Fight or Flight

Chapter 9

Simon

"Greetings to the camp!" I yelled out at the soldiers as I approached the tents. I was sure they had seen me – it was a sunny morning, and there wasn't much in the way of cover between the hill of Enola's home and the flat area the soldiers had set up camp on – but it was still best not to risk any misunderstandings when approaching soldiers preparing for battle.

Especially since they had doubtless seen me talking with the dragon they had been sent to kill.

"Hold there!" A voice called out from the camp, and I spotted an older man walking towards me. He had a sword at his belt and wore a shirt of chainmail that clinked with his steps. I took that to be a good sign – if they had been worried about me then one of the younger soldiers would have approached me in full armor, instead of what looked to be the leader in 'casual' armor.

I stopped where I was and held my hands up, making it clear that I wasn't armed.

The man walked through the camp to meet me, and I waited patiently in place while he did. I took a quick glance back over the camp – I didn't see anyone who looked obviously like a mage, which was a good sign – but there were a lot of tents that could have concealed a mage from view. My plan had always been to work this out through letters sent back to the king, and I was not happy with the possibility of mages nearby... but that plan had flown the coop when the soldiers had shown up. If I ran now, I wouldn't have any way to get a favor from Enola. Even if she survived this fight, she wouldn't trust me, and I wouldn't be able to learn the truth about the dragons for the other Wellsprings. I would just have to trust my charm to hide my magic, avoid shaking any hands, and hope all the spoiled mages had stayed back at the city while the soldiers came all the way out to Lakeshire to do their dirty work.

I spotted two soldiers with bows paying close attention to me from back at the camp. The rest of the soldiers didn't seem to be very concerned, though. Most of them were trying to stay focused on their individual tasks, but I still caught them sneaking occasional glances back at the pink dragon huddled in the tunnel entrance.

I tried not to look back to see how she was doing. I still had no idea what to make of what I had just seen. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn the mighty creature had been terrified.

"Who are you, and what business do you have with the king's soldiers?" The soldier finally reached me, and I focused my attention back on him. "We are preparing for battle. We have little time to waste."

"My name is Simon, and that's why I am here. I have come to try and negotiate, in the hopes that battle can be avoided. For all our sake."

"I am Captain Mason." The man frowned, and I felt him scrutinizing me. "Are you the dragon's rider? That beast is outside of the dragon territories; we will not let it intimidate us in our very own kingdom, or threaten the people here. We are prepared to fight it if need be."

I smiled, hoping the expression would come off as friendly instead of arrogant. "No, I am not a rider. But I have become friends with that dragon and have an understanding with her. She has harmed none of the villagers who live here, and has no desire to fight anyone. She only wants to be left alone."

Mason continued to squint at me, and I wasn't sure if he was suspicious of me or just trying to decide if I was stupid. "She has made her home on a crystal mine of considerable value. Her presence will frighten workers and impede any mining efforts. I have been ordered to secure the crystals within the mine for the king – if she has no desire to fight, then she should leave. Otherwise, we will drive her from here by force."

"Is that really necessary? If all you care about are the crystals, there is another way to go about this. One that won't risk the lives of your soldiers."