Voyages of the Flying Dragon by Ben Chandler

aggravated them. It wasn’t like her to give into anger. She wished she had her brother’s empathic gifts just now to help ease the townspeople, but Lenis wasn’t here. Missy needed to use her own gifts to get the townspeople to tell her where the Vision Peaks were.
    Even without Lenis’s empathy, Missy could see the horror and fear that was writ clearly across the townspeople’s faces. Missy picked a few at random and scanned their thoughts, bracing herself for fresh memories of what Karasu had done here. She suppressed the images of burning flesh that rose from her own imagination and focused on the task at hand. She was little prepared for what the townspeople were actually thinking. They were, each and every one of them, thinking about a woman. It was clearly the same woman, but each person pictured her in a slightly different way. To some she was tall and slender with blonde hair. To others she was broad-shouldered and carried a hammer. Some pictured her wearing armour; others had her in a white gown. The one thing that linked all these disparate images was the bolt of lightning each person imagined she clutched in her right hand.
    For a few moments Missy stood dumbstruck. What could it mean? Who was this woman and why were the townsfolk thinking about her now? And then realisation struck. They were thinking about Missy. They thought she was this lightning-wielding maiden. They thought she was –
    A girl of about Missy’s age shot to her feet. ‘Do not hurt us, great Magni!’
    Missy stared at the girl, trying to suppress a groan. They thought she was some sort of god.
    â€˜What’s your name?’ Missy asked, stalling for time so she could delve deeper into the girl’s mind. She soon found whatshe needed. Magni was a goddess with a volatile mood. She was known as the Lightning-Wielder and was rather fond of smiting things with her Storm Hammer. She was a war goddess, which wasn’t unusual in the Heiliglander pantheon. They had quite a few war deities.
    The girl had long blonde hair in a thick braid down her back, and she wore brown trousers with what must once have been a white linen shirt before the smoke had dirtied it. Over the lot she wore a tan-coloured, ankle-length coat that Missy supposed was made of leather. ‘I am Heidi Baumstochter,’ she replied. ‘Named after my father Heid, who was named for the god Heidrun.’
    Missy was thinking fast. Her brother, she was sure, would know what to do. He was always better at planning things than she was. And then Missy had her answer. She knew what her brother would do. He’d try and pull a stunt. She didn’t really like the idea of tricking the townspeople, particularly after what Karasu had done to them, but she was also aware that the mercenary was getting further away every moment she delayed. She came to a decision.
    â€˜Very well, Heidi Baumstochter, daughter of Heid,’ Missy intoned in what she hoped sounded like the voice of a goddess, ‘hear me. My fellow god, Njord of the seas, has stolen my Storm Hammer. I, the great Magni, seek the Vision Peaks.’ Missy cursed to herself – surely Magni would know where the Vision Peaks were! ‘I mean, I seek a hidden way into his temple so I can retrieve what he stole from me. Theremust be a way in that even the gods … I mean, that even my fellow gods do not know about.’ Missy winced. As a god she wasn’t all that convincing. The people of Fronge were looking at her oddly. Heidi had a definite scowl on her face. Time for something desperate. ‘In exchange for your help in my most important venture, I will wreak terrible vengeance on the man who has destroyed your town.’
    A ripple went through the townspeople. For the first time since Missy had approached, they took their eyes from her and glanced at one another. Heidi regarded Missy with a calculating look on her face. Missy peeked into her mind. The image of