Dragon Talker

by Anderson, Steve

  Yuri laughed because he thought she was beautiful, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I…um…it’s hard to describe.”

  Chapter 38

  Hental stormed into the hut, surprising his mother, who was making lunch. “You’re back early. How are the goats?”

  “Mine,” Hental said, angrily.

  Agardia stopped chopping carrots. “And you’re angry about this?”

  “She hit me. In the face!”

  Agardia’s eyes narrowed, “She hit you? In the face?” Her voice was suddenly angry, too.

  “Well, more like slapped?” Hental knew his mother’s anger was not to be misled.

  “I don’t like that either, but what led up to it?”

  “I said,” Hental lowered his voice, “That I wanted…” Hental looked around, as if the walls might hear.

  “Go ahead,” Agardia encouraged.

  In a whisper, Hental finished, “a dog.”

  After twelve years, it took a lot for Hental to surprise his parents. More accurately, his parents had come to expect surprise, so surprise was just confirmation of the norm. This, though, pushed the limits.

  Agardia shook her head, “You continue to amaze me, Hental. You are an original. Why on earth would you want a dog? You’re a goat herder, Hental. Dogs are the brothers of wolves. Don’t tell me you want a wolf for a pet?” Inside, Agardia was relaxing. Hental didn’t view animals the way most people did. Hental didn’t view most things the way most people did. His one typical desire had been when, at six, he declared he wanted a dragon as a pet. Most children around that age wanted either a dragon or a larger version of some animal to protect them from a dragon.

  “No, that would be dumb. It’s just…It’s just…I played with a dog, once. It was nice.”

  All the color drained from Agardia’s face and she felt herself go cold. She grabbed Hental by both arms. “Hental, I love your stories, but Momma needs to know the absolute straight path here, no wind arounds. Did you play with a dog? And not a squirrel, or a big cat, but a dog?”

  Hental was used to being questioned about the veracity of his stories. He didn’t care what the rest of the village thought, but he knew when his mother was serious. This was definitely one of those times. “Momma, straight story.”

  “I’m going to sit down.” She did. Hental couldn’t understand why dogs seemed to be having such an impact on people. Hental watched her go through the process of calming herself. First, Hental knew, she liked to sit down. This was the leave-mother-be time, which could be short or long, depending both on how upset she was and how much time she felt she had to react. She never sat down in a situation that required immediate attention. At most, she would put both arms on the table and steady herself for a moment before taking action.

  Step two, rolling her head around in a circle and side to side. This always made Hental think of an owl. He made Yuri laugh one time when they were talking about their mother and he had said, “I keeping waiting for her to open big eyes and hoot right at us.”

  Step three was resolution; Hental called it the lady pose. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, resting her hands lightly on her lap. She was doing that now.

  “For starters,” she started, “you are not to talk about this to anyone but family, and I suppose Selma, but if she tries to slap you again, she will have to deal with me. Okay?”

  Hental rubbed his cheek, and thought about how others might react, answering, “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, I need to know all you can remember. Do you remember around when it happened?”

  “That’s easy. I remember exactly. It was the day of the fire.”

  By her reaction, Hental thought she might go through the entire process again, but she was already sitting down. Hental was confused, “Why is this such a big deal? It’s just a dumb dog.”

  Agardia shook her head, “No, Hental, it isn’t just a dumb dog. It’s what dogs represent and the history of the castle.”

  “Yeah, I know. A mage came to the village, started making everyone build him a castle, it was bad, and Samora came and killed him. End of story.” Hental was exasperated by the way the adults acted about something most of them weren’t even around to remember. “It’s the ancient past.”

  “I don’t think Selma would appreciate that, and only the children of the last ones to experience it are alive, but we can see the story retold, Hental, in every city with a mage. We don’t want that back. Imagine a man who would take your father away from us, so he could take the best of your father’s hunting trips.”

  “Tatush would never do that.”

  “He would, Henti, if a mage forced him to, and they are that powerful. They do that and much, much more.” She did not want to get into what some mages did with the local women. “They feel they deserve everything, and so they take everything.”

  “If it’s so bad, why do people complain about Samora so much?”

  “That, Hental, is a good question. I don’t think we were made to be ruled by other people, or dragons. There’s just something about being free that is in us that fights control, even while another part of us takes comfort in someone else making the decisions. Someone else thinking for us.”

  Agardia stopped Hental before he could contradict her, “Hental, I know that part about control is not you. You are about the freest boy I know, but you do like when Tatush is around, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but he doesn’t try to control me. He just makes good suggestions.”

  Agardia had to smile. Her husband did have a deft touch with the boys. She hoped he would be as good with their daughter as she grew up. “Well, people will complain about whoever has power, and that means they will complain about their messengers, too.”

  “They don’t like Yuri because he’s a talker? He didn’t ask to be. He’s helping everyone.” The words kept coming faster, “They should be grateful for what he does. It’s dangerous. This village is stupid.”

  “Whoa, Hental. Some are, and it will ebb and flow depending on the weather. Or how often Samora visits. Or something else. That’s just what we have to get used to, which is why we can’t have the dragon talker’s brother saying he wants to be a mage.”

  “I don’t. That’s stupid.”

  Agardia rued the day Hental learned the word ‘stupid.’ It was a staple in most of his discussions.

  “I’m not going to…. There are a lot of things that make you wonder, Hental. Some you start to understand as you get older and some, I’m still wondering. Now, the day of the fire, tell me exactly what happened.”

  “Selma was mad at me because I threw a rock at Dragon Butt.” Hental saw his mother’s’ I don’t approve’ look. “He butted me first. So it wasn’t my fault.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, I had nothing to do, so I thought I’d go up near the dragon talker’s hut. There’s a good spot there for not being bothered by anyone. There’s this little spot, surrounded by trees, that has plenty of shade and some sun if you want to stay warm. A doe and fawn were in there when I arrived. I watched them for a while. I know you don’t kill little ones, so I was just seeing how close I could get when I saw a dog - It didn’t care how old they were. It was hunting. And I threw a rock at it.”

  Agardia had to smile at her son’s penchant for rock throwing. “That was dangerous, Hental. What did the dog do?”

  “He stopped hunting the deer and looked at me. I don’t know if he knew if I threw it or not, but I thought I should be nice. I had some goat cheese I took from Selma’s in my pocket and took that out as he came up to me.”

  “He didn’t seem mad. And he liked the cheese.” Hental smiled, “He even licked my hand. Dogs have big tongues compared to goats.”

  “I bet they do. Then what?”

  “We played.”

  “How do you play with a dog?”

  “I don’t know. He chased me, I chased him, and then I threw a stick. Oh boy, he sure liked that. He could run like a deer. I must have thrown that st
ick a thousand thousand times.”

  “And then what?”

  “He was panting like crazy. Oh, I rubbed his belly, too. We just relaxed, and then he started sniffing the air. Then I noticed the smoke. He took off back towards the hut. I followed him. When we got there the hut was all flame. It was pretty bad. It looked like Uri and another man were holding each other, but they were all burnt. I didn’t get close. The dog looked at the hut, looked at me, and slinked off like I just scolded him.”

  “Is there anything else? What did he look like? Did he have a collar?”

  “Um, he was black and…he did have a collar. It had curvy designs in the leather. Very pretty.”

  “That dog,” Agardia said, amazement in her voice, “was the mage’s dog, and what he was doing playing with you while he should have been with the mage is beyond me. I thought they always stayed together.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, on that, Hental,” she replied, “I can’t argue with you.”

  “Is this important? I mean, does it matter that a mage was around?”

  Agardia paused before answering, “It definitely does, Hental. It definitely does, but I’m not sure how. And why Lindale and the mayor never said anything about a third body in the fire. Something bigger than a change in dragon talkers is going on. You and I are going to talk to your father when he gets back from hunting.”

  Agardia saw a worried look cross Hental’s face. “Don’t worry,” she comforted him, “you’re not in trouble this time. If we have one son talking to a dragon, I suppose the other can play with a dog when the opportunity arrives.”

  Hental relaxed. “Can we talk about something else. I need some help thinking.”

  “Of course, Henti. I wouldn’t mind thinking about something else myself.”

  “I’m going to be a goat herder. Selma told me so.”

  “I thought so, Hental. I’m proud of you. If Selma thinks you will be a good herder, you know you have proven yourself.”

  “But…” Hental hesitated.

  “What is it Hental?”

  “I don’t want to move out…” Hental started to cry. “I…don’t….want…to be alone.”

  Agardia moved over to Hental and gave him a big hug. “Oh Hental, you don’t have to move out until you want to. How are you going to eat if you’re not here?”

  Hental wiped a few tears from his cheeks. “Yeah, I got to eat, don’t I?”

  “And as long as you’re here for supper, you might as well sleep over, right?”

  Hental was smiling. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

  “Well, I think that will be okay. But maybe some times your tatush could go over and sleep with you. Keep an eye on the goats.”

  Hental’s smile got bigger. “Do you think he would do that?”

  “Are you kidding me? A father loves to see his son’s work. That’s down in their blood. He might even go out with you to help out once in a while.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. I might even come out, maybe bring a lunch to you. How does that sound?”

  Hental realized he was acting more like a boy who didn’t want to leave than a young goat herder, but he didn’t care. He would grow up a little later. Still, he put on his serious face for his mother as he said, “I think that will work out good. I can teach you about herding. It’s kinda complicated.”

  “I bet it is, Hental, and I can’t wait to learn from you.”

  Hental stood up, feeling so much better than he did only minutes ago. “I better go check on my goats, and see how Selma is.”

  “Okay, my little goat herder. You take care of your trip.”

  Hental, knowing everything would be fine, ran to Selma’s hut. Agardia went over and picked up her sleeping baby, holding her close. She swayed gently back and forth, trying to process all the new information.

  Agardia sat quietly, rocking her baby quietly and thinking of all her boys. She got angry just thinking about someone bringing trouble to her boys, her adopted village. “We’re going to make a plan,” she whispered to her baby, “and we will be ready for whatever comes.”

  Chapter 39

  Xeron didn’t need to block the pain because he was still in shock. Tail Biter had done an excellent job mangling his forearm. In the three years together, Xeron had imagined a lot of things, but being attacked by his own dog was not one of them. All mages put protections against that possibility. He had done his work with the binding. As he stared at the wound, he was both proud his magic was strong enough to do this and disappointed that Tail Biter had actually attacked him.

  Melanie was watching him closely, “Don’t be mad at the dog, you’re the mage.”

  “Yes, I am, and it won’t do to be walking around with my arm in this state.” Xeron shook his head and focused on the wound, repeating a healing mantra in his mind. As all three watched, the wound began to heal. Soon, there was only a thin scar line as the skin sealed over healed muscle.

  Tail Biter came forward and sniffed his arm, giving it a lick.

  Xeron pulled his arm away.

  Tail Biter’s tail started to wag as he walked back over to Melanie’s side. Melanie put her hand on his head, “I get this dog thing. I could have used an ally like this against Perante.”

  “No, you couldn’t. Or you wouldn’t have wanted one. He would have killed your dog before you could say a word. If I hadn’t…Let’s just say me being alive has just as much to do with timing as it does my skill.” He stretched out his arm. It felt stiff, but he knew that would go away. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I just need to pick up a few things.”

  “Are you sure? Leaving a place like this might be easiest if they don’t see it coming.” As he said that, he kicked himself for spending so much time with the cook. “Why don’t we go for a walk. I have enough gold and skills to buy or barter anything we need.”

  Melanie thought about what little she had. “Fine, let’s go then.” She headed out into the hall. Tail Biter followed her.

  An odd feeling ran through Xeron. It took a moment, but he realized he was jealous, angry, and hurt all at the same time. He followed, muttering, “I’ve spend too much time with that dog.”

  Leaving the chateau was not difficult, but Xeron wouldn’t feel better until he had a day’s travel from the place. There was only one main road to or from the chateau. Xeron didn’t like walking down it, but there was little choice in the matter. Only Melanie knew where they were. As they walked, he tried to get a sense of where he was and what had happened to her. The heavy trees kept him from seeing any landmarks that he could use, and the blur stayed on her. Even the connection to Tail Biter, which was definitely working, only showed up faintly when he attempted to see it.

  The first hour, neither talked. During the second hour, Melanie started talking to herself, but Xeron couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. He also decided to give her space to work out whatever was going through her mind. She stopped when they came to a tree that had recently fallen across the path. The first thought that went through Xeron’s mind was to look for a trap. For Melanie, she saw a seat and sat down, saying, “I need a little break.”

  Xeron looked around and sent out a spell that was good at finding hostile intent. If there were people out looking for trouble, he would feel a burning at the back of his neck. When nothing came back to him, he said, “Me too,” and sat down not quite next to her but close enough that said they were partners in this trip.

  The trees around them were pine. Xeron took a moment and to just enjoy the smell of pine and the crisp air. It didn’t last long, though, before he refocused and said, “I know there is something you’re not telling me.”

  Melanie looked at him, “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “True,” he replied, “but I mean why you are here. Why you were able to leave. Perante isn’t the type to use weak or sloppy magic, and you are hard to read.”

  When Melanie shrugged her shoulders, he said, “There’
s something about you that messes with magic, isn’t there?”

  Melanie wasn’t planning on answering that question, so she ignored it and asked, “What about water?”

  “Huh?” Xeron didn’t know of water having any effect on magic.

  “Water, you mages do drink, don’t you? You didn’t want us to stop for anything and we do not have any water. I’m thirsty.”

  “Water, yes, well you are in charge of that.”

  “I am?” She looked confused.

  “You have Tail Biter, don’t you? He can sniff it out. Tell him you want water and he’ll find us a stream or lake.”

  Melanie was doubtful, “and what if there isn’t anything nearby?”

  “He’s bonded to you. If he gets too far away, he’ll start feeling off and come back.”

  “No, how else can we get water?”

  “What do you mean, no?” Xeron wasn’t used to people saying no to him, at least people who had no magical ability.

  Melanie stood up, “I have Tail Biter to protect me from you. I’m not sending him off away from me. That would be stupid. I’m not stupid. You must have another way to get water. So, what is it?”

  Xeron rubbed his eyes, “How can I say this? Please don’t take this the wrong…” He stopped himself, “What am I saying? You take nothing I say the right way. I don’t care about you. I just wanted a guide and some company out of that chateau.” Even as he said it, he knew he was lying. He was getting more and more curious about the “blur” as he started to call it. She had some sort of defense against magic and he wanted to know what it was.

  “I may not be a mage, but I know when a man is lying to me.”

  Xeron laughed, “Oh, I bet you do. And you’re half right. I really mean it when I say I was just looking for a guide, but this ‘blur’ around you has me fascinated.”

  “I haven’t heard that one before, my blur.” She raised her voice at the end, making it a question.

  “You are the full set, aren’t you? If you are a mage, seeing auras is part of the deal. The easiest way to show you would be a little magic and a little birch bark, but since I don’t have the birch, you’ll have to trust me on this.”