“Once I’ve gone, put a caldron up on the tallest tower. That should help.”
Daniel glanced towards the window at the fading light. “Here’s a thought. Why don’t you go ahead and shift into your lesser form and circle the castle a few times so you can recognize it? That way, you’ll be less likely to miss it on your way back.”
“Excellent idea.” Patrick closed his eyes and relaxed. Magic tingled over his skin as red scales shimmered down his side. He stretched his wings before folding them back. Patrick’s lesser form was slightly larger than his human form.
Daniel eyed him. “Geez, you’re big.”
A grumbling reply met him. Patrick disliked that about his lesser form. Most of the other dragons were small in their lesser forms. They ranged from the size of house cats to large dogs. It made it easier to slip out in scales and relax, but Patrick couldn’t get out as often. The real kicker was, his grand form was only slightly larger. He was too big to do anything stealthy, yet too small to do any heavy work.
Daniel held the door open for him. “You’d better go out the front. I don’t think you’ll fit through the trap door to the tower.”
Great… another disadvantage to his size. Patrick huffed and headed out. He paused in the hall long enough to make sure no one was around before slinking along the corridor. His passing in the great hall turned a few heads, but they simply nodded at him.
“My Lord.”
The voice stopped Patrick before he could reach the main door. He turned around as Douglas jogged up to him.
“I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
Curling his tail around his feet, Patrick sat up. “Did you find him?” he chirped in dragon.
Douglas shook his head. “No, My Lord. We followed it south, but lost it in the forest.” The man looked downcast and weary. “He must have shifted to human.”
Patrick nodded. “At least we know where to start our search tomorrow.” He turned his gaze to Daniel. “We should probably keep men in the village until he’s caught.” Pausing, he thought for a moment. Being in dragon form brought him closer to his instincts, and something was nagging at them. He just couldn’t place what it was. “If he comes back, use the smoke packs to drive him off, and send the scouts to follow. I want to understand this dragon before we have to kill it.”
“We should take the opportunity to kill it if we can,” Daniel objected.
“True,” Patrick agreed, “but something doesn’t sit right in here.” The fringy end of his tail came up and patted him in the chest. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I get the feeling there’s more going on.”
Daniel just cocked his head and shrugged.
Patrick turned his attention back to Douglas. “Anyway, thank you for the update. I must be off.” Uncurling, he headed for the door. He still had a long night ahead of him if he planned to be home before dawn.
Mmmm. Patrick sighed as he slipped into the cool water of the lake. It had taken most of the night to get to the prince and give his report. Kyle had insisted on having someone look at his wound before letting him leave again. After a nice meal and some rest, the prince had finally let Patrick making the flight back. With dawn quickly approaching, he should have just gone straight back to the castle, but the burn on his front leg stung, and the water from the lake looked so cool.
Tucking his wings in, Patrick dove deeper into the lake. It had been some time since he had last been out in scales, and even longer since his last swim. Lashing his tail back and forth, he zipped through the water. He loved the way the water swished over his hide. He could do this all day.
A flash of silver to his left set off his hunting instincts, and he snapped at the fish. He missed, and the thing flashed away into the murky waters of the lake. Patrick let it go; he wasn’t hungry at the moment, although the thought of fresh fish for dinner did sound like a wonderful idea. For a moment, he considered just staying there for a while. Cool water to soothe his hurt, sunlight to warm his scales, and plenty of fish to eat. He could see why some dragons went feral. Letting out a long breath, he burst from the surface and flapped hard, shedding water as he gained height. The sun was almost up, and he needed to get back before the village woke up.
Clothing spilt across the ground from the basket Kathryn had dropped. The two other girls who had come to do their washing also stood in silence as horror stole over them. A red dragon had just burst from the lake and taken flight. There was another dragon in the area!
Kathryn turned around and grabbed her companions, pushing them towards the village. It only took the shocked girls a second to abandon their loads and retreat as fast as they could. Thankfully, they hadn’t screamed when the creature broke the water’s surface. Had they drawn its attention, they might not have made it out alive.
4
“Patrick.” Daniel’s voice echoed through the darkened room.
A growl rumbled back in response.
“Wake up, Patrick.”
Patrick cracked his eye and glared at the man disturbing him. “What?” he grumbled. Last night had been taxing, and he hadn't been sleeping for very long.
“The villagers have arrived with your tithing.” There was a smile in the man's voice.
What the hell could make him that cheery this early in the morning? “Fine,” Patrick muttered as he rolled over. “Put it away, and I'll check it out later.” He snuggled back down into his blankets.
“Oh, no.” Daniel had the nerve to come in and rip the covers off. “You need to see this.”
Sitting up, Patrick glared at him. “I've had no sleep, and I'm hurt. Can't it wait until later?”
“No. Now, come on.” Daniel threw Patrick's clothing at him.
Growling, Patrick pulled them on and followed his friend down to the main hall. Running his hand through his sleep-mussed hair, Patrick's brain couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
Ten woman, ranging from about twelve to around twenty, stood in the main hall. Each held a basket of what looked to be linens. Several of the men stood around the edges of the room, staring at them. Patrick rubbed his eye with a knuckle as he walked through the girls towards the town elder standing near the door.
The girls curtsied as he passed.
“Good morrow, My Lord,” Eustace greeted Patrick.
It was good to see the man was accepting him as his lord. “Good morrow,” Patrick returned the greeting. “What's this?” He waved to the women standing around.
Eustace bowed to him. “I apologize for waking you up, My Lord. I've brought part of your tithing.”
Patrick stood up as if someone had splashed him with water. The note in the old man's voice was grave. “And the ladies?” Surely, they could not be part of the tithing.
“These are the few maidens left in the village,” Eustace explained. “I humbly request that you take them in.”
Now that really sent Patrick’s brain reeling. His brow furrowed in confusion.
The village elder went on. “A dragon was spotted today at the lake. Not the black dragon you drove off—a red dragon. Much smaller.”
The color bled from Patrick's face. Hell. Someone had seen him take his morning swim.
“And Justin claims to have seen a baby dragon to the south. The thing was so small that he wasn't sure what it was at first. But where there are babies, there must be a momma.”
Oh hell! If they were basing the size of dragons off the black dragon, both he and whatever scout was seen would look like juveniles. “The maidens are safe in the village,” Patrick reassured them. “My men and I will protect you from the dragons.” How was he supposed to tell them they were the dragons?