Legends Born: Tahir Edition (History's Shadow)

by K. Dzr

  * * * * *

  Tahir lay supine and alone on the sandy shore. His head was propped up on a pile of grass and leaves. His eyes snapped open and his body convulsed as he coughed up water and gasped for air. Something in the water splashed, but when he looked, he saw nothing but the familiar river and trees of Elysi. He rolled onto his side to catch his breath. His head throbbed and his leg ached, but he was alive. He touched the sore spot on the back of his head, his fingers came away red. The cut on his leg, though painful, didn’t seem so bad that he shouldn’t be able to walk. On hands and knees, he paused to gather his strength while trying to remember what happened and how he came to this predicament; it was futile. His head was throbbing, blood was dripping down the back of his neck, and he needed to get back to Rykell and the sprites. He slowly rose to his feet, feeling a little dizzy and somewhat confused. He looked around, realized the direction he needed to go and slowly staggered along the river bank.

  As he rounded the the river bend, he was astonished by the sight before him. There, along the shore were the sprites gathered together weeping, hugging each other, and soaking wet. But the sight that caused Tahir to wonder if he had walked out of one nightmare and into another, was the gigantic head and neck of a scaly creature protruding from the water. Its massive head loomed over the tearful sprites. Tahir paused as he looked upon the unusual sight. He grasped his head with both hands, hoping to squeeze the figment of his head injury from his mind.

  “Look! It’s Tahir!” Meelix shouted. All of the sprites rushed toward him with tears in their eyes. But Tahir couldn’t tear his eyes away from the giant. Rassine raced to him and climbed up his clothes and kissed his cheek. The sprites clung to his legs and clothing; relief and joy flooded them all.

  “We thought you were dead!” Rassine said as she hugged his face. “Oh, sweet fairies, you’re bleeding!”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m okay…w-who is that?” Tahir asked, pointing a shaky finger at the giant monster.

  “That’s Jeverre. He’s a Dracara!”

  “You’re alive! I have never been so happy to see a human before. I thought I might have killed you by accident,” the creature said, revealing rows of long, sharp teeth in what Tahir hoped was an effort to smile.

  “Hi,” Tahir squeaked apprehensively. “You’re a what?”

  “Do you know what a dragon is?”

  Tahir nodded.

  “Well, I’m a dragon that lives in the water, but I can come on land for a little while. Humans call us Leviathan.”

  “You are…so big,” Tahir said.

  “Ah, I’m not so big. You should see my parents, especially my father. Now he is one big Dracara,” Jeverre said proudly.

  Tahir sat down on the riverbank to allow Rassine to examine the cut on his leg. She discovered it was merely a flesh wound, but the injury to his head required some attention. She sent two of the sprites off to get herbs and bandages.

  “So what happened, Tahir? Where did you go?” Meelix asked as he scooted to sit down next to Tahir. “You just disappeared. We were worried sick!”

  “Sorry guys, but I don’t know what happened. I was standing on some rocks in the water when I lost my footing, I guess. I tumbled under the waves and the next thing I knew I was coughing up water around the bend.”

  “Oh no, I’m afraid that was my fault.” Jeverre explained. “I was taking a nap when I felt something hitting me. It startled me because no one ever bothers me when I’m sleeping. I guess when I jerked around to see what it was, I must’ve splashed too much and knocked you way over there.”

  “That was you I was standing on?”

  “I kept telling you those weren’t rocks!” Meelix laughed. “Tahir was climbing on you Jeverre, and trying to break off one of your spiky things.”

  “Why would you do that?” Jeverre was dumbfounded.

  “I thought you were a big rock or something. I didn’t know there were dragons in this river. And I didn’t know what else to do, the hyenas were chasing us and I needed a weapon or something!”

  “Hyenas were chasing you?” Jeverre asked. “I didn’t think predators came around here.”

  “I guess it was our fault,” Sudlin began as he gestured toward the group of sprites. “You see, now and then we get bored. So this morning we started out playing hide and seek. We all ran into the woods to hide from Tahir. When we came upon the hyenas, we decided to tease them. Usually animals just ignore us or run away; but when we circled the hyenas and started throwing rocks at them, they charged us. It was kind of funny, really. Don’t you think?”

  “You mean you guys started all of this? I almost broke my neck falling from the tree when the rope broke, almost got eaten by a couple of angry hyenas and nearly drowned, and got a big gash on my head! All because you guys were teasing some wild animals?” Tahir shouted.

  “We didn’t mean for any of that to happen,” Bennie said pitifully.

  “Yeah, like Sudlin said, usually they just ignore us or run away. I don’t think anything like this ever happened before,” Reeny explained.

  “That is a very odd game.” Jeverre shook his head. “It seems foolish to play around with such ferocious animals like that. If rocks were being thrown at me for no reason, I’d be very angry too.”

  “Jeverre is right,” Tahir said sternly, as he rubbed his throbbing head.

  “And Tahir, it is just as foolish to jump into a river when you don’t know how to swim.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. If I ran into the woods, they would have gotten me for sure. Where else could I go?”

  “I’ve seen other humans swimming. Why can’t you swim?” Jeverre asked.

  “I just never learned, that’s all,” Tahir replied, irritated by the entire course of events.

  Rassine ordered Tahir to lie on his stomach so that she could attend to his head injury. She crawled up on his neck and worked to clean the wound, apply medicinal herbs and secure it with bandages. Once the bleeding stopped, she saw it was only a small cut after all. He winced a few times from her poking and prodding, but remained still so she wouldn’t fall off.

  “I thought once we got into the water, Tahir, you’d let me go. I may not be a sprite, but I do know how to swim. Thanks to you I almost drowned,” Meelix complained.

  “Well, I’m sorry! I thought I was saving you,” Tahir glared at Meelix.

  “I can teach you how to swim, Tahir,” Jeverre offered.

  “Uh, no thanks. I’d better not.”

  “Don’t be afraid. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Yeah, come on, Tahir. We'll all teach you. It’ll be fun,” Reeny said excitedly.

  “I’m not afraid. I’m just a little tired and my head still hurts. Let me rest for a while first.” Tahir turned to Jeverre. “So, you said you are not from around here. Where are you from?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. He remained sprawled on his stomach, elbows on the ground, and chin resting in his hands, intensely waiting to hear Jeverre's story.

  “Farther up, this river spills out into what some call the Mediterranean Sea. I live near an island in that sea.”

  “What are you doing so far from home?”

  “I guess you could say I’m on an exploration. My parents told me that a very long time ago this very river turned into blood. Most, if not all, of the creatures that lived here were killed. After that, the Dracara were afraid to enter the river. We have heard stories from other creatures who say that the river has been safe for years, and that animals and water creatures were flourishing again. But you know how parents can be. Mine are not afraid of the water itself, but that what happened once could happen again. They don’t want me around when, and if it does. I heard that the mers have been seen in the river, so I decided to see for myself. That’s how I ended up here.”

  “Did you see any?” Bennie wondered.

  “No, but that doesn’t mean they’re not here. There are lots of places to hide under water.”

  “Are they frien
dly?”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve never met one that wasn’t nice and friendly. Some live in the sea where I live. We play together all the time.”

  “Wow, I never thought there was anything other than fish in the water,” Tahir remarked.

  “Believe me, there’s a whole lot more than just fish in the water, especially in the seas.”

  “Are you still going to look for mers?” Caan asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Can we go with you?” Meelix asked excitedly.

  “How do you think we can go looking for mers with Jeverre? We can’t swim that well,” Figg addressed Meelix.

  “You can if you want to ride on my back,” Jeverre answered.

  The sprites were excited about riding on the back of a dragon, going deep into the sea looking for mers. There was nothing too risky or too dangerous for the sprites.

  “Wait a minute. What if you fall off?” Tahir asked.

  “We won’t fall off. We can hang on to Oraden pretty well, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, but if you fall off Oraden, you hit the ground. If you fall off Jeverre, you could be lost at sea.”

  “You’re just afraid because you can’t swim. We know how to swim, so we won’t care if we fall off,” Meelix replied.

  “Tahir, I do think you should learn to swim if you want to come,” Jeverre said. “Just in case.”

  Tahir thought about missing out on the fun and adventure if Jeverre and sprites left him behind. He supposed now was just as good a time as any to learn. He felt somewhat confident that Jeverre would be better able to rescue him, if necessary, than the little sprites. And besides, what a story he’d have to go back and tell Oraden.

  “Alright. What’s the first thing I have to do?”

  Everyone cheered and applauded Tahir; they wanted him to join them on this spectacular and unexpected adventure.

  Tahir showed remarkable bravery when it came to getting back into the water. Jeverre, having watched humans swim before, was able to talk Tahir through it. He was never more than an arms reach from Tahir. The sprites got into the water to show him how to kick his legs. With so much support and encouragement, Tahir was swimming without assistance within a few hours. He was so proud of himself. He couldn’t wait to tell Oraden all that had happened today.

  Jeverre stayed a while longer. Then decided to get home early so there wouldn’t be any problem with him leaving first thing tomorrow morning. He promised to be back early to take the sprites and Tahir mer searching.

  After Jeverre left, Tahir and the other sprites reclined under a large shade tree, discussing the day’s events, while snacking on fruit and berries.

  “I’m getting kind of tired, Tahir yawned. “I have a long walk ahead and an even longer story to tell Oraden. Hey, maybe Oraden will want to come with us.”

  “Yes, bring Oraden. That would be great!”

  “Anybody want to walk back with me?”

  Bennie and Figg exchanged glances with one another.

  “Why?” Bennie asked as he cracked almonds on a rock.

  “I might need some help convincing Oraden about Jeverre.”

  “Sure, I'll walk with you. I’m still so excited about today and tomorrow that I probably couldn’t sleep anyway. Hopefully, after a nice long walk, I can fall asleep before I get my boots off,” Meelix replied.

  “That’s not a bad idea, Meelix. Nothing like a leisurely walk to slow your rhythms down before bed, Figg added.”

  Meelix, Sudlin, Bennie and Figg escorted Tahir to the meadow. They cheerfully reviewed the days’ events as they hiked their way back to the meadow. Once again they laughed at the way Tahir looked when the rope broke and he fell to the ground. Meelix recounted his horrifying experience in the pocket of Tahir’s tunic. They retold of how they all jumped into the murky river searching for Tahir. They wondered how Oraden and Jeverre would get along. They debated about what a mer would look like, and what adventures tomorrow would bring.

  They scanned the meadow for Oraden’s black silhouette amongst the auburn coats of the herd.

  “There he is!” Bennie shouted.

  They all ran toward him, calling his name.

  Oraden’s ears perked up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “You are not going to believe what happened today,” Tahir said.

  “Well, tell me.”

  They all began talking at once.

  “Wait, a minute. I don’t know what you are saying. Tahir, tell me exactly what happened.”

  The others reluctantly kept silent while Tahir told Oraden how he and Meelix were chased into the water by hyenas, thereby meeting Jeverre, and of their plans for the following morning.

  Roddy grazed nearby with Kodah and some of the others. She feinted disinterest, but inched closer and closer to the commotion. She glanced over at her clique of friends. Kodah shot her a mean look, but Roddy’s curiosity out-weighed Kodah’s feud with Oraden. She abandoned her charade of grazing and trotted over to the gathering, leaving the others to make their jokes and sneers at Oraden’s expense.

  “What’s going on?” she asked no one in particular.

  The group fell silent. No one knew if, or how much they should tell Roddy. The sprites were well aware of the conflict between Oraden and the other unicorns. Though they had no ill feelings toward Roddy, they didn’t want her interfering with their plans for fear that they would be forced to leave Tahir and Oraden behind.

  Oraden knew that his parents would not condone his traveling around with a Dracara searching for mers. He was certain that they would be just as protective of Tahir. If Roddy told Oraden’s parents, they’d be sure to keep a close watch over them.

  “Come on, tell me,” Roddy pleaded. “I can keep a secret if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “Nothing,” Oraden snapped.

  “Nothing sure is exciting to you, isn’t it? Come on, tell me. I want to know too.”

  “You can’t tell anybody,” Tahir warned.

  Oraden gave Tahir a look of disapproval. “Tahir, you don’t understand. You can’t tell her anything.”

  “Oraden,” Roddy said, “please talk to me. I’ve always known that you wander outside of the oasis. I’ve listened to the stories you’ve come back to tell and imagined myself in those adventures with you. But you never included me. Please, Oraden, give me a chance. Tell me what’s going on. I promise not to tell anyone.”

  “Alright Roddy. But if anybody finds out, I’ll know it was you, and I will make you very sorry.” Oraden’s horn and eyes glowed fiery red. He peeked over at Kodah and then led Roddy farther out of the bully’s earshot. Tahir and the sprites understood and followed.

  “Tomorrow,” Oraden said in a hushed voice, “we are going to meet a Dracara who will take us on a search to find mers.”

  Roddy was astonished. She had a million questions, but didn’t know what to ask first. She stared back and forth between Oraden and Tahir.

  “What are mers?” she asked.

  Tahir scratched his head. None of the sprites seemed to know either. They all looked to Oraden for the answer.

  “Mers are human-like creatures that live in the water,” Oraden explained. “But they don’t breathe water like fish. They can come up on land, too. I’ve never see any, but I hear they are very strange-looking.”

  The sprites exchanged excited glances.

  “You are teasing me, aren’t you?” Roddy asked.

  “No, it’s true. Really.” Tahir said.

  Oraden sensed Roddy’s apprehension, which only added to his own. He was aware, as was Roddy, of how tricky the sprites could be. He wasn’t too sure about Tahir, though.

  “I’m not sure how much of this I believe, either,” Oraden said, looking at the sprites for signs of trickery.

  “You have to believe us!” Bennie pleaded.

  “Let’s see if I got this right. A Dracara is going to take a unicorn, a human, a gnome, and a herd of sprites into the river to find
some mers. Is that the plan?” Ignoring the sprites, Roddy directed the question to Tahir.

  Meelix and the sprites exchanged glances and burst into hysterical laughter.

  “Yes. Well, almost. Everything except for the unicorn part.” Tahir replied, upset that Oraden didn’t believe him.

  “Did I say I wasn’t going?”

  “You act as if you don’t believe us.”

  “I just know these sprites a little better than you do, and they always have tricks up their sleeves. How do I know they haven’t convinced you to help them trick me?” Oraden asked Tahir.

  “What harm could it do to just go with them in the morning and see for ourselves?” Roddy asked.