Dragon Talker

by Anderson, Steve

  Samantha shook her head, saying only, “Men.”

  “Ah, we’re worth it,” Yuri said over his shoulder as he jumped off the wagon. “Keep going, but don’t rush. I should be able to catch up with you before the sun sets.”

  “Be careful, Yuri.”

  “I will, and don’t forget, I’m a dragon talker.” Yuri paused as flashes of the morning’s actions ran through his mind, then added, “Samora’s talker.”

  ***

  Unlike the first time Yuri walked up to the dragon talker’s hut, Yuri knew what to expect. Smoke rose from the hut’s chimney, giving him the hope that he might catch him inside. He had no idea how he would catch him if he went invisible and ran off. Yuri was counting on him being tired and having his guard down after all that happened today.

  A light snow started to fall as he approached the hut. This will help if he’s outside, he thought, then he crouched low as he approached the window to the right of the door. Peering in, he saw Roger sitting in a chair in front of the fire. It looked like he was asleep. Now or never, he told himself as he stood up and reached for the door.

  Roger turned at the sound of the opening door as Yuri stepped in.

  “What are you doing here?” Roger asked.

  “I’m ….” Roger started to disappear in front of Yuri, but this time Yuri leaped at him, grabbing his shimmering form as Roger tried to leave the chair.

  Yuri lifted him up and pinned him to the wall next to the fire place. “I’m here…” Roger was totally invisible by the time he reached the wall. “Stop that,” Yuri said as he shook him. “I’ll bounce you off your own fireplace if you don’t stop.”

  Yuri waited as Roger slowly became visible again. “That’s better.”

  “Are we good then?” Roger asked, clearly irritated but doing nothing to get out of Yuri’s grasp. “Will you let go of me?”

  “Absolutely…when I’m done. You are crazy and this village deserves more from you.”

  Roger interrupted, “What are you talking about, I was out there risking my life.”

  Yuri lifted him a little higher. “You were out there, yeah, but you were probably the safest, for sure the slowest, person ‘out there.’ Stop messing with this village.”

  Roger grabbed at Yuri’s hands and tried to pry them off. “Who are you to tell me, a dragon talker, what to do?”

  “I’m Samora’s talker. That’s who I am, so when I speak you better listen. You and this village are now on my list of things to watch over. Samora has made it so. I will be back. You won’t know when, you might not even see me, but you can bet your crazy life I’ll hear how you have been behaving. I better like what I hear. Do you understand?”

  Yuri dropped his voice, trying for firm and threatening, “Do you understand?”

  Roger looked into Yuri’s face, but his eyes moved to the dark blue scales on Yuri’s neck. Looking back up at his face, he would later swear to himself Yuri had dragon eyes. “I get it… Let me go already.”

  Yuri waited a moment before setting him down. “Good. My vision and hearing are as good as they come, so make sure I hear and see good things about you.” Yuri stepped backwards, touched his pointer finger to his forehead in a comradely salute. “Good things, Roger.” He turned and walked out the hut. He didn’t look back, but he did listen carefully on the off chance Roger tried to leave the hut for another sneak attack.

  Yuri walked on in silence, hoping Roger wouldn’t figure out he was lying about Samora’s interest in the village. He also hoped Samora wouldn’t be angry when he told her what he did. No, he decided, angry he could handle. He hoped she wouldn’t disown him. That thought sent a chill through his spine. He shrugged it off since he decided there was nothing else he could do about it and started running to catch back up with the wagon.

  Yuri let his mind wander as he ran down the trail after the wagon. It felt good not to think, breathing in the cold night air. Even with the moon behind the clouds, Yuri had no problem seeing in the dark. One more benefit of being a talker, he thought. He caught up with the wagon in under an hour.

  “That was fast,” Samantha said quietly, not wanting to wake the boys, when Yuri suddenly appeared next to her on the right side of the wagon, keeping pace with the wagon.

  Yuri liked that she didn’t startle easily. “It didn’t take long,” he said as he grabbed the side of the wagon with his left hand and pulled himself up onto the seat next to Samantha in one smooth motion.

  “Do you want a break?” he asked.

  “No, I like the peacefulness of a night ride. I don’t know the next time I’m going to sleep.”

  “Me neither, I may not sleep ‘til we’ve been home for a week, but then I’ll sleep for a week. If I have any say in the matter.” Yuri looked back at the boys, leaning against each other and asleep in the back of the wagon. “Have you ever taken care of kids before?”

  “Family, sure, but not orphans. That’s different.” Samantha also looked back at the boys. “What’s your village going to think?”

  “You know, I hadn’t thought of that, just my family, and they take care of kids who need help.”

  Samantha looked at Yuri, “Can I meet them?”

  “Sure, why wouldn’t…”

  Samantha interrupted, “I can meet them, Yuri, if they meet me as a simple young woman. If anyone knew of my magic, I would be in grave danger.”

  “Samora,” was Yuri’s one word response.

  “What?”

  “Samora is the only one who I will tell.” Yuri continued when he saw the look on her face that said, do you have to tell the dragon. “We’re connected inside here.” He pointed to his temple. “I have no idea how much of my mind she can see into, but I doubt I have any secrets.”

  “A dragon, Yuri?” Samantha sounded disappointed.

  Yuri pulled open his collar, exposing both his armored scales and pendant, a pendant he washed three times after bringing it back up after he swallowed it. “Hello, Dragon Talker. The dragon connection is right there in my title.”

  “Sorry, Yuri. I think I’m more tired than I realize. Of course, Samora. Any idea what she thinks of me?” Samantha figured it was worth asking, but was startled when Yuri laughed.

  “Samantha,” Yuri shook his head, “I don’t even know what she thinks of me, besides wanting me to be alive. I could be her pet human for all I know.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve never heard of any dragon giving up its scales.”

  They both sat in silence for a while before Yuri started up the conversation again. “I think Samora likes the boys, or somehow claimed a connection.” He told her of the village burial and Samora blessing the boys with her breath. “So I think you helping the boys might carry some weight with Samora. At least enough that I don’t think she’d eat you for no reason.”

  “And I don’t want to give her one, Yuri. We’ve kept a low profile forever, and I don’t plan on being the one who blows it.”

  “There are no thousand-year secrets,” Yuri countered.

  “Have you ever heard of a female mage?”

  “….okay, yours is a good one. How many…” Yuri stopped when he saw the look on her face. “Right, no questions you can’t answer.”

  Samantha knew the lack of sleep and the ordeal in the village had been clouding her thinking. “I can’t do it, Yuri. I can’t come to your village. It’s too dangerous. I’ll take you within a day’s walk, but then I have to go my own way.”

  “But…I want you to meet my…”

  “And what, settle down in a dragon village?”

  “I don’t know. Can’t you just meet my parents and stay a day or two, see how Samora reacts?”

  Samantha put her hand on Yuri’s thigh, which sent his heart racing. “I’d love to meet your parents and see your village, but I can’t risk…No one, Yuri…No one knows as much as you. That’s bad enough. I can’t risk compounding it.”

  She lifted her hand off his thigh and looked forward. Yuri’s heart slowed down. He
hadn’t thought much about Samantha with all that was going on, but the idea of not seeing her anymore bothered him. They rode in silence for miles before Yuri finally said, “Well that’s a deep down muddy feeling.”

  Samantha laughed. “That’s one way to put it. You’re a good young man, Yuri, and I’m glad I got to meet you and the boys. I think you will be a great dragon talker for Mandan, too, but it is time for this girl to get back on her own. You’re not the only one with a purpose, you know.”

  Yuri hadn’t thought about that. The realization that she could be on her own search hit him in the forehead. He smiled at his own naiveté. “I won’t ask, but I’d love to know what that is.”

  “Embracing the unknown will make you a great poet.”

  Yuri looked behind them. “What are you going to tell the boys?”

  “That’s easy. I have to continue my travels and wish them the best.”

  Yuri started laughing, causing Samantha to ask, “What’s so funny?”

  “Me.” Yuri shook his head. “When young men leave Mandan, and this goes double for those that almost get swallowed by a dragon, they come back with a wife, not two boys…I’m not saying I expected you to marry me. I just didn’t think this is how my journey would go.”

  Samantha looked at Yuri and smiled, looking and sounding suddenly older to Yuri. “Looks like you learned life lesson number one, Yuri. It never goes the way you expect it to.”

  “There is so much I don’t know about you, isn’t there?”

  Now it was Samantha’s turn to laugh. “What you don’t know about me would fill books.”

  “And I can’t read.”

  They both laughed at that.

  Chapter 60

  It was midday when Mandan came into view. Yuri was carrying Bernard, who was sitting half on his shoulders and half on his pack. A surge of pride washed over Yuri as he said, “There she is boys, Mandan. Best village in the valley.”

  Bernard snapped his head around, “Where?”

  “Yeah,” Stone added, “I don’t see anything.”

  “Um…” Yuri kept forgetting about his increased sight. “Well, it’s there, that way.” He pointed in front on him. “You’ll start to see it soon.”

  “Good,” Stone said, “I’m tired of walking.”

  “I’m not,” Bernard replied, sticking his tongue out at Stone. Stone punched his dangling leg, and Bernard grabbed it, saying “Ouch” as he rubbed it.

  Thirty minutes later, Stone said, “I see it.”

  “Me too,” Bernard shouted, even though he didn’t.

  “That,” Yuri said, “is Mandan. This is my home, boys, and I think you’re going to like it, too.”

  Bernard asked, “Is there anybody my age?”

  “Let me see,” Yuri ran through the boys he knew Bernard’s age. “I’d say about fifteen, give or take a year or two. And about twelve Stone’s age.”

  “I’m hungry,” Stone said flatly.

  “Well, you’re in luck, because right about now, my mom is getting dinner ready and you are going to have cooking that is a lot better than mine.” Looking past the village, Yuri saw a boy herding goats back down the lower slopes of the mountain. He pointed, “That’s my brother, up on the other side of the hill.”

  Stone didn’t even try to see him. Bernard shouted, “I see him.” He didn’t.

  “I wonder where Selma is?”

  Yuri looked down at the boys. He wanted to run ahead, pick up Hental, and give him a big hug, whether he wanted it or not. Instead, he looked at Stone, trudging along but tired from the days walking. Yuri tried to ignore the itching in his legs to take off and run home. Taking a deep breath, he told himself, a dragon talker doesn’t run into his village like a little kid missing his family.

  “Let me take your pack, Stone. I can carry it the rest of the way.”

  Yuri reached for his pack, but Stone took two steps away, snapping, “I carried it this far and I’ll carry it the rest of the way.”

  “Okay.” Yuri resigned himself to getting home as fast as Stone’s legs would get there, and not a step faster.

  Two boys wrestling at the edge of the village stopped when they saw Yuri and the boys. One, Yuri recognized him as Lemek, ran into the village while the other, Piotr, ran out to meet him.

  “Hey Piotr,” Yuri called as he approached.

  “Hi, Yur…” Piotr caught himself, shouting, “Good day and service, Samora-Kin.”

  Yuri had been gone so long he forgot about the traditional greeting and his honorific. He answered in kind, “My honor and my duty, Piotr. That’s a very official greeting. Are you thinking of being mayor?”

  “Nah, the grownups have been making all of us practice for your return.” He started walking next to them. “Hi.” He waved at Stone, who waved back, but with less enthusiasm.

  “Lemek is going to the mayor. Want me to tell your folks you’re here?”

  “That would be great, and tell them I brought guests.” He nodded to the two boys.

  “Sure.” And with that, he took off running.

  “Hey,” Yuri yelled to Piotr, “where’s Selma?”

  Piotr never stopped running but yelled, “Passed through the fire!”

  Yuri stopped walking as that sunk in. He knew Selma was near the end of her life, but it bothered him that he wasn’t there to honor her at her funeral. He wondered what else he had missed as people starting coming out of the village to greet him. Soon, there were surrounded by villagers, greetings, questions, and lots of arm grabbing and patting on the back followed.

  Yuri kept smiling and returning greetings, but it was all a bit overwhelming until he heard his father’s voice, “Yuri!” His eyes went to him immediately as the polite smiling he was giving his fellow villagers grew into one of serious joy.

  “Tatush!” he shouted back. He reached over his shoulders and lifted Bernard off his back as he approached his dad. He held on to Bernard’s hand, keeping him close, until he was right next to his father. Then he let go to give him a big hug. He held the hug a long time.

  Tadeus didn’t let up until Yuri did. The he held him by the shoulders at arm’s length.

  “It’s good to see you, son.” He nodded at the boys, “and it looks like you brought some company.” Smiling at them, Tadeus smiled added, “So who are these adventuresome looking boys?”

  Bernard was the first to speak. “I’m Bernard.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Bernard. Welcome to Mandan.

  Stone waited a moment before saying, flatly, “Stone.”

  Tadeus looked at Yuri quizzically before turning back to Stone and saying, “And greetings to you, Stone. Welcome to Mandan.”

  Yuri looked around, “Where’s mom?”

  “Back home, Lared broke his leg yesterday and she’s keeping close watch.”

  “What?” Yuri asked.

  “I’ll let Hental fill you on the details. He was out with Hental and the goats when it happened. As long as infection doesn’t set in, he should be fine. We’re being careful.”

  Yuri’s tone turned serious, “Let’s go.” He grabbed Bernard’s hand and started pulling him towards his parent’s hut. Stone followed, happy to be leaving the crowd, which parted when Yuri made it clear that getting home was the only thing on his mind.

  As he entered the hut, he said, “What’s this I hear that Lared is laying around like a plucked chicken?”

  Both Lared and Agardia yelled, “Yuri!” in response.

  Lared leaned up in bed as his mother ran and hugged Yuri hard. Yuri winked at Lared then concentrated on the hug. Yuri felt a few tears drop from his mom’s cheek onto his shoulder. “Oh mom,” he said, “it’s okay. I can take care of myself out there.”

  She leaned back and looked at him, answering, “That’s part of why I’m crying, Yuri. You are going to have to tell us everything that happened, including why there are two boys in my hut more dirty than Hental after a day with the goats.”

  Yuri smiled. His mother never missed a thing
. “You could use a good cleaning, too.”

  “Aw, mom.” For a moment, Yuri felt like a kid again. He didn’t mind because right now, he was home.

  Seeing his little sister wrapped up in her crib, Yuri was looking for one more person to make his homecoming complete. As if on cue, Hental stepped in, carrying a goat. Seeing Yuri, he said, “Yep, you’re here. I got to take care of my goats, then I’ll be back. Good to see you, Yuri Samora-kin.”

  Yuri was thrown by Hental’s formality and also his seriousness, but he decided to go with it. “Good to see you to, Shepard Hental.”

  Hental’s grin was practically ear to ear as he left the hut.

  “Oh, he’s been waiting to show off his new status to his big brother,” Tadeus explained to Yuri.

  Yuri’s smile grew even bigger as he felt the love of his family. “It is good, so very good to be home.”

  He spent the next day and a half sleeping.

  Epilogue

  Yuri walked into the field where he first met Samora. Walking around the boulder, he tried to remember what he was like before he became the talker. It was hard to imagine, and the one thing that kept coming back to Yuri was his smallness, his former naive view of the world. He knew it had only been a few months, but he wasn’t the same Yuri.

  He looked to the east in anticipation of Samora’s arrival. Not yet, he knew, but soon. He ran his hand around the boulder. He didn’t remember hitting it, but he knew he did. “I’m hard to kill,” he confided in the boulder. “Between you and me, I think I’m going to get harder and harder to kill.”

  Two months ago, the idea would have sounded exciting. With more experience, Yuri was decidedly reserved. Everyone knows the gift given by a dragon is for the dragon and not the talker, but the reality of it was sinking deeper and deeper into his bones every day. If Samora wanted Yuri to be hard to kill, what she wanted him to do would probably be things that get a normal person killed, unless it was only some twisted dragon joke he didn’t understand.

  Yuri didn’t need the amulet to know Samora was nearby. He looked at his cart full of dried fish once before heading to the center of the field. He reached the middle as Samora came into sight, flying a few hundred feet above the trees to the east. She slowly descended. By the time she reached Yuri, she passed over his head within arm’s reach. Yuri stood calm and still as a gust of wind followed Samora’s overpass.