by D K Drake
“Food!” He unsheathed his sword, walked a few steps to the nearest tree and chopped off a cluster of round green balls. He picked one off and took a tiny bite. Sour! But tasty. He popped the entire ball into his mouth, winced as he chewed the sour treat, then found himself surprised by a juicy burst of sweet flavor that satisfied his thirst as well as his hunger. “That’s surprisingly delicious.”
After eating the twenty or so balls on the cluster, he chopped down several more clusters. He was halfway through devouring his third batch when he heard branches breaking and trees snapping and animals squealing.
He dropped the fruit and picked up his sword, ready to fight whatever dangerous animal was headed his way and causing all the commotion. The ground began to shake at the same time he noticed a big white blur weaving through the trees not too far in front of him.
Flashbacks to the sea monster squeezing his body and birds clawing at his skin triggered fresh sweat that trickled down his forehead and stung his eyes. Those attacks made him realize he wasn’t immune to death. What if this time he couldn’t escape death’s clutches?
He wanted help. He needed help. Only he had no one to call on. His father was too far away to hear him, and he had yet to find Mertzer. What about Javan’s God? Would Javan’s God hear him and help him? What should he say? How should he pray?
“Umm...God?” Micah looked up, hoping that Javan’s God was somewhere in the heavens. “Please don’t let me die.”
Micah wasn’t sure God heard him because the blur staggered to a stop. “Not good.” Micah held his breath and braced for an attack. Until he realized he was looking at his massive, muscular, white-scaled dragon. “Mertzer!”
Relief flooded Micah’s system. He didn’t need help from a God he couldn’t see. He also wasn’t going to have to return to Zandador as a dragonless Dragon Hunter. Better yet, he could focus on how to capture Kisa and Varjiek since he had Mertzer back in his possession. He was going to make his father proud after all.
Micah put his sword away. As the dragon approached, he noticed stacks of giant humminglo flowers strapped to Mertzer’s back with vines. “Why are you carrying humminglos? You’re my dragon. You shouldn’t be doing anything without my permission or a direct order from me.”
Mertzer bent his long neck and stared at the ground.
“Did Javan put you up to this? How did he get you to cooperate?” Micah’s next thought caused him to shudder. “Can you talk to Javan?”
The dragon slowly lifted his head and met Micah’s eyes.
“You can talk to Javan. He convinced you to help with the harvest, just like he did with his own Noon Stalker.”
That meant Javan could talk to any dragon, just like the Collector spoken of in the prophecy. So what should Micah do about it? Should he eliminate the Collector and ensure his father’s place on the throne? Or should he give Javan the chance to collect Kisa and overthrow Omri?
Where did that last thought come from? Why would he even think about giving Javan such a chance? Yes, he was a decent guy who cared about people and treated his dragon with respect. That didn’t matter. Javan remained his worst enemy. Micah must remain loyal to his father. That’s what he had been taught. That’s what he had been trained to do.
But had he been taught and trained to do the right things? Was staying loyal to Omri the right choice?
“I need to sort this out,” Micah told Mertzer. He didn’t know how to deal with these foreign feelings of uncertainty and doubt. He needed to find a way to restore his confidence. “Go ahead and take these plants to the boat, then come right back here for me.” Mertzer nodded and continued his speedy zig zag through the rain forest.
By the time he returned, Micah would have a decision. And a plan.
◊◊◊
Javan dragged another bundle of humminglos to the growing pile near the edge of the woods. Mertzer should have been back for another load by now. Where was he? Had Micah reclaimed him when he got to the boat and refused to let the dragon return?
Varjiek wasn’t around, either. After transporting most of the crew to the fields, he took off to hunt his noon meal. He was taking longer than usual. Then again, he had been expending a lot of extra energy and probably needed extra food.
The thought of food made Javan groan. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate and was starting to feel lightheaded after working out in the heat with only a minimal amount of water to keep him going. Taliya had volunteered to hunt food for everyone since she knew the area, but like the dragons, she had yet to return. He had a hunch her delay was related to her own dragon, and he wanted to sneak away to find her and Kisa. That sounded like a lot more fun than bundling humminglos.
At least he wasn’t cutting the flowers anymore using that annoying scythe. With its curved blade that projected to the side at the end of the long wooden shaft, the scythe looked just like the weapon carried by the Grim Reaper. In light of the fact that they used the tool to kill the humminglo flowers, it was a fitting metaphor.
What irritated Javan, however, was that the tool was made for right-handed people. Thanks to the angle of the blade, he had to hold the top handle in his dominant left hand and the middle handle protruding from the central part of the shaft in his weaker right hand. Twisting his body to the left while guiding his blade with his right hand through the lower stems of the flowers felt awkward and ineffective.
So Javan had been glad when Mertzer showed up just as Varjiek left to hunt his noon meal. The Dusk Stalker had approached Javan asking to help, and that gave Javan a reason to work on gathering and bundling the cut flowers with Kloe and Bree rather than operate the scythe.
“Mertzer’s back!”
Javan turned at Bree’s high-pitched exclamation to find Micah emerge from the trees on the back of Mertzer. Great. He had reclaimed his dragon. What would he do now? Use Mertzer to hunt Kisa or continue to help with the harvest?
Javan walked away from his piles of flowers to greet Micah. “We weren’t expecting to see you out here. You must be feeling better.”
“Not really.” Micah glared down at him from atop the dragon’s back. “I needed to come remind you that Mertzer is my dragon. I decide what he does and does not do.”
He is right, Mertzer said. I should have awaited orders from my master.
“I apologize.” Javan’s heart broke for Mertzer. If there was any way he could free Mertzer from Micah, he was going to find it. “I didn’t think you would have a problem with your dragon helping with something that would benefit your father. Besides, I didn’t order him to do anything. He volunteered to help.”
“That is nonsense. Dragons don’t think for themselves. They have to be told what to do.”
“Not in my experience.”
“Really? You’re telling me that Mertzer just came up to you and offered to carry humminglos to the boat?”
“Basically. Varjiek knew where he was and told him we needed help. He thus showed up and asked what he could do.”
“He asked?” Micah sat up a little straighter. “Are you telling me you can read my dragon’s thoughts, too?”
He’s testing you. He’s already figured out you can communicate with me, and it scares him.
Rather than answering Micah’s question directly, Javan shrugged. “Maybe.”
Micah just stared at him, making Javan wish he had the ability to read Micah’s thoughts as well.
◊◊◊
Micah didn’t want it to be true. It was bad enough accepting that this Collector could read the thoughts of any dragon, but Micah certainly didn’t want to believe dragons had the ability to think for themselves. That’s why they had to be hunted. They required human masters to think for them.
And Micah controlled Mertzer. Javan needed to understand that reality. “Whether or not you can read Mertzer’s thoughts doesn’t matter,” Micah said. “He belongs to me and my father, and there is nothing you can do to change that.”
“True,” Javan said. “But that doesn’t mea
n you can’t change the way you treat him. He’s not a mindless weapon. He’s a living being with thoughts and feelings.”
“He’s an animal, and I can treat him however I choose.”
“Like when you almost got him and your father’s other dragons killed fighting a Midnight Stalker?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Mertzer told me.”
“Oh?” Micah felt betrayed and wanted to punish the dragon for conversing with the Collector. “What else has he told you?”
“I don’t care who told who what,” Lydia said, marching up and interrupting the conversation. “All I care about is getting these flowers loaded on Mertzer’s back. We have to keep this process moving or we’ll never finish the harvest.”
“I’m done talking,” Javan said, “but we may need to wait for Varjiek. I’m not sure Micah wants Mertzer helping with the harvest.”
“Why not?” Lydia asked, looking up at Micah. She showed no fear of Mertzer, and Mertzer was probably telling Javan all sorts of secrets. When had Micah entered a world where people didn’t fear dragons and dragons could talk to people?
Micah sighed. He was going to have to allow Mertzer to transport humminglos in order to keep the peace with Lydia. It wasn’t part of his plan, but he could adapt. “We can’t add a load of flowers until I unload the food.”
“Food?” Lydia inched closer to Mertzer. “What food?”
“Fruit I found on the way here.” He tossed a cluster of the fruit down to Lydia.
“Bitterberries!” Lydia shoved a handful in her mouth and shivered until she swallowed. “Here, Javan. Try one.”
“Are they good?” Javan picked a berry and popped it in his mouth. After his bright green eyes teared up from the sour taste, the sweetness must have kicked in because he relaxed and smiled. “Weird but awesome. Thanks, Micah.”
Lydia turned and whistled to the crew working in the field. “Micah brought bitterberries. Come eat!”
As the dozens of people dropped their tools in the partially harvested humminglo fields and swarmed toward Micah, he wondered what had compelled him to bring them food. That wasn’t the kind of thing he had ever done before. People were supposed to provide food for him, not the other way around.
What was happening to him? When had he lost his edge and started thinking about helping other people? His father would be so ashamed.
Micah needed to reconnect with his ruthless self. The way to do that was to hunt Kisa. So while he left Mertzer with the crew to transport flowers, he would utilize the distraction of the harvest, slip away, locate Kisa, and chop off her tail.
Chapter 40
Celebration
Javan threw the last branch on the oversized pile of sticks and leaves in the middle of the flattened humminglo fields and backed away. “Now, Varjiek!”
The dragon whooshed down from the night sky, fire streaming from his mouth. The flames engulfed the debris gathered from the floor of the rain forest and created an instant bonfire designed to celebrate the end of the harvest. The weary warriors from Lower Keckrick cheered at the sight, and Cyr addressed the crowd around the fire once the cheers died down.
“Getting here was not easy. We lost two good men along the way, and many more of you suffered serious injuries. Then we had to work tirelessly for the past two days to harvest these humminglo plants. Yet we have accomplished the impossible by filling our cargo space with more than enough plants to meet King Omri’s quota!”
Whistles, claps, and joyous shouts rang through the air. Several people showered Javan with friendly pats on his back, and Javan added a few claps and whistles of his own to the fun. Micah stood further away. In the shadows. Arms crossed. Looking cranky.
He’d been acting strange since arriving on Mertzer the day before. He would disappear for hours at a time, then reappear, and pretend to help bundle the flowers so he could eat whatever Jili had cooked, then he would disappear again. Javan knew Micah had been searching for Kisa and had been tempted to follow Micah rather than stay and help with the harvest.
He only stayed because he knew from experience that Taliya was a good Protector, and he trusted her to keep Kisa safe. Taliya had been disappearing for long spells as well, and Javan hadn’t seen her since late that afternoon. Just as Cyr resumed his speech, Javan noticed her walk up on the opposite side of the fire from Micah.
“Our mission is not done,” Cyr continued. “We still have to travel through enemy territory to deliver our cargo to the King. Even with the protection of Varjiek, we must remain alert and ready to fight should the need arise. If we don’t reach Nahat by Tuesday, we will have no families or homes to return to.”
A heavy silence fell over the now somber crowd. Javan could feel the tension, hear the shifting of feet, and see the worry on the faces of his friends. He wanted to promise them all would turn out well and that they had nothing to worry about, but he knew better than to make a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep.
“Before we leave in the morning,” Cyr said, clearing his throat and speaking in a more upbeat tone, “we get to enjoy tonight. Relax around the fire, fill your bellies with Jili’s stew and dance to Orlan’s music!”
Orlan began playing a deep, thumping bass on his small wooden hand drum he brought over to the fields from the boat. Kai, Bree, Andre, and Kloe lined up and danced in a uniform rhythm to the beat while the rest of the crew created a half-circle around them and clapped in tune with the drum.
The dancing didn’t seem to interest Taliya, so Javan excused himself from the commotion, picked up two bowls of stew, and took one to Taliya. “Thought you might be hungry.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a half-smile, took the bowl from him, and sat on the ground. She swirled the spoon around the bowl but didn’t eat anything.
He ate a bite of his own soup and sat beside her. “You okay?”
“I will be. Just thinking about how much I’m going to miss this. Being around people. I might even miss you.”
The firelight made her eyes sparkle, and that made Javan’s stomach flip flop.
He suddenly felt too nervous to talk. He forced a spoonful of stew in his mouth, chewed the tiny chunks of meat more than he needed to and swallowed. That helped him regain his composure enough to speak. “You don’t have to stay here. Why don’t you come with us?”
“My home is here.”
“Your home is in pieces on the ground.”
“I can rebuild. And replant. I want to see these humminglo fields come to life again. Just promise me something.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll take good care of Kisa.”
Javan shook his head. “No.”
“Excuse me?” Taliya clanged her spoon against the bowl. “Why not?”
“I can’t take care of a dragon who doesn’t belong to me. She’s your dragon. You are the one meant to protect her.”
“You’re wrong. I have never taken any of her scales. She is a free dragon and belongs to no one. My mission has been to protect her only until the Collector with emerald eyes comes for her.” Taliya put her bowl down and stared straight into Javan’s eyes. “I’ve been protecting her for you.”
Javan gulped. “You have? You’re okay with me collecting her?”
“No. I’d rather keep her safe here. But that’s just me being selfish. The people of Zandador and all the Great Rift need you to collect Kisa.” She put her hand on his and squeezed. “You’ve proven your worth on this trip. I trust you now, and I know she’ll be in good hands. I just need to hear you promise to take good care of her.”
He squeezed her hand back. “I promise.”
“Thank you. Now finish your soup and call Varjiek. We need to get to Kisa before Micah does.”
Javan forgot about the soup and ran around the fire to the spot where he last saw Micah standing. Only Micah was nowhere to be seen.
Panic began to overtake Javan. Was he about to lose another dragon to the Hunter?
◊◊◊
<
br /> Micah abandoned the celebration before he could get any of Jili’s soup in his stomach. Now he was going to have to find something to eat on his own. In the dark. And eat it cold. That didn’t sound nearly as appealing as a hot bowl of soup filled with tender meat and wild parsnips.
If he had stayed, he would have wanted to dance. If he had danced, he would have felt relaxed, joyful, and content to be part of the group. If he felt those things, he would never be able to carry through with his risky plan.
He traipsed away from the fire and utilized the moonlight to navigate his way around the humminglo stumps to the nest Mertzer had made for himself at the edge of the trees. The white dragon rested peacefully in his temporary home on a soft bed of flowers. He had devoured his dinner a few hours ago and liked to take long naps after his evening feasts.
Tonight the dragon’s nap would have to be cut short. Micah only had until dawn to prepare the trap for Kisa, and he needed Mertzer’s speedy legs to transport him to the trap’s location.
He also needed Javan to follow him. His plan wouldn’t work without Javan following him.
Chapter 41
Hunting Kisa
“V
arjiek?” Javan’s voice wavered as he stared at the formidable waterfall the dragon was on track to fly them into. A thick, unforgiving rock wall waited behind the waterfall. “You might want to pull up so you don’t kill us.”
“Relax.” Taliya squeezed Javan’s waist a little tighter from her seat behind him. “I think your dragon knows what he is doing.”
The lady is right. Varjiek tucked his round wings halfway into his body and skimmed across the water that filled the bottom of the horseshoe canyon where Javan had first spotted Kisa. Now duck your heads. We are about to get wet.
“What? No! This isn’t a good idea!” The roar of the waterfall smothered Javan’s response. Varjiek kept his course, and Javan had no choice but to lean forward, bow his head, and pray for deliverance.