MORNING LIGHT FILTERED IN THROUGH the window of Anwen's room. The curtains were still drawn back from the day before. Anwen pulled the spare pillow up over her face to block out the light. When that didn’t help, she rolled over with a groan and looked at the clock on the nightstand.
It was still early, as far as she was concerned, seven in the morning according to the clock. With a heavy sigh, she got up and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth, hoping she didn’t look as tired as she felt. A good breakfast would fix that though.
Anwen laced up the rugged boots she’d purchased for the occasion. She hoped they were broken in enough to not cause blisters while she was out and about. She’d heard there was some rough terrain on the way to the ruins.
Moments later, she made her way to the dining area Madame Millard had described. There, she ate a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Not many others were there at that early hour.
At exactly eight, Anwen found a seat on the front steps of City Hall. Tyler had told her to meet up with the others in her hiking group there. She tried to not think about what had happened last night and was so caught up in distracting herself that she almost didn’t notice several other teens joining her. They all had daypacks slung over their shoulders. She came back from daydreaming to note there were two girls and a boy joining her, none familiar.
Before introductions could be made, Tyler walked over. He also had a daypack slung over one shoulder, along with a rope he'd fastened around his belt. He clapped his hands together. “Looks like everyone made it,” he commented. “And in just a few minutes, we’ll be on our way. At least we will as soon as our ride arrives.” He cracked a smile.
The other boy, Josef, laughed in appreciation and took a swig from his water bottle. “Who’s it this time? Old Man Mercer?”
One of the girls, the dark haired one, nudged him with an elbow. The two were a couple from the village and were undergoing the ritual ascent to the Dragon Ruins, as the locals called them.
Legend had it that if a young couple dared venture to the ruins, they might find some kind of sign. If they did, it meant their relationship was blessed by the mountain spirits. At least that's what Anwen had gathered from last night
The blond girl, whose name Anwen learned was Courtney, tossed her hair. “I think it’s Mr. Miller,” she corrected. Also a local, she was coming along in hopes of finally convincing Tyler to date her.
“A few safety guidelines before we begin,” Tyler interrupted their suppositions. “Stay with the group. No one is to wander off on their own on the path. When I tell you to do something, do it. Otherwise you might die. Don’t bring anything back from the ruins, no matter how strong the temptation. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”
Courtney snorted and gave the other girl a knowing look. “He means you, Daphne.”
Tyler turned a cold-faced expression her way. “I mean everyone,” he corrected her. “It’s not wise to risk the wrath of the mountain spirits. And believe me, there are plenty of tales of those who have. I will not be held responsible if you decide not to follow my instructions.” His gaze swept over the small group to make sure they understood.
Anwen tried not to squirm under the lecture. Perhaps these mountain spirits were just a figment of the villagers’ imagination. But it served as a nice allegory of sorts for what might happen if instructions weren’t followed. She had no idea what kind of things that would inspire, nor did she want to find out. After all, sometimes it was better not to know.
Everyone turned as a rather loud truck pulled up to the curb and sat there idling. A middle-aged man waved from the front seat, his fair hair peppered with gray. Mr. Miller didn’t bother getting out but chose to wait inside while Tyler finished up.
Tyler nodded towards Mr. Miller, then turned back to the others. “We’ll be riding in the back so make sure you sit flat and hang onto the sides, just in case we hit any bumps or other obstacles on the way over. Consider this your 'initiation' for this expedition.”
Anwen’s eyes grew large the moment Tyler mentioned the transportation arrangements. Where she came from, no one would be caught dead riding in the back of a truck.
Not only was it against the law, but also outright dangerous. Especially if something happened to cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Anwen's stomach flopped at the idea.
Anwen was about to protest but swallowed her words as the others climbed up over the tailgate and took their seats inside the truck bed. Not wanting to be the sour grape of the bunch, she headed to the back like the others.
Noticing her discomfort, Tyler had a quick word with Mr. Miller. “Hey, Anna, you’ll be riding shotgun, okay? We can’t have our only out-of-towner falling out of back now can we?”
Anwen stopped in her tracks, one foot on the rear fender as she turned beet red. She reversed course and walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle where Tyler held the door open. Thoughts of the night before and how he’d almost had to carry her down a small boulder filled her mind. She’d already shamed herself once. She would not do it again.
With everyone settled in their respective seats, Mr. Miller put the truck in gear and headed out. They drove up through the village, further into the mountains.
It didn’t take long before they were following a well-worn road with plenty of potholes. Anwen found herself appreciating the protective metal body around her. She just wished Tyler hadn’t made it possible in such an embarrassing manner.
After what seemed like several hours, but was really only half that time, Mr. Miller slowed the truck down. He pulled over onto a wide shoulder on the opposite side of the road. It was the kind usually reserved for vehicles to turn around in. A few wooden picnic tables sat just off the graveled area. They looked rather weathered, with weeds growing up through the slats on top.
Tyler hopped out of the truck bed with an easy swing to the ground, the others following. Anwen opened her door and stepped out with uncertain feet. For some reason, her heart had begun to pound and she had to wet her lips. This was the moment she’d been waiting for ever since she’d gotten her hands on her grandmother’s diary several years ago. The idea of finding the place described was daunting. She felt more than a little intimidated by the whole prospect. Especially now that she’d set foot on the path that would lead her there.
Taking several deep breaths, Anwen turned to see the picnic tables. Only half a dozen feet beyond them lay a creek of sorts, with water gurgling in the bottom.
And if she continued her gaze towards the right, there was a section past that which looked like an old dirt road. The main road should have connected to the other side, making a T shape, but didn’t. Whatever bridge that might have once stood there no longer existed.
Tyler looked around, counting everyone in the party, then moved closer to the roadside. “If I may direct your attention to the far side of the road, I think you will find a sight worth seeing.” He pointed towards a green-covered peak on the far side, which poked up from behind an outcropping of stone.
Anwen moved towards him, wondering just what he was talking about. Then she noticed a river on the other side, the same river that ran through the village. And, further down, sat a lake, mostly concealed by the same cleft of rock that ran up along the roadside. Part of the lake was still visible, along with something jutting out into the water.
Moving further, she noticed the object pushing up from the water began to take a more distinct shape. It looked like the head of some kind of monster surfacing from the still blue surface. It pointed towards the sky as if gazing at the heavens.
And if she moved further still, there was a larger lump that could be taken as the body belonging to the triangular head. She blinked a few times, her mouth almost hanging open in awe. A thin line of earth connected the two, barely visible underneath the surface of the water. “Is that what I think it is?”
Tyler came up beside her and nodded, a boyish grin on his face. “That, my dear Anna, is Lake Wyvern. Or,
as some call it, the Dragon Lake. And that island you see in the middle is the Dragon Isle.”
“Because it looks like a dragon?” Anwen suggested, hoping that was exactly what he’d say.
Tyler chuckled. “That would be part of it. Remember how I mentioned the mountain spirits? Well, to us more local folk, these spirits aren’t just ghosts. They're the creatures that these mountains were named after. The draakki, drage, drake, lindwurm. They are more commonly referred to as drakon or dragonkind.”
Anwen stared in shock, eyes wide as she tried to take this in. “You don’t mean…?”
Tyler nodded, his expression earnest. “That’s exactly what I mean. Real life dragons.” After half a minute of silence, his eyes creased in amusement. “At least that’s what the locals say.”
Anwen felt the sudden urge to smack him but refrained. He was teasing her again. But how could he know how important this was to her? There was no possible way, and, because of that, she had to overlook his jerking her around.
If he only knew how much she’d invested in coming to learn the truth, he might sing another tune. Or think she was crazy. It was hard to get a read on him, though. One minute he acted like he was a local, the next like he was just a frequent visitor. It was maddening.
Daphne rolled her eyes at Tyler’s little tale. “Hey, can we get going already? I mean it’s not like we have all day.” She tapped one foot. Josef wisely kept his mouth shut when she glanced in his direction.
Courtney sidled up next to Tyler and put an arm around his shoulders in an all too friendly fashion. “Maybe we should humor the happy little couple. We don’t want to upset things before they get married, right?” She gave him a coy wink, but turned and gave Anwen a dirty look when Tyler turned to look at the ‘happy little couple’.
Anwen felt like she’d somehow been slapped, even though there was no real way Courtney could have touched her. The blond had one arm around Tyler and was trying to rub his arm with the other. All the same, the mental sting was still there and she had to resist the temptation to feel for any potential swelling on her left cheek.
Tyler nodded, drawing the others closer with a glance. He ignored Courtney’s advances. “All right, everyone. Listen up. There will be a few stretches ahead where we'll need to rope up because of some drop offs. So if anyone has any objections, they’d better voice them now or keep them to themselves.
"Once we start on the trail, there’s no going back on your own and no sitting out and waiting for the others to return. Do you understand? This is your last chance.”
He didn’t look directly at Anwen, but she could feel the intensity of his eyes as he made sure everyone was up for the trek ahead. She shook off a momentary chill, knowing they’d only have to rope up if there was the potential of someone falling.
Last chance, but did she want to take it? She took a deep breath, remembering exactly why she was there and said nothing when his gaze swept over her again. Not that she was sure she could make it back to the village on her own anyway. Mr. Miller was already gone, after all.
Courtney moved away from Tyler's side. She'd heard the speech too many times to count. But to at least give the illusion, she nodded along with the others.
With a smile, Tyler clapped his hands together. “Looks like we’re all in, so let’s get started.” He headed back to the far side of the turnaround, continuing on towards the gully.
His long legs almost seemed to fly over the ground as he navigated around small boulders and brush. Reaching the creek first, he waited for the others to catch up before heading down the gentle decline to the rushing water.
“Hope everyone wore waterproof shoes,” Tyler joked as he headed into the stream. It was only about half a foot deep and he crossed in a few strides. He stopped halfway up the steeper side of the bank to check back on the others' progress.
Josef helped Daphne across the water and up the far side. Courtney had to have help from Tyler on the way up the incline. She somehow managing to slip on the same patch of shale the others had had no trouble with on their ascent.
Anwen puffed her way around without help. When the water rushed over her feet, she found she was glad her mother had suggested rubbing the boots with boar grease. At least her feet were dry, even if her heart was racing and the bottom of her pant legs were wet.
Tyler glanced back at the tourist, half a smile on his face as he watched her struggle up the last few feet of the bank. She hadn't so much as asked for help, or looked like she’d accept it if any was offered. She had grit, he had to admit. She’d definitely need it before this ordeal was over though. He only hoped she’d be up to the challenge. After all, there was a lot more coming up ahead that would give her a run for her courage.
The small group followed the dirt road for some while. It gradually became more rugged and narrower as it wound among the low hills. More scrub filled in around them, along with the occasional boulder recently fallen from somewhere above.
Before long, they were twisting into an open-air tunnel of sorts. Sometimes it was uphill. At other times the path sloped with a downward direction. The rock was a combination of dun brown and faded red. It felt almost as if the harsh sun, which was slowly making its way westward, had not quite leeched the color out.
Anwen stumbled a bit, unfamiliar with hiking on rough terrain. But she managed to keep that to herself, even when Tyler looked back to make sure she was okay.
She’d noticed that every time Tyler looked back to check on her, Courtney was not far behind. Only with a nasty look. The blond constantly tried to get his attention in one way or another. Too bad the girl couldn’t see that Tyler didn’t seem interested.
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