Of Men and Dragons: New Foundations by Steve Hayden

Author:Steve Hayden
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 2

Sare’en was incredibly nervous, but knew she had to speak up if she ever wanted to pay back her debt to her savior. Even if that meant she had to force herself to do so.

When the notice had gone out that the Dragon’s Outpost was looking for more volunteers, she’d stood up with the rest, but she’d been overlooked in the first group due to her short stature and timid nature. So when the hunter chief’s son had come back to escort the second group of volunteers, she’d made sure she was front and center. She was confident they’d need some arlack at the outpost, and while she’d never taken care of them without oversight, Lady Ta’miel had said she was just about ready to handle her own herd.

When Lon’thul had first asked Sare’en what skills she had to offer, she’d frozen up under his gaze. Everyone knew his father was the most terrifying male in the village, and while the son didn’t seem as frightening, the scent of death seemed to linger around him, too. After all, he’d been part of the scouting group that had first made contact with the raider invasion.

One moment stretched into the next, and still, Sare’en couldn’t bring herself to speak. When the hunter took a step closer, she was confident he was about to shout at her or belittle her the way most males did. When he brought his hand up, she flinched back, but instead of slapping her, he just rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hey now, I don’t bite, well, not pretty young females, anyway! So take a moment to catch your breath, and just tell me what you do.”

Sare’en realized the hunter was trying to be comforting, but somehow that almost made things worse. Their close proximity, combined with the fact that she was now the center of everyone’s attention, was almost too much, but she knew that saying nothing here and now might cost her the only chance to work with and pay back her hero. “Arlack!… I’m an arlack…herder….”

Lon’thul’s grin grew even broader. “That’s perfect! Jack’s been making noise that we needed some arlack at the Outpost! Said I should see if I could track someone down to help him design and set up some stables and whatever else they might need. Think you’re up to the job?”

Sare’en gritted her teeth, closed her hands firmly, and nodded emphatically. Lon’thul grinned. “Great! We’ll be leaving early tomorrow, so get your things together and meet me outside the inn at sunrise. See ya then!”

With that, the hunter’s attention was directed elsewhere, and he moved on to speak with more volunteers. Now that she was no longer the center of attention, Sare’en felt tension she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding drain out of her shoulders. She wove her way through the crowd like she usually did, unseen and unnoticed. Lady Ta’miel had once joked that Sare’en had so little presence, it was almost like she didn’t even exist.

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