The Witch (Dragon Eyes Book 1)

by Kristina Hlaváčková

  “So I am also just a reminder of something that should not have happened?” The hurt in Elena’s voice was so audible, not even Ashka could have missed it.

  “You have a rare gift. You possess powers so strong that not even the elves can ignore it. Whether they like it or not, you are of their blood and they have to accept that. Their blood and the Gift of Dragon Power.”

  “So they don’t want me here, but there is nothing they can do about it?”

  “I would have never put it like that,” Ashka commented, taken aback.

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Elena asked a question Ashka hoped would never come. She went quiet. Why wasn’t she ready for this? Elena’s silence was more telling than anything she could have said. The girl was waiting for an answer, feeling she deserved it.

  “Some secrets should never be told.” Another moment of silence. “Would it have changed anything if you had known?”

  “I would have been prepared,” Elena murmured and went silent for almost the rest of the shared journey.

  “Does Father know?” Elena asked when the trees began to spread.

  Ashka nodded. “We have no secrets between us,” was an answer that seemed to soothe Elena slightly. They were running out of time. Suddenly Ashka felt the need to vindicate herself: “I did not want to burden you more than necessary.”

  “Hmm,” was the only answer she got. Ashka stopped her horse. Surprised, Elena followed her lead. They were at the edge of the wood, it was time to say goodbye. Ashka dismounted and when her daughter followed suit, she hugged her.

  “Don’t forget you are a daughter of the Berber, the Adragon and the elves. You could not have been of a prouder descent. Do not let anybody convince you otherwise.” Elena embraced her tightly, unwilling to let go, but it was nevertheless a quick goodbye.

  Ashka mounted her saddle and quickly spurred her horse. The men of her guard soon obstructed Elena’s view of her mother’s departing back. For a long time, Elena watched them go, long after they had disappeared high on the cliff path.

  “We should return, dear,” Llillam said quietly. When she turned her grandmother’s sad eyes on him, he felt thunderstruck, but did not let it show. Elena gave him that one look and then turned her attention to the trees towering above her.

  If she is an offspring of the elves, why doesn’t she have pointy ears? she thought and made a mental note to ask someone. This, however, was neither the time nor place.

  “Mother knew how to find her way around the forest. How?” she asked instead. She needed to occupy her thoughts with something else then being in a strange place with strange people; being left behind by her own mother. Llillam smiled at her. Slowly, he started back into the forest, leading his horse by the reins. Elena and Michael trailed after him. Odd. All the other elves disappeared, except for Nolan, the sentinel commander from two nights before. Llillam pointed at one of the trees.

  “Find a sign on this tree.”

  Michael and Elena looked at each other. Llillam took a step back, folded his arms and waited. It was a huge tree.

  “It’s got to be on the outside side of the trunk, or ya’ wouldn’t be able to see it coming in,” murmured Michael.

  “It’s not going to be obvious,” commented Elena.

  “What ya’ think it looks like?” That was a good question. Didn’t Mother tell her something about the marks? Elena thought she remembered something vaguely. They both searched the tree trunk; she even ran her small fingers over the bark. Nothing. And then she realized something. She was a shrimp. Even her brothers taunted her because of it. Elves, on the other hand, were very tall. Besides, what good would be a sign you could not see from a distance?

  “What ya’ thinking?” Michael was quick to notice she had an idea.

  “We’re looking for a rune, I think. It’s not going to be big and it will look like it’s part of the bark. I’m guessing it would glow in the dark a bit, but just a bit.” She went silent, slowly backing up. “I think it should be visible from a distance, otherwise you wouldn’t have a chance to find the path. Should be visible from the saddle.”

  “Makes sense.” They retreated so far that they got almost half way to the cliff. Suddenly, Elena stopped. Narrowing her eyes, she cocked her head first to one side, then to another.

  “There is something shiny over there,” she pointed. Michael tried to see what she was showing him. Elena had to admit it was helpful to know which tree held the mark they were looking for. Michael was at loss, so she started to describe where to find the subtle sign. Finally, even he managed to discover it.

  “Sure! Got it!” he exclaimed happily and they started walking back. Both had to concentrate to maintain the rune in sight. Meanwhile, Elena tried to explain what she remembered Mother telling her about the sings.

  “So we’re looking for a system?” Michael summed up.

  “Something like that, yes.” Their horses, who were previously so happy to be leaving the enchanted woods, were now reluctant to return into its gloom. Slowly they walked the path, looking for the runes marking it. The more they found, the easier it was to see the next one. Both Llillam and Nolan watched them silently. Suddenly, Elena halted. She left Ashkent standing in the middle of the path and began to walk around one tree. For a moment, she wandered through the undergrowth alongside the path and then returned to her horse.

  “How do we find our way through the forest when off the trail?” Elena thought out loud.

  “That’s what I wanna know. The forest is … weird. It’s different from any other I’ve seen. Can’t see the sun or the sky. Can’t tell, if ya’re keeping ya’ direction, nor which way ya’re going,” Michael agreed. Llillam nodded. And that was the beginning of their first lesson. They left the path and began learning about the forest. It took them almost all day to get back to the forest city. Both elves took turns in explaining how not to get lost, and how to find themselves again, should the children lose their way.

  The elves spent their whole lives getting to know the forest. And their lives were very, very long. Llillam watched his granddaughter weave her way through the woods. It brought back far too many memories since she was almost an exact mirror reflection of her grandmother, just many years younger. Thanks to her mother’s schooling, Elena had surprisingly extensive knowledge of many things, but he knew it was still going to take years to teach her all she needed to know. And then he realized something. The forest was whispering. As it had always done, but … The trees sensed everything happening around them. And they were communicating with each other. The tone of their rustles was different. Elena drew their attention. It seemed as if every living creature of the forest was watching her. The forest was intrigued and fascinated. What Llillam did not notice however, was Nolan’s keen interest in the girl; how closely he watched everything she did and how she moved and the questions she asked. Nolan had a feeling.

  ◆◆◆

  Elena’s head throbbed. The forest emitted an unbelievably sweet aroma. That, however, was not all. It felt as if someone was pounding her temples with a hammer. A big hammer. Someone or something kept constantly testing her mental shield. It took quite an effort to protect her mind and concentrate on what the elves were teaching her all at the same time. She wanted to remember as much as possible, but it was exhausting.

  She opened her eyes. The stud above her head was still the same. Her temples were throbbing. The headache was getting worse by the minute. She registered motion and turned her eyes. Something was happening with the fruit bowl. Dawn was hours away and she couldn’t sleep.

  That apple was moving. No, the entire bowl was moving. Slowly, but surely. In the darkness, Elena carefully turned her head to see well. Could she be going mad? The fruit bowl had legs. Tiny, brown legs. And not only one pair, but several of them. Elena closed her eyes and opened them again. Not only did the legs not disappear, but the bowl had transferred to the edge of the table.

  “Hop, hop!”

  “Nay, nay!”
r />   “Hop, hop!”

  “Nay, nay!” Suddenly, the dish seemed unable to decide what to do next. One moment it scurried back, the next moment it scurried forth. Gradually it staggered towards a by standing chair. Once again, Elena could hear the quiet “hop, hop.” The bowl jumped, landed lopsidedly on the seat, staggered and tipped out an apple.

  “Crikey, crikey, bugrid!” squealed the bowl, trying not to spill its entire contents. Finally, it found its footing and after another “hop, hop,” jumped off the seat. All the legs disappeared for a moment and the bowl clunked against the floor. Slowly, Elena sat up and dropped her feet to the ground.

  “Bugrid! Hush!” the bowl proclaimed, stood up and ran towards the door. Elena followed it. The dish bounced down the stairs and darted across the piazza towards the trees. Elena ran after it, however the bowl’s speed was quite remarkable.

  “Bugrid! Hop, hop, hop!” shouted the vessel and accelerated even more. It was getting away. Elena jumped. With the tips of her fingers, she caught the loudly cussing tableware and tipped it over, sending fruit rolling in the grass.

  “Bugrid!” yelled someone. A tiny figure flashed past Elena’s face. While she struggled to get back to her feet using only her legs and one arm, Elena grabbed for the figure and caught something. She lifted her hand to eye what she was holding. It was a dinky manikin. Before she could get a good look at him, he sunk his teeth into her finger. Elena yelped and dropped him. Before she could react, the manikin was gone.

  “Bugrid!” she vented in low voice, sucking her bitten finger. Though she had no idea what the word actually meant, it sounded right on. She looked around.

  “Damn!” Following the bowl, Elena had wasted no time on watching her surroundings, and now she had no clue where she was. And it was dark.

  “Damn!” And her head was throbbing something terrible.

  “Trouble?” The voice startled her so much she jumped. It took her a moment to register where it came from. It was from the inside of her head. And it was familiar.

  “Wilbur?” She asked the darkness around her. Somewhere, the dragon nodded. Elena decided not to ponder how she knew it. Questions ran through her head, but they all seemed somewhat stupid. One by one, she rejected them, finally settling on: “Where are you?”

  “I know where I am, but do you?” the Wilbur asked instead of answering. Elena looked around. Things would have been much better had her head not hurt so badly. She shrugged.

  “I wasn’t paying attention to the forest.” Which was dumb! Oh, dear! And the dragon. On top of everything else. It made her jittery, when he appeared inside her head. It would have been all right, if she could see him, but right now, she felt like a loony. Who else would be talking to themselves, or worse, to the darkness?

  “You should not be wandering around the forest alone. Not after dark.”

  “Most of all, I should be watching where I’m going.” Was she imagining things, or did she hear a quiet beat of huge wings somewhere above her? She looked up. A shadow swooped above the trees.

  “Here you are! Hello.” Things were a lot merrier when she knew the dragon was physically present.

  “Hello, Beastie.”

  “Are you looking after me?” Elena asked and he didn’t answer, simply circling above her. She shrugged to herself.

  “What was that?” she asked absentmindedly.

  “What was what?”

  “That bowl was running. It had tiny legs. And not only one pair, it had quite a few of them. And I saw tiny manikins. One of them bit me.”

  “Is that why you are in the forest?”

  It really sounded like a stupid idea. Oh well. Had it been daylight, what would she be looking for? She would find her way by means of the trees. There was just a bit less light right now. Elena began to contemplate the trees and tried to suppress a feeling that the trees were contemplating her.

  Her head was throbbing. Somewhere nearby, leaves rustled as Wilbur landed. Finally, she was getting an idea of which way she should go. Something was moving in the forest behind her. She turned. The reptile emerged from the shadows, weaving through the tree trunks. Moonlight shone on his scales. Fangs glistened. In the night full of shadows, he looked even greater than in broad daylight. Elena tried to calm her racing heart. It was, after all, night and the forest was full of strange sounds. She wasn’t terrified, however she had to admit, she was a bit scared.

  “I should go that way, I think,” she commented questioningly. Wilbur nodded.

  “Will you accompany me?”

  Wilbur didn’t answer; he simply started to walk slowly, almost lazily. Elena watched him move, not sure if he was edging his way through the trees, or if the trees were getting out of his path. The thought made her even more uneasy.

  “So, what was that?” she asked again, picking up the bowl and the fruit she could see.

  “I don’t know, but rumor has it that Pygmies live in the forest. They have not been seen for years, however.”

  “Neither has anyone seen dragons down where I come from,” she observed almost walking side by side with him.

  “Why aren’t you asleep?” Wilbur inquired.

  “A walking, talking bowl woke me up.”

  “You should be careful.”

  “But I am.”

  “Is that why you are in the forest at night and alone?”

  “I’m not alone. You are here. And so are those little biting midgets.”

  “Come on, now. You should go back to bed,” he said in a concerned tone of voice. For quite some time now she knew where she was. Light was sporadically blinking through the trees as they were nearing the piazza.

  “Hm.” Almost absentmindedly, she stopped, turned to him and began to caress his snout. Wilbur narrowed his eyes appreciatively, enjoying her warm touch. Finally, she decided he was right, that she should get some sleep. Rubbing his nose for the last time, she thanked him and wished him good night.

  3 CHAPTER

  THE FOREST HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN

  From out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw Elena receive a blow and fall to the ground. For a split second he dropped his guard and Öron hit him hard. Ignoring it, he left Öron standing where he was and ran to the girl. She was getting up very slowly. In fact, she only managed to slowly sit up. Failon, who had been training her in combat, was bending over her.

  “What did ya’ do to her?” Michael barked at him. Failon didn’t even look up.

  “Eli?”

  She turned tired far-away eyes at him but seemed not to register him.

  “Enough! I’ve had it!” she mumbled and clumsily began to scramble to her feet.

  “I beg your pardon?” wondered Failon.

  Michael raised his eyebrows. “Eli?” he tried. Elena paid attention to neither of them. She stood up, swayed, and against all their protests marched wobbly towards the forest. Öron watched her a moment, then turned and disappeared. Michael followed her. Even though she was wavering and quite unable to walk straight, it took him a while to catch up with her.

  Her head was throbbing so bad, it felt like it was going to burst. Nothing she had tried so far had helped. And she’d tried just about everything!

  “I’ve had it! Go mess up somebody else’s brains!” she murmured to herself angrily. Michael caught up with her at last, grabbed her hand and turned her towards himself. Elena tried to focus on him but her eyes just ran over him. Breaking away from his grip, she hurried further into the trees.

  She needed to get away from the elves and the forest edge wasn’t far enough. Passing more and more tree trunks, Elena proceeded deeper into the woods. And then she stopped. It was so sudden, Michael almost walked into her. Her temples were hammering now.

  “Enough!” she yelled and her voice bounced back, multiplied by a strange echo. The trees rustled. All of a sudden, Michael had an uneasy feeling that everything around him went oddly quiet.

  “I said enough!” Elena yelled again. The echo returning her voice was not normal. Could
it possibly be getting colder? A lot colder? Whenever Elena exhaled, he could see her breath condensate in front of her mouth. Instinctively, Michael took a step backward.

  “Who are you?” Elena inquired. Michael took another step back. And another one, and another. Having no clue why, he was trying to get out of the girl’s reach as fast as he could. As fast as his feet and the uneven terrain allowed with his eyes still fixed on Elena.

  “What’s going on?” someone barked, startling him. Behind him stood Alivan, the queen of elves. He gasped. How the hell did she get there?

  “No clue. But she’s having bad headaches lately. And she is really tired and sorta’ beside herself,” he snuffled.

  “Who are you?” screamed Elena into the trees again. No answer. Just her voice echoing back at her, bouncing against almost complete silence. Her head hurt even more.

  “I’ve had it!” she bellowed, even though her hope that something would change, was fading fast. The cloud escaping her lips was getting whiter still. Had it not been for her voice and the hum inside her head, the silence would have been absolute. Perfect, dead silence. There was no sound whatsoever, no birds singing, nothing had moved, even the leaves had stopped whispering. The forest waited. What was she doing here? How did she get here? And then a thought occurred to her.

  “Who are you?” she whispered and her voice came back to her in that same, weird loud echo as before.

  “Enough!” whispered she, and the forest thundered back at her with her own voice: Who are you! And that was a mistake. Elena’s eyes changed. Her pupils narrowed and lengthened, her irises turned from dark brown to bluish green.

  “You want a battle, you shall have it!” The forest boomed with a voice that came out of her mouth, but didn’t really sound like hers.

  While Elena concentrated on the power trying to break through her mental protection, things began happening around her. The air in her closest vicinity vibrated. And then again. And again. She attempted to broaden what she called her mental shield. At the same time, she searched for the entity still venturing to get inside her head. Later on, when Michael asked her about it, Elena told him she had tried to create a protective bubble around herself, so she could sink into the other consciousness.