“I don’t know, kiddo. We’ll just have to figure it out as we go.”
They ate dinner and Ariel quickly nodded off. Moz sat awake long into the night, his mind turning over her questions. Pity he didn’t come up with any answers.
Chapter 9
The aviary was empty of people when Yaz arrived before sunrise. That was beyond strange. Master Robotham was always there before Yaz. He didn’t know when the man slept. Oh, well. Yaz had been working at his new job for a week now and he had the routine down pat. Maybe this was some kind of test to see if he was up to taking on more responsibility.
He pulled the main doors open and the dragons puffed little flames so he could see to start the lanterns. Yaz had about leapt out of his skin the first time they did it, but now it was just another part of the routine. With the lamps lit he went to Soto’s stall first. She hissed and clicked her jaw at him. That was strange. Usually she leapt up and pranced around, eager to see him. Maybe she was hungry.
As he examined the dragons, Yaz’s mind wandered back to his conversation with Brigid the other day. When he told her about his new job and that he wouldn’t be visiting her as much, she’d taken it pretty hard. He felt bad, but if she was getting married soon, her future husband wouldn’t appreciate Yaz hanging around his bride-to-be. Not that he intended to never see her again. She was the best friend he’d ever had. Yaz wasn’t ready to give that up. Plus he enjoyed learning the quarterstaff from her. She was highly skilled with the weapon and a good teacher.
He sighed and put her out of his mind. Behind the aviary was another stone building with a heavily barred door. It was all he could do to lift it and open the door. Inside, a week’s worth of mutton hung from the ceiling on metal hooks. He dropped two sides of meat into the wheelbarrow kept there for just that purpose, collected the buckets, and wheeled it to the stump while trying not to breathe too deeply. It took most of half an hour to chop up the two sides of meat. When it was done Yaz was plastered in sweat.
Where, by all the gods, was Master Robotham? He’d never been late, much less an hour behind schedule. Yaz looked from the aviary to the master’s nearby house. Did he finish with the dragons or check on the master now?
The dragons came first, that’s what Master Robotham would say. Yaz would honor the job then go looking.
A deep, angry voice from inside bellowed, “Why aren’t the dragons fed and ready?”
Today of all days the squires decided to show some initiative and arrive early. This was going to be one of those days where all his luck turned bad. Gathering the buckets, which were about all he could lift, Yaz shuffled inside.
The squires were there, dressed in dragonrider armor, arms crossed, and scowling. “Did you hear me, stableboy?” Burke, the head squire, asked. “Why aren’t the dragons ready?”
Yaz started setting buckets down in front of each stall. All the dragons but Soto came scrambling up, eager to eat. Something really was wrong with her.
“The dragons aren’t ready, because you’re an hour early and Master Robotham didn’t show up. If you’re in that big a rush, you might want to try lending a hand instead of complaining. And this isn’t a stable.”
“I’m not interested in your excuses,” Burke said. “Chief’s son or not, your job is to have the dragons ready when we show up.”
“Show up when you’re supposed to and they’ll be ready.” Yaz finished feeding the first five then went to Soto.
She was lying on the floor staring at her breakfast. He picked up the bucket, unlatched the gate and went in. She hissed at him as he got closer.
Yaz stopped and tossed her a shank. Soto snapped it out of the air and swallowed it whole. “That’s right,” he said, inching a couple steps closer before tossing the next piece. “Now what’s got you so worked up?”
By the time he gave her the last piece he was next to her head and scratching her brow ridge. Her hiss had turned into a contented purr. Her yellow eyes were clear and she didn’t appear injured.
He was still trying to figure out what was wrong when a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside. Yaz went sprawling.
“We’ve wasted enough time.” Burke had his saddle in his free arm. “Up, Soto.”
She hissed and made no move to obey the command.
“I said up!”
The hissing grew louder and she bared her fangs.
Not good.
Burke drew back like he planned to punch her in the snout.
Really not good.
Yaz grabbed his wrist before he could do anything stupid – stupider anyway.
Burke rounded on Yaz. “What do you think you’re doing? Afraid I’m going to hurt your precious dragon?”
Yaz nearly laughed. Burke was a big man, and stronger than Yaz would ever dream of being, but the idea that he might hurt Soto with his fist was a joke.
“No, I’m afraid you’ll piss her off and she’ll rip your arm out of its socket then I’ll have to spend the rest of the morning cleaning your blood off the floor. Now get out of the stall so I can figure out what’s wrong with her.”
“You don’t give me orders,” Burke said. The rest of the squires had gathered around the stall gate to watch. “You put food in one end of these things and shovel up what comes out the other end. I’m her rider. I give the orders here.”
“No,” Yaz’s father’s deep, angry voice said. He stood behind the other squires, an intimidating presence even without his armor. “I give the orders. Now let my son do his work before I decide to do worse than demote you from head squire.”
“Master Yazguard. I didn’t know you were here,” Burke said. “I thought you said you wanted us to prepare the patrol on our own.”
“I did. I was curious to see how you handled a little taste of authority. Frankly, I’m not impressed. Now move. And where is Abelard?”
“Haven’t seen him yet this morning, Dad.”
Yaz turned his attention back to Soto. In the background he was vaguely aware of Burke getting a thorough bawling-out, but he ignored them and focused on the dragon. Burke had her all riled up again.
Yaz made soothing noises like Master Robotham had taught him until she calmed enough to approach. Yaz ran his hand down her neck, checking for wounds or cracked scales and finding nothing. When he reached her stomach, he found a small, hot lump. He stared at it for a moment then grinned.
“Congratulations, Soto. You’re going to be a mother.” He straightened and gave her a final pat on the head before joining his father by the gate. “She’s forming an egg.”
Dad’s stern expression broke into a smile. “You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure. Master Robotham will have to check, but I can’t think what else it might be.”
“Find him, Yaz. Burke, you’re grounded. The rest of you get your dragons saddled and in the air.”
Yaz left his father bellowing orders and jogged across the narrow strip between the aviary and Master Robotham’s house. He looked in a window but couldn’t see much beyond a neatly made bed and a dresser. Around front the door was unlocked and inside his boots were gone. Looked like he hadn’t died in his sleep at least.
Yaz stood in the front yard, hands planted on hips, and thought. Where would the master have gone first thing in the morning when he knew they had to get the dragons ready for their patrol? He wanted to answer with “nowhere,” but that was obviously wrong.
He snapped his fingers. The inn. If Master Robotham was out of food, he might have gone for breakfast and lost track of time. Not likely, but Yaz was stumped and had to start somewhere.
Jogging down the street, Yaz nodded to a passing merchant on his way to the bazaar to prepare for the morning market. At the top of the inn’s steps he pushed the door open. The common room was half full with people enjoying their breakfasts. The smell of bacon and coffee made his stomach growl. Yaz ignored it and studied the room.
Two men rose and shook hands. He didn’t know the one facing him, probably a new arrival. Yaz
put his age at mid-fifties despite the deep wrinkles lining his face. Intense green eyes glared out at the world. Something about him put Yaz on guard. After a final pat on the back, the second man turned, revealing Master Robotham’s gaunt face.
He spotted Yaz at once and winced as he crossed the room. “I’m late, aren’t I?”
“Little bit. What’s going on?”
Master Robotham guided Yaz outside. “An old friend from my homeland arrived last night and invited me to breakfast. We got to talking and I completely lost track of time. Did you get the dragons fed and ready?”
Yaz didn’t know much about where the master came from, but he put his questions aside for the moment and said, “I got them fed, but Burke and the other squires showed up early and got in my way. More importantly, Soto’s forming an egg.”
“I suppose she’s due, it’s been eleven years after all.”
“Soto doesn’t seem very happy about her situation,” Yaz said.
“No, the first few days can be quite painful as the egg chamber forms. Once that process is finished, she’ll be okay. She’ll also be on triple rations until she lays the egg and no flying, so the riders will be one down for the next two months.”
“Dad will be thrilled.”
“Yazguard knows the drill.”
They turned into the aviary. The squires had taken off leaving Dad alone in front of Soto’s stall. Master Robotham brushed past him to check on the mother-to-be.
“Where’d you find him?” Dad asked.
“At the inn visiting with an old friend from out of town. Are you really making Burke the next captain of the dragonriders? That position usually goes to the village chief. I might be small, but Burke’s an idiot.”
“He’s the best fighter of the lot. I hoped he’d settle into the role and become a leader instead of a bully, but I’m having serious doubts. Maybe a couple months on the ground will improve his attitude.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Yaz said.
Dad got a musing look. “You know, he might not be worth a damn as a leader, but Burke might serve as a battle commander. With you as the brains and him as the brawn, it would be a strong team for the village.”
Yaz couldn’t see him and Burke working together. The big man would never accept orders from Yaz. There was no respect between them. Unless that changed somehow, they’d never be a team. But Dad would figure that out soon enough himself.
Master Robotham rose and joined them by the gate. “She’s definitely in the early stages of egg formation. Two months, give or take.”
Dad nodded, looking pleased. “If everything is on track at one month, I’ll send out the auction notices.”
Yaz frowned. “Auction?”
“Yes, last time we auctioned off an egg it brought in five hundred gold scales. The previous three eggs we sold directly for similar amounts. The demand for an open auction should have built enough that we’ll do even better this time.” Dad clapped him on the shoulder and Yaz staggered a step. “The village could really use the coin. Take good care of her. If you need anything just tell me.”
Dad left, rubbing his hands together as though already counting the money. Yaz had been hoping to ask for the egg so he could raise the hatchling and eventually fly with it. Seeing his father’s reaction, the odds of that didn’t seem so good.
Chapter 10
Yaz mopped up the last of his soup with a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. Mom made the best chicken and dumplings and he looked forward to it every time she fixed the dish, which was far too seldom. All three of them sat around the table for a rare early dinner. Mom had just finished her research project, though when he asked her about it she hadn’t seemed especially satisfied. She just muttered about not having the book she needed and changed the subject. Dad had been using his time off from patrolling to catch up on village business and plan his auction.
Two weeks into her egg formation, Soto had finally calmed down. Master Robotham said the painful part was over, at least until she was ready to lay. Yaz had worked up his nerve over the last week and finally decided tonight was the night to ask about the egg. At least he had a belly full of chicken and dumplings to do it on.
Taking a deep breath Yaz said, “I’d like to keep the egg and raise the hatchling dragon as my mount. Master Robotham thinks I could do it and having another dragonrider wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Dad just stared at him, his dark brows drawn low. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Let me count the reasons.” Dad crossed his arms and Yaz braced for a lecture. “First, that egg is an asset for the entire village. If I gave it to my son, the people wouldn’t stand for it. Second, there’s the cost. A seventh dragonrider might be useful but is hardly necessary. How many years and how much coin would we have to spend raising a hatchling – ten, fifteen, twenty years? If we sell the egg, we get a good payday we can use to buy weapons and upgrade the barracks. Our dragons are still young and strong. There’s no need to think about adding to them, not for centuries.”
Yaz couldn’t deny they were all good reasons. But good reasons or not, if he ever wanted to fly, he needed a dragon of his own, one way or another. “Then you won’t even consider it?”
“There’s nothing to consider. We’re selling the egg and that’s the end of it.”
Arguing with his father would be pointless. Once he made up his mind there would be no changing it. Dad was the most stubborn person Yaz knew. And Yaz couldn’t deny that from a chief’s point of view, there was little to gain from keeping the egg and much to lose.
Yaz collected his dishes and carried them to the kitchen to clean up. Mom joined him a moment later with her and Dad’s bowls. She put a gentle hand on his back and some of the tension drained out.
“You know he couldn’t let you have it,” she said.
Yaz sighed. He had known it, of course. “Yeah, but I’d have kicked myself if I didn’t try. When am I going to get another chance to realize my dream?”
“I understand. A dream is a hard thing to let go.”
Yaz turned to look at his mother. Her always-pale skin resembled bone. There was something in her voice he hadn’t heard before, not regret exactly, but something like it. “Did you have to give up a dream?”
“I had to choose between two dreams.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ve never regretted having you and marrying your father. I made that choice with my eyes wide open. You need to make a choice as well before your dream devours you from the inside out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wanting something so badly and not being able to have it, eventually you’ll come to hate your father for denying you what you most desire. You’ll be filled with bitterness and anger. I’ve seen it happen in others. It’s no way to live.”
She left him to wash the dishes and think. Could he ever hate his father? Yaz liked to think not, but in time anything was possible. Still, he doubted he could let go of his dream. And if he couldn’t, what then?
He wished he had an answer.
Yaz fed Soto her third bucket of mutton and wiped the sweat from his brow. The aviary was like an oven. Something about the egg creation process made Soto give off a huge amount of heat. The dragon tucked her head under her wing and went to sleep, completely untroubled by his discomfort.
Eat, sleep, and eat some more, must be nice. He took his bucket out and locked the gate. Master Robotham stood at the entrance, arms crossed and lost in thought. He’d been like that a lot lately, ever since his old friend arrived in the village. Probably thinking about home.
“All finished, Master,” Yaz said.
“Good, good.” Master Robotham scrubbed a hand across his face. He had dark circles under his eyes.
“How’s your friend?” Yaz asked.
“Fine. He’s leaving tomorrow. I’ve been offered a job back home and I can’t decide if I should take it. He’s expecting an answer in the morning and I haven’t made up my mind.”
Yaz stared f
or a moment. “I always thought you considered the valley your home. You’ve been here my whole life.”
“That’s what makes the decision so difficult. I love it here and I love the dragons.”
“I was going to ask your advice, but I can see you’ve got enough to think about. If you don’t need anything else, I’m heading out.”
“Wait, Yaz, please. Tell me what’s on your mind. Maybe helping someone else will help me take my mind off my own problems.”
“If you’re sure.” Yaz told him about his conversation the night before. “Dad’s never going to change his mind and Mom’s right, thinking about it is going to tear me apart. The problem is I can’t find a dragon egg here, much less train one.”
Master Robotham nodded, his brow furrowed. “Finding an egg will be difficult, but not impossible, and training the hatchling is no easy feat either, but I have no doubt you could do it. And I think you should. I’ll stay on here to watch over the dragons.”
“But your job offer…”
“Forget it. And thank you for helping me make up my mind. I’m going right to the inn to let him know.” Master Robotham hurried off, leaving him alone in the aviary. Yaz hadn’t expected that reaction at all. But if his master believed in him that much then Yaz would do his best to follow his dream.
They had just finished dinner and Yaz knew if he didn’t say something soon he never would. He’d discussed this with Brigid earlier and she was determined to join him. Things must have been worse at home for her than he’d realized. She hadn’t even mentioned the wedding, which told him something as well. At least she’d been pleased with the ironwood quarterstaff he made her. They’d probably need them on their journey.
No more delays. He looked from his father to his mother. She watched him with sad eyes. There was no way she could know what he planned, but something in him recognized that look. Dad, on the other hand, didn’t have a clue.
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