The Red Death

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Aleya thought, and soon enough, they'd be gone again for good…

Aleya sat in a crouch, overlooking the mist-filled forest floor. She'd been on her stakeout for little more than an hour, but the aching in her thighs helped her to appreciate the time. She'd been careful to sit absolutely still in her hiding place among the branches. Any sudden movement could have given her away. Her younger sister, Herr, shifted her weight slowly beside her, uneasily glancing in all directions. Herr pursed her lips and stared out, same as Aleya, resting one hand on the dagger on her belt and the other on the tree beside her. She looked a lot like their mother, more than Aleya. Her frame was much smaller than Aleya's and she knew she could remain on her perch well enough, so Aleya kept her worrying trained on herself, and the things only she could control. Like watching the dawn break.

She heard Herr huff quietly.

"I don't believe they're coming." She whispered.

Aleya spoke at the same level, meeting her glossy eyes with a stern gaze, "I'm not training you to believe. Focus up."

She turned back toward the forest, scanning the horizon. From their vantage point, Aleya could see the entirety of the Frotas Valley. Mountain peaks crested in the distance, watchfires speckled across their faces. The whole valley floor was an ocean of mist in the early morning, sunlight barely peeling the swirling layers away. The tops of pine trees poked through the wispy currents as stiff as thistle spines, reminding Aleya of when they used to get stuck in her feet. She shifted her own weight gently, careful to move only slightly.

She knew that it was likely their stakeout was for naught today; as it had been for the last few days, but she had to try once more.

"I really don't think that-"

Aleya sighed, exasperated. "You don't know anything, Herr. Now for the last time…"

"I would like to." Herr snapped back. "You keep saying you're teaching me something but all we've been doing is sitting around and-"

Suddenly, something caught both of their eyes.

One of the pine trees in the distance, without a sound, fell.

A chill ran down Aleya's spine as she waited for a crackling boom, the sound most trees made when they were felled.

The sound didn't come. And that was more terrifying.

In the brief moment, Aleya had clearly seen the tall pine turn towards her. It was like watching someone walking, remembering they'd left their sword, then going straight back to get it. It wasn't a tree that had turned, Aleya knew. She had distinctly recognized a reptilian head, and yellow beady eyes, staring right in her direction.

Herr exchanged a quick glance with Aleya and they both scampered off from their hiding spot, tumbling on the ridge.

Aleya didn't need to look back. She knew all too well from her training that it was a Tyrial Hrocbac. The dreaded Red Death dragons. Despite their scarlet hide, they were known for their adept skill to lurk in plain sight to ambush prey… Not to mention their remarkable hearing. The main reason she'd been so keen on remaining quiet. Now, as their feet pounded the earth below, the sisters attempted to navigate the forest, still barely light. Their squat position on the cliff had not been a good strategy, Aleya's legs burned as she tried to keep up with Herr, whose fear evidently drove her steps. Aleya couldn't say she was much different, the balls of her feet tearing up piles of needles, leaves, and twigs before she could even register them mentally. She didn't dare spare a glance backward. The foliage would be the only thing slowing it down, and even then, not nearly enough.

As Herr’s pace outmatched Aleya’s own, she began to pull away from her reach. Fluttering around her head, Herr’s short auburn hair threatened to blind her while the pack at her waist threatened to trip her as it bounced violently.

With those adherences, Aleya didn't know how Herr was running faster. She was barely managing to put one foot in front of the other.

Aleya and Herr hopped over a fallen tree, and climbed a hill, sliding down the other side. Their only real chance at escaping a dragon of this size was to lure it to the keep. There they could light the signal fire and hide inside until the department could destroy it. That had been their backup plan, but Aleya had been hoping they wouldn’t need to use it. She wondered if they’d even make it there in time. Aleya's breathing heaved, her chest beginning to burn. Her heartbeat sounded loudly in her ears. Or was that her heart at all?

Her younger sister was still pulling away, over 10 feet from her now. Dumbstruck, Aleya watched as Herr's head swung around, and instead of meeting eyes with her, they focused upwards, at something taller than Aleya.

Herr screamed.

Aleya couldn't stop herself. Whipping her head around, she saw the gaping jagged maw of her Tyrial Dragon, its massive claws outstretched, mere feet behind her. The huge claws on its hind legs pounded the earth in time with her heart, and the horrifying yellow eyes stared her down. It roared at her, an ear-splitting sound that shook her psyche.

Its rows of sharp teeth the size of swords attempted to clamp down, inches from her pack. The forty-foot serpentine monster bore down on her with intense speed, ready to tear her apart, scales colored blood red.

Aleya turned from the scene, determined to run even faster with her fear powering every step. But before she could get much further, she saw her right leg catch a tree root in a gut-wrenching thwack. Aleya fell to the forest floor hard, and all went black.

Claire bolted upright on her rickety mattress, clutching at her chest. She gasped a lung full of cool air, the memory of the dragons' hot breath fading away as reality asserted itself around her. Claire was in her dank motel room, stained curtains open to the dim starlight beyond. Claire propped herself up on her elbows, the musty air conditioner sending chilling breaths down her body. Her sheets were soaked from sweat, and her burnette hair was plastered across her face and in her mouth.

Claire had felt the urge to scream, but she was sure by the feeling in her throat that she had called out in her sleep many times before now.

Looking around her room in a frenzy, she was eager to pick out any sign of danger.

After a brief pause, Claire swallowed painfully and sat up against the wall in bed. Head pounding, her thoughts reeled. Was it the champagne? She remembered champagne.

Beside her, a young man turned and squinted up at her.

"Hmm… Claire? You okay?"

Claire wasn't sure how to answer.

It was Dr. Samuel Bretten beside her, a world-renowned archaeologist, and her husband. His soft touch comforted her, but Claire could tell he was more asleep than she’d ever been. He'd been accompanying her with a dig crew to her first major paleontological discovery … now Claire could remember. For a moment, she'd really thought she was in those woods. She really believed she was in danger.

"Yeah," she croaked finally. "I'm okay."

Samuel's hand slid off of her arm gently and fell back next to his pillow.

He was probably already asleep again.

Normally, Claire wouldn't have been too far behind. But that dream… She rubbed her eyes and temples. What had they been celebrating last night? Right. Everything was packed up in the trucks outside, and they were on their way to the airport.

After an agonizing silence, Claire found her feet on the floor. Her bare feet pattered slowly to the bathroom, closing the heavy wooden door quickly, and flicking on the light.

In the large mirror, she stared herself down. Long blonde hair matted on one side and pristinely straightened on the other, Claire had looked worse for wear. Her eyes, however… they reminded her of a wilder time in her youth.

Despite the bright bulbs lining the wall-sized mirror, her pupils were fully dilated. Veins of red streamed across her eyes, pulsing with pain.

Claire leaned heavily on the counter, shutting her eyes tightly, then opening them again. She felt herself sway, and her stomach felt light and tickly.

Why had that dream felt so real? The dragon, or was it a dragon? How had she known what the species was? How did she know that girl? Her name was already fading…. Herr? She felt like she'd known her since childhood. Herr always used to steal Claire's necklace.

Claire caught herself as she listed to one side, nearly spilling onto the floor. No, she thought, not Claire. I was Aleya.

Claire didn't want to go back to sleep, so she did the first thing that came naturally. She brushed her teeth and recited dinosaur names that she’d memorized.

At breakfast the next morning, Claire’s eyes felt just as heavy. In front of her, the sun baked the Brazillian street. Pedestrians and bikers passed kicking up dust as she sipped her hot latte and eyed her egg burrito across from Samuel, who was enjoying the dingy motel patio, feet up on the sides of her chair, leaning back in his.

He took a deep breath of the dry air, the awning barely shading them from the boiling sun.

“It’ll be nice to get out of here.” Samuel was always making those kinds of remarks.

Flatly, Claire smiled at him. “I guess.”

“You don’t want to leave?”

“Not really.” She admitted.

Brazil had been her home for the last 6 months. She couldn’t really expect Samuel to understand the excitement she drew from places like Bahia. She didn’t even care for the adobe-walled motel they had slept in last night. Claire preferred the tent cots she’d used for her entire stay. The rawness she felt, just from being in such a remote location; she finally felt like she was living.

And now she had to leave it all. And because she succeeded.

The fossils were uncovered, packed up, and ready to be shipped for verification. Pending their validity, she’d speak at the paleontological convention in New York on her discovery in under a week. Without Samuel attached, she began to wonder if she would even have been offered a chance to address the committee. Sam was well known for his work in Serbia on Illyrian research. He’d uncovered eight different sites, totaling 3 whole miles of ruins. With his last name, Claire was sure she was getting more attention than she deserved and had light years to prove in her own sector from her own steam.

She wasn’t even an archeologist, she’d just gotten lucky; and the national paleontology committee decided to take a chance on her first discovery, albeit with some well-founded faith.

“Doctor Bretten?” An accented voice spoke to her left.

Both Samuel and Claire turned their attention to the man who approached. A worn, South American man came up to their table. Claire recognized him, and his steady presence calmed her.

“Pilar,” Sam acknowledged, “How is everything?”

Pilar was one of the men on Claire’s original team to this part of Brazil. He wasn’t local, instead hailing from Venezuela. Had he not been with her, Claire was sure she’d have had a much harder time here in Bahia.

Since Samuel’s arrival, Pilar had been more socially reserved. He ordinarily would have brought a jovial air to the conversation, but his stance indicated worry this morning.

Claire was eyeing what was clutched in his right glove. A curved tan rock snaked its way out of his fist and came to a dangerous point.

Pilar wiped the sweat from his brow with his left sleeve, “Everything was going as expected, but unfortunately, we’ve had a crate fall from one of the trucks when re-securing the cargo.”

Samuel cringed. “Was anything damaged?”

“The fossils in the crate were well secured, Doctor,” Pilar said stiffly, “But this piece was damaged when the crate hit the skull.”

Pilar gently set the rock on their table, displaying it to the couple. Samuel sat forward to inspect it, but Claire found herself leaning backward, trying to distance herself from it.

It was a massive tooth, one she’d seen many times before. She could recall the moments she’d first seen it in its place inside the creature’s skeleton over a month ago, her elated shouting, nearly bringing chaos to the camp. The tooth bore a crack up its length, indicative of the damage Pilar mentioned.

“A shame.” Samuel dismissed. “I’ll see that it’s repackaged well for the trip home. We’ll repair it there. Thank you, Pilar.”

Pilar left, giving Claire a soft glance first.

She smiled back at him, hoping she was hiding her anxiety well.

It was clear to both Claire and Samuel that the tooth could be fixed, it had only been severed from the skull at the place at the bottom, where it would have fallen out during normal decomposition anyhow. The tooth was still in one piece and the crack could be filled.

Claire wasn’t sure why she felt so uneasy about the tooth. It felt like a bad omen that it was broken. Like something was terribly wrong.

Her glare was so intense that she missed Samuel’s question. It took him pulling his feet down from her chair and sitting forward for her to notice.

“Did you hear me, sweetie?” The concern on his face snapped her back to their arid reality.

“No- sorry. What did you say?” Claire played it cool.

He sat back and sipped his lemonade. “Did you have any time to practice your speech?”

Aloof, Claire turned and looked out at the dusty street to her left, resolute to keep her eyes off of the giant tooth.

“That’s what I was working on last night.” She lied.

While it was true that she was working last night, it was all research on dreams. She didn’t want to tell him about her nightmare. She didn’t even trust herself with the knowledge of something so strange and ethereal. Besides, Samuel openly distrusted the mystical. Claire couldn’t blame him.

“Well, you know you’re always welcome to practice on me.”

Expectantly, Samuel sat forward and smiled, his brown eyes consoling Claire as much as they could from their distance

Claire stammered. “Sam…”

“Oh, come on. What have you got so far?”

Claire took a deep breath. “I was thinking I’d open with a fun fact or something.”

This wasn’t a lie, Claire had put a little bit of thought into her speech during her shower yesterday and many times over her years growing up, fantasizing about this day. But she hadn’t nailed down anything concrete.

“Nah. That’s boring.” Samuel interjected, smirking. He straightened his white shirt and sat up, the contrast against his dark skin, catching Claire’s eye.

Claire scoffed at his remark, beginning to smile at him. “Well then. What do you suggest I say?”

Sam took another drink, “Well, you’ve always got to start with ‘Ladies and Gentlemen.’ That’s a must.”

His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. “Oh, I see. Should I also say ‘In conclusion’ at the halfway mark like you do?” Claire clapped back.

The pair laughed at each other for a moment, and Claire was glad for the distraction. She finished her latte and stood, fixing her jumpsuit.

“I suppose we should go and inspect the troops.” She said,

Samuel stood and Claire met his eyes, a full foot above hers.

“After you, General Napoleon.” He joked.

She scoffed and hit him playfully on the arm, and they walked together to oversee the trucks.

Anxiously, Claire tapped her speech cards against her leg. There weren’t many of them, which consoled her. The less time she had to spend on stage, the better.

It was finally the night of her presentation at the American Museum of Natural History, and she had all but convinced herself that the dream was brought on by celebratory alcohol, her lack of sleep, and her intimate knowledge of her work. After all, she had spent every moment imagining the creature she’d unearthed. How could she blame her imagination at all?

Over the last five days, Claire barely slept, struck by the irrational fear her superstition imposed on her mind. Her dream came back when she slept, waking her in the same, cold sweat. She would find herself alone at her desk, scribbling notes and hiding them away, her handwriting foreign and ominous in the light of each morning. Claire had even attempted to use her third-grade-level drawing skills to sketch Herr’s face. However, she found she was forgetting the details quickly.

The act of staying up late to make notes on a dream, and actively hiding them from her husband, made her feel like she was going insane. Claire forced herself back into her life in New York with Samuel, doing anything to put her nightmare behind her.

Now, in the limousine, she felt cold. The air wasn’t cold enough to blame, but the pit in her stomach made her feel like she’d stepped into the Siberian tundra. The concept of a limo ride felt a bit snobbish to her, but it didn’t seem to bother Samuel.

Claire sat next to him on the seat, more dressed up than he was, he’d insisted that it was her night. She felt like a different person under her load of makeup and in her new green dress. Sam, although he was dressed differently than his standard, looked the same, handsome. He sat with his typical straight posture, wearing a suit and tie.

He took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. “Nervous?”

She was. She nodded slowly.

Samuel’s gaze felt warm. “You’ll do fine.”

Claire knew she would. Her speech was charming, and most importantly, short. All thanks to Samuel. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have accepted his help with something like a speech. She’d already refused his help with her entire career, pulling all the funding herself. She was determined to pave her own way. But with her lack of sleep, his plethoric experience with speeches, and his nagging, she finally let him assist her.

Before Claire could gird herself, the vehicle slowed to a stop. Through the tinted window past Samuel, she could see a crowd of photographers lining the massive steps up to the museum doors. The anxiety crept back into her throat. Samuel didn’t spare a glance toward the window, instead, he increased his grip on her hand and turned to her.

Claire didn’t wait for him to speak, “Don’t you think this is all a little much? Can’t we just go home and have a small party with some wine and relax?”

Claire actually wanted to be back in Brazil again, quietly spending her nights by a cooking fire and then relaxing in her tent.

“Hey.” Sam interrupted her thoughts softly. “This is your bi-”

“My big night. Dios mio, I know. You’ve only told me a million times.” She huffed.

A knock came at the vehicle door, the chauffeur waiting for Sam’s signal to open it.

He smiled, “I was going to say ‘your big chance’.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“It shouldn’t.” he gently twisted the wedding ring on her finger. “But I’m going to be right here with you until your extroversion kicks in.”

The knock came again and Samuel brushed one of her dark curls behind her ear.

Claire took a deep breath. “Promise?”

Sam grinned. “I promise. Now let’s go show these people how cool you are for finding a dinosaur no one’s heard of before.”

He rolled the window down on his side by a few inches, signaling to the chauffeur to open the door. Sam stepped out first and offered his hand to Claire, and for a moment, she stared out at him and the crowd. Then she took it.

Having been raised in rural New Mexico, Claire was accustomed to more humble gatherings. She spent the main portion of the evening warming up her social skills, avoiding “um”s and stammering, Samuel right beside her nudging her along. All things considered, she established herself nicely among some of the lead paleontologists that she’d only read about. The night felt like a dream to her. Until the dreaded speech.

Claire was directed “backstage” as it was. To her, it was about as luxurious as she knew, but for stages, it was a hasty job. Boards arced at strange angles, and if she wasn’t careful, Claire was sure to catch her high heel in a crack. She shuffled in place, trying to think about anything but the heat the spotlight would cast. She’d stood under one for a talent show once before. She had felt so itchy.

Remember the speech, She thought.

Her heart thrummed in her chest as the mc announced her arrival.

“And now, please welcome this evenings’ esteemed palentologist, Claire Bretten!”

Applause.

Claire did a quick breathing exercise her abuela had taught her, and strode across the stage to the podium. To her left, a giant red curtain hung in place around her fossil.

Claire looked out across the assembly. She patiently waited for the clapping to cease, then cleared her parched throat.

“Hello all.” She spoke, her voice shaking slightly.

“I’d like to begin this wonderful night by thanking my amazing crew who have flown all the way in from Brazil, please give them all your appreciation.”

Claire scanned the throng for Pilar and his men. She found them in the back corner and pointed to them and began to clap, the crowd joining her.

“Without them, and my very supportive husband, Samuel, this night wouldn’t have been possible and you’d be rewarding some other palentologist many years from today.” She smiled to the rugged men. She saw Pilar, for once, dressed in something other than overalls. He smoothed his hair nervously and raised his glass to her.

Claire removed the first card from her stack and put it behind the rest.

“Over a year ago, I flew to a remote village in Bahia, Brazil. Away from my friends, family and my dog, I found something unexpected.”

A chuckle came from a few of the members, but not many. Claire knew it wasn’t much of a joke, but she’d hoped for a more lighthearted response. She tried not to let it phase her, and kept reading.

“Brazil has been known for a number of unique fossils, and I know that tonight, mine will surely join the list of spectacular specimens, Not only have we uncovered the entire skeleton of this massive creature, but we’ve found the nest.”

A round of applause caused Claire to pause awkwardly as she attempted to read her next card. She smiled until it died down.

“Sadly, the eggs aren’t set to be displayed here in New York, but instead at the Canadian Museum of History.”

Some members of the crowd sounded disappointed.

Claire knew she was going longer than she meant to. She cleared her throat, the knot finally seeming to have ironed itself out.

“Without further ado,” She announced, “I’m grateful to be here and to display to you all, my first major discovery.”

Claire swept her hand toward the curtain, “May I present to you, Baryopteryx!”

The curtain fell from around the bones, revealing the forty-foot skeleton, wired from the ceiling to stand facing the crowd.

Claire couldn’t hear the applause. As her smile faded, Claire’s mouth dropped open.

The wings… they were missing. She’d honestly just named her discovery with the suffix “pteryx” - the greek root for wings - without any wings to show.

Where were they? No one appeared to notice their absence, the skeleton looked surprisingly well balanced without them.

They must have been stolen. There wasn’t any other explanation. But when?

As Claire stood stunned, gasping for air, she noticed something else. The claws. They reached out, as if grasping for someone. The skeleton’s massive jaw hung open to receive it’s prey. The creatures’ hide reassembled itself in her imagination, a crimson armor of scales. Her nightmare returned in full force.

Claire stared forward, her breathing coming in quicker successions.

The vivid dream from that night back in Bahia flashed through her mind. It was arresting how clearly she remembered each detail. The bark on the trees, the wind in her ears… the teeth at her back.

The tooth at breakfast. It had been identical to her dream. The tooth belonged to the dragon.

With a shock, she could feel her foot catch the root again. The last moment of her nightmare replayed over and over. The sparing glance over her shoulder, the wide jaws, her foot slamming into the root, her face hitting the forest floor.

What was the species’ name? Claire thought. Tyranna? No. Tyrial something. How could it be the same animal?

Her fossil, her life’s work, her final step to success, was a real life dragon. The same one from her nightmare. The dreaded Red Death. La Muerte Rojo…

The room spun, and Claire fell to the stage floor, unconscious.

Aleya’s eyes fluttered open, pine needles leaving deep impressions in her cheek as she pushed herself up onto her side. She groaned and rubbed her head. What happened?

Above her, the forest canopy echoed with birds’ calls. The sun streamed through the branches down to her eyes. Everything hurt. Aleya stood on shaky feet and looked around at her surroundings. Wasn’t she just in the museum? What was a museum?

The trees in this clearing were scorched black, as though a wildfire had torn through, and yet left her unscathed. She brushed the soot from her hand where she’d steadied herself on a tree. Wasn’t… Herr with me?

That’s right. She’d fallen. They had been chased by Red Death… and she’d survived. Which had to mean it had been distracted. Aleya knew all too well that Tyrial Hrocbacs didn’t simply leave their prey. It must have gone after…

Aleya’s eyes widened. “Herr.” she croaked.

She began to run, but her ankle gave out. She fell to the charred earth, her blonde hair falling from her twine string, where it’d been tied up. Aleya cursed and groaned again, inspecting her leg.

She’d live.

Aleya heaved herself up again and hobbled as fast as she could toward the keep.