by Lola Ford
He shook his head. No. They wouldn’t lose another. It didn’t matter if they had to follow the eggs to the ends of the earth, they would find them, and get them back.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Graith was surprised to find that the room was already nearly filled. He knew he’d been lost in thought coming down the stairs, but the room was eerily quiet for so many guests. No music was playing, nor were people talking openly. Murmurs flew around the room, dimming around Graith as he searched for a place to sit.
Doreen appeared at his elbow, and cheerily greeted him and lead him to a spot near the bar. Kade was moving through the crowd with drinks, and a girl who looked similar to him in age and appearance moved in the opposite direction, also waiting on the still filling tables.
“Here dear, be a good boy and stay here for me, alright?” Doreen said as she shoved a large pint into Graith’s hands, before quickly moving back into the kitchen for more drinks.
Graith knew that he could be dense at times - hell he’d missed a dragon changing sizes in front of him for months - but red flags were flying in his mind. Looking around at the people who surrounded him he saw that nearly all of them were staring at him intently. He sat his ale on the small table in front of him and stood - only for a man whose face was obscured by his hood to appear at his elbow.
“Now there, Doreen just asked you so very kindly to stay here. Go ahead. Sit.”
It was more of a growl than words, and a definitive command.
Graith sat uneasily. It was standing room only at this point, and people were still arriving. Nearly everyone was wearing dark clothing and over-sized cloaks, their faces hidden in the dark recesses. The volume for the crowd was still unbelievably low. Quiet enough that Graith doubted he would have woken had he been asleep upstairs.
More drinks were delivered, and the bodies finally seemed to reach an equilibrium, slowly moving around in the limited space around the tables.
“Everyone here?” Doreen asked, her voice carrying across the large and quiet space.
She was standing in front of the large hearth removing her apron. Kade and the serving girl stood on either side of her. Her tone, which up until now had been saccharine, was sharp and clear. For a short woman, her aura filled the room. Graith felt himself instinctively huddle back into his chair.
“Syla can’t make it, and Reed is on watch. Other than that, I believe so Reen,” someone said from the crowd.
The man who had pushed Graith back into his chair was standing near Graith’s elbow once again. His hood was pushed back, and it revealed a man not much older than Graith himself, with salt and pepper hair and stubble from a day too long without a shave. He was looking at Doreen, but Graith had no doubt that he knew where every person in the room was and who they were.
“Alright, down to business then.” Doreen said.
“Reen you sure we should all be here right now? It’s a work night,” a young male voice complained from the far side of the room.
“Shut it Perry,” another man’s voice called from near the stairs. “She never just calls us here on a whim now does she?”
“Suppose not,” the first voice, Perry, replied.
“Like I said. Business,” Doreen repeated.
She turned and looked at Graith. He felt himself shrink further into his chair. These were the kinds of situations he tried to avoid back home. Why he stayed in rather than get a drink in town. When had he changed? He thought longingly of the bed upstairs that was calling his name.
“Graith, do be a dear and tell us why you were so interested in the riverboat that shutdown the docks when it sailed into town, and about these friends of yours who were boarded upon it.”
Doreen’s soft features had taken on an edge of iron.
What did he say? Zel didn’t need more people searching for her. Dragons were hated and feared in Lutesia, and these seemed to be the type of people who would hunt her down.
Before he’d figured out what to say, the man at his elbow turned and pulled out a small wicked looking dagger.
“Reen asked you a question. Why is a peasant like you friends with a knight and his band of mercenaries? Are they looking for you?”
“Sir Braylin? I’m not friends with him,” Graith sputtered, anger at the thought of being associated with such a monster.
“Then who are your friends? Just some of his thugs?” Doreen asked, moving closer.
It felt like every eye in the room was on him. Graith just shook his head unable to speak. Of course, they would think that his friends were human. Why wouldn’t they? They would think that he was worried about the humans after seeing the shape the ship was in. Why should he be worried about the dragon eggs?
Graith didn’t know what to do.
Obviously being friends with any human on that ship was a dreadful thing, and these people were not friendly towards Braylin and his group. But telling them about the eggs seemed like an equally dire option. It was his responsibility to take care of Zel and her eggs.
“I must have been mistaken about the ship -” he started, unsure of what else to say.
“Graith, one thing I cannot tolerate is a liar.” Doreen’s voice was a whisper, but it carried loudly across the near silent space. “We know about the eggs. Why are they being taken to Oron. Did you help steal them away from their mother?”
Adrenaline shot through him at the mention of Zel’s eggs. These people already knew about them.
“No. No!”
Graith waved his hands in front of himself, warding off the horrid accusations.
“She said she doesn’t like liars,” the man growled, and laid his dagger at the base of Graith’s throat. Graith could feel the cold steel shave off a few of the day’s whiskers.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
“The eggs. I’m trying to rescue the eggs,” he muttered, trying not to let his Adam’s apple bob in nervousness.
The dagger moved closer, pricking into the thin skin of his neck.
“Barry, that’s enough,” Doreen said, a strange gleam in her eye.
The dagger lowered and it took all Graith’s will power not to reach up and massage the spot the blade had just sat.
“Now, what reason would a peasant have to rescue dragon eggs? To sell them to a higher bidder than Oron? I doubt that. We of The Market wouldn’t let something like that go unchecked.” She paced around the room, people moving silently out of her way. “Your own greed? The thought of taming a dragonling? You know, if that’s the case, you’ll just end up dead. So, what is it Graith? Why drag young Alix into this supposed rescue mission?”
“Because I promised the dragoness Azelia that I would help return her eggs to her.”
Graith lowered his eyes, feeling like he was betraying Zel even though telling the truth seemed to be the only feasible option in this situation.
Murmured whispers floated around the room. Doreen was eying him with what looked like a renewed interest. Had she been about to torture him? Kill him? What if he’d said the wrong thing just then? Cold sweat trickled down his back.
“And where is the dragon Azelia now?” Doreen asked, her eyes boring into his own.
“I -” he paused, “I don’t know.”
“Hmm? That’s not really an answer now is it, Graith?”
Doreen tapped her nails on the table she now stood before.
Zel, I need your help! What do I say?
He knew she was watching from the back of his mind as always. She was angry. Not at him, but at Doreen and her Market.
Can you buy me time to get in range to speak through you?
I can do my best.
Click. Click. Click.
Doreen and the rest of the strange group of people were watching him. Waiting for an answer.
“Did you hear me, Graith? I really don’t like to be ignored.”
She smiled. A smile that chilled him to the core.
“I’m sorry Doreen. I was speaking to Zel - Azelia,” he mumbled looking
down at the floor once again.
“Speaking to her? How?” Doreen demanded, grabbing his chin and forcing him look her in the eyes.
More whispers flew around the room. Graith’s eyes darted towards likely speakers, then back to Doreen.
“She speaks into my mind, and she can hear my thoughts. I don’t know how she does it, she just does.”
He wrung his hands together, wondering how much time Zel needed to get into range.
“So, where is she?” Doreen repeated her earlier question.
“I don’t know her exact location. East of the city, moving this way though.”
Graith hoped that was a good enough answer.
“And why is she coming this way? To rescue you?” the man named Barry sneered.
“To talk to you. I - and Alix - promised to help her reclaim her eggs. But anything she says will be her choice to tell you or not.”
While he didn’t like the way Barry talked to him, he figured it was better to act respectful rather than rude in the precarious situation.
Doreen eyes narrowed in interest.
“How is she going to talk to us? In our minds?”
“No, she’s going to use me as a vessel to speak through. She’s just trying to get into range right now. She’s been staying away from the city so that the guards won’t know that she’s nearby.”
Silence filled the room for several minutes as they waited for the dragon to speak through Graith. Who are these people? Graith wanted to ask, but he didn’t think he was in the position to do so. He could feel Zel’s presence in his mind growing, and he nodded to Doreen to let her know that it would be soon.
I’m here Graith, Zel’s voice sounded strained.
He felt his body sit upright in the chair, his shoulders straighten, and head tilt up to look Doreen right in the eye as Zel took control of his body. Doreen took a small step back as she locked eyes with Zel, not Graith.
“What business do you have with my children, human?”
The words felt foreign coming out of his mouth, but Graith was just a puppet. A watcher from the sidelines.
“Are you the dragoness Azelia?”
Doreen seemed to have recovered her composure.
“I asked you a question first. What is your business with my children?”
“We weren’t concerned about your eggs. We were concerned that Graith here had connections to one of Oron’s knights. Another player so to speak, shouldering his way into our game.”
“Then he is free to go.”
Graith felt his body stand. He towered over Doreen’s short frame.
“Not quite.”
Doreen’s eyes were sharp, and her arms had crossed.
A hiss was emitted from his mouth, a sound he didn’t even know his body could make.
“Why not?”
“Oron the moron already has your eggs. They were taken to the castle within an hour of the ship arriving. However, our sources tell us that they are being prepared to move again. A ship is preparing to leave the city soon, heading to Situra.”
Zel - in Graith’s body - narrowed their eyes.
“Why tell me this. Information is never free.”
“Dragons are powerful. Our country believes them to be beasts. Capable of only destruction and chaos. A lie, perpetrated by the kings.” Doreen took a breath, pausing before she continued, “Having an ally like that, overlooked and misunderstood could be beneficial to our organization.”
“What organization would that be?” Zel asked. Her tone - even in Graith’s soft voice - was icy.
“We call ourselves the Market. We are - ah - information and procurement specialists.”
“Again, information is never free. What do you want?”
“Alix. He seems like he would fit in well to our little family.” Doreen smiled, “As well as the fact that I don’t like to see children suffer. I took in Kade and Kali, orphans off the street.”
Kade looked down, his face flushed. The girl that resembled him, who must be Kali, looked proud.
“No.”
Graith wondered for a moment if Zel could make his body breath fire. The anger from that question burned in his mind. His vision was red, and his throat burned.
“We know when the eggs will leave,” Doreen wheedled.
“It matters not. We will figure it out ourselves. You cannot have Alix.”
Graith’s body was trying to push its way towards the stairs.
“You still owe us for the information we’ve given you so far.” Doreen seemed confident, her voice rising as Zel in Graith’s body moved further away.
“Take his money, all of it if you want, but Graith and Alix are leaving tonight.”
Doreen laughed.
“I don’t want his money. I have plenty of my own. Money is worth nothing - compared to you.”
Graith’s body spun back around.
“You cannot threaten me. I will eat you, human.”
“I am not trying to threaten you. In fact, I want a working relationship with you Azelia. The Market could benefit from having you as an ally.”
Graith could still feel Zel’s anger as well as his own over the fact the woman had dared ask for Alix - but he was calming down first. What was important here was Zel’s eggs.
He wrestled away some of the control of his body from Zel and turned them away from the watching crowd.
Zel, we need to see what they want. Other than Alix. Knowing when and where the eggs will be… that’s something we haven’t been able to do since we started looking for them.
He could feel her intense desire to shred Doreen to pieces.
She wanted Alix. She is a foul woman.
He soothed her, trying to not only think calmly but to feel calm.
I don’t think she is, Zel. So far, she has wanted to protect him, thinking that she could offer him a better home than with us.
So what? We give him to her? That is not an option Graith.
She sounded almost desperate to Graith and it occurred to him that losing Alix might feel like losing another child to her.
No. We see what kind of relationship she wants.
Zel was not happy, but she turned back to Doreen, and looked the small woman in her beady eyes. She pulled Graith’s body up to its full height, and growled, his chest rumbling at the strange sensation.
“Well? What do you want from me that could possibly be worth more than gold? Protection?” Zel asked.
Doreen smirked and walked over and put her arm around Graith’s waist.
“No, but you would make for an excellent smuggler.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Graith
Graith threw himself onto the bed. After hours of discussion and learning more about The Market and what exactly it was that they wanted from Zel, they had finally released him. The sky was already turning a hazy gray and a dim stream of light fell through the cracks in the shutters.
He groaned. Alix would be awake soon and Graith knew that the boy wanted to continue to explore the city. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep, but the pounding of his heart in his ears kept him awake.
Trying to let his mind drift, he immersed himself in the colors that were Zel’s emotions. The ever-present spring green that felt like laying in sunlight on a warm day. That was the one that welled up when she encouraged him or thought of him or Alix. An orange and red that swirled together like fire that seemed to flare to life when she was threatened or scared. A strange blue white that constantly flowed around and through the others, Graith had come to recognize as her constant worry and fear for her eggs. It was like looking at an always changing piece of artwork, the likes of which he had only ever seen in Lord Arish’s great mansion.
He could feel Zel watch him as he examined each of the emotions and thoughts, but she stayed silent. He knew that she was thinking about the deal that Doreen had offered them.
Smuggling.
At first, Zel had said that she would agree to smuggle for the group
after she had reclaimed her eggs. Doreen however, insisted that the job she wanted done needed to be completed as soon as possible. She even told them that the ending location was on their way. Zel had reluctantly agreed to hear more about the job.
Graith wished she hadn’t.
Doreen had asked her to carry dragon scales to a location in Situra. She promised them that the scales had come from a living dragon, but the notion that scales were being used by humans upset Zel once again. She demanded to know what they were being used for, but Doreen had just laughed, telling them that she didn’t know. Her job she said, was to procure the items for her clients, not worry about what they did with them after they were delivered.
Graith had felt Zel’s tail on her far away body lash at the thought. Being used by humans as a pack animal infuriated her. When he had tried to reason with her that he and Alix had basically already done so, she had shaken his head, denying it. She said that they did what they had to - to survive.
Finally, Graith had put his foot down. He had told Zel to accept the job, reminding her of her eggs.
I can’t believe that I lost sight of retrieving my clutch over such a matter, she whispered into his mind horrified.
You had the honor of all dragons on your mind.
We dragons don’t just give our shed scales away. I’m sure they were taken.
Zel, I know it’s not okay - in any way - but we need to do whatever is necessary to reclaim your eggs.
He felt her hang her head in defeat. He hoped that she was somewhere safe. She’d had to travel close to the city to take control of his body. He was sure that the guards were on the lookout for her. Oron wanted her dead after all. She was a threat to whatever plan he had for her eggs.
That started Graith’s worries anew. The Market - after he and Zel had agreed to carry the scales - divulged the information they had learned about the eggs.
Oron was planning to move the clutch to Situra. They knew he was sending a small armada to the Situran coastal city of Alluvia. The Market believed that the eggs would be on the main ship. The group was to be heavily guarded and if their sources were correct, escorted by Oron’s heir Prince Brantom, along with several knights, including Braylin.
