Dragon's Fire

by Gwynn White

Talon fell back against his cushion and gasped.

  Before he could challenge the newcomer, he realized Thunder lay still and unnaturally heavy on his lap. His gasp turned into a cry. His dog’s head lolled to one side, his eyes glassy and lifeless.

  Panic tore through Talon.

  Who to look at first? The strange man? Or his beloved pet?

  Tears threatening, he pressed his face into Thunder’s side, both for comfort and to listen for his heartbeat.

  There was nothing. Thunder’s heart, which had rumbled and wheezed like the old steam-driven plow, was silent.

  It was deafening in its finality.

  Not caring about his childish tears, he looked up at Mom. “So this is what you meant by the end of my childhood? Is everything to be a trade-off now?”

  Tears glistened in his mother’s eyes, not something he had ever seen.

  That distressed him almost as much as the loss of Thunder.

  She pointed at the man. “Dmitri can answer that question far better than I.”

  Hatred bubbled up in Talon as he turned to the man who had so clearly ended Thunder’s life. “Who are you?” he snarled. “And what are you doing here?”

  “Your Highness.” The man—Dmitri—bowed to him.

  Talon glared at him. “First you kill my friend, then you mock me!”

  A smile softened Dmitri’s face. “Nicholas—Talon—I am your friend. All your life, I have watched over you, guarded you as we played and hunted together. I’ve heard your dreams, comforted you during your nightmares, protected you in your sleep. And now”—he pointed at Thunder, spread out on Talon’s lap—“I grieve with you for the loss of the body my spirit dwelled in for so long.”

  Talon gripped Thunder in his arms and stood, rage making his frame shake. “How dare you say that! You are not my dog! You’re . . . you’re—” His voice faltered.

  He had no idea who or what Dmitri was. He looked over at Mom and Uncle Tao for guidance.

  Something about their knowing looks told him this was not news to them.

  “You knew?” he demanded. “That this . . . thing lived inside my dog? And his name is Thunder, not Dmitri.”

  Uncle Tao tried to lift Thunder from Talon’s arms.

  He resisted.

  Uncle Tao draped his arm around Talon’s shoulder. “When Thunder first arrived here, your mother and I had no idea Dmitri was inside the dog. By the time we figured it out, we had called him Thunder because he barked so much. Just like you are Talon, when your name is really Nicholas the Light-Bearer. We decided to keep it that way because it meant your father never figured out that you had a dead person protecting you.”

  Talon gulped, lost for words in his grief. And incredulity.

  Uncle Tao’s voice soothed as he continued. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but the truth is, Dmitri is the reason Thunder lived so long. Most dogs don’t survive beyond twelve or thirteen. This was Dmitri’s gift to you because he cares deeply for you.”

  Talon wasn’t ready to forgive the stranger for ending Thunder’s life. He glowered at Dmitri.

  Uncle Tao grabbed his chin. “Wipe off that fierce expression, cub. Dmitri is here to help you. He’s been dead a very long time. Four hundred years, in fact. That makes him the best person to tell you why your father hates you.”

  Talon wanted to argue that if anyone should tell him, it was his mother, not some stranger. But he knew that was childish, and he’d promised he was ready to grow up. He hesitated, not knowing what to do. Finally, he sat, still holding Thunder’s slowly cooling body.

  “Okay. I—I can accept that.” He frowned, fighting wave after wave of disbelief and horror that he was speaking to a dead person. “I suppose.”

  “Aye. We can work with that.” Dmitri stood in front of Talon. “While a very old constellation, Nicholas the Light-Bearer is a newcomer to the current cosmic geography.” The dead man offered Talon his hand.

  He refused it.

  Without any sign of offense, Dmitri walked to the window—and looked at Talon expectantly.

  Talon blew out a slow breath, put Thunder down, and stood. After a quick blast of disapproval for Uncle Tao and Mom, he joined Dmitri.

  The dead man pointed at the spangle of stars glittering across the night sky. “The Dragon used to hold the northern point.”

  Talon folded his arms across his chest. For some inexplicable reason, the sixteen stars that made up the Dragon constellation always filled him with a sense of foreboding. He always let his eyes slip away from them to focus on the Light-Bearer instead. Doing that now brought him no comfort.

  Dmitri nodded at him. “You always had bad dreams if you lay in bed watching the Dragon before you slept.”

  Talon’s eyes flashed. It was bad enough that Dmitri knew about that; he didn’t need to mention it as well. “Your point?”

  “Nicholas the Light-Bearer, who shifted the Dragon, had been lost from view for four hundred years.” He fixed Talon with a gleaming eye. “He reappeared sixteen years ago. The night you were born.”

  “That’s almost as creepy as you are,” Talon replied, wondering where all this was leading.

  A smile from Dmitri. “Perhaps.” His voice became matter of fact. “Nicholas, four hundred years ago, my brother, a man named Thurban Avanov, invaded a sovereign state called Norin—your mother’s homeland. It was an unprovoked attack, coming after a time of devastation on this planet. The nations that had survived that Burning, as it was called, were reeling from a war so catastrophic there are still parts of the planet no one can visit. Those places will be off limits to human habitation for generations to come.”

  Talon’s eyebrows hitched, and he leaned in, interested despite his dislike for Dmitri.

  “Even though the Norin fought valiantly under the flag that bore the constellation you were named for, they were unable to defend themselves. They fell victim to Thurban’s armies and were the first nation to be absorbed into the Chenayan empire.”

  “And we haven’t stopped fighting since,” Mom added from her chair.

  Talon glanced over at her. Her face was fierce, and bloodlust burned in her eyes. It intrigued him.

  He turned back to Dmitri. “And then?”

  Dmitri pursed his lips and studied Talon. “Bear with me, Nicholas. Knowing you, you might find the next bit hard to stomach.”

  Talon wrapped his arms tighter around his chest.

  “I am what is known as a seer. I used that power to curse the Avanov line.”

  Talon snorted before he could stop himself. “Seems you do know me well.”

  A patient smile from Dmitri. “I told you, I have been your constant companion since your birth. I know your views on the Winds, on miracles, on curses, and all other things you consider ‘creepy’ or ‘weird.’ You operate in a world of fact. Black. White. Gray only out of necessity when black or white won’t do.” His voice firmed. “But your personal beliefs do not change reality. My curse said that a Norin princess”—he waved at Mom—“would marry the Chenayan crown prince. Together, they would create a son who would be called Nicholas the Light-Bearer. Ordained before his birth, that boy would destroy his father and overthrow the Avanov empire. You are that son. Lukan knows that, and he hates you for it.”

  Talon staggered back, bumping into the dinner table. A chair clattered to the floor. He barely noticed it. “That’s insane. Who says it’s me? In four hundred years, there could have been dozens of boys called Nicholas. It could have been any one of them.”

  “Clearly, you weren’t listening.” Dmitri’s voice sounded almost as sharp as one of Thunder’s fox-chasing yips. “Nicholas disappeared from the heavens after the Norin invasion. The Dragon held that spot until you were born. Why would an Avanov emperor call a son after the emblem of a vassal state?”

  “Good question,” Talon shot back. “Why would Lukan do that? And my name is Talon.”

  Dmitri’s voice—and face—softened. “Because I commanded it. And your name wasn’t his choice. After h
e banished your mother, it was left to her to name you. She grudgingly agreed to Nicholas the Light-Bearer, although she has always called you Talon. Your father calls you Nicholas because he fears and hates you.”

  “Commanded?” Burning with outrage, Talon took a step closer to Dmitri. “So we have no choice? What’s the difference between what you want and what Lukan gets with his ice crystals?”

  Dmitri placed a hand on Talon’s shoulder.

  Talon shrugged it off.

  “The freedom to choose is everything. It is every person’s birthright. That is why I have never objected to your mother and uncle calling you Talon. I hope when you learn the true significance of your name, you will make the choice to call yourself Nicholas, but I will never force you. Lukan’s ice crystals, on the other hand, deny millions of people the right to choose. He has programmed them to worship him blindly, to follow his every decree without thought or reason. That is the true evil. That is where you come in. Your job is to prepare a place for human choice.”

  “That’s ridiculous! You expect me”—Talon slapped his chest—“a boy who knows virtually nothing about anything that matters to destroy Lukan and his evil empire?” He looked at Mom and Uncle Tao, hoping they would back him up.

  They both smiled reassuringly at him.

  It didn’t slow the frantic pounding of his heart one jot.

  Dmitri sat on the window seat and patted the space next to him.

  When Talon stood his ground and didn’t join him, Dmitri didn’t appear the least surprised at his stubbornness.

  “The last thing I want is for you to destroy evil, Nicholas.”

  Talon shook his head, knowing his confusion blazed on his face.

  “How can you choose between evil and good if one does not exist? That would be compulsion, not choice. Your job is to make room in the empire for good and evil to flourish side by side. Only then will people be free to choose whom they will serve.”

  “And to do that, I have to kill my father?”

  Dmitri’s eyes hooded. “The future will unfold for you as you step up to embrace your destiny.”

  Clearly there was more Dmitri wasn’t telling him. Talon wasn’t sorry; he had heard more than enough and needed time to mull it over.

  Also, Thunder deserved better that to be left neglected on the floor; his body needed to be burnt if he was to be one with the Winds.

  But first Talon needed an answer to a vital question. He fixed Dmitri with his iciest stare. “And if I don’t? What then?”

  “Then you forfeit your birthright.”

  Talon heaved a sigh of relief. Birthrights meant nothing to him.

  He pulled himself up tall. “I’ve made my choice. Right now, I don’t want anything to do with this. All I want is to leave this forest and go and see the world. People. I want to talk to other people. Girls.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “One of them might even like me.”

  Mom stood and placed her arm around his shoulders. “I know that. We all know that. That is why we have arranged for you to leave tonight. Axel is coming in an airship to fetch you. He will take you to his home in a country called Treven. He will teach you everything you need to know. Then you can make your final choice, when you have all the facts.”

  Talon’s jaw dropped. He snapped it closed to smile the broadest grin he could conjure. Turned out his sixteenth birthday wasn’t so bad after all! He was getting exactly what he wanted and more. Mom had just offered him freedom, something he had not even dared to dream of.

  But even in his joy, something niggled.

  “You and Uncle Tao are coming with me, aren’t you?”

  Mom shook her head. “You know we can’t. Not with the ice-crystal shockers.”

  Anger surged through Talon. It was replaced by crushing disappointment. His shoulders slumped, and he gave her what Mom called his stubborn look.

  “Then I am not leaving. We go together or I stay.”

  Mom cupped his cheek. “Young stags grow up and leave their mothers, Talon. You know that. Now it’s your turn. It’s all part of the growing up I spoke of. The growing up you made an oath to embrace.”

  “You trapped me!” he said incredulously. “You knew I would not want to leave you!”

  “Do you think this is easy for me?” Mom bit her lip, and her eyes glistened. “Even though I’ve had sixteen years to prepare for it?”

  Talon moved to hug her at exactly the same time as she embraced him. Her arms almost crushed him. He clung to her, never wanting to let go.

  Face pressed against his chest, she murmured, “I did what I believe is best for you. Your father has been very tolerant, but we all know”—she waved a hand at Uncle Tao and Dmitri—“that it cannot last. Lukan undoubtedly has listening devices in this house, and Axel says he hacks into our private conversations. He will know we’re planning to move you tonight. He’s not going to let you slip so easily from his clutches.”

  Talon had no idea what she meant about listening devices, and the only hacking he knew about was the back-breaking chore of clearing forest undergrowth to expand their vegetable garden, but now wasn’t the time to ask. He had promised to be an adult, and that meant leaving his family and the only home he had ever known without compliant. He fought to mask his feelings, but couldn’t stop his voice quivering. “I—I may never see you again. Lukan will probably never let me back here.”

  “No, he won’t.” Mom gave him a wry smile and gestured to Dmitri. “Whether we ever see you again probably depends on what you choose. Only once you leave here will you truly understand what we are asking you to do.”

  Talon frowned, hating that he was being backed into a corner. He was beginning to feel exactly like that stag—only cornered.

  Uncle Tao pulled Talon away from Mom and gripped him in a hard bear hug. “I am going to miss you like crazy, cub.” He stepped back to look at Talon. Uncle Tao’s eyes were strained with sadness but his jaw line determined. “Axel should be here within the hour. You need to be ready for him.” He gestured to Dmitri. “You will have him for company. He will be going with you.”

  “I don’t want him! He killed my dog.” He scrunched up his face, realizing how infantile that sounded. “I—I don’t want a walking, talking corpse hanging around me.” He looked at Dmitri, expecting the dead man to appear insulted.

  Dmitri seemed unruffled, and Talon figured it would take more than that to upset the seer. He glanced down at Thunder’s stiffening body. How much of the playful, loving dog had been Dmitri and how much the nature of the animal itself?

  He would probably never know.

  But that didn’t change anything. He didn’t want Dmitri going with him and the unknown Axel. It would be hard enough learning to handle himself in a world of strangers without feeling Dmitri’s watchful presence reminding him of the pressure of his so-called destiny.

  Dmitri nodded. “I understand and accept how you feel, Nicholas. As such, I honor your right to choose. I will not impose myself upon you. If you need me, call. Until then, I will remain out of your life. Is this what you want?”

  It was Talon’s turn to nod. “You know I may never call you?”

  Dmitri’s face morphed into something playful, and his eyes twinkled. For the briefest moment he reminded Talon of Thunder, and he wondered if the seer could read his thoughts.

  “Then I will never come.” The light gathered around Dmitri, and he vanished.

  Talon sent a quick prayer to the Winds he wasn’t sure he believed in that he had made the right choice.

  Mom grabbed his hand. “It’s time to introduce you to Axel. It will make it easier if you speak to him before you have to leave with him. Come sit with me on the sofa.”

  Talon let her drag him across the room.

  She sat on one side of him, Uncle Tao on the other.

  It was cramped, but he didn’t care. Soon he would be gone and might never again feel the comforting presence of his parents—his real ones, not the fake that Lukan was.

  Mom wri
ggled her hand between them and fished out that interesting gold button. She brushed her finger across the surface, and a shaft of light burst from it.

  The horrifying memory of Dmitri emerging from Thunder’s back flashed through Talon’s mind. He gasped and clasped his big hand over her smaller one, holding the informa. “This Axel isn’t dead, is he?”

  Mom laughed. “Of course not! Why would you think that?”

  “I discovered tonight that anything is possible. I just want to be better warned before you shock me with the weird and creepy from now on.”

  Mom nudged his shoulder with hers. “Deal. Axel is very much alive. He’s a forty-year-old man with a wicked smile and a caustic tongue. You’ll grow to love him. I know I do.”

  “You can count me in on that as well, cub,” Uncle Tao added. “I can’t think of a better person to take care of you.”

  Talon relaxed and pulled his hand off the informa. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Mom tugged on the light beam as if it were a solid object, making Talon’s eyebrows shoot up. Determined to take it all in his stride, he kept quiet.

  The informa crackled, and a man’s face appeared in the air above the device.

  Just as Mom said, Axel looked a little older than her and Uncle Tao, and not nearly as relaxed or calm, evidenced by his quick, impatient head and hand movements.

  Nerves clenched Talon’s stomach until he saw Axel’s intelligent-looking eyes. The laugh lines around his mouth suggested his lips were permanently twisted into the sardonic smile dancing there now. His short hair and his eyes were dark.

  Like Uncle Tao, he also had a stone embedded next to his right eye. Only in Axel’s case, it wasn’t a sparkling diamond, but a darker stone. Talon wondered what kind it was.

  Before he could even think to speak, Axel said, “Happy birthday, Nicholas! Or rather, Talon. I know you prefer that. So how does it feel to be sixteen?”

  Talon’s brain froze, along with his tongue.

  He couldn’t remember when last he had felt so self-conscious. He wished Axel had spoken to Mom or Uncle Tao first to give him time to gather his thoughts. Finally, he managed to stutter, “Um . . . not that much different than fifteen?”