Free dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon by linda k hopkins Page B

that they saddle up the horses and ride through the estate. Anna had been at Drake Manor for nearly four weeks, and had spent many hours exploring the grounds around the house, but the hills that lay in the distance, beyond the river, were new territory that she was eager to discover. The stables lay beyond the courtyard, and it did not take long for the horses to be saddled and Anna and Bronwyn to be on their way.
    It was a fine day in late summer. The air was heavy with summer heat, and bees flew around lethargically between the flowers, while butterflies flittered gently about. The scent of lemon from the formal gardens hung in the air, and Anna could taste it on her tongue. They turned their horses towards the woods, which lay a fair distance from the house, beyond the wilderness where wild flowers and grasses grew without check. In the distance Favian and Will circled around the hills, moving lazily through the hot air. It was a relief to reach the shade of the trees, and Anna pulled the neck of her gown away from her skin in an effort to cool herself down.
    The path through the woods was narrow, and the women rode single-file. The moist, earthy smell of mulch and decaying matter had replaced the dry scents of the gardens, and Anna breathed in the cool fragrance deeply. Under the canopy of trees, the birds chirped as they flitted from one branch to another. Squirrels jumped above their heads, and between the trees, light caught the delicate threads of a spider’s web. In the distance Anna could hear the burbling sound of water rushing over rocks. It grew louder as they continued on the path, and then the river was before them, cool and inviting. Without a moment’s hesitation, Anna slid off her horse, and slipping off her boots, walked into the water, Bronwyn a step behind.
    “Ah,” Bronwyn said, “that feels so good.” Stepping back onto the bank, she shrugged out of her kirtle, and with just her chemise covering her body, stepped back into the water, sinking down to her knees. At its deepest point, the water reached her chest, and she dropped her body lower, letting the coolness wash around her.
    “I thought you didn’t feel the heat,” Anna said with a laugh.
    “I don’t really,” Bronwyn said, dropping her head back in the water. “It’s just that my skin is so itchy.”
    “Do you have a rash? You should ask your grandmother for a balm.”
    “There isn’t much Grandmother can do for me.” She moved closer to Anna and held out her hand. “Look.”
    Just beneath the surface of Bronwyn’s skin Anna could see faint circles swooping around her hand and up her arm. Reaching out a finger, she touched Bronwyn’s skin, drawing back in surprise when she felt how hot it was. She glanced up at the girl, startled.
    “What’s it caused by?” Anna said.
    “Scales.”
    “Scales?”
    Bronwyn’s eyes were closed as she held her head back. “Mmm hmm.”
    “Then … you’re already … you’ve already started changing.” Bronwyn opened her eyes and turned to look at Anna. Faint specks of yellow showed against the blue. How had Anna not noticed that before?
    “Yes,” Bronwyn said. “It won’t be long before I will be flying like Will.” She pulled herself out of the water, the thin fabric of her chemise steaming. “But I will be a much better dragon than him.”
    “Oh, uh, I’m sure you will,” Anna said. Although only thirteen, Bronwyn was moving into a world in which Anna had no part – she would be nothing but an outsider looking in, and she felt a moment of sadness. “Are you ready to carry on riding?” Anna asked.
    “Yes,” Bronwyn said, pulling on her kirtle.
    They mounted their horses and nudged them into the river. The splashing water wet the hem of Anna’s gown but she scarcely noticed. She rode ahead of Bronwyn, leading her horse towards the shallow rocks on the other bank and onto the deep path that cut through a steep cliff rising above the river on the other side.
    Anna felt her