The Clutch of Sharys: Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter 25- Prisons in the Darkness

Sharys took the few remaining dragonlings under its protection and pleaded to its Second Children in the language of shared grief over lost kin.

Most of her morning was spent walking through the woods, following several paths that ended near creeks or campsites, only to have to double back when the dirt faded into the ground of the forest, disappearing among roots and rocks. Along the way, Cara got the idea to rub some mud on her dragon's horns to make them both less conspicuous. Predictably, the little dragon was not a tremendous supporter of the concept. However, Cara was still bigger than her and succeeded in her quest to disguise the shining silver appendages with only a few nips and displeased cries. 

Tightly plaiting her hair back behind her head, Cara lifted the hood of her cloak to help shield her from any overhead identification and continued making her way through the woods. The sun was shining midday by the time that they finally made it to a section of the woods where the foliage thinned, the trees giving way to occasional stumps. After cresting a hill that was more stump than tree, Cara paused at the summit, the brown wood of log reinforced walls that surrounded many a small trading town staring back at her. 

Checking the mud and wrapping her cloak tightly about her, Cara made her way down the hill and through the gate of the town, her feet sinking into the soft squishy mud that paved their streets. The buildings here seemed flimsy, a collection of boards and nails hastily thrown together to create a suitable shelter with little thought towards how they would fare under extended exposure to the elements. Painted facade and leaning buildings lined one singular, central street, which was inundated with residents and their dragons, going about their everyday life as they continued to make their life at the base of the mountain. Few people stopped to give her any attention as business bustled around her, and Cara searched for an inn or tavern to gather information. 

She wandered for quite a while, not finding any signs or friendly faces to direct her towards any help. Cara had no coin, no useful way to make money besides taking care of dragons. This didn't look like that town that had an aerie or any such accommodations for draconic residence, but there had to be some sort of healer or a scale surgeon somewhere around the settlement who treated the creatures, and maybe they would pay for work.

Gritting her teeth and gathering her courage, Cara approached a middle-aged man leaning against the railing in front of one of the shops, eating a carrot as he blearily gazed into the street. "Excuse, me, s-." Cara cut herself off when the man, without looking up from his snack, pulled out a knife and pointed the blade at her. Backing away, Cara retreated into the street to try to avoid the man and his weapon. 

A deep rumble from behind her was her only warning before a burly brute of a dragon came striding down the middle of the street, the dull brown of its scales and the four knobs on its horns doing nothing to diminish from the creature's bulk. Diving into a side alley to avoid being trampled, Cara faced a group of people holding a struggling form to the ground; a bag placed over their head. "Hey, wha-" she got out before chaos consumed the surrounding scene.

The figure on the ground contorted, flopping over onto their back, rocking back onto their shoulders, and leaping up to their feet before swinging their leg around in a smooth, wide arc into the nearest person’s stomach.

“Bloody Farcans!” A man snarled, swinging his blade forcefully downwards at the person’s head.

Cara turned to leave, seeing as this was not her fight, but she only made it a few steps towards the mouth of the alley when an odd, pulsing wave of weakness slammed into her, making it nearly impossible to stay upright as her stomach rebelled against her.

Cara sank to her knees, the world around her swimming as she tried to tell up from down. Godbeast, her head was ringing, some dull, reaching pain clutching her head in its claws, weakening every ability she held within her. Red pain exploded in the back of Cara’s head, sending white dots of light scurrying across her vision as darkness consumed her cognizance and her body hit the ground. 

Dreary, dim light met her eyes when next they opened, the last rays of day peeking in through wide pillars of iron that extended from floor to ceiling, allowing for only the smallest of gaps between their thick, solid girth. Her body protested at the feel of the hard wood pressing into her shoulders and hips. Cara slowly tried to figure out what had happened. She tried to turn her head and take in more of her surroundings, but a fiery pain met her first attempt, blooming out from the base of her neck and creeping forward towards her eyes. So instead, she laid still, trying not to worry over the fact that her dragon was missing as she was tightly restrained in some unknown cage. Her heart thudding in her chest, Cara’s eyes flicked about the cell from where she lay, finding little other information other than the fact that dark was still falling around her prison.

She quickly lost control over this downward spiral that was falling in her chest, driving her stomach to unknown depths as it dropped the more she realized how dire her situation was. Her hands shook behind her back as heat rose in her eyes, her throat choked shut as her pulse continued to accelerate against her best wishes.” No, not now. This won’t help. I need to breathe first.” She silently told herself, rebellion against her situation stoking its reckless fires within her heart, driving back fear and her icy clutches. 

The throbbing in her head fading, Cara closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings, breathing slowly as she took in the low hum of conversation, occasionally punctuated by a few shouts as different people called across the camp. The rasping sound of wind in leaves was accompanied by the hissing crackle of a roaring fire, burning high to beat back the cover of night.

Trying to remove the curl that flopped into her eyes, Cara decided it was time to struggle, tensing herself for the fight against her bonds. Quickly enough, the rope bit into her skin of her wrists with fibrous jaws, the bonds taut and unyielding in her strain. Her legs were no different, the twisted coils stretching from ankle to calf, cruelly knotted and firm in their making, giving no succor to her struggling muscles. Releasing her breath, Cara ceased her exertion and switched her focus onto rocking over onto her back and using her feet to help prop herself upright.

After a few minutes of struggling, Cara got herself put upright and got a better look at her surroundings. She was locked in the back of a cart, the other figure in the enclosure with her laying unmoving and still hidden behind the bag. To her right, the people she had found in the alley were making camp, cooking something in a pot over the fire.

"Do you need help? I'm afraid I can't do much like this, but by the lack of wiggling and grunting, I'd say you've gotten upright, and that's an improvement!" A cheerfully husky voice from behind Cara said, and she looked away from the treeline where several dragon heads dotted the distant sky.

"Beg pardon?" Cara asked as she glanced over her shoulder at the captors.

"If you could help me get upright, I'll be much better."The figure informed her. Glancing over at their captors once more, Cara slowly shuffled over the floor of the cage, leaning down and using her shoulder to help prod the stranger upright. 

Being near the stranger revealed to her some odd mystery about them, for although the cloth of their clothes was cheap, their skin smelled of some exotic spice mixed with a faint hint of some wooden incense. Pushing herself away after getting them up, Cara considered the figure in front of her, dressed mostly in black cloth save for the white hood covering their head. 

"What happened?" Cara whispered to them. "Why are we here? How'd I pass out like that? Who even are-?" 

A low, deep-throated chuckle emanated from the stranger, their back twisting as their head shook back and forth. "Deep breaths there, little bones. Our day's not over yet." Cara would've been in awe of the hooded and bound person’s optimism had their address not affronted her. 

"You don't know that I'm smaller than you." She pointed out, drawing another chuckle. 

"Well, I didn't." The stranger said, their voice lowering slightly, "But I do now." Cara snorted, her cheeks flushing as she looked away, searching towards the dragons she had spotted earlier, occasionally raising and dipping their long, scaly necks above the trees. That had to be where little girl was at, and if she was going to make it there, she would probably need some help, stranger or not. 

Turning back to the other occupant, Cara swallowed her pride and whispered her question. "If you're so confident, do you have a way out of this?" The bag stirred in reply, and the shoulders of the stranger turned towards her as though the other occupant had also been sensing outside their jail for something. 

"I was hoping you did." The stranger told her, and Cara felt her stomach sink. She was glad for the excuse of their captors checking in to keep her mouth shut. As one of the tan-skinned men made his way over to them, he raised a hand filled with a small ball of fire as he glanced over them. His eyes were the colorless pale of Cetnan descent, and Cara got a bad feeling about who had her tied up. 

After a long, wordless period, the man turned around and walked over to the campfire, calling something out in the melodic, halting language of the northern Baron cities. Cara turned her back to the fire once more like she was sleeping and opened her mouth to say something. 

"I'm guessing you don't have a plan either." The stranger murmured, tilting their shoulder down so that they were leaning slightly. "No." Cara admitted, looking away. "I didn't have much of a plan for any of this, actually. I was just hoping to find a ferry back home." 

Snorting loudly, the bag shook back and forth again. "A ferry station this far out?" The husky voice asked, and Cara could pick up a twinge of pity in its depths. 

"I…" Cara trailed off. Something clicked within her mind. "I don't know where they took me." She realized. 

"Let's begin this again." The voice said, though not unkindly. "My name is Cheska." Cara paused, taking a second to speak. "I'm Cara." She breathed. 

The bag nodded forward once more, the fabric creasing in the middle and the bottom. "A pleasure to meet you, would that it was under better circumstances." Pausing, the other captive lowered their voice to a complete whisper. "You got involved with something you shouldn't have, and now we're here. I'll be turned in for a bounty, and you'll be sold to whoever can put you to use in Cetna." 

Cara cringed, shaking her head even though the other person couldn't see. "I won't let that happen." She said fiercely, glancing around at the falling darkness. "I refuse." Shifting their weight back upright, the stranger shuffled into a more comfortable position against the back corner of the cage. "Well, you sound determined." The voice said. "If that works out for you, don't forget to take me with." 

Cara said nothing, remembering that the man earlier had called this person Farcan, which made their lackadaisical approach to what she found a terrifying situation make slightly more sense. She looked toward the dragons once again, the ache and worry for her little dragon gnawing at Cara's heart. Eventually, her eyes slid back down towards the sounds of the Cetnan hunters retiring to their round tents, and she looked around for some sort of tool or useful trinket that might help in her escape. Cara was in the middle of scanning through the dark treeline and the area near their cage, looking to see if there was anything she could reach to help them out, not expecting much. 

The two cat-like green eyes that shone angrily at her from behind a nearby crate nearly made Cara scream, her heart jumping into her throat at the sudden appearance in her field of view. Petra made her way over to the base of the wagon slowly, throwing several glances over her shoulder towards the trees where Cara had seen the dragons as she snuck. Crouched at the wagon’s base, Petra drew her sabre and stood, pointing the tip at the lock holding the cage shut. 

Her arm perfectly straight, Petra looked over her shoulder at the trees one last time, nodding her head before turning back to the lock, her brow furrowing as she looked upon its metal face. Two pinpoints of violet light shone out from the forest’s shadows, and a purple cloud of glowing waves covered the lock, pulsing restlessly. Quickly, Petra’s eyes glowed a soft green flash, the mechanism crumbling as a cluster of white, clear rock grew from within, shattering the metal apart as though peeling back the skin on a piece of ripe fruit. 

Watching it happen, the oddest thing to Cara was that the lock made no sound at all as it shattered and fell to the ground, and she glanced back over at the purple dots of light in the trees. She realized Ahnn must be there, hiding and helping Petra from a distance and ready with the getaway. "That also means." Cara thought, scooting towards the gate as the purple cloud shifted from the lock to the side of the door, covering the hinges. "Ahnn's got to be a Sound rider." 

It made sense considering some of the things that had happened, but Cara also wasn't given a lot of time for thinking as Petra drew the door open, pulling out Cara's shank and slicing the hooked blade through the bindings on Cara's arms. 

"You're such a clod.” Petra whispered angrily as she moved on to Cara's feet. "Do you have any idea how wor- what are you-give that back!" 

Petra finished freeing Cara's feet only to have her spring up, twist the knife from her hand and scuttle back into the cage. "Just trust me." Cara whispered, making her way towards the person at the back. The stranger had already rolled onto their side, hands presented towards Cara and feet hooked up close by. Quickly and shakily, Cara cut through the ropes tying the stranger back, sliding out towards the cage's entrance as they fussed at the hood that covered their head. 

"We shall have words later." Petra hissed at her as Cara skunked out of the cage and dropped to the ground. Moments later, another pair of feet appeared, followed by legs clad in loose black pants cinched to a sudden end by tight cuffs at the ankle. "This way." Petra whispered, drawing Cara's attention to where the Princess had sneaked toward the treeline, crouching low to the ground. 

Two soft thuds on the ground behind her confirmed the stranger had made it out alright, so Cara hastened as quietly as she could to follow Petra into the darkness. Soft scraping sounds resulting from their slow footfalls seemed to echo across the clearing, and every breath seemed like a rumble of thunder in the sky. The steady, occasionally flickering light of Ahnn's eyes got closer as they moved, and Cara was so focused on them that she nearly crashed into Petra's halted back. 

Cara tried to take a step backward to avoid the collision, stumbling over her feet and falling back towards the ground. Two sturdy, firm arms caught her, easily lifting up and pushing her to stand once more. "Careful there, little bones." The husky voice murmured behind her, the stranger’s proximity to Cara’s ear sending tiny tingles down her spine.

"Hush." Petra's whisper cut through the moment, the tone of her hiss alerting those near her. 

Cara followed Petra's icy gaze towards a huddled shape with its back towards them, the sound of trickling water raining on nearby leaves pattering out in front of them. "Nightly watch." Petra whispered, slowly drawing her blade. 

"I can give us cover, but we'll need to move fast." The Farcan murmured, and Cara squinted at the back of their head in the dim light left over from the far-off torch by the wagon. 

She could faintly make out what looked like a shaved head with a lock of short, dark hair on top, gathered into an extremely short, tufty ponytail on the top and back of their head. In front of her, Petra's gaze slid over to the person beside her, eyes widening ever so slightly once she glanced at their face. Briefly, the Princess looked over her shoulder at Cara before turning back at the stranger, nodding once she met their eyes. 

"Give me some space then, if you please." The Farcan murmured, going completely still. A few minutes passed, and Cara was about to ask what they were waiting for when she noticed the tendrils of hot, foggy air curling around her feet with hot, damp curls that roiled in opaque waves of white. Cara quickly took a few crouched steps towards Petra, leaning forward slightly to get a look at what was happening.

In the night, a soft amber light spat and sparked from the stranger’s eyes, the brief glimpses of light betraying a prominent brow, slim nose, and arched cheekbones that were all tensed in their current purpose of focus. The rest of Cara’s vision was frustratingly obscured by the copious, pluming clouds of steam flowing from the Farcan's mouth. 

On closer examination, the steam seemed to come from their nose as well, the deep, slow breaths the stranger took sending clouds billowing towards their feet. 

"Ready?" Cheska asked, standing upright before either of them could respond. The Farcan took a big, deep breath and then paused, the steam around their feet billowing in agitation for less than a second before they took off, Petra on their heels.

Caught off guard, Cara ran after them, only a few moments behind for her hesitation. The Farcan stranger arrived first, long legs carrying them quickly ahead of Petra’s already impressive gait as they leapt into the air for what looked like a flying punch. Turning at the sound of approaching footsteps, the guard barely had time to throw up their arms in a flimsy attempt to brace themselves for the incoming Farcan impact. 

As soon as the arms rose, Cheska dropped to the ground in a fluid, feline roll, coming out of it with one leg bent and the other sweeping upwards in a crescent kick. Their foot made a pointed, violent impact with the guard’s chin, knocking him back through the air to land on the ground like a spent, limp rag. Expanding outwards from the contact, the billowing clouds around Cheska rushed up the stranger’s hand and rapidly extended its obscuring mass, covering the surrounding field.

Cara followed the sound of a blade ringing out, followed by the clash of metal against metal. Dashing into a small clearing in the fog, she found the Farcan stranger standing in front of Petra, her sabre caught on their arm, a glint of metal shining through black fabric.

“Hold your blade. It's far easier to incapacitate them and not deal with a vengeful Pale One on our tails." The Farcan murmured, addressing Petra in a reasonable tone.

"I dislike your new friend, Cara." Petra whispered, yanking her blade back and roughly sheathing it back in the scabbard. 

Leaving the unconscious hunter on the ground, the trio hurried into the trees where the lights blinked out, Ahnn stepping forward to join them, her hand on a tree for support as she wavered slightly where she stood. Her eyes glittered intensely at Cara as she silently gestured a path they should take, leading towards the direction of the dragons Cara had spotted earlier. 

While the group hustled through the forest, Ahnn quietly whispered a scolding to Petra. "Your Highness. That attack was unnecessary and nearly created a lot of noise. You know it's taxing to mute that much." Petra's shoulders drooped slightly, and she nodded, her eyes trailing the dark floor of the forest beneath their feet. "Apologies for that. I didn't see the guard on the way in." 

Ahnn glanced back over her shoulder; expression blank save for the eyebrow she arched at Cara. "Your Highness. If someone hadn't had her back turned to us, we could've signaled her earlier and been able to sneak out before the watch got bored and started wandering." She whispered without completely turning her head, but Cara knew the words were intended as a scolding for her as well. 

Feeling almost touched to be included in the scolding but still annoyed by Ahnn's words, Cara was disappointed when they came to the clearing before she could snap back at the girl. The warm, kinetic light of a fire merrily lit the area, with three long shadows stretching and dancing away from the guards that surrounded it. Beyond the illumination, a huddled mass of snarls stirred in the dark, the scraping sound of claws and shuddering draconic breaths punctuating the air, but Cara was more focused on a burlap sack by the firepit. 

Twitching and wiggling back and forth, Cara would have known those indignant cries anywhere in the world. She knew that inside that sack was certain affronted dragonling, demanding to be let out so she could seek revenge for the crimes committed upon her. 

“Ahnn, can you muster another mute?" Petra's voice whispered, and Cara reluctantly tore her gaze from the bag to look at the Kitisalian's reaction. 

Pausing, Ahnn sat momentarily in silence before slowly nodding, reaching down towards her belt. "Your Highness. I can cover our approach, but I'll not be of much help beyond that. That will drain me for the moment." She whispered, drawing two short swords with flat, leaflike curved blades that tapered to a point. Petra nodded, quickly looking around the group. 

"Everyone has a weapon? Good." She hissed, looking towards the campfire, "Let's get going before that guard is found." The stranger shifted, and Cara got a quick glimpse of some flat, metallic plate with several bolts in it stretching across the back of their hands. She assumed it was some odd sort of Farcan armor, but another thought stopped her in her tracks. "Everyone?" Cara thought, looking down.

The short, hooked blade of the keeper’s shank was still firmly grasped in her fist, and Cara realized she had not let go of it since freeing the stranger in front of her. Automatically, she began moving once more to catch up, having to work hard to cover the same distance that Cheska and Petra already had. Fluctuating around them, Cara could vaguely make out the dull purple membrane that seemed to surround their little cluster as they moved through the trees until they were only a few steps away from the fire. 

The bubble around them flickered in and out and then faded, and Ahnn drooped a little before Cheska caught her and propped the girl up. "That's all." The girl whispered, most of her outline in the flickering firelight defined by her bushy hair.

"Well, we'll need to be quick." Petra breathed.

Without further ado, the Princess slid out of the treeline, her sabre painting a jagged path through the air as she swung it across the nearest guard’s body. Cheska ran out, leaving Ahnn propped against a tree and trailed by Cara, holding her embarrassingly small knife. The hunters grunted and exclaimed as they raced to draw their weapons, and the one farthest from the woods extended a hand as the campfire at her feet flickered bright and strong in a flash of blazing light. 

Cheska barreled into the woman on the right side of the fire who had been drawing a great sword. The Farcan slammed their shoulder into the pale Cetnan warrior, pitching them forward into the fist swung towards their stomach. A sick crunch followed as the Cetnan coughed out a spurt of blood, slumping over to the ground while Cheska moved on, seeking further battles. Cara skidded to a halted as she reached the man seconds after Cheska had neatly incapacitated him. 

Behind the fire, the guard shoved a hand towards where Cheska and Cara stood, and Cheska threw out an arm to try to guide Cara back. The gesture proved unnecessary when a heavy thud sounded from across the clearing, and a dagger stuck into the woman's right shoulder, yanking the arm controlling the flames back and firing them harmlessly into the sky. 

Cara glanced back to where Ahnn stood, one arm propped on a tree and heavily breathing, her tan skin pale, covered in a sheen of sweat. Her other hand held another dagger, her earlier short swords seemingly sheathed. Hustling to the fire, Cara used the keeper’s shank to cut open the sack, eagerly accepting the little dragon that leapt into her arms. 

Stroking the dragonling's scaly head, Cara happily rocked back and forth for a moment before the loud, angry shriek of a dragon drew her attention. It was followed by several more loud, reverberating calls as jaws gnashed and wings unfolded ahead of Cara. 

"Ahnn, be a dear and bring the dragons around if you can. We need to be departing now." Petra ordered, and the drained auburn-haired girl behind her nodded, touching the hollow of her throat and looking upwards with faintly pulsing purple lights in her eyes. 

Up ahead, the shrieks continued as Cheska reappeared, one of the shapes following behind her. "Come on, you beautiful creature, let's go." They could hear the Farcan urge it, husky tone urgent. Responding yells could be heard from the direction of the camp, and Petra tensed, turning towards the sound. "Ahnn?" She asked, voice rising slightly. "Your Highness. I'm trying." Ahnn murmured, still looking up at the night sky. 

Cara looked over at the fire, still blazing away after being fed the now unconscious fire rider’s magic. If she could take advantage of that light, maybe she could help Ahnn with a bit of a power boost… but before she could finish the thought, Ahnn's head snapped back down, and she took several quick steps towards Petra, fatigue forgotten. "Your Highness. The dragons are coming, but many footsteps are approaching as well." 

Cheska looked up from where they had been fussing over their dragon away from the fire, removing the ropes and muzzles that the Cetnan hunters had restrained it with. "We'll not get off the ground before they’re here." Their voice said, and Petra looked up towards the sky, to where a couple of dark shapes were approaching, silhouetted by the stars. "I could try to make more mist, but that'll take time." Cheska offered, drawing Petra's eyes down from the sky and towards the woods. 

"I'll try to buy you some time then." Petra said, raising her sword and pointing the thin blade towards the woods. Cara felt the ground shift slightly under her feet as it shook like a beast rudely awoken after a long slumber. Ahnn stepped up beside Petra, her two blades drawn once again and her short brows creased in a downward arc, rare emotion shining in her amber eyes. Cheska stepped into the firelight, easily outstripping even Petra in height.

The smooth, swooping features Cara had seen earlier caught the firelight easily, highlighting the dusky skin and long lashes that framed deep brown eyes that were strikingly familiar to Cara. Turning towards the enemy, the Farcan raised two fists, covered in the metal plate that Cara had seen earlier, bouncing back and forth on the balls of their feet. The earth shifted again as glints of metal and magic emerged from the treeline, and Cara had a split second to make up her mind. She already wasn't going to be much help with her tiny knife, so she might as well ensure their escape a different way. 

"Petra." Cara said, taking a few steps back and closer to the roaring fire. Without stopping, she smoothly scooped her hand through its warm light, pooling the luminescence in her palm. Instead of pushing it upwards to ignite the orb, Cara held the light-filled hand out towards the Princess, who looked back at her. Her green eyes meeting Cara's hazel; Petra quickly and graciously turned towards her, extending a slim, dainty hand into Cara's wide, large-handed scoop. 

The light shot up the princess’s arm and into her chest, illuminating in a brief yellow glow before fading. Petra's eyes widened once before sliding to a half-lidded state, her gaze flicking towards the forest. "Oh, my." The Princess murmured. "Now that's something." 

Her hand dropped from Cara’s as Petra took a step back towards where she had stood before raising her blade again. "I'll only have about one shot in me." Cara cautioned, worriedly glancing at the stream of yellow light that connected her hand to Petra's back in a pulsing, constant line. "Don't worry." The Princess’s voice sounded self-assured. As the first of the hunters broke through the trees, she raised the blade of her sword, raising the tip to point in a high diagonal line down at the ground near the trees, fingers gripping white on the handle of the sabre. "I won't need more than one."