closed his eyes and pictured one of the men he had seen in the woods. The man had long, unkempt hair the color of mud. An odd tattoo ran down the man's neck and he had a scowl on his face.
Plyth squirmed in Renick's lap. Danger.
"Shhh." Lainey rubbed Plyth behind the ears. "We're safe now. We just want to know who they were."
"Unthers," Plyth said.
"Unthers?" Thane spat. "That doesn't even make sense."
Lainey hit Thane's arm. "I think he means 'hunters.' He's still a baby, remember?"
Somewhere in the distance, branches rubbed up against each other. Renick held his breath, listening for signs of pursuit. The moment passed.
"I'm going to check the perimeter," Thane whispered. "You two wait here."
The air seemed thick and heavy as they waited for Thane to return. The peaceful quiet of the clearing turned menacing and every small sound amplified. Renick jumped a little when Thane reappeared.
"Sow," Thane said. "With some piglets. But they moved off the other way."
Renick let out his breath.
"What kind of hunters?" The words exploded out of Lainey like she had been holding them in.
"Dragon hunters," Renick and Thane said together.
"Dragons? You sure?"
"When I was younger, a dragon got very sick and went mad. It escaped its pen and started killing live stock. My father and some of the other men from our village had to hunt it down." Renick felt a sickening feeling in his stomach at the memory of seeing the dead dragon being dragged back to the ranch to be destroyed. "The hunters back there had similar equipment to what my father used."
"What kind of equipment?" Lainey asked.
"Nets, ropes, and at least one giant crossbow," Renick said.
"Did you see the shafts?" Thane asked.
Renick nodded. "They looked like the one that got the flyer."
Lainey gasped. "You don't think …"
"And the gray," Thane added in a harsh tone. At Renick's raised eyebrows, he said, "I took a closer look while you two were patching Plyth up."
"Why would anyone want to hunt dragons?" Lainey said, horrified. She scooped Plyth out of Renick's lap and started rocking him back and forth.
"Their hides are valuable," Renick answered. "They grow to be bigger than our dragons. And their scales are brighter in color, and stronger. My father says they also take their hearts. The stories say there is magic in a dragon's heart."
"That's gross." Lainey gagged. She looked down at Plyth. "We can't let them get him." Her words echoed Renick's thoughts.
"Well, we can't go back to the river. The hunters are blocking the way." Thane jabbed his thumb back in the direction they had come.
"Where to, then?" Lainey asked.
Renick felt a sudden chill, like a breeze coming off snow. "Mountains," Plyth said.
Thane nodded and rubbed his chin. "We could follow the mountains west. It's a little farther out of the way, and the terrain will be rougher. But at least we'd have a landmark to follow again."
"All right, then." Renick rubbed his hands together. "The mountains."
Chapter 11: Way Station
Just a few hours' hike from the clearing, Renick noticed a brown bunch of thorny bushes. The tangled mass stood higher than a man's head and stretched out for several paces before curving out of his view.
"That's odd," Lainey remarked. She started to walk around, inspecting the wall of bushes. "Hey, there's a gap here." Renick watched Lainey disappear through the thick under–brush. She gasped. "Come on, you have to see this!"
Renick looked to Thane, who crossed his arms and shook his head. With a shrug at Thane, Renick moved through the gap. He looked around, his mouth falling open. An area large enough for a dragon flyer to land in had been cleared of undergrowth. There were a few tables and chairs, as well as the toppled remains of a few sleeping tents. At the far end there was also a small building that appeared to be a storage shed. The entire area was surrounded by thick, thorny bushes and vines—a barrier against the dangers of the forest.
"What is it?" Renick
Plyth squirmed in Renick's lap. Danger.
"Shhh." Lainey rubbed Plyth behind the ears. "We're safe now. We just want to know who they were."
"Unthers," Plyth said.
"Unthers?" Thane spat. "That doesn't even make sense."
Lainey hit Thane's arm. "I think he means 'hunters.' He's still a baby, remember?"
Somewhere in the distance, branches rubbed up against each other. Renick held his breath, listening for signs of pursuit. The moment passed.
"I'm going to check the perimeter," Thane whispered. "You two wait here."
The air seemed thick and heavy as they waited for Thane to return. The peaceful quiet of the clearing turned menacing and every small sound amplified. Renick jumped a little when Thane reappeared.
"Sow," Thane said. "With some piglets. But they moved off the other way."
Renick let out his breath.
"What kind of hunters?" The words exploded out of Lainey like she had been holding them in.
"Dragon hunters," Renick and Thane said together.
"Dragons? You sure?"
"When I was younger, a dragon got very sick and went mad. It escaped its pen and started killing live stock. My father and some of the other men from our village had to hunt it down." Renick felt a sickening feeling in his stomach at the memory of seeing the dead dragon being dragged back to the ranch to be destroyed. "The hunters back there had similar equipment to what my father used."
"What kind of equipment?" Lainey asked.
"Nets, ropes, and at least one giant crossbow," Renick said.
"Did you see the shafts?" Thane asked.
Renick nodded. "They looked like the one that got the flyer."
Lainey gasped. "You don't think …"
"And the gray," Thane added in a harsh tone. At Renick's raised eyebrows, he said, "I took a closer look while you two were patching Plyth up."
"Why would anyone want to hunt dragons?" Lainey said, horrified. She scooped Plyth out of Renick's lap and started rocking him back and forth.
"Their hides are valuable," Renick answered. "They grow to be bigger than our dragons. And their scales are brighter in color, and stronger. My father says they also take their hearts. The stories say there is magic in a dragon's heart."
"That's gross." Lainey gagged. She looked down at Plyth. "We can't let them get him." Her words echoed Renick's thoughts.
"Well, we can't go back to the river. The hunters are blocking the way." Thane jabbed his thumb back in the direction they had come.
"Where to, then?" Lainey asked.
Renick felt a sudden chill, like a breeze coming off snow. "Mountains," Plyth said.
Thane nodded and rubbed his chin. "We could follow the mountains west. It's a little farther out of the way, and the terrain will be rougher. But at least we'd have a landmark to follow again."
"All right, then." Renick rubbed his hands together. "The mountains."
Chapter 11: Way Station
Just a few hours' hike from the clearing, Renick noticed a brown bunch of thorny bushes. The tangled mass stood higher than a man's head and stretched out for several paces before curving out of his view.
"That's odd," Lainey remarked. She started to walk around, inspecting the wall of bushes. "Hey, there's a gap here." Renick watched Lainey disappear through the thick under–brush. She gasped. "Come on, you have to see this!"
Renick looked to Thane, who crossed his arms and shook his head. With a shrug at Thane, Renick moved through the gap. He looked around, his mouth falling open. An area large enough for a dragon flyer to land in had been cleared of undergrowth. There were a few tables and chairs, as well as the toppled remains of a few sleeping tents. At the far end there was also a small building that appeared to be a storage shed. The entire area was surrounded by thick, thorny bushes and vines—a barrier against the dangers of the forest.
"What is it?" Renick
Similar Books
