Slay the Dragon

CHAPTER 11 - MAVE

Mave took nothing much for her journey. She only needed her rapier and an extra garment. She had no money to buy food—but Ashfa Forest was filled with fruits, so it would only take one climb to the trees by the time she starved.

Until now, Mave could still not believe she actually escaped from Ravareth. Archon Stein Ortel would be furious, but that didn’t matter to her anymore. She would never spend the rest of her life weaving fabrics in the locked chambers of the Monases.

The only problem that bothered her now was what in the world she would do when she finds the dragon. Ask the beast? How stupid. Of course, dragons don’t talk! They only screech and burn and eat anything they would see moving. She probably wouldn’t last more than five seconds. Well, maybe she could—as long as she had this Hunter’s Cape that she stole from Ravareth. It would protect her from the fire, at the very least. But her fear would definitely eat her, causing her instant death. Plus … the dragon hunters from Ravareth might already be tracking her. She had been gone for hours and they might have noticed her disappearance by now. She needed to hurry.

Despite her ongoing thoughts, Mave found herself close to Yoren Village. She could almost smell the salty breeze from the shores up ahead. Did all dragon hunters out in the field know about her? Probably not at this moment, she thought. The hunters staying in Yoren might not even notice who she was.

As Mave made her way out of the forest, she finally caught a glimpse of the village ahead. Strong wind carrying the ocean scent brushed at her face and sent her hair into a flail. Coconut trees were everywhere. Hot grains of sand crunched under her boots as she headed to the wooden houses beside the shorelines.

It was a normal working day for the villagers of Yoren. Some men carried logs of woods from their harvest in the forest while some were chopping them. Fishing boats could be spotted where villagers lifted buckets of fishes they had caught from the sea. Stalls of fruits, flowers, flatbread, seafood, textiles, and more varieties of products stood and gathered on the village market—along with the people, some hunters, buying and selling around. Mave didn’t like the noise and air amidst the crowds, so she decided to head on towards the village tavern. Her throat had been going dry. She needed a drink before she could head on her way.

The tavern in Yoren was located at the center of the village. Its air smelled of alcohol and roasted meat. Mave could hear the loud chats and laughter of men inside. This was where the dragon hunters stayed when off-duty, out of the field. Mave bit her lower lip as she watched them at fun. She suddenly felt lonely once again, wishing she could be normal just like them. But there was no time for any sad thoughts. She only had to get a drink or two so she could continue heading north, while the dragon hunters from Ravareth had yet to arrive.

Mave was about to walk to the door when she spotted a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the owner, serving food and drinks at the hunters inside.

Mave stopped—realizing the place looked just like the inn back then… and the woman serving made her recall one of her darkest memories … where she accidentally killed those people.

After Mave had been kicked out from entering the Dravalon Army in Sunvar City, a woman took her in. Faran, as what they called her, was an owner of an inn, and a single mother of three children. Mave worked as her helper in return for the stay and the food. They treated her like family. They worked together, prayed together, and played together with the kids … Faran became the mother Mave had been longing for her entire life after her parents’ death.

At that time, Mave felt like she finally had a place where she belonged. So she kept the truth about her—that she’s not from Drava and she came from another country. This was enough for her. She wanted all things to stay the same.

Until that day came …

Mave came back from the market, carrying baskets of eggs and bread when she heard loud voices from inside. She dropped everything when she saw a group of men—fewer than ten. One of them had his firm grip on Faran’s neck, choking her hard. Mave had never seen the man, but she recognized her as the ex-husband of Faran.

“Let me … go …” Faran hissed, her face already purple.

“You give it to me or I’ll burn this whole inn of yours until there’s nothing left with you and those … damn kids,” the man spat. He nodded at one of his men and ordered him to get to the kitchen.

Faran struggled, “You won’t get anything from me.”

Mave rolled her hands into fists as she clenched her teeth. What were they doing? She needed to do something. He’s killing Faran.

“Let her go!”

The group of men turned their heads as they noticed Mave’s presence. Gray Viper was not with her … but good thing she had been trained by Rakim not just in swords, but also in hand-to-hand combat. She could take down most of them, at least.

All tables and chairs inside the inn crashed as they fought. These men were strong but too slow, Mave thought. She was doing well, evading every attack from the punches of the men. But a single strike could knock her down … so she had to be careful. She used the chairs, the bottles … anything she could grab on to crush against their heads.

When she took down more than half of them, the man from the kitchen sprang the fire.

Fire …

Mave panicked.

With her trauma starting to consume her senses, she didn’t see another man coming at her. He got her in the face with his powerful fist, slamming her against the wall.

Mave grunted when she fell to the floor—her nose and her backbones almost broke from the impact. The throbbing pain immediately followed, forcing her to wince in agony.

The fire grew, spreading fast … and Faran’s dying from her ex-husband’s grip. Mave had no idea where the three children were, but they must be in trouble too. Her breath quickened in anxiety as she saw the blazing fire.

“Stop …” Mave slowly stood up, only to fall back again, kneeling. She pressed her hands hard on the wooden floor, trying to calm herself down. But the smoke from the fire only made it worse.

She couldn’t handle it anymore. She had to let it out—to let the curse out.

It wouldn’t matter what Faran would think of her. She had to save them and this inn. They’re a part of her life already, and she would do anything to protect them from harm.

“Enough …” Mave snapped.

She squeezed her eyes shut and yelled, punching her right fist against the floor.

A bright light flashed, almost passing through her eyelids. She couldn’t see it … but the sound of ice spreading rapidly followed … then she heard the men screaming out … their cries fell into gurgling and gasping until all died into silence.

The air turned freezing cold and quiet.

It took Mave a few moments before she could open her eyes. Then she saw it. Her lips parted in fear. She slowly stood up as she found the whole inn frozen—the walls, the floor, the tables and chairs, even the fire had now been silenced by her curse.

But what shocked her most were the huge spikes of ice, plunged through the head and neck and arms and body of all the men, including Faran’s ex-husband. Their eyes stayed dead open as blood dripped down, painting the colorless surface of the ice.

Mave couldn’t process everything at once. She didn’t know if she would feel relieved of saving Faran … or terrified of killing these men. What had she done? She quickly turned her gaze to Faran, who looked more shocked than her. Only the two of them were left alive.

Horror filled the innkeeper’s wide eyes. When she met Mave’s gaze, her mouth cracked open. Then Faran crawled backward, away from her.

Mave wanted to speak, but she couldn’t find any words. She wanted to comfort Faran … but she knew it’s impossible already. Faran had now seen her as a monster who murdered those men. There’s nothing else she could do now … nothing that could bring back the people she cared for. Mave got on her feet and helped herself out of the door.

After that horrible moment, the Dravalon Army came searching for her around the city. So Mave had to leave and travel north, where she found Ravareth.

The dark memory stayed clear in her head, still haunting her every time she saw something that would trigger it.

“Please, gentlemen, I’d be needing more details than that!”

A loud voice pulled Mave back to the present. She didn’t realize she had been standing outside the inn for too long. She shifted her gaze towards the windows where the voice came from.

A young man with a cut blond hair and rounded glasses stood beside one table, carrying a book and a pen. Seeing him made Mave think he’s not from Drava. Was he from another country like her?

“That’s all there is, boy!” One hunter replied after drinking his beer.

“But I have to disagree. I don’t believe that dragons are only beasts who hunt and kill for survival, mister,” the guy adjusted his glasses. “In fact, a chronicler from my country had an unfinished book all about the cultures and how dragons live together.”

“That’s ridiculous. If you want to know more about dragons, go to the isles yourself!”

Mave stormed her brows. Dragons? Why would someone like him be so interested in such beasts?

“If only I could …” the young man complained, rubbing his head. “But I can’t go alone … Let me join you.”

“Did you hit your head on a rock, boy?” Another hunter spoke drunk. “No hunter would ever take you to north! Go back to where you came from and get a life, for god’s sake. God, these kids nowadays.”

The blond man frowned and rubbed his face out of frustration. He didn’t seem to enjoy arguing any further, so he left the table.

Mave only watched him walk out of the tavern. When his eyes met hers, she spun around and began to walk away. Forget about the drink, she thought.

“Wait!”

The young man’s voice stopped her from taking another step.

Mave muttered a curse before facing him. “What do you want?”

“Are you a dragon hunter?” he said, almost in disbelief as he saw Mave’s velvet cape flying with the wind.

Mave didn’t want to embarrass herself, so she slightly nodded.

“Great. Can we have a short talk?”

And there it was, Mave’s most hated thing ever—small talks. She wanted to ignore him and walk away, but his interests in dragons had lined with hers, and not to mention his foreign looks that caught her attention. Mave might get some information from him about the clues she wanted. But could she trust this stranger? She might only waste her time since the dragon hunters could arrive here soon.

However, something about the guy’s confidence made Mave think he had more knowledge than anyone here. From all the people in Drava, this man might be a bit different.