Page 80 of Dragon Fight

“Right you are. I might have been born in Cantlyn, but my father didn’t let us moulder away there for long. His tanning shop? It’s down by the docks, the stink well away from the big knobs and their fancy homes. But where the upper classes avert their eyes, mischief breeds.”

He handed me a bread roll stuffed with egg and bacon, then produced a nice looking raw steak, dangling it in front of Glimmer. When she lunged at it, he chuckled, and the tone of her mental voice changed to show her frustration.

This man understands that he must provide, she told me.But if he doesn’t hand over that meat, I’ll be forced–

“Eat that on Cloudy’s back, ladies, because the day is getting away from us.”

It was hard to see how that was possible. The sun was just rising in the sky, and the light it cast was thin and almost bluish. However, we did as we were told, clambering on the red dragon’s back before taking off, out of the peak, descending at a slow glide until the sealine and the docks that ringed it became clearer and crisper.

Glimmer had scoffed her steak fast. As we floated down, she thrust her wings out. The muscles there were getting stronger, and her wings were more stable. That was apparent as she coasted through the air just above Cloudy’s neck. The big dragon rumbled with approval, and Ged whooped in excitement as my heart felt like it filled.

You’re flying, I told her.

Of course, I am. Her reply was snippish, but I could hear the note of pride beneath it.I am a dragon.

That you are, I replied.That you are.

The orderly, neat streets of the capital fell away. The closer we got to the docks, the less and less grand the buildings became, and streets were nowhere near as defined. But, as we landed, it was the smell that hit me as we landed. I choked on the odour of shit, urine and rotting flesh, meshed with the stink of fish and salt.

“Sorry about this, lass,” Ged told me, whipping out a flat cap and pulling it low over my eyes, then producing a kerchief and tying it over my nose and mouth. “I grew up with this fucking stench and it still takes my breath away, but you might…”

“…be regretting eating that sandwich right now,” I groaned, my voice muffled. My hands went to my stomach, which gurgled in response to the smell.

“Try and keep the food down, although you won’t be the first to lose your lunch outside a tannery. This way, love, and stay close.”

You stay by Cloudy’s side, I told Glimmer.Don’t leave him for a second.

As if I would, she replied with a sniff.He is my mate. Why would I go anywhere without him?

That went some way to reassuring me, but I wasn’t entirely reassured.

“Fear not,” Ged said, seeing my brow furrowing. “Cloudy would burn the whole of Wyrmpeak down to keep that young queen safe.” And as if to punctuate his rider’s point, a small trickle of fire escaped Cloudy’s muzzle. I nodded and we set off towards the outskirts of the city. Ged strode forward with confidence, although I struggled to keep pace with him as the road degenerated to mud, or muck, I wasn’t sure which. As we saw people ahead of us, I questioned whether the cleanliness of our disguises might make us stand out.

The kerchief around my face and the cap made sense as soon as we passed them. The group of men talking on the side of the muddy street peered at the two of us, with what felt like undue attention. Then I wondered if that might stand in our favour. While we might have been trying to hide who we were, when the queen and her guards moved the boys, she would have had the same intent.

And neither of us might have succeeded.

I quickened my steps, following on Ged’s heels as the stink thickened, becoming almost palpable. It clogged my lungs, burned my nose, and I had to stop for a second while I tried to gasp for breath. But that just made the situation worse.

“Your lad looks like he’s struggling,” a man joked to Ged.

“New one,” he replied with a sharp nod. “Still green around the edges and now green around the gills.” He turned to me. “No retching now. I’ve given you good food to eat this morning and you won’t get any more if you waste it vomiting on the roadside.”

I nodded sharply, my hands on my knees as I fought to stop from doing just that, with a cold sweat breaking over my whole body. While I struggled to draw breath, the men chatted with Ged, all of them seemingly impervious to the stench.

“And what brings you down here today, stranger?” the man asked Ged.

“My father is Yorick, the tanner.”

“Yor’s boy? Not the fancy pants rider?”

“Nope, that’s Ged. I’m Will. Better looking, bigger dick. Don’t need to compensate with a fuck-off big dragon. If I tried to get a beast between my legs, they’d have to fight it out to see who came out on top.”

The man guffawed in response to that, holding out a hand for Ged to shake.

“Jerome,” he introduced himself. “And your dad is down the lane, stinking up a storm right now. All those big knobs up on the hill don’t know their fine leathers come from a combination of rotting cow skins, piss and shit, do they?”

“And he charges them like a wounded bull for the privilege too,” Ged replied, with a toothy grin. “Which is why I’m here. Need a bit of coin…”

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