The Rogue Dragon

The Night of the Amber Moon is less of a holiday and more of an eerie event though the Spellbinders would like us to think differently. The collection takes place at midnight when the golden moon is high in the ink black sky and the darkness has snuffed out all the light of the sun and stars. The only light that is visible is the burning torches along the village shops leading to a roaring bonfire in the center of the town square where the payments will be collected. Thousands of villagers stand in a long line to pay what’s due and for those who don’t make an appearance, the guard goes from door to door to ensure no one is missing.

The worst part about it all is the cages. At least ten carts are set up behind the collectors booth in single file leading down the road and out of the town square and by the end of the night they’ll all be full of children.

Already they are being filled and the screams are shrill and young and I feel as if there is already a significant amount of children imprisoned tonight than in previous years. The cries of anguish from the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters are pure agony and the whimpers and weeping grow louder with every step.

And all we can do is keep walking.

If anyone tries to help or free the children they get thrown into the cage with them. I try to ignore the screams as Wayne, Kade, father and I approach the inevitable collection booth with every step. Kade clutches my hand and I can feel the sweat break out in his palm though his face is pale with fear. Even though we are able to pay this year I can’t blame him for being nervous and the rest of us are equally uneasy. We unknowingly form a barrier around Kade with Wayne behind, father in front, and me in the center. Despite the noise coming from the cages and whaling family members, a silence has come over the villagers like a thick suffocating blanket making their slow heavy march towards the collector. When we begin to come closer and closer to the booth my heart begins to pound within my chest and I have to take deep breaths to calm myself. I take small comfort as I look back to find Cole’s family walking behind us and Cole gives me an encouraging smile. I give him a nod of gratitude and feel the tight knot in my stomach loosen slightly. I even spot Mrs Faraday with her son’s family with their little grandson. While we can’t say or give any greeting to those we know there is a silent support that binds us all together as a village, friends and family that shows we will help each other get through these trying times.

We will get through this. They don't have any reason to take Kade so we will give them the money and move on with our night. But the words of Xander echo loudly in my mind.

“They don't need an excuse to do what they want. It won't matter how submissive we are to their commands, they can and will take everything we love and there isn't a thing we can do.

Unless we CHOOSE to do something about it.”

But I can't choose tonight, I tell myself. Not when Kade’s life is on the line. Once this is over I’ll do whatever I need to to get Xander out of my cellar and on with his so called quest but I will not abandon my family. Not when they still need me.

“Next.”

Says the shriveled rat man behind the bars of the booth. I am so deep in my thoughts I don't realize that it's finally our turn. The booth seems to tower over us with malice and terror. I clutch Kade’s hand harder as my father steps up to the man with the bag of gold.

“I am Loden Kaiser. I believe you’ll find everything to be in order.” Says father with a confident air as the gold chinks against the wood.

The man places the bag on a small silver scale and sighs almost with boredom.

“You are short of 50 coin. The price has increased this year to 100. The boy will satisfy the payment for this balance and for all that is due in the future.”

The man’s casual disinterested tone almost makes me think I didn't hear him correctly. My vision begins to tilt as I feel the urge to faint denial of what’s happening. Something that seemed completely impossible.

I try to stand up straighter. I can’t faint. I need to protect Kade and I hold onto Kade’s trembling body with all my might. I feel Wayne freeze with fear and my father simply stares in disbelief at the heartless man. I even hear a small gasp from Cole’s mother. I see two guards begin to move toward our small huddle around Kade which snaps me out of my stupor.

“Wait!” I interject

“We have the money, just please give us a moment to go home. We weren't aware that the price had changed but we are happy to get back in line.”

I say in a rush, desperate to stop the guards ominous stride towards us ready to pry Kade from my fingers.

My father holds up a hand to stop my frantic negotiations and turns to the collector.

“We have the money. I can stay and send my eldest son to retrieve it.”

The man almost looks offended that I have spoken before my father and ignores me to address him

He shakes his head tiredly.

“I am afraid we cannot let you do that as a security precaution. We can't risk anyone attempting to leave before the payment has been made. Now please hand the boy into the custody of the guard. They will treat him with great care.”

My father continues to protest but the guards don’t stop their march.

“Please sir we weren't aware there had been any changes in price but we will happily pay for what is due if you would just allow us to go home for the money.”

The man still shakes his head looking more frustrated with the resistance.

“The answer is still no, do not resist or I will file a report of insubordination against you and your family.”

I want to scream in protest to not have them take my brother. For something so pointless and to have a solution so simple but being denied the right to solve it.

I stare the guards down with a death glare as I push Kade back behind me. He clutches the folds of my cloak and I look back to see shear terror in his young innocent face as all of his nightmares come true.

That does it.

“Stand aside.” Says the guard in a threatening tone but I hold my ground.

“Wren.”

My head whips towards my father. His voice is heavy with defeat but just as firm. In that moment I feel just as much rage toward my father as I do with the guards, the rat man collector, the Dragons, Spellbinders, the whole rotten lot of them. It's not fair. Any of it. I am not letting them take Kade’s life just because of a minor technicality or whatever they claim it to be.

“Winn.”

My resentment toward my father vanishes at the sound of Kade’s voice. I look into his light brown eyes containing no traces of tears, so pure but brave nonetheless.

“I’m not the one who needs to be protected.”

I stare at him dumbfounded. I want to ask what he means but I hear the chinking of chainmail as metal and leather clad guards approach closer and closer.

I turn back to face them down again, ignoring my father’s order with a new determination derived from Kade’s voice. My silent refusal is enough to send more guards towards us and just as they attempt to shove me to grab Kade I ignore all possible consequences and do what should never be done.

I punch the nearest guard in the crotch.

He howls with pain and crumples to his knees in the dirt. The other guard rushes forward and gives me a hard slap that sends me stumbling. My face stings and I see stars. The guard grabs Kade’s wriggling shrieking form and hauls him to the nearest cage. Once I’ve regained my balance I spring like a panther after the guard holding Kade.

My father’s hand shoots out and catches me to hold me back from making the situation any worse.

I don’t realize that I am screaming bloody murder and thrashing wildly against my father’s unyielding grip. He simply holds me and whispers in my ear.

“Not here. There’s nothing we can do right now. Let’s go home.”

All I can do is watch helplessly as the guard opens the barred door, shove my beloved little brother inside and slam it shut. As soon as I stop my thrashing my father releases me from his iron grip.

I turn to look at his bearded face and glare at both my father’s and Wayne’s lack of defiance. I want to break him into thousands of pieces. How can he say that? He’s just going to let Kade be carried to his death?

In my anger I give my father a hard slap to the cheek. I don’t turn back to see his reaction or the rest of the village and break into a sprint out of the square, in between shops and homes towards our house with hot angry tears streaming down my face.

Xander and Kade said I had a choice.

Well, I’m choosing right now. I am getting Kade back.

By any means necessary.

I stomp down the stairs of the cellar, unbar the door and throw it open.

My abrupt loud entrance causes Xander to shoot out of the cot and onto his feet.

I throw him one of my father’s old cloaks.

“Come with me. You still want to go on that quest of yours? Well, I’m in. But I need you to help me with something first.”

Xander catches the cloak but stays stock still completely stunned by my change in attitude.

I don’t wait for him when I walk out the cellar and into the creaky house. I hear Xander stumbling up the stairs and tripping over himself to keep up with my brisk pace.

“What is it? What’s happened?”

“They took Kade.”

I say without looking back while I sprint up the stairs to the apartment.

“They increased the price and wouldn’t allow us to go back to the house to get the rest of the money.”

After I reach the top I take my leather game back off the coat hooks and begin filling it with supplies.

“And you want my help to get him back?”

I rummage through the pantry for any dried meat, fruit, cheese, bread, extra water skin and shove them into the bag.

“Yes. I know I won’t be able to come back here so I’m taking Kade with us. We’re going to do what we need to change things around here.”

“So… this means you believe me?”

I pause and turn to face him. His eyebrows raised with the question. I place my hands on my hips stubbornly.

“I believe that there is something else going on, something we aren’t seeing. But I still don’t think I’m a guardian’s prophesied to come and overthrow the Spellbinders. There might be such a thing as Guardians but I’m not one of them. I’ll do what I can to get you wherever you need to and then we’ll go from there but in the meantime I have to get to Kade before the collectors leave. Tonight.”

Xander nods slowly and rubs a finger over his lips thoughtfully.

“Say for argument's sake we do break Kade out. Then what?”

For the first time I hesitate and fidget with my leather strap.

“That’s where I was hoping you would come in. You said that you flew with Queen Amber to get here. Do you think she could get us out?”

To my surprise Xander doesn't call me crazy for the idea. His handsome face breaks into a wide mischievous grin.

“She might not be happy about being our getaway ride but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

For the first time since I’ve met Xander I return his grin.

The bell of the shop door brings us both back to the present. I hear three sets of feet climbing the stairs and I feel the urge to hide Xander and myself but then I wonder what’s the point? I’m going after Kade with or without consent and if they try to stop me I’ll sick Xander on them. I’m sure having a flame maker in the house will do the trick. Xander looks like he wants to spring into the pantry too but I hold up a hand for him to relax. I put in my most threatening stare to hold my ground once my father, Wayne and Cole reach the top of the stairs. I can see the look of sudden panic on Cole’s and Wayne’s faces at the sight of Xander behind my father but to my shock my father does not look surprised to see me packing let alone having a complete stranger in the house. I keep my face devoid of all emotion and I say with a firm voice,

“I’m going after him.”

“I know.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“I know.”

His brief responses infuriate me and I fume at his lack of anger, sadness, something!

“How could you let them just take him? From me, from us! Instead you stood there and did absolutely nothing. As usual.”

He flinches at the last sentence and I feel a slight twinge of regret but my expression does nothing to show my sympathy. My words hang in the air and surprisingly it’s Wayne who breaks the silence.

“Wren, at least listen to what father has to say before you go.”

My gaze does not soften but I fold my arms and wait silently for my fathers reply. There is nothing he could say to convince me not to go. He sighs and rubs his eyes tiredly.

“I always knew that it would come to this. A part of me hoped it would never happen but I was just delaying the inevitable. You need to go no matter how much it pains me.”

He walks with fatigue but resignation. He walks over to the old wood rocking chair and sits on the edge with his elbows resting on his knees. My gaze shifts briefly to Wayne and I see he is just as confused as I am about my fathers words. I decide that Wayne was not in this with my father and shift the resentment off of him.

“I was given specific instructions to keep you hidden. Even if that meant we were barely scraping by for money. You thought Kade was the priority but in reality it was you I was trying to protect. If they did end up taking Kade that would unlock a new dangerous and opportune path for you. A path of discovering who you truly are. I assume that’s why you're here?”

I furrow my brow at this and I look to see Xanders reaction. Xanders gaze is fixated to the ground as my father speaks to him directly and nods.

“Yes. I was sent by the court.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose as if to dispel an ever increasing headache. I feel my frustration building to the breaking point.

“What are you two talking about? Now you're saying you know each other? I have been told that I am not who I think I am by a complete stranger and someone who might as well be a stranger because of how little I apparently know about him. Who are you to say that you know who I REALLY am?”

“I think you recognize yourself better than any of us but you just don’t see it yet.”

My father reasons, his tone still calm and burdened. And I sigh and decide to humor both of them.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

My father finally meets my hard prism eyes and I see the amount of seriousness written on his face. This is no joke to him.

“You really don’t remember all those years ago when you and Lord Cobalt met?”

I can’t help the electric shock of fear emerge in my face giving me away. I shake my head stubbornly. Wayne, Xander and Cole’s eyes all rest on me. I try to cover up my shock but they already saw the truth in my expression before the confirmation in words.

“I had a dream or some kind of fantasy. None of it was real.”

My father knows that I am grasping at straws and presses on.

“You may not remember him but he remembers you. He has looked after you and our family ever since your meeting. Who do you think helped you find enough money in the creek to pay the debt each year?”

No matter what he says to make his case, I hold my ground and continue to stare him in the eye with all the dignity I can muster. And to my dismay it’s Xander who decides to speak up and support my father’s story.

“Lord Cobalt knew that you would be hunted so in order to stay hidden he instructed your father not to tell you about the prophecy. But he determined that one day as the Night of the Blue Crescent approached Spellbinders would get desperate and increase the price at the last minute so they would take as many children as they could.”

“You are the Protector of the Seas. One of the Guardians of the Valley.”

Father says.

For most likely the first time in my life, I am rendered completely speechless. Even Wayne seems to think this has gone too far and I for once agree with him. I’m annoyed to see that Cole seems to think this a perfectly logical explanation and I scoff.

Me. The middle of three siblings. A filthy thieving guttersnipe.

A so-called great Guardian of the Valley? Now after hearing this from an exhausted malnourished most likely raving stranger like Xander I disregarded the story completely but this coming from my own father? As much as I say I don’t know him, he knows me. He has stuck with me my entire life and he is repeating the same story Xander had told me days ago without ever having met each other.

As much as my brain sees the logic in the inclination my heart still denies it will all it’s might. I chuckle scornfully at my father and Xander.

“You know I’m getting really tired of hearing this story.”

My father simply shakes his head, ever the picture of composure and reason. He suddenly reaches into his right pants pocket to retrieve a curious object. A clear glass seashell tinted blue with a leather strap to be used as a necklace. My eyes grow wide as I automatically calculate how much such a beautiful piece is worth at the pawnshop. I have the sudden realization that this object might be the same type of communicator as Xander’s magma rock. One look at Xander tells me he is on the same train of thought as his hand goes to his chest to clutch the stone around his neck. Wayne whistles and I hear a small “whoa” from Cole. Father handles it almost sacredly and I feel the urge to smash it.

“This is a token given to me by Lord Cobalt. I use it to contact him to report anything unusual. I’d like you to have it so he can help you on your journey.”

He comes closer to me and lowers his voice so only I can hear.

“I have never wanted this responsibility to fall to you and no matter what Lord Cobalt or the prophecy says you still have a choice. Do what you feel is best for you. I would like you to take this so I know you’re safe wherever your path takes you. I’m not asking you to forgive me.”

When he attempts to hand the mystical object to me I don’t move to take it. I match his whisper in a cold harsh tone.

“I haven’t. ”

I see his face fall and whatever hope he had about me being understanding his story has vanished. I still feel that familiar stab of shame but I don’t care. I am so angry I attempt to dispel it by walking back to the pantry and stuffing my bag. I growl over my shoulder as I pack my things.

“This is a waste of my time. They’ve still got Kade. He is about to be carted off to his death as we speak and I need to make sure I am not within a hundred miles of this place by the end of the night.”

I practically hear the exchange in glances between Cole, Xander and Wayne but they can think what they want of me. After I feel I have taken the sufficient supplies I blow past the four of them and stomp down the stairs and out the door without so much as a goodbye. If Xander wants to make good on our deal he’ll just have to catch up. I can’t stand being in that room for one more second. To my surprise I hear three people exit the shop when I was only expecting one.

I stop my brisk pace and turn around to find Xander, Wayne and Cole standing at the ready, their own bags already packed and cloaks quickly thrown around their shoulders.

“I won’t stop you but I’m not going to let you go alone. Kade is my brother too and I intend to bring him back.”

Wayne says, his hulking form tense with determination, his arms set at his sides.

“You’ve always been there for me since the very beginning Wren and even when there was so little you gave me everything you had. My parents can manage without me for a while. It’s time for me to return the favor.”

The adventurous and courageous heart that I have always seen in Cole has finally broken through. His posture is filled with confidence and resolution and I want to hug him for it.

Xander shrugs lamely and says.

“I’m kind of your ride so I guess you're stuck with me.”

I chuckle at the less than heroic statement and nod at the three of them.

“Right then. Try to keep up.”