Skwyr Court

Lady Emgard walked into the marketplace, leaning on her staff for support. She kicked up dust as she walked, a refreshing reminder that warm weather had returned. The sun shone happily in the bright blue sky above. The perfect weather for an outdoor market.

With her basket slung over her elbow, she walked among the villagers, keeping her head down, with a little help from an enchantment to hide her identity. She hated it when people recognized her. Then it was always “Can I help you, My Lady?” or “No, please, I can’t take money from you, My Lady.” It didn’t help her mission to help the locals if they kept offering her charity. She neither needed nor wanted it. Just as bad were the people on the opposite end of the spectrum, the ones who overcharged her because they knew she could afford it. Sure, they weren’t giving away their products, but she didn’t want to support them.

She eyed a fresh crop of carrots and thought about bringing some back with her for a stew. Living in the castle rarely gave her a chance to cook for herself, and it’d be a nice change of pace. Cooking had always felt like another form of magic to her. Like magic, cooking took care, attention to detail, and a lot of patience.

“How much?” she asked, motioning to the carrots. She was careful not to draw too much attention to herself, so as not to break her disguise.

The merchant glanced at her, then turned his attention to the carrots.

“Ten copper a piece,” he said.

The price had gone up in a week, but she couldn’t blame him for that. Instead, she took out her small purse, selected a gold piece, and handed it to him.

“I’ll take ten,” she said.

The merchant made no effort to hide his delight.

“Thanks, granny,” he said, accepting the piece of gold.

She arched an eyebrow at him, then turned back to the carrots. Like the crowd around her, the carrots were smaller than usual, which was another concern of hers. She picked ten of them, then moved on through the marketplace.

She glanced up at the sky again, feeling something wrong in the air. Some small feeling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stir. She gripped her staff a little tighter. The sky was almost cheerful.

But around this part of Skwyr, there was an underlying fear creeping around the people. She could feel it lingering among them. Like a shadow falling over them. The crops weren’t doing well; people didn’t even want to go out to a market anymore. They could all sense it, even if they didn’t know it.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. The sounds of the marketplace faded away. She felt herself leaving the ground, giving her a brief moment of vertigo. As old as she was, she’d learned to ignore it, knowing full well she was still on solid earth. The world moved about her, moving energy with it. She sensed the fine threads of magic that bound the world together, looking for anything out of place.

She felt each thread of the marketplace, of the sky. A watcher only, she didn’t dare touch any of them. It was easier to feel the one vibrating out of place.

It was a rhythmic vibration. A bobbing motion, perhaps. Like…

Lady Emgard’s eyes snapped open.

“Wingbeats.”

Her gaze turned to the horizon, and she saw it. Far enough away that no one would’ve seen it yet. From that distance, it could’ve been mistaken for a bird. But even as she looked at it, a sense of dread filled her. That wasn’t a bird.

She closed her eyes again, but instead of sensing the movement of the strands, she followed one straight back to the castle. Leaning her head into her hand, she breathed one word.

“Dragon.”

With open eyes, she lifted her hand up and allowed her message to fly free. A few feathers left her hand, vanishing seconds after they did. She knew her message would make it to the king. It had to.

“That was a neat trick,” one merchant said.

She looked back at him, dispelling her disguise. She waited a moment before realization dawned on his face.

“My… My Lady Arch Mage!” he exclaimed, stammering and bowing at the same time. “I… Please forgive me, I didn’t—”

“You’re forgiven,” she said. “I don’t care what you did, only what you’re about to do. Everyone here may be in grave danger. I need help getting their attention.”

“Not a problem.” The man turned back to his family. “Get everyone’s attention. I don’t know why, but it’s important!”

Two young men and a little girl ran out and started shouting to people.

It wasn’t efficient by any means; most people looked at them as though they were crazy. She didn’t need people to obey, only to listen. She didn’t like raising her voice.

“There’s a dragon on its way,” she said, raising her voice only a little to be heard. She looked up at it again. Sure enough, it was getting closer. She could see its mighty wings carrying across the sky toward the marketplace.

People saw her, then turned their heads toward the dragon. As they did, people whispered and pointed at it.

“Everyone, get off the street. Find shelter in the tents or stands if you must, but stay out of the street.”

“What for?” asked a man.

“Because there’s a good chance that if a dragon sees this many people, it’ll raze the village for fun.”

As people began to panic, more shouted at them to keep calm. Emgard took note of each one. It was always good to know on whom she could rely. She placed her basket on the stand closest to her, then walked to the center of the street, her staff in hand.

The dragon was close enough that she could see its black scales. She took a breath to keep herself calm. With luck, it would pass over them without paying them any mind. With a lot of luck. More luck than she figured she possessed.

It spread its wings and glided lower, intending to land. People around her talked with shaking voices, but others hushed them.

The ground shook as the dragon landed. She’d seen supply caravans smaller than it. It loomed over her, its great maw opening to speak.

“What a surprise,” it said in a tongue few others would understand. “If it isn’t Lady Emgard.”

His voice was deep and smooth. He — she was sure it was male — wasn’t at all afraid of her. She didn’t blame him; she didn’t look that intimidating to anyone other than her apprentices or the castle staff.

“I confess you have me at a disadvantage,” she replied. “You know my name, but I can’t say I know yours.”

He reared back. His head bobbed up and down while he made a coughing noise. No, he wasn’t coughing; he was laughing.

“You sensed me coming. I know you can find my name if you look hard enough.”

That same sense of dread that she’d felt earlier came over her for a moment. Was he doing that? She knew dragons were better with magic than humans, but to do so seamlessly wasn’t something she’d expected.

She didn’t dare close her eyes and leave people defenseless. Instead, she reached out with her mind into the ether once again. A new thread had been created, linking her with this dragon. From that, she sensed his name.

She held her staff tighter. She’d killed dragons before, but until the king arrived with his knights, there was little she could do against this particular dragon.

She knew that now. She’d fought dragons before, but this wasn’t an ordinary dragon.

“I’m flattered that you recognize me,” he said, leaning his head closer. “I thought humans were too ignorant of us dragons to believe I exist.”

While she listened, she drew up battle plans in her head. Killing him wasn’t her concern anymore; saving as many of the people was.

“The king is on his way,” she said, hoping to stall for time. “You might be able to kill me, but you won’t kill him.”

“I have no desire to kill you. That’d only pick a fight with the king, one I cannot win. Not yet.”

Its mouth drew back in what she could only assume was a smile. Whatever it was, it was revolting.

“But do send him my love,” the dragon continued. “Be sure to tell him… and all these people my name. Tell them that the nightmare is real. I’ve come out of the shadows to burn their lives to the ground.”

“The Court of Nelaro wasn’t enough?” she asked.

“Nelaro was only the beginning. I’ve got my eye on Skwyr now. Tell the king that for me, would you?”

Emgard sensed a warm, empowering feeling. She stood on the shoulders of giants, and they weren’t far.

“You’d better run before he arrives. Unless you’d like to tell him yourself.”

He leaned in closer to her.

“Quite like an old woman. Waiting for a younger man to save her.”

She gripped her staff until her knuckles turned white. One way or another, she’d see this lizard’s head roll.

“Now, now. We both know you won’t fight me with these people here.”

“You’d better fly away while you can.”

The dragon stretched his wings.

“Until next time, Lady Emgard.”

He leapt off the ground and soared into the air. Emgard didn’t relax until she’d watched him fly away into that bright blue sky.

“It’s safe,” she said softly. “The king will be here soon.”

People slowly came out of hiding around her in the marketplace.

“Thank you, My Lady,” the merchant near her said. “We’re in your debt.”

She looked at them with a little envy, but smiled all the same. It wouldn’t do to alarm them yet.

As people emerged, she picked up her basket and checked on them. Made sure they were okay. They asked about the dragon, but she didn’t answer their questions. Only told them that the Court would see to it.

They didn’t need to know what she did, what the king would soon know. They didn’t need to know that the boogeyman escaped their nightmares. That evil had crept out of the darkness.

That Valignatiejir had returned to Skwyr.

The first sign that there was trouble was Lord Velal telling Ekla that she needed full battle gear. After taking the time to ensure every piece of her armor was right, she’d met Lord Velal with six other knights, at the edge of the wall that guarded the castle.

The second sign that there was trouble was her being made field medic. Not that she minded; she was good at it, but routine surveillance operations didn’t need a field medic, nor full battle gear. Lord Velal was quiet about both their objective and destination. When they set off, she didn’t know where they were going, but like every other knight in the court, she knew to follow Lord Velal without question.

The sun rose slowly as they rode southwest of the court, out into the wilderness beyond the walls. There were few settlements out here, where wild beasts could be prowling around any corner.

Ekla kept her guard up, still wondering what it was they were doing. Why all the secrecy? She knew the King’s inner circle had their secrets, and she knew something was going on. There were rumors of a black dragon lurking in Skwyr. She had a sinking feeling that this mystery mission involved that dragon somehow.

The sun was just peeking through the mountains behind them when she spotted smoke ahead of them. She focused her ki into her eyes, and saw something in the distance beyond the smoke.

A shape moved through the sky, away from them and the court. She could faintly make out the outline of wings. With one hand, she pulled her spyglass from a pouch on her side. There was no doubt about it: dragon. It was larger than any other she’d seen on her surveillance missions. One of its claws was curled around something as it flew off. She saw it for only a moment, then it was gone, concealed by the smoke ahead of them.

Her eyes darted to Lord Velal. Had he seen it? It was flying away, and their mission was likely to find survivors up ahead, so there was little she could do yet. She checked her helmet and activated the filter in it as they approached the smoke, then put her spyglass back into place.

Charred remains of tents littered the area. The fires had all burned themselves out, but the ruins stretched for at least a mile over scorched ground. There was no doubt about it; the dragon had been here.

Ekla dismounted along with the other knights. None of them needed the order; they started walking through the ruins, looking for any survivors sheltering among the dead.

She tested each step before putting her weight behind it, scouring ahead of and below her. She channeled her ki to her eyes and ears, checking her helmet every few steps to keep the smoke out. Several questions still fought for her attention, but she couldn’t be distracted. There’d be time to work out the problem later.

That’s not my concern either.

She turned over tents, but found charred remains of people. She tried to determine from which kingdom the tribe had originated, but there wasn’t enough left.

“Lord Velal,” one of the other knights said, “what did this?”

That’s not our concern right now, Ekla thought. Our only concern is to find survivors.

“The only thought you should be giving to that,” Lord Velal said as he too scavenged the remains, “is whether it’s going to come back.”

Ekla was the youngest master in the castle, but she knew better than to question Lord Velal. He wouldn’t keep secrets from them unless it was necessary.

You are capable of handling the worst. I will never shield you from the truth without good reason.

Respect and loyalty were two of the values on which she’d been raised. Lord Velal said it was one thing that had made her stand out when he’d selected her for master.

A sound caught her attention and she froze. Tuning out the sounds of the other knights, Ekla focused on that sound. A soft groaning, wheezing. The sounds of life.

She stepped through the ruins, keeping her focus on that sound. She could’ve missed orders, but she was following the more important ones. Besides, Lord Velal wouldn’t order them to quit until every inch of ground had been searched.

The sound came again, followed by a soft cough.

Ekla glanced back at Lord Velal, and saw that he’d heard it too. She caught his gaze, then turned her head towards the source of the sound. Through the smoke, she saw him nod.

“Hello?” she called.

Another cough through the smoke.

“Help.”

The voice was soft, wheezing, gasping in the smoke.

“I’m from the castle,” she said. “My name’s Ekla.”

“Help.”

“I’m going to get you out.”

She stepped closer, careful to avoid stepping on anything. She didn’t know what was alive or dead anymore, and she wouldn’t risk harming anyone.

“Help.”

“Keep talking. I’m coming to you.”

The voice got louder and louder as she approached. It was still faint, but strong enough that she could find it. She dragged a piece of ruined tent away, and found the owner of the voice.

It was a man. He was covered in soot and ash, but she didn’t see any burns on him. His back was to her, his arms wrapped around something. He wheezed and coughed in the smoke, but didn’t move, even after she’d freed him.

No, I didn’t free him. He could’ve gotten out.

“I’m…”

Her voice trailed off when she saw what he was holding. It was a little boy, no older than seven. Unlike the man Ekla assumed was his father, the boy’s skin was blackened, charred.

“I’ve got survivors!” she called.

The first step was to get them out of the smoke so she could work. She wasn’t far from the edge of the ruin. The ground had been razed, but it’d stopped smoking enough that she could setup a safe zone.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

She raced along the outside of the ruin, whistling for her horse to meet her. She grabbed her medical pack from the horse’s side, then sprinted back to the man and his son. She pulled out a pair of tied sticks from the pack. Pulling them apart, she activated the magic woven into the cloth.

The cloth hung in midair while she pulled a card out of a pouch strapped to her leg. She pressed her thumb and forefinger against the card, and the tiny runes that decorated the card glowed. She tore the card into pieces, throwing the pieces around her charges.

When the last piece landed, the two of them floated into the air, the man’s arms still firmly around his son. She gently lifted them up, the spell keeping them still, and moved them onto the stretcher.

Once they were out of the smoke, she took four rods from her pack. She stuck them into the ground, and a tent sprang out from them. She ducked inside, then had the stretcher set her patients down onto the ground.

“Can you hear me?” she asked the man.

His eyes fluttered open as she pulled out another pair of cards. She activated the first one, and the card turned translucent. Looking through it at the man, she saw everything about him. His heart was beating out of control, one lung had collapsed, and he was bleeding internally. She let go of the card, and it stayed suspended in midair. Activating the second one, she turned back to the boy.

Unlike his father, the boy’s damage was mostly external, but she saw signs of infection spreading throughout his body. His eyes and ears were gone, but only the eyes were permanent if she could save him. Neither patient was in good condition, but she chose the boy first.

She pulled two more supplies from her pack: a jar and a roll of bandages. Putting the jar on the ground, she grabbed a card from her pouch — with it broken into sections, she always knew which card she was pulling — then activated it and dipped it into the jar.

“You’ve got to let go of him,” she said softly. “I promise, I’m going to do everything I can for him.”

She gently pulled the man’s arms away, then pressed the card to the boy. The card, now covered in the ointment, spread it over the boy’s body. Once the card ran out, it flew down to the jar and returned to the boy.

“Report.”

“Two survivors, I think father and son,” she replied to Velal’s shadow in the tent entrance. “Boy’s covered in burns, but I should be able to stabilize him. Man’s got internal bleeding.”

“Help…”

Ekla turned back to the man, then grabbed the card floating in midair.

“You are in the hands of the court, now,” Velal said, his deep voice emanating calm. “You and your son both have long lives left to live.”

Her first step was to reinflate the lung so he could breath again. She stabbed a small tube into his chest cavity. Pulling it out, she slapped a small bandage on the wound, then moved down to his ribs.

“I don’t have everything I need here,” she said. “Not for him.”

“I’ve already sent for Lord Gorkle and his druids.”

Ekla thanked him silently for being prepared. As proud as she was to be trusted by Lord Velal, she wasn’t proud enough that she’d refuse help.

She wrapped bandages around the boy as the card worked over him with the ointment. She’d never been good with magic and its need for precision, but when the mages made her a tool she could use, she was all for it.

“Help…”

“I’m doing the best I can,” she said. “I promise, I’m going to do everything I can to keep you and your son alive.” She took another card out of her pouch. “First, I need to put you to sleep.”

The man looked into her eyes, pleading her to help.

“Help… her.”

She shot a glance at Velal, but his silence told her that they hadn’t found anyone else.

“Who? Who’s still missing?”

Some instinct in her told her she already knew the answer. She flashed back to the dragon, flying away from the carnage it’d created.

“Daughter… It… took…”

The man couldn’t form another word, nor was it safe to let him keep talking. Ekla took the card and laid it over the man’s eyes. She watched as he drifted off to sleep.

Her own breathing had gone shallow. That dragon hadn’t taken something from the tribe; it’d taken someone.

“We will get her back,” she said. “I promise.”