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Henry and the Dragon: Chapter Nine

The climb was as tough as Henry feared. Sharp stones, coupled with perilous angles. Perhaps that was the reason the dragon chose it. No one in their right mind would dare to try and climb it. Henry knew he wasn’t in his right mind. The higher they rose, the more certain he felt that Kai was in there, dying.

Dmitra clung to Henry, which made the journey even harder, but her hands were too small to make it on her own, and she still refused to stay behind.

“Don’t be frightened,” Henry called to her, wanting to make himself heard above the wind that whipped them from all sides.

“I’m not,” Dmitra said, her voice stronger than Henry’s.

“It’s okay to be,” Henry assured her, because he certainly was. His fingers ached, and his mind was plagued with images of the two of them falling to their deaths on the rocky crag below.

“I saw it! We’ll make it safely to the top.”

Henry and the Dragon: Chapter Eight

“Are you well, Dmitra?”

“I am,” she said from behind him. “I am unused to being on a horse, though.”

Henry chuckled. “I have bruised flesh from riding. I am sorry I couldn’t make the trip easier on you.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just…I never expected to leave my town. I thought I would be like my mother, and her mother before her. I would live there, raise a family, and die there. It’s….”

“What is it? Please, tell me.”

She squeezed a little tighter. “Mama had the sight, and I think I might too. I would dream of a life outside of that which I thought I would have. If I’m honest, I thought it was only fancy. Now? My stomach is in knots over what lies ahead for me. My gift isn’t nearly as good as my mother’s.”

“You’re young. Like all things, it will take practice and patience. I learned herbalism from watching and trying different mixtures. Some worked, others did not. If you do indeed possess the gift of sight, it will grow as you do, I would think.”

She hummed. “Tell me about yourself, please.”

Henry and the Dragon: Chapter Seven

Henry rode for many days, stopping only occasionally to allow the horses to partake of the cold river and to nibble the grasses. He wondered how his mother was faring, especially when news of Neron’s death would reach the village. She’d know it was him, of this Henry was certain. The few hours of sleep that he got each night were plagued with nightmares of Kai pleading for Henry to help him, but oddly not one dream about having killed a monster like Neron.

After another day, Henry came upon the town of Rorsha. It was much larger than Innernook, with two inns, three taverns, and an assortment of stores and shops. The first thing Henry did was visit the livery, where he offered to sell three horses to the stable master. The man turned a critical eye toward them, stroked a hand down their flanks, peered underneath at their stomachs, felt their legs, then stared into their eyes. When he’d done to this to each horse, he’d offered Henry thirty gold! Henry had never had so much. He gladly accepted the offer, then asked about the inns.

“If you’re looking for a companion to spend time with, Vera’s will suit you.”

At first, Henry didn’t understand. “Why would I need a companion?”

The old man gave a toothless grin. “All young men need a woman to help with their…needs.”

Henry and the Dragon: Chapter Six

Kai liked this time of night the best. The moon was mostly hidden behind thick, dark clouds, so there were shadows that danced among the trees every time a shaft of light was able to escape. He always felt as though there were fae among the branches, laughing in their lilting voices, at the foolish beings who couldn’t see them.

Then there were creatures like the Kupati, that roamed the immense area, looking for food. It was they who bandits—or foolish people from the town—often had the misfortune of meeting. At least they’d served a purpose in death, rather than simply taking from those who had never done them harm.

Henry and the Dragon: Chapter Five

“Where did you get that cloak?” Neron demanded only a moment after Henry stepped into the shop. He didn’t seem to care about the laden basket in Henry’s hands.

“A gift from a friend.”

Neron reached out a wrinkled hand and and fondled the fabric. “No friend would gift you with something like this.” He sneered. “You stole it, didn’t you?”

“No, I don’t steal,” Henry snapped. “It was given to me by a friend, as I said.”

Neron raised a fist, and Henry feared he was about to be struck again, but then he stopped and held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

Henry wrapped his arms around himself, holding tight to the garment. “No, Kai gave it—“ He stopped when he realized he’d uttered Kai’s name.