Chapter 8
1459 Words
8
Our small group, two Maidens and three dragon warriors, walked along the beach road to an old stone house close to the start of the southern cliffs. Dreail sat outside on an overturned barrel and stared down at his hands. One hand held a piece of wood while the other gripped a knife. His knife-hand moved swiftly across the wood and whittled the piece into a long, round shape.
He looked up at our coming and stood before he inclined his head. “An honor it is to have the company of two lords here at my old home.”
Cayden and Xander both bowed their heads. “The honor is ours,” Xander replied as he glanced down at Dreail’s hand that held the wood. “A lure?”
Dreail grinned and nodded. “Aye. A big fish stole one of my best ones, and I’ll be damned if I’ll work without another.”
Cayden stepped forward. “Captain Dreail, we have come on most urgent business, and hope your wisdom will be able to help.”
The old sea dog arched an eyebrow and pocketed the wood. “Anything I can do to help, My Lord.”
“You have no doubt heard of the troubles along the southern coast?” Cayden asked him.
Dreail nodded. “Aye. A bit messy with those human raiders. Have they come here?”
Cayden shook his head. “No, but they approach, and with them they bring a new weapon, one which we cannot stop. It afflicts our soldiers so they lose all of their dragon attributes for a fortnight. We hoped you might know of this weapon, and how we might combat it.”
Dreail rubbed his chin with one leathered hand. “You say that dragons are stuck in their human forms?”
The young dragon lord nodded. “Yes. They are struck by a sticky ball that renders them as humans for a fortnight.”
Dreail dropped his hand and frowned. “Do you know where these raiders come from?”
“They are the inhabitants of the islands of Ui Breasail,” Cayden told him.
The old captain nodded. “As I suspected. That is your problem there, My Lord.”
Cayden blinked at him and shook his head. “I fail to see the connection, captain.”
Dreail resumed his seat on the overturned barrel and nodded his head. “Aye, and that’s no fault of your own, My Lord. The tale I have was passed on from one of their own maidens many a year ago. She was my sweetheart for a time some fifty years ago and I expect she wanted me to marry her, but I was still restless then. Maybe that is why she parted in me an old tale passed down through her family. It was a tale of the founding of the humans on the island, and how they fought the dragons who sought to take it from them.”
“But there has never been a struggle between the humans of Ui Breasail and our people,” Cayden argued.
Dreail scoffed. “A land like Ui Breasail deserves to be fought over. The land is blessed by a spring of water that flows from their highest mountain and provides fresh water to the fields and people. The forests grow aplenty with trees and fruits so that one needn’t look far for food. They grow an abundance of sheep there, or they did when I last visited, and ship the wool off to the north where they are in greater need of the warmth than these sunny shores.”
“But what of these humans on Ui Breasail?” Spiros asked him.
“My lady friend told me how her ancestors fought off the dragons with some herbs that only grew on those islands. She said it would make them forget their dragon selves for a while,” he told us.
Xander glanced at Cayden. “That does hint at your current troubles.”
Cayden nodded. “Yes, it does. Did all the humans know of this tale?”
Dreail shook his head. “None but my lady friend. Twas her family who prepared the herbs, and she was all a-bragging about how the recipe was kept in the family.” He snorted. “She was the last of them, too, or so she said, and wanted the line to continue. I got the hint and set sail soon after that.”
“Do you recall her family name?” Xander spoke up.
Dreail furrowed his brow. “It was something like Mac Bradaigh. I remember because she was as spirited as her family name.” He smile and shook his head. “A fine lass, she was. I expect she went to the gods long ago.”
Xander’s eyes flickered to Cayden. “We shall see, will we not?”
Cayden pursed his lip and nodded. “Yes. I can see no other way than to meet with the humans and learn why they have attacked us. If diplomacy fails, we shall have to resort to stealing away those who created this weapon.”
“And if that fails?” I spoke up. Cayden averted his eyes from mine. I frowned. “What if you can’t get this family off the island? What then?”
Xander set a hand on my shoulder. “We shall hope and try for the best outcome, and plan for the worst possibility.”
Dreail looked to Cayden. “My Lord, I know I ask much of you when I say that I would like her family to be brought here where I might see them, but that is still my wish.”
Cayden smiled and shook his head. “You do not ask for too much, captain. Without your help we would not be as well-informed as we are now.”
The old sea dog smiled and inclined his head. “I am much obliged to you, My Lord, and good journey to you.”
“A journey that shall have to wait a day,” Cayden commented as he turned to Xander. “We must charter a ship to take us over there, and since I will not risk any fishing vessels we shall have to wait a day for the fleet to arrive at the base just to the south of here.”
Xander looked to me with a soft smile. “A day is short when spent in fine company, and I believe I promised you a swimming lesson.”
“If you’re looking for a good teacher you can’t go wrong with Lady Abha,” the fisherman spoke up.
Xander looked to him and arched an eyebrow. “Does she still reside here?”
He nodded. “Aye, at the house against the northern cliffs. Says it gives her the chance to swim in the open ocean and the bay, if she’s of a mind.”
Xander bowed his head to Dreail. “We are in your debt for your valuable information.”
Dreail wrinkled his nose and waved his hand. “Never you mind that. Just be careful when you journey to the Ui Breasail. The humans there are a fierce people, but they’re proud, too. If you make too many demands they’ll be throwing you off the island, or worse.”
“We will heed your warning and be mindful of our demands,” Cayden assured him.
Dreail slid off the barrel. “Good. Now I’m sure you’ll be wanting your fish.”
We exchanged our goodbyes and left with a basket full of large, fat fish. Cayden and Xander walked together with Spiros behind them while Stephanie and I made a team behind the soldierly captain.
Cayden leaned toward Xander and lowered his voice so I barely overheard his words. “I wish to speak with Spiros and you alone when we return to the house.”
“After breakfast,” Xander promised him.
I frowned and opened my mouth to make a smart comment, but my attention was diverted when Stephanie looped her arms through one of mine. She smiled up at me. It was a brighter and more confident smile than I remembered. “Would you mind if I joined your swimming lessons? Cayden’s realm is full of lakes, but I don’t swim very well so I can’t enjoy them as much as I’d like to.”
I returned her smile and nodded. “I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t know about this Lady person.” I looked to Xander. “Do you think she’d mind?”
Xander turned his head to one side to glance at us. “That would depend on Lady Abha’s temperament when we first find her. She is very firm of mind, and if she promises to teach you both she shall.”
“And if she doesn’t?” I returned.
He chuckled and stared ahead. “Then the cliffs would crash into the seas before she would teach you.”
“You sure there isn’t somebody else we can ask?” I inquired.
“She would be the most appropriate to ask for one of your unique heritage,” he returned.
“‘Unique heritage?’” Stephanie repeated.
I nodded. “Yeah, turns out I’m some sort of a rare fairy in this world.”
Her eyes widened. “Then you are a Mare Fae?”
I leaned away and studied her with a teasing grin. “Somebody’s been doing their homework.”
She smiled and gave a nod. “I wanted to learn as much as I could about our-this world.”
I squeezed her arms and stared ahead. “You can call it our world. It’s weird, but at least it smells better.”
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