The Rogue Dragon

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Which is a very lovely thought and most likely a great story to tell but this is not the time to live in daydreams. I live in the here and now, the harsh reality of constantly chasing my next meal. And dwelling on fantasies of a world where ferocious fire-breathing overgrown lizards don't exist does not help me put food on the table.

I weave in and out of the crowd, shoving, dodging, nudging, all the while filling my pockets with an assortment of treasures. So far I’ve been able to “acquire” a small pouch of coppers, a carved oak owl for luck, an amethyst bracelet, a gold band, a wood pipe, some string, a rather interesting sea green rock, and a couple plums. Not a bad haul and it's barely time for dinner. I have always loved the energy and excitement of the market and it's not because it's a great place to pick pockets. There is always something exotic and rare on display from people who have come from far away countries to sell their bizarre items and talents. Today the market is filled with a multitude of people all bustling to sell their newly harvested watermelons, tomatoes, all varieties of squashes, sweet potatoes and baskets of large strawberries. Breeders selling their goats, pigs, and chickens of all different shades and sizes. Fabric Weavers exhibiting their fine silks and patterned fabrics for customers to admire their flawless shimmer and intricate needlework. Mysterious Soothsayers shouting the importance of charms, amulets and knickknacks to gain favor with the Magicae. Spice vendors fill the market air with exotic scents and flavors. Food vendors preparing salt- and spice-rolled raw cuts of meat and fish on their griddles, the juices dripping onto the hot coals causing a delicious sizzling noise, encouraging my mouth to water. Bakers cutting and wrapping bread woven and shaped into ornate patterns.

The sight of the golden brown bread catches my eye and I swipe a small roll as I trudge past the stand, my clever fingers nicking the delicacy and tucking it in my conveniently deep pockets without so much as a glance from the baker. I feel a slight twinge of shame as I peer at the ignorant vendors, but it’s quickly replaced by anticipation at the sweet scent and the warmth emanating from the soft bread hidden under my cloak. Despite the midsummer heat, I still wear my hooded cloak to obscure my face in its shadow. I don't exactly want to draw too much attention to myself. Though the cloak is colored a faded olive green and made with a lightweight fabric, I still feel a trickle of sweat drip down my back as I make my way out of the market. My ears perk up to a strange conversation as I pass two women chattering furiously to each other. I would normally leave the twittering birds to their gossip but a couple words catch my interest. The conversation seems to be filled with, “Her Majesty,” “wrath”, and “The Spellbinders”. I pretend to examine a particularly elegant scarf and listen intently.

“... it was by her house! Ariadne told me herself! She said that they heard a crash and felt something shake their house like an earthquake! I tell you, we have to be wary. There is no predicting a dragon’s moods!” A woman in a powder blue gown whispers. Ariadne Terrowin? Cole’s mother? Very strange. A rather large women in sunshine yellow hisses back,

“You're starting to sound like a Soothsayer Sandra! I know everyone is on edge to pay our allegiance on the Night of the Amber Moon but you mustn't scare yourself with such thoughts! It was probably just a REAL earthquake. Ariadne does tend to make a fuss over such things.”

I hmm to myself and file away a note to ask Cole about the matter later. But I leave the two tattlers to their chat and continue my brisk walk out of the market.

Just as instructed I head toward the rendezvous point after I’ve made my rounds through the unsuspecting customers. I see Wayne’s tall hulking form leaning casually against the alley wall of the town pawn shop with little Kade sitting atop an empty wine barrel munching happily on a no-doubt stolen apple.

“You sure took your time.” Wayne deadpans, taking a bite out of his own apple. I cock my head at the warm greeting.

“And I see you have no problem wasting yours. How long have you been here? I thought we were supposed to meet when you got something worth more than an apple.” He tosses the ruby fruit in the air and catches it with ease.

“Lighten up Ace! An apple IS worth it. Isn't that right Kade?” Wayne looks down at the smaller boy and he pauses his cheerful chewing, saying loudly with a mouth full of fruit,

“Yeah, lighten up Acey!”

I roll my eyes toward the dragon domain. The best way to win a boy’s heart is through his stomach.

“Traitor,” I retort. He grins cheekily and I fondly brush a lock of his thick hair away from his face. My real name is Acelyn but my little brother insists on calling Acey much to my dismay. I prefer to be called Ace but every once and a while Wayne has the audacity to call me the silly nickname. I can hold grudges for days on end with Wayne, but I can never stay mad at Kade.

He has the signature Kaiser coloring along with Wayne, thick mahogany brown hair, a wide mischievous smile, and tan skin. I possess the only rarity, having intense electric blue eyes instead of the soft curious brown. Some say that it is a form of good luck that it will bless my family with the Magicae, others say that it is a bad omen that I should not be trusted. Well they're not exactly wrong. I usually prefer to steal from the skeptics and superstitious, my small revenge against the insults they sling at me and my family. Not that any sane villager listens to the Soothsayers or Spellcaster wannabes. They are right about one thing though. Blue eyes are not uncommon in the Valley but mine do have a strange quality to them. I'm told that they look like two blue prisms, flecked with all different colors of purple, green, gold and silver.

A smug smile spreads across Wayne’s face as he finishes his fruit down to the core.

“And if you must know,” says Wayne, turning out is own pockets,

“I did get a couple things of value.”

I stalk over to peer at the item in his palm. I raise an eyebrow at the sight of a small leather bag filled with silvers. I won’t show how impressed and excited I am to Wayne but I don't need to give him my approval. He knows that it will contribute to pay our debt on the Night of the Amber Moon and he grins at my lack of enthusiasm.

“Nicked it off a rich old tosspot. Slipped it right out of his cloak before he could finish complaining about how expensive the strawberries were.” He pockets the pouch and lazily throws his apple core over his shoulder. Kade follows suit as usual and tosses his own apple onto the alley floor. I roll my eyes again and sigh at their childish behavior. Well, Kade gets a pass because he actually IS a child.

“Right gentlemen of the court you both are.” I say, moving to Kade’s side.

I take the roll I had stolen earlier and break the pillowy bread in half and offer one to Kade. His eyes grow wide at the heavenly food as he takes it tentatively into his little palms licking his lips. We haven't had a proper piece of bread in ages.

“How did you get this?” He asks in wonder. I shrug, taking a bite out of my own piece. It tastes as good as it smells.

“Swiped it from the baker's stand. Nothing to it.” I cut my piece in half again and gave the quarter to Wayne. He doesn't argue about Kade having the larger piece, at least he has that much maturity. Kade is still a growing boy and me and my brother are used to the never satisfied void in our stomachs. We have about two meager meals a day and whatever food we manage to steal in between. I can't remember the last time I went to bed with a full stomach. My father runs the village apothecary selling herbal remedies to the sick. His love of people thrust him into the remedial field and thanks to his bleeding heart, he practically gives his medicines away to help the poor and unwell. It is a noble sacrifice but that also means that we hardly have enough money to help ourselves let alone the entire village. Though Wayne is nineteen, I’m seventeen and Kade is eight we all have a strong bond, forged in our trials as a struggling family. Ever since mother passed away and father became disconnected, we have relied on each other to survive this merciless world.

Me and my brother attempt to make up the difference, and no, we don’t tell our father exactly where we get our money, we aren’t stupid. He thinks me and Wayne go out hunting everyday and sell the game we catch, which is not entirely a lie. I do go hunting and I do sell my game if I catch a deer or any large birds but that is rare. Normally I hunt for smaller game like squirrels and rabbits and take them home for dinner but the rest is made up from stealing. Wayne and I have to take on the responsibility of meeting our daily needs and pay our allegiance on the dreaded Night of the Amber Moon. Speaking of due payments…

“Where’s Cole? He’s missing our auspicious feast.” I ask, finishing my roll. He should have been here by now and he's never late. That's one of the things that is so ruddy annoying about Cole. My best friend is unbearably perfect, always on time with his hair combed, properly dressed and shoes shined. He is one of the smartest kids that can actually afford to go to school because his father is a renowned physician. We have a business deal with the Terrowin family to provide herbal remedies for their patients. They're not like the typical rich pompous types so they are aware of our family’s situation and they have more than once kindly offered to pay more than what the medicines are worth but we refused. I only steal from the unkind or conceited but never the considerate.

Wayne finishes his roll and furrows his brow in confusion.

“No idea. He's always on time so he must have a good reason to be late.”

As if on cue, Cole with his thick black hair sticking up in all different directions, his bright red flushed face dripping with sweat, panting like he had just ran fifty miles, dirt and mud covering his normally flawless shoes and looking like he had been chased by the Dragon Queen herself, skitters to a stop in front of us, green eyes as wide as two gold coins.

The sight is such a stark contrast to his perfectly groomed self that I bark a laugh, almost snorting through my nose at the disheveled boy before me.

“Wow Cole. If you wanted to become part of our group of devious thieves and guttersnipes you could've asked. You are in dire need of professional help.” Wayne and Kade snicker at the comment as they stare at Cole’s tomato red face but Cole completely ignores it. He rushes forward and grabs my hand forcefully.

“I need you to come with me Ace.” He says, with an intensity that stops all my laughter. I narrow my eyes in annoyance and suspicion as I wrench my hand out of his grip.

“What are you doing? What's wrong?” He looks frustrated at my lack of fervor in this clear life or death situation and goes to take my hand again but I back away. His shoulders slump as his demeanor shifts from serious to pleading.

“Please Ace. I need to show you something. Only you.” He looks positively pitiful and I can't resist. Whatever it is he wants to show me must be very serious if it caused him to be late and run out in public looking like this. I sigh and look at my brothers in exasperation. I take my stolen treasures out of my pocket except for the oak owl (owls are my favorite animal so I’d become rather attached to it), the string and plums and hand them to Wayne.

“Go ahead and trade those without me, I’ll be home in time for supper. And make sure you get a fair price for them! I wont have you selling my stuff for dirt cheap.”

Wayne lips curve into a sly grin.

“Come on. Don't you trust me?”

“No.” I say flatly and he shrugs indifferently at the predictable reply.

“Ah well, suit yourself. And if you find any dragons on your little adventure, send them my regards.” I shake my head grinning and turn to Cole to find that he instantly paled at the joke. Now I'm really nervous. I don't know what has gotten into Cole but whatever it is, it has him really spooked.

“Alright.” I relent. “Let's go.”

His jaw clenches and he nods, turning to lead the way without hesitation.

I follow him to the outskirts of the village toward the Forest of Shadows. Though its name is formidable, Cole and I have been running through its trees since we could walk. The legends and rumors of its Magicae never stopped us from exploring its winding trails, full of life and mystery. Cole may not look it but he has a courageous and fearless soul. After his studies, we would come here to explore this place, where he was free of the public eye and maintaining his family image. Where I was able to take off my hood and not worry about my day to day troubles for a time. Right as we reach the end of the village, Cole breaks into a hard run. I would have thought he was trying to race me but judging by the way he was acting in the market this must be a very serious matter indeed. I am a fast runner and typically I have no trouble keeping up, but Cole does not slow his pace until we reach the forest's edge. By then I am glad that he has slowed even if it is just a fraction of his sprint, my face most likely just as red as his from the afternoon sun. My breathing is quickened and I long to let my cloak fly off my shoulders to resist the heat.

“Cole, where are we going?” I gasp. Dodging, ducking and dancing around the deep roots and branches of the trees. He does not answer and continues running through the natural obstacles of the forest. We reach the heart of the wood, a small glade with a large old willow tree weeping beside a shallow stream. A flood of memories return to me as they always do when I see the place we discovered when we were children but Cole’s sudden stop interrupts my train of thought. I had been concentrating on following Cole, I did not see why he had stopped until I walk to stand at his side. I don’t have to look long to see what has halted his tracks and it makes his face go pale despite our run. My heart lodges in my throat and my breath hitches at the sight of it. My first instinct is to run straight back where we came from. Another is to find the nearest weapon to end its life while I have the chance. And the other part of me wants to examine and discover something that has not been looked upon this close in history. But all of them come rushing out in the form of anger at Cole. As usual.

“You stupid bloody idiot!” I whisper-shout, not wanting to disturb the beast even though I could scream at him from the top of my voice. He steps back at the sudden outburst and almost trips over a tree root. I nearly shove him over myself.

“WHY haven’t you told someone that there is a bloody dragon who just spontaneously decided to take a nap in our forest and is now rendered completely defenseless?!”

And it isn’t just any dragon. It’s THE dragon. The Amber Dragon Queen herself sleeping peacefully on the moss covered forest floor. She is literally larger than life as her long golden-scaled body seems to fill the entire meadow. Her bat-like wings are luckily wrapped around her but not fully extended, otherwise they would take up twice as much room. She looks as if she had only come to warm her cold blooded-body in the summer sun. Cole regains his composure and glares at me fiercely.

“BECAUSE, I didn't want to create a “bloody” uproar.” My scowl matches his furious glare. He really thinks this is the time to joke? He folds his arms defensively and I know that nothing I can say will change his mind about the matter. He can be just as stubborn as me sometimes.

“And from what you can see here, the village is still standing and no one has been killed. I would say Her Majesty's intentions are not hostile.” He explains to me like he would explain a complicated math equation to a young child. I almost snort at the statement.

“Not hostile at the moment! And are you seriously keeping up the niceties right now? She could level the entire village once she comes to and decides on how productive she wants to be today.” I begin to pace and run my hands through my dark chocolate brown hair, most likely making myself look like a deranged caged animal.

“You're honestly going to fight me on this? They have persecuted our people for centuries now and you want to protect this thing? I have half a mind to run back to the village, grab the sharpest ax I can find and chop off its arrogant, tyrannical head!”

“I would prefer if you didn't do that, thank you.” An unfamiliar voice interrupts on our quiet yet furious conversation and almost makes me jump out of my skin. I whip my head around to find a boy about my age, his face covered in dirt and ash and seems as though he’s about to collapse where he stands. His dirty blonde hair appears to have seen better days and his brown eyes droop ever so slightly but I can see that they are flecked with gold. Overall he is not a bad looking lad, apart from the mud, but I prefer to stay on task.

“And who might you be?” I ask, a little too aggressively. He lifts his dirt-covered chin slightly.

“You can call me Xander.”

My eyebrow arches ever so slightly at the statement. First words out of his mouth are a lie. Before I can say anything, Cole annoyingly interjects and rests his hands on my shoulders to keep my ferocious glare on him, like my older brother does to calm me down and I fight the urge to swat him away.

“Ace, I know you're contemplating chopping off her head right now, and Xander’s with it if he doesn't give you an explanation this instant but now is not the time. I mean, look at him. He can barely stand on his own two feet.” He gestures to the exhausted boy and despite my better judgment, I feel a slight twinge of pity run through me at the pathetic sight. Cole turns his gaze back on me, looking deep into my blue prism eyes, pleading.

“They need help. And you're the only person I trust who can keep this quiet. At least for now.” He says quickly as I scowl at him and I know he’s right. I may threaten but where Cole is concerned, I am loyal to the very end. If he asked me, I would take his secrets to the depths of my grave. I sigh and take another look at the boy. His eyes are puffy around the rims, he looks like he hasn't eaten in days and a long shallow cut coated in dried blood runs along his jaw.

I yield.

Digging through my pockets, I find the two plums I had stolen from the market earlier and hand both of them to him. He takes them almost like they were a blessing from the Magicae itself, brown eyes wide at my sudden change in demeanor.

“Eat those. It's not much but it'll hold you over until I can find something more filling. I don't know what to feed Her Majesty though.” I say, jerking my chin at the Dragon Queen, still sound asleep. Xander’s grin is tired but so full of relief and gratitude I almost smile back.

“She just ate last year, she won't need another meal for about two decades.”

I humph at the thought of not needing sustenance for twenty years.

“Well, some people have all the luck.” He takes no offense and his smile seems to break through the layers of dirt and I admit to myself.

He is not bad looking. Not bad at all. I tear my gaze away and deliver a questioning look at Cole.

“I can hide him in my barn for now but I don't know how the food will go unnoticed by Wayne. And I definitely won't be able to fit Her Royal Sleepiness.” The corner of Cole’s mouth lifts slightly at my disrespect.

“My household will provide the food but I'm going to need your expertise to get it out of the kitchens. And don't worry about Her Highness, I'll keep an eye on her. Right now we just need to worry about getting Xander safe and fed and keeping Her Majesty's whereabouts a secret.” I nod and turn back to Xander, stepping closer to display my distrust, folding my arms defensively and forcing all the intensity into my multicolored eyes.

“And once you're taken care of, you're going to tell me everything.”

He is not afraid to meet my gaze with his fatigued but no less fiery bronze eyes and nods at the demand, setting his squared jaw.

“Deal.”