Graymore noticed a strange enamel locket on a gold chain around Donata’s neck. On the lid of the medallion hung symbols like those scrawled on the ground.
В«Will IВ see you again?В» Graymore asked as Donata stood up and walked out ofВ the arches into the city at the sound ofВ singing. The singers were out ofВ sight, but the song was pouring forth.
В«It is quite likely!В» Donata lifted her green hem, stepped over the line on the ground, and disappeared as if she had never been there.
Ghosts ofВ Rain
The rain began suddenly. Graymore hadn’t expected the downpour to catch her on her way. Her clothes and hair immediately got wet, and it was raining cats and dogs. At home, the princess was accustomed to travel in carriages or palanquins, but now she had not even brought a walking tent. She would have to do without it.
В«AВ little more, and the trip toВ the dragon will cost me aВ cold,В» the princess dismounted and left the horse under aВ sprawling oak tree. В«Hold it right there, Maverin!В»
The stone city was still visible inВ the distance. One could go back toВ it and hide there under the archway. Only it was scary toВ go back. The arches would start collapsing again, and the stone statues would come toВ life. The half-human, half-dragon figures had an ominous look.
The skeleton counselor advised Graymore to bring along a sort of fringed awning, stretched on long spokes. The contraption resembled a ladies’ sun umbrella. Now Graymore tried to unfold it and could not. Apparently, the spokes were rusted from the moisture. And the rain kept getting heavier.
Now would be the time to find the dragon’s cave and finally defeat the proverbial dragon. Graymore was already hissing at him with anger. Dragons were usually quick to fall for her summons. As soon as the fiery beasts sensed her aggression, they burst out of hiding. Another dragon was cunning. He hid. To challenge it to open combat would seem next to impossible. She wished she could find his lair! He must have a cave or grotto, or even a swamp, somewhere. Most dragons made their nests in the mountains, but there were also some at the bottom of large lakes, in peat bogs, in mounds, in gorges, and even in the sea. Graymore has captured dozens of dragons, maybe even hundreds. Thanks to her excitement as a dragon hunter, Livellin’s coffers have been enriched by tons of gold and precious stones. Even if the last dragon she did not capture was not the richest, she would not be disappointed. She has already brought fame and fortune to her kingdom. She is a heroine! Should she fear the rain?
Suddenly voices called out from the thick rain:
В«Graymore! Graymore! Graymore!В»
The princess was alarmed. Had they called her byВ name? Or had Donata conjuredВ it.
InВ the rain ghosts Graymore did not believe, although frightening stories were told about them. Allegedly, people who encountered them were found strangled on the road. The impression was that the unfortunate people had drowned, even though the bodies ofВ water were far from the place where the corpse lay. The last time some peasant woman was found on the road many miles from the well. She looked like aВ drowned woman, though it was dry land.
Graymore knew that drowned people could be found inВ aВ deep river or inВ the sea, but not inВ the middle ofВ aВ stone city or aВ drought-stricken field. It is hard toВ believe that rain that has passed, could leave behind the bodies ofВ drowned men. But eyewitnesses who have watched from their windows assure us that the ghosts ofВ rain cause everyone who happens toВ be outside toВ drown inВ the downpour.
Somehow that sounds too fantastic! ToВ be on the safe side, Graymore fumbled for her dagger on her belt.
В«Do you believe inВ rain ghosts, Maverin?В»
The horse roared longingly, as if sensing trouble.
Graymore was more self-assured. She’s the kind of heroine who can ride around without an entourage, being the princess of the richest kingdom. Everyone knows it is impossible to kidnap or kill her. After all, her self-igniting blood will ignite if cut and burn her attackers. So no conspirators wishing to deprive her of her throne would surely send a regiment of assassins after her. They know that such tactics will not work. If Graymore smells danger and cuts herself with a dagger, a drop of her blood will set the whole squad ablaze. After all, her blood is enchanted.
Perhaps it is no surprise that aВ girl whose destiny is toВ hunt dragons has blood ofВ fire. Flaming blood can serve as aВ weapon ofВ self-defense. Now, if the rain ghosts appear, Graymore will cut her finger with aВ dagger, and aВ drop ofВ her blood will cause aВ flame toВ burst into flames. The rain ghosts will dryВ up.
В«That is my tactic!В» Graymore brings the blade ofВ her dagger over her little finger with aВ triumphant look. В«Come out ofВ the rain!В»
No one responded. For a while all that could be heard was the rustling of the rain’s trickles. It resembled the murmuring of water in a fountain. There did seem to be a fountain in the stone city. Where had it come from? When she had entered the city of arches, there had been no fountain. What a miracle!
Graymore gazed out at the distant arches, and didn’t notice the transparent hand running through her hair.
«Graymore! Your name means – the test of love!» A voice whispered excitedly through the rain.
AВ translucent face appeared inВ the streams ofВ water, then several more faces. They laughed. Their laughter sounded like the rustling ofВ water inВ aВ fountain.
В«Come toВ us, princess!В» The translucent figures surrounded Graymore. Their hands reached for her. They touched her clothes and stroked her hair.
В«What aВ beautiful princess!В» They whispered. В«Let us take her toВ our king.В»
В«Get back!В» Graymore pointed her dagger defiantly at her left hand. В«Or you will all burn! My blood is fiery!В»
The rain spirits laughed inВ unison. Their laughter resembled the sound ofВ aВ torrent ofВ water running over rocks.
«The water doesn’t burn!» They chanted together.
«Water is stronger than fire,» one particularly attractive spirit explained. He was translucent but seductive. «Fire goes out in water. Any dragon that doesn’t swim in the sea will drown.»
«Well, I’m no dragon!» Graymore swung her dagger.
В«You are aВ dragon princess!В» The rain spirits have determined.
В«You are aВ slander!В» Grahamore blushed at the suggestion. В«IВ have nothing toВ do with these arsonists. On the contrary, IВ protect the whole realm from dragons. And you slander me for being inВ league with them!В»
The Rain Spirits whispered for aВ long moment, and then one ofВ them spoke up smartly:
В«Being aВ dragon princess is not equal toВ being one with the dragons.В»
В«What does it mean?В» Graymore was alarmed.
В«It means having power over them.В»
В«ToВ capture and destroy is my influence!В» With aplomb Graymore declared, but she thought toВ herself that it was more likely that the dragons had leverage over her. She thought toВ herself that dragons had more ofВ an influence on her than anything else, because if they ever got near her, her blood would burst into flames. The torment the princess endured was unbearable. The inner fire could only be compared toВ burning aВ witch at the stake. Perhaps she should ask the rain spirits why she burns inwardly as if she were aВ witch, barely smelling the dragons near her. The rain spirits seem all-knowing. They must know the answer. But what if for that she must first go toВ their king? Graymore weighed whether toВ ask them for interpretation, and the rain spirits kept whispering.
В«Is it toВ hunt dragons or toВ love dragons? Which do you want more, fair princess?В»
В«Are you mocking me?В» Graymore looked helplessly around at the translucent figures that surrounded her. More and more ofВ them protruded from the rain. There seemed toВ be aВ legion ofВ them.
В«You could make aВ dragon army ofВ your own, instead ofВ exterminating them,В» the spirits advised.
«There’s no way dragons would obey me,» Graymore could prove by advising the rain spirits to look into the dungeons of Livellin’s castle. Along with the drip, they could probably get there. The dragons she has trapped there are uncontrollable. She’s already checked that, but how do you explain to the rain ghosts that dragons are not chain bears.
«Don’t be a damsel in distress! What if the hunt turns into friendship?» One of the rain ghosts laughed.
В«It is not aВ chance!В» Graymore struck aВ pose.
«Let’s make a bet! If that happens, you’ll be our king’s bride. He’s looking for a bride, but all the girls who want to be his are drowning in the rain. And you have fiery blood, in the midst of magical rain you will not get wet to death.»
Graymore found such aВ suggestion dubious, but the spirit had already advised others:
«Get our suzerain here! I think we’ve found what we need! It’s a special maiden! A noble one, too! Not some milkmaid or reaper! She is a real princess. It is a perfect match!»
Graymore was frightened. She didn’t want to get married at all. She didn’t like the rain king. He must be made up of water.
«I’m going to rule my country alone,» she warned the pesky spirits. «If I am ever to have a husband, it will only be as a consort prince. As a heroine who has slain many dragons, I have the right to rule Livellin as a matriarch.»
«That’s good! The Rain King will flood Livellin and become your consort,» the spirits laughed.
Graymore imagined her native kingdom flooded with rain. Such aВ thing must not be allowed toВ happen. The spirits must be chased away somehow. The rain would probably stop soon. For now, the sky above the forest did not lighten, and the spirits surrounded Graymore and bellowed with myriad voices.
В«The Rain King is coming!В» One ofВ the spirits proclaimed.
There was indeed aВ glimpse ofВ something like aВ waterway inВ the thick rain, and aВ translucent figure wearing aВ crown was floating along it. The empty watery eyes peered at the princess.
It was time to get out of here. Graymore began to make her way through the ring of spirits. She must get back to Maverin. If the spirits try to stop her, she’ll cut herself, and her fiery blood will do them all no good.
The Rain King was already reaching out his hands toВ her.
В«Here is she, your majesty!В» The spirits nudged her forward. В«Put the water crown on her before the rain stops, and she will stay with us forever.В»
Someone’s transparent fingers brushed wet curls away from Graymore’s forehead, exposing clear skin. Immediately there was a startled shriek.
«It is Donata’s seal!» The rain spirits shrieked in chorus.
They screeched apart. Graymore touched her forehead. Where do they see the seal? There was no trace of Donata’s kiss long ago.
The Rain King was gone, too. His sigh ofВ regret hovered over the forest.
It was aВ good thing he had come toВ his senses and was no longer trying toВ get aВ bride like the dragon-hunter. Graymore imagined the rain flooding the towers and spires ofВ her home kingdom. InВ the midst ofВ perpetual rain, dragons can no longer be hunted.
Suddenly the jets ofВ rain burst into bright orange sparks. For aВ moment it looked like the rain was on fire. Graymore dodged the sparks and grabbed her crossbow. AВ dragon was flying across the sky. The same dragon she had been hunting. He was the one who breathed fire downward. Apparently it had aВ score toВ settle with the Rain King.
As soon as the dragon noticed the rain was ending, he flew away.
«What an elusive dragon he is!» Graymore stamped her foot in frustration. «I have to chase him all over the forest again! He was only just outside! If only I’d had time to aim! Does he fly away from me on purpose? He feels I can defeat him!»
A loud dragon howl in the distance would have startled anyone, but not Graymore. She was used to that kind of dragon sympathy. A dragon’s roar would have made even the mountains tremble.
«That’s right. The dragon is hiding in those mountains!» Graymore took a spyglass out of her saddlebag to spy the dragon’s flight. «I’ll wager he’s got a cave there, full of bones and gold. We’re going in that direction, Maverin!»
The horse showed no enthusiasm at having to hit the road again. If it were Maverin’s will, it would have grazed for hours in one place, but its mistress would not let it.
В«The poor horse could burn if you find aВ dragon!В» The rain had barely stopped, and aВ gnome had crawled up from behind aВ stump. There was aВ rainbow inВ theВ sky.
В«Do you know exactly where the dragon is hiding?В» Graymore sat down inВ the saddle and looked down at the dwarf.
В«He is not hiding, we are all hiding from him,В» muttered the dwarf.
«All of you? Who is that? You’re the only one I see.»
«It is the forest folk. They’re shy. But I noticed you, pretty lady, and thought you would do no harm to the woodland tramp. And your horse is absolutely adorable! Would you like to keep it with me while you hunt the dragon? I’ll keep it safe. And a dragon can burn it with one breath,» he said.
«You’re not one of the gypsies the dragon burnt in these parts, are you?» Graymore joked. It would be logical if the whole tabor burned down, and one runt escaped and survived.
The dwarf shook his head seriously.
«The gypsies aren’t here, but the evil elves are,» he warned her.
«I didn’t know elves were evil. Everyone talks of their beauty and goodness,» Graymore gripped Maverin’s bridle more comfortably.
«Elves are all kinds, and there’s plenty more where that came from. By the way, you’ve been a nuisance to one of them. Sheret swore he’d teach you a lesson.»
«Who’s Sheret?» Graymore glanced behind him, but there was no sign of the dwarf.
«How timid he is! Isn’t he, Maverin?»
The horse cautiously roared. It certainly didn’t like the local evil spirits.
«And now, let’s go!» Graymore spurred her horse slightly, and Maverin staggered reluctantly toward the mountains beyond the treetops of the distant pines. That’s where the dragon had flown, by Graymore’s reckoning.
Rose in the Dragon’s Claws
AВ rainbow spread across the sky. It resembled aВ fairy bridge ofВ seven colors.
«I have heard that fairies and elves travel over bridges made of rainbows,» Graymore whispered in Maverin’s ear. «They have wings, so it’s safe for them to walk across bridges, because they can’t fall down. People aren’t allowed on them without a fairies’ guide or an elf steward. The trick is that only the chosen fairies and elves can get on the bridge of the rainbow. Really, it’s curious! If some elf fell in love with me, I could travel over rainbow bridges. It would be more convenient to hunt dragons from them. By the way, do dragons have the ability to fly onto rainbow bridges?»
There were no winged figures inВ the rainbow. The air was pleasantly fresh after the rain. AВ sweet scent ofВ roses wafted inВ from somewhere. Why were there roses inВ the middle ofВ nowhere? There are probably rosebushes somewhere inВ the thickets that bloom inВ the spring. Roses smell especially strong after aВ rain. The smell ofВ roses followed Graymore all the way, but no roses could be seen.
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