City of Dragons

But as Rapskal’s face lolled toward her, she saw only his idiotically bemused grin and barely open eyes. She frowned. ‘Drowning? He looks more drunk than drowned! But where did he get spirits?’

‘He didn’t.’ Leftrin gave him another shake. ‘He’s not drunk.’ But his next actions seemed to belie his statement as he gave Rapskal another shake. ‘Come out of it, lad. Come back to your own life. There’s a dragon here that needs you, and night is coming on. Storm’s coming in, too. If we’re to get to the other side before it’s dark, we need you to wake up.’

He glanced at Alise and became Captain Leftrin dealing with an emergency.

‘Jump down and take his legs when I pass him down,’ he commanded, and she obeyed. When had the lad got so tall? she wondered, as Leftrin eased the limp Rapskal down into her arms. When she’d first met him, he’d seemed just past boyhood, made younger than his peers by his simplicity. Then he and his dragon had vanished and all had believed them both dead. Since their return, the dragon had proved her competence as a predator and Rapskal had seemed both older and more ethereal, sometimes a mystical Elderling and sometimes a wondering boy. Like all the keepers, his close contact with his dragon was changing him. His ragged trousers exposed the heavy red scaling on his feet and calves. It reminded Alise of the tough orange skin on a chicken’s legs. And like a bird, he weighed less than she had expected as Leftrin let go of Rapskal and she took his full weight to keep him upright. His eyes were wide open.

‘Rapskal?’ she said, but he folded laxly over her shoulder.

With a thump and a grunt, Leftrin landed beside her. ‘Give him to me,’ he said gruffly as Heeby pressed her nose against Rapskal’s back, sending Alise staggering back against the statue’s pedestal. ‘Dragon, stop that!’ he commanded Heeby, but as the dragon’s eyes spun swiftly, he added more gently, ‘I’m trying to help him, Heeby. Give me some space.’

It wasn’t clear she understood him, but she did step back as Leftrin stretched Rapskal out on the cold stone. ‘Wake up, lad. Come back to us.’ He tapped his face with light slaps, then took him by the shoulders, sat him up and shook him. Rapskal’s head snapped back on his neck, eyes wide, and then, as his head came forward again, life came back to his face. His affable smile, never long absent, blossomed as he looked up at them beatifically. ‘Dressed for the festival,’ he said cheerily. ‘In a gown made of eel skin dyed pink to match her brow scaling. More delicate than a tiny lizard on an air-blossom, she was, and her lips softer than a rose’s petals.’

‘Rapskal!’ Leftrin rebuked him severely. ‘Come back to us now. Here. We are cold and night is coming on and this city has been dead for Sa knows how long. There is no festival, and no woman wearing a gown such as you describe. Come back now!’ He seized the youth’s face between his hands and forced the boy to meet his glowering stare.

After a long moment, Rapskal abruptly pulled his knees up to his chest and began to shiver violently. ‘I’m so cold!’ he complained. ‘We need to get back to the other side and warm ourselves at a fire. Heeby! Heeby, where are you? It’s getting dark! You need to carry us across to the other side!’

At the sound of his voice, the dragon thrust her head into the midst of the huddled group, sending both Leftrin and Alise staggering back. She opened her mouth wide, tasting the air all around Rapskal as he exclaimed, ‘Of course I’m all right! I’m just cold. Why did we stay here so long? It’s nearly dark.’

‘It is dark,’ Leftrin retorted gruffly. ‘And we stayed here so long because you were careless. I can’t believe that you didn’t know better! But for now, we won’t talk about it. We just need to get back to our side of the river.’

The keeper was rapidly coming to his senses. Alise watched him sit up straight and then stagger to his feet, lurching toward his dragon. As soon as he could touch Heeby, they both seemed to calm. The dragon ceased her restless shifting. Rapskal drew a deeper breath and turned toward them. His face had relaxed into its handsome lines. He pushed his dark hair back and spoke almost accusingly. ‘Poor Heeby will be flying in the dark by the time she makes her third trip. We need to start now.’