“We didn’t have a choice,” Lindale answered to her silent challenge.
She continued to stare as Tadeus answered, “There is always a choice, and the one that doesn’t put our boys in harm’s …” He stopped, tears began to stream down his cheeks. Quietly, he asked again, “What happened to my boy?”
Hental, eleven years old and the next oldest boy after Yuri, let go of his mother’s skirt and started walking a wide path around the mayor, edging towards the cart. Agardia stood still, her daughter in her arms. Seeing Yuri would make it true. Frozen in place, a part of her could believe he was still alive. Hental reached the cart as the mayor answered, “He was a brave young man, stood face to face with Samora.” Agardia wasn’t listening. She was too confused by Hental’s behavior at the cart. Hental was always his own boy, reacting in ways that didn’t always match with the way a boy was expected to react, but this was too heavy an occasion for his actions to make sense to Agardia.
Hental had lifted the blanket off the wall of the cart and looked in. He shrugged his shoulders, “What’s the big deal?” Before the mayor or Lindale could answer, the gathering villages gasped as the body under the blanket began to rise. The crowd saw the back of Yuri’s head as he sat up, facing away from the crowd. Turning around, he said, “How did I get here?”
His father jumped up and ran around to the back of the cart to put his hands on his boy. Agardia felt the dread let go of her legs. She was right behind Lared, joining her family as they all began scrambling up the sides of the cart to join their older brother. Tadeus helped her climb up as one of her arms was busy holding their baby. The mayor and Lindale simply stared at each other, confused. Slowly, as the family hugged Yuri to near suffocation, Lindale and the mayor began to smile. Lindale walked closer to Yuri, speaking loudly so Yuri could hear him over the growing commotion. “What did the dragon say, Yuri, what did the dragon say?”
Between the bear hugs from his parents and the climbing of his brothers, and the noise of everyone in the village talking at once, Yuri shouted back, “Don’t die.”
Chapter 4
After their meal, as everyone began to leave, Perante motioned for Winderall to stay behind. Tassaran made sure everyone knew he was still hungry and another stone was added to the scale in Perante’s mind. Once they were alone, Perante and Winderall moved to leather chairs by the chamber’s fire. Perante ordered a servant to throw more wood onto the fire and then sent the servant away. Winderall wondered what the old man had done to become Perante’s servant.
Perante spoke in a stiff tone, “This nonsense about the end of it all needs to stop. People get stupid ideas when they think the end is near.”
Winderall looked him squarely in the eyes as he said, “I was only retelling what the old mage said.”
“I know, but stop.” Perante noticed the slight tick in Winderall’s face at his command. He knew he was getting off on the wrong foot. Winderall was too much of a wanderer for Perante to count on fear alone to comply, which was more than enough for most of the people Perante dealt with. “Consider that a suggestion. I’m going to tell you something I do not want the others to know.”
“Besides the project?” Winderall raised his head, looking at the ceiling and indicating the construction on the fourth floor.
“Of course, besides the project. If these cowards knew what I planned to do on the third floor, they would soil their pants. You, though, know the hunger for knowledge, if not power. Why else have you spent your life walking around this country instead of claiming a village for your own?”
“That is true. There is so much more to learn out there than I can find inside any building.”
“Well,” Perante responded, “that’s probably true, unless you have the books that I have.”
Winderall leaned forward in his chair. “Is there the slightest chance I would be able to see any of these books?”
“No.”
Winderall fell back into his chair.
“But I am willing to share some of that information with you. You see, I have the only books that matter: the Mage/Dragon Trilogy.”
“Wait a second.” Winderall looked at Perante closely, wondering if he was being played with. “Those books are just a legend. There has never been a Mage in the role of dragon talker.”
“In our lifetimes, Winderall, in our lifetimes. You never know what the damn beasts will do with that twisted sense of humor they have. Maybe the Black who chose him thought it was funny, or a challenge. I don’t know which, and neither did the Mage, but it did happen.”
“A black dragon with a mage talker. This has to be a fairy tale, does it not?”
“No, so far, everything I have read has borne true or true enough to give it credence.”
Winderall was leaning forward again, “if this is true, I can only imagine what he had learned. What do you want in return for this information? I have a rather large collection of dragon knowledge myself, much more than I’ve ever shared. Are you interested in a trade?”
Perante steepled his fingers. “I will give you something free right now, as a gesture of good will. Everyone knows the scale in the necklace allows for some sort of mental connection between the dragon and the talker, but it goes deeper.” Perante’s lip curled into a small smirk. “If you lean forward any more, my friend, you are going to fall out of your chair…Any dragon can tap into a necklace to know what is going on with the wearer. They can even leave messages for each other in the scales.”
Winderall settled into his chair, speechless. He ran through everything he knew and had heard about dragons to see how this fit or didn’t fit. “This explains the speed at which they sometimes act, the coordination over huge distances.”
“Yes, it does.” Perante smiled. “The look on your face. I knew you would be one to appreciate this.” Winderall fell into silence, his mind spinning with connections and possibilities. “I see I have lost you,” Perante continued. “We shall resume tomorrow and I will tell you what I want you to do.”
Winderall simply nodded his head. Perante knew he had him.
Chapter 5
Three days had passed since Yuri’s recovery. In that time, he had discovered a few things, the first being it was really good to still be alive. He was also not invincible. Sitting in the new Dragon Talker’s hut built for him after his return, he rubbed his shoulder where his little brother Hental had stabbed him. The wound wasn’t deep, he moved too fast for that, but it was sore. Hental moved even faster to duck under Yuri’s open hand as he slapped at him.
“Well,” Hental had said, “how else are we supposed to know?” Practical as ever.
Yuri didn’t have an immediate answer for that, but he wasn’t about to go subjecting himself to painful and possible deadly acts just to see what magic he had been given by the dragon. That had been yesterday, while he stayed at his parent’s hut. It was good to be with them, but he caught his parents’ looking at him more often than usual. Things were definitely different.
Today was the first day in the dragon talker’s hut. Usually, the talker was much older. A 17 year old in Mandan village did not usually have his own hut, until now. It was a quiet place, away from the village like all dragon talkers’ huts. Distance aside, Yuri couldn’t tell if it was Lindale telling the others to give him the space or the fact that the last talker was burned to death in his hut. Probably a little of both, thought Yuri. The prospect of burning to death puts a dampness on things. He was lying in his small bed and wondering if he was going to get up at all today. The weight of the unknown pressed down on him and he didn’t feel a strong desire to fight it.
He heard a knock on his door. “Yurski, don’t tell me you’re still lying in bed.”
Yuri smiled at the sound of his father’s voice and the nickname only his father used.
“I raised you better than that. Now come open the door. Your old man has gifts.”
At that, Yuri jumped out of bed and ran to the door. When he was younger, his father would often
surprise him with a wooden figure he had made especially for him. He always jumped up at the news of such a gift. Old habits die hard. His dad stood, smiling, with a bag held over his shoulder. They hugged and Yuri gave an exaggerated bow, waving his father in. “Welcome, first guest to my humble dwelling.”
“I am honored, son, to be the first, and don’t be surprised if your visitors are sparse for a while. People really don’t know what to do about this. Change scares people.”
The hut was sparsely furnished: a bed, a small table, two chairs, an old beat-up trunk, and a fireplace. They sat at the table. Tadeus looked around the hut. “This is a nice place. A little rushed, but it will serve you well enough.”
“I’m going to do some work on it later – it’s a little drafty.”
“I’ll send Hental over to help, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes without me asking. He always liked you, but now…”
“I know, I’m a dragon talker. I bet he’s coming up with all kinds of ways to test me, find out what gift the dragon gave me.”
“All of which,” his father replied, “probably involve a hammer.”
“Or a heavy log.”
“Absolutely a heavy log,” his father confirmed.
They both laughed. It was good to have his father here. A sense of loneliness had been building since his recovery in the cart.
“I have a few things for you, now that you are on your path. I don’t know a damn thing about being a dragon talker, but being a good man is being a good man, whatever the occupation.”
Normally, Yuri would laugh a little inside when his father said things like this, but all of the sudden, it didn’t seem so silly. He didn’t know how to be a talker, so he needed something to guide him. “Tatusz, what…how…I mean…”
“Yuri, you’ve lived in this village for 17 years. You know it and the people, especially the people. I think that’s why the elders choose you. You pay attention to people and think about them. So you tell me, what is going on with the people of this village?”
“They’re scared. Scared of what the dragon will do.”
“And?” his father prompted him.
“What I will do… or won’t do.”
His father smiled. “That’s my boy. Smart as they come. So, there is a new Dragon Talker in the village, given some gift, but otherwise empty as a broken pot. What should this new Dragon Talker do?”
“Learn. I got to figure out how this all works.”
“And how can you do that?”
“I don’t know.” Yuri leaned his chair back on two legs, he balanced on it for a moment and let it come slamming down on the ground. “Still don’t.” He leaned back again, balanced, and let gravity pull the chair down. “Nope.” And again. “I find a snow fox that tells me all I need to know.” His father smiled. Back goes the chair. Bam! “I make up my own rules and get everybody killed, but look confident while I do it…Any chance you have the answers?”
“Nope. I wish I could, but I’m just a simple villager who has only left the village once, and that was to find your mother, not learn the secrets of the world.”
The chair stayed firmly on the ground. “This isn’t fair. I don’t know, no one can teach me, and the whole village is looking at me like I’m either going to kill them all or save them. I didn’t ask for this.”
“No you didn’t, son, and you don’t have to do it.”
“Really?”
“Really, you can come back and live with us and say they have to find someone else. They won’t like it, but to hell with them.”
Silence sat in the room as Yuri searched his father’s eyes, looking to see if his father really meant it. Could he say no? The corner of his father’s eyes crinkled. It was the look all his sons sometimes got after doing well and a look they always got after having done something stupid that said he still loved them, no matter what. He could say no. It would cause all kinds of problems for his family, especially his father, but he would be supported, which is why he knew he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let his family suffer because he was too scared to be the talker.
“No, I got this thing. I faced down a dragon…” In an instant, he felt himself back in the field, with Samora’s massive head and teeth inches away from his face. Those eyes, one at time, staring into him. “I faced a dragon.” Pride swelled up in his chest. Who else could say that?
“Yes, you did, which was great right up until that dragon killed you.” He got the crinkle again. Well or stupid, Yuri wasn’t sure and didn’t really care. His father continued, “So, son of mine with the courage to stand face to face with a dragon, how are you going to learn to be a dragon talker?”
“I’m going to face the dragon again. I’m going to go to that field and wait. And if he doesn’t come back, I’m going to go looking for him.”
“Then I think you’ll need some things for the trip. Let’s see what I have in my bag. And if it isn’t here, we’ll make sure you get it.”
Chapter 6
Yuri walked back to the field where his career as dragon talker began. This time, Hental walked with him. His pack weighed heavy on his shoulders. In it, he had food, cooking utensils, an extra set of clothes, and a tarp for making makeshift tents. He did not plan on leaving the field until he had some answers.
“I can stay with you, right?” Hental asked. “It would be good to have me around. I’m smart for my age.”
“Yes, you are, though if you try to stick me with a knife again, I’m throwing you in the river.” As he said it, he reached out to grab Hental. Hental dodged and laughed.
“I know all kinds of stuff. People think I’m dumb cause I’m little, but I’m not. I probably know more about dragons than you.”
“That wouldn’t be hard,” Yuri laughed. “So enlighten me, little brother. What do you know of dragons?”
“Hmmmm….let me think. There’s…well, I have Talker knowings, too. I was there when the fire started.”
“What? You saw the fire start?”
“Yes…no, but I was near. I was walking around and I found this big wolf. He wanted to play, so we did. And then, later, when I tired him out - I taught him all kinds of tricks - I was scratching his belly when I smelled smoke.”
Yuri was skeptical. “You played with a wolf?” Hental wasn’t the most trustworthy story teller, so Yuri let it go. The fire was what was important. “What did you do when you smelled the smoke?”
“I headed back to the village, but people were already heading up to the hut.”
Yuri scratched behind his ear, “Hmmm. I guess the mystery will continue. Wolf, huh? Have you seen it since?”
“Nah,” Hental scratched behind his ear, trying out the maneuver, “he disappeared. Too bad, though, he was a lot of fun.”
Yuri stopped walking, “Are you going to tell me anything about dragons?”
Hental stopped walking to and tried to look serious. “They are big. They don’t die, and they can give you powers.”
“Yes, we all know that – show me some of the extra knowledge you have.” Yuri started walking again.
“They live under the earth and they cause earthquakes if they have nightmares sleeping!”
“I’ll add that to my list of dubious information on dragons.”
Hental smiled, “You’re welcome.” Proud, he walked on in silence.
They neared the field and Hental ran ahead, scrambling around the two large boulders where Yuri had met his non-permanent demise.
“I found it!” Hental held up Yuri’s dragon scale necklace in proof. “See, I’m good to have around.”
Hental ran back to Yuri and thrust out his arm to give it to him. “Why don’t you hold it for a while.” Something about the necklace made Yuri hesitant, as if touching it would commit him to the course he already decided to go on. He planned on doing it, but he didn’t have to this instant.
“Sure.” Hental started to put it around his neck.
“Don’t do that!” Hental flinched. “Sorry Hental, you can k
eep holding it, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea to put it around your neck, not until I know more.” Hental nodded, scolded. “Who knows, maybe you would get my job and then what I would do?” Hental smiled. “Let’s have a snack.”
Yuri wasn’t at all hungry, but it gave them something to do. Yuri used his knife to cut up an apple from their family’s cold cellar. If Hental noticed that he ate all but one slice that Yuri just kept holding, he didn’t say anything. Yuri kept looking into the blue sky, half expecting Samora to come swooping out of the nowhere and half hoping it wouldn’t.
After eating, they sat out in the sun, waiting. Every once in a while, Hental would walk around, looking for mice or pretending to fly around the rock like a dragon. Yuri’s mind was blank as he lay against his pack. He had no idea what to expect; he just felt a pull to the field. Somehow, he would start to get some answers.
Hental returned from one of his excursions and dived to the ground, landing his head only inches from Yuri’s. “I’m bored.”
Yuri shook his head, “We’ve barely been here.”
“And we’ve barely done anything. Where’s the dragon?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re the dragon talker, duh.” Hental suddenly backed up and stood up. Yuri knew he was up to something, but didn’t know what. “I’m going for a walk.” Hental quickly started heading for the back of the boulders.
“Oh tail,” Yuri cursed as he realized what he was about to do. Jumping up and running after him, he shouted, “Don’t put on that necklace!” As he rounded the boulder he saw Hental pulling the necklace over his head. Hental had stopped running to put it on, so Yuri was quickly at his side in four steps and tackled him. Hental hit the ground with a thud, but he didn’t make a sound.
Yuri rolled him over and saw Hental’s eyes wide open. “Hental!” Yuri shook him, but he didn’t react. Yuri pulled open his collar searching for the necklace. Finding it, he accidentally scratched him as tore it from his neck. Hental lay frozen, eyes still open and staring at the sky. Yuri slapped his cheek lightly, “Hental, wake up, you little fool, so I can kill you.”
Dragon Talker Page 3