Lady Dragon, Tela Du Read online

  “So, what is this place?” he asked. “Laura said that it’s called Rizkaland, and Noraeto and his parents have told us about your Dragon Sorceress Queen and the fact that Petra looks like her and is therefore prophesied to fight her. We’ve already observed that you have some pretty colorful flora. Beyond that, we’re really quite clueless.”

  “Yes, this land is ruled by Queen Amber, also known as the Lady Dragon,” explained Rintaya. “It wasn’t always so. Fifty years ago, we were ruled by four kings and four queens. They were young, but they loved this land and their people, and they honestly did their best. But then Amber came and killed them, and now she reigns over us with terror.”

  “Why’d she kill them?” asked Petra.

  “Because she wanted their thrones and the power that Alphego had given them,” Rintaya explained. “Although she appears to be about your age – how old are you, dear?”

  “Sixteen.”

  “Indeed? Well, that’s even more perfect, for Amber is frozen at the age of sixteen, even though, in truth, she’s seen the passing of over six thousand years.”

  “That’s … that’s old,” said Petra, giving a bouncing nod, her expression pure skepticism. “And I’m expected to kill her?”

  “Yes, dear, I’m getting to that,” said Rintaya, reaching over and patting her hand – a gesture which Reuben was sure that Petra didn’t appreciate. “You see, Amber has lived so long that it has made her jealous, and she was severely disappointed when Alphego gave the Eight rule over this land instead of her.”

  “So she killed them?”

  “Not the Eight,” said Rintaya, shaking her head. “With Alphego’s help, the Eight and the Ten banished her to her island, also known as the Isle of Banishment, where she’s lived for most of the last two thousand years. It was the descendants of the Eight whose lives she stole, not the Eight themselves.”

  “I see.” Petra managed to layer her own version of ‘I don’t believe you’ into those words.

  “Amber’s life has been unnaturally long,” Rintaya continued. “But she cannot die of natural causes, nor can just anyone kill her. Only the Tela Du has been given that ability, and as you are the Tela Du, that means you.”

  “I really hate to break it to you this way, but I have no experience with killing, especially not women who are six thousand years old and who look just like me. This queen can turn into a dragon. How is this in any way fair?”

  “I would say that this is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Rintaya. “I do understand your concerns, child, and be assured that I’m not trying to brush them aside, but you must understand our plight. Amber is not our true queen, though she masquerades as such, and she oppresses us terribly. How is that in any way fair?”

  “Does she not provide free healthcare?” asked Petra.

  Reuben snorted. Petra would bring that up.

  “No, she doesn’t, nor any sort of healthcare at all.” Rintaya shook her head, eyes wide and innocent. “Not only that, but she has severely restricted our education – no child is allowed to attend school, save in winter months, and she has banished winter.”

  “The seasons themselves obey her bidding?” asked Petra, scoffing.

  “She’s a powerful sorceress,” Reuben leaned over to remind her. “They probably do.”

  “And I’m expected to fight her?” Petra seemed obsessed with that point. “May I point out that I’m just a normal girl? I haven’t any sort of powers.”

  And here it came – if Rintaya was any sort of proper wise woman she’d have some trinket or amulet, or a prophecy to point them to one…

  Maybe some kind of magic weapon…

  Rintaya pressed her lips together and stood. “Petra, Reuben, I’d like to take you to my home.”

  Or that worked, too.

  “Why?” asked Petra, standing as well. “Do you have some sort of secret weapon or anything like for me to use against her?”

  “I can’t say that for certain,” said Rintaya. “But since my husband is the Bookholder we live in the Bookholder’s suite, which is within Loray castle.”

  “Am I expected to know what that means?” asked Petra, tilting her head to the side. “Because I don’t. What’s a Bookholder? What’s so important about Loray castle?”

  “The Bookholder is the most important role an elf can fill here in Rizkaland,” Rintaya explained. “He’s the only person who can read a special book, containing prophecies and wisdom from Alphego himself. Loray is a castle built at the heart of Rizkaland. The kings and queens ruled from there, and it was there that most of them died.”

  “So, you guys are actual elves?” asked Reuben, as he stood. Now things were going somewhere again.

  “We are,” Rintaya confirmed.

  “Awesome. I had kinda suspected it, what with your pointed ears and all that.” Then Reuben frowned. “Except, if you’re elves, why do you need us to fight your queen for you? We’re just human, after all. It’s not like we have super stealth or incredible eyesight or anything like that.”

  Petra coughed.

  “My dear Reuben,” said Rintaya, with a chuckle and a shake of her head, “there is nothing just about being human. All of the great heroes of our legends, with the exception of Bookdaughter Klora and very few others, have been human.”

  “But we’re just normal!”

  “Normal as can be,” Petra put in.

  “Normal as you define it, yes,” said Rintaya, tilting her head to the side. “Perhaps elves are different in your world, but here in Rizkaland, humans are, as a whole, a far more advanced race than the elves, both physically and mentally.”

  “Oh, I see,” said Reuben, disappointed. “That’s different from what I usually read. Our world doesn’t actually have any elves, just stories about them. What about half-elves?”

  “Half-elves?” Rintaya repeated, raising an eyebrow.

  “You know, when elves and humans intermarry, are their children anything special?”

  Rintaya shook her head. “Elves and humans don’t intermarry.”

  “Oh,” said Reuben, letting his shoulders drop in disappointment. “What about the Lady Dragon? What’s she?”

  “She’s not elf; we know that for certain from her ears,” answered Rintaya. “Perhaps she’s human, perhaps she’s something completely different. We don’t know. Now, are you coming or not?”

  Reuben put an arm around Petra’s shoulders. “Despite whatever protests she might make, we’re ready.”

  Petra ducked out of his hold.

  They followed the woman out of the house, where the family was waiting patiently, all seated in a row on a bench. Noraeto leaped to his feet. “Is she convinced?” he asked excitedly. “Will Petra fight the Dragon for us?”

  “I’m not sure I’d go that far just yet,” said Rintaya, glancing back to Petra with a smile. Petra’s scowl deepened. “But I do believe that I’ve made progress.”

  Before Petra could say anything in denial of Rintaya’s “progress,” an older elf rounded a corner in the path and drew up short as he stared at Petra. “By the rainbow feathers,” he muttered. “Do my old eyes deceive me? I had thought I left the Dragon and her husband behind at her castle, but here they stand before my own home!”

  “Father!” cried Linette, leaping to her feet and rushing to him. “The Tela Du is here at last – can you believe it?” She took his arm and pulled him closer. “Her name is Petra, and this is her friend, Reuben. She’s going to rescue us from the Lady Dragon!”

  “Indeed?” said the man. He stepped towards Petra, pressed a fist over his heart, and gave a deep bow. “In that case, we welcome you with open arms and great joy.”

  “And my welcome here is entirely dependent on my willingness to fight a dragon who will probably kill me?” asked Petra.

  “Ah, don’t expect miracles out of her just yet, Marno,” said Rintaya, stepping over to lay a hand on Petra’s shoulder. Reuben took a step closer in case Petra reacted. She didn’t like it when strangers touched
her without permission. “She’s young, and new to this world, and has not yet accepted her role. Give her time.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Petra muttered

  Rintaya gave a small laugh, then leaned over and whispered something in Petra’s ear. Reuben couldn’t hear what she said, exactly, but it was something about meeting an Alphego.

  Petra jerked away from her, and Reuben tensed. “I have trouble believing that,” she growled.

  She seemed ready to lash out physically on the woman, so before she could do anything she regretted – slapping Noraeto’s father had been bad enough, but Rintaya was an old woman – Reuben grabbed her wrist. He braced himself for an attack, but when it didn’t come, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Petra, behave. These people have clearly been without hope for a long time. If nothing else, can you at least play along?”

  Petra said nothing but didn’t fight his hold on her hand. She just stood there, sullen and quiet.

  “Perhaps so,” said Marno. “Eh, ‘tis sad how many people doubt the power of Alphego these days, even here in Rizkaland. But, Rintaya, I have a question for you, since you’re the only one who knows the prophecies anymore.”

  “Not as well as Adnama, but my sister-in-law is in Klarand and sadly not available at the moment. I am, so let’s hear it,” answered Rintaya, stepping away from Petra. Reuben felt Petra relax.

  “Are there any prophecies that speak of the Tela Du having a male companion?”

  Reuben drew back. Was he not supposed to be here? Were they going to send him back and make Petra face the Dragon all on her own?

  “None,” said Rintaya. “But this should not be a cause for doubt. The prophecies are never complete, never telling the full story, merely giving glimpses so that we can prepare for what is to come.”

  “I wasn’t trying to cast doubt,” said Marno. “Indeed, his presence seems to me an absolute confirmation as to her identity as the Tela Du. It would be rare enough to find a young woman with Amber’s face, but to find her standing beside a young man who so closely resembles her silent husband … that is only something Alphego’s providence can plan.”

  “What do you mean by ‘her silent husband’?” asked Reuben, his heart skipping a beat.

  “Amber’s husband,” explained Marno. “His name is Granite. Few have met him for he never stirs outside the walls of her castle. I work there, a rash decision I made in my youth that I’ve since regretted. But it’s given me the opportunity to see and even speak with him on occasion. You, young man, look just like him. Or, rather, you would if there wasn’t quite so much enthusiasm in your expression.”

  “So, does this mean that I have to kill him?”

  He felt Petra start squirming, but this was too interesting of information for him to pay her mind.

  “I don’t think that can be said for certain,” replied Marno. “As Rintaya says, there aren’t any prophecies that speak of you. But it can’t be any coincidence that you have come with the Tela Du.”

  “Oh.” Reuben glanced down, disappointed, and noticed that Petra was prying at his hand. “Petra, what are you doing?” he asked, even as he winced, realizing it for himself. Somewhere in his excitement, he had tightened her grip on her wrist. He let go of her immediately.

  “Self-preservation,” she informed him, sharply, confirming his guilt. She held up her arm. “Next time you get excited about prophecies, can you please not be holding my wrist?”

  “I’m so sorry.” He carefully took her wrist to examine it more closely. “Did I hurt you?”

  Petra yanked her hand out of his, spun around, and marched away. “Which way to your house, Rintaya?” she asked. “Or do I just stumble around until I find a castle?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Rintaya, and there was a laugh in her voice. “You might end up at Amber’s castle, and you’re far too unprepared to have the final war just yet. Follow me.”

  Chapter 5

  Rintaya’s “house” proved to be a doormat.

  At least, that was the only thing Petra saw that even remotely resembled a home when Rintaya stopped walking and declared that they’d arrived. It certainly didn’t look like the castle the woman had promised.

  “Is your house magic?” asked Reuben.

  “What do you mean?” asked Rintaya, glancing towards him.

  “It’s just that, typically, when someone says castle, I picture a large fortress with lots of towers, maybe a moat with a small sea monster in it, definitely some heavy walls, and I don’t see anything like that here.”

  “Oh,” Rintaya nodded slowly. “Then I suppose I do understand your confusion.”

  “Does ‘castle’ mean something else here in Rizkaland?” asked Petra.

  “Oh, no,” said Rintaya, shaking her head. “Indeed, your definition is pretty much spot on for what we describe as well.”

  “Then where is it? You said we’ve arrived, but there’s no castle in sight,” said Petra. “All I see are lots of trees, and a doormat.”

  “The doormat, precisely,” said Rintaya. “You see, Loray itself may not be magic, but it’s also pretty far away, and it’d take us a good two day’s journey if we were to walk the whole way – perhaps longer, given my old feet. But the Bookholder must be accessible to all of Rizkaland at any time, so these doormats are scattered all across the mainland. All you need to do if you’ve the need to visit the Bookholder is step on a mat, say the words, ‘welcome says me’ and you’ll be spirited into his library, quick as you can blink. Then all you need to is step off the mat to make sure the person after you can follow.”

  “Is it safe?” asked Petra.

  “Oh, of course they are. I’ve been using them for years, and it’s never hurt me in the slightest. Now, on you go, my dear, unless your friend would like to test the waters and go first?”

  Petra glanced back at Reuben, who was regarding the mat with a curious, even eager expression. He met her eye with a raised eyebrow. “Would you like me to?”

  She shoved him onto the doormat. “You’d better, after the way you tried to cut off the circulation to my hand just now.”

  He put up his hands as he stepped onto the mat. “Fine, fine. Welcome says me.”

  He instantly vanished from sight.

  Rintaya turned to Petra. “Now, give him a moment, and you may follow.” She paused and shook her head. “Deny it as you will, but that is a man in love, and you are a lucky young lady.”

  Petra sighed. “I’ve never denied that he likes me. We’ve been friends for my whole life, and he’s had time to bring up the issue a few times. And before you judge me for stringing him on, I’m only sixteen and not ready for that sort of relationship yet. We’ve discussed this as many times as he’s brought it up. We still have our lives ahead of us, and unless something catastrophic happens, neither of us is going to disappear from the other’s life anytime soon, so it’s not an issue.”

  “Oh, I see.” Rintaya nodded, slowly. “You know, here in Rizkaland, it’s not unheard of for human girls to have their Tying Ceremonies at a mere sixteen, although it’s more common among royalty.”

  “Tying Ceremonies?”

  “Oh, you know – the ceremony where a couple declares their devotion and love to each other before witnesses and Alphego so that they might be henceforth considered one.”

  “So, in other words, a wedding?”

  “If that is what the ceremony is called in your world, then yes,” Rintaya confirmed. “There is a law here in Rizkaland that no ruler can rule untied, no matter what position they might have.”

  Petra blinked. “Does this law apply to me? Is the Tela Du expected to rule something once she’s taken care of the Dragon? Don’t you think you should have mentioned this sooner?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t answer for certain,” Rintaya admitted. “There are no prophecies that directly refer to you ruling, but there are some veiled hints, most notably in the first prophecy that Alphego gave directly to Amber herself – the victor
of the final battle shall reign unchallenged ever afterward. Also, given that our previous kings and queens are dead and history has a habit of giving thrones to those who defeat Amber, I think you should at least be aware of the possibility.”

  “Well, I appreciate your foresight on the matter.” Petra laced the words with every ounce of sarcasm she had. Then she stepped onto the doormat, and said the words, “Welcome says me.”

  Immediately the forest’s brilliant colors blurred together until everything was silver. It wasn’t painful, not in the least, though there was a sickening feeling of disembodiment in the pit of her stomach. The next moment, colors swirled back into existence, and she was standing in a library between two long shelves of books. Reuben was sitting on the floor in front of her, reading.

  He glanced up at her, sliding his glasses down his nose. He was far-sighted, and only wore his glasses to read; something she envied since she was nearsighted and needed hers all the time.

  “There you are, Petch. Did it take Rintaya that long to convince you that the Doormat was safe?”

  “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” she answered, reluctant to tell him what she and Rintaya had discussed. “Good book?”

  “Don’t know yet. I just picked it up and the spelling’s making it hard to read,” he answered. “Come on, and get off the mat so Rintaya can follow.”

  “Yeah,” said Petra. She stepped off of the mat, hugging her arms to her chest. “Reuben…”

  “Yes?” He pushed his glasses back onto his nose and returned to reading. Which meant she probably didn’t have his full attention.

  Part of her clamored to tell him about the Tying Ceremony, about everything Rintaya had just said, to make sure he was okay with it and that they were still on the same page.

  As she watched him turn a page, she decided to hold her peace. Just as she knew the depths of those gray eyes of his, just as she knew that he would stand by her no matter what happened or how grumpy she was, just as it took both her hands to count the times he’d asked her to marry him, serious or in jest – she knew he’d be okay with the idea. More than okay, even. She was the one who wasn’t. As long as he didn’t know about the possibility, things didn’t have to change between them. Everything else was changing far too quickly. They could hold off on this one.