Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 22 - An Unexpected Attack

Kengr Plains

Claire sat with her knees pulled up to her chin, deep in thought. In the darkness, the flames of the campfire danced before her eyes. Hypnotized, she watched them flicker and wave and crackle and pop.

So close, it was almost too warm, but she enjoyed the fire's comfort nonetheless. Especially after Reyr's news. The fragrant smell of cooking stew even had her inching closer. The thought of a hearty meal left her stomach growling with impatience. She had eaten little else besides meat and bread all day, and even less in the days before.

Jovari broke their pensive silence. "Tell me again, Reyr, what happened? What did you see when you flew over Belnesse?"

Reyr sighed. He had already gone through the story more than once. "The ruin of an entire city. I saw it from a distance at first, even before my wings carried me directly overhead. Dark ash in piles where buildings once stood. Not even the bell tower was left. By the time I arrived, the smoke had long since vanished." He paused, shaking his head. "Seeing it...so many must have died. So many lives. I can't imagine what they went through."

"It's barbaric!" Koldis let his disgust be known. "They deserved better."

"Aye." Reyr shook his head. "Seeing it was like a nightmare. All I could hope for were survivors. But even then. There was nothing. Nothing. Every living soul...burned to death." He threw a handful of dried grass into the flames. They crackled. "Nothing was left standing."

"Only dragon fire can exact such terrible damage," said Jovari.

Reyr inhaled then let out a loud exhale. "I can still smell it," he scoffed. "Charred flesh and misery. Ick. It's like my nostrils are tainted." He fell silent.

"This is troubling." Koldis rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes far away. He had become thoughtful and level-headed. "I think we would be wise to believe this Mikkin fellow. He is the sole survivor, after all."

"I see no other option. His word is all we have." Reyr grunted. "I was told he walked for days before falling into exhaustion. His caretakers found him unconscious in the fields, his clothing singed and torn, his feet bloody, and his lips parched from days in the sun without water. I don't think someone like that would lie."

"It is a wonder he escaped at all." Jovari voiced the same thought bouncing around in her mind.

"Escaped...do you think?" Reyr tilted his head. "I'm not so sure. Perhaps he was set free."

"If he was set free," said Koldis, "then it was done to send a message."

"Fear mongering." Reyr pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Yes." Koldis sighed. "How can it be that dragons, after thousands of years, could possibly exist?"

Reyr shook his head. "I will tell you this, when we bring this news to the lower council, they will laugh at us. The very idea—the existence of dragons—is something no one would dare believe."

"It does seem absurd." Koldis stood and threw another log on the fire, glancing quickly at her before looking away. "Strange things are happening in Dragonwall," he muttered, almost too quietly to be heard.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the food was ready, eager to change the subject. The stew was the best thing she had tasted in days. Consequences of her ever-present hunger. Going back for a second and a third helping, she ate greedily and in silence.

"Mikkin said there were nearly one hundred dragons," Reyr blurted during the meal.

"Far too many for my liking," Koldis answered.