by E. D. Baker
“That’s true,” said Audun. “But dragon eyes can see farther than human eyes. And trying to take something away from a roc won’t be easy or safe. If you go with me, I’ll have to worry about you as well as your brother. You don’t want me to be distracted when I’m trying to rescue him, do you?”
The little boy looked at the ground and muttered, “I guess not.”
“Besides, your brother and sister need you to take them to your aunt. Someone bigger and stronger than them has to show them the way. Samuel and Shanna are depending on you.”
“That’s true,” Galen said, glancing at the smaller children. Shanna was rubbing her eyes again and it was obvious that she was having a hard time keeping them open. Aside from two bright red spots on his cheeks, Samuel looked pale and shaky.
“Take care of each other,” Audun said, backing away so he could flap his wings without knocking the children over.
“Thank you!” Galen shouted as the dragon took off.
Audun didn’t know much about rocs, other than that they were big. He’d heard that they might fight dragons if provoked, but no one he knew had ever fought one and he didn’t want to be the first. If rocs were as territorial as a lot of other birds he knew, there probably wouldn’t be too many in one area, which meant that the bird he had seen before might be the very one he had to find now. With the wind shifting the sand, it wasn’t easy to find a certain spot in the desert, but Audun was sure he had come pretty close. He flew in the direction that he thought the roc had gone, looking for any sort of sign that a big bird had passed that way.
It was late in the day when he saw the first droppings. Something big had created the huge black and white speckled piles that littered the desert floor like half-melted globs of snow. The enormous feather resting on the sand beside them was as long as his wings were wide.
A penetrating scent grew stronger as he flew on. The ground below him began to change. Instead of sand, he saw rocky outcroppings with occasional withered plants growing in the cracks. The outcroppings became taller and more misshapen the farther he went, until a bizarre garden of weirdly shaped formations lay before him. Having been blasted by wind and sand for many years, the stones had taken on outlines unlike anything else in nature. Fantastic protuberances, curves, and spires stood sentinel, casting their shadows on the land as the sun prepared to set.
Still following the scent of the roc, Audun eventually came upon a tall spire with a nest made of entire trees stacked and woven together on top. Vines as big around as a human man’s waist helped to hold it together. Audun was impressed by the enormous distances the roc must have flown to bring such big trees to build a nest. He was even more impressed as he drew closer and could see the nest’s actual size. A dozen dragons could have slept in the nest without any one touching another.
At first the nest appeared to be empty, but then he saw movement: a down-covered baby roc three times the size of a baby dragon waddled from one side to the other. Audun had flown close enough to spot another fledgling when he heard a loud squawk and saw a shadow pass overhead. The mother roc was back, bringing food for her babies. With the enormous bird approaching, Audun didn’t have much of a choice; he could hide or fly away and hope she hadn’t seen how close he had been to her nest. Because he still didn’t know if Owen was there, hiding seemed like the better choice.
Audun put on a burst of speed and flew under the nest to latch on to one of the tree trunks with his talons. Hanging upside down beneath the nest, he turned his head to the side as rotting bark became dislodged, pattering around him as it fell. There was another painfully loud squawk and the entire nest dipped down when the adult roc landed. The nest continued to shake while she walked across it, chirruping softly to her babies. Audun tried not to make a sound as he fought to hold on.
Something heavy hit the nest as the roc dropped whatever she had brought to her babies. There was more thrashing only feet above Audun’s head, making more debris rain through the cracks. Peering through the gaps in the interwoven trees, the young dragon could just make out the patterns of a two-foot-thick snake that reared up when one of the babies pecked it.
With the snake hissing just above his head, Audun moved to the other side of the nest, looking for something to indicate that the boy, Owen, had been there. He was halfway to the outer edge when both babies attacked the snake at once and the mother joined in to help them, making the nest bounce and shake.
Stopping to peer up through the tree trunks every few feet, Audun eventually reached the far side of the nest and began to move along its rim. He was working his way around a thicker cluster of branches, trying to see through some still-attached foliage, when a face appeared and two vivid blue eyes blinked at him. The face was that of a human boy about the same age as Millie and her friends, and his hair was the same shade of yellow as that of the three children Audun had just met.
Audun hadn’t expected to find the boy as easily as this. “Are you Owen?” he whispered.
The boy looked stunned. He drew back, but the branches wouldn’t allow him to go far. “How do you know my name?” he asked.
“Your brothers and sister sent me to find you. I’m here to take you to them.”
Hope lit the boy’s eyes. In his excitement, his voice was louder than before. “You’ve seen them? Are they all right?”
“Shh!” said Audun. “Not so loud or the birds will come looking. Galen and the others are fine. They’re just worried about you. Is there any way down from there?”
“You mean a hole through the bottom? I don’t think so. I was looking for one, but this is all I’ve found. It’s sort of a pocket between the trunks. The little ones can’t reach me, but I won’t stand a chance if a big one comes looking for me. There are two adults. The one that brought me has been gone for a while. I thought I could wait until night and climb down if I could find a gap big enough to let me through.”
Audun turned his head and stretched his neck to see what was below him. The nest was on a pedestal of stone with sheer drops on every side. Unless the boy was a very good climber, he wouldn’t have made it, especially in the dark.
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Audun whispered to the boy. “I can’t get to you from here, but if you climb onto the nest I can carry you away.”
“Why should I trust you? How do I know you really helped my brothers and sister?”
“I didn’t come to steal you from a roc’s nest so I could eat you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Do you want my help or not?”
A tree trunk groaned as the adult roc settled her weight on it. The sun was going down. Although Audun was looking forward to the cool of the night, he wasn’t so sure how well a human would fare. The other roc would probably be back soon, making it that much harder for Owen to sneak out of the nest.
“If I draw the adult roc away, do you think you could climb out and hang on to the bottom of the nest until I come back to get you? I’ll be as fast as I can, but we should do this now.”
“I think I can,” said Owen. “I used a branch to keep them off me before. How will you draw the big one away?”
“That,” said Audun, “will be the easy part.”
Audun’s talons wouldn’t let go at first, after having gripped so tightly for so long. When he could finally move them, they were stiff, but he was able to work his way to a spot where there weren’t any protruding branches to get in his way. Finding a clear space below him, Audun let go of the nest and fell, opening his wings with a snap. Gliding out from under the nest, he beat his wings when he was past the edge and rose up so that he could look inside. The two babies lay beside their mother, their bellies full and rounded. At the sound of Audun’s wings, the adult bird opened her eyes and looked him full in the face. “Awk!” she cried, nearly deafening Audun.
Throwing his head back, Audun roared, the sound of his voice almost as loud. Then, before the roc could react, he flew straight at her head, slapping it with his tail as he flew up and over her.
The
nest tipped abruptly as the adult roc launched herself into the air. She came after Audun as if her tail were on fire, her shrill screams echoing off the rock in front of him. Audun angled his wings and began to climb. The roc was right behind him, her heavy wings pounding the air with a whump! whump! Veering this way and that around the bizarrely shaped spires, Audun led the giant bird away from her nest. Miles of ground sped by below him, yet he could still hear the roc screaming.
He was at the very edge of the formations when he glanced back. The roc was finally out of sight, so Audun angled his head and body and took off back toward the nest, faster than most dragons and much faster than any bird as big as a roc could ever fly. Circling around, Audun sped back to the nest but was only part of the way there when he saw another roc far off in the distance, heading in the same direction. Audun didn’t have much time. He focused on the nest ahead, and put all his strength into going even faster.
“Climb on!” Audun shouted, as he reached the boy. “Hurry, the other roc is coming!”
At the sight of a dragon, the baby birds squawked and fluttered to the other side while Owen scrambled onto Audun’s back.
“Hold on tight!” ordered the dragon. He beat his wings and flew as fast as he could until they were well over the desert.
Audun had slowed to a more comfortable pace when Owen finally tried to talk to him. “Where are you taking me?” he asked.
“To the town where your aunt lives. It’s where I dropped off your brothers and sister. They said it was where you were headed when the roc took you.”
“I don’t know how to thank you,” said Owen. “I still can’t believe a dragon is helping us. Why are you here, anyway? I’ve never seen a white dragon like you before.”
“I’m from the Icy North. I’ve come looking for a desicca bird.”
“A what? No, wait! I’ve heard of them, although I don’t know very much. They’re really rare, even more rare than rocs. The only place they’ve ever been seen is around oases. I guess that’s where you should look. I wish I could tell you more.”
“Actually, you’ve helped a lot. I’ll head for an oasis as soon as I drop you off.”
“It will be night by then. It gets awfully cold in the desert at night.”
“I know,” said Audun. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Seven
When Audun woke the next morning the sun was already up and the sand was uncomfortably hot. As he flew over the desert, the light reflecting off the sand made his head hurt, but he’d already used up an entire day helping the children and didn’t want to lose any more time.
Audun’s head was pounding when he finally saw an oasis, small, yet with a glint of water, and an islet of stunted trees. He licked his dry, cracked lips, but despite the pain in his head and his ever-growing thirst, the young dragon was reluctant to land for fear that the oasis was either a mirage or a trap. The water looked so tempting, and the shade so inviting, however, that Audun circled the oasis, high enough that anything on the ground would have difficulty seeing him, but low enough that he could see if something moved.
When the oasis didn’t disappear and he didn’t spot anything dangerous, he flew down until he was close enough to see an ant waving its feelers from the tip of a nodding leaf. Audun settled to the ground and sniffed the water. It smelled as clean and pure as it looked, so he took a chance and sipped. The water was warm, but delicious. As it trickled down his throat, he gave up all caution and submerged his head, taking one enormous gulp after another. Fortunately for Audun, the pool of water was small and he had emptied it before he drank enough to make himself sick.
With water in his belly and the shade of the trees cooling his back, Audun would have been happy to stay and rest, but he knew that his blue and white scales would stand out against the gold and green of the oasis and were sure to frighten away the bird he had come to find. Spreading his wings again, Audun took off. Perhaps he’d find a desicca bird at the next oasis.
For the briefest moment Audun wondered if the desicca bird might not exist and if the king and his councillors were just trying to get rid of him. He might have given the thought serious consideration, if his grandmother hadn’t promised to help him. Even if she wasn’t happy with his choice, he knew that she would never betray him in such a way. And certainly Owen would have had no reason to lie. If the boy said the bird existed, Audun was sure that it did.
The sun was still high in the sky and Audun was beginning to feel thirsty again when he spotted something flying in the distance. Because it didn’t move quite like a bird, Audun grew curious and swerved in its direction. As he drew closer he realized that it was a man riding on a magic carpet—the same bald-headed wizard he’d seen making the mosaic talk. Intent on following a pair of vultures, the wizard didn’t seem to have seen Audun.
The young dragon watched as the man gestured at the sky. A small, dark cloud appeared overhead, scudding just above the vultures. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot from the cloud, forking to strike both vultures at once. Stunned, the birds tumbled to the ground. The wizard gestured again and sand rose into the air, shaping itself into a braided net which scooped up the birds and hauled them onto the magic carpet. Not caring to see what the wizard would do next, Audun turned and sped back the way he’d come.
The wind was beginning to pick up when Audun finally spotted an oasis even smaller than the first. As he spiraled down toward it, he saw a fat, yellow-brown bird with a bald head tottering awkwardly through the meager foliage surrounding the tiny pond. It looked just like the bird in the image that Frostweaver had shown him.
Not wanting to frighten the creature, Audun swerved away, but it was too late. His shadow had fallen on the desicca bird, which looked up in alarm. A moment later, the bird took off, flying away on broad, sturdy wings strong enough to support its chunky body. Audun followed the bird, hoping it would lead him to its nest, but instead it veered into the increasing wind. Soon the wind was so strong that Audun had to fight for every inch, yet the desicca bird was able to fly into it with no apparent difficulty. When the stinging sand made his eyes tear despite their inner lids, Audun turned his head away and struggled to gain altitude, hoping to climb above the storm.
Afraid that the wind might tear his wings before he could escape, Audun strained to get above the blowing sand until he was so high that the air was thin and he had to fight to breathe. The golden cloud roiled and churned below him as he fought to stay above the storm. When the wind finally died away, Audun spread his wings to their fullest and let himself glide down to the hot sand.
Too tired to move, Audun lay on his side, dragging air into his aching lungs. He was still there when the sun went down, letting the night bring its welcome chill.
As the sun came up, Audun raised his head and groaned. Another day of searching. Another day of little to drink and nothing to eat. At least now he had seen one of the birds. He even had a good idea of where he should start looking.
The storm had changed the face of the desert, erasing dunes here, creating new ones there. Once again Audun took to the sky, looking for the oasis where he had seen the desicca bird. He found it more quickly this time, for now he knew where to look. The precious patch of greenery and water had been ravaged by the storm, but not destroyed. Audun was certain that this was where the bird would appear. All he had to do was wait.
A new dune had formed close to the oasis. Landing halfway up, Audun inched backward so he was partly buried in the concealing sand, yet could still see everything that happened near the water. As the morning wore on, the sand became hotter, until Audun felt as if he were roasting alive. To his surprise, however, the spot between his back and his wing wasn’t hot. In fact, it was the only spot that was comfortable.
It occurred to Audun that it might be the effect of the never-melting ice that he had stuck in his pouch, so he took it out and held it against his forehead, easing the ball of pain that had been forming between his eyes. Even without the ice, however, the area betwee
n his back and wing felt fine, so he reached in the pouch once more and removed the rest of its contents, including the square of woven frost. Although he’d assumed that he was meant to use it to keep the egg warm, he wondered if it would also work to keep him cold.
After returning the ice to his pouch, Audun spread the square over his back. Within a minute or two he began to feel cool all over. Comfortable now, Audun shifted back and forth, letting the sand cover him until only his head was free. He waited through the heat of the day, dozing now and then, and was rewarded for his patience when something flew past his face. The desicca bird had returned.
Audun kept perfectly still as the bird landed at the edge of the pond. It looked fatter than he remembered it and was even more ungainly as it waddled into the water. Stretching its neck, the bird’s throat convulsed and, to Audun’s surprise, a fountain of water gushed out, mixing with the water that was already there. As more and more water emerged from the bird, its sides shrank until it was as thin as the first image that Frostweaver had shown him. When it was finished, the desicca bird waddled out of the pond, which was now considerably larger.
Audun’s stomach churned as he thought about what he’d just seen. He had drunk water from a pond just like that only the day before. It had tasted fine then, but the thought that it might have come out of a bird’s stomach was revolting. He was trying not to gag when he noticed that the bird had gone to the base of a dune on the far side of the oasis and had begun to preen its feathers, leaving them with a glistening sheen that seemed to glue them together. When it finally seemed satisfied, the bird turned to the dune and began to dig, scrabbling at the sand and shooting it out behind in a constant stream. It continued to dig until its body was buried in the sand, yet it didn’t show any sign of stopping. When it had completely disappeared into the dune, Audun realized that the bird was creating a round tunnel as wide as it was tall.