Legend's Awakening

by Jensine Odom

  “I’m okay,” he yells, getting back to his feet and flying off to try again.

  “What’s the point of this exercise?” I ask no one in particular.

  “It’s meant to sharpen his mental abilities,” Turhion answers, like I should’ve known. “The faster he can shift, the better. It may save his life one day.”

  “Gotchya. It’s part of the whole human; squishy, dragon; god, thing.” I smile tentatively, hoping the joke will get Turhion to lighten up. Ever since the encounter with the Thunderbirds last night, he’s just been really formal towards me. It’s driving me crazy.

  The corner of his mouth turns up, and I know I got him. “Ah! Don’t smile, your face will crack!” That gets him. His smirk turns into a toothy grin, and I poke him in the ribs. “That’s better! I don’t like it when you’re so serious. And thank you for the information; I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “You’re welcome,” Turhion says, dipping his head towards me, the tension between us easing some.

  Once Tristin can just about flawlessly quick shift, he and Caedryn come in, letting Turhion and Kerric take watch for a while. Tristin’s favoring his leg, limping along next to me.

  “You okay, Bro?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I just pulled a—Fuck!” He gestures to his leg, where his jeans have nearly torn in half over his knee. “Now I’m down to one pair of pants that aren’t ripped up!”

  “Now that you’re a dragon, there’s no need to worry about that,” Caedryn tells him. “You simply think what you wish to look like, and you can create it, as long as you have some materials to work with.”

  Caedryn stops for a moment, encased in a cocoon of shimmering black smoke, and when it dissipates, he’s no longer wearing his medieval pirate garb. Instead of his tunic, there’s a t-shirt, black with distressed silver foil scales. His linen pants are now charcoal jeans, and biker boots finish off the outfit.

  Caedryn glances at me, almost bashful, and I give him an approving smile. I don’t know where he got the look, but me likey. It also doesn’t hurt that everything’s a little more form fitting, too.

  Tristin squeals with glee, smiling mischievously, and a pearlescent purple-green cloud cloaks him. It’s taking him longer than Caedryn, though; he’s not just fixing his jeans…

  The cloud evaporates a moment later, finally revealing my brother. Where Caedryn changed to a more modern look, Tristin went the other way, wearing a Viking-like set of leather and cloth clothing, complete with drinking horn at his waist. At least it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

  “That’s good,” Caedryn praises, clapping Tristin on the shoulder. “It’s not what I thought you would have chosen, but it is good.”

  “Okay, but back to your leg. Can you walk, or do we need to amputate?” I half tease, a sudden urgency to get moving overcoming me.

  “Wow! So extreme,” Tristin jokes. “I’ll be fine. We dragons heal quick, remember?” In example, he begins to walk, no hint of a limp in his gait.

  “I hate you.” I l stick my tongue out at him, then laugh.

  Caedryn makes a sound next to me, but when I glance at him he doesn’t seem to have said a thing. Was it my imagination? He’s staring ahead of us, eyes intent, and I follow his gaze, finding Turhion and Kerric flying in fast. Too fast. Something’s wrong.

  Turhion touches down first, drawing everyone’s attention as he quick shifts, running full steam ahead right for Caedryn and me, with Kerric right on his heels. “Alarr! Hide Xerxia,” he orders, skidding up beside Caedryn. “We have been found!”

  “Another Knight?” Caedryn asks, eyes on the sky.

  Turhion shakes his head. “Baldure and Alivia.”

  The Turn

  Ilook in the direction Turhion and Kerric came from. “How close?”

  “We saw them flying low on the other side of the volcano,” Kerric answers, motioning to Thunder Volcano. “Unfortunately, they saw us as well, and have most likely concluded we’re with you.” A faint roar echoes in the valley behind us, followed by a deeper, much louder one.

  “We must hide,” Turhion urges. “There’s a chance they didn’t see where we went beyond the volcano.”

  Come with me, Xerxia. I will conceal you; they will not be able to see us. Alarr kneels beside me, and I swing my leg over his back, instantly being held in place by the magnetic energy.

  What about Zebulon and Mary? Can you conceal them?

  No, I can only conceal you.

  “Zebulon, Mary, hide,” I bark, looking between the two of them. Zebulon grabs Mary’s hand and pulls her into the trees off the road. “You, too, Tristin. And stay out of the fight, if there is one. We don’t need them to know you exist unless strictly necessary.”

  Tristin stands defiantly, not intending to go anywhere but straight into the fray.

  “Xerxia’s right,” Caedryn adds his support. “We don’t need Drustana knowing we can make more Knights.”

  Tristin looks unhappy, but steps back into the trees, followed by Caedryn, Turhion, and Kerric.

  With me firmly perched on his back, Alarr runs into the trees opposite the Knights. We stop beside a large juniper well off the road and a tingling sensation crawls across my skin, like I’ve been draped in spiderwebs. I pull my quiver around the side of my hip and draw my bow, laying it across my lap just in case. And now we wait.

  Moments pass with nothing, and just when I think we’re in the clear the thunder of giant wing beats sounds overhead. The first to come into view is Baldure, a massive emerald green dragon well over sixteen feet tall. He lands with an earthshaking roar, and Alivia lands beside him, her dragon a slate blue, and equally large in her own right.

  “This is where the Knights disappeared,” Baldure’s voice rumbles like thunder in a snowstorm. “They must be with the Royal.”

  Alivia’s face lights up with a conniving snarl, showing dozens of sharp teeth. “Don’t make this hard on yourselves,” she calls out, her voice sounding more like a growl. “Give us Xerxia willingly, and Drustana may let you live.” She scans the area, alert to any movement.

  Something brushes against my mind, like a cold breeze inside my head. Without knowing why, I let it pass through me as if I wasn’t solid, and somehow redirect it.

  Glancing at Baldure, Alivia shakes her head, disappointed. As one, the two behemoths begin walking down the road, heading right for us. One green eye and two blue ones sweep over the dense junipers as they move closer to our hiding spot, and I involuntarily hold my breath when Baldure stops right in front of us, his gaze passing right over me.

  Thanks to Alarr, he sees nothing of interest, and moves on, the draft coming off his massive head kicking up some juniper pollen. My heart pounding in my ears as he walks away, I let my breath out slowly.

  “They aren’t here any longer, Baldure,” Alivia says, resigned. “They must have known we were tailing them.”

  Baldure makes one more pass over the landscape with his solo eye, then reluctantly agrees. They stretch out their massive wings, the membranes just as scarred as the rest of them, and crouch, muscles bunching in preparation of lift off.

  I sneeze, the sudden eruption of sound startling the nesting mockingbirds in the tree beside us. Baldure stops, turning and looking at the raucous birds as they flit from limb to limb searching for the disturbance.

  “What is it, Baldure?” Alivia asks, looking curiously where he’s watching.

  “They are here, Alivia,” he replies, a little too pleased, and lumbers over to where we’re hidden. Stopping just a few yards short of squishing us, he sways his head back and forth, searching with his good eye. “Come out, Little One,” he taunts. “We know you’re here.” He scans right over us, but thankfully doesn’t see us.

  Baldure swings his head lower, dangerously close to me, peering into the tree on my right, and my heart beats so hard in my chest I’m pretty sure he’ll hear it.

  I try to keep my breathing steady as I nock an arrow, this one tipped with a meteorite arrowhead, and slowly
draw back on my bow. Alarr, tell Caedryn I’m going to shoot Baldure’s eye out. When I do, he and the others need to take Alivia before she knows what’s happening.

  Across the road, I see Caedryn, Turhion, and Kerric prepare for a battle, dropping their backpacks. I take a steadying breath and aim, waiting for Baldure to look this way again. Adrenaline rushes through me and everything moves in slow motion. Baldure’s head sways, and he looks right at me.

  Not right at me, but close enough. I look into his deep green eye, flecks of gold in the center, so like my own, and hesitate to shoot. That moment costs me.

  I let my arrow fly, but at the same time the fearless little mockingbird attacks Baldure, and my shot misses the mark, gauging the flesh just below his eye instead of piercing it.

  “Nice try,” Baldure taunts, looking through where Alarr and I sit. “Now I found you, Little One.”

  He doesn’t actually see us, though, and I make a silent prayer to whoever’s listening that he tries to roast us. Sure, the trees will burn, but Alarr’s shield will protect us, and we can use the chance to move.

  Baldure’s too smart for that, though.

  He smashes the smaller tree just in front of us, filling the air with the sharp scent of demolished juniper, and I fight the urge to duck as splinters fly everywhere, some bouncing off Alarr’s shield just inches from my face. Great! He wants to turn me into Royal jelly!

  Baldure takes another step, aiming for the next tree in line, this one slightly to the left.

  When he goes to crush that tree, back up, I send to Alarr. Let’s hope he doesn’t see us. I feel Alarr’s assent, and wait anxiously for Baldure’s next move, trying not to focus on the extra fear flooding from Caedryn.

  Baldure raises his foot, but before he can smash the next tree, the mocking birds launch an all-out assault on his face, screeching in protest as they dive for his good eye. He shakes his head in annoyance, swatting at the little pests, but the brave birds are undeterred in their attack.

  Now! I command, and Alarr starts moving back slowly, making sure Baldure doesn’t hear him.

  Not like he could. The birds are driving him increasingly mad until he rages. With an angry roar, he rears up, snapping at the birds and angling for the tree we were just beside.

  Before he can come down, Baldure screams in pain. Tristin, also having used Baldure’s distraction to launch his own assault, drives his bowie knife deep into Baldure’s back leg.

  “Foolish boy,” Baldure thunders, turning on my brother.

  In the blink of an eye, Baldure rams his massive fist into Tristin, sending him sprawling backwards. Baldure catches Tristin before his unconscious body hits the pavement, flying high with one powerful beat of his wings, and throws Tristin like an outfielder aiming for home. I watch in horror as my brother’s body cartwheels out of sight.

  Caedryn flies up to meet Baldure, surprising him with a body slam, driving him to the ground. They land hard in a plume of dust, and all hell breaks loose as Alivia, Turhion, and Kerric join the fray.

  Turhion shoulder bashes Alivia, diverting her from helping Baldure. Caedryn rolls to his feet while Baldure struggles, but before he can get up, Kerric blindsides him, followed up by another hit by Caedryn; the two Knights working together to keep the big dragon down.

  Just as it looks like it’s going our way, the battle takes a turn when Alivia gets a hit in on Turhion, knocking him into Caedryn. Baldure uses this to his advantage, gaining his feet and mule kicking Kerric, and the fight takes to the skies.

  Kerric and Caedryn continue their double teaming on Baldure, using his bulk and disability to their advantage as they take turns sweeping around his blind side. Turhion keeps Alivia busy, engaging her in a more acrobatic fight, flying around her in circles to get small, swift hits in on her.

  Baldure starts to tire, his movements getting slower as his anger wears on him, and Alivia’s not turning as quickly as she was a moment ago, allowing all three Knights to get more frequent hits in. Then I see it; the slightest nod of Baldure’s head as Alivia sweeps by. It was all a ruse.

  Baldure slams Kerric with his thick, spiked tail, sending him into Turhion. Alivia grabs Turhion, biting down on one of his wings and sending him into a death spiral. Caedryn dives after an unconscious Kerric, catching him before he collides with the ground, and Turhion manages to right himself, landing hard on his feet.

  With Kerric out cold and Turhion injured, Baldure and Alivia bear down on the Knights with a new fervor. Alivia bowls into Turhion, just missing Zebulon and Mary’s hiding spot as they crash through the trees, and Baldure barrels into Caedryn, knocking him in the opposite direction before turning his attention on Kerric.

  Caedryn comes back to defend his unconscious friend, furiously snapping and slashing at the much larger dragon. Encumbered by his size, Baldure’s forced to stay on the defensive, taking hits to his leg, chest and shoulder. Caedryn rears up, teeth bared, and swipes at Baldure’s head. Baldure ducks the attack and returns with a nasty backhand, following up with a swipe that slashes Caedryn’s chest open.

  Caedryn falls, defenseless as pain racks his body, and I recognize the calm panic that’s overcoming him as he surrenders to his fate. Not today. My bow at the ready, I nock an arrow, aiming for the wound left by Tristin in Baldure’s back leg, and let it fly.

  The shot hits the mark, and even though it doesn’t stick, it effectively turns Baldure’s attention away from Caedryn. Unfortunately, that attention falls on Zebulon and Mary, their hiding spot now uncovered.

  “Run,” I scream, not caring that I’m supposed to be hiding, but it’s too late. Baldure’s already on top of them.

  Zebulon bravely jumps out of the tree, Dagabrjota flashing in his hand as he charges at the great beast, and Baldure attempts to turn him into a pancake. Zebulon dives to the side, slicing Baldure’s palm in the process. Baldure’s shocked at the blood trickling from the wound and roars angrily, swiping across Zebulon’s body just as he gets to his feet, launching him back several yards.

  Mary screams and rushes out of the tree, wielding her frying pan as she stops next to Zebulon’s prostrate form and faces Baldure.

  Baldure gives a deep, rumbling chuckle and lowers his head, glaring at her with his good eye. “What do you hope to accomplish with that useless thing?”

  In response, Mary throws the frying pan back over her shoulder with both arms like a batter and swings for the fences, letting out a furious scream as she catches him right on his ear, the sound of the impact ringing in even my ears.

  Baldure rears back, shaking his head, but recovers quickly, turning back on Mary bravely standing guard over Zebulon’s prone body. He won’t fall for that again.

  Kerric’s still out, though, and Caedryn’s still down. Turhion’s not doing so hot, either, his injury quickly draining what energy he has. Then there’s a flash of golden orange as Sitrian streaks from the sky, slamming into Alivia.

  Alarr, on my mark, uncloak us, I tell him. We need to keep Baldure busy until Sitrian has dispatched Alivia.

  Are you sure this is the best course of action?

  It’s the only course of action.

  Very well, Alarr agrees, although he’s not comfortable with it.

  I nock an arrow and draw back. Now! “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!” I call, making sure to get Baldure’s attention. Alarr uncloaks us just as I loose my shot, but the arrow shatters on Baldure’s shoulder. Shit, it was just a broad tip!

  With his prey finally in sight, Baldure immediately forgets about Zebulon and Mary. Keeping my bow across my thighs, I nock another arrow, making sure it’s not another broad tip.

  When I tell you to, run, I send quickly to Alarr as Baldure makes the distance to us in one leap.

  “You are not what I expected, Little One,” Baldure says, lowering his head to look directly at me with his one good eye.

  “But you just want to stay friends?” I ask, sarcasm dripping like honey.

  To my surprise, Baldure
gives a short laugh. “I admire you! You have fire in your heart! Sadly, you still must die.” He’s not laughing anymore.

  “Why?” I ask sincerely.

  “Where the Royals will keep us divided, Drustana will unite us, but your existence prevents her from doing so,” he answers, convicted in this belief.

  “Is that what she told you? She left out the part about how she really wants to rule the entire world, not just dragonkind, as well as how she will kill, and has killed, any dragon in her way. You’re all just pawns; a means to an end,” I counter.

  “Why should I believe you?” he asks, his convictions wavering, and a new plan begins to form in my mind. What if I turn these two, or at least Baldure, to my side?

  “Don’t listen to the Royal’s lies, Brother,” Alivia yells, breaking free from Sitrian for a moment. “She must pay for what they have done!”

  Baldure looks to his sister, now battling with Sitrian again, then back at me, and just like that, his demeanor changes. Well, there goes that idea.

  “I’m sorry. What Alivia says is correct,” he tells me, but not as enthusiastically as before. There’s still a chance.

  “I’m sorry, too. Despite what you think, we’re the same, and I don’t want to hurt you, much less kill you.”

  Baldure takes pause at the sincerity in my confession, giving me the chance to strike. Aiming purposefully to turn his head so I can ninja vanish, I quickly fire an arrow, slicing his cheek. Without having to be told, Alarr cloaks us again, running several yards away to safety. Baldure glances around, roaring with confusion, and smashes the trees around him.

  Taking a moment, I check in with my team. Caedryn’s still out with an injury and Turhion’s on the bench now, but Kerric’s back in the game, helping Sitrian deal with Alivia, the two smaller dragons having a tough time getting the upper hand. They need more time on the board.