Dragon Sword

by Angelique Anderson

  "Human, you are not wrong in that I have grown, dare I say, fond of you. You do have much to learn, and where there is room to learn, it will always feel as if we are at odds. I assure you we are not, I simply want you to know what you need to know so that you can be the best warrior and queen that Aequoris has ever seen."

  "Has Aequoris ever had a lone queen?" she asked, as they continued on. The trial and memories of the cave and charred clearing, falling farther and farther behind. The image of the little girl she used to be at the forefront of her mind. If that little girl is to stay behind, I must work harder to know more.

  "I don't disagree with you," Speltus said in answer to her thoughts. "As far as Aequoris having a lone queen, it hasn't been so in ages. The men that would call themselves leaders are too greedy, too hungry to give what is theirs to a queen. Telluris has never had a lone queen, and Caelestis has been without one for too long to count, as well."

  "So the kings, what of their queens?" As they conversed, the terrain grew more rugged, and uneven. Hekla found herself clinging to tree branches to help her maneuver up and over fallen limbs and broken rocks.

  "For years, every time a new king has taken the throne, the queen has been murdered. There is no coincidence. There is no shared power." Speltus's voice was heavy with sorrow. "Many would have changed the lives of their people, but that is what hatred does. That is what greed does. It takes away all that is good, and we are left with nothing but darkness.”

  "So if all the queens were murdered, why do the Unseen Ones think that will not be our fate as well?"

  Speltus shook his head. "You still have not grasped your purpose. It appears that having a dragon guide, being trained for years, and learning spells is not enough to convince you that you were made to do this."

  "I know that I was made for it, Speltus. I just don't want to die."

  "A noble desire, but in all war there is death." His little dragon mouth opened in a wide yawn.

  "Ahem." She cleared her throat. "Shall we practice?"

  He nodded. "Yes, what would you like to learn next?"

  "Is there a right answer for that? I do not wish to insult you again."

  "Then don't ask naïve questions. Only ask questions that will help you grow and learn."

  "All right, is there a way for me to travel faster? This land is too rough, and I feel that if we continue in this way, it will be longer than two days before we reach the land on the sea."

  "You are correct," Speltus said. "Focus your attention, as this one will take all the energy you have. Dare I say, all the energy I have."

  "I am ready," she said, lifting up her staff in front of her.

  "Do not use this lightly, for it requires energy and I will need time to replenish once it has been used."

  Hekla nodded solemnly. "Yes, Speltus, I will use it with wisdom."

  "All right, so what we have next is a spell for levitation. Keep in mind there are keywords to make this right. To make anything rise off the ground you will use the word 'Levitatum.' To focus the magic you must follow it by 'Objectum' for an item or 'Personae' for a person, understood?"

  "Indeed." She nodded, mouthing the words a few times so they rolled off her tongue more easily.

  "Next, you can control how high you want the object to go by determining how much power you will use. If you add 'Limitum' to the end, you'll barely lift off the ground, but you can go higher by saying 'Expandum.' To end it completely, simply say 'Levitatum Ceasum.' That will cause whatever is floating to drop immediately. Do you want to give it a try?"

  "Yes!" She eagerly nodded, her face radiating with a smile. "How long can I levitate something?"

  "That depends on how high and what it is you seek to lift. Remember that this spell works differently than the others, and drains my magic the longer and the higher and the heavier. You understand?"

  "All right... here it goes..." Hekla held her staff straight out in front of her with the tip pointed at herself, and said the words "Levitatum Personae Limitum.' She lifted slightly off the ground. Her stomach lurched as she floated. "Oh my! This is incredible! How do I move forward?"

  "Hekla, you must pay attention to your staff. Become one with it, for your staff holds me, and all the power I possess. The sooner you are in tune with it, the sooner this will become second nature for you. Simply point it forward, or right and left... wherever you choose to go." Speltus had disappeared from sight, but she could still hear his voice.

  It took Hekla a moment to grow accustomed to the feeling of nothingness underneath her.

  "Hold your staff steady, and allow it to do the work for you," Speltus said.

  "Yes, Speltus," she responded. Focusing her thoughts on her connection with her magnificent staff, she leaned it forward. The ground started to move beneath her and the wind sent her blue hair flowing behind her. "This is incredible!" she cried in jubilation.

  Very good, keep doing that to control how and where you fly. The staff is your guide, as you lift it, it will lift you. As you pull it backward, so shall it be for you, Speltus spoke in her mind.

  When Hekla leaned it right, her body followed, and when she lifted it higher, her body also rose. Had night not fallen, encasing them both in its murky embrace, she would have kept going.

  "Levitatum Ceasum," Hekla said, and felt herself fall the few inches to the ground. She stumbled, clumsily getting her feet beneath her. "That was the most amazing experience."

  "That is well, but we must stop for the night. I am afraid I need to replenish myself."

  When Speltus appeared next to her, he appeared to have aged several years. His soft glow, nearly faded.

  "Speltus! What has happened to you?"

  "Not just to me, but to you as well. Look at your orb."

  Under the cloak of night, and the overwhelming excitement she felt, she hadn't noticed the luminescent coloring within the staff's crown jewel nearly depleted to nothingness.

  "Oh Speltus, what have I done?"

  "This is why humans are not allowed magic, they know no control. I told you this was not a spell you could do for long because it takes everything in me." Speltus plopped himself down on the ground, his short little arms placed lazily over his scaled belly.

  "I'm deeply sorry!" she said, shaking her pack off quickly. She rolled out her mat and wrapped her blanket around him. She dug out her meager rations and tried to feed him.

  "Nonsense, I just need time to commune with the Unseen Ones. You rest now, don't worry about me. Let this be a lesson to you that while you may know magic... you must exercise restraint."

  "Does all magic do this to you?"

  He shook his head. "The Levitation spell, among some of the more powerful magic. I believe it works more quickly because it requires a different source of energy. While most magic can be drawn from elements, floating, as you were, requires a suspension in reality."

  "I don't understand," she said honestly. "Isn't it just air? That's an element."

  "Indeed, but if humans, or objects were meant to float, they would be created differently. Like the Caelestans." Speltus hadn't even finished his explanation, when Hekla's soft snoring could be heard against the stillness of night. He quickly followed her into slumber.

  28

  Astrid

  When you are alone, you often find the inner strengths you never knew you had. Too often, we depend on others to help us through a trying time, but if we continue to be helped every step of the way, we never learn how to do it ourselves. Sometimes it's best to overcome obstacles yourself. At first, it's lonely, but once you accomplish it, you grow in character and confidence. And you will forever know that you can do it again in the future.

  King Rowan the Observant, First King of Telluris, 238 A.V.

  When Astrid awoke the next morning, the Toverak was completely gone. It amused her that all remained of it, was the blood-stained rocks and dirt where it had fallen.

  "Well," she laughed. "Someone was hungry."

  Aronus did not answer h
er joke with a laugh of his own. Astrid scanned the area around her makeshift camp, but he was nowhere to be found. She tensed, her eyes bulging, and her body trembling. Astrid bit her bottom lip as she got to her feet to do a more thorough investigation of the camp. Her bow lay undisturbed on the ground where she had placed it the night before.

  "Aronus?" she called, but again there was no response.

  The base of her mat, where he would normally lie was empty. She didn't even see a pattern in the dirt where he had slept at her feet the night before.

  Aronus had eaten the entirety of what was left of the Toverak, but as she searched for a path of blood to show where he had gone, none could be found. The beating of her heart increased as a sense of loss now coursed through her. The absence of trees on this part of the mountain meant he had not taken refuge in them. Where was he? Had there been a second Toverak that he battled by himself as part of his promise to keep her safe while she slept?

  She wondered how she was going to fight without arrows, and she hoped he would appear soon.

  Astrid peered over the ledge and down the mountain, purposefully scanning for a second Toverak crushed on the rocks below, but there was nothing.

  "Where are you, Aronus?" she shouted through cupped hands. "He'd probably yell at me for making noise while so close to the enemy's clutches," she muttered. "Come on, Aronus. Come out and give me my comeuppance!"

  Not the flurry of wings, the sharp comeback, or the iridescent eyes could be seen or heard. Silence surrounded her.

  Get to Caelestis, defeat the king, become the queen. Astrid knew that was her fail safe, even if something had happened to Aronus, her mission remained unchanged. She looked around one last time before rolling up her mat. Hefting her rucksack on her back, the weight felt heavier even though she didn't have the added weight of her dragon guide, she continued her journey.

  Catch up, Aronus, before I run into another patrol, but I have to go. I'm behind schedule and as you've beaten into me over the past week, we have to end this war before too many more are killed.

  "I will make my way to the top, and one way or another, I will get a new weapon, just in case you've been called to a different mission. I can't loose air for arrows."

  After securing her bow and the rest of her supplies, she started climbing. One foot after another, her already bruised hands struggling to find a steady hold as she pulled herself farther and farther up the mountain.

  The sun grew brighter, and though the temperatures were cool, she found her forehead sweating with exertion. After several hours of tireless climbing, and every part of her tired and burning, she reached the top. Throwing her body forward, and swinging her legs up, she laid on the ground as if she were dead, panting heavily.

  Well, well, well. Look who did all right without their persnickety dragon. Aronus' voice in her mind was such a welcome annoyance, that she forgot her pain and sat straight up.

  "Where were you?" she yelled out.

  I told you that this mountain was yours alone to climb, I had to let you climb it.

  "Next time, give me a warning will you?" She wasn't pleased, but understood. The dragon had told her exactly what she was to do. Maybe she had grown too used to having him around.

  Maybe, he quipped.

  “Maybe?" She waved a fist in the air while she grumbled unpleasantries about her dragon guide.

  He laughed in her mind until he stopped abruptly.

  "Someone has a case of the Mountain Crazies," a man laughed.

  "Oh no," Astrid said, too tired to fight, but not stupid enough to stay on the ground. She crawled to her feet and turned to face the owner of the voice.

  "Well, hello. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" the man continued.

  "'Ay, how d'ya get up 'ere anyhow?" a younger man asked, his voice dripping with a heavy Tellurian accent. His shoulder length shaggy hair, offset by dark eyes had already seen too much war.

  "I flew," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "Where's yer wings?" another soldier asked.

  The truth was, the slew of soldiers dressed in earth tones, indicating that they were Tellurian army, made her tremble with uncertainty. When she was rested and fed, she could have taken them with the help of Aronus. As it stood right now, every bit of her ached.

  A robust older man stepped in front of the younger one, silver hair pulled back to reveal an aged, battle-scarred face. His hand rested on the grip of his sword, but she didn't feel threatened by him.

  "I must ask, how did you get here? It's no small feat, even for a trained soldier." His voice was stern, but friendly. He tilted his head with furrowed brows, pleasantly surprised.

  "I climbed," she said. "Not only did I climb, but I fought and killed a Toverak."

  Astrid puffed her chest out slightly even though she knew that her victory would not have come without Aronus' aid as her arrows. With that thought, and the fear burning inside of her, she pulled her bow, steadying it in front of her, hand at the ready to nock an arrow and let it fly.

  The younger man with shaggy hair let out a laugh, his hair bouncing on his shoulders.

  "You aren't going to get far with that," he said.

  She imagined he was talking about her empty bow, but she knew he would stop laughing the moment the arrows started flying.

  "I have to agree with my grandson there, can't do much damage without a quiver full of arrows."

  "Oh, ye of little faith," she said knowingly. "Test me, and I'll show you that what you see is not always what you get."

  The older man shifted his feet, and Astrid wondered why he appeared uncomfortable.

  "Oy, let 'er. Clearly, she's not flying straight if ye catch me drift." The man who had teased her before, stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with the gray-haired man. Tall and gangly, his head and face thick with hair appeared disproportionate to the rest of his body.

  "Yeah, let her loose a few arrows on us, couldn't possibly do any harm? Am I right?"

  "I've got a better idea, how about she and I have ourselves a little competition. Shall we?" From the group of Tellurian soldiers, a familiar face stepped out.

  Astrid's breath caught in her throat.

  How had this man gotten to the Great Mountain ahead of her?

  She recognized his mess of chestnut hair as he stepped forward. He pulled a bow off his back.

  "What do you say, milady? Up for a little friendly competition?"

  "Cayden? What are you doing here?"

  His eyes flashed her a warning sign, and he shook his head once.

  "Cayden? Who is that? You must have mistaken me for someone else, I am called Jaques, the archer." He stuck out his strong chin, and looked down at her, his eyes pleading.

  It was then she remembered that he had told her how he was a former captain in the Tellurian army.

  A former captain, so what is he doing here, pretending to be an archer? I don't know whether to laugh or call him out. His very presence agitated her to the core of her being.

  See! I told you he would find you. What if he's here to kill you? He must have been following you. Aronus' voice rang out in her head, and Astrid knew that there had been some essence of truth to what he had said.

  "Fine, Jaques," she said loud and clear, drawing out his name deliberately. "You want to challenge me to an archery contest?"

  "No, no, good maiden. I think it is you who wants to challenge me."

  "Fine, what are the stakes?" Astrid retorted, irritated at how he looked at her with a twinkle in his eye.

  "What do you want them to be?" The robust gray haired man spoke up, interrupting them.

  "I want to pass to Caelestis if I win," she reinforced with determination.

  "And if you lose?" he asked.

  "I won't lose," she said assuredly.

  "Stubborn woman. Yes, you will." Jacques, now known as Jaques, 'the archer,' argued.

  Astrid turned her head to look at him, glaring. "Are you backing out already?"

  "Fine, fine... if the wo
man wins, she gets to pass, if she loses, we get to keep her." A smile played on Jaques's lips.

  Astrid was not amused. "What are we aiming at?"

  "Jenmir and Eustace, step forward please."

  Two red-haired lads tall as sycamores stepped out from the group of soldiers and moseyed toward them.

  "Would you do the lady and me the honor, of allowing our arrows to fly at your head?" There was no hint of humor in Cayden’ voice, and yet Astrid thought he might have gone crazy.

  How did he get here before me? She struggled to wrap her mind around such a thing. If there came a time when she could ask, she would. Though part of her worried that her dragon guide was right and Jacques had been following her all along.

  Focus, Astrid, Aronus said into her mind.

  Jenmir and Eustace stood near the east of the cliff, their backs against two tall pines that reached higher than the other trees.

  Astrid contemplated using the trees to climb to Caelestis. Had it not been for the thinning tops that she knew would bend under her weight, she would have shimmied right up them, but she was still sore and her muscles ached from climbing the mountain. Climbing trees had always been her strength, though. She expected that she would rise to the challenge. Her mind snapped back to the task at hand.

  Focus! she thought.

  "Apples!" Jaques yelled, and Astrid wondered just what the imposter was up to.

  The young man from before, with the shaggy hair hurriedly ran to them, handing Jaques the apples. Jaques in turn walked toward the tree and placed an apple on each of the young men's heads.

  "Relax, boys, you're in good hands," he assured them.

  "Perhaps with you, but what about her?" Eustace watched Astrid with fear in his large brown eyes, his boyish face sprinkled with freckles.

  "Yah, we know nuthin' about 'er. What if she kills us?" Jenmir asked, eyes as large as saucers, and knees shaking like a cat cornered by a coyote.

  "Well, in that case... it's been great knowing ya," Jaques said with a debonair smile, and a slight bow.