The Dragon Knight Prophecy

1-11 Betrayed by Faith

 Tavis looked over the paper and then tossed it on the tavern table. It seemed impossible to be true, but then they were talking about Gersius.

"So he marches a dragon to Whiteford," he said while sitting back and throwing his booted feet on the table.

Ayawa picked up the page and looked at it again as her eyes narrowed with disbelief. "So it would seem."

"Trust Gersius to actually find one," he said and shifted to get more comfortable. "I suppose we shouldn't have doubted him."

"We?" Ayawa replied with a sound of shock. "It was you who should never have doubted him. I had complete faith in his madness," she said, placing the fingertips of her right hand over her heart.

Tavis shot her a look from under his black broad-rimmed hat. "I was there when you tried to convince him not to go."

"I tried to convince him to take us with," she shot back with a frown.

He gazed at her as she crumpled the paper in her hand. Even when she was angry, Ayawa was a lovely woman. He noted how her brow tightened, and her lower lip twitched in frustration. It was all familiar to him from the years they had been together. He knew every feature of her face from memory and relished the way she carried herself. Ayawa was proud and sure, with a hunter's skill for navigating and deadly accuracy with a bow. She had a slight redness to her skin, common among the people of the southern tribes. Her raven black hair was long and wild but frequently braided with ribbons or ornaments. Today it was a single long rope that down her back to her waist. She had big eyes that sparkled with green and a rather sharp nose. Her lips were full and her face slender, giving her a haughty expression when she glared at someone.

Despite her very feminine appearance, she often wore skins and leathers. She Favored the earthy tones of browns and greens that would blend into the wilds of a forest. Her one peculiarity was her gloves made of the finest cloth. She went out of her way to care for these and always carried an extra pair. She claimed it made the touch of a bowstring more comfortable, but Tavis suspected she simply liked them.

He smiled and conceded the point when he caught sight of the stern look in her eyes.

"I am sure he would be better off if he had let us go," he said, still studying her lips. "The man is good at being a soldier, but this task calls for subtlety and stealth."

"Fighting a dragon calls for armies and arrows," Ayawa shot back as she picked up her mug and downed a full ale.

"Sheesh, woman, you can drink!" Tavis said as she put the empty mug back down.

"Lucky for you, I do," she said with a smile.

"Aww, I thought it was my boyish good looks that won you over," he said, still smiling.

"A few more of these," she said, waiving for another drink. "And you might be that good-looking."

He laughed a full-bodied laugh at her comments. It was one of the things Ayawa loved about him. He could always find humor even in the direst of circumstances, and he knew how to laugh at a good joke.

"So where did he say he wanted us to meet him?" she asked as a fresh mug arrived at the table.

"Some little village called Pinehollow on the road to Whiteford," Tavis said, watching her down another drink.

She pulled the mug away and shook her head as if clearing her thoughts.

"How long did he say we had to get there?"

"Three days."

*******

Gersius was unsettled as the carriage made its way up the ramp to the inner keep. The high walls cast long shadows into the plaza, shrouding the vast space in gloomy darkness. It echoed the feelings at his core as he longed to be at Lilly's side.