Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) (8 page)

“Do you believe in dragons Slance?” Asked
Veer.

“As much as ye
do boy, as much as ye do. Tales gotta come from somewher’s though.” Answered the older man. “We got enough wood fer t’night so’s let’s all just set up our bedrolls and sit here and talk away the evening. We’re sure t’ talk through first watch you two split second watch ‘tween yaselves. Whoever has the end o’ second watch wake me up ‘bout twenty minutes ‘fore my watch starts. Don’t too much think that we really need lots o’ watchin’ as I doubt ‘em dogs ‘ll let anything sneak up on us and that noisy bird up there sure won’t.”

The three of them set about arranging their bedrolls and preparing for the night. As they settled in Shira asked. “So what else do you know about dragon lore Slance?”
Veer cast a long scolding look at the girl who acted like she did not notice.

“Can’t say as anybody knows much.” Responded the older man. “But there’s a lot that I’ve heard tale of livin’ in these hills. I do know that over the years I
’ve been told by a goodly number of trappers and mount’n men that they’s still dragons wild in the mount’ns and even down into the hills. Some of ‘em are folks what I’ve knowed for years and knowed to not be crazy. Some of ‘em tell me they’ve seed sign and some as tells it they’ve seed the dragons. The legends say ‘at a man can look right at a dragon and see somethin’ else there, but iffn the dragon does somethin’ that the thing what you think you see can’t do then ye’ll see it fer what it really is. I’ve seen some brave souls what can easy take on a winter in the mount’ns huntin’ bears and wolves and whatnot scared out o’ they wits behind thinking they have seed a dragon.”

“What about the dr
agons?” Asked Shira impatiently and drawing a look of surprise from the older man at the rudeness of the girl. Shira was nearly shaking with impatience as she looked at the man.

“D’yer da ever beat y
e fer actin’ impatient?” Slance asked, while looking at the girl as her cheeks started to redden. “Guess ye just young, still yet. But seems to me that I recollect yer da got beat by his mam fer that same thing.” Slance added with a chuckle.

“Sorry.” Shira responded with a sigh.

“Yer families is gone so yer both gonna have to be growed up adults now.” Slance said as he crawled into his bedroll and pulled his wool blanket around him against the cool night air. Both young people looked at one another disappointed that he seemed to have stopped telling them about dragons.

As the two sat looking at one another in the light of the fire they heard Slance continue. “The old legends say that they was some folks as kept with dragons. They was some kind of bond and those people learned t
’ do special things, they was warriors and wizards and healers and whatnot. They was differ’nt kinds of dragons and each one could make ye good at somthin’. They was the wild ones t’ be sure but the ones as kept with people looked all kinds of ways. Some was big enough t’ ride through the air they say while some was as small as a bird sittin’ on ye shoulder they say they was even some as ye couldn’t see at all even if ye was t’ look right at ‘em.”

“Do you think that the people who bonded dragons were all evil?”
Veer asked quietly.

The older man continued. “They is some as say ‘at the folks what kept with dragons was evil and was the causen o’ the Great Upheave, but that’s the way tales is told ain’t it. Somthin’s gotta be evil and somethin’s gotta be good but if they’s truth in a tale it’s apt to sit somewhere’s between the good and evil o’ those tales. I imagine if they was once people who kept with dragons they must’a been some as was good and some as what didn’t care ‘bout good nor evil.”

“Do you think people can bond dragons today?” Asked Shira

There was a long pause before Slance spoke again. “I reckon that what once was, iffin it ever really was, could come ‘round agin. They’s rumours back in the mount’ns that they is some what have taken up with dragons
again. A few trappers what live way back in the mount’ns near the secret valleys. But they’s always some kind of rumours, specially in the mount’ns. I’ma tell ya one thing though. Iffin some’n was ter take up with a dragon, that’n ortta hide some’ers they ain’t gonna see no folks.”

There was a long pause and
both young people thought that Slance must have been asleep until his voice once again broke the night. “Was a time when I’d o’ said that’n ortta take back into the mount’ns. But not now, not anymore, they’s just too many queersome things doin’ these days. When ‘em for’ners rolled up my camp and goods from me, I follered ‘em fer a couple o’ weeks t’ see what they was about doin’. They was about a dozen of ‘em, just like all them other groups o’ for’ners. They just moved ‘round like they was lookin’ fer som’n. They was one of ‘em what was in charge, and he had a canteen skin what he was always sippin’ from. They bein’ flatlanders an’ all, they was pretty easy t’ sneak on. Every night that feller in charge would make a tea and then he’d refill that canteen o’ his’n.  One night I’s so close I could smell the herbs he was boilin’ innat tea, and it were dragonbane. Dragonbane’s got a powerful smell so I knowed what it was. I think ‘em for’ners ain’t bandits at all I think they’s flatlanders from the other side o’ the Dragon Mount’ns and I think they must be lookin’ fer dragons or folks what know some’at about dragons. And if they’s on this side o’ the mount’ns then they must be lot’s o’ em in the mount’ns right straight across t’ the other side.”

“What happened to the ones that you were following?” Asked Shira.

“They all died one night. I would watch ‘em every evnin’ then I would go and make my own cold camp ter sleep out the night and get up early to keep follerin’ ‘em. One morning I got t’ they camp and they was all dead. Every one of ‘em. They sentry was killed for he could make a sound and the rest was killed in they sleep. Every one of ‘em was killed by arrows. I could see the arrow holes but none o’ the arrows was left. Somebody feathered them all in the night and then went in and took back the arrows. The holes what was left was made by thin arrows, not like the arrows we use with Hillfolk long bows. And whoever took back those arrows was real good ‘cause there weren’t a single track anywhere that didn’t belong to them for’ners.”

“Who do think that it was?” Veer asked.

“That I don’t know, “said the man. “Think that maybe they was searchin and stumbled into one of them secret valleys. Or maybe there’s somethin’ what don’t want them to be huntin’ fer dragons.”

“Elves?” Shira whispered.

“I ain’t sayin’ that. But I have spent nearly fifty winters in these mount’ns and I have seed some queersome things and heared tell of some even more queersome things. Iffin they is still dragons alive ‘em forn’ers ’r gonna find ‘em ‘ventually. And’ iffin they’s somebody what has taken up with dragons that’n better get outta these hills or at least down t’ the Wall and keep t’ the low hills o’ the Wall. Iffin the for’ners see ‘em with a dragon or two they’s gonna be a fight. And’ iffini enough flatlanders start seein’ dragons people gonna figure out that they ain’t just drunk, and then theys’ gonna be a fight. Iffin you run into any o’ them for’ners I hope ‘em puppies o your’n is big ‘nough ter fight.”

“You know don’t you?” Asked
Veer quietly.

“Crows don’t got green eyes boy, an’ puppies don’t got eyes like a snake neither. An’ don’t none of ‘em eat cowra berries an’ live. I also seed that biggest dog got eyes like
your’n and the next biggest ‘un got eyes like the girl.”

“Aren’t you afraid of them?” Asked Shira.

“O’course I’m scared of ‘em. But I knowed yer parents and so I know you’s both good highland blooded Hillfolk. You swore by blades agin’ the night, so you ain’t gonna let yer dragons kill me, ‘leastways not while we camped fer the night. Now, I don’t know nothin’ else s’ let me sleep.”

The rest of the night passed quietly with just the sounds of the forest.
Veer slept for a time and then took a watch while Shira slept. About twenty minutes before his watch was to end Veer woke Slance who got up and quickly slipped off down trail and returned just as his watch was to start. The trapper had brought back the remainder of the deer which had been left hanging the day before.

The morning songs of the birds woke
Veer and Shira who quickly rolled up their bedrolls for travelling. Slance had prepared enough meat for a small breakfast for the three of them and had obviously cut up the rest of the meat and left it out for the young dragons. As they started to eat and watched the dragonets attack the meat, Slance said. “I thought that we’s all got a long day of trav’lin so we should finish up this meat and all get a good start.”

“Slance, do you see dragons when you look at them?” Asked Shira.

“Nope, all I see is puppies and a crow but they eyes ain’t right,” the older man responded. The three of them went about packing camp and saddling horses and got cleaned up at the stream. By the time the sun was actually breaking into the sky they were ready to go.

“Where are you going from here Slance?” Asked
Veer

“I’m bound to relieve some o’ them for’ners of horses and ‘quipment
like they rolled up from me. Then I’ma head way uptrail to the north where it gets too cold fer ‘em. Then I’ll sit high in the mount’ns and wait fer ‘em to find they dragons or move on. I know you said what you’s bound downtrail but ‘tain’t safe on the furway no more. If yous t’ stay in the hills on the furway you’s bound to run ‘cross some o’ ‘em for’ners who’ll know what kind o puppies you got there. Iffin ye flatland it they’s gonna be some as have been drinkin’ dragon brew and they’s gonna see yous puppies fer what they are. They’s two choices fer ye to head south. Ye can cross that trail and take to the forest and go west till you hit the low hills what we call the Wall and keep t’ them moving south right ‘long the edge o’ the hills and the flatlands. Or ye can risk the trail and go downtrail fer two hour then ya’ll find an branch goin’ off west that’ll take ye to the Wall and then follow the Wall down however far south ye want t’ go. If ye go down the Wall fer enough it runs out where the Dragon Mount’ns run out, then you’ll have to flatland it t’ keep goin’ south. Or ye could do the smart thing and go over to the Wall and head north. Get as far upcountry as ye can and then ye can stay otta the way of ‘em for’ners and flatlanders.”

“
Veer has to head south Slance and I’m going to have to stay with him,” said Shira.

“Welp, ‘tain’t the smartest thing t
’ do but iffn ye feel like ye has t’ do it then I guess ye’s bound fer it. Iffin ye take through the trees and hills you’s gonna make the Wall by half o’ tomorrow. Iffin ye risk that trail ye’ll sleep in the Wall tonight. Better pay attention though and iffin ye sees anyone, take t’ the brush. May the Old Ones bless your days.” Slance gave the Hill-folk formal parting as he turned and quickly headed uptrail.

“Old Ones bless your days.”  Both teenagers responded formally as they watched the older man go for a moment before turning to one another.

“He isn’t much for good byes, I guess,” said Shira

“Guess not
,” responded Veer. “Trail or cross country?”

“The forest is safer but the trail is faster. We have horses so I think that we can outrun anything if we have to.” Shira said.

“Trail,” Veer stated as he turned and mounted his horse.

The early morning passed quickly and uneventfully as the two companions rode south along the trail.  The horses were able to move quickly since both young people were light and an easy burden. They pushed the horses at a ground eating pace and soon reached the branch of the trail heading east toward the low hills known as the Wall. They quietly took the eastward trail and continued to move quickly and said very little to one another during their ride. Both Shira and Veer knew that the trail was not safe and stayed focused on watching as far ahead as they could while listening intently to the forests and brush around them.

*****

Lieutenant Ganspar of the Imperial Army rode northward along the trail which the locals called the Furway. He had seen some of the trappers and hunters who use this trail to move their furs south. He and his contingent of eight men robbed a few of the trappers here and there in order to keep up the ruse of banditry in the area. Just like every other search party sent to this barbaric mountain wild land his troop wandered about searching. So here was another day of searching after another night and a day spent just like this in what seemed to have been an unending stream of days with boredom and no civilization. And that was after spending the last months of winter crossing these horrible mountains.  Now he had to stick to schedule and report to the encampment back in the mountains to let his captain know that he had found nothing so far. Then the captain would tell him to draw supplies and return to the search.

Ganspar wondered who even was captain now; between the duels of honour and the assassinations and plotting for promotion it could be anyone. Ganspar thought to himself that if he could only stay in a camp a few days he could perhaps duel or assassinate his way into a promotion. At least then he could stay in the camp where there was some semblance of civilization and work on his career as an officer. If he could kill the right people perhaps he could make it to major before this expedition was over.  Then no more mornings like this one
- like the last forty seven have been.

Just because some advisor convinced the Emperor that dragons are real and can be used to win wars. That was all that it took to send this army all the way across the mountains past the edge of the world searching among these superstitious
barbarians to try and find a mythical beast. At least these barbarians were easy to kill with their ideas of hospitality toward strangers and travellers and their formal greetings. By the time they realized that there was a fight they were standing before their gods. These barbarians are pitiful; not even fit to make good slaves. Back home in a civilized place a band of unmarked strangers would never survive. With no banners or insignia of a strong house or the imperial army a band like this would be killed quickly by whoever felt like it. But not here, these uncivilized people just let you pass right by. That’s just no way to keep order. 

So here he was, Ganspar, a lieutenant in the Eternal Army. In command of a band of idiots beyond the edge of the world as they search for a beast from children’s tales because someone in a palace far away decided that ancient tales are real. Sleeping rolled in a blanket, eating hard rations with nothing to do to break the boredom aside from occasionally killing a barbarian. And tea, we can’t forget the tea; every day, every two hours, one sip of this putrid herbal tea which tastes so nasty. Then every night make more tea for the next day. It is supposed to make you able to see dragons, this magic herb. Of all of the stupid duties one can be called on to perform.

“There’s a branch off of the trail up ahead there sir, going east,” came a voice from behind Ganspar pulling the lieutenant out of his bitter reverie to notice the trail in front of him.

“Do you think, corporal, that I am blind? Yes there is a branch off of the trail, and yes I see it there. It has always been there. Every time we cross back and forth up and down this damned trail that branch is there just
like all of the other branches - all of them leading nowhere. Tell me, corporal is it day or night, since I may not have noticed without your help.”

“Sorry sir,
” responded the same voice.

“Shut up,
” snapped the officer.

As the officer reached the point where
the trail branched off to the east he habitually scanned the ground for tracks and he could see hoof prints from a small band coming down from the north and then taking the eastern trail. Maybe three horses and a few small dogs with them. Then the officer paused to look more carefully. The hoof prints were a mixture of horses wearing real horseshoes and one wearing what these local animals thought of as horseshoes.  While Ganspar was examining the hoof prints more closely he noticed that the paw prints of the dogs looked as little odd. Just something strange. The lieutenant shrugged to himself and wondered how a local got a couple of army horses. But his job wasn’t retrieving horses lost by someone else so he decided to continue heading north along the main trail. Then with a nauseated feeling he realized that it was time for another sip of his nasty tea so he took out his leather flask and took the smallest sip possible. Putting away the flask he glanced back down at the tracks, at the strange paw prints. A feeling of cold came over the officer. Where he had seen paw prints a moment before were now prints of something entirely different. These tracks now looked almost like some kind of bird or a large lizard. There were enough of them to be from several animals and they were intermixed with the hoof prints so that they had to be travelling with the horses and not following them.

Holding up his right hand Ganspar began to communicate with the hand signals of the Eternal Army. He instructed his eight men to loosen their swords and follow quietly.
As he led his troop toward the east on the new trail he started to carefully examine the tracks. Three horses definitely, but they were lightly weighted so they were carrying small people or light packs. Sometimes the hoof prints were over the claw prints and sometimes the claw prints over the hoof prints so they were moving together. If the claws were following the horses like they were hunting them then the claws would always print over the hooves. There were lots of claws in different sizes so whatever made those claw prints, there were several of them; but none of them were large. At least three to be sure. Another hand signal told the troops to get their special ropes ready.

This was too incredible to believe but maybe there really are some dragons left. He and his troops had been sent to find some baby dragons and here are tracks that might lead right to some
of the little monsters. Well, we will find out if these ropes will actually hold a dragon. The ropes are supposed to be made out of the same plant as this horrible tea and are supposed to be able to hold a dragon. Remembering the tea the young officer passed back his flask so that every man could take a sip. If this is really happening then his troops should be able to see some small dragons soon. The tracks were not old, less than an hour. The dirt kicked up around the tracks showed that the horses were moving quickly but at a quick walk only.

Overhead there started a loud angry caw from a crow but the call that started as a caw was becoming something else. Something angry and more visceral. As the men looked up they could see a green eyed crow screeching at them. They also saw the crow start to morph into something else. As the crow dived at the men they realized that dragons are real and here was a tiny one attacking. Hearing the scream of anger above them the horses grew nervous and hard to control. As the horses began to leap the little dragon picked her target and headed for the man to the rear. As she dove at him the man swatted at her with his coiled rope. As the rope hit the diving dragon it was as if she had been struck by a club and she was flung many yards back down the trail. A
fter she hit the ground she stood back up staggering and screamed defiantly at the men. One of the men had a small net made of the same stuff as the ropes and he threw the net toward her. Seeing the thing coming through the air at her the little dragon staggered aside so that the net barely missed her. She weakly leaped into the air and managed to struggle her way into flight, now she just wanted to escape. She had never felt anything like that rope which had swept her from the air. She managed to gain altitude enough to pass the men and fly east toward her siblings screeching weakly. Knowing that the dragon would give away any surprise Ganspar lunged forward to follow at a run with his troop charging along behind.

*****

Veer and Shira heard the sound of Green Eyes screeching behind them and they turned to face back the way they had come. The young dragons hearing their sister cry in fear also spun back the way that they had come. People and dragons alike could hear the shrieks of Green Eyes as she approached and then they heard the sound of hoof beats far back on trail to the west.

Veer
yelled. “We have to take to the brush.”

“We can’t.” Shira responded. “The trail is on a ridge right here it’s too steep on both sides.” With no other options Shira urged her horse forward and
Veer followed as did the young dragons. The trail was heading downward and would soon be off of the ridge and flatten out enough that maybe they could get into the forest and hide. Looking ahead on the trail Shira saw two horses break out of the trees where the trail flattened out. Two riders turned their horses toward them and started charging up the trail. “Ambush,” Shira screamed.

Veer
had been looking back for a moment when he heard Shira scream and as he turned to look ahead of him more horses break out of the trees and started to follow the first two riders as they charged forward toward Shira and Veer. But these new comers were soldiers with weapons and armour. Stop Veer yelled to Shira and the whole party came to a halt. Now there were soldiers coming from the front and their foreign partners closing from the rear and the ridge was still too steep here to try and run cross country. Looking back they could now see the group of riders charging from the rear. Riders dressed like bandits and carrying ropes.

*****

Ganspar rounded a bend and could see three horses stopped in the trail ahead of him. And there were small dragons on the ground milling about the stopped riders. He was already planning his heroic return to the empire when he realized that just beyond the stopped horses was a party of soldiers charging toward Ganspar and his men. Wondering that they had somehow gotten reinforcements he quickly hanged the coiled rope over his saddle and drew his sword. Seeing this, his men also exchanged their ropes for swords.

*****

The sergeant of the ducal guard finally had his quarry cornered and he could see the old man and the younger man riding up the trail but now just beyond them he saw armed men approaching. “They have rescuers,” he shouted to his men as he drew his sword. His men did likewise preparing for a fight to take their prisoners.

Veer
drew his sword and faced the two oncoming riders, who would reach him and Shira before the others from behind.

“Out of the way
,” the first of the riders, an old man, shouted.  As he made to pass by Veer the old man then saw that the way was cut off by men ahead of him. “Damn you” shouted the old man as he drew his blade and focused on Veer. The human eyed dragon leaped in front of the old rider and roared sending the horse under the man into a panic so that it reared and threw the rider to the ground.

It all happened so fast as soldiers from the front and bandits from the rear tried to join battle on a narrow trail atop a ridge. The dragons, though small, were roaring and startled horses were throwing their riders some of which rolled down the low ridge. Bandits and soldiers were starting to fight one another and were now dying. There were several little individual battles taking place, some on the trail and some on the sides of the ridge. Riderless horses were scrambling around atop the ridge and on both sides where they had also tumbled. One bandit seemed to be fighting a soldier on the trail. And dragons were screaming and some had taken flight and were now up in the tree tops with Green Eyes. Of the two riders who had
ridden ahead of the troops, the older man had managed to crawl over to and cover the body of the younger man who had also been thrown from his horse.

Shira and
Veer had both been unhorsed and were on foot, and each with a small dragon standing nearby roaring and threatening – two small bundles of fury.

Within moments the two men on horseback who seemed to have led each group had managed to kill one another and most of the soldiers and bandits had finished their individual battles. Seeing their leader dead and most of their compatriots also fallen two of the soldiers were fleeing back the way that they had come
, with retrieved horses. Only one bandit seemed to have survived and he two had retrieved a horse and was riding back the way he had come. It had seemed like a long battle but it had actually only been a few moments. Veer and Shira were left standing there confused and surrounded by the bodies of bandits and soldiers and listening to the cries of angry young dragons coming from around them and in the tree tops. Veer noticed that the two men who had been in front of the troops were lying on the ground and the older was face down and he had been wounded at some point in the fight.

Veer
went over and grabbed the older man and rolled him to face upwards and demanded. “Who are you? And why did you attack us with soldiers?”