Cin d'Rella and the Golden Apple : Circle of the Rose Chronicles, Book 2

by S. J. West

  “Or we could look for the big clearing Coltan and Kalder made in the forest,” Gretel whispers to me.

  “Let him have his fun,” I tell her, finding Gus’s excitement amusing. “You know he doesn’t get out much.”

  “Come on!” Gus says, waving us onward as he leads the way down the path. “Let’s see what adventures await us!”

  “You heard our fearless leader,” I tell the others. “Let’s go!”

  At first, we’re all tickled by Gus’s zest for life, but after almost two hours of walking and discovering nothing new, everyone, even Gus, loses their exhilaration.

  “We should find a place to settle in for the night,” I tell everyone as twilight descends into night. “Walking around a strange place in the dark isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

  “Agreed,” Gretel says with a yawn. “I could use a break.”

  We decide to backtrack up the trail to make camp near a lake we passed about ten minutes go. Once we’re there, Coltan and I volunteer to find wood in the forest to build a fire while the others set out our sleeping bags.

  “Was it only me, or did you feel like we were being watched on that path?” Coltan asks me as we gather up fallen tree limbs from the forest floor.

  “I definitely felt like we were being watched, but I couldn’t see anyone. Could you?”

  “No,” he says with a troubled frown. “Maybe it was simply our minds playing tricks on us.”

  “Maybe.” I agree with my words, but I can’t explain away my instinct that we’re not alone out here.

  “Gretel seems a lot calmer than I thought she would be coming here,” he says. “If I were her, I would be freaking out about discovering that my parents weren’t really my parents.”

  “Gretel hasn’t had a real relationship with them since Hans died,” I tell him as I lean down to pick up a handful of small branches for kindling. “At least now she understands why they cut her out of their lives when her brother died. If anything, finding out that they aren’t her biological parents has been a relief.”

  Coltan stops foraging for a moment and looks up at the sky. Noticing that he’s become distracted by whatever it is he sees, I look up as well and see the moon making its appearance over the tree line.

  “That answers that question, I suppose,” he says before returning his gaze to me.

  “What question?” I ask.

  “Whether or not we’re on a different planet or still on Faloria,” he says. “This is our world, Cin, because that’s our moon.”

  I look back up at the cresting moon, but I can’t honestly say I would be able to distinguish our moon from another one in the universe.

  “What makes you so certain?” I ask.

  Coltan points to it. “Do you see that dark crescent shape in the middle of it and then that small round one right below it? Our moon has those same craters. I’ve seen them hundreds of times from my telescope back home. This is Faloria, Cin.”

  “This means we’ve found a way to join the rest of the world!” I say with our moon shining in my eyes. I let what I’m holding fall to the ground so I can throw my arms around Coltan’s neck because I’m so happy.

  Coltan drops what he’s holding too as he wraps his arms around me and picks me up as we both laugh and he twirls me around in the air. By the time he sets me back down on my feet and lets me go, we’re both a little dizzy from all the spinning and feel drunk with joy. When I pull back from him and look into his eyes, I witness true happiness fill his soul, but I’m not sure if it’s because of me or that we may have found a way to save Briardale.

  Whatever the case may be for him, I feel as happy as he looks until a memory surfaces in my mind. The last time I saw Briar Rose, she told me I had to gather items from her sisters in order to break the curse. Why would she tell me that if all we had to do was go through the portal to this part of Faloria? The quest she sent me on would be pointless, and I doubt Briar Rose would send me on a wild-goose chase.

  “Wait,” I say as the excitement of the moment is tempered by logic. “This might be another part of Faloria, but I think we’re missing something important. There has to be more to it that we’re not seeing yet.”

  “What makes you say that?” Coltan asks, dropping his arms from around my waist as I put a damper on his enthusiasm.

  I tell him my thoughts on the matter. When I’m finished, understanding enters his expression as he comes to the same conclusion I did.

  “You’re right,” he says. “We must be missing something about this place. If it was as easy as going through a portal, we wouldn’t need to search for the two items she said her sisters carry.”

  “I realize it’s disheartening, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Coltan sighs. “I really thought we had found a way out for everyone.”

  “I did too,” I say. “There’s still a chance that it’s true, but there’s another thing that bothers me about this place. Where are the people?”

  “Maybe we just haven’t found the city yet,” he suggests. “It’s obvious this place isn’t anything like Briardale. It’s more rural than where we come from, but maybe that isn’t a bad thing. Our city is running out of space. Even if we’re only able to move a portion of our population here, we’ll at least be able to survive a little while longer.”

  “If we break the curse, we won’t have to do that,” I point out.

  “Then maybe we should think of it as a backup plan,” he suggests.

  A distinct rustling noise comes from somewhere in the brush surrounding us.

  “Did you hear that?” I ask Coltan as I bend down to retrieve both of my daggers from my boots.

  “Yes,” he says, drawing the long sword from the sheath hanging against his side. “It didn’t sound like an animal.”

  “Let’s get back to camp,” I tell him. “These trees provide too much cover for someone to hide behind. I’d rather be out in the open and make them show themselves.”

  “Then you think there’s more than one person or thing out there?” he asks as we make our way back toward the lake.

  “You had the same feeling as I did earlier,” I point out. “We’ve been watched since we got here, and they have an advantage over us. This is their home, not ours.”

  Coltan flinches and stumbles forward as if he had been punched in the back.

  “Run!” he yells to me as he grabs one of my arms and runs along beside me until we get to the lake where our friends are still setting up camp.

  All of them have their weapons drawn as we emerge from the woods.

  “What is it?” Gretel asks us as we run to them. “What’s out there?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, panting.

  Coltan collapses facedown across a couple of the sleeping bags the others put out while we were gone. Sticking out of his back is a wooden blow dart. It must be what hit him while we were walking. I bend down and pull it out of him before rolling him over onto his back. By this time, Coltan’s body is as stiff as a board and his face is contorted in pain.

  I drop my daggers and place my hands on either side of his head as I search his eyes for signs of life.

  “Coltan, can you hear me?” I ask, attempting to keep my panic under control because he’s as rigid as a dead person. When I see him blink, I breathe a little easier, but not much.

  “You’ve been poisoned,” I tell him. “Try not to panic. We’ll get you help as soon as we take care of whoever did this to you.”

  I stand up and look back at the dense forest. The last thing we need is for whatever is out there to strike us all down with the paralyzing dart that struck Coltan. I’ve read about such things in books, but I’ve never seen someone use such a crude weapon before.

  “What’s the plan?” Gretel asks me as I come to stand beside her.

  “Burn it,” I say as I stare into the forest. “The fire and smoke will either drive them away or kill them. I’m good with either outcome.”

  Without hesitation, Gretel th
rows balls of fire near the forest’s edge in front of us and sets the area ablaze with her magic.

  “Are you sure this is the best idea?” Kalder asks apprehensively as he watches the flames leap from tree to tree.

  “No, but do you have a better one?” I ask. “If you do, now is the time to say it.”

  Kalder shakes his head as we keep an eye on the forest in case anyone emerges.

  On the far end of the fire to our left, someone stumbles out of the woods who seems to be coughing more than he’s breathing. I run to my backpack and grab the length of rope I have in it before going to the man. Without needing to ask her to, Scarlet follows to watch my back. As we come near to the stranger, I notice he’s dressed only in a pair of patchwork pants that look like mismatched animal furs sewn together. He seems oblivious to our approach as he falls to his hands and knees, attempting to expel the smoke from his lungs. As soon as I get close enough, I kick him in the head to stun him long enough for me to pull his arms behind his back and tie his wrists together.

  He doesn’t struggle very much at first, but as I pull him to his feet, he kicks at me. Since he’s at least five inches taller than me, I need a bit more leverage against him to keep him in check. I kick the man hard enough behind his left knee to knock him back to the ground. As quickly as I can, I wrap the length of rope I have left around his neck twice and tighten it until I start to hear him choke.

  “I’m not sure if you can understand me or not,” I say into his left ear above the roar of the fire that’s still burning the woods behind me, “but if you don’t behave yourself, I will walk you over to that fire and throw you into it. Nod your head if you understand me.”

  The man nods his head vigorously in a sign of complete compliance. His answer also tells me that the people who live here speak Falorian, which is more proof that we’re still on our own planet.

  I loosen the rope so that the man can breathe and stay alive long enough for him to tell me how to counteract what he did to Coltan. When we get closer to our group, I force the man back down onto his knees and use the remaining rope to tie his feet together. If he tries to escape, he’ll end up strangling himself.

  Before I’m able to ask the man any questions, a sudden gust of wind draws everyone’s attention skyward. Flying high above us in a circular pattern like vultures are seven very large and dangerous-looking dragons.

  Chapter 13

  “Well, that can’t be good,” Kalder says as he tears his eyes away from the dragons flying overhead and looks at me. “Got any suggestions on how to deal with them?”

  “Maybe one,” I say as I hand the rope I have tied around our prisoner to Kalder so I can walk over to Coltan and protect him from the dragons as much as I can. “Gretel, extinguish your fire. Maybe that’s what’s drawing them to us.”

  Last year Gretel learned she can put out any fires she starts with her magic. With a single thought and clap of her hands, the flames turn into white wisps of smoke. Unfortunately, the dragons don’t fly away. They line up in what appears to be an organized, spiraling descent. Within a few seconds, all seven dragons surround us in a perfect circle. When Henry told us that he rescued Gretel from a group of dragons, I hoped he was overexaggerating. I can see now that he did indeed see dragons and not merely overgrown lizards like I’d hoped.

  The dragons are three times the size of my car, and each of them is a different color of the rainbow. Except for their variation in hue, the dragons are physically identical. They all have a pair of long black horns jutting out from the top of their head and black spines running down the center of their back. Each dragon has its eyes fixed on Gretel, which is something she obviously notices too.

  “Did you come to finish the job?” she challenges them as she ignites two flaming balls of fire in both palms of her hands. “I’m not a baby anymore that you can easily tear apart. I’m a grown woman who can fight back. I may not be powerful enough to take all of you out, but I can certainly kill some of you before you kill me!”

  The red dragon standing directly in front of Gretel takes one step forward. Gretel raises her hands, prepared to use her magic on the dragon if he takes another step, but instead of doing that, he lies down in front of her and places his head on the ground in an act of submission. The six remaining dragons assume the same posture, as if they are bowing down to my best friend to show their respect.

  “Why are they doing that?” Scarlet asks as stunned as the rest of us at the dragons’ strange behavior.

  “It looks like they’re surrendering to her,” Kalder says, sounding mystified by what’s happening. He’s still holding his sword out in case the dragons change their minds.

  “Why would they do that?” Gretel asks me. Her eyes are wild with bewilderment.

  “I don’t know,” I reply, “but I suggest we take it as a good sign.”

  “What am I supposed to do now?” she asks.

  “I don’t have the faintest idea.”

  The red dragon seems to understand our dilemma and slides its head as close to Gretel as its neck will allow without moving the rest of its body. It knows that if it moves its body, we’ll take the action as a threat.

  “I think it wants you to touch him,” Gus says with a gulp.

  “Or it might bite her arm off!” Scarlet says as she looks at Gretel with fear.

  “I don’t think it wants to hurt me,” Gretel tells us with more confidence than I feel as she extinguishes the flames in her hands.

  “Be careful,” I beg her as she steps toward the red dragon.

  Gretel walks up to the dragon and shows no hesitation as she places her hand on top of its scaly head. A blinding white light sparks from the touch, causing us all to either look away or shield our eyes. When I look back, Gretel’s hand is now resting on a naked young man’s head who is kneeling in front of her. He has short, dark brown hair and skin the same caramel color as Gretel’s. As soon as Gretel notices the difference, she yanks her hand away from the man and takes two cautious steps backward.

  “Please,” the man begs with an outstretched hand to Gretel as he clears his throat. “We mean you no harm. In fact, we’ve been waiting for you to return to us, Sister.”

  “S-s-sister?” Gretel stammers, unsure she heard the man correctly.

  “Yes,” the man answers in a calm voice as he gazes at Gretel with great expectation and tenderness.

  “I’m sorry,” I say to regain everyone’s attention before we get too sidetracked by this new and strange development. “I realize we need to have a talk about what’s happening, but Coltan could be dying.” I look over at the man who claims to be Gretel’s brother. “Our friend was shot with a blow dart from this man,” I say as I point to my prisoner. “Do you happen to know what poison he used and how we can counteract it?”

  “Your friend will be all right,” the once dragon, now man assures me. “The poison they use only paralyzes its victim for a short time. That thing you have tied up uses it so he can take his victim back home without a fight and keep the meat unbruised.”

  It takes the synapse in my brain a second to fully comprehend what he’s telling me.

  “Are you implying that his kind eat people?” I ask to clarify what he said in a roundabout way. The man nods his head. “Are all the humans here cannibals?”

  “Not the people who live behind the White Wall,” he tells me. “As far as I know, only the feral ones who are born out here in the wildlands are that way. They’ll eat anything that walks on two or four legs. Although, I’ve heard they prefer human meat when they can find it.”

  “What should I do with this one?” I ask, casting a glance in the feral’s direction. “Kill him or set him free?”

  “That isn’t something I can tell you,” he says. “You’ll have to follow your own conscience for the answer.”

  The man has probably hunted humans all his life. I have every right to execute him for his deeds, but killing someone in cold blood isn’t my style.

  “If I leave him ti
ed up here,” I say, “will his people eventually find him?”

  “I’m sure they will,” he replies. “There are quite a few of his kind living in these woods.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do,” I say. “Now, why are you calling Gretel your sister?”

  “Gretel,” he says as if trying out the name against his tongue. “I like that name for you. And I’m calling her my sister because that’s what she is to us,” he replies as he stands to his feet. I purposely keep my eyes on his face so they don’t wander below his waist.

  “Are you able to shift between being a dragon and a man at will?” Gretel asks him.

  He shakes his head as he smiles at her. “No. None of us have been able to shift into our human form until now. You were taken away from us before you were old enough to give us your blessing.”

  “My blessing?” Gretel asks, confused by her brother’s phrasing.

  “When our mother died, you became the leader of our family,” he tells her. “Even as infants, we have an innate sense of the matriarchal system in our species. Since you never gave us permission to shift between our dragon and human forms, we were stuck as dragons until now. We never thought you would come back, so we resigned ourselves to live as dragons for the rest of our lives. Now that you’re home, we can live in both of our forms.”

  “When did our mother die?” Gretel asks in a thick voice. Since Gretel came here to find her true parents, I’m sure hearing of the loss of her mother so soon is devastating.

  “I honestly don’t know,” he says. “We never saw her after we hatched from our eggs, so we assumed it must have happened not long after our birth.”

  “Is our father here?” she asks.

  “Not that we know of,” he tells her.

  “Why was I born as a human baby and the rest of you as dragons?”

  “Within each clutch of eggs hatches at least one female. All females are born in their human form, just like all males are born as dragons,” he answers.