War of the Wisps

“I don’t think we need so many extra sets of clothes, Mom.”

“We don’t know how long the two of you will be gone, and it’s not good for you to wear the same things every day.”

“Don’t worry about us, Mom. We’ll be able to wash on the road. We’ll even have Jarn to air dry for us.”

“You rely too much on that dragon of yours, Peter. Don’t you remember the last time you asked him to help dry our laundry?”

“He’s getting better at it.”

“That’s not the point. I don’t think we have room for more than one or two changes of clothes.”

“Oh, posh. If you are going on the dragon, he can carry a lot more than this.”

“Not going to help if the bags explode on us.”

Anna and Maggie were the only two who heard that last comment from Peter. Maddie was sleeping in the other room. She’d woken up when they reached the house. The girl was groggy, and a little distant. She said all she remembered was Ironhill grabbing her by the wrist. Since then, she’d been asleep, breathing steadily, with members of the family taking turns checking on her.

Anna sat in polite silence as the boys’ mother, Sarah, fussed over them. In addition to their clothing, she’d packed up a set of small cookpots, spoons, and knives for all three of them, then filled a large bag of different kinds of preserved meats and bread. It was more food than Anna thought she’d be able to eat in a month, but she supposed the butcher’s house had a little extra food to spare.

“Oh,” the middle aged woman spun to Andrew. “Have we even gotten camping gear for you two?”

“I took care of that,” came Wyatt’s voice. The boys’ father was a big man. Not in his height, but in his build. One look at the man had convinced Anna that the boys wouldn’t be leaving the village, whatever the brothers said. Even sitting down, even with a leg stiff and stretched out and a gnarled cane leaning next to it, Wyatt held himself straight, with a face Anna thought was stern enough to cow the dragon. Maybe it had. Still, he’d listened to them in silence when they’d returned last night.

When they’d finished, he’d said, “You’re intending to go to Woadrok after Belmont, yes?”

Anna nodded. “I need to see their library.”

Wyatt nodded. “Chances are good your journey won’t end there, though.” He’d turned to look at his sons. “You’ll need to pack for more than a normal journey. No telling when you’ll be getting home.”

Peter’s face split in a wide grin, but Andrew spoke first. “We weren’t planning on going farther than Belmont,” he’d said.

“You don’t have to,” his father had replied. “But something strange is happening to our country. Perhaps this is why your brother is gifted as he is. If so, he’s still going to need you there, looking after him.”

“To reign him in, more like,” Andrew muttered. But he’d still agreed. They’d gone to bed, and now, they’d spent half the day making preparations for the trip.

“If we’re flying, won’t it only take an hour or so to get to Belmont?” Anna asked.

“Yeah,” Peter said. “But if we are going farther with you, we don’t want to have to buy extra traveling gear. We’re taking what we have.”

“And you already have all of this?”

Andrew chuckled. “I’m a hunter. Pop and I used to camp out all the time while tracking game.”

“How much longer until we set out, then?” Anna asked.

“I think we’re about done here,” Peter said. “But we need to double check that Sir Charles is still restrained. Also, if we’re going to be gone for a while, I’d like to check in with everyone first.”

“Do you mean master Bart and Jonas and the others?” their mother asked.

“Well, them too.”

“I think he means the other dragons,” Andrew said.

“Yeah. Jarn’s big sis is finally letting me get close to the hatchlings. I’d hate to leave without saying goodbye to them.”

“Jarnvaror has a big sister?” Anna asked.

Peter nodded. “She was from their parents last clutch of eggs. I think she’s about fifty now? Jarn is only sixteen.”

“A year older than you?”

“Four months older than me.”

“Is he going to get any bigger?”

“Probably three or four times as big as he is now. But that will take a hundred years or so. In our lifetimes, he’ll probably only double in size.”

“Can’t wait to have that wandering just outside the village,” Andrew muttered.

“Well,” Anna said, trying to reign the conversation back in. “I suppose I’ll wait here while you two say your farewells. Maybe I could help finish packing while you go.”

“I already told you, we can’t have guest’s help with work,” the boys’ mother said.

“I’m just going to go, then,” Peter said. He left, heading first for the place they;d left the unconscious knight. They’d tied him down to a wooden pallet and left him next to Jarnvaror’s napping spot. The dragon slept curled around the knight, like a dog with its chew toy, waiting for the others to get ready. Charles had yet to wake up since the previous night’s events, but his breathing had become more regular.

“We’ll go check in with everyone first,” Andrew said. He looked back at Anna. “We won’t be long.”

Anna nodded. “I’ll be here, then.”

Andrew followed his brother out the door. With the packing all done, Sarah moved into the kitchen and started working on the family’s dinner. “I hope I can get this ready before all of you head out.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Anna said.

“Papa, do they really need to go?” Maggie asked. “Can’t they just take Miss Anna to Belmont?”

“Don’t be rude, Maggie,” her father said.

“Sorry, Miss Anna,” the Maggie said, turning to Anna. Then she looked back at her father. “But they don’t have to go for so long, do they?”

“We won’t be gone forever,” Anna said. “If we’re taking to long, I’ll make sure they come home to visit.”

The little girl’s lip started to quiver. “But why do they have to go at all?”

“Something is going on around the Kingdom,” Wyatt replied. “If they don’t go, we may never learn what it is. Or we may only learn when it’s too late to do anything about it.”

“But it doesn’t have to be Andrew and Peter, does it?” Maggie insisted.

“Maybe not,” Wyatt said. “But we’ve always known Peter, at least, would fly out of here someday. Can’t expect a lad with a set of wings to stay put forever.”

“I’m amazed we’ve gotten him to stay this long,” Sarah put in. The butcher muttered a grunt of agreement to that.

“So, he’s always been able to speak to dragons?” Anna asked.

“Best we’ve been able to learn, that’s how it always works,” Wyatt replied. “We didn’t believe him until he brought Jarnvaror home, though.”

“That must have been a interesting day,” Anna said.

“Peter wouldn’t have lied,” Maggie said, crossing her arms.

A grin cracked Wyatt’s face, and even through the years, and the beard, Anna caught the resemblance to Peter. “We know that now. But we weren’t even certain beast tongues were real at the time. Thought he might have been pulling our leg.”

“At this point, I’m just glad Andrew is going with him,” Sarah said. She smiled over her shoulder at her daughter. “I’d be more worried if Peter left his sense here when he flew off. And it seems like he’s found someone else who can help with that,” Sarah added, looking at Anna.

They’re coming to help me, Anna thought. I’m not sure I can do so much for them. All she said, though, was, “Thank you.”

The family returned to their preparations for the boys. Unsure what else to do, Anna stepped outside, into the fresh air. The sun shone down on the valley, but her hat protected her from the glare. Still, she found some shade to sit in. The sun had already passed its zenith. The thought of spending over half the day packing irked her. It was well past time for them to be on their way.

She blinked as the feeling shifted on its own. She looked down at her bracelet. It didn’t glow, but she could feel the Wisps inside. The blue Wisp – her blue Wisp – had just shifted, somehow. She hadn’t even realized the urgency she felt was a part of the Wisps influence. She wondered how long it had been that way. Probably since she’d left home. She knew she would have left, even without the Wisp pressing her. The Wisp’s influence didn’t tell her what to feel urgent about, after all. But she might have gone better prepared.

Anna focused on the influence, wondering if she could press that thought into the Wisp himself. Then the feeling fluttered. For a moment, the Wisp’s influence seemed to pop in and out of existence over and over. Then it flared, along with a burst of fear. Anna found herself breathing hard. She could tell that was her Wisp. It was his touch, his influence. It was normal again. At least what she thought was normal for him. It wasn’t normal for any of the others. They all seemed broken.

How long could this one remain sane?

The question felt like acid in her chest. She shivered. Then warmth spread up from her bracelet, and a blue glow shone up at her. She felt the Wisp’s calm wrap around her. Anna found herself smiling. “I promise I’ll help you find what you’re looking for,” she said. A warm pulse filled the influence, and Anna saw the blue light shine inside her bracelet.

“Peter was right,” Anna said. “I need a name for you.” The light faded, but even as the influence shifted and the Wisps mind returned to his own goals, that warm pulse remained. Anna thought back to their first encounter, when she’d first experienced that warmth. The calming sensation, like she was listening to birds early in the morning. Like watching them from a safe place as they sang. She thought of a bird with blue feathers.

“I’ll call you Halcyon,” she said.