Iduna (13 page)

“That can’t be Chieshima,” Iduna said to herself. She was standing on the board with the single sail eased out and her arms fully extended. A moderate breeze of her own creation pushed from behind, and the ocean swells were just a few feet high, making for a smooth ride. Sailing was so much easier when she controlled the wind. It was late morning by the time she reached the island, if you could call the object in the shape of a box rising out of the ocean
an island
. She wouldn’t call it that.

The picture didn’t get any better as she got closer. The island looked about twenty miles long. A vertical wall of rock loomed up above her.

There was no beach.

There were no stairs.

Waves crashed against the base and sucked back into the ocean viciously. She grabbed the wind and used it to navigate around the island, staying clear of the churning water found at the base of the sheer cliffs. The entire island had the same problem. No beaches to land on, only smooth rock rising straight to the sky.

She dropped the wind, laid down the sail, and sat cross-legged on the board, floating, while she considered what to do next. The rig rose and fell gently with the passing swells. The sea was calm.

A ripple in the water caught her eye. She stared hard at the spot, waiting to see if anything was there or if it was her imagination. She’d learned to pay attention to her hunches.

She blinked.

One hard knock from below and she was thrown high into the air.

She splashed down thirty yards away from her rig and plunged deep beneath the water’s surface. Reacting quickly, she drew an air bubble around herself and pushed it as fast as she could toward the island. She looked back and saw the beast that had knocked her to the sky.

Its sinuous long silvery form slithered around her board. Her bubble caught the light from above the surface and drew the beast’s attention. His head swiveled toward her, and its jaws opened in a silent scream. His teeth were a wall of jagged spikes, close-set pins that promised pain.

She pushed the bubble as hard and fast as she could to get away. She was rapidly approaching the churning and frothing at the base of the cliffs.

There was no other choice.

She took a sharp turn down. Plunging to the deep, she felt the pressure build in her ears, and the bubble closed in around her. Claustrophobia gripped her chest, and nausea rose in her throat.

A dark shadow appeared beyond the white of the roiling water ahead. It appeared unmoving. Thinking of the waterfalls in Gaelen and the caves that resided behind them, she made a quick choice and forced her way through the tumultuous water.

The churning waves pummeled her bubble, and she bounced around, keeping just enough control to get through.

The dark shadow was a cave. The water in the cave was flowing inland, and Iduna followed the current. Sparing a look over her shoulder, she was relieved to see that the beast hadn’t followed her.

The current in the cave reversed as the waves ebbed and flowed. The undertow would suck her back out if she didn’t fight it. She pushed forward as hard as she could, the air in her bubble becoming stagnant. A flash of teeth back at the cave entrance spurred her on.

Like a cork popped from a bottle, she suddenly surged forward in a mad rush of current and propulsion.

The water calmed, and she continued forward. She was in complete darkness now. She used her senses to feel the walls around her and kept to the middle. Based on what she could tell about the rock, this was a lava tube. She could be in here for miles.

Her air supply wouldn’t last that long.

She kept going as fast as she could without hitting one of the side walls and popping her air bubble. The air inside it had reached a point where each breath felt like it gave her only half the oxygen she needed.

The tube appeared to be heading upward now—or maybe not. Her senses were beginning to fail.

If she could just make it another minute, she might have a chance. She could now see light coming from above.

But it was too far away.

Without warning, she breached the surface and gulped in the fresh air which permeated her bubble. The tube still had farther to go until it reached where the sunlight was pouring in, but thankfully she could fully breathe.

She swam to the side, dispensing with her air bubble, and began the long climb upward. She took her time going up the wall and was glad to be alive.

Iduna climbed out of the underwater cave into a tropical forest. It was quiet except for the splashing water in the tunnel below. Each splash bounced off the walls and up the tube. The cacophony of echoes was odd.

She adjusted the pack on her back and looked around. The trees were the tallest she’d ever seen, and vines snaked through the branches high above. Small glimmers of sunlight peeked through the dense foliage.

Sounds rose of something pushing through the vegetation far off to her right. It appeared to be something large which was heading toward her at a rapid pace. As it got closer, the snapping of different twigs at the same time changed her mind. There were many objects approaching, not just one.

She'd started to walk away slowly from the oncoming noise, then picked up her pace to a run, rapidly hurdling obstacles as she looked over her shoulder with growing fear. A deer, rhinoceros, ape, and cuffler emerged from the fray and ran faster toward her. She kicked into high gear. They ran around and brushed past her with other waves of creatures following hot on their heels. Small birds and bats flew by her.

A large shadow surrounded her.

Looking up, she saw the dragon. It was like a finely carved sheet of granite skimming over her head. The air off its massive wings knocked her to the ground like a bug.

In response and without thought, she reached out to grab the air with her will and added eddies to disturb the dragon’s flight. It tilted to and fro as it tried to master the new current. Sensing who was to blame, it looked back and blew a small flame in her direction as it continued moving forward. Iduna reached to use the wind to block the dragon fire and was completely shocked when it had no effect.

The fire kept racing toward her, and there was nothing she could do.

The wispy white flame licked her with a shocking cold before collapsing back on itself. She got to her feet and started running after the dragon’s vanishing figure.

She'd run for a while, then slowed as animals stopped passing her, and it became clear that nothing was chasing them. Since a dragon appeared in the image at Akio’s house, it must be the key to her training here.

Fingering the stitch in her side, she kept walking in the general direction the dragon had headed while she thought. What did she know about dragons? She now knew they were terrifying in person. What if it had turned the full force of its fire on her? She wanted, no needed, to unlock the Okeeno power and not die in the process.

Remembering all her lost friends, she had to admit that her life was worth nothing if she couldn't learn something here. Akio was right.

If the dragon was indeed the key, she would do whatever it took.

One problem—she didn't know what she needed from the dragon. Was she supposed to kill it? Was this some kill-or-be-killed scenario? She hoped not. The flash of opalescent scales, the fluid power, all made the creature beautiful.

She shook her head. “Stay grounded. Stay calm.”

Dragons were fierce, and her people evidently had no defense against them. Stopping fire was a basic skill. She'd learned to do it when she was twelve. Thinking about everything she'd read on the creatures, which hadn't been much, there'd been no mention of their fire properties.

Was it just her in danger from dragons? She couldn't count on it. The dragon was a danger to Lawanians, and she'd have to be prepared to kill the beast.

She cursed her past single-minded focus on spells at the expense of reading on other subjects like, say, dragons. If she could observe the dragon, maybe she'd find a hook, some way to approach, get close and learn or kill. Maybe it wouldn't remember her instinctive attempt to bring it down. She walked, and the sun rose higher. The wind had changed direction.

She'd need to learn more about the creature to find an angle and hopefully get a lead on what she was supposed to be learning overall. It was one thing to learn without any guidance; it was a whole other level of crazy to not even know what she was supposed to learn.

The mountain in front of her appeared exactly like the one in the metallic image at Akio's. Yorin, it looked tall. Clenching her fists by her side, squaring her shoulders, and fixing her gaze on the mountain, she flattened her lips in a straight line.

“I will do whatever it takes.”

She broke into a run through the overgrowth and ducked under fronds. When she reached the first enormous boulder, she drew dry dirt to her in a quick burst and rubbed it in to coat her hands.

She began her ascent not knowing exactly what she would find, but hoped it wouldn’t kill her.

Iduna pulled herself onto a ledge jutting from the side of the mountain. She’d been alternating climbing with running and scrambling over sections of boulders for hours. Just above her head was the bottom of a thick layer of cloud cover that sat atop the mountain.

Exhausted and wishing she was in better shape, she sank to the ground and leaned back against the face of the mountain. She took out some water and rice balls that were in her pack. Each of the rice balls had been carefully wrapped in banana leaves and had a sweet bean center. Her hands were getting roughed up from all the jagged handholds. She took out two socks from the pack and wrapped them around her palms.

The quiet was profound.

She couldn't remember when she'd heard such absolute silence. The rustling of her pack, then of the banana leaves seemed like the only sounds in the world. She relaxed into her perch and felt some of her nerves settle. The exertion, the action, had probably helped. Food made for her by others also touched a spot. Surat had frequently packed lunches for Iduna whenever the cook sent her looking for anything that required travel. It always reminded her why she was out there.

She set out with a little more energy and perspective.

Barely ten strides later, she rounded a corner and stopped abruptly. There stood a smaller golden version of the enormous gray dragon that had swooped over her that morning. It was no bigger than a cow, and the small pack of four-legged beasts surrounding it seemed to think it would be just as tasty.

Each of the beasts was as tall as a man with shaggy gray fur that drew back from their snouts in a sweeping mass. One beast bit into the small dragon's outstretched wing, piercing the thin wing with his fangs. Iduna could see the bones that ran medially from the base of its body out to the tip of its wing, like golden veined, ribbed paper.

The dragon struck at the grasping beast with its head. The dragon’s other wing was trapped under a boulder, pinning it down. The dragon gasped and puffed, its sides expanding and contracting rapidly, fluttering, as it faced its attackers.

Iduna stretched her senses to the boulder and tugged. It didn't move. She couldn't be sure the dragon would be able to fly off even if it were freed.

Another beast crept toward the rear of the dragon, his fangs dripping with drool, while the first one remained in front, growling. The third seemed to be eying the situation and would jump in once the other two attacked. They just wanted lunch, but today wasn't going to be their day if she had anything to do with it. This wasn't the dragon from the vision in Akio's shack, and maybe she was wasting valuable time, but there was something noble about its solo struggle.

She dug out the bag of matches from her pack, keeping her movements slow. She was upwind of the beasts and didn't want to draw attention. She lit the match just as the rear beast leaped onto the dragon's unprotected flank. The dragon's tail writhed as it sought to strike the beast off its back. Iduna split the small flame in three directions, hurling growing fireballs at each of the beasts, enough to smart and singe, but not maim. Their bodies jerked in shock, and they tried to bite where they were hit. Noses singed, they took off running.

The little dragon looked relieved but wary.

Iduna approached the injured dragon with her hands turned palm up and head lowered, making a crooning sound. It wasn't a scared child, but maybe the same rules applied.

“Everything will be all right, little one,” she said.

Getting closer, she could see the detailed circular patterns in the dragon’s light-gold scales. Its amber eyes were large in its relatively small horse-shaped face. The tip of its nose curved down into a pointed beak. She didn't think the dragon trusted her and wondered if she'd be its lunch if she freed it. It looked weak, but it was a dragon, not that she knew what that really meant.

She was still standing in front of the small golden dragon, entreating, when she heard the flap of large wings as a massive ruby-red dragon descended behind her.

Iduna swallowed. Standing between two dragons was not a good place to be.

Iduna could swear the golden dragon was laughing at her now in the quicksilver change of mood of the young. Iduna glowered at the small dragon and turned to face the much, much larger one.

“Hi,” she said. Her Lawanian formality deserted her.

“What are you doing?” it asked. Each word sent a wave of warm air in Iduna's direction. Her whole body heated, and her face turned a deep red. It wasn't going to be easy staying cool.

“I just saved this dragon. I assume it’s yours. It was about to be eaten by a pack of four-legged beasts.”

“I only see a two-legged stick.”

The small dragon made a sound as if it were calling to the larger one. This seemed to swell the red dragon even larger; pent-up violence radiated from its scales, creating a heat shiver.

She turned back to the small dragon, saying, “Hush.” Facing the red dragon, she said, “Those bites in your baby's wing aren't mine.” She gestured to the punctured wing.

The adult dragon became even angrier, its red scales now a deep maroon. It was at least starting to look around, searching for someone else to blame other than Iduna, which was just what she was hoping for.

She used its inattention. She felt for the fissures in the boulder, found them, and it crumbled, freeing the baby dragon. The red dragon moved forward to inspect her youngling, barely avoiding crushing Iduna in the process. She knew being between them wasn't going to be a good thing. Both creatures were exchanging coos and purrs. The sounds from the red dragon started to sound a bit sharp, then went back to nurturing.

Iduna backed away a few feet but stayed near to see what would happen. She fought her flight instinct. She must.

The red dragon was curled around the golden youngling — the baby dragon's face was hidden under its wing. The red dragon turned a cool gaze to Iduna. Its red eyes were disarming. “I owe you my thanks. My name is Rubino, father to my son, Esten. Who are you?”

“I'm Iduna of Lawan, Elite Spellcrafter.”

“Iduna of Lawan, this isn't Lawan. Why are you here?”

“I came here to look for you. I need to learn from you.”

“You didn't come for the music?” Rubino nudged the youngling with his nose. “Now that is surprising.”

“Music?”

“Haven't you heard it? It was very loud this morning.” He looked at her appraisingly. “You're not affected by it, are you?”

“Since I don't really know what it is and I seem to be the same as yesterday, I'd have to say not. If you don't mind explaining, what is ‘it’ and how are people usually affected?”

“The music of the island enchants creatures and can drive them crazy. Many are drawn to the island from far and wide, only to find themselves prisoners of their delight.”

“Is that why you came here? You don't seem enchanted or affected either.”

Rubino considered Iduna until Esten made a little noise. “Yes, we were drawn to the island by its music. It is glorious and ever-changing. It stirs the blood and makes you feel. …When this little one was born, my mate and I went different ways. She's still mesmerized by the music.” Rubino looked away as if searching the mists for his mate. “But I'm with the little one.” He looked down with affection as his son looked up at him. “He saved me.”

Iduna was awed by the bond between them and sad to hear of their separation from the boy’s mother and the father’s mate. It reminded her of the bonds she’d had, the people she loved, who were now lost. Her face hardened. She did have an agenda and brought herself back to it.

“How do you both stay immune to the music? We have a problem on the mainland, and I'm hoping you can help me.”

“I've had enough of talking to humans. It's time for you to leave now.”

“But people are being enslaved, drained of liveliness. They won't survive.”

Rubino rose to his full height. “It is time you go.” Small flames punctuated his words.

She stood unmoved.

He sent a wall of fire at her, and she twirled around to escape getting burnt to a crisp. As she staggered to find her footing and ran back down from where she came, she cursed. She needed to learn, or die.