He was so sweet. I gripped his hand tighter, thankful to have met him. It was a much further walk to his house coming this way and by the time we reached his door, I was ready to pass out again. I had never felt so weary in my whole life. He led me up the stairs and through a door I’d not gone through before.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked. I desperately needed to go to bed, but my room was on the floor above.
“This is my room. You are sleeping here tonight. I’ll take the sofa in the living room.”
“Why?”
“Mary will be in your room. We don’t have any more spare rooms.”
“I can’t let you sleep on the sofa.” I yawned.
He pulled back the covers for me on the bed. “Just sleep. I’ll be fine.”
I was so tired, I couldn’t argue with him. I collapsed onto his bed and let him pull the blanket over me. It was pretty dark, but there was just enough light for me to see his room. It was tidier than I’d expected, with a chest of drawers at one side and a writing desk at the other. He rummaged around in his drawers for some pajamas. His bed smelled just like him. Warm and inviting and slightly ashy.
He opened the door to leave and as I saw him silhouetted in the light of the landing beyond, I knew I didn’t want him to go.
“Stay.”
“What?” He turned his head toward me.
“Please stay with me.” I could feel my heart thumping in my chest as I said it, but I knew I couldn’t let him go. If he left, I’d follow him to the sofa and sleep with him there. The door closed and I couldn’t tell which side of it he was on.
For a half a second, my heart plummeted into my stomach, but then I felt his warm body slip in next to mine. He curled his arm around me and I fell asleep to the sound of him breathing gently beside me.
***
Knock. Knock.
I opened my eyes suddenly after the best night’s sleep I’d ever had.
Lucy’s voice came through the door. “Mom says that you’ve missed breakfast but lunch is being cooked down at the campfire if you are hungry.”
“What time is it?” shouted Ash back groggily.
“It’s half past eleven.” Then, “Is Julianna in there with you?”
“Never you mind, brat!” answered Ash. I could hear her giggling as she pitter-pattered down the stairs.
“Morning,” he said turning and kissing me.
Food seemed so unimportant to me right now. I wanted to stay here all safe and warm, tucked up in Ash’s arms forever, but I knew it was impossible. Sure, we could miss lunch, but we couldn’t miss the meeting with Spear and the other dragons.
“I guess we should get up,” I said reluctantly.
“I’m sure they won’t miss us for ten more minutes.” He kissed me deeply and my heart soared again. Being with Ash felt like I was always flying, even when my feet were on the ground.
Fifteen minutes later, we made our way to the campfire. Spear was already there, tucking into a steak between two slices of thick crispy bread. When he saw us, he walked straight over.
“Eat first!” he demanded before we had time to speak. “We will have a discussion later, but now I want everyone to get their strength up. I trust you slept well?”
“Like a log,” I said, grinning.
A steak sandwich was handed to each of us and it was only when I smelled the chargrilled meat, that I realized just how hungry I was.
Within twenty minutes, many of the other dragons had joined us at the barbecue. All had been instructed to eat first, just as we had. When everyone had eaten their fill, Spear stood up and began to speak.
“I have talked to many of the dragons that were at Dronias last night. While I cannot call it a complete success, we did acquire a number of swords. There were no fatalities on our side and as far as I am aware, only one on the side of the Slayers. Julianna was there and saw that it was a member of their own kind that killed the Slayer accidentally. Much of the Slayer village has been burned and they will have to share homes until they rebuild. It is not ideal, but it had to happen for us to get the swords. We have added another eight swords to the three we already have.”
“Four!” someone interrupted. “We had four yesterday.”
“So we did,” agreed Spear. “I wasn’t counting one of them for good reason, which brings me on to the next bit of good news. Last night, Julianna gave some of her blood to save a dragon. Her name is Mary and she is currently staying with Edeline and Fiere. Edeline tells me that she is very weak but has eaten some food this morning and seems to be gaining strength. No one knows her and she doesn’t remember how long she has been trapped. I can only deduce that she is one of the elders of this village, lost for generations. I know you will all be curious to see her and in time you will. Perhaps one of you might recognize her and I am wrong about her age, but I beg all of you to let her recuperate first. Her health is more important right now than finding out her true age. If I am right about her being so old, it proves that Julianna has been telling us the truth the whole time and that we can free all our dragons.”
A series of whoops and cheers erupted around me. Spear let the noise abate before he continued.
“There is much work to be done first. I know how eager you all are to set the rest of the dragons free now. We have eleven swords, each with at least one dragon trapped inside, but we all must have patience. Julianna has had a very stressful couple of days. More so than the rest of us, as she has been fighting against her own kind. I’m not going to subject her to more blood loss until she has had time to recuperate herself. I’m also against the plan of going straight back into Dronias. We have been there two nights in a row and we need to rest. We also need to give them time to treat their injured. When we go back for the remaining swords, they will be guarding them much more heavily than before. They will probably have found better hiding places for them and just flying in there as we have for the last two nights isn’t going to work. We need to come up with a better plan, which will take time.”
“So, you want us to just sit around doing nothing while they hide their swords?” shouted a man at the back.
“No. After speaking with a couple of the dragons that went down there and hearing what Julianna has said on the subject, I think we need to go to the source of the magic.”
“What?” asked the man, clearly confused. Judging by the faces of the others around the campfire, he wasn’t the only one.
“The Slayers use the swords, but they do not make them, nor are they the ones that imbue them with magic. The Slayers have no magical abilities themselves. They are warriors, not magicians or wizards. They buy the swords from the Goblins, and it is the Goblins that make the swords magic. The Goblins are not known for being the friendliest species and they only respond to money or gold, but I am hoping if we can get them to talk to us, maybe they will tell us the secret of the swords. If we can somehow free the dragons without Julianna having to sacrifice blood each time, or if we can somehow control the magic remotely, then we will not have to fight anymore.
“The Goblins won’t speak to us. Why would they?” the same man shouted.
“That’s why I propose we take as much gold as we can find to them. The language of money is universal.”
“I’ve had dealings with the Goblins before,” said the man. “They will take your gold and not tell you a word. They are deceitful and secretive and they stick together.”
“Coal,” Spear said, addressing the man. “If you have dealt with the Goblins before, would you come up the mountain with us to their village? I have only heard rumors about them, but have never actually met one.”
“I can if you like,” replied the man known as Coal. “But I hate them. They took my life savings to pay for a ring that they never delivered. When I went back to get my money back, they pretended they didn’t know me and wouldn’t let me into the village.
“But you know the location of the village? You can lead us there?”
“I can.”
“I’ve heard it is high up on the other side of Triad Mountains?”
“It is inside the mountain. There is an entrance to it near the base of the mountain about twenty miles from here. That’s how the Slayers get in. They wouldn’t be able to get to any of the other entrances as they are high up on the mountain and the terrain is hard going. We could fly to the higher entrances, but I don’t think they would like that. We’d be better going in the lower entrance.”
“Then it is settled. Tomorrow, we head to the home of the Goblins. Anyone who wants to come, meet me back here as dawn breaks. The rest of you, please consider bringing any gold you can spare to my house. I will add my own personal fortune to the pile, and while it is a considerable amount, I think the more gold we have to offer the better.”
“They will steal it from you,” warned Coal.
“Yes. It is also a long way to trek whilst carrying gold, so we will not take it with us just yet. I will lock it in my safe until a time that we will need it, but if people bring what they have, I will know how much we have to bargain with.”
When it became apparent he had finished, I held my hand up.
“Yes, Julianna. Do you have something to add?”
“I’d like to come with you.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second. As I said before. Anyone who feels up to making the trek and who wants to, please meet back here at dawn. Make sure you bring some food with you. It will be a long day. As for today, everyone should rest up. Sleep, eat and do whatever it is you feel you need to prepare for the journey ahead.
The crowd began to disperse and Ash took my hand.
“I think we should check on Mary,” I said to him.
“Mary is sleeping,” said Edeline who had been listening nearby. “I think you two need a bit of time off. It’s a beautiful day and you’ve both been through a lot. Go out and enjoy yourselves.”
I kissed her cheek.
“Want to go for a walk?” asked Ash.
“More than anything!” I let him lead me down the dirt track to the meadows on the hillside. We lay on the grass, my head resting on Ash’s chest. Edeline was right. The sun was shining and the day was indeed beautiful.
Chapter Six
The next day arrived with squally conditions. It was not ideal for trekking up a mountain, but Fiere loaned me a thick coat and Edeline let me borrow her boots. They were a size too big, but it was cold enough to wear a thick pair of socks underneath to bulk them out. It was more like an autumn day than a late summer one. Perhaps the weather was beginning to change. Ominous black clouds sheathed the mountain we were heading toward.
“I hope that’s not some kind of omen,” I said, pointing to the gray and black sky.
Ash hugged me tighter. “It will pass.” He didn’t sound too sure.
We were standing at the door of Spear’s house. It opened and his maid let us in. We were the first to arrive, but within ten minutes, Coal and a number of others had joined us in the drawing room, each kitted out in warm, waterproof clothes and backpacks.
Spear gathered us around him. “The weather is not on our side. There is a storm heading our way. I propose we fly as high as we can go and then if it becomes too much, we should walk the rest of the way. We need to do this in pairs. One will fly while the other rides holding on to both backpacks. If the need arises, we can swap halfway through.”
“You’re forgetting something,” said Coal, barging to the front. “They won’t open their doors to us higher up in the mountains. They are not a trusting people. Our best route would be to go on foot along the base of the mountain until we get to the main entrance there.”
“I took into consideration what you told me yesterday Coal. I agree that we must knock on the door where they expect visitors. However, to go along the base of the mountain is madness. The Slayers could see us and attack. Plus, there are countless villages that run along the base of the mountain. I can think of at least four in the first ten miles or so. We don’t know if they will show us any hostility. No, I think it would be safer to fly and climb the mountain and then when we are close to the Goblin City, we can head down to the entrance.”
“But—”
“Spear is right,” I interrupted before Coal could speak. “The next village along has a similar view of dragons as the people of Dronias. The village of Lakate holds a dragon festival every year. I went to it once with my family. They burn effigies of dragons.”
“Is there anyone that doesn’t hate us?” chuckled Coal wearily.
“It’s settled then,” said Spear, looking at his watch. “I don’t think any more are going to show so if you can get into pairs, decide which one will fly first and we’ll be off. I’ll fly up front with Coal, so you can just follow me. Is everyone okay with that?”
Everyone nodded and murmured their assent.
Outside, the riders collected the backpacks and clothes of the flyers.
“How about if I ride this time?” joked Ash as he passed me his bag.
“You wish!” I stuck my tongue out at him. I’d gotten used to seeing the dragon people undress as if getting naked in broad daylight was the most normal thing in the world, but I still blushed as Ash handed me his clothes. I had to close my eyes as they all transformed. I still didn’t have the stomach to watch that part, but when I opened them, in front of me were twelve stunning dragons. They ranged in color from fiery red (Ash) to the darkest black (Coal). There were ten of us left in human form. We each hopped onto the back of our respective dragons, leaving Spear and Coal riderless, and one by one, we took off into the sky.
I’d flown on Ash’s back a great number of times but the thrill of take-off, as the ground disappeared beneath me, never left me. I’d also never really flown with so many other dragons and it was interesting to see how they flew in formation, a little like flocks of birds flew in a V shape.
I’d also never flown this high in the mountains before. Frokontas was the highest place I’d visited, and it excited me rather than scared me to think that I was going to fly right up to the highest peak of the Triad Mountains, which I’d spent my whole life dreaming about.
The weather was the only concern. It would have been a glorious flight had the weather stayed sunny, but the rain was already beginning to hit my face and make it difficult to see where we were going. The peak itself was completely shrouded in black clouds and as we flew higher, visibility became worse. As the wind began to batter us, I had to hold tightly onto Ash for fear of falling. In the distance ahead, I could just make out Spear diving downward, quickly followed by Coal and the rest of us. By the time we landed, the weather had really broken and the rain was coming down in droves. I hopped down from Ash’s back and took shelter under a sturdy-looking fir tree. The dragons transformed back and dressed quickly, eager to be warm against the lashing rain.
“There is no point anyone else transforming,” said Spear. “The weather is making it impossible to fly. From here we walk.”
There was no discernible path, although I could see tracks through the undergrowth where animals had worn trails. The paths looked too wide for mere rodents and I wondered exactly what kind of animals lived up here.
Despite the fact that the high peak was hidden by clouds, we all knew where it was and in what direction. Upward! Spear took the lead as he had before and guided us onward, following animal trail after animal trail. Whatever animals did live on the mountain, I didn’t see any. I didn’t even hear any birdsong. They must all have been sheltering from the storm.
The path wasn’t particularly steep, but the air was thinner up here, making the walk tougher. The dragons who had grown up in the mountains were all used to the thinner air, but for me, it meant I was getting out of breath more quickly than they. The terrain underfoot wasn’t particularly easy to walk on either, and my feet kept getting caught in brambles and weeds.
“I could do with you doing some fire-breathing on all these plants to clear the path,” I joked to Ash. He took hold of my hand and pul
led me through the worst of it.
All too soon the terrain changed. The trees thinned and the weeds and plants gave way to the same type of gray rocks near Frokontas. The ground was wet and slippery and became much steeper. A couple of miles in and we were practically climbing over the rocks. I had never been more thankful for Edeline’s boots which gripped the wet rocks, helping me to climb. No matter how well the boots gripped, shale kept slipping beneath me causing me to slip back one step with every three or four I took.
“Stop here!” I heard Spear shout ahead of us. He’d found a cave large enough for us all to fit in and it made sense that here is where we would eat.
I rummaged around in my bag and pulled out a couple of sandwiches that Edeline and Lucy had prepared for us. Passing one to Ash, I took a bite out of my own. I’d not realized just how hungry I was, but I finished the first sandwich in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, Edeline had packed quite a few for us. I grabbed another and bit into it. Outside, the rain hammered down so hard it bounced off the ground, leaving puddles everywhere—another thing for us to navigate around. Everyone else looked as exhausted as I felt which made me feel a little better. At least I wouldn’t be the one slowing the group down.
“How much farther?” Spear asked Coal who was drinking something from a flask. It smelled like hot soup and as my stomach gave a lurch, I wish I’d have thought of it.
“There are entrances to the Goblin Village all over the mountain. We are actually pretty close. We don’t want to be caught up here. They don’t like it. They think this part of the mountain is sacred. I say we start our downward course now so we don’t accidentally come upon one up here. It will only spell disaster if we do.”
“Fine. I understand. Okay, everyone. You heard Coal. We’ll take another fifteen minutes to rest and then we shall start our trek down the mountain. I know you are all tired, but it should be much easier from here on out.”
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