Chapter Two
~
The dragon slapped away the next hurled stone, clasped the next, and dropped it as though it were a nasty thin’.
“Stop it!” he roared.
“I’m not goin’ back.”
“Prefer to die down here?”
My chest tightened. “Ya gonna kill me?”
The dragon lowered his inner eyelids a moment. “When the air cools with the settin’ sun, the lions will come out. Ya’ll not last an hour.”
I swallowed. “Uh uh. Ya’re lyin’. I’ve never seen any lions around here.”
“Ya ever been on this plain at night?”
I slumped forward, hands restin’ on my knees again. Sucked in air against the threatin dizziness’.
At least it doesn’t look like he’s gonna kill me. “Does that mean—ya aren’t gonna kill me?”
“Kill ya?” The dragon’s inner eyelids closed shut slowly, and peeled back. It left the impression of a human archin’ their brow. “I should. Make a dandy snack. Might irritate Lucas, but Ike would prolly be happy to be done with ya.”
“Snack?”
“Ya’re right. They haven’t fattened ya up as much as they intend.”
“I got plenty of meat on me.”
“Two weeks ago,” the dragon rasped, “the lions wouldn’ta even taken two glances yar way. A newborn antelope carries more sustenance.”
A bit of my despair twisted into anger. “My pa and ma weren’t starvin’ us. There were no leftovers, but we had nuff to eat.”
“Why did a farmer ever move to the highlands anyway? Was he insane?”
I grabbed a rock and pulled it back.
“Ya throw that and I’ll slice ya in two.” His talons clenched in the sand.
If he was gonna kill me, he already woulda.
Wasn’t much point in antagonizin’ the thin’ further though, or debatin’ him. “Ya sure are an opinionated beast.”
“Beast? Beast? Who’s the beast? Ya’re a crass, heathen, lesser-bein’. Throws rocks. Never even bothered to learn my name. Demonstrates ya have no social skills. Runnin’ from those who’d care for ya. Means ya’re ignert, too.”
I leaned backward a tad and dropped the stone I held. Looked down to avoid meetin’ the dragon’s glare.
“I’ll give ya a hint,” the dragon said. “I’m not one of the Lake siblings.”
That didn’t help collectin’ the thin’s name. I already knew he was the young queen’s mate, not one of her brothers. All the hint meant was his name wouldn’t be pasted in front of ‘loch, the local clutch’s title.
A thought from the clouds struck me, considerin’ the little I knew about dragons, the local clutch should have used their dam’s clan name. I searched for the name. Was a short one. Yes. ‘et. The elder queen’s name was Ash’et.
“Not comin’ to ya?” The dragon’s enormous head swung back and forth displayin’—pity—maybe.
I asked, “Why don’t the younger queen and her brothers use their mama’s clan name?” Don’t know why the thought made me curious enough to ask.
The hide below the dragon’s eyes wrinkled. “Changin’ the subject is a poor strategy for avoidin’ the truth of yar ignorance.”
“Don’t be rude. Don’t ya know? Ya don’t, do ya.”
A rumble emanated from the dragon’s chest. “I should quarter ya and leave ya for the lions.”
But the dragon didn’t make any kind of outward challenge. In fact he squatted, folded his wings behind him, and twisted, pressin’ a shallow in the loose sand and gravel. Dust billowed around us for a five-count. I waved it away from my face. Evidently the dragon was willin’ to get comfortable to converse. What better did he have to do?
“Ash’et is the last of her clan. The most noble of the draconic families. Perhaps she considered it arrogant to keep the name alive. I’m not sure. Perhaps thought a new dynasty was in order, considerin’ she brought a new queen into the world. Hasn’t been one of those in longer than anyone can remember. And what a grand queen.”
The dragon’s eyes seemed to whirl, which reminded me of a human starin’ at nothin’, mind a million miles away.
“Blessed with a queen in her last clutch,” he continued, “perhaps she considered Iza a new promise. Ash’et is very proud of these nestlings. Proud of the home she created here. Perhaps that’s why she named them for the lake.”
Loch. Lake. How hadn’t that ever occurred to me?
The dragon raised his head, eyes whirlin’ again, but his jaw dropped revealin’ those threatenin’ fangs. I almost wet myself the first time I’d seen a dragon do that. Still disconcertin’, even knowin’ the dragon attempted a human-style smile.
He lifted his haunches in the air, shoulders lowered. “See those larger scars runnin’ down my back?”
Vomit rose in the back of my throat. Twelve-foot-long channels a foot wide wove down the dragon’s back. How could he have survived such wounds? Nearly ripped him in two.
A different, gravelly rumble came from the dragon’s chest, a draconic chuckle. Been around ’em nuff to learn that sound.
“Those are from Ash’et, perhaps seven human generations ago. She could have shredded my wings. She let me off easy.”
Easy?
“Ya see, I tried to fly with her, to court her, in yar words.” He displayed more fang. “I considered myself a totally suitable bull. Wasn’t good enough for her, though. I paid for my arrogance. Have ya ever met her mate?”
I searched the past weeks for that dragon’s name. I didn’t expect an exam on all things draconic—hadn’t studied. Didn’t wish to admit I couldn’t identify yet another dragon. That wouldn’t help the situation.
“Don’t try to cover up yar ignorance,” the dragon continued. “I must agree Ash’et found a unique and beautiful mate with Mo’sale. A towerin’ bull. He’s a brindle. Gorgeous. I hate him. Not really. He’s centuries younger than me. No surprise he impressed the finicky queen.”
A smile creased my cheek, despite my personal conundrum, fleein’ an ogre’s lair, almost killin’ myself hurlin’ down a mountain, tracked down by a dragon who now cocked his head, eyes widenin’. A dragon who appeared to enjoy a chat, even with a human on the open plain.
“Ahh. Is it clickin’? I wasn’t good enough for Ash’et, but I snatched up her proudest clutchling, her last queen.”
A rumble, like a cascade of thunder across the valley, vibrated from the dragon’s chest. The ground shook. I imagined it was similar to a cat’s purr in emotion—just much grander. Not a reaction I expected from a giant beast. That tic in my back vibrated.
“I doubt Ash’et recognized me after all those years,” the dragon continued. “I certainly remembered her. She paid little enough attention to me except to run me off. I worried she might kill me when she found me cavortin’ with her Iza’loch. I’m one lucky dragon, on two accounts.”
A wolf howled to the west. The sun had sunk below the peaks and the day’s heat was fadin’. A shiver crossed my shoulders. Wasn’t from the cold. It’s stinkin’ hot, on this plain.
“This is all nice to know—”
“Taiz’lin. Repeat it. Might help to remember my name.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “Taiz’lin. I knew yar name was Taiz’lin.”
“Liar. All humans are liars. Should pay more attention to ogres. They would plunge a dagger into their own eye rather than lie.”
“Not what I’ve heard.”
“Ya’ve heard wrong,” Taiz’lin said, loud nuff to hurt my ears. “My Ike is the most noble creature, second to dragons, of course.”
“Ike stranded me on top of that mountain with nothin’ to do.”
“Ya were half-dead. We’ve given ya time to rest and build up yar strength. Besides, we all have been a little busy if ya haven’t noticed. Lucky the plague didn’t take ya like—”
“Like it took my mama?”
Taiz’lin’s maw clomped shut. At least that lessened the odor.
“Now that I’ve got yar life story, ya mind tellin’ me what ya’re gonna do with me?”
“Take ya home,” Taiz’lin said.
“I have no home.”
“Ike’s lair.”
“I have to find my pa.”
“He’ll return when he’s capable of carin’ for ya and yar hen siblings.”
“We call ’em sisters. Besides, ya don’t believe that. All of ya think he ran away like a coward.”
Taiz’lin’s head soared nearer. He blinked those enormous eyes. “Just gone to get a new start. He’ll be back to collect the four of ya when he has a stake that will feed the lot of ya.”
The dragon spoke softly, but didn’t believe his words any more than I did, considerin’ the way his lyin’ stressed him enough I could sense it.
“I can help him break new fields. I have a strong back. I gotta find him and help him.”
“Ya have no clue where to look.”
I fought the tightenin’ sensation in my throat. Some of the exhaustion of weeks ago returned, aggravatin’ the aches from my rush down the mountain.
“He’ll be in one of the near, human villages north of here.”
“Ya don’t even know he traveled north. He could have headed south for the Wildes for all ya know.”
“Why would he go to the Wildes? There are none of our kind down there. We don’t know anyone there. He doesn’t know anythin’ about the Wildes.”
“He obviously didn’t know anythin’ about the high mountains of the Range either, if he believed he could farm in rock, near the tree line, far from help, two-day march from the nearest settlement.”
“What do ya know of farmin’, dragon?”
“Prolly as much as yar pa, obviously.”
Anger swelled in my chest and I swung a fist up into the dragon’s chin with all the speed and strength I could muster. My shoulder crooked hard, fist wrenched, as though I’d slammed my hand into a rock wall. A wail of pain escaped—not from the dragon. Tears blurred my vision for a ten-count.
“Ya feel better?” Taiz’lin asked.
I cleared my throat and tried to hide the pain that vibrated from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers. I blinked away the tears and flexed my hand, afraid I may have broken it in half.
“Hope I didn’t hurt ya too much, dragon. But stop insultin’ my papa.”
“I think I’ll survive, lad. Ya ready to go home?”
“I’m goin’ north.”
“Thought we worked through that?”
“Ya wasted yar breath.” The embarrassment of stealin’ from Ike revisited my conscience. How could I go back? The gold slung over my shoulder tugged heavily, by more than its physical weight.
Taiz’lin mumbled, “Ya’re barely old enough to wipe yar own snot.”
I tensed, and clenched my fists. My right hand throbbed.
“Oh please, human, don’t beat me again.”
Both anger and an outrageous need to laugh struck. A witherin’ strangulation followed that, squeezed the air out of my lungs. My aches spread through my body. I closed my eyes and took a slow breath to keep from cryin’. Heat flowed across my face a second later, with recognition that Taiz’lin didn’t know my name either.
“What’s so funny?” Taiz’lin asked.
“Ya’re so superior, figger it out.”
Taiz’lin lowered his left shoulder and extended a forelimb. “Up. The lions will be circlin’.”
“Give ya a snack, I’d think.”
“Prefer elk. Nuff talk. Already tread upon my afternoon nap. Get on my back.”
“I said I’m headin’ north.”
Taiz’lin trumpeted his anger. The belch of hot air took me off my feet. I hit the ground hard. Head double-thumped. Rocks scraped my back as I slid over them another two feet. I groaned. Ears rang.
After a full minute Taiz’lin said somethin’.
“What? I can’t hear ya. My ears are ringin’.”
The dragon’s jowls moved again.
“What?”
The dragon shook his head. After a twenty-count the sound of the wind in the crags above returned.
“Ya don’t have to tell them ya found me,” I said.
“Even if my Ike lets ya be, that friend of his, Lucas, would mount a tirin’ search. Tirin’ for me. I’m too old to be soarin’ at the tree tops smellin’ for a stinkin’, ignert human.”
“Why do ya have to be so insultin’?”
Taiz’lin’s jaw dropped in that draconic smile. “I would say it’s a dragon’s prerogative, but in truth, the ways of my Ike have rubbed off on me.”
“Ike and Lucas snipe as though they hate each other.”
“Never believe it,” Taiz’lin said.
I hadn’t after the first few minutes in their company. I’d been in awe over the tight friendship between the ogre and human since the day I met them. Their fellowship had nothin’ to do with the fact their dragons were mates. Their friendship long preceded their dragons even meetin’.
Taiz’lin jerked his massive head, a reminder he waited for me to climb onto his shoulders.
“What if ya helped me find my papa?” I asked.
Taiz’lin’s chest rattled like gravel in a coffee tin. “Why would I do that?”
My chest tightened. Face turned hot, as though the dragon had pressed a torch into it. The wrinkles formed under Taiz’lin’s eyes again.
“Ya gonna live, human? Yar face just turned into an over-ripe red-fruit. What do ya call those things?”
“Tomatoes?”
“Aye. Ya humans love those thin’s, huh. Reason they grow ’em in the Inn’s garden.”
Saw no reason to respond to his blather. The seconds passed painfully.
“Take a breath, human.”
I tried, but seemed incapable of drawin’ in enough air.
“Ya can’t think of a good reason why I should help ya, eh, human?”
“My name is Paul.”
“Of course it is. Not that I care.”
“Ya were insulted I couldn’t recall yar name.”
“But ya’re just an inconsequential human. Yar life is so short, almost not worth me learnin’ yar name. Ya’ll be long gone when—”
“It true Ash’et is as old as they say?” I asked. No idea where that bit of curiosity came from.
“I don’t know how old they say she is, and it’s none of my concern.”
“How old are ya?”
Taiz’lin’s inner lids closed halfway for a three count.
“Ya don’t know?” I asked.
“Shut up. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to shuttle ya north for a day. Not like anyone cares where ya are.”
“Now who’s changin’ the subject?”
“Did ya wish to fly north with me or not?”
I allowed the smile that bubbled inside to fold my face into a smirk.
~
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