Mistress MacFingan strode forward with a tray of goblets for the councilmen. The scent of mulled cider wafted up as she passed. “I would be glad to observe the lass’ injuries, if you trust me word?”
The crowd’s voices rose in approval.
Evan watched the older woman lead Vika out into the tavern. He quietly followed, since he worried for her safety. She could be carrying his progeny. If he was as potent in his human form as Dougal had been in his dragon persona, two lives might be at risk.
His thoughts trailed back to Dougal and his dead mate. She carried his bairn at her death, and the pain Dougal continued to suffer was not something Evan wished to share.
The women headed upstairs, and Evan waited until he heard the women bolt the door behind them. The tavern was empty. Everyone had decided to attend the proceedings, so he walked outside to see to their cart. He had noticed a warrior guarding it. The man still stood beside it, his drawn sword at his side.
“Who goes there?” he demanded, noticing Evan.
“Evan Brown, a friend to Vika and Orin. I’ve come to check on their cart.”
The warrior’s shoulders relaxed. “I swore to keep this cart safe. Young Orin saved me friend, Sinna, from the fire. Orin MacKinnon shall make a wonderful warrior some day.”
“Aye, I like the lad.”
“Your expression says you love the lass more.”
Evan’s human cheeks heated and he toed the dirt with his bare foot. He never thought to find boots. Not when I keep changing from human to horse.
His gaze returned to the weapon at the warrior’s side. “If one was to find a weapon like yours, where should one look?”
The warrior’s left eyebrow rose, and he pointed to the edge of the village. “Well, the village blacksmith has a way with steel. For a bag of coins, he would build you a sword.”
A bagful of coins? Time to find his brothers, and the blacksmith. As he headed toward the edge of town, the clang of metal on metal helped lead him to the blacksmith’s shop. The man inside was huge, the same person who had accompanied the older councilman to Vika’s cottage. Broad shouldered and sweating near a raised bed of smoldering coals, he paused when Evan stepped closer. He plunged the sword in his hand into water, and steam hissed up.
“Be you lost, stranger? I thought everyone had run to the meeting.”
“Not you?”
He shook his head, and wiped his hands on a cloth. “Nay. Toal and his men pay well, so I have no need to appear against him.”
“Vika MacKinnon has issues with the man. Do you not like her?”
He hung his head, then sat on a bench. “I be not ashamed. If I lose their business, I shall starve. Simple as that, but I could never wish harm to come to that sweet lass.”
“Well, I will return to the proceedings and do all I can to see the man shunned by all.”
“Who be you?”
“Evan Brown, a friend of Vika and Orin. Good people in need of protection. Which brings me to the reason I be here. I need a sword.”
The blacksmith sighed, and stood. “Over here be several I made between orders. Or, I can make one to your specifications, but that shall take time.”
Evan stepped closer to the wall holding half a dozen swords. Each was long, gleaming, and deadly, but their hilts were different as day be to night. Shapes, colors, and designs ran the gamut from a snakehead, to twisted metal, to… “A dragon’s head?”
The sculpted portrayal was ominously accurate, and his fingers itched to hold the piece.
“Aye. “
“You’ve seen a dragon.” Evan’s statement made the man lower his head, but he did not deny what Evan claimed. “I will take this one.”
The blacksmith raised his head, and his eyes widened. “I have not told you the price.”
“Whatever it be, I shall pay.” He and his brothers had horded pretty trinkets and bags filled with gold for years. Stupid pirates.
“Sold. Pay me on the morrow.” He stated an amount that seemed reasonable.
“You trust me with this tonight?”
“If you will help Orin and Vika against Toal MacMorgan, when I cannot, I shall trust you.” He removed the sword from the wall, slipped it into a leather scabbard, and showed Evan how to tie it to his belt.
The weapon was heavier than it looked, but he was happy to have another way to protect his woman. Me woman? He liked the sound of that.
He shook the blacksmith’s forearm, then resumed his trek toward the darkest corner of the village. By the high wall, a loud snort and the acrid smell of smoke meant one of his brothers was nearby. He had no need to see over the high barricade to know his brothers had excellent hearing.
“I need gold coins. A large bag should do it.”
“As big as your human head?” Wynn laughed, and flames shot out, singeing the fence.
“That should do, but take care, brother. There be another in the village who has seen a dragon. I feel we have become too lax when in our proper forms.”
“Fine. I will return by dawn and watch for you.”
“One more thing.” He paused, not sure how to share something so intimate.
“Aye, you bedded the lass. We heard.”
“What? You were listening outside her cottage? You should not have done that, but I be thankful that when Vika was set upon by those pirates, you and Dougal chased them toward the sea. Did you…”
“Nay, we let them retreat to their ship. We weren’t hungry.”
Evan felt uneasy at this news. If the pirates were still alive, other pirates had headed north, and Toal still lived, Vika was not safe. He shifted, and flew like the wind toward the tavern.
***
Vika tied her laces, then smoothed her dress along her hips. Mistress MacFingan had cooed then groaned at the sight of Vika’s bruised ribs. As she prepared to head back down the stairs to the council chamber, the older woman grabbed her arm.
“You must stay here, lass. Danger lurks.”
The expression on her face frightened Vika. “But, I must return and continue me testimony, or that bastard shall win.”
The handle on the bolted bedchamber door jiggled. Heavy knocks made the women step back. When someone kicked the oak door, and it splintered, Vika headed for the open window. Raised voices filled the room as she lifted the hem or her dress, and shimmied over the windowsill. She landed on the thatched roof, and rolled toward the ground, screaming.
As night air shot past her face, she wondered who was after her. A silly thing to think of, when the ground be racing up to meet me.
An abrupt stop a hand’s breadth off the ground jolted her, and she cried out in pain around her bruised ribs. She struggled, but found that she was gripped in the talons of a dragon! The light from village torches made it hard to see the color of the beast’s scales, but she hoped he was the friendly beast she’d met, or maybe one of the two that had chased away the pirates.
When her thoughts ran to Mistress MacFingan, she slammed her fists against the beast’s chest. “Let me go! Me friend be in danger!”
The dragon headed back toward earth, and she screamed. Before they crashed to the ground, the dragon’s wings flapped faster and he gently set her on her feet. She faced him, and stepped back in awe. He was magnificent as torchlight glistened over his purple-colored scales and flames danced in his amber eyes. Familiar eyes. She recalled how he had saved her from the pirates and a possible death beneath the waves, and flew her and Orin to their cottage.
“I thank you for your help, once more, but I must return to the tavern. Me friend, Mistress MacFingan, might need help.”
The dragon nodded his head. At least she assumed he was agreeing with her. She wanted to learn more about the creature, and stroke its scales and wings, but she turned and raced toward the tavern’s front door. She paused and listened. Raised voices overhead worried her, so she ran to the council chambers near the back of the building. She pounded on the closed doors, until a guard threw them open, his sword raised.
“We were attacked! There be men upstairs! Save Mistress MacFingan!”
The guard raced from the room, followed by several burley villagers. Elder Kinnon waved her forward, but Toal grabbed her elbow and addressed the council.
“She be trying to start trouble with her wild stories, to take our minds off her other lies.”
Vika pulled out of his grasp, and shoved him aside. He fell onto several of his seated men. Laughter reigned from the villagers, until Toal pulled his sword from its sheath. His men pushed him to his feet, and he pointed the tip of his weapon at her throat.
“See here, Lord MacMorgan, you were warned not--”
“Be quiet, old man. I will not stand here and be insulted by a wench whose only use on this earth be to warm me bed.”
Another sword slapped Toal’s from his hand, tossing the weapon wildly over the council table, impaling it in the wall above their heads. The older men jumped to their feet, while Evan pulled Vika into his side. He held a sword pointed at Toal’s throat. Before she could ask him where he had found such a lovely weapon, Toal’s men grabbed him and pulled their leader out of the chamber. Since all the villagers stormed out as well, Toal disappeared among the rush of bodies.
Evan moved to follow, but Vika wrapped her arms around his waist, stopping him. “Please don’t leave me.”
Orin appeared at her other side. “Vika! What be going on? You say men tried to take you?”
“Aye. They broke down the door to the chamber where Mistress MacFingan was appraising me bruises. I jumped out the window, and nearly hit the ground.”
He looked her over, as if searching for new bruises. When his eyes widened and he let out a breath with a rush, he must have noticed the arm wrapped securely around her waist.
“I be fine, Orin. A dragon caught me before I hit the ground,” she whispered.
As if sensing the sudden chill in the air, Evan stepped away, loosening her arm from around his waist.
She groaned her distress.
“I will stay with you, Vika, but I believe someone wishes to talk to you.”
Vika followed where Evan pointed, and found Elder Kinnon rushing to her side.
“Lass, ‘tis bad form. I believe Lord MacMorgan has shown his true nature. The other elders have agreed he should no longer be allowed inside our village, until he can prove he be no longer a threat. Rumors say some of Toal’s men consort with pirates. Anyone who deals with those thieves of the seas, except to slay them where they stand, be a traitor to our clan. Unfortunately, we cannot protect you at your farm.”
“I will protect her,” Evan spat. The accompanying growl had the elder stepping back a few paces.
Vika gasped. Evan’s words had surprised her, but the elder’s words frightened her. What if he discovered that she and Orin traded meat and their farm’s produce to pirates? Best to stop the practice.
Evan held his sword at his side, and clasped her hand in his free hand. His weapon’s carved hilt ended with a dragon’s head. Its amber eyes stared back at her. Its eyes were too similar to Spark’s eyes…and Evan Brown’s.
Her heart opened wide with an urge to welcome him to her home, while her head battled with the truth. She knew nothing of the man, and suspected he really wasn’t human. If she was to ensure her and Orin’s wellbeing, as well as the entire occupants of her farm, she and Evan needed to talk.
Elder Kinnon glanced from her back to Evan. “Take care of her. You might wish to remain in the village tonight. With Toal and those other men on the loose…”
Orin touched her elbow. “I wish to stay, Vika. ‘Tis Maeve, you see, and…”
“Stay with the injured lass, Orin. Vika, I will protect you at your home.” Evan squared his shoulders and waited for her decision.
Her cheeks burned at his holier-than-thou attitude. The others drifted away. When he bent closer, and flipped a lock of her loosened hair, her shoulders stiffened.
“When we get there, you can protect me,” he whispered.
Mollified for the moment, she followed him out into the night. “Oh! I forgot about our cart. I must take care of this meat. It will spoil if not properly preserved,” she said, pulling her hand from his.
Mistress MacFingan stepped onto the porch. “I have all well under control. Me husband will pile the goods in our cold storage. Come back another day to take what you want, and we shall buy the rest.”
“Orin promised me…a haunch…of that boar, and…the…tusks.”
Vika whipped around, and couldn’t help but smile. “Sinna! You be on your feet!” The warrior looked dazed, and leaned on a crook of wood, but his smile was bright and cheery.
“Aye, lass. I will be fine, but don’t forget me share. That cart full of gristle nearly cost me dearly.” He winked, and hobbled back inside the tavern.
Vika agreed with the tavern owner’s wife that storing the food was for the best. She untied the cover enough to slip out her bow and quiver, a small deer, and a half a dozen rabbits. If she was to entertain Evan in her cottage, she’d have to feed him.
Entertain?
She owed him a meal, especially if he escorted her home. Without Orin, she was too vulnerable to the pirates’ threats. Toal had stormed out in a fearsome huff, as well. With her quiver over her shoulder, and her bow tightly grasped in her hand, she could put up a fight…for awhile. With Evan at her side, she felt she could conquer anything.
“Shall we head to your farm?” Evan asked. He sheathed his sword, hefted the deer carcass over his shoulder, and tossed the rabbits to her.
“Fine.” She bowed slightly to the elder, and headed in the direction of the small stables near the creek to collect Spark.
“The village gate be this way, lass.”
She ignored him, wondering why he would think she’d considered walking. Spark could carry them both. He was a warrior’s mount, and…
“Dear Lord! Spark be not here, because he really be--”
“Shh,” he whispered. “Me secrets must not be shared with others.”
She glanced at the stable hand, who was ignoring them, then caught a flash of white. “A lass? Why be she running away from the village? She will never make it over the fence.” The village was protected by a tall fence of thick wooden stakes, pounded into the soil. When the vision in white sailed over the fence, and disappeared from sight, she gasped.
“Wait! Come back!” Orin sped past them, but the fence was too high. He slammed his fists against the pillars, and wailed with alarm.
“Orin? Was…was that Maeve?”
“Aye! I cannot believe she didn’t want to…I mean, I almost…”
Evan marched to his side, and clasped his shoulder. “What did you do to her?”
Orin spun to face him. His cheeks were wet, and his body shook all over. “I…I kissed her. She went wild, bolted from the bed, and jumped through the open window. I ran outside, expecting to find her dead on the ground. She wasn’t! She was running away from me! From safety!”
Vika glanced from her brother to where the young woman had leapt over the fence as if she could fly. “There be something special, or odd, about Maeve. Did she ever explain why we found her alone in a forest, or how she came to be injured?”
“Nay, we never got that far, but I fear she be otherworldly, like Spark.”
Vika bit her bottom lip, unwilling to share her suspicions. If Evan wished to confess, and share his true nature with her, she would wait. “What will you do? Evan and I be leaving.”
“I must apologize to the lass, and bring her back to the safety of the village. Toal and his pirate friends might still be about. If anything happens to her…”
“Be careful. The pirates be deadly, and I pray the dragons you might encounter be friendly.” She hugged Orin, and watched him head back to the tavern for supplies, and help. She turned to Evan, but he would not meet her gaze.
Recalling what Orin said about Maeve and Spark, the words made
her chest constrict. He’d said, “Nay, we never got that far, but I fear she be otherworldly, like Spark.” Orin’s observation about Spark’s odd qualities hit a little too close to home.
“Will we find Spark anywhere close by?”
Evan’s head snapped around, and the sorrowful look in his molten amber eyes was meant to soften her heart. It wouldn’t work.
He didn’t know her.
CHAPTER 21
How was Evan to explain why Spark wasn’t tied beneath the thatched roof of the open-sided stable? He had assumed Vika only suspected the truth, but the look she gave him was cold, and all-knowing. She probably would miss the horse. Would she miss his human persona more?
“I was meaning to talk to you about your horse. He and I have a special…bond. If you never saw him again, would you grieve?”
She tapped her chin, and crossed her other arm around her waist. The glow from nearby torches, set into the fence at intervals, flickered in her eyes, and turned her red curls to flame. He had to glance down at her due to her smaller stature, but something over her head caught his attention. A large tail covered in glistening black scales swung about a foot above the top of the fence.
Dougal.
Vika must have noticed his attention had wavered. She spun around, and gasped. When she didn’t cry out and warn the villagers, or the stable hand, his shoulders relaxed.
She walked closer to Evan, and whispered, “Do you see it?”
“Aye, lass. Have no fear.”
“I be not afraid, That tail belongs to a dragon, one of the three I have seen in as many days. He helped save me from the pirates at me farm.”
“Aye, ‘tis something Dougal would do. He does love to act the hero.”
“You know him? That dragon has a name? I suppose the green one I saw has one, as well?”
“Wynn.”
She sputtered, but he wanted her alone, back at her cottage, where he could explain in private. He would only divulge his greatest secret once they were alone. “I bet we can catch a ride, if you don’t mind sharing some of this meat.”
Spark (Clan of Dragons Book 1) Page 17