Trusted: Dragons' Trust Book 1 (12 page)

Lainey leaned back and closed her eyes. Renick lowered his voice just a little and noticed that in response, Thane stopped digging in the dirt with his knife.

"One day, Ponti found a dragon's nest. It looked as if the nest's owner had long since abandoned it. And so, assuming that anything left behind wasn't wanted, he searched the nest. Buried in the far corner, he found a very rare seashell. The money he could get for it would feed his family well for a month. With an empty stomach growling in anticipation, Ponti put the shell under his shirt and returned home."

Plyth snorted in his sleep and a little puff of smoke wafted up from his nostrils. Lainey lazily patted his head. Renick lay down and stared at the cave's ceiling.

"Some time later, when the money from the shell was spent and his stomach once more empty, Ponti climbed to the dragon's nest again. This time he found the nest occupied by a beautiful blue dragon. She sat atop three eggs." Renick paused and started drumming his fingers on his stomach. When he resumed speaking, he matched the dictation to their beat. It was something his father often did while narrating.

"The dragon turned to him and asked, 'Are you the boy who took my shell?'

"Ponti suddenly felt afraid. He stammered out an apology, explaining that he hadn't known she still lived there. The dragon just laughed at him and said, 'No apologies are necessary. It sounds as if your need was greater than mine. Tell me, would you like another seashell?' Ponti eagerly nodded his head. 'Then watch my eggs for me tonight. Stay with them and keep them warm. And when I return in the morning, I will bring you another shell,' the dragon offered. Ponti quickly agreed. So she took flight, leaving Ponti to tend to her unhatched. Ponti stayed in the cave all night, tending a fire and keeping the eggs warm."

Lainey's breathing had fallen into a regular rhythm. Renick moved his head so he could see Thane. The older boy was watching him, so Renick continued. "In the morning, the dragon did not return. Ponti stood looking out to sea, waiting. At midday, he climbed down from the nest and returned home. There he gathered up some blankets, a fishing rod, and what few things his mother could spare and returned to the nest. For four days and three more nights, Ponti tended the dragon's eggs."

Renick stopped, his attention drawn away by a shadow that fell over the cave entrance.

"Did she ever come back?" Thane asked.

"Yes. And she rewarded the boy with a shell for each night that he cared for her young. He used the money to buy his father a better fishing boat, and the family never went hungry again. But more than that, he and the dragon became friends. They taught and helped each other for the rest of their days."

"An interesting story," Wrytha said, her head appearing around the edge of the cave. "Where did you hear it?"

"It's a fable my father used to tell to me," Renick said.

"A fable?"

"Well, it couldn't be true—the dragon talks." Renick laughed at himself. "A silly thing to say to a dragon that can speak."

Wrytha was quiet for a time. Her eyes stayed locked on Renick as if she were trying to see inside him, to hear his thoughts—as if she could peel away his skin and see his soul.

"Come," she said. Lainey and Plyth stirred at her words. "The others wish to meet you."

Renick tilted his head back to look at the cave where Wrytha had led them. The black opening rose above him and almost swallowed the sky. Two dragon statues, carved out of the stone that formed the sides of the opening, sat as silent sentinels. Their cold eyes stared down at him as if waiting for him to speak.

A hand touched Renick's arm.

"What is it?" Lainey asked.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just something I almost remember."

Wrytha and the others were waiting for them just outside the cave.

"Go ahead. You three first." Wrytha's voice remained calm, but there was something under the surface, something she did not want them to know.

Squinting at her, Renick tried to feel her projected thoughts the way he did with Plyth. Faint images and thoughts floated just out of his reach. He tried to concentrate harder.

Secret.
Wrytha's voice hissed in his mind.
Hidden. Secret.

Curious, Renick wondered what she could be hiding from them. He tried to focus on an image that kept resurfacing. When he could almost see it, a burning sensation erupted behind his eyes. Renick pinched the bridge of his nose. The pain caused him to lose focus.

Do not tread where you are not wanted.
Wrytha turned and looked at him. Renick stood motionless, hardly breathing under the scrutiny of the angered dragon. She puffed a small cloud of smoke through her nostrils and shook her head.

"Go on," Wrytha urged, no hint of anger or frustration in her voice. Without hesitation, Renick followed behind Thane and Lainey as they marched into the dark cavern.

The light from the sun disappeared and for a moment they were walking in darkness. Then a red–gold glow illuminated the passageway. Renick moved toward the colored light, stumbling a little along the way.

Four large dragons surrounded them. They moved in from the dim corners of the chamber, seeming to come from the walls themselves. Lainey gasped and clutched at Thane's arm. Feeling unsure, Renick turned and walked backwards until he stood in a tight circle with his friends.

Renick watched the massive dragons draw closer. There were two greens, one red, and a blue. Their scales were bright, brilliant colors like none he had ever seen. The glow, which came from four orbs mounted on the cavern walls, made the dragons sparkle and gleam. Their eyes shone with dark and foreboding intelligence.

The air seemed to buzz around him. A barrage of images and emotions assaulted his mind. Renick turned his head as if he could stem the flow. The confusion made his temples throb with pain.

"They're talking to each other," Renick whispered.

One of the dragons hissed at him. "Silence." The word echoed in Renick's mind.

"You …" Lainey did not have a chance to finish her sentence.

"Silence," the dragon repeated.

The two dragons on Renick's left shifted and formed a wall with the other two. Together the four massive dragons—all the same size or bigger than Wrytha—stepped forward. Renick instinctively drew back. The dragons continued to move forward, driving Renick and the others.

"What's going on?" Lainey whispered.

One of the dragons let out a jet of hot air. Lainey yelped and spun around, trying to cover her back with her hands. The dragons shifted their weight impatiently.

In the chaos that echoed in Renick's skull, he thought he could hear a word, or at least understand one cluster of thought.
Move,
it seemed to say. He reached down and took Lainey's hand and drew her forward with him.

The dragons ushered them on.

They were being herded through a series of tunnels bored deep into the mountain. In some places, the tunnels were open on one side. Renick could see out into a giant chamber. Sunlight filtered down from above and dragons flew back and forth in the cool air. He wondered if the mountain was hollow. Or maybe the chamber was actually a gap between the mountains. Either way, Renick was grateful for the fresh air that flowed through the tunnels. At points on their march where the sunlight did not reach them, there were more glowing orbs attached to the walls. Renick studied them as they passed. The surface looked like glass, but rippled like water. Deep inside, a small ring of flame churned and spun, giving off the odd light.

"Dragon lanterns," Renick said under his breath.

"What?" Lainey asked, her voice trembling.

He pointed to the orbs. "They remind me of the dragon lanterns my father makes for special occasions."

One of their captors snapped his jaws at them. Renick and Lainey turned and continued their march in silence. Soon the dragons stopped in front of an opening in the tunnel. Here there was no sunlight. Instead, two of the glowing orbs stood on either side of the black archway. The dragons pushed Renick and the others into the darkness.

Renick found himself standing in the middle of a small, hollowed–out chamber. It was roughly the size of a cottage and seemed large enough to hold two or three wild dragons. A single orb glowed at the back of the chamber, giving off just enough light to see by.

The blue and one of the green dragons left. Renick watched as the remaining two dragons turned their backs and filled the opening of the chamber with their massive bodies.

"They're leaving us here?" Lainey cried. She was breathing very quickly and rubbing her hands together. "They can't leave us here. There isn't enough air."

Thane walked over and wrapped his arms around her. Lainey sobbed into his shoulder.

"It'll be okay," Renick said, patting her on the back.

"What else can we do?" Thane asked, his eyebrows pinched together.

Renick shrugged. "I don't know. With my sisters, I just told them everything would be fine and waited for the crying to stop."

"Do you think they'd help?" Thane motioned toward the guard dragons with his chin.

Renick approached the dragons, watching their backs apprehensively. "Excuse me," he said, trying to sound confident. "My friend is afraid of small spaces. Could you help her?"

To Renick's surprise, one of the dragons turned around and considered him with black eyes.

"Very well," a deep male voice said.

"Hear that, Lainey? Help is coming," Thane said to Lainey's hair.

She just whimpered and dug her head deeper into his shoulder. Renick wanted to offer more support to his friend, but his head was pounding with the constant jumble of images and thoughts from the two guard dragons, who apparently were in the middle of a heated debate. Something about compassion versus preservation. He could not understand all of it.

"You okay?" Thane asked.

Renick shook his head. "They're talking. It's like trying to listen to a conversation through a door."

Thane's face turned from concerned to skeptical. Renick just shrugged it away.

A short time later, the two dragons moved aside when a third entered. The dragon was small compared to the others they had seen. It had gray scales flecked with red and it moved very slowly. It put its head down next to Lainey, who was still wrapped in Thane's arms.

After smelling and watching her for a moment, the dragon breathed on her. "Sleep," an old female voice said. Lainey slumped in Thane's arms. Renick pulled off his cloak and balled it up for a make–shift pillow, and Thane lowered Lainey to rest her head on it.

"She will sleep now," the dragon said and turned to leave.

"Wait. What about when she wakes up?" Renick asked.

The dragon looked back at him. "Call for me again."

Once the silver dragon left the cell, the two guard dragons took their places again.

Thane stepped up to them. "Why are we being held here? What's going on?"

The dragons did not reply.

"I demand to know why we're being held against our will. I demand to speak to the per … dragon in charge!" Thane yelled, his voice echoing a little, which added to the force.

Finally the green dragon turned around and looked at him. "Silence. You will know tomorrow."

"That's not good enough," Thane said. "We have a right to know now."

"Humans have no rights here."

Thane's jaw set in a firm line, but he did not argue any further. "Pointless," he mumbled.

"Maybe we should just rest," Renick said. He looked down at Lainey lying peacefully on the ground.

Instead of responding, Thane remained in his defiant stance, arms crossed, staring at the backs of the two dragons.

Renick gave up and settled down as best he could on the cold stone floor. He fell asleep looking at the wall of the chamber, missing the blue sky of his home.

Plyth did not understand.

"Why friends taken?" Plyth wanted to know. Grandmother would not say. Would not stop to listen.

He felt afraid and lonely, very lonely. Home was not supposed to feel this way. Home was supposed to be safe. Supposed to be happy. He needed his friends.

"Want to see friends," Plyth said, but Grandmother just kept walking. He missed Kind, Brave, and Trusted. He wanted Kind to pat him on the head and sing to him. Trusted could make him feel better, make him feel not lonely. And Brave would protect them all. But friends gone.

Were they okay? Plyth let out a plaintive cry.

Grandmother stopped and looked back. "Calm yourself, Plyth. It will be all right. You are home now. I will care for you."

"Friends, where friends?" He smelled the air. But he could not smell Kind or Trusted. Not even Brave's strong smell. Plyth ran in a circle. He was really scared.

Grandmother blew hot air on him again. Calm touched him on the outside, but did not go inside. She spoke to him in his head,
Calm. Peace. Home. Safety.

They were back at the nest. It felt empty without his friends there. Plyth found spot where Kind had slept and snuggled in.

"But not home for friends. Where friends?" he asked again.

"It is hard to explain. They are human, like the hunters. They cannot be trusted. They are the enemy," Grandmother said.

"Not hunters. Friends," Plyth said firmly. "Friends!"

She wrapped her body around him, holding him close. "I know. I know they are your friends. But they are not all the dragons' friends. Try to understand. For now they are safe. They are being held captive, but they are safe." She licked him. Licked his head and his scales.
Home. Safe. All is well.

"Safe now? After now? Still safe?" Plyth could feel his heart beat fast. What would happen to his friends?

Uncle Derth came to the nest. "Welcome home, young one," he said.
Home. Joy. Together.

Plyth wriggled from Grandmother's grasp. "Friends! Want to see friends. Not hunters!"

"Settle down. It is all right. No one has harmed your friends," Uncle Derth said. More calm, but still did not go inside. Plyth ran in a circle. His uncle and grandmother just watched. They were concerned. He had to settle down or they would not listen.