A Dragon of Turicum by C. R. Bracher

Author:C. R. Bracher [Bracher, C. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Return

When Eldred arrived back at the lodge, the squires were putting the finishing touches on the roof.

Eldred dismounted and examined their handiwork. “Not bad.”

“No thanks to you,” said Wybert.

“Where were you?” asked Mance.

“Hunting.”

“What did you catch?” said Mance.

“I’m not sure.” Eldred lifted down the baskets Tullus had provided, and sat down to rummage through them. “Let’s see, freshly baked bread, some fruit, some cheese and some wine. There should be some meat. Hmm—I don’t see the meat. Nonetheless, gifts from the people of Turicum.”

Daw shook his head. “I wouldn’t eat any.”

“The Wretcheds poisoned it,” said Wybert.

Eldred ripped off a hunk from a soft white loaf and wrapped it around some gooey orange cheese. “We went through this before. Why would they bring us all the way up here to harm us? We are here to kill their dragon. Who wants some?”

Wybert glowered at Eldred. “I’m waiting to watch you choke and die.”

Eldred took a bite, then uncorked a bottle of wine. He sniffed it before taking a sip.

“What in Mother’s name are you doing! Have you forgotten your vows?” shouted Mance.

Eldred made a face. “No, I didn’t. This is too sour. The food is good, though.”

Mance strode over to Eldred and loomed over him. “You’ve done it this time, Eldred. First, you cheat at the Academy. Now, you are disobeying orders and breaking vows.”

Eldred smiled. “Lord Vance ordered us to hunt. You can search, but you will find no better food in the area.”

“Nobody but yourself is so degenerate as to eat that Wretched garbage.”

“Calm yourself, Mance. It’s food, just regular food. Actually, it’s very tasty.”

Mance kicked one of the baskets over, spilling a round of cheese and two loaves of bread into the dirt.

Eldred snatched up one of the loaves and dusted it off. “Hey! What are you doing? Have you lost your senses?”

“You’ll catch it when they return,” said Mance. Then he stalked back to the others, and they entered the lodge, shutting the door behind them.

A few minutes later, the squires exited the lodge, wearing their swords and carrying their veruta, small throwing javelins. They mounted up and went down the mound towards the woods on the southern edge, away from Turicum.

Eldred watched them go, then took his baskets to the top of the mound and sat in the sunlight, taking in the view. The outlines of the two islands, Imbros and Sarnia, were visible across the choppy sea and below, Turicum presented a magnificent, though still, cityscape. But it was the birds and their songs that caught Eldred’s attention.

Species he had never seen or heard of ranged up and down the hill. A large beaked bird with blue plumage sat in a tree a hundred yards off, marking its territory with shrill squawks. A bird with green plumage, a white face and red markings on its head, worked at pecking through the bark of a fallen tree. Eldred kept hearing a shriek that sounded like an owl, but he could not find the source. No southern owl would be so active during the day.

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