Maeve reeled at my revelation, and I couldn’t blame her. I felt half-mad just saying it aloud. Yreth had always been considered the most steadfast ally of humankind. It had protected us from the dragons, from the Cenotaph, and even from ourselves before leaving Arden to forge Its own realm once It believed we were ready. It was law and order in its purest form. To say Yreth could have come from the chaos of Bedlam was to say that fire was cold. And yet, I was certain that was what the message I had intercepted from these migraine-inducing nightmares had meant.
When Maeve finally processed what I’d said she started laughing maniacally, and I thought she might have lost it completely. She put a hand on my shoulder, then threw her head back for another full minute before wiping tears from her eyes.
Maeve: “Oh man, I can’t wait to shove this in that priest’s face if we ever see him again!”
Imagining that confrontation was pretty funny.
Seth: “Wait, so… you actually believe me? You think it might be true?”
After calming down some, she rubbed her chin.
Maeve: “That’s quite the whisper you heard, but I’m just not sure what we can do with it, even if it is true. It’s nothing like the messages I’ve heard. I’d love nothing more than to discuss the hell out of this with you, but we should probably put a lid on it for now, seeing as how we still have a long trip to Wolfgang’s homeland to undertake. We’ll definitely try to hash it out later, but I seriously appreciate that you shared it with me either way.”
Dealing with all of this later sounded fantastic to me. I couldn’t help but feel like there was more to the dreams I was forgetting, but it would probably come to me eventually.
Seth: “Of course.”
Maeve: “And Seth…”
She leaned in and kissed me gently.
Maeve: “Thank you for being a real gentleman last night... I’m lucky to have you.”
Seth: “No, no, I’m the one who’s lucky. You’re a real catch, Maeve Liscomb.”
She looked at me incredulously. When she responded, her voice was thick with sarcasm.
Maeve: “Oh, because of my multitude of eyes, mouths, skin wings and blood tendrils, you mean?”
I simply nodded, a smitten grin on my face.
Seth: “Among other things.”
She searched my eyes for some time before shaking her head in defeat.
Maeve: “You know what, lover boy?’
She wore a reluctant grin of her own.
Maeve: “I think I’m actually starting to believe you.”
//Time Skip//
Watching Wolfgang and Xenna grudgingly drag themselves toward our carriage had me feeling like my mere headache was actually a priceless heirloom.
Maeve: “Well, Xy? Don’t keep us in suspense! Who’s our winner?”
Zyturak looked at the two of them appraisingly, then turned back to her.
Zyturak: “There were no winners here.”
The three of us laughed while Xenna and Wolfgang muttered under their breath.
Xenna: “Wolfgang, I think I need to find a new outlet for my competitive streak...”
Wolfgang: “Agreed. Sorry, mother. Sorry, father. But I may never drink again…”
Maeve couldn’t seem to help herself from picking on them while they were vulnerable.
Maeve: “Speaking of, are you excited to meet Wolfie’s parents, Xenna?”
Wolfgang dropped the bags he was carrying.
Seth: “Wolfgang? Are you oka-”
Wolfgang: “I FORGOT!”
Maeve: “You… you what?!”
Seth: “You’re telling me you went to market to buy all the things we’d need to survive in Ptarmigan, then hours later had a drinking contest with Xenna, and it never occurred to you that you were going to be bringing her there, where your parents live?”
Xenna: “I thought it was odd that we hadn’t talked about it yet! I was really worried you weren’t going to be introducing me at all... Honestly, even though you managed to forget somehow, this is actually quite a relief!”
Wolfgang picked up his things, then looked at her bashfully.
Wolfgang: “I’m sorry, Xenna. I’m so happy with you, I sometimes forget about all my problems for a while. My parents are very… traditional. I don’t know how they’re going to react when I tell them that you are to be my mate.”
Xenna turned extremely red at the word, nudging him in the ribs. He nearly dropped his bags again.
Wolfgang: “Ah, right, sorry! Anyway, we won’t know until we tell them, so there’s no point in worrying about it. For now, let’s focus on the other reason for this trip.”
We had reached the carriage and were double checking that we had everything Wolfgang had said we’d need as we talked. Why did he pack so much rope?!
Seth: “Thanks Wolfgang. As you probably know, dragons are all but extinct in Arden. They were savage, territorial, and hostile to humans. Most were wiped out in the earliest recorded history back when Yreth helped us settle Arden, even before the Cenotaph wars. But they became famous for their amassed treasure hoards, which have all been long plundered one after another as humanity learned how to hunt them down. Only one legend persists today that a dragon still lives, and that legend comes to us from the Ptarmigan Wastes.”
Wolfgang: “Indeed it does! Though I have never seen the dread beast in my time, my elders insist that their elders laid eyes upon it - the last dragon, far to the northwest from where even the hardiest Ptarmigan tribes have dared to settle.”
Seth: “The Cenotaph were often forced to live in the harshest environments, far from humanity. They were all over Xindelle, but few scholars know that they were also rather prevalent in the Ptarmigan Wastes for a time. And I believe that - stashed within the hoard of this dragon of Wolfgang’s - we will find The Anchor.”
Everyone but Wolfgang just stared at me.
Seth: “Umm… any questions?”
Xenna: “A dragon.”
Seth: “That’s not exactly a question, but yes.”
Maeve: “When I said that we may as well jump into the maw of a dragon back at orientation, lover boy, I was not being literal.”
I gave her an apologetic look.
Zyturak: “Alright, let’s charitably assume the dragon actually exists, and that we can access its hoard with no trouble. What makes you think The Anchor will be among the hoard’s treasures?”
Seth: “A few things… For one, Xindelle is extremely far from the Ardenscar, so the Cenotaph there would have had no need to create a device that protects them from its influence. Ptarmigan, however, is quite close to the Scar, so the location fits. And isn’t it strange how Ptarmigan has been spared from the corruption that’s claimed everything else within the same radius?”
Wolfgang: “We always assumed Ptarmigan was protected by our faith in it, but deep down I think we all doubted we had such power. The land has always provided for us, and even for we who respect the cycle of nature, it has seldom been the other way around.”
I nodded. It was possible that the primalists were responsible for warding off the Ardenscar’s corruption, but I found my Anchor theory rather more likely.
Seth: “Lastly, in the earliest days the dragons and the Cenotaph were too busy fighting each other to worry much about us as we found our footing. The Cenotaph in Ptarmigan were wiped out long before Yreth even led us anywhere near it. To conclude, I think it’s pretty likely this dragon took some trophies from those battles, including The Anchor, and that it is still powered and functioning even today.”
That was enough for Zyturak, who simply nodded in response and returned to loading the caravan. Xenna and Maeve were not so easily swayed.
Xenna: “A dragon.”
Maeve: “I’m with Xenna. Do you even have a plan?”
I gave her a wink.
Maeve: “Oh my god. You don’t, do you!?”
Xenna: “Ten thousand pounds of muscle and scales. It simply breathes and the most complex, destructive aether weaves known to magekind are unleashed. A dragon.”
Seth: “Hey, Maeve, didn’t you scrap a war machine designed to level armies the other day?”
Maeve crossed her arms, muttering under her breath.
Maeve: “Yes...”
I turned to Xenna.
Seth: “I rest my case.”
Maeve rolled her eyes. I could tell she thought I was being irresponsible, but my faith in her now was simply unshakable. Wolfgang, however, was being unusually contemplative.
Wolfgang: “I’m also unsure about this. Even if we could slay the dragon as easily as you say, my people view it as sacred. It is the last living sovereign of a bygone age, when dragons ruled the land and humans knew some shred of modesty.”
I had not been expecting to hear that.
Seth: “Wolfgang, I apologize. I was so busy chasing these legends and wondering if we even had a shot against the thing that I never would have considered it could actually be wrong to slay it.”
His muscles were tense as he curtly nodded his forgiveness. He had enough on his mind with introducing Xenna to his parents, and I felt awful for adding sacrilege to the list of things he’d have to explain to his tribe. If there were any other way to secure The Anchor, I’d jump on the opportunity, but…
Wolfgang: “Alright, everything’s loaded. The journey won’t be very long, but we’ll have to trade our carriage for sleds and a whole lot of dogs once we reach the Ptarmigan snows. I hope no one’s allergic!”
With that, we were off. As we left Exodus, I got the sense that there had been a lot of paranoia building in the city. People were looking over their shoulders in the market, and many whispered to themselves or pointed to others in hushed voices. There were also a lot of soldiers posted at the passages between quarters, and though It may have just been business as usual, even someone as sheltered as me had a feeling it was not.
...well, it really wasn’t our problem.
The rich farmland was quite extensive beyond Exodus’ walls. Maeve and I sat at the back and watched the road pull away. I endured Maeve’s teasing as I excitedly pointed out cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals to her, mimicking each as we passed them by.
Maeve: “You’re so incredibly lame, you know that?”
But her smile told me the last thing she wanted was for me to stop.
//Time Skip//
The grass had given way to snow, and we had to bundle up in warmer clothes. Wolfgang led our carriage to an out-of-the-way ranch where large, healthy dogs ran playfully around one another, barking at our approach.
Ah, this explains all the rope.
We unloaded our things onto a few large sleds as Wolfgang went inside the cabin to speak with the owners, who promised to watch our carriage while we were gone.
Wolfgang came back and introduced us to the dogs. Between the five of us, our pack was over twenty-five canines strong. They didn’t seem to take to me or Maeve, but nevertheless we enjoyed watching them play happily with the others. Wolfgang explained how to tell the dogs where to go, and luckily not one of them was as ornery as Demon had been. The adjustment from carriage to sled was not as difficult as I expected, and once he was confident we had a feel for it, we pushed onward, the cold biting even harder as the tundra took hold around us.
In terms of distance there wasn’t too far to go, and we arrived in only a couple of days. If we hadn’t had Wolfgang to guide us or the dogs to pull us, though, I doubt we could have ever made it at all.
Wolfgang: “Here we are, my friends. Welcome to Ptarmigan!"
