Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

23: Jarryd - Waylaid

Frigid air on the back of his neck woke Jarryd out of his deep sleep. The sun edged the mountains on the horizon. Was it coming up or going down, he wondered, unable to get his bearings. He rubbed his face with both hands and tried to warm his nose.

Jarryd frowned. Rufus did not look right. The dragon's wings were tucked tight against his body and his tail stretched with an odd stiffness.

The blurred landscape was not right, either.

He tapped Rufus on the neck.

The dragon did not speak, but turned and looked over his shoulder, eyes wide with terror. His mindpath was still locked.

"Whoa! What's going on," Jarryd shouted.

Rufus shook his head before nodding to the sun.

Only then did Jarryd realise that they flew west. He searched below the tattered clouds for some confirmation of their location.

Water?

Did they soar over the Great Lake? Surely, they were nowhere near the saltwater lagoons on the western coastline, nor the bay, unless Rufus had flown in circles all night long.

The clouds parted.

As he had first suspected, they flew over the great freshwater lake. Twinkling street lamps marked the Turras Island Citadel below. The forbidden travl-ring glowed atop the watchward tower. If he was on a red dragon, they could swoop through that portal and arrive at Skerby in a heartbeat.

Jarryd made himself breathe properly.

He tried to think what could have gone wrong. Rufus could not have flown so far in a single night without magical enhancement, but he saw no wizard-bearing dragon within spelling distance. His stepfather was not doing this, he mused, unless they were invisible. Ritter was an ordinary wizard and needed the object of his spell within sight. Jarryd had heard rumours of invisibility, but not from anyone who had experienced it.

Jarryd yawned, his thinking slowing.

He untied the bulky bedroll from his back, securing it to the perforation in the neck spike. He tied down the backpack. If they should end up in the water, he could release his sleeping harness. An unconscious green dragon would float so he need not worry about Rufus. The sword was safe. His things were safe.

Jarryd did not know where they were being taken, but they were already far, far from Skerby. Taniel would think he had abandoned her. He hoped she did not hug their betrothal too tightly for she needed protection from predatory wizards and her father might know what to do.

Taniel, I'm sorry, he whispered into a mindpath going nowhere.

***

10 March 2017 - replaced with revised scene

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