by Toni Cox
“Will you also train with Midnight?”
Maia looked at him for a moment, not saying anything. He could see her eyes narrow as she was thinking and he thought he said something wrong.
“Fight with Midnight?” she asked, more to herself, than him.
“Yes, isn’t that what you use dragons for?”
“Only the Plains Dragons have ever been used as Battle Dragons. Midnight is different. But …”
Maia put her now empty cup on a side table and stood up. She briefly straightened her tousled hair and when she turned to him, she had a gleam in her eyes that had not been there before.
Chapter 13
“That was better. Let’s do it again,” Jaik shouted up at her.
Maia gave one of the signals she had been practicing, and Midnight turned, circled the clearing once and then swooped down once more. The wind stung her eyes and she could barely see. But her eyes were not important for this manoeuvre; only her intent. Midnight would do the rest. She concentrated on the wooden dummy that stood in the field and the lance strapped to one of its arms. The object of this lesson was to disarm the dummy, which proved a lot more difficult than they had anticipated. During the last three Quarters, they had practiced with Midnight whenever Jaik had free time. Archer, Riker and Aari also helped on occasion, each contributing from their own field of expertise.
At first, it had been difficult. When she first mentioned to her brother that she wanted to use Midnight in combat, he laughed. Using a Soul Dragon in battle was unheard of and the most unorthodox thought Maia ever had. But, she had convinced Jaik that, this way, she would be able to join them in battle and be completely safe. For who would be able to harm her, while she was riding Midnight. So, they started to train.
First, they devised a series of signals. Although they could communicate with their minds, dragons and Elves were fundamentally so different, that misunderstandings could occur in such tense situations. Also, the idea was for her to fly with the Battle Dragon Battalions, and she needed to practice the signals the Dragon Riders used. Each signal was for a different manoeuvre they had to learn. Swoop in, grab the opponent, then fly high, and drop him so he would fall to his death. Or swoop in and disarm the opponent to make it easier for her warriors. Or fly over the enemy army, dropping boulders on their heads. On and on the list went, and she had been practicing them all relentlessly.
She enjoyed training with Midnight, and spending so much time with her brother, but she tried not to think about what she was actually doing - devising methods to kill another living being. Sometimes she had nightmares. Visions of her stabbing and slashing, blood spraying everywhere. She would often wake in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat and her blankets crumpled.
But she kept her concerns to herself. On more than one occasion was she confronted about wanting to have an active part of the fighting; her mother pleaded with her, Jasmin cried, Aaron begged, and she had recurring dreams of Death in his wolf form, always linked with visions of a field of the dead.
“That was much better,” Jaik shouted up at her, bringing her out of her reverie.
She patted Midnight on his shoulder. It was clear to her, whatever they did right, Midnight did it and not her. She conveyed her gratitude and admiration to him and felt him acknowledge it with pride.
“You can land now,” Jaik yelled as she circled overhead. “I think that was enough for today.”
Midnight completed one last circle, then slightly folded his wings and dived. They weren’t very high, so almost immediately he spread his wings again to slow them, as they approached the ground. Maia was jarred in her new saddle, but she laughed as he landed, buffeting Jaik and Silas with the wind from his wings.
She had used the saddle twice now. It was clear after their first few training sessions, that it was almost impossible to fight from the back of a dragon without a saddle. She approached Galassan, their Leathersmith, and he made one for her. There had been a few tense moments when Galassan had to get Midnight’s measurements, but in the end, and with lots of coaxing from Maia, it was accomplished.
Almost a fortnight later, at the Harvest Feast Celebration, Galassan presented her with the finished article. Because of the impending war, the Harvest Feast had been a muted affair and no one enjoyed it much. This, though, made it special for Maia.
She wanted something simple and practical, but Galassan outdid himself. Not only did it fit Midnight perfectly, but it was also extremely comfortable for Maia, had safety straps in numerous places and was engraved with little battle scenes of dragons fighting. Completely black, it matched Midnight’s colour so well that it was almost impossible to tell where leather ended and dragon skin began. Maia loved it.
The Leathersmith even made her leather armour to match. A leather vest with finely woven chain mail underneath, leather pants with greaves that featured the same design as the saddle, and bracers for her arms with a matching pair of gloves. The vest had straps at the back that held her Twin Blades. The greaves held her hunting knives and she had straps on her thighs that held two more knives. Because of the Twin Blades, there was no space for her bow and the quiver, so Galassan made loops on the saddle she could attach those to.
After undoing the buckles of her safety straps, she swung her right leg over and ran down Midnight’s left foreleg as he knelt to let her down. Once she was off, he raised himself back up onto all fours, flapped his wings once and with one push of his hind legs was airborne. He would meet them by The Crags later, where they had constructed a device that helped them take the saddle off his back.
Jaik and Silas walked towards her, having retreated while Midnight landed. Although they spent a lot of time with him lately, they remained wary of him and he was no friendlier than he was before. He only tolerated their presence, because of how Maia felt about them.
They met in the middle of the field and Jaik helped Maia take off her vest. He had insisted she use it every day for training to wear in the leather and to make it soft and subtle.
“You did well. I think we have made a lot of progress this Quarter.”
“Midnight does most of the work,” Maia said, a little out of breath, but pride in her voice. “I only tell him what to do and then hang on tight. I almost wish he was a bit smaller, so that I could do some real fighting from his back, but I am too high up to reach anyone on foot.”
“I think it is better this way,” Silas said. “If Midnight does the killing it might not affect you as much as if you were to do it yourself. Although I don’t doubt your abilities, I would feel better if you were not involved in the fighting on the ground at all.”
“I know you are worried, Silas, but I have made up my mind. I will ride on Fire along with the rest of the army. Once the fighting begins, I will be in the air with Midnight. Father has arranged that thirty Dragon Warriors from Commander Hollowdale’s command will be flying with me. We will be airborne most of the time and Midnight will keep me safe, but I will land and see to injured that need immediate help. Father knows this, which is why he insisted on allocating me the thirty warriors. They will stand watch while I see to the wounded, but I might still have to defend myself while on foot.”
“I will be there as well. I can see to the critically injured and stabilise them until the fighting it over. Then you can heal them.”
“It might not come to that much fighting,” Jaik cut in. “Our strategy is to surprise them as they come through the Gate. If everything goes as planned, the dragons will stop the Vampyres from leaving the stones before the actual fight can even begin.” He picked up the now broken lance the practice dummy had been holding and turned towards the city. “Come,” he called over his shoulder, “I am parched, let us enjoy some of Yanamere’s ale before we retire for the day.”
Silas smiled, somewhat appeased, and both followed Jaik as he strode through the long grass towards the forest.
Maia began unbuckling her gear. Even though the days were a little cooler now, she still got ter
ribly hot in all her leathers. She had just taken off her gloves and stuck them into the back of her pants, when she felt her body tingle with excitement. She stopped and blinked a few times, trying to understand what was causing the sensation. Silas halted and looked at her; it took Jaik a few moments before he too, stopped and turned to look back.
“What’s wrong?” Silas asked with concern in his voice.
“I’m not sure. I feel like …” A small sigh escaped her lips and she swayed slightly.
“Are you all right?” Silas took a step forward and held her by the shoulders to steady her.
“I don’t know. I just need a moment.” Maia panted, leaning forward, hands on her knees.
“Silas,” Jaik said, speaking softly, but the urgency in his voice was unmistakable.
Silas and Maia looked up and into the direction Jaik pointed.
Maia gasped as she saw him and her knees buckled beneath her. Silas caught her before she could fall. He held her, watching as the black wolf prowled along the tree line, watching them. Jaik moved towards where Silas and Maia stood and took his bow off his shoulder and notched an arrow.
“No, do not shoot him,” Silas said quietly but urgently, placing a restraining hand on Jaik’s arm.
“That is the biggest wolf I have ever seen. Is he what I think he is?” Jaik said in awe.
“That is the Death Wolf. The Death Elemental.”
“I see,” Jaik said and stepped protectively in front of his sister. “I wondered when he would show up here. Everyone has been talking about him. Should we be worried?”
“I don’t think he is here to harm us,” Silas replied, and cast a worried glance at Maia.
Maia was deathly pale. Silas still held her. He could feel her tremble.
“The Death Elemental is the only one with the ability to transform,” Silas continued. He felt he needed to keep talking in order to keep Maia calm. She was obviously distraught. “There are three forms mentioned in the histories. The wolf, the raven and the razorback boar. But they are rare, like Maia, and the last known to exist was over a thousand years ago. I believe he assumed the form of the raven.”
“So why is he here?”
Jaik studied the wolf with narrowed eyes and took another step closer to Maia, completely blocking the wolf’s view of her. The wolf had fixed his eyes on his sister and he didn’t like it. He could feel the tension roll off her and it started to affect him too. He wished the black wolf would just go away.
“I don’t know. They don’t usually stay in one place for too long, but this one has been here since the Vampyres were spotted in our area. Maybe he came here for them,” Silas said, but didn’t think it was true. He had a suspicion it had to do with Maia, but did not want to frighten her further.
“Maybe we should just back away and go the long way round to the village.”
All three took a few steps back as the wolf suddenly boldly padded a few steps in their direction. His black coat shone as he emerged from the shadow of the trees into the sunlight. He stopped about fifty paces away from them. His size and fearsome demeanour was even more frightening up close.
Maia gasped as the wolf bared his teeth and let out a loud growl. He took another few steps in their direction, his fur bristling.
“NO!” Maia shouted and extricated herself from Silas’ arms.
She stepped away from him and took two steps towards the wolf.
They stared at each other, the tension between them thick in the air.
“You will go now,” she said with force and determination. “I do not want you here. Go. Leave us alone.”
Death narrowed his eyes and growled again, dropped his head slightly, turned around and ran back into the forest.
The three were silent, watching the tree line for movement. After a while, Maia let out a heavy sigh and their tense vigil was broken.
“That was intense. What was that all about?” Jaik slung his bow over his back.
With the tension leaving her body, she finally collapsed. If it had not been for Silas, she would have fallen. He helped her sit and then took her hands in his.
“You look like that wasn’t the first time you have seen him. Do you want to tell me about it?” Silas said in a gentle voice.
“No,” she said so softly Jaik could not hear. “Not here.”
“I see,” Silas replied. In a louder voice, he said, “Do you think you will be all right to walk home now? Jaik could fetch a horse if you wish.”
“I’ll be all right. I am feeling better already. He just took me off guard.”
Silas poured the boiling water over the mixture of leaves he had put together for Maia’s tea. He had taken great care in his selection of the herbs. Maia needed something calming, yet strong enough to get her through the shock she had experienced. He stirred in a little honey, then carried the cup over to her and sat down beside her on the bench by the fireplace.
“Here you go, this will help,” he said as he handed her the cup.
She graced him with a smile, but it did not reach her eyes.
“Would you like to tell me about it now?”
He hoped she would open up to him. He could see how strongly this affected her. He had sent Jaik away, although it had been difficult to persuade him that his sister would be fine without him. In the end Silas simply insisted that he listen. He was his elder and should be respected and obeyed at all times. Jaik grumbled, but had then left with a promise to return to fetch her when it got dark, so she would not walk home alone.
Maia took a sip of her tea before she answered.
“I have …” she hesitated. Should she tell him all of it? “I have had visions … dreams about him ever since I’ve come home. Strange dreams. Sometimes frightening and sometimes … different.”
Silas watched as Maia took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. He could see she was struggling, so he was silent, waiting for her to continue in her own time. The moments ticked by as he waited, but it eventually became clear Maia was not quite ready to talk.
He put his hand on hers. “Death, besides Life, is the most powerful Elemental in the world. They go through training just like you, but their training also includes the shape shifting. It isn’t something that comes naturally to them, although they have the power within them. It takes much training and strength to remain in another form for any length of time. He looks like he has been fully trained for a while to be so comfortable in his wolf form, so he must be older than you. Most people see the Death Wolf as a bad omen and that death is coming. Even an ordinary raven is often seen as a death omen, which does not make the birds a favourite of our people.”
Silas took a sip of tea before he continued.
“It could be that he is here to warn us. We have reason enough to believe that there is death on its way. The Vampyre attacks have increased and we know that war will be upon us soon. There might be a simple explanation on why he appeared to us. Even your dreams of him might be a warning. It might help if you told me about it. You know I will not judge you for it. Dreams have their own way of manifesting, and we might learn something valuable.”
Maia looked up into Silas’s wise, grey eyes. His long, grey hair hung loose today, making his face seem long and narrow. She had known him all her life and she trusted him. Yet she was not sure if she was ready to share that part of her life with him. She didn’t even understand it herself. Maybe confiding in him would help. Maybe he had advice he could give her. She took a deep breath and began.
“I have had several dreams. They usually start out peaceful enough, until I become aware of a fear, a menace close by. I get scared and I try to run. Then he shows himself and I am unable to move. It is both terrifying and thrilling at the same time. They invoke feelings deep inside me I didn’t know I had.”
Maia looked down, blushing. She took another steadying breath and carried on.
“I have also met him in real life on several occasions. I was walking in the forest when I heard a terrible scream. W
hen I followed the sound to a clearing, there he was, in wolf form, standing over a deer he had just killed. I was outraged, as you can imagine, and when the black wolf started towards us, I screamed. It was the only signal Wolf needed, because he immediately launched himself at Death. There was no contest. Death overpowered him within moments and if I had not stepped in, I think he would have killed Wolf.”
She took a sip of her tea. Silas nodded to her encouragingly.
“I met him again on the way to Braérn. I told Jaik it had been a normal wolf that frightened me and that Midnight tried to protect me from, but it wasn’t, it was Death. We were standing facing each other in the little forest, it was dark, but I could clearly see him … and smell him. All sense and reason left me then and I would have gone to him if it had not been for Midnight. I cannot explain it, it made no sense, but I wanted to go to him.”
Maia paused and gently Silas said, “Go on, it’s all right.”
“Then I saw him in Braérn, at the feast. It was only for a brief moment, but he was in man form and I … I cannot explain it, but I was inexplicably drawn to him, yet I know there is danger there. I just don’t know what he wants or what I am to do.”
She put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Silas put his arms around her. “It’s all right, don’t fret. He is a powerful creature and an Opposite. That kind of power can be confusing. Let me make you more tea. The chamomile will help calm you.”
He rose and poured her another cup. She took it gratefully and sipped while Silas went to one of his shelves and rummaged through his collection of scrolls. He had some kind of order amongst his many things only he was aware of. She could never find anything when he asked her to. After a short while, he came back to the fire with two tightly rolled scrolls. Both looked ancient, discoloured with age and frayed on the edges. Silas sat down next to her with a sigh and unrolled one of the scrolls.