“We’ll start clearing the road at first light,” Lynette decided, putting as much authority into the statement as she could muster. Chances were no one would challenge her on it, more relieved that they didn’t have to make the decision than angry about not being consulted. “But I have plenty of herbs on hand. I can give you some now, and some bandages, if you’re concerned about the wound.”
“I’d be very grateful,” Koradan said, with a slight bow.
Lynette looked around at the villagers. Some looked confused, others relieved, while some just seemed to want to be away from here. “All right, everybody,” she announced. “It looks like we’re under control for now. Everyone can go back to bed.”
The villagers turned and began meandering back to their houses. “And for the gods’ sake, at least try to get some sleep,” Lynette called after them, knowing that if she didn’t give them a little prompting, they’d be staying up all night talking about the demons, and then they’d be useless and exhausted tomorrow. “Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. As soon as we clear the road to the mine, it’s going to be all hands on deck.”
The reminder of their trapped loved ones was enough to get even the stragglers moving, and everyone but Morgan was soon gone. Morgan, Lynette was fairly sure, was staying only to offer moral support, and this was exactly why she was so grateful for the woman’s friendship. The last thing in the world she wanted was to be left alone with these hulking demons.
“All right, then,” she said, turning to the demons. “You and your dragons can stay in the field for the rest of the night. I’m going back to my house to get some herbs for your dragon, and then I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere, and don’t touch anything in the village, or the deal’s off.”
She waited just long enough to get a curt nod from Koradan, then she turned on her heel and marched away.
It was a short walk back to her house, Morgan shadowing her the whole way. Inside, Paul was pacing the room, dressed and with his shoes on, though from the looks of it, he’d followed her instructions to stay inside.
“What’s going on?” he asked, the instant she walked through the door.
Lynette went straight to her chest of herbs, sorting quickly through the bags to find the ones she needed. She considered telling Paul it was nothing, but then reconsidered, even as she stalled for time. He was constantly telling her she needed to treat him more like an adult. And the threat outside wasn’t going away any time soon. So maybe it was time she finally admitted he was growing up.
“There are demons in the village,” she said, pausing in her search to gauge his reaction. He gasped, mouth falling open. “It’s okay, it’s under control for now. We’ve reached an agreement with them. We’re going to help heal an injury on one of their dragons, and they’re going to help get our men out of the mine.”
“Dragons!”
“Yes, dragons. Which is why it’s imperative you stay inside the house. The gods only know what those creatures are capable of.” She found one of the herbs she was looking for. It went by many different names, but locally it was called the sunset daisy. The flowers could be used to create a numbing effect that should ease the dragon’s pain. The second herb she needed was Echinacea, which she found at the bottom of the chest, and then she grabbed a bottle of oregano extract for good measure. “Go back to bed,” she told Paul. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?”
“To give these herbs to the demons.”
“Can I come and see the dragons?”
“No! We’re trying very hard to work with the demons so they don’t kill us all, and the last thing I need is well meaning interruptions that could make them all change their minds.”
Paul sighed, but made no further arguments.
“They’ll be here for a couple of days, at the very least,” Lynette said, as she headed for the door, Morgan on her heels. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see them before they leave.”
CHAPTER FIVE
While Lynette was away, Koradan took a moment to regroup. He headed back to where his men were standing in a tight huddle, gratefully accepting a nudge from Ashd as the vreki checked to make sure he was okay. “See? No fighting,” he said to Ashd. “And they’ve actually agreed to help us. Nothing to worry about.”
In his mind, the vreki snorted, knowing it wasn’t nearly as simple as Koradan made it out to be.
“By the gods, I didn’t think we were going to pull that off,” Melowin said, rubbing the bony ridges over Bnaa’s eyes. The vreki almost purred at the massage. “They weren’t keen on listening.”
“It had its moments, didn’t it?” Koradan said. “And honestly, I… Gods, I don’t even know what to think. Women and old men defending their village with brooms and pitchforks? That was not what I was expecting.”
“I would have been tempted to just laugh in their faces,” Rodgard admitted. “What the hell were they thinking?”
“That they didn’t have any other option,” Koradan said, glad it had been him trying to negotiate with the humans, rather than his second in command. Rodgard was a skilled leader, and a talented strategist when it came to open battle, but in matters of cunning and subterfuge, he lacked either the patience or the subtlety to get the job done. “With most of their men missing, I think that was more an act of desperation than bravery. But either way, it’s given us an opportunity. And we should work very hard to not screw it up,” he added, eyeing the vreki sternly. While none of them would have any ill intentions, keeping their long-term goals in mind was harder work for the vreki than it was for the salases.
“So now we have to dig their men out of this mine?” Rodgard said. “There are a million different ways that could go wrong. The first one being, what if the men are already dead? The humans could blame us for that, then we’re right back to square one.”
Koradan shrugged. “And if that’s the case, then we’re no worse off than we were half an hour ago. We’d be arguably better, in fact, because we’d at least have been able to treat Bnaa’s wound a bit. But right now, we just tackle the task in front of us. Move the rocks, clear the road, open the tunnels in the mine as much as possible, then just take it one step at a time.”
Footsteps got their attention, and Koradan turned to see Lynette and her friend hurrying along the road back towards their huddle. Not wanting to intimidate the two women, Koradan stepped away from the group, so they didn’t have to venture too close to the vreki.
Lynette attempted a smile as she came to a halt, still a couple of metres from Koradan. He stood still and relaxed, trying to appear non-threatening.
