Dragon! Book One: Stealing the egg

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The changing of the guards woke Gareth an hour after dawn. All six surrounding him were relieved by new sentries. The replacements looked tired, uniforms disheveled, hair uncombed.

*They were too busy looking for red spiders to sleep.*

“Good morning to you, too.”

*I’ve been too busy to sleep. The River John lies to your west. Close enough you can run to it without taking a break if you’re running for your life. Beside the river is a fishing village with boats and canoes pulled on the shore. The people living there are leaving because of the red spider invasion last night. Most have already departed for the homes of family or friends. I’m working on clearing out the rest.*

“I still have to get from here to there.”

*Listen to me, carefully. That village beside the river is infested with jumping red spiders. They may even be coming from the water, who knows? They’re leaving the water and heading inland, a mass of spiders so thick the ground looks red. They are heading directly to your camp!*

“No, I don’t like this at all.”

The voice grew louder in Gareth’s mind. *Close to the river the ground is covered with so many red spiders it moves like a blanket. Red. They’re crawling everywhere.*

“Just thinking about them makes me squirm and want to run to the mountains.”

*Good! You’re doing good, Gareth. Your mind is spewing fear and loathing, more than I ever could have imagined. The entire area between you and the river is nearly evacuated. I cannot see a single soldier out that way. However, we still have to make your guards shift their attention, as well as putting the rest of the arm in disarray. Now listen. It just takes one spider bite to give you a fever and a bite swells like a boil. They go for the face when you sleep or lie down.*

“Sleep? Who can sleep with the nightmares you’re creating?”

*The Field Lieutenant is planning to move you shortly, take you to the king despite Tom’s stalling. We do not have the luxury of allowing our plan to build over time, today, so we go sooner. Think about spiders and how you fear them.*

“I am. Nothing else is on my mind.”

*Look at your guards and tell me what you see.*

“They look scared. A couple of them are talking. One is pointing west. Where the fishing village is.”

*Time for our final assault. Cinder is ready to fly, but first, you need to call Blackie and have him near you. Be ready to run. We have no time to waste.*

Gareth located the dragon with his mind and ordered him to come stand next to him. The six guards looked each other, none noticing the dragon slipping past them. “Ok, he’s here with me.”

*You have the overall plan, but now we really mix things up. I need your complete attention because this is new information to you and I want it broadcast to every soldier in that forest. Red jumping spiders attack dragons and drive them crazy. The dragons are in so much pain they take to the skies, shrieking and spitting, and they attack anything they see. So many spiders attack dragons that their skin turns red, but spiders also fall off as the dragon flies. Enough spiders fall that it looks like smoke.*

Gareth stood, his imagination full of spiders floating down from the sky.

A shriek split the air. Then another, longer and louder.

All eyes turned up to the sky, including those of his guards.

A massive black dragon swooped and spun in the air, screaming and shrieking as if mad. It flew between the camp and the river, and then it rose so high it looked like a toy before spiraling down. It fell, wings barely moving before recovering and flying so low it seemed a man could reach up and touch it.

*See the red coloring on it?*

Gareth looked.

*You have to see it, Gareth! See it in your mind. Spiders are falling by the thousands.*

“Run,” Gareth shouted, not trying to hide his fear at all.

Three of his guards glanced at each other, and broke into sprints, in three directions. A fourth joined them when Cinder swooped over again. Gareth spared a glance at the nearby campsites. Men were running everywhere. Some shouted. All watched the sky, and the mad dragon twisting and turning, shrieking as it did.

A guard tore his shirt off and inspected his chest before running.

Most ran away from the river.

Cinder looped and flew low over the ground between the camp and river one more time.

More men ran away from Cinder and the river, all heading for the nearby hills. The dragon screamed as if mortally wounded. The few men not running away broke and headed inland. Cinder made another pass, flying directly at Gareth, black spit spewing a wide swath of death to plants, or anything else. The last two guards with Gareth disappeared into the depths of the forest.

*The river, Gareth. Run for the river and get yourself a boat and paddle for your life. I am asking you for permission to block emissions from your mind so none can follow or track you.*

“You have it!” Gareth scooped up Blackie in the crook of his arm and ran. He encountered no soldiers and saw only a two in the distance fleeing inland. In a few steps, he left the trees and brushed aside undergrowth in a wild race to freedom. He stumbled onto a trail and turned slightly to follow it so he could run faster.

The dragon in his arms wrapped his tail around Gareth’s forearm and tucked his head between his arm and chest, holding on with claws that pierced skin. Gareth ignored the pain of the claws and lengthened his stride. He glanced over his shoulder and found no pursuit.

Cinder swooped back into sight. It made a low pass behind Gareth, spewing a steady stream of black acid along the ground parallel to the river. Grass and trees withered and died wherever the black touched. The smells of hell rose to singe noses. No soldiers would be following Gareth through that. The dragon flew on before turning and making another pass, closer to the river.

“Hey, don’t let Cinder get too close!”

*You just concentrate on your escape. That ‘friend’ of yours called Tom is rallying forces to follow you. He has a dozen armed men coming after you, but Cinder will slow them down.*

Gareth followed the twisting and turning trail, nearly falling when a tree root tripped him. He leaped over a stream, the footing slippery. The dragon he carried upset his balance. Cinder made another pass behind, leaving another strip of black spit smoking and stinking.

The trail through the trees opened into flat grassland. Ahead stood a dozen wooden buildings, weathered and gray. Gareth changed directions and raced for them. Nearer, he saw docks and boats. His mind raced almost as fast as his feet. Fishing boats, rowboats, canoes, and a sailboat. Which should he take?

The canoe. The half canoe, half kayak that chased them down the river traveled twice as fast as the rowboat they were in. All were faster than the sailboat. If he didn’t take the canoe he had to disable it or Tom would catch him in a day. If he took the canoe, he might get enough of a lead to escape.

The paddle lay in the canoe, waiting for him. He tossed Blackie into the bottom of the boat and shoved it into the water so fast he ran in water knee deep when he dived into the boat. It tipped. He caught his balance and managed to maintain enough to reach for the paddle. A stroke carried him downriver but turned the canoe. The second stroke turned the canoe sideways. He backstroked, and the bow moved in the correct direction. He shifted the paddle to the other side, ignoring the drops of water falling from it, and stroked again. The canoe pointed down the middle of the river. He alternated sides with each stroke, adjusting each to keep the canoe fairly straight.

Blackie moved to the bow and cowered, watching the paddle splashing water inside with malice. Every time the paddle moved to the other side the dragon snarled at it. Another time the actions would have brought a smile to Gareth.

A quick look over his shoulder found no pursuit.

Cinder dropped from the sky and spit onto the boats remaining on the shore.

Tom would be along shortly, one way or another. Even now he probably raced to find a route around the area of black slime or a way to pass through it. In no time, he’d find the river and try to follow. There were other undamaged boats nearby.

“What now?” he asked the voice in his mind.

*You did well, my boy. Now it is up to you. I’ll protect your back. Drakesport is ahead, and you’ll reach it before dark if you paddle hard. A man named Eiger will be waiting for you downriver, in the center, in a small boat with a green sail. I have used him before. He’ll have a package for you. For his safety, do not speak with him. He knows nothing and is only a messenger doing my bidding. Inside the package, you will find clothing, food, and a small amount of silver and copper coin.*

Gareth put his back into the paddle. “How did you arrange that?”

*Another time and we’ll discuss that. For now, you must escape all you know and everyone you know. Including me, I’m thinking. Use the money to buy passage on any of the ships in Drakesport, as long as it sails with tonight’s tide.*

“You are not going to influence me about where to go? Or try to convince me to come see you in your mountain retreat?”

*When the time is right, if it ever is, we will meet. There’s plenty of time for us to get to know each other via our mind-talk, but trust should be foremost on your mind. You need to travel to where you are safe, and all good things will follow. You and Blackie must have time to grow together, physically and mentally. It takes time for the bond you share to mature.*

The banks of the river looked so far away it might have been a lake. A few boats moved in the distance, but none nearby, and none seemed to be moving in his direction. When Gareth spotted any boat directly ahead, he changed direction to pass as far away as possible but maintained his speed with the paddle. He overtook two boats, both moving slowly. Choosing a canoe had been the right choice. His paddling improved. The canoe pointed ahead more than it slewed.

Gareth said, “I think you should know that I don’t like that little dragon of mine. He eats everything, and he stinks. Most of the time his skin is coated with dried blood, or worse.”

Laughter filled his mind. He paddled steady, figuring out the way to steer the canoe as he made mistakes and over-corrected. The laughter bothered him until he realized his views were probably the norm instead of the exception. By nature, dragons stank and most people found them offensive.

*There are unfinished items to discuss and we can accomplish a few while you paddle. I have worked on a few items you need to know about. Your friend Faring, back in your village of Dun Mare, has been told of your basic circumstances and that you are safe. He misses you and asked for that information to be passed along. He is pleased you survived your encounter with the black female but added that he somehow had the feeling you might. I started a new business venture two days ago that may interest you. I buy fine leathers and skins at premium prices and resell them in several coastal cities for huge profits. The tannery in Dun Mare supplies many of the skins. It is again working at full capacity.*

Gareth was speechless.

*Your friend Tom will find himself with a new fishing boat and a tidy profit after you are safely situated. While his intentions were not completely honest with you, he did help you survive. His direction and knowledge probably saved your life more than once. Do you object to him profiting in this manner?*

“Tom will chase after me, you know. Until stopped. His motives were self-centered and while he may have liked me, at least, a little, we only knew each other a few days. Most of that time he deceived me with his phony accent and his own agenda.”

*All true, yet you evaded my question.*

“I know. At a minimum, he should be paid back for his fishing boat and other losses. Profit beyond that justifies his lies and deception. Replace only his boat and losses.”

*So you do hold some resentment in your heart. I find that a good thing. Tell me your ideas about your king, the Brotherhood, and Sisterhood, please.*

Small cabins and larger buildings lined both sides of the river. Piers, docks, and moored boats became common. Drakesport must be close. Gareth started watching for the boat with the green sail. “I admit to holding anger with all three. Now that I’ve had time to consider, maybe that anger needs to be understood and evaluated by me. I’m not sure how much is misplaced.” Gareth paused as he shifted positions and checked to make sure the dragon was asleep and well. “The King is doing what he believes is best for his subjects. The Brotherhood travels the nine kingdoms and passes on information beneficial to all. The Sisterhood cares for the creatures, especially working with farmers. Each has a purpose.”

*The idea that you understand so much in such a short time shames me. In my youth, I knew none of it. You are truly exceptional.*

“I see a small boat ahead. There is a green sail.”