Stone and bone, p.20
Stone & Bone, page 20
part #4 of All Things Impossible Series
Der nodded. "Would you mind riding inside my cloak? The townsfolk scare easily right now. We have an elven friend inside who is a dragoon knight and knows much more about dragons than we do."
The dragon now dubbed Goldie nodded again. "People here are mean." He curled up as Der stuffed him underneath the cloth of her dark cloak and scrambled for purchase.
"Oh! That tickles!" She grabbed her ribs with her other hand.
They ran back into the inn, and Der let Mora lead and gently push people out of the way back to their table. Thistle and Thalon sat with Jakkobb and Kelin. The knight's helmet shone crimson against the room's candlelight as it rested on the table. Mora retook her seat next to Kelin. Der sat next to the captain and grinned so widely that he set down his ale.
"Alright, what did you do this time, Der?"
"Nothing. We, uh, you know those rumors."
He raised an eyebrow.
"The dragon," Mora prompted.
"What dragon?" Thalon asked.
"This one." Der reached into her cloak and set the golden creature on the table. He waddled in a circle and wrapped his tail around himself.
Jakkobb yelped in elvish. He picked up his helmet and slammed it on top of the dragon. The red helmet rattled and rolled while flames escaped through the eye slits. "A hatchling! His mother's going to tear this town apart to find him!" He scooped up his roving helmet and stood in the same motion. "We need a distraction! Der, start a bar fight!"
"Yes, sir!" She saluted by thumping her fist to her chest in the ancient style.
As the others moved for the door, she jumped onto the table of the biggest drunk man in the tavern. "You're ugly!" She kicked him in the jaw. The man and his chair tipped over backward and sailed to the floor. His drinking partner sat there absolutely thunderstruck for a second; and then grabbed after her ankles as she leapt for the next table. Der drew her sword in the air and landed lightly on the next table and fought off a wave of dizziness from her previous injuries. The man lunged after her. She cut his sword belt clean off with a precise, small stroke. He still tried to jump after her, but his trousers remained mostly in their chair. As pink as a pig, he spat oaths after the escaping fighter.
Meanwhile, Jakkobb cradled his rattling helmet beneath his arm. Thistle and Kelin led the way, shoving everyone out of their path. They not only cleared the way, but also stirred the agitated rabble. The common room was already too crowded and too tense. The ineluctability of the fight grabbed the entire common room by its throat.
Der jumped from a table on top of the bar. She kicked another drunk in the face - but not as hard as she could have. By now, the tavern was in an uproar, and everyone seemed to be fighting for themselves or running out the door.
A hand snatched her ankle and she brought the sword down in reflex. Cursing, she stopped it less than an inch away from the brawler's arm. He looked up, paled and disappeared backward into the fray.
* * *
Der, wheezing, caught up with the others outside. The sword was safely at home by her side again. The sweat on her forehead prickled against the cool evening air. Jakkobb shook his head. "That is not the proper way to start a barroom brawl."
Goldie crawled out of the opening of the helmet. His talons clicked against the metal. "Where are we going?"
"Out of town." The knight started to walk. With one shovel-sized hand, he stuffed the little dragon back down into the helmet.
Thalon jogged along and reached up toward the helmet. "I want to see it. I want to see it." Around them, a stream of people rushed toward the inn.
"What should I have done, sir?" Der asked.
"Alright, never draw your regular weapon unless they draw first - you're not out to kill people here and that's the intention of your weapon. Secondly, make the start of the fight look like the other fellow's fault - especially if there are any guards nearby." As they walked, a couple of guards ran past them toward the rumbling fracas.
The village walls weren't guarded, and with so many people camping outside of town, the gates were still open. And, all the attention was elsewhere.
"We need to get far away enough from town." The captain checked over his shoulder.
"You're far enough." A mysterious voice rolled silkily out of the darkness.
"Tom!" Der gasped. Like a hunting cat, he appeared silently out of the night, not more than two feet away from them. He was too close for them to run away.
He smiled sickly, but his voice was sweet. "We had an accord, Derora, you weren't going to run out on me."
She grinned desperately. "This isn't what it looks like."
He lifted one eyebrow.
Jakkobb shoved his upended helmet toward the vampire.
Tom only raised his eyebrows. "A hatchling! Where did- No, get it out of here before its mother finds us with it!"
"What about my mother?" the dragon demanded as the party picked back up their trot out of town.
"That's what we're doing," Jakkobb said slowly.
"We found him losing a fight with a mouser in the stables." Mora looked anywhere but at the vampire.
"Fine." Tom straightened his shirt. "I'm coming with you, so you don't get any ideas. And so nothing happens to her." He pointed at Der.
Mora tried to peer ahead into the darkness of the riparian forest. "I wonder what's out there."
"What? Like more spies?" Thalon chirped.
"I don't know. I've heard stories about dragons and monsters and-"
"Vampires?" Tom interrupted brightly. "Don't worry. There's no point, we're already everywhere. And most of us prefer relaxing in a civilized town to jumping out from behind trees in order to frighten little girls."
Mora dropped her eyes and stepped behind Kelin.
Jakkobb took the dragon and set him on the ground. "We're far enough, as long as he doesn't come back to town."
Goldie waddled around to face them. "But, it's just me!"
"Stop it." The knight shook his head. "No, you stay away from town before you get people killed." He spun his back toward the little creature before the dragon could respond.
Then, the little creature sniffed, sniffed again, and started to cry.
Tom caught Der's elbow as she spun back. He wrapped a stiff arm her shoulders and peeled her away from the baby dragon's tears.
The vampire escorted them back into town. No one spoke on the way. Daedle's Locke had finally quieted and a few guards paced the streets. The noise at the inn had subsided, and people were wandering back toward their tents. Tom looked up at the inn, but turned away and melted into the darkness. The others silently trudged up the steps.
In their room, Mora crept under the blanket on the coarse mattress. Kelin stretched out onto the floor. "You've noticed Tom's out there alone tonight."
"Night is his domain." Der closed her eyes.
"Probably off biting the necks..."
"Kelin!" She reached out and smacked him on the shoulder. "I don't think he's like that."
"We have to eat continuously too."
"Well, I don't want to think about it." She buried her face in her pillow and didn't listen to anything else. But, she thought of Tom and wondered very much what he was doing now. At some point, sleep caught up to her.
She awoke sometime during the night with a warm but firm nose pressed into her ear. She heard Kelin snoring and the noises of everyone else sleeping. She batted at her ear and rolled over. Her eyes flew open when something chomped down on her nose.
She burped out a yelp, but managed to swallow any remaining sounds as she found herself cross eyed with a triangular, golden head resting on her nose.
Goldie pressed his face against her. "Good morning."
She shook her head. "What d' you' wan'?"
He curled up on her pillow like a puppy. "I've decided, you're my human."
Der yawned and rolled back over. "Great. I'll never need a tinderbox again." She started to snore once more.
* * *
"Derora Saxen, wake up!"
She didn't want to, but Jakkobb's voice had that special trick of circumventing the mind and ordering the body directly. He also threw a pillow at her head.
She shoved the pillow off. "Yes, sir." Glancing around, she saw that the others were gone. She yawned and blamed Tom for her daytime, nighttime routine's balance being skewed.
"What are you doing with the dragon?" He stood at his full height over her prone body. Der blinked and stared up and up at him and then at the curled up little dragon.
"Um, losing my pillow apparently, sir."
Goldie's brown eyes opened at the raised voices. "What's going on? Whoa!" He shouted as the knight scooped him up in one hand.
Jakkobb brought the tiny gold dragon up to his nose. Claws clicked rapidly against his armor. "Alright, little one, what are you doing back here? You're putting this whole town in danger. Your mother is looking for you."
Goldie squirmed in his hand. "I'm fifteen hundred! My mother's not searching for me!"
"What? You have to be a hatchling."
"What's going on?" Der rubbed her eyes and sat up.
"That is, um," he stopped to frown. "He's like a teenager, but even if he was, he'll be bigger than that. Or he's a midget." He turned the dragon around in his hand. "The rumors said it was a huge dragon too."
"That's me! That's me!" Goldie's nose smoked and his stumpy legs paddled the air.
The knight held the dragon at eye level. "Then the people around here have very big imaginations." He dropped him back onto the pillow. Der snatched up the shiny gold beast in both hands. Jakkobb pointed. "He can stay, but if there is any sign of another gold dragon whatsoever, he's out on his scaly arse."
"Yes, sir," she answered immediately.
"Breakfast, downstairs." He left the door open.
Goldie twisted his neck so he faced Der. "He's grumpy."
"Well... yes, but he's a really great friend."
The gold dragon wrapped its tail around her wrist and lowered his head and looked up at her with the most soulful eyes. "I don't have any friends."
"Cheer up, little fellow." She swallowed, feeling an anchor crash down into her stomach. She thought she was used to this by now. She had elvish friends - she was used to people, equivalent to her age, being incredibly older. But no, she was absolutely not prepared for a child to be so much older. "I'll be your friend."
The dragon batted his wide, brown eyes. "Honestly truly?"
She nodded, crawling out of her bedroll. "Certainly, and I've always wanted a dragon for a friend."
The dragon's face lit up. "Reeeee! Great!"
"Why are you out here on your own anyway?"
He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You're certain? Oh. Well, fair enough, Goldie." She stood up and he hopped onto her shoulder. She smiled. He wrapped his tail around her neck loosely and stretched his wings. She said, "You're a pretty creature."
He bobbed his sinewy head gracefully. "Thanks."
"I'm hungry too." She pulled on her boots and headed for the door. She stopped and looked at the dragon. "Perhaps you shouldn't be seen. The folk in this town are already too frightened as it is. They'll probably panic if they see a dragon, even a little one. Please, stay under my cloak and then in my lap."
"Can do!" He nodded. "Let's go!"
Der pulled her cloak onto her shoulders and tied the cord across her chest. The dragon ducked under her arm. She arrived at the table when Jakkobb, Mora and Kelin were standing up. Thistle and Thalon were nowhere in sight. "We're already packed," Kelin explained. "The captain wants to get out of town as quickly as we can."
"But after a hot meal," Jakkobb said. He waved the serving girl over. "Get another meal here for my friend."
She bobbed her head and turned for the kitchen.
"A soldier's logic indeed." Der sat down at the table. "Any sign of Tom?"
They shook their heads mutely and left. Der knew better than to hope he had vanished. Besides, over the past few weeks she had grown used to his company. She didn't enjoy it though, she reminded herself sharply.
When her meal arrived, she broke the bread in half and stuffed the larger piece into her cloak. Goldie snagged it with his talons and jammed more than he could fit into his mouth with gusto.
"Easy! That piece is four times bigger than your head."
The dragon grunted and kept munching with mechanical determination. Crumbs and bits sprayed everywhere and Der wondered if he was even eating any of it.
"Look! You're getting crumbs all over."
He finished the bread with one massive gulp. "Meat, please."
She sipped from her morning pint of ale, then shook her head. "No, you'll get it all over me!"
A cold hand suddenly squeezed her shoulder. Der barely flinched. "Good morning, Thomas."
"What is he doing here?" a dry, dead voice drawled.
She turned her neck backward to look up at the vampire. "Eating."
He tightened his grip. "Try again. We're not going to be caught with a hatchling. If his mother catches us, you'll be in more trouble than even you can manage."
Underneath the table, Goldie twitched his tail like a cat's. "I'm not a hatchling, pin-tooth!"
"Pin-tooth?" Tom raised his eyebrows. "Then you have the vocabulary of one."
Smoke curled up from the dragon's mouth. Der reached down to grab him. "You're not going to flame in my lap. I just got these clothes."
Tom took the empty chair next to her. "You'll have to dump him in the river this time." He caught her expression. "No! He is not coming with us! Absolutely not!"
"Why not?" She held onto the dragon a little tighter.
"She's my friend now!" Goldie declared, and looked up at the vampire with the largest puppy eyes he could manage.
Tom's gaze passed right by the dragon's. He slapped his hand on the table and seethed at her. "Are you a lodestone for trouble? I swear when I am done with you-"
"Don't you threaten my friend, pin-tooth!" The dragon bunched his muscles.
"Oh?" Tom laughed coldly. "And what are you doing to do about it? Lose another fight to a barn cat?"
Goldie lunged. Tom caught him by the shoulders. The dragon inhaled and his nostrils were already smoking.
The dragon fire singed his clothes but Tom dodged. The gout of flame raced passed his head, and he hurled Goldie back away from him. "You've picked the wrong fight!"
Goldie flared his wings madly beneath the table. "Leave my friend alone!"
"Uh, Tom?" Der reached out and tugged on his sleeve.
He slapped her hand away. "What!" Then, he immediately sat back down and looked around the common room. But, Der wasn't looking at the other patrons, and they hadn't seen him or the dragon as he feared. All eyes were cast upwards.
Goldie's flame was already rooted deeply into the wood. The fire expanded as if the wood were oiled. The ceiling was fast becoming a fiery pond.
Der jumped to her feet. "Everybody out!" She started to sprint for the stairs but Tom caught her around the waist.
"Everyone includes you." He dragged her outside, and Goldie was not more than a hair's breadth behind. Tom scowled at the small dragon. "This is your fault."
Goldie shook his head and started to cry. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it!" He ducked to the side as people shoved by the three of them in desperate flight. More people were even rolling out of the narrow windows of the second story and onto the ground.
Der took a few silent, circumnavigating steps around the arguing dragon and vampire, and darted back inside. A natural fire wouldn't have spread so quickly. A support beam burned itself free from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor with a sound like an explosion. She shielded her face with her arms and looked around. She saw no one in the searing common room, but the fire burned too fast, not everyone would have had time to escape.
"Anyone!"
"Yes, you!" Tom snatched her shoulders and hauled her irresistibly backward.
"Tom, no!" She dug her heels down, but they slipped on the smooth floor. "There's still people upstairs!"
"I don't need them." His voice was damnably calm.
She pushed uselessly against his grip. "They'll die!"
"Death isn't so bad once you get used to it, trust me."
"They're going to burn!" she screamed as he hauled her outside and spun her around.
"Der!" He looked her in the eyes and the roar of the flames became distant for a moment. "Just stay out here, I'll get them."
"But-"
"Stay here!" He disappeared. She ran back to the door, but the heat pushed her backward this time.
Goldie perched on her shoulder again. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it."
"I know," she said softly.
The dragon suddenly hopped off her shoulder and latched onto her belt with his talons. "Hide me!"
She turned to see the street behind her. Everyone in the town seemed to be here, silently staring at the flaming building. Despite the raging heat, the sweat on her forehead chilled at the sight.
Behind her, she heard several surprised yells. Two old women and one young boy were pushed out of the alley and into the wave of people before they could get a look at their rescuer. Der smiled for a second and stepped away from the building and into the shadowy alley. She checked back over her shoulder at the crowd. None of them moved.
Tom looked back to the building, where the roof was disintegrating into ashes before it collapsed. He looked back to the three people, and then back to the inn. He violently dusted soot off his sleeve. "Why the hell did I do that? I know better." He raised an accusing finger at Der. "You! You made me!"
"I did no such thing! How could I?" She eyed the building more than him.
He snarled and turned away.
She looked back to the people. "Thank you."
Tom shook his head. "I told you, never thank me for anything." He pulled them both deeper into the shade of the other building as the crowd pushed itself closer to the burning inn.
"This isn't right," she hissed. "They should be running to put this out before it spreads to the rest of the village! It's made of wood and thatch, nothing more than tinder!"
"You noticed that too," he sneered.
