by Melody Rose
Just then, I knew exactly what my special performance would be.
Even though it was a bit campy, I would put together a one-woman play, enchantment style. With all the right bells and whistles, some type of illusions and magical special effects, I could really breathe life into the tale of Zielona. I wanted to draw attention to the majestic dragon and battle-maiden she was. I didn’t have a clear picture of what she looked like in her human form, but I imagined that she was devastatingly beautiful. I would figure out the cosmetics issue later since I usually kept things plain, but for now, I wanted to prioritize an eye-catching show. What I knew for sure was that she was a green dragon, so I’d base my theatrics on that.
None of the books that I shelved after some cursory looks through them were specifically focused on illusions, but I thought that Elemental Magic would be close enough. Maybe I could find a cousin to pyrotechnics and hope against all hope that I wouldn’t blow myself up. Enchantment seemed to be pretty kind to me so far, so I convinced myself that I wouldn’t really need to worry.
I reached for a book with leather tooled to look like real dragon scales, ready to unearth some magical techniques that would do Zielona justice. Briefly, I considered how appropriate it was to create illusions to revive the queen in my own special way. She had done the same to deceive her opponents, and now I hoped to use my own, but this time, it’d be to shine a light on the majestic queen.
Once my fingertips pressed into the tome, I jolted back as though struck by a supernatural force. The scenery of the martial temple melted away, and I couldn’t even see my hands anymore. I wondered if that was special narrative magic contained in this book. While I still enjoyed the way reading traditionally worked in my world, it was cool to think that some works could have a cinematic quality, informing the audience exactly what they should see.
Then, I saw two visual vignettes that didn’t make a ton of sense but were still gorgeous and uplifting. I guessed there must have been some through-line, and maybe after this feature came to a conclusion, I could read every single book in the temple to gain a foothold on the hints or symbolism.
At first, I was soaring through the skies, and I got the sense that I wasn’t even human. This was confirmed when I turned my head and saw the impressive span of a gliding wing covered in gleaming scales. My heart pounded, adrenaline rushed through my system, and heat stirred in my stomach. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind buffeted me, and a clan of dragons surrounded me. I smiled with a mouthful of fangs, feeling their solidarity. A majestic black dragon nodded and gazed down, causing me to follow his line of vision. A legion of demons marched below us, carrying glowing staves. Even though my entire tribe flanked me in the skies, the horned creatures I had an aerial view of didn’t seem to notice me at all. Maybe this was some of that enchanted concealment? Suddenly, the scene had switched from serene to sinister, a torrent of fire shooting down and incinerating the beasts below me. I didn’t feel so bad about it, though, and actually had the firm conviction that they deserved it.
Following that climatic and decisive episode, I was treated to a palate cleanser, still sailing through the skies but without any focus on outwitting enemies. I was now mounted upon a perfectly black and sleek dragon, the one that had been right by my side in the earlier vision. I marveled at its scales, as beautiful as exquisite obsidian. But this wasn’t some mere pet or mount. No, this was… a companion and a close one, if that made any sense. Still, I was a human in this scenario, or someone close to that, as I could see my toned legs on either side of the gorgeous beast. The more I stared, the more this mirage started to merge with reality, and I began to believe I genuinely loved this dragon. I guessed that was a testament to how strong the powers of this book was.
Strangely, though, even after its spell dissipated, I was left with the same lingering feelings. Was it some type of slow-release magic that would leave my system? I didn’t really care, I didn’t actually want this sense of love to fade.
What I did know was that I wanted to emulate this charm and captivate my audience with this same surreal storytelling. Now, it wasn’t even a matter of earning my spot back in the library of winning over the Jörmungandr clan. If I could somehow extract some principles from the Elemental Magic tome and design my own illusions, it would be like Zielona had never been gone at all.
13
Troy
Now that I had taken care of her basic needs for the day along with attending all the customary meetings with my comrades, I was permitted to some solitude. These hours were brief, a short respite before I would need to retire, as I needed to commit even more time to morning training. I wasn’t quite certain how I’d occupy myself, but leisure felt like an excess that would only stoke the flames of my guilt. The wisest choice would be to spend the time bettering myself more before the Drikkende emerged in our lands.
Truth be told, my personal quarters were beginning to look more like a war room, my desk peppered with maps and racks of weapons lining the walls. Though most of my clan couldn’t read anymore, we could still decipher the old maps by the shapes of the lands alone, and by my work with them, I figured that the Drikkende would most likely attempt a stealth assault. They would likely arrive from a nearby village and shapeshift into creatures that looked like my own kind rather than march toward us from the forests. We would all have to keep in mind that any beings that came from beyond our lands were not to be trusted, even if they had familiar faces.
As my fingertip trailed against cobblestone paths rendered in grey paint and detailed with dark shadows, a knocking sound at my door broke my concentration. I wondered if it were Lady Rosalind arriving to bear news of the enchanted performance she would conjure for my clan. While I had been rather strict when I told her that she must wait until I collected her from the temple, she may have become enthusiastic. If she had chanced upon truly potent magic, I could forgive her for this transgression, but if she had come to my door to complain about her treatment, I would spare no mercy.
With that in mind, I opened the door to greet the spellmistress. What I found instead of the raven-haired woman was an all-too-familiar lean, sculpted battle maiden with golden locks. I raised an eyebrow as I took Astrid in, not entirely put off by her presence.
It was plain to me that she had nothing underneath the cloak she was wearing, though she may have fooled the rest of the clan on account of the darkness. No weaponry, shoulder plates, or any other elements of our traditional dress. In fact, she was barefoot, but there wasn’t any dirt on her, and so I suspected that she must have remained inside the stronghold. Had she prepared for this very moment and evaded our clan’s assemblies to remain spotless?
Perhaps. I hadn’t recalled seeing Astrid in our evening vigil under the moonlight.
Stranger still, Astrid’s expression was far more innocent and unassuming that I’d ever seen before as she stood below me, waiting to be invited in. While she was quite imposing in her battle regalia, she now looked more demure than I’d ever seen her, with imploring doe eyes and a gentle smile. Her hair was also out of its battle braids, quite fetching in a tumble of flaxen waves.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I gestured her in. Maybe I was a bit protective of her or at least concerned about the scene she might create. I had already been dealt enough unwanted attention, and having a top-ranking soldier presented like a harlot would surely devolve into mockery. She was, after all, on par with a princess in our clan. Why had she risked so much with this encounter, serving herself to me as though she were a common courtesan?
“Good evening, Lady Rønning,” I greeted her cordially despite her sparse attire. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your luminous presence? It would appear that you were so concerned with haste that you forgot much of your armor. Why, you’re not even in an evening underdress! It must be quite a crisis!”
I smiled sportingly, an expression Astrid returned with good cheer. It was the way of our kind to mix bardic poetry in the form of flowery formalities with the cheekine
ss of a court gesture. While we could not exchange calligraphed scrolls with one another like the days of yore, we were still able to maintain much of our amorous culture. I suspected this was because the Drikkende were primarily interested in draining us of our battle prowess.
An inkling of shame pulsed in my heart as I was veering more toward humor than genuine courting. I knew that my Sage and Chieftain wouldn’t give their blessing for a union between Astrid and me, so perhaps it was unkind to toy with her in this way.
“I thank you for taking my modesty and prestige into account, my Champion,” Astrid answered with a melody of gratitude. She then shut the door before closing the distance between us. As she placed a palm on my chest, I could feel her cool, smooth skin upon my exposed chest. That coldness was a trait of those descended from ice lightning dragons.
I didn’t remove her hand and instead silently watched as her gesture parted her cloak, distracted by the way her pert breasts stood out in the soft glow of candlelight. This would have indeed been a compromising position, but as it stood, I was doing nothing but looking at the woman before me.
“But of course.” I nodded and wondered if I could argue away touching her alluring chest as a mere formality, a mirroring of her own gesture. Perhaps we could both say that we were pledging allegiance to each other before the challenges ahead, but that seemed unreasonable. Of course, this would only dovetail into more intimate positions, and I risked relinquishing my entire title if I surrendered to this pleasure.
Mating was only permitted on specific festivals if it wasn’t arranged by our elders, and by now, we only had two who possessed that authority, and they both just so happened to rue the thought of me with anyone other than Lady Rosalind. I couldn’t very well just explain this predetermined pairing to Astrid, though. Not only did I not believe she’d be able to stomach it well, but I was under strict orders not to divulge the intricate plan that loomed over me. I would have to cool her possible temper somehow while resisting the battle maiden’s delicious ploys.
“You do know that I don’t need protecting.” She smiled up at me coyly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I would only hasten to see you if I felt it was you that required my support. I am concerned that you have devoted too much time to that unruly twit of a visitor we are housing for some reason. Why hasn’t she been banished by now?” Her words now dripped with sinister venom. “At any rate, I see you coming and going with trays of meals. Why afford her this hospitality when she had displayed nothing but impudence? I’m sure she can conjure her own food?”
I petted the crown of Astrid’s head as though she were a child, hoping that this sign of affection would diffuse the anger brewing within her. Then, worried this would be seen as condescending, I stroked her cheek softly with the back of my index finger.
“It is strange, isn’t it?” I admitted in a hushed, throaty voice. I wanted to ensure I wasn’t emasculated by tending to the Sorceress, so I acted as though it was all a matter of duty. “And yet, are we taught to question the responsibilities handed to us? I am required to see to her since she is our esteemed guest, and she must preserve all the mana she has for our clan’s needs, so wasting it on minutiae such as meals is frowned upon.”
Astrid sighed, not entirely crestfallen but still bothered. I couldn’t blame her. Before this, many speculated that we would be intertwined in tribal courtship approved by our superiors and bound to one another in a proper handfasting. I would not have balked at this possibility since she was the most ferocious battle maiden I’d ever witnessed and quite comely on top of that. Any soldier would have been glad to have her by his side, but that was not to be, apparently.
“I suppose that makes sense,” she admitted. “How long must we endure her presence, though? Can we send her back where she came from after we have used her to our advantage?”
Her line of questioning made me uncomfortable. If Lady Rosalind did turn out to have a special power, I saw no reason to disrespect her by leaning upon her only once and then disposing of her. It also struck me as unnerving that Astrid had wandered to my quarters in naught but a cloak to lament her case. Though she was unquestionably beautiful, it reeked of manipulation, something that I despised.
I ceased stroking her hair and slid my hand through the opening over her cloak, only so that I could place my hand on her shoulder. Despite that small solace, I still fixed her with a stern glare.
“Astrid, it seems as though you are getting ahead of yourself, dear Comrade,” I quietly scolded. “How can you be sure that we will only use her once? Is that suitable behavior for the Jörmungandr clan? Never before have we treated our allies in such an undignified fashion.”
I arched my eyebrow as I studied her with wariness. “Is that why you have come? While I was cheered to see you here in such lovely form, the display is dampened by your bitterness. I can understand why this is unusual for you, but our clan has endured many changes. You know that I don’t take kindly to schemes, regardless of their presentation.”
“Of course not!” Astrid exclaimed, her eyes glassy with tears as though I had struck her. She reached tilted her head to the side, earnestly nuzzling my hand. Afterward, she blinked away the sorrow as best she could, but there was still a lingering pain.
“You know I only want what’s best for you, my Champion. I have always respected your independence and authority,” the battle maiden continued. “You are free to make what choices you wish, but we do not know what we are contending with here. Since you were a lad and me a lass, we have never met a spellcaster other than Kalen. She could get her hooks in you before you can stop her.”
I actually chuckled at that, amused by her overprotectiveness and anxiety concerning the harmless Sorceress. At least my own worries were allayed. Astrid was simply succumbing to an unfounded superstition, not interfering with my decisions.
“I appreciate your interest in my well-being,” I struggled to keep from laughing at her furrowed brow so I wouldn’t be perceived as rude, “as well as your misgivings about spellcasters, but I assure you, I have a handle on the matter. I have been in fruitful communication with her…”
This idea clearly perturbed Astrid, and she shivered beneath my hand, but I would not be silent. She had to learn that Rosalind would be a vital part of our clan’s culture if all turned out well, perhaps even my companion in time.
“And she has wholeheartedly agreed to devote all her mana and loyalty to our clan. Just be patient, and you will see that there is nothing to fear. As for any trickery or charms, believe me, she has none that are malicious. While her outburst was unfortunate, it was only out of shock. Her culture is… quieter than ours.”
“Very well.” The golden-haired battle maiden shrugged. “I defer to your judgment, as always. Now, why don’t we do away with such dull subjects and enjoy each other’s company? I only wished to refer to the Sorceress in passing, and now I tire of speaking about her.”
I nodded. Even though I did still think Astrid was acting just a bit petulant, I was glad that we hadn’t been embroiled in a feud over Lady Rosalind. “What is it that you would like to discuss in--?”
Just then, Astrid unlatched the clasp of her cloak, allowing it to tumble to the ground and pool around her ankles. I was thankful that she had closed the door, as I would have surely been denounced for inviting a naked woman into my room instead of immersing myself in the study of war.
I salivated and swallowed as I took her in, hoping I did not betray my shock. It had occurred to me that I wasn’t entirely certain if I’d seen her naked form before. At any time that our kind did have our carnal rituals, we were required to don masks and shroud our identities. As arranged pairings were commonplace, we were shunned from unapproved trysts that led to unwanted attachments. It was difficult to keep these standards in mind, though, as I admired her figure. She had only become more chiseled throughout her many battles, but despite her toned physique, she was in no sense masculine and instead had the grace of dancers that I had once seen on
a diplomatic mission to a desert kingdom.
“Isn’t this far more… enchanting?” she questioned me with a coquettish tone, pressing her lithe body against mine and arching her back. I could smell her arousal easily with my honed draconic senses, a fact she was well aware of. “You have been too accommodating to our ‘esteemed guest.’ Why don’t you let me relieve you of your duties, if only for an evening?”
I let my hands slide down to her hips, though I told myself that it was simply a bestial instinct and not my proper judgment. At least I could restrain myself from sinking my fingers into her toned flesh or lifting her up and tossing her onto my bed.
“An evening?” I challenged her with a note of suspicion. The blood was beginning to travel away from my head, but I could still feel guilt, spurred by my loyalty to Kalen and Harlin, spiral within me like a force of its own. “Somehow, I doubt that is truly your intention. It would certainly be much to risk for a single tryst, Lady Rønning.”
“Please,” she begged in a throaty moan. I willed myself not to further provoke her by permitting my hands to wander. “We are behind closed doors, there is no reason to be so civil. Allow yourself to unleash your lust, my love. You can save your discipline for other times. For now, let me express my devotion to you.”
I froze at her slavish adoration of me, suddenly awash with rationality instead of mindless hunger. This would only end in disaster if I continued to enable it, and she had already displayed signs of obsessive attachment. While I could certainly understand her willingness to mate and bond with me, should it be our duty, this sounded more than tolerance or interest. I don’t know how she had become so set on me. Maybe Astrid sought the status of being the Champion’s bride, but it didn’t matter. I needed to disentangle myself as swiftly as possible.