* * *
Quiet voices disturbed the oblivion around me, drawing me back to awareness.
You’re awake, small meat one. I was growing impatient. What happened?
My eyes weren’t quite interested in opening yet, but I could feel a soft bed beneath me and warm blankets over my body. I’m assuming Rik won the argument. My head throbbed, but not as painfully as before. I no longer felt quite so unstable and dizzy, either. I’d been tended by a healer.
I gave you energy. Wasn’t that enough?
I hit my head on a root or rock or something after I was struck. It was more than your energy could overcome.
I sensed rather than heard her exasperated snort.
The voices quieted, and a cool hand touched my forehead. A paradoxical warmth spread out from the fingers, soothing another degree of the pain. I opened my eyes to see a silver-haired woman smiling down at me, her face the color of burnished bronze.
“Good afternoon, raisa,” the woman said. “Do you know who I am?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t had the honor of meeting you, but I take you to be the healer, raisa-da.”
She chuckled at my use of the suffix for the honored position of an elder. “You flatter me, child, but raisa will be fine. I haven’t quite gained enough years to be due that honor as of yet. I am Magra. What is your name?”
“If it pleases you, my name is Alita.”
“And do you know where you are?”
I glanced over and saw a cluster of people on the other side of the sparse but warm room. Tarvia. Thone. Rik and Erret. Another man I didn’t recognize, perhaps the other man who’d been visiting Thone when I arrived yesterday. Erret was glaring at me.
“Emsha. I’m in Emsha.” I returned my attention to Magra. “I assume in your home and place of business.”
She looked even more pleased. “You’re mending well, though it was quite a blow to the head. You’ll need to spend the day resting here, but you should be able to stand by tomorrow.”
Thone stepped forward. “We have some questions for you.”
“Which I’m sure can wait for tomorrow,” Magra said, her voice polite but carrying a rather dire warning just beneath the surface. “She has been through a trauma and needs her rest.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I can answer their questions. To the best of my ability, that is.”
Magra pursed her lips, but stood aside.
“First, I will apologize that you were caught in the middle of what should be our problem alone,” Thone said, his stance and voice almost regal in formality. The poor guy wasn’t sure what to do with me, so he did as all Traditional Elves did when uncertain: resort to the highest manners. “The city of Krenish has long had… a complicated relationship with us. We have done our best to maintain the peace, but it seems those men came out seeking to cause trouble today.”
It wasn’t that hard to put together, given the way the men behaved. Krenish was the larger city I’d seen from the hill, and their people were bullying the much smaller Emsha. I was suddenly glad I hadn’t pushed through the rain in hopes of finding a modern settlement. It sounded like Krenish was a Sectarian Elf village, more interested in dominating others than in anything resembling actual honor.
“Second,” Thone continued, “I want to assure you that you are in no danger here. We merely wish to come to an understanding of what may have happened—”
Erret folded his arms. “Explain to him your unholy alliance with that monster.”
I bristled, first at the reference to Axen as a monster and then at the word ‘unholy.’ But defensiveness and sarcasm wouldn’t suit me here. Instead, I dipped my head. “Forgive me for being contrary, tabe-ro.”
Thone nodded. “Speak as you need, raisa.”
I breathed in before speaking, maintaining steady control and stealing a moment to think through my wording. They wouldn’t understand it all, so I needed to give them a version that they could understand. “The dragon is my family’s guardian, a legacy passed down through the generations. The legacy was my father’s, but he passed it to my older brother before he and my mother were killed. My older brother was my guardian for a time, but those that killed my parents came after him as well. His final act…”
The annoying catch struck my throat again. I swallowed it away. “The last thing he did was bequeath the legacy upon me, so that the dragon would be my guardian and protector. But I can assure you all that neither I nor my parents nor my brother used any magic in the process.” My thumb lightly rubbed against the ring that nestled on my third finger, so worn with age that it nearly vanished against my skin.
Erret’s scowl deepened, but Thone looked thoughtful. “May I ask how this bond is formed, then?”
Trickier, but still doable. “It is inherent to the nature of the dragon herself. Axen chose to create this bond with my family. It is her natural ability to do so.”
Thone looked back at Tarvia and the others. The man I didn’t know responded with a shrug, and Tarvia, Rik, and Magra appeared perfectly satisfied. When Thone turned back to me, his face was more relaxed. “Thank you for your explanation, raisa. Forgive us for prying.”
Erret let out a barking laugh. “You find this ridiculous story satisfactory? This woman,” he said it like it was a bad word, “has brought the vilest manner of evil into our village with her unnatural bond with a… a creature.”
My hackles rose again, and this time my mouth responded before I could fully think through the direction I was taking. “If you will forgive my boldness, tabe-ro, but I must ask: on what grounds, or based on what evidence, do you claim my connection to the dragon is evil?”
Erret glanced at the others, but they simply waited for him to answer. He snorted. “Isn’t it obvious? The very nature of it, a bond between being and beast, is vile.”
“What about its very nature makes it evil?”
His mouth worked a couple of times before sound came out. “Because… because it’s clear to anyone who looks that only evil magics could create such a bond.”
“Why is that clear?” I knew I was pushing, but I had gone too far to back down now. “Why are you so certain it couldn’t be formed in a way which does not rely on evil magic?”
The look in his eyes was similar to that of a trapped animal. “It… you… Because! It’s evil. Anyone can see that!”
“Forgive me once more, tabe-ro, but I wish to make certain I understand.” My tone had returned to the formal, polite one. Perhaps too polite. “So you do not actually understand this bond or how it is formed, and because you do not understand it, it therefore must be evil?”
“Yes!” he snapped. Then blinked. “I… You didn’t…” He blinked a couple more times, then fell silent.
Any sense of victory I might have felt in that moment was squashed when I saw the disapproval in Thone’s eyes. In fairness, my point was valid, but I’d unnecessarily embarrassed a prominent man of the village in front of his leader. I couldn’t help feeling a little bad.
“Forgive my wording. I am certain that’s not actually what you meant, tabe-ro,” I said quietly. “I only intended to say that there are many things in this world which we may not fully understand but are not necessarily evil.”
Erret’s face soured even further. “You—”
Whatever he’d been about to say was lost in a shout from outside. Thone leaned back to see out the window beside him, then turned to the door. “Erret, Jaska, Rik.”
The men immediately fell in step behind him without a further word, and they vanished out the door.
Tarvia peered out the window, then looked at me. “You have a bit of a tongue on you.”
“I’m afraid that’s true, raisa-ro. I apologize for offending.”
She waved a hand. “Understand that Erret is one of the leaders here,” she said, a slight scold in her tone, but then it softened. “But that does not mean we always agree with everything he says. I’m glad you were not injured too badly, raisa. Rest and feel
better.” With that, she straightened and moved away from the bed.
I craned my neck toward the window, but couldn’t see what was going on outside. “Is everything okay?”
“Don’t concern yourself. You worry about resting.” Magra straightened the chairs at the other end of the room, apparently where the men had been sitting while waiting for me to recover.
The voices outside grew louder, sharper. Magra looked out the window, then hurried to the door. She glanced back at me. “Stay put and relax. I’ll be back before long.”
I waited until the door shut, then carefully sat up, testing the movements slowly to give my wounded head time to adjust to the new position. Magra’s work had been thorough, and though I felt slightly dizzy, I was able to stand without too much difficulty.
Magra’s home rested on the main road, and the window beside the bed gave me a full view of the scene. The women of the village clustered near the buildings, a few tightly gripping the wrists of boys who leaned and strained for a better view. The men of the village stood in the middle of the road, facing east, toward Krenish. I’d wager the entire village was out there, and it struck me how tiny Emsha really was. The men numbered somewhere in the low twenties, it appeared from the group on the road. Part of me hoped there were more elsewhere, but based on the number of buildings I’d seen, it seemed these truly were all there was.
But the focus of the voices was beyond that group, where a larger group of men stood. Three times the numbers of the Emsha men. And right in front, the two men who’d run away from Axen in the forest.
The bullies had come to exact retribution for their humiliating defeat.
I rushed to the door and hurried outside, passing Magra before she could realize what was going on and stop me. I ignored the protest behind me as I skirted around the men and came to a stop squarely between the two groups.
The two men from the forest nudged a bulkier man beside them, gesturing toward me.
I drew in a deep breath and placed my hands together at my side in a peaceful gesture. Axen, get over here. “I understand that you have certain laws about hunting in your territory, and that justice is required. I am the one who hunted in your forest, and I am not a member of this village. As such, any problems you have must be addressed to me.”
The bulky man eyed me slowly in an unfriendly and almost inappropriate way, taking his time with the examination. I could practically feel the anger rising from the men behind me at the disrespect being shown to a lady, but I held my ground and ignored the gaze, waiting for a response. No reason to make a fuss over the eying when I was after something much bigger.
Finally, he shifted his gaze behind me. “You let this female speak for you, Thone?”
Definitely Sectarian. If I’d had any doubts before, they were gone at the contempt and derision the man had loaded into that two-syllable word.
Thone was slow to respond, his words carefully measured. “The lady speaks for herself, Jennik. She is not a member of my village. She is free to do as she chooses without my say.”
Slick. Slicker than I’d expected out of him, in fact. He’d gracefully absolved himself and Emsha of any responsibility for me or my actions, but he hadn’t officially made me an outsider. If he and his men decided to take my side, the way was still open for them to do so.
I lifted my head and met Jennik’s gaze straight on. I’d done my duty for politeness. Now it was time to face the bully.
The larger man’s face twisted like he’d smelled something foul. “Stand aside,” he spat at me. “I won’t be dishonored by a lowly woman.”
I didn’t budge. “I am not here to dishonor anyone. Your quarrel is with me. I am the one who hunted in what your men claimed to be your territory. I am the reason your man was injured. Thus, any resolution to this problem, including any consequences for these actions, must start with me.” Come on, Axen. Get over here.
A grumble rolled across the Krenish men. Jennik’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly drew his sword. “Choose your words wisely, female. Or I may do exactly as you request.”
Again, the reaction behind me was palpable.
“You would threaten an unarmed woman?” Thone’s tone was respectful but with anger and outrage straining his voice.
Jennik’s lip twisted. “The female said that our problem is with her alone. Unless you wish to involve your village?”
The Krenish men drew their weapons, looking eager for a fight.
My muscles tightened, my arm longing to reach behind me and draw my sword. But I didn’t have my sword. Not that it would have done much good against so many enemies. Still, I felt even more exposed and vulnerable without it.
Axen, where are you?
I can’t imagine what it must be like to live with so little awareness of the sky above me.
I glanced up, a subtle, flickering glance. Greyish clouds obscured the sky, but one patch looked just a bit darker than the others and moved in slow circles above us.
My body relaxed. I kept my face still to hold back the instinctive smile. I turned my head slightly to address Thone. “Tabe-ro, thank you for your defense. I do not wish to involve your village. This is my problem to address.”
Then I turned back to Jennik’s smirking mug. “You are free to remedy this conflict between us as you best see fit. But, as your men may have told you, you will first have to address this matter with my guardian.”
Axen dropped from the clouds with a piercing roar, circling above the Krenish men. Half of them all but dropped their weapons to cover their ears and cower, shouting in alarm. Even Jennik took a step back, cringing away from the sky.
Behind me, women screamed and rushed into buildings, dragging curious children with them. The men didn’t follow, but I had a feeling they responded with as much fear as the Krenish men. It was natural. The right way a person should respond to the appearance of a dragon.
Axen circled one more time, then dipped lower toward the road behind me. The Emsha men scattered to the side, and she landed where they had been standing with a ground-shaking thud. Most of the Krenish men lost their balance and fell as the ground rocked. Many of them didn’t try to stand back up.
She spread her wings in a threatening manner, hissing steam toward my would-be attackers, weaving her neck back and forth like a snake while keeping her keen gaze fixed on the men.
Bit of an overly dramatic entrance, don’t you think?
With an overly dramatic introduction like that, how else could I have entered? she retorted.
I bit back another smile and addressed Jennik, back to my exceptionally polite voice. “May I introduce my guardian, Axen. If you have a problem with my behavior, she is happy to discuss the matter with you.”
Jennik had managed to keep his feet through all this, but he was several paces further away from me now than he had been before Axen made her appearance. He was crouched, one hand down toward the ground for balance and the other holding his sword sideways between himself and the dragon. The tip only shook a little.
His face twitched a couple of times before he spoke. “Thone! Is this what your village’s ‘honor’ has come to? You hide behind a female and a monster, leaving them to handle your problems? You coward!”
I hadn’t expected that Thone would respond. I’d assumed he would have run inside when Axen landed. The man deserved a lot more credit than I kept giving him.
He stepped out from where he’d taken cover beside the inn, though he still kept an eye on his distance from Axen, and addressed Jennik. Polite. Careful with his wording. And… did I hear a note of amusement in his voice?
“From what I heard, tabe-ro, the lady is correct. She is the one who shot the rekin, and it was her guardian that injured your man. Your quarrel is technically with her, not with us. I’m not hiding anything. It is simply not my business to interfere.”
Jennik’s expression darkened further.
I pushed, just a nudge. “Did you still wish to discuss the terms of cons
equences?” Perhaps I’d overplayed the innocent tone, but I didn’t care. “Because my guardian is prepared to address the issue.”
Axen blew out another snort of steam, just a touch hotter this time.
Yelping, the Krenish men shielded their faces from the blast. Jennik, to his credit, only lifted a hand to fend off the heat, his head barely tilting away, unlike the cowering men behind him. His eyes fixed on me, searing with rage and hatred. Sectarian men hated nothing more than being shown up. My being a female made it that much worse.
He snarled, then shouted a command. The whole group spun and retreated, vanishing quickly down the tree-canopied road.
I relaxed, finally letting my arms drop back into a more natural position at my sides.
Axen snuffled in amusement. Aww, and I wanted to chat with them. We could have had tea and cookies.
I rolled my eyes and turned to face her. A few Emsha men stepping out from the cover they’d taken caught my attention instead. Thone and Rik looked almost as amused as Axen, but others glared between her and me, displeased with the massive creature blocking the road.
Erret stomped forward, but stopped short when Axen looked curiously at the approaching Elf. He scowled and jabbed a finger at me while backpedaling a couple of steps. “Take your… your abomination and get out of our village!”
What an unpleasant little thing. Would you like me to eat it?
No, Axen.
A couple other men chimed in their agreement from a safe distance.
I raised my hands in a peaceful gesture. “Of course. We’re leaving. I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused.” I turned and walked toward the inn. I’d have to send Axen into the forest while I gathered my things so she didn’t upset the villagers any further.
“Thone!” Tarvia flew out of the inn, her eyes wild with panic. “I can’t find Fasha! She’s gone!”
Distracted, I slowed.
“I’m sure she’s here in the village, just in a friend’s house,” Thone soothed, pulling his wife close. His glance my direction was probably intended to be subtle. “As soon as things are safe, we’ll find her.”
Right. My cue to leave. I picked up the pace again. Axen, I need you to…
“She went to play in the forest,” a gangly teen boy said. “I saw her earlier.”
Tarvia and Thone both spun to look at the road the Krenish men had vanished down. Thone’s face looked paler than usual.
“We’ll go,” Thone said, biting each word. “We’ll bring her—”
A child’s scream echoed from further down the road than I could see, sending ice down my back.
Axen responded to my alarm with an adrenaline surge of her own. She dropped her head to my side, her ear near the ground. I caught one of the larger horns at the crest of her skull. She swung her head upward with a neat flick, dropping me into place at the top of her neck. I found my grip on her scale ridges as she leapt into the air.
Wind snapped my braid from side to side and tried to sting my eyes, but my focus was downward at the road I could barely see between the trees, searching for signs of movement. Nothing, nothing… There. Many bodies raced along the road toward Krenish. The trees were too thick for Axen to land, but I spotted a clearer area not far ahead.
There. That’s the place.
She snuffed in acknowledgement.
A loud horn call cut through the howl of wind in my ears, coming from just below us. An answering call came from within the city ahead. I peered ahead and saw activity. Jennik was calling for reinforcements.
I shoved myself upright and climbed down her neck toward the dual ridges of plates forming a V down the length of her back to her tail. Get to the city. Keep the reinforcements from reaching Jennik’s group.
She snuffed again, adjusting her pace. I’d have to reach her tail by the time she reached the approaching clearing, or I’d be tumbling through trees.
My foot hit one of the plates. I immediately spun and dropped flat on my back, sliding along the one place where her scales were smooth enough to allow such a thing. She bucked her shoulders as I passed, giving me a quick speed boost.
As I reached the base of her tail, it dipped toward the ground. We’d reached the clearing too soon. I curled into a ball and let gravity take its course along the steep slope of her tail. When I reached the very end, she flicked upward just slightly to cushion my landing. Still, my shoulder hit packed earth with a resounding shockwave through my whole system.
I rolled a few times before regaining my feet. The world dipped once or twice before equilibrium restored. A rising nausea informed me that Magra hadn’t been kidding when she said I wasn’t ready to be up and about, but I clenched my teeth and forced it to stay down. This was more important than a little head injury.
My fingers twitched toward my back. I still hadn’t grabbed my sword. Oops. I hadn’t exactly thought this one through.
Fortunately, I’d had plenty of experience with improvising in the past.
The group of men slowed when they saw me standing in the middle of the road, peacefully facing them with my hands in the polite form to one side, as before. Mumbles of disbelief rolled through them.
Jennik led the group, a struggling child flung over one shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he came to a stop a careful distance from me. His gaze flicked across the trees around us, then he roughly yanked Fasha off his shoulder and shoved her in front of him, keeping a firm hold on her shoulder. She winced in pain and tried to twist free, but he squeezed harder, drawing a cry of pain and a fresh wave of tears.
“What is your plan, female?” Jennik asked, once again loading the word with as much contempt and derision as he could. “Are you going to have your dragon attack us now? Anything your monster does to us will get the child first.” He finished with a smug expression.
I decided against pointing out the irony of him calling Thone a coward for hiding behind me when he himself was literally hiding behind a child. “I’m not here to fight. You can see I’m unarmed. And unless you think the dragon is somehow able to hide behind one of these trees, then you can see I’m without the dragon, as well. I simply want to talk.”
He snorted. “I don’t talk with females.”
“You will have to make an exception. The child has nothing to do with what happened in Emsha. If you truly require justice for the rekin I killed, then do as you must—but to me, not the girl. Let the child go.”
“You’re going to let us kill you.” Jennik snorted again.
“If that’s what it takes.”
“You’re just going to call your dragon again.”
“I won’t. Not if you let the girl go.”
He laughed. “Right.”
He didn’t believe me, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. “I may be new to this area, but I can tell you’ve had a long-standing agreement with Emsha. I imagine it’s a fairly luxurious deal for you. A whole village afraid of you, ready to cater to your whims, relinquishing their hunting grounds at your every say?”
He eyed me, but didn’t say anything.
“I can imagine you also get some sort of tribute on a regular basis. I won’t be so crass as to ask how much, but I am sure that it’s quite comfortable to live on your end of the deal.” I leaned forward. “But what will happen to that deal if any harm comes to the daughter of the village leader? Every target has a breaking point. They will rally their entire village to come against you.”
“You think that frightens me?”
“No. And it shouldn’t. Except they won’t stop until you’ve been forced to kill every last one of them. No more people to push around. No one to kowtow to your demands. No more tribute. Is that really what you’re after?”
A few of the men exchanged uncomfortable looks.
“If blood is required, then take mine, and all will be well. But don’t risk your own—and lose your cushy lifestyle—over a little girl who had nothing to do with this.”
Shouts came from the back end of the gr
oup. The men from Emsha were catching up. Most of the group turned to face the approaching threat.
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Even from here, I could see the rage in the Emsha men’s eyes. They were proving my point far more clearly than I could have with any further words.
Jennik scowled at me. “You’re going to accept justice?”
My heart skipped. I told it to be quiet. “Yes.”
“As long as we let the girl go?”
“Yes.”
He shoved Fasha toward one of the men behind him and drew his sword. As he slowly approached me, seeming to watch for a trick, five other men followed, placing themselves between the girl and me.
“If I see the dragon, the girl dies,” he hissed.
“You won’t.” My arms screamed to move, especially with the way he held his sword—so easy to disarm!—but I forced my body to remain still. Quiet. Submissive.
He came to a stop at my side and lightly traced his sword point over my shoulder. “It’s good that you’re finally accepting justice for your crime against us.” He used the flat to slap the backs of my knees. I let the blow land and dropped to the ground.
“But I’m afraid that’s not enough to cover how deeply you offended us. More payment is required.” He grinned. “The girl will do.”
I looked up as he swung his sword, laughing. Ducked under the swing. Caught his arm, pulled myself up, used the momentum to slam my palm into his face. Blood spurted from his nose as the laughter changed into an enraged roar.
I was already gone, dodging around the next man, aimed straight toward the far man clutching Fasha. A sword flashed. I stepped inward, too close to the man for his swing to reach me. My elbow slammed into the side of his face and knocked him backwards. My hand found his sword, ready to pull it free.
Another blade slashed my way. I shoved the man’s hand upward, using his grip to block the incoming blow. Both blades tumbled free.
Instinct screamed for me to pursue the lost blades, but my goal kept me focused. Weapons didn’t matter. Reaching the girl was all that mattered.
I spun past a grabbing arm and felt a fresh bout of nausea and dizziness. Gritted my teeth. No time for that now. I shoved another arm away. Almost to the girl.
A hand caught my hair and yanked backwards. I spun to deliver another palm strike. As my hand connected, a blade bit into my arm. I dropped sideways before it could do too much damage, berating myself for not seeing it coming.
The girl screamed.
I rolled back to my feet, facing the man holding her. He pressed a knife against her throat.
No time to hesitate. If I paused, they’d get me. I wove around another attack. The man screamed some threat at me, his hand shaking. I caught his wrist and twisted it to the side, sending the knife twirling harmlessly away. At the same time, my elbow connected with his throat, silencing whatever he had been shouting. I snatched Fasha out of his grip, leaving him to stumble and grasp at his throat, wheezing.
The solid wall of men in front of me forced me to skid to a stop, keeping my body low to the ground. The men from Emsha fought with fervor, but were still far too outnumbered. I’d hoped to dash forward, through the Krenish men, and reach them for shelter, but there was no way through.
I was trapped.