Dragon Rescue by Don Callander

said. “My place is with my father and stepmother. We may be able to help prevent the kidnapping—if we are on time.”
    “Yes, do that,” agreed the Historian. “Ffallmar, issue a call to arms!
    I intend to go to Lexor immediately myself. Gather our combined levies and follow me as fast as you can march.”
    Ffallmar called for his stable hands to saddle horses and began assigning to each rider an Achievement and a rallying point. Rosemary rushed inside to begin writing the call to muster each would carry, so there would be no doubt of their authority to call the United Small Achievements to war.
    Murdan stripped an ornate old ring of gold, set with a red stone, from his finger and handed it to Ffallmar.
    “Use my signet as authority. My people know it—and you—and will follow at once!”
    Before sunset the Royal Couriers had ridden southwest on fresh Ffallmar horses toward the watershed where Cristol River rose.
    Ffallmar himself galloped off to Sprend, designated as the mustering place for all Overhall lands and farms, after hurriedly kissing his wife and children and pulling on his half-armor and buckling on his sword as he ran for his horse.
    Tom and Manda did all they could to assist Murdan.
    “By fastest horse to Lakehead,” the Librarian advised the Historian, pointing to the map. “Mayor Fellows’ll find you a sloop to carry you to Rainbow. From there, Granger Gantrell should be able to furnish you transport either by fast ship along the coast, or by horse across Override and through Greenlevel Forest.”
    “Raise my forester militia at Greenlevel Royal,” Manda reminded him, handing him a note addressed to Strongoak, the Chief Forester of her Royal Forest. “They can reach Lexor faster than Ffallmar and his midland farmers.”
    “I’m off!” said the Historian grimly. “Good-bye, lad and lass, daughter! I don’t know what I can do in Lexor, but I hope to be able to aid Walden in withstanding the attack on the capital. Leave military strat-egy to me and militia matters to Ffallmar, you two. Protect the King and Queen and the royal children—what you do there in Waterfields is at least as important to the Kingdom as fighting the Rellings in the field. Did you hear from your wandering Dragon, Tom?”
    “He answered, but I don’t know how long it’ll take him,” said Tom.
    “A Constable Dragon can be pretty fast when he must!”
    “So can I,” muttered Murdan. He slung his leg over his saddle, stuck his booted feet in the stirrups, and shot off down the farm lane, not looking back.
    “Come inside and have some supper,” urged Rosemary. “Try to get some sleep. No telling when Retruance will come dropping down out of the sky.”
    A moment before, if you’d asked him, Tom would have sworn he wasn’t hungry, but the Historian’s daughter’s words made him realize how famished he really was.
    He and Manda stood embracing each other for a moment of mu-tual comforting, then followed Rosemary into the warm and brightly lighted farmhouse.
    “Oh, come on, Retruance!” Manda cried fiercely. “I wish I were a Companion myself!”
    “Sooner than later,” Tom promised, comforting her. “Come on, yourself! Let’s prepare for what is coming by filling our stomachs and getting a bit of rest.”
    Manda nodded, in control of her emotions and her mind.
    “If we can’t do it, nobody can!” she said firmly.
    Eddie of Ffallmar yielded his father’s place to Tom with only a little reluctance. With Ffallmar away, Eddie felt he was entitled to sit at the head of the table. Tom accepted the honor with grace and served bowls of steaming, savory chicken stew with dumplings and rich squares of golden cornbread. Eddie contented himself with passing the cornbread squares and making sure the milk pitcher was passed to his guests, his mother, and his sisters.
    Everyone retired as soon as the supper dishes were cleared away.
    Tom, an old campaigner by now, fell at once into deep sleep but his wife lay awake