She should have taken out her sword and crossbow, but they were still inВ the bales strapped toВ her saddle. The only thing she had with her was her dagger. Graymore drew it. At that moment aВ golden light flashed through one ofВ the arches, as if beyond the archway was not aВ void but an entire hall. InВ the archway flashed either aВ dwarf or aВ boy, dressed inВ an emerald camisole.
«Run, you fool!» He hissed at Graymore. «This is a dragon’s country.»
Run from the dragon’s land! Oh, no! Graymore did not move. Meanwhile, the dragon had dwindled. He was now hovering just above the arches, but he seemed somehow unable to see the city below.
Strange that a dragon couldn’t see it, now that it was a dragon’s land. Perhaps the boy was referring to some other creature that was only symbolically called a dragon. Each sculpture had at least one dragon’s feature, but they were essentially people, not dragons. Maybe dragons were called, in layman’s terms, all those who had been stricken with dragon fever.
AВ monotonous chanting sounded over the ruins, as if aВ chorus ofВ ghostly voices was singing. Graymore discerned the words:
В«Donata, Ligeia, it is sacred hunt, it is tribute toВ the golden deity.В»
The singing was mesmerizing. She wanted toВ stand and listen toВ it, even if the dragon was about toВ dive down and tear her apart.
Another large boulder bounced off the archway. By now Graymore knew it was time to run. But where could she run? The stone arches were crumbling all around, and the sculptures seemed alive and predatory. Graymore took her chances and sprinted forward. Small pebbles flew at her and hurt her arms and shoulders. The rock crumbs resembled shrapnel. One pebble cleaved Graymore’s forehead, spurting blood.
В«Stop it! Come back here!В» AВ chorus ofВ voices called out toВ her. В«The City ofВ Sleepers awaits you.В»
She wanted toВ turn back before aВ shout resounded inВ herВ ear:
В«It is game!В»
Had the voices ofВ the unknown called game toВ her, Princess Livellin? Graymore felt fear mixed with rage. Even if all the sculptures came toВ life and went toВ war against her, she would not giveВ up.
Someone clutched at her shoulders from behind.
В«Turn around!В» There was aВ hiss above herВ ear.
Graymore tried toВ break free. The fingers that held her were indeed stone, it seemed.
At that moment the dragon dipped inВ flight, circled above the arches, and suddenly burst into flames. Fire erupted inВ the circle. Graymore broke free and ran toward her horse, peacefully nibbling on the grass far away from the stone city.
Beneath her feet showed aВ line drawn on the ground. It seemed toВ consist ofВ aВ ligature ofВ signs scrawled between the grasses. As he crossed it, the clatter ofВ falling stones and the hissing ofВ flames ceased. Graymore looked back. The stone city stood untouched. Not aВ single arch inВ it had collapsed.
Was she imagining things? Graymore looked up at the sky. The dragon was no longer flying. How strange isВ it!
«It’s time for us to get out of here, Maverin!» Graymore took the reins and tried to climb into the saddle. She could not do it. Her legs felt as if they were cotton. The princess sank down on the grass.
«Let’s rest for a while, and then go on,» she said to the horse.
Naturally Maverin didn’t object. The grass by the abandoned city was fresh and lush. It was a pleasure to scratch. Let the mistress sleep and the horse have his lunch. Maverin continued to pluck the grass, while Graymore lay under the shade of a yew tree and fell asleep.
Lady inВ the DragonВ Mask
Graymore woke up from the heat. It felt as if a red-hot brand had touched her cheek. It was, in fact, someone else’s hot breath. Was a dragon leaning over her?
Even before her eyelids fluttered open, Graymore reached for her crossbow.
«Don’t be frightened! You are not ready to fight yet!» A sweet, feminine voice whispered in her ear. «The fight of your life is yet to come. The dragon is waiting for you in the cursed mountains. You are to be a heroine! A great heroine! You will be honored as a dragon war goddess upon your return to Livellin, but first you must slay the dragon.»
What glorious promises! Graymore must have been pleased with such a prediction. Why did she feel that the fortuneteller’s voice oozed venom?
Graymore opened her eyes and immediately shut them again. AВ blinding glow was emanating from the stranger leaning overВ her.
«Do not fear me! I will lead you to the right place!» The woman in the golden mask leaned over and licked the blood from Graymore’s forehead.
В«Do you know what this settlement was once?В»
«Was it a city of elves?» Graymore guessed. She recalled the skeleton advisor’s tales of empty arches that were a passageway to the invisible realm of elves and fairies.
«It is not quite!» The woman in the golden mask gathered dew from the clover and anointed Graymore’s eyelids with it. After that it was no longer painful to look at her. The lady wore a mask that resembled the snout of a dragon. Is there really a masquerade going on in the forest? The intimidating mask was made of golden scales. It must have been made by a magical jeweler. Graymore was jealous.
«I want one for my next Livellin’s masquerade.»
В«My dear,В» the lady grinned indulgently. В«If you get one, it will be quite difficult toВ take it off.В»
«I don’t understand.»
The sun went behind a cloud. The mask suddenly disappeared from the lady’s face, as if golden scales had grown into her skin.
«Are you from the world of fairies?» Graymore looked in amazement at the lady’s blond curls and impossibly gorgeous dress. The bows on the sleeves and the corset were adorned with tiny sapphires. The lace of the lush skirts could only be woven by fairies. Mortal ladies have neither such outfits nor such delicate hair. Blond curls flowed below her waist. Somehow it reminded her of white snakes.
В«IВ am Donata,В» the lady introduced herself.
«You have a name like…» Graymore did not venture a suggestion, lest she should offend the lady. Like the statue!
Graymore glanced over Donata’s shoulder. By the way, she couldn’t see the statue from here.
В«What are you? Are you aВ fairy?В»
«It is not exactly, but sort of,» Donata spread her skirts, which looked suspiciously like a lizard’s tail.
В«What kind ofВ settlement is this?В»
В«It used toВ be human, but now everything human has fallen asleep.В»
«You’re waiting for a chosen one to awaken everyone here.»
«There’s no need to wake anyone up. Everyone will wake up as soon as the usurper is dead.»
В«The usurper? What do you meanВ» Graymore was astonished. В«Where is he? Who isВ he?В»
В«The usurper is aВ dragon.В»
«Good, because I thought it was a relative of mine. The thing is, this kingdom is ruled by the Livellin’s dynasty.»
В«What do you mean?В» The blonde was astonished.
«It’s Livellin’s territory here.»
«Livellin wasn’t even here when we were.»
В«Were you? And who are you?В»
В«We were people ofВ Marida.В»
«I’ve never heard that name.»
«There are so many illiterate girls these days,» Donata touched Grayamore’s head gently. «But your usefulness to us is not in literacy. You are valuable in other ways. You can slay a dragon, can’t you?»
В«IВ will,В» Griamor promised.
В«Are you sure?В» Donata raised her ashy eyebrows questioningly. They curved inВ aВ cartwheel over her expressive blue eyes.
«I’ve killed so many dragons already. I can’t even count exactly how many.»
«That’s why your blood doesn’t taste good to me! It has the protections of a huntress in it! You’re nice, but you’re not tasty,» Donata stroked Graymore gently on the cheek. «When guests come to our house, I usually feel elation. The feast is coming.»
Grahamor closed her eyelids and saw the ring of dragon statues surrounding a stranded traveler. The man can’t get out of their circle. What happens next? Could it be that Donata is sending her such visions?
The mirror in Meverin’s saddlebag vibrated nervously, as if it were about to explode. The skeleton advisor seemed to want to have a conversation with the princess. Graymore didn’t want Donata to notice the magical object in her bag. Some gut feeling told her that Donata could not be trusted. Or could she? Donata resembled a beautiful fairy. She seemed about to turn the leaves fallen from the yew tree into gems.
«I can do it!» Donata read Graymore’s thoughts, and picked up the fallen leaves from the ground. In her hands the leaves turned into nuggets. «Take them if you want them. It’s payment for killing the dragon.»
«I only want the treasure from the dragon’s cave, not yours,» Graymore blurted confidently, and immediately regretted it. Honestly, she didn’t want the dragon’s treasure at all. Livellin’s treasury is piled high enough as it is. What she needs is the thrill of the hunt.
В«Then IВ can heal you inВ gratitude,В» Donata promised.
В«From what is it?В» Graymore wondered. В«IВ am not ill ofВ anything.В»
В«You are bewitched! Your blood seems toВ sprout whenever you smell aВ dragon.В»
«That’s right.»
В«And you like that?В»
«It is not so much. It’s like I’m on fire inside. It’s very unpleasant.»
«Oh, I know what it’s like to burn at the stake.»
«But you’re not a witch.»
В«What makes you think that?В»
В«Only witches burn at the stake.В»
«It’s not just witches! You, for instance, feel like you’re burning at the stake as soon as a dragon flies close to your kingdom. It’s so excruciating!»
В«Yes! You know what IВ mean.В»
«I can see into people’s hearts,» Donata said smugly. «Fairies and elves are my clients too.»
В«Are they your clients?В»
В«They are my debtors, actually.В»
«You’re mysterious.»
«That’s right!» Donata smiled in a way that sent a chill down her spine.
В«Who are you?В» said Grahamor, curious.
В«You know my name. That is more than enough.В»
Donata leaned over and kissed her forehead.
В«You have my blessing on the dragon.В»
«So far I’ve managed without fairy blessings.»
В«Your reaction toВ dragons is already aВ blessing.В»
«I wouldn’t say that. It makes me uncomfortable.»
From the arches, the silent song poured out again. Donata looked wary.
В«IВ must go,В» she said. В«You are so fresh and smell like aВ rose. When it begins toВ rain, you will be surrounded. It rains magically inВ these parts. Try not toВ stay out inВ the open when it starts raining. Otherwise, the ghosts ofВ the rain will drag you into their world, and no one will be able toВ tame the dragon anymore.В»
В«What has the dragon done toВ you?В»
В«It is nothing inВ particular!В» Donata shrugged her shoulders.
В«Did it burn you? Are you aВ ghost?В»
В«IВ am not!В»
В«Then what harm has he done toВ you?В» She asked.
В«It is practically nothing.В»
В«Then why do you want him dead so badly?В»
В«IВ will be fair!В»
The conversation came toВ aВ standstill. Graymore was tormented byВ suspicion, but there was nothing more toВ ask. Donata avoided aВ direct answer. Her words sounded like echoes. Nothing could be understood.
