“We would have walked right into the hands of whoever’s up there,” Ander said, echoing Raymer’s thoughts.
Quint set his jaw. “That dragon didn’t save us by accident.”
CHAPTER NINE
The three of them huddled together and cast wary looks at each other. They waited to see if the dragon returned. It didn’t, but the painful cries and wails of several men still drifted down the hillside to them. Others shouted orders or responded to questions yelled from one to another, but none of it made sense to the three listeners.
Quint’s head darted to hear each chirp of a bird or the chirp of a chipmunk. His arms were flexed, and his stance said he was ready to leap in any direction. He growled, “The dragon attacked one area of the hilltop. I think we can work our way around the side of this hill and see what happened to them if we stay under cover and move slow.”
Ander said, “Or, we can just move away until we are far enough away where we can run.”
“We can’t do that,” Raymer said. “We have to know what happened up there, and to whom. Are those the king’s men waiting up there for us? If so, how did they get ahead of us?”
The expression on Ander’s face and the set of his body told his story. He did not want to go up the hillside. “Maybe it had nothing to do with us.”
Raymer asked softly, “We have to know. You’re the one who wants to be a great explorer and hero.”
“Maybe they didn’t follow us,” Ander said. “Maybe they used messengers to run to all camps of the king’s soldiers.”
“Maybe,” Raymer said. “If so, we need to know that too. But most of all, we need to know if they were searching for us or someone else.”
“Let’s just assume they are after us, and move on,” Ander said.
“Listen, there are other reasons to go up there. What if they have dogs to follow our trail?” Quint said. “Until we are truly free we have to know everything.”
Raymer said, “Okay. We know the King wants our heads. And what if there is another reason they’re up there? We need to know that too. It can decide our plans.”
“They’re probably just an innocent group of people hunting for deer and the dragon attacked them. Nothing to do with us,” Ander argued.
Standing, Raymer said, “Then it will not hurt to go up there, right? But that dragon acted to me as if it was protecting me. I heard its anger in my thoughts.”
“What does that mean?” Ander asked.
“I really don’t know. But that makes it no less true. The dragon was angry and protective. That’s all I can explain because it’s all I know.”
Quint shrugged as if accepting the explanation. “You and that dragon have never met?”
“I don’t think it was the one that knocked the dungeon wall at the palace down, but no, I’ve never met it.”
Quint mused before speaking. “Logical to assume it’s the same one. I’ve only seen four or five dragons in my lifetime, and several of those sightings may have been the same animal.”
“If we’re going up there, okay. Let’s get this over with,” Ander said. “One of you two lead. You have more experience. I’ll follow you both.”
Quint moved off, keeping his back bent to disguise the shape of his body from any prying eyes. The others did the same.
Instead of going directly ahead as they had been, Quint took them far to their left, then where the underbrush grew thickest he turned up the hill, keeping under cover and moving slow. They moved uphill silently. Raymer’s hands begged for a better long range weapon, like a bow, but held the staff ready.
They kept watching on their right. The dragon had attacked a slope lower than the one they climbed. Quint chose well. He led them up the hill where they could watch down on where whoever had been attacked from a higher elevation.
Glancing back, he could see Ander was tired. He had probably never done a day’s work in his life and never exercised. On the other hand, if they needed someone to determine the best tasting imported fish, wine, or sausage, Ander would be the one to ask. Raymer almost smiled at the idea.
Ander’s expensive trousers were torn, and several seams ripped. His boots, while much better than Raymer and Quint’s bare feet, were falling apart and soon he’d be without them. Raymer touched the sandals hanging on the thong around his neck. They were almost dry, but for now, his feet were not sore. He didn’t want to delay reaching their vantage.
Quint raised his arm. All three pulled to a stop. A thick stand of twisted berry vines lay a hundred steps ahead, on the downward slope. Shrubs grew thick protecting them from being seen from below. He pointed. “There.”
They moved as one, quickly and bent at the waist. Once positioned behind the vines, they angled for places to watch below. They were higher than the tallest trees, a few hundred paces away. Below lay a clearing filled with tent after tent, at least, thirty of them. King Ember’s blue and gold colors were displayed on battle flags, as were ribbons and the uniforms the men wore.
“A company,” Quint whispered. “Four to a tent. A hundred men.”
Raymer said, “No horses. That’s odd. Not even mounts for the officers.”
They lay on their stomachs watching and detailing what they saw. No cooking fires, despite the appearance that the soldiers had camped for several days. The paths worn between the tents were well defined, even at a distance. Men carried a wounded soldier on a makeshift stretcher. Three others were lined up on the ground side by side, unmoving. A chilling scream drew their attention to a soldier holding his limp arm with his other hand. He shouted to the others.
There were more men who appeared in agony, wounded by the acid the dragon spit. They made their way to the same tent, which must house the unit’s doctor. Several men were being ordered to spread out in the meadow, armed with bows and arrows drawn. A sergeant shouted that if they bunched up, they made an easy target for the dragon. That was all it took for them to leap to obey. They spread out, each taking a defensive position and holding long bows ready.
Ander whispered, “Now that I see them, something comes to mind. The parties at the Summer Place for the last ten-day have been women-rich.”
“Why do I care?” Quint asked without turning to look at him.
“Because of the lack of officers attending them. Now that I think about it, there were very few officers anywhere in the palace. Not in the halls, dining rooms, or libraries. Well, there were a few older ones, I guess, but they were too old for field operations.”
Quint said, “You can stop talking anytime.”
As if he hadn’t heard Quint, Ander continued. “Seeing those men down there makes me ask, where were all the young officers?”
Raymer said, “Have you ever seen them all disappear like that before?”
“Never.”
Even Quint turned to examine Ander. “You think it has something to do with the men down there?”
Ander said, “If you’re asking me as part of our three-person team, I suggest we capture one of them and torture him for information about their mission. To me, they look like they’re hiding. No fires for cooking and no horses for officers.”
“Then this has nothing to do with our escape,” Quint said. “From the condition of their campsite, they’ve been here for days, so it’s no concern of ours. Time we move on.”
“Not so fast, boys,” a new voice whispered, the voice coming from right behind them.
They spun to face a withered old man, tangled gray hair hanging to his shoulders, and a toothy smile displaying one missing front tooth. He said softly, “Hope you don’t mind me listening in on your conversation.”