Dragon Heir [Book 1] [Watty Award Winner 2012]

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Copyright © Gem Higa

I can't let him find me, I have to move.

Leiv gasped for air before sprinting to the nearest tree. Snap! She flattened her back closer to the tree, and listened. The wind whistled, making her hair flutter through the breeze. The sun was high in the sky, with no cloud in sight.

She checked her weapons and pack for supplies as the string of her bow pressed into her back. Oddly enough it gave her comfort to feel the weapon so close. Its maple edges were smooth, and comfortingly warm to the touch. Her quiver was attached to her bow and filled with only a few arrows. The supply pack roped across her hips contained salves and bandages in case of injuries. To the side of the leather pack was where she liked to keep her dagger sheathed. Unlike other hunters, she had no sword. She preferred her bow and daggers. She also stored smaller daggers, one in each boot: perfect for throwing distances.

Snap! Another twig broke under the boots of the man chasing her.

Breathe Leiv, just breathe.

Eyes still closed, she remembered a burrow to the East. If she could make it there, it would provide the perfect cover. Spotting him a few trees back, she took a deep breath and ran to the next tree. She pressed herself against the shielding bark and slowed her breathing to calm herself. He seemed oblivious to her movements, so she risked leaving herself open and made a line for the burrow. She glanced behind her and saw no sign of the man. She let her eyes roam the forest, but couldn't tell where he went.

Where could he have gone?

Leiv backtracked and looked around. Was there something she missed? She placed her foot gingerly, one after the other, as her fingers clasped the hilt of her dagger, continuing forward. She glanced from side to side, skeptical of her peripheral view.

Snap!

She jerked around and came face to face with her assailant. He was a good few feet taller than her with wide set shoulders. Without hesitation, Leiv took advantage of the height difference and dipped low to squeeze in between his legs. She used the momentum to turn and grab his back, hoisting herself up onto it. In one fluid motion, she wrapped her legs around him as her arms snaked across his neck. Her grip loosened as he flexed his muscles. His arms reached up and grabbed her, flinging her to the side. Her back crashed to the floor, the world spinning for a few seconds. A lungful of air forced its way from her chest, as she pushed herself onto to her feet.

Hand to hand won't work.

Distance. She needed distance between them to strike from afar. She thought of a plan, but was nervous all the ways it could go wrong. She could feel her father words in the back of her head, telling her hesitation would one day get her killed. She knew she had to try.

Feinting exhaustion, Leiv pushed herself up on the tree and took a few heavy breaths for effect. It fooled the man enough to drop his arms, smiling at the faux victory. It gave her just enough of a head start. She didn't have to glance back to know the man was not far, following her. She put little lapse between them, knowing that agility was the one thing on her side if she used it correctly. Pulling her dagger from its sheathe, she stabbed it into a nearby tree. His heavy steps grew closer, as Leiv quickened her pace.

Darting to the right, she taunted the man to follow her, as she made him follow her in a circle. He stopped for a moment, and examined her. Leiv simply looked at him with a small grin. She turned and sprinted off once more.

Just ahead, she saw her knife protruding from the trunk of the tree. She silently prayed to the Fates that she had dug the blade deep enough to hold her weight. When she was close enough, she pushed up against the bark with her left leg, and used the other to land on the blade, momentum pushing her up into the tree as she grasped a branch overhead and hoisted herself up. Resting on the branch, Leiv pulled off her bow and reached back to grab an arrow from her quiver. She rested an arrow on it, as she pulled the string back with three fingers, waiting for the man to show himself.

A few moments passed. A nervous thought grew and coiled tight in her chest, fearing that her plan had failed. But at last, the man emerged nearby. She took a deep breath to steady herself and pulled back on the arrow, letting it fly right into his chest.

He looked up into the tree as Leiv made her way down, yanking out her dagger from the wood grain and sheathing it once again. She walked towards the man, glowing with pride knowing she was victorious. All the heavy training her father had given her had paid off. It was her birthday today, and this was the best present she could have received: a successful hunt.

The man picked the arrow up off the ground and twirled it around his fingers. "If we had real arrowheads on these, you would have been able to kill me," he said, casually walking towards Leiv.

She crossed her arms. "A congratulations is in order I believe, along with my prize."

"Do you think you deserve it?" He teased, returning the arrow into her quiver.

She gestured up the tree she had climbed. "Look at the height of that tree. Do you think you could have managed that with your old age?"

Bemused, he laid a hand over his chest. "Ouch! You wound an old man's heart, how could one bear to live after such a statement?"

"Father. Save the dramatics. It's amazing you ended up a huntsman, instead of travelling with an acting troupe." She laughed.

He smiled and produced from his pack her prize, a birthday gift. The little girl that he once carried in his arms was no longer that; she was seventeen today, a woman.

Remarkably strong and brave, she was everything he had envisioned for his little girl. Leiv had known since her twelfth year that she had been left in the woods. She remained unhindered by grief. Eli would always be her father, by all accounts.

She had grown so fast; though not as tall as him she managed to stand directly at height with his chest. Her eyes still sparkled, flakes of green illuminating rich hazel. Her hair was a deep chestnut, which fell into soft spirals around her soft complexion. Leiv had been told she had a soft face with alluring eyes. Her eyes, Eli once told her, could reel a man to their death. By standards, Leiv was beautiful. Many knew it, but she didn't care. She wasn't interested in such things. She knew what was in her head was always more important that what was on her face.

Excitement pulled her hand forward to snatch the bundle from his fingers, ripping open the package. She gasped as a beautiful dagger rested in her palms. Its intricate details and polished metals gleamed under the sunlight. Skimming the long thin steel blade, she gripped the hilt, feeling the weight in her hands. It was a good size and reared bits of gold between the layers of infused dark copper and tin, yielding the thick etched coils that snaked down the handle. She twirled it around as her eyes watered.

"It's so beautiful!" She removed the old dagger from her sheathe, replacing it with her new one. She handed the old one to her father and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him fiercely. He laughed, returning the favor as they stood for a while, savoring each other's company.

As she unlatched herself from his warm embrace, her hand suddenly flew over her heart, clutching at her chest. Her breaths became ragged, her body slowly slumping to the ground. Eli dropped to catch her, panic washing over his features.

"What's wrong Leiv?" He asked, scooping her up into his arms. He looked down at his strong girl clutching her chest helplessly.

"My heart, it's throbbing like something is squeezing it... what is happening?" She whispered, as tears fell down her pained face. Her eyes fluttered closed, as she fought to stay conscious.

"Stay with me Leiv, keep your eyes open! Leiv!" Scrambling to his feet, Eli broke into a spring, with Leiv in his arms. He pleaded for her to remain with him.

"Leiv! Please, sweetheart..."

But it was too late. Her eyelids closed as darkness swept over her.