The whole time Gareth was inside Blackie’s mind, and there was no aggression, only the requirement for respect. The boy needed to respect Blackie and after the warning, he would. Gareth still held the stick he’d found beside the road, and he walked up to the dragon and gave it a pat on one foreleg. Then he used the stick to scratch up high on Blackie’s back where he could no longer reach. Since becoming near-adult, Blackie being only forty years old, he didn’t have the ability to reach some places.
Gareth scratched and rubbed while Blackie enjoyed the closeness.
Ramos reached up and held his nose. “He stinks.”
Ann was breathing through her mouth instead of her nose while standing and observing with an expression that told of her fascination of the beast. When Blackie raised his head and looked to the sky so that Gareth could reach under his chin with the stick, she smiled.
“He does not stink,” Tad declared, reaching out to touch a claw coated with dried blood, sinew, and a few tufts of hair left over from Blackie’s breakfast—and the dinner the night before, and the breakfast before that.
“He does need a bath. Your grandmother Sara told me that before we left the island,” Gareth said.
Tad said, “She was right, but I like him. I can see into his mind sometimes.”
The information was new. Gareth didn’t doubt it, but that was the first mention that Tad could communicate with Blackie on any level. He found himself both pleased and jealous. Gareth said, “Can you direct him?”
“Like you do? No, he only lets me know some things.”
“Like what?” Gareth asked, trying to lead Tad into explaining what he knew.
“Mostly that he is close and watching me so I’m safe, and that no wild animals or bad men are sneaking up on me. He will make sure of that.”
To his knowledge, Blackie had never communicated with another man. But Tad was the perfect person for the dragon to sense and contact. Pride welled inside Gareth that almost brought tears.
Ramos said, “He’s not as big as the one we killed.”
Gareth fought to keep from attacking the boy, physically and mentally. The statement was one of the few he had made, and the medicine was wearing off. But instead of the many things he could have said, Gareth realized he might learn something if he approached it correctly.
“Ramos, I have a few questions about that other black dragon. Did all of you band together and use your combined minds to kill it?”
“No.”
“Arrows and spears?”
“Poison. The dragon hunted in the lower valley most days so Belcher made Scrod and Hamper, that’s two of the other boys, kill a deer and fill the belly with arsenic. They drug it to a clearing where that black devil would see it.” Ramos shrugged, “Next day that old dragon was shitting a stream and stumbling around like it was drunk or something. Then it fell down and shook itself to death.”
Gareth fought to remain in control of his emotions. Ramos had no idea of the hurt his words caused. “Arsenic? What is that?”
“White scrapings from rocks where animals die if they drink water. Belcher made us scrape the rocks until they were clean.”
“It didn’t kill you.”
“We didn’t eat it, but we all got sick. Just like that damn dragon. Crap everywhere, and we puked all day and were dizzy after that. Belcher said we should have been more careful.”
The information was a huge relief in one way. Cinder was not killed from the ground. Blackie would be safe to fly over the valley and Gareth wouldn’t have to fear an unknown mental attack that would kill the dragon. He would make sure Blackie didn’t eat anything from around there, especially anything already dead.
Gareth continued scratching Blackie, but his mind was elsewhere. Belcher had made the four boys gather the poison with the intent of killing someone, something, or many things. He had almost killed the boys, but maybe he didn’t know what they were doing was so dangerous. Yes, he did. Gareth couldn’t help contradicting himself. Belcher knew exactly what he was doing.
If there was one thing Gareth felt that he knew for sure, it was that Belcher didn’t care about others. That simple. He didn’t care about anything or anybody but himself. A glance in Ramos’ direction confirmed that. The boy weighed far less than Tad despite being taller. The sores on his arms and legs were covered in ointments and not as red and infected as two days ago. His bath had also improved his looks and Ann had washed his hair with lye soap, letting it set until it almost burned the scalp, but it had killed the lice and other vermin.
A change of subject was required. He told Blackie to fly above and look for other men. They all felt the power of the animal as if flapped its wings and dust rose. All four placed forearms in front of their eyes to keep the sand and dust out, but all watched the majesty of a dragon taking air. While it flew, Gareth used his mind to search, finding the area devoid of people.
Turning to the bundle the dragon had dropped, Gareth said, “Let’s go see what the Brotherhood sent to us?”
As one, they turned to the ropes that circled the bundle in every direction. Where ropes crossed, knots had been tied so the result was the bundle appeared wrapped in a huge fishing net. Even Ramos helped, although his movements were slow and deliberate.
When the ropes were pulled away, they found a large heavy cloak and three smaller ones. All were instantly worn as the chill had them wearing their blankets like cloaks. Only Gareth had gone without. But the old blankets were thin, intended for much warmer temperatures. The new blankets, eight of them in all, were far heavier.
The Brother had also included fur wrappings for their feet, something Gareth hadn’t requested or anticipated. But at the peak of the pass, there might still be snow on the ground. Then there were cloths wrapped around food. Bread, cheese, sliced meats, and fruit. Another held several grains; oats, wheat, and barley along with dried plums, peaches, and apples. It also contained at least three kinds of nuts.
Gareth estimated there was enough for ten days if they ate sparingly and supplemented the supplies with what they found along the way. Blackie could always bring a deer, and they could cut off what they needed and give the rest back to him.
The thought of Blackie brought another idea. What if Belcher was so angry that Gareth was crossing the mountains that he pursued them? They might even set a trap for Gareth’s return. Blackie could keep an eye on the road.
Ramos’s information about poisoning Cinder cleared the way for Gareth to use Blackie to fly over and observe. The dragon would not wish to fly over the corpse of the dead dragon, but Gareth could work around that. The house and grounds near the lake were where he expected to find Belcher. His other three helpers were probably nearby.
Blackie could find and keep a watch on them while eating live animals far away. Gareth felt certain he could communicate the danger without eating in the valley, or anywhere within a two-day walk.
“Hats!” Tad cried, placing one on his head and performing a silly dance as he pulled the fur earflaps down.
Ramos gingerly pulled on a hat, probably the first he’d ever worn, and the smile returned for an instant, but his eyes were on the food. Like all small boys, he was always hungry. But for him, food was a luxury. Belcher had provided only the most meager of meals. However, Gareth was willing to place a hefty wager that when he laid eyes on Belcher, he would find a boy who overindulged, but only for himself.
“Let’s all eat,” Gareth said. No sense in prolonging Ramos’ anxieties.