The Dragon Prince's Consort

Sixteen

After lunch with the Dragon Emperor, Valen had their coats brought and took Fang down to an enormous cavern in the side of the mountain where one side was an open stone maw. Close to this open end snow sifted down from the rocky overhang and finely dusted the stone floor with white. The smells of dry hay, leather, saddle oil and something metallic floated through the air on puffs of steam coming from the mouths of the two dozen or so Drass. They pushed carts, carried buckets, swung brooms, and wrestled with gigantic bales of dry grass bound in thick rope, dressed for the cold in heavy leathers, felt and fur. One of the Drass called out to Valen, "Good afternoon, Your Grace!" He looked to be about Valen's age, his shoulder-length hair tied back in a knot behind his head and a woolen cap snugged over his ears with holes for his horns.

"Good afternoon, Roban," Valen nodded back.

Roban approached carrying a pail and shovel, the pail brimming with what looked like manure. It certainly smelled like manure. "And a beautiful day to the new Lady Courtesan," he bowed his head to Fang, his pail-arm swinging behind him. "Have you seen Freya today, Your Highness?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"I was at weapons practice this morning, she gave me a good beating as always." Valen threw a half-smile at Fang. "Roban's had his eye on Freya for over a year now."

Roban thumped his chest with the handle of his shovel, "And both of my hearts, Sir. Thank you for putting in a word for me with the Madam Warden."

"Don't thank me yet, Ben says you still haven't made your offer."

"Eyah, I am this week! The day after tomorrow my family is meeting with hers to discuss bride-price, but Freya already told me what they're expecting and I'm prepared to make a good counter-offer. I think Madam Warden will be pleased, though not as much as I will!" Roban grinned and politely excused himself, going on his way to his next task.

Valen caught Fang's questioning look. "That's how it's usually done," he explained, "the prospective groom lets the woman's family know he's interested, they negotiate, and offers are made."

"Does Freya like him?" Fang hoped Valen's trainer wasn't about to get tied down to a man she didn't know or care for.

"I'd assume as much, she's the one who pursued him. I spoke on Roban's behalf to Ben and got the wheel turning, so to speak."

"Is he not doing a contract?"

"Hardly anyone does those any more, but they're still recognized. Old families like..." Fang saw him frown, then continued, "like the Drassians, it's more about tradition and record-keeping."

He almost said 'my family'. Is he trying to distance himself? Perhaps he still felt guilty for her predicament; Valen had already told her he didn't like the idea of owning a person.

Among the stalactites some thirty feet over their heads, small winged creatures fluttered and called to each other with high, squeaky whistles from their nests in the netting strung to catch falling hunks of rock. The cavern itself resembled the garage in that tall stone columns stretched from floor to ceiling, but rather than vehicles between the pillars rows and rows of boxes had been built higher than some Drass were tall, and as Valen led Fang down an aisle she saw huge shadows between the gaps in the planks. They stopped in front of one box and Valen rapped on the wooden panels with his fist. A rustling and soft thump preceded the appearance of an animal head surging over the barred gate of the box. It snorted at Valen and made a deep hngh-hngh-hngh.

"Fang, this is Ika, my manyu – my riding and hunting mount."

Fang took a step back as the creature – the thing Valen called a manyu – swung its head around to look at her over the bar-gate. "You ride these things?" The thing looked like a cross between a huge lion and a horse, with short back legs and long front ones, a thick mane surrounding its neck and a sharp catlike face with long ears tipped with dark tufts. Its body sloped downwards from its shoulders, and the long tail behind it sported a plume of gray fur with hairs as long as a forearm. It was as big as a shed, and Fang leaned away from the animal's black sniffing nose and the curled lips that exposed long yellow fangs. "Um, Valen..."