Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) (50 page)

She looked at Fulgid on the ground and meekly said “Thank you Fudlig!”

Fulgid slowly crawled forward on his belly and carefully laid his head on El’s knee. Lily pulled back, frightened, but El held her close. “It’s okay! Look…he likes to be scratched behind his ears...see?”

Cautiously, she reached out with El’s hand and timidly touched Fulgid with a tiny hand. The dragon let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. Suddenly Lily giggled. “I think I like dragons that don’t eat me!”

While El kept Lily occupied, Ammon pulled Chanel aside. “Tirate’s men can’t be too far behind if she climbed through. We need a guard placed here until we’ve figured out a plan.” He frowned as he watched Lily scratching Fulgid’s ears with both hands. “If they’re using children to crawl through the narrow parts of the tunnel, than they’re probably forcing others to dig. That will make things much more complicated. I don’t want a single innocent harmed. It’s Tirate and his men I want.”

Chanel nodded. “I’ll stay here. If anything happens, I’ll notify you immediately.”

“Thank you.” Ammon turned and dropped to his knee beside the little girl on El’s lap. “Lily? Would you like to come to the palace and have tea with us? You can tell us all about what those guards are doing!”

Lily’s eyes rounded as she looked at El. “You mean a real palace? With kings and queens and everything?”

Chanel chuckled as he whispered controversially. “You’re sitting on the lap of a queen right now, and the man in the golden armor is the king!”

Lily gasped, jumped to her feet and looked back and forth between them. Nearly bursting with excitement she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Oh yes, yes, yes! Please! May I?”

She reached up and gripped El’s hand while Fulgid walked close beside her and they walked up to the tunnel exit. Outside a group of miners were waiting and Theo had just arrived with Stalwart and several other knights.

Ammon patted one of the minors on the back good-naturedly and gestured to Lily. “Here is your Kala-Azar! Not exactly what any of us were expecting to be sure!”

He smiled at the puzzled faces of Theo and Stalwart and pointed into the tunnel. “Chanel is guarding the tunnel by the cave-in. Tirate is making children crawl through the rubble to find the other side. We need a plan, and fast! They must be close to coming through so we’ll need dragons standing by. In the meantime we’ve invited Lily to the palace for tea, and I’d like you to join us as I’m sure she has some very interesting things to tell us!”

Fulgid strode forward with Lily proudly resting her hand on his head. Lily gasped in delight at the view of the city. Its freshly painted stone walls gleamed in the sunlight, and the newly topped spires stretched to dizzying heights. When they passed through the city gates, Fulgid marched straight down the center of the street, and Lily stared in awe as people stepped aside and bowed their heads. Ammon couldn’t help but grin as Lily waved to everyone as if she were a member of royalty.

He leaned towards El and gestured discreetly at the dirty rags Lily was wearing. “Don’t you think our guest would like to…freshen up…a bit? I’m sure Seamstress Mabel could find her something more suitable to wear while I send down to the kitchen for tea.”

El nodded knowingly. “Why yes of course! A lady always makes sure to attend a tea dressed appropriately! I will make the arrangements myself!”

The moment they entered the royal chambers Ammon sent one of the pages to find Mabel and arrange for fancy tea and sweet pastries to be served. When Mabel arrived carrying bolts of cloth and other materials, El promptly shooed him from the bedchambers and closed the door. He chuckled at the flurry of activity on the other side of the wall and wondered if he’d recognize the little girl when they were finished with her.

Fulgid was stretched out comfortably by the fire in the sitting room and he knelt to scratch his ears. “You saved that little girl’s life and who knows how many others today.”

Fulgid rolled lazily onto his back and yawned as the familiar voice chimed in Ammon’s head. “
LILY HATCHLING HAPPY.
”

***

Lily felt like a princess as she sat between King Ammon and Queen El at the largest table she’d ever seen. The queen looked so different now than she did in the dark tunnel. She couldn’t help but gaze up at the beautiful woman beside her in awe. The queen’s dark hair hung down in ringlets that looked like they’d never been tangled and her brown eyes seemed so soft and gentle! It was hard to believe that the queen herself helped to make her a pretty velvet green dress to wear to the tea party! She fidgeted excitedly and beneath the table the queen gently squeezed her hand.

King Ammon sat on her other side. His hair was almost the same color as his shiny gold armor and his eyes seemed to see everything and were as blue as the sky. His face was kind like Queen El’s, and he smiled each time he looked at her. When he put his hands on the table, she could see that they were covered in pink scars, and she shuddered. She had marks like that once before on a man who used fire to make metal things. She hoped it didn’t hurt.

Without a doubt though, the most amazing thing Lily had ever seen was the little dragon. It was hard to say his name, but he didn’t seem to mind. He sat in the chair with her with his head resting gently on her shoulder. His breath tickled her ear and made little wisps of her hair flutter when he exhaled.

Never before had she felt so special or so important. Before the guards took her and the others away from Miss Garret, she had always been just one of the orphans. Miss Garret gave them whatever clothes she could find and fed them what she could. Lily was always careful never to ask for very much because Miss Garret was quite old and very thin and needed to eat too.

As she looked across the huge table, she saw more food than she could ever imagine in one place. Her mouth watered, and she very cautiously snatched a big round cookie from one of the plates and slipped it into her pocket. She was sure Miss Garret would like one of them, and no one here would ever know they were missing! Suddenly, she felt guilty. Stealing was wrong, and Miss Garret would be mad, even if there was more here than they could ever eat. Sadly, she pulled the cookie from her pocket and put it back.

King Ammon suddenly leaned over and whispered. “You can keep that if you want. I can get lots more from the kitchen. Besides, this is just a snack until the noon meal is served. You can eat as much as you want, whenever you feel hungry ok? Just tell someone and they’ll bring you something to eat.”

She felt a little frightened for a moment. Those blue eyes really did see everything! He winked and smiled as he pushed the platter of cookies closer to her, and the fear melted away. Oddly, she wondered where all this food came from when Miss Garret always had such a hard time finding any. There must be a lot of food in this big, beautiful city!

More men came into the room and bowed respectfully to the king and queen before they took their seats at the long table. She couldn’t help but stare in surprise. They acted very different from the guards in Gaul. These men didn’t spit and swear, and they smiled as they passed a teapot to each other instead of drinking that awful smelling ale. They all dressed a little like King Ammon except their armor was black or gray and wasn’t shiny like his was.

Mabel, the woman who helped make Lily’s dress, came in holding the arm of a man who limped when he walked. He was a big man with thinning hair on his head and a large white moustache that flowed down on either side of his mouth. Mabel helped him to his chair before settling herself beside him.

King Ammon stood and the room quieted almost at once. “We have a surprise guest with us today from Gaul. Lily, would you please stand?”

El nodded encouragingly and helped her to stand in the chair so everyone could see. Her knees felt weak.

The king put his hand on her shoulder. “Lily, would you please tell us how old you are?”

Everyone was staring at her. “I’m four!” She stammered meekly.

Queen El gently took her hand and smiled. “It’s okay, don’t be nervous, you are with friends here. Can you tell us how you came to be stuck in the tunnel?”

As she looked at the faces around her, her stomach began to hurt and a lump was building in her throat. She wanted to make the King and Queen happy and tell them everything, but the words just wouldn’t come! Suddenly there was a reassuring nudge behind her from the little dragon, and when she looked down at him, she felt a surge of courage.

She spoke quietly at first, then louder as she gained confidence. “The guards came and told Miss Garret she was under rest ‘cause she didn’t have taxes. So they put us all in a big wagon. Then they put us on a big raft and made us hold on while we went down the river, and I thought we would fall in the water. One of the guards fell in, and they didn’t help him, and I think he sank. Then we got off the raft, and the other guards gave us shovels and told us we had to dig in the tunnel. Lots of grownups and kids were already there digging, but I was too small, so they made me crawl ‘tween the rocks with a candle and tell them what I saw. The guards wouldn’t help though, even with the big rocks. They sat on the wagon with the big bow and arrows. They made us pull it into the tunnel ‘cause they said monsters were on the other side that would eat us and they had to shoot them.

Yesterday they put me behind a big rock, and my candle went out, and I couldn’t see. I asked them to give me another but the guards yelled at me and said no, and I couldn’t find my way out! I tried but then I couldn’t hear them anymore, and I sat in the dark for a long time. Then I heard noises so I squeezed through and got stuck behind a rock until…until Fudlig found me…and now I’m having tea!” She settled back down into her seat and wondered why Queen El was crying.

Chapter 16

Stolen Heart

Ammon crouched behind a boulder downhill from the tunnel entrance and examined the odd arsenal Stalwart had provided. The arm length arrows, which the DoTarian’s called coda, were tipped with clay vials filled with oil and a small wick and had been designed for fighting against the Kala-Azar. When shattered, the vial blanketed its target with burning oil, and when several struck from multiple archers, the results were devastating. Grimly, he peered around the edge of the rock and watched. There was little sign of the two hundred plus men waiting motionlessly in the woods, or of the entire fist of dragons hidden beyond the rise of the hill.

Suddenly he heard El’s voice behind him and he spun on his heel. “Any sign of them yet?”

Embarrassed at being taken off-guard from behind so easily, he shot an accusing glance at Fulgid who greeted her happily. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the palace!”

She rolled her dark eyes beneath her hood. “I told you if you insisted on going to battle then I’d be there too. Now, has there been anymore movement in the tunnel or not?”

He shook his head in disapproval at the full quiver of coda slung over her shoulder. It was obvious she intended to stay for the fight. He placed a hand gently to her cheek and pleaded. “Please, El, I don’t want you to get hurt. If you go back to the palace where I know…”

El placed a stern finger to his lips and nodded towards the entrance where there were movements in the shadows. “I can take care of myself. Besides, dear, who will watch out for you?”

He groaned inwardly. It was too late to argue now. All he could do was watch and wait for Boris’ signal. Not a single shot was to be fired until they were sure no one was left in the tunnel. From the shadowy entrance a small boy suddenly tumbled out into the open as someone shoved him from behind. He sobbed as he rose to his knees and looked around in wide-eyed terror. As the minutes passed he looked towards the tunnel questioningly. A moment later a thin man in ragged clothes stumbled into the daylight, waving a sword awkwardly over his head.