The dragon pulled away and hissed at him.
“Don’t give me any of that, you’re getting cleaned up.”
It hung its head, looking dejected and sad like a small boy told to pick up his toys.
“You’re reading my mind again, I think. Well, cheer up, a bath’s not that bad, and I’m not mad at you.”
“Snort?”
“That’s right, we’re still friends.”
Instead of snuggling closer, the dragon stood on hind legs and snorted louder, eyes raised to the sky, tiny wings vibrating in irritation.
This time, the gray flew a lot closer, again on a parallel course to the first two times it had flown over. Gareth ignored the spiteful antics of the smaller dragon while watching the other dragon disappear over the far ridge. Odd to see the same dragon flying back and forth three times, each closer to him. It’ll fly right over me soon if this continues.
The idea sent shivers crawling down his back. “It’s searching for me!”
Gareth felt no doubt. Untying the goat, he led it to a new patch of grass under a spreading tree that had plenty of undergrowth all around it. The lower limbs hung close to the ground and from the air, the goat was well hidden. He turned to the black dragon still sitting near the fallen tree, watching the empty sky. Wordlessly he said, “Come over here and stay out of sight.”
The animal spun around and without hesitation, darted in his direction.
A short time later the gray dragon flew over again. Gareth calmed his black with a few words and more stroking.
The next pass took the gray directly overhead. The tiny dragon hissed and snorted softly, but remained reasonably still and hidden. The Gray continued its regular search pattern. Gareth watched it fly three more passes before feeling comfortable in moving into the open again. He decided to find Tom as fast as possible and tell him everything. Already guilt at not sharing information with Tom had caused a rift in their relationship, and he didn’t want it happening again. Withholding secrets could lose him the only friend and supporter in this new land. The old fisherman might know what to do.
“Come on.” He silently ordered the dragon with his mind, as he grabbed the rope and tugged the goat along. The road lay somewhere off to his right, and he trotted down the hillside until he came to a small path that veered in that direction. The goat quickly tired and refused to hurry, more interested in a gathering mouthfuls of knee-high green grass.
The dragon took to leading the trio. While racing ahead, it sniffed and searched for food, snapping at, and catching several grasshoppers and a butterfly. Two field mice also disappeared into the eager mouth. Then it pulled to a stop near the trunk of a large tree, stood on two legs and hissed.
Gareth pulled the goat off the path and under the branches of a huge pine tree, standing next to the trunk while watching the sky. He saw no dragons flying past. He heard nothing of their wings beating the air. The little dragon leaped from the leather bag, spun so fast his feet raised dust, and it disappeared into the underbrush as if being chased.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
An arrow spat into the tree trunk a handbreadth from his head. As Gareth’s eyes registered it, another arrow made the same sound on the other side of his head.
“Don’t you dare move,” a pleasant female voice ordered. “I can put the next one in either of your eyes if I want. But right now I just want you to stand very still and be quiet.”
Gareth had no doubt the archer could “place the next one in either of his eyes,” as threatened. He stood very still.
The goat took the opportunity to munch on some fresh tufts of grass, unconcerned as it watched the two people as if all of them were old friends. The dragon, however, reappeared from some blackberry brambles at the edge of the clearing, stood on its hind legs, wings spread, tail extended fully and teeth bared, ready to spit at the intruder. It inhaled and emitted a low hiss of anger. Then the red eyes shifted to the sky before it spit. It became even more agitated, the eyes moving between the archer and the sky as if it didn’t know which to spit at.
The goat backed a step away, its eyes centered on the small angry dragon as if it remembered the earlier attack.
“I’m not moving,” Gareth said what he hoped sounded like a clear voice.
“Neither am I. Those flying dragons up there see movement first, so we stay very still.”
The sound of leather-like wings beating the air drew his attention and as he listened it became louder. Gareth, who had been concentrating on the archer, glanced up in time to see a flash of dull green as a dragon flew past, low and fast. It was the first green dragon he’d seen.
Once the dragon flew on, a figure slowly stepped from nearby brambles bow in hand, another arrow nocked and ready to fly. “Call off your animal, Gareth.”
The dragon was creeping forward, ready to attack the intruder, neck fully extended. “Calm down, Blackie. It’s all right. Come over here beside my leg.”
The dragon hissed one last time. It darted to hide behind him, beady eyes peering at the newcomer from behind his leg with obvious distrust.
Gareth looked at the newcomer, too. The archer wore tall brown boots that rose nearly to her knees, loose pants the color of dirt, and a shirt of patterned greens. The garb blended into the background, nearly making her invisible until she moved. Long brown hair fell to her shoulders framing the sharp-featured face of a woman nearly as tall as he. A woman near middle age, or older, full of confidence in her easy manner.
She said, “Sorry about the dramatics back there, but I didn’t have much time. And I’m something of a show-off. You’re certainly not so much to look at, are you?”
“What’s that mean?” Gareth asked, trying to make his voice sound respectful, and failing as it sounded angry to his ears.
She stepped past him and reached for one of the arrows stuck in the tree. She worked it up and down until the point pulled loose. She examined it before placing it in a quiver hanging from the wide belt around her waist. Her hand went to the next arrow as she said, “I expected to find something special to be the cause all this excitement.” She laughed, “Maybe a man with two heads, or as tall as a tree, not someone barely past childhood. The whole countryside’s up in arms over you like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard of. Soldiers, the Brotherhood, bounty hunters, and even army dragons filling the skies.”
“What did you expect?”
“Sorry, I expected to find more than a beardless young man, a skinny goat, and a hatchling dragon, even if it is a black male unless I’m mistaken.”
“Are you hunting for me so you can earn the reward?”
“No. Friends sent me to find you. There’s a whole platoon of soldiers, and four monks of the Brotherhood waiting for you just over the crest of the next hill. They’re in a stand of oak trees beside the path, and they suspect you’re somewhere nearby. Keep your voice down or they’ll hear us talking and come running. Sorry about showing off with the arrows again, but I couldn’t have you shouting or running away right into their trap when that green dragon was so close. There are too many eyes and ears around here, especially above.”
Gareth didn’t move or say anything. The woman was an expert archer, perhaps a little taller than him, and she wore a knife at her hip the size of a small sword. Her clothing blended into the background of the forest. Everything about her suggested she lived in the forests and made her way without help. She was not afraid to fight. Her confidence showed in her posture and manner. However, her attitude implied she might help him, if only reluctantly.