Draka

“Excuse me?” I said incredulously.

“What!?” Herald said at the same time.

“To be clear,” Garal continued, “both she and I are here in the commander’s stead. After talking to Lalia he felt that it would be good to get a sense of your motives before he met with you himself.”

“So he sent the bitch who tried to kill me?” I asked flatly. “Is he trying to piss me off? Is that what this is?”

Garal frowned. “Please,” he said. “I know that she has been… protective of the ones around her when you’ve met, but–”

“She chopped me in the neck with a sword!”

Garal stopped mid-sentence and turned to Lalia. “Did you…?” he asked in a low voice.

“I might have,” she hissed back. “I don’t know. I didn’t think so. Things usually die when I score a strike!”

“Right here!” I said, pointing to my neck. It still ached like hell. “Herald, bring that lantern over here and take a look!”

Herald hesitated briefly, then stepped up and looked closely. “Oh,” she said. “It looks like the scales are chipped here.” She drew her finger in a line across my neck.

“Fuckin’ hurts, too. Bet my whole neck would be purple if I didn’t have the scales.”

“Bet you would be dead,” Herald corrected in a whisper. “She must have gotten a good strike in.”

“Listen,” I said to the two lovers, who were quarrelling in low voices. “Listen! Right now I don’t care about your commander… Rallon, right? I’m guessing that’s the old guy with the beard? Or what he wants. If he wants to talk to me, and if she,” pointing again to Lalia, “wants to talk to me about anything, on behalf of him or herself or anyone else, I want a damn apology!”

I saw Lalia bristle behind Garal. “I don’t–” she started, but I cut her off.

“Every single time you’ve seen me you pointed a sword at me,” I shouted. “Yesterday you tried to cut my head off! I don’t care if you think you had a good reason! An apology! I want it! Why do you have to be such a massive bitch to me, anyway?”

“What?” Lalia sputtered. “You’re a dragon! A dra-gon! You’re not supposed to exist, not here, not anymore! Your kind enslaves towns and destroys provinces and small kingdoms! You expect me to believe that you can be trusted!?”

I was… a little taken aback. She was just about spitting at the end, working herself up into some kind of righteous fury. “So that’s it?” I flung back, all of my pain and fatigue from the day suddenly crashing back down on me in the face of this fanatical bullshit. “I am what I am, so I’m a dangerous monster, no matter what? It doesn’t matter what I do? I save your lover, I show you where to find those shitheads who’d been burning villages, and it doesn’t matter? I throw myself in the way of the fucking cavalry and I deserve a sword to the neck for my trouble?”

“Demons or dragons,” Lalia spat back. It sounded like she was quoting someone. “They will tell the sweetest lies, in word and in deed, and it will be your ruin.”

“Again with the fucking demons!” I exclaimed. I was so tired. I wished I still had my hair so I could run my hands through it in frustration. “Who told you that, your uncle?”

“Yes,” Lalia shot back, “as a matter of fact he did!”

“Well, I already told you my name and I know yours, so either you’re already fucked or I’m not a demon. Jesus Christ, I thought it would be enough to go through this once with Lahnie, but no–”

I had to choke off my sentence and jump back as Lalia bodily shoved Garal to the side and went for her sword. “Which Lahnie?” she roared at me as Garal twisted and grabbed her from behind in a full body hug, barely hanging on, and Herald leapt in between us. “Let go of me, Garal! Which Lahnie are you talking about, you scaly bitch?”

“A little girl I found in a tree and saved from getting eaten!” I shouted back, and I could taste the bitter venom leaking from my glands. “That Lahnie! Another one of my unforgivable crimes!”

The dragon was awake, and it was furious. I just wanted her gone, but it wanted blood, and meat. The ultimate way to dominate those who would challenge you. My wings were out wide, my fully extended claws digging into the dirt, and it was only a supreme act of willpower that kept me from leaping at her, Herald and Garal be damned if they didn’t get out of my way.

I couldn’t tell if it was what I said or fear or Garal’s soothing words in her ear that did it, but some of the fight went out of Lalia. She still looked angry, but not bloodthirsty.

“Say that again,” she said, and it actually sounded like she was asking, not telling.

“I found a girl who’d been chased up a tree by a giant damn boar,” I spat at her. “Three or four weeks ago. I scared it off and got her home. You have a problem with that?”

Lalia was silent for a moment, and stopped struggling against Garal’s grip. “You’re the lady in the forest,” she stated, her voice flat. “You.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Last time I went home, my parents told me that my sister had gotten lost in the woods. She came back fine. When I asked her about it she said that she’d been chased by a big pig but a scary lady had run it off, and she wouldn’t tell us any more about this lady. We thought she’d made it up!” Lalia’s face had twisted into something I would almost call despair. “Gods above, you’re the scary lady, aren’t you?”

“Wait, Lalia!” I exclaimed as it finally clicked. “You’re the sister who went off to be a soldier! Who doesn’t think much of men!”

“She told you that?”

“Yeah. Sweet kid. Kind of rude. I’ve been keeping an eye on her.”

The anger flared in Lalia’s eyes. “I was worried about the monster pig!” I elaborated, annoyed. “What the hell is wrong with you, really?” I snorted. “You know what? I’m done. Garal, it was nice to see you again. Herald, I’ll see you later, right? Bye.”

I turned to take off. There came an angry, choking sound behind me.

“Wait!” Lalia called. “Please.”

I turned my head to look at her. She still didn’t look friendly, exactly.

“I’m… sorry,” she said. It looked like it took a lot out of her. “I will not apologise for how I reacted the first time I saw you, but I’m sorry for striking you. Can we talk?”

“Can you listen?” I asked back.

“I can try,” she said, and she sounded like she meant it. “I will not promise to trust you, but I can promise to try.”

I turned back, folding my wings. The dragon still seethed inside me, but I pushed it down. “Alright, I can work with that,” I said and sat down. “So, what did your commander want us to talk about?”

“Commander Rallon wants to know if you’re a danger to Karakan and its territory,” Garal said, releasing Lalia and stepping to her side. “As a sign of his good will, he has kept your existence as an internal secret of the company ever since our first meeting. He’s even gone so far as to encourage rumours about wyverns in the area, to throw doubt on any sightings of you.”

“He’s wanted to talk to you for weeks,” Lalia added, “ever since Garal convinced him that you could speak. I was against it.”

“No shit,” I muttered.

“He also seemed pretty impressed that you found this bandit camp,” Garal continued. “He didn’t say so outright, but I’d guess that he might be interested in working with you in the future if the two of you can get along. A chance to hire a flying scout is something he wouldn’t pass up, if you’re willing.”

“Well… maybe?” I replied.

“That’s for the commander to speak about, though, if you were to meet with him,” Garal continued. “Would you?”

“I mean… I would have talked to him tonight if he’d been here,” I said and looked at his girlfriend. “And Lalia did make an effort. Kind of a shitty apology, but I’ll take it, guess.”

“That’s good to hear,” Garal said with a smile. “Lalia,” he continued, turning to her, “are you convinced? Will you recommend that the commander meet with our new… acquaintance?”

“If he has a proper guard, perhaps,” Lalia agreed reluctantly.

“Thank you,” he said to her warmly, squeezing her shoulder. “Then… I suppose that we are done here, for tonight. I have many things I would love to ask you, Draka, but I’m sure that we are all tired, and it’s a fair ride back to the city.”

“Wait!” Herald spoke up. “Draka, I want to speak with you.” She turned to the others. “Privately, if you do not mind.”

“Herald…” Lalia said immediately, looking apprehensive, but Garal threw his arm over her shoulders. “Come, my love,” he said, leading her away. “Let’s gather the horses.”

“But–” I heard her say.

“She needs this,” Garal said softly, and then they were too far for their voices to carry.

When we were alone Herald approached, pulling out a small pouch. “I… here. This is your half of the reward,” she said. “Fifteen Eagles each, plus an Eagle and thirty Peacocks from the swords we took,” she said. She’d even put a long loop on the pouch. At my request she opened it, and I dropped the coin in my mouth into it. That got me a raised eyebrow, but she closed the bag up and hung it around my neck. The bag was fairly heavy, which I loved considering what was in it.

I could see on Herald’s face that this was not all she wanted to talk about, though. Her whole demeanour was different than usual, tired and worried.

“So…” I said, prompting her.

“The others still have not come back!” she said, her voice cracking a little, the words coming out in an uncharacteristic rush. “It’s been over a week, and they should’ve been back days ago! I looked on one of the Wolves’ maps. The village that they were going to is only two days on foot from the city. Something’s gone wrong and they left me!”

Herald’s voice broke, and I could see tears streaking her cheeks in the lantern light.

“Oh, darling!” I said, moving in closer. “I’m sure they’re fine. Something just came up.”

“No,” she said. She was sniffling, but got her voice back under control. “I helped them pack. They had supplies for a week, and none of them can hunt worth shit. They should have been back yesterday at the latest. Two days there, three days at most to investigate the place, though that seems excessive, and two days back.”

“What was the job?” I asked.

“Village gone missing,” she said ominously. “A few of the villagers had been to the city for market day and when they returned everyone was gone, both the people and the animals. Houses in order and everything, just like the mining camp. Apparently it is neither the first or the second time, but it has been many years since last. The council put out a job and the guild offered it to us first since we had been at the mine. Not even a fucking combat job and they still left me!”

Herald crouched in front of me, and I saw fiery determination in her shining eyes. “I am going after them,” she said, and there was no room for argument. “I have talked to Lalia and Garal. They cannot come, and they do not want me to go. But they will not try to stop me.”

“So when are we going?” I asked. No hesitation. This was Herald. If I had one friend here, it was her. Like hell was I going to let her go alone.

“Thank you,” Herald said thickly, a tension going out of her as she blinked away a few more tears. “Thank you. Blessed Mercies, I was hoping that you would say that.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Of course! Look, get back to the city. Get some sleep, pack whatever you need. I’ll be waiting for you at the edge of the forest. I’ll be there all day if I have to, so take your time. Alright?”

She looked at me, her eyes still sad but her mouth twisting into a smile that looked more like her. “Alright,” she said, and leaned in to give me a quick hug. “I will see you in the morning.”

Then she was off towards the others. I watched her mount up and expected them to go, but got a surprise when Lalia trotted over, her sword still, thankfully, in its sheath.

“She asked you?” Lalia said.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“And you’re going with her?”

“Yeah.”

Lalia frowned, then relaxed a little. “Good,” she said. “But if anything happens to her, know that I will hunt you.”

“You can try,” I replied.

Lalia looked back towards Herald, who was talking softly to Garal.

“She is not as strong as she pretends. Not as… calloused.”

“I think she’s stronger than she looks,” I answered. Fucking nerve of this woman.

“You think. You have not spent the last few nights at her inn, sleeping in her sister’s bed because she cannot bear to be alone at night,” the woman said, turning to give me a withering look. “She wakes up at night, crying. And I know why, because when she can’t, or won’t, talk to her sister, she talks to me. I know what she’s been through. In a few days she has been threatened with rape, killed her first men, and maybe lost her family. The wounds are still fresh, and some of them are partially your fault. I expect you to take care of her, and I will hold you responsible if you don’t. Do we understand each other?”

Fuck, she could be intense!

“Yeah,” I said. “We’re clear. Though I’d hope that yesterday should have shown you that I won’t let anything happen to her if I can help it.”

She looked at me, frowning again, and it was like I could actually see her swallow her pride. “That was the leader you killed. Melkason, a cruel and dangerous man. Well done.”

Then she turned and rode back to the others. Herald waved once, and they left me there, thinking about what Lalia had said. Herald wanted so much to be recognized as an adult, which she was by the local standard, apparently. She tried to be mature and well spoken, and to take responsibility for herself and her actions. But I had seen her kill several gremlins and two men, which was, when I thought about it, heartbreaking. Back home she’d be just another kid starting her last or second to last year of high school, and stressing out about her grades and which universities she should apply to. Maybe playing basketball or volleyball or something, considering how tall and active she was. Here she was a killer facing a real possibility that her family had left her and weren’t coming back.

I tried not to think about that. I liked Valmik, and I really had nothing against Makanna. She didn’t trust me, probably because she was overly protective, or maybe appropriately protective, of Herald. That was fine. I could respect that. As for Tamor, I didn't know him at all. But they were all important to Herald, and I’d be damned if I didn’t do my best to help her find them.