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DargonZine Volume 22 Issue 01
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D D A A R R G O O N N N Z I N N N E || Volume 22
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D D AAAA RRR G GG O O N N N Z I N N N E || Number 1
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DargonZine Distributed: 3/21/09
Volume 22 Number 1 Circulation: 652
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Contents
Editorial Jon Evans
Are There Dragons? Rena Deutsch Yule 9, 1018
and Jim Owens
News of Import Claudia Ryan Sy 30-Seber 1, 1018
========================================================================
DargonZine is the publication vehicle of The Dargon Project, Inc.,
a collaborative group of aspiring fantasy writers on the Internet.
We welcome new readers and writers interested in joining the project.
Please address all correspondence to <dargon@dargonzine.org> or visit
us on the World Wide Web at http://www.dargonzine.org/, or our FTP site
at ftp://ftp.dargonzine.org/. Issues and public discussions are posted
to the Usenet newsgroup rec.mag.dargon.
DargonZine 22-1, ISSN 1080-9910, (C) Copyright 21 March, 2009 by
The Dargon Project, Inc. Editor: Jon Evans <thegodling@verizon.net>,
Assistant Editor: John White <john.white@DREXEL.EDU>.
DargonZine is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-
NonCommercial License. This license allows you to make and distribute
unaltered copies of DargonZine, complete with the original attributions
of authorship, so long as it is not used for commercial purposes.
Reproduction of issues or any portions thereof for profit is forbidden.
To view a detailed copy of this license, please visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0 or send a letter to
Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford CA, 94305 USA.
========================================================================
Editorial
by Jon Evans
<thegodling@verizon.net>
Beginnings and endings are sometimes the hardest things to write. I
always feel that I can write a story's beginning easily, because I
generally go in knowing what I want to say, and I can get there. But
wrapping it up at the end is more challenging for me. When Orny was the
Editor, I constantly received feedback from him stating that my stories
were fine up to a point, but that the endings needed work.
Well, this issue has plenty of beginnings and endings. "News of Import,"
by Claudia Ryan, ends our run of Summit Challenge Stories from 2007,
which revolved around a single 24-hour period in Dargon. And while that
is an ending, it is a beginning for Claudia as her first story in
DargonZine. Claudia came to us in 2007, and will have at least two
stories published this year. She also proved that just because a Dargon
author doest not attend a Summit, does not mean she cannot participate
in the story challenge. And while she did not attend the 2008 Summit
either, but we're hoping for a future attendance from her. More
beginnings for this year are two more first-time authors who will be
gracing our pages over the next few months, making this one of Dargon's
best years for bringing new authors into the publication process. One of
our main goals, always, is to help new authors come through our doors,
and we are doing exactly that.
Along with "News of Import" we have a collaboration by long time authors
Jim Owens and Rena Deutsch. "Are There Dragons?" touches on an internal
discussion the Dargon authors constantly have, while simultaneously
taking a glimpse at a poignant slice of life. Jim and Rena both speak to
the emotional aspect of fiction, and their collaboration on this story
is powerful.
Please enjoy these two stories, and come back for more. And please take
the time to leave the writers some feedback, either through the on-line
form at the end of the story or via e-mail. We always appreciate reader
response. And, as ever ... we'll be back with a new issue in the second
quarter! -Jon
========================================================================
Are There Dragons?
By Rena Deutsch <Luv2rite@dargonzine.com>
and Jim Owens <gymfuzz@yahoo.com>
Yule 9, 1018
"Let's go, come on!" Sian swept her arm upwards in a wide gesture,
as if that very act would lend speed to the tardy child she now faced.
Oriel glanced up, her expression dour and inward. She almost didn't seem
to see her adoptive mother, or much else around her. Nonetheless, she
quickened her pace, glancing quickly up and down the dusty street as she
crossed it, the tattered hem of her heavy skirt kicking up minuscule
clouds of dust as she passed.
"Let's not dawdle; time is short," Sian called back to her, and
then turned back towards the unkempt hedgerow that lined the road here.
Well ahead of her she could see two more of her adopted children already
moving through a gap in the dense hedge.
"Don't get too far ahead of us, Finn! Kerith, stay with Finn!" She
sighed as neither one seemed to slow in the slightest. In a moment both
were through the gap and out of sight. A glance back behind showed Oriel
had again slowed to a pensive shuffle. Sian put her hand on the shoulder
of her fourth child and started forward again. "Come on, Briam. The day
won't stop for us."
Winter was far behind now, and the sun was no friend on this day.
As was her custom at this season, Sian had gathered her borrowed brood
together for the summer's first berry picking. With Aren off working at
the Golden Lion she was left with four young souls to mind, but there
were many days when she did not notice any decrease in the level of
random energy in the house. A trip to the berry patches would be a good
chance for the kids to get away from the dusty streets of Dargon and
into the countryside. She had roused them early, but finding enough
baskets to carry the berries in and enough heavy clothes to protect each
child from the berry bushes' thorns had consumed more of the morning
than she had wanted to spend. Now the sun was high and hot, and Sian
could already feel the sweat forming at her collar. The rest of the
morning would pass slowly. Sian and Briam walked down the shallow slope
off the road and down to the hedge. Sian could now see through the trees
into the meadow beyond. Finn and Kerith were racing, and had almost
reached the other side of the meadow.
"Finn!" Sian hollered. "Come back here! Kerith! Come back here!
Wait for the rest of us!"
"I'll take those," Briam offered from the other side of the fence,
his hand extended. Sian handed him the baskets she was carrying and
silently willed some of his preternatural courtesy into the other three.
She clambered up and through the gap, taking care not to snag anything
on the dead branches that jutted out from the thicket. On the other side
she took the baskets back from Briam and looked back up to the road.
Oriel had barely made it to the middle.
"Come on, Oriel! We can't wait for you!" Sian noted the girl's
somber look with a touch of concern. Oriel was coping well with her
mother's death, but that did not mean her grief had passed. Sian could
still see it showing through her smiles and laughter occasionally. Most
of the time Oriel was functioning well in the family, but when she
didn't it could bring the whole family to a standstill. Sian turned and
followed Briam up out of the hedgerow. Finn and Kerith were racing back
to her, their oversized and tattered overclothes flapping as they ran.
Sian was glad she had not torn the shirts up for rags, as they would
protect the children well from the berry plants' defenses. As Kerith ran
up behind Finn, however, Sian could see the sweat on the girl's
forehead. The extra layers of cloth would also trap the day's heat.
Well, so what if the children were a bit too warm? Perhaps the walk back
would be a bit more organized.
"Don't get too far ahead, Finn. You know that Kerith will follow
you, and I don't want her to get lost."
"Yeah, Kerith, don't get lost!" Finn rustled the girl's hair and
sprang away from her retaliatory slap.
"I won't get lost, Sian," she protested, staring angrily at Finn.
She started to chase after him and then stopped dead in her tracks with
a gasp. "Look!"
All eyes followed her outstretched arm, and each gasped in wonder
as a deer sprang up from the brush under the shadow of the trees and
raced across the far side of the field. With a yell Finn took after the
deer, his own bounds seeming to match hers in speed and length. Kerith
raced after them both.
"No! Finn! Stop! Kerith!" But Finn was already closing on the far
side of the meadow. Kerith did stop though, and returned. She met Sian
just as Oriel arrived.
"Now I have three with me, and one away," Sian said to herself. But
as she looked about for Briam, she saw that he was now gone. "Briam?"
"Shhhhh!" Briam had walked over to the side of the meadow where the
doe had sheltered. He was now standing still, staring intently at the
ground ahead of him and waving for them to come. Kerith started to
tiptoe toward him. Sian looked for Finn, but he had vanished from sight.
Suddenly, Kerith let out a delighted squeal.
"Quiet, Kerith! You'll scare it!" Briam whispered loudly.
Oriel turned to looked at the pair and Sian moved towards where the
two younger children were standing. It only took a few steps for her to
see the object of their intent interest.
"Ooooh! Look! A fawn!" Oriel had followed her over and was now
staring at the baby deer, enraptured.
Kerith took a careful step closer to the immobile animal, then
stooped down and reached her hand out toward it.
"No! Don't touch it!" Briam said, and grabbed the girl by the back
of the shirt.
"Why not?" Kerith's expression was cross.
"If you touch it the mother won't take it back," Oriel explained.
Sian considered for a moment if that was true. She thought she had heard
that once before, but was that just a child's myth or was it true?
"I couldn't catch it," a voice behind Sian said, making her jump.
It was Finn, striding toward her, panting. "It was just too fast. Oooh,
a fawn!"
"Straight," Sian replied, grateful for the break. All the children
were again assembled. "We need to leave the little deer alone so its
mother will come back to it. And *we* need to be moving on! Finn, stay
with the rest of us. Oriel, keep up. Let's get going!"
With a few half-hearted moans the rag-tag group began again to
thread their way towards the berry patches. They reached the far side of
the meadow and pressed through the undergrowth at the edge of the
forest. Once past the thicket of brush, they quickly found a well-beaten
animal path and followed it into the trees. The walking was easier, and
the diversion of the fawn set all the children chattering.
They reached the berry patch without fanfare, and Finn immediately
set to work picking. Kerith moved right in beside him, her smaller reach
serving to gather the berries Finn's higher view could not see. Briam
and Oriel just stopped and watched.
"Kerith, why don't you come with me down here?" Sian suggested.
"That way you can have your own bushes to pick from. And you won't be in
Finn's way so much." The last sentence she left unsaid.
"Straight." The younger girl followed the other two as Sian led
them away from Finn's territory and distributed them into niches of
their own. Sian then found a spot where she could see all four and
started her own picking. As she worked she watched the children, and
wondered.
Before her death in a house fire, Oriel's mother had arranged an
apprenticeship for the girl as a cook, mostly as a preventative measure
to keep her from a life of prostitution at the Shattered Spear. Sian had
since delayed that apprenticeship for a year, citing the girl's grief
after the death of her mother. But with Aren in and out, talking of his
apprenticeship and the things he was seeing in the larger world, both
Oriel and Finn had begun to ask when they would be apprenticed. And that
would come, Sian knew. There could be no stopping it, but the thought of
sending any of her children out into the hard, uncaring world ...
"Sian," Finn interrupted her thoughts, stepping up behind her,
"I've picked all the berries over there. Can I pick here now?"
"No, Finn, this is my spot!" Oriel interjected. "Go find your own
spot."
"There aren't any others," Finn replied. "You need to share,
Oriel."
"Go find another place, Finn," said Sian. "This is Oriel's spot."
"There aren't any others!" Finn insisted. "I've looked."
Sian sighed again, more in anger and frustration this time. She
took the truculent boy by the elbow and pulled him down the path,
stopping at a spot where a well-fruited bush dangled its berries right
over the path. "Here. What are those?"
"This isn't a spot. It's right on the path! There's nowhere to
stand!"
"You make a spot!" she replied sternly. "Those spots weren't there
until someone stomped them down! You have to do it yourself! Honestly,
Finn! Do I have to do everything for you?"
Sian walked back toward Oriel, who had gone back to picking. Sian
shook her head in frustration. Why was Finn, who was the older of the
two, so much less mature than Oriel? Sian stopped a moment to pick some
particularly ripe berries in the niche that Kerith was currently
working, knowing that the girl had missed them, and would likely trample
them. Kerith, seeing Sian, set her bucket down and began to tug at the
top layer of her clothing.
"I'm hot. I'm gonna take this one off," she said,
"No, if you take it off you'll get all scratched up."
"But I'm so hot."
"Tell you what. Leave it on a bit longer, and when we're done we'll
all go down to the pond and go swimming. How does that sound?"
"Straight." Kerith's response was half-hearted. She worked slowly,
picking each berry off the bush individually, looking at it, and placing
it gently in the basket. Sian sighed and walked back to where Oriel was
standing.
"How are you doing?" she asked. Oriel held out her bucket, which
was a quarter full. "That's not too bad. Here," she said, and poured her
own small pickings into Oriel's container.
"Sian?"
"Yes, Oriel?"
"Do you think there is such a thing as dragons?"
Sian looked at Oriel in astonishment. "What makes you say that?"
"I overheard some shadow boys at the marketplace not too long ago,
and they said that this part of the forest near the pond harbors
dragons. Do you think they're right?"
"No, I don't think so," Sian answered slowly.
"They said that they saw one. It was big as a ship, and green, with
lots of scales, and a long mouth full of sharp teeth."
"I think they were just trying to make a fool of you."
"That's too bad. I had hoped I could go looking for a dragon when
I'm done berry picking."
"Oh, Oriel," Sian laughed and ruffled the girl's hair. "Now you're
being silly. Wouldn't you rather go for a swim?"
"I guess so, but looking for a dragon would have been fun, too!"
"Sian, I'm full," Briam said, coming up behind Oriel, his face
smeared purple.
"You're supposed to be putting them in the bucket," exclaimed Sian,
"not just eating them!"
"I did," he replied simply, showing her his brimming bucket. "I
only ate a couple."
"A couple?!" said Oriel, and she, Sian, and Finn erupted in
laughter. Briam colored a bit.
"Sian, I'm too hot. I can't wear this anymore," Kerith said,
joining the party. She was carrying her outermost blouse in her hand and
was pulling off her outermost skirt with the other.
"Straight, I give up," Sian said. "Enough berries for today. What
do you say we all go for a swim?"
The cheer that followed was clear and unambiguous. Sian poured some
berries from Briam's full bucket into Kerith's partly filled one to even
the load, and the party headed down the path deeper into the trees. The
year before, Sian and the children had visited the pond after picking
berries. Sian had been there as a child and enjoyed it each time. The
pond had not changed much, save to grow a bit more grass and brush. For
the children it was like a new experience, and a welcome one. They ran
down the path yelling as Sian brought up the rear. The path wound its
way down a shallow slope, and then abruptly stopped at a fork. The
children stopped there, looking one way and the other.
"There's the pond!" Kerith said, pointing through the trees. Sure
enough, Sian could see the water through the trunks and hear the
squabbling of screegulls.
"Which way was the waterfall?" asked Finn, looking one way and then
the other.
"It's this way, come on," urged Kerith, wandering a few steps down
the right hand fork, but unwilling to go down it alone.
"No, it was that way," replied Briam, pointing to the left.
"Briam's right, Kerith," replied Sian, arriving at the scene.
"That's the way to the mud flats." Sian pointed down the right hand
fork. "But I want to go to the waterfall," she continued, turning to
face the other way, "where the water is cooler."
"I want to go to the mud flats," said Oriel. "I want to take a mud
bath like the rich ladies do! May I please?"
Sian knew the pond was small, and that the mud flats were visible
from the waterfall.
"Straight. But come right back when I call you."
"Can I go to the mud flats too?" asked Kerith.
"Yes, but don't get your clothes all muddy, or I'll make you wash
them all," Sian replied. "Why don't you leave the over-clothes here with
me, and I'll watch them for you."
The two nodded vigorously and began tearing off their wrappings.
Finn began to do so as well, stripping off his shirt in one smooth
movement.
"Not you, Finn. I need you stay with me and help to carry the berry
buckets." Sian said.
"But I want to go to the mud flats," he protested.
"I know you do, but I need help, and you're the oldest with Aren
gone." Sian restrained the urge to say more for a moment, but then
added, "You need to start carrying more responsibility."
"I am responsible," he said, "I just want to go to the mud flats."
He paused a moment, and she could see he was thinking. She waited
expectantly until he spoke again. "If I can go to the mud flats I'll
chop twice the wood for the stove today."
Sian was disappointed. That wasn't the response she wanted to hear
from him, not now. "I don't need twice as much wood for the stove today;
I need help carrying the berries," Sian explained patiently. "I can only
burn so much wood in the stove in one day, and the berries are heavy."
"I can help carry the berries," Briam said.
"Briam can help carry the berries, Sian," Finn echoed. "So can I go
down to the mud flats? Please?"
The two girls paused in the midst of disrobing, listening. All the
children were waiting for her verdict. Memories of her own abrupt
childhood flashed into her head. She had been much more eager to grow
up, to accept responsibility, hadn't she? Or was her mood altering her
memories? Sian shook her head.
"Straight, all right, you can go. Watch the other two, and don't
get into trouble, you hear?" She exhaled heavily.
"Thank you, Sian," he said, and resumed undressing. Kerith and
Oriel dropped the last of their extra garments onto the pile that had
accumulated and took each other's hand, starting down the path toward
the mud flats. They turned after a moment, two lithe figures in flowing
beige shirts in the green gloom of the forest.
"Come on, Finn! Don't be slow!"
"Hold on," he replied, tossing his last shirt on the pile. He
pushed down the waist of his doubled pants, but neglected to untie the
rope that held the outer pair up. The clothes caught in a jumble above
his knees, and he paused to untie the knot.
The knot in the rope gave way, and his trousers joined the rest of
the clothes in the heap. Finn leaped away after the other two. Sian
watched until the three children turned a corner in the path and
disappeared from sight. As she watched, she pondered how children could
turn into adults that are so different from their parents. Then she
turned back to Briam.
"Well, it's just the two of us. Thank you for helping with the
berries."
"You're welcome."
Sian scooped up the pile of still-warm clothing and the buckets of
berries. Briam gathered the rest, and followed her as she started up the
left fork. The path climbed a slight hill, then left the trees and
entered a rough forest meadow that fell gradually down to the dammed end
of the pond. Briam passed her as if the smell of the water was drawing
him on. She let him pass, still deep in her thoughts. As she reached the
last of the brush before the pond, she dropped the clothing onto a bush,
set the baskets on the ground, and stripped to her undergarments.
Carefully, she stepped into the pond and let the cold water cool her
off. Briam, too, had shucked his constricting clothes and was splashing
happily in the water. The pond was shallow and Sian had to sit down for
the water to reach her neck.
As she soaked, Sian divided her attention between Briam and the
three children at the far end of the pond. The activities on the mud
flats alternated between rolling in the mud and plastering the mud on
each other, consensually or otherwise. Briam's occupation was more
directed. Mostly he stood in the water, staring down. Every now and then
he abruptly dropped both hands into the water only to pull them back
out, looking disappointed.
"What are you trying to do?" Sian asked after his tenth attempt.
"Catching a fish."
Sian laughed. "Good luck." She stood up and walked back to the
embankment. She found a spot on the grass to sit down and let the sun
dry her wet body. She angled her face to the sky, feeling the warmth on
her face. The sound of her name drew her attention back to the water.
From the far end of the pond, Kerith had left the mud flats and was
running toward Sian. At first Sian thought that she just wanted to get
into the pond, but the girl didn't stop or even slow much as the water
splashed higher and higher, covering her knees, her hips, even her
navel. Still she forded on, scattering muck and screegulls as she went.
Sian knew the pond was shallow, shallow enough for even Kerith to ford,
so she just sat and waited, wondering what magic life would work on her
little girl, changing and molding her into an as-yet unseen woman. The
girl finally reached the dam and clambered down from the pond, water
streaming down the angles of her belly and mud dripping from her legs.
"Sian! Sian!"
"Yes, Kerith?"
"You gotta come! Oriel found something! Come on!"
"Straight," she replied, smiling. Kerith sprang away and began the
return trip as Sian turned to address Briam. "Let's go see what they
found, Briam." But Briam was already following Kerith, who was splashing
her way back toward the mud flats. Sian stood and followed, bemused.
"Finn! Oriel!" Kerith yelled as she went. " Sian is coming!"
Ahead, on the mud flats, Oriel and Finn stood together like dark
grey statues, their entire bodies coated in mud. Sian watched as her
young family converged around Oriel, who was holding something.
"It's warm," Oriel was saying as Sian arrived. Oriel looked up and
Sian and extended her hand. "Look what I found!"
"You found eggs!" Briam said with admiration, looking down at the
nest at Oriel's feet. He bent down to pick one up.
"They're mine!" Oriel claimed.
"You're not supposed to pick up the eggs, you only disturb the
chick inside," Finn commented. "Put them down, both of you!"
"Why can't we take them home and have them for dinner? I haven't
had an egg in a long time," Briam countered, but complied and carefully
set the egg back down.
"I want eggs for dinner, too," Kerith chimed in, a little out of
breath. "They taste so good."
"You can't eat eggs you find in the wild this late in the year,"
Finn said.
"Why not?"
"They have chicks inside!"
"How do you know there is a chick inside the egg?" Oriel wondered.
"If you put your ear close to the eggs you can hear them." Finn
remarked and dropped to his knees. He placed his ear close to the eggs
on the ground and listened. "Straight, there are chicks in these eggs!"
Finn exclaimed and sat up. Oriel and Briam simultaneously dropped to
their knees and bent low to listen.
"Ouch!" Both children cried out and rubbed their heads. Kerith
giggled and took the opportunity to put her ear near the eggs.
"I can't hear anything!" Kerith said, disappointed.
"What can't you hear?" Sian asked.
"Finn said if you put your ear on the eggs, you can hear the chicks
inside."
"Is that what you and Oriel were fighting about?" Sian inquired
looking at Finn.
"We weren't fighting, just arguing." Finn replied.
"I found the eggs. They're mine! And I want to take them home with
me and eat them." Oriel stood up, holding one egg in her hand.
"I told you, you can't eat eggs with chicks inside! Besides, you
don't even know what kind of eggs these are."
"Do too!"
"Then what kind are they?" Finn challenged her.
"They're duck eggs!" Oriel replied triumphantly.
"No they're not, they're goose eggs!" Finn said with the voice of
an adult teaching a small child.
"Actually, it's neither. The egg is too small for a goose or a
duck. It's more likely to be the egg of a loon," Sian said and took a
deep breath. "Finn is probably right, Oriel. There may be a chick
inside."
"But you can't be sure. Not all eggs hatch!" Oriel said. "My mom
told me."
"Why don't all eggs hatch?" Kerith inquired, having paid close
attention to the conversation.
"Sometimes they just don't," Oriel said before Sian had a chance to
formulate an answer that Kerith would understand.
"You mean the chick is dead, and that's why?" Briam asked.
"No, not all eggs have chicks in them."
"Yes they do," Finn argued. "And they hatch in the summer."
"No they don't. I cracked eggs in the summer and they didn't have
chicks in them."
"Sian, that's not true, is it?" Finn asked, wanting his knowledge
validated. "All eggs have chicks in them, straight?"
"No, not unless ..." Sian grinned. It occurred to her that Finn,
despite being older than the other three, was still very much a child in
certain ways.
"Not unless what?" Finn pushed for an answer.
Before Sian could reply, Oriel cried out, "It's moving!"
"What is moving, Oriel?" Kerith asked.
"The egg in my hand! It's moving!"
"I want to see it," Briam called out excitedly.
Oriel held out her hand. The egg on it was gently trembling.
"Look!" Kerith called out, "the shell is cracking!"
"Don't let it drop, Oriel," Sian reminded her. "I think before long
there will be a chick hatching out of it."
"I want to watch it hatch," Kerith asked.
"Me too," Oriel chimed in.
"I want to see what kind of bird it is," Finn added.
Sian stared down at the egg, then at the faces of the children. "I
don't think we can. It will take some time to hatch," she said.
"Please!" All four pleaded in unison.
With a sigh, Sian gave in. "But you have to put the egg back,
gently!"
Oriel nodded, then tiptoed back to the reeds. She carefully laid
the egg in the nest. She then walked back to the others and sat down to
observe.
As they children watched the egg, Sian watched them. Each one of
them was growing just as fast as they could, but not all in the same way
or in the same direction. Sian remembered when each had come to her, in
whatever state they had been in. Never would she have imagined that they
would become the people they were now, and she could only wonder what
sort of people they would become later. Yes, she'd had a hand in the
matter, but there was mystery in every day, sometimes dark, and
sometimes glad, but always mysterious nonetheless.
Over the course of a bell, the crack in the shell got longer and
wider. Finally the egg split in half, pushed apart from the inside. Much
to Sian's and the children's surprise, it wasn't a baby bird that
emerged from the shell.
"What is that?" Oriel was the first to recover from their surprise.
"I don't think I've seen an animal like this before."
"Straight! What is it, Sian?" Briam asked and then added after a
moment of thought, "Is it a lizard? It doesn't look like one. Lizards
don't have scales and so many teeth."
"I don't think so, Briam," Sian finally said after searching her
memory.
"It looks like a monster," Kerith said matter of fact.
"I think ..." Oriel said, looking triumphantly at the others. "I
think it's a dragon!"
"A dragon?" the other children wondered in awe. The little creature
wiggled its way out of the nest and scurried towards the pond. Quickly,
Finn intercepted its run, picked it up, and showed it to the others.
"Straight, it's a dragon!" Finn repeated. "I heard someone in the
marketplace describe what a dragon looks like. He said a dragon's green
with scales, it has lots of sharp teeth, and a long tail, and it's
covered with scales. And look at these beady eyes: they're yellow!"
"You listened to me and Sian talking!" Oriel exclaimed.
"That too," Finn grinned.
"Somehow I thought a dragon would be bigger," Oriel remarked
quietly.
"It's a baby dragon; it'll grow," Finn reasoned.
"How big do dragons get?" Brian wanted to know.
"They get to be as tall as the trees here," Finn answered.
"I heard they grow as big as ships," Oriel chimed in.
"Then why haven't we seen one before?" Kerith asked.
"Because they can change color and grow wings, and some of them can
swim and hide in the pond. And others hide deep in caves. Some of them
even spit fire!"
"Spit fire?" Kerith looked frightened. "Do you think this one will
spit fire?"
"Not sure," Finn replied thoughtfully, "but I sure would like to
find out." He turned the animal upside down and poked it with his
finger.
"Finn," Sian interjected, "leave the creature be! I'm pretty sure
this is not a dragon. There's no such thing as a dragon! Just put it
down and let it go."
"How do you know?" Finn retorted, "You don't know what it is
either, or you would have told us already."
"Straight, I don't know what kind of animal this is, but it's not a
dragon. Dragons only exist in fairy tales."
"Are you sure?" Kerith looked at Sian full of doubt. "It sure looks
like a dragon."
"Yeah, Sian, it does look like a dragon," Oriel said, willing to
believe.
"Can we keep the dragon?" Briam asked. "I want to see how big it
gets and maybe we can tame it and then show it at the blessing of the
fleet and get lots of money."
"No one's going to believe you have a dragon. Besides, we'll make
more money selling flingers," Sian replied realistically. "By the time
the blessing of the fleet comes around you'll have told so many people
about this creature, everyone will have seen it by then."
"Sian is right," Oriel snickered. "You can't keep a secret, Briam."
"And neither can Kerith," Finn added.
"Can too!" Kerith yelled.
"Sian, look! Another egg is cracking!" Briam shouted. He hopped
from one foot to the other. "That dragon will be mine!"
For several menes the children watched as a second egg split open.
Much to their disappointment, this time the creature within was a chick.
"I don't want a baby bird, Sian," Briam said and wrinkled his nose.
"I want a dragon, just like Finn."
"Briam, I told you, there's no such thing as dragons. I don't know
what animal Finn found, but it's not a dragon." Sian rustled Briam's
hair and then turned to the other children. "Finn, let the creature go.
It's time to go."
"But I want to keep it," Finn said, holding the little animal
tight.
"You don't even know what to feed it, let alone have the time to
care for such an animal," Sian reasoned. She noticed the disappointed
look on Finn's face. She watched as his brow furrowed, his eyebrows
lifted, fell again, and then furrowed once more. He gave brief nod.
Finn walked over and placed the animal just outside the nest, then
stepped back. All the children watched silently as the tiny reptile
looked around, then fixated on the nearby water. As they watched, the
little creature again scurried towards the pond. Just before it reached
the water, a screegull dove down, landed on the mud near the animal, and
with its sharp beak hacked into the creature, killing it.
In stunned silence the children watched as the screegull devoured
its meal. Oriel finally broke the silence.
"It ate the dragon," she said quietly, looking stunned. She wiped a
tear from her cheek.
"Poor baby dragon." Kerith bawled, big tears rolling down her
cheek. She reached for Sian and hugged her tight.
"I know, Kerith," Sian said as she put her arms around her youngest
charge. She herself felt a bit winded by the suddenness of the animal's
fate. Silently, the older children gathered up their discarded garments.
Wanting to avoid the fatal spot on the mud where the creature had met
its fate, Sian led the way to the path, taking the children back to
where the buckets of berries and the rest of their gear awaited.
Silently, they all washed off the mud and put on their clothes for the
trip home.
Their walk back was a solemn one, overshadowed by the death of the
strange hatchling. Neither Kerith nor Oriel spoke much, and Sian had no
problems herding them back to the house, musing as she did on the
everyday magic that was at work in her small family. While Kerith and
Oriel were grieving for the strange creature by the pond, Finn and Briam
were already making plans to return the next day to search for another
dragon egg.
========================================================================
News of Import
by Claudia Ryan
<Spedtchr1@yahoo.com>
Sy 30-Seber 1, 1018
A delicate woman paused as she walked through the market in Dargon,
her skin was golden. She had very black hair and her eyes were almond
shaped and tilted up at the corners. Though she was tiny, she carried a
large pack on her back. She carried a staff taller than she was but did
not use it to help her walk. Alert, she observed everything around her.
Used to the smells of the road, the forest flowers and wildlife,
she found the smells of humanity to be a very poor substitute. The odors
of effluents and sweaty bodies seemed to fill her head. She knew she
would adjust the longer she was in the city.
She did enjoy watching people though. She stopped again and watched
a pert young woman with a basket on her arm walking slowly along the
market street with a young man following her. The young man did not
realize how deeply he had been hooked. She would wager the couple would
be wed within a sennight; well perhaps it would be a fortnight if the
girl was being very careful.
As she continued walking, a delicious aroma elicited a growl of
hunger from her stomach. Reaching into her sleeve, she felt her small
store of coins. She sighed and walked on though the cooking food tried
to drag her back. She could smell fresh herbs and fresh vegetables. She
hoped her money would get her a room and a meal; if not, at least a room
so she could rest comfortably. It had been a long trip. She was so happy
to have her task almost complete.
A long ship ride had brought her to Sharks Cove. From there, she
and her three companions -- Lo-pho, Osyito, and his wife Sweet Lee --
had purchased a large wagon pulled by two oxen and loaded it with her
personal items, tents, and supplies. Leagues ago an ox had broken its
leg, so she had traded the wagon for a smaller wagon. Over time, after
other mishaps, she had to settle for the cart and donkey.
Sadly, she had lost her companions. Lo-pho had succumbed to lung
fever. Sweet Lee, her personal maid, had followed shortly with the same
ailment. After the donkey had died, she and Osyito pulled and pushed the
cart. Three days ago Osyito died. He had seemed to just wither away
after Sweet Lee's death. She had buried him under a willow tree as he
asked her to. She could not push the cart by herself so she had packed a
bag with what she needed and managed to push the cart under some trees
and piled brush over it hopefully hiding these precious bits of her life
so that she would be able to retrieve them in the future. Then she
completed her walk to Dargon on foot.
Every few feet different sights, sounds and scents wafted by her. A
tavern door opened and let out the odors of sawdust and ale along with
the sounds of people singing. A few steps along and a bakery brought the
flavorful scent of fresh bread as a mother walked by with a loaf in her
basket and a laughing young child in her arms. She decided the more
abrasive smells and sounds could be tolerated as long as she had such
pictures and the music of children's laughter to delight her.
The sound of the small child's giggles as he rode on his mother's
hip brought forth memories of her own children's laughter from the
distant past. As she stood remembering, people passed on either side of
her unnoticed.
She could feel the heat. As the sun approached mid sky, the
temperature rose. There was no available shade. She noticed the booths
in the area she was traveling through now were built of wood and
encircled the seller and his or her wares. They were very different from
the earlier vendors selling from push carts, the backs of farm wagons or
from blankets spread on the ground. Looking around, the woman saw a man
who looked like a warrior. She approached him and quietly spoke to him.
"Sir, are you a guard?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I am a guard. How may I help you?" The guard was tall
and looked down at the tiny woman.
"I thought so. You do look like a warrior." Smiling at him, she
retreated into memories of her husband when he was a young warrior and
of her sons as they became such proud young warriors.
"Ma'am, are you all right? What can I do for you?" He appeared to
be worried about the little woman in front of him.
"I beg your pardon, young man; memories sometimes creep up on us
and take over our minds. I was told of a good inn. I forget its name.
The owner though, I remember her name. It is May. She is said to have a
good and quiet inn. Would you know of this inn?"
"Yes Ma'am, I know of it. Let me walk you to May's inn."
So the tall young guard walked with little steps as he escorted the
tiny old woman to the inn. After the guard left her at the inn, the
woman went in and found the person who appeared to be in charge standing
behind a counter.
She introduced herself. "Hello, my name would be Sue-Linn in your
language. I need a room." Taking an assortment of coins from her sleeve,
she asked, "Will this be enough?"
The woman counted the coins and nodded her head saying, "You will
get some money back."
"Will that amount pay for a meal?"
"That amount will pay for a supper and a breakfast. I am called
May, let me show you to your room."
Following May, Sue-Linn asked, "Will it possible for me to get a
tub and hot water early in the morning?"
"Yes, that can be arranged." May said as she opened the door to a
room close to the dining room.
May yawned and shook her head. She had gotten up early because of
the tiny little woman the guard had brought to her. The woman had come
out into the dining room to eat her supper. Thanking May for the good
food, she had retired.
This morning May had brought the tub to the door of the room then
returned for the two buckets of hot water. The woman had opened the door
and moved the tub in and let May in to put the buckets down.
The cook was up now and cooking while May sat behind her desk. She
heard a door open and close then a click-clack noise. Standing, she saw
the old woman wrapped in a sheet with her hair in an elaborate style
with jewels dangling from crossed enameled sticks stuck through the
hair. Her face had makeup unlike any May had ever seen before. May's
mouth must have dropped open because the old woman covered her mouth and
actually giggled.
"I apologize for staring. You are so different from the woman who
came in yesterday," May blurted out.
"I, also, apologize for laughing. You had your mouth open and it
just seemed funny to me. Is it too early to get a small bite for
breakfast as you call it?" Sue-Linn walked closer and May saw what was
making the click-clack noise. Sue-Linn's shoes were on wood platforms.
They made her taller and changed how she walked.
"No, it is not too early. There should be porridge and bread and
cheese along with milk or ale. What would you prefer?"
"A small porridge, cheese and bread would be good, please."Sue-Linn
wrinkled her nose and said "No ale, perhaps water please."
May served her and returned with a mug and said, "Do you mind if I
join you?"
"Please do, May."
"You are definitely not what you seemed to be yesterday," May
stated with her head to one side...
"No, I am not." Sue-Linn gave May a tiny smile.
"I do not wish to pry. Well, perhaps I do. But, I also want to help
you in any way I can. I have a feeling that you will need my help in
some way or another." May sat up. "You seem to be preparing as if for a
state visit. Are you going to the keep?" Leaning slightly forward, Mae
waited for an answer.
"You are a bright young woman. You would have to be to take care of
such a business as you have here though. Yes, I am going to the keep. I
must deliver something to a man from my country, news and things." With
this said, the old woman looked down with a sad look enveloping her.
Though curious, May did not wish to intrude on this old woman's
sadness.
Making a quick decision, May spoke up. "Well, in those shoes it
would take you all day to walk to the ferry and up the hill. I will have
my groom
hitch up my wagon. I will drive you up to the keep." May stated
this firmly as if she would take no argument over what she offered.
"You are so kind; I have nothing to pay you for your kindness." The
old woman rose and bowed deeply.
"I am kind, perhaps, but nosey for true. I may learn the story of
why you are really in Dargon and that will be worth much more than
driving you to the keep. Now sit and finish your food. When do you wish
to go?" May and Sue-Linn talked for a short while then separated to
prepare for the trip to the keep.
May came into the inn from checking that the small wagon had been
made ready for the short trip to the keep and walked into the dining
room only to be met with the sight of Sue-Linn sitting by a window in
full formal regalia. She was stunned by the beauty of the clothes the
old woman wore. Sue-Linn was dressed in what must have been silk. She
was all in white from the jewels in her hair to the platform shoes on
her feet. She wore a wide sleeved robe that went from her neck to her
feet and was covered in white on white embroidery of fantastical
mythical creatures like dragons and many May did not recognize. There
was a wide sash around Sue-Linn's middle with an arrangement that was
folded in the middle of her back. Sue-Linn was fanning herself with a
beautiful white fan.
May softly let out a sigh and said, "Oh my!"
Sue-Linn closed her fan and rose to turn around one time. Facing
May and bowing, she asked, "Do you like how I am dressed, May?"
May grinned and responded, "Oh, yes! That is the most beautiful
clothing I have ever seen! I now know you must be a great lady in the
country you come from" After saying this, May gave in to an impulse and
bowed from the waist.
Sue-Linn tapped her fan to her hand and laughed. "May, you have
shown me that your people truly have good manners. That was a beautiful
bow. You need not bow to me though. I am not a great lady. In my
country, you might say I was highly placed. I am not in my country
here."
"If you are ready we can leave." May suggested. A broken cart is
causing a backup in traffic on the road to the main gate of the keep. We
will take the ferry at Murchison and Rock streets then after we leave
the ferry; we will take a turn off to the south gate. We will go through
some of the Old City then up a steep hill to the keep.
"Oh my, if you were not helping me, I might have had trouble
getting to the keep. I am so very thankful you are helping me."
Picking up a small white pillow with a cylinder laying across it
Sue-Linn asked May, "Perhaps when we get to the keep you could carry
this for me?"
Taking the objects from Sue-Linn, May said, "I would be honored to
be of assistance."
They walked slowly out of the inn to begin their trip to the keep.
As May drove the cart off the ferry she saw that the road to the
main gate had not been cleared yet so she drove on to the south gate of
the Old City. She had to pull up because there were some cows in the
road just before the south gate into the city. She noticed a young girl
with bruises on her trying to herd the cows off the road. A guard and
his son helped her. Once the cows were off the road May drove on through
the gate and soon made a turn up a steep hill to the gate of the keep.
One of the guards spoke to May. "Good morning Mistress May. What
brings you up to the keep so early this morning?"
"I have the honor of escorting the Lady Xie-Linn Michiya who is
here to meet with her son, Lord Ittosai Michiya, bringing news of great
import."
I haven't seen him recently. I will see if I can find someone who
will know how to contact him. If you will drive into the keep, I will
follow and show her where she may wait."
The guard helped Lady Michiya down from the wagon. May handed her
the staff she walked with and her fan. May walked behind the Sue-Linn as
they made their way up the stairs and down a hallway. May carried a tube
on a white silk pillow which was embroidered in white thread in the same
shapes as on the robe.
As they entered the keep, the guard who had walked faster than the
two women was returning with a woman, possibly a housekeeper. "Ladies,
this is Venishe Vrute. She will help you. I will see that the wagon and
donkey are taken to the barn and cared for until you are ready for
them."
Venishe escorted them to a small sitting room and offered them some
refreshments. "Ittosai Michiya is in the duke's meeting with the
knights.
A message has been taken to the meeting and will be given to him at the
first opportunity."
Sue-Linn thanked her as the housekeeper left the room. The
housekeeper replied, "You are welcome. If you have any desires or needs,
you may pull the cord next to the door and someone will come and help
you." May and Sue-Linn waited in the sitting room. Venishe brought
another pitcher of juice and tray of snack food mid way through the
morning.
Sue-Linn smiled, "I often told my children that patience is a
virtue and patience is always rewarded. My sons took the lesson better
than my daughters did."
Just after the mid day bell rang, Ittosai Michiya entered the room
in a rush. The Lady Michiya knelt down and put her head on the floor in
front of him. He tried to get her to rise. Speaking in Baranurian, so
May would understand, she told him to stop. "Son, I must kneel because
of the news I bring you. Listen to me! Your brothers and father have
died in the defense of our Emperor and country. They destroyed the enemy
but not before the last one, your father, was cut down. His men brought
your brothers and father home. The Emperor even came to the funeral. He
gave me a boon. Since there are no more of our name left in our country,
he allowed me to bring your inheritance to you. Also, knowing you would
not return even if he summoned you, the Emperor paid for the estate and
included that with your inheritance."
Putting her hands up, she spoke to May. "Now, May, the tube."
"My son, please accept your inheritance in the name of your father
and the Emperor." She sternly added, when he hesitated, "Well, take it."
"Before I do my Mother, will you put yourself in exile with me? I
would be thankful and honored if you would allow me to keep you near."
"Ah. Now you understand why I came." Sitting up she said, "I did
miss you, of course. My greedy daughters would put me in a small room
and ignore me." She smiled at him, and continued, "But you, I can bully
and boss about." She laughed and said, "Now help an old woman up.
Letting your mother kneel on this hard floor, you should be ashamed of
yourself." After she was standing, she put her hand on Ittosai's arm,
pointed her fan at May and said, "Son. I have the honor of introducing
you to my friend Darla Thystler who is called May."
May had the story and a new friend.
========================================================================
