Talon the Black

by Melissa Mitchell

  Koldis ignored her presence as he piled firewood in preparation for their fire. When he was done, he stepped back, held his hand up, and muttered something. His lips hardly moved. Flames burst into life and the wood blazed brightly.

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “How did you…” Her astonishment was obvious. She never got to see Cyrus perform magic, though she had wanted to.

  Koldis turned to her but said nothing.

  “The fire,” she said. “You started it without a match!” Since their journey’s start, the only fire they had were the fires she prepared, which had been nothing compared to what Koldis had conjured up.

  “Oh.” He shrugged. “You are referring to my magic.”

  “Yes. I’ve just never seen magic before.”

  “Right…” His gaze narrowed.

  To kill Cyrus, she would have needed great powers. Naturally, Koldis thought she was putting on an act.

  “I swear. I’m…I’m impressed, that’s all.”

  “Eldár is the word I used. It means fire in the old language, but surely you already know this.”

  “I—I don’t.” She tried her hardest to be civil with him. Even still, he clearly disliked her. She watched him walk over to a spot on the other side of the fire, away from her. He sat down with a scowl. She was about to say something more when her conscience advised otherwise.

  Let him be. He has suffered a terrible loss…

  So had the others, she argued, but they didn’t treat her nearly as poorly. She decided to let it go. Instead she watched the flames, allowing her mind to drift back to the giant white beast behind her.

  How curious it was—magnificent, beautiful, majestic, and deadly. Was it simply marble? Or was it something more?

  She experienced so much mindfulness within its body, suggesting that it had once been alive. Its strength had nearly killed her. That was another bizarre aspect of magic she could hardly wrap her head around—the idea that her energy could be yanked from her body. But why? Why her? The Marble Dragon seemed to have no effect whatsoever on Jovari. Was that because he was a Drengr? And she, merely a human?

  You are not merely human...

  This time, it was easy to believe the little voice in the back of her head. She could hear the Drengr speak to each other telepathically. She could touch seemingly inanimate objects and read beyond their surfaces. She had done it at the Gate, and now she had done it with the Marble Dragon. She had dreams filled with things she couldn’t quite explain. Her mind seemed to know answers to questions when it shouldn’t. What was happening to her?

  Just two weeks ago, she seemed as normal as normal allowed. If anything, she was too normal. College education, no job, terrible ex-boyfriend issues, living with Mom and Dad, student loans…The list went on. Now, she was anything but normal. Maybe her companions had a good reason to be wary of her. After all, it seemed that she hardly knew herself anymore—what she was capable of, the strange things that happened to her, the strange things that happened around her, the inexplicable pathway her life now traversed—all of it was shrouded in mystery. Now, her biggest fear was not failing to fulfill her promise to Cyrus, but rather, the idea that she might further lose herself in the process…

  Just as promised, Reyr returned the following morning. When he landed, Koldis untied the neatly-wrapped packages on his back, then Reyr transformed into his human form. He seemed agitated as he opened the parcels and began distributing the supplies. He said nothing as he did this. There were blankets, water skins, pots for cooking, bowls for eating, and a burlap sack full of buns, jerky, carrots, and potatoes. The sight of the food left her stomach growling, but that wasn’t what caught her attention now.

  Folded in cloth, Reyr removed a sword, which he handed to her.

  “You cannot be serious, Reyr. Giving her a weapon?” Koldis was appalled. Reyr gave him a look that immediately silenced him.

  “What is this for?” She realized afterward that it was a stupid question. It came mostly from shock that Reyr trusted her enough to give her a weapon.

  “You are supposed to stab an enemy with it. What do you think?” Koldis muttered, going back to sit by the fire. She shot him a mean look.

  “Rumor is that these lands are being roamed by demons of Undirfold. It is best that we be prepared.” The sun was rising high into the sky as he spoke. The brightness of day made the idea of dark demons seem absurd. But she knew that come nightfall, the terror of his words would set in. If Vodar wraiths were truly roaming the wilderness, then what would happen when they found her?

  “By demons, do you mean the Vodar?”

  Reyr looked surprised. “You have knowledge of these wraiths?”

  She nodded.

  “Let me guess, you cannot speak of it.”

  Again, she nodded.

  “I see…” His face was hard, but he hid it by turning to Jovari instead.

  “What news?” Jovari asked as he came up to stand beside them. He had been out hunting and had only just returned.

  “There is no time to speak of it now. We will discuss it tonight. Let me catch my breath and then we must depart.” It was obvious that he was in a hurry to return to the capital, now more than ever. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was that he had learned on his trip north. The two of them left her to go sit with Koldis, but only for a short while. True to his word, Reyr gave the order, and they departed shortly thereafter.

  22

  Kengr Plains

  Claire sat with her knees pulled up to her chin, deep in thought. In the darkness, the flames of the campfire danced before her eyes. Hypnotized, she watched these yellow-orange tongues as they flickered and waved and crackled and popped.

  The fire was almost too warm, but she enjoyed its comfort nonetheless. Besides, the fragrant smell of cooking stew had her sitting as close as possible. The thought of a hearty meal left her stomach growling loudly. She waited impatiently. She had eaten little else besides meat and bread all day, and even less in the days preceding.

  Jovari broke their pensive silence. “Tell me again, Reyr, what did you see when you flew to Belnesse?”

  Reyr sighed. He had already gone through the story more than once. “I first observed the ruin of the city from afar, long before my wings carried me thither. Once I arrived, the smoke had long vanished. But no matter, my worst fears were confirmed.” He paused, shaking his head as he gazed into the flames. “Aye, to my own utter disbelief. I soared above, looking upon the sea of blackened ash that was the ground beneath me. I have not felt such anger in a long time.”

  “It is indeed barbaric. The people of Belnesse suffered greatly,” Koldis said, a deep frown etched into his features.

  “Aye, barbaric. Like a nightmare of a dream—one that cannot be awoken from. ‘Surely everyone must be dead,’ I thought to myself as I surveyed the ruin. I saw no people, no survivors of any kind, no beast, not a single creature. Every living soul, burned to death.” Reyr threw a handful of dried grass into the flames. They crackled in response. “Not a single building was left standing. Even the bell tower was dust. The bell itself must have melted in the dragon fire.”

  “Only dragon fire can exact such terrible damage,” said Jovari.

  Reyr inhaled deeply then exhaled. “I still recall the smell of it, the scent of death and misery. Such an odor hangs thick over Belnesse. It will for a long time...” Reyr fell silent.

  “This is a troubling matter.” Koldis seemed different in light of the news. He had become thoughtful and level-headed. “I think we would be wise to believe the tale this Mikkin fellow told you. He is the sole survivor, after all.”

  “I cannot see any other option. His word is all we have to deliver to the king. I was told Mikkin walked for days before falling into exhaustion. His caretakers found him unconscious in the fields, his clothing singed and torn, his feet bloody, and his lips parched from days in the sun without water.”

  “It is a wonder he escaped.” Jovari voiced the same thought bouncing around in he
r mind.

  “Escaped…do you think?” Reyr cocked his head to the side. “Perhaps he was set free.”

  “If he was set free,” said Koldis, “then clearly the purpose was to send a message.”

  “Fear mongering...” Reyr pursed his lips.

  “It certainly is. How can it be that dragons, after thousands of years, could possibly exist?”

  Reyr shook his head. “I will tell you this, when we bring this news to the Lower Council, they will laugh at us. The very idea—the existence of dragons—is something no one will dare believe.”

  “It does seem absurd.” Koldis rose and threw another log on the fire, glancing quickly at her before looking away. “Strange things are happening in Dragonwall,” he muttered, almost too quietly to be heard.

  At last, the time came to eat. The stew was the best thing she had tasted in a while. Hunger does that to a person. Going back for a second and a third helping, she ate greedily and in silence.

  “Mikkin said there were nearly one hundred dragons,” Reyr said during the meal.

  “Far too many for my liking,” said Koldis.

  Knowing the answers to their questions was incredibly frustrating. The longer they spoke of it, the worse their speculations became. At one point, Jovari insisted that the dragons intended to take over the kingdom. She alone knew the truth—Kane was the one behind it all.

  Though she wanted to join in, she couldn’t. Besides, she had different things to speculate over. Cyrus knew something big was coming for Dragonwall—something devastating. He knew it was only a matter of time. He knew that the people needed to be warned. Reyr’s news confirmed Cyrus’s worst fears. Kane had made his first move. How many more would die before she could relay Kane’s existence to the king?

  The conversation about Belnesse carried on late into the night. Her incident with the Marble Dragon was completely forgotten by everyone but her. She had hoped to tell Reyr about it, hoped that he would have some answers, but in the end, she never got the chance to ask. She finally gave up, and curled up with her bedroll.

  Sleep was difficult to find. She tossed and turned for what felt like hours, drifting in and out of odd memories that were certainly not hers. On occasion, voices filtered through her consciousness. Whether they belonged to the strange memories or came from outside her head, she couldn’t have said.

  Just as she was drifting into another strange dream, she felt a hand gripping her shoulder. It shook her, urging her to wake up. Her eyes flew open. Reyr crouched over her, finger pressed to his lips. A deep feeling of unease settled over her. It was a familiar feeling. She experienced it once before. Her pulse began racing.

  “It is as I feared. Fan out.” She heard Reyr’s telepathic command.

  Something heavy was thrust into her hands—the sword Reyr had gotten her. Her eyes grew large. She tried to catch a glimpse of her surroundings, but there was no moon out, and the stars were hardly bright enough. All she could see were black shapes moving about the perimeter of their little camp. She knew without needing to see them that the Vodar had found her. They had come for the Stones.

  Instinct took over: She reached for her large backpack and put her hand over the pocket where her revolver was hidden. She had killed them once before, she would do it again.

  “They are closing in, Reyr. We are outnumbered. Keep them in your sights.” Koldis spoke in her mind. The Drengr used telepathy to maintain their secrecy.

  Reyr stood up. His hand was on the hilt of his Sverak, ready to remove it from its sheath. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

  “Beware of their magic. On my count—” Reyr was slowly moving away from her, his back now turned upon her. Through the loud rush of blood pounding in her ears, she heard the scrape of swords being drawn.

  Using this as a cue, she quickly unzipped her pack and removed the revolver. She kept it loaded for this very purpose. Hands shaking, she sat silently, trying to digest what was about to happen. They were here for her. They would not stop hunting her until they had the Stones. In a few moments, that very same notion might become obvious to her companions, jeopardizing her entire mission.

  Reyr’s voice was in her mind again. “Ready? Three, two, one—” There was a bright flash of white light. She was unprepared and momentarily blinded. The sound of clashing metal reverberated so loudly, so forcefully, it seemed to hum through her body. But these were not the only noises to greet her ears. Pops and crackles like sparks of electricity echoed around her. These were paired with more bursts of blue and white brilliance as her surroundings flashed from light to dark.

  “They are going for Claire!” The sudden shout exploded into her mind. “Stop them!”

  Freeing herself from the chains of shock, she jumped to her feet. Two of the six black shapes were gliding towards her. The other four were trying to free themselves from their fight with Jovari, Koldis, and Reyr.

  Without any further hesitation, she held the revolver out before her, both hands gripping it tightly to keep from shaking. Then she pulled back the hammer and fired. The shot split through the air. The head of the nearest Vodar exploded into smoke, quickly followed by its body. There was a momentary silence that followed, but she did not stand stunned like the others. Once more she aimed, both hands on the gun as she pointed it at the head of the next wraith. She pulled the trigger. This time something entirely different happened. The air around the Vodar grew opaque, flickering as the bullet encountered an invisible shield. As it passed through, it turned to dust and disappeared.

  “You will not thwart me this time,” a terrible voice hissed. The sound of it sent chills across her skin. For a moment, she could not move. Fear sank its claws into her.

  The Vodar wraith moved towards her with great speed, arm outstretched. A glittering sword slashed through the air beside her, followed by an aggressive cry as the weapon made contact with the Vodar’s neck. Reyr’s appearance saved her. He took the wraith’s head in a single sweep. It vanished.

  She did not have time to thank him. A burst like fireworks illuminated the air around her, followed up by another. The strange orbs she had seen were exploding. Reyr must have erected a shield of protection around them.

  A renewed sense of duty took hold of her. Kane would not win! Not today. Fiery courage blazed up within her. She grabbed her sword from the ground.

  Relax your mind. I will guide you…

  The thoughts in her brain were absurd, especially now in the heat of battle. She ignored the commentary, thinking only of what she wanted in that exact moment—the death of the wraith standing before her. Crying out with a passion she did not know she had, she took several strides forward and lifted the sword to meet the Vodar. It responded by raising its own weapon, a poison-infused short sword. She did not stop to think about what its blade could do to her. Instead, she focused on what happened next. Their swords met. The reverberation crashed upon her ears.

  “Claire, no!” She heard Reyr’s shout of surprise. She ignored it, swiping at the Vodar and then jumping backwards. Had she time to think about it, she would have been dumbfounded. She had never used a sword. Not once. How the hell was she fighting with one?

  Lifting the blade again, she swung it around, spinning on her heel as she ducked from an oncoming blow. She let her blade follow her movements. She struck the Vodar’s legs hidden beneath its smoking robes. It hissed furiously and tried to lash out at her, but again she jumped back. Back and forth they fought, evenly matched it seemed. As they continued, she began to get the impression that the Vodar was toying with her, going easy on her. As soon as she let her mind lose focus, she erred, moving in the wrong direction. The Vodar’s blade sliced along her leg and she felt white-hot pain. Crying out, she dodged to the side. She was about to lift her sword to block another attempt when a different sword beat hers to it. This one glittered with dark green emeralds. Koldis was beside her, taking over the fight. It lasted only the length of a breath before the Vodar’s head was removed.

  The world a
round them fell silent, almost as if the universe had come to a halt. She was vaguely aware of the searing pain in her leg. Her mind was spinning and she felt dizzy.

  You can fight it. You must…

  A surge of something that could only be described as powerful energy burst through her. Squaring her shoulders, she turned. Koldis stood beside her, arms limp at his sides. He was breathing heavily as he stared blankly in front of him where the Vodar had just vanished. Then, as if coming out of a trance, he turned to her. “How are you going to explain your way out of this one, Claire?” Even in the darkness, she could see his angry glare, but that wasn’t what surprised her. He had just saved her life. The thought left her head whirling once more in confusion, and suddenly, as if the dim lights of the world were being extinguished, she felt her legs buckle beneath her as she dropped to the ground.

  23

  Kengr Plains

  Claire awoke to peculiar shapes moving around her. The world faded in and out of focus for several long minutes—minutes that seemed to last an eternity. From light to dark, her sights moved as she pulled her drowsy mind from its dreams, and strange dreams they were. Foggy images of Vodar wraiths, sword fighting, bright flashes of light, evil intentions, and worse, all swam in and out of her consciousness.

  To rid herself of them, she forced her eyes to focus on the sky above, swallowing against her dry throat. The moment her mind reached awareness, a sharp pain traveled up her leg. In the same instant, a switch flipped in her brain. She hadn’t been dreaming. All of the images plaguing her were very real, sending a wave of panic through her.

  The burning in her leg pulsed aggressively, gripping her deep in the gut as her body tensed. There was nothing in the world more real than what she felt. She was careful not to move for fear of disturbing the source of her unease. And for a few moments, she lay motionless, completely traumatized by what had happened. Was she going to die?