Last Wish

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. In a time that seems so distant to memory, the valley had been filled with life. Trees had stood so tall they touched the clouds, and the river rushed downstream, brimming with aquatic life.” The elderly man heaved out a sigh so heavy that Kaida couldn’t help but pity him.

They all knew the stories. The days before dragons had returned to Oshire. Even the elderly wizards’ magic couldn’t prevent the ferocious beasts from claiming the lands as their home.

My grandmother recounted the stories to me at every chance she could. Reminding me to steer clear of Brisha Valley.

“Heed my warning, child. Dragons are not to be trusted. The king trusted them too much. They whispered foul words of treachery to his brother, and he killed the king on his throne. And now what do we have? Dragons, everywhere. Their fire burns down our homes and they steal our cattle. Kill our children...” My grandmother’s words faded out as the doors swung open with such force the room fell silent.

Numbers dwindled almost immediately at the presence of the king’s dogs. Muttly, as the villagers called him, disturbed the peace enough times for him to be unwelcome, however that never deterred him. I gulped down whatever was left of my drink and began to drift subtly towards the door. That was until his high pitched voice interrupted the silence. The execution of his wants fell upon deaf ears as I pretended that he wasn’t speaking to me.

“You, rude girl. Don’t leave. Come here.” Exhaling my frustration, I turned to the shrill tune of his demands, almost dragging my feet. This. This is the childishness that my grandmother mentioned to me. Seconds before reaching him, I picked up my feet. His interest suddenly faded, looking through me as he fiddled with his cup, sparing me a smug expression with his message.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss.” My brow furrowed in confusion. What had I lost? I didn’t even open my mouth to speak before he continued. “Your grandmother.”

My brow muscles weakened, feeling tears well up and blur my vision. It was a fleeting feeling as I blinked them away. Who is he to pity me, or by the sway of his body and smirk, mock me? I balled up my fists and struck him on the side of his face. In my mind at least. Naturally, I settled for passive aggression.

“Sorry, how do you know my grandma?” His smirk didn’t falter, and I felt my body burn with rage. Amused by my dishonest knowledge of how he came to find out the death of a civilian, he glared directly into my eyes.

“You do know who I am.” I didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Mut-“

“Yes, Brutus.” He snapped before the other guards heard, the talent of a true narcissist, shying away from the truth of who he is. The conversation no longer seemed to interest him with his short fuse for embarrassment. Perhaps had the room’s quiet murmurs not had distinct laughs at my attempts to insult he could have brushed it off. He waved his hand at me dismissively. “Weren’t you in a hurry? You can go.”

Had I wanted to continue the conversation, I would have taken offense to that. But instead, I shrugged it off, leaving before I drew any more attention. The journey ahead was long enough without distractions, and the glowing light on the horizon never stopped haunting me. Reminding me that time was the truest enemy.

I stopped suddenly, eyes moving to the three horses tied to the wooden beam outside of the tavern. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the golden saddle draped over the white horse’s back, Muttly’s horse no doubt. It was a terrible trait to be a thief, but bad habits were hard to break. I could almost feel my grandmother reprimand me as I untied the horse’s reigns and steadied myself before climbing atop her back. I had no doubt that Muttly would be furious to find his horse gone, but I didn’t have time to linger on the repercussions of my actions. I tugged at the reigns, coaxing the horse to turn before pressing her forwards along the cobbled path.

The journey that I had embarked on was nothing but a light chase. The famous tale of the blood moon lantern. On the day of the annual blood moon, the lantern would have its last light, withdrawing magic until the upcoming year. Beside it stood an ancient well. One that had a legacy of wishes. I didn’t know much of magic, but of this I did. Almost like a childhood story, my grandmother would speak of it often. Fabled to grant one wish to whoever is lucky enough to make it. I presumed that my grandmother’s fate fell upon me, to make things right.

The days had dragged on for what felt like weeks, the set path became a hard one to follow as the horse led the way when I had finally submitted to exhaustion. I didn’t recognise the path ahead; all I knew was that I still had time. The light was bright on the horizon.

The incessant clicking of horseshoes had faded out and I could feel the horse struggling beneath me. Her steps laboured; she was wading through thick sludge. She seemed to be doing well but that wasn’t the problem it was the distinctive branding on her shoes of Muttly’s name. If they found these tracks, they would find the horse thief and me. I pulled at her reigns, halting her steps before climbing off her back. My brown suede boots immediately sank into the dense mud, coating up to my ankles.

“Go on girl. You go back home.” I turned her around slowly, back the way we had come. I relieved her of the heavy satchel on her side before tapping her thigh. I admired the thoughtless way she left, treading through the dirt and back onto the cobbled path. It didn’t take long before she was out of sight and I realised that I was alone. The sky was already overcast with clouds, threatening to rain at any minute. I continued on through the mud, my thighs aching from the days of riding and the chafing of the saddle against my skin. The material of my chocolate-brown linen pants hadn’t cushioned me from feeling the leather. The weight of the mud only worsened the ache in my legs and a sheen of cold sweat covered my skin.

I fought on until I couldn’t see a step ahead of me, the thick woods had grown more dense and the flutter of leaves in the wind was paired with the taunting hoot of unseen owls. I stopped once I could feel the soft crunch of grass beneath my boots, this could be my bed for the night. I didn’t have anything with me to make this more comfortable, nothing but Muttly’s satchel. Sitting down, I noticed a small break in the trees that allowed me to see the sludge covering my clothes. The dirt covering my shoes and pants was so thick I knew it had breached my clothing, and I had no doubt that my skin was covered in it. I knew I would grow to regret not scraping the mud off my boots before morning, but I was too exhausted to care. I lay my head on the leather satchel, relaxing into the soft grass as I stared out past the trees only to be quickly consumed by sleep.

My body ached against the solid ground, forcing me into consciousness as the world around me came to life. The cracks in the trees allowing the heat of the sun to bathe my skin, and in the distance, I could hear the wheels of travelling carts, people shuffling by and voices. Sitting upright I suddenly felt the overwhelming pain in my legs, the ache of riding for days on end and wading through inches of thick mud. I gathered the satchel off the ground and made my way through the birch trees. People passed by without casting so much as a glance at me. Towing with them carts full of precious items and food. I knew exactly where I was. The bustling marked village of Mershant. I fell into line behind a small group of women. Their cotton dresses swayed in a synchronised pattern as they passed through the gates of the village.

I had never seen anything like this in my life, the bustling market village of Mershant. The scents of perfumes was overwhelming and thick, even stronger with the sickly heat of the sun. People brushed past me swiftly, stopping at stalls that were covered in the merchants' prized finds.

A slim man stopped at a centaur’s stall; his hands filled with soft satin sheets that glittered with stardust. The centaur looked down disapprovingly, his long fingers tapping on the wooden table in front of him. It was my first time seeing a centaur in person and I could only describe him as majestic. Kissed by melanin, a demi-god sculpted with coiled locks coated in caramel copper, heightened by his pedestal of muscle and limbs, the light copper tone remained prominent on his short, neat fur. As though he was a statue carved from marble and brought to life his body, both human and equine, redefined elegance. My admiration caused me to fall out of sync with the ladies I had tried to hide amongst. I caught myself walking towards the centaur’s stall, entranced by the ripple of emotions that moved across his features. A hand gripped my wrist and a gentle, shaky voice spoke.

“Oh dear, what happened?” A small hunched old man standing beside me with a look of confusion and worry pulled me from my trance.

“Wha... Oh, my clothes? I had a terrible accident with my horse.” He seemed confused by the absence of the horse I was speaking of. To my unquestioned defence, I hurried out. “She left me.”

This drew a chuckle from the old man. He went to ask more questions as a small voice interrupted.

“Excuse me sir, can I please have a coin. For the wishing well, just there.” She gestured to what looked like a decorative sculpture of the well and shallow walls surrounding, filled with water. Without hesitation he pulled a coin from his pocket, handing it to the little girl.

“Thank you.” She shouted giddily, words fading as she wasted no time to get to the well. His elbow lightly nudged my side to get my attention from daydreaming about the child’s little adventure. A second coin shimmering in his outstretched hand.

“Here, take it.” His head signalling to follow the little girl.

I would have rejected his offer but part of me was curious.

“Thank you.” I said, gently taking the coin from his hand to follow the girl.

When I reached the well, I glanced down at the little girl standing beside me with her eyes shut and the coin in her cupped hands. I could only imagine what wish she was making, but whatever it was, it looked important. My whole journey was based on this very moment, but standing here, I couldn’t think of anything.

I cradled the coin in both hands and closed my eyes. Mimicking her since she seemed so convincing. All I could hear was my grandma. She spoke of the well but never wishes. Not that I can remember. Rooting through our memories, it came back to me.

“Child, it’s not the wish you make, it’s the coin you make it with.” Her voice carried on the wind. My eyes opened wide, and I dropped the coin. I had wasted a wish, but it seemed necessary.

“What did you wish for?” The little girl asked.

“If I tell you then it won’t come true.” Flustered by memories that was the best lie I could come up with. It worked as she shrugged her shoulders and walked away. I weaved between people as I rushed back to where the old man was standing.

“Please can I ask another favour.” His features creased as I lifted the satchel from my side with a smile. “I can pay.”

The walk to his home was a continuation of favours that he happily accepted. As soon as I reached the shelter of his home, I bathed thoroughly. Nightfall came soon after. I must have been in the tub for hours, scrubbing off the dirt from my journey. I could smell the mouth-watering scent of stew brewing downstairs, it travelled straight to my stomach. I hadn’t eaten in days and the remaining water I had, left with the horse.

“Supper!”

I ran down the stairs I was so hungry. I barely sat at the small table on the ground before I began to eat. A few spoonful’s in and my thoughts began to wander to all of the unanswered questions I hadn’t asked my humble host.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe I asked your name. I’m Kaida. Kaida Ryder.”

“Well, it’s lovely to finally meet you, Kaida. I’m Mortimer, but you can call me Mr. Elrod.”

He didn’t stay still much, he seemed to keep himself busy. Perhaps loneliness. For what I could see he had no family, none here anyway.

"You must have travelled a long way from the state of your clothes."

"Not far. A few days or so. A village over." Not sure of how far from home I really was, I didn't want to worry him. Despite how unconvincing I was, he continued on.

"It was many years ago now, back before my wife passed on. We travelled every year to Swandale, it was a holiday for us. It all changed after the king died." His voice trembled slightly, pained by the memory of days long passed. "It isn't the same now. There's no freedom for us."

I wasn’t sure how we came to this conversation, but it was a comfortable one. Not being able to speak to somebody for quite some time was why I opened up.

"One of my grandmother's favourite places to visit was Brisha-." His head lifted swiftly as he interrupted.

"We don't talk about those things here. Some things are better left forgotten."

"But what if we could?" I couldn't help myself as I moved to the edge of my seat.

"There are no 'what ifs' anymore child." His words mirrored my grandmother’s so closely that it felt like I was speaking to her.

"So, is that it? If that's the case, then what are we put on this earth for?"

"Sometimes... I don't know." With this he sighed. Back and forth like a clock, a battle of words, who was right and who was wrong. Both or neither. It didn’t matter, he hurried me to bed before the conversation could continue.

When I reached my chambers for the night, though exhausted I lay staring at the canopy. The journey so far had taken such a toll on me. How could I be so stupid? Despite all of my self-doubt, I couldn’t return to my empty home. This was the first time since my grandmother’s passing that I could truly breathe. I turned on my side, facing the window.

Watching the light on the horizon flicker in the breeze. I could feel my time was running out and in the darkness of night, the flame taunts me. Reminding me that tomorrow was another day. Even with my whirlwind of distractions I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The sun had risen earlier than usual and with it came the chirping of birds. I blinked myself awake; the soft glow of the lantern replaced by the blistering sun. Even through the windowpanes I could feel the searing heat prickling my skin and stilling the air. Its fire was a constant reminder of the battle lost against those horrible leathery creatures that plagued Oshire and Brisha Valley.

"It’s their home." My grandmother would mutter, her head shaking in frustration. She would tell me this often as we tended to our small plot of land, baking under the rays of the sun. I believed her.

Lying here on the hay filled mattress, feeling the stifling air wash over me, I had no choice but to believe her still. I dragged myself from under the sheets and made my way downstairs, if I hadn't smelt food, I would have attempted to nap a little longer. But the fragrant smell of sausage filled my senses, and I couldn’t help but follow it.

“Go sit, Kaida.” Mr. Elrod called out as I reached the bottom step. I followed his instruction and took a seat at the table, waiting eagerly as he placed a selection of foods down. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. So, I made a little of everything. Enjoy dear.”

“Thank you.” I dug in immediately, filling the plate in front of me with a portion of each of the foods.

“Someone must be looking for you. How old are you?”

“I’m nineteen, and there’s definitely no one looking for me.” I took a quick side glance before adding, “Well, maybe one person but we’re not close.”

“You’re far too young to have no one, you must have someone. A mother, a father?”

“My father passed when I was young, leaving my grandmother to raise me. And my mother... Well, I don’t know where my mother is.” I interrupted with a shrug.

“You must be in a hurry to get somewhere.” He grinned watching me polish off my plate.

“I’m heading to...” I stopped; I wasn’t really sure where I was going. And despite the kindness of this stranger, he was still a stranger.

“Never mind. At least let me give you some things before you go on your way.” He pulled a cloth from over the basket beside him, revealing clothes. I wiped my hands off before standing up and taking the basket from him. They were beautifully made. The deep brown linen pants were stitched together with thick rope stitching, the tone almost matched my hair perfectly. The moss-coloured tunic’s slits on either side gave room to move and the hem stopped above my mid-calf boots. I went to change into them as he packed food and water into the basket.

I was so pleased by the clothes that I couldn’t wait to show them off to him, prancing down the stairs.

“They’re so lovely. You have an amazing talent. You should sell clothes. They’re such beautiful colours.”

“I was going to use the red material, but the green brings out the lovely olive tone in your skin.” I couldn’t help but blush, nobody had complimented my skin before. “Would you like me to braid your hair before you go, you don’t want it getting in the way.”

I knew it was logical to tie it up but after washing and styling it, I didn’t want to ruin it.

“No, thank you. It should be fine.” I picked the basket up from the floor, he walked me to the door, and I couldn’t help but feel waving was an underwhelming goodbye. I turned back and hugged Mr. Elrod.

“Be safe, child. Don’t go getting into trouble now.” He looked so fond I almost didn’t want to leave. I managed to walk away.

When I arrived, the marketplace was a ghost town. The only person in sight was the centaur who from what I could tell was packing to leave. Which reminded me; how am I getting out of here? Travelling on foot, I would never make it to the lantern. I knew my only chance of getting there in time would be if I had a little help.

I must have paced past him a few times before approaching, honestly, I admired how he ignored me every time I walked by. I walked to his side, as I was told to never stand behind a horse.

“Excuse me?” I raised my finger up, leaning slightly into his eye line. I heard him huff before looking at me.

“What?” The way he said it almost sounded like he knew what I was going to ask.

“Would it be okay if I just-“

“No.”

“But I can pay.”

“I don’t need money.”

I watched as he attached the wagon’s beam to himself, desperately thinking of a way to get him to help me.

“Please. I swear I’ll be quiet the whole time. It’ll be almost like I’m not there.” The exhale that left his lips must have been his way of saying yes as he rolled his eyes and continued to wait. I took this opportunity to climb onto the wagon, he didn’t tell me I couldn’t.

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear you the whole journey.” He said as he began walking.

“Got it.” He whipped his head around, glaring at me. It took me a moment to understand that my response was me talking. I nodded, realising this journey was going to be a long one. What felt like a significant amount of time being bored gave me time to get comfortable, placing the basket down I allowed my other hand fall to the material by my side.

It was the stardust fabric from yesterday, the one the slim man was trying to sell. I wondered who he had bought it for. Must be someone special. Another centaur most likely. He probably talks to them.

To my surprise he said,

“So, how are you going to pay?” I went to lift the satchel from my side, but I couldn’t find it. I must have left it at Mr. Elrod’s, we had gone to far to go back.

“Funny story, I must have left my money back there.” I said with a little chuckle.

“Funny story, you can walk the rest of the way.” He mimicked me. “Actually, where are you going?”

He jogged both of our memory as I must have forgotten to tell him where I was going. But as silly as it sounded, I didn’t trust him enough to tell him. I should have thought this through before asking to get on the wagon.

“Uh, I can’t tell you.”

“You can’t tell me?” He repeated. “Then why did you ask me to take you?”

“When we’re getting close, I’ll hop off.”

“How about this, you tell me where you’re going, and I’ll take you for free.” He negotiated.

What a dirty trick, why does he want to know so bad? I knew I couldn’t trust him. Despite that I still wasn’t close enough to decline.

“I’m going to the broken temple along Brisha Valley, I’m... looking for something.”

“What are you looking for?”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.” I snapped.

“Fine. You must get a lot of your own way with those eyes.” He chuffed, shaking his head.

He noticed my eyes?

“What eyes?”

“Those eyes. Doe eyes. Your eyes.” He said simply. Things became uncomfortable as we both fell silent. I glanced back down at the fabric beside me.

“So... You’re a centaur. So... Your parents... Is your mum a centaur? Or your dad...”

“They’re both centaurs.” He answered bluntly.

“Okay. And your grandparents.”

“Are centaurs.” He retorted, growing less amused.

“And if you were to be with somebody, would they be... Are you with somebody?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk? Let’s go back to being silent.” And that’s exactly what we did for the rest of the journey. He stayed on the furthest boarders of Brisha Valley, travelling through the trees rather than the open road. I didn’t blame him; this was not safe land.

I grabbed my basket and climbed off the wagon, expecting him to waste no time to leave. And that’s what he did. Just like Muttly’s horse. I began walking away as I heard,

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” He actually looked worried. I couldn’t believe he’d stopped. Even if I wanted to say no, I couldn’t.

“Yeah. But thank you. I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Cassius. I didn’t catch yours either.”

“It’s Kaida.”

“Well, Kaida, good luck. I’m glad to be the last person to see you before you died.” I would have been mad if it weren’t the first time I had seen him smile. I rolled my eyes before turning to walk away. It took a minute or two before I heard him leave. My stomach turned, realising I had no escape now.

I glanced up at the imposing building before stepping through the cracked doorway. An alter stood heroically amongst the rubble. All that remained of our faith, our hope.

The temple’s shattered bones crunched and shifted beneath my feet, it echoed awake a family of doves. It drew my attention to the crumbling shelter that now housed nothing but memories. Above me only a clinging chandelier without use, the sun had claimed it’s purpose, haunting me. I was accompanied by the shells of better men, standing proudly by deep rock filled doors, no longer a way out. I could feel the earth beneath my feet beginning to rumble. The wind whipped harshly and swept up mounds of dust into the air.

I panicked, grabbing the discarded armour of a departed knight from the ground and disguising myself amongst the remains. The light casted over with darkness and I could hear rocks crumbling from the pressure of the dragon’s body.

The enormous beasts cast a thick wave of fear. Their reputation had proceeded them far beyond anything I could have imagined. Leather flesh was engraved with scales in all shades of one colour. The contours of them so clear to my naked eye, it was as if I had polished them. Frozen in place, I mimicked the stature of the guards that were frozen in time. My heart did otherwise, beating fast enough I believed that I could hear nothing else.

One thing that stood with more base and power was the voice that came from the beastly reptiles.

The larger of the two, a pale amber colour to its scales, spoke.

"Where did you leave it?” The lisp they managed to enunciate even with words lacking an ‘S’ sent shivers down my spine. It spun in the room; tail drifting so close it almost touched me. The light was still absent from the room, shadowed by the other dragon perched where the stained-glass window had once been.

“It can only be here.” The other spoke. The coin?

It sounded ridiculous to say that I couldn’t focus on their conversation. The beast’s tail wafting thick dust into the armour was too much to bear. I had submitted to a light cough, such a horrible mistake.

"What was that?" The dragon thrusted its neck, burning ruby eyes scanning across the room. Of everything I could do, this was the most stupid. I froze. Not even daring to breathe under the weight of the dragon's stare. Its tail coiled around the guard standing by the middle doorway, constricting effortlessly and crushing the armour like crumbling rock. A display that wracked fear into my shadow.

Close to submitting, a second voice echoed,

“Nothing but ghosts.” With this the larger dragon’s demeanour shifted.

“Be that as it may, we’ll return later.” With wings like thunder, the dragon became airborne. The ruins shifted in place, old pews crumbling into dust from the force of the air crashing against them. They both took flight and my knees buckled, I pulled the helmet off my head, breathing for the first time since they entered. The air tasted of ash.

Sunlight cast over the changed hall, I removed the dead weight from my body and began scrounging through the remains. I had to find the coin before they returned. If not, I don’t believe I would be so lucky next time.

I passed to the other side of the room through the archway. My hands grazed the ground, cushioning me as I stumbled forwards. Behind me I could hear a dull rocking sound. I glanced back; a lonely oval draped in solid magma.

This is what they were looking for. A baby beast.

I lifted it from the ground where it was basking, showered in light. I knew what this meant for me. The coin wasn’t here.

Frustrated, I lifted my hands above my head, gripping either end of the egg. Mustering all of my strength to my arms.

“We don’t become the monsters we fear, Kaida. That’s what makes them monsters.” Her words washed over me as they always do.

I lowered my arms, staring down at the little beast.

“How could I kill you?” I spoke aloud, hoping it would hear me. What would I do now? It takes a village to raise a child, how am I going to raise this little beast all on my own?

Even so if I’m going to take it, I have to go now.