by T. J. Klune
“When was the last time you were here?”
“A year ago. Maybe a little more.”
That… I didn’t know what to do with that. “Those trees. They’re older than that.”
“He did this,” Kevin said, sounding just as awed. “The dragon. When he woke. He did this.”
“Godsdammit,” I said. “I don’t know anything about dragons.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Kevin said, “apparently neither do I. Why can’t I do anything like this? The only thing I can do is be amazing at everything I do.”
“Most everything,” Gary said. “And don’t feel intimidated. I’m sure this new dragon is lacking something. I mean, it’s obvious that all dragons have their flaws.”
“You weren’t complaining about my flaws when I had you on your back, you hussy.”
“Hussy? I’ll show you hussy, you gigantic—”
“Hey, Gary.”
“Yes, Sam.”
“Shut up.”
“But he—”
“No.”
“He started—”
“No.”
Gary gaped at me. Then, “That made me tingle. I can see why Knight Delicious Face gets off on you being all grr.”
“Nope,” Ryan said. “Not even a part of this.”
“You’ve never seen the interior?” I asked Ruv.
He shrugged. “As much as it can be seen when looking from the outside in. Remember, it was dead inside. Not like this. It was Prikasa. This is… not. You can feel it, can’t you? The dragon. The magic.”
Yes. I could. And the closer we were, the more it pulled. It didn’t hurt, but it was borderline pleasurepain. I was all but ready to charge into the dome, to immerse myself in it. I was able to hold back.
Barely.
“We shouldn’t all go in,” I said. “I don’t know how easy it’ll be to get through the growth. It’ll be… easier if it’s only a couple of us. If we had to run.”
“I’m not letting you go in there without me,” Ryan said. “So don’t even think about saying it.”
“I wasn’t,” I assured him. “You. Me. Tiggy.”
“Shouldn’t I go in?” Kevin said. “I am a dragon, after all. You might need me.”
“How would you feel had another dragon tried to enter your keep?” I asked.
“I would have torn him limb from limb!” Kevin snarled.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I would have burnt him to a crisp!”
“And you really think it’s a good idea to leave me out here?” Gary asked, staring up at Kevin, who was working himself up in a right state. “Seriously? You bitch.”
“He needs someone to keep him calm,” I said.
“Who is this unnamed foe who dares to touch my hoard? Why, I oughtta knock his teeth in! Does he know who he’s messing with?”
“And that someone has to be me,” Gary said flatly.
“I’m the Beast from the East! Lord Dragon to the gypsies! A god to people who ate entirely too much corn to maintain a healthy diet!”
I shrugged. “Who better than you? You love him.”
“I do not.”
“Sheep fear me. They cry and scream and run whenever they see me coming, and while I won’t eat them, I will gobble up their delicious terror!”
I rolled my eyes. “Just do it, Gary.”
“I will have my revenge, Sam,” Gary hissed. “Mark my words. One day when you least expect it, I will have my revenge.”
And he totally would, too. Years could go by before he enacted whatever diabolical plot he concocted. Unicorns were assholes like that. “Just… nothing with the face. Or my hair. I’ve got really good hair.”
“Oh, I make no promises.” Gary chuckled evilly.
I looked at Ruv. “Make sure they don’t do anything stupid.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know! Gods, Ruv. Show some initiative for once in your life. Sand mermaids, magical plans, it’s like I’m doing everything here.”
“Yikes,” Ryan said. “That’s not even what happened.”
“You got yourself sucked under the sand by a monster,” I said. “You’re lucky I’m even inviting you to be on Team Sam at all. So shut it.”
“Bitch,” Gary coughed.
I ignored him. “Now, do what I told you to do, or I’m going to light someone here on fire, so help me gods.”
Tiggy grinned smugly at Gary. “I get to go,” he said. “Team Sam for the win.”
“Fine,” Gary said with a sniff. “We’ll just have Team Gary out here, and everyone knows Team Gary is the better team. We get to have cool things like cupcakes and fascinating discussions about what people love best about me.”
“Cupcakes?” Kevin asked, ears perking.
“Not that kind of cupcake,” Gary hissed. “I’m trying to make a point.”
“Thanks for this,” Ruv grumbled. “Really. You should go before more things happen.”
“Gods, what is with all of you and jinxing me? Team Sam, front and center!”
Tiggy snapped to attention, standing straight, legs together, arms at his sides, chin tilted up. Ryan drew his sword again and posed, because he was a douchebag and he couldn’t not.
We were going to die horrible and painful deaths.
STEPPING INTO the dome was a surreal experience. The sandy ruins of the castle in the dry, scorching heat gave way to cool, dank air redolent with the strong perfume of flowers and the crisp scent of the trees, as if we’d walked through some kind of portal to a land far, far away from the desert. I thought maybe it was an illusory magic, that the dragon or whatever caused this was projecting, but if it was, it was the most convincing façade I’d ever seen. The grass and leaves were soft beneath my feet. The tree bark was rough against my hands. The flower petals were velvety, the pollen sticky on my fingertips. If it was a lie, it was good. But if it was real, it was extraordinary. The stories we heard as kids said that dragons were beings of pure magic, more so than any other creature in existence. That their blood was made of stars and had led to the Creation of Man. Man, so it was said, came from pieces of stardust. If dragons were made of stars, then it was thought we came from dragon’s blood. I’d always listened with wide eyes as a child but fell into cynicism as a teenager, as children often did.
I’d never asked for Kevin’s blood. I would never have done that to him, no matter how much it could have advanced my Grimoire. Others had tried, he’d told me in broad strokes. He’d been captured and hurt before managing to escape. It was where his distrust of wizards had come from. It’d taken me a long time to overcome that with him, and I’d never do anything to set us back.
But still. If this was real, if this dragon had awoken and created all that I could see in this interior, from the plants to the bees that flitted between the flowers to the birds that sang out from the trees, it was something beyond anything I’d ever dealt with before.
Kevin was a dragon. He had magic, we knew. We just didn’t know how it would manifest. Kevin said it was because he didn’t want to show us yet. I thought it was because he didn’t know, and Morgan and Randall were convinced that he was too young.
But this dragon did.
“Smells like home,” Tiggy said, brow furrowed.
“Like the castle? Or the woods?”
He shook his head. “Like before. Before you. Before Gary.”
Ah. The ever-vague before. I exchanged a quick glance with Ryan, who looked startled. Tiggy didn’t often speak of before Gary, and I thought it was because he didn’t like to think of a time before Gary. From the bits and pieces we’d been able to put together, we thought it sounded like Tiggy had been cast out with his parents at some point for being a half-breed, however unjust that was. Usually, such discrimination was found to be appalling (though, with my experience in Mashallaha, it apparently was more prevalent than I thought), but the giants hailed from outside of Verania, beyond the mountains to the north. Ti
ggy couldn’t remember much, but the last time we’d been within a week’s journey of the land of the giants (after an ill-advised trip to the elven realm in which I only found out later Gary had been tied up and spanked by a centaur—don’t ask, long story), he’d refused and made us travel south as quickly as our feet could carry us.
So the fact that he even mentioned a time before, much less unprovoked, was a big deal. I took in a great breath, trying to smell what my friend did, hoping for some understanding. It was different for me. All I smelled was the normal scent of a forest. Maybe it was tinged with the crisp burn of magic, but beyond that? It didn’t seem different than anything else I’d scented before. “It smells good,” I decided.
He nodded. “I like our home better. Smells like us. Like HaveHeart and Gary and Tiggy.”
“Me too, dude. I like home better too.”
“We gonna go home some day?”
“Yeah. Someday.”
“After the dragons.”
“Yeah. Soon. Won’t be forever. Gotta get those dragons first, you know?”
He frowned. “Dragons are scary.” He bared his teeth and snapped his jaw. “They bite. Kevin’s not scary.” He took in another deep breath. “This dragon doesn’t feel scary.”
I didn’t know what to do with that, but I thought he was right. I could remember what it’d felt like, the first time Kevin had crested that hill, chasing after the sheep. I’d been scared shitless, but then a flying lizard the size of a house had been rushing toward us. But even though this dragon was supposed to be some kind of large snake (which, ugh), it didn’t feel like we were in danger.
But I knew of poisons disguised in beauty. We couldn’t lower our guard.
Added to the fact that there was still a low hum in my head and that I was pretty sure my eyes were at the very least flickering red, we couldn’t risk anything.
“Yeah,” I said. “But you smash if you need to.”
“I always smash.”
“You fell from the sky, dude. All badass and everything. Saved my life, you know?”
His chest puffed out as he preened. “I am badass. Tiggy so badass.”
“Darn right, mothercracker,” Ryan said, holding out his fist, which Tiggy bumped with pleasure. I liked that these were my people.
We moved farther into the dome. I glanced back and could see Kevin and Gary peering at us from the entrance. I waved back at them, and they acknowledged me before Gary leaned over to say something to Kevin I couldn’t make out. I didn’t see Ruv anywhere, but I knew Gary wouldn’t let him get up to anything.
Without ever having been here before, I knew where I was going. Oh, I didn’t know the layout of the forest in the desert. I didn’t know the trees or the brush at my feet. But I knew where I was heading, where it was waiting for us. For how long we’d traveled, for how much was at stake, I felt woefully underprepared. All anyone knew of Jekhipe was apparently stories and drawings passed down. I didn’t know how to claim it as one of mine.
The forest became denser, and I was reminded fleetingly of Vadoma’s bad-touch, when she’d sent me… somehow into the Dark Woods and an audience with the Great White. There were beams of sunlight here, fat and warm, piercing through the thick canopy of the trees.
I needed a plan.
I could do this. I’d already done it once.
Sort of.
But hey, fuck it. It counted.
So I’d already done it once.
I could do it again.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” Ryan asked me suddenly.
“What look?” I asked.
“That scrunched-up, constipated look you get when you’re planning something that I usually end up not liking because it’s dangerous and or requires you—” He glanced at Tiggy before continuing in a low voice. “—sticking weird things in me because you think it’ll be kinky.”
Tiggy snorted, because of course he’d heard. He heard everything. But like a good giant, he let it go. Gary was such a bad influence.
“Well if I wasn’t thinking of sticking something in you, I am now,” I said. “Thanks for that. You couldn’t keep your sexy words until we were out of here? We’re on a quest, babe. We don’t have time right now to get down.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Tiggy?”
“That’s what he said.”
Ryan glared at him. “We just fist-bumped. I thought we were cool!”
Tiggy squinted at him. “Just one time. Settle down, Knight Delicious Face.”
“He got you there, dude,” I said solemnly.
“I don’t know why I put up with any of you. It’s not like—” He broke off as he gave me a weird look.
“What?” I asked, looking down at myself. “Do I got something on me? Is it a fucking bug? I swear to the fucking gods, if it’s a gigantic bug, I am going to burn this whole place to the ground—”
“Not a bug,” Ryan said. “It’s, ah. Your eyes. They’re getting… brighter.”
“Like all red and shit?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh. Keep your hands to yourself. I know I’m irresistible to you right now, but now’s not the time, Ryan.”
“Bright, Sam,” Tiggy said quietly. “Feel it?” He reached over and tapped my forehead. “Here?”
I nodded. “It’s—I can’t understand it. It’s… like I’m underwater. I can hear something, but it’s muted, you know?”
“Is it hurting you?” Ryan asked, jaw tensing.
I shook my head. “No. It’s not. It’s just… strong.”
“You know where we’re going, don’t you?”
I didn’t even try to lie. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“You’ve been leading us very deliberately. Like you knew.”
“It’s pulling me.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“What choice do we have?”
“There’s always a choice, Sam. We could turn around right now. Walk away. Go back to Castle Lockes. We don’t need to be here. We don’t even know if Vadoma’s telling the truth.”
“But what if she is?” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Look, I get what you’re saying. I do. But Ryan, even if we think she’s full of shit, what if she’s not? I can’t take that chance. Not now. Not since we’re so close.”
“I’m not scared.”
“I know.” Because he really was of the fearless sort.
“I’m worried.”
“I know that too.”
He jerked his head. “Keep on?”
“Keep on.”
“Keep on,” Tiggy agreed.
IT WAS in the center of the dome. I figured it would be. There was a circular opening at the top of the dome, and when the sun was at its peak, I was sure the light shone straight down inside. But it was past that already, for better or worse.
And I thought it was probably worse.
Because before us was a large circular hole dug into the earth and rock.
Like something big had burrowed down deep underground.
“That’s a big motherfucking snake,” I breathed. “This can’t possibly be good. We can probably go home now.”
Ryan and Tiggy crouched near the edge and peered into the hole. There wasn’t enough light to see very far down, so it was impossible to tell just how deep it went. But I’d seen how large the cavern that surrounded the island was now that the sand was gone. The pillar had reached all the way to the bottom. For all I knew, there were multiple tunnels dug through. Which meant there could be other holes somewhere in the dome.
Ryan and Tiggy looked up at the wheezing groan that came out of me. I waved my hand at them, trying to get them to ignore me, but Ryan stared at me expectantly.
“What?” I said, trying not to sound irritated. I didn’t think I succeeded.
“Do your thing,” he said, standing up. “You know. Like, magic. Or something.”
“Like magic or something,” I repeated flatly.
He shr
ugged. “You gotta call the dragon up somehow, right?”
“Why do I have to call it up? You call it up if you want to see it so bad—wait. Right. Destiny of dragons and all that. My bad. Still hate that word, by the way.”
“You okay?”
“Fine,” I said. “Just fine. So what if you want me to call up a gigantic snake dragon monster thing whatever just to watch it slither around all unnaturally.”
“Sam scared of snakes,” Tiggy said helpfully. Like an asshole.
“I’m not scared of snakes,” I said. “I would just like it if they never existed near me at all. Or anywhere ever. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
“But it’s not a snake,” Ryan said. “It’s a dragon.”
“Thank you, Ryan. That was very helpful. I truly appreciate it.”
He squinted at me. “Why didn’t I know this about you? It’s a little adorable. You’re trembling.”
I scowled at him. “Shut up. It’s not adorable. I’m not scared.”
“Okay, then,” he said, bending over quickly and scooping up a chunk of rock. “Then you wouldn’t mind if I dropped this down the hole just to see if we can get this thing up here.”
He held out his arm over the opening, stone in hand.
And smirked.
“Ho, don’t you do it!” I squeaked. And then coughed. “I mean, uh. We don’t want to hurt it, Ryan. Gosh. That would just be mean, okay? I’ll… I’ll take care of it.” I licked my lips.
“All right.” He took a step back and nodded toward the hole. “Get to it.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll just… do. That.”
I took a step toward the edge, already imagining the snake dragon monster thing that would come for me the moment I opened my mouth. It would probably be the largest thing in the world and would have really big fangs and spit poison in my mouth as it wrapped around me and slowly choked me, its tail rattling back and forth, its slit-eyes trained on me as it slowly drove me insane from fear. I’d probably end up shitting myself.
We took the worst trips.
I hated destinies with a passion.
I looked down into the hole. Cleared my throat. Opened my mouth and said, “Hey. Uh. Dragon.”
Nothing happened.