Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [141]
“What? If Werda—”
“Curse Werda! Surely she does have more than enough to occupy her mind this day. Come with me, and you shall have the truth.”
“Good.” Verrarc smiled at her. “That gladdens my heart.”
As they were leaving the house, Verrarc remembered the dragon. Was it still roosting on the ruins or had it gone elsewhere? Although he thought of warning Raena, in the end he said nothing, just as a bit of revenge for her lapsing back into her secretive ways.
At the crest of Citadel they left the cobbled street and walked along the dirt path that debouched between a pair of huge boulders. In their shelter Verrarc paused to look downhill. Below them in the trees stood the stone slabs of the temple's broken roof. On the flat the dragon lazed, eyes shut tight against the hot sun. Raena had apparently seen it. She had crammed the palm of one hand into her mouth to stifle a scream. She went dead-pale and began to tremble so hard that Verrarc regretted his spite. When he tried to put an arm around her shoulders, she jerked away from him and stepped back fast into the shelter of the rocks. Tears ran silently down her face.
“Ah Goddess!” Raena whispered. “Stop, Verro! We dare not take one step farther.”
“Indeed? They do tell me she be a tame dragon, no threat to any of us here.”
“Then they lie! Hush! There be a need on us to make a quiet retreat.”
Raena began edging away, her back to the safety of stone. Verrarc followed, glancing back often, but Arzosah was sleeping soundly, lulled no doubt by the warmth of the day. Once they'd reached the cross street, Raena frankly ran, pounding down the cobbles and gasping for breath. Verrarc followed and caught her just outside the back gate of his compound.
“Rae, Rae, what be so wrong?”
“She'll kill me, you dolt! That wyrm! That first day she did fly over our town—remember you not? I did tell you then. She does know me, and she hates me.”
The world seemed to jerk under his feet. He was aware of feeling cold and clammy all over, and for a moment he wondered if he would vomit. Raena grabbed his arm and steadied him.
“Let's get inside,” she whispered. “There we can talk.” When they returned to the compound, Verrarc sent Raena off to their bedroom to change into some proper clothes, then went into the kitchen, where as he'd expected he found the servants waiting for him without any pretense of working.
“It be a long time now since I've given you any leisure,” Verrarc said. “I do know full well how your hearts must ache to be going about the town and talking with your friends and suchlike. Why not spend the rest of the day doing just that? My woman and I can find some cold meats or suchlike for a supper.”
“My thanks,” Korla said, yet she looked grim rather than happy. “Be you sure you'll fare well here?”
“Of course!” Verrarc forced a smile. “I be not a little lad.”
Korla and Harl exchanged a brief glance. Magpie stood up, chewing on a corner of her dirty apron as she watched her grandmother.
“Ah well,” Korla said at last. “It will be a good thing to walk about a bit. Come along, Maggi. We'll have a bit of sun.”
“My thanks as well.” Harl ducked his head in Verrarc's direction, then hurried out the back door.
When Verrarc returned to the bedchamber, he found Raena standing by the window in her underdress. The sun streaming in made the cloth glow around her gaunt body and washed her face with harsh light.
“You look ill,” Verrarc said. “Be there a need on you to rest?”
“None.” Raena turned away from the window and stood looking around the chamber. “Tell me somewhat. How long has this dragon infested the town? What did bring it here?”
“Strange things did happen whilst you were gone, and many a strange traveller did arrive. A party of men that call themselves Westfolk—”
Raena swore. For a moment Verrarc thought she was going to spit on the floor, but she stopped herself.
“They did bring Jahdo home,” Verrarc went on. “There be two women with them as well.”
“Dallandra be one of them?