Chapter 17

Sodom

              The next morning found Ralem in his room, anticipating the journey to come. Jaydon had left supposedly to get some supplies (Ralem had a strong suspicion that he had actually gone to raid the bakery). Of course Ralem was ready to go; he had been ready to go for a couple of days. But Arianna had hit the sack the night before and has been snoring away since then. Ralem had let her rest because she needed it. He would have left her safe here, but he knew she would follow him and probably get into even worse trouble. So he waited for her. The sun was already almost to its climax when he heard a knock on the door.

       “Come in,” he said, getting to his feet from polishing his boots (The ones not being used for a hoard).

       Arianna stepped in in a swish of skirts. She had bathed, her hair was brushed, and she wore a long fancy dress that brushed her ankles. In her crooked arm she had a basket, overflowing with goods. Ralem hardly noticed he had dropped the boot he was holding. He had never seen Arianna without her cloak that completely enveloped her like a blanket. She looked stunning. “Um… Good morning,” he said.

      “Morning!” she chirped, not noticing Ralem’s stare, “Sorry I slept so late. I thought you would have left me, but I took a trip to the market and spotted Jaydon walking down the street, looking as happy as a bee in a field of flowers, with berry juices all over his face.” She chuckled when Ralem’s face turned several shades of red.

      Turning around, she set the basket down on the table in the room, “I suppose it’s almost time for lunch now. That means we better hurry or we won’t make it to Sodom before dark. And arriving at dark would mean suicide. I’ll just prepare us some lunch for on the go.” She got out something from her pack and started to cut.

      After a moment of silence except for the steady chop of the knife she said, “I know what you two are, Ralem.”

      “Really?”

      Arianna paused to look at him, one eyebrow raised in a skeptical expression, “Do you honestly think I’m stupid, Ralem? I’ve seen all the weird things you two can do. I guess I sort of knew this from the start. And don’t worry,” she said, waving the knife for emphasis, “I won’t tell a peep.”

      Ralem let out the breath he had been holding in apprehension, “…So you’re okay with it?”

       “Yes. I think it is great! I always wished I was one,” she said, absentmindedly shoving an apple slice in her mouth, “And it will help a lot in Sodom- your gifts.”

      “Yeah,” Ralem said sarcastically, “Just as long as Jaydon doesn’t get mad and blow the place up.”

       Arianna ignored him and continued, “Jaydon has the brightest eyes. I should’ve known the second I saw him. I’ve seen a few of your kind before, but I’ve never seen them with eyes that glowed as much as he does. I heard that the eyes show how much power the person has. I can definitely tell when you are going to use yours. Your eyes glow too.”

      “Really?”  Ralem got up quick and grabbed the knife from Arianna, “You are killing the apples. You have to cut them like this.” He quickly showed her how to cut the apple.  “Besides the apples will get brown really quick and attract flies. You don’t want to be carrying this along for later.” He scrutinized her, “You don’t know how to cut an apple.”

     “Of course I do! I spent months in the forest surviving by myself! I just didn’t have access to peasa…um… apples.”

     Ralem narrowed his eyes, “Were you about to say peasant food?”

     “No… I just love apples!” she said, taking a big bite out of the apple for emphasis, the juices dribbling down her chin.

      At that moment Jaydon walked in. And there wasn’t a little bit of berries on his face. There were berries ALL OVER his face. It looked like someone had hit him with a blueberry pie. He smiled dreamily as he licked his blue lips. Blueberries coated his face and were splatted in his dark hair.

     At that moment Ralem wanted to curl up and die.

     “Best. Pie. Ever,” Jaydon stated. He groaned and flopped on the bed. Arianna covered her mouth to stifle the chuckles that threaten to come out.

     “Did you eat the pie with your whole face?” Ralem said incredulously. “Please. Wash your face,” he said, looking away.

      “Why? I’m saving it for later.”

      Ralem wondered if it was possible to die from being morbidly embarrassed.  The dam of giggles broke and Arianna doubled up and started laughing up a storm. At that moment Ralem decided he did not like her laugh. There was nothing quiet about it.

     “Just do it,” he said resignedly to Jaydon who sullenly went over to the wash basin and started cleaning his face.

      “You…are..so…FUNNY!” she managed to gasp as she pointed at Jaydon, “And you don’t…even... know it!” She had another spasm of laughter.

      Ralem buried his face in his hands.

      They had set out after eating some lunch, which included some delicious apples. Jaydon hadn’t been hungry, but it was obvious as to what the reason was. Arianna was happily on Miles, Ralem on Firetail, and poor Meghan as the packhorse again. Jaydon was staying with them, but at a distance. Ralem wanted to keep him close, just in case the dragon embarrassed him again or knocked some knight’s lights out.

       The city was a bustle of activity, largely due to the carnival. The beautiful blue sky foretold a gorgeous summer day. The people seemed to be in good spirits and several strangers bid Ralem good afternoon. He saw one lady with two grubby-faced children in tow greet Jaydon, “Good afternoon, sir!” He almost laughed; thinking of how the lady just bid a dragon, a feared monster that was undoubtedly used as a bedtime story to frighten the children, to have a good day and didn’t even know it.

      “Ralem, I never did get to thank you for the jennet,” Arianna said, interrupting his thoughts “Thanks. He is such a sweet pony. Isn’t that right?” she patted Mile’s neck and he whinnied affectionately.

      “It was nothing,” he replied.

      “What’s his name?”

      “Miles.”

      “Soldier? In Latin, I mean.”

     “How do you know that?”

      “Oh… I just heard it from, you know, a friend.”

      Ralem highly doubted that.  The statement reminded him that he knew nothing of Arianna’s past. They continued down the road at a gentle walk to be easy on the horses. “Where did you learn how to ride so good?”

      “Oh… well my father had a few horses for me to ride.”

     “You had more than one horse? What were they used for?”

     “Oh hunting! There is nothing better than being on a horse on a hunt! To feel the wind in your face and the excitement that builds inside you as you chase some unholy beast!” Her voice was charged as if remembering the feeling, her eyes alight in a memory.

       Ralem thought he knew somewhat what she had felt like. He felt the same way just riding Jaydon.

     “And then there was a horse or two for regular things like going to other towns and such…” She continued, her sentence dwindling as she realized she had said too much.

      “Wow, were your parents lords or dukes?”

      “Something like that,” she turned her face away and concentrated on Mile’s bobbing mane, “How did you learn to ride?”

     “Oh, I’m not good. I just watched someone in our town train some of the nobles how to ride. I also got to ride when I helped out at the stables as a child. You saw me in the ‘race.’ I hop like a rabbit on a horse.”

      She laughed, “You kind of did. But all that matters is that you won. Maybe sometime I can show how to ride. It’s quite a lot of fun, actually. But just a warning, I like to go fast!” With that she spurred her horse on and Miles took off, speeding ahead of Firetail and Megan, leaving Ralem in the dust.

     “No fair!” Ralem called, spurring Firetail on. Arianna was a good rider but she was no match for Firetail. When she looked back to find them gaining on her she frowned. “Stupid sidesaddle,” she said, and then in a fluid movement she lifted herself up on the running horse and lifted one of her legs to the other side of the saddle. She grinned and nudged Miles on.

      Ralem gasped. That was very unladylike! Her dress billowed out behind her, frightening Firetail who dove to the side. In his shock, he didn’t realize the horse had shifted his weight and didn’t have time to brace himself. He tumbled ungracefully off the horse and landed in a cloud of dust. Arianna raced on, and he got quickly back to his feet. When Arianna discovered she wasn’t being followed she turned her horse around. When her eyes fell on Ralem, off of his horse and his clothes covered in dust she called, “Are you okay?” Ralem nodded. Then she started to laugh again, almost falling off her horse in the effort. Arianna certainly could laugh. She laughed and laughed most of the way to Sodom. “I think you and Jaydon are the funniest people I’ve ever met,” she remarked once.

      They smelled Sodom before they reached it. It was worse than Vulnaire, way worse. The stench carried the acrid scent of refuse, poverty, and burning substances. Instinctively Ralem and Arianna huddled together, and Jaydon got as close as he dared. The dragon didn’t like the smell of the place, and not only because of the disgusting aromas. Something wasn’t right. He analyzed everything in a way only a predator can, his green eyes sweeping the area, his teeth a little sharper than usual.

        The skeletons of buildings greeted them. Their windows were like empty eye sockets, glaring forebodingly out at the travelers. Unlike the festive colors of Vulnaire, this place was as black as night. The sun had just begun to set behind the devastating scene, and its wreath of vibrant color seeped around the city as if the buildings themselves were bleeding. Indeed, it had once been a prosperous city until a great fire had seared it. They say the fire came from the heavens to demolish the city. Ralem believed it. Only the worst kind of people lived at the town. God must have seen to their end Himself. Although it had happened many years ago, plants still refused to grow there leaving it barren and empty. The wind whistled dejectedly through the naked bone white trees, creating a noise like skeletal teeth chattering. The city radiated a feeling of foreboding, a truly Godforsaken place.

      “They say the ghosts of the dead still wander this place at night,” Arianna said, shivering involuntarily.

      “Let’s just get out of here as soon as possible,” Ralem agreed, “You two should just stay out here. Where does it say to meet on the letter?”

      “By the Castle, in front of the griffin.”

      “You’re not going without me,” Jaydon said, “I don’t like this place. It smells bad.”

      “Yes I am,” Ralem said, “I absolutely order you to stay here and protect Arianna.”

      “If you get hurt…” Jaydon’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.

      “Then you can come. But take care of Arianna. This is no place for a lady.”  He gave Meghan’s reins to Arianna. The last statement earned a glare from her but for the first time she didn’t argue about being left behind. Ralem gathered his courage and gave a quick prayer before spurring his horse to the town. Firetail was getting nervous, his hooves making hollow clopping noises on the rock street that remained. His nostrils flared and eyes rolled as he side stepped, desperately wanting to run away. Ralem did too, but he forced the horse onward. The buildings that once stretched to the skies were laid low, but they still towered over Ralem and Firetail like charred, imposing giants that lived and breathed malice. The very air seemed evil.

        The city was not completely empty. Why anyone would stay in the terribly burned city was one mystery Ralem couldn’t begin to try to figure out. A few dirty men sat on the street corner, regarding him with hungry looks on their faces. One of them was cleaning his filthy yellow fingernails with a dagger. When he noticed Ralem was looking at him, he smiled revealing his black teeth. Ralem grabbed the hilt of his sword for reassurance.  He led the horse to skirt around the group.

     One of them stood up, “Hey, bigshot. You need help? Whatcha doin’ here with a lady friend?” he sneered.

       “You get near her and you will regret it,” Ralem said before the grubby man could reply, “Trust me.”

       He raced off, determined to get this done as fast as possible. He knew that Jaydon would not let the men anywhere close to Arianna. In fact, he was more concerned for the men’s lives than Arianna’s.

       The town was a maze of disaster.  Wreckage and rubbish lay about along the city’s carcass. The griffin wasn’t hard to find. It stood sentinel, proud among the wreckage. It was life sized with beautifully engraved wings that rose protectively over its hawk head. The huge buildings that rose up around them created a shadow that half shrouded the griffin, giving it a sinister look as it held a flaming ball in a stony claw. He got off his horse and led it through the wreckage to the griffin, knowing the second he tied Firetail up to something the horse would be stolen in a heartbeat.

       “The rock,” said a high pitched voice that seemed to come from above, breaking the sheer silence, “Where is it?”

       Ralem took out the ostrich egg from the saddle bags. He held it up for the unseen person, letting it glitter in the naked sunlight, “You can have it, but not before I have my brother back.” He looked up into the buildings to spot who he was talking to.

               “Fool!” the thing shrieked. It materialized out of the shell of a building that towered above Ralem. What Ralem had previously thought to be part of a blackened building moved, becoming ginormous creased leathery wing. The creature was huge, with a long crocodilian snout, its yellow eyes blaring as it glared at Ralem. It had a grey leathery body, tinged with blood red that seemed to drip down the creature’s body. A scar ran down half its face, disfiguring the creature even more. It used its wings as arms and pulled itself off the side of the building and stood on top of it. It was like a dragon, but with only two legs instead of four. Nevertheless, those two legs had the longest claws he had ever seen. It seemed like the thing could pick up an elephant! 

             It spread its wings and dropped off the building, catching the wind only just in time. It landed a few feet from Ralem with a thud that shook the ground and cracked granite. Firetail screamed and bolted, almost taking Ralem with him because of the reins in his hands. Pulled by the momentum, Ralem dashed back a few paces, overcome by the disturbing gaze of the wyvern’s yellow slit eyes. He fell over some discarded bricks and the egg flew from his hands, crashing into a million glittering pieces on the street.

               The wyvern leaned over him until his scarred nose was only inches away from Ralem’s face. It inhaled deeply, its stench covering Ralem like a foul blanket. “You lie!” It said in its high pitched voice. “The dragon chick has hatched. I can smell it on you! Where is it? Tell me or you die!” The wyvern raised a talon menacingly, it’s curved end just a few inches over Ralem’s throat.

           Ralem gulped. This was not going to end well.

          “You really let him boss you around like that?” Arianna asked when Ralem had left.

       “Well I don’t really have a choice…” Jaydon said glumly. He was crouched twenty feet from Arianna, Miles, and Meghan and was concentrating on driving his scent away from the horses.

       “So you are really just going to sit here and wait while your brother goes in there and risks his life?” Arianna slid off her mount and led him to the dragon. Jaydon started moving away at the same pace, his concentration momentarily forgotten. The horses started rebelling against Arianna, trying to get away from the dragon’s scent.

      “Umm….”

      “Hey lady!” Someone called from the town. They both looked up to find a nasty man leaning against a burned building.

      Jaydon growled, “I don’t like this man.” The hair on his head stood up like porcupine quills. “Get out of here,” he snarled to the man.

      The man took one look at Jaydon’s hair and skedaddled.

       “You’re right,” Jaydon said to Arianna, “This is a really bad place. He shouldn’t be in there alone. Let’s go.”  He concentrated hard on the wind around him and effectively hid his scent. Grabbing Meghan from Arianna, they both walked into the uninviting town.

      A man with a knife leapt out from behind a charred building. Jaydon didn’t even look. His fist shot out and caught the man mid-air, smack in the face. His knife fell with a clatter as he dropped back and crawled away, clutching his broken nose. They were left alone the rest of the time, the thieves staying in their dark hideouts, but always watching.

      As they neared the griffin, Jaydon picked up a new smell. His eyes lit up as he identified it as the scent of a huge old dragon. He turned to Arianna, “Step back.”

       She did, raising an eyebrow, “What is it?” she whispered, looking around. The horses whinnied nervously behind her, but she patted their velvety noses reassuringly. “Is everything okay?”

        “No. Ralem’s in trouble. I need to go, now, okay? Go back out the city and wait for us. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

        “No. I’m coming with you. I can take care of myself! Come on, there’s no time to waste! Let’s go,” she said, taking his arm with her free hand.

        He stopped, then let out a deep sigh, knowing that she probably would do so, and get herself killed in the process. “I’m sorry but I have to do this. Ralem told me to keep you safe.”

       “What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously, not liking the tone the dragon was using. She had never seen him so serious.

        For an answer, Jaydon exploded into smoke.

         Arianna dropped the horse’s reins in shock. They lost no time in doing what Arianna felt like doing herself, running as far as their hooves could take them out of this wretched place. “Holy Iriska above,” she whispered, suddenly feeling very faint, “The clouds have turned evil!”

         But the evil cloud, (that was, in fact, the dragon) quickly rose up and solidified into a huge, gleaming dragon. Jaydon took a deep, shuddering breath as the wisps of his essence were sucked into his body. He half-spread his wings, exultant in becoming who he really was. Power glowed off his scales, and his eyes shone so viciously that no pupils could be made out. Then he dipped his head until it was level to hers, his gaze apologetic. She froze in fright, her blue eyes as wide as saucers, “Jaydon?” she asked, not sure what to think.

         “Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” Jaydon breathed, then he gently scooped her into his claws.

          “Jaydon- what are you-you’re not-” she cried, then was placed softly onto a building- out of reach for any human, and not accessible to anything but the birds. “Sorry,” he said before snaking his head around. He crouched in a pouncing-cat posture and started crawling toward the dragon scent, hiding behind scorched buildings and peeking out around them before moving on. He didn’t look hidden at all, the glare of his scales reflecting off the sun created a blur of light in Arianna’s vision where she stood, stunned. “Hey!” she called weakly, “You’re not going to leave me here, are you? Come back! Argh!” she sat down hard, her skirts flown about her, her lip puffed out in a pouty face. “pαhuksen,” she cursed, grabbing a coarse fragment of brick and throwing it after the dragon. It ricocheted off a crumbling wall. “JAYDON!! COME BACK HERE!”

      Jaydon heard her scream and felt kind of bad for leaving her high and dry. But he had no choice, his Rider said to keep her safe, he had to do it. Personally, he would have let her go. But he was on a mission now. Jaydon was feeling very important right now, creeping around buildings, ‘accidentally’ squashing a couple residents, sniffing like a blood hound fresh on the trail. Finally Jaydon heard the irritating whine of the wyvern’s voice. It tickled his ears like the drone of an annoying fly. He ducked and peered through a broken window from behind a tall building. He saw the wyvern threaten Ralem, who was lying on the ground, his throat only inches from the wyvern’s reaper-like claw! “The dragon chick has hatched. Where is it? Tell me or you die!” the wyvern snarled.

        Jaydon roared in fury, jumping clear over the building in a spray of bricks. “I’m here!” he thundered, along with calling the wyvern a couple names in the draconic language that probably shouldn’t be translated. He crashed into the wyvern, who yelped in surprise. Both dragons slammed into the brick wall behind them, which collapsed on top of them with a deafening crash.

        Having the advantage of surprise Jaydon fought furiously in a hurricane of blows from his claws, kicking with his back legs and grabbed the wyvern’s neck with his powerful jaws in a strangle hold. All around the battle scene the charred buildings were being pounded to ashes as the giants grappled and twisted. The very ground trembled and the stone hippogriff wobbled dangerously. Ralem’s feet gave way under him and he struggled to his knees to get a better view of the battle.

          The wyvern made a noise that sounded oddly like a kitten’s meow. It was strange to hear such a pitiful noise from such a big creature. But the wyvern was not defeated. It smashed its powerful wing into Jaydon’s side like a club, sending the dragon sprawling. Jaydon hurtled into a crumbling building and his head cracked a marble pillar, where he lay motionless.

        The wyvern screamed in triumph, springing to its feet, its talons making sharp clicking noises on the street as it hopped bird-like to Jaydon’s prone form. Ralem scrambled to his feet, but he knew he wouldn’t make it on time, and even if he did he couldn’t fend off the creature that was twice the size of a normal house. His heart beat like a drum in his ears. The monster drew closer to Jaydon, salivating in its victory. It laid a large claw over Jaydon’s chest and drew its head back for the strike, its massive mouth opening impossibly wide.

          In a flash of light Jaydon struck.

          In seconds the wyvern’s face was wreathed in red hot fire. It screeched and flapped desperately, unable to close its burning mouth fast enough. As the pain set in the scream turned into an all-out shriek, reaching volume levels that surpassed human hearing. The reverberation pounded into the dragon’s brain, stabbing like a sword into his head. Jaydon stepped back, roaring in pain. The wyvern saw his advantage and pressed on, his mouth still open at a crazy angle. He advanced toward Jaydon, making the ear-splitting noise the whole time. Ralem, with his advanced hearing could also hear the excruciating piercing noise and was curled up in a ball, his hands so tightly over his ears that his head felt like it would burst from the pressure.

       Jaydon tried to escape the wrath of the wyvern. But his overworked brain would not respond fast enough. All he could do was walk slowly backward, his eyes firmly shut, a line of smoke trailing from his nostrils. The wyvern doubled his efforts, going so high that Ralem could hear it no longer and collapsed in relief. He was drenched in sweat, his breath coming out in rasps.

        But Jaydon was getting the worst. He crouched to the ground, mewling, trying anxiously to cover his ears with his forepaws, but the wyvern grabbed one of his arms with his huge talons and yanked so hard that he cut deep into the unarmored leather on the underside of his forearm. Jaydon growled and jerked his head away. The wyvern leaned closer, screeching so hard that the air looked almost hazy around them. Jaydon had never been more scared in his short life. So he did the only thing he knew to do, he dissipated to mist until he looked like a dragon-shaped cloud.  The other wyrm snatched at the mist fruitlessly. He snarled in annoyance, swinging his head around in the fog, snapping at everything but coming up with air.

      But he didn’t have to wait long. The mist undulated and swirled, becoming smaller and smaller, and then in the shadows of a building appeared…Jaydon in human form. He was curled up on the road; his pain filled eyes the dullest Ralem had ever seen them. He looked so… human.

       The wyvern gave one last shrill screech, long and loud. Blackness clouded the weakened dragon and rider and they fell into a deep stupor.

        The wyvern closed his mouth and chuckled, a high falsetto sound that didn’t match its appearance. Then it sauntered over to Jaydon, its wings spread in victory. “Weak, tame dragon,” he spat, his words hampered by a burned tongue, “You should’ve stayed hidden.” It picked up the downed dragon’s limp body, “But you shall do well for Missus mount. She will be so…” His monologue was cut short by the stab of pain in his eye. He screamed in fury, shaking his massive head.

       “That’s to finish off the scar on your face! You ugly brute! Take that!” Arianna hollered from her vantage point on top of a crumbling building. She was pulling out arrow after arrow and firing it at the wyvern. He roared with rage. Arianna’s arrows started to protrude like porcupine quills from his leathery body and her insults hailed from the sky twice as fast. The wyvern appeared to ignore Arianna for a moment, his leathery body twitching as the arrowheads dug themselves dug into his muscles. He picked up Ralem’s limp form with curved talons, his wings pounded in a dramatic up thrust that sent Arianna’s hair flying. Another powerful wing beat and he hovered in the air like an evil giant bat, silhouetted by the blood red sunset glinting off his cold yellow eyes. Arianna lowered her bow, sure that she was watching the devil himself. Then the wyvern’s head snapped to look at her straight in the eye, or the remaining one. Blood dripped from his head wounds and dripped down the sides of his face. He smiled, which was more like pulling his scarred lips back to let the gigantic teeth glint in the sunlight. Arianna discovered too late what his intent was. With a scream she spun around, racing as fast as she could to get off the building. Her feet flew over the ground. She was going to make it.

          Just four more steps…

PUMP PUMP, booming flaps thundered behind her, coming closer. Jaws snapped within inches of her dress. She nearly tripped, and screamed as she clung to her dress, the building slowly crumbling as giant claws scrabbled across it.

AAAAIIIIII, the wyvern screeched into her ear, his rancid breath making her eyes water. The building shook dangerously under her. She took a deep breath…

And jumped.

 Her feet met open air. She had misjudged the height! Thirty feet down, jagged bricks and misshapen glass promised a swift death. She struggled in the air, her hair whipping in her eyes and face, her dress flown about her like a heavy rug. Her mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. I wonder how it feels to die, she wondered as the ground rose up to meet her like a hungry wolf.

        Just before she dived head first into the rubble she was caught around the middle with an oof as the air was knocked out of her.

      “Can’t have my little snack turn into a pile of broken bones can we?” the wyvern said in his annoyingly high pitched voice. Arianna went limp in defeat as the ground receded below her and Ralem and Jaydon lay unconscious in his other talon. The wyvern powered upward into the air as Arianna’s hopes lay in ruins like the city they were leaving behind.