Rin

 

 

 

Open your eyes.

A yawn escapes my lips. Rays of light stream through my lashes, and slowly the world comes into focus. Morning has come and Targon kneels beside me, his hand jostling me from a very restful, much needed night of rest. I reach up and stroke his cheek.

“My dragon,” I say with a smile.

It is time, he says.

And that’s when reality comes crashing back. The pleasures and intimacies of the night before are now a fond memory. There is work to be done today, and there is no more time to dwell on pleasantries. I jerk up, wishing I had more time to show Targon I care. This is it. The day has come. It is to be a day of reckoning, and when the sun sets this coming evening, our fates will be decided.

A flash of dread fires in my mind. I hug my arms in close.

I’ve spent the early morning hours formulating a plan.

He sees my trepidation, knows my fears, and he reaches out his hands. My eyes are full of doubt, but when he sees this he says, I believe in us, Rin. Believe as I do.

I take his hand and with his help, I rise to my feet.

He uses his finger to draw in the dirt between us, tracing the outline of the temple and the surrounding village. Then he picks up two small rocks.

These will represent us, he says, and he begins going over the plan. I listen intently, knowing our lives depend on it.

It’s a fairly simple plan, but there are quite a few unknowns that we will have to contend with as we go. Targon wants to approach the Temple on foot, using the jungle to conceal our movement, and then he will change into dragon form, making noise and breathing fire as a distraction. While the tribesmen are dealing with him, I will sneak inside the temple and free my friends. Once the girls and I are safely away, he will return and make his way inside the temple with his medallion to free the dragons.

Me and my tribe have raided the Fire Temple several times during our war with the Other-Worlders. I’ve seen where the Vikon chain up their captives, he says. If you climb up the backside of the temple, there is a set of stairs that takes you back down through the interior. Your friends should be there. That’s where they have held prisoners from other tribes, and I expect that this shouldn’t be any different.

He pauses, his gaze dropping to the ground.

“What is it?” I say, suddenly alarmed.

If they’re not there, my treasure, we may never find them. He places his hand on my shoulder. I just wanted to be honest with you about this.

I muster up my courage and do my best to smile. “Thank you for your honesty, my sweet dragon.” I swallow hard and steel myself for what’s to come. I give him a peck on the cheek.

“We don’t have time for those thoughts right now. What do I need to know to get me through this?”

He nods and holds his head up high. Of course, he says, a grin forming at his lips. High praises for me pass through his head. Pride and confidence. He buckles down, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the dirt drawings between us.

It will take a little longer for me to find my clan. I don’t know exactly where they’re held, but I have a good idea of the vicinity due to our limited mind links. As soon as they are free we will meet with you at the same place we part, do you understand?

“Yes,” I say with confidence.

Rin, he says. Until now his demeanor conveyed the look of command and certainty, but his face sours. If too much time passes and I don’t return… you must lead your friends to safety. You are the most experienced, and you know this world better than any human. You will need to take care of them and forget about me. Make it back to the lair and take what you need. Everything I have is yours. You can lead them—I believe in you.

I clench my teeth to keep my lips from quivering. I refuse to acknowledge his words.

“We will wait for you as we’ve agreed.”

He sighs. Rin, you must promise me.

A gust of wind shushes through the trees. Wisps of dust swirl around us. For just a moment I can hear the tribal drums, distant and booming. Anger rises in my chest. I tighten my grip on the spear. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

*

 

After a short flight I see the tall pillar of torches that marks the center of the Vikon encampment. Targon dips his wings below the jungle canopy and we touch down about a mile or so from the temple. It’s a lot cooler in the shade, and we begin walking as birds and insects tweet and chirp like it’s just another day.

The drums are a lot louder now, reverberating from the twisting trunks of the trees, and soon I hear chanting, dark and ominous, coming from beyond the thickets ahead. Targon takes the lead, hacking and slashing a trail through the thick undergrowth with his sharp talons, and a moment later a great stone temple looms over us. Its stones are ancient, dirt-grey and green with moss. The pyramid-shaped structure slopes up over our heads, and on the far side I can hear the constant chatter of a large gathering of wild men.

Targon turns and holds my hand. We lock eyes, exchange knowing glances. Wordlessly we say our goodbyes, and a moment later he takes wing. He shoots up through the canopy, his powerful hind legs kicking behind him. The peace of the day is shattered as he lets out a fierce roar. The cry echoes off the distant mountains. The ground trembles beneath my feet. This is it, I tell myself. I clench my spear tightly and adjust the hide armor covering my chest. I watch the last glimpses of Targon as he disappears beyond the foliage, and I take strength in the fact that he believes in me.

On the far side of the temple there is chaos. Yelling and screaming. The drums stop suddenly and a horn bellows out over the Wildlands as Targon begins his attack. I take it as my cue to start climbing.

The stones are slimy and my hands slip as I try to grip the worn surfaces. But I haul myself up. Targon is counting on me. The girls depend on me. I won’t give up. After a minute or so of reaching and pulling, slipping and climbing, the ground draws further and further away, and I catch my stride.

I come to the top and peek over the lip to make sure the coast is clear. I scan side to side: there is the stone I was tied to the night Targon rescued me; there is the small room in the back I was running toward when I got shot in the leg by an arrow. But there is no one else here. I pull myself up over the side and stand on the platform with a perfect view of the surrounding chaos.

Targon’s dark form twists through the sky in the distance, dipping then rising again as arrows zip by. The Vikon warriors take cover in huts and small stone structures, popping out just long enough to shoot arrows and then dive back inside as he swoops down and unleashes streams of fire. Again he roars. The sound crashes toward me like thunder. Plumes of smoke billow into the sky. Fire engulfs wide swaths of land. But where I stand on the temple it is quiet. There’s no one left around. I’m actually surprised at how peaceful it is up here while off in the distance a giant fire-breathing dragon wreaks havoc on an entire tribe.

My heart swells with confidence. I hold my spear out in front of me and make my way toward the small room at the back of the platform. I remember Targon’s words—go into the room and down the steps. The girls should be there. A thrill rushes through me. My friends are so close I can feel them, and soon we will hug and laugh and move past this god-awful experience that has kept us apart. A giddy feeling rises up inside me, but I see Targon fighting in the distance, and I remind myself that I still have a job to do.

I dash toward the rear of the platform and make my way down the winding stairs. The sunlight disappears behind me as I go down and down, and soon only the light of torches guides my way. Strange echoes come from all around—a constant dripping of water, creaks and groans—but I hold my spear tight and keep my feet moving.

I make it down a dank and narrow hallway. The musty scent of stale water hangs in the air. Shadows dance on the walls and I keep startling, thinking I see someone. My nerves are frazzled and my heart is racing. I search and search, going down this hallway and that, doing my best to remember the way I came from. The last thing I want to do is get lost down here. I’m searching for what feels like forever, but probably only a few minutes pass.

And then somewhere ahead of me I hear voices. Female voices, and they sound pissed. There’s also a male speaking incomprehensible gibberish and laughing. I pick up my pace, practically jogging toward the sound of the voices, and then I peek around a corner. Maybe twenty feet away is a Vikon warrior stripped down to his loincloth. His body shimmers with oil, and long black hair flows down the center of his back. He’s well-built and has a giant dragon tattoo covering his back. He hasn’t seen me, as he’s facing the opposite direction. To my great relief I hear a familiar voice from just out of sight.

“You and the rest of your pals can straight fuck off,” the voice says. My breath catches in my throat. It sounds like Susan. There’s the sound of someone spitting and then the Vikon man jerks his head back and wipes something from his cheek.

He yells gibberish and walks out of sight toward Susan’s voice. The other girls are saying things now, begging him to leave them alone, apologizing for Susan, threatening him. I take this as my opportunity and quietly sneak down the hall. I’m on my tippy toes, moving as fast as I can. When I make it to where the warrior was standing a moment earlier I nearly scream with joy. I throw my hand up over my mouth, stifling my reaction.

Directly in front of me are the girls. They are tied to the wall with leather straps bound around their wrists. Their hair is stringy, their faces covered in dirt. They look like they haven’t slept in days. The Vikon stands between me and them, walking toward Susan with his hand raised in the air.

They see me as soon as I see them. Their eyes go big and there are audible sighs. I raise my finger to my mouth, signaling for them to keep quiet, but it’s too late. The Vikon man turns and pulls a black knife blade from his loincloth. He snarls and begins charging toward me wielding his knife like he means business. There’s no time to think. I act on instinct alone, grasping my spear tightly and leveling it directly at his gut. I yell out and run toward him. My mind goes blank. All I see is red.

A moment later the Vikon man is skewered through the stomach, his limp body sagging from the end of my spear. I pull it back and he slumps to the floor—dead as a doorknob. The girls are yelling excitedly, utterly shocked to see me:

“Rin, you found us!” exclaims Becky

“I never thought we’d see you again,” says Susan.

“Ahh!” yells Jess.

“Well I do say,” Alex says, a look of approval on her face. “You have impeccable timing.” She nods, raising her eyebrows. “And nice spear! You go girl.”

A smile breaks over my face and I run toward the girls, hugging each of them and giving them kisses on the cheek. I’m barraged by questions: what happened to me? Where have I been? How did I get past the guards to rescue them? But there’s no time for answers right now. I’m eager to get the hell out of here, and judging by the expressions on the ladies faces, they are too. I take the dagger from the dead Vikon warrior and use it to cut the straps loose, and then I signal them to follow me.

“I was certain you’d been taken prisoner by these guys,” Becky says as we run back down the narrow stony hallways. “I heard their horns just before you disappeared.”

“We were all starting to think you were dead,” continues Jess.

I make a quick right at a junction and the girls follow. Everything looks the same down here, but I think I can make out my shoeprints on the floor, and I don’t think we’re far from the stairs. As we’re running it dawns on me that I should probably explain the situation with Targon before the girls see a dragon flying toward us and start freaking out.

“A lot of shit has happened since the last time I saw you all,” I tell them.

“That’s the understatement of the century,” snipes Susan.

I pause to catch my breath as we turn down yet another fork in the passageway. At the far end I can see the landing of the steps, and a burst of joy fills my heart. “Some of what I’m about to say might come as a shock, but I need you all to trust me this time.”

“Okay.”

“I trust you, Rin.”

“There are not many other options right now.”

We stop at the stairs and I turn to face the girls. I wrack my mind, trying to come up with an easy way to break this to them, but there is no easy way. I take a deep breath and just say it.

“I’ve been living with a dragon-man,” I say, looking into the girls’ eyes as I speak. They are huddled around me, short of breath, listening to me with blank expressions on their faces. It takes a second for them to process what I’ve just said. But then their expressions change. They’re looking at me as if I just sprouted a pair of horns.

“A dragon-man?” Alex says, her voice heavy with skepticism.

Jess’ eyebrows are raised, and the look on her face tells me she thinks I’ve lost it.

“Are you sure you haven’t gotten too much sun?” Susan replies. The face she’s giving says she’s certain I’m completely bonkers. But Becky butts in, waving her arms between us, trying to inject reason into the conversation.

“Look, after everything we’ve seen so far, I’m willing to believe anything right about now,” says Becky. She puts her arm over my shoulder. “I believe you, Rin. If you say there’s a dragon-man here somewhere, then there’s a dragon-man.”

“Well that’s good,” I say. “And I appreciate your trust. Because as soon as we get to the top of these stairs, I’m calling Targon—that’s the dragon-man’s name—to let him know we are safely out. You’re all going to see a huge fire-breathing dragon doing some serious damage to these tribal fuck-faces, so I just want you to be mentally prepared.”

“As long as he helps us get away from these tribal assholes,” Susan says, “then he’s fine in my books.”

Judging by their reactions, I still don’t think I’ve completely sold them on the idea, but it doesn’t matter. I wave the group on, leading them up the stairs, and they follow close on my heels. We wind up and up and up, and soon the stale, mildew-smelling air of the tunnels below is replaces by the humid-yet-fresh air of the jungle beyond. A moment later we stand on top of the temple, open space all around. I squint into the sky, looking side to side for Targon.

Can you hear me? I call out to him, but there’s no reply. The evidence of his rampage is all around: smoldering fields, crushed stone huts, charred bodies strewn here and there. Black clouds of smoke obscure most of the village, and raging fires spot the landscape. But otherwise there’s no sign of him.

I’m on top of the temple with the girls, I say, growing more afraid for him each moment. Where could he possibly be? There’s no way the archers can take him down, I tell myself. My heart ache increases. My hands start shaking. I run over to the other side of the platform, shielding my eyes as I scan the sky. I run to another side, desperately searching for his big form shooting by in the distance.

Please answer me, my love, I plead. My throat closes and my eyes tear up. I want to cry, I’m so worried about his safety. But I hold back the tears and try to suppress the negative thoughts. I think about his words before we left, how he told me to be strong and lead the girls if something were to happen to him. So I put on my most confident face and try to keep calm for them, but I’m not willing to give up on Targon. He means too much to me, and I refuse to abandon him until there’s absolutely no other choice.

The girls stay huddled together just outside the small room on top of the temple, watching me. I hear murmurs from them. They ask each other, what is she doing? Where is this dragon we’re supposed to see? I don’t think she’s all there anymore, someone else says. No one is smiling. No one is cracking jokes. We all know how serious of a situation we are in right now, and I can tell they are nervous and full of doubt. At any minute the Vikon could return. Out in the open on top of this temple, we wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

And then Becky calls out from the steps. “Um, I can hear people coming,” she says, pointing down the stairs. “They sound pretty pissed off, and there are a lot of them.”