* * *
Noodles didn't remember sleeping. It seemed as if he had just gotten settled on the floor by the prince's bed when it was time to get up again and resume the search. He stretched and shook himself as he stood up. There was a shiny pink and purple dragon somewhere, waiting to be rescued. Noodles was ready for duty.
He followed the prince to the front yard of the giant stone castle, where a group of young men waited with their horses. Jae Vaughn swung himself up onto the back of a pale gold colored horse that stood ready to go. "Sir Jeffrey, Sir Logan, good of you to join me," the prince acknowledged his comrades by name. "Sir Ricky, glad you could come. Sir Jonathan -- I don't suppose you'd miss this yourself," he ended, smiling knowingly at the young Sir Jonathan, who was the brother of Lady Jesse Lynn.
"I would not, indeed," Sir Jonathan acknowledged, and both laughed.
Noodles wondered where Fire Tiger was. Just then, Fire Tiger came strutting out majestically from the stable, led by a young groom. The dragon was wearing his saddle and bridle, but it was clear the prince wasn't planning on riding him, at least not yet. The groom tied the reins up onto the saddle, with a lot of slack so Fire Tiger could move his head and neck freely, but just tied up enough that the reins wouldn't fall completely loose. "Your dragon, Sire," the groom said to the prince, and bowed.
"Very good," Prince Jae Vaughn said to the groom, nodding. The groom smiled happily, pleased with having gained the prince's approval. Then he bowed again, and withdrew from the group.
"Fire Tiger," the prince spoke to the dragon, apparently knowing the dragon understood human speech. "You provide air cover and reconnaissance. Let me know if you spot anything. Join in the fight if we're attacked."
The dragon snuffled and snorted as it nodded its head three times in acknowledgement of the assignment it had been given -- the dragon equivalent of saying, "Yes, Sir!"
"And you, stalwart little dog," Jae Vaughn addressed Noodles, "You can ride up here on the front of the saddle with me, or run along beside. It's your choice."
"Arf," Noodles said, wagging his tail. He jumped up and down a few times in happiness and anticipation, but he did not jump up on the horse.
"Okay. Let's go," the prince announced, and they trotted off as a group toward the field beneath the patch of sky where Hummingbird had been attacked. Noodles trotted along quickly just a little behind and to the right of the prince's horse. This, he thought happily, was fun.
As the road turned past the last stand of trees before the field, a pretty teenage girl rode out to join them. She was seated on a small but powerfully built long-legged horse, shiny and coppery color, like a new penny or a burnt sienna crayon. The horse looked like it could outrun anything alive. The girl was dressed like some Anime heroine, with a long slitted skirt hanging loose over silk leggings and knee-high soft leather boots, her costume replete with leather belts, expensive colorful cloth cut at odd angles, and lots of different reflective metallic things that Noodles thought must be either jewelry or weapons but he couldn't tell which. On her back she carried a long archery bow and a quiver full of bright arrows that seemed to shine like glow sticks or laser pointers. Her curly hair was almost exactly the same color as her horse, shiny and coppery. She joined the procession without asking, as one who has a right to do as she pleases.
"Sun Arrow!" the prince greeted his sister. "You're joining us? That's fantastic! We can use your help. You don't usually come along on these quests."
"Jesse Lynn is like a little sister to me," Sun Arrow said, flinging her head a bit, which made her curly hair spin out around her like a hoop skirt. No one spoke any further about it. No one questioned her. Truth be known, the boys liked having her ride along, whether she turned out to be helpful or not.
Off into the field they rode with grim determination, studying the ground around them in intense silence, attentive to every detail, hoping to find some tracks or other signs, signs too small for them to spot the day before when they had been searching from the sky.
Chapter 6
Noodles the Cockapoo Stands Guard Page 6