Dancer stood firm. He held Raymer’s gaze with one of his own before speaking. “Did you order it to fly away?”
How would he know that? “Why do you ask?”
Dancer said, “I’m just wondering why the dragon would land here at this time, this place. Dragons protect us, the same as we protect them and their chicks when they nest. Did it come to protect us?”
Quint, who had been unusually quiet during the entire episode walked closer to them from the edge of the trees and said, “I’m going out there for a look-see.”
“You believe what he’s saying?” Raymer asked, astonished that a man so grounded in basics would fall for Dancer’s words.
Quint had already traveled a few steps out of sight in the dim light. He called softly, “Can we take a chance it was not a warning? Go back to sleep and I’ll return by daybreak.”
Ander sat and looked from one to another as if trying to decide what to believe and what not to. “Any chance of getting the horses back?”
Both Fleet and Dancer shook their heads and sat on their blankets in unison as if rehearsed. “By now they’re halfway back to their pasture.
Raymer continued to stand and think. He paced the campsite several times and the others waited, letting him gather his thoughts.
He came to Dancer and sat, facing him. “There’s a lot I do not understand, but I’m usually pretty good at taking bits of information and putting them together in the right way. This time, I’m missing something.”
“How so?” Dancer asked, sounding interested instead of defensive.
“My escape plan was to ask a dragon to spit on the bars of the dungeon. Quint had scrapped mortar with lime in it too, so we could cover ourselves and make it safe for us to get out with only a few burns.”
Fleet said, “That might work, but I wouldn’t want to do it. Even the touch of dragon spit leaves scars that last a lifetime.”
“If you spent a year inside a cell in that dungeon, you’d try anything,” Raymer said. “But my point is, that was my plan. This dragon attacked the palace screeching and spitting, and then it rammed into the wall of the dungeon. The wall shifted, and the beast hit it again and again, until it fell.”
Raymer paused, letting them picture it in their minds. He waited for one of them to see the problem.
Dancer figured it out first. “You had no idea a dragon could knock the wall down. The question becomes, who ordered the dragon to knock it down?”
“And who provided the apples and carrots at my window?” Raymer asked. “If it had been my family, they would have let me see one of them so I’d know they were attempting a rescue. It was not them. If it was anyone from your Bear Mountain family you’d know about it.”
Dancer set his jaw. If any strangers of the Dragon Clan were in the area, why hadn’t they contacted one of the two local families? If they had directed the attack, as seemed most likely, one of them had bonded with a dragon to tell it what was needed. However, the dragon that had landed a few steps away appeared to have bonded with Raymer.
Dancer said, “The dragon that was here is not the same as the one that rescued you.”
Raymer asked, “What can you tell me of how bonding takes place?”
Dancer glanced at Fleet, who was too young for such secrets in normal times. “Nobody in our family has been bonded in a few generations, and I do not recall any stories of how it comes to be. Truthfully, I have always believed it to be a fantasy.”
“Same here,” Raymer said. “How long until daylight?”
Dancer said, “Plenty of time to catch some sleep if you want.”
Raymer laid back down and closed his eyes with no intention of sleeping. He had more thinking to do.
“I think I’ll make a circle of the campsite, too,” Ander offered. “Then I’ll stand watch.”
Raymer ignored him while allowing the thoughts to spin and twist in his mind. If he called the dragon that had been in camp, would it return? Who had helped him at the dungeon, and why? Who could he seek out to discuss what bonding with a dragon means? Had he bonded tonight? Should he tell Dancer of the change in the feelings on his back?
A hundred other questions forced themselves into consideration. Raymer lost count of the unknowns when a harsh whisper broke the silence.
“Everybody wake up. We have to move right now,” Quint said.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Quint rushed into view, his breathing rasping and his eyes wild. He pointed, “A whole damn army is spread out right over that hill. They’re coming this way.”
Raymer said, “Northwood?”
“No, not my people. I think the uniforms are Aare but didn’t get close enough to tell for sure.”
By the time Quint rolled his blankets the others had gathered their meager belongings and gathered in a knot. Quint nodded north. “They’re spread out to the west and south. Our only chance is to move north.”
“How far away?” Dancer asked.
Quint said, “They’ll be here by dawn. It’s a good thing that dragon warned us.”
The five of them formed a single file line with Dancer taking the lead. He seemed to sense where the animal paths and tracks were, and he followed them as if he could see in the darkness. The others merely had to follow and try to keep up as best they could.
Dancer followed the side of the valley traveling up river, or streams when they crossed any. He always took the easiest path that went in generally the right direction.
Raymer appreciated walking instead of riding. He still had several sore places and muscles that were too tight, but walking eased the pain. The pace Dancer set was faster than a horse walked, almost a jog. Sure, galloping or trotting was faster, but a horse soon wore out when ridden at those speeds. A determined man with purpose traveled more distance in a day.
As the sky started to lighten, Dancer had taken them far from the campsite. He turned to Quint, who was last in line, “Think it’s safe to turn east?”
“I was going to suggest the same,” Quint answered.
“Come up here and walk with me,” Dancer said, without friendliness or humor in his tone.
Quint walked faster. As he passed Raymer, he said, “I feel like I’m going to face the headmaster at school.”
Raymer said, “Something you’ve never done before?” However, the byplay only glossed over deeper concerns. He expected Dancer to address some of the same. He tapped Ander on the arm and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder for Ander to take the position in line just ahead of Fleet. Raymer moved closer because he intended to hear what they talked about.
Dancer didn’t mince words or hesitate. “Who are you?”
“Does it matter?” Quint said, his voice cold and clipped.
“It matters if my son and I are going to continue traveling with you. And since you know the location of my family’s village, if your answer doesn’t satisfy me, I have no option but to kill you.”
Dancer didn’t sound like he was bragging or showing off. Raymer stepped faster to close the distance so he wouldn’t miss the answer, not because he intended to get between them.
Quint said, “You might try.”
Raymer had intended to let them do all the talking, but found himself leaping right into the middle despite his reluctance. “He might have help for us, Quint. There are three of us pledged to protect our families above all else. Now if everyone is finished puffing out their chests, the question was reasonable.”
Quint strode several more steps before answering. “I have already admitted to being an emissary carrying a treaty to King Ember and a member of the royal family that rules the Northwood Kingdom. What more do you want?”
Dancer looked to Raymer and received a nod before continuing. “It is said the Earl has one son. A large man.”