Chapter 11

Vulnaire

Jaydon trotted down the road, searching his memories for the direction of Vulnaire. He knew Ralem had taken the trip a couple times, and that it was in the east. It was such a big city that Jaydon wasn’t worried about missing it. He was a little miffed, though, about not being able to fly there. He thought Ralem was too cautious. How could mere knights kill him while he was in his territory; the sky? In his view he thought he was most vulnerable in this human form. Humans were so small, defenseless, flightless, and smelly.

The clouds seem to call to him as they floated in the sky. The birds twittered above his head, fluttering in the air. In Jaydon’s mind they were gloating that they could fly and he could not. He shook his head. He had to listen to his Rider even if it seemed crazy. I guess this is how a human feels, he though dejectedly.

He raced on tirelessly, the miles flying by unnoticed. But the one big problem with running so fast was the bugs. They committed suicide on his face, and he didn’t dare open his mouth, in case he would swallow something. Finally he got so frustrated at the constant barrage of bugs he created a wind around his face that would direct the unwary insects around his head. I hate bugs, he thought, I wish I could just burn them all.

Suddenly he stopped, sniffing the air. Horses and men. Probably more than ten each. All of them haven’t bathed in at least a month. They were walking in full armor in the sun, so it wasn’t hard to pick up their scent. Jaydon slowed to a walk, so as to not cause suspicion because of his speed. Sure enough, when he turned a corner he saw a group of twelve men on horseback in the distance. Jaydon knew they had seen him, so he continued unhurriedly on. When the horses neared; the commander, who was accented with a plume on his helmet, asked, “Who are you and what is your business?”

 “My name is Jaydon and I am on my way to Vulnaire.”

“On this route? Surely you know that there is a road leading to the very place? This is not safe. Haven’t you heard of the great dragon that has been prowling hereabouts?”

“Yes, but I like the scenic view,” Jaydon said, truthful, yet not the whole truth. He couldn’t help having a tinge of pride about the way he said ‘great dragon’.

The commander gave an exasperated sigh at the recklessness of youth and tried to spur his horse onward but at that moment the horse caught the scent of Jaydon. It backed up, screaming and rearing. The panic traveled to the other horses like a disease. The other troops fought to keep control of their beasts. One toppled off and his horse bolted in the other direction.

“The dragon must be near!” the commander exclaimed, his mustache quivering in excitement as he fought to stay on his horse.

“It could just be a bear,” another soldier suggested, who was trying to lead his horse, but it was splay-legged. It wasn’t going anywhere.

All the knights took their lances out as they peered into the forest. The horses, wild with fear were about to bolt. They shivered in terror, the whites of their eyes showing as they pulled desperately away from their riders.

While they were busy, Jaydon took the opportunity to make a huge half circle around the company. He continued on his way, laughing that they would be searching for a dragon that they had just let pass right under their nose.

He knew he was almost there when he saw the red fields that Redfield was named after begin to dwindle into the usual green grass. The huge, laughing, singing trees that had been his sole companions on the trip also began to dwindle as he neared the city.

 A sudden movement caught his eye.

A deer was munching in the grass across the field. Jaydon’s eyes narrowed as he focused on his target. His teeth involuntarily grew, curling over his lip, and claws started to form. He started judging the distance between himself and his meal before he stopped himself. Ralem told me not to turn into a dragon, he reminded himself, trying to restrain from becoming his true form.

He searched the surrounding area quickly. No one. It won’t matter if no one sees me, he told himself. His grumbling belly reminded him of how hungry he was. Just this once, he thought as the mist enveloped him once more. In a matter of seconds he was once again king of the skies. He reveled in his strength, as inside him the fire rose, churning through his blood, igniting a blast of power within. He shot a flaming column in the air in his bliss, startling the deer, who bounded away. But it was too late for the deer. The dragon’s powerful hind leg’s bunched up as he prepared to launch. With a great leap he half extended his wings using the wind to urge him onward. In less than a second the deer was gone and Jaydon was tearing ravenously into its meat. It was delicious, but he was disturbed from his meal when he heard a sharp ping. He looked up to see the source of the noise. Then his sharp eyes picked up silver helmets shining in the sun at the edge of the field, half hidden by the tall grass.

Feeling suddenly defensive he roared defiantly at the soldiers, which was answered by another hail of arrows. The ones that hit their mark all just broke or glanced off his scales. But one dug into his less armored wing, tearing the parchment-like skin. It didn’t hurt much and healed instantly, but he had had enough. I can handle this, he thought. He jumped toward the group, grabbing the man closest to him. He held him there, under his large, curved, claws as he inhaled deeply so he could fry the man. The man tried to struggle, but he couldn’t hope to escape. The other soldiers were running like scared chickens. But when Jaydon’s looked into the man’s eyes, wide with fear, he thought, I can’t just take his life just because he’s stupid . Disgusted with himself he raised his claws, the man crawling away as fast as he could.

He raised his wings, summoning the wind to carry him to the edge of the forest. Once he was crouched onto the soft earth at the other side, the mist shrouded him as he changed into a human. He continued on his way, his shoulders hunched as he thought about what he was about to do. He resolved to himself not to tell Ralem about this incident.

He ran to the nearest road, slowing his pace again. He smelled the city before he got there. It was not a good smell and he vainly tried to make his smelling ability closer to humans so it wouldn’t be so nauseating. At the road there was quite a crowd that was going in and out of the city. The city was just as big as Ralem remembered it, even from a dragon’s point of view. People were everywhere, mulling about and hustling to get in. All different shades, shapes, and sizes of people were milling about, with clothes so different and vibrant. He got caught in the crowd, but on instinct took in everything around him. The soldiers; laughing and chatting with one another, holding lances loosely in their hands; the lizard that perched on one man’s shoulder, the boys playing in the dirt, the man in a head scarf with bad breath besides him.  

“Sir,” he heard a voice say below him. He looked down to find a little boy, who was looking nervous but was backed by two other boys who were pushing him toward Jaydon. “Is that blood on your lips?”

Jaydon, who was taken by surprise, began quickly rubbing it off, “No, just some….” Jaydon was a terrible liar and he knew it, “Cherry paste…”

The boys let out an audible sigh and got back to playing.

That was a close one, he thought. Then he caught sight of a flash of gold. It was Ralem’s horse, Firetail! They were right ahead of him, partially hidden by a ridiculous hairstyle that the woman in front of him donned. Furiously wiping his face to get any remaining blood off it, he ran up to Ralem.

Ralem saw him before they made it into town, “Why were you so slow?” he smiled, then more seriously, “Did you meet anyone on the way?” The bird’s head on Meghan’s back was creating a lot of conversation. People were openly gaping, pointing, and whispering among themselves at the spectacle.

“Yes, I met some soldiers along the way,” Jaydon took a step closer and the horses started to freak out again. Using the horse’s disturbance as an excuse to not completely answer the question, Jaydon called, “I’ll meet you,” then disappeared in the crowd, as far away from horses as possible.

The sun was dictating that it was time for supper. And even though he had had that deer, he was still hungry. So when he walked into the market the aroma pulled him in like a fish on the hook. Spices, pastries, fruits, and bread were everywhere, but the one that really caught his eye was the meat hanging in one shop. There was so many, cooked in so many ways, and some were not cooked. He stared inside the store for a while before entering. The smell was delicious to him and it took everything he had not to just stuff meat into his mouth. Mastering the emotion, he grabbed some juicy steaks and headed for the door.

“You are going to pay for that, right?” The butcher drawled, a glittering knife in hand as he cut up a lamb.

Oh, he thought. He’d forgotten about money. Humans and their money, he thought. He didn’t understand why anyone would want to trade goods for little pieces of silver that wasn’t even shiny. He could understand jewels, but other than that money was no good to him. He remembered Ralem had some money in his pocket. So, reaching into his own, he produced some of the silver coins and pressed them on the table. The butcher raised a caterpillar-like eyebrow.

“How much will this pay for?”

Jaydon walked out of the store with a whole crate of meat, feeling very happy with himself. Found us an inn, he heard Ralem say, where are you?

In the market, he replied.

Well then meet me at the Drakinn. Sorry, I just thought you’d think it was ironic. A dragon in the Drakinn, he laughed, though Jaydon didn’t think it was very funny. It’s a big dark building with a… Oh but you already know that… never mind.

  Jaydon continued down the street, earning more than a few glances. The stray dogs retreated from him, but snarled, their hackles raised as they tried to look more fierce. One persistent golden-haired dog didn’t retreat but kept on following him, barking the whole time. Finally Jaydon turned back on the dog and growled back, flashing his teeth when nobody was looking. The dog whined, and with its tail between its legs it turned tail and scurried into the crowd.

Jaydon made sure to maneuver as far as he could from the carriages and horses. They would get nervous when he was near, and he didn’t want them throwing more people. It was hard not to, it was so interesting studying the architecture, which was grand and overly flamboyant, with carved cherubic angels and grand human statues gracing every other building it seemed.

Vulnaire was like a maze. It was big and the buildings were tall. But it was a bright city. Almost everyone wore bright clothes and the buildings were a myriad of different colors. It was like a crazed peacock had designed the place. The colors didn’t match at all. They were so random and vivid that they hurt Jaydon’s sharp eyes. The smell wasn’t much better on his nose. Once he spotted a woman throwing a chamber pot into the street, its contents spilling into the road. That drew attention to the fact that the streets were covered with horse and people feces. The dragon was disgusted with the urban humans, and the filth they lived in.

 In the distant there was the castle, looming dark and menacing as it overlooked the city like a mother dragon guarding her eggs (or so Jaydon thought). Despite his analogy he didn’t like the look of the castle one bit.

He spotted the Drakinn Inn. It was not hard to find because a huge dragon head was on top of the door, its sinuous body wrapping around the side of the building. It was made of wood, with bulging eyes and a long, lolling tongue that spilled out of a mouth that was ringed with teeth. In its gaping mouth hung a board that read Drakinn Inn. Jaydon laughed at the sight. It was the most ridiculous dragon he’d ever seen. But when he thought about it he hadn’t seen any other dragons. He didn’t even know what other dragons looked like!

The thought troubled him, but he pushed through the crowd that gathered around the Inn. Inside he was met by the talbots. The guard dogs, who were short and stocky, growled at him, their ugly piggy eyes glaring at him from between the their folds of wrinkles. A lady grabbed them both by their collars, dragging them away from him. She threw them through another door with some choice words. Without looking around she stated in monotone, “Sorry, all our rooms are taken.”

“I have a room.”

“Name?” she asked, reaching for a folder.

“Uh… Ralem.”

“Oh of course,” she peered at him closer and Jaydon discovered she was half blind, “I just saw you walk to your room. Go ahead.”

Jaydon walked past her to find a huge entrance hall. It was lined with dragon things, vases, figurines, and even one entwining a chair. There was a half-circle of plush sofas and chairs on top of a beautiful dragon rug. Jaydon set down his crate and fingered one of the wooden figurines. It had wings that curled over its body, a horse-like head with ears. A very long neck led to a slender body and a long tail. It was roaring as a knight with a lance aimed his weapon at its heart.

Jaydon snorted. That knight stood no chance. All the dragon had to do was hiccup and the knight would be cooked in his armor.

“Don’t touch the dragons,” the innkeeper’s wife said in her droning voice.

He placed it gently back down. What chamber number?

Six, Ralem answered.

He walked down the corridor, counting the room numbers. Every door had a different dragon painted on it. When he found his own room it was a green dragon. In curly script it read Common Forest Dragon. The dragon had a frill chillingly like the creature Arianna had shot in the forest. It had a blunt head and bulky body. It’s wings were dragging on the ground and its tail ended in a spikes. Jaydon grimaced. That dragon probably won’t find himself a mate.

He set the crate down and turned the dragons-head knob, but it wouldn’t budge. He put more weight on it to open it. The door was open so fast he almost fell on the floor. “Whoa,” Ralem said, “don’t break the door down.” Jaydon found himself in the nicest room he’s ever seen. His thought probably didn’t have any weight to it since he hadn’t seen a bedroom in his life. But it was nice. Two beds with double mattresses graced the room. Three windows overlooked town square and let the sun’s warm rays through. Paintings of dragons lined the room. A chest sat at the foot of both of the beds. An ornate pitcher of water sat in the corner alongside a brass basin.

Ralem was also admiring it, “You know I didn’t just get this inn for the irony. This is the nicest inn in Vulnaire. Cost a fortune. I’m broke,” he said sadly, turning his pockets inside out. “But don’t worry the bird’s head will give us more than enough to get us supplies for the quest. Speaking of which, what is in the crate?”

“Meat,” Jaydon said, picking the crate up again and setting it on the table. He uncovered the top to reveal meat from a variety of creatures. There was deer, cow, duck, goat, and chicken (Jaydon had wanted to see what tasted the best so he asked the butcher to give him a little of everything). Ralem looked in incredulously, “How did you get this? Did you steal it?”

“No, I bought it.”

Ralem raised an eyebrow, “You don’t have any money.”

“Not anymore,” Jaydon replied.

“Where did you get the money from?”

“From my pocket,” Jaydon explained, wondering why this was such a big deal.

“Where did you get that money from?”

“From my pocket,” Jaydon said patiently.

“So it just appeared in your pocket?” Ralem asked. Jaydon nodded like this was the most obvious answer.

“So can you make money appear in your pocket right now?”

“No,” Jaydon said, starting to get a little annoyed at how slow Ralem was, “Because you don’t have any money in your pocket.”

Ralem gaped at Jaydon, and then quickly reached for a figurine that adorned the dresser by the bed. He stuffed it in his pocket, “Can you summon that?” 

Jaydon wondered why Ralem would want another dragon figurine. But he did it anyway, and took an exact duplicate of the figurine out of his pocket.

“That makes sense. That’s why you had clothes on whenever you became a human. Because you can put on any apparel that I’m wearing,” his face turned into a greedy light as money signs flashed in his mind's eye.

Jaydon, who was already busy munching on some steak, read Ralem’s thoughts and growled. “I will not be used for selfish means by anyone, even you! Do not even think of such vile things! A man greedy for money is a revolting idea to me. Can you imagine all the things that could have turned out better if some men cared for others as much as they cared for their money? Do not even think of doing that again.”

Ralem protested, “But you…”

Jaydon growled louder. Ralem shut up.

There was a knock on the door, “No dogs allowed!”

Ralem doubled up on the floor, laughing his head off. Jaydon just continued eating his meat. When Ralem finished laughing he sat up, his face red from laughing so much, “Do you have any cooked meat?” he asked breathily.

Jaydon nodded and handed him a half bitten chunk of chicken. For a moment Ralem wondered if you could catch diseases from dragons. He shrugged and ate anyway, because he was starved and sore from the long ride.

They ate in silence. After a while Ralem got into his bed. Just before he drifted off to sleep he felt the weight shift on his bed and something nudge his feet. He peered over the covers to find Jaydon curled at the foot of his bed. Amused, he reached over and tapped his dragon. At once the green eyes floodlit the room. “There’s a bed over there for you,” he said, pointing.

“I’m fine here,” he replied, the glare from his eyes boring green holes into Ralem’s vision.

“No. I’d rather you have your own bed. You need the space.” With a sigh Jaydon got up and curled up on the other bed, not even bothering with the covers, preferring to sleep in a tight ball on top of them.

The last thing he thought before sleep overtook him was the desperate hope that dragons don’t snore.