“They thought the dragon had treasure and they were trying to get it,” said the High King.
“Let me guess. He doesn’t really have any treasure?”
“No.”
“Well, that was stupid of them. So, basically, it was their own fault. Why should we help them?” asked Bryce.
“This whole realm lives under the terror of this dragon. These people had a regent who made a deal with the beast. The dragon promised the regent that he would protect the realm and keep the High King from enforcing his laws here. The agreement is in effect for as long as they both live.”
“So the dragon promised the regent to keep you away?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes. The regent didn’t want to follow my laws. He wanted to be the ruler here, instead of me. But, of course, the dragon could not really keep me away. Nevertheless, this whole realm has fallen under the beast’s power and authority. But I will free them once and for all.”
Blaze spoke angrily, in a harsh tone, “So what are you going to do? Kill the regent to nullify the contract? Some hero you are!”
The High King regarded him sternly for a moment. “No, Blaze, I will destroy the dragon and free the people from its power. Even the regent will have the opportunity to turn from his ways and believe.” Then he turned back to me and put his hand over mine on the railing. “You will have to be strong, Cara. Remember about my sword.”
I understood the importance of helping but I didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t he going to be using his sword? So I just nodded. The High King gave my hand a little squeeze.
Blaze came to join us near the front of the ship. “There it is,” he whispered.
I’d never seen him look so scared. Then I remembered what he had said to me at the masquerade. Did he know this dragon somehow? Did they have some kind of history?
I looked away from his face, out over the water, to see what he had seen. A dark shape swooped from the sky to the ocean. It was too far away to make out any details. “Has it seen us yet?” I asked.
“The dragon knows we’re coming,” said the High King. As we got nearer to the dragon, I saw a small landmass to our right. “That’s where the people are,” the High King explained. “You must save them after I have defeated the dragon.” He walked to the very front of the boat and unhooked the massive anchor.
Blaze followed him. “After you defeat the dragon, why can’t you save them yourself? Wait…what are you going to do with that anchor? Aren’t you going to use your sword on the dragon?” asked Blaze.
“Because of the deal, the dragon has a measure of legal authority here, so my sword can’t penetrate its armor. Soon you’ll understand my plan,” the High King said, quietly. “Please go over there.” He pointed to the back of the boat. Then he pulled the sword from its sheath and held it high in the air. The blade glowed blue, lighting up the sky.
I walked to the back of the boat where the High King had indicated and sat on the deck. Blaze followed me and sat down too. I clutched the railing beside me as the boat’s rocking intensified.
“Dragon!” The High King’s voice boomed out over the water as he waved the sword in the air.
The black, scaly creature saw his challenge. It approached - huge black wings beating the air, glowing red eyes fixed on the High King. The dragon was so large that it eclipsed all light from the sun, and its shadow fell across what now seemed to be a very little sailing boat.
I let out a scream as it dropped. Its sharp, talon-like claws plummeted towards the High King at incredible speed. He deflected the attack, the blue blade ringing out like metal on metal as he struck the creature’s leg. The blade flashed again as the High King leaped and struck at the beast’s gut. The sword sang out again as the thrust glanced harmlessly off the scaly hide. But the dragon bellowed in rage at the unexpected attack.
The dragon flapped away, out over the water, and then came around for another pass. It dove again, this time gaping maw first. I saw thousands of teeth and felt the heat from its throat, even at this distance. The High King stood ready with his sword. Then, at the last moment, the dragon swerved off course, veering right towards us. I screamed again but could not move for fear, not even to shield my face with my hands.
The High King sprinted across the deck and leapt astride the beast’s neck. He held on to one of its horns with his left hand as he used the sword in his right hand to hack at the creature’s snout. The dragon roared, pulled up into the sky, shaking the High King loose as he did so.
We saw the High King fall. At first, I thought he would fall into the sea but he came down onto the deck of the ship with a mighty crash. He lay gasping for a moment, trying to catch his breath. His sword was still in his hand. I rushed towards him as he regained his feet. The back of his head was oozing blood.
He used his sword as a cane as he motioned with his hand for me to move away from him. Tears streamed down my face as I stepped back to where Blaze sat, huddling on the deck.
The High King breathed in deeply as he turned to face the dragon again. “I won’t let you have them!” he shouted defiantly as he raised his sword aloft.
I feared for him. I knew who he was but…somehow…in order to be here with me, he had left some of his power behind.
The dragon dove at him, breathing deadly fire.
The High King turned away from the searing flames. His face was burned. The sword clanged to the deck and its light went out. The form of the High King wavered for a moment as he was backlit by the flames. Then he fell forward, onto the massive anchor, and clutched it tightly in his arms.
Horror rendered me silent as the dragon kept coming. Its powerful jaws closed over the broken figure of the High King. The creature’s momentum propelled it across the ship. It slid into the sea on the other side. The deck was empty. The High King was gone.
“No!” I screamed as I stood, rushing to the edge of the boat. I saw the dragon sinking, struggling to swim back up to the surface of the water. But it sank deeper and deeper, the massive anchor that it had swallowed dragging it in, down into the depths. Something had to happen! He can’t be dead! I watched until the dragon sank out of sight. The sword still lay on the deck. I ran and caught up the sword. It came to life, a blue fire in my hand. I turned to Blaze. “We have to do something!”
Blaze was looking over the railing into the dark water. “He’s gone.” He gripped the railing tightly, tears on his face.
I ran to stand beside him at the railing. “Maybe he’s not dead! Maybe the dragon swallowed him whole and he’s still alive!” But we had seen him burned so badly. I didn’t want to admit it but, in truth, he looked almost dead before the dragon’s teeth closed over him.
“Cara…there’s nothing we can do here.” Blaze held up his hands in a surrender posture as I flailed the sword around dangerously. “Let’s go rescue the people like he said to.”
Tears streamed down my face as the boat began to carry us away, towards the small island. “It’s not fair,” I whispered. I let the tip of the sword fall to the deck, unable to control my sobs.
Blaze scrubbed the tears from his face with a fist. “No, it’s not. Not fair at all. He was so brave. It was like he knew he was going to die the whole time. Like he tricked the dragon into eating him with that anchor. Maybe that was the only way to save all the people…and the regent.”
I thought about Blaze’s words and then nodded solemnly. “You’re right. That must have been his plan the whole time.”
“Crazy plan,” Blaze muttered. More tears escaped from under his long lashes.
I looked at his face and puzzled over the expression there. He looked…ashamed. What was going on with him? “What do you know that you’re not saying?” I demanded, my grip tightening on the sword.
He turned away from me a little, so I was looking at his side profile. “What makes you think I know something?” he said, evasively.
“It’s written all over your face.”
Blaze sighed heavily. “I was t
he regent.”
“What?”
“It was…a long time ago, I think. I was lord of this realm. I made a deal with the dragon. I should never have listened to him. It was me who brought the terror of the dragon on us all. And…” His tears choked out his words for a moment. “He knew was me.”
“The High King knew it was you who made the deal with the dragon? How do you know?”
“I could see it in his eyes when I asked him if he was planning to kill the regent to void the dragon’s claim here. But that wasn’t his plan. He was planning to let himself get killed instead. To save me.”
“He was so brave.” Tears poured from my eyes.
“Yeah.” He turned away from me entirely. The boat had neared the rocky shore of the island. “I think we’re close enough to jump,” said Blaze. He climbed over the railing and leapt from the boat, landing deftly on one of the larger stones. “Come on,” he called back.
I hesitated, looking at the sword in my hand. I climbed over the railing and hesitated again. “I don’t think I can jump with it.”
“Just throw it over here onto the land first, then.”
“Okay.” I prepared to throw the sword.
“Wait, wait, not at me!” shouted Blaze. “Over there.” He pointed to his left.
“Okay. Right.” A nervous laugh bubbled past my lips even though my heart was in anguish. I had been going to throw it at him. Whatever was I thinking? I threw the sword, deliberately aiming away from him. It landed with a clang on the rocks. Blaze moved to pick it up. I jumped for shore. My foot slipped as I landed and I banged my shin. I looked up to see Blaze handling the High King’s sword. The blade was a dull, metal grey.
“It’s not glowing anymore,” he said.
After brushing gravel from my bruised shins, I scrambled up over the rocks to the beach where he stood. “Here.” I held my hand out for the sword. He looked down at the sword and then handed it to me, hilt first. The sword’s blue, internal fire sprang to life at my touch.
“It likes you,” he remarked.
I set out across the beach, looking for the people, feeling relieved that he had given the sword back to me. The High King had given it to me and it seemed like it was all there was left of him in this world. “Maybe it’s because you don’t know the High King,” I suggested.
“I saw him, just like you, and talked with him. I met him too.” Blaze fell into step beside me.
“Yeah, I know, but I mean really. Do you know him for real?”
Blaze rolled his eyes. “I think I know what you’re getting at and you know I don’t believe in all that. Look, I don’t know if you know but, this,” he gestured around, “this is just a dream.”
“Fine.” My dream-characters telling me it was only a dream – that was different. I stopped and shaded my eyes as I looked up the steep slope of a sandy hill. At the summit was a pile of broken wood. “That looks like it could be from a ship.”
Blaze shaded his eyes and looked. “Yup. Weird. Let’s check it out.” We started up the hill. It was sparsely covered in scraggly green weeds.
We reached the pile of broken boards at the top of the hill. I felt my hope fading. How could anyone still be alive under this mess? Was the High King’s sacrifice for nothing? The sword in my hand hummed more loudly and then it struck one of the boards, causing it to shift off the pile.
“I think we should move these boards.” I put the sword down and pulled at the wooden planks. Blaze sighed and bent down to help. We pulled board after board off the pile and threw them behind us, down the sandy hill. After an hour, it seemed like we should have been almost down to the ground by now but still there was no sign of life. Then I heard a soft moan coming from somewhere close by.
“Did you hear that?” asked Blaze, pulling the planks away more quickly.
“I did. There must be people here!” We worked for another ten minutes. The sandy ground was now exposed in some places. But still there was no one to rescue. Blaze pulled away a particularly heavy piece of wood. Now we could see a deep depression in the sand.
“There they are!” cried Blaze. We saw the face of a young girl peering out from a hole. Her face was dirty but her blue eyes were clear and there was a tentative smile on her face.
“You’re not the dragon!” she said as she crawled out. “We were keeping very quiet because we thought it was the dragon out here!”
I held out my hand to her. “Everything’s okay now. The High King defeated the dragon.” She smiled and took my hand; I pulled her up. Behind her came the rest of the people who had been on the ship, seventeen in all.
“Thank you,” said the little girl, taking my hand again. “Where’s the High King now?”
“He’s…” I looked down. I should tell these people the truth. “He died defeating the dragon. The dragon ate him.”
The little girl’s eyes filled with tears and so did mine. “Oh no! That’s terrible!”
“Okay, guys, let’s get on the boat,” called Blaze from the bottom of the hill.
We followed him quietly to the boat. “Thanks for coming for us,” said a man, taking the little girl’s hand. But she kept holding onto me too.
“It was the High King who did everything. We were just along for the ride,” Blaze said, as we reached him at the bottom of the hill.
I was surprised but glad that he said it. Maybe he really was changing. Then I reminded myself, again, that this Blaze was just a figment of my imagination.
We climbed aboard the sailboat and the little girl’s father lifted her in. The High King was right. The boat knew what to do. It sailed along until it came to rest at the same dock from which we had left earlier that day. We clambered off. Blaze tied the boat to the dock.
We all stood on the shore for a while, looking past the boat, out to sea. Then the villagers shook our hands or hugged us while murmuring their thanks again. But I could hardly pay attention.
When they had left, I walked along the beach. I noticed Blaze walking beside me. I still carried the sword, which hummed quietly in my grip.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” I said.
“No. It’s so…weird.” We walked in silence for a while. Blaze kicked a rock along in front of us as we went. “What do you want to do now?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” It seemed like it had been a long dream. I didn’t think I’d be sad to wake up from this one.
“Maybe we could go back to that guy’s house and look around.”
“He’s not that guy. He’s the High King.”
“Right. The King. Whatever. Since he’s dead, I don’t think he’d mind if we took a look around.”
“After everything, I’d think you’d show a little more respect,” I snapped.
“What good would showing respect do now? He’s dead. And it’s my fault. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
I sighed and reminded myself that we were friends. “Okay. Let’s check out the house.” We strolled to the house where we had met the High King. The door to the shop at the back was open, so we went in. We could see that he’d been working on another boat, which stood off to the side, partially completed. Funny he’d be working on a boat when he knew what was going to happen to him. Surely there must be more to this story. He just couldn’t be dead!
We explored the house. It was a small, one bedroom cottage. The wooden furniture was simple but sturdy.
Blaze ran his hand over the surface of an end table. “Looks like he made these things himself, in his shop.” Then he wandered into the next room.
“I wonder why I’m still here?” I mused.
“What?” Blaze called from the kitchen.
“Nothing,” I called back.
He came back into the living room where I stood, looking out the window at the sea. “I thought I heard you saying something.”
“Nothing important. Did you find anything?”
“No. Didn’t find anything remarkable or kingly.”
“Oh.” Th
e glow of the sun setting somewhere behind the cottage turned the clouds above the water a cotton candy pink. The beauty seemed incongruous with what had happened. How could the world even go on?
Blaze stepped up to the window beside me. “But I did find bread, cheese and grape juice. You hungry?”
I turned to look at him and found him smiling at me. He was standing close. But, when he was close, it was never too close. It never felt intimidating like it had with Dennis.
“Actually I’m starved.” I followed him to the kitchen. It was getting dim in there so I looked for a light switch. Then I noticed there was no fixture on the ceiling. “There’s no electricity.”
“Hmm…” Blaze rummaged around in one of the drawers and came back with a candle and matches. So we ate the simple meal by candlelight. The food smelled good and tasted fantastic. A somber mood had settled in around us. We were both mostly quiet that evening. It was nice not to have to listen to Blaze talk about himself the whole time, for a change.
Finally it was night. We were tired. In the house, there was one bed and a couch. Blaze took the couch and I curled up in the large bed. I knew that it was just a dream but, at the same time somehow, it felt like not just a dream. And I was sad, so sad. I couldn’t stop the tears that came. Silently, I cried myself past exhaustion and then fell asleep.
Chapter 12 – A Good Plan
When my eyes opened, I was surprised to see the same small room with the mirror on the wall. Light poured in through the open window. Is this the dream that never ends? Then I saw myself in the mirror from where I sat in the bed. Last evening, by candlelight, I hadn’t noticed. My face was dirty, probably from shifting all those dusty boards. But there were clean patches under my eyes where my tears had washed the grime away. I stood up and found an empty white porcelain washbasin, with a matching pitcher of clear water beside it. I poured from the pitcher, filling the basin. The water was cool. I scrubbed my face and arms. There was a blue towel folded on the dresser nearby. Why am I still here? This is a dream…right? I dried on the towel.
Then I wandered into the living room. I wasn’t sure if I would find Blaze still here with me. But there he was. Sleeping. It was so unusual to see someone asleep in a dream. I sat on a nearby chair to watch him. The prominent scar, cut across his face, served to make him look more dangerous but not less attractive. His long eyelashes blinked open and I stared into his dark eyes.