Shadows of Night pt 8

It was hours before Clerics were sent to take Melanth back to the pool, but by that time their plans were well made and finalised. Melanth feigned sleep upon the comfortably warm stone floors, surprised to find that he really was drifting off to sleep when they gave up their attempts to wake him and retired back to their posts, discussing amongst themselves that there would be no harm in simply letting sleeping dragons lie.
He waited for night to fall before waking Katrina with a gentle nudge. She was still terribly pale, so much so that she looked like an unearthly wraith in the darkness as she managed to climb from her bed with his assistance. She steadied herself on the railing of the bed, testing her strength after days of immobility. Her breathing was laboured at first, but then became steady as her strength grew. Melanth watched on, surprised at the speed at which she recovered. Clearly the Gift was strong with her.
“This is your idea.� She said, slightly more colour in her cheeks than before. “How are we going to get past the guards?�
“Leave that to me.� He said, withdrawing into a more spacious part of the room. With his night vision he could see Brother Guan still comatose in his bed, doped with the same drug they had used to keep Melanth immobile whilst he recovered. Melanth checked that the night-seeing Saris was truly asleep, and satisfied that he was, closed his eyes and concentrated.
He doubted he would be able to explain to Katrina, but made a mental note to try in any case. The Diviner would have probably understood better, he thought, but it would still have been hard going to explain. Primal magic was magic in its pure form; not the limited, diminished form that the Naka manipulated. It took a few moments, but he finally found what he was searching for, lodged deep amongst his memories and driven like a tunnel between the foundation of both mind and body. It was like a door, if one could visualise such a thing in the confines of their mind, although, rather than a simple fallacy of the mind this one had physical connotations. Perhaps it could be said to be a door between the mind and the body. He did not fully understand the workings himself; perhaps only one still lived who did, but then again, no one needed to understand the workings of magic to garner a cause and effect from it. He opened the door and stepped through it.
The sensation was not un-akin to falling, but without the sensation of movement. As a hatchling he had dreamed of falling off a great cliff to the rocks below and likened the sensation to that particular nightmare. It was not painful not unpleasant in its own way, but it was a profoundly disturbing experience to feel his bones slither like lithe snakes as they resized and reformed beneath his decreasing form. The process lasted less than three seconds, although it had seemed much longer and he rose to his feet; two feet now, instead of four.
“What is going on Melanth?� Katrina said, looking around sightlessly in the pitch darkness. Unsteadily, unused to walking upon two legs, he made his way over to her and gripped her hand in his own. She stifled a gasp, realisation dawning on her face.
“We call it the khutit form.� He said, flexing muscles that were now in odd positions. He felt strangely vulnerable now, so much smaller and shallower of scale. “It is a form partway between Dragon and Naka that we use when dealing with your kin, smaller and weaker, but more suited to your structures.�
“You transformed?� She whispered in disbelief. Tentatively she reached out a hand to his own, tracing it up his arm to confirm what her eyes could not see. His form was still scaled but now bipedal, dog-legged and awkward; more suited to four legs than the two it was reduced to. His wings were a shadow of their former selves, shrunken to vestigial appendages that hung from his hunched back like a leathery cape, his tail stretched out behind him for balance. It was a form that took considerable practice to master, but one that had its uses. For one thing it was much easier to manoeuvre unseen in this smaller form, where his natural body was bulky and unsuited to stealth.
Uncomfortable with her scrutiny he made do with describing his new appearance, and the reasons behind it. She nodded in acknowledgement, replying “What about our gear?�
“We shall have to leave it all, I am afraid.� He said, dropping his tones to a whisper as someone moved past outside. “Out flight will be short, hopefully no more than two sunsets. Besides, I do not want to have to hurt these Clerics to escape. They were kind to us, after all.�
“I thought that Dralk was many leagues from here?� She whispered, uncertain.
“It is.� He affirmed. “But it is not to Dralk that we travel, at least not first. I will tell you more as we travel, but for now we had best be on our way.�
The monks had long since retired to their beds, and only in light of recent events had guards been posted within the tower. The guards were unaccustomed to their posts and incautious; they did not look properly, did not stare into shadows or watch patterns of light and darkness. Both of them barefooted it was little difficulty to slip silently and unnoticed between bars of moonlight that shone in great ghostly beams through the windows, slowly making their way towards the entrance Forum. Melanth held fast to Katrina’s hand as a guard trudged past less than a foot from their hiding place in the shadow of a pillar, head drooping in fatigue. He turned to regard her, expecting to see her mortified but was surprised to see a grin of mischievous mirth spread wide across her face.
“You truly are Gifted.� He whispered with a grin of his own when the danger had passed.
“I used to play this game all the time as a child in Parsinia.� She said. “Only Saris can see in the dark, so you have to have talent to be any good at it.� She added immodestly.
“Let us hope they haven’t got any Saris on patrol.� He added, before snaking onwards to the next shadow.
Luckily no more patrols were forthcoming and they reached the Forum un-accosted. Melanth immediately saw a problem and cursed himself for not remembering. He had been so busy ruing that **** necklace they had been forcing him to wear when he entered the Forum that he had failed to take note of the two massive stained glass friezes that flanked the doorway, illuminating virtually the entire forum to moonlight. They also illuminated the two guards stood either side of the doorway, humans. Unlike the others they had encountered these had the look of veterans about them. They were alert and staring hard into the shadows around the floor, and Melanth scrutinised them from cover of the passageway. They were both clad in dented armour and carried none of the rings or medallions he had previously associated with Clerics; a sure sign that they had seen combat. Rings got caught on stuff and could tear your fingers off, and necklaces gave your foe something to hang on to.
“Trouble?� she whispered, aware of the delay.
“Yes,� He said, still trying to figure out a way around them. They had most of the lines of sight covered, so rushing them wasn’t really an option unless he wanted to be turned into a kebab. There was a long shadow between the penumbras of the friezes, but the men looked like the kind who might expect that sort of trick. If they were smart enough and paranoid enough they would have put down caltrops in the recesses of the forum, where the shadows were deepest. After all, he thought, that’s what I would have done.
“Is there a way around?� She asked, pressing her back to the wall instinctively. He shook his head.
“Not unless we want to go breaking glass, and then we would have the entire tower down on top of us with swords drawn. I wonder...� His eyes darted around the corridor and found what they were looking for. He grinned inwardly to himself, pleased for thinking it up.
“How long ago did the last patrol pass?� He asked, trying to remember himself.
“Just over two minutes ago, why do you ask?�
“I have an idea. This tower is what... about a hundred meters around the base would you say?�
“Something like that, what do you have in mind?�
“I reckon we have about seven minutes before that patrol comes back.� He said, moving further down the corridor, out of earshot of the forum. He lifted the hauberk from one of the numerous sets of armour that adorned the walls of the Tower and passed it to Katrina. “Put this on.�
“I see where this is going, will we have time?� She said, dutifully undoing the ancient straps and sliding it into place over her white chemise.
“If we are quick, enough for the full set.� He said, passing her the breastplate. Further down the corridor he found a set of armour intended for a Sslik and began to similarly outfit himself. He worked with the straps and buckles quickly, helping Katrina heft the heavy mail shirt over her own shoulders, holding the metal firm to her body to stop the rings jingling. By sheer luck Katrina’s armour was a near perfect fit, obviously intended for a woman. The same could not be said for his own, which had perhaps been meant for a more portly creature. The thick plates clanked and clattered together when he tested them, and he was forced to pad them out with shreds of a nearby drape. Katrina hefted a mattock he passed to her, nearly dropping it as the weight unbalanced her, choosing for himself a notched and well worn Greatsword from the wall.
“No, hold it in your right hand.� He said, passing her some final instructions. “They always train you to fight right handed. Balance it on your shoulder like a pickaxe, yes, like that. Droop your shoulders a bit and act as though you’re tired. Now, try to keep a rhythm in your step and let me do the talking.�
He set off at a reasonable pace, timing his steps to be a little out of sync with Katrina’s but not wantonly slovenly. The guards stood up from their fatigued slouch as they approached. Melanth kept his wings tight to his back, bringing himself and Katrina to a stop just outside of the penumbra of the light. Now to see if they were good enough; it was one thing to bluff, but the other person had to believe your lie...
“We arrre yourrr relief.� He said, managing a passable imitation of a Sslik voice. “Sstand down and may the godss watch overrr yourrr ssleep.�
He hoped that he got the traditional greeting right; it was one he had heard often amongst the human armies of the north, but there was no way of knowing if it applied to Clerics too.
The two guards looked at each other.
“We are not due to be relieved for half an hour.� Said one of them suspiciously.
“There iss and extra sshift today.� He replied, wondering just how long was left until the patrol came back. He was going to have to convince them quickly or this was going to have to turn ugly, and then an idea struck him and he added; “Abbot Aralorrr requessted a sstepping up of perssonell.�
“The old Abbot is awake?� Said the other of the two, leaning forwards as though to inspect them. “The Sages said he wouldn’t wake for days. Where is your identifica-“
So much for the good idea. The guard folded up in silent agony as the flat of Melanth’s Greatsword caught him in a place where his bottom armour didn’t protect and his top armour didn’t cover. He spun to face the other guard, who had only just managed to get his hand on the hilt of his sword when Katrina hit him a backhanded blow with her hammer that knocked his helmet to the ground with a clatter of falling metal. Melanth tore off his own helmet and head-butted the man squarely between the eyes, catching him as he fell and lowering him gently unconscious to the ground.
“Someone could have heard that.� He said, ramming his helmet back onto his head. “Quick, help me get the bars off these gates.�
It took a few moments to shift the stout oak, but when they did the gates slid open freely. After a final check to see that both guards were alive and that not permanent harm had been done, they sprinted out into the darkness, kicking up puffs of dust that glittered ghostly silver in the moonlight. Melanth took them along the path for a short way, aware that it would be only a matter of moments until the signs of their escape were discovered. With a start he realised that Katrina was falling behind, and cursed himself for not remembering her condition. He stopped a short way from where the path diverged north and south and waited for her to catch up.
“Armour really chafes.� She panted, steadying herself with her hands on her hips as he began to strip off his own kit. Most of the parts he stuffed into the mail hauberk and used the wads of padding to tie the larger plates into a more manageable bundle.
“This might take a moment.� He said, dumping the bundle at her feet. He dug around inside his mind for the same door as before, easier to find this time. He opened the door and connected the pathways but this time in reverse, feeling the magical restraints that held him to this form unravel and break. There was a dizzying moment of vertigo and the sensation that for a moment he was in two bodies and none at the same time, but it passed quickly. Melanth, dragon once more stretched out, exultant that he was free of the horribly compressed biped form.
“Climb aboard.� He said, guiding her hand to his flank with his muzzle. Katrina fumbled blindly for a few moments trying to find a foot hold, but with his help managed to overcome both her inexperience at mounting in the dark and the restricting armour. When she was settled in place he tested the wind lightly, her scent betraying her fear.
“Still scared?� He said teasingly. “I thought you would be getting used to this by now.�
“I don’t think I will ever get used to it.� She said, her voice strained and tired. Without a further word Melanth gathered up the bundle in his forepaws and lifted the two of them gently into the air.

***

Dawn approached, and he had to rest.
He set them down on a rocky overhang, now well past the foothills of the Granitefall mountains. No doubt the hills surrounding the Tower would be swarming with Clerics by now, but he was beyond caring. Katrina half slid half fell from his back the moment he landed, lying face down on the unyielding stone.
“Why did I agree to this?� She said as much to herself as to the world at large, before retching noisily. Melanth himself all but collapsed, the journey having fatigued him far more than even the most rigorous training exercise. Clearly he was not fully healed either.
“Think yourself fortunate,� He panted, “That this is not Dralk. They would have had you doing exactly this as soon as you were awake.�
“That sounds horrible.� She said, loosening the chafing armour. Her white chemise was marked with rivulets of sweat and torn where Melanth’s scales had caught it. She let out an audible sigh as she tossed aside the heavy cuirass, flumping onto her back in relief.
“You get used to it.� He muttered. “Weakness can’t be tolerated. Dralk is a barren place and full of the worst kind of monsters. If a hatchling gets lost they need to know how to navigate, fight and find food and water in the wastes. It is not a land that fosters weaklings, nor forgives mistakes.�
“That sounds horrible too...� She said dreamily, hands behind her head. He waited until she was asleep, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest to assure himself that she was not terribly ill before nodding approval to himself. In a week she had endured an assault on her mind and body that would have killed a normal human and still been well enough to escape under guard and show no signs of lasting damage. She was tough; even ungifted she would have been an unusually resilient and adaptable human. He caught himself wondering vaguely how many days she would last in the Charred Wastes.
He stretched out in the rising sun, letting its warmth fill his blood and bring a little heat to his wind-chilled body. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had eaten; not the tasteless gruel of the Clerics, prudish Naka dishes or stringy wolf, but real meat. Fat venison, beef or even boar. The pickings in the mountains would be slim, and it had been some days since he had taken meaningful sustenance. With a groan he heaved himself aloft, scenting the air and tracing the faint wisps of odour to a nearby valley, sighting a herd of wild cows running for the cover of an overhang. He stooped and caught one in each forepaw, breaking their necks cleanly before struggling with them back to the impromptu camp. Far too ravished to even consider cooking them, he tore into the soft bellies of his kills, devouring them with hide and bones still intact, only belatedly realising that his companion was likely in the same state. He scraped together a few scraps of meat and presented them to Katrina, who had been awoken by the sounds of eager gurgitation, and accepted them gratefully despite the fact that the butcher had used his teeth. Katrina vacated the ledge which now resembled an abattoir, managing to start a fire with his sword and a lump of flint as Melanth drifted into sleep.
He awoke to the feeling of Katrina settling herself against his sun warmed body, disturbing him from dreams of hunting and females. The sun was much lower in the sky than he remembered it before he had drifted into torpor, and he realised with chagrin that he had slumbered the entire day away. Katrina looked better for a filling meal, smelling pleasantly of pine smoke, roast meat and the fresh, clear water she must have bathed in. She nestled into the crook of his right foreleg, pressing her back against his plated chest with a contented sigh.
“Make the most of it. This peace will not last.� He said, although his heart was not in the words.
“You said it yourself that nothing ever lasts, but maybe sometimes it’s nice to pretend that it will. Are you always so grim?�
“Once, maybe not, but I grew up. Whimsical notions are not readily fostered amongst us. Hard as a rock has a literal meaning for dragons; orders must be issued and obeyed at a moment’s notice. Start messing with metaphor and you are in trouble.�
She settled back with a snort, watching the birds sing the evening chorus as they flitted from tree to tree. The sky glowed red like the last embers of a mighty fire, the sun sinking beyond the horizon like the closing of an eye. He fancied he could see the faint smoke trails of settlements off to the west, and knew longing suddenly; longing not for bloody revenge as was all he has sought or given or expected of life, but for companionship of another. It was a strange feeling; his entire life he had never relied or truly trusted anyone. There were a few he counted as friends, but he had always believed that in some fundamental way they slowed him down, or hurt him when they passed. His thoughts returned to Jarlneria, how as hatchlings they would chase each other through the great sulphur crystals of the Char when the officers weren’t looking, or how they first tested their wings together amongst the lofty spires of lava and ash. How she would always slip away from him effortlessly, only to sneak up from a different angle and wrestle in midair, her tender touch...
“Is something wrong?� Katrina asked, looking up at him. With a start he realised that he had been staring at the horizon, lost in thought for nearly ten minutes. He immediately began to think up excuses, but gave it up as a wasted effort.
“Just remembering and old friend who died... not so long ago.� He said, laying his head down between his forepaws, refusing to meet her gaze. Katrina lapsed into silence for a moment, looking down at her feet before saying “I’m sorry.�
“Don’t be.� He murmured, closing his eyes. The sight of her scales, radiant even in death blazed across his mind. He tried to push the image aside, remember happier times but that same image returned again and again, haunting him like some laughing spectre. He gave up, opening his eyes again, taking refuge in the here and the now. “She was a great warrior,� He continued, “considered beautiful and full of grace by the standards of our kin. She could hold a thermal for an hour and not tire, and her eyes glittered like the burnished sun.�
“You speak fondly of her.�
“We were very close.� He murmured.
Katrina fidgeted in the dirt. “She was your wife?� She asked.
“Mate,� He corrected. “And no, although not without want on my part.� He allowed himself a private grin, remembering his early attempts at courting and how it failed miserably. They had both still been young and newly fledged, and she had treated his clumsy adolescent aerobatic displays like some kind of joke until he embraced her, and then winged off in a fury. They had remained the closest of friends, but he had never tried to woo her again. It was strange that only after her death he could admit to himself or anyone else what he had felt for her.
“It must have been hard for you.� She said sadly.
“Harder than anything I have ever seen. But I avenged her; I stepped over her body and smashed the corpse that had made her like himself, and I carried her back with us for a hero’s burial. No dragon would ask for more, and I know she would have been pleased.�
He saw another question forming in her mind, but was loath to answer.
“Have you ever lost anyone close to you?� He asked, more a statement than a question.
“I have.� She said, taken aback.
“Then understand that the pain is still fresh to me. I do not wish to discuss it.�
He subsided into silence, closing his eyes once again and putting an end to the conversation. Katrina shifted and eventually fell back into sleep as the night deepened.

***

The sun blossomed amongst the new dawn like a wolf amongst sheep.
During the night mist had crept in and thoroughly soaked everything, even sending wispy tendrils of seeping damp under Melanth’s scales and sapping him of much needed heat. His morning basking session took twice as long as normal.
Katrina was cranky as they set off northwards, clouds lapping around Melanth’s wings, the edges trailing wispy streamers into the clear sky. The leather of her armour straps galled horribly when wet and blood ran down her arms and legs where the bonds were tightest. Melanth tried to make her remove the armour before the injuries became permanent, but she insisted she would be in more discomfort from prolonged exposure to the horrible weather. He pressed onwards, using the updrafts of the foothills to carry him steadily higher, past the tree line where the Granitefall Mountains rose from the low world beneath like jagged teeth of some monstrous skeleton. Such stone was the bones of the world, it was said. When the air became too thin to breathe or support his weight he ser them down upon a shallow slope of a mountain he reckoned was close to where they needed to be.
“Where are we heading anyway?� Katrina asked, adjusting her skirts to a more comfortable position on his neck as he crawled up the slope on foot. “You never did tell me, only that we were headed to the dragons, but we must still be miles from Dralk.�
“We are more than half a continent away from Dralk if I remember the distances correctly.� He replied, circumnavigating a massive boulder. His claws gripped well on the loose sandy soil and he was as at home on foot as in the air. Katrina’s slight weight and their gear was barely a burden to him, but he felt strange, as though someone had packed cotton wool into his head. At first he put it down to the thin air at this altitude, but when his paw slipped in a scree pile he realised what the problem was.
“Katrina, I shall have to ask you to navigate.� He said, pushing his snout into the small depression his foot had created. No doubt about it.
“What for?� She asked, straining to look over his neck.
“Iron,� He said, scraping more of the shale away to expose the russet red stone beneath. Just being near it made him feel like he was suffering from a bout of flu; his eyes felt heavy, his mind thick and confused and the normally unwavering bars of the leylines oddly distorted. When Katrina looked at him as though he were mad he continued. “Dragons navigate by senses that humans do not have. The iron in these mountains throws off my senses like it would a compass; I cannot be relied upon to guide us northwards; I may inadvertently lead us astray.�
She shook her head.
“I have no maps, nor a compass- much good it would do us- nor do i know the lay of this land. You bring me to a foreign land and ask that I show the way?�
“Not the way, only the direction. He persisted, covering the iron ore with shale. That seemed to dull the distortion somewhat. “The place we seek is to the north. If we follow that direction we will surely come upon it or one of its vestiges. Surely humans taught you to find the north by sticks and shadows or such ilk?�
“I carried water, dug crops and mended nets Melanth.� She said with a dismissive tone. “I was not an adventurer or a militiaman required to be versed in field craft. All I can say of direction is that the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, but even that is not perfect- there is some mariner trick to deducing true north from it, but it is beyond me.� She stopped, looking around speculatively. “How high do you think we are?�
“Above the clouds, why do you ask?�
“I recalled a Saris fisherman speaking once of using the constellations as a guide.� She said, looking at the sky critically. It was obscured only by little icy cirrus clouds, barely more than a wisp of smoke upon the wind.
“You know these skills?�
“A little, there is one I remember that might serve us, but we will have to wait until night.� She paused. “It would still help to know where we were heading. Some outpost of the dragons?�
“If you could call it such,� He snorted. “We head to the city of Chiconis, refuge of the Helian faction of dragons.�
“The Helians dwell here, in this barren place?� She said. He snorted.
“The mountains are vast and perilous to cross on foot. By wing you would see that they are not so very barren as you believe. Meadows cling to the valley bottoms, prairies and lakes lie between the peaks. There is more than enough sustenance and raw materials here to support a city of dragons and several cities of men besides, though you may find humans scarce in these lands. The Helians take a different view of your kind than the Lunus, but they are by no means friends to you.�
As they waited for night to fall, Katrina took to building small piles of stones, balancing larger upon the smaller in an inverted pyramid. She wrapped herself in he remains of the tapestry they had taken from the Tower, shivering in the cold mountain air. Melanth paced in circles to keep his blood moving, not wishing to sink back into torpor. When the first stars of night began to outshine the sun it was great relief to them both, and Katrina was all but ecstatic.
“Look! There are the constellations!� She said. “I know how to read from them. See the brightest star in the night sky? That is the tip of Vandus’ sword, and those three close together ones are the crossguard. The sword always points due North West over Dalimond, the Saris say, thrusting its tip into... err... Dralk...� She finished with a sheepish expression.
“The ancient rivalries between Vandus and Lunus are not unknown to me.� Melanth said tonelessly. “Lunus was a slayer of men, as Vandus was a slayer of dragons. Such trivial altercations are meaningless in our more enlightened times, please continue.�
“Well, imagine a line running at a right angle of the crossguard and along the blade. That line would run North West to South East. All we have to do is keep ourselves at an angle to it and we will be heading north.�
“Clever.� Melanth conceded, picking her up gently in his jaws, ignoring her protests and depositing her on his back. “Keep your eye on the sky and tell me if I grow off course. It will take more than mountains to best us.�