CHAPTER 32
Koalpans are everywhere. Some of the human occupants of the lodge are engaged in conversations with the bear-like creatures. An old, skinny man with long, grey hair is kneeling over one of the dead crows. He looks as if he is mourning its death.
Nick and Drake are once again perched upon the roof of the lodge surveying the scene below. They note with despondence the party of Koalpans at the open door of the tree stump barn.
"This is impossible!" Nick exclaims in hushed tones.
So much for sneaking back unnoticed, thinks Drake.
An enlightened expression forms on Nick's face. He smiles and pats Drake's neck.
"I think I've got an idea," he says. Then adds, "Let's go down there and face them...And let me do the talking."
Ummmm – but I can only talk to you anyways...
Nick regards his companion appraisingly, turning his mouth down and nodding his head. He replies, "Right. Well, that settles that, then. Come on."
The two swoop down from the roof and land solidly on the ground. Their dramatic entrance generates many gasps from the crowd milling about the crime scene.
The old man that is now holding the bloody, black bird, recoils smartly at the sudden appearance of the green dragon and rider. Among the commotion of all the others present, he takes his deceased crow and backs away.
"Cheecha Wow!" yells a startled Koalpan. Clearly, dragon sightings are not an everyday occurrence here.
The crowd of Koalpans huddles together, visibly trembling. Some hold torches; others have crude, wooden spears with stone tips. None venture toward the beast whose mass is greater than theirs combined.
The innkeeper is amongst the Koalpans gathered. He points a furry finger up at Nick and yells, "Ha! Tinka roo!"
"Ooooooo," is the general consensus from the other Koalpans.
Drake lowers his head, his glowing eyes swirling in the night.
"Uhhhh!" yell the Koalpans and they all step backwards toward the lodge.
Nick dismounts and holds up his hands at chest level in a reassuring manner. He glances sideways at Drake and pats the dragon's snout as he proceeds towards the startled Koalpans. A few of the spear bearers jab at the air threateningly. "OO! OO!" they grunt.
"Easy," Nick says cautioningly. "Easy now. That's right. Friend," he says pointing to himself.
The Koalpan innkeeper points toward the multitude of dead crows and the burnt remains of a vampire and says, "Kaw mm da."
"Yes, it's alright," Nick replies softly, still with hands at chest level and slightly outstretched. "I am a Dragonrider. I have been tracking vampires from the City of Aldin."
The Koalpan eyes him suspiciously and then points to one of the dead birds and kicks it. "E Kaw?" he asks.
Nick regards the many crow corpses strewn about and then returns to the Koalpan's gaze. He replies, "The birds were under a spell. You have a guest here that arrived with one, yes?"
At this, the furry creature turns to some of his curious comrades. He mutters something in a low voice. The others nod in understanding. They begin to turn about, scanning the human guests who are still standing around, looking rather frightened.
Not seeing who they are looking for, the innkeeper points some of the torch carriers and spear bearers to the last room on the third floor. They set off immediately, ascending the nearest set of stairs.
Nick and Drake note the direction the Koalpan search party is heading and watch their progress with rapt interest.
The posse arrives at the door and knocks vigorously. One of the torch carriers yells, "U Oga!"
There is no reply. They repeat this formality once more before two of the spear bearers step forward and ram the door with their shoulders. Upon the third attempt the barrier breaches and the torch carriers sweep past and into the room.
Moments later the leader of the search party returns to the third floor railing and looks down at the innkeeper. He shakes his head.
"He's already gone!" Nick whispers to Drake. Other Koalpans scurry about now, searching the premises.
Nick turns to Drake once again. He asks the dragon, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Drake: The docks at the river?
"Right," Nick replies. Before the innkeeper can protest, Nick is back in Drake's saddle and the two are airborne.
The river docks are only a short distance and Nick and Drake can see a sailing yacht slipping silently downstream. Some of the Koalpans are shouting excitedly and running toward the wooden planks of the dock.
The current has got a hold of the boat, and it is sailing steadily down river. The Crow Master is unfurling the sail to take advantage of the wind at his back. He looks nervously towards the docks behind him and sees the Koalpans untying a few other boats to attempt a pursuit. He glances at the skies above, but cannot spot the dragon anywhere.
Suddenly, the canvas and mast before him ignite in bright orange and yellow flames.
The old man yells and falls with his back to the deck. Pieces of the sail are ripping away and their fiery tatters fly away in the breeze.
The sailing yacht rolls sharply to its port side. The motion causes the old Crow Master to fly to his feet. He grabs the helm to keep from falling towards the inferno.
Most of the sail has burned away now. Through the gaping hole in the center of the flames, Drake's glowing ruby eyes appear. The boat is tilted so much under the dragon's weight that the Crow Master can only hold on for dear life.
Faster than a striking snake, Drake darts his head forward and snatches the old man up by the back of his shirt. The dragon retracts back through the boom and the mast and starts to flap his wings. In doing so, the sailing yacht settles back to its normal resting position in the water as Drake's mass transfers to the burden of his flight appendages.
The man is screaming and hollering the entire time. Then he stops his exultations as he notices how small the boat is getting.
Drake continues to ascend. He swivels his large head on his long neck, so that the Crow Master is facing Nick.
"Nice night, eh?" Nick greets the old man. Nick sees the Crow Master's weathered face contort in rage.
"You murdered my Kaw!" he seethes at Nick.
"Yeah, about that. If by Kaw, you mean that murderous flock of crows shredding my dragon's wings, then, yeah, I tore them up real good," Nick replies with a mocking smile.
The man flails his thin limbs about furiously.
"Why, I ought to..." Before the Crow Master can finish this last thought, the back of his shirt starts to rip from his thrashings. His body lurches down a notch. The fury leaves his face at once and he glances down at the river that now appears to be a shimmering thread winding through a vast forest.
When he looks back up at Nick, a fearful expression has replaced the former rage and he hazards a nervous laugh. His demeanor changes as well. "Uh. Ha ha ha. Good one, kid. That's okay. What do you say we discuss this down on the ground, huh?"
Nick holds a hand up to his ear and says, "What did you say? You want down?" Nick looks to Drake and nods.
The dragon obliges, releasing his grasp on the Crow master. The man drops like a brick.
"Ahhhhh!" screams the old man as he plummets to the earth. He is kicking his legs frantically and spinning his arms like windmills. All the while, his eyes are transfixed by the trees and river that are not so tiny anymore.
"Ahhhhh!" he goes on.
Suddenly, he is snatched up by a large claw that wraps around him like a raptor would grab a snake.
They continue their flight toward the ground, but now under Drake's control. As they approach the banks of the Aldin River, the dragon hovers several feet from the ground and releases his captive to roll in the damp sand.
The old man grips the moist earth like it is the most precious thing he has ever encountered. Drake and Nick land right next to him. When the Crow Master continues to cling to the ground, Drake nudges his body and flips the old man over.
The contorted rage has returned to the Crow Master's face. He hisses something malevolent in a foreign language neither Nick nor Drake recognize. And then in finality, the old man spits at the ground near the dragon's feet.
"I get the feeling he doesn't like us very much," Nick says to Drake.
The dragon nods his wedge-shaped head in agreement.
"Who sent you?" Nick asks with his arms folded across his chest.
"Go to hell!" retorts the Crow Master.
"Hm. I guess our friend here wants to go for another ride," Nick says to Drake, but loud enough for the old man to hear.
It was all the urging the dragon needed. Just as quickly as before, Drake snatches the Crow Master before he can even flinch.
"Put me down you ugly, overgrown lizard!" yells the old man. One of his flailing feet manages to kick a heel into Drake's under jaw.
"Grrrr," roars the dragon with narrowing eyes and smoke smoldering from his nostrils.
"Oooooo – you shouldn't have done that," Nick tells the Crow Master with a grimace.
Drake swings his massive head back up the river bank. Then, he snaps it back toward the river like a sling shot, releasing his grip on the old man at the last second.
"Ahhhhh!" yells the Crow Master as he is flung low and quickly across the water. The front half of his body makes contact with the water several times as he skips across the river. He finally sinks at the halfway point after four skips.
Drake is already upon him, yanking the old man from the water like a bear catching salmon. They are in the sky again, soaring even higher this time.
Drake lines up his head so the Crow Master is facing Nick again. His long, grey hair is soaked and sweeps over half the man's face.
He looks like a drowned rat.
"Hey, this is kinda fun. How you holding up there, Drake?" Nick inquires, smiling at his dragon. He nods his head and then to the Crow Master says, "He says he can do this all night long. How about you? Had enough?"
The old man glances down. This time all he can see are clouds. No telling how high they are. He attempts to give Nick a sour look, but instead just appears pathetic. He closes his eyes and nods.
"Good," Nick says. "Now, what's your name?"
The Crow Master glances from Nick's unwavering gaze back toward the endless night sky below. Finally, with a look of resignation, the old man returns his attention to the Dragonrider and replies, "Finnigan."