then back to the cliff, then it flew over the ocean again.
That was no albatross. This creature was something else, something dangerous. The creature flying far above them had too many legs, and too long a neck to be the great bird she had seen before. What was it? Realization slowly dawned on the princess. Her breath caught in her throat. Lilliana gasped out loud.
That was a dragon.
No, that was The Dragon. The one that belonged to the witch. He was supposed to be gone. The witch was supposed to be gone. Lilliana looked up at the creature as it stretched its neck forward and opened its mouth. The dragon was definitely not gone.
The creature screeched loudly as it came over the ocean.
Had it seen her? Had it sensed her at the bottom of the cliffs? Lilliana looked at the ocean swirling around her legs and Spectrum’s back. When had the tide gotten so high? She turned Spectrum towards the back of the cove, maybe there was a cave hidden at the base of the cliff. Spectrum obediently trotted towards the thin strip of beach at the bottom of the massive rock walls. The waves crashed harder and heavier against the sharp rocks in the cove. The water was rising fast and lapping at the tops of Lilliana’s skirts with every thunderous wave. Lilliana scanned the cliffs for some sort of cover, but there was nothing but solid blue rock. This was no good. Lilliana looked at the edge of the cove. Could they go back the way they came? The strip of damp sand by which they came was hidden by water now. Many of the black boulders all along the cove were covered with the pounding surf and they created swirling currents as the tide continued to flow in.
Lilliana looked back up at the dragon. It had changed its pattern. It was flying in lowering circles now, and there was something else. Lilliana could see a form on the dragon’s back.
No, it couldn’t be her. Not here.
Why did Lilliana have to ride so far? Why couldn’t she have just rested for the afternoon like everyone else? Why did she lie to her guards and her father just to be alone?
The dragon roared again and this time Lilliana heard laughter, evil laughter.
The witch was back.
Lilliana took a deep breath to try to still her pounding heart and surveyed her surroundings. The towering cliff was at her back. There was no cave and no way of climbing the smooth granite surface. The cove had filled with water to the point that the rocks and surf made a fearsome combination of crashing waves, sharp boulders, and swirling currents. A wrong step there and she would be crushed before the witch even got to her.
The dragon flew out low over the ocean and Lilliana could hear the witch screaming at her dragon.
“Go back! Get her in the cove and trap her there!” the witch yelled. Her voice echoed over the water.
Lilliana’s heart was beating faster now. Spectrum snorted and shifted his feet in the rising water. The dragon reached its pivot point and began its turn back to the cove. Back to Lilliana and Spectrum.
Lilliana could see its eyes now as they gleamed like coals in the great beast’s head. The dragon opened its mouth and roared again. The witch was pointing her long fingers at the princess. Her raven black hair trailed in tangles behind her as she leaned forward to scream at her dragon again.
Lilliana looked ahead at the endless ocean. Though the clouds were still building into a mighty storm, the witch was upon her now. She looked at the sun as it began to lower towards the horizon. Follow the Morning Star, her father had said.
“Come on Spectrum!” Lilliana shouted, “We won’t let her get us this easily!” Lilliana urged her horse into the ocean. He took a few steps and jumped to meet an oncoming wave. The sea spray flew into Lilliana’s face like a taunt, but Spectrum kept going. The dragon was getting closer. Spectrum was swimming now in water as high as his chest. Another wave crashed over them and Lilliana felt her leg scrape against something sharp. The dragon’s head was stretched out now and its wings were folded back. It was diving fast.
Lilliana gritted her teeth and bent her head over Spectrum’s neck. “We can do this,” she said to herself as much as to her horse.
Spectrum stretched out his neck and kicked against the currents with renewed energy. Another wave sent them back against the boulders. This time it was the huge black rock in the middle. Spectrum’s hooves scrabbled against the rough black rock under the waves and he pushed off hard against it.
The dragon came lower and closer. Lilliana looked up and the witch’s face contorted in a half-smile, half-scream. Lilliana felt a coldness grip her heart like a fist, and the witch laughed louder and louder.
“Now! Do it now!” she screeched.
The dragon’s black eyes looked right at Lilliana and she had a fleeting image of remorse. Then he coiled his neck, opened his mouth and threw flames at the princess. Heat and wind like the blast from the smith’s ovens came over their heads. They caught Lilliana’s hair and the acrid smell of burning hair filled her nose.
“Dive Spectrum!” Lilliana shouted.
Her horse plunged under the dark roiling waters and Lilliana fell forward in the water, and the force of Spectrum’s dive spun her around. She hung on with her hands and pulled herself back on the saddle. Her skirts were heavy and soaked. The salt was bitter in her mouth as she and her horse pushed to the surface gasping for air.
The dragon was rising now, circling for another attack. Lilliana looked to the sides at the cliffs that made their prison. They were only halfway out of the cove. They had to go farther.
Spectrum snorted and flared his nostrils, struggling to keep his rider and his head above the water. He kicked his feet, felt nothing but water and started swimming.
The waves were rolling, pushing them back two paces for every three they progressed, but Spectrum swam on.
Lilliana felt the weight of her gown soaked in the saltwater. Each bead and glass that decorated her skirt felt like anchors trying to find the bottom of the sea. She tore at the ribbons of her bodice and ripped off her outer shirt. Now her arms were free and a little lighter. If she could reach the ties in the back, she could get her skirts off.
The dragon roared again as it turned in its circle. The witch had lost her wicked grin and now she glared at her prey. The dragon flapped its wings, gathering speed for another attack.
“Swim out until he’s about to attack and then we’ll dive.”
Spectrum snorted.
The dragon drew back its wings and headed towards them again. The witch pierced them with a look as if she could hold them with just her golden eyes. They were coming fast now and the sound of the dragon’s wings was louder than the sound of the tide. They weren’t aiming at the surface. They were aiming low.
“Dive! Dive! Dive!” Lilliana screamed.
The dragon was closing in fast. Spectrum took a deep breath and plunged into the sea. He swam down, pulling with all his strength. Lilliana held on tight. She heard a splash above.
Lilliana looked back through the water and saw foaming white. The water cleared and she could make out the dragon’s claws and the witch’s face. The witch didn’t flinch at the water and she pointed her hand at the princess and screamed something incoherent under the waves. The dragon lashed out and Lilliana felt her horse recoil with pain. The water turned red as blood flowed freely from the horse’s back. The witch’s eyes filled with anger, and she pointed again, but the dragon’s head was already turning toward the surface. The witch pounded the dragon with her legs and pulled his neck under the water, but the dragon still swam towards the air.
Spectrum swam sideways and kicked with his legs. Then he kicked again. The sea all around them was filled with blood.
Lilliana watched through a red haze as the dragon and the witch broke the surface and the witch’s face returned to the water. Lilliana needed air. Her royal skirts twisted around her legs. She swam to her horse’s head. His eyes were rolling back in his head with pain and he was sinking fast. The witch was urging her dragon
to dive again, pushing his head under water and kicking.
Lilliana’s chest burned. All she wanted was air. She felt hot all over and she held her arms around her horse’s neck. Spectrum shuddered, flared his nostrils and grew still. He was sinking.
The witch was watching from above, laughing.
Lilliana didn’t want to give up. This couldn’t be the end. She looked at the horse in her arms and nuzzled her face in his wet mane. He had only been hers for a day, yet he had tried to save her. Spectrum had been more than a gift, he had been her friend.
Lilliana began to feel cold. She needed air desperately, but she had no energy left. She let go of her horse and tried to kick to the surface. Her skirts wrapped tightly around her legs. Her muscles ached, her lungs burned and her heart was heavy. Lilliana thought about her mother and father. She knew she had let them down. All of their hopes had been with her and she couldn’t even manage to stay alive.
She just couldn’t do it anymore.
Lilliana sank to the bottom and let the water flow into her lungs.
5. Water
All the warmth left Lilliana and cold water seemed to pour into every part of her. She gasped as the water filled her lungs, but there was only more water. Her eyes closed and she felt cold and sad. Lilliana had wondered if it would hurt to die, but this wasn’t so bad. It was just lonely. She could hear the