[rework] Minglings - Book 3 chapter 8: Three's a crowd

Mason woke from a prod. He heard a warning hiss from the side as he turned to stretch and froze. Warning bells began going off in his mind.

Now what?

His eyes shot open, and he saw Baudron close to him and crouched low on the ground. The brown dragon was staring up in fear.

Following his gaze, Mason saw the swirling mass of clouds and gas above had turned a lighter grey, which he was pretty sure constituted daytime. He had slept a long time, though his weary mind didn't seem to agree.

He frowned when he saw nothing but swirling clouds of smog, dust, and soot. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, and he was about to ask Baudron what was going on when a group of giant bats flew across. Their high-pitched screams caused an instant migraine to pop into his head, and he wondered how the noise hadn't woken him up. Then he vaguely recalled having heard something as he slept.

They passed in an instant, and beside him, Baudron sighed.

"They've been flying over for a while now. I was afraid you might make a noise if I woke you, so I had to wait before they circled away again. None have looked down yet."

Hear me over this racket? Mason thought as more tiny vents hissed loudly while spitting out noxious-looking fumes. What did Baudron think he would do? Shout as he woke?

Then he thought about what the other had said, and knowledge from an old school paper drifted up. "They are blind. They only use those sounds to find things by echolocation," he said. As he did, he realized that meant Baudron might actually be on to something. Who knew how good those things' hearing was?

Baudron gaped at him before shaking his head. "This isn't the time for jokes or made-up words..."

Mason didn't smile. He just looked at the other until his eyes widened.

"How…?"

"I'll explain later. But for now, how many are there?" he asked, trying to remember how many he had seen flying over.

"I don't know, seven or eight?" Baudron replied. "Why? You can't be planning to..."

Mason's wicked grin silenced the other, and together they silently waited for the bats to show up again.

Ignoring Baudron's worried looks, Mason began planning. If they were going to fly around the mountains here, they needed to know what to expect from these things. That meant knowing how strong, fast, and dangerous these bats were. Besides, Baudron and he would have to leave at some point. If these things kept flying around, that left them with little choice.

A minute later, the bats crossed over, and he counted seven. They were roughly his size but all wings, barely any torso. He suspected he weighed as much or more as all of them combined. Thinking back to the aerial battle they had seen when arriving at the mountains, he guessed these were the small specs that had been attacking the larger one. He was pretty sure that the thing they had brought down had been a dragon, but it had cost them two or three of their own.

"Too many to kill without knowing what to expect," he whispered, turning to Baudron. "Let's see if we can get to the ledge and see what they are up to. I don't believe they are just flying around without reason."

"Foolishness! Let's stay here until they leave," Baudron hissed back. "We had plenty to eat yesterday, so we should be fine for a few days."

Mason knew the other had a point. Waiting a day or two wouldn't hurt them... but he felt antsy. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head.

"Fine, you stay here. I'll go up and see what they are up to."

Baudron tried to dissuade him, but Mason ignored him and flew up as soon as the giant bats passed above again. Flapping as lightly as he could, which proved harder than he had imagined, he flew towards a ledge just below the entrance. The bats would fly across it first, so it should block their view of him.

His claws barely touched the stone when the bats crossed again, screeching loudly. This close, Mason could make out their eyes, black orbs that seemed unfocused. Their screeches were likely what helped them see.

They're searching for something… us?

Both curious and worried, Mason climbed further straight up the stone wall behind him. It was twelve meters of vertical stone to the top, hard for a  human, easy for a dragon.

When he reached the top, he waited for a second, then took a peek over the edge. He sucked in his breath and pulled back immediately, barely believing what he saw.

Perhaps forty meters from him, hiding behind a massive overhanging boulder, crouched another dragon. Yellow and brown, she blended well against the ground.

Hanging just below the edge, Mason was stumped. How large was the chance that some random dragon would get cornered this close to them? The Eye of the Hound was an immense area, far too big for such a seemingly random coincidence. That left two options. The other dragon knew they were here and came looking, or this was another new arrival and a coincidence.

He risked another glance, but he couldn't make out any wounds. What he did note was the slight curve to her neck and the fear in her big amber eye.

Can hardly leave her to die, he thought.

Besides, in the best-case scenario, she belonged to the resident dragons and could guide him to their lair! He waited for the bats to pass again, then jumped down and floated beside Baudron.

The massive brown dragon was still crouched low, looking at him in anticipation.

"There's another dragon up there, hiding. I think that's what those ugly bats are searching for," Mason whispered. "I will try and get her to come down with us. Three dragons should be able to kill those bats or at least chase them away. Right?"

Baudron's toothy mouth opened and closed a few times, probably close to saying something about drakes. Then he nodded. "Be careful."

"Will do! Prepare for some action."

Baudron looked at him in confusion, but Mason just grinned. He flew back up as soon as the bats came across again. When he was back at the ledge, he was glad to see that the dragon was still in the same spot. Now, how the hell was he going to get her attention without warning the bats?

Following the bats' flight, he saw they were circling a large stone outcrop, disappearing behind it for a short while before reappearing on the other side. From there, their shadows grew bigger as they flew low across the side of the nearby mountain before angling back to pass across Mason. Following them for a few rounds, he was surprised they kept doing the same circle. It almost seemed mechanical! On the third pass, he began counting from when they disappeared behind the outcrop until they swooped back around.

Almost six seconds, he thought. Plenty of time!

He looked around for a rock he could throw at the dragon. A fist-sized one jutted from the wall. Ripping it free, he waited until the bats flew past. Then with a quick scuttle up the wall, he lobbed the stone toward the dragon, striking her on the flank.

The dragon's head snapped around, and Mason was surprised to see a nasty scar running across the other side of her face. The eye on that side was closed, but the other was scanning rapidly around before focusing on him. It widened as shock and surprise came across her distinctly feminine draconic visage.

Before Mason could even wave, she began crawling towards him.

Stop it, you fool! Mason thought as he shook his head and pointed up.

He was glad to see her stop and pull back, and praying that she would understand, he ducked back down before the bats returned.

He waited for the bats to pass but didn't wait for them to disappear behind the outcrop. As soon as they turned, he climbed up, keeping an eye on them while beckoning the dragon praying she would understand. When the bats disappeared behind the outcrop, he turned and saw the yellow and brown dragon running towards him. Her movements were uneven and clumsy, and he saw blood on her flank and long gashes on her hind leg.

When she was almost there, Mason dropped back down, gliding to the ledge a few meters below and pressing his back against it. A second later, something slammed into the ground beside him.

"Put your back against the wall," Mason hissed as he looked at the badly injured dragon. She had dozens of scars criss-cross around her back, similar to what Baudron had when he first met him.

Without a sound, the dragon hauled herself up before slumping beside him.

Mason looked up, praying the bats hadn't noticed them. He'd hoped the three of them could kill the bats if they attacked, but she was obviously not in any fighting shape. He didn't like his and Baudron's odds on their own.

They remained there for a minute, and when the bats passed above again, he sighed in relief. They didn't show any indication of having noticed anything.

"Let's go down and hide," he said, looking at the wounded dragon and wondering if she could even climb down. She'd managed to run, so... she should be good. Right?

All he got was a weary nod. The single open eye was hazy and unfocused now, and he cursed. She definitely wasn't anywhere close to being fine, and she was too big to carry. He hadn't noticed before, but even malnourished and underfed, she was as big as Baudron, and her wingspan must be almost twice his.

Moving to the side, he glided down. His neck craned around to see if she could follow. She managed to open her wings, but he saw the fear in her eye as she hopped forward. Instantly she began falling far too fast, her wings only just slowing her enough from freefalling. Spread out, he now noticed the fist-sized holes in the joint-areas between her wings and body, and as he did, he remembered an article on birds in captivity.

They wing-clipped her!

Mason felt white-hot anger at the image of someone wing-clipping a dragon.

She was falling toward the lava below, and he suppressed his anger. There would be time for that later. He spread his wings wide and angled below her, flapping a single time. The female dragon's body landed on his back with a thud, and her weight pressed him down. Immediately his controlled descent turned into a free fall. He barely managed to direct them to the ledge on which Baudron was sitting.

Sorry about this, he thought, quickly getting ready to get out from under her.

A moment before she would crush him, he wiggled out from underneath, folded his wings, and slammed feet first into the ground. The dragon flew past him, but he ignored the heavy collision or her subsequent groan as he stared at the sky.

A minute passed, and his tension rose. The sounds had been loud, but hopefully, the distance would have muted it. Finally, the bats returned, passing by as if nothing had changed.

Mason took a deep breath and turned to see Baudron beside the female dragon. Both her eyes were closed now, and she was breathing superficially.

"She needs help," Baudron whispered.

The large dragon had a worried look on his face as he looked at the pale yellow and brown dragon before turning to Mason.

"She is bleeding out and starving."

Looking at the wounded Dragon, Mason cursed under his breath. He didn't get her out from under that rock just for her to die now. Besides the fact that he needed answers, having more dragons during their search would be better.

"We can't get out of here until those Bats leave," he said. "Any idea how long she will last?"

Baudron inspected her again and, after a moment, put his claw on her head.

Mason's eyes widened as a soft brown glow emanated from Baudron's claw. It lasted for a few seconds, then vanished while Baudron sighed wearily.

"At most half a day. If she doesn't eat before then, she won't wake again."

Mason nodded, but his gaze was locked on Baudron's clawed hand. "What did you just do?"

"I can use the earth mana to inspect her. To find out what is broken," Baudron said with a shrug as if it wasn't a big deal.

Mason blinked. Could the brown dragon be some type of healer? He expected the other to have some kind of heightened regeneration power, but perhaps it was different! What if he could use earth mana to heal himself... and others?

"Can't you use that to fix what is wrong with her?"

Baudron shook his head. "I've tried, but I don't know how to. Perhaps I am not strong enough yet?"

"Could be…" Mason muttered, his mind spinning as he thought of the implications of having a healer along for the ride. Wait, did all dragons with earth affinity have healing powers?

"Let's wait for a bit and hope they leave," he muttered. He knew it was unlikely, but he needed time to think.

The best would be if Baudron could heal her, he thought.

As ideas on how to get Baudron to learn how to gain control over his powers bubbled up in his mind, the time passed slowly.

Hours later, Mason was staring at the sky, his mind abuzz, when he realized something was up.

They should have come over already, he thought. Had they finally abandoned their search?

Waiting for another minute, he turned to Baudron, who was still looking after the female dragon.

"I think they might be gone. I'm going to make sure. If the coast is clear, I'll go hunt for Etag," Mason said as he got up and unfurled his wings.

"Be careful," Baudron whispered in his rumbling voice.

Aren't I always? Mason thought with a grin as he flew to the edge.

He didn't see any bats, just the swirling mass of gray gas above. Climbing up higher, he took a better look around. He scanned the mountainside and peaks within sight, but there was nothing there either.

A brighter pale area was hanging just above the leftmost mountain range. Probably the sun. The light was slowly pushing the shadowy darkness away.

Perhaps it's the light? Mason thought.

He tried to recall if bats were afraid of light, but he couldn't remember. It made sense. Looking down, he saw Baudron look at him. He waved before jumping up and flying out of the fissure.

"Now, let's go get some breakfast," he muttered, hoping he wouldn't come across anything dangerous.

--

The caravan stopped at the edge of the desert, the soft clacking of the giant lizards pulling the wagons loud in the silence.

Two Kobolds, one with auburn and brown scales and another yellow with dark highlights, sat on the lead wagon, staring silently at the dark terrain beyond. Massive crossbows hung from the sides of the wagon while another stood mounted on top.

"You were right. They went to the Eye of the Hound," the auburn one muttered.

"Of course, I'm right, Yildich. I'm always right," the other grunted. "As you don't trust in my skill anymore, do you want to scan the surroundings to be sure?"

"Don't anger me," Yildich growled. "You know as well as I do that Mosran Hasrion will need proof that we went above and beyond to find his property."

"Proof? What proof is there in saying we went to the edge of the Lifegiving Sands and stared out into the abyss?"

"Simple. We wait to see if we can spot any of those renegade drakes. More and more reports are coming in of smaller outposts being attacked, and they have to have a base somewhere."

The yellow kobold's eyes widen as he looks at the other in surprise.

"You think they come from The Hound?"

"Search parties have been all over the Lifegiving Sands, finding nothing. The only hint we have is that the thieving drake went straight here. Besides, Poyatch, you've heard the rumors..."

The yellow kobold quietly stared at the desolate lands below before snorting.

"I can't believe even those drakes would be dumb enough to travel through The Hounds Eye," he finally growled.

"Perhaps not. But we will stay here for a while and keep watch. At the minimum, it will mean we don't have to go back to Sparkle Sand right away. Either we see something useful, or perhaps Mosran Hasrion will have found something else to be angry about by the time we come back."

Poyatch snorted but said nothing.

"Make camp! Prepare to be here for a while," Yildich roared as he jumped off the wagon.

Dozens of Kobold hunters jumped from the other wagons.

"Scouts, find us the nearest spring!"

Poyatch tuned out the shouting and stared into the distance, beyond the dark and flat wasteland.

"Fools... nobody survives The Hound," he muttered softly, a hint of sadness in his voice.