arrange the ground so that if they do have to fight, any intruders will find themselves at a serious disadvantage. Trust me, it’s better this way.”
“You say that because you have humble tastes,” said Will.
“A mug of lager, a bowl of stew, and you’re happy as a crow in a cherry tree. I suppose it looks like luxury compared to the way you lived on the Great Ice. But I was meant for finer–”
Off to the north, something roared. An instant later, elsewhere in the swamp, another voice answered with a similar harsh, sibilant cry. A third responded, and a fourth. Startled, the hunters peered wildly about.
“What is this?” Pavel asked. “We knew other dragons lived in the Flooded Forest, but what could make them all screech like that, when judging by the sound of it, they’re nowhere near one another, or to us, for that matter? I’ve never heard the like.”
“I have,” snapped Dorn. “Listen to it carefully. See if you can make out any words in it.”
Just as the clamor was subsiding, the priest’s eyes opened wide.
“Oh, no,” he said. “The town.”
Dorn turned to Raryn and asked, “How far are we from Ylraphon?”
He thought he knew, but the dwarf’s sense of direction was infallible.
“A few hours out,” Raryn said. “As we trailed the ooze drake, we looped back around. I take it we’re going now?”
He plainly understood the gravity of the situation, for he didn’t question the wisdom of setting out when they were already so weary, or point out the hazards of marching over such treacherous ground at night.
“Yes,” Dorn answered.
“I don’t understand” said Will. “What about the fangs and claws?”
“Leave them. They don’t matter anymore.”
The apprentice scurried up a staircase, leaving the hunters in a workroom that took up the entire ground floor. On their left were piles of crates and bags of salt for packing fish, on their right, screw presses and amphorae for rendering them into oil.
After a time, Esvelle Greengate, wrapped in a quilted dressing gown, a nightcap askew on her graying curls, descended the stairs with the apprentice in tow. At first glance, she looked motherly, a plump, harmless dumpling of a woman. Then one noticed the hardness in her eyes.
“Goodman Graybrook,” she said, “what’s all this? If you killed the dragon, I’m happy, of course, but you didn’t need to haul me out of bed to tell me. I certainly can’t pay your fee until the whole council approves it in the morning.”
“The ooze drake is dead,” said Dorn, “out you’ve got a bigger problem. Do you know what a dragon flight is?”
Her eyes narrowed and she said, “I’ve heard of them. Once in a while, a pack of wyrms assembles and goes on the rampage all together. Why?”
“It’s happening. The rest of the drakes in the Flooded Forest are waiting to descend upon Ylraphon.”
Esvelle frowned and said, “If this is some ploy to inflate your price…”
“Forget our price,” Dorn snapped. “Keep every copper we’ve got coming.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Will throw up his hands in mock despair. “Before they gather, the wyrms of a flight call out to one another. They’re doing it now. Can’t you hear it, even here in town?”
“I heard something,” she said. “I didn’t know what to make of it. Are you sure you do?”
“Yes. I’ve made a study of such matters. It’s why you hired me.”
“True, out even if the dragons are becoming aggressive, who’s to say they’ll come here?”
“I am,” said Pavel. “I speak Draconic, and I heard them declare their intentions. It makes sense, doesn’t it? They go on these rampages to kill people, and Ylraphon is the town closest to their territory.”
“Well,” said Esvelle, “say they do attack. How much would you charge to protect us from them all?”
“You don’t understand” said Dorn. “When my friends and I are fresh and have a chance to make the necessary preparations, we can
“You say that because you have humble tastes,” said Will.
“A mug of lager, a bowl of stew, and you’re happy as a crow in a cherry tree. I suppose it looks like luxury compared to the way you lived on the Great Ice. But I was meant for finer–”
Off to the north, something roared. An instant later, elsewhere in the swamp, another voice answered with a similar harsh, sibilant cry. A third responded, and a fourth. Startled, the hunters peered wildly about.
“What is this?” Pavel asked. “We knew other dragons lived in the Flooded Forest, but what could make them all screech like that, when judging by the sound of it, they’re nowhere near one another, or to us, for that matter? I’ve never heard the like.”
“I have,” snapped Dorn. “Listen to it carefully. See if you can make out any words in it.”
Just as the clamor was subsiding, the priest’s eyes opened wide.
“Oh, no,” he said. “The town.”
Dorn turned to Raryn and asked, “How far are we from Ylraphon?”
He thought he knew, but the dwarf’s sense of direction was infallible.
“A few hours out,” Raryn said. “As we trailed the ooze drake, we looped back around. I take it we’re going now?”
He plainly understood the gravity of the situation, for he didn’t question the wisdom of setting out when they were already so weary, or point out the hazards of marching over such treacherous ground at night.
“Yes,” Dorn answered.
“I don’t understand” said Will. “What about the fangs and claws?”
“Leave them. They don’t matter anymore.”
The apprentice scurried up a staircase, leaving the hunters in a workroom that took up the entire ground floor. On their left were piles of crates and bags of salt for packing fish, on their right, screw presses and amphorae for rendering them into oil.
After a time, Esvelle Greengate, wrapped in a quilted dressing gown, a nightcap askew on her graying curls, descended the stairs with the apprentice in tow. At first glance, she looked motherly, a plump, harmless dumpling of a woman. Then one noticed the hardness in her eyes.
“Goodman Graybrook,” she said, “what’s all this? If you killed the dragon, I’m happy, of course, but you didn’t need to haul me out of bed to tell me. I certainly can’t pay your fee until the whole council approves it in the morning.”
“The ooze drake is dead,” said Dorn, “out you’ve got a bigger problem. Do you know what a dragon flight is?”
Her eyes narrowed and she said, “I’ve heard of them. Once in a while, a pack of wyrms assembles and goes on the rampage all together. Why?”
“It’s happening. The rest of the drakes in the Flooded Forest are waiting to descend upon Ylraphon.”
Esvelle frowned and said, “If this is some ploy to inflate your price…”
“Forget our price,” Dorn snapped. “Keep every copper we’ve got coming.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Will throw up his hands in mock despair. “Before they gather, the wyrms of a flight call out to one another. They’re doing it now. Can’t you hear it, even here in town?”
“I heard something,” she said. “I didn’t know what to make of it. Are you sure you do?”
“Yes. I’ve made a study of such matters. It’s why you hired me.”
“True, out even if the dragons are becoming aggressive, who’s to say they’ll come here?”
“I am,” said Pavel. “I speak Draconic, and I heard them declare their intentions. It makes sense, doesn’t it? They go on these rampages to kill people, and Ylraphon is the town closest to their territory.”
“Well,” said Esvelle, “say they do attack. How much would you charge to protect us from them all?”
“You don’t understand” said Dorn. “When my friends and I are fresh and have a chance to make the necessary preparations, we can
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