Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

51: Jarryd

Jarryd explained to Rufus why he thought the sword might help, giving the purple dome a few experimental prods while he spoke. Rufus stood on the other side of the barrier, his face long.

Jarryd was hopeful when contact with the magical substance of the dome made the sword gleam. They did not have much time left for the light revealed the two men moving across the valley floor would arrive soon.

Jarryd slashed. The blade sliced through the prison wall. They both yelled with glee when a rent opened but the membrane began healing itself nearly as fast as he could cut.

With no hope of cutting a dragon-sized hole, Jarryd passed the sword in to Rufus. He stood clear as the green dragon slashed and hacked until his head, chest and arms were out.

Jarryd rolled up his bedroll and strapped it to his back, ready to leave as soon as the dragon was free.

"Here, let me do it," called Jarryd. "You're nearly out." He ran up on to his dragon's shoulders, took the sword when Rufus passed it up to him, and widened the hole. Rufus moved forward a little more but his folded wings would not pass. Jarryd ducked through the rent, moving backwards along the green dragon's spine.

He almost had a space cleared for the right wing when the dome began adjusting itself to the dragon's shape.

"No. No. No!" Jarryd shouted, helpless to prevent the barrier from sealing him in, still on Rufus's back. He could not believe it.

Trapped again.

Jarryd threw the sword down, disgusted, and jumped down to the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said, stroking the green dragon's nose. "I should have let you do the cutting. I was too slow."

"Driscoll will save us," Rufus said.

"What?"

"I called Driscoll." Rufus looked down at him, pride in his moonlit eyes. "I am not stupid, you know. I would not let such a chance pass."

Jarryd kissed the closest scale several times. "Rufus, you are the smartest green dragon in the world," he said.

With Jarryd's ire slowly subsiding, and with the dragon rumbling by his side, they waited, watching the two men approach. They wondered, aloud, if these men were their captors and, if so, what did they want.

Perhaps, it was mere coincidence, Jarryd mused, that their abduction coincided with Dax meeting Taniel.

Whatever, he thought; Dax had better not touch her again.

***

29 March 2017 - Added this short scene to keep the timeline in order.

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