Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

10: Taniel

Since I was so late, nearly all of the dragons had arrived. A dozen were scattered over the valley, tearing into their bullocks.

I felt my head where I had hit it against the rock ceiling in my dash to the back chamber. I checked my fingers in the light. My scalp did not hurt as much, not once I knew I did not bleed.

I shrugged off the heavy jacket and folded it into a kneeling pad. There was just enough room in the chamber for me to kneel, my arms resting on a rock ledge. I made myself comfortable and settled down for the best part of the changing of the Skerby Dragon Watch.

As I calmed, the feeling I had of dragons knowing of my presence was stronger than ever before.

Had they missed me?

I ducked back, instinctively, as one of the dragons flew towards me with a bullock struggling in its mouth. Usually they picked up their prey so that its body weight snapped its neck for a clean kill.

The terrified bullock bawled.

The dragon deliberately dropped it, and then snatched it out of the air with a killing grip. Snapping bone reverberated.

I shuddered. Still, I felt rapt having a dragon come to ground so near me, even if it was only a green one. I could not take my eyes from the grisly feeding.

Soon the next dragon came in, a red and gold firedrake. Its head and tail overflowed the top of the tower when it landed to offload his rider. It sprang into the air, ignored the herd of bullocks, and flapped towards the mountains rearing up on the far side of the valley.

I could not help but sigh as I watched. How wonderful it would be up there with all the dragons in their sleeping caverns.

The sea dragons arrived.

The translucent trio always seemed to materialise out of thin air. Fast dumping my thoughts of forbidden mountain caverns, I eagerly watched the riderless sea creatures. The first one floated down, landing to pick up its dragonrider. The other two flew down to the dragonhold, breaking from their habitual tight circling of the watchward.

Sea dragons fed on ocean vegetation and fishes. They had no interest in the food on the hoof kept at the dragonhold.

They circled the valley, side-by-side, drawing ever closer to me until I felt the salty air flowing from their fins. Taken aback, I gaped, my face filling the viewing-hole. If the hole had of been big enough, I would have stuck my head out.

The nearest sea dragon turned its head and looked at me. Huge silver eyes met mine.

Pulses pounded in my throat.

My heart stuttered.

A violent buzzing filled my head.

I fell back on to my heels, astounded.

Before I could gather my wits, the sea dragons and their night riders had vanished against the fading sky. My head hurt and my stomach churned as I struggled to my feet. I banged my head again but I was too bewitched to care.

I trekked through the tunnel, my thoughts awhirl. Why had the sea dragon looked at me like that?

"Are you Taniel?"

Startled, I saw a man standing a few paces from the cave entrance. A dragonrider! Here?

 There was no mistaking the black flying jacket or the buckled boots over the top of the too-tight leather pants.

"Do I know you?" I said, even though I was certain I had never seen him before.

"Whoa," he said, taking a step back. "You're a girl."

"Huh?" 

The buzzing in my head eased to a low hum as he came nearer, holding out his hand.

"I'm Jarryd and I'm here to ..." He waggled his hand.

Still disorientated, I gave his fingers a perfunctory shake. My skin did not fit me properly.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I think so," I said, trying to make my mind work properly. Here I had a dragonrider, of reasonable appearance, all to myself, and I should try making a favourable impression. If I kept this up, he would think I was simple.

I felt my head, finding another lump. I vaguely recalled hitting my head a second time. I glanced at my fingers. I turned my hand his way so he could see the blood. 

More red flashed at the corner of my eye and I found blood on my upper arm. I shooed gathering flies from the bloody scrape.

"Where's my jacket?" I mumbled.

"Come, sit down. I will get you some water. Sit."

I let him help until I was sitting on the ground, legs splayed. I was not thirsty.

"Stay there," the dragonrider said.

Why had I let the sea dragon frighten me like that? 

I looked around. Where was the dragonrider? Finding myself alone, I rose unsteadily to my feet. Did I really see a dragonrider? 

Had I had too many bangs on the head? Hallucinations?

The sound of splintering timber came from my left. Jerking my head toward the sound unbalanced me, but what I saw staggered me even more.

A dragon?

I fell on my backside with a painful thud. My mouth dropped open. I felt my lumpy head again. Frightened now, I let myself fall on to my back, eyes squeezed shut.

"I'll just count to ten," I whispered. "I'll be right when I open my eyes. One. Two."

"Mistress?" It sounded like the dragonrider.

I slammed upright. My eyes snapped open. 

They were real.

A green dragon stared at me from two strides away, its hindquarters partly hidden by the scrub, the dragonrider by its head. My hand fell away from my head as I stared back, taking in the dragon's huge emerald eyes and the dark brown ones of its rider. I did not know which one took my breath away the most.

Grinning, the dragonrider held out a water bag.

"Three." I heard my idiot self say, right before passing out.

***

25 May 2021: Final update, synchronising Wattpad, Book Funnel and Kindle versions.

6 March 2017 - exchanged for kindle version

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