Once Upon a Quest

by Anthea Sharp

  “And that’s why you need help getting past a dragon,” Tilly said, nodding now that it made sense.

  “Yes. I believe it will take at least two people to distract the dragon while one of us sneaks into the cave to get Mirradel out. And we need to go now, before the baron finds us again. He has a witch with him, and who knows what kind of tracking magic she might be capable of.” Yadira paused, her gaze questioning and hopeful, before she asked, “So will you come with us?”

  Tilly felt as if she were being torn in two. “I … I can’t. I want to—I really, really want to—but I can’t cause my parents any more distress. I just about broke their hearts when I left without permission the first time. They thought maybe I’d died at Draven’s hand, and when I returned, they didn’t want to let me out of their sight for weeks. Once they started loosening up again, I began taking Quartz when my brother wasn’t riding him, just so I could get off the island for little bits at a time and not go crazy with boredom. Sometimes I’m gone for an entire day or night if the time change is the wrong way. My parents freaked out the first time that happened, but now they know I’ll always come back, so they just kinda put up with it. But this?” She shook her head. “I can’t run off on an adventure that could take days. My parents will probably never forgive me for disappearing again, and then—” She stopped, breathing in deeply, realizing suddenly that she was doing the too-much-talking thing again. “Sorry. Too much information. But basically—” her shoulders drooped “—I can’t go.”

  “But it won’t take days,” Yadira protested. “When we got to Kaleidos, the travel official said time was currently slower on the island than out here. He said five minutes on the island was close to an hour on this side of the shimmer, and that the most recent change occurred last night, so there shouldn’t be another change for several more days.”

  “But he also warned us,” Jayshu added, “that it’s possible it could change at any moment.”

  “True,” Tilly said, “but he has to say that. In reality, though, when there’s a change it almost always lasts for at least four days. So if that’s the case this time, then I should be fine. How long will it take to reach this dragon?” she asked Yadira.

  “Not long. We can take the faerie paths to the furthest point I know of, and then it’s only a few more hours by foot.”

  “Only a few more hours? Oh, that’s perfect,” Tilly exclaimed, her smile wide and her eyes shining. “As long as the time difference remains the same, barely an hour will pass on Kaleidos. My parents won’t have to worry at all.”

  “Wonderful.” Yadira clapped her hands in delight, her caramel eyes sparkling.

  Jayshu didn’t seem convinced, but Tilly ignored him. She’d been waiting almost a year for something like this to happen, and now that she knew it wouldn’t worry her parents, there was no way she was about to turn back home.

  * * *

  Yadira used her stylus—a small tool the size and shape of a pen—to write a faerie paths spell in the sand. Moments later, the sand began to part, revealing a hole with nothing but darkness on the other side. Yadira held her hands out for Tilly and Jayshu, and the three of them stepped into the faerie paths.

  They dropped downward, and then there was nothing for several seconds—no sound, no light—until an uneven surface formed beneath Tilly’s feet. As their surroundings appeared and the faerie paths closed behind them, Tilly found herself in a jungle. Tangled trees and vines filled the scene, and the air, suddenly warm and sticky, seemed to cling to her body. A stream crossed the ground just ahead of her, tumbling over rocks and fallen branches.

  “Okay,” Yadira said, swatting at a small winged creature that buzzed past her. “Look through the trees there.” She pointed beyond the stream. “Do you see that mountain peak in the distance? The cave is at the base of that mountain, so that’s where we need to go.”

  “And you’re sure we can’t get any closer through the faerie paths?” Tilly asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I tried that before.”

  “Fascinating,” Jayshu murmured. He walked ahead of them, hopped across the stream on several stones, and attempted to open a doorway to the faerie paths on the other side.

  “Seriously?” Yadira said to him as she crossed the stream ahead of Tilly. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Just checking.” Jayshu turned slowly on the spot. As Tilly reached the other side of the stream, he climbed onto a large rock and looked back the way they’d come. His map appeared in his hand. He examined it closely, looking up at his surroundings every few moments before returning his gaze to the unfurled scroll. “This is amazing,” he said, sounding more animated than Tilly would have thought possible, given how grumpy he’d seemed so far. “We’ve gone right off the edge of the map.” He jumped down from the rock and peered at the map once more. “The stream is right along here—” he tapped the border of the page “—and after that, the map simply ends. I think we truly are in uncharted territory.”

  “Incredible,” Tilly breathed, leaning over the map to see exactly where it ended.

  Jayshu took a startled step backward, snatching the map away. “Oh, uh, yes. Yes, very incredible. Uh, you said we’re going this way, right?” he asked Yadira, but he was already hurrying ahead before she could answer.

  Tilly waited for him to move out of earshot before saying, “I don’t think he particularly likes me.”

  She and Yadira began walking, and Yadira was quiet for a moment before she nodded. “Don’t take it personally, though. He doesn’t like most people. He’d rather spend his time reading books and studying maps and drawing pictures of landscapes and creatures and … stuff.” Her voice grew quieter as she added, “I wish it hadn’t been him who helped me escape, but he was the only one around when the baron showed up at my house. And the baron’s been following us constantly since then, so it’s been impossible to return home and get more help.”

  “Yeah, I suppose a bookish sort of person might not be the best companion when you need to fight a dragon,” Tilly admitted.

  “Oh. Yes. There is that. But what I meant was … well, Jayshu sort of creeps me out a bit. So I’m glad we found you. I was worried he might try to—I don’t know—to attack me along the way and leave me somewhere. So he could keep Mirradel and her power for himself.”

  “What?” Tilly squeaked. “Jayshu? Attack you? He doesn’t look like he could swat a nixle, let alone attack a person.”

  “I know, I know.” Yadira shook her head. “I’m probably just being paranoid. Then again … they say it’s usually the quiet ones, don’t they?”

  “What’s usually the quiet ones?”

  “Nothing. Never mind. I’m sure I’m being scared for nothing. He’s definitely changed since we were children. I mean, I think he’s changed. He’s still so serious and moody, always wrapped up in his books, but at least he no longer seems to have that streak of …”

  “Of what?” Tilly asked.

  Yadira paused as the two of them bent to keep from being smacked in the face by a low branch. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It was long ago, and children don’t always think properly. Their tempers are quick and they don’t know how to control them. They end up doing silly things, you know?”

  Something in Yadira’s tone made it sound as though ‘silly’ wasn’t the right word at all. Tilly laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. “That’s certainly true. When my brother was young, he thought he was invincible. He thought he could walk along the thinnest branches at the top of our tree, and that he’d never fall. But he did, and he landed on our roof—thank goodness he didn’t fall any further than that—and he broke his arm.”

  Yadira looked down and touched her right forearm. “I fell and broke my arm too,” she murmured.

  A shiver raised the hairs on Tilly’s arms as she asked, “How?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Yadira repeated. “It healed quickly. It wasn’t serious.”

  “Uh, okay.” Tilly swallowed her curiosity and manage
d to keep from questioning Yadira further.

  “Come on, we need to walk faster,” Yadira said. “Jayshu’s getting too far ahead of—Ohmygosh!” She gasped and came to a complete standstill.

  Tilly saw the giant serpent a split second later. It was almost as tall as she was when it reared its head up off the ground, and its eyes, glittering black, stared straight at her. “Hooooolycrap,” Tilly said as she froze beside Yadira. “That thing is huge. Just … don’t move.”

  “I—uh—I have a knife,” Yadira stuttered, though she didn’t move an inch. “If I can just … maybe … get to it, then I can give it to you.”

  “We have magic, Yadira! That’s what we should be using right—Oooookay, it’s moving closer.”

  Tilly acted without thinking. She dove to the side just as the serpent’s head flashed forward. She hit the ground—far less gracefully than a guardian, a detached part of her mind informed her—rolled over, threw both hands out, and watched as bright sparks sped away from her fingertips. Her magic struck the side of the serpent’s face, knocking its head away from her.

  She sat up, allowing herself to be pleased for a moment that she’d successfully managed to use offensive magic. But she was still on the ground, and the serpent was rearing back around, hissing as smoke rose from a wound beneath its eye.

  Another spark of light flashed straight toward the serpent, striking the back of its head. The serpent writhed and twisted, then slithered quickly past Tilly. She scrambled away from it, but the creature no longer seemed interested in attacking her. She looked up toward the source of the second magical attack and found Jayshu standing there, one hand extended and a look of shock on his face.

  “Whoa,” he said. “Did I actually hit that thing?”

  “You did,” Tilly said as she climbed to her feet. “Thank you. I might have been a serpent snack otherwise, and my parents so would not have appreciated that. Not that they would ever have known. Which is even worse, I suppose.” She shook her head. “Okay, let’s not be so preoccupied.” She looked at Yadira. “We need to be ready to react instantly with magic. That’s what guardians do, right?”

  “Why didn’t you kill it, Jayshu?” Yadira snapped, ignoring Tilly.

  Jayshu’s almost-smile evaporated. “Well, I figured scaring it away would be just as effective. No need to go around killing things unnecessarily, I say.”

  “This was necessary, Jayshu. What if it comes back?”

  “Then we’ll just have to scare it off again,” Tilly said, walking forward. “Or we can keep moving, faster than before, and hope it doesn’t catch up to us again.”

  “Fine.” Yadira exhaled slowly. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

  The three of them remained together after that, moving as swiftly as they could through the jungle. By the time they neared the base of the mountain, the sun had just about disappeared behind it. “Quietly now,” Yadira said to them. “We’re almost at the cave. The dragon might be able to hear us.”

  Tilly placed her feet more carefully against the ground, but she couldn’t completely silence the snap of twigs and the crunch of damp earth beneath her shoes. An icy finger of fear traced across the back of her neck as an unseen creature let out an eerie cry somewhere nearby.

  “Stop.” Yadira put her hand out, halting Tilly and Jayshu. She pointed between the trees. “There he is.”

  A few paces ahead of them, the trees came to an end. A narrow river cut across the ground just beyond that, and on the other side yawned a large opening in the rocky mountain face. In the shadow of the cave mouth sat a dragon. Vibrant green scales covered its body, and its unblinking eyes—which seemed to be pointed in their direction—were a fiery orange.

  “He never sleeps,” Yadira whispered. “I watched him for a long time when I was here before, and he stayed awake the entire time. Not once did he leave the cave.”

  Tilly looked at her. “How do you know it’s a ‘he’?”

  “Because—” Yadira frowned. “I don’t know. It just seems like a he.”

  “If he never leaves,” Jayshu said, “then how did you and Mirradel get inside in the first place? He must have left it unguarded at some point.”

  “It was unguarded at first,” Yadira said, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “But once the dragon returned and discovered there was someone inside the cave, he refused to leave. I told you, I watched him for a long time. Don’t you believe me?”

  “I do,” Jayshu said. “I just wonder if he might leave again.”

  “We don’t have time to wait and find out,” Yadira replied. “We can’t risk the baron catching up to us.”

  Jayshu sighed. “Fine. I suppose I’d better get ready to face a dragon then.”

  Tilly couldn’t help smiling. “Awesome,” she whispered to herself. “Bring it on, Mr. Dragon.”

  * * *

  Tilly and Jayshu remained hidden among the trees while Yadira headed further along the river. The plan was to wait until she’d reached the point where the river passed in front of the far side of the cave. Then they would jump out into the open and try to draw the dragon away while Yadira crossed the river and snuck into the cave. Hopefully, with two of them to fight back with magic instead of one, Tilly and Jayshu wouldn’t wind up burned to a crisp before Yadira managed to rescue Mirradel.

  “I can do this,” Jayshu muttered to himself as he and Tilly watched the dragon. “I can be brave. I can fight a dragon.”

  “Of course you can,” Tilly said, almost reaching out to pat his shoulder before deciding he probably wouldn’t like that. “We can. It’s just a dragon, right? How hard can it be?”

  He laughed then—actually laughed—a rich sound that warmed Tilly’s chest. He stopped abruptly, though, seeming to remember who exactly he was laughing with.

  “You don’t like me, do you,” Tilly said with a sigh.

  “What? I—uh—why would you—” He cleared his throat, still refusing to look at her. “Why would you think that?”

  “Uh … perhaps because you don’t want to talk to me? Or because you don’t even want to look at me?”

  “I’m … just …” Jayshu scratched the back of his neck before forcing himself to meet Tilly’s eyes. “Shy,” he finished quietly. “Very shy. Around new people.”

  “Oh.” Tilly paused, then grinned. “Oh, awesome. That’s so much better. I can work with shy. At least I know it’s not that you don’t like me.”

  He laughed again, though it was quieter now, and he still seemed reluctant to look at her. “I think it’s far more likely that you’re about to find out you don’t like me. I’m not … well … brave.” He stared at the ground, which Tilly realized probably made it easier for him to talk to her. “I’ve always longed to be braver than I really am.” The words tumbled quickly from his lips, as if he were confessing a secret. “I’ve read stories of great heroes and their exciting adventures. I’ve always dreamed of being that kind of person, but now that I’ve found myself on my own mini adventure, I have to admit it’s pretty darn terrifying. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything brave before. Well, there was that time Yadira ended up trapped by a giant spider when we were on holiday and there was no one else around, so I had to save her. No, wait, I was terrified then too. Completely terrified. The poisonous bite didn’t help.”

  Thrilling images raced through Tilly’s mind. “A giant spider? Those are real? And it bit you?”

  “Yes. I was so mad at Yadira afterward. You see, I’d been telling her not to go into that tunnel, and she kept teasing me about being scared of the dark. She ran in anyway, and she fell into a spider’s lair and broke her arm. I almost froze completely when I saw the size of that spider, but I told myself I had no choice. I had to get her out. I managed to save her, though I realized once we reached safety that the spider had bitten my leg. Anyway, magic healed it up pretty quickly.” He stopped, blinked at Tilly, then looked away again. “Sorry. Most of the time I don’t say much, but I babble when I’m nervous.”

&n
bsp; Normally, Tilly would have joked about him at least not babbling all the time, the way she did. But her mind was turning back to Yadira’s story about being afraid of Jayshu and implying some sinister connection between him and her broken arm. But perhaps Tilly had misunderstood what Yadira meant. “Was that the only time she broke her arm?” Tilly asked carefully.

  “I think so. Our families have always lived close to one another, so I’m sure I’d know if she’d broken her arm more than once.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Tilly chewed her lip, watching the point further up the river where Yadira would soon appear. Why had the girl lied to her about Jayshu? Or could it be possible Jayshu was the one lying? That didn’t seem right, though. Tilly felt as if the conversation they’d just had was genuine.

  “Anyway, back to the point,” Jayshu said. “I’m nothing like those heroes I’ve read about. I was afraid then, and I’m afraid now.”

  Tilly frowned in thought. Her gaze moved from the river to the dragon, whose burning orange eyes made her pulse quicken with fear. “But … that’s kind of the point isn’t it? When you face the thing you’re afraid of, that’s what makes you brave.”

  Jayshu was silent a moment before saying, “I suppose it does. Oh, look, Yadira just signaled us.” He pushed his shoulders back and swallowed. “Right. Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Together, the two of them ran out of the trees toward the river, waving their hands and shouting. It was silly, but there was no way the dragon would miss them. “It’s working,” Tilly said as the dragon rose onto his feet. “Be ready to run,” she added. “And to throw magic or shield yourself from the flames.”

  As if he could hear her, the dragon reared up and let forth a stream of fire. Then, with a snarl, he lunged across the river.