Starbeam

by Adrienne Woods

  “There is nothing I want to see.”

  “It doesn’t work that way.” He lifted me with his claws as he darted into the air and flew with me fast. It was an exhilarating ride.

  I got dropped by a meadow.

  If I didn’t know any better I would say it was the garden of Eden and in the distance was a pond glowing.

  “Go, ask whatever you want. Make it count.” The dragon lay down and I got up.

  I didn’t have a question, but I sat down at the pond and looked at myself in the clear water.

  I thought for a while about my question and then it dawned on me that there was one thing I wanted to know.

  “Will I have kids one day?” I asked the pond.

  It rippled and I saw a young man that looked an awful lot like Andrew. The spitting image. It changed again and I saw a girl with long blonde hair. A beautiful girl, she had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. She looked nothing like me, but a lot like Albert. What did it mean?

  That we would find a way to be together? That the king was going to accept me.

  The girl looked around and smiled at someone, ran to them and Albert appeared on the scene.

  He still looked the same.

  He hugged her dearly and kissed her on top of her head.

  The boy appeared again and did the same. He didn’t run to Albert this time but he walked.

  I gasped when I saw their embrace. It wasn’t Albert, it was Goran.

  Then the ripples faded.

  I wasn’t going to have two children. Just one with the man that I ended up with.

  I got up and went to the dragon.

  “I’m finished.”

  “You found something after all.”

  I nodded.

  “There are rules, Katherine.”

  “How do you know my name.”

  “I know everyone’s name. You can’t tell anyone what the Cavern contains. You may tell them what you saw in the pond, but you can’t tell a soul what is inside this Cavern. If you do, your firstborn will be mine. Understand?”

  I nodded.

  “Then let’s be done with it.”

  He took me again in his claws and flew with me to the first cave.

  He shifted into a beautiful man. Even he had a human form. He touched my face softly. “You sure I can’t tempt you to stay.”

  I shook my head.

  He huffed. “You can’t blame me for trying. Here,” he threw my coin bag filled with kernels. “I don’t even want to know why you are trying to hide yourself Katherine. You are simply,” he breathed again, “breathtaking.”

  My lips curved softly. He was a creep to be honest and I didn’t know why anyone would want to stay with him.

  The door of the cave opened and I grabbed my shoes and left.

  Once outside, a dragon was waiting for me.

  “Just sign the book and be gone.” The man said. “Remember our deal Katherine.”

  The door shifted closed behind him and I looked at the dragon.

  He had a book opened and I saw four names before mine. Only four made it out of the Cavern.

  He sliced my wrist with a laser pointing out of his talon and blood spilled everywhere.

  He closed the book, grabbed my arm and the pain and everything was gone with a flash of a bright light.

  When I opened my eyes, the dragon was gone. It felt like a dream but the scar on my wrist told me otherwise.

  It wasn’t a dream.

  I was the fifth person that made it out of the Sacred Cavern.

  Chapter 19

  ALBERT

  * * *

  A few men came back from Andrew’s group that we had send out.

  Two of them were badly injured as the others carried them.

  “Constance.” I yelled and both her and Issy came running.

  “What happened?” I asked one of the men when they got assistance from Helmut and Caleb with the injured, laying them down on the ground for Constance and Issy.

  “Where is Andrew?” I didn’t see him.

  “We were ambushed, Al. We barely got away. Ivan and Micheal with Zen and Foley, they were captured.”

  “Fuck!” I roared. “Send a note to Goran, take Zeba, he needs to find them.”

  Emanual nodded and went to get a pen and paper.

  I bend down next to Zeba who was ready. “Girl, you need to find Goran and please be safe.” I kissed her on her head.

  Emanual came back with her harness the note already in the pouch attached to it. I put it on her and she darted into the forest with the speed of light as I shot up a prayer for her safe keeping. If anything happened to Zeba, I would never forgive myself.

  “Andrew is with them.”

  “No, Andrew got shot, Albert. We don’t know where he is.”

  More fear crept into my soul.

  “I’ll send out another team tomorrow. They will search. We will find him.”

  He was shot. How did this go so wrong?

  I needed Robert, I needed to search the skies for Andrew.

  Shit, what did this mean, that I felt the same for him. That I was in love with a man. Father was going to love that.

  But I worried like a lover would worry.

  None of this was making any sense and it was driving me insane.

  We immediately held a meeting. Everyone that was leading teams knew what they needed to do tomorrow. “Hey, we will find him.”

  “It’s my fault, he didn’t want to go.”

  “Al,” Helmut said and sighed. “Please tell me that you could see it.”

  I looked at him. “See what?”

  “Andrew is weird, he likes men.”

  “I know. That doesn’t make him less valuable.”

  He nodded.

  “He’s what?” Caleb said and we both laughed. “That’s why he didn’t want to leave.”

  “Please, don’t make any of this weird. He is one of us, he is an asset, the best archer in Paegeia. We need to find him and bring him back.”

  The two of them nodded and left me alone.

  I rubbed my face hard.

  It didn’t matter how hard I tried to deny it, I had feelings for another man, whether it was against the law or not.

  A day passed and Zeba finally returned.

  Her pouch had a message back from Goran.

  He would find them and make sure that no harm would come to them, but he has to take them out if he couldn’t stop the interrogations.

  It was the one plan I didn’t like.

  On day four the scouts I sent out all came back. The boy had disappeared like a needle in a haystack.

  Where the hell was he?

  “Robert is coming.” One of the scouts yelled.

  “Finally.” I said and waited for my dragon to land.

  His paw was closed and a woman’s scream was muffled.

  “Bob, what did you do?” I asked in Latin at the beast standing in front of me and he opened his paw.

  A girl with brown hair rolled out. She was raving mad, but scared and then her gaze fell on me, Helmut and Caleb.

  “You idiots.” She yelled.

  “Excuse me.”

  “You are not dead.” She looked particularly at me. “And what the hell am I doing here?”

  “Maggy,” Connie’s voice came from the log house.

  “You, this is all because of you. This was why you wanted to know about Katherine, because of him.” She pointed her finger at me.

  “What is she doing here Albert?” Connie asked.

  “I was just about to ask Bob that.” I looked at Bob who had shifted into his human form.

  Maggy shrieked again. “You?” She spit out the words as if they contain venom.

  “Bob?” I yelled again.

  “She refused to tell me how she died, so I brought her here.”

  I clasped my eyes shut with my thumb and finger.

  “I thought you wanted to know.”

  “I didn’t want you to kidnap the girl. What don’t you understand a
bout my father has a bounty on your head, Robert.”

  “Thank you Bob for finding the girl. Oh you are welcome Albert. Interrogate her yourself.” He stormed off.

  “I want to go home, this is ridiculous. War,” she humph. “Warheads, you only care about yourself.”

  “Constance please.” I said and Constance dosed her with a touch. She fell asleep instantly and Helmut rushed fast to catch her body.

  He stared at her as if she was a jewel.

  “Where do you want her?” he finally looked at me.

  “Just lock her up.”

  “Albert,” Connie shrieked.

  “Connie, she is going to run away, I still need to talk to her. Please. I’ll take her back afterward.”

  “And jeopardize this entire mission. She is a blabbermouth. You never think things through Albert.”

  “Funny you say that. She didn’t tell Robert a thing because if she had, she wouldn’t be here.” I glared at her and then watched how Helmut carried her sleeping figure to one of the prisons we had built.

  I couldn’t believe that I was going to put a girl in one, and not just any girl, Katherine’s best friend. But I needed answers.

  “She is feisty,” Helmut came back and chuckled.

  “You all are idiots.” Connie stormed off back to the log house.

  “I didn’t mean for him to bring her here.” I said to Caleb and Helmut.

  “You know you can’t take her back, right. Connie is right, she will jeopardize the mission.”

  “She can’t stay here either.”

  “She can help Issy, if you show her the kids, she will soften up just like everyone else did.” Helmut said.

  I stroked my face again. This was a mess, just because of my crazy obsession with a girl that I didn’t even know what she looked like.

  “I’ll speak to Bob.” I said and left to hunt down my dragon.

  Robert was understanding, but I really didn’t mean for him to bring her here. Now the girl would never be able to go home.

  I told him that we needed to go and search for Andrew.

  “Al, do you think that is wise?”

  “I’m smitten with the guy, Bob.” I was angry and sarcasm rolled off my tongue. “There is no use denying it. Please, help me.”

  “Okay, fine, let’s go.” He said.

  He transformed and just as I was ready to climb on his back, Andrew came out of the woods.

  I froze. I wanted to hug him so badly, but I couldn’t. It was wrong. But I was never so grateful to see one of my men back.

  I squinted and then the questions, more like accusations filled the campsite. His wounds had healed.

  “Oh shut it,” Andrew finally came out of his daze.“I got healed okay.”

  “How?” Another yelled. “I saw the arrow hitting your leg, how is it healed Andrew?”

  “Marcus get out of my way.”

  “You are a fucking spy.” He poked Andrew.

  “No, I was in the Sacred Cavern.” He yelled and the entire campsite quieted down. We all gaped at him.

  “You are still a virgin?” Caleb asked and a few men laughed.

  “Haha, laugh it off. I don’t care. I need a drink.” He said and I could see his hand slightly vibrating as one of the men handed him a bag filled with wine.

  He sat down on a log as we all gathered around him, waiting for him to speak but he wasn’t saying a word.

  “Andrew.” I said and he looked at me. “What is inside the Cavern?”

  He shook his head.

  We all groaned in unison. Nobody ever reveals a thing and it was driving me nuts why not. I wanted to know what was inside so badly.

  He took another drink and the hem of his sleeve lifted up slightly. I saw the mark on his wrist. The mark that the ones got after they made it out alive.

  “What is it like?” Neil asked.

  “It’s the same as asking me what is inside. The price is too high. Stop asking me.” He got up and went to his treehouse with the bag filled with wine.

  “Did you see the mark?” Helmut asked and I nodded.

  “I see what you mean.” Bob said already back in his human form. He was getting why I was falling so hard for a guy. He was everything I wanted to be.

  I couldn’t fall for a guy. How does one make peace with that?

  KATIE

  The next morning I felt better but I had a huge hangover from all the wine I drank.

  I popped another kernel and felt the transformation take place.

  I slept for another hour or so and woke up when voices were audible.

  I got up, went to the lake to wash.

  I kept looking at the scar.

  Why had I seen two kids?

  What did that mean?

  I always thought that the pond showed you exactly how the future was going to be, but I couldn’t have children with both men, that would be treason all by itself.

  Unless it meant that I wasn’t going to be with Albert?

  At least I was going to have a child or two even though it would be from two different men.

  I wished I had never set foot in that Cavern. It was going to give me nightmares for years to come. But my name was in that dragon’s book, written with my blood, and in return I got this scar, the one that everyone wants but isn’t worthy of.

  “You okay?” Albert asked.

  I flinched making him laugh.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean...”

  “It’s okay.” I sat down.

  “Why did you go into the Sacred Cavern?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t mean to. I heard voices, I was dizzy from all the blood loss. I didn’t realize what the place was until it was too late. I just wanted to get my ass to safety, Al. I had no choice but to finish.”

  “You know you make me feel less and less worthy to be king.”

  I looked at him. “Excuse me.”

  “You don’t want a dragon, the way you care about people, you are the best archer in Paegeia.”

  “Oh, c’mon.” He was pissing me off.

  It made him laugh. “I’m serious. You are quite a guy Andrew.”

  I wasn’t a guy and when he found out, he would feel less worthy.

  I got up and put on my shirt.

  “Connie has fresh clothes waiting. Just give that to her, she will wash and mend them.”

  “Thanks.” I grunted and walked past him.

  “For what it’s worth,” he spoke softly. “I’m glad you are okay, Andrew.”

  “You and me both.” Shock must still be visible as I didn’t even sound like Andrew.

  It still needed to sink in what I did. I was the fifth person to come out of the Cavern, alive.

  I walked into the log house and Connie handed me a pair of fresh clothes. She took mine after I changed and said she would mend it.

  Nobody was teasing me anymore because I was a virgin.

  “She is awake.” Helmut told Al and he got up.

  “Who is awake?” I asked Issy.

  “Idiots.” She shook her head and walked away without answering my question.

  I followed Al into the area where they imprison anyone that was against them and froze when I heard her voice.

  “I’m not telling you jack shit.”

  “Maggy, please.”

  Maggy was here.

  I stormed into the area and stared at my best friend. I glared at Al.

  “It’s not what it looks like.”

  Think Katie, think. “Who is she and what the hell is she doing here?”

  “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. Sod off.” Maggy yelled at me.

  “Oh pipe down.” I looked at her for a few short seconds and back at Al.

  “She is a lady.” Al accentuated the words.

  “Oh, now she is a lady. I thought you didn’t like commoners.”

  “That was before. What is wrong with you, the Sacred Cavern mess you up?”

  “You were in the Sacred Cavern?” Maggy asked again but I ignored he
r.

  “Who is she Al?”

  “Maggy.”

  “Maggy, as in…” He nodded. “Dammit, you said you wanted information from her.”

  “I did, Bob brought her here when she didn’t tell him anything. It’s not my doing.”

  “You want to win this war. Stop messing around with girls you only met for one night and get your head in the game. She is dead Al, how she died isn’t going to bring her back.” I turned on my heels and left.

  “That is why I’m here, because of Katherine.” Maggy grunted.

  “Just tell me how she’d died.”

  “Take me home now.”

  “You know I can’t.”

  Their conversation died out as my stomach grumbled.

  I ate like a beast and wasn’t surprised when Al came back with Helmut and Caleb but no Maggy.

  I shook my head. I needed to tell her who I was.

  I got up and put sandwiches on a plate with a glass of goat’s milk.

  “We were going to take her food,” Helmut said.

  “I got it.” I said and went to the prison.

  I watched her through the beams.

  “Stop staring at me like that and I’m not hungry.”

  “Maggy, you need to eat.”

  “What don’t you understand…”

  “It’s me, now eat.” I put the plate under the door and she kept staring at me.

  “Who are you?”

  I rolled my eyes and she gasped. She cupped her mouth and came closer to the beams. “Katie,” she whispered. “How?”

  “Tony,” I whispered back. “He’s a dragon.” I took off my pouch and showed it to her. “These kernels, they are magic and make me like this every day. Maggy you can’t tell, please.”

  “He doesn't know.”

  “No one knows. He thinks I’m dead, why does he think I’m dead.”

  “You left for the war, what do I even call you.”

  “Andrew, remember that and we don’t know each other, because if he knows I’m from Eikenborough, please, he already ask me if I have a sister.”

  “You don’t like him?”

  “It’s not that. I do, but you know it will never work. He is royalty.”

  She giggled.

  “Maggy.” I whined. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”