by Linda McNabb
‘They’re heavier than they look,’ Rem said, looking to be sizing up the egg again and placing her arms underneath like a cradle. She lifted again but still could not budge the egg.
‘Perhaps that’s why they’ve always hatched down here,’ Darius said, hovering near the eggs and looking at the proceedings with great interest. ‘These look to be the two biggest eggs in the entire nest. Let’s hope they’ll fit out the door when they’ve hatched.’
Darius appeared to be listening to the wizards of the staffs and Eagan waited patiently for a report on what was being said. He glanced up at the door at the top of the steps and back at the eggs. The dragons might destroy the tower trying to get out!
‘Neras suggests the bond isn’t quite complete and we should pair them with the dragon’s chosen stone,’ Darius said.
Eagan saw that Seth was already looking into the depths of the shadows towards a row of swords and for a moment Eagan was a little jealous of the boy. Seth could hear all the wizards and had been chosen by the largest dragon to have ever hatched. It was more than Eagan had ever aspired to and the boy seemed unaware of how lucky he was.
‘Yes, that might help,’ Eagan agreed, and led the way into the shadows, holding his lamp up to let the light spill into the dark recesses. Usually the stone, and the sword it was set into, wasn’t taken up until after the dragon hatched, but everything seemed different this time.
Hanging on the back wall were several dozen silver swords with ornate leather sheaths. Set into the hilt of each sword was a stone similar to the one at the top of Eagan’s staff. The stones varied in colour and size, just like the swords. Some swords were short and wide, while others were long and narrow. Each had a unique design around the stone which looked a little like a face if you stared at it long enough.
‘Do we pick one?’ Seth asked, looking keen to touch them. He leaned in close as he moved along the line of swords. ‘There’s nobody in these stones.’
‘The dragon can use it to communicate with its bonded human over great distances,’ Eagan said, nodding in agreement. ‘It has already picked a stone.’
‘Which one?’ Rem asked, gravitating towards the bigger swords.
‘It will glow, just like the egg, when you touch it,’ Eagan told them. He watched as Rem walked down the line of swords, touching each one lightly. She appeared disappointed when none of the larger swords responded to her touch and she moved onto the next size down. Seth, however, did not go near any of them. He walked up and down, just looking at the swords.
Finally, he walked up to a longer sword that shone as if it had just been polished and placed one hand on the hilt. The green stone glowed brightly and Seth hooked the sword down then took the sheath to match it.
Rem paused to watch him strap the sheath on his back and slip the sword snugly into it. Only the top of the handle showed over his right shoulder.
As if learning from Seth’s example, Rem stopped her random method of picking and studied the remaining swords. With a small sigh she walked up to one of the smaller, but broader, swords and lifted it off the wall. The purple stone glowed in response and she glanced one last time at the bigger ones then shrugged and studied hers.
‘It’s not very heavy,’ she said hefting it in one hand and seeming disappointed by the weight.
‘To anyone else it would be,’ Eagan assured her. ‘Try lifting one of the others.’
Seth stepped forward to test the wizard’s theory and sure enough he couldn’t lift a sword that was smaller than Rem’s.
Rem had already slipped on the strap of the sheath and was about to slide her sword into place. Eagan couldn’t help but notice how different she looked to the day he had found her. Gone was the delicate, crying daughter of a rich man. Now she was barely recognisable with her hair pulled back so severely and wearing the clothes of a fighting guard. The final act of holding a broadsword wiped the last traces of her previous self away. Whoever she had been before no longer mattered as even if they found her parents now there was no way she could return to them.
‘Let’s try those eggs again?’ Eagan said, ushering them back around the huge golden nest.
This time Seth managed to lift it a short way then set it down again and shook his hands as if to bring feeling back to them. Rem fared no better.
‘I guess it might take a few days for the bond to settle,’ Eagan said with a forced smile as he led them up the steps. He was trying to remember just how long it was before the dragons would begin to hatch. He wandered off to think and left the two youngsters to return to their birds.
**
Rem sat in the cool shadow of a tree and watched the birds flying circuits around the town and returning to land on the fence. Seth had gone to find some food and Rem wondered how long he would be as she was starving. Several guards walked over and stopped to look at the birds.
‘Why does she get a bird and a dragon?’ one of the young men complained, reaching out to grab at Cree where he sat on the fence. ‘If she’s got a dragon she doesn’t need this.’
Rem glared at him as Cree flew off to a safe distance and landed on the fence again.
‘I didn’t ask to be chosen by the dragon,’ she pointed out.
‘And look at the fancy sword they gave her as well,’ his companion said in a bitter tone.
‘She’s barely been here two seasons and she’s taken what should have been ours,’ the first one said, stepping forward menacingly. ‘I say we take it back.’
‘Really?’ Rem said calmly and she let one eyebrow rise in amusement. It was well known in the town that she was just as handy with a sword as she was with the bow. Even at two against one she still had good odds and she was surprised they didn’t know it.
‘Is there a problem?’ a voice asked as she stared at the two soldiers. Rem didn’t have to turn to know it was Seth.
‘Not really,’ Rem replied lightly. ‘These boys just wanted to see my sword.’
‘There’s no need to bring your pet night-shadow into this,’ the first boy said and smirked in Seth’s direction. Dari landed on the leather cover on Seth’s left arm and the bird flapped its wings in agitation.
Rem knew Seth was getting angry and she smiled as she stepped between him and the taunting guards.
‘I tell you what, you can take the bird if you can catch it,’ she said sweetly. She knew Cree would not let them near enough.
‘Who are you anyway?’ one of them asked, stepping closer and staring at her as if she was an unknown species of animal. ‘You don’t dress like a girl and you’re not really a guard. We’ve never had a female guard and we never will. You don’t even know where you came from. You’re nobody. You’re nothing!’
Rem just stared, unable to form a reply. She’d been teased a few times before but it was always good-natured and fun. This time though it hurt and mostly because he was right. She didn’t really have a place in this land and now she would add the unusual honour of dragon keeper. She would never fit in.
‘Leave her alone,’ Seth said quietly but there was a menacing undertone to his voice. He stepped forward and pushed the guard away. Dari immediately lifted off and went to fly away.
‘Here’s a bird I can take!’ the guard said, leaping up and grabbing Dari by the leg. The huge bird struggled to get free but the boy pulled him down and wrapped his arms tight around its body.
‘Let him go!’ Rem shouted, forgetting all about the insults of just a few seconds ago. She glanced at Seth and saw the rage building within him.
‘Your pet night-shadow is just as weird as you,’ the guard said nastily.
‘Seth, we should go,’ Rem said, feeling her heart pounding frantically in her chest. She could tell the guard wasn’t going to let the bird go. She grabbed hold of Seth’s arm and tried to pull him away but he was bigger, taller and stronger.
‘Let my bird go!’ Seth said, rushing at the guard and dragging Rem along with him.
‘No, Seth,’ Rem said, trying to pull him back and sliding al
ong the cobbles after him. Then she turned to the guards with a terrified expression. ‘Run! Run!’
The guards frowned for a second then obviously realised that she was serious.
‘Here, have your dumb bird,’ the guard said, throwing the bird directly at Seth. Then the two guards ran off down the street as fast as they could. Seth moved back suddenly and it threw Rem off balance. She went sprawling to the ground, banged her head on the hard cobbles and had the breath knocked from her lungs.
A few seconds later Rem sat up and took several deep breaths to bring the world back into focus. Seth was kneeling on the ground several paces away and he was motionless.
‘Are you okay, Seth?’ she asked, but he did not move or reply. His head hung low and he was looking at something on the ground. Rem shook her head to test her balance then stood up and hurried over to see what was wrong.
‘Oh!’ she said as she stopped next to Seth. Dari lay in front of him on the cobbles, limp and lifeless. She saw Seth’s shoulders jerk slightly and realised that he was crying.
‘I never meant to hurt him,’ Seth said, touching one hand to the bird’s head and stroking it.
Rem put one arm around him but said nothing. She had no idea what she could say that would help right now. Seth picked up the bird and turned away, shaking Rem’s arm free. He walked off without looking back and Rem watched him head out the town gates. She did not try to follow as she had come to know Seth well over the last six months and she knew he would want to be alone. She looked down the street to where the two guards were watching and she knew it wouldn’t be long before word spread through the entire town. With a deep breath she headed for the tower. She’d rather be the one to tell Eagan than let him hear gossip that didn’t tell the whole story.
**
Seth brushed the tear stains from his cheeks as he slipped back into the walled town of High Gate unnoticed. His skill at blending into the background still came in handy now and then. He looked around at the mostly deserted streets and knew there was nothing left for him here. Nobody would miss him, except maybe Rem, but he knew it wasn’t fair to take Rem with him. He knew that she would come with him if he asked her but she finally had a home and people who cared about her and he couldn’t take that from her. He gulped back a fresh tear. It meant he wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to her.
The noise of horses being hitched to wagons drew his attention and he pushed away any sentimental feelings. He had one chance to get away quickly without being noticed and this was it. There were only a couple of wagons left in town and it looked like they were almost ready to leave. By morning nobody would be able to go anywhere for three weeks while the mists lay heavy on the marshes.
He headed for the first wagon, intending to slip in the back, and paused as he passed the tower. There was at least one goodbye he could make. He knew they would never have let him keep the dragon anyway. It had been foolish to think that he would have been allowed to raise a dragon. It was better to leave now and let someone else take over.
He slipped quietly through the door and down the steps in semi-darkness. The guard just along from the door didn’t even see him. The two eggs glowed gently, giving off just enough light to see by.
‘It’s that boy again!’ a voice said from the shadows.
Seth didn’t need to look to know it was one of the wizards. He was becoming used to the different sound a disembodied voice made. It sounded a little thin and watery and echoed in an odd way. He ignored the speaker and walked towards the eggs. The one that held the dragon he had bonded with glowed brighter as if in greeting.
‘Is he supposed to be down here on his own?’ another voice asked.
‘My staff is closest to the door. I can get almost to the top of the steps and call for Darius if you want,’ a woman’s voice offered.
Seth glanced around at the shadows and saw colourless figures grouped together and staring at him with disapproving glares. Only one wizard was ignoring him. The youngest one, barely even a youth, sat beneath his broken staff with his knees drawn up and his head resting on them.
‘I’m not here to hurt the dragon,’ Seth said with a sigh as he turned his back on the cluster of wizards. ‘I’m not staying long. I just came to say goodbye.’
The wizards muttered among themselves, but kept watching. Seth shrugged and looked at the egg. He placed one hand on it and was surprised at how warm it was. He didn’t need to say his goodbye out loud. He sensed that the dragon would know what he was thinking and he silently wished it well. He rested his hand there for several seconds then turned to leave. He couldn’t risk missing the last wagons. As he walked off he saw the room grow brighter and he felt the warmth from the egg on his back. The wizard beneath the broken staff looked up and he pointed at the egg.
‘I think it wants you to stay,’ he said with a flat voice. ‘I’d leave too if I could. I wish I’d never met the wizard who used to be in this staff.’
Seth kept his back to the egg and stared at the boy. ‘How long have you been down here in the staff?’
‘I was only an apprentice for a day,’ the boy said with a sigh. ‘I barely learned any magic. It was in the middle of one of the attacks and I used up all my magic allowance before the sun had set. That was over three hundred years ago.’
‘Neras, don’t talk to the boy. He’s leaving… let him go!’ a voice ordered sharply.
Seth glanced around the room. The other wizards were much older and seemed grumpy. He figured it wasn’t much fun being stuck in a dark room with these wizards for eternity. The egg grew even brighter as he took another step towards the exit and he had an intense urge to turn back. He frowned and looked back at the egg. It was so bright that it had chased away almost all the shadows. He could no longer see the disapproving wizards as he walked back to the egg. His heart grew lighter and he smiled as he reached the egg. He couldn’t leave. The dragon needed him.
Was he mad? He couldn’t stay! He shook his head to dispel the feeling of wanting to stay. Before he had even begun to walk away the feeling washed over him again. He looked at the egg with a frown and felt the waves of emotion emanating from it. It was the dragon trying to force him to stay.
‘I’m not staying,’ Seth said firmly and shook his head. ‘They won’t let me come near you again after killing Dari this afternoon.’
‘He killed Darius!’ a voice cried out in dismay.
‘Don’t be silly. You can’t kill a wizard,’ another said in a condescending tone.
‘So who did the boy kill this time?’
Seth scowled in the direction of the voices and took a deep breath. Now was not the right time to lose his temper. He felt stronger waves of emotion coming off the egg. He couldn’t leave the egg but he couldn’t stay either. There was only one solution.
He stepped forward and put his arms around the egg and lifted. He expected the egg to be heavy but it was so light that he almost overbalanced. He tucked it under one arm with ease and turned to leave. The glow of the egg simmered down to a gentle glow that sent a small pool of light around his feet. The dragon was happy.
‘Goodbye, Seth. Good luck,’ Neras said, standing up in the shadows and offering a watery smile. The boy was dressed in pale beige tunic and trousers that were ripped in places and burnt in others. His last few moments alive must have been something horrific indeed.
Seth paused by the young wizard. He could think of nothing worse than staying here in the darkness. Without even thinking about it he reached over and picked up the broken staff.
‘Do you want to come with me?’ he asked.
Neras’ eyes went wide and he gulped visibly before nodding his head so furiously Seth wondered if it would make the wizard dizzy.
‘Come on then. I can’t leave you here in the darkness forever,’ he said, tucking the staff in beside his sword and heading for the steps. ‘We’ve got a wagon to catch.’
Chapter Eight - Hatch!
It was coming on for dusk as Eagan paced the floor and loo
ked out the window every few minutes. He scanned the courtyard and down the streets but there was no sign of Seth.
‘He probably went out to bury Dari,’ Rem said. ‘He’ll be back.’
‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ Darius said, floating out the window and hovering in mid-air.
Eagan just stared at his friend. He’d often wondered how the wizard sometimes seemed unaffected by his surroundings, but at other times could interact with real-life objects. No doubt he’d soon find out if things went bad and it looked like they would for sure now.
‘Yes, I know,’ Eagan said softly so that Rem wouldn’t hear. He knew that Seth could not be allowed near the eggs again, not even if they managed to move the two that were about to hatch. He would have to find someone new to bond with the dragon. It had never been done before and it would have to be someone very strong-willed to overcome the fact that the dragon had not picked them. Someone who could demand respect and be able to control the beast. But who would be able to do that?
He shook the thought from his head for now. First he had to find Seth and break the news to him.
By morning there was still no sign of Seth. Guards had searched every possible hiding place in the town of High Gate and Eagan was worried.
‘Seth should be back by now,’ Rem said, opening the door and peering down the street for the hundredth time since daybreak.
‘Maybe he went back to the marshes to forget what he is?’ Darius suggested with a shrug.
Eagan frowned as the thought had occurred to him as well. Perhaps he had just left with one of the merchants late last night. The final wagons would have made it through the marshes just before the mists descended.
‘He might have gone to Rega,’ Eagan said hopefully. It would be a perfect solution really. If Seth wasn’t here the dragon would have to accept someone else as a bond. Nobody in Rega would know Seth and he would have a chance to start over.