CHAPTER 14
Raef woke early the next sunrise and, seeing his parents privacy curtain still closed, had some bread. He put on his new clothes and blue robe and went out for an early walk before attending sunrise homage. He wasn’t really looking forward to instruction from Dimmel. They had been getting quite dull lately. He decided to take a long detour through the very center of the village square. Other younglings ran along the paths, playing while they could before lessons. When he arrived at the square, he found it full of activity. The Merchants and Laborers started their sunrise early. Even before sunrise homage, they were setting up booths and preparing for the early shoppers.
The square was lined on all four sides with Merchant booths. Even a few early rising shoppers had arrived, looking over what was already on display. He paused and listened to all the commotion around him. Among all the sounds of the square, he thought he heard a woman scream. He had just barely heard it above the din of the Merchants and was not even sure it had been a scream. Then he heard another scream, then another. Villagers all around him began looking and pointing in his direction, but not at him exactly. Raef slowly turned and looked behind him. All he saw were panicked villagers. A man near Raef dropped a bundle of cloth he was carrying, yelled, and ran frantically from the square. Raef was bewildered.
“The dragon! It’s back! The dragon is back!” someone cried.
Raef looked up as everyone around him scattered. Over the trees, a dark image swooped down into the village. The wind from the great beast’s wings blew over Merchant stands. Then the dragon spiraled slowly upwards, directly over the square.
“What are you doing?” Raef mumbled to himself.
The dragon leveled out high above the ground and began to circle the village square. In no time several Warriors arrived, leather armor on their chests and carrying spears and swords. Prime Rodon, the father of Chaz, was leading them. The rest of the villagers hid behind houses and shops, peaking their heads out to watch. Raef stood in the center of the square, gazing up at Rail. He had never seen Rail so near the village like this, and he was completely confused. It was like he was watching an odd dream.
Rail dove down, directly at the group of Warriors, talons sprung. The Warriors flashed their blades. Rail swooped down low over the Warriors and blew by them, their sleek blades clattering uselessly against its black talons. The dragon arched back up, and made lazy loops in the sky. The Warriors reformed into a ball bristling with pointed steel. But instead of attacking them, Rail dove onto a building, crushing the roof of poles and sticks. The dragon rose into the air, clasping a claw full of large poles. It hurled them at the Warriors, bowling down most where they stood. Rodon remained standing, poised and defiant. The crowd now formed a circle around the edge of the square, watching the action from a distance.
Rail threw itself high into the sky then dropped on Rodon. Rodon’s sword glanced off the dragon’s scaly neck, but Rail’s talon slashed through the Warriors armor and cut deep into the man’s side. Raef watched Chaz’s father collapse in a bloody heap. The dragon looped upward. Raef looked up in disbelief at his old friend in the sky.
“Rail!” Raef shouted.
Rail seemed to pause, mid air. The dragon looked down at Raef. Then with a burst of its leather wings, the dragon shot away to the east; out over the trees, toward Black Rock in the distance. Raef stood, shocked and confused as the villagers rushed past him to reach the fallen Prime Warrior.
The square was once again filled with noise, but this time there was no order, only panic. Soon the healers arrived to aid Rodon. Raef shook his head to clear his shock. He looked over at Rodon and was astonished at how much blood was on the ground around the man. Raef heard Chaz’s voice. It sounded higher pitched than normal. Raef turned to see Chaz running toward the square. The youngling ran to his father’s side and knelt down by him. Chaz was crying. Raef had not seen Chaz cry in a very long time.
As the healers lifted him, Prime Rodon reached and touched Chaz’s face.
“Father, don’t die, Father!” Chaz sobbed.
“I love you, son,” Rodon said.
Rodon had tears as well. The Prime Warrior was crying. Raef was not used to seeing men cry.
“I love you too, Father” Chaz said.
The healers rushed Rodon away.
Raef felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his mother. She looked very frightened.
“Raef, why didn’t you come when I called?”
“You called?”
“I was yelling for you. Raef, you were out in the open! That dragon could have killed you!”
“Rail won’t hurt me,” said Raef.
His mother stepped back; her eyes opened wide and a look of shock came over her face.
“What did you call it?” his mother whispered.
“Uh, the dragon,” said Raef.
Malta gave Raef a penetrating look. He felt as if she could see right through him. Then she looked afraid.
“Raef,” she said carefully, “you are wearing a Keeper’s robe. The dragon hates Keepers. I don’t want to lose my son to that beast.”
Raef felt his face drain of color.
“Mother, it’s alright, the dragon doesn’t kill younglings.”
Malta took Raef by both shoulders and bent down face to face with him.
“Who told you that? The dragon takes anyone it can.”
They were silent several moments, each one searching the other. Raef tried to change the subject.
“Will Rodon be okay?”
Malta paused, then seemed to relax a little.
“It looked very serious,” Malta said, straightening up and releasing Raef, “I hope the healers can save him.”
Raef turned from his mother and walked to the bloody spot where Prime Rodon had been. Chaz was still there, bent over the pool of blood, crying. Several adult Warriors were consoling him. Raef felt his mother tug his arm. He let her lead him away, though he continued to watch Chaz. Raef realized he didn’t feel much of anything. It seemed somehow that he should.
The village was in near chaos. The sunrise homage never took place. Instead, the Keepers gathered in the square to appeal to the spirits. Few villagers went to work, but stayed in the square or outside the Healing Lodge where Prime Rodon was. The Warriors were everywhere, riding through the streets on horseback carrying spears. All the Warrior apprentices, though they had yet to be initiated in the tournaments, were out as well, riding or marching through the streets, looking a little small to be carrying swords and spears. Parents tried to corral their younglings inside, but many had escaped, probably through windows, to wander the streets and see all the commotion. Raef stood just outside the square, behind his father, and watched. At sunset the village called a meditation. Villagers had to sit on the floor because the Ceremonial Lodge was so full.
That night Raef saw it all again in a dream. Only this time, it was his father, Folor, who faced Rail in the square. There he stood, red robe flowing majestically in the breeze. Rail fell from the sky and slashed Folor in half. In his dream, Raef saw himself rush to his dying father’s side.
“Don’t worry, Father, I will take care of Mother and Irah.”
His father smiled and closed his eyes in death. Raef stood and went to his mother and sister and walked them home. Malta and Irah were both crying. In his dream, Raef did not shed a tear.