by Linda McNabb
‘If he has then we have to go find him,’ Rem said, looking startled at the possibility that Seth had left High Gate.
‘Perhaps once the dragons have hatched,’ Eagan said carefully. He watched for the young girl’s reaction and wasn’t surprised when she rounded on him with an angry glare.
‘What happened to Dari wasn’t his fault! He would never harm the dragon,’ she insisted hotly. ‘If you’re not going after him then I will!’
‘Nobody is going through the marshes for at least another three weeks,’ Eagan said, walking to the other side of the room where the window looked out over the marshes. He pointed to the heavy mist that covered the land and Rem stared at it and shivered.
‘Well, we’ll go find him as soon as it lifts,’ she declared firmly and folded her arms defiantly.
‘The eggs will need to hatch in a matter of days,’ Eagan told her gently. ‘We will have to find someone else to bond with the dragon.’
‘Can’t I look after it for him until he gets back?’ Rem asked. ‘It won’t be that big to start with will it?’
Darius laughed out loud. It was a sharp bark of laughter that bordered on hysteria and even Rem paused as if she had heard something. She looked around the room, frowned as she could see nobody, and turned her attention back to Eagan.
‘She thinks she can take on two dragons? She’ll be lucky to manage one,’ Darius said with a snort. Rem made no indication that she could hear Darius and Eagan sighed.
‘I don’t think it would work,’ Eagan said, shaking his head. ‘Now that Seth is no longer nearby the egg may well return to being dormant.’
‘Let’s go see,’ Rem suggested. ‘If it’s still glowing I want to try to keep it safe until we can get Seth back.’
Eagan said nothing. He knew it wasn’t going to happen and she would see the truth of it when she had to, and he would have someone waiting to take over.
He led the way out of his rooms and around the base of the tower until they reached the wooden door that led down into the basement. A guard stood in front of it and moved aside to let them through. Eagan struck a tinder and lit a lamp at the door before going down the steep steps.
‘See,’ he said, pointing into the darkness beyond the pool of light thrown out by the lamp. Over in the nest there was only one glowing egg. ‘It has gone back to sleep to await someone new to bond with.’
He was relieved really, even though it meant they would only have one dragon to fight the night-shadows.
Rem hurried ahead of him and vanished into the darkness. When he caught up enough to see her again she was standing next to the nest. She turned towards Eagan and her pale face showed something was terribly wrong.
‘What is it?’ Eagan said, hurrying over.
‘Your young shadow has taken the egg,’ Darius said drifting up over Rem to look into the nest.
Eagan stared at the empty place in the nest and blinked several times before he actually believed the egg was gone. His mind raced as he thought through what it meant.
‘So I guess he found a way to carry it,’ Rem said thoughtfully. She stepped forward and put her arms around her own egg and lifted it easily. She looked surprised and set it down gently. ‘It’s light and also really hot!’
‘The bond is complete then,’ Eagan said with a small sigh. Even if they managed to get the egg back the dragon would never listen to, nor take orders from anyone else except Seth. ‘The dragon is ready to hatch.’
‘We have to find him before it hatches,’ Rem said. ‘He won’t know what to do.’
‘It won’t hatch without a wizard’s final call to service,’ he said, trying to reassure himself more than anything. He hadn’t expected the dragon to bond so fast and be ready to hatch so soon. It must mean the threat of the night-shadows was worse than they thought.
‘He won’t harm it,’ Rem insisted. ‘I’m sure he’ll bring it back when he realises it won’t hatch.’
Darius appeared to be having a quiet conversation with someone in the shadows and he snorted at Rem’s words.
‘It’s not all he took,’ Darius said, floating into the lamplight.
‘He took something else?’ Eagan asked, and glanced at all the remaining eggs with a frown. ‘What else is there to take?’
‘The other wizards said he came last night, just before dusk. He touched the egg and appeared to be saying goodbye. They say it didn’t look like he planned to take it with him but the egg glowed brighter and brighter as he walked away. So bright it lit the entire room. Seth came back and took it.’
‘I wish I could hear your friend,’ Rem said, sighing at the one-sided conversation.
‘He says Seth just came to say goodbye but the dragon didn’t want him to go,’ Eagan relayed to her then waited for Darius to continue.
‘As he was leaving he stopped by Neras’ staff and said something about being alone in the dark forever. Then he took the staff and left.’
‘He took Neras’ staff?’ Eagan looked around the room, holding the lamp up to light the walls. Sure enough not far from the steps was an empty alcove. The broken staff was missing.
‘So Neras has gone too?’ Rem asked.
‘He must go where his staff goes,’ Eagan said with a nod but kept staring at the empty space on the wall.
‘And if he manages to connect with Neras fully he can hatch the dragon himself,’ Darius said with a warning tone. ‘Who knows what Seth is capable of. He doesn’t follow the normal rules.’
‘We have to find Seth,’ Eagan said, gulping back thoughts of what Seth’s anger might do when combined with a wizard’s magic. He would do more than hatch a dragon. He might wipe out entire villages, or worse.
‘First you have duties here,’ Darius pointed out. ‘If you want the dragon to start maturing you’d better get it started now.’
Eagan nodded, and stroked his beard as he thought through the situation. ‘If we hatch the dragon now we will have several weeks to train it before the mists lift enough to travel.
Rem looked delighted that the dragon would hatch soon and for several seconds she looked to have forgotten about Seth, then she frowned. ‘Then we go look for Seth?’
‘Yes,’ Eagan agreed with a nod. He had no choice but to track down the youth now.
It only took a matter of hours to organise everyone for the hatching. By high-sun they were heading back down to the nest.
‘Aren’t we going to move the egg out of the cellar?’ Rem asked as three people followed her and Eagan down the steps. The cellar had been lit by lamps on the walls and most of the shadows had been chased away. The glowing egg was still where she had placed it back in the nest and it was brighter than the lamps.
‘Your egg is the smaller of the two, and I think it will be able to fit through the door,’ Eagan said, glancing back at the wooden door to reassure himself. ‘It won’t be much bigger than you when it hatches. Besides it’s best if it isn’t exposed to too many people at first.’
‘Wise,’ Darius commented dryly. ‘You don’t want her knowing the real reason.’
Eagan slipped a quick look towards the wizard. He was glad that Seth wasn’t here to listen in on their conversations. A dragon that isn’t well-controlled as soon as it was born was likely to take to the sky and vanish into the mountains, never to be seen again. Now that they only had one dragon it was important that they did everything right.
‘Do I really have to wear this?’ Rem asked as she hitched her long skirt up to navigate the steps. ‘Trousers are so much more comfortable.’
Her hair had also been unbound from its customary plait and it flowed down her back and across her shoulders, changing her appearance completely. She looked quite the merchant’s daughter again – except for the broadsword that she wore strapped to her back.
‘Humour me,’ Eagan said lightly. The truth was that the dragon was less likely to attack her dressed like that than if she looked like a warrior. Its natural instinct was to fight and being confronted by an armed guard at bi
rth might trigger an attack. ‘Let me hold your sword for now.’
Rem frowned, then drew out the sword and handed it over but refused to take off the sheath.
‘I suppose you want me to act as a distraction?’ Darius said with a sigh. ‘And the other wizards too?’
Eagan nodded briefly in reply and one eyebrow rose as if it was obvious. The wizards could not be harmed by the dragon and the first few minutes were crucial. Darius wandered off and appeared to be talking quietly to the other wizards, although Eagan could neither hear nor see them. Darius pointed out several places in the cellar and looked to be taking charge of the diversion. Eagan could barely lift the sword and rested it near the steps then walked over to inspect the egg. It was almost translucent and the glowing white dragon within had grown to fill the entire shell. It would not have wanted to stay in there much longer.
Those chosen to witness the hatching stood around the edge of the cellar. Marrik was among them and he was dressed in his finest uniform with the buttons shined so much they sparkled in the light from the egg. He glanced around the cellar as if checking for any signs of danger. The other two were senior guards and Eagan intended them to be part of the dragon’s training. Eagan didn’t want anyone down in the cellar who didn’t need to be there.
‘Rem, could you bring the egg away from the nest, please?’ Eagan asked as a nervous silence fell on the room.
**
Rem felt her heart beating far too fast as she picked up the glowing white egg. It weighed no more than an apple but was large enough to be difficult to carry. She carried it carefully a few paces and placed it gently on the ground. The dragon squirmed as best it could in the now cramped space inside the shell and it looked a little like a white snake slithering round and round, looking for a way out. Rem had been sure she was ready for this, but now she could tell there was a definite tension in the room instead of excitement. She had no idea what could possibly go wrong but the way the others had backed off several paces did not fill her with confidence.
‘Now whatever happens, Rem. Stand your ground,’ Eagan said, and pushed back the sleeves of his black cloak as if getting ready for a fight.
Rem nodded and turned away before he could see the fear in her eyes. She focused on the egg and told herself sternly that the dragon had chosen her and everything would be okay. Inside the shell the dragon had ceased wriggling and was staring directly at her. She was concentrating so hard on the glowing egg that she felt a jolt of fright as Eagan shouted a single word.
‘Hatch!’
A shiver of terror ran through her and the egg cracked as if in answer to Eagan’s command. The sound echoed around the now silent chamber. The room grew brighter as light flooded from the crack and Rem had to hold up one hand to shield her eyes from the glare. A second later a terrible roar filled the room and startled her so much that she took several steps back towards the wall.
‘Stand your ground!’ Eagan shouted over the immense din.
Rem forced herself to stop backing away and stared at the light from the egg around the edges of her hand. The egg was shaking violently from side to side and with another loud crack it split in two. Light flashed through the room then vanished, leaving Rem temporarily blinded and rooted to the spot in terror. The dragon had gone quiet and she wasn’t sure which she preferred as now she had no idea where the creature was.
She blinked madly, trying to adjust her vision to the now dim cellar, then squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a warm gust of air on her face. A very warm gust of air. She gulped back her fear and opened her eyes.
She expected the dragon to be right in front of her but it was a dozen paces away – glowing softly white in the dimly lit room. It was far bigger than seemed possible given the small egg that it had just hatched from.
‘I grow quickly,’ a deep, rumbling voice said in a tone that was both mocking and self-confident. ‘I hear your thoughts and feel your fear.’
Rem bit her lip while she considered this new development. Nobody had mentioned that the dragon would talk.
‘Hrrmmp, perhaps I chose unwisely. You are weak. Pathetic. Unworthy. Odd.’
The dragon stared at Rem as if trying to decide if it should eat her.
‘You were the only one worth considering in over five hundred years. Very few are suited to bond with a royal dragon prince. But I was wrong.’ The dragon snorted in disgust then snapped at something to the side of it and seemed disappointed at missing its prey. ‘StarFire dislikes wizards.’
The huge white muzzle turned back towards Rem and the steely black eyes fixed on her with a terrible glare. Slowly, the dragon took one step towards her.
‘The dragon intends to kill you. You are too weak for it,’ Eagan said from behind her. ‘Then it will be free to fly off into the mountains. We NEED this dragon!’
Rem was annoyed at the way Eagan spoke. It was as if she were of secondary importance here and that keeping the dragon controlled was all that mattered. She turned to face Eagan with her hands on her hips.
‘Me, weak?’ she asked incredulously. She had beaten almost every guard in hand to hand combat at the spring games just a moon cycle ago. The only person she hadn’t beaten was Seth.
‘You turn your back to me!’ the dragon said in a deep bellow of disgust. ‘Are you too scared to face your own death?’
Rem felt anger rise within her even more. She stalked over to the steps, picked up her sword and turned to face the dragon. With the sword tip raised she advanced towards it. StarFire had stopped to swat away unseen wizards and looked up as she approached.
‘I am neither scared nor weak,’ Rem said clearly and firmly, as the anger chased away the last of her nerves. ‘You will serve me as you must. If you wish to test my resolve, do so now, for my sword is sharp and my aim is true.’
Rem strode the last few steps toward the dragon until the great head towered over her and the tip of her sword rested firmly against the soft hide of the dragon’s chest. The dragon lowered its head and snorted so strongly that the gust of hot air almost blew Rem off her feet. Then it backed away several steps and lowered its head level with hers.
‘I sense no fear within you now,’ it said and flicked its tongue over its snout as if tasting the air around it and then nodded just once with a look of resignation. ‘I cannot defy your commands.’
Chapter Nine - Escape
Seth lay still as the wagon came to a stop. It was almost dark and the wagon had been travelling for an entire night and day. Several times he had heard the driver snoring as the horse plodded home unguided, obviously well used to this trip. He had no idea where they were nor even the direction the wagon had been travelling. The only reason he had picked this wagon was the fact that it had a tall arched cover on the back. It was hard enough hiding the glowing egg under a blanket and he wanted as much cover as possible. He had spent an uncomfortable trip, keeping the egg from rolling around and trying to stay awake.
‘Kela, I’m home,’ the farmer said as he climbed wearily down from the wagon.
‘Can we go look around?’ Neras said eagerly, from the far end of the wagon. Seth glanced over but could only make out a vague blur in the air to show where the boy was.
‘Soon,’ Seth whispered back, lifting the front cover of the wagon and looking to see if anyone was around. He hadn’t intended to bring the young wizard but he had taken pity on him back at the tower. Neras had been so grateful and excited that he had talked non-stop for hours. Seth had already regretted taking the staff. Eventually, when Seth didn’t respond, the wizard fell silent and this was the first time he had spoken since.
The wagon had stopped at a small farm. It was parked next to a large barn and a short way off was a farmhouse. The farmer was almost at the door and a woman came out and greeted him warmly. A young boy came running out and was despatched to take care of the horse. Several huge dogs followed the boy and Seth knew it was time to move!
‘We’ll have to hurry
,’ Seth said, grabbing the egg and heading for the back flap of the wagon. He couldn’t risk the boy looking in the back of the wagon and the dogs were bound to give away his hiding place. As it was, the horse had been skittish all the way back, as if sensing the dragon, Seth, or the young wizard.
‘Don’t forget my staff!’ Neras said in a desperate voice.
Seth sighed, flicked the staff into his hand by hooking it up with his foot, and slipped out of the wagon.
‘I haven’t been on a farm in nearly three hundred years,’ Neras said, right next to Seth.
‘If you keep talking you’ll stay right here,’ Seth muttered and Neras fell silent. Seth looked around as he hurried around the back of the barn. The fields were planted with corn and that suited Seth perfectly. He waited until he could hear the boy talking to the horse then dashed across the short distance to the fields.
The tall corn hid him instantly and he set the egg down as he looked back at the farmhouse. The egg wasn’t heavy but he didn’t want to risk dropping it. He hadn’t intended to bring it with him either but that was something he didn’t regret at all. He could feel the life of the dragon radiating out from the egg already and knew it wouldn’t be long before it hatched.
‘We need to find somewhere to hide out for a while,’ he said out loud. It was more to feel less alone that he spoke to Neras though. He was still uneasy about having someone around that he couldn’t see.
‘That will be the overseer’s cottage,’ Neras offered quietly.
Seth looked at the cottage. He’d spent a good portion of his young life wandering the countryside and he nodded in agreement. He had become soft living at High Gate these last few months. He should have seen immediately what the layout of the land was and known that.
‘Which means there will be worker’s cottages somewhere nearby,’ Seth added.
‘And often empty while the corn is still growing,’ Neras said. ‘I lived on a farm until six months before I met the apprentice of this staff.’
‘Let’s go find one then,’ Seth suggested, picking up the egg which was still wrapped in the thin blanket from the back of the wagon.
