“I would much prefer,” Delno responded, “that it is someone who has managed to organize them. At least then we might be able to find that individual and target him, and the whole thing would collapse. If they have somehow become smarter, then we will have to fight them until they can either see reason or they are all dead. The first scenario is much preferable.”
“Perhaps,” admitted Simcha, “It’s just hard to imagine that after all this time someone has managed to organize these creatures into a cohesive fighting force. Also, it’s a bit hard to believe that someone would want to do so.”
“We can debate how this is happening until we’re blue in the face,” Rita put in, “but that doesn’t help us decide about what to do.”
“What to do!?” Delno said moving to the edge of his seat. “Innocent people are dying; what we do is go down there and help them.”
“A man of action,” Rita cooed, “careful, Handsome, I’m having trouble controlling myself.”
Simcha let out a disgusted sigh, but held his tongue.
Brock looked at Delno very seriously and said, “You’re not going anywhere near Horne right now.”
“Not going anywhere near. . . .” he yelled jumping to his feet, “First you tell me about my responsibilities as a Rider, and now you tell me I have to sit by and let people die when I can help.”
“Calm yourself, Delno,” Brock replied. “Think this through. Simcha is right about one thing; Geneva isn’t mature yet. If you go along, you’d slow us down on the trip. She’s big enough to out-fly many adult dragons over a short span, but she hasn’t the reserves for prolonged flight yet. She would have to stop frequently to eat. Then, once we get there, she can’t fight effectively; she has no flame. The best you could do in the air would be to shoot arrows until your quiver was empty. Your magic is strong, but even that is just a drop in the bucket without her flame. Dragons are no good on the ground against large numbers of determined foes like Roracks; she’d be overwhelmed, and you’d both be killed. Without her, you’re just another swordsman, even if you are a damn good one. The best thing you can do is stay right here and keep working with Geneva until she matures.”
Delno sat back down and hung his head; he knew that Brock was right, but it didn’t sit well with him.
“Besides,” Brock said to him, “I have a task for you.” At Delno’s puzzled look he said, “It’s more of a favor. I’ll explain later.”
Rita’s lip curled in that pretty little pout again and she said, “Too bad, Handsome, I was looking forward to traveling with you.” Then she turned to Brock, “We need to stay here long enough to let the dragons rest up from the flight up to find you, and while we get supplies and make ready to leave. I’d estimate that we need to stay about two,” she glanced at Delno, “maybe three, days.”
Delno was lost in thought and didn’t notice: Brock and Simcha both rolled their eyes but kept silent.
Chapter 35
“So, Simcha,” Nat said, “what brings you to our humble city, if I may be so bold as to ask?”
They had remained secluded until dinner time and had only had time to wash their hands and faces before sitting down to the meal. Nat and Pearce were brimming over with questions that they had not had the chance to ask earlier.
Simcha was not pleased with being asked his business, but he couldn’t exactly deny that Nat had some right to know, since he had opened his house to the four Riders. “We have urgent business away to the southwest and have asked Brock to join us,” he responded.
“Southwest,” Nat replied thoughtfully, “Are the Roracks causing trouble again?”
Simcha became even more uncomfortable. He was used to people being somewhat afraid of Dragon Riders. Most people simply wouldn’t have the audacity to question a Rider about his comings and goings.
Brock came to his rescue, “You are a fascinating man, Healer. You know more about the world than some Riders do, and your knowledge of dragon lore is so extensive one has to wonder if you have read some of the texts that are kept by the elves on the subject. Of course, one would usually have to be an elf, or a Rider, to get access to those.”
Nat smiled and said, “Yes, I’ve led an interesting life.” Then he changed the subject away from elves. “So, Rita, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to question a woman Rider. Tell me, are the expectations placed on you any different than those placed on the men?”
“That would depend on whose expectations we are talking about,” she replied. “The other Riders don’t treat me much differently than they do the men, but many non-riders have underestimated me because of my gender.”
“Now I wouldn’t have given it much thought if you hadn’t mentioned it, Nat,” Delno observed. “You see, in the north, women have nearly the same status in society as men. They can own property, run their own businesses, and even become politicians. The only thing they are kept from doing is serving in the military, though many of them still train in the martial arts, both with weapons and unarmed combat.”
“Now that sounds like a very progressive society,” Rita remarked.
“Well, when the Exiled Kings and their people moved north, they didn’t take much with them,” Delno said, “and the early years were quite harsh. At first, it was quite a struggle just to survive: a struggle that many lost. Those women who lost their husbands still had to live and raise their children. Those women who didn’t lose their husbands often found themselves working right along side the men in their lives. The women proved that, except for sheer physical strength, they were just as capable as men in almost all jobs.”
“But you find them lacking as warriors?” Rita asked.
“Well,” he replied, “not me, personally, but it was decided early on that, unless the cities themselves were in danger, the women should not be burdened with military life. After all, they already carried the greater responsibility of raising the next generation. You see, in Corice, child rearing is not only considered a full time job, but a noble occupation.” Then he hastily added, “By the time in our history that decision was made, women outnumbered men on the ruling council by more than two to one, and the king had died, leaving his only child, the queen, on the throne. She ratified the council’s vote, and it has remained that way since. Young girls are required to train with weapons, especially bows. And they can, and do, serve as city guards or army reserve. The reserve positions don’t pay, but since training is required twice a month, serving thus still counts toward the right to vote just like being in the army does for men. The reserves don’t go to war, but if a force managed to fight its way to a city’s walls through our men, they would then find themselves facing a large number of very good archers and swordswomen.”
Rita smiled at him and proposed a toast to the women of Corice. Delno seconded the toast wholeheartily.
“So the right to vote is earned through service in Corice?” Nat asked.
“Well,” Delno replied, “a commoner can earn the right to vote by serving for at least eight years in the army, or some other job of that type such as city guard. Being promoted to officer earns you the right so long as you are honorably discharged even if you only serve four years: many noble-born men do that, since nobility start their military career as officers by right of birth. Since the crown always needs money, a person of any class can buy the right to vote if he has the gold. Many business people choose that option since they don’t want to be soldiers, and they still want a say in how taxes are levied.
Nat was thoughtful for a moment before saying, “That’s an interesting system. I knew you had kings, and I had just assumed that they ran the country through advisors like so many other kingdoms do.”
As the physician said the word ”assumed,” Delno and Brock looked at each other and smiled.
The conversation continued to remain on safe ground for all concerned. Even Simcha actually stopped scowling and participated a little. Then, since the two new guests had been traveling, they all retired for the evening.
; Delno went to his room and spent nearly an hour finishing a carving he had started a couple of nights before. Once the carving, a fox, was done, he decided that a bath would be nice. He got up and gathered clean clothing and a large bath sheet and went to the common bathing room that was at the end of the hall near the guest quarters on the second floor of the house.
The first thing he noticed when he entered the bathing room was that it was already occupied by Rita. The second thing he noticed was that she was naked from the waist up, and only wrapped in a towel from the waist down. While casual nudity wasn’t common in Corice, it was more due to the ambient temperatures of the northern clime than modesty, so Delno wasn’t shocked; however, since he was already attracted to Rita, he definitely took notice of her.
She simply smiled and said, “Oh, hello, Handsome.”
Delno realized he was staring at her breasts and moved his gaze to her eyes, which looked to be full of mischief. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t know you were in here. I’ll come back and use the room later.”
“Wait,” she said. As she stood, her towel fell to floor, “Don’t go. I was just thinking it would be nice to have someone to wash my back.”
Delno couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. Not overly busty, slim but nicely rounded. Even her Dragon Mark seemed to be in just the right place and perfectly proportioned. It was, of course, a red dragon, but this one was in flight. The dragon’s head was just about an inch below her left breast, and the tail trailed about midway down her thigh, curling slightly to the outside of her leg. The Right wing wrapped slightly around her left side about halfway between her abdomen and her back, and the left wing spread across her abdomen until the tip just touched the edge of her belly button.
“Well,” she said, “are you going to help me get the water pumped into the tub, or are you just going to stand their gawking like an adolescent boy who’s just seen a naked woman for the first time?”
Without taking his eyes off of her he cocked his head to one side as if considering the options and asked, “How much time do I get to answer that question?”
One side of her mouth curled into a sardonic smile and she said, “Just man the pump, Handsome; I’ll see if I can find us some soap and a loofa.”
Delno moved to the tub and began pumping hot water, though he did angle himself so that he could watch her move around the room looking for the supplies. It wouldn’t have taken her nearly as long to find them if she had asked him where to look, but, if she didn’t mind putting on a show, he didn’t mind watching. He said nothing and let her continue searching.
She found the soap and sponges and returned to the tub and pumped the cold water. When the tub was about three quarters full, she climbed in and sank down until her head was completely under water. Once her long hair was wet, she started applying soap to it. He helped her scrub her head and get the tangles out of her hair. Then he used the sponge to wash her back. When he finished with her back, he stood and removed his shirt.
She stood up in the tub and examined his dragon mark and asked how it had ended up so high on his body, so he quickly told her about the how the egg had hit him on the chest while being laid. She then spent several moments tracing the Mark with the tips if her fingers. The sensations were delightful.
Finally she looked into his eyes. Even standing in the raised tub, she was still a bit shorter than he was. He had to lean over to kiss her. At first, she simply wrapped her arms around him and up toward his shoulders and pulled his mouth to hers. They lingered like that for several moments before she reached to help him unfasten his trousers. Then he stepped into the tub.
Rita helped him bathe and they played together in the tub; wrestling gently, kissing, just holding each other. They stayed in the bath until the water cooled enough to be uncomfortable, then they dried each other and went to his room together.
He lit a candle and they sat down on the edge of the bed and he held her for several moments, just enjoying the feeling of being with her. Just as they lay back on the bed, Geneva broke into his thoughts.
“Are you sure that what you are doing is wise?” She sounded upset.
“Are you jealous, Dear Heart?”
“Yes, but I’ll get over that soon enough. That isn’t why I asked you if you had thought this through.”
“Then what are you concerned about?” Now he was truly puzzled.
“The harsh Rider.” She purposely didn’t use Simcha’s name. “It was obvious this afternoon that he doesn’t approve of her being with you. Knowing your talent for finding trouble when interacting with other humans, I thought you might want to be a bit more cautious.”
Delno felt annoyed—first, because he didn’t think that this was any of Simcha’s business; and second, because he didn’t think he needed a young dragon giving him advice on social interaction. It would have been better if this were just a case of simple jealousy.
“I know what I’m doing, Geneva, and it will not cause any trouble I cannot handle, nor will it interfere in our relationship,” he said. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“All right, Love,” she responded. “Good night.”
The next morning he woke to the sensation of Rita’s hair tickling his face. She was sleeping curled up nearly on top of him. Though he hated to do it, he gently woke her, and they dressed and walked into the hall.
Simcha was coming out of his room as the two of them emerged from Delno’s quarters. He glared at them and then said, “So, I suppose you got lost in the night and just happened to walk into the wrong room?”
Rita looked him in the eye and said, “Think what you like, Simcha, but whom I spend my nights with is none of your business. Now, whether or not you have more to say, I’m not interested in hearing it. If you’ll excuse me, I am going to find breakfast; I’m famished.” She then stalked off without another word.
Brock, who had just stepped into the hallway, heard the exchange, and he looked as though he wished he’d stayed in bed just a few minutes longer. He gave Delno a questioning look, and Delno just shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away. He hadn’t taken a full step when Simcha snatched his shoulder and spun him around. Then the older Rider grabbed him with both hands by the material of his shirt and began shouting at him, “You think this is some kind of game, Pup?”
Delno had had all he was going to take of the man. He reached over Simcha’s left arm with his right hand and grabbed the man’s right hand while taking a step back with his left foot. This put the older man off balance and leaning forward on his right leg. Before the man could react, Delno pulled his hand over in a twisting motion while taking a large step forward with his own left foot and brought his opponent’s hand and shoulder down to waist level, then raised the man’s hand back up almost to chest level while placing his own left hand on Simcha’s right shoulder. The result was that Simcha was now facing the other direction, bent over and off balance, looking at the floor, while Delno was upright in a stable stance. Delno then spun around and lowered himself to his knees, which caused Simcha to go down onto his belly. He then placed his open hand on the man’s upper arm while bending the wrist back towards Simcha’s own face almost to the breaking point.
Once he had Simcha pinned he said, “Simcha, I have accepted insult from you many times, but that is the last time you will ever touch me in anger. The next time you lay a hand on me I will break it off and keep it as a souvenir.”
Delno then released his hold on the older Rider and quickly rose and walked away without looking back. He and Brock exchanged a look as he passed, but Brock said nothing, and Delno thought he noticed just the hint of a smile on his teacher’s face.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Rita was waiting for him. She said, “What happened up there?”
“We had a quick discussion,” he replied. “It’s settled now.”
“A discussion?” She responded, “It sounded like the two of you were coming through the floor.
Where I come from, Handsome, we call that a fight.”
“Well, where I come from the difference between a discussion and a fight is the amount of blood on the floor when it’s over,” he said. “Semantics aside, I handled it, and I don’t think there will be any further discussion about the issue.”
Rita smile mischievously, “Yes, I’ve noticed that you’re very good at handling things.” Then she asked, “Where do you find breakfast around here? I’m starving.”
“Well, Missus Gentry runs Nat’s kitchen, but she isn’t in this early. Brock and I usually have breakfast with the officers at the garrison, and then do martial practice with the troops.”
“Well, then,” she said, taking his arm, “like I said before, Handsome, you lead, I’ll follow.”
As they walked to the garrison, Delno asked, “Rita, what is Simcha’s problem? Why is he so dead set to keep you and me separated?” Then he stopped and looked her in the eye and asked, “You and he aren’t. . . . ?”
“NO!” She cut that thought off quickly. “He and I never have been and never will be involved in that way.” She took a deep breath and continued, “He was my teacher; at least, he was my first teacher. After four months of lessons with him, it took Brock nearly a year and half to train me properly. Simcha has never forgotten that I was his student, and I’ve never forgiven him for being my teacher. He was an ass then and another century of life hasn’t mellowed him one bit.”
They reached the garrison, so Delno let it drop and showed her to the mess hall. Winston and Robbie were waiting for them at the table. Apparently the officers had figured that all four Dragon Riders would join them, because they had six places set at one of the larger tables. Delno had just finished introducing Rita to the two officers when Brock and Simcha joined them. Brock introduced Simcha, and they sat down to eat. Simcha was stiff but polite, though he never once looked at either Rita or Delno.
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