Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles (25 page)

“What were those damn things?” said Peadar, in a soft voice, once the conversation eventually hit on the topic. “If I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes, I would have probably laughed, in disbelief, if another told me such a story.”

“I don’t know, but I think we were lucky to get away from those things. Those wolves seemed a lot more savage than the stone statue we encountered before. There really was a wild animal somewhere in that black body,” answered Kevhin.

“Galen wasn’t so lucky,” mumbled Richard, letting his head hang down.

“Did you know him from before?” said Gavin.

“Not really, but we grew up in the same region in Aeterra. We were often recollecting similar things from our youth, which was damn funny. And now he’s gone…he didn’t deserve that…not to mention, we lost Regis’ remains, too.”

No one said anything for a while, only the soft moaning of Stephen was in the background. The fall had not done him well. He seemed fine, at first, but now it looked like the fever—together with his restless sleeping—had returned.

Raylan looked at his brother and Richard.

“What happened, precisely? I was too far away with the wagon to see it clearly. What about the skinny guy that was calling the shots? And the remaining enemy soldiers?”

“The soldiers backed off after the wolves jumped the gap. I expect they’ll either try to circle round or try to bridge the gap. Either way, it should hopefully take them some time…although we’ll remain at a disadvantage as long as we’re on enemy territory,” said Gavin.

“What about Galen?”

Gavin looked him in the eye and shook his head.

“I was pinned by one of those monsters, thinking I was a goner, for sure. But the wolf seemed to be unfocused, in a way, looking away from me a couple of times. Still…the only thing I could do was dodge his jaws by moving my head and using my sword to deflect his bite. If it hadn’t been for Galen, I would not be here, that’s for sure.”

“It happened fast…” continued Richard, “before I could react and help Gavin, Galen rushed in. He lost his footing when he pushed over the wolf. They both went over the edge into the ravine…by the time I looked over the edge, he had already disappeared into the depths…”

Raylan looked at Richard, unable to say anything that would provide any comfort. They had all gotten to know each other well during these months, traveling as a small, tight group under difficult circumstances. Losing a second member of their group made the reality of being far from home and safety all the more real.

Raylan looked down at the sleeping dragon on his lap.

“I bet he would have been amazed, if he saw Galirras.”

“Is that what it’s called?” asked Kevhin.

Raylan nodded, slowly.

“
It
is actually a
he
, and he told me that’s his name. I have no clue how someone knows his own name when being born, but maybe that’s normal for dragons.”

“Then…you understand those growls and hisses it…he makes?” Kevhin continued.

“It’s not like that. I mean, I hear the growls, too; but it’s more like a voice, reaching my ears from inside my head. Sometimes, I also feel if he’s nervous or afraid.”

Raylan looked at Xi’Lao. She had been very quiet since their escape from the wolves.

“Do you know anything about this, Xi’Lao?” Raylan asked her.

She looked up, in reaction to her name, but clearly had been too preoccupied with her thoughts to know what he said.

“Do you know why I can hear Galirras? Or why he knows his name, without someone giving it to him?” repeated Raylan.

Xi’Lao shook her head firmly, holding her bowl of soup created from the horse meat.

“No, sorry. Like I said, I only know some basics, which I happened to read in the scrolls while at the palace.”

Speaking a soft excuse, she got up, leaving the campfire circle.

“I’ll go check on Ca’lek and bring him some soup for his watch.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Raylan asked Gavin, after she left.

His brother shrugged his shoulders, in reply. Raylan wondered if she was still bothered by the impact the spear had on her ribs, or perhaps something else was wrong and she was just trying to dodge his questions.

He pulled some of the rocks surrounding the fire closer to Galirras, increasing the warmth they received. Raylan heard him breathe in irregular intervals and, every now and then, saw one of his legs spasm as if the little dragon was in a feverish dream.

One by one, the members of the group went to their sleeping places, until it was just Gavin and Raylan left by the fire.

Throwing some more wood on the fire and switching out the cooled stones with hot ones, his brother sat down next to him.

“You should get some sleep, too, little brother.”

Raylan shook his head.

“I don’t want to leave Galirras or move him away from the fire. I think he needs the warmth of the fire, so I’ll stay here.”

Gavin wondered if that was the right thing to do. Everyone on the team needed to be fully aware of the dangers surrounding them, and tired people make mistakes.

“I can always sleep with my back against the rock,” said Raylan, conceding a little.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” said his older brother, nodding at the little dragon.

“I don’t know…he seems really weak. He kept saying it was too early. I didn’t understand at first, but I think he meant it was too early to come out of the egg.”

“He looks quite pale. Has he awakened since he ate this afternoon?”

Again, Raylan shook his head.

“No. I was wondering if I should try and wake him up.”

“I would let him sleep for a little while longer. Perhaps try to feed him some of the soup and cooked meat, later. It’ll probably warm him up inside. Just let me know if you need anything.”

As Gavin moved to stand up, Raylan grabbed his arm.

“What will we do now?”

Gavin sat back down.

“What we came here to do. Retrieve the sacred relic of the Empire.”

“But it’s not a thing anymore. He’s alive, able to think and to communicate. You can’t just ship him off,” objected Raylan.

“I think our original mission has changed little. Bring back the stolen relic. But instead of the egg, I think we should get Galirras back to the Tiankong Empire. They can decide what will happen to him next.”

Raylan shifted uneasily. He did not like the sound of that, at all. What if they take Galirras away from him? The Empire was far away and did not look kindly on strangers trying to enter their territory. What if he was not allowed entry into the Empire? What would happen to Galirras?

“For now, let’s focus on getting south and finding the Drowned Man’s Fork. We only have eight horses left and ten riders—eleven, if you count your new companion. Some people will need to share their rides. On the other hand, we’ll be able to travel more quickly now without the wagon, getting away from the path, and perhaps, losing our pursuers,” added Gavin.

His brother poked the fire with one of the sticks they had gathered.

“Unfortunately, Peadar said one of the Azurna pigeons broke its neck in all the chaos this afternoon, so we’ll only have one shot to get word back to the harbor, requesting pickup by ship. It’s going to be a big gamble.”

Raylan felt Galirras stir on his leg. The soft, irregular breathing rumbled deep in his chest.

“I really wish Xi’Lao could tell us more. She’s so difficult to gauge. I know she’s on our side in a fight, but she’s always dodging my questions and acting so mysterious. She’s been distant with everyone, except you. You two seem to have hit it off.”

“She’s an interesting woman, to say the least,” Gavin admitted, with as much grace as his blushing permitted. He was glad the weak light from the campfire prevented Raylan from noticing.

“…but she is often as much of a mystery to me as to you, little brother.”

“Okay, so perhaps you can enlighten me about this afternoon. What the hell was up with that? Do you know?” Raylan said, slightly irritated. “She suddenly showed complete disregard for the incredibly bad situation we were in and lost it…it was nothing like her.”

Raylan tried not to show his annoyance too much.

“I mean…normally she’s so in control. It’s a wonder most of us got out of there at all.”

Gavin stayed quiet for a moment, just staring into the flames.

Raylan softly stroked Galirras’ neck to give some comfort, while he waited for his brother to answer.

Gavin let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry. You’ll have to ask her yourself.”

“Oh, come on. You know I can keep a secret.”

Gavin shook his head.

“It’s not my place to say. You should ask her. Earlier, she said she needed to talk to you, anyway; so, you’ll get the chance soon, I reckon. I’ve got a feeling she’ll open up more now that Galirras is here.”

Getting up, he gave Raylan’s shoulder two taps.

“I’m going to check on the watch and then turn in. I’m up for early morning watch duty.”

He walked off, leaving Raylan with his thoughts.

For a while, Raylan was by himself by the fire. He woke Galirras up and fed him some boiled horse meat soup, thickened with the blood they collected from the carcass. The little dragon eagerly ate everything, although it seemed that he was almost sleepwalking. The weak, young dragon did not react to any of his questions. His eyes were constantly swirling around, unfocused, and his tail made little involuntary jerky movements.

By the time Galirras slumbered again, Xi’Lao joined him by the fire.

“Hey,” said Raylan, as he wondered what she would say.

“How’s he doing?”

She whispered the words in order to not disturb their sleeping comrades.

He noticed her accent more when she talked softly. It never bothered him before; but now, he felt annoyed by it. It reminded him that she was not of his homeland, and it made him wonder if she had a different agenda, a secret one.

“He ate quite a bit again, just now, but it takes a lot out of him,” he replied, pushing his thoughts to the side.

Galirras grumbled, as if to confirm the statement.

Staring into the fire, Raylan remained silent. He did not feel like talking to her, afraid of what she might say.

“I…I think I owe you an apology,” she began.

A bit surprised, Raylan looked up and stared at her. That was not what he had expected.

“What for…?”

“My outburst this morning...it was…was not how I normally am.”

She was stammering, slightly, as if she suddenly had trouble with the foreign language. It made her sound vulnerable. Raylan felt his irritation evaporate. Suddenly, he just saw a person who felt very much alone and in need of a friend.

“It’s okay, you know. You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to. Gavin told me to ask you what caused your outburst. I’ll understand, if you don’t want to tell me.”

“It is not that…it is just that this is difficult to talk about. I am not sure anyone would understand. We are from very different cultures. I was afraid it would turn people away, but I see now that not telling is probably worse.”

“I think you’re a valued part of this group. You’ve been searching, relentlessly, for Galirras’ egg since the beginning, never once complaining about the hardship of the journey. And, you definitely held your own in a fight. I believe you’ve helped this group come this far, together with my brother, but I’m sorry…I’ve still got a gnawing feeling that you’re not telling us everything.”

Xi’Lao was silent, for a moment.

“It is true. I have not shared all the information I have, but I have my reasons for that.”

Instead of telling him that reason, she looked him in the eye, as if sizing him up.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Errr, sure.”

All of a sudden, Xi’Lao’s tone turned very serious.

“What do you plan to do with Galirras? What do you think will happen?”

Raylan was on guard, right away. Was she testing him? Checking to see if he would try to take away the Empire’s property? Besides, it was strange to hear the question he had been asking himself for the entire night, said aloud.

“Honestly?” said Raylan, trying to decide if he should speak the truth or tell her what he thought she wanted to hear. In the end, the truth seemed easiest.

“I’ve been asking myself that very same question. I think he’ll have to decide for himself, when he is well enough.”

“That is not good enough. Galirras will look to you for a lot of things, knowledge about the world, right and wrong. Your opinion will weigh heavily on his decisions. So, what will you do?”

“Really, I’ve got no idea. At this moment, I just want Galirras to survive. It scares the hell out of me that he might not make it, which is weird, because I’ve known him less than a day.”

“What if he lives? What do you think should happen?”

“Should happen? Get out of here, of course. Away from those living statues, away from those people trying to kill us. Keep him safe…I guess.”