‘Or perhaps it’s better to say you’ll learn to cope with it.’
‘I don’t know if I want to…’ The dragon tensed and managed to straighten up, keeping the contents of his stomach where they belonged.
‘You won’t have a choice, but don’t worry, we’ve all been through it.’ He patted the dragon on the shoulder. ‘And remember, you mustn’t lean on your left hand.’ Parthir warned, pointing at the hand Draco had just taken off his knee.
‘I'll try...’ The dragon trailed off at the sight of the sharp glare. ‘I’ll remember.’ He tried to smile, but under Noah’s stern gaze, it didn’t come off very well.
‘Try to stay close, and I’ll remind you.’
‘Right!’ Cedric’s voice silenced everyone. ‘Pull yourselves together, because it’s time to get down to some serious work.’
Draco gently parted the twigs of a dense bush to get a better view of the edge of the forest and the village lying beyond. Although the four simple log cottages, joined by a crumbling palisade, could hardly be called a settlement, that was precisely the function they served at that moment. From where he stood, he could easily see the pennant flying in the courtyard, as well as a signal flare in the form of a one-and-a-half-metre-long brass tube mounted vertically. Five people were bustling about amongst the buildings, preparing defensive positions facing the bend in the stream and further on, roughly in the direction of the rock debris and the end of the ravine. From time to time, they also ventured into the forest to gather the materials they needed.
Lookouts were stationed at the positions that had already been prepared. Two were visible at that moment, so they could safely assume that there were three more somewhere else. The lookouts were intently scanning the forest ahead of them, but it hadn’t occurred to any of them to glance behind them, just to be sure. And there was plenty going on.
The dragon, along with Sheth and Noah, was crouching behind a spreading bush barely a few metres from the edge of the forest.
