Dragon Heart for the Taking

Dragon Heart for the Taking

The old man cackles as he reach the girl “yes, yes it work” he dances around the girl that he had trap inside the time spell. He even had the courage to reach out and tap the hard black burnt out twisted tree limb, she held aloft in her right hand the same piece of wood she was going to drive into his old thick skull if the spell had not work. But it had work just like old Doc Boron had said it would, but what else did the Doc say about the spell?  Old Willie stops to scratch his thinning white long straggly hair as he tries to remember everything the doc had told and warn him about the time spell. But Willie had been out drinking the night before and everything the Doc had told him was just a slight blur.

Wonder could hear him she could smell the stale scent of ale on his clothes mix in with the eww hint of urine the old man had at one point relived himself in his own pants or perhaps he was just too drunk not to get then in the way but Wonder believes he had been too drunk to aware he had. She silently curses herself how come she had not smelt him at least. Then it dawns on her of course he had been behind her downwind of her this whole time and now she was trap in a powerful spell though she could feel it weakening, she right now as helplessly trap.

Wonder mind was racing searching for a counter spell or at least one that would protect her in this state, when the sound of a knife being unsheathed caught her ears. ((Oh No)) her heart was racing he had a knife what did he want with her? Then her thoughts were answered when the old man mumbles “Now it’s time to cut out that heart, I must take care not to damage it or Old Doc Boron will not pay me for my services” he was mumbling and giggling like a fool as he walk around and stood in front of Wonder.

Old Willie looks down seeing her bent forward, head bowed her long hair drape in her face all of this was blocking a clear way to her chest and her heart hidden within. Old Willie had been a butcher at one time, so he knew how to do this kind of work, he could remove the heart of Bears, Bulls and a few dogs in his time, not to mention a Boar or two. So a mere girl’s heart would be easily to remove those his days of a butcher were far behind him his old hands not as strong as they once wore nor as steady but he still knew the best route to the heart.  Old Willie grip the knife tight in his right hand as he reaches with his left, grabbing a hand full of Wonder’s black thick hair, he pulls on it, yanking hard. Wonder could feel the pain from him yanking her hair, trying to rise her head up, but she was stuck fast frozen in this spell, this only anger the old man as he tries cutting her hair away to reach her chest.

Old Willie growls out as his knife grazed off the black hair like he just tried to cut steel into with it “What the blazes is this?” he wonders then it dawns on  him it might be the spell keeping him from cutting the hair so he just pulls out his belt planning on tying her hair back with it. But his pants fall down due to the fact he was skinnier then his ill-fitting trousers.

Wonder gasp inwardly as she hears his belt being removed and when his pants felled to the ground piled upon the snow around his ankle she screams out in her head as she did not want to see what she was seeing. (((Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww this can’t be happening Mother))) without thinking calling out to her mother her pendent begins to glow brightly, soon it was flashing colors after colors of lights. Willie looks blinking his eyes as the snow below the girl was a swirling and dancing with lights flashing he reaches down to pull up his pants but when his head brushes her hair. A bolt of lightning shoots off the girl hitting Old Willie square in the head sending a bolt through his body he falls down face first in the snow his hair smoking his old brains fried.

As the old man fall half naked in the snow the storm overhead broke out as the snow rains down on the forest snow piling upon the old man’s body was still hot the snow sizzled as it hits it. Wonder could smell him it turn her stomach he smelt of cook meat, making her to never want to eat meat again. Wonder cries out as she begins to slowly move again the spell was breaking away she was finally able to straighten back up as she did her right arm lowers the black wooden club was heavier now after holding it up for so long.

Wonder look around not wanting to look down at the dead body still smoking, her stomach hurting as it churn form the stench, she wanted to drop the club. But was not sure if he had come here alone or if there were others waiting lurking about, she did know one thing she could not go back to the cave, she was a cause of a human’s death and one thing she did know was humans frown upon killing of their own kind, though they thought nothing of wiping out her race. Slowly Wonder begins to walk away from the out shape of the old man’s body snow was piling up on it no one would find him right way perhaps not until spring thaw even. Thinking perhaps she had a few weeks maybe even a month before they would come after her for killing the old one, her boot crunching in the snow as she slowly drags the heavy club behind her as she just wanted to get away from that smell.

Not knowing how far she had gone or how long it was that she been lost in thought but when she heard a howling off in the distance her mind came back to her and she was lost deeper in the forest. Wonder looks around as she was now in a clearing the trees here were all the same as the one she had taken the club from black burnt out twisted into grotesque shapes.  Wonder looks around the clearing she turns slowly around, it seems like the trees were closing in on her, she look behind, where she had just enter into the clearing. But finds that there was no passage way, in between the trees large enough for her to pass through, the snow had even covered her tracks leading in form the forest. But how, had she been here that long just standing?

Wonder’s heart was racing again as she could feel magic here, she could see it in every tree that surrounded her now they look menacing she felt their hatred their anger and it was directed all at her, but why she had never been her before.

Standing hidden in the tallest of the guardian trees a pair of brown eyes watching the female far below she had enter her only because she held in her hand a piece of a guardian one of the outer post ones he could tell it was dead no telling how long ago it had died and by whose hand. At first he had thought by her hands, but when she had entered the clearing, she had been in shock holding onto the piece of a guardian in her right hand as she trudge through the snow into the center of the clearing as if she was to be judge.

He had manage to keep the other guardians form attacking her on sight reminding them that she had not showed them harm yet that and by their own laws they had to await to see why she was there and why she held a piece of a guardian in her hands. He had waited with the others for 2 hours before the girl had finely snap out of her state, it had given the other guardians time to close the opening and to close in on her. They waited though some of the younger saplings wanted to strike her, while she was still in a shock state, but the elder held up his limb, silencing them all, they would wait to see if she was her to fight.  Which he doubted very much, for he could feel there was something about this female, for she was not what she appeared to be. But that did not make her bad or evil only different.

Wonder look from tree to tree they all had faces all of them eyes mouths nose ears as she look form old to young then she realized that they were a race of trees and she look down really for the first time at the limb she held as a weapon seeing it or what it was a hand and arm.  Bile and fear rise up in the pit of her belly as she realizes she had one of them or at least a part of one. She felt terrible knowing now why they hated her she would hate too if some held a piece of her mother. Sensing someone else among the trees, Wonder glances upwards at the tallest of the trees, spying for the first time a young male there, he was tall slender with black hair, brown eyes he was hidden well among, the bare black braches of the mighty tree, she wondered what he must think of her did they believe that she had killed this tree?

Wonder lifted the black arm of the dead guardian up to her eyes, hearing the trees collective gasp she felt the sting of tears in her eyes was this someone’s mother father sister brother or someone’s child or lover? She did not know for they were down buried under the snow cold to the touch or were they all that way but she did know that it was not a normal tree but she had no time at the time to dwell or see to what it was she needed a weapon and fast.  But now, now that she knew what it had once been she felt the grief of its passing as she held what was left of the tree in her hands and what of its body back there somewhere?

They watch the girl as she moves to the very center of the clearing, holding the limb up across her chest cradling it like a mother would a child.  They all stood silently watching, as Wonder kneels down in the snow holding the limb across her lap, as she begins to dig down into the deep snow with her two bare hands.  The icy cold snow bite hard into Wonder’s hands, but she felt driven to bury the arm,  she did not know if this was the way of its people all she knew was something told her that this was the right thing to do.

Elm leans on the trunk of the elder tree asking him what if he knew what the female was planning to do. As the elder nodded he knew it was the way of some races to bury the die though their kind just left the falling to lie in a sacred place he would allow her to bury it to show her kinds respect. For if she had tried to torch the arm then he would have interfered.  Though most of the outer post guardian often fell to disease and attacks rarely did they come back sometimes older ones would return home to die as a younger one would go to replace them few did these days do to not wanting to lead anyone back to their home lands.  But this was the first time a dead out post guardian and come home, so none knew what to do, so they let the female bury it in the center of their home.  It would be 3 more nights before the full moon and the ritual of giving of the hearts; it was a day many races of old still celebrated where the young would ask for the favors of another to be their mate.

Once Wonder reaches the hard frozen ground she stop pausing, then she reaches down and tries to dig into the cold hard ground only to break her nails she pulls her hurt hand up to her chest staring at the ground frozen how was she to do this if the ground was too hard to dig into? Soon a whistling sound filled the air then a sword hits the ground right where Wonder had uncovered her eyes follow the sword upward to its hilt then out across to where the boy stood leaning against the mighty tree his eyes lock onto hers. Wonder reaches out touching the hilt she could still feel the warm of his touch upon it, it sent a tingling through her hand and up her arm. Taking the sword she used it to dig down into the hard ground.

The Old Elder guardian chuckles  Elm blushes as he mumbles “I didn’t want her to be her all night” the elder knew Elm was very protective with his sword never letting his own mother touch it but here now he was letting this strange girl not only touch his sword but use it to dig with.

Wonder’s rainbow colored eyes sparkled when the sword cut though the cold hard frozen ground like it was butter quickly in no time she had a trench dug deep enough and large enough for the arm to fit into.  Setting the sword aside Wonder once again cradling the guardian’s arm to her chest as she held it stroking it softly as she whispers her thanks and weep her tears dropping onto the limb that once was alive a she sang in a whispering voice a mourning song.

“When we meet again the stars will shine brighter than the sun. When we meet again all our pass misdeeds will be gone. When we meet again all our pains will be erase. When we meet again it will be in a batter place. When we meet again our souls will intertwine. When we meet again it will be in another time” once her song was song Wonder leans forwards and genteelly places the black guardian arm into its finally resting place as she slowly begins to push the dirt back over the trench she finds another pair of hands helping her do so.

Not looking up from her task as her long black hair hides her face she knew it was the boy his hands were strong yet slender as he help her fill in the trench they both work without a word to each other when it was done and Wonder smooth the top of the ground . Elm stands up picking up his sword as he replaces it in to his belt he held out his hand to her “Come female the Elder wishes to speak to you”.

Wonder looks up at the offered hand placing her hand into his they both felt a jolt racing up their arms but they held hands not letting go letting this feeling enter their hearts. Looking into each other’s eyes neither speaking as they stare soon the other guardians called out snapping them both out of their trance Elm “whispers come he awaits” then he turns still holding her hand as he leads her back to the great tree.