Page 14 of Hidden Dragons

Robert stepped back. There was much to do today and he had pushed her far enough for one morning.

“Shall we see to your new flock of chickens?” he asked playfully, hoping she would want to work with him instead of letting him go off on his own.

Excitement lit her eyes when she remembered the feathered cluckers in the barn.

“Bear said he would build a coop,” she said, recalling Bear’s earlier words.

“He did, but there’s no reason we can’t give him a head start. He’s not the only one familiar with the care and feeding of your new feathered friends. Plus, he’s bound to be tired when he returns and I’d like to help. What do you say?”

“Why not? The sooner we get them settled in their new home, the happier they will be,” she agreed and they headed for the door together.

The rest of the morning was spent deciding how big and exactly where they were going to place the coop. Robert kept in touch with Bear through the dragons and he knew Bear was fine with Robert helping get the project started. In fact, he was thankful. The winds aloft were fierce today and Bear was having to expend a lot of energy just to stay on Tilly’s back. He would be wrung out by the time he got back if that sort of weather kept up.

Robert let Isabelle decide where to place things, only having to give her guidance a couple of times to set her on the right path. She decided on the style and shape of the coop and he built it while she played with, and pet her new chickens. They weren’t the friendliest of creatures at the best of times, but Isabelle seemed to have a way with the critters.

She fed them and tried out names for them, finally deciding to call them Henrietta, Jazzleberry and Bob. He laughed when she explained that the rooster was named—in a way—for both Bear and Robert.

By noon he had the bare bones of the structure set up. Bear would be able to put his touches on the inner workings of the place. The hens would need nesting boxes and whatever comforts Bear had in mind. Robert had already installed a watering system that would allow Isabelle to use her kitchen window to feed cups of water down a little chute that led directly to a shallow vessel from which the chickens could drink. The water dish was kept near enough to the hearth bricks that the water wouldn’t freeze over in the deep winter, as long as Isabelle kept the kitchen hearth warm.

Which reminded him of his plan to cut some wood for her this afternoon. They shared a quick lunch of bread and cheese with some of the fruits Bear had brought that morning, and then went on a little jaunt through the woods with Growloranth to help drag a rather massive dead tree Robert had noticed the day before, closer to Isabelle’s home. The dragon brought it to a good spot behind her house where Robert and Growloranth could work on it without being seen by anyone.

Although it was an activity Growloranth seldom engaged in, he seemed to enjoy breaking the log into smaller pieces that Robert then turned into even more manageable bits that Isabelle could use in her fireplace. When Isabelle came around to the back of the house, after she had finished fussing over her new chickens for a bit, she stopped short.

“You did all this in just a couple of hours?” She walked slowly toward Robert and Growloranth, her gaze roaming back and forth over the massive wood pile they’d created for her.

“Having a giant dragon around is useful, on occasion,” Robert allowed with a little bow toward his partner. Growloranth only snorted, little tendrils of smoke heading up toward the leafy canopy of the forest.

“This is enough for the whole winter!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Robert said nothing as she came closer, looking around at the neatly stacked firewood. When she got close enough, he saw the tears in her eyes and he reached for her, wanting to comfort her. He put one arm around her shoulders.

“Why are you upset?” he asked as gently as he could. Women were mysterious creatures, this one doubly so. He had to tread lightly until he understood what made her cry.

“I’m not upset. I’m overwhelmed,” she replied, turning to look at him, though she stayed close. Her wide, glistening eyes looked up at him and he was lost. He would do anything for this woman. Anything at all. “Thank you, Robert.”

A little thrill went through him when she spoke his name in such a familiar way. The barriers between them were dropping one by one, and he was happy to see them fall.

“It was our pleasure to assure that you will be safe and warm through the cold months. We will not leave you here without being certain we have done as much as possible to assure your comfort. We all agreed.”

“Thank you.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, then lowered her head to his chest, staying in the warmth of his arms. Robert saw her look in Growloranth’s direction. “And thank you, Sir Growloranth. I haven’t known such kindness in a very long time.”

“You will want for nothing,” Robert vowed. “Now that I know you are in the world, I will do all I can to see to your comfort, whether you choose to stay here or whether you ultimately decide to come with us to live in the Lair.” He bent down to kiss her hair. “You are very special to me. To all of us,” he whispered, holding her close. “We would like to make you part of our family, in the fullness of time. But we all agreed that you should not be pressured in any way into making that decision. If you come to us, we want you to come knowing that it is not your only choice. We want you to choose us. To choose me. And Bear. And to share your life with all four of us.”

She was silent a long moment, then spoke in a small voice. “I don’t know if I can.”

He gentled her, stroking her back with his hands in a soothing gesture. “It’s all right. There is time yet to discover more about this situation. You need to get to know us better, and to understand exactly what it is we have to offer. And sadly, we are still on a mission. We have to complete our task and report back to our superiors at the Lair within the next few days.”

“You’re not like regular dragon knight teams, are you?” she asked, surprising him. It pleased him that the woman he wanted for a mate was both observant and intelligent.

“What makes you say that?” he asked, testing her a little, just to see what she would say.

She stepped back, out of his arms, to look up at him. “Sir Growloranth blends with the forest as if he were a tree. And Lady Tildeth is nearly invisible in the blue sky, which is no doubt why she and Bear fly all day while you stay here.” Her words were quiet but challenging in a playful way that felt good. It wasn’t often he got to talk with anyone about the work they did. “I see the way you and Sir Growloranth watch the village. And I know enough about the goings on in that village to guess why you might be interested in some of the residents and their dealings.”

Now he was truly intrigued. He stepped closer to her, sensing she might have insights they could use. “What do you know?”

“Cleef Mantell is a thief, and probably a traitor too,” she whispered.

Chapter Five

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