The answer again came quickly, with no trace of trying to hold back. It actually felt like Ramos was trying to respond fast to avoid a jolt of pain. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
*That’s what he says, too. Then he does it anyhow. Especially if he does not like the answer . . . Even if it’s true.*
“Why do you stay with him?”
*He kills all who do not do what he wants, and he hunts down any that leave him.*
The revulsion Gareth felt was almost physical. He swallowed down the bile rising and ignored the sour taste in his mouth. He swallowed again, trying to prevent puking. There seemed to be no option but to escape from the mind of the boy called Belcher. The fear and self-loathing were palatable.
Gareth still cloaked him in a heavy, dark impression of a damp summer night.
*Can I try speaking with him?* The voice was Tad.
Tad had been listening to it all. Trying to keep a boy Tad’s age from listening in on a private conversation was almost impossible, and he’d made no effort to block Tad from the conversation. He glanced at Ann for her input and opinion. She looked back with a blank face. She heard none of what Ramos or Tad said, let alone what he did.
Ramos was wide awake, his eyes darting from one to the other. Tad was also awake, but relaxed and curious. Gareth said, using his voice, “Tomorrow maybe. I’ll think about it tonight.”
*We’re close to the same age. Maybe he will talk to me.*
“I’ll think about it, I said.”
Tad didn’t insist, but Ann was looking at them oddly. First one, then the other. Gareth said, “We have a few answers, I guess. The one in charge is called Belcher, or Master. This one is Ramos. Tad wants to try speaking to Ramos, but I have to think about it. It might be a good idea. It might not.”
Ann said, “Thank you for filling me in, but I have to say that you sure know how to say as little as possible to carry your end of a conversation.”
Gareth flashed a smile and then nodded at Ramos. “Does he need more of your herbs to sleep through the night?”
“A little more won’t hurt, and you can get a good night’s sleep since you don’t have to watch over him then.” She stood and went to the stream for water to mix with it.
The stream rustled and hissed as water broke over and around rocks. Frogs croaked, and insects buzzed. Instead of thinking of the confusing morass of conflicting thoughts that swirled around in his mind, he settled with his back against a fir tree, and he listened. It had been far too long since he had enjoyed a night in the cool mountain air.
His years growing into adulthood at Dun Mare were in mountains similar to these. While living on Bitters Island, as great a place as it was, he missed the sounds and scents he listened to and heard. A soft breeze rustled the tops of the trees. He might talk to Sara about where they would eventually settle.
His mind went out to Blackie. The dragon was asleep, wings folded and as always it slept lightly, almost with one eye open. While dragons can defeat any other animal in combat, it was the small ones that gave them troubles. Rats in particular. They tended to gather near the feet and bite. The blood attracted others. The best solution was to surround itself with an impenetrable layer of black dragon slime, but it couldn’t do that every time it slept. However, when females roost they did exactly that.
Blackie was waiting for him, anxious to spend time together. The mind of the dragon responded to basic needs like food and hunting. But somehow companionship was also on the list. Gareth didn’t know if other dragons felt the same needs, but suspected they did.
The dragon gave off a wave of affection as well as a mild scolding. It wanted to know why there had been so little contact. Gareth recognized the feelings. He too missed the companionship. There were times when Blackie flew in circles just for the joy of it, like puppies chasing their tails. Since breaking his way out of the egg, he and Blackie hadn’t missed many days together.
Ann had settled by the fire and watched the sparks drifting into the air and extinguishing with little winks of darkness. The ground and trees were damp so there was no danger of fire. She caught his eye. “He’s expecting you, you know.”
“The Master?” Gareth asked, knowing that she already knew the answer. “Belcher?”
“He’s baiting a trap, and you’re walking right into it. He wants you angry at him, and unreasonable. I think he suspects you’re close, and he will try to bait it like a little bully. The bully pushed the smaller boy into the mud puddle to get him mad enough to fight, then the bully tells the adults that the other boy swung first. He was only defending himself.”
Gareth started to deny that could happen. He was no little boy to be pushed. Or was he? Gareth had one glaring weakness. His family. He said, “Belcher will go after my family so he can make me angry enough to go after him.”
“No, I don’t think he has the organization to know where they are. Not yet. But he may tell you he has done something terrible to them. You cannot believe him.”
“Blackie could go protect them.”
“Like Cinder protected his partner?”
The fire had died down while Gareth considered all aspects of the problem and found he agreed with Ann. The second problem was Cinder, or more correctly, Blackie. If Blackie were safe, the entire situation would be different. The key to that was finding out how the other black dragon had been attacked.
Belcher may have found a way to channel several minds together into one stronger than any single one. That was the problem Gareth needed to solve. How were the various minds of the boys interacting? Who killed Cinder? He needed to get Ramos talking, and Tad might be the answer get that done.
Gareth said, “Get some sleep.”
“Promise me you will not go rushing in no matter what Belcher tells you.”
“Ann, you’ve given me the best advice you could have. I think he is going to lie to me and attempt to make me so angry I’ll lose my temper and make mistakes. He’s been dealing with children and boys. He knows how to threaten them and get results. I am going to expect him to lie, and I’ll take advantage of it.”
“How will you do that?”
“I don’t know until I’ve heard the threats. What I’m thinking is that I’ll act angry and let slip an idea he thinks he can take advantage of.”
“You’ll tell him you’re going to charge in from the north when you plan to sneak in from the south. That sort of thing.”
“Yes. I will have to think about it, but there should be a way to exploit his inexperience.”
“You need to kill him when you get the chance. It may be your only chance.”
“If there’s another way I’ll choose that.”
“No!” Ann stood and pointed her finger at him. “No, you cannot think like that. We don’t know why this evil person is doing what he is, but what we do know is that he killed your father. He is directing others to kill you. You cannot expect that if you let him live he will respect you, and everyone will live happily. He will turn on you and attack at the first opportunity.”
“I’m not a killer.”
“Then become one. Gareth, I will tell you the truth, and you can look into my mind to be sure of my words. If I have a chance to kill this person, I will do it without hesitation. Now, tomorrow, or in the future. I will remove this source of evil before others are hurt. If you cannot do this, place me in a position where I can.”
He had never heard her speak so fiercely, and it took him back. Her demands were so intense he had no need to touch her mind to verify the truth even if he wished. Without agreeing to anything, Gareth nodded and closed his eyes. When he awoke later, the fire had died down to only a few bright orange spots in a bed of dead coals.