She was thoughtful for several moments before asking, “So how do we fix this problem?”
“Hopefully, we can. If not, a lot of these people’s children and grandchildren are going to die. The problems in Horne are slight compared to what is coming if we can’t work together for the long term. We need to start by getting as many Riders behind us as possible, including making sure that we control who is presented at hatchings. Then we need to begin to start fostering the idea among the people that everyone is responsible to future generations for how they leave this world in their own time. Finally, we need to help open up new lands to those who will work those lands as stewards, not control them as kings.” He drew a deep breath and added, “In the long run, we need to bring people around to a new way of thinking. Seeing themselves as part of the world as a whole and using it responsibly. We have to convince people to think ahead for generations, not just a few years. They have to realize that what they do now will affect their great-grandchildren. As we help them explore and settle new territories, they need to understand that those territories aren’t inexhaustible. And finally, we have to do as the dragons have done, though they don’t really understand why they’ve done it, and realize that only so many of us can live on the world without overcrowding it.”
She whistled and said, “That’s a big job you’ve set for yourself, Handsome. Come to think of it, it’s a big job you’ve set for us.”
“That’s why I’ve worked so hard to make contact with the wild females; I intend to make more eggs available for bonding.” Then he smiled and said, “When I pass on my Dragon Blade to new leaders a couple of millennia from now, I want to know that I did everything I could to ensure the survival of our species.”
He let that hang in the air as he bid her goodnight and faded from view.
Chapter 4
Tom and Jim were smiling like they had just been told they were getting extra birthday gifts as they climbed onto Jenka behind Connor. They were very crowded, and the ropes that had been rigged for their safety looked a bit uncomfortable, but the two boys were oblivious to such inconveniences. Delno helped Connor inspect the safety lines one more time and admonished him not to forgo the procedure on the return trip, then he bid them farewell. He surveyed the crowd as Jenka gathered herself and pushed skyward. The boys’ parents were watching with a mixture of pride and trepidation, but pride was obviously the more prominent of the two emotions; he was sure there would be no problem with presenting the boys as candidates.
He walked over and greeted Pearce. The physician returned his greeting and then said, “Rider, may I present the parents of those two boys. This is Mary, Tom’s mother, and the boy’s father, Robert. And this is Jim’s father, James.” Then he turned to the parents and said, “This is Delno Okonan, Rider to Geneva, and grandson of Corolan, who was Rider to Geneva’s mother who bore the same name.”
As he clasped arms with them, Delno was almost startled by the formality of the introduction. He would have preferred to be on a simple first name basis with these people, but Pearce had insisted that this was best, since it would lend credence to their request. After all, they were asking these people to turn their sons over to the Riders; they needed to know that they were dealing with someone of real authority and responsibility.
The three parents were nearly in awe of being so close to the Rider and could only stand mute while they were torn between the honor of meeting him and trying to watch their sons fly away on the neck of a dragon. To save them any embarrassment, he turned and watched with them until Jenka was just a tiny speck in the sky. Then he said, “Even Brock, who is over five hundred years old, says he still gets a thrill out of watching dragons fly; it’s something you never get used to.”
Jim’s father James was the first of the parents to speak. “I’m sorry my wife couldn’t be here; she broke her foot t’other day and couldn’t make the trip to town this morn,” he drawled. “Healer says you want to get our boys on dragon back as Riders. Why’s that?”
“Well, let me say that I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s injury. Perhaps, if you will let me, I can stop there and heal it for her.”
James looked at him suspiciously, but Pearce quickly added, “Delno is very good at doing magical healings; if he looks at her, she will be as good as new within a few minutes rather being off her feet for two months.”
James nodded and said, “I don’t want to put you out; it’s a two-hour walk, and Healer says you have to leave this morning.”
“A two-hour walk is only a few minutes’ flight; it will be no trouble. If you will fly with me to show me exactly where we’re going, I can even save you the time of having to walk home.”
Geneva relayed a message from Rita: “I thought you were in a hurry to be off this morning.”
“I am,” he replied, “but I am also in hurry to set these people’s minds at ease. Taking a few minutes to fly them all home and do a simple healing won’t put us out and will go a long way towards making them friends. We are asking them to give us their children; we can give them a little of our time.”
Rita smiled and nodded almost imperceptibly.
James spoke again, “That’s mighty kind of you, Rider, but you still haven’t answered the important question: why did you choose our boys and not some others?”
The other parents looked shocked that the man would speak so bluntly to a Rider. Delno laughed and said, “You are a straightforward man who doesn’t mince words, James. I like that.”
Mary and Robert relaxed as he continued, “We didn’t exactly choose your boys; the dragons did.” At their perplexed looks, he explained, “Your boys have been helping us with our gear and such since Brock’s arrival over two months ago. They have never shied away from the dragons, and the dragons enjoy their company. It is unusual for a dragon to talk to someone who isn’t a Rider unless her Rider requests it, yet the dragons talk freely with your boys. When questioned about this, the dragons say simply that they like the boys and that the boys would make good candidates at a hatching.”
“That’s all there is to it, then?” Robert asked.
“Pretty much,” Delno replied. “I can go out into the village and look for candidates for weeks and not be sure I have anyone the dragons would consider likely. Therefore, we felt we should take the dragons’ recommendations into consideration.”
Mary stepped forward and said, “I want to thank you, Rider. We are poor people and you are giving my son more opportunity than we could have dreamed possible.” Her eyes were wet as she spoke.
Delno held up his hand and stopped further comment, “Before we go any further, let me be clear about one thing. No one is making promises here. Your boys will be presented as candidates, and, if chosen, they will become Riders with all of the duties and privileges that go with it. However, you have to understand that being presented to the hatchling doesn’t ensure bonding. The only one who can make that decision is the hatchling; she will choose as she sees fit.” Then he chuckled and added, “Of course, so far, we’ve two candidates and two eggs.”
James snorted and then said, “That’s still a better chance than it looks like I’ll be able to give the lad: he’s got my blessing to give it a try.” Then he looked at Delno and added, “I suppose that since you are willing to come help my missus, we’d best be off and not delay you any longer.”
Delno nodded and said goodbye to the other parents; Mary actually hugged him. Then he helped James get mounted behind him on Geneva while Rita helped Mary mount behind her. Adamus was a bit put out at having to ferry passengers, but he said nothing about it as he helped Robert get seated. Delno would heal Jim’s mother’s broken foot and then meet them all back at Orlean where they would pick up Nassari and their supplies.
Later that day, after they had been flying for nearly three hours, Nassari was complaining to Delno about anything and everything that seemed to come to his mind, including his disagreement with Delno’s plan to present Tom and Jim as candidates to Gina’s eg
gs.
Finally, Delno had had enough. As they set down on their first break, he all but threw Nassari off of Geneva’s neck and then jumped down so close to the man they were nearly nose to nose. “Nassari, I’ve had all of your complaints I’m willing to take. First you don’t like flying, then you don’t like stopping. Now you don’t like that I have taken time to ensure that two perfectly acceptable candidates are presented at hatching. If you don’t stop complaining about everything, I will put you down in the next village we pass and you can make your own way, whether back to Palamore, or on to Larimar, as best you can!”
Nassari looked at the other two Riders, who had heard the whole exchange, for support and found them purposely busying themselves to avoid being involved. He looked at Delno hoping that the lecture wasn’t serious, but found his friend’s attitude was unlikely to change. Then, in typical Nassari fashion, he shifted his own position so fast it was almost dizzying to watch.
“You’re right, Del,” Nassari said, “I’ve been a rather large pain in the arse since we left Palamore.” He paused for a moment, then seeing that none of the Riders had any interest in disagreeing with him, he continued, “I’m just a bit peeved at being sent on this mission in the first place. Then that whole business with the eggs puts me in a bad position if and when I return to Palamore, but I shouldn’t take it out on the three of you.”
At Delno’s sharp look, he asked, “Now what have I said to upset you?”
“What do you mean that the business with the eggs puts you in a bad position when you return to Palamore?” Delno asked.
“Well,” Nassari replied, “the Queen was a bit put out when you commandeered her Rider right out from under her nose. . . .”
“Her Rider? You mean Jason?” Delno was getting more upset by the moment.
“Yes, him, but if you are going to keep interrupting me I will never get around to answering your first question.”
Delno glanced at Rita and then said, “Very well, Nassari, continue.”
As Rita moved closer so that she could hear better, Nassari went on, “Well, once you had put Jason under your own command, she was a bit put out, but she consoled herself with having the other two Riders who flew with Simcha. She thought that they could be easily controlled.” Adamus started to say something, but Delno held up his hand for silence. “Then, when you put them in the air under your control, she consoled herself with the fact that Gina would be clutching soon. You see, she hopes that at least one of those eggs will be presented to a candidate of her choosing; someone whose first loyalties lie with Palamore, not with the riders. It seems that our fair Queen has gotten it into her head the best way to insure the safety of Palamore is to have as many Riders and magic-users as loyal subjects as she can possibly get.”
“That woman’s scheming never ceases to amaze me,” Delno said. “After everything I’ve told her about the need for the neutrality of the Riders, she plots to virtually steal two eggs out from under our noses.”
“You can’t really blame her, Del,” Nassari responded. “She’s only trying to ensure the safety and sovereignty of her country. She really does expect to pass on the leadership soon, and she wants to make sure that if the troubles in Horne spill out on the rest of the world, Palamore is protected.”
“Ensure the protection of Palamore against the trouble in Horne? By dividing the loyalties of the Riders?” He shook his head. “Besides, if I wanted to use those eggs for political purposes, I would have sent Adamus with Brock and Lawrence and taken Jason and Gina to Larimar with me so that she could clutch there. I’m sure that between your connections and mine we could have found suitable candidates. However, I am not interested in cementing relationships that way.”
“Well, if you would let me in on your plans, the way you used to do,” Nassari replied, “I might be able to help you, but you are keeping your hide tiles close to your waist these days. You could try letting your friends in on what you are doing once in a while.”
“What I am trying to do,” Delno responded, “is ensure that individual kingdoms do not gain control of the Riders. While doing that, I want to keep the Riders somewhat dependent on the generosity of the kingdoms so that we don’t end up with another Rider who believes he can govern better than those chosen to do so. I want to do all of that without myself becoming the undisputed leader, whether self-appointed or voted into office, of the Dragons’ Riders. I intend that the Riders will be governed by consensus among their own ranks. While I’m accomplishing that, it would be nice to deal with the trouble in Horne in such a way that we don’t end up dead with the entire world under the rule of the mad-man who is using the beast-men.”
Nassari started to speak, but Delno silenced him. “What I want to do right now is have some lunch and get back into the air,” Delno said. He turned to Rita: “It’s your turn to carry the passenger when we leave.”
“I’ll do it, Handsome, but this time he'd better trust in those safety straps and keep his hands to himself, or I’ll throw him off and see how well he glides.”
Delno looked at Nassari with a raised eyebrow and Nassari said, “Hey, there was some rough air up there. I was just scared, honest.”
Chapter 5
“Delno! Wake up!”
At Geneva’s desperate cries, he came fully awake. He didn’t wait to ask what was wrong or even put on his trousers; he grabbed his Dragon Blade and climbed from the tent. Rita, having been similarly alerted by Fahwn, was right behind him. Adamus climbed from his own tent only seconds later. The sound of someone snoring softly came from Nassari’s tent.
“There are two of them, Love, sneaking towards the camp from behind you.” Geneva told him.
They pivoted towards the intruders. Delno began simultaneously chanting and drawing energy with his mind. He pushed the energy he was drawing directly into the fire that had died down. Apparently Adamus had a similar idea because he grabbed a bundle of wood and threw it on the coals. With the energy Delno was pouring into it, the wood flared immediately, throwing light in a large circle.
“There is a dragon trying to remain hidden not far away, Love,” Geneva said, “Should we do something about her or should we stay near you?”
“Stay near until we know more. If they wanted us dead, they could probably have flamed us while we slept,” he responded, “but stay ready in case we need to move fast.”
Just then two figures stepped into the light. One was a young-looking man of about twenty-two; the other was definitely cat-like in appearance. Delno stepped slightly forward and held his Dragon Blade at the ready; he also made sure that all their minds were shielded.
“There’s no need for all of that,” the young man said.
Delno noticed that the newcomer was quite distracted and seemed more interested in looking at Rita, who was standing there naked, than in talking with either of the men. He nearly stepped into the way to block her from view, but then decided that any distraction to the young Rider was most likely an advantage to themselves. Delno also noticed the faint magical glow of a talisman of some kind the younger man had on under his tunic.
“Just give them the message, and let’s get out of here,” the cat-man hissed.
The Rider looked at the cat-man with obvious annoyance and Delno said, “So, this is what it has come to on your side of this war; Dragon Riders taking orders from these beasts.”
The blonde Rider bristled at the comment and said, “He is my traveling companion, not my superior.”
The cat-man growled and said, “I’ll show you who is superior when I tell Warrick how you preferred to stand here staring at that naked female rather than delivering the message like you were told.”
The rider blanched and said, “You fur-lined idiot, you should never have said that name.” The cat-man’s eyes went wide, and the youth continued to berate him. “When your species was altered, most of that hair must have grown inward into your pathetically small brain. We’ll see who is in trouble when we get back.”
H
e was about to say more when Rita’s movement caught his eye. She stepped forward, completely unashamed of her nudity, and said, “So, Warrick isn’t dead as had been suspected.” She looked at Delno and said, “That explains who that old female was in the Dream State.”
Delno only nodded as if this were no real news to him.
The young man couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of Rita. Delno asked him, “Who are you, boy?”
“His name is unimportant; you will listen to the message he carries or suffer,” the cat-man spat.
“The last of your kind who attacked me ended up with his guts hanging down around his ankles before I finished the job, kitty, so I wouldn’t be so quick to make threats if I were you.”
The creature nearly screamed in rage and crouched to launch itself. The blonde Rider grabbed its shoulder and said, “He’s trying to bait you, fool, settle down, or you will get us both killed.” To Delno he added, “Know this, Rider, I am young, but I have been taught well. I have a full-grown dragon who is over two years old, and your dragon has no flame yet. Attacking me would be unwise.”
Delno snorted his laughter, “Then you should know this, boy; Geneva may or may not have her flame yet—that is for you to find out—but she has twice already bested a dragon with over seven hundred years of flying experience, and she did it both times without fire.” The boy’s eyes widened, and Delno continued, “And do not forget, also: Geneva isn’t the only dragon you would be facing here tonight if this meeting goes awry. There are two other fully mature dragons here, both with enough flame to make up any deficit on Geneva’s part, a fact that one of your furry friend’s relatives could attest to if he weren’t a pile of ash right now.”
Dragon Blade Page 4
