Chronicles of Carnezia (Book 2): Wilderness

Chapter 26: Fordem

Chapter 26: Fordem

            Much later in the night, having let my dinner settle first, Frain was harnessed up and I was just clambering onto his back. We were just about to head over to the town when Frain suddenly started swinging his head around as he looked up at the blackened sky. He seemed to be following or finding something but I couldn’t see anything. Taking my leg out of the foot strap, I walked along his side to the base of his neck.

            ‘What is it?’ I asked, sounding rather worried.

            Squinting his eyes, he still kept a watchful gaze on the heavens. ‘I’m sure I can smell a dragon or something just as big.’ He dropped his head and gazed at me with a confused yet self-frustrated stare. ‘Sorry, you wanted to be flying right now.’

            For the second time, I climbed up onto his back but this time without any problems and for once, it took very little time for us to get into the air. It was quite a chilly night which meant the air was a lot heavier. That was a good thing for dragons but pretty complicated. We flew once above the forest so he could get to a decent altitude then we headed up to the town. It really wasn’t that far but Frain was being cautious about being seen as well as his worry over his uncertainty just before.

            He landed on the correct side of the river for me to walk the rest of the way. Once I was back on the ground, he curled his neck so he could look at me as he said goodbye. Placing my hands either side of his jaw, I looked at him with some unhappiness but I knew we would see each other soon.

            ‘Don’t be sad, Frain. I’ll see you tomorrow night,’ I reminded him. ‘Remember though, if I’m not there then just go back to camp and promise me you won’t go in a rage and try to find me.’

            He grumbled lowly and pulled his head out of my hands. ‘I promise but that does not mean that I will still worry about you while we are apart. Promise me that you will take care of yourself?’ he requested.

            As he dropped his head down again, I wrapped my arms round his neck. ‘I promise.’ And with that, I headed off into the dark. It would have been hard to hear if I wasn’t used to the sound of a dragon taking off but it was there; the sudden whoosh of air and a short gust as he flung himself back into the sky.

            There was a long way to walk until I got to Fordem but I did have all night to get there. There was no rushing happening in my head, I was taking my time and that was just how it was going to be. The surrounding landscape was pretty boring but it definitely wasn’t quiet; for instance, I wasn’t that far from the river and it was bubbling and gurgling away as the water flowed to its mouth. It would be nice to visit the coastline and see what the land looked like beyond what I had on my map.

            I had no chance of getting lost; the lights were glowing clearly on the near horizon. They definitely belonged to the town and they were my current bearing. It would have been nice to see it with Frain, as it was my first time ever this far west into the Carnezian land. I was looking forward to it though I guessed the townsfolk wouldn’t if they really knew what had landed so close to their homes in the night. There might be a lot of secrecy on my part but if it meant there wasn’t another riot.

            By the time I got to the first houses, I took a detour straight away from what I had planned in my mind. There was a small harbour that looked artificially made out of one side of the river; cargo ships and barges were lined along the sheltered side and some of them appeared to be freshly docked. The lines of boxes and barrels and even a few net loads of fish told me that this town was probably a self-sustaining one although there was trade up and down the length of the river. That all meant that there was life outside of my mapped regions, human life (possibly) and all the trade was a good sign.