The Dream of Shadows

by Nicholas Clausen

  “Promise me,” Benet asked again.

  “I promise.” Hayden voiced finally, appeasing the rider.

  The Bone Thief had just walked a few feet down the hall, having been out of sight while they had been in the room. The Bone Thief immediately started walking and led them back to where Benet had to stay until the Bone Thieves left the Dark Hold and marched to the stronghold.

  Benet stepped into the dark doorway, almost disappearing as soon as he passed over the threshold. Before he submerged himself in his solitude, Benet turned for one last look at Hayden.

  “Thank you for speaking with me.” He said. Hayden had been telling himself that they were doing right by Benet but seeing him in the dungeon cell didn’t sit well with Hayden.

  He wanted to say he was sorry, but he didn’t feel that it was appropriate. There was still a war to win and battles to fight. He would have to say sorry when he was done doing things he was going to be sorry for.

  Hayden just nodded to the rider; he didn’t trust his words to come out right. With his nod, the Bone Thief slowly closed the cell door and Benet diapered from his sight. With a loud, echoing CLANK the cell door locked in place and the Bone Thief stepped away.

  “He will be released as soon as we leave, correct?” Hayden asked the Bone Thief without taking his eyes off the heavy door. Hayden heard the rustling sound of the Bone Thief nodding his head.

  Hayden wanted to add more. He wanted to tell the Bone Thief to make sure he was taken care of, but all the words sounded pointless in his mind.

  There is nothing more we can do for him, we must end this war, so this is no longer necessary. Draek’s voice rang in Hayden’s mind. He knew his dragon was right, but he didn’t have to like it.

  Hayden turned and with the Bone Thief leading the way they left the lower parts of the Dark Hold and made their way back to where Cass had been.

  Once Hayden arrived on the landing pad Cass and Kne were no longer there. The pad was abandoned, save for Hayden, and he waited patiently. He stood still like a statue as the dry wind pulled at his clothes, but he did not mind.

  A gust of wind nearly knocked Hayden down as Draek landed on the pad and pulled his enormous wings to his side. Hayden noticed the ends of his wings had grown more and now did not fold together perfectly but dropped a little at the end like a clumped sheet.

  Hayden was unsure how big Draek was going to get, but at the rate he was growing, Hayden was going to need to put a ladder on his saddle soon to get up and down on.

  What do we do? Hayden asked. He knew that Draek was aware of his thoughts and that taking the time to explain them was a waste.

  We need the dwarves. Draek answered shortly. He lowered his silver head down so Hayden could rub around his eyes. They hadn’t had time to be rider and dragon without being warrior and leader. Hayden felt bad looking at the dulled silver of Draek’s scales and knew that a thorough oiling would do them both good.

  Draek, knowing Hayden’s thoughts, growled in anticipation and showed him an image of where the Metallic Riders had set up an oiling and cleaning station at the base of The Void. Hayden felt the excitement and knew that he couldn’t tell his friend no.

  He climbed onto his back and even without a saddle they flew down slowly to where Draek had found the cleaning station. With the lack of Metallic Dragons at The Dark Hold, all four of the stalls were empty, and Hayden was able to make sure that he got the best brushes to clean him with.

  The sand that was used in the stalls was the same pale grey as was the landscape around them. Hayden was unsure if it cleaned any different than the sand back at Celestial City, but it would do.

  Draek’s size made it impossible for Hayden to do a complete cleaning, it would take a team of workers with ladders just to clean all of Draek’s back.

  Hayden removed his shirt and went to work rubbing down Draek’s wing joints as well as the joints around his legs with the sand and metal brushes. He knew he couldn’t clean every part of his dragon, but he wanted to make sure he got the areas that bothered him the most.

  Draek, for his part, lifted his legs and moved and bent to make it as easy as possible for Hayden to clean him but even with Draek’s help Hayden began to sweat. The silver scales around Draek’s joints began to look dull as he finished with the grey sand.

  Hayden looked at the night sky above the canyon walls, but it was hard to tell what time it was. He wanted to take a break, but Draek moved to where his large silver eye looked closely at Hayden.

  Let’s get you oiled up my friend. Hayden thought. He loved Draek, there was no doubt in his mind and being able to take care of the giant dragon was one of the very few things he could do to help him.

  Hayden filled up a bucket with oil from a pump just like they had at Celestial City. Just like the sand had been different the oil was thicker and had clumps in it. Hayden rubbed some on Draek’s leg experimentally but found that the oil soaked into the leathery skin around the joints and shinned the silver scales just as well as the oil did back at Celestial City.

  At first, Hayden tried not make a mess but quickly gave up on that quest. Within moments Draek and Hayden both were covered in the oil. Soon Draek began to shine like a true silver dragon.

  As Hayden stepped back to make sure that he had rubbed all the oil in and that there were no spots he had missed a light shuffling sound caused him to turn around.

  Did you hear that? Hayden asked, looking into the darkness around the stalls where the outcrop of rocks kept sunlight away.

  Yes. Draek replied as out of the darkness a black dragon’s head emerged, almost eye level with Hayden. The dragon was only a stone throw away, but its sudden appearance shocked Hayden.

  Hayden took a step back and slipped in the oil that covered the hardened ground. He hit the ground with a sloppy THUNK sound, but the worst part came when he tried to stand back up. Every time he attempted to use his hands or feet to right himself he ended up slipping in the oil.

  His clothes were soaked so there was no way to wipe his hands clean. For a few agonizing moments, Hayden slipped and fell, flopping around like a fish. After considerable work, he was able to right himself, slowly.

  It’s a dragon. Draek said.

  It’s a dragon? Hayden protested angerly. He turned to find the black dragon, and its rider had fully stepped out of the shadows of darkness and were waiting at the edge of the stalls. You mean that dragon there, the one waiting with its rider to talk with us? Hayden asked sarcastically.

  Draek made a point to turn his giant silver head, which now shined with a brilliance of freshly polished armor. He took his time eyeing the new dragon and even turned his head slightly, as if deep in thought.

  Yes, that dragon. He replied with seriousness. Hayden used the oil that was clumped on his hand and slung it at Draek. Hitting the dragon on his neck with a satisfying Thwap. Draek lowered his gaze to his rider and without blinking asked. I wonder if this oil is flammable?

  Hayden laughed aloud at Draek’s ridiculous question. You realize that if you burn me and I die, you die as well? Hayden asked in good fun. Draek did not laugh. He did not move, speak or even blink. The unnerving stare from the silver dragon made Hayden begin to doubt what he was about to do.

  Hmm, I guess I will let this pass. Draek growled. This time. He added with a puff of smoke. Hayden laughed and fell back down, and the battle to stand back up began all over again. Hayden stood and turned to the Bone Thief and black dragon.

  “Hayden.” The Bone Thief said. Hayden couldn’t tell if he had met this thief or not. He couldn’t tell any of them apart if he was being honest.

  Hayden waited for the Bone Thief to continue speaking but when the silence drew on, he nodded to the thief that he was in fact, Hayden.

  “Cass and Kne wish to see you.” The Bone Thief said dryly. Hayden nodded his understanding. He had assumed that she would want to see him to discuss their next step but his mind tied to the name Kne.

  Why is Kne still with her? Hayden asked.
Draek did not respond but instead lowered himself so that Hayden could climb onto his back.

  “Where are they?” Hayden asked as he made his way to his dragon’s side.

  “The Throne Room.” The Bone Thief and Draek answered at the same time.

  Hayden turned slightly to look up at his dragon. He was about to ask how he knew but one look back at the black dragon and he realized that the two had been conversating just as Hayden and the Bone Thief had been.

  “Alright, to the Throne Room we go,” Hayden said. He was still in a good mood from getting to be a dragon rider again for a few minutes. Taking care of Draek was one of the few things that truly brought him joy.

  Hayden tried to climb onto Draek’s back but slid off as soon as he touched his dragon’s scales. Hayden tried two more times before getting frustrated.

  Are you going to help? He asked sharply. Hayden shot a quick glance to see if the Bone Thief was watching him and was mortified to find that both the thief and the black dragon had their unnerving gaze locked on Hayden. There was no sign that either of them found his situation humorous, but Hayden couldn’t see how they didn’t find it funny.

  I can carry you. Draek replied with all seriousness. Like a deer. Hayden stopped trying to climb Draek’s side at the very idea he was proposing.

  “Like a deer?” Hayden asked aloud. Draek’s large silver clad head, large enough to eat a man in one bite, nodded slowly.

  “Deer? What’s a deer?” The Bone Thief asked. Hayden turned, perplexed.

  “What’s a deer?” He asked.

  You are getting very good at repeating questions. I am sure that will come in handy being an assistant King. Draek couldn’t contain his laughter as he spoke, and a deep, guttural sound emerged from Draek as he convulsed with laughter.

  “A deer.” Hayden started, ignoring the laughing dragon that stood behind him. “Is an animal akin to a small thin horse. They are hunted for food and are eaten by dragons.” Hayden explained, thinking that this had to be the first time he had explained what a deer was.

  “Hmm.” The Bone Thief replied. The noise came from behind the mask, but like always there was no movement from the Bone Thief.

  “We do not have such creatures here.” The Bone Thief spoke. “The only horses that are in the Shadow Desert are brought by your people and leave with your people.” The thief concluded.

  “What do your dragons eat then?” Hayden asked wondering how they survived in the harsh environment.

  “Whatever is available.” This time there was a slight movement as the Bone Thief spoke, a slight shrug of the shoulders. “We have shadow cats and if it is necessary, non-bound Bone Thieves.” Hayden and Draek both stopped moving and looked at the Bone Thief, hoping this was the first joke to be made by a Bone Thief, ever.

  “Non-bound Bone Thief?” Hayden asked. “What do you mean?” Hayden asked.

  “Bone Thieves that are not bound to a dragon of course.” The Bone Thief stated simply.

  “But, you don’t mean that your dragon eats…” Hayden asked, taking an involuntary step closer to Draek and further away from the Black Dragon that hadn’t stopped staring at Hayden since emerging from the darkness.

  “Our dragons eat what they must to survive; they are the most important part of our heritage. It is an honor to be a rider, and it is an honor to help a rider.” The thief said.

  “Even if that honor is to be eaten by your dragon?” Hayden asked, stunned.

  “At times, if it will mean life or death for a dragon an unbound Bone Thief would gladly forfeit their life for a dragon’s.” Draek leaned and lowered his side so Hayden could climb on his back without sliding off.

  Hayden held on as Draek backed up, not wanting to turn away from the black dragon. Draek jumped into the air and flew out of the canyon without another word shared between the two riders. Hayden had to hold on with all his strength to keep from slipping off. It wasn’t until they landed on the landing pad and Hayden slid off of Draek’s back that Hayden even spoke to Draek.

  They eat Bone Thieves. He stated as if Draek hadn’t heard what the Bone Thief had said.

  They said only when it was life or death. Draek corrected, but Hayden could tell by the tone of his voice that he was unnerved by the recent discovery. Look at how harsh it is out here. I haven’t even tried to hunt because I know nothing lives out here worth hunting.

  Hayden agreed with Draek. Looking at the bleak grey landscape was proof enough that there was nothing out there but sand. I couldn’t imagine that, knowing that any day a rider could require my life to feed their dragon. Hayden shuddered at the thought.

  I couldn’t imagine having to eat one of your kind. There is no meat and far too much bone. Draek’s voice wavered with the joke, trying to lighten the mood to how they had just been before the Bone Thief had begun talking.

  Hayden looked up at his dragon with a smile but the moment was gone. His mind was back to worrying about a hundred different things at the same time. He was back focusing on the war at hand, the battles fought and the ones that were still ahead.

  Go. Draek nudged his rider with the top of his silver nose. I will wait here for you. Hayden smiled at his friend, his dragon.

  I have already told Shaylin you are going to be a few minutes, that you have to change. Hayden looked down at his oil-soaked pants and his shining skin. He hadn’t thought about how it would look to have him burst into Cass’s room covered in oil to discuss what their prisoner had said.

  I don’t know where to go. Hayden admitted. Draek quickly looked away as he reached out to Shaylin again. There was a momentary pause until Draek lowered his head and spoke to Hayden again.

  Someone is coming to show you to your chambers. They put your things in Benet’s room. Hayden nodded his understanding.

  Typically, the riders that were over a territory would stay together in one large room, and Cass had most likely taken that room for herself. That meant that Hayden would get the room that was prepared for riders that were passing through, not the ones stationed over the Dark Hold.

  I can wait on my own Draek. Why don’t you go find Shaylin and rest with her? Hayden asked. Hayden could tell that Draek wanted to protest and stay, but he also knew that soon they would be traveling again and fighting what they hoped was the last battles. The final fight to end the war was near.

  Draek lowered his head again and nudged Hayden for the second time. Hayden patted his dragon with affection and love. Draek stepped off the landing pad and lazily took to the sky. Circling around the Dark Hold until a lone Bone Thief walked out of the hold to meet with Hayden.

  “You will follow me to your room?” The Bone Thief asked in almost a whisper. Hayden was stunned to see that behind the skull mask and dark cloth a pair of light almost golden eyes stared at him. Most of the Bone Thieves he had met thus far had dark colored eyes.

  “Uh. Yes, yes I would like to see my room.” Hayden recovered. Trying to play off that he had been staring at the thieves’ eyes.

  The Bone Thief nodded and turned, walking at such a brisk pace that Hayden had to almost jog to keep up with the thief. They walked into the large main room and turned off a small side corridor. They went down one level and stopped at a doorway with no door. The Bone Thief pointed to the doorway and Hayden took the hint.

  He stepped into what was to be his room for the next night and was taken aback by what he saw. Laying on the floor of the main room was his saddle and gear but sitting right next to it was a second saddle, almost the same size and all of Benet’s possessions.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Hayden took his time walking around the room just to take it all in. There were no doors blocking off the room from the corridor, and there seemed to only be three rooms including the main room with the saddles. One room held a simple bed with a cloth blanket, and the other was a washroom.

  The center room had two couches facing each other and the saddles propped up together at the side of the room.

  “Are you goin
g to take Benet’s things and move them?” Hayden asked as he turned to face the Bone Thief, but the thief had disappeared without a sound. Hayden was unsure what he should do with rider’s things, so he thought it best to leave them where they were and focus on cleaning up.

  He went to the washroom and did just that, changing into a fresh pair of clothes that Kirin had given him before setting off to find Cass.

  Before he walked off, he quickly grabbed his sword belt with his dagger and buckled it around his waist. He wasn’t sure if the Bone Thieves would take offense to him carrying a weapon, but he thought that it was better to be safe then dead.

  He hadn’t seen any of the Bone Thieves carrying any sort of weapons as far as he could tell except for the bone that had been placed against Benet’s neck. They were covered in bones and black cloth, but there were no swords or bows on any of them.

  Hayden made a mental note that he needed to ask Cass or Kne about it. He made his way back to the Throne Room but found it empty and silent. He was about to reach out to Draek to find out where Cass had gone but he heard the distinctive sound of laughter coming from one of the rooms off of the Throne Room.

  He followed the sound cautiously and came to a doorway that led to the what Hayden assumed was the room that the riders that watched over the Dark Hold would use. The large center room had four doors on the far wall and a large table surrounded by couches and large cushions.

  Stretched out over the table was a large map showing the land of Arvain with dozens of stone figures scattered across the paper. Cass and Kne were standing side by side, and Cass was laughing while Kne remained as motionless and usual. Cass turned to see Hayden enter the room and smiled as she picked up a stone dragon figure off the far side of the map and smiled at Hayden.

  “Hayden, we were just discussing what our options are for the upcoming battles,” Cass said with a grin. She tossed the little stone dragon to Hayden who caught it easily.