Chasing Promises

Chapter 7 - Barnabas - 1520

Thanks everyone for your support, (comments, votes and fans), I really appreciate it as this stories response has surpassed expectations and made it rank #192 in historical fiction and #714 in fantasy. I'm so chuffed! :D Thanks again.

Also, in this chapter it will split between two settings in England and France so to avoid confusion I've put England or France above those parts. I've also put the different months too in which these parts take place

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England   ----   (May)

The faded Ursula's words would not ring true until they happened.

Barnabas had returned to his chambers, when he found a strange white liquid covering his desk. The liquid was thin, almost like water and without much of a texture. Strangely one of his two remaining stone dragon eggs lay on the table also at the centre of the fluid. Lifting and examining the stone egg, he found a small hole had been carved into it, allowing the strange fluid to escape.

"White blood," he muttered to himself as he checked on the other egg. The other was was wrapped in an old shirt separate from the other, as it was hidden in his bedside table, this one was hole free. What else had she said, 'a King's face', he wondered what King that might be - Henry or Francis? (Francis was the King of France).

"They did yours too my Lord," Jack said entering the room unpronounced, his hands were covered in the same white fluid that covered his table.

"Is your egg like this then?" Barnabas asked holding his egg out to Jack for him to examine. Jack took the egg and shook his head.

"I wish mine was like this, but..." Barnabas saw Jacks eyes had begun to water as Jack turned away, "they cut my egg in half. My dragon is dead. Erik is dead." He huffed wiping his eyes.

"Show me," Barnabas said clapping the boy on the shoulder as he nodded.

Barnabas followed him out of his own room, and into the servants room which Jack shared with three other servants. The egg lay cracked opened on his bed. The white fluid covered his single bed and dripped onto the stone floor, the sheets and pillow were all covered as well, for they glistened in the afternoon sunshine.

On closer inspection Barnabas saw that a tiny green dragon the size of a chick lay in the middle of the cracked egg. It was shrivelled, perhaps from the lack of fluid or contact with the air, he couldn't be sure. One thing was certain though, Erik the dragon was dead before his life had even begun.

Now he wondered, as Jack tearfully picked the tiny dragon up and held it in his hands, would his own dragon survive? Or would it simply shrivel up and die as Erik had done? Another more important question went through his mind, who had done this?

"Guard," he shouted when he entered the main room of his residence, leaving Jack to mourn Erik in peace.

A short guard, carrying a spear much to long for him and wearing a red tunic entered the room.

"My lord Rochester," he said with a small nod.

"Did you allow anyone access to these rooms?" He asked the guard bluntly, sitting down in one of fancy winged armchairs that furnished the room. "Anyone at all?" He added when the guard screwed his face up trying to remember.

"There was one man, my Lord," the guard said removing his black hat and scratching his blond head.

"Who was this man?" Barnabas said gripping the chairs arms in anticipation.