A Time of Justice

‘Nah nah nah. What do I care about your stupid island? It wasn’t my home. I blame him for the troubling of me.’

‘I should have known.’ Rhodry translated this exchange for the puzzled Enj, then turned back to her. ‘Well, if he hadn’t given me this little ring, you’d be all nice and snug, sure enough, lolling round in your fire mountain and chewing on a cow bone or two.’

‘Don’t mock! It’s bad enough you’ve enslaved me. Don’t mock me, too.’

‘Watch your courtesies when you speak to me.’

She whined, rolling an enormous copper eye to the stars. He held up his hand to catch the firelight on the ring.

‘My apologies,’ she said. ‘You’re a harsh man, Rhodry Dragonmaster.’

‘I intend to stay that way and stay alive.’

She whined again, flopping her head onto her paws. He glanced at Enj to find him utterly expressionless.

‘We should turn in,’ Rhodry said. Think you can sleep?’

‘Not without dreaming. Let’s let the fire burn a while.’

‘Very well.’ He looked at the dragon, who was quietly snarling to herself. ‘Still thinking of Evandar?’

‘Yes. If ever I find him again, I’m going to eat him. Munch crunch gobble gone.’

‘A fine sentiment, but I’m afraid you can’t really eat him. He doesn’t have a real body, not one made out of meat, I mean, like you and me.’

‘Just like him! The final cheat of all!’

‘A spiteful beast, isn’t she?’

The voice came out of the dark beyond the fire. His dagger in hand, Rhodry scrambled to his feet as a figure strolled toward them. A silver glow like moonlight hung in the air round him so that they could see him clearly, a tall fellow, slender, dressed in a long green tunic and buckskin trousers. His hair was the bright yellow of daffodils, his lips were the red of sour cherries, and his eyes were an unnatural turquoise blue, bright as gemstones. Yet the strangest things of all were his ears, long and delicately pointed, furled tight like a fern in spring.

‘Evandar!’ Rhodry hissed.

The dragon slapped her tail upon the ground with a dull boom like an avalanche. He could hear her scuffling to her feet behind him.

‘The very one.’ Evandar made a bow, then raised one hand to point a long and slender finger at the dragon. ‘Arzosah Sothy Lorezohaz! Remember that I know your name.’

She snarled, opening her mouth wide, but she held her place. Enj crouched by the fire and stared at their visitor.

‘What brings you here?’ With a nod Enj’s way to include him, Rhodry spoke in the Deverrian patois.

‘A warning for you,’ Evandar said in the same. ‘Are you heading south?’

‘We are. Cengarn’s under siege. Did you know that?’

‘Of course. I know everything that’s worth knowing about this war, Rhodry Maelwaedd.’

‘Oh, do you now? Then where’s the relieving army? We’ll be looking to join up with it.’

‘Go to Lin Serr first. Garin and his troop of axemen haven’t left yet.’

‘What? I’d have thought them long gone.’

‘There’s an obstacle in their way.’ Evandar flashed him a grin. ‘A small army’s tramping round the countryside. Horsekin.’

Enj winced and swore.

‘The filthy bastards!’ Rhodry said, half-laughing. ‘I want a chance at killing me a few.’

‘You’ll get it,’ Evandar said. ‘But stay on guard while you’re flying south, because there’s some peculiar birds who soar between worlds, and I think me one of them means you harm.’

‘Shapechangers!’

Evandar smiled, briefly.

‘It’s the raven I’d watch out for. A bird of ill omen, always, but particularly ill-omened is the raven I have in mind. You’re wearing some sort of talisman of hiding, aren’t you?’

‘I am.’

‘I thought so. No doubt your enemies are having a fair bit of trouble scrying you out, and so they’ll have to come look for you in the flesh. Be careful, very careful. The raven woman’s as dangerous as they come.’

‘We’ll keep alert, then, and my thanks. Answer me somewhat, will you?’

‘Probably not, but you can ask. I only set riddles. I don’t answer them for naught.’

The dragon swung her head his way and growled. Oho! Rhodry thought.

‘All right, then,’ Rhodry said aloud. ‘Why would you come to warn me? I don’t recall ever doing anything for you, and yet you’ve helped me a good many times now.’

‘I don’t know. It’s a riddle I’ve set for myself, I suppose a riddle as new and shiny as a gold coin, and here I never meant to do such a thing.’ Evandar tilted his head a little to one side, suddenly solemn, and yet it seemed that he was acting the role of a man thinking rather than truly thinking something through. ‘I suppose there’s only one thing the answer could be.’

‘And that is?’

Evandar laid a hand along the side of Rhodry’s face, then kissed him full on the mouth. His hand felt oddly cool, more like silk than flesh, but the kiss was warm enough. Rhodry could neither move nor think till Evandar released him.

‘That could be it, indeed.’ Evandar took one step back and vanished, suddenly and utterly gone, without so much as the flicker of a shadow.

Rhodry raised his hand and touched the dagger to his mouth, stood there narrow-eyed and speechless while Enj goggled and Arzosah made the long rumbling noise that did her for a laugh. Rhodry turned on her with a snarl.

‘Oh stop your cackling, Wyrm! Why didn’t you tell me you could speak the language of men?’

‘You never asked, Dragonmaster.’ She stopped rumbling, but he suspected her of doing whatever it was dragons did when they smirked. ‘So. Evandar isn’t real flesh and blood, is he? I never would have guessed it.’

‘I said hold your tongue!’ Rhodry flung his hand up to make the ring flash. She whined and crouched like a kicked dog. ‘Oh, my apologies. I shouldn’t be taking it out on you.’

‘A harsh man, but a just one.’ She relaxed with a toss of her massive head. ‘I could be enslaved by worse.’

There remained Enj. It took Rhodry a long moment to make himself look his friend in the face.