Free Dragon Tears by Nancy Segovia Page A

flying in the rain. So far three days out of twelve had been spent fighting the spring storms that came in from the Sea of Lights. The storms made flying not only miserable but also difficult as the gusts tossed them around like balls in a kitten’s paws.
    Patrik tried again to stake down the tarp. This time he moved it back into the shelter of the trees. With the wind partially blocked, he was able to get the lean-to anchored, and Rat promptly moved in. The boy quickly joined her, pushing the large animal aside with a rough shove. “Move over, cat,” he grumbled. “All of us have to fit under this thing.”
    Wizard Allard soon followed them carrying one of their packs. “It’s cold rations tonight,” he said, tossing the pack to Patrik. “Unless, of course, you want to try to cook something out there.” He pointed to where the dragons had started the fire.
    “Not me,” Patrik replied, reaching into the pack for a handful of dried meat and a cold hard biscuit.
    The fire sputtered in the rain, and both of them knew it wouldn’t last until the dragons got back. Shivering, they pulled out a couple of dry blankets from the pack, and curled up inside them. The smell of wet animal fur filled the lean-to, and Patrik did his best to stay far away from Rat. However, in the small shelter, it wasn’t nearly far enough.
    “You stink,” he said to Rat.
    The animal opened her sleepy eyes and stared at the boy as if she understood exactly what he had said. She held his gaze for a few heartbeats and then lowered her head and went back to sleep.
    “When do you think the dragons will be back?” he asked the wizard, hoping it would be soon for their great size would help to block the effects of the fierce storm.
    “Not for at least another sunmark. They haven’t been gone all that long, and they need at least two sunmarks to hunt and eat.”
    Patrik stifled a groan as he shivered from the cold. His blanket was beginning to get wet, and he was still hungry. He looked over at the fire and this time allowed a groan to surface. It had gone completely out and without Redwing’s help, there would be no way to restart it.
    Wizard Allard had promised both dragons that he wouldn’t use his magic at all, not even if it was a life-threatening emergency. It was one of the stipulations Redwing had asked for before agreeing to join the expedition. She believed, and the wizard had found himself agreeing with her, that any magic use would turn Skyhawk against them. And since there was no way of knowing exactly where the great white dragon lived, Allard had agreed not to use his magic.
    Cold, wet, and miserable, the three huddled close together, trying to warm each other with their bodies while avoiding the numerous leaks in their lean-to. “A promise is a promise,” Allard muttered, “but by the dragon’s flame, I am sorely tempted to magic a fire. I am so cold I can’t feel my toes anymore.”
    Exhausted from fighting the cold and his hunger, Patrik began to doze off when an angry scream tore through the twilight. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he bolted to his feet. Wizard Allard stood right beside him as they strained to see through the driving rain.
    “What was that?” Patrik shouted over the wind.
    “A Highland prowler. Look at Rat.”
    Every hair on the animal’s body stood at attention, making her look like an overstuffed toy. She curled her lips back into a snarl and bolted out of the lean-to.
    “Rat, come back!” Patrik hollered after the charging animal. But she ignored him the way she usually did.
    “Do something,” he yelled at the wizard. “She’s going to get herself killed.”
    “There’s nothing I can do,” he shouted back. “And even if I could, I promised not to use my magic, remember?”
    Two sets of screams now ripped through the growing darkness. Patrik searched the dim light, trying to see any sign of the cat through the rain and the darkness. The wind lessened making the