Dragonsbane

The Reward

Chapter 12

The Reward

       Ralem woke to the hubbub of the town. The sun shining in through the window revealed that he had slept in. He looked around the room to find Jaydon had gone. A sudden panic rose in his chest. Who knows what that dragon could be doing? They were so close to the castle that it was scary. For all he knew Jaydon could be frying some poor peasants. For the second time, he attempted to communicate from far away. Where are you?

      Looking around in the shops. They have so many things here…

      Ralem had to stop himself from laughing. A dragon that liked to shop, does it get any crazier? Just be careful. I’ll have money soon for you to buy something, but make sure it’s something useful. We can’t be carrying useless things on our quest.

      But these jewels would complement my scales nicely!

     Go ahead, Ralem sighed, but wait until I have money from the Queen. He was desperately hoping that no one he knew was watching Jaydon. They would think Ralem had a special someone he was buying for.

      Ralem took a nice (maybe a little cold) bath and got dressed. When he went downstairs he found that the last of the oatmeal was being passed out. He ordered a stable boy to get his horses ready and started eating. It was a little lukewarm but filling.

      He walked out into the street to find that the two horses were waiting for him, poor Megan with the bird’s head still on her back. He thanked the stable boy and hopped on Firetail.  He had to go slow due to all the people crowded on the streets. Many of them stopped to stare openly at the bird’s head. One boy tried to touch it. Ralem just continued on, not caring. His mind was on the money his prize would ensue.

      Before he knew it, he was in front of the iron gates of the castle. The curly iron extended like a growing plant, creating a fancy design. It ended at the top, the iron vines ending in razor sharp spikes, jutting out like the teeth of a dragon, a vivid warning for trespassers. Two burly knights stood there, lances blocking the entrance. “State your business,” one of them said gruffly.

      “I have a prize for the Queen.”

      The guard stood up on his tip-toes to look at the birds head. Then he took another look at Ralem and gasped. “Ralem! Your brother came here not long ago saying you were carried off by a dragon. Happy to see you alive and well. You must tell me what you did sometime.” He raised the spear, and the silent man across from him did the same. Ralem hopped off the saddle and led his horses through. Had Aren seen me take off with Jaydon on our first flight? “Thanks, Rafael, Eric,” he said offhandedly as he passed.

      At the foot of the balcony he slid off his mount and handed the palomino’s reigns to a stable boy. His fingers fumbled with the creative straps he had used to fasten the bird’s head to Meghan’s saddle and took a deep breath before grabbing the head by its huge beak. Grabbing the other side, he rolled it off the saddle with a grunt. The moment his hand touched the back of the bird’s head he heard a wet slarp and maggots appeared, white and wiggly under his hand, trying to escape the pressure. He almost dropped the revolting thing, but managed to suck it up and gave a twitchy smile to the guard who was watching him curiously. Hefting the heavy thing for a better grip, he started up the numerous steps leading up to a grand balcony, which was graced by a variety of sweet smelling and vibrant flowers and vines. The smells they were emanating were making his senses go crazy and mingled with the sour odor of death. His nose was working overtime trying to sort out just what kind of scents they belonged to. He sighed. There was much to get used to about being a Rider.