by Lola Ford
Graith was able to eat one handed, as Mero really didn’t need much guidance. He chewed, thinking about what to ask the boy. Zel might be able to read his mind and know that she could trust him, but Graith couldn’t. He wanted to know more about their young companion.
Graith was still thinking about what to ask when Alix spoke first.
“So, how’d Zel’s eggs get taken? How’d you meet her? Why didn’t you kill her? Are there more dragons?”
A chuckle echoed in Graith’s mind, and then the aching silence of being alone. Oh great, he thought, Zel was going to leave him to answer these questions by himself.
“Well, uh, it’s a long story…”
“We have the time. It’s a week’s ride to Kelna, and that’s nonstop,”
“Have you been there before?”
Alix looked over his shoulder at Graith, “Well, no. But travelers complain a lot when they first arrive at the inn. How about this. You answer one of my questions, and I’ll answer one of yours! It can be a game!”
“Alright then. Now, where do you want me to start? Your first question, or the beginning?”
“Are they not the same?”
“No,” Graith said scratching his growing beard. “They are not.”
“Well, any good story starts at the beginning.”
“Now, Me and Zel, we met a little more than a month ago. She was bleeding out in my barn, you see - I’m a wheat farmer by trade. Anyway, I discovered her one morning, and I did my best to stitch her up. She’d been attacked by men sent by Lord Arish to hunt her. Before she’d even healed fully, we were out on our way back to her cave.”
Graith took a sip of water from his canteen taking the chance to glance back at the boy. Alix was short for his age, with straw blond hair and covered in dust and dirt. His ribs showed through his thin tunic, and he had finished his bread long before Graith.
“Now, what’s your story?”
“Aw, but you were getting to a good part! I could tell!” His voice was still high pitched with youth, not cracking where an older boy’s would have during the whine.
“Hey now, this was your game. I’m just playing by your rules!” Graith chuckled when the boy’s mouth fell open in indignation.
“I am - was - a stable boy.”
“Uh-hu. I want to know stuff about you I don’t already know.”
“Well, not much to tell. Ma died in childbirth. Pa died a few years later, drank himself to death.”
Alix shrugged, feigning disinterest in his own life.
“I suppose that’s good enough for this next bit.”
Graith winked at Alix, who climbed over the back of the cart onto the driver’s bench with Graith.
“So, Zel and I reached her cave to discover her eggs were gone. Two groups had left, one had one egg, the other had the rest. Zel discovered the lone egg group, but when she approached, they killed the egg. Smashed it open.”
The blood drained from the boy’s face as he listened. His breath caught in his throat as he tried to ask, “What… What happened?”
“She killed them. All of them, before I could stop her.”
“I wish I was strong like Zel. I had a dog, he was just a mutt. Called him Rex. He was my only friend. Some boys beat me and choked him. I would have killed them if I could have.”
He held out his arm and Graith could see a pale scare running from his wrist to his elbow, and the arm was slightly crooked.
“Took me a long time to heal from this. They broke it so bad that a fever nearly killed me.”
“You can’t come back from killing boy. That’s a hard lesson that Zel is learning, even if she won't admit it.”
They rode along together in silence for a bit. Alix thinking over the advice, and Graith wondering what kind of life this boy had lived. It hadn’t been an easy one, that he was sure about.
Alix finally broke the silence, “So, she killed them. Then what?”
“We went home to my farm. I had stuff that I needed, supplies that we didn’t need for the short trip. Well I don’t think I’ll ever be going back. Gave the farm to a good friend. My only friend. Then we headed straight to Dunlaith. Met you, talked to Lord Arish, got this lovely black eye. We were looking for clues when we found you running.”
“You mean, when Zel found me?”
“Well, she was letting me ride along.”
“On her back?! Can I fly with her?” Alix twisted in his seat trying to look for Zel among the trees.
“Easy lad. No, she did this mind thing, where I could see through her eyes. Feel her body. It was strange. Disorienting. I’m not sure I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
“Huh. Hard to believe that I thought she was a monster last night. She seems pretty nice.”
Graith was looking at Alix, as it was his turn again.
“Oh, what else is there? Ol’ man Randy took me in. Already had Daisy. It was a clean and warm place to sleep. He gave me food sometimes. Knights and merchants all talked about their secrets when I was around, mostly because they didn’t notice me. Then you came. With your giant horse, and your too much money.”
He rolled his eyes, but he was already past being mad at Graith. Now that he was in the front seat he was looking around. Graith was surprised at his interest in the surroundings.
Zel, was suddenly back, present in his mind.
You do know he’s never left Dunlaith before. That’s why he’s so interested in everything, she said.
You’ve been quiet, Graith said.
You wanted to get to know the boy - I had already learned it all. No point in listening in.
Yet you show back up, just as we finish talking.
I didn’t leave you completely alone, she huffed.
The rest of the day passed in companionable silence. They camped for the night well after the moon had set, not bothering to hide in the underbrush. Zel crawled out, and Graith and Alix each crawled under a wing to sleep. She woke them at false dawn, and then they were back on the road.
If the men with the eggs were going to make this trip in a week, their little group would have to do it in days.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Graith
After the third day of travel, they stopped late in the night. Zel started a fire for them, and they got ready to sleep. Alix was sitting on the opposite side of the fire from Zel, staring at her intently.
“What’s up lad?” Graith asked, while glancing at Zel. “Her color is a bit different from before, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
She was paling again and Graith was worried about her. Hearing his thought, she rebuffed it gently however, with not nearly as much liveliness as normal. His lips turned downward in a frown, worried.
Alix shook his head. “No, not that…”
He got up and walked over to Zel. Then around her. Graith could see the top of the boy’s head as he walked on her far side.
“Is she smaller than she was last night?”
Graith stood and stepped back and really looked at Zel. She was notably smaller than normal. Small enough that he could see over her with ease as he stood. He frowned.
“Zel, how long have you been changing sizes?” Graith asked confused.
As long as you have known me. I’m just having a small day Graith. Some days I have big days.
“Can you change your size on purpose?” Alix’s voice was tinged with curiosity.
She stood, shaking out her wings. She was currently about the size of Mero, and she looked around at her body. Her form wavered for a moment and she visibly shrank. Almost so that her head was level with Graith’s. Then she expanded outward so that she towered over the large horse.
“Well that answers that question,” Alix said.
He giggled as she then shrunk back down to the size of a wolf. Then, she was the height of the surrounding trees.
I meant to stay small, her voice was quiet and defeated.
“So, you can change sizes at will, you just can’t control it?”
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Graith was curious - he also felt like a moron for not noticing that Zel’s size had been changing. He had actually been quite pleased with himself for noting her color change. But honestly - he didn’t look at her much.
When he spoke to her, it was in his mind. When he closed his eyes and thought of her, what he saw was the dark navy dragoness from her memory he had seen. Her at her prime.
It’s okay Graith. Zel was looking at him. Sometimes I forget what you look like too. You are a bright point in my mind.
Apparently, that had not been a privet comment, as Alix started giggling.
I know what he looks like more than you, little one. You are just a small human male.
Instead of being upset Alix started laughing so hard he fell to the ground rolling. Graith couldn’t help but smile at the child whose life had been nothing but pain. He deserved to laugh.
Looking at Zel, she was slowly shrinking back down. He couldn’t tell by looking at her, instead he had to look at the tree next to her. He knew it wasn’t getting bigger, so she must be getting smaller.
I am? The shrinking stopped as she asked.
“Well, pick a size! I’m tired and you’re warm,” Alix said looking up at her expectantly.
All right. I am tired too. That takes a lot of energy.
“You’ll have to practice while we travel then!”
It sounded to Graith like another game of Alix’s.
Zel, you know we are going to need you in Kelna if your eggs are there. These men know how to fight. I don’t even know how to use a sword.
I know. We just need to get to the city. We must be catching up to them by now. A large group of men hauling dragon eggs… They are not light you know.
They all settled down to sleep. Graith and Zel’s minds heavy with the thought of trying to get her eggs back.
Zel woke them only a few hours later. She was anxious to get them back on the road.
“Alright Zel, I’m going to think of sizes, and I want you to practice being that size!” Alix told her as Graith put out the fire and handed him a small loaf of bread with a jam smeared across it.
I will do my best.
Throughout the day Graith could feel the concentration that Zel was putting into managing her size. When he tried to ask her if she was all right, she didn’t even hear him.
At some point, Alix got tired of the game. Graith was driving and Alix was leaned back against the packs.
“Graith what are dragon eggs like? How long do they take to hatch?”
“Lad, I don’t know. Never saw any of Zel’s eggs before they were taken.”
Dragon eggs take about a year to hatch. They are incredibly soft when laid but become harder than stone as the age. It’s part of the dragonling’s right of birth, escaping the egg.
“Oh, how long ago did you lay your eggs?” Alix asked aloud, he was fascinated.
About three months ago.
“How big are they?”
Well a hatchling is about the size of a large dog. So, about the same size as you. Laughter tinted Zel’s mind voice.
“Hey! I’m bigger than a dog! Time for you to practice more!”
They continued to talk and practice during the day to fill their time. Alix even took an interest in driving the cart. Once Graith showed him how to do it, they were able to alternate driving. While one drove, the other slept in the cart.
This cut down time, but Graith worried about the toll it was taking on Zel. When he saw her, she was fading back to the colorless white. Her eyes seemed to lack the luster they normally held.
Zel. We can stop if you need a break.
No, what I need are my eggs. We are so close. I can feel them.
You aren’t going to leave me behind this time, are you?
She shoved her head out of the underbrush to look at him. Her eyes were sunk into her head, and her spines hung limply.
No. Not again.
Good because we have reached Kelna.
They had crested a hill and sprawled below them was a city. Seeing it set Graith’s mind that no, Dunlaith was not a city. It was a large town. This was a city.
Split down the middle by a river, this city teemed with life up and down the banks. Graith had never seen a boat, but from their high perch he could see many floating up and down the river. Their sails reminded him of Zel’s wing fabric.
One boat seemed to have caught Zel’s attention. It was moored at the farthest dock before the rush to head down river.
Graith, Alix. My eggs are there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Graith
Even though it was the middle of the day, Zel had come to stand next to the cart. Her eyes were dark pools as she stared down at the docks at the far end of the city. Her tail lashed and her talons dug into the stones that paved the road. She roared down onto the city, and even from their perch, Graith could see people stop and look around.
“Zel, we will get them.”
Graith, they are there. I can feel them! They need me!
Graith jumped out of the cart, and grabbed at her nostrils, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
“Zel, we have caught up. We will get them! But I need you to stay here. You cannot enter the city.”
I must, Graith.
“What if we hide her in the cart?”
Alix was off the driver’s bench walking around Zel and looking at the small cart while eying her.
“Can you stay small long enough to get into the city? I really think we could get her curled up in the back and cover her up. As long as she doesn’t move around - I think it’ll work.”
Graith didn’t respond, instead he unhappily stepped out of the way.
Zel shrunk herself as small as she could, as small as a hatchling. She climbed into the cart carefully folding first her tail, then her wings in. Once she was completely curled up, Alix dug through the packs and pulled out Graith’s cloak to throw over her.
He looked at the lump for a second before shoving a saddlebag next to her and draping the cloak so that it covered part of the bag too. Then, he threw himself on top of the odd pile. Zel let out a small growl as he trod on her wing.
“Hush, I have to make it look like I’m just laying on bags.”
I am not a bag.
Graith looked at the pair as he climbed onto the driving bench. They were ridiculous but he hoped that they could get into the city quickly. As soon as they were all settled, he reined Mero into motion.
I want to see outside the cart, Zel complained, trying to nudge her nose out from under the tarp.
“Do you want to see, or do you want to be smuggled into the city?” Graith asked as they approached the main gate.
The guards of Kelna, unlike Dunlaith, were alert. They stopped each traveler approaching before waving them inside the gate. Graith cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. The cart seemed to bounce, and jostle more than it ever had before. His foot started tapping on its own accord. Alix seemed to notice his nerves, because he sat upright, pulling another saddlebag to him.
“Pa! Where did that jam go? The one Ma made?” He was pulling things out of the bag left and right. Making quite the scene and causing Graith to jump.
Before Graith could respond, a guard walked over chuckling. “You and your son here to visit the Kelnar ports?”
“Aye. All the lad has talked about since before the harvest was the ships. He thinks it would be fun to travel that way.”
The guard scrubbed Alix’s head, as he had perked up at mention of him. “That it is lad. Every child in the city learns to fish from a boat at an early age.”
He stepped back and waved them inside the gate. Before they were out of sight, Alix shouted, “What way to the docks? Pa gets lost walking to our own barn!”
Grinning, the guard pointed down the road they were already on.
“Just straight, you’ll come ‘cross the big bridge. You’ll be able to find your way from there!”
Alix leaned back against the bulk that wa
s Zel.
“That went better than I expected!”
He sounded nervous and excited, his head twisting back and forth as he took in the city. The street descended steeply towards the river, a sharp cliff rising along the western side. The city looked similar to Dunlaith, except darker. The wood and streets had the tinge of always being wet. A sheen of water slicked the roofs. Instead of clicking, Mero’s hooves made more of a muffled splat.
I can’t breathe.
“You’ll have to hold your breath then, until we get to the docks.” Graith didn’t turn as he responded.
He didn’t even speak very loudly. Speaking aloud was for Alix’s benefit, not Zel’s. She took an almost audible deep breath, and then held it.
“Oh, come on Zel. We’re almost there,” Graith muttered, urging Mero onward.
Then what? I’m going to have to stay under here until you find my eggs.
Her mood was black, and it emanated into the minds of the two humans. Graith had a feeling it was being exuded further, from the way the people were avoiding looking at them or the cart.
The main gate was high above the center of the city, as the ground sank as they moved farther into the city. A dim roar thundered continuously in the background, growing ever louder with their passage through Kelna.
“What is that noise?” Alix asked, standing in the back of the cart looking over the heads of the people lining the streets.
Graith shrugged, looking around as well. He thought perhaps it was thunder, but the sky was cloudless in the midday sun.
The bridge came into view as they passed a large group of citizens. A massive structure, it was nearly five carts wide and so long that the buildings on the far side looked like doll houses. As Mero pulled onto it, the strange sound nearly doubled as the houses and shops fell away.
To their left was the source. A waterfall a hundred feet high thundered over the edge of a cliff that made up the western wall of the city. Water jettisoned into the air as it shook the river far below. The largest rainbow Graith had ever seen seemed to be a permanent fixture about the dark bridge.
“No wonder the port is on the east side of Kelna! If it was any closer the ships would fill with water from the waterfall!” Alix screamed over the deafening noise.
