Dragon Eye Read online

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  The stable’s stone floor was too cold and too hard for his old feet. The extra padding he had added to his boots needed replacing, and his knees and hips ached from the short march to his post outside Rory's stall.

  A bench beside the dragon's reinforced quarters was a welcome stop before he went in to see how her day was. Recser sighed as he stretched out his legs, wiggling his toes. He pulled off his helmet and rested his eyes for a moment.

  Hot breath puffed on his cheek. Straw slid across the floor, signaling the flick of the tip of her barbed tail.

  "You're staring, little one," the old man said.

  Darker than a twilight sky of deep blue, she sat back on her large haunches, baring a gray-blue underbelly. "Don't be sad."

  "I'm not sad so much as tired." He took one of her front paws in his hand and stroked a thumb along her smooth, glossy scales.

  Her long, delicate talons tightened round his fist. "It's the bad man."

  He chuckled, meeting her pale blue eyes. "Yes, we need a plan."

  She placed the other fingered talon on his chest. Its glow warmed and energized him. He felt ten years younger. The pain in his feet ebbed away, but her healing powers did not ease how much he missed his family.

  "Thank you." He sat a little taller to meet her eyes. "You've been growing. Tell me, how was your day?"

  "They brought me more books, but less food." Her bottom lip quivered. "I'm hungry all the time now."

  "I'm sorry." The old man brought her paw to his mouth and made a loud exaggerated kissing sound, then looked around for unwanted listeners. "I need you to be brave. Remember what we talked about. He's getting impatient and there is nothing to be done, but run."

  "You'll come with me?"

  He shifted to look at her better. "Someone has to cover your escape."

  She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go of her paw.

  Pulling her closer to him, Recser brought a hand up to her chubby cheek, glistening with the glow of black sapphires. "It's okay to be frightened. Natural, I expect. But I need to know you'll do as I say and save yourself when the time comes. It will take less than an hour to fly to the forest of the hunter and hide among the trees. The king will lose interest when he realizes he doesn't have to feed you anymore. When it's safe, I'll ask to retire and join you."

  "You promise to come?"

  "Depend on me. You are so much like your mother." He listened, as always, for the sound of approaching danger.

  "Tell me," she said, pulling him to his feet. She led him to her nest of straw.

  He carefully set his helmet and spear down and stretched out beside her. "I was with Samric, my hunter friend. We were children, then, practicing tracking, I think, or maybe it was shooting. He had these strange blunted arrows—"

  "Recser."

  "Anyway, it was a long time ago. He always made me a boar and I never knew why." The guard chuckled as the dragon pushed against his side. "I was far ahead of Samric when I heard a sad voice say, 'Save my baby.' It was no more than a whisper on the wind. Your mother came out of the darkness of the night sky like a moonbeam, and landed in the clearing. Her wide head sparkled with blue-white light of the moon above, but this time I saw through her."

  Rory swallowed with a loud click. "She was a ghost?"

  "Yes, little one. She dropped her massive head, so we were nose to nose, and I wanted to run faster than ever before. But, I couldn't. Her eyes were so sad, they watered up, and giant tears fell. They were so big, they splashed over me like buckets of ice water." The captain shivered, remembering.

  Rory shivered, copying the old man.

  "She gave me what looked like a deformed lizard."

  "Hey." Blue mist puffed from a nostril.

  He stroked her neck and nodded.

  Together, they said, "Call her Rory, and remember I'll always be watching over you."

  Recser pointed through the window to where two pale moons sat. "Then, I saw her fly into the sky and curl up as if going to sleep. She became our second moon and when both moons sit in the sky, like tonight, I can almost hear her speaking to me."

  "What is she saying?"

  "She says tonight is the night for you to go."

  "No," Rory said.

  He put a protective arm around her long neck. "We love you and she trusts me to protect you." Recser paused to listen.

  Hooves dropped and shifted, the whining of quiet or sleeping horses the only sound. He relaxed slightly.

  "I love you, too." She rested her head on his lap.

  They both dozed until the moons left the window. He dreamed of what would happen if she didn't get away, of broken and bleeding wings, of his death when he stood between the king and his charge. His stomach churned and roiled at the thought of Rory all alone, hiding in the forest.

  "Run, Recser. Now, before they come." A female voice roared in his ear.

  Instantly alert, Recser shook the baby dragon awake. "Rory, wake up." Without looking back, he put on his helmet and took hold of his spear. He took position at the door, determined to protect her.

  The corridor was empty.

  "It's clear. I'll stall them and you get away."

  "Come with me," she said, her voice so soft it filled his heart with strength.

  "We'll meet again." Recser put a soft fist under her chin, lifting her face. He leaned down to meet her large wide eyes. "Look up at the night sky. Your mother is watching over you. You'll be safe." He brought his nose to hers momentarily, imitating her mother. Then, he ran toward the large double doors of the royal stable while Rory ran out the servants entrance.

  Recser met the king with an honest expression of surprise. He had only expected some of the royal guard to supervise what he was expected to do.

  "Sire, what has happened?"

  "This. Look at my hand."

  Recser didn't need to see it's glow to understand. Just like the royal plant, or his very heart, the king absorbed Rory's power from the dust. What would stop him now that he discovered their secret?

  "What's happened?" Recser asked again. He needed to stall for as long as possible.

  "We must get her into the dungeon, assign guards as dragonkeepers, and isolate her from everyone else. With her under my control, I could live forever."

  Recser doubted dragon magic would be so easily contained. Whatever she touched grew stronger, brighter, vibrant. But, the king would not fare so well. Without direct contact, the power he wanted never lasted longer than a few days. "At your command."

  "Take me to her. I need her now."

  "Follow me, sire." Recser stumbled along the stone floor between the sleeping horses, leaning heavily on his spear. He finally stopped at the open area where Rory usually slept. "She's gone. She must have heard us and ran away."

  "Don't just stand there. Get a group of men and start the search. We can't have her falling in to another’s control!" The king raged, hands glittering blue. "Think of it. I could live forever."

  Recser nodded in understanding. He had done what he could, giving Rory the time she needed to get to the forest and hide. Working methodically, slowly, as was proper for a thorough search, his men went through the castle and surrounding lands, working outward in a spiral.

  As expected, the king requested Recser’s attendance.