CHAPTER ONE
Graith
Graith was tending his wheat fields when the news arrived. A dragon had been sighted flying over the nearby land and Lord Arish had sent out heralds announcing that there was to be a hunt. Graith hadn’t minded all the commotion in the following days, as he was just a farmer. He continued to prepare for the harvest and approaching winter. In his mind he had one duty, and that was to continue to provide his tithe to his lord.
Over the following days as he moved from one field to the next, news about the dragon continued to stir. Men from the other nearby villages started to group in town, and Graith couldn’t help but wonder just how many men were needed to slay a dragon. He couldn’t remember a time that so many people had gathered in his small town. Graith lived in Lord Arish’s outermost lands where few bothered to travel.
In Graith’s experience the only visitors who would travel this far out were tax collectors and the tradesmen who came by twice a year. They normally brought with them the kinds of specialty parts that the local blacksmith, while capable of making, simply didn’t have time for, as well as special treats and foods that the villagers wouldn’t get to experience otherwise.
As Graith finished harvesting his fields, the number of men camped around town continued to grow. His duties done, Graith decided to visit the town pub. He figured he’d be able to catch up on the news he’d missed over the last few weeks.
The pub was located in the heart of the small town. A single-story building, it wasn’t much larger than the few nearby houses. Though the door was always kept open, and the hearth lit. On nice summer evenings tables would even be brought out onto the front lawn. The only notable features were a well out front, and a small three stall barn out back for visitors’ horses.
While he’d never been on the best of terms with his neighbors, Graith didn’t really have a problem with them either. He simply liked to do his job at his own pace, in his own fields. Graith couldn’t understand why they would volunteer to help, and then expect the same in return. It was never something that interested Graith. The first year he’d owned the farm they’d come rushing over, but when Graith hadn’t returned the favor they’d snubbed him. Since then he’d only had his friend Ralph and the occasional trip to the pub for the day to day news.
Having no wife to gossip while doing the washing or shopping left Graith at another disadvantage. Another way that his neighbors decided meant he wanted nothing to do with them. Plenty of them had sisters they were looking to marry off, but Graith was too busy for a wife.
Upon entering the pub, many of the locals were quite shocked at his appearance. The times Graith did visit the pub were usually the quiet nights. Ignoring the looks, he sat down at the nearest table with an open seat. With so many new people in town, the pub was full and the only opening was nearest to the kitchen - which at this time of day was putting off quite a bit of heat. Three of the visitors sat there, slightly red in the face and uncomfortably warm.
They nodded in acknowledgment of him and waved the serving girl over.
“Haven’t seen you lot around here before,” Graith said as a way of greeting, while the serving girl filled his mug. The visitors consisted of an older man, with bent neck but sharp eyes, and two youngsters who looked fresh from their own fields. All looked at him in surprise.
“We’ve been in town for nearly two weeks!” the younger looking of the two boys said.
Graith flushed slightly. He hadn’t realized it had been that long since he’d come for a drink.
“What brings you to town?” Graith asked, at the same time trying to get the serving girl back over so he could order some stew. “I’d noticed people arriving, but I’ve been busy harvesting my crops.”
“Lord Arish sent us all to hunt a dragon,” the older man said with a frown. Graith did recall the man who’d tried to recruit him a while back.
“Never seen a dragon around here before,” Graith said. “Don’t reckon I would recognize one, even if I saw it.”
“Not recognize a dragon? A great flying serpent, all fire and wrath? Death on wings and you wouldn’t recognize it?” The older boy asked him bewildered.
“Did I notice you lot arriving?” Graith asked. “What makes you think I would recognize a dragon then?”
“Well, you’d likely recognize it from not having ever seen anything like it before.”
The older man shrugged, then continued with what he had been saying, “A couple of months ago, a soldier came through our town looking for recruits. Told us to head to the village closest to the mountains and wait for the rest to arrive. We’ve been gathering supplies and weapons. Last I heard we’re to head out next week, scouring all the caves between here and the Western Reach for this dragon.”
“What’s so special about the dragon? Why hunt it down?” Graith didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
“Are you serious? It’s a danger! A hazard! Takes our livestock, burns our villages! It has to be destroyed,” the younger boy said with vehemence, very nearly standing from his seat to lean towards Graith as he spoke.
“There were villages destroyed?” Graith asked shocked, not remembering hearing news of such.
“Well, not yet. But in the past, other dragons have!” the boy admitted, sitting back down.
“What about the livestock?” Graith asked, unamused by the exaggerations.
“Huh? Well a few sheep and a cow have been taken,” the other boy said.
“Over the last couple months? That’s as many that die from their own stupidity in that amount of time, no real hurt there.” Graith was getting annoyed - all this hullabaloo, for
