by K Madill
Mandamus looked around. The trees that had been ripped out of the hill had all been thrust unevenly into the soil, some pushed in so hard that their trunks were split in two. Dead leaves littered the ground.
The dragolotl stuck his thumb claw into his mouth, never taking his eyes off Mandamus and Luco.
“I’m going over there for a better look,” Luco said. “You stay here.”
“What? No, I’m coming too,” Mandamus said as he trotted after Luco who’d already begun charging towards the creature.
Mandamus easily overtook Luco and blocked his path. “He’s probably just going to run again if we get too close,” he said. An old trick of his mother’s suddenly came to him, one she would use when he was young and wouldn’t follow her back to the caves at dusk. “Pretend that you don’t see him,” Mandamus said. “Just walk past.”
“What for?” asked Luco.
“Just trust me and play along,” He gave Luco a small push with his nose.
Luco gave Mandamus a conspiratorial wink. “Alright,” he agreed, “lead the way, my friend.”
“Well, Luco,” Mandamus said, trying to sound casual even though his heartbeat grew louder with every step towards the creature. “Doesn’t seem like there’s anything here, does it?” Might as well be on our way.”
He glanced at the creature from the corner of his eye. It had stopped sucking its thumb and crouched tensely as if it would pounce at any moment.
“Nope, you’re right. No dragolotl here,” Luco shouted, giving Mandamus two thumbs up. Mandamus shook his head, but the creature seemed not to notice Luco and breathed a sigh of relief that Mandamus guessed was because they were headed away from him.
They made their way past the makeshift forest and reached a pile of boulders that had been smartly arranged into a pyramid-shaped shelter. They slunk around the side of it and peered back at the dragolotl.
The dragolotl’s skin seeped back into its natural colour of shimmering pink with its feathery red gills and small wings.
Belly to the ground, he crawled towards the shelter, leaving a trail of glittering scales in the dirt.
Mandamus’ heart felt as though it was trying to leap from his chest for the dragolotl was drawing nearer and nearer. It reached the entrance, within sniffing distance of Luco and Mandamus and now Mandamus’ nose was clogged with its damp, dank smell. He let out a giant sneeze.
The dragolotl sprang into the air, yelping at the top of its lungs, then bolted inside the pyramid.
“Follow him!” Luco shouted, running after it. Mandamus groaned but he was Bonded to Luco so he trotted faithfully behind wondering if dragolotls ate horses.
The dragolotl’s lair was like a giant mouth waiting to swallow them both and as they entered, Mandamus noticed that the black obsidian rock that had been carefully placed. The den was well built and would provide good shelter.
Luco found a large branch in the entrance and lit the end of it. Although it was not a bright light, it was something. They cautiously entered the shelter with Mandamus leading the way. The ground was like hardened honey under their feet.
“Amber,” said Luco admiringly. “That’s what happens when dragolotls sleep in the same spot over a long time. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
But Mandamus didn’t care about amber, for scratching noises that could only be giant claws scrabbling on the ground filled the air.
“Hello,” Mandamus called. No answer came.
“Let me try,” Luco said, clearing his throat.
He held out the torch. “Hello!” he called. “Is anyone there?”
There was a loud hiss and then a gust of warm, gassy smelling air swept over them, sending Luco’s hat flying and grabbing hold of the small flame from his torch. A jet of fire blasted past Mandamus’ nose, singeing his whiskers. An ear-shattering squawk shook the ground.
“Run!” Mandamus cried. He spun around and shoved Luco, but Luco stood frozen, watching wide-eyed as the dragolotl charged out of the shadows and sprung towards them.
Mandamus desperately nipped Luco’s shoulder, then grabbed a mouthful of his shirt and started dragging him away. The dragolotl raced towards them and came to a skidding halt in front of Luco’s torch.
The dragolotl stared at the flame. Then, with a mewling sound, he rubbed his head along the cave wall and flopped down onto his side at Luco’s feet, purring loudly.
“Mama,” he said, in a raspy voice. He rolled onto his back showing his pale belly.
“Did he just call you ‘Mama’?” Mandamus asked, spitting out the bit of Luco’s shirt that was firmly clenched between his teeth.
“I think so,” Luco said, looking puzzled. “I think it’s because of the torch. He thinks I am a fire-breathing dragon.” He held up the flickering branch, and the dragolotl mewled.
Mandamus snorted.
“Hey, little guy,” Luco crouched down to scratch the dragolotl’s belly. The creature purred like cat, only deeper and louder, and gazed affectionately at Luco. Mandamus wondered where his real mother was.
“Where is your mama?” he asked the dragolotl.
The dragolotl rolled to his feet and stretched his head out to sniff Mandamus’ mane.
“Where is your mama?” Mandamus repeated, struggling not to tremble. The dragolotl’s fangs stuck out of his mouth and they were curved and jagged.
“Mama,” the dragolotl echoed, rubbing his head against the horse’s shoulder.
“Where has she gone, little fellow?” asked Luco, scratching the dragolotl’s chin.
Without waiting for Luco or Mandamus, he bounded off towards a grassy mound covered in tiny pink blossoms. With sinking suspicions, they followed.
What he’d thought was a hill, were the remains of the dragolotl’s mother. Her massive yellowing skeleton lay forlornly in the overgrown grass. Flowering vines wound through her ribcage and trailed down her spine.
The dragolotl hung his head and sniffed. “Mama,” he said.
“Oh, no! Luco, she’s dead,” Mandamus cried.
“I can see that,” Luco said quietly, reaching out to stroke the dragolotl. “It looks as though the army has been here, too, see that spear?”
Mandamus looked in the direction Luco pointed and could see a long, wooden handle thrust into the ground near the dragolotl’s skull. Stamped onto the handle was the same emblem he’d seen on the flags at the Sajan Plains; a triangular head with outwardly curved antennas.
“Men did this?” Mandamus asked, sadness washing over him.
Luco nodded. “The Rakhana from the looks of that spear. Most of the trophy hunters would heave her head onto a trailer and haul it away. They’d also take her claws, but the only thing that’s missing is her hide.”
“Her what?”
“Her skin,” Luco said, gingerly tracing his finger along the skeleton’s sun-bleached tailbone. “Dragolotl hide makes armour.” He looked around at the trampled grass and busted foliage. “Poor little fellow.” He patted the dragolotl’s head again.
The dragolotl, which was far from being little, began more of his strange, rumbling purr and rubbed his head against Luco, knocking him to the ground.
They were not sure what to do next. Clearly, the dragolotl was on his own and it didn’t feel right to just leave him but neither of them had any experience with dragolotls and they didn’t know where to begin. They hung around marveling over his translucent, pink hide and admiring the lair his mother had built until twilight came. Now, it was too dark to go anywhere, so Luco built a fire at the entrance of the shelter, poured water from his thermos into his tiny kettle, then put it on to boil. When the creature spied the flames, he rushed over and sat in them, knocking Luco’s kettle over.
“I don’t get it,” said Luco, as he retrieved his kettle. “He’s a water dragon, but he seems drawn to fire. So odd.”
“What are we go
ing to do with him?” Mandamus asked through a deep yawn. They had been climbing hills and valleys all day and he was exhausted.
Luco shrugged. He collapsed his tiny kettle and stuffed it into his bag, pulling out a small flask. “What can we do? We can’t just leave him here; we’ll have to take him with us.”
Mandamus nodded. Luco was right. They’d have to bring the creature along but Mandamus didn’t mind. He had been on his own and hadn’t liked it, so he knew how it felt, besides, the bigger the herd you had around you, the safer you were.
“I wonder what he eats?” Mandamus said, eyeing the creature closely, looking for traces of food around its mouth.
“I don’t know,” Luco said, pulling a bar out of his bag and unwrapping it. “I’m going to try giving him this.” He held the bar out to the dragolotl, who tentatively sniffed, then slurped up the bar and swallowed it whole.
“What was that?” Mandamus asked, as the creature begged for more.
“Dried raspberries,” Luco said with a grin. “Well, now we know at least one thing he likes.” He held one up for Mandamus who lipped it out of his hands.
“That ought to do you for dinner, you’ve had a lot of grass today,” Luco said. “Let’s try and get some rest.” He unrolled his sleeping bag and got inside, shutting his eyes with a weary sigh.
The hours that followed were the most difficult Mandamus had ever experienced. The dragolotl refused to go to sleep. He wouldn’t let Luco sleep. He wouldn’t let Mandamus sleep. He insisted that they play. And play. And play until a three-quarter moon rose high in the sky and the night animals made a circle in the woods around them to watch the goings-on by the dim light of their fire.
When Luco finally managed to settle him down, the dragolotl’s trilling noise grew so loud that they couldn’t sleep. When the creature finally did fall asleep, he tossed and moaned and finally, with a startled cry, jerked violently awake.
Luco curled up beside the dragolotl and petted his head until he drifted off but, again, the creature only slept for a few minutes before jolting awake with a howl.
“You go to sleep,” Mandamus told Luco, noting the dark circles around his eyes.
And so, Mandamus spent the rest of the night being jumped on, mock-charged, and having his tail chewed.
The stars had faded and been replaced with a dull grey sky by the time Luco sat up in his sleeping bag with a loud yawn. Mandamus stood, half-dozing beside the dragolotl who had been gnawing contently on a branch for the last hour.
Luco pulled some granola bars from his pack and offered one to the dragolotl and one to Mandamus, both of which snapped them up.
Luco packed up his things and motioned for Mandamus to follow him and Mandamus knew that Luco was expecting that the dragolotl would trail along behind him. Luco was right. The dragolotl watched him with bright, interested eyes and when they began trekking down the dirt path through the scant plain, the dragolotl, with one last forlorn look at the heap of bones, trailed along behind Mandamus and Luco.
Dark clouds billowed above but Mandamus didn’t mind for he found without the beating sun, travel was pleasant. They journeyed for hours, stopping only for lunch and then, after walking all afternoon, they came upon a deep stream. With an ecstatic squeal, the dragolotl hurled himself into it. The water was deep, and as he soaked, his coat blended in with the colourful pebbles.
“It’s getting dark,” Luco said, after a few minutes of trying to coax the dragolotl out with no success. “We might as well find a place to sleep.” He pulled his compass out of his pocket and squinted at it quizzically.
“That’s weird,” he muttered.
“What’s weird?” Mandamus asked but before Luco answered, a strange feeling stole over him. The hair on his body stiffened into spiky points. His heart thumped. The air hummed with intensity and he could feel a force, immense, and maternal, close by. It was watching. Waiting. He took a deep huff of air but the only scent he caught was Luco and the dragolotl.
“The arrow is spinning, and the weirdest words keep showing up in the ring,” Luco said, looking confused.
“What words?” Mandamus whispered, flaring his nostrils to find danger. Nothing.
“Destiny and family,” Luco said sounding confused. “How could any of my family be here? They’re all at home in Roseneath. And destiny? What the heck would my destiny be doing in the middle of the woods?”
“I don’t know,” said Mandamus and as quickly as that odd feeling had surged over him, it ebbed as if the energy he’d felt had been some large animal that was lumbering back into the brush.
He would have ignored the feeling but for the words in Luco’s compass which he now trusted. While it could never replace a nose, the compass had still been right about the dragolotl, it had needed to be rescued. What could the words ‘destiny and family’ possibly mean?
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Luco muttered.
Mandamus agreed.
“Does it say ‘danger’?” Mandamus asked, suddenly drained. The strange feeling that had overwhelmed him had vanished and now, he wondered if it had even really happened. Perhaps his instinct was playing tricks on him. He had barely slept, and he knew that being as exhausted as he was could affect his senses. “I say we find a place to eat and sleep,” he told Luco through a massive yawn.
“Good idea,” Luco agreed, stuffing the compass back in his pocket. “But let’s push into the bush a little further,” and they headed down the path, with the dragolotl in tow, foolishly believing that the day’s adventures were almost over.
Chapter 9
The River of Lethe
A piercing bolt of pain shot through the bottom of Mandamus’ front left hoof and with a howl, he dropped to his front knees then crashed onto his side.
The dragolotl rushed over and licked his face with worried eyes.
“Oh, no! Are you alright?” Luco cried, pushing the dragolotl out of the way and hovering worriedly over him. “What’s wrong?”
“I stepped on something,” Mandamus cried, craning to see his foot. It felt as though something was chewing its way into his hoof. “There’s something in there!” He floundered.
“Easy, easy,” Luco said, jumping out of the way of his kicking legs. “You’ve got to stay still so I can have a look.” Mandamus let out a wail and even though he wanted to twist, he stayed perfectly still as Luco examined his foot closely. “Oh, would you look at that,” he said.
“What?”
“Uh, oh,” Luco muttered.
“What?” The pain, which felt like many small knives all stabbing him at once, had now reached his shoulder.
“It’s an alliworm,” Luco answered. The dragolotl let out a small cry and clambered up a fallen tree, staring anxiously at the ground around them.
“A what?” Mandamus said faintly, his head beginning to swim.
“An alliworm,” Luco said again as he pulled out a writhing worm with a snapping, tooth-lined snout. “Gross!” Luco cried, flinging it away. He turned back to Mandamus’ hoof. “Alliworms dig into their prey,” he said, “and then paralyze them with venom. He wasn’t in there for long, but he’s made a nice little hole in the bottom of your hoof.”
“It hurts,” Mandamus groaned, and a wave of nausea washed over him. The dragolotl hopped down from the log and came back over to give him a comforting nuzzle.
“Can you make it a few more steps at least?” asked Luco. “Until we get off the main path?”
Mandamus rolled onto his belly and, tucking his legs under him, he tried to stand. His vision turned black as fresh pain engulfed him. He crumpled back down.
“Just leave me here,” he groaned.
“I’m not going to do that,” Luco told him, rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a small tube and popping off the cap, he smeared greasy salve onto Mandamus’ hoof. The wound sizzled, and a bitter smell wafted out.
>
“What is that?” asked Mandamus, wincing at the stench. “It reeks.”
“It may stink, but it will do the trick for now,” said Luco, dribbling more of the concoction onto Mandamus’ foot.
“Does that feel any better?” Luco asked as he snapped the cap back on the tube.
Mandamus had to admit that the sharp stabbing sensation had been numbed to a dull ache. In fact, he could barely feel his leg at all. His eyes drooped sleepily but, at Luco’s urging, he got to his feet and limped clumsily behind him, into a thicket of trees with white, papery bark.
“Good boy, Mandamus,” said Luco, twisting around to check on him as they wove their way through the slender trees. Mandamus halted, sniffing the air deeply for the air had suddenly become overpowered with the scent of sugar.
Despite the anguish in his foot, Mandamus’ mouth watered. He could practically taste the sweetness. “Maybe it’s the leaves, making that smell,” he said to himself. “I wonder how they taste” and just as he was about to take a test nibble, a small urgent voice, very deep inside of him, told him to grab Luco. Mandamus braced himself as best he could on his good three legs and snagged Luco’s backpack in his teeth, yanking him back and just in time too, for Luco had almost stepped over the edge of a deep drop off.
“What in the—?” Luco shouted, arms flailing.
Mandamus unclenched his jaw and Luco dropped to the ground.
“What was…I almost…how did you…?” Luco stammered. He shook his bag his shoulders then crawled to the edge of the cliff and peered over.
“I didn’t even see it,” he said, his voice shaky. Still, on all fours, he stared up at Mandamus who limped to the brink for a look himself. “Where did it come from?” Luco squeaked. “I swear, it wasn’t there until you grabbed me.”
Spread out before them, where there had only been forest moments before, was a large, deep canyon. At the bottom was a dark rushing river that pooled into a swirling black lake. Surrounding the lake was a beach of white pebbles.