Dragon Sword

by Angelique Anderson

  Do not lose sight, Astrid! You still have a mission to complete, Aronus warned her. Patience is a bitter cup from which only the strong may drink.

  Saying nothing out loud, she simply nodded her head.

  "I can grant you an audience with his Grand Vizier. What do you think of that, Astrid of the Bow?" They continued climbing the steps, and Astrid thought about his proposal.

  "Tell me of the Grand Vizier," she requested.

  "The Grand Vizier is an adviser to the King. There is no one in all of Caelestis who holds more pull with the king than he. If your goal is to gain an audience with the king then he is the one who would grant your wish. You must gain his trust and then he must deem you worthy."

  "Quimby that is more than I would have expected. Yes, please... Take me to him."

  They continued walking, strolling in a park among the moss and marsh grass. The ground was as light and airy feeling as the people who lived there. With every step Astrid felt as if she would slip right through.

  Quimby sensed her fear as they made their way to the tower home of the Grand Vizier. "Don’t be afraid, Mistress Astrid. We have not been struck heavily by war, only the lack of certain things that we are learning to do without." His laughter was like musical chimes.

  She smiled and laughed faintly before turning solemn once more.

  "Oh, Astrid. I forget what a change this must be for you, I assure you that you will not fall through. This is an atmospheric plain. It is stable enough to keep us above the clouds," Quimby said.

  "It's the strangest thing," she admitted. "I feel like I may fall over at any moment, and yet I feel as if I'm flying, too."

  Quimby nodded. "I understand. The invisible plain was not always so. The Unseen Ones put it here after I was born. Before that, the only way to travel was to glide on silken wings."

  The striking beauty of Caelestis took the very breath from her body, but his confession that the invisible plain had been put in place after his birth caught her attention.

  "What do you mean? When were you born? Why would the Unseen Ones do that?" She rapid-fired her questions, unable to contain her curiosity.

  As they walked, she watched the ethereal Caelestan's floating from place to place. Some using their wings of silk, riding the air currents over the cloud-like ground with angelic grace.

  "You would not believe my age, if I told you, Astrid. My mother was a Caelestan, and my father was a Tellurian. That is why the Unseen Ones saw fit to do such a thing. I cannot fly as other Caelestans can."

  Astrid's mouth dropped open in shock at his admission. "That is the most wonderful thing I have ever heard," she said. The smile on her face reaching from ear to ear.

  "Yes, well... our kingdoms were not always at war. There was a time, where we worked together to maintain a peace and unity throughout the land," he said, growing silent as they finished their walk to the Grand Vizier's home.

  With the light wood castle getting closer and closer, Astrid had to fight against the feelings of wanting to run inside and find the king right then and there. I could kill him so quickly! She thought.

  Control yourself, Astrid. It is not yet time, Aronus warned. And the king is not here. This is the home of the Grand Vizier. The castle stands in the distance.

  Astrid saw the two story building as more of a palace than a castle, but with such a light foundation on which to build, towering structures were unrealistic.

  "Here we are." Quimby opened the door to the short tower which stood not far off from the castle.

  Inside, a solid wood stair case led them up to the very top. Where they were met with a light wood door.

  Quimby raised his chubby fist to knock on the door, but before doing so, he tip-toed up to whisper to her, "Be respectful of the Grand Vizier, he doesn't like visitors and I'm sure he'll be annoyed by our presence."

  Astrid nodded.

  His knocks merited only silence, and with surprise Quimby said, "well, it appears as if he isn't here."

  "Enter," came a stern voice from the other side of the door.

  Quimby pushed it open, and as they entered the grand room, the Caelestan bowed in reverence. Astrid followed his lead.

  "Arise," the man continued. "Quimby, what brings you to my chambers?"

  "Grand Vizier, this woman has come from afar and seeks an audience with the king."

  "Oh?" His eyebrows raised quizzically. "What could you possibly want with the king?"

  "I wish to speak with him about restoring peace between the kingdoms," she enunciated clearly and firmly.

  The man rose slowly, head held high. In his hand, he held a tall sinewy wood staff with a small moon crescent at the top. Not a scepter like Hekla carried, but a fantastic walking stick. Though as lithe as the other Caelestans, he stood shorter than his fellows from a pronounced hunch in his back. He walked heavily stooped, relying on his staff to support his upper body.

  "You wish to restore peace?" the Grand Vizier asked.

  The greens of his eyes were like seaweed at the bottom of the ocean, the layered robes he wore added a girth to his midsection that the other Caelestan's didn't have. She studied the emblems that trimmed the edges of his deep blue robe, moons and stars and gold flecks. As if he carried the universe around his shoulders. Underneath, more layers of rich colored clothing that screamed of his importance.

  "I do," she answered honestly.

  "Then tell great warrior, how have you been able to visit the Dragon Realm?"

  She gasped slightly. "My apologies, your magnificence, but what do you mean?"

  He turned his back, and made his way to his throne-like seat. The room echoed silence, as he sat on the cushioned pale blue backing.

  "You have been in the Realm of the Dragons, have you not?"

  "No, your magnificence."

  "You have been at the very least, in the presence of a dragon, have you not?"

  She nodded, unable to tell him a lie. "I have."

  "So, tell me, what is the real reason you are here, warrior? I know it is not as innocent as you proclaim, for surely one who reeks of dragon and battle, cannot simply be here to bring peace back to the kingdom." His face grew serious, and he leaned forward slightly, awaiting her response.

  "I don't know how you know, your magnificence, but although I have been in the presence of a dragon, I have come to bring peace. In time of war, is not a warrior the one most at risk of dying? Is it not a warrior who would be the one to sally forth with an offer of peace?" She bowed her head, awaiting his reply.

  "Hmmm..." he said quietly, watching her with hawk like precision. "I'm not quite sure how I know either, only I recall that smell from my childhood. Once you know, it can never be forgotten. Still to this day, I have never met another beast that smells quite like a dragon."

  And I've never met another beast that smells quite as bad as a human, Aronus said into Astrid's mind.

  "They are unique and magnificent creatures," she said, trying to appeal to both the Grand Vizier and her temperamental dragon guide. She understood the wit that was needed of her.

  "Very well, Astrid. I will grant you an audience with the king if you fulfill this one quest. You must obliterate the army of Tellurians camped just below us near the entrance of Caelestis. Do this, and when you return and I will give you what you seek."

  Astrid frowned. "Grand Vizier. I have come to restore peace between the lands, and yet, you ask me to kill? Surely there is a better way for this than more bloodshed."

  "Nonetheless, it is what I require. The king will see you in no other way. He thirsts for his vengeance."

  "Vengeance?" Astrid asked. "What for?"

  The Grand Vizier wrinkled his nose. "Don't you pay that any attention."

  "What if I can convince them to leave?" she asked, hopeful.

  "They will not," the Grand Vizier said.

  "But, what if I can?"

  "For an audience with the king, you must eliminate the Tellurian soldiers from the entrance of Caelestis. See to it however
you see fit, but I will not grant you an audience with the king for no less."

  She grinned. "Yes, your excellency."

  He nodded and waved her off with his staff. As she exited his chambers, the troop of Caelestans followed after.

  "Do not lose heart, Astrid," Quimby advised. "You are far stronger than them with a much sharper mind. It will be a battle easily won. When you are finished, we will be waiting to take you back to the Grand Vizier.”

  Astrid nodded, not comforted by Quimby's words. She had little faith she could convince the Tellurian soldiers to leave either. Somehow, Astrid knew it would come to a battle.

  Another battle, more lives lost, this will never end until my sisters and I, are on the thrones. I see the wisdom of the White Dragon.

  35

  Svana

  Every kingdom has rich and poor. For some families, a loaf of bread must last them a week, and for others, it will only last a minute--while they're stuffing themselves with the best meat and vegetables. It is important to remember that not everyone is as well off as you are. And more importantly--it is important to do something about it.

  King Michiel the Trusted, Third King of Caelestis, 488 A.V.

  "Men," Svana muttered under her breath, her frustration growing by the minute as she clambered over fallen timber and the remnants of many rockslides. The hills outside of Telluris were not for the faint of heart, and she wondered how close she was to the Great Mountain. "Maybe I should quit this pointless venture all together and go assist Astrid."

  "Svana, you know that is not an option," Lingaria chided her.

  "It should be," she retorted, growing more irritated by the moment. "If they, experienced soldiers and hunters, can't find meat, why in the name of the Unseen Ones did I think I would be capable of such a thing?"

  "Because you are better than them. You saved a family with your boast. They would have starved without that meat, and you know that to be true. Plus, you have something the men do not."

  "I'm failing," she muttered in response.

  "You have me!" he declared, primming and preening ahead of her.

  Svana looked at him before taking in her surroundings to ensure she was still in the foothills wood. She put her fists on her hips and stared at the small dragon. Svana started to laugh. "If you can't beat them, revel in how ridiculous it all is."

  "Exactly," Lingaria agreed. "Shall we find something wild to kill and bring it back to the king's men?"

  "It is why we're out here. Let's do that so we can get back to a warm bed and a hot drink."

  "There are creatures ahead. You must determine if they belong to someone or not. It's all food to me, so I may not be the best judge of what to catch."

  "I can't just steal someone's livelihood for the sake of giving it to an unjust king," Svana complained.

  "It is true king Armand doesn't need the meat, but again, that family did. It is better to take what is not missed and give to the undeserving, than to take from the mouths of the starving." Lingaria waved his wings dramatically. "Be quiet, woman. I think there is something nearby."

  Svana immediately stopped talking and dropped to a crawl on the ground. Ahead opened a small clearing through the trees sporting a backdrop of foothills. Svana made her way inch by inch until she saw what Lingaria had smelled. In the glade was a large bull. He grazed peacefully on the dying grass, thick horns extending well away from his massive skull, horns ready to skewer any who may come too close.

  "I'm going to have to avoid those," she whispered, grimacing at her dragon guide.

  "I don't envy us having to sword fight a bull, but what must be done, must be done," he said solemnly.

  "So, how do I do this?" Svana asked innocently.

  "Jump on his back, hang on for dear life, and at your first chance, slide your sword straight through his side."

  "I was oddly all right with all of that, except for riding his back," she replied quietly.

  The bull's head lifted up, he froze mid-chew as his black eyes glanced in their direction. The wind must have carried her scent because his nose lifted in the air and his nostrils flared wide as he inhaled.

  "Stay down," Lingaria whispered.

  Svana laid as low as her body would allow, her head slightly lifted to peer through the bramble and watch the beast. After several long moments, the animal went back to eating, his alarm forgotten. He remained oblivious to Svana's presence.

  "All right, quietly and carefully approach him from downwind. Stay to his flank. If he sees you before you're ready, your task to overcome him will be made that much greater."

  "I'm well aware, Lingaria," she whispered before starting to stalk her prey.

  Svana's body moved with effortless grace through the trees on her way to the other side of the dell where she could get a clear view of the beast's tail. Once in position, Svana quietly drew her sword and aimed it forward. She tiptoed silently into the clearing, taking care not to step on dead leaves or twigs.

  Approaching his right side, she pulled her sword back. Svana was ready to strike, until the last moment when he smelled her. His head thrust into the air, horns whipping past her face, and his legs bucked wildly. She darted in and plunged her sword deep into his side. Aronus guided the tip of her blade in between the ribs.

  The beast bellowed loudly as her blade sunk in and he immediately turned to come after her, ripping the sword from her grip. Svana took off in a mad dash toward the woods, feet flying, heart thumping, and her breath coming in rapid gasps. She jumped up to catch a low branch, swinging herself upward. She jumped to the next branch and climbed higher away from the raging bull.

  The huge beast hit the trunk of the tree at full speed. Svana heard something crack. She hoped it had been his head and not the trunk itself.

  I hope it stuns him. The bull took several steps back, and then barreled at the tree again, ramming it with all his might. The entire thing shook under the impact. Svana clung to the tree, but the trunk was too thick to get her arms all the way around.

  Her body slid to the side, and she quickly dropped and wrapped her arms and legs around the branch on which she stood. The impact came again, and she nearly lost her grip. With no way of escape, and no weapon, she had no possibility of defending herself against the beast. He rammed the tree again, and the branch she hugged strained and split. Svana felt it bend under her weight, and she scooted forward off of it, holding onto the trunk as she waited, hoping the bull would succumb to his injuries.

  He hit the tree again less violently, the sword finally finding his heart. His massive form fell to the ground with a resounding thud. With blood pumping in her ears, and heart racing, Svana waited just a few more moments before she climbed down.

  Retrieving her sword from his side, she cleaned the blade off in the dry grass and slid it back into its sheath.

  "Whatever you do, let's not attempt that again." Lingaria separated himself from the blade, and flapped over the body, studying the colossal beast.

  "Agreed," she said.

  Realizing she had gotten herself into a bind as there was no way someone of her stature would be able to carry the bull back to civilization, she looked to her dragon guide for help.

  "I know generally you're not allowed to help me with such things, but I can't carry this. Is there something you can do?" she pleaded.

  "In this case, yes. Fashion a stretcher and I will do the rest."

  Svana nodded, setting about to make what he had asked. When she was finished, she admired her crude handy work. It was the best she had been able to do with the available foliage and trees.

  "Just like the sword, I can become one with this. You must only hold it, pretend it is heavy and it is a struggle. Do not let anyone see how easy this will be for you. But you must clean the bull otherwise the poison from its organs will ruin the meat."

  Svana shrugged and used her sword to gut the great beast. Once open, she wasn't sure how to get the entrails out.

  "You must reach in and pull them out," Linga
ria said.

  "I'd ask if you were joking, but I know you're not." She did as he instructed, disgusted by the feel and the smell, but relieved when it came out mostly intact. "Do I leave it here?"

  "Birds have to eat, same as the worms." He paused dramatically. "Or dragons."

  "You wouldn't?"

  "I'm proud to say that I would, or rather, I will, when you're not looking which if I were you, I'd look away right about now and give your dragon guide a few moments for peaceful reflection."

  Svana looked away, trying to ignore the sounds of the dragon eating the gut pile. She used the time to scrub the blood from her arms with dried grasses.

  "All right. I am sufficiently at peace with Verdil that we can continue."

  Svana shook her head and watched as Lingaria effortlessly rolled the huge animal onto her pathetic excuse of a carrier. She had to wonder how he was going to make it work. She saw the flash of light, and he disappeared under the beast.

  She did as she was told, gripping the stretcher in both arms as if she'd have to shoulder the entire weight of the bull.

  Lifting the stretcher, she expected every muscle in her arm to be burning and torn, but the bull felt as light as air, exactly as Lingaria had said it would be. It would have taken ten men to do what she was doing. What will I tell the soldiers? Never mind, no time to think. For the time being, she headed back to her fellow soldiers, body hunched over, pretending it took everything in her to pull the load.

  36

  Hekla

  Sometimes you spend your whole life searching for something in the dark. One has to but turn on the light of the mind to find what you're looking for.

  King Martin the Truthful, Third King of Aequoris, 496 A.V.

  Hekla shivered as she stared at the open waters ahead of her. She'd done it. With Speltus' help, she'd crafted a ship with magic. Well, if she were being honest, Speltus did all the work, though, she did unbury what was left of the vessel. Hekla frantically looked around the ship, but she didn't see the small dragon.