Bound by Fire

by Ronald Craft

Chapter 20

  Ilian threw himself out of the way and landed hard against the ice. He turned his head in time to see the serpent crash head-first into the ground. Karena drove her dagger into its head and the creature let out a shrill scream. It shook its head in fury, knocking her backwards. She grunted, and her face twisted in pain.

  Karena gripped her side, gasping for air. Blood soaked through her coat.

  Ilian looked down at his blade and back at the serpent.

  I need a bigger knife.

  The creature hissed and rushed towards him. Ilian sprinted along the cliff face, his breath misting before him as he panted. Behind him, there was a loud crash and the sound of rocks tumbling down the cliff.

  He didn't look back.

  The only sanctuary he could find was a crack in the rock face ahead of him. Ilian rolled the pack off his shoulders, letting it drop to the ground, and squeezed himself inside.

  He turned to look back outside and almost lost control of his bladder. The only thing he could see was the creatures eye looking back at him. Its long tongue flickered across his body, and Ilian felt bile rise in his throat. He brought his dagger down and sliced off the end of its tongue.

  The serpent hissed loudly and smashed its head against the rocks. Black blood spurted from its tongue and coated the rocks around Ilian. He felt the monster's throes in every part of his body. The vibrations it sent through the rocks must have shook the whole mountain.

  The serpent slammed its head into rock wall, it's jaw open wide. Its teeth were coated in blood, and the stump of the tongue spasmed in its mouth. It hissed and gurgled at him, but it couldn't reach Ilian.

  Ilian lashed out with his knife, but the creature recoiled and let out a low hiss. The single eye on its head stared into his own.

  Dear gods, this is it. This creature is going to eat me.

  A gust of wind rushed into the fissure, ruffling his hair. The force picked up and whipped against his body, pressing him against the rough stone. There was a loud boom and the creature flew backwards, crashing into the side of the opposite rock face.

  Ilian stared in awe. Karena limped in front of the crevasse and leaned against a rock. Her skin was pale and sweat soaked her hair.

  “It's not over yet. Even weakened, that thing won't go down so easy,” Karena panted.

  The serpent raised itself above them and shook its head. Stretched to its full height it towered high above them.

  “Get down,” Karena shouted.

  She knocked him to the ground just as the serpent's tail whistled past his head. It smashed into the wall and sent shards of rock flying in every direction.

  “You saved me.”

  Ilian jumped to his feet and turned to grab Karena, but she was gone. He froze in his tracks.

  Where did she go? Wait, when she pushed me—no, it can't be.

  A low rumble came from behind him. The creature pressed its tail against the rocks and leapt off, it's bloody mouth opened wide as it lunged towards him.

  Ilian raised his knife and planted his feet. I won't die a coward, at least.

  He jumped and brought his knife down with all of his strength. The sound of thunder reverberated in his ear, and he was thrown back. He landed on the icy ground and slid hard into a boulder.

  Everything spun around him, and he fought to stay conscious. The only thing he could see clearly was the crimson hair high above him, blowing in the wind.

  After a while his vision cleared and, aside from a dull throb in the back of his head, he felt well enough to stand.

  What he saw took his breath away.

  What remained of the creature lay fifty feet away, its body a bloody mess. It thrashed weakly, but couldn't rise. A high pitched noise came from its throat, almost like it was crying.

  Karena was no better. The blood in her coat had spread, and her hair was plastered to her head with sweat. “I don't think that's a good color for you.”

  Ilian grabbed his coat and pulled on it. It was covered in the creature's blood. He shuddered and wiped his hands off in the snow.

  “Karena, how did you—”

  “I went above it,” she huffed. “Used the combined power of the daggers to hurl a boulder at the serpent.”

  That's both amazing and frightening, he thought. Still...

  “How far is Dalenor? We need to get you patched up.”

  She took a deep breath and spoke through gritted teeth. “Not far.”

  Ilian ran back and grabbed his pack while she rested against a rock. The serpent lay sprawled on the ground, still twitching. He stared at the creature for a moment before lowering his pack back onto the ground.

  Karena eyed him. “What are you doing?”

  He tightened his grip on his dagger. “Mercy. It's suffering.”

  There was no time for him to try and bring out the flames again. He wasn't sure he even wanted to try. It wasn't natural, and it scared him that he could even summon something like that from within his body.

  Ilian walked over to the serpent and raised the blade above his head. He brought it down with all his might and stabbed through its eye. More of the black blood splashed out and across his face.

  He jumped back as the creature hissed and lurched in pain. Its tail smashed into the ground, and it flopped around for a few moments more before going still.

  He stared at the blade in his hand. It was black with the serpents blood.

  Ilian wiped the blade off on his pants and sheathed it. He returned to Karena, who was watching him intently.

  A cry came from within the hole the serpent had originally come from.

  Ilian looked up and covered his eyes against the glare. “What's that?”

  “Babies. Must have been a female,” Karena said.

  “It had children? What's going to happen to them now?”

  She shrugged. “Either they'll live or die. It's up to them.”

  Ilian sighed. “So it was trying to feed its young. I wish we had never come this way.”

  “You'd rather it continued to feed off humans? The rest of the world isn't like Lochden, Ilian. You survive any way you can. This was a creature set on feeding its children through any means possible. It's something any mother can relate to.”

  I wonder what her childhood was like. This seems to be a sensitive topic for her.

  “I never had a mother, Karena.”

  “You have more than I ever did.”

  Ilian shook his head. “Karena, I—”

  Karena looked away and mumbled something intelligible.

  He put his hand to his ear. “What?”

  “It was a drakôn.” Her voice was strained.

  I guess she's finished talking about her past. I don't blame her.

  Ilian helped her up and they continued walking towards Dalenor. “A drakôn, huh? I didn't think they actually existed.”

  He'd heard the legends. Drakôn were ancient serpents left over from a time when great beasts roamed the world. Unlike the much smaller snakes that roamed the earth now, they were able to live in most any climate. Hot, cold, even in the sea itself. It was said that some of them could even fly.

  She nodded. “There's a few left.” Karena covered her mouth to cough. When she removed her hand it was coated in blood.

  There were a lot of things going through his head, but the one that surprised him most was that he was actually worried about her. Time and time again, he found himself caring when he should be laughing at her misfortune instead. After all, she deserved no less for what she had done. Yet, here he was, carrying her to Dalenor.

  The sun was obscured by the clouds once again, but by the waning light he could tell it would soon be dark. If possible, he wanted to be in Dalenor by then. They both needed a warm bed, something to eat and a doctor to fix Karena up. She sounded terrible, and by the looks of it, it wouldn't be long until she'd collapse.

  “You really owe me for this, Karena.” He k
ept his gaze fixed straight ahead.

  Ilian wasn't sure if she nodded, or if her head just bobbed out of weakness. Either way, he figured he'd take advantage of the situation.

  “I'm going to leave, Karena. It'll be weeks before you heal, and by then I can be far away from here. Hopefully, far enough away that I won't ever be found.”

  Her voice was barely above a whisper. “No.”

  He shifted her weight. “Sorry. I can't bring myself to kill you. But, I won't stay here while you're incapacitated.”

  Lights came into view in the distance, and Ilian squinted his eyes to get a better view. The vague shape of buildings stood out against the horizon.

  Almost there. I'm so close to having my freedom back.

  He really wanted to get some warm food in him. The rations they had brought with them had done little to satisfy his appetite. In fact, he usually felt hungrier after eating. Karena had still refused to tell him what had been in her stew.

  The sky was black by the time they reached the city of Dalenor. A large stone wall surrounded the city, and a pair of guardsmen stood outside the gate. It was shut tight.

  One of them walked towards them, his armor made of tight leather and wrapped in fur. The helmet on his head covered his face up to his nose. Only his eyes were visible. They held no emotion as his gaze lingered on the blood covering Ilian's clothes.

  The guardsman's voice was deep and raspy. “What happened t' you two?”

  Ilian met the guardsman's gaze. “We took the old merchant's way because of an avalanche. Something called a drakôn attacked us.”

  There was suspicion in the guardsman's voice. “A drakôn? How did you survive that?”

  “Luck,” Ilian lied.

  “What about her?” The guardsman asked.

  “She was injured by the drakôn. I need a warm bed and a doctor for her.” Ilian did his best to sound remorseful.

  The guardsman nodded. “All right.” He cocked his head and called out to the other guardsman. “Open the gate and get a doctor! Two coming in, one with severe injuries.”

  The other guardsman yelled something back and the gate started to raise.

  He turned back to them. “Head on over t' the Broken Wing inn and get yourselves a room. We'll have the doctor head on over t' meet ya.”

  Ilian nodded and walked inside the gate. Karena was even less responsive now than she had been earlier. He wasn't even sure if she'd survive until the doctor got there.

  The clouds parted, allowing the pale light of the moon to illuminate the city. Dalenor sprawled out before him, its buildings constructed out of a stone so dark it seemed to drink the moonlight. The weather was so harsh here, Ilian suspected that they used the stone to better weather the elements. Dalenor was also famous for its mining. It was in such close proximity to the mountains that they were able to harvest large quantities of precious ore and stone for use in everything from buildings to jewelery.

  Most of the windows they passed were dark, but a few still flickered with candle light. Ilian even saw two figures locked in an embrace through a window. He looked away, but the image had already burned itself into his mind.

  Perhaps I'll someday get the chance to fall in love and live a normal life. With the way things are going, I'm not getting my hopes up.

  Ilian took a couple of wrong turns, but eventually they ended up outside the Broken Wing inn. It looked to be a nicer establishment from the outside. The sign outside had the picture of a falling bird painted on it.

  How fitting, he thought.

  He nudged the door open, and carried Karena inside. There was a huge fire place against the back wall that radiated with heat. He was grateful for the sudden warmth. A couple of the patrons eyed them as they walked in, but most of them continued their conversations, oblivious to the two strangers.

  A man with a rounded stomach and a huge nose approached them, his saucer eyes wide with fright. “Oh dear, are you two all right?” He said in a high pitched voice.

  Ilian winced at the sound. “There's a doctor coming for her. We have money.” He reached into Karena's satchel and fished around for a moment before finding her coin purse. He held it up and jingled it.

  “Let's get you upstairs then. My name is Pophoi and I'm the innkeeper here, hoy. If you need anything, anything at all, let me know.”

  “Okay.” Ilian really hated the man's voice.

  How did a man that big end up with such a high pitched voice?

  Ilian stumbled up the stairs. Karena wasn't very heavy, but after carrying her all night his body was tired. The muscles in his arms and back were screaming with each movement. All he could think about was going to sleep.

  The innkeeper fumbled with some keys, and after a moment, unlocked and opened the door to their room. “Please, make yourself comfortable, hoy. I'll send the doctor up once he arrives.”

  Ilian laid Karena down on the bed and carefully stripped off her coat and tunic. They were stuck together and to her skin from all the dried up blood. The wound in her side was bruised, and covered in blood, but it didn't look as bad as he had originally thought. She was still breathing, at least.

  There was a loud thumping sound down stairs followed by dishes smashing. A moment later the door to his room slammed open and a man with a long, gray beard and a thick fur coat stood in front of him, breathless. His face was flushed, and his blue eyes met Ilian's own. He held a large, black bag in his hand.

  “Let me see her.” The man rushed into the room and pushed Ilian out of the way.

  “Are you the doctor?” Ilian murmured.

  The man rummaged through his bag and spoke without facing Ilian. “Yes, yes. I'm the doctor. What the bloody hell happened to this woman?”

  Ilian sat down in the chair across from the bed. “Drakôn.”

  The doctor turned and faced him. “No drakôn caused this, boy. But say what you like. There still might be time to save her. Just stay out of my way.” He pulled some instruments wrapped in cloth out of his bag and spread them across the bed.

  “Get out,” The doctor said.

  Ilian blinked. “What?

  “I told you to get out. I can't work with you in the room.” He carefully unwrapped the cloths. A flash of metal caught Ilian's eye.

  “Fine. Do as you will.” Ilian got up and walked out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him.

  Ilian walked downstairs and took a seat at a table. Did he even care whether Karena lived or died? There were so many reasons for him to hate her, and yet he still found comfort in her presence. This was what scared him the most. There was something about her that attracted him, and he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

  The innkeeper came over and placed a cup of ale and a bowl of stew in front of him. “On the house, hoy,” he said in that irritating high pitched voice.

  Ilian's stomach growled at the smell of food. He shoveled the food into his mouth, barely chewing before he swallowed. The stew had a rich, meaty taste, with a hint of spice. The ale was weaker than what he'd had at the Golden Chalice, but it did its job. It had been far too long since he'd had a good meal.

  He pondered his decision some more while he cradled his drink. He had decided to leave. There was no going back now. Whether she lived or not, in the morning he would take some of her gold, buy supplies and head off to the furthest place he could think of. Hopefully, nobody would search for him if he traveled far enough away.

  I can't go home. Too many memories, too many people that would question me. Karena was right. I know nothing about the world outside of Lochden. I'll just have to find a new place for me in the world.

  He downed the last of his ale and sighed in content. It had been a while since he'd gone downstairs. He felt compelled to check on Karena and see how the doctor was doing with her. Ilian walked up the stairs and opened the door to the room. Karena was bandaged up, and her breathing seemed to be much more regular. She laid unconscious o
n the bed with a blanket pulled up to her chest.

  The doctor was nowhere to be found.

  He heard footsteps behind him. Before he could react something clubbed him on the back of the head, and he dropped to the ground.

  “We've finally found you,” an unfamiliar voice said.

  Another voice Ilian didn't recognize spoke above him. “Our master will grateful for this gift.”

  Ilian's consciousness slipped away and everything went dark.