“Go out the back door, Lyric, just in case they are watching.”
Lyric slipped out the back unseen and headed to Azina’s.
…
“Azina, Archibald says boy from the gangs and from the orphanage are going around the city asking about me.”
Azina wasn’t surprised by the news. She had expected something like this would happen soon. “Lyric, how old are you?”
Lyric looked up at Azina’s ceiling as he counted. The one good day of the year for kids at the orphanage was their birthday. Those who had one on record got a special meal on their birthday. Those without shared a special cake on all’s birth day as the Master had called it. Lyric had been one of the boys who got his own special meal. “I turn sixteen in a few days,” said Lyric with a smile. He was proud that he had been able to do the math in his head.
“As I thought,” said Azina. “You stay here. I’m going into the city for a while. You’ll cook yourself dinner tonight and spend extra time on your reading. We’ve been slacking the last few days.”
Lyric wondered what was going on, but just smiled and grabbed his books. Azina would tell him when she was ready, he hoped.
…
Azina wandered her way through the city, watching everyone as she went. As warned, she saw boys going around and talking to everyone. They described the boy they were looking for and it certainly was Lyric.
Azina stopped at a small shop in the middle of the city. She walked into the store and went to the counter.
“Azina, what brings you here?” asked Lina Hiron, the shop owner.
“Trouble,” said Azina. “What’s with the sudden interest in crippled foreign boys?”
Lina Hiron didn’t just have an alchemy shop, she was the most well informed person in Winport. She had ears everywhere and knew most of what happened within the city.
“It’s strange isn’t it,” said Lina. “It’s been like this for two days now. All the kids from the orphanage are out searching for the schoolmaster, and several gangs of street rats are also looking for the boy. Fights have broken out. It seems the two sides are not working together. There is a race to find the boy.”
“Who’s behind it?”
“A couple of foreign mages are in the city. One keeps visiting the orphanage and the other is staying in the Beggar’s Choice. The boys in the gangs are reporting to the Beggar’s Choice Inn.”
Mages, here in Winport looking for Lyric, this was not good. “Damned magic users anyways,” said Azina with a wink. “Since I’m here, I need to stock up on a few items. Give me the usual and throw in some velvet heart.”
“Right away,” said Lana before going into the back to get Azina’s list of goods.
When Lana returned with her supplies, Azina said goodbye and started heading back toward the woods. Careful to make sure no one was following her, she made her way back to the house. When she arrived, Lyric was busy reading.
Lyric looked up when the door opened. He was surprised Azina was back so soon. He hadn’t even started making supper yet.
Before Lyric could greet her, Azina barked orders at Lyric. “Books away, grab your staff and a pack. Put those rags you call your clothes in them.”
Lyric frowned, was Azina kicking him out? What had he done wrong?
Azina moved quickly through the house. She stuffed a sack full of food. She was grateful Archibald had given them the jerked meat. It would give them a few days’ worth of meat. She then sliced up the roast that was supposed to be their dinner and all the fresh vegetables that she had.
Lyric finished packing his meager amount of clothing and his practice staff and waited for Azina’s instructions. Tears started to run down his face.
Azina noticed Lyric standing there crying. “What you crying about?” she asked.
“You’re kicking me out,” said Lyric.
“Yes, you’re leaving,” said Azina. “However, you are not going alone. I’m going with you. We’re leaving Winport.”
“We are? Why?”
“Mages are here looking for you. I think they know who you are.”
“They know I’m Lyric?” asked a confused Lyric. “Why would anyone, especially mages, be looking for me?”.
“They know you’re dragonblood. Now grab your things. We’ll eat supper as we walk.”
15
LORD LAMAR STOOD AT THE docks with his daughter Sibylle. Together, they watched the ship sailing into Winport’s port. The ship contained his goods, trade goods from around the world. Baltan wool, silk sheets and dried goods from Venecia, jewelry from the Far East. Lord Lamar was the biggest importer in the kingdom. From Winport the goods would travel back to Middale where he would disperse them to the various trade routes, sending goods to the corners of the Isles. Every city on the Isle of Droll traded with Lord Lamar.
“I’d like to go sailing one day,” said Sibylle as they watched the ship landing on the docks.
“There are lots of wonderful places in the world to see,” agreed Lamar. As a young man, he had worked on a merchant ship for his father. Lamar’s work allowed his father to build his empire. When Lamar’s father died, he had to stop sailing to run the family business and take over duties as lord of the family lands, but he never forgot the sea. Perhaps one day, one of his sons would take over and he could finish his days on a merchant ship.
“Is that the dock crew you’re worried about?” asked Sibylle as she pointed out a group of men pulling carts up the dock.
“Yes, that is them. Let’s head down there and make sure our good are not being miscounted.”
Lord Lamar and Sibylle walked down to the docks. Robert Godefrey and Lord Lamar’s knights walked behind them. The knights in full armor were ready for any troubles the dock workers might cause.
When they arrived at the ship, Lord Lamar started inspecting the goods. One of the dock men, their leader, yelled at him. “You there, get away from those goods.”
“Why should I?” said Lord Lamar. “They are my goods.”
“We’re in charge of delivering these goods to your warehouse. Once they are there, they’re your goods,” said the surly dock worker.
“Nonsense, I’ve paid for these goods. I can take possession of them at any time. As it happens, I have my wagons here at the docks ready to leave. I’ll have you load them into your carts and transfer them to my wagons. We can do the tally sheet right here.”
“Sorry. It doesn’t work like that,” insisted the dock worker. This was the largest load of supplies the Lord had brought to Winport, ever. They had buyers lined up waiting for the goods they skimmed off the top of his supplies. They needed to be alone with the goods to do that.
“Perhaps you didn’t understand Lord Lamar,” said Robert Godefrey as he pulled his war axe out and started tapping it against his armor. “He’d like you to load the goods into your carts and take them to the wagons.”
The dock worker looked at Godefrey and the knights. Stealing a little off the top was one thing, fighting with knights was another matter entirely. “I’ll get the tally sheet and bring it here,” said the dock leader. He then turned to his men, “Load the Lord Lamar’s goods into the wagons.”
One or two of the men looked like they wanted to protest, but the look they received from Robert Godefrey made them reconsider that action.
Robert frowned, he desperately wanted to teach the dockworkers a little lesson in respect, but unless they started something he was forbidden to do anything. His sole responsibility was Sibylle’s protection. Starting a fight with dockworkers didn’t count as protection. But if one made a comment about her or looked at her funny, that was all the provocation he would need. But the workers seemed to understand that he was just waiting for someone to speak up. They silently went about loading the goods while the dock leader and Lord Lamar did the count.
When they were all done with the count, Lord Lamar returned to where Robert and Sibylle were standing.
“That went much easier than I anticipated,” said a ple
ased Lord Lamar.
“Too easy,” said Robert. They likely have smugglers lined up to buy your goods. Those smugglers won’t want to leave empty handed. The chances of our wagons being attacked on the road home is much greater now.
“You sound disappointed,” said Lord Lamar.
“I’m tired of beating on young girls who think they can fight,” said Robert with a wink at Sibylle.
Sibylle returned his wink by sticking her tongue out him.
“In truth, I would rather have had a conflict here where we had a clear advantage. On the road, we won’t know how many or where they are.”
“Let’s hope they decide not to attack,” said Lord Lamar.
“Yes,” replied Robert, but he knew that was not likely. The shipment was the richest ever and the temptation would be high.
16
“HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE GOING TO WAIT?” asked Sudreth the black-red. “It’s time to make our move.”
“No!” said Nelarth. “It’s not yet time. Apophis was right to send scouts out. When the scouts return with reports on the humans, then we can make our move against our beloved leader.
“How do you intend to get past Apophis?” asked Oliolyn the blue-red.
Nelarth weighted his words carefully. Oliolyn was a somewhat moderate dragon that didn’t want to be under Apophis’s rule any longer, but would still needed to be treaded lightly around. Oliolyn was not a true believer in the dominance of the dragon species and would need a demonstration before agreeing to partake in a war against humans. “I plan to do nothing against Apophis. She intends to return to Droll Isle, she will split Partha among her lieutenants. Once Apophis is on Droll, we make our move against the humans. If Apophis’s claw licker tries to stop us, we’ll kill the dragon.
“To taste human flesh, oh what a moment that will be,” declared Sudreth. “I long for the day.”
“Yes,” agreed Nelarth, “It will be a glorious day when we can return dragons to our rightful place. The accursed magic that binds us to this island is gone, now all that remains is to make our way back to the old lands and reclaim what is ours. Apophis is foolish to think humans would ever be able to co-exist with us. They belong beneath our claws and tails like the maggots they are.”
“How many will join us when we break ranks from Apophis?” asked Sudreth.
“Does it matter?” replied Nelarth. “Even if all the dragons who aren’t with us now stayed with Apophis, it wouldn’t matter as long as we don’t provoke them directly. Getting our vengeance against the humans won’t start a war amongst our kind as long as we don’t push too far. That’s why we won’t attack Apophis directly. Many of the browns and black dragons are neutral right now. They don’t worry about revenge, but they would not go to war to stop it. However, if Apophis was attacked that could change. We shall forge our own path away from Apophis, but we shall not provoke a war among our own kind. Save our wrath for the humans.”
“Wise words, Nelarth,” said Oliolyn.
Nelarth closed his eyes, he would not speak more on the subject. He had said what was needed to keep Oliolyn and the other dragons that still held affection for Apophis mollified. He would not kill Apophis, not yet anyways. Nelarth would one day rule all the dragons, his ambitions went much further than killing a few humans in retaliation for the past. Nelarth would see all humans dead or enslaved. But that was a goal that would take some time. First, Nelarth would sate his quest for blood. Eating fish and fowl was no diet for a true dragon. Soon he would savor something much more interesting. Soon they would leave this accursed Island and return to the lands they called home.
17
LYRIC AND AZINA WALKED for miles through the woods outside of Winport without seeing a soul. The tall trees and thick foliage often blocked the sun as they were following trails that only existed in Azina’s memory, before they ended up on the road to Middale. They were far enough away from Winport now that no one would notice them.
“Where are we headed, Azina?” asked Lyric.
“We’re going to the village of Middale. It’s a few days from here. I have a friend there.”
“What’s in Middale?” asked Lyric.
“Mostly it’s a farmer’s village. Fertile valley, lots of farmers. The local lord is a merchant man. I knew the father, and the son seems competent. He’s fair about taxes, better than many lords anyways.”
“What are we going to do in Middale?” asked Lyric.
“We’re going to keep training and reading. You don’t think I have you carrying those books for nothing do you, Dragonblood?”
“When are you going to explain more about dragonblood?” I still don’t understand what it means.
“You know what a dragon is, don’t you?”
“Sure, everyone knows what dragons are. Fierce flying fire breathing creatures big as a house, but they were all hunted down.”
“That is almost true,” replied Azina. “It’s been so long since we had dragons that the memory of what they truly are has been warped, but I still remember the stories my grandmother told me. She was part of an order of mages and witches that studied dragons. They understood that dragon magic was different than any other magic. They dedicated themselves to the study of dragons. She told me everything she knew about them, which is probably more than anyone alive knows. The order she was in didn’t keep great records, and the ones they did were stored in secret.”
“What did she tell you about dragons?” asked Lyric. Listening to Azina talk about dragons was fascinating. Her voice changed a bit, she seemed more vital and alive when she spoke of the revered dragons.
“Dragons are somewhat like man. They come in all sizes, from little ones the size of a large dog to the great dragons the size of a house. Like men, dragons can be very stupid or very smart. Some can even talk. The really old ones are as smart or smarter than any wise man. Dragons sometimes bonded with mages. Just like some A’kil bond with animals or people today. Those men and woman who bonded with dragons shared their magic. It made them especially powerful. When the last Dragons were hunted down, so were their bonded humans. Very few survived, and even fewer went on to have families. When the last dragons disappeared, the mages stopped hunting the bonded humans because their powers disappeared with the dragons.”
“People talked to dragons?” asked Lyric in awe. He couldn’t imagine talking to a beast the size of a house. He’d be too afraid.
“Yes, my grandmother’s order had many discussions with some of the elder dragons, especially the ones with a bonded human. They were very understanding of the fact that not all people hated dragons.”
“Why did people hate dragons?”
“Like men, not all dragons were good or friendly. Some dragons were like lions or wolves. They lived for the hunt. Hunting men was good sport for some dragons. They liked the challenge. Many elder dragons frowned on this. They knew what threat humans truly were, but they couldn’t control the other dragons. And some of the elder dragons also killed men for sport so they weren’t united on that front. Therefore, some dragons helped humans and some hunted them. Just like some men wanted to learn from the dragons and some men wanted to use the dragons for power. Bonded men could control their dragons. Make them do horrible things. Not everyone born with the power to bond with dragon has the right character for such a great gift. In the end, the dragons that lived on the Isle of Droll were the last known to man, until one day they all disappeared.”
“Were they killed?” asked Lyric.
“No, they left. They knew lands inhabited by men were too dangerous for them. They went away. However, it is written that the dragons vowed to return to Droll one day. And I believe that day is coming soon!”
“You think dragons are coming?” asked Lyric. Dragons had been gone for so long. Would they really come back? And why now?
“There is a legend my grandmother told me. It spoke of star alignments and celestial events. It has been said that before the third double eclipse the dragons would return.”
“There have been two double eclipses since the dragons disappeared. The last one happened when I was a very young girl. The next one will happen within the next two years,” said Azina.
“What does that mean for me?” asked Lyric.
“That is yet to be determined,” said Azina. “Your future is uncertain. Just because you have the mark of the dragon doesn’t mean you’ll bond with a dragon. Who knows what will happen if dragons come back.”
“So why are people searching for me?”
“When a lion tries to eat your leg, do you stop and ask him why he is attacking you? Or do you run away and hope the lion doesn’t eat you?”
Dragons, lions, people chasing him, it was all so confusing. Lyric stopped walking and put his hands to his head, he just wanted it all to stop.
A hard smack on his ass from Azina’s staff broke up his panic attack. “No time for that nonsense, we need to keep moving. You can agonize over why things are happening later.”
“Yes, Azina, I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, someday your dragonblood will show up. In the meantime, we’ll keep training. I don’t know why you’re upset we’re leaving Winport. The city was rat shit terrible, a real donkey’s ass if you know what I mean.”
Lyric shook his head. He didn’t know what she meant at all, but he did find it amusing when Azina started cussing. She would put half the sailors that came to Winport to shame.
18
SIBYLLE SAT ON TOP OF THE CARRIAGE. They were deep into the woods now and everyone was on edge. Her father had refused to let her ride a horse home and barely consented to allowing her to ride on top of the carriage.
Only when Robert pointed out that she had sharp eyes, was excellent with a bow, and could help keep an eye on the woods did he consent to letting her sit on top of the carriage and keep watch. Even then, he insisted she wear her full leathers and keep a shield with her.
Lyric's Curse (Dragonblood Sagas Book 1) Page 6
