Page 5 of The Fox and the Dragon

"As far as I know, he and his brother have been treated well, and all dragons have continued to maintain their cloak. I think he just wants to go home."

“Make sure he’s getting enough to eat.”

"I will." Roan smiled and left the room. Saphir tried to stay tough on the outsiders, but Roan always saw through him. He would not abide by their being mistreated or slighted in any way.

CHAPTER THREE

"What happened, Ashton? Where am I?" Ashton was relieved when Will finally woke up. He desperately needed someone to talk to that wasn't a dragon. Ashton explained what had happened and where they were.

"He brought us to their mountain den?" Ashton nodded. "Wow, I knew the dragon circle was here but never had the nerve to get close. It doesn't seem as ominous as I thought it would."

"It's ominous, all right," Ashton responded tightly. "They don't want us here, Will, they really don't."

“What do you mean?”

“They’re nice and all and they took care of you, but they don’t want us here. I was in the dining area kind off by myself having a cup of coffee and a sandwich and I heard a few talking.” Ashton leaned in closer to Will who was still lying flat in bed.

“What did you hear?”

"They were talking low, but they said something about Saphir being really upset that two more shifters were brought in. They said he told Roan, that's the man who saved us, to takecare of it and send us on our way as soon as possible." Ashton struggled to hear, but he got the gist of the conversation.

“That’s . . . not good.” Will drew out the words as he processed their situation and their next move.

"Roan thinks the traps were meant for us and that someone wants to hurt us, but this Saphir they spoke of said it's not his problem, and our people can take care of us." Ashton was feeling decidedly unwelcome at that point. He'd already asked about leaving, but once he heard all that, he was definitely leaving.

"My boss, Mr. Quinell, works with the dragons, and Saphir is the second in command around here. King Bazil is his brother. If he wants us gone, we will be gone, and there will be no questions about it."

"I'd rather go on our own terms and not be thrown out. If you're feeling up to it, I've arranged for us to leave tomorrow afternoon. Roan is going to drive us back to town, and then I'll see about getting your car from the lot. It might have been impounded by this time."

“How long have we been here?”

“This is our second night.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.” Will agreed with him. “Can we leave soon like say in the morning?”

“Are you well enough? The doctor said to wait until afternoon.”

“I’m fine and besides I’ll feel better being in my own bed and if there are any problems, I’ll have you there with me if I need help so let’s leave in the morning.” Will was adamant.

“I’ll ask and see if we can leave earlier. They want us out of here so I’m sure they will find us a ride.” Ashton was feelingthe urgency to go as Will’s anxiety began to grow. “You are really worked up over this.” He stated but it was actually a question.

“I met him once.”

“Who?”

"Saphir, and it was memorable. He has a presence that freezes and terrifies with a glance. He's taller than any other dragon I've ever seen, and he has a glare that slices through you. I'd say he was scary and intimidating, but that would be an understatement. I don't want to be on his bad side, and I certainly don't want to be lying about when he wants me gone." Will pulled himself up into a sitting position even though Ashton was trying to make him lay still.

“I’ll find a way out of here by morning. I don’t want to come face to face with Saphir my fox can be a bit timid and a dragon like Saphir might send him into a panic.” Ashton was genuinely afraid now whereas before he was simply irritated and inconvenienced.

"My fox hid for two days following that meeting, and the guy didn't say a word to me. We were just in the same room." Will made his discomfort very clear.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of here." Ashton figured he'd speak with the doctor, who would be in soon to check on Will and see about a ride home in the morning or even sooner. The dread building in Ashton's gut was not pleasant.

Saphir met Bazil for a late dinner after completing a review of the patrols and overseeing the return of several shifter communities back to their lands. It was a full day and eventful the number of outsiders had diminished significantly, and he was informed that the fox brothers would be leaving tomorrow.

“Where do we stand in regard to the effects of the curse?” Bazil enquired as he refilled Saphir’s wine glass. They were having a simple dinner of just steak and potatoes, but no dinner was complete without a relaxing glass of wine.

“It appears to be eradicated we are continuing to patrol but no more signs of its presence have been found.”

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