Protector

by J. A. Armitage

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ash slept fitfully, moaning in his sleep due to the pain in his shoulder. My own body was still sore, and even though I’d been liberally applying Edeline’s burn cream, it still appeared red and flaky in patches. Because of his moaning and my own pain, I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed and made my way to the balcony in the hopes that some fresh air would make me feel sleepier. In the dim moonlight, I saw someone heading up the path to the fire pit and cliffside houses.

  I waited until I could see definitely who it was before heading downstairs to open the door and welcome her home.

  “You’re out late,” I pointed out as Edeline walked through the door.

  Firecracker ran up to her, wagging her tail, to which Edeline gave her a stroke behind the ears. “Yeah,” she replied wearily. “It’s been a long night. So much went on since you left.”

  She looked so tired. I’d been so caught up in my own stuff, I’d not really put a thought to the people of Frokontas who were working through the night in shifts to look after the ailing dragons.

  “Would you like me to make you a pot of fruit tea?” I offered as she took off her coat and hung it up.

  She gave me a grateful smile. “I’d love it. Thank you.”

  I was eager to find out what had gone on over at Spear’s house. It had been pretty quiet when we left and I couldn’t imagine what could have gone wrong now. And something had gone wrong. Edeline looked not just tired but resigned, too.

  I ran up to the kitchen and poured a couple of cups of fruit tea. Edeline appeared a few minutes later with a bottle full of clear liquid which she added to her cup.

  “Sleeping draught,” she answered my unasked question. “I’m so utterly exhausted, but I know I won’t sleep. There’s just too much going on. Would you like some? You look pretty sleepy yourself.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not going to be able to sleep even with that. Ash is tossing and turning and moaning in his sleep. Spear stitched his shoulder, but it still hurts him.”

  “I’ll sort him out,” she said, picking the sleeping draught bottle up and leaving the kitchen. Five minutes later she was back. She poured what was left of the clear liquid in my cup.

  “It’s herbal and won’t hurt you,” she said with a wink. “I’ve given some to Ash, too. That will knock him out for the night. You’ll both wake tomorrow morning feeling like you’ve had the best sleep of your life. You’ll probably need it after hearing what I’m about to tell you.”

  I grabbed a couple of cookies that Edeline had baked earlier and handed one to her. I had a feeling I was going to need some sugar.

  “So, what happened? Was it my father?”

  If there was trouble, I could count on the fact my father was involved. Despite what he said to me earlier about turning over a new leaf, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already getting under people’s noses. It was in his nature.

  “Actually, no. It was that girl you brought home, Avery.”

  I arched a brow. “Avery was causing trouble? She did attack Ash, but she said she felt threatened. I believed her.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she did. I don’t mean she was trying to hurt anyone. Quite the opposite. The poor thing is terrified. She’s just a kid. Rocco has taken her under his wing and given her a bed to sleep in at Spear’s house. He’s decided to stay there, too, to protect her. I told them both I’d head back tomorrow.”

  “Protect her? Why?”

  “It all started when Spear had some people over for dinner. The Wolvren who were staying with him, the dragons that had developed the sickness in human form, and all the volunteers helping with the sick dragons. He’s got quite a house full at the moment.”

  She paused to take a sip of her tea, leaving me hanging.

  “Then what happened?”

  “The Wolvren mentioned to everyone where they found her, up on the top of the Triad Mountains. One of the Slayers, I think it was Jasper, asked her how long she’d been there. It turns out that in the couple of days she was lost up the mountain, she heard a bit about what was going on with the Goblins. Apparently, they didn’t realize she was there as she spent the last week curled up and hiding behind some rocks. She overheard quite a bit about us and the Slayers when they came and went from the entrance.”

  My heart jumped. All those times we’d gone up the mountain and learned nothing and Avery had heard something by accident. Maybe we should have spent time hiding behind rocks by the entrance rather than blustering in every time. “What did she hear?”

  Edeline put her head in her hands. “She seems to think the Goblins are out to get us. That they wanted to be rid of the dragons a long time ago and that selling swords to the Slayers was their way of doing it.”

  “I don’t understand. What would selling the swords to the Slayers do for the Goblins?”

  “The dragon souls are what power Goblin magic. Avery says that a long, long time ago, they killed the dragons themselves, but they are small creatures and do not have the skill for fighting. So, they invited warriors and village leaders in from the nearby villages to offer to make them magic swords. That’s how the Slayers became Slayers. Before that point, the people in the villages and the dragons had lived peacefully.”

  I could quite well believe that the Goblins had somehow started this, but it made no sense. “If the dragon souls create the Goblin magic, how does it help them if the Slayers have the souls?”

  “That is the question,” she replied, standing up and rinsing her cup out. “Avery doesn’t know. She didn’t hear any more.”

  I felt the sleeping draught begin to take effect. My eyelids became heavy and when Edeline yawned, I caught it. I headed to bed, my mind racing, but almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

  Edeline was right. The sleeping draught helped me sleep like a baby, but nothing could stop me waking up to the noise outside the next day.

  “What’s that?” Ash mumbled from under the covers.

  I snuggled up to him, enjoying the warmth of his body, wishing that just for once, there wasn’t a problem to deal with. It had been a long time since we’d slept in a bed, and getting out of it hadn’t been on my to-do list for today.

  “I don’t know. It’s probably got something to do with what Avery told your mother last night.” I sighed, pulling the covers further over my head to block out the noise. I could already tell that there was an argument brewing outside and no doubt I’d have to deal with it.

  “What did she tell her?” he asked, jumping out of bed and inadvertently pulling the covers off me. He found a clean shirt from his wardrobe. I watched as he pulled it over his scarred torso. We really were a pair, covered in scars. It suited him, made him look dangerous.

  I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed and tripped on the bloody shirt from yesterday that was still in a heap on the floor. I picked it up, along with the other dirty clothes, and made a mental note to wash them if I ever found the time. I dressed quickly and followed Ash out of the house.

  It seemed like half the town was already at the fire pit, including all the Wolvren and Slayers. Unfortunately, no one had thought to light the fire and start breakfast. My stomach rumbled as I remembered I’d not eaten dinner yesterday. There was a lot of noise, with everyone shouting to be heard. I scanned the group to find my father. He was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting between Edeline and Avery, but then he did have a sandwich in his mouth. Once again, I wished I’d thought to get something to eat before coming out.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Edeline, finding a place to sit beside her. Ash took my other side.

  “The Wolvren told everyone about the Goblins. The dragons are really mad.”

  “I bet they are. What do you think, Father?” I asked, peering around Edeline to speak to him.

  “I’m keeping out of it,” he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich. “I told you last night that I wasn’t going to argue with people anymore, that I was going to try to keep the peace. Well, now, I’m going
to go with the majority. I’ll let someone else decide for a change. Besides, the Slayers are getting their say.” He nodded towards the other side of the fire pit.

  I looked over to see Jasper screaming at one of the Wolvren, while Xander was in a heated discussion with one of the dragons. “Why does it always descend into chaos when the three groups get together?” I sighed.

  Ash chuckled. “I’m just surprised your father isn’t in the middle of all this,” he whispered in my ear.

  “He’s a new man!” I informed him.

  I listened to the arguments going on around me. It sounded like everyone had a different opinion. The dragons wanted to go back up to the Goblin village and burn it down. The Slayers weren’t so sure, as they feared the magical repercussions if they tried. Morganna reasoned that if they did manage to kill all the Goblins, no one would be able to find the rest of the swords, and even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to free the dragon souls from them. Finally, the Wolvren just wanted to go home.

  I was just about to try and do something to stop the shouting when Spear arrived, looking distraught. He seemed as annoyed at the ruckus as I was. He stood on the side of the fire pit and tried shouting to get everyone’s attention. Unfortunately for him, I was the only one who noticed him. His shouts were ineffective over all the noise.

  I stood up and Ash grabbed my hand.

  “Where are you going?”

  I pulled my hand back. “You’ll see.”

  Heading back into the house, I ran up the stairs, Firecracker hot on my heels, and emerged onto the balcony. Below, I could see everyone arguing. Some had already come to blows.

  “You might want to go inside for this,” I warned Firecracker. She just looked up at me and wagged her tail. Putting two fingers in my mouth, I whistled as loudly as I could. Everyone—every dragon, every Slayer, and every Wolvren—looked my way. I was going to verbally kick some ass and they all knew it!

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was strange having everyone look at me, but I didn’t feel daunted. The ridiculous fighting had gone on long enough.

  “We are all on the same side!” I shouted down to them. “We all want to live in peace, side by side, but we can’t do that with the incessant, petty squabbles that occur daily.”

  As I spoke, a few of the people in the crowd nodded their heads.

  “Our three tribes have a long history of hatred between each other. You all know that, but you should also know how that hate started. The Slayers weren’t always in the business of killing dragons, and the dragons didn’t always hate the Wolvren. One time in history, we all lived together peacefully. However, a great many years ago, the Goblins realized they could harvest magic in the form of dragon souls. It’s no secret that dragons are magical beings.”

  “We can’t do magic,” shouted Ally.

  “Of course you can. You might not be able to wave a wand, but you can shift your entire bodies. That is magic. You defy physics every time you change from a dragon to a human and become a quarter of the size. Dragons are born with a magic that is pure. The Goblins saw that and wanted it for themselves.

  “For those of you who have met the Goblins, you’ll know they aren’t built to fight, but they are cunning. They spread the rumor that the dragons were killers. Just a hint here and there, but before long, those hints became full-blown rumors. When it was common knowledge that the dragons were dangerous, they offered to make special swords for the people in the surrounding villages. Over time those people became Slayers. The Slayers hunted the dragons because they thought they were dangerous, and the dragons fought back, thus proving the Goblins were telling the truth.”

  I paused for a breath and to let everyone take in this new information. I was embellishing on what Avery had said, filling in the gaps.

  “Once the Slayers were slaying, the stockpile of dragon souls grew. The more swords the Goblins made, the more souls were collected.”

  “None of this makes sense,” replied Ally. “The souls have been in the swords for a long time. Some of them over a hundred years. If the Slayers still have the swords, or had them up until recently, then the Goblins didn’t even have the souls.”

  He had a point. We still had the swords and therefore, we still had the souls, too. I’d been so caught up in what Avery had heard and spun my own theory around it without thinking it through.

  Below me, everyone began to argue again. I’d messed up. What did I know about being a leader? I couldn’t even get everyone to stop bickering for more than two minutes. Kick ass. Ha!

  “There has to be meaning behind this,” I shouted down, “Maybe the Goblins have been trying to get the swords back, or to figure a way to release the souls themselves.”

  “You’d think they already know how to do that,” another dragon replied, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. “They were the ones who made the swords. They’d be a bit stupid if they made them to collect souls without making a way to get the souls out.”

  “Fine,” I agreed. “Maybe they just haven’t found a way to get the swords back yet.” I said it, but I didn’t believe it. They’d not even attempted to get the swords back. In all the times we went up to the Goblin village, no one tried to take our swords from us. I was missing something, but I didn’t know what. There had to be meaning to it, but I couldn’t quite see it.

  “Can I come up and see you?” someone asked. I looked for the voice and saw it was Morganna. After I nodded yes, she cut through the crowd and made her way through the house up to the balcony.

  “Well, I really messed that up, didn’t I?” I asked, feeling dejected. Sure, the squabbling had temporarily abated, but my theory had hit a blank wall. Maybe Avery had misheard the Goblins, or I’d interpreted what she’d heard wrongly.

  “Actually, I’ve been thinking about something ever since we were up at the Goblin village. I think you’re right and I think I know why.”

  “Why?”

  “When I was there the first time with you, I felt the magic all around us. I felt it when I first went to the Goblins many years ago to purchase some of it, and I felt it again this last time. Each time I visited, the magical energy was more diminished, as if it was getting smaller. Magic is just a form of energy like any other. It might be slightly more mystical than, say, the electricity in a lightning spark or the flow of a river, but it is energy, nonetheless. The first time I ventured up there all those years ago, the air crackled with it. You could feel it on your skin. It was almost too much to be in the village for too long. The energy I felt the last time we were up there was almost non-existent.”

  “You mean they’re running out?”

  “I believe so, yes. Because magic is energy, it lasts eternally unless it’s used. The Goblins could have had enough of this magic energy to last a great number of years. Hundreds even. If they took back the swords from the Slayers after a year or so, the Slayers would stop coming to have them made, and so the Goblins would have very few souls to work with. Why not make swords for as long as they could get away with it, or as long as their magic held out, until they decided to take them back? Goblins live for much longer than either humans or dragons. A hundred years or so is nothing to them.”

  I mulled over what she was saying. “So you think the Goblins are close to the last of their magic?”

  Morganna nodded her head sagely. “I’m sure of it. I think they’ll be coming for the swords soon.”

  “Well, they’ve got no chance of getting them,” I huffed. “The ones that still hold dragons are at Spear’s house. If they even tried getting down the mountain into the valley, they’d have to fight dragons, Slayers, and Wolvren.

  “You forget who we are talking about. The Goblins will not fight. They are too clever for that. I think they’ll try and take the swords some other way.”

  “What other way?” I asked, not liking the sound of what she was telling me.

  “I don’t know, but Goblins are extremely dangerous. They hide it well, but they don’t hurry thin
gs. Whatever they are thinking of doing will have been their game plan for a long time. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want, and they’ll think nothing of killing anyone who tries to get in their way.”

  “We need to tell Spear!”

  I ran downstairs and asked Edeline and Fiere if we could invite some people inside. It wasn’t just Spear we had to tell. We brought in Spear, my father, and Alpha as the three leaders, along with Fiere and Edeline themselves. Edeline brewed a pot of tea while Morganna shared her thoughts with everyone.

  Spear furrowed his brow. “Are you sure about this?”

  “No, I’m not sure,” replied Morganna. “Most of what I’ve told you is conjecture, but I think it would be reckless to ignore the signs. The Goblins will have held just enough magic power back to annihilate all of us if they need to. I believe we are headed for a war, ladies and gentlemen, and it isn’t going to be pretty.”

  No one spoke for a good minute until my father broke the silence. “I bet you wish you could go back to just worrying about the Slayers now, eh?” He clapped Spear on the back.

  “We need to come up with a plan,” I jumped in. “If Morganna is right and the Goblins are about to attack using the last of their magic, we need to make sure everyone is safe. Spear, can you organize the dragons? Tell them that they have to stay indoors until we can determine the threat. I think they’d be better bringing everyone to the houses in the cliff face. They are safer than the houses in the village. You’ll have to ask the inhabitants to let more people in.”

  “The people in these houses are already allowing Wolvren, Slayers and those returned dragons with no homes to stay with them. There’s no space.”

  “They’ll have to make space,” I insisted. “People can sleep on couches or the floor. It’s only until we figure out what the Goblins are up to.”

  “We can fit more in,” offered Edeline as she poured the tea for us. “Lucy can sleep in with us for a few nights, can’t she, Fiere?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “We need to keep the people in the village safe.”