Mystenia's Highway

Cara bit her lip, and held on to the reigns, making sure her grandmother's arms were securely around her so she did not loose her balance as they rode on.


She didn't really understand what her grandmother walking about but made note to ask later when her grandmother was feeling better.
Cara looked around the forest trying to look for anything that moved.

She turned the horse in what was she hoped was the direction of home.

The crunch of a heavy foot startled the horse, and it lurched forward slightly, turning its grey head to snort at the following dragon. Another, far smaller and younger, fire beast approached to take them prisoner.

"Stammering do you fear the stench of fire?..." it growled, lighting the trees around the frightened horse. "Or do you merely hide in shadow?

Cara growled as she tried to back away from the dragon, it also didn't help the fire the dragon gave off was screaming in her head. If only she could silence them, but that would require her full concentration.

She looked around franticly looking for a place to run to sine her Grandmother wasn't well she had now hope at beating a dragon.

But escape looked less and lest likely as the flames surrounded them.

Seeing no choice Cara drew her dagger, for a lot of go it did her but she would try.

Genevieve knew the dragon could not see them do to the shadow that hid them, as she had cast the spell herself. But still the dragon taunted them and the horse's neigh gave their position. In her free hand, she still tightly grasped her sword. In full health, she may have been able to battle the dragon... but in her diminished state, she could not lift the weapon.

Twisting the nearby shadows she curled them into another life size horse and had it prance to the side. "Go..." she whispered to Cara, pointing at the burning trees. The dragon lurched toward the shadow and was momentarily distracted.

Cara bit her lip but did as she had promised her father and did what her grandmother said, quickly she singled the horse to run and tried to will the fire to not burn them.

The horse was terrified of the dancing flames but more so even afraid of the snorting dragon and therefore hurried into the flaming trees. Like faceless sentries the trees moved with the wind, their branches reaching out to touch the horse, but failing.
A loud bellow told them that the dragon had realized it had been tricked and the sky lit with red and white flames.

Cara winced and let out a cry as the screams of the fire threatened to take over her mind.

No she had to focus, it was the only way they would survive this, and she urged the horse to run faster, even though she has on idea where she was going.

"Focus..." she whispered looking a head of her, wanting the flames to quiet down...

Genevieve sought to combat the flames with shadow, pushing the bowing trees back from the horse. The dragon's tongues of fire made it difficult for her to control the shadow, as it faded and appeared with each new flame.

"Where shall you flee?" the dragon chortled, now standing to their direct side. "Hell's fury hath no escape."

Cara bit her lip, the screams of fire still raging blazing through her mind, looking a head her vision began to blurr... and the dragons taunts started to turn into echoes in her head. She felt like she was burning. Her grip on the horses reigns started to weaken as the fire around overwhelmed her mind.

"Grandmother... I... can't"

Her world started to go dark... and she started to fall.

Genevieve caught Cara as she fell, tucking her tightly against her as she took the reigns and brought the horse to a halt. The dragon's laugh embittered her and she turned the horse to face the red eyes.
"Flame cannot survive without the air to sustain it. From light I shall rob you, your dark fire shall be lost within shadow, lidded in tongues of vacuum." Genevieve murmured, loud enough for the dragon to hear.

"Words are petty and idle... fulfill them now, little witch and the debtor of hell shall I be. Else I shall win and take you to my master, whose mercy shall you beg." the beast responded, scorn lacing each word.

Genevieve's staff, secured tightly to the horse's side was removed with a tendril of shadow and she slid from the horse's back, leaving Cara propped up with the heavy saddle.

"Mockery your own words are and derision holds not its head in light. Thus shall you fail, creature of night's fire. True flame burns away filth and its odor...it does not allow it to fester." Staggering with her head spinning and chest weak, Genevieve barely managed the last word before falling to kneel on the ground, her sword in own trembling hand and her staff in the other.

"Empty as your words are your actions...shadow mistress. Darkness can never overcome fire. For it has no hand to pluck out the embers and no mouth to blow out the fire." The dragon crept nearer, still unable to see her, but still seeking.

Drawing to her the absence of light under the trees, the night sky beyond the fire and even the shadow beneath the flaming dragon, Genevieve wove the spell that could be both her salvation and her slayer.

The shadow that hid her melted away, revealing her still self to the dragon and it approached, reaching out to grasp her with its dripping teeth. The hungry throat of the dragon was but a pace from her, when she summoned all her strength and fear together and smote her sword upwards into the flesh of the dragon's upper mouth. Flames roared at her were dodged as she fell prostrate to the ground and rolled on her back to face the dragon's soft underbelly. With her staff, she struck again, this time into the pale flesh, murmuring the spell's release into the dragon.

Shadow obeyed her and condensed into a sword, cutting up through the beast until it rent him in two. Agony of shout gave the dragon, but its voice was silenced as its death came upon it. Thick rivets of black blood poured from the gruesome wound, splashing in volumes upon the dark scorched ground as if to water it and upon the dragon's slayer.

Genevieve barely crawled forth before the dragon fell as it were to crush her. The blood drenched her tired body as she sunk against the blackened grass, her staff fallen at her side and sword, still stuck fast into the dragon's maw. Pain and sleep mixed and blurred as one.

Cara's head soon began to clear, she could still hear the fire, but it was quieting.

She opened her eyes and looked around to see the dead dragon with a sword through its head the mirror site of it made her want to gag. To put a stop to the chaos in her head she concentrated on silencing the flames. To her great shock it worked..

The flames died and turned to trails of smoke.

Cara then looked around for her grandmother, and saw her not far from the dragon covered in it blood.

"Grandmother!" she jumped of the horse and ran over to her even though she legs were still shaky.

Kneeling beside her Cara cried, "Grandmother? I am sorry.. the fire over powered me... I couldn't stop it... Grandmother please wake up, I am sorry I wanted to help.. I really did" she sniffed while tiring to get her grandmother to awaken.

Then a burnt piece of wood came loose from a top of the tree, and fell on Cara's head.

Cara felt dizzy and a trail of blood made it way down her forehead. With in a minute Cara lost consciousness until morning... with the rising sun.

Genevieve slowly opened her eyes, blinking in the morning light. Her body felt strangely stiff as she slowly sat up. Startled by the sight of the dry blood on her dress and person, she glanced about wildly for Cara, sighing when she spotted the child. The dragon's carcass lay much too close for comfort and she looked around for the horse, seeing it had abandoned its mistress for fear of flame and the dragon.

"C-Cara." she whispered, reaching out to gently touch the girl's side. Had the dragon truly died from the wound? or had it in some way survived and harmed her granddaughter? Another death or harm would be too much for her... it would be the drop that overflowed the cup. "Say not that you are harmed..." she murmured.

Cara groaned as she heard her Grandmother talking, she held her head as she opened her eyes and she winced at the light and her head gave a painful pound.

She whined and looked her grandmother relieved that she seemed fine. "I will live grandmother" she said whipping the blood off her forehead.

She still had a monster of a headache.

Overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, Genevieve gathered Cara into her arms and held her tightly, tears streaming down her bloodied cheeks.
"All is well..." she murmured. Apparently it escaped her mind that they were lost in the midst of a burnt wood, with a dragon's foul body rotting but meters away and no means of transportation.

Cara couldn't help but giggle at what was said, but all standers they were lucky to be alive.

"Yes, it is" she said looking around and seeing no horse..

"Oops.. I should have tied the horse somewhere, I wasn't expecting going to sleep though...So i guess we need to walk home?" she asked.

Shakily releasing Cara, Genevieve sighed and reached out to take up her staff, using it to get to her feet. "It is not your fault... the poor beast was doubtless afeard." she murmured, glancing about.
Walk home... a dagger to her heart would have been easier and less painful.
"It appears as though we shall have to." she sighed. "Come, take my hand and we shall leave this vile grave."

Cara nodded and gently took her grandmothers hand despite her other hand still on her pounding head.

She laughed again at the pair they made and looked at her grandmother and herself.

" Who would think we are royalty now from the look of us umm?"

Genevieve did not truly find it humorous... after all, she was covered in dark drying blood, her gown was shredded from her rolling to get away from the falling carcass and her entire body ached and burned from the exertion. Still, for Cara's sake, she chuckled lightly.
"Indeed." she murmured, pulling her headdress off and tossing it aside, glad it had at least kept her hair from being coated. Gently squeezing Cara's hand, she limped along, breathing laboured, but present and therefore wonderful.
"Do you still desire Mystenia?" she asked, smiling.

Cara looked at her grandmother.

"Well I didn't actually get a chance to see Mystenia Grandmother... But the trip there is been interesting.. to say the least. I will certainly have story to tell mother and father when we get home"

She made a not to herself to suggest rest often, she didn't want her grandmother to over do it.

If they ever reached home... Genevieve thought. Her sense of direction was keen, but with the pain in her chest and the confusion that came from her spinning head, she had trouble figuring out which direction was north. And once she had it, she wondered if that had left the road at the east or west side. It was very confusing.
"Yes..." it was better to have hope than none. Despite the short distance they had gone, Genevieve sunk to the ground, weary of walking. "But a moment..." she whispered.

Cara nodded to her grandmother and sat down beside her, perhaps if she had something to eat she would feel better, then she remembered her bag, it had her drawing of a raven and one apple left.

She took put the apple and handed it to her grandmother, "Here you seem to need it more then I do grandmother" she said.

It was the least she could do, the woman had saved her life after all.

Genevieve refused the apple, pushing it away gently. The stench of the vile dragon still filled her senses, even as its blood covered her. Unable to bear it any longer, she slowly unhooked the gown's fastenings and slid it off, relieved to be rid of the black blood. Her white underdress was decent, although not as thick.
"I cannot eat." she murmured. Her chest was so tight each word felt like a mighty scream, even without the heavy gown's tight bodice.

Cara nodded and put the fruit back in her bag, " I will save it for later then" she said.

She looked at her grandmother in concern, she seemed to be in a great deal of discomfort. She didn't say anything, it was obvious her grandmother was not feeling her best.

She brought her hand to her back and lightly rubbed it hoping it would give her some comfort.

Besides she felt she needed to do something, she felt it her fault they were in this mess anyway.

Genevieve lifted the sword in her hand, having pulled it from the dragon before they left. The blade shimmered clean in the sunlight, the dragon's blood having melted from it.
"When I was a child, my every dream was to leave Mystenia." she murmured, confessing a hidden truth. "How foolish of me to attempt to return."

Cara wasn't sure what to say to that, despite the annoying nursemaids she liked living at the castle, it was where her family was, and that made it worth it.

"You didn't like Mystenia Grandmother? What was like?" she asked out of mere curiously.

"Erm... I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't wish to, I am merely curious" she said.