Dragon Tamer

by J. A. Culican

  “We need to speak to you both. It’s important. The dragons are coming here tonight and they are bringing wolves with them. I’ve seen the damage to the village and I don’t want it to get worse. I don’t want anyone hurt.”

  “You are the reason there is damage to the village.” Louisa’s voice rose a few decibels.

  “We should let them in,” said Xander, speaking for the first time since he opened the door. I could see his expression as he took in Morganna and I didn’t like it. It was as if I wasn’t even there. Still, if he was going to let us in, I wasn’t going to complain. If Louisa got any louder, the neighbors would come out to see what the commotion was about.

  Louisa clearly wasn’t happy that we were entering her house, and to be honest, I couldn’t blame her. She was silent as we trooped past her and followed Xander into the living room, where we both sat on a large, worn-out sofa. Louisa followed us in and made a point of sitting right next to Xander on the other sofa. I hoped that Xander didn’t ask her to make us a cup of tea. She looked ready to explode.

  “Louisa,” Morganna began again, “I came here to apologize and make amends. I know I was in the wrong all those years ago, and since then, it has broken my heart just thinking what I did to you. I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I can’t even begin to forgive myself. There has not been a single night since I left that I’ve not felt shame over my actions. I was young and foolish, but I should have known better. I’m not the same woman I was back then.”

  I glanced over at Louisa. It looked like her icy glare was thawing a bit.

  “Xander is a wonderful man and I know now that part of that is because he has a wonderful woman by his side. I saw what you had—a strong family unit—and I admit I was jealous. Instead of building my own, I tried to break someone else’s. It is unforgivable and I’m very, very sorry. I want to make amends for my actions.”

  “Well, if that’s what you came to say, you’ve said your piece. Now you can go.” Louisa’s words were harsh, but I could see she wasn’t as aggravated as she had originally been.

  “That’s not the only reason you came though, is it? What do you know about the dragons coming tonight?”

  I decided it was my turn to jump in. “You know I’ve spent time with the dragons. We are not here to warn you; we are here to tell you that they are with us, as are the wolves.”

  Xander didn’t seem perturbed by what I was telling him. Instead, he looked interested. He sat forward in his seat and steepled his fingers. “You were with the dragons when they attacked the village. You should know that the people of the village are extremely scared. Many dragons have been seen flying over our skies recently. Just yesterday, a hundred or more seemed to appear from nowhere. They didn’t attack, thankfully, but they caused a stir. I watched as they flew up to the mountains in a group.”

  Morganna and I looked at each other. They must have been the dragons we released from her sword. “Those were the dragons that the people of this village have slain in the past.”

  Both Xander and Louisa looked at me with confusion. It was Louisa that spoke. “These dragons weren’t ghosts. I saw them with my own eyes. They were real.”

  “I think we should start at the beginning,” said Morganna, and I nodded. I told them everything. How the dragons were shifters, how they only wanted peace but had been portrayed as killers. How my father had lied about everything. When I’d finished the whole story, I waited to see if either of them believed me.

  “You are saying that dragon souls are hidden in our swords and that they are human?” asked Louisa incredulously.

  “Not human exactly. They are shifters. Part human, part dragon. The wolves are the same. They can shift between their animal form and human form, but even when they are animals, they think as we do. Their thoughts remain the same.”

  Louisa still looked doubtful.

  “I can’t prove to you right now that the dragons are shifters, but I can prove part of the story. Can you hand me your sword, please?”

  Louisa, like everyone in the village, had slain her only dragon on her eighteenth birthday, and like many others, had given it up after proving she could do it. “Why?” she asked.

  “Here, will my sword work?” Xander began to pull it from the sheath at his side. It was a mark of how nervous the village was that he had it strapped to him even in his own home.

  “I’m afraid it has to be Louisa’s. You’ve slain many dragons. Every time I release one, it creates a flame. The more dragons in the sword, the bigger the fire.”

  “You want to release a dragon in my home?” Louisa’s voice began to rise again.

  “If you don’t believe me, you’ve nothing to worry about. Just in case, I thought we’d go to your back garden.”

  She didn’t say anything but she stood up and left the room. A minute or so later, she brought back a long box that didn’t look like it had been opened in many years. From it, she pulled a sword. It gleamed like new. She might not have used it in years, but it was obvious she took great pride in it. It had been polished recently. I could smell the polish on it.

  She handed me the sword. I took it and made my way to the garden. It wasn’t big, but it had tall trees, hiding it from the neighbors. At the bottom was a fire pit. Perfect.

  “You will see a bright flash and the soul of the dragon leaving the sword. The dragons’ bodies are in a keep hidden in the forest over that way.” I pointed in the general direction of the keep. “You should see the soul head there.”

  “Are you sure you are strong enough to do this?” asked Morganna, her face full of concern.

  I nodded. It was only one. At the fire pit, I raised my arm and with a swift motion, brought the blade down upon it, creating yet another wound on my skin. The flash of fire knocked me to the floor and a dragon emerged like a cloud. I heard a scream as the dragon spirit flew off over the trees.

  “Are you okay?” I looked up to see Louisa gazing down at me. She took my hand and helped me up. When she took in the state of my arm with all the old cuts there along with the one I’d just made, she was horrified. “Let me get you in the house and bandage that up.”

  This was the Louisa I knew. The mother hen who had everyone’s best interests at heart. The scorned woman of a few minutes ago had left, replaced by the caring woman I knew she was. I let her guide me inside. As she hunted for bandages, she instructed Xander to make me some tea.

  I glanced up at the clock as Louisa came back in. It was twenty minutes to six. The villagers would be assembling for the village meeting. The dragons and wolves would be gathering on the outskirts.

  “Do you believe me?” I asked.

  “About the dragons being trapped in swords? Of course. I saw it with my own eyes. I can see what you’ve done to yourself to free them, too.” She liberally applied cream to my scarred skin.

  “Do you believe the rest? About the dragons being shifters and being peaceful?”

  “If you’d told me yesterday that I’d let Xander disappear with Morganna, I’d have never believed it, and yet they are both in the kitchen making tea. I’d say that I’m much more likely to believe your story.”

  “They will be just making tea, you know,” I answered. “Morganna has told me how much it’s bothered her, what she did to you.”

  “I can’t tell you I suddenly trust her but I have to trust my husband.” She was silent for a second. “They really want peace? It’s hard to believe.”

  “Think about it. Has a dragon ever attacked except in self-defense? I know you’ve heard all the stories, but have you ever seen it yourself?”

  “No,” she admitted. “No, I haven’t”

  “My father has told lie after lie to keep the heritage of this village. We’ve been known as Slayers for centuries, and he wanted to keep up the tradition. He’s known the truth for years. Someone must have passed it down to him when he was young, and I have no doubt that he was training me and Jasper to follow in his footsteps. What he didn’t count on was me being save
d by a dragon and stumbling on the truth. That’s why they are coming tonight. They don’t want to hurt anyone. They want to make peace and tell their side of the story. They also want the rest of the dragons back.”

  “Here is the tea.” Morganna brought four mugs of steaming hot tea through on a silver tray. It was almost imperceptible, but I could see a tear in her eye. This was harder for her than she was letting on.

  “We need to drink fast,” said Xander, looking up at the clock. “The meeting starts in just over ten minutes.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The journey to the center of the village was no more than a ten-minute walk, and yet each footstep seemed to take a thousand years. The village I’d grown up in was so familiar to me, though I didn’t feel at home here anymore. Some of the buildings had scorch marks marring their once perfect facade from the last battle with the dragons. Some were destroyed completely. It was as if the heart of the village beat no more.

  As I rounded the corner to the village square, I stopped short. Holding my arms to my side to stop everyone else, I took in the scene in front of me. My father was on the small makeshift stage, speaking. It looked like the whole village had turned out to hear what he had to say. Once upon a time, I loved sitting in the front row of chairs to listen to my father, but now, listening to him tell lie after lie, the thought of it made me sick. I’d never known the village square to be so full. Usually, only a handful of people turned out to these meetings, typically just the head of each household. It was only on celebration days, in other words, dragon-slaying days, that so many people came out. Today, though, it looked like everyone over the age of eighteen was in attendance. The rows of chairs that had been set out were all full, and people stood along the sides and the back. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to hear what my father had to say.

  I listened to him for a moment.

  “Last night,” he boomed out to the rapt audience, “there was a mass breakout of dragons from the dragon keep. I know most of you saw them. There has been a lot of talk about how this happened.”

  I bet there had been. The villagers had no idea that the dragons were being kept alive in an endless sleep. They had been told, as I had, that the dragons had been killed. I almost wanted to wait it out and hear what lie my father told to cover it up, but I could see Spear watching the events just out of view of my father. If anyone in the back of the audience turned, they would see him, but they were all fixated on my father. Behind Spear, the other dragons stood. They, too, were still and silent, waiting for a command of action. Every single one of them was in their human form.

  Spear looked over and caught my eye. I nodded my head to acknowledge his presence. I also wanted to thank him for showing up in the form he was, without blustering in as a dragon. It would be easier this way. As he was too far ahead to speak to, I hoped that a nod of my head would be enough to convey this. He nodded back. At least I thought he did, but then he kept on nodding and jerking his head to the side.

  I wasn’t sure what he meant, but when Ash took hold of my arm and pointed to someone behind me, I realized Spear was pointing out the Wolvren who were coming up the narrow road behind us. I prodded Morganna and pointed them out to her.

  They had to be silent. None of this could be rushed. There were too many people involved, and I was beginning to think that I’d got myself in way over my head.

  I could still hear my father talking to the crowd as I tried to hold in my anxiety. This would only go according to plan if everyone remained calm, but what were the chances? Our plan was a weak one, and beyond ”turn up and speak to people,” we hadn’t really gotten any further.

  “They used magic to come back to life,” my father shouted. While he wasn’t actually wrong about this, I knew he wasn’t going to tell the people that it was the Slayers’ swords that were magic.

  “They have magic, too?” someone from the crowd yelled out in a fearful voice.

  “Of course they have magic,” my father replied, moving closer to the front of the stage. “They are unnatural creatures.”

  I saw Spear stiffen, but he didn’t move. I needed to do something and quickly. If I didn’t, someone was going to snap. Taking a deep breath, I ran past the crowd of people—people I’d grown up around—and jumped up onto the stage.

  “It’s not true!” I shouted. “My father and some of the other elders have been lying to you your whole lives.”

  I could see the surprise as people registered my presence. Some looked angry. I knew it was because they’d seen me flying around on Ash’s back when we invaded the village. Goodness only knew what lies they’d been told to cover that one up.

  “You are in with the dragons. You are under their magic spell,” yelled out someone I’d once been friends with. A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd. I was already losing them.

  “They don’t have magic,” said a voice next to me. I turned to see Morganna stepping onto the stage. There was a collective moment of shock as they began to process who it was. No one shouted out, but I could hear the whispers from the people as their shock intensified.

  “She’s dead!” said someone in the front row.

  “I assure you, I’m not dead. I’m very much alive.”

  “Take her away. She is an abomination,” yelled my father, but no one came. Whoever he was shouting orders at was probably wondering how Morganna had suddenly appeared after so many years.

  “I was blackmailed into leaving the village many years ago by this man.” She pointed at my father who stood there, his mouth open in shock. “I did something very bad in my youth, something I regret to this very day. I’ve apologized to the people involved and I hope in time, they will be able to forgive me. However, lies were told about me to cover up the simple fact that I was a better Slayer. I killed many more dragons than Rocco ever could hope to. It made him mad, and that’s why he sent me away...or so I thought.”

  The whole crowd was silent now. All eyes were transfixed on Morganna. Behind the people of the village, both the dragons and the Wolvren had come out into the open, but no one was going to take their concentration from Morganna to notice. Only the three of us on stage—my father, Morganna, and I—could see them. My father’s mouth opened as if to warn everyone, but as quick as a flash, I pulled out my sword and pointed it right at his gut.

  “I’d stay quiet if I were you,” I said, standing up to my father. “Morganna has more to say.”

  He could have reached down and pulled his sword out, spearing me in an instant, but if he did, he knew as I did that the crowd would turn on him. He had no choice but to stay still and keep quiet.

  Morganna gave me a small smile before beginning again. “The truth of the matter is, the dragons are not magic. They have no more magic than you or I. They do, however, have one amazing ability.”

  “Yeah, they eat people,” someone shouted out. There was a smattering of nervous laughter.

  “They can shift into human form.”

  The quiet crowd was quiet no more. A ripple of chatter spread through the crowd as people tried to decide if she was telling the truth or not. “Shifters don’t exist!” the same man yelled out eventually.

  “Really?” growled Alpha. He’d seen the commotion and run up toward the stage, bringing his men with him. The small stage was really beginning to fill up now; if we weren’t careful, we were going to fall off.

  A couple of the village elders, on seeing that there were more strangers on the stage, came running up and pointed their swords at Alpha. He growled but didn’t try to fight them. From the other side, I saw Spear and his men approaching. They, too, tried to squeeze onto the tiny stage. More swords were held up at us by the villagers that still had them. If only I could step down and collect them all.

  “To my left, ladies and gentlemen, are the people I’ve chosen to spend my life with. They are Wolf shifters. To my right are the dragons you are so fearful of.”

  A look of incredulity spread through the crowd. For all they knew, I’d
just brought tens of strangers up here.

  “I was on the brink of finding out the truth,” Morganna continued, seemingly unaware of the commotion she was now causing. Even though no one was moving, I knew that it wouldn’t take much to start a huge battle. Everyone was tensed, ready for attack, just waiting for someone else to make the first move. Morganna had to talk quickly to make sure she said what she needed to say before that happened. “The truth that it is fact the Slayers’ swords that are magic.” She held up her famous sword. “These swords are given to us on our eighteenth birthday. We all get them. Many choose to keep them hidden away in our houses. Some, like the elders here, choose to use them. Year after year, dozens, if not hundreds, of dragons are killed at our hands. Except they aren’t really killed. They can’t be killed because then their souls wouldn’t strengthen the swords of the Slayers. When a sword is plunged into them, it extracts their soul. Their body is still alive and kept in a hold hidden away in the forest. What you saw last night was them regaining their souls after Julianna freed them.”

  “They all know she’s on their side,” spat my father, finally finding his voice again.

  “Julianna isn’t on anyone’s side, but she knows that the dragons are innocent in this. Ask yourselves. Have you ever seen an attack by a dragon that wasn’t in self-defense?”

  “Yeah, they came and burned down half the village,” someone pointed out.

  “That’s true. They came here to collect our swords. Our swords that have their friends’ and families’ souls trapped inside. Wouldn’t you go to such lengths to get back your brother or mother, cousin, best friend? They tried to come in the dead of night so as not to hurt anyone. It was only because you chose to fight that they had to fight back. Well, they aren’t fighting now. They are here to make peace. This fight has gone on long enough and there is no justifiable reason that it shouldn’t end tonight.”

  Some of the crowd were murmuring quietly to each other, but I could tell they remained unconvinced. We were at a stalemate. No one was moving, each waiting to see what would happen. The people in the crowd were beginning to get restless. There was a general feeling of unrest as people decided what to think. I could see we were losing them.