That was not to say that she had been planning to walk straight through the clearing. She wasn't.
Just before she reached it, Avalee stopped and turned off the path, climbing and pulling herself over the broken trunks and branches just at the edge until she was past the reach of the destruction, then she weaved her way carefully amongst the trees until she found what she was looking for. With the sun fully up, the glint of light on metal was hard to miss, even though most of the blade had buried itself, point down, in the dirt. She had to use both hands to free it and almost fell when the ground finally released its treasure into her care. Her back slammed into the tree that was just behind her, instead, and the impact knocked the breath out of her for a few minutes.
When she finally caught and managed to hold a little air in her lungs, she took a few deep breaths and then sheathed the sword at her back, careful not to sever one of the straps that held the pack close to her back. Then she pushed and worked her way back to the path, still on the cave side.
At the edge of the clearing she turned to the left and began to work her way around the destruction and the flames, but even though she kept a pace away from the true edge, and nearly two paces from the worst of the flames, the heat was unbearable. What had been a little moisture from her exertion and the restraining clothing became a flood of it. Her body felt as if it had been tossed in a pond and then set out in the sun, mid-day in the peak of summer. Steam rose visibly from every inch of her body, even her uncovered hands, and Avalee pushed herself as hard as she could to reach the other side before her body ran out of moisture. At that point, she knew that both fabric and flesh would be consumed just as the debris in the clearing, and she didn't plan on allowing that to happen.
After pushing herself to the edge of her endurance, she reached the other side and the relative safety of the path that awaited her. From there the way was clearer than she expected and she realized that, as the dragon, this was the point where she had begun to clear the way with purpose. Without sharp branches and even tree trunks blocking her way and trying to snag her, she made much better time, but it was still nearly two hours until she caught her first sight of undisturbed boughs shading the way before her.
As she neared the place where she'd finally given up, she found the impression in the ground where her draconic form had lain, where she had collapsed in exhaustion until consciousness had fled and she'd somehow reverted to her true form. It was enormous, she had been enormous. Avalee tried to figure how many paces wide and long she had been, but she wasn't sure it was accurate. She dimly remembered curling up before sleeping and waking the same way. The nearly ten pace round impression was reflecting that position, not her full length. And the estimate of paces was conservative even then. Perhaps if the pacer was a tall man running. She shuddered.
And it was deep. Avalee had to step down into it before crossing and back up out of it on the other side. There, she looked back over her shoulder and tried to see if she'd left footprints. There weren't any, but then again, she hadn't stopped anywhere for any great length of time, and this ground was a bit moister than the trail leading up to this point. When she looked closer, she noticed that the impression seemed less deep on the far side than it did where she stood now. Beyond that, the ground was dry.
She shrugged and then continued down the path, now shaded and undisturbed for the most part. For the most part, except for the prints that were now obvious to her searching eyes, despite being faint. Prints that matched those that had trampled the clearing—evidence that she was indeed going the right way—but no dragon prints and no human prints, booted or otherwise. Then again, she wasn't leaving any here either. Perhaps the damp soil gave underfoot only when those feet belonged to something truly massive.
The thought didn't give her any comfort. If anything, her stomach began to churn and her chest to tighten at the thought of facing the things that left these prints. Still, she pressed on, forcing herself to keep moving. The dragon and his captors had a tremendous head start on her, and she hoped that she could catch up. She began to wonder how much longer the trail would last and what she would find on the other side.
She had a guess or two. She remembered the view from the dragon's back, the island falling away beneath them. Wooded all around, bordered by rocky cliffs on either side of the cave and along the edge they'd followed until they'd left the island behind for the mainland. But she thought she also remembered, from their last flight, a break in the cliffs and a rocky beach, glimpsed briefly when she’d looked back before the island had been hidden by a fluff of low flying clouds. And that meant the beasts might have a way off the island.
And if she was right, that could mean that they were already gone. And if they were already gone across the water, Avalee had no idea how she would follow. Would she be forced to build a raft? Swimming was out of the question, because she had never learned. Her brothers and sister had done so, but the water had always scared Avalee, though she couldn't remember why.
She quickened her pace to a jog, but no quicker due to the load on her back. Her feet had also started to hurt, and each footfall was near torture. She no longer cared for the boots, at all, and feared what she would find when she finally did remove them. Blisters were a certainty, but they couldn't explain it all. She did her best to ignore the pain and to ignore the burn in her muscles. Calves, thighs, back and even her bottom were on fire.
She continued despite it all for a long time. Long enough for the sun to fall ahead of her—visible only in quick snatches through the leaves, but definitely falling. The only sounds were the leaves crunching beneath her boots, her breath, now fogging, and the gentle rustle of wind through those few leaves that still clung to their branches. And then she heard something out of place and slowed to a stop, her hands on her knees as she panted and tried to catch her breath as quietly as possible because, now that she had stopped, the sound was clearer and entirely recognizable. Snoring.
Her chest was heavy from exertion and her mouth was dry, so she took the opportunity to shrug off her pack and dig out her water. After drinking for a while and listening to the rather grotesquely grunting snores, she decided to eat a little something, too. She wouldn't be bringing these things with her, and she might not get another chance to eat or drink for some time. It all depended on what she would find. She finished eating as quickly as she could manage, but she didn’t eat all that much because her stomach was queasy from running so long. Then she hid the pack behind one of the trees, tearing off a section of bark at waist level to mark the spot.
Feeling refreshed despite her aching body, she followed the sound towards the sleepers. Soon it was obvious that she wouldn't find those she sought right at the end of the path; instead, she realized they were somewhere off to the right of the trail, into the forest beside it. So Avalee stopped where she thought she was closest and peered at the ground, hoping to find evidence. The ground was too dry here to hold even the slightest imprint, but she saw several twigs newly broken. That was enough for her to decide to enter the woods here.
She went slowly, each step taken with careful placement as she made her final approach. She could reach the sleepers at any moment and didn't want to wake them or make a clumsy trip that might send her sprawling with the same result.
After a while, a new sound picked up around her, and a salty tang touched her tongue and tickled her nose. The sea was close by.
~~~
Chapter 24
Avalee reached the edge of the forest soon after she sensed the presence of the sea. From there, she peered out on a rock strewn beach bordered by woods and cliffs, all but a narrow sliver of sky out over the water where the setting sun cast a dazzling array of colors and painted the water leading to the opening with the same. It was beautiful, but Avalee was more concerned with the not so lovely view close at hand.
On the beach, there was a fire that had almost gone to embers, as one that might have been set to burn before turning in for the night. Surrounding the
meager flames were three hulking shapes, and Avalee didn't want to accept the very real possibility that these enormous bundles were her adversaries. Didn't want to accept that, but had no choice when one of them coughed, the whole bundle shaking with the outburst. It set Avalee's heart racing, and she felt lightheaded from the rush of adrenaline the fright gave her.
She held perfectly still until the creature settled and a roaring snore announced it had rejoined its companions in deep slumber. When it did, she allowed herself to look around for the dragon. He obviously wasn't there by the fire. He was enormous as a dragon and rather small as a human. These beings were huge, but nowhere near as big as the dragon could be.
Beyond them on the beach, she found no sign of a boat or raft, or any other floating craft for that matter, but she did see some faint, but familiar foot prints leading from the water's edge to the fire. Next, she scanned to the left and right along the beach, seeing if any of the things she'd thought were rocks were actually her companion. Nothing seemed to fit. All of them were very obviously volcanic rock, none quite large enough to hide even the human version of the dragon.
She gulped nervously at what this initial scan told her she must do. If the dragon wasn't out where she could see him, perhaps he was closer to the tree line on one or the other side of her. The problem with that was that she couldn't check either of those locations from where she stood under the relative cover and protection of the bordering forest. She would have to join the frightening beasts on the beach, and even then, she had no idea what she would find.
Avalee had trouble understanding why her dragon hadn't simply burned these creatures to ash. And if they’d come across him when he was human, why hadn't he simply transformed and trampled them? With her recent experience, Avalee knew such a thing should have been easy for the dragon, yet the only way the beast could have remained subdued so long was for it to be human and unable to transform.
Avalee's breath caught in her throat. No, that wasn't the only way. There was another. The dragon could be dead. She felt the odd tingling race over her skin, the tingling that had preceded her rampage in the clearing, coming in waves as the thought of her dragon dead stoked the flames of her anger, but she fought it. Deep breaths, in and out, deep breaths, calming thoughts. She reminded herself that she had yet to finish her search—that he may yet live. She reminded herself, grimly, that there would be plenty of time and opportunity for her to take the path of destruction should she find what she most feared to be true.
The sensation faded, her breathing calmed, and she opened her eyes. Avalee was ready to find out one way or the other. Before she matched action to intent, she reached over her right shoulder and gripped her sword, pulling it slowly and carefully out of its sheath and holding it low before her, joining her left hand to the right on the hilt to steady it. Despite having calmed herself, adrenaline still pumped through her body, and she found that her hands were shaking. Two hands, however, were able to manage the sword well enough, stabilizing it.
Avalee crept forward until her boots sank into the sand and she was able to lean slightly forward to look around the last of the trees to either side. First left, then right, then she stopped and stared. He was there, to the right leaning up against one of the trees no more than five paces away from her. His head hung with his chin touching his chest. His arms were bound to his sides—tightly by how cords seemed to burrow into them—and she noted that his legs had been bound together the same way. As a human, the dragon would have no way to move anything more than his head, fingers or toes. Other than that, he would be completely at the mercy of the beasts sleeping by the fire.
She glanced over at the beasts and checked that they were still sleeping and then began to inch her way over to the bound and unconscious dragon. Having reached him, she knelt and set the sword down at her knees before touching his shoulder to rouse him. There was no response, not even when the touch became a shake—only the loll of his head rolling limply in time with her shakes, no sign that he knew of her presence or knew anything at all. The only thing that kept Avalee from panicking, that held the rage in check, was the fact that she could see the rise and fall of his chest, that and the fact that she could feel the warmth of his skin through his tunic where she'd touched him.
Yet, she could not rouse him, and she decided she should free him before she tried again. So, she adjusted herself so she could pull the dagger from its place on her calf and then knelt close to begin the tedious process of cutting through his bindings. It was difficult. The ropes were so tight that they seemed sunken into his flesh, so deep that she couldn't just slice them straight across or she would be slicing into the dragon as well. So she angled the dagger so that she could target what she could and slowly began her work. The first satisfying pop of parting fibers was surprisingly loud to her ears, and she stopped and looked over her shoulder to check on the dragon's captors, assuring herself they were still sleeping before she resumed.
Each following pop caused her to do the same, but she barely paused with those, particularly as she realized the sound wasn't nearly as loud has her overly sensitive ears would have her believe. Finally, the last strand of the rope parted, and the dragon's arms and hands were free, but they simply fell to his sides. Her heart felt heavy as she began to work on the rope that held his legs in the same manner. There was something seriously wrong with him. He should have woken by now, should have woken and perhaps taken over the job of freeing himself. But she didn't know what else to do, so she continued slicing at the rope until his legs, too, were free of their bindings. That's when she heard the loud snort behind her and realized that perhaps her rescue attempt was about to get that much more dangerous.
She slid the knife into its sheath and fetched her sword in hand, allowing it to drag behind as she ducked in amongst the trees behind the dragon. Only then did she turn and look back, hoping that the beast hadn't seen her. She crouched behind the tree and was careful not to reveal herself when she looked over in the direction of the fire. One of the hulking forms had rolled up into a sitting position facing the fire; one giant fist was rubbing its eye as the other was prodding the embers barehanded. Despite the dying light, she could see the sickly green tinge of the creature's skin, the rough bark-like texture of it, and the wiry black sprouts of hair that speckled its mostly bald head.
She'd never seen anything like it, and she’d never heard of anything like it either. She watched for one long moment as the beast just sat there staring at the flames and then decided she had no choice but to finish the job of getting the dragon to safety. By the look of the beast on the beach, Avalee figured she and the dragon might just have a chance at escape if she could pull him a few paces into the woods behind them. This part was much denser than the side trail the beasts had taken to reach the beach, and eyeing one of them, she was certain they wouldn't be able to follow if she took the dragon into the thick of it.
Still, her heart clamored erratically in her chest as she left the sword behind and forced herself out from the cover of the woods on the side of the dragon farthest from his captors. She braced herself into a sturdy stance, knees bending so that she could pull him by one arm to the side until he began to tip over towards her. Then she adjusted and bent to catch him under his arms. She strained and pulled, trying to move him, but the man who was the dragon was surprisingly heavy for his size. It was like trying to move a boulder. It was impossible, she began to realize with despair, but she ignored the stinging tears that formed in her eyes at that thought and kept trying. Even as the sounds of her efforts, the inch of movement through the fallen leaves, the unintentional grunt that rose from her throat, even as these things at long last drew the attention of the beast sitting by the fire.
She was watching it, and then she was looking into its bloodshot eyes—at least she thought they were bloodshot, all streaked through with green instead of red. But the look on its face was unmistakable, pure rage. Avalee strained and tugged, using her whole body to pull at the dragon, t
hrowing everything she had into the effort of pulling him and herself out of the now approaching beast's reach. Yet, despite its ire, the beast seemed to be taking its time, and something other than rage seemed to be taking over its expression. An evil smile joined the narrowing eyes, and Avalee struggled until the beast was only three paces away before giving up on escape.
Sure, she could have run into the forest herself, hidden and watched from behind the tree trunks as the beast re-secured the dragon and roused its mates; she could have done that, but she didn't. Avalee had come to rescue the dragon, not to abandon him to his fate after coming so close to saving him. Slowly, so as not to prompt the approaching creature into premature action, Avalee set the dragon down, allowing him to slump unconscious at her feet, and then, still in a crouch, she reached behind the tree and gripped the sword in one hand. Then, hiding the sword by holding it out from her body, but behind the tree and out of sight, she stood and then drew one foot back and bent her knees for balance and stability. It was only then that she revealed the sword, bringing it out before her and holding it up and ready in both hands.
She had grown stronger since that first day when she'd attempted to learn and use the blade in a single day. Since then, she'd spent many long hours practicing with it, only when the dragon was gone from the cave, but often enough to build at least some measure of confidence with the weapon, and some measure of strength to bring it to bear against the enemy she now faced. Still, Avalee recognized that she had never once used it in actual battle, not counting the failed attempt to fight of the dragon when it took her. And never had she been trained by someone who knew how to use a sword. She had a feeling, sinking and heavy, that her chances of saving the dragon, let alone surviving the attempt, were faint, nearly insignificant compared to the chances she would be killed or taken in the process.
Avalee and the Dragon Page 14