The Dragon Guard: Oceans and Pebbles

by Sarah Hite

  “What?”

  “The king’s girl disappearin’ like that?”

  Benik squirmed uneasily in his chair. “Yeah, that. Shouldn’t have ‘appenned. Shouldn’t ‘ave takin’ her like that.”

  Thorin looked over at him. He could tell that he was not a bad man, and was most likely a victim himself. He leaned closer to the slightly older man and asked gently, “What happened? Do you know where she is?”

  Benik looked over at Thorin and sighed. “No, not anymore. They said som’in ‘bout a’ old property, some place in the northern woods. Don’t know nothin’ else ‘bout it though.” After another minute he said, “Said somethin’ ‘bout a homestead in ruins.” When the words had left his mouth, Benik suddenly seemed afraid. He looked up at Thorin with pained eyes.

  “What’s wrong Benik?” Thorin asked.

  “My boy, if they find out I said anything’, they’ll hurt m’ boy.” Thorin assured him that he would not reveal where he had received the information and suggested that the man go home. Then he paid for the drinks and returned to the palace. He met Lukair, Mychal, and the other Guard members in Mychal’s study. “What did you find out?” Lukair asked.

  He repeated what Benik had told him, and added, “I think we should find his son and place him in protective custody, as well as Benik.”

  Mychal agreed and sent someone to find them. Then they began preparations for the next stage of their search, finding the homestead. Thorin volunteered to go, not just because he was her father, but because of the skills he had learned trapping as Marcus, since most of his furs had been collected during the winter. He was given permission and left to pack. As he neared the Guest Quarters, he found Kyeon sitting in the courtyard. He was watching his children work on their latest lesson. “Your Majesty,” Thorin said coming over. “Did you still wish to speak with me?”

  Kyeon nodded, “I was just wondering if there was any new information on Ania’s disappearance.” He also said that he wanted to tell Kym some good news, hoping to keep her stress levels down.

  “Actually, my Lord, there is. I will be leaving in the morning to look for the ruins of an old homestead in the woods northeast of here. We found someone who was willing to talk. With any luck, we should have her back soon.” Kyeon nodded and wished him luck, then Thorin returned to his preparations.

  ***

  Ania slowly opened her eyes. All she could see through her blurred vision was shadows and darkness. She looked around the dark room, trying to see past the shapes and shadows, to what was really there. Unfortunately, she could not improve the images, so she closed her eyes instead. Several hours later, she woke. She opened her eyes and again, tried to look around the room. However, this time she could see clearly. The room appeared to be made of dirt, as if it were a giant underground hole.

  She realized that it was an earthen cellar, probably a large root cellar. Ice covered small sections of the walls, and she could see her breath in the chill air. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, trying desperately to warm her body. She was cold, very cold. She continued to look around, searching for a way out. She knew there had to be an opening, to allow access into the cellar, and saw the clear beams stretch down from the ceiling at the other end of the room.

  She slowly climbed to her feet, but her limbs were weak, and shaky, and her mind was clouded. She fell to her knees and stayed there for several minutes, breathing heavily. Again she tried to stand, but again she fell. Finally, she crawled across the room and looked up into the light. A small grate, too small for her to fit through, had been set into a section of stone. She sat down under the grate and stared at the far wall. How was she going to get out? How long had she been here?

  These questions and more flew through her mind. Then she realized that while again finding herself underground, this time, she may truly be trapped, and no one knew where she was. Her heart sank as she came to realize that she would likely freeze to death before anyone found her. She pulled a cord from under her shirt and rubbed her thumb across the tiny egg tooth that had been tied to it. She looked up at the bars above her and prayed that someone would find her before it was too late.

  Sacrifice

  Early morning, when the sun was still below the horizon, when only a thin line of lightened sky announced the dawn’s approach, Akina stood up. She had not been able to sleep and had kept thinking about Ania. She knew someone was trying to find her, but in her opinion, they were not doing a very good job. She had gone hunting about a week ago, the last time she had been allowed to, and had caught a whiff of a familiar smell. This scent had continued to come to her thoughts and she knew she had to follow it.

  She carefully made her way past Alani and Torak, then stepped around Lang, who had chosen to sleep next to the door. She was not going to use the door, however, and instead she crouched and leapt to a small ledge near the roof. Sheadod’s Guest House had been constructed with large openings near the ceiling, to allow extra heat to escape, and cool air to enter.

  She climbed out through the opening and steadied herself on the landing. Then she leapt off and flew away to the northeast. She knew she was leaving without her parents’ consent, but knew that if she had asked, they would have refused; so she decided to leave on her own. After flying until the sun had risen, she landed in a small clearing to gain her bearings. After a moment, she heard the snap of a branch and the crunch of snow under foot. She turned to see a man, Thorin if she remembered right, exit the tree line. He was just as startled to see her as she was him. “What are you doing out here?” he asked.

  “Hunting,” was her short reply.

  “I thought his Majesty said you were to stay in Sheadod,” he said, still questioning her whereabouts.

  “You can’t hunt in Sheadod. There they just give you food.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “It’s no fun,” she said and sniffed the air. She caught a scent on the breeze, but she did not like what it meant. Lang landed in the clearing with a spray of snow. “I don’t remember anyone giving you permission to leave the city.” He was angry, but she was not going to be stopped. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded.

  Again her answer was short, “Hunting.” True, she was hunting, but not for food.

  “You can get all the food you can eat in Sheadod. Now let’s go before your father wakes up.”

  The young dragon lowered her head, she had come too far to be stopped now. Firmly, she gave him her answer. “No. I will not take food from the humans when I can get it myself.” Thorin watched the two from where he stood. He was actually amused by the scene before him. The fact that human teenagers were not the only ones to openly rebel against their parents and elders amused him, and he wondered if Ania had ever rebelled against her grandfather.

  They continued to debate and finally, the young princess said, “If you’re so worried about my safety, then you’re just going to have to come along, because I’m not leaving.” She left it at that and turned away, sniffing the air. She caught a hint of Ania’s scent and took flight before he could say anything else. He shook his head and was forced to follow her. His eyes sparkling, Thorin mounted his horse, and followed the dragons from a distance.

  After a few minutes, Akina turned west and followed the scent to a clearing in the trees, where it grew stronger. She landed next to the ruins of an old house and began sniffing around in the snow. She followed the scent to a section of snow near the ruins, where the scent was stronger. She dug through the snow until she found a set of bars covered in fallen tree limbs. The scent was stronger now, so she carefully moved the sticks and looked between the bars. At first she could not see anything, but as she adjusted her position, she could see farther into the opening below. At the far end, even though she could not see the whole body, she could see the lower half of a pair of legs. She knew without a doubt, who they belonged to.

  She tried to pry the bars loose, but they were too strong for her. She looked off through the trees and called
, Lang! I need your help. I think I found her, but I can’t get to her.

  Lang was glad she had called to him, since she had disappeared again. Where are you? He passed Thorin as he circled back and offered to give him a ride to her location. He accepted and sent the horse back to the city. They arrived within a few minutes. When they reached Akina, she pointed out the grate and Thorin got down so he could get a better look. While he was trying to see who was underground, Lang turned to Akina. You have to stop disappearing on me like that. Your father would skin me alive if something happened to you. She nodded, but did not apologize. “I thought you were going hunting?” he said aloud.

  “I was; I just wasn’t hunting for food.” He shook his head at her response and understood. “You were looking for her the whole time, weren’t you?” She nodded and turned back to the grate.

  Together they were able to find the edges of the grate and were able to remove it. The hole was too deep for Thorin to climb into, so Akina volunteered. When Lang tried to stop her, she ignored him and squeezed past him into the opening. She dropped to the bottom before he could stop her and crawled over to Ania, who was curled up at the far end; she was shivering fiercely, and the young dragon could tell that she was in trouble. She went over and gently pulled Ania away from the wall and then curled up around her, using her own body heat to warm the young woman. Her skin was very cold, and Akina knew she would not had been able to stay here much longer.

  “Lang, I think we have a problem. She’s freezing and won’t wake up,” she called to the older dragon.

  “Is she still breathing?” he asked cautiously.

  She looked down and studied Ania. Her breath came in slow bursts of vapor, but she was very pale. “She breathes, but I don’t think she can last much longer.” Thorin and Lang stepped away from the hole to discuss how to get her out. Lang suggested having Akina hand her to them so they could pull her out when the wind picked up. It blew the snow off the branches, and dropped loads of it on top of the hole. The snow surrounding it caved the ceiling in and completely buried the small prison.

  “Akina! Akina, can you hear me?” When she did not answer, Lang tried again. Akina! Can you hear me? Her response was quick to come. I can now. What happened?

  The snow caved in. Are you alright?

  Yes, at least for now. The snow filled the hole in, it’s completely dark down here. She knew there was nothing she could do, so she wrapped herself tighter around Ania and settled down to wait.

  ***

  Just off of the coast of the Island of Lao, the largest island in the Peleg Island chain, Pai suggested the group stop. He had recommended the two smaller dragons rest while he scouted ahead. They had been on the island for about a week, and had not seen any dragons. Alamine was concerned; she was afraid it was too late, but did as she was told. She had been leading them to her home clan of Clearwater, hoping to find more of her kind. She decided to take a nap; her wounds were nearly healed, and she no longer wore the bandages, but she and Pai had discovered another problem, one that explained her growing hunger. She had heard of Kym’s pregnancy, and knew it was the reason she had stayed in Sheadod, but she had failed to ask Pai about her own symptoms until he had noticed them himself. Although she was only in the beginning stages, her pregnancy was already causing her grief; as the smallest breed of dragon, she would nest in only a matter of months.

  While she slept, Shaelynn stood up and went over to the edge of a nearby cliff. She looked out over the island, wishing she was looking out over the mountains. She had never seen the home of her ancestors, and knew she never would. She sighed and laid down on the ledge, her eyes revealing a profound sadness that was beginning to present itself in her movements.

  Alamine woke up, she had heard something she recognized, but it was not something she liked. She looked around and saw that Shaelynn was gone. She knew the child’s nature would not allow the young dragon to leave someone in trouble, and hoped she would be back soon. She stood and slowly turned around. She froze as she saw it, a small mountain cat, it was crouched to kill. She jumped back, barely avoiding the cat’s claws and called to Shaelynn for help. She ran and launched herself toward the sky, but the cat caught her by the tail and brought her crashing to the ground. She flared her wings and hissed as she regained her footing, and again called to the hatchling.

  She backed up against a boulder and prepared herself as the cat crouched again. It pounced and she dodged it, before the cat could turn around, she leapt for the top of the boulder. She reached the top and tried to fly away, but the cat caught her. It punctured her right wing and tried to force her down. She looked up and pulled herself away from it as Shaelynn leapt from the brush. She growled, scaring the cat away. She turned to Alamine, who stood on the edge of the boulder, breathing hard. She went to take a step toward the youngster, but lost her footing and fell from the stone. She hit another rock, landing on her bad wing, and slid off to the ground below. Her vision went black, but she did see another Pebbline dragon leap into the ocean nearby.

  Shaelynn leapt off the rocks and joined her on the beach. “Alamine! Alamine, are you all right? Answer me!” The young dragon was scared that the fall had killed her, but as she calmed herself down, she noticed that Alamine was breathing. Pai! Alamine needs you! She fell off the cliff. She turned back to Alamine; she had not seen the other Pebbline and crouched over her friend, fearfully.

  She ducked her head as water suddenly sprayed everywhere. She looked up to see a huge Ocean dragon whose hide was dark blue with silver stripes standing before her. He looked down at her and saw Alamine at her feet. His expression turned angry and he growled. He reared back his head and at first she thought he was going to spray her with fire, but instead, his head shot forward with lightning speed, and he released a cloud of vapor that was tinted green. She coughed as the vapors hit her face and she reared back, pulling Alamine with her. The vapors had not yet reached the tiny dragon and she was now out of their path.

  The Ocean dragon retreated under water as they heard Pai call out. He landed on the beach a few moments later and ran over to them, just as Alamine began to stir. She looked around, not sure what happened. “You fell down,” Shaelynn informed the smaller dragon when she looked up confused.

  She nodded and slowly rose to her feet. My clan is not far ahead. You can release me into my shaman’s care when we get there. Pai nodded and they began the next step of their journey.

  They had climbed to the top of a nearby hill when Shaelynn stopped. Her vision had blurred and she shook her head to clear it. She began to climb down the other side when her vision clouded again, and again she shook her head to clear it. This happened three more times before she made it down the other side. She looked up at Pai who was now twenty feet ahead of her, and was about to ask him to wait up when pain erupted behind her eyes. She stumbled, now blinded by the pain. Scared and confused, she called out, “Pai- she halted, unable to breath. Pai! I ca…can’t… he turned around just in time to see her fall.

  “Shae!” He ran back to her. She was gasping for breath, unable to fill her lungs. He could see the muscles on her back and sides spasm, and her pain grew worse with each one. Alamine reached them and exclaimed, a trail of blood was dripping from the child’s nose. Alamine quickly ran through the symptoms in her head. Did you see any dragons after I fell? I thought I saw another Pebbline, but I am not sure.

  Shaelynn tried to answer but could only manage three words: big, blue, and silver. Alamine shook her head sadly. Even from that bare description she knew who the dragon had been, and what he had done. We must get her to my clan. Can you carry her?

  Confused and dismayed, Pai nodded, and with great care, took the hatchling in his forepaws; he cradled her in his left foreleg and steadied himself with his right. “Lead the way.”

  Peril

  It had taken another hour to reach Clearwater. By the time they arrived, Shaelynn could no longer speak. She was fighting to breathe and was barely staying awake. Alamine showed P
ai a cave just outside the boundaries of the clan, then ran to find the shaman. She called out to her clan for help in finding him and was answered by several of her kin. She landed heavily in the center of the clan, and grimaced as pain shot through her bad wing.

  Are you all right? One of them asked as he joined her.

  I broke my wing. It will be awhile before it has regained its strength. She looked around. Where is Shaman Pali?

  The shaman landed at the edge of the clearing. Alamine! Thank the Ancestors, I am so glad to see you.

  I am glad to see you too. We can talk later, but right now we have an emergency. Aatu Haru poisoned one of the envoys from the Middle Kingdom. She is near death. She did not wait to see his reaction, but ran back toward the cave. The shaman and his assistants ran after her and were soon at the cavern. Pai was leaning over the child, trying his best to stay calm and trying to keep her awake. “It’s okay Shae, you’re going to be alright. You’re going to be alright.” The shaman could see the effects of the venom, and sent his assistants for the necessary supplies.

  Three days had passed since then, and now Pai sat with her, watching her closely. She was slowly growing worse. Her breathing had nearly stopped, and her hide had grown pale. It was no longer a healthy, shiny black with violet undertones, but was now almost a chalky grey. The scales were loosening and falling off, but they were not shedding from growing. Her eyes were empty, lifeless, only the occasional glimmer of pain or fear showing the fight for life. She was not conscious, nor unconscious, but was in the midst of pain induced haze. As Pai watched for any slightest change, he continued to tell her she would be alright. However, he secretly feared she would die, and there was nothing he could do to help her. He wished his father and Elder were here; they would know what to do.