CHAPTER 11
There. There it is, Penelope’s mind spoke to Kergot’s.
She felt his mighty head turn further downward, looking to make out what she had spotted for himself from their low-level of flight. He had dropped from above the clouds once what appeared to be the Mournes had come into view and flown at a distance that allowed them to see what they were looking for without being spotted by anyone who might be out during the night.
They had landed in the center of the large circle, each with breath held in anticipation of what they might find there. It was dark, except for the subtle glow of the stones that surrounded the arena. They were what had made it clear that they there were in the right place. It was just as it had been described to Kergot.
“Where should we go now?” Penelope asked, climbing down from his back.
Kergot shifted and looked around. There was silence, a quiet so absent of sound that it seemed threatening in some way. There was something not right here, but he couldn’t quite decide what it was. Suddenly, light flooded them from all around. Kergot quickly shifted back to dragon form as they were surrounded by at least a dozen men.
“What is your business here?” one of them boomed.
“We mean no harm,” Penelope responded. “We’ve come a long way, from Scotland to speak with your elders and request permission to join your village.”
Kergot stood fast in dragon form, his large figure foreboding, though he suspected it would be no match if the men surrounding them shifted into dragons, as well.
“You are human,” the man responded flatly.
“What? No. I am not human.”
“You arrived on your mate’s back, and you have not shifted along with him.”
Penelope swallowed hard and looked at the ground, then back up at him, meeting his fierce gaze. She spoke to him in a calm voice as she explained herself.
“A witch took my ability to shift. She gave me a potion, and I’ve not been able to shift since then,” she told him. “I brought some of it with me in hopes that someone here might be able to help me.”
The man looked her up and down before turning toward Kergot and addressing him without responding to what she had told him.
“You. Stand down. No one here will harm you unless you bring it upon yourself.”
Kergot silently warned her to be wary of them and prepared to take flight with him at a moment’s notice, if necessary. They were in a strange place, and though these were their own kind, they weren’t known to them. Then, he shifted, accepting the clothes she had been in the process of handing him when the men had shown themselves.
“Get dressed, and the guards will escort you to my chambers,” the man said, turning to leave.
Kergot did as asked and took Penelope’s hand, leading her onto the path that followed behind the man. The other men followed behind them. She could feel that something was making Kergot uneasy, though even he seemed to be uncertain as to what that might be. They made their way into a large hall, adorned in tacky, gold statues, many of which bore a likeness to the man in front of them.
“I am Tomlin, the dragon leader of this clan,” he told them.
“It is our pleasure to meet you. As my mate has previously explained, we are Kergot and Penelope of Scotland. We have only come here to escape human persecution and be with our own kind.”
“What skills have you to offer us?”
“I am a skilled craftsman and hunter. Both of us are well educated at our own bidding. We could teach, if you require such a thing.”
“That is a consideration. We are always in need of more teachers, though most are tutored privately. I’ve been interested in creating a more formal school for some time now. Perhaps both your craftsmanship and educational skill might come in handy?”
“It would be our pleasure to help in whatever ways we could, Dragon Leader,” Kergot told him.
“Very well. Granted you cause no harm and do your part in the village, you will be afforded a place here for as long as you wish,” the dragon leader told him.
“Thank you. We will not let you down,” Kergot told him. Penelope repeated his sentiments.
“The hour is late. If you fly to the east of the village, you will find an inn there run by a young shifter and his wife. They should be able to afford you lodging until morning. Once the sun has risen, return here, and we will discuss finding you a more permanent place to live and work.”
“Your kindness will not go unappreciated,” Kergot told him.
“Then I will see you both tomorrow,” he told them, waving toward his guards to see them out.
Kergot and Penelope had wasted no time in making their way to the inn. Knocking loudly on the front door, they were greeted by a kindly older woman with wild, blonde hair and bright, blue eyes. She smiled at them and motioned for them to come inside.
“You are the owner?”
“No. My name is Cassi Baker. I am tending the inn while the owners are away. I am assuming you seek lodging?”
“Yes, the dragon leader named Tomlin sent us here.”
“Ah, of course. Well, we are currently doing some renovations to the house and can’t really offer you a finished room.”
“I see. Well, that is okay. It is warm outside, and we can sleep out on the moors if that is okay with the house owners. I assume they also own the surrounding land.
“Nonsense. I can’t offer you a finished room, but we do have one that is partially furnished. It lacks all the proper amenities, but the bed is in place, and it should be more comfortable than the ground outside. You can stay there for free until morning. After that, we have some people checking out, and I can get you a full room.”
“I don’t know what we will be doing for lodging tomorrow, but if you are sure, then we will be more than grateful for the bed tonight.”
“Fair enough then. Have you eaten? The kitchen is closed up for the night, but I can probably find you some bread and sweet jam or honey.”
“No. We are fine. Just the bed should do us,” Penelope replied.
“Let’s get you settled into it then,” she told them.”
Kergot and Penelope followed her to the room and thanked her again as she left them there to settle in. Penelope could feel that Kergot was a bit on edge, but she decided it was most likely from just being out of his element. He was used to being alone. Except for her recently, he had grown accustomed to not having a lot of people around him.
“Are you okay, Kergot?” she asked gently as they settled into the bed.
“Yes, my darling. I’m great. And you?” he said.
“I think I am the same. Scared and apprehensive about what might happen here, but it was the wise thing to do, and we will make the best of it.”
“The dragon leader seems kind enough. I suspect we will find it to our liking here.”
“I think so too. We can find a house of our own and work with the community to earn our place here. We can teach their children and, one day, perhaps we will have children of our own.”
“That would be wonderful,” Kergot told her, pulling her close and kissing her.
They curled up against one another and fell asleep. Each felt content for the first time in a while. Hopefully, the events that had befallen them in Scotland were far behind them now, and they could begin to build a new life here with people who could understand and accept them as one of their own.