by John W Fort
CHAPTER 4
The next sunrise Raef did not try to find Chaz on the way to lessons. During lessons he noticed how Chaz, Keever and Liet laughed with each other and never looked over at him. Chaz went off with Keever and Liet after lessons. He didn’t even ask Raef if he wanted to come. Raef lingered around the Training Lodge after lessons, since he had nothing else to do. The sound of younglings laughing and playing grew louder as the older ones arrived for their lessons. Raef approached one of them, a couple seasons older, who was standing alone.
“I am Raef,”
The older younglings looked down at Raef.
“Shouldn’t you be going home with your friends? Lessons for little ones are over.”
“I know,” said Raef, looking at his feet, “but no one wants to play with me.”
“Well, I don’t play with little ones like you.”
A couple of others approached as Raef began to leave.
“What’s with the little one?” asked one of them with a smirk.
The first youngling said, “Nothing, he’s nothing,” and the older ones walked towards the lodge.
Raef turned away and walked slowly down the road to home. Then he stopped. He felt tears begin to come, but he didn’t want to be seen crying out here. He turned towards the nearby woods and walked swiftly into the trees. Back at the Training Lodge he heard the older younglings laughing. He began to run. He did not know this part of the forest, but he didn’t care. He ran as fast as he could into the woods. When he felt tears on his cheeks he slowed to wipe them away. He was breathing hard, so he slowed to a stop to catch his breath.
He looked around and realized he had no idea where he was or which way was back to the village. As he looked through the dense trees he noticed someone sitting a ways off on a log that lay under a tree. He had not expected to see anyone out here. It was too small for an adult, and he or she was bent over and looking at something in their hand. Raef slowly crept closer to get a better look. As Raef approached, he realized it was DeAlsím, the same greenling he’d seen with the dragon a few cycles past. DeAlsím did not seem to notice him as he looked at whatever he held in his hand. Raef paused a minute, trying to decide if it was safe, and then walked up to the young greenling.
“Ho, DeAlsím.”
DeAlsím jumped up and shoved what he’d held in his hand under his tunic. DeAlsím had a guilty look on his face at first, but after he saw Raef he smiled.
“Ho, Raef,” said DeAlsím.
DeAlsím sat back down on the log and leaned against the tree behind him. Raef sat on the log next to DeAlsím.
“What ya doing?” Raef asked.
“Breathing.”
“No, I mean, what are you doing?”
“Like I said, just breathing.”
“But you have to be at least thinking or something.”
The older greenling just shrugged.
“Don’t you have lessons now?” Raef asked.
“Lessons? I’m a greenling. I’m done with lessons. I’ll be an apprentice soon.”
“Oh.”
DeAlsím is very calm and sure, Raef thought. Raef wished he could feel like that. Raef watched the greenling stretch lazily, arching his back. When DeAlsím showed no sign of doing anything else, Raef scooted a little closer so he could lean back against the tree as well. It was a little crowded, but DeAlsím did not complain. There was a long silence. Raef half expected DeAlsím would ask him to leave. After a few moments of silence, Raef dared to say what was on his mind.
“I saw you with the dragon,” whispered Raef.
Raef’s felt his eyes grow wide at the memory. DeAlsím just grinned.
“I know,” said DeAlsím.
“You know? How did you know?”
“It told me.”
“It? What do you mean, ‘it?’”
“The dragon.”
“The dragon talked to you?”
”Yes,” said DeAlsím, sitting up taller.
“The dragon can talk?”
“Of course, but it only talks to very special villagers.”
“Like you?”
DeAlsím smiled.
“It won’t eat you?”
“No, no,” laughed DeAlsím, “it doesn’t eat anyone, especially smaller ones like you or me. The dragon scares villagers sometimes, you know, for fun, but it never eats us.”
“Really?”
“Well, I guess it might hurt someone, if they tried to hurt it first. The dragon is very powerful, you know.”
“But what about villagers who go missing?”
“That isn’t the dragon. The dragon doesn’t eat villagers. The dragon is nice.”
Raef sat and blinked. DeAlsím leaned down so his mouth was close to Raef’s ear.
“And its name is Rail.”
“The dragon has a name?”
“Sh! Only its friends can know its name. Rail said I could tell you.”
“How does it know about me?”
“Rail saw you hiding in the ferns.”
Raef sat, dumbfounded. A mischievous grin grew on DeAlsím’s face.
“You want to see something amazing?” asked DeAlsím.
Raef nodded. DeAlsím reached under his tunic and pulled out a long dark strand. At first, Raef thought it was a very thin snake or a really long worm, but it was not alive.
“Here, feel it,” said DeAlsím.
DeAlsím handed it to Raef. It was as big around as his finger at one end and tapered to a fine point at the other. It was longer than Raef’s arm and very flexible. It had a polished feeling.
“What is it?”
“A dragon hair.”
Raef held it up to admire it. It was dark like night at first but when the sun hit is just right it glowed deep golden and looked almost transparent. It glistened a little in the sun too. It seemed magical, somehow.
“You were right,” said Raef, “it is amazing!”
“Sometimes they fall off the dragon.”
“Just like my hair does.”
“When another one falls off, you can have it.”
“Me?”
“Of course, you. Rail likes you.”
“How does Rail know me?”
“I think Rail watches us. It seems to know a lot about all the villagers.”
“But I thought the dragon stayed out in the mountains.”
“It does, but not just any mountain. Rail lives on Black Rock, the big dark one in the east, but it comes near the village nearly every sunrise and watches us.”
Raef wasn’t sure what he thought about that. It felt a little scary, but it was nice to be noticed by something as powerful as a dragon, even if it was supposed to be bad.
“Raef, you should come to Rail’s secret place with me sometime.”
“I … I don’t know.”
“Oh, I forgot, your a Keeper’s son.”
Raef straightened up at the remark.
“I can do what I want. I don’t have to do just what my father says.”
“Good. I’ll take you soon. Rail wants to meet you.”
DeAlsím slowly stood and stretched. Raef knew DeAlsím had only twelve or thirteen seasons, just barely a greenling, but he seemed very tall next to him.
“Well, I need to get back to the Merchant sector,” said DeAlsím with a groan, “one of the butchers wants to meet with me about maybe being his apprentice.”
“I probably should go home,” said Raef, standing as well. “Father will be angry if I am late for mid sun meal.”
Raef gave the dragon hair back to DeAlsím, and they started off toward the village together. DeAlsím put a hand on Raef’s shoulder as they walked. Raef liked that. When they cleared the forest they parted ways. DeAlsím waved. Raef smiled and then turned for home. He felt scared but happy. He was afraid of the dragon. But he really liked DeAlsím, and it seemed like maybe DeAlsím liked him. Maybe Raef would not be too afraid to meet the dragon after all. Chaz, Keever and Liet would probably be too afraid to see the dragon for real
, even though they like to pretend to fight it. Raef began to walk a little faster. He felt himself smile a little as he reached the road that lead to his home.
When Raef did get home, mid sun meal was on the table. The whole family was home. Everyone seemed to be happy. Raef went to the washbasin and washed his face, hands and arms, even though they didn’t look dirty to him. He took his seat next to his older sister at the table and drew his knife out of its scabbard. The others had already begun to eat, but Folor did not scold Raef for arriving late this time. Folor was in the middle of telling a story about the other Keepers that was apparently funny, but Raef could not understand why. Raef cut off a piece of meat and put it on the hard bread in front of him, then took a drink from the wooden mug he and his sister shared at meals. It was weak beer, the kind for younglings to drink.
“Father,” Raef asked, “does the dragon have a name?”
Folor looked quickly at Raef’s mother before answering.
“Why do you ask, Raef?”
“Well, everyone else does. Even Zul has a name, and he’s a spirit. I just thought maybe the dragon did too.”
Folor looked at Raef with an expression he could not read.
“No one ever speaks the dragon’s name,” said Folor.
“Does anybody know it?”
“Why would you want to know such an awful thing?” asked Irah.
“He’s just curious,” said his mother, “that’s normal.”
“The Keepers know the dragon’s name,” said Folor, “but no one says it. It is evil.”
“Why?”
“The dragon is very bad,” said Folor, “if we all called it by name, we might lose our fear of it. We must never do that.”
Raef did not understand, but he stopped asking questions. He wanted to ask if his father had ever seen the dragon, but he was afraid to ask. It didn’t matter; Raef had seen the dragon himself. Bedsides, if he had questions about the dragon, now he knew someone who had the answers. DeAlsím would tell him.
