A Dragon's Tale Ch. 08

And there was a steel gray dragon.

It laid unmoving at the bottom of the ravine. His arms, legs and wings were flopped on the ground and he looked decidedly the worse for wear. There were small patches of scales missing from his hide and those places had dried blood caked on. The dragon's wings were clearly cut in a few places and they lay limp against the ground instead of being tucked up against his body.

"You see it?" Prayle whispered from twenty feet behind Taloni.

She nodded.

"What do you think?" Prayla asked.

The Fey bit her lip; there was something odd about this dragon. Every dragon that she'd ever heard about was described a vicious monster. They were primal forces of nature that fought tooth and claw to survive at any cost. But this dragon didn't seem to fit that description.

"Is it safe?" Prayla whispered.

Taloni beckoned her forward and Prayla appeared at her elbow moments later.

"Is it dead?" She asked.

Taloni shook her head. Even from this far away, she could tell the dragon's wounds weren't serious. They would be painful and probably debilitating, but certainly not life threatening. She could also see the slow rise and fall of the dragon's chest as he breathed, so it definitely was alive.

"What now?" Prayla asked.

"Hmm, I don't know," Taloni replied. Try as she might to repress it, another facet of her Fey heritage was asserting itself again: Curiosity. She stood a little straighter to get a better look.

"What are you doing?!" Prayla hissed. "It might see us."

"I know I just..." Taloni trailed off. There was something very odd, very un-dragon-like about this dragon. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was bothering her.

"Come on Tee," Prayla said. "Curiosity killed the Fey."

"But satisfaction brought her back," Taloni retorted.

"Now look here," Prayla started to say, but she nearly lost her footing as she turned.

Her one foot slid several inches accompanied by the sound of gravel grinding. Several small rocks broke loose and half rolled, half bounced down the shallow walls of the ravine. Taloni and Prayla looked at the dragon to see if it had heard the noise.

After several tense seconds, the dragon slowly turned its head to look in their direction. Prayla screamed, turned and took off running as if the dragon was hot on her heels.

Taloni didn't.

She met the dragon's eye and was nearly overwhelmed. She had seen sadness and despair before, but not like this.

The dragon blinked slowly then - as if it didn't have the energy - let its head lower and land on the dry creek bed. Something was truly and deeply wrong with this dragon. Dragons weren't like this; they didn't feel pity or remorse. They were savage creatures and showed no mercy to any living being.

Despite herself, Taloni stepped out from behind the rock. She couldn't decide if she should go see the dragon or run away. After a couple minutes, self-preservation won out. She backed away from the boulder she'd been hiding behind until she couldn't see the dragon anymore. Then she turned and started walking back toward the mine.

Ten steps later she stopped.

Why?

Why was the dragon like this?

She cursed her Fey curiosity and took another step away from the dragon. Walking was harder than she remembered. What could possibly make a dragon feel that way?

She turned back toward the dragon, then shook her head and took another step away. Or at least, that's what she had intended. Her feet had carried her in quite another direction. Taloni took a deep breath, turned back toward the mine and walked resolutely forward...

For about five steps.

"Curiosity killed the Fey," Taloni reminded herself.

But the dragon...

Thirty seconds later, Taloni was slowly and carefully making her way down the shallow sides of the ravine. It was maybe ten feet deep, but the sides were sloped gently enough for her to half crawl, half slide down. When she reached the bottom, she was only ten feet from the dragon.

The dragon opened its eyes when she started making noise, but only regarded her for a few seconds before its eyes closed again. Up close, it didn't look so scary. Even counting the wings and tail, Taloni didn't think he weighed more than a large-ish man.

"Hi," Taloni said tentatively.

The dragon grunted in response.

"Um, what's wrong?" Taloni asked, though she felt very stupid doing so.

The dragon whimpered.

"Is it these wounds?" Taloni asked.

The dragon shook its head a fraction of an inch, but enough that she was sure the wounds weren't the problems.

"Are you going to eat me if I tend your wounds?"

Another grunt, though this one sounded like the dragon was scoffing.

"Is it okay if I heal your wounds?"

The dragon didn't move or make a sound.

"Okay, I'm going to heal them," she said. "Please don't eat me."

The dragon still didn't move. She waited for a second to confirm he was still breathing then took a small step forward. All the while she was trying to ignore the panic in the back of her mind. Unfortunately, she was a Fey. When curiosity and panic fought, curiosity often won.

It took Taloni almost a whole minute to get up the courage to walk the ten feet to the dragon. She placed her hands over the biggest wound she could see, called on her mana, and began healing.

* * *

Rachel spent most of the walk back to the Argo answering Hailey's questions about Ethan and Alana. Finally, Rachel had just broken down and told her everything that had happened so far, starting with Ethan's arrival. When she finished, Hailey was silent for nearly a minute.

"So, I guess Ethan doesn't know how he got here then?" Hailey asked.

Rachel smiled. "Well, we're pretty sure it was a death shaman's resurrection spell gone wrong, but that doesn't answer your question."

"Do you know for sure??" Hailey asked.

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I won't try getting back to Earth by dying if that's what you're thinking," Hailey said. "Maybe if I knew someone would try to resurrect me, but we don't have any death shamans on earth."

"What do you remember about how you got here?" Rachel asked. They had just past the merchant district and could see the Argo's mast and sails - along with a dozen other airships - above the nearby buildings.

"Not much," Hailey replied. "They knocked me out after they grabbed me. I woke up here without a clue how it happened."

"Then maybe a good first step is tracking down the men who kidnapped you. What do you remember about them?"

"They stank, swore and threatened to rape me more times than I can count," Hailey shuddered. "But besides for that, they didn't say much that made sense to me back then."

"Any locations or names you can remember?" Rachel asked.

"They mentioned their boss several times," Hailey replied. "Galeios? Galeforce? Gonorrhea? Something like that anyway."

"Hmm," Rachel mused. "Perhaps we should inquire around for Mr. Gonorrhea?"

Hailey burst out laughing.

"What?" Rachel was slightly nonplussed.

"I was kidding when I said Gonorrhea," Hailey replied through her laughing. "It's the name of a sexually transmitted disease where I come from."

"Oh," Rachel smiled. "Well considering his chosen profession and threats, perhaps it's an appropriate nickname after all."

"Mr. Gonorrhea," Hailey repeated. "Okay, that's his name until we can find his real one."

Rachel laughed, then they rounded a corner in the docks and she pointed to the Argo. "That's her."

"Wow," Hailey's face split into a huge grin. "That's amazing. I've never seen one up close before."

Rachel introduced Hailey to rest of the crew and they talked on the weather deck for a while. They had arrived in time for lunch, but the meal was over and cleaned up by the time there was a lull in the conversation.

Rachel watched Hailey closely the whole time.

Though she seemed very happy and put on a cheerful face, Rachel could tell that something was wrong. Hailey seemed a little too cheerful and a little too happy; almost like she was hiding something under a joyous farce.

She kept glancing toward the center of the city and subconsciously balling her hands into fists. All the while, she was laughing like she was having the time of her life.

Eventually, their conversation ended midafternoon when Rachel caught a glimpse of Alana half-jogging, half-running toward the Argo. From her gate, Rachel could tell that something was wrong. The other must've noticed too because they met the wood elf at the top of the gangplank.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked as soon as Alana was on board. Alana explained how her meeting with Elder Goman went and how Ethan had left. Rachel got the feeling the wood elf had left out a few details though.

"We need to find him," she finished.

Rachel felt the gears in her mind whirring. In hindsight, she was surprised Ethan hadn't cracked earlier given his state of mind and everything he'd been through in the last 6 weeks.

"Maybe he just needs a little time," Anthiel suggested. "He's been through a lot and might just need to sort through it all."

"Maybe," Alana replied, but she didn't sound convinced. "I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked. "I thought you couldn't hear his thoughts or feels his emotions anymore?"

"I can't," Alana said. "But I'm not sure he's able to block out absolutely everything. Every time I look at our bond I get nothing, but I feel like something isn't right."

"Any idea what?" Rachel asked.

"Not really," Alana frowned.

Raklan scoffed "You're just being stupid, he'll show up in a-"

Serif backhanded Raklan across the face, interrupting him.

"What the hell you do that for?" Raklan looked furious and his hand went toward his sword.

Serif looked completely relaxed and didn't even react. "Be more polite unless you are going to pull that sword, in which case I will be your opponent," Serif didn't appear to have a single weapon on him.

Raklan eyed Serif for a moment, then dropped his hand to his side and mumbled something under his breath.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Hailey asked Alana.

"That's just it, I don't know. I've been able to feel him for over a month and now that I can't... It's like I've lost an arm or been blinded. I just don't know."

Rachel stepped over to Alana and put an arm around her shoulder. "We'll find him and he'll be fine. Ethan is one of the toughest men I've ever met; I can't imagine him getting into trouble he can't get out of."

"I hope you're right," Alana replied, then turned to Serif. "You've been awfully quite; time to weigh in."

Serif's face was unreadable as he replied. "Ethan could be in trouble, but there's no way to know for sure."

"A response without an answer," Rachel observed.

"Insufficient data does not compute," he replied.

"Thank you mister Spock," Hailey rolled her eyes. Everyone else looked at her blankly, so she continued. "It's from a TV show- Nevermind, I agree with Alana. He might be in trouble."

"We need to take the Argo and go find him," Alana insisted.

"Would that be a prudent course of action?" Serif asked. "If Ethan decides to return to us, he'll likely return to the Argo."

"And if the Argo isn't here, we could be looking for each for months," Rachel finished. "Good point."

"Precisely," Serif said.

"But how could you find a dragon without an airship to follow him?" Hailey asked.

No one answered.

"Let's see what we can come up with by morning," Rachel said after a few moments. "It would be twilight by the time we left anyway, and I doubt we could find him in the dark."

Alana opened her mouth to replied, but Rachel headed her off. "Only one of us has wood elf eyes Alana, and we don't even know where to look."

"Okay," Alana nodded, and everyone dispersed.

"Come on, you look like you could use some rest," Rachel said to Alana.

She didn't resist Rachel's gentle pull and they went below decks to the 'women's section' of the sleeping area. It was located farther from the stairs than the men's hammocks and Anthiel had hung a thick blanket between the two sections to give the ladies a little privacy.

Once there, Rachel locked eyes with Alana. "Do you really think Ethan is in trouble?"

Alana hesitated for a moment then nodded. There was no mistaking the concern in her eyes or body language.

"Okay, then we'll do everything we can to find him," Rachel said. "I promise."

"Thank you," Alana said and gave Rachel a hug. "I really appreciate you standing up for me. Everyone else seems to think Ethan's just out for a walk- er, fly."

"He might be, but that doesn't mean he isn't in trouble," Rachel replied. "Better safe than sorry."

Alana breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad someone else understands."

"I think Hailey might too," Rachel replied. "Though I'm worried about her."

"Oh?" Alana said.

"Yeah," Rachel replied. "I think her slavery was harder than she let on. I think she's harboring some real resentment against her former owner."

"Can you blame her?" Alana asked.

"No, but I think it goes beyond disliking forced manual labor," Rachel replied, then sighed. "Having come so close to slavery myself, I can sympathize."

Alana raised an eyebrow.

"You and Ethan saved me from a life of slavery, trapped in a prison in my own mind. I owe you two more than I could ever hope to repay."

"We'd never ask you to repay anything," Alana said offering another hug.

"I know," Rachel replied, gave Alana a little squeeze then let her out of the hug.

"I'm really glad we got that will-breaker ring off you," Alana said. "You're a good friend."

"I'm glad too." Rachel smiled. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We can brainstorm while we're falling asleep and find him in the morning."

* * *

Taloni dropped her hands as the last of the dragon's wounds closed. She nearly dropped herself she was so tired. The sun had fully set by now, but there was still a little light in the sky. It was slowly changing from the reds and oranges of sunset to the dark blues of twilight.

"How are you feeling now?" Taloni asked the dragon.

He didn't respond.

"After all the time I just spent healing your wounds," Teloni said. "The least you could do is answer some questions."

The dragon turned its head to look at her, but remained silent. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"Okay, let's start with something easy," Taloni said. "What's your name?'

"Ethan," The dragon said after a few moments.

"Please to meet you Ethan," She replied. "My name is Taloni."

"Hi,"

"What's wrong Ethan?"

"Nothing," he couldn't have been less convincing if he tried.

She put her hands on his scales and used her mana to enhance her senses and perception. It took almost a minute, but she finally got a sense for what was actually wrong. She had been so concerned with his physical health that she'd missed it.

"You're not taking in any mana are you?" she asked.

"No," The dragon replied.

"You need some gold," Taloni said.

"No I don't,"

"But won't you die without it?"

"It's okay, really," The dragon grumbled after a few moments.

"How could that be okay?"

The dragon shrugged.

"I don't understand," Taloni replied. "You don't want to die... do you?"

The dragon grunted. It was almost a disinterested grunt; like it simply didn't matter to him.

"You will die. You know that right?"

The dragon sighed then - with what seemed like a great effort - he stood on all fours. Taloni scrambled away from him, but he made no move to threaten her. Instead, he took a few steps toward the creek and took a sip of water.

"What happened?" Taloni asked. "What was so terrible that you're willing to die?"

The dragon opened his mouth to reply, but then shook his head and closed it. "I appreciate you healing my wounds. That was very kind. Thank you."

"You're avoiding the question," Taloni observed

"Yes I am," The dragon replied, then he flopped down next to the creek as if he was exhausted.

Taloni mentally cursed her youth and inexperience. She knew something was up, she just didn't have a clue how to get the dragon to open up to her. Finally, she settle on the one thing that seemed to help when Prayla was concealing something.

She marched over the dragon's head, lowered herself to eye level and stared into his eyes as she spoke. "Please tell me?" She asked as nicely and sweetly as possible.

The dragon's lips twisted into what was unmistakably a smile. It was odd seeing a dragon smile. It didn't look quite like a human's smile, but it wasn't far off either.

"How old are you Taloni?" the dragon asked.

"I just passed eighteen summers last month," Taloni announced proudly.

"So eighteen," The dragon said. "I remember being eighteen. That was the year I started a business with my best friend. We were going to be like Calvin and Hobbes. We would change the world and make a fortune doing it."

The dragon seemed pensive, so Taloni kept silent and let him continue.

"It's strange, looking back on my life," The dragon said. "I never thought I would end up on another world in a dragon's body. Life is strange you know?"

"Yes," she replied. "Yes it is."

"It's also precious," The dragon said. "Take time to savor life Taloni; you never know when it will end."

"I think—" she started to say, but was interrupted by someone shouting behind her.

"THERE SHE IS!"

Someone shouted from the top of the hill where Taloni and Prayla had been watching the dragon. There were a dozen men, all had a large shield plus a spear or axe. Peeking out from behind the men was Prayla, her face was a mask of worry and concern.

Leading them was Thaltien; her owner.

He stood head and shoulders above the other men. He was a gruff man with a large unkempt beard, clever eyes, and no patience for interference in his business. He was holding a large Dane Axe in one hand and a massive kite shield in his other. He wore no armor, but his surcoat was thick enough to stop all but the sharpest of weapons.

The dragon's response to their presence was instant and shocking considering how exhausted he seemed to be. The dragon took a flying leap right over Taloni's head, landing between her and Thaltien's men. He raised his hand a large hammer flew to it from the bushes nearby. The dragon crouched low in an unmistakably protective stance.

He was shielding her from them.

Taloni felt her heart go out to the dragon. She knew exactly how exhausted and tired he was, yet he had sprung to her defense without a moment's hesitation. No one had ever done that for her before.

"Let her go beast," Thaltien said. "She saves me a lot of money, so Fey is off the menu tonight."

"You know him?" The dragon asked Taloni without taking his eyes off of Thaltien.

"He's my owner,"

"And I want my slave back,"

She let her shoulders slump. Thaltien wasn't mean and allowed her a lot of freedom. He was fairly kind until the moment his bottom line was affected. Then he eliminated any obstacles without hesitation.

"That's barbaric," The dragon growled.

"Time to kill a dragon boys," Thaltien said.

His men began advancing down the ravine with their shields up. The dragon bristled, then reached out with his other hand and a spear flew into it. He was definitely about to fight for her.

He was going to fight for her...

For her.

Nobody had ever done that before.

Not once in her entire life.

No one had ever stood up for her without asking something in return. Not even Prayla - who was a good friend until trouble showed up, then she would bail without a second thought. Not a single person she'd met in her entire life would've done that for her.

Until now.