Shadow and Sword

There weren’t always Dragons in The Valley. We were once at peace here. Secluded among these ghostly mountains, the world once let us be. Not even death came to interfere much. But that was before. Death comes often now. Death came with them - with the Dragons.

That is what they do, after all. Named so by the Dark King of the last age, after the mighty creatures which plague the East, for these legionnaires deal just as much death at his bidding as any flying beast with blood-stained talons and hungry fangs.

Some say they came without warning, but that simply isn’t true. There were plenty of warnings for those of us who were watching. What the Dark King wants here in The Valley still isn’t clear, and this legion has been here well-nigh on ten seasons. Some of us are weary. Some of us are losing hope. Some of us are livid. We keep waiting for them to leave. We keep waiting for some release. We’re getting tired of waiting.

“I don’t want to do this.” I remember the words coming out of my mouth. I said them carefully and clearly; they were real. And yet, as always, they were ignored.

“You have no choice, Adolei. None of us know why they have come, let alone why they linger, and none of us will ever know unless you get out there and ask. No one else has-” The door clattered as a customer walked into the old man’s shop. His mustache squirmed as he rolled his upper lip in, and he shot a death glare towards poor Lady Wiggins. He looked back at me and lowered his voice to what would have been a whisper if his tone wasn’t so deep.

“No one else can do what you can do, so you must do it. Perhaps it is that you are what you are for this very reason.”

Like I child, I rolled my eyes and blew out a hot-tempered breath. He cleared his throat and turned to Lady Wiggins with his signature, jolly old, crooked smile, while pointing out a finger at me as if to say “Thou shalt not leave, we are not finished.” He could tell my sigh had been one of frustration, not resignation. We knew each other far too well. I smiled and slipped away. We were indeed finished. The last thing I needed was another reminder of “The Gift” I had, and the last thing I was going to do was reveal it to the whole town by using it on another living soul, especially one of them. Did they even have souls?

How about a non-living soul?

There are no dead Dragons.

Step one, then?

“Surely normal people don’t talk to themselves like this,” I whispered. The voice snickered. I rolled my eyes again. What a day of days this would be.

As soon as I stepped down from the woodcarver’s back porch, the weight of our conversation should have lifted, but it only pressed heavier. The view of our village was bleak, and it wasn’t just because the sun was sinking. No one walking the streets smiled anymore, not really. We simply nod to one another now and keep walking. To stop and congregate along the path draws unwanted attention from any Dragon nearby. Even if you can’t see them, they are, in fact, somewhere nearby. Apparently, the ability to pop up out of nowhere is a requirement for the job.

“You sure you want to stand there all evening?” came a familiar voice from behind. I turned slowly and sighed.

“Not really. But I cannot gather up the will to go home, either,” I said.

Jyacobi raised a thick, blonde eyebrow and glanced around suspiciously as he slung his pack over his shoulder. He must have just come from the butcher’s, I thought.

“Any where’s better than the middle of town at this time of day,” he chuckled.

“For you, maybe.” It came out as a whisper. Not even the best of friends know everything.

Jyacobi threw his free, lanky arm around my shoulders and urged me forward gently, knowing full well how I hated it. His stride is a good bit longer than mine, so I am always forced to adjust my pace. He does this every time he finds me out “too late” for his taste. I’ll be thankful when all the Dragons are gone just so I can walk slowly through my home again.

“Been to see Whistor today?” he asked. I smiled and pictured the old man pointing his gnarled finger at me again. Perhaps it is that you are what you are for this very reason. My smiled faded.

“Of course, you have,” he chuckled. “How is he?”

“Cantankerous.”

“No wonder you two get along so well.”

I elbowed Jyacobi in the ribs, and he in turn, of course, acted as though I had chopped off a limb. Sometimes I wonder how we ever came to be friends. He laughed at my disdain as I attempted to walk off and leave him behind, but I didn’t get very far. His antics had drawn too much attention to us, and I ran right into a sinister stone wall, dressed in a blood red uniform. How do they hide in red?

“Have you not lingered long enough?” came the voice of the legionnaire. It was deep, and it was cold. Ice cold.

“I pray for your pardon, sir,” I said softly. He looked at me like I had seven heads. It never failed. These were predators, not people. They knew no mercy. I felt Jyacobi step up to my side.

“Sir, we-” The Dragon’s eyes, dark enough to look black in the dusk light, flashed from me to Jyacobi so fiercely it cut him off.

“It’s late.”

“It has barely reached the ninth hour,” Jyacobi smarted through gritting teeth. I reached behind me and squeezed his arm. I’m not sure if I expected the man before us to draw his sword, reach out and slap Jyacobi, or drag us away, but I know I did not expect the look of confusion on his face. He dark brow furrowed, and he seemed to stare through us for a moment as I silently prayed he would forget we existed.

“We hate this place,” he growled.

I despised how they all said ‘we’ even when they were alone. It made my skin crawl. We stood frozen in place as he began to walk away. Jyacobi’s face was distorted from the corner of my vision, but I’m fairly certain his expression was one of confusion as well. For a moment, neither of us took a breath. Then the man stopped and turned back to us again. His expression was completely unreadable, as hard and as cold as everything else about him. I had to wonder how a face could be so completely void of any emotion, let alone anger, and yet send such a deadly message.

“We may not be accustomed to these mountains yet. Where we come from, the light of dawn and the dark of night come with the sun’s rise and set, not after and before. But let this be your only warning: we will grow accustomed to this town far faster than we will the impertinent tongue of a boy. The next time I suggest you let the lady do the talking, or you may get eaten alive. Away.”

He did not turn his back on us this time. He simply stared and waited. I still had Jyacobi by the arm and I tugged on it gently so he would start walking with me. He was tense, and he was not happy. That “tongue of a boy” bit lit a flame.

“Don’t be a fool,” I whispered. I felt his chest against my shoulder rise and fall slowly, but thankfully, he came.

“He speaks as if they’re real dragons,” Jyacobi whispered as we escaped the legionnaire’s vision. “’You may get eaten alive.’ It’s not like they’re Ferakins.”

“You know what he meant, Jyacobi.”

“Actually, why does the Dark King not allow Ferakins in his army?” he asked, trying to ignore me.

“They cannot change into any animal they wish, only one and it’s different for every individual. You’re no good in a fight if your other half is a fish. Besides, in animal form they aren’t as controllable.”

“How do you know?”

“I read it in a book once. You should try that,” I grinned. He grinned back. Then he shook his head. His eyes lost their sparkle and his jaw clenched tight. That’s when I noticed his beard was starting to show and it was a shade lighter than his hair.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Adolei.” His voice was thick with sorrow but tinted with rage. I didn’t reply. He was handling all these things better than I expected, but I knew he would side with Whistor, if he knew what I was. He would want me to find out why they were here so we could finally be rid of them. Thankfully, they hadn’t gotten together to discuss ideas lately, Whistor would never give up my secret without permission, and Jyacobi wasn’t doing as much thinking about how to get rid of them so much as wishing he could just set them all on fire. Besides, I had no proof that any discovery on my part would change any thing.

“Still there?” Jyacobi asked softly. I nodded. “Well,” he sighed, “maybe they’ll go home tomorrow.” I laughed out loud. Jyacobi and I had been using this phrase since day one. It had found its way around the village as well, and since it was the perfect balance of optimism and bitterness, it stuck.

“And if they don’t?” I asked.

“Guess I’ll try out that book,” he shrugged. I laughed again, thought it was only funny because I knew it was a joke. Suddenly we found ourselves standing before his front door. He held it open for me, but I shook my head.

“Come on,” he frowned, “Mother would love to see you.” That sent a sharp pain through my heart. I loved Lady Stratham dearly. She was the kindest soul I have ever known. She was a tall, but soft woman, with a smile as long as the day. Children would have flocked to her even if half the town’s youngsters weren’t already hers. Jyacobi was the eldest of twelve, and Lady Stratham was with child again, which was why I hadn’t laid eyes on her in weeks. She’d been spending more and more time inside since the Dragons rattled her nerves so, and I hadn’t made the effort to stop in.

“Father will worry if I’m not home soon,” I said. Liar. “Tell your mother I will come see her tomorrow. I swear it.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “Oh, and hey… Where’s that book? Can you bring it?”

“Whistor has it,” I blurted. Damn. “But I will get it for you.” Definitely not.

It took over an hour to walk home from the Stratham’s cottage, but that has more to do with how slowly I make the journey than its length, and this night I was slower than usual. Whistor had given me much to mull over. There were whispers around the village of all the different methods we could choose from to rid ourselves of these people – as if there were options. Some people said “If only we knew why they were here. If we knew what they wanted, we could give it to them, and they would leave us in peace.” Others wanted us all to join together, rise up and fight back, even if it cost us everything. That side was gaining ground quickly. In a way, their presence was already costing us everything. We had lost so many we loved, though the deaths dwindled as we learned to avoid the Dragons at all costs and not question them.

I walked through so many graves on my way. Many of our fields had been transformed from lush farmland to this dark place, rows of bulging hills hiding out dead. This was a very real picture of the sudden, devastating aftermath of the invasion. So few of us died here before; it was our custom to burn our elders when time would finally overcome their bodies. The entire village would get together to celebrate their years of wisdom and all the ways they’d blessed us with their lives. But the Dragons wouldn’t allow a King’s Burial for anyone but the king himself, and they certainly would not allow a celebration of life. We were forced to start planting their bodies instead, and erect these memorials over them, so we would be forced to live with the memories of how horrid and untimely their deaths were. Personally, though I could never speak of it, there was a part of me deep down that almost liked these memorials. On the days when this village seemed so dead, I would walk among these stones, and something about this simple act would remind me that we were in fact still very much alive.

But I do not want to lose anyone else. I do not like the idea of rising up to fight back, but to be honest, it is only because I know that in battle I will be of little help. How could I call for war when I, myself, can fight for no one? However, I like the idea of giving them what they want even less. Whistor wants me to discover their secrets, but not because he agrees with the idea either.

“It’s simply foolish, Adolei. Give a madman what he wants, and what he wants will simply change. Evil is never satisfied, my dear. I don’t know why I ever came to this silly little town. They think we can appease evil and it will disappear? Ha! Sure, give. Give what they want now. Give what they want next. How long until they ask for that which you cannot give?”

“Then why do you want me to get involved?”

“Knowledge is power. We need to know what they want, not to give it to them, but to use it against them.”

“That might not be possible.”

“It’s the only chance we have.”

“That is just… sad. The only chance we have is me? Whistor, there is just no hope. What if I’m found out? What if it doesn’t work?”

“Then you won’t have to worry about living out the war.”

I smiled at the old man’s warm chuckle in my mind and shook my head. Only Whistor could make death a laughing matter. It made good sense, though. I suppose if you see too much of it, the only way to live through it is to make it less somehow. Bless his soul, he’d seen far more than his share.

“Well, it is about time!”

Lady Lovurne was waiting at the gate when home came into view. Our cook, my nanny, and the only reason I hadn’t run for the hills as soon as I was old enough. She was short, plump, quick-witted, and soft-hearted. And she was strutting back and forth before the door like a turkey in distress. I giggled.

“It is not funny, Madam! Surely, after all these years you can comprehend what ya do to me nerves.”

“Why is it after all these years you haven’t given up fretting over me? I will always come home.”

“You and I both know that promise hasn’t held its weight in a while now, not with those ruffians strutting about like they own the dirt,” she said with hands flapping. I got tickled all over again at her use of the word “strutting” for a moment, but then the so called “ruffian” I had crashed into earlier in town jolted through my mind.

Wait…. I’ve never seen that one before.

So you know every legionnaire personally, do you?

He’s new. Why are they sending more?

Why not?

“Adolei?” Lady Lovurne was calming quickly, and her soft concern brought me back to the present.

“I was just wondering about Father,” I said quickly. Lady Lovurne crinkled her nose and shot a nasty glance at the house as she pulled me through and shut the rickety little gate behind us.

“Never you mind that, dearie, you’ll not have to suffer the likes of ‘im. The drink’s gone and done ‘im in for the night. He was simply vile earlier, I tell ya. Er’ day with them here just makes ‘im worse I’m afraid, and what with the likes of you skirting about town like yer not a temptation for a normal man just behooves us both.”

“First, woman, you are just about blind,” I scoffed. “Thankfully no legionnaire has looked twice at any woman in town, that is not what they came for. Second, let us not pretend he worries about me for any reason besides his own image. If I die, he’ll be the talk of the town, and they will all have to talk to him, and we simply cannot have that.”

The aging woman just grunted as we walked inside. I bent down at the door to untie my boots so we could tip toe up to our rooms. If Father was asleep somewhere, the best idea was to let him lie and disappear again right after breakfast.

“It’s just bein’ because you can see straight through ‘im, ya know? Yer Ma could, as well. Drove him mad.”

“If he had nothing to hide, seeing right through him wouldn’t be a problem. He was already mad.”

“Oh, I wasn’t blaming yer gift, dearie, you can be sure a that.”

“I know,” I mumbled. I stood up and sighed deeply. “Why do we call it a gift, Love?”

Lady Lovurne smiled gently. Her eyes crinkled all around the edges, and she put a hand on each of my cheeks, so that I would look down at her.

“Maybe we’ll find out if you will just unwrap it, my dear.”

Well, if that wasn’t a sign…

Shut up.

Lady Lovurne had the kettle hot and breakfast ready before dawn the next morning. She wanted me up and out before Father finished sleeping off his poison as badly as I did. She grumbled something about me finding something to do besides going back into town as I laced up my boots, but I kissed her on the cheek without a word and fled. I needed Whistor’s help to come up with a plan, a real plan. Love was right. I had to unwrap this. Still, I wasn’t about to walk through town laying hands on every enemy I saw and asking foolish questions. But I had a promise to keep. I tended to lose track of time in the woodcarver’s shop - if I didn’t go see Jyacobi’s mother first, it might never have happened.

It was still dark and misty in the fields on my way in, but I could see our farm was thriving. Pumpkins were peeking up here and there in between all the giant vines and leaves. Their deep orange faces even showed up through all the fog. As the growth began to fade, the graves began to crowd in. The same fog that kissed our harvest also hovered all around the stone markers, and I didn’t like it there. It made me shiver. Strange how much death can change.

As I gently knocked on the Stratham’s front door, I smiled at the tiny voices and footsteps I heard inside. Jyacobi would never realize how fortunate he was to live in such a home as this one. A home with more love in it than people, and that was saying something for this cottage. The door swung open, and a darling little girl with two long, golden braids and a handful of freckles to match smiled up at me. She was missing a tooth or two, but her smile still lit up the world. One day she’ll look just like her mama, I thought.

“Hello, Livi,” I said with a smile. A tiny squeal erupted from her, and she fled the room.

“She’s here! She’s here!” I heard.

“Lady Gray?” asked a voice. It was the voice of a young boy, maybe ten. Must be Edwin. Livi must have nodded because I never heard her voice again, only more squeals and many feet running. Lady Stratham and five of the twelve met me at the door. The children were all smiles, and they practically bounced in place. Except for Edwin. He was outgrowing such things. The lady of the house threw out one arm to embrace me, as she balanced the littlest babe on the other hip which was almost completely hidden by the developing addition.

“Adolei! I’m so glad you could come. Jyacobi promised me you’d drop in this day,” she said. Her voice was always as soothing as warm honey milk.

“I pray for your pardon. I stayed away too long.”

“Never speak of it,” she said, “Come in, come in. Everyone, away.”

Children scattered in all different directions after the youngest boy informed me “Mama swallowed a pumpkin.” Lady Stratham and I laughed deeply and we made way for the table as I promised myself I’d never stay away so long again, and she began to tell me about all I had missed. Tiny details and grand, things Jyacobi and I couldn’t linger in the streets long enough to mention, and some things he’d never say. She even told me she felt so much movement, she was certain she was carrying twins again. I just sat there in awe. Finally, after half the morning had left us behind, it occurred to me that none of the older children had come to greet me – including my oldest friend.

“So, where is your son?” I asked as if she only had the one. She waved her hand around.

“Oh, somewhere. All the older ones are flittering about, working odd jobs here and there,” she said softly. Her voice came out with the tiniest hint of sadness when she said, “That’s the only downfall of having so many babies. They can be hard to keep fed sometimes. That and they grow up.”

I reached across the table and took her by the hand. I remembered the day she told me she was going to have another baby. It was a season of proclamations; seven women altogether were going to bring life back into our village. It was wonderful, and yet, such a strange thing to do when our lives were stuck in such turmoil.

“Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision one could ever make,” she had said with a smile, “But in times like these, there isn’t a greater way to spend the day than comforting one another.”

She was always shamelessly honest about things like that. It made me blush, and it made Jyacobi feel sick, but it made Lord Stratham laugh out loud. Maybe she was right about that, but I know she was right about keeping them all fed.

“It wasn’t this hard before,” she whispered. I nodded, simply because I had nothing encouraging to say. The extra, unwanted mouths in this town had herds dwindling and crops spreading thinner. Supplies from the outside were keeping us afloat, but barely, for the journey through the mountains was harsh and slow. With winter coming, it was about to get harsher and slower.

“I can’t wait to meet them though,” she said with a smile on her face and a hand on her belly. Her eyes sparkled.

“Oh, neither can I!”

“Now don’t let the fact that he’s getting another baby sibling keep Jyacobi from having a child of his own, though,” she said into her teacup as she took a sip. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair.

“I have absolutely nothing to do with your son’s future children.” She giggled and shrugged.

“Can’t blame me for trying. Oh! Now, I need your pardon. I forgot to tell you, Jyacobi said after he finished helping Lord Wiggins today, he was going to the woodcarver’s for something? Asked me to let you know, if you came by here first, so you wouldn’t have to make the trek through town on his account.”

I inhaled a little bit and nodded slowly. My cheeks flushed hot and my blood ran cold. I never should have mentioned that book.

Whistor Erguild sat smoking the pipe he had made, in a rocking chair he had made, on the front steps of his shop waiting for me when I arrived. He smiled a terribly wry little smile when he saw me, and I knew in an instant Jyacobi had beaten me there.

“I didn’t know your friend could read,” he teased.

“You should not have given it to him,” I whispered, “How long has he been here?”

“Oh…. I’d say…an hour or two.”

I sat down in the chair across from him with a groan. It was too late. Deep down, I knew Whistor was right. Knowledge and power were one and the same, only I didn’t want Jyacobi to have either.

“He’s only interested in Ferakins and their powers,” Whistor said gently.

“But he has to read through the Sensiths to get there,” I said with resignation.

“That doesn’t mean he’ll figure out you are one,” came the low reply. I looked up at the roof and bit my lip. It wasn’t worth crying over, but I wanted to.

“Yes, it does. He’s seen me touch people and freeze up. He’s been there watching when the tears started flowing as visions I never wanted to see burned themselves in my mind. He knows how many people I have completely exiled from my life, he just never knew it was only ever after I discovered their darkest secrets. Jyacobi’s smarter than you think. He will absolutely figure this out… Jyacobi will learn all there is to know about my gift this day… And he’ll absolutely make me use it.”

The despair in my voice should have been enough to keep the old man from smiling, but it wasn’t. I really wanted something to throw at him. He blew a puff of smoke in my direction.

“I never have regretted feeding a hungry soul a book.”