chapter three : treasure in yoni
The egg was precious, something to be treasured. Zirgonyrtari was immeasurably honored to be its trusted guardian while it was transported to Antari Fortress, where it would be raised in secret, a fierce and cunning fighter.
Zirgonyrtari was not one for nicknames, and she would gladly slaughter anyone that mispronounced her long and ancient name. Then again, she would gladly slaughter anything that moved. She was a Misor'ka, part of a modern race created by breeding regular Dragons with other creatures like wolves or birds of prey. She was of the bird variety, and she was immensely proud of her glistening beak and branching feathered wings. Her fathomless black eyes could see ten times better than the average Misor'ka, and she had been bred to guard with her life.
This egg was part of the newest breeding project, the kind of priceless thing that Zirgonyrtari loved to protect and transport. But, even the Antari's most trusted guardian had her own agenda, and she had taken a break in the human village Yoni to release the ancient fury that flowed in her blood.
The natives screamed and called Zirgonyrtari 'Demon,' 'Dragon,' 'Hellbird.' She burned them. It all worked out fine for her.
And the egg stayed safe, tucked away in the farthest corner of her cave.
Arianna rode through the night, sleeping with her head on Cirrus's neck. The horse could handle himself quite well, and he alternated between cantering and walking, conserving his energy as best he could. He had perfected the art of dozing and walking, and he continued along the path Arianna had scouted out. It led directly to Yoni.
In the morning, Arianna felt refreshed and ready for the day. Cirrus was still walking when she woke, but, when he felt her move and stretch, he burst into a gallop, greeting the sun and making the wind throw Arianna's hair everywhere. Cirrus hurdled over fallen logs and branches, and Arianna's body twisted with his, as though they were one. Thundering down the path, they kicked up a torrent of dust that followed them like a river.
Soon, mountains and buildings loomed over the horizon. Cirrus sped up instinctively, thundering along the path in his eagerness to get to the fight. Arianna slowed him down, and took in Yoni with a critical eye.
The first thing she saw was the wreckage. Burned houses covered most of the streets, and she could vaguely make out human bodies, scattered all over the surrounding meadows. It was a sickening sight...to an amateur.
It could be worse, Arianna thought.
They could all be dead by now. The living are lucky.
Arianna and Cirrus galloped into the main square, which remained untouched. It was devoid of people, so she rode up to one of the houses that was not burned yet, and knocked on the door.
An elderly woman, stooped and shrivled, opened the door. Her face was tear-stained, and her hair was a mess. She looked distraught.
"'E's dead, isn't 'e!" she shrieked. "Oh, miss, please don't tell me 'e's dead!"
"Who?" Arianna asked softly.
"John, me son!" she wailed. "'E went to kill the 'Ellbird, 'e did. I told 'im not to, but 'e wouldn't heed. And now look. 'E 'asn't come 'ome in three days! Count 'em, three! And 'e's dead, I can feel it in me bones. Dead!" The woman burst into tears of misery, covering her face with her hands.
Arianna frowned. "The Hellbird?"
"Don't ye know?" the woman asked in shock, lifting her head. "The 'Ellbird, it is, livin' in the 'igh mount'ns oer there. Where's ye from, anyway, that ye doesn't know 'bout the 'Ellbird?"
"I've come to slay the Dragon you have at Yoni," Arianna said. "Do you call the dragon the Hellbird?"
The woman shook her head vigerously. "That beast ain't no Dargon," she said, her voice ominous. "It's an 'Ellbird, it is. It's got a beak so vicious, it'd tear up an 'ouse soon as look at it! And it's got a foul temper, tha' one. Comes roarin' an' shriekin' up an awful racket, an' the fire bursts from it's mouth like it were straight out o' 'ell! Miss, iff'n you think tha' beast's gonna be easy slayin', you's sadly mistaken."
Arianna said nothing, only frowned, thinking about what the woman said. "This Hellbird," she said, "what's it's name? Do you know?"
"Aye," the woman said, her voice trembling. "It's the most 'orrible word to ever leave a mouth! The 'Ellbird's name is...
Zirgonyrtari!"
The woman nodded furiously, her hair flying about her head. Arianna just stared, thoroughly confused. Dragons with beaks? Who had heard of such a thing?
"So, you's knowing nothin' 'bout my John?" the woman asked softly.
Arianna shook her head. "No," she replied, "but, if I find out anything, I will tell you. You have my word."
The woman nodded again. "Thank ye," she said. "Best of luck to ye, slayin' the 'Ellbird like you intend on doin'. You'll be needin' it!" Sneering, the woman closed the door with a bang, leaving Arianna standing alone in the street.
Arianna sighed, and looked around. The streets were still deserted, so she began to ride along, Cirrus looking around as well for any sign of a Dragon with a beak.
Suddenly, Arianna heard something. It was like a laugh, only more shrill and menacing. Twisting around on Cirrus's back, Arianna gazed into the glittering black eyes of the most horrific creature she had ever seen in her life.
True, the Hellbird Zirgonyrtari was dragonesque, but she was unlike any other Dragon Arianna had seen. Her hindquarters were reptillian, but one of her forelegs had a disformed, clawed bird foot. The other foreleg was missing, and the stump was twisted and looked very painful. The creature's neck was bent slightly, as though it had been broken and healed wrong, and the head was feathered and bird-like, with a grotesquely misshapen beak that was twisted into a sneer.
"Arianna Trapfoot," the creature hissed in the voice of someone being strangled continuously but unable to die, "I was told to look out for you. You are respected and feared."
Arianna drew her sword with trembling hands. She had not felt this frightened since the battle where she lost her finger, and that beak looked sharp enough to deal out a far worse injury.
The creature continued speaking. "It is rare that one faces an enemy with nothing to lose," it hissed. "Such an enemy is dangerous, is it not, Arianna Trapfoot? I should be terrified...."
Arianna clutched the sword as Cirrus tensed for a charge. He did not fear; he never feared when his most trusted companion was atop his back. She was brave and strong, and he had faith in her.
And then, Arianna let out a yell. It was the yell she cried when she was charging in for battle, and Cirrus lunged,
Dragonsbane swinging in a wide arc at Zirgonyrtari. Lunging back, the creature snapped at Cirrus's legs, but the horse was more skilled than Zirgonyrtari assumed, and he bounded nimbly out of the way, circling to face the Hellbird yet again.
"So you are tricky," Zirgonyrtari hissed, flexing her sparsely-feathered wings. "Beware, Arianna Trapfoot, for I am tricky as well."
Arianna ignored the Hellbird's taunting words, and began to circle, her sword clutched in her hands. She concentrated on the cold steel against her palms and the feel of Cirrus's muscles rippling beneath her thighs, and her fear began to melt away, replaced by excitement and energy. The sword began to tremble, as though sensing its master's rush of intensity.
At the slightest motion of Arianna's foot, Cirrus advanced. Zirgonyrtari leapt to the left as Cirrus thundered foward. Arianna, who had been anticipating such a maneuver, jumped off the saddle and threw her hands out, grabbing some of Zirgonyrtari's wing feathers with one hand. The Hellbird let out a furious screech as Arianna's sword slashed down, forever crippling her wing.
However, Arianna paid dearly for that strike. As she recovered from the backlash of the blow, a deformed talon found its way through her armor and, to her surprise and terror, sank through her flesh. She gritted her teeth in agony, and her vision blurred. Shocked, she realized with a jolt just how close she was to dying....
Suddenly, the talon was jerked out of Arianna's stomach, and agonized screams filled the air, but they were not Arianna's alone. The woman forced her vision to clear, and lay, bleeding, on the ground, amazed at what she saw.
Cirrus was rearing, lashing out with his obsidian black hooves, an infuriated gleam in his black eyes. Zirgonyrtari was in complete shock, her eyes wide.
Furiously, the Hellbird regained control of herself, and slapped Cirrus with her long reptillian tail, making the horse crumple to the ground with a thud. Zirgonyrtari moved in for the kill, when she heard a strangled battle cry mixed with tears of pain. The Hellbird barely had time to react before a bloody sword plunged into her chest, ripping through muscle and tendon to pierce her blackened heart. She opened her twisted beak in a scream, but no sound came.
Cirrus watched in horror as both Arianna and Zirgonyrtari fell to the bloodstained ground.
Arianna's eyes opened slowly. Each movement brought a new pain, and there was a ringing in her ears that wouldn't seem to go away.
Moaning softly, Arianna looked around the room in which she lay. It looked like a sort of infirmary; the walls were covered with various vials and jars containing medical supplies. The sheets on which she lay were crisp and white. She wore a simple gown, and she could feel the pressure of bindings on her wound. Her clothes were washed and folded on a nearby chair, and her sword hung, polished, on a knob near the door. Cirrus was just outside a small window, peering in at Arianna with a look of concern in his beautiful eyes.
"Cirrus," Arianna murmured. "You brave war-horse, you." Smiling softly, Arianna flexed her fingers to get her blood moving again.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and a figure came bursting in.
"Arianna!" Gianni cried, rushing to her bedside and sitting down on an empty chair. "What on earth --"
"I say!" a plump, elderly woman shrieked, rushing into the room after Gianni. "The woman needs her rest! The last thing she needs is to have you in here getting her all excited. Now shoo, shoo!"
Sighing, Gianni crossed his arms, and stayed seated. "She needs company," he said flatly. "She's been unconcious for two days, after all. That's got to be boring."
"
Two days?" Arianna murmured. "And Gianni, how did you find out?"
The man shrugged, grinning. "Well," he expalined, "you weren't back the next day, like you always are with towns so close by, so I knew
something was wrong."
Arianna smiled back tiredly. "Indeed," she sighed. "How's Cirrus? I only see his face."
"Oh, he's a tough old stallion," Gianni said with a fair amount of pride; his own stallion Indigo had sired Cirrus. "The wound that Hellbird's tail made healed quickly; it was shallow and didn't cause him much pain."
Arianna sighed with relief.
"Now," the nurse said fiercely, "you rest, young lady. Another day will do you good, yes it will."
Arianna shook her head. "I feel better," she said, though that was only partially true. "I'm just going to be riding for a while, anyway. I sleep on Cirrus's back a lot," she added, hoping that she sounded well enough to have the nurse let her go.
"No," the nurse said firmly, causing a cry of protest from Gianni. "You rest. I shall let you go in the morning. Come with me, young man," she added, and, to Arianna's amusement, she grabbed Gianni by the ear and began to drag him out the door.
"Bye Arianna!" Gianni hissed through gritted teeth as he hopped along on one foot behind the woman. Her rough dragging threatened to throw him off-balance, and he tripped just as he passed through the door. Arianna laughed softly to herself, then, suddenly overcome by a spell of pain, she laid back, falling asleep almost immediately as she closed her eyes.
