The Dragons of Ethenia

My breath caught in my throat. He’s coming. What does that mean, and how did it appear in a book? I didn’t have time to contemplate the mechanics of a book that could change its text. The doors of the library were thrown open and a steward whose name I could never remember came rushing in.

“M’lady, there’s been a sign. You need to come with me now,” he said, wheezing.

“A sign?” I asked. “I don’t understand. What’s happening.”

“There’s no time to explain m’lady. The Gifted are here for you.”

Everything was suddenly a blur. It felt as though one minute I was in the library and the next I was standing in the Great Hall being clutched tightly by my mother. A group of strange-looking men and women in long silver gowns surrounded us, their hoods covering their faces in shadow.

“Mother, I can’t be Gifted,” I said, “We would have known. I would have shown signs earlier.”

“You cannot question it, my love,” she replied, “When you entered the library every flower in the garden bloomed into a Marigold. The Gifted arrived shortly after. I only wish I could have…” Her voice trailed off as a figure in silver approached us.

I couldn’t tell if they were a man or a woman, and they didn’t speak a word. They reached out their gloved hand, a gesture that could not be mistaken. My mother let me go and stepped between The Gifted and me.

“One moment, please,” she demanded. My mother was a commanding and regal force when she needed to be. It was difficult for anyone to argue with her. “The custom allows her time to say farewell to her family.”

The figure lowered its hand and took a few steps back. My mother put her hand on my waist and guided me into the vestibule behind the Great Hall. Reyd and father followed behind us. Ianthe was nowhere in sight. I guessed that she and Sir Connolly had used the commotion as a cover for their escape.

“Ianthe has taken to bed with a headache,” father informed me, “I will send Cora to fetch her. She should not miss saying goodbye.”

“No,” I responded too quickly. “Let her rest. I will ask that The Gifted allow me to visit her in her chambers before we depart. They will not be unreasonable, I’m sure.”

My lie seemed to appease my father. He reached out his hand to me, and I took it, burying my head in his chest. He was taller than the average man, often having to duck through doorways. His stature suggested that he was athletic as a youth, though the years had softened him around the middle. He still had mostly chestnut hair except for the wisps of grey showing around his temples and in his beard. I breathed deeply, inhaling his familiar scent of pine needles, leather, and campfire.

“My little girl,” he said, stroking the back of my head, “Be brave. Be strong and use whatever gifts you learn to make Ethenia a better place. You made my world a better place the day you were born and have made me a very proud father every day for the last eighteen years. I love you very much, and no mystic can take that away from you.”

I couldn’t help but let the tears stream down my cheeks. My father was a rare man. Very few would share their feelings so openly, but he had always let his children know that he loved them. Reyd came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, squeezing me between him and my father.

It surprised me how quickly Reyd was growing. Not quite a man grown, yet he was already taller than me. He definitely took after our father in size, but he had our mother’s delicate features and soft blue eyes. He and I inherited unruly hair from our father, though it made Reyd look handsome in a roguish way. Often I would hear the younger serving girls giggling about his charm and good looks through a cracked door.

“I’m going to miss you, Mari,” he said, “You have to promise to show me some of your magic when you visit.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that once you joined The Gifted, you never returned to your family. I knew my parents would explain it to him after I was gone. I broke from the bear hug, stood on my toes, and put my hands on Reyd’s shoulders.

“I’ll show you my tricks as long as you teach me how to shoot a bow just like you little man,” I told him.

He reached down, wiped a tear from my cheek and kissed it. My father bent down, kissed the top of my head and ushered Reyd back to the Great Hall, leaving my mother and I alone.

“My darling, there’s so much I need to tell you, but we don’t have time,” she said, “For now, know that I did everything in my power to prevent this. You cannot go with them.” She reached up and touched the golden marigold necklace she had given me.

“Keep this with you,” she said, “It will protect you. Now listen carefully Marigold, your life may depend on it. When we go back to the Great Hall everything will be thrown into chaos. You must run and not look back. No matter what you hear, see or feel, keep running. I am sorry I cannot explain more. If fate is on our side, I will find you again and all will be made clear.”

My head was swimming. This was not the goodbye I had expected, but I knew by the urgency in her voice that now was not the time for questions.

She drew me close, and I heard her whisper something, though I couldn’t make out the words. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I fell to my knees, grabbed handfuls of my mother’s skirt and sobbed. I didn’t understand why this was happening. Why me? I wasn’t special. If I was Gifted, why did I not show signs? I had so many questions, but all I could do was cry in my mother’s arms.

“Now, now, none of that,” my mother said, “You must be strong. You must not show fear or any emotion that will give away our plan. Being Gifted is an honor, you must present yourself as such.”

I took a deep breath and calmed my staggered breathing. My mother took a handkerchief from the wrist of her dress and dried my eyes. Without a word, she helped me up and guided me to the vestibule door.

“Remember, no matter what you see, hear or feel, don’t look back.”

She signaled the guard to open the door, and the world was thrown into chaos. All around me were clouds of thick purple smoke. I had to pull my skirt up to my nose to keep from choking on it. I felt my mother push me forward, and I started running. I could barely see anything through the smoke, but I could hear steel sliding from sheaths, women screaming and words in a funny language I didn’t understand. Every few moments, there would be a flash, sometimes far in the distance and sometimes right next to me. I ran out of the Great Hall and down the corridors of the castle I knew like the back of my hand. The sounds of the fighting in the hall had faded in the distance, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I had to reach the castle gates. I screamed when I felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me into a side room. The stranger’s other hand came crashing down over my mouth to muffle my scream.

“Shut it, will you?” It was a boy’s voice, deeper than Reyd’s so clearly older.

I struggled against my captor’s grip, but it was a losing battle. He’d twisted my arm around my back and I feared it would break.

“Stop squirming,” he said, “Part of you might get left behind.”

I did not understand what he meant, but there was no time to wonder. Suddenly it felt like the floor had evaporated from beneath me. The room was spinning and everything blurred into a hazy silver mist. I shut my eyes to lessen the dizzying sensation. The sudden movement made my stomach lurch into my throat. I’d hardly noticed that my kidnapper had released my arm and mouth and instead had his arms wrapped securely around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides. Then, just as quickly as it started, the motion stopped. I felt ground beneath my feet again, though it was softer than a stone floor, it felt like earth. I opened my eyes and saw trees. We were in the forest, and by the sounds of fighting I could hear to the West, not far from Riverfoot. My abductor was one of the Gifted. He steadied himself on a tree and looked like he might faint. Then just as suddenly, took a deep breath, and straightened, not once looking at me.

“Time to run, Princess. It won’t take them long to figure out where we went.”

The boy took off running in front of me. I stood, not moving for a few moments. Then I grabbed my skirts and started following him. I can’t explain why, but following him seemed safer than waiting in broad daylight for whatever danger my mother had warned me about. He was a Gifted, but he had taken me from the castle and seemed to be running from them as much as I was.

“Try to keep up, Princess,” the boy yelled after at least a mile of solid sprinting.

“I’m going as fast as I can, and stop calling me Princess,” I retorted, “I’d like to see you try to run through the forest in a dress.”

He stopped and leaned against a tree to wait for me. He was taller than me by at least six inches. His jet-black hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He was fit too. It was clear he had led a life of labor before being taken to The Gifted. He wore pants made of black leather with sturdy grey boots that buckled up the side. His tunic was simple grey fabric that he left unlaced at the neck. It fit him well and clung to his chest with sweat. His eyes were his most jarring feature. One would assume they would be a dark brown to match his dark hair and brooding features, but they were blue. They were an icy, bright blue that seemed to cut right through you if you looked into them. He wasn’t at all what I imagined a kidnapper would look like.

“You know, you are kind of terrible at this kidnapping thing,” I said, gathering my skirts up in my hands, “I could just sneak into the forest while you dash further ahead of me.”

“In that getup, you couldn’t sneak anywhere,” he replied, “Besides, I’m not kidnapping you. I’m saving you. But since we’re stopped, and since you brought up the subject of that lovely dress, I guess we have time for this.” He reached into his pack and pulled out a large grey bundle. “Here, I packed these, just in case.”

He shoved the bundle into my hands awkwardly. I unfolded it and found a pair of grey pants and a grey tunic. I stood in front of him, not sure what to do. Did he expect me to change my clothes right there in front of him? Either way, this was going to be uncomfortable. Cora had laced me into my corset and I would need help to get out of it.

“Do you…uh…want me to close my eyes, or turn around, or something?” He asked, catching on to my train of thought.

“Just turn around, I guess,” I said. He obliged.

I unlaced the front portion of my blue velvet bodice and tried to fold it as neatly as possible. I shimmied out of the gold skirt and petticoats and quickly put on the trousers he had brought. They were a little too big, so I took the laces out of my bodice and made a makeshift belt. When my corset was the last piece to remove, I held the grey tunic up in front of my chest and turned to face him. His back was still to me and he was shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another.

“I, uh, need your help with the corset,” I said shyly.

“The what?” He asked, keeping his back turned.

“The corset,” I replied, “It’s something girls wear under our dresses. They lace up the back and I can’t undo the knots myself.”

“You can’t just keep it on?” He asked, obviously uncomfortable with the possibility of seeing me in my small clothes.

“Not if you want me to keep up with your pace,” I said, “They are rather constricting and make it difficult to breathe. I just need you to untie the knots and loosen it enough for me to get it off. You won’t see anything if you’re shy about it.”

“I’m not shy,” he demanded, “I just didn’t want to make you…I don’t…uh…oh forget it.” He turned around, keeping one hand over his eyes and peeked out through his fingers. I turned my back to him and looked over my shoulder.

“See, I’m fully covered. Now just loosen the knots,” I said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, trying to loosen the knots without touching my skin. “Just don’t tell anyone I wasn’t proper with you.“

“Who would I tell?” I asked, “We’re alone in a forest.”

“I don’t know. Just shut it, ok? I need to focus. Whoever put you in this torture device did a number on these knots.” He stammered.

He undid the knots in my corset as if I were a porcelain doll. It made me wonder if he’d ever courted anyone. Not that I had any experience in that area either. Aside from Eddie the stable boy kissing my cheek, punching my arm and running away when I was eight, I’d never been alone with a boy other than my brother. I guess I had always imagined The Gifted being less strict about their separation of boys and girls seeing as they took both for study and they all lived together in their mountain castle.

“So, I take it there’s no spell for loosening knots?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Of course there is, and it’s the first spell they teach us. In fact, it’s all we do for the entire first year we’re there. Loosen knots,” He said sarcastically.

“No need to be snappy,” I told him, “It was a joke.”

“I didn’t know Princesses could joke,” he said, “I thought you all just sat around doing needlework and playing the lute or something. Got it!”

When the corset finally loosened, it felt like the first breath of fresh air hitting my lungs. I held it tight against my chest to avoid any further embarrassment.

“I’ll ignore that jab only because it’s hard to argue when you’re holding a corset in place. Turn around, I need to finish changing,” I told him.

He backed away from me with such speed, I would have thought I burned him, or was diseased. As I wiggled out of my corset, the letter Ianthe left with me floated to the ground. I quickly put on the grey tunic he’d brought for me, grabbed the letter and clutched it to my chest. In the commotion, I’d completely forgotten about Ianthe and Sir Connolly. Had they made it out safely? Without the letter, my family would never know that Ianthe was alive. Somehow I was responsible for the chaos at the castle. I wouldn’t be responsible for my family losing both daughters. My chest tightened, and I felt tears stinging my eyes.

The noise of the boy’s impatient shuffling snapped me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath and secured the letter in my makeshift belt, silently vowing that I would fulfill my promise to Ianthe. I turned to the boy when I realized; I didn’t even know his name. Back at Riverfoot, he’d appeared out of nowhere, grabbed my hand and brought us here. In the chaos, I saw no other choice but to follow him. Now here I was, putting on boy’s clothing, in the middle of the forest, with a complete stranger, yet I trusted him.

“You can turn around now,” I said, “I’m finished. What should I do with my dress? We shouldn’t leave it here. If they’re looking for us, it would be a clue as to our direction.” I hoped that would be a compelling argument to convince him to let me take the dress. It was truly the nicest gown I’d ever worn, and I wasn’t ready to leave it behind. The dress, Ianthe’s letter and my marigold necklace were the only things I had left of my home.

“Roll it up and stick it in my pack,” he said, turning to face me, “At the very least we can use the skirt as a tent. There’s enough fabric there. And we’re burning that corset thing first chance we get.”

I laughed. It was the first time I’d laughed all day.

“So,” I began, “what’s your name? If we’re going to be running through the forest together, I should know what to call you.”

“Now is hardly the time for introductions, Princess,” he replied, cinching up his pack, “We need to keep moving.”

And with that, we were running again.

The longer we ran, the more thankful I was for the clothes Griff brought for me. I have never been athletic, but I would have lagged further behind if I was still in the corset and gown. I had never ventured this far into the Riverfoot forest except for once when I was young. My memory stirred when I recognized a familiar tree. When we were each old enough to understand, my mother had taken all of her children into the forest to the glade with the large tree of solid silver. I had never seen a tree like it. My mother told us it was enchanted long ago and could never be chopped down.

“These are dangerous woods, Marigold. As long as you never go beyond this tree, you will be safe. Do you understand?”

“Yes, mother.”

I halted at the sight of the silver tree. It was duller than I remembered, almost tarnished. I found myself drawn to it, pulled with a need to touch it.

“Hey, Princess! You hear me?”

The boy’s voice woke me from my trance. I turned to face him, confused. He looked past me, to the tree as if he was seeing it for the first time.

“Huh?” he mused. He took a few cautious steps toward the tree, examining it.

“My mother told me it was enchanted,” I explained. “Something is wrong with it.”

He nodded, still focused on the tree. “Well it’s not enchanted anymore, or not as much. This explains how they found you.”

“Wait…what do you mean?” I asked.

“Not here, we need to get further in before we can camp. I’ll tell you what I can then.”

It was well past sunset when he finally slowed and told me we’d be stopping for the night.

“Stay here,” Griff ordered. “I’ll set some traps and alarms as a precaution.”

He returned thirty minutes later, arms full of firewood. I knew the exact length of time he was gone because I decided to start counting to keep my mind occupied and avoid thinking about the events of the day. I was afraid he’d return to find me in a state of panic. I took some wood from him and began building a rudimentary fire. The boy knelt beside me and gave a smooth flick of his wrist. The logs crackled as a gentle glow sprang to life.

I looked over at the boy as he warmed his hands near the flames. The firelight seemed to reflect in his eyes and give them an almost eerie glow. He turned and caught me looking at him. I felt my face flush and was grateful that shadow shielded it.

“Collin Griffin,” the boy said.

“What?” I asked.

“You asked me what my name is. Collin Griffin. Though, most people who know me call me Griff.”

His name didn’t fit him at all. It was too plain, too common. I was expecting something exotic or mystical sounding. I realized immediately that that was a foolish assumption to make, seeing as The Gifted all started their lives as normal children.

“I’m Marigold. Though everyone calls me Mari,” I responded a bit curtly, “Since we are camped for the evening, would you mind explaining to me what exactly is going on?”

Collin lifted his head and met my gaze. “Best start at the beginning then. What do you know of The Gifted? I’d wager, based on the look on your face when they showed up, that you didn’t know you had the gift.”

I shook my head. “I’ve no kind of magical ability. I’ve never had much ability at anything,” I said, my voice breaking. Collin looked away, obviously not wanting to see me cry. I swallowed hard to push the tears back down my throat. “I know The Gifted are mages,” I began softly, taking time with each breath to steady my voice again. “On the day of their Choosing, a boy or girl who has shown magical ability will be taken by The Gifted for schooling on Mount Pevahm. Eastormel Castle sits on the precipice overlooking the Pearl Sea. That’s where The Gifted learn and practice their magic. No one really knows what happens once a student becomes a master. Each great King has had an Advisor of the Arcane in his court. I’ve always assumed they are one of The Gifted, but other than that, we don’t see many Gifted in society. I guess I’ve never really thought about that before.”

I looked up at Collin, surprised to see him staring at me expectantly, his icy blue eyes silently urging me to continue. I felt the heat of the campfire on my cheeks. I averted my eyes quickly. No one had ever seemed that interested in what I had to say. I tried to cover up my sudden motion by scooting closer to the fire. I heard him shift his weight and rustle in his pack. A small, rolled-up blanket landed on the ground next to me with a soft plop.

“Thanks,” I said as I reached over, unrolled, and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. “As a child, I always thought that being one of The Gifted would be an honor. I imagined an enormous castle with children walking down the halls shooting fire from their hands, or making pastries appear out of nowhere. It all seemed so grand and mysterious. Nothing at all like the ominous figures in silver that came to take me.”

The memory of that afternoon came flooding back, and suddenly I was done talking. I stared into the fire as the silence became uncomfortable, willing myself not to cry again. As we sat in silence, the sky seemed to change from dusk to dark in a matter of seconds. Not at all the gradual sun setting that I was used to.

“It’s not as romantic as your stories make it out to be.” Griff broke the silence, not looking at me. “It may have been in the past, but not now.”

“I’m sorry.” A stupid response, I knew, but it was all I could muster.

Griff shrugged and stared into the fire. He took a deep breath before he started talking. “Things at Eastormel haven’t been good for years. Granted, I’ve only been there for five, but you hear things from the older students and whispers from the teachers. The Grand Magister has been planning something ever since he took power over twenty years ago. No one really caught wind of anything until recently. He started withdrawing, canceling his clases, disappearing for days on end, it was easy to tell something was up. This past week is when I knew something was going to happen. He hasn’t personally attended a Choosing in years, but he made it a point to attend yours. The funny thing was, no one else at Eastormel had heard of you.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “I’ve never shown signs, I’m not Gifted. What would he want with me?”

“I don’t know,” Griff admitted. “If I were to guess, the enchantment on that tree back there may have been shielding Riverfoot in some way. When its magic faded, so did the shield.”

I just stared. This was all too much. Magic trees, enchantments, being kidnapped by a Gifted boy only to run away from The Gifted themselves, just processing everything made my head hurt.

“Like I said, Princess, it’s just a guess.”

“Stop calling me Princess."

Griff just grunted and laid down on his blanket. I took the cue that we were done talking for the night.