War of the Wisps

Anna had expected flying on a dragon’s back to be both exhilarating and a little terrifying. She’d imagined the wind rushing past her, tugging on her braid and hat as the world rushed by miles beneath her. She was almost right about the wind. It blew through her like a winter gale, despite how late in spring it was, and the fact that she’d dressed as warmly as she could. Peter had warned her to. Worse was the terrible roaring in her ears, which had never stopped or slowed. The only thing louder was the beating of the dragons wings, which thrummed through everything else every so often, like a slow heartbeat.

She was pretty sure she’d lost feeling in her legs close to the end of the flight. She wasn’t able to lean forward or back very much at all. She was between the two brothers, with Peter in front where he could shout to the dragon if he needed to, and Andrew, who thought it would be safer to have her in the middle. He needn’t have worried. Despite the fact she only had one strap on each leg, they were bound too tight to move, even if she’d wanted to.

Then there was the view. Before leaving, Peter had distributed pairs of what he called flight masks. They were goggles he’d commissioned in the village for the family. The glass was transparent, but tinted black, making it harder to see while on the ground. She’d asked Peter about it, and he’d just grinned. Andrew had tried to explain why, but he hadn’t done it much justice. When they were up in the sky, Jarnvaror flew just below the clouds. The sun seemed brighter, and the sky was more white than blue. She felt like she was going blind when she wasn’t looking down.

But when she did look down, she could see… Well, it felt like everything. The mountains rose up in every direction, though she could see outside the valley to the east and west. The western horizon was all ocean, and the eastern seemed to fade into the sky, it was so far away. Looking straight down was difficult with the dragon’s neck in the way, and Anna was grateful for that. She wasn’t sure if she’d have been able to handle looking at all the empty space below them as they flew. But she could see a little to the sides, as the valley passed by.

She was certain she screamed when Jarnvaror took them down to land in the courtyard of Belmont castle. Peter tried to warn the other two. He’d turned and gestured, sliding his hand down in a way that, retroactively, was clearly supposed to be a diving and landing motion. At the time though, Anna had only been confused. Then the dragon’s wings stopped beating, he angled down, and they were falling toward the castle. The dragon put his wings out much later than she thought was necessary, and they slowed.

There was a great thud as the dragon hit the ground. Then the sounds ceased. Anna felt her ears pop as she looked around and raised her goggles to see better. In the stillness, Anna realized she was shivering.

“We’re going to need to talk about this arrangement,” Anna said.

“Yeah,” Peter said looking back over his shoulders. “I think that was my longest flight. It gets cold!”

“Ho, there! On the dragon!” The trio looked down to see a man dressed in the red and silver livery of the Ironhills’, flanked by two guards holding their spears at the ready. A quick look around told Anna the dragon had landed inside the castle. He took up most of the space in the courtyard. Everyone other than the guards and servant must have fled as the dragon landed, because no one else was around. Anna found it difficult to blame them. The servant continued, “Speak up! What exactly is going on?”

“We brought you a present,” Peter called back.

“What?” the man asked.

“Oh, for the love of….” Andrew muttered. Before Peter could say anything else, he called down to the servant, “We’re from Ura, the northern village. We have information for Lord Ironhill. And… And his nephew.”

“Sir Charles?” the servant said, frowning up at the group, as if a fourth dragon rider would appear from nowhere.

“He survived the flight, right?” Peter called up to Jarnvaror in a loud whisper. Anna felt, more than heard, the dragon’s grumbled response. “Oh good. He set Charles down behind us before landing,” he translated. The servant noticed the litter at the same time and rushed over behind the dragon.

“Good lord! What’s happened to him?” the servant said.

“He fought the dragon,” Peter said.

The servant looked between Peter and the unconscious knight, open mouthed. He looked to the guards, but each of them were still focused on Jarnvaror. “Don’t worry,” Anna called. “He’s friendly.” The guards only glanced at her. Neither raised their weapons. Anna noticed more guards along the walls surrounding the courtyard. She had a feeling they would be armed with bows.

The servant regained his composure. He stepped away from the litter and clasped his hands behind his back. “I think Lord Ironhill would prefer to deal with this himself. Just… stay here. Don’t let your dragon… do anything. Please. Soldiers… Just… stay ready.”

The servant rushed passed the guards into the central keep. “You heard him,” said one of the guards. “No funny business.”

“Understood,” Peter said. “Mind if we dismount, though? We’ve been strapped in for a few hours.”

“Long as the beast stays calm,” the guard said. The two kept their eyes on the trio as they dismounted. They seemed to think the three riders were as dangerous as their mount. Anna hoped they wouldn’t be too jumpy. She didn’t want to think about what they’d do if they saw the Wisps. All the same, she dropped to the ground and stretched her legs.

Just over a minute later, the door to the keep opened again. The man who emerged first was a little past his prime, with more grey than black in his hair and beard. His green eyes were still very sharp, though, and he walked with his back straight and his shoulders out. Two soldiers in heavy armor flanked him, and the servant from before trailed after them.

As he approached, Anna saw both Andrew and Peter bow at the waist, placing their right hands over their chest. A little delayed, she found herself curtsying. The man looked up at Jarnvaror and stroked his beard. “Where’s Charles?”

“Over here, my Lord,” the servant replied before any of the travelers were able to. He led Lord Richard over to the litter, where Charles was still strapped down. “How is he?” he asked, this time turning to face the riders.

Anna exchanged a glance with Andrew. This was the Lord of the Iron Valley. His home. She was still just a traveler here. Andrew seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He set his jaw and turned to Lord Richard. “We’re not sure, my lord. He hasn’t woken up since our… encounter.”

“What sort of encounter was this?” The servant began. Lord Richard placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. The man didn’t flinch, but he grew silent and stepped back to make room for the nobleman.

“You three said you had news for me. I will hear it in my offices. For now,” he turned to Peter,” you are the beast tongue, correct? Peter, if I remember.”

“Yes sir!” Peter said. Andrew elbowed him. “Oh, right… My lord.”

A slight smile passed over the nobles face before disappearing. “Quite right. Will your dragon listen if you ask him to wait outside the castle walls?”

“I can try that.”

“Then do so.” Peter turned and began talking to the dragon, and Lord Ironhill turned back to Anna and Andrew. “I will have some of the guards take Richard to the infirmary. After that, I want to see the three of you inside. Edwin will lead you to my study.” Richard gestured to the servant standing next to him. The man stood a little straighter. His expression of confusion had vanished, now that he had instruction from his master.

“Roger that,” Peter said. Lord Richard nodded and began walking back inside.

“My lord,” Andrew said, stepping forward. Richard paused to look back at him. “We are not sure it’s safe to remove Sir Charles’ restraints.”

“Restraints?” The lord looked back at his nephew. “The bindings weren’t to secure him during flight?”

“They were for that as well, but…”

Lord Richard nodded as Andrew hesitated, though his face had clouded over. “I see. It will be part of the report.” He paused for a moment himself, then added to the guards. “Escort my nephew to a holding cell. Keep an eye on him there.”

“Well this is going well,” Peter said as the lord disappeared inside the castle with his knights, and the guards worked on unfastening their rogue nobleman from his bonds to the dragon.

“He’s not happy with us,” Andrew said.

“Of course he isn’t,” Anna whispered back. “We’ve just dragged his nephew back from who knows where, wounded, bound like a criminal, and insisting he’s still dangerous.”

“But… He might be,” Peter said.

“Doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it.”

Peter went back to trying to convince the dragon to wait for them in the courtyard. Anna watched the guards exchanging nervous glances as the wyvern grew more and more agitated. But, after a few moments, the dragon spread his wings and took off, gouging the lawn with his claws. Edwin’s face fell as he stared at the marks in the dirt. With a sigh, he gestured for the trio to follow him.

The interior of the castle was decorated, but not as richly as Anna had expected. The dwarf lords used a lot of gold and gems in their décor whenever they could, and they especially used ornate wood carving. Here, there was less of all that. Expensive drapery hung from the windows, and there were many paintings of historical figures. But there were none of the fabulous carvings or trim she’d have expected on anything. The furniture was well made and matched the rooms they were in, but there were no intricate details. The armor all looked to be old pieces, built to function rather than dazzle.

Still, Anna thought they would come out the back of the castle by the time Edwin lead them into the lord’s study. Richard sat at a large desk, hands folded and waiting for them. He’d left two of his knights outside the door, with another two standing just inside it. The room was bright, lit by a large window behind the lord. Before the desk was something almost like a parlor, with a cushioned sofa and large chair, and a long, short table in between. The trio, though, were very clearly meant to take the three less adorned chairs before the desk itself, which Lord Ironhill gestured to as they walked in.

Richard waited until the three were seated. His hands were folded before his face, hiding the lower half of it. “Well,” he said. “What happened with my nephew?”

This time, Andrew didn’t hesitate. He cleared his throat and said, “He came into our village looking to… To form a rebellion.” He waited. Richard seemed to have no special reaction to hearing his nephew had been planning a cue. He only waved his hand, encouraging Andrew to continue. “We told him we wouldn’t, and he accused us of conspiring with you against him. Then he revealed he had Wisps.”

“He still had them?”

“You knew about them?” Anna asked.

“I did,” the lord said. “It was one of the reasons I’ve been so concerned about him. Please, continue.”

“He used them to try intimidating us,” Andrew went on. “When we didn’t fall in line, he took our sister hostage.”

“And you were able to act?”

“The Wisps weren’t as strong until after he fell unconscious.”

“How did you…” The lord trailed off as his gaze fell on Peter. “Of course. Go on.”

“Our companion here helped us deal with the Wisps once they were freed from Sir Charles’ control.”

“I see. Young lady, are you a mage yourself?”

“No, my lord,” Anna replied. “It’s… it’s a little more complicated than that.” The lord raised an eyebrow. Anna looked to the brothers, and each of them nodded. She took a breath and held up her hand. “Halcyon, please come out.”

“You did name him!” Peter said, just as her bracelet began to glow blue.

Anna’s words had mostly been for affect, so the other’s wouldn’t be so surprised. She focused on her need for help. Her nerves made it easy. The blue ball of light immediately tried to calm her down. He seemed to just balloon out of the opal in her bracelet to help her more.

The servant took a breath and stepped back, and behind them, Anna heard the knights shifting at the door. Lord Richard’s face tightened, but he otherwise seemed unchanged. “You have a Wisp yourself?” Ironhill asked. Anna nodded. “And where did you get him?”

Anna blinked. There was far more steel in his voice than there had been before.

“He just… sort of came to me.”

“I cannot believe that, young dwarf,” the lord said. He rose to his feet and began pacing behind the desk. “There are too many instances of people suddenly acquiring Wisps these days. There have been over twenty confirmed cases in the past three months. It used to only be once a year, if even that, that some young fool would become enthralled by the Wisps. Now….” He sighed. Anna felt her whole chest growing tight, even under the calming influence of Halcyon.

“I didn’t know about any of that before I came into the valley,” Anna said. “I only first heard the rumors when Peter and Andrew did, back in their village.”

Richard looked back at her. “Oh? Then it would surprise you to learn that almost every one of those cases was a bandit, a pirate, or a Mottled. If you are honest, then you will forgive my disbelief. I cannot believe that someone appears using Wisps and is not part of this greater movement.”

Anna shivered at the news. Could Halcyon have been sent to her by someone else? Her focus turned to the Wisp, and she wondered if all the help he’d given had come merely for some other person’s purposes.

“What about Charles, though?” Peter asked. “Was he?”

Ironhill nodded. “I threw him out because he refused to tell me where the Wisps came from, or why he seemed able to control them. All he would say is his new friends had come to support him.”

“But Anna stopped him,” Andrew said.

“Excuse me?” The Lord turned to Andrew.

“Anna helped us stop Charles. If someone’s trying to send out Wisps, why would they make them fight one another?”

Ironhill kept his eyes fixed on the boys for several seconds. “I do not know.” He said. “But very well. Tell me, in detail, how you came across your Wisp.”

Anna recounted the story for a second time how Halcyon had come into the tunnels after a cave in and seemed to recognize the need for people to get help. Then how, after the cave in, Halcyon had approached her with urgency, seeking help for something of his own that he still could not communicate. The lord interrupted several times, asking pointed questions about details, both big and small. He’d asked for how long they’d been underground before the cave in, for example, or for the names of some of her father’s trading group. When she finished, they sat in silence for several moment.

When he did speak, Richard’s voice sounded like a stone rolling through the earth. “I believe you are honest,” he said. “But I do not trust this Wisp of yours. You will need to take care that it does not control you. It’s good there is only the one. It should be possible.”

“About that,” Peter said. Andrew shot Peter a nasty look. “What?” Peter said. “I thought the plan was to be honest.”

Anna, before the lord could ask, held up her hand again and said, “All five of the Wisps that Charles had joined us… well him,” she added, gesturing to Halcyon.

The lord fell back in his seat, a look of exhaustion taking over his face. “Of course. Of course… You don’t need to take them out for proof. I have no desire for further Wisp influence, especially from such angry creatures.”

“Well, they’re not angry anymore,” Peter said.

“What?”

“Halcyon was able to calm them down,” Anna said. “He has the same influence on them that he has on us. They changed color.”

Richard sat up straighter. “That’s… has that ever happened before?” he asked. He looked around the room. No one seemed able to confirm this.

“Do you think that mean’s Halcyon’s not part of whatever else is going on?” Anna asked.

“Either that, or he is the linchpin,” the lord said. He leaned back, though all the exhaustion had faded from his features. In fact, he seemed younger as he considered the issue again. “What is your plan, right now?”

“I was planning to go to the Library of Woadrok to see what I could learn about the Wisps.”

“Skip the library,” Richard said. “Go directly to Archmage Sol Eogain. He will be able to determine between the two, I’m sure, as well as free you if you need freeing. Until then,” he turned to the boys. “I’m deputizing the two of you. Your dragon will get her there fast, and will keep her in line if the Wisps do take over.”