 
       
|
The BloodVaine EpicChapter 35: Memories
“My, my, my. It’s been a while, hasn’t it.”
Dacker didn’t usually talk to trees but this was an exception. He knew the Neverwood. It’s creatures, it’s trees. It was one of the things he had missed in the thirty five years he had spent away from Dametreos. Dacker mounted his dragon and took to the air. He was looking for the ruined castle. It would be a good place to start searching. When he found it he landed the dragon and dismounted. The forest hadn't changed. Memories flooded back with the sight of every familiar branch and stone.
Dacker had a plan to find the dragon. Coal Blood and he would search the forest with the dragon giving a screech every now and then. T he idea was that if the other dragon was near, he would hear it and respond. Now Dacker motioned and Coal Blood let forth with his first screech.
Nothing. Dacker and the dragon moved out, away from the ruined castle.
I wonder where Rigger is. Dacker thought. He hadn’t thought of his friend in years. Not friend though. Definitely not.
So where was he? Dacker couldn’t imagine Gib leaving the Neverwood.
Gib...why did I call him that? Rigger. That was his name.
Maybe he had died. The forest was dangerous after all. But it wasn’t just the man that seemed missing. The whole forest felt deserted. Quiet. Maybe the animals were gone.
Or maybe they’re just silent. Watching.
Dacker felt something behind him. He whirled around. Where was the watcher? Not in the bushes. Not in the rocks. Not in the tr...there it was. A hawk perched on a high branch.
“What do you want, hawk?”
The hawk said nothing. It only stared, not moving so much as a tail feather. Then, suddenly it took off, flying into the trees.
Strange. Dacker thought. One of Gib's spies perhaps...Arggh! Why am I calling him that?
Dacker didn’t know. One thing was evident though. He wasn’t welcome in the Neverwood. Not anymore. Coal Blood let out another screech.
Again, nothing.
Dacker hadn’t thought about Rigger in years. At least he tried not to. Rigger was one of the things Dacker had vowed to forget when he left all those years ago. Where was the hermit now? He could be watching him. Sitting there, just behind Dacker’s line of sight, telling his animal friends to trail his footprints. Rigger had always had that gift for animals. Dacker on the other hand had always had the gift with plants. Plants and…
Dacker stopped mid-step. His instincts wouldn’t let him step down. Pulling his foot back, he knelt down and examined the ground. It was a trap. Had he stepped on the root, the tree to its side would have toppled onto him. Standing up he looked down the newly discovered path. It was speckled with traps. He saw them all in an instant.
Just like the old days. He thought. Another screech from Coal Blood.
This time there may have been something. Dacker’s instincts told him to go east.
Now the forest seemed to close in on him. The trees glowered down at him, angry at Gart for his betrayal.
What? My name isn’t Gart? It’s... it's.... Dacker. Yes, Dacker.
The dragon gave another screech. There was a reply this time. Gart was certain of it.
No! He wasn’t certain. It’s Dacker. I’m Dacker! Not Gart.
Why was he thinking these things? Why did the names seem different? He was Dacker and Gib was...
No, not Gib!
Something was wrong. This wasn’t supposed to be happening.
I’m not going to remember those things! I won’t!
Suddenly Dacker’s thoughts were interrupted. Another dragon screech. But this one wasn’t from Coal Blood. Dacker found himself by a stream and there, on the other side, was his quarry. The dragon was bigger then he remembered. It had been strengthened by the harsh treatment of the mines and replenished by the game in the forest. Still, it bore the marks of a slave dragon. Cuts and scrapes from head to toe. Dacker wasn’t surprised. He had transferred him to mining himself.
“Be still dragon. I only need your heart.”
| Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
|
|
