The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-9-

POV: Fendrel

A dream invaded Fendrel's sleep. Another memory.

He walked down the streets of Sharpdagger when he noticed a man rushing his way. The sheen of a dragon egg shone under the passerby's coat.

Fendrel bumped into the man's shoulder.

The smuggler lost his grip on the egg and it rolled between the bustling feet of the crowd.

The man grit his teeth. "Watch where you're going."

"Maybe you shouldn't kidnap dragon eggs." Fendrel merely glanced at the man, then looked away.

The man's voice was low. "Ha! I didn't steal it. It was abandoned."

A crowd formed around them.

"All right, what's the commotion?" A group of guards pushed through the crowd.

The citizens scattered.

Fendrel escaped during the confusion and joined the flow toward the city gates. Once there, he broke free from the chaos and left the city, pulling a hood over his face so the guards at the gate couldn't see who he was.

I should've grabbed the egg on my way out!

He sighed in frustration.

Hopefully, if the knights find it, they'll be too afraid of its parents to keep it... he thought.

Fendrel walked toward the crescent-shaped grove of trees surrounding the palace where he had tied a horse to a trunk. He released the horse and was about to mount it when he heard approaching footsteps.

"Hey!" A young woman's voice called out.

Fendrel turned to her, tense.

The woman ran toward him, something wrapped in cloth was tucked under her arm. She slowed to a walk, her breathing labored. She laughed in embarrassment and unwrapped the bundle. It was the egg. "It's a little heavier than I thought."

She held it out to him with outstretched arms. "Uh, here!"

Fendrel cautiously took the egg into his arms. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because that guy was a jerk." She gave a nervous laugh. "And because you're like me, sort of. We're looked down upon by the rest of the kingdom. We've got to look out for each other, you know? I'm a mage. My name's Thea." She smiled and reached out her hand.

Fendrel shook her hand. "Fendrel. I'm a... uh, dragon liberator, I guess."

Thea cocked her head to the side. "Liberator, huh? So what are you going to do with that one? It can't find its parents when it's in a shell." She pointed at the egg.

Fendrel gave her a confused stare. "I'll find its parents."

"Can I come with you?" There was excitement in her eyes.

Cocked an eyebrow. "Why? We don't know each other."

Thea tilted her head. "Like I said, we should look out for each other. I'll make sure that whenever you come to the city, you'll have anything you need."

He searched her face. "I suppose."

"Great!" The mage clasped her hands to her chest.

Fendrel stored the egg in his bag and mounted the horse with Thea climbing on behind him. He grabbed the reins and guided the horse onto a trail that would take them by the coast.