Ike Penworthy

Chapter ~| 8

           

Dutch could not believe it. Her bodyguard was an uptight, controlling woman. How could Ike do this to her? He knew how she liked to be in charge. And yet he gave her an overbearing, Human, woman.

Dutch stared with great contempt at the inferior lady across from her. There wasn't much to look at. She wasn't very pretty – if at all – her eyes were nearly white, making Dutch wonder if she was going blind, and her hair was a harsh blood red. Both qualities that did not pass in the Elven world. Her face was angular and sharp, her jawbone pronounced and her nose crooked. But she did have very arched eyebrows, which Dutch scowled at. No Human was allowed to have such perfectly arched eyebrows, especially when the rest of her was so plain and yet ugly.

And her voice! How awful to listen to. Sounded like rocks being rubbed together in a bowl. It was a wonder she talked at all.

The carriage was finally moving, the clip-clop of sixteen hooves hitting the ground overpowered the rickety creak of the wheels.

After a while of studying her silent companion, Dutch realized she had no name for her, as Ike had not introduced them.

Feeling that asking for her name would make her seem friendly, Dutch began coming up with names of her own for the girl, each one more profound and unkind than the last. She was nearly to the point of writing them down when her bodyguard stirred. She leaned forward, glancing out the window with furrowed brows.

With a strong fist, she pounded on the roof. The carriage came to a slow stop and the woman exited the confined space. Dutch did not follow, but she did look out, and her voice was shrill as she called:

"What are we doing?"

Her words were drowned out by the sudden stirring of dust and the whoosh of circled wind. A black beast was drifting from the sky, readying itself to land. The Dragon was huge, three or four average Elves tall and from nose to tail much longer. She found herself speechless as the beast landed, shaking the earth.

"Felt wonderful to fly again." It said. Dutch nearly fainted. The Dragon had talked. Aloud! Not in her head like her own did, but with actual movement of his jaw and flutter of his tongue. She blinked, astonished.

Her bodyguard turned to the drivers. "Continue on. I'll be flying above."

The men murmured their acknowledgements and the carriage began its movement once more. Dutch fell back in her seat perplexed, but also overjoyed. That ridiculous woman was gone.

Three hours later, Dutch remembered how boring the ride to the Academy was. So long and tedious, and obnoxious. Couldn't they fly already? She still didn't understand why they couldn't just start flying from the beginning, instead of being stuck in a wooden box for hours on end.

Gives you perspective, is what Sorn always said, that way you actually value your time at the Academy, because you'll be dreading the carriage ride home.