Vengeance of the Dragon Queen

Chapter 5

Jaden knelt by the edge of the cliff and looked down at the village bellow. Harthon village, the one place she shouldn't be, and yet the one place she had to go. Sighing she scoured the village and its surroundings, frowning over the apparent increase of soldiers. "This is bad, too many soldiers for me to walk in there openly. Damn and I need to pick up that new staff, frell."
Inching away from the edge, she turned and moved back to the camp she'd made the night before. "Guess I’ll need to hang around here till after noon. If I set off then I’ll arrive at the forge after sunset, should be easy to slip around without being seen."
Leaning against the side of the cliff, she ripped off a piece of jerky with her teeth and started to chew. Quietly, she moved a hand behind her back and grasped the hilt of the blade she always kept there. Tearing off another bite of jerky she closed her eyes and chewed the dried meat. Finishing the mouthful she looked down the path, "Isn't it time you showed yourself." Her voice is cold, dangerous and threatening. She'd never liked being followed, and this person had been following her for a while now.
A light, soft and feminine laugh comes from down the path. "Sorry about that, I’m coming in now." The sounds of loose rocks falling down the cliff follow, along with the sounds of someone scrabbling down fill the camp. Shortly a tall, powerfully built woman walks into the camp. Moving along lightly, she all but ignores Jaden, and sets herself on the other side of the fire.
"I assume you have a reason for following me" Jaden's voice remains cold and deadly, nor has her hand hasn't moved from the dagger hilt.
"Nothing major," The woman looks over the flames to Jaden’s face, "You were heading the way I needed to go and you moved with a determination. So I tagged along behind, best way of avoiding trouble." Letting the pack fall from her shoulders she rummaged through it, coming up with a small kettle, a canteen, and a small pouch. She half fills the kettle with water from the canteen, added the contents of the pouch, finally placing it next to the fire. "This pass isn't as safe as it once used to be, and since I’m unarmed I wasn’t sure if I’d make it across. I saw you coming down it, and decided I’d tag along behind. You'd get rid of anything troublesome, and I’d reach town safe enough." Jaden tensed as the woman drew a dagger, but eases slightly as she used it to stir the kettle.
"So, you were basically using me as a bodyguard." Deciding the woman was no immediate threat she eases her hand from the dagger, and takes another bite from the strip of jerky. "Rather presumptuous aren't we." The woman shrugs, her attention on the kettle. "And now you walk into my camp and use my fire," sparks flare in her eyes as she glared at the woman; "I could easily kill you here and no one would ever know." The woman seemed to be unfazed by the threat; rather she seems more interested in the kettle of stew.
Looking up the woman shrugged again. "Not much I can say to that, apart from it wouldn't gain you anything. I'm Sheng by the way, Ryu Sheng." She looked over at Jaden waiting for her to give her own name, but Jaden just nodded. Ryu turned her attention back to the now bubbling kettle; she used the edge of her cloak to lift it from the flames, and starts to eat the contents. "Since...were this close...to the village...I’ll be gone once...I’ve finished eating." All but ignoring Jaden again she comments through mouthfuls of food.
Sighing, Jaden got to her feet, "Take your time, I’ll leave first. Words of warning though, don’t follow me again otherwise you won’t live to make it to town." Something in Jaden's voice cause Ryu to look up, one look at her face was all it took. She nodded, and returns to her meal. Jaden threw her pack over her shoulder, moves to the edge of the cliff, and jumped off; sliding down the scree and out of sight.
Finishing her stew, Ryu reached into a pocket and brought out a piece of flat bread, and uses it to clean the kettle. "You saw that right?" She asks into the now empty camp. A man slowly starts to form, like a mist coming together. Moving to the fire he sat buy Ryu.
"Not clearly, and I thought I told you not to interfere." He reaches into his cloak and pulls a small flask, from which he took several drinks.
"She knew I was following, don't ask me how, but she new." Rising she moves to the edge of the cliff and looks down the scree. "Her eye's just now as well, when she threatened me, I had an impression before with her knowing I was following. But her eyes just now confirmed it." Turning away she moves back to the fire, "Her eyes changed, and I’m not talking a normal human’s eye change, I’m talking a full physical change. She had the same eyes as Mother."
The man snorts in disbelief, "You saying she's Dragon-Kin? There haven’t been any of those since the fall of the Clans."
"No, she's not Kin," Frowning she looks at the man for a minutes, contemplating something.
"Oh, if she's not kin then what is she?"
"Never mind, I'm probably just reading too much into it." Frowning she stared at the fire, as though trying to divine answers from it.
"Tiamat wants her watched because of who she is, despite the way she lives her life now, she is the daughter of the last Matriarch of the Clans; and the only one that can rally the surviving Clans together, nothing more than that." Rising to his feet he turns and starts to walk away, "Follow your orders in the future, just report on what she does and where she goes. Do not interfere again, or there will be consequences." With the last words he fades away to nothing, leaving Ryu staring at the flames.
"If she's truly nothing more than a daughter of the Clan...am I really reading too much into this...or is mother up to her devious tricks again. Those eyes, they weren't a humans eyes, they weren't even a Dragon's eyes, they were something different, primordial. Something to make even me feel fear, and I haven’t felt fear in over ten thousand years. But if she's not Kin, and not Dragon, then what is she, and why is mother so intent on her." Her mind in confusion over the possibilities Ryu heads off towards the town, and like the man slowly fades into nothing.
Hovering some distance above where all this occurred sits a woman, she smiles softly "Seems my daughter is finally making her moves; I wonder how things will turn out." With a soft pop she disappears.
Cursing softly Jaden focused on riding the scree to the bottom. "Not my brightest of ideas coming down this way. Something about that woman though, everything I’ve learnt over the years screamed at me she wasn't normal." Almost losing her balance, Jaden dismissed all thoughts, and concentrated on surviving the deadly slide. Five minutes later she reached the bottom, timing the moment just right, she jumped, somersaulted and landed away from the scree edge. Stumbling a few steps she dropped to her hands and knees and panted regaining her breath, the sweat running off her face in rivets from the exertion.
"Let's...not...do...that...again" she panted. Reaching into her pack she drew her canteen and took a few deep swallows from it, and then poured the last over her head. Looking back up the scree she shook her head, "I must have been insane for trying that route." Looking down the opposite trail to the town she sighed, then chuckled to herself, "Well, too late to gripe now I may as well head into town now. With a bit of luck I can avoid the soldiers and get to George’s forge."
Taking a few deep breaths Jaden rose to her feet, wincing as her legs cramped a bit. Shaking them, she set off towards the town. "Even so, that woman, something about her gave me the shivers. She looked to be a bit older than me, but I got the feeling she was a lot older. Something about her eyes and the way she moved. "She reeked of danger. Though she claimed to be unarmed, but no one in their right mind would try the mountain passes unarmed, especially this pass." Pausing, she shivers and looked back up the path, something was told her she was still being followed, and it was a feeling she couldn't shake off.
Less than a glass later she reached the town, choosing the back roads that only town’s people knew about, she avoided the soldiers and finally came close to George’s Smithy. The sounds and smells reached her first, the ringing hammer on steel, the smell of charcoal, salt water and brine. Unconsciously she started to feel at ease, as she always did here. A few minutes later she arrived, and leant on the door frame watching the smith.
George paused and stretched muscles and bones creaking due to both age and exertion. "I figured you'd be a long about now." His voice is soft, but strong, as strong as the steel he forges. He racked his tools and turned to face Jaden. "I actually expected you this morning, but when the soldiers turned up I figured you'd wait, I need to finish up here.” Suddenly his voice changes, becoming void of all emotion and dead, though not as dead as his eyes; which could have come from a corpse. "Midget is inside, why don't you go say hello". Jaden nodded sadly and turned towards the house.
As houses go the dwelling was pretty meagre, though solidly built. Most of the smith's money had obviously gone on the actual smith. Despite the houses lacking many things Jaden always felt at peace there. However this time the usual feelings didn't arise. Rather a tension and knot of pain settled in her gut. She pushed opened the door, tried and failed to suppress a grin and the squeak of the hinges. She moved into the only room on the ground floor and quickly glanced around. This room was the living area and kitchen, George liked the open form, no walls between the rooms. Despite the cheapness of the furnishings they were all immaculate; Jaden smiled, and then moved up the stairs to the first floor. Here there was a narrow corridor splitting the dwelling in three. The first room was directly above the smithy, and was George’s study and design area, the second George's room, and the third, the largest of the three, Midget's room.
Unconsciously she hunched her shoulders as she head towards Midget's room, pausing outside she sighed and knocked on the door; she didn't wait for an answer and just walked in. The room was the complete opposite of the rest of the house, while not being opulent the room was well designed and well fitted. A big bed dominated the room, a writing desk by the window, vanity desk, chest of draws and wardrobe. All made from White Lorken by the looks of it, a rather expensive wood. Jaden moved to the bed and looked at the girl lying in it. "Hey Midget," Jaden leaned over and brushed some stray hair from Midge's eyes, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I won't ask how you’re doing, after all your still here." Turning Jaden moves to the desk and pulls the chair over to the bed; sitting by the bed she took Midge's hand in her. "How long are you going to sleep like this? Now that Selen is gone only you and Meg are left, I miss you all so much." Jaden leans back in the chair and remembers Midge as she was before this. A young girl that followed her around constantly, long black hair, green eyes that could swallow the world. Yet sadly she was born with a very frail body, the slightest knock could break bones or cause bleeding that took ages to stop. Yet despite all of this she was a happy child, and rather beautiful, like a candle flame just before it splutters out.
"I wish you were awake Midge" suddenly Jaden laughed, "You really hate that nickname we gave you, but even your dad calls you by it now; sorry about that." With a sigh Jaden closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I need you awake so as I could explain what's going to happen to you, and why I have to do what I have to do." Jaden rose, and quickly shifted to the bed; sitting on the edge she kissed Midge's fingers. "Please forgive me for what happens next, if I could do it another way I would, but actions always have consequences." Raising slightly she gently placed Midget's hand under the blanket, turned and left the room. Returning downstairs she had just sat down on the divan when George walked in, he moved to the fire pit in the kitchen and placed a kettle on to boil, then moved to the comfort chair next to the divan.
"The tea will be a while, help yourself to food if you’re hungry" There's a tension in his voice, and a pain. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again Jaden overrode him.
"Has there been and change? Clerics, doctors, what have they had to say?" George frowned for a moment, and then sighed. "Nothing, no change or anything, ever since she was returned to me two years ago she's been like that. As for the clerics," He gave a short bitter laugh, "they won’t even look at her since it was the guards who caused it. As for doctors, there's none here. It's a new science they use so we don’t have a guild hall here. Nearest one is an eight-day journey by iron-way. Even if I could afford to close the smithy for that long, I couldn't afford the way-fare never mind the guild fees for her treatment." George Looked down at his calloused hands clenched them into fists, "I've never felt this useless before. All I can do is wait for her to wake on her own."
They sat talking of the past for the remainder of the night, several times George tried to talk about something, but he was constantly overridden by Jaden. In the end he gave up and just talked about the past. A few hours after dark he set up the guest bed for Jaden before turning in for the night, both settled down for a restless night of little sleep. Both contemplating what they knew was going to happen tomorrow.