Chronicles of Carnezia (Book 3): Rocks and Sand

Chapter 2: Favours

Chapter 2: Favours

            Taking out my map, I laid it out on top of the chest of drawers. Ky just watched as I pondered over what he had told me. All that kept going through my head was heat, fire and eggs and trying to properly get my head to connect it all together. It did not help that I knew anyone could make fire and use to make some sort of nest for the eggs to remain in or on; that did not seem like the right solution somehow. Eventually, I gave up and laid out on my bed. When I opened my eyes again, Ky was holding the map above my head. More precisely, he held the top left corner directly above my eyes.

            ‘Ohhh, now it makes sense.’ The dot that represented the city of Dest stood out to me and surrounding it was the beige smudge of a desert. ‘But that’s the desert.’

            ‘Yes, it is.’

            I took the map off him and rolled it up before slipping it back into the drawer. ‘In case it hasn’t escaped your notice, it is rather hot in the north anyway. Going into a northern desert sounds insane let alone thinking about going there.’

            ‘So? I am sure it is the perfect place to hide a dragon’s egg. How many are still missing?’

            ‘I have no idea and I doubt there are any that are certain how many were taken in the first place. And even less certainty that every single one survived.’

            ‘Better to know for sure. Where did you say Frain was flying to anyway?’ he asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

            Smiling to myself, I remembered where Doran had said Hydra might take Frain. ‘North. It’s where most of the exploring dragons go.’ I thought on the idea a lot more. ‘Maybe if we go then we might catch up with them somewhere,’ I said out loud.

            ‘See. My ideas aren’t always idiotic.’

            ‘I never said they were.’ I smiled at him more and sat cross-legged next to my pillows. ‘Alright, we will go but not today.’

            ‘Tomorrow?’

            I shook my head. ‘No, give it a few days.’ I wondered how we would get to Dest and came to two options. Either Torrin could fly us there within a day or two, or we could ride horseback all the way which would take much longer. I preferred the first option but Ky might hate the thought of flying. I was not all that used to flying on such a large dragon anyway so I made my silent decision then and there before getting some food. Doran came back rather late that day but he kept to himself as usual. I snuck out to watch the night dragons (as I called them) flying around the cloud base and the sentinels keeping watch from the city walls. Ky followed me wherever I went though hardly talking except to complain when the wind picked up and he was getting cold. After telling him three times that he should have brought his coat, I ignored him and went over to the slumbering, scaly mass that was Torrin’s snoozing form. ‘Excuse me, Torrin but could I ask you for a favour?’

            He slowly aroused himself from sleep in a dreary manner. ‘And what favour could I give you?’ he asked, not getting to his feet nor lifting his head off the ground.

            ‘If you agree to it, would you fly me and my friend to the desert town?’

            ‘Why do you wish to go there?’

            I briefly explained my reasons for going though he had his own additions to my reasons. ‘I suppose we could go but not soon.’ He raised his great head off the grass and gazed up at the stars. ‘It has been awhile since I saw the yellow lands. Very well, I shall take you.’ His eye swivelled to look at me like a rich black diamond.