by F. P. Spirit
Martan let out a huge sigh as the truth struck him. He had observed Ruka change into a bronze dragon. So, it would only make sense that her sister was one, too. The archer gulped and tentatively called out to the dragon. “Ves? Is that really you?”
The dragon turned its head so that one huge emerald eye fell on him. When it spoke, its voice sounded heavy with sadness. “Yes, dear Martan. This is my true form.”
Ves paused for a moment, still eyeing him as the green treetops passed close beneath. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to deceive you, but I was honor-bound not to tell anyone.”
Martan’s stomach churned with mixed emotions. He was still very fond of Ves, and this dragon that saved him sounded just like her. Yet, she was a dragon, after all.
The dour archer lifted his head and peered out in front of them. A short distance ahead, the treeline abruptly ended, giving way to a huge expanse of grass that stretched off far to the eastern horizon. The sun hung low in the distance, just beginning its daily journey across the sky.
“C–can we land please?” Martan asked, his voice cracking just a bit.
The young lady dragon responded in a surprisingly understanding tone, “Of course. Hang on!”
Martan grasped on even tighter as they veered downward to meet the approaching forest edge.
Elladan and Donnie had grasped onto Ruka’s tail just as she went airborne, the bard a few feet behind his agile friend. With a flick of her wings, the trio shot across the deck of the Wind Hammer. Yet before they could clear the rail, a ball of flame exploded directly in their path. They were so close when it went off, that Elladan involuntarily flinched. Unfortunately, it had been at the same moment the dragon swerved sideways.
Elladan’s eyes snapped open to find them past the fire and out into the open air. Sadly, the sudden movement that had saved them from burning also caused him to lose his grip. Ruka’s tail slipped away from the bard, leaving him falling unchecked about two miles above the earth.
Yet, Elladan was not alone. Donnie had lost his grip as well, the wiry elf falling through the air just a few feet below him. Elladan cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, “I think she forgot us!”
Donnie spun his head around, a thin smirk spreading across his face. “Guess we both fell for the wrong woman!”
Elladan half laughed and half groaned. Leave it to Donnie to find humor in a situation like this.
Below them, the bronzed form of Ruka swiftly pulled away, the dragon teen unaware that she had lost her two stowaways. Still, they weren’t completely out of luck.
“Don’t worry, my friend. I can cast feather fall on us!” Elladan cried.
Feather fall was a basic spell that nearly every bard learned. While not as handy as flying, it allowed you to jump from any height and float harmlessly down to the ground like a feather.
Elladan began to weave the spell, but Donnie interrupted him. “No! That’s too slow! We need to catch up with Ruka and Ves!”
Elladan knit his brows together. “Are you crazy?”
Donnie shook his head. “Just cast it before we hit the ground!”
Elladan let out a long sigh. “Okay… it’s your funeral!”
Donnie cast a grin at Elladan, then pulled his arms into his sides, at the same time angling his body downward to speed his descent. Elladan shrugged and pulled out his lute, a half-smile crossing his face as he fell through the air strumming a lively tune.
Lloyd dove through the air as fast as he could, but he was no match for the speed of a dragon. Thankfully, Ves was quick enough to catch up with Martan. The young warrior watched with relief as the archer caught hold of the bronze dragon’s neck, and then sped off together toward the edge of the forest.
At that point, Lloyd halted his rapid descent, his thoughts turning to his other companions. As the young warrior spun about, a bronze blur whooshed past him with the cry, “Go back for the others!”
That had been Ruka. Lloyd peered past the dragon teen, and saw two familiar forms careening down toward him. Donnie and Elladan!
Lloyd adjusted his ascent toward the pair, while sweeping his gaze across the sky in search of the others. Far above, raging flames crackled and danced along the hull of Anya’s airship. Halfway between Lloyd and the vessel, another group of figures hung in the air. From this distance, he could just make out Alana, Glo, and Cyclone. Aksel and Elistra were nowhere to be seen. Could they still be aboard ship?
With Donnie and Elladan nearly upon him, Lloyd had no time to dwell on the matter. Shifting his focus back to the pair, he called out, “Don’t worry! I’ve got you!”
“We’re fine! Elladan’s got feather fall!” Donnie cried in response.
“Worry about the others!” Elladan yelled, pointing upward.
Lloyd followed the bard’s arm. A group of dark, winged figures had launched off the airship, and were speeding down in their direction. Anya’s let loose her dragons!
Glo, Alana, and Cyclone sat directly in the dragons’ path. With a quick “Good luck” to Donnie and Elladan, Lloyd shot past the duo toward Glo and the others. The young warrior flew as fast as he could, but the dragons were far faster. He had barely closed half the distance when the creatures reached his friends.
Miraculously, the dragons buzzed right by them, leaving his companions completely untouched. It suddenly dawned on Lloyd what the dragons were after. Ruka and Ves!
A deep unabiding anger welled up inside the young warrior. Lloyd drew his black blade, engulfing it with flames as he sped upward to meet the dragons. Abruptly, four of the creatures veered off, leaving a single large black dragon to face him. The creature roared in challenge as it closed with Lloyd, the large maw baring its razor-sharp teeth.
Yet a white-hot anger now burned in Lloyd’s belly. He took that rage and used it to fuel his inner spirit. As the black dragon came within striking distance, Lloyd unleashed all that energy at once. It coursed through him like a raging river, rocketing him forward through the sky as fast as any dragon.
The black beast snapped at him with its huge maw, but Lloyd shot past its mouth and spiraled beneath it, driving his dark blade into the creature’s neck. Between the sword’s keen edge, the dragon’s speed, and his own great momentum, the blade sliced straight down the creature’s underside and through its chest, all the way to its abdomen.
A trail of dark blood gushed from the enormous wound, the dragon barely coughing once before its body went limp. The large black creature fell from the sky toward the ground still far below.
Wild cheers erupted from above. Lloyd cast a quick glance in that direction and saw Glo, Alana, and Cyclone fast approaching. Yet Lloyd paid them little heed. Still seething, the young warrior swept his gaze downward. The other four dragons had reached the treetops. Lloyd took off after them, but there was no way he could reach them in time.
A few hundred feet above the ground, Donnie’s fall came to a sudden halt. The thin elf floated the rest of the way down, taking off at a dead run the moment his feet touched the forest floor. He twisted and dodged his way through the lush green wood, finally bursting out into the open at the end of his mad dash.
A wide expanse of grassland lay before him, stretching all the way to the horizon. The morning sun hung low over the earth, the bright orb burning a brilliant orange at this early hour.
A huge bronze dragon lay unmoving on the grass a short distance away, its deep rumbling voice laced with sorrow. “Martan… please don’t be mad at me.”
Donnie followed the dragon’s gaze to a small figure seated near the edge of the forest. Martan sat on his knees, his chin in his hands, staring wild-eyed at the sulking bronze.
A second large bronze dragon stood nearby, its gaze firmly focused on the first. “Ves, snap out of it!”
Donnie let out a deep sigh. If dragons experienced emotions like humans
and elves, he was certain that Ves’ heart was broken. There was little he could do for the young dragon lady in that respect, but he did have an idea about how to break her free from Anya’s control.
The slight elf stole over to the smaller bronze dragon and spoke in hushed tone. “Hey Ruka, what’s going on?”
Ruka swiveled her head around, an emerald eye focusing on Donnie. Her deep voice was soft as she replied, “I can’t get her to listen to me.”
Donnie pointed toward the huge dragon’s neck. The black collar Anya had placed on her still clung snugly to it. The piece of metal had magically resized itself to her change of form. “See how that collar is still on her? I think that’s what Anya’s using to control her.”
Ruka swiveled her head around, and peered at the black collar. She then turned an eye back toward Donnie. “What’s the plan?”
Donnie doffed his backpack and rummaged through it while he spoke. “While she’s distracted with Martan, we break it off her.”
Ruka eyed him skeptically as he continued to search through his pack. “I assume we’re not just going to rip it off?”
Donnie let out a short sigh. “If it were only that simple—ah, here they are!”
The wiry elf pulled a pair of red leather gloves laced with black striations out of his pack. Ruka’s gaze shifted to the gaudy-looking gloves.
“Where did you get those?”
Donnie pulled a glove on, and spun it in front of his face. “These? We liberated these from one of Larketh’s chests.”
Ruka let out a derisive snort, a rather impressive sound from a dragon. “So, aside from being a questionable fashion statement, what do they do?”
Donnie grinned as he pulled on the second glove. “According to Glo, these little babies carry the neat ability to disrupt spells. I figure that collar on your sister’s neck has to be enchanted. If I can break the spell, then you should be able to get it off her.”
Donnie had never seen a dragon smirk before, but this was Ruka, after all. The dragon girl reached out behind him with a clawed arm and pushed the slim elf forward. “Well, don’t just stand there. Get going already.”
Donnie threw his hands up in front of him as she shoved him forward. “I’m going, I’m going.”
Donnie gingerly strode up to Ves. The huge bronze dragon still lay with her head on the ground, brooding over Martan’s apparent rejection of her. Martan still sat at the edge of the forest, but Elladan now stood beside him. The bard’s hand lay on Martan’s shoulder as he spoke softly with the distraught archer.
The slim elf remained silent, hoping Ves would not notice him till it was too late. He stole up to the black collar and placed a gloved hand on it. Nothing happened. Donnie tentatively reached out and put his other hand on the collar as well. A red aura almost immediately appeared around the black metal, then just as swiftly faded.
Donnie carefully backed away from Ves, and called to Ruka in a semi-hushed voice. “Okay, do your thing.”
Donnie watched with fascination as Ruka opened her maw wide. A bright spark ignited in the dragon-girl’s throat, and a moment later, a fierce bolt of lightning leapt from her mouth. The bolt shot past Donnie across the grassy plain, hitting the collar around Ves’ neck dead-on. The black metal sizzled and sparked, then split in half, falling off to the grass below.
Ves suddenly raised her head, spinning her long neck toward Donnie and Ruka. “What do you think you’re…”
Ves halted in mid-sentence and shook her large head. “Wait. What am I doing here? Last thing I remember is… being on that woman’s ship… and that crystal… that horrible blue crystal.”
Ves’ deep voice trembled, her entire body visibly shuddering. Ruka ambled over to her sister and nuzzled her head against her neck.
“It’s okay now, sis. We removed that nasty collar they were using to control you.”
“And the crystal is back on Anya’s ship, which is far away by now,” Donnie added in a reassuring tone. In truth, he had lost track of Anya’s ship. He lifted his head, scanning the sky for the Princess’ vessel, his eyes going wide as they swept over the forest.
“Unfortunately, her dragons aren’t!” Donnie swiftly added, urgently pointing toward the woods.
All eyes turned to see four large winged figures skimming over the treetops directly for them. The dragons were still some distance away, but closing fast.
Ves lifted herself up off the ground and spread her large wings. “It’s me they’re after. Go hide in the forest while I lead them off.”
Ruka backed away and unfurled her wings as well. “You’re not going alone. I’m coming with you!”
Ves swiveled her head toward her sister. She knew better than to argue with Ruka once the teen had made up her mind. She responded with a simple, “Okay.”
Ves then shifted her gaze back toward Martan. Donnie could have sworn he saw a hint of moisture in her large green eyes. “Once again, I am sorry, Martan. I never meant to hurt you. I really do like you. Please stay safe.”
Her gaze lingered on him a moment longer, then the great bronze dragon rose off the ground with a few fast beats of her huge wings, her sister following suit. Donnie backed away to join Elladan and Martan, the wind buffeting the three of them as the pair of bronze dragons stirred up the air around the area.
“Take care, Donnie!” Ruka cried down at him. “You know how to reach me if you need me!”
Both dragons then spun around and with a great flap shot across the grasslands toward the rising sun, swiftly picking up speed. Elladan, Martan, and Donnie backed into the woods just in time, as four more dragons strafed overhead, right on the heels of the other two.
The trio watched in awe as all six dragons swiftly disappeared into the distance. It was Martan who finally broke the silence, his voice cracking with emotion. “Think… they’ll be… alright?”
Elladan clasped the archer on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “They’re bronzes, and they’re headed for the sea. Once they get to open water, the others will never catch them.”
Return to the Bendenwoods
Make all yerselves scarce ‘n get to where ya can talk to some druids!
Glo, Lloyd, Alana, and Cyclone all touched down at the same time near the forest edge, not far from where Donnie, Elladan and Martan huddled in the woods. The trio slowly came out from between the trees to greet them.
“Is everyone alright?” Lloyd called out to them.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Donnie answered with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
“I just hope Ves is okay,” Martan added, his expression even more sullen than usual.
Glo peered closely at the archer. He did look a bit pale. Still, that was not his primary concern right now. “Have either of you seen Elistra or Aksel?”
“Up here!” Aksel’s voice drifted down from above.
Glo tilted his head back, but saw no sign of the little cleric. “Where?”
“I’m invisible—and I finally found a use for that ring Seth gave me back in the Ruins!”
A thin smile spread across Glo’s lips. He remembered that ring. It was a plain silver band with a small blue gemstone.
“What ring is that?” Elladan asked.
Glo shrugged his shoulders as he continued to scan the skies for the missing seeress. “A ring of feather falling.”
“And Seth gave that up?” Donnie asked incredulously.
“He didn’t know what it was at the time,” Glo answered absently.
“He was supposed to be scouting out the Ruins, but came back with a bag full of treasure,” Lloyd explained further. “Aksel was kind of annoyed, so Seth gave him the ring as a peace offering. Let’s just say, Seth was not happy when he found out what it actually was.”
Elladan and Donnie burst into laughter at the thought of the halfli
ng outsmarting himself. Yet, amusing as the tale was, Glo was now far too worried to enjoy it. He called out to Aksel once more.
“Have you seen any sign of Elistra?”
This time, Aksel’s voice came from the ground nearby. “Just landed… and no, I haven’t since we left the ship… but she did give me a note to hand over to you.”
Aksel abruptly reappeared a few yards from where they were standing. Glo rushed over to his gnome friend, anxiously wringing his hands together. “May I see it?”
Aksel reached inside his robe, and pulled out a small piece of folded parchment. Glo gingerly took the paper from him, swiftly unfolding it. There was a short message written on it, in Elistra’s handwriting.
My Dearest Glolindir,
I am so sorry that it has come to this, but I must leave you. Please know that this is not my first choice. Were I to stay, I would be placing you all in grave danger. Do not worry. By the time you read this, I will be safely away. Thanks to the distraction I foresee you providing, Anya will never catch me.
I know this is hard, but please do not try to find me. Trust me, it is better this way. Just know that for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt what it was like to be loved.
You will always have a place in my heart,
Elistra
Glo read the letter again and again, his hand shaking as he read it over. Numbness spread through his entire being as he looked up from that letter, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. It felt as if the whole world had come crashing down around him.
A gentle hand grasped his shoulder. Glo spun around to see Elladan gazing at him, the bard’s eyes filled with compassion. Elladan stepped back as the others gathered around, all of them mirroring the bard’s expression except for Cyclone—yet even the stoic hunter had gone quiet.
Alana slowly strode up to him and took him by the arm. When she spoke, her voice was very soft. “She’s not coming with us, is she?”