Skyrider of Renegade Point

by Erik Christensen

  She calmed herself, forcing a smile over her outrage. “Because I can talk to people, get what I want from them. And you’ll need that.”

  “I will?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said. “You’re going to the city instead of the wilderness this time. You’ll ask people to do things, and they’ll say no, because it’s a big city and everyone’s busy, and you won’t know how to handle it.”

  “And how do you know so much about the big city?” They were grinning at each other now, but there was still disbelief in his voice, and resentment in her eyes.

  “Because I’ve been there, you dope. And barring any secret trips I don’t know about, you haven’t.”

  William let out a big sigh. “Okay, fine. As long as you stay out of harm’s way, you can be my negotiator.” He leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. “But why Oz? What do I need a butler for?”

  “Give him a chance, Will,” she said. “He wants to impress you, show you how much he’s changed.”

  He stole a glance toward his butler, bent over, his guts in a state of upheaval. “Well, he should start with something simple, like learning to announce me correctly. And keeping his breakfast down.”

  “Are you two about done?” asked Jack. “You said something about being in a hurry.”

  Rachel punched Jack’s shoulder. “Stop being such a crank. They’re newlyweds, so give them a break. Besides, this is entertaining.”

  “Glad we could amuse you,” said William. “But Jack is right, though it pains me to say it. We need to get moving, and this crowd worries me. Which of you is the senior drone?”

  The largest dragon stepped forward. “I am. I flew you to the hive only weeks ago. You named me Adonis.”

  “I thought I recognized you. Do you know where we’re going?”

  “The queen commanded me to follow your orders. She did not say what your orders would be.”

  William nodded downstream. “We’re heading further along the river to where it meets the ocean to a city called Faywater Port. It’s a little further from here than the hive, so I hope to get there tonight.”

  “We should schedule a few stops along the way,” said Rachel.

  “Oh, I almost forgot about that. Adonis, how often will you and your brothers need to eat?”

  “We can go a day without food,” said the drone. “But it will limit our strength. Hunting once a day is best.”

  “I meant for strategic purposes, Will,” said Rachel. “We should talk to people at towns along the way—arrange for food and rest for Bentsen’s men, possibly a ship. Plus we can ask if they’ve noticed any ships go by.”

  William nodded. “Good thinking. Let’s stop at towns with large docks, but only long enough to do what we need to. Adonis, it’ll be too windy to talk, so I’ll tap three times on your ridges when I want to land. Hop on, everyone. And button up tight—it’ll be cold and windy.”

  Charlie accepted the next largest drone, as Adonis seemed intent on staying with William as a perk of seniority. Rachel mounted hers without difficulty, sitting as straight as if she were in a saddle, while Jack sat rigidly and gripped the neck spines until his knuckles whitened. The others got on with varying degrees of difficulty, except for Oz, who stood beside his mount frozen with fear.

  “You okay, Oz?” asked William.

  Oz nodded without looking at him and hauled himself on. “I feel fine,” he said, more to himself than to William, though his voice shook. “I feel fine…I feel fine.”

  “Great,” said William. “Let’s go!”

  Adonis lifted off first, and the excitement coursed through William’s veins as it always did. A cheer arose from the crowd as the other drones followed, one by one, until Clyde remained alone. Smaller than the drones, his launch was less dramatic but much quicker, and soon he was back within shouting distance of William and Adonis, keeping pace without any sign of strain.

  Whoops of delight filled the air. He recognized Melissa’s voice, as well as Maya’s. He craned his neck to look for the others, finding Jack well behind, still gripping with all his might. Charlie stared straight ahead—not with fear, but like a man facing his nemesis—while Oz simply looked miserable. Only Rachel appeared relaxed, leaning back and holding on single-handed, her long, raven hair flowing like a cape.

  Adonis led, rising to an impressive altitude and gaining speed until the wind felt like a gale. William leaned forward between the two rows of neck spines as he’d learned to do long ago, reducing the windchill. He had to peer over the side to look below, but his view to either side was unobstructed, the mountains far to the north of town visible on his right, the newly-cleared farmland south of the Faywater on his left. Ahead, the river stretched to the horizon, and by squinting William could barely detect the little town of Kolmo where its dock and breakwater jutted into the river.

  Not a single ship plied the river.

  An hour later, they came within sight of Kolmo itself, and William tapped Adonis’s spine ridges. Adonis began the slow glide toward an open field, but before they could land, the field began to fill with waving, jumping people. The crowd parted for their landing, but only barely in time, and they were mobbed as soon as they touched down.

  “What’s going on?” asked William as he slid from Adonis’s neck.

  Melissa grinned at him. “This is part of what I warned you about. You’ve never visited Kolmo, have you?”

  A large man with a curled mustache, a golden circlet on his head, and a preposterously ornate cape around his shoulders shoved his way through the crowd and stopped at Charlie’s drone. He helped Charlie down, struggling with the former guard’s bulk, then kissed him on both cheeks, all the while beaming widely at him. “You must be Lord William Whitehall, the Defender of Rebel Falls. We’ve wanted to host you for some time now, my lord. Welcome to Kolmo! Come! Meet our dignitaries.”

  Charlie blushed and pointed at William. “He’s Lord William. I’m Charlie Walker.”

  “Really?” asked the man, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “But you’re so much bigger. Well, no matter. You are most welcome, too.” The man pushed through the crowd to William and went through the same motions, kissing him on both cheeks before William could prevent him. “Lord William, I am Forrester Popplewell, the man with the happy honor of being the earl of the most vibrant town between Faywater and Marshland Crossing.”

  “Vibrant?” asked William as he looked at his friends in confusion. Rachel snickered behind her hand, while Jack simply nodded to himself with amusement. Only Oz seemed as startled as he was by the greeting.

  Popplewell nodded with enthusiasm. “Most vibrant, yes! I presume this is your first visit to our town,” said Popplewell.

  “Uh…yes,” said William. “I didn’t expect this. We only came here to—”

  The earl seized his elbow and started to guide him through the crowd of people calling his name. “Well, we don’t greet just anyone like this, but when I heard dragons had been spotted, well, we just knew we had to be here in case it was you who landed. And sure enough, you did. You must dine with us this evening. You will be the guest of honor, and meet all the famous artists of Kolmo, and we will drink toasts to your heroic deeds. And when it is done, you and I will pose for a painting by Kolmo’s most talented artist.”

  William raised his hands in protest and tried to pull away from Popplewell’s friendly but firm grip. “I’m sorry, Earl Forrester, but this is not what we came for—”

  “Oh, think nothing of it, my good Lord William. Hospitality is what Kolmo is known for, second only to its great artists. You and your party will be my guests. I think you’ll agree my manor is set up perfectly for such things. I don’t know if your dragons will be happy in our stables—they’re so much bigger than our horses, but I’m sure we can accommodate them somehow.”

  “If we could have a word about—”

  “Now isn’t that just like an adventurer!” said Popplewell. “Straight to action, eh? Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time f
or all that. For now, I’d like to introduce our town dignitaries—”

  Melissa snuck up from behind them and tugged on Popplewell’s sleeve. “Earl Forrester?”

  “Eh? Oh, hello little lady. Who might you be?”

  Melissa assumed a formal style that William had never witnessed in her before. She stood straight, gave a short bow, and addressed him in clear, friendly, measured tones. “I am Lady Melissa Whitehall, Lord William’s wife. I must apologize for my husband’s abruptness, but like most heroes he is not familiar with the necessity of public ceremonies.”

  Popplewell kissed her offered hand and smiled at both of them. “I was unaware Lord William had married! So, those books will likely have a new chapter after all! This must be your honeymoon, then. I do admire a man who travels in style…on dragonback, no less!”

  “Thank you, your lordship,” said Melissa. “I wonder if we might have a word together. I am an artist as well—not to rival any in Kolmo, of course, but I do buy all my painting supplies here, and I believe I can boast a certain level of taste, if not skill. I have several rooms to decorate, and I was hoping to have the eye of the famous Earl Forrester to help me select a few items. But for now, could I ask that you have the good citizens of Kolmo give our dragons a little space? I wouldn’t want there to be any accidents.”

  “But of course!” His circlet nearly fell off in his excitement as he ordered the crowds away with grand gestures. Once they backed away to his satisfaction, he returned to her and bowed. “Lady Melissa, allow me to escort you on a tour of our studios. I’m certain we can find a dozen or so items to suit your needs.”

  Melissa bowed in return. “Thank you, your Lordship. Oz, could you attend us? I may need you to carry things, and you look like a walk would do you good.”

  The two of them sauntered away, arm in arm, with Oz following, leaving William to gape after them. “What on Esper just happened?” he asked.

  “Your wife saved you, is what happened,” said Jack when he finally stopped laughing. “That was fun to watch, though. If Melissa hadn’t stepped in, you’d be half drunk by now with all the toasts they’d be giving you.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never been to Kolmo before,” said Rachel with a huge grin. “A big adventurer like you.”

  “Stop teasing him,” said Maya. “Not everyone has a chance to travel like we do. Will, Kolmo is an artist’s town. Painters, sculptors, jewelers—they all live here and sell their goods to people passing through the town or to faraway patrons. Earl Forrester is notorious for cornering famous people and fussing over them.”

  “But why didn’t anyone warn me about him?” asked William.

  “And miss the look on your face?” asked Jack. “Not a chance.”

  William rolled his eyes. “Very funny. But we’re in a hurry, in case you forgot.”

  “We didn’t forget,” said Rachel. “That’s why Melissa got rid of him for you. Now all we have to do is find out who’s in charge of the important stuff.”

  Someone cleared their throat. “That would be me.”

  William turned to find a mousy-looking man beside him, whose head came barely to his shoulder. “Oh, sorry…I didn’t notice you there.”

  “That’s okay; I’m used to it. Earl Forrester keeps me around in part because I don’t divert attention from him, but also because I keep things running. I’m Roderick Bing, town manager. I saw your dragons and figured you weren’t here to shop for jewelery. Especially since the entire Faywater Guard passed through here not long ago.”

  William sighed with relief. “I appreciate that, Mr. Bing. Have any ships stopped here since then? We’re mostly interested in royal ships going downstream.”

  Bing shook his head. “Major Bentsen sent a rider to warn us about the stolen ships. Unfortunately, no one has seen any boats go by. People here are usually on the lookout for potential customers, but based on when the boats were stolen, they probably would have slipped past in the early morning.”

  “I figured as much,” said William. “What we really need is any help you can give Major Bentsen when he returns. Food, water, lodging—I’m not sure what they’ll need when they get here—but what they’ll need most of all is boats so they can chase the rebels.”

  “You don’t ask for much, do you?” asked Bing, his eyes wide with surprise. “Lord William, we’re a small town, not even an eighth the size of Marshland Crossing. We don’t own any boats here, and if we turned everybody out of their own homes, we still couldn’t squeeze all those guards in—not that anyone wants muddy boots traipsing through their sitting rooms.”

  William let out a loud sigh. “How about food? They’ve just marched all the way from Faywater Port and now they have to turn back. They can’t carry a lot of provisions because they need to move quickly.”

  Bing shrugged. “We have a tavern; they’re welcome to whatever they can purchase there, although I can’t speak to how much food the innkeeper keeps in stock. Most days he sees no more than a couple dozen patrons. I’m sure he has plenty of beer on hand, though.”

  “Exactly what the guards need after a long march,” said Rachel. “Unlimited beer on an empty stomach.”

  Bing responded with a touch of indignation. “Look, it’s not that I don’t care about your situation. But we simply aren’t equipped for this. I don’t want to disparage the earl, but you’ve seen what he’s like. The whole town is the same, though with varying degrees of flamboyance. They don’t want to live in a busy place like New Athens, or Faywater Port, or even Marshland Crossing. They love when customers drop by and buy things, but they like it even better when they leave, preferably with their carts heavier and purses lighter. Three hundred guards eating everything in sight and not buying a single item—that’s a different story.”

  “Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Bing,” said William as he shared a frustrated glance with the others.

  “Not at all,” said Bing as he walked away.

  “Well that was less than helpful,” said Maya after he left. “Charlie, what will the guards do now?”

  Charlie shrugged. “They’ll have emergency rations. As long as they have fire and water, they’ll survive. They’ll forage and hunt if they have to, but it’ll delay them.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” said William. “Everything depends on Bentsen arriving in time to take advantage of whatever we can do.”

  “Which you still haven’t explained to us,” said Jack. “How exactly do you intend to slow them down?”

  William hesitated a moment. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “So you’re telling me I’m possibly freezing my rear end off for no reason?”

  Rachel swatted Jack’s shoulder. “Where is your sense of adventure? I’m having the time of my life. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a coward.”

  “Stop doing that!” said Jack defensively. “I said I was cold, not scared.”

  “You can’t fool me,” she said. “I saw you holding on like a toddler on his first pony ride.”

  “I have every right to be scared,” he said with a wounded look. “We were at least a thousand feet up.”

  “Twenty-six hundred,” said Maya. “I did some quick triangulation,” she added when she noticed the others staring at her.

  William blinked several times. “Exactly how smart are you, Maya?”

  She giggled in response. “Not as smart as my mother, but I can keep up with most people.”

  “Maybe Maya should figure out how to slow the rebels,” said Jack with a sidelong glance at William.

  “Everyone’s welcome to toss their ideas in the ring,” said William. “All I want right now, though, is to get to the next town—Stathford, isn’t it? Someone please tell me it’s nothing like Kolmo.”

  “Nothing but farming towns between here and the Bay,” said Rachel. “How can a former Librarian not know that?”

  “Anyone can look at dots on a map,” said Jack. “All of Will’s adventuring has been in the opposite direction. I’ve been t
elling him for years he needs to travel more.”

  William looked around him with impatience, trying to see past the crowd that still surrounded them. “I’d like to start now, if possible,” he said. “Preferably before you list the rest of my shortcomings. Where on Esper is Melissa?”

  She appeared several anxious minutes later, Earl Forrester beside her and Oz following. “Are you sure you don’t mind delivering those, Earl Forrester?”

  Popplewell gave her another of his silly-looking bows. “Not at all, my Lady. Happy to oblige! Lord William, I must say, your wife has impeccable taste. I’m sure you’ll be quite satisfied with your new purchases.”

  “Purchases?” asked William, looking back and forth with alarm between the earl and Melissa.

  “Well, we still call them that, even under these conditions,” answered the earl. “And I had such a lovely time chatting with Lady Melissa, although your butler did vomit on my shoes at one point. No matter though! I’m sorry you couldn’t join us.”

  “Will was telling me he can’t wait to come back when he has more time,” said Jack with a twinkle in his eye. “In fact, he intends to visit this summer.”

  “Oh, we’d be ever so honored,” said the earl. “I hope you’ll write to give us advance warning so we can make accommodations.”

  William coughed into his hand. “Yes, Mr. Bing told us all about your accommodations. Is everyone ready to go?”

  Melissa stood beside him, hands on her hips. “Will, aren’t you going to thank the earl, or ask what we got here?”

  William turned away and began adjusting his clothes, preparing for the next flight. “No time,” he said. “Let’s get going.” He caught Melissa’s glare from the corner of his eye as he mounted, as well as puzzled glances from his friends. He would pay for his abruptness later, of that he was certain, but they couldn’t delay any longer. Oz mounted last, his face showing a resigned suffering as he slid into place. With a powerful leap, Adonis lifted off.