by Logan Petty
Timbrell sank beneath the cloak and resumed shaking. “You call a dragon’s lair civilization?”
Mari smiled broadly, wiping her nose on a rain slicked sleeve. “I call it destiny! Come on, Song! Last stretch before we meet the dragon! Everyone, be on your best behavior!”
Songrandir launched forward headlong down the hill. Mari’s heart leapt into her throat as the drake barreled downward into the valley. She knew for sure that Songrandir would lose her footing at this speed and they would go crashing to their doom, but it never happened. They were in the little valley before she knew it, a few hundred yards from the lake. Mari patted Songrandir as she kept her forward momentum going.
A deep mist clung to the land as the rain let up further. Mari still could not see clearly, but at least the rain had stopped beating. They reached the water’s edge and Songrandir did not hesitate to slip in without a splash. She swam gracefully through the murky water as Mari felt a song come into her heart. She joyfully belted out a tune that raised everyone’s spirits. Timbrell quickly joined in with his little hand drum.
Oh, the road is steep and hard;
The journey full of danger,
But if you sing a song from the heart,
You’ll never meet a stranger!
The rain that falls so steady
Is friend to the shrub arranger.
‘Cause when his plants are ready,
He’ll never meet a stranger!
The farmers labor onward,
Putting hay in their ox manger.
Whistling a song from the heart,
So they’ll never meet a stranger!
You may be a warrior brave,
Or a sneaky elven ranger.
But when you hear a song from the heart,
You’ll never meet a str--ACHOO!
Mari sniffled and rubbed her nose with a free hand. Her ears rang and her vision rippled like the water they moved through. She felt Timbrell poke his head over her shoulder.
“You sure yer alright, lassie? Maybe we should take a break on this side of the pond.”
Mari looked up and noticed that Songrandir had already reached the far shore. She smiled and cleared her throat.
“Well, maybe a short rest, but we’re so close. Ten minutes and then we gotta get up that hill.”
Songrandir stepped up on the shore and slowed her gait. Mari stared up at the massive tower. Its presence grew ever ominous the closer they got to it. She could make out more details now. It was easily bigger than the heart of the forest, but its solitude on the barren hilltop made that hard to judge from far away. She counted at least a dozen rows of windows that climbed the surface. The tower was so wide that it encompassed most of the hill it sat upon.
“That place is huge. I bet he can fit twenty libraries in there.”
Timbell nodded, looking up in awe. “Aye, well, it makes sense that a tower that can hold a dragon would be big.”
Mari chuckled, “Right, I guess so. I mean, I’ve never really seen a dragon, only heard stories. I guess they are pretty big.”
Songrandir’s head swung to the left. A powerful impact from that direction knocked the wind out of Mari and set her toppling sideways to the ground, completely dismounted from Songrandir. She hit the ground hard and lay there dazed for a moment until the ringing in her ears became a horrible screaming noise. She looked over at her drake.
Songrandir was locked in fierce combat with a creature Mari had never seen before. Its body was covered in sleek brown fur. It was shaped like a dog, but was slinky like a weasel. It had a long, thick tail that was flat and shaped like an oar. It had dorsal spines that ran along its back, which were shaped like shark fins, but razor sharp. Its front claws dug into Songrandir’s flesh and its wide, round muzzle flashed rows of sharp white teeth that clamped down hard on the drake’s shoulder.
The two rolled and thrashed violently, throwing dirt and rocks in every direction. Mari’s knees weakened, preventing her from standing as she watched in horror. A shriek from Timbrell snapped her from her trance. She glanced around.
Timbrell was about six feet from her, standing with his dirk drawn and a look of absolute terror on his face. Two more of the same monster had slipped up from behind, out of the lake. They snarled and snapped at the two bards as they circled their prey. Mari found her voice.
“W-what are these things?”
Timbrell answered in a shrill voice, not looking away from the beast closing in on him, “Do I look like Jatharr?! How am I supposed to know?”
The beast stalking Mari lunged suddenly without warning. She tried to stand but it pounced her and pinned her to the ground. It opened its maw, revealing its mouth full of daggers and raised its head to strike. Mari closed her eyes tight. She heard a roar and felt a cold blast of wind rush over her. She felt the monster’s weight lift off her as it yelped in pain. When she opened her eyes, she saw it stagger backward, shaking its head, which bled freely, with shards of ice sticking from its face and side. Songrandir must have got a shot off in time to save her. Mari wanted to turn and run for the drake, but the monster’s attention was still on her. She saw the third one lunge for Timbrell. He nimbly dodged it and scurried up a nearby tree. The beast raked at the tree with its razor sharp claws, tearing the bark from it and shredding the wood underneath as it tried to climb up the tree.
Mari drew her dagger and whistled at the beast targeting her. “Come on, you mangy mutt! Let’s see if you can take me in a fair fight!”
The beast snarled, gnashing its fangs at her. It bounded toward her, ready to bowl her over. Mari took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs. Timbrell followed suit, but at a dissonant pitch. The clashing screams of the bards shook the air, clearing the mist around them. The charging beasts halted and rolled their heads in pain. The drake and the first beast disengaged, trying to shake the pain from the screams. Mari took her chance and leapt at the closest monster. When it reared its head, she did not hesitate to bury her dagger in its throat and pull it hard to the right. Blood sprayed her as the beast gurgled and sputtered, flailing about. She waited for another opening amidst the slashing claws and snapping fangs. She rolled left as it lunged at her with a swipe of its claws. She stabbed furiously at its side flank. Blood poured from the wound, but the monster did not miss a beat as it wrapped its slinky body around her and grabbed her shoulder with an open claw. She yelped in pain as the viscous blades slid effortlessly through her armor and into her flesh. It opened its maw, ready to strike. Mari shoved her dagger into its left eye, twisting as she went. The beast let go and began to thrash harder. She staggered back, watching it flop in pain. It eventually slowed, panting hard as it bled out.
The thing tried to eat Mari, but she still felt pity for it. She raised her dagger high as she approached it.
“Sorry big guy. It’s you or me.”
The beast looked at her with its good eye, then gurgled through its neck wound, “Make it . . . quick . . . .”
Mari nearly dropped her dagger. “Y-you can talk?”
The monster opened its eye again glaring at her. “Only to those . . . worthy predators . . . . Now . . . do it . . . .”
Mari hesitated. “Why’d you do it? Why attack us?”
The beast let out a choked laugh, “You looked like . . . easy prey . . . . Boss was wrong . . . .” It closed its eye again and slowed its breathing, “Now . . . finish it . . . .”
Mari shook her head, lowering her hand. “I can’t.”
The beast laughed again. “Then . . . die!”
It sprang up from the pool of blood it rested in, lunging for Mari. She gasped, then raised her dagger, burying it into her adversary’s chest as it lurched forward. It fell limp on top of her. She struggled to push it off, but it was too heavy. She looked around.
Timbrell launched a barrage of stones and twigs at the beast who had nearly torn his tree to shreds. Songrandir had her opponent by the throat, its neck in her jaws. One quick twist of her head sent a loud snapping so
und from her opponent. It immediately fell limp. She roared at the last beast, who, seeing its allies slain, quickly made for the waters of the lake. It disappeared beneath the murk as soon as it was in. Songrandir rushed over to Mari and lifted the dead beast with her jaws. Mari climbed out quickly.
“Thanks Song. You alright, Timb?”
The tiny pankin scurried down the shredded tree. It creaked and groaned as he went. When he was clear of it, a series of loud pops and snaps heralded the tree’s demise. It crashed to the ground, severed at the point where the beast had been clawing. Timbrell looked grayer than usual.
“That was too close for comfort, lassie. I think we had better keep moving forward.”
Mari laughed, feeling a sore, raw feeling in the back of her throat. She winced at the pain in her shoulder. “What’s the matter, Timb? I thought you wanted to rest a bit?”
Timbrell snorted as he scrambled to pick up their few belongings that got scattered in the fight. Mari ran her hand over Songrandir. She had several cuts and bites on her. A few looked particularly nasty, especially near her neck where the beast had latched on.
“You okay, Song? Those wounds look pretty bad. And we went and left our only healer back at camp.”
The drake cooed softly, rubbing her muzzle against Mari’s shoulder. The pain from the wound made her wince.
“Yeah, I got a little roughed up, too. Looks like Timb is the only one who escaped without a scratch.”
Timbrell stamped a paw as he shuffled forward with an armful of instruments. “Not true at all! I took quite a tumble at the start. Bumped me head real hard. Now I think I’ve got a bruise the size of an apple.”
Mari laughed, coughing at the same time. “An apple? That’s like the size of a melon comparatively! You want to ride up top today?”
Timbrell perked up. “Well, it is nice riding weather.” He put the belongings in their bag and scurried up to her shoulders. She groaned in pain as he put his weight on her injury. He halted and poked around the torn area.
“Lass, this is a bad one. You’re losing a lot of blood.”
Mari took a deep breath. “All the more reason to hurry.” She climbed onto Songrandir, careful to avoid her injured areas. “Come on, Song. Let’s get up that hill and into that tower. We have a dragon to deal with. I just hope Sawain isn’t too close behind us.”
Chapter 6:
Tracking a single drake in a thunderstorm proved a difficult challenge for Sawain and Banthan. The frigid deluge assaulted them, dulling their senses and reducing their visibility. Their pacing suffered as Eldingbál lost the trail several times. At these times, they would spend ten minutes or longer scouring the surrounding area for any traces of Songrandir. This happened frequently, with the trail growing colder by the moment. Six hours into the trek, the scent faded, and could not be recovered. Sawain gritted his teeth in frustration.
“We’re wasting time,” he shouted over the tempest. “We know they’re heading northwest! Let’s just make a run for it. We’ll never catch up to them like this!”
Banthan rode up to Sawain’s side, cutting Huggan off from his search. He tried to wipe the cold water from his face in vain.
“Knowing Mari, she’ll take a break eventually and make camp somewhere. We’ll risk riding right past her in the night.”
Sawain goaded his drake onward. “Fine by me. If we get to the dragon first, we can keep her from doing anything foolish.”
A groan escaped Banthan’s throat as he followed suit. “Great, so we can be the foolish ones in her stead. How heroic.”
Sawain urged Eldingbál onward, ignoring the last quip. He knew he had to make things right. He could not get Banthan’s words out of his head.
We follow you because we believe in you.
He wished he could share their confidence. So many people relied on him to make the right decisions, yet he constantly made mistakes. He knew if anything was to change, he would have to find the same faith his friends had in him. He just did not know where to look.
They pushed forward for hours, enduring the storm, fighting back hunger and fatigue. Sawain refused to stop even to rest. Over time, the bleak darkness turned into a pale gray. The rain subsided, replaced by a thick mist that hung like a curtain of ice in the air. They climbed a rocky hill as the sun managed to pierce the fog. Eldingbál halted suddenly, pointing his muzzle to the left. Sawain followed his gaze. In a valley below them, to the right of a murky lake, he could make out several figures moving around. The mist around them suddenly cleared and he could see that the tiny figures were thrashing about. A glowing icy stream erupted from one of the larger figures and Sawain immediately spurred his drake onward.
“There they are! Looks like they’re in trouble! We have to go now!”
Rocks and trees rushed past Sawain as Eldingbál dashed down into the valley at a breakneck speed. Sawain kept his eyes focused forward, steeling his mind, preparing for battle. Banthan was shouting behind him, but he did not have time to listen. He had to get to Mari, save her if he must, but ultimately stop her from making a serious mistake. He could not let her get to that dragon.
. . .
Mari looked back into the valley as Songrandir lifted the party up to the top of the tower’s hill. She gazed at the fallen monsters’ corpses and pitied them, though she did not know why. Movement caught her eye. The familiar form of Eldingbál emerged from a small grove near the bodies. Huggan and Banthan were right behind him. She saw Sawain riding fiercely. He looked angry. Her heart raced in panic.
“Oo-o-o-oh squirrel drops! They’ve found us. Come on, Song, move! We gotta get inside now.”
She saw Sawain look up in her direction as they reached the corpses. She instinctively ducked as Songrandir dashed forward, toward the outer wall. The drake clambered up the ancient stone effortlessly, digging her claws into the masonry. She leaped down into the courtyard below.
The inner garden did not have many beautiful plants. In fact, the few trees inside looked dead. Briars grew rampantly throughout the grounds. Mari tried to urge Songrandir forward, but she would not move. The drake shifted nervously, turning toward the wall again.
“C’mon, Song, we gotta move!”
Songrandir let out a whine and squatted in place. Mari huffed and climbed down.
“Fine, stay here then. You coming, Timb, or you want to stay with Song?”
Timbrell crossed his tiny arms. “Hmmm, what’s scarier? A dragon, or Sawain in a rage? Mmmm . . . I’ll go with you.”
Mari laughed as he climbed onto her shoulder. She coughed suddenly and violently as a stabbing pain radiated from her chest, causing her to nearly double over. Timbrell poked his head around, staring uncomfortably.
“Ye sure ye don’t want to rest?”
Mari straightened up, wiping her mouth. Grim determination clad her countenance. She didn’t answer, but put one foot in front of the other. She took a few steps and the briars shuddered and rose up around her, encircling her. She gasped. She had a foot of clearance in all directions of the wicked looking thorns. She turned about, worried Sawain would be over the wall in no time. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. The thorns shied away from her. In her excitement, she pressed on. The thorns retracted for a few feet, then halted. She barely stopped in time to avoid crashing into the tangle. She shifted left and right. The thorns receded on her right side.
“It’s a maze,” she said more to herself. “I’m a-Maze-ing at these puzzles! We’ll be through in no time!”
Mari turned right, following the row of thorns as she watched the tangle chase her from behind. She paused for a moment at an intersection, but the briars following her did not. She screamed as the thorns stabbed into her. She quickly pulled herself off and chose a path.
“This bush is getting pushy. We’d better hurry!”
She ran down invisible corridors, halting at dead ends and quickly finding the correct turns before the bramble caught up to her. Her chest began to burn as she ran low on stamina, her cough
ing growing ever more frequent. She could see the door to the tower, but every time she made for it, a new wall would bar her. She raced through the thicket, trying to bat back fear. She could have sworn she had made that last turn already.
“Awww, boar guts! I think I’m lost!”
Timbrell tapped her on the head. “Well, better get unlost! Look!”
She glanced over her shoulder. Sawain and Eldingbál appeared on top of the wall. He glared at her furiously.
“Mari!”
She gasped and turned back to her task. The door was feet away, but a wall of thorns blocked her way.
“There’s no time! We just have to go for it. Take cover, Timb!”
Timbrell squeaked and scurried under her cloak as she charged the thorn wall. To her surprise, it opened last second and let her stumble through. She straightened up with surprise on her features, then smiled triumphantly.
“Ah, the old false wall trick. I knew it the whole time.”
“Mari! Wait!”
Mari nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard Sawain calling her from the ground. She glanced back to see the hedge of thorns rise around him.
“No time to celebrate, Timb! We better move!”
She rushed into the tower. A heavy iron portcullis slammed shut behind her, throwing a cloud of dust into the air. She looked back nervously.
“Umm, well, not going back now. Maybe that’ll slow our pursuers down.” Timbrell shook fearfully. When he got in this mood, she knew he would not say much. She moved onward, looking around as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The room she walked through was another maze, this time of shelves that reached ten feet high, touching the ceiling. They ran perpendicular to one another in a zigzagging fashion, with a few feet between them to allow entry. Mari whistled.
“Wow, this place is huge! I bet there’s a million books in here.”
“Two million. Or more precisely, two million, three thousand, four hundred, and sixty five. And ten thousand, six hundred, and ninety one scrolls of magical origin.”
Mari jumped at the voice behind her. She spun around and came face to face with a man in dark robes. They were plain, devoid of any distinguishing details. The man looked to be young, with skin as white as a cloud on a spring day. His purple eyes shone with an otherworldly aura over his half moon spectacles. His scarlet hair hung around his face in straight strands. Mari staggered back, bumping a bookshelf.