by Linda McNabb
‘Keep back…’ he warned. He didn’t want to harm Kenan by taking life from him.
Kenan looked confused and backed away. Seth turned to watch the black dragon soaring upward and out of sight then he blacked out.
When he woke up he was in his bed and Kenan sat bouncing on the edge, racking him with waves of pain.
‘Stop bouncing,’ Seth croaked out.
‘So, Clara says I can stay,’ Kenan said as he stood up and walked over to the window.
‘You want to stay here?’ Seth asked in a small whisper. Breathing still hurt if he wasn’t careful. ‘I’d rather be in your forest.’
‘You’re welcome to it,’ Kenan said with a laugh and bit into a juicy apple. ‘Oh, that’s right. I was sent up here to tell you that Lord Ryker wants to see you. You’ve been asleep for almost a whole day.’
Seth sat up slowly. He couldn’t dare let any thoughts of resisting a command enter his head right now. He doubted he would survive another lesson.
‘He didn’t say there was a rush,’ Kenan said, as he frowned at the pain it was causing Seth just to sit up.
‘I’d rather go straight away,’ Seth said, reaching out for his staff and letting it take most of his weight. Oddly his shoulder wasn’t bothering him so much now but he still used his good arm to lean on. ‘How is MoonFlame today?’
‘She’s been asleep all day,’ Kenan said with a shrug. ‘I’d never have thought something so big could need so much sleep.’
It took Seth almost half an hour to make his way up the dozens of steps that led to the tower room. Kenan followed behind, keeping up a running commentary about the goings on amongst the servants and describing his dinner in great detail. The door at the top of the steps opened as Seth reached it and one look from Ryker dismissed Kenan back downstairs.
Ryker shut the door behind Seth and looked amused by the boy’s still weak condition.
‘Seth, I have a task for you,’ Ryker said, putting his hands behind his back and pacing slowly across the room, glancing several times over at the huge sleeping dragon in the cage.
Seth saw MoonFlame had grown yet again. He would not like to have her advancing on him right now and he doubted he would be able to hold his control over her at all if needed.
‘Yes, master,’ Seth replied softly. He wasn’t pretending meekness as he could barely stand after the effort of climbing the stairs. He hoped it wasn’t anything too strenuous.
‘You appear to have learnt from the lesson,’ Ryker said and glanced over at Seth then at the window. Seth dared a quick look and saw the air shimmering. Oran was never far away.
‘So you want to waste more of my magic to heal the damage done by a previous misuse of my magic?’ Oran sounded petulant and annoyed.
‘I am sure this creature wasn’t the only egg to mature.’ It was a statement, not a question but Seth still nodded and let his gaze drift to the floor as he thought about Rem. He wondered how she was coping with her dragon and if she missed him. ‘How many are there?’
‘There is only one other,’ Seth said without raising his head.
‘Just one?’ Ryker looked surprised. ‘There were a dozen last time.’
Ryker paced the room looking thoughtful. He looked at the slumbering dragon occasionally and then over at Seth. What he saw did not appear to please him.
‘If only two have hatched then the night-shadows aren’t coming any time soon. Eagan must have it wrong. If there was going to be an attack there would be many more.’
‘Time for Plan B?’ Oran asked.
Ryker continued to pace. ‘It might work. Seth, bring me the other keeper. I want them bonded to me.’
Seth did not want Rem to come here but he could not refuse to fetch her. The pain in his chest began to increase again.
‘Oh, all right. I’ll heal the damage from last time. If he doesn’t stop fighting against your orders he’ll be no use to us at all.’
The pain in Seth’s chest changed from one of physical pain to what felt like a broken heart.
‘And how are you going to trick a dragon keeper, with a hatched dragon, to agree to serve you, Ryker?’ Oran asked sarcastically.
‘That’s up to Seth,’ Ryker said quietly and walked over to stare out the window.
Seth was pretending not to listen and he looked over at MoonFlame as she twitched in her sleep. Just what was it that the apprentice wanted with two dragons?
‘And then, Seth,’ Ryker turned and walked towards him, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ‘You and the other keeper will take your dragons through the pass and bring me back a night-shadow.’
Seth stared at Ryker in genuine surprise. He would have guessed a hundred times and not come up with that.
‘Get your strength back. You’ll be leaving as soon as your dragon can stay awake long enough!’
It took almost three days for MoonFlame to wake up properly and agree to the task set by Ryker. Most of Seth’s control seemed to have gone and they were now battling back and forth to see who would be the one giving the orders.
Seth had won this one even though he wished he had lost. He could not refuse to fetch Rem but he did not want her under Ryker’s control either.
His intention was to fly close to High Gate and then walk the rest of the way. The rest of his plan was a bit vague to say the least. He had no idea how he was going to convince Rem to come with him.
They had been flying for less than five minutes and it was just past high-sun when MoonFlame began to growl and Seth’s head began to ache terribly. Was this some other form of punishment devised by Ryker?
‘They come,’ MoonFlame said bluntly.
‘Who?’ Seth asked, rubbing at his forehead to try to ease the pain.
‘Night-shadows.’
Chapter Thirteen - Night-Shadows
‘Stay in sight, StarFire,’ Rem said, keeping her hand firmly on the soft white hide of the dragon. He had walked at her pace even though the eagerness to fly was clear in his eyes. As Rem’s hand lifted the dragon took one step forward and launched into the air. It was permission to leave and he did not hesitate to do so.
The downdraft unbalanced Rem and she sat down at the bottom of the slope that led up to High Gate’s main entrance. It had been almost a week since StarFire hatched and up until today she had only allowed him to fly small circuits around the courtyard. Now the white dragon was too big for that and Rem had sensed a growing unease and frustration even though StarFire hadn’t said anything.
Eagan came down the slope to join her and stood watching the dragon stretch his wings properly for the first time.
‘He is growing fast,’ Eagan commented.
‘I should have told him to be careful of the mists,’ Rem said, standing up and peering after the white dragon as it flew directly over the marshes.
‘He will know from the memories of his kin before him,’ Eagan assured her.
‘And you’re sure I can’t ride him,’ Rem said with a wistful sigh. She closed her eyes and imagined soaring high above the ground.
‘I’ve told you before that dragons are not horses. They hatch for one reason and one reason only,’ Eagan said with a tiny hint of impatience in his voice.
‘I think I’ll go for a walk downstream,’ Rem said, secretly hoping she would meet Seth coming back to High Gate. ‘It will give StarFire more time to fly.
‘Don’t wander too far,’ Eagan said with a nod and Rem felt a bit annoyed. She wasn’t a dragon to be commanded to stay in sight. The old man may be dear to her, but he wasn’t her master. As she walked she saw Cree flying above the tower. The huge mountain bird had taken to the air the second it saw StarFire earlier in the week and had not come near her since. She missed the bird and wished it would come back but she knew it was a wild creature and she had no real control over it.
It was almost dusk when Rem finally returned to the tower. StarFire was worn out from his long flight and went to sleep immediately. Rem wasn’t long after. She slept lightly these days t
hough. A dragon just outside the window was part of the reason. StarFire breathed so heavily when he slept that it could almost be called snoring. A small, stone lean-to had been built just outside Eagan’s rooms for the dragon. StarFire snorted flames in his sleep as well and several times he had lit up the hay laid down to keep him warm. Now there was a small fire built into one side of the stone wall instead and wood was fed into it from the back. None of the guards or house servants were willing to go inside the stone lair even though Eagan assured them that the dragon would not eat them.
The other reason was Seth. Rem spent hours watching the road that led to High Gate, even though nobody would be travelling it while the mists hung over the marshes. She worried about where he was and if he was safe. If only he had stayed at High Gate she might have been able to talk Eagan around to letting him stay bonded to the dragon egg.
It was barely dawn and Rem could hear StarFire stirring. Rem sighed as she pushed herself up on one arm and yawned before swinging her legs out of bed. She needed to get down to the kitchens before the dragon woke up completely. A hungry dragon was a noisy dragon and she had learnt very fast that the town of High Gate did not like being woken by a roaring dragon before dawn. The chickens had only just started laying again after the fright of having a dragon around and if they stopped again the cook would blame her!
She dragged on trousers and a warm tunic. It might be early summer, but the mornings were still cool enough to nip at any exposed skin. She pushed soft slippers onto her feet and tiptoed quietly over to the door. She didn’t want to wake Eagan who had taken to sleeping on the couch lately. She snagged a basket from where it sat by the door and slipped outside into the fresh breeze. She hurried over to the kitchens and went down the steps quickly. She didn’t attempt to be quiet as she knew Cook and his staff had been up for hours already.
‘Morning,’ she called brightly as she let the door swing shut behind her.
‘More fruit?’ Cook said with a mock scowl. Rem knew that he might dislike the amount of fruit the dragon ate but he was one of the many who were grateful StarFire didn’t eat meat!
‘He likes the green apples best,’ Rem said with a smile.
A sudden pain throbbed at the top of her head, like a dull ache. Within a few seconds it built up to a sharp pain that made her lift one hand to massage her forehead. A noise rushed through her ears like the sound of cart wheels on the cobbles. It echoed and drummed at her head with an insistence that made her vision blur.
‘Are you okay?’ Cook asked in concern. ‘That mark on your forehead has gone a funny red colour.’
Rem frowned as she massaged her head even more and realised the pain was coming from the mark itself. Why? She dropped the basket on the floor and dashed from the room in search of Eagan. He would know what was wrong.
She had only just reached the courtyard when a terse voice cut the still morning air.
‘You took your time. Did you not feel the call?’
Rem stopped and looked around in the dim light from the few lanterns that hung from poles along the edge of the courtyard. The voice was definitely StarFire but she had never heard the dragon sound so irritated.
‘You did this?’ Rem asked, stumbling forward as the pain began to build even more.
‘I feel something. It aches deep inside me. You feel what I feel.’ The dragon sounded distracted and raised his snout to the sky as if sniffing the air.
Rem took a deep breath and swallowed hard as she struggled to push away the pain and relax. It was still there, but more of a dull, background noise that she could almost tune out. She had not expected the dragon to be easy to deal with but had not bargained on such a bond.
‘What is it?’ Rem asked, wondering if the dragon was sick.
‘They are coming.’ StarFire took in a deep breath and let it out slowly then lowered his snout so that his eyes were in line with Rem’s head. ‘Soon.’
Rem didn’t need to ask who the dragon was talking about.
‘Tell the apprentice,’ StarFire said bluntly as he curled up again and tucked his nose under his snout.
Rem knew it was a command, not a request. StarFire was a royal amongst his own kind and she was just a lowly human. He may have to answer her call and follow her instructions but nothing would ever take the royal breeding from the creature. There was no way StarFire would tell Eagan himself as the dragon hated him almost as much as night-shadows. She had no idea why but no doubt it had something to do with the clan memory that he was born with. She had no intention of asking about it either.
Rem backed away, abandoning the idea of getting the dragon’s morning fruit, and went to alert Eagan. This time when the night-shadows came through she would not miss her mark!
**
Eagan had woken to the sound of the door closing as Rem left his rooms and lay in the dark for several minutes before finally lighting the lamp that sat on the floor next to the sofa. Darius was standing at the window, looking out across the dark marshes. The wizard did not turn and Eagan wondered just how much Darius could see in the dark. Was he watching the marshes for any sign of Seth’s return?
‘She does not complain at what she must do,’ Darius said thoughtfully.
‘She is strong-minded,’ Eagan agreed with a nod as he poured himself a drink of water and sat at the table. He was proud of how the young girl had taken on the duties of dragon keeper so well. He had been worried that she wouldn’t be strong enough to maintain her hold over the dragon but she had proven him wrong.
‘Perhaps it may be enough. Time will tell.’
The wizard was right. It had only been a week and the dragon would not reach full maturity for at least another year. Eagan would have to make sure he was around to support her as she trained the dragon. He had never heard of a royal dragon being hatched before and he wondered if it was significant in any way. Perhaps it meant StarFire was strong enough to manage any invasion alone. Eagan hoped so as there wasn’t much help that human or wizard could give.
Perhaps there wouldn’t be an attack at all? He didn’t even give this deepest hope more than a second before he waved it away as impossible. They were coming and soon.
The door clicked open and Rem edged in as if she would rather be somewhere else; anywhere else. One look at her face told him it was not good news. Even in the dim light from the single lantern he could see she was upset.
His gaze flicked from her worried expression to her forehead and what he saw made him blink and gulp. Her dragon mark was bright red.
‘I thought we would have more time,’ he said, pulling himself up straighter in his chair as if the action would give him more courage to deal with the imminent invasion. ‘I’m guessing the dragon told you. Did he say when?’
Rem shook her head. ‘They are coming and soon.’
He swallowed again. His own words, echoing back at him within a minute of thinking them gave him a chill and he took a deep breath to compose himself.
‘Right then,’ Eagan said, looking across the room at Darius.
The wizard was still looking out over the marshes but his body looked tense and stiff. ‘You know what to do. It appears our time has come whether we wish it or not.’
Eagan nodded and stood up. ‘It’s time to triple the guard, light the pass, and arm ourselves. With just one dragon, and a young one at that, we’ll need every person in High Gate out there to defend the west.’
By mid-morning more had been achieved than Eagan would have thought possible in two days. Rosters for triple guard shifts had been sorted out, oil lamps hanging from tall posts were staked along the entire pass and around the edges of the canyon. They were not lit yet as the sun was full in the sky, but come nightfall there would not be a single shadow for anything to hide in.
Every single person, except Eagan, in High Gate had been issued with a whistle and sword. He had no use for a sword, but he did take a whistle from the basket-full that was offered around. He clutched it tightly for several minutes before dropping th
e leather cord over his head and settling it at easy reach. Just having it made him feel slightly less nervous. He glanced around at the fixed expressions of the soldiers and civilians pressed into service at this urgent hour. Not one of them looked as worried as Eagan felt. His body alternated between sweating and being ravaged by chills that made him rub his arms for warmth. He chastised himself for such cowardice and busied himself with checking the guards on the heights again.
‘Do not be so hard on yourself. They have not seen the beasts at close quarters,’ Darius reminded him. ‘There is much to be said for ignorance of the future. It allows a degree of hope that we do not carry.’
Eagan nodded. Both he and Darius knew that they would not come out of this the same as they were now. With only one dragon to aid their fight all the magic at Darius’ disposal would be needed. A niggling voice came into his head, reminding him of all the spells he had used over the years. If he had saved that magic it might have tipped the scales in their favour now. He bit his lip and turned away from Darius. He didn’t want to admit that the wizard had been right all along. Darius hadn’t been trying to save his own existence after all.
He rubbed his arm as the scars itched in response to his thoughts of the night-shadows. Visions of the huge teeth sinking into his flesh came back vividly and he pushed away the image with an effort. He would be no use to anyone if he turned into a blithering idiot right now!
Eagan went to check on the dragon and found Rem there, dressed in her full guard uniform and fighting armour. She had added a white strip of cloth around her waist and tied it so that the ends hung to one side.
‘It’s in case StarFire can’t find me in the battle,’ Rem said, when she noticed he was looking at the white sash.
‘I would find you even if my eyes were blinded and you were a dozen days distance from here,’ StarFire remarked with a puzzled expression that the sash was his for his benefit. The dragon scowled at Eagan and then at Darius who had stepped closer than the dragon appeared happy with.
