《The Last Dragon》


 Rennos Visitor

    Renno laid in a crevice where the dirt had been hollowed out by water many years before looking up at the dimming sky. His head hurt, was swollen, and a little blood was coming from his ear. He was battered and bruised more than he had ever been in his life and more than he thought he could ever take. This was not how it was supposed to go; this was not the plan. His heart was sinking with the feeling of failure and as he laid there barely able to move, he thought about how this all began:


    It was a warm summer day with the one sun high in the sky and the other falling low. He had just picked the last of the vegetables and was resting on the side of the cart before taking it all home to make dinner for himself and his mother. The sound of horses coming down the forest road snapped him out of his day dreaming. The sound of soldiers shouting at each other was growing louder. When they came out of the trees, he could see ten soldiers wearing the Ministry of Science banners on their armor. They rumbled to a stop next to his cart.


    "Young man," the soldier in the shiniest armor said. "Have you seen a young woman come through here? She''s wearing a green and black dress and has dark hair."


    Renno cleared his throat. He didn''t talk to many people these days. "Uh, no sir. You soldiers are the first other than my mother I have seen in several seasons. Well, I mean that actually stopped by our land."


    "Where is your father?" the soldier inquired. Renno took this to mean he did not believe him.


    "He is up on the hill over there." Renno pointed to the hill a bit down the tree line. The soldiers bolted off in that direction. Renno picked up the yoke of his cart and started walking it to the house. He watched the soldiers riding hard to the hill and could not help but smile. He knew they would be back to talk to him very soon. He probably would not make it halfway to the house.


    As he neared the halfway point, he could hear the soldiers coming back, but out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. I girl matching the description the soldier had given was running from the tree-line to the shed by his house, just out of view of the approaching soldiers. His heart began to pound. He knew he would not tell the soldiers, but he also knew he was a bad liar. As the soldiers reached him, he could tell they were not happy.


    "Would it not have been just as easy to tell us your father is dead? Do you think it is funny to waste Ministry soldiers'' time?" the soldier glared at him.


    "No sir, it isn''t funny. I... I just... you didn''t ask..." His nervousness was showing, and he knew it. He took a deep breath. "Sir, my father''s death is still hard for me and I don''t like to talk about it."


    The soldier sighed. "It is never easy to lose a father. If you see the girl, report it immediately to the Ministry." The soldier rode on and his cadre followed.


    Renno''s anxiety dropped though his adrenaline was still roaring. He walked the rest of the way to the house in a hurried pace, dropping the cart by the door. He ran to the shed and opened the door. He could see the top of the girl''s head behind a couple of storage chests. "Are they gone?" she asked.


    "Yes. Wh-who are you and why are they after you? The Ministry does not just come for anyone like that." He was curious more than anything, but almost stuttering because of the adrenaline. It also did not help his anxiety that this was the first person other than his mom and the recent soldier that he had talked to in a long time.


    "Gia. I''m Gia. They are after me because the Minister of Science wants me found." She stood up and walked out from behind the chests and boxes. "Can I stay here for the night in your shed? I shall sleep on the ground and you will not have to see me after tomorrow. I have a long way to travel and I have a feeling most of my nights will be slept in the open, so if I can sleep under a roof every now and then it would be nice. Oh, and water would be great."


    She spoke very clean and proper, which he hadn''t heard since his father passed on. He knew she was important and educated, but in his mind, it really was not any of his business. "Sure, but we have a spare bed in the house. Help me carry in the food and you are welcome to dinner as well." He was finally starting to relax and stop shaking from the adrenaline.


    Gia nodded and they both walked out, though when she walked out, she took time to peek at the road before stepping out of the door. Together they grabbed the vegetables but neither spoke. He felt more comfortable not talking but he could tell she wanted conversation. With the adrenaline gone he felt a bit shy and less motivated to talk but he remembered how his mother and father used to tell him how to treat guests. After they put the vegetables in the kitchen, he poured her a glass of water, and one for himself. He took a sip, and after his mind telling him to talk a couple of times he finally asked, "How long have you been running from soldiers?"


    She gave him a slightly annoyed look. "It is not like I am a criminal. A couple of days, if you must know." She drank the water quickly but looked the opposite way. Renno could tell he asked the wrong question.


    After what seemed like a long silence he said, "I did not mean it like that. I just do not know what to say. I am not used to people hiding out, er, uhm, I.." he paused. Gia looked at him and he continued, "I am just not used to people. It is just me and my mom."


    Gia seemed to soften her anger. She smiled. "So, what''s for dinner? I have only had mushrooms from the forest since yesterday."


    "Dako root soup," he said, also smiling. "We''ll have to skin the roots, but most everything else just has to be diced up, so it won''t take too long to prepare. He sat at the table and opened the cloth bag containing the roots and pulled a couple out. He put one knife on the other side of the table and one of the roots and took another knife and root for himself and began skinning it. Now she looked a bit uncomfortable.


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    Gia sat at the table and picked up the knife and the root. She looked at him and watched how he was skinning his root. She tried to imitate how he was cutting his and ended up taking of a big chunk of the root. She glared at the root and tried again. After a couple sloppier cuts she lightly growled at the root, got a determined look on her face and kept trying, getting better with each cut. While he was not an expert at people, he was pretty sure she had never cut Dako root and had probably never prepared food, and he also had a good feeling that this was a time they would both be comfortable not talking.


    During the long silence Gia became better at cutting the roots and Renno took note that she was a fast learner. They washed them together, diced the rest of the vegetables, and put them in the pot. As they put the last bit in Gia decided to break the silence. "You said you live here with your mom. Where is she?"


    Renno looked at her, smiling and glad that she was the one that broke the silence so that he did not have to. "She is in her room. She is bed-ridden and has the Wilds."


    Gia looked at the soup with a sad look, which seemed odd to Renno. "I am sorry. You use Ministry fertilizer on your crops, right?"


    "Everyone does, do they not?" Renno replied. He thought that was a weird question.


    Gia looked very perplexed and a bit sad. "I wish no one had ever been affected by the Wilds. It is so sad. How bad is it?"


    "She does not know me most days and has terrible fits of rage. Some days she does, and those are the best and worst days because I get to talk to her, but at the same time she feels guilty for how she has been the rest of the time. She has not walked for about a year. My aunt is is coming today to help. She should have been here a week ago, but I suppose something happened and she changed it today." Renno paused for a moment. "Have you known someone with it?"


    Gia seemed to look beyond him as if she was remembering. "Yes, I have seen it a lot." She looked to Renno as if she were going to say something, even going as far as to open her mouth, but no words came out. She shut her mouth quickly and walked outside, looking a bit shaken.


    Renno sighed, having no idea why she was upset but thought that maybe she had someone she cared about that was affected by the Wilds. He stirred the soup and began setting out dishes. Finding himself in solitude he began to wonder who she was and why she was running from the Ministry of Science. He knew she must be special but could not figure out why. He gave up trying to figure it out. He reasoned that she would be gone tomorrow, and he would never hear from her again, so it really did not matter.


    When the soup was finished, she had still not come back in, so he made his mom a bowl and took it to her room. She was staring off into space, occasionally making odd faces. "Mom, I have dinner." Renno said calmly. His mother nodded. He moved the pillows and sat her up. He gently spoon-fed her soup, wiping what dribbled down her face as he fed her to keep her clean. About halfway through the bowl her expression changed quickly to anger. She spat the soup in her mouth at him.


    "You''ll never take it!" she yelled. "It is mine!" She started muttering and yelling off and on incoherently after that. He set the bowl down and sat next to her. He could tell she wanted to lift her arms and push him away, but her arms would not move. She went from angry to scared and started whimpering. Renno gently brushed her hair with his hand.


    "It''s okay mom, I am here. Nothing will hurt you and no one will take it," he told her soothingly. After a few minutes she calmed down and he resumed feeding her, still occasionally brushing her hair with his hand. "Aunt Mayza will be here soon, and she can help, too." After all this time, he still had no idea what anyone was trying to take from her.


    After feeding his mom and cleaning her up, he went back into the main room. Gia was waiting there. "I am sorry that I walked off," she said. "You have been so kind to me and that was rude. What I am about to tell you is even worse."


    Renno had no idea what she could say that was worse. Many things could be, but he did not see her saying anything mean. "It cannot be that bad. Just say what you must, and we can go from there." He tried giving a warm smile.


    Gia cleared her throat. "I know what causes the Wilds."


    He did not expect that. "No one knows what causes the Wilds, that is why they are still happening." Renno sat down in a chair. "But what do you think causes the Wilds?" He tried no to look like he did not believe her.


    "I do know. It is why I am going where I am going, and the Ministry of Science is after me. The Ministry is responsible. They have been poisoning the food through the fertilizer and it only affects certain people. It normally affects whole families because they come from the same line. I know a lot about how it works, and I cannot stomach it any longer. I have to do something." She got a strong and proud look on her face. "I AM doing something."


    "But the Ministry is searching for the cure. They have been working on it for years. This has been going on for a long time." This could not be so in his mind. The Ministry of Science was always helping those affected by the Wilds. "They take them in and take care of them. If my aunt was not coming, I was going to take my mom there, so she could get help. I love her, and I try, but she needs more help than I can give. My aunt insisted on helping."


    Gia almost looked astonished. "Never, ever, send your mom there. They do not help at all. They study and watch them die, only trying to make the symptoms worse." Gia shivered in disgust. "I have watched it since I was a little girl. Please never send her there."


    Renno was not completely buying into it yet, but now he was starting to think about the possibility. "If they did do this, why did they do this?"


    "That is something I still don''t know. They speak of the people affected with so much hatred and anger as if they are the plague and not the Wilds that affects them. I do not know why they are trying to kill off these family lines, but I know the name of someone who they have been looking for that they feel is a threat to their plan, and I am going to get some answers and find a way to make this stop. You will be affected too if you keep using their fertilizer. They made it so cheap and get rid of all competition just to make sure everyone uses it." Gia sighed. "They are the Ministry of Science. They are very powerful, and people think they are so benevolent that they do not see the evil I have seen."


    "People have been getting the Wilds for over a hundred years. How can they have been doing this for so long and no one find out?" Renno asked, then paused. He realized that his mom did not get sick until after they started using the fertilizer supplied by the Ministry of Science. After his dad died it was hard for them to afford the same fertilizer they had always bought, and he had made the decision to buy the Ministry fertilizer. "It''s my fault my mom has the Wilds?" he asked rhetorically. "I decided to buy from the Ministry. I did this to her." He was now starting to believe Gia. "Why would they do that? My mom has done nothing wrong her entire life!" He was raising his voice a little and realized it after he spoke. "Sorry, it is not your fault. I am just angry. I love my mom."


    "This is why it is so important I get to the man I am trying to find. This is not right. No one deserves this. I am so sorry." Gia put her head in her hands.

 Another Visitor; Gias Surprise

    Gia''s sadness was quickly turned to apprehension as the sound of hooves and a wagon could be heard from outside. Renno jumped quickly to look out the window. He waved off her apprehension and said, "It is just my aunt. She is here to help with my mom, like I had mentioned. It looks like she has two of my cousins with her." He could tell by the look on her face she was still ready to bolt. "You can sit in my room while I get them settled if you like," he said as he pointed in the direction of his room. She went in that direction as he went outside to greet his aunt and cousins.


    "Hello Aunt Mayza, " Renno yelled in greeting as his aunt and cousins pulled their wagon next to the house.


    "It has been a very long time, Renno! Just look at you!" his aunt smiled brightly at him. "You are twice as tall as last I saw you, and you have grown so handsome. Look at him, Dorsa, Glen." She waved for his cousins to see him. Renno felt a bit embarrassed. Mayza''s expression darkened, "And how is my sister. You said in your letter that is was very bad."


    "Yes, Mayza, she can hardly move anymore. She barely knows who I am, and when she does it is fleeting. I did not know what else to do but ask you for help, especially since you have helped people after they fell to the Wilds."


    "That I have, Renno, and it burns your heart to the center no matter who they are. We have brought herbs which should help ease her a bit, and I have a wagon full of food." She smiled at him even though her eyes still showed her worry for her sister.


    Renno wanted to tell her that they had plenty of food because he had continued to do his best in the fields, but he kept thinking about what Gia had told him about the fertilizer. "Thank you, Mayza, please come inside. Hello, cousins." He said looking to all three of them and then motioning to the door.


    After they all came in and settled themselves on different chairs, Mayza asked Renno, "How often is she herself? You said she has been in bed for a year?" She paused, Renno nodded. "I wish you had sent word sooner, but we shall do everything we can."


    "She fades in and out a lot. She probably knows herself less than half of the time, now." Renno replied. "I know it was not smart of me, but I really thought she would get better with some rest. I feel so guilty."


    Gia was listening from his room and she felt guilty as well, which made her step out and blurt, "It is not your fault, though. You should not feel guilty, Renno!" Looking around the room after her quick speech and slow thinking, she realized she was in a room with three people she did not know.


    Mayza looked over at her and smiled. "She is right, nephew. This is not your fault. I am sure you did everything your heart told you to do to help her, and that is more than most would do."


    "Thank you Mayza, but the feeling is still there and will always be a lump in my heart. Mom deserves better than this." Renno bowed his head.


    Gia felt a bit nervous because Mayza was still looking right at her. "Please introduce me to your friend, Renno." Mayza said, still smiling.


    Renno and Gia stared at each other. "This is, uhm..." Renno broke off, realizing that Gia probably did not want her name advertised since she was being hunted. They both blurted out made up names at the same time.


    "Fela" Gia said.


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    "Kendi" Renno said.


    They both were silent for a couple moments after. Mayza burst out laughing. When she caught her breath, she said, "Gia, dear, I know who you are. I changed your diapers on occasion. I do not know why you are here, but if I was to guess based on your vehement outburst to Renno not being at fault for his mother, I would say you know just how evil your father and his men are." Gia looked angered for a moment because someone insulted her father, but she sullied her anger realizing that Mayza was correct. Seeing her reaction, Mayza continued, "I was there when this all became as bad as it is now. Your mother and I were great friends. I left twelve years ago when you were still young." Mayza shuddered. "I have been helping cure those that I could and easing the pain of those I could not since then. Your father would be after me as well, if he could figure out who was subverting his efforts. Yes, the soldiers questioned me on the way here, so I was not surprised to see you, just surprised at who you were. Why are you here, my little Gigi?"


    Gia''s jaw dropped. She remembered who Mayza was now. It was like a forgotten memory coming back breaking walls down on its way in. Her mother''s friend had always called her Gigi. She was filled with anxiety and a warmed heart at the same time. She had loved this woman when she was young! "I called you Auntie..." she dropped off, looking down in reflection. She looked up with a firm resolve and said, "I am on my way to stop all of this."


    The room was quiet for a bit whilst everyone''s thoughts settled.


    Mayza looked around the quiet room, then back at Gia. "How do you plan on stopping this and what do you know about the Wilds?"


    Gia, more firm in her resolve, calmly said, "The Wilds is a poison that only affects certain families and is in the food everyone eats because of the fertilizer. The Ministry of Science is killing people, calling normal people monsters, and it is pure evil. I know who is number one on their list and I am going to find him and help him. I also know where they think he is hiding. I am going to find him and help him."


    "That''s... that''s your whole plan?" Mayza asked, sounding a bit amused. "Who is this man?"


    Gia, looking a bit annoyed, said, "Kestrin of the Mountain."


    Mayza turned from amused to shocked in the blink of an eye. "Kestrin lives? They said he was dead when I was still with the Ministry. If he lives, you must go now and take Renno with you." She looked at Renno''s now shocked face. "You do as Kestrin asks and we might have a chance. I''ll send you with safe food. Do not eat any more poisoned food. We need you healthy, nephew."


    "But..." Renno looked from his aunt to Gia, who now looked almost energized.


    "Don''t you worry, I am here to take care of my sister," Gia said, now looking proudly down at her nephew. "You and Gigi might just save us all. We''ll get your food packed onto the little cart." Gia looked at her children, who rose and walked outside with her.


    Renno sat there bewildered, unable to find a coherent thought. How had this day gone from plucking vegetables from the field to escorting a girl he did not know on some journey to save people from the Wilds? He had never been further than the closest town and now he was going to who-knows-where. The anxiety of it all felt like great weight on his chest and he felt like he could not breathe. Gia was asking him something, but he could not make out the words. He stood up and walked to his room and started numbly putting clothes in a bag.


    Gia now sat alone in an unfamiliar room vacated by all the unfamiliar people. She did not mean to get Renno wrapped up in this. She wondered how, out of all the places she could have been, she wound up at this farm where her mother''s friend just happened to arrive. It felt like it could be a good sign or a bad sign, but she really hoped that it was the former. Feeling too awkward alone in the room, she walked toward the noises of Renno putting clothes in a bag.


    She walked in and sat on his bed next to the bag he was filling. "I am sorry I got you involved." She said, knowing it was only half true. She did feel sorry that this quest, her quest, was thrown upon him, but she was also incredibly happy that she would not be alone.


    Renno looked at her for a moment. When his body finally allowed him to speak, he said, "You did not come here to pull me in, and I am still really unaware of what is going on, but if this can help my mother and others like her, then it is worth doing. No one should see their family suffer like this." He paused, cinching his bag, then resumed, "But I am sorry for ignoring you in there. I was overwhelmed."

 Revelations

    When they walked out of his room, his aunt was walking back in the door to the house. "Renno, we have loaded it up, but you''ll need one more thing before you go. I hope my sister still has it." She started moving to the other bedroom, opposite the one he had just left. "It belonged to our father."


    Mayza opened the door and put a sad look on her face when she saw the condition of her sister. "Poor thing," she said. "Have you seen an amulet that looks like a half circle with a dragon in it? She used to wear it on a necklace." Renno nodded, walked in and opened the drawer by the bed, looking down at his sleeping mother. He pulled it out and handed it to his aunt. She took it from him and motioned for them to come out of the room. Renno closed the door behind all of them.


    Once back in the main room, Mayza pulled a matching necklace from her neck and held both of them hanging out at arm''s length. "You will both wear one of these. You''ll need them both, but if one of you gets captured, this makes sure that both parts of the amulet will not fall into your father''s hands, Gia. He should never have either, but both halves in his hands would allow him to do something very terrible."


    Both Renno and Gia were staring at the necklaces. Everything was moving so quickly instead of asking questions or expressing confusion, they both just reached up and grabbed one from each of Mayza''s hands and put them around their necks. They both placed them under their shirts as a sign to Mayza that they were going to keep them hidden and safe.


    "I think I somewhat understand something, now," said Renno. Renno''s cousins were moving stuff from their wagon into the house. Mayza and Gia looked at him, expectantly. "When she was not here ---in her mind--- she would talk like someone was trying to take something from her. Now I feel like it must have been the necklace, and it makes me more curious. What is so important about these dragon necklaces, Aunt Mayza?"


    "Renno, there are so many questions you will want to be answered on this journey. I only know a small part of the answer to only a few of those questions that my father told your mother and I when we were young." She smiled at him, "But what I can tell you is that they are a key that when combined opens the door to many answers and many more questions. Behind that door is your family history and your future." She now looked at Gia, "and it holds answers for you about your mother. Oh, how I miss her."


    Renno gave her a smirk of a smile, "Thanks, I think."


    Now it was Gia''s turn to ask a question. "Auntie," she paused and smiled, realizing that calling Mayza "Auntie" had been automatic. Something left over from childhood. "How did you know my mom? And..." She trailed off.


    Mayza had returned the smile when Gia smiled, but now her face took on a look of concern. "Gigi," she said, returning the name usage from twelve years back. "Your mother and I were biological scientists for the Ministry. We studied this plague when it was only affecting a few. This is also how your mother and father met. He was a Second Minister at the time. Your mother and I worked closely together and we both discovered the truth of the new plague." She paused. "Well, part of the truth. We discovered it was in the fertilizer. We thought someone nefarious was poisoning people through the Ministry''s fertilizer, though we did not know why. We were too innocent to realize it was the Ministry itself at first. We tried to catch them in the act, being young and brazen. When we saw it was your father and the Minster overseeing the plague being added to the mix, she was furious." Mayza looked like she was looking deep into the past not seeing the world around her. She took a deep breath and zoned back in on Gia. Are you sure you want to know, dear? It is not good. It still breaks my heart."


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    "Auntie, I have to know." Gia looked at Mayza intently.


    "Very well. She told me to pretend like I didn''t know for a while and she would talk to him ---your father--- and find out why. She came to me one night, eyes full of tears. I was putting more of it together from stories my father had told me about our kind, but she found out from him, and it broke her heart. She could not believe all the hurt we, the Ministry of Science, were inflicting on the people were said we were helping. She told me that he told her that it would not hurt them because it would only hurt those of the old blood. He said they were not even worth calling people, and they should all be eradicated. She handed me a vial of the plague itself and told me to hide it and when it was safe to go, I should go to Moren and work with their scientists and healers to find a cure, but that she was going to fix this. She was a good planner, but your father knew her too well. I was told what happened by your father, and I had to pretend to not know anything about it. It was so hard. It still hurts so much. I loved your mother like a sister. He told me that she burned down several silos of fertilizer and was killed in the blaze. I still don''t know how much of that I believe, but your mother was never there anymore. A few weeks later, I claimed I was leaving with grief, which was true. I did as she asked and I have been in Moren since, helping all that came to us, as your mother asked of me."


    Rather than fall down and cry like some would in this situation, Gia''s jaw muscles tightened, and a rage ran through her eyes. "This time, he will burn with his product of death even if the whole Ministry has to burn with him."


    Everyone said quietly for a few moments, until Mayza broke the silence.


    "Now, the Ministry soldiers were headed in the direction of Fairington when they spoke to me, so no matter which way you are going, go the opposite direction from Fairlington for at least a day," Mayza advised them. She looked at both and smiled. "You have more responsibility on your shoulders than anyone your age should, and I am sorry for that, you should go soon. Many lives depend on your making it to Kestrin before the Minister." She then hugged them both, one with each arm.


    After the embrace Renno put his bag of clothes onto the cart and latched it to his belt. Gia fell in line beside him. They both waved to Mayza and Renno''s cousins and started walking towards Kag''not, which was in the opposite direction of Fairington. Renno had no clue which way they needed to go to reach this Kestrin person, but he had a feeling that Gia would have plenty of time to fill him in on this journey. Renno and Gia looked at each other, one more look at Mayza, then back to the long road ahead of them. In unison they both took a deep breath and focused on the path ahead of them.

 Walking and Talking

    For the first hour they walked, neither of them spoke to each other. They spent that time entirely in their own heads thinking about the revelations they each had about their lives. Renno never knew that his aunt worked for the Ministry of Science. The last time he had seen her was when he was not yet a teenager and even if it had been mentioned, he probably would not have noticed or had any interest to remember it if he did. What about this necklace with an amulet on it that Gia now wore a matching piece? How did it happen that Gia showed up at his house the same day that his aunt did and they know each other? Today he learned he infected his own mother with the Wilds by choosing to buy the cheaper fertilizer and it was all just a plot by the Ministry of Science to kill people. People from his family?! Why do they want his family dead? Why do they want hundreds dead that he now knows are like him? This was too much to take in at once, but he seemed to have no choice. This was all thrust upon him so fast and he really wanted to be angry with someone right now, but as much as he felt the confusion and rage trying to overtake him, he knew he had no reason to be mad at Gia. This was not her fault.


    Gia was so angry. For the first while she could do nothing but be angry and think half thoughts that would be washed away by the anger before they had a chance to fully manifest. As she slowly forced herself to cool her thoughts so she could try to figure out what all of this means, she started thinking about Renno. This farm boy was doing his day-to-day work, taking care of his mother and she felt like she lit a fire to his whole world. The guilt she felt from that almost let the anger flood back in, but she held it in. How strange was it that the house she tried to hide from the soldiers at ended up being the house of the nephew of the woman she called Auntie when she was a child? She had never given much thought to fate or purpose until she found out the Ministry''s secret genocide agenda and decided she must stop it, but this had an odd ring of what people called fate. That thought made her uncomfortable. As the anger crept back into her mind, she thought about her mother dying in a fire to protect these people and felt very hateful towards her father, but pride in her mother washed over that. Her mother tried to end it so long ago. Her mother was a hero. She decided she took more after her mother than her father and felt a lot better. She would finish what her mother started and let everyone know what a monster the Ministry of Science is. Even when she still felt blame because her family ---her father specifically¡ªwas responsible for so much death and suffering, her pride in her mother''s heroism kept her from letting it bring her down. Her anger was fully in check.


    Gia looked over at Renno and said, "We never ate the soup."


    "Uhh, I guess not," Renno replied. He visibly winced, made a sad face, and said, "but I did feed it to my mom."


    "You did not know, and I should have told you sooner. I am sorry. Your Aunt will take care of her. I get the feeling she knows how to help. I bet your mom will be back to normal before we get back," Gia said to him, hoping to make him feel better.


    Renno seemed in thought for a moment. "I still feel guilty because I am the one that poisoned her, even if I did not know, but thank you. I hope it is not too late." Renno stopped walking and looked back at the cart attached to his belt. "It looks like the top sack has bread in it. We should eat that first since it will be too hard in a few days to enjoy." He motioned for her to reach back and grab some.


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    Gia reached in and grabbed them both a roll, handing him one and taking a bite of the other. He took his and started eating it as well. They walked along in silence again while they both ate. Renno did not realize how hungry he was, and the roll hurt his stomach a bit. He was not sure if it was just the hunger that made it ache, or how fast he ate it because of the hunger. Gia still had half of hers and his was gone.


    "Another?" she asked.


    "Not right now, thank you. So, what do you think about these amulet halves?" he asked.


    "I really have no idea. Auntie said they were each half of a key, but that really doesn''t tell us much of anything. I just know she seemed pretty serious about us protecting them."


    "Yeah, hmm." Renno receded back into thought. They were a key, but to a storehouse of a cure? No, probably not. Mayza was already giving a cure in Moren, so it could not be that because that would not give the Minister some sort of amazing way to kill people more quickly. Even if he burned the storehouse of cure, Mayza had more where she came from. Maybe something to purify the fertilizer like some special worm? Destroying a cache of purifying worms would keep the Minister on course to keep killing, but that still didn''t seem right. "I have no idea either," he said.


    Gia laughed, "They have a dragon on them. Maybe it''s a dragon."


    Renno laughed, too. "That''s it. It must be a dragon. We''ll open it up, it''ll come breath fire on all the fertilizer all over the place and then no one will get sick from the Wilds ever again. Why didn''t we do this sooner?"


    Now Gia sighed. "I guess if it were that easy your aunt would have done it already. I hope we get a lot of the answers when we find Kestrin."


    "Who is Kestrin, anyway?" he asked.


    "I don''t really know. People at the Ministry of Science only speak about him in hushed tones. The one thing I do know is that my father fears him, sends out whole armies looking for him, and gets so angry. He feels like Kestrin is a threat to his work and that was enough for me to feel like he is the right person to talk to and end this."


    When she said ''work'' Renno could hear the acid in her tone. He knew how opposed she was to this genocide just by how she said that one word.


    "I hope so," Renno said. He blew out a slow breath and then asked, "So, where are we going, anyway?"


    "The last word my father got, the day I left, was that he was seen in Mova, near the mountains. I went once about five years ago. It is beautiful there." Gia''s eyes glazed as she was in memory.


    "We''ll never beat an army on horseback getting there. How are we going to find him? What if he runs somewhere else?" Renno asked. Gia''s vision focused back on reality, and then on him.


    "Well, my guess is that he is hiding out in the mountains. They have lots of caves. They may think of that as well, but they will have to leave the horses behind when they go searching up there. I am really hoping we find him first." Gia smiled big. "But if we do not, then we are going to free him on their way back."


    Now Renno felt a wave of anxiety. Searching the caves while soldiers did the same? Sneaking into a camp full of soldiers if they did not get there in time to find him first? He took a deep breath and held it for a moment, slowly letting it out.


    Gia saw Renno''s emotions on display and decided she would stop taking for a while and then felt guilty again for getting him involved. This was not how she thought things were going to go. Honestly, she really did not have much of an idea how things would go, she was just focused on getting to Kestrin; she was not thinking about what happens along the way or even after. Her mind was still steadfast on the goal, but she could see that there were too many variables to know what was going to happen throughout all of this. She was not going to stop, though, no matter how crazy the path to Kestrin became.


    They walked quietly, again.

 Kenton

    Kenton was in his room thinking. The room was dark even though outside the suns were still shining. He liked the dark, which is why he chose a room in the lowest basement of the main Ministry of Science building. Being in the dark left him only his thoughts and no objects or visions to distract his mind. He was an Inquiritor, which meant that he questioned everything. He would question people, he would question their motives, and he questioned how everything worked. His job was to know people and solve issues the Minister brought before him.


    For Kenton, this was not just his job, this was how his mind worked. He had always figured things out. He could work in any field he chose, but this was the only one that would occasionally give him satisfaction. Every once in a while, there was a puzzle that made him think harder, that pushed him. Those were the ones that were worth it. Many times, he knew the answers before the minister was finished telling him the problem or person he was to inquire upon.


    There was one issue, however, that he was missing vital information to solve its riddle. He knew the minister was killing massive amounts of people. That didn''t bother him, he knew killing and how removing people from an equation could result in things going more to the Minster''s plan. He knew that the minister accomplished this goal through cheap poisoned fertilizer. This part was easy, given his access and what he saw in the Ministry. The part that troubled him was he did not know why these people specifically. Sure, there was something in common about them that made the poison only work on them, but why THEM? They seemed to be intermixed into all towns. There was no obvious reason and being oblivious to that reason is why Kenton spent many days in his dark room. It would come to him.


    He knew the poison killed only certain people; be he did not take chances. Once he learned of the poison, he started keeping his own food supply. Others in the Ministry had died from the Wilds, so he knew that the Minister was rooting out people here as well. If he was one of those people, the Minister would never know, and he would not die from this poison. He was too smart for that.


    He did not really like the Minister, but the man brought him the things to solve, and that is what kept him around. The minister was smart, sure, but he was not Kenton''s kind of smart. If he was, he would have already killed him himself. He did not want competition. None of the other Inqiritors were on his level, and only once had he needed to make sure that stayed the case. He needed no adversaries.


    He heard booted feet walking towards his door. His was the only door down this hallway. The room was hewn into the rock under the main Ministry building and used to be used for storing things that needed to stay cold. There was only one way in and one way out as far as anyone other than him knew. He had made modifications, but they had not been needed in the eight years since he made the secret exit.


    He stood up and walked to his door. The noises carried from so far away, he had time to remove the towels he stuffed around the door''s sill to keep any light out and open the door before the messenger knocked. The messenger paused when he saw the door open. They were all wary of Kenton and he knew it. He had even heard them say he was ''creepy,'' and other things to that nature. He liked the reputation, mostly because it kept people away. He did not want or need friends. Kenton stared at the messenger waiting for him to talk.


    "Uh..." the messenger started. Kenton motioned with his hands for him to continue. After clearing his throat, the messenger added, "The Minister requests your presence and has a job he says you will very much enjoy." Kenton nodded and the messenger walked away, slowly at first and quickened his pace once around the corner. Kenton could tell based on the pace of the footsteps he could hear echoing along the stone walls.


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    Kenton did not plan to come back down to his room after the Minister gave him his task. He needed to prepare his things for a trip. He would know if a prisoner had been acquired. He would hear them echoing down the corridor when they placed them in the cages. He would hear the screams as well. This must be a trip and someone or something to find, not a prisoner to inquire upon. Kenton never used a light in his room. He had a trick ¨C- perhaps more ability than trick --- where he could close his eyes and think about seeing in the dark and he was just able to see. He did not know why, but he knew that it was a secret he could and should keep. It often worked to his advantage.


    He closed his eyes and told himself to see in the dark, and when he opened his eyes, he saw in the dark. He gathered his small interrogation kit he used for the road, a package of dry rations, lock picks, a fire starter, and his Ministry of Science medallion. The medallion was for the rare chance that he needed to use diplomacy to get out of a tight spot. He then strapped his dagger to his belt. It was as black as night and did not reflect light. He had found it in the possession of one of those he captured for the Minister and kept it for himself. He knew the other would never need it again when the Minister was done, and he liked its characteristics. It also felt like he had to have it, but he could never explain that, nor had he tried that hard to do so to himself. It was his and that was all that mattered. He closed his eyes and turned off his ability to see in the dark and walked up to the top layers of the main Ministry building to find out what his new mission was.


    Once in the main library upstairs, Kenton saw the Minister with his Second and The Captain of the Ministry Soldiers. This told him that his trip would have an escort and would likely not be a short one. The captain was only involved with Kenton when the trips were long, otherwise the minister would just lend soldiers as an escort. He did hope the Second would come along. That man needed to have an accident along the way. The Second Minister and Kenton had a shared dislike and the Second occasionally tried to get Kenton removed from his favor with the Minister. it never worked, but it still kept the rift between them fresh.


    As he walked to the table the Minister was sitting at, with the other two men standing in front of him, he addressed them, nodding at each, "Minister, Captain, Second." He made sure the Second was referred to last as a snub since he should have been addressed before the Captain. Kenton smiled as the Second crinkled his nose. He could see the slight smile the Captain was hiding. There was no love lost between the Captain and the Second, either, though they were not as open in their mutual dislike of each other as the Second and Kenton.


    The Minister smiled and addressed Kenton. "We have a lead on our quarry and I need you to go along and make sure we pull this mountain man from whatever hole his is hiding in. Only his head need come back. The rest can burn. I am sending Captain Aros and Second Minister Thane along. The Captain has the information and will share it with you on the way. I am a bit bothered by ears lately, so when you come back, I''ll need some of them clipped. Information will be on the road. "


    Kenton smiled back, "It will be my pleasure on both accounts, My Minister. A assume the escort is ready and we are to leave forthwith?" He could see the Second squirm a little. By him referring to it an as escort, never mind not even saying ''my escort,'' he knew the Second would take it as an insult by making it seem that the Second was part of the escort.


    "Yes," replied the Minister. "And Kenton," the minister started him directly in the eyes, "I need that head."


    "I shall not disappoint you, " Kenton said, bowing from the waist. With a not from the Captain, Kenton, the Captain, and the Second all moved down to the stables to gather their horses and meet the already gathered soldiers.

 Jaq Jimosa

    The cave was warm tonight. Jaq needed air, and to escape the heat of his cave. He walked from his cave into the main corridor, and then into the massive main chamber that had been empty of life for hundreds of years, aside from a few truly devoted. Currently, he was the only one. After 20 years of trying to find the right people that could be as devoted as himself, he had only found one, and she was very far away right now.


    In the center of the main chamber was a gigantic statue of a dragon, Emberon by name. Emberon had started the group that was now his calling. In Emberon''s days there were more than a thousand, and they had three such caves. One man and one woman were not enough to maintain three, so, for now, this was the only Ministry of the Dragon temple. Jaq chuckled to himself. He knew that there were only a handful of people in all the world who even knew there used to be a Ministry of the Dragon, much less that one was still inhabited.


    Those who worked in the Ministry used to have many different jobs in keeping peace between humans and dragons, but now, there were just two Keepers. No administration, no diplomats, just those who would interface between dragons and humans and fight battles with humankind so that dragons did not have to, lest they be accused of dominating humans and have them revolt against them. Dragons preferred peace, but they could fight and were very good at it.


    Jaq chuckled again. That''s what happened anyway, dragons and humans fought, and the dragons all but won when they all disappeared. Well, he knew they didn''t disappear. He knew they were still there, but most people in the current age consider dragons a myth, something of legend and story rather than something that was real. Dragons sacrificed their freedom and sense of self so that humans could live. Those were the amazing creatures that Jaq served.


    Of course, he had never seen one in all his life, but he had always believed. When he was just sixteen, the old man had brought him in. Taught him everything willingly but made sure that Jaq was true to the cause before giving him the dragon''s blood infusion. The old man had to be sure, as there were only five vials of infusion left, and now only three after him and then his recruit. That is, unless he could find a dragon in its true form.


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    Jaq walked out the Temple and into the main courtyard. The air was nice and cool out here, which was refreshing after the warm cave. As soon as Cerna, the only other Keeper in the world, made it back from her research mission, they would both be heading out into the world to search for a dragon, and maybe do some recruiting. He had followed so many leads and clues and each time had his hopes dashed, but this time felt different. He felt like something big was coming and he would be needed, and that washed away all the dismay from all the failed attempts before. This time, they would find a dragon.


    The trouble, in his mind, would not be finding a dragon, even if he had had no luck and neither had the old man, but it would be convincing them to come out of hiding and make a new bargain with humanity. It would be dangerous. He knew that humans unacquainted with dragons would react poorly to giant magical creatures flying around, and the normal first reaction was always violence.


    That reaction --- that violence --- was the reason he needed more Keepers. He needed an entire army of Keepers. To make it possible for dragons to come out again, for them to be an inspiring part of the world again, he needed to find a dragon not for his end goal, but for the one thing that would keep the end goal from being a disaster. He needed a dragon to give him blood in dragon form to make more infusion. Only when an army was ready could he defend dragons from those who would answer with aggression when their fear of the unknown was tickled.


    A Keeper, trained and infused, was worth more than ten men on the battlefield, and legend held that some Keepers of old, were worth well more than one hundred. In his mind he could see one hundred keepers taking on entire armies and being victorious, but the same thought made him sad. He knew that to see his goal achieved, there would be a lot of death, but he tried to focus on the end goal. The Ministry of the Dragon would live once more, and peace would come. He could feel it with every fiber of his being.

 Bands

    The sun had been down about an hour as Renno and Gia approached a small town called Bands. As darkness has started to pass over them, a very fierce set of clouds were also pushing in from behind them further darkening the sunset. The wind had started light but cool but was now almost pushing them forward and it carried a deep chill with it. Renno¡¯s cart tried to topple twice already, which limited them from increasing their speed as much as they felt like they should.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any coins.¡± Renno said, just now realizing they would need rooms on this journey. Sure, there would be times they could sleep out in a field or under a tree, but with the storm coming behind them, he knew this was not one of those times.


    ¡°I have it covered,¡± Gia said with a smile. ¡°I planned to leave. It¡¯s not like you planned to leave, and we did so in such a rush. I hope I have enough MoF coins for both of us the whole trip, but I only planned on me, so we might have to camp when we can, which isn¡¯t tonight!¡± she said as she pulled hair out of her face that wind had blow into it while she was talking. The wind was loud, but Renno was pretty sure he heard her growl as the hair flew back into her face.


    It has just started to rain with heavy but spread out drops of water, almost like someone was throwing gravel at them when they made it to the inn. Renno tied his cart to the hitchrack and grabbed his clothes bag and the food, glancing at the inn¡¯s sign as they ran inside. He smiled at the name Soft Beds and Light Heads. It was considerably warmer inside and they could both feel the heat coming off the large fireplace, which felt good with the chill they acquired from the brief encounter with the hard rain drops. The place was only about a quarter full, and most looked local insomuch as they were not covered with the dust from the road.


    The older gentleman behind the bar smiled warmly at them and motioned them over. He had short fully gray hair and a waxed mustache that pointed up at the ends, and while his face showed a kindness to it, his face was weathered enough to show he had not always run an inn and had spent a good bit of time working in the sun. He was stout looking but had a belly on him that showed he enjoyed a good bit of food and ale himself. ¡°Looks like you two could use a room and a nice bowl of my famous duck soup,¡± he said as they approached.


    Before Renno could get words out, Gia replied, ¡°Yes sir, to both. Also some tea would be really nice.¡± The last request made him cock his head and lower one eye at her.


    ¡°Tea? If I had tea it would cost more than the room,¡± he said quietly, bringing back his warm smile. ¡°I¡¯d keep my voice down asking for tea. People who can afford to buy tea can lose all of their money and sometimes more in places like this, and this isn¡¯t even a bad place.¡± Speaking louder now with a bit of a laugh, he said, ¡°Yes, that would be nice. I almost took you seriously.¡±


    Gia was blushing and embarrassed as she realized maybe her life thus far had been a bit more entitled that she had assumed. ¡°H-how much for the room, soup, and something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Three MoF for the room, and one MoF for the soup and drink each, so five MoF coins will get the job done, young lady,¡± he said as he put a key on the counter and turned around to ladle soup out of a big pot hanging above a small cooking fireplace behind him. He set two wooden mugs on the counter and poured wine into them. In a quiet voice he said, ¡°This is rather weak wine, but probably healthier than the water for you and it has a pretty good flavor.¡± Gia pulled out the five Ministry of Finance coins and set them on the counter. Renno grabbed the bowls and Gia grabbed the two cups and the key.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Renno said.


    ¡°He talks!¡± the bartender said, with that same ever-present smile. ¡°Just messing with you. Call me Bayrn.¡±


    ¡°Renno, sir. And this is...¡±


    ¡°Kayten,¡± Gia quickly said, giving Renno a look that told him he almost messed up. The look was not lots on the bartender.


    ¡°Well, nice to meet you Renno and... Kayt.¡± He nodded at them and left them to take care of other customers.


    Renno led them both to a nearby table and set down the bowls. Gia set down the cups and put the key into the pocket on her dress.


    ¡°Sorry, Kayt,¡± Renno said with a sigh, followed by a smile. ¡°We should get you some travelling clothes.¡±


    Gia looked down at her dress, which was now brown and somewhat torn up from the bottom to the knees. The fabric was clearly not suited for travel. ¡°Ugh, I said I prepared, but I really did not. I didn¡¯t even bring a change of clothes, and even if I did, you are right, they are not right for travelling, at least not travelling this way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll run out and get you some in the morning, and I¡¯ll get a rag to cover your hair. A different name is important, but you also need to look different. Travel clothes and a rag over your hair and no one would think you are the one they are looking for.¡±


    Gia gave him a sad smile, ¡°I think this trip is going to force us to adapt and change quite a bit. There is so much I did not think about.¡±


    Renno nodded and after downing half of the wine, started into his soup. Gia looked at him a moment longer and started her meal as well.


    After the meal they set their bowls and cups on the bar and went up the stairs to their room. It was small. One small bed, one stool, and a small table by the bed with an oil lamp on it. The sound of the rain and the window and the wind on the building was intense, but rhythmic. ¡°You can have the bed.¡± Renno said. ¡°I¡¯ll take the floor.¡±


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    Gia cocked her head at him. ¡°No, that would not be right. We can share the bed. The floor will make you wake up in pain and we have a longer walk tomorrow than today.¡±


    Renno grabbed one of the pillows off the bed, set it on the floor and lay down. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Gia shook her head. She sat on the stool and took off her shoes and shook out her dress as much as she could and climbed into the bed, rolling the wick on the oil lamp down until the light was barely still aflame.


    Both drifted off to sleep quickly. For a while both slept very deeply because of all the energy they had used walking here to Bands. Some time deep in the night Gia awoke to the sound of rustling. After living in her own room with heavy stone walls within the Ministry of Science, she was not used to sounds like this. Her heart was racing. She looked over to wake Renno to alert him to the noise and realized he was the noise. He was rolling around on the floor, still asleep but desperately trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. Gia sighed, got out of the bed, and pushed on his shoulder until he looked up at her.


    ¡°Get in the bed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am fine,¡± he replied with a smile.


    ¡°No, you most certainly are not. I cannot sleep with you rolling around like that trying to get comfortable. Get up here.¡±


    Gia lay on the bed and scooted close to the wall. Renno bowed his head, pushed himself up and lay in the bed as close to the edge as he could, which made Gia giggle. Her giggle made him smile and they both drifted back to sleep.


    When they awoke in the morning the rain was still going, but not near as fiercely. Gia woke first but looked at the beams in the ceiling thinking until Renno woke. He reached into the food bag and grabbed a couple fruits, handing her one. They both ate quietly at first. After Renno was almost done with his, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll need some MoF to get you travelling clothes. We might both need something to keep the rain off of us, too, unless we are going to wait out the rain.¡±


    ¡°I really am beginning to think I am very ill prepared for this trip,¡± she replied. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give you the coins. I still have enough for now.¡± Renno nodded and went back to eating. After a few moments she sat hers half eaten on the table and pulled some MoF out for him, handing it to him. He quickly finished his fruit and took the coins.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± he said, and went out the door. After he went out she looked in her pocket at the key to the room and smiled, knowing he would have to knock when he came back.


    ¡°We are so ill prepared for this,¡± she said breathily.


    After a while there was a light knock on the door. Assuming it was Renno, she got up and opened the door. She was quickly pushed inside by a large burly man who kicked the door shut with his foot and held her tight with one arm. She found herself too shocked and too crushed about the ribs to yell. He threw her on the bed face down holding her down with his knee while he lashed her hands and feet. She started to yell but her face was smothered in the bed. She heard him laugh as he put cloth over her head and into her mouth. She tried desperately to fight to get loose from the bindings as he rolled her over. She could see his face now, smiling at her with his yellow teeth, holding her down with his enormous arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take that tea money, and maybe a little more,¡± he said as he put his face right up to hers. She could smell his foul breath. He sniffed her hair and then licked her face. ¡°Mmm mighty sweet.¡± She struggled harder to get loose. He took his large hand off her and started undoing his belt. Try as she might, she could not get free or even work her way off the bed. She saw the door slowly open and stopped moving. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said. ¡°Might as well settle in for the ride.¡± He dropped his pants and started pulling up her dress. She could not see the door behind him anymore, but she heard a loud wet cracking sound and the big man fell onto her. She fought hard to get him off of her, but with his weight and her bindings, it was impossible.


    Moments later, she felt the immense weight lifted off her and saw the face of Bayrn, the bartender. He came over to her and gently untied her bindings and gag. ¡°I was hoping none of this riff raff heard you ask for tea. When I saw the boy leave without you, I started watching. Very sorry I did not make it up here sooner. I¡¯m going to holler down and get some help getting rid of this trash.¡± Bayrn went to the door and yelled down the stairs. Gia did not move, nor did she make a sound. She could not stop shaking.


    Two men came in, took notice of the large body on the floor, came in and silently picked him up, taking him out the door. As they were taking him out, Renno came into the room with a sack in his hands. Looking at her and then back at the door where the man had just been carried out, a look of fright and sadness came over him. Bayrn looked at him for a few moments with a strong look in his eyes. ¡°I do not know where you kids are going, or why, but...¡± Bayrn trailed off. Tears were starting to drop from Gia¡¯s eyes. Renno ran over to hug her, but she stopped him with a shaking hand on his chest. She held it there for a moment and then pulled him in tight for a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, tears now running down his face.


    After a few minutes, she took a deep breath and pushed him back. ¡°We are not prepared for this,¡± she said. She stood up, still shaking but in control. ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± she said, looking at Bayrn.


    Bayrn took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I cannot tell you anything that is not running through your heads right now. There are a lot of towns much worse than this out there, and there is not always a watchful and caring inn keeper.¡± He let his shoulders go slack. ¡°Come see me before you leave.¡± He walked out of the room.


    Renno closed the door behind him. ¡°I...¡± he started to say, before she held up a hand for him to stop.


    ¡°Give me the clothes.¡±


    He handed them to her. ¡°Do you want me to step out?¡±


    She gave him a sharp look. ¡°No, not ever again. Just turn around.¡± He did and she quickly got dressed. They gathered their belongings and went downstairs and came up to Bayrn, who was behind the bar.


    He motioned them to the end of the bar and pulled out a sword and dagger, both with accompanying straps from behind the bar. ¡°Young man, strap this to your back. You probably do not know how to use one, but it being there will keep you from looking like such an easy target. And young lady, put this around your waist. Somebody tries to hurt you again, you just poke them until they leak out everywhere.¡± Renno and Gia stood there quietly looking at the weapons until he pushed them into their hands.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± both said together.


    ¡°Truly, Bayrn, thank you,¡± Gia said with a glint of tears in her eyes. She gave him a huge hug that Renno swore brought glimmer of tears to his eyes.


    They both attached their weapons, put on their new cloaks, and headed out the door to start the next part of the journey with a new sadness and fear instilled in both of them.

 The Hunt Begins

    They had only marched about six hours when Captain Aros called them all to a halt and commanded tents be erected and all the horses secured and hobbled. Behind them the wind had picked up and the clouds could be seen closing in on their location. There had been a brief argument between Captain Aros and Second Minister Thane about continuing their path even in the rain that was soon to come. The Captain assured him traveling in this coming storm would cause more loss of time than tenting now. The Second huffed a bit and made sure his tent was erected first and hid himself inside shortly after it was up. Kenton smiled knowing that the Captain left out that the muddied path would slow them down after the rain passed as well. He let out a brief sigh, knowing it was too soon to rid them all of the Second. He dearly hoped that the situation would present itself where he could kill the Second while staring him in the face, but if it did not, the Second would still find himself as worm food.


    The efficient soldiers, both cavalry and foot, had the last tents up just before the hard pelts of heavy rain drops began to hit. Kenton placed his belongings in his tent and headed to the command tent, knowing this is where and when the Captain would share the details of the mission. He hoped to get the information he needed before the future worm food arrived. As he approached the Captain was heading in and gave Kenton a brief smile. The Captain understood why Kenton did not wait on a messenger to summon him.


    Once they were both inside, the Captain dismissed the two soldiers inside that were setting up his cot and table. Once they left, he said, ¡°Kenton, I am glad you came straight away. As you are aware, we have a mountain man to catch. We have had positive identification of Kestrin from our spies. He has been coming down to Mova and meeting with a woman once a week. The bad news,¡± he paused as he wiped a bit of rain off his face with a towel. ¡°The bad news is that two of our spies failed to report and were found dead. His next meeting time came, and he did not show. The woman did. We are watching her. We did not grab her and would rather leave that task to someone who can get the answers we need. Know anyone?¡± Aros smiled at Kenton.


    ¡°Oh, I just might. So, I am to inquire upon her, but I assume you will be sending others ahead into the mountain while I find out what she knows?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You will have access to runners when you gain the information needed from this woman.¡± Captain Aros unrolled a map and placed it on his table. A soldier popped his head in.


    ¡°Captain?¡± the soldier asked.


    ¡°Yes, Dreinen?¡±


    ¡°The Second says he will not come while the rain is so hard and has asked to be roused when the rain lets up.¡±


    Aros sighed. ¡°Thank you, Dreinen.¡± Aros nodded dismissal and Dreinen popped back out of the tent.


    ¡°I might move on ahead of the main group and have a talk with this lady, so we do not have to worry about runners. I might gain a day or so on you, traveling alone to Mova.¡± Kenton said, looking down at the map, tracing two different paths. One path the soldiers would have to take because of size, and one he could take as just a man on a horse.


    ¡°I rather hoped so, but there is one more important thing of note.¡± Aros waited on Kenton to look at him. ¡°The Minister¡¯s daughter has run off.¡±


    Kenton thought for a minute, looking for the connection. He knew very little of the Minister¡¯s daughter. He had kept her pretty isolated from the rougher side of dealings, Kenton knew. ¡°Ahh, she must have learned more about how her father does business. Are we to rescue her once she learns how bad the world can be outside of the Ministry?¡±


    ¡°Worse,¡± Aros said. ¡°She knew more than we might have assumed. The minister went through her journals from a few years back. She has not written any in years, but she has known about the fertilizer for a while and has hidden her disgust for that for years, it seems. The Minister had no idea she knew so much. He said her diary listed times she would observe the testings, which I do not even think you saw much of. I do not even see that side of things. And then the axle breaks on the cart when she learns the same information I just told you. It seems she is on a quest, at least the Minister assumes she is with his new understanding of her knowledge. We are to apprehend her, subdued if needed.¡± Aros took a drink of water. ¡°So, if you see her, now you know why and what the Minister requires.¡±


    Kenton was silent for a moment. Taking care of young women was far from any interest of his. If he found her first, no one else ever would. He didn¡¯t think bringing her back would make her change her mind on matters, so he did not see any point. ¡°I shall keep this in mind.¡± He finally replied. He nodded to the Captain and walked out into the heavy wind and rain. He could hardly see, but he had a remedy for that. He closed his eyes, reopened them, and while the wind and rain obscured his vision some, he could see plenty well through the darkness that would keep the others in their tents. He found his way to his tent, dried off a bit once inside, and laid down to sleep. He would need at least a few hours rest if he was to ride hard to Mova.


    By the time Kenton woke up the rain had settled into a steady drizzle. He gathered his things, got his horse ready and started riding off. His thought as he trotted away was the brief sadness that the Second would live just a little longer. He kept the horse at a steady pace occasionally walking with it instead of on it to give it some rest. The rain started to die off after he passed Molander, a small village where he watered himself and his horse. The ground was soggy but the horse was able to keep steady at a good trot. He felt he should make it to Bands by nightfall.


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    The trip gave him time to think about all the pieces to this puzzle. The mountain man was some sort of possible break in the Minister¡¯s plan to kill the people he wished dead. He did not want the guy alive, so it was not information he needed from him. That meant that the man knew information that the Minister did not want him to know. If it was just telling people about the plan, the man already would have. To Kenton, that meant the man may know a way to stop it. That may not be information the Minister wanted anyone to know, but Kenton decided that he needed that information, just in case the poison would work on him. This was a puzzle he wanted solved, and this mountain man could get him closer to answering it. Kenton had to get to him before the soldiers. He did not mind killing him afterwards, that would cover his tracks of asking questions anyway, so it benefited him and the Minister, both.


    The woman made it more interesting. If she had been in talks with the Mountain man, she may also know what he knows. It could just be something romantic, but he doubted that. The bigger question was: why would he come out of hiding to talk to this woman? He had evaded the Minister for quite some time. Why would meeting with this woman warrant coming out of hiding? It had to have some benefit. If it was just a piece of information, he would have had it and not come back. Why would they meet multiple times? To Kenton¡¯s thought process, this mean he was bringing something to her, or she was bringing something to him. There had to be something physical swapping hands more than just information.


    The Minister wants the mountain man dead because he knows how to stop the poisoning, and most likely he is giving the woman the cure or a way to protect against it. He must be making batches and bringing them down to her. If this was the truth of it, that would mean she is either gathering a large batch and storing it somewhere, or there are more people that she is interfacing with that are taking the curative to different locations. So, not only did he have to learn what the mountain man and the woman knew, but also find a way to collect this medicine, which might be harder if she was sending it out in small batches.


    Mountain man first, and then woman second. He could chase the tail after that. Getting some of the medicine might benefit him, so he would have to find it himself rather than telling the soldiers what to look for. This would be so much easier if the Minister had just sent him. Well, easier for him.


    Ahh, but then there was still the Minister¡¯s daughter. It would not be efficient to let the soldiers catch her. They would take her back to her father and eventually she would run off again. People with goals and morals did not tend to just give up, which meant Kenton would have to go after her again sometime later. Best to just make it so no one ever finds her. This job was turning into quite the task. With any luck he would run into the girl on the way to silence the mountain man.


    He was right about his timing and rode into Bands just as the sun was getting ready to set. He dismounted at the first inn he came to, but the door was locked. He had stayed there several times before. It was the only inn he had ever stayed at in Bands because it was quiet and had decent food. He turned to go and noticed a rather large man tied to a post. He knew this was what happened to people who did dirty deeds. It could be anything from destroying property, such as in a tavern brawl, all the way to murder.


    Kenton removed his dagger and placed it up his sleeve just out of visual range, making sure no one noticed the move. He walked over to the large tied up man and kicked him. The guy opened his eyes wearily. The blood stains on his head and down the back and side of his shirt showed he had been hit on the head. The different size of his pupils showed it was a life changing hit. This man would never be who he was before if he lived.


    ¡°Yeahl?¡± he said loose tongued.


    ¡°How long has this inn been closed?¡± Kenton asked, not sure why he was asking, but following his instinct.


    ¡°Tolay. Ban go,¡± the man replied.


    Kenton knelt next to him. ¡°Hmm, why would it close today?¡± He asked, looking off down the empty road. The sun was almost down and the town had a blue tint to it.


    ¡°Girl wan tea. Girl tase good.¡± The man was looking pale, and his skin looked clammy.


    Kenton slipped the dagger out and slid it smoothly under the man¡¯s ribs. Half of the man¡¯s face looked confused as he coughed a little bit of blood. ¡°I do so hate mercy killings, but I do not care for you to tell anyone else this information.¡± He said as he wiped the blood from the dagger on the man¡¯s shirt. He sat staring into the man¡¯s eyes until the last bit of life faded away. Kenton watched around him to make sure no one had seen the exchange, remounted, and moved on to find the next inn.


    This night he stayed at the only other inn in town, the Pigeon and Pot. He placed his things in his room and went down to the bar room. He nursed an ale and listened. He learned many things, most completely unimportant. The important things he learned were about the large man, the girl who he assumed was the Minister¡¯s daughter, the boy she traveled with, and the innkeeper who left town.


    The Minister¡¯s daughter had come into town with this boy, and they stayed at the inn. The large man had tried to force himself on the girl and was walloped by the innkeeper. A bit after the kids left, the innkeeper closed shop and left town as well.


    He knew where the girl was going. The boy he would have to figure out later, as there was not enough information to even wager a guess. The innkeeper following was the real curiosity. Did he wallop the big guy because he wanted the girl and was going to be smarter about it than the oaf? No, that did not seem reasonable with how the townsfolk talked about this man. They all seemed to respect this Bayrn. He was most likely following these kids to protect them. If that happens to be true, why? Why would he want to protect two random kids? He was going to be another obstacle to quietly making the Minister¡¯s daughter disappear, so Kenton would just ask him before he killed him. He did not need to know, but his curious nature would make him keep wondering. He sighed to himself. He started with a job of killing one person and it just kept growing. So many people to kill and he was already behind. He decided he could only sleep a few hours tonight and would need to move quickly. Even so, he thought it was fortuitous that they were on the same path.


    Kenton slept briefly and woke up a couple hours before sunrise and began his hunt.

 Leavetaking

    Bayrn had asked himself several times in the past few hours why he was following these kids. He knew part of it. The part he did not know was what tugged at him and made him keep questioning himself. He knew they were in trouble and his gut told him that no one was going to be there to help them if he did not do it himself. He just did not understand why he decided he was going to help.


    Bayrn had owned his inn for the last ten years and was very good at listening to all the chatter in his establishment. He always knew what was going on both near and far, at times he did sell that information, but not since he bought the place had he been so cavalier or felt such a pull to do something himself.


    At breakfast he overheard that the Minister of Science¡¯s daughter was being looked for, which solved one mystery. He knew who the girl was. He did not know what she was doing or where she was going, or why she had this boy with her. He understood why a boy would go wherever she went; it was the same reason he had to bash in an oaf¡¯s skull. It was at lunch that things changed and that pull on his life started. A couple of merchants had stopped in and were discussing a large massing of soldiers that rumor had it was heading to Mova. The Captain himself was leading them, they said, and the Second Minister was travelling with the contingent. This was the moment he knew the girl was in trouble. This is also when he gained his best guess at where the girl was going.


    He fought the urge to chase after them for the rest of the time his patrons ate lunch. Once the last customer had left, he could fight it no longer. He shuttered the inn, sent home the help with extra pay, and gathered his horse team and wagon. He also stored the cart the boy had left in front of his inn in his barn when he put his team together. He packed enough supplies for three people for a week as well as his weapons and set out in the early afternoon. He knew he would not catch up to them this night, but the four or five hours travel time before he slept would make him catch up to them that much faster the next day.


    When he stopped for the night, he did not bother with a fire, but he did take the extra time to set up a line around his camp with several bells hanging that would alert him if someone tried to sneak up on him. He laughed a little while setting them up, remembering that he had not had a reason to do this in over ten years. Thinking of that lead him to memories of those times which felt like a different life.


    Before he owned the inn, he spent the previous twenty-five years in service to the Ministry of War. His mind hardly recognized the young man that started that life as a frontline soldier. He was only on the front line a few years before he learned to scout and track. He smiled remembering how much he enjoyed those years and how good he was at it. He bunched his lips together and crinkled his nose thinking about the last ten years he spent in service. Those were the years he grew to hate being in the Ministry. He spent most of that time as a captain, with the last two being Commander of the War Legion.


    He sighed. It was not that he was bad at command that made him disdain his positions, because he was quite exceptional. He was the youngest ever Commander of the War Legion. Even most of the time as a captain was not bad, but he recognized it as the path that led him away from his passions. He was great at organizing battle strategy and his warriors loved and admired him. The further up he went in the command structure, the more political it became and the less he was able to command. Well, he thought, he did command, but it was not battles he commanded.


    He had asked to go back, and the Minister of War denied him. He was too important where he was.


    His shame invaded his thoughts next. He was never going to be proud or even accept in himself the part of his mind that let him leave. Only a few days after the Minister had denied him, he gathered his money and horse and rode for forty-five days in no direction but away. He was a deserter of the highest level, and he would never feel okay with that, but he knew that he would make the same decision again if he had it all to do over again. His darker side always hoped he would be found out and made to pay in some way for his desertion.


    That forty-five-day trek had landed him in Bands where he stayed until today, other than short rides to supply his inn. Mova would be the furthest he had traveled in ten years.


    Maybe these kids are a sort of penance, he thought. Maybe they are just an excuse to do something I enjoy again, he mused. Even though he knew that the kids did not know they needed him yet, he felt like they did really need him and that somehow made him feel at peace with this sudden choice. He felt like he was doing something worthwhile again, and that felt good. With that thought, he went to sleep for the night.


    Bayrn awoke before the sun came up, removed his hidden string alarm, reattached his horses to the wagon and started on his way towards Mova. With a good pace and a little luck, he was sure he could catch up with the kids by midday.


    Renno and Gia had made good unhindered time the day they left Bayrn¡¯s inn. For the first few hours they walked, neither one talked much. Renno had tried to apologize again, and she told him it was not his fault and to stop apologizing. Even if she did not want him to apologize, she could not stop him from feeling guilty. He felt guilty not just because he was not there when someone tried to hurt her, but also because it never occurred to him that someone would try to do that to her. He was also scared, now. He had this abundance of excitement when this all started, even with the confusion of their task, but all of that was replaced with fear and wariness. The cold realization that he knew nothing of the world beyond the farm he grew up on and the small town near it made his gut turn to a rock.


    While Renno was going over his guilt and newfound fear, Gia spent that time running her hands over the hilt of the dagger she now wore at her belt running visions through her head of her encounter with the foul breathed man. Each time she played the thoughts in her head she changed things. Sometimes she stabbed him with the dagger. Sometimes she was too scared to stab him. Other times she tried to stab him, and he stopped her and still tied her up. A few times the thoughts of what he was going to do to her forced its way into her mind and she felt disgusted and ashamed with herself for letting those thoughts creep into her mind. She did not know why she felt shame, but it was there anyway. After going through a few hours of these constantly replaying thoughts, cycling between fast heartbeats, clenched fists, wet eyes, and blank stares into space, she decided she needed to get out of her own head.


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    ¡°It is so weird that I know your aunt Mayza,¡± Gia said to Renno.


    He looked at her and gave her a small silly smile, which he quickly wiped away and replaced with a guilty look. She knew he felt guilty for not being there, but she also knew nothing she said would make him not feel guilty.


    ¡°It really is,¡± Renno said after a pause. ¡°I was thinking about how odd that was yesterday. I was thinking about how rare it is that you just happened upon my family¡¯s farm the exact day she arrives.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking that as well. I do not think it was chance. I think it was meant to happen. I do not know how or why, but we were right where we were supposed to be.¡± Gia looked over at Renno to gauge his reaction. He was looking off into the distance at nothing, like he was thinking back.


    ¡°You think Aunt Mayza knew you would be there?¡± Renno said with a surprised look on his face.


    ¡°It is really weird how unsurprised she was when she saw me. I did not think about it then because I was scared to be found after hiding from the soldiers. But if she did know I was going to be there, how would she know?¡± Gia gasped. ¡°What if she is really working with my father and this is all a lie?¡±


    Renno looked at her with a smile again. ¡°If she were collaborating with your father, I do not think she would have sent us on our way. You would be with soldiers now. Plus, I trust her. I cannot explain how she knew you would be there, because I think you are right, but she is not evil.¡±


    ¡°You mean like my father?¡± Gia said, looking angry.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I, uh. I mean...¡± Renno turned red and kept stammering. Gia burst out laughing.


    ¡°He is evil, Renno. And he must be stopped.¡± Gia reached over and hugged him sideways with one arm, feeling only a little guilty for razzing him. ¡°And we¡¯re going to stop him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t just want to stop him,¡± Renno said. ¡°I NEED to know why, too.¡±


    ¡°Me, too. For my mom¡¯s sake. She died not from this but because of it and I feel like she wanted to stop it. I want to do that for her, but like you, I need to know why so I know why she died.¡± Renno expected Gia to look sad after saying that but when he looked at her face, he saw nothing but determination. That look on her face helped alleviate some of the fear he had balled up inside. Her determination gave him confidence.


    Both turned to look behind them as the sound of a wagon led by four horses approached and both showed signs of surprise on their faces when they saw who was riding on the wagon. It was Bayrn, the bartender and innkeeper. He smiled at both as he neared. ¡°Need a ride?¡± He asked.


    Gia furrowed her brow and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Bayrn laughed. ¡°That is a fair question, and I am happy to fill you in on the details. I would prefer to do that while we ride and even satisfy my curiosities, too. If I guess right, and I am sure I do, those MoS men looking for you are not that far behind me. So, unless you want them to catch up, please, let us talk in motion.¡± Now Bayrn looked at both very seriously.


    Gia cocked her head sideways looking at Bayrn while she decided. She shrugged and said, ¡°I trust you.¡± She then climbed into the wagon and motioned for Renno to climb up as well. She sat on one side of Bayrn and Renno on the other. Bayrn started the horses moving again. ¡°Okay, we are in motion. Please tell us how you know about the soldiers and how you knew where we would be.¡± She sounded stern, but her face showed a smiling curiosity.


    Bayrn looked at Gia, then at Renno. He turned back to Gia and said, ¡°Not too long after you left, I found out who you were because some of my customers spoke of those looking for you.¡± He paused, putting his visual focus back on the horses and the trail ahead. ¡°At lunch, the day you left, I heard that the Minister of Science was sending an army to Mova, which was the same direction you traveled out in. Leading that army is Captain Aros.¡± Bayrn looked at Gia. ¡°The Second is traveling with him.¡± He could see in her eyes that the last statement surprised her.


    Gia broke the eye contact first and looked ahead. ¡°If my father is sending the Captain and the Second, that means they are sure Kestrin is there and expect trouble from him. I do not know how one man could require such an expedition, but it only makes me want to get to him first even more. That is where Renno and I are going. We intend to get to Kestrin first.¡±


    Bayrn nodded. ¡°Why? Who is Kestrin to you, or to your father, for that matter?¡±


    ¡°What do you know of the Wilds?¡± Gia asked.


    ¡°Terrible disease. It takes the mind away. I have watched men go from being amazing warriors to child minds you would not trust to cut their own meat. They seem lost and confused.¡± Bayrn replied.


    Gia took a deep breath. ¡°The Ministry of Science is behind it. Not just my father, but the Minister before him as well, I am sure. My father has just made it more effective than his predecessor. It is in the fertilizer, so it is in most food.¡±


    Bayrn kept looking ahead while he thought about this. ¡°So why does not everyone get it, if it is in the food?¡±


    ¡°It only affects certain people and their line. My father has an extreme hatred for those who are affected; those who he infects.¡± She pointed at Renno. ¡°His mother has the Wilds, which means he could get it as well.¡±


    ¡°And Kestrin?¡±


    ¡°My father has been hunting for Kestrin for an exceptionally long time. More than just a thorn in his paw. I do not know why Kestrin is important, but if he is that important to my father, then that means he might be able to help me stop this.¡± That confident expression played across her face again.


    Bayrn turned his arm at the elbow and aimed his thumb at Renno. ¡°And how did this young man get mixed up in this?¡±


    Gia smiled. ¡°Right place, right time, I guess. Renno and I are still figuring that one out.¡±


    Renno pushed his head forward and looked at Bayrn. ¡°So you said how you found out where Gia was going and who was after her, and even who she was, but not why you came this way and are giving us a ride.¡±


    Bayrn looked at Renno. ¡°That is a really good question, and it is one I still do not have an answer to. I suppose it is the same reason I was watching out for that man that went after her. It just feels... right.¡± Both Bayrn and Renno stared into the distance thinking.


    ¡°Well, I am glad you are here.¡± Gia said.


    Bayrn nodded. ¡°We should make it to Houndstooth tomorrow night. After that it will be three more days of traveling before we reach Mova.¡± He looked at Gia and then Renno. ¡°Each night when we stop, I am going to teach you both how to use those weapons I gave you. It is not going to be enough to make you an expert, but it should keep you from hurting yourselves at least.¡±


    They both quietly acknowledged his statements. They rode the rest of the day with little conversation. Gia and Renno both felt more confident having Bayrn with them. Bayrn felt needed, which filled a void he did not realize had been there.

 On the Third Day

    For the next two days the trio travelled towards Mova at as quick of pace as they could make without straining the horses too much. Bayrn knew that it would be fast enough to stay ahead of the soldiers but not fast enough to stay ahead of scouts, so he kept himself on high alert and always camped in places that were not the regular camping spots along the road, covering the wagon and horse tracks after they set up camp. He always set up the early warning bells, concealing them with skills he had not used in years.


    Every night after they set up camp and tended to the horses, he would go through training exercises with both Gia and Renno. On the first day after an hour of practice, he had to change the weapons he allocated for each of them. He knew from his experience how to judge weapons more aligned with a person¡¯s movement, and he could tell that Gia would be much more capable with two weapons. She had amazing natural dexterity with the weighted practice weapons he had them use and showed an ambidextrous grace. Renno, however, did not attune well to the sword. He was very clumsy with it and seemed to want to always reinforce it with his other hand, which would have been okay if it was not for his clumsiness with the weighting of the weapon. Bayrn quickly had Renno on the right path after he went out and found a long straight stick and started teaching him how to use a staff.


    Once the two were using the right weapons, they picked the basics up quickly. Renno was much better using the staff and turned out to be very swift with it. Gia was just as capable with sword and dagger as she was with two swords, but she had a preference for a matched pair, so that was how he taught her. He made sure they trained for at least three hours each night. They were clearly sore and tired before bed both nights, and that made him chuckle as he remembered how that felt so long ago.


    They started the third day before the sun because Bayrn awoke to the feeling of being watched. He did not know if anyone really was watching him but he had learned to always trust that instinct. After waking the girl and the boy, he disarmed his alarms and had all three of them on the wagon within a half an hour. He still felt eyes on him after they were on the path, but the feeling soon faded.


    Because of the quick breaking of camp, no one had eaten so he passed around dry rations. Renno was fully awake quickly, but Gia was sluggish. He attributed that to their apparent different previous lives. Renno was raised on a farm and was probably used to waking before dawn to take care of animals and get a good start on the heat of the day. Gia had lived a rather posh existence up until now, but while he could see that her mind and body were not used to this, he admired that she didn¡¯t complain and trudged ahead. He smiled thinking about the potential she had as a fighter and that he would get to train her, at least for a while. It was always nice to have a good student with natural ability.


    Mova nestled on the mountainside was visible as they topped a rise, but still far enough out he did not reason that they would make it before mid to late afternoon.


    Kenton had pushed his horse the first two days of following, but the reward was worth it. He had seen them ahead of him and stayed back far enough to not be seen, keeping at the tree line. When they broke for camp, he hobbled his horse far enough back so as not to be heard during the night and snuck up to their camp. It was easy with his night vision, but he had to admire how well the old man had covered their tracks. If he didn¡¯t know where they were, he might not have found them.


    He watched as the old man trained them with weapons, which sparked his curiosity even more. Why was this old man dedicating so much time and effort to seasoning these kids to life on the road and in the world? He wondered if someone payed the old man, which might make sense but did not quite seem to fit. With the quick departure after the kids and not with them, it would have either been the old man getting paid to care after them, or something the old man chose to do for personal reasons. Kenton favored the latter very strongly, though he had no idea what that personal reason may be. The old man was very good at training, which Kenton took mental note of. He had experience training in weapons and experience hiding tracks and setting camp so as not to be ambushed. This old man had field war experience in Kenton¡¯s reckoning. That experience could have come from time with the Ministry of Science as a soldier, but Kenton felt that was unlikely as someone with this man¡¯s skills would be known and have a reputation. This meant he was not from this area, and probably Ministry of War. He would probably be too talented for an up close fight, so if Kenton did need to dispose of him, he would have to be tricky.


    He watched them bed down and fall asleep and everything was quiet for a time, but after they had been asleep for a couple hours he heard the rustle of men walking through the forest whispering among each other. They did not seem to know about him or the three in the camp he was watching, but they were on a course for walking right by the camp. That would be another distraction he did not need, and might alert the campers because of the alarms the old man had set. He pulled out his dagger that never reflected light and headed to the group he could hear.


    As he neared he could tell it was three men, and if he had to guess, they were surely bandits. If they found the camp, they would for sure attack and rob the old man and the kids. That would slow him down on finding Kestrin. Since he could see in the darkness, it was quite easy to get a good path behind them. He was very quiet and managed to get right behind the one in the rear of the trio. He cupped his mouth, slid his dagger through the side of the neck through both blood lines and the wind pipe, pulling the super sharp blade forward and quietly set the momentarily dead man on the ground. One of the others turned to check on his partner and took the dagger through the eye. Kenton left it in his eye as he fell to the ground, quickly fending off a wild swing from the front man and pulling himself around to apply a choke hold. The man fought but quickly passed out. He retrieved his dagger from the second man¡¯s eye socket, wiping it on the dead man¡¯s clothes. He picked up the unconscious man and carried him far enough away that a brief interrogation would not alert the campers.


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    The man, once awake and properly enticed revealed that they were indeed bandits and were looking for campers. They weren¡¯t part of a bigger group; just the three of them. Once Kenton was satisfied all he learned was truth, he cut the man¡¯s throat and left him for the animals.


    Kenton returned to watching his intended prey but as he got closer the old man popped up from his sleep. He could swear the old man looked right at him. He knew he made no noise and could not be seen. He would have to remember the old man¡¯s instinct in the future. The old man roused the kids and packed them all up in short order. Once he was sure they were leaving he went back to his hobbled horse and worked his way back up to being just out of range of the wagon riders vision and followed once more.


    Cerna sat in the barn whittling on a piece of wood. This always relaxed her. This is what she would do when watching the sheep at home. Not home anymore, she supposed. A good memory to keep, but she was always so bored at the farm. She took up many hobbies and practiced many things those days out with the sheep, but she could not be content just being there with the sheep and her thoughts like most of the other shepherds. Whittling on wood slowed her down when she had nothing else to do, like now.


    She had been meeting Kestrin over the past couple weeks and was supposed to meet him again tonight, but he had sent a message to her to meet him at mid-day. He was an odd sort but he knew so much. She had come to him expecting to find clues and direction and he gave her so much more than that. He knew she was coming, he said. He knew all about her, which more than made her curious. Over the next few meetings, he filled her head with many answers and many more questions. She could not wait to get back to Jaq and tell him everything she had learned.


    The barn door opened, pulling her out of her own thoughts and stopping her whittling. ¡°Hello, Cerna!¡± Kestrin greeted.


    ¡°Hello, Kestrin. Is everything okay? You know I am better suited to night.¡± Cerna replied, standing.


    ¡°Everything is wonderful! I have new visitors coming. I need you to meet them and take them with you to your temple. I have an army to distract and shall be rather busy.¡± Kestrin smiled his mischievous smile where only one side appeared a smile and the other side was stone cold solemn.


    Cerna stared at him. She was not really interested in being a guide, but she knew Kestrin would not request this of her unless it fit the pattern. Kestrin knew all of the things about her because he was a seer, he had told her. He did seem to know a lot, and he told her that she was here for a reason. She had been so distracted by the history lessons that she forgot to ask that purpose, though she thought her purpose would be to find dragons and he would be the one to tell her where to go. ¡°Are they prepared to make the months-long journey? It will not be an easy trip.¡±


    Kestrin laughed. ¡°Oh, no, they are far from prepared. They are also being followed and you are to let him think he is following unnoticed. He is also a part of the pattern.¡±


    Cerna sighed. ¡°Well, tell me about them.¡±


    ¡°Of course! There is a boy, and a girl, both in their high teens. There is also an old man. Behind them is a man in the middle where age is concerned. Dangerous, all four, though two not yet. You are to watch over the boy and the girl, which the old man also does. They are essential. The shadowy tail they have is infused with dragon¡¯s blood, though he does not know it. He has so much more capability than he knows. He is a Shadow, like you.¡± Kestrin smiled at her surprise.


    ¡°Another Shadow!? I thought that Jaq and I were the only two who had been infused, and he is not a Shadow.¡± Cerna was a little disappointed to not be the only Shadow, but also excited that there was another.


    ¡°When you meet him, which will be in the Woods of Arahk, call him Kenton. That is his name and doing so will put him off balance enough to listen. He is smart, but he is also very cruel. Keep that in mind. There are two more surprises in store for you!¡± With that he pulled a package from behind his back, wrapped in leather and twine. ¡°Number one! Five vials of dragon¡¯s blood!¡± He did a flourish as he presented them to her ever widening eyes.


    ¡°But, where did you...¡± She took the vials from her and he motioned for her to back up. She did a little and he gave her that half grin and motioned again, this time more dramatically, and so she backed to the wall. To her surprise his skin started to turn purple and blue, his eyes grew more round, swirled with deep blue light, and he started to enlarge, grow wings, and transform. Before her gaping mouth, he stood before her as a twenty-foot-long ten-foot-tall dragon, barely fitting into the barn.


    ¡°And, number two!¡± He growled out in a deeper voice and smiled. ¡°I am what you sought, but not the end of the searching. I am a Seer dragon. Those vials are of my blood. You will use them to help you and Jaq find more of my kind. I would help further, but I have another task.¡± With that, he transformed back into his human form. ¡°Now, go and find Renno, Gia, and Bayrn. They will be coming in from the East entrance to town. Gather supplies first and keep them from coming in to town.¡±


    Cerna was still staring with her mouth open. She shook her head to try and knock away some of her surprise. ¡°I saw a dragon...¡± She shook her head again and then kneeled to Kestrin. ¡°I honor the bloodbond.¡±


    ¡°We are united in blood and purpose.¡± Kestrin gave the ceremonial response. ¡°Ta for now,¡± he said as he opened the door. Once out, he poked his head back in and said, ¡°Oh, right! Remember, it is the blue one.¡± Then he closed the door.


    Cerna went from her kneeling pose to sitting on the floor. This was a lot to take in.

 A Roaring Time

    After Cerna had some time to wrap her head around this new and fantastic news, she grabbed her small shoulder sack, placed her whittling wood into it and left the barn. She bounced around town smiling and excited whist she gathered supplies for four to make the months-long trip. After she had gathered everything up, she was ready to head to one of the entrances to town but only just now realized that Kestrin had not told her which way they were coming from.


    She looked around and sighed deep. She was loaded down like a pack mule and did not know which way she was to take all of the supplies. After sitting there irritated for a moment, she chuckled. Kestrin knew he did not tell her and she was sure of that and she was pretty sure he got a right good kick out of it. As she was standing there in her frustrated mirth, a large dragon appeared on the Bands Trail side of town flying towards Bands and swooping down every so often. Even from here she could hear Kestrin¡¯s dragon voice that she herself had only heard a couple hours past. She found herself laughing again because as he swooped he was bellowing out the word rawr rather than actually growling. She did not know who he was rawring at, but she knew which way to go. Heavily laden, she trudged off that way.


    As Bayrn, Renno, and Gia came down the long rise heading into Mova on the Bands Trail, about an hour still from town, a very large shape flew over them. Bayrn was so surprised that he stopped the horses and followed it with his eyes. He could tell right away it was a dragon, though he had only ever seen them pictured in paintings and tapestries. The weirdest part was that as it flew over he could hear it humming an old dancing song.


    ¡°Was that a...¡± Renno trailed off as he followed it with his eyes.


    ¡°Yep,¡± answered Bayrn. ¡°Probably the first one anyone has seen in a very long time.¡±


    Gia kept silent but also watched the dragon as it flew what looked to her as exactly the way they had come. She raised an eyebrow as the dragon could be heard yelling ¡°rawr¡± and swooping down at something. Thinking for a moment she realized in all likelihood the dragon was swooping down on the soldiers trying to get to Mova to catch Kestrin, which started to paint a picture for her. She had some ideas as to how this mess all added up, but not enough pieces of the puzzle, yet. The one thing she knew for certain is that Kestrin was somehow responsible for the dragon going after the soldiers and it only made her want to find him sooner so she could have more pieces of this puzzle.


    Breaking her silence, she looked at Bayrn and said, ¡°We need to go.¡±


    ¡°There is no doubt to that,¡± Bayrn replied, snapping the reins to get the horses moving. He led the horses to a pace far faster than any they had done this trip so far. Gia could tell he sensed the danger as well. Renno looked between them and chewed on his bottom lip, not quite putting it all together as quickly as they had.


    The trip that would have taken an hour would have taken half that if not for a woman standing in the middle of the road with a pile of bags around her. Bayrn stopped the horses almost right on top of her. The three on the wagon stared at her and she smiled at them. No one spoke for a moment and then Bayrn broke the silence, ¡°Is everything okay, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Call me Cerna,¡± she said. ¡°You can help by loading all of this in the wagon, I carried it this far.¡±


    Bayrn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Looks like you are heading away from Mova. We are heading toward it and while normally I would offer a ride, it looks like we are going different ways.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t going there, Bayrn. We¡¯re taking the turn just a little back the way you came and we are going far, far away from here.¡± She smiled at the confused look on his face. Looking at the boy, she said, ¡°Renno, help a lady out and load these up. I¡¯ll happily fill you in on the details as it looks like you had no idea Kestrin was sending me.¡±


    ¡°Kestrin sent you?!¡± Gia exclaimed.


    ¡°Yes, and we need to hurry because I do not think he was just roaring at trees,¡± Cerna said. Renno was getting down to help and paused in motion as that statement took hold in his mind.


    ¡°The man in the mountain is a dragon?¡± Gia asked, jumping down and grabbing a bag. Now Renno started moving again and grabbed another bag. Cerna herself started loading and Bayrn sighed and got down to help as well.


    ¡°Yes, and also a man.¡± Cerna smiled and said, ¡°I had to sit down for a moment after I saw him change.¡±


    No one asked anymore questions and all stayed inside their own thoughts as they finished loading and Bayrn turned the wagon around. Renno and Bayrn sat up front and Gia and Cerna sat back with the supplies. After they turned down the road Cerna had told them they would take, Bayrn turned his head back and asked, ¡°Will you do that filling in, now?¡±


    Cerna raised her finger and said, ¡°Sandwiches!¡± and started opening a bag.


    ¡°Sandwiches?¡± Bayrn asked right before she started pulling out wrapped packages handing the first to Gia, and then Renno and Bayrn.


    As she handed the sandwich to Bayrn, she said, ¡°Sandwiches.¡± She climbed up and sat in the middle between Bayrn and Renno. ¡°And I¡¯ll tell you between bites.¡±


    Bayrn nodded. They all opened their packages and started eating and briefly forgot about her filling them in. The sandwiches were fresh seasoned meat on seasoned bread and were so delicious after having near tasteless dry rations this morning.


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    ¡°Okay,¡± she started. ¡°Kestrin is a man that can transform into a dragon, or rather the other way around, I¡¯m finally understanding. Dragons used to be all over, and hundreds of years back they all disappeared. Kestrin tells me that it was because of a big war between humans and dragons, though very few dragons actually did any fighting. It was the Keepers that fought in their stead.¡± She paused and took a bite. Looking back at Gia and with a mouth full of sandwich she said, ¡°Water skin, dark brown bag.¡±


    Gia reached in the bag and handed it to her. ¡°Keepers?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s me. I¡¯m a Keeper.¡± Cerna swallowed down her food with the water Gia had handed her. ¡°So Keepers are the people that work with the dragons to keep the peace with the other people. There used to be loads of Keepers, now there are only two. Of those two, only one has ever talked to a dragon. Ha! Jaq will be so jealous.¡± Cerna took another bite.


    ¡°So why are we on this road and where are we going?¡± Bayrn asked, not quite patient enough to wait for her to get to it.


    ¡°We are going to the Ministry of the Dragon Temple, and why is because Kestrin told me to take you there. He said you and I are to protect these two and go there, so that is what we are doing. They are important to him, and I am bound to the mission he gave me to get you all there.¡±


    Gia hoped that was enough for Bayrn because she wanted to ask more questions. ¡°The Keepers? Ministry of the Dragon? I have never heard of either and I was forced to learn about a lot of history.¡±


    ¡°MoS removed us from the records, according to Kestrin. The Keepers are people just like everyone else but they are infused with dragon¡¯s blood. There¡¯s a ritual to it as well, but they gain special abilities based on the blood they are infused with. They work in the Ministry of the Dragon and keep the peace between dragons and humans, or at least they try. It was like that for thousands of years. Dragons and people were living in harmony for a time much longer than the time since the dragons disappeared. I was sent here on a research mission by Jaq to find information about where a dragon might be. I met Kestrin and he told me so much I did not know. There used to be more than a thousand Keepers. In the great war, more than half died. The rest mostly passed on from old age in seclusion because they were no longer accepted among the normal folk. Jaq and I are going to rebuild the Ministry of the Dragon.¡±


    ¡°And who is Jaq?¡± asked Renno, joining the conversation.


    ¡°He is the other Keeper. He was the only Keeper for a while until he found me. He is a Keeper of Might and I am a Keeper of Shadow. Oh right! There is another Shadow, but he is not a Keeper. He¡¯s following us.¡±


    Bayrn looked at her. ¡°He¡¯s been following us, hasn¡¯t he?¡± he said, pointing at Renno and Gia.


    ¡°According to Kestrin, yes. We are supposed to let him keep thinking he is doing it without us knowing, for a while. Not a good man, from what I am told. His name is Kenton.¡± Cerna paused, seeing the reaction on Gia¡¯s face. ¡°You know him?


    Gia nodded. ¡°He is one of my father¡¯s men. Hardly ever see him and he lives in the dark tunnels under the MoS. Makes you shiver when he comes into the room like darkness has taken over some of the light.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Cerna said. ¡°I¡¯ll be paying him a visit when we get to the Woods of Arahk.¡±


    For the rest of the day they traveled on at a milder pace with Gia and Renno occasionally asking more questions, but mostly they thought about what they had learned. Both wondered why Kestrin had taken an interest in them and how it was linked to their fateful departure from their respective homes. The more they knew, the more questions they had.


    Renno thought about the necklaces and what purpose they may have, but something told him they were even more important than he might have ever guessed. He also considered telling Cerna about them but decided to wait. They were too important to reveal just yet with as little as he felt he knew. Cerna, and the idea of people infused with dragon¡¯s blood seemed really interesting to Renno. They were not dragons, but they were more than human, he supposed. Then again, he had not seen Cerna do anything remarkable, so maybe it was not so special. Another thing for him to wait and see about.


    Gia also thought about the necklaces, and would have shown them to Cerna, for her instincts told her she was trustworthy, but the fact that someone was following them and quite possibly observing them unnerved her enough to keep that secret for later. The thought about that certain someone that was following them and what it meant. She was not as na?ve as she let on at the Ministry, and she may not know exactly what Kenton did for her father, but he only seemed to take care of the dire problems that frustrated her father the most, and when he took care of them, they never came again to roost. To her, this meant that her father intended to rid the world of her, though he probably told the soldiers and maybe even Kenton to capture her, but subconsciously he knew that throwing Kenton at a problem meant it would disappear. She had no intention of disappearing but the wariness of that possibility was creeping into her bones. She could feel that death could be around the corner if she paid little attention. She would train hard with Bayrn tonight, and every night that she could. It was fun and amusing at first, and even evoked something inside her, but now it was possibly the one thing that could keep her alive. She suspected Bayrn thought this from the beginning of their joined trip. She felt very thankful to him, but she also knew the best thanks she could give was to constantly strive to learn and perform as best as she could, as if her life depended on it, which it very well might.


    Bayrn was frustrated. When the trio were headed to meet Kestrin, he knew the way, he fairly well knew what to expect, or at least he thought he did. This Cerna threw a torch in the hay pile to that assumption. It was nice that he had his instincts validated when it came to the person following them, but knowing only made him warier. His instincts also told him that Cerna was true in the things she said. She felt like a soldier from another brigade. Someone you could trust in a fight even though you knew nothing about them. She moved with a seasoned grace. He appreciated that on both accounts, as a soldier and as a man, though he was much too old for thinking the latter. He did not like letting the person tailing them keep at it freely, but sometimes in war you have to let your enemy think he is getting an advantage, and this felt like the start of a war to him. It may be early days, yet, but blood was coming. He decided to escort these kids to Mova, and now he was taking a months-long trek. Yeah, he was frustrated all right, but also that energy he used to feel in the field was bubbling up to the top and he felt like for the first time in years, he might just be enjoying himself. He was also elated he could keep training the kids with their weapons. That piece of the puzzle of his life that had been missing for so long was back in place.

 The Road to Skirf

    Kenton sat on a log with his horse tied to the tree next to him. He had just observed the dragon swooping down on the road full of soldiers he had advanced beyond. He had noticed his quarry coming back his direction later than he would have liked because of the distraction he regretted allowing himself. Due to that, he had to ride hard so as not to be seen when they came back to the rise, which meant being hundreds of yards down the road. Now his horse needed rest and he needed to think. His log and tree were just enough off of the road to not be noticed easily but close enough he could hear them pass, and slip back in behind them.


    A dragon appearing was related to this whole thing, he was sure. First the soldiers and the girl are headed in the same direction, both looking for Kestrin. He knew the soldiers were, but he was certain the girl was as well even though he had no real proof. He was now also certain that the Minister was sending the soldiers to get Kestrin because of the links to dragons, or at least the one. He knew he should not assume there were more, but also knew that he should not discount the possibility. That also meant Kestrin sent the dragon, he thought. This must be his escape plan. If Kestrin was leaving Mova, using a dragon as a distraction for time to escape, that meant that he had no reason to go to Mova. That left him free to follow the girl, which still might lead him to Kestrin.


    Why had they turned around? Why go that far, just to turn around? Did the dragon''s appearance give them a warning to travel another way? This did not seem like it was a planned trip, but it felt like a planned event. The dragon had to be a warning off, and if that was the case, then they knew a second rendezvous point or else they would not have turned around so quickly. They would have stopped to plan --- unless there was a messenger. He wished he had not allowed himself to be distracted by the dragon, but the implications of a dragon appearing were weighty and he was distracted by those more than the dragon. This trip the girl was on seemed unplanned, so his instincts told him it must have been a messenger that he missed while not watching.


    He could hear them going by, now. There was indeed another voice. He could not hear what she said, but he could tell it was a woman and she did not sound like the Minister¡¯s daughter. He would get a better look tonight, being mindful of the old man¡¯s instincts. Once they had passed far enough he could no longer hear them, he walked his horse back to the road and started trailing them again, keeping to the edge of the trees and following them when they turned down the valley path.


    For the next two weeks Bayrn, Cerna, Renno, and Gia traveled down away from Mova and into the plains. It went from heavily wooded land to open rolling hills with a few trees here and there to very flat land. Nightly they practiced with their weapons and were fed stories of dragons and Keepers. Cerna joined Bayrn in the tutelage and also acted as a second sparring partner allowing them to both train at the same time. Bayrn stayed impressed with their learning and Cerna was also awed at how fast they picked up their skills. Gia was after two weeks as skilled as someone who had trained for a year, by Cerna¡¯s reckoning. She could see how much Bayrn appreciated them, not just for the weapons skills they learned but he seemed to be taking on a fatherly role, or grandfatherly due to his age. She was not sure how they learned so fast, but saw that there was something special about them and understood Kestrin¡¯s interest. It made her feel more comfortable being out here in the flat land with little cover because she knew that their follower would have to stay back further, so as not to be discovered. It was useless, since they already knew about him, but it still gave her that small sense of comfort.


    She had observed him when he sneaked nearer to get a better look --- at her she assumed. She had slept in the wagon that night and made sure the fire was bright later than normal to dull his vision in the darkness. She knew that he could see exceptionally well in the dark when he wanted to, but she also knew that bright lights obscured that. He could not see her watching him and she could see the frustration on his face. They were still in the woods at that point, and she knew since he could maintain a closer tail, he would come back again until he saw her, so from that night on she did not hide herself away. She got her look, and that was what mattered. Frustrating him was just the sweetener in the tea. Let him see.


    Maintaining a rather long distance from the wagon and its occupants, Kenton had let them get well beyond sight during the day and would follow along the same road during the day, catching up at night He was led to them by the beacon that was their nightly fire. He did not know who the woman that joined them was or what her affiliation was, but there was something about her that both unnerved him and also made him feel a kinship. It did not make sense, as he felt a kinship with no one. That made him feel an anger towards her, which did make sense. He knew he did not like that feeling because it was something he was not used to having, so his anger towards her was his knee-jerk emotional reaction. He knew he was not really angry with her, but with himself for feeling that way, but that knowledge did not stop how he felt towards her. It did not help he found her woefully attractive.


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    He spent the two weeks from Mova to out here in the Flatlands alternating between working through those feelings and trying to suppress them. He came to the conclusion that it would be best to kill her first and away from the others. This distraction was not good for him and risked making him less effective. If she was dead, she could not distract him. He decided this after enjoying watching her spar with his quarry for three days in a row. Reaching the decision to kill her made those observations not a perversion of his mind, but instead tactical, as he knew better how she fought. Once they reached the forest he would stay near enough that he could get to her when she broke from the group to relieve herself.


    He felt much better with himself once he had resolved his thoughts in the matter, but tonight, a week from the forest, another surprise reared its shiny, horse riding head. From two different directions the Ministry soldiers appeared. They were far off yet, but closing. Instead of being two or more days back, they were on a course to catch up to him tonight. Sure, they had no clue he was there and were headed to the same group he chased, but they would be upon the girl and her companions by tomorrow. They were too far apart for him to intercept both. He would have to take care of one group tonight and another after they caught the girl. He would not let them bring the Minister¡¯s daughter back alive, and he still needed to figure the Kestrin puzzle out to fulfill his initial quest. He aimed for the closest group and headed their way. No sense wasting time.


    He met up with them as dusk was nearing. This cluster¡¯s leader was lieutenant Agasi. Kenton knew him, so it was easy to walk right in. He and Agasi talked about the Minister¡¯s daughter. He confirmed for him that she was indeed with the group they followed, which relieved the leader. They had dry rations for dinner, so as not to alert their position too far, and about an hour after dark, nine soldiers and lieutenant Agasi all bedded down in tents, with one soldier on watch.


    Kenton went and sat with the watch soldier and they talked about horses. The soldier really seemed to love horses and Kenton just wanted him to feel comfortable, so he made the conversation follow the man¡¯s preference. After a while Kenton excused himself, saying he must get some rest and walked past the man, patting him on the shoulder. After the second pat, the dagger he had pulled out with his other hand went quickly and silently into the man¡¯s throat. He used the hand he patted with to hold the man¡¯s head against his body so the man was not able to flail or make noise. He gently sat him down and proceeded to go from tent to tent, extinguishing the life from each of the soldiers. In reverence to the soldier who was on watch he had killed first, he decided to un-hobble the horses and loose them to the wild. He took some of the extra dry rations, some of their water, and headed back in the direction of his prey.


    Bayrn and Cerna had both also noticed the soldiers right around dusk. They still could not see Kenton, but the soldiers were much easier to see from afar than him because they were a large group. Close to a dozen in each group, they assumed. Together, they hatched a plan to put the soldiers further off of their trail, and maybe Kenton, but Cerna doubted that. Gia seemed to agree, though she did not say much to the matter.


    They decided that tonight they would set camp, and they did so while dusk was settling to darkness. They even used the dead gnarly bushes and set a decent sized fire a good way off from the wagon and horses. After they ate a little bit of food, actually hot food tonight as it was cooked on the fire, they quickly loaded back up in the wagon and headed down the road. It was not easy to see, as there was only a sliver of moonlight but that would only help mask their leaving. They hoped their fire was bright enough to obscure anyone seeing them in the night. They trusted the horses to lead them down the trail more than they would have preferred but this gambit could get them a safe distance ahead of the soldiers, so it was worth that risk. Cerna took the first shift in the driver¡¯s seat and let Bayrn get some rest, and a few hours later, they traded off. They rode the trail at a mild pace until the sun rose. They took a short break to reorient themselves and rest the horses, and then resumed at a quicker pace, then only a half a day¡¯s ride from a small farming down in the plains called Skirf.


    Once they reached Skirf, they planned to abandon the wagon and buy two more horses and all the equipment they would need to ride them and carry their belongings on them. They had been seen with a wagon, and so those following would be looking for them to be doing just that. Hopefully it would make them less obvious. Cerna also believed they should alter course from Skirf and take a different trail through the Arahk Woods so they would not only look like a different group, but also not be on the same road they were seen on. Bayrn agreed, and they managed a very short stay in Skirf, just long enough to get what they had planned, plus water and some hot sandwiches. Bayrn would have preferred something different, but Cerna seemed to really enjoy sandwiches and was the one to acquire the food.


    They took the path that headed to Fahrand Lake, and as they left town they still could not see the soldiers nearing town and felt confident in their plan. They would be camping far off of the trail tonight with no fire. Luckily, after two more days, they would reach the trail that went towards the Arahk Woods, and as they neared, there would be more trees, though still spread apart it would give them more cover.

 Blackspears

    Thalen was hiding in a wooden tool shed in a medium town called Flower Hill. The town was filled with hundreds of people and he was unfamiliar enough with the town that he did not know any of them he could trust or where he could better hide until he could escape. He was angry with himself for getting into this situation in the first place. Kestrin had warned him months ago when this all started. He might have listened if he was not always so irritated with Kestrin¡¯s eccentricity. He thought Kestrin was just over doing it; exaggerating to make the situation seem bigger. This was a wake-up call for him and he was going to take it fully serious from now on. That is, if he can make it out of town alive.


    Thalen had come here to Flower Hill, which no longer had flowers on the hill it was built on, to discover more about the Blackspears. Kestrin had warned that the Blackspears were a threat to the Awakening, but if that he went, he would die and all would be doomed. Typical Kestrin, he thought at the time. Now, he thought he might just die instead. Kestrin could only see the future where he died here, so he could not give Thalen any advice other than the situation could become deadly. To make it worse, there was something in this town that reduced his magic. He could feel a trickle, but not enough to transform. It would barely be enough to start a heavy breeze. He felt it more the closer he came to the keep in the center of town on the very top of the hill. That must be the reason the Blackspears were here in large numbers.


    The Blackspears were a group that descended from the time when dragons still flew the skies and were a part of the world. They were the group that started the war, but through politics and societal guiding more than actually fighting. They were a secret society that should have run its course and disappeared when the dragons left the skies. Now it seemed like they had grown very strong. Before being chased into hiding, he had learned that they absolutely hated dragons and were under the assumption dragons were coming back. They said their job was to prepare for war and kill any dragon or Keeper on sight. He was in awe of how much of the history they had not lost as there had not been dragon sightings in hundreds of years and only a handful of Keepers were left. A few hours ago, when he was in a tavern talking to members, he realized how deep that hatred for anything related to dragons ran. He had just told them that dragons cannot really be that bad and maybe things could be different if they gave them a chance. Peaceful and happy. The more they leaned into their anger and the more he tried to back pedal with his word, the worse it became. He was never a smooth talker, and he knew enough of himself to know he was a bit na?ve, but he did not expect this. If he had listened to Kestrin and taken him seriously, things might have been different. He might not have been chased by men with swords, spears, and cudgels until he managed to escape and hide.


    When he stepped out of the shed, thinking it was safe, he walked just beyond its wall and was seen. One of the men saw him and yelled for the others. He started running and felt like he was leading a parade. As he ran and they ran behind him, their numbers grew as more joined them. Word of him must have circulated while he was hiding. It was crazy that just expressing that dragons may not be bad had landed him here. They really hated dragons. He could feel his lungs burning as he pushed hard to outpace them, but they were clearly in shape. He was not far enough form the center of town to transform, yet, and was not sure that he could get that far. He realized that he was far enough to give himself a little help and hopefully enough distance. He called a strong wind from the side stirring up dust, which also threw some laundry at the men closest behind him he noticed from a quick glance.


    It seemed to slow them momentarily, even stopping a couple as the dust and sand went into their eyes. Just as he cleared the last building at the edge of town and started to feel like enough magic had returned so he could transform he felt a sharp and excruciating pain in his side and he tumbled and rolled. This caused more pain and more of his skin started to rip as the spear he now saw in his side caught on the ground. He stayed right there on the ground in pain as the men all caught up to him and surrounded him.


    ¡°No more tricks, Keeper,¡± one said as he jerked the spear out of Thalen¡¯s side. Blood was running down his side and pooling on his clothes and dripping to the ground. He was going to die, he thought. He only had one chance, but it would likely cause him a lot more pain. It might be just enough for him to get somewhere for help. Even though he felt his life draining from him, the magic was strong enough, now.


    He growled as he first sent lightning out around him, knocking back the closest men and temporarily deafening many more. Following the surge of electricity, he transformed into his pale blue and grey dragon form and painfully launched into the air. As he did swords smacked his side from those still standing, as his increased size after transformation took him closer to them. As he flew off, spears rained down on him. Some did not stick, but he had two in his right wing. If he went back to human form, he would die quickly. He would have to get help. His dragon form could heal quickly compared to the human form, but the wounds were severe and would take time.


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    He realized after a few moments that in his befuddled pain he was flying to a Temple of the Dragon. He had not done that in so many years, but it was that natural gut reaction. He hoped this one was one of the few that still had a Keeper.


    Jaq was in the main room of the temple reading a book written on the diplomatic occurrences between humans and dragons. The book was written hundreds of years ago, but he thought it might still hold bits of information that could help, and also gave him material to teach if they managed to ever start rebuilding. It was insightful, but also a very dry read. He hoped it would be worth it, but he was trying to keep his anxiety down. Cerna had been gone a while and he had hopes that was a good thing, but there was also the chance it could be bad. He hoped she was alive and safe. For the time between now and when she returned, every small noise he heard sparked hopes it was her returning.


    Today, there were few little noises, but a very loud crash from the main entry way made him jump and sent the book flying out of his hands. He recovered quickly and ran to the front. The large wooden doors that covered the large main entrance were slightly ajar and swinging a little in and out like they had been slammed open and they were settling back in to their closed position from their own weight. The large wooden beam that was the securing bar was broken and on the ground. He walked to the doors and peeked out without touching them. If he thought the noise shocked him, what he saw made the book tossing shock seem like nothing at all.


    On the other side of the door was a dragon. As he opened the door he noticed it was a Storm dragon covered in blood and had spears hanging from his wings. A large huff of air, like a giant sigh came from the dragon. ¡°Hello, Keeper.¡± The dragon said weakly.


    Jaq thought quickly and said, ¡°I am going to get a saw for the spears and some salve and bandages for the wounds. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°Just pull them through. I am too damaged to take the time to cut them. I am so glad you are here.¡± Jaq nodded and ran in to gather the supplies. He was boiling over with excitement but deep inside he worried. There was finally a dragon at the Temple of the Dragon but if he could not get him patched up soon, there might not be for long. He was thankful for all of those old books he had been reading. He knew what to use to patch the dragon up in the best way for him to heal and he knew where those salves were. Before long he was back at the dragon whose eyes were barely open now.


    Jaq began by pulling the spears the rest of the way through the dragon¡¯s wings and began applying the salves and the special bandages that stuck to the dragon¡¯s skin when it came into contact with the salve. He spent over an hour treating the dragon¡¯s wounds. ¡°I have done as best as I can. If I read correctly, you should be feeling a little better by tomorrow and flying in a few days but those wounds are bad and are going to require you to sleep. I read that dragon¡¯s heal fast, but more severe wounds require you to sleep deep for your magic healing. Can I get you anything?¡±


    Tiredly, Thalen told him, ¡°There are probably Blackspears on their way here. I barely made it this far but they seem to know a lot of history and they will come looking here for me so they can finish the job. I am sorry to bring danger to you.¡± His eyes were barely open now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll move you to safety. I am sorry if I make your pain worse while I do so, but I¡¯d rather be ready to fight them without worrying they would get to you so easily out here in the open.¡± With that statement, Jaq accessed his Keeper of Might abilities. To the side of the dragon he grew to almost twice his height and his musculature expanded to many times the size of normal. His arms were the size of ancient trees. He slid his hands under the dragon, rolling him slightly to get under him and lifted the dragon over his head. He kicked the broken security bar out of the way of the doors and nudged them open with his foot and carried the large dragon inside. He took him to the main chamber and set him lightly on a giant stone table that was made for dragons to rest on while in the chamber.


    By now, the dragon was asleep. Jaq looked over his wounds once more to make sure he did not undo any bandaging while moving him and then shrank back down to normal size. He went out to the front and grabbed a couple rocks and put them on the inside of the doors to hold them shut. He would have to find a large piece of timber later to make a new securing bar. He then went outside the Keeper size door and ascended the steps to the lookout point further up the mountain that contained the temple cave system. He pulled out his sight glass and looked around. The dragon was not wrong. There were about a dozen riders on horseback coming. They were probably only twenty minutes away.


    He walked down and stood out front of the temple to wait on them.

 Moving On

    When the riders arrived, they stopped a few horse lengths away. Now that they were here he was able to get a better count. It was eleven men on horseback. There was one a pace ahead of the others, in the middle with five on either side, that they seemed to be looking to for command. They were wearing leather armor and had spears, swords, shields, and a couple had large hammers. Their horses looked strong and seemed well trained and the mounts also had leather armoring. Jaq looked to the one in the middle.


    The man in the middle nodded at him, as if making a decision to talk to him rather than try and plow past. He was just one man, not even on horseback. The man must have weighed the possibility of others lying in wait. This was good for Jaq, as any caution on their side made it less likely he would have to do them great harm. Eleven men on horseback would destroy a normal man, but he knew they were no match for him. He did not enjoy the idea of it, as some might, but he knew what he could do and knew he would if needed brandish his power to protect the dragon inside, as well as protect the temple itself.


    ¡°We are here for the dragon. Step aside, sir,¡± the apparent leader of the group of Blackspears said.


    Jaq smiled, in what he thought was a disarming way. ¡°I can¡¯t let or your men go any further.¡± He wanted to say more, but in these types of situations, less was normally better than more. If he volunteered the wrong information on accident, they might perceive a weakness. They might try either way, he thought and shrugged.


    ¡°Are you a Keeper?¡± the leader asked. Jaq appreciated the directness of the man. He apparently did not want to just rely on guesses, which was wise.


    ¡°I am, sir. Knowing that I am a Keeper should let you know what lengths I am willing to go to in the protection of this Temple. Now, please, be on your way.¡± Admitting it, while not a verification for the man, surely would tip the chances of them going on their way in Jaq¡¯s favor, he thought. After all, he could just be claiming to be a keeper to intimidate them.


    He seemed not to want to chance it. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the man said. Nine of his men started turning their horses around. The tenth looked angry and stared at Jaq with malicious intent. ¡°C¡¯mon, Arin. We need more men before we come back.¡± He looked at Jaq, ¡°And we are coming back.¡±


    Arin seemed to have other ideas. ¡°It¡¯s just one man. Keeper or not, we are here now.¡± He raised his spear and kicked his horse into motion heading straight for Jaq. Jaq grew to his larger size as soon as the horse started forward and had reached his fully enlarged size before the man made it to him. He reached down, knocking the man¡¯s spear aside, continuing the motion and grabbing his leg. He lifted the man by his leg holding him upside down with his outstretched arm.


    Jaq looked at the leader, whose face turned from anger to amusement. ¡°You think he has an idea why you were leaving to come back with more men, now?¡± Jaw said, looking down at Arin¡¯s face, which was quickly turning red about half a man¡¯s height above the ground.


    The other nine men were turned back around facing Jaq and were ready to charge. The leader raised his hand to stay them. ¡°He surely does. Will you let him go?¡± Jaq nodded and lightly tossed the man several yards ahead so that he landed in front of the leader.


    He landed with an ¡°oof.¡±


    The leader looked around for the horse that Arin was riding, but it had kept trotting on after having its rider stripped by a giant man. As the man stood, the leader pointed to another rider, motioning for Arin to mount behind that other rider. The rider helped him up and they quietly trotted away, seemingly all embarrassed by Arin¡¯s mishap and inability to follow orders.


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    Jaq waited there for a while to let them go out of hearing and then climbed to the lookout to watch for a while longer to make sure they were truly leaving and not doubling back. After about an hour he climbed down and went back inside. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Thalen rasping out, ¡°Keeper!¡± He rushed to the dragon¡¯s side.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I miss a wound or improperly treat them?¡± He could see the dragon was in pain and fighting hard to focus through the pain.


    ¡°No, you did amazingly grand for a keeper who had never even seen a dragon.¡± Thalen coughed. ¡°It appears their weapons were coated with anti-magic poison. They were more prepared than I could have imagined. I should have listened.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°What can I do to help? I have not read about treating anti-magic poison.¡± Jaq was concerned and it showed.


    ¡°There is nothing you can do. In the past, maybe, but not anymore. Magic is locked away. There is no treatment. That being said, because I did not listen when I should have, you must listen and do as I say, and quickly.¡± Thalen, while still looking haggard and strained, showed a certain focus and seriousness that told Jaq this was of utmost importance.


    ¡°Whatever you ask of me, I shall do.¡± Jaq looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°I need you to get a vial from the infusion kits, and a needle to withdraw some of my blood. I am using the last of my magic to guard a small portion of my blood, but I cannot do it much longer.¡± This was bewildering to Jaq, who knew the dragon blood for infusion was running out for new keepers and he had wanted so badly to have more, but this was not how he had hoped to get it. To his credit, he ran as soon as the dragon asked and acquired the equipment as quickly as he could.


    ¡°There, in my left foot,¡± Thalen said. As Jaq approached it with his kit, he noticed it was the only part still vibrant on the dragon. The rest of the dragon¡¯s body was heavily grayed, but this one foot still help blue and coloring. As he stuck the needle in and started withdrawing blood, Thalen continued. ¡°This blood must go to the girl. She is important and you must make sure of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure.¡± Jaq said, as he watched the foot turn gray. He heard a groan and a sigh escape Thalen as he put the freshly removed dragon¡¯s blood from the syringe into the vial. ¡°What girl?¡± He asked as he turned back to face Thalen.


    It was too late for an answer. Thalen was fully ashen in appearance and no longer breathing. Jaq bowed his head in dismay.


    He stood there for a long time, occasionally glancing back up at the deceased dragon. The first dragon he had ever met and he could not save him. It weighed heavily on him, and the single vial of blood did not seem like it made up for anything. He had no idea who this girl was it was supposed to be for. He was angry at this girl who this blood was for, but he did not know why. She, whoever she was did not ask for a dragon to die, but the anger was still there. After a while he suppressed it and thought about the whole incident, going over every detail. He sat down next to Thalen.


    ¡°Magic is locked away...¡± he said aloud. He had read stories about magic existing but he had never really thought about it being real. This made him laugh a little. If dragons were real and he believed that why would he not have believed that magic was real. It seemed silly to him. He then thought about Thalen keeping part of his blood pure by focusing the clean magic in his foot. This, in his mind, meant that dragons not only were magical, but needed magic to survive. He wondered how dragons could live with the magic being trapped away and made the assumption that dragons, at least the one here next to him, must have a certain amount of magic they keep in themselves, in their blood. That meant the infusion process for keepers was humans putting magic into themselves, which made sense since they were able to do amazing things as keepers. He had never thought about it being the magic in the blood, just that it was dragon¡¯s blood and that had been enough for him.


    ¡°Magic is locked away...¡± he said again. ¡°That means it can be unlocked.¡±


    He looked over at Thalen, nodded, and set off to get a shovel and dig a giant hole.