Dragon Bow

by Angelique Anderson

  The men who had died lied scattered like dead leaves from a tree. Astrid knew the bodies would have to be dealt with as soon as possible. It broke her heart to know that more lives had been taken. Whether they deserved it or not was beside the point. She wanted nothing to do with the endless slaughter that seemed to follow her around wherever she went.

  No matter how hard she tried to bring peace, it seemed the very core of who she was—only brought war.

  “Are you all right?” Astrid asked them.

  Most of them groaned or nodded in reply. Astrid grabbed her water canteen and tore through the tent searching for rags or old clothes that she could use to help clean the wounds of the injured.

  “You’re an incredible archer, Astrid,” one of the Caelestan men remarked.

  “Indeed,” another chimed in.

  “I could teach you all. Your fighting style is underdeveloped but strong. I think with a few pointers; you all would be some formidable fighters. Did any of you fight alongside me just days ago, in Telluris?”

  No one volunteered, and that made her sad. They were not brave enough to be warriors yet—not that she had expected them to be. The very act of them leaving Caelestis to join her in a fight against complete strangers was incredible when they weren’t even warriors.

  “No, we have to be cautious who we send out. Normally, a Caelestan soldier dies being just that—a Caelestan soldier,” one admitted.

  “It is a travesty that needs to be stopped,” said another.

  “How many soldiers didn’t return after the battle at Telluris. Does anyone know?” Astrid asked, dropping her arm to her side, while maintaining her grip on her bow.

  “If you will, future queen, many of us lost family members just days ago and aren’t ready to speak of it.”

  Astrid was taken aback by the man’s use of the word queen.

  “What makes you say that? Why did you call me queen? That is treason!” she yelled, agitated that the assumption had been made.

  “Please, your soon to be majesty, my name is Aldrir,” the man said.

  Astrid noted the long scar on his left arm, that ran the length of his forearm, down to his elbow.

  “You must stop saying that, Aldrir. I am not the future queen!” she yelled adamantly.

  It caused everyone around them, to gasp, including Quimby.

  “Now, now, Astrid. Do not be so quick to dismiss such an idea. We still have a king, but you have seen what he has done to Caelestis. He does not care for the people as you do, nor does he do anything to restore our kingdom and heal the sky lands. He abolished the trade routes, and day after day, he sits in his castle. We never hear anything from him, unless he wishes us to go to battle, or to bring him food. Those who don’t do as they are asked—are killed on sight.”

  “What?” Astrid said, her face paled. “What do you mean, he kills them on sight?”

  “It’s as he said,” Aldrir said. “The people have grown tired of his heartless ways. Word of your bravery has spread among us. Tales of how you fought off soldiers to get into Telluris, and how you fought them off to gain the respect of the Vizier so that you could meet with the king. You are a better warrior than all of us,” he pushed.

  “Here, here!” the people behind him shouted.

  “No! This must stop!” she yelled. “King Bertram is still king, and as long as he is, you will respect him and serve him the best you can as such. I’m not asking you to kill as he requests, but you still owe him your service. If there is a day that I am to become queen, then I will achieve it the right way. Not through mutiny!” she said sternly.

  That silenced them all, and she could tell by their faces that they were disappointed.

  “But, Astrid… he has taken everything from us. Our families, our livelihood, everything good about us... he has destroyed it. You would have our support to start a coup.” Aldrir’s voice was desperate, he was trying to reason with her.

  “Aldrir, I appreciate your enthusiasm to make me queen, but if I do this, if I agree to take the throne—I will have to kill him. How much would you, or your people trust me, if I was willing to do such a thing?” she asked.

  This set the people talking, and they quieted down their shouts of calling her queen.

  “You do make a point,” Aldrir said, dejectedly.

  “Trust me when I say that I love Caelestis and its people more than I’ve loved any other place, including my own home back in the Volcano of Shadows. If I become queen, I beseech you, my people, let it be done the right way.”

  Aldrir took her hand, bringing it to his lips to gently kiss it. “When you do become queen, it will be my honor to serve you. For any queen who could be loyal to a king that doesn’t deserve loyalty, surely deserves the loyalty of us all.”

  “Here, here!” the people yelled.

  Astrid smiled at them. “It is an honor, but we all have much to do and learn before that happens. First, when you are fighting, always maintain eye contact with your enemy. Do not watch their weapons, because that can change at any moment. If you practice reading their eyes, you can predict what their next attack will be. Eyes give away a person’s motives better than any wavering weapon will.”

  “Secondly when you fight, keep your feet firm. A lot of injury occurs when you are unsure of yourself, which I know the lot of you are. If you hold your feet firm, you have more control of your weapons and your body. This is important, especially for those who wield a sword.”

  She continued guiding them, sharing what she had learned and hoping to help them get better.

  A dagger flew in a blur. Astrid saw the glimmer of its metal point aimed at her heart, but she had no time react. Then, like a flash of lightning, from the left of them, a stranger came rushing through the crowd toward Astrid. She tried to make out his face, but it was covered with a dark velvet hood. The stranger caught the handle of the blade a split second before it plunged directly into her chest.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, falling back onto the ground to recover from the idea that she nearly died.

  “After whoever threw that blade!” Aldrir commanded.

  He and two others ran toward the direction of where the blade had come.

  “Be careful,” she called after them, still trembling from the fact that she had almost died.

  The Caelestan who saved her handed over the blade.

  “Thank you,” she offered, “I wish I could do something for you, you saved my life.”

  The person remained with the red cloak over his face, and simply nodded his head. She caught only a glimpse of blonde hairs sticking out from his hood.

  “Do you care to tell me your name?”

  He shook his head, and simply sat among the people.

  “All right, well you saved my life. You certainly deserve to stay. She glanced down at the red handled blade in her hand. There was a symbol on the handle she didn’t recognize. It didn’t look like anything a Caelestan or Aequoran would use. “Tellurian?” she wondered aloud.

  No one answered her, and she tucked it in her belt, deciding she would hold onto it until later. Astrid went back to teaching them battle techniques and had them practice together. With them partnered up, she could watch their sword stances, and help the archers make better marks. Most had to do with inexperience.

  A short time later, Aldrir and the men who had gone with him returned.

  “Did you capture whoever threw this blade?” Astrid patted the handle that was tucked into the leather of her belt.

  “They got away,” Aldrir said, dejected as he stared at the ground.

  “I don’t fault you for that, but this blade…” She pulled it out to look at it again. “I don’t recognize this symbol.”

  Aldrir looked it over, and then she passed it to Quimby.

  “I don’t recognize it either,” he admitted.

  Astrid didn’t know what to do with that, but something told her whoever it belonged to, was someone to fear. She hid it in a pouch she used for her provisions. She di
dn’t want to see it, or feel the cold metal against her skin, for the unsettling feeling of fear ripped through her. The person who had wielded this blade, had almost killed her.

  She didn’t like the fact that they may be able to get to her again. Astrid would have to be more careful.

  29

  Svana

  The hardest battles to win will always be the battles of the heart. It is also the battle that has no clear outcome of victory or defeat.

  Airlyoth, The Warrior, Second Dragon Elder, Third Age of Verdil

  Discussing Jakobe with Hekla had been easier than Svana imagined it would be. Hekla was understanding, and kind. Never pushing too much, but only just enough. And for Svana, it felt nice to finally unload to someone who wasn’t a dragon.

  “Uuugghhhh,” a slow steady groan came from the man.

  Svana immediately jumped to her feet and hurried to him. His stunning russet eyes opened wide to stare unblinkingly up at her.

  “You’re awake!” Svana cried out, grabbing his face in her hands, resisting the urge to kiss him full on the mouth, though she wanted nothing more than to do just that.

  “I’m awake,” he croaked hoarsely, offering her a weak smile. “Barely, but I’m here.”

  There were so many thoughts racing through Svana’s mind. She desperately wanted to tell him how she felt, but she knew it could jeopardize her goals to stop the king and bring peace to Telluris.

  “I’ll excuse myself, and go assist Percival and Dorian,” Hekla said, offering Svana a soft, caring smile.

  Svana nodded and turned her attention back to Jakobe.

  He managed to sit up; though, it was rather unsteady.

  “Take it easy, how are you feeling?” she asked.

  He reached up to tuck a tendril of Svana’s crimson hair out of her face. She stopped him, grabbing his hand and staring intensely into his eyes.

  “I thought I was going to lose you,” she whispered softly, her eyes burning with tears.

  “Hey, I’m not going anywhere, love. I could never leave you behind.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to her cheek.

  She wrapped her arms tightly around him, not wanting to let go.

  “I’m all right, everything is going to be fine.” He hugged her back, pressing her into him hard before he finally let her go.

  “What happened to you? What did they do to you?” she asked.

  “To be honest, I don’t know what happened. I was working on a new sword blade, trying some different heating techniques for the metal to see if I could get the same precision but making it lighter. The next thing I know, this group of bandits busts down my door and starts destroying everything in my shop. I yelled, and tried to stop them, but they all ganged up on me at once.”

  “I can hold my own, Svana, but they ambushed me. They held knives to my throat and told me that if I fought, they’d kill you and Percival and Eloise. So, I just gave in and let them do what they had to do.”

  “Oh, Jakobe! They destroyed everything of yours. Your shop, your home—it’s terrible,” she said quickly, barely taking a breath, completely beside herself. “How could you just hand yourself over to them? I would have been fine; I could have fought.”

  “I couldn’t let them harm you, Svana. You must know; I could never let them harm you. You mean everything to me.”

  “I’m not worth it, you know I can’t stay. Therefore, I pushed you away, no matter what I want or how I feel, I can’t stay. I have things I have to do. Things I don’t have a choice over; they need to be done.” Svana looked away from him, unable to keep herself from staring into his eyes, and wishing she could just throw everything she had to do away to be normal. She was daydreaming again, thinking about what it would be like to have a family, and be with someone who loved her.

  “You are worth every second of pain, and every moment of heartache. I would do it all over, again and again. Anything to keep you safe, dear Svana.”

  “Jakobe, why are you so kind to me?”

  He grabbed her hand, his grip still weak, and pulled her fingers to his lips, kissing them. “Svana, you don’t get it do you?”

  She shook her head.

  “I said it before, and I’ll say it again.” He paused for a moment, allowing their gaze to linger upon each other. “I would do anything for you. Anything to protect you, anything to keep you safe.”

  “You know that it will cost you—it already almost cost you your life. It’s already cost you your business, and your home. Who knows what else it will cost you?”

  “It could cost me everything, and I wouldn’t care. If I have everything and not you, I have nothing. If I have you and have nothing, then I have everything.”

  “Ugh, you big lug!” she said softly, “I want to stay with you, I do… but there are so many things I need to do.” Svana could feel a lump rising in her throat.

  “So, do what you need to do, my love. I will be here, and I will wait. I’m not going anywhere, all right?”

  Svana nodded. He grabbed her chin, tilting it up just slightly, and leaned his head into her. His lips met hers, and at first, she tensed as shivers traveled all through her body, but after a moment of shock, she collected herself and sank into it. Warmth spread from him and through her, causing her entire body to tingle all the way from her lips to her toes, which curled under themselves inside of her boots. Her heart raced, pounding furiously in her chest, desperately wanting to burst out to be with Jakobe’s heart. Butterflies awakened in her stomach, jittering around from her abdomen to her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. It was a sweet reminder of what would be waiting for her when she finished what she needed to do—if she ever finished. The kiss lasted only a second, but it was etched in Svana’s memory forever.

  “Oh, Jakobe, that wasn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair, my dear. Now do what you need to do, I’m fine. I’ll be here… I promise.”

  Svana stood, her heart breaking at having to leave him again.

  “Svana, my dear sister, I hate to push you, but its time,” Hekla called.

  “I know. I must return to King Armand before it is too late.” Svana sighed.

  Hekla nodded to her.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Jakobe. Please get better. And let yourself heal, that means take it easy,” she pleaded with him.

  She knew that he wouldn’t let himself stop long enough to heal, but he had to. Her sanity depended on it.

  “I’ll take care of myself, and now that I know you’re safe, I’ll behave until you return.” He offered her a mischievous wink and a grin.

  “I should hope so!” she exclaimed.

  Svana took a deep breath as she grabbed his hand once more, squeezing it tight, before letting go and heading back to the boat. Hekla followed her; a grin plastered on her face.

  “So, what was it like?” Hekla asked.

  “What are you talking about, Hekla?” Svana raised an eyebrow.

  “He kissed you,” she teased.

  “Sister!” Svana laughed. “It was pure magic. It was hope, and joy, and everything I never knew I always wanted. Please take care of him while I’m gone. He’s not one to stop. He doesn’t sit well. He likes to work—to stay busy. It’s who he is… he can’t help it. But please don’t let him injure himself more.”

  “Yes, Svana, you have my word. He has been through a great deal; I will make sure he is well taken care of. Please, hurry, you must save the king. Here, aside from the aquaberry, if you mash these, and mix them together, it may be enough to heal him. It’s going to take time, since I cannot use my magic on him.”

  Svana nodded, taking the green herbs from her sister, and tucking them in the leather pouch with the aquaberry plant.

  “Thank you, my sister,” Svana said with a soft smile. “I love you, please be safe. I don’t know if there are other men after me, or him, but be cautious. And please don’t put yourself in harm’s way for me,” Svana pleaded with her.

  “I will be fine,” Hekla said.


  Svana nodded before hurrying to the boat before she lost her nerve to leave Jakobe and her sister behind.

  30

  Hekla

  It is hard to trust a stranger. It is even harder to bring them into your home and care for them. A little trust and a little faith will go a long way, and there are times, you will find yourself as the stranger, and you will be blessed if a stranger lets you in to care for you.

  Civeress, The Champion, Third Dragon Elder, Fourth Age of Verdil

  It wasn’t easy for Hekla to part ways with Svana, but she knew there were things that they both needed to accomplish. Once Svana and her friends had departed the floating lands, she turned her attention toward the injured man. He wore a pained expression, but Hekla suspected it had more to do with her sister leaving than it did the many injuries he had suffered.

  “Come with me, I know a place you can rest.” Hekla’s voice was kind, but commanding.

  Jakobe nodded as he stood. His whole body trembled slightly at the effort, and he was a bit unsteady as he tried to hold his balance.

  “Do you think you can walk for a bit?” Hekla asked, wondering if she was pushing too hard to get him to stand on his own.

  He nodded his head, wincing as he limped along after her.

  “You need rest and recovery. So, I’m leaving you in the company of a friend of mine. I expect you to sleep and keep to yourself. I’ll be around to watch over you, but I also have many other things I need to attend.”

  Jakobe nodded. “As you wish.”

  Hekla followed the path through the Aequoran village, taking her time for Jakobe who lumbered behind. She watched him carefully to make sure he stayed steady on his feet.

  “How are you?” she said, noticing that he appeared dizzy.

  His movements were very calculated, but he seemed to teeter with each step.