From the Ashes
Jan 13, 2017 21:53:56 GMT -5
Post by 🍂 Elkpelt 🍂 on Jan 13, 2017 21:53:56 GMT -5
I recently wrote an original short story and even though I know no one will read it I thought I would post it just in case. If you do happen to read it please give me feedback! I would appreciate it!
------------------------------ Chapter 1 ------------------------------
I hate Pigs, I thought bitterly as I attempted to corral them into the slaughter pen. Filthy, demented animals. One of the boars raised his tusks at me getting ready to charge. I sighed, of course they couldn’t cooperate just this once. Winter was almost over and we were getting ready to sell off the last of our livestock before summer, when most families hunted for themselves.
I whistled sharply and a short stout horse trotted over weaving his head like a snake. He whinnied and stomped, spooking the enraged boar. I smiled at the stallion. His name was Tovio, meaning “Hope.” I had raised him from a foal. He was 14 hands and had a beautiful dun coat. He had a white mane that stood straight up about four inches and a long flowing white tail. I pet his neck fondly. After my mother’s death, last year, he was the only one there for me.
“Ash!”
I looked up from my daydream to see Father standing in the back doorway.
“Ash, hurry with them pigs before lunch!”
“Yes, Father!” I yelled back.
Tovio and I finished rounding up the pigs quickly, securing them in a wood pen. I walked up the dirt path to my house. It was a small rectangular space I had lived in all my life. In one corner, our fire pit sat, a small hole in the ground filled with ashes. In the opposite corner, there was a stairwell down to the cellar where we kept our meat. Two doorways, with sheets hung over them, lead to our two simple bedrooms. On the walls, leather hung, drying. The floor was covered in mismatched pelts, some soft, others rough. Compared to others in our village, we had it good. Our house was well insulated and we never went hungry.
Father sat hunched over the fire cooking eggs on a hot stone. Father was a tall, muscular man with deep brown eyes, a full head of dark brown hair, and a mustache. Not unlike me, who was also tall and had long auburn hair, but I got my bright green eyes from my mother.
“We had better slaughter those pigs before they wreak havoc on the cattle pen, Father,” I commented, pulling off my worn boots and sinking my toes into the thick white pelt below my feet. It was only mid-day and right after lunch it would be work time again.
“Yes, yes, right after lunch. Here, take this.” He handed me a wooden plate laden with fried eggs.
“Thank you, Father.” I sank down, squirming to the right when my knee touched an itchy hog pelt.
“Father, now that the deer are arriving in the woods… do you think maybe I could…” He cut me off there.
“Ash… I know you love to hunt, and it’s good for business too. But you know how unseemly it is for women to hunt!”
“But Father! It doesn’t matter what they say, we can always use more meat in the cellar!” I tried to reason with him.
“We go over this year after year!” he said, shaking his head.
“And every year I win, Father!” I told him.
“But many of our calves died last year. We were low!” he tried to explain.
I sighed. I knew I would win eventually. The hog would sell out and we would get tired of eggs at every meal. I would let it go… for now.
The sun feebly shown through the clouds, warming my back as Father and I walked out to the hog pen. The pigs stood together in a corner, squealing like they were on fire. Outside the pen, a large oak tree grew, its branches extending over the corral. I whistled, calling Tovio. He came running from the forest that lay on the other side of the pen.
“Good Boy, Tovio.” I patted his snout. “Your gonna help me with these hogs today, boy.” I walked over to the pen’s door and lifted the latch. I opened it just wide enough so that Tovio could walk through. Then I latched the gate behind him.
“You better be careful with that horse, Ash, those hogs are vicious,” Father warned.
“He can handle them,” I answered. Father handed me a long rope. I swung it over my shoulder and headed to the big oak tree. I hoisted myself into the lowest branch, climbing until I found the branch I was looking for. It was long and thick and hung over the pen, above the hogs. Tovio was keeping them right where I needed them to be, chasing stray pigs back into the group. I wound my rope around the branch and then made a noose on the other end. I let the noose fall into the hogs, hanging onto my end. Taking the rope, I swung it around below, trying to get it around a boar’s neck. Finally, I caught a small sow and pulled. She squealed and struggled, her little brown body blending into the herd’s. I pulled, letting the branch do most of the lifting. When she was right below my branch I grabbed her front legs and quickly wound it around all four. Lifting her onto my lap, I turned and threw her down to Father, who was waiting outside the pen, ax in hand. I continued fishing for hogs and tossing them down until Father had about 10 at his feet.
“That’s good for the day, Ash!” he called up to me. My arms trembled from the strenuous work, and sweat ran into my eyes. But we weren’t done yet.
“Ok, grab his back feet ‘an help me haul ‘em in.”
“Yes… Father…” I panted. I hunched over, grabbed the limp feet and lifted him up. Beside our back door was a stairwell to the cellar that connected to the one inside. We carried the carcasses down into the cold room that lay beneath our house. When we reached the room, the stench hit me. Hanging from the ceiling were some of the cattle we had butchered before winter, only about four remained. Father hoisted the legs onto a peg that hung from the ceiling.
“Ash, go grab the skinning knife, would you?” he asked, panting.
“Yes, Father.” I twisted through the dead animals to reach the stairwell that led up to the house. Sprinting up the stairs, I spotted the knife laying by the fire. I scooped it up and headed back downstairs.
“Thanks,” he said when I handed him the knife. It was very old and had been handed down through the generations on my mother’s side. Engraved in the white bone handle were dragons. But these dragons were different. Unlike the myths, these dragons had fur and paws like wolves. I was to get it when I turned 18, a time that was only a week away.
Father cut the skin from the hog’s feet, then he grabbed and pulled the skin, causing it to slide off like a sock. After slitting its neck, he left it hanging to drain the blood.
By the time we finished hanging all the hogs, it was dark and we both were famished and sweaty. For dinner, we ate beef and eggs and treated ourselves to a glass of milk. We sat by the fire for a while, enjoying the heat and flickering lights.
“I’m going in to town tomorrow. I heard many traders from Legar arrived a few nights ago. If you want to go, I suggest you ready your dress. You can’t be seen in trousers,” he teased.
I smiled excitedly, “Thank you, Father!” I kissed him on each cheek and skipped cheerfully off to bed. My mattress of hay lay of the floor, covered in a thick goat skin. I undressed and slid into my nightgown. After brushing my hair, I slid into my furry pelts thinking of my exiting day tomorrow.
------------------------------ Chapter 2 ------------------------------
I woke at the crack of dawn, hopped excitedly out of bed and threw on my best dress. It was sandy brown with green trimming lace that matched my eyes. It was cinched tightly at the waist with lace and fell loosely at the bottom. My short sleeves were puffy and a large green bow was positioned below my right sleeve. I brushed my auburn hair that fell past my shoulders, keeping it down as is customary until married.
I stumbled into our main room where Father was folding leather and putting them into his basket along with a few crates of eggs. Father frequently sold his leathers to Mrs. Seemer whose son was a Tanner
“Good morning, Ash, you look lovely!” He told me looking up from his work.
“Thank you, Father!” I said twirling around in my dress.
I ran out the back door and after feeding the animals, whistled to Tovio. On our house wall hung his brown leather halter. I grabbed it and buckled it on.
I led him around the house to the front to wait on Father. When he walked out I took the basket and fastened it onto Tovio’s withers.
“Can I get a leg up, Father?” I asked. He nodded and helped me up onto Tovio. I squirmed excitedly, sitting side saddle.
Father, who was walking beside Tovio, lifted an arm then threw it forward. With an, “Onwards!” we were off. Our house looked pretty shabby from the outside. Unshaven logs lay crisscrossing each other to form a rectangle. The door, also wood, stood in the center.
The trail we were on was long and worn down by years of traveler’s feet and hooves. We would travel about thirty minutes before we arrived.
“Ash, when we get there, you go to the traders with eggs and sell them two shillings a crate, remember?” He said kindly. Then he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a green pouch. I looked at him with surprise.
“Just a little something to spend before your birthday,” he responded to my silent question. I leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you, Father.” I told him. We continued until we had reached the edge of town. We were a very small village in the middle of nowhere. So, naturally when we get traders, it was a happy and rare occasion.
All the houses were built like ours, (though some were much nicer,) and had plenty of space between them. Most had gardens and hens but didn’t bother much with fences. We were a town where everyone knew and trusted one another.
We entered through the back of the village, weaving our way through houses until we came across the town “courtyard,” which was now a canopy of vivid colored tents and clothing. I squealed, excitedly moving with Tovio’s steady walk.
“Alright, now I am going to see Mrs. Seemer,” Father told me. “Go find a good place in the crowd to sell.”
“Yes, Father!” I responded, hurriedly clucking Tovio into the throng. People parted to let me through as I looked for an empty table. Seeing one on the sidelines, I hurried on, jumping off Tovio when we were there. I grabbed the basket and set it on the table, looking out into the un-familiar faces.
“FRESH, LARGE, EGGS; TWO SHILLINGS A CRATE!” I yelled, but it was loud and my voice was lost in the crowd.
Just as I was beginning to become discouraged, A young man walked up to me and my eyes widened. He was tall, tan and very handsome. His light brown hair kept falling in his deep brown eyes that looked knowing and wise.
“Good Morning, my name is Fizan.” He flung the hair out of his eyes. “I’ll take two crates.” His voice was light and flowy.
I reached into my basket and pulled out two dozen. “That will be one dollar.”
“I just moved here from the mountains. Do you live here?” he asked, handing me the coins.
I passed him the eggs. “Yes, my father is the butcher here,” I responded.
“That’s good. I’ll need to get in touch,” he told me.
“Yeah, sure. We live up just east of here, past Dead Rock Cliff, along a dirt path. You can’t miss it!”
“Good! I have some time tomorrow. I’ll stop by. See you around.” He gave me a mysterious smile and disappeared into the crowd.
------------------------------ Chapter 3 ------------------------------
I woke early the next morning and slid into my trousers and top. I brushed my hair and pulled on my boots. It was early and I needed to care for the animals.
I stepped down the two stairs, from the porch, and walked down the familiar pathway. To my left were the chickens and to my right were the twenty breeding cows we kept over winter. I fed the chickens the seed hanging from the bucket outside the door, then gave the cows some hay and grain.
I was excited for today. My best friend, Fern, was coming over. She had been gone for over a month with her father and had just gotten back last night.
I watered all the animals and went back up to the house. Father was still in bed so I went to wake him. His bed was in the corner where he was sprawled out snoring.
“Father…” I whispered softly. He stirred as I reached out to shake him awake. But before my hand reached him he began to mutter.
“Tell her! Got to...!” His eye lids flickered quickly. “She’s like you! Can’t leave her alone while you get yourself killed! Your sister? Live with them?! No!” He threw his fist out weakly in his sleep. “18……” he said before he yawned and stretched. I quickly slipped out of the room, through the white curtain and into my room.
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. What did he mean I was like her? Mom didn’t even have a sister. He was probably just having a bad dream. I had no idea how my mother had died, all I knew was that one day she had disappeared and a month later a strange lady had brought her body back.
My heart clenched at the thought of her. We had been close and when she left I had been, still was, confused. I wondered why she would leave me with no warning. After she died, I pushed everyone away. The only person who never left was Fern…
I forced those thoughts out of my head. Father had just been having a bad dream, and today was going to be a good day!
Then I heard a soft knock on the front door. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door swinging it open, but my smile fell when I saw who was standing in the doorway.
I blushed when he smiled. “Ohh… it’s you,” I stuttered.
“I appreciate the warm welcome.” He said smoothly. The smirk on his face undoubtedly made me turn red as a beet.
“I was expecting a friend today,” I stumbled out.
Fizan smirked, “Well I envy that friend- are you going to invite me in?” he asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.
“Oh, oh of course,” I blushed, stepping aside and welcoming him with an arm.
He walked in and looked around. “So, what type of meat were you looking for? We have pork, beef, chicken and we’ll have venison soon,” I said, changing the subject.
“Well, what’s the best? You’re the expert here,” he responded.
“Umm, well, I guess it just depends on what you-” I was cut off by another knock on the door.
I gasped and ran to the door, swinging it open. There was Fern, a bag slung over her shoulder. I embraced her while we both squealed with laughter.
Fern had a small stature, about five inches shorter than me. She had a head of thin blond hair and her light blue eyes stood out against her matching top.
We separated and laughed, and then I remembered Fizan standing in the corner.
“Uhh... Fern this is Fizan.” I gestured to Fizan, who had a look of extreme amusement on his face.
Fern looked at Fizan. “Ooo… I haven’t seen you in town before. You move here?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip and using a flirty voice. I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, I moved here a few days ago from the mountains,” he responded plainly.
Fern looked disappointed when he didn’t return her flirty tone. I cleared my throat.
“Well, Fizan, let me help you finish up deciding. If you want it to go in soups and other dishes go with beef. For mass go with pork, and quality taste would be chicken. But it’s more expensive.” I ticked them off on my fingers. He was about to respond when Fern clucked. She stared at him.
“Ash, Ash, where are your manners?” she said disapprovingly. “Fizan, why don’t you join us while we go on a walk?” She blinked her eyes innocently; apparently, she hadn’t given up yet. She stared at him.
“Umm, sure,” he said.
I looked at Fern harshly. This is going to be interesting, I thought.
“Umm, well I guess we can go!” I said breaking the awkward tension.
------------------------------ Chapter Four ----------------------------
“So, Ash, have your father and Mrs. Seemer gotten together yet?” Fern prodded.
“Of course not!” I replied in horror. “Father would never marry an old widow like her.” I gave Fern a look of disapproval.
“Well, you never know. She’s a big flirt and you know your father…” She continued to babble on while we walked through the woods towards town.
Through the beginning of our conversation Fizan said very little. But he had gradually relaxed and was now debating with Fern whether pelts from wild boar or goat were more durable.
“Hey, you guys wanna go up to Dead Rock Cliff?” Fern suggested. We were almost to town and had just started seeing houses. The sun was bright on my eyes.
“Fern, that’s back the way we came! Besides, the traders are all still selling. It’s only just afternoon. Let’s see what they’ve got!”
“Oh, fine,” she responded. Fizan nodded.
“Sounds fun. let’s go,” he added.
I turned to take a shortcut past Fern’s house, which was just ahead.
“Ash, let’s go this way.” She nodded to the dirt road. I raised my eyebrows.
“Why? It’s right past your yard,” I said, turning towards her house.
“Ash, well I didn’t-” But she was cut off by a loud screech.
“FIRNESE! YOU GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT. YOU DID NONE OF YOUR CHORES. HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO TAKE OVER THIS BUISNESS WHEN YOU’RE SNEEKING OFF TO YOUR FRIEND’S HOUSE EVERYDAY? I HAVE HALF A MIND TO KICK YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSEHOLD.” Fern’s short, plump mother stood in her doorway, fuming.
Fern ducked her head and started walking home. “Sorry, Ash, I’ll, uhh see you later… maybe,” she said over her shoulder. She trotted through her little open fence up to the door where her mother stood waiting, arms crossed and a large scowl on her face.
Fizan let out a soft chuckle. “I feel bad for her, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a real mother,” his voice slurred off.
I looked up at him. “Oh, I’m sorry…” I tried not to be awkward. “At least I got to know my mother. But she died last year.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he said a bit awkwardly.
I nodded then realized, “Wait, how did you know my mother died?” I asked a bit confused. He looked up as if being caught.
“Well, actually, I knew your mother. Not well, but we met a few times...” He said a bit cautiously. “And, you see, I need to tell you something. I, uhh, came here to find-” but my father’s call cut him off.
“Ash? Is that you?” he called from the street.
“Yes, Father, I’m here,” I yelled. He walked over and stood in front of me and Fizan.
“Who’s this?” he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Fizan.
“This is Fizan, he’s a friend,” I told father.
“Where you come from, boy?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“The mountains, sir. Actually, I was sent by Lily. She said to give you her greetings,” he said respectfully, but his eyes narrowed dangerously and he stood tall, almost eye level with Father.
Father’s eyes widened, “How dare you come here! She won’t be going, I tell you!” He poked Fizan’s chest with his finger. “And you tell Lily to leave her be!”
“You don’t understand. She’s in the prophecy! Without her, our whole thunder will die! And many others around the world. You may not like us, but I knew your wife, and she would have wanted Ash to go. Either way, she’ll start turning and, without training, she would be a danger to your village!” Fizan pleaded with Father.
I gasped at them. What were they talking about? Thunders and prophecies? The two men stared at each other, fuming.
Father turned to me, “Ash, go home. Now.” he told me.
“But…” I stared at both of them, speechless. Were they out of their minds?
I turned around when Fizan spoke, “Ash, you’re different, special. You can do extraordinary things if you give us a chance! Your mother was one of us. She would have been proud.”
Father looked at Fizan sharply, while I stared at Fizan.
“Ash. Now.” he repeated.
I turned on heel and strode off into the woods. The sky was still bright but shadows had started creeping through the clouds, warning that evening was coming.
I continued to walk silently until home came into sight. I walked through the door and straight to my room. I sat on my bed with many thoughts and questions swirling through my head. Unable to focus on one, I laid down and went to sleep.
---------------------------- Chapter 5 ----------------------------
I woke with a start and sat up. In the darkness, the previous day washed over me and I struggled to capture every moment of it. When my head had cleared, I clenched my fists, determined.
I was going to find Fizan.
***
I slung on my coat and opened the back door quietly. I grabbed a lamp and began down the path. It was dark and cold and my breath appeared like a ghost in my path.
I whistled softly to Tovio, hoping he was somewhere near. I heard him nicker and I whistled again. His hooves made a soft thump in the dirt. He appeared in front of me and I patted his nose.
“Come on Tovio, lets go,” I said. I jumped onto his back and clucked him on. Until then, I realized I had no idea where Fizan lived. I grunted angrily and grabbed Tovio’s mane, where I felt something under my fingers. Tied around Tovio’s neck was a bit of string. I pulled it around and found a bit of parchment tied to it. It said, “Meet me at Dead Rock Cliff. –Fizan.”
Well that was easy, I thought.
I turned and cantered into the dark woods just as I heard the sound of a door opening behind me. I wove through the woods until the trees cleared and the dirt turned to rock. Tovio was a bit ansty and spooked at small sounds. By now, the sun had come up enough that I could see without the lamp. Not wanting to carry it, I put it somewhere I would know to retrive it.
We contined to walk until the cliff lay in front of me. I slid slowly off Tovio and walked to the edge looking down to the jagged rocks that lay hundred of feet down. I shuddered and backed away.
“Hello,” said a voice.
I spun around and saw Fizan stroking Tovio. He walked over to the egde and looked out at the sun rising over the mountians.
“Beautiful, isnt it?” he asked. I stared at him.
“It’s kind of hard to see the beauty when you’re balancing on the edge of death,” I said motioning to his feet, which were half curled over the cliff in the air.
He smiled. “I don’t have to be afraid of this cliff and neither do you.You see, that’s partly what I came to tell you. I really don’t know how to do this, so I’ll give it to you straight. You are part of a prophecy that tells that you will defeat someone that is destroying thunders around the world. You can shapeshift… into a dragon. So could your mother, and so can I.” He said this like he had done this before.
I gasped at him, and shook my head.
“Fizan, I think you’ve had too much to drink. Get away from that cliff!” I motioned towards me.
“Ash, I’m not drunk. Just listen!” he pleaded.
“No! I can’t believe I fell for this! Your just a drunk fool!” I spat. I turned to walk away but Fizan grabbed my arm.
“I don’t know why I even try.They always have to find out the hard way anyway,” he mummbled to himself. He dragged me over to the edge of the cliff.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked again.
“YOUR INSANE!” I screamed at him struggling to get away.
“You’ll thank me later,” he said, and with that he pushed me away and I fell.
The wind whistled in my ears. How could he? I saw his face in my mind and anger coursed through my body. I was going to kill him! And then that was my only goal. I roared and then I was flying. Flying back up the cliff. Up to Fizan. I spotted him standing on the egde of the cliff and I roared, diving at him. I tried to land in front of him but he had to dive out of the way as I landed heavily.
The jolt helped me regain some of my senses. My eye caught sight of a pinecone and the clearness surprised me. It was like my vision had intensified. The anger that had been inside me now simmered down. I spotted Fizan standing arms crossed, looking smug. I turned his way, but was caught off guard by how small he was.
I looked down at my hands, but instead there were two white paws. I froze and turned my head to looked behind me. But insead of my auburn hair, a grey body stood, complete with a pair of grey feathery wings. I tried to scream, but it came out as a powerful roar. I cut myself off, surprised.
Looking over my shoulder at Fizan, I saw him walk over. He was small, only coming up to my shoulder.
“Ash, its ok. Calm down.” He held his hands out towards me, “What’s wrong with me?” I sobbed. My body fell to the ground, and he pet my snout.
“Ash, concentrate on yourself. Your human body, picture it in your mind,” he said.
I concentrated on myself, running through the forest with Tovio.
Fizan prodded me, and I opened my eyes.
I sat up and saw my two legs streched out in front of me. I was wearing the same clothes I had worn before… before…. I looked up at Fizan. He looked at me, amused. And I imagined I deserved it.
“Believe me now?” he asked.
“I think so,” I responed. I blushed and stood up, brushing the dust from my trowsers.
“Mind if I tell you a story?” Fizan asked.
“I guess so.” I said. He sat down and patted the earth in front of him.
“Once upon a time there was a thunder of dragons-”
“Oh- that’s what thunder means. Sorry keep going.”
“And in this thunder, a young girl was born, but she was special. You see, we dragons come in many breeds according to our personailities. But there is one breed regarded above all, the Dutch Angel dragon. This breed is smaller than all the rest and is no good in battle for they have fur and paws, instead of scales.”
My eyes widened. “Hey! When I was… you know a dragon. I had paws and fur! Am I a…a….”
“Dutch Angel dragon? Yes. And as it happens, so am I.”
I stared at him.
“They don’t seem very rare to me…” I said.
“Well, considering you, Minca, and I are the only ones at this time out of thousands of other dragons around the world, I’d consider us fairly rare.” He smirked.
“Who’s Minca?” I inqired.
“Well, you’d find out if you let me finish my story.”
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“Anyway, this young girl was born to two ordinary dragons. But when she turned for the first time, everyone was amazed. She was a Dutch Angel dragon. She was beautiful, kind, and everyone adored her. But one day when she was 19, her mother grew fataly sick and died. She was absolutly devestated. She and her mother had been extremely close.
“In her sorrow she grew deeply depressed and began to search the land for miracle workers and witches. But through her travels, her heart grew dark and she went to extreme measures to get what she wanted. Her name was Minca.”
My eyes widened, “Minca. So, she is still alive?” I asked
“Yes, and now she is traveling through Tamera with an army, destroying every thunder she finds,” He said. I saw deep sorrow in his eyes.
“Wait, I thought you said Dutch Angels were no good in battle? How could she get such a big army?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, Dutch Angel dragons have powers of persuasion. Many say we can control minds, but it isn’t true. We can just persuade others to do our will. The breed has always had the ability,” he said.
“So, she convinced hundreds of dragons to follow her into a battle they most likely won’t survive?”
“Well, that’s sort of the general idea, yes. Except, when she finds thunders, she doesn’t go to war with them. She just persuades the warriors to join her, then slaughters the rest,” he told me slowly.
I couldn’t belive what I was hearing. It was totally sick.
“Why does she do it? Does she think it might bring back her mother?” I asked.
“Some say she’s trying to become a god, others to get revenge. But most say she’s just mad,” he told me.
“Well, why hasn’t someone tried to kill her?” I asked.
“Many have! But through her travels, she has managed to make herself almost impossible to kill or harm. She has even stopped herself from aging. There is only one way to kill her and it was lost hundreds of years ago,” he told me.
I lowered my head.
“But,” he began again. “There is hope. Eighteen years ago a child was born in my thunder and a prophecy was made that she would be the one to defeat Minca. Knowing that her child would be in danger pf Minca’s wrath, her mother raised her in a human villiage, sheltering her from her destiny unill she came of age. At eighteen she would return to her Thunder, seek the lost dagger, and defeat Minca. That girl is you.”
He stared into my eyes. I gasped. That was impossable! Me, defeat an indestructable dragon?
“Fizan, no! I think you have the wrong person! Why can’t you do it? You’re
like me. You’re a Dutch Angel dragon with mind stuff!” I blabbed, a bit panicked. I stood up and tried to walk away but Fizan was quick, he grabbed my arm.
“Ash, you don’t undestand! We need you. I need you.” He looked into my eyes, capturing me with his look of desperation.
“Fizan… I don’t know. I wouldn’t be of any use. I can’t fight and I have no idea where your dagger is!” I plead.
“Ash, please. All our lives depend on you- including your aunt!” he bargained.
“Aunt? My mother had a sister?” I asked, surprised.
“Well, adopted. But they were raised together.” he told me.
I looked into his eyes and melted. Maybe I wasn’t a hero, but I had to do something.
---------------------------- Chapter 6 ----------------------------
“Shh… Ash, let’s go,” Fizan whispered through back door. I wrote a quick note and set it on a stool. It said: “Father, I am sorry, but I must go. It’s what Mother would have wanted. Please take care of Tovio while I am gone. I love you, Ash.”
“Ok. I’m ready,” I said.
We ran from the door to the edge of the woods. When we got there, I heard Tovio following. I lay a hand on his neck and hugged him.
“I’m sorry, boy, but you can’t come this time. I love you.” He whinnied and stomped.
“Go home, boy,” I told him sternly. He backed away, reluctantly.
“HIYA!” I shouted, smacking him on the rump. He reared and ran away as a small tear slipped from my eye. Fizan put a comforting hand around my shoulder.
“Come on,” he said gently, leading me away.
***
We arrived at the cliff by late morning.
“It’s a week’s journey on foot. So, we’re gonna have to fly,” he said softly. “We should get there by tonight.” I nodded but shuffled my feet nervously.
“Just like you did turning to human earlier. Imagine your dragon’s form and concentrate on it. Hard.”
I closed my eyes but… “I don’t really know what I look like.”
He hesitated. “Right. Umm, well, you’ve got a light grey body with blended white feet, underbody, and wings. You’ve got a short white mane and spikes on your tail and face. And a big white splotch on your face covering one eye and muzzle. And you’re roughly half the size of a house.”
I closed my eyes trying to imagine this form.
“And it’s important you remember. This isn’t someone you know. It’s you.”
I concentrated on this image in my head, and then…
“Ash.” I heard Fizan say. I opened my eyes.
Wow… I thought. Everything I saw was so much more focused. I looked at Fizan’s face, able to distinguish all the small flaws.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.” I replied. I watched, and then his face and feet elongated and he grew until a dragon only a bit bigger than me stood there. His fur was a dark russet brown, but he had a black underbelly, wings, and paws.
“Wow,” I said.
“Quick flying lesson. For the most part, it should come naturally but you want to watch out for air currents. They’ll grab you and push you either up, down, left, or right. If you get caught in one, just let it take you until it weakens then get out. Got it?” he asked.
“Well, guess we’ll see.” I responded, a bit nervous.
“Ok, just follow me!” He walked to the edge of the cliff and jumped, propelling himself into the air and flapping his big feathery wings.
I walked to the edge and took a deep breath.
Here I go! I thought. Then I jumped into the empty air.
I fell for a few seconds before instinct kicked in and I spread my wings.
The feeling of flying was amazing. I flapped and glided, trying to catch up with Fizan. I was almost there when something grabbed me and pushed me up. I began to panic, flapping and turning in the air until it let me go. I looked around for my attacker, but no one was there.
It must have been one of those air currents, I thought. Even further behind Fizan, I continued as fast as I could.
When I finally caught up hours later, I was panting and sweating hard, my muscles burning.
“You alright?” he asked.
I didn’t answer but panted and flapped slowly losing altitude.
“Let’s break for lunch.” he said, concerned. “Follow me.”
I nodded. He tilted inwards and motioned to a clearing in the trees. I dived after him until I was right above the clearing. I had seen hawks land on branches and I tried to mimic them.
I flapped forwards keeping my body vertical while my back feet descended slowly towards the ground. When my feet touched the ground, I fell onto all fours. I shook myself and looked around for Fizan, who was nowhere to be seen.
Hmm…
Movement caught my eye on my left and I froze. In the trees, a small buck was walking into the clearing.
Must think I’m a rock, stupid deer. I waited until he was about twenty feet in front of me, then bunched my muscles getting ready to leap…
BAM! A dark blob hit the deer knocking it over, stunned. Fizan lowered his head and grabbed the animal’s spine in his jaws snapping it with a bite.
“And lunch is served,” he said proudly. I huffed.
“I would have gotten that deer if you hadn’t interfered,” I said
He raised an eyebrow.
“Dragons never hunt from the ground.”
“And why is that?” I asked
“Well… other than low success rates, its considered lowly. You’re lucky I stopped you,” he smirked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes but smiled.
“And you know what else is considered lowly?” he played. “Eating last!” Then he took a huge chunk out of the deer’s hide.
“Hey!” I laughed and took the opposite side of the deer, eating until I was full.
***
We had been flying for three hours before I started to hear noises.
“We’re almost there,” Fizan said. “When we get there, let me talk. Our leader, Lily, is a good person but she has to keep up appearances to keep the respect of the thunder.” He winked at me.
I laughed, “Her name is Lily? No wonder she has a hard time!” I teased.
“Yeah, she has a hard time. The jokes are non-stop!”
We flew in silence, until I saw the entrance. In the side of a huge rocky mountain there was a hole big enough for ten of me to walk though. And up above it looked like the hollow inside was open to the sky.
We flew until we were directly in front of the hole and landed. I could see flashes of colorful wings inside.
“You ready?” he asked. I nodded and started forwards through the huge archway. When we walked through, I gasped. There were dragons of every color, shape, and size flying around the huge area. But there were also people and children walking around with baskets and play swords. The rocky walls that enclosed the area were dotted with holes of all sizes. I even saw people peer out of them.
“Fizan, what are the holes in the walls?” I whispered in his ear.
“Dens.” He replied quietly. At the end of the area, there was one huge hole at the bottom, no doubt for the leader, Lily. I also noticed that around her den there was only one other, on the top right of it.
As we walked, more and more eyes turned to watch us as we got closer to the end of the area. We finally reached the end and stood in front of the large den. From above the den, lichen grew, sealing the way from sight. A small boy who looked to be about 11 stood in front like a guard.
“We need to speak to Lily. Tell her it’s Fizan,” he told the boy. He scampered into the den, emerging a minute later.
The lichen quivered as a sandy brown nose stuck out of the den followed by a huge muscular scaled dragon. Unlike Fizan and I, this dragon looked like she was equipped for battle. Her iron hard scales were covered in spikes.
“Hello, and welcome,” she said. Her voice was feminine but surprisingly deep.
“Lily.” Fizan said, bowing.
“Fizan.” She responded by way of greeting.
“This is Ash.” Fizan gestured to me.
“Well met, Ash.” Her deep voice rumbled.
“Well met.” I responded while curtsying.
“Please accompany me into my den,” she said politely. Fizan nodded, walking through the lichen. I followed closely. Inside was a large space big enough to hold 20 large dragons. It was very plain, sporting only a bed of moss and a cavity on the stone filled with water. I followed Fizan who stood against the wall.
When Lily entered, she shook herself and took human form. As a human, Lily looked like she was in her late 40’s. She was pretty, but not beautiful and looked just as intimidating as her dragon form. She had thick, dirty blond hair, brown eyes, and was wearing armor identical to her scales.
When I looked over at Fizan, he was in human form too. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my human body, but it was hard to think… After a few tries, I finally got it. When I opened my eyes, everything seemed fuzzy.
“Don’t worry, it gets easier,” I heard Lily say. My vision cleared and I saw her give me a kind smile.
I blushed and nodded. “You’ve probably heard this a lot, but you look just like your mother,” she said.
I looked at her surprised. “You knew her?” I asked. She looked at me puzzled.
“Didn’t Fizan tell you? I’m her sister.”
I gasped. “Really!? He told me my aunt lived here but he didn’t tell me she was the leader,” I said surprised.
Lily laughed. “I’m not surprised. He always was secretive.” She turned to Fizan.
“I guess so,” he laughed.
“Well, it’s been a long day for the both of you. Fizan, why don’t you show Ash to her room but then come back. I have some things we need to discuss.” Lily nodded to Fizan, dismissing them.
We walked out through the lichen doorway. It looked like many dragons and people had gone to bed. Only a few remained.
“Your room is right up there.” He pointed to the only entrance near Lily’s den.
“Ok, where are you sleeping?” I asked.
“I have my own den here, Good night, see you tomorrow.” He smiled then disappeared into Lily’s den.
My den was about 30 feet in the air.
Ugg… I thought. I let my mind wander to my dragon form until I could feel all four paws on the ground. I flew up to the ledge and walked inside. It had a bed in the corner and a large basin of water in the other. It was very roomy though not nearly as large as Lily’s den. I turned back to human and walked over to the large bed. Crawling under the covers, I let my aching muscles relax. My head throbbed but somehow, I found sleep.
---------------------------- Chapter 7----------------------------
Light spread over my bed, causing me to wake. I yawned, and stretched, muttering in my pillow. I heard something in the entrance and looked up.
“Good Morning!” Fizan was standing in the doorway, in dragon form, carrying a package in his claws.
“Here, this is for you,” he said, dropping the white cloth bag on the floor.
“Mmm… thanks…” I talked into my pillow.
Something poked me and I jerked back awake.
“Get up and dressed then meet me in Lily’s den. Also, that basin is for bathing. There are soaps in the bag.” Then he turned to leave.
“Ok, ok…” I said still half asleep. He walked out, pulling closed a curtain I hadn’t noticed before. I rolled and literally fell out of bed onto the stone floor. The cold stone jolted me awake.
I grabbed the white sack and sauntered over to the tub. After a long, deeply satisfying, warm bath I dried off and looked at the clothes in the bag. Inside, there were two outfits. One was brown trousers with a simple white top and the other was a simple blue gown. I opted for the pants and top, putting them on quickly. I braided my hair down my shoulder, securing it with a ribbon from the bag. Last, I laced on the brown shoes from the bottom of the bag, and then I was ready.
I flew down from my den but decided to remain in human form after that. I walked over to the lichen where the same boy from yesterday was standing.
“Umm… can I talk to Lily?” I asked the boy. He stuck his head inside announcing my arrival. When he came back out he nodded to me.
I walked through the lichen and saw Fizan and Lily talking, sitting on chairs. I walked up and sat in the empty chair.
“Good Morning, how did you sleep?” Lily asked politely.
“Very well, thank you,” I responded.
“Ok enough with the pleasantries. Lily, what are we going to do about the dagger?” Fizan asked.
She sighed. I suppose you’re right. Ash, has Fizan told you about Minca and our situation?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think he covered the basics,” I said.
“Good, then you know that there’s only one way to kill her?” she asked.
“Yeah, and it’s lost,” I said.
“Well, we hoped you might have an idea. It’s a silver dagger with a white bone handle, most likely etchings in the bone,” she said.
I looked up, surprised. “Yeah! Actually, I do!” I sat up. “My mother gave it to me!” I added excitedly. Maybe I really could help!
Both Fizan and Lily jumped up.
“Where is it?” Fizan asked.
“At home!”
“And to think we were just there,” he muttered.
“Ok, shush and listen,” Lily said loudly. We both sat down.
“Minca is on the march to Valene. That’s another thunder,” she said to me. “They’re west of here along the ocean, straight between us and Valene is your village.”
My eyes widened. “And they’re headed here aren’t they?” I asked.
“Let me finish. She probably hasn’t gotten to Valene yet, so if we hurry we can go back to your village, get the dagger, and come back here to train you.” She finished.
“But what about my father! And friends! They would all be in danger!”
“Minca doesn’t care about people; she would fly over your village in seconds.” Lily said, distracted. Her eyes flickered around, like she was deep in thought.
“Ok…” she said slowly. “Let’s go.”
“Are you forgetting something?” Fizan asked. She looked at him strangely then said, “Oh, yes. I’ll be right back.” Then she left the cave. Ten minutes later she arrived with two people behind her, a man and a woman. They were both carrying a set of armor, one colored a dark russet brown like Fizan and one grey and white like me.
“Just in case,” Lily said, still deep in thought.
The man walked over to Fizan and bowed. The woman did the same to me, slipping into a curtsy. I heard Fizan say, “Rise,” before the man stood and started helping him into his armor.
When I looked at the woman she was still in a curtsy, then it hit me.
“Umm… rise?” I said. The women stood and silently helped me into my armor, never making eye contact.
This is weird, I thought.
When the armor was all on again the women curtsied, and I followed Fizan’s example saying, “Dismissed.”
The armor was surprisingly light, and I had no problem moving about. “Alright, are you two ready?” Lily asked.
Fizan cleared his throat. “Weapons…” he said slowly, and in no time, I was armed with 3 daggers, and a bow and arrows.
“Alright, let’s get going. No time to lose,” Lily said. Then she turned into a, large, terrifying dragon, followed be me and Fizan.
When we walked through camp, hundreds of eyes fell on me, probably wondering who I was.
“Jokareth!” Lily called. From up above a blur of green fell to the ground right in front of Lily. This dragon was odd; he looked more like a green snake that had grown legs and wings.
“Jokareth, you’re in charge while I’m away. And mind you, do it right this time, or I will find a new second in command,” she hissed.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. But the smile in his eyes suggested he knew she was only acting for the crowd.
He flew back up into the skies, and we continued to walk until we were through the entrance and out into the mountains. From the outside, you really couldn’t tell that there were hundreds of dragons living in the rock.
“Her village isn’t far. We should make it by late afternoon,” Fizan told Lily. She nodded.
“Let’s go,” she said, spreading her webbed wings and taking off. Fizan nodded to me, “Let’s go,” he said.
We both took off hurrying to catch up to Lily.
***
After hours of flying, I saw the village.
“It’s there!” I yelled over the winds. We turned inwards flying over the town to my house in the woods. My heart pounded at the sight of my home. We landed in the back, spooking the cattle and sending them bellowing off to the other side of the pen.
I looked around for my father.
“Ash, go get the dagger,” Lily said. I looked around but he wasn’t around. I ran up the steps inside.
Entering my home now felt odd. I looked around at the familiar area, but when I saw the dagger, I dashed forwards and grabbed it.
I walked outside, dagger in hand.
“I have it!” I called to Lily.
“Good, let’s go, quickly,” she said.
“But what about my father?” I asked. “Minca is supposed to be traveling through here, I can’t leave him!”
“That’s good common sense; you should listen to the girl.” I heard a new voice say. We all spun around.
Standing there was a Dutch Angel dragon.
“Minca.” Lily said, who was now a dragon. Minca was different from me and Fizan who had similar body types. Minca was long and lanky and her hair was much longer. She had light, cobalt blue fur, except for her white underbody, mane and long muscular legs. But what really made her stand out was her huge long fluffy tail that was longer than her body. She shuffled her wings which started dark blue but faded to white at the tips.
I heard Fizan growl and saw that he also was a dragon.
“Aww… Fizan! How long it’s been! I’m so glad Lily took you in. It would have been such a waste of precious blood,” she said pleasantly, but with an evil look in her eyes.
I looked at Fizan, confused. She turned to me, “Oh and you didn’t tell your little girlfriend? I’m his mummy!” She snarled but it came out as a laugh.
Fizan roared so load I had to cover my ears. “You’re no mother of mine,” he hissed, his nostrils flared with anger. “You left me to die!”
She sighed, “Well, sweetheart, I hoped you’d be over that by now. You must understand, in the search for power? A son? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She shook her head.
My mouth hung open. Minca was Fizan’s mother!? Lily growled, “Enough of this, you’re alone and we have the dagger.”
Minca shook her head, “The weapon is only as powerful as the one who wields it, and I have a feeling your hero is as weak as the marrow in your bones,” she snarled.
“But. I’ll be nice and give you a crash course.” She sank down into her human form and pulled a dagger from her belt.
My eyes widened in surprise. As a human, Minca looked very young and she was beautiful. She wore a blue dress that was cinched at the waist and then fell loosely in folds. Her face was long and skinny like an elf, and her thick white hair was pulled up in a ponytail that fell to her waist.
Her blue eyes locked mine in her gaze.
“You grip it, like this,” she said demonstrating it to me. “And when you have your enemy you stab forwards, like this.” She twisted the knife forwards as if stabbing someone in the gut. “Or for a long target you can throw it like this.” She pulled her arm back and threw the dagger to my left where it stuck in the head of a cow which mooed then fell over, immediately dead.
I gulped,
“ENOUGH!” Lily roared, and she charged Minca, who quickly re-formed into a dragon. Lily roared and opened her mouth as if to shower her in fire.
“Lily. Lily, are you sure you want to hurt me?” Minca said softly. Lily closed her mouth looking at Minca confused, then a sort of aura enveloped Lily and her eyes widened.
“No! Of course not!” she said.
I gasped at Lily and I heard Fizan growl, frustrated.
“Persuasion powers,” he muttered. “But they won’t work on us.”
Then Fizan advanced on Minca slowly, “That won’t work on us.” He said dangerously.
“You’re right,” she smirked, “But this will. Lily- Kill them”
Lily swung her big, horned head around and growled at us as she advanced.
“What do we do now?” I asked frantically.
“Ummm… I have an idea.” He looked at Lily and she stopped. “Lily, go home. Go.”
She looked around confused about who to follow.
“Lily, Kill them!” Minca screeched. Lily growled but Fizan continued…
“Lily, your clan is in trouble! Go, go! Quickly!” she screeched and her body quivered. “GO!” Fizan yelled. Lily bent her legs and jumped into the air, flapping like her life depended on it. After Lily’s screeching faded into the wind, Minca turned to us.
“Clever… but not clever enough,” she said. She turned to face the forest behind her. “Darling, why don’t you come out here?” she said.
I looked behind her and saw Father emerging from the forest.
My eyes widened, “Father!” I yelled, stepping forwards, but Fizan grabbed me from behind.
“Ash, no, wait!” he said. I watched as Father stopped at Minca’s side. He showed no emotion, just like Lily.
“I’ll make a deal with you, the dagger for your father.” She said. My hands fumbled at my belt, but Fizan grabbed it first.
I looked at him surprised.
“What are you doing?!” I yelled, but he ignored me.
“Come and get it.” He said softly. She narrowed her eyes but began forwards slowly. He handed the dagger back to me, but as soon as she was in front of Father he reached down into his boot and pulled out a shard of glass, walking up behind Minca.
Minca was now directly in front of me, but before she could grab it Father put the glass to her throat.
“Don’t. move.” he whispered.
---------------------------- Epilogue ----------------------------
“Goodbye! I’m going to miss you!” Fern said as she hugged me. “You better come visit!”
I laughed, “Don’t worry, all the time!” I walked to the edge of the cliff where father was standing.
“Don’t worry, Father. Lily will take good care of me and I’ll come to visit all the time!” I reached up and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll miss you.” He said and wrapped me in a huge hug. “Your mother would be so proud.”
“Come on, Ash, let’s go!” Fizan called. I ran to stand next to him.
“Goodbye!” I shouted, and then Fizan and I both turned to dragons.
I flung myself into the air and roared, saying goodbye to the past and hello to the future. There would still be some cleaning up to do, but at least I would have the people I loved right there all along the way.
I hate Pigs, I thought bitterly as I attempted to corral them into the slaughter pen. Filthy, demented animals. One of the boars raised his tusks at me getting ready to charge. I sighed, of course they couldn’t cooperate just this once. Winter was almost over and we were getting ready to sell off the last of our livestock before summer, when most families hunted for themselves.
I whistled sharply and a short stout horse trotted over weaving his head like a snake. He whinnied and stomped, spooking the enraged boar. I smiled at the stallion. His name was Tovio, meaning “Hope.” I had raised him from a foal. He was 14 hands and had a beautiful dun coat. He had a white mane that stood straight up about four inches and a long flowing white tail. I pet his neck fondly. After my mother’s death, last year, he was the only one there for me.
“Ash!”
I looked up from my daydream to see Father standing in the back doorway.
“Ash, hurry with them pigs before lunch!”
“Yes, Father!” I yelled back.
Tovio and I finished rounding up the pigs quickly, securing them in a wood pen. I walked up the dirt path to my house. It was a small rectangular space I had lived in all my life. In one corner, our fire pit sat, a small hole in the ground filled with ashes. In the opposite corner, there was a stairwell down to the cellar where we kept our meat. Two doorways, with sheets hung over them, lead to our two simple bedrooms. On the walls, leather hung, drying. The floor was covered in mismatched pelts, some soft, others rough. Compared to others in our village, we had it good. Our house was well insulated and we never went hungry.
Father sat hunched over the fire cooking eggs on a hot stone. Father was a tall, muscular man with deep brown eyes, a full head of dark brown hair, and a mustache. Not unlike me, who was also tall and had long auburn hair, but I got my bright green eyes from my mother.
“We had better slaughter those pigs before they wreak havoc on the cattle pen, Father,” I commented, pulling off my worn boots and sinking my toes into the thick white pelt below my feet. It was only mid-day and right after lunch it would be work time again.
“Yes, yes, right after lunch. Here, take this.” He handed me a wooden plate laden with fried eggs.
“Thank you, Father.” I sank down, squirming to the right when my knee touched an itchy hog pelt.
“Father, now that the deer are arriving in the woods… do you think maybe I could…” He cut me off there.
“Ash… I know you love to hunt, and it’s good for business too. But you know how unseemly it is for women to hunt!”
“But Father! It doesn’t matter what they say, we can always use more meat in the cellar!” I tried to reason with him.
“We go over this year after year!” he said, shaking his head.
“And every year I win, Father!” I told him.
“But many of our calves died last year. We were low!” he tried to explain.
I sighed. I knew I would win eventually. The hog would sell out and we would get tired of eggs at every meal. I would let it go… for now.
The sun feebly shown through the clouds, warming my back as Father and I walked out to the hog pen. The pigs stood together in a corner, squealing like they were on fire. Outside the pen, a large oak tree grew, its branches extending over the corral. I whistled, calling Tovio. He came running from the forest that lay on the other side of the pen.
“Good Boy, Tovio.” I patted his snout. “Your gonna help me with these hogs today, boy.” I walked over to the pen’s door and lifted the latch. I opened it just wide enough so that Tovio could walk through. Then I latched the gate behind him.
“You better be careful with that horse, Ash, those hogs are vicious,” Father warned.
“He can handle them,” I answered. Father handed me a long rope. I swung it over my shoulder and headed to the big oak tree. I hoisted myself into the lowest branch, climbing until I found the branch I was looking for. It was long and thick and hung over the pen, above the hogs. Tovio was keeping them right where I needed them to be, chasing stray pigs back into the group. I wound my rope around the branch and then made a noose on the other end. I let the noose fall into the hogs, hanging onto my end. Taking the rope, I swung it around below, trying to get it around a boar’s neck. Finally, I caught a small sow and pulled. She squealed and struggled, her little brown body blending into the herd’s. I pulled, letting the branch do most of the lifting. When she was right below my branch I grabbed her front legs and quickly wound it around all four. Lifting her onto my lap, I turned and threw her down to Father, who was waiting outside the pen, ax in hand. I continued fishing for hogs and tossing them down until Father had about 10 at his feet.
“That’s good for the day, Ash!” he called up to me. My arms trembled from the strenuous work, and sweat ran into my eyes. But we weren’t done yet.
“Ok, grab his back feet ‘an help me haul ‘em in.”
“Yes… Father…” I panted. I hunched over, grabbed the limp feet and lifted him up. Beside our back door was a stairwell to the cellar that connected to the one inside. We carried the carcasses down into the cold room that lay beneath our house. When we reached the room, the stench hit me. Hanging from the ceiling were some of the cattle we had butchered before winter, only about four remained. Father hoisted the legs onto a peg that hung from the ceiling.
“Ash, go grab the skinning knife, would you?” he asked, panting.
“Yes, Father.” I twisted through the dead animals to reach the stairwell that led up to the house. Sprinting up the stairs, I spotted the knife laying by the fire. I scooped it up and headed back downstairs.
“Thanks,” he said when I handed him the knife. It was very old and had been handed down through the generations on my mother’s side. Engraved in the white bone handle were dragons. But these dragons were different. Unlike the myths, these dragons had fur and paws like wolves. I was to get it when I turned 18, a time that was only a week away.
Father cut the skin from the hog’s feet, then he grabbed and pulled the skin, causing it to slide off like a sock. After slitting its neck, he left it hanging to drain the blood.
By the time we finished hanging all the hogs, it was dark and we both were famished and sweaty. For dinner, we ate beef and eggs and treated ourselves to a glass of milk. We sat by the fire for a while, enjoying the heat and flickering lights.
“I’m going in to town tomorrow. I heard many traders from Legar arrived a few nights ago. If you want to go, I suggest you ready your dress. You can’t be seen in trousers,” he teased.
I smiled excitedly, “Thank you, Father!” I kissed him on each cheek and skipped cheerfully off to bed. My mattress of hay lay of the floor, covered in a thick goat skin. I undressed and slid into my nightgown. After brushing my hair, I slid into my furry pelts thinking of my exiting day tomorrow.
------------------------------ Chapter 2 ------------------------------
I woke at the crack of dawn, hopped excitedly out of bed and threw on my best dress. It was sandy brown with green trimming lace that matched my eyes. It was cinched tightly at the waist with lace and fell loosely at the bottom. My short sleeves were puffy and a large green bow was positioned below my right sleeve. I brushed my auburn hair that fell past my shoulders, keeping it down as is customary until married.
I stumbled into our main room where Father was folding leather and putting them into his basket along with a few crates of eggs. Father frequently sold his leathers to Mrs. Seemer whose son was a Tanner
“Good morning, Ash, you look lovely!” He told me looking up from his work.
“Thank you, Father!” I said twirling around in my dress.
I ran out the back door and after feeding the animals, whistled to Tovio. On our house wall hung his brown leather halter. I grabbed it and buckled it on.
I led him around the house to the front to wait on Father. When he walked out I took the basket and fastened it onto Tovio’s withers.
“Can I get a leg up, Father?” I asked. He nodded and helped me up onto Tovio. I squirmed excitedly, sitting side saddle.
Father, who was walking beside Tovio, lifted an arm then threw it forward. With an, “Onwards!” we were off. Our house looked pretty shabby from the outside. Unshaven logs lay crisscrossing each other to form a rectangle. The door, also wood, stood in the center.
The trail we were on was long and worn down by years of traveler’s feet and hooves. We would travel about thirty minutes before we arrived.
“Ash, when we get there, you go to the traders with eggs and sell them two shillings a crate, remember?” He said kindly. Then he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a green pouch. I looked at him with surprise.
“Just a little something to spend before your birthday,” he responded to my silent question. I leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you, Father.” I told him. We continued until we had reached the edge of town. We were a very small village in the middle of nowhere. So, naturally when we get traders, it was a happy and rare occasion.
All the houses were built like ours, (though some were much nicer,) and had plenty of space between them. Most had gardens and hens but didn’t bother much with fences. We were a town where everyone knew and trusted one another.
We entered through the back of the village, weaving our way through houses until we came across the town “courtyard,” which was now a canopy of vivid colored tents and clothing. I squealed, excitedly moving with Tovio’s steady walk.
“Alright, now I am going to see Mrs. Seemer,” Father told me. “Go find a good place in the crowd to sell.”
“Yes, Father!” I responded, hurriedly clucking Tovio into the throng. People parted to let me through as I looked for an empty table. Seeing one on the sidelines, I hurried on, jumping off Tovio when we were there. I grabbed the basket and set it on the table, looking out into the un-familiar faces.
“FRESH, LARGE, EGGS; TWO SHILLINGS A CRATE!” I yelled, but it was loud and my voice was lost in the crowd.
Just as I was beginning to become discouraged, A young man walked up to me and my eyes widened. He was tall, tan and very handsome. His light brown hair kept falling in his deep brown eyes that looked knowing and wise.
“Good Morning, my name is Fizan.” He flung the hair out of his eyes. “I’ll take two crates.” His voice was light and flowy.
I reached into my basket and pulled out two dozen. “That will be one dollar.”
“I just moved here from the mountains. Do you live here?” he asked, handing me the coins.
I passed him the eggs. “Yes, my father is the butcher here,” I responded.
“That’s good. I’ll need to get in touch,” he told me.
“Yeah, sure. We live up just east of here, past Dead Rock Cliff, along a dirt path. You can’t miss it!”
“Good! I have some time tomorrow. I’ll stop by. See you around.” He gave me a mysterious smile and disappeared into the crowd.
------------------------------ Chapter 3 ------------------------------
I woke early the next morning and slid into my trousers and top. I brushed my hair and pulled on my boots. It was early and I needed to care for the animals.
I stepped down the two stairs, from the porch, and walked down the familiar pathway. To my left were the chickens and to my right were the twenty breeding cows we kept over winter. I fed the chickens the seed hanging from the bucket outside the door, then gave the cows some hay and grain.
I was excited for today. My best friend, Fern, was coming over. She had been gone for over a month with her father and had just gotten back last night.
I watered all the animals and went back up to the house. Father was still in bed so I went to wake him. His bed was in the corner where he was sprawled out snoring.
“Father…” I whispered softly. He stirred as I reached out to shake him awake. But before my hand reached him he began to mutter.
“Tell her! Got to...!” His eye lids flickered quickly. “She’s like you! Can’t leave her alone while you get yourself killed! Your sister? Live with them?! No!” He threw his fist out weakly in his sleep. “18……” he said before he yawned and stretched. I quickly slipped out of the room, through the white curtain and into my room.
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. What did he mean I was like her? Mom didn’t even have a sister. He was probably just having a bad dream. I had no idea how my mother had died, all I knew was that one day she had disappeared and a month later a strange lady had brought her body back.
My heart clenched at the thought of her. We had been close and when she left I had been, still was, confused. I wondered why she would leave me with no warning. After she died, I pushed everyone away. The only person who never left was Fern…
I forced those thoughts out of my head. Father had just been having a bad dream, and today was going to be a good day!
Then I heard a soft knock on the front door. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door swinging it open, but my smile fell when I saw who was standing in the doorway.
I blushed when he smiled. “Ohh… it’s you,” I stuttered.
“I appreciate the warm welcome.” He said smoothly. The smirk on his face undoubtedly made me turn red as a beet.
“I was expecting a friend today,” I stumbled out.
Fizan smirked, “Well I envy that friend- are you going to invite me in?” he asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.
“Oh, oh of course,” I blushed, stepping aside and welcoming him with an arm.
He walked in and looked around. “So, what type of meat were you looking for? We have pork, beef, chicken and we’ll have venison soon,” I said, changing the subject.
“Well, what’s the best? You’re the expert here,” he responded.
“Umm, well, I guess it just depends on what you-” I was cut off by another knock on the door.
I gasped and ran to the door, swinging it open. There was Fern, a bag slung over her shoulder. I embraced her while we both squealed with laughter.
Fern had a small stature, about five inches shorter than me. She had a head of thin blond hair and her light blue eyes stood out against her matching top.
We separated and laughed, and then I remembered Fizan standing in the corner.
“Uhh... Fern this is Fizan.” I gestured to Fizan, who had a look of extreme amusement on his face.
Fern looked at Fizan. “Ooo… I haven’t seen you in town before. You move here?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip and using a flirty voice. I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, I moved here a few days ago from the mountains,” he responded plainly.
Fern looked disappointed when he didn’t return her flirty tone. I cleared my throat.
“Well, Fizan, let me help you finish up deciding. If you want it to go in soups and other dishes go with beef. For mass go with pork, and quality taste would be chicken. But it’s more expensive.” I ticked them off on my fingers. He was about to respond when Fern clucked. She stared at him.
“Ash, Ash, where are your manners?” she said disapprovingly. “Fizan, why don’t you join us while we go on a walk?” She blinked her eyes innocently; apparently, she hadn’t given up yet. She stared at him.
“Umm, sure,” he said.
I looked at Fern harshly. This is going to be interesting, I thought.
“Umm, well I guess we can go!” I said breaking the awkward tension.
------------------------------ Chapter Four ----------------------------
“So, Ash, have your father and Mrs. Seemer gotten together yet?” Fern prodded.
“Of course not!” I replied in horror. “Father would never marry an old widow like her.” I gave Fern a look of disapproval.
“Well, you never know. She’s a big flirt and you know your father…” She continued to babble on while we walked through the woods towards town.
Through the beginning of our conversation Fizan said very little. But he had gradually relaxed and was now debating with Fern whether pelts from wild boar or goat were more durable.
“Hey, you guys wanna go up to Dead Rock Cliff?” Fern suggested. We were almost to town and had just started seeing houses. The sun was bright on my eyes.
“Fern, that’s back the way we came! Besides, the traders are all still selling. It’s only just afternoon. Let’s see what they’ve got!”
“Oh, fine,” she responded. Fizan nodded.
“Sounds fun. let’s go,” he added.
I turned to take a shortcut past Fern’s house, which was just ahead.
“Ash, let’s go this way.” She nodded to the dirt road. I raised my eyebrows.
“Why? It’s right past your yard,” I said, turning towards her house.
“Ash, well I didn’t-” But she was cut off by a loud screech.
“FIRNESE! YOU GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT. YOU DID NONE OF YOUR CHORES. HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO TAKE OVER THIS BUISNESS WHEN YOU’RE SNEEKING OFF TO YOUR FRIEND’S HOUSE EVERYDAY? I HAVE HALF A MIND TO KICK YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSEHOLD.” Fern’s short, plump mother stood in her doorway, fuming.
Fern ducked her head and started walking home. “Sorry, Ash, I’ll, uhh see you later… maybe,” she said over her shoulder. She trotted through her little open fence up to the door where her mother stood waiting, arms crossed and a large scowl on her face.
Fizan let out a soft chuckle. “I feel bad for her, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a real mother,” his voice slurred off.
I looked up at him. “Oh, I’m sorry…” I tried not to be awkward. “At least I got to know my mother. But she died last year.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he said a bit awkwardly.
I nodded then realized, “Wait, how did you know my mother died?” I asked a bit confused. He looked up as if being caught.
“Well, actually, I knew your mother. Not well, but we met a few times...” He said a bit cautiously. “And, you see, I need to tell you something. I, uhh, came here to find-” but my father’s call cut him off.
“Ash? Is that you?” he called from the street.
“Yes, Father, I’m here,” I yelled. He walked over and stood in front of me and Fizan.
“Who’s this?” he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Fizan.
“This is Fizan, he’s a friend,” I told father.
“Where you come from, boy?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“The mountains, sir. Actually, I was sent by Lily. She said to give you her greetings,” he said respectfully, but his eyes narrowed dangerously and he stood tall, almost eye level with Father.
Father’s eyes widened, “How dare you come here! She won’t be going, I tell you!” He poked Fizan’s chest with his finger. “And you tell Lily to leave her be!”
“You don’t understand. She’s in the prophecy! Without her, our whole thunder will die! And many others around the world. You may not like us, but I knew your wife, and she would have wanted Ash to go. Either way, she’ll start turning and, without training, she would be a danger to your village!” Fizan pleaded with Father.
I gasped at them. What were they talking about? Thunders and prophecies? The two men stared at each other, fuming.
Father turned to me, “Ash, go home. Now.” he told me.
“But…” I stared at both of them, speechless. Were they out of their minds?
I turned around when Fizan spoke, “Ash, you’re different, special. You can do extraordinary things if you give us a chance! Your mother was one of us. She would have been proud.”
Father looked at Fizan sharply, while I stared at Fizan.
“Ash. Now.” he repeated.
I turned on heel and strode off into the woods. The sky was still bright but shadows had started creeping through the clouds, warning that evening was coming.
I continued to walk silently until home came into sight. I walked through the door and straight to my room. I sat on my bed with many thoughts and questions swirling through my head. Unable to focus on one, I laid down and went to sleep.
---------------------------- Chapter 5 ----------------------------
I woke with a start and sat up. In the darkness, the previous day washed over me and I struggled to capture every moment of it. When my head had cleared, I clenched my fists, determined.
I was going to find Fizan.
***
I slung on my coat and opened the back door quietly. I grabbed a lamp and began down the path. It was dark and cold and my breath appeared like a ghost in my path.
I whistled softly to Tovio, hoping he was somewhere near. I heard him nicker and I whistled again. His hooves made a soft thump in the dirt. He appeared in front of me and I patted his nose.
“Come on Tovio, lets go,” I said. I jumped onto his back and clucked him on. Until then, I realized I had no idea where Fizan lived. I grunted angrily and grabbed Tovio’s mane, where I felt something under my fingers. Tied around Tovio’s neck was a bit of string. I pulled it around and found a bit of parchment tied to it. It said, “Meet me at Dead Rock Cliff. –Fizan.”
Well that was easy, I thought.
I turned and cantered into the dark woods just as I heard the sound of a door opening behind me. I wove through the woods until the trees cleared and the dirt turned to rock. Tovio was a bit ansty and spooked at small sounds. By now, the sun had come up enough that I could see without the lamp. Not wanting to carry it, I put it somewhere I would know to retrive it.
We contined to walk until the cliff lay in front of me. I slid slowly off Tovio and walked to the edge looking down to the jagged rocks that lay hundred of feet down. I shuddered and backed away.
“Hello,” said a voice.
I spun around and saw Fizan stroking Tovio. He walked over to the egde and looked out at the sun rising over the mountians.
“Beautiful, isnt it?” he asked. I stared at him.
“It’s kind of hard to see the beauty when you’re balancing on the edge of death,” I said motioning to his feet, which were half curled over the cliff in the air.
He smiled. “I don’t have to be afraid of this cliff and neither do you.You see, that’s partly what I came to tell you. I really don’t know how to do this, so I’ll give it to you straight. You are part of a prophecy that tells that you will defeat someone that is destroying thunders around the world. You can shapeshift… into a dragon. So could your mother, and so can I.” He said this like he had done this before.
I gasped at him, and shook my head.
“Fizan, I think you’ve had too much to drink. Get away from that cliff!” I motioned towards me.
“Ash, I’m not drunk. Just listen!” he pleaded.
“No! I can’t believe I fell for this! Your just a drunk fool!” I spat. I turned to walk away but Fizan grabbed my arm.
“I don’t know why I even try.They always have to find out the hard way anyway,” he mummbled to himself. He dragged me over to the edge of the cliff.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked again.
“YOUR INSANE!” I screamed at him struggling to get away.
“You’ll thank me later,” he said, and with that he pushed me away and I fell.
The wind whistled in my ears. How could he? I saw his face in my mind and anger coursed through my body. I was going to kill him! And then that was my only goal. I roared and then I was flying. Flying back up the cliff. Up to Fizan. I spotted him standing on the egde of the cliff and I roared, diving at him. I tried to land in front of him but he had to dive out of the way as I landed heavily.
The jolt helped me regain some of my senses. My eye caught sight of a pinecone and the clearness surprised me. It was like my vision had intensified. The anger that had been inside me now simmered down. I spotted Fizan standing arms crossed, looking smug. I turned his way, but was caught off guard by how small he was.
I looked down at my hands, but instead there were two white paws. I froze and turned my head to looked behind me. But insead of my auburn hair, a grey body stood, complete with a pair of grey feathery wings. I tried to scream, but it came out as a powerful roar. I cut myself off, surprised.
Looking over my shoulder at Fizan, I saw him walk over. He was small, only coming up to my shoulder.
“Ash, its ok. Calm down.” He held his hands out towards me, “What’s wrong with me?” I sobbed. My body fell to the ground, and he pet my snout.
“Ash, concentrate on yourself. Your human body, picture it in your mind,” he said.
I concentrated on myself, running through the forest with Tovio.
Fizan prodded me, and I opened my eyes.
I sat up and saw my two legs streched out in front of me. I was wearing the same clothes I had worn before… before…. I looked up at Fizan. He looked at me, amused. And I imagined I deserved it.
“Believe me now?” he asked.
“I think so,” I responed. I blushed and stood up, brushing the dust from my trowsers.
“Mind if I tell you a story?” Fizan asked.
“I guess so.” I said. He sat down and patted the earth in front of him.
“Once upon a time there was a thunder of dragons-”
“Oh- that’s what thunder means. Sorry keep going.”
“And in this thunder, a young girl was born, but she was special. You see, we dragons come in many breeds according to our personailities. But there is one breed regarded above all, the Dutch Angel dragon. This breed is smaller than all the rest and is no good in battle for they have fur and paws, instead of scales.”
My eyes widened. “Hey! When I was… you know a dragon. I had paws and fur! Am I a…a….”
“Dutch Angel dragon? Yes. And as it happens, so am I.”
I stared at him.
“They don’t seem very rare to me…” I said.
“Well, considering you, Minca, and I are the only ones at this time out of thousands of other dragons around the world, I’d consider us fairly rare.” He smirked.
“Who’s Minca?” I inqired.
“Well, you’d find out if you let me finish my story.”
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“Anyway, this young girl was born to two ordinary dragons. But when she turned for the first time, everyone was amazed. She was a Dutch Angel dragon. She was beautiful, kind, and everyone adored her. But one day when she was 19, her mother grew fataly sick and died. She was absolutly devestated. She and her mother had been extremely close.
“In her sorrow she grew deeply depressed and began to search the land for miracle workers and witches. But through her travels, her heart grew dark and she went to extreme measures to get what she wanted. Her name was Minca.”
My eyes widened, “Minca. So, she is still alive?” I asked
“Yes, and now she is traveling through Tamera with an army, destroying every thunder she finds,” He said. I saw deep sorrow in his eyes.
“Wait, I thought you said Dutch Angels were no good in battle? How could she get such a big army?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, Dutch Angel dragons have powers of persuasion. Many say we can control minds, but it isn’t true. We can just persuade others to do our will. The breed has always had the ability,” he said.
“So, she convinced hundreds of dragons to follow her into a battle they most likely won’t survive?”
“Well, that’s sort of the general idea, yes. Except, when she finds thunders, she doesn’t go to war with them. She just persuades the warriors to join her, then slaughters the rest,” he told me slowly.
I couldn’t belive what I was hearing. It was totally sick.
“Why does she do it? Does she think it might bring back her mother?” I asked.
“Some say she’s trying to become a god, others to get revenge. But most say she’s just mad,” he told me.
“Well, why hasn’t someone tried to kill her?” I asked.
“Many have! But through her travels, she has managed to make herself almost impossible to kill or harm. She has even stopped herself from aging. There is only one way to kill her and it was lost hundreds of years ago,” he told me.
I lowered my head.
“But,” he began again. “There is hope. Eighteen years ago a child was born in my thunder and a prophecy was made that she would be the one to defeat Minca. Knowing that her child would be in danger pf Minca’s wrath, her mother raised her in a human villiage, sheltering her from her destiny unill she came of age. At eighteen she would return to her Thunder, seek the lost dagger, and defeat Minca. That girl is you.”
He stared into my eyes. I gasped. That was impossable! Me, defeat an indestructable dragon?
“Fizan, no! I think you have the wrong person! Why can’t you do it? You’re
like me. You’re a Dutch Angel dragon with mind stuff!” I blabbed, a bit panicked. I stood up and tried to walk away but Fizan was quick, he grabbed my arm.
“Ash, you don’t undestand! We need you. I need you.” He looked into my eyes, capturing me with his look of desperation.
“Fizan… I don’t know. I wouldn’t be of any use. I can’t fight and I have no idea where your dagger is!” I plead.
“Ash, please. All our lives depend on you- including your aunt!” he bargained.
“Aunt? My mother had a sister?” I asked, surprised.
“Well, adopted. But they were raised together.” he told me.
I looked into his eyes and melted. Maybe I wasn’t a hero, but I had to do something.
---------------------------- Chapter 6 ----------------------------
“Shh… Ash, let’s go,” Fizan whispered through back door. I wrote a quick note and set it on a stool. It said: “Father, I am sorry, but I must go. It’s what Mother would have wanted. Please take care of Tovio while I am gone. I love you, Ash.”
“Ok. I’m ready,” I said.
We ran from the door to the edge of the woods. When we got there, I heard Tovio following. I lay a hand on his neck and hugged him.
“I’m sorry, boy, but you can’t come this time. I love you.” He whinnied and stomped.
“Go home, boy,” I told him sternly. He backed away, reluctantly.
“HIYA!” I shouted, smacking him on the rump. He reared and ran away as a small tear slipped from my eye. Fizan put a comforting hand around my shoulder.
“Come on,” he said gently, leading me away.
***
We arrived at the cliff by late morning.
“It’s a week’s journey on foot. So, we’re gonna have to fly,” he said softly. “We should get there by tonight.” I nodded but shuffled my feet nervously.
“Just like you did turning to human earlier. Imagine your dragon’s form and concentrate on it. Hard.”
I closed my eyes but… “I don’t really know what I look like.”
He hesitated. “Right. Umm, well, you’ve got a light grey body with blended white feet, underbody, and wings. You’ve got a short white mane and spikes on your tail and face. And a big white splotch on your face covering one eye and muzzle. And you’re roughly half the size of a house.”
I closed my eyes trying to imagine this form.
“And it’s important you remember. This isn’t someone you know. It’s you.”
I concentrated on this image in my head, and then…
“Ash.” I heard Fizan say. I opened my eyes.
Wow… I thought. Everything I saw was so much more focused. I looked at Fizan’s face, able to distinguish all the small flaws.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.” I replied. I watched, and then his face and feet elongated and he grew until a dragon only a bit bigger than me stood there. His fur was a dark russet brown, but he had a black underbelly, wings, and paws.
“Wow,” I said.
“Quick flying lesson. For the most part, it should come naturally but you want to watch out for air currents. They’ll grab you and push you either up, down, left, or right. If you get caught in one, just let it take you until it weakens then get out. Got it?” he asked.
“Well, guess we’ll see.” I responded, a bit nervous.
“Ok, just follow me!” He walked to the edge of the cliff and jumped, propelling himself into the air and flapping his big feathery wings.
I walked to the edge and took a deep breath.
Here I go! I thought. Then I jumped into the empty air.
I fell for a few seconds before instinct kicked in and I spread my wings.
The feeling of flying was amazing. I flapped and glided, trying to catch up with Fizan. I was almost there when something grabbed me and pushed me up. I began to panic, flapping and turning in the air until it let me go. I looked around for my attacker, but no one was there.
It must have been one of those air currents, I thought. Even further behind Fizan, I continued as fast as I could.
When I finally caught up hours later, I was panting and sweating hard, my muscles burning.
“You alright?” he asked.
I didn’t answer but panted and flapped slowly losing altitude.
“Let’s break for lunch.” he said, concerned. “Follow me.”
I nodded. He tilted inwards and motioned to a clearing in the trees. I dived after him until I was right above the clearing. I had seen hawks land on branches and I tried to mimic them.
I flapped forwards keeping my body vertical while my back feet descended slowly towards the ground. When my feet touched the ground, I fell onto all fours. I shook myself and looked around for Fizan, who was nowhere to be seen.
Hmm…
Movement caught my eye on my left and I froze. In the trees, a small buck was walking into the clearing.
Must think I’m a rock, stupid deer. I waited until he was about twenty feet in front of me, then bunched my muscles getting ready to leap…
BAM! A dark blob hit the deer knocking it over, stunned. Fizan lowered his head and grabbed the animal’s spine in his jaws snapping it with a bite.
“And lunch is served,” he said proudly. I huffed.
“I would have gotten that deer if you hadn’t interfered,” I said
He raised an eyebrow.
“Dragons never hunt from the ground.”
“And why is that?” I asked
“Well… other than low success rates, its considered lowly. You’re lucky I stopped you,” he smirked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes but smiled.
“And you know what else is considered lowly?” he played. “Eating last!” Then he took a huge chunk out of the deer’s hide.
“Hey!” I laughed and took the opposite side of the deer, eating until I was full.
***
We had been flying for three hours before I started to hear noises.
“We’re almost there,” Fizan said. “When we get there, let me talk. Our leader, Lily, is a good person but she has to keep up appearances to keep the respect of the thunder.” He winked at me.
I laughed, “Her name is Lily? No wonder she has a hard time!” I teased.
“Yeah, she has a hard time. The jokes are non-stop!”
We flew in silence, until I saw the entrance. In the side of a huge rocky mountain there was a hole big enough for ten of me to walk though. And up above it looked like the hollow inside was open to the sky.
We flew until we were directly in front of the hole and landed. I could see flashes of colorful wings inside.
“You ready?” he asked. I nodded and started forwards through the huge archway. When we walked through, I gasped. There were dragons of every color, shape, and size flying around the huge area. But there were also people and children walking around with baskets and play swords. The rocky walls that enclosed the area were dotted with holes of all sizes. I even saw people peer out of them.
“Fizan, what are the holes in the walls?” I whispered in his ear.
“Dens.” He replied quietly. At the end of the area, there was one huge hole at the bottom, no doubt for the leader, Lily. I also noticed that around her den there was only one other, on the top right of it.
As we walked, more and more eyes turned to watch us as we got closer to the end of the area. We finally reached the end and stood in front of the large den. From above the den, lichen grew, sealing the way from sight. A small boy who looked to be about 11 stood in front like a guard.
“We need to speak to Lily. Tell her it’s Fizan,” he told the boy. He scampered into the den, emerging a minute later.
The lichen quivered as a sandy brown nose stuck out of the den followed by a huge muscular scaled dragon. Unlike Fizan and I, this dragon looked like she was equipped for battle. Her iron hard scales were covered in spikes.
“Hello, and welcome,” she said. Her voice was feminine but surprisingly deep.
“Lily.” Fizan said, bowing.
“Fizan.” She responded by way of greeting.
“This is Ash.” Fizan gestured to me.
“Well met, Ash.” Her deep voice rumbled.
“Well met.” I responded while curtsying.
“Please accompany me into my den,” she said politely. Fizan nodded, walking through the lichen. I followed closely. Inside was a large space big enough to hold 20 large dragons. It was very plain, sporting only a bed of moss and a cavity on the stone filled with water. I followed Fizan who stood against the wall.
When Lily entered, she shook herself and took human form. As a human, Lily looked like she was in her late 40’s. She was pretty, but not beautiful and looked just as intimidating as her dragon form. She had thick, dirty blond hair, brown eyes, and was wearing armor identical to her scales.
When I looked over at Fizan, he was in human form too. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my human body, but it was hard to think… After a few tries, I finally got it. When I opened my eyes, everything seemed fuzzy.
“Don’t worry, it gets easier,” I heard Lily say. My vision cleared and I saw her give me a kind smile.
I blushed and nodded. “You’ve probably heard this a lot, but you look just like your mother,” she said.
I looked at her surprised. “You knew her?” I asked. She looked at me puzzled.
“Didn’t Fizan tell you? I’m her sister.”
I gasped. “Really!? He told me my aunt lived here but he didn’t tell me she was the leader,” I said surprised.
Lily laughed. “I’m not surprised. He always was secretive.” She turned to Fizan.
“I guess so,” he laughed.
“Well, it’s been a long day for the both of you. Fizan, why don’t you show Ash to her room but then come back. I have some things we need to discuss.” Lily nodded to Fizan, dismissing them.
We walked out through the lichen doorway. It looked like many dragons and people had gone to bed. Only a few remained.
“Your room is right up there.” He pointed to the only entrance near Lily’s den.
“Ok, where are you sleeping?” I asked.
“I have my own den here, Good night, see you tomorrow.” He smiled then disappeared into Lily’s den.
My den was about 30 feet in the air.
Ugg… I thought. I let my mind wander to my dragon form until I could feel all four paws on the ground. I flew up to the ledge and walked inside. It had a bed in the corner and a large basin of water in the other. It was very roomy though not nearly as large as Lily’s den. I turned back to human and walked over to the large bed. Crawling under the covers, I let my aching muscles relax. My head throbbed but somehow, I found sleep.
---------------------------- Chapter 7----------------------------
Light spread over my bed, causing me to wake. I yawned, and stretched, muttering in my pillow. I heard something in the entrance and looked up.
“Good Morning!” Fizan was standing in the doorway, in dragon form, carrying a package in his claws.
“Here, this is for you,” he said, dropping the white cloth bag on the floor.
“Mmm… thanks…” I talked into my pillow.
Something poked me and I jerked back awake.
“Get up and dressed then meet me in Lily’s den. Also, that basin is for bathing. There are soaps in the bag.” Then he turned to leave.
“Ok, ok…” I said still half asleep. He walked out, pulling closed a curtain I hadn’t noticed before. I rolled and literally fell out of bed onto the stone floor. The cold stone jolted me awake.
I grabbed the white sack and sauntered over to the tub. After a long, deeply satisfying, warm bath I dried off and looked at the clothes in the bag. Inside, there were two outfits. One was brown trousers with a simple white top and the other was a simple blue gown. I opted for the pants and top, putting them on quickly. I braided my hair down my shoulder, securing it with a ribbon from the bag. Last, I laced on the brown shoes from the bottom of the bag, and then I was ready.
I flew down from my den but decided to remain in human form after that. I walked over to the lichen where the same boy from yesterday was standing.
“Umm… can I talk to Lily?” I asked the boy. He stuck his head inside announcing my arrival. When he came back out he nodded to me.
I walked through the lichen and saw Fizan and Lily talking, sitting on chairs. I walked up and sat in the empty chair.
“Good Morning, how did you sleep?” Lily asked politely.
“Very well, thank you,” I responded.
“Ok enough with the pleasantries. Lily, what are we going to do about the dagger?” Fizan asked.
She sighed. I suppose you’re right. Ash, has Fizan told you about Minca and our situation?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think he covered the basics,” I said.
“Good, then you know that there’s only one way to kill her?” she asked.
“Yeah, and it’s lost,” I said.
“Well, we hoped you might have an idea. It’s a silver dagger with a white bone handle, most likely etchings in the bone,” she said.
I looked up, surprised. “Yeah! Actually, I do!” I sat up. “My mother gave it to me!” I added excitedly. Maybe I really could help!
Both Fizan and Lily jumped up.
“Where is it?” Fizan asked.
“At home!”
“And to think we were just there,” he muttered.
“Ok, shush and listen,” Lily said loudly. We both sat down.
“Minca is on the march to Valene. That’s another thunder,” she said to me. “They’re west of here along the ocean, straight between us and Valene is your village.”
My eyes widened. “And they’re headed here aren’t they?” I asked.
“Let me finish. She probably hasn’t gotten to Valene yet, so if we hurry we can go back to your village, get the dagger, and come back here to train you.” She finished.
“But what about my father! And friends! They would all be in danger!”
“Minca doesn’t care about people; she would fly over your village in seconds.” Lily said, distracted. Her eyes flickered around, like she was deep in thought.
“Ok…” she said slowly. “Let’s go.”
“Are you forgetting something?” Fizan asked. She looked at him strangely then said, “Oh, yes. I’ll be right back.” Then she left the cave. Ten minutes later she arrived with two people behind her, a man and a woman. They were both carrying a set of armor, one colored a dark russet brown like Fizan and one grey and white like me.
“Just in case,” Lily said, still deep in thought.
The man walked over to Fizan and bowed. The woman did the same to me, slipping into a curtsy. I heard Fizan say, “Rise,” before the man stood and started helping him into his armor.
When I looked at the woman she was still in a curtsy, then it hit me.
“Umm… rise?” I said. The women stood and silently helped me into my armor, never making eye contact.
This is weird, I thought.
When the armor was all on again the women curtsied, and I followed Fizan’s example saying, “Dismissed.”
The armor was surprisingly light, and I had no problem moving about. “Alright, are you two ready?” Lily asked.
Fizan cleared his throat. “Weapons…” he said slowly, and in no time, I was armed with 3 daggers, and a bow and arrows.
“Alright, let’s get going. No time to lose,” Lily said. Then she turned into a, large, terrifying dragon, followed be me and Fizan.
When we walked through camp, hundreds of eyes fell on me, probably wondering who I was.
“Jokareth!” Lily called. From up above a blur of green fell to the ground right in front of Lily. This dragon was odd; he looked more like a green snake that had grown legs and wings.
“Jokareth, you’re in charge while I’m away. And mind you, do it right this time, or I will find a new second in command,” she hissed.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. But the smile in his eyes suggested he knew she was only acting for the crowd.
He flew back up into the skies, and we continued to walk until we were through the entrance and out into the mountains. From the outside, you really couldn’t tell that there were hundreds of dragons living in the rock.
“Her village isn’t far. We should make it by late afternoon,” Fizan told Lily. She nodded.
“Let’s go,” she said, spreading her webbed wings and taking off. Fizan nodded to me, “Let’s go,” he said.
We both took off hurrying to catch up to Lily.
***
After hours of flying, I saw the village.
“It’s there!” I yelled over the winds. We turned inwards flying over the town to my house in the woods. My heart pounded at the sight of my home. We landed in the back, spooking the cattle and sending them bellowing off to the other side of the pen.
I looked around for my father.
“Ash, go get the dagger,” Lily said. I looked around but he wasn’t around. I ran up the steps inside.
Entering my home now felt odd. I looked around at the familiar area, but when I saw the dagger, I dashed forwards and grabbed it.
I walked outside, dagger in hand.
“I have it!” I called to Lily.
“Good, let’s go, quickly,” she said.
“But what about my father?” I asked. “Minca is supposed to be traveling through here, I can’t leave him!”
“That’s good common sense; you should listen to the girl.” I heard a new voice say. We all spun around.
Standing there was a Dutch Angel dragon.
“Minca.” Lily said, who was now a dragon. Minca was different from me and Fizan who had similar body types. Minca was long and lanky and her hair was much longer. She had light, cobalt blue fur, except for her white underbody, mane and long muscular legs. But what really made her stand out was her huge long fluffy tail that was longer than her body. She shuffled her wings which started dark blue but faded to white at the tips.
I heard Fizan growl and saw that he also was a dragon.
“Aww… Fizan! How long it’s been! I’m so glad Lily took you in. It would have been such a waste of precious blood,” she said pleasantly, but with an evil look in her eyes.
I looked at Fizan, confused. She turned to me, “Oh and you didn’t tell your little girlfriend? I’m his mummy!” She snarled but it came out as a laugh.
Fizan roared so load I had to cover my ears. “You’re no mother of mine,” he hissed, his nostrils flared with anger. “You left me to die!”
She sighed, “Well, sweetheart, I hoped you’d be over that by now. You must understand, in the search for power? A son? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She shook her head.
My mouth hung open. Minca was Fizan’s mother!? Lily growled, “Enough of this, you’re alone and we have the dagger.”
Minca shook her head, “The weapon is only as powerful as the one who wields it, and I have a feeling your hero is as weak as the marrow in your bones,” she snarled.
“But. I’ll be nice and give you a crash course.” She sank down into her human form and pulled a dagger from her belt.
My eyes widened in surprise. As a human, Minca looked very young and she was beautiful. She wore a blue dress that was cinched at the waist and then fell loosely in folds. Her face was long and skinny like an elf, and her thick white hair was pulled up in a ponytail that fell to her waist.
Her blue eyes locked mine in her gaze.
“You grip it, like this,” she said demonstrating it to me. “And when you have your enemy you stab forwards, like this.” She twisted the knife forwards as if stabbing someone in the gut. “Or for a long target you can throw it like this.” She pulled her arm back and threw the dagger to my left where it stuck in the head of a cow which mooed then fell over, immediately dead.
I gulped,
“ENOUGH!” Lily roared, and she charged Minca, who quickly re-formed into a dragon. Lily roared and opened her mouth as if to shower her in fire.
“Lily. Lily, are you sure you want to hurt me?” Minca said softly. Lily closed her mouth looking at Minca confused, then a sort of aura enveloped Lily and her eyes widened.
“No! Of course not!” she said.
I gasped at Lily and I heard Fizan growl, frustrated.
“Persuasion powers,” he muttered. “But they won’t work on us.”
Then Fizan advanced on Minca slowly, “That won’t work on us.” He said dangerously.
“You’re right,” she smirked, “But this will. Lily- Kill them”
Lily swung her big, horned head around and growled at us as she advanced.
“What do we do now?” I asked frantically.
“Ummm… I have an idea.” He looked at Lily and she stopped. “Lily, go home. Go.”
She looked around confused about who to follow.
“Lily, Kill them!” Minca screeched. Lily growled but Fizan continued…
“Lily, your clan is in trouble! Go, go! Quickly!” she screeched and her body quivered. “GO!” Fizan yelled. Lily bent her legs and jumped into the air, flapping like her life depended on it. After Lily’s screeching faded into the wind, Minca turned to us.
“Clever… but not clever enough,” she said. She turned to face the forest behind her. “Darling, why don’t you come out here?” she said.
I looked behind her and saw Father emerging from the forest.
My eyes widened, “Father!” I yelled, stepping forwards, but Fizan grabbed me from behind.
“Ash, no, wait!” he said. I watched as Father stopped at Minca’s side. He showed no emotion, just like Lily.
“I’ll make a deal with you, the dagger for your father.” She said. My hands fumbled at my belt, but Fizan grabbed it first.
I looked at him surprised.
“What are you doing?!” I yelled, but he ignored me.
“Come and get it.” He said softly. She narrowed her eyes but began forwards slowly. He handed the dagger back to me, but as soon as she was in front of Father he reached down into his boot and pulled out a shard of glass, walking up behind Minca.
Minca was now directly in front of me, but before she could grab it Father put the glass to her throat.
“Don’t. move.” he whispered.
---------------------------- Epilogue ----------------------------
“Goodbye! I’m going to miss you!” Fern said as she hugged me. “You better come visit!”
I laughed, “Don’t worry, all the time!” I walked to the edge of the cliff where father was standing.
“Don’t worry, Father. Lily will take good care of me and I’ll come to visit all the time!” I reached up and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll miss you.” He said and wrapped me in a huge hug. “Your mother would be so proud.”
“Come on, Ash, let’s go!” Fizan called. I ran to stand next to him.
“Goodbye!” I shouted, and then Fizan and I both turned to dragons.
I flung myself into the air and roared, saying goodbye to the past and hello to the future. There would still be some cleaning up to do, but at least I would have the people I loved right there all along the way.