Dragonspire Village appeared ahead of them. All six dragons rose to meet them. As soon as they sensed Ariel they should back off. The deference the giant creatures showed a tiny little girl was amazing. Yaz doubted he’d ever get used to it.
As soon as the dragons got close Ariel said, “It’s okay. You don’t have to protect the tower anymore. You all did a good job.”
The red dragons banked around their larger cousin, made a loop, and fell in beside her as they came in for a landing. For such a huge creature, she settled to the earth so smoothly Yaz barely had to put a hand on Ariel’s shoulder to steady her. When they were fully still, Yaz hopped down then reached up to lift Ariel down beside him.
She stretched and looked up at him. “What now?”
“Now we wait for Brigid and Silas to get here. After that, we’ll have to clean out the house and see if we have any food. You can pick out a room for you and your little friend.”
The hummingbird dragon buzzed around Yaz’s head once before landing on Ariel’s shoulder.
“We’re going to go play,” she said.
“Okay, but not too far away.”
She ran off giggling. Yaz smiled as he watched her.
You are very kind.
Yaz looked up at the black dragon. “After everything she’s been through, she deserves all the kindness she can get. I meant to ask you earlier, did you lay an egg before you went into hibernation? I found one that matches your scales perfectly. I thought it was because it was in stasis, but now I wonder.”
I have lain many in my life. You may have found one. It is not our way to keep track of our young. In the old times, there were many of my kind. It could be one of theirs as well.
Yaz nodded. The only way to know for sure was to hatch it. That should be fun.
A soft scraping drew his attention. Soto approached, head hanging.
This young one is ashamed that she attacked you.
Yaz went over and scratched Soto on the spot behind her ear that she liked so much. “It wasn’t your fault, you lazy dragon. Once Mom and the others get here, what do you say we try and find a couple sheep?”
Soto’s head snapped up and her tongue lolled, slobber dripping off it.
“That’s what I thought.” He gave Soto a final pat on the neck and went to check on Ariel.
He found her throwing a stick high into the air for the little dragon to catch and bring back to her. Playing fetch with a dragon, it wasn’t the strangest thing he’d seen this year. He watched them for a few minutes then checked the road. He spotted the wagon, barely visible in the distance.
“Are you going to be my new daddy?” Ariel asked.
The question took Yaz so off guard he didn’t know how to respond at once. Finally, he said, “Maybe your big brother would be more like it.”
She stared at him. “I’ve never had a brother before.”
He grinned, picked her up, and swung her on his shoulders. “Well you do now. What do you say we go say hi to my mom and the others?”
“Okay.”
Brigid guided the wagon up to the hitching post at the inn. His mother sat beside her on the bench while Silas lay in the back. He still wasn’t fully recovered from whatever magic he’d had to perform to close the portal. Hopefully a few more days’ rest would have him back in top form.
He set Ariel down and reached up to offer Brigid a hand. “How was the trip?”
“Rough.” She hugged him and gave him a kiss. “Do you remember how badly I wanted to travel? Well, I equally badly want to stay home and rest for a month at least.”
“I like the sound of that.” Yaz looked down at Ariel. “How about you?”
She just shrugged. “Can I pick out my room now?”
His mother looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“I told Ariel she could stay with us. You did such a good job raising one monster, why not a second?”
“Yaz!” Brigid slugged him in the shoulder.
Ariel just giggled. After their conversations during the dragon flight, she thought the idea of the two of them being monsters was the funniest thing in the world.
“Your father deserves most of the credit for that,” his mother said.
Yaz blew out a long sigh. He’d try to do as well by Ariel as his father had by him, but those were some big shoes to fill.
“Do we have anything to eat?” Silas asked. “I’m starving.”
“I’ll make a supply run after we get settled. Come on, let’s go home.”
The group started toward the chief’s house. It really was good to be home.
Ariel looked up at him. “When’s Moz going to get here?”
“He had one last errand to run then he said he’d stop by on his way back to the swamp.”
Moz liked being on the road alone. Him and his horse, enjoying the fresh air and quiet. A hawk soaring high overhead gave a loud cry. The lack of assassins, demons, magic, and dragons was nice as well. He did miss Ariel a little, but she was in good hands with Yaz and his friends. They’d look after her better than an old ranger like him ever could.
On the horse beside him a bound and gagged Rondo struggled and groaned. Yes, Moz enjoyed the quiet of the road. Pity he had this idiot screwing it up. It was only another mile to the turnoff that led to the Tegan mine. He’d deliver Rondo to his father and be done with the man.
Much as he despised Rondo, he couldn’t deny his resilience. All the genuinely skilled people working for the Dark Sages had been killed, but lucky Rondo had survived it all. Though the way he’d complained when Moz told him where they were going suggested that he would have preferred to join his companions in the ground. Or devoured by a dragon in the case of Leonidas. He wasn’t getting off that easily. If he hated his home that much, that was where he deserved to spend the rest of his days.
He turned off the main road and onto the narrow side path. Someone had plowed all the snow off so the horses had good footing. Just as well since Rondo’s thrashing got worse the closer they got to his home.
“Would you give it a rest? I tied those knots right. You’re not getting loose until I cut you free. Now shut up.”
Rondo shot him a sullen glare but subsided. It wouldn’t last. Moz had told him to shut up every half hour since they got up that morning. Maybe he should have taken Yaz up on his offer to deliver Rondo by dragon.
He smiled to himself. That would have been a sight.
Moz ignored the rundown tavern and headed straight for the main house. No one tried to stop him. Most of the guards were probably watching the miners at this time of day.
Aside from a little snow on the roof, the big house looked exactly like he remembered, a sprawling mansion built in the middle of nowhere. Moz dismounted and tied both horses to the rail in front of the door.
When he knocked the surly maid Balinda opened the door and glared at him. “What?”
“I brought Rondo back as agreed.”
She looked from him to the bound and gagged young man. “I’ll tell the master. Wait here.”
“No, I’m happy to turn him over to you. The sooner I’m rid of the man the better.” Moz dragged Rondo off his horse and set him in front of the door. “There you are. May he bring you much joy.”
That done, Moz mounted up and rode off. Never had he been so glad to be rid of someone. Now to see if he could find Dragonspire Village. He wanted to see Ariel once more before he returned to the swamp. Hunting season opened in a few weeks and Moz didn’t want to miss it. After that, maybe he’d take Callie up on that teaching job.
Whatever he did, he would be glad to do it in peace.
Author Note
I hope you enjoyed the Dragonspire Chronicles. If you would like to check out more of my work, you can find a complete list of my books at www.jamesewisher.com
Thanks for reading,
James
About the Author
James E. Wisher is a writer of science fiction and fantasy novels. He’s been writing since high school and re
ading everything he could get his hands on for as long as he can remember.
To learn more:
www.jamesewisher.com
[email protected]
Also by James E Wisher
The Dragonspire Chronicles
The Black Egg
The Mysterious Coin
The Dragons’ Graveyard
The Slave War
The Sunken Tower
The Dragon Empress
The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus Vol. 1
The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus Vol. 2
Soul Force Saga
Disciples of the Horned One Trilogy:
Darkness Rising
Raging Sea and Trembling Earth
Harvest of Souls
Disciples of the Horned One Omnibus
Chains of the Fallen Arc:
Dreaming in the Dark
On Blackened Wings
Chains of the Fallen Omnibus
Knights of the Red Dragon
The Lightning
The Aegis of Merlin:
The Impossible Wizard
The Awakening
The Chimera Jar
The Raven’s Shadow
Escape From the Dragon Czar
Wrath of the Dragon Czar
The Four Nations Tournament
Death Incarnate
Aegis of Merlin Omnibus Vol 1.
Aegis of Merlin Omnibus Vol 2.
Other Fantasy Novels:
The Squire
Death and Honor Omnibus
The Rogue Star Series:
Children of Darkness
Children of the Void
Children of Junk
Rogue Star Omnibus Vol. 1
Children of the Black Ship
The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus 2 Page 52
