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Graymore is a dragon hunter
The unknown gods heard her prayers. A dragon roared over the crumbling city. Graymore looked up. The most magnificent dragon she’d ever seen was flying across the sky. Its hide glittered like an emerald bordered by gilt. The dragon looked menacing and majestic at the same time.
«I never thought I would marvel at a creature that flew!» Graymore muttered.
She should have taken out her sword and crossbow, but they were still in the bales strapped to her saddle. The only thing she had with her was her dagger. Graymore drew it. At that moment a golden light flashed through one of the arches, as if beyond the archway was not a void but an entire hall. In the archway flashed either a dwarf or a boy, dressed in an emerald camisole.
«Run, you fool!» He hissed at Graymore. «This is a dragon’s country.»
Run from the dragon’s land! Oh, no! Graymore did not move. Meanwhile, the dragon had dwindled. He was now hovering just above the arches, but he seemed somehow unable to see the city below.
Strange that a dragon couldn’t see it, now that it was a dragon’s land. Perhaps the boy was referring to some other creature that was only symbolically called a dragon. Each sculpture had at least one dragon’s feature, but they were essentially people, not dragons. Maybe dragons were called, in layman’s terms, all those who had been stricken with dragon fever.
A monotonous chanting sounded over the ruins, as if a chorus of ghostly voices was singing. Graymore discerned the words:
«Donata, Ligeia, it is sacred hunt, it is tribute to the golden deity.»
The singing was mesmerizing. She wanted to stand and listen to it, even if the dragon was about to dive down and tear her apart.
Another large boulder bounced off the archway. By now Graymore knew it was time to run. But where could she run? The stone arches were crumbling all around, and the sculptures seemed alive and predatory. Graymore took her chances and sprinted forward. Small pebbles flew at her and hurt her arms and shoulders. The rock crumbs resembled shrapnel. One pebble cleaved Graymore’s forehead, spurting blood.
«Stop it! Come back here!» A chorus of voices called out to her. «The City of Sleepers awaits you.»
She wanted to turn back before a shout resounded in her ear:
«It is game!»
Had the voices of the unknown called game to her, Princess Livellin? Graymore felt fear mixed with rage. Even if all the sculptures came to life and went to war against her, she would not give up.
Someone clutched at her shoulders from behind.
«Turn around!» There was a hiss above her ear.
Graymore tried to break free. The fingers that held her were indeed stone, it seemed.
At that moment the dragon dipped in flight, circled above the arches, and suddenly burst into flames. Fire erupted in the circle. Graymore broke free and ran toward her horse, peacefully nibbling on the grass far away from the stone city.
Beneath her feet showed a line drawn on the ground. It seemed to consist of a ligature of signs scrawled between the grasses. As he crossed it, the clatter of falling stones and the hissing of flames ceased. Graymore looked back. The stone city stood untouched. Not a single arch in it had collapsed.
Was she imagining things? Graymore looked up at the sky. The dragon was no longer flying. How strange is it!
«It’s time for us to get out of here, Maverin!» Graymore took the reins and tried to climb into the saddle. She could not do it. Her legs felt as if they were cotton. The princess sank down on the grass.
«Let’s rest for a while, and then go on,» she said to the horse.
Naturally Maverin didn’t object. The grass by the abandoned city was fresh and lush. It was a pleasure to scratch. Let the mistress sleep and the horse have his lunch. Maverin continued to pluck the grass, while Graymore lay under the shade of a yew tree and fell asleep.
Lady in the Dragon Mask
Graymore woke up from the heat. It felt as if a red-hot brand had touched her cheek. It was, in fact, someone else’s hot breath. Was a dragon leaning over her?
Even before her eyelids fluttered open, Graymore reached for her crossbow.
«Don’t be frightened! You are not ready to fight yet!» A sweet, feminine voice whispered in her ear. «The fight of your life is yet to come. The dragon is waiting for you in the cursed mountains. You are to be a heroine! A great heroine! You will be honored as a dragon war goddess upon your return to Livellin, but first you must slay the dragon.»
What glorious promises! Graymore must have been pleased with such a prediction. Why did she feel that the fortuneteller’s voice oozed venom?
Graymore opened her eyes and immediately shut them again. A blinding glow was emanating from the stranger leaning over her.
«Do not fear me! I will lead you to the right place!» The woman in the golden mask leaned over and licked the blood from Graymore’s forehead.
«Do you know what this settlement was once?»
«Was it a city of elves?» Graymore guessed. She recalled the skeleton advisor’s tales of empty arches that were a passageway to the invisible realm of elves and fairies.
«It is not quite!» The woman in the golden mask gathered dew from the clover and anointed Graymore’s eyelids with it. After that it was no longer painful to look at her. The lady wore a mask that resembled the snout of a dragon. Is there really a masquerade going on in the forest? The intimidating mask was made of golden scales. It must have been made by a magical jeweler. Graymore was jealous.
«I want one for my next Livellin’s masquerade.»
«My dear,» the lady grinned indulgently. «If you get one, it will be quite difficult to take it off.»
«I don’t understand.»
The sun went behind a cloud. The mask suddenly disappeared from the lady’s face, as if golden scales had grown into her skin.
«Are you from the world of fairies?» Graymore looked in amazement at the lady’s blond curls and impossibly gorgeous dress. The bows on the sleeves and the corset were adorned with tiny sapphires. The lace of the lush skirts could only be woven by fairies. Mortal ladies have neither such outfits nor such delicate hair. Blond curls flowed below her waist. Somehow it reminded her of white snakes.
«I am Donata,» the lady introduced herself.
«You have a name like…» Graymore did not venture a suggestion, lest she should offend the lady. Like the statue!
Graymore glanced over Donata’s shoulder. By the way, she couldn’t see the statue from here.
«What are you? Are you a fairy?»
«It is not exactly, but sort of,» Donata spread her skirts, which looked suspiciously like a lizard’s tail.
«What kind of settlement is this?»
«It used to be human, but now everything human has fallen asleep.»
«You’re waiting for a chosen one to awaken everyone here.»
«There’s no need to wake anyone up. Everyone will wake up as soon as the usurper is dead.»
«The usurper? What do you mean» Graymore was astonished. «Where is he? Who is he?»
«The usurper is a dragon.»
«Good, because I thought it was a relative of mine. The thing is, this kingdom is ruled by the Livellin’s dynasty.»
«What do you mean?» The blonde was astonished.
«It’s Livellin’s territory here.»
«Livellin wasn’t even here when we were.»
«Were you? And who are you?»
«We were people of Marida.»
«I’ve never heard that name.»
«There are so many illiterate girls these days,» Donata touched Grayamore’s head gently. «But your usefulness to us is not in literacy. You are valuable in other ways. You can slay a dragon, can’t you?»
«I will,» Griamor promised.
«Are you sure?» Donata raised her ashy eyebrows questioningly. They curved in a cartwheel over her expressive blue eyes.
«I’ve killed so many dragons already. I can’t even count exactly how many.»
«That’s why your blood doesn’t taste good to me! It has the protections of a huntress in it! You’re nice, but you’re not tasty,» Donata stroked Graymore gently on the cheek. «When guests come to our house, I usually feel elation. The feast is coming.»
Grahamor closed her eyelids and saw the ring of dragon statues surrounding a stranded traveler. The man can’t get out of their circle. What happens next? Could it be that Donata is sending her such visions?
The mirror in Meverin’s saddlebag vibrated nervously, as if it were about to explode. The skeleton advisor seemed to want to have a conversation with the princess. Graymore didn’t want Donata to notice the magical object in her bag. Some gut feeling told her that Donata could not be trusted. Or could she? Donata resembled a beautiful fairy. She seemed about to turn the leaves fallen from the yew tree into gems.
«I can do it!» Donata read Graymore’s thoughts, and picked up the fallen leaves from the ground. In her hands the leaves turned into nuggets. «Take them if you want them. It’s payment for killing the dragon.»
«I only want the treasure from the dragon’s cave, not yours,» Graymore blurted confidently, and immediately regretted it. Honestly, she didn’t want the dragon’s treasure at all. Livellin’s treasury is piled high enough as it is. What she needs is the thrill of the hunt.
«Then I can heal you in gratitude,» Donata promised.
«From what is it?» Graymore wondered. «I am not ill of anything.»
«You are bewitched! Your blood seems to sprout whenever you smell a dragon.»
«That’s right.»
«And you like that?»
«It is not so much. It’s like I’m on fire inside. It’s very unpleasant.»
«Oh, I know what it’s like to burn at the stake.»
«But you’re not a witch.»
«What makes you think that?»
«Only witches burn at the stake.»
«It’s not just witches! You, for instance, feel like you’re burning at the stake as soon as a dragon flies close to your kingdom. It’s so excruciating!»
«Yes! You know what I mean.»
«I can see into people’s hearts,» Donata said smugly. «Fairies and elves are my clients too.»
«Are they your clients?»
«They are my debtors, actually.»
«You’re mysterious.»
«That’s right!» Donata smiled in a way that sent a chill down her spine.
«Who are you?» said Grahamor, curious.
«You know my name. That is more than enough.»
Donata leaned over and kissed her forehead.
«You have my blessing on the dragon.»
«So far I’ve managed without fairy blessings.»
«Your reaction to dragons is already a blessing.»
«I wouldn’t say that. It makes me uncomfortable.»
From the arches, the silent song poured out again. Donata looked wary.
«I must go,» she said. «You are so fresh and smell like a rose. When it begins to rain, you will be surrounded. It rains magically in these parts. Try not to stay out in the open when it starts raining. Otherwise, the ghosts of the rain will drag you into their world, and no one will be able to tame the dragon anymore.»
«What has the dragon done to you?»
«It is nothing in particular!» Donata shrugged her shoulders.
«Did it burn you? Are you a ghost?»
«I am not!»
«Then what harm has he done to you?» She asked.
«It is practically nothing.»
«Then why do you want him dead so badly?»
«I will be fair!»
The conversation came to a standstill. Graymore was tormented by suspicion, but there was nothing more to ask. Donata avoided a direct answer. Her words sounded like echoes. Nothing could be understood.
Graymore noticed a strange enamel locket on a gold chain around Donata’s neck. On the lid of the medallion hung symbols like those scrawled on the ground.
«Will I see you again?» Graymore asked as Donata stood up and walked out of the arches into the city at the sound of singing. The singers were out of sight, but the song was pouring forth.
«It is quite likely!» Donata lifted her green hem, stepped over the line on the ground, and disappeared as if she had never been there.
Ghosts of Rain
The rain began suddenly. Graymore hadn’t expected the downpour to catch her on her way. Her clothes and hair immediately got wet, and it was raining cats and dogs. At home, the princess was accustomed to travel in carriages or palanquins, but now she had not even brought a walking tent. She would have to do without it.
«A little more, and the trip to the dragon will cost me a cold,» the princess dismounted and left the horse under a sprawling oak tree. «Hold it right there, Maverin!»
The stone city was still visible in the distance. One could go back to it and hide there under the archway. Only it was scary to go back. The arches would start collapsing again, and the stone statues would come to life. The half-human, half-dragon figures had an ominous look.
The skeleton counselor advised Graymore to bring along a sort of fringed awning, stretched on long spokes. The contraption resembled a ladies’ sun umbrella. Now Graymore tried to unfold it and could not. Apparently, the spokes were rusted from the moisture. And the rain kept getting heavier.
Now would be the time to find the dragon’s cave and finally defeat the proverbial dragon. Graymore was already hissing at him with anger. Dragons were usually quick to fall for her summons. As soon as the fiery beasts sensed her aggression, they burst out of hiding. Another dragon was cunning. He hid. To challenge it to open combat would seem next to impossible. She wished she could find his lair! He must have a cave or grotto, or even a swamp, somewhere. Most dragons made their nests in the mountains, but there were also some at the bottom of large lakes, in peat bogs, in mounds, in gorges, and even in the sea. Graymore has captured dozens of dragons, maybe even hundreds. Thanks to her excitement as a dragon hunter, Livellin’s coffers have been enriched by tons of gold and precious stones. Even if the last dragon she did not capture was not the richest, she would not be disappointed. She has already brought fame and fortune to her kingdom. She is a heroine! Should she fear the rain?
Suddenly voices called out from the thick rain:
«Graymore! Graymore! Graymore!»
The princess was alarmed. Had they called her by name? Or had Donata conjured it.
In the rain ghosts Graymore did not believe, although frightening stories were told about them. Allegedly, people who encountered them were found strangled on the road. The impression was that the unfortunate people had drowned, even though the bodies of water were far from the place where the corpse lay. The last time some peasant woman was found on the road many miles from the well. She looked like a drowned woman, though it was dry land.
Graymore knew that drowned people could be found in a deep river or in the sea, but not in the middle of a stone city or a drought-stricken field. It is hard to believe that rain that has passed, could leave behind the bodies of drowned men. But eyewitnesses who have watched from their windows assure us that the ghosts of rain cause everyone who happens to be outside to drown in the downpour.
Somehow that sounds too fantastic! To be on the safe side, Graymore fumbled for her dagger on her belt.
«Do you believe in rain ghosts, Maverin?»
The horse roared longingly, as if sensing trouble.
Graymore was more self-assured. She’s the kind of heroine who can ride around without an entourage, being the princess of the richest kingdom. Everyone knows it is impossible to kidnap or kill her. After all, her self-igniting blood will ignite if cut and burn her attackers. So no conspirators wishing to deprive her of her throne would surely send a regiment of assassins after her. They know that such tactics will not work. If Graymore smells danger and cuts herself with a dagger, a drop of her blood will set the whole squad ablaze. After all, her blood is enchanted.
Perhaps it is no surprise that a girl whose destiny is to hunt dragons has blood of fire. Flaming blood can serve as a weapon of self-defense. Now, if the rain ghosts appear, Graymore will cut her finger with a dagger, and a drop of her blood will cause a flame to burst into flames. The rain ghosts will dry up.
«That is my tactic!» Graymore brings the blade of her dagger over her little finger with a triumphant look. «Come out of the rain!»
No one responded. For a while all that could be heard was the rustling of the rain’s trickles. It resembled the murmuring of water in a fountain. There did seem to be a fountain in the stone city. Where had it come from? When she had entered the city of arches, there had been no fountain. What a miracle!
Graymore gazed out at the distant arches, and didn’t notice the transparent hand running through her hair.
«Graymore! Your name means – the test of love!» A voice whispered excitedly through the rain.
A translucent face appeared in the streams of water, then several more faces. They laughed. Their laughter sounded like the rustling of water in a fountain.
«Come to us, princess!» The translucent figures surrounded Graymore. Their hands reached for her. They touched her clothes and stroked her hair.
«What a beautiful princess!» They whispered. «Let us take her to our king.»
«Get back!» Graymore pointed her dagger defiantly at her left hand. «Or you will all burn! My blood is fiery!»
The rain spirits laughed in unison. Their laughter resembled the sound of a torrent of water running over rocks.
«The water doesn’t burn!» They chanted together.
«Water is stronger than fire,» one particularly attractive spirit explained. He was translucent but seductive. «Fire goes out in water. Any dragon that doesn’t swim in the sea will drown.»
«Well, I’m no dragon!» Graymore swung her dagger.
«You are a dragon princess!» The rain spirits have determined.
«You are a slander!» Grahamore blushed at the suggestion. «I have nothing to do with these arsonists. On the contrary, I protect the whole realm from dragons. And you slander me for being in league with them!»
The Rain Spirits whispered for a long moment, and then one of them spoke up smartly:
«Being a dragon princess is not equal to being one with the dragons.»
«What does it mean?» Graymore was alarmed.
«It means having power over them.»
«To capture and destroy is my influence!» With aplomb Graymore declared, but she thought to herself that it was more likely that the dragons had leverage over her. She thought to herself that dragons had more of an influence on her than anything else, because if they ever got near her, her blood would burst into flames. The torment the princess endured was unbearable. The inner fire could only be compared to burning a witch at the stake. Perhaps she should ask the rain spirits why she burns inwardly as if she were a witch, barely smelling the dragons near her. The rain spirits seem all-knowing. They must know the answer. But what if for that she must first go to their king? Graymore weighed whether to ask them for interpretation, and the rain spirits kept whispering.
«Is it to hunt dragons or to love dragons? Which do you want more, fair princess?»
«Are you mocking me?» Graymore looked helplessly around at the translucent figures that surrounded her. More and more of them protruded from the rain. There seemed to be a legion of them.
«You could make a dragon army of your own, instead of exterminating them,» the spirits advised.
«There’s no way dragons would obey me,» Graymore could prove by advising the rain spirits to look into the dungeons of Livellin’s castle. Along with the drip, they could probably get there. The dragons she has trapped there are uncontrollable. She’s already checked that, but how do you explain to the rain ghosts that dragons are not chain bears.
«Don’t be a damsel in distress! What if the hunt turns into friendship?» One of the rain ghosts laughed.
«It is not a chance!» Graymore struck a pose.
«Let’s make a bet! If that happens, you’ll be our king’s bride. He’s looking for a bride, but all the girls who want to be his are drowning in the rain. And you have fiery blood, in the midst of magical rain you will not get wet to death.»
Graymore found such a suggestion dubious, but the spirit had already advised others:
«Get our suzerain here! I think we’ve found what we need! It’s a special maiden! A noble one, too! Not some milkmaid or reaper! She is a real princess. It is a perfect match!»
Graymore was frightened. She didn’t want to get married at all. She didn’t like the rain king. He must be made up of water.
«I’m going to rule my country alone,» she warned the pesky spirits. «If I am ever to have a husband, it will only be as a consort prince. As a heroine who has slain many dragons, I have the right to rule Livellin as a matriarch.»
«That’s good! The Rain King will flood Livellin and become your consort,» the spirits laughed.
Graymore imagined her native kingdom flooded with rain. Such a thing must not be allowed to happen. The spirits must be chased away somehow. The rain would probably stop soon. For now, the sky above the forest did not lighten, and the spirits surrounded Graymore and bellowed with myriad voices.
«The Rain King is coming!» One of the spirits proclaimed.
There was indeed a glimpse of something like a waterway in the thick rain, and a translucent figure wearing a crown was floating along it. The empty watery eyes peered at the princess.
It was time to get out of here. Graymore began to make her way through the ring of spirits. She must get back to Maverin. If the spirits try to stop her, she’ll cut herself, and her fiery blood will do them all no good.
The Rain King was already reaching out his hands to her.
«Here is she, your majesty!» The spirits nudged her forward. «Put the water crown on her before the rain stops, and she will stay with us forever.»
Someone’s transparent fingers brushed wet curls away from Graymore’s forehead, exposing clear skin. Immediately there was a startled shriek.
«It is Donata’s seal!» The rain spirits shrieked in chorus.
They screeched apart. Graymore touched her forehead. Where do they see the seal? There was no trace of Donata’s kiss long ago.
The Rain King was gone, too. His sigh of regret hovered over the forest.
It was a good thing he had come to his senses and was no longer trying to get a bride like the dragon-hunter. Graymore imagined the rain flooding the towers and spires of her home kingdom. In the midst of perpetual rain, dragons can no longer be hunted.
Suddenly the jets of rain burst into bright orange sparks. For a moment it looked like the rain was on fire. Graymore dodged the sparks and grabbed her crossbow. A dragon was flying across the sky. The same dragon she had been hunting. He was the one who breathed fire downward. Apparently it had a score to settle with the Rain King.
As soon as the dragon noticed the rain was ending, he flew away.
«What an elusive dragon he is!» Graymore stamped her foot in frustration. «I have to chase him all over the forest again! He was only just outside! If only I’d had time to aim! Does he fly away from me on purpose? He feels I can defeat him!»
A loud dragon howl in the distance would have startled anyone, but not Graymore. She was used to that kind of dragon sympathy. A dragon’s roar would have made even the mountains tremble.
«That’s right. The dragon is hiding in those mountains!» Graymore took a spyglass out of her saddlebag to spy the dragon’s flight. «I’ll wager he’s got a cave there, full of bones and gold. We’re going in that direction, Maverin!»
The horse showed no enthusiasm at having to hit the road again. If it were Maverin’s will, it would have grazed for hours in one place, but its mistress would not let it.
«The poor horse could burn if you find a dragon!» The rain had barely stopped, and a gnome had crawled up from behind a stump. There was a rainbow in the sky.
«Do you know exactly where the dragon is hiding?» Graymore sat down in the saddle and looked down at the dwarf.
«He is not hiding, we are all hiding from him,» muttered the dwarf.
«All of you? Who is that? You’re the only one I see.»
«It is the forest folk. They’re shy. But I noticed you, pretty lady, and thought you would do no harm to the woodland tramp. And your horse is absolutely adorable! Would you like to keep it with me while you hunt the dragon? I’ll keep it safe. And a dragon can burn it with one breath,» he said.
«You’re not one of the gypsies the dragon burnt in these parts, are you?» Graymore joked. It would be logical if the whole tabor burned down, and one runt escaped and survived.
