“We are just people,” Raymer said louder than he intended. “We do not have the powers to kill your crops or dry up wells.”
For the first time, Quint pulled to a stop and spun to face Raymer. “Would you say differently if it was true? Wouldn’t you try to protect your family and clan at any cost?”
Raymer looked to Dancer for help.
Dancer looked at the ground near his feet and spoke in a halting voice as he tried to put his thoughts into words. “For the first time in my life, I see both sides.”
“Meaning?” Raymer asked.
“Our dragons have protected us. I know they do not spit fire as well as you, but what they do spit erupts into blue fire when touched by a flame. What their acid spit touches might as well be burns, so I see why they fear us.”
Raymer said, “We don’t do any of the other things!”
“No,” Dancer conceded, “but how easy is it to blame us when a well goes dry? If I was one of them I’d believe it, too.”
The turn of events gave Raymer pause. He faced Quint from only a single step away, so close he had to tilt his head back to see his face. “If that is your belief, why am I helping you rejoin your family?”
For once there was no humor in Quint’s voice. “To gain my favor? To hope that even if I do not ever wear the crown I may still influence those in power to halt our conquest of the Dragon Clan?”
The accusation enraged Raymer. His fist acted as if it had a mind of its own. Without drawing back or signaling its intention in any manner, his fist shot out and struck Quint high on his left cheek. His other fist sank into Quint’s stomach. Quint doubled over, and Raymer’s knee came up.
Quint was down on his back. Blood ran freely down both sides of his face and from his nose. His eyes were closed.
Dancer knelt at his side while talking to Raymer. “Well, that was impressive and did us a lot of good. When he wakes, he’ll probably tell tales of magic that felled him like a woodsman felling a small tree.”
“I didn’t mean to do that. It just happened like I was someone else.”
“Don’t say that. It will only make it worse. I had the impression he was telling us what people think so that he might help change things,” Dancer said.
Quint’s eyes opened but clearly didn’t focus. When he found Raymer, he drew back.
“Sorry,” Raymer said.
“Then I hope I’m never in your way when you do mean to fight,” Quint said, as he sat up and wiped the blood from his face with the front of his shirt.
Raymer watched him closely. If Quint climbed to his feet and wanted to continue the fight, Raymer decided he’d run. Quint had the mass and power to rip him apart. The only reason he’d managed to win was that first punch had been unexpected and solid.
Quint said, “Made you mad?”
Raymer just nodded.
“Good. I didn’t expect you to attack, but I was trying to explain what we face. I trust you, even more since you reacted so strongly. You might lie, but your emotions don’t.”
Ander asked, “That was a test of some sort?”
Quint glanced at him. “Hopefully, one that you understand.”
“Well, I don’t,” Ander said.
“Men will lie to your face, but their innermost emotions are how they truly feel, Ander. Raymer attacked me because he thinks of me as a friend and I betrayed our friendship.”
“Why? It still does not make sense,” Ander said.
“So that I would know his true feelings. I wanted to consider him a friend, but I had to know if he was using me.”
Raymer knelt beside him and used his sleeve to blot the blood still seeping from his nose. “What is your conclusion?”
“That you have never lied to me.”
Raymer felt his eyes threaten to water. He said, “Have ever lied to you.”
Quint said, “You admit you can call on dragons to attack your enemies?”
“I admit that it may be possible. Whether I can do it or not is still unknown, but I believe some of my people can.”
“The rest?”
“All untrue,” Raymer said. “Every word. Dancer, am I correct?”
Dancer said, “Raymer is right in most of what he says. All the other things people say about us are lies of one sort or another, but we can feel when dragons are nearby. If we are in fear, the dragons become agitated and often come to our rescue like they would defending one of their chicks.”
“That is all?” Quint asked, standing up on unsteady legs.
“No,” Dancer said. “There are stories of some of us become bonded with a dragon. In a fashion the dragon and man share thoughts, but it’s a rare thing that I never believed. Until today, that is.”
Quint looked at Raymer and rolled his eyes. “You share thoughts with a dragon and never told me?”
“I have never even heard of this word bonding until today.”
Fleet returned, confused, at first, looking from one and then the other. Instead of commenting or asking questions, he said, “There’s a valley up ahead. Crops of grain and several farm houses in sight. A road, too.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“We’ll avoid the farms and roads,” Quint said.
Dancer said, “The roads would be much quicker.” He turned and walked with purpose. The others following in a single line, but stayed close to each other while they talked and planned.
“If there are those who spy for the Aare, or for King Ember, their words will travel faster than us. They always do.” Quint said. “I wish to enter Castle Warrington unannounced and prevent any enemies from slowing, or even preventing, our advance.”
“How would they do that?” Ander asked.
Quint turned and shrugged, “I’m a big target who’s known to all in this province. One well-placed arrow and Northwood could easily lose the war before it properly begins.”
Raymer said, “We could buy a wagon and conceal you in it, but we have to balance recognition with speed and wagons are slow.”
“Keep us hidden as much as possible, Dancer,” Quint said.
They crossed the valley in the early morning when patches of fog lay in low areas. He took them around farms and homes because barking dogs protected most. Near one barn a dog caught their scent and charged. Dancer quickly moved them deeper into a treeline, and the dog lost interest.
They climbed under and over a dozen fences. Once a bull threatened to charge before retreating to the far end of the pasture. Candles and lanterns illuminated the windows of houses. Smoke rose from chimneys. Soon after, farmers began appearing as they started their day.
Dancer pulled to a stop beside an outbuilding. “Skulking around is going to draw more attention than walking in the open. It looks like we can take the road from here to the far side of the valley without passing too close to any farms.”
“What about travelers or soldiers watching the road?” Ander asked.
Raymer found he liked the question. Not because all of them hadn’t considered the same thing, but because Ander asked it. It revealed his intentions and that he was thinking like a warrior instead of a pampered son of an earl. “Not much choice. We look guilty and draw attention from anyone who looks our way, or we appear like any travelers, and nobody pays attention.”
They went out on the road and walked quickly, in a tight group. After a while, a farmer stacking hay, raised his pitchfork in greeting, then went back to his work. Other than him, they seemed to cross the remainder of the valley without incident. Nobody passed them on the dirt road, but in a rural area, not many traveled.