The Dragon Guard: Moons and Sons by Sarah Hite

by Sarah Hite

  Flame brought his attention back to Lukair who was mumbling something about ‘being fair.’ He looked up at Flame and declared, somewhat drunkenly, “She shouldn’t even be here. Father only sent her ’long in case som’in happened at home. She shouldn’t be here.” He was silent for a moment, then added, “He had ta go an’ get her wet. Why’d he hav’ta do that?” He had drunk three flagons of ale and was no longer coherent.

  Flame looked at him a little sadly and sighed. “Lorex didn’t know that would happen. Lukair, your brother is a pig-headed fool, but he does care. He’s just too stubborn to show it.”

  “You think so?” Lukair asked him. Flame studied the younger man for a moment before replying somewhat humorously, “I do, and I think you’ve had enough to drink. Come on, let’s go.” Flame paid for their drinks and helped him upstairs. Then he returned to the girls’ room to see how Stone doing was. Ania asked about Lukair. Tyanna, who had returned only moments before, “Oh, he’ll be all right.” With a chuckle he added, “He’ll hate himself in the morning, though.”

  Ania looked up at him. Shocked, she asked, “He didn’t?” Flame nodded.

  “How much did he drink?” Tyanna asked. Flame showed them using his figures. “That’s not a lot,” she declared. Then Ania explained that he had only drank on few occasions and very little. Then she asked about Lorex.

  Tyanna hesitated before answering. “He cried himself to sleep. He really does blame himself, and he knows Lukair does, too.” She added, sadly, “And he’s sure we do as well.”

  Over the next few days Garret came and went. He tried a few different treatments, but Stone only seemed to get worse. Her temperature had increased over the last several days and she slept uneasily, often moaning incoherently in her nearly unconscious state. Her skin had lost all color, with the exception of the dark circles under her eyes, and her breathing began to degrade.

  On the fifth day since their arrival, Garret came to check on her and was surprised to find that the fever had decreased. The treatment he had tried last appeared to be working, but she was from far from being out of danger; the next day her fever had increased to a higher degree. Her breathing also worsened and she began to tremble from the illness. Ania pulled a rag out of a bowl of cold water and, after ringing it out, she placed it on Stone’s forehead. She took another and bathed her face and neck.

  When they were not taking turns tending to the younger girl, the kids spent their time by either exploring Lenten or trying to figure out what supplies they would need when they were ready to leave. One day Lukair was out exploring and came across two women discussing a brooch one of them wore, which was securing her shall.

  The owner, a short, heavy-set woman, was telling the other that it had been gift from her husband. He had bought it from an elderly woman in one of Mobren’s northern provinces, but could not remember the town’s name. The elderly woman had told him that one of the village girls had made it, along with several other pieces of jewelry, and sold them at market to help with her family’s expenses. “What a marvelous child—incredible work,” the other said. They walked off together discussing the brooch and Lukair returned to the inn with a grin on his face.

  “Stone’s jewelry has made an impression here, I see,” Flame said in a congratulatory tone. “Who knows how far merchants and traders have taken her pieces.” Garret arrived a moment later, and the group divided up. The boys went downstairs for lunch and the girls stayed to hear what the healer had to say. He had tried a different treatment the other day and had returned to check for a response.

  “Good news,” he said. “It appears to be working. Maybe another week of treatment, and few weeks of rest, and she should be right as rain.” He administered another dose of the tonic and soon left. The girls looked at one another and grinned. Ania whispered, “Thank the Ancestors.”

  Tyanna grinned and said, “Let’s go tell the boys.”

  They raced downstairs and told the boys that she was expected to make a full recovery. It had been two weeks since their arrival and news had spread throughout town that a girl at the tavern was ill. People were also whispering about what could have caused her illness. On hearing the news, the innkeeper, Gavin, congratulated them on her expected survival. He said that many had come from the river, only too late, and had passed away, so it was nice to see one who lived.

  Titus entered the inn on his way out of town, and was glad to hear the news. He said they were heading northwest next and then would work their way down to the coast. If they had any messages they wanted to send their families he would deliver them. Tyanna left with him to say goodbye to her uncle. Ania was sure she would tell him to have Titus direct their letters to Pycan.

  Together they watched the wagon train leave, then Lukair went to the market to buy something for Stone for when she awoke. Lorex watched his brother go; he wanted to go as well but still felt Lukair was angry with him, so he went upstairs instead. Ania watched them and shook her head. She and the two remaining decided to make another attempt at figuring out what kinds of supplies they would need and how many of them.

  “We should get you horses… and a wagon,” Flame suggested.

  Ania agreed. “A wagon would be easier on Stone; and we could get more supplies, more water.” They agreed they all could use more water; they were tired of running out.

  “A wagon would make us look like farmers taking crops to market,” Tyanna added.

  They agreed, and Flame and Tyanna went scouting for supplies. It would be a while before they left, but they wanted to be prepared, and they wanted to know where they could get better quality supplies for the best price.

  Ania returned to the inn and went to speak with Lorex. She knocked on the door to his room. “Lorex?” she called softly, but he did not answer. He had left the door unlocked so she opened it and entered. He was sitting on the bed looking down at the street below. She approached him quietly and sat down on the end of the bed. He did not look at her. After a moment he said, “He doesn’t trust me anymore.” She could see Lukair bellow in the marketplace.

  Not sure what to say, she merely uttered, “He does, but he’s just… mad. He’s mad and stubborn like the rest of your family, and that includes your sister.” He turned to look at her. She offered a small smile and continued, “Do you think if she weren’t so stubborn she would still be alive?” She shook her head, saying, “It runs in your family.”

  “But she’ll bla—” She stopped him before he could finish. “She’ll blame you more if you don’t apologize and make it right. We all know how you are; you’re not superstitious and mock those who are. You do things just to prove the superstitions wrong, like throwing a rock in poisonous water. You just didn’t know the water was actually poisonous.”

  He looked down, ashamed and sorry for nearly killing her. Ania watched him for a moment, then said gently, “Come with me.” Taken aback, he looked at her a moment then slowly allowed himself to be led away. She led him out the door and down the stairs to the main door of the inn. “Look over there,” she told him, “Stone’s birthday is next week, right?” He slowly nodded. She continued, “That bakery has something you can get her for her birthday, something you can use to prove your faithfulness.”

  At his blank look she grabbed his hand and led him across the market to the bakery. They entered the shop and Ania pointed out something she was sure Lukair had not seen. He was focused on things she could use to use with her jewelry. “Spice cake?” Lorex asked in a surprised manner. “She loves spice cake.” The last time they had had spice cake was when she turned sixteen. Their mother had saved all year to buy the ingredients. For the people of Pycan, such ingredients could be quite expensive. He looked at Ania and smiled, “Thank you.”

  By the end of the week Stone was awake. Lorex had decided to sit with her that day and she woke while he was there. He noticed her looking at him and hugged her, saying, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it; it was an accident, I swear.” She looked at him with ti
red eyes, still rimmed by dark circles. Some color had returned to her skin, but she was slightly lethargic.

  Lorex let her go after a moment and she managed to ask where they were. He explained and said they had been there a little more than two weeks. Smiling with relief, he hugged her again, and with great emotion said, “I thought I’d lost you.”

  He let her go and left the room, but returned shortly with Lukair. They spent a while together as the boys brought her up to speed. They told her what had happened over the last couple of weeks until Lukair declared she must rest, but not before having something to eat. Lorex called for soup; upon hearing it was for her, Gavin declared it was on the house. While she ate the boys continued to tell her about their stay in Lenten. When she asked about the rest of the group Lorex told her that Flame and Tyanna had been running around gathering supplies. “This morning they bought horses and a wagon,” he said.

  Stone nearly dropped her bowl. “With what money?” she demanded weakly.

  “I don’t know,” Lukair said, “but this morning Ania paid for our room and took one of the horses and rode off east, probably to speak with Pai. Poor guy hasn’t heard a word from us this whole time.” Flame and Tyanna passed by the door and, seeing she was awake, popped in. Lorex took his leave so they could talk. He left the inn and returned to the bakery to buy the spice cake. He wanted to pay for it now, but would not pick it up until they were ready to leave town; he wanted it to be fresh and moist. As he left the bakery, he saw Ania leaving the barn. “She’s awake,” he said, motioning toward their rooms. Ania smiled, she sighed with relief. Together they rejoined their group and spoke with Stone for several minutes until Garret came to check on her condition and demanded they let her rest.

  Three days later Stone demanded they get back on the road. Garret wanted her to stay and rest for another week, but she refused, saying, “I can rest in the wagon.” When she continued to argue, he finally consented. The kids spent the rest of the day packing and preparing for the trip.

  “You kids pulling out?” Gavin asked that night at dinner. When they told him yes, he was surprised and asked if Stone was well enough to travel. As if to answer Lukair left his chair and returned a moment later with her. Upon seeing her, a cheer went up from those in the room. Gavin explained that since it was rare for someone to survive the river illness, they were happy for her, and would probably want to give her gifts. Tyanna and Flame agreed and said that some of the supplies they had gotten were free—gifts for the survivor. One of the horses had been such a gift: a little filly with a temperament to match her own.

  After the noise had died down, Gavin asked if they would reconsider their departure for another day or two. They declined, saying they had waited long enough and really must get going. Growing suspicious, he asked where they were headed. Ania told him Locrin, the town they had told Titus; she could see that he did not really believe her, but he let it go.

  The next morning, however, when the others were getting the wagon ready and the horses hitched and saddled, he pulled her aside and said flat out, “Look, news travels fast. Even we heard about the trouble in Pycan. I’m sure you passed soldiers on the road. They were headed for the village. The Guard there did something the Duke didn’t like. He sent a whole brigade up there.” Her face fell and she gave herself away. “Ah, I thought so. I don’t know what they sent you kids to do, but you have got to be careful.” That’s when she saw it. His ring bore the symbol of the guard. These rings were passed down from captain to captain when one stepped down and announced his successor.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Don’t worry about us, Gavin, we’re well protected.” He gave her an odd look, then looked at the others as if to say, “you’re all kids.” She leaned in closer to him and said, “We may be kids, but we’re not all human,” so only he could hear.

  He stared at her in shock. Slowly he shook his head and said, “Then my suggestion is to rejoin your friend a soon as you can.” Then, after a moment as Ania was about to turn and join her friends, he added quietly, “And go south toward Aretell. I realize you may be headed for Dragons’ Keep, but there’s trouble to the east. It may be better if you went south and around into Ryell’s land. At least there your friend would be safe.” He let Ania go then and watched as she joined the others. Lukair was just helping Stone into the wagon. When everyone was ready they headed east to join Pai and discussed what Gavin had said along the way.

  Sister to the King

  They had decided to take Gavin’s advice and go south. It had given Pai more opportunities to hunt and there were more places for him to hide. They had entered the Forest of Elbernez a few days ago. The dark-leaved trees hung over them from great arching limbs and were only broken by colorful sugar maples, white-limbed birch, and the silver trunks of poplars, the trees just beginning to turn colors. They had managed to skirt Lord Mobren’s capital city, Restill, and were now following the Brenson River, which sat about halfway between the city and the Nahor Mountains, when Pai, who was walking just inside the tree line, suddenly stopped. Since they were traveling through a populated area, he had been camouflaged. Ania looked back to check his progress through the trees and saw that he was no longer moving. She drew the others’ attention.

  “What is it?” Flame asked, preparing to draw his sword as Pai popped into sight.

  “I smell a dragon!” Pai sounded more confused than surprised. Ania dismounted and, handing the reins to Lukair, slowly crept forward through the trees to look. She beckoned to the others, and they tied their horses to the tree line and approached with caution. They did not believe what they saw.

  A dragon sat at the edge of a small creek in a clearing. This dragon was silver white and grey in color and very small. It also looked ill, and was slowly rocking from side to side. “Pai,” Ania called softly and the young dragon came over. He had stayed back for fear of making too much noise in the underbrush. He stopped when he saw the dragon. Saydene? He could not believe it. “What is she doing here?” he wondered aloud. He leapt to the air and with a few short stokes landed on the other side of the creek.

  She did not move, or acknowledge him. “Lady Saydene?” he asked, worry and confusion lined his voice.

  Saydene, upon hearing her name, jumped. She backed away, flared her wings, and snarled in a defensive manner. Pai was shocked by this reaction, as she was usually very docile. He flared his wings instinctively and backed down. After a moment she realized who he was.

  “Scout?” she asked bewildered, “You should know better than to sneak up on someone like that.” She paused, and confused she asked, “What… what are you doing out here? I mean, I don’t remember seeing you at the Keep these last few decades.”

  He looked at her, concerned. “I was never recalled, ma’am,” he replied.

  “Then you don’t… you don’t know.” It was more of a question than a statement, but before she could continue Pai interrupted. He had been looking her over; she was pale, even for her, and he was sure she had lost weight, and too much of it. “Ma’am, are you okay?” he asked alarmed. She did not answer, but looked away instead.

  Ania slowly stepped out from the trees. She watched the dragons for a moment and, catching Pai’s eye, asked, “Is she all right?” Turning he found Saydene looking at them. “You brought humans here?” she asked, fear and anger coating her voice.

  “We are traveling together,” he replied, slightly taken aback. “Ania and her friends can be trusted.”

  “No human can be trusted,” she spat back.

  Ania sent the boys and Tyanna hunting so that only she and Stone remained; a less threatening group. Stone stayed by the trees and slowly set up camp while Ania approached the dragons. “What happened?” she asked. “What happened to frighten you so?” For the young dragon was indeed terrified. Although she thought she might already know.

  “Ma’am?” She answered Pai with a sad, tired voice. “Yes, Scout?”

  “Did something happen…at the Keep?” he asked fear
fully.

  Saydene let out what somewhat resembled a choked sob. “They’re gone, they’re all gone.” She sat looking at the ground for several minutes. “My Lady, Moon?” Pai prompted, using her nickname. “What’s gone?”

  Saydene shuddered. “Everything,” she whispered. The anguish in her voice had replaced all anger or fear.

  Pai curled up next to her. “What happened?” he asked gently. She seemed to zone out for a moment and continued rocking. Then, slowly, she told him what had occurred that fateful day at the Keep, ending with how she had come to be there at the stream bank. Pai was appalled. “Surely, your brother would have objected?”

  “The exile was his idea,” she whimpered.

  “No, my sire and Elder would have—”

  “Then he didn’t listen!” she snapped, mantling her wings again, cutting him off.

  Ania spoke up, interrupting the emotional dragon. “There’s something you should know.” She went on to describe how they had come to be with Pai, and the events leading up to their finding him. At the mention of the egg, Saydene began to cheer up. Ania finished by saying, “What I don’t understand is why they went to Pycan. It’s so far out of the way. It would have been simpler if they had just gone to Ciciana… or Cryome.”