Fire from the West

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

That was before Emperor Kronin subdued the lands to the west, opening the trade routes to the furthest isles. Strange merchants brought stranger goods and our simple towns were overrun with by the wave of change sweeping into the country. New languages, foreign spices, strange garb and most unexpectedly, dragons.

I first saw dragon-kind in my fifth summer. The creature was walking freely alongside a man on horseback, its giant head encased in an iron muzzle, the mangled remains of leathery wings held close to its body. Subdued and humbled, the dragon was nevertheless a horrifying beast, its black scales glinting blue in the blazing midsummer sun.

As they passed, the beast locked eyes with me. Fierce and proud eyes seared into mine, telling a hundred stories of rage and a lust for revenge. And for the first time I heard the voice: Azar

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“Jorah!!” The wail ripped across the field. “Jorah, hurry!”

I caught my foot on a tree root, sliding down the steep bank, and almost went headfirst into the creek. My hands shaking, I nearly dropped the bucket as I swept it through the running water, filing it to the brim. Turning, Eldrid was right above me kneeling on the bank.

“Hurry up!” she rasped at me, throwing another bucket down into the water as she reached for the one in my hands. “Oh what have you done, what have you done?!” she continued to wail, turning back towards the burning field.

I quickly filled the second bucket and struggled to lift it up on to the bank, scrambling up after it. The small hay field in front of me was quickly becoming a black waste as the flames greedily crawled through the dry grass.

Choosing my path carefully, I skirted the larger flames and ran to the barn where several bales were still sitting out to dry.

Eldrid had already emptied her bucket dousing the ground at the entrance to the barn and was now feverishly hacking at the ground with a rake, strands of gray hair sticking to her sweaty and panicked face. If we didn’t remove the dry fuel around the barn before the flames reached us, the old wooden structure would catch almost immediately.

Passing her, I began pouring my bucket out further down the line, but I could see that it wasn’t going to be enough. The small grass fire was quickly gaining speed and would soon be an unstoppable blaze that would consume the barn, the house, and everything we had left.

In a panic, I ran toward the fire. Ripping off my leather jerkin, I soaked it in the remaining water I had and began batting at the flames, desperately trying to smother them. It was too hot and I quickly felt choked by the heat and smoke.

Suddenly a dark large shadow crossed the field and a strong wind beat down from above. I felt the raging heat sear my face and hands as the flame quickly tripled in size and I tried to back away. The ground shook as a the shadow from above hit the ground with loud thud and a swirling wave of dark water spiraled out. The wave swelled to almost ten feet and rushed across the burning field towards me and Eldrid. When it hit me, it lifted me off my feet and slammed me into the barn wall.

I hit the ground and lay blinking back stars for several moments. Bleary eyed and coughing up water I struggled to stand. Eldrid was pulling me up.

“Jorah, my gods, you’ve burned your arms up to the elbow!” She inspected my hands for a moment before looking out at the scorched field.

A haze of steam and lingering smoke rose from the blackened field. Not a single spark remained of the inferno that, only moments before, threatened our very lives. And poised in the center of the field crouched a pale green water dragon.

Steady, golden eyes peered out of the whiskery face. The creature remained frozen, watching us. Small rivulets were still running down its scales and the creature’s chest was heaving from the exertion of conjuring a wave that size. Rippling muscles underneath the scales spoke of a hideous strength that certainly did not need supernatural powers to prey on small beings like us if it chose to.

Eldrid shivered and pulled me closer to her, shielding herself from the dragon. For a long moment, we all stood frozen, sizing each other up, unsure what to make of what just happened. The dragon held my gaze. Its penetrating stare made me wonder if it might be intelligent enough to communicate with. I wondered if maybe I should thank it for saving the barn.

The creature raised its head and the whiskers around its mouthed twitched. Abruptly, it lurched toward us.

“Hold!” a shout came from the gate. The dragon instantly dropped to its belly with a low grunt.

“You there! Don’t move a muscle.” A man dressed in Kingsman’s garb strode through the gate, leaving a panting horse tied to the fence.

“Who are you?” I asked. Eldrid shushed at me and fixed her eyes on her shoes.

The man did not answer. Walking toward the dragon, he paced a wide circle around it. The dragon’s eyes followed him as he approached and its tail shifted, as if in annoyance. Approaching from the head, the man crouched and lifted the dragon’s chin up to his eye level. His face inches from the dragons he said sternly, “Return.”

The dragon snorted a puff of steam. Rising up on hind legs, it spread wings stretching 30 feet across and jumped into the air. In two strokes it was a hundred feet above us and it sailing away to the west, toward the Warden’s keep.

The man rose and turned back to us. “Your lucky day I’d say. A dragon to rescue you from the flames, and a good man to rescue you from a dragon.” He flashed a smile at us, as he pulled his riding gloves off one finger at a time. Eldrid kept her eyes down.

“We thank you, sir. We are most grateful to The Keep and the Warden.” Eldrid said meekly.

“Yeah, I’m sure you are. Warden Mathers just so ‘appened to see the blaze start and sent me down to see about it. Lucky I got here in time.”

I spoke this time. “Yes sir, we are certainly grateful for the Warden’s generosity.”

“He ain’t all that generous, just a wary investor. Seems you lot would let a fine homestead go up in smoke if it weren’t for him keepin an eye on things. It’ll be comin out of your harvest.”

Eldrid sucked her breath in through gritted teeth beside me. I clenched my fists “wuh-“. I didn’t get further. Eldrid’s elbow in my ribs stopped me.

“We understand and we are grateful for the Warden’s care.” Eldrid said quietly.

The Warden’s man was walking back to his horse, ignoring us both. “Report to the Keep next market day. The Warden will decide by then what amount you owe for the fire.” Without another word, he kicked his horse into a trot and headed off in the same direction the water dragon took.

I watched the man disappear through the fields and Eldrid let out a slow breath through her teeth.

THWACK!

The soggy, leather jerkin hit my shins. “Jorah Palladin you’ll be the ruin of me and no doubt!” With the Warden’s man out of hearing, Eldrid had remembered to be furious with me about the field. “How on earth can we afford any more levies? Oh, we’ll starve this winter. That, or freeze to death. And look at you!” She grabbed my arms again, inspecting them roughly. “Hands scorched nearly off. You weren’t much to look at before, but without eyebrows, you’re a sight to make babes cry.”

I pulled my hands away guiltily. The hair on my forearms had been entirely scorched off and my hands were beginning to turn a bright, sunburn red. Patches of my skin were raw and starting to sting. “It’s not that bad. I’ll see the Maven about a poultice and they’ll heal.”

“Maven!...Poultice..” Eldrid spluttered. “And how are we to afford that? Honestly Jorah, you are supposed to be an asset and a benefit to me, not an endless source of expense.”

Eldrid picked up her rake from where it had landed by the barn and threw it at my chest. “The bales will have to be respread to dry out again. Damned water dragon. Save us from fire, only to subject us to spoilage.” She then turned on her heel and stalked back to the house.

My skin on my hands already felt stiff and they cracked a bit as a I grasped the rake. I knew if I didn’t get some sort of treatment, the burns would take weeks to heal. It would have to wait until I’d respread the bales though.

Sighing I turned toward the nearest mound of hay and began pulling it down.

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Firelight leaked from the cracks around the Maven’s door as I crept closer. Even in the dark, the summer heat was close and smothering. I wondered how the Maven could stand a full blaze like that indoors. Creeping closer, I kept myself well within the shadows of the trees.

Suddenly the door banged open and a tall girl swung out with a basket. Whistling shrilly, she headed toward a chicken coop to the left of the small hut.

“Leita!” I whispered. She didn’t hear. Groaning I crept closer to the pen. “Leita! You deaf stump, hello!”

Leita froze for a second, hearing me this time, but then went on spreading table scraps in the chicken yard.

“Creepers in the dark aught to take care. Wicked witches live about and may take it into their heads to start throwing curses.” She said loudly, not looking back to where she knew I was standing. She emptied the last of the basket on the ground.

“Ugh, she is a witch. A tiresome witch.” I thought to myself and stepped into the clearing. “Leita, I need help.”

Leita turned and, seeing my scorched eyebrows, burst out in a laugh. “Jorah Pallin, You’ve ruined your face! Ah hahaha! I’ll bet old Eldrid had a fit!” She snorted, dropping her scrap basket.

“Shut up”, I grumbled, but let Leita take my hands and inspect the damage closer. She turned my palms over and tutted aloud to herself.

“I’ve got just the thing for it, but I’ll have to get into the Maven’s private garden. Now you just sit tight and don’t wake the chickens up.”

“Uh! Me?!” I whispered fiercely, “You...” She clamped a hand over my mouth and sniggered in my face.

“You now it takes next to nothing to set you off. Touchy, touchy.” I rolled my eyes and swatted at her. She leapt away with a grin and headed into the hut, holding a finger her lips mockingly.

I sat down hard, and grabbed the scrap basket she left behind. The handle was unwinding from the base and I began fidgeting with it, half mending the reeds. Leita had been my ally and friend since before Warden Mathers came to power, but her sort of friendship was mostly bullying and verbal abuse. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if she was a good friend or a just a close nuisance.

A door creaked open from somewhere behind the house. A few minutes later, Leita crept out of the shadows at the corner of the house. As she came closer, I saw she was carrying three long, spiny leaves and a short knife.

Dropping down in the dirt beside me, she dumped two of the stalks in my lap and began slicing away at the third. “So what happened to you? Didn’t your Mam ever tell you not to play in fire?”

“I wasn’t playing.” I said, annoyed. “I was cleaning out Eldrid’s furnace and must have lumped some live coals in with the ash I took out to the heap. Before I knew it, the whole damn hay field was ablaze.”

Leita pursed her lips. “Odd.”

I ignored her comment. “Mathers sent one of his goons down with a water beast to put it out and nearly drowned the both of us. Saved the barn, but now Eldrid is being fined for damage to the hayfield. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I’m sure you won’t. Poor Eldrid. Suffering your nonsense all the time. Now give me your arm.” A rotten smell was coming from the plant and I watched with disgust as she lumped the oozy substance from inside the leaf onto my right arm.

“Rub that in.” she said and continued cutting away at the leaf. “It won’t make your hair grow back, and this may still scar in places, but it’ll keep your skin from cracking too much.” My stomach turned a little as I spread the foul-smelling juice over the burns. Soon my face and arms were thoroughly coated in the sticky stuff.

Leita snorted, “Your face… You look like you’ve just eaten rotten eggs.”

“Leita, this stuff smells horrid! And I feel like I’ve been painted.”

“You’ll get over it. And you’ll thank me for my tender care of you.” She rose in mock disdain and dusted off her skirt. “So what are you going to do about the fine?”

“Don’t know. We have to go up to Keep next market day and find out what it is.”

“I think you ought to check on the trash heap and see how the fire started. You’re hardly the smartest lump, but I’d trust you to know live coals when you’ve got’em.” She wiped the knife off carefully on her skirt. “Incidentally, I have to go up on market day as well, so you can just help me cart my wares up the hill. As a thank you for my medicinal labor.” She grinned at me, knowing I wouldn’t refuse.

I groaned and lay back on the dirt, “Ugh, am I ever going to be free of forced labor from women?”

She laughed, “Probably not. Now take those other two leaves and stash them somewhere they’ll be cool. You’ll have to reapply the sap in the morning and the evening for a day or so. After that, the burns should clear themselves.”

“Thanks Leita.” I said, getting to my feet. “You’re a life saver.”

“Please, you’re hardly in danger of dying from this.” She turned back to the house “It’s late and I’ve still got herbs to dry. I’ll see you on the road to the Keep.”

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Eldrid and I left for market at sun-up. She had made no comments on my hands or the strange smell I’m sure my clothes reeked of the past few days. Still incensed by my carelessness, Eldrid was determined to remain cold and indifferent to my condition, believing it to be my just desserts.

At the fork, we met Leita pulling her hand cart. Eldrid nodded to her and made no comment when Leita passed the cart off to me with a smirk. A purple smear marked her left eye. When she saw I noticed, she whispered “You owe me for that as well. The Maven abhors petty theft.” She laughed, but I winced in sympathy.

We started up the hill to the Keep.

The Keep was hardly more than an outpost built for military campaigns hundreds of years ago. There were no decorative facades and the battlements had begun to crumble, but the walls remained solid and the Warden enjoyed the uninhibited view of the farmlands. Emperor Kronin had assigned Warden Mathers to this estate after the war on the west. A reward that kept him far away from court but mollified by some level of power. For ages past, the market was held in the village center, but Mathers required it to be conducted inside the Keep now. A more efficient way for him to keep an eye on all things, as well as reaffirm his total control on our lives. I had been to the village market only once, a long time ago, and I avoided the constricted market in The Keep whenever I could.

We shuffled across the drawbridge and through the gate with a growing crowd of vendors. Eldrid, unsure about when she would have to go before the Warden, followed Leita who was looking for a place to set up her table. I trailed behind them, trying to maneuver the cart without running over anyone’s feet. Moving into the shadow of the wall, I felt vaguely disturbed by a tenseness in the air.

The square was cramped even this early in the day. It was never meant to house a full market and people jostled each other on every side looking for an open space to display their goods. Leita had stopped at an open place in a corner and was waving me over. “Here’s as good a place as any. Now, help me unload.”

Leita and I began setting up the Maven’s wares. Eldrid stood quietly behind us, distractedly nibbling on her fingernails and obviously fretting about the fine.

Fumbling with the wares as Leita fussed at me, I suddenly felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Twisting around, I looked for someone watching me. There was nothing behind me but the wall to the fortress. The feeling of being watched persisted though and Leita’s chatter became a dull garbling in the background. I swiveled around, looking for the watcher. I felt as if eyes were boring into the back of my skull. My ear twitched as if someone was whispering something close to my face and my vision began to blur. Losing my balance, I dropped a bowl of dried berries I was passing to Leita.

“Jorah!”

“Jorah!”

Leita snapped at me, and Eldrid quickly chimed in to help scold me.

“It took me weeks to find elderberries and here you are dumping them on the ground. What’s the matter with you?” Leita snatched the bowl from me and began scooping the berries up from where they’d spilled.

My attention returned to the table and I mumbled an apology. Eldrid narrowed her eyes at me, “Try not to mess anything more up. I can’t afford your recklessness” She made no move to assist Leita though.

I stepped back from the table allowing Leita to finish arranging her supplies. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to shake the feeling of being stalked. The sounds of the market seemed to swirl in and out of hearing as I tried to slow my heart rate.

“Feeling overwhelmed?”

My eyes snapped open at the voice. A man in long robes had materialized out of the crowd and stood directly in front of Leita’s table. He carried a twisted staff and wore the silver rings of a high wizard. Leita and Eldrid seemed not to notice.

“I asked you a question.” The wizard said, his pale green eyes locked on my face. Eldrid turned toward him, and Leita let out a small gasp. “Is it the market that’s turned your face grey?” He cocked his head to one side.

I licked my lips nervously, feeling strangely exposed. “I, uh, I’ve not been well. Just closing my eyes for a moment to, uh…” My voice trailed off as I struggled to explain myself, feeling vaguely coerced.

“With a Maven’s apprentice at your side, I would think you the safest from ailment?” His eyes stayed fixed on me, making me squirm internally. “Perhaps she is not a good apprentice. Not attentive to her craft. Or perhaps not apprenticed to a good Maven.” He mused.

Leita opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her. Reaching across the table, he rather suddenly grabbed her by the chin. Closely inspecting the bruise by her eye he muttered “Yes, perhaps not.” He held her gaze for a moment before taking his hand away. When he did, the bruise melted away.

“Who is this wizard and why is he watching me anyway?” I thought to myself.

“I am Allevrand. Here on temporary assignment from Emperor Kronin’s court.” He said, steadily looking me in the eye. “I watch all persons of interest.”

I swallowed hard, once again feeling unsteady on my feet and my head felt like it was spinning.

Abruptly he turned to Eldrid, “Perhaps you could mind the Maven’s wares for a moment. These two must come with me.”

“I have an appointment with the Warden.” Eldrid began.

“Tush. He won’t be out for an hour at least which is more than enough time for me to finish with these two. Come along goslings.”

He turned on his heel and headed into the crowd. The three of us glanced nervously at each other. Eldrid looked as if she was about to forbid it. Preempting her, Leita grabbed my arm and moved after the wizard saying “Better go now before he throws a curse.”

Eldrid still looked unsure but made no move to stop me. “Just don’t let anyone steal anything!” Leita threw over her shoulder as we pressed into the crowd.

We shoved our way through the tightly packed square, trying not to lose the wizard. My mind was racing as we made our way around carts and tables. Was it wise to just follow a strange wizard wherever he asked? Ahead of us, Allevrand ducked into a tall, black tent that was opposite to the corner Leita had chosen to set up her wares.

I stopped at the entrance. Leita made to move past me, but I held her back. “Wait! Should we just follow him in? Who knows what’s in there or what he wants with us.”

Leita shrugged me off, “Please. If there’s any chance of us dying, I’d say it was decided as soon as he walked up to our table. Do you have any idea what high wizards are capable of? Following him into a tent won’t change our chances.”

Thrusting her chin out, Leita swept the tent flap to one side and went in.

I paused. Looking back across the square I could just barely see Eldrid through the crowd, fidgeting with her sleeves as she watched Leita’s table. She seemed older and smaller from this far away.

Turning back to face the tent, I swallowed my hesitance and followed Leita inside.