The Dragonlady

Chapter Thirtyone

Rin was startled awake, a hand clamped around her mouth. The last thing she saw was Parmer struggling with two men before everything went dark. The next thing she knew, Eno was shaking her awake and calling her name.

"Rin! Are you hurt?" Eno hugged her as she blinked. It was still dark, and her head hurt. She rubbed the lump forming on the back of her skull.

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"I found Kitty in the same state." Eno said. "Where's Parmer?"

Rin shook her head, still massaging the lump. "He...he was struggling with two men, then everything went dark."

"You've been hit too?" Eno ran his hands over the back of her head, wincing when he felt the lump. He sighed in despair. "I think he's been abducted...at least, I hope so. He's not here."

"But...why?"

"Because he's close to winning?" Eno suggested. "That's the only thing that makes sense to me. The dragons are all there, Kitty was knocked out so they could enter, you were knocked out because you were with him. You saw two men, another hit you, that makes three of them, enough to carry Parmer away if they knocked him out too."

"Someone needs to tell Lord Tobias." Rin said, grabbing clothing. She still felt dizzy, but needed to be doing something. "How's Kitty?"

"Daisy's with her." Eno stood at the entrance of the shelter waiting while Rin dressed. "Why didn't the dragons react? They are still sleep."

Rin stopped by the pile of dragons. Despite their size, they still liked to sleep curled up in a heap. All were asleep, as Eno had said. She poked one or two, but they didn't stir. "Perhaps some of the food got drugged after all."

"This was planned. Maybe last night was just a trial run. I don't think it's other contestants." Rin said as they made their way over to Eno's shelter, now glowing with light from candles. "They have been cheerful and welcoming. They all seem to rate a fair contest."

Eno kissed Daisy on the cheek as soon as they arrived. Kitty was drinking, and Daisy offered Rin a similar cup. "You've bin 'it too? Sip it, 't'will mek the 'urt be less. Lord Parmer?"

"Gone...as we suspected." Eno shook his head sadly. "Three of them. Didn't stand a hope alone."

"Didn't see nobody." Kitty apologised. "Just got hit." She rubbed her head in the same spot as Rin had been hit. "Still hurts."

"Mine too." Rin sat next to her maid, and hugged her. "I don't blame you."

"I failed." Kitty sobbed. "I was asked to do a job, and I failed you."

"I failed too, and I was next to him." Rin said.

"You can cope, Daisy?" Eno said, filling a sock with pebbles.

"Aye, that I can." Daisy said, glancing at her cooking utensils. Plenty of weaponry there, she thought. Eno nodded with satisfaction.

"I'll inform Tobias. He should know what to do now." Eno left, clutching the make-shift cosh in his hand. He didn't run, but didn't dawdle, not wishing to arrive out of breath. The city glowed with light, and he headed toward it, dreading the news he would have to impart. Where was Parmer now?

"He's been ...what?" Tobias yelled in shock.

"Abducted. Kidnapped, we assume. Definitely gone. Three men, we believe." Eno twisted the pebble-filled sock in his hands. "Rin saw two with Parmer, and one grabbed her and knocked her out." Eno related his tale, watching as Tobias received the news, and recovered from the shock, glad that he had insisted on a private word.