The muskrat cut through the water with alarming speed. Nath climbed to the back of the piece of driftwood. He waved his hand. “Come and get me, little beast!”
The hungry-eyed little scavenger closed right in. As soon as the varmint came within arm’s length, Nath punched it square in the nose. It let out a squeak, splashed, and spluttered. Then it swam back toward the bank.
“How’s that, Ben?”
Ben shook his head. “Exhausting.”
They floated a few moments longer before hopping off and swimming to the stone rim of the channel and climbing out. They were just inside the edge of the city, early in the day, shortly after the sun had risen. Like a pair of rats, they raced over the pavement and found shelter in the morning shadows.
Nath wrung the water out of his hair and combed his fingers through his locks.
Ben looked at him. “Really? Do you think we’ll run into someone special down here?”
“You never know who you’ll meet wherever you go.”
“Like a muskrat?’
“Or a rat and a cat.” Nath pointed down the backside of the alley, where a cat was chasing a rat into the street. “Heh, and we thought giants were problems.”
“All we have are giant problems.” Ben dumped the water out of his boots one by one. He shivered. “So now what, do we wait to be big again?”
“There’s no telling when that may happen. I think we’d better move. It will help you shake the chills.”
“So would the sun.”
“It’s early and it’s fall. I know where we can find some coals nearby.”
“Lead the way.”
Everything inside Narnum was gargantuan. The cracks in the roads were trenches. The wagons and carts hauling trade were tremendous machines of destruction. And the people busy with the chores of the day made the giants Nath had fought look like children. Being so small was a different reality altogether. It made Nath’s perspective change in regard to the smaller creatures of the world. But there was something peaceful about it too, even among all of the racket and clutter. Freedom.
Hah, it wouldn’t be half bad to nestle out of sight for a while and avoid all this commotion. Besides, with my breath, I think I could fend off most of the predators small enough to notice me.
Ben grabbed Nath by the arm. “So, where did you say we were going?”
“I’ll show you.” Nath led the way, sticking close to the walls. People were busy in the streets: buying, selling, eating. A single misplaced footstep could crush him or Ben if they weren’t careful. Nath stopped at the corner of one building and pointed across the street. “There!”
“The stables? It looks like it’s at least a mile to get over there.” A woman led a black horse out of the barn door. “And what happens if we spook one of those mighty beasts? Not to mention we’re surrounded by giant people a thousand feet tall. Surely one of them will see us.”
“I see your point.” The intersection Nath wanted to cross was a hive of activity. Even as small as they were, chances were someone might see them. Maybe not. But it would be hard to avoid those big feet clomping by. “Just give it a moment. Something will reveal itself.”
“Like a wild-eyed child?”
“A wild-eyed child? What are you talking about, Ben?” Turning, Nath saw exactly what Ben was talking about.
Leaning against a wagon, a wild-eyed boy stared right at them with a tilted head. His rumpled, long, dirty hair hung over to the side. He had a shovel in his hands. Without taking his eyes off Nath and Ben, he started across the street.
“He doesn’t look like a friendly boy.”
“No, he looks like the kind that sets a cat’s tail on fire. What do we do, Nath?”
“Come on, we’ll hide.” He gave Ben a shove. Together they scurried away and slipped into a stack of wooden crates stuffed with small red potatoes. “Hungry?”
“I’ve never been this hungry. There he is.”
Through the wooden slats in the crate, he could make out the rough-looking boy. At least he’s alone. The gargantuan boy crouched down. His stubby hands pawed over Nath and Ben’s path. Nath squeezed deeper into the potatoes.
The boy lifted up the crates one by one. Not seeing anything underneath, he looked inside the next crate, giving each a hard shake. He hoisted up the crate with Ben and Nath within.
“Oh my!” Ben said.
“Hang on.”
“I’m not worried about hanging on, I’m worried about being turned into smashed potatoes.”
The boy shook the crate. The jarring force was like being in the middle of an earthquake. Ben fell out, screaming, “Dragon!” He hit the deck hard.
The boy slung the crate aside with bone-jarring force, smashing Nath between the potatoes. He gathered his wits and squeezed out of the crate just as the giant boy’s hand closed around Ben.
CHAPTER 30
A group of men wheeled a unique contraption into Eckubahn’s throne room. It was a heavy-duty cart on a wagon-wheel platform. Like a small stage, it was big enough to hold a handful of men. On top were two heavy beams crisscrossed in the shape of an X. Shackles dangled from chains embedded in the wood.
“I like the people’s name for this,” Eckubahn said. His voice was a low rumble. “The Podium of Judgment.” He snickered. “As I understand, it’s a creation of yours, isn’t it, Selene?”
Selene didn’t acknowledge the titan.
Tylabahn shoved her to her knees. “Answer him!” She kicked Selene in the ribs. The blow lifted Selene off her feet. She skidded across the floor.
Selene’s tail licked out, snagging Tylabahn’s ankle. She jerked the woman to the floor along with her, knocking Tylabahn’s head into the hard floor with a loud smack.
Tylabahn jumped to her feet. She rushed Selene with murder in her eyes.
Eckubahn stretched out his tremendous hand between them. “Stop, Sister.” His stomach muscles tightened from laughter. “Let Selene have her strength. She’ll need it.”
“Let me rip her eyes out first.”
“No, I want to see her tears before you do. Bind her onto the podium and begone.”
With downcast eyes, the burly soldiers hooked their arms under Selene’s and dragged her onto the podium. She didn’t fight them. They locked her feet at the base of the beams. Her arms were spread out over her head and hooked to the cuffs. They even managed to secure her tail.
Selene could feel the men’s hearts pounding in their chests. Their perspiration was driven by fear. They dared not cast a glance at Eckubahn under penalty of death. Testing the bonds with hard tugs, they nodded at one another and, without a word, departed.
“Now what are we going to do to her, Eckubahn, tickle her for more of your amusement?”
“No, I’m going to do something else that I find amusing. I think you’ll enjoy it as well.” He grunted.
Giant sentries opened up another set of doors adjacent to the front of the throne. A slender woman in priestly robes entered. Her face was pretty, and her bald head was covered in colorful tattoos.
Selene’s lips drew tight. The woman was a cleric of Barnabus. One of her very own. The clerics had been disbanded, but many of them had fallen into the service of the titans. To make matters worse, Selene recognized the woman. And she recognized the rectangular case made from polished amber wood that the woman carried. Her chest tightened as the woman took the small set of stairs onto the podium. “It’s been a long time, Forever.”
“Not that long,” Forever coolly replied. She smiled at Selene. “It does my heart well to see you.”
“They know each other? What good is this, Eckubahn?” Tylabahn pulled at her ragged locks of hair. “Did you arrange this reunion?”
“No, but it is a pleasant surprise.” He tapped his fingers together in a contemplative fashion. “Forever has my eye. Today, she’s going to prove her unfailing loyalty. Aren’t you, dear?”
Forever bowed her head then looked right up at him. “With an unquenchable passion. Master, may
I proceed?”
“The podium is yours.”
Kneeling down, Forever set down the rectangular box and opened the lid. Resting inside on a pad of red velvet, slender metal instruments gleamed. She picked up a needle as long as her forearm. “Do you remember giving me this, Selene? What did you call me then, your precious acolyte? You remember that, don’t you?”
“You know I do.” Selene inhaled through her nose and breathed out slowly. She knew each of the objects intimately. The slender needles, tongs, and tiny saws brought back disturbing memories. “You don’t have to do this, Forever.”
“Do what? What you taught me to do, my former queen?” Forever poked a needle between the scales on Selene’s arm. “Interesting. I’ve never operated on black scales. Anyway, I hope you don’t hope to dissuade me from what you taught me. Especially since I was so, oh, how did you say it, gifted at it?”
“We all have gifts, good ones only, not bad. You need to believe me when I tell you that.”
“Didn’t you tell me once that the only good in the world was death?”
Eckubahn chuckled. “What a shame that you’ve changed your way of thinking on things, Selene. You would have been a fine asset. But every asset can be replaced. Continue, Forever.”
Using a scalpel, Forever started to slice through the layer of Selene’s scales. The sharp instrument slipped between the scales. “I’ve penetrated. You know what that means, don’t you, Selene?”
“Of course I do. It means you’re about to do something you’ll regret.”
“And do you regret torturing all the dragons you tormented and experimented on?”
“Absolutely!”
Forever looked Selene right in the eyes. “I don’t believe you. I saw you delight in it. And I will delight in it the same way you did, Selene.” Her expression darkened. “You abandoned me. You turned your back on all of us. Now you are going to pay for it.”
“Everyone has a choice to make. You could have turned away as I did.”
Nose to nose, Forever said, “You were my queen! You were my everything! Now I see that you are weak. Now I serve Eckubahn. And just so you know, I hate dragons as much as I ever did.” She took a pair of tongs that had small, jagged teeth out of the case. “Especially you.”
“Do what you want with me, but that won’t change anything. You’ll lose in the end.”
“Says the one shackled to a tree. What did you think, Selene? That after all of the wrongs we committed, Nalzambor would forgive us? What about you?” She clacked the tongs in front of Selene’s eyes. “What punishment did you reap? Nothing. While we died and bled from deeds ordered by you, you started another life for yourself in the dragon realms. How, I ask you, is that fair?”
The very thing that had been eating Selene up all along was now being spoken.
Forever is right. I have this coming.
“I don’t hear you saying anything, Selene. I accept your silence as proof of guilt.” Using the tongs, Forever clamped down on one of Selene’s black scales and said, “This, as you know, is going to hurt.” She yanked.
Selene screamed.
CHAPTER 31
Nath hustled out of the broken crate just as the gargantuan boy snatched up Ben. The boy’s eyes were filled with a wicked gleam.
Ben’s arms were pinched to his sides in the boy’s fist. With pain exploding in his face, he yelled, “Dragon, help me!”
At ground level, Nath stood helpless. What am I going to do?
The boy let out a cruel “Hee-hee-hee.”
Seeing Ben’s fear-stricken face, Nath’s inner fires came to life. Use your wits, Nath. He let out a puff of smoke. Use your fire. He took in a deep breath and let out a whoosh of fire. The bright-orange stream of flame caught the boy’s boot ablaze.
It took a few eternal seconds before the boy caught on as he started his trek back across the street. Nath gave chase. Finally, the boy stopped, looked down, hopped, and screamed. His fingers opened up. Ben slipped free.
Nath rushed forward and caught his friend.
The screaming wild-eyed boy patted at the flames. The commotion stirred the crowd.
“Perfect,” Nath mumbled.
“What’s perfect about being trampled?” Ben replied.
“The diversion, pure and simple. They won’t even notice us, so stay close and don’t get stepped on.” Nath wove his way through the crowd, whose focus was on the hollering boy. As the people rushed to see what was going on and give aid, the road emptied.
Nath and Ben raced into the stable and out of sight.
Ben huffed for breath. “Thanks, Dragon. That was close. The boy was going to use me for a plaything, and he clearly wasn’t the kind that would play nice. I’m glad you set his foot on fire. That was brilliant.”
“Who knows, maybe he’ll become a better man one day for it.”
“I doubt it.” Ben scanned the barn filled with stables. “So, what are we here for?”
Nath pointed toward the back. An older man in the rear of the stable was leaned back in a chair sleeping. “An old friend.” He started walking, covering his nose and avoiding the piles of manure they walked by.
Ben pinched his nose too. “Guzan, that’s ripe. It smells ten times worse when you’re smaller.” A fly as big as his head buzzed right by his face. It landed on the pile. Ben started running. “Gah!”
The old man in the chair wore a pair of bib overalls and no shirt. The hair on his corded limbs was white. Standing at the man’s boot, Nath said, “Stay out of the way.”
“But—”
Nath climbed up the man’s pants leg and didn’t stop until he made it to the top of the snoring man’s shoulder. He pushed aside the man’s graying locks of hair and spoke into an ear as big as he was. “Guthrie.” He didn’t get a response. He cupped his hands over his mouth and summoned his dragon voice. “GUTHRIE!”
The old man jumped up out of his chair.
Nath latched onto the man’s hair.
Guthrie snatched a nearby pitchfork and wheeled around, looking in all directions. “Who’s there? Who’s there? Stay back! I warn you!”
Nath spoke into the man’s ear again. “When’s the last time you cleaned your ears, Guthrie? Yuck! They’re filthy!”
“Who said that?” Guthrie demanded.
“It’s me!”
“Me who?” Guthrie’s eyes searched over the barn high and low. “Oh me, oh my, I’m getting possessed by one of those spirits. I knew this would happen.”
“You aren’t possessed, Guthrie. It’s Nath. Nath Dragon!”
Guthrie went still. “You sound like Nath, but your voice is so tiny.”
“That’s because I am tiny. Listen to me, Guthrie, and don’t get all jumpy. I shrank, and I’m on your shoulder.”
Guthrie turned his head to the left. “I don’t see anything.”
“Your other shoulder.” Nath stepped to the other side of Guthrie’s overall strap and waved.
Guthrie turned his neck. His bushy brows lifted as his eyes fastened on Nath. “Oh my, it is you. Why are you so small? Never mind. I know the answer to that. There’s nothing but trouble here, and here you come. I should have known you’d show up, but I was worried.”
“You know me,” Nath said, studying his old friend’s face. Guthrie was a lantern-jawed blacksmith who slept a lot but always looked tired. “Say, you don’t look half bad, Guthrie. I’d figured that with me out of your hair, you’d have caught up on your sleep by now. How long’s it been, forty years?”
“Forty-two years and as many days.” Guthrie yawned. His mouth was so big he could swallow Nath whole. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Nath. Especially with all the trouble in the world. It’s no surprise you’re right in the middle of it, though, aren’t you.”
“Of course.” Guthrie, like Ben, had been a young man when they’d met and adventured together long ago. Guthrie hadn’t changed that much aside from the grey hair and added wrinkles. The blacksmith still had plenty of iron in his lim
bs. “So, are you still putting plenty of sting in the metal, my friend?”
“No one in this city can smite the iron like me. I lie low about it these days, by slinging hay in the stables. I’ve no desire to aid the enemy.” He set the pitchfork aside. “So Nath, how can I help you?”
“Us, actually. I’ve a friend along.” He pointed down at the ground and called out. “Ben, it’s safe now. Eh, watch your step, Guthrie. Ben is no bigger than I am.”
“Certainly. Ah, I see the wee little fellow. Hello, Benjamin.”
Ben waved and let Guthrie pick him up.
Guthrie shuffled away and closed the barn door, cutting off their view of the outside. He moved deeper into the barn, behind the stables and into the back, where a well-equipped forge was set up. The coals inside were banked, warm but not hot. He set Ben down on the warm opposite edge, where he turned around and around, warming and drying every bit of himself. Nath hopped down beside Ben. Guthrie dragged over a chair and sat down. “Tell me what’s going on, and leave out the bit where the world is falling apart. I’m keen to that already.”
Nath filled Guthrie in about the wurmers, giants, and titans. He explained why they had shrunk down—to slip into Narnum the way they had.
Guthrie nodded. “Oh, that was a clever idea. You were always full of those, Nath. So Brenwar’s out there, is he? Any chance he’ll swing by? Always good times with Brenwar in the smithy.”
“Perhaps when all this is over,” Nath said.
“Good. I’d really like to master that seventh layer of metal before I die. There’s something I’m missing. It’s been forty years, and I still haven’t figured it out yet. You tell him I’m waiting.”
“I will. So, Guthrie, while we’re small—and mind you, it could wear off at any moment—we could use a guide around the city. We need to make haste and avoid treachery. I need to get my father. It’s imperative that he be given a proper burial.”
“Aye.” Guthrie’s durable expression softened. “So sorry about your father, Nath. I know how that goes, losing a parent to a monster. Pah!” Guthrie spat. “These giants and those nasty insects have so many minds fooled. The people are as addled as when that evil Selene ruled here. But she’s going to finally get what’s coming to her. I heard the good news buzzing in the streets this morning. She’s on the block.” He moved away toward the wall, where a huge, single-bladed battle axe hung. He removed it from the pegs and said, “And I’ll have the gratifying pleasure of supplying the axe.”
Judgment of the Dragon (Book 7 of 10): Dragon Fantasy Series (Tail of the Dragon) Page 10
