BDArc-HiddenDragons

by CSM

  The knights watched her until she was safely inside and a lamp was lit. Robert followed her progress through the small house through the fabric-draped windows. The curtains were thin and allowed him to see the movement of her lamp through the building until finally, she seemed to settle in one place.

  He wondered if she was sitting by a fire, or maybe lying in her bed. That thought led to much naughtier thoughts of her lying in his bed. Preferably naked.

  “Are you going to help set up or stand their dreaming all night?” Bear asked, shouldering past Robert with a pack in his hands.

  “Sorry.” Robert shook his head to try and clear it. They had work to do.

  As the lights in the village went out one by one, Robert and Bear crept down into the town, beginning their evaluation of the people who lived there. The dragons were up in Isabelle’s barn, just a mental shout away if their knights ran into trouble, but this job was just a little too small in scale for their large bodies.

  Robert and Bear were used to skulking around in the darkness. They examined the layout of the village, confirming most of what they’d seen from the air and learning new facets that could not be seen from above. For one thing, the largest home in the village was more or less hidden under trees, keeping it invisible from dragon overflights.

  And it was a really big home. Incongruous given the general poverty of the homes around it. Robert was instantly suspicious. Hidden from view, the big house in a comparatively unfriendly village was something quite out of the ordinary.

  “I think that place bears further scrutiny,” Bear said into Robert’s mind.

  “Without doubt, my friend. Shall we check it out?”

  They spent the next two hours listening at every window they could access and peering in wherever it was possible to do so without being seen. They also took a brief inventory of the outbuildings. There were three small sheds behind the main house in addition to a large barn that housed quite a bit of livestock including a number of horses that didn’t look like any farm horse either of the knights had ever seen.

  The rest of what they learned was equally as troubling. Silently, they agreed to halt their activities for the evening, heading back to Isabelle’s barn as covertly as they had left it hours before.

  The dragons were waiting when they arrived back at the warm barn. Luckily, the rain had held off for the most part. Only a light drizzle had dampened the mens’ dark garments and the heat from their dragon friends soon had them dry and warm once more.

  “Do you think this village is the one?” Tilly asked as they settled in for the night.

  They were using a small camp lantern they had brought with them for light. There was no need of a fire, since the dragons would keep everything toasty warm just by their presence.

  “I’m afraid so. Whoever lives in that big house is definitely a traitor,” Robert said. “Those horses are war-trained. Not a one of them has ever seen a plow. What does a farmer have need of a war horse, much less a dozen of them? And where would he get such a beast this far from any training grounds?”

  “So it really is this easy? The second town we look at is the one we want?” Growloranth asked the question they were all thinking.

  “Well, in all fairness, we were only given five towns to check,” Robert pointed out. “And we still will need to check the other three after we finish here. However, I think we’ve found what we were looking for, and we’re going to have to act on it.”

  “But what about Isabelle?” Bear asked, clearly concerned.

  “Aye.” Robert shook his head. “We’re going to have to sort things out for her before anything happens here. Otherwise she could be directly in the path of danger. For now, I think we should just stick close to her.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me. She seems in need of our help, even if we can’t ultimately convince her to come with us to the Lair. We can probably convince her to let us use her barn for the next few days while we continue our mission,” Robert said, looking around at the dilapidated structure.

  “Do you think she knows what’s going on in the village?” Bear asked the tough question that was hovering in all of their minds.

  “I sincerely hope not,” Robert said with intense feeling. “I want to believe the best of her, but if she knew about this and didn’t tell us…”

  “She could just be protecting herself,” Tilly offered. “After all, she believes she still must live here after we fly away. She has to get along with these people. Her life here is tenuous enough as it is, from all appearances.”

  “Nevertheless,” Growloranth interjected, “while you are scouting tomorrow, I will keep an eye on our hostess. Robert is too enamored of her already to be objective.”

  Robert wanted to argue with his dragon partner’s assessment of his state of mind, but he couldn’t. Growloranth was right. He wanted to believe the best of Isabelle and wasn’t very objective when it came to anything about her. It had been a very long time since a woman affected him so strongly.

  “While you’re out scouting, I can stick around here and try to make things a little more comfortable—and sturdy—for her, while keeping an eye on the village,” Robert added. “Growloranth can watch her. I’ll watch the village, while I add some bracing to this barn’s roof. Between the two of us, perhaps we’ll come up with something useful.”

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Bear replied.

  They fell asleep shortly after the conversation drifted to a natural conclusion. The dragons kept watch. Nothing could sneak up on them with a dragon dozing nearby.

  Nothing happened for the rest of the night as the rain poured down in earnest. It was a quick moving storm that was gone by the time dawn broke, waking Robert and Bear.

  After what they had observed the night before, they were eager to get moving. Bear and Tilly took off shortly after dawn, on their planned scouting mission. They were going to fly over the border with Skithdron, to look for any telltale troop movements that might indicate an imminent attack.

  That left Robert and Growloranth to work on watching the village. They would start by shoring up the barn that looked like it might fall down at any moment. It was a rather oblique method of surveillance—watching from afar while accomplishing something else—but it was what was called for in this particular situation. Plus, Robert really wanted to help Isabelle. He could repair her barn for her, which gave him an excuse to hang around, but it also meant that he, Bear and their dragon partners would have a sturdier place to sleep while they were here.

  In a way, it was very useful that Isabelle’s home was so far out on the very edge of the forest. There was a clear approach to her place—a path that wound up from the village—that would make it easy to see if anyone was heading this way long before Growloranth could be spotted against the leafy backdrop of the forest.

  Even so, the dragon would hang back, staying mostly to the cover of the trees while Robert stayed closer to the house and barn. Robert found an ax by the woodpile behind the house and took it out to the nearby woods to find a few small trees he could cut down that would work for shoring up the old timbers of the barn.

  By the time Isabelle had come out of the house, an hour after dawn, Robert had already made good progress on fixing up the barn. She seemed surprised to see what he’d done.

  “You’ve been busy,” she observed, walking up to him as he propped the timber he had cut under the sagging roof. Growloranth was helping, his strength making the otherwise difficult task an easy fix.

  “It is the least we can do since you opened your home to us,” Growloranth answered before Robert could speak.

  She didn’t seem to know what to say to that, so Robert stepped in, dusting his hands off as he moved closer. He smiled, hoping to put her more at ease.

  “Did you sleep well, mistress?” Robert asked conversationally.

  “Very well, thank you. And you?” Back on firmer ground with the exchanges of polite conversation, she seemed more at ease.

 
Robert grinned. “Much better than if we had camped the way we originally planned. It poured down rain in the hours before dawn.”

  “Is that what woke you so early?” She moved into the barn, looking around at the progress he had made in the last hour. “You’ve been very busy.”

  “We are early risers in the Lair, for the most part. Working with Tilly, we are often assigned day shifts because of her color.”

  Had he said too much? Robert couldn’t bring himself to suspect Isabelle of knowing about the treason in the village…and yet…he had to keep an open mind. More than just his mission depended on it.

  “It is easy to see why she is best suited to daytime work. But what of your dragon partner? Doesn’t he stand out against the blue, daytime sky as much as his lady blends?” she asked, nothing but curiosity in her tone that he couldn’t fault, even if her questions were almost too astute.

  “I do,” Growloranth answered for himself, coming out of the darkness at the rear of the barn, where he’d been doing his best to blend into the shadows. Isabelle jumped a little and one small hand went to her chest. “Apologies if I frightened you, mistress. Actions sometimes speak louder than words, so I thought it prudent to show you one of my talents. I blend in very well with forests and dark spots.”

  “So you do, Sir Growloranth,” she agreed, smiling a bit at the dragon’s theatrics. “You do that very well indeed.” She chuckled, the sound musical and light, then turned back to Robert. “I came out to see if I could offer you breakfast, but I see I am too late for Sir Bernard. Did he and Lady Tildeth go somewhere, or will they be back in time to eat with us?”

  “As I think we mentioned yesterday, we were sent here to do a survey of the land in these parts. That is Bear’s specialty. He and I agreed he would start work while I did a few repairs to repay you for your kindness in letting us sleep here last night,” Robert stated. Now he had to find a way to get her to let them stay longer. Chatting over breakfast might just be useful in that regard. “I haven’t eaten yet, if the offer of breakfast is still open,” he volunteered.

  “It is,” she agreed, smiling. “It is only oat mash, but it is hot and filling.”

  “It sounds perfect. With the chill in the air, it’s good to have hot cereal of a morning,” he said heartily, wiping his hands as he followed her toward the house.

  When he stepped inside Isabelle’s house, Robert was impressed by the hominess of the place. There was a table with two chairs off to one side of the hearth and Robert noted the iron pot keeping warm on the flagstones.

  Two wooden bowls had been laid on the table, along with two wooden spoons of intricate carved design. There seemed to be two of everything, which made sense if Isabelle had lived here with her mother. It was a good thing Bear was already gone or Robert suspected Isabelle would have gone without, while she insisted they ate from her only place settings.

  “Please have a seat,” she said calmly, as if she was trying to remember how to entertain guests. Robert cringed inwardly, realizing this poor waif had probably not had much friendship from those in the village.

  Robert took the seat farthest from the hearth. It was a chilly morning and she was wearing long sleeves and a shawl. Even so, the fabric was thin and she was probably cold. She would benefit more from the heat of the fire, and it was his impulse to want to see to her comfort.

  He watched her graceful movements as she served him the lion’s share of the oats. When she sat across from him with her own small portion, Robert reached into his pouch and removed a small wrapped bundle of dried berries.

  “I think these would go nicely with the oats, don’t you?” he asked, producing the treat. He saw the way her eyes lit.

  “They are out of season,” she observed quietly. “And they aren’t abundant in the forest around here, though I like them tremendously. I tried to cultivate a bush in my garden, but it never took. I don’t have the same way with plants that my mother had.”

  “Then you shall have them all,” Robert decided, pouring the small scoop of purple berries he’d had left, directly into her bowl, over her protests. Left with no choice, she accepted the gift with good grace.

  The dried berries plumped up nicely when they came into contact with the hot, wet oats. Robert saw the enjoyment on her face as she took a bite and the burst of flavor from the berries hit her tongue.

  Of course, his mind strayed to other things he would like to do with her tongue, but it was too soon. They had a long way to go before he would broach any sort of intimacy with Isabelle. For one thing, he had to be sure she understood the full implications of mating with a dragon knight.

  When it came down to it, she was too important. He didn’t want to screw this up. He wanted forever with her—but only if she could handle all that was expected of a woman sharing her life with two knights and their dragon partners.

  It was nice to have company again, Isabelle thought. After sharing breakfast with her, Robert had stayed near the house, working on the barn and insisting on going with her when she went down to the river to fetch water. Growloranth went with them too, and much to her surprise, he took a swim downstream in the river while she and Robert filled the water vessels they had brought with them.

  Robert had insisted on bringing more jugs and buckets than she usually used to carry water, noting that his group had used up most of her reserves—even the buckets and barrels she had set out to catch rainwater last night. Apparently dragons were thirsty creatures.

  But Growloranth more than made up for it by hauling all the filled water jugs back to her house. She enjoyed watching the dragon. He was so perfectly suited to this environment, his coloration making him hard to see against the dark forest. In fact, until he’d moved, she’d had a hard time spotting him as he lay on the bank of the river, drying off after his swim.

  Between Growloranth’s ability to hide in plain sight in the forest, and his mate’s undeniable resemblance to the sky, she began to suspect this pair of dragons was a little out of the ordinary. The few times she had seen other dragons fly over the village and forest on their routine patrols of the border, they had stood out against the sky in vibrant colors, their scales sparkling in the sun. By contrast, she noted that Growloranth didn’t seem especially interested in polishing his scales, though he had that same metallic sheen to his hide that all dragons seemed to share. He just kept the surface of his scales somewhat duller than she expected—possibly to blend in even better with his surroundings.

  And Robert moved very quietly for such a big man. She barely even heard him walk when he was right beside her. It made her think he was a bit more than just a regular knight—if there was such a thing as a regular knight. She had never met a knight before Robert and Bernard, but they both seemed rather special to her.

  Robert worked near the house all day. While she tended to the normal chores of washing up and sweeping out the house, he seemed to be perpetually busy working on the barn. She had known the place was in bad shape, but beyond basic repairs, she couldn’t do much about the sagging walls of the old structure. Luckily for her, Robert and even his dragon, seemed to think fixing up her barn was a good use of their time.

  Not that she really needed the barn anymore. While her mother had been alive, they had kept a few animals, but the stock was all gone after last year’s especially tough winter. She missed caring for her own animals, but occasionally her skills as a healer were called for by those in the village. She was known for bandaging sore legs, mending broken wings and the like.

  The folk in the village might not like her, but they used her skills when they needed them. Which was a good thing for her as well. The villagers often paid for her work with food items she couldn’t forage or grow for herself, supplementing her meager supplies.

  Robert and she shared the midday meal in her newly swept home. He insisted on providing the food from his own rations, and she dined on a hard cheese the likes of which she had never tasted before. He also had sweetened nuts and smoked jerky, which made a
strange but filling meal.

  Afterward, Growloranth announced he was going hunting. “After all…” the dragon said into her mind, “…we like to pay our way, and my knight has a proposition to put to you, mistress.” Growloranth gave Robert a very significant look with those giant, jeweled eyes of his before walking into the forest and just disappearing.

  “For such a big creature, he walks like a shadow in the forest. You can’t even see a leaf move when he passes,” Isabelle observed, watching after the dragon. “Amazing.”

  “He has many skills,” Robert agreed as he stood next to her near the barn. “As for the proposition he mentioned…” The knight seemed to hesitate before turning to meet her gaze. “We all talked this over last night and we would like to ask if we could remain here, in your barn, for a few days. It would make a good base of operations for us while we pursue our mission, and we would pay you for putting us up, of course, but there is one catch.”

  She was very interested to hear the catch, but she’d had some inkling that they wanted to stay by the way Robert hung around and fixed the place up. If they were moving on, they likely wouldn’t have spent any time on her dilapidated barn, and Robert and Growloranth would have been long gone, following in the path of their two companions.

  “So what’s the catch?” she asked, gazing up into his charming brown eyes.

  He really was a handsome devil. If she wasn’t careful, she could spend quite a bit of her time fantasizing about what it would be like to have a man like him in her life. What would it be like, she wondered idly, to be the wife of a knight? To be a true lady? With all that entailed…

  She dismissed the thought with a little pang of regret. She was no lady. She might have been taught the manners of a more gently-bred girl, but in truth, Isabelle was nothing and no one. She lived on the edge of survival in a hut on the edge of the forest, near a village full of people who wouldn’t spit on her if she were on fire. Her existence was tenuous, at best. Right now, she could only live day to day, never certain of how she would get through the next day, the next week, the next month. She had no business dreaming of being this knight’s lady.