He could not be sure in the darkness, but he did not think there were any hunters up ahead. That would have to be good enough. He crouched down and slunk through the woods back to the opening of the cave where Lainey stood waiting, Plyth in her arms. Her eyes shone in the moonlight.
Thane appeared in the small clearing around the black emptiness of the cave's mouth. "Well?" he asked in a harsh whisper.
Renick shrugged. "I didn't see or hear anything."
Thane harrumphed. "That's not saying much tonight. I can't see my hand in front of my face."
Lainey asked, "Is it safe?"
"There's no way to tell, Lainey," Thane answered. "They might very well be watching us right now."
Lainey's gray eyes turned and darted over the trees around them. "Right now?" she whispered.
"We have to risk it. It's now or never. They either catch us trying to get over the mountain now, or when our food runs out. Personally, I'd rather go now," Renick said.
"I vote now," Lainey agreed.
"Now it is," Thane said.
Thane turned and led the way through the trees toward the mountain. They inched forward, taking small, light steps. The full moon above emerged from behind a cloud and gave off just enough light for Renick to see a few paces in front of him. He kept his eyes on the ground ahead. He could see the back of Lainey's feet as she picked her way along. He watched his feet too, making sure to avoid any stray twigs.
All around him, the night creatures of the forest stirred. With every shaking of a branch or rustling of fallen leaves, Renick stopped and turned his head. He waited, holding his breath until the sound receded. As they drew nearer to the mountainside, the ground began to slope upward. The earth beneath their feet turned from soft to rocky and the trees thinned out. Soon they were in the open. The fickle moonlight faded in and out. They slowed in the darkness and moved more quickly in the light.
Renick noticed that he was falling behind and quickened his pace to catch up with Lainey. When he reached her, she had stopped. Renick looked around for Thane. He was standing just a few paces ahead of them, looking up at a ramp of rocks that led up to the mountain heights.
Thane motioned them to come closer. Renick and Lainey drew together to form a tight circle with Thane.
"As near as I can tell, this slope leads up to some kind of shelf or ledge. If we can reach the top, we should be well hidden from those below," Thane told them.
Lainey looked up at the daunting task. "Isn't there another place to climb? Somewhere less … mountainy?"
"We don't have time," Thane said.
Renick nodded. "I agree with Thane. Let's climb here and take our chances."
Plyth filled Renick's mind with the image of his grandmother again. Renick felt an overwhelming sense of longing and the promise of safety. It echoed his own yearning for home.
"Looks like Plyth agrees too," Lainey said, casting her eyes down.
Thane placed a hand on Lainey's shoulder. "We can make it," he told her when she looked up at him. She smiled and set her mouth in a thin line.
"I can do it," she declared.
"All right, then." Renick rubbed his hands together. "Let's get climbing."
Renick started up the mountainside first. The rocks slipped beneath his feet and he had to bend over and use his hands to steady himself. When he found a stable place to stop, he turned to look back over his shoulder.
"Thane, you'd better put Plyth in the pack and take him," Renick called down as loudly as he dared. He saw Thane nod in agreement and turn to Lainey. Renick continued up the slope.
If he had thought their movement through the forest had been slow, he was mistaken. His progress up the slippery slope of the mountain was infinitely more tedious. It felt like for every step he took forward, he slid back two. With some effort, Renick found a method that allowed him to climb more quickly. He walked sideways with a slightly upward slant, using both his hands to steady him. When he reached a portion of especially loose rock, he would turn and start moving in the other direction.
About halfway up, Renick made a turn and glanced below him. He could see Lainey following his lead. She and Thane were quite far behind Renick, so he decided to pause so they could catch up. While he waited, he scanned the sky and the forest below.
A dark figure moved in the shadows under a tree. Renick's heart froze. His breath locked in his chest.
Turning, he tried to get Lainey and Thane's attention, but they were both focused on the arduous task of ascending the mountain. Reaching down, Renick pulled up a handful of rocks and pushed them down toward Lainey. When the pebbles rolled over her hands, Lainey looked up, a question on her face. Renick pointed to the forest and tried to mouth the word "hunter" to her. Fear spread across her face. She turned to Thane, who was waiting behind her. Renick could see them talking in low whispers, but could not hear them.
Thane looked up at Renick and motioned for him to hurry to the top. Turning, Renick started to climb the slope as quickly as he could, not caring about dislodging rocks or making noise. They had been spotted and now they needed to make all haste.
With nothing between him and the hunters below but wide–open space, Renick felt exposed. He resisted the urge to look behind him. It would only slow him down.
Up and up he climbed.
A faint shout sounded from below. Three heartbeats later, an arrow buried its head in the rocks next to him. Renick scrabbled on faster. He chanced a quick look down the slope. Lainey and Thane were still following. Another arrow landed next to his hand. It stuck in the rocks and slid down with the pebbles Renick dislodged as he moved on.
The sky brightened ever so slightly as predawn approached. Soon the hunters would have more light to see and aim by. Renick's shoulder began to ache and his bruises throbbed as he pushed himself to move faster.
Renick caught sight of a ledge jutting out into the loose rocks like a peninsula. Changing his course, he headed straight for the ledge. His hand pressed down on firm rock. With a grunt of effort, Renick pulled himself onto the ledge and stood.
From his new vantage point, Renick could see the hunters massed together near the base of the mountainside. Some of them were trying to follow Thane and Lainey up the slope. Lainey was close to Renick—a few more steps and she would join him. Thane was not far behind.
Renick turned to the mountains; it looked as if the side of the rock face had fallen away, tumbling down toward the ground. He had been climbing up the landslide. To his left, the range was whole, with plenty of solid ground. Looking around, he tried to find some cover or a place to hide. He saw some large rocks that would probably work. Lainey scrambled up to stand beside him.
"Over there." Renick said, pointing.
Lainey sprinted forward and disappeared behind a tall boulder.
A few moments later, when Renick rounded the corner with Thane on his heels, Lainey was gone.
Chapter 16: Breathing Fire
"Lainey," Renick called in a harsh whisper. "Lainey!"
A muffled cry was the only answer. Thane and Renick shared a worried glance and ran around a small outcropping of rocks.
Gunther stood near the ledge holding Lainey's neck in his burly hand. Lainey clawed frantically at the hunter's fingers while her feet swung helpless. "Gotcha," Gunther growled. Lainey tried to turn her head away, gagging.
Thane planted his feet and drew his sword. "Unhand her at once!" he demanded. Plyth poked his head over Thane's shoulder and hissed at the hunter.
Gunther just laughed. He reached down to his belt and drew a long–bladed knife. In one movement Gunther drew Lainey closer to him and turned her to face out towards where Renick and Thane stood. Gunther rested the knife on her neck. "What's that?"
Thane paled.
Renick took a step forward, his hand out as if to placate the angry man. The hunter sneered at him and pressed the knife closer to Lainey. She gasped. Renick could see her jaw tighten to stifle a cry. Her eyes looked up at him, pleading, helpless. Renick
wanted to tell her it would be all right, that they would save her. But all he could do was nod.
Lainey's eyes skipped over to Thane's sword and then back to Renick. She blinked and the fear evaporated from her face. Lainey lowered her hands from where they had been clutching at Gunther's sausage fingers; a determined look glinted in her eye.
"I'd put yer sword down, boy, if I were ya." Gunther flashed a smile full of rotting teeth.
Thane lowered his sword and rested the tip in the dirt.
Plyth let out a low wail that warbled and changed pitch. There was a complicated mental undercurrent to the sound. In it, Renick saw the color of Plyth's scales, the image of Plyth's grandmother and another adult dragon. He heard the sound of wind and water dripping into a pool. He tasted salt and some kind of sweet berry. Plyth's dragon song.
Renick's mouth gaped in awe. "So the legend is true," he whispered.
Thane's head tilted toward him slightly, a question on his face. Renick gave a slight shake of his head. "Later."
The sound of Plyth's call trailed off, and with it went the images.
"Quiet," Gunther growled.
Plyth repeated the call. Gunther sheathed his blade and tried to grab the baby dragon, but Thane moved to block him. For an instant, it looked like the hunter would lose his balance. Lainey took advantage of his lack of attention and twisted out of his grasp. Renick reached out and grabbed Lainey's wrist, pulling her behind him. At the same time, Thane brought his sword up and laid it on Gunther's shoulder.
The hunter, using his leather bracer, pushed Thane's sword away. From behind his back, Gunther produced a crossbow. With steady hands, he loaded a bolt and leveled it at Thane's chest. "Go on, boy, see how close ya get."
Plyth called again, the new notes blending with the fading ends of the first one.
"If I were you," Thane said without flinching, "I would leave us alone. Or you might find yourself the main course in a dragon's breakfast." He rolled the hilt of his sword and the blade caught the first light of morning.
Gunther stood his ground. "Whose gonna answer the worm? 'is mother's cut up and burned."
Renick and Lainey's gasps blended together.
"If it were within my power," Thane said, clutching his sword even tighter, "you wouldn't live to see the sun rise."
Gunther opened his mouth, a grin on his face. But the laugh froze in his throat, his eyes fixed on a point in the sky above their heads.
Turning, Renick saw the form of a dragon against the early morning sky. It hovered above them in the air, white scales catching the golden rays of sunrise. The air throbbed with every beat of the massive wings.
A startled, gurgling shout burst out of Gunther. The white dragon dove for the hunter and picked him up in her back talons. Clutching the screaming man, the dragon soared into the air. Gunther's wailing grew more desperate as it faded away. Renick watched as Gunther's form fell from the sky down to the ground. Renick rushed to the edge of the mountain and, scrambling up a pile of rocks, peered over the edge.
Gunther lay in a broken pile surrounded by the other hunters. Some of the hunters who had been climbing the mountain were now trying to scurry down it. The white dragon swept across them, flames pluming from its jaws.
Next to Renick, Thane laughed. "Take that!" he yelled, throwing a fist into the air.
Lainey clapped her hands and Plyth let out a happy squeal.
A group of hunters was trying to load the large crossbow they carried.
"Look out," Renick called, pointing to the danger below.
The white dragon arched her neck and redirected her flight. With a loud roar, she landed on the weapon, causing the hunters to scatter. With a mighty beat of her wings, the dragon lifted the crossbow into the air and smashed it against the rocks. The sound of snapping strings and splintering wood echoed against the walls of the mountain range.
Another roar sent the hunters fleeing into the woods. Renick saw them hover just beyond the line of trees, waiting. A moving shadow caught his attention—he squinted and leaned forward.
"Careful," Thane said, laying a hand on Renick's shoulder.
"Look." Renick pointed down at the trees below.
"What?" Lainey asked.
"There," Renick said. "Do they have another crossbow?"
Thane moved along the ridge a little way, then crouched down and inspected the forest below. "I think so, but it's a smaller one."
"Are they going to …" Lainey cast a look down at Plyth, who lay nestled in her arms, " … you know." She hunched her shoulders forward.
Thane shook his head. "Not unless she flies closer."
Just then a hunter stumbled out of the trees as if he had tripped. The dragon, who had been gliding over the trees roaring and breathing fire, circled and dove for the exposed hunter.
Renick stood and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Wait! It's a trap!"
Plyth cried out too—a warning mixed with fear hummed through the air and added an undertone to Renick's words.
The white dragon pulled back, flapping her leathery wings with a mighty effort. The trees at the edge of the forest tossed to and fro under the currents of air, and the grass was flattened. The hunter lying sprawled on the ground raised an arm to block the dust and dirt. It was too late—the white dragon was in range and one of the hunters let loose a bolt.
"No," Lainey gasped.
Renick held his breath, watching as the black bolt flew through the air. The dragon expelled a stream of fire from her powerful jaws. When the flames dissipated, the remaining burned–out husk spiraled out of control, just missing the dragon's right wing.
"Yeah!" Renick cheered, throwing both his hands into the air.
At the same time, Thane slapped the rock he was leaning on. "That'll show them!"
Lainey let out a breath that puffed out the hair hanging above her eyes.
The white dragon let out a screech of annoyance much like the one Renick's mother used when she found a trail of ants in the kitchen. She dove again, this time breathing fire as she went. The ground around the fallen hunter burst into flames. Yellow flames also lapped at the sky from the canopy of the forest. The dark trees engulfed the dragon as she plunged through them. A moment later, she emerged, a hunter held captive in her front claws. The man was frantically trying to load his crossbow. His attempts were thwarted as the dragon started tossing him from claw to claw as she circled higher and higher.
Then she let him fall.
When the hunter landed in the still–smoldering clearing at the base of the mountain, Renick noticed that the other hunters were gone.
"Cowards," Thane said under his breath.
Spreading her almost–translucent wings, the white dragon angled back toward them. Gracefully, she alighted in front of them. From the ground to her withers, the white dragon stood taller than three horses. She was twice as big as the largest domesticated dragon Renick had ever seen. From square snout to the tip of her tail, she was easily sixty paces long. Renick had to turn his head to see the full extent of her wingspan. A trail of silver spikes started in a cluster between her eyes and arched down along her neck and back, between her wings, and ended with another cluster at the end of her tail. Renick's mouth fell open in appreciation. She was a magnificent dragon.
Plyth leapt out of Lainey's arms and bounded up to his grandmother. He ran circles around her legs, yelping excitedly. Renick felt a sense of coming home, of being with loved ones again. It made him homesick for his own family, chaos and all.
The white dragon lowered her face to Plyth and tenderly blew on him. Plyth launched a rapid succession of images and feelings. Renick sensed that Plyth's grandmother was responding, but he was not getting any of that side of the conversation.
Renick saw Plyth's mother fall from the sky. Felt the pain and fear the baby dragon experienced as he fell to the forest floor. Renick saw his face, and the faces of Thane and Lainey, and felt the growing trust and friendship of the little dragon.
A growl ru
mbled from the white dragon's throat. She looked at Renick, sharp, intelligent eyes considering him.
"Humans," she hissed with an undercurrent of distrust and hatred that echoed in Renick's mind.
Lainey let out a small shriek that sounded like a mouse. She clasped her hands to her mouth in an attempt to erase the noise. Thane stood with his hand halfway to his sword and his shoulder tilted back, as if he did not know whether to fight or flee.
She could talk. That same thought circled over and over in Renick's head. She, a dragon, could talk. Plyth was not the only one. He shook his head to recover and looked over at Thane and Lainey, who still stood motionless.
Not knowing what else to do, and clearly being the only one capable of rational behavior at the moment, Renick stepped forward. "I'm Renick. Thank you for rescuing us." He made his best effort at a bow.
The white dragon huffed.
"Trusted," Plyth told his grandmother. She tilted her massive head to the side and sniffed at Renick.
Lainey stepped up beside him and curtsied. "I'm Lainey, madam. I extend my gratitude to you for your service."
"Kind," Plyth hummed.
Thane cleared his throat and bowed quickly. "Thane, milady. My thanks for aiding my friends when I couldn't."
Plyth tossed his head. "Brave."
Renick thought this made the white dragon laugh. She made a staccato gurgling sound and wiggled her head back and forth.
"Young humans," she said. Leaning back, she sat on her hind legs and rose to her full height, spread her wings, and looked down at them. "I am Wrytha Whitewing of the Dragon Kind, member of the Seventh Circle. And you are trespassing on our lands." She let out a long bugle sound and bared her teeth.
Surprised, Renick found himself taking a few steps backwards. A flurry of questions filled his mind and leapt to his lips—thankfully he was too stunned to utter them. Instead, he tried to remember the etiquette his mother had so desperately wanted to teach him and his siblings. He wished now that he had paid just a little more attention. "We apologize. We didn't know this land was yours. We're lost and trying to find our way out of the forest and back to our people."
Trusted: Dragons' Trust Book 1 Page 8