pushed against the ground until the shield began sliding on its own. He plunged down the hill, pushing Barlow’s sword on either side to dodge stumps and holes as he careened toward a narrow brook in the distance. When he came to a halt at the muddy bank, he jumped out, grabbed his shield, and waded across the water, exchanging swords in his scabbard, feeling much more comfortable with his lighter blade.
A muddy path on the other side led into dense forest, but, for the most part, the trail stayed clear of obstacles. He ran under the shelter of the forest canopy until he came upon a sheer cliff face, a wall of granite with mossy growth in its crevices. As he slowed to examine each dark recess in the cliff, he tried to calm himself. “Okay, the cave’s around here somewhere. Just take it slow and easy. You don’t want Makaidos thinking you’re a danger to him.”
“Are you?” a deep voice called from behind him.
Edward spun around and swung his sword, barely missing the snout of a huge red dragon. The dragon slapped the sword away with his tail. “Has a boy come to try to slay the king of the dragons?”
Edward backed away, trembling. “Ma . . . Makaidos?”
Another voice answered from behind him. “Do not hurt him, my dear. He is harmless.”
Edward spun again. Another dragon, a beige one, sat in his path. He raised his shield, first toward Makaidos, then toward the female. “I . . . I’m not here to slay you. I’m here to ask for help.” He cleared his throat and steadied his voice. “His Majesty, King Arthur, requests that you join him in our battle against the barbarians from the north.”
Makaidos twitched his ears, glancing at Thigocia as he replied to Edward. “With or without riders?”
“Uh . . . I don’t know. The king didn’t say. Does it make a difference?”
“We need riders. Ever since the fall of the tower, I have trained my sons and daughters to follow only the commands of humans when fighting in a group. They would be severely handicapped without experienced riders, and we have had no need to train any riders since before Arthur’s coronation.”
“Then how will we find riders?” Edward asked.
Makaidos moved his head up and down, examining Edward. “How old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen?”
Edward squared his shoulders. “Eighteen.”
“Old enough. You will begin training immediately.”
“Me?” Edward said, pointing at himself. “Why?”
“Because you are at hand. Do you know anyone else who is brave enough?”
“My best friend, Newman, but he ”
“Then for your first lesson, you will ride Thigocia to send my acceptance to King Arthur. After that, you will pick up Newman and return here. While the two of you are training, I will summon those who are still loyal to me.”
“I am willing,” Edward said, glancing around for his sword, “but won’t we need more riders than just Newman and me?” Finding his weapon, he hoisted it up to his shoulder.
“I know of three retired soldiers who battled from our backs before Arthur’s time. Perhaps they would be willing to relive their glory days. With them and five dragons, we should have enough to defeat a band of savages.”
“Will you also summon Clefspeare?” Thigocia asked. “We could always use a sixth, especially if it is he.”
Makaidos pawed the muddy ground and snorted. “How can I be sure we can trust him?”
“He is not like his father. You know that. And he will not need a rider.”
Makaidos scowled. “Will not accept one, you mean.”
“Let us not go over this again. Not in front of the human. Clefspeare is a great warrior, and his loyalty to you is unquestioned.”
“Very well,” Makaidos said, sighing. “I will ask him to join us.”
Edward stepped between the two dragons. “I beg your pardon, Makaidos. Another knight joined me in this quest to find you, but Goliath captured him with his tail and flew away with him. Is there any way we can conduct a search?”
Makaidos’s eyes flamed. “Captured him with his tail?”
“Yes. His shield got caught ”
“Ahem!”
Edward turned toward the sound. Barlow emerged from the trees, sleeveless and brushing a coat of thistles from his vest. “There is no need to go into details,” he said, his face reddening. “I survived.”
“Captain Barlow! Your chain mail came off?”
“Yes.” Barlow picked a thumb-sized beetle from his undergarment and flicked it away. “The mail caught in the strap, so I stripped it off. Such a pity. That was my best shield.”