He leapt to his feet, brandishing his beanpole as though he bore the famed Fireword itself.
“The younger brother became a great hero in the Near World, and he trained other heroes like him. He fought back the monsters of the Far World that tried to cross over and devour the weak mortals.” Leo stabbed at the air and twirled about, drawing the girl’s attention once more. She ducked to avoid a blow, but Leo heard her laugh as well.
Stopping for breath, Leo continued. “Together, the brothers built great houses over all the Continent. These were enormous halls with doors opening east and west. And when the older brother shone the light of his lantern inside them, the glow remained for years afterward.”
“Was it pretty?” the girl asked.
Leo nodded. He indicated the orange sun, which was beginning to set heavily, casting saffron light upon the clouds. “Do you see that sunset? Imagine that, only a hundred times prettier! That was what the Asha Lantern was like.”
“Coo,” breathed the girl.
“The Near World became prosperous under the brothers’ care. People felt safe and happy.” Leo crouched down suddenly, his beanpole behind him, and jabbed a finger at the girl’s veil, startling her. “But it couldn’t last.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“The Dragonwitch.”
“I heard of her. She lived in these here parts once, didn’t she?”
“I think so. Not really, of course. Only in stories. But they say she came to this land. Twice, actually. But that’s not part of this story. In this story, she came bursting from the Far World in a great POOF !”
“Poof?” The girl looked unimpressed.
“You know what I mean,” Leo said. “The sound fire makes.” Then he roared, his very best dragon imitation . . . which was pretty good considering he had never heard a dragon. “She was the firstborn child of the Dragon King, a Faerie queen herself once upon a time. And she hated mortal men! So she set upon the Great Houses built by the brothers, tore down the doors, and burned the rooftops. She lit them up like so many bonfires across the Continent!”
“Sad.”
“Not just sad,” Leo declared. “Terrifying! Of course, the brothers set out to stop her. It was the older brother who tracked her down, using the light of his lantern. And then the younger brother—I believe his name was Etanun. It means strength. Anyway, he fought her.” With more roars and an appropriate amount of spitting, Leo struck the air with his beanpole. “Fireword plunged into the Dragonwitch’s heart, and she fell down dead.
“The older brother found Etanun nearly killed from the wounds the Dragonwitch gave him in battle. A dragon’s claws are poisonous, you know, even more poisonous than its breath. Some of the dragon poison got into the younger brother, and though the older brother—his name was Akilun—though he tried to heal him, a trace of poison remained in Etanun’s veins.”
“So what about my cave?” asked the girl. “How does it fit into this story?”
“Just listen!” Leo sprawled out on the stone, pretending to be badly wounded, gasping for breath and pressing a hand to his neck. “Etanun was weak, but he would recover. He said to his brother, ‘I have killed the Dragonwitch!’ ” Then Leo changed his tone to be the deeper voice of the other brother. “ ‘No, Etanun,’ said Akilun. ‘You have only destroyed her first life.’ ”
“Her what?”
“Her first life. According to stories, all the kings and queens of the Far World have three lives. That’s why they live so much longer than mortals do. They get three lives before they have to cross the Final Water. Sometimes they live all three lives at once in three different bodies. Most of the time, they save them.”
“That’s very odd,” said the girl.
“It's normal for Faeries,” Leo replied. “Now listen. Etanun did not want to believe his brother. He determined that the Dragonwitch had to be dead because he had killed her with his magic sword. He was angry at Akilun for even suggesting that she would come back. But that anger was just the dragon poison in his veins.
“Generations passed. And the Dragonwitch returned. This time, she was more powerful, more dreadful than ever, and her destruction was greater. Once more, Akilun and Etanun set out to hunt her down. They found her on a beautiful plain known as Corrilond Green. But after their battle, the fertile green fields were wasted into dry desert. That’s why the old kings and queens of Corrilond were called the Desert Monarchs. And now that Corrilond is gone, we call it the Red Desert.”
“I ain’t never heard of Corry-land.”
Leo shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not part of this story anyway. The important thing is, Etanun killed the Dragonwitch a second time. But before he did, she cut him with her claw, into the shoulder. Akilun tended to him again, but when the wound healed over, there was still poison inside.”