Backyard Dragons

by Lee French

  Kurt had then hustled Dwight out and not come back for twenty minutes. Justin still wondered if Kurt had gone ahead and killed Dwight anyway. Dwight had never come back, and Justin had never noticed him lurking or run into him by chance.

  Justin rubbed his face where Dwight had hit him that last time and squashed a wish to have Kurt back instead of Claire before it could take hold. She deserved a place to stay, and the girls liked her. She also needed training and had no one else to get it from. Maybe he ought to push her at Rondy more. Much as he hated to admit it, the older Knight would probably do a better job.

  With Rondy training Claire, he could focus on other things, like tracking down Kurt’s Phasm to check on it. That should have been a priority already, and he’d let it slide. Something always came up. Missy needed shoes. Claire needed training. Drew needed to be smacked upside the head. Marie needed him to go to the store. Lisa needed a new doll. Tammy needed the roof fixed. Jack needed more firewood.

  Justin inhaled his food without tasting it and set his plate and fork in the sink. He’d deal with it in the morning. A glance at the wall clock told him that would come far too soon, and he shambled off to bed.

  Chapter 6

  Claire

  “Wake up.”

  Claire’s eyes snapped open. She had no idea who’d spoken in that tiny, chirpy voice until she turned her head in the gloom of her bedroom and saw Enion. He sat on her handmade nightstand next to her dragon tooth dagger. His tail curled around his feet, reminding her of a cat.

  “Hey.” She rubbed her eyes and groaned at the sound of rain pattering the roof and window. “What time is it?”

  “Mid-morning. Go save my family today?”

  “Um, yeah. I think that’s the plan.” Claire sat up and stretched her arms. Her stomach growled. “What do you eat?”

  “Seeds, berries, bugs, worms. When can we go?”

  “Won’t be dissuaded, huh? I’ll let you outside so you can eat. It’ll probably be a little bit before I’m ready to go, and I don’t know about Justin.”

  Enion huffed and his mouth contorted. She had to squint and move closer to realize he was pouting.

  She made an effort not to laugh at him. “Yeah, waiting sucks. C’mon.” Yawning again, she tossed the covers aside, then swiped the dragon and set him on her shoulder. She shuffled out of her room in her knee-length nightshirt and found the house empty. Once she’d let Enion out through the front door, she grabbed a banana and ate it on the way to the bathroom.

  Half an hour later, Claire yanked on a plain green shirt with black leggings and a blue miniskirt. As soon as she opened her bedroom door again, she heard the front door slam shut.

  “Daddy, I want to play Princess Knight!”

  Claire emerged from the hallway to find Missy diving into her faded white chest of toys. Purple and pink gauze and stuffed animals flew out.

  “Not now, Sweetie.” Justin set a cloth grocery bag on the counter and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His shoulders drooped, and he leaned against the counter as he emptied the bag.

  “Now!” Missy tumbled out of the chest with an inexpertly executed somersault, triumphantly raising a star-shaped wand made of straws, glitter, duct tape, and chips of plastic.

  Claire went for the kitchen. “Did you sleep?”

  Justin smirked. “Yes. Did you eat?”

  “Not yet.” Claire grabbed a box of cereal and filled a bowl.

  “Daddy,” Missy whined. “I want to play!” She ran into the kitchen and wrapped herself around Justin’s leg.

  Unhindered by the little girl attached to his calf, Justin moved groceries to the fridge. “Okay, Missy. What’s threatening the princess today?”

  “A giant!”

  “Can the giant threaten the princess from the couch?”

  Missy let go and smacked her wand into his leg. She stuck out her lower lip. “Daddy, play for real.”

  “I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I’m just tired.” Justin crouched and scooped her into his arms. Settling her on his hip, he kissed her forehead.

  Not wanting to watch him struggle with two things at once, Claire abandoned her cereal to finish putting the groceries away for him.

  Missy threw herself around Justin’s neck, hugging him. Justin sighed and tousled her hair. “Remember I said when Claire gets up, it’s time to go play with Grandma Tammy?”

  “I want Daddy.”

  “I know, Pumpkin. I’d rather play, but we have to work. I’ll bet Grandma Tammy needs help with something anyway. I’ll be back in a few minutes, Claire.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he carted Missy outside. Claire finished putting away the groceries and hung the empty bag on its hook. She dove into her cereal, shoveling food to finish fast enough Justin wouldn’t have to wait on her. Right before Justin walked in through the door, she took her last bite and thought about washing the pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

  Justin let Enion inside and shut the door as the dragon landed on the table. The dragon shook himself, sending bits of mud and drops of water flying in every direction. Watching this, Justin sighed and rasped his fingers against the stubble on his chin. “I want to track down the dragons today. Are you ready to go?”

  Claire eyed the dishes and dumped her bowl on top. “Yeah. Are you?”

  “Yes. Tariel is already saddled. It’s raining.” He flicked his gaze across the room that, thanks to the dragon, now needed wiping down and shook his head. “Sooner we leave, sooner we can take care of it.” He slipped out, and Claire saw him strap on his sword belt through the window into the mud room.

  “I think he’s more tired than he wants to admit.”

  Enion shrugged and leaped into the air to land on her shoulder. “Ready to go,” he trilled.

  Claire ran to her room and grabbed her dagger, hoping she wouldn’t need it. As she returned to the kitchen, she tried to figure out how to carry it and keep her hands free. The waistband of her skirt seemed like an injury waiting to happen. Though Enion’s presence meant she’d heal immediately, he couldn’t prevent her from cutting her clothes or bleeding all over the place.

  When she stepped outside in her combat boots, she still held the blade in her hand. Justin already sat on Tariel’s back. Claire hadn’t seen him fetch his armor, but he wore his green-tinted mail shirt, pauldrons, and gloves. Tariel raised her head and lifted one front leg. A ray of sunshine punched through the drizzling clouds to bathe her and Justin in soft light. The horse’s blue eyes glowed, and her silvery hooves glinted.

  “Show-off.” Claire stuck her tongue out at the horse.

  Tariel whinnied at her, and the light faded. Justin snorted. “I’d have to disagree with Claire to tell her that.”

  Claire laughed as she took Justin’s hand and stepped on his foot to climb into the saddle. Never safer than under the protection of Justin, his cloak, and Tariel, excitement surged through her. They rode out now on a proper Knight’s quest, to go free dragons from a witch. It seemed impossible to fail with these odds, and the responsibility lay on Justin’s shoulders, not hers. She came because of Enion and because she needed to learn this stuff. Someday, the training wheels would come off. Today would not be that day.

  “Enion, did you fly over the river to get here?” Claire asked.

  The dragon whistled. “Yes!”

  Claire raised her fist, summoning childhood daydreams of princes and knights and castles. “To Portland, noble steed!”

  Tariel reared up, trumpeting in glee, then shot down the driveway and galloped up the street. Justin scrambled to grab the reins, and Claire thumped into him from the unexpected burst of speed. Though her hooves touched the ground at regular intervals, Tariel flew over the asphalt until they reached I-205. She pounded up the ramp for the freeway and stayed in the breakdown lane.

  The horse blew past cars in a blur while Claire shut her mouth and eyes against the incredible force. After only a few seconds of high speed winds tossing pebbles and twigs at her, during which she noticed Justin only
had his short hair blown back dramatically, she tugged the cloak over her head.

  Under the cloak, Claire barely noticed anything happening. The smooth ride could have passed at five miles an hour as easily as a million. Enion climbed into her hands and poked his head out to see. He recoiled and huddled with her, waiting for Tariel to slow down. Several minutes later, the cadence of Tariel’s hoofbeats slowed, and Justin flipped the cloak open.

  “We’re in Portland and need more directions.”

  Claire tossed Enion into the air. “Lead on, dragon.”

  Trilling with excitement, Enion darted upward. Tariel waited for a traffic light at the bottom of the exit ramp for Division Street.

  Glancing at Justin, Claire again noted how little the ride seemed to have affected him. “How come you don’t have to hide under the cloak when Tariel runs that fast?”

  “She’s my sprite.”

  Claire waited for more explanation and got none before the light changed to green. She craned her head back, eager to watch Enion fly freely while Tariel carried them down the side of the road. She saw nothing—the dragon blended too well with the overcast sky. Knowing he had to be up there somewhere, she stared until she caught movement and followed that.

  “Enion’s really good at camouflage,” Claire said. “Unlike some people.”

  “I’m riding a white horse. There’s only so much I can do. Better to go in whole hog and be recognized as that weirdo wannabe knight. Then I can do things like accosting possessed cats in broad daylight. People think I’m play-acting. Granted, it’s better to kill the spirits where people aren’t watching, but there’s a number of things one can get away with if one makes the effort to embrace what makes you stand out.”

  “Gosh, that almost sounded profound, like something you might find on a fortune cookie.”

  The horse whickered. Justin heaved a long-suffering sigh.

  Chapter 7

  Justin

  Enion landed on Tariel’s head, between her ears. He raced down her face to the end of her nose and pointed, indicating she should take the next left turn.

  “I’ll grant this dragon is cute,” Tariel said, “but if he doesn’t move, I’m going to eat him.”

  Justin pulled a glove off so he could rake a hand through his hair. “Work it out between yourselves later. For now, just get us there.”

  “Yes, Sir Grumpy.”

  Justin bit his tongue, not wanting to snap at either Tariel or Claire. “How much further?”

  The dragon chirped, vibrating with excitement. “He says it’s close,” Claire said.

  Peering around, Justin recognized the area. “Anne lives near here.”

  “Who’s Anne?”

  “Marie’s older sister. We only see her a few times a year. She’s a witch.”

  “Uh. Aren’t we on our way to accost a witch for doing something to dragons?”

  “Yes. She’s an herb-witch, though. Not very powerful. In exchange for good food and wine, she takes care of our garden and makes sure we have a good vegetable harvest. She works for a plant nursery and makes tea. Besides that, she’s into crystals and vibrations and the rest of that new agey stuff. According to her, I give off negative vibes. Or something like that. We’ve never really gotten along.”

  “I guess Thanksgiving will be tons of fun, then.”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Anne’s street,” Tariel said as she took a left turn.

  As the horse trotted along Southeast Harold Street, Justin wondered about the coincidence of the location. They reached 108th, and Enion pointed at the dirt path running opposite the street, behind a chain-link fence and between a run-down blue house and its matching shed. Since Anne lived here, Justin knew the back of this property abutted a wildlife refuge.

  “Now what?” Tariel asked.

  Her question echoed in Justin’s head as he tried to imagine what Anne might have to do with any of this. He supposed she could have let people camp in her backyard. She may have taken in a roommate or boyfriend who approached her because of the dragons.

  Without his prompting, Tariel walked onto the grass and tossed her head, throwing the dragon to the side. Enion’s wings snapped open and he scolded her with birdlike chirping.

  “That’s enough of that.” Justin climbed down from the saddle and helped Claire to the ground. He scanned the property and saw nothing worrisome. Skeletal trees edged the inside of the front fence, their leafless canopies towering over the house within. He stepped to the gate and flipped the latch open.

  This couldn’t be right place. Anne would never have anything to do with a crazy plot to enslave or ensnare dragons. With every step through the gate and across her yard, he grew more certain Enion must have made a mistake.

  “Maybe it’s behind the house,” Tariel suggested. “Anne would never have anything to do with something like this.”

  The horse’s uncanny echo of his own thoughts made Justin pause. He stopped a few feet from the front door.

  Enion landed on Claire’s shoulder and chirped at her. “Are you sure this is the right place?” she asked. After getting a response, Claire shrugged. “He’s sure.”

  “Let’s try around back.” Justin backed away from the door and headed down the path. This felt right. He lifted his head high and strode down the gravel and dirt walkway, past raised garden beds, to the line of fir trees along the back edge of the property. Certainty filled him, and he pushed branches aside.

  One step into the woods, he found a hollow with a rotted tree stump in the center. A small swarm of silver dragons lay in a heap, sleeping. Despite having seen Enion already, their tiny size still took him off-guard. Dragons should be big, menacing, and deadly.

  “Looks like this is the place,” Claire said.

  Justin nodded. “Enion said they’re bound here, right? We can fix that. Tariel, we need to find the binding. Claire, keep watch. If anyone approaches, interrupt us.”

  “Why can’t Tariel keep watch? Why does anyone have to keep watch anyway?”

  Though he knew she meant well, Justin shooed Claire away. “I need Tariel’s help. Please go keep watch.”

  Claire huffed. “Fine,” she grumbled as she turned and stomped out of sight.

  Tariel pushed into the gap between the nearest two trees. She lowered her head, and Justin laid a bare hand on her neck.

  “I have to teach Claire how to do this,” Justin muttered.

  “As I recall, we didn’t need any particular instruction to figure it out, just the knowledge it’s possible.”

  “Then I’ll have to get around to explaining more things to her.”

  Tariel whickered with a twinkle in her eye. “You’d have better luck with that if you didn’t send her away every time you do those things.”

  “And here I thought having fewer people would make it easier to concentrate.” Justin focused on his connection to Tariel. The bond they shared suffused his entire body, allowing him to heal in her presence and draw on her power to reveal some aspects of the world not visible with the naked eye.

  This process reminded him of focusing a camera lens. With every deliberate breath he took, something on the edges of his consciousness became clearer. Light lifted away from the real world and focused into two beams. One, bright white and throwing off sparks of energy, ran through the space in a meandering line. He ignored that one as naturally occurring.

  The second beam had nothing bright or sparkly or friendly about it. Dull yellow light formed an unbroken ring around the dragons. Tendrils reached into the ring, each wrapped around a dragon’s leg. Though Justin had no particular expertise with this, he knew dark magic when he saw it.

  “A shame the ring doesn’t point to its creator. We may never know who’s responsible. Anne simply isn’t powerful enough to have set this up.”

  Justin drew his sword. “Are you making a suggestion for how to proceed?”

  “No, not at all. This is disgusting. Cut it up.”

  Tariel stepped back, giving
him plenty of room. Justin gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and slammed it into the soft ground near the ring, not expecting to hit it on the first blow. When he’d plunged it in deep enough to reach the ring of magic, the hilt stuck out of the earth by a foot. He wrenched it to the side, slicing through the ring. The yellow power snapped away like a taut rubber band.

  The ground heaved, knocking him to his knees and shattering his concentration. Something pressed on his body, forcing his head down. Electric jolts surged up through his skull and danced down his spine. He shuddered and groaned.

  When the bizarre reaction faded, he raised to his hands and knees. Tariel lay on the ground, blinking up at him. For several long moments, they stared at each other. Justin thought maybe he should have hit the sword with a log instead of holding it while he cut that disturbing ring.

  Chapter 8

  Claire

  “This is stupid. We shouldn’t be on lookout duty. We should be standing there, watching him do his thing. He should trust me. It’s not like I’m going to interfere or something. Someday, I’m going to have to do the stuff he does by myself, and staying outside the blast radius won’t help me learn anything. I don’t even know what thing he’s doing!”

  Enion landed on her shoulder. “We can be brave Knights too!”

  “Yeah. Exactly.” Claire heard a screen door open. She froze, hoping the door belonged to the next house over. When she saw a woman in a tie-dye skirt and matching shirt hurry around the corner, she knew she’d have to figure out how to deal with it.

  The woman had Marie’s platinum blonde hair and similar lines. She seemed several years older, though, with small lines around her blue eyes and thin mouth. She reminded Claire of Grandpa Jack more than Grandma Tammy, except Grandpa Jack would never be caught dead with dangly blue crystal earrings, matching bracelets and necklace, or mismatched rings on every finger. Bright green cat-eye glasses hung from a cord around her neck.

  “Who are you? What are you doing on my—” She stopped short and covered her mouth with a hand, her gaze shifting past Claire’s shoulder. “Goodness gracious.”