Chasm still isn’t back.
Damara sat with her head against a pine tree and her feet against a rock, throwing pinecones up the mountain side, watching them tumble down.
Could the dragon rider have killed him? She imagined the mysterious man’s lance running Chasm through. Then I’d finally be free.
But no…
She turned her head to look at Hasten, who lay on the ground a few yards away, facing her. She could see him watching her like a statue, unblinking, unstirring.
I’d have to escape the rest of the Strong Pack.
Veer lumbered over to her mate, pushing him with the crown of her head. “Would you give it a rest and do something else for once?” she heckled him throatily. “Don’t be such a guard dog.”
Damara furrowed her brow. She doesn’t care if I’m left alone? Isn’t she afraid I’ll run away?
She craned her neck to see Iris, who lay with foreclaws crossed and head held high. She would let me go just for fear of touching me.
She felt around for another pinecone to throw, but they were all out of her reach. For the hundredth time, she slipped the ring off her finger and studied it closely, admiring its emerald eye.
Chasm’s been gone for a few days now. Could he be dead? Should I try to escape?
She imagined herself slipping past all the dragons, out of the mountains, and back into Wystil.
Where would I go? Damara’s heart sank as she thought, Even if Xander was still alive, would he forgive me? Would Catherine’s parents send me away? Would I be completely on my own?
She rested her head back against the tree bark, closing her eyes.
Hunger pains seized her and she thought, Maybe I could hunt for myself if my knife wasn’t lost in the river. She daydreamed of partially burnt rabbit meat, her stomach rumbled.
In efforts to distract herself, she got up, ignoring Hasten’s stare. A boulder towered nearby and she rubbed dirt into her hands. Climbing the rock reminded her of the past, when she could out-climb anyone who challenged her, even Xander. She could almost hear her brother’s exasperated laugh as she reached the top, but turned only to see the dismal reality of what her life had become.
With a groan, Damara perched on the ledge. The rock wasn’t much more than a dragon’s length high, but it helped her feel that much more separated from the Strong Pack below. She craved to be untouchable.
“About time,” Veer spoke, obnoxiously loud.
Damara started when a shadow raced over her.
It was Chasm, descending from the sky to land next to Iris, smirking as he folded his wings against his sides. “Hello, Evening.” He grinned as she curled her lip.
“Don’t call me that!” she spat, but did not object when he leaned in to rub chins with her.
Damara looked away, repulsed.
I’d vomit if there was anything in my stomach, she thought. They’re worse than Veer and Hasten.
“Will you two stop acting like such fools?” Veer groused. “Chasm, tell us what’s going on.”
Damara peered down at them again, surprised to agree with the mahogany brute.
Iris glared at Veer, but didn’t say a word as Chasm straightened.
Damara noticed something hooked in his left foreclaw. A boot.
What does he want that for? Does he even know it’s there?
Chasm called Damara down, shaking the leather boot from his talons.
She hesitated.
The dragon narrowed his eyes at her. “Come down,” he repeated.
With a deep breath, she stood up, then paused.
Look how tall I am, she thought. A little thrill ran through her bones as she saw how Chasm had to tilt his head back at her. A little smirk rose in the corner of her lips.
Chasm bared his teeth, then gathered his haunches and leapt up onto the rock like a wild cat.
Damara couldn’t help but gasp as she found herself reeling back with no room for her to balance. The dragon opened his wing, purposely knocking her off. She crashed to the ground, wincing as she landed hard on her shoulder.
Damara’s eyes fell on a pair of magenta foreclaws in front of her, and she followed them all the way up to Iris’ face.
“Don’t touch me,” the female hissed, backing away and forming a defensive half circle with her body. Her tail curled, at the ready to lash out.
Damara took a heavy breath and got to her feet, trying not to grimace in pain. Touching her throbbing shoulder, she turned to see Chasm, who posed on the tall boulder. He held his stance a moment longer, then alighted beside the boot on the ground.
“Pick it up,” he commanded, nodding toward it.
Damara walked over and stooped to do as he said, knowing it was the only way for her to avoid any more of his physical abuse.
She turned the footwear over in her hands. It’s just an ordinary boot.
Chasm eyeballed a bare spot of earth, planting his foreclaw in it. “Press the boot print there,” he ordered, nodding to the patch of dirt as he stepped off of it.
Damara complied, pushing the boot into the ground and taking it away again, so that both footprints set side by side- dragon and man. Chasm scrutinized the marks intensely.
What is he doing? Damara wondered, glancing from him to the footprints.
“Draw a circle around them,” he decided finally.
Without understanding why, she knelt to trace a ring around the two impressions. And so, both footprints were unified into one symbol. Damara straightened herself, looking down at it, still confused.
Chasm snorted in approval. “Did I not tell you this human could aid us in our victory?” he asked the Strong Pack.
Veer crinkled her muzzle. “I’m not impressed,” she said.
“Only because you don’t understand how the humans think,” Chasm gloated. “I have heard what the Wystilians think of this newcomer, the Dragon Knight, so they call him. As it turns out, they refuse to believe that he’s helping them.”
“Did anyone see you?” Iris inquired.
Chasm scoffed. “Those humans couldn’t notice me.”
The Dragon Knight, Damara thought in wonder. If it’s true that the Wystilians don’t trust him, they must not know him. Who is he? Is he really trying to save them?
Would he save me?
Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself crossly. No one’s going to help me. I ride the enemy’s back. Everyone thinks I’m a part of the Strong Pack. They all want me dead.
“Don’t lose that boot,” Chasm ordered Damara. “Now climb up. It’s time for us to leave.”
Damara furrowed her brow, blowing her lengthening hair out of her face.
What now? She gripped the leather boot in one hand as she clambered up onto the dragon’s grey back. We can’t possibly be going back to Wystil after the Dragon Knight fought us off.
But she was proved wrong as Chasm and the Strong Pack exited the mountain range once more, gliding into the kingdom without hesitation.
What can they possibly be thinking?
. . .
They passed over Swaineford and Damara stared down on the battlefield in awe.
The dead soldiers- they’re all gone!
Did the Dragon Knight bury them? she wondered. Or did his dragons eat them?!
She tapped the ivory ring around her finger apprehensively. Is he helping the kingdom, or are the Wystilians right to fear him? Did he fight us to protect the army or take the land for himself?
How does he know those dragons?
Damara’s heart beat faster as they passed over Swaine River, leaving the wrecked town behind. A village stood in the near distance. The Strong Pack headed towards it.
Is this an attack? Damara bit her lip and dug her nails into the rope she clenched. Do they know we’re coming? Do I have to watch them die?!
Panic rose up her throat and she trembled uncontrollably. Her muscles became taut. Are there children there? She stared ahead with wide eyes.
As they came upon the village, she could see commoner
s on the ground, screaming and pointing up at the dragons. Chasm tucked his wings in to dive, plummeting toward the people. Seeing the ground come so close, Damara had the sudden urge to jump off, but the ropes over her legs stopped her.
“No! Stop!” she cried aloud uselessly as the dragon beneath her snatched a man in his claws. She could hear the stranger hollering. She peered down, seeing the man kick his legs as Chasm ascended again, beating the air with mighty strokes.
Oh God. Damara froze in terror when Chasm reached great heights and opened his talons.
“Ahhhh!” The man’s guttural scream rang out as he plunged toward the earth.
Damara closed her eyes tightly, right before he hit the ground. She slumped, unable to block out the appalling images of blood painted in her mind. Defeated, she slipped into oblivion, imagining her brother’s embrace. Curling up tight into herself, she tried to breathe in and out, calm and steady.
Peace, peace…
Be still.
Chasm roared, awakening Damara from her trance-like state. Her eyes flew open as she sat bolt upright.
The Dragon Knight!
She stared in amazement as the Strong Pack’s chaos was swept into order. Two dragons tackled Veer and Hasten in midair, stopping them from burning down the houses not already ignited.
The Dragon Knight on his hooded dragon swooped low, guiding commoners out of burning wreckage. The hooded dragon held his blue wings open wide, shielding the victims from the fire that pressed in on them from all sides.
Damara saw Iris land in the flaming ruins, cowering as she watched the Dragon Knight’s four allies take over. Chasm hovered above the village, peering down at all that was happening. Damara could feel his growl vibrating in his throat.
She saw the teal dragon help the Dragon Knight usher terrified people to a safer area at the edge of the village. Then, on his pine green dragon, the knight ascended, heading straight for Chasm.
And her.
Such skill. Damara couldn’t help but admire the Dragon Knight in apprehensive awe as he came near. Her eyes focused in on how precisely he directed his reptilian steed with the reins. She noticed how relaxed he looked on the dragon’s back, realizing just how tense she herself was.
Chasm darted to the side, avoiding the knight and his dragon. For a moment, they regarded each other, both dragons beating their wings with unquestionable power. Damara stared at the knight, stiff as she sensed his hidden eyes settling on her.
Then, Chasm snarled, lunging for the dragon and his rider. The Dragon Knight responded quickly, thrusting his lance out at Chasm, who twisted in flight to avoid the piercing tip.
“Frontal assault!”
Damara heard the knight give a warning shout and his dragon got ready with claws up.
Having gotten past the lance, Chasm locked into one-on-one combat with the hooded dragon.
Damara clung on desperately, eyes wide as tooth and claw flashed past her. She saw the knight’s dragon snarl, terrified yet awestruck to see the mystifying beast so close.
Can he see through that hood? she wondered, gawking at the dragon’s leather head covering. There were no eye slits.
Damara gasped as she was whipped to the side. Struggling to get readjusted in her seat, she blanched as a set of claws whisked past her, nearly scoring her across the face.
As Chasm and the obscure dragon clashed again and again, Damara saw that the knight had lost his lance. Now in his hand was a dagger with a cruel, sharp tip.
She shuddered uncontrollably, catching the blade’s glint as the dragons grappled each other. Is he going to stab me with that? she feared, pressing herself as close to Chasm as she could.
Tears of pain sprung to her eyes as Chasm’s sudden movement slammed her chin against his solid neck. She could taste the blood on her lower lip and braced herself for a second impact.
Oh God, I’m not going to survive this! she cried inwardly with eyes fixed shut. True fear of death gripped her as tightly as she gripped the rope around Chasm’s neck.
I don’t want to die!
As though the Heavens heard her prayer, she felt Chasm break away. She opened her eyes, inhaling deeply as she realized he was calling the retreat, bidding the Strong Pack to come and follow his lead.
Already flying away from the broken village was Iris, not once glancing back as she fled. Down below, Damara could see Veer and Hasten pull out of a standoff with the other dragons, who were guarding a tight group of commoners.
Though the Strong Pack retreated on battle-wearied wings, Damara saw that the Dragon Knight was not going to pursue them. She twisted around to see the armored man dismount and rush to pick up a wounded child.
As Chasm took Damara further and further away, she continued to watch as the mysterious man put a comforting arm around a weeping woman.
He really is helping them.
Hope stirred within her.
Would he help me?
. . .
It seems the Dragon Knight only comes when the Strong Pack is killing people, Damara mulled over as she sat under Swaine Bridge once more. But why doesn’t he come to eliminate the Strong Pack once and for all?
And if that were to happen- what would become of me?
She stared down into the flowing river and started when a slick water monigon surfaced in front of her, a fish in its mouth. Judging by the creature’s sleek and slender body, Damara could tell it was the reptilian copy of a river otter. She greedily eyed the fish in its jaws, wishing she could be just as efficient at fishing.
Hunger pains shot through her, as though her stomach felt the need to remind her of its existence. The chicken eggs and zikkerwheat she’d scavenged from the town were barely enough to sustain her and Damara wished for meat.
Roasted rabbit meat, she imagined wistfully. Partially burnt, still warm…how perfect.
The dead bird Chasm had caught for her days ago was long gone, likely wolfed down by a stray dog or swept up by the river. Miserably, Damara dug her nails into the ground, daydreaming of food. She recalled fresh bread and warm stew, nearly tasting their soothing flavors on her tongue. Groaning, she buried her face in her knees.
After a few moments, she lifted her weary head and froze.
Straight across from her, on the other side of the river, stood the dragon spy. The bridge cast shadows over him, but she could see something in his jaws. He gazed at her, a soft apprehensive expression on his face. Damara dared not say a word, knowing well that Hasten was above them on the bridge.
The spy! Why is he just staring at me?
What’s that in his mouth?
She was not afraid that he would suddenly attack her. His body language didn’t suggest anything of the sort. The possibility of one of the other unknown dragons sneaking up on her from behind also ran through her head, but she was too curious to be afraid.
Slowly, the teal dragon lowered his head and opened his mouth to drop the object on the ground. Then, just as quietly, he passed over it and slipped into the water, disappearing from sight.
Will he come up on this side? Damara timidly searched the river for any signs of movement. A few moments went by with no tell-tale signs of the stranger and she turned her focus on the object still lying on the bank opposite of her.
I have to find out what that is, she determined. Knowing that swimming across was out of the question, she reluctantly ventured up to the bridge, where Hasten stood guard.
The large brute ignored her as she hesitated on one end of the stone bridge. She bit her lip as she saw the rest of the Strong Pack approaching on wing. They all landed on the bridge. Iris leaned into Chasm flirtatiously as he looked on with pride. Damara could see Veer narrow her eyes at the two of them.
The mahogany female turned her head to her mate and awkwardly tried rubbing chins with him.
“What’re you doing?” Hasten grumbled, pulling away.
Iris and Chasm stopped cooing over each other, watching Veer as she tilted her bulky shoulders t
owards her mate. Iris laughed sharply, startling Damara.
“How pathetic,” Iris snickered to Chasm.
Now’s my chance to cross, Damara realized. As inconspicuously as possible, she moved to the edge of the bridge. She passed by Iris and Chasm, who paid her no mind as they smirked at Veer shouldering up against Hasten.
Hasten made eye contact with Damara, but was distracted as his mate growled for his attention.
As soon as Damara had crossed the bridge, she skittered down the grassy slope to get to the mysterious item. She picked it up, staring at it in amazement. It was a leather belt, and attached to it was a sheathed dagger.
A knife! she thought with delight, weighing it in her hands. The spy brought me a knife!
Pulling it out, she studied it closer. The noduled base of an antler served as the hunting dagger’s handle. Damara could tell it was made for a man’s hand, but she gripped it well enough. The dagger’s glinting blade became narrow towards the end in a viciously sharp tip. And etched into the metal were two dragon tracks, one above the other.
Damara froze in astonishment as she realized what she was holding.
This is the Dragon Knight’s dagger!
She nearly dropped it in alarm, holding its leather-wrapped handle with shaking hands.
Does the Dragon Knight know his knife is gone? Did the teal dragon steal it from him, or…was he sent to give it to me?
She stood there dumbfounded, barely able to process her own thoughts.
Does someone actually care about me?
. . .
“Circle it,” Chasm commanded Damara.
She traced a line around the two imprints of the dragon’s foot and the boot, completing the symbol. They were standing in the recently abandoned village, marking their footprint symbol wherever Chasm chose.
I don’t understand, Damara thought. The Strong Pack retreated when the Dragon Knight came to fight them off…so why is Chasm marking the territory as his own?
She searched the skies and scanned the devastated town with her eyes. The Dragon Knight won this fight- and yet he doesn’t come again to drive us out?
There aren’t any bodies, she noted, gazing around. It hasn’t even been a week since the Strong Pack invaded. How was he able to bury the dead in that time?
She furrowed her brow, mounting Chasm as ordered. Absentmindedly, she tied the boot to her waist. As her hand bumped into the sheathed dagger on her belt, she envisioned the Dragon Knight flying on the back of his hooded dragon.
Who could he be? She yearned to know.
Chasm flew back to Swaineford, where they found Veer lying on the bridge, looking glum.
“Where is Hasten?” Chasm asked her, alighting on the stone structure.
“That dim-witted earth mound?” Veer grumbled. “I don’t know.”
“It’s time we attack another town,” Chasm told her. “Go find Hasten and meet me here.”
“Attack another town?” Veer repeated his words. “Can’t you see that it’s useless? The Dragon Knight beats us every time.”
She’s right, Damara realized, chest swelling with hope. The Strong Pack can’t compete with the Dragon Knight. Twice, they’ve tried, and both times they’ve failed miserably.
A spark lit her eyes and she broke into an impassioned grin.
Chasm is going to lose!
A sound must have escaped her lips, for Chasm craned his neck to look at her through the corner of his eye. Damara saw his face harden, right before he shook her violently off his back.
Sent flying from her perch, her eyes watered as the back of her head struck stone. Wincing, she propped herself up, feeling her scalp for blood. Despite the throbbing, she determined that she was uninjured.
Chasm glared down at her in hatred.
“If it weren’t for me, the Dragon Knight would kill you,” he warned darkly. “They want us all dead, even you.”
Damara narrowed her eyes, processing his words.
First, he tells me that without him I’d be killed. But then he tells me that because I’m with him, people want me killed?
As Damara remained silent, Chasm turned his head to Veer. “I told you to go find Hasten and meet me here,” he growled. “Why are you just standing there?”
Veer opened her mouth as if to object, then seemingly reconsidered and ambled away.
Damara mulled over how suddenly Chasm had lost his temper and shook her off. Was I smirking? she pondered, unable to remember. How did I manage to aggravate him so easily?
He’s awfully tense, she noted, climbing back up as he ordered her to do so. When has he ever been like this?
Chapter 13