For Milady

EIGHTEEN: Reactions

EIGHTEEN: Reactions

As soon as the storm died down, Hjordis was out, running to the stable and finding the entrance blocked by drifts. Casting around in panic, she turned and started to trudge up the village towards the Chief's house...but Kjetil had emerged already, his brows beetled and eyes flicking across the snowy village, already assessing the damage.

"Chief!" Hjordis cried, wading through the deep snow. "It's Astrid! She went to the dragon's stable and she never made it back...and the building is half-buried in snow. I-I'm worried about her..." His eyes widened and he beckoned to the three nearest men, following the woman as she sped down the hill. But they only got halfway back to her house when two shapes blocked their path. Morton and Ragnar looked grim and vaguely triumphant.

"Chief-we have to report that the dragon attacked and killed Lars!" Ragnar said bluntly. Hjordis stared at him-and then at the Chief.

"WHAT?' he growled, his face creasing into a scowl of anger.

"When?" Hjordis asked, her eyes sweeping over the men. They and the apparently-dead Lars were the most vociferous opponents of having Stormfly resident in the village. Morten shrugged.

"During the blizzard," he said guilelessly and she stared.

"Stormfly was agitated in her stable," she said, turning to the Chief. "It was why Astrid braved the blizzard-because she was worried about the dragon." She turned back to the two men. "Do you know something about that?"

"The dragon attacked Lars without provocation!" Morten insisted.

"Where?" Kjetil growled and the two men backed up a pace but their eyes flicked towards the side of the house.

"You were in the stable," Hjordis gasped. "Where's Astrid?" But she didn't even wait for the answer and began to run towards the side of the house, with the Chief and his helpers a few steps behind. Swiftly, they began to dig to shift the drift against the front of the stable, burrowing through furiously until they suddenly found themselves facing the open door of the stable. Unsure what he would find, the Chief and Hjordis scrambled through-to find Stormfly sitting on the floor, almost as if she was nesting, her wings partly spread and frill raised. The moment they arrived-especially with Morten and Rangar behind them-she hissed furiously and her pupils narrowed. Frantically, the woman cast around and saw Astrid's axe against the wall of the house, where the stable was attached to the pre-existing building. She gasped and stared.

"Where is Astrid?" she murmured and turned to the dragon. "Stormfly-where's Astrid?"

The dragon gave an agitated squawk but Hjordis had spent time with the dragon in Astrid's presence and she felt confident enough to wave the men back, then inch forward.

"Watch out," Kijetil warned her "The beast attacked Lars..."

"What was he doing in the stable in the middle of a blizzard anyway?" she snapped. "Against your orders? Why would he be here? Certainly not to admire a dragon he has repeatedly said shouldn't be allowed in the village and which he has said should be killed on many occasions!"

"But..."

"Chief-we both know why Lars was in here-and the dragon has every right to defend itself when three men come in here to kill it," she argued, then turned back to the dragon. She gently extended her hand, closing her eyes. "It's okay, Stormfly-trust me," she whispered. There was a pause and then the dragon lowered her head and pressed her snout gently into Hjoridis's palm. The woman gasped and looked up in shock, a smile unconsciously lifting her lips. "Stormfly...where is Astrid?"

The dragon gave a sad screech and reluctantly rose to her feet, revealing the curled shape of Astrid, protected from the frigid temperature by the dragon's warm body and wings. Kjetil gasped as well, seeing the young woman lying unconscious, a bruise on her cheek, her hand grazed and a mark on the tunic on the side of her abdomen, suggesting she had been attacked. He glared at Morten and Ragnar.