Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor)

by Robert Barton

  *****

  Shira had just described to her companions how Cyool had landed on the trail in front of the horses and stopped the woman from capturing Cyerant. Jolss returned to his insistent pleading. “I have to find her, I can feel her out there but she is hurt or sick or something. I don’t know what but something is wrong.” The boy was starting to become frantic and sounded as though he were about to panic. The boy went silent when the air was rent by a dragon roar echoing from a distance somewhere ahead followed by the screams of people – lots of people.

  The three companions looked at one another and began to run toward the sound – toward the tower. Up ahead of them the three saw something large and shadowy hurtling through the air as it passed across the street that they were on. It was flying at almost rooftop level and angling up into the night sky as it flew along a cross street to the street they were on. Moments later, they reached the cross street and looked after the dragon that they had seen. It had disappeared into the night sky, but the companions knew that they had seen Corth taking wing to join Cyerant to the north of the city. Veer looked over at Shira and asked. “Is Cyerant in trouble?”

  “No, I can… Cyool can see him moving alone through the trees along side of the road coming back. And the woman looks like she is just sitting there in the forest near where her horses threw her.”

  “Corth must have sensed that Cyerant was in danger,” said Veer. “Well the dragon will find him soon enough.

  Then the companions could hear the buzz of a crowd of voices behind them and they turned to see that there was a large group of people standing just up the street in front of the tower. Most of them were still looking into the sky beyond the three companions, and some were pointing after the dragon. The sound coming from the crowd was that of everyone trying to speak at once.

  The companions knew that this was not good as they exchanged glances. Veer said, “I guess that a lot of people just saw a dragon. Well, they’ve no way to know that we are anything other than three people staying at the tower, so let’s just walk through like we are coming back from the fire and have no idea what just happened.

  The three companions walked toward the tower gate and had to gently push their way through the crowd of people waiting to find out how their new hero, the mage, was faring. As they moved through the crowd they could hear many voices describing the sight that they had just seen. As they got to the gates the companions found the way barred by some city guards who had taken positions there to keep people from flooding into the building. One of the guards recognized Jolss and said to the other. “That one’s that apprentice what was with the wizard in the magistrate’s court. I reckon that he belongs in the tower.” The guards parted and let the boy, his two older companions and their dog through into the tower grounds.

  As the three companions entered the tower they could see that Partonius had been brought to a couch in the entry hall. The old man seemed to be in a deep sleep and he was being attended by a middle aged physician. Every candle in the room was ablaze to give as much light as possible to the physician. There was a group of four men off to the side watching and awaiting instruction. The physician looked up and asked, “Ah, you there boy, you are his apprentice, correct?” Without even waiting for an answer the man went on. “Is his bed somewhere above? He needs to be in his own bed so these men will carry him there if you will show them where it is.”

  “No, no his bed is on this floor now. It is in a library room. I will show you.” Jolss led the men to the converted library room that Partonius used for a bedchamber now. The men carried the old mage very gently and with great respect. The physician directed the operation until the mage was safely and snugly tucked into his own bed in the tower.

  Jolss recognized the voice of the magistrate approaching the door of the room. As he looked up the man entered and immediately addressed the doctor. “Will he be alright Healer? A fire like that could have caught most of the city. Incredible thing the Magister here has done.”

  The physician looked up as the magistrate approached him. “He is stricken with some weakness and he sleeps very deeply. This sort of sleep comes upon some who have injured their heads. As far as I can see there is no injury or illness. There just seems to be a deep exhaustion almost as if he is tired nearly to the point of death.”

  “Will he recover?” Asked the magistrate.

  “I do not know.” Said the physician. “There is simply nothing known about this sort of thing with mages. I will arrange with the guild of midwives for there to be one of them here to nurse him for the time being.”

  “Midwives?” The magistrate responded. “He isn’t having a baby.”

  The physician gave the magistrate a sharp look and said. “I know that you are the new magistrate for Deelt, here in our city we know that the midwives are also the best nurses so the guild of midwives manages all nursing and childbirth.”

  “Oh, I see.” Answered the magistrate. “Good idea, that. Did you see this dragon of which the crowd is speaking?”

  “Yes,” answered the physician. “It was some sort of illusion. Most likely the mages use illusions like that to scare away intruders.”

  “Yes, quite so. It seems that you have things well in hand Healer, very well. Keep me updated on his progress then. I will go and deal with this crowd. That boy there is an apprentice so he may be able to find a book here on these shelves that can tell you more about this sort of deep sleep for mages.” The magistrate looked at Jolss and said. “Boy, I want you to look through these shelves and find a book that can help the healer with your master there.” Without waiting for a response the magistrate turned and left the room speaking to nobody in particular the magistrate continued to talk. “Clear this crowd… home to their beds…. dragon was an illusion….”

  The physician watched the magistrate leave and shook his head after a pause. “Has the man left any air in the room for anyone else?” He then nodded to the four men and then toward the door silently dismissing them and then turned toward the apprentice. “What he said about searching for a book that speaks of this is actually a good idea. If you know of such a book or can find one please bring it to me.” Jolss simply nodded and the man continued. “I have already sent for the midwives so there will be regular nurses here to take care of him, the first should arrive shortly.” Then the man turned and left.

  Jolss walked over to where the mage lay barely breathing and he could hear his friends entering the room behind him. Jolss started to say something but was cut off.

  “Out, out, there will be no dogs in a sickroom while I’m here.” A big booming female voice filled the room. As the companions turned they saw a short, stocky middle aged woman entering the room. They wondered how such a big voice could come from such a small woman. The woman walked over to a desk in the room and promptly placed a bundle that she had been carrying on top of the papers and books scattered across the desk. Then she turned to face the companions and their dog. The woman looked right at Drace and pointed toward the door and shouted “Out!”

  The dog that the woman saw standing there raised his hackles and growled deeply in his throat. The woman looked about her quickly and saw a sheaf of papers bound in soft leather sitting on the desk. She picked it up and rolled it and took two quick steps toward the dog and smacked the dog right across the nose with the roll. Veer felt a sense of complete shock come over him as the woman stood over the dog and pointed at the door with the roll and once again shouted. “Out, I said!” Drace was so shocked that he responded by skulking out of the room with his head and tail down.

  The sight of the battle dragon being scolded by the woman caused Shira to snicker. Veer cut his eyes and glared at the girl.

  “Now, you three.” The woman said while eying the companions. “Listen here, I am Vara and the doctor has asked me here to nurse this man. You’ll not just be hanging about in his room staring at him… so you can get about your business. I’ll take care of him, but I’m not here to wet nurse you three so
you tend to yourselves. Do you understand?” The three young people nodded. “I have smacked the life into the backside of half the children in Deelt for the last twenty-five years and I won’t mind smacking the life out of three if they get in my way.” Focusing her eyes on Jolss. “I’m told that you have some books to be tending to, and your friends here can help.” Jolss nodded. “Go!” The woman yelled.

  Jolss quickly headed for the door followed by Veer and Shira. As they got into the hallway Shira leaned toward Veer and said. “That is one loud nurse.”

  “A loud nurse with good ears, girl.” The voice boomed behind them.

  The companions hastened their steps to get to the entry hall where they could speak. Veer asked Shira. “How is Cyerant doing?”

  “Oh, Corth found him and they are walking back together. Actually, they just passed into the gates of the city and should be here in about ten minutes.” Then the girl went and opened front door to the tower and a few moments later Cyool came inside and found a corner where the dragon promptly curled up and went to sleep, very satisfied with herself.

  “I have to go find her,” Jolss said. “I have to go now.”

  “We will go and find her, Jolss,” said Shira.

  Veer got up and as he walked to the cold fireplace in the room he said. “We need to wait for Cyerant to get here and then we need a plan and to get some supplies so we can’t leave before the morning.”

  “I have to go now, she needs me. I can feel it she is sick or hurt or something.”

  Shira said. “Wait for your brother to get here and we can all decide what to do together.”

  “We don’t have to decide. I know what I am doing. I’m going after her now – tonight.” Jolss said.

  “Wait and talk to your brother.” Veer said as he set about lighting the fire to take the chill out of the room.

  “Yes, talk to your brother.” Cyerant said as he entered through the front door followed closely by a dragon the size of a small horse.

  Jolss started to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a booming female voice coming into the room from the hallway to the kitchen and dining room. “The door to the back garden from the kitchen is broken, like some thug has put his shoulder to it, one of you is going to have to… A horse, now there’s a horse inside? Get it out! Now! Is everyone in this tower mad?” The woman looked around and saw Cyool curled up just as two puppies ran by her into the room. “More dogs! Madness! Well I have a patient to attend to, no horses inside and no dogs in the sick room.” She pinned Veer down with her eyes and said. “You can build another fire in the sickroom to take the chill outta there.” She looked at Cyerant. “You get that horse outside in the stables.” She looked at Jolss. “You have books to attend.” Looking at Shira she finished with. “And that leaves you to find some tools and start fixing that door and these boys can help when they are done with what they have to do.” She turned and stormed from the room.

  Cyerant noticed that Drace had moved over to stand behind Veer with his tail and head down. “And she is?”

  Shira answered. “Vara, she is Vara. She is a midwife and she is here taking care of Partonius.”

  “Midwife?” Cyerant asked. “Did a spell go so badly wrong that he needs a midwife?”

  “No,” Jolss answered. “He was hurt when he was putting out the fire… and Prin is gone… and I have to go find her.” The boy began to sound panicky.

  Cyerant held up his hand. “Stop, and take a deep breath. Come outside with me to put Corth in the stables and start from the beginning. Now you were coming back with the mage and…” Cyerant led the way back outside.

  Fourteen

  Dinmael rode on far into the night with his little draconian prisoner safely tucked away in a sack and hanging from his saddle. The man with his two horses and his mule moved quickly along the road to the west – toward home and fame. Shortly after midnight he stopped to rest the animals and to stretch his own legs and he made a quick meal of some dried meat and cheese from his supplies. He then switched his saddle to the fresher horse and continued on for about three more hours. He led the horses off of the road and into the trees for about ten minuets until he found a small clearing where the horses and mule could find a bit of the end of summer grass. He removed the saddle and packs and hobbled each animal in a different area of the clearing with enough rope that the animal could move around to eat. He then made a cold camp and just ate more dried meat and cheese, and then he opened the sack and dumped out the dragonet and offered it some meat and water. The dragon drank some of the offered water but didn’t seem to have the strength to eat. The man returned the dragon to the sack and rolled up in his own blankets and went to sleep.

  Shortly after dawn the man awakened to the loud angry cawing of a crow in the trees just above him. He blinked against the morning sunlight and he reached out for a nearby stone and hurled it at the noisy bird. The stone missed and the bird became that much angrier. The man quickly ate something and dumped the dragon out of the sack in order to once again try to feed the poor animal. As he watched a bird tumble out onto the ground he had a moment of panic that perhaps it had all been a nasty dream. Then he remembered the potion or tea or whatever that nasty stuff was. If possible the crow became even angrier up in the trees. The man fumbled around in his things for a moment and found his little leather flask bag with the tea in it and he took a small sip and waited until the bird in front of him, on the ground, transformed, before his eyes, into a dragon. As he saw the transformation take place with his captured dragon he heard the cawing of the crow change into the shrieking on an angry small dragonet. The man looked up and saw that the crow was another dragon – a dragon with green eyes. The man decided that if the green eyed dragonet kept following he would figure out a way to capture it also. The man reached and checked that he actually had another small net in his pocket as he had remembered.

  He was still very tired but he already knew that this trip would involve very little sleep and lots of moving. He would move as many hours in a day as was possible. Always west – always homeward. Every day and late into every night just stopping to eat and rest the beasts when they needed food and water and sleep only the last few hours of each night. Dinmael wanted to cover as much ground as he could before the first snows fell and slowed his progress. He also new that he should skirt through the southern edge of the Dragon Mountains in order to avoid the worst of the snows, which would eventually make the northern passes almost impenetrable. He was a trained soldier, and could sustain this pace indefinitely. This would be his life for the next few months until he returned home to the empire and to a heroic welcome.

  The man returned the dragonet to the sack. Then he repacked the mule and saddled a horse and shortly he was on his way for a long day of travelling quickly. A few times that day he noticed a company approaching that might be soldiers of the empire so each time he took to the woods to let them pass. In this way he knew that he could safely cover a great distance each day.

  *****

  The door was repaired, the fire in the library had been started and Corth was back in the stable and the companions were all together in the front hall of the tower talking things over. “We have to go now,” Jolss pleaded.

  “No,” said Cyerant. We will get supplies in the morning at first light and then we will see if we can figure out where Prin is.”

  “But I can feel her moving farther and farther away.” Jolss said.

  “I know,” said Cyerant. “I know, but we have to make sure that we can catch up to whoever has her. That means that we need extra horses for everyone and some supplies. Besides we are not even sure which way she was taken.”

  “I can feel which way she was taken.’ Jolss pointed to the west. ‘She is that way, I can feel it and she is being taken away.”

  “We are going to get her back,” Cyerant assured his little brother. “But we can’t go riding off into the night with no plan and no supplies. Now let’s all try to get some sleep because tomorrow is g
oing to be a long day.”

  “I can’t sleep,” Jolss angrily declared.

  Shira said. “Jolss, if you can’t sleep why don’t you do what the healer asked and see if there is anything in any of these books that can help Partonius.”

  Jolss said. “Alright I’ll look.” The boy already had a suspicion of which book would explain this all to him. So he retrieved his magic book and opened it to look at the first blank page and there he watched letters start to take shape and the page then filled with the information which he needed. He looked angrily at the others as they went off to find places to sleep. He then took his book to find Vara and read to her what the book said about this sleep that had settled on the master mage. He found the woman as she sat quietly singing over the old man. For such a gruff woman she had a beautiful singing voice. She stopped and looked up at the boy and he just sat down in a chair and started to read and as he finished he nodded off to sleep. He felt someone tuck a blanket in around him in the chair where he was sitting and he heard the distant sound of a sweet voice singing as a deep darkness took him into a restless sleep. He dreamed that he was searching for something – something that he could never find. Something hidden far away in the dark and each time he would reach for it, the distance seemed to expand and the thing moved farther away.

  The boy came awake sitting in a chair in the library and after a moment of confusion from his troubling dreams he remembered the events of the previous day and night. He noticed that Vara was sleeping in another chair and that the old mage still seemed to be in a near-death like sleep. He quietly took off the blanket that someone had tucked around him the night before and left it in the chair. He spied his magic book on the desk where someone had placed it. His time living alone on the streets of small villages had taught him to sneak very quietly and he put that experience to good use.