A Song of Storms

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Afshan looked down from his perch hidden in the cliffs that encircled the lands below. This used to be our home. Even from a distance away, he could see how loathsome the Valley had become. It was a barren wasteland, a sea of coarse sand, dotted with ugly brown shrubs and red rocks scorched with fire. The legacy of their ancestors was scattered upon the Valley floor, collapsed shacks and crumbling stone walls.

Afshan squinted into the vast bright blue of the sky, letting his eyes adjust to the blinding light of midday. He had not been this far into the Valley for three years now, not since the nomads from the east had last come to trade in their sand ships.

“You’re not going to see one now, brother,” Aleena said from behind him. “They’re all resting right now, soaking up the warmth. It’s too hot out, even for dragons.” Afshan turned to his sister, who had the hint of a smile upon her lips. Her golden eyes searched him questioningly.

“Better safe than sorry,” Afshan said, and Aleena snorted.

“The best way to stay safe is to keep your wits about you. Remember what the elders taught us. Dragons don’t hunt in the daytime. They look for food at dawn and dusk. You won’t see one darting around like a sand plover at play.” She clasped Afshan’s face gently before giving him a playful rap upon the ears. “Use your ears, not your eyes. By the time you see a dragon, you had best believe it’s seen you in kind.”

“And… if I do see one, what do I do then?” Afshan asked. Even the thought of it made his heart race.

Aleena paused for a moment before grinning. She gestured to Afshan’s lanky body. His ankles were left exposed in his all too short robes. Mother had said she would patch them up before the ranging, but they could not find the materials to do so. “You could try to run,” Aleena continued. “You’re fast. Or you could hide. Dragons are base creatures, beasts, easily outsmarted. A few years ago, when I was your age, I stumbled upon a dragon’s nest by accident. I was deep in the Valley, east, almost at the outskirts of the bamboo forest. I got separated from my companions in a sandstorm. Just as I was going to leave, their mother came back. I hid from her in the branches of a wilting cypress for half a day until she flew off to find more food for her fledglings.”

Aleena’s advice was better than any other ranger’s. Though she was only three years older than him, she must have gone down ranging into the Valley more than twenty times now, more than most men twice her age, and she had managed to come back unscathed every time. You could see the concentration in her brow, the suppressed excitement she barely kept concealed beneath her thick brown robes. She liked to go ranging. Afshan would never have gone at all if only he could bear the shame of being thought a coward. He told himself that it might not be so bad, that he was helping the village, that rangers almost always came back alive.

Yet no matter what he told himself, his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. Luckily his robes suppressed the stench of his sweat. Aleena knew he was nervous, and he thanked the Gods that she said nothing of it.

Today was Afshan’s first ranging. The years of training and reading and talking of dragons felt useless now as he looked over the infinite emptiness of the sands below. Something felt wrong. Shivers ran up and down his back, and his stomach churned so violently he was afraid he would lose his breakfast on the rocks. He wanted to tell his sister something was amiss, but she would likely tell him it was nerves from his first venture and nothing more. Maybe she was right.

They would be in the Valley for at least four days- if they were lucky. Some ranging parties were away for a fortnight. It could take time to find things of worth, and no ranger wanted to come back empty-handed. Perhaps Afshan had been overconfident to agree to his first ranging. He was only sixteen after all; he could have trained for a bit longer before coming up into the sun. Then again, Aleena herself had only been sixteen when she went on her first ranging. Afshan wondered if she had been as nervous as he was now, the first time she had come to the Valley. Somehow, he doubted it.

“Are you ready, little brother?” Aleena asked, and Afshan nodded, though he did not know if he would ever be ready. He tried to quell the ominous feeling in the pit of his belly.

Aleena took him out of the shade of their cliffside perch, away from the tunnel that led back home, safe in the womb of the cliffs where no dragons would find them. They went to the Great Steps, giant stone stairs that cascaded down to the Valley floor.

Grandfather had told Afshan that the elephant people had built the Steps centuries before the dragons had come. They were the ones who had formed the Valley in the first place. With their lumbering feet they had stomped the earth down and used massive tusks to carve rivers and lakes into the ground, bringing water from the sweet water sea west of the cliffs in their trunks. Afshan did not believe Grandfather’s tales anymore. There were so many, and each was more unbelievable than the last. Whoever had made the Great Steps, they were long gone from this world. Afshan wondered if they too had hidden in the cliffs for fear. Who knew what beasts had roamed the Valley before the dragons came?

They began their descent and Afshan tried to keep his feet from shaking. The Steps were uneven and awkwardly large. Even the tallest man would not climb them easily. Afshan hugged the side of the cliff as closely as possible. He did not want a strong gust of wind to send him flying over the edge. They would tell stories about the foolish ranger who had died on his first ranging before he even hit the Valley floor.

The Steps seemed to wind into the rocks in such a way that they were nearly hidden if you did not know where to look. Every few steps he would look back to get his bearings, to carefully note how one step led to the other. He wanted to memorize the way home, to learn where the tunnel was hidden in the crags. If something happened to Aleena or the others, Gods forbid, he did not want to be stranded out here in this hell.

Aleena followed behind, hopping carelessly from step to step, kicking up clouds of crimson dust. Her spear jangled against her belt with each hop, the ringing clink of dragonbone upon metal keeping their pace steady. It was a sound that was oddly harmonious. It reminded Afshan of a chorus of birdsong. The blade of the spear changed color as the sunlight caught it; one moment it was a deep red, the color of blood, then the soft purple of dusk.

Afshan held his sword hilt steady as they went. It had been Father’s sword before he had given it to Afshan, and he did not want to scratch it prematurely. His fingers twitched upon the bronze hilt, and he noticed how cool and rough it felt in the palm of his hand. The blade could cut through his bone like a knife through hot bread, and he was sure to keep it well concealed in its scabbard. He prayed he would not have to use it.

The nervous feeling in his stomach was only made worse by the deadness of the desert. The only sign of life Afshan heard was the cry of a distant falcon that joined Aleena’s spear in song. Before the dragons came, the Valley would have been beautiful, teeming with goat herds, game, and towering rows of barley. You could see the old irrigation canals, gone dry, just barely concealed by the sands. The bones of animals littered the wastelands, and Afshan looked to see if any were dragon skeletons, but there were none. That would have made his first ranging far too easy. He would not be so lucky as to return with dragonbone on his first outing.

They reached the bottom of the Great Steps and Afshan’s feet touched the sand.

“Which way now?” Afshan said to Aleena, his voice cracking.

“Half a league northeast of here, to an old granary. Riad and two others are waiting there for us.”

Afshan grimaced. He did not like Riad. Riad thought far too highly of himself for someone who had been on so few and fruitless rangings at twenty years of age. Riad had asked for Aleena’s hand in marriage only one moon past, and Father, who was prone to speaking a great deal, had answered with a simple ‘no’. He had not even attempted to salvage some of Riad’s pride with a false excuse. Father knew Riad for what he was: a brute. The fool wanted to be a great ranger, but he did not have the patience for it, nor the brains, not like Aleena.

“I didn’t know Riad was on a ranging,” Afshan said, watching for his sister’s reaction. He and she had never spoken of Riad before. Aleena merely shrugged.

“His comings and goings don’t concern me. If he put half as much effort into his rangings as he did into courting me, we’d have enough dragonbone to craft a thousand weapons. He’s strong, though. I once saw him take the head off a drakeling with one swing of his axe. Those are the kind of people you want to range with,” Aleena said smiling. “Strong and slow… in case you need to leave them behind.” She pointed off into the distance.

“Let’s be off. We ought to be there well before dusk. I’m curious to know if the others have found anything worth exploring.”

Aleena set out in front, moving gracefully through the sands. She had trodden these desert paths before and knew everything about the land, where there were sandpits and where hard rock lay beneath the sands so that the walk was not so arduous. The heat bore down on Afshan and his brow was soon covered in sweat.

“Can we slow down?” He asked, and Aleena laughed and handed him some water.

“You’ll have to accustom yourself to this heat if you are going to amount to any sort of ranger,” she said. “This is nothing. I’ve seen mountain cats die of heat in the Valley. I’ve seen winds so fierce that they burned men’s ears off with sand. Just be happy the skies are clear. If you’re lucky, Riad will let you ride the camel back home.” Afshan doubted it. Riad disliked him as much as he disliked Father.

The sun was falling in the sky, and the desert silence was only broken by the howling of the wind. Afshan imagined he heard voices on the wind, the sound of groaning men or roaring dragons. Aleena seemed undisturbed. A vulture cackled in the distance, its shriek piercing the heavens.

Aleena pointed to a ridge of sand not far from them.

“The granary is on the other side of that hill. We’ll be able to get some respite from the sun and see what Riad has found, if anything.”

When they reached the top of the hill, Afshan looked at the granary. It was shaped like a beehive, made from clay and brick, though the whole thing looked like it could come crashing down at any moment. Most of it had been buried in sand, only the top part of the structure had survived time’s clutches. He wondered whether his ancestors had kept spelt or barley within and what they had made from it. Now the threat of dragons had reduced them to living in caves like rats.

A hole large enough for a man to fit through was carved out of the granary. Though Afshan wanted to get out of the sun, something about the structure looked foreboding. His stomach turned.

Aleena paused and looked down the ridge with narrowed eyes. The camel was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t tell me that idiot Riad lost the camel or got it killed. We have precious few as it is. Saahira will kill him when she hears of this. She’ll curse him even for thinking about setting foot in the stables again.”

Clouds began to roll over the sun, giving some respite from the heat. Afshan had not noticed them earlier. The sands became cast in a scarlet hue the color of fresh blood. Aleena looked at the sky for a moment and then nodded to Afshan.

“We had better get inside.” Her voice was different than before. She sounded nervous. Afshan had not seen her nervous since they were little.

They bounded their way down the sandy hill. The entrance to the granary stood there, and when the wind blew through it, it seemed to moan like an old man close to dying. Afshan looked at the entrance curiously, looking for Riad and the others, but inside there was nothing but darkness. Afshan did not want to go in, yet he did not want to remain out in the open either. He felt uncomfortable, like something was watching him. He looked around but there was nothing but bones and shrubs as far as the eye could see.

Aleena entered first,

“Riad, you fool,” she began as she crouched down to fit inside. “When Saahira sees you’ve lost one of our last camels…” Afshan ducked in behind her. Inside it was cool, the air was hollow. It was as still as death.

Aleena went silent. No one was here. Afshan’s heart began to pound in his chest. There were signs that someone had been there. A tangled mess of rags was shoved into a corner. Date pits were strewn in the sand. Where could Riad and his companions have gone?

“They were supposed to be here,” Aleena said. “Perhaps… they were delayed.”

Even on his first ranging, Afshan knew that that was unlikely. There were not many things in the Valley that could delay rangers. There were plenty of things that could kill them.

Outside, the skies blackened even more, and Afshan thought it looked like rain was coming. Yet it never rained in the Valley. He felt a wet drop on his skin and looked up through the cracks in the granary walls to see storm clouds above.

“We should go back,” he said, letting his cowardice get the best of him. His hands were trembling. If Riad was not here, something had gone terribly wrong. A flash of lightning arced across the sky and the sounds of thunder clapped in the distance. The rain started, finding its way through the holes in the granary ceiling onto what little skin Afshan had left uncovered.

Aleena stood there, silent. Her golden eyes flashed from the lightning that stretched out across the sky. Fear filled Afshan’s belly, pushing bile into his throat. The wind came and again Afshan heard voices upon it.

The rain was coming down in torrents now. It soaked through Afshan’s robes and sat icy cold upon his skin. The wind howled again, and this time Afshan was sure he heard a voice. Aleena gasped. She had heard it as well.

She went out from the granary in a haste, Afshan following her. The land had turned dark around them, whisps of sand thrashed, and the wind changed direction so violently that Afshan’s robes were blown off his head.

“Riad!” Aleena shouted into the sands.

Out of the darkness came a voice that Afshan recognized as Riad’s.

“Aleena!”

A camel bounded across the sands, running faster than Afshan had ever seen. Riad clung to the saddle, thrown about by the panicked beast. His robes were torn to pieces and his head was bare. His curly hair was matted down from the rain, and he dragged it away from his eyes to see. Riad stopped the camel with a tug on the reins and leapt down. His mount moaned and tried to break free, but Riad held it firm as though his life depended on it.

“Aleena, Afshan!” Riad gasped for air. “You have to leave. Go back to the village before it’s too late.”

“Where are the others?” Aleena said. “What happened to Tareq and Fares?” Riad’s face twisted in pain.

“Dead. I couldn’t save them.” His voice was torn to pieces. His left arm had a gash in it that was black and bleeding. Afshan saw that one of Riad’s axe blades was chipped. He knew that only one creature was strong enough to resist a blow from Riad. Afshan’s head began to swim. He thought his legs would fall out from underneath him.

“Here, you two take the camel,” Riad demanded, but Aleena hesitated. “How will you get back?” Afshan had never seen Riad act like this. He was defeated.

“I won’t. Don’t worry about me. Go! Go back and tell Saahira it’s not safe.”

“What’s not safe?” Aleena asked. Riad looked at her with eyes of stone.

“The village.”

Aleena glanced at Riad and then looked up at the storm clouds above. She grabbed Afshan by the shoulder and threw him towards the camel.

“Get on.”

Afshan scrambled up into the saddle, his legs shaking. He threw an unsteady hand out to Aleena. There was sadness in her eyes.

“No,” she said. She looked at Riad.

“You go.” The lightning came even closer now. A bolt from the sky struck the ridge that they had crossed over and sand flew all around them.

“I will not,” Riad said. “Take your brother and flee.”

“I am better at hiding than you are.” Aleena said. “They will not find me. Go to Saahira.” The two faced one another, neither one relenting.

“Listen to Riad,” Afshan begged Aleena. “Please…”

Then a clamor crashed through the chaos. It was a sound that Afshan had heard before, but only from the safety of the caverns. He had hoped to never hear it out in the Valley. It nearly deafened him. His ears rang in pain. It sounded like the scream of a thousand voices crying out for mercy, like the dying cry of a beast caught in a trap.

Then came the steady thumping, the sound of wings upon the wind. The crashing keen of death upon the air. He covered his ears to make it stop.

“Come with me!” he screamed to Aleena, but she showed no sign that she heard him. She pulled her spear from her back and pointed it at Riad, jabbing it at his chest with a snarl.

“Go, bastard! Before I kill you!”

Riad saw that Aleena would not be swayed. He jumped into the saddle behind Afshan and kicked the camel’s sides. Afshan turned and grabbed at Riad’s shoulders. He cried out for him to stop, told him to go back for her, but Riad did not listen. He kept Afshan in his grip. Riad was far too strong to fight against. Afshan turned around frantically to see Aleena scurry off into the sandstorms and disappear.

And there against the darkened sky he saw it. A black dragon, ancient and larger even than any dragon from any story Grandfather had told him. The beast brought the storms with it, and when he opened his mouth, thunder was his breath. He circled the sky, his tail flailing in the wind like a scorpion’s. Aleena could not hide from him. His eyes glowed with malice in the sudden night.

Afshan tried to get off the racing camel. He had to go back for Aleena.

“That’s my sister!” he plead with Riad, but Riad stared straight ahead.

Afshan fought to free himself from Riad’s grip and tried to pull at the reins. The camel groaned and nearly threw them off. Afshan wanted to jump down. He would get Aleena. Just when he was about to jump from the saddle, he heard Riad grunt. He felt a sharp pain against the back of his head. Everything faded away.