Page 16 of Lightningborn

Another figure stepped into view, blocking the entrance. He wore a tattered hood and cloak and carried a lantern, which threw orange light over the wooden planks. A long nose poked out from beneath the cowl as a familiar whining voice drifted into the space between buildings.

“Bart! Where have you been?” came the greasy voice of Ferus the tavern owner. “I have an empty tavern with no patrons, which means no one buying drinks. I need you to start telling stories again.”

“Are you daft, man?” Bart’s voice had returned to its normal raspy tone. “The whole town is out searching for that pirate’s dragon. No one is going to be coming to the tavern tonight.”

“That’s why I need you there! Maybe you could tell a little story about where to look for a dragon. Maybe you could even hint that you know how to find it. That way, people will come back and listen toyou, which will be less bodies out searching for it, which will be good forme.”

“I see.” Bart’s tone was flat. “You’re just trying to get me to distract people, pull them off the search, soyouhave a better chance at finding the dragon.”

“Sowecan have a better chance at finding the dragon,” Ferus wheedled. “How ’bout it, old friend? Do this for me, and I’ll even share the reward with you. Let’s say a twenty-eighty split? Considering how much of my ale you’ve drunk over the years, that seems generous.”

“Get out of my way, you slimy rat,” Bart growled, sounding genuinely angry now. “I am not going to lie to people just so you have a better shot at finding this dragon.” He gave a loud, disgusted snort. “All this hubbub over a creature no one has seen. How do we know Jhaeros is telling us the truth? The beast might not even exist, or if it does, it’s long gone by now.”

Beneath Remy’s shirt, Storm squirmed, letting out a small chirp of impatience. Remy winced as the dragon started to climb up his body, digging claws into his skin through the cloth.

“Shh, Storm, it’s okay.” He tried shifting his arms around the dragon, but Storm’s struggles only got worse as the dragon tried tossing off the blanket. “Ow! Storm, what are you doing? Stop.”

“What was that?” Ferus straightened, his beady eyes sliding suspiciously toward the alley. “I thought I heard something.”

Remy bit his bottom lip and slid into the mud behind the barrel, hunching over to keep Storm in his lap. The dragon’s head emerged from under Remy’s shirt, nostrils flaring as he poked his nose free.

A lantern beam sliced into the alley, crawling over the walls and sliding along the ground. “There’s something in there,” Ferus said, his footsteps creaking closer. “Whatever it is, come out! You can’t hide.”

Remy looked around desperately and spotted a flash of yellow eyes watching him from a stack of crates farther down the alley. A striped stray cat, taking shelter from the rain, glared at him from within an overturned box. Remy bent over Storm and picked a clump of mud off the ground, wincing as he gazed back at the feline.

“Sorry, kitty,” he mouthed, and hurled the mud ball at the crates. It struck the crate the cat was huddled in, spattering against the wood, and the feline instantly fled with a yowl.

“Gah!” At the mouth of the alley, Ferus jerked back with a curse. “Wretched, mangy cats!” he snarled as the poor feline streaked by him and vanished into the night. “Ugh, I’m wasting time here. Bart, think about what I said. If you see that dragon around, don’t hesitate to tell your old friend Ferus, hmm? I’ll make it worth your while.”

Bart didn’t answer, and a moment later, Remy heard Ferus’s footsteps creaking away. With a sigh of relief, he glanced at Storm, who had settled down in his lap with his wings curled around himself. The end of his spade-tipped tail beat a rhythm on Remy’s knee like an irritated cat.

“What was that about?” Remy asked him, picking up the blanket that had been dropped in the mud. “You almost got us caught.”

Storm gave him an almost disdainful look, then turned his head toward the stack of crates the cat had been hiding in and let out a mournful trill. Remy frowned.

“I have no idea what you want,” he told the dragon. Storm chirped sadly, put his head on Remy’s knee, and appeared to sulk.

“It’s probably hungry,” said a voice above him, making Remy start. Bart peered down at him over the barrel, shaking his head. “Hatchling dragons burn a lot of energy because they grow so quickly,” he muttered. “Typically, they’re going to want to eat every time they wake up.”

Remy’s eyes bulged, even as his heart sank. “Really?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to feed it now. Even Ferus is searching for it, which doesn’t surprise me, but it does mean we have to get out of the open. Wrap that dragon up again, and let’s go. Before anything else happens.”

“Sorry, Storm,” Remy muttered, draping the cloth over the hatchling once more. He could suddenly feel the dragon’s stomach growl as he picked him up, and winced. “We’ll get you some food soon, but first we have to find a safe place to hide. Hang in there.”

Using the maze of back alleys, they continued through Cutthroat Wedge. Twice, they had to hide, pressing into shadows and dark corners, as pirates stalked past. But Bart seemed to know the twisting corridors of Cutthroat Wedge just as well as Remy, for he always had a place for them to duck out of sight when needed. Eventually, Remy followed Bart down a long, snaking alleyway that ended at a tall, rotting wooden fence. Bart pulled one of the planks aside, revealing a gap in the fence, and beckoned Remy forward.

“Watch your feet, lad,” he warned. “That first step is a doozy.”

Remy poked his head through the gap, and his stomach dropped as a blast of icy wind rushed up from the edge of the island. A few feet past the fence, the ground fell sharply away, showing nothing but open sky beyond. Remy could suddenly hear the roar of the Maelstrom far below. He jerked back from the opening, wide-eyed, as Bart gave a raspy chuckle.

“I told you.”

“Are you sky-mad?” Remy gasped. Storm gave a breathless squeak against him, and he realized he was hugging the dragon as tightly as he could. Quickly, he loosened his grip while still glaring at Bart. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

“Relax, boy.” Bart’s lips curled in a grim smile. “As with many stories, things are not always as they first appear.”

He slipped through the gap in the fence. Heart pounding, Remy peered after him and saw Bart sidle very close to The Edge, then glance back at him impatiently.

---