"I take it flying wouldn't be much faster than this?"
"Oh, some," Narlh allowed, "but I hate flying. Still, if you insist..."
A suspicion formed in Man's mind; he remembered how close to the ground the dracogriff had stayed when last they'd flown. It hadn't been all that obvious, on a mountain hillside when they were chasing a rolling rock—but now, on a road with a much gentler slope..."If you would. Just for a little way—I want to stay used to the rhythm of it, in case we need to take off in an emergency."
"Oh, all right," Narlh grumped, and lit out in a long, flat run, faster and faster, wings spreading wide to the sides...
Then they were airborne. Matt looked down and saw the ground sinking away...
But not very far.
"Uh—you can go higher than this if you have to, can't you?"
"Don't worry," Narlh snapped. "If I see a tree, I'll loft over it." He took a quick glance at the sky behind him, then turned back to face front.
It gave Matt a chill. What would have happened if that tree had shown up while Narlh hadn't had his eyes on the road? "I...take it you'd prefer not to go higher if you can help it."
"Oh, I can help it! You can be sure of that." Narlh turned back to scowl at Matt. "What're you getting so nervous about? Who's doing the flying, anyway?"
"Me! So would you mind keeping your eyes on the road?"
Narlh snatched a quick glance at the sky, then turned back to front, muttering something about the people in back always having to have things their own way.
Matt gave up. "Okay, that's enough for an air drill. You can go down now."
"Thank heaven!" Narlh huffed, and slowed down to a long gallop as he hit the ground. Matt was reminded of an albatross, with that need for a long runway—only this time, he was hanging on to its neck. It was a rough landing, but all in all, Matt decided it was safer than flying with Narlh.
It was afternoon when they spotted the refugee family. The father was pulling a handcart, slogging away, keeping the cart going mostly by throwing the weight of his body against it. The mother was carrying a baby, and the children were fussing, protesting with every step.
Matt's heart went out to them.
Then the mother saw Narlh. She gave a cry of alarm, and suddenly the cart was standing in the roadway by itself, as the family headed for the roadside brush.
"Hey! Hold on, there! Doggone it, I'm a nice guy!" Narlh roared, and leaped after them.
Matt just barely managed to hold on. "Uh—it might help if you didn't charge them, Narlh."
"What's this charge business? I'm just trying to catch up with them!"
"Yes, but to the uninformed, it might look as though you were chasing them. And you did sound kind of angry."
"Angry? Of course I'm angry! How would you feel if people ran whenever they saw you?"
"I wouldn't like it. And I didn't, either." Matt was thinking about a couple of girls he'd been attracted to in high school. "But believe me—it works better if you sit and wait for them to come to you."
Narlh dug his claws in and jammed to a halt by the cart. "Says you! Me, I'll try the old-fashioned method." He jammed his snout into the brush. "Yoo-hoo! Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
There was a scrabbling noise, moving away from them.
"Aw, come on now!" Narlh said, exasperated. "I'm not gonna eat you, for crying out loud!"
"I think that might be just what they were worrying about" Matt slid off his back and stepped into the center of the roadway, calling, "Really, folks! He's got a nasty temper, but he's got a heart of gold...plate," he added, in case any sorcerers were listening. "And I'm a wizard, from Merovence. We really don't mean any harm. Why don't you come on out and chat awhile?"
Narlh frowned at him as though he were crazy, but kept quiet.
Finally, a man's voice answered, with a strong peasant burr, "If ye truly mean us no harm, strangers, ride on, I beg of ye."
"But you look really tired," Matt protested. "I was kind of thinking we could guard you while you take a good rest."
There was a pause, then a quick, whispered consultation. It ended, and the father waded out of the brush—but not very far. "Good day to you, then."
"God be with you," Matt answered.
There were multiple gasps and a quick flurry of whispers from the brush.
"If you speak the name of God," the father said, "you must be a good-magic-worker, if you are one at all."
"I am." Matt didn't mention that the man himself had spoken the name, with no apparent ill effects. "But what brings you onto the road, goodman?"
The man heaved a sigh, and what little starch was left in him seeped out. "Soldiers, sir. They were ransacking other cots not distant from ours, so we took what we could and left on the road."
Sobbing sounded from behind him, and he looked up, then turned away. He brought his wife out a moment later, drying her eyes and forcing a smile. " 'Tis naught of your care, sirs."
"I know." Matt tried to look sympathetic. "It's hard to leave a home."
" 'Twas well we did." She bit her lip. "From the hilltop, we looked back and saw the soldiers firing our cot." She turned back to weep quietly on her husband's shoulder.
Someone small peeked out from behind her skirts, and a larger edition stepped up boldly to inform Matt, "They drove off our pig and our sheep! And set fire to it all!"
The wife let out a wail.
"Shhh, silly!" A sister added herself to the tribe. "You'll only make Mama cry!"
The boy looked startled, then abashed.
Narlh snorted.
They all turned—to see the smaller boy whirling to flee, bawling. His sister caught him and made soothing noises.
Matt frowned. "Don't pick on the kid!"
"I didn't," Narlh snapped. "I was trying to be friendly."
The tears cut off, and the tyke turned to look back, wide-eyed.
"That's 'friendly,' for him," Matt explained. "Not quite the same as it is for you."
"Hey! Watch whose reputation you're slurring!"
"I thought I was improving it."
The bigger boy took a daring step toward the monster, then another, and another.
Narlh looked down his nose at him, then deliberately turned away.
The boy reached out and touched his flank.
Narlh ignored him.
The boy began to stroke the leathery hide, tiptoeing closer and closer to the front, a step at a time.
Narlh looked back, one beady eye transfixing the boy. The lad froze.
Narlh snorted and turned away again.
The five-year-old shrilled with delight.
Big brother sneaked another step or two forward.
Matt turned away from the game of peek-a-boo. "I didn't know he had it in him."
"He is very big," the wife said nervously.
"Yes, that's why I thought we might do well on guard duty. Why don't you folks just sit down and have a bite while we watch for you?"
"Bless you, kind sir!" The wife tottered toward the cart and sank to the road beside it, cradling the baby in her lap.
"Uh, I had in mind off the road," Matt said, eyeing the dirt strip as though he expected a Sherman tank to come clanking up. "Just in case, you know."
"Aye, aye." The husband reached down to help his wife up. "Just a few more steps now, Judy, there's my lass. Some open grass there, off the road a pace, aye."
Judy sighed, managed to rise, and tottered off toward the shade of a tree, leaning on her husband's arm.
There was an explosive snort followed by a trio of delighted shrieks behind him. Matt swung about, alarmed, but saw Narlh turned back frontward, nose in the air, too lofty to be concerned about what was going on around his tail. Matt smiled and turned to the cart.