Bird was surprised by the near deafening noise of the market as she jumped from stall to stall in search of supplies with Apple and Lore acting as escorts. Having lived in a small village all her life, the new foods and clothing seemed as foreign as the ones from neighboring countries. A dry goods store caught her eye but before she could go in Apple grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
“What?” Bird demanded as she brushed his hand off. The dragon pointed to the charms hanging from the doorway blowing gently in the spring wind. “Those are charms to ward of demons,” Bird said looking at the clay orbs hanging from the braided horse hair knots.
“No, the orbs are for demons, the knots are to keep out my kind. The orbs will break should either a dragon or demon pass through that doorway, and for many people of this land, witches are demons,” Apple said. “The white orbs are for demons, the red are for witches.” Apple pointed to each charm to name them.
“We don’t have anything like that back home, we anoint the doors or form signs with our hands,” Bird said as she stared at the charms. How come her mother had never told her of these charms? She had to have encountered them when she had come to Northshire. Maybe she never expected her to travel so far, or maybe she never expected to die so soon.
Bird noticed that people were beginning to stare as she stood in front of the store with the dragons. She gritted her teeth and turned away to find a different store. Now aware of the danger she looked at the doorways and awnings of the stalls along the crowded market street.
***
They had stopped to eat lunch after dropping their supplies off at the hotel when Bird drew the attention of the guards.
Northshire had a large garden open to the public filled with fountains and towering statues depicting the gods and their heavenly servants. The fruit trees had already begun to bloom littering the white stone walkways with purple, white and pink petals. Bird felt excited walking along the path switching from sunlight to shade while she ate sweetened beef and grilled tomatoes off of a wooden skewer. She stumbled over a rock and caught herself against the podium of one of the statues. Turning to see which one she had touch she was surprised to find it depicting a battle scene.
On the left atop a horse was a copper knight, green from age and exposure, his halberd held forward to ward off a bronze dragon, its metal surface giving off a rainbow sheen caused by exposure to the elements. The knight’s face was covered by a helm, but the dragon’s was cast in a sinister snarl, it’s teeth inches away from the tip of the halberd. Bird imagined she could feel the knight’s fear and determination under his armor, the horse’s skittishness as it reared on its back hooves and the dragon’s anger as it faced a mortal enemy. She sighed in wonder, her surroundings forgotten until she heard Apple shout her name.
She looked over her shoulder; both dragons were standing several feet back, a strange look mirrored on their faces. “What’s wrong?” Bird asked suddenly afraid.
“Bird, look at your hand,” Apple said pointing to the statue. Bird looked down at her right hand, noticing the pattern of knots carved from stone that decorated the base of the statue. The knots had begun to glow a pale red in the sunlight. She tried to move her hand away and found it stuck.
“I’m stuck, what do I do?” Bird tried to tug her hand away again, panic making her heart race as it refused to move. Suddenly the sound of a bell broke the semi quiet of the garden. Startled the other visitors looked around them before running for the exits leaving behind food and belongings. “Apple, Lore, what do I do?” Bird shouted over the noise as the dragons watched the fleeing humans. Several guards appeared at the entrance to the garden. One pointed up the hill at Bird standing trapped by the glowing statue. They drew their swords and began to run up the first set of steps leading to the path Bird stood on.
“Do you trust me?” Apple asked his voice clear despite the bell. Bird opened her mouth, hesitant. She was stuck to a warded statue with several guards just feet away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Yes,” she whispered. She opened her eyes when Apple placed his left arm around her waist and his right hand on her wrist.
“This will hurt, I’m sorry,” he said before pulling her arm. It felt as if a great weight had attached itself to her palm, anchoring her to the statue. Her skin first itched then began to burn as Apple continued to pry her free. With a roar he pulled her hand free and tucked her into his arms and ran as the beginning of a scream left Bird’s lips.
Lore took in a deep breath then blew fire across the grassy lawn building a wall of flame and smoke to hinder the guards. The air shimmered with the heat obscuring the men on the other side. “Just take deep breaths,” Apple said as he ran further into the garden, Lore trailing behind him to create distractions. At the garden’s second entrance they met a second group of guards who let them pass, thinking they were stragglers until a lone guard from the first group, his uniform singed and his helm coated with soot, staggered through a bush and pointed them out.
Bird felt the pain in her hand lessen enough for her to open her eyes. Apple held her tightly as he weaved through the crowd seeming to sense when to dodge the unaware bystander or leap over an ill positioned cart. “Can you move?” Apple said sounding as if he were out for a leisurely stroll and not running for his life. Bird barely spoke the word “yes” when Apple moved her arms to circle his neck, swung her onto his back then jumped onto the top of a stall and began to climb up the bricks of the building behind it. People gasped and pointed as they went higher up the wall. An arrow stuck in the mortar inches away from Apple’s hand as the guards finally caught up with them.
“Apple, I think I see a Hunter!” Bird yelled as she saw a grey cloaked man separate from the guards, his hair the same blood red as Oliver Redfield’s. Where Oliver’s face held little emotion, this Hunter’s face was filled with intense hatred. The Hunter shimmered then leapt into the air clearing the street and stalls with inhuman grace and speed. The Hunter roared and changed shape causing the growing crowd in the street to scream in surprise.
“It’s a heavenly tiger! Those three must be demons!” someone yelled as the Hunter began to scale the building. Bird only caught a glimpse of him before Apple pulled them over the side of the roof, turned around and jumped. She screamed as they fell, the wind roaring in her ears. Apple’s neck thickened and his skin grew hard and bumpy like smooth pebbles. His wings snapped open at the last moment and he swooped over the crowd, Lore was still on the roof drawing the tiger’s attention by throwing a ball of fire.
Apple let out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very air. It was answered by an equally deafening roar coming from the west. Soon three more dragons joined them in the air, Bird recognizing them as Elys, Adwin and Yena. Together they spiraled higher into the air leaving the sound of warning bells below. The air quickly became frigid as they entered the cloud line and Bird shivered.
How could she have been so stupid? Her whole arm now throbbed with pain as she struggled to hold on to Apple as he flew higher. Suddenly she was yanked from his back and she looked up in surprise to find Lore carrying her in his forearms. He tucked her close into his warm chest, the new warmth causing her to relax and the pain to dull.
They flew the rest of the day and landed when the sun began to set, the fading sunlight coating the trees in copper. As soon as their feet touched the damp earth Elys turned human and cornered Apple. “What the hell happened? How come every bell was ringing in the city?”
“I… I touched a warded statue,” Bird said. The elder dragon glared at her.
“I knew we should have left you on the river. How has a child like you survived so long? A fool with half the wit knows to not meddle with a ward. The Hunter take you!” Elys yelled. Bird imagined that if he were in dragon form he would be pacing back and forth like a cat. The thought cooled the anger that the dragon had sparked in her.
“I’d hold my tongue if I were you,” Apple growled after he regained human form. Elys snorted and stalked away. Bird sat on the ground the pain in her arm growing stronger now that she was no longer in Lore’s warmth. She cradled her arm to her chest and concentrated on taking deep breaths as Apple had instructed her.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she whispered under her breath. She flexed her hand and nearly passed out in a bed of last year’s pine needles.
“Stay still,” Apple said kneeling beside her. He took her arm and inspected her palm running his fingers lightly over the raw skin. A large blister had begun to form under the red skin making her hand swell. “I don’t think it’s too bad. At least you were not cursed by it. I’ll have Yena look it over just to be sure.” Bird felt her face warm as Apple ran his fingers over her wrist where a bruise had formed from where he had gripped her.
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“Thank you for saving me,” Bird whispered, not daring to look Apple in the eyes. Why was her heart beating so fast just because he was holding her hand? “You could have just left me there; Elys probably would have liked that.” The dragon growled.
“I don’t care how Elys feels,” Apple said lifting Bird’s chin. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared into his green eyes filled with deep determination. “When the others are asleep, I will tell you about him.” Bird bit her lip feeling nervous. Elyseo seemed to hate her for no reason; would knowing more about him help her?
“You know you could go ahead and kiss her. I promise not to tell.” Bird pushed away from Apple feeling embarrassed as she met Lore’s gaze. He smirked then walked away. Apple called Yena over then went after the younger dragon.
“Lore, what’s wrong?” Apple said when they were out of earshot of Bird. He knew Yena’s keener hearing would still catch every word. Lore sighed and rubbed his arms.
“Running through the city was exciting, but it just made me think of Brigid. She would have loved a fight like that. We always imagined taking on the entire Heavenly Tiger Army then we each would face their generals; she would challenge Cypress the Red and I would challenge Myrrh the White,” Lore smiled lost in memory. “I just wish… that I could have been stronger then.” Lore felt his back tingle along an old scar on his spine. The wound received from a tiger had nearly killed him two decades ago.
“You’ll find her I’m sure,” Apple said patting Lore on the shoulder.
“Yeah enough about me, it looked like you were getting cozy with the girl,” Lore said walking further away. Apple kept stride with him as they left Yena’s hearing range. “She stumbled into that trap so easily. Are you sure you don’t want me to teach her any spells?”
“In hind sight I shouldn’t have said no in the first place. I didn’t know she was so ignorant of her own world. If I hadn’t come to her village she probably wouldn’t have been in any danger. In a few years she probably would have met a nice boy and settled down and had a family,” Apple said as he stopped to lean against a tree. “Redfield found her because of me; she watched as her family was slaughtered, and yet she does not blame me. She has every right to and yet she says she trusts me,” he sighed. “Well, not completely.” Bird had not told him how she harmed herself in her bed. If Elys continued to alienate her he might never learn. Something about it spoke of magic.
Lore rolled a small flame between his fingers before extinguishing it. He could sense Elys angrily scouting the area looking for scouts. Since Bird had come, his temperament had increased in violence making it nearly intolerable to deal with him. In some ways, Lore felt he was acting more mature than Elys, then again he had not been betrayed by a human.
“Just say the word and I’ll teach her, it shouldn’t be too difficult she has the basics down. Did I tell you she threw me against the wall with a movement spell?”
Apple laughed. “So she has already started getting rough with you. I think it will be good for her, it’ll take her mind off of her family, you have my blessing,” Apple said.
“Oh, thank you Papa. I promise to treat your daughter well and we will have many sons!” Lore said bowing to Apple. The two laughed together as they returned to where Bird sat wrapped in her cloak. Adwin had dug a fire pit and was cooking several rabbits that had been bought at the market. Having been prepared to flee at any moment the dragons were able to gather all of the rucksacks as soon as the first alarm bells rang. Yena sat next to him stroking his long hair, a darker blonde than hers. Both seemed content to sit in silence while Elys continued to scout the trees.
“Has Bird bored you all into silence?” Apple asked as he paused on the edge of the new campsite. Bird snorted while the couple chuckled.
“Yes, her conversation has been less than adequate,” Adwin said winking at the girl.
“Should we punish her then?” Bird looked at each dragon trying to figure out what they were about to do. Her grip on her cloak tightened and she managed a small smile hoping that their playful mood would not suddenly change.
“We should,” said Yena. “Since she is yours, what do think would be appropriate?” Apple looked at Bird, the expression on his face unreadable until he gave her an evil grin.
“Why not have Lore train her to be a better Witch?” Apple said. Bird’s jaw dropped and she looked at Lore who had invaded her personal space.
“I’m going to learn magic from you?” Bird said feeling skeptical. While Apple said Lore had a great talent for magic she had seen very little of it since she had started traveling with the dragons, though it had only been three days since she left home.
The grief caught her off guard hitting hard like a wall toppling over her heart. She held back the tears though they burned her eyes. She refused to cry in front on them, she would not be weak in front of them. Tilting her chin up she looked up at Lore, the last of the fading sunlight shined across his eyes giving the illusion of a mask hiding the lower part of his face. “I expect much of my teacher, will you be able to meet my demands.”
“I’ll be able to meet all of them and more,” Lore said arching his brow lecherously. Bird held out her hand and Lore shook it.
“I expect to begin before dawn,” Bird said smugly. Lore raised his eyebrows in surprise. He sent out a tendril of thought and felt Bird’s aura finding something he had not expected; the magical potential of the girl was staggering. Apple was wrong, even if he had not come to this girl’s village eventually the Hunters would have found her. What was surprising was that she had lived to grow into adulthood. He looked closer and found a layer covering her aura as he moved along it he discovered that it was a ward made from another aura. Who could have done such a delicate and dangerous thing? Something of this caliber would require tremendous power moved by delicacy and knowledge.
Bird shivered, it felt like something invisible had brushed her skin. Her mother had warned her something like that meant that someone had touched her aura. She immediately sent out a warning lash of power and the feeling subsided.
Lore winced and withdrew his consciousness as soon as he felt Bird lash out. Bird did not seem to recognize her own power, he realized as he mentally shook himself.
Dinner was filled with light conversation, Elys only coming back to take his portion before going out to scout again. After the food was gone Yena began to play her lyre. Bird listened to the gentle notes until Apple took her hand and drew her to her feet. He pressed a finger to her lips then drew her into the trees. When they were just out of sight of camp he sat her down against an elm tree. “Bird, I’ve already told you that many of us have suffered losses since the Great Betrayal. I myself lost my father and Lore has lost his twin sister, but Elys has suffered the greatest loss of us all, he lost his child.
“Over 500 years ago there was a small city in a desert country where Drakir had settled. They lived openly in harmony with the humans there fostering great love for the Creator. Many Drakir became holy guardians of the humans, protecting them from demons, tigers and human threats. Many with magical ability were drawn to the city including a great Witch known as Khem. He immediately became beloved by all and eventually Elys became his guardian. One day a small army of Heavenly Tigers was discovered and Elys lead the strongest Drakir out to face them. The tigers were easily defeated and fled, but when the Drakir returned they discovered their deception.
“In their absence Khem had opened a gate from Heaven allowing the tigers to evade the magical wards placed around the city. By the time they arrived the tigers had gone leaving buildings demolished and in flames; men, women, children both human and Drakir lay slaughtered in the street. Filled with pride, only Khem stood to meet them holding the severed head of Elys’ son in front of the Heaven gate. Enraged Elys tried to kill Khem, but failed due to their guardian bond. He was forced to watch helplessly as more tigers ambushed the last of the Drakir already weary from their previous battle. One by one they were mercilessly slain only sparing him. Then Khem spoke these words, ‘Go and tell the others Heaven is lost’.”
“After he spoke those words to me I felt my ambitions settle into dust. He had slain my child and my life died, he had slain my people and my hope died, then showing no remorse turned his back on me. Alone, I could not strike him down and he escaped leaving me to wander alone in a city of tortured souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Heaven would not open their gates to them because they were tainted in the eyes of Lun and Hexa. Hell would not open their gates to them because they were not evil, but eventually they came, the demon spawn of Hell’s lowest levels and they were all dragged down before my eyes to face an unjust fate,” Elys said startling Bird. He stood several feet away nearly blending in with the night. The weak moonlight shining down through the trees leaves reflected off his eyes like a cat’s. “I hear their cries every time I sleep, I see him every time I look at a human witch. A man can easily say he will never betray his people, but he will fall weak to his desires and they will be used against him. Khem’s weakness was want of power.” Elys walked away leaving Bird feeling shaken. She remembered her uncle raising his axe above his family, hurt and anger in his eyes. He had blamed her for attracting the Hunter and killed his own child.
“Apple, do you have someone you protect?” Bird asked softly not knowing if asking something like that was forbidden.
“I do, Bird. Don’t you know it’s you?” Apple said squeezing her shoulder. Bird stood and backed away a few steps.
“Why are you my holy guardian, since when?” Bird heard her pulse roaring in her ears as she tried to see the dragon in the gloom.
“Do you remember the day the Hunter found you?” The image flashed in Bird’s mind vividly and she looked away. “What were you thinking when they tied you to the well? What did you ask?”
“I prayed… I prayed to be saved. I was so relieved when you did save me, even though you had killed my uncle by accident… I was so relieved that I was alive and I hate myself for it. I don't hate you, I just think it would be better if you protected someone else.” Bird felt the tears running down her cheeks and was grateful for the darkness.
Apple felt a sharp jab in his heart. He had killed Bird’s uncle to save her and still she said she did not hate him. He punched the tree in anger, its roots groaned in protest as it was knocked back. Bird jumped back in surprise. “Bird, come here,” Apple said holding out his hand. Hesitantly she placed her hand in his and he drew her down into a hug. “Do not hate yourself. I’m here now, it’s okay to hate me, I’m the one you should blame.”
All the pain Bird had been holding back burst out like water overflowing a dam. She gripped Apple tightly like a lifeline in the flood of her tears.
“I couldn’t,” Bird said shaking her head against his chest. “I can’t hate you.”
She fell asleep wrapped in his arms.