“DID YOU SEE THE SKY LAST NIGHT? Just before dawn. I thought a falling star had tumbled from the sky. It was so bright I was blinded by it. Good thing I know the way back from the privy with my eyes closed.” The woman laughed, her voice betraying her youth.
“The privy? I doubt it. I saw your man returning around the same time. If your mother finds out you are meeting…”
“Shush! Do you want everyone to know? I told you to keep it a secret! Listen, we have plans. We are going to…” The voices faded away as Tesha swept the last of the dirt out the front door, holding it open for the two teenagers to pass her. They cast glares in her direction as though it were her fault that they didn’t know how to keep their voices down. The woman’s scowl promised retribution, warning Tesha with a glance not to repeat what she had heard. Tesha scowled then stuck her tongue out at the young woman’s back. She did not care who Csandi met in the woods. She was a silly twit who had not earned the right to a single braid yet.
Tesha let the door swing shut behind her and leaned against the railing, watching a russet red chicken with teal wing feathers peck at the ground. A clutch of five chicks followed her, mimicking the hen’s movements, foraging for whatever they could find on the frozen ground. They were only let out of the hen house for an hour or two when it was cold. She would have to shut them away soon.
For the fifteenth time, she checked the position of the watery sun. Deshi should be here soon, she thought. Then we can go see the dragon again! The dragon had filled her thoughts the entire day. A dragon! It sung to her mind and spirit. She could hear its croon even now. When the dragon had lifted its head and stared at her, she could have sworn it had tried to speak. But she had never heard of dragons talking. None of the stories said anything, other than they were fire breathers capable of burning down an entire village. But I swear she was trying to communicate with me.
Tesha was startled out of her reverie when Deshi bolted around the corner of the teacher’s long house, running full tilt toward her. Spying her standing on the porch, he didn’t slow.
“Tesha! Hurry. Come on!” he said and kept running.
Tesha released her grip on her broom. It clattered down onto the wooden boards as she bolted after Deshi. Her hair streamed behind her as she flew down the path as fast as her feet would carry her, trying in vain to catch up with him.
“Deshi! Wait!” she called to no avail. The shuddering shrubbery tossed snow onto the ground, marking his path. She followed, leaping over fallen logs and slipping on the snow-covered rock. His trail led out of the village and arced back toward the prayer rock where they had seen the dragon and her riders half a day earlier. “Deshi!” His head disappeared over a slight rise. Groaning, she pushed herself to run faster. She climbed the slippery hill and with a surprised “Oh!” skidded into Deshi, who had come to an abrupt stop, his hand held up to stop her. His eyes were fixed on the sky, where not one but two dragons flew. “Oh,” Tesha breathed, the words escaping her lips in a sigh of amazement.
“I saw Casper’s dragon fly overhead, and all I could think of was how Shikoba was in danger. I had hoped we could reach her in time, to warn her.”
“Do you think they saw the emperor’s dragon?”
Deshi shook his head. “No. If they had, would they be flying now? Casper isn’t trying to get any closer. I think he is stalking them.”
Tesha stared at the dragons. “We have to help them. They are flying into a trap.”
“What trap is that?”
She turned to Deshi, hands on hips. “You know very well what lies that direction. The salt mines.”
Deshi groaned. “Don’t tell me you believe those rumours, too? Tales of land whales? Armoured monsters? Are you afraid of wingless birds that can fly? Oh and then there is my favorite, the screaming flame beetles?” He snorted a laugh. “How about the walking corpses?”
Tesha shot him a murderous frown. “Just because you are too scared to actually go into the salt mines, you laugh at all who manage to escape and return? The traders were there, Deshi. What reason would they have to lie?”
“They got lost underground, and the fumes addled their brains. I’m sure they believe every word they said. It doesn’t change the fact that they are barking mad.” Deshi refocused on the diminishing shapes in the sky. “Besides, who says I am too scared to go. Do you have your pack stashed like I told you?”
Tesha smirked and walked over to the tree overhanging a portion of the path behind them. She reached up with her arms and grabbed a low limb then swung herself up onto the branch. She stood up and reached into the hollow crook at the trunk and pulled out a leather drawstring pack, then dropped it to the ground. “What, this pack?” She grinned down at him.
“Excellent. Let’s go.” Deshi said briskly. He slid down a slight embankment then reached around behind a large boulder. He pushed aside a pile of branches and pulled out his own stashed pack. He swung it over one shoulder, then climbed back up to the trail. Both dragons had disappeared by the time he returned to the path. “We can travel until it gets too dark to see. That should give us a good start. Our parents won’t miss us until after midday. They will assume we are camping out again, practicing for our trials.”
Tesha fell into step beside her brother, settling into the easy, ground-eating lope they had perfected. Their strides were even and strong. They could keep this pace up until dark and still carry a conversation.
“Do you think they will stop for nightfall to rest? I mean, if it was me, I’d keep going and hide during the day.”
“I sure hope so. A lot will probably depend on whether or not they know they are being followed. Casper has the advantage right now. I just hope we can reach them in time, to warn them.”
“What if we are too late?” Tesha bit her lip with worry, casting a sidelong glance at Deshi. “Do you think they will believe me? About the monsters, I mean. You don’t believe me.” Tesha watched his profile, waiting for the familiar smirk she knew would curve his lips. She was not disappointed.
“Let’s leave the monsters out of it for now. The mines are scary enough. If they need further convincing, we can introduce your monsters.”
“And Casper? What do we do about him?” She chewed her lip faster. “He’s a wizard. What can we do to help them if they are captured by a wizard?” This worried her more than she would admit to Deshi. She suppressed the shiver that slid down her spine.
Deshi shrugged. “Who says he is trying to capture Shikoba? Maybe he just wants to talk to her. Besides, weren’t Shikoba and Casper best friends? That is what the elders say. Maybe he just wants to help her. I mean, how do we really know if the emperor is evil? Just because Mom and Dad say so, how can we be sure? The emperor has never even come to Shadra. He leaves us alone. Casper is only enforcing the laws set down by the Citadel. Does following orders make him one of your monsters?”
“They are not my monsters.” Tesha let out a frustrated sigh. It was an old argument, one they had tossed back and forth many times. “We will see who quivers with fear when we catch up to them. I have no doubt we will find monsters when we get there. The only question is, what kind?” They ran in silence for a few moments then Tesha added, “The dragon, Obsidian, she tried to talk to me.”
Deshi’s head whipped in her direction. “She did what?”
“She tried to talk to me, to my mind. I’m sure of it.”
“Do you have a death wish?” he asked, facing forward once again.
Tesha smiled, a small private smile. It irked Deshi when she mentioned magic, and she loved getting under his skin. “Are you in training to be a warrior or not? For me, the sooner I can face my monster, the better. I will prove that I am capable of wearing an elder’s robe, just like Shikoba.”
“Shikoba never wore the robe. She was stolen away before her trials were finished. Only Casper finished that year,” said Deshi.
“So? She would have won. Casper wouldn’t have survived the first night. I do not believe he slayed the sabretooth. I think he lied.”
Deshi snorted. “It was a werecat, not a sabretooth,” he corrected. “You think a woman can slay a sabretooth?” He laughed.
It was Tesha’s turn to scowl. “Any time you want to take me on, just say the word. Brains will win over brawn every time.”
“The time approaches. We will face the trials together. But first, we need to catch up to those dragons.” Deshi tossed a grin at Tesha, and then he sped up. Tesha lengthened her stride to keep pace.