Dragon! Book Two: "Revenge"

CHAPTER NINE

Ann cradled Gareth in her arms while crouched in the center of the dirt road where he’d fallen from his horse. He came to with fear, loathing, and anger foremost in his mind. The mental power that entered his mind had at first felt unclean, but near the end of the conversation, it was loaded with feelings so strong it had almost taken control of his mind, all but that small section he protected as his last stronghold.

He gained awareness slowly and stood on shaky legs with the help of Ann. He tried to recall every thought, word, threat, and emotion. The new voice was someone unknown to him, a stranger, and someone young. But age did not relieve Gareth of danger. A sword in the hands of a young man will kill as certainly as one in the hands of a soldier if used at the proper time.

But the most confusing portion of the encounter was that it was not the mind he’d touched before—the one that threatened him. It was another, one listening to the young voice. Pulling himself together, he glanced at Tad to ensure he was well.

“He did this to you?” Ann asked, the worry and fear clear in her tone. “The voice we hear?”

Tad ventured to his side and took his limp hand in his. “Dad, are you all right?”

“I’m going to be fine.”

“I don’t like that person,” Tad said.

Gareth looked at him, more fear bubbling to the surface. Had the boy heard what passed between them? Asking would reveal information Tad didn’t need to know about, but if Tad had managed to listen or feel what passed between them it implied greater danger for the boy. If the second voice sensed Tad, it would go after him.

Ann said, “His voice was so strong at times I could hear him, and I’ll bet a lot of others did too.”

Tad nodded in agreement.

Gareth relaxed somewhat. The first voice was like a jealous ten-year-old who couldn’t have his own way with a toy. In a crowd, he could draw all attention. But he also had no restraints on what he said or did. He looked to Ann, “My mind was like that when I was young?”

“No. You sent your thoughts out for us to hear, without control, but never with the hate and rage that this person exhibits. For days, your voice was like someone shouting to us in a cave, but then you learned to tone it down. Then medication the Sisterhood provided also helped.”

“This voice uses his talent as a weapon. I felt him trying to get into my mind and take it over.”

“What would he have done?” Ann asked, her hand going to his shoulder in comfort.

“Probably he would have forced me to jump off a cliff or slit my throat.”

Both Ann and Tad reacted with open mouths and shocked expressions.

Gareth said, “Wait a second, I’m sorry. That’s what he wanted, but I fought him off. Now that I understand he can attack like that with his mind, I have blocked all but a portion of his thoughts. He’ll never get that chance again.”

Tad said, “Can you show me how to block my mind?”

“I will. We’ll begin instruction when we ride again.”

“Me too?” Ann asked.

Gareth stood and used a hand on the horse to steady himself. He hadn’t broken anything, but there were a few bruises, and his forearm was sore and scraped raw. He glanced around. The land was rolling with lots of oak and maple on either side. They had passed a few farms and one village. From the position of the sun, it was near mid-day.

As if reading his mind, which he may have done, Tad said, “I’m hungry.”

Mounting his horse, Gareth said, “Soon as we find a place we’ll eat. Right now we need to move as fast as we can and keep our supplies in reserve.”

Tad and Ann both leaped to their saddles. They continued on the road, seeing fewer travelers than expected, and when they came to a crossroads, they found a small inn. A weatherworn sign hung over the door, a crude image of a dog with spots. A boy no older than Tad emerged and offered to feed their horses.

Inside, the main room was made of stone, walls and floor. It felt almost dank and wet inside, like a cave. No fire burned, and no candles shed their light. The tables were empty and dirty. Through another door, an old woman appeared to be cleaning the kitchen, but no welcoming smells drifted to them. She turned, looked surprised and hurried to the table where they were sitting.

“You sort of snuck up on me.”

“Is the inn open for business?” Ann asked, her eyes glancing around in distrust.

“Course we are. Just got no customers at the moment.”

Ann directed her attention to the woman. “Why not?”

“Travelers are stayin’ put at their homes with the fright, and all.”

“I’m sorry, we’ve just arrived on a ship and don’t know about any fright.”

“The demon boy. You didn’t hear him talkin’ in your head a while ago?”

Ann glanced at Gareth. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The old woman made a hand-sign intended to ward off evil. Her eyes flashed with disbelief, and her voice turned cold. “We don’t have any rooms for the night. Just bread and cheese to eat, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you can eat it on the road.”

Not to be pushed around, Ann scooted her chair back and motioned to the room at large. “No rooms to rent? I see you are overwhelmed with customers at the moment. And you do not offer us a table, but try to send us on our way with a loaf of bread and slices of cheese? I will tell you this, woman. Keep your food and I’ll pass on to my people your lack of hospitality.”

The old woman turned and stalked into the kitchen without another word.

Ann shrugged, “Sorry. I guess we find another place to eat.”

Tad looked upset but didn’t protest. They walked out the door and to the barn, where the boy was brushing the horses while they ate oats from a trough. He looked up in surprise that they were already leaving.

Ann drew thin copper from a pocket and held it out. “We didn’t ask for you to care for our horses so well. This is for you.”

“I can brush them all if you give me a little time.”

“No, we need to be on our way. Oh, I do have a question. Did you hear the demon-boy?”

“You bet I did. Not out loud, of course. In here,” he pointed to his temple.

Ann nodded and said, “Tell me what you heard.”

“Same as you, I guess. He said he was coming here, and we have to be scared of him, or he’ll kill all of us. Stuff like that.”

“But he didn’t call you by name. He said it about everyone, right?”

“It sure seemed like he was talking to me.”

Gareth said, “Is there another inn on this road?”

“No, but there’s a bakery in Turtle Creek,” he pointed in the direction they were heading, “Not far.”

The three rode away somewhat confused and still hungry. Gareth said, “Tad, we’ll get you some food, don’t worry.”

“I can stand it. That stable boy was almost too scared to talk.”

Ann said, “The old woman, too.” She turned to Gareth. “We are sensitives and didn’t hear a thing. Can you explain that?”

Gareth reigned in his horse. A path angled away from the road, more than the usual animal trail, more of a footpath made by people. A chill seemed to come over him, and he pointed. “No, I cannot. We leave the road here.”

Tad nudged his horse, first. Ann paused, looking as if she would say something else, then she followed. Gareth went last, but his mind was on full alert, as were his eyes and ears. When they came to a small clearing, Gareth said, “We need to stop here.”

He dismounted and walked around the clearing, his mind far away. Gareth turned to Ann. “Where is Freeport from here?”

She considered, and said, “West. And north.”

“If we had stayed with the ship and we would have traveled this same road, only further north, unless I’m mistaken.”

She nodded. “It is the same road. You’re right.”

Gareth said, “This route is a trap.”

Even Tad looked worried. Gareth let the pieces fall into place in his mind, as he planned their next move.

Ann said, “How so?”

“The people on the ship and in the first town heard nothing in their minds. People here, even those without sensitive powers heard the new voice. That tells me whoever it is, is nearby. Waiting for me,” Gareth said, masking any stray thoughts from escaping and increasing the veil he had over Tad.

“How does he know where you’ll be?”

“He knows I’ll go directly to the home of my father. He knows where I’m coming from.”

“Your father lived near here?”

“I believe this is one of only two or three roads that I’d travel to get there, and all of them are fairly close to here. They intersect not far from here.”

Ann soothed the horses that now seemed skittish. She watched Tad, too.

Gareth sat on a fallen log and said, “Keep an eye on things. I have a few things to do.”

Not waiting for her to acknowledge his request, he closed his eyes and touched the mind of the black dragon. “Blackie, have you seen any other dragons in the sky?”

“No.” The dragon hadn’t really said, no. It had simply sent a mental image suggesting a negative feeling.

“Can you sense where I am?”

This time, the feeling was affirmative.

“Fly to where you found Cinder. Do not land or go near him. Do not even go near the valley, just fly high over it.”

Gareth felt the reluctance in Blackie to return to where Cinder died, but the dragon finally took wing. First, Gareth had to tell the dragon he was not to fly near the valley where Cinder lay dead, other than to fly high enough over it that he couldn’t see the other dragon. Gareth opened his eyes and said, “Ann, can you find a rabbit or something for Tad to eat, please. This will take some time.”

“Of course.”

Gareth touched the dragon’s mind and looked through his eyes at the forest passing below. The cliffs to the east were snowcapped. In the West stood mountains and forest, but at the edge of vision, it looked like the land smoothed out. Somewhere further beyond was the Endless Sea, but it was too far away to see.

Directly ahead, but still too far away for detail was the volcanic valley his father lived in. When the valley was below, Blackie avoided looking down, but that was fine with Gareth. He flew higher and found the information he was seeking.

In the mountain range paralleling the ocean coastline was a divide, a high mountain pass that went through the mountains. However, part of the way up the mountain pass was a valley that went off at a right angle to the north. Following that valley took a traveler to his father’s valley, his home.

The only road across the pass slid under them first. The remains of a road wound up the first valley came after. It had probably last been used a century ago, maybe longer. The road had been constructed to supply the main house with building materials and workers, and it probably brought in supplies of food for the winters when the road was deep in snow.

But he now knew the way to the valley. All he had to do was avoid hundreds and hundreds of soldiers searching for him, and that did not include the new voice that was close to him. He ordered Blackie to find a safe place to roost while he pulled his mind back to the clearing in the meadow.

Both Ann and Tad were looking at him. He smiled. “I have an idea.”

“About avoiding the trap?”

“That too. The new voice we heard is nearby, I’m certain. Also, the army is spread out in a circle around both Reteam and Freeport, the cities where I was expected to leave my ship. All roads are cut off with checkpoints all along them, but the King has made a mistake. He removed the one source that could identify me.”

“The Brotherhood?”

“Exactly. The army has rounded them up and holds them, prisoner, while talks between the Brotherhood leaders and King takes place.”

“Giving us time to slip past.”

Gareth nodded and turned to the small, smokeless fire roasting a rabbit on a spit. He said, “We have to hurry before the Brotherhood is returned to its normal duties, but you are our advantage, Ann. Unless I’m wrong, you coerced that rabbit to either come from his burrow while you killed it, but that same skill in the forest will take us through. I will warn you of any people ahead, especially soldiers. You are the woodsman who will guide and feed us.”

“I don’t know where you wish to go.”

“I do, now. You’re familiar with the road that goes through the pass in the mountains?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it, but never traveled it, of course. Nobody does.”

“Can you take us there?”

She paused, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought out the route. “There are a hundred places for the army to lay in wait between here and there, but I’m more worried about the nearby voice we heard.”

“Can you steer us to reach that mountain pass road by traveling only in the forests? I mean far from any other roads?”

“Yes, I’ll have to think about it, but my answer is, yes.”

“The voice we heard will be for me to handle, but I need you to take an oath to protect my grandson with your life. If I die, you will travel to Vespa. Tad will direct you after that.”

“I give you my oath, but only on the condition that you are not about to do something stupid.”

“What is stupid to you and what is stupid to me may be two very different things. But I believe that oath or not, you will do the right thing.”