“Dragon’s blood,” he said. “The wizards pay good money for dragon’s blood.”
He stepped closer, closer – and Tharn’s curved neck suddenly straightened, thrusting his scaly snout to a foot or so from the man’s face, and Tharn spat flame, lighting up the night, momentarily blinding the three humans, whose eyes had all been adjusted to the darkness.
The man who had approached the dragon screamed horribly, and the other dropped Sirinita’s wrist; thus abruptly released, she stumbled and almost fell.
When she was upright and able to see again, she saw one man kneeling, both hands covering his face as he continued to scream; his sword was nowhere in sight. The other man was circling, trying to get behind Tharn, or at least out of the line of fire.
And Tharn was growling differently now, a sound like nothing Sirinita had ever heard before. His jaws and nostrils were glowing dull red, black smoke curled up from them, and his eyes caught the moonlight and gleamed golden. He didn’t look like her familiar, bumbling pet; he looked terrifying.
The uninjured man dove for Tharn’s neck, and the dragon turned with incredible speed, belching flame.
The man’s hair caught fire, but he dived under the gout of flame and stabbed at Tharn.
Tharn dodged, or tried to, but Sirinita heard the metal blade scrape sickeningly across those armored scales she had so often scratched herself on.
Then Tharn, neck fully extended and bent almost into a circle, took his attacker from behind and closed his jaws on the man’s neck.
Sirinita screamed – she didn’t know why, she just did.
The first man was still whimpering into his hands.
The second man didn’t scream, though; he just made a soft grunting noise, then sagged lifelessly across Tharn’s back. His hair was smoldering; a shower of red sparks danced down Tharn’s flank.
Sirinita turned and ran.
At first she wasn’t running anywhere in particular; then she spotted a farmhouse with a light in the window. Someone had probably been awakened by the screaming. She turned her steps toward it.
A moment later she was hammering her fists on the door.
“Who is it?” someone called. “I’ve got a sword and a spear here.”
“Help!” Sirinita shrieked.
For a moment no one answered, but she heard muffled voices debating; then the door burst open and she fell inside.
“They attacked me,” she said. “And Tharn killed one of them, and… and… “
“Who attacked you?” a woman asked.
“Two men. Big men.”
“Who’s Tharn? Your father?” a man asked.
“My pet dragon.”
The man and the woman looked at one another.
“She’s crazy,” the man said.
“Close the door,” the woman answered.
“You don’t think I should try to help?”
“Do you hear anyone else screaming?”
The man listened; so did Sirinita.
“No,” the man said. “But I hear noises.”
“Let them take care of it themselves, then.”
“But…” The man hesitated, then asked, “Was anyone hurt?”
“The men who attacked me. Tharn hurt them both. I think he killed one.”
“But this Tharn was all right when you left?” the woman asked.
Sirinita nodded.
“Then leave well enough alone for now. We’ll go out in the morning and see what’s what. Or if this Tharn comes to the door and speaks fair – we’ve the girl to tell us if it’s the right one.”
The man took one reluctant final look out the door, then closed and barred it, while the woman soothed Sirinita and led her to a corner by the fire where she could lie down. The man found two blankets and a feather pillow, and Sirinita curled up, shivering, certain she would never sleep again.
She was startled to wake up to broad daylight.
“You told us the truth last night,” her hostess remarked.
Sirinita blinked sleep from her eyes.
“About your dragon, I mean. He’s curled up out front. At first my man was afraid to step past him, after what you’d said about his fighting those two men, but he looks harmless enough, so at last he ventured it.”
“I’m sorry he troubled you,” Sirinita said.
“No trouble,” she said.
“I have to get home,” Sirinita said, as she sat up.
“No hurry, is there?”
Sirinita hesitated. “It’s a long walk back to the city.”
“It is,” the woman admitted. “But isn’t that all the more reason to have breakfast first?”
Sirinita, who had had no supper the night before, did not argue with that; she ate a hearty meal of hot buttered cornbread, apples, and cider.
When she was done she tried to feed Tharn, but the dragon wasn’t hungry.