The Call of the Dragon: Chapter One

Malachai Farmerson trod slowly along the hard packed dirt road, his feet feeling heavier with each step he took; every footfall forward was another step taken away from his home and the life he had lived there, and another step forward into the unknown.  As he traveled, his mind flashed back to the night two weeks prior, when the bandits and thieves had first ridden into his village and demanded their valuables and their women.  The villagers had, of course, resisted; trying to fight back in their own small way with pitchforks, shovels, and the odd rifle from the hunters their only weapons against the seasoned fighters that had come to raid their homes.
    
Knowing that it would cost her time and possibly her life, Malachai’s mother had folded a loaf of bread, a small wheel of cheese, and a canteen of water into a sackcloth, pushed the bundle into Kai’s trembling hands, then had promptly shoved her son out the back door and into the densely wooded forest that surrounded their village.  With a quick kiss on his cheek, a trembling hand passing down the long, shining curtain of his hair, and tears clogging her voice, she had told her only son to run as far and as fast as his legs would carry him, and to stop only when he could run no further.
    
Confused, torn between wanting to beg his mother to run with him, and obeying the edict given to him, Malachai did as he was bid, but stopped at the crest of the first hill to turn back and see what had become of his home.  He’d had to climb a tree to see past the thick trunks and dense, leafy foliage, and when he had, he wished that he hadn’t; wished that instead, he had followed his mother’s directions exactly and had stopped only when he’d been unable to go any further.  What he saw was the little cottage he’d grown up in with his mother and, when he’d still been alive, his father; it’s thatched roof blazing with fire and smoke curling up in ever thickening tendrils as the fire grew.  While he watched, the blaze began to lick at the walls of the structure, bursting out of the windows and breaking the glass that his father had paid a small fortune for and sending sharp glass shards raining down on the loose soil of their garden.  The heat from the fire was so intense that the first few rows of corn, beans, and squash - still too young and tender yet to have any bounty - began to blacken and curl inward until they lay, twisted, broken, and dead in the dirt.
    
The tears were already running down his face as he watched his home go up in flames, but he had to bite the knuckles of his own hand to keep from crying out as he saw the raiders, figures blurred by smoke and distance, wrestle someone to the ground.  Had it not been for the brightly colored belt she wore - her pride and joy, as it had been a handmade birthday gift from her son - Kai might never have known that it was his mother being pressed down into the dirt.  He could not see clearly what was being done to her, but her screams reached him even over the distance between them, and the horrors he imagined were enough to have violent sobs shaking his slender shoulders.  His teeth bit cruelly into his own hand, and the blood from it mixed with the tears that dripped from his chin as he turned away and made his way back down to the ground; determined to do as his mother had originally asked.
    
This time, after he began to run, he didn’t stop until his muscles quivered and his legs threatened to give out from beneath him.  Dropping to the ground, uncaring of where he was or what was around him, Malachai gave in to his grief and fear for a brief time, allowing the fierce emotions to cleanse the sadness and thus giving him the strength to climb back to his feet, until he could find a suitable place to stop and rest for the night.  Once he had, he ate a small bit of the bread and cheese his mother had given him, washed it down with a stingy sip of water, and curled up beside a fallen tree to sleep away the first of many nights away from home.
    
Glancing absently down at his hand now as he walked slowly onward, Kai studied the marks that had been left behind from his own teeth.  They had healed well enough, he supposed, though there would be scars there for some time to come to remind him of what he had witnessed, and what had been done to his home and his family.  His stomach rumbled insistently, but he stubbornly ignored it, his eyes focused on the crest of the small hill he was currently climbing; the hope that the village he sought lay in the next valley was the only thing keeping his feet moving at that point.  The bread and cheese had only lasted the first week, and that was on top of eating only enough to take the edge off his hunger.  The water had lasted only a few days, but fortunately springs, wells, and rivers were plentiful and he’d been able to refill his canteen and drink as much as he liked.  Unfortunately, water did not ease the gnawing ache in his belly, and after only two weeks of traveling, he could already feel that his clothes were loose, and when he pressed his fingers to his sides, he could feel the way his ribs poked through the skin and seemed to threaten to rip their way out.
    
As Kai finally crested the hill, he had to move off the road to make room for a cart and two horses that trundled toward him.  The driver sat slumped over in his seat, a floppy brown hat obscuring his face and keeping the sun from biting at his skin.  His hands were worn and wrinkled with age, and the gnarled fingers gripped the reins carefully.  He pulled gently on the thin straps, and the two beleaguered looking horses stopped with twin sighs of acceptance as their master glanced over at Kai.
    
“You headed into the village?” he asked slowly, his voice sounding every bit as old as he looked.  At Kai’s nod, the old man shook his head.  “I wouldn’t, if I were you.  That village has been plagued by a dragon lately, and they don’t need any more people to worry about than who they already have.”
    
Considering his advice given and his duty done, the man clucked at his horses and passed by the young man, not caring whether or not his warning was heeded.
    
Continuing on his way despite the old man’s words, Kai wondered whether the man had been leaving the village himself due to the dragon, or if he’d just been visiting and was now going home.  Either way, though he appreciated the warning, the youth couldn’t afford not to stop at the town.  If it truly was that dangerous, then he would only stay for as long as it took him to rest, perhaps bathe, and acquire more food.  Then he would be off to search for the next town or village and hope that he could find a more permanent residence there.
    
As he approached the village gates, wide brown eyes gazed at everything around him and observed the way the people were stopped at the gate to be questioned by the guards stationed there.  When it was his turn, he stepped forward and kept his eyes on his shoes, fearful of incurring the anger of the guards and thus denied entrance to the village.
    
“Name?” asked one of the guards, both hands on the spear he held and suspicious gaze glaring down at the top of Kai’s head.
    
“It’s Kai,” the young man answered timidly, though his voice was soft and sweet, and his form frail and slender.
    
“Business?” the same guard asked, though this time his voice was less harsh.
    
“I need a place to stay for a few nights, and honest work if there’s any to be had.”
    
The guard stroked his bearded chin for a moment, then nodded his head and stepped aside to allow Kai entrance into the village.  “Try the milliner’s wife.  Her oldest son just left home, and you seem to be about the age of her daughter.  She’s got an empty room she might let you borrow if you offer your help in the house and the shop.”
    
Nodding, the youth stepped past the guards and finally looked up.  “Thank you,” he murmured quietly before heading on his way.
    
Being so small was sometimes a blessing, Malachai thought as he scurried through the crowded streets toward his destination.  He passed by a baker’s shop, where the aromas of fresh bread and pastries had Kai’s belly grumbling and clenching painfully; an open fruit-and-vegetable cart, where the produce sat gleaming enticingly in the sun, available for customers to peruse at their leisure.  He passed by the blacksmith’s, where the heat from the forge could be felt even on the street and the sound of hammers striking metal were nearly deafening. There was an inn where a weary traveler who had the coin could purchase a room for a night and a hot meal; and finally, the milliner’s shop at the end of the street with potted flowers sitting to either side of the door and freshly painted bright blue shutters at the windows.  A hand-painted sign hanging above the door of the shop pointed his way and proclaimed to be the establishment he was looking for. The waif slipped inside and shut the door behind him, grateful to be away from the noise and bustle of the village streets.
    
A kind looking man with a thinning pate of gray hair sat behind the counter, arms crossed over his chest and back resting against the wall.  It took a moment before Kai realized that the man was asleep, then he had to smother a laugh behind his hand as a quiet snore released itself into the silence of the shop.  To give himself a moment to calm down, as heat, hunger, and exhaustion seemed to work together against Kai to make him light-headed and dizzy, the young man walked quietly around the shop to see what was for sale.  He saw patterns for dresses, bolts of material, thread, needles, a few dresses that had already been finished draped over a couple of tables, and finally, a rack of belts and hats near the counter.  He couldn’t do much with hats, but he could make some lovely woven belts that might help bring in some revenue.
    
Stepping forward, the young man spoke quietly.  “Excuse me, sir?”
    
But instead of waking, as Kai had expected, the man only grumbled a bit in his sleep, a sort of whuffling sound that reminded him of the cart horses he’d passed by earlier.  After a moment, a woman’s face popped around the corner, cast a quick glance at the sleeping man, and then the face was followed by the rest of the woman’s body.  She had thick gray hair that she wore pulled away from her face with a pair of tortoise shell combs; bright blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing; and a figure that stated she ate well but was still active enough to keep any extra weight away.
    
Gesturing at the sleeping man on the stool, she said quietly, “He doesn’t do much but sleep and ring up customers, but then, that’s what he’s there for.  What can I do for you?”  Her voice was quiet and mild, and her manner reminded the youth of his own mother so fiercely that he found himself locked in an internal battle to prevent himself from rushing forward into her embrace.
    
Swallowing heavily to wet his suddenly dry throat, he replied, “Oh!  Um…. I’m sorry.  My name is Kai.  The guard at the gate said that you might have a room I could borrow if I offered my help around the house and the shop.”
    
Stepping further into the shop, the woman glanced over Kai briefly.  She saw a slender figure dressed raggedly in frayed cloth pants and a long sleeved shirt that was so large it hung to the child’s knees.  She saw long, lusciously curled blonde hair, and large, guileless brown eyes that were nearly golden and seemed to have a sweetly subservient demeanor that would serve nicely in her shop.
    
Nodding once, she said, “You’ll do.”  Gesturing for Kai to follow her, she continued speaking as she led the way.  “I’m Mary, and that’s my husband, Josef.  He owns the shop, but everyone around here knows that I run it, and I put what’s sold on the shelves.  You can stay in my son’s room, and there’ll be extra clothes and three hot meals a day if you earn your keep.  Kai, was it?  Tell me, can you sew?  Weave?”  Turning around quickly, she pinned the young man with a fierce stare.
    
Trying desperately to keep up, Kai nodded his head vigorously and skidded to a halt right in front of her.  “Yes, ma’am, Miss Mary.  I can sew and weave.  My mother and I used to sell the belts I wove to the other villagers as our crops didn’t always bring in enough money.”
    
Mary nodded her head once, then turned around and once again led the way through the house that was attached to the back of the shop.  “I’ll expect nothing from you today since you’ve just arrived, but I’ll want a sample of your weaving before I decide whether or not to sell anything you make in the shop.  If your weaving and sewing isn’t up to my standards, then you can earn your keep around the house.  Sweep, mop, clean, cook, run errands…. Does that sound fair, young Kai?”
    
Again, the young man nodded and answered breathlessly, “Yes, Miss Mary.  I’m wearing one of the belts I made, but I’m afraid it’s rather dirty and ragged.  I’ve been traveling by foot for two weeks, you see.”
    
That statement halted Mary in her tracks, and she turned slowly around to face Kai, a curious expression on her face.  “Lord, child, what happened to you that you’d have to travel for two weeks, alone and on foot?”
    
But the young man was already shaking his head, denying the possibility of opening himself up to the pain he’d only just managed to bury.  “Please,” he begged quietly, luminous eyes shining with unshed tears.  “It is still too raw…. Too painful.  I do not wish to discuss my circumstances at the moment.”
    
Well acquainted with pain and suffering, the woman only nodded and finished leading the way into Kai’s new room.
    
“Here you are,” she said quietly, indicating the room with a sweep of her hand.  “There’s water warming over the fire and will be ready in a few minutes.  It’s not enough for a full bath, but at least you can wash the dirt of the road away and then have a hot meal.  There’s a town meeting tonight that Josef and I have to attend.  You’ll be all right here by yourself?”
    
Overwhelmed by the generosity, Kai could only nod; afraid that if he opened his mouth to speak, he would start crying and not be able to stop.
    
Mary peered closely at him, then left him alone with only a gentle pat on his shoulder, and the young man sank gratefully onto the bed, too exhausted at the moment to care about bathing or eating.  Almost as soon as he lay down, curled in a defensive position on top of the covers, his long-lashed eyes drifted closed and he fell asleep.




    
Later that afternoon, Mary entered Kai’s room carrying a plate of stew and fresh bread. After setting them down on the chest at the foot of the bed, she stood for a long moment, looking down at the pretty child who lay there before reaching out gently to move the gnarled, matted hair that lay tangled over that lovely but filthy face.
    
“I’ll bet you’re a real stunner when you’ve been cleaned up some,” she whispered quietly, trying to imagine what the youth might look like beneath all the grime.
    
It was the voice that startled Kai into wakefulness, and he sat up quickly to gaze at Miss Mary from eyes cloudy with sleep and dazed with hunger.  Before the youth could even open his mouth to apologize for falling asleep, the kind woman was setting the plate of food on his lap.
    
“Eat,” she prompted gently.  “Then you can bathe and go back to bed.  Sleeping for a solid eight hours with no interruptions will probably do you a world of good.”
    
Unable to do anything else, Kai lifted the first forkful to his mouth and moaned in bliss as the flavors burst across his tongue and slid soothingly down his throat.  After that first hesitant, glorious bite, Kai was more worried about getting the food into his hungry stomach than about possibly offending his hostess with his lack of manners.  He did, however, manage a muttered, “Thank you.  It’s very good,” in between hurried bites.
    
When he finished the meal and had mopped up the last of the stew with his bread, Malachai handed the plate back to Mary and looked up at her with gratitude shining clearly from his expressive eyes.  Even though he’d already thanked her, he felt as though he should do so again.
    
But before he could, she was taking his plate and turning away.  Before she stepped through the door, she spoke over her shoulder.
    
“The water should be plenty hot for a bath by now.  I’ve taken the liberty of bringing the tub into your room so you can bathe in privacy.”
    
Kai gaped at her for a moment before stuttering, “I thought there wasn’t enough hot water for a full bath!”
    
Mary grinned and gestured to the nearly full tub.  “You slept so long, I was able to heat up another three buckets of water, and that’s plenty for a little thing like you.”
    
Overwhelmed by everything, Kai only nodded slowly, his eyes saying everything that he was unable to articulate in that moment.  Understanding softened Mary’s features, and she smiled sweetly.
    
“Go on and bathe, child.  I’ve laid out one of Josef’s old nightshirts for you.  It’s all I have, but at least it’s clean.“  Jerking her head to indicate the shirt she’d lain out on the bed, Mary went on.  “Don’t worry about emptying the water.  I’ll have Josef take care of it in the morning.  We won’t have time tonight after the town meeting.  You just rest for now, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    
Disappearing around the door and down the hallway, Mary left him to bathe and went to collect her husband for the town meeting.  They were supposed to discuss ideas for getting rid of the dragon that had been plaguing them lately and preying on their livestock.
    
Left alone with his own thoughts, Malachai sat where he was for several long moments, contemplating all that Mary had already done for him, and how he could possibly repay her for her kindness.  He continued to mull it over as he shed his filthy clothes and climbed into the steaming tub, hissing slightly as the warmth stung the small scrapes and other minor hurts that he had acquired during his two week trek.  He soon settled into the soothing heat, however, and was content for a long while to simply lay back and be supported by the buoyant water.
    
It wasn’t until his bath began to cool that he began to wash himself in earnest.  The soap that had been provided was a bit too sweet smelling for his taste; it seemed to be a fragrance that a woman might wear, but as it was the only soap that had been left and beggars really couldn’t afford to be picky, he picked up the small bar and lathered himself and his long hair in suds.  He scrubbed until the skin on his arms and legs glowed pink before he rinsed the soap away and climbed from the tub.  He donned the shirt that had been left for him before crawling beneath the sheets and allowing his exhaustion to claim him.
    
He was awakened at some point in the night when he heard his door creaking open, and peering blearily at the blurry figure of a girl, he had the brief thought that perhaps this was Mary’s daughter before sleep reclaimed him.




    
Kai was woken in the morning by a gentle but insistent hand pushing at his shoulder, and an urgent voice telling him to wake up.  He wanted to fight both the hand and the voice; to slap them away so he could remain cocooned in sleep for a while longer yet.  But some part of him, even though he was still asleep, recognized Mary; and he refused to replay her hospitality with violence.  Thus, he clawed his way up from the black oblivion of sleep, only to smile blearily at his hostess.  Had he been only slightly more awake or more cognizant of his surroundings, he’d have wondered why Mary looked upset and he’d have been curious over all the noise coming from the front of the house.  As it was, he barely had the presence of mind to pull his borrowed nightshirt down to cover everything that should be covered before he sat up.
    
“You need to wake up and eat breakfast, Kai,” Mary whispered to him, her voice sounding strained.
    
Nodding, the youth swung his legs over the edge of the bed and shoved at the heavy mass of his hair with one hand.  He’d fallen asleep while it was still wet, so it had dried with odd dips and kinks in it from the press of his body and the bed.  Prepared to stand and follow Mary to the kitchen, he was surprised when she shook her head at him.
    
“I’ll bring your food in here.  We have company.  And you’re not dressed.”
    
While it seemed odd to Kai that Mary and Josef would have visitors so early in the morning, he only shrugged and did as he was bid.
    
Mary came back into the room a few minutes later with a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, and potatoes.  Malachai’s eyes bulged at the sight, and he glanced incredulously at his hostess, unable to believe that she truly thought he would be able to eat everything she’d brought him.
    
As though reading his thoughts, Mary murmured, “Eat what you can.  I only brought this much because I didn’t know what you like.”
    
She set the plate on Kai’s lap, then stood, watching her young houseguest eat.  Because he felt awkward with her standing over him, and because he could feel the agitation rolling off her in waves, Kai hurried through his breakfast and ate as much as he could.  When he could eat no more, and indeed, felt so full that he feared he might be ill, he handed the plate back to his hostess with a muttered apology that he hadn’t been able to finish it.
    
Rather than taking the plate and leaving him to dress, as he’d expected, Kai was startled when Mary leaned close and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.
    
“I’m to get you dressed and your hair brushed, then take you to see the town elders.  That’s who’s here, in the front room.”  Frantic now, terror overriding tact, she confided, “Kai, they mean to give you to the dragon!”