by Bianca D’Arc
“What about your fambly?” Ella wanted to know. She’d been watching and listening, wide-eyed, to everything Rivka had told her, and had understood even more than Rivka had expected.
“My ancestors became the Jinn. We keep watch in all the lands to learn things that will help keep Draconia—and all the dragons and people here—safe.”
“Spies!” Ella said excitedly, tones of approval in her voice. Rivka smiled, even as she was surprised by the sophistication of Ella’s thought processes. This little virkin was a lot more intelligent than she had guessed.
“Something like that,” Rivka agreed sleepily. “But more like quiet protectors. We don’t seek the limelight. We work in the shadows to help keep everybody safe. It is our calling and our honor to do this work that needs doing. Just as Dranneth’s younger sons helped the elders, we serve the same purpose and always have.”
Rivka yawned again, and settled down in her chosen spot. Ella watched her, blinking a few times as she seemed to consider Rivka’s words. She was also observing everything, and Rivka was surprised by the little creature’s next words.
“You tired. Sleep. I guard. Wake if trouble.”
“That’s very kind of you, Miss Ella. It’s been a very long day…and night.”
And, with that, Rivka dropped off into sleep. She wasn’t entirely certain what the little virkin was capable of, as far as guard duty went, but at this point, she was almost too tired to care.
“Big dragon comes!” Ella’s little voice sounded in Rivka’s mind, even as the virkin’s wings fluttered against her arm. Rivka opened her eyes to find the virkin was standing in the space between Liam and Rivka, hopping on her little feet excitedly, as her wings fanned the air around her.
Liam’s eyes opened, and Rivka realized Ella must have spoken to both of them at the same time. The little creature’s guard abilities seemed to be much better than Rivka would have credited. Good thing for them. Rivka had been a bit irresponsible in the way she’d collapsed at Liam’s side a few hours before. Anyone could have come upon them from the road or the woods.
Thankfully, they hadn’t, but it had been foolish to let down her guard. They would have to make time for sleep on their journey or she’d be useless if it came to a confrontation—which she desperately hoped it would. She wanted to be the one to catch Fisk, not only because she knew she had the skills to defeat him, but also for Liam.
Liam deserved his justice after all this time and all the effort he’d put into catching Fisk. And, after what Fisk had done to Liam’s wife, he deserved all the pent-up rage and anger that must have kept Liam going after all these years. Rivka wanted to see that quest come to fruition for Liam’s sake, as well as for the sake of justice. And, if she could be the one to retrieve that page of the book, she would fly to Gryphon Isle herself and hand-deliver it to Gryffid. Not for the glory but to fulfill her lifelong oath to be of service to her land and people.
She wanted to see Gryphon Isle, and she wanted to ask Gryffid a question or two—if he proved to be willing to speak to her. It was a dream of hers to see the gryphons and fly among them, but perhaps, it was a selfish dream. The most important thing was the page from that book and the danger it posed to everyone, everywhere. She would focus on that, and however it was retrieved, she would do her best to contribute to its recovery.
“Skelaroth’s aloft,” Liam said, rubbing his eyes as he woke up from what must have been a deep sleep. “I didn’t hear you arrive. Thanks for not waking me. I guess I was more tired than I realized.”
“We’d been going all day and most of the night. I’m not surprised we both crashed, but we’ll have to plan better from now on.” Rivka got up and walked onto the road so Skelaroth could see her. She waved, and he wheeled about, diving for land. “Not so fast!” she thought at him as he came in at a reckless speed. He flared his wings and slowed his descent to land with only a bit more force than necessary, on the dirt road in front of her.
“Greetings, Lady Rivka,” Skelaroth said formally into her mind. “Thank you for your advice. I am unused to landing. When I do fly over the waves, I dive into the water on my return. I see I’m going to have to adjust my habits if I am to fly overland.”
Rivka nodded then thought of something. “Even if you see what looks like a large enough body of water, do not dive. Most lakes on land are not deep enough for you.”
Skelaroth’s great head nodded. “I see I have much to learn. Thank you for the warning.”
She was just glad he wasn’t taking her words amiss. She didn’t know a great deal about sea dragons, but land dragons were incredibly formal beings and insisted on the utmost courtesy from humans they dealt with. Of course, with foot-long, razor-sharp claws and the ability to breathe fire, sometimes, courtesy avoided a lot of misunderstandings…and unnecessary violence.
“There is no one on the road for many leagues,” Skelaroth reported as Liam joined them on the road with Ella hovering at his side.
The sun was just beginning to make an appearance. The dim light of pre-dawn had apparently been enough for Skelaroth to find his way here. Rivka was glad. That meant that Skelaroth had keener eyesight than she’d feared. She didn’t know what to expect from a sea dragon. She would have to observe and learn as they went along, so she could discern exactly what he could do, and what he couldn’t. He would also, likely, have some abilities that she was unfamiliar with. How the sea dragons “saw” under water, for example, was something all the black dragons were interested in discovering.
Perhaps, if they passed a lake deep enough, she could ask him to demonstrate. Of course, their quest had to come first. She would not pester Skelaroth unless there was a good opportunity, and the luxury of time, to do so. She could ask him questions, though, as they flew along, unless there was something else important to talk about. She had promised to help him learn how to scout land from the air. She would tackle that first and help him become more familiar with how things on the ground presented themselves from above. It wasn’t always an easy skill to master, as she knew from her own experience.
“Have you rested enough?” Skelaroth asked Rivka and Liam.
“I got about three hours of sleep,” Rivka replied.
“I got more than that, but how much more, I couldn’t tell you,” Liam admitted. “Maybe four hours? Five? I’m not sure.”
“Four and quarter,” Ella put in, now perched on Liam’s shoulder as if she often rested there. Her little tail was curled around his back, resting lightly on Liam’s other shoulder, for balance. “I watched good.”
Liam reached up and stroked the virkin’s head with obvious affection. “Well, that answers that question. Thank you, my lovely,” Liam said to his little friend.
“Did you sleep, Miss Ella?” Rivka asked the virkin directly.
“Not on watch,” she replied immediately. “Slep’ in sack on way.” Ella pointed with one of her foreclaws to the leather satchel Liam had over his shoulder.
Liam cleared his throat. “I created a little nest for her, so she would be warm and as comfortable as possible on the journey,” he said, opening the flap on the bag and showing the padded insides to Rivka.
She was impressed at the care he’d taken for his small companion. “That looks good,” she told him, then looked at Ella again. “Do you like it?”
Ella nodded emphatically. “Snuggly.”
Liam looked amused. “Glad you like it, Ella.”
The virkin raised her head and rubbed her little cheek against his. A clear sign of affection, if Rivka had ever seen one. That virkin was half in love with Liam and would likely follow anywhere he led. Ella had fixated on him, for whatever reason, and Rivka couldn’t really blame her. He was a fascinating man, she had to admit. Handsome, strong, honorable…and on a quest to avenge his lost love. Rivka had to keep reminding herself of that, lest she start following him around like poor, infatuated Ella.
“I have had no sleep this night, but I propose we fly on as far as we can for a few hours, then m
ake camp mid-morning to sleep a bit more and reexamine our strategy,” Skelaroth said to all of them. “We can fly a bit more in the afternoon and early evening before it becomes too dark to see anything below us, then camp for the night. That should get us all back to a good place rest-wise.”
They all agreed it was a good plan, and Rivka helped Liam and Skelaroth figure out the best placement for a rider, and how that rider should climb aboard the sea dragon’s back. Ella went into her little nest bag as soon as Liam was settled atop the dragon, though she kept her head peeking out the top so she could see. The virkin seemed excited by the prospect of flying with Skelaroth while her human just seemed both skeptical and nervous.
Rivka shifted into her dragon form so she’d be able to do something for Liam if he fell. Ella could always get out of the leather bag—ripping it open with her sharp claws, if she had to—and save herself. She could fly, though not as fast as a dragon, of course. But, if Liam fell, only Rivka stood between him and a very hard landing.
She spoke directly to Skelaroth, coaching him through the take-off. She leapt into the air right behind him and maintained a position below him, just in case.
“How are you doing up there?” she asked Liam after a few minutes of observing Skelaroth’s steady flight. He seemed to be getting the hang of it rather quickly, which was a good thing for his passengers. Rivka came out from under the bigger dragon and coasted alongside so she could observe Liam’s seat on the sea dragon’s back.
Liam nodded at her and shouted over the roar of the wind. “Doing good!”
Rivka could see that he’d found the sweet spot where the neck joined the spine. There was a natural depression there that acted as a seat for dragon riders, which all knights knew about. Skelaroth also had conveniently placed horned ridges that allowed Liam something he could hold onto for balance that wouldn’t interfere with Skelaroth’s flight or cause him pain.
“You have a natural seat,” Rivka marveled. “I think you’ll do quite well. I’ll be just below in case there’s a problem.”
She veered off and dove a little, retaking her position below Skelaroth, just to be safe. This was new to them both, after all. One thing Rivka had noticed was Ella’s small head peering out of the bag on Liam’s chest, looking for all the world as if she was truly enjoying her first experience of riding on a dragon’s back. If virkin could smile—and Ella’s mobile mouth came very close, at times—then Ella had been grinning from ear to ear.
Rivka chuckled to herself as they flew, but soon, she fell into the role of teacher, explaining to Skelaroth how to tell what they were looking at from above. She pointed out various landmarks, and when they came upon people—mostly farmers either working in their fields or driving carts or other pieces of equipment with horses, mules, ox or donkeys—she helped Skelaroth identify what they were seeing.
He was a quick study, and even though he had not seen some of the land creatures before, he was able to identify them correctly the next time they happened upon them. His eyesight was, perhaps, a bit better than her own, she discovered as the morning progressed, and when it came time to find a camping spot, it was Skelaroth who pointed out the best location.
They landed on the road but quickly moved off of it to a small stand of trees in a slight dip, just before the rise of a steep cliff. The two-legs would take cover under the trees while Skelaroth could lay down in the tall grass between the trees and the road. Thanks to the little dip in the landscape and his natural coloration, he would barely be visible, even if he was awake and peering through the grasses at the roadway.
He made himself comfortable as soon as possible and drifted off to sleep with hardly any comment. That left Rivka, Liam, and Ella, of course, to make themselves comfortable, as well. Any planning they needed to do would happen after they woke again, when their heads were clearer. Rivka was glad of the chance to get more rest. It had been a long day and night just past. She needed more rest to recuperate from everything they had done in the last twenty-four hours.
She was surprised to find that Liam had packed a small tent. On closer inspection, she realized it was made of tightly woven silk. Such fabric would block the wind, not allow insects to pass through—even the tiniest ones—and would pack down into a very small bundle, which was probably why she hadn’t noticed it on him.
“What’s this?” she asked, walking up beside him after shifting into her human form.
“Something I picked up in Elderland,” he told her as he rose from setting the last peg in place. “I thought you might want to use it while we travel, when there’s time and space to make a camp.”
“Me?” she asked, nonplussed. He’d brought the tent along for her? “What about you?”
“I’m fine outdoors,” he told her. “Even if I am used to the rocking deck of a ship, I can sleep just about anywhere. The tent is also waterproof, so if it rains, we could use it as a tarp to keep ourselves dry.”
It was a dark gray color that would not be easy to spot in the dark—or under the shade of the trees, hidden in the tall grass. She knew from her own experience that silk of this quality had many excellent properties and honestly couldn’t wait to get inside the tent and see what it was like from within. That he’d thought to pitch it for her, and to bring it along in the first place, made her feel odd. Sort of soft…inside. Touched. Profoundly.
Few men had ever taken her comfort into consideration so much. Among the Jinn, she was known as a fire breather—both figuratively and literally. She’d honed herself and her skills over the years, and few people, even within her own Clan, thought much about pampering her. She would have scoffed at them years ago, but now, as she aged, she had come to value the small comforts in life. Luscious silk like that the tent was made from was one of them.
“I…” She moved closer, holding out one hand to touch the soft fabric, then gathered herself and turned to look at Liam. “Thank you, Captain. This was very thoughtful of you.”
He shrugged away her words and turned to his pack. “I have some food if you’re hungry.”
She waved him off. “Sleep first, then food,” she told him gently, unable to stifle a yawn. “Thank you, again.”
She said nothing more as she knelt to enter the low tent. It was just as luxurious on the inside as she’d hoped. Soft, supple fabric beneath her and all around, a few feet above her prone body. It was a low-profile tent, longer than it was wide. Perfect for cover and not too easy to be seen from outside. Once she sealed the flap, which folded back upon itself and tied, she knew few insects would be able to thread the needle to enter her twilight world inside the dark fabric.
And it was cool. Even though the silk had been dyed to a dark grey and woven tightly, it still allowed air circulation. It…breathed, for lack of a better word. This kind of fabric would be cool in the heat of the day and would retain warmth in the cold of the night. Liam must have paid quite a bit for a tent of this quality. She was glad he had thought to pack it with him, and his kindness in doing so made her feel a bit fluttery inside.
He might be focused on his quest and his revenge, but he was still a thoughtful man. That was a very attractive quality, and if she wasn’t very careful, she might find herself falling a bit in love with the dashing sea captain.
Impossible as she knew it to be.
Liam woke a few hours later, judging by the position of the sun. It had gone from nearly directly overhead to a short distance down toward the horizon. Ella was standing guard, as it were, perched above his sleeping spot, on a tree branch. She’d chosen one without many leaves to block her view of both the road and either side of them. They were protected in the back by the steep cliff.
He was surprised again, at how resourceful Ella was. She had taken to traveling by land and air as well as she’d taken to sailing with him on his ship. She really was a good companion. Useful to have around, too. He had to admit he just enjoyed her company. Even before she started talking, he had always liked having her around. Another living being to share
his days. She was somehow reassuring to his lonely soul. Just her presence on board his ship, and especially when she was with him, let him know he was not so completely alone.
It was an odd thought for him to have, he knew. The famous Captain O’Dare who needed nothing and no one. Who never even slept with a paid companion in any port. He was solitary by choice, and his crew knew what drove him. Many of them had been with him from the beginning, and those that had not had probably learned his story from the others.
Before he could let his thoughts slip into even more depressing territory, he heard Rivka stirring inside the tent. He was glad he’d thrown the lightweight item into his pack. She’d seemed so enchanted by it, and bemused that anyone should think of her comfort. That bothered him in some indefinable way. She was a princess among her kind. She should be cosseted and pampered, yet it was painfully clear that she had chosen another path. She was a warrior woman, with all that entailed.
Why she shouldn’t also seek out a few creature comforts for herself, he didn’t know. Maybe she had eschewed all finery for some aesthetic, or even religious, reason? Or maybe she didn’t have the means with which to purchase them. That didn’t seem right. The Jinn were well known to be traders of the first order. They were famous for their fine wagons, horses and goods. Though, of course, he wasn’t sure if Rivka had ever been among those who traveled the lands, making piles of money and trading for pretty or useful things like the tent he had brought along for her to use.
He got up and retrieved the pack he had stowed in the crook of a tree not too far from where they’d slept. He didn’t know exactly what kind of wildlife frequented this part of the country. If there were any bears, or the like, he hadn’t wanted to take a chance of attracting them to where they were sleeping. He answered nature’s call while he was out of sight and then made a bit of noise on his way back to the campsite to politely warn Rivka that he was approaching.