Not far into their trek, Swoop said, “Follow me.” And led Reecah to the edge of the steep bluff separating the mountainside from the valley below. “I’ll meet you at the bottom.”
Reecah studied the edge of the drop-off. “How am I supposed to get down there?”
“There aren’t many ways on this end of the pass for non-fliers to access the valley floor. If you look closely, you’ll see the way down. At least that’s what Father says.”
“Your father?”
“Yes. He told me a moon cycle ago about humans visiting Dragon Home.”
“Dragon Home?”
“Our colony. It lies close to here, across the valley.”
Reecah raised her eyebrows but said no more. Studying the landfall at her feet, she couldn’t see anywhere to even begin descending the sheer drop. Kneeling to inspect the edge, she shook her head. “You sure this is the right spot?”
Swoop prepared to take to the sky. “Pretty sure.” She jumped into the air and spread her wings, gliding into the valley far below. Her distant voice reached Reecah. “According to Father, Marinah and Davit Windwalker often came this way.”
If she hadn’t been kneeling already, Reecah was certain she would’ve fallen over the brink. Marinah and Davit? Her mother and uncle? They weren’t Windwalkers. They were Draakvriends. Swoop’s father must have been mistaken.
A heated exchange Grammy once had with Poppa came to mind. One she had replayed many times in her head after Poppa’s death.
She couldn’t recall where her grandparents were standing but she could still hear Grammy saying, “We agreed not to fill her head with this dragon nonsense.”
“I know, but—”
“But nothing! You want Reecah to end up like her mother, father and uncle?”
“No, but—”
“Dammit, Viliyam! She’s all we have left of Marinah.”
Staring at Swoop’s receding form, another conversation bombarded her. One she had with Grimelda three years ago, while arguing about the dangers of dragons.
She remembered it like it had happened yesterday. Her own words sounded in her mind, “The high king is justified in his thinking. Dragons are dangerous. They killed my parents and uncle Davit.”
“Oh, they most certainly are dangerous. Deadly, in fact, to those who provoke them.” Grimelda’s twisted features softened. She released one of Reecah’s hands and patted the other. “Your parents and uncle died defending the dragons.”
“That’s not what Grammy said.”
Grimelda’s smile filled with compassion. “Lizzy never accepted their deaths. Had your parents not intervened on the dragons’ behalf, a greater travesty would have occurred. Unfortunately, their measures cost them their lives.”
Sitting on the edge of the drop-off, gazing across the valley, Reecah had trouble focusing on the present. There was no way the two names were a coincidence—especially combined with the Windwalker surname. Unless her mother and uncle were named after distant relatives. She wished Grimelda hadn’t left her. There were so many questions she needed answered. If only she had thought of asking them when she had the chance.
Raver landed beside her, startling her back to the present. Looking into the valley, Swoop was nowhere to be seen.
“Great. Leave me up here by myself while you fly down there,” she said to the wind.
“Fly down there! Fly down there!” Raver bobbed his head and flew after Swoop.
“No, Raver! Wait! I didn’t mean you.”
The raven disappeared beyond the face of the cliff.
Smiling at the irascible bird’s departure, she spotted an irregularity along the edge and went to inspect it. From a distance, the crevice hadn’t appeared out of the ordinary, but on closer inspection, it looked as if it might provide a way down.
Easing herself into the cool shadow of the fissure, she hoped the subtle pathway continued beyond a sharp bend below. The cleft ended on a narrow ledge curving across the face of the cliff at a precarious angle. From there, the route didn’t appear fully intact. Looking up to see how far she had come, she almost lost her balance. Leaning against the rock to catch her breath, she tried not to think about how far the fall would have been.
Edging her way down the ledge, she caught sight of Raver soaring over the forest, a tiny black speck amongst a leafy, green ocean.
Twice she slid on loose scree after jumping a precarious section of the ledge. By the time she clambered to the bottom and jumped onto a mound of spongy moss, she could barely stand. Dropping to her backside, she hung her head between her knees.
Weak from hunger and the physical toll of the descent, she ignored Raver squawking overhead, but jumped as a larger presence dropped in front of her. Swallowing her fright, she blinked twice at Swoop’s smiling face.
“Fear not. Lurker is on his way with proper food. Can you hear it squealing?”
Squealing? Reecah couldn’t hear anything but birdsong from the thick forest spreading out from the base of the cliff. And then she heard it. A panicked cry. Raspy.
“There he is.”
Reecah followed Swoop’s gaze up the drop-off.
Lurker soared into view, flying erratically. Struggling to remain aloft, a man-sized creature dangled from his claws.
Reecah gaped. Surely, he wasn’t holding what she thought.
Swoop let out a high-pitched shriek, catching Lurker’s attention.
Lurker craned his neck and returned the call, his excited voice startling Reecah, “Get ready to kill it!”
Reecah feared he had captured someone from the hunt. “What is it?”
Neither dragon answered.
Lurker dropped from the sky like a falling boulder, his wings beating rapidly in an attempt to slow his descent. Just before hitting the ground, he opened his claws, releasing a six-foot, black-haired troll—the enraged beast clearly unhappy.
Swarm
Traumatized by the ordeal, Reecah never thought about drawing her sword or stringing her bow.
The troll’s yellow eyes glared at her and Swoop, its shoulders and chest matted with dark blood oozing out of puncture wounds caused by Lurker’s claws.
Keeping its eyes on Swoop, the troll backed away and roared.
Swoop returned a roar so loud, Reecah had to cover her ears.
The troll squeaked its fright, skirted around them, and jumped at the cliff, its claws scratching for purchase as it scaled the granite wall.
Looking from Lurker to Swoop and back again, Reecah was flabbergasted. “A troll? Really?”
“It’s getting away!” Lurker called out, altering his flight to intercept the climbing monster. He stretched out his back legs to pluck the troll from the rock—the creature already a third of the way up the cliff.
“Let it go. I’m not eating that.”
The troll roared and hissed, baring yellowed fangs. It swatted at Lurker’s feet and slipped, but caught itself.
“Lurker, no!”
Lurker played with the troll for a few more wing beats before tiring of the sport and landing. “I don’t blame you. They’re almost as greasy as people.”
“Ew. That’s disgusting.”
“You don’t eat them either? I thought people killed trolls.”
“We do, but we don’t eat them. That’s gross.”
Lurker pulled his head back and blinked. “What do you do with them?”
Reecah returned his bewildered look. “Nothing. Burn them if they get near the village.”
Lurker glanced at Swoop. “Seems like a waste to me.”
“Me too.”
Lurker shook his head. “People are picky. What do you eat?”
Reecah didn’t appreciate talking about food when her stomach pained her so. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Fish. Small animals like rabbits and certain birds.” She followed the dragons’ gaze to Raver. “Not that kind! More like chickens and turkeys.”
Lurker nodded. “Leave it to me. Go with Swoop to the river and I’ll meet you there.”
Sitting on an old log on the banks of the wide river cutting through the centre of the valley, Reecah tended to the wild hen Lurker had scavenged for her as it cooked over a small fire.
Swoop and Lurker waded in the middle of the river, submerged up to their necks.
“Aren’t you afraid they’ll eat her?” Swoop asked.
“They wouldn’t do that, would they? She’s with us.” He swung his head in Reecah’s direction. “Do you really think they would?”
“I wouldn’t count on them welcoming her. Not with the king’s men hunting us.”
“I thought Grimclaw liked Windwalkers.”
Swoop laughed and splashed toward the far bank, water flowing from her scales like a small waterfall. “Grimclaw doesn’t even like himself.”
“Do you think we should tell her?”
“I’d hate to scare her, but I guess I’d want to know if someone was going to eat me.”
Reecah stood up with her hands on her hips, glaring. “I can hear you!”
“Oops.” Lurker hung his head, his chin dipping into the river. “Don’t worry. We won’t let that happen. Will we, Swoop?”
Reecah couldn’t tell from the distance separating them, but by the way Swoop lifted her head on the far bank, Reecah was sure the brown dragon had rolled her eyes.
Shaking her head, Reecah studied the pile of feathers on the ground, thinking they would make good fletches. Not liking the thought of dirtying her satchel any more than it was, she dismissed the idea and sat back on the log to await her meal.
Pulling her boots on, Reecah stood on the far bank and examined the jagged heights rising over the treetops. Several large dragons flew from one ledge to another or drifted down the valley. With more than a little trepidation, she ran after Lurker as he bustled onto the forested slope at the base of the north rim. Judging by his burst of speed, Reecah speculated about his sudden urgency. Had the king’s men entered the valley?
Swoop had flown ahead, stating that she wanted to make sure everything was ready for Reecah’s arrival at Dragon Home.
Reecah suspected the female dragon was really trying to ensure there weren’t other dragons hanging around where they were headed. Overhearing Lurker and Swoop’s conversation in the river had done little to reassure her the colony would be receptive to her arrival. If Lurker hadn’t remained with her, she might have followed the troll up the ridge and fled back home.
The thought of returning home made her sad. Unless she decided to flee to Thunderhead or beyond, she may as well remain with Lurker. She had nothing to lose. She smiled wryly. Other than her life.
“What’s so funny?”
Lurker’s voice startled her. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to someone else’s voice sounding in her mind. She gave him her best ‘vexed’ look. “I wish there was some way to warn me.”
Lurker frowned.
“I’m sorry,” she said, appreciating everything he had done for her so far. Showering her with kindness in the wake of her people’s nefarious actions. “It’s just hard to get used to your voice in my head.”
“I will stop, if that pleases you.”
Reecah stopped walking. “No! Please don’t. It’s my issue. I shouldn’t have said anything. I would be devastated if you stopped talking to me.”
Lurker continued on without a word.
She caught up to him and kept pace. Forcing herself to cheer up she said, “So, let’s talk about Swoop.”
“Swoop? What about her?”
“Have you made any ground with her?”
Lurker’s forehead furrowed. “Made ground with her?”
“Ya, you know. Made a move?”
Lurker stopped, his frown deepening. “What are you talking about?”
“Have you told her how you feel about her?” Reecah raised her eyebrows and licked her lips. “Huh?”
Lurker’s eye grew wide.
Reecah thought he blushed but couldn’t be sure. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
Lurker hung his head and looked away. “Gosh, no. I couldn’t do that. What if she doesn’t like me?”
“Think, silly. Why is she hanging around us if she doesn’t like you? You said she preferred to spend her days at that waterfall. If that’s the case, why is she here?”
“She’s a nice dragon, I guess.”
“She certainly seems nice. Nice enough to make ground with.” Reecah winked.
He tilted his head. “Do you have something in your eye?”
“Huh? No.” She laughed. “Do you need me to put in a word for you?”
He looked away again, his answer softly registering in her mind, “Gosh, no. I would be too embarrassed.”
Reecah considered that and decided she might be pushing the matter too far, too fast. She thought about how she would feel if she were in Lurker’s position and let it drop.
“I can’t wait to see your home. Is it far?”
“It is if you’re not a flier. We’re almost directly below the southern reaches but to get there you will be forced to climb a long way. I wish I could carry you.”
Reecah stumbled and almost fell into the underbrush. She swallowed and gazed into Lurker’s eyes. “Do you really think you could?”
Lurker gave her a bemused grin as she extricated herself from a bramble of blackberries. “I would be afraid to drop you. Someday maybe. I’m not strong enough yet. At least not without hurting you.”
“No, I guess not,” she said dreamily, imagining what it would be like to soar through the sky, suspended from a dragon’s claws. She pictured the troll wiggling in his grasp, and swallowed. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea…unless. A faint thought formed in the back of her mind on how to make that work without causing her serious injury. Perhaps some kind of harness she could hang in.
She nodded, plucking blackberries from a vine. Gathering a handful, she held out her palm. “You want some?”
Lurker glanced at her and pushed his snout into her stomach, nudging her aside.
“Hey!”
Ignoring her, he clamped his mouth over a large patch of berries and ripped a section of vine free. He grinned as his sharp teeth gnashed back and forth, consuming everything.
Amused at her friend’s antics, she picked as many as she dared carry in her rucksack, sucking the juice from her fingers. Their previous conversation came back to her. She glanced at the towering cliffs. “Is there an easy way up there?”
“There’s an animal trail not far from here that will take you to the lower colony. From there you can access the rest of Dragon Home from within. As far as easy, I’m sure it won’t give someone like you much difficulty.”
It made her happy to know Lurker thought highly of her skills. She had worked hard to become proficient in the mountains. Up until that moment, she had wondered why she spent so much time on the meaningless endeavour. It was invigorating to realize her hard work had actually been for a reason.
“Is that where Swoop went? To make sure no one watches me climb?”
Lurker stopped chewing. “She is gone to…to make sure you are welcome.”
That didn’t sound promising. “What if I’m not?” She recalled Lurker playing with the troll clinging to the cliff. “I’d rather not get halfway up and find out I’m not welcome.”
Lurker started walking again. “If Grimclaw says you’re okay, you have nothing to worry about.”
Reecah watched him strut into the shadows beyond two tree trunks, unconvinced he believed what he said. She was still getting used to dragonspeak, a term she made up, but even hearing the voices in her head, they contained certain nuances and inflections. If she were to interpret Lurker’s last statement, she would say he was being elusive.
From back the way she had come, a blood-curdling scream pierced the relative silence of the valley floor. The mournful sound went on for what seemed a long time before abruptly ending.
Not knowing what else to do, she bounded after Lurker toward a colony o
f people-eating dragons.
Finding the place to start her climb hadn’t been an issue, but as she rose above the treeline, Reecah found it increasingly difficult to choose the best route. Twice she stopped, clinging to the rock with fingertips and tiny toe holds, searching for the best way to go. Unless her mother and uncle had been spiders, she didn’t think they would have taken the route she chose.
At one point, though she didn’t dare search the skies to see him, Lurker asked, “Are you sure you’re going the right way?”
Clinging to the rock face, fearing her next move would be her last, she bit back a sarcastic reply. It was obvious she had chosen the wrong path at some point. To make matters worse, Lurker and Raver continuously glided past her with ease, not bothering to flap unless absolutely necessary while they checked on her progress. Her stamina was wearing thin as they drifted by together.
“Are you going to be much longer?”
“Much longer! Much longer!”
She cast them a dark look, refusing to honour them with a response. Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself along, fully cognizant of the danger she was in.
The sun had drifted into the western sky, toward the Niad Ocean many leagues down the valley, by the time Reecah was able to relax enough to catch her breath. All along the higher elevations, dragons of varying colour and size came and went, but if they saw her clinging to the cliff, they never paid her any attention. The higher she climbed, the more noticeable the dragons’ movement became—the upper reaches of the north rim abuzz with frenetic dragonsong.
Sitting on a steep incline, in a horizontal crack along the wall, Reecah screeched as Lurker dropped out of the sky, his claws grating on the rock beside her feet. Reecah jumped again as Swoop crunched gracelessly on her other side.
Before she could ask them what they were doing, Lurker spread out a wing, the cold leather slapping her in the face.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.” The voice was Swoop’s. “If they see you, we’re all in trouble.”
Deep roars and high-pitched shrieks echoed up and down the valley accompanied by the commotion of hundreds of wings flapping, the noise thundering off the cliff face.
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