Dimwater's Dragon (16 page)

Njar shook his head. “Since he will be more susceptible to the curse the longer he is immature, I have added magic to the grove that will help him grow and mature at a much faster rate than normal. Hopefully this will strengthen him against the curse and give him as good of a chance to fight it as possible. There won’t be any adverse effects, but if we are wrong and he does fall victim to the curse, then it will make it harder to put him down.”

“Stop saying that,” Kyra demanded. “He isn’t going to turn on anyone.”

The satyr nodded, but she could tell from his expression that he was unconvinced. “The other thing I wish to discuss has to do with you.”

Kyra looked at him and drew in her brows. “What about me?”

“You have changed something,” Njar said. He sighed and looked to the ground before continuing. “Before I took you to the Pools of Fate, I was able to see much about your destiny. I couldn’t see everything, mind you, but I could see some of the larger events in your life. For instance I knew you would find the egg, and I knew you would fight for his survival. Up until yesterday, I knew that if I showed you the fate that awaited him, you would allow me to do what needed to be done. In none of my previous visions had I ever suspected or seen any hint that any other fate could be achieved so long as you saw the visions at the Pools of Fate. However, after you altered the past by reaching out to this dragon’s mother through the vision, all of that changed. While the dragon slept last night, I tried to revisit my visions about you. Kyra, I could see nothing. It was as if when you reached back into the past, you destroyed your future, like you simply do not exist in the grand design of fate anymore.”

“I have never believed in fate,” Kyra said.

The satyr held up a hand and nodded his head impatiently. “I don’t mean fate in the sense that everybody has a prescribed destiny that they must fulfill. Instead, I see fate as a grand design, a series of events that logically and predictably affect each other. Usually when I have visions, I can see what people will choose to do based upon certain knowledge. Sometimes, my visions show me forks in the path of destiny. Such was the case with you. There was a fork, where if I intervened I could save much suffering and protect the balance by killing the dragon. The other path from that fork would lead to destruction and much suffering were I not to interfere. So you can see, there was a choice for me to make, and not one prescribed way. This is how fate works for all of us. The problem is that now I can no longer see any path that lies before you.”

“Most people cannot see the future,” Kyra replied. “I suppose I will have to make my own.”

The satyr went silent and frowned. His eyes alternated between watching her and studying the dragon. She could tell there was something on his mind, but whatever it was he wasn’t sharing it. The silence soon became unbearable and Kyra broke it with a different idea altogether.

“Leatherback is hungry, how do I feed a dragon?”

The satyr pointed to the book in her hands. “All this time studying dragons, and you have no idea how to feed one yet?” Njar asked with a wry smile.

“I don’t exactly have an army of servants who can hunt elk and deer at will and then pile them up in front of him,” she snipped.

Njar laughed softly and pointed to the far side of the glade. “Take him hunting.”

“But you said only inside this grove is he safe from the curse. If I take him out, will he be in danger?”

“Undoubtedly. However, no deer or other game animal is going to wander into this grove smelling of dragon as it does. You will have to take him out to hunt. I will follow you, and watch over the dragon.”

Kyra nodded grimly. She knew that the satyr chief did not mean watch over so much as watch out for what he may do. She understood the very real possibility that the strange wizard would kill the dragon if he were to see any change in his energy.

“What if I hunt for him, and then use the portal to carry food back, will that work?” She asked.

“The dragon must learn to hunt for himself, unless you plan on gathering enough food for it even after it is fully grown and requires several tons of food every day. Are you able to do that?”

Kyra shook her head. She knew that she could not. She and the dragon left the glade and the satyr followed a short distance behind them silently.

Kyra tried to think of how to show Leatherback what it was they were trying to do, but she needn’t have worried. A large, white snow squirrel ran across the ground in front of them. Leatherback caught sight of it and leapt through the air with such blinding speed and ferocity that Kyra stumbled back out of the way. So fast was the strike, that Kyra almost missed the impact when Leatherback used his tongue to pull the snow squirrel into his mouth. Two chomps and then a quick swallow and the snow squirrel was gone. Leatherback opened his mouth and looked eagerly from side to side. From that point, Kyra followed Leatherback as he used the scents upon the ground to track game. They spent the rest of the morning pursuing snow hares and other winter creatures.

Leatherback must have eaten twenty small animals before he finally slowed his pace. Every time he took each animal whole, chewing only a couple of times before swallowing it. Kyra would have gone and watched Leatherback all day, but the satyr chief came up to her with a worried look on his face. Kyra prepared for the worst news, wondering how she could convince the satyr not to kill her friend.

“You need to leave,” Njar said quickly. “I will take the dragon back to the grove. He is fine, but there is something that pursues you.”

“Something?” Kyra looked around them and then back to the satyr chief. “What is it?”

Njar shook his head. “It is something evil. Go, now!” Njar opened the portal for her and motioned for her to go. At the same time he opened a second portal that led back to the grove. He looked to Leatherback and pointed for the dragon to go inside.

“Are you going to hurt him?” Kyra asked.

Njar shook his head emphatically. “The dragon is fine, but I must protect you now. Go! You can come back later tonight.”

Kyra looked to Leatherback and pointed toward the portal that led to the grove. The dragon leapt through the open portal. As soon as he was safe on the other side, Kyra went through hers and found herself back in her room. She turned around to look through the portal, catching only a glimpse of Njar as he jumped through the other portal to the grove. Both portals shut and she was left alone to wonder what it was that had spooked the satyr chief.

She wasn’t left alone for long, as a knock wrapped on her door loudly. “Kyra, you had better be extremely ill, for I do not take lightly to being stood up for hours on end.”

Kyra’s eyes shot open wide, and goosebumps rippled across her forearms. Cyrus wasn’t exactly the most warm and tender person to begin with, and now that she had to face him while he was angered, she was rethinking how she had decided to spend her morning.

The door opened and the thin wizard walked in, shaking a bony finger right at her face. “Just what is it you have been doing?”

Kyra opened her mouth to speak, but Cyrus waved a hand and cut her off.

“You had a report due today, did you forget?” Cyrus asked. “You were supposed to choose a creature, and present to me as much vital information about them as possible. Don’t you remember? I gave you this assignment shortly after I introduced you to the imp.”

Kyra had to think fast. She had forgotten about the assignment until now, though at this moment she recalled precisely when it had been given to her. It was three days after she had battled the first imp. Cyrus had wanted her to expand her repertoire of knowledge, so they could broaden her defensive skills.

She did the only thing she could think to do. She pulled the book out of her satchel and held it out toward Cyrus. “I have been reading about dragons,” she said.

The expression on Cyrus’ face changed instantly from one of anger to a wide smile and incredulous eyes as he began laughing at her. “You are a talented apprentice, but I believe a dragon is a bit far out of your reach. Or is it that you are hoping to be assigned to a unit of dragon slayers, so that you can see your young friend again?”

How could he know about Kathair? She stared at him blankly. Cyrus moved in close and took the book from her.

“I wasn’t reading this to join the dragon slayers,” Kyra said.

“I’m not concerned with your fantasies,” Cyrus said pointedly. “Your wedding is a matter strictly for your father and your fiancé to decide. I am concerned only with your level of focus and that has been wanting significantly of late. You have great potential. One day you may be more powerful than me, though I dare say that day is quite some time from now. All the same, it is a possibility, but it will be farther off still if you cannot focus on your studies.”

“But I have been reading about dragons,” she insisted. In the moment she was so focused on getting out of trouble that she forgot to consider where this conversation might take her if she was careful.

“Why?”

“Why?” Kyra echoed. Suddenly she realized her mistake. The old wizard’s piercing eyes were staring directly into her soul and interrogating her silently, searching for the truth behind her motivation to read about dragons.

“Why the fascination with dragons?” Cyrus pressed.

Kyra thought quickly, and came to an answer that she was sure would pacify the old wizard. “My mother gave me the book, it is from my father’s library. It is one of the last books that she gave me.”

Upon hearing those words, Cyrus changed from being a cold callous wizard to being a human being. He offered the book back to her. “I understand what it is to lose family,” he said sincerely. “Take the rest of the afternoon off. Take tomorrow as well. You’ve had some hard times of late, and I can respect that. When your head is clear, you will find me in the classroom.” Cyrus turned without another word and started for the door.

The mention of her mother only served to dredge up all of her feelings that she had been bottling up inside since the news of her death had come. She called out to the old wizard, “Thank you.”

Cyrus turned around and offered a sincere smile. “Of course.” He turned back for the door but Kyra stopped him.

“The letter the headmaster gave me when my mother died, I read it.”

Cyrus paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, waiting for her to finish what she wanted to say.

Kyra stumbled through the next bit of information. “The letter said that my mother was murdered.”

Cyrus nodded. “Yes child, she was,” he said softly.

Kyra felt a lump rise in her throat, but she pressed on anyway. “Did they ever find out who it was that did it?”

Cyrus sighed heavily and looked to the floor for a moment as he shook his head. He turned back and looked at her with those strong, fearsome eyes of his. “My dear child, it was not a
who,
but rather a
what.
”

Kyra balked and took a step back. Suddenly she drew a connection between what the satyr had warned her away from just a few minutes earlier, and her mother’s death. She had seen some sort of strange creatures before leaving her home and coming to Kuldiga Academy. One of them had even chased her, and her mother had fought it. Was it possible that her family was being pursued by creatures unknown?

Her mouth fell open as she recalled the ethereal creature that had attacked the egg, and killed Guardian. All this time she had thought it was going for the egg, but now she wondered. The possibility seemed too likely to be shaken.  It had been after her.

Cyrus closed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What have you seen?” Cyrus asked insistently.

Kyra wasn’t sure whether to trust him. If she told him about the ghoul near the dragon’s nest, then Leatherback would be in danger. Still, perhaps she could tell him of the creature she had seen around Caspen Manor. Maybe that would be enough for him to help her unravel this mystery.

“They look somewhat like ghosts, don’t they?” Cyrus asked, too impatient for her to answer.

Kyra nodded slowly.

Cyrus pushed her away and shook his head. “I had intended to wait for a day when you were in a better frame of mind,” Cyrus began. “But I should tell you, the reason I have brought imps and other such creatures into your training regimen is because I believe you are in danger. Given what you have already seen, and the recent events with your mother, then perhaps now is the appropriate time to tell you. I was with Janik when we rescued your mother from the vampire. However, ever since that day, there have been dark forces chasing after your family.”

That was it! Now she knew where she recognized Cyrus from. He was the wizard in the painting in her father’s study. He was the other hero that had rescued her mother. All sorts of thoughts and questions flooded into her mind, but Cyrus grabbed her by the shoulders again and was quick to bring her back to the conversation at hand.

“Did you hear me Kyra? I am telling you that there are dark forces pursuing after your family.”

“You knew my mother was in danger?” Kyra asked as she contemplated the wizard’s words.

Cyrus shook his head. “No, I did not. I believe these creatures are after a specific artifact, a dagger with three rubies in its hilt to be precise. It is a powerful relic, and can be put to devastating use if it falls into the wrong hands. I had believed this dagger to be lost after we rescued your mother from the vampire’s lair. However, it seems I had been mistaken. I now believe that your mother had this dagger all along, and that is what they seek.”