by LeRoy Clary
“We have reasons,” he said lamely.
“We want both of you to carry our rucksacks and hide them along the road so we can pick them up.”
“And then?” Sadie asked in a hard tone echoed by the hard expression Fran wore.
A glance at Cinder provided no help. He went on. “We’ve given you the location of where our friends called Frog and Cobalt live. Sadie, you’ll go there and tell them all you know and ask them to pass it along to every Dragon Clan family they know and ask that it be shared with as many families as they can reach.”
“And then?” she continued.
Rake said, “Then you will follow the road until it ends at a trading post. You will talk to the proprietor and tell him the same. Also, our families are there, so any word to them would be appreciated.”
Cinder said, “You’ll come to a village with a new cairn beside the well. Be wary of dogs attacking you. Then, a fair distance down the road there will be a long, low house on your right, on the side of a hill. In it, you will find a man named Carver. He’s one of us and he will offer you a bow equal to ours, and instruction in how to use it. Listen to him and his advice. The trading post is at the end of the road. The proprietor is an old man and also one of us. Both him and Carver will help spread the information.”
Sadie’s eyes squinted. “You’re not going home?”
Cinder finally spoke. “No. We can’t.”
A deadly silence fell over them. Fran, who had been trying to act like an adult blurted out, “Where are you going?”
Cinder glanced his way and gave the smallest shake of her head. Rake said, “We have come upon information so important and so dangerous we can’t share it. Tell our families neither of us will return until spring at the earliest. And probably not even then.”
“Where are you going?” Fran asked. “I’d like to go too.”
Cinder’s toe kicked his shin softly before she said, “West and north. That’s all we can say.”
Sadie’s face was tinged red. Her lips were thin lines, and her eyes flashed. “We are in this together.”
Cinder said, “Don’t you think we’ve considered that and appreciate all you two can do? Because we have and we trust you. You’re angry and in your place, I’d be angry too. But the truth is, this is a job for two. Not three or four. What you tell the Dragon Clan families may save lives.”
Fran said, “When you return, we’ll understand?”
“I hope so,” Rake said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Rake had hoped the tension at the table would evaporate with those words. It hadn’t. Both Fran and Sadie continued pummeling them with questions and speculations, none of which came close to the reality of the cache of dragon eggs in the room above their heads. Even if they had managed to come close to the truth, Rake and Cinder would have denied it.
Demi and Moon returned carrying armfuls of food. She said, “Four kegs of ale are on the way, along with two of wine. One red, one white. This will be a party to remember.”
Moon refused eye-contact with Rake. It seemed there was a lot of that this morning. Nobody seemed happy with their announcement.
Demi said, “I started counting the bandits, thugs, and bounty hunters outside, then gave up when I reached twenty and realized I’d probably missed a few.”
“Will it be safe for Sadie and Fran to take our things and hide them?”
“Moon will escort them. I use large canvas sacks to carry away our trash to be burned. An inn has a lot of it, so nobody will think it odd that they are doing it. Your things will be inside.”
Rake realized the plan might work to carry the backpacks and weapons, but he didn’t trust them to carry the eggs. No, it was not trust. That was the wrong word. He didn’t want the eggs away from him for any reason. He found his thinking was like that of a mother hen, literally. He said, “We will carry some things with us, but we’ll put our rucksacks and weapons outside our door this morning for them. It would be good if they could be hidden before midday in case we have the opportunity to leave earlier.”
He glanced at Sadie, who gave a curt nod. Fran had weepy eyes at being excluded but also nodded. Cinder smiled at both as if it was all Rake’s doing, and she did nothing to alleviate his discomfort.
In an effort to cheer them up, he said, “Anybody hungry?”
Nobody answered.
Rake stood, leaving the three women to glare at him while he climbed the stairs. Once in the room, he went through his rucksack and found little to abandon. There was food, two pair of spare socks, a fire-starter, and little else. He’d either eaten or given away most of the rest.
The six dragon eggs would nicely fill it, but he again decided they would remain with him. He used the robe to tie them up in a neater, smaller bag after placing his rucksack, quiver, and bow outside the door. He sat on the edge of the bed and reviewed all they’d said, and how it might have been done differently.
In the end, he returned and ate slices of dry, hard bread as he worried at his vague plans and tried to anticipate possible upcoming obstacles. While Sadie and Moon prepared food and drink, Demi rushed about performing other tasks. When three men entered, each carrying stringed instruments, she set them up near the front window, which was open, so the music could be heard outside.
He heard her tell them, “It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a party like this, so I want you to play loud—and happy songs. I want singalongs and dancing. No slow stuff. Got that?”
They did. She intercepted a delivery of additional food, most of it consisting of fruit, a luxury in Mercippio the last year or so. She stood at a table and peeled, cut, and sliced. She arraigned three large plates heaping with it. Rake wondered how much money Cinder had given her.
The next delivery was by a familiar face. It was Jaffe, the seller who fitted them with the desert wanderer robes. He saw Rake and headed directly for the table where he stood and waited. Jaffe carried a pair of large bundles, one under each arm.
After greeting each other, Jaffe asked if there was a private place to talk. “Upstairs,” Rake told him, then led the way.
The bundles contained the clothing Demi had asked for, a long dress for Rake, and suitable clothing for a young man that Cinder would wear. He also brought wigs for both and hats. The items were carried inside dull colored bags, the perfect size to carry the robe with the dragon eggs. “Can I have this, too?”
“It’s yours. And the seller of meat on sticks has located another source of fresh game. She says the provider mentioned your name and she will be here later to personally thank you.”
The first strains of music drifted up to them. Jaffe turned to leave the room but hesitated. He said, “If you need an escort or guardians, I can provide them.”
“No, I think we’re fine. But thank you.”
“Do not be offended if you notice a few of my family watching over you.” Before Rake could question what that meant, Jaffe was gone, and the door closed.
He returned downstairs and found several people already drinking and eating. Fran appeared at his side and whispered, “You’re treating me like a child.”
“Before you can be a leader, you must learn to take orders and obey them.”
“Who said that? Some old story our parents tell?”
“Me.”
“You? You what?”
“I just made it up, Fran. But that does not make it any less true. Come over in the far corner and let’s talk privately.” He turned and strode purposely without looking behind to see if she followed. When he turned, she was at his heels.
He leaned closer. “When the Dragon Clan repeats our tale, you have a role in the story. Not a large one, so far. Now, I want you to try and look ahead a few years and picture yourself. What do you see?”
“I don’t know.”
“Neither do I,” he told her.
“Well, that’s a big help and certainly not what I expected.” A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.
Rake
continued, “Let me tell you what I do not see. You will not be wearing pants muddy from the knees down, like when we met you. You will not be walking behind a plow or herding sheep. You will not live at the end of nowhere, hiding from your neighbors.”
“What’s left?” she asked.
“We’re alike, you, me, and Cinder. We’ll never be satisfied living as we’ve always done in our lives. Sadie will return to her family and have a happy life. Moon will be dedicated to Demi for the rest of their lives, and if you haven’t noticed, she is attracted to him. And him to her. But for us, well we will never fit in our old lives again.”
Tears started to fall. She put her head on his shoulder and sobbed, “The two of you are going away to do god-knows-what. I’ll be left here. Alone. With nothing to do.”
“That’s not true. Some of it is, but not all. You have to remember what we’ve done and help Sadie spread what we’ve found to the rest of our families. Tell them of the Knavesmire invasion and the small black dragons that fight in packs.”
“That’s it?”
“No, there is something else. We’ve talked about our friend we call Frog, and you know where to find him. After you’ve done all you can to warn our people, go to him. Pray he’s still there because he’s one of us. You, me, Cinder, and Frog.”
“What do I say to him?”
“That he must leave his farm and go with you. Cobalt can hire a helper for the farm. But Frog will go away on his own if you do not convince him to travel with you. He’ll be the brawn and you’ll be the brain. He needs you. You need him.”
“Where will we go?”
“West? North? I don’t know. But the two of you need to do what you can to protect Oakhaven and our people and you’ll figure it out. Between the two of you, your path will be clear.” Rake tried to hide his tears.
She pulled away and held him at arm’s length. “Where will you and Cinder be?”
“I can’t say. I’m sorry, but there are a few things we cannot share with anyone right now. However, we will be doing all we can to help the Dragon Clan.”
Fran looked at her feet and withheld a sniffle. “Will I ever see you again?”
“Not for a while. A few years? More? But we will return if possible.”
“Do you love her?”
“Cinder? Are you kidding? She is ornery, demanding, bossy, and always wants her way.”
Fran smiled. “She is also beautiful, intelligent, and does what she sets out to do. She also loves you, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
Rake tried to ignore her comments about Cinder. He hadn’t noticed. To cover for his embarrassment, he said, “A mug of ale sounds good. Want one?”
She didn’t, which provided the excuse to leave her before he started crying. He searched for Sadie and found Moon first. Moon’s smile brought him closer. “I wanted to talk to you before we leave.”
“And I wanted to thank you,” Moon said without a trace of a smile.
“There will be friends of mine, of ours, who will come here to speak with you. What you can tell them of Breslau may help us, and in the process, we may have help for Crabs. No promises, but I think we might offer help, and if not, maybe shelter.” Rake felt tongue-tied and decided to stop talking before he stumbled over his words.
Cinder slipped up to his side and asked for a dance. The music was slow and soft for a change.
He readily accepted. However, even as he danced, his eyes strayed to where he had hidden the six dragon eggs. They drifted up the stairs to where the dress was waiting for him to change into. Well, it would wait for a while longer, then the next chapter of his life would begin. “Are you ready for what’s ahead?”
She snuggled closer to him, placing her chin against his chest. She asked, “The real question is, are you?”
“What’s that mean?”
She pulled him closer. "We're going to carry those eggs all the way to the volcano and spend years raising baby dragons together. I will lead the way and you will carry them while I find the best route.” Her voice became softer and more insistent, “When we’re traveling and I look back over my shoulder to check on you, your eyes had better be watching my behind every step of the way."
Rake decided he should do as she ordered. He felt like racing for the bag of eggs and climbing into the dress so they could depart instantly, however, the music played on. He wanted to say something memorable but sometimes words are not required. He put his mind at rest and allowed his feet to follow the music.
The End—well, not exactly the end. More of the tales of the Dragon Clan will follow.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LeRoy Clary
LeRoy lives in Washington State with his wife, youngest son, and a dog named Molly. He spends his time doing what he loves the most: writing about an action-packed fantasy world of dragons, and magic. LeRoy spends his leisure time traveling and exploring the beautiful countryside in the Pacific Northwest from high desert to forests to coastal terrain.
Writing has always been one of LeRoy’s favorite passtimes and passions; mostly fantasy and science fiction. He’s been the member of several author critique groups both in Texas and in Washington State. He collaborated on a project in Texas that produced the book Quills and Crossroads which includes two of his short stories.
In recent years, LeRoy has published over a dozen fantasy books including a book called DRAGON! Stealing the Egg which began the idea of how to live and survive in a world where dragons are part of the landscape. The Dragon Clan Series is unique in that it introduces a new main character in each of the seven books of the series. The book entitled Blade of Lies: Mica Silverthorne Story was a finalist in an Amazon national novel writer’s contest in 2013.
Learn more about LeRoy at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leroyclary
Website: www.leroyclary.com (join his email list)
Email: [email protected]
Please don’t hesitate to use my personal email. I love to hear from readers, their ideas, suggestions, and even their complaints.