Chapter 17: Chapter 17

It was easier for Nya to find the location for the sacrifice than she expected it to be. She figured it had to be near the castle, but not within the grounds beyond the large wall that surrounded the village that served the king and the castle itself. Allowing the dragon to fly freely that close to the royal family’s home was akin to inviting him to roast the king and his family if he saw fit, and considering the disposition of this bastard, she wouldn’t put it past him. Surely, the king of Goodhorn was not so stupid as to put his family in jeopardy.

When she made her way to the top of the highlands near the castle and saw a group of soldiers working near a place that looked eerily similar to The Point back home, she knew she’d found the location. It was within walking distance of the castle but far enough away that the guards would have a warning if the dragon shifted his flight path and headed into the village or toward the castle instead.

What was missing was a tower where the royal family could view the sacrifice for themselves. Nya found this odd to say the least. She thought that all of the other kingdoms had made it a ritual for the king, queen, and any offspring they may have, to assemble near the place where the dragon would swoop down from the sky to clutch up his snack and carry it off to be consumed at his whim. The fact that it appeared as if this royal family did not have that tradition both shocked and aggravated her. Was it possible her own family could’ve forgone this ceremony for all of these years, sparing her and many others the agony of watching an innocent person be snatched away from their loved ones by the dragon?

The only alternative would be that the royal family didn’t view the activities from a tower but accompanied the sacrifice to the sacrificial point instead. Nya couldn’t imagine that would be the case. The possibility of someone far too important being snatched away or lit on fire was too risky for them to come so near the swooping dragon, she imagined, and she would be shocked to see the king and queen anywhere within a five mile radius of the sacrificial point. No, the only possibility was that there would be no witnessing of the event from the royal family, an idea that both pleased and sickened her.

It wouldn’t matter after that night, she reminded herself. There would be no more witnessing an innocent person being snatched away by a dragon in her kingdom either because she was going to put an end to all sacrifices that night. The dragon would never swoop down and snatch a poor innocent soul from any kingdom ever again when she was done with him.

Satisfied that she’d seen enough, Nya sat down with her back against a large rock and chewed on a bit of bread she’d carried in her cloak. She hadn’t been hungry during her flight, but now that she was still and had reached her destination, her stomach was growling. She knew she should’ve brought more. Some meat would’ve been a good idea, give her some strength to carry out her plan, but she hadn’t done so, and it was too late now. She could potentially find a rabbit or another small game animal, but she’d have to cook it, and lighting a fire would create smoke, which could draw attention to herself, and she didn’t want the troops to see her.

She’d still need to hide Warrior, too. She didn’t like the idea of tying him to a tree somewhere because, if something were to happen to her, he might not be found and could starve to death or die from lack of water. He was a good, strong horse, and she hated to think of anything happening to him. Likewise, she didn’t want him to fall into the wrong hands. If some bandit or farmer with an ill-temper found him, he might abuse the animal, and he didn’t deserve that either.

She’d need him to get back to her own kingdom, though, so her choices were limited. She could leave him free and hope that he returned when she called him--or she could tie him and hope that she returned to him. Nya wasn’t planning on dying that night, but she wasn’t close enough to the situation yet to get a premonition as to what might happen.

Even if she did foresee her own death, if the dragon also perished, she was going through with her plan. He needed to die, and if that meant she became the last sacrifice, she would take her place in the annals of history--Princess Nya of Frindom, Dragon Slayer, Zans Rest Her Soul.

“What would you like for me to do, Warrior?” she asked the horse, staring into his dark eyes. At the moment, he was grazing on grass from the knoll, his reins tossed around the low branch of a nearby tree that cast enough shade on her to keep the sun from her face. “Will you stay nearby if I let you free? Or will you run away and let me walk back to Frindom?”

She didn’t think that would happen either way. Once she slew the dragon, the local guards would move in and probably take her in to the king. She’d have to explain herself then and hope that he believed she was who she said she was.

Her biggest fear was that the local army would interfere and cause problems. She knew they could help her out if they served as a distraction, but if any of them were to try and get in her way, that would be problematic. She didn’t like the idea of having to slay any soldiers, but she would do so if she had to. The dragon had to die that night, no matter what!

Nya spent the rest of the afternoon on the hillside, snacking on some berries she found nearby and drinking water from a cool brook that flowed down the mountaintop. By the time the sun was going down, and the moon began to rise, she knew what she was going to do.

Approaching Warrior, she untied his reins from the tree. “All right, my friend. You’re free,” she told him. “But please… don’t go far. I don’t want the dragon to eat you, and I don’t want the soldiers to spot you, but I will need you when it’s time to make my getaway.” She stroked his long, dark nose, and he snorted at her, as if he understood. When she let go of his reins and he began to wander off, she thought perhaps he didn’t understand after all.

“It doesn’t matter,” she decided. “Whatever is meant to be will be.” She knew she’d have to move further down the mountain and find a place to hide where neither the soldiers nor the dragon would see her until she was ready to make her attack. She’d move under cover of nightfall, which meant she needed to stay put for another few hours.

Nya put her hood on and peered over the top of the rocks, down at the valley below where the soldiers had been earlier. They were all gone now. In the village within the castle wall, smoke rose from chimneys, and torches and candles began to dot the windows. The castle was lit now as well, lanterns burning on either side of the door which she could see from her position if she squinted. She had no idea what the procedure might be like here, how the sacrifice was chosen, whether or not the king drew a name, or there was some other method they used here. She had a feeling she wouldn’t know, but if she watched long enough, she’d see the poor person being brought through the gate in the wall from around the castle.

As the dragon moon rose in the sky, the sound of drums drew Nya’s eyes back to the castle. A crowd had gathered outside of the castle door, and Nya realized whomever the sacrifice would be, he or she was already chosen. The guards were bringing the person out now, and the crowd at the castle door was shouting and throwing what appeared to be vegetables at the form.

It was a prisoner! A real prisoner! As in… a criminal! She could tell, as the group ebbed and flowed, coming closer to her location, that it was a man, probably around her father’s age, and he was in chains.

Confusion washed over Nya as she thought about the children her kingdom sacrificed while Goodhorn was using the dragon as a way to punish criminals. Was it acceptable to the dragon to have someone of this status as his meal? Why would he care, after all?

It all seemed so wrong to her. How many children had they killed off when they could’ve been handing over persons who were already condemned to die? Her stomach turned just thinking about it.

Luckily for Nya, she didn’t have much time to think about anything. She needed to go if she was going to find a place to hide down below before the soldiers and the prisoner arrived. She hurried down the mountainside, carrying her sword, her shield strapped to her back.

Going down the hill didn’t take nearly as long as going up had, and Nya reached the bottom well ahead of the processional. The soldiers seemed to be having difficulty getting the prisoner to walk, which delayed their progress. Nya found a spot beneath a tree, hidden by short shrubs and rocks. She’d be able to see the dragon as he was approaching, but she didn’t think she’d be spotted by anyone until she was ready to leap out and make her attack. She hoped she was close enough that when the dragon touched down, she could reach him in time. She’d have to sprint across the open ground about a hundred yards to reach him. She thought she could do it, but only time would tell.

As she sat there, hunkered down, waiting, she let her mind play through the scenarios. It was all so far off in the distance, she couldn’t say for sure whether or not she would be successful, but images of herself dying, being burned to a crisp or crunched in half by sharp dragon teeth were too much for her.

Deciding her gift was doing her no good at the moment, she stopped looking for the future outcome of the situation and decided to put her life in the hands of fate. If she was to be successful and avenge the lives of Gavin and the others, she would find a way. If not… it would all be over soon.