Raven's Flight Page 3

  ‘Still hurts,’ he said quickly, rattling his right wing.

  ‘So it seems, although I wonder why.’ One tusk was free, and Audrey moved her bloody knife to the second. ‘You probably should be exercising the muscles. Build up your strength.’

  ‘Probably.’

  ‘And if you need some lift, there are some trees large enough to take your weight.’

  ‘Lift?’

  Audrey sighed. ‘There are several ways to become airborne. One is by gaining speed on the ground, until the lift force is enough to power the plane into the sky. In your case, that probably means a good, strong gallop. Another is by using the height differential between a high place, like a cliff or a tree, and the ground.’ She paused. ‘Or by using hot air, like a balloon does. You float by using a chamber in your chest, and you release the gases as flames. I suspect that your body produces gases which are lighter than air, and that would also help you to fly.’

  The second tusk clattered to the ground. ‘Why do you want those?’ Raven asked.

  ‘Ivory is valuable where I come from. I’m hoping it’s the same here.’ She lifted the tusks. Both were longer than her arms. ‘I need something to trade with when Aingeal and Ysbaddaden come back. I had that lucky find in the vegetable patch, but almost all of the gems are gone.’

  ‘I’ll try to find another mammoth.’

  ‘Until such time, could you retrieve another log from the forest?’

  Raven grumbled under his breath. The day was heating up, and he longed to curl up and take a long nap. But, with an exaggerated sigh, he turned and marched back to the woods. A month ago, under Audrey’s direction, he had pushed over several tall trees. She had chopped off all but a couple of branches, and he gripped one of these in his jaws in order to drag the log to a flat area near their building.

  The sound of metal biting into wood echoed across the valley. Raven brought the tree to her work area, a bare patch of earth near the house. Audrey had stripped down to just a few small pieces of clothing, covering only her waist and her chest. As she swung her axe, the smell of her sweat, pungent but not unpleasant, wafted over his nostrils. He sat down to watch.

  When she stopped for a moment, wiping her wet forehead and taking a gulp of water from an earthen jar, he asked, ‘Why are you doing that?’

  ‘Winters are cold. We’ll need enough wood to keep a fire going.’

  ‘Cold?’ He didn’t like the sound of that. ‘As cold as the water in the lake?’

  ‘Much colder than that.’ Audrey held out her left arm, then made a fist and flexed her muscles. ‘Look at me. No man would have me now. Not with biceps like these.’

  Raven felt his horns twist. ‘What is a man and why would you want him?’

  Audrey laughed. ‘Now, now, dragon, you’re a bit too young for that conversation. But I'm being a fool to myself, at any rate. No man was interested before I crashed here. Muscles actually make very little difference.’

  Now he was more confused than ever. ‘Why wasn’t one interested?’

  ‘Men don’t like independent women.’

  ‘I like you as you are,’ Raven said quietly. ‘And you have me.’

  Audrey flashed him a smile. ‘Yes, dear, I have you. You remind me of my father’s wolfhound, really, you’re just as loyal. But I always thought I’d have children by now. All the men I’ve met wanted me to give up flying. And then the war came, and I ended up here.’ She picked up her axe and returned to chopping with renewed vigour.

  Wood chips flew through the air, several hitting Raven’s head and neck. He withdrew to the lake, hoping that he might be able to sneak in a nap before she found another chore for him to do.

  <><><><><><>

  The hot days lasted only a few weeks. Much to Raven’s disappointment, the temperature returned to the cool nights he’d experienced when he’d first arrived in the valley. His body seemed to have responded to the short summer, and he grew by more than a foot. It was becoming more and more difficult to squeeze through the doorway into the house.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he told Audrey one crisp morning. ‘I can stay outside. It’s not too bad out here.’

  She shook her head. ‘You’ve not been through a winter here. I have. I know nothing about dragon physiology, but I don’t think even you can survive a blizzard.’

  As they had promised, the traders returned in the autumn. Audrey pulled out the cleaned and bleached mammoth tusks, and Aingeal grinned in approval. Several barrels of salt and preserved meat were rolled away from the herd in return.

  ‘We need to enlarge the entrance to the house,’ Audrey said to them that evening, as they shared a hot drink. The smell of the spices made Raven sneeze, so he moved upwind, ears cocked to listen to their conversation.

  ‘Aye, I noticed the lad’s grown.’ Ysbaddaden tilted his head, a few drops of liquid dripping from his yellow beak. ‘There’s a tribe of dwarves two valleys over. If their builders are willing, I reckon I could bring a couple over, though I’d have to fly them in one at a time. They’d want food and lodging, mind you, in addition to their fee.’

  ‘What would they accept as payment?’

  ‘Dwarves always want metal,’ Aingeal said, who was wearing a thick cloak over her human form. ‘Offer them that old shelter of yours.’

  Audrey paled slightly, and Raven tensed. ‘That plane is the property of His Majesty’s Government. It’s not mine to sell.’

  ‘If your king hasn’t bothered to look for you,’ Aingeal retorted, ‘he’s not worth your loyalty. I say, use what you have here. He’s not going to miss it, is he?’

  ‘And if he does,’ Ysbaddaden added, ‘let him challenge you to a dance, and then honour would be served.’

  ‘Gryphons settle disputes with a dance,’ Aingeal explained. ‘Well, they call it dancing. There’s usually some wounding and blood.’

  Ysbaddaden snorted. ‘It’s not a good dance unless there’s been some wounding and blood.’

  Raven relaxed at the sound of Audrey’s laugh. ‘Well, if King George ever turns up, I’ll challenge him to a dance. I even have a dress to wear. In the meantime, you’re right, the dwarves can have the plane. But how will they take away what they want?’

  Aingeal chuckled. ‘Dwarves are patient. They’ll find a way. Eventually.’

  ‘Okay, let’s see if they agree.’ Audrey slurped at her drink, then sighed. ‘And if you ever come across some tea in your travels, I’d gladly give you several sets of tusks.’

  ‘I’ll have to find a mammoth first,’ Raven reminded them.

  ‘We saw some just three days ago,’ the gryphon said. ‘The two of us could have a flight tomorrow.’

  ‘Raven’s not flying yet.’ Audrey’s voice was low, but Raven still picked up her words. ‘I think his muscles are underdeveloped. I’ve tried to encourage him to exercise.’

  ‘Then some other time,’ Aingeal said firmly. ‘And I don’t need my husband distracted with hunting. Not when he has dwarves to transport.’

  Ysbaddaden ducked his head. ‘Understood. But Raven should come and watch me leave tomorrow. You might learn something, lad.’

  The next morning, Raven watched as Ysbaddaden ran down the slight hill to the lake. The gryphon spread out his wide wings, and Raven could see how the air of his passing lifted the feathers. Eagle and lion legs curved up against the deep chest as Ysbaddaden rose into the sky. He swerved several times around the valley, dipping first one wing and then another. Then he pounded his wings and flew towards the nearby mountains.

  ‘Show off,’ Aingeal grumbled from near Raven’s feet. ‘He should conserve his strength. Carrying even a dwarf is hard on a gryphon.’

  ‘Is that why you ride on him in cat shape?’ Audrey asked.

  ‘Aye.’ Aingeal glanced at the cattle grazing nearby. ‘I would ride on one of the cows, but they don’t take kindly to a passenger.’

  Audrey chuckled. ‘And would Ysbaddaden take kindly to you riding on anyone else?’

  ‘I should thin
k not. He doesn’t even like me riding a tacsi dragon.’

  Raven perked his ears. ‘A what dragon?’

  ‘In some of the larger towns, like Llanbedr,’ the were-cat explained, ‘dragons have started to hire themselves out for transportation. Elves, dwarves, and vampires use them.’

  ‘How large do dragons get?’ Audrey asked.

  ‘I’ve seen all sizes.’ Aingeal backed away, and Raven straightened under her scrutiny. ‘Most of the dragons I’ve seen are yellow, or red. I did meet one search dragon, and she was three times my husband’s height.’

  ‘So, about twice the size of a horse,’ Audrey said thoughtfully. ‘Are tacsi dragons larger or smaller?’

  ‘The same height, more or less.’

  ‘And they carry passengers? Could you convince one to come here?’

  ‘The flight would take many days.’ Aingeal shook her head. ‘I can’t imagine any dragon agreeing to the journey. But it seems to me you might already have an escape to hand. All you need is some patience.’

  The breeze brought the scent of fur to Raven’s nostrils. His stomach rumbled. Rabbits, grazing near the woods. He left the two women to their discussions. The alarm he’d felt at the idea of another dragon coming into the valley had eased at Aingeal’s words. Now he needed something to eat.

  <><><><><><>

  Ysbaddaden returned early that afternoon with one dwarf. Much to his wife’s obvious concern, he immediately took off to fetch another. The young woman he’d left behind was dressed in brown leathers and carried a small pack across her shoulders. ‘Saffir, good to meet you,’ she said in a language Raven had nearly forgotten how to speak. ‘Gethin will also come. May I visit the privy? Then let me see this work of yours.’

  The sun was setting by the time the gryphon returned with his second passenger. Gethin was slightly taller than Saffir, and grunted more than spoke. Raven was intrigued by something Saffir had called ‘sketching’ in a leather-covered object which she had told him was a ‘notebook.’

  The next day, the two dwarves spent most of the day arguing, visiting the plane, smoking pipes, eating the food which Audrey brought to them, and then arguing some more. The noise was too much for Raven, and he went hunting with Ysbaddaden.

  On the third day, the two builders started work in earnest. Raven was sent to bring a log from the forest, with very specific requirements as to its length and girth. When he returned, the house’s wooden door and frame had been removed, and parts of the plane were holding up the stones. Audrey split wood to the dwarves’ instruction. Raven grumbled as the dwarves had him carry the planks over to the building. The rough wood left splinters in his jaws and his neck was beginning to ache.

  ‘You expect me to go inside?’ Audrey demanded that evening. ‘The whole thing looks like it’s going to collapse any minute!’

  ‘It’s perfectly safe,’ Saffir said, knocking her pipe against one of the planks. ‘See?’

  Raven had no idea what the work should look like, but he had to admit that he wouldn’t try to duck under the haphazard mixture of wood and metal which took up most of the house’s enlarged entrance. ‘I’m staying out.’

  ‘Suit yourself,’ Gethin said. He marched inside, followed by Saffir.

  Ysbaddaden laughed. ‘And you, Audrey?’

  ‘I have to go inside to cook.’ She shuddered. ‘But then I’m bringing my blankets out here. I wouldn’t be able to sleep for worry that the whole thing might collapse on top of me.’

  Raven curled up near the small wall the dwarves had erected with the stones they’d removed from the doorway. The cattle had gone down to the lake, and low rumbles of contentment echoed across the valley. For a moment, Raven found himself envying them. How easy a life they had, flying without fear from place to place, protected by a gryphon and a were-cat. But then he reminded himself that they were beasts of burden. A dragon would never agree to be such a slave.

  A full moon cast silvery light over Audrey’s recently cropped hair as she emerged from the building. Rough woollen blankets were piled across her arms. She wandered around the nearby area, muttering about stones and cold ground. ‘What I would give for a pillow.’

  Raven lifted his head. ‘I could be one for you?’

  She studied him for a moment. ‘And a hot water bottle?’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Never mind.’ Audrey strode to his side and lowered herself into the gap between his fore and hind legs. ‘The night’s colder than I’d expected. I wouldn’t mind a little warmth.’

  Raven pondered for a moment. Then he carefully opened his fire chamber. His sides swelled, and he felt the warmth radiate through his skin. ‘Like that?’

  ‘Like that,’ Audrey agreed happily. She curled up, resting her head and arms on his forelegs. ‘You’re a good dragon, Raven.’

  A few minutes later, her steady breathing told him that she was asleep. But Raven found himself fully awake, his body all too aware of every place where her skin touched his. He stared at the moonlit lake, struggling to understand the emotions churning through his chest.

  Chapter Four

  The dwarves finished their work by late afternoon. The supports held as they shored up the stones, then put a new timber frame into place. Raven fetched more wood, and Audrey chopped to order as the builders constructed a much larger door. It took the combined effort of a gryphon, dragon, human, and several roped cattle to raise the structure into place. Gethin and Saffir worked on an intricate construction of metal hinges. Despite the door’s weight, it opened with very little effort. Raven had to admit that he was impressed.

  ‘Only a short flight tomorrow,’ Ysbaddaden told his wife that evening, after he had returned from taking the second dwarf back to her tribe.

  Aingeal rubbed the gryphon’s foreleg. ‘Yes, short, but we do need to go. It’s getting late in the season.’

  Audrey lifted a hand to her mouth. ‘I didn’t mean to hold you up.’

  ‘We’ll still meet our schedules,’ Ysbaddaden said, ‘and be back in Llanbedr before winter.’

  ‘Winter,’ Audrey repeated. ‘And I’m stuck here again.’

  Aingeal touched her arm. ‘Come with me. I have a surprise for our last evening.’

  Raven trailed behind the women, intrigued by the were-cat’s strange smile. Aingeal rummaged in one of the leather sacks, and handed Audrey an elongated object which shimmered in the setting sun.

  ‘Whisky!’ Audrey exclaimed. She held it up. ‘A bottle of Bell’s! How did you come by this?’

  ‘There are some strange things to be found in Llanbedr.’ Ysbaddaden snorted. ‘Didn’t take to it myself, but it’s all the rage in harpy bars.’

  ‘This is from my country.’ Audrey’s eyes glistened. ‘From my world. My plane isn’t the only thing which has crossed over. And maybe, what’s crossed over, can cross back again?’

  ‘A search dragon would know,’ Aingeal said. ‘A search dragon can find anything.’

  Raven straightened under their sudden scrutiny. ‘What are you expecting me to find?’

  Aingeal moved close to Audrey, and dropped her voice to a whisper. Despite her efforts, Raven could still hear her words. ‘I think he needs to be in the air to find those sorts of crossings.’

  Audrey’s reply was equally soft. ‘If I can ever get him into the air.’

  Raven turned and strode away. What did that matter? He was only Ysbaddaden’s height, and the gryphon couldn’t carry someone of Audrey’s size. There was no way Raven could either. So all this talk about flying or not flying was pointless.

  Aingeal had to coax him to join them at the outdoor fire later that night. Audrey opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid into one of her mugs. When she held it out to Raven, he took a sniff. Not unpleasant, but he declined a taste.

  <><><><><><>

  As much as he enjoyed hunting with Ysbaddaden, it was still a relief to watch the traders leave. Gryphon and cattle headed away from the rising sun, wings dark against the bright blue sky.
Raven stood at the lakeside, watching until they had disappeared into the distance. Then he trudged back up to the building.

  Audrey was working in the vegetable patch. Raven watched for a moment, wondering why she seemed to be stabbing the shovel into the ground with more than her usual effort. ‘They’re gone.’

  She rested her arms across the handle and glared at him. ‘You sound happy about that.’

  ‘Of course. Aren’t you? Now everything can return to normal.’

  ‘Normal.’ Her laugh was low and bitter. ‘Nothing’s normal. I’m trapped in some fantasy world, working myself into an early grave just to keep from starving every winter. I’m visited by gryphons and were-cats and flying Highland cattle, and I’m living with a dragon. This is not normal life.’

  ‘What would be?’ Raven asked, curious.

  ‘A small terraced house somewhere in the Midlands! A husband, children.’ Her mouth quirked. ‘A flying career, if the RAF would have a woman, though I doubt it. I never expected any of this.’

  ‘I didn’t expect to be here either,’ he said, his tail slapping the ground behind him.

  Audrey pulled out a rag and blew her nose. ‘Okay, so why are you here?’

  ‘I had to get away.’ Raven found that he was hunching his shoulders, as if protecting himself against the sharp memories of teeth and claws. ‘My mother was trying to kill me.’

  ‘I'm sorry, I had no idea.’ Audrey paused for a moment. ‘I’ve heard of birds in the nest throwing out other fledglings, but I didn’t think any parent harmed their own children.’

  ‘Aingeal said it’s because I'm a search dragon.’

  ‘What does that have to do with anything?’

  ‘I don’t know. Aingeal said that matriarchs don’t like search dragons. We can find anything, including secrets.’

  ‘Well that’s just absolutely frightful.’ Audrey shook her head. ‘Just frightful.’