Dragon Fate

by J. D. Hallowell

  When they had cleaned up, they went to the stables and found that Brandon had completed Geneva’s saddle. It was beautiful: done in black leather, it was simple but elegant. It had a seat that was wide enough to be comfortable even during a long flight, and fenders long enough to protect his lower legs from chafing against her scales, and it was fitted with both thigh straps and the same belt and harness set up as Leera’s saddle. If the thigh straps weren’t in use on his legs, they could easily be rigged to tie gear into place. Everything on the saddle was double stitched with good heavy cord. The overall effect was a very serviceable saddle that should be quite comfortable and last for years without major repair. Delno thanked Brandon profusely for the work. The man actually blushed at the praise, saying that he was just glad he could be of assistance to the Riders.

  They carried their saddles out of the garrison toward the city gates. The young woman, Jennie, was there to watch them take off. She had taken the habit of being there when the Riders came from their morning practice to join the dragons. She had even been waiting near the gates on several occasions when they returned in the late afternoons. This morning, as on many of the previous mornings, she had brought them biscuits and honey to take with them for their lunch. As usual, both Riders greeted her and thanked her for the food, and, as usual, she barely seemed to notice that Brock was even there. She wasn’t rude to the older Rider; she simply had eyes only for Delno.

  They saddled both dragons, and Delno and Geneva were both delighted with the fit and feel of the new saddle. Geneva was so pleased she was actually dancing from foot to foot in anticipation of flying with a proper rig on. Once airborne, they did a few maneuvers, which Delno found much more pleasant with the comfort and stability of a real saddle. Also, he was really getting used to flying. He was even starting to like the acrobatic maneuvers. They didn’t fly long before Brock had Leera relay that they were to land on the rocky hill.

  Delno dismounted and approached his teacher expecting to start another magic lesson, but Brock said there would be no lesson today. He was just about to explain when both dragons sat up fully alert.

  As Brock communicated with Leera, Geneva said, “There are two Dragons and their Riders at the city gate; they are looking for Brock. We must go.”

  Delno looked at Brock and the older man shrugged and said, “I guess we’ll find out when we get back to town.”

  They quickly mounted and took wing. Geneva had grown so much in the last nine days that she was now noticeably larger than her older sister. She was actually pulling ahead when Delno said, “Brock and Leera are our Teachers; we should let them lead the way, Dear Heart.”

  “You are right, Love, I had forgotten that I had grown so much bigger than she.”

  Geneva adjusted her flight to let Leera get slightly ahead of her, and Delno saw Brock smile and salute them for the courtesy.

  When they reached the city, it was the same near-bedlam that occurred the day that Brock had first appeared. Delno shook his head and said, “You’d think, after having two Riders in town for so long, these people would learn to relax a bit.”

  Geneva laughed out loud as well as mentally and he said, “What’s so funny, Love?”

  “Leera just relayed the same message from Brock almost word for word.”

  Delno looked at Brock, and they simultaneously shrugged their shoulders and smiled at each other.

  The two Riders at the gate were, of course, completely new faces to Delno, but he saw that Brock recognized them. They landed near the newcomers, who were already on the ground, and dismounted.

  The new pair were surprised to see Delno. Apparently, they had been expecting someone else; most likely, they had expected Brock’s companion to be his son, the missing Rider.

  Realizing that the other Riders were startled to find a completely unknown person with him, Brock said, “Riders, let me introduce my student; this is Delno, and his Bond-mate Geneva.”

  The looks on the Rider’s faces told Delno that they, too, understood the significance of Geneva’s name.

  Brock said to Delno, “This is Simcha Samuelson, and Marguerite Killian.”

  Delno wasn’t sure how it was done in the south, but he grasped the woman’s arm first as was polite in the north. No one took offense, so he then grasped the man’s arm and shook with him.

  Marguerite said, “Most people call me Rita; the full name is just too much of a mouthful.”

  Simcha only nodded to him and then turned to Brock and said, “We have much to discuss,” then he looked at the crowd and added, “Privately.”

  This time even the soldiers from the garrison held back. One Dragon Rider was one thing; four was more than any of them seemed willing to handle. Winston smiled at Delno as if to say, “Our Dragon Riders can handle this one.”

  Delno spoke up, “We can talk at Nat’s home; it’s about as private as we’re likely to get.”

  Rita, a small pretty woman, just about five feet tall, with olive skin, long black hair, and dark eyes, who looked to be no more than her early twenties, just shrugged her shoulders and said, “This isn’t my town; I’ll defer to your expertise, Handsome.”

  Delno was a bit startled by her forward manner, but he extended his arm to her anyway. He realized that her apparent age had nothing to do with her actual years. A Dragon Rider wouldn’t even be middle aged until she was twelve to fifteen hundred. If this young lady had bonded at twelve or thirteen, she was probably quite a bit older than he.

  Simcha ignored Delno and looked to Brock who said, “Don’t ignore the man, Simcha; he’s a Rider and knows the town better than we do.”

  “I thought you said he was your student,” the man responded, as if student meant something like a cross between a child and a pack animal. Delno was rapidly coming to the conclusion that it might save time to just avoid the rush later and start disliking the man now.

  “I misspoke; I meant that he was my student.” Then he turned to Delno and said, “That’s what I was about to tell you before we were called back. Today is graduation day as far as I’m concerned. There’s still more you can learn, but I’m confident that you will learn those things just fine. I’ve taught you what I can, and I’ve seen Riders who were a whole lot less prepared turned loose on the world.” Then he extended his hand to Delno and added, “Congratulations. A teacher usually gives his student a gift at this point, typically a blade. I can’t give you a blade that will even come close to the one you’re carrying, so all I’ve got for you on such short notice is my blessings.”

  As he returned Brock’s grasp, he said, “Your blessings are plenty and mean more to me than any trinket would. Thank you.”

  Then he turned to the other two Riders and said, “If you’ll follow me, we can go someplace more . . . quiet.”

  Rita took Delno’s arm and said, “You lead, Handsome, and I’ll follow.”

  Simcha snarled, “For the love of . . . You’re over a century old, woman; get your glands under control.”

  “Simcha, Darling,” Rita responded with smile, “when I am nearly seven hundred years old, I hope that, like you, I am so good at minding my own business that I have plenty of time left to mind other people’s business as well.”

  Delno smiled at the petite woman; Brock merely shook his head, while Simcha glared at all three of them.

  Delno began walking toward the gates and saw Jennie standing there; to his surprise, she was smiling and talking with Robbie and hadn’t noticed Rita. Jennie looked up, and there was a flash of irritation when she noticed that the female Rider was holding Delno’s arm, but then Robbie said something to the young woman, and she laughed and turned back to him, ignoring the Riders completely.

  Brock leaned closer and whispered, “Looks like your lady friend has found a new interest.”

  “Lady friend?” Rita said, “I hope I’m not going to get you into trouble, Handsome.”

  “She’s not my ‘lady friend,’ she’s a young woman who was taken with a Rider. She brought me some bi
scuits and honey. I discouraged anything else; it would have been taking advantage of the situation.” Then he noticed that Jennie and Robbie were virtually ignoring everyone and everything around them. “Robbie is a good man, and closer to her age anyway.”

  Rita smiled and replied, “Hmm, good looks, and he’s got ethics; the more I learn about you, Handsome, the more I like what I see.”

  Simcha growled, “Maybe some of the ethics will rub off on you, Rita.”

  Delno stopped walking, but before he could turn on Simcha, Rita firmly shoved him in the direction they had been heading and said, “Ignore him; arguing only encourages him to rise to ever greater heights of self-righteous arrogance.”

  Simcha glared at Brock and said, “If that boy were my student, I’d take him to task for acting that way towards his superiors.”

  Delno had had enough of this pompous ass. He turned on Simcha and said with a smile, “I give respect where it’s due; perhaps you missed that lesson.”

  Simcha’s face began to turn pink, edging toward red.

  Not wanting to be left out when it was Simcha who was on the receiving end, Rita piped up, “Besides, Darling, if you were his teacher, he’d likely be running loose in the countryside hiding from any Dragon Rider within a thousand miles.”

  Simcha’s face went from pink directly to purple and the only sounds he appeared capable of were incoherent sputterings.

  Rita was quite pretty, and Delno was sure she was fairly intelligent, but she didn’t know when to leave well enough alone. She looked at Brock and, without skipping a beat, said, “Speaking of which, have you had any word on Connor? Any idea where he might be now?”

  Simcha’s hand was on his sword hilt, and Delno thought that the man was actually going to draw steel, but Brock quickly stepped into the middle of the three of them and said, nearly shouting, “ENOUGH!” All three were startled and he continued, almost whispering so that the crowd could not hear his words, “You will all keep your insults to yourselves, and your tempers under control. Simcha, if you draw that blade, I’ll personally disarm you in front of all of these people.”

  Simcha moved his hand away from his blade, but continued to glare at Delno like the whole incident was somehow his fault. Delno wanted to point out that the man had brought it upon himself, but doing so would accomplish nothing, and Brock was right; this was not the time or place. He shrugged and led the other three Riders toward the gate.

  As they passed the crowd, Nat nodded and said, “Delno, the sliding doors of the sitting room are fairly thick and should provide you with a quiet place to talk. I’ll tell Missus Gentry to get some refreshments and make room for our newest guests.”

  Both Delno and Brock thanked the healer as he preceded them to the house so that he could make arrangements with his housekeeper. Delno lightly touched the half-elf on the shoulder and whispered, “I apologize for bringing this to your home.”

  Nat just smiled and replied, “It’s not a problem. I’m sure everything will sort itself out in short order.”

  Missus Gentry set a tray of refreshments on a small table and said, “If you need anything else, I’ll be about the house seeing to quarters for you all, but just pull the bell rope, I’ll hear.” Then she drew the thick sliding doors shut as she left.

  The four Dragon Riders sat without talking for several moments. Brock looked expectant, Delno was curious, Simcha looked angry, and Rita looked a bit bored. Finally, Brock broke the silence, “Well, I’m sure you two didn’t team up and come here simply for a visit.”

  Simcha snorted and then said, “We came here to find you.” They all waited for him to continue, but he had apparently said all he was willing to say.

  Brock rolled his eyes, and Rita said, “Well, that certainly explains the whole situation.”

  Simcha glared at her and replied, “If I wanted to tell my business to anyone other then Brock, I wouldn’t have asked Brock to speak with me privately. If I’d wanted to include some youngster in this, I would have said so.”

  By this point even Brock’s patience was starting to wear thin. He was about to say something when Rita spoke out in an exasperated tone, “Well, this is also my business, and I have no problems with Delno being present. So, since you won’t tell them what this is about, I will.”

  She then turned to Brock and reported, “Chureny, Derrick and Quincy down in Horne have sent out a call for help from any Rider who can come. The messengers mentioned that they couldn’t locate you and asked if we would watch for you as we traveled. It seems the Roracks have been massing and are now attacking human settlements in unprecedented numbers. The three normally staying there have only barely been able to stem the tide. They are saying that if they don’t get help soon, the whole country will fall to the beast-men.”

  Simcha sat up and said, “Damn it, woman, I said that our business was private. If word of this gets out, it could cause a panic through the rest of the kingdoms.”

  “And just how do think word will get out?” Delno asked rising from his seat. He was getting thoroughly tired of Simcha’s nonsense.

  Brock held up his hand and said, “Delno, please, let me handle this.” Then he rounded on Simcha and said, “You’ve finally done it, Simcha; you’ve even pushed me beyond my limits. I’ve pronounced this man a fit Rider, and you’re still treating him like either a child or an outsider. You not only insult him, you insult me, and you are breaking rules of hospitality that have served this civilization for thousands of years. Either you get yourself under control, or you can go on your way now.”

  “I won’t fall for your baiting, Brock,” Simcha responded. “You can’t have been training this boy for more than three weeks, less most likely; how can you pronounce him trained? His dragon isn’t even mature yet, despite her size.”

  Brock stared at Simcha for a long moment before answering, “This is no boy who was presented to a hatchling at twelve or thirteen years of age. Delno is a full-grown man of twenty-seven years, and he’s a seasoned warrior. Further, he has led more men into battles in his four years of military service than you have in your seven hundred years as a Rider. He is the Rider of Geneva, carrier of her family’s lineage. Named Rider by Geneva’s mother, and you know damn well who her Rider was. What’s more, Geneva’s mother saw enough worth in him to present him with a Dragon Blade; even you don’t carry an honor such as that.” He paused to let that sink in.

  Rita, who was sitting so close to Delno that they were almost touching, now looked at the saber hanging on the younger Rider’s belt and whistled.

  Brock continued, “I can pronounce him Rider after a fortnight because he has accomplished so much by himself that there was very little to teach him. He has acquired more wisdom in his twenty-seven years then some Riders acquire in a thousand. Geneva may not be old enough to breathe fire yet, but she can now outperform Leera in the air, and I’ll bet that even you and Janna would be hard pressed to beat them in an aerial contest. Finally, I have as much right to pronounce a Rider fit as anyone else. So stop making an ass of yourself.”

  Simcha had just settled back and looked like he might start being reasonable until Rita said, “And, judging by your recent record, Simcha, I don’t see where you feel you have the right to argue.”

  Simcha again turned nearly purple and rose to his feet. Brock stepped in between the two and glared at Rita so hard that Delno was afraid the man might strangle her on the spot. Instead, Brock said, “Rita, you are simply baiting Simcha on purpose, and that is completely counter productive. I have no choice but to make the same ultimatum to you; either behave yourself, or leave.”

  Rita closed her mouth and sat silently, Delno looked at her and realized that she was very cute when she was pouting. Then he shook his head to clear his thoughts and set his mind to the reason the four of them were gathered.

  Everyone was again silent, and Simcha had returned to his seat. Delno got up and poured drinks for them all. The beverage was a fermented fruit punch that was popular in Orlean. It w
as made from mixed fruits that grew in the orchards around the city. There were also sandwiches, which he distributed.

  After they had eaten a bit, and everyone had drunk a glass of the mildly alcoholic beverage, Brock said, “Now then, let’s talk about the troubles in Horne.”

  Simcha shifted forward in his seat and said, “Well, from what we’ve been told, the Roracks have been attacking settlements, not just isolated farms and outposts this time. According to the reports, they’ve hit targets as big as towns, and down there the towns are pretty heavily fortified. They’re also better organized than ever before. Usually their raiders are haphazard and hit targets of opportunity. Now they’re coming on like properly drilled military with a definite purpose in mind. They seem intent on pushing the borders of their own territory further into Horne rather than looting and then going home. The other strange thing is that, in the past, they spoiled everything, more burning than looting, and they always burned crops. This time they’re not being so destructive. They only burn houses and crops if they have to retreat, like they want to keep them if they can and only burn them to deprive the men from having them if they’re losing ground.”

  Delno interjected, “From what I’ve heard of them, they’re not that intelligent. Perhaps someone else is behind this and has found a way of controlling the Roracks.”

  Simcha snorted, “That would be a neat trick, especially since no one has been able to accomplish it in several thousand years,” he retorted. “If you have nothing to add boy, keep silent.”

  Delno got to his feet and said, “Damn it, man, I fought bloody battles in a war for two long, hard years up north. I’ve seen my share of death and destruction. One thing I’ve learned is not to discount anything just because it hasn’t been done in the past. Think what you’re saying. What’s the alternative here? Are you saying the Roracks have suddenly evolved into a more intelligent species?”

  Simcha started to reply angrily but Brock cut him off, “Delno’s got a point. If there isn’t someone organizing them, then the alternative is that they are organizing themselves. I know that neither has happened in the past, but one must be happening now.”