by A. J. Walker
Realizing that he’d managed to cut through Thargon’s magical barrier, Anders could not believe it; Thargon was finally dead. He turned to see Zahara chasing a large group of orcs and kurr. The orc and kurr army fell into disarray after watching their leader fall in battle. Anders heard the rallying cries of the men and women near him as they began to fight harder, driving the enemy forces back. Anders returned to the spot where Ivan had fallen and was surprised to see him standing. Knowing that Ivan was back on his feet again, Anders rushed back to Zahara who was now waiting for him.
“How did you do that?” he exclaimed.
She smiled, It just happened. I knew the moment you left that we were intended to be bonded. Anders couldn’t believe what had just happened. Climb on, she said, lowering her shoulder so he could scramble on top of her.
“Are you sure?” he asked. He never thought he’d have the opportunity to ride on the back of a dragon. He wasn’t sure if there was a formality to it or some kind of sacred dragon ceremony he must complete before he could climb atop her scaled back.
Anders, trust me. You and I are one now, and hurry up before an orc tries to shoot you with one of their arrows.
Slightly surprised by her informal approach in dealing with the situation, Anders did as she told him.
Anders placed his left hand on Zahara’s wing where it attached to her body and used his right hand to grip a hard scale on the leeward side of her back. He hoisted himself up onto her spine and positioned himself between her shoulder blades. He hooked his legs snuggly into the pits of her wings.
The moment he was situated, Zahara said, Hold on tightly.
Before Anders knew what had happened, she’d bent her knees and pushed up off the ground, flapping her powerful wings and climbing into the sky.
The force of taking off so suddenly pulled his upper body down hard and Anders would have fallen off, toppling forward had Zahara’s thick neck not stopped him. With his face pressed firmly against her tough scales, Anders could just see around her neck the masses of orcs and kurr below. Anders placed his hands on Zahara’s neck and pushed himself up, to a seated position. He’d ridden many horses and several ox, but nothing could have prepared him for this. Anders became aware that he could feel her wings beating against the early morning air as if he were working them. He looked to his shoulders to make sure his arms hadn’t turned into wings like hers. A sigh of relief came to him as he saw the familiar bulk leading down to his hands. Yet he couldn’t understand how he felt her body as if it were his. He could feel her tail swaying to balance herself in the air. Experiencing their bonded connection for the first time, it surpassed anything he’d ever thought possible.
Zahara, I can feel your body as if I were the one flying, Anders said as they flew over the battle.
It’s our bond. You can now feel what I’m experiencing and thinking.
Whoa, that’s amazing! Anders exclaimed.
We’re connected in a way no other animals can experience; we are bonded.
Anders clung to Zahara as they soared through the air. The morning sun was just beginning to emerge in the east as they leveled out high over the valley. Anders could see the entirety of the battlefield now. Dismembered and mangled bodies lay thickly scattered along the grass, leaving a trail of blood and horror from the battle’s starting point. The orc and kurr army had outnumbered their band of Rollo Island warriors and stragglers by three to one. Anders gawked at the size of the enemy’s forces. He watched as the Rollo warriors advanced further into the enemy’s ranks.
Zahara, the orcs are retreating! Anders exclaimed through their connected minds. And look, Anders pointed. The Elves have arrived! Nadir found them!
The mass of the elf army swept in from the northern reaches of the valley forcing the orc and kurr forces to retreat.
I came with the elves from Cedarbridge, Zahara told him. When Nadir sent for the elf army, I knew I must to come to your side.
Why did it take you all so long to get here? Nadir said the elves would meet us before we marched.
Merglan headed us off before we reached the mountains. He somehow knew we were coming and attacked us on his dragon, she said.
How did you escape him?
Two other dragons and their riders accompanied us. They knew I needed to reach you, so they distracted him while I escaped.
I can see the elves made it past him, but I don’t see the dragons, Anders said.
They might have led him away from here in their attempts to distract him.
Why would Merglan let himself be led away so easily?
I’m not sure. All I know for sure is that the riders were with us when I escaped and now the elves have made it past him. I would bet they somehow convinced Merglan to follow them.
Anders noticed Zahara had begun to fly south, away from the battle and toward Merglan’s fortress. Shouldn’t we go back and help them win the battle? Ivan, Red, Max and Britt might need our help.
Now that the elves have arrived, we’ll have no trouble winning the battle. There is something else we need to do, that I must do for you, she said while flying toward the fortress.
Anders tightened the grip of his legs around her as she surged faster. All he could do was trust that Zahara knew what she was doing.
Approaching the fortress, Anders could begin to see over the massive walls that loomed over the dark fortress. Somehow the tall towers climbing toward the sky seemed hollow and empty. He sensed an absence from the stone buildings and at the same time a familiar warmth that he hadn’t experienced since he left Grandwood.
Zahara flew over the walls of the fortress and they could see groups of people huddled together.
The prisoners taken from Grandwood, Anders thought.
Your family is here, Zahara said. Through the heightened connection of their bond, she felt his hopes of finding his cousins alive. I must repay you the favor you did for me, but first we need to rid this place of the evil people who’ve kept these innocent people enslaved here.
Anders understood her exactly. They dove down together at the few armed guards who’d stayed behind to keep the prisoners in line. Zahara streamed into the fortress coming down on the prison guards with hell’s furry on her wingtips. She loosed a deafening roar as she chased the fleeing guards. Protracting her large talons she skewered Merglan’s men as she turned back toward the sky.
Anders hesitated for a moment, just trying to hold onto Zahara as she darted through the fortress. Realizing he too could be useful from her back, Anders called on the new magic running within him. Focusing on one guard at a time, Anders targeted them, snapping their necks and bringing them to a swift death. It didn’t take long before the prisoners within the fortress joined in the fighting. The prisoners now outnumbered the guards. Seeing that they had help, the prisoners began a full-scale uprising within a matter of minutes.
Anders watched as unarmed men and women rushed armor-plated guards with swords in their hands. Their bravery was devoid of reason as they bombarded the armed men. Several men and women sacrificed themselves so others could overtake the guards.
Zahara landed lightly in the middle of the courtyard. Climbing off, Anders began searching through those who rushed past him. He shouted his cousins’ names but was met with the blank stares of people he didn’t recognize. Panic began to set in. Had Kirsten and Thomas been killed on the journey to the fortress? At least a month had passed since he’d seen them and he had no way of knowing if they’d made it there alive.
Finally, he saw a familiar face, Bo. Max’s younger brother waved him down. Anders forced his way past a host of prisoners rushing past him toward the fortress gates.
“Bo! You’re okay!” Anders exclaimed. “Where are my cousins, Thomas and Kirsten?”
“As of yesterday they’d were assigned to mining duty,” Bo pointed a grimy finger toward the pit that lay just beyond the courtyard.
“Are they there now?” he asked.
Bo
shrugged, “Could be anywhere. Once everyone realized you weren’t Merglan returning, all hell’s broken loose. Anders, where’s Max? Did he make it home to Brookside?”
Anders realized Bo had no knowledge of what had happened to his brother since the attack on Grandwood. “Yeah. He’s with the Rollo warriors now. We marched on the fortress and, with the help of the elves, pushed Merglan’s forces back.”
Bo smiled from ear to ear, “I knew Max would come for me.”
“Yes, he has. And now I must find my family.” Anders nodded his thanks to Bo and called for Zahara.
He climbed onto Zahara’s back once more and they swooped over to the far side of the pit. Anders strained his eyes as he scanned the terraced slopes. Each terrace had dark shafts that tunneled down, deep into the slope. Anders heart leapt when he spotted them.
Kirsten cracked a bullwhip as she chased down a guard. Anders grinned at the tenacity of his younger cousin. Thomas and Maija had just finished running off another guard, kicking him in the rear as he stumbled away. Anders steered Zahara and they flew in low over their heads. Kirsten cracked one more whip of the bullwhip on the guard’s behind before seeing Anders on the back of a dragon. She halted her pursuit and dropped the whip.
Zahara banked around, coming to land lightly along the terraced slope. Anders could see the bulging eyes and dropped jaws of Maija and his cousins as he dismounted Zahara. He realized she would be a shock to them, but he was beginning to think they might be dreadfully intimidated by her presence. He held the wide grin on his face and after several moments, Anders saw the joy of their long-awaited reunion grow on their faces.
Kirsten shrieked with glee and led the charge as Thomas and Maija followed her in a run to greet him. Anders met them with open arms, beaming as he held them tightly in a group hug. Tears of joy streaming down all of their faces, even Zahara became emotional and Anders could sense her happiness toward them.
Wiping away the tears with the back of her grimy hand, Kirsten sniffled, “I knew you’d come for us, I knew it.”
“We’ve missed you terribly,” Maija’s glossy brown eyes fluttered at seeing Anders again.
“I have so many questions, too many to comprehend right now,” Thomas added with a nervous laugh, one of relief after so many tribulations.
Anders sniffled and gave them a broad smile. “I’ll explain it all later.” He wiped his nose with the sleeve of his leather cuff and attempted to straighten his face into a more serious expression, “Well, lets get you out of this place.”
“Anders, wait. There’s powerful magic imbued into the walls of this fortress. Even the gates are enchanted,” Kirsten warned him.
Anders grinned, “Don’t worry; Zahara and I can get you out of here.”
“You’d better hurry. Merglan left a while ago and could return any minute,” Kirsten said.
Nodding, Anders returned to Zahara’s side and climbed onto her back. She leapt off the flat step and opened her wings to their full expanse. She soared effortlessly out over the people gathering in the courtyard, gliding toward the fortress’ main gate.
Kirsten, Thomas and Maija stood still, jaws hanging open while gazing at the sight of someone they knew sitting atop a real dragon. After a moment of bewilderment, they began to make their way to the courtyard.
Once at the main gate, Anders and Zahara worked to break the spell that held Anders’ cousins within the fortress walls. They drew on the force of energy that flowed within them and tried to focus it on breaking down the tall iron gates. Anders couldn’t quite hold his grip on the amount of energy they were producing. Each time he attempted to channel it on the gate’s hinges or lock, he’d become overwhelmed by the power surging through them. When he tried to lessen the force of magic he drew on, the spell Merglan placed on the gates remained too strong for them to break.
The magic on these gates is too strong for us to break alone, Anders said. We need help if we’re going to bring them down.
We’d better hurry in case Merglan returns, Zahara agreed.
Before leaving again, Anders found Kirsten, Thomas and Maija amidst the crowd gathering near the gate.
“This magic is too powerful for us to undo alone. Zahara and I are going to get help from Ivan, he’s an old rider who might be able to help us.” Anders looked sorrowfully at them and continued, “I’m sorry. I wish we were stronger, but our powers are new and I’m not trained in how to use them properly. We’ll be right back, okay?”
Thomas, Kirsten and Maija nodded understandingly.
“Hurry back,” Kirsten called to him as he bid them farewell and saddled Zahara’s neck.
“I will, I promise,” he called back as Zahara took flight once more exiting over the fortress walls.
By the time Anders and Zahara returned to the battlefield, it was over. The elves and Rollo warriors had made sure the enemy’s armies were no longer a threat by forcing their retreat. Anders could see the last of the orcs and kurr running away across the valley as they flew in for a landing. The host of the Rollo warriors cheered victoriously when Anders and Zahara returned to them.
“Ivan, Nadir,” Anders said as he ran to them and hugged them tightly; happy to see they were alive. “We need your help. My cousins and many others are locked in the fortress. The magic binding the gates is too powerful for us on our own.”
Ivan understood the haste required by the situation. Combining his dwindling magical abilities with their untrained energy, they might be able to break down the gates to free the trapped prisoners inside.
“Zahara, can you carry us both?” Anders asked out loud so Ivan could hear.
Of course I can. I’m not a weakling, she replied.
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure,” Anders said. I’m new to this and didn’t know if you’d be offended by letting Ivan ride you as well, he said to her with his mind again.
I appreciate you asking, but in this time of urgency I don’t need to toil on proper customs and all that nonsense.
Anders led as he and Ivan hoisted themselves onto Zahara and she returned to the sky. Within short order, Zahara was landing just outside the main gates to the fortress.
“You and Zahara try to focus your energy as best you can. Summon all you are able and I’ll help you to control it,” Ivan told them once in front of the gate.
Anders and Zahara dew on their powers and the well of magical energy within them bubbled to the surface before they let the full store of magic loose. Anders couldn’t control it, it came from his mind in wild flashes, but suddenly, he could feel Ivan’s presence. Like standing in the eye of a hurricane, Anders suddenly felt the calming sense of control he’d been lacking. Ivan allowed them the control they needed to focus on bringing down the gates. The three of them pried open the lock that held the two iron gates in the center. With a slow creak they began to open. The crack turned into a gap, and then a wide space. Then suddenly the spell holding them broke and the gates rocked open, slamming into the dark stone walls of the fortress.
By the time the gates fell, both human and elf armies had gathered outside the fortress. The newly freed prisoners rushed out as soon as the gates opened. Anders watched as Rolloan families began to reunite all around them.
Anders scanned the faces of the freed prisoners as they flooded out from the fortress. Anders’ eye caught a familiar face and watched as Bo, saw his older brother for the first time since being taken captive. His gangly, dark-haired friend ran to Bo and hugged him tightly. It gave Anders great satisfaction to witness the two brothers reunite after the long struggle to free those taken captive from Grandwoods shores.
Pulling himself away from his brother’s grip and holding him at arm’s length, Anders overheard Max say through tears of joy, “You smell like crap. Have you been locked in a prison cell for the last month or something?”
Anders burst out laughing at the insensitive joke he’d grown to expect from his dark-haired friend. At that moment, he felt an overwhelmin
g sense of pride.
As he chuckled off Max’s insensitive joke, Anders saw Kirsten and Thomas come running out through the gates with the crowd. He shouted their names and ran to meet them. With their second reunion, Anders composed himself. He laughed and hugged his cousins again.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” he said, as he looked them over.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, I thought it would never come,” Thomas said.
Getting a second look at them, Anders became more aware of Kirsten and Thomas’ ragged appearance. Their clothes were haggard and worn. Their skin bruised and scabbed from weeks of rough treatment.
Kirsten must have noticed Anders’ stare at their wounds and asked, “How did you manage to find us?”
“If it weren’t for Ivan’s help, I wouldn’t have had a chance of finding you,” Anders motioned to Ivan who stood near Zahara’s side.
“I’ll need to thank him for helping you,” Kirsten said.
“And Zahara,” Anders added.
“That’s your dragon?” Thomas asked.
Anders nodded and looked over to Zahara, “She’s a lot more than just a dragon. She’s family.” He knew Thomas and Kirsten wouldn’t understand what he meant by it, but soon he’d explain everything. Before he could, though, there was another person who he’d been longing to see and talk to. Anders had noticed that Maija was standing awkwardly behind them, unsure if she should interrupt their family moment. He excused himself from his cousins and jogged the short way to where she stood. Coming near, Anders wrapped his arms around her and she gladly held his embrace.
After a long moment of holding each other tightly, Maija said, “Well Anders, it would seem that I am, once again, in your debt.”
He smiled, “That may be, but I think there is still one more thing I must repay you with.”
“Really. And what might that be?” Maija asked playfully.
“This…” Anders leaned in close to Maija. Her full lips locked with his and for a moment, he forgot all about the war, the magic, and the hardships he’d endured to get there. It was just the two of them, kissing beneath the morning sun.