Rake's Story

by LeRoy Clary

  The man glowered, then said, “Yes. But why don’t you go sleep out in the fields like your kind usually do?”

  Rake held his temper. “We may return here this evening. Will there be a room available then?”

  “If you got the money, I got the room. Now, get outta here. I don’t like your kind and I got work to do.” His eyes drifted to the man in the corner and he seemed to shrink with what he found there.

  Rake and Cinder moved slowly with an even gait to the door, without looking back. However, his ears were almost twitching, searching for the slightest sound of attack. Looking over his shoulder would be out of character, but it was hard to resist.

  Once on the porch, Rake spotted Sadie across the street talking with a man seated in the shade. She laughed at something he said, and her eyes found them.

  “She has a friendly way with people,” Cinder observed. “She is a good partner.”

  Having seen the insides of the Dagger, Rake wanted to examine the Castle Inn. He headed down the hill to the other inn only two blocks away. He said, “Friendly works well for many women. You may wish to try it sometime.”

  The Castle Inn was as upscale and cheerful as the Dagger was droll and unkempt. It wore a fresh coat of whitewash over the scrolls, dips, and curves of decorative wood along the porch. Latticework allowed roses of several varieties and colors to climb for the sky while displaying their blooms. Before reaching the porch that extended the length of the building and down the side where it fronted on another street, at least three different people entered and one emerged. All were dressed well. Five or more sat outside in chairs and benches provided by the inn.

  Rake took them up the three steps to the wide front door. Inside was the expected dining room, easily three times as large as the one at Demi’s inn, and seven or eight tables had patrons seated, despite the noon meal time being over and the dinner far into the future. Each table had a patterned tablecloth and a candle in a holder.

  The far-right corner held a single-step up to a small stage where musicians would normally play, and perhaps more than one. Three small chairs were abandoned up there. The wood in the room was dark, the walls a soft shade of tan, and Rake imagined how pleasing it must appear at night.

  In the far corner opposite the band stage, sat a nondescript sort of man. He was neither tall nor short, heavy or thin. In other circumstances, Rake would have never noticed him, or that his eyes watched every person and action in the room from under hooded brows. At the table to his left sat two very large men who were out of place in the fancy inn.

  However, in front of him, two tables away, sat a man Rake has seen near the market. It was one of the two who had tried to kill them. If he had believed them, he should have quit the job. Rake decided he might loiter outside and have another conversation with him, letting his fists do his talking.

  Cinder recognized him, too. Her fingers dug into his arm in silent warning.

  The innkeeper hurried up to them. “What are you two doing in here?”

  “Do you have rooms to let?” Rake asked.

  “We don’t do business with your kind. Get the hell out of here.”

  Rake’s reaction was to ask him to either clarify what kind they were or lash out. Both would be mistakes. Either would draw more attention to them. As it was, they had simply entered the wrong inn and true desert wanderers would peacefully turn around and leave. Rake closed his temper down as if drawing a heavy curtain over it as he turned and followed Cinder out onto the street.

  Again, Sadie was lounging a half-block away as she talked to a man sweeping the sidewalk. A busty woman of middle years came out of the Castle and stood at the top of the steps, waiting for her escort. Rake asked, “Excuse me. Was that man in the corner one named Rancor?”

  “Yes, for whatever business it is of yours.”

  “I believe I met him once in Breslau. I was just curious.”

  “He is there to protect us from the likes of you,” she said with a slight accent as a pale man near her age arrived in clothing that appeared new. He stepped to her side and took her elbow. They walked away, both with their noses high in the air.

  Rake glanced to his right, up the road that followed the curvature of the hillside. Two blocks away was the forest. To his left, down the hillside, several blocks away flowed the river. He chose the forest.

  The last buildings almost butted up to the stone wall of a small cliff. To the side of the last building were trees, not too many, and they were mostly smaller but dense enough to conceal them within a few steps. A trail took them into a clearing where Sadie caught up with them just as a woman stepped into view and said, “What do you want here?”

  “Privacy,” Rake growled.

  “Well, go get it somewhere else. This place is taken.”

  Before he could answer, a scream pierced the air, coming from the direction of the city. They all turned. A shout from a male throat followed, then more shouts and screams. The three of them, accompanied by the woman who had ordered them to leave, burst out of the forest into the street almost together. People were spilling into the streets, many of them as if it was dangerous to be inside. All were looking up at the sky and either pointing or shouting.

  Rake looked up to where they pointed. At least seven dragons were flying up there, circling the city, all blacks.

  “They are not ours,” Sadie muttered, ignoring the woman at her side that had ordered them from the clearing.

  Cinder said, “Something’s wrong. I can’t feel them.”

  Rake responded, “I’ve never heard of that many flying together, let alone all the same color, but they are still far off.”

  “No, not that,” Cinder said. “I can see the details too well. They are closer than we think. Look closer.”

  Sadie said in hushed explanation, “Tiny dragons.”

  Rake realized both of them were right, but they weren’t tiny dragons. That was the wrong description. They were small. Each looked as if they had a body twice the size of a cow, perhaps. Their wings extended five or six steps on either side. That made them a tenth the size of all the true-dragons they’d heard of and were familiar with. All but one, Rake corrected himself in a flash of insight. There was a Dragon Clan story he’d always liked about a man called Shell who was accompanied by a small Red, described as the size of the ones circling above. At first, others had thought Shell’s dragon a chick but later found it to be a full-grown adult, of a different species.

  The dragons above flew together in formation, almost like ducks or geese, but not quite. Still, the sky was large enough to spread out and they chose not to. They followed one another in a row. Almost like a pack of wild dogs.

  The sounds of the city increased as more people ran outside and observed the strange sight. The dragons, as if by mutual agreement, suddenly spread out and flew in turns and spins over different parts of the city. Two flew over and back, not in a circle, but with each pass, they all lost altitude and their details became clearer.

  One twisted its neck in mid-air, almost like a soldier snapping to attention at the sight of a general. The long neck extended, and the eyes peered down at the ground—at the three of them. It broke off from the others and flew directly at Rake, Cinder, and Sadie. It flew just over the tallest rooftops, its eyes locked on theirs until it flew past them and they couldn’t see it anymore because of the trees. Another broke off and dived into the city, striking a building with a huge crash, and suddenly the screams from that area were indications of terror.

  Men and women screamed until their sounds filled the air. Another dragon fell from the sky and more terrified screams filled the air as it spat fist-sized balls of what people commonly called dragon spit. Then another dragon fell from the sky in attack mode. And one more. They spat time and again as they descended, the sounds of their spitting sounded like the thumps of a hollow wooden drum. Several fires broke out as the caustic substance found an open flame. Flames leaped into the air and smoke rose as the city inhabitants panicked.r />
  The sounds were of people running for their lives, as they wailed and shouted, almost drowned out the sound of wind whistling past leathery wings. A black dragon flew from behind them and landed on the street fifty steps ahead of them, concentrating on the three Dragon Clan.

  On the ground, dragons are awkward and clumsy. It wobbled a bit on the sloping road, steadied itself and snorted. A ball of dragon spit flew in their direction. It struck the side of a wooden building and soon a hole appeared, one large enough to reach an arm through. Its attention was now focused on Rake, as Cinder and Sadie moved slowly away to either side. All had drawn knives.

  The dragon ignored the nearby buildings, even as the one it had spat upon burst into flames. People fled the building and the vicinity when they found the dragon standing in the street. It turned its entire body and faced the three Dragon Clan as if it knew exactly who they were. And as if it didn’t like them.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The small black dragon hissed angrily before it took a tentative step in their direction, its claws clacking and scraping on the stone pavers. It reared back from the neck up, preparing to again spit the caustic black substance similar to that of many snakes. It was highly flammable, but also an acid that melted the skin off a man.

  There was no way for them to escape because of the nearness of the dragon. Rake held his knife, wishing he had a sword, ax, or his bow, but especially a shield. A large one he could hide behind. But he had a knife and wouldn’t go down easily. If the thing spat at him, he could maybe charge before the pain registered too intense to allow him to move. The woman who had ordered them out of her forest had disappeared unnoticed, along with other residents.

  At his sides were Cinder and Sadie, both of them spreading out and preparing themselves to repel the coming attack. The three of them could do little to harm the dragon, but there was no other choice. Rake felt a flash of pride that his two friends were standing with him although their actions would probably cost them their lives.

  “Run,” he ordered, prepared to distract the dragon.

  “I’ll be right here beside you,” Cinder said.

  The dragon had paused again as it watched them, and coiled itself to spit before charging, a normal tactic. The combination was lethal. As the recipient of the dragon spit either dodged or wailed in extreme pain, the distance was quickly closed, and the dragon’s mouthful of teeth or a rake from the claws finished the engagement.

  Rake felt the sweat between his shoulder blades begin to run down his back. He furrowed his brows in confusion. No, that was not what he felt. Not sweat, but the notification of a nearby friendly dragon, one very close to him and he had been too caught up with the Black to notice the first indications. His birthmark tingled more with each instant until it felt like a series of sharp pins. He tried to ignore it and prepared to fight for his life.

  Logic said it was the small dragon in front of him that he felt. Why hadn’t he sensed the smaller dragon earlier? It was only a few steps away. The thought was lost in the turmoil of his mind as he focused on the imminent combat. He crouched lower and prepared to meet the dragon and do whatever damage he could.

  A flash of red color appeared, and the small dragon disappeared.

  That was quickly followed by a piercing scream louder than all the others combined. Rake rushed ahead and looked up in time to see a Red clutching the Black in its talons. The Red flew higher and higher, twisting and turning with the effort to lift the smaller dragon struggling like a salmon on a fishing line. The Red screamed again and three of the blacks on the ground flew upward in fear, leaving the city and their victims behind as they fled.

  “That’s the Red you bonded with, I think,” Cinder said. It was not a question.

  “We did not bond,” he answered automatically.

  Sadie turned to him in surprise. “You bonded?”

  “No. I had an encounter, nothing more.”

  She said, “I’ve never met someone who bonded with a dragon, Rake. You’ve got to tell me all about it.” Her eyes never left the struggle of the Red and Black.

  “Now, look what you’ve started,” Rake growled to Cinder, his eyes also on the Red. Nearly right above them, it twisted in mid-air and snapped its teeth at the much smaller Black clutched in its claws, finally tearing the head from the smaller dragon in a single bite. It spat the head to its left while dropping the body. Both spiraled downward—right at the lower part of the city near the river.

  Rake became conscious of the increase in the screams and general shouting at the falling dead dragon as people realized it was about to fall on them. Others had watched the Red also, and many were below it. The carcass and the head spiraled down, and both were going to strike the city, either a building or street. The people below panicked as if a live dragon was descending in their midst.

  However, mixed in with the cacophony there were also the continuing cries of those who fought the Blacks, or that had been injured by them. Several fires burned in the lower city, probably from the dragons knocking over buildings with candles or fires burning in them, or from dragon-spit igniting. The fires trailed smoke into the air. Instead of the almost vacant streets earlier, they now were filled with milling people trying to help others, searching the sky for more dragons, and putting out fires.

  Sadie tugged at his robe when he started to move down into the city. “We should wait.”

  She was right, Rake realized. The turmoil in the street they could see was dangerous to enter—and another dragon attack might follow at any moment. More blacks rose over the tops of buildings and flew away. They disappeared faster than they had arrived, flying straight and fast, leaving destruction, death, and injuries behind.

  Cinder said, “Maybe we can help them. People are trapped in buildings and hurt.”

  Sadie stepped in front of her, the first time she had asserted herself since meeting with them. She said fiercely, “Listen to me. If anyone and I mean any person in this city discovers who we are, or even suspects there are Dragon Clan in the city, what do you believe will happen? I mean, after today?”

  “She’s right,” Rake said. “Despite our good intentions, this is one time when we need to step back and let events progress without us. I think that clearing behind us is a good option to hide in until dusk.”

  They moved as one, fading into the forest and locating the clearing again, and finding a much larger encampment. There were no others present, but signs of humans everywhere. Makeshift tents, firepits, and refuse of every sort. A cooking pot held a stew of unknown ingredients. Nothing would anger the owner more than returning to find strangers eating their food and enjoying the bounty of supplies left lying around.

  Sadie said, “We should make ourselves comfortable across the clearing where there will be no misunderstandings. It’s empty of their belongings.”

  Rake turned to look back across the clearing and instantly spied pear trees and a single apple. All were recently pruned, possibly indicating the work of the Dragon Clan, meaning there were perhaps members living in Mercippio and probably one who camped in the clearing. While another may have cut the trees back, the chances that a city dweller had entered the forest and pruned them were slim.

  As they made themselves comfortable under an apple that had new fruit growing already the size of his thumb, he again examined the cuts and found them white and fresh. The tree had been pruned no more than a month ago.

  He hadn’t thought to look for members of the Dragon Clan in the city, assuming they would all be living in rural areas and perhaps traveling to the city only for supplies or information. He remained quiet as he thought of ways to identify them and share information—and failed.

  He said, “Can either of you think of a way to recognize our people who live here?”

  “Noticed the trees, huh?” Cinder said. “For me, there is too much chance of tipping off the wrong person as to who we are if we try to find them.”

  “No idea at all,” Sadie answered shortly. She was on
her back in the grass, eyes closed as if trying to sleep. “If any of them knew of a coming invasion, or even had solid suspicions, they would have already spread the word and we would have heard. It might have taken a week or two to reach us, but the information would have found its way to at least one of us. We represent three different families, so the chances of us hearing about it is almost certain.”

  She had a good point. If Frog’s family is included, it made four known families who heard nothing. Rake said, “Have either of you ever heard about small dragons like that?”

  “Cobalt mentioned them when he talked about crazy rumors he’d heard while working near the border, but pretty much dismissed it as a silly one. I’m trying to remember exactly what he said,” Cinder mumbled aloud as she thought.

  “They hunt in packs, he told us,” Rake said as he recalled the conversation. “That part seems to be true.”

  “They came from up north, he said.” Cinder confirmed his memory. “Something about another invasion?”

  Sadie asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “A rumor,” Rake said bluntly. “A clan member heard a rumor while working over this way about small dragons that hunt in packs. He also said a kingdom in the north across a narrow sea was building a fort to invade what is now Breslau.”

  “That would make them our friends, wouldn’t it?” she asked.

  Cinder turned to look at the younger woman in surprise. She had come to that conclusion far faster than they had. Rake watched the interplay between them. For all of Cinder’s strengths and beauty, Sadie had a quicker mind. Not that she was smarter, but she considered seemingly unrelated facts and ideas and drew firm conclusions.

  The people who camped in the clearing returned in ones and twos. Most ignored them. However, there was one man, perhaps thirty, and muscular, who took an interest. Rake watched him covertly study them as if he wanted to cross the clearing and speak. He was making up his mind. Rake waited, expecting trouble.

  The man said something to a couple of the others and stood. Rake reached into the robe and loosened the knife at his side. It seemed he’d done that a lot since arriving in the city.