Of Dreams and Dragons

by Karpov Kinrade

  "Don't call for them," Landon says firmly.

  Zev nods. "We win this, or we die. I will not be Charred."

  I look to the others. Bix nods. "Agreed. To die by dragon is honorable. To become Charred is not."

  Raven shrugs. Even after all these years I still feel like I know her the best and least of all. "I agree,” she says.

  Mabel and Enzo look at each other, and he reaches for her hand, squeezing it. They don't let go just yet, and I know they are thinking about what this means for each other as well as themselves. Enzo speaks first. "It is as you say, Charred is not a life to live.”

  Mabel nods, turning her body closer to Enzo. “Don’t call in the reinforcements.”

  "Okay, if everyone's sure," I look each of them in the eyes. "Then we need to give it our all. No holding back. I'm not ready to die yet."

  "There will be no death for us today, Sky of the Knightly clan," Bix says, pulling his fist over his heart in salute.

  The others do the same, and I am humbled and scared, but also determined not to fail them or myself.

  We walk back to the arena together. "We're ready to begin," I tell Vane.

  He looks at us a moment, assessing. Then nods. "I believe you are."

  Landon grabs his lance off his steed. A long white weapon engraved with two glyphs: Density, to make the weapon unbreakable, and Weight, to make the weapon lighter. He is the only one of us to prefer an Imbued weapon over a Transmute one.

  In the last three years, we have studied the arts of Beckoning, Transmuting, and Imbuing. Each of us can now summon our Spirits at our size or larger. Each of Transmute various parts of our body. And each of us knows how to Imbue, inscribing coins with glyphs to create talismans, and inscribing weapons to empower them. Orcael, instead of Vane, led our Imbuing lessons and taught us how to make the necessary ink required for the process by crushing dragonstone and mixing it with liquid. Zev, with his keen memory, proved to be most talented at Imbuing and made many of the talismans we will use today.

  All seven of our squad step into the arena, and as we do, Vane signals the nearby Ashknights, and they unchain the dragon, then retreat backwards. As soon as the giant serpent sees us, it fires flame in our direction.

  We disperse, avoiding the flames and surrounding the dragon. I need to end this fight quickly, before any of my friends are injured or worse, so I reach into my cloak and pull out a disintegrate talisman and fling it at the beast’s chest. The dragon repositions, and my coin misses the mark, hitting a claw instead. The giant nail begins to boil and wither away until it is completely gone. The dragon hisses, then strikes out at Bix with its uninjured claw. The large Twin Spirit isn’t fast enough to evade the attack, and instead Transmutes Spirit armor, turning the skin below his neck into a hard emerald shell. He throws up his arms, clad in tortoise like shields, and blocks the dragon’s assault. The force of the blow pushes him back, but he stands unharmed, grinning in a storm of dust.

  Raven Transmutes a pair of black wings that sprout from her back and flies into the sky, flanking the dragon and striking it from behind with her black Transmuted sickle. Landon strikes at the serpent’s feet with his lance, hitting a thigh and causing the beast to recoil, while Mabel tosses a talisman into the air. The coin hits a wing, and a giant gust of wind explodes from the glyph, pushing the dragon off balance and causing it to collapse. She used a wind talisman, I realize, to bring the dragon down.

  I take advantage of the moment and toss another disintegrate glyph at the beast’s head, but it jumps into the sky, avoiding the coin, and spins, lashing out with its tail. The movement is so quick, it catches all of us of guard, and the tail slams into everyone but Enzo, tossing us into the arena wall. He hit hard against the stone, and collapse into the dust. Before we can recover, the dragon rears its head and shoots a cone of flame at us. While before we were fast enough to evade, now we are on our knees, injured, slow. The fire will hit us. It will burn us away. Perhaps reinforcements can save us, but I will not call them. I will not betray the wishes of my friends. I reach for a barrier talisman in a final attempt to survive, but I am not fast enough. The flame is upon us.

  And then Enzo lands in front of us, arms raised. He Beckons his Spirit before him, a large elephant, and it meets the fire head on. The flame will burn his Spirit. It will melt away its flesh and bones and incinerate us. But somehow… Somehow the Enzo’s Spirit holds.

  He yells as his entire body tenses, jaw clenched, veins pulsing, and he resists the fire. How is he doing this? It shouldn’t be possible?

  I snap out of my thoughts and signal for the rest of the squad to circle the dragon. I Transmute silver wings and dash around the fire, and before the beast knows we have moved, before it can see us over its own flame, I flick a disintegrate talisman at the back of its neck. My aim is true, and the coin burns through the dragon’s scales, sinks into its flesh and turns its blood into acid. The mighty beast wails and wreathes in pain as it stops breathing fire and collapses backwards. Its eyes melt out of its socket. Its scales and flesh start to peel away. The dragon takes on final breath, and then its body falls still. And I realize, we have won.

  There's a heady mix of elation, relief and joy in the air as we all look upon the magnificent corpse of the dragon. But our trial isn't technically over until we harvest the heart.

  I climb the dragon's belly, using what remains of the scales to pull myself up, and when I stand atop it, I raise my silver claw, and I slash down, opening up its chest in one clean strike.

  It doesn't take long to extricate the heart. But there is something strange about the muscle. It no longer looks living, but hard, as if it solidified in death. As if it became dragonstone. The largest I have ever seen. It pulses faintly in my hand, glowing a soft red.

  Wearing my silver Spirit armor, I slide down the dragon's body and hold the heart up to Vane.

  My squad joins me, taking positions by my side. We are exhausted. Injured. Bleeding.

  But we did it.

  Vane nods and examines our prize. "A dragon's heart never truly dies," he says. "Even when the dragon does. It is what makes the heart so powerful. So coveted."

  He hands me a leather bag. "Carry it in this, and take great care. You will need it for your final ceremony tonight."

  "Our final ceremony?" I ask, my mind numb. Tired. Trying to catch up to the reality of my life.

  He nods. "Tonight six of you will be initiated into the Order of Ashknights."

  I let out a breath, a smile creeping to my face, until I do the math and pause. "No… there are seven of us."

  I turn then, and, for the first time since the battle ended, truly look at each of my friends. Their eyes do the same, until we all land on Enzo.

  I feel the blood drain from my face, as Mabel cries out, then covers her mouth, trembling.

  Enzo looks up, confused. "What is the matter?" He looks to Mabel, reaching for her hand, but she pulls away.

  "Enzo…" I say softly, my throat thick with emotion. "Your eyes. They're red. You've become Corrupted."

  Thirty-One

  Dragon Heart

  Enzo collapses to his knees, shaking. "I… " he runs a hand over his bald head, his skin covered in sweat. “I…”

  Mabel kneels in front of him and takes his face into her hands. Her eyes fill with tears. "You saved us. You're the reason we aren't all dead right now."

  He looks up, red eyes menacingly replacing his own dark brown. "I pushed too hard, didn't I? I doomed myself." He caresses her face with a shaking hand. "I doomed us."

  She's sobbing now. "You didn't," she says, voice cracking. "You saved us. This isn't the end. Someday, they will find a cure." She looks up at Vane, her blue eyes pleading. "Won't they? There's hope, isn't there?"

  Vane frowns, but he nods. "My wife would say there is always hope. While you yet breathe, you have hope. She's not been wrong yet."

  Mabel gives a small smile to our fierce teacher, and then turns back to Enzo. "See? Even Vane says so. There's h
ope. I won't give up on you."

  Ashknights come forward, one on each side, and I realize they are there to take him away.

  Mabel realizes it too, and chokes back a sob, then leans in to kiss him deeply.

  They whisper something to each other, and then Enzo is led away.

  We stand and watch, none of us knowing quite what to say or do. We were told early on what happens to Corrupted Ones. There is a special place for them at the Cliff, where they are treated and cared for in a safe place, where they can't misuse their power to harm anyone. He will be safe.

  That's the lie I tell myself.

  The same lie I used to tell myself about Charred Ones.

  That burning out their Spirit was for their own safety. For everyone's safety. That it gave them a way to live in peace.

  But I've seen how Naoki has been treated.

  And I don't trust Dragoncliff to care for anyone who is no longer useful to their purposes.

  Still, I don't give voice to my concerns. Who would it help? Instead, I put my arm around Mabel and stand with her, holding silent space while she grieves.

  Vane gives us as much time as he can, but we are still in dangerous lands and must get back to the Wall.

  I carry the dragon heart with me, and the remaining Ashknights harvest the rest of the dragon while Vane, the wolf, and our squad—minus Enzo—head back in silence.

  This should have been a time for celebrating.

  But now we are drowning in a complex juxtaposition of mourning and relief.

  Relief that we didn't die.

  Mourning because we lost one of our own. And that cuts at something much deeper.

  Mabel feels Enzo's loss the most, and when we return to our quarters, she goes straight to his bed and lays down, holding his spare robes close to her.

  The rest of us leave, to give her privacy to mourn in peace.

  "What do you think will happen tonight?" Zev asks, once the six of us—seven if you count our cat—are in the courtyard.

  Ashpaw follows at our feet, winding in and out between us, purring. He seems happy we're back safely. I pick up the little guy, and he nuzzles his head against my hand. "I have no clue." I turn to Landon and Bix. "Surely you've heard something about the ceremony? Rumors? Hints? Whispers?"

  "In my tribe, it is never spoken of," Bix says. "Even brothers who come back to see family once they are Ashlords, they wag no tongues about this thing."

  Landon nods. "It truly is a heavily guarded secret."

  My hand falls to the pouch at my waist which now carries the dragon heart. Though bulky and awkward to carry, I didn't want to leave it unattended. "I wonder what they need the heart for?"

  No one has an answer, so we walk in silence. Snow crunches under our feet as we make our way around the castle. We don't have a clear destination, but the fresh air does us good.

  We see other squads training, but we aren't close enough to interact with them. Though many live and train in this castle, we have always been kept so busy within our own squad that we are left with little time for anything else, including outside relationships. There's always, of course, the occasional rumor of two people from different squads falling in love and sneaking off to be together, though how they find the time I'll never know.

  My mind flashes to Kaden, and I wonder where he is and what he's doing right now. I thought he'd find me once we returned, but I haven't seen him around at all today.

  As the sun sets, we turn and make our way back to our quarters. I set Ashpaw on my bed, and he finds a comfortable spot to curl into for a nap. Mabel is still sitting on Enzo's bed, but her eyes are dry, and she looks ready enough for whatever tonight holds.

  Vane comes in sometime later, his wolf at his side. "Ashlings, it is time. Tonight you will be made Ashknights. Wear your dress robes and follow me."

  Our dress robes are black with silver accents. We've only worn them a few times since we've been at the Cliff. I dig mine out of the bottom of my trunk and put it on over my black leggings and binder. The others do the same, and then Vane hands us each a candle, lighting them as he does.

  "Now, follow me quietly."

  The moons are high in the sky, and all three are full, a rare site that only occurs once a year in this world. I imagine how we must look from a bird's eye view. A line of people dressed in black, small splashes of flame striking against the darkness. Moonlight bathing us in a pale hue. Otherworldly. Sacred. Ethereal.

  Vane takes us around the castle and through a passage I never noticed before. We walk down, into the tunnels, and then down further, through long dark hallways. I wonder if the candles are ceremonial or practical. Maybe both.

  We are led into a cavernous room caved out of stone into the form of a circle. The walls hold torches spaced evenly apart. But it is the center that gives us pause.

  A great fire burns in an open stone pit large enough to cook an entire Boxen, and ancient glyphs are carved into the floor around the flame.

  Master Orcael stands at the far end of the room, and in the shadows I see two Ashlords on either side, each holding some kind of pulley attached to the wall. A flicker of firelight flashes long enough for me to recognize one of them.

  Kaden.

  Warmth spreads in my chest as I realize he will be here for my ceremony.

  Following a nod from Vane, we form ourselves around the fire. When we are in position, Master Orcael speaks.

  "You have been called here by the Ancient Ones to take your vows in the presence of the Eternal Fire, first forged by Nir himself, with the flames and breath he used to create humanity. And since that day, tended to by those of Ash, lest we lose the blessings the Ancient One bestowed upon us.” His voice is deep, and it reverberates throughout the stone chamber, creating haunting echoes.

  "And now, you will take a piece of Nir’s fire with you." He looks to me. "Ashling Sky, do you have the dragon heart?"

  I nod and pull it out of the pouch. Master Ocrael smiles and nods to Kaden and Phoenix who are still standing by the wall. They each pull on a lever and stone grinds against stone above our heads.

  I look up and see the ceiling moving apart, revealing a moon door.

  "We stand before the Eternal Fire and below the Dragon Moons on this sacred of days. We bequeath the Ancient Ones to grant our pleas and pass their power onto us." His gray eyes turn to mine. "Sky, throw the heart into the flame."

  The moment is heavy, weighted with history and layered with future expectations.

  Sweat drips down my face, stinging my eyes, and pools between my breasts and under my arms. I hold my hand as close to the flames as I can without burning myself, then toss the heart in.

  The flames crackle and hiss, then turn white, burning larger and hotter, blazing toward the sky, shooting past the moon door into the night.

  We all stand transfixed by the vision of the fire, and I wonder, has it really been kept alive all these centuries? Is this really the flame breathed by an Ancient One?

  As the fire continues to burn, Master Orcael leads us in a chant we studied in preparation for this day. It is as old as the flames, we are told, in a language no longer spoken or understood, but it invokes the magic of the Ancient Ones.

  My mouth rounds to form the unfamiliar sounds, but soon the poetry of the words, the heat of the flames, the sacredness of this space takes over any other thought, and I find myself lost to the intonations and deeper meaning, swaying in place as my body is consumed by the magic of the moment. It feels eternal, but eventually the flames die down to their original size, and a gush of wind steals the breath from each of us.

  The chanting stops.

  And burning in the fire before each of us… is a fragment of the heart.

  "Remove your cloaks," Master Orcael says.

  We follow his command, removing our cloaks until we are all standing shirtless.

  "Reach into the flames and pick up your piece of the dragon heart," he instructs.

  Eyes turn to each other, as we each wonder what w
ill happen when we follow these instructions.

  I can tell my squad is nervous, so I step forward first, and thrust my hand into the flames.

  I expect to be burned. I've been burned before, and it's unlike any other kind of injury. First, you feel a sharp pain. Then it's almost numb as nerve cells are killed. Then the burn dives deeper into you, finding new ways to torture you.

  I wince, but nothing happens. The flames lick around my arm harmlessly, and I pull out my piece of dragon heart.

  It's hot in my hand, almost searing in its heat, but still it does not burn.

  The others see what I've done and follow suit, until we are all holding our pieces of the heart.

  "Say your vows," he says.

  We studied these as well, and so we are ready. Our voices come as one as we recite the words we've committed to memory.

  "Before the Eternal Fire and the flame of the Ancient One, I commit myself, body, mind and soul, to the Order of Ash. To protect, to serve, to sacrifice for the Nine Worlds. To guard the Wall of Light and protect the children of Nir from any threat, within or without. I swear this to Nir and Gai, to Ava and Inf, to Heln and Spri, to Var and Min and Undi. In this and all things, may dragon blood make me strong. In this and all things, may dragon eyes guide my path. In this and all things, may dragon wings take me far. In this and all things, may dragon heart give me life. In this and all things, may dragon spirit give me courage. In this and all things, may dragon scales make me strong. In this and all things, may dragon bones reform me. In this and all things, may dragon mind make me wise. And in this and all things, may dragon fire light my way." The words feel more than words, they feel like magic made real as they crawl over my skin and embed themselves inside me.

  "Now, place the heart over your own, and press it into your body."

  I look up in surprise. In confusion. But I know I cannot speak or ask questions. I cannot break the sacredness of the moment.

  I have to trust.

  I have to believe.