Dragon Chameleon: Episodes 5-8

by Wilson, Sarah K. L.

  Come on, Saboraak! I’m running out of time!

  “We’ll take the girl,” Shabren said. “The boy is worthless, unless you know a way to trap shadows.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Come here, street scum. Bow before your better – Castelan Katlana Woelran, Magika and First Flyer of my golem army.” He was searching for me, the golem obscuring his view, but as his eyes locked on me they grew wide.

  Now! Close it now!

  I turned the wheel as hard as I could. It spun, the spokes whirling faster and faster and faster as it gained speed.

  Shabren’s curses filled my ears.

  Chapter Eleven

  “GRAB HIM!” SHABREN yelled at the same moment that Saboraak’s cry of victory filled my ears.

  You did it! The doors are closed!

  I darted forward, around the golem, reaching for Zyla, but Shabren hit me with the rod, knocking me backward. I hit the golem, cracking my head against its metal body. Pain flared in my head and I fell to the ground. There was a scuffle of feet and a grunt above me.

  “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be trapped here,” the woman – Katlana said. I heard the squeak of leather against metal.

  “Move, Tor!” Zyla yelled.

  I rolled to the side, away from the golem. There was a roar and then, as I stumbled to my feet, the golem sped forward, shooting from the window like an arrow with Zyla, Shabren, and Katlana on its back.

  Saboraak!

  Below you and climbing!

  Catch!

  I didn’t wait for her response. I ran as fast as I could toward the window and leapt. My dragon would catch me. She would never let me fall.

  “You’re an idiot,” my mimic said as we fell together toward the earth. The clear air rushed around me, the yellow landscape growing larger by the second. Below us, golems swarmed like a school of tadpoles. Uh oh. How would Saboraak get through them?

  But there she was, rolling past their flames, her wings flapping powerfully, neck outstretched as she pushed toward us. She was red then black then white. She was green and then finally purple when she rose up, head growing huge in my vision, and plucked me from the air like an eagle grabbing a trout from the water. Her head snaked back and tossed me free from her jaw and onto the saddle.

  I grabbed the saddle in both hands as soon as I landed on her back, my heart in my throat. She’d never handled me so roughly before!

  Stop jumping from heights without warning! You are going to give me a heart attack!

  “Sorry,” I whispered in a small voice.

  Stop almost dying and barely surviving!

  “Sorry.”

  Stop taking needless, insane risks!

  “Sorry.”

  Stop talking to your own shadow like a crazy person!

  “Sorry.”

  And, for the love of skies and stars, please, please, stop being a hero!

  I didn’t say sorry for that. After all, I was no hero. She should know that by now.

  She snorted.

  I would die if you died, Tor. Not just literally. I would die of a thousand broken beats of my heart. You need to learn to be safe. You need to take care of yourself. You matter to me.

  “They have Zyla,” I said mildly.

  The golems were forming up into ranks, Katlana speeding to join the others. They’d left four behind which swarmed angrily around the closed cave door.

  Why do you think I am chasing after them? Her tone was milder now, as if her anger had burned out.

  I grunted, unsheathing two of my daggers. In the chaos, I’d lost the axe. Again.

  What do you think you are going to do with those? Put them back before you stab yourself!

  Embarrassed, I complied. She must have thought I was a fool.

  I think you are my friend and I’ve been really worried about you lately. But – as always – we don’t have time to think about that.

  We were almost upon Shabren’s golem. Saboraak flew harder.

  I can’t flame him, or I risk hurting Zyla.

  Then what could we do?

  I have a plan, but it’s risky.

  Wasn’t she just lecturing me on not doing risky things?

  Yes. But that was without me. This risky thing, you should do with me. Kyrowat will help, too, once he catches up.

  I glanced behind us to see the old purple struggling to catch up, Hubric on his back. He looked angry – but then Kyrowat always looked angry. There was a golem behind him. Hopefully, he could evade it or defeat it. I’d have to trust him to do the job while I did mine.

  You should have seen him! He took out two golems just with his skill in flying! He’d get them to chase him and then outmaneuver them and they crashed against the rocks.

  She sounded impressed.

  I am impressed! But no time for that – the plan. It’s inspired by your escapades.

  That couldn’t be good. No one should be inspired by me.

  I’m going to fly over the golem so you can drop down on it.

  This sounded bad already.

  Free Zyla while I dive underneath. Then, both of you can drop from the golem onto my back and we’ll get out of here faster than a dragon fleeing an Ifrit.

  Don’t remind me of Ifrits.

  What do you think? She almost sounded nervous, like she was afraid I would say her plan was a bad one.

  “I can’t think of anything better,” I muttered. I was judging the distance, judging how long it would take to join the other golems – minutes. How long I would have to free Zyla – seconds. And how far we could afford to fall before Saboraak caught us – not nearly far enough.

  Ready? she asked.

  My heart was in my throat, my belly in knots, my pulse pounding.

  “Ready,” I said as her great mass eclipsed the golem below.

  I let go of the saddle, swung my legs over the side and dropped like a stone from her back.

  Chapter Twelve

  WHAT WAS I THINKING?

  My heart was in my throat as I fell. If I had been off in my judgment at all –

  I wasn’t.

  I landed on top of Shabren, his hard head jamming into my belly as my hands scrambled for purchase. One grabbed his scarf and I held on for dear life as my other hand found a grip on something firmer.

  “Stop playing handsy games and get what you came for!” my mimic suggested as I gasped for breath.

  I’m still completing my roll. Don’t drop off the golem yet!

  Shabren pulled away from me, but the scarf caught at his throat. His face went purple as he tried to yank it from my grasp.

  Don’t even think about it!

  I didn’t have a strong enough purchase to let go. One of my legs was mostly over the back of the golem, but the other leg dangled wildly.

  Zyla was yelling something from in front of me but her yell cut off in a grunt of pain. I saw Katlana pulling back, her fist still balled from striking Zyla.

  I gritted my teeth, pulled on the scarf and yanked myself up to a seated position behind Shabren. Zyla’s hands were tied. She’d have to jump like that. We didn’t have time for me to draw a knife and cut the bonds. I swallowed. It would be hard for her to catch Saboraak’s saddle with tied hands.

  Trust me, Saboraak said. I will keep her safe.

  Was she in position?

  I’m here but you have to hurry. Kyrowat is entangled with the golems that were behind us and more are circling back toward me.

  I swallowed. I needed Zyla to jump first. She wasn’t tied to the golem. But if she hesitated at all then Katlana or Shabren could stop her.

  Shabren yanked hard on his scarf and I lost my grip, clawing wildly and grabbing him around the waist.

  “Get off of me!” he roared.

  “Zyla!” I called and her head whipped to look at me, golden eyes huge. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes!” Her voice wavered, but her eyes were steady.

  “Don’t hesitate.”

  “She can’t help you now, boy!” Shabren
said, pulling the rod from the waistband of his trousers.

  Zyla’s gaze was locked with mine as she nodded agreement. I held her gaze until I was sure she was paying attention.

  “Jump,” I mouthed.

  Her expression firmed, and her face paled but she didn’t hesitate. She threw her body to the side, sliding easily off the golem and plummeting through the air. It was a long heartbeat before I heard Saboraak in my mind.

  Got her!

  I let out a long breath the second before Shabren’s fist plowed into my face.

  “Ooof!”

  My head rang, spots dancing across my vision as I struggled to keep my hold on him. He cracked me on the head with his rod before yelling something at Katlana. I couldn’t tell what he was saying. Everything was happening so fast. I let go of his waist to grab at the scarf. I needed to stop him somehow before he beat me senseless.

  Could I drop?

  Give me a minute!

  I needed to jump right now!

  Golems are attacking us. We are dodging their attacks but I’m lagging behind. Hold on! I will come for you.

  I held on to the scarf with all my might. Shabren jammed his elbow in my gut and I bucked in pain. I needed to fight back.

  I gritted my teeth and smashed my forehead into his spine. There! That should hurt. He lurched forward, tugging tightly against my renewed grip on his scarf. He cursed at full volume, reaching forward to grasp something Katlana was holding out to him. I needed more hands.

  “Bite him!” my mimic yelled from where he sat in front of Katlana. His eyes glowed with excitement.

  I wasn’t going to bite anyone.

  “Come on!” He pumped his fist in the air.

  The thing in Shabren’s hand shone brightly. A weapon.

  Maybe you really should bite him.

  If even Saboraak was telling me to try it –

  I leaned forward and bit his ear, keeping my jaw locked as he screamed. His hand with the shining object spun around and then something slammed into my head and my mouth fell open.

  Drop! I’m ready to catch you!

  The world was dark with pain. It burrowed through me like a merciless worm, devouring my senses.

  Come on, Tor!

  I tried to shake my head to clear the pain, but it wasn’t working. I tried to get a grip on the scarf again, but my arm hung dully at my side. Something grabbed my belt, dragging me in front of Shabren and slinging me over the saddle. Bitterness filled my mouth. Something strong pulled my limbs together, binding me to myself and to the golem.

  Shabren laughed.

  I was slung, belly down, across the saddle between him and Katlana. In his hand, he held the spider I had lost the first night in Eski.

  “Remember this?” he asked, turning the spider around in his hands. “You didn’t even know what it did when you held it so close. Maybe if you had, we’d be living in very different times. You could have used it on me that first night on the platform. Like a spider, it binds the prey, stealing their voices and eventually their minds. But don’t worry, now that I have you, I think I will keep you – at least until I can find a way to capture your shadow.”

  Saboraak! I called in my mind, screaming her name. Saboraak!”

  I’m too late! There are too many of them!

  My heart was beating so hard I thought it might burst. I was caught in Shabren’s trap. I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight. And we were flying away from our friends and allies.

  I remembered for a moment, the people in the caves. They were relying on me to free them when the conflict was over – and I couldn’t even free myself.

  Don’t give up! I’ll come for you!

  We were still speeding across the desert hours later when her voice began to fade in my mind.

  I will find you, she promised.

  But she couldn’t know that. And I didn’t blame her. I couldn’t have stopped them either.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I WOKE UP STILL TRUSSED like a goat for a feast.

  “You look even worse than you feel,” my mimic said.

  “I’ll miss all these compliments if Shabren manages to take you,” I muttered.

  I was lying in the sand, my cheek pressed hard against the cold ground. There was no blanket or tent over me, though I could see a tent not far from where I lay and, in the distance, I thought I could see another. It’s hard to see much with a cheek against the ground and most of a tent blocking everything else.

  “You’ll miss more than that.”

  The mimic sat cross-legged, staring up at the full moon.

  “Where are we? And why can I talk again?”

  “They released you from the spider – obviously. Look down. Those are normal ropes holding you.”

  He was right. I would have noticed it if I’d been paying attention.

  “I can’t notice anything you haven’t noticed. I’m you, remember? Which is why you should be worried.”

  “Oh, trust me,” I said wryly. “I’m worried. The last time I heard from Saboraak, she was falling behind, and I can’t hear her right now. I don’t know if Kyrowat and Hubric survived. I do know that the rest of the Kav’ai Elders are locked in a cave until I can free them again, and I’m not exactly in the position to free anyone.”

  “Yes, that’s very inconvenient.”

  “Inconvenient? Try deadly. Try, edge-of-a-volcano deadly!”

  “It’s a lot worse than that, you fool.” The mimic was trembling in the moonlight. I’d never seen him anything but calm. “I think they can really strip me from you.”

  “And I’ll miss your cheery attitude if they do.”

  He walked forward and squatted in front of me until my vision was filled with his face. His lip was curled but it was fear that dominated his expression.

  “You’ll miss yourself. Your shadow-self reminds you of who you might be, and it tells you how to avoid that. But it’s also there to tap into when you need a little ... edge. There’s a word for that.”

  “Annoying?”

  “Wisdom.” He practically spat.

  “Where would you be without the cunning to make plans? You can’t guess what evil men might do if you can’t imagine what you would be like if you were evil. And you can’t avoid evil paths if you don’t know what they are. You need me, Tor. It’s not just that you are me – it’s that I’m the part of you that you keep locked in a cage at the back of your mind. I’m everything you deny about yourself – I’m the hero you say you aren’t. I’m the critic you claim not to be. I’m even the one who cries at night for your dead mother. You might not like it that I’m free right now. You might wish you could shove me back in that cave but the one thing that you cannot afford is to lose me entirely.”

  He stood up again and walked a few paces away, turning his back to me.

  I was stunned. I’d never considered anything like that before.

  I shivered in the night, longing for a cloak or even a blanket or just for Saboraak to be nearby with all her body heat. My mimic stayed away, but his words wouldn’t stop ringing in my mind. Was it really so important to keep him?

  Did I really need a shadow-self, or was this just a desperate gamble of his to stay alive? After all, the Kav’ai had a precept about this – all things strive. Perhaps even a mimic would strive for life when it was threatened.

  What would it be like if I had no shadow within me? What if every thought was so innocent that I really didn’t see trouble around every corner? What if I really didn’t have that shadow lurking deep within me and warning me that I could easily become that? Well, if that was true then I would be like Zin – pure as snow and more beautiful. But that was not me. I was Tor Winepsring, crippled by the shadow that grew up with me all my life. And now I would have to decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  Sleep came eventually, but it was short and fitful, a litany of dreams filled with half-formed fears and shadows.

  Shabren joined me in the wee hours of the morning, the sun was barely g
limmering along the horizon. He was sipping a hot drink. I was not offered any, though my mouth was dry and sour.

  “I have been thinking about your shadow, Tor. And what to do with it.”

  “Where are we?” I croaked.

  “On our way to a more civilized place,” Shabren said. “The Kav’ai are a terribly backward people, as I’m sure you saw. They need a strong hand to drag them into civilization.”

  “Is that code for ‘depravity’?”

  He barked a laugh. “You’re almost funny sometimes, boy. Out here in Kav’ai it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t take themselves entirely too seriously. Oh, don’t mistake me. I don’t plan to let you live. But I think I will like your shadow. I can see him, you know. He looks irritated. What’s bothering you, shadow?”

  It worried me that he could see the mimic. The other Tor shook himself and turned to examine Shabren coolly.

  “Your ugly mug,” he said.

  Shabren cuffed me so suddenly that I hadn’t had time to even flinch. I saw stars and one of my eyes was suddenly blurry. I coughed, the ropes biting into me as my body heaved.

  “I can’t punish a shadow, but I can punish his other half. And I will. So, no more insults. Let’s play nice.”

  “Nice is for little old ladies,” the mimic said and Shabren hit me again.

  I spat blood, my head ringing.

  “Stop,” I begged. Not to Shabren, but to the mimic. My lips were fat and my words thick. “Please, stop.”

  “Let’s try this again,” Shabren said easily. “You’ll need to learn to obey me, shadow.”

  “I obey no one,” the mimic said. He wasn’t even looking at me as I sucked in wet, blood tinged breaths. He was staring, mesmerized at Shabren.

  “Then you will be taught.”

  “To teach someone, you have to know something,” the mimic mocked.

  The boot I got in the belly left me moaning. Oh, stop! Please, stop!

  “We’ll try this again at noon. You’ll learn to listen to me, shadow.”

  Shabren strode out of my vision and I sagged in relief.

  “Please,” I begged the mimic. “Please.”

  “I’m you,” the mimic said breezily, “and you aren’t the obedient type.”