Dragon In Gallis: The Lump Adventures Book Two

by Bruce Leslie

  The Lump’s belly shook with a hearty laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you frightened.”

  Meena narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils. “Just because I don’t look frightened doesn’t mean I’m not in fear!” She gave her shoulders a slight shrug. “Also, the staff helps.”

  The Lump raised his eyebrows. “Is it magic?” he asked.

  Meena shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I believe any solid staff would work.” She gripped the staff in both hands and looked at it. “It helps me focus. The crone tells me it is made from the wood of an ash tree, and that’s special somehow.”

  “Flynn told me about the owls.” The Lump held his hands up by his shoulders. “He said you had them standing watch, they attacked the Gallisians.”

  “I spent a lot of time communing with the owls.” She nodded toward Snowy. “And the bears, too. They want to protect me now, of their own accord.”

  Tarak turned around and called out, “We have arrived!” He beckoned at the Lump and Meena to hurry them along.

  When they reached their destination, there was ample evidence of the destruction that preceded them. The foul aroma of rotting cabbages hung in the air. Scalded spots on stones and bare soil where grass should stand provided evidence that gobs of acidic spittle had flown about. Splintered wood was all that remained of the former dwelling and its stable. Broken weapons littered the ground. The pole of a halberd lay missing its head, and the remnants of several crude spears were scattered about.

  There were no bodies belonging to the folk who fought here, but the carcasses of livestock were plentiful. The poor creatures had been slaughtered, but not eaten.

  Just beyond the ruins of what had once been someone’s home and livelihood ran a deep trench. Muddy, brown water flowed through it to some unseen stream that likely served to carry away the waste created by the former inhabitants and their livestock.

  “This is terrible!” Meena brought a hand to her cheek. “It’s so much worse than any of the dragon’s misdeeds last Autumn.”

  “It’s not able to use its stealth or guile now.” Flynn stood next to Meena. “Without eyes it seems capable of only raw destruction.”

  Tarak grunted. “And this dragon cult only makes matters worse.” He pointed at a pallet of splintered boards. “It bears their mark.”

  The Lump looked where Tarak pointed. There were two jagged red lines of paint, or maybe blood, smeared across the wood. He bellowed, “We have to stop this!”

  Tarak shot him a stern glare. “That’s why we are here, Aard.”

  The massive, white bear lowered itself to the ground and closed its eyes.

  The Lump limped close to Meena and Flynn. He whispered, “The only way we can hope to put a stop to this is with some of those little flowers.”

  Meena spoke in a low, quiet voice. “I have my stockpile back in the Common Lands.”

  “You think we should retrieve it?” whispered Flynn.

  “It would be quicker than gathering more,” Meena answered with a whisper.

  “Do you think we should take this Lunari back to your hiding place?” asked the Lump.

  Meena gave her head a gentle shake. “I’d rather not.”

  The Lump gave a single nod of understanding. “Then we need to give him the slip.”

  Tarak walked toward the others. “What are you three conspiring about?”

  “We’re trying to figure out which way the ruddy-striped monster went,” answered the Lump. “Flynn, let’s see if anything washed away in that ditch.” He tugged on Flynn’s tunic and lumbered toward the trench on the far side of the carcasses.

  Flynn followed him.

  Tarak stood beside Meena. “Your bear is sleeping. We will make camp here.” He looked around at the devastation. “We shall set a watch to be wary of the dragon and its cult. The men can handle the watch, so you should be able to sleep without interruption.”

  Meena looked at the Lunari with a derisive glare. “I suspect I am better suited to keep watch than any of you men.” She pointed at the resting bear. “I also have the benefit of Snowy.”

  “Just the same, it’s not appropriate for a girl to keep watch while three men sleep.” Tarak crossed his arms. “I won’t stand for it.”

  Meena crossed her own arms on in response to the Lunari, her staff angled across her body. “I’ll have you know that I have rescued those two before.” She nodded her head in the Lump and Flynn’s direction. “The big one twice.”

  Tarak drew his eyebrows low. “It doesn’t—”

  “Ho! We’ve found something!” shouted the Lump. He was on his hands and knees, peering into the ditch.

  Flynn was on the ground next to him. He pointed into the muddy trench. “It’s a coin, or maybe a talisman.”

  The Lunari walked toward the ditch.

  Meena followed the Lunari. She whistled sharply, and the bear rose and joined her.

  The Lump leaned forward a bit. “I’ve never seen anything like this in Aardland.”

  Flynn looked over his shoulder, still low on all fours. “Does the dragon cult use something like this?”

  “Let me have a look.” Tarak knelt down between the other two men. “I don’t see any talisman.”

  The Lump pointed. “Look closer, you might have to squint.”

  Tarak leaned forward and narrowed his eyes.

  The Lump wrapped a meaty hand around the Lunari’s ankle and tossed it into the air.

  Tarak tumbled down the muddy slope of the trench. He cried out, “Sweet merciful Luna!” The Lunari splashed into the foul water at the bottom and his eyes shot up to the Lump. “This treachery will not go unpunished!”

  Flynn and Meena ran toward the forest on either side of the white bear. The Lump limped after them as fast as he could.

  Tarak stood and walked down the trench, to the area where it grew more shallow. He shouted, “I’ll be out soon enough, you will answer for your betrayal! You can’t evade me on a hobbled leg!”

  Meena looked back. “Lump, you will have to ride atop Snowy!” She stopped and stroked the bear’s white fur. The big animal lowered itself to the ground.

  The Lump grimaced. “Are you sure?” He pointed. “That is a bear, after all. I’d be more comfortable with a mule, or even a goat.”

  “Just do it!” Meena scowled at the big man. “We need to move swiftly!”

  The Lump clenched his teeth and climbed atop the bear. He winced as he settled on its back.

  Meena whistled, and they fled into the trees.

  13: Gallows

  The limestone slabs rising into the sky marked the party’s return to the Needles… again. With each visit to the Common Lands the Lump found himself less awestruck by the giant stone formations. His impression of the columns went from amazement to impressed to recognition with his successive visits. He did, however, find himself more curious about their name.

  The Lump shifted on the back of the great white bear. “Why do they call the honey-loving rocks needles?” He scratched beneath his bearded chin. “They ought to be called the knives, or the swords even.”

  Meena shrugged. “How would I know? They are just called the Needles.” She looked up at the Lump on his peculiar mount. “Someone must have thought they look like needles.”

  Flynn joined the conversation. “Maybe the person who discovered them was named Needles, and they are named after him.”

  “How do you know it was a him?” asked Meena. “It could have been a woman that found this first.”

  The Lump wrinkled up his face. “What kind of ox-sniffing name is Needles. That sounds ridiculous - for a man or woman!”

  Meena grinned and arched an eyebrow. “Is it any more ridiculous than a man who calls himself the Lump?”

  The Lump rubbed his chin and considered the question. “I believe you make a valid point.” He held his hands wide. “I suppose if I discovered these snaggle-toothed stones they would be called the Lumps.” He smiled a broad smile. “Now that would get people
asking questions!”

  Flynn said, “All in all, I’d say it doesn’t matter, it is simply because it is.”

  “No!” Meena shook her head. “Names always matter, if even we don’t know why.”

  Flynn’s face dropped into a frown. “Of course, Meena, I am sorry for my flippant attitude.”

  “You’re never so quick to agree with me!” The Lump raised his eyebrows and grinned at Flynn. “But, then again, I’m not a pretty—”

  “That’s enough, Lump!” Meena shot the man on the bear an icy stare that made it all too clear she was not interested in continuing this train of conversation.

  “Sure thing.” The Lump swallowed hard, and the grin vanished from his face. “I kind of feel like we’re just running back and forth, seems like we’re not getting anywhere.”

  “We need the dragon’s bane,” said Meena. She looked straight ahead as she spoke, rather than at either of the men. “Once we have that, we can set about finding the dragon.”

  “The Lunari will have men searching for us in Gallis,” said Flynn.

  The Lump laughed. “Just like that Abbot has it out for us in Aardland.” He looked up at the stony peaks around him. “Maybe we should just stay in the Needles.” His hands rested between the bear’s shoulders. “We could do a good job hiding-out here.”

  “No!” Meena looked up at the Lump with her mismatched eyes narrow. “The Common Lands is overrun with hostile Gallisians.” She turned her gaze back to the winding path before her. “We’ve given our word to deal with the dragon. I keep my word, and I won’t have either of you dodging your responsibilities.” She thumped her staff hard against the ground. “Once the dragon is dealt with, I will hold that Gallisian king to his word as well!”

  Flynn nodded in agreement. “Things will go smoothly now that Meena is with us, to lead us.”

  Meena looked over at Flynn with a furrowed brow. “I’m not the leader.” She pointed her staff up at the Lump. “He leads us, he led us through our previous ordeal last Autumn.” She lowered her staff and resumed using it as a walking stick.

  “What?” The Lump opened his eyes wide. “You dragged me along against my will!” He poked his thumb into the middle of his chest.

  Meena rolled her eyes in their sockets. “You solved nearly every problem we encountered.” She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “Though this Dragonblinder business seems misguided.”

  The Lump held his hands up by his shoulders. “It was just something to scare bandits.”

  Meena narrowed her eyes and gave him a cold sideways glance. “Well, it’s not something to be proud of.”

  “I’m not proud of it,” said the Lump, “I’m just using it for - what was it you called it Flynn?”

  “A means of intimidation,” Flynn answered.

  “See,” said the Lump, “it sounds better when Flynn says it.”

  “It matters not,” said Meena. “I’m done talking about it.” She stopped walking and pointed at a crevice between two towering slabs of stone. “We are at the den.” She looked back, over her shoulder. “Lump, unburden Snowy so she can carry the bane.”

  The Lump climbed off the white bear. He kept his wincing to a minimum, but pain returned to his leg without the Lunari’s birch-bark tea. He hopped on his good leg for a couple of beats before putting weight on the injured one.

  Meena walked through the cleft in the stone slabs. Flynn, the Lump, and the bear followed her. The latter two required a bit of squeezing to get through and the Lump groaned with the effort.

  The stony enclosure was empty save for a few items scattered about. The wooden box containing the aster flowers was tucked into a shadowy nook. The leather bound tome, The Collected Knowledge Of The Darklands, sat on a small, rocky shelf. Some empty sacks and a few lengths of rope were stowed under the shelf that held the book. No people remained in the hiding spot.

  Meena dropped her staff and lifted one side of the crate of dragon’s bane. “It was irresponsible for everyone to leave this unguarded.” She frowned.

  Flynn ran over to help Meena with the flowers. “I’m certain they only stepped out for a moment.” He lifted his side of the crate. “Perhaps we should leave a note so they know why the bane is gone.”

  The Lump limped over to a length of rope and picked it up. “It might be more fun to leave them wondering who robbed the place.”

  “We will leave a note.” Meena nodded to the white bear, and it lowered itself to the ground. “But I won’t leave the tome unguarded.” She looked at the Lump while she lugged her half of the crate toward the bear. “Get the book, we’ll tie it atop the bane.”

  The Lump grabbed the tome and tucked it under one arm. “The farther we get it from Aardland, the better.” He chuckled. “I bet the Lunaris don’t care about this dusty old book.”

  Meena scowled at the big man. “You would be amazed at the secrets in that tome. If you read it, you might find that Aards and Gallisians are not so different.”

  Flynn and Meena sat the wooden box on the white bear’s back and held it steady.

  The Lump slapped the book on top of the crate and wrapped the rope around it and under the bear’s belly several times before tying a knot. He took a step back and put his hands on his hips. “That should hold it.”

  Rapid footsteps echoed into the stone chamber. They belonged to Sam, the man who accompanied the Lump when he approached the soldiers three days ago.

  Sam leaned over, resting his hands on his thighs, and drew in heavy breaths. “Dragon, you’ve returned!” He took a few more deep breaths. “You’re nearly too late!”

  “Please, call me Meena.” Meena retrieved her staff and looked at Sam. “What do you mean?”

  “The Gallisians have taken the crone.” Sam stood straight and rested his hands on his hips. “She is to be hanged today!”

  Meena gripped her staff in both hands and held it across her body. Her jaws tightened and her eyes became green and blue slits. She said a single word, “Where?”

  “The wide spot, to the north and west of here,” Sam answered. “Near their camp.”

  Meena gave her head a slow nod. “Take us there at once.”

  Sam turned and exited the cleft in the stones. Meena and the others followed. Sam led the group as they wound through the rock formations as quickly as they could.

  The Lump alternated between a limp and a hop as he struggled to keep up.

  Meena’s eyes took on an empty, distant look. She gripped her staff tight and her knuckles turned white as she strode along the winding path.

  A group of large birds gathered overhead and traveled with the group. By their size and color, the Lump supposed they were falcons. They circled in the air in order to match the pace of the group. Their calls echoed against the rocks like battle cries.

  Two brown bears emerged from the stones and walked on either side of Snowy. They looked like the same bears that had been in King Ferte’s throne room, but all brown bears looked pretty much the same to the Lump. The three bears stepped in unison as they lumbered along the trail.

  A proud stag sporting a mighty rack of antlers leaped out from a stand of trees and joined the march. The Lump didn’t bother trying to determine if this was the same one Flynn rode to Windthorne. The regal animal snorted and shook its head. The rack of antlers looked like spear tips spoiling for a fight.

  The Lump lurched to a sudden stop when four gray wolves appeared from the shadows and fell in line beside him. Their chests rumbled with a low growl that seemed to lack any urgency, and their bared teeth made it all too clear they were not feeling playful.

  The pain in the Lump’s already throbbing thigh grew more intense. He took a deep breath, pulled his small sword from its loop on his hip, and resumed walking with the gathered menagerie.

  Flynn slid his bow off his body, then pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it. He kept his fingers on the bowstring, ready to pull and loose the arrow in an instant.

  Meena kept her face forward and marched ahe
ad with steely determination. Her white knuckled grip on the staff never loosened.

  The group reached the clearing. Meena marched past Sam and took the lead, entering the wide spot first.

  The bears, wolves and stag formed a half circle behind the four people. The large birds spiraled low in the sky and hurled angry screeches at the ground.

  A small gallows stood at one end of the clearing. The Gallisian commander stood in the center holding a knotted loop of rope. The crone stood next to him with two footmen at her other side.

  The crone grinned and showed her few remaining teeth. “Now you’re in a pretty spot, you sour-breathed louse.” She spat at the commander’s feet.

  The commander grunted and placed the rope around the crone’s neck. “I expected you to appear, witch.”

  Meena pointed her staff at the commander. “Release the woman! She is under my protection!”

  “She is to be hanged.” The commander smirked and placed a hand on his sword’s hilt. “It is by my order, for her transgressions.”

  One of the footmen opened his eyes wide. “She threw snakes on us!”

  The other footman added, “Then she blew smoke on us!”

  The first footman said, “We were blind and choking!”

  The other added, “And covered with snakes!”

  “My companions will descend on you.” Meena waved an open hand toward the animals gathered behind her. “You have no hope of surviving… unless, that is, you release the woman.”

  Flynn pulled back his bow’s string and sighted the arrow at the commander.

  The Lump hunkered down and raised his tiny sword high in his right hand.

  The commander let out a laugh with more than a hint of malice. “I would venture I have an extraordinary chance of surviving.” He turned his head, raised a hand to his mouth, and shouted, “Introduce the witch to our prisoners!”

  Two people, with hands bound and mouths gagged, were led out of a tent west of the gallows. They were goaded forward at the tips of two halberds. Each halberd was wielded by an armored footman who pressed the weapons against the small of each prisoner’s back. One prisoner was a man, the other a woman. They were Arik and Johanna, Meena’s parents.