A Darkening of Dragons by S.A. Patrick

Author:S.A. Patrick [Patrick, S.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 2023-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

The Abbey possessed only five horses, and the group took three of them. Patch was given the smallest, a friendly black-and-white mare. He tied his bag to his saddle, and Wren opted to sit on his shoulder rather than be cooped up for the journey in his pocket. As well as Tobias, they were joined by a burly monk called Brother Madder, who was armed with a decidedly un-monkly broadsword.

Barver was reluctantly dragged from the warmth of his steam treatment and looked rather grumpy when Brother Duffle led him to the front of the Abbey to join the others. “Be careful!” Duffle told him. “Absolutely no flying, and if you must kill any brigands, don’t strain your shoulder in the process.”

“Okay, okay, I promise,” said Barver, and Duffle waved him farewell. Barver looked at Patch and Wren. “Bit of a rude awakening to have to leave that lovely heat and come out here,” he said. “Duffle was vague about where we’re going. Can you fill me in on the details?”

Wren told him everything. When she got to the part about the Witch, Barver went strangely quiet.

The presence of Barver unsettled the horses a little, so he kept himself to the back of their column, with Patch next, then Tobias, and Madder leading. They kept up a rapid pace, riding mostly in silence.

They stopped to rest only once, letting the horses drink from a stream and graze its banks. Patch took his Pipe from his pocket to take a look at some of the lowest finger holes—while playing the Lift earlier, he’d felt some rough edges on the mouthpiece that he needed to fix, but he’d not had a chance to deal with it until now. He used the tip of his knife to gently smooth the wood.

Brother Tobias approached him. “Ah!” he said. “Erner Whitlock told me you were a trainee Piper before you were put in the dungeons. I suggest you put your Pipe away, though. I have my Pipe with me too, but I’ll only use it if the worst comes to the worst. Be in no doubt: Barver is our protection in Gemspar. The brigands there have evaded capture from the Custodian Elite for a very long time. Anyone they see with a Pipe is likely to have a dozen arrows in them before a single note can be played. A dracogriff will give them reason to stay well clear of us.”

Patch nodded. Before they set off, he made sure to put his Pipe in his bag.

By afternoon they could see the peaks of the Gemspar Range, and by evening they had reached the forest on the slopes of the first of the mountains. The path was rough, growing narrower with each passing mile, as the forest grew thicker.

Brother Madder held up his hand for the party to stop. “From here on,” he told them, “there must be absolute silence. If anyone sees anything suspicious, they should draw my attention by clapping their hands together twice.”

“And, um, what are we looking for?” asked Patch.

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