Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

63: The Wizard & Rufus

The early morning sun on the dome hurt his eyes. The wizard calling himself Cecil Chadbyrne groaned and turned his head away as he rose stiffly to his feet. Every muscle echoed his protest at a night spent on the rocky ground.

Fisnal had the watch and had not woken him for his turn.

The wizard stumbled a few paces from the camp to relieve himself, looking around for the gharl, hoping he collected wood.

The fire was dead. After he had pushed his feet into his boots, he prodded the ash, searching for live embers while wondering if young Langley and his dragon fared better in their prison.

He shaded his eyes, searching the spot where the pair had bedded down after their foiled attempt to escape. Unable to see them, Sam shuffled forward until he felt the resistance of the magical membrane against his body.

A snarl shattered the silence.

Squealing like a stuck pig, the wizard jumped back. "What the..." How had he missed seeing the damned dragon at his elbow?

Stretched on his back, wings squashed, Rufus stared back at him through the glinting dome. Taloned fingers held a bulging belly and his feet, atop splayed hind legs, pointed in opposite directions. The dragon's head rest against the barrier. Whorls of smoke drifted from bloodstained nostrils. Bits of disgusting gore dangled from his beard. The emerald eyes blinked.

Rufus yawned. Scraps of furry skin coated sharp teeth.

Fisnal?

The wizard eyed the dragon's bloody maw, trying to recall Fisnal's garb. Most gharls favoured furs and hides. The natural look went well with their scales, they said.

Do not be stupid, he thought, laughing nervously.

A loud clatter behind him made him leap again, his heart pounding. He turned.

Fisnal knelt by the fire, pulling twigs out of a large bundle.

"Where is the Keeper?" the wizard demanded.

Fisnal stood. "Isss esssaape" His eyes flickered.

"Are you sure, absolutely sure, he is not hiding out there?" He waved at the valley surrounding the dome, his voice rising. "Somewhere?"

"Noo." The gharl's eyes glowed. "Yesss,esssaape."

"But he left the dragon behind."

Fisnal shrugged, and they both turned to study the overfed dragon that got to his feet amid much huffing and puffing.

Rufus bent his head until he was on eye-level with his captors.

Even though the barrier prevented a scorching, they both stepped back when the green dragon puffed flame at them. The dragon laughed before ambling to the waterhole.

Tearing his eyes away, the wizard strode to his bedroll. He lay down, covering his face with one arm, wishing to start the day over.

"What now?" he said.

"Hoome," Fisnal said, nudging the wizard's boot before kicking apart the firewood bundle. With the tip of his tail twitching, the gharl shouldered his spears. Without so much as a backward glare, Fisnal picked his way among the rocks.

After the clatter of scattering pebbles died, the wizard got up and rolled his bedding. Going home sounded good to him, too.

"Hey, Rufus," he shouted to the green dragon who was rubbing his jowls on the ground near the waterhole. "Do you want to fly me out of here?"

Rufus looked up. "Where do you want to go?"

"Eighalh. That all right?" Hopeful, the wizard watched Rufus saunter to him.

"I can do that." Smoke poured from his nostrils and his emerald eyes glinted.

"You will not drop me?"

"Of course not." Rufus showed his teeth.

Grandmaster Wizard Sam Dinsmore, done with calling himself Cecil Chadbyrne, mumbled under his breath and flicked his wrists, zapping the dome into oblivion.

Rufus's furry smile broadened. Bunching his hindquarters, he launched. His wings snapped open.

"Thank you, Sam."

The words fell down to him from the soaring green streak. Powerless, having just used the last of his ready magic dissolving the prison spell, Sam stared after the double-crossing liar.

But, dragons cannot lie, he thought.

He repeated the dragon's agreement in his mind. Loath to admit to being outsmarted by a piddly green dragon, he loaded his gear on his back, resigned to a long trek.

He had not walked far when Rufus swooped from the sky, landing with a grunt. When the wizard reached him, the dragon dropped his forequarters.

"I will take you to the Great Lake," Rufus said. "You know I must go to Jarryd."

"Of course." Somewhat embarrassed by mention of his former prisoner, the wizard threw his gear up on to the dragon's shoulders. He followed, gripping the handhold firmly. It had been years since he had been on a dragon and a harness would have been good.

They soared east.

Sam thought of the girl who held so much promise. She would never be his, not now that the pirates were aware of her. Soon, the sword would make Langley the Keeper. Let him deal with the avaricious pirates and the treacherous mongrel, Ritter.

He shuddered; glad to get away with his life intact. Sam patted the green scales by his knee.

Thank you, Rufus, he said. I owe you one.

Yes, you do, Sam. Laughter rumbled from the dragon.

From now on, he would stick to picking up the magical flotsam floating around the citadel hallways. The youngsters always expected their magic to last forever and hardly ever cleaned up after themselves.

The further the wizard flew from Dakeshott, and the pirate horde, the wider his smile.

***

31 March 2017 - replaced with revised scene (and revealed The Wizard's name and title. I decided to stick to my original decision to keep both a mystery)

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