Squawk: Beginnings (Book #1)

by Craig Halloran

  Gabe eased out to the broken bridge’s edge. A movement caught his eye. Hundreds of feet below, a train of men was winding through the sparse forest. He recognized his father the moment he saw his silhouette. He pumped his fist. Yes!

  CHAPTER 6

  Gabe didn’t waste any time jetting down the hill. He skipped over the loose ground, jumping from side to side, tree to tree, and rock to rock. He maneuvered his way to within a few dozen yards of the dragon hunters, careful to remain out of sight.

  The small regiment of men was on the move, following the creek downstream. Gabe picked his way along the trees and shrubbery, staying clear of the riverbed. The march went on for a couple of hours until the creek came to a stop. It was dammed up, forming a fine reservoir of clear water. Just beyond its edge were fields of farmland. Men and women were hard at work, filling carts and baskets. He could see a handful of the Blue Guard among them. The blue stood out amid the brown-and-green fields.

  From Gabe’s point of view, it looked like an awful lot of work to garner so little. The farmers brought in a small bit every day, just enough to survive. But they had other food that the dominion supplied them with. There was livestock within the compound too.

  Soaking his entire face, Gabe snuck a long drink from the reservoir. He crossed over the riverbed, jumped the stream, and nestled in the bushes. From there, he watched the hunters and the farmers. Malak was doing the talking. The farmer pointed. He was excited and yelling. His hands didn’t stop when he talked. Malak looked into the distance. He shielded his eyes with his hand. Then he turned and spoke. Saul came forward. Gabe craned his neck and cupped his ear. He barely heard his dad say to the farmer, “We’ll get it.”

  The men moved on at a brisk pace. One of them was hollering, “The only good dragon is a dead dragon.” He hoisted his spear. “Fear not, farmers. The salvation of your unsavory and often fruitless crops is at hand.”

  Gabe followed. He watched his father leading the way until he couldn’t see him anymore. He just made sure he could keep to the tail of the ones in the rear. One of the hunters stopped to pee and peered around as he did so. The man’s gray eyes gazed at a spot right above Gabe.

  The boy squatted down, heart racing. He saw me! He saw me! He saw me! He peeked through the foliage. The man stared right at him. At least, that seemed to be the case, but then the hunter turned and moved on.

  Whew! More careful than before, Gabe followed on cat’s feet, keeping pace, until the man caught up with the others. Miles deeper into the country, the landscape changed from a struggling forest to a field of stone. The hills were stripped clean of almost all signs of the farm vegetation. Yet the gray rock gave birth to wildflowers and trees here and there. Small sparrows with bright blue-and-gold feathers plucked at the leaves for seconds and darted away.

  Gabe managed to hide himself within earshot of the regiment. His father and Malak were talking.

  “We’re back in Dragon Valley,” Saul said. “If the big one is here, he’s in one of those holes up there.”

  Malak shook his head. “We’ve cleared out all of those holes.”

  “The ones we could get into,” Saul said. “If this terror is around, we’ll flush him out. Just like we always do.” He pointed up at the hillside of rocks. “See—we’re being watched already.”

  Following the path of his father’s finger, Gabe squinted. Small lizards crawled on the rocks. They looked like ants from that distance. He marveled. Oh crap, there really is a Dragon Valley. A small lizard not even six inches tall waddled up to the men on its hind legs. It had a fin that stretched down from its neck to its tail. A tongue flicked out of its mouth, and it cocked its head in quick moves, like a bird, from side to side.

  The hunter wearing the metal helmet went to his knee. “Looky here. It seems this one wants to make a friend out of me. Hey, Malak, can I keep him? He’s kinda cute.”

  The lanky, bug-eyed hunter swooped in and punted the lizard away.

  Gabe knew both men by name. Buggy was a fish-eyed man with huge, round eyes. The lanky weirdo blinked all the time. Iron Head, by contrast, was stout of frame, wore a helmet of welded metal, and had a personality to match.

  “Hey!” Iron Head said. He bumped chests with Buggy. “That was my pet!” He wrestled Buggy to the ground. In the midst of the dusty scuffle, the pair of men started laughing. They helped each other up and slapped shoulders. “Ah, he was a lousy pet anyway. He’s not like those fancy-winged chickens in the arena.”

  “Enough fooling,” Malak said with a wave of his spear. He stuck it tip first in the ground. “Let’s set the traps.” His eyes flitted to the robed man from the dominion. “And if you come across any winged ones, don’t harm them.”

  “What if the big one has wings?” Buggy said in a voice too loud for the quiet valley. “Can I take a ride on the back of it?”

  Malak’s hard-eyed sons flanked Buggy and shoved him down to the ground. The bigger one, Ross, said, “You’ve said enough for today. All you do is yap. It’s time to shut it.”

  Hands waving frantically, Buggy nodded. “Agreed, Ross.” He made a silly-sounding giggle. “No worries. Agreed.”

  Dropping his pack, Saul said to Malak, “I’m going to do my thing.” He motioned to the others. “Get the bait ready.”

  Buggy was the first on his feet. “I’ll help. I’ll help.”

  In an orderly fashion, the men unslung their packs and set them on the ground. They each fished out small packets of paper. Gabe knew exactly what was in them—bugs, dead and alive, which people fed to the lizards back in Newton. Bugs. The lizards liked bugs. He scratched his nose. I wonder if they’d like to eat Buggy?

  Led by Saul, the group headed into the hillside of staggered rocks and spread out while Malak and the others waited. Stones sharpened their steel as they did so. Otis and Olley, the shortest men and both stocky as barrels, unloaded a heavy-looking rucksack. Inside was a net made from cloth woven with metal that had steel weights on the edges. They unrolled the net and draped it over a large rock. Meanwhile, Malak and Sage separated from the others. The pair spoke in whispers and kept looking up at the hillside toward Saul.

  Gabe couldn’t hear what they said, but the sneers on their lips seemed to suggest that they were annoyed with Saul. There was just something about how they looked at him that made Gabe’s guts twist. He searched for his father.

  The hills were filled with small, cave-like openings. Many of them were big enough for a man to crawl through. Some were even bigger. The hunters sprinkled the bugs on the ground and spread them all over, making a path back to the camp where the men waited. Saul squeezed his frame into one hole and out of another. He spent at least an hour up there after the men were done laying the bait. He must have searched at least two dozen of the caves before he made his way down again.

  “Well,” Malak asked. “Anything of note?”

  “Hard to say. Lizards don’t make tracks on stone.” Saul wiped some sandy grit from his goggles and smiled. “I did notice some heavy scuffles, though. Maybe there is a big one. As big as a dog perhaps.”

  Malak nodded. “That would be a good catch if we find it. If it’s a Lucy, we might get some eggs.” He eyed Sage. “After all, that’s what we’re really here for. Do your thing, Saul. Roust it out.”

  “I will, but we have to wait until nightfall.”

  Nightfall? Oh no. I’m going to be here all night! Gabe started to fidget. Mabel’s gonna kill me. Dad’s gonna kill me.

  CHAPTER 7

  By the time the darkness came, Gabe’s eyes became heavy. The heat had baked him, and he was too scared to move from his concealed position. He couldn’t risk being seen by the men. If they caught him there, not only would he be in trouble, but his dad would be too. His stomach growled. It was in knots of hunger. He considered doubling back and hooking up with the farmers—he was just big enough to pass for one of the women or a small man—but his fascination held him where he was.

  So this is a dragon hunt. Who knows when
I’ll get to see one again?

  From his advantageous position on a huge slab of stone, he watched the men at work. The hard lot spoke in soft voices. They rumbled with laughter from time to time. Many stood still as statues, stark and quiet. When they moved, the whites of their eyes showed from time to time. A tension tingled in the air. Gabe got the feeling that they sensed something, but the hours went on, and nothing happened.

  The glow of the moon high above the drifting clouds cast dark shadows of the boulders on the hillside. Saul weaved through them, back and forth, silent as a shadow. He moved with the supple and determined ease of a prowling cat. He had a couple of carved-up sticks that he rubbed together and rolled in his hands. It made a trilling sound of crickets or grasshoppers—large ones.

  Saul directed a sharp whistle at the men below. Otis and Olley, the coarse-headed pair who had unrolled the net earlier, started to unravel another pack. Inside was a ball of leather. Otis, the heftier of the two hunters, rested the ball on his bulging gut, waddled over to the center of the camp, and plopped the ball down. He peeled the leather away, revealing a sticky glob of wriggly bugs.

  Gabe’s nostrils flared. There was a sweet smell. Sugary. It was a special dragon food, souped-up with a honey-like coating filled with bugs and dried meat. He’d seen the dragon keepers use it from time to time when they were working with his dad in the dragon den inside Newton.

  Otis sniffed his hand and backed away. He repositioned himself with his brother by the net.

  Saul appeared out of the shadows and crossed through the center of the camp over to Malak’s position. The leader was with his elder boys.

  Gabe heard his father say in a soft voice, “Something moves up there.” A tingle moved up his spine. His heart raced. He was actually going to see the men capture a dragon—perhaps a big one. He’d seen plenty of dragons in the cages, so that wasn’t anything new to him. Raised in captivity, they were tame. But to capture a wild one was different. Dangerous. He watched the men creep deeper into the shadow. His eyes became glued to the quiet hillside. He could feel it. Something was coming.

  Nothing happened for at least an hour. Then, one by one, lizards no bigger than Gabe’s hand scurried over the dusty ground. Each began picking at the glob of dragon food. One became two. Two became a dozen. Their little jaws clacked and chomped in hungry jubilation. Meanwhile, Saul continued to work with the sticks that made the bug sounds. He’d do it for several seconds then pause for a few minutes. The hunt went on like that for an hour.

  Gabe yawned. As the smaller lizards continued to nibble at the bait, many of them got stuck in the glob. They hissed and pecked at one another. His fascination for the hunt began to wear off. Hunger and thirst overtook his excitement, and the adventure became a thing of misery. He wanted his father. He wanted food, and he wanted to go home.

  How much trouble can I get into, anyway? If I have to scrub walls with Jack for a year, I’ll do it.

  The man-made bug noises caught his attention again.

  I’m getting sick of that sound. It makes me hungry. From his perch, he started to cover his ears and close his eyes. I want to eat. I want to go home. That sugary smell filled his nose. Those lizards don’t know how good they got it. I think I could eat that bug food too. His stomach growled so loudly he could have sworn that one of the brothers in the shadows turned to look at him. He clutched his tummy. Be quiet!

  A tiny avalanche of rocks tumbled down the hillside. It was hardly anything. The backs straightened on the dark silhouettes of the hunters. The rubber-and-leather padding of their armor creaked. All of a sudden, the lizards scattered from the bait and vanished into the rocks, leaving the tiniest of lizards stuck within. The trap site became eerily quiet. The wind died down.

  Saul continued the rhythm of the bug call, scraping a small dowel over the grooves in the wood that he held. He gave it some more shakes and rattles. The hunters shifted. They stretched their necks.

  Dark clouds hid the moon. The snare set up in the clearing had become pitch-black. Gabe could barely see by that point. His hunger had fled. He swallowed. Something new filled his gut—fear of the unknown.

  From the deep shadows of the big rocks, something slunk into the camp. Slow and low, a black body crawled toward the bait. It’s as big as a dog. They can handle something as big as a dog. That should be easy for all of them.

  Gabe slipped his goggles over his eyes. The green tint gave his sight more definition. The clear image of the lizard formed. Its stiff tail swayed back and forth over the dust. Long-necked, it made a hasty approach on stiff, stubby legs. Its jaws opened wide and clamped down on the gooey treat. It chewed slowly.

  It was a dragon, at least what they considered to be a dragon. The difference was simple. Lizards had no necks, whereas dragons had long ones. But there were different kinds of dragons. Some had long necks and wings. Those were the grand dragons. The ones with only long necks were just dragons. Either way, the dragon in front of Gabe, which was twice the size of the vicious two-headed possum that had tussled with him earlier, would be a fine catch.

  You did it, Dad!

  From his prone position, he rose up and inched up to the rock. His head hung over the ledge. Otis and Olley’s fingers found the edge of the net just as the clouds parted and the full-moon glow illuminated the setting. Heart racing, Gabe was wide awake at that point. All of his concerns had faded. Even though the dragon was smaller than the men, it was more dangerous than any one of them. A dragon’s teeth and claws were like steel. The scales were tougher than dried leather. Dragons were quick too. They could strike as fast as a snake. The Otis brothers peeled the net from the rock. On cat’s feet, they crept in.

  The clouds blotted out the white moon. A new blackness fell. Something big lightly scuffled the rocks behind Gabe’s position. What was that? He peeked over the edge of the rock. Something moved. It was bigger than a cow. A scaly black bulk lurked right below his chin.

  Gabe’s hairs stood on end. Ice formed in his veins. Paralyzed, he watched the tremendous dragon, head low, slink into camp and approach the unsuspecting men. Gabe tried to scream but couldn’t.

  CHAPTER 8

  Moving with speed that belied its size, the dragon snaked into the camp. Just as Otis and Olley eased forward, the huge black dragon struck. In one bite, the monster gobbled up the smaller dragon and bait. Raising its neck high, its teeth clacked together, and it swallowed gulp after gulp down into its long throat.

  Gabe felt the heart of every man in camp—including his own—skip a beat.

  The brothers rushed forward with the net high above their heads.

  From the night, Saul yelled out, “No! Stop! Stop! Back off!”

  It was too late. The brothers flung the net over the dragon. The heavy netting went up and came down on the dragon’s back like a cape. In a burst of motion, the dragon reared up on its hind legs and shook its long neck. An angry rattling came from inside its throat. Wings unfolded from its back, slinging the net away. The dragon chased after the brothers, wings beating. Faces white as ash, Otis bolted one way, and Olley went another. The dragon chased Otis. Its head coiled back and struck. The tremendous jaws of the beast locked on the man’s arm and ripped it off.

  Otis let out a howl. “Gaaaaah!” Flat on his back and bleeding like a busted dam, he grabbed a rock and started hitting the dragon. With a flick of its claws, the dragon tore the man’s neck out, ending the once-durable man.

  “Kill that dragon!” Malak roared. The stunned dragon hunters swarmed. He pointed with his finger at each of them. “Get in there! Get in there!” There was a notable tremble in his voice. “Get it before it gets us!”

  Saul appeared just outside of the fracas. Red faced, he was yelling, “No! Clear the men out, Malak! Clear them out!”

  Crazy-eyed Buggy cried out from the dark, “That’s the biggest wingless chicken I’ve ever seen! We’re gonna eat meat tonight! Kill it, hunters, kill it!”

  Collapsing in from all directions, the hunters j
abbed their spears at the grand dragon’s chest. The dragon’s wings fluttered, beating hard and dusting up the ground. On its hind legs, it dwarfed the men. Its head shifted side to side. Its snake eyes narrowed. It charged.

  One of the hunters chucked a spear into its flank just above the leg. The weapon dug into the meat, sending the dragon into a frenzy of beating wings. Its tail licked out, swatting one of the hunters straight across the brow and spinning the man like a top.

  The fight was on: man versus monster.

  Gabe couldn’t peel his eyes away. The hunters danced in, jabbing and poking. The sharp points nicked the dragon’s writhing body.

  “Don’t let it out of the circle!” Malak yelled. “Avenge your brother, hunters!”

  The men struck at the monster like a hive of bees. The dragon would turn toward attack after attack only to have its backside fileted. The nasty hiss and rattle in its throat rose. In a fit of anger, the reptile launched itself at one of the opposing men. It was one of Malak’s sons, Ross. The broad-shouldered young man set his feet and held his spear firm. The shaft snapped against the dragon’s armor and weight. Claws tore the clothing and skin off of the man. Blood splatted. Skin ripped.

  “No!” Malak screamed. The big man broke into a full charge. His spear knifed the lizard right between the wings and went deep. The dragon lurched up on its hind legs. It spun halfway around. Its tail moved like a propeller. With a crack, it smote Malak solidly in the chest, lifting him clear off of his feet and tossing him down. He didn’t rise.