Legend's Awakening

by Jensine Odom

  Before we can move on her, though, I need everyone on the same page. Tristin left to join Caedryn and Zebulon a little while ago, and none of them have come back yet. I can only hope Caedryn’s words help.

  At least Calder and Rogarr are trying to get along. It might be because we’re all too miserable to be at each other’s throats, but no one’s fighting. I don’t know what I’ll do after we don’t have a common cause to unite us. Maybe I was a fool to think I could get the clans to unite under one banner.

  Motion at the edge of camp breaks me from my melancholy. It’s my brothers. Caedryn appears at my side, pulling me against the damp fabric on his chest and kissing my head. Tristin joins the other Vanguard, but Zebulon keeps going, walking up to where Kerric and Mary are seated on a log.

  Kerric stands and I stop breathing for an instant. Zebulon takes a breath, gathering his thoughts, and offers a hand. With a smile, Kerric accepts it, and the air in my lungs rushes out.

  Mary stands beside the two men, one she loved and one she’s coming to love. Zebulon says something I can’t hear to her, and she leans into Kerric with a happy smile. Zebulon’s not smiling, but he’s not angry anymore. With time, his heart will heal.

  He glances at Caedryn, giving a short nod, and rejoins his brother, getting words and gestures of sympathy, especially from Baldure.

  “I don’t know what you told him, but thank you.” I press a little more into Caedryn, holding him tight.

  “What is our plan now?” he asks.

  I force the air out of my lungs, turning my gaze back to the smoking embers, hoping to find some inspiration in the ashes floating on the air. “There isn’t a plan. I can’t see what happens next.”

  “Sometimes the control we have over what happens only stays in our hands if we but release it from our clenched fists,” Caedryn advises sagely.

  I snort, rolling my eyes, but then Caedryn’s words sink in. Let go. Trust. How many times had I given that same advice to my family and friends when the going got tough? Flying by the seat of our pants is what got us this far.

  “Thanks!” I kiss Caedryn suddenly, then bounce away just as quickly, racing to the center of the camp so everyone can hear me, giving a sharp whistle to get their attention. “Prepare for battle! We move at dusk!”

  The camp bursts into cheers, and it heartens me. Despite not having a plan, these people will follow me, and the trust they give rekindles my hope for peace. After all is said and done, this might just work out.

  If there’s one thing I know we can prepare for, it’s that Drustana will try to corrupt the minds of those she can. “Sitrian, Alivia, Amarya, with me; we need to teach all of these people how to guard their minds.”

  “My clan can help as well,” Amarya tells me, nodding for nearly her entire clan to join us. “Most are Espers, some are Obstructors.”

  “Obstructors?”

  “Those who are the balance to Espers. They can stop us.”

  “That’s what Turhion is,” I note, more to myself.

  “There is an Obstructor Knight?” Amarya sounds surprised. “I had only encountered the ones in our clan. They seem to appear in direct correlation to Espers.”

  “He wasn’t an Obstructor until I woke up that ability in him.”

  Amarya nods. “I will have one of my people see how strong he is while we work with the clans.”

  While Turhion gets his training, all of us Espers spread out through the clans, teaching everyone the various ways to repel Drustana. Some get the ideas quickly, able to block anyone but me, but others struggle to get the concept, or just can’t do it.

  Turhion proves to be strong enough to stop even me. On his suggestion, we create units of the different strengths. The dragons with strong minds go together, and those with weaker minds get teamed up with Obstructors, making sure Drustana can’t use them against us.

  Before we know it, dusk is falling. With one last check that we’re as ready as we can be, I have us move out. By the time we reach the outskirts of Drustana’s camp, it completely dark, the clouds still hovering in the sky blocking any light the stars might give.

  The trees have grown thick this far in, helping to conceal our large force, the breeze rustling through the leaves masking the sound of our movements. Once we reach Drustana’s camp, though, the scenery changes dramatically. It’s almost as if the magic of the Wisps couldn’t touch this place, and an odd energy creeps up my spine.

  Lightning sears the sky, mirrored in the hundreds of puddles across the desolate landscape beyond our cover. A few rows of tree skeletons litter the edge of the massive clearing, untouched by the renewing energy that brought the rest of the forest back to life.

  Just beyond them is the majority of the corrupted Knights, laying around like giant landmines, ready to go off at a moment’s notice. Rain steams off their warm scales, and their heavy breath vaporizes in the air. I think they’re sleeping.

  A handful of tents sit in the center of the camp, most of them illuminated, and a few Knights patrol around them. Bodrick’s clan stands around the doused fires, hunched against the rain; all of them are drenched from the steady downpour, and none of them look too happy about it.

  My accidental stalling seems to be working in my favor. Drustana has let her guard down. I just wish I knew if the Knights are truly asleep. Kneeling I find a rock, and with a hand up signaling everyone to stay put, I walk a little closer, darting between the trees to stay unseen. Once I think I’m close enough, I stop and cock back my arm.

  Volpe yips quietly from the fork in the tree beside my head, and I drop the rock, a strangled shriek escaping me before I can stop it. My heart races as I duck behind a tree, listening for any signs the Knights heard me.

  Nothing. Not even a change in breathing. I peer around the stump to glare at the troublesome little creature, but find him gone. A quick glance around shows him slinking off towards the Knights.

  I don’t dare call him back. That’ll wake the sleeping giants for sure. All I can do is wait to see what the little cretin is up to.

  A moment later he comes slinking back, stopping only to make sure I follow him back to the safety of the trees. Once there, he stops and sits, looking me in the eye.

  The beasts are sound asleep, for the time being, a clear voice sounds in my mind

  I stare at Volpe for a long moment. “You can talk?!” I almost shout, but remember that would give us away. “When did this happen?”

  Yes, I can speak. It took me some time to learn, but I think I’ve got it now. His voice is light and playful. Now, why did you need to know if the dragons were asleep?

  I can feel everyone else’s eyes on me, all of them wondering the same thing. “I have a plan.” I motion for everyone to move farther back into the cover of the trees. “Vanguard, we’re going to turn as many Knights as we can before Drustana notices. Turhion, on my signal, I need you to torch the tree stumps. Is there anyone else who’s an Agni here?” I look around, finding a few more dragons coming forward, one of which is Robert. “Good, coordinate with Turhion. Are there any other Menders here?”

  Destaya moves forward, followed by more dragons than I could have hoped for, including Allicyn, and surprisingly, Sylaena.

  “Good.” I nod. “Destaya, you’re in charge of them.” I look to Sylaena, seeing if she’s going to baulk at that, but she doesn’t seem to have a problem. “I’m no fool. There will be injuries. Set up a space where we can bring the injured to you for healing.”

  “What about me?” Madelaine asks, seeing both her older brother and sister being important. “Can I fight with you?”

  “You can’t fight with me, kiddo,” I apologize. “You’re not a full dragon yet.”

  “Yes, I am,” she pouts, and continues to prove me wrong, shifting before my eyes into her small dragon, surprising everyone.

  “How can this be?” Sylaena gasps.

  “It’s probably because you forced her transformation when they went dormant. She remembers the feel of the magic.”
I smile at the little dragon, grown up too fast. “You can help your sister with the mending. An extra pair of hands to staunch bleeding can mean the difference between life and death.”

  Content with my decision, Madelaine returns to her human form and joins Allicyn with Destaya’s Menders, getting accepted into the fold immediately.

  “I need volunteers to help with the Knights as we release them, to make sure they get their bearings and can rejoin the fight on the right side.”

  Kerric, Malakai, and Sitrian step up first, followed by Amarya and several of her clan.

  “Alright.” I nod. “While we’re releasing as many Knights as we can, the rest of you need to spread out in the tree spikes all around the camp. Stick to your units! The moment we’re discovered, I need everyone who’s not a Mender on the field. On my signal, the Agnis will incinerate the spikes. If we pull this off right, it should cause a good deal of confusion, giving us the chance to capitalize.”

  Zebulon turns to Mary, handing over his crossbow. “I know you’re not a fighter, but just in case.”

  Alarr, stay on the edge of camp in case I need you, and Volpe, stay with Mary and the Menders.

  My draquus steps close, nuzzling my shoulder, and I hug him tight, his anxiety rushing through our bond. Volpe gives a soft whimper at my feet, and I scratch between his ears. Caedryn pulls me close, giving me a sound kiss.

  “Alright. Let’s do this.” I look to all the clans awaiting my signal and nod.

  ✽✽✽

  The splashing of our footsteps is concealed by the falling rain. I take the first dragon in the middle of the nearest group and wait as the other Vanguard fan out to the rest.

  Ready? I send to everyone.

  Assent ripples through our bond. As one, we take the dragon’s heads in our hands, and lightning streaks across the sky, covering the bright flashes of the released Knights. I’m still not sure how I control the storm, but it seems to work best when I’m not thinking too hard.

  Malakai and the others move in on the dazed and confused people and the Vanguard head for the next seven Knights. I watch as the others reach their marks first, making sure to cloak the flashes with lightning.

  Just as I reach the sleeping Knight I’m supposed to turn, I trip over its unusually long tail, falling face first in the mud. I lay on the ground, fighting to get air into my lungs, praying to whatever god is listening that the dragon in front of me doesn’t wake.

  One draconic eye pops open, then the other, scanning the immediate vicinity for what disturbed its slumber. Shit! I struggle to steady the breath I just managed to catch. Maybe my mud camouflage will help keep me unseen?

  It’s gaze sweeps over my motionless form once, twice, then suddenly stops, eyes focusing on me. With every ounce of strength I can muster, I push off the ground, lunging for the dragon’s slim head.

  I connect with my target, but not before it’s lets out a shrill shriek, alerting the entire camp. Malakai unceremoniously heaves the Knight over his shoulder and disappears into the forest with her.

  Lightning strikes a dead tree behind me; Turhion’s signal. Flames erupt all around the camp, causing the chaos I was hoping it would, sending the half-beastlocked Knights into a confused frenzy.

  That is, until the remaining Paladins appear, pulling them into order, but by then my force has organized. The clearing is filled with all the full form dragons that can fit, all waiting for my command to begin.

  The Paladins line up about one hundred yards opposite us, backed by what remains of the corrupted Knights and Bodrick’s clan. Drustana’s not among them, but the darkness of her presence weighs on my mind.

  Get ready, I warn my people. Engage the Knights, but do not kill them; subdue them until one of the Vanguard can get to you. As far as Bodrick’s clan goes, if they engage you, they’ve made their choice; do what you must. And don’t forget to guard your mind! “It’s not too late,” I call to the Paladins across the battlefield. “Join us!”

  “We cannot,” is the only reply, the dragon who spoke more scared than loyal. Do they think Drustana still has the Dragon’s Bane?

  Before I can point out Drustana has no leverage over them, the Paladins shift, quickly disappearing into the corrupted Knights flying out from behind them in a shimmering mass of teeth and claws.

  Bodrick and his clan seem to have no intention of shifting and joining the fray. I don’t know whether that’s because there’s no room for any more full dragons or because Bodrick’s staying Switzerland, but I can’t give it anymore thought as the battle for our freedom begins in earnest.

  Shifting in the blink of an eye, I let out a mighty roar, lightning arcing across the sky. The rain magically lets up, stopping completely, and I charge headlong into the fray, taking on a heavyset copper Knight.

  It dodges my first attack, but thankfully Calder and Brigid thought to tag along. Brigid cuts the big boy off as he tries to come back on me and Calder slams into his side, sending him rolling a few yards. Before he can regain his feet, I pounce, getting the first release of the night.

  “That’s one for me,” I taunt my brothers as Brigid moves the dazed man off the field. “Where you guys at?!”

  “One? That’s cute,” Tristin teases, releasing two Knights one after the other. “Where you at?”

  “I’m a little busy,” Zebulon yells, having trouble fending off two Knights with only one other dragon. “Umm. Can I get some help?!” He calls as another Knight joins the party.

  Alivia’s closest, bringing Destaya and a few others with her, and together they dispatch the three Knights.

  The battle rages on for another moment or two, then the calls start coming in.

  “We have one!”

  Caedryn’s first on the scene, quickly releasing the Knight before being thrust into another skirmish as a new Knight lunges at him.

  “This way! Hurry!”

  Baldure’s closer to this one, releasing it and moving on to help subdue another.

  “We can’t hold her for long!”

  Zaara barely makes it there. There’s a small struggle, but she manages to get her hands on the Knight.

  “Xerxia, quick!”

  Kalos, Hadrian, and a couple others have a Knight pinned down, and I rush in to help. The Knight wiggles free just as I reach them, slashing down Kalos’s foreleg. He fights through the pain, regaining his grip. I release the Knight, but not before it nearly breaks its neck to get away.

  Drustana must have ingrained the need to stay away from my touch at all costs. The next Knight I release proves the theory, completely dislocating its shoulder to get away from me, and now they’re reacting the same way to all the Vanguard.

  With every Knight we release the others seem to be fighting harder, and smarter. Even though we outnumber them, they’re giving us a run for our money. It takes at least three of us to subdue just one, and now several have taken to the skies, leading the dragons that follow on a dangerous game of chase. I call for them to come back, but my pleas are swallowed up by the clouds.

  At least Bodrick and his clan are staying out of the fight. They’re not helping, but they are staying out of the way, and that’s more than I could have hoped for right now. It isn’t like they would fit, anyways; the clearing is still pretty packed with scales, tails, and teeth.

  “Xerxia, watch out,” Sitrian yells a warning.

  I turn in time to see a Knight flying straight for me, Sitrian and two others hot on its heels. Like a matador, I dodge the dragon. It crashes into the mud, turning back on me immediately, but now I have Sitrian and the others to help.

  The Knight proves difficult to pin down, though. It snakes out of two attempts to subdue it, injuring the two dragons helping Sitrian and me. We need at least one more dragon to clinch this Knight, but all the others are just as busy as we are, with all the Knights suddenly having turned aggressive.

  We’ll just have to bide our time until someone can get here, and see if we can wear this Knight down in the meantime.

>   Like alligator wranglers, we circle around the Knight, snapping at its haunches to keep it twisting back and forth. Once its movements slow, Sitrian circles one way while I go the other, keeping the Knight’s attention.

  Once Sitrian is directly behind the dragon, I swipe at its face, getting it to rear up. As it’s coming back down, Sitrian seizes the opportunity to make her move, jumping onto the dragon’s back and grabbing its wings, grounding the flighty creature.

  Not too happy about this, the Knight begins to buck like a bronco, gnashing at Sitrian. I reach for its head, but it sees me coming and crow hops away, returning to its bucking and spinning.

  I watch for a moment, getting its pattern down; two spins right, three left, repeat. If I can just grab its head when it switches direction, I’ll be golden. Waiting for the dragon to change its spin cycle, I get ready.

  Dizzy now, Sitrian bobbles a little too far to the side when the dragon turns. The Knight capitalizes and bites down on Sitrian’s shoulder, ripping her off its back. Before it can do any more harm, I slam into it.

  It goes stumbling and I chase it down, hoping to release it before it regains its footing, but the Knight recovers faster than I anticipated. Enraged now, it comes back at me, slashing me across my chest. I lose my footing in the slick mud and fall back.

  The Knight comes in to finish the job before I can get up, but out of nowhere Volpe flies in, hitting the much larger creature like a bullet. Sitrian’s back up now and follows Volpe’s hit with one of her own, sending the Knight reeling.

  Not wanting to miss this chance, I push myself to stand, lunging for the dragon’s head. This time I hit my mark, finally releasing the Knight. Sitting back on my haunches, breathing hard, I nod thankfully to Volpe. The little drox yips happily, then flies back into the cover of the trees.

  Alarr rushes to my side, healing the gash in my chest, then carries the Knight to the sidelines. With so many needing healing, the Menders are busy, so I heal Sitrian myself, the effort taxing me more than I thought.