Meanwhile Jolss got out his books and studied just like every night. The young mage had learned a few more small cantrips and had been quietly practicing them in order to learn to control the amount of magical force available for the spell through Prin. He could now easily start the campfires at night with out blowing the camp apart. He had also learned to turn small amounts of water to ice and could make little puffs of air blow out of nowhere and there was one that made sparks of static that could shock something. The most entertaining of cantrips was one which caused every knot to untie and buckle to unfasten on the target. He had also learned that when you keep them small and only use a little bit of magical force it isn’t exhausting and is only slightly draining.
The dragons were already curling up for the night with the exception of one of the non-bonded dragons which had been acting strangely lately. It would ride on the backs of the larger dragons curled up and sleeping through the day. Each time they would stop to rest it would find the darkest shade in the area and hide there until they started moving again. At night it would be wide awake and roam around the area near camp.
During the last watch of the night, still about an hour before dawn Veer was quietly watching and listening to the night. Then suddenly Green Eyes started to screech from up in the tree tops and the little dragon who liked the night came flying into camp from the north and woke all of the other dragons up. As soon as the dragons awoke so did their bonded humans and as everyone came awake they could feel the fear coming from the dragons. Shira got the image of the ropes that the foreigners used to capture dragons. “It must be the bandits, Cyool is afraid of the ropes. We didn’t see any last night so they must have ridden through the night to get close to us. They must have recognized dragon tracks on the Furway behind us.” As Shira thought about wanting to know how far up-trail the foreigners were Cyool launched herself into the air and started gaining altitude while heading back toward the north. After only a few moments Shira saw a glimpse of riders on the ground with torches. And she said. “They’re close very close. And there are dozens of them.”
Everyone started rolling up bedrolls and saddling horses. Cyerant had always insisted that all of the packs be re-packed before going to sleep each night just in case they had to move quickly. Even so by the time that the horses were saddled and loaded, the sound of hoof beats could be heard in the distance. As everyone got mounted and started out onto the trail they could see torchlight in the distance. Jolss began to chant under his breath and he pointed toward the torches and suddenly a strong momentary wind struck the foreign riders and blew their torches out. Jolss swayed in his saddle after the spell but managed to hold on as they started to ride into the dark.
The sky was just starting to lighten and the party was riding hard and could hear the horses following them. They had the advantage that their horses were fresh and the foreigners had ridden their horses all night. Even so they couldn’t seem to lose the pursuers who managed to keep the party in sight in the new dawn. The dragons were variously running and flying to keep pace.
After a half an hour Jolss had recovered his strength and he noticed that the trail was going to soon make a sharp turn and he would be able to see back up-trail for a moment and catch sight of the horsemen following them. As they approached the turn Jolss began to quiet his mind and chant. A few moments later as the trail turned sharply the young mage raised his hand and once again pointed at the riders. He felt the flood of energy through him from the dragon and then he felt this deep tiredness which almost took him from his saddle. As he swayed Shira reached over and helped to steady him until he could get a good grip on his horse. And he just lay forward onto the neck of the running animal as he fought the exhaustion. Prin wavered also and the little dragon seemed to be struggling to keep pace with the others.
As the party turned the sharp corner in the trail Veer nocked an arrow looked back and saw the first half dozen riders fall as their saddles and equipment all seemed to just let go and unfaesten at once. The riderless horses kept moving but the riders went down under the hooves of their compatriots either injured or killed by the trampling of the rest of the capture party. Veer managed to send one arrow into the riders and another man fell. As Veer released his arrow Drace scooped up a stone the size of a man’s head and started gaining altitude as he flew toward the pursuers and as he got over the lead riders he dropped the stone which fell into the foreigners and cost them one more horse and rider.
Corth, seeing what his brother had done immediately turned toward the approaching riders and flew right at them just higher than their heads. He was now the size of a young riding horse and his wing span stretched all the way across the trail which was wider here in the south and was more like a roadway. As the dragon neared the foreigners he roared at the men and horses and let all magics that hide him slip away and the horses then could see and hear a dragon, a dragon as big as they were. The panic was instant and some riders were thrown from their horses while a few managed to fight to keep their seats on the back of their panicked and exhausted animals. As Corth passed over the men they could feel the wind from his wings and the dragon managed to take one man off of his horse with a blow from his tail. Some of the foreigners grabbed for their cursed ropes and nets but by that time the dragon was already higher and turned flying back to his friends.
Cyerant slowed his horse and the others slowed with him and he said. “Their horses are exhausted so they are going to have to rest them for a while so we will walk the horses to cool them down and then rest them ahead for a short while and we should be able to gain ground and get a bit farther ahead of them soon. Shira, can you have Cyool stay very high up but keep an eye on them?”
“Yes,” Shira responded and her dragon immediately turned back and started gaining altitude.
After a few minuets of walking, the horses had returned to normal breathing and Cyerant called a short rest and everyone got down and collapsed on the ground drinking water from the skins and letting the horses rest. Jolss looked drained and sick.
Veer looked at Jolss and asked. “How did you do that? I saw all of those men fall.”
“It’s a cantrip, a small spell which unfastens things. If I do it with the help of the dragon it doesn’t work like a little cantrip anymore and becomes a big spell but it makes me very tired.”
Shira asked. “Is that why you almost fell off of your horse?”
“Yes,” Jolss answered. “And why I slept for so long after the fire thing too.”
Veer asked. “Can’t that hurt your dragon?”
“I found out later that it can if you use too much force at once,” responded Jolss. “There have been cases where dragon mages have burned themselves out magically and made their dragon very sick. It is one of the few things that can break a dragon bond.”
Cyerant stood up and looked around at everyone and said. “I hear a stream running back in the trees a little ways so let’s take the horses back there and let them drink and fill our water skins.” The young noble then walked into the trees leading his horse and a pack horse along with Corth and the two non-bonded dragons.
The others stood up and grabbed their horses’ leads and followed Cyerant into the trees with Drace and Prin following along. As they got to the stream the horses and dragons bent to drink and Jolss opened his water skin and headed to stream.
“Not there,” called Veer to the younger boy. “That’s downstream from the horses. Do you really want to drink water that they have put their mouths and feet into? Try the upstream side.” Veer motion toward the upstream side of the animals.
Jolss, suddenly looking a little queasy, changed direction and walked toward the stream above where the horses were standing in the water drinking. “I’ve never travelled with horses, I didn’t know.”
Cyerant smiled at his little brother and said, “it’s alright; just do what we do since there is usually a good reason.”
“They’re going to ride them into the ground” said Shira. “Cyool just
showed me. They are already getting back on their horses and starting this way.”
Cyerant said, “not enough rest for their tired horses but our horses are still relatively fresh. They slept all night, so let’s mount up and go.” Cyerant led the small company back up to the trail, mounted and turned south. Soon everyone was mounted and moving. “Shira, how fast are they coming?”
“I don’t know,” said Shira but as she thought of it Cyool showed her a glimpse of their pursuers. “They seem to be moving at a fast walk right now. So we can stay ahead of them.”
Veer said, “I should wait here on one of these ridges with my bow and slow them down so you guys can get away.
“No,” said Cyerant. “For now we stay together. Shira?” Cyerant asked turning toward the girl. “Can you get Cyool to fly ahead and see how much farther away the river and ferry are from here?”
“Hold on,” responded Shira. “There are a group of trappers coming out of a cross trail right ahead of the foreigners and it looks like the foreigners are attacking them.”
“That will be to steal their fresher horses,” Veer said. “How many are there?”
“Five trappers,” answered Shira. “A horse and pack horse each.”
Cyerant said, “so we know how many will be able to try to catch up to us. We will have to keep moving quickly and stay ahead of them. Shira get Cyool to look at the ferry.”
“Ok she is headed south now as fast as she can go,” answered Shira. “Oh she is flying over us right now.” Shira said.
Everyone in the party looked up and could see the dragon flying high above looking like a large bird of prey because she was so high. Cyool was moving to the south very quickly and should soon be able to see the river and ferry.
“Oh no,” Shira said with a sound of dread in her voice.
“What is it?” Asked Veer. “What do you see?” As Veer became excited Drace began to growl very low which started to upset the other dragons and Green Eyes the ever present black shadow in the trees above began to screech and hiss.
“No, no, no,” continued Shira.
“Veer, you have to calm down, we don’t need upset dragons,” said Cyerant. “Shira tell us what Cyool sees.”
“The ferry is gone,” said Shira. “It was cut loose so it is floating down the river and they set it on fire too. There is another group of those foreign bandits at the end of the Furway starting to come north toward us. There are about a dozen of them on horses and coming this way. There were a few buildings near the ferry and they are all on fire too. It was only two hours away, just two more hours.”
“So now we have to fight,” said an ever angrier Veer accompanied by louder growls from Drace and more noise from Green Eyes while Prin, Corth and the two non-bonded dragons became more agitated.
“Not yet, not here, and not this way, where they will get to squeeze us between them,” said Cyerant. “First thing is for you to calm down Veer, the dragons are getting upset. Next thing is for Cyool to circle around to the west across the wilds and see what the forest and the last of the hills look like so that we can see if it is safe to go through.”
“Ok, Cyool is circling around to the west and heading back this way and will show me anything or anybody that she sees,” said Shira.
“Good, now we move faster,” Cyerant said as he set off along the Furway to the south.
“So how long do you think that we can hide in the woods?” Asked Veer in a mocking tone of voice.
“We’re not going to hide, well not for long,” said Cyerant. The group chasing us knows that we are ahead of them but the group coming from the other ways doesn’t so we will keep going south until Cyool and Shira can see what the wilds are like and then we go into the wilds and make our way west and little south. There is a city a day and a half down stream from that ferry. It is called Dealt and it is a trading city with a river port because this river joins another even larger river and they make a third one which is the main north south passageway for goods through the kingdom. Two, maybe three days through the forests will bring us there and a few dozen foreign bandits can burn some villages but they can’t take a small city.”
“What do we do when we get there?” Asked Veer.
“We rest,” said Cyerant. “Now enough of this, ride faster. Shira tell me when Cyool has seen everything to our west.” Cyerant coaxed his horse into a trot, and the others kept pace.
“Cyool is back over us.” Said Shira. “The wilds are just that wild so she didn’t see anyone in them. But she did see a cross trail maybe ten min ahead of us on our left, and there is a group of a half dozen of those guards on it headed this way. They are about half an hour from where the trails cross. I just sent her back north so now she can see the group of foreigners behind us. A smaller group took the horses from the trappers and about ten of them are riding really fast to catch us while the rest are coming along behind. The first group should catch us in less than half an hour.”
“They’re everywhere Cyerant,” Jolss said in a panic that also sent his little dragon fluttering about in the air around the party.
“Yes, but I have a plan” said Cyerant. “We ride to where the trails cross and then we take to the wilds right where the trails meet. The guards know that a group of bandits killed some guards and the foreigners know that some guards killed some foreigners. The smaller group of foreigners will meet the guards right there and then they will fight and may not notice our tracks going into the forest. Then the other two groups of foreigners find the battle scene. The guards will win against the first smaller group of foreigners but not against both of the next groups. They fight and we get away deep into the forests. Now ride!”
Cyerant picked up the pace just a bit more so that the group arrived at the trail meeting in a little under ten minutes. Immediately the party dismounted and headed into the forest leading their horses; rushing in order to get as much distance between themselves and the coming fight. Once the company was safely into the trees Cyerant turned toward Shira and asked. “Shira is Cyool getting tired of flying up there?”
“No, she mostly glides on the wind currents like an eagle,” responded Shira. “She could stay up there all day.”
“Well, that might be a good idea,” said Veer. “Then she can keep an eye on them and see if we are being followed.”
After fifteen more minutes of moving through the trees Shira could see glimpses of what was happening back at the trail crossing and she said. “The guards and the foreigners just saw one another. It looks like they are going to fight just like you said Cyerant.”
Veer said, “this forest is so thick; much thicker than back up north, this is going to take days to get through.”
Jolss asked. “Can we just go back around behind them and keep using the trail like before?”
“No Daralce,” said Cyerant, glancing over at his younger brother. “If they burned the ferry then they know that we are somewhere in the south so the foreigners will have every trail being watched. Not to mention the guards that are looking for me. We have to go through the wilds or we are going to be caught.”
“I’d rather fight,” said Veer. Drace growled a deep rumbling sound beside the young man. “So would he – I think all of the dragons would.”
“But that isn’t our goal here,” said Cyerant. “We have to keep going and not get distracted. That would be a mistake.”
“So we just keep running away?” Asked Veer.
“No, we’re not running away, we are refusing to get distracted from our goal which is to get to this small city,” said Cyerant. “Then maybe we can get a boat down river to the capitol or maybe we continue on land, but first we get to Deelt and then we decide how to get to the capitol.”
Jolss asked “But can’t the guards still take you prisoner if they catch you in the city?”
“No,” answered Cyerant. “Nobles only have that authority on their lands. Cities in the kingdom are run by magistrates so those guards from the Duke cannot arrest me in a city they
have to ask a magistrate to do it and that leads to a magistrate’s hearing and then a public trial. The Duke does not want a public trial of any kind.”
Shira said, “Cyool has scouted ahead and just a little bit farther we will hit a game trail which is running in our direction and we can follow it for a while. About a half hour up the trail it crosses a stream and Cyool is going to land there and wait for us for a while.”
Just as predicted the company pushed through the trees onto a game trail which made things a bit more passable. After a half an hour Cyerant, who was in the lead, saw Cyool sitting near a stream waiting. The group halted at the stream for a few minutes to let the horses rest.
Veer was sitting watching Drace as the young dragon drank from the stream and then went in to roll around in the water. Veer noticed how muscled and armoured Drace was becoming and how the dragon had grown to be the size of a really large dog.
Jolss noticed Veer watching Drace clean himself in the stream and said, “Drace is a battle dragon; definitely a battle dragon.”
Veer turned to the younger boy and asked. “How do you know?”
“The book,” Jolss responded. “Battle dragons are the only ones that get heavy armour plates around their head and their scales get very hard and thick. And the horns growing around his head, no other dragon gets those. His tail too, the tip of it is getting really hard like a spear. The dragon book tells about them.”
“What else does it say about battle dragons? Asked Veer. “How big do they get?”
“Only about as tall as a large pony,” answered Jolss. “But they get very muscled and strong. They are able to fly for short distances but their wings are only big enough for them so they can’t carry anyone on their back when they fly. Sometimes they might let a person ride on their back as they walk or run.”
“So they are called battle dragons, which must mean that they are good in battle,” said Veer.
Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) Page 18