With both eyebrows arched, Ben said, “You mean if I drink this, I can breathe fire like Dragon?”
“Assuming it works.”
Ben felt like a child again. When Bayzog looked away, he shoved it into his pouch.
Without looking at him, the wizard said, “Ben, it’s fine if you take it. I’d tuck away some of those yellow ones too. They’re for healing.”
Ben picked out a few more vials, filling his pouch and buckling it up. The stiffness from the long ride began to ease, and he didn’t feel so bad about the long journey now. Spying the gauntlets in the chest, he couldn’t help himself and put them on. He stood up straight as an arrow. “Whoa!”
Clenching his hands, he said, “Bayzog! I feel like ten men in one.” He strolled over to his horse that was still drinking from the stream and stroked its mane. “Be still. Be still.” He bent down, braced his shoulders under the horse’s belly, and heaved it up over his head. “Haha! Bayzog, look!
One of the corners of the part-elf’s mouth turned up. “Perhaps the horse should be riding you?”
Ben set the horse down. Excited, he said, “Oh my, oh my!” He fetched his bow and quiver and loaded an arrow. He took aim at a distant tree farther away than his customary targets. He pulled the bowstring back along his cheek in one smooth motion. His arm didn’t quaver. He released the bowstring.
Twang!
The arrow sliced through the wind, sailing true to the mark and burying itself in the distant tree.
Thunk!
“I never could have made that shot before!” Ben exclaimed. He nocked another arrow and pulled the string back.
Snap!
“Oops.”
“It looks like someone got a little carried away,” Bayzog said. “Be careful, Ben. Power like that is something you don’t want to get used to.”
Ben slipped off the gauntlets, walked over, and dropped them back into the chest. “I know. I think that’s why I feel so horrible for losing Akron.” He closed the lid on the chest and loaded it back onto his horse. “Come on. Let’s hurry up and get over to Quinley. All this fooling around made me hungry. And besides, they make the best fish and biscuits in Nalzambor.”
With a nod, Bayzog said, “I look forward to it.”
While they crossed the stream on horseback, the wind picked up, and the rain-clouded sky started to darken on the horizon.
“The rain’s coming sooner than I expected,” Ben said. “But don’t worry, Bayzog. A little water never hurt anybody. Try not to slip out of your saddle.”
Eyes cast upward, Bayzog said with a grim look on his face, “It’s not the rain I’m worried about.”
Following Bayzog’s line of sight, Ben lifted his chin to the heavens. High in the sky, a formation of birds soared toward them beneath the clouds. His chest tightened. “You don’t think those are birds.”
“No, I think they’re wurmers.”
CHAPTER 17
Brenwar stroked the whiskers on the corner of his mouth. Minutes ago, he’d grabbed Nath—who’d been lip-locked with Laylana—by the belt of his pants and pulled him free and into an alley.
Nath paced back and forth in a narrow passage between the storefronts. “I don’t know what got into me. I’ve never acted so impulsively before.”
“Hah. Your memory can’t be that bad.” Brenwar gave Nath the eye. “I recall plenty of times in your earlier days when you sucked face with ladies who were little more than strangers.”
Nath pulled up a wooden crate and sat down. “I did, but that was so long ago. Another time. Was I that bad?”
“I hardly ever saw you pass up a pretty woman who batted an eye at you. It’s not any of my business, but you’ve come too far along to go back down that path.” Brenwar showed the calloused knuckles on his fist. “I’d hate to have to throttle you if it happened again.”
“It was just a kiss.”
“It looked like more than a kiss to me. Even I haven’t forgotten about Selene. Imagine if she saw that. She’d tear those golden eyes out of your head.” Brenwar gave a huff, flipping some of the hair of his moustache up. “Don’t just sit on your hind end sulking. We have things to do. Important things. Now straighten this out with Laylana. I don’t want to be around any awkwardness. It’s bad enough being a dwarf in a human city.”
Nath leaned over, peering around Brenwar. He didn’t see Laylana at the end of the alley. If he could, he’d rather avoid the apology. Not that she didn’t deserve one, but rather because he was embarrassed.
How could I do such a stupid thing?
Laylana was a beautiful elf with fine features. It was quite natural that any man who saw her would desire her. But he wasn’t a man, he was a dragon. And she hadn’t had such a profound effect on him when he’d first met her. What happened had come on so suddenly.
With a sigh, Nath said, “Why don’t you give me a few minutes, Brenwar?”
“A few. No more.” The dwarf turned and started down the alley, but when he neared its end, Balzurth emerged, blocking his path. “Pardon, sire.”
Balzurth stepped aside and Brenwar was gone, leaving him alone with his father. With bright eyes, his father said, “So, I understand you had yourself a little kissy-kissy.”
“She told you!” Nath exclaimed. His head fell back between his shoulders. “I can’t believe that.”
Pulling up a crate, Balzurth sat down in front of Nath. “She doesn’t have anyone else to talk to, and most women like talking. Particularly about their feelings. Speaking of which, how are you feeling, Son?”
Gaping at his father, Nath replied, “We aren’t really going to do this, are we?”
Balzurth’s heavy stare didn’t change.
Nath knew when his father meant business. They weren’t going to move an inch until he opened up about it. He didn’t want to sit in this smelly alley for a decade. He remembered the last time that had happened. “Guilty and embarrassed.”
“Good.” Balzurth gave him a little pat on the knee. “You should feel that way. But you aren’t the only one feeling embarrassed. You left Laylana standing on the porch all alone. Poor girl looked like a frightened rabbit.”
“Brenwar dragged me back here. Father, I was going to apologize.” He gave his father’s crate a little kick. “What happened? I just lost control.”
“You let your guard down.”
“What guard?”
Balzurth took him by the skin of his arms. “Your scales are gone. I told you they protected you in more ways than one. You’re all flesh now. When that happens, it doesn’t take long for your carnal instincts to surface.”
Nath rubbed the fine hairs on his arms. “Flesh is awfully weak, isn’t it?”
His father nodded.
“But you don’t have scales at the moment,” Nath said. “How are you coping with it?”
“I’ve got thousands of years of coping under my belt, so to speak. Come on.” Balzurth stood. “Like the fifer gnomes say, let’s nip this in the blossom’s bud.”
Nath found Laylana sitting on the porch, leaning against a post, and took a seat beside her. Her chin was down when he opened his mouth to speak.
At the same time, they both said, “I’m sorry.”
“Please, me first,” Nath insisted. He took a little breath. “I apologize for kissing you. It was very forward of me to do that, and it shouldn’t have happened.”
Showing a faint little smile, she replied, “It was a grand kiss, and I have no complaint. I’ve never kissed a dragon before, but I understand, Nath Dragon. The fault is not all your own. I did welcome it.”
He swallowed. Her warming way with words was enticing him anew. Taking control of his impulses, he said, “Let’s just shake hands and move on from it.”
She extended her hand. “Certainly.”
“I’m relieved.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes. “Laylana, you are a magnificent woman, but I need to stay focused—and I can’t forget about Selene.”
Clasping his hands in both of he
rs, she said, “I’m a fighter, Nath. I’ll be fine.” She rose. “Let’s go see these other friends of yours.”
CHAPTER 18
Dripping wet, Bayzog stood by a stone fireplace inside a small home in the village of Quinley. As the logs crackled and popped, he wrung out the sleeves of his robes, splattering drops of water on the floor. He and Ben had been half a mile from Quinley when the rainstorm hit, the downpour so bad he could barely see ten feet in front of him. If it weren’t for Ben, he’d have been lost.
“Bayzog, take off those robes,” said Ben. “It will take you too long to dry if you stand there in wet clothes.” He sat at a candlelit table nibbling at a plate of food with one arm hitched over the back of his chair. His brother Jad—much older but similar in demeanor—was at the table with his wife beside him. They were thrilled to see Ben and hadn’t stopped talking and feeding him since they’d arrived. “Make yourself comfortable and join us.”
The quaint home offered very little in terms of privacy. It was one big room, with a window on every wall. The wind whistled through the planks of the boarded walls. A bucket caught a steady drip of water that streamed down from the rafters.
Not having a change of clothes with him, Bayzog smiled and said, “I’ll be fine.”
“He’ll be fine,” Ben reassured his family. “Just a little waterlogged.”
Laughing, Ben’s family resumed their talking. Ben had been quick to ask if they’d come across Rerry and Samaz, but they hadn’t. The older couple were concerned about some of the other rumors that had spread, about the giants and the wurmers. That’s when Ben had started making his case. “I wish you would both come to Quintuklen. You’ll be safer there.”
“And abandon my sheep and cattle?” Jad rapped his knuckles on the table. “Why, they’d never forgive me for it.”
“They wouldn’t miss you one lick,” Ben said, joking.
“Oh yes they would,” Jad said.
His wife nodded, saying, “He spoils them. How can a man spoil a cow? Yet he does. He walks out into the field and they come mooing. Silliest thing I ever saw.”
“It’s not silly,” Jad said. “They like the attention.”
“I’d like some attention too, you know,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to play second fiddle to the cows.”
The light conversation went back and forth, creating a grand atmosphere of simple comfort. Bayzog cast a small spell that dried his robes, leaned his staff by the front door, and finally took a seat at the table.
Jad’s wife filled him a clay cup of water. She stared at Bayzog and said, “I’ve never seen eyes like that before. I have that violet in my garden. It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
After a couple of hours of talking without ceasing, Bayzog made himself comfortable in the corner of the cabin. He pulled his legs into his chest, closed his eyes, and listened to the rain that continued to pitter-pat on the roof. The long ride had finally caught up with him, and he drifted off to sleep.
A startling crack woke him. Blinking, he noted the room was almost pitch black aside from the faint glow of some of the embers in the fireplace. There was a rustle of movement on the floor. Ben was under a blanket, starting to stand. His brother crept along Ben’s side.
“What was that?” Ben said. He was up on his feet and slipping his trousers on. “Do you think a tree has fallen?”
“That wasn’t a tree.” Jad buckled his pants and grabbed his boots from beside the door. “And the rain and wind have stopped. It sounded like a beam cracked.”
Outside, horses had started to whinny. Some of the livestock were crying out, too. Bayzog’s ears prickled. Eyes now alert, he stood up and reached for his staff.
Whoom.
The small home shook. The clay goblets on the table rattled.
Whoom.
Bayzog noted the whites of Ben’s eyes were huge. Ben whispered to him, “What in Nalzambor is that?”
Jad’s wife slipped through the cabin, hugged him, and said with a tremble in her voice, “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be,” Jad reassured her, “It’s probably just some wolves or something.”
A woman’s cry screeched through the night. An agonized man cried out and fell silent. Buckling on his sword belt, Ben donned his leather armor and pushed his brother back. “Stay here.”
Elderwood Staff in hand, Bayzog followed Ben out the door. In the center of the courtyard two foreboding figures stood, as out of place as an orc at a dwarven Festival of Iron. At fifteen feet tall with a back as wide as a stream, an abomination stood with his great hands hanging down well past his knees. He held up a length of fence post in one hand and snapped it in half.
Beside the giant was a man with a powerful build, wearing an iron helmet. His arms were bigger than most men’s legs, and in the sinking moonlight they bulged with muscle. There was a dead body beside him. Blood was on the ground. He spoke with thunder in his voice and said, “Wake up, village. Your time to die is at hand.”
CHAPTER 19
It took a long conversation, but finally Nath convinced Ben’s wife Margo to let them into Bayzog and Sasha’s apartment. The wizard’s place was as neat as ever, but the mood was somewhat dark. Sasha sat on the sofa, staring into the corner firelight. Her sunken eyes were distant, but her natural beauty was hanging in there.
“Ben’s going to be so disappointed he missed you, Dragon,” Margo said. She was a pleasure of a woman to be around. Her hair was strawberry blond and short. She had the sunny personality of a country girl, simple in her clothing and a smile of beautiful white teeth. “But I never imagined you’d be even more handsome than he spoke of. And your father, too. It’s uncanny.” She rubbed her eyes with her finger and thumb. “Yes, you’re real. I hope the food I prepare is worthy.”
“Please, Margo, you flatter us. I’m certain that whatever you prepare will be more than sufficient.”
“Without a doubt,” Balzurth said, taking a seat on the sofa beside Sasha. There were two young dimple-cheeked girls hiding behind Bayzog’s circular table and staring at Balzurth with eyes as big as the moon. They were very little. One favored Margo and the other Ben. He caught them looking. “Who are these two little delights? Come over here. I have something for you.”
With a nod from their mother, the girls hopped up into Balzurth’s lap.
“That’s Trista and this is Justine. They’re Ben’s pride and joy.”
“You have a handsome family, Margo. I say Ben did well to come by you,” Nath replied.
“I’m just glad I found him. Things were very hard before he came.” Her eyes watered up a little. “I’m not used to being without him. He never leaves my side for long, and I’m just not used to it. I didn’t think it would be so hard after only a couple of days.”
Nath felt that guilty nagging in his gut again. Ben had lost his first family during the war, so it only made sense that he would stay close so that it didn’t happen again. Nath had never even gotten to meet Ben’s first family. He’d been in his decades-long dragon sleep when they were around. Rubbing Margo’s shoulder, he said, “We shall catch up with them soon, and I’ll send him right back.”
“No, no, I understand. You have to do what you have to do, and I feel horrible for Bayzog. Sasha is a sweet woman. Though I don’t know her, I can feel it. She needs her family close. Ben is doing the right thing. He’s a brave man. You taught him well.”
“He was born brave,” Nath said.
“These young little things are adorable,” Balzurth said.
Laylana walked over to the dragon of a man and picked up one of Ben’s little girls in her arms. She tickled Trista under the chin, bringing forth some giggles. “I’ve never held a baby human before. They are heavy.”
“If you think they’re heavy, you should try holding a baby dwarf,” Nath joked.
“We’re built to last,” Brenwar said.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Margo said, “I’ll finish preparing something to eat. Come, Trista and J
ustine. I need someone to sample the pudding before I serve it.”
The little girls squirted out of Laylana and Balzurth’s grasps.
The Dragon King started laughing. “If only people could remain childlike in their worries, Nalzambor would stay a better place.” He turned his attention to Sasha. “This is a sad predicament. What did you say happened to her?”
“Bayzog calls it the wizard’s dementia. It’s rare, but it affects humans who use magic. She was a fine sorceress at one time.”
Brow furrowed, Balzurth placed his hands on Sasha’s face. He pulled the skin under her eyes down. “Hmmm. And you say they’re on a quest to heal this? This is deep. Dark. There is no cure for this that man can find—that I know of.”
Nath’s heart sank. He knew there wasn’t a cure for every ailment in the world. Life was hard. People were mortal. Old age and tragedy weren’t the only ways people died. There was sickness, too. The flesh was weak, and it didn’t hold up forever. “We hoped the Ocular of Orray might help, but it’s closely guarded by the elves.”
In a serious tone, Balzurth said, “I believe you experimented with that before, Son. How did it turn out?”
“It didn’t.” Nath reflected on the time in the elven city of Elome when he’d tried to rid himself of the black scales. It wasn’t favorable. “That doesn’t mean it won’t work for her.”
“No, this woman doesn’t have long, I fear.” Balzurth’s big hands covered her shoulders. “Buried deep inside is a love for family that has let her hold on this long, but her attachment to life is hanging by a thread. Her hope and her very essence are fading. It’s a good thing we arrived when we did.”
“What do you mean?” Laylana took a seat on the other side of Sasha. “So we can comfort her?”
“Why no, so she can be cured.”
“Father, I thought you said she couldn’t be cured.”
“Not by any human means.” Balzurth rubbed his hands together. “But I’m not human.”
Eyes of the Dragon (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 4) (Tail of the Dragon) Page 7
