Long, Dark Road

by Bianculli, Susan

  Ragar, Jason, and I got back on the flying carpet, and soon we were back at the keep’s courtyard. Fortunately Dusk had been busy while we’d been gone. Not only was the Miscere Surface-elf now ready to leave at a moment’s notice, he’d had every magical item that had been brought up from the Sub-realms assembled in the courtyard. I thanked him. When I told him we only needed half of them, Dusk asked if he could pick out the ones to go. I agreed because I thought he probably wanted to keep the more immediately useful ones for the valley and because it finally gave me time to go get that bath I’d been wanting since earlier this morning.

  “Hey, Lise, I’m going to go check Arghen’s stuff and see about that mapa Quiris mentioned. I’ll catch up,” Jason said.

  “Awesome. You read my mind,” I said. “See you soon.”

  As my bedroom window overlooked the courtyard, I could see a procession of beings carrying the sacrificial magical items towards the back of the keep. The “sacrificial” aspect made me have a bad moment or two, remembering my own near-sacrifice on Morsca’s altar in the cavern under the keep not all that long ago. I reasoned with myself though that non-sentient items wouldn’t care about their eventual use. I went and bathed quickly but thoroughly and put on fresh clothes before heading down to see what the division of items had turned out to be. Surprisingly the hanging wall light-sculptures from the Exchange down in Chirasniv had turned out to be magical, and those took up one whole barrel by themselves. I met up with Heather, Dusk, Auraus, Ragar, and Jason standing and watching what was happening. I blinked in shock when I realized that Heather now wore the blacks and greys of Quiris.

  Jason came and put an arm around me. “About that map, Lise?”

  “Yeah?” I said eagerly.

  “It’s only a map from what is probably Relkanav to the surface where we met Arghen. It doesn’t detail anything or anywhere else in the Sub-realms, so it isn’t going to be very useful in getting us to Chirasniv.”

  My face fell. “Awww. Oh, well.”

  Before we headed back to our rooms for last minute personal stuff we wanted to bring, Dusk suggested that out of deference to Frelanfur we humans should put the iron bars we usually carried in modified sleeves on our sheaths into our packs instead. Remembering what Ragar has said about dragons being magic, Jason, Heather, and I readily agreed. Auraus and I filled Heather in on what had happened at the cliff on the way to the bedroom that we’d shared, and then I asked her, “So, can I ask what happened between you and Quiris?”

  Heather smiled. “Quiris is absolutely amazing, and I can see why Arghen worships her as his deity.”

  “Is she your deity now?” I asked, burning with curiosity.

  Heather looked away shyly, flipping her black braid over the other shoulder. “Yes. She is.”

  “Congratulations, Heather,” cried Auraus happily, clasping her hands together in joy.

  “Hey, congratulations!” I said, lightly punching Heather on the shoulder. “Feels different, but good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it does,” she said, dark eyes shining as we started packing our last minute things.

  Once we were done and had met up with Jason and Ragar in the foyer, we headed outside. Or at least, we started to.

  “Champion Lise! Wait!” someone called out behind me.

  I stopped and turned to see Emalai, the first captive we had rescued the last time we were in Chirasniv, running down the keep stairs towards us with a determined look on her face. The long orange dress she wore flapped behind her in her haste.

  “Champion Lise, may I come, too?” she managed to pant out when she’d reached us.

  Flabbergasted, I looked at the beautiful black-haired Surface-elf. I hadn’t seen this coming. The others looked at her with varying expressions on their faces ranging from pity to disbelief because they knew what I had to say.

  “Emalai, you’re not a warrior, and you aren’t a Mageling. So why would you want to come?” I asked gently.

  “Because I want to be there for Arghen!” she cried. “I want to help save him the way he saved me!”

  Waving to the others to go on outside, I put a friendly arm around her shoulder and drew her away as they left. “I know, Emalai. I know. You care for him, and that’s great and all, but everyone who is coming with me can pull their own weight in a fight. You can’t.”

  She shook my arm off and looked offended. I realized that I hadn’t exactly been diplomatic, so I tried again.

  “Sorry. That came out badly ….”

  “I should say so!” she broke in, almost spluttering. “You do not understand the complexity of an Elvish heart. Arghen, at great personal risk, chose to heroically save me from Jodron and Descora! And from traveling with him I have found him to be a gallant and sensitive Elf, so how could I not feel something for him? It has nothing to do with love.”

  Emalai stopped speaking, and her eyes got huge. I looked wryly at her because to me she’d been behaving like someone who’d fallen in love at first sight with Arghen. Apparently that was news to her.

  I took advantage of her silence. “Ummm, what I meant to say is, though you’re smart and tricky, and you do know your way around Chirasniv, we can’t teach you the fighting skills that you would need. We fought a few monsters and enemies on our way there the last time, so it’s important to know how to really use some kind of weapon before going in. I myself nearly died in a fight with Under-elf scouts, and I’ve gotten pretty good with a blade since coming over here.”

  Emalai’s dark eyes widened further, if that was possible.

  “Plus, we would need to find armor that fit you, get you weapons that wouldn’t tire you out to use, see you kitted up with a backpack and supplies, and then convince Frelanfur the dragon to carry seven beings instead of six. Personally, I don’t think he would allow a change, and we’re already short on time. I’m sorry,” I finished.

  The black-haired Surface-elf’s shoulders slumped. “I understand,” she said dejectedly. “I know that the Grey Riders will remain here until Dusk returns. I will wait with them until you bring Arghen back.”

  Emalai turned and walked away up the main steps. I watched her go until she was out of sight. I felt guilty that I couldn’t allow her to come along with us, but I knew that it was for the best.

  Chapter 8

  Auraus, Ragar, Jason, Heather, and I trooped into the back yard of the broken keep. We tried to discuss what the plan to rescue Arghen should be, but really, there was little we could do in the way of pre-planning. We had no idea what these guides to Chirasniv would look like nor where we would encounter them. We would also have to slip into that city-state again somehow, and the only thing we could think of was to once again cause some sort of cavern collapse that would bring the Under-elves to investigate. Hopefully they would leave the gates open and allow us to use our makeup and their armor so we could sneak in as faux Under-elves.

  The area behind the keep was a very different place from the last time we’d been there. Before, it was a working outdoor prison-zoo. Now, the guard shacks along the walls were missing, and the cages were gone. The only thing marking where the cages and shacks had been was the checkerboard pattern of discolored spots on the ground around the yard. Auraus’ and Ragar’s faces both had a mixture of disgust and relief on them as they looked around. Clearly they were remembering when they had been held prisoner in this very yard. Looking around, I spotted Dusk standing at the bottom of the avalanche that had crumbled from the cliff face at the very back of the yard during the destructive earthquake. The half-Under-elf/half-Surface-elf’s bags were at his feet and a sour look was on his handsome face as he glared at Frelanfur, who had arrived. The dragon had made himself comfortable on the remains of the huge slide of dirt by wallowing out a trench in the loosened earth. He rumbled a pleased sort of sound as we approached. Heather made a gasp of part terror, part delight while the rest of us steeled ourselves to interact with him again.

  “Ah, Champion Lise. And these are your chosen companions?�
�� he boomed.

  “Errr, yes, Frelanfur. They are. Their names are …,” I started to say, but he cut me off.

  “No need, Champion Lise. We will not be together long enough for it to matter.”

  Dusk spoke up. “Lise, do not agree to any other prices for anything. I caught Frelanfur helping himself to the cages that used to be here, so he is indebted to us for them.”

  The dragon frowned but didn’t say anything. Dusk’s words reminded me that I’d stuck my hand inside a cage out of curiosity when we’d first came to the keep. I’d felt a distinct temperature difference inside it from the outside, marking it as a magical object.

  I smiled at Dusk, feeling one up on the dragon for once. “Caught, eh?”

  “Oh, yes,” Dusk replied. “The empty prison yard could have been explained away by the inhabitants taking them for building supplies, but I came just in time to see him crunch up the last one in his teeth.”

  “Is there some convention that needs to be invoked here because of that, then?” I asked him. I certainly didn’t want another “opening ceremony” like I’d already been put through, even though Dusk had tried to warn me about it.

  The dragon grumbled wordlessly, but Dusk said, “He knows that any magic which belongs to some being ….”

  “The owners of this keep are dead, so therefore this was clearly abandoned magic which no longer had a possessor. Furthermore, I knew that those things would be useless and abhorrent to you in their present state, so I chose to do you a favor by taking them away for you. And, out of courtesy and respect, I will not even charge you for that service. You are welcome for that, by the way,” Frelanfur interrupted quickly, trying to quash whatever the amber-eyed Surface-elf was about to say.

  Dusk, ignoring Frelanfur, said to me, “The dragon knows the rules better than that. He knows that any physical article left over after a military engagement, magical or mundane, becomes part of the spoils belonging to the victors’ side. Since our side was the victor, the keep and all its items are technically ours.” Dusk threw an unreadable look at the dragon before looking back at me. “He is forgetting that you have me to advise you on rights. My mother had occasionally mentioned dragon dealing to me before she became a lesser goddess. Frelanfur has taken liberties, and so now he is beholden to us for their price.”

  “I like the sound of that,” I said, grinning, “and in the future I’m going to have to pick your brains about dragon rules. Meanwhile, what should I use his beholding for?”

  The dragon rumbled ominously.

  Dusk ignored him. “Unless you have something pressing, I would suggest holding on to the favor he now owes us. Having a dragon in your debt is a rare occurrence. If we need more help trying to rescue Arghen, having a dragon to call upon would be a good thing.”

  “How can we do that?” I asked.

  Instead of Dusk answering, Frelanfur used a talon to delicately hook a tiny, light brown oblong-ish scale off his face. Its rainbow sheen flashed in the sunlight as he blew the scale off his claw’s sharp tip and sent it sailing to land at my feet.

  “There,” he rumbled. “All you need to do is place the scale against your lips and blow three quick breaths on it. I will sense your call and come to you as soon as I am able.”

  I picked it up. The scale, which had looked small on him, was actually the size of a small teacup saucer. It was also smooth, inflexible, and lighter than I’d expected.

  “Ooo. That’s even prettier up close,” breathed Heather.

  I angled the scale back and forth in the sunlight, making the rainbow sheen slide across the surface. A throat cleared. I looked up, and Dusk jerked his head in the direction of the dragon, indicating we should leave.

  I blushed. “Oh, errr, right. Sorry, Dusk.” I looked at the dragon. “All right, Frelanfur, how are you accomplishing what you promised me?”

  “You may pile your equipment in front of me, and you may-one at a time, mind you-climb up onto my back. I will fly you where you need to go, and will carry your gear in my arms.” He looked at Auraus. “And that means you as well, Wind-rider. You could not hope to match my speed.”

  I just barely stopped myself from jumping up and down for joy and squealing at his words. We were going to get to go fly on a dragon! Heather looked excited too, but she also kept her cool. Jason smiled eagerly. However, I noticed that the three who lived in this world—Auraus, Dusk, and Ragar-exchanged uneasy glances.

  “Is there anything wrong?” I asked, my joy dimming.

  “N-no,” said Auraus, a hesitant look in her grey eyes.

  It was such an obvious lie that I gave her a “Seriously?” kind of look. “What are you not telling me?” I asked.

  “Never mind, Lise, truly,” she replied. “I have never heard of anyone riding a dragon before, but if this is what Frelanfur says to do, then it is what we do.”

  Wow. Not only were we riding a dragon, but maybe we were going to be the first! Dusk and Ragar meanwhile had put their gear and the flying carpet that I’d insisted we bring in front of Frelanfur. The rest of us added our backpacks and headed towards his back.

  “Hold!” commanded Frelanfur.

  We all stopped short.

  “What is this poison that you are carrying?” he demanded.

  I shared confused looks with Heather and Jason. “Poison? I dunno what you’re talking about,” I replied.

  He bent his agile neck around so that he looked straight at us. “I smell worked iron! Are you trying to kill us all?”

  Ah. So that was what Frelanfur meant. “Actually, it’s not poison; the iron is part of our gear,” I said. “Humans are not affected by the metal, and each one of us humans here has an iron bar. We have found them to be useful.”

  Jason smiled a wry smile at me for that understatement, considering it had been through the use of those iron bars that we had defeated Bascom Bloodknife, Morsca the slaver’s mage and lover.

  “What about your companions?” the dragon challenged. “They could be hurt if you used the iron around them!”

  I shrugged. “We’re careful when we take the bars out around our friends from this world. Is this going to be a problem for you?”

  “Not for long,” he grumbled, turning his head back around and picking up the pile in front of him gingerly. “But I require something for dealing with items outside of what is considered normal to use.”

  Before anybody could say anything, Jason yanked off his frost ring and threw it at the dragon’s head with an annoyed look his bronzed face.

  I raised my eyebrows as I watched Frelanfur’s long brown tongue spool out, catch the ring mid-flight, and slurp it down. So iron affected dragons too, if Frelanfur’s reactions were anything to go by, I thought to myself. It made sense, really, given what Ragar had told us about dragons. I mentally filed that tidbit away. One by one we climbed onto the dragon’s back the way I had when I’d tried to fight him. I got a better look this time while climbing on him, but other than sitting between his wings and holding on for dear life to them, I didn’t see how we were going to stay on.

  “How are we not going to fall off when you go for liftoff and then fly?” I called out to him.

  “Just sit down together as a group wherever you like around my spine. I promise you, nothing will happen to you as we go,” Frelanfur replied in his booming voice.

  The six of us made ourselves comfortable in the broad space between his leathery wings. Auraus was the first to sit and fold her feathered wings closely about herself. When we were all seated in a circle facing each other, we filled Dusk in on our tentative plans to rescue Arghen.

  As we talked, a smooth surface rose up from the dragon’s hide and formed under us. I knocked at it, which I could see lifted us slightly above Frelanfur’s scales. It felt hard and cool like glass or maybe plastic. Without any other warning the dragon leapt into the air. I was surprised when there was no rush of air around us. The flight felt more like a quickly ascending elevator rather than riding a living animal. All of a
sudden I missed my horse, Saffron, but I consoled myself that we would be back together soon. Or so I hoped. The ground sped away beneath us at an incredible speed as the dragon arced himself upwards. Amazingly, once he leveled off and picked up speed, we could still breathe easily despite being high in the atmosphere. On top of that there was no noise—not even from the huge, rhythmic flaps of the dragon’s wings we sat in between.

  Heather narrowed her eyes at Frelanfur’s back, then looked towards his head. “So, is this dragon magic?”

  I was startled only for a minute. Then I remembered that Heather worshiped Quiris now. She was now affected by magic and could no longer semi-see invisible magics like at Bascom’s tower a few days ago. I smiled a wry smile—while having her being able to be healed by magic was a good thing, the loss of her non-magic abilities from non-belief might hurt us. I sent up a prayer to Caelestis about it and received a reassuring mental pat in return.

  Jason daringly stood up then laughed as he took a couple of steps away from the circle and remained unaffected. He reached up, but his fingers met with no resistance. “This must be what it’s like to ride in an airplane!” he whooped.

  Heather eyed him with surprise. “Haven’t you ever flown in a plane before?”

  Jason started to bristle, but I jumped in. “Not everyone can afford to fly, Heather,” I said lightly. “I’ve never flown in a plane before either, so I’m finding this pretty exciting!”

  Heather lowered her eyes, perhaps in embarrassment, and Jason looked at me gratefully. I stood up, too, and together we explored to find out the extent of the magic that kept us safe on Frelanfur’s back. It turned out that the magic was like a half bubble in shape, was solid to the touch, and covered from the dragon’s shoulders all the way down his back to where the base of the tail began. Standing near the dragon’s head, I marveled at Frelanfur’s pace.

  “We’ve got to be going near or at the speed of sound!” I said enthusiastically to Jason.

  “Wouldn’t we hear the sonic boom if we were?” he asked.