The Chronicles of Brendan Earle, Apprentice Mage.

Going to the West, by Dragon.

Adam

Phoebe called through to McGregor by dragon and pretended to be Malaika one last time while she told him what had happened. We thought about telling him one of the consequences of Maldon’s bomb was she’d been turned into a 13-year-old from Edinburgh. Then we thought better. I still wanted her to go back to him and stay out of what happened next, but she dealt with that very neatly.

“I know where Maldon is and you don’t. McGregor probably won’t believe I’m Malaika without brown skin and a large bust and I’m more likely to get grabbed if I’m off by myself”.

Looking in her eyes I could see that she also wasn’t having any argument. She was going with me whether I liked it or not. So much for chivalry. She’d changed a lot in a short time.

We didn’t tell McGregor about the plan to go to the Western Lands and take on Maldon. He’d have tried to argue us out of it and he’d probably have succeeded. I don’t think either of us was considering our plan too carefully. If we had, we’d have had to admit that we didn’t have anything like a plan. Returning to another Gard, collecting an army and going off mob-handed was a better idea.

Of course, us being in a Gard was probably a good sign it would be hit by another bomb. We told McGregor that we’d get to him as soon as we could, but suggested he start evacuating the cities and Gards to prevent further bombing.

When we’d finished one of the dragons looked at us and asked, “Are you going to the West?” When we told it yes, it and its friend looked agitated.

“Are you going to free the dragons of the West?”

“I’m not making any promises about the dragons. I’m going to deal with Maldon. If I win then I suppose so, they’ll be free. But why are they waiting for someone to free them? Why can’t they do something about it themselves?”

“There are many reasons, Brendan apprentice. They are lied to by leaders who eat Maldon’s fat pigs and do not care that they are slaves to appetite. They are confused because they are lied to. They are far from us and we cannot talk with them easily to tell them the truth. They see where the power lies and think it is the nature of things that it should be so. They have forgotten how to be dragons.”

“What will they do when we come?”

“We do not know Brendan apprentice, some may fight for you and some against.”

“When you can, pass them a message from me. When I go to Maldon, they can be in my way or out of it. Out of it would be better for them.”

“We will do this Brendan apprentice. Dragon kind flies with you to free our kin in the West. We are honoured to carry you. May we all die beautifully, surrounded by scores of our enemies.”

“Thanks for the thought. By the way, what are your names? ”

“I am Pa’alst and this is my friend Fi’isk.”

We raided the kitchens for food and drink for the flight to the West, which the dragons told us would take a good day and a half, then grabbed sleeping bags and anything else that looked useful. The dragons went off to get a light snack before starting. They told us they’d need time to feed on the way. That was fair enough as we would too, and I didn’t fancy trying to eat while flying. I might have just signed up for being heroic, but I wasn’t ready for air-sick yet.

It was getting late by the time we were ready to leave. Okay, it would have been more sensible to have waited at the Gard till morning, but neither of us wanted to stay there. Already there were too many memories. We decided to fly North-West first and follow a river that flowed to the West. That would get us around the chance of meeting McGregor again by accident and allow us to stay low. It wouldn’t stop someone scrying us from a distance, but meant anyone on the ground wouldn’t easily see us until very close up.