Chapter 1
Through the
thickness of tears, Emers stared down at her palms. In the wan moonlight she
could just discern that her hands were bleeding, yet she felt no pain. At
least, no pain that was greater than the one doing such damage to her heart and
mind.
The initial wall
of fear that had loomed over her and come crashing down around her had not
completely dissipated. It still lay in large, terrifying chunks around her. Even
now she would stumble blindly into it as the night grew colder and more
forbidding.
It had struck
her with such suddenness that, at first, she had been paralyzed with shock. She
had awakened alone and naked in the middle of a vast, open field of stubble.
Without warning. Without explanation.
How had she
gotten here? Where was her home? Where was Noranye? And who was responsible for
bringing her here?
She shivered
against a sudden gust of wind. Her long hair afforded no protection against the
late fall weather. In the dark, a phrase repeated itself over and over in her
mind.
Am I going
mad?
Her feet were
moving but she couldn’t feel the ground. At some point she understood she could
die from the elements if she didn’t find protection soon. Clothing. Food.
Shelter. She tried to focus, staring out into the indiscernible distance for a
light, for some sign of humanity.
She paused.
There. In the distance. At first she thought she was imagining it until she
realized it was real. It seemed far away, but it definitely was a fire. A
cooking fire or one for warmth, it didn’t matter. It flickered. It meant
safety, humanity, a source of protection from the darkness and cold. All that
did matter was that she get to it as soon as possible, and hopefully, by the
grace of the gods, someone would take pity on her and provide her with a piece
of cloth and a scrap of food to sustain her.
How long Emers
forced one numb foot in front of the other, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was
that she had to keep her eyes on the yellow glow that steadily grew closer.
Keep her eyes on it and keep walking. Keep walking and pray she would reach it
in time.
It was as if her
mind refused to acknowledge what was going on around her. From behind her came
the heavy thud of what sounded like hoofbeats. A heartbeat later a dark form
rushed over her, passing her as it headed straight for the light. A hard
downwind from what had to be enormous wings nearly knocked her to the ground.
Somehow, she was able to stay on her feet. She could only guess what had missed
her, but by now it no longer mattered. Focusing on the light, Emers continued
toward her destination.
There was a guttural
roar, the deep sound of anger made by some animal, and a high-pitched scream
answered. Another roar, followed by the sound of whimpering. The hoofbeat noises
stopped behind her but she couldn’t make herself look back to see what was
causing them.
The dark form
came closer until it blocked out most of the light from the fire. She realized
it was a dragon. Huge. Black. Menacing. Something dripped from its muzzle, and
for a moment she stopped. She stumbled back, holding her hands out before her
as if their thin, pale shapes could keep the enormous animal from attacking.
Bile rose in her
throat. She could feel her fear rising, her breath quickening, as her eyes
locked on to the dragon’s. Small words of pleading fell from blue lips as she
begged the animal to take pity on her.
The dragon
licked its muzzle. It sniffed the air and took a step closer to her. Immense
ebony wings blocked out the night sky, but at the same time they blocked the
frigid winds. Fiery yellow eyes stared at her, a strange stare. What could
almost have been a human expression of puzzlement seemed to cross the creature’s
features. Then, without explanation, the giant beast sidled up to her and pressed
the front of its huge head against her.
An almost
inaudible cry of terror escaped her before she realized the animal was not
about to ravage her. As her hands shook with fear, Emers reached out. Her
fingers involuntarily slid up the sides of its snout, above the gargantuan
mouth with teeth larger than her hands. The animal’s warmth was intoxicating,
and before she knew what she was doing, she reached up and wrapped her arms
around the dragon’s neck, pressing her shivering body against the creature. The
dragon responded with a low rumble, almost the way a cat would purr.
It wouldn’t hurt
her. At least, not at this moment.
Something
clanked in the distance. A gust of wind rushed over them, and it sounded again.
An object glinted in the firelight. Releasing the dragon, she hurried over to
the fire.
Emers stared in
disbelief at the sight of the chainmail and armor lying in a heap a short
distance from the pit. She reached down to push aside the shoulder guards when
she caught sight of the breastplate. Of the emblem etched where it protected
the owner’s heart.
Fear and hope
rushed through her at the thought he could be nearby. She whipped her head
around, trying to find her beloved. “Kayge!” The name fled weakly on the winds.
“Kayge!”
There was no
answering call, no sound of his voice. In the dark, distant night there was
just her and the unnatural affection of the dragon helping to protect her. All
black. Black on black—night and dragon.
“Kayge?”
Her mouth felt
stiff. It was becoming difficult to move her lips, even more to call out. A
faint thought brushed through her mind, and Emers straightened. She needed to survive.
She needed to cover herself, or else she’d die of exposure.
As she lifted
the suit of chainmail, she was surprised, yet not surprised, to find a shirt,
leather jerkin, and pants beneath the armor, including his boots. Half-frozen
fingers struggled with the buttons when she realized she could simply slip the
shirt over her head. The jerkin and pants were not a problem, either. At one
point she had to use her teeth to loosen the hard, nearly-frozen leather laces
on the boots. Eventually they came undone, and she shoved her feet into them. As
she knew they would be, the clothing was big on her, but she had no other
choice.
She searched for
a cloak or other outer wrap but didn’t find one. Emers pondered why Kayge would
be out here without any, when it came to her that perhaps he was wearing it
now. Without his clothing or armor, he’d need something to protect him from the
cold.
Stepping back,
she nearly tripped over an object. The long steel blade reflected the fire’s
flames, and the sight of it caused her more worry. Maybe she could think of a
reasonable explanation why Kayge had ditched his clothing and armor, but not
his sword. Never his sword.
The night was
unreasonably cold. Even with his oversized clothing enveloping her, she continued
to shiver. Glancing down at the armor, she considered putting it on as well,
but the metal was like ice. She tried to cross her arms and tuck her hands
against her ribs, but it was like hugging two handfuls of snow. Her breath
escaped her body in hot, white mists. Her nose had become a lump of skin on her
face. She couldn’t feel anything. All sensation was deadened.
There was a
snort, and something pushed against her back. The dragon shook his head, either
with impatience or from the cold, Emers couldn’t tell, but it was enough to make
her move.
The fire burned,
flickered, inviting her to draw closer. The dragon was telling her to get
closer to its warmth. Maybe Kayge was nearby. Maybe he was unable to join her now
but would soon. If she added more fuel to the fire, he might spot it. It would also
make waiting for him to return more endurable.
A warm fire. And
perhaps a bite to eat.
The thought
evoked a rumble in her belly.
The line of
trees lay a short distance away. Emers went to fetch more wood. As she went
around to the other side of the firepit, she spotted a smear of blood spreading
away into the darkness and disappearing behind a clump of trees. Fear tightened
in her gut. She wanted to follow it. See where it led. See if Kayge was at the
other end.
She took a step
forward in that direction when the dragon grunted. A puff of smoke came from
its nostrils as it stared at her. There was no mistaking the look on its face.
It didn’t want her to leave.
Emers continued
to watch the creature as it settled on the ground and drew its wings around itself
to preserve warmth. If she tried to investigate, would it physically try to
stop her? Would it become angry and attack her?
The massive head
turned, and the animal huffed again, this time indicating something a short
distance away. She went over to where it wanted her to go and discovered a rabbit
that had been skinned and gutted, leaving the carcass lying atop a rock. A
shiny little dagger, still covered in blood, lay in the dirt beside it. A long
branch, perhaps to spit and cook the animal, was propped next to it. Her first
thought was that Kayge had been preparing it before he disappeared.
As her meal sizzled
above the flames, the dragon sidled closer, drawn either by the scent of blood
or by the fire’s warmth. Tossing the rabbit’s intestines toward the dragon, she
watched the animal deftly catch and devour them. Now that she could see the creature
more clearly in the fire’s light, it appeared more intimidating, more
frightening than before. But she remembered its familiarity with her, and how
it tried to give her its own body heat.
She managed a
small smile. “Good evening to you, Sir Dragon. I trust your belly is full
enough so that you won’t try to fill it with me.”
Two glowing orange-red
eyes stared at her. Presently it broke eye contact and began to sniff the area,
staying just within the ring of light. After a while it made its way back to
her side and plopped down on the ground behind her. Emers shifted from where
she sat so she could keep an eye on the creature at all times.
“Where did you
come from, and why are you here?” she commented to the animal. “You may be
friendly now, but will you be so at dawn?”
She wiped the
blood from her hands in a tuft of frost-covered grass. Gathering a little of
the small patch of remaining snow she found nearby, she ate some of it, letting
the crystals melt on her tongue. The tightness in her throat lessened, revealing
how dehydrated she’d been.
Between the fire,
the clothing affording her its warmth, and the dragon’s body heat, Emers began
to feel her eyes drooping from fatigue. A movement from the corner of her eye
jerked her back to wakefulness until she saw it was the dragon peering out into
the darkness, its ears up and alert. Suddenly the animal jumped to its feet and
sprang into the night sky with a whoosh of wind. Its actions alarmed her. What
was it going after? Her deepest fears arose like bile in her mouth.
“Kayge!” Emers
scrambled to her feet. It had to be him. It had to be! Why else would the dragon
leave? “Kayge!”
There was a
yell, then a scream, both of which were punctuated by the angry roar of the dragon.
As soon as it had begun, the sound stopped. Several silent seconds passed, and
then a mournful howl floated through the air.
“Kayge!”
Her fear nearly
choked her, keeping her from breathing. She waited for the sound of his voice.
When it never came, Emers could wait no longer. She had to know. She had to see
for herself. Snatching up his long sword, she ventured out.
The rocks were
sharp, nearly causing her to stumble and fall. Regardless, she hurried to where
a shapeless form lay in a heap just beyond the edge of the forest. The clouds
broke at that moment, and the sickly moon revealed a thin frame covered in
filthy, tattered clothing. From what she could tell through the matted blood,
the man had hair. It was enough. She didn’t have to see his face. It wasn’t Kayge.
Which meant he could
still out there.
Another growl
echoed in the darkness. Moments later the black dragon swooped down close
enough for her to spot in the moonlight. Landing nearby, it approached and sniffed
the carcass, only to dismiss it. Then, like a spirit, the animal melted back
into the black of night.
A frigid wind
pushed against her, trying to find an opening in her clothing. It caused a
shudder to go through her. Kayge would come back to her when he was able. When
it was safe. If there was but one truth, it was that she knew he had to be out
there. Somewhere. Protecting her. Out there amid the cold and the dark and the
unknown, he had to be watching out for her, protecting her as he always did. As
he always would. And as soon as he felt they were safe, he would return. As he
always did. As he always would.
Until then she
would wait for him. In the meantime, there was a rabbit burning on the fire and
a dragon circling overhead, keeping its own vigil.
Turning back toward the small encampment, Emers Ammin of Deccatar went to look after them both.
TO BE CONTINUED
