River of Dragons

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. For many years, the history books said, the only wings above the Valley were birds and bats, and the most dangerous animal in the Valley was a mother grizzly bear.

That all changed when a fisherman discovered gold on the riverbed.

Samuel ran past the line of men waiting for the land office to open. The line stretched out across Highford's dusty main street, knowing they wouldn't block much traffic this early in the morning. Some of the men grumbled or even yelled at him, but most of them recognised him and hushed the others. They knew he wasn't there to cut in line.

Samuel caught glimpses of mining dragons and even the occasional smelting dragon in the men's arms. His employer, Clayton Lewis, often gave precedence to those with their own dragons. They were more likely to find gold on their claims than those without, Lewis said, and thus were less likely to be a drain on the town's resources.

Samuel knew better. He also knew better than to argue.

Samuel ducked into the narrow space between the wood wall of the land office and the brick wall of the bank. Coming out behind the land office, he knocked on the back door and let himself inside without waiting for an answer.

Lewis stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to his living quarters. He glowered at Samuel as he pulled on his tailoured black coat. “Cutting it close, aren't you?”

Samuel glanced at the clock above the door that led into the main office area. He still had five minutes to spare. “If you say so, sir.”

Lewis snorted. “Comb your hair, boy. We're professionals here. Not like the rabble outside.”

Samuel ran a hand through his windblown hair before following Lewis into the office.

The men outside cheered when they saw Lewis through the window in the door. He pointedly pulled his pocketwatch from the pocket of his waistcoat and opened it, making them groan in frustration.

Lewis sat down behind his desk, pocketwatch still in hand. Samuel stood next to the door and waited for Lewis to give him the signal to open it.

At eight o'clock on the dot, Lewis raised his hand. Samuel opened the door. Men flooded into the land office, there to stake a claim on a small plot of land, either along the river or in the side of one of the Five Sisters, the mountains flanking the Valley. Samuel wondered how there were still plots available. The population of Highford had tripled in the first week after Otis Perry had discovered gold, and still more men came in on every stagecoach.

As usual, Samuel spent the next four hours fetching paperwork, running errands, and trying to remember who had been next in line – the orderly queue outside the land office always disintegrated into chaos as soon as it came through the door.

On one of his errands, running a message to the telegraph office, Samuel saw a tall figure leaning against the corner of the boarding house, watching him. Samuel dodged the incoming stagecoach, pulled by two horse-sized dragons, and looked back, but the figure was gone.

Samuel continued on his way, his thoughts racing. Was something wrong with Mother? No, they would have come to fetch him. Then why had that person been watching him so intently? He was nobody, just an errand boy.

He thought of stopping in to check on his mother on the way back from the telegraph office, but pushed the idea away. He couldn't afford to lose the money Lewis would dock from his paycheque if he was late.

At one o'clock, Lewis sent everyone out of the office, locked the door, and put a sign in the window that read “Out for lunch. Back at 2:00.” He set Samuel to filing paperwork and sweeping up dragon droppings and the dirt tracked in from the street, while Lewis left to eat lunch at the saloon.

Samuel finished cleaning up with half an hour to spare. Slipping out the back door, he made his way toward the boarding house. He hoped his mother had already eaten lunch, so that he wouldn't have to try to convince her to do so.

As he approached the boarding house, he saw the same tall figure leaning against the corner, watching him, his hat pulled low over his eyes. Samuel's steps faltered, but it wasn't hard to make up his mind. He angled his steps toward the stranger.

The stranger pushed away from the wall and disappeared between the boarding house and the saloon next door. Samuel jogged to the narrow alley. It was empty. He ran through the alley. Just as he came out behind the boarding house and saloon, he caught a glimpse of the figure turning the corner around the other side of the boarding house. Samuel kept running. But by the time he reached the corner, the stranger had disappeared into the bustle on the street. Samuel stopped, letting out a disappointed sigh.

But he was here, and he still had a few minutes to spare. He went inside the boarding house and upstairs to the tiny third-floor room he shared with his mother.

She sat in her rocking chair, knitting, as she always did. Recognising his step, she raised her head and smiled when he came through the door. “Is it supper time already? It feels like I only just had lunch.”

Samuel bent down and kissed her forehead. Her vacant gaze didn't move as he stepped back. “No, it's lunch time. I've only got a few minutes.”

“Oh, good.” She smiled again, lifting her hands to show him the half-knitted sock in her hands, both her gaze and her hands directed to his left. “Mr Palmer ordered these, and I need to have them finished tomorrow.”

Samuel winced. “That's great, Mother.” He knew she was happier being able to do something. But he hated that she felt she had to take on work to supplement his income. He should be able to provide for her himself.

Her gaze shifted to be closer to where he actually stood. “Do you want something to eat?”

His stomach growled. He tried to disguise it by clearing his throat. “No, thanks. I need to get back before Mr Lewis misses me.”

She nodded. “All right.”

He kissed her cheek and went back downstairs. He didn't see the stranger again on his way back to the office.

The afternoon passed much the same as the morning, full of paperwork, errands, and gold-hungry men. When the office finally closed at eight o'clock, Lewis kept Samuel on to finish filing the last of the paperwork and clean up the last of the dragon droppings and tracked-in dirt. While Samuel cleaned up, Lewis remained sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar and reading the day's newspaper.

Once Samuel had finished, he turned to Lewis to take his leave for the night. Before he could say anything, Lewis lowered his newspaper. “I'm leaving town next week.”

“Sir?”

“Government's assigned me a new office, down in Newchapel. I want to take you with me.”

“I... I don't know what to say, sir.”

Lewis set his newspaper aside and leaned forward. “Of course, I can't bring along any useless baggage.”

Samuel's face heated up. He clenched his jaw and his fists. “I will not leave my mother behind, sir.”

“That's what I thought.” Lewis sat back and smoked in silence for a moment. “My new office comes with a higher salary. I could double your salary too.”

Samuel's breath caught in his throat. He could afford a better house for her. He could save up to take her East, to see a good doctor.

But he couldn't leave her here, alone. Her husband, his father, had already done that. “I will not leave her behind.”

“You're a good worker, Hunt. I know that, and every employer in town knows that.” Lewis leaned forward again, holding Samuel's gaze. “And with a word from me, no one in town would hire you.”

Samuel's fingernails dug into the palms of his hands. If only he could punch the smug look right off Lewis' face. “I'll take my chances. Sir.”

Lewis grunted. He turned and picked up his newspaper. “Go home, boy.”

The sun had long set, but the waxing moon provided plenty of light. The main street was empty, the town quiet except for the music and laughter coming from the saloon.

Halfway across the street, Samuel stopped. He couldn't go home, not yet. Even without being able to see his face, his mother would immediately know something was wrong. He needed to walk off his anger before going home.

He turned west, following the main street toward the outskirts of Highford. He had no destination in mind. He just walked, until the light and sounds from the saloon were far behind him.

He heard no footsteps until they were immediately behind him. Before he could turn, a pair of strong hands grabbed his arms. Another pair of hands pulled a sack down over his head. Samuel tried to yell, but someone punched him hard in the stomach, turning his cry into a grunt of pain. Without breath to struggle, he focused all his attention on not stumbling as they guided him off the road and up a grassy hill.

He lost all sense of time and direction as they walked. None of his captors spoke. Two of them kept a strong grip on his arms, guiding him and keeping him upright when he tripped, but not giving him a chance to run.

He was already late getting home. Mother was going to be worried sick.

Did this have anything to do with the stranger who had been watching him earlier? What did these people want with him? He was nobody. He had nothing. No one in town would care if he went missing, except his mother, and she had nothing either.

The ground under his feet changed from grass and dirt to rock. A cold breeze sent a chill through him. Moments later he felt the warmth of a fire.

His captors stopped walking and pushed him to his knees, each of them keeping a strong hand on his shoulder to prevent him from standing up. One of them pulled the sack off his head. Samuel blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light.

He knelt near a small campfire. The flames cast strange shadows on the cave walls surrounding him. An old man with long white hair sat cross-legged on the other side of the fire. A younger man stood next to the old man's shoulder. Behind them, deeper in the cave, several people sat around a second fire. To Samuel's right, a goat-sized dragon lay curled up on the stone floor, one golden eye open and watching him.

“What is this?” Samuel demanded, his voice shaking in spite of his best efforts. Then he recognised the younger man's clothing. “You! You've been watching me all day. Who are you? What do you want with me?”

The man said nothing, still watching Samuel. He had removed his hat, revealing black hair and light eyes that seemed to dance with the reflection of the fire.

The old man spoke instead, drawing Samuel's attention back to him. “Your name is Samuel Hunt, is it not?”

“How did you know that?”

“Hmm.” The old man scratched at white stubble. “See, we've got a bit of a problem, and we think you can help us.”

“So you kidnap me? You couldn't just ask?”

“Well, it's a bit of a sensitive matter, see. And we didn't want to risk that Lewis fellow seeing you talking to us.” The old man leaned forward. “See, we want you to give us the title to a particular plot of land.”

Samuel let out a laugh at the absurdity of the statement. “I can't do that.”

“'Course you can. You work at the land office, don't you?”

“Yeah. As an errand boy.” An errand boy who was about to lose his job. “I can't just go giving out land titles.”

“'Course you can,” the old man repeated. “No one will miss it. No one else wants this plot, see. Not yet, anyway.”

Samuel frowned. “Why not? Where is it?”

“Doesn't matter where it is. It's what's on it, is what matters.”

Samuel played along reluctantly. “Then, what's on it?”

The old man smiled, revealing gaps in his crooked teeth. “A dragon's nest.”

That's it? Samuel blinked. Mining dragons were a dime a dozen in the Valley, and other types of domesticated dragons were common as well.

The old man huffed. “These aren't just your normal dragons, see. This nest belongs to a snow dragon.”

Samuel's mouth dropped open. “A snow dragon? This far south?”

“She's beautiful,” the younger man said. “I'll take you to see her, if you help us.”

Samuel shook his head, questions spilling from his mouth. “How has no one else seen her? Why would I help you? Who are you?”

“She can't fly,” the younger man said. “Her wings are damaged. And most people don't climb high enough on the Third Sister to find her.”

“My name is Ronan,” the old man said. “My grandson here is Kaesan. Who we are--” He gestured around the cave, including the men still holding Samuel as well as the people deeper in the cave. “--doesn't matter yet, see. As for why you will help us, well--” He looked past Samuel and waved for someone to come forward.

Samuel's chest tightened as he turned to look. Sure enough, a man escorted his mother into the cave. He guided her carefully, her arm in his, and he quietly warned her before the terrain changed under her feet.

The men behind Samuel didn't try to stop him when he leapt to his feet. “Mother!”

She turned in his direction, smiling. “Samuel, you are here. I was starting to wonder if this gentleman was lying to me.”

Samuel spun to glare at Ronan. “What is this?”

“That depends, see,” Ronan said calmly. “Insurance, to guarantee your help. Protection, so Lewis can't harm her if he discovers what you're going to do. Help, to provide her, and you, with the food you clearly need. Company, if she wants it, so she no longer has to spend long days alone.”

The man with Mother brought her to stand next to Samuel. She released her guide to put her arm through Samuel's instead. “Samuel? What's going on?”

Samuel kept his eyes on Ronan. “Good question.” But he knew he couldn't refuse. He would never be able to fight his way out of this cave, especially with his mother at his side. And even if he could, they would only find him again.

And, he had to admit, he would enjoy doing something to spite Lewis.

He sighed. “Fine,” he told Ronan. “I'll help you.”

Ronan's face split into a wide grin. “See, I knew you would.”

~Chapter One End~