Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  Connor made a sound like a panicked squeak. “We're going to land there...on the ghost island?”

  Cailin rolled her eyes. “It isn't a ghost island, Connor. Look, those are real dragons, with real people moving about below. We have no other choice at this point. There's no way we can make it back without giving Misuzu a break from her draconic form.”

  Jaryn looked over his shoulder at Connor. “It'll be all right, lad. Whatever happens, stick as close to us as you can. I don't care how friendly or not they may seem here. Stay close.” He bobbed his head and Jaryn turned back around. With a deep breath, he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword to reassure himself of protection, should it be needed. “All right, Misuzu. Let them see us.”

  All around them, the clouds drifted from the dragon as though being pulled away by some unseen force. Under cover it had seemed all the world had turned gray and murky, but they soon saw the sky was speckled with dark clouds. Blue shone through quite brilliantly in large patches, the high sun burning away any leftover morning mist and giving them dramatically clearer visibility, especially where Misuzu had blown away a portion of the island's cover.

  We've been spotted. Hardly a few seconds had passed before Misuzu's warning echoed through their heads. Watchtower.

  “Well,” said Jaryn, “no use being coy. Let's go say hello.”

  They progressed forward at a normal speed, approaching the towering island with caution. It was a surprise when dragons came up from above, one on each side, to flank them. Soon, other dragons joined in on the escort, some with riders on their back, some without. They didn't appear to be of any great threat until Misuzu drifted too close to the one on her right. The dragon was smaller than her, with mottled green and yellow scales, but he snapped at her. Misuzu opened her maw in a growl of warning, but it only seemed to agitate the others. They closed rank around her as they passed the wall of mist surrounding the island, out into the clearer air above it, nipping at her long tail and short legs, directing her flight by limiting her mobility. In her anger, blackened clouds began to form around her, pregnant with flashing lightning. One of the dragons nipped at her neck, close to where Jaryn and the others sat in fear and confusion. A bolt of white light sizzled through the air, making contact with the dragon.

  Suddenly there was music in the air. The breathy, hollow tune seemed to surround them, rendering Cailin all but motionless once again. Whatever the song was supposed to have done, it sent all of the surrounding dragons scattering to leave Misuzu alone in the air.

  Jaryn, I have a bad feeling about this.

  “No more than me,” he confessed. “We must land or I fear we'll face a battle we will not win.”

  I'm not shifting.

  “Good.” He reached behind, glancing at Cailin to see her face pale and her lids half closed. “Cailin, we're going to land.”

  She nodded weakly. “It was different this time, Jaryn.”

  “She tried to jump off,” Connor reported, his voice tremulous. “I had to hold her on.”

  “It was calling to me.”

  “Alright,” Jaryn soothed. “It's all right now. Just stay calm and follow my lead.” Gripping Misuzu's mane, he nodded. “Let's go.”

  There was a gathering crowd awaiting them below. Misuzu flew high over the entirety of the island to make sure all of them could get a good look at it all. She circled the middle where she intended to land once, making sure everyone was out of the way before slithering downward and landing gracefully. The dragons had all returned to their mountains, seemingly giving no care as to who these strangers may be. The humans on the island were another story entirely. They kept a careful distance but surrounded the group, leaving them no chance of escape but directly up. Given what they'd seen of the dragons, however, even going up was a far cry from a viable option.

  In front of them, the crowd parted and a woman passed through. She was wrapped in leather and furs to keep away the cold, but what skin could be seen was a lighter shade of brown. Her bare hands were covered in tattoos and another of intricate design looked to be crawling out from under her tunic and up the left side of her neck. The sides of her head were shaved, leaving nothing to disguise the tell-tale point to the tips of her ears. What hair was left on her head formed a spiked mohawk that stood green at the front, then faded to yellow, orange, and finally red near the base of her skull. Dark brown eyes took in the dragon before her, a certain hunger in her gaze. When she finally looked to the three still waiting, she appeared less than impressed.

  “Dismount.”

  Jaryn slid down first, then Connor. Both of them reached up to help Cailin down. She looked to be getting her strength back, but she was as wary of these strangers as the others were. “We mean no harm,” Jaryn promised, turning to the woman he assumed was in charge. Surprised to find her a little taller than him, he offered her a pleasant smile. “Sorry if we startled anyone.”

  The woman looked him over before sliding her assessing gaze to the other two. When she returned her attention to Jaryn, she hardly glanced at him before looking directly over his shoulder and giving a quick, sharp nod. People from behind surged forward to take the three unawares and pin them on the ground, their hands wrenched cruelly behind their backs. Though all three of them protested, they were each given a pat down and searched. Misuzu started to move, surely preparing to defend her friends, but Cailin cried out to her with her thoughts, telling her to be still for the time being.

  “Hey!” Connor twisted in an effort to get away from the man holding him down and the one searching his sodden clothing. “Get off of me! Do you have any idea who I am?!”

  Cailin managed to kick him even as she was being searched. When he looked at her in alarm, she gave him a scathing look that silenced him.

  The bag that Jaryn had been carrying was tossed to the woman, and both Cailin and Jaryn were relieved of their weapons. Satisfied with her captives forced into stillness on the ground, the woman took a step closer and looked down the tip of her nose at them. “Who are you?”

  “Simple travelers who are a long way from home,” stated Jaryn quickly. “You sound like you're a long way from home, too. I hear the accent of the Nagin in your voice.”

  All the woman had to do was raise her eyes and one of the men who had tackled Jaryn to the ground gave him a swift, hard kick to his ribs. Jaryn cried out in pain and tried to curl in on himself, but was pushed flat to the ground by a foot on his back. Again the woman asked, “Who are you?”

  “Travelers,” answered Jaryn, his voice strained.

  “No one travels out this far that do not turn away at the sight of what stands in their way. Answer me now.”

  “People do travel out this far without turning back,” he insisted, “if we are here now.”

  The woman sighed and Jaryn was kicked again, this time in the face. For a moment he could only see stars, the sound of his own heart pulsing in his ears. Blood pooled in his mouth from a split lip. Pain raced through the side of his face and he knew, without even being able to touch it, that his nose was broken. As blood leaked out from between his lips to drip onto the ground just under his face, he knew he was lucky. His jaw could have easily been broken had his attacker been a little more aggressive. As it was, he knew he couldn't give anything away. He'd seen the riders on the dragons who'd tried to escort them in and the clothing they all wore, the way the dragons were controlled like animals, the same way they had been the night of the attack on Altaine. These people were responsible. He knew it deep down, just as he knew the punishment he was receiving now would be nothing compared to what they had the potential to do to him if they knew who any of them truly were.

  He turned his head away from Connor, lying beside him, awash in silent tears, and spit blood from his mouth. With a forced chuckle, he raised his head enough to be able to look up at the woman. “Beat me all you want. You'll get the same answer until I'm not conscious enough to give it to you anymore.”

  A thin line of irritation creased the wom
an's brow. She crouched before him and took his chin in her hand, unaffected by the blood she touched. As she looked him over, he knew she'd be able to see that he was well off just by the clothing he wore. Eventually she rose, letting him go. “Last chance.”

  “I told you, we are travelers-”

  Jaryn didn't even finish his sentence before the woman gave another nod. This time, however, the man who moved had been hovering over Cailin. Without mercy, he drove his fist right down into the side of her face. She cried out in pain and both Connor and Jaryn tried to wrestle with the men holding them, outrage coursing through both of them at seeing Cailin take the blow.

  “All right!” yelled Jaryn, hearing Cailin whimper and seeing her own blood on the ground. “I'll tell you! Just leave her and the boy alone.”

  “Don't,” Cailin pleaded, her voice thick. The look in her eyes said she'd come to the same conclusion Jaryn had, that these people were responsible for what had happened only nights ago, and was afraid of what may happen next.

  “We're looking for sanctuary.”

  “And you thought you would find it here?” The woman looked at the men looming over Jaryn. They each took one of his arms and hefted him to his feet. As he righted himself, the roll of parchment that had been hidden underneath his tunic now stuck out. The woman was quick to spot it and raised a brow. “What is this?” Holding his gaze, the woman stepped close and pulled the parchment free, ignoring the way Jaryn twisted and demanded to be left alone. Unrolling her new treasure, she froze for the quickest moment upon seeing what had been revealed to be a map, yet this was a map unlike any she had seen before. She let a finger trail over one of the magical lines, her eyes darting across the surface as though trying to take everything she saw in. After several long, silence filled moments, she rolled the map back up and stuck it into a large pouch tied to her belt.

  “Take them to the cells.”

  “What?” Jaryn cried. “You can't do this!”

  “What about our dragon?” Cailin demanded, pushing her pain and fear away to try to sound menacing. “You'll regret it if you lock her up.”

  The harshness in the woman ebbed slightly as she looked Misuzu over once more. She walked past her prisoners to be close to the giant dragon, no fear in her at all. Lifting a hand, she tried to touch Misuzu's snout but received a warning growl from deep within Misuzu's throat instead.

  Play along, begged Cailin. Just for now.

  I can't stay in this form for much longer. It's already been too long. I feel myself slipping away each moment that passes.

  “I see the reverence in your eyes,” Cailin tried, looking at the woman. “Please, she is very attached to us and is no doubt feeling our anxiety as well as her own. If you must keep her guarded, put her somewhere she can be alone, without eyes on her all the time. If she doesn't calm herself soon, we will all be in danger.”

  The woman seemed to consider Cailin's words a moment, watching the angry sway of Misuzu's tail. If the dragon grew any more agitated, that tail alone could do a great deal of damage. Anyone looking at it would know that. Finally, she turned to someone in the crowd and beckoned them forward. “Lead her to one of the breeding barracks. Let her be at peace for now, leave her alone, but keep men at the exits and have someone check on her every hour. I want visual confirmation that she is there and she is well.” The man nodded and hastened away.

  “Thank you,” said Cailin, her own lip split and the side of her face already swelling.

  The woman glared at her. “Do not think I do it for you.” She jerked her head. “Take them away.”

  Play along, Cailin reminded, even as the three of them were being led away. However they try to get you to move, act as any natural born dragon would.

  That won't be a problem if I can't shift soon.

  For the second time in less than a week, Cailin and Jaryn found themselves between two armored men, being taken to prison holdings, though this time they were both much worse for the wear. Connor was quiet as he walked, his tears subsided but his fear still evident in the way he moved, half hunched over as though to protect himself. In a line, they trudged the steep rocky path that climbed the mountain in uneven, gradual inclines, past small homes, none of them grand or boasting of any sort of riches. Every once in awhile they would see the face of a woman or a child at the window, a man occasionally standing in the door to his home with a weapon ready in his hands. Each and every one of them looked at the trio as though they could attack at any moment, despite their hands being bound and the obvious injuries they'd sustained.

  A great commotion rose up from the ground level, causing them to stumble in their walk as they tried to observe what was happening. There appeared to be a cow being led out to where Misuzu waited. If it was meant to entice her, it wasn't working. Someone crouched a few feet away from the cow with something long and thin in their hands. He put the object to his lips, all at once sending something flying from it to strike the cow. It bucked and made an awful sound as blood began pouring from a fresh wound. Misuzu didn't move for a moment, but then her maw parted and she roared. Turning for the cow, the crowds parted to watch. Two men grabbed the cow by the rope bridle around its face and began running with it toward the three mountains on the other side of the island. Misuzu turned so quickly that her tail took out several people who were too close, sending them flying. She ran as quickly as she could on her short legs, salivating after the cow.

  They never saw the rest. Jaryn was thrown into a cell by himself, two of his walls solid rock. A third wall that he shared with the cell Cailin and Connor were tossed into was mostly rock as well, save for a barred opening the size of a window. Both cells had fully barred doors, nothing like the wood and iron doors they were all used to. Something else they weren't used to was being left somewhat open to the elements. A wide open landing separated the cell doors from the mountain cliff, protected from the weather by only a stone roof. It was as though the mountain had been dug into just to make space for the cells.

  A cheer came up from down below. None of them were sure they wanted to know what it was for.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As soon as they were locked in and left alone, Jaryn hastened to the window separating the two cells and beckoned Cailin over. He reached through the bars, realizing they were more wood and mortar than stone or metal, and was gentle as he took her chin in hand. “He got you good,” he murmured, tilting her head to the side for a better look. “There's already bruising.”

  “Have you seen yourself?” she croaked.

  “She knew I'd answer if she went after you.” Jaryn frowned deeply and met Cailin's eyes. “How's your vision? Anything blurry or discolored?”

  “No. I can see fine except for the swelling.”

  “You're freezing cold.” Letting her go, he looked in to where Connor stood, examining the rocky bars of his cell door. “You all right, lad?”

  “Besides being cold and angry? Never better.”

  With lips pursed and fire in his veins, Jaryn went to his own door and wrapped his fingers around the bars, giving it a mighty shake so that it rattled on its hinges. The motion made him wince and hold his ribs, sucking in a harsh breath of pain, but it only made him pause for a moment before he was back at it. “Hey! You can't leave us in here like this! They need dry clothing or they will die!”

  Cailin sank to the floor of her cell and wrapped herself in her damp woolen cloak. “Don't bother, Jaryn. You'll only hurt yourself more.”

  “I know you can hear me!”

  A sigh of defeat blew over Cailin's lips. She rested her head in her hands, leaning to the side to press herself into the corner under the window. “Some protector I turned out to be. Not only do I allow two high kings to be captured by a violent unknown tribe, but also the Elemental Dragon of Air who, to my understanding, has no child to pass her powers down to. We don't even have our map now.”

  Jaryn gave the door one last hopeless rattle before going back to the window to try to see where Cailin ha
d tucked herself. Though he could only see the top of her head, he still scowled at her. “Don't give up hope. We'll get out of this, yet. We always do.” She gave up no answer, but soon even Connor turned to look at her when he heard her trying to stifle a sob. Not knowing what to do, Jaryn rested his head against the bars. “It's going to be all right, Cailin.”

  She sniffled and dried her eyes, but the tears kept coming. “I'm sorry. I pretend to be brave and strong...but I've never been so scared. Even on the night Tasarin saved me and brought me to Oceana. No one's ever struck me like that before, and the way I felt when the flute played...Jaryn, I had no control over my own body. I could feel myself struggling to get off of Misuzu so I could shift and fly with the others. I fought so hard against it and it almost wasn't enough.” She sighed and lifted her head, leaning back against the wall. “That combined with flying all morning – I'm just so tired.”

  Jaryn nodded in understanding. “I know you're scared. Quite frankly, I'm a bit scared myself. Just don't sell yourself short. You are strong and you are brave. You're also out of your element and exhausted. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of, especially in this situation.” He turned so his back was to the wall and sank to the floor. His ribs were screaming at him, but at least his lip and nose had stopped bleeding. It seemed the men knew exactly where to strike to inflict the most pain and cause the least damage. That in itself was frightening even to him.

  The sun had been high when they'd arrived, but as they all fell into silence, there was no other choice but to watch the shifting shadows as the day wore on and the light began to fail. Occasionally Jaryn would drift, then jerk awake with every little sound, his ribs protesting each time. Eventually he had to make himself stand and move, if only to keep himself awake. A glance in the other cell showed him Connor, standing at the door with his face pressed between the bars, his sharp green eyes staring outward as though transfixed. He only moved when Jaryn said Cailin's name several times and received no answer. The boy turned around to see her still slumped in the same place, her head bowed and the hood of her cloak covering her face.