Dragonfall by Estes David

Author:Estes, David [Estes, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Amazon: B099QWPFGR
Goodreads: 58722670
Published: 2021-08-31T07:00:00+00:00

Trudy had returned from the bakery not long after Ando and Sola rejoined the rest of the group in the public house downstairs. She informed the barkeep, who was apparently a new employee since Sola had left home, that everyone’s tab would be covered by the house, and then closed the establishment a full three hours early. By then everyone was pleasantly pink-cheeked, especially the dwarves, whose faces seemed to turn as red as a sunburn after only a few sips of any strong drink.

Trudy showed them to the upstairs rooms, each of which contained several beds. Those who didn’t get a bed didn’t mind sprawling on the floor. Just having a roof over their heads felt like a luxury after many nights spent sleeping under the stars. Soon Ando was being serenaded by the drone of deep breathing and the occasional snore, and it wasn’t long before his were added to the mix.

He awoke to darkness, the lanterns set in the corners having burned through all their oil. It took a few minutes of blinking before his eyes were able to see shapes in the darkness. Lumps rose from the beds, while other lumps cluttered the floor.

Though he still felt tired, Ando knew he wouldn’t sleep again on this night. Lying in bed alone with his thoughts didn’t really appeal to him, so Ando slipped out of bed and weaved his way to the door, careful not to step on anyone. The door’s hinges were well-oiled and opened and closed again without a sound. At the bottom of the stairs, he inspected the room. Between leaving them in the rooms upstairs and making her way to bed, Sola’s mother had cleaned the public house room. The chairs and stools were stacked upside down on the tables, which had allowed her to clean the floor to a polished shine, which Ando could tell because of the light afforded by a lantern hanging from a cord in the center of the room, its reservoir still half-filled with oil. She really is a strong woman, he thought. Tireless. Steady.

A muffled sound captured his attention, but it was difficult to discern the direction. From upstairs perhaps, he thought. Not where he’d just come from, but the opposite staircase, where Sola and his family lived. Ando had planned to sneak outside for a nighttime walk in the cool air, but instead found himself mounting the same stairs Sola had led him up earlier. At the top, he hesitated, unsure what he’d planned to do.

For some reason, he walked straight ahead and turned the knob on Bora’s old bedroom door, expecting the door to stick, at which point he was going to turn around and head back downstairs. Instead, the door opened easily, without so much as a creak or groan. Someone had fixed it. Could it really have been Trudy? Maybe after learning that her son would not be returning to fix it himself, she’d taken it upon herself to take care of it? Something about the theory felt off target.

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