DRAGONHEART: Dawn of A New Beginning

Chapter 17

Geoff had left the dungeons when Drake had asked to be allowed to go to sleep after promising to meet Geoff in the yard closer to sunset, Bowen had been waiting with a red tunic, elegantly embroidered and ready for him.

The teen was in his lower room of the stables. The half doors that led out into the yard banged a bit as someone entered, Geoff listened to the frustrated shifting of the person before an irritated sigh echoed in the barn.

"Geoff? You in here?"

Geoff groaned to himself, knowing exactly who it was. "Coming Mansel."

Geoff came back up to the regular level of the stable and began putting a few mementos in a sack. Finally, the awkward silence was broken as he came into Mansel's line of sight.

"You have no idea what you've done." The novice began in an aggravated tone.

"Of course I do, I got Drake out of that prison you and Friar Peter locked him in, and I taught him to fly...mostly...and I got myself out of the stables." Geoff replied, checking the water level of the two horses out of habit before going to his worktable and picking up a few things.

"Only four more days, all I had to do was keep Drake safe till then and then he would have been free to live his life, but you..." Mansel cut himself off with an exasperated sigh.

Geoff rolled his eyes, "Safe from what, what's gonna happen in four days?"

"A prophecy that says that an ancient evil will take hold of this land, using a dragon's heart." Mansel explained as he followed Geoff around the barn, nearly getting wacked in the head as Geoff pushed one of his old practice dummy's extended wooden posts out of the way .

Geoff almost burst out laughing, but just scowled and began taunting the monk, "Ancient evil? Drake? You've got the wrong dragon...come on Mansel, I hate to even think of it because its Drake's father but...what if Draco was really the dragon of this so called prophecy your'e talking about? I think he would be more likely to be the prophecy dragon...scary thought."

"No...it's...he's..."

Geof grinned, mocking his closest age acquaintance in the entire monastery, "That doesn't explain about that other dragon Mansel, it's not even a full sentence. Besides it makes sense, for some unknown reason, a dragon who was dead comes back as a falling star coming down from the sky? "

"What you said really doesn't make any sense actually, because Draco earned his place in the stars for the good of us humans. Furthermore why would a dragon that saved man kind be summoned back to just undo all that?

Geoff shrugged, "I don't know, i just see Draco being more capable of doing the job than Drake."

"Fine. Lets say that it could be either one," Mansel said irritably, "but if it's not Draco..."

Geoff sighed rolling his eyes, "Mansel, its Drake we’re takin’ about..."

"He doesn't have to be evil for evil to use him, Drake is an innocent, he's easily mislead."

Geoff turned to go back down to his room to change, the light was dimming drastically outside and Drake would be emerging soon. "Don't worry, I'll protect him."

"Who's going to protect him from you?"

Mansel's last words made Geoff stumble to a stop, turning to face the novice a he left the stables in a huff.

Drake stepped out of the dungeon into the yard as Mansel was leaving from a side monastery door with the abbot and Brother Gilbert, probably to the banquet, and Geoff was talking with Liane over by the wagon.