Vedientir by Ivan Hladni

Author:Ivan Hladni [Hladni, Ivan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11 - Respite

They were soon out of Tialoch's North gate. They stopped at a crossroads, but there were white birches growing there. Not a single pine tree was in sight.

"Grak! Kam?" croaked the white raven after it landed onto a birch on Dion's right. The black raven landed next to the white raven but said nothing. He simply stared at Dion, looking at him first with its left eye, then turning its head and looking at Dion with the other.

"Tam," answered Dion and pointed to where he thought they all should go - further north. They passed another crossroads where tall poplars grew and continued until they finally reached the pine tree crossroads. There they turned right onto the road that led east between houses strewn on both sides of the road like leaves on a branch.

There was no grace in his dismount in front of the wooden gates of the fifth house on the left side of the street. He left the dragon in front of the larger section of the gates - meant for carts and cattle and other large things, and he went a few more steps to a door between the large gates and the house.

The ravens landed onto the dragon's back as soon as Dion dismounted, and the dragon seemed not to mind them being there, except for occasionally shaking his leg when they walked too quickly or pecked at his scales.

Dion struck the doors a few times with the soft underside of his hand and pulled his hand back when the doors opened slightly ajar on their own, but he did not enter.

"Good day," said Dion when a short old woman wearing a white dress covered with knitted red flowers opened the door that were twice as tall as her. He could tell by her expression that she did not know who he was.

"Kerkio is not home," said the old woman courteously.

"I know," replied Dion.

"I am Daedar's grandson," he introduced himself.

"Kerkio said to tell you that he would be home later today."

"Dion!" Her smile displaced the orange freckles on her wrinkled face, and she came out to the street with opened arms. Dion bent slightly so the old woman could hug him but she grabbed him by the cheeks with both hands and pulled him closer, and then kissed him first on one cheek and then on the other.

"Welcome," said Lanika pleasantly surprised by her guest and then she noticed the dragon. She pulled her hands back from Dion, but her distress was brief.

"Don't worry. He is my and Kerkio's friend, and he draws a lot of attention. May we enter?"

She checked the dragon once more with a piercing stare and then disappeared behind the gates. She pulled the metal pin that held the larger section of the gates closed and opened it just enough for the dragon to enter the yard. Lanika closed them as soon as the dragon's tail was inside the yard but then went out the small gate and waved off the neighbors who flocked to catch a glimpse of the dragon.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.