"By Lord Griffith of Crageria,
The Dragon Fools, Rib and Gavin,
Are hereby invited to attend
The tournament, Dragon Round,
On Saint Madison's Day
At His Lordship's arena.
Seeing as it is a sport of man and pet,
Fool Gavin is welcome to compete
With his finest dragon hound,
While Fool Rib is asked to watch
Alongside of Lord Griffith
And his companion, Oriole,
From the royal booths.
The prize offered to the winner
Shall be a visit to the Fairy Realm
And a potion of Lord Griffith's making."
A potion! Rib curled his tail in amazement. Gavin could ask him for the cure!
He looked to Gavin, who raised his eyebrows at him, then smiled at the messenger to say, "How could we refuse?"
The man closed his scroll with a nod. "I will notify Lord Griffith of your confirmation."
Jotting down something on the scroll, he transferred the wyvern from his shoulder to his forearm and attached the parchment to its leg.
Griffith uses a wyvern as his messenger too? Rib was reminded of Tyrone and Ivory back home in Wystil. Looks like this one doesn't repeat things, though.
With a thrust of his arm, the man sent the wyvern off. Rib gawked as the creature was there one moment and gone the next, having taken off at an incredible speed.
Like an arrow! Must use some kind of magic.
Gavin gave an impressed whistle.
"I see how the King got news of us so quickly," he said.
. . .
"This is perfect!" Rib exclaimed, delighted as they set sail for their destination. People lined the docks, waving handkerchiefs and calling out their farewells to the famous Dragon Fools.
Gavin nodded, lying back once he'd finished removing all Rib's ornamentation. "And exhausting. At least we'll have time to rest before the tournament."
"No," Jasper objected, his voice cracking. "You have to train for Dragon Round. Do you even know the rules to it?"
"Sure I do," Gavin answered, closing his eyes. "Although, I suppose the monigons could do with some training." He sighed.
Rib looked to Damara, who was sitting silently by herself on the deck, staring out at the warm, summer sea.
Discreetly, he approached and stopped beside her.
"Damara," he whispered, "I don't think we'll have to take from Griffith at all. If Gavin wins this tournament, he can request the cure as his prize."
Damara didn't face him, but said, "If he wins."
"Please," Rib begged quietly with her. "Let him compete before we try anything else."
The woman was silent.
Well, thought Rib. That's better than refusal.
"What about your sister?" Damara then queried, looking him in the eye.
Memory?
"We can still get her," he said.
We're headed for her now. Rib's heart quickened as he thought of it.
"Fine, but we get the cure first." Damara said. "That, or the book and the firebreather. Your sister comes second, understand?"
Second? Rib held Damara's harsh gaze, not sure how to feel.
"Alright," he gave in, convinced by her flinty, blue eyes.
It won't be a problem.
. . .
"So here's how this game works," Gavin said, tracing a circle in the sand, then walking a ways across the beach to draw one just like it. Rib lay upright, listening as his friend explained Dragon Round to Damara, who stood with arms crossed.
They had made it to their destination, a short flight away from where the tournament would take place the next day. Rib had wanted to go searching for Memory the moment they disembarked, but Damara told him not to be so obvious.
'The cure first, your sister second, remember?' she had hissed at him. 'Your sister will probably be at the tournament anyway, so focus on that.'
Gavin had only one day to practice Dragon Round, and to Rib's surprise, Damara had offered to help.
"Each of us has a goal," Gavin said, pointing to both circles. "And we have to start in the ring opposite of ours. So go stand in that one and I'll be in this one."
Damara went to do as he said, waiting for more instructions. As the two humans faced each other, Rib was struck by the contrast between them, one a fair-skinned woman with lean body and curved figure, the other a dark grey man with stocky build.
They're nearly opposites, Rib thought, reflecting also on how laid back Gavin was compared to Damara's intense demeanor. And yet they make good friends?
"Now, from what I heard, it's a pretty simple game, until you add more players. But seeing as there are only two of us playing, we should be fine." Gavin picked up a leather ball and, tossing it to Rib, called, "Catch!"
Catch?! Instinctively, Rib closed his mouth around the flying object as he would a bird or a bat.
"Wha' do I do wif dis?" he asked, cocking his head. Gavin's monigons, having just seen the ball thrown, were leaping around Rib, barking excitedly.
"Hold on," Gavin said, and whistled for Hesper, who went to his side. Damara called for the other monigon, as Gavin requested, and held tight to its collar.
"When I say," Gavin told Rib, "I want you to drop the ball in right between me and Damara and then get out of the way, alright?"
Rib nodded, embarrassed as slobber began to string from his mouth. He had the ball clamped between his jaws, afraid that he'd swallow it otherwise.
"Now, Damara," Gavin called. "We can touch the ball, but we can't move with it. Only the monigons can do that. So, to put it short, your goal is to stand in the circle I'm in now, and have your monigon bring the ball to you. Whoever gets the ball from their monigon's mouth while standing within their goal wins. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Alright, Rib?Drop the ball in the middle and go!"
Rib did as he said, spitting out the toy and taking to the air. At that same moment, Gavin and Damara let go of their monigons, running towards their goal as the animals dashed for the ball. Beating his wings, Rib had an overhead view of both monigons ramming into each other, squabbling before Hesper got a hold of the ball and went bounding to her master.
But before she reached him, Damara's monigon caught up and tackled her, snatching the toy back and heading for where Damara called.
This struggle continued on, neither monigons succeeding in getting the ball to their human before they tired themselves out, flopping onto the sand.
"Come on, Hesp!" Gavin laughed, bending over to pat his knees.
Exhaustedly, Hesper lifted her head, panting as she got up, took the ball in her mouth, and trotted to her owner's goal.
"Good girl!" Gavin praised her, taking the toy to claim victory. "Alright, Damara, there was something else I forgot to tell you. We can't move with the ball, but we can throw it."
Damara put a hand on her hip, surprising Rib with a sportive smile on her face.
"Well, that changes things," she said. "Can we wrestle it from each other, too?"
"I-" Gavin was stalled by this. "I don't actually know. What do you think?"
Damara smirked. "I think it would give me a better chance."
"Oh?" Gavin raised his eyebrows. "Alright, then. Let's try it. Soon as the monigons are ready."
How could it give her a better chance? Rib wondered, looking from her to Gavin. Damara was tall, but delicately thin. Though she held herself confidently, it was obvious her strength didn't compare to Gavin's. The young man was in his prime, with broad shoulders and muscles everywhere, laid thick from his neck to his calves. How can she hope to win at all?!
Rib picked out a rock where he decided he would go soon as he started the second round, growing eager to watch it play out.
"I think the monigons are ready now," Gavin said, nodding to Rib. "Will you do the honors?"
The ball was now thoroughly coated with sand and slobber. Rib cast it a distasteful
look before picking it back up in his own mouth and flying to the middle of Damara and Gavin, who stood ready with their reptilian partners.
"Go!" Rib shouted, dropping the ball and retreating to his rock.
This time, instead of running straight for their goals, the humans chased after their monigons, encouraging them with yells and whistles. As Hesper got the ball, she brought it to Gavin, who took it quickly and aimed to throw it towards his goal.
But, just then, coming from behind, Damara swung her leg at the back of his knees, causing him to double backwards and drop the ball.
What?!
Actually laughing now, Damara picked up the toy before Hesper could get it and threw it to her goal, where her monigon was already headed.
Gavin was just standing up as Damara reached her monigon, planting her feet inside the ring of sand before retrieving the slimy ball and declaring her victory with arms raised.
She's happy. Rib was baffled. Damara looks happy.
"That wasn't wrestling from my hands; that was assault!" Gavin laughed, shaking out the sand from the folds of his clothes.
Damara grinned. "Sorry, but your monigon's better than mine. I had to do something to even the odds."
Gavin also grinned, looking down at Hesper, who nosed him in the leg. "She is good, isn't she? I think I ought to use her for the tournament. But hey, do you want to switch hounds and play again?"
Damara accepted and Rib watched in awe as she and Gavin continued playing their game. Now that the man was prepared for Damara's attacks, he dodged them slyly, and soon began to win each round, no matter which monigon helped him.
Look how much fun they're having, Rib thought. And all I get to do is start the round with a nasty ball in my mouth.
It began to make him sad, though Damara was finally showing her light side.
By the time Damara and Gavin were too tired for another round, both were panting just as much as the monigons, but still grinning.
"I'm going to cool off in the water," Gavin said, his brow now glistening with sweat. Damara sat on a large piece of driftwood as Gavin rolled up his pant legs and waded into the ocean up to his knees.
Rib studied Damara, noticing how the summery light caught the perspiration on the nape of her neck. The color of her dress reminded him of a dreary, drizzling day, but the expression on her face remained pleasant. Rib could see her blink a bead of sweat out of her eye as she watched Gavin splash water into his face.
If she can be friends with Gavin, he determined, then surely she can be friends with me.
I've been ignored long enough.
Descending his rock as graceful as a mountain lion, Rib sidled up to her, letting himself down by her seat of driftwood. Sand half buried his foreclaws set in front of him.
"I think you've helped prepare him," he said, also looking out at Gavin. "He could actually win tomorrow."
Rib glanced at Damara, happy to see her eyes also flutter in his direction, her manner less than irritated.
"Maybe so," she answered.
"You'll be watching, right?" Rib asked. "When he competes?"
He heard the young woman breathe out, before replying, "I should think so."
He smiled. We're actually having a real, pleasant conversation right now.
"Rib!"
Jasper's voice cracked behind them and they both turned. The boy was running down the beach towards them, sand kicked up behind him. He put his hands on his head when he reached them to catch his breath.
"Father was just talking to another Huskhn down at the docks," the boy gulped. "He said your sister was here, until Zheal fled with her on a ship!"
Memory! She?
"Fled?" Rib repeated in exasperation. "Where is she now?!"
Jasper shook his head, long curls of hair swinging loose. "The man didn't know."
Rib was devastated.
Swiveling his eyes to Damara, he saw that she was studying him silently.
Now what do we do?!
"What's happened?" Gavin asked, running up to meet them.
"My sister was here," Rib cried. "But she left with Zheal and no one knows where she went!"
"Oh." Gavin looked shocked. "Rib, I'm so sorry. That's terrible."
He doesn't even know. I had a plan. Rib trembled all over and hung his head. Memory was supposed to be here?
I was finally going to save her.
Chapter 11