The Wonderful Ones

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Before that, they were tucked away in the sacred texts, seen only as striking sketches of great creatures with broad strokes of black ink. They were our gods: The Guardians. We were told that they went to sleep over one thousand years ago, after they restored peace to my country.

Exactly nineteen days had passed since they woke.

The carriage jolted forward, and I dropped the book. I had been flipping through the pages, searching for any other reason the dragons might wake. Anything beyond what most of us had feared.

“You should put that away.” He picked up the fallen book and handed it to me. “If anyone sees you with it, dropping it-”

“I get it.” I snapped. I wrapped it in the crimson silk and slipped it into my rucksack.

He pursed his lips, pushing them from side to side as if he had a sour taste in his mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just supposed to keep an eye on you.”

“I don’t understand why that’s necessary if The Court is so safe.” I challenged, searching for his eyes in the dim space.

“I don’t think it’s The Court that father’s worried about.” He muttered. I shot him a look.

“If they were so concerned, they shouldn’t have offered to house us.”

He leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling. He waited a moment, then took a deep breath. “Let’s just change the subject.”

“Sure.” We had stopped again. I pulled the short curtain back from the carriage window, peering outside. We were stalled along a stone wall, an iron portcullis just ahead on the road. The morning sunlight spilled onto the black carpet and painted Kella’s dark hair with gold.

I stared at my brother.

“How can you be so optimistic about this, Kels?” My voice was tired. Kella groaned, splaying his long legs out so they touched mine. “What? I changed the subject.”

“Hardly.” He complained, kicking my boot.

“Everyone else our age is fighting, shouldn’t we be out there, too?”

“No one is fighting, Askia.” I scrunched my nose at the sound of my full name.

“Not yet.”

“I’m sure they have some of the finest instruments in the kingdom.” He pointed out, trying to redirect the conversation.

I snorted. “That was smooth.”

The teeth-grinding sound of metal against metal interrupted us. Kella sighed in relief, leaning forward to look out the window. I peeled back the cloth panel on the opposite side. A procession of Attendants stood at attention as we rolled through the gates.

I stared at them, those who had mastered the definition of discipline, and wished that I could be on my best behavior. I really did. I didn’t relish in my plan to go against our father’s word. He barely spoke to me now, what would happen if I failed?

That truth was bleak, but not surprising.

The carriage was slowing. Kella put his hand on my knee, and held my gaze with his wide brown eyes.

“As soon as it’s appropriate, I’ll send word to Taisa for an update. I’ll find out what’s going on in the Valley, I promise.” He was sincere, his voice soft.

“And you’ll tell me as soon as you hear back.” I added, playing along.

He rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bench. “It’s not like you won’t ask me everyday anyway.”

“Thank you for being reasonable.” He smiled at me, shaking his head. “I promise that I won’t make your life harder than absolutely necessary.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

A cane rapped the door of the carriage and it swung open. The light flooded in and I shielded my eyes. We had slept in here, an oil lamp our only source of light for most of the past thirty-two hours. We fled our home in the night and father had demanded we keep the curtains shut even once we got past the First Wall, which circled the entire court. We traveled in an unmarked carriage, with a disguised footman who was actually one of the best swordsmen in the country.

Damien stuck his head in, looking at both of us with a fluffy arched brow. “Let’s go then.”

Kella was the first to move, nodding at me and slinging his rucksack over his shoulder. He had changed into a sleeveless tunic, revealing his dark arms. It was sunny, but it wasn’t that warm. He was trying to make a statement.

A strutting male during mating season.

Damien offered me his hand as I stepped down to the dirt road. Our luggage was already being loaded onto a wagon. Kella and I were still as we waited for further instruction.

We were on the road beside a stone staircase, which led to the main house of the stronghold. It was less of a house and more of a modest castle, gothic and gloomy with a black brick face. The roofs over each section were flat and bordered. They doubled as a vantage point to defend the stronghold in battle. The residence framed the courtyard, extensions of the house folding inwards.

Five pedestals within the front garden were decorated with solid black statues. I realized that they took the form of The Guardians. A tableau of might and power.

“Stop gawking.” Kella muttered, pushing his elbow into my side.

I snapped myself out of it, clearing my throat as a woman in a muslin tunic approached us, her expression unreadable.

“Hello, Askia and Kella. My name is Hena. I am the Lead Attendant of The Heir Stronghold.”

“Thank you for greeting us, Hena.” Kella spoke with his adult-voice. It was a tone he used when he spoke to those who needed to know how seriously serious he was.

“If you’ll come this way.” Hena gestured towards the staircase. “You can head up the stairs and I will meet you momentarily.” There was a bit of urgency in her voice, like she hadn’t expected to be called away.

I followed Kella up the stairs, Damien close behind me.

As we approached the tall blackwood doors of the intimidating dwelling, I was overcome with frustrating feelings of insecurity. I wore ill-fitting pants that belonged to Kella because I had spilled my breakfast on my own. My linen long sleeve shirt was fine but my curly hair must’ve looked wild after an entire day and night in the carriage.

I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. I would not make a lasting impression because I was going to flee the stronghold that very same night. Whatever judgment I faced or perception I provoked was simply none of my business.

One of the grand doors was open, revealing an aging foyer. A rich green rug stretched the length of the floor. Most of the lighting came from the arched windows, soft light pouring in and illuminating the wide space. Dust danced in the sun.

I was in awe of the staircase that climbed the walls of the room, hugging the lengths and corners as it lifted to the next floor. The walls were covered in gilded paintings and pictures that I tried not to stare at. The details in the banister revealed its impressive age, and black and emerald flowers adorned the railings. The room felt smoky and dusky, and so very warm, yet my body shivered in response.

I was gawking again, but so was Kella. We had been here before, and although we could not remember it, I knew he felt the same as I did.

“Sorry about that.” Hena reappeared, pulling us both back. Our eyes met and I could see the same curiosity festering there. “I’ll take you upstairs so you can get settled.”

We followed Hena to the top of the stairs and walked down a lit hallway. It was much brighter than the foyer, with iron sconces lining the blackwood walls.

Hena stopped at a door, turning to face us.

“This is Askia’s room.” She turned the door handle and stepped inside. “There’s also a private bathing room.”

“Is my room far from hers?” Kella asked. I could hear the hint of panic in his voice.

“You’re in the same wing.” Hena answered. Had she sounded a little irritated?

I felt giddy with joy.

Kella was staring at me, pleading with me not to do anything stupid.

“Thank you.” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Without his hovering I could meet people and ask questions. I didn’t know where the stables or the kitchens were. I would need resources from both in order to survive beyond The Court.

“I’ll see you.” Kella said firmly. He meant it in more ways than one.

Hena closed the door behind me.

Between two arched windows was the biggest bed I’d ever seen. A gauzy canopy clung to four blackwood posts. There was a mountain of pillows and blankets and fine silks laid out. In less than twenty-four hours I would be sleeping on the hard ground.

On the bedside table there was a sleeping book and a cup beside a pitcher of water. I poured myself a glass and sat down on the bed, steadying my heartbeat as it started to race.

I needed to get it together before I could start scouting. I needed to be quick, but I also needed to be smart. I would draw attention as a nervous wreck. The priorities were to get a clear idea of the path from my room to the kitchens, and to the stables from there. I would need to be silent and swift in the dark.

Kella and I were here as part of an order from the King. Leaving would technically be treason. If I got caught, they might not know that I was going to leave The Court, but one letter to my father and he’d confirm any suspicions.

My journey to the Valley could not be longer than two days, to beat the Messenger they’d send once they become aware of my absence. It would be hard, but I had to succeed. The twenty-second day after The Guardians wake is said to be a day of great change. When I arrived there, I’d find Taisa and get a pardon. There was another likely outcome but I also knew that the risk was worth it.

I had been thinking this through since my father found out he was headed to the Valley and we were coming here. Nineteen days.

Unfortunately, that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

I felt like I could hear Kella’s voice in my head. He’d tell me that I just need a mug of lavender tea and a slice of honey bread, sprinkled with brown sugar. He knew that combo always calmed me down. He would ask for a bite even though I already offered to bring him some and he turned it down. I’d complain but hand the bread over anyway.

He was younger, by six minutes and thirty-three seconds, but he knew how to untangle my sharp nerves. It felt like there was a coil in my chest that tightened and tightened until my shoulders caved in so much I struggled to breathe.

I had a chest virus last year that made the air seem thick. Kella sat me in the bathing room, and turned the hot water on. The space filled with warm mist. It had felt like my lungs were opening up, expanding. I felt soothed by the thought of the warm water against my tense muscles, and there was no question that I needed to wash up.

I left my clothes on the wood floors and stood under the running water, turning it as hot as my body could handle. I picked up the soap bar that smelled like oranges and mint and scrubbed my skin hard, until it felt raw and the heat started to make me a little dizzy.

Everyone around me had a skill or at the very least an ability that could aid us in what was inevitably coming. Kella knew how to wield a broadsword, and he had been trained by Damien himself. I did some training with him, but I was both uninterested and untalented.

I was good at playing the piano but it was not particularly helpful, and neither was my vast knowledge of the mysterious history of The Guardians. At least, not in a way that mattered, not until now. With what I’d learned, I could ask the dragons why they woke, what they foresaw, and how we could avoid further tragedy. The sacred Rest texts were books of worship in Sirsa, but most did not bother to read beyond the first testament, and many hadn’t even believed The Guardians ever existed. Now, to deny them would be insanity.

Father had told me that there were others who were more qualified than me, who surely knew more than I did. He refused to see the truth. I was offered an apprenticeship in The City when I turned eighteen. I had a mentor named Horik, a leathery man with a stringy silver beard. He was The Guardian scholar of Sirsa, but he had passed on shortly after I left. I had been continuing my studies privately, hoping to take Horik’s seat one day, to make sure that the truth could not be twisted or forgotten.

I wanted to do my part in protecting my country, same as those who were going to fight. I knew more than enough about The Guardians, and I could succeed. The dragons were not naive creatures. They did not serve blindly. Their protection needed to be earned. If we did not show them that we were worthy of their power, it was foretold that they would slip back to sleep, and never wake again. The fact that they had come out of rest was proof that Sirsa would not survive without them.

I stepped out of the shower and dried my hair with a length of cloth. My tight curls had been in quite a state but I had been thoughtful enough to bring nunse oil with me. I worked it through, then gathered my thick hair into two braids.

I lifted the skirt of the bed and reached under with my rucksack, pinning it in the corner between the bedside table and the wall. Even here, laying on my stomach, I couldn’t see it.

I didn’t really know where I was going. For now, it would be easiest to get outside so I could find the stables and do some exploring. I was good with directions, but this fortress was more than two floors, and had halls that seemed endless.

I found a new set of stairs on the opposite side of the house, and I eventually came to the back door. Beside it was a window of coloured glass. It was a mural of the Five Kinds, standing side by side.

I stepped into a bright and busy courtyard. It was like an eruption of blades crashing together and the metallic song of sliding swords. Duelling pairs forced each other back and forth, grunting and yelling as they slashed and parried. They all wore the familiar training uniforms.

The air smelled like burnt rubber and sweat.

An Attendant stood nearby with a tower of cloth. “Excuse me,” I asked. “Do you happen to know where the stables are?”

They pointed to one side of the training field, close to the protective wall. Of course, the stables were at the back of the stronghold, opposite the portcullis. “Thank you.” It wasn’t the usual layout. Typically the stables would be near the gate. This told me that the people who lived here didn’t leave very often.

I walked out into the field, dodging swords and limbs as I cut across the grass. Some people called out curses as they veered to avoid me, others asked me if I had a death wish.

How poetic.

I got to the start of a sheltered path that arched over a small pond. I was so close now, I could smell the leather and hay.

A training pair stepped onto the walkway, heading towards me. One of them looked me over with a bored look on his fair face. The other, long legged and amethyst haired, smiled at me warmly.

They stopped in front of me and I had to stop myself from groaning out loud.

“You just arrived, right? I’m Valene. Val.” The tall one smiled. She looked like a campaign for every beauty product in existence. “Are you the Captain’s daughter?”

“You mean, the one who stole the last testament?”

I looked to the valkra who spoke, his snow white hair slicked back from his face.

“I didn’t steal anything.” I replied.

This was bound to happen, with news of my trial having been so public. I guess I had hoped that not too many people knew what I looked like, or else they believed my innocence.

“Seems the evidence suggests otherwise.” He grinned, running a blue tongue along one of his fangs. My stomach turned over and the coil started to tighten.

“Yeah, well, here I am. Which means I was found innocent. So if you’ll please-” I tried to go around them and he stepped in my way. He did it again when I tried to squeeze through the middle.

“I’m sorry.” Val said, stepping to the side so I could pass.

A blur of white and black struck past me. He was blocking me again, leaning his arm on one of the support beams and standing disturbingly close to me, a sickly sweet scent on his breath.

“Are you trying to condemn us?” He waited, but I knew he didn't expect an answer. “The first testament says that the scholar will be the connection between the human and the dragon.”

He was talking about Horik. He was the scholar prophesied to connect with The Guardians if they ever awoke.

“You killed him.” The valkra insisted.

“I what?” I almost laughed, a short burst of air escaping me in disbelief. I could have turned around and went back to walking through the field but I no longer wanted to leave. I had to hear this.

“He’s fine, and right before you leave he suddenly dies?”

“He was an old man, Sarin-” Val started.

“And he’d been an old man for far longer before that.”

“They released her.” She pointed out.

“The Council has made mistakes before.” He turned back to me. “You’ve stolen the last testament so no one else can take his place.”

“She is one of us.” Val bargained.

We both ignored her.

“If anyone were an actual Guardian scholar, they wouldn’t need to have it.” I wasn’t being entirely honest. But the sentiment rang true, the scholar would not technically need to have the physical book in their possession.

They’d just need to have read it, and studied it, and memorized it.

“You know, it’s said your own father does not speak nor look at you because you remind him of your mother. You’re like a plague he can’t get rid of.” He smiled. “Looks like you’ve infected the entire country.”

“Sarin.” Val spit. She was done pleading. She stepped between us, forcing him back without touching him. “Stop.”

Sarin stared at her, challenging her. She didn’t step down. I could sense her passionate warmth and his bitter cold fighting for control.

She thawed him out.

“Fine then.” Sarin brushed past me and stalked away. “Until next time.” He called over his shoulder.

I saw Val physically relax, her shoulders lowering as her stance softened. She was at least a head taller than me.

I stepped around her and kept walking towards the stables.

I heard Val run after me. “I’m really sorry.”

I nodded. She didn’t really do anything wrong, but I wasn’t about to thank her for making her friend back off. It was the least she could do.

We stepped off the path, onto the grass outside of the blackwood stables.

The stablehand stepped out. He looked to me, to Val and then back to me again.

“What’s up?” He finally asked. He looked about our age, wearing a rubber apron over a training uniform.

“Just getting the warm welcome I deserve.” I replied.

“I sense sarcasm.” He turned his head and squinted at me playfully. I blinked slowly.

I realized that I was almost vibrating with anger. I needed to let it go.

“Nope. Everyone has been so nice.” I forced out the lie. He raised an eyebrow.

“Prince Lathan!” Someone called from the field. All three of us looked over.

It was Kella, he gracefully weaved through the training pairs, not earning any protests. He was running right at us, looking at the young man who I thought to be a stablehand.

Shit.

I stepped back to face the Prince and dropped to one knee. “I’m sorry, Prince Lathan. I didn’t realize it was you.” Kella watched me as he slowed, a sealed envelope in his hands.

“You don’t have to do that. We already know each other.” The Prince added.

"Barely.” I blurted out, realizing how inappropriate the blunt phrase was. The Prince laughed as I got up and dusted my knees. “I only meant that I hadn’t seen you since we were much smaller.”

“Our fathers are friends. We’re basically cousins.” I felt my eyebrows draw together at that. Val was laughing now. “I only mean, um, you can feel at ease here.”

“Careful. You’ll wound her with such charm.” Val warned. The Prince mocked her as he opened the letter. She mocked him, mocking her, back.

I pulled Kella to the side.

“Why didn’t you come get me?” He was with the Prince. The Heir Stronghold had been built for him. Who better than that to provide me with all the details I needed to get out?

“We tried.” Kella spoke flatly. The heat in my face cooled. I did leave my room.

“Kella?” The Prince interrupted.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

He screwed his face up in distaste at the title. “Can you and Val find Hena and tell her I approve of moving forward.” It wasn’t really a question.

“Of course.” Kella shifted uncomfortably. “Is it okay if I take Askia with us?”

“I’d like to take her on a little tour, if that’s okay?“ He said the last part to me.

I nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “Very okay.”

Val led the way. Kella looked at me before he left, the familiar warning burning in his tawny eyes.

Kai cleared his throat. “I want to show you something good about this place.”

First, the Prince showed me the interior of the stables, telling me about his adorable plans to build the structure when he was a babe. As I listened, I stroked the horse closest to the entrance, allowing the mare to take note of my scent, and feel the pressure of my hand on her body. This would hopefully make her less nervous when I appeared with a saddle in the middle of the night.

When he said the word tour, he hadn’t really meant it. He explained the general area of things, rather than actually taking me there. Which was fine, I thought that it meant I could ask him to show me the kitchens, and then I’d know the path from there to here.

That was not the case. He wanted to show me something on the upper levels. We climbed four sets of stairs and walked the halls. He insisted I call him Kai, and talk to him as a friend, telling me that ignoring his wishes was surely worse than ignoring royal tradition.

“So, these, they’re all bedrooms?” I asked as we passed more doors.

“Basically. All of The Court kids live here. We train, study and occasionally, we feast.” He winked. I pretended I didn’t see it. Feasts were often accompanied by large quantities of plum wine and potato liquor and… physical festivities. “We’ll have to celebrate your arrival.”

I ignored that.

“So, once they reach the age of succession, they go back home?”

“Something like that. Some of them, like Val or Sarin, don’t have family to go back to.” I flinched at the sound of the valkra’s name. Kai noticed and I wished he hadn’t.

“I knew it.” Kai sighed. He stopped walking and turned to face me. He was as tall as Val, and I had to look up to meet his gaze. That silver ring around his iris made his dark brown eyes stunning. The sign of the mystiks.

“I’m sorry about Sarin. I would say he isn’t always like that, but I’d be lying.”

“And I would know it.” I confirmed. Kai lowered his eyebrows and laughed, like he was surprised.

“He’s the last of his kind so I think he feels like he always has to be on guard. It’s no excuse though, he should know more than most what it feels like to be judged for something you didn’t do.”

I did not want to go there.

“I should have had someone escort you.” He sighed. “I came for you, but they mixed up the rooms. I wanted to avoid a confrontation so I brought Sarin with me instead, and well, clearly that backfired.” I could feel his body sag with regret.

“You shouldn’t have to monitor the behaviour of adults.” I said, looking up at him. His eyes lit up with amusement.

“You are a wealth of wisdom, Askia.”

“Kia is fine.”

He clapped his hands together. “Kia and Kai! Cute couple name.”

I made a face. “It’s horrible.”

“Terrible.” He agreed.

I tilted my head to the side as I raised my brows. “Also, I thought we were cousins.”

Kai genuinely laughed. “I take that back.”

We had come to another landing that looked like the others below, but I couldn’t see another staircase. There was just a wall. Kai slid his hand along it until his fingers caught hold of a corner. He tugged at it until a panel peeled back.

It was a small doorway. A strong breeze tunneled through, urging us toward the entrance like a weak vacuum.

“You first.” I said cautiously.

“I have to close the door.”

I frowned at him. “Fine.”

I stepped through and looked down at my white shoes as the dirt skirted over them. The ceiling opened up and there was a stone staircase ahead.

The door closed with a soft click and the room collapsed into darkness. There was a light coming from somewhere up ahead, but I could only make out shadows here.

I could feel Kai’s body heat in the cramped space. He snapped, a small flame appearing at the tip of his index finger. It lit up his smiling face, casting a surprisingly bright light for its size. He was hunched over, and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my head.

I gestured dramatically towards the stairs. “Lead the way.”

“I am a pretty good leader.” Kai remarked as he slipped past me.

“Straight to the dungeon for that one.” I muttered.

He laughed as we climbed the stairs.

Sunlight caressed my face as we got to the top of a tower. Wind whipped around us and roared in my ears, but that was easy enough to ignore. I was focused on steadying my breathing. I couldn’t tell if the air was thin or if I was just in shock.

The view was unlike anything I had ever seen. I could clearly make out the First Wall of The Court which was almost a day’s ride away from the stronghold. The tower must’ve been cloaked with a mystik charm. You couldn’t see it from the ground. You wouldn’t know it was here unless you flew right into it.

Beyond the wall were the villages, lush fields peppered with brown squares that I knew to be homes, small dots moving in the distance like ants on a rock. There were families down there, children with futures.

I felt a surge of confidence. This is why I wanted to help, to fight in the way that I could.

“Over there.” He had to yell so I could hear him. I turned around. You could see the Valley from here. I gasped.

It looked like The Guardians had created a large nest. I could only tell because I had seen the shape in books a hundred times before. It was a perfectly round circle, dug wide but likely not very deep into the cool ground. Dragons overheat easily, so they like to burrow into the earth. I couldn’t see how many there were, but The Rest Testaments had noted there were Five Guardians, to mirror the Five Kinds of Sirsa.

There was a comical difference in size between the dragons, and the tents set up by our forces at a considerate distance.

“They’re going to start building.” I said to no one in particular. It was a sign of hope, because it meant that they were going to stay long enough that a scholar could approach, but it was also a daunting sign because it meant there was a reason for them to stay.

“You know a lot about them, don’t you?” Kai asked. I nodded as I watched one of the dragons perch on the edge of the nest.

I’m not sure how long I stood there before the dark shape launched upwards and spun gracefully in the air. The impressive wings were spread, wide as this entire stronghold. My jaw was slack as I stared in awe.

I couldn’t see it from this far away, but I knew that the magnificent Guardian was throwing its head back as it looked up to the sky and screeched with terrible fury.

Something was coming.