Dragon Fate

by J. D. Hallowell

  Delno opened the bundle: inside were a half a dozen biscuits and a small container of honey. Delno laughed out loud.

  “Want to share the joke?” Rita asked.

  Delno then told her all about Jennie. When he finished the tale, she smiled and said, “She sounds like a sweet girl; I hope she and Robbie get on well.”

  Some women he had known would have been jealous if told such a story. He was very pleased that Rita wasn’t like that. He added that to the growing list of reasons he found her so enchanting.

  She noticed that he was staring at her and asked with a smile, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Just thinking about how lovely you are,” he responded.

  He was lying on the soft grass. She reached out and took his hand and laid her head on his chest. They stayed that way for about a quarter of an hour before he said, “As much as I would love to stay here like this forever, if we don’t get going, we will never complete our task.”

  She sighed and got up. They checked their saddles and within minutes they were airborne.

  They flew for about three hours over forest before the sky turned almost black as a sudden storm came down out of the mountains. They landed in the first clearing they saw that was big enough to accommodate both dragons and were barely able to dismount and get their gear unstrapped before the first raindrops, nearly as big as small pebbles, began to pelt them. Geneva extended one wing slightly and Delno threw his gear under and grabbed Rita and pulled her, gear and all, under the improvised shelter. Fahwn moved along side Geneva and extended her own so that the overlapping wings kept them quite dry.

  After nearly an hour, the rain showed no sign of letting up. Delno asked Geneva if she would be more comfortable if he and Rita set up the small tent they had brought so that she and Fahwn could fully retract their wings. Both dragons assured them that maintaining the shelter was no problem, so they settled back and ate a cold supper of jerked beef and bread. Then they put out their bed rolls and tried to sleep. It wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed, but they were warm and dry. Soon they were both sleeping.

  Delno was aware that the light was red and that there was no rain. He sat up and realized he was in the Dream State. Rita was seated beside him and both dragons were there, though they didn’t have their wings extended forming a shelter here. Rita was simply fascinated by the slowly swirling clouds in the sky and the circling dragons overhead.

  Finally she looked directly at him and said, “This place is beautiful; I’ve only been here three times before now. I always seem to forget just how wonderful it is.”

  “Yes, I have been several times, but I am always amazed. You’ve only been here three times in over a century?” he asked.

  “I think Fahwn doesn’t bring me here because I tend to distract her, and she comes to talk with other dragons.”

  He noticed a dragon circling down as if to land, then he saw her color: it was Leera, and Brock was with her. Leera landed and Brock dismounted. “Well, it looks like this part of the plan will work,” he observed as he joined them, “we can meet and communicate here.”

  “We just have to remember to keep our emotions under control,” Delno replied, “The whole place is maintained by the females to relieve the stress from their loneliness. You can feel the undercurrent of emotion if you open yourself up to it. It’s quite peaceful, actually. However, if we let our emotions get high and upset them, the dragons will eject us.”

  “We’ll have to keep that in mind. The other problem is the time difference between our locations. Horne will be three hours behind you. By the time we settle into our beds, you will have been sleeping for at least that long.”

  “We’ll have to work out a regular schedule of contact before we part company,” Rita replied.

  Geneva added, “I can monitor this place at other times and watch for Fahwn and Leera, and they can watch for me the same way.”

  “Well,” Brock observed, “it isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly better than nothing, and it may be a lot more than our enemies have figured out.” He looked at Delno and said, “It was a good idea. I wonder why no one has thought of it before.”

  They all shrugged, wondering the same thing. Then Delno said to Brock, “Hopefully, your part of the plan will work even better. What makes you so sure Connor will agree to stay in Orlean?”

  “Well, he wasn’t thrilled with Simcha’s sword lessons and knows he is lacking in that respect. The soldiers at the garrison are some of the best I’ve met in a while, and not only have they agreed to teach him, they’ve offered payment if he will simply fly around a while each day and act like he’s patrolling. It seems they’ve found that just the presence of a Rider in the air is enough to discourage all but the most hardened bandits.”

  The conversation died away and they all sat together for a while until Brock said, “Well, I’m going to get back. I still have a lot to do tomorrow, and this place makes me lazy; it’s too pretty here.” Saying that he rose and walked to Leera, though instead of mounting, the pair simply faded from view.

  Delno and Rita stayed a while longer, content to just share the place with each other.

  Delno woke first and was content to lay there with Geneva so close and Rita curled up on his left side with her head pillowed on his shoulder. He could think of no other place he would rather be than right there. It was Geneva who needed to move.

  “I’m glad you are awake, Dear One; I need to go and hunt. I may have nearly reached my full size, and the need to eat almost constantly is tapering off quickly, but I didn’t eat yesterday after a great deal of exertion, and this morning I must find food or we will not go far.”

  “No problem, Dear Heart; we need to wake up and start getting ready, also.” Then he reached out with his magical senses and checked the area. When he had, he said, “I believe that you will find what you are looking for about a mile and half southeast of us.”

  “That’s a neat trick,” she said, “It eliminates the guess work and saves effort when looking for sustenance; I may just have to keep you around, Love.” She stood on her hind legs, opened her wings, and launched herself skyward.

  Rita grunted as if annoyed by Geneva’s departure. “Time to get up, Beautiful,” Delno told her.

  “No, I’m not getting up. Leave me alone.”

  “We have to get ready to go. We have a task to accomplish,” he responded.

  “I’m not going. I’m staying right here, forever.” She curled up in a ball and hid her head under the blanket.

  “You can’t stay right here,” he said.

  She mumbled something that sounded enough like “Why not?” that he answered.

  “Because this river appears to be subject to annual floods and you are below the high water mark on the trees; by next spring, you will drown.”

  “Then wake me late next winter,” she replied.

  “All right,” he said, “you can just lay there.” Then, knowing she had not emptied her bladder, he added, “Just don’t think about waterfalls.”

  She tried to squirm farther under the covers but it was no use. She sat up and glared at him. “I think I hate you,” she said as she rose and stalked off into the bushes.

  Smiling, he found a convenient place to do the same, then he went to the river to wash. While there, he caught several pan-sized fish with his hands like he had back in his first camp after leaving Larimar. This time, while it was still not what he would call ‘child’s play’, it was easier than before.

  As he caught the third fish, Rita, who had arrived in time to see him accomplish the feat, began clapping her hands. “Very good, Handsome! That’s quite a trick; most people use a net.” She was teasing him, but she was obviously impressed.

  “I seem to have gained a lot from being bonded to Geneva. Apparently, because the magic flows so easily between us, we are both changing more and faster than is normal. At least, that’s what that old female has been telling her.”

  Rita shrugged and bent to h
elp him clean the fish at the side of the stream. When they finished, they took the gutted fish back and cooked them, spitted over an open fire.

  As they were eating, Rita asked, “So which old female dragon has Geneva been talking to?”

  “An older bonded dragon who has been teaching her a bit about dragons in the Dream State. Geneva said she is about two millennia old.” He responded.

  “Delno,” she said, since she only used his given name when she was serious, he gave her his full attention. “There are very few old females around right now, at least among bonded dragons. Corolan and Geneva’s mother were the oldest before they died. The oldest bonded dragon alive that I know of is Torin; her rider is Craig. They are about fourteen hundred years old, and they mostly keep to themselves, or study with the elves.”

  “That can’t be,” he replied. “Bonded dragons live about three thousand years or more; surely there are some left who are over fourteen hundred right now. Perhaps someone you don’t know?”

  She raised one eyebrow and scowled at him, “I may be young for a Rider, Sonny, but I’m still over a century old. I traveled extensively after I left Simcha’s training: first with Brock, then on my own. There are only about a hundred Riders, and I have met them all. Corolan was the oldest. The next oldest was Warrick; his dragon was Hella, but they went north for her to mate about six years ago, and were never seen again.”

  “Only two elder dragons and Riders?”

  “There were three others, but they’ve died,” she answered.

  “Died?” he asked. “How?”

  She was thoughtful for a moment before answering. “One was killed in an accident while flying; his dragon was caught in a sudden crosswind and they crashed onto a rocky slope while flying a patrol in the mountains on the western edge of Horne. The second dragon was killed when a mating flight went badly and a wild female attacked her; her Rider couldn’t bear the loss and took his own life. The third disappeared over the mountains of Horne, and it is assumed that the Roracks got them.”

  Delno was thoughtful for a few moments. “So, all of the oldest dragons dead, and the eldest and most respected Riders with them. Three of them definitely had a connection with Horne and possibly with the Roracks. And now I learn that there shouldn’t be a two-thousand-year-old bonded dragon around for Geneva to talk to in the Dream State.” He tossed what was left of his fish away for the small scavengers in the area to eat and rose up; his appetite was gone. “We need to finish our mission and get back to Orlean. I want to discuss this with our entire group present.”

  They arranged their equipment while waiting for Geneva to return from the hunt. She arrived and settled just as they finished everything they could do without her there. She had eaten lightly so that they could start traveling as soon as she was saddled and the packs were tied into place. Once they were airborne, Delno told Geneva about his conversation with Rita.

  “I can certainly understand your concern, Dear One; it may well be that the old dragon is one of those who went missing, and that would mean that her Rider feels the need to hide. I will be much more careful about exchanging information from now on.”

  “I would prefer,” he responded, “that you cease all contact with her until we can be sure of her intentions. I regret now that she knows of our plans to use the Dream State to communicate”

  “Perhaps that would be best.”

  “Tell me, Love,” he asked, “if we are using the Dream State to communicate with the others, can you and the other two dragons keep our conversation private?”

  “Since many dragons hold private conversations each night, I don’t think it will be a problem, but we may not be able to hide our presence, just our thoughts.”

  They flew on in silence until well past noon. Delno had Geneva set a pace that Fahwn, though fully mature, was having trouble keeping up with. Finally, three hours past noon, he called a brief halt. Once they had eaten lightly and rested for a short period, he was eager to push on again. He could feel they were close to their goal, and he wanted to get this task done so they could return to Orlean.

  They flew until it was nearly dark and Fahwn was beginning to fall behind. Geneva was also tired, but she seemed to have reserves that the other dragon lacked. Geneva found a clearing, and the two dragons landed. As soon as the saddle was removed, she went off to hunt; she had used most of her reserves on the long flight. Even Fahwn went in search of food, though she went in a different direction from the younger dragon.

  “You’re pushing us very hard,” Rita observed. “Fahwn isn’t used to this kind of pace. Dragons are made for soaring, not hours of straight flight without rest. Neither dragon can keep this up two days in a row.”

  “They won’t have to,” he replied. “We’re very close. We could have gotten there today if the light had held for another hour or so.” Then he shrugged, “Just as well we stopped though; the dragons need to eat and rest before we get to our boy. He’s apt to run, and I don’t want to have to chase him if Geneva is worn out. She may be big and fast, but she isn’t mature yet, so the pace is getting to her, too.”

  She noticed that he was distracted and said, “You’re not completely here with me, are you?”

  He looked at her and smiled, “I’m sorry, I’m still going over all that has happened in my head, trying to make sense of it.”

  “Any point in particular I can help you with?” She responded.

  “There are so many points that focusing on one is difficult,” he paused for a moment, then went on. “One thing that really has me wondering is why everyone seems to be deferring to me. I’m a novice Rider; Brock literally has centuries on me. Shouldn’t he be the one to come up with the plans and make the decisions?”

  “Let me tell you a bit about Brock, Handsome. He’s a good instructor, and he’s very wise—wise enough to know when he’s outclassed.” At Delno’s puzzled look, she went on, “Brock was my teacher, and I traveled with him early on for almost two full years, and we’ve stayed in fairly close contact ever since. Even though he and I have never had an intimate relationship, you might say he is my first love.” She paused and cocked her mouth to one side, thinking, and then corrected herself, “Ok, he’s more like the big brother I’ve always looked up to, but anyway, I’ve learned a lot about the man over the years. He was Corolan’s student, perhaps the best Corolan ever trained, but, whatever they were doing, he was always Corolan’s lieutenant. Now that he’s trained you, and you have shown that you’re a natural leader, he is happy to let you lead.”

  “Natural leader, huh,” he remarked, “The highest I ever got was lieutenant myself.”

  “Ah,” she said, “but that was because of those ridiculous rules about being nobly born. All of the men at the garrison say that you would do much better in the south where men are promoted on merit. Every one of those men, even the Captain, would follow if you were leading. Face it, Handsome, you’ve found your niche. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have private business over there,” she pointed to the bushes.

  Delno sat in silence while she walked away. When she returned, she said, “Why don’t you relax and let it go for now, Handsome? You don’t want to wear out your brain thinking.”

  He smiled at her and said, “All of my life, I’ve just wanted to be a normal person. I’ve never sought out fame or glory; in fact, I’ve tried to avoid it. I’ve never wanted to be a leader, but even as a child, the other boys would always seek my approval before we did anything. I realize now that I joined the army partly to get away from them. Later, in the army, I was quite content to work hard and fall into my bed exhausted at the end of the day, and let someone else lead, but they made me a corporal before the war even started; said I was a natural leader. Later, when the war was over, I got out. I said it was because I couldn’t get promoted, but that wasn’t all of it; I didn’t want the responsibility of being in charge of other peoples’ lives. When I got out as an officer, my friend tried to push me into politics. I was trying to find a way to escape that wh
en I met Geneva’s mother.”

  He paused for a long time, just sitting and staring into the darkness. She didn’t know what to say to make him feel better, so she simply wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

  Finally, he said, “No matter how far or how fast I run from the responsibility of being a leader, Fate finds me and continues to force me to take charge. I guess it’s time to stop running!” He paused and smiled at her, “Time to accept the tiles that I’ve been given and play the game to the best of my abilities.”

  She smiled back and said, “I can’t think of anyone more able then you.” She winked and then added, “You lead, Handsome, I’ll follow.”

  Chapter 40

  Delno was up before the sun and had breakfast ready before he woke Rita. He was eager to get an early start. After they had eaten and stowed the gear in their packs, they woke the dragons. Once they were saddled up and mounted, Delno checked his direction again and made sure their target hadn’t moved during the night. They rose above the trees just as the sun did also. The dragons held their position for several moments, just hovering, facing into the sunrise and watching as the light moved slowly outward from the horizon illuminating the tree tops. As the light touched a huge tree about three hundred yards directly in front of them, a flock of large birds took flight, the light gleaming off of their iridescent feathers. The Riders smiled to each other. The dragons roared their delight as they once again beat down hard on the air to gain altitude.

  Once airborne, Delno and Geneva again set a swift pace flying toward the direction his talent pointed them. It was about an hour later when he asked Geneva to relay to Rita, through Fahwn, that they should be watchful since he felt they were very near. Rita signaled acknowledgement, and they both scanned the ground while the dragons opened their senses. They were soon rewarded for their efforts as Fahwn relayed that she had spotted their quarry and circled in for a landing with Geneva right behind her.

  Geneva landed less then fifty feet away from a brownish gold dragon almost the color of honey. A dark-skinned young man with reddish hair was just climbing into her saddle. She was preparing to launch herself even as he tightened the straps around his thighs.