The Last Dragon: Book Three

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Damon

Kendra said, “Damon, what are we going to do with them?”

We, the three girls and me, marched the giant who had attacked us into the shade under the largest tree on this section of the river. Only Flier remained at the river with the other three captives. I turned back to see him kneeling over one of them and again wondered at his odd actions. Whatever it was, we’d learn soon. The afternoon was dragging on, and because of Kendra working with her dragon to sink the ships all morning, we hadn’t made much progress before encountering the four who attacked us.

The “camp” the giant guided us to was little more than a cleared space and stone firepit under the spreading limbs of the largest tree in the area. The shade it provided prevented them from baking in the sun, but there were no blankets, no food in sight, and no spare clothing. There was nothing of value and little else.

I’d heard a story once about a thief breaking into the home of a man so poor that before he left, the thief placed two copper coins where the owner would be sure to find them. The point of the story was that the house he’d broken into was so poor, the thief felt obligated to leave the money. This camp felt the same way.

There was not even a stack of firewood. It was as if the four of them arrived at this spot, found the blackened rocks of the firepit, looked up and found us walking in their direction. I said, “How long have you camped here?”

“Dunno. Days and days, I guess.”

“What do you eat?” I asked.

“Whatever.”

“What does that mean?” I persisted.

He looked sheepish. “We took some food from others passing by.”

“Who?”

His eyes furtively shifted to look at a place located behind me. I turned to find three mounds in the distance, distinguishable because of the layer of leaves that covered the barren ground all around us. At least they had provided a minimal burial for the victims. I snapped in anger, not bothering to hide my feelings. “Where is it?”

“What?”

“The food and whatever else you took,” I shouted.

He spoke slowly after hearing each question. “You already got the knife. We ate the food.”

“What else did you take from them?”

“Nothing. They didn’t have much.”

The pause before answering had been too long. He lied, but it made little difference. What we wanted was food, and there wasn’t any. Flier approached, walking behind two of the other men. I looked for the third man and didn’t see him. Flier noticed my interest and gave a small shake of his head as if to tell me not to ask. I didn’t know if he meant for me to be quiet about it or something else, but I remained silent. He would tell us when the time was right.

The immediate problem we had was what to do with three prisoners. If we released them, they could follow us and kill us while we were asleep. Looking at the three mounds in the distance, that was not hard to believe.

We tied them with strips of their clothing. Blood from where a rock struck one ran down from the side of his head, soaking his shoulder. The other walked as some of the passengers on their first sea voyage, wobbling and staggering. The giant’s speech was slurred and slow.

I asked them as a group, “Where are you from?”

“Vin,” the giant answered.

I noticed the startled look from Flier and continued, “Why are you way out here and not in Vin?”

The one with the bloody head and neck asked in return, “You been there lately? If you had, you’d understand.”

“What’s that mean?” Flier moved to stand directly in front of him.

“It means there’s no work to be had and everything worth stealing is gone too.”

Flier said, “There were plenty of jobs the last time I was there.”

“Not for a year, there ain’t,” the man persisted stubbornly. “Ever since a mage showed up with a paper from Dagger sayin’ he was in charge of everything.”

Flier looked confused. “What about the king?”

“Died about the same time, we heard. Same was true for anybody that objected. He brought men with him and if you said anything bad about the mage or the Council of Nine, the place where you lived burned to the ground that very night.” The man had grown animated as he spoke. “It’s true. Happened to me.”

“They burned your house?” Flier asked.

“And my stable. Left the horses that I was caring for in it to burn too.”

Flier leaned closer and said, “I thought I recognized you. It’s been years, but I saw you at the stable many times. You cared for our horses and rented us others, and a carriage. What’d you say to make them do that?”

The man looked hard at Flier before answering. “I refused to pay the new taxes. Said they were too much. Recognized you right away. Thought you were killed down there in Trager during the uprising.”

Now our problem was compounded. Flier and the stable owner had a friendly history.

Before I came to any conclusions, Flier said, “How is my family?”

“Hate to say it, but your house and the store you owned in town were two of the first to burn. Your father never did bow down too much, to anyone. I heard everyone was alive and living out near Candle Lake, near the coast.”

Flier nodded as if relieved. “We own a farm there.”

“Will they be safe on the farm?” I asked. “What if the ones from Vin or Dagger go there, too?”

“They also own a fishing boat large enough to carry them all. It’s always been a last resort, a back door for our family to escape through. Besides, the farm at Candle Lake is not the only other place we own where there is safety. There are other places in other kingdoms. We are wealthy, and as politics change, it is beneficial to have options.”

I let that go as I motioned for Flier to join me a short distance away from the empty campsite and once out of hearing I said, “What do you think we should do with these men?”

Flier said with a downcast expression. “You asking the question is telling enough. None of us can kill them. They are guilty of little but trying to survive. Leaving the men here tied to a tree is a slow death nobody deserves. We have to turn them loose.”

“They might come after us,” I said.

“No, they won’t. I know the stable keeper and respect him. Mention we are fighting against the new council, and all might ask to join us. Isn’t Kendra’s dragon due back before long? Have her land it near the river and guard our retreat tonight. They won’t come after us.”

His mention of the three of them reminded me that there had been four. “What about the one you left by the river?”

“Dead. The rock Emma threw hit him just over his ear. He was dead as he fell. I didn’t want her to know what happened.”

I’d thought as much. Emma didn’t know how to control her magic yet and made the rock travel too fast. The force on that rock used to guide and direct it must have been exceptional. I could somewhat guide an arrow in flight, and increase the speed of a thrown object, and had done so many times, but never from such a distance as she had, and not with the same accuracy or increased speed.

I said, to change the subject, “How far to Vin?”

“Late tomorrow, if we hurry.”

We walked back to the others silently.