and went round in front of her and bowed respectfully. He thanked her for the opportunity to
ride on her to Dragons Hill and also complimented her on her beauty. He received a slight
nudge against his arm and a soft keen in return. He was unabashedly delighted. He then
turned and walked over to a waiting Jake and bowed.
Jake, thank you for inviting me here, turning he looked about the mesa and beyond to the second larger one, I have always wanted to see Dragons Hill.
Lowering his large head Jake acknowledged him, Good Afternoon Joe; I thought you would
appreciate a visit. Turning to Steve he asked, do you have the binoculars over there Steve? Steve nodded and headed towards Jake. Joe, would you take a look out towards the West, my dragons
should be returning right about now.
Steve handed the binoculars to Joe, and checked him out as he scanned the skies for the
returning dragons. He guessed Joe was in his early forties, at least 6’2" tall, and quite robust in appearance. A thick full head of long black hair with a striking white streak in it pulled back
and tied at the nape of his neck gave him a very Mongol-like appearance. His face was that of a
man who had fought many battles, and perhaps had seen too much of the other side life; with
dark eyes that could bore through to a man’s soul. Tan, leathery skin gave him a very rugged
appearance. He was well muscled and carried himself with an air of supreme confidence. He
was a leader, no doubt about it. Steve liked him; he knew how to cut thru all the bullshit to the heart of a problem.
Joe took the binoculars and held them to his eyes; he saw the large group of dragons headed
towards the second mesa. Joe watched as the dragons began landing on the large mesa one by
one; their different colors shining brightly in the afternoon sun. He was always secretly in awe of these majestic beasts. Their colors, their tightly muscled bodies, they were magnificent to
watch. He envied the riders and their ability to communicate with them, to share that secret
bond.
You certainly have a lot of dragons Jake, strong good-looking beasts. They must have really given
those black bastards a run for it. Look at them land, they are truly…
He stopped and pulled the glasses away for a moment and then put them back. Looking
intently he almost dropped them.
What the hell...is that what I think…? My God- it’s a man! Turning towards Jake he yelled excitedly, He’s got wings! Jake, he said pointing at the mesa, a flying man – with wings!
Yes Joe, my secret weapon. Jake lowered his head in front of Joe; will this be a problem for you?
Jake asked watching him intently.
“Whoa!” For once the tight rigid façade that Joe kept about himself disappeared and revealed
for a brief moment the man beneath. “Hot damn that is so cool!” he said grinning, slapping his
lifted thigh. Then just as quickly he remembered where he was and took control once again.
A problem, no, not at all, Jake, can I meet him? Who is he? How…?
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Joe sighted Adam thru the binoculars and watched as he headed straight towards the mesa.
His face held obvious admiration as he watched the tanned muscular man glide in and land,
tucking his wings behind him. Both men stared at each other.
Jake chuckled at Joe’s reaction, glad that he had revealed himself. He watched as Adam made
his way across the mesa.
Joe came over quickly, extending his hand, “Hi, I’m Joe, glad to meetcha, glad to meetcha! I,
uh, I don’t fly.” Adam looked at him in surprise for a second and then began to laugh. Joe
joined him and the two sized each other up quickly as they pumped each other’s hand.
Gentlemen, called Jake, your attention please. Joe, may I present Adam, our winged brother from
South America. I believe he will be able to find out the cause of your problem. Jake was content that the two men would get along just fine.
So that’s what you planned. Very good, yes, yes I believe he will succeed where we failed. He looked at Adam in obvious admiration; no one will harm you or hamper your investigation. I’ll
keep my people away from the area.
No, no don’t do that, interrupted Adam quickly. If you are being watched they will notice no
guards, no farmers in the fields and they would be suspicious. Just let me meet the people who
care for the herd, who will be in the area and may see me. They should be aware of my presence.
That should be no problem, Joe told him, my people are all trustworthy and not given to fear
easily.
I would prefer if they kept my presence to themselves. Adam looked at Jake and then back at Joe,
they can’t talk about me, not even among themselves. A stray word and the rustlers would be
aware of what we are trying to do.
Yes, you’re right, can’t have that. Joe thought for a moment and then he continued. Okay, after
dinner tonight I’ll bring them to the barn. When they are all there I’ll tell them about you and
then bring you in. They’re a good bunch and they think very highly of Jake and the other
Dragons, so I don’t think there will be any problem.
Gentlemen, you seem to know what you have to do. Steve and Lady Elzbeth shall return you this
afternoon to your town Joe. Jake’s voice now took on a less commanding tone as he said, in the
meantime Joe, why don’t you join us for lunch; Steve and Adam can show you Dragons Hill. I
believe Kate and Daniel will be in the Great Hall. Jake knew that Daniel and Kate were much revered by the townsfolk.
You talked me into it Jake; Joe had a big grin on his face, any chance to speak with Daniel and
Lady Kate is not to be missed. Adam, Steve and Joe left the mesa talking about a variety of things.
Jake could see a friendship starting to blossom between the three men.
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It would be good for them, Jake thought to himself; a strong friendship forged between these
three will lead to future marriages and a blending of the species. This would be a good thing, but
first I must find a mate for Joe.
Jake had been working for some time to try and find a mate for Joe, he knew deep inside Joe
there was a longing for someone to share his world with; but it was proving to be very difficult
until he came across a piece of information.
As they went down the mountain, Steve showed Joe the hatching grounds, and he pointed out
the various caves of the riders. He brought him to Adam’s quarters and introduced him to
Lady Emily. Joe was quite taken with her beauty. Emily was warm and friendly and tried to
put him at ease; she needn’t have bothered. Joe proved to be quite a charmer of the old school.
He soon had Lady Emily mesmerized.
After a bit of chitchat they continued on their way down the mountain and ran smack into
Oreo as they came around a corner. Thru Town Criers, Joe had heard the story of the
‘Hatching Ground’ battle. Without missing a step he knelt down and offered his hand to the
great cat.
“You guys never do anything small do you?” Joe jokingly chided Steve and Adam. “So my
large beauty, you saved the Queen and her children. I do not doubt that you would be a
formidable fighter.” Oreo purred and rubbed herself against Joe contently.
“You know your history well Joe,” Steve complimented him. Oreo meowed and disengaged
herself and continued on her way. Joe turned and followed Oreo with his eyes as she made her
way up the mountain.
The afternoon flew by too quickly for Joe. He spent time with Daniel and Kate and got a few
ideas from them on updating the security for his town. Before long Adam came and told him
that they had to get going. Joe made his goodbyes and he and Adam headed up towards the
mesa where Steve and Lady Elzbeth were waiting for them. They were soon airborne with
Adam flying alongside them on the trip back to Evansville. He kept in contact with Lady
Elzbeth and Joe through Jake.
I’m going to leave you at the outskirts of your town. He told Joe, I want to take in the lay of the
land while it is light. I’ll wait till dark and then fly to that barn of yours. We can decide a course
of action once all your people are together.
Sounds good to me Adam, my people are good men, and they will help in any way they can. Joe envied Adam’s flying ability. They may have more information by the time we return.
Later that evening Joe and his small security group met in the barn. Joe explained what Jake
had in mind and then told them about Adam. Several replied that nothing would surprise them
anymore in this new world. Then Joe went to the back doors of the barn and opened them
wide. Adam flew into the barn and Joe closed the door quickly. The men stood there open-
mouthed staring at Adam as he landed.
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“Hi guys!” Adam said at his cheery best. It took them a minute and then they circled him and
questions were flying so fast he couldn’t answer them all. Joe took pity on him and called them
all to order.
“Okay you lugs, give the man a break.” Joe couldn’t really blame them. “Adam is here to help
us at Jake’s specific request. Now, down to business, is there any more info? Stu, you got
anything new?”
A large man stepped forward, “I think they tried again last night Joe, but we had the herd
buttoned up tight. They’ll probably try again tonight.” Turning to Adam he asked, “Say there
Adam, can you see in the dark?”
“Yes, I have night vision, Stu. Just about where do they concentrate their attack?” Adam
asked of the men.
“No set spot; just wherever they can isolate a steer.” Stu answered for them, “they’re real
quick; they hit and are gone in minutes.”
“Okay, then lets set up a lone steer for them to grab. Gentlemen, I don’t only want to catch
them in the act; I want to follow them and see where they go with the steer. There has to be a
reason for them to take one every week, they’re feeding something.” Adam had an idea but
declined to say anything just yet. “I’ll know more after tonight.”
The men set about like they did every night, but this time they managed to isolate a steer from
the rest of the herd. Adam flew high up and circled the area keeping tabs on the steer. A little after midnight he saw movement near the edge of a stand of trees. He watched as a dark figure
stepped out and put a rope around the steer and began to lead it off. He followed for some
distance and then when the lone rustler entered a mountainous area he lost him in a small
gorge. Adam landed and looked about carefully listening to the sounds of the night. As he was
about to take off again he spied a hawk returning to its nest. Adam called to her in a low voice and asked if she could help him. She answered and said that she had heard of the flying man
from her kin and would be glad to help him. Adam explained the situation and asked if she
knew anything. She replied that something was trapped in the large mountain nearby and that
a young boy was seen entering and leaving thru an opening. She showed him where the
opening was located and bid him good hunting.
The minute Adam entered the cave he smell it; ammonia. It meant one thing, dragon urine!
Jake, can you hear me?
Yes Adam, what have you found? Jake answered immediately.
I am in a small cave; it slopes downward and appears to open into a larger cavern. Jake, there is a
strong odor of dragon urine; there is a dragon inside here somewhere. Adam continued to follow the pathway downward. You better get your guys here on the double. Wait a minute, I hear
someone talking. He cautiously moved forward.
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Ah come on, you have to eat; I know you’re hungry Beau, please don’t give up,” pleaded a
young voice. “Ya got to eat something.”
The voice was plaintive, and Adam noted very sad. He eased into the cavern a bit more and
looked about. At one time this was a hatching ground of sorts. It appeared to have caved in, or perhaps an earthquake had occurred. Adam stole a quick look around a huge boulder and
what he saw chilled him. There was a dragon pinned beneath many large boulders. It was
reddish in color, and he believed about three or four months old. The boy was about fifteen or
sixteen years old, no doubt his rider. He was lovingly stroking the large beasts head; Adam
relayed all of this to Jake.
We are on our way Adam. Jake was alarmed that a dragon could be hurt so and not contact him for help. See if you can make contact Adam, but be extremely careful, the dragon may still be
able to flame. From what you say, it sounds as if the boy was never able to take ‘first flight’, which
would account for his appearance. It must have happened right after hatching.
Jake, can’t you contact him? Adam wondered why Jake didn’t just call to the dragon.
If the dragon were not able to receive full knowledge, which occurs at hatching, then that would
explain it. Please be careful Adam. Jake was very concerned, the boy was keeping the dragon from going mad for the time being, but they had to find a way to contact him quickly.
Adam left the cavern and went outside and waited on the ledge above the opening. The boy
would have to come out sometime, and he planned on confronting him then. Adam waited
about 30 minutes and then decided to do something. He flew to the herd and picked up a small
calf and flew it to the opening. The poor thing was bleating piteously. The boy came out to see what was making all the noise and went over to the calf.
Adam flew down and blocked this way into the cave. The boy jumped and his eyes went wide
in shock at the sight of Adam. “I’m not here to hurt you. Calm down boy, I’m here to help you
and your dragon.”
“What, who…no, I won’t let you hurt him!” The boy rushed Adam and both fell to the ground
wrestling about.
“Listen to me boy, I’m here to help. I don’t want to hurt your dragon.” Adam pinned the boy to the ground and tried to talk sense to him. But the boy was panic-stricken; all he could see
was a strange being coming to hurt his friend. Jake I need your help! The boy fought as hard as he could but he was no match for Adam’s great strength.
Suddenly four large dragons landed in the small gorge and the boy went ballistic, “Nooo!”
There was great fear in his voice.
Kate dismounted, as did Daniel; Valotin landed beside them and James climbed down.
Lady Elzbeth and Lady Jennie brought up the rear. Steve and Michael dismounted. Steve had
a large duffle bag with him.
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Kate and Daniel came over to the boy and tried to calm him down. It took a lot of talking but
they finally got the whole story out of the boy.
He had come across the egg by accident and made contact. Fearing discovery he had left the
egg in the abandoned hatching ground. The boy was called by his dragon and arrived just as
the egg was hatching. There was a large tremor and the walls caved in; followed by a large
quake. Many large boulders were shaken loose inside the cavern and trapped the dragon.
The boy tried to dig him out, but it was impossible. His dragon was trapped and there was
nothing he could do. By the time he was finished with his story the poor lad was crying and
begging them not kill his friend.
Kate brought the boy to Jake and after dragon protocol was established Jake’s soothing voice
managed to calm the boy down. He told the boy that they were going to free his friend and take
him back to Dragons Hill where he could heal and grow properly.
“Really, you won’t hurt him?” He begged Jake.
He is our brother Peter; we are here to save him. Jake told the boy that that he would come along to Dragon Hill also, as he was his rider. Then he asked him to go and prepare his friend
and tell him that the First was here to free him.
The boy ran into the cavern and went to his friend, Beau, Beau I have great news. The First is
here. He said to tell you that he’s going to free you.
The First is here? Oh Peter, I remember that name; I am finally going to get out of this place.
The despairing dragon began to see a glimmer of hope; at long last he would be free.
Jake is sending in some of his riders to look around and see where to place the charges that will
free you. The boy sat down by his dragon’s head and called to the riders, “it’s okay, you can come in now.”
Daniel and Kate came in first and bowed to the trapped dragon. Kate was aghast at the
condition of the poor beast. She relayed all she saw back to Jake. He