“Look after Ezaara,” Marlies melded.
Colors flickered on the crystal, then it was blank.
Marlies exhaled. “She’s right, Hans. I was a coward.”
His green eyes blazed. “We can do this. I know we can.”
“Hans, she didn’t ask you.”
“But I fled, too. Ezaara and Tomaaz are our children. We—”
“I have to do this, Hans. We’ve no choice. I can’t sneak you and Tomaaz into Death Valley, and you know he won’t stay here on his own. I have to go alone.” Marlies whipped her knife out of her belt, brandishing it in the air. “I will fulfill your quest, Zaarusha, and reclaim our daughter,” she called, throwing the knife. It sank to the hilt in the ancient piaua trunk, sap oozing out around the blade. “As the forest marks my words, we will be reunited.”
Her oath, sealed with piaua sap, was binding.
Feet tromped through the trees, crunching the underbrush.
Hans spun. “It’s Tomaaz.”
Thank the Egg, Hans had dragon sight. It gave her a few moments to prepare. But how could she tell their son? After all these years, how could she admit what she’d done?
§
Tomaaz raced into the clearing. He gasped huge mouthfuls of air, trying to get his breath back. What was Ma doing here? “Ma, I thought you were baking bread? Pa, how did you run so—” He broke off. There was a dragon in the sky above the forest. A dragon of many colors. “A dragon? Ezaara and I were just talking about—” His mother’s face was tear-streaked. “Why are you crying?”
Her knife was embedded in the old piaua on the other side of the sacred clearing.
“Your sister’s gone,” Pa said. “The dragon has taken her.”
Pa wasn’t joking. Not with him and Ma so worked up. Not with that dragon in the distance.
“Dragon! Dragon!” Cries rent the air.
“It’s time we told him,” murmured Pa.
Told him what?
“I know,” Ma said, “but people are coming.”
Voices yelled, “Dragon, over there.”
Pa turned toward the trees. “They’re on the stepping stones. Klaus is already across. We don’t have long.”
What? Pa could see through the forest to the river?
Pa gripped Tomaaz’s arm. “You’re all we have now. Do exactly as I say.”
“What’s going on?” A rock settled in Tomaaz’s stomach.
“Don’t breathe a word of Ezaara’s disappearance. They’ll be here any moment. Trust us.”
“But—” Tomaaz nodded. He had no choice.
Pa pointed to the massive piaua. “Marlies, quickly.”
Running to the tree, Ma yanked her knife out of its trunk and hid it in the leg of her breeches. Then she crushed a handful of piaua leaves, squeezing the juice into the gash on the tree’s trunk. “I will fulfill my quest, piaua tree, and regain my daughter, as witnessed by thee.” The piaua gave a shudder and the gash was gone.
Piaua juice was strong, but Tomaaz had never imagined it could do that. And Ma was a tree speaker, so why had she harmed the piaua?
Ma picked up some tiny leaves from the grass. “Owl-wort, for Ana. Ezaara must’ve dropped it.”
“What’s going on?” Tomaaz’s voice cracked.
“We’ll explain later, Tomaaz.” Pa’s green eyes were intense. “Don’t mention Ezaara.”
Tomaaz’s throat felt raw, his chest tight. A dragon had stolen his sister, and he was supposed to do nothing? He clutched his sword.
Klaus burst into the clearing, a pitchfork in his hand. “Hans, did you see the dragon? Where is it now?”
“There.” Pa pointed at a smudge flying toward the Western Grande Alps.
“It’s gone,” said Klaus, shading his eyes to see the disappearing beast. “What was the damage? What did it take? Are our children safe?”
“No damage,” Pa replied quietly.
How could he be so calm?
“Tomaaz and I were bathing when we saw the dragon fly over the valley …” Pa’s voice trailed off.
He was acting a part—acting, when Ezaara was gone. Tomaaz clenched and unclenched his fists.
“I saw it swoop,” cried one man, waving a pike.
“Perhaps it took a deer from the forest,” Pa said.
“It was pretty,” murmured a littling.
Voices babbled. No one had seen it take Ezaara.
Eventually, folk turned back toward their homes, walking together, discussing stories of dragons. Pa and Ma chatted as if they hadn’t a care. Tight-lipped, Klaus walked with them.
Tomaaz’s world had turned upside down. His twin sister was gone. Gone. And his parents were hiding something.
“Where’s your sister, Tomaaz?” Klaus asked. “I haven’t seen her since the market.”
Tomaaz’s stomach twisted. He shrugged, not trusting his voice.
“Where is she?” Klaus turned to Pa and Ma.
“At home,” Pa said. “She’s not well.”
Klaus looked wary. “She was fine at the market, this morning.”
Pa nodded. “We suspect she has pilzkrank.”
Pa was a sly old dog. It was a good ploy. Pilz looked remarkably like an edible fungus, but caused rapid, contagious infections. No one would come looking for Ezaara for days.
“Let us know if you need any help,” Klaus said, his suspicions allayed.
“I will,” Pa replied.
Why was Pa being so devious?
Klaus raised his voice to carry along the road. “An hour after dusk, we’ll have a menfolk meeting in the square. Go home and check your stock to make sure the dragon hasn’t struck. Women and children should stay inside and bar their doors in case the beast comes back. We need a plan to fortify Lush Valley against further dragon attacks.”
People nodded and murmured, continuing along the road toward the village. Pa waved as the three of them turned down the track to their farm.
“Hans, I must get the flatbread away from the fire before it burns,” Ma said.
Baking? Ma was worried about baking?
Pa nodded. “Tomaaz and I will check the animals and give them their feed.”
A figure broke away from the folk to join them. It was Ernst, Lofty’s father.
“Hans, trust you to
