Ginelle's Dragon

Ginelle sat there with a shocked look on her face, after hearing what the blue bird has just told her. Unbeknownst to the king’s mage, Marcus had been sitting at the window and had witnessed the entire conversation he had with Margorie. She sat there and let the words the bird had told her sink in. Her mother was still alive, but she was also imprisoned with Margorie in the capital. This upset her a great deal, but there was still nothing she could do about it since there was a small army standing between her and the women she cared about the most. She looked back up at the bird.

“Were my mother and Margorie still alive when you left them?” she asked.

“They were,” Marcus answered, “But I’m not sure how long that is going to last.”

“What do you mean?” Ginelle asked the bird.

“Margorie was using me like a secret messenger,” Marcus explained, “I was passing plans from one window to another and allowing the witches in the other cells to speak to one another undetected.”

“That’s clever,” Ginelle admitted, “What were they talking about?”

“They were making plans to escape,” Marcus replied, “And the plan was to break out of their own cells, and then free the men that were a few floors down and fight their way out. It was a pretty ambitious plan if you ask me.”

“Why did they need the men?” Ginelle asked.

“That nasty wizard has totems placed around and inside the building,” Marcus explained, “Margorie can still do a few spells, but nothing big. So, if she can free Harrison and the guys then they can take out the rest of totems and then the witches can take it from there.”

“When were they planning to try this?” Ginelle asked.

“When I left they were making plans to do it in a two weeks,” Marcus informed her, “Margorie was thinking of doing it a two days before the King’s birthday, hoping that the celebration would cause the guards to be spread out. That would mean less guards at the prison and the plan could actually work.”

“How long did it take for you to get here?” Ginelle asked.

“At least a week,” Marcus answered, “So, if my math is right they’re going to try something within the six or seven days.”

Ginelle sat there and thought about it.

“I need to do something to help them,” she declared as she stood up and started to pace the room. The thought of losing everyone she cared about all in the same day was more than enough to prompt her to want to act on their behalf.

“The breakout is going to happen,” Marcus reminded her, “Since they’re all scheduled to be executed, there was no point for them to wait to die. Margorie told me to fly away so that I wouldn’t be caught. Margorie put some kind of spell on me that made it easier for me to get her. She really wanted me to get to pass along what was happening.”

“I wish there was something I could do,” Ginelle said, as she continued to pace.

Ginelle was upset to hear the news that the witches were going to be killed, but she let that anger fester as she went downstairs to make breakfast for Angus and Garrak. While she was preparing the food, the big wolf could tell something was wrong. After making an inquiry, Ginelle spent the majority of breakfast telling both men what happened to Margorie and that she was now sharing a cell in the tower with her mother.

“I wish there was something we could do to help,” Angus also said, as he didn’t want to see Ginelle upset like this. “It’s a shame we couldn’t use your mirror spell to create an army and invade the Capital.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Ginelle replied, as she appreciated the thought. “But I’m afraid I can’t make more than a dozen mirrors at once and that is not enough to…”

Angus watched as the young witch stopped mid-sentence and he knew that that meant. Ginelle had thought of something, and it must have been a good idea as she was not starting to grin like a cat that just managed to capture the mouse.

“What is it?” Angus asked, eager to know what she was thinking.

“I have an idea,” Ginelle said as she excused herself from the table. “I need to speak to Ruki. I’ll be back in a few hours. You’ll be okay here holding up the fort, right?.”

“Of course,” Angus replied, “But what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to try to learn something,” Ginelle said as she went into the kitchen to fetch something for her friend.

After packing a small basket, she left the house and started to walk upwards towards a cave that was located higher than the house but not too far off. Ruki had chosen to reside in this cave as it not only had enough space for the dragon to fit into, but it was close enough for him to be there for Ginelle if she ever needed his help once again. Thankfully for Ginelle the big dragon was in the cave when she came inside to visit. He was just lounging out and even had some fires burning in the corners of the cave to keep it warm.

“Good morning, Ruki,” Ginelle called out as she entered the cave.

“Good morning, little witch,” Ruki replied, “I smell something.”

“I brought you something to eat,” Ginelle said, “I also need to speak with you about something I need your help with.”

“I will do what I can to assist,” Ruki said as he finally opened his eyes, “And thank you for the food.”

“I have a question about the tooth,” Ginelle started, “What if I had more than one, would additional items help increase the power of my spells?”

“In theory it should,” Ruki replied, “Are you asking for more teeth?”

“No, I am not,” Ginelle replied, as she set up her basket to feed her dragon. “I’m wondering if there were other parts of you that I could use to enhance my powers. Can I use more than just teeth to charge my spell?”

“Yes,” Ruki answered, “You can use other parts of a dragon as additional totems, not just my teeth.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ginelle said, “Cause I need your help to save Margorie and my mother.”

“Tell me more,” Ruki said without hesitation, “Where is the old witch?”

Ginelle went on to tell the dragon everything she learned that morning from Marcus about the witches that were being held prisoner in the tower and the Kingdom’s intention to execute them all on the King’s birthday. The dragon sat there and listened in silence as all the details were revealed to him while he ate the food Ginelle had prepared for him.

“This is unacceptable,” Ruki finally replied, angered by the news he was given. “We need to help your friends and family.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ginelle said, “Because I have a plan which is why I need your help to enhance my spell casting ability.”

The dragon remained quiet as he listened to the idea that Ginelle had swirling in her head all morning. Once Ginelle was finished giving him the plane, the dragon seemed not only comfortable with the idea, but was eager to offer any help he could.

“This is a sound plan, little witch,” Ruki replied, as he sounded impressed. “I do have an idea that might help, but you need to keep this secret between the two of us.”

“I shall tell no one,” Ginelle promised, “You have my word, Ruki.”

“That is good enough for me,” Ruki replied as he slowly sat up. “Listen carefully little witch as I am only going to share this once.”

Ginelle sat there in the cave and listened carefully as Ruki told her in great detail certain dragon parts just like his teeth could be used to generate more power for witches like the totems that wizards use. Ruki went on to tell her about certain parts of him that generated more power for the witch to use.

“This could work,” Ginelle said, as she was stunned by the revelations that was made to her by her winged friend.

“Make preparations,” Ruki suddenly declared, “We will leave in a few days, and hopefully get there before the King’s birthday.”

“I’d prefer to get there the day before,” Ginelle corrected him, “The day that the witches are planning to break out. If our plan works, our attack will draw almost all the guards away from their tower, and that will assist their escape.”

“That makes sense,” Ruki agreed, “We must make quick preparations then so that we make it in time for their planned breakout.”

“I’ll start packing right now,” Ginelle said, as she stood to leave, “Thank you for your help Ruki. Without us, I don’t think those witches are going to make it.”

“I like the old woman,” Ruki confessed, “And if it means I get to have her cooking again, I am more than eager to get them out.”

“My mother is a better cook than Margorie,” Ginelle informed the dragon.

“She is?” the dragon said, his head turning sideways with interest.

Ginelle had a good laugh for herself as she exited the cave and ran back to the house to gather the supplies that Ruki asked for. Angus was still in the house when she returned and was eager to speak to her.

“What’s going on?” Angus asked.

“I’m leaving,” Ginelle said, looking at him, “Ruki and I are going to the castle to aid the witches and my mother’s attempt to breakout.”

“What can I do to help?” Angus asked, eager to do anything.

“Stay here with the wolf and hold up the fort,” Ginelle said, “Keep working on the wall as much as you can, and when I return we’ll have more people to help us out.”

“Sounds good,” Angus said, as he wasn’t that worried about it. The house had a lot of spare rooms that were not being used.

“I also need some of the dragon scales,” Ginelle informed him, “I know we want to use them for the roof, but I need at least four of them for a project.”

“I’ll go get them,” Angus said, as he left the room.

He returned moments later with four of the dark scales, all of them about the size of a large dinner plate. She took them from him and went upstairs to change into a different set of clothing. Without asking, she took one of Angus’ tunics because it had pockets in it that was used specifically to hold plates of armor. She removed the few sheets of metal that was inside the chest and back panels and replaced them with the dark plates that came from Ruki. She used the strings on the tunic to tighten the shirt up and in essence strap the dragon scales to her body. She took the last two plates, placed them on her front thighs, and wrapped them tightly to secure them to the top halves of her legs. After that she quickly packed a few bags with extra food and even other supplies she thought she might need. It took her less than a few hours to get fully prepared for her trip.

Ruki had emerged from his cave and walked down to the house, doing his best not to knock over anything or cause any damage as he did so. Ginelle emerged from the house dressed up in her light armor and noticed the look on Angus’ face.

“Yes, I burrowed your armor.” She confirmed to him.

“That’s alright,” Angus said, “If we have more time, I’ll get someone in town to make you some that will fit properly next time.”

“Next time we’ll have a smith build the armor directly from my scales,” Ruki added, “I will shed more than enough over the next few years to cover everything you need.”

“If all goes well,” Ginelle started, “Ruki and I will return in several days. If we’re not back by then, please take care of my wolf.”

“I’ll take care of everyone you leave behind,” Angus replied, “Even that annoying little bird.”

“Thank you,” Ginelle said, “I’m sorry for leaving like this, but…”

“It’s your mother,” Angus said, “Go get her.”

Ginelle gave him one more smile before turning away to walk over to Ruki who was patiently waiting for her. The young witch crawled over to the big dragon and started to crawl on his back. One her bags were tied to the saddle she had made, Ginelle made herself as comfortable as possible. She checked to make sure she still had Ruki’s tooth and everything else she needed to put forth their plan.

“That's interesting,” Ruki said, as Ginelle made herself comfortable.

“What is?” Ginelle asked.

“You like him,” the dragon observed.

“Excuse me?” Ginelle said, relived to know Angus couldn’t understand a single thing the big dragon was saying.

“It’s okay,” Ruki said, almost laughing, “I’m starting to like him too.”

“How about we concentrate on our mission,” Ginelle suggested.

“It’s a long trip,” Ruki reminded her, “We’ll continue this talk later.”

“No, we won’t!” Ginelle said, as it was subject she wasn’t interested in.

“Hang on,” Ruki said, as he launched into the sky. Ginelle felt a little more comfortable this time with the new saddle she had made in town. She was able to hold on easier as the dragon climbed high into the skies and started to flap its massive wings as their journey back to the capital was just beginning.

“Don’t worry, little witch,” Ruki said, sensing her fear, “We'll get there in time.”

“I hope so,” Ginelle replied, “This is going to be close.”