Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) (28 page)

They made s few short stops during the day in order to rest the horses. Once during the day they passed a set of Ducal guards who seemed bored and thought nothing of the companions as they continued their own search. Well after dark Cyerant called a halt and the small company went into the trees to make camp. They ate a cold meal from their packs and set their watches and rolled into their blankets to sleep. Shira had first watch and noticed that near the end of her watch the man that they were following finally left the road and himself made a cold camp. She woke Veer to take second watch and as she was preparing to sleep Cyool showed her glimpses of the man as he hobbled the horses so that they could eat in a small meadow. She also watched as the man pulled out his little prisoner and gave it food and water and then stuffed the poor creature back into the sack. As Shira drifted off to sleep she had an idea which she shared with Cyool and with a satisfied feeling she fell into a deep sleep.

*****

Cyool had been airborne for all of one day and half of a night with only a few short breaks to rest and drink. She landed far enough away from the man so that he could not hear her wings and she waited and rested while the man went to sleep. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction for what she was about to do. Once she was sure that the man was in a deep sleep she quietly went to the small meadow like clearing in the forest where the horses were hobbled. The horses watched as a harmless dog walked up to their ropes tied to their feet and dug the stakes securing the ends out of the ground. Then the harmless dog rose up on her hind legs and spread her wings and hissed at the terrified horses. The horses fled in horror and though they were very tired from a long day they would run until they were exhausted.

What a wonderful idea and Cyool felt so happy that she had done as she was asked. The dragon only changed the plan a little bit and instead of scaring away all three animals, she ate one. It had, after all, been a long day. Then she found a nice place to sleep. She noticed the four watchers in the forest but she knew that they meant her no harm as they watched the man and as they watched her sleep.

Dinmael awoke very early just as the first pre-dawn bird songs began. He prepared himself to travel by feeding and watering his little prisoner and eating a quick breakfast of dried meat and water. He organized his packs and he was ready to get moving before dawn even started to lighten the sky.  The last step was to fetch his horses from the nearby clearing but when he got to the edge of the clearing there were none to be found. He ran to where he had left the animals tied to hobbles and he found that someone or something had dug up the stakes that he had driven into the ground.  He started to search the area for his horses and mule. He soon stumbled onto his mule but something had killed it – and eaten part of it.

The man went back to his camp to retrieve his short bow and then he made his way to the tree line where he had a clear sight of the road. He knew that he was going to have to waylay a couple of lone travellers. He also remembered from the day before that most people travelled in groups on this road so he knew that this could take a while, so he sat with his back against a tree. He was just settling in to wait for a single traveller to come down the road and into range when an arrow found him and he died waiting quietly in the brush just inside the edge of the forest – sitting there leaning on a tree with his still open but sightless eyes never seeing a road that they still watched.

A very short time later one of the watchers slipped, like a shadow, into the camp. So quietly did she move that had anyone been left alive in the camp he would not have noticed her passing. There she found a cloth sack atop the packs and saddle. She carefully opened it and took out the tiny prisoner, no larger than a raven. While she moved into the camp even Green Eyes, sitting in the tree tops, had not noticed her until she held the young magic dragon in her hand. Now Green Eyes watched intently as the first rays of dawn glinted off of a dagger poised at the throat of her sister. Then a moment later a simple flick of a wrist ended it.

The hated poisoned twine fell on the ground and with another quick flash of the dagger the second twine had been cut from the leg of the dragonet and she was free. The poor little dragon was exhausted and very weak but she would survive. Cradling the small creature in her hands and holding it next to her breast the watcher willed some of her strength into the animal as she silently slipped back into the forest causing no more disturbance than a gentle breeze blowing through the brush.

*****

As the first dawn songs began the companions all awoke Cyerant who had taken last watch had started a small fire and cooked some porridge of oats and dried fruits sweetened with honey. The smell of the smoke and food heartened the others. Cyerant said. “Eat quickly so we can get moving. It is going to be a long day and we will need the energy. We will have to move quickly if we are going to catch that man. He is probably already up and in the saddle.”

“No, not yet,” said Shira. “He won’t be in the saddle for a while.”

“Oh, can Cyool already see him?” Asked Veer.

“No Cyool is just starting to wake up, she was very tired from yesterday. Last night after the man went to sleep as I was going to sleep myself I sent Cyool to scare away the horses. So the man has no horses right now, and he isn’t going get very far or go very quickly until he can get some more.”

“Good idea,” said Cyerant. “But be careful with these foreigners; remember those ropes that they have. We don’t want to have to rescue two dragons.”

“Something has changed,” said Jolss. “Something is different with Prin. I can still feel her but she doesn’t feel as weak or like she is in pain anymore. I don’t still feel like something hot is tied around my neck and my ankle.”

“Maybe she escaped,” said Veer.

“I don’t know. I can feel her there but she isn’t trying to reach out to me so maybe she is asleep.”

“Well, let’s get the horses saddled and get moving because we have a much better chance of catching up to that man now.” Cyerant said as he stood and started to head toward the horses with his saddle. Veer and Shira quickly followed with Veer carrying his own saddle along with Jolss’s saddle. It went faster if Veer did the saddling while Jolss cleaned up from the meal. A very short time later the companions were moving. And Cyool was once again in the air while Drace and Corth shadowed the companions through the forest.

For some time Shira had Cyool search the area around the man’s camp but all of the glimpses that the dragon shared with the girl showed and empty camp with packs stacked and waiting. Shira assumed that the man must be hiding near the road somewhere so that he could try and steal some horses to continue his journey. Cyool kept sharing glimpses of something else but Shira could never quite tell what it was. There seemed to be four of them in the thickest parts of the forest near the camp. They were some kind of creature but Cyool could never get a clear view of them.

“So we can catch up to them today if he has no horses? Jolss asked.

“I doubt today,” said Cyerant. “He was too far ahead.”

“If he doesn’t get horses and start moving again we will catch up some time, in the late morning tomorrow.” Added Shira. “He must be hiding in the trees because Cyool can’t see him anywhere just his empty camp with his packs all ready and waiting. I’ll have her go down and look for him.”

“No,” said Cyerant. “Not worth risking those ropes if he has seen her. He might be trying to trap her too. We’ll just keep moving and hope that he doesn’t get any horses.”

“And if he does get any, Cyool can scare them away in the night too,” said Shira. “Cyool enjoyed doing that, she thinks that the horses were fun to scare and delicious…. Oh, oh I’m going to be sick – she… she ate one of the horses. Oh gross. Have your dragons ever shown you what something tastes like?”

“Nope, never,” Veer said as he started to laugh. “And considering some of the things that I have seen Drace eat, I’m glad.” Cyerant and even Jolss joined into the laughter. It was the first time in many days that any of them really laughed.

The day passed uneventfully as the companions rode west. Again they passed a party of guards who did not seem to think that Cyerant fit the description of the young man they were looking for. Cyool kept watching the camp but never saw the man return. Shortly after sundown Cyerant called for a halt.

“If we ride through the night we can catch up to Prin before dawn and take the man while he is sleeping,” Jolss said as he remained on his horse while the others dismounted and started removing their packs and saddles.

“Nice plan Daralce,” said Cyerant. “Except that we need these horses and we can’t ride them into the ground. After we get Prin back we have to get back to Deelt and arrange our journey to Verat City.  The air feels like there is going to be an early winter this year and so we are going to be travelling through the cold. We will get her back – tomorrow.”

A frustrated Jolss got off of his horse then and sulked about the camp until it was time for him to go to sleep. Cyerant woke the boy early and for the first time he shared one of the night watches. He insisted on waking everyone early, before even the pre-dawn bird songs started and by the time the sky started to lighten the companions were on their way.

The companions made one short midmorning stop to rest the horses and to relieve themselves. They passed a few travellers moving east toward Deelt. The time passed quietly and shortly before noon Shira called a halt. “His camp is back in the forest from here. Cyool is looking around but his camp hasn’t changed at all. It’s like he just vanished. And there is still something watching – actually four somethings watching.”

“I can feel Prin nearby,” Jolss said. “She is in that forest somewhere but she still feels like she is sleeping.”

“Well, now we know why she hasn’t seen him,” Veer said to Cyerant who nodded in agreement.

“Who hasn’t seen what?” Asked Shira.

“Cyerant said. “You, well actually Cyool hasn’t seen the man who took Prin. He’s dead. Just inside the brush line. Corth and Drace just found him.

“I’m going to find her,” said Jolss as he jumped down from his horse and headed for the trees.

“Not till we know how he died,” said Cyerant. “And we search together. Something killed him and it may still be around here.”

The companions looked up as they heard that familiar shrieking of Green Eyes in the nearby trees. “There’s a sound I didn’t miss,” said Shira as he dismounted and headed for the tress as a dog sized dragon landed beside her.

“She’s probably what killed the foreigner,” Veer said as he too dismounted and followed Shira.

“Let them check and see how he died, Cyerant said. “Then we can make a search plan and find your dragon.”

A short time later Veer and Shira returned. “Arrow,” said Veer. “An arrow killed him. He is just sitting there with his eyes open like he is watching the road. But there is an arrow in his side buried very deeply into his heart.”

“A strange arrow too,” Shira said. “Not a Hillfolk arrow and not one of those arrows like the foreigners use. It looks almost delicate. Long and thin with grey fletching.”

“Well, I guess that we are going in,” said Veer as he took out a bowstring and started to ready his bow. Shira nodded and started stringing her bow also.

“I feel her, she is waking up,” Jolss said as he headed for the forest. This time the others followed. In a few minutes the companions were standing in the camp of the dead man and they had left their horse hobbled to graze in the little meadow clearing nearby. Jolss was calling out to Prin. They heard a weak answering cry from in the forest and the boy ran toward the sound with the others following close behind.

Cyerant called to his little brother. “Daralce, stop we need to stay together. There is someone else out here.” For another few minutes the boy ran on with his brother and friends following right behind.

“Stop,” called a male voice from the forest. All of the companions froze in their tracks before the echoes of the voice stopped reverberating. Veer began to slowly reach for an arrow. “Boy, you will catch a dozen arrows before you can nock your own.” Veer stopped moving. “I have archers surrounding you and they can fill you with dozens of arrows with a whisper from me.”

“You have three archers aside from yourself,” said Shira. “And I think that one of them is too busy holding a certain bird to be of any use. I don’t think that you can release dozens of arrows.” As she said this Cyool took up a position in front of the girl.

“You’ve not seen us with our bows,” answered another voice.

“Three of you, four of us,” said Cyerant. “And we have dogs to help us. We just want the bird that you took from the bandit. And we will go back the way we came. Show yourself and give us the bird and nobody has to be hurt in any way.” Corth stood near Cyerant but the dragon was strangely calm.

“We see you, and that is enough,” continued the first voice. “We know that it isn’t a bird and that those are not dogs and that is not a horse beside you – you have dragons. And we must know how you came by them. So, explain yourselves.”

“Ah” a female voice cried out in pain. A moment later a small dragon came running through the trees and leaped into the air to land in the arms of Jolss.

“So we have our dragon back and we will just be going on our way,” called Cyerant.