Song of Smoke and Fire

by Megan Linski

“Feel free to take what gems or treasures you wish that lie about the cave, as payment,” he replies. “I apologize that I disrupted your life to bring you here.”

  “Don’t you care about your horde?” I gesture to the piles of gold lying in giant mounds around us.

  “What use have I for it?” The dragon closes his eyes. “A thieves’ guild could enter and I’d still have more than I could ever want after they left. A small girl won’t take anything I’ll miss.”

  I nearly laugh out loud. A dragon paying me, a slave? If this world can get any more unusual, I’d like to see it.

  “No thank you, Smok. Treasures will only weigh us down. I will take what I need when we return from the Baltic Sea.”

  The dragon doesn’t answer. As if of their own accord, or perhaps it is the dragon’s magic, the torches dim down. I curl up on the rug, to go to sleep.

  After some time, I notice that it’s quite cold within the cave. It’s more distracting than the fact that there’s a sleeping dragon within a short distance. Each part of me is freezing. I hope I have toes to walk on tomorrow, because at the moment, I can’t feel them.

  I look around for a blanket, but there isn’t one. I firmly hold my jaw closed, to keep it from chattering.

  “Your shivering is keeping me awake, dear girl.” The dragon opens one red eye, to peer at me through the darkness.

  “I’m fine.” I take a deep breath and blow it between my hands, to warm them.

  “You’re no use to me frozen,” he says. “Come sleep near my belly, where my fire lies. It will save you from becoming an icicle in this cave.”

  “No,” I say, recoiling from the idea. “I don’t want to.”

  “I insist,” the dragon says. “You are still my slave, and will do as I say until that is no longer true. Come, dear girl. I will keep you warm.”

  I wonder if it’s safe sleeping next to a dragon’s body, before I consider that if he rolls on top of me by accident, at least I’ll be warm. I get up and hobble toward the beast. The closer I come to the dragon, the warmer the air becomes until it feels like I’m walking along a path on a hot summer’s day.

  I lay down on the floor next to his underbelly. It is smooth, with soft scales. The dragon’s stomach is like a light in the dark. I can see the flames as they flicker, shadows twisting among the organs. It’s a beautiful, enchanting display.

  The dragon drops his wing over me, covering me like a blanket, and drawing me close.

  “Goodnight, dear girl,” he says. “Tomorrow we begin our adventure.”

  “Goodnight, Smok.” I turn toward his belly and dare to lay a hand upon the scales. The flames dance underneath. The mesmerizing color of the dragon’s fire within lulls me to sleep.

  I have the best sleep of my life, calm and undisturbed by dreams and nightmares alike. I reach to pull Smok’s wing around me that morning, but my hand meets nothing but air. I start awake and look around for the dragon, only to see that he’s gone.

  “Smok?” I ask. Now that it’s day, I can somewhat see in the cave. I get up and journey toward the entrance. Was it all a dream, and I woke up in the cave by accident? What exactly happened at that ball last night?

  To my relief… or is it my displeasure… Smok is standing at the entrance of the cave as a dragon, his scales glimmering in the dawn, and wings spread wide. He’s even more magnificent in the morning light than in the shadows of the dark. I smile at him.

  “Our journey begins, dear girl,” the dragon says. “Today you will fly upon my back.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Fly?!” I squeak. “On… you?”

  “Yes. That is the quickest way to get there,” he says. “Climb up and we’ll be off.”

  I shake my head and back away. “No. No way. I’m not riding on your back.”

  “Do you believe I’ll drop you? Don’t be absurd.” The dragon lets out a puff of smoke.

  “I’m not afraid of heights, but there’s a difference between being up high and being plain stupid,” I shoot back. “I’m not flying there.”

  “Do you want your freedom?” The dragon seethes, small flames emitting from his mouth. “It’ll take us many weeks to walk there, as opposed to only a few days to fly. Even if we took horses, it would take longer than seven days to reach the sea, and longer afterwards to search for the queen. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we’ll both have what we desire. I give you no choice, slave. Get upon my back!”

  I give him a particularly harsh glare, which he probably doesn’t care about. “You’re such a brute. Fine.”

  I’m particularly wary about climbing onto a dragon, but I imagine it’s the same thing as riding a great, big, rude horse through the air, so I grab two of his spikes and hoist myself up. I slip and fall a few times. Grunting noises and pants emerge from my mouth as I struggle to reach his shoulders.

  “Having trouble?” he asks.

  “I’ll get there.” I take a deep breath and lift myself up as far as I possibly can, until I lose my balance and slide back down.

  “Just… grab onto the scales,” he says, dancing back and forth.

  “I’m trying! Quit being impatient!” I demand.

  I’m finally able to pull myself up. I sit between the dragon’s shoulders, in the place where his neck ends and his wings begin.

  “Finally.” Smok breathes a sigh of relief. “Hold on tight.”

  Smok lurches forward. I have to grab onto one of his spikes to keep from tumbling off. He rears up on his back legs, spreading his wings wide. He launches himself into the air, taking deep strokes with his wings and climbing higher and higher. I gasp in fright as I feel us tipping backward, but Smok straightens out. Soon we’re soaring with the clouds.

  I look down, and immediately wish I hadn’t. The village below us appears a tiny toy town. Then I gaze outward. My breath is taken away by the sight of the river flowing from the emerald forests to the mountains. The horizon casts golden beams of light over vast, green plains and wholesome farmland.

  A rush of cold, clean air hits my face, giving me a burst of life. In the far distance, I see the line of the ocean. That’s where we’re headed.

  I sigh in contentment. Now that we’re actually up here and Smok is steady, it’s really not that bad. It’s actually amazing.

  We fly in silence for a while. I’m still impressed with the scenery around me and am happy not to talk, but Smok seems bored. I suppose he’s seen it all before.

  “Tell me a story, girl,” he says. “You know stories, don’t you?”

  “I do,” I say, ripping my eyes away from the mountains in the distance.

  “An old one. Something good,” the dragon demands.

  I tap my fingers against his scales. “As you wish.” I start humming a little tune, as an intro, and say, “Have you heard the story of the three brothers?”

  “Many times. But it is always nice to hear it again.”

  “Your version may be different from mine, as there are many ways to tell the tale,” I say. “As the story goes, there were three brothers; Czech, Rus, and Lech. These brothers wandered away from their tribes in search of adventure. Rus, seeking ice and snow, wandered eastward, while Czech, who desired sun and sky, went south.

  “But Lech, who was lost, stayed in the lowlands and wandered there, not understanding what he was searching for.”

  Smok is listening intently. Even his wing beats are quiet as I recount the story.

  “Lech rode over mountains and through forests and plains, but couldn’t find anyone that lived in the lowlands except for himself. Still unsure of what he was searching for, Lech decided that if he did not receive a sign from the gods that this was to be his true home he would return to his tribe, and face the humiliation he would receive for coming back empty handed.”

  Smok says nothing. When he remains quiet, I continue.

  “As Lech was riding home, he passed a meadow surrounded by a small lake. Flying above the lake was a beautiful creature, which swooped down before Lec
h and perched itself on a rock. As Lech looked closer, he could see that the bird was a great white eagle.”

  “Firebird.” Smok interrupts for the first time. “It was a firebird.”

  “I was always told it was a white eagle,” I say, leaning down to stare at him.

  “No. It was a firebird,” he repeats stubbornly.

  “Very well. A firebird.” Whatever he wants to hear, I suppose. It’s not my story. “Amazed, Lech reached out to touch the firebird, but it rose into the heavens. A ray of sunshine beamed down and made the bird’s feathers appear as though they were shimmering gold. The firebird flew into the clouds, and disappeared.

  “Afterward, Lech proclaimed that the meadow by the lake would be his home. He made a banner with a firebird upon it, and flew it above the meadow. He brought many people there to create a settlement that he named Gniezno, the eagle’s nest. And that is how the Poles, the people of the field, came to be. And we have been here to this day.”

  I pat the dragon’s scales as I finish.

  “It is a very good story,” Smok says. “One of my favorites.”

  “Do you think it is true?” I ask curiously. The dragon has been around for very long. Perhaps he knows the truth.

  “Maybe.” He shifts. “Though I no longer put faith in fairy tales.”

  A black dot on the horizon causes him to stiffen. I lean forward, squinting. “What’s that?”

  “Exactly what I feared.” Smok’s voice has taken on an edge of resentment. “It’s Zirnitra.”

  “Who?” I ask, confused.

  “He’s the dragon god of sorcery,” he says quickly. “I feared this would happen, though I hoped if we moved quickly we wouldn’t be detected by him or his magic.”

  “He’s a dragon god, isn’t he? Can’t you offer him a sacrifice or some sort of bargain?” I ask, before thinking that the only thing Smok has to bargain is me.

  “He and I have had some disagreements in the past. We don’t consider each other friends.” Smok clenches his feet, claws curling into dangerous hooks beneath him. “Hang on tight, dear girl. He will try to hurt me.”

  “Wait. You want to battle a god?” My eyes bug out of my head.

  “We have no choice. He will not let us pass, and he’ll kill us if we don’t fight back.” Smok bares his fangs. “Luckily, I have some magic of my own. He won’t be able to overtake me like he did when we first met.”

  Smok surges forward. I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to his scales tightly, suppressing a wave of nausea and closing my eyes.

  When Smok finally comes to a stop, my head is spinning. I raise my head up, and open my eyes. I choke when I see what’s hovering in front of us.

  Every time I think I’ve seen the biggest dragon around, a larger one shows up the next day. Zirnitra is black in color, darker than even the bleakest night. His wings, twice the span of Smok’s, keep him aloft.

  Several large fans splay out behind his head, dotted with hundreds of tiny spikes. Two large horns curl inward, toward his mouth. One of his fangs is taller than two of me. I’d doubt if he ate me he’d even notice. It’d be like swallowing a bug.

  There’s nothing but a few small spines on Zirnitra’s tail. It twists and coils like a whip, blue sparks like lightening rippling up and down the spines. I’ve never seen sorcery before, but I suppose that must be his magic.

  “You know better than to enter my domain, Smok.” When Zirnitra talks, he sounds like an old man— raspy and cold. “Have you finally decided you’re ready to end your pitiful life?”

  It hasn’t taken Zirnitra but a few moments to make me hate him. Smok curks his upper lip and says, “I was merely traveling, Zirnitra. You may be a god, but you do not own the skies.”

  I’m stupid enough to peek out from behind Smok’s spike. Smok tries to shield me with his wing, but it doesn’t do any good. When Zirnitra sees me, he laughs. It is a great and terrible laugh, one that twists up my insides.

  “You cannot be serious! I thought you had long given up!” Zirnitra cries.

  “I will never give up,” Smok growls. “I will become the man I used to be.”

  “You will never be the man you once were. Time and time again you have tried to break the curse, and you’ve always been too cowardly to do so,” Zirnitra taunts. “What makes now any different?”

  “Because this time, I’ve made up my mind.” Smok makes a move before Zirnitra does. He snaps his jaws below Zirnitra’s neck, but Zirnitra lunges out of the way and kicks Smok back with his feet.

  I scream and grasp tightly onto the scales as Smok somersaults backward. Smok rightens himself and bellows a challenge, flying toward Zirnitra with his claws extended.

  The dragon god is right there to meet him. The two monsters collide, their claws making screeching noises on each other’s scales as they scramble to rip through to precious flesh. Zirnitra opens his mouth and emits a black flame in Smok’s direction, but Smok twists out of the way and unleashes flames of his own, red and pure.

  Zirnitra dives out of the way. He comes up underneath Smok, and tackles him with all his weight put into his shoulder. Smok is knocked sideways and I’m nearly tossed off, but Smok turns so I can get a good grip and gets right back at it.

  My only task is to hang on, but I find that nearly impossible as the dragons lunge this way and that. Zirnitra slaps Smok upside the head with his wing. I have to duck to avoid being impaled by the large spike that’s on the tip.

  Zirnitra backs up and lashes out his tail. It snaps on Smok’s thigh, and the dragon’s leg is covered by lightning. Smok groans in pain.

  Zirnitra laughs, shooting out his tail again, but this time, Smok is prepared. Smok confronts Zirnitra’s lightening with his own magic. Flames emit from Smok’s claws, wrapping themselves around the sparks and absorbing them completely.

  Zirnitra snarls, and Smok gives a triumphant smirk. I wasn’t sure such expressions were possible for lizards to show, but I’ve been proven wrong.

  With a yell that sounds both human and dragon, Zirnitra lurches forward. He grabs Smok’s shoulders and throws him back. I scrabble for a hold, but my hands slip.

  Smok roars, and I see a flash of his red eyes as I’m tossed off his back. There’s nothing underneath me, nothing to grab onto as my body hurtles uselessly through the clouds.

  My body is sucked in by the thrill of falling, and I feel completely weightless as I fall to my doom. I watch above as Smok struggles with Zirnitra, desperately attempting to get away from the black dragon in a useless attempt to save me.

  As I tumble faster and faster through the air, the ground nears. It approaches at a terrifying speed before my body connects and everything goes black.

  Chapter Nine

  “Fliss? Fliss, dear girl, are you all right?”

  My eyes open. I’m on my back in the middle of a forest. I have no idea how I got here, which seems to be the usual thing these days. Bird song and butterflies flutter through a cover of green trees and golden sun. It nearly seems enchanted, like something out of a legend or fairy tale.

  Smok’s got me wrapped up tightly in his arms. I feel so comfortable and content within his strong grasp. I blush fiercely, and try to get up, but it doesn’t seem that Smok wants to let me go. When I move, he only clutches me tighter.

  Maybe it’s because he’s still trying to hold my body parts together.

  I don’t feel anything. Is it possible I wasn’t hurt from the fall? Ridiculous. “Smok, what happened?” I ask.

  “We’re hiding in the woods. I caught you as you fell, and carried you through the forest for some time until I was sure we were out of Zirnitra’s reach,” Smok explains.

  Oh. Now things make sense. I thought I was slamming into the ground, but I was actually hitting Smok’s claws as he caught me.

  It still hurt. “Is Zirnitra gone?”

  “He’s still looking for us, though it’s difficult for him to track me as a human. He can’t travel on foot through the forest like I can.”

/>   “Why not?”

  “He’s too old, and fortunately for us, his time that he can spend as a human is significantly less than mine is. His dragon form is too big to fit in the forest, so he can’t follow us that way, either.”

  Smok pauses, and looks off into the distance. “Do you hear that?”

  I listen closely. I can hear Zirnitra’s angry roars of frustration, but they’re far off. “Yes. He doesn’t sound pleased we escaped.”

  “He’s not.” Smok finally lets me go. A wave of disappointment rushes through me. He get ups, reaches out a hand, and pulls me to my feet.

  “We have to keep moving. Zirnitra will be watching the skies, so it looks like we’ll have to travel the rest of this journey on foot.”

  “Isn’t that what I suggested in the first place?” I ask snidely.

  “Be still. I got us halfway.” I notice Smok is favoring his left side when he walks. Is he injured?

  “Did Zirnitra hurt you?” I ask, concerned.

  “No. They’re surface bruises. I’ll heal within a short time.” Smok looks up, determining direction, before limping forward.

  I feel sorry for him. I know I shouldn’t, seeing as he’s a dragon, but I do. I follow his footsteps, though I have a harder time getting through the brush than Smok does since I’m wearing a skirt. I’m already exhausted, and we’ve barely started. It’s going to be a long walk.

  I think back to the fight in the sky. A few things pop into my head.

  “Smok? May I ask you something?” I say.

  “It depends on the question.” Smok plows steadily ahead. He’s not bothered by the long reeds. He could probably walk for days and not get tired. I’m completely jealous.

  “You told Zirnitra that you wanted to get back to being the man you used to be,” I say. “Who was that?”

  “That’s my business,” he says. “Where do you come from, girl?”

  “Can you stop calling me that? It’s quite bothersome. I have a name, you know. Unless you’d like me to keep calling you Sir Dragon,” I snap.

  “Fine. Fliss.” He smiles.