men near the dragon-sized door. “Though Mama Elena will undoubtedly be disappointed. Still, she’s waited this long. One more day matters little.”
Drake heard a startling new maturity in the girl-dragon’s words and tone. He’d have to remind himself she was no longer the baby dragon he’d left behind.
Drake crossed the oversized footbridge—one of many newly constructed to connect the old city of Castleton with the new Jinn settlement just on the other side of the river. Jenet had been convinced to stay behind, but Drake suspected she wasn’t far away. She’d been his ever-present shadow since almost the day she’d been hatched, and he’d felt an ache in his soul for the past fifteen years without her. He hadn’t quite realized it until he’d seen her again. She fit at his side as if they’d never been parted and he was made to realize what had been missing from his life for the past years…Jenet.
It was a dangerous thought. Drake had turned his back on all that when he had left home. His boyhood dreams of being a knight like his sires—being Jenet’s knight—had died that day. So much had changed in the intervening years, Drake doubted he could ever go back. The fact that such a thought even crossed his mind indicated to him just how seriously being back in Draconia was already affecting his judgment.
The new town looked like nothing so much as a Jinn encampment, albeit on a grand scale. Drake felt instantly at home. Colorful banners, decorations and signs graced many of the newly built structures as well as the many tents that were still in use while more permanent quarters were under construction.
Already the familiar sounds of tavern bustle could be clearly heard, along with the unmistakable sound of Jinn music from almost every direction. These people had adopted Drake when he’d struck out on his own as a teen and they were his family as much as those he’d left behind in Draconia.
And now the Jinn were here, in his homeland. The wanderers were settling at last, at the base of Drake’s childhood home, the royal castle of Draconia. Stranger things had happened, he was sure, but he didn’t know when or where.
Drake looked around, spotting a likely place to begin his evening’s work. He recognized the banner over the open flap of a very large tent. It belonged to a long-time friend and master spy named Devyn, who just also happened to be a brewer of excellent quality. Devyn had last plied his trade in a tavern deep in Skithdronian territory, but it looked like all the Jinn were pulling up stakes and gathering here in Draconia, even those with established businesses elsewhere.
Drake hitched the soft case that held his lute a bit higher on his back as he set off with a jaunty step. Traveling minstrels were the norm rather than the exception among the Jinn and few he passed looked at him with anything other than welcome. Drake of the Five Lands had made a name for himself with his musical talent, even among the gifted Jinn. His music would be welcome and his notoriety would work to his advantage.
At least, it always had in the past.
Shouldering through the open tent flap, Drake scanned the large common room. Newly-made chairs congregated around tables that looked to be only temporary conveniences—just sawhorses with planks thrown across. The sounds of construction came from behind the bar area set up at the back of the tent and Drake guessed this would be the home of Devyn’s next brewpub once the building was completed. It was a good choice of location, close by the main road from the footbridge and well upstream, where the water was clear, and near enough the base of the mountain to be easily defensible.
But Devyn had always been a crafty man. Good in a fight, he was also a skilled elicitor of information. He had high standards for the ales and wines he both made and served, and hired only the best cooks he could find. A meal at Devyn’s was guaranteed to be both wholesome and hearty.
Drake suddenly found himself famished. The wafting aromas of meat stew helped his hunger along and he decided to stop here for dinner. The time spent would serve several purposes. First, he’d have a great meal. Second, he’d have a chance to chat with Devyn and learn the lay of the land. Devyn was connected enough to be able to shorten Drake’s search