Dragon (A Histories of Purga Novel)

“So, you just couldn’t stay away, huh?” Rone said. It had been five days since he first woke up in the hut and the first day he was allowed to spend time outside of it.

“My dad told me to show you around,” Keiara lied. It was true that she was to be the one to watch over him (a job she had to beg Tarvo to give her) and to teach him about her people, but she neglected to tell him that she genuinely liked being around him. She enjoyed his company and his humor. “How is your leg?”

He looked down at it. The wool pants he wore had been pinned so the empty pant leg didn’t drag on the ground but he could still feel his stump throbbing. There were phantom tingles and sensation in the nonexistent foot that was uncomfortable most of the time and downright painful at others. But it seemed to be healing all right. Heari used a special salve that sped up the healing process nicely. The thing he hated the most, however, were the crutches he had to use. The wood bit into his armpits and started hurting pretty bad after a couple of minutes.

“It’s not so bad. Heari says the sutures can come out tomorrow,” he told her.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Keiara responded, cheerfully.

They walked side by side for a moment in silence. She watched Rone take in the scenery, his eyes nearly lost with utter amazement. She enjoyed seeing that wonder in his gorgeous blue eyes.

“What’s the name of your city again?”

“Vitari. This is the largest of our city-tribes and inhabits most of the western side of the forest. The eastern half, across the Ursa River, holds Ledun, Yowil, Undari and Cantu. It is also where the plantations and Herdlands are.”

“I see. Are they as beautiful as Vitari?”

“Yes. Just on a smaller scale,” she responded with a charming smile.

They walked around the trees and buildings on the forest floor. Most of the huts there were where the artisans of Vitari set up shop. A little past those were the merchant huts that bordered the western side of the city-tribe.

Keiara said hello to Doran as she came out of her hut. She waved hesitantly and when she saw Rone with her, she hurried back inside. Keiara was about to apologize for the behavior, but Rone didn’t seem to notice.

Doran was one of the master clothiers. She spun wool into thread that she then made into clothes for a lot of people in Vitari. She was actually quite gifted and was a great friend of her mom. They passed Hert, the metalsmith. He created all the weaponry the warriors used. Then Oylan, one of the bakers. There was Lillian who weaved baskets and Irvak’s hut, where the plantation’s farmers took their goods to be bartered. And on and on it went. There were hundreds of these huts, some big and grand and others smaller and less impressive. Each one, however, was vital to everyone’s survival. Each one contributed. She explained all of this to Rone and watched with joy as he took in everything. He just couldn’t seem to get enough information and she loved the way he always craved more.

“This is so fascinating,” he responded at one point. “This is the first time in anyone’s memory or anyone’s history that a Rook has been allowed access to a Terraquois city. This is a phenomenal opportunity.”

“Yes, it is,” she replied, smiling. “My dad and I believed it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

“Opportunity?” he asked her.

“For you to learn about us. So that you can teach your people that we are not the monsters they think us to be.”

“Oh,” he replied, crestfallen. In all actually, he let the idea of living out the rest of his life in this beautiful place fill him. He loved the idea of the freedom living here would give him. No more tortuously boring parties or functions. No more having to act like something he wasn’t. No more trying to please his father. All of the pressure of his old life just gone. “When will I have to leave?”

“When your leg has healed completely and Heari deems you fit for travel,” Keiara responded.

“I see.”

Something suddenly crashed into Rone’s head, making stars burst in front of his eyes. He lost his balance on his crutches and tumbled into the grass and dirt. He pushed himself up with his hands and grabbed his crutches. After a few minutes of awkward struggling, and some help from Keiara, he finally managed to get onto his remaining foot with the crutches firmly back in place under his armpits. He looked around, his anger writhing inside him. He found a particularly fierce-looking Terra warrior facing him.

The boy looked a few years younger than Rone. His lip was curled up into a sneer, showing off white teeth. Two other warriors were behind him, both of them laughing cruelly.

“Niku!” Keiara shouted. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Your dad is an old fool for letting this trash stay here. And you are nothing but a brainless, pathetic girl to have saved his worthless life to begin with,” Niku shouted. “Let’s see if your injured Rook likes the hospitality the Terraquois have to offer him.”

Niku launched another rock, but Rone dodged it agilely.

He glared hotly at the warrior and growled low in his throat.

“Don’t insult her,” Rone said, his voice threatening. He could ignore the rocks thrown at him, but he would not ignore an insult to Keiara.

“Insult her?” Niku laughed. “If she had a brain in her skull, then maybe it could be considered one. But when she doesn’t, it’s just the truth.”

The other two laughed at their friend’s joke.

“I will give you one chance, Terra,” Rone said. “Apologize to Keiara. She did you no wrong.”

“By allowing you to stay here, she wronged all of us,” Niku spouted back.

“Stop,” Keiara spoke softly and only to Rone. She put her hand to his chest to keep him from instigating the fight further.

“I will not listen to him demean you,” he told her. “Not after everything you’ve done for me. If it’s a fight he wants, then I will give it to him.”

“You can’t fight him,” she responded, her voice urgent. “It will not look good and besides, you’re still injured.”

Rone thought about what she said. She was right. He was still hurt and if he beat the sniveling Terra into the ground, the rest of his people would probably put him into some kind of jail. There had to be a better way. He just couldn’t let the idiot go on and if there was one thing that his father taught him that he never forgot, it was that every bad situation always had a solution. He thought about his current predicament and finally found one.

“You spend a great deal of time attacking injured people and insulting beautiful women,” Rone accused, looking straight at Niku. He paused to give his next words more weight, already knowing what kind of reaction they would have. “Those are the actions of a coward.”

Niku stared in shock as if Rone had punched him. He sputtered in rage.

“Why don’t you face me in a fair battle? Just me and you. I won’t use my nanos and you are forbidden to turn into whatever animal you turn into. If I win, you apologize to Keiara and leave her alone. She doesn’t deserve to be ridiculed or insulted. Her courage should be praised.”

Niku scoffed loudly.

“If you win, then I will stay in Heari’s hut for the remainder of my time here and leave when I am able. I will not bother your people anymore. Do you accept or will you take the coward’s way out again?” Rone cocked a half-smile at the obnoxious warrior.

“Accept a chance to smash your smug face into the ground without consequence?” Niku asked. “It’s like a dream come true.”

“Okay. We fight until one is unconscious or they surrender. This is not a fight to the death, as much as you would like it to be. I don’t want your blood on my hands,” Rone told him and Niku agreed.

“Don’t do this,” Keiara whispered to him.

“I have to. If I don’t deal with him now, then he will only keep causing trouble for you. I don’t want that,” he whispered back.

She was stunned by his words and the calm, matter-of-fact way he said them. He didn’t even care about being physically attacked by Niku. He was angrier about the insults he’d said to her and the fact that he would never quit harassing her.

“But your leg.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he reassured her. “I’m a Prince, remember. I was taught to fight at a very young age. I can handle myself. Even on one leg.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do this you know.”

“I do have to. He called you stupid and if there is one thing on this world that you are not, it’s stupid.” He smiled charmingly at her, winked, and then crutched away, into the center of a widely growing circle of people. He stared around at all the Terraquois that had suddenly shown up.

Word certainly travels fast here, he thought to himself. More and more people were coming to watch the fight. He stood on one side of the circle, about twenty paces away from Niku.

The young warrior cracked his neck and then his fingers. Then he stretched out the muscles in his arms and legs, pounded his fist to his chest and then looked at Rone.

“Come on, Rook. Let’s see what you got.”

The minute he stopped talking, he raced at Rone with all the considerable speed in his body.

Rone watched him come with a total lack of concern.

Niku yelled loudly, his face contorted with anger. He raised a fist and swung it with all the power and strength he could, aiming right for Rone’s head.

Rone waited patiently, making sure to time his counter just right. When Niku was at a point where he wouldn’t be able to change his line of attack, Rone twirled on his foot. He swung one crutch out at the same time. His circle went around with impressive speed and the end of the crutch collided with Niku’s temple.

The Terra collapsed to the ground in a boneless heap and slid a couple inches. He came to rest in front of Rone’s foot while Rone hopped around until he could get his crutches under him again.

The gathered crowd stared at him in shocked wonder. All of them were speechless. Including, Keiara. She looked at Niku, then at Rone, and back at Niku. Then she let out a cheer. The others didn’t quite share in Keiara’s enthusiasm. Some looked nervous while others seemed impressed with his fighting skills

Rone stood there, watching the strange people around him, before turning his attention back on Niku.

The Terra finally began stirring and in a few seconds, was back on his feet. He looked around in confusion for a moment, rubbing his pounding head. Then it dawned on him what happened. He’d lost.

“H-how…,” he started to ask, rubbing the side of his head again. His eyes narrowed with anger. Real, pure hatred for Rone. “You tricked me.”

“No. You defeated yourself,” Rone explained. “You were cocky and angry. You let those things cloud your judgment. I just used them against you and did something you never saw coming. Now, I believe we had an agreement, correct?”

Niku turned rigidly to face Keiara.

“I am sorry for what I said,” he bowed to her. “I hope you can forgive me.”

“Behave yourself in the future and maybe I will,” Keiara told him. “Prince Rone Varlamagne of the Kingdom of Roanoke is our guest!” This she yelled to the assembled crowd. “He will stay with us in an effort to teach him our ways of life and our traditions so that he may go back to his people and teach them what he has learned.” She faced Rone squarely, looked into his eyes, and smiled beautifully. Rone felt a rush of heat fill his face at the thought of such a stunning creature smiling at him like that. “With any luck, it will be the first step for peace between our people.”

Rone crutched a couple of steps closer to her, grabbed her soft hand and raised it to his lips. “I would love nothing better, My Lady.”

About half the crowd there started cheering. The rest resembled, more than anything, Niku’s stubborn refusal to accept the Rook. When it died down and the mass of people started moving away and returning to their duties, Keiara continued her tour of Vitari. Niku didn’t bother them again, and no one else did either.