Kethril

by Carroll, John H.

  “Remind me not to invite you to dinner anytime soon,” Emmaoen told him with crossed arms and lowered eyebrows. Tathan’s only response was to grin innocently at her. The expression on her face changed to worry. “You’re bleeding.”

  Tathan felt that his nose was runny and wiped it on the back of his glove. Blood blended into the black leather. Anilyia moved in front of him and took his cheeks in her hands. “What happened to you? You were bleeding earlier too until Liselle fixed your face.” She took a handkerchief out of a pouch in her belt and wiped his nose with it, making him feel like a child. In a way, he didn’t mind. He liked being taken care of sometimes, just as long as there were no men around to make fun of him.

  “Thanks. Let’s open this door and get them out.” Tathan gestured at the ships as he turned and opened the large gate. He left the questions unanswered and ignored the dizziness he was feeling.

  When he stepped inside, Aermoirre’s children began struggling against the bonds again. “We’re going to release you. Patience now.” They settled and Tathan went to the ropes holding the nearest. Anilyia joined him while Emmaoen went to the other.

  It took a few minutes, but they were able to release the first one and help Emmaoen with the second. The knots were clumsily done, but there were so many of them that it took work. Tathan was exhausted by the end. He was thankful the fighting was over so he would be able to rest. At the moment, he didn’t even care about any other treasure that might be deeper in the tunnels.

  The ships were eager to get out, but were also afraid to go into the main cave. “It’s alright, Emmaoen told them. “The monster’s gone now. Follow us.” The gate was just big enough for the ships to get through, but they had to tilt at an angle to fit their masts. A minute later, Tathan and the ladies had mounted their horses and were leading the ships up the tunnel.

  They exited the cave to a cold, fresh autumn morning. The baby ships rushed to their mother and glided on board to cuddle up next to the mainmast. Aermoirre’s bell gleamed in pleasure at having her children rescued.

  Tathan, Anilyia and Emmaoen noticed none of that because they were too busy staring at the four enormous dragons that were sitting in the valley watching Liselle work on the knight.

  Chapter 26

  There was a dragon of each color: white, orange, purple and black. Each was twice as large as the deranged dragon the companions had just slain. It became clear to Tathan just how skinny Vevin was.

  Tathan had to admit to himself that he was in awe of how stunning they were. They radiated great power and their scales glistened in the glow of the sunrise. He could also tell that they were ancient and wise. It showed in their swirling, silver eyes and in the self-assured postures in which they held themselves. It only took him a moment to figure out that it was some sort of council. Tathan had stood before more councils in the last few months than he cared for.

  Each color of dragon was a bit different from the others. The white one looked softer and held its head high. Silver edged the white scales covering it, a feature Vevin’s father didn’t have.

  The orange was the largest, ten feet taller than the others were, even sitting. Its muscles bulged underneath the scales, reminding Tathan of a gladiator. There were five thin spikes along its spine and six on its tail. Tathan got the impression it would be a terrible foe, not that he intended to test that theory.

  He found the evil dragons even more fascinating though. The black looked fast and sleek even though it was just sitting there watching Liselle work. Its scales were shadowy and rejected light.

  The purple was the smallest of the four and in many ways unremarkable. Tathan recognized it as the most dangerous though. Its aura was stronger than the others, but it also showed vast intelligence in its eyes. Other than those things, he couldn’t place exactly how it was more dangerous, but knew to be extra careful of it.

  Tathan realized that he was foolishly sizing up four creatures that could kill him at any time if they wanted to. The companions had just slain a dragon, but it had been unhealthy and insane. Even then, if a few things had gone differently, they could have lost.

  The white one noticed their appearance and crooked a long talon for them to approach. Tathan signaled his mount to go forward, but it was having none of it. Apparently, there was a limit to how much dragon a horse would tolerate. He sighed and dismounted, being careful not to let his knees buckle again.

  He took a few steps before his arms were seized. In alarm, he looked to see that the ladies had each grabbed an arm and clung to it desperately. Fear had chased all rationality from their eyes. Tathan sighed again and continued forward with them trying to hide behind his back.

  What worried Tathan the most was that Liselle was still kneeling over Sir Danth, flooding the knight with her healing. It was questionable if she would be able to do anything else when done . . . like stand or stay conscious.

  The body of Vevin’s father stayed dead, much to Tathan’s relief. There had been a few instances in his past where something he killed had come back to life, or undeath . . . or something else entirely. It was a bad habit dead things occasionally had, one Tathan didn’t like at all.

  Vevin was sitting protectively next to Liselle. Even though his head was down and he wasn’t making eye contact with them, he was still defensive of his lover. Tathan admired that fact, especially since he would make a chew toy for any one of the new dragons.

  It appeared that Liselle was succeeding at healing Sir Danth. The knight’s armor was no longer crushed and most of the gashes were fixed. Every rune on it glistened like a tiny far away star, imbued with Liselle’s energy. The four dragons were fascinated by the sight and made no move to interrupt.

  He was too tired to stand, so he sat on the ground and crossed his legs a short distance to the left and behind Liselle. Anilyia and Emmaoen both plastered themselves against his back, taking whatever meek protection it might give them.

  Another trickle of blood fell over his lips from his nose. He casually wiped it off with his glove and then wiped that on some grass. The white dragon was the only one that noticed and it gave Tathan a little frown before concentrating on Liselle again.

  Tathan felt tired. Every part of his body ached. He wanted very much to lie down and sleep a long time. Shivers ran up his arms and he began sweating. Concern for his companions was the only thing keeping him going. He wiped more blood from his nose.

  The healing stopped. Liselle stood and swayed, only to be steadied by Vevin. He had moved quickly, startling the four larger dragons. Tathan thought it might be a terribly bad idea to startle dragons even if you were one.

  Liselle’s knees buckled, but Vevin lifted her up ever so gently in both his claws and set her in a sitting position against his chest while he protectively curled his tail around her waist. She looked exhausted, but managed to remain conscious. Tathan had considered getting up to help, but his body told him not to even try and he didn’t have the energy to argue.

  Sir Danth didn’t move even though his armor was whole again. Tathan wondered whether or not Liselle had succeeded after all.

  “That was an impressive display of magic, Child of the Flowers,” The purple dragon told Liselle in a powerful, yet feminine voice. Like Vevin, she used magic to form the words instead of her mouth. Tathan noticed that dragons still gestured and made facial expressions when speaking, though it was not technically necessary.

  “Wasted though. Why would anyone want to heal a knight?” Orange asked in a deep, raspy voice. He reminded Tathan of a grizzled general. “They have tin for brains, and in the case of that one,” he pointed at Sir Danth, “it’s more true than usual considering there’s no skull left to house any brains.”

  “You’re one to speak of not having brains,” Black declared in a sophisticated voice that danced through the air rather than filling it. It reminded Tathan of a minstrel he had met once. The man had been dashing, brilliant with the ladies, and a whip with clever insults.

  “Well, perhaps I�
��ll just have to pull yours out through your nose and use that,” Orange retorted with a sneer.

  “Would you two stop behaving like children,” Purple said in exasperation.

  “He started it, Mommy,” Black replied with a smirk.

  “I’ll finish it too,” Orange threatened eagerly.

  “Enough! And don’t call me ‘mommy’,” Purple told Black, pointing a talon in his face.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  In spite of the dangerous situation they were in, Tathan chuckled. He liked these dragons. They were his type of people. He wiped more blood from his nose. It was coming faster now and he could feel it flowing down his chin. He was so tired and sleep would be wonderful.

  Tathan felt a sharp claw gently lifting his head by the chin. A silver eye appeared in front of him, bigger than his head. “Here now, we have questions for you. If you let all your blood flow out of your nose, you’ll die and won’t be able to answer them.” The bass voice was clear and rumbled through Tathan’s bones.

  Power flowed from the claw into Tathan’s body. The tiredness eased a little and blood flowed back into his nose. It was an uncomfortable way to recover it, but it felt better in his veins than it did having it leak onto the ground. His vision cleared and breathing became easier again. Emmaoen and Anilyia were whimpering and pushing against his back even harder by that point because of how close the dragon was.

  The white dragon backed into position and nodded his head at the others. “He’ll live . . . unless we decide otherwise.” That made Tathan a little nervous, and a little angry. He was still too weak to protest though.

  “Now, do I have everyone’s attention?” Purple asked. “Good. You are hereby accused of having killed a dragon, which violates the dragon/human treaty. Please plead guilty and sacrifice one of your princesses as punishment, or both in a gesture of friendship and peace.” The dragon grinned toothily while both ladies pushed even harder and began crying.

  “Not guilty,” Tathan replied loudly. “I thought you were here to give us some of your extra treasure because you have too much and need help spending it. Now I’m disappointed.” He pouted to prove how disappointed he was.

  Black chuckled, which sounded like thunder rolling down hills. The others did not look amused and Tathan got the distinct impression that dragons took their treasure seriously.

  “I was afraid you were going to be difficult about this,” Purple said with an impressive sigh. “It was my hope you’d be reasonable and we could skip the trial.”

  “We should just eat the princesses,” Orange said. “Trials are so boring.” Tathan felt more pressure against his back. Anilyia and Emmaoen were truly terrified.

  “I thought orange dragons were supposed to be good,” Liselle said wearily from her resting spot against Vevin’s chest. She was paying close attention to the events in spite of her condition.

  “Orange dragons are not only good, they are excellent in every way,” Orange declared.

  Liselle asked Purple, “Who exactly are you that you would sit in judgment of us and why are you leading instead of the white?”

  “Well that’s a bit racist,” Purple accused indignantly. “Why does everyone think a white male should lead the council? You can kiss my scaly purple tail, Flower Child.”

  “And we’re not going to tell you who we are. It’s a secret,” Black said. “Nobody’s allowed to know about the High Council of Dragons and how we reside over all matters of dragon law.”

  “Well you just gave away the secret and since no one’s allowed to know that, we’ll have to eat them all,” Orange said decisively. “Except for the scrawny runt, that would be cannibalism and he doesn’t have enough meat on his bones anyway.”

  “Oh dear,” Black said with a claw to its snout and a mischievous glint in its eyes. “Did I just say all that?”

  “You’re not eating anyone.” Liselle was standing in front of Vevin. Fire engulfed her body again and her voice had become otherworldly.

  “You’re no match for us, Flower Child,” Orange told her in irritation.

  Liselle’s flames dissipated and she swayed. Vevin steadied her with a claw. “Perhaps I am no match for you, but if you kill me, the flowers will hate you and all dragons. And if you try to harm any of us, I will fight you to the death.”

  It didn’t seem like much of a threat, telling dragons that the flowers would hate them, but the four reacted with alarm. Their eyes swirled faster and they looked worried.

  Tathan decided it was time for him to start talking. “We plead not guilty.” He stood up with effort and swayed as much as his cousin. He didn’t have a purple dragon to steady him, but the ladies stood with him and clamped his arms again. It was enough for him to stay upright.

  The dragons’ attention was on him. He took a deep breath and began talking his way out of trouble. “The dragon was in violation of the treaty by using his agent to steal sheep from humans.”

  “Then he should have been reported to the council so we could punish him. By what authority did you decide to execute him?” Purple challenged.

  “Mine,” Emmaoen said faintly, but bravely, from around Tathan’s shoulder.

  Purple drummed her claws on a rock. “We recognize Tathan of the Shadows, Liselle of the Flowers and the Princess Anilyia of Mayncal, but we do not recognize you other than the fact that you are a princess. Announce yourself.”

  “I . . . I am Emmaoen Silverheart, D . . . Duchess of Kethril,” she stammered. It was taking all her courage to confront the council.

  Tathan interrupted. “You recognize me? I didn’t know dragons paid attention to humans.”

  “You are not a normal human,” Black replied. “You are, however, very fascinating. I love listening to tales of your adventures.”

  “I don’t think he’s all that fascinating,” Orange disagreed. “Tathan of the Shadows is a menace.”

  “Yes.” Black nodded. “I like that about him. It’s a fine quality to have.”

  “That’s neither here nor there,” Purple interjected. “I’m interested in what the girl said. She called herself a duchess, but she smells like a princess.”

  “I do like princesses,” White said with a longing sigh and a lick of the lips. The others nodded in agreement. Emmaoen ducked behind Tathan’s back some more. It seemed she was done speaking.

  Tathan spoke for her. “She was born a princess, but is now a duchess. Her uncle, King Cranwer, sent her to investigate the ship that was stealing the sheep and attacking villages.”

  “Then, through his representative, the King of Kethril has issued an attack on dragons . . . wait, you said a ship was attacking villages? Why would you attack the dragon then?” Purple asked.

  “Perhaps the ship was the agent he spoke of,” Orange suggested. “Have you been stuffing bunnies in your ears again or are you just stupid?”

  Purple smacked Orange in the side of the head with a loud crack. The movement was lightning fast and caught Tathan by surprise. Orange responded by sticking his tongue out at her while the other two chuckled. Purple turned back to Tathan. “It seems you are not going to give up the princesses without a trial. So be it. Explain your position.”

  The four dragons listened while Tathan explained about the ship’s attacks on the villages and King Cranwer’s request that the companions go with Emmaoen to investigate. He told them Aermoirre’s story of how her children were being held captive by the ‘monster’. The dragons questioned the ship to verify the story. They were able to understand the ship’s communication by using a spell. In the process, they learned that Vevin’s father had used a similar spell to communicate with the ship and make the threats.

  Tathan told the Council how the ship had brought them to the valley during conversation and how Vevin’s father had come out of the cave. At that point, the companions felt there was no choice but to fight for their lives.

  When Tathan was done, Purple asked, “Who delivered the killing blow?”

  “I did,” Tathan admitted.


  “How did you kill the monster as you call him?”

  “I stabbed it in the heart.”

  “Just like that?” White asked, frowning.

  “Not really. It was difficult since the heart . . .”

  “Do not finish that sentence.” Orange put a talon in front of Tathan’s nose.

  “How did you know where it was?” Black asked in curiosity.

  “My sword found it,” Tathan answered cryptically.

  Black smiled at the sword on Tathan’s waist. “So that is Lifedrinker. I would like very much to have it.”

  “No!” the other three said in unison. Black held up his claws innocently.

  Liselle frowned at Tathan, who did his best to ignore the look. Her dislike for the sword was growing stronger the more she learned about it. It didn’t surprise him that a dragon would covet it for treasure, nor did it surprise him that the others would not want Black to have it.

  Purple turned her attention to Vevin. “What are you calling yourself, pup?” she asked.

  “Vevin.” His voice was timid and there was no dance in his step. Tathan thought he looked frightened and perhaps a little sad.

  “What an odd name,” White mentioned. “I’ve always thought you purples were a bit touched in the head.” Purple stuck her tongue out at him. It seemed they all participated in the playful banter.

  “He’s half white you know,” Black pointed out. “I’m certain that is the part where the oddity comes from.” None of them found that amusing. Grave looks were on their faces as they glanced from Vevin to his dead father. Tathan noticed that Vevin’s purple was much lighter than the speaker’s scales, which were reddish-purple and had a rainbow luster to them.

  “I think, perhaps, it is best that he is dead,” White said, indicating the dragon carcass with a claw. “I do not wish to punish these humans for the deed.” He took a deep breath and then a smile lit his face. “I would, however, still like to nom one of the princesses.”