The Captive

by Paul Lauritsen

  Khollo stepped up to the stone table, running his hands over the surface. As his fingers trailed across the edge, they encountered a rough pattern. Curious, he bent over and examined the spot.

  The rough patch was not a carved pattern at all, but writing. It was in the Keepers’ ancient language, but Khollo could still make it out if he focused on the individual runes. “If the seeker be worthy, that which rests here will give life to a defender of the world,” he read slowly.

  First, we need to identify which is Sven’s, Kanin rumbled. Then we can worry about what to do with it.

  Khollo reluctantly agreed, and slowly began to walk around the room, eying each of the eggs. Sven moved cautiously to the edge of the table, tracing the words as Khollo had. The Keeper ignored the candidate for the moment and focused instead on the hatchlings, trying to make sense of their confused and restless thoughts.

  He circled the room slowly, alert for any subtle shift or difference, anything that would tell him one of these eggs was ready to hatch. When he had completed a full circuit of the room though, he had not been able to identify any. Khollo returned to the table and frowned at the runes again, thinking.

  We are approaching this wrong, Kanin murmured. The choice is not ours to make.

  Then whose is it?

  Sven’s. This dragon is to be his partner after all.

  How will he know?

  I do not know.

  “Well?” Sven asked, looking from one to the other worriedly. “Is something wrong? What’s going on?”

  “Sven,” Khollo said calmly, “Kanin and I can’t tell which is yours. But we think you might be able to.”

  “What do I know about dragons?”

  “Just trust me. Close your eyes. Close them tight. Now, do you remember what it feels like when Kanin reaches out to you?”

  “I’ve never spoken to him directly.”

  “But do you know what his presence feels like?”

  Sven nodded, licking his lips. “Like . . . like a vast space, larger than the world itself yet somehow bounded in my head.”

  “Good,” Khollo said. “Try to find that feeling now. Reach out and sense the hatchlings. Move around the room, and when one speaks to you, tell me which one it is.”

  “How do I move around with my eyes shut?”

  “Kanin and I will be your eyes. Just trust us, and clear your mind. Find the hatchling destined to bond with you.”

  Sven released a deep breath, then his breathing slowed and his shoulders relaxed. He dipped his head slightly, frowning in concentration, turning slowly to the right. “I hear something,” he murmured, “It’s faint. Many voices, whispering.”

  “Move around,” Khollo urged. “The hatchlings are restless. Find the one who speaks to you.”

  Sven took a halting step to the right, brushing the edge of the stone table. Then, he took another step, towards the wall. Khollo moved to his side, ready to steady him, should he stumble. The northerner took another step, turned, then stepped a fourth time. He was nearly at the wall now, less than a foot from the nearest alcove. He started to take a fifth step, then froze.

  Khollo started to ask a question, but Sven turned sharply and his eyes snapped open as he reached towards one of the niches. The northerner stepped back from the wall, a glistening ruby egg in his hands. It was at least a foot long and seemed to glow from within, patterns of light rippling across the shell.

  “This is the one,” he breathed. “I can feel it.”

  “Place it on the table,” Khollo said, his voice cracking with the tension of the moment. “And let us see.”

  Sven delicately placed the glittering egg in the center of the stone table, then stepped back slightly. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, a sharp crack rang through the room, and a black line, no wider than a hair, appeared in the egg’s surface.

  The hatchling is ready! Kanin said, leaning over the table to get a better view. He has chosen well.

  More cracks appeared in the shell, until it seemed that it couldn’t possibly hold together. A final, louder crack sounded, accompanied by a thin squeak. Then, silence fell.

  Khollo frowned and leaned over the table, as did Sven. “Kanin?” he asked uncertainly. “What – ?”

  The egg exploded in a whirlwind of sharp-edged fragments, pieces spinning through the air and ricocheting off the walls. Khollo yelled in surprise and dropped below the edge of the table, Sven mirroring his actions on the other side. A few fragments struck Kanin’s scales, pinging noisily. Then silence fell again, and Khollo cautiously got to his feet.

  Standing in the center of the table, alone save for a single, small fragment of the egg, was a baby dragon. The creature looked small and frail compared to Kanin’s bulk, but Khollo could see the sharp fangs in its mouth as it let out a piteous cry. On the other side of the table, Sven slowly stood as well, staring at the tiny creature.

  “It’s . . . beautiful,” he murmured, clearly surprised.

  The dragon squeaked in recognition and took a lurching step towards Sven, its wet wings flopping and flapping beside it. Sven flinched initially, then stood utterly still as the dragon approached. It stopped at the edge of the table and squeaked again, staring up at him. The northerner tentatively raised a hand, then touched the dragon’s flank. A shiver ran through the little creature and the squeak turned to a contented croon as it leaned into Sven’s hand.

  “It . . . it knows me,” Sven said, looking over the table at Khollo with wide eyes.

  It is a he, Kanin interrupted. Does he have a name?

  Khollo repeated Kanin’s words and Sven leaned down so that he was on eye level with the dragon. He stared into its eyes for a long moment, his gaze unfocusing.

  “Uthano,” Sven said, straightening.

  Khollo raised an eyebrow. “The dragon knows its name?”

  Sven shook his head. “It barely understands the concept of a name. I tried a few sounds and . . . it seems to like this combination the best out of my suggestions.”

  “Uthano it is,” Khollo said, shrugging. The little dragon, Uthano, turned his head and squeaked at the sound of his name.

  Sven grinned down at Uthano, rubbing the dragon’s back more confidently now. “So, did I pass?” he asked, glancing at Khollo.

  “You’ve done well,” Khollo assured him, smiling. One dragon safely hatched. Some of the nervous tension melted from Khollo’s shoulders, but there was still plenty to go around.

  Three dragons remain, Kanin agreed. We should bring in the next candidate.

  Khollo nodded and moved towards the exit. “Come on, Sven. It’s time for another dragon to hatch.”

  Sven nodded and scooped up the tiny red dragon. It squeaked in protest at the treatment, so he set it on his shoulder, where it perched warily, wings slightly spread for balance.

  The moment they emerged from the smaller hatching chamber, the others were surrounding them, gibbering excitedly, demanding to know what had happened, and if everyone was all right.

  “We’re fine,” Khollo assured them.

  “We heard shouts,” Halena protested.

  “Yes, you did,” Sven said ruefully. “When Uthano finally decided to break his shell, he blasted it into pieces. Several nearly hit me, and they looked sharp.”

  “We’ll have to be careful going forward then,” L’tel rumbled. “Who is next?”

  “You go,” Halena said quickly, “You and Sven have been waiting on me and Aralye all week.

  L’tel dipped his head in acknowledgement, then ponderously began moving towards the hatching chamber. He stopped in the entrance and Khollo nearly ran into his back.

  “That,” the plainsman breathed, “Is a truly wondrous sight.”

  Khollo nodded in agreement. “Kanin and I thought the same when we discovered this place. Until we found these eggs, we thought Kanin was the only dragon left and the only dragon there ever would be. This place is the hope for the future.”

  L’tel nodded. “Which one will hatch for me?”r />
  Khollo explained how Sven had located his dragon and had L’tel follow the same process. The massive youth lurched around the room awkwardly, eyes closed, for several minutes, Khollo doing his best to keep him upright. Finally, L’tel turned one more time and pointed towards the wall, eyes still closed.

  “That one,” he said.

  Khollo frowned. There were six eggs in this column, all different colors and sizes. “Which one?” he asked.

  “Third from the bottom,” L’tel said impatiently.

  “You can open your eyes,” Khollo said, stepping aside so L’tel could retrieve the egg. “I feel like you should get the egg yourself.”

  L’tel nodded and reached into the alcove, lifting a massive bronze egg from its bowl-shaped niche. This egg was larger even than Uthano’s had been, but not by much.

  “Now, place it on the table,” Khollo instructed him. “And don’t forget to take cover right before it hatches,” he added as Kanin rumbled a quiet warning.

  “Right,” L’tel murmured. He set the egg on the table gingerly, then crouched at the edge of the table, watching.

  The bronze egg sat perfectly still for a long moment. Then, as before, cracks began spider-webbing across the surface, fracturing and disjointing the perfect, smooth plane. When the shell was thoroughly weakened, the cracks stopped.

  “Duck,” Khollo said, quickly dropping flat.

  L’tel dropped below the table as well, and an instant later the egg shattered with a massive report, fragments ringing on the walls and on Kanin’s scales. The two youths stood cautiously, and the bronze dragon was there, studying itself curiously.

  A female, Kanin announced. A very strong hatchling.

  “Draw her to you,” Khollo said to L’tel. “Reach out with your mind.”

  The plainsman licked his lips nervously, but did as Khollo instructed. After a moment, the bronze head swung towards L’tel and the dragon took a hurried series of staggering, stumbling steps. Finally, it reached the edge of the table and chirped at L’tel inquisitively. He reached out with one large finger and gently brushed the dragon’s back, eliciting several low croons.

  “Does she have a name?” Khollo asked.

  L’tel paused as Sven had, mulling this over with the hatchling. “I think her name is Thela,” he said finally. Thela chirped in agreement, then started cleaning her scales.

  It is a strong name, Kanin observed, rumbling his approval. For a strong hatchling. Well done, L’tel.

  “Well done,” Khollo echoed. “Now, let’s give one of the girls a chance.”

  L’tel nodded and transferred Thela to his shoulder. The bronze dragon squawked at the uncertain perch initially, then hummed contentedly once she had recovered her balance. She settled down on L’tel’s broad shoulder and quietly began cleaning her scales again.

  The two Keepers emerged from the small hatching room. L’tel moved to stand beside Sven and Uthano, the new hatchlings examining each other curiously. Aralye and Halena stood a little apart, watching. Khollo moved to join them. Now that two dragons had hatched safely, he was feeling far more confident.

  “Who’s next?” he said eagerly.

  The girls exchanged a glance, then Halena made an uncertain gesture for Aralye to precede her. “You go ahead,” Halena said quietly. “I can wait a little longer.”

  Aralye shook her head immediately. “No, you go,” she replied tersely, looking away.

  Halena shrugged, then followed Khollo into the hatching room. When she saw the eggs in their niches her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes dancing with excitement.

  “There are so many!” she said eagerly. “And they’re beautiful! It looks like the dragons are in good shape after all.”

  We are no longer extinct, Kanin remarked to Khollo. But having dragons in the shell is not the same as having them in the flesh. This hatching has started the process of restoring us to our former greatness, but there is a long road yet.

  Well, four healthy hatchlings is enough to keep us busy for a while, Khollo reminded him.

  Hmm. Give Halena the instructions you have given the others. Let us meet our third dragon.

  Khollo quickly explained how the others had identified the eggs that were destined for them, and Halena immediately followed his instructions. Eyes closed, moving around the room with a slight bounce in her step, smiling as she passed each column of eggs.

  After a few moments, she stopped and the smile turned utterly radiant, her round face shining with pride and anticipation. “This one,” she said, picking the egg up without opening her eyes. She turned around, and Khollo saw that she was clutching a sapphire orb roughly the same size as Uthano’s egg had been.

  Khollo nodded gravely. “Place it on the table. You can open your eyes now,” he added.

  Halena opened her eyes and flashed a smile at him. “Thanks. Otherwise I might not have found the table. It doesn’t speak to me the way the dragons do.”

  Kanin laughed deep in his chest, the room rumbling with his mirth. Khollo would have laughed as well, but he was focused on making sure that two more healthy dragons were brought into the world. He watched as Halena gently set the egg on the table, then backed away.

  “Don’t forget, when the egg finally does hatch, you need to get down so you don’t get hurt,” he warned. “Those shell fragments have been flying everywhere.”

  “I saw,” she replied, gesturing to the debris against the walls of the circular room. “Oh! Do you see it, just there? A crack! And there’s another one now.”

  Khollo grinned at her excitement in spite of his anxiety, captured by her fearless enthusiasm. The cracks on the egg continued to spread, running across the blue orb’s entire surface. When the last crack had faded, they both dropped below the table.

  There was a pause, then the egg shattered as the others had, pieces blasting against the wall and breaking into smaller chunks that fell harmlessly to the floor. Khollo and Halena both stood, eyes fixed on the center of the table, where a blue dragon was stranded on its back, trying to roll over. But the little creature was uncoordinated and confused, squeaking in frustration.

  “Oh, poor thing,” Halena murmured. She reached out quickly and lent a helping hand, shifting the dragon so that it was standing on its four feet. The little creature flicked its tail back and forth, then looked itself over curiously, wings slightly spread. Then it looked back up at Halena and chirped.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, beaming.

  “Can you hear him?” Khollo asked, nodding to the dragon.

  Halena frowned, then closed her eyes, concentrating. “Yes!” she said triumphantly. “He needs a name now, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Khollo agreed. “Try a few and see if he likes any of them.”

  Halena cocked her head at the tiny blue dragon and it froze, looking back at her attentively. They remained thus for several minutes, until Halena finally let out a long sigh.

  “He’s picky,” she told Khollo, shaking her head, “But he finally settled on Amang.”

  “Amang,” Khollo repeated, trying the name out. “That’s good. Let’s go back to the others and let Aralye finish things off.”

  Halena transferred Amang to her shoulder and led the way out of the hatching room, her expression positively radiant. Out in the larger chamber, Sven and L’tel were talking quietly, their dragons chirping and growling at each other. Aralye stood a little apart, arms crossed, not meeting anyone’s gaze.

  “A blue?” Sven asked when he saw Amang. “Well, neither of us guessed that, L’tel. Guess whoever gets the last one wins?”

  “Does everything have to be a competition?” Halena demanded.

  “Yes,” Sven replied immediately. Halena rolled her eyes in reply and joined the others, Amang squeaking curiously to the other hatchlings, who replied in kind.

  “Ready, Aralye?” Khollo asked quietly.

  The huntress hesitated, then nodded, following him towards the hatching room. Her back was stiff and straight, and Kholl
o noticed her fists were clenched at her sides.

  “Relax,” he advised her, keeping his voice low so the others would not hear. “You’ll be fine.”

  “How do you know?” she snapped irritably.

  Peace, huntress, Kanin interrupted. Khollo is only trying to help.

  Aralye scowled, but did not reply. Khollo led her into the hatching room, then stopped just inside the entrance.

  “Do you hear them?” he asked, gesturing to the eggs in their alcoves around the room.

  “Yes,” Aralye replied. “There must be a hundred voices in my head right now. I can’t tell what they’re saying though.”

  “That’s the trick,” Khollo agreed, nodding. “You need to find the one that is meant for you. Close your eyes and focus, walk around the room if you need to.”

  Aralye hesitated, then did as he suggested. She took a few steps to the right, circling the table, but hardly seemed to pause in front of the first few groups of eggs. She moved right around the table, Khollo shadowing her in case she should stumble, and began a second circuit. She completed the route again and stopped, opening her eyes.

  “I can’t,” she said miserably. “I can’t isolate one from the others.”

  “Move more slowly,” Khollo suggested, “Get closer to the eggs. I’ll keep you from stumbling into them.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” she growled. But she moved closer to the outer wall and closed her eyes again. Khollo shadowed her, waiting. Kanin stood back, out of the way, observing them both with glittering eyes.

  “There’s still nothing,” Aralye said, halfway around the room. “There are too many voices!”

  Khollo leaned in closer to her. “Aralye, Kanin and I cannot make this decision for you. You have to do this. There is one dragon in this room who has waited for you. Maybe for hundreds of years.”

  “What if there isn’t?”

  “There is.”

  “How do you know?”

  Khollo threw up his hands, though Aralye couldn’t see him. “I don’t,” he admitted. “We’re relying on my instincts, and Kanin’s. Mostly Kanin’s,” he added as an afterthought.