by Brian Beam
“Don’t worry, I won’t let the dragon hurt you,” Sal’ assured me as she rubbed a hand through my choppy hair, though her voice was far from sure.
I shut my eyes and let out a deep breath. There was only one way for the dragon to not hurt me: I had to give up the dragon egg. In doing so, I had to give up my free life. I was going to have to let go of everyone and everything I cherished. I would be a slave to a count who would soon be losing his position to a rival politician. As the effects of the egg wore off completely, I’d probably be forced to help Galius beg and steal as he tried to reclaim the life that the dragon egg had given him. I would never know if my feelings for Sal’ would blossom into love or if she would return those feelings. The fact that the last thought would even be a concern to me was proof on how much she had affected me in our short time together.
Not wanting to bring Sal’ down with my pessimism, I gave her another weak smile. “Thanks for saving and healing me. What you did when you were dropped by Prexwin was amazing.”
She smiled back shyly with those beautiful, tear-stained eyes. “Well, Max is really the one who did that stuff. He was hidden in with my mice so Prexwin wouldn’t know he was present.”
“And the whole dirt flying in his face thing?” I asked.
“Well, that was me,” she responded without a hint of embarrassment. “For once I missed on purpose. I could sense Prexwin’s sword and knew not to attack him directly with magic.” I smiled at that, proud of her actions. “Max did the rest using my mice. I let him draw the healing spell from me, though. The mice would not have been enough. I thought you were lost to us for sure. You were beyond my ability to save.”
I winced. I knew firsthand exactly what kind of effects that being used for spell energy, even if only used once, could have on someone. I was also surprised that in Max’s current form that he was able to remain conscious after such a large healing spell.
“Have you noticed any effects from it yet? I lost my head a bit when Max used my energy for a spell once. I almost killed him.” The memory was not pleasant to relive in my mind.
Sal’ shook her head. “Nothing so far, but I don’t care what it does to me. I couldn’t let you die. After Prexwin stabbed you, I was so scared. I tried to attack him, but he knocked me down first. I was a little stunned, but the dragon got him before he could do anything else.”
Sal’ seemed okay as she spoke to me. At least she wasn’t about to go on a rampage like I had. I sighed, looking back over towards the dragon. The dragon was standing on all fours, wings pressed against its sides. It stood as still as stone as it continued to stare in my direction. I couldn’t see where Max had gone, but I could faintly hear a voice coming from the human shape lying on the ground. Part of me wanted to know why the dragon wasn’t coming after me. A larger part of me just didn’t care. I just wanted to lie there, enjoying what little time I had left as a free man.
Sal’ had joined me in looking over at the dragon, her watery eyes filled with resolve. She really would try to protect me from the dragon if it came to that. Looking back down at my face in her lap, she asked, “Do you feel okay?”
I nodded softly. “Just too weak to move,” I told her.
“There is no way to replace the blood you lost. That will just come with a little time. You’ll be back to yourself over the next few days.” Sal’ continued stroking her slender hand through my hair.
I tried to laugh, but it came out as another dry cough that I was too weak to cover with a hand. In my lightheadedness, I found the fact that she thought I would be okay in a few days’ time funny. Either A, the dragon was going to kill me, or B, I was going to be Galius’ slave. Neither option ended with me back to myself.
“So, I guess your magic blob didn’t work,” I uttered with a smile.
Sal’ gave a weak laugh. “Guess that teaches me to not steal experimental magic blobs.”
Somehow I managed a chuckle of my own without coughing. “Yeah,” I whispered as my eyes shut on their own accord. Maybe I would fall asleep and just wake up from the nightmare. Surely I couldn’t really be in the position I was in. I mean, who finds themselves in a spot between a dragon’s fury and lifelong servitude?
“Korin,” Sal’ said urgently, shaking me.
I struggled to open my eyes and tilt my head back again towards where she was staring. The dragon was walking towards us with serpentine grace, its wings still pressed to its side. Its muscular frame made it seem more solid than rock. Its great horned head was held high with those shining red eyes not shifting from where I lay.
My concentration was so focused on the dragon that my heart skipped a beat when Max jumped onto my chest as if from nowhere. “Well, Menar’s dead now,” he announced matter-of-factly. “He was who we saw on the dragon. There was no saving him from the injuries Prexwin’s magic caused.”
“Oh,” I replied, too weak and tired to know if I should be sad about that fact. It seemed that he really had changed sides. I wasn’t sure how he came to be associated with the dragon, but he had come to save me. “And the dragon...” I prodded with as much urgency as I could put into my feeble voice.
Max gave me an incredibly weary look. He looked like he was struggling worse than I was with staying conscious. If not for the high emotion level of the day’s events, there’s no way he would have even stayed awake as long he had. “Menar had Bhaliel—that’s her name—swear to not hurt you just yet.” His voice seemed uncertain, though.
“Uh, that’s good, right?” Maybe I’d have a little more time to think myself out of the situation. I didn’t like the look Max gave me after I asked, though.
“Well, Menar’s dead now, so I don’t think that oath stands anymore.” Max looked back at the dragon who had stopped just a few giant dragon-steps from reaching us as if letting us have a last moment together. Sal’s hand left my hair to go to her wicker case, though I had no idea what she thought she could do to the creature.
“Can you get us out of here with magic like Prexwin did?” I asked pointlessly. If Max had had such an ability, we could’ve skipped out on some of the more life-threatening encounters we’d had in the past. Max unsurprisingly shook his head. “What do we do then?”
“We live, or die,” he replied blatantly. “You give her the egg and maybe we live to figure out how to get you free of Galius’ hold on you or you keep the egg and see what happens. Take your pick.”
I knew there was no way to escape the magic of the Contract. If I gave her the egg, I gave up my life with it. I let my eyes slide closed again.
“Can’t we just explain to her that we need to take it to Galius and then she can just take it from him?” Sal’ questioned.
“No,” I told her, shaking my head slightly.
As if realizing the effort it took me to speak, Max took over my explanation. “The Contract’s magic would keep her from taking the egg from Galius if Korin gave her the idea. In that case she would probably hunt Korin down out of spite and probably kill him. Salmaea, since you brought the idea to Korin’s attention and I witnessed it, we have both been affected by the Contract’s magic. If either of us told the dragon to take the egg, the Contract would protect Galius from that happening. None of us would be able to touch the egg or Galius unless Galius willingly gave the egg up or it came out of his possession again. We could not even tell someone else to give the dragon that idea now. The magic of the Contract is very complex and particular like that.” I glumly nodded my agreement. “Besides, do you really think the dragon would go for that? I mean, we’re talking about her unborn child.”
Sal’ went quiet and looked away with misty eyes. Max looked as if he were trying to come up with an idea to get us out of the situation but to no avail. I just wished my mind didn’t feel as if trapped in a fog that slowed my thinking. I wished I could simply just tell the dragon that I had to give the egg to Galius and that she could take it from him. I couldn’t have, though. If Sal’ had been able to give the dragon the idea without me knowing about
her doing so, and without the dragon indicating to me what she would do, then such a plan could possibly work...
Suddenly, through the fog, a thought struck me. An idea coalesced in my mind that was either brilliantly going to save us, or end in my death. I finally had a suspicion on why Galius’ thugs were able to give me a good beating despite the magic of the Contract. Maybe there had been nothing wrong with the Contract’s magic. Maybe Galius had just circumvented it.
The one thing I knew for certain was that I would make sure that Bhaliel got her egg back no matter what that meant for my own fate. You know, the whole morals thing. I mean, it was her child. What kind of man would I be if I tried to keep her from her own child? If the plan I was forming worked, I would be able to return her egg and remain a free man to start my hunt for Raijom.
I let my head lull backwards towards Bhaliel. “Hey, Bhaliel,” I called weakly. “We need to talk.”
Chapter 17.5
A Different Perspective
Korin, this is from me, Max. Well, you probably know my real name by now. I know coming across this entry in your journal will come as a shock to you, but I want to make sure certain things are communicated to you at an appropriate time if by some chance I don’t live to tell you in person. You deserve to know what Menar and I spoke about before his death. He really was a good person once. Also, I made an oath to myself that may only end up being carried out after you read these words. These pages have been spelled to remain blank until my death when these words will be revealed.
Before I get into this, however, I want to let you know that I am truly disappointed in your writing up until this point. You definitely do not do me proper justice in this journal. I mean, I can understand if you want to downplay me a bit to make yourself look better, but you seem to have gone a little too far. Also, I most certainly do not make such a big deal over food. Sure, I appreciate a well-cooked meal, but who does not? You really can be a lunkhead.
In all seriousness, though, I hope you know that I have grown to love you like family over our years together, no matter how much grief I have given you. From what I have read up to this point, it seems like you have realized this already and it truly warms my heart to know so.
I hope that I have been able to tell you the following information in person and that I was successful in reuniting you with your parents with these words only appearing after my natural death years from now. Finding your parents is intertwined with fulfilling the prophecy I have told you about and it will not be in the way you wish. Know that I am sorry for that. Hopefully you understand why I cannot reveal the prophecy in these words.
To the point, I had just healed you from your fight with Prexwin and you seemed content with staring at your current infatuation. I am talking about Salmaea just in case you have decided by the time you read this that she was nothing more than another one of those short-lived flings you seem so fond of and have forgotten her already.
To say I was weary would be an injustice. My limbs were lead and I was worried that my body literally did not have enough energy to even keep my heart pumping. Even if I had still been in my cat-form, I would still have been pushing the boundaries of what my body could take.
I had used a fair amount of magic to stay free of Prexwin’s binds in the cottage in case I had to take action to protect you. He may have had me suspended above that table, but I was not prohibited from moving or using magic like everyone else. See, this old wizard still had a few tricks up his sleeve. I wish I could have taken action against him sooner, but between his power and possession of the sword, there was little I could have done to help.
Fortunately, Salmaea allowed me to use her to create the healing magic I used on you. I would not have been able to heal you without her. Without her sacrifice, you would not have lived that day. At the time of me writing this, there have been no visible consequences on her and I hope that even at the time you are reading this, she has been spared any negative effects from my actions. If you have even half a brain, you will have held on to her.
So, while you lovebirds were bonding, I made my way over to Menar and the dragon. Menar was once someone I had associated with and respected. I had no wish for him to die. If he was still alive, I wanted to see if I could possibly save him. Plus, I wanted to make sure that the dragon wasn’t planning on coming over and killing you while you spent your time cuddling Salmaea as if without a care in the world. I do not recall you even thanking me for getting Til’ out of the way so you were able to do so, lunkhead.
The dragon was preoccupied with staring fire at you guys, but did not seeming interested in breathing that fire at you, so I walked on by it to where Menar lay dying.
The sickening stench of burnt hair and human flesh threatened to empty my tiny squirrel stomach. All of the exposed flesh of Menar’s arms, face, and neck were charred beyond recognition, his hair burned away. Cracked, blackened skin wept blood. Translucent, fluid-filled blisters were the only sections of skin that weren’t black. You could actually hear his body sizzling. His eyes appeared open, but only because his eyelids had been burned away. His leather armor appeared untouched as if the spell Prexwin had used was designed to only hurt living things. This Prexwin had some disturbing magic at his disposal. If he had understood how the laws of magic can differ in different places, we would have all died that day.
Menar should have been dead already, but his chest expanded and contracted almost imperceptibly and a continuous dry moan drifted from a now lipless mouth. Something must have remained of the magic barrier that Raijom had placed on him and may have been the only thing that had prolonged his death. No normal person would have still been living. He was definitely on Rizear’s doorstep. He was just stalling in actually stepping through.
There was no way with what little energy I had that I could have prevented his death even if I could create the healing spell using another living being. Just directing the spell in such a complex healing would be beyond my ability given my small form at the time. For Salmaea to heal him would have required time for me to teach her to cast more powerful healing spells than she presently was able—time that we did not have. She could not even deal with something as complex as what was needed to heal you. Menar would have required something infinitely more complex. All I could do was try to get some answers from Menar before he died.
“Menar,” I called as I stepped up beside him.
His head lulled to the side where I was standing, his eyes unable to focus on me. His eyes looked as if covered with a grayish, translucent film. He was most likely blind.
“Is that you, Jonasir?” Menar’s voice came out in a dry rasp, barely audible. It was nothing like the strong, commanding voice he had always had. I was surprised that his scorched throat could even allow him to speak at all.
“Yes, it is me,” I replied in as comforting voice as I could. He slowly stretched out a hand towards me, his fingers blackened and contracted from Prexwin’s magical fire. I stepped into his hand, but he had no reaction. The fire had burned away his nerve endings. “I wish I could heal you, but I cannot,” I admitted. “We do not have much time, so we must be quick. Why is the dragon not attacking?”
Menar’s cheek twitched as if he were trying to smile. “I made Bhaliel swear—” Menar coughed, his face distorting into pain. “Bhaliel’s her name,” he continued after the coughing spasm had passed. I found her on foot trying to hunt you down. Apparently she had quite the time getting out of wherever you had left her. If I hadn’t found her before she was able to fly again, I’m not so sure you would have lived for me to find you. She could sense Prexwin’s evil, just as I should have long before. It didn’t take much to convince her to attack him.” More coughing. “You have her egg, she says. I convinced her to let me accompany her and not to hurt you until you could explain yourselves in return for my help in finding her egg. I assumed that by following Prexwin’s traces of evil, we’d find you.”
I did not have time for explaining the situation to Menar so
I changed the subject. “How can I get to Raijom?”
His response started with some kind of hoarse grating that may have been laughter. His words came out slowly and I had to strain to understand them. “I loved Kailyth, you know? Galvin was perfect for my sister. He was a good man. She loved him so much. ”
“Menar, how do I find him?” I questioned again, trying to snap his thoughts from wandering down the path they were travelling. He had been focused before, but it looked like his life was starting to dwindle and with it, his mind.
“I just wanted to protect them,” he continued. “Raijom said there was no other way. Left me here with no way back.” His head tilted away from me. “No way back,” he repeated.
I shook my head. I knew that the portal Prexwin had gone through would have taken him to where Raijom was. Menar was the only link I had to them, and therefore my only hope of discovering how it could be done. “Menar, there has to be a way. I believe Prexwin knew how. Do you know anything about it?” I spoke quickly, wondering if Menar would live long enough to give me any worthwhile information.
That mockery of a laugh came from him again. “No way back,” he repeated yet again. His grip on sanity, as well as life, came through in the jumbled half-sentences that came out of his charred, lipless mouth. “He told me he’d bring me back. Just kill Ingran and I could come back. All lies. Spent so many years. So many. I was not meant for this world. Secluded myself in the ruins. From such a regal position to a leader of common bandits. I Miss Moira and Lillan. Love them, always. All wasted. Everything. Raijom and eldrhims. So evil. Should have known.”
He was trailing off, making very little sense with his disjointed thoughts. I thought I mostly understood, though. Korin, I hope that I have been able to explain to you what he meant before you have read this.
“Menar, I am so sorry,” I whispered. Menar really did not know how we could get to Raijom. All he could do was dwell on a life of regret. I did not want his last thoughts to be of that regret. “Menar, you have redeemed yourself. Once Raijom is dealt with, we will let Moira and Lillan know that you died with honor and that you love them.” Moira was his wife and Lillan his daughter.