I could feel Blar’s body tense even more as he dug his claws into my shoulder. He was clearly upset Ove was coming toward us, but I knew he didn’t want to hurt him, either, he only wanted to protect me.
I wasn’t going to attack this dragon, though, not unless I absolutely had to.
The huge creature got nearly to me before he abruptly pulled up, and the wind from his flight fanned against me. He landed a few feet away and flapped his wings menacingly before he lowered his head to stare at me with narrowed yellow eyes.
He was trying to look vicious, but all I could feel was his sadness. I couldn’t hear his thoughts like I’d been able to with Nidhug, and I didn’t get the sense I could control him like I could Blar and the twins, but I could feel how he felt.
He was not only sad, he was tormented. He felt compelled to obey Vinrar even after everything the man had done to him. I couldn’t understand that emotion, but I could feel it. He didn’t want to hurt me, he’d never wanted to hurt anybody, he only wanted to stop being hurt.
Vinrar continued to laugh and yell at Ove to attack, but the large dragon and I just stared at each other.
I maintained eye contact as I set my sword on the ground and held my hands up so he could see I had nothing to harm him with.
“It’s okay,” I whispered as I took a step toward the massive beast. “I won’t hurt you.”
The dragon snorted, but his eyes softened a little bit, and he leaned his face down closer to me.
Blar leaned out on my shoulder, and he was clearly interested in the other dragon now that he no longer felt threatened.
“Nobody will hurt you again,” I told Ove. “I promise.”
He had no reason to believe me. The man he’d trusted with his life had only brought him torment, after all. Still, I could see his demeanor soften, and I could feel his emotions change.
Ove was still sad, but a sense of calm came over him.
“Ove!” Vinrar shouted, and his chains rattled as he jerked around and tried to get free.
The dragon startled and looked over to him, but I took another step forward and held my hand out.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “You don’t have to listen to him any longer. He cannot control you here. He can’t hurt you any longer.”
Ove’s huge yellow eyes locked onto mine, and he stared at me as I took another step forward until I was right in front of him. Then the massive dragon lowered his head slightly, and I reached my hand out and placed it on his nose. His scales were slick and soft, like velvet under my hand, and I smiled and stroked his muzzle.
“You’re alright.” I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the dragon’s nose, and I could feel his eyes were closed as well. I could also sense his comfort and his trust in me, and it filled me with both sadness and pride.
Blar leaned forward, too, and the little blue dragon hopped onto Ove’s nose and nuzzled him softly.
“We’ll get you out of here,” I told Ove. “I promise, we’ll find a way to free you. You don’t deserve to be here.”
“You’ll free no one,” Vinrar spat.
I’d nearly forgotten there were others in the room. I’d been so focused on Ove, everything else had faded away for a moment.
Vinrar’s nasty voice brought me back to the moment, though, and I thought about the pain I’d sensed from Ove. The feeling only made me hate Vinrar that much more.
I didn’t understand how it was possible for someone to be so cruel. To think about my little dragons feeling that terrified made my stomach twist into knots.
Blar gripped my shoulder, and I found the feeling of his talons pressed into my flesh oddly comforting. I’d discovered him as an egg and hatched him myself. The council had said they didn’t know if Vinrar could do the same, but I believed he could.
I didn’t know how he hatched the eggs, but more than that, I didn’t know how he could have hatched them and still treated his dragons so poorly. They were such small, helpless creatures, and it was our job to protect them.
They’d grow into fearsome beasts a hundred times our size, but when their eggs hatched, they were vulnerable and sweet.
My fists clenched in anger when I thought about Ove as a baby and what he must have gone through with Vinrar as a master, and I quickly reached down and picked up my sword so I could place the tip of it right between Vinrar’s collarbones.
“Tell me how to fulfill the prophecy,” I snarled. I was tired of his games. His dragon wouldn’t attack me, I knew that, and I wasn’t afraid of him. It was time for this arsehole to tell me how to fix his screw up.
“You won’t get anybody out of here,” Vinrar told me with a hideous smile. “Ove is mine. He listens to me, and me alone. You will suffer for this.”
Not only was Vinrar mad, he was delusional as well. It was clear Ove didn’t care to obey him any longer. The great dragon had already gone against his wishes and allowed me to live, and I got the feeling he would do it again.
Unlike his master, Ove didn’t wish to harm anyone.
I wondered if the man honestly believed his dragon still obeyed him, or if he was too proud to admit he’d lost all the power he’d once had. It must have upset him greatly to know he’d once been able to control the most ancient and deadly creatures in the nine realms, and now he couldn’t even control his own arms since they were in chains.
“I’m growing tired of your ranting,” I seethed as I pushed the tip of my sword harder against Vinrar’s skin. “Tell me what I need to know. Tell me how to fulfill the prophecy.”
“The prophecy has been fulfilled,” he lied. “It was me who fulfilled it. I saved the dragons from a much worse fate. They were too smart for their own good, I gave them a purpose.”
“You abused them!” I was unable to control my anger any longer. “You beat them into submission! The dragons were too good for you, they didn’t deserve the torture you put them through. You’re nothing but a pathetic coward.”
“I never hurt them!” he shouted back. “I loved them! Don’t you see I loved them?”
I had sensed the pain he’d caused the giant dragon next to me, I’d seen the fear on Ove’s face in the portrait. Vinrar had brought no joy to the world, only pain. He’d caused a century of suffering, and even though it was my destiny to end that suffering, I knew I couldn’t give the dragons back the years and lives they’d lost because of this man. Vinrar was a lying monster, and his declaration of love sent me over the edge.
I lifted my sword back above my head, ready to strike him down right then, only I couldn’t bring myself to swing because Ove’s emotions overtook me. The dragon didn’t want me to send him to the next level of Helheim, even after everything the man had put him through. This magnificent beast was still protecting him.
“Why?” I asked as I lowered my sword and looked at Ove’s large yellow eyes.
I couldn’t understand why he would care about Vinrar at all. If I were him, I would want the man far, far away from me.
Ove was filled with a sort of protective sadness. He didn’t want to love Vinrar any longer, but he couldn’t stop himself. The man had been with him since his infancy, and while he’d been abusive, Ove couldn’t help but think of him as a father of sorts. Ove’s loyalty was too strong, and he felt the need to take care of Vinrar.
The bastard wasn’t worthy of Ove’s love, or his loyalty, but I knew that wasn’t my decision to make. The great dragon was intelligent and compassionate, and while I couldn’t understand his desire to save his abuser, I wouldn’t do anything to cause him pain.
“I will respect your wishes.” I sighed and put my sword back into its sheath. I wanted nothing more than to chop Vinrar’s head off and send him to the next level of torment, but that would cause Ove pain, and that was something I simply couldn’t do, no matter how much I thought the bastard deserved it.
“He doesn’t want you to harm Vinrar, does he?” Kas asked softly.
“No,” I answered with a sympathetic smile. “He doesn’t.”
Inger and Uffe jumped off the girls’ shoulders then and went over to Ove. Uffe ran right over to the giant creature's paw and sniffed it while Inger flew up to his nose and sat down.
I was about to chastise the little dragons, but Ove seemed pleased to have them near him. Even Blar joined in, and the little blue dragon flew up and over Ove and ran along his back playfully.
Ove’s yellow eyes crossed as he looked at Inger on the tip of his nose, and the little red dragon cooed to him and rubbed her face against his scales.
The massive dragon let out a guttural sound I thought was meant to be playful, though it sounded incredibly menacing.
Then Inger flew up and over Ove to land on his back next to Blar and Uffe then, and the massive dragon turned his long neck around so he could see the three of them.
My baby dragons looked tiny compared to the great beast they were on. It was incredible to think one day they would be that big, or at least very close.
Inger and Uffe would look similar to Ove since they were the same kind of dragon, but I wasn’t sure what Blar would look like. I imagined he would appear as just a larger version of himself, but he had plenty of time to grow, and I had a feeling he might surprise me.
I had a basis for what Inger and Uffe would look like, but I didn’t have that with Blar. The little blue dragon could sprout another set of legs, and I wouldn’t be able to say whether it was abnormal or not.
As I watched the three of them play with Ove, circling his head and diving at him from the air while he playfully snapped his teeth at them, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness.
I wanted to know about Blar, and where he came from.
The feeling of Ove’s joy overpowered my sadness, though, and I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face as I watched the four of them together.
It reminded me of how they’d been with Nidhug. Even though Ove was a hundred times as large as they were, the little dragons didn’t fear him at all. Blar had been ready to attack before, but that was only because he felt I was in danger. As soon as he realized I wasn’t going to fight Ove, he calmed down and allowed himself to focus on his curiosity for the massive creature.
Dragons respected one another.
Ove turned back to me after a moment, and I could feel something had changed. Then he nodded to me and lowered his neck.
“Rath,” Asta said as she and Kas walked over to me. “What’s going on?”
“I think he wants us to climb onto his back.” I could feel Ove was excited, like he had something to show us.
“On his back?” Kas gasped.
“It doesn’t matter what you do,” Vinrar spat out as he jerked against his chains again. “You’ll never free him. He’s stuck here with me forever.”
I pursed my lips, and then I walked over to where Ove had his neck outstretched and grabbed one of the small spikes that went down his back so I could lift myself up. It felt strange to be on his back, but I could somehow tell that was what he wanted.
I helped the girls up, and once we were all on him, the large dragon looked back at me.
I nodded to let him know we were ready, and I swore I saw him smile before he turned back around. His large wings began to flap, and wind flurried around us for a moment before I experienced the sensation of weightlessness overcome me as we lifted off the ground.
I’d considered the fact that one day Blar might be large enough for me to ride, but being on Ove’s back was incredible. I felt small, but powerful all at the same time. I could feel his large muscles tense under my legs and the smoothness of his scales under my fingers.
Though I couldn’t hear him or control him, there was a sort of understanding between us. He was happy to have us on his back where Vinrar had once ridden.
Dragons weren’t meant to be ridden for sport or showmanship, they were sacred beasts who should be respected. One should only ride a dragon if it is offered to them. I sensed this was a great honor Ove had given us, and I basked in every second of it.
I held onto Ove’s back spike, and the girls held onto me as the great dragon flapped his wings and flew us to the ceiling. I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but just before I thought we were about to crash into the ceiling it opened up into another room, and Ove slowly circled it once before landing gently on the ground.
“Where are we?” Kas whispered.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head and climbed off Ove’s back.
The room we were in was all brick, and there was a hole in the middle of the floor where I could see down into Vinrar’s cell. This place wasn’t nice by any means, but it was much nicer than the cell below. There was even a large fireplace in the corner and some straw on the ground by it.
I realized this must be where Ove lived.
He didn’t actually stay inside the cell with Vinrar, instead he had his own area away from him. I still didn’t like him being in Helheim, but I felt better knowing he wasn’t trapped with Vinrar all the time.
I wondered then if Ove hadn’t been forced to be in Helheim at all. The dragon obviously still cared for Vinrar, and it was his test I had to pass in order to fulfill the prophecy. Had Ove chosen to come to Helheim with his master so he could help fulfill the prophecy?
I knew some dragons had special abilities, and I was curious if Ove was one of them. Could the great dragon see the future? Or did he maybe know about the prophecy before he came to Helheim, and that’s why he’d chosen to come?
Perhaps Odin wasn’t wrong.
I wished I could communicate with Ove so I could ask him to explain, but I didn’t think feeling his emotions would give me the answers I wanted.
I glanced around at the black dragon’s lair again. The room was maybe twice the size of the giant creature, so it was a tight squeeze for him and the rest of us, and his massive body seemed to fill the entirety of the space.
Then the dragon nodded to a dark blue chest with golden accents in the far corner of the room.
I walked over to the chest and opened it. Inside it was velvet, and in their own little cutouts sat three small bottles. One was tall and light green, another was short, round, and purple, and the last was deep blue and shaped like a triangle. Each of them were empty and sealed with a cork at the top.
“The man we saw on the road said you would have to get water from three wells,” Kas reminded me as she looked over my shoulder.
“That must be what those are for,” Asta gasped. “To collect the water.”
“Which one is for which?” I mused.
Ove snorted, and I looked back to see him nod to me. He was trying to communicate something, so I focused on his feelings. He was proud of me, and I realized I’d passed some sort of test before when I’d spared Vinrar for him. If I’d killed the man instead of listening to Ove, then I wouldn’t have been worthy to have the bottles or save the dragons.
This wasn’t about finding Vinrar at all, he had no knowledge to give me. This was about finding Ove and proving to him I held the best interests of the dragons above all else, even my own anger and desire for vengeance.
I’d passed his test, and now I was worthy to finish the quest and free his brethren.
“Thank you,” I told the great dragon, and he stared back at me with yellow eyes full of hope.
I had the three vials to fill up, now all I needed to do was figure out what three wells I needed to go to.
As I looked into Ove’s deeply sad and hopeful eyes, I knew I couldn’t fail.
It was bittersweet saying goodbye to Ove. I assured him we would be back to save him, and that I would do whatever it took to free his fellow dragons, but I still didn’t want to leave him there.
I knew we had no choice at the moment, though, so I placed my forehead against his nose once again while the little dragons climbed all over him. Kas and Asta bowed to him, too, and he bowed back. Then I called the baby dragons down from his back and had Blar open a portal for us to get home.
We arrived in Asgard down by the water
just before sunset.
“We’ll have to go through town to get home,” I sighed. “But Ramir’s shop is along the way, so let’s stop there. I want to see what he knows about the wells.”
“Good idea.” Kas nodded. “I was going to suggest the same thing.”
“How will we know which vial goes to which well?” Asta asked. “Do you think Ramir would know?”
“I’m not sure how he could.” I frowned. “But we’ll figure it out.”
I wasn’t sure how I would know what bottle to fill at which well, but I’d passed Ove’s test, and that gave me hope for the future of the quest. If I really was the master of dragons, then I figured the answer would come to me when I needed it.
I had the dragons hop off our shoulders, and then we headed from the water up to town. Ramir’s shop wasn’t too far away, and we managed to make it there just before the sun set for the evening.
The bell chimed as I pushed the door open and walked inside.
“Ramir,” I called.
“Oh, Rath, hello.” The old man popped up from behind the counter. “Back so soon?”
Blar, Inger, and Uffe flew over to Ramir and landed on the counter in front of him, and the old man smiled and scratched under each of their chins before he pulled some sweets from his pocket and gave each of them a piece.
“Our spell was only supposed to last six hours,” Kas informed him. “But it lasted longer than that since Asta and I are stronger with Rath near us.”
“And were you able to find Vinrar?” Ramir asked.
“We were,” I confirmed.
“Did you give him a good slap for me?” The old man narrowed his eyes and held his fist up in anger.
“I’m afraid not.” I stifled a laugh. “Ove didn’t want him harmed.”
“Oh, that’s his dragon’s name, that’s right.” Ramir nodded.
“Yes,” I said. “Before we met him, though, we ran into a man on the way there. He said we would need to collect water from three wells, and then Ove gave me these.”
I pulled the vials out of my satchel and held them out for Ramir to see.
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