Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) by Robert Barton Page A

usually makes us see ‘em as horses, or dogs an’ birds an’ such.  Tales also say that if ye drink dragonbane ye can see through that magic fer a while and know dragons fer what they is. I figure iffin they ain’t no dragons in the flatlands then it won’t matter’ cause they ain’t none t’ see. But iffin ye drink some dragonbane in the hills and ye’re the only one what can see dragons then folk gonna think you’s crazy. I’d think I’s crazy iffin I could see dragons.
    “Do you believe in dragons Slance?” Asked Veer.
    “As much as ye do boy, as much as ye do. Tales gotta come from somewher’s though.” Answered the older man. “We got enough wood fer t’night so’s let’s all just set up our bedrolls and sit here and talk away the evening. We’re sure t’ talk through first watch you two split second watch ‘tween yaselves. Whoever has the end o’ second watch wake me up ‘bout twenty minutes ‘fore my watch starts. Don’t too much think that we really need lots o’ watchin’ as I doubt ‘em dogs ‘ll let anything sneak up on us and that noisy bird up there sure won’t.”
    The three of them set about arranging their bedrolls and preparing for the night. As they settled in Shira asked. “So what else do you know about dragon lore Slance?” Veer cast a long scolding look at the girl who acted like she did not notice.
    “Can’t say as anybody knows much.” Responded the older man. “But there’s a lot that I’ve heard tale of livin’ in these hills. I do know that over the years I ’ve been told by a goodly number of trappers and mount’n men that they’s still dragons wild in the mount’ns and even down into the hills. Some of ‘em are folks what I’ve knowed for years and knowed to not be crazy. Some of ‘em tell me they’ve seed sign and some as tells it they’ve seed the dragons. The legends say ‘at a man can look right at a dragon and see somethin’ else there, but iffn the dragon does somethin’ that the thing what you think you see can’t do then ye’ll see it fer what it really is. I’ve seen some brave souls what can easy take on a winter in the mount’ns huntin’ bears and wolves and whatnot scared out o’ they wits behind thinking they have seed a dragon.”
    “What about the dr agons?” Asked Shira impatiently and drawing a look of surprise from the older man at the rudeness of the girl. Shira was nearly shaking with impatience as she looked at the man.
    “D’yer da ever beat y e fer actin’ impatient?” Slance asked, while looking at the girl as her cheeks started to redden. “Guess ye just young, still yet. But seems to me that I recollect yer da got beat by his mam fer that same thing.” Slance added with a chuckle.
    “Sorry.” Shira responded with a sigh.
    “Yer families is gone so yer both gonna have to be growed up adults now.” Slance said as he crawled into his bedroll and pulled his wool blanket around him against the cool night air. Both young people looked at one another disappointed that he seemed to have stopped telling them about dragons.
    As the two sat looking at one another in the light of the fire they heard Slance continue. “The old legends say that they was some folks as kept with dragons. They was some kind of bond and those people learned t ’ do special things, they was warriors and wizards and healers and whatnot. They was differ’nt kinds of dragons and each one could make ye good at somthin’. They was the wild ones t’ be sure but the ones as kept with people looked all kinds of ways. Some was big enough t’ ride through the air they say while some was as small as a bird sittin’ on ye shoulder they say they was even some as ye couldn’t see at all even if ye was t’ look right at ‘em.”
    “Do you think that the people who bonded dragons were all evil?” Veer asked quietly.
    The older man continued. “They is some as say ‘at the folks what kept with dragons was evil and was the causen o’ the