Dragon's Tribute Part 9

Her father gave her a sharp look over their heads. "Time enough to talk about that tomorrow, lads. Say goodnight to your sister and go back to sleep." "But, Papa-"

"No more of that. Go."

Rowena kissed each of the boys on the forehead and detached their clinging arms. "Goodnight, up you go." She watched them climb the ladder to the loft.

When she looked back at her parents, she found them staring at her, Mamma with open-mouthed amazement and Papa with narrowed eyes. She realized the cloak had fallen open to reveal her swollen stomach.

"What have you done, girl?" he said in a harsh whisper.

"Let's talk in the other room, so the children can sleep," Grandmother said.

Mamma glanced at Harold, already asleep, with the feverish red gone from his cheeks. She drew up the sheet with a final pat. Together they all withdrew to the outer chamber.

Papa sat on the bench at the trestle table like a judge about to p.r.o.nounce sentence. "Well? What's the meaning of this?"

"Don't badger the girl," Grandmother said, "when you can see for yourself what it means. She did what she had to. If it weren't for the dragon's favor, your son would still be dying."

"I've thanked her for that, and I meant it." He frowned at Rowena. "But it was dangerous for you to come here. If you'd been caught, who knows what might've happened to our family?"

"Well, she wasn't," Mamma said, "and I thank the saints she's here. Child, sit down and have something to eat." She dished up a bowl of pease porridge and unwrapped a loaf of black bread.

Abruptly aware of hunger and weariness, Rowena sank onto the bench and dug into the food. Her mother drew a mug of ale and set it in front of her. "I brought you something else," Rowena said when she'd had a few bites and a long drink. She tilted the pouch onto the table and spilled out a handful of copper coins. "This should last you awhile."

"What is that, dragon's treasure? It's unlucky," Papa said.

Mamma, though, scooped the money into her hand. "Nonsense. It looks like honest coin to me, and if we spend it with care, n.o.body will question where we got it."

"I can bring you more," Rowena said, "when I come to visit Harold next time." Her father glowered at her. "What do you mean, next time? You can never come here again."

Chapter Nine.

Mamma gasped.

"But, Papa--" Rowena's eyes stung.

"I'll hear no more about it. We'd all be in danger if you got caught, not just you. And what if the dragon came after you? He might burn the village to get you back."

"I didn't think of that," her mother said, with a nervous glance toward the bedchamber. "There's the boys to consider."

"Don't worry," Rowena said, swallowing her tears. "I'll be gone before sunrise. I just want to stay long enough to make sure Harold's all right."

To her sorrow, a faint expression of relief flitted over her mother's face.

That's all right, then," her father said, relaxing. "Just see that you keep away from now on."

"I wouldn't think of putting you in danger," she said. Though she knew he was right, she couldn't help feeling hurt by his eagerness to get rid of her. Perhaps he believed, like the rest of the village, that Grandmother had brought the curse of disease on the community, so that she, Rowena, deserved her fate.

Papa leaned back on the bench to rest against the wall behind him. "If all goes well, we may get free of the dragon by this time next year. Then you can take some of that treasure and go your own way."

"Free? How?"

"Folks say the Baron has a plan so we won't be at that monster's mercy anymore. The wizard's working on enchanted arrows to be ready for the dragon when it comes for next year's tribute."

The dragon would never ask for another maiden, Rowena knew, but she couldn't explain that to her parents. Grandmother sniffed. "You know what I think of that foolishness."

"Not foolishness, Mother Joan. I heard it from one of the lord's servants last market day. It's a long, slow job, but they claim the wizard boasted it will take only a few hits to kill the beast. Or maybe they'll wound it just enough to make it harmless and drag it in chains to the Baron's keep."

Chilled, Rowena said, "Why would they do that?"

Her father shrugged. "To slice pieces off its living body for the wizard's spells? To drain its venom for potions? Force it to reveal where the treasure's hidden? How should I know? Maybe the Baron wants to kill it slowly so its hide won't be spoiled for making armor for his knights."

The food she'd eaten congealed into a lump in Rowena's stomach. Thank Heaven her father had no idea she was part dragon herself. Furthermore, both he and Virid were right in saying it was too dangerous for her to visit the town. She would leave before daybreak and never return, as she'd promised.

Obviously noticing her sick expression, Mamma squeezed her hand. "Don't trouble yourself about it, child. Finish your supper and rest a while. You have hours yet until dawn."

"I'm not hungry anymore." She took a final sip of ale to settle her stomach. She would have left right away, but weariness dragged her down, and she did want to make sure Harold was cured before she departed.

With her mother, she tiptoed into the other room to check on him. He still slept, breathing easily. "I think he's really well," Mamma said when they returned to the outer chamber. "But I'll tell you if there's any change. You rest here by the fire." After a hug and kiss, her mother left Rowena curled up on the floor, wrapped in the cloak, with her back braced against the raised hearthstones. Her father gave her only a wordless grunt of farewell before joining his wife in the bedchamber. Grandmother huddled on the bench, her eyes half-closed.

Rowena meant to rest but not sleep, partly to make the most of her last night with her family and partly for fear of staying too long. "Tell me one of your tales, Grandmother. A story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian," she said, thinking of her hiding place in the woods and her dream of living as an outlaw. Like Robin and his band, she was an outcast from her home now.

In her quavering voice, the old woman began to sing a ballad of Robin appearing in disguise at the Sheriff's archery tournament. Verse piled upon verse, and the sound trailed off as Rowena's eyelids sagged. When she caught herself dozing, she lifted her head and forced herself to focus on the words of the song. It sounded distant and faint. Her head drooped. Sleep enveloped her. Pain wrung her guts. Daggers stabbed her from inside out. She stared at the bulge of her belly. The skin cracked open. The flesh split like ripe fruit. Claws ripped a bleeding hole in her body. A gaping, fanged mouth thrust out of the wound.

Rowena screamed and woke.

Clutching her stomach, she glanced wildly around. Her grandmother snored on the bench. Faint, gray light seeped through the shutters. Roosters crowed outside.

Dear G.o.d, I've stayed too long! She heaved herself to her feet. Her pregnancy felt even heavier than it had the day before. The roosters' noise didn't necessarily mean the neighbors were stirring, since the wretched birds crowed at the first glint of sunrise, but it certainly meant Rowena had no time to waste.

She shook her grandmother, who sniffled and blinked at her. "Child?"

"I have to leave. Say goodbye to Mamma and the boys for me." Rowena rubbed moisture from her eyes. No time for that now.

Grandmother gave her a quick, hard embrace. "Yes, of course. Hurry. And be well."

Rowena kissed her on the cheek, unbolted the door, and slipped out. She crept along the outside wall of the house, then darted for the gap in the hedge. Chickens cackled and goats bleated at her pa.s.sage.

Cursing them under her breath, she headed for the most direct path out of town. Despite her fear, the fresh air came as a welcome treat after a night in the smoky cottage.

The path she chose skirted the market square and led toward the river. Once she'd followed the river into the countryside, she would be safe from observation and could change into dragon form and fly away. She quickened her pace, finding herself eager for the airy heights of Virid's hillside. She realized that she even missed her mate. What would he do in his wrath when he discovered she'd taken the healing potion and disobeyed his command? Well, she had ways of pacifying him, she reflected with a smile. And if he refused to forgive her, she could survive without him. The thought gave her an unexpected pang.

With a fold of the cloak over her head to hide her face, she crept behind the houses that lined the square, hurrying from one to the other and taking advantage of the predawn shadows next to the walls. Every minute increased the light from the rising sun. She hoped the crowing of the roosters would cover any other sounds that might give her away. The barking of a dog made her heart race. Crouching in the midst of a cottage's kitchen garden, she waited for the animal to calm down. When she started walking again, the aroma of fresh bread wafted to her nostrils. She was pa.s.sing behind the bakery, where of course the day's work began before sunrise. She quickened her steps, hoping a brisk pace would convince anyone who happened to glance out that she was a neighbor with good reason to be on the street. Just as she reached the next house and started onto the lane that curved around it, the rear door of the bakery opened, and the baker himself stepped out. She clutched the cloak tighter around her and scurried faster.

"Who's there?" the man called. "Stop-aren't you-?" He dashed over to Rowena, grabbed her by one arm, and pulled the cloth off her head. The cloak fell open, leaving her fully exposed. "It can't be. You're dead!"

"Please," she whispered. "Let me go."

"Not so fast. How did you escape?" From the doorway behind him, his son Will emerged. The boy stopped, dumbfounded, to stare at Rowena. When his eyes settled on her stomach, his face darkened with outrage. The baker glanced over his shoulder and said, "Will, get some of the men here as fast as you can." With a tight grip on Rowena's wrist, he led her into the square.

She fleetingly considered changing into a dragon and flying away, but letting the townspeople know about her inhuman side seemed like a desperate last resort. Maybe she could talk her way out.

A cramp racked her. She doubled over, hand on her abdomen. Blinded by the pain, she stumbled as the baker dragged her along. A minute later, in the center of the village green, she found herself the object of hard stares from three of the aldermen. Will stood among them.

Shaking with anger, he pointed at her. "Devil's wh.o.r.e!"

"Will, please don't!"

"You wouldn't lie with me," he said, "but you've f.u.c.ked a monster."

She tried to straighten up. "You have no right to say that."

"You can't deny it, s.l.u.t. The midwife testified to your virginity before the sacrifice, didn't she?"

The baker crossed himself. "That's right, she did. No natural child could grow that big so fast. Will, call the priest."

The boy ran off again. Rowena pulled against the baker's hand on her arm, but she couldn't match his strength. By the time the priest appeared, a handful of other people had gathered to stare at her. "Lookat her!" Will shouted. "She's carrying the sp.a.w.n of the Devil."

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," she said. "Let me go. I've done you no harm." Her face flushed with anger and the effort of fighting the baker's bruising grasp. Another cramp squeezed her stomach. Tears welled in her eyes.

Striding to the center of the green, the priest raised his cross and intoned words in Latin. He uncorked a small bottle and splashed water in her face. Holy water, no doubt. Did he think it would scald her? "I'm no demon, you half-witted-"

A wave of pain swamped the words. She crumpled to her knees, wrenching the arm that the baker still gripped. She felt the change surge over her. Her clothes ripped and fell off. The man let her go with a scream when she swelled into dragon shape.

Fly! she thought. Now, it's my only chance! The pain nailed her to the ground, though. She felt as if her vital organs were splitting open.

One final wave, and the agony faded to nothing. Mingled gasps and cries rose from the few people who remained close enough for her to hear. She whipped her head from side to side, glowering at them. They had retreated to the edge of the green. Terrified though they were, she was surprised to find them staring, not directly at her, but at something behind her. She turned to look.

An egg lay on the trampled gra.s.s. The size of the hard bulge she had carried in her womb, it had a pearly sh.e.l.l with a faint, blue-green radiance.

So my child is a dragon after all, she thought. Now, while the spectators stood dumbfounded, would be the moment to s.n.a.t.c.h up the egg and fly to safety. But she couldn't raise herself from the ground. She was too weak even to unfold her wings to their full span. All she could do was wrap her tail around the egg and glare at the men.

One of the aldermen whispered instructions to Will, who left at a run. The elder then spoke softly to another lad lingering on the fringe of the group, and he, too, trotted away. The priest brandished his cross and resumed his Latin chant in a booming voice. He must have thought his incantations and holy water had drained Rowena's power.

While she struggled to rise to her feet, a couple of the men inched closer, daggers drawn. What they thought their knives could do to a dragon, she had no idea. She roared at them, and they retreated.

Probably they expected her to breathe fire. Well, she might have, if she'd had the strength. Sheltering the egg between her claws, she waited. If only she could manage to get off the ground before they built upenough courage to rush her.

Before either event happened, the blacksmith and his apprentice marched into the square. They carried folded lengths of chain.

She roared again, this time in panic. The blacksmith threw a loop over her head and pulled it tightly around her jaws like a muzzle. Seeing that she didn't bite his head off, other men charged in to help bind her legs. She tried to lash her tail at them, but she was still too weak to do more than brush the gra.s.s with it. When one of them laid a hand on the egg, though, she raked him with her claws. They left the egg alone after that.

Though she flailed and fought until her energy gave out, with two men holding each leg down, they managed to get her loosely shackled by all four limbs. The blacksmith hammered spikes into the ground to secure the chains in place.

Bowing her head over the egg, through heavy-lidded eyes she watched the priest pour holy water on the wound of the man she had scratched. Now she knew Virid had spoken truth when he said she had to choose between her human life and her new one. The people she'd thought of as her neighbors would never see her as anything but a monster. What did they plan to do with her?

About an hour later by the sun, she found out.

The Baron rode into the village square at the head of a dozen men at arms on foot, all in chain mail. Six swordsmen flanked his steed. The others carried bows. At the rear of the group Rowena glimpsed a man in a monkish robe and cowl. She knew he was no friar, though, but Master Geoffrey, the Baron's household wizard.

The Baron raised an arm. The bowmen formed a half-circle around Rowena, nocked arrows, and prepared to shoot.

"No!" she cried. A few of the villagers in the background flinched. She hadn't spoken in dragon form until now. "Don't hurt me. I only want to leave with my babe." The words came out as a growl, just barely understandable even to her ears.

The wizard spoke up. "Don't listen to the beast's lies, my lord."

"Certainly not. We won't miss this chance to try your enchanted arrows. Strange to find a she-dragon, though. We thought there was only one of the creatures."

"Please, it's only me." With a shudder of effort, she curled around the egg and wrenched her body intohuman shape. She crouched on the ground naked, with the sun beating down on her back and the loosened chains fallen in a heap around her. "Don't shoot! I'm just Rowena, the maiden you sacrificed."

"So it's true," said the Baron. "The girl did turn into a dragon. I thought that boy was raving." With a lewd chuckle, he added, "Not a maiden anymore, I see. Men, seize her. We'll take her back to the keep and let Master Geoffrey sort this out."

Just as the swordsmen stepped forward, a rush of wind swept over the green. Rowena tilted her head upward. Virid swooped down and landed between her and the Baron's men. She went limp with relief.

He breathed a blast of flame at the nearest swordsman, who collapsed with a shriek of agony. Three of the others turned and fled.

"Stop, you d.a.m.ned cowards!" the Baron bellowed. "I'll have your heads for that. G.o.d's blood, shoot it!"

One archer obeyed. The arrow struck Virid on the side of his neck. To Rowena's shock, the point pierced his scales. He roared in pain and shot a gout of fire skyward.

"Enchanted arrows," she whispered.

"You see, my lord, the magic works," the wizard said. More loudly, he called to Virid, "That one didn't kill you, monster, but we have five more. Surrender and let us take you to the castle, and you may be allowed to live awhile."

Ignoring the man, Virid turned to Rowena with anguish in his eyes. He said with a hiss of pain, "Rowenaureadulcima, beloved, take the egg and fly, now!"

"I can't," she gasped. "Too weak."

"Here!" With a talon, he slashed his chest and caught a drop of blood on the tip of his claw. "This will restore your strength." He touched it to her lips, and she automatically licked it off. "Now go!"

She laid her open hand against his smooth-scaled neck. "I can't leave you. They'll kill you." Tears blurred her vision, matching the ones she saw gleaming in his gemlike eyes.

"Never mind that. You must save our child."

The archers were tightening the circle around them. She knew she had to flee, or she and the baby would die, too. Swallowing her tears, she kissed him on the side of his jaw, then pressed her lips to the cut he'd made and tasted another drop of his blood. "Yes-beloved."

Chapter Ten.