Page 6 of Henry & the Dragon
“I should go back,” he said, his stomach tightening at the thought Kai would be in the dark woods, alone, in a storm. “Kai might need me.”
But if he didn’t return to Neron, he might be considered a runaway, and that would bring swift retribution. That could put Kai in even more jeopardy, as the king’s men were not known for their mercy.
He sighed and sent a plea to the sky. “Please, Kai. Be safe. I promise to return on the morrow, and if you are not there, I shall be bereft of your company.”
A loud peal of thunder caused Henry to cry out. He had to hurry back to the shop, lest he find himself in more trouble. He set out at a full run, slipping on the now drenched roads. By the time he reached the town square, Henry’s leggings were covered in mud, and his hair knotted by the wind and rain. He went to the rear of the shop, and opened the door. He was met by his master, who stood with a scowl on his weathered face.
“Why are you so late?” Neron demanded.
“Master, I had to walk to the forest, then find enough moss to fill the basket,” Henry lied. Kai had given him enough moss to finish his task in mere moments. Henry didn’t even know there was that much ghost moss anywhere.
Neron shuffled close, then peered down into the basket on Henry’s arm.
“These are useless!” he ranted. He yanked the basket from Henry and threw it across the room, where the contents spilled onto the wooden floor. “You know full well how delicate the moss is, yet you let it be ruined by allowing it to be soaked.”
Allowed? “Master, I cannot control the weather.”
Henry didn’t know that Neron could move so fast, but he learned quickly when Neron drew back his hand and let it fly across Henry’s face. He wasn’t sure what startled him more.That Neron had struck him, or that he stood there and allowed it to happen.
“You are a worthless apprentice,” Neron sniped. “And one who wouldst stab your master in the back. Oh, I know all about your sojourns into the village. Where you poison the minds of the people against me. Mrs. Abernathy came to the shop one day, seeking a salve for her skin which had been blistered by the forge. I gave her a jar, and she shook her head, as she told me she wanted what you’d given her. She said what Henry gave her was the only thing that helped. I know true that I did not give you salve, so it must be something you crafted.”
Oh. This did not bode well. “Master, I—“
Neron lashed out again, catching Henry on the side of his head. His ear was ringing, and his face ached.
“Master Neron, please—“ Henry pleaded, but it was for naught. Neron rained blows onto Henry’s body, and after Henry fell to the floor and curled into a ball, Neron kicked him in his side several times.
“You would do well to remember your place, Henry!” Neron screamed. “The King’s law allows me to punish you as I see fit. I could lop off your hand, or I could castrate you. I could even have you killed, for acting in such defiance of me.” He leaned down and grabbed Henry’s hair, then yanked his head up. “You are more trouble than you’re worth.”
He slammed Henry’s face against the wood, and Henry whimpered as blood streamed from his nose and across the same lips that had been kissed for the first time, then pooled on the floor beneath him. Now the taste of Kai was filled with iron and copper, a dark flavor that corrupted the tenderness of the moment. Neron stood and ran a hand over the front of his apron, then brushed thick fingers through the few wispy strands of hair that remained on his head.
“Clean this place up,” he spat. “Tomorrow you will go back to the forest and gather me another basket of moss.”
He turned to leave, and Henry did his best to be still as to not draw his master’s ire further. When the door slammed shut, Henry groaned as he pushed up from the floor. Fire rushed through his body where Neron had kicked him. Henry chuckled ruefully. Who would have guessed that kind of strength lay in such a corpulent body?
He shuffled to the basket, and proceeded to pick up the ghost moss. Neron had lied. The stuff was damp, true, but it could have been easily dried and not lost at all. So Neron was sending Henry back into the forest for what purpose? In hopes that he would die? That wouldn’t surprise Henry now, especially after this. He realized it was a good thing he hadn’t brought Kai back with him. If he’d been there, Neron might have killed him simply for being a friend of Henry’s.
“This is your own fault, you know,” he grumbled. “You couldn’t keep from giving people your salves. He would have been even angrier if he’d heard you allowed them to have it free of charge.”
He was stupid, and now Henry knew that beyond a doubt. He had to simply do as his master bade, and not think of trying to be more than he was meant to. If he didn’t, next time Neron might follow through on his threat, and kill Henry.
Chapter 3
Kai’s hands shook as he peered down the road in the direction of Innernook. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was waiting to see if Henry would show up. He fretted when Henry had disappeared from sight the night before. He was uncertain why he had such protective instincts where Henry was concerned, but from what little they’d talked, it seemed clear that Henry was unhappy.
Not that Kai could blame him, of course. To be told he would suffer eternal torment, simply being who he was? That was sheer insanity. No one in Kai’s life believed in higher powers. He had no problems with travelers who visited them if they did, but it simply never occurred to him that people would allow an unseen force to dictate their lives.
Kai’s people believed in helping each other to reach their fullest potential. Each of them had a duty they would grow into, and the whole lot of them had learned that working together benefitted everyone, and that they made far greater progress than doing individual things. Not that they didn’t have their own passions they pursued, of course. Kai loved his job of collecting rare artifacts, but he also enjoyed sitting with the children and explaining to them what made each piece special.
A niggle in Kai’s mind reminded him he’d been away from home for far too long. He missed his siblings, and his parents. His favorite of the children, Elassa, would no longer be seven. Now he would be fifteen. Had it really been eight years since Kai had gone on this trip?
Well, at least he’d made a friend. Henry was—Henry? A lone figure struggled to move in the cold air, and Kai knew it wasHenry, even though the gait was wrong. He moved as an elder would, hunched over, arm cradling his stomach. Kai rushed down the road, and with each step his fear grew. Even though they were still far apart, he could see Henry’s face was bloodied, his eyes were darkened, and his nose… Oh, Henry.
When he got to where Henry stood, his anger spiked as Henry’s breathing was harsh and wet. It took everything in Kai not to grab Henry into an embrace, but he had no idea how badly hurt Henry was.
“I made it,” he croaked out. “I wasn’t sure—“
“What happened?” Kai demanded. “Who did this to you?”
