Natalie Yacobson - Dragon’s Empire – 3. Countess and Dragon

From the roof of the mill, an excellent panorama opened, but someone removed a ladder. Unlike people, I did not need a ladder to climb the attic. Probably, the miller noticed it. My hearing was very sensitive, I heard the hammer strikes in the forge, snoring the horses, crying baby in the cradle and warlike screams. Everything that happens in the village was almost tangible to me. I strained and listened. What happens there? Someone takes out a weapon from the forge. The village is preparing the uprising. The rumors and suspicions have done their job. What is the honor to kill the dragon while he is in human guise. Whether I am a man, I would be offended. After all, this village belongs to me according to papers from the king, I am a friend of the king himself, and these stupid people want to kill me with pitchforks and knives. Well, if they wish to see the dragon, they will see it, although I swore not to turn without special need.

From above, it was possible to observe the crowd, which moved to the mill.

Only pride prevented me to return to the gloomy, immense world, where I will be taken as equal. Pride and suddenly broken rage. How can these people be so arrogant and believe that they will overcome the stronger magic creature. Threatening to me, they just repeated the mistake of past generations.

Vincent, obviously, has managed to be returned before the crowd moved to the mill. Undoubtedly, he already learned about the fact that the king favors me, and got angry to such an extent that he rushed headlong into another dangerous enterprise. The result of it I could now watch with a better place.

The crowd was poorly armed and poorly organized. When they approached the pond, I was sitting on the roof in the same unchanged position, as an idol frozen in front of the pagan altar and an empty not expressing look at the armed crowd. Let them know that it is easier to move a whole fortress from the spot than to make me move at least a finger. It was worth to whisper only one word, and the arrow turned back. A sharp steel tip unmistakably found the heart of a unlucky shot.

A similar witchcraft maneuver even more exited the crowd. If earlier they had nothing but their own conclusions, now they have received proof that the sorcerer next to them really exists, and is not a fruit of someone well-developed imagination. I myself provided them with this testimony of my secret power and was not long waiting for their reaction. Hostile cries have become even louder. Vincent was worth only to throw a spark near the powder cord, and it wakes himself. The main thing against me was that for the sake of such an event you can throw all the work for a couple of days and plunder the rich possession of the feudal. In addition, in the opinion of many, the murder would be easy, because it does not manage to see the dragon every day, to catch him at the moment of weakness. As soon as they set fire to the mill, I’ll fly, leaving them alone with a conscience and a wall of fire.

In a moment, I saw everything on miles around, knew how many knives were hidden under rude capes. I wonder what amazement will distort their features when the real, golden dragon appears?

I slightly covered eyelids and the face distorted by rage merged into a solid range of white spots, but suddenly in the thick of the crowd flashed a family face of Francesca. So after all, the countess came to look at the massacre, because they were rarely far from the city, or opposite she tried to stop them. Even if she tried, it is unlikely that they will stop, not often the fate itself is found the pretext to kill the owner of the village, besides, if he also turns out to be a real dragon.

The door of the mill could not even knock out with the help of a rudely homemade battering ram, because I ran a protective spell on it. The spell to stop the fire flew out of the head, and the walls of the mill were flamed too quickly. I darted with one throw from the roof, the raincoat was shot at my back, like a sail and in just a moment I managed to take the kind that would manage to scare anyone. The first moment brought an amazement. The peasants did not assume that they would see someday something similar. As it could happen, because of the moment back, they saw just a favorite of the king, a silent aristocrat, who is unlikely to be able to confront to many alone, and suddenly he disappeared, and in front of them over a burning mill, a sparkling dragon was flying. Francesca also raised her eyes to the sky, no doubt, she learned me alone. She could not be misleading the dragon, who got down the fire on the crowd.

Already flying out, I knocked Francesca down with the edge of my wing. Golden steel scratched her easily vulnerable human flesh and broke clothes. She lied on the ground for a long time in a torn dress with disheveled gold curls and repeated something in a whisper, just one word as if it was a spell.

It was worth listening to distinguish her incessant whisper, more like a desperate cry.

«Edwin! Edwin!» came to me before all the sounds were dissolved in the heavenly melody.

«How could they?» Selvin was already in renovated living room and never ceased to be outraged by such betrayal. «If I just knew before? I would manage to support discipline, set guards.

He stopped near the fireplace and helplessly lowered firmly compressed fists.

«Forgive me, Edwin. If I knew that the village was full of madmen, I would have done everything to erect the barrier between them and you.»

«I warned you that the misfortunes pursue me,» I quite reasonably noticed. «Not so long ago, a former servant was trying to arrange a plot against me, before that there were other unpleasant cases. It is better to stay away from such a friend as I.

«Yes, it looks like a conspiracy,» Selvin’s eyebrows met on the nose, he thought about something feverishly, and then he smiled lightweight and happily. «I know a great solution. Do not think that I am superstitious, but in Viniena there is a beautiful cathedral. It is worth only to go there and nothing will remain from the evil eye or evil conspiracy.»

«No,» I objected so hastily, which scared him. «In no case. Now I can not go to the capital, I risk to face there with old enemies,» I began to compose on the move, so that the lies cover the cruel truth. I could not push him that with one sound of church bells, I will have bleeding ears. A rumor enjoying the music of fairies is too susceptible to the monotonous ringing of the metal and the chorus of chants.

«What are you afraid if His Majesty will send his people with you? «Selvin decided to encourage me and if I need to settle all problems for me. How to refuse him?

«I’m not afraid of anything,» I tried to object, as mildly as possible. «I just don’t want to put in an awkward position myself and others. Let’s go back to the question of the village. You said that those of her inhabitants who wanted to attack me for some reason decided that I was on the mill while I had already managed to leave there.»

It is necessary to hide so much and not blush. Selvin, taking such an explanation for a clean coin, nodded.

«They were convinced that they saw you on the roof, so the mill was set on fire, but their own clothes were burned too. Many burned alive, others got strong burns.»

«And with them there was a woman? The countess from the neighboring estate, I do not remember exactly what her name is? – I started carefully to interrogate.

«Yes,» Selvin answered. «It seems that she tried to stop them and but suffered herself.

«You will learn about everything so quickly.»

«I used to get acquainted with all the news, but these will try to save in secret. We don’t need a noise around your estate.»

I barely kept myself from telling him «Thank you» for the foresight. I allowed him to be located like at home, in the mansion, which was returned a luxurious look in so a short time, and I myself headed to bring the next night visit my charming neighbor.