I tried not to look upon the carnage for fear of seeing someone I knew. Not that I had any friends but I could still recognize people who had lived and served in the Master’s Realm if they were sprawled on the muddied field. I did not ask who won, if Amber had, the Master would be dead or running. If he had, I would be dead and he crowing like a bantam rooster to all creation. He would be sitting on the Royal Throne of Oberon.
We trudged silently towards the far off line of forest and such was my disengagement that I made no sign of the thousands of human corpses hanging from trees growing upside down in defiance of gravity. These corpses were Amber’s elite Throne Guards, the finest trained soldiers in all the Realm. They did not appear to be suffering from any wounds yet they were clearly dead.
“Do you hate me, Corbel?” He smiled, his hand drawing upon the reins so that I must face him.
I thought, how easy it would be to open my mouth and swallow him whole.
“Ah, a faint glimmer in your eyes,” he said in satisfaction. “It was your eyes, you know, that told me you had Chaos blood in you. As always, my beautiful Blackbird, you never fail to surprise me. You know you are the tenth boy I have taken, broken and put where you are. You are the only one who has survived and remained relatively sane. Of course, you are the only one that is Amber born and Chaos bred of Royal blood. I’d been looking for one of Oberon’s bastards and found none but the nine known, went on to Corwin. He was so very careful not to spread his seed among the natives like our esteemed grandfather. Merlin seems to be his only get. And then, I found you. Dear Flora couldn’t wait to tell and sold you to the highest bidder.” I wondered idly who she was and where, why she should be of interest to me. Her name brought a strange pang to my gut that I recognized as fear. “Flora is safe from you, Corbel. We gave her a nice place far from Amber and close to her favorite city on that shadow world you called home.”
Somehow, he knew my thoughts. He tilted his head and his horse stepped over a barrier that looked like a stone curb. As I dragged myself over, mystic flames tore at me, burrowed deep into my wounds and cauterized them. He held me there until I wanted to die and when I thought I had, pulled me through. I collapsed at the foot of a black granite mountain shaped like a pyramid. Atop sat his manse and was reached by a spiraled ramp only wide enough for six men abreast. “When you recover, Corbel, fly up and attend me.” He regarded me. “You have lost over half your blood. To replace that, you must eat. Magic can repair the damages to your bones and muscles but for blood, you need meat. Take whatever food you can find. Don’t eat the Thrid, they don’t taste all that good and will make you sick. Besides, I need every warrior and I will punish you if you kill even one. Humans are particularly tasty but I suppose you’ll go with your high moral standards and stick to animals.” He leaned close. “Beware. Not all the creatures you’ll find will be animals. Some are like you, mortals trapped in demon form. Eat one of those and you will be trapped in this form for the rest of your existence, be it long or short.” With that, he left me sprawled on the ground of black granite sand and rock where not a blade of grass pushed its weary way between the cracks. His troops closed around him and I watched blearily as they ascended to the peak. It took them mere moments as if the ground under them moved along like a treadmill.
Hours, days later, I was able to move.The hole in my chest had sealed shut although the scales over it were soft and red tinged. My neck wound ached with a dull thud, like an annoying toothache. I couldn’t see it but my surprisingly sensitive front legs told me it too, was sealed but tender to the touch.
As I rose up on my haunches reminiscent of a sitting dog, lightheadedness assailed me as my low blood pressure tried to account for the sudden increase my heart was making. I staggered, dropped to all fours and waited until I was fully conscious. This time, I raised my long neck and head slowly, only to shoulder height.
The air sparkled. My sense of taste and smell were acute, much more subtle than my human nose had ever been. A drifting eddy brought the scent of mud, salt, death and blood. Men, Thrid and roasting meat. I spread my wings and although there were holes in the membranes, I thought they were healed enough to fly. I beat them slowly. They ached but it was bearable. Dust, pebbles and rocks washed away as the force from my down-strokes became more powerful. Springing up off my legs, I threw myself into the air and was flying only to double over as a massive cramp twisted my belly. It took several more before I realized that it was hunger pains and that it was a serious flaw in such a dangerous beast as a dragon. Fuel was obviously an important and necessary commodity to one.
I rose high enough to see the entire valley which lay between two mountain ranges of black granite and obsidian. Trees grew only on the valley floor between the slopes, nothing on the banks. The forest was thick yet my eyes could see the faint yellow and reddish splotches that indicated a warm, living being. I could actually see their heart beating as a fiery red core and it was clear enough to identify man or beast. The Thrids hearts were lower, near where a man’s liver would be so I knew to steer clear of them.
I rode the thermals, reaching higher and higher until I hit a barrier of sorts. It struck me with pain and loss of breath, dropped back down only to test it time and time again. A rough estimate gave me an hour’s flight time around the Master’s peak. I could go no farther or higher, was bound to that perimeter.
By now, my stomach was a burning demon and coherent thought was difficult. I needed to kill and eat or I was going to fall out of the sky.
To the east, I found a small herd of animals that resembled buffalo with curly yellow fur. No human or demon form could my infra-red sense. I dived in a silent rush and because of the way the yellow buffalo’s necks were built, it could not look up or see me. My shadow did not send them into a stampede and I plucked one neatly off its feet with my rear legs. Instinctively, my tail came forward and barbed the creature in the neck. It went limp in seconds even before it had a chance to react.
I tore it to pieces and ate on the wing. It took four of the beasts to satisfy my hunger. With my belly full of meat, I rose to the highest thermal I could catch and soared, occasionally flapping to keep myself airborne. I slept and was in a dream where I was an eagle soaring free. When I woke, there were tears in my eyes. Dragon tears. They fell to the ground far below and hit with a crystal note that echoed for my ears only. The Master called and I returned to land on the balcony outside his bedroom.