Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians

by Unknown

  Right hand reaching up blindly, she felt through the air and against his slick hard scales until she found what felt like bone. His wings. The grip of her fingers wasn’t as tight as it could be, but she held as he lifted her up.

  Without speaking further, Reign helped her find a secure hold to his neck. Half carrying her, he made his way to a safer place.

  Setting her down carefully, he pulled back enough to look at her. They’d come to a small enclave upon the side of the mountain. Raising his large hands, each talon the size of one of her fingers, he lift one claw up under her chin. “When’s the last time you slept?” he asked in a mild tone.

  Her shoulders began to shake though she was silent for the first few seconds. Slow and soft he could hear her laughter as she began to giggle almost hysterically. “I cannot find peace to sleep inside their village. The last I slept was as Sita and I rode through a field of Brisheer, and the Drow burned in my slumber.” Laughter erupted from her lips.

  The claw holding gently under her chin slid away, his long arm wrapped around her back and held her close; wings wrapping around her like a cage. She laughed harder, though there was nothing funny. It took a moment for her to calm down and catch her breath so that she could continue. It’s why she’d come. “The village was burned. We lost two homes, the smithery, the great tree… and… and more lives than we should’ve. Six are dead, including Lena.”

  Reign gave no condolences as he listened. It was a burden she’d have to endure until the end of her time. “I’ve come to ask your favor, Reign.”

  “You have my favor, Aryaunna.” He looked doubtful as he looked down upon her, wings still incasing her body. His tone implied more than he’d said. It was his duty to aid her in any way he was able, as she was well aware.

  “You once told me that Dragon kind don’t sleep?” she asked hesitantly, still trying to form the idea in her mind of what she would do, and how she would obtain what she needed.

  “There was a time we slept, but that was millennia ago. As we discovered that we were most vulnerable when we slept, we found ways to protect ourselves.” He kept his answer vague, though she already knew that Reign never slept.

  “You found a way to not sleep. I need that now, Reign.” Looking up at the massive head that loomed above her, she sought his eyes with her desperate gaze. For the first time since knowing one another, he looked upon her with pity. Her body was soaked and stained in the blood of men. Judging by the splatter and the look in her eyes, she’d spilt each drop herself.

  “I cannot give you that, Aryaunna. I will not give you that. Even if I could, the price of which is more painful than you need bear. It cannot be undone.”

  She stood up, incased in his wings that erased the physical space between them. Perhaps there truly was no other human who’d be so willing. Especially to glare at one in anger. Or more or less pain, for Aryaunna; for pain was her anger. “I can and will bear anything I must, without hesitation. This is what I must do to protect these people. If the Guardians call for me as their Emissary then it is their binding promise to deliver upon me every weapon I shalt need.”

  Suddenly his incredible, bone-lace wings stretched out wider than his body was long. “I cannot do it without my wings! I must fly to bestow it unto you!” Reign’s voice cried out in angst.

  “Then I shall give them back to you,” she whispered, so desperate was she that it angered her. Standing directly against him, his head arched down to look at her from his long serpentine neck. He couldn’t well see that she’d pulled one of her magnificent black knives from her belt with her left hand.

  “Ary?” he asked as he felt more than heard her moving.

  Without hesitating, Aryaunna held the knife tight in her right fist, and dove it through her left palm. She gasped sharply as the tip shot out through the other side of her hand. For strength, she leaned her forehead against his scaled expansion of chest.

  In a tongue not spoken in centuries, Aryaunna spoke in a hush. She knew the language of the Guardians for it was heard in her dreams every time she’d slept since declaring herself. “As Emissary of the Guardians’ Keep, I call for arms. The arms of my choosing are the wings of another.

  Wings closed in around her, as if hugging her to him. His eyes clinched shut as he bowed his head over her to completely incase her. Aryaunna’s fingers began to shake from the pain. It took concentration to wrap her fingers tighter around the hilt and pull it out. Her movements were swift; so the pain burned brighter, but eased faster.

  With a gust of breath she spread her hand out wide and braced her bleeding palm over the Dragon’s heart. Her words carried on in a mere whispered breath, but even a whisper, such as this one, was a powerful thing.

  A white crust seemed to spread out from Reign’s back as Aryaunna continued on, lost in the cast. The crust looked to be made of dust from the mountain. A paper thin, white hot shell cast around him, spreading out over his bone-lace wings. The sensation was intensely painful.

  Aryaunna’s hand began to move, tracing a large symbol over his broad chest. Her blood, fueled with the magic of her mother and those who came before her, and the magic of the Guardians, was ink.

  Reign howled in pain, his head reared back as it bellowed through the air, echoing off the mountain. As his pain increased, the cast intensified. Aryaunna drew on all of her strength to complete it. Reign’s arms wrapped around her shoulders to keep her up as she began to sag against his chest.

  Wings spreading out to their full length, the white crusting sheet covered them entirely, and it was crumbling. His howl of pain grew louder, ear screeching, into a roar of triumph. All at once his wings seemed to shake free of their confines, dust bellowed out in a gust behind him as he scooped Aryaunna securely to his chest.

  Violently his wings beat against the air as his back feet kicked off of the mountain. They were airborne. His body twisted in a spiral as he flew up. Wings rose and fell, tearing through the air with a powerful grace. In seconds they had surpassed the mountain and were in the clouds.

  A soft gasp fell from her lips. Stricken breathless for how stunning it was to have traveled so high so fast, Aryaunna could only look on in awe. Stretching her hand out, she reached into a wispy cloud. It felt like smoke, but cooler on her skin.

  “Climb to my back, you will see better there.” Gentle as he always was with her, he lifted her carefully up to his shoulder. His body hovered as his wings slowly beat against the air. There was no need to reassure her he’d not drop her, she already knew.

  Body stiff and tired, her movements were rendered slow as she eased herself in place, just above the thick shoulder muscle protruding from his back, bracing his incredible wings. Weary, beaten, and bloody, Aryaunna hung onto him as he moved through the sky.

  Whole body tingling with a euphoric adrenaline, she didn’t dare close her eyes and miss a second. The sun was setting overhead. The sky was alight with colors, ranging from rich golds, ambers, sweet potato orange, cherry red, lilac, and finally sapphire where day turned to night. Her breath was caught as she looked. It was glorious.

  Blood rushing in her veins, heart hammering in her chest, a tear ran down her cheek. Her agape mouth closed slowly. Heart panging violently in her chest, Aryaunna hung her head back, looking up to the infinite sky above. Moving slowly, she let go of her tight hold on his neck, easing her body up straighter as her head hung. Her arms lift out beside her, as if she had her own wings.

  Another tear, and then another.

  Every emotion she’d been suppressing since the beginning of things were boiling up out of her while overwhelmed with majesty. Too soon his body began to drift for the earth. The tears dried, though they left their mark. Her tired eyes were red rimmed and slightly swollen. Cheeks wind-burnt. Her already haggard body was ragged from the exhilaration of flying. It was a contradictory set of problems, and the combination vaguely confused her.

  “You need to clean up,” he instructed as he leaned his body down against the earth to make i
t easier for her to slide down. “I’m not taking you to the funeral pyres covered in the blood of your enemies.”

  Sliding down, she had to hug against the side of his body to keep herself standing as she reoriented to the gravity of standing upon the earth. “I consider my end of the deal met, Reign.” Letting go, she walked around to face him. He’d given her an incredible gift, but she needed his promise kept.

  “What you ask of me is a curse. It is my purpose to protect you, and this is how it must be done.” Clinching his eyes shut, he shuttered out a deep breath. “Ready yourself, we will do it then. You have my word.”

  The word of a Dragon is much different than it is of man, or even Faye. Once given, they are bound to keep it by Guardian Law.

  He’d landed in the valley, next to the wide mouth of the cave. Together they walked inside. He escorted her to the lagoon before leaving her in private. A muffled whoosh, with the sound of him kicking up from the earth sounded, echoing into the cave as he took to the skies. It had been so long for him, she wondered if he’d ever come down again for more than a moment.

  A light smile tugged at Aryaunna’s lips at the thought. It was a good feeling to know she’d found a way to give him back his wings. Not to mention the euphoric exhilaration still pumping through her veins. It made it impossible to stop smiling, even if it was a nearly sad smile.

  She stripped down easily, but carried her clothes into the water. As she stood in the purifying pool, she cleaned her clothes as she cleaned herself. She’d be wet tonight, and probably mostly frozen. But in many ways she was already numb, and there were plenty of medicines to aid in her health once she returned to the Hollow.

  It didn’t matter if she had to freeze. Reign was right, she couldn’t go to the fires soaked in any man’s blood.

  Fully clothed, she focused on weaving a tight braid as she rang the water out of her hair, walking through the cavern to find Reign. The sun was nearly gone. Sita would have to ride hard to get to Brisheer before they were lit.

  Her gaze wasn’t just turned to the heavens for the time of eve, but for him. Pure white, he somehow still blended with the sky. As if he were a falling star that swooped through the sky toward her.

  His talons dug hard against the earth, clawing into the mountain with all his force. He’d come to a stop directly in front of her. Deeply his body bowed forward, head nearly caressing the earth as he did so. Thanking her for the incredible gift that he could never truly repay.

  Walking closer, she came to stand alongside his bowed head; it was the size of her body. Gently her hand lay upon his cheek and ran through a fallen tear. “We’ve both shed our tears today,” she whispered, though still for him to hear.

  “If only they would be our last,” he spoke as he rose back up. “Before I do this, I must know you understand there are consequences to what you ask of me. Physically your body will change a great deal. There will come days where you feel nearly mad, for your mind never stops. Ever. It will drive you in ways. You will never want to quit moving for long.”

  “How is it done?” she pushed.

  A reptilian brow scowled down at her as he measured her with his gaze. “You must fall… I shall do the rest.” His shoulder dropped low as his wing swept back. Without hesitating, Aryaunna pulled herself atop his back. It wasn’t quite like when she mounted Sita’s back, but she’d done that enough to find some ease in this.

  Though it had been truly ages since Reign’s body had known the skies, he moved as if he’d never lost his wings. His body flew in a slow steady spiral up for a great distance. “Hang on!” he called over the wind.

  Leaning forward, she clutched tightly to his neck as his body reared back and he shot straight up into the clouds. So quickly they rose that her breath was lost. The higher they went the darker the skies became.

  Suddenly his body twisted sharply to the side, and continued around so rapidly that she had no time to react. And just like that she fell. A startled gasp parted her lips, but she let out no scream. Her weapons hung down, pulling her body down faster.

  Her back laid upon the open air as she looked up at Reign, spiraling overhead. Painfully her chest tightened, heart clinching from the adrenaline. Was it fear? She couldn’t tell. It was painful. Her whole body was trembling. Yet not even in slight did she doubt he would catch her.

  The velocity of her body kept her from having any control over her limbs. Her arms flailed in front of her, as if she were reaching back for the heavens as the rest of her was falling faster. Reign was still right above her. Their eyes remained locked as they both plummeted.

  The wind roared in her ears, but something accompanied the rushing sound. A voice, but not quite Reign’s voice. Different somehow, as if many spoke rather than one.

  His front arms reached out for her, his long talons stretched for hers. Claws touched her fingertips. Smooth scales brushed flesh as they came closer. The next moment, her body jerked as he grabbed her and pulled her into him. What was only just a bump felt as if they’d crashed into one another as he soared off with her clutched to him.

  A cannon fired inside of her chest rapidly; her heart pounding against her rib cage for mercy. He knew better than to ask her to climb onto his back. Her body was like a bag of sand with limbs. It felt as if her bones had melted.

  Still unwilling to close her eyes, she watched the sun sink behind the mountains as they flew over the Dark Wood. It felt like moments before she saw Brisheer. Was he flying that quickly? Had it really been minutes-more?

  Though pitch of night and no fires had been lit, they both could feel the eyes upon them. The glistening white of Reign’s scales shown in the light of the moon. A strange glittering, unlike any star and far too big. The heavy weight of his wings seemed to beat the air into submission as he slowed, steadily gliding down to the earth.

  The Drow stood in awe. Those too close backed away to give them a wide girth, and those not close enough gathered. They cast a wide circle around them, all standing speechless with bated breath.

  Carefully he set her down onto her feet, keeping her steady until her legs strengthened beneath her. They looked to one another, him with silent question. Was she all right? Nodding, she gave him a slight smile of gratitude. A debt she felt couldn’t be repaid, even though he’d regained his wings.

  She’d never be rendered helpless by the need for sleep again. Now she could devote herself to her purpose-protecting the realm as the Guardian’s Emissary.

  The first to approach them was the elder, Zane. To keep his hands from shaking, he folded his arms tight across his chest. His mouth parted, as if to say something. Gaze still shifting between Aryaunna and Reign, he kept trying to speak but found himself not knowing what to say.

  Aryaunna was the one to finally break the silence, “Thank you for waiting.”

  Shaking himself back to the present, Zane tried to keep focus on Aryaunna though seemed to have a difficult time from it. Though clearly not foe, the presence of the Dragon made many nervous. “As long as we’ve waited for you, Emissary, we can spare the dusk now.” To regard one another they both nodded, though Zane had a difficult time taking his eyes off of the magnificent sight of the Dragon. “Just incredible,” he whispered awe-struck as he turned away to rejoin the elders for the lighting ceremonies that wait them.

  One by one, the Drow, and five whom were not, parted ways and reunited around the six pyres, lined in rows of three.

  In the nearly perfect circle, every few feet, torches lit a ring around them on tall shafts from a single fire bearer who walked the perimeter. Elizabeth’s hands rung together as she walked in front of Allos, his hands holding gently against her arms as they kept very close.

  As Elizabeth came to stand beside Aryaunna, they hugged one another tightly. Elizabeth barely spared a glance at Reign, though clearly he made her uneasy. It wasn’t for fear he would hurt them, but none realized just how big the Dragon truly was. None had seen him up close. None had seen him at all. The elders stood together: Zan
e, Nadegia, Mayla, Kolin. Raising her palms up shoulder height, Mayla’s elbows remained tucked by her sides as she lifted her chin to speak.

  This was the first meeting Aryaunna had seen where no one needed to call for silence. The air was laden with it. “Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, all those gathered here we call kin!” Mayla declared vehemently. “Our hearts ache this night, as it is our blood spilt upon the earth, our flesh that burns this night.”

  As if on cue, the torch bearer had lit five other’s torches to flame. As Mayla spoke of their flesh burning, they walked together and lit the pyres. Sobs broke out amongst some of the Drow. Children had lost parents. Parents had lost children. Brothers and sisters alike.

  Two thin arms came up and around Aryaunna’s waist tightly. Wordlessly, Korena and Aryaunna looked to one another. Hesitantly Aryaunna wrapped her arms around the young girl and held her as tears begun to fall down from her eyes.

  It was a night of mourning. High in the sky, a red cloud cast over the moon. Elizabeth whispered so low that only Allos could hear her, “Blood on the moon.” His arms tightened around her.

  Mayla had continued on, and at one point had begun a sad lullaby. A song of loss. A song of sorrow. Those able began to sing with her. The night filled with the lulling ache of a broken lullaby.

  “Oh sweet of night, I flee to thee.

  Hide me away from the pain.

  Take me home to sleep in peace.

  Darkness falls, she’s stealing me.

  Oh wash away the pain in me, for never again shall we meet.

  Falling away, like rain,

  Fare thee well, my sweet.”

  In small groups as the night grew later, Drow drifted back to the Hollow. Kolin came for Korena, lifting her over his shoulder as if she were a much smaller child than what she was. For once she didn’t seem to mind being treated as if she were young.

  The moon had reached high into the skies above when Elizabeth turned to Aryaunna. Sadness had exhausted her sister completely. Reaching out, Elizabeth folded her arms around Aryaunna’s shoulders tightly. “You’re freezing,” Elizabeth realized. She hadn’t noticed how cold she’d been before. The shock of seeing her sister with the great Dragon blended achingly with the sorrow of the night and she’d not felt it before.