Midweek found me hiding from everyone, not an easy thing to do when you’re a forty foot Dragon. I solved the problem by convincing Marcus to shrink me down again so I could escape everyone’s attention. I found out when both were leaving for the trip to her brother’s wedding and sneaked a place among her things. The palace was in an uproar, after two days of my absence both Murphy and the King were frantic. Even Vialle could not hear my heart beats. As a bird sized Dragon, they must have been as rapid as a bird’s.
To our dismay, Murphy ordered the wagon train emptied and searched even when Rinlon pointed out that there was no way I could hide in it. He even sent a magic diviner to test the animals to see if I’d been magicked to look like a horse. As if.
After a further fruitless day of searching, the party was allowed to leave with Murphy flying guard overhead. I stayed hidden until he left us after another day’s travel. By the second night, I was dizzy from thirst and hunger. Barely managed to claw my way out of the barrel of oats that the wagon carried for the horses.
My ears heard the squeaking of mice below me and I set about hunting down a score of the tasty tidbits. At least in my smaller size I was more able to feed myself. Thus fortified, I zipped around the campsite stretching my wings.
The party consisted of two wagons, three drivers and four grooms to care for the two teams. A squad of guards, Roelle, Marcus and a valet/body servant for her. As if she needed help with her hair and toilette but she was, after all a Baron’s daughter and would be treated as such. They had erected two tents, one for Roelle and the other for gear, cooking, saddles and equipment with the men sleeping under their own bedrolls. Which made it easy to reach Roelle but harder to associate with Marcus.
He was hugging one of the four campfires and doing most of the cooking. It was an orderly camp and even though Amber was safe from bandits and skullduggery, the Sergeant-at-arms had a patrol marching around the camp’s boundaries. Between the bows, swords and pikes, I doubted anything but a Chaos Demon or Dragon could get through our lines.
I flew in the tent’s smoke hole and nearly suffocated myself. My coughing fit brought the guard to Roelle’s flap to inquire if she was all right.
“I swallowed wrong,” she told the young soldier and let me land on her forearm. I folded my wings neatly alongside my body and preened. She brought me over to her cot where the oil lamp glowed and hissed.
“Where have you been? Marcus and I were worried sick. No one’s seen you in three days,” she whispered.
“I was hiding in the barrel of oats. Dry and dusty, too. I nearly died of hunger and thirst,” I complained.
“Have you eaten?” She pointed to a bowl of stew and I picked through it pulling out the chunks of rabbit. Marcus’ rabbit stew was delicious. I ate until my belly bulged and I burped.
“You little hog,” she laughed. “You’re going to bust open.”
“You should try going without food, Roelle,” I snapped. “I did. Many times, my master starved me into compliance.”
“I didn’t know, Raven,” she said sadly. “You never told me what happened to you, you never had time. I asked your father and Prince Corwin but both of them told me to ask you, that if you wanted me to know you would tell me.”
“It was horrible, Roelle. He did things to me no human should have to experience.” I shut my memories on that segment of my life for that person no longer lived. “How do you plan on leaving your father’s estates and traveling to Khafra?”
“We thought you could Trump us there.”
I flew up to the roof vent on the thermal from her stove. Studied the inside of her tent which was set up almost like a mini cabin. She even had a portable commode whereas the men had to make do with the woods. She’d packed light for herself but the wagon train was loaded with wedding gifts and would make a tempting target for any bandits. She was dressed in sensible riding breeches, leather jerkin and vest and I’d seen her wearing a fur trimmed cape on the frosty mornings.
“Where are we headed?” I asked. Even though I had flown over every inch of Amber, I didn’t know the lay of the land. I knew vaguely that her father’s barony lay somewhere to the west over the Beautiful Mountains, the direct opposite from the Forest of Arden.
Roelle got up, went to a leather saddle bag that was draped over a chair and pulled out a neatly folded maps on vellum. She spread it flat on her table and use the bowl of stew, her oil lamp and a shoe to hold it down.
“We’re here,” she pointed to a Valley on the far right and I could just see the borders of Amber’s city. Arden was just a few trees at the far left of the map. “The Plains of Argose separate the first ridges of the mountains. The river Aar which we’ll cross at Dindeen. The towns of Argent, Vanadium and Elthold. The Marketplace and the Horse Clans. Lastly, the Barony of Loest. It’ll be a two-week journey unless we push it.”
“I can’t Trump us there because I’ve never been, haven’t seen it or even own a set of Trumps,” I answered her first question at last. “I don’t have any pockets in my Dragon suit.”
She laughed. “So I see. Nor in your birthday suit. Don’t worry, Raven. We’ll figure out how to fix you.”
“I hope so, Roelle,” I sighed and searched for a safe place to sleep. Scooted up onto the tent flap when someone knocked on the tent pole. The flap opened to reveal Marcus with his cape over his shoulders.
“Come in, Marcus,” Roelle said rolling her eyes. He threw himself into her chair and babbled away until she told him to be quiet so she could finally understand him.
“Where is he? I know he’s here, I sensed the magic he leaves behind. I’m worried, I haven’t seen him in days.”
“Raven,” she called and I flew down to land on the table in front of him. He noticed the map.
“Oh. Were you showing him the way to Khafra? It’s not on this map. Where have you been hiding, Raven? Have you eaten? Where are you staying? You can’t let anyone see you or they’ll send you back.”
“Marcus, no one can send me anywhere. Have you forgotten I’m a dragon?” I returned hopping from foot to foot.
“You’re a pint-size Dragon, Raven,” he pointed out. “And not exactly scary or omnipotent at this size.” I bit his finger and he yelped, knocking over the lamp which I caught before he could set the place on fire.
“Idiot!” I hissed and blew a flame hot enough to scorch his shirt. “Great partners in crime, you two. I’m lucky if I make it out of the district. Now, I’m going to sleep. Try not to burn the tent down, incite a riot or spell my whereabouts to the guard.”
“Where are you going to sleep, Raven?” Roelle asked.
“Someplace warm.” I snuggled my way under her covers to the foot of her cot, turned a few times and made myself a nest. I heard Marcus’ grumblings, Roelle’s light laughter and shut everything out as I slipped into a delicious languor. I didn’t make more than a mild protest when two cold feet stuck themselves onto my back. I wasn’t too long after that my body heat rapidly warmed her to toasty. She didn’t move much and I slept tightly wound into a coil so that I resembled nothing so much as a ball of black scales. Not that anyone would catch me sleeping.
I woke before anyone else. Except perhaps for the two guards whose turn it was to patrol. Just before the sun rose and too early to be called dawn, I pushed my way up past Roelle’s spread eagled form and went hunting for breakfast.
I was large enough to take down birds and small enough to worry about owls but even though I saw them, my smell or strangeness warned them away. I dined on mourning dove and woodcock, even a smallish turkey although I had to struggle to lift it.
Coming back to camp, I watched from a branch atop a lonesome pine as they began to stir. First up were the teamsters, feeding and caring for their stock. Next the company clerk who whipped up the fires and began breakfast after putting tea and coffee onto boil. Last to stir with the soldiers who had pulled first guard duty. I was surprised to see both Marcus and Roelle up at first light. He busied himself with chores, carrying water buckets, kindling and buckets of oats before he went to help cook.
Roelle’s maid tried to help her dress but she sent the woman away to do her own needs. When I was sure she was alone, I flew down to land on her arm.
“Good morning, Raven,” she greeted and stretched. “Are you hungry?”
“Good morning, Roelle,” I said enjoying the sight of her supple body in linen shift, bare feet and unbound hair. She looked fresh and dewy, heavy eyed and sensual. I wanted desperately to kiss her. She planted a feathery touch on my chest before I could blink. “That’s for keeping my feet toasty warm last night, Raven. I’m starving. Care to see what’s for breakfast?”
“Cold rabbit stew, probably,” I grinned, my heart as light as a wizard’s promise.
“Do you mean to show yourself?”
“You think they’ll recognize me or think I’m some strange forest bird?” I countered.
“Wait until we’re a week out. It’ll be too late to return you by then. You can ride on my saddle bow under my cloak. Or do you prefer to fly?”
“Let me scout around,” I decided. “I keep an eye out ahead for you, make sure were safe from any bandits. Although, the roads have been safe for months since Murphy and I decimated that band of highwaymen.”
“You and Murphy have made Amber safe for all her travelers,” she agreed.
“Are you excited to be going home, Roelle?” I was surprised when her face fell and she hesitated.
“You know my youngest brother is the last to marry.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I fear that my parents will set their sights on me next,” she whispered. The thought twisted my stomach. I did not like the idea.
“Who? Anyone in particular?” I knew such marriages were usually for political gain and arranged. Although no one would force her but her parents could make her life miserable if they so choose. Vialle’s marriage to Random had been arranged. Just lucky that they’d fallen in love. I wanted that for me, I wanted to experience everything that someone my age would have been destined to experience. All that had been taken from me from me almost at my very birth.
“Roelle, no one will make you marry anyone you don’t love. I swear it on my Dragon blood and bones,” I bowed and such was the magic of that vow that it rippled forth throughout the tent, the camp and the clearing. Everyone felt it and as the sounds of the camp ceased, Roelle turned frightened eyes on me.
“Everyone will know magic is done here, Raven.”
Marcus bolted into the tent. “Raven? Did you do that?” More faces joined him before I could fly off and surprised voices raised in tone. They proclaimed Marcus as the wielder of spells assuming he had conjured me to his whim. I let him take the credit, it was as good an explanation that I could’ve come up with. So I rode on the wagons, on Roelle’s saddle bow and flew rounds to help out the soldiers.