by Halie Fewkes
The swim wasn’t as bad as I initially predicted. I wasn’t sure if travelling with the wind was helping or not, but I tried to convince myself that it was. I fooled myself several times into thinking that I could see the cliff line of Dincara in the distance, but I knew we were still too far out.
We kept moving forward until the lack of conversation almost killed me. “I hate swimming,” I said again, not ready to talk about the Epic situation.
“Do you know why?”
“Because it’s a pain?”
“That’s one reason. It’s actually because we’re Tallies though — Escalis can’t swim well. If we were Human, this would be a whole lot easier.”
“That explains why Gat didn’t jump into the water after me. He sounded ready for the kill when we were on the ship.”
There was silence again, save for the sound of the wind and waves, so I cut it short before it became overwhelming. “Do you think Leaf is ok?” I voiced the first question that came to mind.
“The escape tunnel only had one direction. I’m sure he found his way out.”
“But where is he now? Do you think maybe he’s trying to go back to the Dragona?” I worried.
“Hopefully not. He should know that nobody would be there. Maybe he found the other children once he got out…”
“I hope so. And I hope they get far away before Sav and Gat go looking for them.”
The sun was sinking fast, and its light was on the verge of being smothered when I saw the outline of a mountain in the distance. I let out a cry of relief and Archie cheered at the wonderful sight. I couldn’t wait to get to the beach and be done swimming! I planned to collapse and fall asleep as soon as I landed.
I kicked my legs harder since we were on the last stretch, and it ended up being the hardest part of the journey. The waves were breaking on a beach I didn’t recognize, and as soon as I got close they tumbled up and over me, crushing the air from my lungs. I fought my way back to the surface, but the next wave pushed me under. The battle was hard fought, but I was able to struggle my way up to breathable air eventually. I had barely started coughing up the water when the next one hit me, and then it was suddenly over.
I felt sand brush against my knees right before I tumbled onto the beach and hacked uncontrollably, crawling onto dry land while heaving water from my lungs. A forest had sprouted at the edge of the beach, but I couldn’t see any recognizable landmarks. Archie pulled himself from the tide and collapsed onto the sand as well, breathing heavily. My coughing had ceased, but my muscles complained about the journey. I felt like going to sleep for the night right there with sand sticking uncomfortably to every part of me.
A shadow passed over in what little was left of the light, and I looked up to see the black falcon. I could almost feel glee radiating from it, having found us.
“Get out of here!” I picked up a rock and threw it at him, on my knees now. He swerved around it and then let out his piercing screech. Archie jumped to his feet and ran over to me. “And take that too!” I threw another rock.
“We need to get out of here,” he said.
“I’m way too tired to go anywhere. Plus, what’s he going to do? Go get Sav and Gat? It’s not like they can swim here!”
“No they can’t, but they’re probably already on their way in one of the smaller boats, and we don’t need Gyr telling them where we are.”
“All the more reason for you to help me throw rocks and take him out!” I threw another one, which missed again.
Another screech echoed, but from over the water this time. A grey mass as fast as an arrow slammed into Gyr and sent him flying into the trees.
“FLAK!” I shouted as she straightened herself and Gyr darted back out to attack her. They collided in hideous shrieks as they bit and clawed at each other, trying to stay airborne. “GET HIM FLAK! Tear him to pieces!” I shouted as torn feathers blew away from their scuffle and drops of blood peppered the beach.
Flak somehow got the upper hand as they both hurtled to the ground, and Gyr crashed first before he could shake her. Archie and I ran over as Flak jumped up and left Gyr lying in the sand. Before we got to him, he desperately tried to take flight, but one of his wings was dragging the beach.
“So do you want to kill him or do you want me to?” I asked as Gyr glared hatefully at me. Flak instantly jumped in front of him and extended her wings as though shielding him.
“It doesn’t matter whose falcon he was. He’s still a falcon. We can’t kill him.” Archie replied.
“Can’t kill him? Of course not! Ok, so we’ll tie him up and take him with us.” Flak seemed to be ok with that. She left Gyr and jumped onto my shoulder, digging her talons in to stay up. I didn’t even care. She had just saved us both. She head-butted me and closed her eyes as I looked at her injuries. She had lost many precious feathers, but her wounds were thankfully superficial.
“I’m at a loss for string,” Archie said as he checked his pockets, “do you have any with you?”
“I do have this,” I pulled my tied key from my neck and undid the knot.
“Perfect,” he said as I handed him the cord and tucked the key into my pocket.
Gyr voiced his opposition to having something tied to his leg, and he bit and clawed until Archie was bleeding, but finally done with the knot and already healing from the scratches.
“Where are we?” I wondered at the unfamiliar beach.
“Not Dincara.”
“Flak probably knows,” I reasoned. She didn’t acknowledge me, as she was too busy having some sort of face off with Gyr. They had both locked gazes with each other, and neither moved until Gyr tried to launch himself off the ground and attack her. The assault would have been successful, except he was cut short by the tether holding him back. Flak took off, let out a screech, and flew into the trees without looking back.
“I hope that meant to follow,” Archie assumed as he picked up Gyr’s tether and made to follow her into the woods. Gyr would have nothing to do with it, and chose to hang upside down from the leash while Archie carried him. Archie apparently didn’t care either and just left him that way, held an arm’s length away. I followed them into the towering needle-trees, and we were on our way home.
Chapter Twenty Seven
It took a Tally’s pace to keep up with Flak as she soared through the trees, yet she still had to stop and wait for us every once in a while. After swimming half the day and running half the night, I felt hot and sticky all over with the exception of the tip of my nose, which was doomed to always be cold. My muscles began rebelling as my lungs started giving out from the stress. I didn’t know what had kept me going so long, but it was almost gone.
A sliver of the largest moon began rising into the sky when Flak finally stopped and perched herself on a tree. I was relieved to stop at last. Ecstatic might have been a better word. I coughed and doubled over, ready to collapse. Nothing was worse than seeing Archie — who was merely breathing hard — look at me to make sure I was ok. Sorry that running fifty miles kills me!
Archie left to hunt down some food while I built up a small fire and kept watch over Gyr. Needless to say, Gyr hated me.
It obviously took some skill for Archie to catch two rabbits in the time before he came back — especially in the dark — but they couldn’t finish cooking fast enough. Flak brought a dead mouse for Gyr, but he refused to eat it so it lay forgotten on the ground.
I should have been more worried without any weapons close by, but strangely, I wasn’t. I didn’t expect anyone to happen by in the day after the battle, and in truth, Archie and I could probably kill a tama cat or a wolf with our bare hands.
We fell asleep quickly next to the fire — at least I knew I did. Its warm glow was small and sleep-inducing until I woke later on, freezing after it had gone out. I was never going to get back to sleep through the shivering, so I moved over next to Archie to steal some of his warmth.
“Archie, put your shield down before I freeze to death,” I chattered.
Archie rolled over to put an arm around my shoulder, and with him beside me I fell back asleep and didn’t wake up again until it was morning.
I had no intention of waking with the sun, but Flak bit my fingers in impatience. I was on my side with Archie still next to me, asleep with his arm still on my shoulder, and I was entirely too comfortable and exhausted to move. I opened my eyes a fraction to glare at Flak. We had barely gotten any sleep at all. She bit my smallest finger, eager to go, but this time she bit hard.
“Ok, fine! I’m getting up.” I set my hands in the dirty pine needles that were still warm from sleeping on them, and I pushed myself to my feet, only to lean against the nearest tree and close my eyes again. It was good enough for Flak at least, who moved on to Archie.
I opened my eyes to watch as she poked at him and he tried to ignore her. When she bit at his hands, he tucked them underneath himself, and when she pecked at his arm, I heard him mumble, “I’m not getting up, Flak, and you can’t make me.”
Flak thought otherwise and batted her wings maniacally in his face while screeching, her talons dangerously close by. Archie threw his arms up to protect himself, but Flak grabbed one in her vice-like grip and tugged wildly.
Archie rolled onto his knees to get away from her, his woken glare emanating murder. Flak deflated and took off into the trees, giving us no time to wake up, yet expecting us to follow.
I ran quickly to keep from losing her, and Archie caught up to me a minute later with Gyr hanging once again from the tether.
“I want to know who told that falcon she could be in charge,” Archie said loudly enough for both Flak and I to hear.
“I think it was a self-appointed position,” I replied. “Worse things have happened.”
“Worse things are going to happen if we don’t get back to the Dragona soon,” Archie said, peering up at Flak mutinously. Flak screeched in response but kept flying, high above the trees. I didn’t press the matter — we were both on edge from a lack of sleep.
We didn’t see the welcoming peaks of the Dragona through the dense cedars until we were practically there, several hours later. The entrance to the Wreck was the closest to us, and I picked up my pace to reach the overhang into the caves I called home.
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting what I found. There was… silence. Dead silence. No people, no laughing, no games being played, none of the constant chatter that had always been present, no life, no joy, no smell of cooking food, nobody doing the cooking, no friends, no welcome backs… just… silence.
Archie entered behind me, but didn’t say anything as we both took in our surroundings. Halfway played games remained on the tables with chairs still pulled out around them. It looked like people had been in the Wreck ten minutes before and simply disappeared.
“Is anybody here?” I asked, my voice echoing off the desolate walls. Only resonance answered me. I glanced at Archie uncertainly, somehow hoping he could make things better.
“Let’s split up and look through the main tunnels,” he suggested. “There has to be somebody here.”
“Ok,” I said, feeling my heart beat anxiously. “Right, we’ll find somebody.”
We took separate ways, running down the main tunnels trying to find somebody. Trying to find anybody. I called out as I ran and I could hear Archie’s voice echoing in the distance, looking for people too, but it was an ultimately futile search. I got to the very end of the main tunnel to see the sparring field deserted, fake weapons abandoned on the ground, the wind blowing by hollowly. I turned around and started slowly back to the Wreck.
That couldn’t be it. That could not be what was left of home. How could home be empty? I felt my throat constricting into a knot and broke into a run to keep it from consuming me. I got back to the Wreck before Archie and couldn’t hear his voice in the distance anymore, so I sat on the edge of a table and let tears roll silently down my cheeks. I didn’t allow any sound to escape, because I couldn’t bear to hear it echo off the walls. As I tried to comprehend the situation, to let it sink in, something clattered to the floor on the other side of the Wreck, creating an awful, resonating racket.
I stood quickly but couldn’t see anything over the tables, so I cautiously approached the clamor. I didn’t have my short swords, but it turned out I didn’t need them. I only found Leaf’s favorite tiny red dragon hunkered defensively, shooting a jet of flame at the fallen pan. Red whipped around when he heard me behind him, then squeaked and tromped over. What was he doing in the Wreck? Were all the dragons loose?
I scooped the scaled baby into my arms and he squirmed to nestle against me, warming the hands I hadn’t realized were cold. His contentment helped to offset my hollowness.
Archie stepped into the Wreck, and his blank face reflected that the emptiness affected him as well. Neither of us could bring ourselves to admit the entire mountain was vacant. Instead, Archie said quietly, “I need to take a walk.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said, also keeping my voice low.
I had never noticed how loudly footsteps could echo. Like annoying little drums, pointing out how silent the rest of the world lay.
“Should we even stay here?” I asked as we wandered aimlessly through the cold and colorless tunnel-rock. Red had gone to sleep in my arms.
Archie shrugged and snapped himself out of a blank stare. “Some people might trickle back here eventually. If we do leave, maybe we should wait a while first.”
“Where would we go?” I asked. The Dragona was the only home I wanted to know. “Would the other Tallies take us in?”
“Of course. Actually, they’d be thrilled for us to come back.”
I heard the faint sound of voices and froze with a step still in progress. Archie stopped when I did.
“I heard something,” I whispered.
On an equally soft note, Archie said, “Let me stop by my room. Then we’ll check it out.”
We arrived quickly at his door, and he said, “Stay here just a second. I’ll be right back.” He stepped inside, closing it behind him.
“Really, Archie? You still have secrets you’re keeping from me?” I whispered.
“No,” he said, emerging seconds later with short swords for me and his own Escali sword, which I had never seen in person. “It’s just a mess.” I couldn’t hold back a laugh as I took in the beautiful engravings on the silver hilt of his Escali sword, prominently showing a falcon over all else. I wished I had the time to look closer, or to take the sheath off and see the blade.
I set Red in Archie’s room, and we took up a quick pace to get to the Wreck, where the voices were far too loud for anybody trying to sneak around. They spoke Human too.
Relief overwhelmed the knots of stress in my chest when I stepped inside and saw Liz among the twenty returners. I took my hand off the short swords I had been so prepared to use and trotted quickly to her. Since she had her back turned, talking to several people, I slipped in among them without her noticing.
She spoke about the future of the Dragona, wondering if anybody else was going to come back, and if they didn’t, worrying about their fates. The way she talked made her sound so much older, like she had suddenly been forced into adulthood. A sad revelation, but maybe one that was necessary.
She was halfway through a sentence when she noticed me, a thought that would never be finished because of how quickly we grabbed each other. Our wordless hug brought no tears but filled me with intense relief.
“I don’t know why I ever worry about you anymore,” she said, pulling away from me to make eye contact. She may have been forced to mature recently, but I still knew how much she needed me. “Did Archie make it back too?”
Archie joined the circle of people as well, saying, “It came close at times, but we lived.” Liz gave him a less welcoming greeting, in the form of a kick in the shins. Archie jumped back before she could make contact with his shield, then had to dodge her again before she could shove him.
“You need to
stop running off with Allie and leaving me behind!” she shouted, breaking her illusion of control.
“What makes this my fault? I don’t see you kicking Allie!”
Liz turned and kicked me as well. “Stop leaving me!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling her into another hug. She punched me in the stomach before hugging me back.
“I didn’t think you were coming back this last time. I don’t know what I’ll do when you don’t. You have to stop leaving me!”
“I’m sorry Liz. But I always come back, don’t I? And it looks like the group with us made it out of the city?”
“Yes,” she said, pushing me off once more. “The Escalis chased you, so there was no one left to guard us. We ran. And you still beat us back here. You and Archie, I swear…”
“Believe me, we did our fair share of running too,” I said, shooting an exhausted sigh Archie’s way, which he shrugged off. “How many of the people with you are mages?”
“Three,” she said. “We only have three people who will know what to do to keep this place alive. Eight are from Dincara, and three are from the northern cities.”
Every one of them were men except two female mages from the Dragona. The three from the north were tall and fair skinned with blue eyes.
“My name is Gin. My brother and I are from Keldrosa,” the tallest of the three said.
The other Northerner didn’t mention his name but said, “I am from the snows of Lakama.”
“Are you all staying at the Dragona?” I asked hopefully. With such a minimal amount of people, we would barely be able to keep the place up.
The Dincarans agreed they would be staying because they had nowhere else to go, and the mages already called this home, so they weren’t planning to leave. Gin and his brother said they’d stay, but the other Northerner had a family to return to in Lakama, so he’d be leaving in the morning.