“Good day.” Patrick raised his hand showing he meant no threat. “I’ve come to speak with the lord of the castle.”
“He’s dead,” the boy barked. “Now go away.”
“Then who is the master here?”
The boy brandished his sword in threat. “I am. Now leave.”
Patrick shot Daniel an intrigued look.
The corners of the other man’s mouth turned up slightly in amusement.
“Who’s there, Christian?” The voice of a woman sounded from the doorway behind the lad. A light was steadily growing, pushing back the gloom.
“No one, Nana. Go back to the kitchen,” the boy called over his shoulder.
“Of course there is someone.” A woman stepped through the opening. “I may be old, but I can still hear.” The woman was old, but she was not yet twisted with age. Her white hair glittered brightly in the light from her candle. She lifted it high, so the light would shine across the great hall.
“Just bandits.” The boy raised his sword again. Its weight was too great, and the tip kept sinking to the floor.
A quick cuff to the side of the boy’s head made his sword thunk to the ground. “Christian Zyler! Your mother raised you better than this,” she scolded as the boy raised a hand to the aching side of his head. “How dare you call these fine young men bandits.”
Patrick raised an amused eyebrow. Standing taller than most of their men, with a shock of copper red hair, he supposed he must be striking to look at. He glanced over at Daniel, with his brown hair and body toned from hours of hard work. Yes, they did make a fine pair, although they were well worn from days of travel.
“Please forgive my grandson.” The woman turned her attention back to the two men. “We’ve had nothing but problems since the dragon came.”
“Understandable.” Patrick stepped towards them with his hands held wide.
The boy raised his sword, making the old woman cuff him again.
It was hard to keep the amusement off his face, but Patrick managed the feat. It wouldn’t do to provoke the lad by laughing. “My name is Patrick Mylan. I’ve been sent by the king to see about this dragon problem.”
The old woman nodded. “Oh, praise the Lord.” She sighed and lowered her candle. “I thought we were doomed to die by that beast.”
Lowering his hands, he came closer to the woman. “Where is everyone?” Patrick looked around the great hall as if people would pop out of the shadows.
“Dead or gone.” The woman turned back towards the opening in the wall. “Christian and I are all that are left.”
Patrick shot Daniel a concerned look and followed the woman and her grandson into the hallway. “What happened?”
The sigh the woman let out was depressing. She led the way to the kitchen, where a fire burned brightly in the hearth and the smell of cooking food made Patrick’s stomach grumble. “After the dragon started ravaging the outer farms, the town’s men called on Lord Dunham to protect them. He thought he could handle it.”
She settled her candle into a sconce on the wall and went to a chair near the fire. “He called up the men of the village, supplied them with weapons, and was teaching them to fight when the dragon arrived. The first attack went well. They drove the creature off, but it was soon back. It crushed the wall and killed the lord and half of the men before leaving.” Horror passed behind the woman’s eyes as she spoke.
Her grandson settled on the floor next to her, trying to give her some comfort.
She smiled down at the boy and rubbed his golden curls. “In a fit of rage and grief, the lord’s son took what men remained to hunt the creature in the hills. Only the dragon returned to scorch the castle. The lady of the castle and several of the hands died in the fires that night. Then, the dragon snatched up one of the scullery maids and left.”
“But where are the rest of the servants?” Patrick looked around. Two pallets were laid out along the walls of the kitchen. The old woman and lad must be living in this room, terrified to leave.
“Gone.” The woman sighed. “Every third day, the dragon returned to ravage the castle. He only left when a maiden was sent out to appease his wrath.” Tears hung in her eyes. “After the third maiden was taken, most of the staff packed up what they could carry and left. When the dragon came back again, it killed the few that remained and turned its attention to the town, only stopping when it claimed another maiden.”
“How did you and the young man escape?” Daniel inquired.
Shame etched the old woman’s face. “We were out picking herbs for my hands.” She held out her gnarled hands. “They hurt when it rains.”
Daniel nodded.
“When we came back, the castle was empty and the dragon had already laid waste to the town. We had nowhere else to go.”
The way she said those words made Patrick’s heart ache.
“Fear not.” Patrick pressed a fist over his heart and bowed to her. “We have come and will end this dragon.”
The look the old woman gave him was skeptical. “You have two days until the dragon returns for his next maiden.”
The woman’s words hung heavily in Patrick’s heart. “Then we will get on it straight away.” He turned to Daniel. “Call the men together and ask for volunteers. Pick ten and place them at guard on the walls. I don’t want to be caught unaware if this dragon returns early.”
Daniel nodded. “And the rest?”
“Divide them up. Send half to clean out the castle and relight the fires and the rest to clear the bailey.”
Daniel left to carry out Patrick’s instructions.
Patrick turned back to the old woman. “Forgive me, My Lady. I do not wish to invade, but I must claim this castle in the name of the king. I assure you that you and your grandson are safe and welcome to stay, but I need a place to house my men.”
“As you wish, My Lord.” The old woman bowed her head to Patrick. “No one will protest your claim as long as you slay the dragon.”
“And that is what I intend to do.” Patrick turned to head back out to his men. There was much work to be done before the dragon returned, and it would all have to be done in human form.
“Daniel!” Patrick yelled as he reached the opening to the main hall.
Daniel stopped in the doorway to wait.
“I want two men to scout—Douglas and Mathew. Their lesser forms are the smallest. Send them to the tower in the back to shift and fly out. I want a full report on the area around the town. I want to know where this dragon is.”
Daniel nodded again.
“But remind them to stay out of sight. This area is already frantic about one dragon. The last thing we need is them worried about more.”
“A wise decision,” Daniel agreed. “And where will you be?”
“I will be heading to the town to secure supplies.” Patrick looked in the direction of the village. “We are going to need tithing to support this place.”
Shock rooted Daniel to the floor. “We haven’t even settled in yet.”
“Yes, and the sooner the village understands we’re here to protect them, the sooner we’ll get the supplies we need.” Patrick started down the steps towards his horse. “Oh,” he paused and turned back to Daniel, “and tell the men they will have to move the rubble by hand. There are humans here, and I want no dragons seen.” The men were not going to like that, but it was to be expected.
The village was nearly as bad as Dunham Castle. More than half of the small, stone-and-thatch buildings were damaged or burned. People watched Patrick as he rode into the main square—mostly women and children. He almost felt bad about asking the town to support his troops, but they were there to help these people.