Spirit (Legend of the Dragons Book 1)

by Denelle Elison

  Chapter 2

  Jerrick gazed down at the girl now lying in a heap on the floor. He was completely stunned. He felt it all. He felt his magic churning inside of him as if a flame had been ignited. He was stunned, in complete awe, and totally confused.

  He crouched low to Briahnna’s body to make sure she was okay. He could see her chest rise and fall with each breath. She was still alive. Jerrick stepped over to one of the men lying haphazardly within the room, crouched down, and watched him. He was completely still. Jerrick reached his hand out to feel his chest. The man wasn’t breathing. He didn’t have a heartbeat. As Jerrick’s eyes roamed the room they stopped on the one body that was still alive.

  Her name was Briahnna. Who was she? Where did she come from? Why could he feel her earlier, but not now?

  He heard voices and the plodding of hooves. People were approaching the house. He knew what he had to do. He strode to Briahnna and stood in front of her, blocked her from anyone that might enter, and released his magic.

  . . .

  Daniel opened the door cautiously to the dilapidated little house and was blasted by a gust of wind. He saw a boy at the corner of the house standing in a bubble of magic. The door swung off of its hinges and out of sight. The earth trembled beneath the guard’s feet and into the house. Dust blew in a billow around them and around the bubble of safety from which the boy stood.

  King Rinald shoved the mage out of the way to get into the house, positive that it was his daughter’s magic causing the destruction. Using his own element of wind and earth, he forced the magic back into the house and froze when he saw the mass of bodies and the boy standing in a protective stance in front of his daughter. She was lying in a helpless heap on the floor.

  “BOY!” yelled the king as magic surrounded them, “STAND DOWN!”

  “NO!” yelled the boy.

  “YOU CANNOT HOLD YOUR MAGIC FOREVER! YOU ARE USING TOO MUCH!” King Rinald roared, desperate to get to his daughter. “LET ME HELP HER!”

  “NO! I HAVE TO PROTECT HER! DON’T COME NEAR HER!”

  King Rinald could see the exhaustion in the boy’s eyes, and knew that he couldn’t hold it much longer. “IS SHE ALIVE? IS SHE BREATHING?”

  Jerrick paused at this. He had only checked her once. Had her body succumbed to death as everyone else’s had in the room? He looked behind him, and his concentration broke. Big arms grasped his, and he was wrestled to the ground.

  “Get off me!” screamed Jerrick trying to wriggle free of his restraints. “I have to help her! I have to keep her safe! Leave her alone!”

  King Rinald made his way to his daughter – relieved at the steady rise and fall of her chest – cradled her to him, and walked out of the house.

  “Bring the boy to the palace. Place him in a guest room with a guard. Make sure he stays while I attend to Bri. I wish to question him,” the king ordered Daniel.

  Jerrick kicked, screamed, and writhed as the guard wrestled him to the horses. He had exerted so much energy that he passed out as Daniel placed him into the saddle.

  . . .

  Rinald couldn’t fathom what his daughter was doing in that part of the city, and what this boy had to do with it. She remained asleep and he restlessly paced while the physician scanned her body.

  “She has no injuries,” stated the physician. “It seems she is just thoroughly exhausted. I do not know when she will wake. Her body seems to be in a state of rest. She could wake tonight, tomorrow, or maybe even in a week. I do not know. But I do know that she is safe from any internal or external injuries.”

  Queen Adriahnna thanked Healer Kyar as he exited, “May the wind be at your back.”

  “I’m going to check on the boy,” said Rinald, kissing his wife and following the physician.

  Jerrick was lying on his back on top of the four-poster bed when Rinald entered. Jerrick looked over, studied the tall, broad shouldered man, and resumed his study of the ceiling.

  “What’s your name?” asked the King as he looked at the bruised swollen-faced boy.

  Jerrick kept his vigilant gaze on the ceiling without a word. His face and arms swollen with bruises and cuts.

  “Who were all those men?” asked Rinald, hoping for more than silence. “Do you know who I am?” Silence…Rinald sighed. “Why were you with my daughter?”

  Jerrick tore his gaze from the ceiling and looked at the King. “Where is Briahnna?”

  King Rinald nodded, understanding. “She’s safely resting in her quarters. Would you like to see her?” This boy could be no older than his own daughter. He did not see the harm in letting him see her, for the boy had only been trying to protect her when he and his guard had found them.

  Jerrick nodded eagerly.

  King Rinald led the way out of the door with the boy in tow. “You may sit with her for a bit. However, she is in a state of rest, for I assume she has expended a good deal of energy…” The king looked down at the boy with raised eyebrows. “So please do not attempt to wake her.”

  Jerrick nodded, not quite sure how to address the man before him. He still hadn’t figured out who King Rinald was.

  Rinald opened the door for Jerrick to enter. Jerrick inhaled when he saw Briahnna lying on her bed. He looked up at Rinald, silently asking for permission to be near her, and Rinald responded with a nod. Jerrick crossed the threshold and stood at the side of Briahnna’s bed. He felt drawn to her. So he gently grabbed her hand and sighed in relief. He could feel her magic pulsing through him.

  King Rinald placed a chair behind him, and Jerrick sat watching Briahnna as she slept.

  “My name is Jerrick,” he said gazing at her.

  “Will you answer my questions now?” asked the King as he scrutinized the boy’s reaction to his daughter.

  “If you’ll tell me who you are,” said Jerrick.

  “My name is Rinald,” said Rinald, “King of Mageia. This is the Princess Briahnna, my daughter.” The King didn’t miss the look of surprise as Jerrick watched the princess.

  “Oh.” Jerrick’s gaze moved warily to the King. “What do you want to know?”

  “Who were the men we found lying about the house?” King Rinald asked simply.

  “They are the men who work for the Gofroud brothers. They run an organization of thieves.” Jerrick looked down as he spoke. “They kidnap young children and teach them how to steal.”

  “Were you kidnapped, Jerrick?” asked the King.

  Jerrick shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  “Why was Briahnna with you?” the King asked for a second time that evening.

  “I don’t know. She said she felt me. I feel her, too.”

  “What do you mean you feel her?” he asked, taken aback.

  “When she came and found me she took my hand and I could feel her… magic? Is that what it is, magic?” Jerrick looked inquisitorially at the King.

  “You were using it. Haven’t you used your magic before?”

  “No,” answered Jerrick. “I felt it…come alive? When Briahnna touched me.” He sighed. “I’m tired. Can I go to bed now?”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean to keep you awake. Let me take you back to your room.” The King smiled at him. “You will have to bathe before you sleep, however. I’ll have the head housekeeper see to your needs and send a healer as well.”

  Chapter 3

  Briahnna woke at about lunchtime the next day, and once again felt him. Jerrick, she thought. That’s right. She threw her covers off and ran down to the kitchens. He was seated at the servants’ table eating. He turned when he felt her walk in.

  “Hi,” she said as she sat beside him.

  “Hi,” Jerrick said.

  “Ah, Princess, you are awake! Wonderful! Let me get you something to eat,” said Cook.

  “Thank you Cook,” said Briahnna, while she watched Jerrick eat. “You have light hair,” she stated looking at his blond mop.

  “Yeah.” Embarrassed, Jerrick continued eating.

  “You’re n
ot scared to be here.” He seemed to feel more wary than anything.

  “It’s not a scary place,” he said

  “I think it’s a wonderful place,” she said grinning. “You’ll like it very much here.”

  Jerrick set his food down and looked at her. “You think I’m going to stay here?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and brought his fork of food back to his mouth. “Why can we feel each other?”

  Excited, her eyes widened. “Isn’t it amazing? We have a gift.”

  “A gift?” He gave her a sideways glance, unsure of the girl who was practically bursting at the seams with pent up energy sitting next to him.

  She wanted to take away his wariness. Grabbing his hand after seeing that he was through with his meal, she stood, “Come with me, I’ll show you the palace and the grounds.”

  “Bumble Bee,” Cook warned as she stared Briahnna down. “You eat before you run off, Princess. No leaving my kitchen until that food is cleaned off your plate.”

  “Oh!” Briahnna exclaimed, realizing she was actually very hungry. “Of course.” She shoveled the food into her mouth and Jerrick smiled. “Bumble Bee?” he asked.

  “It’s the nickname my father gave to me when I was small,” Briahnna answered through a mouthful of food, ignoring Cook’s loud grunt of disdain at her complete lack of manners. “He said that I’m like a bee, because I help with the kingdom.”

  Jerrick raised confused eyebrows at her.

  Briahnna laughed, spitting food everywhere. “He says bees possess a need to work together; each doing their part to make the load light because they faithfully work to keep the hive running. I am a faithful bee,” she said smiling and sitting up proudly.

  Taking Jerrick’s hand, Briahnna drug him to his feet. “Come on.”

  Jerrick’s mouth turned up at the corner in a half-grin. “Bumble Bee Bri.”

  “That’s me!” Briahnna said, smiling widely. “Now, come on!” she exclaimed, yanking his hand for him to follow.

  Bri gave Jerrick a quick tour of the palace and ran with him in tow as they descended the palace steps into the grounds. The steps ran narrow at the top and into a curved wide arch at the bottom where they met a stepping stone path that led to a pond marking the center of the grounds. A variety of flowers lined the path encasing the pond within. There were four points of exit. The exits started from the west – back toward the palace and the sea behind – north and south – each leading to a beautiful flowering tree; spring was in bloom after all – and east – leading to the outermost wall.

  Briahnna led him north to the outside of the flower-lined path. She could feel his anxiety slowly seeping away.

  “Watch,” she said, concentrating on her magic.

  Jerrick laughed. Flower petals from a small group of flowers within the garden, crawled along the ground like little bugs around them. Different colors waddled away. He thought it one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.

  “Can I feel how it works, Princess?” Jerrick asked meekly, gazing at her hand.

  “Of course! And you can call me Bri.”

  Nodding quickly, he took her hand. They felt power and energy emanating from their touch and Briahnna laughed when Jerrick made the blossoms from the nearby tree fly overhead. It was like a pink cluster of butterflies. Bri’s happiness at the sight flowed through him, and he laughed with her.

  Briahnna’s face straightened with concentration to make the blossoms blow in a whirlwind around them. Jerrick looked around, awestruck, and gathered the water from the pond in a steady stream that tunneled around the blossoms.

  Briahnna glanced at him and asked, “Can you hold it by yourself?”

  “I think so,” Jerrick replied.

  She let go of his hand and leapt through the surrounding blossoms and water. Jerrick heard her giggles as he watched her blurry form on the outside. She leapt through again – completely soaked through – grabbed Jerrick’s hand once more and reenergized their magic.

  He laughed at her soggy appearance, then let go of her hand and jumped through, turning around to see her within their circle of elements. He leapt back through and Briahnna grabbed his hand automatically. Giving him a conspiratory grin, they leapt through together.

  . . .

  After all the guards had pointed them in the direction of the kitchens, King Rinald stuck his head in and asked Cook if she’d seen Briahnna.

  “She was just here with the boy. She took him to see the palace and its grounds, Your Majesty.”

  “Oh,” the King exhaled in relief. “We must have missed her while we were looking. Thank you.” He took Adriahnna’s hand and led her out to the palace grounds.

  Exiting the palace they found Briahnna and Jerrick jumping through a tunnel of water and blossoms, completely soaked through, and giggling.

  “Oh my,” breathed the Queen. She gathered her senses and with a stern voice called, “Briahnna!”

  “Oh, Mother!” Briahnna exclaimed, breaking both her and Jerrick’s concentration. The tunnel of water dumped on their heads when they looked at the King and Queen.

  Rinald let out a bark of laughter as he watched the scene. Adriahnna gave him a stern gaze, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

  “Did you see that?” screeched Briahnna, running to her mother and leaping into her embrace.

  “Oh, Dear Heart! You’re soaked through,” the Queen said, looking down at the imprints of wet that Briahnna left on her own gown.

  “I know, I know. But did you see?” the princess asked excitedly.

  “It was amazing Bumble Bee,” King Rinald said with fondness. “I’ve never seen someone play in her own magic,” he laughed.

  “Oh dear,” said the Queen. Her beautiful flower garden and tree were completely bare. “Bri, I thought I told you to leave my garden alone.”

  Jerrick looked at the Queen feeling Briahnna’s shame from her mother’s disappointment. He grabbed her hand and led her to the tree.

  He touched the tree with his palm and wonder lit Briahnna’s eyes. Blossoms were blooming from newly sprouted buds.

  “I’ve never been able to do that,” she said. “I’ve only been able to grow a few at a time and never in one day.” She led him to the flowerbed then placed her palm on the emptied patch of ground, and they watched the flowers grow. Bri laughed in delight, and Jerrick returned her smile.

  The King and Queen gazed, astonished, at each other.

  “Have you ever seen anything like that?” asked the Queen in a hushed voice.

  “I’ve seen it from very powerful earth mages, but they usually have exerted so much energy that they have to rest for at least a day. It’s a powerful thing to grow something.” He paused and looked at the children. “They seem to feed off of each other’s magic, reenergizing one another.”

  “Bri, come here,” the King commanded, watching Adriahnna’s gaze return to the children.

  Briahnna made her way to him. “Yes, Father?”

  “May we speak with you both?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied, taking Jerrick to her parents.

  They all made their way to the steps of the palace to sit.

  “Do you remember last evening? What happened I mean? Why you left to find Jerrick,” the King asked cautiously.

  Briahnna’s eyes widened, and she began replaying the night before in her head. A child of ten years tends to think in ten different directions at once, and she had completely forgotten about the night before in the excitement of finding her new friend. She proceeded to tell her father of the happenings of the previous evening, up until she released her magic. She couldn’t recall what had happened after…“Oh, Father!” she exclaimed. “I have a new magic. I don’t know what it is, but I felt it wanting to be released when I needed to help Jerrick. When they were hurting him…” She gazed down at the ground, appalled at what she had witnessed.

  “Wait,” said Jerrick. “You don’t remember killing them?”<
br />
  The King exhaled in exasperation.

  “What?” Bri asked in horror.

  “You ki–” Jerrick began but the King cut him off.

  “Bri, do you know what this new magic is?” he asked gently.

  Briahnna watched the pond in front of them in shock. “What did I do, Father?” she asked.

  “It’s okay, Bumble Bee. I just want to know if you know what this new magic is,” said Rinald.

  “No!” Trembling, Bri looked at Jerrick with tears in her eyes. “What happened?”

  Her anguish rolled through Jerrick. He looked at her tear-soaked eyes and said, “I’m sorry…I thought you knew.”

  “I don’t. What happened?”

  King Rinald watched the exchange in consternation.

  “I don’t really know. You lit up and then…passed out when the light hit everybody else…I don’t really want to tell you,” the boy said meekly.

  “I have to know what happened, Jerrick.”

  “All the men died when they were blasted with your light,” Jerrick said, staring down at the walkway.

  “NO!” exclaimed Briahnna. “I didn’t mean to. I just released what was inside of me. I don’t understand, I thought magic was to help, grow, save…not kill. I didn’t want to kill them! I wanted to help Jerrick! They were beating him to death, Father!” Briahnna pleaded.

  “I know Bri,” said Rinald, looking at Jerrick with renewed understanding.

  Adriahnna stood and took their daughter in her arms.

  “We’ll do some research. We’ll find out what this is.” Rinald said in an attempt to comfort her.

  Briahnna nodded, wiped at her tears, and looked up at her father. She felt Jerrick’s sadness from making her cry and reached out to touch his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

  . . .

  “Who is this boy?” Adriahnna asked Rinald when they were readying themselves for their evening meal.

  “I think he’s Lord Tristeil’s lost boy,” Rinald said cautiously.