by Lea Doué
“I can see the fire,” he said, “but there’s a lot of smoke coming in, too.”
“Sorry. I had to burn some webs. You’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Flames covered half the door, sparking and popping as they spread towards the ceiling. She untied the cloth from around her nose and wrapped it around her hand. With the rock in her fist, she hit the lock over and over, the impact jarring her wrist and vibrating up her arm.
“What’s that?”
“The lock is giving way. What’s left of it.” She waved her hand to cool it, steam rising from the cloth, and then smashed the rock into the wood around the lock. Splinters and sparks exploded like fireworks with each impact, until the blackened metal sagged into the room.
“Move back!”
She sat on the floor, pulled on her scorched boot, and kicked the door hard and fast. She kicked a second time, and a third.
The door swung into the room with a crash and a whoosh of flames.
Eddy rushed through the door and pulled her to her feet without stopping. They made it to the forest and headed in the direction Hazel and the others had taken. More or less. With the smoke following them and the fire close at their heels, it was hard to tell.
“Thank you for coming back,” he said as he jogged at her side.
“You’re welcome.”
They found the boundary and walked along it, passing four stone dragons and dodging weavers until they discovered the spot where the others had climbed into the canopy—someone had scored the tree with an X, a different tree than she’d climbed the first time. She called out to them but got no response.
They climbed the tree quickly and crossed three more before needing any rope. With Eddy’s two rolls and her one, and salvaging what they could as they went, they might have enough to get as far as they needed. Branch by branch, they advanced. A stone dragon came into view below them, still and mysterious amid the swirling smoke, and then they passed over it.
She stopped to catch her breath, clinging to the trunk as a fit of coughing shook her. “They made it,” she said, gasping. The dragon wouldn’t be there otherwise; it would be out chasing them.
Eddy glanced at her, eyes hopeful, mouth set in a grim line. He planted his feet as firmly as possible and readied his last bit of rope. Just as he stretched his arm out to throw it, a trio of weavers raced by his elbow, braving the boundary in panicked flight and throwing him off balance. He dropped the rope and fell, catching himself on a lower limb for a split second before slipping and scraping his way down to the ground.
He scrabbled to the trunk of the tree, but the dragon reacted faster, bounding over in a rumble of grinding stone, and stationed itself in front of him. He pressed his back against the trunk. Would it let him climb, or would that be considered escaping?
“Are you hurt?”
“Nothing broken,” he said in a strained voice. “Not sure I’m getting back up, though.”
“I could distract it like the one that fell over the falls.”
“But how would you get back up?”
“I don’t have to go down all the way.”
He shook his head. “Too risky. Branches could break.”
She wasn’t asking for his permission, but what could she use? The dragons only reacted to people, so waving a branch was useless. So was yelling. She shifted, glancing around for ideas, and something soft brushed against her hand.
Hazel’s braid.
Heart pounding, she pulled out her last ball of weaver’s yarn and tied the golden braid securely to one end of the silver rope. Slowly, like a fisherman dropping a line, she lowered the braid to the side where Eddy and the dragon stood.
The dragon looked up.
“Go!”
He turned, but the dragon reacted quickly, rising up on its haunches and blocking the escape route by placing an enormous leg on the trunk. The tree shivered. As soon as Eddy stilled, the dragon dropped back onto all fours and turned back to the braid, which was gently swaying in the sooty air.
The creature had no brain—it just reacted to stimuli. It shifted back and forth as if trying to determine which direction to go in order to cut off the escape of the strange dangling person-thing, while keeping an eye on the grounded one.
It was going to smash Eddy with its indecision.
Without warning, Eddy leaped onto the back of the dragon as if it were a horse. The creature stilled immediately and stared at the braid as if Eddy had disappeared.
“Don’t move,” she said.
“Not moving,” he whispered hoarsely.
She had an impossible idea. It might work, or it might get them killed; but if they did nothing, the fire would roast them.
“Eddy? I’ve got a plan.”
He looked up. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“We’re riding that dragon out of here.”
“I was right You’re crazy.”
She grinned. “I think you already knew that. I did go running off on my own to find a man who may or may not have been a sorcerer.”
“You really think it could work?”
She shrugged, and the braid bobbed up and down. “Why not? We lead it with Hazel’s braid like a carrot on a stick. I’ve seen how they move. Look how it’s ignoring you—like you’re not even there.”
He didn’t respond.
“We’ve got to do something to get out of here fast, Eddy. The fire is moving too quickly.”
He nodded. “How do we stay on?”
“Just like riding a horse—hold on with your legs.”
“Right.” He paused. “How are you getting down here?”
She hadn’t thought of that. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“As soon as you move that braid, this thing will follow. Get a stick for your carrot.”
Of course. She snapped off a small branch and tied the web rope to the end. There.
The dragon shifted a bit as she lowered the stick to Eddy, but she managed to pass it to him. Now came the hard part—to climb down from the tree onto the dragon without drawing its attention. She eyed the best route, wiped her sweaty hands on her leggings, and then dropped onto her stomach to reach the first branch. The dragon fidgeted the lower she got, either from her or from the braid swinging to and fro.
Almost slipping down the trunk in her haste, she finally landed on the monster’s back. She’d meant to get behind Eddy, but she ended up in front, facing him and sliding to the side. He hooked an arm around her waist, and she hugged him tightly, breathing in his pine-smoke-earth scent.
The dragon stilled.
Her heartbeat slowed enough for her speak. “I need to move so you can guide this thing.”
“Might be easier if you sit in front. I’ll hand over the stick when you’re ready.”
She twisted, kicking him in the thigh as she swung her legs around. “Sorry.”
He didn’t respond but handed her the branch and wrapped his arms around her.
The dragon didn’t move.
“Anytime,” he said. “That fire is still coming this way.”
“Give me a minute.”
She needed to move the braid to trick the dragon into thinking someone was escaping, to make it try to herd the person back inside its invisible boundary. She and Theo had used a zigzag motion.
Tightening her legs around the cold stone, she swished the braid to the side. The dragon reacted immediately, and Eddy’s hold tightened. She swished it slowly to the other side, and the dragon took a few steps forward. As she continued to wave the branch back and forth, the dragon slowly progressed away from the fire, its heaving movements teeth-jarring.
She was glad Eddy held onto her, because it was nothing like riding a horse. The creature had no muscle movement, and there was no way to predict which direction it would go or how it would move. It carried them steadily onward, until the smoke lessened enough to let them breathe without coughing and gasping. Slowly, they outdistanced the fire.
“I can’t believe we�
��re doing this,” she said. “How long do you think it will chase the hair?”
He snorted. “I don’t know.”
She chuckled. What an odd situation. If only her youngest sister Wren could see her now—she’d always wanted to ride a dragon.
Ten or forty minutes later, they reached a road.
“Do you know where we are?” she said.
“No, but we should reach a guard station eventually.” They’d passed plenty of them since leaving Eltekon. Guard stations, inns, road-side markets. Most of the eleven kingdoms took pride in providing well-maintained travel routes for their people. Even if this was a smaller road, it would lead them to a main road, or at the very least, a logging town.
Once on the even terrain of the road, the dragon’s strides became smoother, but far from comfortable. They rode on and on and on.
Swish-lurch. Swish-lurch. Swish-lurch.
The sky grew lighter.
The stick grew heavier.
As much as she longed to see other people, she was glad no other travelers appeared. She had no desire for the dragon to give chase and lead them all back into the fire, especially with her and Eddy on its back. Had Hazel and the others found the road?
Images of the first dragon attack flashed through her mind. They couldn’t cause a repeat of that. She didn’t even know if the other dragon had been destroyed. Or if anyone had survived.
She let the braid fall still, and the dragon stopped.
“What is it?”
She relayed her concerns. “Maybe we should try to get off,” she said.
He sighed. “You’re probably right. Do you think we could find a tree to climb? We could wait for the dragon to forget about us and go back home like it did with you the first time.”
“We can try.”
She led the dragon back into the trees. It took a few minutes to find a good perch without straying too far from the road, but they finally spotted a promising elm.
Getting off the dragon’s back proved much easier than getting on. Eddy let her go first. He held the braid while she jumped to the first branch and climbed as fast as she could with weary feet, watery legs, and scraped palms. When the dragon stopped pacing and stilled again, she heaved herself onto one last limb and then wilted against the trunk.
Eddy’s turn. He held the branch in his teeth and pulled himself up to her side before the dragon circled the tree once. He handed over the braid, which Gwen tucked into her belt, and they settled hip to hip in a small indention where three branches joined the trunk.
“Can’t think of anyone I’d rather be stuck with in a tree than you,” Eddy said.
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “That’s just the potion talking.”
“You’ll never let me forget that, will you?”
“Nope.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“That means you plan on being around to never let me forget.” He nudged her with his elbow. “Right?”
“I’m in no rush to leave.”
Moments passed, and the dragon didn’t move.
Finally, Eddy spoke softly into her ear. “You still haven’t told me why you came back for me, even though you thought I’d decided to stay.”
She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eyes. “I’ll always be there for my sisters, but I can’t live their lives for them. I have to let go and live my own life.”
“And running back into the fire was living your own life?”
“I go after what I want. I’ve just never wanted much for myself until now.”
“I pity anyone who gets in your way.” He kissed her forehead and then rested his head against hers. “You’re amazing.”
Her stomach fluttered, and her skin tingled where his lips had touched.
“Gwen? May I ask you a big question?”
Goosebumps broke out on her arms. “Is it what I think it is?”
“Maybe.”
“Then, yes.”
He lifted his head. “Yes, I can ask, or is your answer yes?” Hope and doubt flickered in his eyes.
She smiled. “Both.”
He reacted instantly, cupping her cheeks in his hands and kissing her full on the mouth. She wrapped an arm around his neck lest they fall out of the tree.
“I love you, Gwen. You know that, right? You know it’s not just the potion talking?”
“Yes, and I love you, too, Prince Edric, even though I’ve been afraid to admit it. I wouldn’t leave my sisters for just anyone.”
“They can come and visit whenever they want. Or we can visit them.”
She glanced down at the dragon. “I think we better get out of this tree before we start making any plans. How long do you think before it forgets about us?”
“I don’t know. I’m fairly sure we came far enough.”
She shifted, trying to get comfortable. Her shoulder burned and her back ached. She looked forward to getting on her own two aching feet again.
“I can see the road from here,” Eddy said.
A pair of tiny butterwings warmed themselves in a patch of sunlight high on a nearby tree, and a tiny robin flitted around, singing a midsummer song. Minutes flew by, enough for the stone dragon to be leaving soon.
It stood up right on time, but instead of jogging off as they’d hoped, it turned towards the road, wings twitching, talons scraping the earth.
“Do you hear that?” Eddy said.
She closed her eyes and listened. “Horses.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The stone dragon lumbered towards the road, leaves quaking in its wake. Gwen scrambled to her feet, and Eddy joined her, one arm around her waist and one around the tree.
Dragon soldiers approached, wearing the green and gold of Ituria.
“Watch out!” she screamed. They couldn’t possibly hear her.
But they heard the dragon. Before it reached the road, they reacted, arranging their mounts in a semi-circle and taking weapons in hand.
“Maces,” Eddy said in awe. “The forest guards don’t carry maces.”
The dragon didn’t stand a chance. As soon as it bounded out of the forest, the soldiers fell on it. Metal cracked against stone. They crushed its tail and head first, and then went for the legs and wings. The dragon made no sound.
Pressure built behind her eyes. She shouldn’t be sad to see the thing destroyed, but it had taken them to safety. It wasn’t evil. It wasn’t even real, just a tool.
“That was amazing,” Eddy said.
With the threat gone, they climbed down from the tree and waded through the underbrush to the road. She recognized a few of the soldiers, and one in particular.
“Eben!”
“Gwen?” He jumped from his horse and ran to her, lifting her in a fierce hug.
She clung to him, tears spilling down her cheeks.
He set her down. “You look awful.” His wide grin and familiar face took the sting out of his words.
“And you’re late,” she said. “Eben, may I introduce Prince Edric, First Son of Osha. Edric, this is Eben, dragon soldier and co-heir-to-be of Ituria.” She couldn’t wait until he and Lily married so she could shorten that to just co-heir.
The men skipped the formal bow and shook hands, and then Eben, as usual, got right down to business.
“We’re bringing maces to the station.” He waved his hand at a small, covered supply cart. “They’ve already received a shipment from Socora.”
“Someone must have made it through, then, to tell you about the dragons.”
“Everyone made it through, and a paper dragon just arrived with news that Hazel is at the station.” He pointed to a bright green dragon perched on the shoulder of a tall woman.
She sagged with relief. “What about Buttercup? Did he find his way, too?”
“Buttercup, too.”
She smiled and wiped the last tears on the back of her hand.
Eben gave her a handkerchief. “The coach was broken, and there were mi
nor injuries. After reading your guards’ description of the dragons, we thought maces would be the best bet.”
Not a common weapon for slaying dragons. No wonder they’d had to send for them.
Eddy studied the crumbled, powdery remains of the stone beast, stealing frequent glances at the soldiers. His eyes held both a hungry and a wary look.
Several of the horses pricked their ears moments before an outrider galloped in from the direction of the fire.
“Dragons! Stone dragons. Dozens of them.”
“You need to get to the station and warn them, sir,” one of the soldiers said to Eben. They might let the co-heir-to-be help defend against a surprise attack, but his safety was their main concern.
Eddy finally spoke. “Let me fight.”
“You don’t have a horse,” Eben said.
He also didn’t have guards to tell him heirs don’t fight in big battles, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. If he wanted to fight, he would fight. She glanced around, her gaze stopping at the cart horse.
“Yes, he does.” She rushed over to the soldier leading the horse. She knew them both from the stables in Eltekon. “I need to borrow Jasper.”
The soldier obeyed immediately and helped her unhitch the horse.
She climbed on bareback. “Eben, you can ride with me. Let Eddy have your horse.”
Accustomed to making split-second decisions, Eben didn’t hesitate. He dismounted, handed his reins to Eddy, and got up behind Gwen. “Grab yourself a mace.”
“And be careful,” she said.
Eddy nodded and joined the soldiers.
She kicked Jasper into a gallop. Two guards peeled off from the main group and flanked them as they rode. Hopefully they would have time to send help from the station before the stone dragons arrived.
As soon as they reached the small courtyard, Eben excused himself to go find the captain. Gwen handed the horse off to a young groom and went inside to find Hazel.
A maid met her at the door. “Your sister and the princes are in a meeting at the moment, Your Highness. You can wait in here with the little miss, if you’d like.”
She showed Gwen into a small sitting room and shut the door behind her. The space was bright and airy, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall. Bay lounged at a table near an open window, nibbling a variety of refreshments that had been laid out.