by Linda McNabb
‘We can’t just leave Tryx here like this anyway,’ Rhonan added, feeling torn by his need to rescue his family and help the injured dragon. ‘Would they have medicines in Shaldoh that will heal Tryx?’
‘I’m not sure the elves would help a dragon, especially Tryx,’ Kheron replied honestly then he looked thoughtfully at Tryx and grinned. ‘But she is bringing them a very valuable present – the elf stone. They will have to help her.’
‘We should get going as soon as possible,’ Rhonan suggested. ‘Then when we’ve been to Shaldoh we have to find a way to stop my uncle before he gets to the Spring festival.’
‘If we leave now it will be night well before we get there but I don’t want to wait until morning.’ Kheron looked in concern at the dragon. ‘And I don’t think it would be good to let her wings get worse.’
‘Let’s get moving then,’ Rhonan said, going over to where Tryx had buried her snout in her front paws. ‘Tryx, we need to take you to Shaldoh. They will fix your wings.’
Then Tryx go home again. Tryx stood up slowly and wandered obediently towards the river. Kheron hurried off to get their packs and bows and arrows then met them on the path to the river. Tryx knocked down several trees, proving how much she had grown in the last day. With a gentle splash, she slipped into the river, seeming soothed by the water on her wings.
Rhonan and Kheron stepped onto the raft and untied the rope. Immediately the raft began floating slowly down river. After a few minutes Kheron looked annoyed.
‘This will take forever. And if we go past the village in the dark we might miss it altogether.’ Kheron slapped the raft in frustration. ‘And we’ll never catch up to the hunters.’
‘Perhaps we could use some branches to push the raft along faster?’ Rhonan said, looking around on the slowly passing riverbank for anything that would speed up their progress.
The raft lurched suddenly and both boys grabbed for the black stone, to save themselves as well as the stone. It lurched again and Rhonan looked back and saw Tryx nudging the back of the raft with her snout. A third bump, less violent, told Rhonan that the dragon was doing it on purpose. Her snout was now firmly pushing the raft forward and her powerful feet and tail were propelling it forward at an increasing speed.
‘I think Tryx knows we want to get there fast,’ Rhonan said, feeling both happy that the dragon was helping and a little nervous as to whether the raft would hold together. ‘This is faster than a branch would push us.’
‘At this speed we’ll be there before nightfall,’ Kheron agreed. They had to hold on as the back of the raft tipped down alarmingly. They crept forward to balance the raft and Rhonan almost shut his eyes as they hurtled down the river.
The breeze stung at Rhonan’s eyes as he squinted ahead, looking for any sign of the elf village. ‘Will we be able to see it from the river?’ he asked Kheron, having to shout a little against the noise of the air rushing past.
‘No, but there will be an illusion of thorny bushes that will tell us where it is,’ Kheron said, holding one hand up to shield his eyes from the water spray, wind and leaves that were bombarding them.
An hour later, the light of day was starting to fade, and Rhonan frowned as he saw lights up ahead on the side of the river. Tryx was paddling a lot slower and she looked very tired.
‘What’s that?’ he asked, pointing at the yellow lights that twinkled as they passed bushes and trees.
‘Shaldoh,’ Kheron said with a tone of horror. ‘The village still isn’t hidden.’
‘Tryx, slow down, we’re here,’ Rhonan told the dragon, patting her gently on her snout. ‘I guess they will definitely welcome Tryx’s gift then.’
Tryx grunted a little as she glared at Rhonan and then at the black stone. It was a look that said she was not giving up her prize easily. Rhonan ignored the dragon and stared ahead as Tryx pushed them off into a small lagoon that led right up to the village.
It didn’t take long for their arrival to be noticed. Rhonan and Kheron had just pulled the raft up onto the bank when shouts were heard from the village. Tryx dragged herself slowly out of the water and shook herself to dry off, then almost collapsed on the ground. She looked exhausted and both wings hung limply at her sides.
‘Who comes?’ a voice called out as a dozen lamps came into view. It wasn’t quite fully dark yet but there wasn’t enough light to see very far. Only the faces of the elves could be seen as they held the lamps high. Their approach was not one of defence, it was cautious, almost afraid.
‘It is only us, Kheron and Rhonan,’ Kheron called out. The elves stopped a dozen paces away and they glared at Rhonan as if he were a hunter.
‘Kheron?’ the querulous voice clearly belonged to Corbyn but it was a minute before the old man broke away from the other villagers and came forward. He walked slowly up to Kheron, keeping a wary eye on both Rhonan and the dragon. ‘Come back to the village. The other one is not welcome – or the beast.’
Tryx rose slightly at the insult that was clearly intended and she blew a small flame out her nostrils. It seemed to drain most of her strength and she sank back down, seeming like a crumpled pile of leaves rather than a dragon.
Kheron made no attempt to move towards his fellow villagers though and he stood resolutely beside Rhonan as if defending his right to be there.
‘Father has been caught by the hunters,’ Kheron said simply. ‘And so has Uncle Bryn, Aunt Elezan and Dyahn.’
Silence met his announcement. At first Corbyn looked shocked, then started to shake his head. He stepped back a few paces and looked at Rhonan in the gathering darkness with an accusing squint. ‘No doubt this half-hunter is to blame.’
‘If it wasn’t for Rhonan I would have been caught as well,’ Kheron replied defensively.
‘Be that as it may – he is still part hunter and is not welcome in our village.’ Corbyn banged his old walking stick on the ground. He looked angry and firm on his decision.
‘What happened to the village defences?’ Rhonan asked when the silence stretched out uncomfortably.
‘You should remember that,’ Joahl said in a voice laced with hatred as he stepped forward to stand next to his father. ‘Your pet monster destroyed our stone.’
This time Tryx barely even lifted her head and Rhonan wondered just how sick the dragon was. He thought it odd that the villagers hadn’t commented on the large elf stone on the raft and then he realised that Tryx had collapsed right in front of it. The quickly darkening sky was hiding the small part that showed above Tryx’s body. The elves could not see the precious stone that would save their village.
‘But there was plenty of small stones to surround the village and maintain the illusion,’ Kheron pointed out.
Corbyn sighed deeply and seemed to sag with defeat. ‘Some did not wish to stay in the village. They took their stones and left. There was not enough left to hold the illusion.’
‘The village will be abandoned in a matter of days,’ Joahl said woodenly. ‘Shaldoh is no more.’
‘You don’t have to move on,’ Rhonan said, meaning to tell them about the elf stone, but nobody even acknowledged that he had spoken.
‘Come along, Kheron. We must pack and move quickly before the hunters find the village,’ Corbyn said, taking hold of Kheron’s shoulder. ‘Falh will be sadly missed.’
‘Missed?’ Kheron almost shouted and pulled free from his grandfather. ‘What do you mean? Surely we will mount a rescue mission to save father and the others?’
Corbyn looked unsure for a moment. A tear trickled down his cheek and Rhonan was sure the old man was about to change his mind about rescuing Falh and his own family.
‘We cannot risk being caught,’ Joahl said in a very defensive tone as he took his father’s arm. ‘We do not go looking for the hunters. It is not safe.’
Corbyn nodded his agreement, sadly. Rhonan did not need much light to see what Kheron thought of that idea. He glared at his uncle with a look of disgust and contempt.
‘Then I
will go alone,’ Kheron said.
‘I will come,’ Rhonan assured his cousin. There was no way he was letting his family be imprisoned by the hunters. ‘But we must leave Tryx here. She is too sick to travel.’
‘You can’t go off looking for hunters,’ Corbyn said, shaking his head furiously. ‘I won’t let you.’
‘And that dragon isn’t staying here,’ Joahl added.
‘Tryx risked his life to bring something that will save the entire clan and allow you to live in Shaldoh for the rest of your lives,’ Kheron said a little angrily. Rhonan didn’t comment on the fact that the dragon took the stone for herself. She needed help and this might be the only way to get it.
‘Really?’ Corbyn sounded doubtful but now they had his full attention.
‘Tryx brought you a new elf stone to replace the one she broke,’ Rhonan added to the hastily made-up story. He pointed behind the dragon and Joahl took several steps to see what was there.
‘It’s a huge elf stone!’ Joahl said, delight and amazement chasing away all the anger of a moment ago.
Corbyn shuffled around as well, still keeping his distance from Tryx. His silence as he stared at the stone made Rhonan wonder if he was going to refuse to take the stone but then the old man turned around and there were tears streaming down his face.
‘Shaldoh will live on,’ he said simply.
‘Take it to the village square,’ Joahl ordered and several elves came hurrying forward. ‘We must carve the illusion before morning.’
‘And Tryx?’ Rhonan asked, stepping in the way of the men and blocking them from the stone. ‘She needs care. She is very sick.’
Joahl and Corbyn looked at each other for a few seconds and finally the old man nodded, just once.
‘We will help the dragon if we can,’ Joahl said with a resigned tone. He turned and yelled into the gathering crowd. ‘Fetch a healer.’
‘Wake up, Tryx,’ Rhonan said, gently shaking the dragon awake. ‘Can you walk up to the village?’
Tryx slowly rose to her feet, looking very unstable, then looked back at the black stone that dully reflected the lamplight of the elves. The golden shine of her scales was completely gone now and she was more of a dull muddy brown as if she had dragged up mud from the riverbed.
‘Don’t worry, they’ll bring the stone too,’ Kheron assured the dragon with a hint of a smile.
Rhonan followed as Tryx slowly walked up to the village. She settled in a corner of the village square, in clear sight of where the elves had put the large elf stone. It had taken a dozen of them to drag the raft into the village and everyone was standing around looking at the black elf stone with delight.
A healer came forward and gently checked the wounds, keeping well clear of the dragon’s snout in case she felt well enough to flame.
‘The cuts are infected and she has eaten something bad. Her stomach does not sound good,’ the healer said as he stood back and rubbed his chin. He looked up and down the huge dragon and then shook his head. ‘I’m not sure I can help her. She is very ill.’
‘Please try,’ Rhonan said with a sinking feeling. Tryx had to get better. She had saved them from a very certain death.
‘Your cousin can stay the night but he must leave in the morning,’ Joahl told Kheron. ‘Half-hunters are not allowed in Shaldoh.’
Kheron nodded but did not comment. The look he gave Rhonan said that they would both be leaving in the morning. Corbyn saw the expression on his grandson’s face and nodded, looking deep in thought.
‘Perhaps we should go and demand the king set them free,’ Corbyn said with a sad voice. ‘He has no right to put them in a dungeon.’
‘And we’ll be thrown in with them!’ Joahl said, looking horrified. ‘It’s better if we just stay here where we’re hidden. They’ll never find us now that we have this new stone. Falh will find a way to get free by himself.’
‘This has all gone on far too long,’ Corbyn continued to argue his point. ‘We did nothing wrong. Elves have rights too.’
Joahl just shook his head and wandered off into the darkness, clearly unwilling to even discuss the matter.
Rhonan slept on the sofa at his grandfather’s house and even though he was worried about his family he slept right until dawn without waking. The sky was barely even tinted with light when Kheron shook Rhonan’s arm to wake him up.
‘Come on, we need to get going before the rest of the village is up,’ Kheron whispered softly. ‘I have two horses tied up at the edge of the village.’
Rhonan was awake instantly and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. ‘I want to check Tryx first.’
Kheron nodded and they stole out of the cottage and shut the door softly. The streets were deserted and so was the village square. The new elf stone stood next to the stone pedestal, which had supported the previous elf stone. It was far too large to be raised and had been covered with small designs that Rhonan assumed were to create the illusion that protected the village.
Tryx lay exactly where she had been the night before and the two boys approached her quietly.
‘Is she okay?’ Rhonan asked, trying to work out if the dragon was sleeping peacefully or if it was unconscious.
Tryx opened her eyes and then belched loudly. It blew a stench over the boys that almost made them gag and they stepped back a few paces. Tryx looked a little apologetic as she tucked her nose back under her tail and closed her eyes again.
‘I am doing all I can,’ a sleepy voice said, startling them both. Rhonan was surprised to see the healer had slept, sitting up against the stone wall, right next to the dragon. ‘I will take care of her.’
‘That fruit was definitely not good for her,’ Kheron muttered as they headed off across the village square.
There were two horses tethered at the edge of the village, just as Kheron had promised, and they were galloping out of Shaldoh in a matter of minutes.
‘So how do we get to the Spring Festival from here?’ Rhonan asked. ‘We need to get there before Uncle Terac or find them on the way.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HUNTER’S LODGE
‘They said they were going to stop off at the Hunter’s Lodge,’ Kheron said as they cleared the fake prickle bushes and headed onto more used tracks. ‘We’ll try to get there before they leave.’
‘What’s the Hunter’s Lodge and where is it?’ Rhonan queried. ‘Will we make it in time?’
‘It’s a tavern at The Crossing. It’s a meeting place that all hunters like to gather at to swap stories and drink. I’m hoping they’ll be so keen to let everyone know about their ‘catch’ that they’ll stay for at least a day or more.’ Kheron was frowning as he stared of into the distance. ‘Now we just need to work out how to free our families.’
The two boys rode in silence for a while, both deep in thought. Rhonan knew their chances of success were slim but they had to find a way. He also dreaded going back to The Crossing as there were a lot of hunters there when they passed through before. If only he had a stone of his own like Kheron.
They headed for Melva and reached the village before mid-morning. It was a much larger village than the Crossing and boasted several marketplaces.
They were heading for the lake when Rhonan saw a woman, carrying a basket of washing, stop to gossip to a friend on the street corner.
‘And I heard they captured some of them horrible Shadows,’ she said with wide eyes and a shocked expression. ‘I saw them get on the boat to go to The Crossing late yesterday.’
Rhonan and Kheron exchanged a worried look. The hunters were almost a day ahead of them now.
‘We need to get the next boat over the lake,’ Kheron said, hurrying his horse a little and making several people scurry out of the way. Rhonan kept pace, there was no way he was going to get very far away from the protection of the young elf’s stone.
There was only one boat at the jetty on the lake and a large crowd was already waiting. They dismounted and tied up the horses to see when the boat was leaving.
<
br /> ‘All aboard for the scenic tour of the lake,’ a man called from by the boat. ‘Lunch stop will be at The Crossing.’
‘A scenic tour?’ Kheron muttered. ‘That will take hours and we’ll have to leave the horses here.’
‘It’s all we have. We’ll have to come back for the horses later,’ Rhonan said, shrugging and pushing his cousin ahead of him. ‘Just try to look like a tourist.’
‘Let the horses loose,’ Kheron said, doubling back and unlooping his own horse’s reins. ‘They’ll find their way back to Shaldoh.’
They pushed their bow and arrows under their cloaks and stepped into the middle of the crowd. Several hours later the glass bottom boat nudged gently up against the short wharf at The Crossing. Everyone was chattering excitedly as a young boy flipped the side of the boat down to form a ramp to the wooden wharf.
‘We’ll be stopping at The Crossing for lunch,’ the captain’s voice boomed from his steering fly bridge. ‘It’s market day so you’ll find plenty of bargains. The boat will leave in two hours exactly - don’t be late.’
People began streaming off the wide flat-bottomed boat and the boys were carried along with the crowd. Up ahead on the shore Rhonan could see several men milling about, looking at everyone about them suspiciously.
‘Hunters,’ Rhonan whispered to Kheron and moved a little closer to his elf-cousin. Without the protection of Kheron’s elf stone he would be caught in a matter of minutes.
‘Stay in the middle of this lot and we’ll be fine,’ Kheron said, casually putting on hand on Rhonan’s shoulder to ensure they stayed together.
The crowd of tourist swarmed up the jetty and then most of them headed straight for the market. Rhonan and Kheron stayed with them until they were well past the hunters. Just before the entrance to the market Kheron steered Rhonan off to the right and along a low stone wall.
‘The lodge looks out over the lake,’ Kheron said quietly as the crowds thinned. Soon they found themselves all alone in a wide, cobbled alleyway, which led behind a row of buildings. ‘This is the back of the lodge.’
