by C A Kinnee
Meara gasped. Her ball of fire evaporated. The forest was filled with the sound of fleeing men. Their shouts tangled together falling over her ears in broken bits.
“Run!”
“Rally to the First.”
“The Mage is victorious!”
“The First,” Kieran said grimly. “He battles the Mage. I must go to him.” He rolled over and scrambled to his feet. Loose dirt poured from his head and shoulders.
“No, Kieran. Not without me.” Meara grabbed the back of his cloak and pulled him back. “You aren’t leaving me here or stashing me in a cave. I’m going with you.”
She had too much invested in meeting this First of his—the possibility of a father.
“Then hurry. The Mage can’t escape. The First needs all of his forces.”
Kieran led the way, running across the broken ground, skirting gaping holes and jumping over piled earth. Grimly, Meara followed, trying to keep her eyes from the shattered men littering the battlefield. She tried to close her ears to the moans of the injured struggling to rise to their feet. The smell of blood and mud mingled in her nostrils.
They reached the edge of the trees as a searing light split the sky. The world turned white. The shock wave that followed tumbled them end over end like leaves in a windstorm. Kieran was on his feet before Meara, running towards the light.
Men poured from the trees. Their shouts announced the outcome of the battle.
“The First is victorious!”
“The Mage is defeated!”
Above the din, a calm voice spoke.
“You, Daalean, take men and push the swarm back to the edge of our land. The Mage has run, but he will be back. Use caution. His magic is weakened, not broken.”
The First, disheveled and exhausted, his eyes rimmed red from smoke, slowly made his way forward. His men surrounded him.
“You did well, my people. It is because of you that Helligon holds.”
Cheers erupted from the mass surrounding the First. The noise rivalled the crash of thunder.
“Kieran, wait.” Meara caught his arm and pulled him to a stop. “I . . . I can’t . . .” She looked at him beseechingly, unable to put her fears into words.
“Can’t what?” Kieran said, impatient to join the crowd.
“Kieran! Well met, brother.” Kieran’s mirror image stepped from the fog and wrapped him in a bear hug.
Meara stepped back, curious at her first sight of his twin. She frowned at the identical faces. How would she tell them apart? What if she couldn’t? Now that Kieran was back with his people, she would lose him. She hadn’t thought of that. Her throat tightened and she turned away, unwilling to reveal her weakness.
The move brought Orlan’s gaze to rest on her.
“Who is this?” he asked and frowned. “You travel to the walled town and bring back a rag picker?”
Meara’s chin lifted at the words. She glared into the gray eyes that were so like Kieran’s. On closer look, he was nothing like Kieran. His nose lacked the tiny bump that Kieran’s had. His gray eyes smiled too easily and a hint of laughter curved his lips. He was mocking her and expecting her to share in his joke.
Kieran glowered at his brother and draped his arm over Meara’s shoulders pulling her closer. Orlan laughed. His eyes danced with amusement.
Kieran ignored him and turned back to Meara.
“Can’t what?” he repeated.
“I think he’s . . . my Father,” she said in a shaky whisper.
Chapter 45
Danger—be wary.
Wait—watch!
In the darkness
pay heed.
Translated from the Chronicles of the Egg
“Your father?” Kieran gawked down at her. “Merdon.” He stopped and continued slowly, “I am a fool. Of course, somehow, you survived the attack on the caravan. That’s how you came to be in the walled town.” He looked struck stupid at the turn of events.
“We must go to the First. They are calling you,” Orlan broke in.
Kieran looked from Meara to his brother. She could tell the power of the twin link pulled him.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked.
Her eyes widened shocked that he would stay with her. The realization brought a glow to her cheeks. The words of the dragon were true. His link to her was stronger than his link to his twin. In that same moment, she knew she had to release him from their bond.
“Go to your people.” Bleak shadows pooled in her eyes. Fear suffocated her making her breath come in shallow puffs. What if the First didn’t want her, didn’t believe she was who she was? What if the taint of her blood was too great to overcome?
“You’d be a fool to stay here cowering in the shadows, girl. You have more courage than that.” A big hand landed on her shoulder, turning her around. She looked up at Metreo.
“You are alive!” She flung her arms around him hugging him with all her strength. The memories of their quarrels on the trail were forgotten in her joy at seeing him.
“Enough, girl. You be making me blush with your attentions.” The mocking rumble sounded pleased. “Now that the Mage is out of our hair,” he paused and rubbed his freshly shaven head. “Yours anyway,” he muttered. “You may be meeting your father without fear of fireballs and specters. Be brave.”
Still, Meara hung back. Kieran was arguing with his brother again. For the moment, she was forgotten.
“Did you get Rahdon?” she asked Metreo.
He uttered a bark of laughter. “No. He be attached to the cloak of the Mage like a lizard to a log. For now, I will let him run. It won’t be forever. There is much I wish to settle with the sniveling coward and his master.” The bleakness in Metreo’s voice made her shiver. “It be a wise man who picks the time of his battles. This fight is just beginning.”
“Meara, the First is coming.”
Meara jumped. She hadn’t heard Kieran approach. She turned in the direction he pointed and saw that he was right. The First had seen them. He had paused mid-step and was staring towards them as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Meara, go to him. You have to tell him. He lost his wife and his child. Go to him.” Kieran gave her a gentle push.
She looked at him, silently pleading for help, but neither Kieran nor Metreo moved to save her. Her heart pounded in her ears. She felt dizzy and light-headed, as if she might faint at any minute. This was worse than the darkness of the caves, worse than the first night in the forest. She wanted to turn and run.
The First stepped closer. The men around him fell silent. Somewhere in the distance, thunder crashed. The storm had turned and was moving out to sea, carrying the rain with it. The faint glow of sunlight glinted at the edge of a cloud.
The First looked like a man who feared to hope. He stopped and his eyes locked on hers, but he was a leader first and a father second. Before he could seek what was in his heart, he had to reassure his people. He raised his hands above his head.
“My people, the Mage retreats. The egg returns to its nest. The fate of our people is once more secure.”
He left unspoken the fact that they were only safe until the next time. The people knew that as long as the Mage and his followers existed, peace and safety were things that they must work to maintain. Their hope lay in pushing the swarm back over the mountain. From this point, onward, the people of the forest would be doubly vigilant, the guards at the trailhead doubled and fighters dispatched to ensure the Mage and his swarm continued their retreat.
“Tonight, we celebrate the return of the egg,” the First announced.
That brought roars of triumph. The First turned away from his men. He looked towards Meara and his giant strides ate up the distance between them. A few steps from her, he slowed and reached out his hand. It hung suspended in the space between them. They moved towards each other in the same moment, their arms outstretched, pushing away the pain of the past.
“You are real.” Alion’s voice splintered under the weight of his emotion. His a
rms wrapped around her and he held her tightly, as if he thought she would vanish if he let go. Finally, he released her and stepped back. His gaze moved over her face, tracing the shape of her nose and the curve of her cheek. “You have your Mother’s face,” he whispered.
The world around them vanished. Meara blinked away tears. If just one fell, she would drown in the deluge that followed.
“Don’t cry, Meara. You’re safe here. You’ve come home.”
“Do you really think—?”
“You are my daughter. If there was any doubt, this amulet,” his fingers opened, revealing the tiny bag, “would remove it. Your Mother made this for you at your birth. Into it she poured her love and protection. Only you can wear it. Anyone else will lose it in the unraveling of the knot. No. I know you for who you are.”
He placed the cord around her neck, stepped back and looked at Kieran.
“You have done well, Kieran. Not only have you returned the Harmony egg to our people, you have brought my daughter home.”
The First’s face creased into a smile and his granite eyes softened. He reached out and clasped Kieran’s hand in a tight grip.
Kieran stared. For as long as he could remember, Alion had held himself apart, like a great rock at the ocean’s edge, strong and immoveable, alone at all times. Meara’s presence offered a glimpse of who Alion had been before tragedy destroyed his world.
“And you, Metreo. It’s almost a pleasure to see you again.” Alion’s smile widened. “The people of Helligon thank you for your aid. You have played a great part in the return of the egg and my daughter.”
“Perhaps you will toss her back once you be exposed to her prickles.” Metreo laughed at his own joke, shrugging off the part he had played. He looked at Meara and one black-rimmed eye closed in a solemn wink.
Meara’s fingers held tightly to the First’s hand. If she let go he would vanish and she would be back in her shanty in Vendonne, seeking answers to the problem of her growling stomach.
“I think we can smooth her thorns.” The First smiled down on her.
“You see, I told you so.” The egg’s words were smug.
Meara looked up and met Kieran’s gaze. They shared a smile. This time both of them heard the egg. Kieran pointed, and Meara turned to follow the direction of his finger. Shakala was perched at the broken top of a dead tree. Drifting cloud obscured the brightness of her emerald scales and silver wings, but nothing could disguise her shape.
“My thanks to you, young Meara, and to you, Protector. May the clouds that shade your vision be driven off by the brightness of the sun. We shall meet again to fulfill the bargain I made with Makeion so many years ago. Until then, summon me at will.”
Shakala spread her wings and swept into the sky. Her scream cast a pall of silence over the open space as all eyes turned to follow her path. With a flick of her pointed tail, she climbed higher and vanished into the clouds.
The humans were silent, the First, with awe at the sight of the dragon, the others from the fatigue of a long hard journey.
The First spoke first. “Come, daughter. It’s time to meet your people.”
Meara’s heart lifted and she stepped forward, ready to meet her future.
The End
GLOSSARY
adameo (ah-dam-A-o): a vanishing spell
Alion (Ah-lee-on): The First of Helligon
Allego (All-ay-go): the wizard chosen to bond with the egg
amea (ah-may-ah): a light conjuring spell
amosa (a-mo-sa): a poisonous bug with 12 legs
Badaleo par Furone (Badda-lay-o par Fur-own): the leader of the Godseekers
barone bush (bah-rone bush): a spiky shrub
Baylon par Dimion (Bay-lon par Dim-eon): Innkeeper at the Inn of the Waking Rooster
Beornon par Vanone (Be-or-non par Va-nohn): leader of Vendonne’s street gangs
caneberry: a hedge like bush
centons: money
Cliffs of Ravaan (cliffs of Rah-vanne): the site of Shakala, the dragon’s nest
clonons (clo-nons): cloned assassins created during the Meeachon Wars
Confluence: a great city; once a center of wisdom and learning, now a ruin
Corbin: a vicious boar-like animal with long fluffy ears
Crone of Carmeath: a fabled witch who sucked the life force from her victims to make herself younger
Daalean (Dal-ee-on): the leader of the trackers in charge of training the scouts of Helligon
Danika (Dah-nee-ka): wife of the First of Helligon, sister of the Mage of Remarne, mother of Meara
Dark One: evil
Darone (Dah-rone): a great general during the Meeachon wars. He turned to evil, becoming the first of the great mages
Diomortes (deo-morts): mythical black-winged predators with a taste for blood
Dragon’s Pommel: a flat saddle of land near the dragon’s nest. This is where Helligon leaves offerings of cattle for the dragon
duchean birds (dew-chee-an birds): black and white birds
Eir: the Harmony egg’s dragon name
enjeening: strange mechanical boxes left by the ancients
Finian par Ravon: he was responsible for letting evil into the Forbidden Zone during the Meeachon Wars
Forbidden Zone: the part of Vendonne. It is said that death haunts its streets
Forest of Cranog: the forest surrounding Vendonne
Frightlights: flickering lights that lure travelers to their deaths
Godseekers: religious fanatics who rule the streets of the old quarter
Guaian (Guy-ahn): the soldier who kicked the Crone of Carmeath out of her garden
Harmony egg: the dragon’s egg that Meara found
Heartvine: a deadly creeping vine with vibrant red flowers
Helene of Helligon: leader (along with Orlion) of Helligon during the Meeachon Wars
Helligon (Hell-i-gon): the forest home of survivors of the Meeachon Wars
Howler: Meara’s name for the creatures that attack her and Kieran in the Forbidden Zone
Jahkon Mage of Remarne (Jah-khon Mage of Reh-marn): the last of the great mages
Jargon: a giant carnivorous tunneling worm
Kaladin (Kah-la-din): Kieran’s father
Kieran (Keer-ahn): a scout of Helligon. He is responsible for the loss of the egg
Laurana (Lor-ai-na): the dark city of great Mages
Liodon Sea (Lee-o-dan Sea): the sea beneath the Cliffs of Ravaan, the location of the dragon’s nest
Mage of Remarne: the leader of the dark mages
Makeion (Mak-ee-on): the son of Helene and Orlion, the leaders who made the pact of peace with the dragon
Mandagar (man-da-gar): a species of deer
Mazzimo par Ozwali (Mah-zee-mo par Oz-wa-lee): Shay Lann’s father, one of the Godseekers
Meara (Mair-ah): finder and bond-mate of the dragon’s egg
medino lizard (me-dee-no lizard): a type of lizard
Meeachon Wars (Me-ah-shon Wars): the wars that split the world
meechan berry (meech-on berry): a berry rich in sugar and fiber
Mehart (Me-heart): the man chosen by the Mage of Remarne to marry his sister Danika
merdon (mare-don): a curse
Metreo (Me-tree-o): a mercenary working for the Mage
Miandrogas (mee-an-drogas: a band of murderers and slavers who prey on caravans. They follow the Mage
Mindnumb: a powerful sleeping draught
Mistress par Raymon: a wealthy woman of Vendonne. She hates Meara
Mountains of Behrone (Mountains of Beh-rone): mountains between Vendonne and the Cliffs of Ravaan
Murkwing: a raven Meara rescued as a hatchling
Nexus: an area of peace protected by magic
Old Quarter: the last populated area near the Forbidden Zone, home of the Godseekers
Orlan (Or-lan): Kieran’s twin brother, a wizard
Orlion of Helligon (Or-lee-on of Hell-i-gon): First of Helligon (with Helene) during the Meeachon Wars
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Plains of Warnod: the great plains located between the Forest of Cranog and Laurana
Praile (Prale): Kieran’s uncle. He and his family were murdered by the Miandrogas
The Protector: what the egg calls Kieran
raeling (ray-ling): a tree-dwelling creature resembling a feathery dust mote. It throws dung when angry
Rahdon (Ray-don): a fanatical disciple of the Mage. He travels with Metreo
Rensaar (Ren-sar): the sole survivor of a strange attack on a band of Helligon’s hunters
rikiri birds (rye-keer-ee birds): a type of noisy bird
rumor bush: a bush with fat purple berries
Shakala (Sha-ka-la): the dragon
Shay Lann par Dimion: Meara’s friend and foster mother
skinsore bush: a bush with sharp thorns
southern plains: plains near Laurana where Vendonne’s armies have battled Miandrogas
stovrek (stoh-vrek): a bloated grey plant covered with a dust that leaves a luminous trail
streeters: the homeless on the streets of Vendonne
The Great One: Good
Vendonne (Ven-don): an ancient walled city
Vintabas (vin-ta-bahs): fabled creatures with delicate multi-colored wings
montang birds: a type of yellow bird
Zarnache par Chandon (Zar-nash par Shan-don): Captain of the town watch
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Kinnee is a free-lance writer living on the west coast of British Columbia. When’s she’s not tied to her laptop, she’s out exploring what BC has to offer.
Visit her at her website: carolkinnee.com