by Sarah Hite
Mychal climbed down from the tower and waited by the gate. After a moment the other man followed. The two dragons landed in the courtyard a few minutes later, just as the riders from the ridge entered the gate. Harden had some of his men switch horses with them and walk theirs back. The smaller dragon, a female, looked at the other. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I did,” the other responded. The men exchanged glances, “Majesty?” Captain Harden leaned closer to the lords and asked, “This one’s royalty?” The unidentified man answered, “I think I know who she is.” He did not say more but studied the group.
The kids looked at the dragons, and the dragons looked at them; both parties seemed exhausted. Moon noticed they were short two girls, and a dragon and asked, “Where’s Shaelynn… and the girls?”
Pai looked up. He was trembling, and his wings had been pierced by many arrows. He looked at them to explain but said nothing. Flame, who was still catching his breath, asked, “They’re not here?” He looked around a moment and confirmed that the two had not yet arrived. “We distracted the soldiers so Stone and Shaelynn could run for the gate.”
Moon shook her head fearfully and, before anyone could stop her, leapt back into the air, saying, “I lost her once; I can’t lose her again.” Lukair explained to Pai that they had not seen Ania since they had first been attacked.
“There are more of you?” They turned to see a man, about ten years older than themselves, walking up. He wore black slacks and a long-sleeved white shirt under a deep blue silk vest. He had kind eyes, and a short, well- trimmed beard that stretched from one ear to the other. He did not wait for a response; he turned and called to a young boy, who was about twelve years old.
The boy dropped what he was doing and came over, “Yes, My Lord?”
He leaned down to the boy and asked, “Will you wake Chekal for me? I have a job for him.” The boy nodded and turned away. After a moment the other man called after him, “And find Henreth and bring him here.”
Pai looked up in surprise but still did not speak.
Lukair dismounted and stared at the first man. “Lord Ryell?” he asked.
Mychal smiled, and said, “No, I am Mychal, and I have the perfect helper for her. We’ll find Stone- was that her name?”
At that moment a dragon left a nearby structure with two kids. They were a little younger than Stone, about fifteen. “You summoned me, My Lord?” the dragon asked. He was smaller than Pai, roughly the size of a draft horse, a Forest dragon. His hide was a spotty green and brown, but more green than brown. He focused on Mychal but glanced at Pai.
Mychal turned to the dragon and said, “Yes, my friend. It seems we have a lost hatchling out in the woods, but she’s not alone. There’s a young lady with her. The hatchling’s mother is out searching for her but, since you know these woods the best, I thought you might like to join in the hunt.”
Chekal snorted at Mychal, blowing his hair around, and jumped into the air. He flew northward slowly. As he disappeared behind the wall, the boy returned with an older man. “Ah, Henreth, good. Thank you, Caleb; you may go.” As the boy ran off, the man with the green shirt led Henreth over to Pai. He had stopped breathing heavily but was still shaking and now lying down.
Henreth looked at him and noted the dark blood staining the cobblestones. Then he turned to the men and gave them a questioning look. Mychal explained what had happened while he examined Pai’s wings. He shook his head at the many holes in the membranes, and asked him to stand so he could check for any other possible injuries. He found a few, but they would heal easily enough. While he was looking over Pai’s injuries, Lord Mychal introduced the two younger children. “This is Doren and Daniella. They are Lord Ryell’s twin children.” He motioned to Ryell, the man in the green shirt, who was speaking with Captain Harden. Mychal paused as Henreth said, “Well m’ fr’end, you won’t be flying fer a while. Let’s get you inside.” He directed Pai to the structure Chekal had left.
It was a large structure, plainly intended for dragon use. The walls had been richly decorated. On one was a map that completely covered the wall. There were three large fire pits on each wall, but only one was currently lit. The fire felt good after they had run through the chilly air all night. The teens studied the map. It showed not only the Keep but all of the dragon territories, including those in the Polar and Super-Heated regions.
Everywhere a dragon lived was shown here. Pai looked at the map for a minute but shortly turned away and laid down in a corner. The boy, Caleb, soon returned, driving a wagon that was carrying a freshly slaughtered cow. Ryell smiled at the boy, “Excellent, Caleb! Bring that over here.”
The boy did as he was directed. Together he and Henreth pulled the cow from the cart and set it in front of Pai while Mychal spoke to Henreth. He soon left the elder man to his patient and the two men joined the kids. Ryell was the lord of this province, known as Omri; Mychal led the Jehu province. As known supporters of dragons, they knew they could trust them, so they told them their story. Flame told them, slowly and without emotion, about what had happened in Laren, and what Toren had told them, and the letter they had given Ania. The lords listened without comment. Their only response was the hardening of Mychal’s jaw and a sad look in Ryell’s eyes. Lord Ryell’s children protested loudly; Ryell had to silence them. They all were appalled when they heard about Pycan and the ambush.
When their story was completed Ryell apologized for what the duke had done, but said he was proud of the people of Pycan for standing up as they did. He then explained why there was a dragon in Aretell. He turned to Pai and said, “Like you, he was missed in the recall.” He turned back to the group, adding, “He was a scout at Dragons’ Keep and, like your friend, he worked for the council ferrying messages between them and myself.” He then welcomed them to stay until Pai had recovered and offered them rooms in the palace. He was sure Vidar would not send men to Aretell to look for them. They were tired and wanted to accept but did not want to turn in until Moon, Stone, and Shaelynn had come in. It was only after Mychal promised that Chekal would find them and they would be there later, or in the morning at the latest, that they agreed, and the twins led them inside.
Chekal had flown for several minutes before seeing Moon. He flapped to gain speed and called to her from a distance; he did not want to startle the already frightened mother. She turned and was surprised to see him. He explained that he had already been in Aretell and was sent out to help her. She only nodded and did not respond further.
He gained some altitude and studied her from there. As a messenger for the council, he had met Saydene on many occasions, but for some reason, this meeting just did not seem right, other than the soldiers. He noticed that she was thin and seemed to startle easily; he also could see that she was tired and guided her to a small clearing. He let her land first and then asked her to stay there while he searched the woods. She did not answer him, but laid down and stared at the forest. He could read the worry in her eyes as she watched for any possible sign of her child.
He entered the woods alert and listening for any sound that did not belong. He slowly wound his way back toward the ridge. After several hours he heard a sound he knew well. He cautiously followed it until he came to a small horse, its reins tangles in the brush. The filly was limping heavily on one of its front feet. He left the cover of the trees and inspected the animal. It was strangely not afraid of him, and he realized this horse must belong to the girl. He cut the reins with his teeth and sent the horse running for the gates.
Since he knew they had been here he started a new search from that location. He could faintly smell Shaelynn and traced her trail west from there. The trail was erratic. The hatchling had run in circles, so he sniffed out the girls scent and followed that instead. Her trail led him to a small creek where they must have stopped; their mixed scents were strong here. He stepped over the creek and tried to smell them out but could no longer find their trail. He looked down the creek. It
led away from Aretell and back toward Lord Morbren’s land. He turned his head and looked down the creek to the east. He supposed they could have walked in the water back to town.
He was trying to decide which direction to go when the hatchling ran up to him. She ran around his leg and then ran back in the woods, taking him completely by surprise. She stopped at the top of a small hill and then ran down the other side. He followed her over the hill and nearly knocked over the girl who was sitting just on the other side. She yelped and rolled out of the way. The hatchling ran back to her and looked at him, cocking her head.
Stone stared at the dragon who had nearly squashed her; she had wondered why Shaelynn had been acting strangely. The dragon seemed to be regarding the hatchling with the same interest that she was regarding him. She jumped up and ran around him like an excited pup. “Shaelynn, behave,” Stone told the young dragon. She left the larger dragon alone and came back to her.
Chekal looked at them both a moment longer, then said, “Perhaps we’d better get you two back where you belong.”
Stone did not respond. She slowly stood and limped over to the dragon. “Who are you?” she asked. He apologized, introduced himself, and explained to her that he had been stationed in Aretell and was missed in the recall. He had been living there ever since, so Lord Mychal, who had been visiting, had sent him to look for them. He noticed she was hurt and suggested she climb onto his shoulders and he would give her a ride. “Just be careful of the spikes,” he said. He then guided Shaelynn out of the woods and back to Saydene, who had not left the clearing and was looking quite miserable. She was overjoyed to see the little dragon and relieved to see Stone was okay. They agreed that they should return to Aretell as soon as possible. Moon picked up Shaelynn and held her tightly so she could not get away. Then she launched herself into the air. Chekal swung his head around so he could talk to Stone. “Hold on, and try to breath.” He then jumped into the air before she could respond.
His sudden takeoff took her breath away. Even though he had warned her, she had not expected it; she had thought he was going to walk. She looked out over his shoulder at the land below, and the fields flying by, and quickly looked back. She was not afraid of heights, but this was just not normal. After a minute she looked again, this time out ahead of them, and began to smile. The view was incredible. She could see for leagues. The Eliek Ocean shone brilliantly in the sun, and she could see Shaedod nestled alongside it. Stone turned around and looked back at the mountains. They were clearly visible behind the forest. She looked back toward the front in time to see that they were coming in for a landing.
When they landed Chekal knelt down so she could climb off. He led them to the dragons’ quarters. Henreth was still tending to Pai’s wounds, and Caleb, who had been helping him began getting Moon and Shaelynn settled in. Lord Ryell helped Stone over to Henreth so he could check her ankle. He said it was sprained and, pulling some bandages out of his bag, wrapped it. As he did Chekal introduced Stone, Moon, and Shaelynn to the lords. Lord Ryell helped her to the palace, where they found the others eating in the kitchen.
When they entered, Lukair looked up. He had only been picking at his food. He jumped from his chair and ran to them, almost knocking Stone over as he went to hug her. Ryell laughed and asked one of the kitchen workers to take good care of them. The elderly woman nodded and set a bowl on the table as the siblings came over. She was a short matronly woman with a rounded figure and wore a white apron over a simple brown dress. Lukair helped Stone into the chair and sat down with his own bowl, his appetite restored. After they finished eating, the woman, who had introduced herself as Kiera, the head of Ryell’s kitchen staff, led them upstairs. Lukair carried his sister up the stairs and only put her down when Kiera showed them her room. He placed her on the bed, hugged her again, and followed the others from the room. She was asleep before the door completely closed.
The Medallion
A month after the ambush, Lukair, Stone, Tyanna, and Flame sat in the common room of Lord Ryell’s palace contemplating what they should do next. Ryell had invited them to stay for the winter since it would soon be too cold to travel. The weather had turned since their arrival, and it snowed almost every day, although Pai still took short flights to strengthen his newly healed wings.
“I wish Ania was here.” Stone said from her seat next to the window. She looked outside and shivered. “She would know what to do.” The others nodded.
“Has anyone found out anything?” Lukair asked looking up. He had been reading a book on dragon battle tactics.
“None of my spies in the capital have heard anything. Whether she’s being held prisoner, dead, or if she’s escaped, I can’t say. I’m sorry,” Lord Mychal answered sadly. He had returned earlier that week to discuss some business with Ryell.
“I have had people throughout the regions looking out for any new information, but so far they haven’t turned up anything,” Ryell added. He shook his head and continued, “All we can do is keep looking.”
“So far, no news is good news,” Mychal stated. Then he turned and walked out the door where his advisors were waiting for him.
“He’s right, you know,” Ryell said as he stood up. “Keep your chins up. Things will get better. My father used to say, ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn.’” He left them to think about what he said and left the room.
Flame stood and went to the window. He looked out at the snow and sighed. “They’re right. We should keep an optimistic look on things. In any case, Ania would want us to continue the mission. Since we can’t travel right now, why don’t we train so that when we do continue, we won’t be out of practice if we should run into trouble.” They agreed, and soon met him in the palace’s training room. The twins had asked to come along. They introduced the others to the training master and he assessed their fighting skills. He paired Flame and Tyanna up with one of his men, who were also there to train. He paired Lukair with Doren and Stone with Daniella. One by one he had them fight, first with swords, then with bows, and fists, if they could. When they had finished, he congratulated them. “I’m impressed,” he said. “I hadn’t expected you to be this good.”
“We’ve had many opportunities to practice,” Lukair responded as he sheathed his sword. “Yes, I imagine so. Guarding a young dragonet can be quite demanding. Especially when the Duke has people after you.” He chuckled and shook his head. “If I were the Vidar, I would fear you.”
“That’s the problem,” Flame whispered. “He is afraid.” He turned then and left the room. He wanted advice from the lords.
He found a maid who directed him to the council room. He waited outside patiently until the lords’ advisors left. Upon entering, he looked at the lords, unsure of how to proceed. Seeing his hesitation, Ryell spoke up. “Cainen, come in. What can I do for you?”
Flame shook his head. “I wanted to ask you something, but I’m not sure how.” He looked out the window at the dragons. Moon sat in the snow; he almost could not see her because of her coloration. Pai and Chekal were talking and sat together. They all watched as Shaelynn played in the snow.
Mychal followed his gaze and smiled. “If I were to guess, you would like to know what your next step should be… with the dragons, I mean.”
Flame nodded. He looked at them and sighed. “Ania was the one who understood them. She was sent to return the egg because of that understanding. We don’t know that much about them and, without her knowledge, I just don’t know what to do. She was the expert. Even Lukair’s father, who was a Guard captain, doesn’t know as much about them, and they seem to trust her for no reason.” He went on to explain her strange ability to see them when they were hiding, and told them of other occurrences where she had showed exceptional skill with the dragons. He sighed again and sat down.
Taking out his necklace, he started to examine it. The medallion caught Ryell’s eye and he asked to see it. Flame took it off and handed it to him. The Lords had seen his sword, but a sword could be lo
st, sold, or stolen. He handed the medallion to Mychal and asked about it. He told them the same story he had told the others while on Pycan Peak. They were interested and asked him more questions. When hearing that they had been passed down for generations, the lords exchanged glances. Mychal leaned forward; his elbows on the desk, and his fingers arched together. “We can tell you the meaning of the medallion but, as for what the runes mean, that you will have to ask a dragon.”
Ryell handing it back to him then said, “The story behind this and the sword is a sad one. Do you know the story behind the Treaty?” When Flame shook his head he continued. “Before the land was under his control. His grandfather, Aizel Vidar, was a young Duke in the King’s court. He was a jealous man who hated everything the King loved, except the Queen, but she loved her husband and turned down his advances. So he murdered the royal family and stole her as his own; and in taking the thrown for himself he destroyed everything the King had stood for. For it was the king who formed the treaty with the dragons. He saw the wisdom in having them as allies and friends and ended the friction between them. King Evander met with the king of the dragons. Together they formed the treaty that gave us our alliance, so no one would ever again kill a dragon, and so dragons would never again steal from men. He set over 100 acres aside as hunting grounds for the dragons. He also created the Dragon Guard as defenders of the dragons and mediators between the two races. He put Quintaren in charge of the Guard. Because of his actions and wisdom with the dragons, the dragon King, Konjon Mangjul, gave him the sword as a gift. It has been said that he forged it himself. Along with the sword, he had the medallion and a horn fashioned as well. The horn was said to be carved from one of the King’s own horns. They lived in peace for four complete generations, over 100 years.” Flame thought of the horn Ania had shown him a long time ago. Her grandfather had given it to her. He said that it had belonged to her father and was one the Guards’ most prized possessions.
