The Dracones

“Kit!” Ivan calls up from the stairs. “By Dawn’s Light, what is taking you so long?”

“Nothing,” I call down as I stick the knife back in my belt. “Coming,” I yell as I grab my bow. I turn back to grab my mask when I notice something really odd about this kid. His throat is slightly rippling. A little scared I grab my stuff and run down to Ivan.

Ivan has his wolf mask resting on top of his golden head. He grins at me. “Your hair is down.”

Slightly dazed I touch my hair. “I guess it is.” I give him confused eyes. “Some guy tried to get the jump on me.”

“What?” Ivan demands as he starts walking toward me. I lead him up the stairs to show him the strange kid, but when we get there, the room is empty. I dash to the window to see if he went out that way. There is no way that kid is still walking around. We’re too high for him to have jumped and there are no stones to hold onto. The streets are littered with pedestrians. There is nothing on the wall, aside from a flag.

“Where is he?” Ivan asks, never one to question my sanity. I would at this point.

“I don’t know.” I scan the sea of heads, trying to find one that matches his burgundy hair. The closest I find is auburn.

“Well, we need to leave here anyway. Miora has another task she wishes us to accomplish. We’ll find what we can on him when we have time.”

“Okay,” I say as I stare at the crowd. How did that kid do that?

“I like your hair by the way,” Ivan says as he pulls me from the window.

“Huh?” I ask as I look at him.

He pulls a strand of my midnight hair, “Your hair. I like it down.”

I blush. “Thanks. Let’s go before something else happens.”

Ivan nods. “I’ll meet you at the market. I’m going to round us up some food.”

“Okay.” I hand Ivan my bow and quiver out of habit. He gives me a hug as he passes. I look out the window again and swear I see the mysterious man. I look closer and balk. I do. The kid is grinning at me as he sits on a crate in the export station at the dock. His leg dangles as he waves at me. Anger flares through me. That does it.

I run down the stairs and pass Ivan. I hear him call my name after me, but I do not stop. Why did I forget to get my bow from Ivan? I push through the crowd. All I can see is the jerk’s smug little face. Who is this kid?

“Kit!” Ivan says as he grabs my shoulder and yanks me to his side. “What is the matter with you?”

“Him!” I shout as I point to the smug little bastard.

Ivan follows the direction. His eyes narrow as the jerk blows him a kiss. “That’s the man that attacked you?”

“Yes.” I huff. We hear a sharp scream coming from the crowd. We look up as a dark shadow covers us. All I see is a red screen before blue takes over.

“Dragon!” Someone yells, making everyone scream. I grab my bow from Ivan as his entire body takes root in panic. What in the name of Mikiah is one doing this far north? It’s too late. By the time I draw my bow, it’s gone.

I grin. I got my bow back. I lower it to the crate the strange man had been on. “Dryitch!” I spit at the floor as I lower my bow. “Where did he go?” I demand. “Ivan!” I yell as he still stares at the sky, completely pale.

I snap my fingers, making him focus on my hand. “Ivan, are you alright?” I ask as I hand him my bow.

The repetitive motion snaps him back to reality some more. “What was that?” He asks as he slings my bow onto his shoulder.

“A dragon. Why is it this far north?” I muse as people slowly start calming down.

He starts thinking. “Maybe it’s too dry in the south. It’s just searching for food.”

I shrug. “Possibly. It wouldn’t be the first time, but they tend to avoid civilization.” That way there are little dragon hunts to worry about.

“Maybe it was just flying over.” Ivan is starting to get back into his rational mindset. “There are no signs of an attack.”

I smile at him. “Good thinking. Now you get the supplies. I’m going to go and get something for us to eat.” He nods and starts walking away. Once he’s a few feet away, I let out a huge breath of relief while I cup my cheek. My heart is pounding harder than a worked horse. That was so close. Reclaiming myself, I head off to the street vendor to buy salted pork, bread, and cheese.

After I have successfully bought us food for the weak, A lanky voice comes from behind me. “Hey, Kit.” I turn and groan. Right in front of me is a tall, gangly man named Iseriah. He’s nearly seven feet tall and has the worst case of acne I’ve ever seen. Even his perfectly shaved head has a case of it.

“Hey, Iseriah,” I say as I move past him to sit on a stone wall.

He sits next to me. “Word has it that someone has taken interest in you.”

I roll my eyes. “I swear if this is another one of your lines, I’ll kill you.”

He chuckles. “No, it’s not. Word from the Trix’s is that a man from the south is looking for you. Just thought I’d warn you.”

I cock my head. South? “What does he want?”

He shrugs. “Don’t know but he’s freaky. He gives everyone he talks to the chills. I’d watch out if I were you.”

I nod as I hear Ivan whistle. “Thanks, Iseriah. Ivan and I’ve got another job to do so I’ll leave right now.” I give him a hug and start heading toward Ivan. Something clicks right when I get to Miny. The kid that just attacked me is the one looking for me. I bite my lip as that sinks in. There is something else, it just hasn’t sunk in quite yet.

Several days later, Ivan and I are setting up camp in the woods. While he cooks, I head to the nearby stream to take a quick bath. I take my time since it’s sweltering, and the water is nice and cool. I even tried to get my hand to show the weird eye again, but nothing ever happened. When I get back to camp-fully dressed in a corset and a dress since we have an early morning-Ivan is removing his shirt. My eyes widen slightly as I take in his hard muscles. They look as if they are sculpted in the image of perfection. When did he get those?

I quickly look away before he catches my gawking. “Waters all yours,” I say as I force a yawn. He jumps as I flash him a smile while I pass him.

He fumbles for his change of clothes. “I swear I thought you’d be longer. I was going to head upstream.”

I give him a confused look. “Why are you so fidgety? I only saw your chest. You’re not bound by society’s dictation to conceal your breasts. Besides-” I wink at him “you look great.”

He flushes darker and chuckles. “I guess you caught me off guard.” He lowers his clothes and walks into the forest. Why is he acting so strange lately? I’ve seen him in more compromising situations than that.

I shrug it off and go to my saddle bags. I pull out an ivory comb Ivan had stolen from the Bandit Chief Ulurik and start attacking my knotted hair. I use the fire to help dry it as I eat Ivan’s famous cooked rabbit. When I’m completely dry, he’s still not back yet. This isn’t an unusual occurrence. He takes longer than I do when it comes to anything vanity-related.

Reluctantly I decide to stay by the fire and keep an eye on it. I lean on a tree stump and begin cross-stitching. By the time I have stitched in a blue butterfly the size of a gold coin, he finally shows up. He’s rubbing his wet hair with his hand, shaking loose remaining droplets. He looks at me and winks. I just roll my eyes. This is nothing new with him.

“What took you so long?” I ask as I get up.

He grins at me. “I was watching you sleep.”

I roll my eyes, though it did make me smile. “Not even close to being right.” I walk over to him. “Here.” I hand him the butterfly I just stitched. “I made this for you.”

He takes it and looks it over. A smile spreads over his face. “Wonderful job Kit.”

I smile. “Thank you.”

He looks up to tell me something but stops midway. He goes back to smiling. “I think we should go to bed. We have to be up before dawn tomorrow.”

I sigh and nod. “Probably best. Good night.” I feel his eyes on me as I walk to my bedroll.

He’s still watching as I lay down, so I roll over after I pull the covers up. “Ivan?”

He perks up. “Yeah?”

“When is Melanie coming back from Gunthra?” I yawn but am watching his facial expression.

Immediately his eyes sparkle. Then a second later his face falls, but his eyes retain their joy. “Who?”

I sigh. “Your obsession. Your betrothed.”

He sighs, seeing my point. “We’re meeting up with her tomorrow. Moira wanted it to be a surprise.”

I grin. I haven’t seen my adoptive sister in months. “Goodnight.” I didn’t know what else to say. The only problem now is that I’m too excited to sleep. An hour later I finally drift off to sleep.

I hear a sharp yell, making me open my eyes to check if Ivan is having night terrors again. When they open someone is standing over me. Before I have time to react the person bends toward me and stabs something in my neck. I punch the person, sending them flying as they are caught off guard. As I roll to my side, I see someone standing over Ivan, connecting a fist to his face. Just as I reach for my knife, I feel a dart enter my skin. I grab my knife as I get to my feet. Not even halfway up do I fall to the ground. The last thing I see are boots approaching me.