Dragon Sleeping (The Dragon Circle Trilogy Book 1) (31 page)

“Prince!” Mary Lou shouted, surprised at her own confidence. “Make him tell you who you are!”

“Prince?” Zachs asked. The creature tried to laugh, but its voice shook so much it came out as a strangled choke. “You are no prince!”

“No doubt I’ve had a promotion,” the prince replied slowly. “Don’t you think it’s time you bowed down before royalty?”

“Zachs bows for no one!” The creature’s light flared and then dimmed, as its voice grew more disturbed. “Zachs will leave you all behind!”

“Why don’t you try to disappear?” The prince’s smile grew. “I know exactly where you go. I’m much more comfortable in that realm than this.”

“You will have to catch Zachs!” the creature demanded. It waved its arms about wildly, like a two-year-old trying to fight. “He who catches Zachs catches Nunn!”

“It’s everything I hoped for,” the prince replied.

Zachs shrieked and disappeared. The prince silently vanished as well.

Mary Lou thought, before he left, her rescuer had winked at her.

She supposed that he had to go, to chase Zachs down so she wouldn’t be threatened again. But now she was all alone again, lost in this perpetual forest twilight.

“Bobby!” she called, hoping that somebody she knew might be in hearing range. “Todd! Anyone?”

For one long moment, she was met with silence.

Then, in the distance, she heard another, shrill cry, one that she didn’t want to hear again.

“Merrilu!”

She felt suddenly cold. The People had rescued her before, but for what purpose? Now that she was away from them, on her own on the forest floor, she couldn’t let them take her again. Without the prince there by her side, she’d feel like a prisoner.

She thought the call came from somewhere behind her. She didn’t dare call out again herself; for fear that she would lead the People right to her. She had to run, to get as far away from the People’s village as she could, and hope that she found the neighbors somehow. Maybe, if she could just avoid the People long enough, the prince would return and help her find the way.

“Merrilu!”

This time the call sounded as if it had come somewhere far to her right. She kept on in the same direction that she had begun her escape. She really had no idea where the People’s village was hidden overhead. One direction was probably as good as any other. She just needed to cover some distance.

“Merrilu!”

The voice shouted to her left. She wanted to cry. She remembered how, on their first march through the woods, the Captain had said that the People were everywhere overhead. She hoped that wasn’t true. She kept on moving, careful to avoid hidden roots beneath the piles of leaves.

“Merrilu!”

This time the call came from directly in front of her. But there was nothing to do but to keep on running. Maybe, if she moved fast enough, she could still leave the People’s voices behind.

There was a rustle of leaves above her. “Merrilu!”

Something dropped to the ground far to her right. She looked over, even though she already knew what it was. Two short, pale, near naked bodies rushed toward her, calling her name. Two of the People. But only two. Maybe she could still outrun them.

She heard another noise in front of her. The Anno were going to surround her!

But it wasn’t the People. It was something else. A dark beast of some sort, whose dark eyes glowed in the half-light. It was headed straight for her. Maybe, she thought, the People would have to save her all over again.

She stopped running, stumbling to her left. She looked around and saw the two People fitting arrows in their bows. The beast rushed forward with a great, rumbling growl, flying past her, straight for the nearer of the two Anno.

It jumped on the pale thing. There was a great flash of light. Mary Lou screamed in surprise.

The light dimmed. The beast still stood there, but all that was left of the first Anno was a twisted pile of ash.

The second of the People shrieked and jumped up a nearby vine. The beast turned to look at Mary Lou; its eyes twin beacons of scarlet light.

Mary Lou screamed again.

“Good boy, Charlie!” another voice shouted. Mary Lou looked out beyond the beast and saw her brother, Jason, approaching through the trees.

“Jason?” she called. “Oh, God, Jason!” She never thought she’d be this happy to see her brother.

But that thing was Nick’s dog, Charlie? Now that Jason had said something, Mary Lou could recognize the bits of white in Charlie’s brown-black fur. But the head was wrong, and it was more than just the eyes. It was larger than Charlie’s head, with too many ridges above his eyes, as if the dog’s skull bone had decided to explode.

Charlie barked happily. Whatever was wrong with him, he didn’t seem to feel it.

“Oh, Jason!” Mary Lou called again, running toward her brother.

She could feel the tears streaming down her face.

“Yeah, it’s good to see—” Jason stopped abruptly as something swooped down overhead. Mary Lou looked up, afraid the People were back for her again.

But it wasn’t the pale People. It was a great black bird.

“Calm down! Calm down!” The bird actually spoke. “Raven is here to make things right.”

Rather than surprise, Jason reacted with anger. “Well, it’s about time you showed up! Oomgosh almost died! And we just barely saved my sister!”

“Awk!” the bird protested as he settled on an exposed root. “Raven can see everything, but Raven can’t be everywhere! Raven is much in demand, for Raven is unique!” He turned his head for an instant, pecking at his shoulder with his beak. “But you say my Oomgosh is in trouble?”

Jason told a story about how he and this Oomgosh person were attacked by the same red-furred things that had assaulted the People. Apparently, Mary Lou thought, she had only begun to see the strange things around here.

“And you had to hack off his arm?” The bird made a clucking sound deep in his throat. “Poor Oomgosh! That will tell him not to go into battle without Raven at his side.”

“You had to cut off his arm?” Mary Lou repeated in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Jason said in the matter-of-fact tone of someone who cuts off arms every day of the week. “It was pretty easy, actually. Like sawing through a log. And he says he can grow a new one in a few days.”

“Of course he can,” Raven agreed. “After all, is he not the Oomgosh?”

“I see we have company,” the prince’s voice said in her ear. Jason yelped. “Where did he come from?”

“You’re not the only one who’s made friends around here,” Mary Lou replied. “This is one of mine. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember his name.”

“She calls me her prince,” the spirit said with a smile.

Mary Lou blushed. “Well, he could be a prince, couldn’t he? I mean, look at his clothes!”

“We apparitions are always careful about our grooming,” the prince agreed.

“Hey, Raven,” Jason said. “You know everything. Ever seen this guy?”

The black bird cawed softly. “Raven knows you from somewhere. Indeed Raven does. Just can’t remember where.” He ruffled his feathers. “If only Raven didn’t have so much to think about.”

This creature fascinated Mary Lou. “If I may ask, what is on your mind, Raven?”

“The Cosmos, Mary Lou,” the black bird replied. “The Cosmos.” He fluttered his wings. “But come, we need to see to our Oomgosh. I imagine you simply left him standing there?”

Jason nodded. “That’s what he wanted to do. He said it gave him time to heal.”

“The Oomgosh can be very boring in that way,” Raven said.

“Then Charlie jumped up,” Jason continued, “and ran over here.”

“Filthy beast!” Raven replied. “Still, this Charlie seems to have done some good this once. But we should return to our Oomgosh. We don’t want his life to become too tedious. And Raven tells you this: Those who hurt the Oomgosh will pay.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I tag along,” the prince said. “My existence has often wanted for excitement.”

“Your dull lives are over,” Raven promised as he took to the air. “It will get very exciting, very soon.”

N
unn awoke with a start, his robes drenched with sweat. Something was wrong. He hadn’t felt this disoriented since he was human. He needed to sleep far too much. Somehow, when he had taken Evan Mills, it had led more to exhaustion than nourishment. He rose from his sleeping pallet and began to pace, not bothering to light the darkness. Why did a wizard need light?

Nunn didn’t like this weakness, this almost being human. He wondered if this was the dragon’s doing.

Nunn knew more about the dragon than anyone, and he knew very little. Those few who had survived its last attack had been driven half-mad. When Nunn and Obar had been pulled into this world, it had taken forever to pry free the knowledge from those who had gone before them, knowledge that only came when they had also freed the dragon’s eyes and learned how to harness their power. Pity that when the three wizards had been deprived of their eyes, the three had also shriveled and died.

But, as little as he really knew about the dragon, he could sense the creature. The dragon was close, far closer than ever before. That was surely one of the reasons for the change Nunn felt. Could the dragon take back its power as it approached, drain it from the dragon’s eyes? This was something Nunn had never considered. It was all the more reason to collect as many of the eyes as he could, to hoard that power, to try to control the dragon before the dragon controlled all of them.

Light spilled into the room. Light! Nunn spun to confront the intruder.

This was impossible. He controlled everything in this castle.

Someone had opened the door. Light flooded in from the hall.

Margaret Furlong stood in the doorway. “I need to talk to Leo,” she said.

“I see,” he replied, lifting an eyebrow to fill this room with light. He thought he had locked her safely away with the others while he took his rest. But, impossible or not, here she was.

“Please,” she said. “This is very difficult for me.” She did not look at all happy.

The only way she could have left that other room and found her way to this place was if he had shown her the way. Perhaps this was the reason he couldn’t sleep.

“I’m lost without my Leo,” she whispered.

She did look lost in that doorway, both vulnerable and alone. Nunn was surprised to find how attractive that made her. When he had gained power, he had dispensed with these simple physical pleasures. He had had power for a very long time.

But a part of him wanted her. A very human part. Apparently, Nunn thought, there were still some things that could surprise him.

“Yes,” he said in Leo’s voice. “Why don’t you come over here?” He held out his hand. “We haven’t been close in a long time.”

“Oh, Leo,” she said as she walked toward him. “I’m so sorry for everything.”

For an instant, Nunn felt sad himself, as if it really was Leo’s voice that spoke through his mouth. Perhaps he was splitting himself into too many pieces. If only he could take a few moments to rest. If only the dragon wasn’t so close.

He watched Margaret cross the room toward him. She looked deep within his eyes. His eyes, in Leo’s face. Perhaps he could rest for a minute. Perhaps he could find some human warmth.

“NOOOOOO!”

A scream smashed into the room. Nunn stumbled back, assaulted by the light.

“Zachs hurt! Zachs screams in pain!” The room pulsed with light: red, then blue, then yellow-green. “He tried to kill Zachs! But Zachs still too fast, still too clever! He protected Mary Lou! He called himself a prince, but Zachs knew better! Zachs knew what he really—”

Nunn threw a burst of energy back at the cascading creature of light, causing its shrieking to redouble.

“You do not—” Nunn began.

But the creature was beyond listening. “Zachs hurt!” A ball of fire grew in its hand. “Zachs hurts back.” It hurled the fireball at the floor. Margaret cowered, covering her head. “Zachs kills everyone!”

“Enough.” Nunn opened his palm to expose the jewel. Zachs’ light shrank back into its monkey form as it spun to face the wizard. Nunn held up his palm to face the creature.

“No! Zachs will be good! Zachs sorry!” Zachs cried as if Nunn was crushing its soul. Not, of course, that the creature had a soul to crush. Its glowing form flowed toward the jewel. Its arms and legs thrashed wildly, as if it was swimming hopelessly against the tide. And then with a final shriek it was gone, sucked deep within the jewel.

“I apologize—” Nunn remembered who he was supposed to be. His voice changed again. “I’m sorry, Margaret.”

“Leo?” Margaret replied.

“It’s safe now, Margaret,” Leo said in his most reassuring tone. “Leo,” she replied, and then again. “Leo, Leo, Leo.” The tone of her voice slid up and down, as if she sang a nonsense song.

Nunn reached out a hand for her. “Margaret?”

“No!” she shrieked at the touch, cowering even more than before. “Leo,” she sang. “Leo, Leo.”

Nunn stared at the woman curled on his floor. Humans were so fragile. He would be better without them. This attraction was a momentary weakness, nothing more.

Margaret Furlong was still in the room, but she was no longer with him. Nunn thought for a second of taking her energy as well. But something still wasn’t right, something to do with Mills. Nunn didn’t want to stuff himself.

Besides, a part of him wanted her to recover. He could still think of other things to do with this one.

He sent her back to the others with a wave of his hand.

The room was quiet once more, and dark. But Nunn could no longer sleep. The jewel with his creature throbbed where he had lodged it in his palm, as if even the dragon’s eye didn’t want to hold the light-thing. Zachs was becoming too difficult to control. Nunn would need new allies. He had to change. He had spent so much time planning; he had forgotten how to act. He could not mistake weakness for strength. He was not doing too much. He wasn’t doing enough.

He opened his right hand and accepted the strength of the eye. His mind reached out across the island.

None of the red furs were left. All were dead. Three, quite recently.