Kethril (36 page)

“The witches who made me. I called them my
mothers,” Aermoirre informed her. “They gave me life and made me
aware.”

“You know, Cousin. We’d like to be included
too,” Tathan pointed out.

“Oh yes, I’m very curious.” Vevin was doing
his ‘I’m dying of curiosity dance’. The others nodded that they
wanted to know too.

“Aermoirre tells me that she was made by
witches, whom she calls her mothers.” Liselle asked the bell, “Will
you tell us of them?”

“Yes, but I must be brief. I need to get
sheep for the monster,” Aermoirre informed her.

Liselle relayed that to the rest. Sir Danth
asked, “What of this monster? I believe perhaps that would be more
important for the moment.”

“Sir Danth asks of the monster,” Liselle
told the ship.

“Yes, I understand the hollow one’s speech,
though the others do not understand me,” Aermoirre replied.
“Telling you of my mothers will help you to understand why I do
this task for the monster.”

Liselle told the others that. “As Aermoirre
tells me the story, I’ll repeat it to everyone.” They agreed and
the ship began telling of her mothers.

“Once there lived a coven of witches in a
mountain valley. They danced naked in the light of the moons and
cast spells of joy and mischief. At times, they would travel down
the mountains to find men to seduce and love. It was a happy life
for them.”

Liselle blushed a little when relaying the
part about the naked dancing, but decided it might be fun and that
she might do so one night for Vevin when the two of them were
alone.

“After a while, soldiers were sent into the
valley to punish the witches for kidnapping men, for the men were
always handsome and usually married. The coven fought the soldiers
off, but there were losses. One especially harsh winter, avalanches
collapsed both of the passages out of the valley. The coven was
very unhappy and spent a good deal of time trying to figure out
what to do.”

“Men are useless anyway,” Emmaoen
mumbled.

“The collapsed passes kept the soldiers from
attacking the valley, so they decided not to clear them. That’s
when they pooled their magic together to make me. The witches had
traveled to a coastal town in their journeys and liked the ships
they saw there. They based my design on that, but made it so that I
would float on air, not water.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Vevin said.
“Floating on air is so much more fun than floating on water.”

“Out of curiosity, are you capable of
floating on water?” Sir Danth asked.

“Yes, I do so on occasion. Fish tickle my
keel and I like to play in the waves,” Aermoirre answered.
“Powerful magics were used to create me from enchanted trees. My
sails were constructed from the silk of giant butterflies and woven
with diamond needles. My bell was made with the purest gold smelted
with moonlight.”

“You are truly a work of art,” Sir Danth
told her.

“Thank you, hollow one,” Aermoirre replied
with another soft blush. “The coven would sail me over the
mountains to collect the men and sail them back. It worked
wonderfully for more than a century.”

“How long ago was this?” Emmaoen asked. “I
don’t remember any mention of ships taking the men of Kethril.”

“It was twelve centuries ago. There were
fewer people in your lands then. Those that were there lived near
the coast.”

“Does the coven still exist?” Tathan
asked.

The next tones of the bell were sad and the
vibrations in the deck and wheel lessened. “It does not. One day,
skeethies poured out of the mountains. The coven fought them off,
but more came the next day and the next. For months, they poured
out of the mountains until all of my mothers were murdered.”

“That’s terrible, Aermoirre. I’m so sorry.”
Liselle ran her hands over the wheel comfortingly. The vibrations
grew a little stronger in response.

“Why didn’t the witches escape the valley?”
Tathan asked.

“Their power was in the valley. That is all
I will tell you about that,” the ship answered.

“Skeethies don’t normally attack for that
long,” Emmaoen said. “They’re never organized very well.”

“Something chased them from underground. The
coven captured some of them who talked fearfully of ghosts driving
them away,” Aermoirre responded.

“I wonder if the Rojuun chased them out,”
Sir Danth mused. They thought about that for a moment, but the ship
offered no clarification. “So you’ve been out here alone for more
than a millennium?” the knight asked.

“I have my children and we’ve been sailing
in the mountains for that time. It hasn’t been a bad life even
though I miss my mothers,” Aermoirre answered.

“Your children?” Liselle asked.

“My mothers were so happy with me that they
made me children. A ship they saw had little lifeboats for humans
to escape on, and I was lonely at the time, so they made me two
baby lifeboats.” Aermoirre portrayed love in her communication,
along with worry.

“Where are your babies now, Aermoirre?”
Liselle asked.

The ship vibrated heavily, causing everyone
to balance. “The monster took them! He holds them captive and
threatens to hurt them unless I bring him sheep.” Liselle gained
the impression that Aermoirre was crying and told her companions as
much.

“I won’t let my children be hurt. Please
understand, please help me,” Aermoirre pleaded with Liselle.

“Of course we’ll help you,” Liselle
reassured her. “Won’t we, cousin?” she asked Tathan, although it
was more of a demand than a request.

“I have a feeling I don’t have much of a
choice in the matter,” he replied dryly. “I’d like to know a little
more about the monster though.”

“I will lay my existence on the line to save
the children of such a noble ship,” Sir Danth said. “However, I
must admit the practicality of Master Tathan’s request. Perhaps we
will be able to come up with a complete plan this time instead of
only half or none at all.”

“I like not having plans. It’s more fun that
way,” Vevin said with a toothy grin.

“What can you tell us about the monster,
Aermoirre?” Tathan asked the ship. “Also, do you know where your
children are and what dangers we’ll face trying to rescue
them?”

“My children are trapped in a cave where
they’re tied down, unable to fly free.” The ship shuddered as if
sobbing. It alarmed those who were standing on its deck, including
the horses that pawed nervously. “It scratches their wood to make
them cry. It’s an evil beast!”

The ship began to rise in the air and the
gangplank slid back into a slot in the side. “Aermoirre, what are
you doing?” Liselle asked worriedly.

“I will take you to the monster and tell you
of it on the way. I sense the power in you, the knight, the dragon
and one the shadows watch. You can defeat the monster. I know you
can. You have to,” Aermoirre told her in desperation.

Liselle relayed the ship’s statement, using
Tathan’s name instead of the ship’s description of her cousin.
Looks of concern were exchanged, but no one protested. Vevin did a
somersault, startling all of them. “Yay! It looks like we don’t
have a plan after all.” Then he promptly proceeded to do a ‘no
plan’ version of the happy dance.

“Someone must rescue my children while
others fight the monster,” Aermoirre declared.

“Alright,” Tathan said after listening to
Liselle repeat the ship’s statement. “I have questions and need
answers quickly. I need to know as much as possible so we can be
prepared.” He put his hands on his hips and spoke directly to the
bell. “How big are your children?”

“They are as long as three men are tall.
They have a single mast and sail, which the monster makes them keep
down. They are in a smaller cave in the back of the main cave
behind a locked iron gate.”

“How easy will it be to get into the main
cave?” Tathan asked.

“There is a tunnel as long as I am that I
can fit through easily, but I won’t go in. I would just get in your
way,” Aermoirre answered. “The main cave is large and humid with a
heated spring in one corner and treasure in deeper caves.”

“Treasure?” Vevin and Tathan said in
unison.

“Yes, you can have all the treasure if you
rescue my children.”

“I want something else in payment,” Tathan
said. “If we do this, you sail us to Mayncal by the shortest route
possible.” Princess Anilyia, smiled at first, and then her face
fell as she realized it meant her time with Tathan could be coming
to an end. Tathan took her hand as the princess rested her head on
his arm.

“If you rescue my children, I will do so,
but you must not hold them hostage and I will go free after we
reach Mayncal,” Aermoirre responded.

“Done,” Tathan agreed. “Now tell us about
this monster.”

With the agreement made, the ship no longer
dodged the subject. “It is a dragon.”

Tathan said words that Liselle didn’t
understand. Lots of them. She was fairly certain she didn’t
want
to understand them. Especially after seeing Anilyia and
Emmaoen blush deeply. The princess covered her ears with her hands.
Sir Danth’s arms were folded and he was looking at his feet.

Vevin shuffled nervously from side to side
in concern and Liselle could see a trace of fear in his eyes. She
knew he was still young for a dragon. He was also skinny and small
compared to most. Liselle knew what a full size dragon looked like
and she
definitely
didn’t want to fight one.

“Wait! What about the pact?” Anilyia asked
suddenly. “Humans aren’t allowed to kill dragons.”

“I am no longer human, though I am not
certain of victory and I wonder how Master Vevin feels about it,”
Sir Danth said.

They turned to Vevin, who looked very
unhappy. “Dragons don’t fight each other. There’s no rule against
it, but it never ends well. I don’t know what to do.” He looked to
Liselle for an answer, but she didn’t have one. The only thing she
could think to do was embrace him in comfort.

“I’m pretty talented, but I don’t know if we
can handle a dragon without your help, Vevin,” Tathan said.

Something occurred to Liselle. “The flowers
told me a dragon has been stomping on them recently. I wonder if
this is the same dragon.”

“Yes, the monster steps on flowers and says
they’re too pretty to live. It doesn’t like pretty things,”
Aermoirre told them.

“It
does
step on flowers?” Liselle
asked, flames appearing behind her eyes. She looked at Anilyia.
“I’m only half human, does that matter?”

She shrugged in response. “I really don’t
know.”

“Dragons aren’t allowed to steal livestock
including sheep either. That’s part of the treaty,” Emmaoen
mentioned thoughtfully. “I think we are justified in defending our
property, even if the dragon used the ship to commit the
crime.”

“You may have an argument,” Anilyia agreed,
forgetting their dislike for a moment. “I think it’s enough, but if
we’re wrong . . .” she trailed off. Liselle remembered that
princesses were used as ransom in disagreements between humans and
dragons.

“Don’t worry, I won’t even let dragons take
you,” Tathan assured her. It was a bold statement, but for some
reason, Liselle believed he might succeed in protecting the
princess from dragons.

The ship stopped moving and the gangplank
slid out to the ground. During the discussion, Aermoirre had
reached the lair of the monster. “There is his cave. He never comes
out, so he’ll be inside. Please save my babies.”

At first glance, everything appeared
peaceful. They were in another valley and the sun was beginning to
light the eastern sky. Then Liselle saw the truth in what the
nightflowers had told her. Shreds of flowers lay all over the
valley. Downed trees had their bark scratched off. Sheep bones were
scattered about and the blood of the innocent animals fertilized
the grass.

“I hereby declare that this dragon has been
stealing sheep from the peasants of Kethril and is in violation of
the treaty between dragons and humans,” Emmaoen announced. A deep
rumble echoed from within the cave as though the dragon had heard
the statement. The duchess took an uneasy step back and fear filled
her pink eyes.

Liselle took a deep breath and focused her
thoughts. They were about to fight a dragon. She couldn’t afford to
be overcome with fear, or let the anger welling up in her chest
over the murder of flowers cloud her judgment. Fear: the word came
to the front of her mind. Vevin used dragon fear to frighten his
enemies and this one might try the same. Liselle thought about
Vevin’s dragon fear and the way it worked. By altering one of the
spells he had taught her to protect her mind, she could protect
them all from the fear.

She used words and gestures she felt would
help strengthen it and cast the protection on all of them. They
sprang to action when they felt the spell touch their minds. Tathan
and Sir Danth drew their swords and jumped over the rail, not
content to walk down the gangplank like normal people. Vevin stayed
next to Liselle, still indecisive. Emmaoen touched various pieces
of jewelry on her hands, neck and ears while speaking words of
power. Liselle felt little energy bursts come with each activation.
There was a shimmer of power around her that Liselle believed to be
some sort of shield. Anilyia was hiding behind the wheel, knowing
that her own life was in grave danger.

“Son?” a voice boomed from the cave. A
ferocious-appearing white head materialized. The depraved dragon
moved out of the cave, unfolding its scarred and blackened wings.
There were cuts all over the body and face. It looked in Vevin’s
direction with cruel, black swirling eyes, as though someone had
poured ink in the liquid silver. Its tone was wicked and snarling.
“It is you!"