Koradan watched the group of humans emerge from the forest, feeling a tremor of fear run through him. If they attempted to harm the vreki, it would not only be a concern for the vreki themselves, but a huge blow to their bold plans to try getting the humans accustomed to even one creature who had come through the gate.
As they came into sight, most of the people stopped. There were five of them, aside from Lynette; two women and three men. Lynette, however, kept right on going, firstly walking over to Ashd and giving him a brief rub on his nose, and then going to check on Markon.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him, deliberately ignoring the stunned silence from the people behind her.
“No better, but no worse. I’ll be glad when we get to the hospital.”
“Doctor Samuel? Gosta?” Lynette called over her shoulder. “Could you come and check him, please? I’d like to make sure he’s stable before we move him any further.”
A man with dark hair that was slowly turning silver was gaping at the vreki. At Lynette’s call, he snapped himself out of his trance, edging over to her while not taking his eyes off the vreki.
“Oh goodness, they are quite remarkable,” he said, still staring at the pair of them, even as he knelt in the grass beside Markon.
“Would you like to meet them?” Lynette asked him. “You can touch them, if you like. They’re very placid.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Samuel said. But the woman who had stepped forward with him – a plump woman in her fifties whom Koradan assumed was Gosta – stood up a little straighter at the suggestion.
“Would I be able to?” she asked Lynette, her eyes also fixed on the vreki. But rather than fear, her expression held… something else. Koradan couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. “I suppose I’d just like to prove to myself that we’re not in any danger.”
“Of course,” Lynette said, leaving Markon with Samuel. “Come this way. This one is called Ashd,” she introduced him. “And the other one is Bel. Just put your hand on his nose and rub up and down. Ashd, this is Gosta. She’s a nurse I used to work with at the hospital. She’s not going to hurt you… That’s it. That’s a good boy. Nice and gentle.” It was a combination of the soothing babble one would use to calm a frightened animal, and useful information that Ashd would appreciate knowing. To a human, however, the two parts of Lynette’s monologue would sound exactly the same – just meaningless words to calm a dumb animal. She was clever, and Koradan admired her all over again for it.
“How remarkable,” Gosta said. Once she was convinced Ashd wasn’t a threat, she glanced over at Koradan, who was still waiting by Markon. “Lynette said you’re one of the people who trained them.”
“I am. It’s been an adventure,” he said with a wry smile, “but I think the result was worth it.”
“Henrietta? Would you like to meet him?” Lynette offered next, to the other woman in the group. “Nerik? What about you?”
“Oh, can I?” Nerik replied immediately, and something about his mannerisms reminded Koradan of Paul. He trotted forward, following Lynette’s instructions about where to put his hand and how Ashd liked to be touched. The truth was that Ashd was not enjoying being touched by a group of strangers, but he understood the need for it and was willing to endure the indignity for the sake of making a good impression to a group of humans who could potentially hold the fate of thousands of Chalandrians in their hands. If they were happy with him, they’d tell other humans to accept them as well. If they were scared or felt threatened, they’d tell them to leave, at the very least, and possibly arrange to have them hunted down and killed.
Henrietta, in contrast to Nerik, edged up behind Lynette, a look of wide-eyed fear on her face. “He’s not going to bite me, is he?” she asked, clutching her hands to her chest.
“Not at all. Here, just give me your hand. Nice and gentle on his nose…” Lynette guided her hand to touch Ashd, but the instant Henrietta’s hand made contact with Ashd’s skin, she pulled it away again and backed up a few steps.
“That’s it. I touched him. That’s enough,” she said, wiping her hand on her skirt. “I’m done. Thank you,” she added belatedly. “But that’s enough.” She hurried over to Samuel, focusing all her attention on helping him hold Markon’s leg steady.
“Stanley?” Lynette called to the last man in the group, a weathered man in worn trousers and a stained shirt. “Do you want to meet them?”
“I don’t need to be touching no dragon,” Stanley said, in the same rough sort of voice that many of the miners used. “I’ll stand here and see that they’re well behaved, and that’s enough for me.”
“Fair enough,” Lynette said with a reassuring smile. Introductions over, they turned their attention to Markon.
While they waited, Koradan tuned his mind in to Ashd’s.Going okay? They’re not too scared of you.
Ashd turned his broad head, staring with his reptilian eyes at Gosta.Salas, he said to Koradan.
What? No, she’s a human,Koradan told him.These people are from Minia. No Chalandrian in their right mind would live so close to the gate.
But Ashd made a guttural sound of disapproval and repeated the word.Salas.
“Is your dragon getting upset?” Samuel asked, pausing in his work examining Markon’s leg to look up in alarm.
“Not at all,” Lynette answered him, before Koradan could think of anything to say. “It’s just like a horse snorting. It doesn’t mean anything. He’s fine.”
Koradan caught the faint thread of apology she sent Ashd’s way via their mental link. Every sound a vreki made held meaning, but now was not the time to explain that to a group of nervous humans. Nonetheless, he caught the trickle of irritation from Ashd, directed not at Lynette, but at Samuel.
It’s okay, Koradan soothed him.One day, we’ll explain everything to them and they’ll see how much of the world they’ve been missing. But we have to be patient.
Ashd replied with a grudging,Fine, and settled down again.
