Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles (26 page)

“And after we get out of here and return to Aeterra?”

Raylan felt frustrated. He was not any closer to an answer since he started asking himself the same questions this afternoon.

“I just don’t know. We’ll have to go report to the king and the council on this mission. He’ll want to see a real life dragon for himself, I reckon. As long as I can stay with him and protect him.”

“It might not be your choice, in the end.”

“I know, but I’ll try everything within my power so we’ll not get separated. He’ll need protection from people who mean him harm. He’s still so fragile. People might try to use him for their own good.”

Apparently satisfied by his answers, Xi’Lao gave a small nod and continued the conversation.

“I’m glad you’re taking this so seriously. I think you have a good heart, which I feel will take responsibility for Galirras, even if the road is not an easy one. Therefore, I would like to ask you to come with me to the Empire. Actually…I think you will need to,” said Xi’Lao, with a small smile.

“Why’s that?” he said, with a wondering expression on his face.

“Because I have a feeling that Galirras will not go unless you go, too. You say that you always had a feeling about me not telling you everything, right? Well, I think it is time I tell you what I know.”

This made Raylan wide awake. Maybe he would finally be able to get his questions answered.

Trying to find the right words, she took a moment to think about what to say.

“See, the stolen relic…Galirras’ egg…I just…it is more personal than you might think. It is not just the Empire’s safety and honor that is involved. You see, my full name is Xi’Lao Wén. The high monk, the one that skinny, blatantly insulting wretch was talking about this afternoon, the one person who was responsible for protecting the egg, his name was Lai’Ping Wén…he was my grandfather.”

Raylan looked at her with a gaping mouth. A few moments passed before he found his words.

“What do you mean, your grandfather? Were you at the place that got raided? What did you call it? The monastery?”

“No, I was never there. I mean, I have been there when I was younger. My parents died when I was very little, so I never really knew them. My grandfather raised me, at the monastery. However, I had been living in the capital, for a number of years, before the attack.”

She pulled up her knees and put her arms around them. It made her look much younger than Raylan knew she really was. Tears filled her eyes.

“Sometimes, I wish I had been there. Perhaps I could have done something, saved my grandfather…but the reality is, if I had been there, more than likely, I would be dead, too.”

Raylan did not know what to say, precisely. He could relate to losing a parent while still little, but it seemed like her entire family was taken from her.

She looked at him, apologetically.

“That is the reason I snapped this morning. Here was this loathsome, self-contented bastard, impudently claiming to have killed my grandfather, like he was announcing he had a slice of bread for breakfast. I could not take it. I wanted him dead, at all costs…I still do. For my grandfather. For the Empire. For my family’s honor…dead!”

She tensed her fists talking about it.

“But I know we have more important things to worry about, especially now, with Galirras out of the egg. We have got to get him to safety, away from enemy hands. Who knows what they plan to do with him,” continued Xi’Lao.

Raylan could not agree more.

“So…why you? If I may ask. What about other family? No brothers, no sisters?”

She shook her head.

“No. I was an only child. There is my mom’s sister, but she lives in the south of the Empire, away from the capital. We do not talk often.”

“I’m sorry. That…must be lonely.”

Xi’Lao gave him a little smile, but he felt the sadness behind the mask.

“The problem is, although my grandfather was killed the night of the raid, his dishonor—by failing to protect one of the Empire’s greatest treasures—befalls the entire family. I refuse to let that stand. I want to restore our family name to its original honor. Make sure my grandfather gets the respect he deserves for his dedication, and life in service, to the Empire. So, I begged the Emperor to give me a chance to head out and restore my family’s honor by retrieving the egg…”

“…But things are a lot more complicated now…” added Raylan, immediately, now that he was catching up and seeing more of the whole picture.

“Exactly…with a live dragon, we will have all kinds of people chasing after us. They will want to capture Galirras and to use him. It might be for a good cause; it might be for something extremely bad. I think it is safe to assume that our pursuers do not have the best intentions for him. I expect they will not be the last to try and get their hands on Galirras.”

“I won’t let them.”

“I know. I believe you. But you’ll need all the help you can get. Let’s find our way back to Aeterra and then continue on to the Empire. It will be the best place for Galirras, I’m sure of it.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because of our history. The information that I told you about dragons…it is actually only the tip of the iceberg. The Wén family, our life’s work…our destiny, was to collect and keep any and all information on dragons for the use of the Empire. For centuries, my family maintained the official dragon archives in the main capital and kept positions of great honor throughout the Empire.

“But, over the generations, the family has been dwindling, for more than a century now…diseases, accidents, old age, disputes about our sacred duty. I am…the last in my bloodline, and responsible for the archive. I have been educated in the knowledge of dragons, as was my father before me, my grandfather before him, and his father before him, going back all the way to the time when dragons roamed the skies by the hundreds, even thousands.”

Raylan’s head spun with the idea of so many dragons living in this world. Coming back to the point, his reaction was one made out of insecurity.

“So, all this time, you’ve been playing dumb? What if I did something wrong? What if I did something to hurt Galirras?”

“Look, I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you; but I needed to know, first, how everything would play out. I had a feeling you would link with the dragon once it hatched, but I could not be sure.”

“What do you mean link?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was only getting more questions like this.

“Please, Xi’Lao, tell me what you know. You’ve got no idea how frustrating and confusing this all is.”

“I will, but even I do not know everything. We are not in the Tiankong Empire. We are on the run and in constant danger. It is not what you call a nice and stable situation to figure out how to best approach this new creature and his needs. The historical archive might provide some guidance, but it will not be even close to the real situation, not to mention it is thousands of miles away. I am afraid we are mostly on our own in figuring things out.”

Xi’Lao shifted to make herself more comfortable.

“Okay, let me start at the beginning. A thousand years ago, the Empire flourished, in what we called the golden age of dragons. Man and dragon lived, side by side, in society. Some dragons remained wild and lived in the vast faraway areas where few humans went, some worked together with humans of their own choosing.

“Dragons were a common sight during the day, in markets, in farming fields, in fisheries, and even in mines. The creatures came in various subspecies that shared common characteristics, but differed from each other in many ways.”

“This was not always the case. One or two ancient scrolls speak of men fighting beasts, in those dark times before the golden age; but we know little of those times, as nothing was recorded at the time.

“The royal family often had one or more rare dragon species in their surroundings, which was considered an honor for both dragon and human. Protecting the royal family was the responsibility of the Drakk'maru—the Dragon Guard. Dragons and their chosen riders, who excelled in both aerial and ground combat, would be given the honor of serving the royal family as part of the Drakk'maru, an honor which was rarely passed upon.”

Xi’Lao fell silent, for a moment, as she decided what to tell next.

“But, the current archives only date back about two hundred years. The scrolls from that time, tell of a major disaster hitting the Empire and, in particular, the dragon population. Things are not completely clear on what happened, as almost all scrolls—and other recorded materials—were destroyed in those turbulent times.

“There are multiple theories on what happened during that era, from epidemic diseases, to dragon rebellion, to invasion. But the truth is, no one knows for certain anymore. The only fact that remained, in a matter of months, dragons vanished without a trace from everyday life. The Empire was plunged into chaos as multiple factions tried to use the confusion to make a grab for the throne. High lords that had recruited their own armies, fought each other, constantly. Villages were wiped out of existence, cities were burned for days. It is estimated that a third of the Empire’s population did not live to see the end of those troubled times…it took decades before the rightful heir to the Emperor’s throne returned and a more peaceful era began again.”

“And all this happened because of the dragons vanishing?”

“We are not sure, but the dragons had been a form of regulation, in conflicts. They were sentient beings that understood the society of humans, but could remain completely impartial. They often mediated between rivaling factions, coming up with peaceful solutions, if possible. If a peaceful way could not be found, they sometimes were referees, making sure battles were fought honorably.”

“It’s hard to imagine such a world existing so many years ago…,” said Raylan, while he looked down and tried to imagine how Galirras would fit into such a society, “can we go back for a second? You mentioned a link between dragon and human? What’s that about?”

“Sometimes, it happened that a newborn dragon chose to link with a human that is present at the hatching event. This would not always happen, as it is, in some ways, the dragon’s choice. But if it did happen, the partnership created was often capable of exceptional things. Detailed information on linking was kept strictly on a need to know basis, and off the record, as it was passed on from generation to generation. Often, people said, they had strong indications on what the other was experiencing or feeling; but that was never officially confirmed. Many, in service of the Drakk'maru, were said to be linked with their dragons; but this, too, was just recorded in the scrolls as rumor, without evidence.”

“I wonder if that was what he meant by ‘you’re mine’,” Raylan whispered to himself.

“What was that?” Xi’Lao asked him, softly but urgently.

“It’s nothing. Just something Galirras said when he first put his head in my hand. He said, ‘You’re mine, and I’m yours’. I had no idea, at the time; but I now know, for certain, that’s the moment I knew I would protect him with my life.”

Xi’Lao seemed excited by this. Her face brightened, for a moment, as if given a wonderful present on a bad day.

“Would you mind telling me more? I had not even thought about it, but the current situation will actually give me a chance to record events firsthand. I know I have not been fully open with you, until now; but any information could become vitally important, down the road. It would be an honor if I could record your experiences with Galirras. Would you not think?”

Raylan gave this some thought. He no longer had the notion that Xi’Lao was holding anything back. She had already proved herself a valuable source of information, and he agreed they were not in a ‘normal’ situation. He could really use someone to talk to about all these new experiences with Galirras. It would provide him with a different perspective, one that was likely based on the only knowledge of dragons in the world. So, he decided to put his trust in her, and he told her about the feelings he felt after the hatching, his dream of being in the well, and all the other events that took place that day.

Xi’Lao quickly scribbled short keywords on a small paper scroll, which she retrieved from her luggage. They talked deep into the night, until Raylan was too exhausted to keep his eyes open any longer.

He kept a soft but firm grip on Galirras, while he slumped into a deep sleep, filled with flashes of everything that had happened.

Chapter 8

Wind

Raylan felt that he had only enjoyed a moment’s sleep when they broke up camp at first light. While everyone quickly finished leftover horsemeat, Galirras was fed as much as he could swallow and was kept by the fire until it was time to move out.

Peadar crafted a cloth sling for Raylan to put around his back. The small dragon was carefully lowered into it, together with a number of the warm stones from the fire. The added weight was a strain on his shoulders, so he partially rested the sling in front of him on the saddle. Raylan hoped that the stones, and his own body, would be enough to keep the creature warm until Galirras could maintain his own temperature.

For the next couple of days, the group traveled away from the path, covering their tracks when they could. They ran into a number of enemy patrols, but were able to stay hidden, thanks to Ca’lek’s skill in scouting ahead. Clearly, word had been sent ahead, as the enemy patrols seemed to be systematically searching the area. But the forests were vast in size, and they found plenty of places to hide themselves from searching eyes. The enemy leader was not seen amongst the searching soldiers. They had no idea how much time the skinny leader needed to circle back and come after them, but it was unlikely that he would give up. The betrayal they had witnessed only showed how determined he was to get his hands on Galirras.