The Dragons of Sara Sara (26 page)

“I found a dead man on the ice. He had no need of these cloths. I took his gift and said the words over his body, that his spirit would take safe journey past the Dark One.”

Antonin stopped, his mouth open in surprises, as he realized he had spoken the language the girl used. He fingered the golden band on his heard, its tingling coming and going as he had spoken.

“What are you called?” Asked the girl in her musical voice. She never lowered her blade though.

“I am Antonin, of the village of Xu Gui, on the Star Field Plain, in the country of Da Altai.” The girl said nothing for a long time. She kept eying the crown.

“Who are you, and where am I now?” Asked Antonin, his own voice stumbling a little over the strange sounds. The girl said nothing still. Her almond shaped eyes as bleak as volcanic glass. Her hair was straight and jet black. Her face was round and her nose was distinct in that it had a very low bridge. Antonin had seen such features on those who traded from the East on very rare occasions. Maybe twice in his lifetime.

Suddenly it dawned on him.

“This is the country of Hua Guo. It is, isn't it?”

The girl nodded uncertainly. She was now relaxing, her hands going down to her sides, the knife she held, only loose in her hand.

To Antonin's complete surprise, the girl threw back her hood completely, uncovering her head. She was only about half Antonin's height. She calmly went down on her knees, then bowed down, touching her forehead on the stone floor three times. The third time she stayed down, her hands on the floor slightly in front of her head.

“What are you doing?” Cried Antonin. “First you try to kill me, now you bow to me.”

The girls muffled voice came to him. “You are the Lord returned. The chronicles tell of it. Even the golden band around your head proclaims it in our language. You are the Keeper of the Dragon Throne. The Cormorant”

Antonin's surprise was evident, and he muttered “Yes, and Lord of the Chamber as well.” As he fingered the crown. The girl risked a quick look up, confusion on her face. “As my Lord wishes.” She whispered. Antonin thought to himself. ‘Oh no – another title.'

“Girl, I still don't know your name. Get up. Quickly now. I know nothing of this bowing. I will not have it from someone who is obviously a hunter and warrior.”

The girl rose to her feet, relief on her face.

“I came to this land by accident.” Antonin continued. “I have never been here before, you cannot know me.” Antonin gestured to the fire, now just a bed of hot ashes.

“Let us rebuild the fire. We will talk, and try to sort this out.”

Antonin went and started to rebuild the fire. It was soon going again, throwing a cheery glow throughout the cavern. The warmth was inviting, as the cold from outside still seeped into the cavern.

Although she had bowed to him, and called him Lord, the girl kept a wary eye on Antonin. She thought that this Lord was behaving in a very strange way for a Lord.

Antonin could not puzzle out how he could speak the girls language, even though the words felt unfamiliar in his mouth. It had something to do with this band that was now stuck on his head, of that he had little doubt. It seemed a living part of him. Antonin was not sure he wanted any part of this whole business, but seemed trapped in it. Ever since the arrival of that accursed Wind Reader, Mei'An. Men spoke of avoiding the Wind Readers at all cost. The tales were legion. Now here he was, not even in his own land anymore, and with more people bowing to him. How he wished it were all a dream. He would just step back through the portal and be home. He would collect Catharina and his friends, and simply go home. Back to the peace of the village. But how? Antonin shook his head. His hair was being blown about by a draft. He noticed the girl was looking wide eyed toward the mouth of the cavern. Antonin spun around and there was the portal. It stood on the ledge outside, and the wind and snow was swirling through it into – the room in the inn! Antonin gaped, his mouth hanging open in surprise. He didn't feel half so surprised though as Luan and Mei'An looked as they struggled to stay on their feet against the wind now howling through the room. A full blown storm was buffeting the ice valley, and the open portal was like a drain hole into which the wind and snow roared. Elsa and Catharina were not to be taken by surprise again though, and had been poised for just such an event. With a desperate struggle both hurled themselves through the portal and rolled across the ledge. The wind slicing down the cliff above them nearly sweeping them away, but in a flash Antonin and the hunter with him had handfuls of their cloths and dragged them inside the mouth of the cave. Antonin turned to the portal and it winked out. He almost stamped his foot in frustration. He must find out how to control it. Elsa and Catharina stumbled to their feet, eying the new and to them strange looking girl standing beside Antonin. The look of pride on her face was unmistakable. So was the hand she rested casually on the hilt of her hunting knife at her side.

Catharina drew herself up and calmly made a show of dusting off her clothes.

“Well my lord sheep herder,” she said softly. “You know where to seek your comforts, even if you can't control your portal. I'll warrant Mei'An's teeth are still chattering.” She flicked a glance from Antonin to the girl. The girls almond eyes narrowed. She hadn't understood a word, but the glance from Catharina had been like a shout to her. She thought to herself, ‘So this half dressed woman had a claim on The King did she? Or thought she had.'

“My Lord,” she said, her musical voice calm and assured. She flicked back an errant strand of hair and totally ignored the two girls of the Mare Altan. “Do you know theses savages?” Her hand had not left her knife hilt.

‘Oh no!' Thought Antonin. The air in the cavern was electric with tension. If there had been dark storm clouds above the heads of the girls he would not have been surprised. ‘Why do girls always have to be so, so .... inscrutable?' He thought. Hardly a word had been exchanged, and he knew they didn't understand each other. They had never met, yet here they were after only a glance at each other, and ready to spring at each other's throats. The two of the Mare Altan were from the Stone Lions, although Antonin thought them better named as She Devils.

He held his arms out, hands palm upward. The others looked at him expectantly.

‘Oh dear,' He thought, ‘It seems I am stuck with being a Lord for the time being.'

He looked at Catharina. He couldn't read the look in her eyes. ‘What a mystery girls were.' He thought. Elsa was poised on the balls of her feet. She looked relaxed, but Antonin knew she was a heartbeat away from springing at the stranger.

“Will you all relax?” He commanded. Catharina and Elsa blinked at him. They hadn't understood a word. Antonin took a breath. Forcing himself to think in his own language, he said it again. After a moment, and a few glances exchanged between the three girls they visibly relaxed. Antonin was concerned. He had decided long ago that girls could read each other's minds. How else to explain it. He gave up thinking about it. As well wonder how the sun appeared each day.

“Girl, what name are you called?” He said to the hunter who had found him asleep in the cavern. She pointed to her nose and said.

“I am called Nareena.” After a moment she added. “My Lord.” Another glance at Catharina. Elsa she ignored altogether. She was much shorter than the two girls of the Mare Altan, and somewhat fairer in colouring, but whereas Catharina and Elsa were brown eyed and had dark hair, almost a dark auburn colouring, Nareena had eyes as black as ink, and jet black straight hair. Her skin where it showed was a golden colour, sun darkened in places but unmistakably golden. She was also very attractive, but this was the last thing on Antonin's mind at present.

“Don't call me ‘My Lord'.” Antonin muttered almost to himself. It was obvious from the look on Nareena's face that she thought Antonin's statement was absurd. Of course she would refer to him as a Lord. That's what he was. Not only that but he was the embodiment of their oldest folk tale. More than a folk tale. A prophesy. It told of strange events leading to the return of their Dragon Lord, he they called The Cormorant. The Dragon Lord because of his ability to travel with dragons. Dragons he could summon at will to do his bidding, dragons that he would lead into battle against the Thief of Light, Ba'al. The new age was dawning. Nareena and her now dead companion had come to the ice valley in search of signs of the return. It was written that this would be the place. They had not thought that they would actually find any evidence – but it was also a good hunting place. The ancient city buried far below the ice was the home of the Dragon Lord. His dragons, along with the city lay entombed in the ice for all time. At least until his return. Long ago, nearing the end of the last great encounter between the forces of light and dark, the Dark One, Ba'al had walled up the valley's only pass. The river having no escape now filled the valley. When the earth shook in those final years, the very climate had changed. Now a permanent winter gripped the land, and the water filled valley turned to solid ice. The dragons of the Great Lord's armies were frozen in their dens beneath the long dead city. All this Nareena told Antonin. All this and more as she told her story. The story of her people. Finally she stopped. Crying softly she told how her friend had gone out on the ice to see if he could find out what it was they had seen flash brightly for an instant far out on the horizon of the vast lake. He had not returned. She had come back from her searching to find Antonin curled up in his furs. For a moment she had thought he was her friend. But he was dead. They had been promised to each other only last Leaf Fall at the annual festival. They would have been wed at New Bloom. Nareena was now crying openly. She dropped to her knees, a thin keening wail escaping her lips. Catharina and Elsa had no idea what she had been saying, but they knew the signs of grief, and knelt by the girl with their arms around her in comfort. Catharina looked over the top of Nareena's head at Antonin, a question in her eyes with a raised eyebrow. Antonin spoke softly, he felt very bad. “Nareena, this is her name, weeps for her lost love. Her betrothed, her friend, perished out on the ice. It seems in a search for me. So I am a leader who brings grief to the people before I know what I am even doing.” Antonin hung his head and walked to the mouth of the cavern. He left the girls to console Nareena. He had to think. How could he be expected to appear here in this land. As their leader. How could he be a leader in his own land as well. It was too much. It was simply too much. He slammed his fist against the wall, the heel of his balled fist striking the cold stone. To his surprise a dull boom echoed through the cavern, bringing down trickles of stone dust and small rocks. The sound rolled out across the icy plain seeming to halt the wind for a moment before it gathered strength once again. The reverberations continued on for a long time, seemingly coming from deep in the earth.

The three girls were on their feet, eyes wide. Antonin still stood at the entrance, his hand now in front of his face as he stared at it.

Nareena ran forward to him. “My Lord, have a care, you will loose the dragons. I have read it in the old stories. That is how you summon them.”

Antonin turned to her. “Nareena, all I want to do is go home. I didn't ask for this and I don't want it.” His shoulders slumped in dejection.

“Then my friend has died in vain, out there on the ice. All our dreams are lost and gone. All these years I have searched for the heroes of legend. I have found a peasant farmer. I will go to my loved one, that he may not travel alone.”

Nareena stepped past Antonin and walked out on to the open ledge. She was already removing her clothes as she jumped down on the ice and started to walk slowly away into the swirling snow. She would freeze to death in minutes with no clothing.

With a shriek of alarm as she realized what Nareena was doing Catharina dashed out of the cavern. She gave Antonin a healthy whack with her spear on the way past. Already Nareena was staggering. She was down to a pair of small woven cloth pants and these were no protection against the cold. They were very thin, and provided only protection against the rougher material of her outer garments. She was trying to get even this small protection off but her hands were now so cold she couldn't get a grip on the material to get them off. She was staggering like a drunken person as she fought approaching death to get closer to her fallen friend out there on the ice. Catharina felt like she was trying to run through a bog. By now Elsa was beside her. Neither were dressed for this climate, but they were better covered than Nareena now was, who had finally rid herself of her last remnants of clothing, tearing at the pants, which now flapped about her in tatters like so much torn flesh.

Catharina caught up to her and reached out and caught hold just as Nareena started to fall. Elsa came up on the other side and together they picked up the girl and headed back to the cavern at a run, as best they could in the snow and howling wind. Both could feel the cold beginning to sap their strength. Nareena had passed out as she had fallen, and Catharina could see she had the look of death about her. Carless of sharp rocks, the girls bundled Nareena up onto the ledge and jumped up after her. Antonin had the fire roaring, all the available timber in the cavern heaped on it. They rolled Nareena into the furs and placed her so close to the fire that the furs started smoking.

For good measure Catharina stood up and swing the haft of her spear at Antonin again. He jumped back with a yell and wore the solid wood on his forearm as he raised it to protect himself.

“What did you say to this girl?” Yelled Catharina, menace mixed with alarm dripping from her voice. There was no hint of friendship in her eyes. Antonin eyed the spear point glinting in the firelight. Catharina was holding the spear reversed, but he knew she could spin it and run him through in the space of a heart beat. He carefully stepped back a pace. Lord of all he surveyed he might be, but he knew that look from Catharina. He knew he was very close to losing his one true friend, and very possibly his life if he gave an answer she didn't like. He would not dream of defending himself against Catharina. He would not fight against a woman, Catharina least of all. Defend himself against yes, but not fight. His life was hers to take. He swallowed.