Read Online Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George - Free Book Online
Authors: Jessica Day George
Tags: Ages 10 & Up
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Hagen to stay on Feniul and went to stand beside Luka. I’m sure we looked a sight: sunburned and filthy, Luka’s hair standing on end and mine unraveling from its double-dozen braids.
And then there was the fleet of dragons with us.
Using hand gestures, Luka tried to signal to them that we wanted only to rest here, but the leader of the men was adamant that we go. He seemed particularly agitated by the dragons. Not frightened by them, I noticed, just insistent that they leave. He indicated that we humans could stay, but that our friends were not welcome.
“So they have seen dragons, and they don’t like them,” Luka said in an undertone.
I looked at our friends. They were all tired. Their scales were crusted with salt and several of them were twitching the nets strung over their backs, wanting to scoop up some fish and eat. Shardas looked like he was losing his patience, lashing his tail and snorting hot little bursts of air.
Then a man came out of the trees wearing an incongruous red frock coat over his kilt and bearing a staff decorated with pigs’ teeth. I identified his coat as of Roulaini make, and whispered as much to Luka.
The man bowed his head gracefully, and asked a question in what I recognized as Citatian, even though my grasp of that language had never been good. With obvious relief, Luka replied in the same language, and they talked for some minutes, the man occasionally gesturing with his staff.
When both Luka and the man were satisfied, they nodded cordially and the spear-carrying men retreated. All but two, that is, and their leader in his frock coat. They stood on the sand and watched us as we walked back to Shardas and the others.
“That was very unexpected,” Luka said.
“He’s been to the Grand Market at Pelletie,” I guessed.
“His family goes every ten years or so,” Luka confirmed. “He says that we can rest here, and fish,” he went on in a louder voice, and most of the dragons dispersed to gather food or sprawl on the sand.
Niva and her mate, Leontes, Amacarin, Feniul, and Shardas remained to hear what else Luka had to say. Hagen slid down off Feniul and came to my side, putting an arm around my shoulders so heavily that it nearly dragged me to my knees. We were all so tired I didn’t know if we would even be able to fight Darrym and the others when we caught up to them.
“They flew overhead only last night,” Luka said. “They didn’t land, though. They know that they aren’t welcome here.”
“So these people have had dealings with Darrym’s dragons, and the people with them, before?” Leontes, an alchemist, was peering keenly at our three watchers as he asked.
“Some. Not long ago the dragons came here, towing people in those baskets, and asked questions by drawing figures in the sand. They wanted to know if there were any dragons living here, if dragons had ever been seen here, and what colors the dragons were.”
“Strange,” Leontes said slowly.
“The only ones who had ever seen a dragon before were the chief’s family, who had been to Citatie and seen dragons there, so the visitors flew on. A week later a half dozen dragons arrived and tried to capture the people of this island, but they managed to fight the attackers off.”
“Stranger and stranger,” Leontes commented.
“You can see why they don’t want a whole army of dragons landing on the beach,” Hagen said.
“Precisely,” Luka said. “I had to assure him over and over that we weren’t going to attack, that we were just passing through. I think the news that we had been attacked by one of those hostile dragons, and were looking to fight with them, was what really persuaded them to let us rest here.”
“Will they help us?” I looked over at the three men watching us, but their faces were expressionless. “Would they send any warriors with us, to fight Darrym’s people?”
“I’ll ask, but I don’t think so,” Luka said.
While we were eating, Luka did ask Frock Coat if he
And then there was the fleet of dragons with us.
Using hand gestures, Luka tried to signal to them that we wanted only to rest here, but the leader of the men was adamant that we go. He seemed particularly agitated by the dragons. Not frightened by them, I noticed, just insistent that they leave. He indicated that we humans could stay, but that our friends were not welcome.
“So they have seen dragons, and they don’t like them,” Luka said in an undertone.
I looked at our friends. They were all tired. Their scales were crusted with salt and several of them were twitching the nets strung over their backs, wanting to scoop up some fish and eat. Shardas looked like he was losing his patience, lashing his tail and snorting hot little bursts of air.
Then a man came out of the trees wearing an incongruous red frock coat over his kilt and bearing a staff decorated with pigs’ teeth. I identified his coat as of Roulaini make, and whispered as much to Luka.
The man bowed his head gracefully, and asked a question in what I recognized as Citatian, even though my grasp of that language had never been good. With obvious relief, Luka replied in the same language, and they talked for some minutes, the man occasionally gesturing with his staff.
When both Luka and the man were satisfied, they nodded cordially and the spear-carrying men retreated. All but two, that is, and their leader in his frock coat. They stood on the sand and watched us as we walked back to Shardas and the others.
“That was very unexpected,” Luka said.
“He’s been to the Grand Market at Pelletie,” I guessed.
“His family goes every ten years or so,” Luka confirmed. “He says that we can rest here, and fish,” he went on in a louder voice, and most of the dragons dispersed to gather food or sprawl on the sand.
Niva and her mate, Leontes, Amacarin, Feniul, and Shardas remained to hear what else Luka had to say. Hagen slid down off Feniul and came to my side, putting an arm around my shoulders so heavily that it nearly dragged me to my knees. We were all so tired I didn’t know if we would even be able to fight Darrym and the others when we caught up to them.
“They flew overhead only last night,” Luka said. “They didn’t land, though. They know that they aren’t welcome here.”
“So these people have had dealings with Darrym’s dragons, and the people with them, before?” Leontes, an alchemist, was peering keenly at our three watchers as he asked.
“Some. Not long ago the dragons came here, towing people in those baskets, and asked questions by drawing figures in the sand. They wanted to know if there were any dragons living here, if dragons had ever been seen here, and what colors the dragons were.”
“Strange,” Leontes said slowly.
“The only ones who had ever seen a dragon before were the chief’s family, who had been to Citatie and seen dragons there, so the visitors flew on. A week later a half dozen dragons arrived and tried to capture the people of this island, but they managed to fight the attackers off.”
“Stranger and stranger,” Leontes commented.
“You can see why they don’t want a whole army of dragons landing on the beach,” Hagen said.
“Precisely,” Luka said. “I had to assure him over and over that we weren’t going to attack, that we were just passing through. I think the news that we had been attacked by one of those hostile dragons, and were looking to fight with them, was what really persuaded them to let us rest here.”
“Will they help us?” I looked over at the three men watching us, but their faces were expressionless. “Would they send any warriors with us, to fight Darrym’s people?”
“I’ll ask, but I don’t think so,” Luka said.
While we were eating, Luka did ask Frock Coat if he
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