Hatchling (Tameron and the Dragon) (41 page)

He shook his head.
No. I don't have magic. Anything I've seen here is because of what the Giant did, not me. I'm an ordinary person.
But because he was an ordinary person, he knew a song that no mage was ever supposed to hear. He couldn't believe that the Elements cared only for mages, despite all he'd been taught.

Tam leaned his head against the barrier, hoping against hope the Giant might hear him.
"The wall is high," he sang. "I cannot cross over...nor have I...any wings to fly...I'll build a bridge...wide enough for two...my love and I, to walk side by side..."

He almost fell over as the stony surface crumbled into dust.

THIS WAY IS FOR THE TRULY DESPERATE, said the voice of the Giant one last time. YOU HAVE PASSED THE LAST TEST. GO FREE. BUT REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE.

"What promise?" he asked.

THE ONE YOU MADE TO THE DRAGONS AND TO YOUR FRIEND. SOMEDAY YOU MUST RETURN.

He bowed his head in submission, but thought,
Not for a long time if I have anything to say about it!

Then he heard a soft, low-voiced chuckle, along with the words in an old woman's voice,
Run, boy, run--for now.
There was something he'd seen once, and couldn't quite remember. He suddenly shuddered with fear as his mind played tricks on him. For some reason a rock formation ahead turned into the outline of a skeleton seated on a throne, a skeleton wearing a crown in the shape of a dragon. But as he stepped forward, it turned out to be an illusion, though the pony shied when she passed the spot. Tameron looked back for just a moment. As he watched, the dirt wall began to reform until it looked as if no opening had ever been there, though the light of the room beyond it still shone through.

The light faded as he and the pony walked away, and they were forced to travel in the dark. This time he stopped
and pulled out the small light from his room. He didn’t know how long it would last away from the magic of Fiallyn Mor, but it was his best hope.

Tam
soon lost track of how long he and Mujuk were on this journey. He was glad to come across water every once in a while, though it usually fell in a trickle. It felt good to be on his way with little chance of pursuit. Stine would have to convince the Giant that she needed to get through to retrieve him--and then to open the way back again. Only the Guardian might pass, and surely his aunt had enough on her hands already. With any luck, Lorin was still free.
I hope he makes it all the way to Warding, and not just to throw off pursuit. He deserves better than to starve up in the hills with the dragons.

He followed a routine of walking, gathering plants from the walls, and resting whenever he found water. The air was cool, but fresh, especially once the path began climbing. Whenever he stopped, he made sure that Mujuk had first pick of
any plants he’d picked, and then tried what was left over. He made his own rations stretch as far as he could. Fortunately his helmet made an excellent water-bucket for the pony, even though it often felt like it took forever to fill. Any plants that Mujuk wouldn't eat and he couldn't were set aside to dry while he slept. Then he'd twist them into an impromptu torch to give him a little light for part of his journey each day.

He made sure to sleep as much as he could. Stine had once told them that when rations were short, one could make do with extra sleep. He remembered putting it into practice during those starving weeks in Dorena's cabin, though without knowing why.

At first, he rehearsed all his grievances. Tam was still angry at the way his father had tried to force him into giving Kiliane a child.
Why didn't he tell me what the Red Cup would do if I refused? Maybe he thought I would believe he was lying to me, just to get me to do what he wanted. Or maybe my dream was right, and he didn't believe I
could
resist.

Then his rations were gone, and only the pony's grain was left. He didn't touch it. Mujuk's load was far heavier than his, especially since she now carried his sword as well as the rest.

It didn't matter. This way out of the Wall was better than the others. He didn't have to fight freezing cold by climbing Mt. Shiast, risk death by fire by leaping into the flames of Diesa Tower, or sink to the bottom of the Anchor Pool at Warding.

The tunnel grew drier, and water
became harder to find. Tameron filled himself up as much as he could, and made sure Mujuk had all she wanted, too, before moving on from each spring. He became resigned to this journey. After a while, he lost interest in going over how badly he'd been used. He was done with it now. None of his family could hurt him again.

Then the grain ran out. The plants on the wall became thinner and drier, and the pony became weaker. Tam heard rustling noises from time to time, and wished he had the means to set a trap for the small animals that made them. Once when he took some plants from the wall that he recognized by their feel and smell weren't too bad, he accidentally devoured a small insect trapped with it. His stomach pronounced it excellent, and
he regretted not finding more.

He
became worried one morning. Mujuk was reluctant to rise this particular 'day', as well as thinner. He went through the saddlebags and decided the armor was just too much for the poor beast to carry. Tam kept the helmet and the breastplate, but abandoned the rest. The shirts didn't weigh much, except for one of his old fancy beaded ones. He chucked that one aside, though with some regret. After a moment's thought, he retrieved it and removed as many of the beads as he could by touch. They might be worth something if he made it out of this tunnel. 

Then he stood up and almost staggered from the weight of the helmet and breastplate, which he now wore. Mujuk was much more
eager, despite her thin rations, with just the saddlebags and the full waterskins on her. For a brief moment he wondered if he was going to be forced to butcher the pony for his own survival. "I can't," he said. "Not after what the Lord of the Wood said." Yet he'd eaten meat before and would again. What was the right thing to do?

"I have to keep going," he murmured to himself. It seemed each way out of the Wall required the virtues of its Element. Mt. Shiast, for instance, was ruled by Air. The stories about it always told about someone telling a story or singing a song to get what they wished. Diesa Tower required fiery courage to face the Salamander, while the Anchor Pool demanded total acceptance and willingness to yield to the Shapechanger. The way of Earth clearly required persistence and the strength
not
to yield.

Despite wear
iness from the extra burden today, Tameron was almost happy as he walked along.
Maybe I really will find someone like the girl I saw in part of my dream,
he thought. With Marysa he'd seen passive acceptance in her eyes. With Kiliane he'd seen both pity and anger. Maybe someday--maybe someday he'd see love.

Resignation gave way to a strange giddiness as he lurched along. He even imagined he saw a gentle glow of light ahead, but knew it was another illusion when it faded into darkness as he plodded along.
I'm probably just dizzy from hunger
, he thought, but he couldn't help smiling to himself anyway.

The rustling noises
became louder as he and the pony kept walking. He wanted to stop, but hadn't found any water yet.

Tam knew something was wrong the moment Mujuk pulled backwards with a whinny. He almost fell on his rear, but let go of the leading-rein just in time. Then he gagged on the rotten smell of whatever lay ahead.

A large, rat-like beast charged, its beady red eyes gleaming. Tameron drew his sword and struck, but missed. The thing was as high as his knee, fast and wary, and dodged between his legs trying to get at Mujuk.
If I only I could see better!
The last couple of 'days', his eyes had adjusted so well to the tunnel that he could find his way without a torch, but it was much too dark now. The bedroom light had failed days ago.

Mujuk reared and neatly smashed the large rat's skull in with one of her hooves
as she came down again. Tam breathed a sigh of relief after making sure of the beast with one stab of his sword. He considered butchering it for meat, but was afraid it was rabid.

He picked the rein back up and began walking forward with renewed strength. Mujuk trotted along eagerly.

Tameron stepped along even faster when he heard another squeak. Then another.

He shouted in fear and anger when the tunnel swarmed with the beasts. Mujuk was terrified, and nearly broke free of the rein again. Then he had an idea. He
placed the pony in front of him, and smacked her on the rump. With any luck she could scent the path better than he could see it, and as loud as she was, would be easy for him to follow.

It was hard to fight and run at the same time, but he couldn't let Mujuk get too far ahead--not just for his sake, but for hers. Who knew what else might be in this tunnel? The pony was helping--some of the rats Tam came across were already dead--but there were so
many
of them! Where were they all coming from?

What were they so afraid of?

He skewered some of the rats, and flung the bodies at the rest. Even that didn't slow them down.

Then Mujuk screamed. Tameron ignored the rats and caught up to her.

The beast, like a rat in shape, was nearly the size of his pony, but with a lot more teeth. The monster took advantage of Tam's distraction to rush forward. Mujuk backed into her master, and he barely caught himself on the stony side of the tunnel before he was knocked all the way to the ground.

As soon as the pony
fled past him, Tameron stood, flung up the point of his sword, and held it steady as the beast attacked the fleeing pack-pony. Just as he was certain his blade was going to pierce the giant rat right between its eyes, the beast twisted away and lunged towards his leg. As he tried to beat it away he slipped and fell on his back. The giant rat decided to go for his throat instead.

He screamed in rage as he felt his sword fall from his grasp. The beast tried to gnaw at his chest, but met the steel of the breastplate instead. Tam reached for his dagger and thrust upwards. The monster clawed him, and left streaks of pain where the armor didn't cover him, but at last the thing finally lay still on top of him.

Tam sobbed with relief when he was sure the giant rat was dead. The weight of the body nearly crushed him, but somehow managed to get out from under it. Mujuk stood nearby, but shied a bit as he approached.
I must smell just like the monster now,
he thought wearily.

Tameron sat down and drank the last few swallows of water. He felt better after that. Then he realized he had to find his sword. The flint was still in the pouch on his belt, though it was soaked with blood. But what to light? His shirt, at least the part of it the breastplate didn't cover, was damp.

Then something clattered. He followed the sound to where the pony stood, and nearly tripped over his own blade. Tam groped for it between Mujuk's hooves and almost cut his own hand on the edge before he found the hilt.

I'll have to clean
the sword and the dagger later. Which way do I go now?
Then he remembered that Mujuk was behind him when the beast had attacked. He gritted his teeth, grasped the leading-rein, and stumbled towards the corpse.

Naturally the pony wanted nothing to do with the monster, dead or not. "Mujuk," he said, "we have to go this way to get out. I don't know any other way. We're out of water, and we have to find more. And if
we don't get leave the tunnel, we'll both starve to death."

She balked. Tameron sighed.
I don't want to carve you up for dinner, Mujuk. There has to be a better way.

Then it came to him. Why not cut them both a path? He'd have to spend two weeks putting a new edge on his sword, but it'd be worth it to live that long.

Tam stepped on the end of the lead-rein so Mujuk wouldn't stray, then drew his blade and hacked away at the monster till it was possible to clear a narrow path. One loose claw sprung up in the air and landed at his feet, which he picked up and shoved into a cloak pocket for a reminder of how lucky he'd been. At last he was done. Tam wiped the sword on the beast's skin, and sheathed it.

Then he picked up the rope. Mujuk still wouldn't move. At last he opened up the saddlebag and tied a cloth around her eyes again. "I don't know what you can see in here, Mujuk, but now you won't have to look at it any more," he said soothingly as he began leading her forward. "You'll just have to trust me, the way you have before..."

She grudgingly took a few steps, and stopped again. Tameron pulled hard this time. "Just a little bit more, and we'll get away from here," he said.

At last they were past the remains of the beast's body. Mujuk calmed down long enough
for him to remove the cloth around her eyes.

T
hey both needed a rest, and he sat down. The pony's sides were heaving and so were his. Then something cold hit his hand as he was sitting down. If water was coming from the roof of the tunnel, he might be able to find a spring nearby to fill the waterskins. He glanced up.

He
laughed out loud when he saw pale flakes coming down against a black sky. They must have gone for fifty paces along the dark, rocky path and not even known they were finally out!