The following afternoon, they reached the river Torir without incident. Under Benedikt's instruction, they filled everything they could find with water, and even soaked their clothes for good measure. Grielle wasn't thrilled with the prospect, as it would make travel laborious at best. But even at the river, the smell of old eggs hung in the air. If there was any a time to take extra precautions, it was when you were about to face down a dragon.

"Do you know any water spells?" Benedikt asked both Talitha and Yorick.

"I can summon water," Yorick offered.

"Really?" Talitha turned to Yorick in surprise. "How much formal training do you have?"

Yorick cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Not too much. My father and mother taught me bits here and there."

Talitha's face lit up as Yorick spoke. "That's amazing." She leaned in close to him, her eyes wide with excitement.

"O-okay." Yorick stammered as he tried to take a step back.

"It's just that water is one of the hardest elements to control. It has a mind of its own." She folded her arms and gave Yorick an approving nod.

"Keep that spell at the ready," Benedikt said. "I've not had a wizard or an elf on my side to defeat a dragon, but I expect you'll come in handy."

The river that ran through Bleakwood was not the slow and wide kind, but narrow and fast. It rushed out of the mountains, dashed over rocks and leapt down waterfalls. The Liberators found a place to cross at the base of a tall waterfall that slowed the water at its base. Since they'd already soaked everything they carried with them, they decided to swim it. Jumping between rocks wasn't an option due to the slippery moss that clung to everything within a mile of the river.

Grielle joined Benedikt at the river's edge. Her hair, tucked into a braid as usual, was already soaked. The wind created by the waterfall pulled wisps of her hair out of the braid. She struggled to keep it from her eyes. Her stomach was an entanglement of endless moving knots, and every now and then she got the sudden urge to vomit.

Benedikt must have noticed her unease. He took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze. "It will be all right. I've done this before."

To resist the urge to hug him, she only squeezed his hand in return. The Liberators were of the sneaking-around type. While their profession had its proclivity for the occasional skirmish, they had never before intentionally sought out such a dangerous beast. "Just go over the plan with me. I like schemes. They calm me."

They crossed the river in a single file line, one after the other. Talitha led the way, her superior elf instincts drawing her towards the signs of the dragon. When they emerged, Benedikt recited his plan for Grielle. She kept close to him, hesitant to stray too far in front of him.

When he finished, she murmured, "Again."

He told her again the best course of action, this time adding contingency plans for worst and best case scenarios. Grielle found his voice soothing to listen to — like he might have a beautiful singing voice. She wondered whether the prince ever sang.

A terrifying roar sounded in the distance and Grielle froze. Benedikt walked into her and grabbed one of her shoulders for balance. He jogged to the front of the line to lead with Talitha, but not before throwing her an encouraging smile over his shoulder.

Grielle and Reyn took up the rear as they continued. The woods were still and silent with the exception of the occasional low rumble that sent a chill through her bones — a rumble that sounded somewhere between a growl and tumbling boulders. She could feel it shake the ground beneath her feet.

"What happened between you two?" Reyn whispered to Grielle.

"What do you mean? There was never anything—" Grielle began.

Reyn laughed quietly. "You are such a liar. I'm not blind."

Grielle sighed through her nose. Her stomach turned as they passed a patch of charred forest. "We had a moment. A very nice moment. But then I had a talk with Ludvig and he spoke some sense into me. Benedikt has a duty to his country he must fulfill and I have my duty to you all."

Reyn held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you right there. First, I can't believe you took relationship advice from Ludvig. That good-looking son-of-a-harpy has the romantic capabilities of a sea slug. Second, your first duty is to yourself. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we can all take care of ourselves. It's why your father first hired us, and it's why we all work so well together."

Grielle grabbed the wet sleeve of Reyn's grey tunic. "Wait, I thought you and Ludvig... I mean, I saw you holding hands. Isn't there something going on?"

Reyn rolled her dark eyes towards the canopy of trees. "Maybe. I can't seem to control myself when I'm around him, gods help me."

Grielle let out a quiet laugh. "There's a good man somewhere inside him."

"Maybe," Reyn replied, her eyes smiling. "But I still wouldn't take his advice in this matter. Don't let anyone or anything stop you from telling Benedikt how you truly—" She stopped mid-sentence as another deafening roar split the still air. It rumbled through their chests and shook the leaves on the trees.

~

At the front of the line, Benedikt and Talitha dropped to a crouch. Everyone else followed their lead. Through the low branches, something caught Benedikt's eye that made his stomach jump into his throat. Through the endless green, a red scaly wing opened and then disappeared from his view. He signaled for the others to hold their position as he and Talitha moved forward.

They crawled through the undergrowth, moving from charred logs to mossy boulders until they reached the edge of a large sunken clearing. There, in the center of the grassy expanse, was a coffin of glass — and lying beside it, a Mountain Vicewing with rust-red scales. It made a low rumbling noise from somewhere deep in its throat, but its eyes remained closed.

"Asleep." Benedikt mouthed to Talitha who nodded her head in agreement.

He gave the others a silent signal and they spread into formation. Talitha and Ludvig scampered into the trees that surrounded the clearing, using the long branches of the oaks to run from tree to tree. The others formed the perimeter: Benedikt and Grielle on one side, Yorick and Moose on another, and Reyn and Berne on the furthest.

The dragon's long, slender neck wrapped around the coffin. Smoke poured from the slits on its snout, rising in swirly tendrils. Its tail of jagged spikes twitched, the closest thing to where Benedikt and Grielle lay in wait. They both flinched at the sudden movement. The dragon's snout stirred, then it shifted its entire body onto its side, emitting another low rumble.

Benedikt's heart pounded in his ears, and his hands itched. His every muscle was taut, ready to spring into action. It felt like he could see better, hear better. When he couldn't see any further reason to wait, he gave the silent signal that passed between all the Liberators to begin.

Yorick and Talitha moved first. They each cast water spells that poured water into the clearing. At the sound of the rushing water, the dragon awoke with a deafening roar. Talitha and Ludvig released arrows one after the other as the dragon swung its head back and forth, trying to find its attackers in the trees. It tilted its massive horned head to the sky and let out another roar before spewing a stream of flames at one of the trees that surrounded the clearing.

Benedikt couldn't help but think the roar sounded a bit pathetic, but he pushed the thought aside as he felt the heat of its flame even at such a distance. As he feared, the dragon positioned its massive body over the crystal coffin. If they killed the dragon where it stood, it would crush the princess.

They would have to draw it away.

He picked up a large rock and hefted it as far to his right as his strength would allow. It made a dull thud as it rolled around the underbrush. The dragon's head swung around to look for the source of the noise, but it didn't move. Instead it released another stream into the woods near them. The flames didn't reach them, but Benedikt and Grielle ducked to shield themselves from the heat.

Benedikt gave a whistle through his teeth and they all rushed into the clearing. They had all fashioned shields from the largest, dampest pieces of wood they could find by the river. They wouldn't hold up against much, but it was the best they could do to provide cover. Yorick and Talitha released another wave of water that dampened the grass and caused the dragon to give another roar. It seemed, at most, mildly annoyed by their presence.

Ludvig loosed an arrow that stuck in the dragon's left wing, and the beast shot a ball of fire straight up into the air. Moose and Berne ran straight for the dragon's belly and both threw well-aimed knives at the tender flesh right where the dragon's wings met its body. The blades hit their marks and dragon curled its wings up and writhed against the pain. Unfortunately, the daggers didn't seem to cripple it for long. It simply beat its wings until the blades fell out. Then with a mighty swoop of its tail, it knocked Berne right off his feet and sent him flying through the air. He hit a tree trunk and fell to the ground with a loud crack. Grielle screamed in shock.

The dragon turned its head toward her and released a roar in return. Benedikt took advantage of this, rushing forward and landing a strong blow on the thin scales of the dragon's snout. In a movement seemingly too quick for an animal of its size, the dragon swung its head and hit Benedikt with a force greater than anything he had ever felt before. He hit the ground and white spots exploded in front of his vision. He gasped for air, but his lungs were suddenly unable to draw in breath.

Grielle was at his side and positioned herself between him and the dragon. The beast released a burst of flames in their direction but Grielle blocked it with her shield. The dragon whipped its head back towards the other side of the clearing where Talitha doused its head with a great ball of water. The dragon hissed and smashed its head against the ground.

At the same time, Kai dropped into the clearing.

"Kai," Grielle cried, her voice mingled with panic and relief.

Kai swooped for the dragon's face, talons bared.

"STOP!" Yorick yelled as he ran into the clearing. He stopped right in front of the dragon's fanged and steaming snout. They all froze as the dragon picked up its head and craned its neck forward to look straight at Yorick.

"Yorick! What are you doing?" Grielle yelled.

Yorick didn't move. The dragon brought its snout within mere inches of Yorick's face. Moose raised his sword and ran forward to take a good chop at the creature's neck, but Yorick held up his hand.

"DON'T! She's frightened." Yorick said, as the dragon turned her head so one of her yellow eyes could take in Yorick.

"She?" Moose growled, a look of shock and confusion spreading over his features. He didn't lower his sword.

The dragon emitted a low, musical grumble and Yorick's face lit up. "She thinks we are here to harm the princess."

"You can understand what she is saying?" Grielle asked, dumbfounded, as she cradled Benedikt's head in her hands.

Yorick took a step closer to the Vicewing, who sniffed his hair with its red snout, then blew out a hot breath that ruffled his dark locks. "I can hear her voice in my head. It was a bit confusing at first but once I figured it wasn't any of you yelling, I took a guess."

The dragon nudged Yorick in the legs, almost playfully. "She is surprised that I can understand her."

"Can you tell her that we want to help the princess?" Benedikt wheezed as his lungs found air again.

"I'll try." Yorick looked the dragon in the eye, but didn't speak. After an agonizing moment, the dragon slowly backed away from the glass coffin, but kept her head close to it and gave a low growl. "She is scolding us for leaving our princess alone in the woods."

Grielle helped Benedikt to his feet. "Someone check on Berne," she commanded, and Talitha and Ludvig jumped from their perches in the trees. Grielle helped Benedikt toward the coffin, an arm around his waist to keep him upright. Talitha ran past them and reached the coffin first. She pressed her hands to the clear prison, her face stricken with relief.

When Benedikt reached the coffin he discovered the reason why this quest meant so much to Talitha. The girl who slept peacefully, just out of arm's reach, bore a striking resemblance to their elven companion. She had the same complexion of pale white skin, the same brown hair, and a straight and slender nose identical to Talitha's.

"Your sister?" Benedikt asked.

Talitha's eyes sparkled. She nodded her head vigorously, yet still with surreal grace. "Please," she begged. "You must wake her."

~

Oh snap! Did that go how you guys expected?

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