Nights of claw and shadow

Prologue

"There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Up until recently they had been merely of myth or legends; cautionary tales told to scare children out of wandering too far from home lest, they be snatched up and eaten by dragons. Or one to scare adults from meddling with ancient powers far beyond themselves unless they wanted to end up a pile of ashes.

Whatever the tale, there was always one commonality; dragons were cruel bringers of death.

You’d probably think me mad then, to say that I venture through that valley regularly, but I’ve found the dragons to be more like animals than the cruel creatures of legends past. That’s not say that they’re not dangerous, they are predators of extraordinary skill and will take any opportunity to snag some prey but like all animals they are creatures of habit. They sleep for a few hours each day at noon and again for a few at midnight, so this is when I make my trips. It also affords me the opportunity to document these creatures in a slightly less dangerous way than the poor sods who thought they could hunt these beasts."

I set down my quill and carefully strung the thick piece of parchment in with the rest. There wasn’t time for anymore writing tonight I thought. It was time to set off through the valley once more.

I tucked everything away in my bag and then leant back in my chair to check my reflection in the large mirror of the open wardrobe’s door. My face was stubbly again. I had meant to shave but got so caught up in my writings, odd really. 'I’ve never given much thought to writing before, but it’s actually rather therapeutic or perhaps it’s merely the knowledge that once I finished this little book I can sell it for a fortune.' I grinned at myself in the mirror as I straightened my short hair, messed up from all the times I’d run my hand through it writing.

'That’s only good thing about these dragons, they’re excellent for business. Most traders are far too cowardly to make the trip through Dragon Tail Valley. An apt name now' I thought with a smirk as I turned away from the mirror, letting my chair fall back on all fours with a thud. I sighed heavily as I stood up and looked around my comfortable, firelit room, 'all the travelling certainly wasn’t enviable.' This inn was the only decent one for miles on either side of the valley.

'Ah well, the way business has been lately I’ll soon have more money than I’ll know what to do with.' I grabbed my bag off the desk and left the room with a slightly reluctant stride. Once I was down the stairs, I threw a small bag of coin on to the bar in front of the landlord as I passed.

‘A pleasure to have you as always sir.’ He called out.

I waved my hand in acknowledgment as I opened the door and stepped out into the mild night.

I breathed deeply, appreciating the fresh air before setting off for the valley. That was another unenviable part of my life now. The valley reeked of blood and rotting meat. ,The things I do for my customers, I thought as I climbed into my wagon. I leant forward and gave Swift’s rump a few pats. She whinnied softly, shaking out her golden mane and so, satisfied that she was properly awake, I flicked the reins and we set off at a gentle pace.

The streets were quiet and dark at this hour, lit only by the stars and moon above and the occasionally candlelit windows of those who preferred the late hours of the night. I preferred to make my trips at midnight. There were less people in my way, less beggars harassing me for lower prices. 'There seemed to be more of them every month' I thought remembering with irritation one woman who had begged for three blankets for her children. 'How unfair it would have been of me to give this woman blankets free of charge while everyone else had to pay.'

No, the nights were much better indeed. The gentle clip clop of Swift’s hooves on the compacted dirt road were almost relaxing enough to send me off to sleep. Almost. The mountains loomed above me, lit an eery pale grey by the moonlight. At this distance you could just make out the dark shapes of dragons slumbering on the mountain peaks. Even having made this journey for three months now, the sight of them still sent a slight shiver down my spine.

'It will be fine Jared, just like all the other nights' I thought to myself calmly. The dragons hadn’t once awoken during all my journeys through their mountains. Swift was quite as a mouse in the valley and had the same stoic calmness as I did. A war horse like her cost a lot but she was a worthwhile investment. I’d heard plenty of tales about horses racing out from the valley in a blind panic without their riders.

The mountains got closer and closer slowly and I kept a sharp eye on the huge, silhouetted beasts, watching for any signs that they might be roused. Nothing moved however and as we reached the mouth of the valley, I slowed Swift down some more as we began to make our gradual descent. I covered my mouth and nose with my scarf in an attempt to keep out some of the foul odour, it seemed like that would be the only thing to worry about tonight, the same as any other night. 'All would be well.'

*

Mara gazed out of the window up at the mountains. On clear nights she could see the dragons; she wasn’t sure if it was more terrifying when she could see them or when she couldn’t. Either way she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in months. Alexi on the other was snoring gently behind her, he didn’t seem to have half as much trouble sleeping. How he could, so peacefully, she didn’t know she thought as she looked over her shoulder at him.

His dark skin was illuminated by the starlight and his toned arms lay sprawled across the bed still, from when she had slipped out of his embrace. He was so gentle and strong Mara thought, her worries slipping away for the merest moment while she looked at him. She wanted to be back in his arms, to settle back into his comforting warmth.

Suddenly, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye and gasped loudly as her eyes snapped back to the mountains.

It was just a cloud.

Alexi grumbled and woke up. ‘Mara?’

‘Sorry.’ she whispered, ‘I thought I saw a dragon.’

Alexi sighed sleepily. ‘You have to stop watching them all night long, you’re driving yourself crazy.’

He threw off the sheets and moved towards the window which Mara couldn’t help but look out of once more. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently on the cheek. Mara took a deep breath and leant back, resting her head on Alexi’s bare chest. He held her tight, trying his best to comfort to her but looking upon those mountains filled him with dread too.

‘The others will return soon; they should have more information for us.’ He said the words with conviction but in honesty he wasn’t at all sure what his brother and the other professors would find.

He tore his eyes away from the mountains and looked over the estate below him. Many of the servants and groundskeepers’ windows were illuminated still. Mara wasn’t the only one who struggled to sleep, who could blame them.

‘It doesn’t make sense Lex’ Mara said. ‘Why would they keep to the mountains, why are they behaving like animals?’

‘I don’t know’ he sighed, it was the same question they had asked each other for months now. ‘We’ll figure it out, but for now we should sleep, while they are too.’

Mara nodded and finally turned away from the window. Even in darkness Alexi could make out the bags beneath her eyes. He straightened her pillows for her as she climbed into bed and then he got in beside her and kissed her before lying back down.

‘We’ll figure it out.’ Alexi repeated taking hold of Mara’s hand.

She nodded again sleepily before closing her eyes, she was so very tired. Alexi watched her until her breathing told him she was asleep before shutting his eyes too. Whatever was going on, they had to find out.