Dragon Slayers

by Lisa McMann

  “I will go,” said Ishibashi, stepping forward.

  “Thank you, Ishibashi-san,” said Maiven. “I like having you there with your long-range weapons. Now someone else with strong magical skills.” Her eyes wavered between Seth and Aaron.

  Seth looked torn. Fifer was hurt, and he cared about her. But Thisbe was being awful, and he wanted to look her in the eye and see what looked back.

  Before he could decide, Aaron stepped up. “I’m sick about Fifer, but I doubt there’s anything I can do for her,” he said. “I’d like to go with Ishibashi.”

  Seth nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help Fifer,” he said. “But tell Thisbe I’m really mad.”

  “Thanks. I will.” Aaron glanced at Simber. “I assume you will stay with Maiven and go to Fifer?”

  “Corrrect,” said Simber.

  Aaron gathered his possessions and turned to Ishibashi. “Shall we take Quince and head out? No time to waste.”

  Ishibashi nodded and collected his weapons.

  “Don’t engage unless you see an opportunity to catch Thisbe alone,” said Maiven. “We don’t need any more casualties. Quince, you must do better at staying in your fog mode. Riders, don’t hesitate to remind Quince of that regularly.”

  Quince seemed slightly offended, for he’d forgotten his mistake by now, but he let it go.

  Aaron and Ishibashi agreed and headed out on the ghost dragon while Maiven and the rest reboarded Gorgrun and Astrid and continued to Ashguard’s palace.

  * * *

  The two men hadn’t spent much time together lately except in battle. “I’ll be glad when this is over and we can go back home,” Aaron said to the scientist as they glided along. “I miss our quiet island. I miss Daniel and Kaylee. And Ito and Sato.”

  “There will be time for catching up,” said Ishibashi, trying to smile but feeling weary. They both knew it was true—it seemed they had all the time imaginable. Ishibashi and Aaron hadn’t talked much lately about the seaweed and how it potentially made them immortal. It was old news. And besides, Kaylee didn’t know the truth, so there weren’t a lot of opportunities to chat about it. Aaron was racked with guilt about not telling her, but how could he? That his life would extend forever while hers would end was heartbreaking.

  “Are you holding up all right?” Aaron asked. The old scientist was slight, but he wasn’t frail. Still, this had become quite a lengthy ordeal.

  “I have never been better,” Ishibashi said. “This has been a long journey, but I believe it will be a satisfying one. I’m glad I came along to see this beautiful world. I was thrilled to experience the volcano system—what a ride! And so happy to spend time with you, my son. I must tell you, Aaron, that I wasn’t sure about you for a long time. But I am so pleased with the man you have become.”

  Tears sprang to Aaron’s eyes. He hadn’t been expecting praise, and the normally quiet scientist had caught him off guard. It was especially meaningful at a time when he was feeling guilty for Thisbe’s actions and wondering if there was some family flaw that would plague the Stowes forever. If Aaron and Thisbe had it, would Daniel someday turn to his evil side too? Aaron had so many questions, and Ishibashi usually had answers. But Aaron could only whisper, “Thank you.”

  It was as if Ishibashi could read Aaron’s mind. The old man put his cool, wrinkled hand on top of Aaron’s. After a moment he said, “Every day is a new day, Aaron-san. A chance to try again. We can’t control other people’s choices. But with our gift, we can continue to gain wisdom and be there for our loved ones forever to try to steer the way.”

  Aaron choked up. He hadn’t thought of immortality as a gift like that before. He’d mostly thought of how it would affect him, not how he could use it to affect others. The old scientist had taught him something else new in that moment. He took the man’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for steering my way and for sticking by me when I didn’t deserve it. I will try to do the same for Thisbe. And… for all the rest to come.”

  “That is all you can do,” Ishibashi said. “We will do it together.”

  “That’s what keeps me going,” said Aaron. “That I’m not alone in this.” They rode in silence for a while, side by side and hands linked, until Quince sniffed.

  “Is everything okay, Quince?” Aaron asked him.

  “Oh,” said Quince, turning his head to look at them. “That was such a beautiful sentiment. I… Thank you for having that conversation in my presence.”

  The two men smiled at each other, and Ishibashi spoke up. “I believe you have a similar story to tell to the next generation of dragons.”

  Quince didn’t answer, but he seemed thoughtful. A while later he said, “I can’t remember where we are going, but does it happen to have something to do with the Revinir?” It seemed like everything lately had something to do with her, so it was his best guess.

  “It does,” said Aaron. “We’re looking for her and Thisbe.”

  “Well, they’re right up ahead, flying toward the cavelands.”

  Surprised, Aaron sat up and peered in front of them. He could see a tiny dot far ahead, moving sideways across their path. “I wonder why they’re going there,” Aaron mused. It seemed strange, and he could think of no reason that would bring the two out to such a desolate place. But maybe this was the opportunity Aaron was looking for. If the Revinir was traveling without a fleet of dragons surrounding her, there could be a chance to speak to Thisbe. To pour his heart out, or even simply give her a signal. A look. Something to express that he wanted her to come back to them. That he would welcome her, no matter what she did.

  He watched the dot for a few moments, wanting to be sure of the Revinir’s flight path, then said, “Quince, let’s turn and meet them wherever they’re headed. It’s time to go into stealth mode.”

  Delirious

  Fifer lay perfectly still, seemingly unconscious as Florence tended to her. But in her mind, wrapped up in the tremendous pain that rocked her body, the same old things they’d all been discussing for months about the Revinir swirled around like a song she couldn’t get out of her head. Emma. Queen Eagala. The monstrous dragon-woman. She didn’t care who lived or died. She wanted to rule all of the worlds. She was selfish and greedy for power. What was her weakness?

  Bits of Emma’s journal pages wavered in Fifer’s mind. The girl had been jealous. Left behind. Lonely. Thisbe had landed on these notes and was out there trying to exploit them. And Fifer knew she needed to rouse herself and help. But try as she might, the injuries she’d sustained and the whirling thoughts pressed her back firmly into the pavers and left her body weighing a thousand tons, unable to move. Emma. Queen Eagala. The Revinir. What was the consistency that connected them? What were her fears that stayed with her?

  Emma. Standing next to a stream with the others, watching them do magic, happy to be included for once. But also glad to be excluded in a similar situation. Queen Eagala, building dozens of ships that had no purpose. Ships that would go nowhere because she commanded everyone to stay in Warbler. Why?

  Sky and Crow’s story came to mind—they’d escaped from Eagala on a raft and told stories about how they weren’t allowed to learn to swim because their queen didn’t want anyone to be able to leave.

  Eagala’s huge loss to Artimé and what everyone believed to be her death, being sucked down the volcano. But she’d survived, and her power after that had multiplied.

  Then came Dev’s story about hiding in the river and the strange way the Revinir had communicated with the red dragon to collect fish for her—when a dragon’s natural hunting tendency seemed to imply fishing for oneself would be an experience to savor.

  There was also Thisbe and Fifer’s most recent traumatic abduction—the Revinir from above the trees, but having an elaborate setup of six dragons hiding under water.

  The memory of a sound of fear rang in Fifer’s ears as she lay battling for her life. A strained little whoop. It had been a strange, frightful sound that the Revinir had emitte
d when Thisbe had escaped the Revinir’s grasp and fallen into the sea. The Revinir, with Fifer in one claw, had scooped Thisbe up and had made that sound. Like she was terrified for a moment.

  The images swirled into one story: The rocks next to the stream. The ships with no purpose. Allowing no one to swim. The volcano sucking her ship down. The fish at the river. The inadvertent fearful whoop when her talons had plucked Thisbe from the sea. Around and around these thoughts churned as the magical medicine began to do its work.

  Fifer needed to talk to Thisbe. She tried to, in her mind. Tried to send a message. A single word over and over again. Was it going through?

  The weight of Fifer’s body was stifling. Suffocating. The weight of her thoughts even more so. She struggled against it, feeling trapped. Needing to escape. The pain was secondary to everything as she wriggled and pushed and slid out from the heavy unconsciousness. Her eyes fluttered and opened, and she gasped. “Water.”

  In an instant, Florence was there. She lifted Fifer gently around the shoulders and held the canteen to her lips.

  Fifer was too weak to push it away. “Water,” she whispered again, and closed her eyes as the suffocating weight returned.

  At Last, a Moment

  Thisbe and Rohan could see Quince plain as day, but they knew the Revinir could only see rolling fog. And though she’d figured out that the ghost dragons could hide like fog, they hoped she was too distracted by their plans to notice this patch.

  From the dragon-woman’s back, Thisbe strained to see if anyone was riding him. She detected two bodies nestled into the pillowy softness, but there was no telling who they were. In the distance, many other ghost dragons saw the Revinir and her riders coming and started toward them.

  The Revinir landed in the strip of desert between the forest and the cavelands. Thisbe and Rohan got down and stood with her as the ghost dragons approached.

  “Obviously we were right, that nothing changed,” the Revinir muttered to Thisbe. “The ghost dragons are all still here. Let’s see what they have to say.”

  Thisbe walked with her. “I hope they have more knowledge than Rohan does, and can fill us in so we can get this partnership rolling.”

  The Revinir glanced at the girl. “I’ll do all the talking,” she said, reminding Thisbe of how greedy she was.

  “That’s fine,” said Thisbe icily.

  The Revinir noticed the rolling fog had stopped moving and was just sort of stuck in one place nearby. She narrowed her eyes at it. “Is that one of the ghost dragons doing that same weird thing it did when Rohan was on board outside the castle?”

  “I don’t know,” said Thisbe.

  “Let’s see which of your friends is hiding this time.”

  “I’m curious to know as well,” said Thisbe. “We know you’re a ghost dragon,” she called out. “Reveal yourself, please.”

  Seeing no reason to keep up the pretense, Aaron told Quince to materialize. Aaron and Ishibashi raised their heads and sat up.

  At the sight of her brother and one of the grandfathers, Thisbe’s heart trembled and her stomach churned. Why did it have to be them? But Thisbe had to pull it together and handle this right in order to keep the Revinir believing her farce. “What are you doing?” Thisbe demanded. “I told you not to come after me.”

  “Thisbe,” said Aaron. His voice shook, making Thisbe shake too. But he continued. “Ishibashi and I have come to talk, not fight. May we have a word?”

  Thisbe narrowed her eyes and glanced at the Revinir. “I don’t know,” she murmured.

  “It’s just me and a one-hundred-and-ten-year-old man here,” Aaron said lightly. “We’re not interested in attacking anyone. I just… I just want to try to understand.” He went quiet, then added, “Please, Thisbe. Just a few minutes.”

  Thisbe continued her glare. She knew the Revinir was watching her closely. After a moment she turned to the dragon-woman. “Do you mind if I just take care of this a moment?” Under her breath she added, “If you get my meaning.”

  The Revinir’s eyes widened slightly. “Bold move,” she said.

  “Only if the moment presents itself, understand,” Thisbe said carefully.

  The other ghost dragons were still flying in and gathering around the Revinir. They seemed curious, and some of them bowed their heads slightly, which made the Revinir quite pleased. “Go ahead,” she said loud enough for Aaron to hear. “Bring Rohan to listen in so I can find out later what was said if I need to. And tell them I’ll kill them in an instant if they try anything.”

  “Of course,” said Thisbe, then added snidely, “Since you obviously still don’t trust me, Rohan is welcome to tag along.”

  The Revinir’s face flickered. “I told you. I trust no one.”

  Thisbe started walking toward Quince. Rohan followed a few paces behind, a glazed look markedly present in his eyes. “Climb down from there,” Thisbe called to her brother. “Both of you, please.”

  Aaron and Ishibashi made their way to the ground and met Thisbe and Rohan. Thisbe’s pulse wouldn’t stop pounding in her ears like a ticking bomb. She had to stay in character. She had to trick her brother… and dear Ishibashi, her acting grandfather. It would be nearly impossible.

  The four stood together in a square, and Thisbe saw the sadness in their eyes that she’d caused. Aaron gazed at his sister for a moment, clearly emotional. He almost couldn’t speak. And when he did, he said something that threw Thisbe off her game.

  “This is all my fault,” Aaron whispered. “You’re taking after me. Please, please don’t make the same mistakes I made. I’m here today to tell you that you will regret this for the rest of your life… like I regret my mistakes.” He took a breath. “Every day I relive my past like a recurring nightmare. Every day I face people who still hold scorn for what I’ve done. And I deserve it. But, Thisbe, my dear sister… I want you to know it’s not too late to come home. You have a chance that I didn’t have. And I’m begging you to take it. Come with us.”

  Thisbe had no idea Aaron would take some sort of blame for her wrongdoings. She glanced at Ishibashi, whose eyes were glistening.

  “This is your pivotal moment,” Ishibashi said quietly. “What you do next will define you. I believe you will make the right choice.”

  Thisbe swallowed hard, over and over again, trying to clear the lump that insisted on rising. And she held her eyes wide open, trying to get the wind to dry her tears. She spoke to herself silently, reminding herself why she was doing what she was doing. They were not done with this. The Revinir was thirty yards away and could kill any of them at any moment with a blast of fire.

  “There’s something else,” Aaron said. “It’s Fifer. She’s hurt. I… I don’t know how badly.”

  Thisbe took in a sharp breath. Her mind swam. What had happened to Fifer? Had the red dragons done something? She felt sick. But she was so close to getting this right. If she left with Aaron, the Revinir would never trust her again, and all their work would be ruined. She’d go to Fifer immediately after she took care of the Revinir. Gathering strength, Thisbe stared Aaron right in the eye. “This meeting is a waste of time,” she said, trying to sound disgusted.

  But then a whisper came from her left. From Rohan, whose lips barely moved. “Thisbe, quickly. She’s standing alone. The ghost dragons can’t be hurt.”

  Thisbe’s eyes widened as tears slipped down Aaron’s cheek. Keeping her back to the Revinir, she slid her hand inside her jacket and secured the obliterate box. With a whisper of magic she opened it and removed the stone.

  Fingers trembling, she knew she had a fraction of a second before Aaron and Ishibashi would show surprise or fear on their faces—a fraction of a second to turn and aim and throw and kill the Revinir. The dragon-woman who had imprisoned her, who had nearly killed her and her friends multiple times. But who had also just revealed a little of herself for the first time. Thisbe’s heartstrings twanged against her will. She fought against her hesitation, but her body began to shake uncontrollab
ly. The Revinir had to be taken out. There was no other option. This was the moment. Her moment.

  With the pebble pinched between her fingers, Thisbe withdrew her hand from her jacket. She turned and took aim. Then she threw the pebble with her shaking hand at the Revinir, crying “Obligerate!”

  Her eyes widened as she bungled the word, and she hastened to fix it. “Obliterate!”

  Rohan gasped. Aaron cried out, “What are you doing?”

  The pebble soared toward the Revinir, whose jaw opened in shock. Whose eyes showed her feeling of betrayal. The Revinir let out a cry as the pebble skimmed over her head, missing its target and hitting the ground just beyond her. It exploded on impact, sending sand and rocks flying and knocking the Revinir off her feet.

  Thisbe had missed. The Revinir was not dead. Thisbe watched in absolute horror as everything she’d built up over the past weeks fell apart in an instant. She caught Aaron’s eye in a pure moment as they both realized what was happening. But when the Revinir rolled and got up, Thisbe grabbed Rohan’s wrist and yelled, “Everybody run!”

  As Thisbe and Rohan ran for the edge of the forest, and Aaron fumbled for components, Ishibashi sent two throwing stars flying at the Revinir’s face, striking her. He timed a third to soar straight into her open mouth, coinciding with her angry roar. It embedded into the back of her throat.

  The dragon-woman let out a scream and a thick spray of fire that swept over the ground like a giant fireball, building in size as it went. There was nowhere safe for the two men to go. Ishibashi shoved Aaron behind Quince for cover, then tried to dive out of the fireball’s way. But the old scientist wasn’t fast enough, and the ball of flames engulfed him. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

  Aaron stumbled, then regained his footing as a thin wall of flames passed over him. Scorched, he turned and saw his mentor on the ground. He threw his body on top of Ishibashi’s to douse the flames and rolled him over. “Quince! Help us!” Aaron screamed.