if he so much as twitched. With his fur-lined garments over his normal
clothing, it was not long before he began to overheat in the warmth of the late afternoon. Initially he was determined not to ask for anything. However, as he began to sweat, so his headache
returned. His skull throbbed and pounded until he was forced to ask for water and to take off his outer layer of clothing.
After careful consideration and a quiet, whispered conference, the guards decided to allow his requests. The water tasted brackish and stale. It quenched his immediate thirst, but he was too
dehydrated for the drink to grant a quick fix to his headache. It would take time for his body to absorb the water. The best cure was sleep, but it was hard to contemplate sleep when these men were
preparing to kill his dragon.
‘Don’t come back for me, Ra. They’re setting traps for you. Don’t come back. You must stay away
. . .’
It was not much, but it was the best he could do. He repeated the warnings over and over again in his mind, concentrating through the thumping pain of his headache with dogged determination. It
was hard to say exactly how long he kept it up, but the light under the trees was fading fast when Kasau appeared, as if from nowhere.
‘Give it up, boy. She’ll not hear you,’ he said, his calm, soft voice making Elian jump guiltily.
‘How did you know what I was doing?’
‘It was written all over your face,’ the dragon-hunter said with a shrug. ‘Your mind speaking won’t work over long distances. You might as well shout out loud for all the
good it will do.’
‘How do you know?’ Elian asked.
‘I’ve been doing this a long time. I know dragons. The mind link appears common to all types of dragon, but it normally only works over a relatively short range – a few hundred
paces at most. Under exceptional circumstances I’ve seen it work over longer distances, but that was unusual.’
‘But you told the others that you’ve never seen a dawn dragon before.’
Kasau’s eyes went distant. ‘That’s true, boy. I haven’t. Dawn dragons are rare – extremely rare. I wasn’t even sure any existed until yesterday. To take such
a beast will mark the pinnacle of my career.’
‘Why are you doing this?’ Elian asked. ‘If you know dragons, then you know they’re friendly and intelligent. Aurora is good and noble. She hasn’t hurt anyone. And
you know the Overlords don’t allow the hunting of dragons, except for rogues. Even night dragons are protected. I don’t know what the punishment is for killing a dragon, but I expect
it’s unpleasant.’
‘Death, boy. The penalty is death. As for why we’re doing it – the answer should be obvious. Gold. What else?’
‘You’d risk your life to kill an intelligent creature for a few gold pieces? That’s sick!’ Elian exclaimed, unable to contain his horror.
‘No, I wouldn’t do it for a few gold pieces, boy. But that golden dragon of yours is worth more than a few gold pieces. Magicians will pay more gold than you could possibly imagine
for a single piece of horn from a dawn dragon. Every part of her is saleable: the scales, the bones, the eyes, the talons, the teeth – everything. The beast is worth a fortune greater than
any of the Overlords will ever possess. Tell me that’s not worth the risk.’
Elian didn’t answer. He could believe what Kasau said about Aurora’s worth, but there was an edge in the man’s voice. The dragonhunter was hiding something. He talked of the
gold, but there was no passion in his voice as he did so. Whatever his motive for wanting to kill Aurora, it was not the money. Elian was sure of it.
Was he a man who killed for the sake of killing? Did he get some perverse pleasure from killing a creature that nature had made larger, stronger and faster than himself? Or was it something
else? Whatever his motive, Elian could see that Kasau would not be turned by anything a young dragon-rider said.
The
clothing, it was not long before he began to overheat in the warmth of the late afternoon. Initially he was determined not to ask for anything. However, as he began to sweat, so his headache
returned. His skull throbbed and pounded until he was forced to ask for water and to take off his outer layer of clothing.
After careful consideration and a quiet, whispered conference, the guards decided to allow his requests. The water tasted brackish and stale. It quenched his immediate thirst, but he was too
dehydrated for the drink to grant a quick fix to his headache. It would take time for his body to absorb the water. The best cure was sleep, but it was hard to contemplate sleep when these men were
preparing to kill his dragon.
‘Don’t come back for me, Ra. They’re setting traps for you. Don’t come back. You must stay away
. . .’
It was not much, but it was the best he could do. He repeated the warnings over and over again in his mind, concentrating through the thumping pain of his headache with dogged determination. It
was hard to say exactly how long he kept it up, but the light under the trees was fading fast when Kasau appeared, as if from nowhere.
‘Give it up, boy. She’ll not hear you,’ he said, his calm, soft voice making Elian jump guiltily.
‘How did you know what I was doing?’
‘It was written all over your face,’ the dragon-hunter said with a shrug. ‘Your mind speaking won’t work over long distances. You might as well shout out loud for all the
good it will do.’
‘How do you know?’ Elian asked.
‘I’ve been doing this a long time. I know dragons. The mind link appears common to all types of dragon, but it normally only works over a relatively short range – a few hundred
paces at most. Under exceptional circumstances I’ve seen it work over longer distances, but that was unusual.’
‘But you told the others that you’ve never seen a dawn dragon before.’
Kasau’s eyes went distant. ‘That’s true, boy. I haven’t. Dawn dragons are rare – extremely rare. I wasn’t even sure any existed until yesterday. To take such
a beast will mark the pinnacle of my career.’
‘Why are you doing this?’ Elian asked. ‘If you know dragons, then you know they’re friendly and intelligent. Aurora is good and noble. She hasn’t hurt anyone. And
you know the Overlords don’t allow the hunting of dragons, except for rogues. Even night dragons are protected. I don’t know what the punishment is for killing a dragon, but I expect
it’s unpleasant.’
‘Death, boy. The penalty is death. As for why we’re doing it – the answer should be obvious. Gold. What else?’
‘You’d risk your life to kill an intelligent creature for a few gold pieces? That’s sick!’ Elian exclaimed, unable to contain his horror.
‘No, I wouldn’t do it for a few gold pieces, boy. But that golden dragon of yours is worth more than a few gold pieces. Magicians will pay more gold than you could possibly imagine
for a single piece of horn from a dawn dragon. Every part of her is saleable: the scales, the bones, the eyes, the talons, the teeth – everything. The beast is worth a fortune greater than
any of the Overlords will ever possess. Tell me that’s not worth the risk.’
Elian didn’t answer. He could believe what Kasau said about Aurora’s worth, but there was an edge in the man’s voice. The dragonhunter was hiding something. He talked of the
gold, but there was no passion in his voice as he did so. Whatever his motive for wanting to kill Aurora, it was not the money. Elian was sure of it.
Was he a man who killed for the sake of killing? Did he get some perverse pleasure from killing a creature that nature had made larger, stronger and faster than himself? Or was it something
else? Whatever his motive, Elian could see that Kasau would not be turned by anything a young dragon-rider said.
The
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