Dragonslayer

by Tui T. Sutherland

  But he wasn’t with the guards, and they all looked very angry. Daffodil said it wouldn’t do any good for Ivy to get arrested for no reason, and that it would only make them search harder for the others who were hiding nearby, which was a good point.

  They weren’t in the village, exactly. Pine had taken them to the spot where most of the banished hid at first, a kind of ancient temple farther off into the woods. Two of the walls were missing, with only weathered marble columns left to hold up the roof on those sides. But at least there was a roof, and a mostly covered corner to tuck into, and a window to leap out of if anyone approached, though no one did.

  Ivy wished she could find out more about the temple. It was carved all over with dragons — flying, roaring, lounging on clouds, prowling through trees, snarling at each other. She would have liked to draw them.

  By the time the guards left, it was past midday, and Ivy’s notion about going home was wavering. She’d been gone long enough now that her father could be sure she was with the fugitives, especially after the lie she’d told the guards in front of Foxglove’s door. She wondered what her mother had said to him, too. She wondered whether he was also looking for Daffodil.

  She wondered whether she’d even be able to look at him now without giving away that she knew his whole Dragonslayer story was based on a lie.

  Maybe she should give him a couple of days to calm down … but she couldn’t stop worrying about Violet and Foxglove and the others. Would he punish them right away? What would he do to them?

  Then, the next day, an unexpected visitor appeared in the village ruins. Ivy and Daffodil were in a tree, watching for more guards or the little gold dragon Ivy had seen, when they saw someone in a green uniform slowly picking his way through the rubble.

  “That’s Forest!” Daffodil said, surprised.

  It was, in fact, the goofy class clown and fellow Wingwatcher who had a crush on Daffodil. He looked a lot more serious than Ivy had ever seen him. He stopped in the center of the town square, shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked around mournfully.

  “Maybe he can tell us what’s happening,” Daffodil said.

  “Unless he’s working for my dad,” Ivy said, although she didn’t want to.

  Daffodil stared at him for a moment. “I don’t think Forest would betray us,” she said. “Do you? Really?”

  Maybe now was the time to become a suspicious person; to watch everyone for signs of treachery and keep her secrets well hidden. Violet would certainly tell them not to trust anyone.

  But wasn’t that exactly how her father had ended up like this? Ivy didn’t want to become paranoid and distrustful. Her instinct was to trust Forest. That was the person she wanted to be.

  “Let’s go talk to him,” she said, shimmying down the tree.

  Forest’s face lit up when he saw them waving from one of the fallen buildings. He hurried over and crouched behind the wall with them.

  “Oh, man,” he said. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “You too,” Daffodil said, hugging him. “I thought maybe they arrested all the Wingwatchers!”

  “No, but most of them,” he said. “Including my mom.”

  Ivy gasped. “Commander Brook? Why?”

  “There was a big mandatory meeting today,” Forest said. “The Dragonslayer told everyone that there’s a price on his head, and the Wingwatchers have been plotting against him for years.”

  “Whaaat?” said Daffodil.

  “What does he mean by ‘a price on his head’?” Ivy asked.

  “He said the lord of the Indestructible City wants him dead.”

  “But he doesn’t,” Ivy said, puzzled. “The lord wants Dad to come work for him — he wants his own dragonslayer. He’s sent so many messages about it. If he wanted Dad dead, there have to be easier ways than trying to lure him to the Indestructible City.”

  Forest spread his hands. “I have no idea, but that’s what he said. He said people have been trying to kill him for years, but never succeeded, so the lord started scheming with the Wingwatchers, and finally he sent an assassin to help take him out. After that, the Wingwatchers were going to take over.”

  “But that’s not true!” Daffodil said indignantly. “The Wingwatchers aren’t sneaks and murderers! Their conspiracy isn’t an assassination plot!” She caught Ivy’s startled expression and added, “I mean … um … if there were a conspiracy, and if I knew anything about it, which I certainly don’t …”

  “Daffodil!” Ivy said, smacking her shoulder. “What do you know?”

  “Well, I … might have tricked Violet into telling me a few things,” Daffodil reluctantly admitted. “Things I really really promised not to tell you. Because you wouldn’t want to know! You don’t need the stress! was my position on the situation.”

  “Such as?” Ivy demanded.

  Daffodil squirmed for a moment, then covered her face and blurted, “OK, fine! The Wingwatchers wanted to organize a vote. They wanted to see whether the people of Valor might be interested in having a different leader — someone who actually fixed things, paid his or her debts, and never banished people. That’s all, though! There was no assassination plot and definitely no conspiracy with some random, faraway lord.”

  “You could have told me that,” Ivy said. “I would have helped you guys. I don’t think my dad is a great lord either. Getting him to retire peacefully would be perfect. I mean, speaking of people who don’t need the stress. He’d be so much happier without all that responsibility, I think.”

  “I’m not sure I should be hearing this,” Forest interjected. “My mom has been trying to keep me conspiracy-free my whole life.”

  “Where are Violet and the others?” Ivy asked. “Are they all right?”

  “For now,” he said. “The Dragonslayer wants to capture the assassin so he can execute them all together.”

  Daffodil gave a yelp and overbalanced.

  “Execute?” Ivy said faintly. He can’t mean that. He wouldn’t really execute my friends … and the other citizens of Valor wouldn’t let him … would they?

  “What assassin?” Daffodil asked. “Who is he talking about?”

  “That new guy,” Forest said. “The one who’s been wandering around Valor asking lots of questions about the Dragonslayer.”

  “Oh no,” Ivy cried. “Leaf isn’t an assassin! He’s never even been to the Indestructible City!”

  Forest raised both of his hands palms up. “He could come back and try to explain that, if you know where he is. But he might be executed on sight.”

  “Dad’s never executed anyone before!” Ivy protested. “What is going on? Isn’t anybody trying to stop him?”

  “How?” Forest said hopelessly. “He’s got the guys with the weapons, and he sounds very logical when he talks about it. You know: He has to stop his enemies! It’s part of keeping Valor safe! And so on and so on. I think half the people agree with him and half of them are afraid if they say anything, they’ll be accused of being part of the conspiracy.” He glanced around. “I mean … that’s one of the things I’m worried about anyway. I don’t see what I can do by myself.” He ran his hands down his tunic, as if he was wishing it would change into a less dangerous color.

  “We’ll think of something,” Ivy said. “I should talk to him.”

  Daffodil shook her head. “Ivy, no. He’s not in a listening mood.”

  “I have to go,” Forest said. “I’ll try to come back if there’s any news.”

  “Thanks, Forest,” Daffodil said, squeezing his hand. “You are doing something, you know. Coming to tell us all this, that was something.”

  He gave her a wan smile and left.

  Ivy considered sneaking into Valor that night, but it began to rain, and she didn’t want to leave a trail that could be traced back to Daffodil and Leaf. It rained all that night, while she thought about what she could say to her father, and all the next day. By evening, the rain had invited along some hurricane-style winds, and the roof of t
he old temple was doing a particularly pathetic job of protecting them.

  Leaf and Ivy and Daffodil sat huddled together with their cloaks over their heads, trying to brainstorm, since it was impossible to sleep — although apparently not for Stone, who snored on a blanket nearby. Ivy’s feet were cold, even in her boots, and raindrops kept sneaking under the cloaks and smacking her in the face or dripping down her back. This was really not helping with her general feelings of hopelessness. Maybe Forest was right, and there wasn’t anything one person could do, or three people, or anybody.

  “What if we go to the Indestructible City,” Daffodil suggested, “and get the lord to write a letter that says he doesn’t know Leaf and isn’t plotting with anyone?”

  “That would take a long time, getting there and back,” Leaf pointed out. “And I’m not sure the Invincible Lord can be trusted either. If we go to him for help, he might use the situation to take over Valor himself, or something worse we haven’t even thought of.”

  “Can we bargain with my dad?” Ivy offered. She took the sapphire out of her cloak pocket and watched it glimmer wetly in the dark. “We could tell him we’d give the sapphire back if he lets everyone go. I’m not sure he likes it enough to agree to that, though.”

  “And I still think you’re right and we should give all the treasure back to the dragons,” Leaf said.

  “I don’t even think he likes being lord of Valor,” Ivy said. “I think he’d be so much happier if he could just drink and hang out with his friends and tell tall dragon tales all day.” She sighed. “I wish the Wingwatchers had pulled off their actual conspiracy. Now even if he lets them go, he’ll never trust them enough to make a deal with them.”

  Later that night, the rain finally stopped, and Leaf and Daffodil both fell asleep propped against the wall. Ivy still felt restless, so she got up and walked through the forest to the ruins.

  Why does Dad keep hurting people? she wondered, running her hand along one of the blackened walls. The same thing changed both Dad and Stone — killing the dragon and losing Rose. So why did Stone become all sad and shut down, while Dad took more and more power and started using it to be terrible?

  She sat down on someone’s old front step and took out the sapphire. It caught the moonlight like a trapped cobalt spirit, shimmering deep in the gem. She cupped it in both hands, closed her eyes, and rested her forehead on its cold surface.

  What do I do? Ivy asked it silently. How do I save my friends from my dad? How can I stop the dragons? How do I get everyone to stop fighting?

  She wondered if the little gold dragon was as kind as the brown one who’d helped Leaf. I wish I could get up closer and study it, and find out what it was really like. She pictured the gold dragon in her head, each sunlit scale and perfect claw.

  And then suddenly the dragon was in front of her, and she was standing in a desert.

  “Whoa,” Ivy yelped, jumping back. Her feet stumbled in the sand as the dragon let out a cry and took a step back, too. They stared at each other for a long moment.

  Am I dreaming? Just like that? Ivy wondered. When did I fall asleep?

  Something moved on the gold dragon’s shoulder, peering around her neck.

  A person. There was a person on the dragon’s shoulder, looking back at Ivy. She was about the same age as Ivy’s mom, with long tangled dark hair, but there was something familiar about her face. She leaned forward to study Ivy and smiled.

  Ivy gasped. It’s Aunt Rose!

  But not the Aunt Rose in the drawing — this Rose was twenty years older.

  The dragon took a step toward Ivy and Ivy stepped forward, too. She pointed at her aunt. “Are you real?” she asked. “Are you Rose? Are … are you still alive?”

  But Rose didn’t answer. She patted the dragon’s neck and the dragon growled something, flicking its tail at the sapphire in Ivy’s hand.

  The sapphire … What if it was magic? What if it was showing her the little gold dragon wherever she was right now?

  Wait — then it might be showing the dragon where Ivy was, too — and that she was holding a piece of dragon treasure.

  Ivy clutched the sapphire to her chest with a yelp of alarm and her eyes popped open.

  She was still in the ruins, alone. A cold, wet gray morning was slowly coalescing around her. There was no desert, no little gold dragon, no Aunt Rose.

  And yet, Ivy was sure it had all been real, somehow. She looked down at the sapphire, turning it over in her hands to see if it had any magic words inscribed on it. Nothing that she could see. She tucked it into her belt and ran back to the temple.

  “Uncle Stone!” she cried, pelting up the steps and between the columns. She crashed to her knees beside him. “Uncle Stone, wake up. I think Aunt Rose is alive.”

  “Here’s what we do,” said Ivy. “Steal horses, ride to the desert palace, rescue Aunt Rose. Ride back, bring her into the city of Valor, show everyone that she’s still alive. Everyone celebrates! Everyone is thrilled! Dad is so so happy that his sister isn’t really dead after all, it fixes his whole brain. I say to him, hey, Dad, you don’t really want to be lord anymore, do you? And he’s in such a good mood, he says, yeah, you’re right, let’s free the Wingwatchers and let them elect a new lord instead. And then we all live happily ever after! It’s such a great plan!”

  “That sounds like one of my plans,” Daffodil objected. “The kind Violet would heartily make fun of.”

  Leaf didn’t want to burst Ivy’s bubble — her face was all lit up for the first time since seeing the golden dragon, and she was so full of hope. But he couldn’t imagine any single part of this plan actually working out.

  “Ivy,” Stone said, pouring cold tea into a cup. “I know this feeling. Believe me. I had a dream about her, too, remember? I sent myself on a pointless yearlong quest as a result. But it’s not possible. She’s really dead.”

  “This wasn’t a dream!” Ivy said. “This was magic! Look, in your dream, was she still the teenager you remember?”

  “Yes,” he said slowly.

  “In mine, which wasn’t a dream, it was totally a vision, she was twenty years older. The age she really is now! And she was with the golden dragon! In the desert! I think the dragons have her out there!”

  Stone handed her the tea and took the sapphire, examining it like a vegetable that might turn out to be poisonous.

  “If she’s with dragons,” he said, “why haven’t they eaten her?”

  “I don’t know,” Ivy said. “She was on the dragon’s shoulder, as though she rode around on it all the time. Maybe they’re keeping her there like, like, like that parakeet Violet’s dads had for a while, remember? Or Daffodil’s pet rabbit! Maybe the dragons think she’s cute.”

  “Dragons don’t keep pets,” Stone argued. “Humans are the only species who do that.”

  Leaf tried to remember whether he’d seen any pets in the mountain palace. He could kind of imagine the little red dragon having a pet, but certainly none of the big scary ones who smashed goats with their talons.

  “We have to go find out,” Ivy pleaded. “If there’s a chance she’s in that palace, still alive, don’t we have to go see?”

  “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh,” Stone said, burying his head in his hands. “Yes.”

  “What?” Daffodil cried. “I thought you were talking her out of this madness! I would have said more things if I knew she was convincing you. Ivy, what if the dragons don’t think you’re cute and they end up eating you? I mean, obviously I think you’re too cute to eat, but dragons might not be smart enough to realize that!”

  “Also the flaws in every other part of the plan,” Leaf said. “(a) Going back into Valor to steal horses, (b) trying to get into the dragon palace, (c) coming back to Valor and hoping the Dragonslayer is happy to see you … all of these things sound kind of impossible, Ivy.”

  “I’ll go get the horses,” Stone said, standing up. He pointed at Ivy as she started to get to her feet. “Alone.”

  “But
you can’t go to the palace without me,” she said. “I’m coming, too. You have to promise you won’t go without me.”

  “Or me,” Leaf said. “I’m the only one here who’s escaped from a dragon palace before. I can be useful.”

  “Also me!” Daffodil said. “I’m not at all useful, but I don’t want to sit here wondering if you’re all dead!”

  Stone waved his hand at all of them. “I will get what I can get,” he growled, and stomped off into the forest.

  “What about the treasure?” Ivy said. “Should we take it with us? Maybe we can exchange it for Rose!”

  “I don’t think there’s any safe way to get it, Ivy,” Daffodil pointed out.

  That was probably true. They debated it for a while longer, but even Ivy had to agree it was too risky.

  “We can take them the sapphire, at least,” she said. “Maybe that’ll be enough.”

  By nightfall, Stone still hadn’t returned, and Ivy had practically paced a groove around the temple. “We could walk to the palace!” she cried. “Who needs horses? I shouldn’t have let him go. It would only take a few days to walk to the palace, right?”

  “Through the blistering hot desert,” Daffodil pointed out. She was lying on a blanket with her arm over her eyes. “With no water. That would be a very efficient way to die.”

  “Let’s go back to the ruins,” Leaf suggested. “Maybe your friend Forest has come back, or maybe we’ll see Stone on his way.”

  “Yes, please!” Daffodil said. “You guys go. When Ivy’s the one wearing me out, something is seriously wrong with the universe.”

  Leaf lit a small lantern that Pine had left for them, and he and Ivy set off toward the ruins.

  “What do you think about walking to the desert palace?” Ivy asked.

  “Let’s give Stone a chance to come back with those horses,” he suggested. “I think it’s pretty hot out there.”

  “I just feel useless,” Ivy said, waving her hands as though she was drawing a picture of all the nothing she was doing. “I don’t know how to stop my dad, I don’t know how to get the treasure to the dragons, I don’t know how to make everyone stop being angry. I feel like the only thing I can maybe do is go rescue Aunt Rose. Don’t you think that would make everyone feel better?”