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The reputation of this hearth is that of being quiet and abstemious. People who live here devote themselves to a contemplative way of life. They eat simple small meals, wear plain tunics, and work hard. The hearth is unnaturally quiet, as these people not to engage in idle chatter. They have made us feel welcome, but the silence makes me uneasy.
Read MoreI jerk awake. Not as if I’m waking, but more like I am re-inhabiting my body. The roof of my mouth is dry and almost sandy. I’ve been on a trip to a strange, dark land. Outside I hear the bustle of the hearth, distant hammering, someone sawing, someone humming. I’m so relieved to be back in the Horse Hearth. Day light streams across the floor. I try to sit up, but I’m too weak. I fall back into my bed.
Read MoreThis is a synopsis of the action that has taken place in previous chapters of The Drakdare Chronicles
Read MoreI returned here with a heavy heart. Many Drakdarekam died here, their Vahgen and their bodies lost to us forever. It pains me to think of these friends, some of them I knew as children.
“Battle is a terrible thing, Granye. Some horse hearth minders remember me because I survived.”
Granye waits. I don’t know how much to tell her. My years on the road and in battle are all distant memories. My scarred body and joints ache in the mornings. I’m reluctant to get out of bed. I see Granye’s path, but my own is less clear.
Read MoreThe air outside is dry and dusty, but as we descend, I can smell water and feel damp air. The surrounding darkness is absolute. I’m unable to gauge the size of the cavern or the depth we are under the earth. Solis walks forward, turning confidently through openings and walking forward. She stops occasionally and studies the cave walls. I notice indentations that she seems to read. If the torch goes out, or if I lose track of Solis, I fear I won’t be able to find my way out.
Read MoreI began to see the thoughts of the horse hearth minders when we stopped at a rocky stream midday. I know this place but only a little, only as you might meet someone in a dream. I've seen many men at the horse hearth. Unlike our hearth, they seem to live together permanently in low long buildings.
Read MoreI wake suddenly. I thought I heard my son say, ‘Mama!’
“Mama!” I hear it again. I sit up and look out into the darkness. Are my ears playing tricks on me? All I hear now is the river rushing past and the wind stirring the upper limbs of the trees.
I peer into the darkness and the grey mist hovering by the river.
There’s a dark shape moving through the mist towards us. I shake Granye awake.
Read MoreAnd on and on. Since the dragon’s attack, my mind has been like a wasps’ nest with my neighbors’ relentless buzzing thoughts. I’ve barely slept a wink. My head is throbbing and there’s a sharp pain behind my eyes.
Read MoreI’m running toward the clearing before I’m even aware that I’m moving. The black dragon vanishes into the night. Every second seems slow and crystal clear. A child runs past me, her face smudged with black soot. Flames lick the surrounding grass, but fizzle quickly.
Read MoreToday is the Return. I stand watching the moon, or more properly, both moons, which overlap for only these few days every 10 moons. Like lovers, they are already moving imperceptibly apart. Occasionally, I allow myself a few moments of relief, although the sense of foreboding never entirely leaves me.
Read MoreI stand, wrap myself in my morning coat and slide my feet into fur-lined shoes. Cool weather begins to settle this time of year. Something stirs in me before the snows arrive. We could be away before the snow if Granye listened to reason. Hanasorsha takes my hand, satisfied she has rousted me from bed. She will probably be my shadow all day until her father and brothers arrive tonight, and I become as uninteresting as a muddy ewe in her eyes.
Read MoreEveryone has an explanation for the arrival of the dragons. Some say they are punishment from the Gods. Others say that dragons are inevitable now that the cloud cover and cool rain have vanished. Some blame humankind for settling in the valley, knowing that dragons lived here in ancient days. What no one disputes is that the dragons are here now.
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