Wandering to Belong

by Jess Mountifield

  ***

  Several hours later Aneira woke up. She gasped in the fresh air, her mind still thinking she was underwater and drowning. Her eyes went wide as she tried to take in the light of the surroundings. A small torch was lit in the corner of the room. It made it light enough to see but little else.

  Her clothes were still sodden, as was her pack, ruining all her food and rendering her tinder useless. All the burn marks remained on her clothes and she could smell the charred material, but her skin was flawless. Even a few of the scars she'd picked up on previous occasions were gone. Whatever, or whoever, had saved her had done a good job. She already knew she wasn't in any kind of heaven.

  The room she woke up in was the same black stone as the rest of the fortress had been. That also meant the goblins would be about somewhere and, more than likely, still looking for her. She shivered.

  No matter how long she sat there, her mind just couldn't cope with knowing she had been dying and then found herself alive. After prodding her own face and arms several times she realised she would have to accept she was alive and get moving. All her weapons were gone and she would need to search for some new ones, while staying away from both the horde and the dragon.

  She got to her feet, wrung as much water out of her clothing and equipment as she could, grabbed the lit torch, and headed up one of the spiral staircases set into a tower. It was the sort of climb that would keep her out of sight and let her hear if there was anything nearby long before it might see her. It also appeared to be too narrow for the dragon, another thing in its favour.

  An hour passed before she even heard anything nearby. Just as she came up to a corner in a corridor, the sound of someone shuffling along came to her ears. She crouched low and shielded her torch from view. Whoever it was, they were too close for her to run away in time. She would have to jump them and use their own weapons against them. Not an easy task, but she had no choice.

  While she waited she kept her breathing calm and her head focused, but after several minutes nothing came out and the sounds started moving away from her again. She clenched her jaw and poked her head around the corner just in time to see two goblins head down a set of steps over fifty metres away.

  The hallways must have amplified the noise of their movement and if that happened to them it would most definitely be happening to her as well. Not knowing what to do, she waited where she was for some time.

  So far, she had walked through the ruins looking for a weapon, or something she could use as one, but this just kept her close to danger. Instead, she would be better off avoiding all goblins and finding another exit from this place. It was so large there had to be another way out. On top of that, she also needed food. She had some water left in a small flask, but it had probably been tainted by the lake water, and that had definitely not been clean.

  With a new plan of action, she crept as silently as she could the same way the goblins had gone, but went up instead of down.

  More time passed as she snuck around, being even more careful to keep quiet than before. She walked along to the other side of the fortress, finding it much brighter. There were many windows set into the walls, and another day had dawned, albeit a rather wet and dreary one, but it still meant she could put out her torch and avoid drawing extra attention to herself.

  She put her hands out of a window and let the pouring rain fill them for her to drink. It took a long time for her to collect enough to even moisten her mouth and throat, but it was a start. She also noticed she was a good deal farther up than the main entrance. Whoever had saved her life and moved her had brought her up several floors, and she had climbed three more herself since.

  She had just slurped up her fourth palm full of water when a sound behind her made her spin on the spot. Two goblins rushed her.

  With lightning-fast reactions, she ducked. Both blades swung over her head and one goblin's momentum carried him right over her and towards the window ledge. She grabbed his legs and lifted.

  “Aaaarggh!” he cried while he plummeted towards the rocks many stories below. She didn't wait to find out if it killed him as her second foe tried to slice her open again. This time she rolled out of the way and scrambled to her feet. His sword clanged as it struck the rock where she had been. The force sent a shock-wave up the goblin's arm.

  Seizing her chance, she kicked him in the side with all the force she could muster. He went sprawling, leaving his sword behind. Both scrabbled to get to it before the other, but she was the faster of the two. As soon as her fingers were wrapped around its hilt she swung it backwards and cut off three of the goblin's fingers. He howled and rocked back onto his knees. She didn't hesitate to run the foul creature through.

  Just in case others had heard the commotion, she left the room and went straight up the next set of steps she saw. Once she'd reached the next floor she tucked herself out of the way to clean the blade she'd gained. It wasn't a design she was used to, but at least she was no longer unarmed. After cleaning the sword with a tatter of cloth that was already partially hanging off her singed trousers, she set off again.

  Now she knew how high she was, she resolved to try and go back down the next staircase and get to a level that was more likely to have an exit. Unfortunately, no sooner had she walked down the first three steps than she heard the sound of someone coming up. She had nowhere else to go except farther up the same staircase and onto the floor above that.

  “Crapola,” she muttered and carried on slinking away down yet another corridor. At this level she found herself forced back towards the mountain. The outside wall, the floors and the roof above had all been ripped apart by weather and time, and there was no telling how unstable the rock under her feet had become. Cracks ran through a lot of it and conjured up the image of the first main hall she had come across. She shuddered.

  Either the number of goblins had increased or they were closing in on her position, because she had only been walking for another fifteen minutes when she heard more sounds ahead of her. She tucked into the stairwell of yet another twisting tower and peeked around the edge to see how many approached her.

  When four goblins with bows wandered around the corner she pulled back. Four was two too many for her to want to attempt killing, especially when their ranged weapons gave them even more of an advantage. She peered downwards but couldn't see anything beyond the first few steps. There was no light of any kind getting in, and she suspected the tower had caved in somewhere because the stairwell above her was reasonably bright.

  Again, she was forced to go up when she wanted to go down. So far none of the patrolling horde seemed to have noticed her but, over the next hour or more, she found herself doubling back and being forced onto one route, always up and always towards the central section of the building.

  It dawned on Aneira that the dragon must be around somewhere and, if anywhere, it was likely to be at the top, and probably somewhere dark. Her next thought made her want to kick herself, but she resisted while heading up some more steps.

  The goblins had known the dragon was here. As she had run closer to the ruins the night before, they had all hung back. Now she knew what they had been afraid of. And given how she was being driven always up and towards the darker parts of the abandoned fortress, she bet they knew exactly where it lived, too.

  So far she'd killed almost fifteen of the thirty-odd horde, and she knew it would make the remaining ones wary of her. Instead, they were getting the dragon to do their dirty work. They were going round in numbers too big for her to fight and making sure she had to keep retreating.

  At first this made her so cross she considered hurling herself back downwards onto the four goblins behind her, but she knew anger was never a good decision maker. With a frown fixed on her face she went out onto the next landing.

  There were few rooms on this floor that were still intact, and she had to head towards the mountain again. As she did she noticed that it got darker and the walls grew rougher. These had been carved out of the
rock rather than made with stone that had been quarried out.

  She could only see one set of steps other than the ones she'd left behind, and she dashed over to them. As she heard sounds of more goblins ascending from below she gritted her teeth and rushed upwards.

  Only one option remained for her and, with her mind made up to take it, she kept going until she reached the top. She stifled a gasp as she emerged in a massive room, lit with torches as if she was expected. At the end of it, right in the heart of the mountain, was a large set of stairs that went up so high they towered above her and she couldn't see what was on the new level.

  Knowing her pursuers would not be far behind her she started to scramble up them. Her eyes remained fixed ahead of her now. The dragon would be up here somewhere, and there was no way to tell where until he showed himself. She had a feeling his scales would blend in with the uneven stone, especially as the flickering light of the torches made it look like it was dragon scales itself.

  A part of her wondered if this fortress had been made for the dragon but she dismissed the idea. Her parents had only ever told her that humans were killed by or killed dragons, and this place had been made by men.

  As she reached the top of the massive stairway she realised it wasn't the end of the fortress by far. More archways led off in several different directions, and she took the most major, guessing the dragon had picked the most important place in the whole building to reside in.

  After going through the arch she saw another set of stairs leading to a platform, and from that even more steps to both the left and the right, as well as some kind of open area set even further back. Scattered on the floor were dried dragon scales that had been shed from the creature's skin. Now she was in the dragon's domain.

  Just in case it snuck up on her, she held the curved sword out ahead of her and slowed her pace again. Her eyes never stayed still but swept from side to side trying to pierce the shadows and check for any movement nearby.

  Suddenly it was there at the end of the room. She took a few steps forward as it came towards her and lowered her blade to try and appear non-threatening. Their eyes met and she kept her sight fixed on its face, hoping to read any sudden movements there.

  With no warning, it flicked its tail out and swept her up against the wall. She dropped her weapon and the dragon sent the sword flying off the platform with one of its front claws. She listened as it clattered down and down until it was out of earshot, having no idea what else to do but wait for the dragon to make its next move.

  “I let you go once. Why do you disturb me again?”

  Her mouth fell open as she heard the dragon's voice. It took her a moment to gather her wits about her and find her tongue.

  “The goblins have given me no option. I am weaponless, my bow and arrows at the bottom of the lake. They have cut me off from every exit and have driven me up and up. I cannot kill all of them or you,” she said, aware that he could crush her with the tail that still pinned her bodily to the wall.

  “You run from them, instead of fighting?”

  “I do. A small number of them I can pick off one by , but there are too many. I am constantly forced to retreat. They will eventually kill me; I cannot keep my guard up forever. They will slit my throat while I sleep or put a knife in my back. And then eat me.”

  “I will do no less.”

  “I know.”

  “So why have you expended the energy to come all the way up here?”

  “To look death in the face.”

  Aneira expected the end to come swiftly after this comment, but it didn't. Instead, the muscles in his tail relaxed and he swept it behind him again, leaving her standing and capable of movement. The shock must have been evident all over her face as she started to back up, because he didn't follow her but copied her movements, retreating backwards.

  Their eyes remained fixed on each other until she noticed his gaze flick to her right. She rotated just in time to see four goblins fire arrows in her direction. She dived to the ground, letting them fly over her head and clatter into the wall. As they launched more of the projectiles at her, she spun to grab three off the floor and then dived behind a pillar.

  With her heart already pounding in her chest, she tried to pinpoint the location of the goblins and figure out how to get closer whilst staying under cover. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. She saw a small ledge running around the back of one of the main stairways and figured it would go around the masonry to the back of the goblins' position.

  Timing her movement to coincide with the goblins reloading, she sprinted across the gap and threw one of their arrows back as if it was a javelin. It caught one on the arm and injured it, but that's all she had time to see before she was cowering behind another rock. Wasting no time, she scurried to the ledge and started walking along it, one arrow in each hand. As she got to the end she gingerly turned her body around to face the wall and peeked around the corner.

  One of the archers lay on its back, its body contorted strangely. She watched, mesmerised, as it died. Without waiting for the goblins to notice her, she launched another arrow at the nearest one and tucked back behind the stone. She heard a gargle as the second goblin joined the first in its death throes.

  She scurried back along the ledge and to the edge of the steps. A shiver ran down her spine as she realised the arrow heads must have been poisoned. She had not thrown either with enough force to kill.

  Both remaining goblins must have made her position as they rushed at her, yelling, from both sides. Thankfully the narrowness of the ledge slowed one down, enabling her to tackle the first and drive her remaining arrow right through its heart.

  Pulling the bow from its hand and another arrow from its quiver, she turned and shot the final one just as he came around the corner. Then she collapsed into a sitting heap, her legs completely jelly-like. After a few moments to get her breath back and digest what she had just achieved, she went around the three corpses that hadn't fallen off the platform and collected all their remaining arrows into a quiver.

  The goblin bow was smaller than she liked, but having it in her hand made her feel like herself again. Just as she was about to walk off, the dragon came back out from the shadows again.

  “That was impressive.”

  “Thank you,” she said and bobbed her head out of respect. It seemed this dragon was going to let her live.

  “What's your name?”

  “Aneira, my lord.”

  “Do you know what your name means?”

  “No, my lord, I don't.” His question took her by surprise but she had noticed the look of delight in his eye when she'd called him lord. He obviously appreciated the respect, and if it kept her alive it worked for her.

  “Why are the goblins chasing you?”

  “I was in a village, south-east of here, and it seems they have, or hopefully had, some agreement with the village. In return for regular sacrifices the goblins didn't decimate the entire village. I wanted to help them, as they helped me, so I tried to get an idea of their numbers and strength, but they caught me snooping around and tried to include me in the sacrifice. I killed as many as I could and fled to try and kill more another day.”

  “So you came here?”

  “Had I known you were here, my lord, I would not have.”

  “Everyone knows I reside her.”

  “I'm sorry, my lord, I did not. I do not live nearby and no one told me. I thought all dragons were dead and a thing of the past.” Her heart raced in her chest as she tried to figure out where his questions were leading. Until today she'd not even realised dragons still lived, let alone talked.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Originally, I do not know. My people have always wandered the mountains far south of here. I am looking for them.”

  “You are alone?”

  “Yes, my people are gone. I don't know where. I search for them, but it's been eight years. There is little hope that I'll find them again.”

  “How did
you lose them?”

  “I can hardly remember exactly what happened. One day my mother woke me up and made me run with her to a cave near the place we had camped. She told me to stay there until she returned. I waited for hours but no one ever came back.”

  “They left you there?”

  “Not deliberately, my lord; at least, I don't think it was deliberate. When I finally ventured out of the cave and went to the site of our camp, there was blood and a pile of burning bodies. Not enough to account for all my people, but many. I followed the rut of some wheels in the mud for several days, but after a few days of dry weather I lost the trail. I've been searching ever since.”

  “You do not settle anywhere?”

  “No, my lord, nowhere has felt like home, like I belong.”

  For a while neither of them spoke, and she fidgeted slightly. Not knowing what he was thinking or planning to do kept her on edge.

  “There is a way they don't know about. Come, follow me and I will show you,” the dragon said and moved off to one side. With a raised eyebrow she did as he asked, letting the shadows hide both of them from sight. When they'd gone around a corner he paused for a moment, and a small glow started to emanate from his eyes, lighting the pathway for them both. She grinned. Having a dragon for an ally was proving useful, even if it might only be a temporary alliance.

  The passage they were in twisted and turned before he darted off to the left, down a tunnel she hadn't noticed. At the top of a staircase carved into the rock he stopped and moved to the side.

  “Go down there. Keep going east until you're led out onto a hillside, and continue wandering. I hope one day you find somewhere you belong.”

  “Thank you, my lord.”

  “I will deal with the goblins. It's been a while since I ate.”

  Before she could respond to his statement, he had turned and lumbered off into the darkness. She looked back at the black tunnel.

  “Ummmm.”

  Suddenly the dragon snorted fire from somewhere behind her and a torch on the wall lit up. He then continued walking away. With an extra spring in her step, she jogged up and grabbed the light from the wall.

  As she turned back to go down and out of the ruins, she realised she never found out if the dragon had a name, or even said goodbye. It made her pause and look back up the way he'd led her but he was long gone and she didn't know what his patience would be like if she disturbed him for a third time.

  Instead, she took the first step down and continued down for some time, winding around very slowly until she had lost all sense of direction. When she finally reached the bottom her legs ached and she yawned with tiredness. She found herself in another room, not unlike all the ones she'd passed through in the earlier hours. She suspected she was lower than the entrance level, however.

  Up ahead there was a single archway which led to a long corridor. The torchlight flickered off the walls, and now she wasn't being chased by anything she took a moment to appreciate the beauty. This whole place had been designed to work with the light of flames and stars instead of sunlight, and it sparkled and gleamed as if part of its own dance that never ended while someone was there to see it.

  If she had a home, she hoped that it would be something like this; where everything had been planned and night time was as beautiful as day, to be enjoyed, not hidden from. She'd seen too many villages where everyone hid inside their houses as soon as the sun went down. That luxury had never been one she had, and she'd come to appreciate being forced to walk during the night. The things she had seen had slowly changed her opinion of it. The moon and stars reflected back on a clear, still lake were breathtaking.

  When she reached the end of the corridor she ground to a halt. Ahead of her was a chasm. At some point the earth had moved and opened up a deep rent in the rock. The way out was on the other side. A bridge had been made across it at some point but, just like everything else in this place, time and weather had got to it, and now it was gone, somewhere at the bottom of the gap it had straddled.

  She sighed. This would be a problem. After placing the torch somewhere safe she tried to see if she could find another way across, or down and then up the other side. There was nothing.

  Realising how tired she was she sat down and decided to take a break. It had been over two days since she had initially left the village, and apart from a brief period almost dead, she had been on the go since then.

  Tackling those stairs and finding another way out could wait. The other plus to that would hopefully be the lack of the goblins. That dragon could kill pretty quickly.