The Dragons of Fyre Page 16

  Drakon rose and gathered some toweling. “To the pool.”

  “Good idea.” She grinned. “We’ll soon be busy.”

  “Then to the tower. I’m famished. I’d like to eat before the dragons wake and demand attention.”

  Arana nodded. “You’re right.”

  After a quick wash they dressed. At the mouth of the cavern, Drakon halted. “I would pledge and take you as my wife. Your children will be mine and my tower your home. My kin will be your kin.”

  She gazed into his eyes. His words meant more than she could express. She had no home or kin to share. All she could give him was her love. “I will pledge with you and take you as my husband. My children will be yours. I have no home of known kin to give you but should any appear, they will be yours as well. The tower will be my home and your kin mine.”

  He gathered her into his arms. “We must ask Radlan and Sofona to stand as our parents and mark us with the symbol of our pledge.”

  Though she had no idea how this was done, she recalled the marks the lord and lady had worn on their wrists. Was Drakon saddened because his parents couldn’t bear witness? But Radlan and Sofona were the closest to parents they had. She looked up. “We’re starting a new family at High Peaks.”

  “One that will endure.”

  When they reached the kitchen, they found Radlan and Sofona at the table. The older woman rose. “Good morning.” She heaped eggs, sausage and oat cakes on a platter. “We fed the dragons when they returned from their flight. The two of you were asleep. Was the flight a success?”

  Arana felt her face heat. She stared at the table. “There will be two eggs.”

  “That is good news.” Sofona placed mugs of spiced tea before them. “High Peaks Tower will live and grow strong again.”

  Drakon drained his mug. “Arana and I want you and Radlan to stand as our parents to witness and mark our wedding symbols.”

  Radlan drained his mug. “I would be honored. Have you chosen your tattoo?”

  Arana frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Radlan pushed the cuff of his sleeve to reveal a red triangle with a double circle inside. “Sofona’s matches mine. The circles show our unity. The triangle stands for the tower.” He opened his shirt to show a second tattoo on his shoulder. “The two peaks are for this tower and that I am near kin to Drakon.”

  “How is it done?” Arana began to eat.

  “Thorns and berries are boiled in water. The juice is strained,” Sofona said. “Using needles the dye is placed beneath the skin. The mark you choose will show you as husband and wife.”

  Drakon finished his food. He went to the store room and returned with a thin piece of chalk. He drew two triangles. “For High Peaks Tower.”

  Arana took the chalk and drew four interlocking triangles along the bases of the triangles. “For us and the dragons.”

  Drakon added a double arc joining the peaks of the triangles. “For Verde and the Old One.” He turned to Radlan. “Is the design too complicated to execute.”

  Radlan shook his head. “Detailed and will take time but I can do it. I’ll find the needles while Sofona brews the dye.”

  Arana swallowed the last bite of oatcake. “What should Drakon and I do?”

  “Go to the crypt and ask for the ancestors’ blessing,” Sofona said.

  *Where are you going?* Verde asked. *Where is this place they are sending you and Drakon? Roja and Azure are too tired to fly.*

  *We are going to a place beneath the tower where the bones of Drakon’s ancestors lie. Drakon and I are forming a family. When we finish the rite we will be mated like Roja and Azure.*

  *You have mated. I heard you two times.*

  Arana burst into laughter. *With people there is more than coupling. We will be marked. Once Sofona and Radlan finish we will come and show you.*

  “Why are you laughing?” Drakon asked.

  “Verde and his ideas. He thought when we shared pleasure after the mating flight we were mated like Roja and Azure. He was puzzled that we had done it twice.”

  “He’s in for a shock. I believe we must insist he stop spying on us unless we invite him.”

  *Good luck with that. He and the Old One do not think they are spying. They are merely aware of what we say.” She held Drakon’s hand. They entered the great hall and paused. The tapestry showing dragons and their riders in flight had been hung on the wall. The floor had been swept and scrubbed. The stones she’d thought were black were gray. “We must make furniture and turn this room into the center of tower life.”

  “When there are more people living here, we will.”

  They approached the stairs leading to the crypt and saw torches had been placed in the brackets. Drakon lit one. The musty odor was gone. The air smelled of herbs and flowers. The stone table gleamed.

  Arana turned to Drakon. “Sofona and Radlan have been here.”

  Drakon nodded. He walked to the door to the shelves where the bones of his ancestors lay. “Honored fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, I am Drakon, last of the line of High Peaks Tower. I present Arana who will be my wife. Welcome her into kinship of our line.”

  Arana looked at Drakon. “I don’t know what to say."

  “Say the words that are in your heart.”

  Arana stood beside him. “I am Arana who Drakon has chosen to be his wife. Though I have no kin far or near in this land, I love Drakon and will be proud to give him sons and daughters so the line can continue. In times to come there will be laughter ringing in these halls,”

  He took her hand and placed it on the door beneath his. Warmth coursed up her arm and filled her with hope. Did this mean acceptance or was what she felt caused by Drakon’s nearness and what she felt for him? She met his gaze and knew he had felt the same blessing.

  When they returned to the kitchen, Arana wrinkled her nose. An acrid scent rose from a small bowl on the stone table. In a pan of steaming water she saw a number of thin metal needles. “Are those what you will use?”

  Radlan nodded. “They will place the dye beneath your skin where it will remain for all your life.”

  Sofona pointed to a chair. “Sit and watch while Radlan does Drakon’s tattoo.”

  Drakon placed his left arm on a piece of toweling. Sofona washed the skin with a pungent solution. He looked up. “I feel as though my hand is disconnected from my body.”

  “Good,” the older woman said. “Should the feeling return before Radlan is finished, let me know.”

  Radlan dipped one of the needles into the dye. He slid the fine point beneath the skin at Drakon’s wrist. Soon four circles took form and the triangles were added. Finally the connecting arcs were in place. The process took less time than Arana had expected. Drakon moved to another place. Arana sat and placed her arm on the towel. The sensations left by the cleansing solution felt odd. Arana expected to feel the needle pierce her skin but nothing happened. Before long her arm and Drakon’s bore matching red tattoos.

  Sofona urged Arana to her feet. “You must be in your bed before the poisons in the dye claim and send you to sleep. Radlan, support Drakon.”

  “I promised Verde I would show him what we have done,” Arana said.

  “He will see the tattoos after you wake.”

  Drakon rose and swayed. Radlan urged him to the stairs. Arana and Sofona followed. Arana grasped the railing. One moment she felt clear-headed, and in the next, dizziness threatened to bring her to her knees. They reached the room where she had stayed since her arrival. Drakon sat on the edge of the bed. Radlan removed Drakon’s boots and rolled him toward the wall. Arana sank on the bed and removed her boots with Sofona’s help. Arana sprawled on the mattress and curled next to Drakon.

  *Arana.*

  *Drakon.* He spoke to her the way the dragons did. Was this possible or a dream caused by the poisons of the fyrethorns?

  *Love you forever.*

  *My love for you is constant,* she said.

  As the bed seemed to move, she slid into the circ
le of his arms. Even that did not keep part of her mind from floating free. She stood on the landing field of Sea Cliff Tower. Drakon clasped her hand. In a blink they were inside the tower. With quick steps they flew up the staircase. A closed door failed to stop them. Inside the room she saw Lagon entwined with a woman. He shifted position and she saw the woman’s face.

  *Bekla,* Drakon said.

  The dark-haired woman stared. Had she seen them? Arana tugged on Drakon’s hand. They fled. She had to leave this place and find her body. *Drakon.* Anger pulsated in his thoughts. *Do not trouble them. We must return to the tower.*

  *You saw them?*

  *I did.*

  *Their being together can’t be good.*

  *As we know, the time approaches when we must face them here or at Sea Cliff.” She saw her sleeping self and dove into her body.

  * * * *

  Verde woke. Roja and Azure slumbered on. He looked at the sleeping mats. Arana and Drakon hadn’t returned to the cavern. She had promised and she never broke her word. He opened the speaker’s path. She was asleep. Had he missed her return? He wanted to see what she and Drakon had done. He knew about the tattoos but he didn’t understand.

  He hadn’t meant to spy but he had been curious. That curiosity remained strong. Why had they wanted to mark their bodies? She had said there was more when people mated than when dragons did.

  He hadn’t been able to hear what Sofona and Radlan had said but he had watched through Arana's eyes. He’d seen the man make marks on their skin. Arana’s was red. So was Drakon’s. That made no sense. His should be blue like the color of his dragon’s hide.

  Where was Arana? Since she hadn’t appeared he sought her. He found her asleep beside Drakon. Verde slid into her thoughts. With a suddenness that nearly severed the connection to her dreams. Drakon was there, too. Arana and Drakon stared at the evil man and the woman who had tried to steal Roja. Arana and Drakon fled. Verde stayed.

  The evil one left the woman. He called for berry tea and for the other speakers to drink with him. Lagon ordered the blues aloft. What did he plan?

  *There is a way to learn,* the Old One said.

  *What happened? How did I stay when Arana and Drakon fled?*

  *I cannot answer that question. Tell me what happened?*

  *I was in Arana’s dream. Then we were at Sea Cliff. We saw the evil one and the strange woman. The evil one left and sent the blues aloft. We need to know why.*

  *I agree, but return here. Once the blues return to that tower, we will seek the reds there and learn what their mates were sent to do. Once Roja lays her eggs, we will find a way to protect High Peaks from the evil one.*

  * * * *

  Drakon woke with a clear head and strange memories. Had he really seen Bekla with Lagon? During the ten years and one since Drakon had seen the lord of Sea Cliff Tower the man had aged. The lines of cruelty around his mouth had deepened. Lagon’s dark hair sported streaks of gray.

  Drakon turned to Arana. “We traveled in our dreams. Do you think what we saw was real or a product of our fears?”

  “If you mean Lagon and Bekla I fear we saw true. She left the village to visit her brothers at the pass. What would prevent her from traveling to Sea Cliff? Lagon would welcome her.”

  Drakon drew a deep breath. “Then he knows about us and the dragons. Her uncles were the pass guards before her brothers were assigned. Do you think the betrayal will be repeated?”

  “I fear so. Is there a way to learn? Perhaps someone at the village will know.”

  A frown crossed Drakon’s face. “The headman trusts them.”

  Arana sat up. “When do you think the men from Sea Cliff will come?”

  “Soon.” He clasped her hand. “There will be more. Lagon controls four towers and can gather men from all. We must talk to the Old One and Radlan.” He slid past her. “We should dress and find them. You know Lagon and Sea Cliff.”

  A short time later they reached the kitchen. Sofona turned from the hearth. “You’re in time for the midday meal. You slept a full day. I’m sure you’re starved.”

  Drakon frowned. “I’m not sure we have time. We’ve learned about a threat and must make plans.”

  “Something you can do while you eat. Lately you’ve missed too many meals.”

  “She’s right.” Arana placed bread and cheese on the table.

  Sofona dished bowls of lentil soup and handed them to Drakon. “Fetch cider from the storeroom.”

  When Drakon returned, Radlan had arrived. Drakon filled mugs. “We believe Bekla has gone to Sea Cliff.”

  “And what makes you think that?” Radlan asked.

  “A shared dream,” Arana said. “Do you think it’s possible?”

  Radlan nodded. “From what I know of her she wants a dragon speaker. Since Drakon will not have her I can see one of her brothers escorting her to Sea Cliff.”

  Drakon straightened. “And leave the pass unguarded.”

  “Surely not,” Sofona said.

  “We must go to the village and check the pass,” Drakon said.

  “I’ll saddle the horses.” Radlan finished his soup.

  Arana put her spoon down. “Why ride when we can fly.”

  *Not possible,* the old One said. *Roja and Azure cannot leave and Arana must stay.*

  *Why?” Drakon asked.

  *She must be with Roja when the eggs are laid.*

  Arana looked at Drakon. “Even if I must stay, you can ride Azure.”

  Drakon listened to what the Old One said. “It seems Azure must be here to prime the blue egg.*

  “Then you and Radlan must go.”

  Drakon nodded. “Once the eggs have been laid I must go to Sea Cliff.” He wiped the bowl with a piece of bread. *Old One, are you sure what Arana and I saw was true?*

  *Yes. She is there. Verde entered your dream and stayed when you fled. He saw the blues fly to study the pass. The snow still blocks entrance. Lagon will gather men from four towers to send against us.*

  *We must attack him first.*

  *We cannot go to Sea Cliff yet but you must go to the village and then to the pass. Take men from the village and have a barrier erected. Bring the two who will tend the eggs when you return to the tower.*

  *But the eggs haven’t been laid.*

  *And that is why Arana must stay. She and Verde will guild Roja. By the time you return from Sea Cliff there will be dragonets in the cavern. Go now and do what must be done to protect the tower and the lineage.*

  Drakon turned to Arana. “Did you hear?”

  She nodded. “So did Verde.” She rose and embraced him. “Go quickly and return safely.”

  “What if Lagon’s men are already on the move?”

  *Fear not,* the Old One said. *He will not chance an incursion until the pass is completely free of snow. When Verde and I spied we saw no preparations for an invasion. We have a week or even two to make ready to repel them.*

  Drakon held Arana close. “I’ll return as soon as I can.” He brushed his lips over hers. The kiss held a promise and a yearning. As soon as he heard Radlan’s call, Drakon released Arana and joined the older man.

  With one horse to ride and a second as a spare, they rode until well past moonrise. Radlan called a halt when his horse stumbled. As soon as the sun rose they set off again. All around them signs of spring were seen. The growth heralded the coming of summer. At dusk they reached the village and halted in front of the headman’s house. Drakon rapped on the door.

  The headman peered through a partially open door. “My lord, what brings you here?”

  “A suspicion of treachery and potential danger. The dragons report Bekla has gone to Sea Cliff and her brothers may have left the pass unguarded. They fear Lagon plans another invasion.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I trust the dragons.”

  The older man scowled. “I understand their uncles were traitors but those men had no hand in raising Bekla or her brothers. I trust the aunt who raised them.” />
  “This I know. Your village was spared because Lagon’s men were sent on a different trail to the tower. That won’t happen again. Lagon won’t rest until all my kin near and far are dead. Bekla will tell him about the village.”

  The headman’s mouth formed a thin line. “Return to the tower. Leave the guards and the pass to us.”

  Drakon sucked in a breath. He looked around and saw Radlan and several men approaching. They halted. “Drakon, tell these men all you know,” Radlan said.

  Drakon repeated his story for the councilmen. “We must visit the pass to make sure of the guards.”

  One of the men nodded. “I have something to report that now becomes of importance. Soon after the harvest was stored and before you arrived for the second wagon. A dozen sacks of thorns and the same of berries went missing. Since we had so much I thought nothing about the theft.”

  “Sounds like enough to present to Lagon as a dowry,” a second man said. “From the traders we heard how the hedges at the other towers are blighted and the harvest was poor.”

  Radlan crossed his arms on his chest. “In the morning Drakon and I are going to the pass. Choose a dozen men to accompany us.”

  “Two have always been enough,” the headman said.

  Drakon straightened. “Not in these days. I suggest you come with us.”

  Several of the council members nodded. “We will make the trip, too.”

  “There’s one more thing,” Drakon said. “Tiron and Cerene should pack their belongings. On our return they will travel to the tower. The dragons have mated. Two eggs will be laid. They must be there to care for the dragonets.”

  The headman’s eyes widened. “Surely you are mistaken. The red and blue are barely old enough to fly.”

  “There was a need for them to mature so the Old One ordered a pattern of feeding designed for that purpose.” Drakon turned to the men. “Once the eggs have been laid and the pass secured, I will be going to Sea Cliff to face Lagon. As long as he controls four towers no man, woman, child or dragon is safe.”

  One of the council members frowned. “Will you set yourself up as a great lord in your tower and ignore the rights of the villagers?”