Talon the Black

by Melissa Mitchell

  Jamie shook his head. “It was all ash. There is nothing left. Belnesse is gone.”

  News of Jamie’s trip spread through Landow, leaving in its wake a slew of frightened villagers. They all speculated that Landow would be next, should the dragons return from the mountains. It was unsettling for everyone, so the next several days were spent preparing for such an outcome. Watchers were set to keep the village on full alert. Weapons were collected and inventoried, even though the villagers knew such protections would do little good against fire.

  Three days after his arrival, after his initial shock and loss began morphing into furious anger, Mikkin felt that his stay was at an end. Here, he was of no use to anyone, merely a burden for Mary and Tynen. They did not see it that way. They assured him that his help was appreciated. Still, he had no desire to work the fields when vengeance was to be had. He held fast to the hope that he might seek retribution for the ones he loved. What more was there to be had in this life, especially when he wished to join them?

  When his morning duties in the fields were complete, he left Tynen and went to the house to make preparations for his departure. Mary worked outside in her garden, so she did not notice his actions in the cabin. He collected the things he needed, hoping he could be ready to depart before the mid-day meal.

  Tynen returned much faster than he anticipated. “What you be hopin’ to accomplish by this, Mikkin?” Tynen questioned him after he informed Tynen of his intentions. Instead of answering, he continued to place provisions into the rucksack he commandeered. “It be a fool’s errand, Mikkin. A fool’s errand!” Tynen did not hide his exasperation. “You’ll be getting’ yourself killed, you will.”

  “I know the range better than most, Tynen. There is nothing for me here. Nothing for me anywhere, matter fact, because I have nothing left. Who better to go than me?” There was no changing his mind. He knew what he needed to do. With proper provisions and a weapon, he could make it to the range. But he did not plan to stop there.

  The wild dragons had come from the range and returned to the range. That meant there was a lair of them somewhere. He intended to find it. He would kill every last beast he could get his hands on. How? He did not know yet. But sitting in Landow day after day accomplished nothing. He couldn’t ask anyone to accompany him. Others might have something to lose, but he didn’t. He was the perfect candidate.

  “And what do you expect to do once you find these dragons?” Tynen asked, pointing out the flaw in his plan. It was a shortcoming. Mikkin shrugged his shoulders. At least if he found the lair, Dragonwall would be one step closer to destroying them.

  Someone banging on the door got their attention. Tynen moved to open it and Jamie entered. He looked from Tynen to Mikkin. “You are leaving?” Jamie asked.

  He nodded.

  “Mikkin thinks he can single-handedly track down the wild dragon lair and seek retribution for his losses. If I raised you right, boy, then you will tell ‘em it’s a fool’s errand, as I have. Though I can’t say he be listenin’ to reason, yours or mine,” said Tynen.

  Jamie was silent a moment, thinking. Then he spoke, “I’m going with you.”

  “In gods’ hell you are, boy! Absolutely not.”

  “Yes, Father, I am. Don’t forget that I am of age now. This is important. I agree with Mikkin. No one in Landow will be safe until these dragons are killed. It’ll be ages before our messengers reach Fort Squall. Even then, what can they do for us?” Jamie asked. Tynen shook his head. “Father, he should not be doing this alone. At least with me, he has a better chance of survival.”

  Mikkin stayed silent, letting the two of them argue. He had no intention of allowing Jamie to accompany him. This was his task—his alone.

  He finished packing everything and turned to them. “I will travel through the range faster alone.” He moved towards the door to leave.

  Jamie snorted. “Alone? Faster? Beggin’ your pardon, sur, it will take you days to reach the mountains on foot. My horses are the fastest.” Jamie squared his shoulders proudly. “Without them, you will surely be exhausted before getting into the range.”

  He could not argue with that.

  “Let me accompany you. We can be at the range in a day. My father is right, if you do this alone, it’ll be a fool’s errand.” Jamie was persuasive. He remained silent as he considered the idea.

  “And what do you suppose we do with the horses once it is time to climb through the range?” he asked Jamie, who did not answer immediately. The Northern Barrier Range was no place for horses.

  “Father, escort us to the range. I beg it of you. Then you can be seein’ us off.”

  Mikkin shook his head. This was not part of his plan. There were dangers ahead. It was not fair to risk the lives of others for his own personal vendetta.

  Tynen was silent for a moment before acquiescing. “Your mother won’t be likin’ the idea, you know. Not one bit. But if it be your wish, then I will escort you.”

  With that, it was settled. They were going to the range. And as soon as he found the dragons, even the gods would not stifle his wrath.

  21

  Kengr Planes

  Claire adjusted her position in the dip where Jovari’s neck met his wing joints (for the zillionth time). She scooted around on the bedroll folded beneath her, wishing it offered more padding. Dragon scales were as hard as glass, and although the scales themselves were smooth, the places where they joined together were not.

  Her body ached with soreness. With each movement, her muscles screamed. Try as she might, she could not get comfortable. She sighed and gave up, turning her attention to the ground beneath them.

  The grassy landscape was completely flat, monotonous in every way. Every so often, they passed over a small grove of trees. These clusters of irregular growth were the only distinctions offered up by the otherwise lifeless world below. The worst part was, this sight stretched out indefinitely, or so it seemed.

  She had been flying with Jovari and Koldis for nearly two days. The excitement of flying upon the back of a dragon had long worn off, leaving her worry worn. As time passed, with nothing to do but speculate, she grew increasingly anxious. At first, there was no telling why. She wondered if it was because of Reyr’s trip to the North. She had grown to rely on his calm collect. But after spending just one night in Dragonwall, she knew exactly why the pit of her stomach couldn’t relax. Her nightmares were filled with dark, cloaked demons, hunting her down for the Stones. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder with unease each time she thought of them. There was the ever-present fear that the Vodar might be following her.

  They will not stop hunting you until they have the Stones…

  The voice of her conscience had grown increasingly pesky, giving its opinions and facts more and more frequently. It especially showed itself when she had misgivings. The thoughts it offered were hardly reassuring. But she didn’t question it anymore: She was too saturated with unbelievable events since rescuing Cyrus.

  Their second day in the sky was just as tedious as the first. Jovari and Koldis were courteous enough to stop twice so she could stretch her legs and relieve herself, but they never transformed to talk to her. It was a lonely existence. With only her mind for company, her thoughts often drifted to Cyrus.

  If he were he still alive, how might things have gone differently? Would he be in her place, weak and delirious on the back of Jovari, getting rushed to the capital by his companions for magical healing? Would she be sitting at home in her farm house, condemned to live out the rest of her life wondering if everything had simply been a dream?

  “Dusk is approaching. We should be upon the Marble Dragon soon.” Koldis was in her mind, pulling her to back to reality.

  “Not soon enough if you ask me. I am eager to be rid of my encumbrance.”

  She loathed the annoyance she perceived in Jovari’s tone. There were few things she hated more than being considered a burden.

  Only one positive thought improved her othe
rwise dismal mood—the hope that the Marble Dragon was an establishment of some kind where she might get some genuine rest. The name certainly hinted at such. Their journey south from the Gate had taken them out of the hills and deep into the flat lands. The ground in these flat lands was hard and uncomfortable to sleep on, littered with pebbles and rocks. After days of flying through her world and Dragonwall, she craved a soft bed a hot meal.

  She didn’t have to wait long to see the Marble Dragon. The sun was sinking when Jovari descended toward what looked like a giant white boulder starkly distinguished against the dull landscape. It was aptly named. The landform was indeed a giant chunk of white marble, carved into the shape of a sleeping dragon.

  It certainly wasn’t a pub though, or an inn. There was no settlement of any kind in the vicinity. The landscape was as barren as it had been since entering Dragonwall.

  Dissatisfaction blossomed in the pit of her stomach, and she began to feel the first real frustrations of the journey. She questioned whether she was really cut out for the task set upon her. At her core, she was strong-willed and stubborn—intent on living up to her word. Were these traits enough? How stupid she had been to think there was any chance of fulfilling Cyrus’s promise. His insistence seemed more like condemnation than anything. That made her predicament especially unfair. For the first time, she began to harbor genuine anger towards Cyrus—anger for what he had asked of her.

  The Drengr descended towards the ground. Jovari landed lightly. She dismounted as quickly as possible, eager to be away from him. She didn’t want to burden him any longer than necessary.

  Despite her inclination to hate the marble statue because it wasn’t what she wished it to be, once she was on the ground, the sight of the Marble Dragon took her breath away. It was slightly larger than her companions, and reminded her of what Cyrus looked like when she saw him pelting through the sky emblazoned in flames. She pushed all thoughts of him from her mind.

  Jovari and Koldis had already shifted into their human forms. They were searching out a good spot for camp and ignored her, as they did frequently. She followed them anyway, away from the white marble sculpture, watching it over her shoulder as they retreated.

  Why did it look so real? And what was the point of carving a dragon from marble? Weren’t there plenty of real dragons already in existence? At last, she was unable to suppress her curiosity. “Where did the Marble Dragon come from?” she asked.

  Jovari and Koldis prodded the ground with their feet, searching for a favorable place to make camp. It was Jovari who spoke first, “The Marble Dragon is heavily shrouded in myth,” he said as he continued walking and prodding. “One legend says that the feature was made by those who spoke the old language, the great Asarlaí sorcerers. They speculate that it was forgotten when the time came to wake the dragons.”

  “Nonsense!” Koldis turned to face them. “The Marble Dragon is one of Rage’s generals cursed into stone, everyone knows that.”

  Jovari shrugged, displaying obvious indifference. “How about here?” he said, pointing to the ground.

  Koldis nodded. “An adequate spot for a camp.”

  “Good. Let us locate some dry wood. Claire, you remain here.” Jovari’s expression hardened. “Do not consider wandering off, or the wolves will eat you. And if that happens, we won’t bother saving your skin.”

  Koldis gave a pleased grunt, as if the thought of her getting eaten alive amused him. The two of them walked off, leaving her alone to examine the giant marble beast from a distance. At first, she did follow their orders, keeping her feet glued in place. However, after one small step and then another, curiosity drew her closer, until she was near enough to touch it. Even with dusk approaching, she could see that there were dark grain lines etched in the marble, giving it an authentic appearance, like dragon blood veins.

  As a whole, it was magnificent. How could someone carve marble this way? Every curve was perfect. Surely it had once been a real dragon, frozen in time.

  It was evil once, until it suffered the wrath of Queen Isabella…

  Who was Queen Isabella, and how the hell did she know such a random fact?

  She wandered around the beast, getting a good look at every inch of it. Truth be told, at any moment she expected it to wake and lift its head, or to yawn and spread its wings. It was merely resting until it was ready to rise and take flight.

  The longer she stared, the more she grew hypnotized by its beauty. It stole her attention, causing her to forget about the world around her, about Jovari and Koldis, and about her mission...

  How long had she been standing there? Minutes maybe? Or even hours? It could have been an eternity. She did not know. She could only think of the dragon. Would its hide be warm like the Drengr? Would its scales be smooth as glass? Was it strong enough to whisk her away upon its back? She had to know for certain. The questions left a burning desire within her.

  Arm outstretched, she laid a hand atop the marble body. The ground began to spin beneath her. A strong force grabbed ahold of her mind, stealing her thoughts and inflicting pain upon her. She too seemed capable of breaking into its mind, and although she did not try, an unknown instinct of hers took over, breaching its fortifications.

  Unintentionally, she had broken in.

  There was awareness—an eternity of consciousness it seemed. Scenes were flashing through her mind, but none of them made any sense. First, she was flying over cold mountains, wings strongly beating against the thin air. Next, she was hunting in a wildflower meadow that glowed in afternoon sunshine. Then, just as quickly, there were enemies, there was fighting, there was betrayal.

  Golden hair and bright blue eyes swam into her mind as she beheld a face not so different from her own. The body of the woman was covered in strange markings. For a moment, she was reminded of herself. The similarity was disarming.

  The beast living within the stone fought her, trying to push her from its mind.

  Waves of anger and vengeance emanated from it, washing over her. The intent to do harm became evident. It wanted very badly to hurt her. And it was. With a great force, her lungs constricted and she couldn’t breathe. Then she felt as though something was sucking her life away. The stone consciousness was stealing her energy, feeding on it to further attack her, to weaken her, to kill her.

  You must fight it…

  She wanted to scream, to call for help, but she couldn’t. She no longer felt connected to the real world. Then, a single, foreign thought invaded her mind.

  “Your life is mine,” it said as it tried to steal her power for its own purposes. “Mine.” the word echoed, bouncing around in her head. “Mine…”

  Everything stopped. Her hand broke contact with the marble surface. She was dragged away from the dragon.

  “Claire! Claire!” Jovari held her before him at arm’s length, shaking her back and forth. “What in the gods’ hell is wrong with you?”

  Her eyelids snapped open, giving life back to the world around her.

  “I’m…” She attempted to speak, but she was too disoriented. “I’m sorry—I’m sorry!” was all she could say.

  Her body trembled. She tried to suppress the lingering feelings that had overpowered her. She felt as though she had been brought back from the dead.

  The word ‘mine’ still echoed in her mind.

  “What…what happened?” She looked back at the dragon, breathless. It was unchanged, sitting curled up, exactly as it had been before.

  “You tell me, Claire. You are the one acting strangely.” Jovari let go of her. “You…well you went rigid. You looked like you were suffocating—grabbing at your throat with your hand.” He gazed at her suspiciously. “Are you well?”

  She ignored his question, pointing instead at the Marble Dragon. “That thing isn’t marble,” she said. “Maybe feels like it, but it spoke to me. There is something living inside it.”

  She tried to formulate her thoughts, but how was she to describe what she experienced? “I felt an intellig
ence within the marble—I don’t know—I can’t explain it. But it was trying to kill me.” She heard how crazy she sounded, and she didn’t want Jovari to think so. “Touch it,” she said. She would make him see for himself.

  “That is—”

  “I know it sounds insane.”

  “I was going to say impossible.”

  “I’m not making this up.” She crossed her arms.

  “Look, Claire, I do not know how such a thing is possible. I have touched the dragon before. It is nothing but marble. Look here, I will touch it again.” And he did, laying his hand atop its body. Nothing happened.

  “I’m not lying!” Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. “When I touched it, I saw things in its mind. It was angry with me. It tried to kill me, right after saying ‘Your life is mine.’ It seemed as if it was claiming...” She was about to say ‘my powers,’ but she thought better of it.

  Their discussion was interrupted by a telepathic voice in her head. “Have you arrived? What is your status? You never checked in with me.” Reyr’s voice was welcome.

  “My apologies, Reyr. We had a minor incident.”

  “What do you mean, minor?”

  “Nothing—nothing serious. There was an incident with the Marble Dragon. I am not sure I can explain properly. I do not quite understand it myself. Claire was behaving strangely. We can discuss it when you arrive tomorrow.”

  Their correspondence took but seconds. Jovari spoke to her almost immediately after, “See here, Claire, I never said you were lying. We can discuss it with Reyr when arrives tomorrow.”

  “Very well, Jovari. We will discuss it upon my arrival. I too have news to share.” Something was wrong with how Reyr said this. Whatever it was, the news wouldn’t be good.

  “What sort of news, Reyr?”

  “We will speak of it when I arrive.”

  Tired of his accusatory glares, she left Jovari to go sit at the campfire Koldis was preparing. Somehow, he had managed to go hunting during her little adventure into the Marble Dragon’s mind. She put her bedroll under her for cushion and watched Koldis, eager for Reyr’s return. He would believe her, surely.