Distantly she heard a whoosh of dragon fire. Ishe looked up in Drosa’s shining eyes. “I need you,” Ishe stated; there had been more but the thought fled.
Drosa shuddered and blinked in surprise. “What?” Her lips parted in such a way that they forced Ishe to mentally stomp on an urge to press her own lips over them. Ignoring the heat that began to crawl up her skin, Ishe tried again. “I need you to come with me back to the raft with Sparrow.” Ripping her gaze from Drosa, she found Sparrow starring at her with some disbelief.
“Oh, don’t give me that Sparrow!” Ishe said with heat. “Your wife would rip my arms off if we left you behind.” Abandoning Drosa, Ishe grabbed him by the crook of his arm and hauled the surprised man to his feet. “Stag. Catter. Go on foot. Try to find Hawk. We’ll meet you at the Maw.”
They all looked at her as if she were speaking in spirit tongues.
“If we go on foot, Yaz’noth will find us; he’ll burn the entire forest if he has to. But on the river, he has a target to follow.”
“You going to hold him off? Without the Breaker of Iron?” Stag again.
“If I need to.” Ishe looked down at her black fingers. “But with Eyah’s help, we should be able to do far more than that.”
Stag looked to Drosa, who grinned. “Perhaps I and Eyah will pierce the iron,” she said.
He responded first in their own language before reaching out and clasping Drosa’s hand. “May the Watchers see your glory.”
“Go,” Ishe said as her mind spun out ahead of her. This had to work.
Ishe made the raft as narrow as she could and, with a few ax blows and together with Drosa, heaved it into the river. Sparrow piloted them into the center and let the current whisk them downriver. High above, Yaz’noth’s massive form circled, neck bent toward Spine. It looked like an eagle consorting with a hummingbird.
Drosa, at the bow of the raft, watched the dragons, an arrow nocked. She jumped as Ishe gripped her shoulder. “That trick you pulled in the woods where you made it seem like there were two of you. Can you do that again but bigger?”
“That’s no me. That is Eyah. But yes. Maybe make it look like two rafts. Eyah’s father always helps.” Drosa glanced up at the sun.
Ishe explained her idea.
“You’re mad…”
“Only if it works; otherwise, we’ll just be dead.” Ishe grinned.
“Whatever you’re whispering about, better make it fast. Here he comes,” Sparrow said.
Two dragons were closing in, Yaz’noth from the west bank, while Spine zoomed in from the east, traveling at a speed the larger dragon could not match. Ishe could do nothing as Spine positioned himself over the center of the river, shouting, “I get! I get!” as he lined up his dive.
“Spine, no!” Yaz’noth boomed at the little dragon, but Spine either didn’t hear or ignored his father. The black blur swept down between the riverbanks and spread his talons wide as if he meant to sweep them all up into a very sharp hug.
“Duck!” Ishe cried at the last second, and all three of them flattened themselves against the raft. Spine rushed overhead so fast that the wind of his passing parted the water before and after the raft. Ishe sprawled widthwise on the craft, arms and legs straying into the water. As her fingers submerged, she heard them, the pulsing that had warned her the moment before Hawk got jumped, clarified as if those had been noises heard underwater.
Sharp one fights? Sharp one kills? Hurry. Hurry. A single voice pulsed through Ishe’s fingers as duller, tired voices protested.
But sun! Too bright! Let sleep. Let sleep!
Ishe glanced up into the sky. Spine arced up toward the blue, and from the other side came Yaz’noth, his broad wings clipping the top of the trees as he labored to stay aloft. “Ishe! Give it up! Get off the river! It’s infested!” he managed to grunt before his wings carried him beyond the raft. While the current was swift, Yaz’noth apparently needed to maintain a minimum speed to stay aloft. He gave an audible rumble of frustration as he pumped his wings to regain altitude. Ishe had to smile at his difficulty. While deadly in the air, and a living siege weapon on the ground, between the two, the self-proclaimed god appeared to be clumsy. How long could she stall before he plunked himself into the river? Infested? He probably viewed the Grief the same way Ishe viewed the boring bees that she’d had to smoke out of Fox Fire’s hull once.
Time to stir the nest. Ishe plunged her hands into the icy water and thought about the teeth made of stars that the Grief had shown her and Sparrow last night. Squeezing her hands into tight fists, she whispered an actual prayer to the god, Please let this work, as she reforged that terrible Coyote in her mind with sunlight. She turned that shining grin toward the river. His eyes blazed like twin suns as his snicker rolled through her head. My coyote comes for me, Ishe jeered into the water. He comes to finally burn you from the earth.
The response came in a mental screech. We will undo you! Waves of pain seared up her arms as the monsters’ boiling hate filled the river.
Ishe snatched her hands back from the water and had to check to see that her fingers were still there. Yaz’noth had circled back around. She pushed herself to her feet, her boots squishing water out between her toes. “If you see him open his mouth wider, put a glowing arrow in his eye,” Ishe told Drosa, who watched the dragon with a mix of awe and determination. Sparrow, meanwhile, seemed to have melded into the raft, his lanky frame flat against the planks. Yaz’noth came in a bit higher this time, his shadow darkening the entire width of the river, wingspan easily stretching well beyond its banks. “This is a useless game, girl,” he shouted down. His speed was still greater than the river’s, but he was not struggling nearly as much with this pass.
“I’m not going back into that cage, Yaz’noth! I won’t let you use me as a hostage anymore!” Ishe called up to him, and pulled Drosa’s knife from her belt. “So, you stay back!”
Yaz’noth’s great eyes narrowed, his neck stretched down as far as it could. But his glide wobbled and he had to pump his wings once to stabilize. “Heh. That won’t do anything to me.”
“You iron-shod numbskull!” Ishe shouted up at him. “It’s not for you! It’s for me!” Ishe turned the blade to point at her heart to demonstrate. It would be so easy. Maybe her spirit could continue this trek without her life.
It took a moment for the so-called god to process the threat; his entire body stilled and began to slowly dip from the sky. It took a half-beat of his wings to prevent them from clipping the trees. “Ishe…” he started, and stopped, as if his words were a gathering storm. “If you kill yourself, it will not save your sister. I will find her. I will find all the friends she is no doubt making in the Golden Hills, and I will kill every single one in front of her. And I will do it slowly.” The words were a slow hiss of anger and threat. They stared at each other. He would do it, too. All while delivering moralizing lectures that would drive her delicate sister mad.
Ishe lowered the knife as he began to circle back around. A tug on her leg directed her attention to Sparrow, who pointed upriver. In the distance, the water churned as if passing through a series of rapids. Rapids that were giving chase. Then the raft rounded a bend, covering the sight in a cloak of earth and bare trees. Yet this finally revealed the Maw itself, a mouth in the mountain, with the river flowing directly into a cave. The three stones that Drosa at pointed out no longer appeared to be guardians but the three eyes of a monster.
They were surrounded on all sides by monsters, in the mountain, in the river, and in the sky. It was only the matter of which one got to swallow them.
Chapter Seventeen
To find the All is a gift that only the world as a whole can grant. To be within in it is to know the flow of time and its consequences. That is its intoxicating power, but also its danger, for when you see the ripples of each footfall, you may forget the purpose of your journey.
Seek Fire, Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Low Rivers Tribe, Lorekeeper
“Very cleve
r, Ishe!” Yaz’noth said once he had gotten back into conversational range. Ishe could see a formation of the smaller dragons leaving the dragon’s lair, Spine in the front and the bulky form of Hammer behind him, along with two even smaller dragons. “But you’ve still lost. Even if I let you get to that cave, I’ll get you on the other side.”
“And then you’ll be spotted! Word will travel to all the cities of your existence, and they’ll squash you like the overgrown bug you are,” Ishe shouted up at him.
Smoke blew out of Yaz’noth’s nostrils in a snort. His snout moved, checking the distance Ishe had to the cave. It made Ishe look as well. Too far away. And she could see what the younger dragons were carrying now, a net stretched between Spine and Hammer. Additionally, she spotted several wakes of Grief streaking upriver. Did that mean that Hawk hadn’t been swept all the way to the cave? Where was she now? And how much longer till he spotted the mob of angry Grief swimming down the river? She had to get him to land right now.
“I will not tell you again,” the dragon growled. “Get off the river!” He opened his mouth wide; bright blue shone from deep in his throat and glinted off the steel teeth. A brilliant arrow of sunlight shot up toward him as the beam exploded from his gullet. The beam lanced into the closest wake and it erupted into a geyser of black steam. The glowing arrow flared into a tiny sun. The beam went wide as it faded, cutting into the dry, dead timber on the riverbank.
“RAAARGH!” Yaz’noth let loose a roar of pure frustration, shaking his head from side to side, but Ishe swore when his wings didn’t waver. “No more games! Paddle to the side right now.”
Plop went the oar into the river. Behind them, the field of white water rounded the bend.
“Oops,” Sparrow said, “I’m so scared I appear to have dropped our only paddle.” Then he gave a high, nervous giggle.
“Come and get us, you iron-headed coward. Or are you afraid of taking a bath?!” Ishe hollered.
That did it. Yaz’noth’s eyes lost all traces of that stone-like patience and turned red with the heat of his anger. Baring gleaming teeth, he dove ahead of the raft. Snapping one wing into his side, he executed a sharp spin to face Ishe and slammed his entire body into the river. A huge wave raced out from the impact, three times Ishe’s height.
“Do it, Drosa! Do it now!” Ishe shouted. Right before the wave lifted the bow of the raft, Drosa’s golden locks lost their shine, their color guttering out to black. The raft went vertical and Ishe’s world went icy wet.
Killkillkillkillkill. The Grief’s thoughts flushed out Ishe’s own with a cacophony of hate. She lost track of her own body as the sensation of water rushing over her skin overwhelmed everything. Only her burning lungs separated her mind from the swarm. She clung to pain, using it to find her own arms and legs to kick and claw her way against the water.
She broke the surface and felt the warmth of the sun instantly penetrate the icy feeling that clung to her cheeks. Opening her eyes, she found the source of the warmth. Yaz’noth stood in the river, his bulk forcing the water up onto the banks on either side of him. His head had been encapsulated in a shining canine skull that sported enough tatters of flesh to hint at the triangular ears. Glowing jagged lines lent a canine outline to the dragon’s massive body. Yaz’noth held out his talons in front of him, the river straining between his digits. His head cast around, the sunlight mask leaving streaks in Ishe’s vision, before locking that vicious grin on her.
Ishe heard that high snicker over the rush of water. Something struck her leg and water rushed in, trying to force itself down her throat. The hot rage of the Grief reclaimed her, trying to burrow into her mind. She pushed back instinctively before remembering her plan. Flexing her blackened fingers, she let them in, focusing on the illusion above. That is Coyote. The Destroyer has come. She pushed these thoughts into the shrieking babble of the Grief. Their attention sharpened, cutting into her mind like daggers. A scream ripped from her as she tumbled through the current, only letting in more water, fueling the burning pain in her lungs. Oh, fuck’s sake, Coyote, I’m going to drown. Help! Her mental ruse fell away as her heart seemed to stutter.
Her eyes breached the water’s surface, but she couldn’t get her mouth free of the water. Her arms wouldn’t obey. Then something hard ran into her, curled around her body, and lifted her free. Instinctively, she clung to it, arms wrapping around the warm smoothness of hide.
“Stupid human,” Yaz’noth grumbled from beneath the grinning Coyote mask.
Thank you thank you thank you. Ishe’s mouth opened and let out a jet of water before her body was wracked with coughing.
“Stupid, stubborn,” Yaz’noth grumbled again, like an angry mother as he lifted her free from the river with the care of a child capturing an insect.
A kernel of thoughts formed in Ishe’s mind, pushing through her panicked gratitude. She had to move. Had to get back in that river and away. Yet her clothes felt like cold lead draped around her body and Yaz’noth’s scales were warm. That was a surprise.
“Time to go home,” Yaz’noth said.
Home? Ishe saw the bright blue of Fox Fire’s destruction flash through her mind. She didn’t have a home. Didn’t have one because he had destroyed it. How dare he. How fucking dare he claim the cage he kept her in was HER HOME! Righteous rage ignited within the barren exhaustion that gripped her body. Had she any power left in her body, she would have roared her defiance, but instead, she spat on the black metal scales and let go. “I am”—a cough interrupted her—“still my mother’s daughter.”
“What?” was all Yaz’noth managed to say as Ishe rolled herself off his digits. The dragon, who could move fast enough to kill a man in the space of an eyeblink, proved less adept at catching things. His clumsy, thumb-less hands bobbled Ishe body twice before she splashed into the river.
The hate of the Grief welcomed her as the current swept her unresisting body down river. This time, there were no daggers driving into her mind, the babbling swarm focused on one thing and one thing only: the shine of Coyote’s light. They had slowed as they rounded the bend in the river, hugging the sandy bottom, and now that Coyote had turned, showing his wagging tail, they sped like a pack of wolves charging a buffalo. Memories of melting flesh ran between their minds like the waterways in which they hunted. Many had realized that this was not the Coyote they so hated, just a thing that wore a mask of hard sunlight, but did not care. The thing was alive and they were not. The Coyote Lover was drowning and would join the swarm in time.
The Coyote impostor finally stopped pawing at the water, and his shining head turned toward the swarm. Too late; he was theirs. With a scream, the leaders of the swarm leapt from the waters and into the hated sunlight, spreading their flesh wide to expose their many dead teeth. A scythe of energy slashed through their ranks, but it did not matter.
Something ripped Ishe from the swarm’s mind. “GOT YOU!” Then pain gripped her chest as strong arms pulled her up onto the bank.
“Eyah” was followed by words Ishe did not know. The warmth of concentrated sunlight penetrated the icy fog that surrounded the swirling maelstrom of her mind. Ishe opened her eyes to find Drosa smiling down on her, wild mane of black hair partially covering her gleaming eyes. Her wide grin revealed odd white teeth, no canines but extra incisors. “You pretty laying on the ground too. Look better when less black and blue, I sure.” Drosa said.
“Thanks?” Ishe blinked up at her. “I like your smile.”
A cough turned Ishe’s head and she saw Hawk’s thick calf just a foot away. She stood with her hands on Sparrow’s shoulders, their gazes locked on Yaz’noth as he struggled with the Grief. Hawk must have pulled him from the river.
“Get them off, you idiots!” the dragon roared. He flailed in the center of the river, his body coated in wriggling blackness that shone in the midafternoon sunlight. He slapped at Grief like ants but they were too many. When one of the globs fell lifeless into the river, two more took its place. His great wings worked, bu
t the mass of Grief held on to his hind legs, acting as a snare and pulling him back to the river. Hammer and Spine dived at them, spouting gouts of fire, burning strips of Grief off his back.
Ishe coughed up another mouthful of water. “What are we waiting for?” she croaked, pushing herself up onto her knees. She looked downriver to the Maw; water roared as it entered the cavern. Groaning, Ishe grabbed hold of a barren tree and hauled herself up into a standing position. Her legs shook, threatening to buckle as a coughing fit seized her. The banks of the river showed no sign of the raft. However, the river formed an eddy a little distance up, sticks breaking its surface. Maybe they could fish those out and float the rest of the way. She staggered a few steps, to the next tree, but had to stop. Those haggard gasps she heard were rumbled from her chest as if those few steps had been a mile.
Swinging her head back, she found that nobody had moved. They were all staring at her. Hawk stood a few feet up the bank, spear clutched at her side, Sparrow coughing into the crook of his elbow as he leaned against her. “He’ll catch us on the other side of the mountains. Get moving!” Ishe snapped. Her legs gave out, but she remained upright by clinging tightly to the tree beside her. Drosa and Sparrow shook themselves out of some sort of reverie and stepped forward. Hawk’s grim line of a mouth deepened into a frown and did not budge.
Ishe forced a grin onto her face. “Hawk, come on. That won’t hold him forever.” Something slipped up from the back of her throat, and she spat a dark glob into the dead dirt.
“I was wrong about you, Ishe. While you are your mother’s daughter, you are a different creature entirely, Ishe of Madria.” Hawk gave a small nod, although Ishe couldn’t figure out from the monotone note if the woman was pleased about this revelation or not.
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