Free Dragonmaster by Karleen Bradford Page A

the hole above—indeed, he remembered that was how she had left them before. Dahl and Catryn had found her nest through an entrance in the mountainside. That entrance was high above him—he could almost make out the darkness of the opening above a ridge about halfway up from the pit where he stood. Much too high for him to reach. He ran a hand over the rock face beside him. It was rough, but not rough enough to offer hand or footholds for climbing. That would not be the way out.
    He glanced back at Caulda. She still lay immobile. Norl crept over to the nearest dark cleft in the rock side. He peered in, then took a tentative step, arms outstretched in front of him. His hands struck solid rock. He swept them around, but there was no opening there. He backed out. There was another fissure farther on, but it was within reach of Caulda’s maw. Did he dare try it?
    He stood, gathering the remnants of his courage to him, then took a step toward the opening. And another.
    Still, Caulda did not move. Norl stopped to look at her more closely, then he remembered something.
    It is tiring for me to fly now, she had said.
    What did she mean by that? Was she ill? Or old? How long did dragons live? He had no idea. A small hope began to flutter in his chest.

CHAPTER TEN
    D ahl looked up as Coraun entered the room. It was early in the morning, not time yet to descend to the throne room to hear the petitions and worries of his people. Dahl had made good his promise to be a wise and loving king, but sometimes he tired of the petty grievances that were daily set before him. He welcomed the chance to visit with Coraun before he must tend to his duties.
    “Have you come to break your fast with me…?” he began, but the words died on his lips as he saw the look on Coraun’s face.
    “Something has happened, Dahl,” Coraun said. “Something dreadful!”
    Dahl was on his feet and reaching for his cloak before Coraun had finished speaking.
    “What?” He bit the word out.
    “Come with me,” Coraun answered. “You must see this for yourself.” Without another word he led the way out of the palace
    and down to the river that ran behind it—the river that was the lifeblood of Daunus and its sole source of water.
    Dahl strode beside him, then stopped in shock. Usually clear and pure, the river now ran black. A heavy pall rose from it in hazy eddies that swirled darkly above its surface. The townsfolk of Daunus had poured out to line the banks and stare at it in confusion. As Dahl watched, one young boy, more foolhardy than wise, dashed into it. He made it as far as his knees, then his face suddenly contorted and he shrieked in agony. Before anyone could make a move, he was sucked down below the surface.
    There was a moment of unbelieving silence and then a woman screamed. A man started to run after the boy, but Dahl dashed forward to intercept him.
    “No!” Dahl shouted. “No one is to go near the water!”
    “But he is my son!” the man cried, and wrenched himself free of Dahl’s grasp. He got no farther into the river than had the boy before he, too, screamed with pain and disappeared into the blackness. A babel of voices cried out in terrified disbelief. Several of the people started to back away, and in an instant the whole crowd panicked and ran.
    Dahl stood rooted to the spot, staring at the place where the man and boy had disappeared. The water lay still, ominously quiet, the surface unbroken by even the smallest of ripples. There was not the slightest sign of what had just transpired.
    “Post guards,” he ordered Coraun, his voice rough and shaking. “Make certain that no one else comes near the river.”
    Norl reached the opening in the wall. He took one quick look at Caulda, then slipped into the aperture—and into a sudden chill that shocked him. Instinctively, he hugged his arms around himself. As he did so, the gathering light in the main cave threw shadows in front of him and around him. They seemed to move as he