Dragon Quest by Craig Askham

Author:Craig Askham [Askham, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Lite Publishing
Published: 2019-08-21T06:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Ben was wrong about the length of the walk. They set a decent pace, but by lunchtime it had turned into a trawl. Hunger got the better of them, and they were forced to stop. Just as Ben was wondering where the food was going to be coming from, the soldiers reached into packs underneath their clothes and brought out enough rations to keep them going. There was bread that looked like it had been fresh at some point that wasn’t now, and dried meat that made their jaws ache and tasted like rubber. It seemed the soldiers were there to keep the group alive in more ways than one, but they sure as hell didn’t want to make it easy.

They sat in a meadow so full of buttercups that it was impossible to find a place to sit that didn’t involve flattening at least a dozen. There were enough trees around to provide ample shelter for those wishing to partake of the toileting facilities. They were mostly bare, but evidence of the dragon’s magic was there in the buds that were starting to grow. They were few and far between, as if taken by surprise at being awoken from their happy slumber to perform tricks like monkeys in a circus. Here and there, a handful of birds had been tempted to visit, although from where, Ben hadn’t a clue. In his head, their excited chirping sounded confused, as if they were asking each other what the hell was going on.

They trudged on against the backdrop of soaring, snow-capped mountaintops. They were so close that it was like being in the middle of a city, looking up at monolithic skyscrapers competing in a competition to be the grandest. It really should have been far colder than it was, and the heavy cloaks that had been a godsend on the journey here were quickly turning into a noose around their necks. Finally, Ben could take it no more, and dropped his onto the grass for the second time that day. When eyes turned to look questioningly at him, he gave them a shrug.

“I’ll pick it up on the way back.”

“Not your worst idea,” said Caspillo, and followed suit. A minute or so later, an impressive stack of furry cloaks rested on the grass like a sleeping bear. The only adventurer who stayed wrapped up was Vykron, despite the fine sheen of sweat across a brow that was now set permanently in a scowl. Impatient to continue, he stomped off as if he didn’t care whether anyone followed or not. Ben shared a confused look with Vantalon, who shrugged, and then he caught Caspillo staring thoughtfully at the Russian’s back and couldn’t help but wonder if there was going to be a problem later down the line.

The group continued, following Vykron and steering well clear of his surly temper. Not for the first time, Ben tried falling into step with Jas Toor, ostensibly so that he could ask questions about how her magic worked but, in reality, so that he could try and work his own magic on her.

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