone said. “That would be good to—wait just a hairy minute! Do you mean to take her to her own house—in the middle of the day? Do you hear the words coming from your own lips?”
“I doubt they’re guarding her house anymore,” Helena said. “You killed a good one-hundred and thirty-three of their men.”
Boone’s face filled with a morbid disgust.
“Were you bloody counting them? Men on fire, screaming, and you were counting them?”
Helena crossed her arms.
“I meant nothing by it. I…I like numbers.”
“You were all for putting the witch out of her misery a few minutes ago, and now you’re on his side!” Boone said.
“I’m on my own side, Boone Blankenship, and I will thank you kindly to stop acting like my mother!”
“Don’t you mean acting like your father?”
“I meant what I said!”
“STOP IT THIS INSTANT!” Simon roared.
“I will fly as low as I can, and land outside of the village,” Simon said. “Boone, you will have to find a horse, and take Magdalena to her house. We can only pray that she can stay alive and awake long enough to tell you what to do.”
Boone shook his head.
“You want me to steal a horse—in broad bloody daylight—to save the
woman who cursed you? This just gets better all the time. Can you imagine—if I’m caught stealing a horse and they run me through for it? Or take off my head? The gods will have a laugh at that one, they will.”
“You only need to ‘borrow’ a horse,” Simon said. “We’ll take it back.”
“Aye, we may as well return all your books, while we’re at it. You know, as long as we’re settling up.”
“I’m going, too,” Helena said.
“Like hell, you are,” Boone said.
“Like hell, I am!”
“Simon…,”
“She’s going with you,” Simon said. “You may need all of us, Boone.”
“Don’t tell me you’re—?”
Simon pointed a talon into the air.
“Full moon tonight. Did you forget?”
Boone let his head fall back. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Yes, I did. You’re not—you’re not still planning to go to the castle! Not after all of this!”
“I will have time to help you.”
“You will not!” Boone said. “If you transform anywhere near the village, you will be caught—and so will we!”
“You make those terrible, terrible sounds each time?” Helena asked.
Simon looked at Boone before he answered.
“It…hurts.”
“Hurts,” Boone muttered. “It is like every soul in hell is crying out in agony.”
“I will make my distance on the opposite side of the village, and I will hurry,” Simon said.
Magdalena rolled over and cried out in pain.
Boone bent over her.
“Can you hear me, my…Lady?”
Boone glanced angrily at Simon. He jumped.
Magdalena took hold of his hand.
