Copyright (C) 2009 Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
All Rights Reserved
The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding is posted for your reading enjoyment only and not to be reposted anywhere else. Thank you and happy reading!
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DUELING WITH DRAGONS
It took a few minutes for Jahrra to realize why the sight of Jaax made her uneasy, and how long it had been since she'd seen him. Four years ago, she thought, when he brought her Phrym. Then it struck her; why she received a stabbing pang of distaste when she'd heard the dragon's voice. For three years now she'd subconsciously been blaming him for the death of her parents. She'd forgotten her anger in time, just as she'd learned to deal with her sorrow, but seeing the dragon now had the same effect as throwing stones at a hornet's nest.
Jahrra took a deep breath and forced herself to look Jaax in the eye. Cold, granite eyes, she thought with a shiver. "What are you doing here?" she finally said, her throat feeling constricted and her mouth feeling dry.
"I'm here on business," the dragon said simply, his voice holding a hint of amusement.
Jahrra still found Jaax imposing, despite the fact she was sitting high atop Phrym, and she wondered how she hadn't spotted him when they first approached. He must have been waiting for me inside the Ruin, spying, she decided with distaste.
She released a short breath and asked as pleasantly as she could, "Where's Master Hroombra?"
"He'll be out shortly. I couldn't help but overhear you shouting so loudly at your friends, so I came out to greet you all." He paused and then cocked his head to the side, eyeing her like a bug he was considering squashing. "Do you always take pleasure in deceiving your friends, Jahrra?"
The question took Jahrra by surprise, like a punch in the stomach. She glared up at Jaax, but he just kept looking at her as if she were insignificant. Jahrra turned her eyes away and suddenly felt the way she did when Eydeth or Ellysian looked at her. Who is he to judge me? she thought furiously. I don't deceive my friends!
Gieaun and Scede shifted on their horses somewhere behind her. She moved slowly to look at them, reluctant to turn her back on her enemy. They'd noticed Jaax before she did and had wisely stayed put where they were. Now they were giving her a fragile look as she sought them out with desperate eyes.
"Hello," Jaax said cheerily over Jahrra's head. "You are Gieaun and Scede if I'm not mistaken? I remember you two from last time I was here. You've grown quite a bit."
He smiled freely at them and they seemed to relax a little, both grinning sheepishly.
What?! Jahrra thought with her mouth hanging open. How can he be so nice to them and treat me like dirt?!
"Can you breathe fire like Master Hroombra?" Scede blurted, interrupting Jahrra's thoughts and taking everyone by surprise.
The boy blushed slightly at his own outburst; clearly he hadn't meant to be so forward. Jaax looked down at Scede and grinned, then took a deep breath and let out a huge burst of flame, blue in the center and green around the edges. Aimhe, Bhun and Phrym all backed up and pulled at their bits nervously, but Gieaun and Scede were ecstatic with joy.
"Whoa! How can you do that?" Gieaun remarked, not noticing the look of irritation on Jahrra's face.
"I'm not quite sure Gieaun, but all dragons have the ability to breathe fire, steam or ice," Jaax answered, as if discussing the weather. "I happen to be a fire-breather."
He then began to blow smoke rings, which only encouraged Gieaun and Scede to jump from their horses in delight. The next minute they were laughing and coughing as they tried to leap through the giant loops of misty smoke.
Jahrra remained seated on Phrym, infuriated that the dragon should put on such a show for her friends while treating her with such disdain. It was almost as if Jaax had charmed them with magic. Why is he so rude to me but nice to them? she wondered miserably. Then she remembered that she hated him, so it really didn't matter in the end.
"Gieaun, Scede, do you want to put the horses away now?" Jahrra said quite rudely as she finally climbed down from Phrym's back.
"Oh, yeah, in just a minute," Scede said shortly without stopping his game of dodging the smoke rings. "You go ahead, we'll catch up to you."
Jahrra shot one more angry look at Jaax before leading Phrym away.
"Is she always so bad-tempered?" he asked the siblings once Jahrra had turned away.
"What are you talking about?" Gieaun asked, allowing a stray smoke ring to pass through her.
"Never mind, it's not important," Jaax sniffed.
The Tanaan dragon narrowed his emerald eyes as he watched Jahrra march away across the pasture. So, he thought with a scowl, that's how it's going to be, is it? He'd been testing the girl, searching for weakness, knowing now she wasn't going to accept him back so easily after his long absence. What had happened to the young girl he met four years ago? She'd been impressed and eager to make friends then, now she seemed guarded and distant, a slow anger burning inside of her.
What's causing this anger? Jaax wondered, absentmindedly blowing another dozen smoke rings in Gieaun and Scede's direction as he watched Jahrra lead Phrym away. He wondered if it might still be the effect of Abdhe's and Lynhi's deaths. After all, it really wasn't that long ago . . . His brow furrowed and his mood darkened for a moment. That could be it, but not all of it. She was cheerful until she saw me.
He sighed and realized that he would have to figure this out in due time, but for now he was going to make good use of this opportunity to check in on Jahrra's progress. The business of the outside world had kept him away from this task for far too long, and though his time here would once again be short, he was going to make good use of it.
Jaax smiled wryly as he continued to watch the fuming girl kick irritably at stones and swat at the swaying grasses as she moved closer to the stables. Yes, this will be interesting indeed . . . he mused.
"Ugh!" Jahrra puffed angrily as she pulled Phrym up the sloping field alone. "He thinks he's so clever! They only like him because he can breathe fire!"
Phrym whinnied softly, as if voicing his agreement.
"I'm glad you're on my side Phrym," Jahrra said dejectedly, reaching over and pulling his head into an appreciative hug. Phrym just nickered cheerfully and shoved Jahrra softly forward with his nose.
Once they reached the stable, Jahrra let out a tense sigh. She was grateful to be away from that stupid dragon and her credulous friends. She looked over at the small yard attached to the enclosure and smiled as Phrym trotted around, trying to con Jahrra into playing with him.
"Not today, boy, maybe another time. I'm not in the mood."
Jahrra grabbed her pack from the saddle bags and turned to walk back to her traitorous friends and their unpleasant visitor. Phrym watched as Jahrra trudged back towards the Ruin, then shook his head and occupied himself with eating his oats.
As she moved closer to the crumbled building, Jahrra saw that Hroombra had finally joined the crowd. Master Hroombra won't let Jaax be so rude! she thought hopefully with a tiny smile. Once she was within a few yards of them however, she noticed that both the dragons were watching her intently and her two friends had their eyes to the ground. They all seemed like statues, standing stark still and rigid. Something that felt like an icicle slid down Jahrra's throat and settled in her stomach. Why is everyone so quiet? What has happened? she thought with a twinge of uneasiness.
"What's wrong?" she asked warily.
"Scede here was just telling us about your day," Jaax answered, his face for once without expression.
Jahrra glanced over at Scede, who looked as guilty as a fox in a henhouse. She then looked to Gieaun, who happened to be giving her brother a nasty look.
"What did he say?" Jahrra asked carefully.
"He said that you'd seen the most amazing thing today, and just as he was going to tell us he suddenly stopped talking, refusing to go on."
It was Hroombra this time, but his tone sounded more curious than accusing.
Jahrra looked daggers at Scede, and he cowered even more. Great! Now what am I going to say! she thought furiously. I can't tell them I chased after a unicorn into the Wreing Florenn! Master Hroombra will kill me, and for Jaax to know too! He already thinks I'm a trouble-maker! Jahrra fished around for an excuse in her head, and decided that the best method was to tell the truth, at least part of the truth.
"Well," she began delicately, "we were riding in the fields between here and Nuun Esse on our way back from Wood's End Ranch, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked towards the forest and saw what I thought was a herd of deer. But they weren't deer; they were unicorns Master Hroombra, real unicorns!"
Jahrra barely heard the gasps of relief, and disbelief, coming from her two friends. Jaax looked taken aback and Hroombra just gazed at her, as if trying to comprehend what she'd just said.
Jahrra continued after a while, "When they saw us, they went running into the trees, so Gieaun, Scede and I decided to see if any of their hair got caught in the brush they were grazing near. And it did, look!"
Jahrra reached into her bag and pulled out a wad of the hair the three children had collected in the meadow, hoping this proof would distract the dragons from questioning her honesty. She knew she shouldn't have lied, but at least this way she'd told them some of the truth, and she wouldn't have to tell them she'd been in the Wreing Florenn. Hroombra was the first to step forward, with Jaax looking over his shoulder. Both dragons stared down at the unicorn hair as if in a trance, even Jaax, who always seemed to keep his true feelings hidden.
"Jahrra, did you happen to sketch them in your journal?" Hroombra asked, sounding like he could barely hang on to his excitement.
"Yes." Jahrra smiled and pulled out her journal. She opened it up to the pages where she'd drawn the stallion and some of the foals.
"Incredible!" Hroombra proclaimed, his multitude of wrinkles bunching around a huge smile.
Jaax, however, wasn't as enthused. He sat back on his haunches after looking at both the silky hair and the sketching. He glared at Jahrra as if she were someone untrustworthy, his usual cool gaze back once again.
"Jaax! Do you see this?" Hroombra asked, his voice still filled with awe.
The other dragon looked at Hroombra and said simply, "Has she seen drawings of unicorns before?"
Hroombra's expression went from complete joy to slight confusion. "Why, yes," he answered, his brow furrowed. "I've shown her many sketching and drawings of the creatures of Ethoes. Why?"
Jaax took a deep breath and said, "Isn't it possible she is making this all up? She could've drawn these from memory or copied them from your manuscripts."
Hroombra looked rather befuddled, and Jahrra gaped blankly at Jaax.
"What?!" she breathed, her blue eyes turning storm-cloud gray. "I didn't copy these from any other drawings, I saw the unicorns just today, I swear it! Here, I even have their hair to prove it!" Jahrra thrust out her hand, clutching the unicorn hair. "What more proof do you want?"
Jaax looked down at the hair wadded in Jahrra's hand. Then he moved his cool green eyes up to Jahrra's angry ones, saying quietly and calmly, "Some horses have fine hair. Your friends told me that their parents breed palomino horses. You could've taken the hair from them."
Jahrra couldn't believe that Jaax was accusing her of lying. She was severely tempted to kick him as hard as she could, but knew it would hurt her more than it would hurt him, not to mention give him one more thing to smile about. Alright, Jahrra thought miserably, I did lie about where I saw them, but I saw them! And how can he tell I'm not being truthful anyways? She knew it shouldn't bother her that Jaax didn't believe her. She hated him, so why did it matter? But for some reason it did.
"I'm telling the truth!" she demanded. "They were gold and copper and silver, they had one long horn that curved back over their forehead, and when they whinnied, it sounded like chimes!"
Then she added weakly as her shoulders drooped, "It made me feel very happy."
Hroombra, who'd remained quiet and pensive for the last few minutes, shot his head up immediately, his yellow eyes blazing.
"You heard them Jahrra? I never told you what they sounded like." His smile returned once again. "Jaax! There's no question about it, she did see them! She might've known what they looked like, but she didn't know what they sounded like!"
Hroombra was as giddy as the children had been the second they found the unicorn hair.
Jaax looked unnecessarily unhappy with this information and Hroombra's reaction to it, but for some strange reason, Jahrra didn't think it had anything to do with her.
"Jaax! Unicorns!" Hroombra said once again, wondering why the younger dragon was staying so calm.
Jaax turned his gaze to Hroombra and said simply, sternly, "Unicorns have not been in Oescienne for . . ."
"Nearly five hundred years."
Hroombra finished the statement with both a tone of wonder and revelation. Jahrra just stared back, not knowing what to say, not understanding the relevance of this fact.
The young dragon looked back to Jahrra, trying hard to read her expression. There was a glimmer of truth in the young girl's eyes; he couldn't deny that. But there couldn't be unicorns in Oescienne, it just wasn't possible . . .
"Hroombra, you and I know that what she claims is impossible!" Jaax snapped, growing irritated with his own thoughts.
He was no longer concerned with whether or not Jahrra was telling the truth. He was just concerned with what it meant if she was telling the truth.
"Jahrra, you may go and play with your friends now, we've detained you three long enough," Hroombra said, sounding serious all of a sudden.
Jahrra turned to Gieaun and Scede, grateful to be free of her small ordeal but wondering what had turned Jaax's mood so quickly. She shook her head in annoyance. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to untangle the inner workings of the mind of the great Raejaaxorix. Instead she began walking with Gieaun and Scede as they led the other horses up to the stables. When they were far away from the dragons however, Jahrra began chastising Scede for mentioning the incident with the unicorns.
"I'm sorry! I completely forgot. Those smoke rings were distracting!" he said between tight teeth.
"I'm sure they were," Jahrra answered sarcastically.
"Oh, it's alright!" she continued after seeing the crestfallen look on Scede's face. "We didn't have to tell them exactly where we went, so there was no harm done, after all."
They trudged along uphill in the warm afternoon sun, too busy chatting to pay any heed to the two dragons watching them carefully.
As soon as they were out of earshot Jaax immediately cut into Hroombra, "What could you possibly be thinking?" he snipped.
"Jaax, unicorns," Hroombra breathed dreamily, unaffected by the Tanaan dragon's shortness. "You can't ignore this. The return of unicorns to Oescienne was foreseen in the prophecy."
"You mean an amendment to the prophecy. Don't forget who it was that claimed to have foreseen unicorns returning," the young dragon growled. "The girl has a great imagination, you've told me so a number of times. She most likely saw a deer and let her thoughts run away with her. And that nonsense about hearing them, that was a coincidence. She could've heard about a unicorn's voice anywhere. She might've stumbled upon the description in one of your books."
Jaax forced out this last remark with a finality that stated the conversation was over. He turned aggressively and started walking more briskly toward the Ruin in what appeared to be a fouler mood than was necessary.
"Besides," he shot over his shoulder, "we can't follow the prophecy word for word. It's still possible that it's only a way to give us poor creatures hope in a time of hopelessness."
"There's always hope, Jaax," Hroombra retorted, "and I believe more than anything in this foretelling, I must. I've waited too many years and have seen too much suffering."
Jaax answered Hroombra without turning around this time.
He merely spoke louder so that the older dragon could hear him, "I'm through with this conversation Hroombra. The prophecy is and always has been simply a code to give false hope. I've spent hundreds of years trying to decipher its meaning and message to no avail. There's nothing absolute about it. Every claim and every statement within it can have a hundred different meanings. I've spent too many years getting my hopes up when I saw the signs, only to have them dashed away. I wouldn't rely on it if I were you."
"If that's the truth," Hroombra said with renewed determination, "then why did you bring Jahrra here to begin with? Why did you spend so many years looking for her? Admit it Jaax, we all cling onto hope, even if we have to wait centuries for our hopes and wishes to come true."
Jaax couldn't see Hroombra smiling, but he could hear it in the old dragon's voice, "I don't know what has happened since I last heard from you to bring you to say such things, but I know it's only a passing phase. You'll trust in the prophecy again, I know it."
The younger dragon eased a bit and nodded stiffly before he stalked off to go and rest in the main room of the Ruin. His journey had been long, and he'd been traveling farther and more frequently than usual. He'd flown to Oescienne almost non-stop from Nimbronia, the great city in the Hrunahn Mountains to the north. The king of the Creecemind dragons was still refusing to choose sides in the festering turmoil that could boil over any day now, and Jaax was beyond frustrated with him and his people. Did they not realize the magnitude of the threat in the east?
It was this frustration that had put him in such a dire mood just now, and he regretted it. He now took the anger and disbelief he'd aimed at Jahrra and focused it on those who refused to help with the resistance of the Crimson King, especially the dragon king of the north. Jaax had been told to return only when he had the chosen one with him. He couldn't see how presenting an eleven year old girl to the Creecemind dragons would sway their allegiance to his side, and there was no way he could take Jahrra on such a long journey without telling her the truth. All Jaax could do was forget the north for now and hope the Tyrant remained inactive until Jahrra was older.
Jaax sighed as he suddenly remembered the main reason he'd made this journey to Oescienne in the first place. Jahrra may be too young to know the truth, but she was old enough to prepare for her future, even if she had no idea what that future was. His purpose in coming back to Oescienne now was to make sure she was learning what she needed to learn, and one of the things she was lacking in was self defense and basic fighting skills. Someday she would be taking on many foes, both elf and beast alike, and she needed to be prepared to defend herself.
Jaax laughed softly at this thought. She was only a child, what level of fighting skills could she possibly possess? That didn't matter, however, for no matter how ill-prepared she might be, she could become better with the proper training.
Jaax had expected this; he knew that Hroombra would not have thought of defense lessons. What he hadn't expected was this nonsense about a herd of unicorns in the fields just beyond the Ruin. And her reaction to seeing him . . . He'd expected the girl to be a little distant, but he hadn't expected the cold dislike that practically oozed from her. Now Jaax allowed himself to give this a little thought. Had Hroombra somehow left out some form of discipline on Jahrra's part? Had he softened because of her great loss and been easier on the girl than he normally would have?
Jaax had already seen signs of a lack of discipline in the young girl. Had she not been disrespectful the very moment she saw him? That was all he needed, an out of control little brat and her wild stories about magical creatures to make this visit less than unpleasant.
Jaax shook his head to clear his mind. If Jahrra was turning out to be an impossible child, then he would just have to find a way to work around it, or repair it. He already knew she would be averse to the trip they would be taking the next day, so Jaax decided to go to bed early and enlighten her in the morning.
I'll need all the rest I can get if I'm to spend the day with her tomorrow, he thought to himself as he stepped through the dragons' entrance of the Castle Guard Ruin. He walked into the great room and curled up in the corner away from the fireplace and slowly drifted off to sleep, trying not to think too much about the prophecy or of unicorns.
***
Jahrra had been enjoying a particularly wonderful dream of racing unicorns through the forest with Phrym when a sharp, authoritative voice shattered the enchanted scene.
"JAHRRA!"
Jahrra woke with a snort, not quite sure what had awoken her. The flash of gold and silver and the musical notes of unicorns crying out still echoed in her mind.
"Wake up!" the rude voice came again. "Let's get this over with while the day is still young."
Jahrra turned one tired eye up to her window and saw the silhouette of Jaax's massive head glaring through, black dragon-shape against the near black of pre-dawn.
"What?" Jahrra said, closing her eyes again.
It was far too early to think, to do anything but sleep, and she had no idea what Jaax was talking about.
The dragon took a deep breath, let it out in a huff and said rather plainly, "I've come to Oescienne for one purpose: to see how good you are at fighting and defending yourself and I don't have all day to do it."
Jaax seemed a little irritated, Jahrra thought. Perhaps he was still angry about yesterday, or maybe he hadn't slept well. She didn't really care. All she cared about was being woken up so early. Fighting and defending myself? What on Ethoes is he talking about? I must still be dreaming. Jahrra pondered sleepily as the cool air enticed her to stay right where she was.
"I'll not ask you again!" demanded Jaax's grumpy voice, shattering all hopes of this all being a dream. Not a dream, a nightmare.
Jahrra tempted herself with the idea of staying in bed just to spite him, but she didn't want to see what would happen if she did. He was bad enough in his normal, non-agitated mood. She got up and dressed quickly, not wanting to anger him further.
"Good morning, Jahrra," Hroombra greeted as she shuffled into the main room of the Ruin. "Are you excited about your new lessons?"
Hroombra sounded a little guilty, and Jahrra gazed at him through half closed eyes and said, "New lessons? Huh? What's going on?"
She was too tired to be annoyed that she hadn't been told about this sooner, but it was too late to do anything about it now.
"We discussed it last night and decided that it would be best if you took part in some extra-curricular activities. I know you think going on adventures with Gieaun and Scede is enough, but I think this will be better for you. We've even found you two trainers who are excellent in teaching swordsmanship, archery and advanced riding skills. I'm sorry, I did mean to warn you in advance, but Jaax insisted you start right away."
Of course he did, Jahrra thought heatedly as she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, attempting to drive away the sleep, only Jaax would think up ways to make me miserable.
She grabbed something for breakfast and made her way to the door, braiding up her hair while she held a biscuit in her mouth. She was still confused by this sudden change in her daily life, but she was curious nonetheless. She found Jaax standing in the great field, looking towards the north, towards the path that led to the old castle.
Jahrra tied off her long braid and took the biscuit out of her mouth.
"Should I go and get Phrym?" she asked, not caring if she sounded dumb.
Jaax just turned his head to the side and nodded once, slowly returning his gaze to where it had been before.
I'll never understand that dragon, Jahrra thought as she traipsed through the cold, wet grass. Waking before sunrise and signing me up for some defense lessons without telling me.
Jahrra's pants were soaked up to her knees by the time she reached Phrym's stable, but she didn't care, they would dry when the sun came up. Hours from now, she thought sarcastically. Phrym poked his head out over the gate, wondering what could be making so much racket this early in the morning. When he saw that it was Jahrra, he gave a happy whinny. Jahrra couldn't help but smile back at Phrym's cheerfulness. If only she had the same positive attitude about this whole strange morning.
"I brought you an apple as a peace offering for getting you up so early," she said as she fed him the fruit.
Phrym didn't seem to mind at all that Jahrra had awoken him early; he was just glad to get the apple. Jahrra quickly saddled him and cantered over to where Jaax stood. She pulled Phrym to a stop just behind the dragon's shoulder and waited. He still stared off into the woods, but Jahrra waited for him to speak first.
"Are we ready to go?" he asked sardonically, returning his gaze to her face.
Jahrra responded with the same tone, "Phrym and I are ready. I don't know about you."
Jaax gave her an annoyed look and then started off, Jahrra and Phrym keeping their distance behind him.
"So, where exactly are we going then?" she asked through a yawn once they reached the main road.
"Somewhere where I can test what skills you have, or lack thereof."
Jahrra ignored Jaax's last comment and wondered why they couldn't just stay where they were, but she wasn't about to question him further while he was in his foul mood. They walked down the well-worn road for several more minutes. Jahrra thought the trip would've been more pleasant if there had been conversation, but she couldn't imagine a pleasant conversation with Jaax.
Instead of starting a discussion that would more than likely end in an argument, Jahrra passed the time by listening to the sounds around her and taking in the early morning grandeur. The birds were starting to sing and the owls were heading off to bed, and the smaller animals were searching noisily in their morning breakfast hunt. The sky was no longer solid ink but the washed-out blue and grey of the approaching dawn. Jahrra breathed in the cold air as the warmth of the sun's first golden rays touched her face.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Jaax stopped walking and turned his head to talk to Jahrra.
"We'll stop here. This looks like a nice, flat open space."
The great dragon stepped off of the road, merely a small path to him, and started heading west through the new grass that was still quite short. Jahrra sighed and led Phrym after him. I can't wait until this is over, she thought to herself. A ring of tall eucalyptus trees decorated the furthest edge of the field, and Jahrra could see beyond the rim of the bluff just beyond. A sliver of the distant blue ocean and taupe-hued dunes, glowing brilliantly in the morning's golden sunlight, were visible between the trees.
Jaax's voice finally interrupted Jahrra's thoughts, "Shall we continue?"
"What?" Jahrra said, not realizing she'd stopped to ponder the scene before her.
"I want to be done with this as much as you do, so it would help if you paid attention."
Jahrra turned pink. Stupid dragon! He shouldn't be allowed to be so rude all the time. She clicked Phrym forward to catch up with the dragon, now walking towards the middle of the large field. Jaax stopped and began to gaze lazily at his surroundings, surveying the open space the way a deer might contemplate an unknown meadow. Jahrra just sat atop Phrym, who began to paw at the ground, and waited for her next order. She let out an obvious sigh, hoping that it would coax Jaax into speaking, and shifted in the saddle, causing the leather to squeak in protest. For someone who's in such a hurry, he sure is taking his time, she thought as she crossed her arms in vexation.
It seemed a full five minutes before Jaax finally spoke.
"Alright, I guess the first logical thing to do would be to see how you handle yourself on a horse, since you're already prepared for it," he said, looking Jahrra and Phrym up and down in a bored fashion.
"What would you like us to do?" Jahrra asked composedly.
She had no idea what Jaax wanted her to do with Phrym, but she figured it couldn't be too difficult. She'd become quite a good rider since she began her lessons with Gieaun and Scede, and Phrym trusted her completely.
"Take him to the edge of that small grove of trees and back." Jaax nodded to a few young eucalyptus saplings growing away from the main wood. "If you know any maneuvers or other "tricks", go ahead and show them to me."
Jahrra rolled her eyes and clicked at Phrym, bringing him into a sudden canter. The semequin easily covered the distance in a short time and soon Jahrra was weaving him in and out of the trees as she ducked and swerved adeptly from stray branches and limbs. She quickly turned Phrym, keeping her balance as he jumped over three fallen logs on their way back to Jaax. Jahrra was tempted to keep riding back to the Ruin, but instead she pulled her tall semequin to a sudden stop, causing foraging birds to scatter raucously and forcing a large cloud of dust to rise up around them.
"That was adequate," Jaax sniffed.
This was a surprise to Jahrra. She thought she'd done rather well. She just sat straighter in the saddle, trying to look unaffected by the dragon's judgment.
"Is that all you can do?" he continued.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Jahrra stammered, feeling somewhat flabbergasted.
"You ride well and move with Phrym well, but can you do anything else besides weave through trees and jump logs?"
Jaax was beginning to sound like Master Tarnik and Jahrra was starting to wonder what could be bothering him to make him so aggravated.
"Can you ride fast and shoot with a bow?" he continued fluently. "Could you cover rough ground and fight off five full-grown men while staying on Phrym's back? Could you make a higher or wider jump if you had to without falling from the saddle? These are things that you'll need to learn, so therefore, your overall horsemanship is merely adequate."
Jahrra was stunned. Why on Ethoes would I need to fight off full-grown men!? she wondered in exasperation. She didn't bring these questions up to Jaax, however. She thought that he was just being overly dramatic and assumed further questioning would only anger him more. Jahrra slumped in the saddle, waiting to receive her next set of marching orders.
"I guess we'll test your archery skills next," Jaax said shortly, and then added mordantly. "You did bring your bow?"
Jahrra slid from Phrym's back and untied her bow and quiver from the back of her saddle. She allowed Phrym to wander off to graze and then turned back towards Jaax. "Do I have a target, or am I to just shoot at whatever moves next?"
"I'll tell you what to aim for, and you'll try to hit it. That is generally how it works," the dragon answered to match Jahrra's cynicism. "Not all of your targets in real life are going to have bull's-eyes on them you know."
Jahrra burned with annoyance, but she pulled her gloves on quietly and readied an arrow.
"Alright, what am I to kill?" she said as pleasantly as possible.
"I'll go easy on you on your first attempt. Do you see that tree over there?"
Jaax nodded to a small apple tree, about fifty yards away that was covered in new leaves and unopened buds. Jahrra noticed the large knothole on its trunk and was happy to agree with Jaax on this next task being easy, that is, until he spoke again.
"I just want you to hit any of the blossoms growing on that tree for now."
He couldn't be serious. Most of the buds were smaller than her thumbnail.
"You must be joking!" Jahrra blurted out, making her thoughts known.
"No, deadly serious," the dragon whispered dangerously. "You can't always risk missing an exact target, you must be precise, or it could mean your life."
Jahrra stepped back nervously. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. It could mean my life? Who could possibly be that threatening to me? Then she thought with a slight panic, Maybe someone told him and Master Hroombra about what happened in Kiniahn Kroi! Could Ellysian and Eydeth really be trying to kill me?
Jahrra swallowed hard and pulled back on her bowstring, aiming at the largest blossom she could find. It'll be a miracle if I hit any part of the tree, she thought apprehensively. She released the arrow with a thick twang, but it sailed right past the tree, not even nicking a leaf. Jahrra stood there, turning bright red. Jaax didn't say a word, and Jahrra was sure he was savoring the moment.
Finally, the dragon spoke, his voice calm, "I am very glad I decided to start your training early. Now, the last thing I want to see is how you defend yourself when provoked. I'm going to attack you and I want you to fight back. In a sense, I want you to try sparring with a dragon. A dragon is probably the deadliest thing you'll ever have to face, so this is a good learning experience for you."
Jaax walked away from the numb and embarrassed girl and, using his teeth, broke off a dead limb from a nearby tree.
"Here," he said, spitting it out at her feet, "pretend that is a sword. You have a good imagination, something you proved with the story of the unicorns yesterday."
Jahrra's eyes were stinging with humiliation and rage, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry, not in front of him. She picked up the branch and broke off the end to a suitable length. She was somewhat afraid to attack Jaax. After all, he was a huge dragon and she was just a girl, but her pride ruled her more than she wished. She took a deep breath that was meant to steady her mind and stepped forward, holding the branch as best she could from what she'd gathered about sword fighting.
Jaax rose up on his hind legs and let out a mighty roar mixed with fire and smoke. Jahrra stopped dead. She'd never heard him roar like this before, and she became even more apprehensive. Now she understood why people feared dragons.
"Come on, attack me! Don't be afraid!" Jaax boomed down at her.
He was twice as tall as usual as he balanced on his hind legs and tail, his great wings stirring the air as they held up his great weight.
Jahrra lifted the stick she held and swallowed hard, bowing her head against the beat of his wings. She took a deep breath and let out a yell of her own, charging at full speed with her eyes shut tight and her heart racing. She felt a crashing as she sprinted forward, and before she knew it, she had been slammed to the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the earth shake slightly as Jaax returned his forelegs to the solid ground.
Jahrra opened her eyes and looked around dazedly. She was lying on her back and her lungs ached. Groaning, she rolled her head to the side and saw her imaginary sword lying on the ground a few yards away. Phrym was whinnying in distress but seemed too timid to approach. Jaax was standing above her, his great tail wrapped around the perimeter of the battlefield.
The dragon leaned his enormous head down right next to Jahrra's and said in a whisper, his breath moving the sand beside her head, "Never approach an enemy in anger, and never, ever close your eyes."
He lifted his head and walked off to the other end of the field and sat down, his back turned to the stunned girl. Jahrra sat up, furious with herself and extremely angry that Jaax had actually knocked her down. She shook the dirt and dead leaves from her hair and glared at him, hurtling as much hatred through her eyes as she could.
Since his back was turned, she decided to take the opportunity to surprise him by creeping up on his blind side. She kept her eyes wide open this time, and as she drew nearer, she lifted her wooden sword in preparation for an attack. Jahrra thought she was doing well. She'd gotten within a few feet of the dragon, but it was no use, his hearing was too good. He swiftly turned around, and as Jahrra swung at him, he grabbed the branch with his scaled hand and lifted both the girl and her weapon high above the ground.
Jahrra clung to her stick and hung helplessly in the air, kicking and flailing as Jaax held her up to his face.
"Not good enough, Jahrra. Come now, you should be able to hit me at least once!" he taunted, smiling in amusement.
He dropped her from five feet up, but this time when Jahrra hit the ground she got up much quicker than before, taking Jaax by surprise. The dragon began to lift up once again on his hind legs, but before he could get his front legs into the air, Jahrra swung her branch with all her strength. The hard wood cracked against one of his left knuckles, and to Jahrra's surprise and horror, a scale went flying off.
"Oh no! Jaax, I'm sorry!"
She dropped the branch and backed away, worried that he'd be furious. But the dragon merely shook his front foot as if to stop the stinging.
"Ha, don't worry. That scale has been loose for weeks."
The dragon's scowling mood was suddenly gone, and in its place Jahrra could almost detect a hint of approval. "You did well. You caught me by surprise and actually made contact. Unfortunately, if I were truly an unfriendly dragon, you'd be dead by now, but we'll worry about that later."
He smiled and Jahrra felt her strained muscles ease a little.
"Jahrra, go pick up that scale you knocked off and bring it over here."
The scale wasn't hard to find. It glinted with the blue, green and gold that made up the hue of all of Jaax's scales. Jahrra picked it up out of the grass and looked at it. It was heavier than she'd anticipated and fit nicely in the small center of her palm. If she didn't know any better she would've said it was a glittering stone she happened upon in the field. After admiring it for awhile, Jahrra brought it back over to the waiting dragon.
"What will you do with it?" she asked as she dropped the small scale into Jaax's opened paw.
"I'll find a use for it," he said. "Maybe the elves of the north can reattach it for me. Now, we'd better head to Aldehren, there is someone waiting to meet you."
Jahrra was glad to see that Jaax was no longer as disagreeable as he'd been earlier that morning, and she was even starting to feel more relaxed and optimistic. Maybe the loose scale had been bothering him and she'd actually helped him by removing it. Whether that was the reason for his sudden easy mood or not, she didn't care. She was just glad of the change.
Jaax watched as Jahrra went and collected Phrym from the edge of the clearing, his hard eyes dark with thought. She reminded him of someone he once knew, long ago, someone just as stubborn and just as unrelenting. It would be a long while yet, however, before the Tanaan dragon realized just how similar the two were.
For now, he needed to focus on her improvement. She had so much to learn. She had to become stronger, that was a must, and more flexible. Her reflexes needed improvement and her archery needed to be fine-tuned. She had to learn how to wield a sword, and although she rode quite well, she needed to become even better in the saddle. Perhaps she was too young to begin these brutal and trying lessons, but Jaax knew that it couldn't be helped; the sooner she learned how to survive the unthinkable, the better.
Jaax shook himself like a horse shaking off a shiver of unease. This whole process of delaying his busy schedule to check in on Jahrra had been a thorn in his side, and his patience had been worn thin by it. It had also saddened him in a way. He had always meant to have a greater part in Jahrra's life, that is, until other matters came up; matters outside of Oescienne that were so much more urgent than helping Hroombra raise a child. This in turn had angered him, for some of these issues could've been dealt with by someone else, and some of them, well, some of them Jaax hadn't anticipated on happening so soon.
Oescienne may be resting peacefully on the other side of the great Elornn and Thorbet Mountains, but outside of the province it was a different story. Although the signs were not obvious, it was apparent that the world was growing restless. For several years now, the wandering tribes of Rhiim and eastern Felldreim had been joining together, creating bands of warring criminals, raiding and attacking isolated villages. What was more disturbing, Jaax thought ruefully, was fresh news of the Tyrant's soldiers and mercenaries being spotted as far west as the Aandhoul Plain. Several years ago he'd heard of scouts and spies being spotted here and there, but now he was seeing troops of men on the move with his own eyes. Has Cierryon somehow found out about Jahrra? Could he know where she is?
The dragon squeezed his eyes shut, as if doing this would push the worries from his mind. He forced a blistering breath from his nostrils and opened them again with weariness. I must focus on Jahrra while I have the time to do so. I can think about everything else later. Including the dreams he had been having lately . . . Later, he reminded himself with determined vigor.
He looked over at the girl, now sitting patiently atop Phrym. He smiled and finally let his qualms melt away for now. He'd been impressed with the way she caught him off guard on her third attempt to attack him. Perhaps she isn't hopeless after all.
He grinned more purposefully as he thought about her reaction to his crude derision the day before. Most children would fear him or, in the case of her friends, be in awe of him, but not Jahrra. He had written it off as a bad attitude, a lack of discipline on Hroombra's part, but now that he gave it some genuine thought, he was starting to see that her will and her pride were much stronger than he'd previously believed. At least now I have one less thing to worry about, he mused, his anxiety dissolving a little. But now she has to learn how to use those assets against her foes, even though she won't face them for some time . . . At least, he hoped she wouldn't have to face them for some time.
The young dragon directed Jahrra to the road and on towards Aldehren. Jahrra led Phrym ahead of him without argument, and Jaax paused only long enough to watch them in the glow of early morning.
"Someday," he whispered to his surroundings as the semequin and the girl moved out of earshot. "Someday, you can know the truth of what you are, Jahrra, but not now, not yet."