Kill the Dragon (Lake of Dragons Book 1)

by E. Michael Mettille

  “Ye haven’t changed a bit,” Ymitoth beamed, “except maybe for that weak excuse of a beard ye be wearing on your chin.”

  Maelich chuckled, “Well neither have you, except for a few more wrinkles and all the gray streaks in your hair. What is it they call that? Oh yes, dignified. I couldn’t remember if that was the word they used or if they just called it old.”

  Ymitoth laughed out loud, “Aye, ye keep me humble, son. Still, the years haven’t been too cruel to me. Have they?”

  “Not at all. You look good, father. I should say you’re a feast for my weary eyes. It’s good to be home,” his words were earnest and true.

  “Come, son, we’ve precious little time to be reminiscing. I be knowing your presence here must be short. I also be knowing there be another ye’ll be wanting to see,” Ymitoth finished with a devious grin and a raised eyebrow.

  “What’s with the funny look?” Maelich smiled, knowing full well of whom Ymitoth spoke, “Why should my desire to see Perrin raise such silliness on your face?”

  Ymitoth raised his hands up, shrugged and gave an exaggerated look of confusion, “Oh, there be no good reason for me jest. Except maybe for the fact the young lass ye be speaking of has blossomed into quite a beautiful flower. All the bachelors in Havenstahl be having an eye for that one. She be entertaining no suitors, though. She says she be waiting for one she knows will be coming back to her. Maybe ye be that one.”

  Maelich’s cheeks reddened. “Hmm,” was all he could muster.

  Ymitoth’s report got Maelich’s mind wandering. Perrin would be in her eighteenth year. When he had accepted her as his responsibility, and vowed to see her through to safety, he saw her as something of a sister. Judging from what Ymitoth had said, she didn’t view him the same way. He was eager to see her, to speak with her, to tell her about his travels. They had missed much. Besides Ymitoth, she was the only thing he had resembling family.

  Maelich turned back to the crowd and held out his hands. He gave them a blessing, letting a feeling of easiness and comfort flow from himself into them. Soon the murmurs of the crowd ceased, and people began to leave feeling a relaxing sense of peace.

  Once the crowd had departed, Ymitoth had a guard take Validus to the stables. Then he led Maelich back toward the palace, down the stone streets Maelich missed so. It was funny, he had only spent but a few days in Havenstahl, yet he felt such a strong connection to her. It was as if that were his home from childhood rather than the hut at the foot of Keller’s hill. No matter what the reason, a fullness nourished him. He felt grounded, finally enjoying a bit of peace for himself.

  “It’s been a long time, father,” Maelich sighed as he strolled along at Ymitoth’s side.

  “Aye, lad,” Ymitoth agreed, “twelve summers be a long time indeed. Ye’ve missed much, and ye’ll be missing more. I be knowing your time here be short. Still, we be having a few moments. Tell me about your training with the great and mighty.”

  Maelich grinned, “It didn’t start out so well. He killed Jom during our first meeting. I haven’t forgiven him for that, don’t expect I will.”

  “Why, in the name of Kallum, would he be doing something like that?” shock dripped from Ymitoth’s tone.

  “Partly to show me his strength, I suppose,” Maelich shrugged, “but mostly to raise my ire enough to loose my flame. He certainly succeeded in that. I burned the whole mountaintop.”

  “I can imagine ye did,” the king replied somberly.

  A faraway look crept onto Maelich’s face, “The pain of that didn’t last long. Enchantment hangs about the place. It makes it hard to hold onto to anything.”

  “Brerto be a powerful creature,” Ymitoth noted.

  “He is,” Maelich reflected. After a brief pause, he added, “The rest of it wasn’t very noteworthy. I did a lot of reading, even more meditating. I learned how to reach down to the core of Ouloos and all the way out to the stars. I’m still learning, but I can touch everything. No, that’s not quite right. I’m connected to everything, like part of it. It’s hard to explain.”

  Maelich kicked a pebble. As it skittered across the smooth stone, he changed the subject, “What happened to the bridge. It’s different.”

  “Ah, the dragon,” Ymitoth began, “It was in the days shortly after ye left Havenstahl for Alharin that the dragon came calling. I had sent a force to hunt down a pack of Amatilazo that were making their home in The Sobbing Forest. After the hunt, while the men were sweeping the forest for injured soldiers, they came across a wounded man. He bore the crest of the dragon so they thought of putting him out of his misery. However, he had the look of a warrior, and they got to thinking he may be having some value for our cause.”

  Maelich interrupted, “He bore the crest of the dragon? I faced a man who bore the crest on the road to Alharin.” He searched his memory and added, “He called himself Daritus.”

  Ymitoth stopped, “That be the one! That be the man they captured. His hair being all black and wavy like his beard.”

  Maelich thought some more, “I didn’t kill him then.”

  “What’s that ye say?”

  “I toppled him in battle and thrust my sword into his chest. There was a bright flash. When I woke, he was gone. I had all but forgotten about that.”

  “Nay, ye didn’t kill him. A pack of amatilazo almost did. The soldiers brought him back here and Hagen healed him. The first day I could be questioning him, I was. I questioned him until he passed out from exhaustion. Then I watched him slumber. He went on and on about how Kallum be a violent and fearsome god, and all other kind of nonsense like that. He didn’t tell me nothing, though. Then, in the darkness, another warrior come to save him. I went to attack, but it was a lass. When I looked in her eyes, it be…it be…well, it be like looking in yours. I lost me bearings and they escaped. The bridge be closed then, and they toppled it. I sent out troops to track them down, but they came up with nothing. I never seen them again,” Ymitoth looked thoughtful for a moment.

  A confused look slowly spread across Maelich’s face, “She looked like me?”

  Before Ymitoth could answer, they were interrupted. “Maelich!” Perrin shouted as she ran up the street to greet him.

  At first, Maelich didn’t recognize her. Ymitoth had not exaggerated. The blue-eyed little girl he remembered had grown into a beautiful young woman. Something swept over him just then, a strange, foreign feeling. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but an odd desire swelled in him. It was almost like hunger. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she slammed into him. He pulled her close as she buried her face deep in his chest. They both held on tight as if letting go would cause them to fall. The feeling in Maelich’s chest became warmth, then heat. Not like the heat on the mountain with Brerto. No, there were no flames this time. This was something entirely different.

  Ymitoth flushed with embarrassment as he said, “I’ll be letting ye catch up. We’ll be meeting inside.”

  Ymitoth’s words were mostly lost on Maelich. He and Perrin were in a world of their own just then. They had developed a special bond, the kind of bond that’s only created under the most extreme conditions. They both had great, empty spaces to fill when they first met. Filling those for each other, they formed a bond none could break.

  “I wasn’t knowing if ye’d ever be coming back to me,” Perrin said, her voice slightly muffled in Maelich’s chest.

  Maelich’s eyes were closed as he embraced her, “I promised you I’d return, didn’t I?”

  She looked up at him, “Aye, ye did. Truly, I knew ye’d be coming back. It was…it was just so long.”

  “I know,” he replied softly, almost a whisper, as he gently caressed her cheek, “too long.”

  Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she kissed him. At first, he was nervous, stopping just short of pulling away from her. Instead, he kissed her back. He ran his fingers up into her hair as they kissed long and deep. The heat grew between them, their passion blazing, as if they were making up for y
ears of lost memories.

  Maelich’s thoughts were scattered all about. Perrin suddenly seemed less like a sister and more like something else. Her lips on his felt wrong at first. The sensation didn’t last. It was quickly replaced by desire, that odd hunger he’d felt at first seeing her after all the time that had passed. He let it consume him, submitting to feelings he couldn’t control. There was a strange sense of freedom in completely letting go, giving up all control to this alien desire. Their passion mounted until they were soaring. Her body slumped against his, as his strong arms held her tight.

  Perrin’s thoughts were quite focused. She had dreamt of this day since Maelich left her so many years ago. However, her decision to give herself to him came just in the last few years. As she grew, her feelings for him changed. When boys started noticing her, she always found herself comparing them to him, the one who saved her and saw her through the darkness. In her mind, he had always been by her side, ruling her dreams and dominating her thoughts. She had begun to fantasize about spending all her days with him. In his absence, she fell in love with him. Right at that moment, wrapped in arms she’d so longed for, she knew he felt the same for her. Falling deeper into his kiss, her dreams were coming true.

  As her lips lingered long on his, the heat between them continued to rise. Pressed tightly against each other, they both felt as if they might erupt at any moment. Suddenly, Maelich pulled away. An embarrassed smile washed over his face, as he gently kissed her cheek.

  “What…” Perrin began, her expression echoed her confusion.

  “Shh,” he whispered, as he put a finger to her lips and pulled her close to him again, “There’ll be plenty of time for us to catch up. Before all that, I should probably speak to your father.”

  Perrin’s look of confusion faded into a wide smile, “What could ye be needing to talk with him about?”

  “Well,” he began, trying his best to look serious, “if it’s your hand I wish to hold for the rest of my days, then I’ll need to ask for it.”

  Perrin squealed and jumped up on him, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck, “Do ye mean it?”

  Maelich gave a surprised chuckle to her excitement, “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend my days with.”

  She jumped down, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the tavern, “Hurry up then! Let’s ask him.”

  They pounded through the door at the back of Perrin’s Place—the tavern owned by Kendal and Haleen—deep in a mad fit of giggles. They nearly fell to the floor of the roomy hut that connected to the rear of the tavern. Kendal made a good living running the place and the décor in his hut reflected that. The great room occupied most of the space. Haleen sat at a fancy, hand-carved table at its center. Off to the left were a large stove and a counter for preparing meals. To the right, parked in front of a fireplace, Kendal and Ymitoth sat on a pair of finely crafted chairs. A small table between them supported the weight of two pints and a thick book. The table and chairs all rested on a luxurious fur carpet. Next to the fireplace was a doorway that led into another room. Above the doorway was a loft. Maelich tried to collect himself as the group inside the hut all jumped at the commotion he and Perrin made

  Kendal rose to greet them, “Well look at ye, lad. Ye be all grown up. Oh…and what be this? Ye even be having the beginnings of a beard.”

  “The years have been kind to you, sir,” Maelich replied, still trying to compose himself as he crossed the room and offered his hand.

  Kendal eyed Maelich suspiciously as they grasped forearms. However, before he could inquire about the odd behavior, Perrin interrupted him.

  Pushing past Maelich, Perrin hugged her father, kissed his cheek, and chimed, “Hello, Papa,” before skipping over to take a spot next to Haleen at the table.

  Finally, Haleen piped up, “Well, ye both look like ye be carrying around the biggest secret in the history of Havenstahl. Come on, let’s have it then.”

  Perrin put a hand on each of Haleen’s cheeks and kissed her lips, smacking her own lips and making a big mwah sound as she did. Then she giggled, “Mama, Papa, Maelich be having something to ask of ye.”

  Kendal wrinkled up his brow as he looked back at Maelich, whose face had begun to redden as he grinned like a happy idiot. “Well, lad,” he asked, “what is it ye be needing to ask of us?”

  Maelich looked over at Perrin and raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t intended on opening the conversation in quite this fashion. Unfortunately, his intentions no longer mattered. Perrin had left him in a spot. Oh well, why wait?

  “Kendal, sir,” Maelich began, “it is my intention to spend the rest of my days with Perrin at my side. She is in agreement…”

  “’Tis true, ‘tis true, I be in agreement with all of that!” Perrin interrupted.

  Maelich looked at her and bugged his eyes out, as if to quiet her. Then he continued, “As I was saying, she is in agreement, and I’d like to ask you to bless our union. As her father, I cannot rightly take her to be my own without your approval.”

  Kendal looked a bit shocked, as did the rest of the room besides Perrin and Maelich. He scratched his head and stared at Maelich for what seemed an eternity. The room fell silent. Even Perrin’s giggling had stopped, as a nervous expression took the place of her wide smile and laughing eyes. Ymitoth rose from his chair stroking his beard. Haleen looked to the ceiling, her left hand resting just below her neck. Kendal looked to Ymitoth as if to ask, “What shall I say?” A dusty piece of wood gave a loud crack in the fireplace and broke the silence. Everyone jumped.

  Haleen spoke first, “Whatever made the two of ye think of something like this? Ye ain’t seen each other for twelve summers. Ye don’t hardly be knowing each other anymore.”

  Perrin grabbed her mother’s arm and pleaded, “But we do, mama. He’s been in me thoughts ever since he left me. He haunts me dreams, and I can’t think of life without him. Ye must be giving us your blessing.”

  Kendal looked in Maelich’s eyes, “Your journey ain’t yet finished, lad. What time ye be having for me daughter?”

  Maelich put a hand on Kendal’s shoulder, “It’s true, my task is not yet complete, and I will have to leave again before we can begin our life together. I can promise you this, though. My heart belongs to Perrin. It always has in one form or another. I will come back for her, no matter where my path leads me.”

  Kendal let out a long, low sigh, “Maelich, we all know ye be the lad of the Lake. We all know where your path be leading. What nobody be knowing, is where it be ending. What if ye don’t come back? What then for me little girl?” He reached his hand out toward Perrin, “Look at her eyes. Do ye want to be breaking that heart?”

  Perrin’s crystal blue eyes swelled with tears as she pounded her hand on the table, “Me heart will break if ye don’t be giving us your blessing, Papa. This man be the only one I would ever be giving me heart to. If ye don’t let us marry, I’ll be dying a lonely, old woman without a soul to call me own.”

  “The book may not spell out my end, but my heart will bring me home. I have never broken a promise to her, and I never will. I will come back for her hand.”

  “Then be waiting till ye come back!” Haleen piped in. “Don’t be taking her away from us just to be leaving her a widow.”

  Then Ymitoth finally spoke, “Though this decision does seem rash, I know me son. He carries a strong love for Perrin. If he be promising to return, there be nothing that be stopping him. If ye’re just worried for the loss of your daughter, ye can come share me palace with me. It be a lonely place for me now. He be me only family and he be not with me. We shall all be waiting for his return together.”

  Maelich swelled as he looked to his father, carrying a thank you in his eyes. Ymitoth nodded his response. Kendal looked to Perrin, her pleading eyes now running over with tears. Then he looked to Haleen, who had lost a few tears of her own. She looked at her daughter and then back to her husband. Her nod was nearly imperceptible.

  Kendal looked back t
o Ymitoth, “What of the tavern? If we come to live with you in the palace, who will be caring for the tavern.”

  Ymitoth smiled, “How many offers do ye get a day for this place? Ye do a good bit of business here. Ye find yourself someone ye trust, and ye give it to them. Ye won’t be wanting for nothing ever again. Ye can come whenever ye be ready.”

  Kendal again looked back to Haleen and then to Maelich, “Alright then, Maelich, ye can have me blessing.”

  Maelich hugged the man as Perrin hugged Haleen. Then Perrin ran to her Papa and leapt to him, nearly choking him with the weight of her hug. Maelich went to Haleen, took her hand and kissed it. Ymitoth did the same. Then after all the pleasantries, the new couple hugged again.

  The mood quickly lightened as Haleen laid out a light meal for everyone. Kendal had decided to have his good friend Bowley run business for the night. He was loyal and would make a great bar keep. He would be Kendal’s first choice to succeed him as the owner of Perrin’s Place. The only condition being he never change the name.

  As the night wore on, Maelich found himself telling all the stories of his adventures. Time and again, he tried to take the focus off himself and let other people share their stories. However, the group wouldn’t let him. The questions kept coming back to him. They all wanted to know about the road. The only one of them that had ever ventured more than a few miles out of Havenstahl was Ymitoth, and he had reasons of pride for wanting to hear Maelich’s stories. The hero continued.

  The mood quickly turned somber as Maelich recounted the demise of Jom. Everyone’s eyes dampened as he described the poor scrod’s suffering. None so much as Perrin’s, though. Jom had been her scrod, her last link to her earliest memories, and he was gone. She never would get to say good-bye. Maelich caressed her shoulders as she wept and buried her head in his chest. Everyone else sat in silence, respecting her grief. By the time her weeping had subsided, the hour had grown quite late. Kendal suggested they turn in and continue their visit when the sun was again in the sky. Ymitoth agreed and stood to leave. Maelich kissed Perrin on the cheek and stood as well, but she grabbed his arm.