Legend of the Realm

by Alexandra Ott

  “Let’s keep Lilja and Snorri outside,” Seeker Ludvik says as he and I dismount. “Wouldn’t want to scare the poor thing.”

  “Does he have a name?” I ask as Ari and I give Lilja the signal to stay put, and we proceed into the darkened cave after Seeker Ludvik.

  “Not yet,” Seeker Ludvik says. “Larus and Freyr and I have all been visiting this little fellow regularly, but not too often. We don’t want to overwhelm him.”

  A low growl issues from ahead of us, and Ari freezes. “He heard us,” Ari says, “and he’s afraid.”

  I shiver as the dragon lets out a fierce, echoing roar.

  TWO

  The dragon’s growls echo around us as we stop just outside the den. Seeker Ludvik issues a soft, three-note whistle that pierces through the darkness. “We’ve been using that signal to approach him,” he explains, “so that he knows who’s coming before he sees us. It seems to help.”

  “It did,” Ari says, his empathy gift swirling around his hands. “He just calmed down a bit.”

  Seeker Ludvik beams. “Excellent work, Seeker Ari. Now, he usually likes to sleep just around the next bend. Let’s approach slowly. I’ll go first, with the two of you directly behind me, so he can see us clearly. All right?”

  We do as he suggested and round the bend. The red dragon glares at us as we enter, his yellow eyes bright. He’s smaller than Lilja, and skinnier, but he looks healthier than the last time I saw him—his wound has healed, and it looks like he’s been eating more.

  “Will he grow to full size?” Ari whispers as we stop walking, letting the dragon study us.

  “We’re not sure,” Seeker Ludvik says. “It’s possible that being underfed has stunted his growth. But he’s also quite young, so he may yet have a growth spurt.”

  “Hey, buddy,” I whisper. “Seeker Ludvik, may I use my gift?”

  “Go ahead,” Seeker Ludvik says.

  Magic wells up within me as I summon my gift, and green light bursts from my fingertips. It swirls toward the red dragon, seeking out his life source. It’s huge and bright, just like Lilja’s, but I approach carefully, not wanting to scare him. His yellow eyes snap toward me—he can sense my magic reaching for him.

  “Hi, dragon,” I say softly, letting my gift linger in the air near him without pushing forward. “How are you doing?”

  He snorts, looking wary, but his spikes aren’t raised.

  Beside me, Ari’s hands are lost in a whirl of yellow light as he uses his gift. “You can go closer,” he murmurs, confirming my guess.

  Ever so slowly, I reach toward the dragon with my magic and let my gift brush softly against his energy. His eyes widen at the unexpected contact and his ears pull back, but his spines are still relaxed, which means he’s more startled than afraid. I linger there for a moment, letting him sense me. His energy brightens around mine, like he’s exploring my gift, wanting to see more of it. I push a little more magic toward him.

  “Not too much, Bryn,” Seeker Ludvik whispers, and I pull back. The violet light of Seeker Ludvik’s gift is merely a wisp around his hands, like he’s barely using it at all, yet he seems to be able to sense what I’m doing anyway. “Excellent work, Seeker Ari.”

  I glance toward Ari in confusion. Was he using his gift differently than me? I’m not sure what I did wrong.

  “Has he let anyone ride him?” Ari asks quietly, watching the red dragon.

  “Not since we brought him here,” Seeker Ludvik says. “But I suspect that the two of you might be just the Seekers for the job.”

  My eyes widen. “Really? You mean we can ride him?”

  “Let’s take it one step at a time,” Seeker Ludvik says quickly. “How about we see if we can get him to follow us out of the den first, and take things from there.”

  I grin and reach into my pocket, where I have a whole bag of bilberries for Lilja. “I think I know how we can coax him out.”

  Sure enough, the red dragon is very interested in the bilberries. He sniffs the first one hesitantly, unsure if it’s safe, but after the first bite, his eyes go wide and he takes a step toward me, looking for more. I toss him another, then a third, and within moments he’s following the three of us out of the den, sniffing loudly as I hold up a handful of berries.

  “Good job!” I shout as he emerges from the den and stretches his wings. I toss the handful of berries, and his wide jaws scoop them up in one big gulp.

  Then he notices Lilja and Snorri, and he stops moving, ears pulled back, and his spikes rise.

  Ari’s gift dances around him immediately, sending out calming waves. “It’s okay,” he says. “They’re not going to bother you.”

  Slowly, the red dragon’s spikes sink back down, but he still looks wary.

  “Perhaps one of you would like to hop on Lilja’s back and demonstrate for him?” Seeker Ludvik suggests. “It might be helpful for him to watch you with other dragons and know what to expect.”

  Ari and I glance at each other. Who wants to take the risk of trying to ride this dragon?

  I do.

  Ari nods once, sensing what I’m feeling. “I’ll take Lilja this time,” he says.

  I grin. I can’t help it—training dragons is so much fun. “Okay,” I reply, turning back to the red dragon. “We really need to give you a name so I can call you something.”

  He blinks back at me, yellow eyes bright.

  “How about…” I pause, studying his shimmering scales. They’re a dusty red, like scorched earth, or the sky right before sunset. But I can’t think of a name related to his color that fits. I turn to Seeker Ludvik. “What’s he like when he flies? What’s unique about him? Have you noticed anything?”

  “Well, he’s certainly fast,” Seeker Ludvik says. “We noticed his speed when we first brought him here. And he seems to love flying, though he hasn’t yet taken a rider.”

  “Hmm.” What are words related to flying? Maybe I should pick a word from the old language, like Lilja’s name, which means “lily.” I turn back to Seeker Ludvik. “What’s the word for ‘wind’ in the old language?”

  “Vin,” he replies, smiling.

  “Vin,” I repeat, studying the dragon again. “I think it suits him, don’t you? Because he flies like the wind?”

  Seeker Ludvik beams at me. “I think you’re right. And, come to think of it, the word ‘vin’ could also mean ‘friend.’ ”

  “Perfect!” I say. “Because we’re friends now, aren’t we, Vin?” I wave my gift to draw his attention to me. “Are you ready?”

  He snorts.

  Slowly, I take a step toward him, then another, my gift filling the air. “That’s a good dragon,” I murmur when he doesn’t move. “Just let me come a little closer….”

  Vin snorts when I step within a foot of him, but he doesn’t move. “Great job,” I say, tossing him a bilberry. He snaps it up, and the ground trembles as his tail slaps down.

  “Over here,” Ari calls calmly, and Vin turns to look. Ari climbs onto Lilja’s back more slowly than usual, letting Vin see how it’s done. Once he’s situated, Lilja snaps her wings wide, preparing for takeoff. Vin tilts his head, watching with confusion.

  “What do you think?” I murmur to him. “Want to give it a try?”

  I coax him with my gift, encouraging him to lower his body so that I can climb up. He resists at first, but after a few more bilberries, he lowers himself to the ground.

  A few cautious steps later, I stroke his scales with my hand, letting him get used to being touched. When he doesn’t react, I climb carefully onto his back.

  For a moment we’re all completely silent, holding our breath, waiting to see how Vin will react. I let my gift swirl around him, getting him comfortable with my presence. Ari watches from Lilja’s back, and Seeker Ludvik stands nearby.

  Vin snorts, then quickly rises to his feet. I grab hold of one of his spikes just in time as he lurches upward. “Whoa, go slower, boy. Slower—”

  His wings snap wide, and Seeker Ludvik looks
concerned. “Ari, see if you can calm—” he starts, but he doesn’t get the chance to finish.

  Without any coaxing at all, Vin suddenly leaps forward and takes off, heading for the sky. It’s all I can do not to lose my grip on him as we launch forward.

  “Whoa, Vin,” I shout, “slow down!”

  The wind rushes in my face as his wings beat faster, faster, faster—

  I try to use my gift to slow him, but he’s not used to taking directions and completely ignores me. He swoops through the air, circling the valley, his tail lashing back and forth. He’s fast, even faster than Lilja, and I have to lower my head behind his neck to keep the wind from whipping into my face.

  “Bryn!” Ari calls, his voice surprisingly close. “You okay?”

  I glance up just enough to see the silver gleam of Lilja’s scales approaching us, Ari atop her back.

  “Fine,” I shout back, “but can you slow him down?”

  Ari’s gift reaches toward Vin, swirling around us, and I back off with mine, not wanting to interfere with whatever Ari’s doing. Vin seems to respond better this time. After a moment, he’s calmer, and his speed gradually slows. He and Lilja fly side by side, and he lets out a happy snort, apparently enjoying the company.

  “He’s a natural,” Ari remarks, watching the beat of his wings. “I think he’s enjoying this!”

  “He’s enjoying it too much!” I shout back.

  Ari grins. “Think you can get him to follow Lilja around? Let’s show him some moves.”

  I summon my gift again as Ari steers Lilja into a turn. With a little nudge from me, Vin imitates her, turning sharply. “Not bad,” I say to him. “Let’s try a smoother one.”

  Ari leads us through a couple more turns, then banks slowly, losing altitude. Vin copies Lilja, following her every move. As we practice, he starts responding more quickly to my gift as I steer him, and within moments we’re circling, diving, and climbing, pulling off a dozen tricks in the air. Vin is a natural, and he takes on every move eagerly, like he’s been waiting his whole life for this.

  I throw my head back and laugh, relishing the feeling of the wind in my face and the sound of wingbeats in the air. This is what being a Seeker is all about.

  “Um, Bryn?” Ari calls suddenly, sounding worried. “Do you think you can land him?”

  My heart jumps in my chest. I have a sudden memory of Lilja’s first landing, when we crashed into a lake and I nearly drowned.

  “Um,” I say. “Guess it’s time to find out!”

  Ari leads the way, guiding Lilja into a slow descent. Vin goes along with it perfectly at first, following Lilja down, but when he realizes we’re landing, he suddenly pulls up, trying to climb into the air again.

  “I know you love flying,” I say gently, letting him circle around the valley again, “but I don’t want you to get too tired, okay? We’ll do this again later.”

  Vin huffs, a spark flying from his nose, and climbs higher into the air.

  I give him a more forceful nudge with my gift, steering him back toward Lilja. “Don’t you want to go say hi to Lil, your dragon friend? She’s not up here anymore.”

  His wings beat faster, more frantically. I’m losing control.

  “Okay, okay,” I say soothingly, pulling my gift back a little. “Everything’s fine. Don’t panic.”

  He doesn’t speed up, but he doesn’t slow down, either. He turns, now facing Lilja again, but doesn’t descend.

  Ari shouts something, but from up here I can’t hear it. “What?” I yell back.

  “Berries! Berries!”

  It takes me a moment to understand, but then my eyes widen. I reach into my pocket and yank out a handful of berries. Quickly, I toss one over Vin’s head, hoping it catches his attention. He doesn’t see it. I toss another.

  This time he lurches forward, clearly following the berry, and his jaws snap as he catches it. I toss another and another. Again he descends slightly as he tries to catch them. I fling a handful, watching them fall. Vin is forced to fly lower and lower to catch them all.

  We’re close enough to Ari and Lilja to see them now, and Ari holds up his own handful of berries. “Here, Vin!” he calls. “Come get them!”

  Finally, Vin seems to understand. He slows down and lands shakily, thudding to the earth. I cling to his back, expecting to be tossed around, but aside from a momentary scramble with his claws, the landing is smooth. He runs toward Ari, who tosses more berries to him. “Good job, Vin!” Ari says.

  “Good job,” I repeat breathlessly, loosening my grip. My legs have turned to jelly. “Good job.”

  From behind me, someone applauds.

  I slide from Vin’s back and turn to Seeker Ludvik, who’s clapping and smiling. “Excellent work!”

  “Thanks, Seeker,” I say, willing my legs not to tremble at their sudden return to the earth.

  But Seeker Ludvik isn’t looking at me. “Fantastic job, Seeker Ari, using your gift to guide Lilja and luring with the berries! Smart thinking.”

  I wait for him to say something to me, but he just gives Ari a pat on the shoulder. Ari blushes but doesn’t speak, and I bristle. Sure, Ari did a great job, but I was the one flying on an untrained dragon and risking my life.

  “Any training suggestions for me, Seeker Ludvik?” I say loudly.

  He turns, looking startled, like he’d forgotten I was there for a moment. “Well, good flying, of course,” he says. “Though ideally we could have slowed him down before he took off so quickly. But nice work under the circumstances.”

  Under the circumstances? What does he mean by that?

  I try to brush off the ugly feeling rising within me. It doesn’t matter, I remind myself. This is no longer a competition. Both Ari and I are Seekers, and we don’t have to beat each other anymore. We both did well, and that’s what matters. I know I did well, even if Seeker Ludvik doesn’t say so.

  But I can’t stop the anger that fills my chest as Seeker Ludvik shakes Ari’s hand vigorously, beaming at him.

  “Seeker,” Ari asks, looking up at Seeker Ludvik, “is it common for baby dragons to lose teeth?”

  “Why, yes,” Seeker Ludvik says with a nod. “They have sharp baby teeth that fall out around a month or two of age, to make room for the larger adult teeth that grow in.”

  “Do they look like that?” Ari asks, pointing. Ludvik and I follow his gaze and catch sight of a white, fang-shaped tooth lying just outside Vin’s den.

  “Well spotted!” Seeker Ludvik cries. He approaches the tooth and studies it for a moment. “Dragon teeth are quite strong,” he explains. “I imagine this will fetch quite a good trading price in the village. Ari, you spotted it first, so it’s yours.”

  The anger fills my chest again as Ludvik continues congratulating Ari on the find. I’m usually the one who collects the most magical objects from the Realm. How could I have missed the dragon tooth? Probably because I was on Vin’s back and fearing for my life as we left the cave. Which is completely unfair.

  I take a deep breath as Ari approaches me, trying to hide my resentment. He gives me an odd look as he passes, probably sensing it with his gift. I sigh. I know I should be happy when Ari does well, but that’s hard when the other Seekers treat me like I’m still a contestant in training instead of a full Seeker. I just flew on an untamed dragon, for crying out loud, and it wasn’t enough to get a decent compliment from Seeker Ludvik.

  How can I prove that I’m a real Seeker when nobody’s even paying attention?

  Seeker Ludvik soon ends our training session, as he has more work to do in the Realm, and instructs us to fly back to Dragon’s Point. Lilja seems reluctant to leave, and I feel the same way. There’s so much of the Realm to see and so much time left in the day to explore it. If only the other Seekers would just trust us enough…

  A tiny seed of an idea sprouts in my mind as Ari and I hop onto Lilja’s back and use our gifts to coax her into the air. The only way we’re ever going to prove ourselves is by proving ourselves. And
if the Seekers aren’t going to give us the opportunity to do that, then we need to create one. Maybe, just maybe, we can make this happen ourselves.

  “Ari,” I say slowly, hardly daring to give voice to my thoughts. “Don’t you think we should do something else?”

  “What?” he calls over the roar of the wind as Lilja picks up speed. His curls fly wildly in front of his eyes. “Something else?” he repeats.

  “Why should we go back to the village now? We’re Seekers! We should go out into the Realm and do something!”

  Ari frowns, and I suspect he’s picking up more from my emotions than from my words. “But we can’t. The other Seekers—”

  “We’re Seekers too,” I say. “Don’t you want to prove it?”

  Ari’s eyes widen. “I don’t think this is a good idea—”

  But his protest comes too late. I steer Lilja into a landing, using my gift to nudge her in the right direction. Lilja is thrilled by this turn of events—she’d much rather explore the Realm than drop us off at the Point—and responds to my magic immediately, swooping into a low dive. Before Ari can say another word of protest, Lilja aims for a clearing at the top of a cliff and lands, shaking her wings and running to a stop.

  We’re on our own in the Wild Realm.

  THREE

  What were you thinking?” Ari shouts as soon as he catches his breath. “Where are we?”

  “No idea!” I say brightly. “Let’s go explore and find out!”

  “Bryn, we’re going to get in so much trouble. The other Seekers already told us not to—”

  I slide off Lilja’s back, my boots landing in soft grass. All around us, the cliffside is rocky and studded with clumps of late-summer junipers and rosewood. The grass is impossibly green and full of life, just like everywhere else in the Realm.

  I look back at Ari. “What are they going to do? Not let us come into the Realm? They’re already doing that. Besides, we’re Seekers too. This is our job. We’ve been respectful of all their training so far, but at a certain point, we just have to start doing our jobs.”