“You catch ’em, I’ll preen ’em,” she offered, trying to get him to laugh.
It succeeded. Shunlei choked on a laugh even as he resumed combing her hair. “You know, I think that’ll work? After experiencing your preening, I’d certainly change my mind about being allies with humans.”
“Right? Easier to tame dragons than fight them into submission. Can you imagine a world where dragons and humans were friends? Think of all that could be accomplished, of how much more peaceful the world will be.”
They spoke of what if’s and could be’s as he combed her hair. Mei Li dropped hints, subtly, but drew him the overall picture, unable to resist. Even after her hair was combed and dried, they lingered near the fire and spoke of the future.
The next week was tedious and tiring. They spent all day in the saddle, stopping at random places at night as they made their way steadily east. Sometimes it meant camping outside, sometimes they could find an inn. Never had Mei Li so missed having an entire flight of dragons willing to fly her about. Air travel was just so much more convenient than being stuck on horseback. And her cramping thighs didn’t like all this saddle time.
Kiyo continued to help her in and out of clothes. Shunlei took over doing her hair and refused to budge on this point. They were both patient as they aided her, and Mei Li appreciated it beyond words. Still, she was very grateful when her arm finally healed and the bandages came off.
The geography was such that it was easier to go north and then east rather than to try to cross over the Summer Winds Mountain range. By going north for a day or so, they could then cross over the bridge at Crimson Lake, a much faster and easier trek than going up and down a mountain. Considering the last time she’d been on that bridge, the idea didn’t thrill her, but Mei Li kept reminding herself that the bridge was alright in this era. In fact, it wasn’t even the same bridge—the Lost Souls Bridge of the future was the sixth incarnation of the bridge now in place.
Still, the reaction she felt on spying the glistening waters of Crimson Lake was a very mixed feeling. The last time she’d been here, they’d all been fighting to rescue the people trapped in Lost Souls Bridge. It had been difficult, nerve-wracking, and dangerous in all the wrong ways. The memory of it sent a cold shiver racing up and down her spine. Being here made her wonder how everyone was doing. Had Shunlei, Bai, and Gen’s burns healed enough to use yet? How was Leah’s thigh and hip? Mei Li had no way of tracking how much time had passed in the future, but her guess was only a few hours. She hated not knowing, though. That ate at her.
It also felt surreal to be here, in a place where she had worked alongside all of them, and have it look so similar but different. The similarities especially threw her mentally as if she were caught in a strange dream. At least, up until she reached the shores and realized she could easily see the other side. No fog here, or warning signs. Or even torii. The radical difference helped for some reason.
Mei Li thumped a palm over her heart and settled her unease as the horses’ hooves clattered over the wooden bridge.
Hawes was at her right stirrup, and he lifted a hand to shield his eyes as he spoke. “Looks like we’ll have a bit of daylight left once we’ve crossed. An hour or two. Still, I think we should stop for the night. There’s a nice inn on the other side. My back could use a real mattress to sleep on for a night.”
“Mine too,” Mei Li agreed, heartfelt. “And baths.”
“Please baths,” Kiyo pleaded from behind.
“Then it’s settled, we’ll stay.” Hawes squinted and leaned forward. “Shunlei, am I seeing a dragon up ahead?”
Shunlei studied the sky for a moment. “You are. And he’s not just passing overhead. With the way he’s circling, he’s about to dive. Or land. Hawes, I think I’d best intervene.”
“Go!” Hawes encouraged, worried now.
Shunlei didn’t even wait for her to draw the horse to a stop. He just slid smartly off, darting ahead and then sprinting further down the bridge. In mid-step, he transformed and, with a powerful beat of his wings, lifted into the sky.
Watching him go, Mei Li bit her bottom lip, the unease back in her chest. She had no doubt he would win, but would he be injured in the process? Would the townsmen understand that he was the one protecting them? Or just attack both dragons equally?
Hawes apparently had the same thoughts. “Let’s hurry and catch up,” he urged.
Mei Li put heels to flanks and got her horse running, grimly hoping to cross the distance before something went very wrong. Even as she rode, her eyes stayed trained on the sky. The dragon they saw was diving, sleek and true, not seeming to care that Shunlei was quickly closing in on his location.
Shunlei didn’t even pause or speak, just rammed right into the other dragon. The collision echoed, the sound as sharp as a boulder striking the basin floor.
“Gods, how hard did he hit him?” Melchior spluttered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of hooves.
Mei Li lost sight as the two dragons crashed sharply to the ground. She wanted to urge the horse to go faster, but in truth her gelding was already hoofing it as fast as he could. It seemed to take eons before she finally reached the end of the bridge.
The town on the other side seemed to be fine—no damaged buildings or fire that she could see. But she also didn’t see any dragons. Mei Li hurried through the streets, and it wasn’t until she’d reached the far end that she finally saw Shunlei.
Both dragons were in a farmer’s field, the livestock having sensibly fled. Shunlei was perched on the other’s back, and he had a firm grip on the back of the yellow dragon’s head. Still, the yellow one struggled, his claws digging up the earth all around, snarling.
“Get off, you brute!” Yellow snapped at Shunlei in Long-go. “What business is it of yours if I snatch a sheep?!”
“You’ll yield to me,” Shunlei commanded, still holding firm. “You’ll yield and obey the laws I lay on you. I won’t let go until you do.”
“I’m not obeying some idiot I don’t even know!”
Mei Li pulled to a sharp stop and sighed in relief. No injuries she could see. Shunlei had this in hand.
Hawes pulled up next to her and demanded in a low tone, “What are they saying?”
“Shunlei’s demanding the yellow yield. Yellow is refusing, says he doesn’t even know Shunlei, he’s not obeying him.”
“What can we do to help?”
“Go buy meat,” she directed after a moment’s thought. “Yellow’s hungry, he planned to snatch a sheep. If his belly is full, he might be more cooperative.”
“I’ll do that,” Melchior volunteered, turning around and heading back into town.
Mei Li slid off her gelding—Peanut blew out a thankful breath—and she fetched her dowel from the saddlebags. Then she approached from the front, giving both dragons a clear view of her approach.
Yellow stopped thrashing and eyed her suspiciously.
“His name is Shunlei,” Mei Li informed him in Long-go. “I’m Mei.”
Yellow’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Wha—you know Long-go!”
“I do. I also know how to preen a dragon.” Mei Li lifted the dowel in illustration. “How about if you promise to behave and talk sensibly with Shunlei, we’ll feed you dinner and I’ll preen you. Your wings seem to be in a state.”
Yellow hesitated strongly. This was a very personal thing she was offering. Mei Li understood that and stepped lightly to Shunlei’s wing, carefully showing the other that she did indeed know what she was doing. And that Shunlei trusted her enough to do it. Shunlei thrummed at her, a happy note, and she thrummed back with a smile on her face.
Yellow’s eyes lingered longingly on the dowel, and he licked his lips. “No tricks?”
Mei Li smiled at him. Ah, so young. “My word on it.”
“I’m Enlai,” Yellow finally stated. “I’ll listen and not attack. You’ve got my word.”
Shunlei immediately released him. Enlai stood and shook his body
out, rustling wings and laying them against his body, watching them all warily.
“Stretch out,” Mei Li encouraged. “My friend went to buy some meat for all of us. I’ll preen your wings while you and Shunlei talk.”
Enlai settled on his belly, stretching out a wing and watching her cautiously. But when she didn’t do anything strange, his head turned again to regard Shunlei. “Well. What’s your stake in this? I’ve heard your name before. People are saying you’re fighting dragons to a standstill, making them swear they won’t hurt hum—oooooh that’s good.” Enlai’s head dropped as he nearly purred. “Gods above, I didn’t think a human would be good at this. Why is she so good at this?”
“A dragon taught her how,” Shunlei answered, amused. He settled on his belly, looking for all the world relaxed in some farmer’s pasture with a half-destroyed fence laying in mangled remains nearby.
Mei Li’s ears perked as she heard Hawes send Kiyo and Nord off to find them an inn for the night, but their leader stayed planted nearby, watching this play out. He had no idea what they were saying, as Shunlei and Enlai continued to speak in Long-go. But he stood so he could watch Mei Li’s face, and she gave him reassuring nods now and again so he knew the talk was progressing well.
Shunlei outlined exactly what he wanted, in an easy, no-nonsense tone. “First, you are humanity’s ally. Act accordingly.”
“What does that mean?” Enlai lost focus before the question was fully out, tilting his wing so Mei Li could reach a particularly troublesome spot.
Clearing his throat, Shunlei gently brought Enlai’s attention back to him. “First, you protect them if there is danger nearby. Second, you do not hunt them. Third, you do not hunt on their lands unless you have permission.”
“Is that all?”
“You’ll find that most situations fall in line with one of those. Our goal is to be humanity’s friend. If we prove to be a danger to them, they will hunt us. And while we are formidable, we are not without our weaknesses. We are also very outnumbered. In time, I think we’ll be hunted to extinction unless something changes.”
“You really—oh, yes, right there. You really think so?”
“I know it. I’ve seen this already in action. We must change, and change quickly, or there is no hope for dragonkind.”
Enlai tried to ask further questions, but he seemed to be distracted by Mei Li’s hands as she worked out the knots in his down and pruned out broken feathers. In fact, it quickly became clear this method was underhanded—Enlai was too engrossed in the preening to pay proper attention to Shunlei. It was like negotiating with a person while they were getting a massage with warm oils.
Melchior returned with the meat, and Enlai ate it so quickly Mei Li wasn’t convinced he’d properly chewed. Or even tasted it much on the way down. He did look a little thin—was he too young to know how to hunt and survive properly? Was that what drove him from the mountains and down here into human settlements?
Right behind Melchior were two men, both nervous about having dragons so near their town, but Melchior apparently had spoken with both of them. He waved them in closer and brought them to stand near Shunlei.
“This is Shunlei,” Melchior introduced with a smile. “As I said before, he’s a friend of ours and really, a friend of humanity. Shunlei, this is Mayor Deming and the sheriff, Guiren. They saw and heard the crash.”
Shunlei dipped his head toward both men. He switched from Long-go but spoke slowly, probably for Enlai’s sake, who wouldn’t be as comfortable with the human language. “My apologies for startling you. I wanted to intercept this young one. This is Enlai. We are discussing the terms for him to not attack human settlements. Enlai?”
Enlai at this point was little better than a puddle of drool as he lay flat on his belly. He tilted his head up and blinked sleepily. “Hmm?”
“Mei, stop preening for a moment,” Shunlei requested, biting down a laugh with visible effort. “I need him to focus.”
“Noooo, don’t stop her,” Enlai whined at him in Long-go. “Do you know how long it’s been since I was preened? My broodmother last did it, that’s how long!”
Mei Li stopped and patted his side. “I’ll finish after you four talk.”
Enlai turned to give her a pitiful look. Really, only dogs could match his puppy eyes. “You promise? You won’t leave me like this, will you?”
“I promise,” she soothed. “Now, focus.”
“Enlai, there are benefits to being friends with humanity.” Shunlei said this with such authority that he sounded like his future self for a moment. “Take right now, for example. Not only have you made a human friend who will preen you, but you have a chance to barter with these fine gentlemen.” Switching from Long-go again, he addressed the men, “Mayor, Sherriff, would you not like to have a dragon’s help here? Consider: very few dangers can combat dragon fire. If you have a dragon ally in this area, he can help you combat any number of demons, rogue magicians, and the like.”
Sherriff Guiren looked at Enlai with new consideration. “That would be handy, I do admit. We don’t have any magicians in town who can fight these things off when they come in.”
“And Mayor, would you not like to have protection against other dragons from damaging the fields?” Shunlei continued with a nod to the damage nearby. “Do not worry, I will set that to rights shortly. If a dragon has claimed this territory as his own, other dragons will avoid it. We dragons can also perform cool burns to keep roads clear and help till the land during spring planting season. I myself have performed all of these tasks many times.”
Enlai looked at Shunlei in a new light. “You did? What did you get out of it?”
“They fed me.”
Mayor Deming watched Shunlei with a shrewd expression on his round face. “Have you? You seem to think Master Enlai will be willing to do the same.”
“Young dragons do not always know what is best for them. Hunger will drive them to make rash decisions. Now that he knows what is offered, what is possible, I think you’ll find he’ll make very different choices. If, naturally, he is extended the offer.” Shunlei eyed the mayor back and pointedly waited.
Mayor and Sherriff exchanged glances but really, the math was easy to do. Mayor Deming nodded and faced Enlai squarely. “For your protection, we’ll feed you once a day and provide a safe place for you to sleep. For any additional work you do, you’ll get payment directly from the person who employs you.”
Enlai’s tail thumped the ground in excitement. His words were a touch hesitant—he was clearly phrasing things in his head before he spoke—but the enthusiasm was unmistakable. “Preen me too?”
“Once a month, a dragon needs to be preened,” Mei Li threw in. “It’s not difficult and takes about an hour to do. I’ll be happy to show people how to do it.”
“Preening once a month and a meal a day, plus a house of your own,” Mayor Deming amended. “Um, the cabin isn’t very big, though?”
“Dragons can turn into human form,” Shunlei explained patiently. “It will do fine.”
“Oh.” The mayor seemed nonplussed by this information and not quite sure what to do with it. With a shake of his head, he re-focused. “Do you agree, Master Enlai?”
Enlai almost agreed, it was on the tip of his tongue, then he looked uncertainly at Shunlei. Switching back to Long-go he said, “But…if I can’t hunt in the area, once isn’t enough.”
“Enlai,” Shunlei said with exasperation. “Crimson Lake is right there. You can fish as much as you like. Without having to worry about someone spotting you, or trying to shoot you out of the air, you’ll have plenty of time to gather your own food.”
The yellow tail thumped the ground again in excitement. “Oh, true, true. I accept, then!” Switching back from Long-go, he carefully enunciated, “Thank you, thank you, I’ll make sure no danger. No danger come here. House all mine?”
“There’s a cabin near the lake that’s been abandoned since a widow’s passing,” Mayor Deming said. “It b
elongs to the town now. I’ll let you have it. Report to me each evening about your patrols of the area.”
“Sure, sure.”
Mei Li felt a little flat-footed about how easily Shunlei brokered the deal. She’d expected more resistance. Just what had Melchior told them before these two men had even shown up? “Sheriff, come around and let me show you how to preen. That way you can teach others.”
“Yes, of course.” Sheriff Guiren paused halfway there and eyed Enlai uncertainly. “That’s alright with you?”
“Please, please,” Enlai encouraged before nosing at the wing Mei Li hadn’t worked on yet and switching back to Long-go. “I’ve got itchy spots on this one. I’m turning Red soon, you know, and I’ll start molting. Hideous process, I’m itchy for weeks. Ahhhh Mei, I love your hands. I can marry you, you know.”
Mei laughed outright. “What is it about you dragons? I preen you, I get proposals.”
Enlai knew immediately what she meant. “You too, Shunlei?”
“Her hands are magical,” Shunlei answered, not at all embarrassed.
Flopping back onto the ground, Enlai returned to being the epitome of pleasure. “That they are.”
For one reason or another, they ended up lingering in the town the next day. A storm was approaching—they could see it sweeping down from the mountains, and could hear the thunder and lightning. They may or may not have been able to ride ahead of it. In the end, they chose not to gamble and agreed to stay another day.
Most of the morning, Mei Li went about with Shunlei and Enlai and introduced Enlai to the town. For those brave enough, she brought them closer and showed them how to preen by working on Shunlei’s wings. She explained about dragon colors as she did so, what they signified. It was odd, for humanity to know so little about dragons. Even this basic information was news to them and something to be surprised over.
Shunlei, in turn, showed both the townsmen and Enlai how having a dragon nearby was helpful. He took Enlai to the lake at one point and encouraged the fishermen there to lend them a net. Then he had Enlai carry it out over the water, scooping up fish along the way, and fly it back. The fishermen clapped like it was a show and were perfectly willing to split the spoils with a hungry young dragon.
First of Tomes (The Tomes of Kaleria Book 2) Page 10