by K J Taylor
Ambrose laughed. ‘She’s right, my love. Let them go.’
Elynor sighed. ‘Very well, then — go, both of you, before I change my mind.’
Nils threw a grateful look at Syn, and he and Lilith hurried off. Tancred followed at a distance.
‘I can’t believe I have magic!’ Lilith said as they passed the stairs and kept going along the wall.
‘It hurts, doesn’t it?’ said Nils. ‘When they put the gem into you.’
‘Not as much as it does when you’re initiated by the Drachengott,’ said Tancred. ‘That’s what Mama said. They make it more painful on purpose.’
‘They do?’ said Nils, surprised.
‘Yes, Papa said so, too,’ said Lilith. ‘I think the Drachengott likes hurting people. I mean, I saw what he did to your mother . . .’
Nils shivered. ‘Yes.’
‘Your father really does love her,’ Tancred observed. ‘I think he’s a bit stupid about it, really. He doesn’t even know her real name or who she is, but he keeps holding onto her anyway.’
‘Maybe being in love makes people stupid,’ said Nils. ‘I wouldn’t know. None of us would. We’re only children, aren’t we?’
‘I’m nearly five years old,’ said Tancred, ‘but I’m not a child, and neither are you. Not really.’
Nils paused, looking up at the sky where the dragons flew. ‘I’ve been wondering,’ he said. ‘If we grew up this quickly, how long are we going to live? Will I be an old man in another year?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Lilith. ‘I mean, I was born a fox. Foxes only live for a few years, and it’s the same with cats. But I don’t know how long dragons live. Dragons aren’t even born — they’re summoned, and they’re already full grown. I never heard of an old dragon. Maybe you’re immortal, Theodor.’
He shivered again. ‘I don’t think I’d want that.’
‘I wouldn’t either,’ said Tancred. ‘The Drachengott’s immortal — imagine what that must be like.’
Nils frowned to himself, thinking of the rage in the massive dragon’s voice, the painful sores on his belly, his weathered scales and spikes. Could it be that the Drachengott was suffering, that his endless life was one of pain and misery? And then there was his reaction to seeing them, his claim that they had come too soon. And why had he let them go when he could have killed them so easily? Could it be . . . ?’
Lilith was watching him. ‘What is it?’
Nils hesitated, and then shook his head. ‘Nothing, it’s nothing.’ He smiled. ‘Now then — do you want to fly?’
***
That evening Nils and Syn ate together. It was the first time they had been alone since their arrival at Ketzergard. Nils watched his mother closely — even now she puzzled and fascinated him. She was a dragon who loved a human, and she could see the future. Yet even though he had seen her true form and knew her real name, he still didn’t truly know who she was. But he could see she was beautiful, even though that beauty had been damaged now, and he wondered whether that was why his father was so obsessed with her.
‘Will you really tell him the truth one day?’ he asked.
Syn sighed. ‘Yes, I will, though I dread it. Even if he does forgive me for what I did, I doubt he’ll ever love me again. In a way I’m delaying the moment out of selfishness. Just one more day knowing he loves me: I’d do anything for that.’
Nils paused. ‘Mother, what does the Drachengott want?’
The question seemed to surprise her. ‘I don’t know. Once I would have said that he wants the Jüngen to rule Wendland, but if that were true he could have destroyed us all himself and left them to take our place. It could be—’
‘Maybe it’s only the Jüngen who want to take over, and the Drachengott just isn’t stopping them,’ said Nils. ‘I mean, he never does anything, does he? He never leaves his mountain, and he hardly ever speaks. I always believed he ordered the Jüngen to do what they’re doing, but . . .’
‘Strange,’ said Syn. ‘I never thought of that.’
‘And why didn’t he just kill you?’ Nils added. ‘And us? He could have, but he didn’t.’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Nobody truly understands the Drachengott, and maybe no one ever will. But now I have been tortured twice, and both times it was the Drachengott who ordered for it to be done. You can’t claim he has no malice. And the first time he hurt me, it was for no reason. I had done nothing wrong.’ Her fists clenched suddenly, and her voice rose. ‘I did nothing wrong, and he condemned me! Named me traitor and had me tortured — if Tanja had not set me free I would have been killed! And why? For what? I was barely a week old!’
Nils started — he had never heard her sound like this before. ‘He did that to you?’
Syn was actually growling now; a low, dragon growl which vibrated in her throat. ‘Yes,’ she snarled. ‘And that was when I knew he had to die. And I would do anything to see that happen.’
Cautiously, Nils touched her on the shoulder. ‘Mother,’ he said, ‘there’s something I want to tell you.’
She slowly relaxed under his hand, and her fists uncurled. ‘What is it?’ she asked, more calmly now.
‘I have them, too,’ said Nils. ‘The dreams. I must have inherited them from you.’
Syn stared at him. ‘You . . . ?’
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I mean, they’re not very clear. But I saw the Drachengott’s fire in a dream, before it happened. I didn’t know what it meant until it was too late.’
Syn smiled. ‘Then you truly are my son, Theodor.’
‘Are they like that for you?’ he asked bashfully. ‘Your dreams — what are they like?’
‘I see pieces of the future,’ said Syn. ‘Likes scenes in a play. When I dreamed of the fourth one of us, this woman Karmain, I saw her standing on a beach, and I was there speaking to her. And I heard her say “you’re not from Espan”, and I answered “no, Karmain, I am a Wend”. That’s how I know her name and where she is. But it isn’t like that for you?’
‘No,’ said Nils. ‘It’s all mixed up in my head. I don’t think my dreams would be much use.’
‘Perhaps they could,’ said Syn. ‘In time. Perhaps you could learn to control them. Somebody once told me you can do that with dreams.’
Nils frowned thoughtfully. ‘You really believe your dreams are real, don’t you?’ he said after a pause.
‘So far, nearly all of them have come true,’ said Syn. ‘So yes, I do. But I can’t predict when they’ll come, and I don’t know what brings them on.’
‘Did you dream of anything while you were sick?’
Syn faltered. ‘Yes . . . yes, I did.’
Nils saw the look on her face, and tensed. ‘What was it?’
‘I would prefer not to talk about that,’ Syn said stiffly. ‘Please don’t ask me.’
‘All right,’ said Nils, immediately regretting the question. ‘But, Mother, what’s going to happen to us? Can we truly kill the Drachengott? And what will happen when we do?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Syn. ‘I only ever saw as far as that day on the blasted plains. What happens after that will be up to you. And afterward, if there is an afterward . . .’ she trailed off.
‘I don’t know what I’ll do afterward,’ said Nils. ‘If I’m still alive.’
Syn smiled sadly. ‘Your father wanted to marry and find a place to live together, but I don’t believe that will ever happen. Even if I never did tell him who I truly am, none of us can ever live normal lives again. Not your father, not Elynor or Ambrose, or you either, Theodor. And me, well, I never truly did have a life to begin with, normal or otherwise.’
‘But maybe you could one day,’ said Nils. ‘With us. Anyway, once the Drachengott is dead, people will need us. That’s what we should do afterward, isn’t it?’
‘I know it’s what Elynor and your father will want to do,’ said Syn.
‘But what about you?’ asked Nils. ‘What do you want to do?’
Syn put her head on on
e side and stared at him in silence.
Nils began to feel uncomfortable. ‘What? Why are you looking at me like that?’
In an odd voice she said, ‘Theodor, nobody has ever asked me that before.’
‘Then do you know what the answer is?’
‘No,’ said Syn, still in a strange voice. ‘No, I don’t. And I don’t know if I ever will.’
***
A week passed. Nils spent much of it with Lilith and Tancred, practising magic, but he also stayed close to his mother, quietly looking after her. She was putting some weight back on now, but there were raw pink scars on her face, and she walked with a limp. Sometimes Nils would catch her staring at nothing, her gaze unsettlingly blank. When that happened he would try to distract her with talk, and it sometimes worked. At other times she only waved him into silence and stared on, leaving him to wonder what she was looking at. The future? Or the grim past?
The Ketzer army had already left, with Peter and Mathilde, and a large number of dragons. Now Elynor too knew how to give the gift of magic, she continued the work Rutger had begun, giving the dragons their fire back. Most of them were also shapeshifters, and Nils quickly grew used to seeing an apparently ordinary person suddenly flip over into the shape of a dragon, and vice versa. It was strange at first, though, seeing others do what had seemed so incredible to him the first time he had done it.
And he and Lilith flew.
On the seventh day after his father’s departure, Nils and Lilith met up at the top of the walls as they’d planned the previous day. Lilith came alone, carrying the special harness they had made with the help of a pair of Gottlosen craftsmen. It looked something like a leather bucket with a hole in it, attached to a set of belts, and Lilith carried it slung over one shoulder. She was grinning again — a very fox-like grin, Nils thought.
He grinned back. ‘Are you ready?’
‘If you are,’ said Lilith.
Nils slipped into his dragon’s shape, and lowered his head toward her. Let’s go.
Lilith put the bucket on his back, between his wings, and set about doing up the straps, looping them around his legs, neck and tail. Once they were on, she gave the whole thing a tug. It held steady.
‘Can you move your wings?’
Nils gave them an experimental flap. The straps chafe a bit, but yes. He walked around in a slow circle — the harness felt strange and awkward, but it wasn’t too restrictive.
‘Perfect!’ said Lilith. ‘Let’s try it out!’ She stepped back, and transformed.
She was a red fox, like her father, but smaller and slimmer, with touches of gold in her bushy tail. Her green eyes were full of mischief, and she growled softly at Nils. He growled back, playfully, and lay down on his belly.
Lilith climbed up, more nimbly than he had expected, and he felt her scrabbling about on his back. He arched his neck back to look at her, and watched as she squeezed herself into the harness. Once she was in, she lay down and poked her head out through the hole provided.
Ready? asked Nils.
She nodded.
Just scratch me if there’s a problem.
Another nod.
Nils picked up the Soul Thief — even now he never let it out of his sight — and took off. He soared up over Ketzergard, and even with the rush of wind in his ears he could hear Lilith yipping with excitement. He gave a loud screeching roar, and sped up with a hard blow of both wings.
The other dragons soon noticed. They flew around him, calling to him. What is that on your back?
He has a fox riding on him! another laughed.
Nils laughed, too. On an impulse he started to head out over the forest, but he hadn’t gone very far before he saw two dragons coming his way. He recognised one at once — it was Storm, who had left Ketzergard more than a week ago.
Theodor! the pale dragon called out the moment she saw him. You must go to Elynor! Bring her up to the wall — I must talk to her at once!
Nils didn’t stop to ask questions. He turned and flew back toward the city as fast as he could go. As soon as he landed on the wall, Lilith jumped down off his back. She transformed at once. ‘What happened?’ she asked, looking rather tousled. ‘Why did we have to come back?’
Nils transformed, too, and shrugged off the harness. ‘It’s Storm — she’s got news for your mother. Quick, we have to find her.’
Lilith didn’t argue. They put the harness aside and ran off indoors.
‘That was amazing,’ Lilith panted along the way. ‘I was really flying! Was the harness a problem?’
Nils grinned at her. ‘It was all right. How about you? Were you comfortable?’
‘It was windy and I couldn’t hear anything or see too well, but—’
‘Theodor, Lilith — what are you doing?’ Syn appeared in a doorway to their left, frowning.
‘Mother,’ Nils said quickly. ‘We’re looking for Elynor. There’s news. Do you know where she is?’
‘Talking to Alberich below,’ said Syn. ‘Come with me.’
They soon found Elynor and Alberich, and Ambrose and Spurling were there with them. Together they hurried back up onto the wall, where Storm and his companion had just arrived.
Storm was growling. Spurling, she said, Elynor Überketzer — we flew back here as fast as we could.
Spurling, who was in his human form, said ‘What is it, Storm? What did you find out? Did you reach the Gallien capital?’
Yes, we have been in Arlcourt, said Storm. We visited the chateau of the King, in our human forms. They were not happy to see us in either shape, once they knew we were Wenden.
‘But did you give the King my message?’ asked Elynor.
Yes. He did not hear it gladly, said Storm’s companion, a brown female. He knows of you, Elynor. He called you a blasphemer and a traitor to Gallia, and more besides. His reply to you is this: that Gallia means to go to war with Wendland, and that they have already allied with Swetzland and Espan. They mean to conquer Wendland for themselves, and in the process kill all of those with magic they can find.
Nil’s heart sank. ‘Verdammt,’ he swore in an undertone.
Elynor looked utterly horrified. ‘He must be mad. What of the Drachengott? How do they plan to destroy him? He could turn their armies to ashes!’
I do not know, said Storm. Nevertheless, war has been declared, and the Espanien Queen and the Swetzien King are in full agreement. Their ambassadors were there to tell us so. They condemn dragons, Ketzer, Jüngen and magic-using Gottlosen alike.
‘Curse them!’ Ambrose exclaimed. ‘Were the Drachengott and the Jüngen not enough — now we have to go to war against our own countrymen? If they march on Wendland we won’t stand a chance. The Drachengott could even be our best defence.’
‘Would he stop anyone from attacking Wendland?’ Nils wondered.
Elynor threw up her hands. ‘Nobody knows what the Drachengott might do.’ She turned on Syn. ‘Did you see this? Was this in your dreams?’
Syn paused, clearly aware that everyone was looking at her. ‘No,’ she said at last. ‘I did dream of battles, but they were Wendisch battles.’
‘Then maybe it won’t happen,’ Nils said hopefully.
‘I don’t see everything that will happen,’ said Syn. ‘A thing doesn’t have to appear in my dreams before it can come to pass.’
‘Then what will we do?’ said Elynor. ‘The Drachengott is not going anywhere, the Jüngen are subdued — an invasion from three countries on Wendland is far more important and dangerous than that. But even with magic, I doubt we could stop them.’
Syn bit her lip. ‘I don’t know; I wish Rutger were here.’
‘He should be back soon,’ said Nils. He scowled and bashed the Soul Thief’s butt on the stone underfoot. ‘This is all the Drachengott’s fault! But how can we convince anyone to believe us, even if we were there?’
King Phillipe did not believe it, said Storm. He believes that we and the Drachengott are in league, and that the destruction of so much of Gall
ia was a way to subdue his people before we invade ourselves and take his country in the Drachengott’s name. To them, all Wends are Jüngen.
A grim silence fell.
Abruptly, Syn turned away. ‘I must go,’ she said. ‘I will find Rutger and tell him what has happened. He will know what to do.’
‘Why do you say that?’ asked Ambrose.
Syn looked back. ‘Because Rutger is a warrior, and I trust his judgement in matters of warfare. I must find him—’
‘No,’ Spurling came forward. ‘I will go. A dragon can travel faster than any human.’
Nils bit back a laugh. ‘He’s right,’ he said. ‘Come back here, Mother — you’re not going anywhere. You still need to rest. Anyway, I promised R— Father that I wouldn’t let you disappear again.’
Syn paused, and then relented with a sigh. ‘Very well. Go, Spurling.’
Spurling said nothing. He nodded quickly to Elynor and Ambrose, then transformed and flew away at speed. Nils watched him go somewhat enviously — he would have liked to go with him. But Spurling would travel fastest by himself.
‘Rutger should be on his way back now anyway,’ said Elynor, ‘but while we wait we should discuss this with the others. Alberich — gather the others. We will meet in my sitting room.’
‘Yes, my lady.’ Grim-faced, Alberich changed into his hawk shape and flew away.
Nils, Lilith and Ambrose made a move to follow Elynor, but Syn stayed where she was.
‘Aren’t you coming?’ Lilith asked her. ‘You know plenty — you could help.’
‘No,’ said Syn. ‘I need to be alone now. I need some time to think.’
Nils looked suspiciously at her. ‘You’re not leaving,’ he said.
‘I won’t go anywhere,’ said Syn. ‘I promise. I’m just going to sit up here and think about things.’ She smiled wanly. ‘Maybe if I have a little sleep, a new dream will come to me. It could happen.’
Nils smiled back. ‘All right, but if you disappear I’m going to hunt you down and bring you back.’
‘I’m sure your father would help you, too,’ said Syn. ‘But no, I will be here when he returns, waiting for him as I promised him I would. Now go on. I’ll see you later.’