The Dragon's Apprentice Page 3

CHAPTER THREE

  DRAGONS DON’T TALK

  Klel’s shelter had a stone back wall, wooden rafters and a straw roof. Widely spaced wooden poles held up the roof around two sides, which made it look like a cage. Klel was curled up in the corner, his nose tucked under his tail.

  You come? Klel's voice was light and musical. He raised his blunt snout towards Toby and his startling green eyes shone brightly.

  “Dragons don't talk,” Marc muttered without opening his eyes.

  “Marc is sick, can you help him?” Toby whispered in case someone was near enough to hear.

  Toby had never brought anyone to see Klel before but he knew the dragon would help if he could. When Toby was just a small boy he had fallen very ill in the night. Aggie, fearing that Toby would not survive the night, had tried to rouse the healer but he refused to come. She had taken him down to Klel’s shelter and asked the dragon to heal him. Klel saved Toby’s life that night and Toby’s earliest memory was of being held in the golden dragon’s embrace.

  Klel rose into a crouch and moved closer. Did he see healer?

  “Yes,” Toby told his friend.

  Klel leaned over Marc, nudging him gently with a clawed foot.

  Wake up, lad, Klel ordered.

  “Dragons don't talk!” Marc opened his eyes and stared at Klel.

  He showed a total lack of fear and Toby was impressed. Klel may not be very big, about the same size as one of the king's horses, but to wake up with him an inch away from your face was scary enough.

  When last eat, lad? Klel asked, ignoring Marc's denial of the obvious.

  “I'm not worth eating.” Marc shuffled out of Klel's immediate reach.

  Don't want eat you, Klel snorted and swung his head towards Toby. What rubbish told him?

  “None,” Toby defended himself calmly. “Rumours in the town have you eating naughty children and breathing fire all day.”

  They do? Klel's eyes widened and his eye ridges rose several inches. Why?

  “To scare children into being good I guess.” Toby shrugged his shoulders. “Aren't you going to heal Marc?”

  Nothing to heal, Klel said bluntly as he backed into his sleeping corner again.

  “Nothing?” Toby looked from Klel to Marc who looked about to faint again.

  Used to breathe fire! Could burn greenfruit off tree, fifty paces. Much further than brothers. Klel seemed to have slipped back in time as his eyes glazed over to a light yellow.

  “Why can't you now?” Marc leaned forward to stare hard at Klel.

  They took my band away. Klel's eyes snapped back to brilliant green and he snorted loudly.

  “Your band?” Toby prompted. Klel had never spoken of this band before.

  My band... is who I am… where I belong... Klel replied with a proud, angry voice and his eyes turned a dull orange colour.

  Toby knew that Klel was getting cross. He may not breathe fire but his tail could sweep your feet off the ground and send you flying across the courtyard.

  Leave, Klel muttered.

  “So I'm healed?” Marc looked unsure as he tried to keep his balance.

  Nothing to heal. Try eating. Klel gave them one last snort before he turned several times on the spot and settled himself to the floor, tucking his nose under his tail.

  “Come on Marc, we'd better go,” Toby said and helped Marc to his feet.

  Used to breathe fire, Klel muttered as pale golden lids closed over his eyes.

  Toby paused at the entrance to the shelter, scanned the quiet courtyard and frowned as there was still no sign of any guards. He didn't want to be caught but it made him angry that they weren't doing what they were supposed to, protecting Klel and everyone else in the castle.

  Putting one arm around Marc, Toby helped him over into the shadows at the edge of the courtyard. They crept around the walls until they reached the wooden door. It wasn't until they slipped back inside that Toby spoke.

  “Why didn't you just tell me you were hungry?” Toby almost accused him.

  “I couldn't pay for any food. Besides I ate several days ago,” Marc replied matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders. “It's never hit me like this before and I've gone twice as long without food many times.”

  “You have?” Toby wondered what it was like to go hungry. Growing up in the castle he had never once gone without a meal, unless he was naughty.

  “Gran didn't have a lot of food and my little sister cried herself to sleep all the time so I started giving her my food as well,” Marc explained. “Where do we go now?”

  “Good question.” Toby frowned as they walked deeper into the castles corridors.

  These were the corridors used by the servants to move around the castle without the royals or their guests knowing they even existed. So where could they go? Toby knew his old room had been taken by another boy and he could hardly turn up to share Aggie's room with Marc in tow.

  “Don't you have a room?” Marc queried as he stopped to rest against the wall.

  “I...” Just then Toby remembered that he was taking over Rane's duties, which meant he got Rane’s room too. “Of course I have a room.”

  Several minutes later Toby had shown Marc to Rane's old room and given him another candle.

  “I'll come back with some food soon. There's bound to be stacks of leftovers from the banquet,” Toby promised as he gently closed the door.

  He'd been gone a long time and Aggie was bound to be cross with him but he detoured around the kitchen and headed up to the dining hall. The first thing he had to do was get Marc some food.