The Dragondain by Richard Due Read Free Book Online Page B

Jasper got an eyeful of clear sky and his first sighting of the moons—half a dozen at least. Several appeared stationary, the rest moving at different rates of speed in various directions. The closest was deep-sea blue, and swallowed up half the sky.
    No other sight could have brought the bedtime tales to life so vividly as the moons hanging in the sky before him. Dik Dek , he thought, unable to take his eyes off the great blue moon above. And Taw, and Barreth, and was that one Min Tar? I’m really on Dain.
    Many moments later, when Jasper finally came to his senses, he began looking for Darce. She was nowhere in sight. A dozen small streets and alleyways connected to the courtyard; she could have gone down any one of them. Not knowing what to do, he drifted to a gurgling fountain in the center of the courtyard.
    Jasper scanned the houses facing the courtyard. They looked better-kept than the houses in the alleyways, but not by much. He thought it strange that no one should be out and about despite the houses being so densely packed. Jasper dipped his hands into the fountain. It was icy cold. To warm his hands, he unbuttoned the cloak he taken from the Tomb of the Fallen, and thrust his hands into his own jacket pockets, which were still full of LUNA Bars. Mechanically, he pulled one out, ripped it open, and took a bite. He had just begun to chew when a hand seized him by the elbow, gripping it like a vise. Darce spun him around, outraged and out of breath.
    “What are you doing?” she demanded. “The fair is this way!” She gave a tremendous yank to get him moving again. The LUNA Bar flipped out of Jasper’s grip and fell into the fountain.
    “Wait—”
    “What now?” shouted Darce. She turned to look at him and stepped into a wash of sunlight. Her straw-colored hair turned golden, and her blue eyes danced with shadows and lightning bolts. Jasper felt the breath go out of him.
    “What?” she shouted.
    “It’s . . . nothing. Let’s go.”
    Darce gritted her teeth and made a noise like an animal. She pulled on his elbow again and was off like a flash, only this time she kept a better eye on Jasper.
    “Where are we going?” he called.
    “To the fields.”
    Jasper continued to marvel at the emptiness of the alleyways and streets that they were tearing through.
    “Where is everyone?”
    “Dragon Fair.” She didn’t speak the words you idiot, but Jasper heard them just the same.
    Jasper was thrilled. “A Dragon Fair! Will there be dragons?”
    Darce staggered, then stutter-stepped, then stopped. She turned and stared at Jasper with a withering look.
    “What?” she said, her eyes twin storms.
    “Dragons!” continued Jasper, getting more excited just thinking about it. “Will I get to talk to one?”
    This idea caught Darce so off guard she flinched.
    “Are you insane?” she asked, leaning forward. And though Darce was shorter than Jasper, it sure didn’t seem like it to him.
    Jasper’s face fell. “What do you mean?”
    Darce snatched Jasper’s collar, and once again he thought she meant to hit him. “Dragons don’t talk to you,” she said slowly, “they eat you!”
    Jasper felt his mind reel off course. “But—”
    “We’re celebrating killing one of the damn things.”
    “Killing!” repeated Jasper, now feeling completely lost. “But why? Dragons are intelligent creatures. They’re friendly!”
    Darce bared her teeth in a grimace. “I have lost friends to those fell beasts,” she said, and the anger in her eyes became so terrifying that Jasper had to fight the urge to sheer away from her gaze. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. But if you talk to me of such foolishness again, I promise you will regret it.”
    “I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Jasper. “I’ll be more careful.”
    Darce’s mood did not soften. “Come on then. We’re almost to the outer wall. Watch your step.”
    Rounding a corner, they came upon a large, open tavern house. Above its doors hung a