Chapter 11: The Keep

Approaching the keep Tom started to make out a few small buildings around the base of the cliff, alongside what appeared to be animal pens and fields. The buildings looked like stables or storage houses to him, so the people probably all lived in the keep. As they got closer a horn sounded, Dakota had gone on ahead, with Fengi coming down indicating for Tom to stop.

Dakota returned with two others both clad in armor seemingly more suited to actual battle than what the girls he knew were wearing. It at least covered most of their bodies even if Tom would still describe it as light, mostly cloth and leather with a few reinforcing plates here and there. It wasn’t nearly as ornate either.

They had landed and inspected him walking around while the others talked. They didn’t seem openly hostile but they were definitely on edge, all this most likely being a bit much to take in. After a few prods with the blunt end of a spear and a raised tone from Dakota, they had flown back up to the keep. So this place has guards, seemingly at least a few people, and judging by the farming it’s not a temporary residence either? Not a bad place to start he thought to himself.

The 4 remaining dragonettes had stayed with him as he drove down a small road made between the fields and a small lake. Fengi jumped on the back again and rode along. There were 4 people tending to the crops and animals that Tom could count. A few children running around too. Of course, everyone stopped to look at the weird thing coming through, and Sapphire let out some embarrassing sounding noises and tried to hide behind her good wing. One of the farmhands, clearly an older male had a bit of a laugh at her expense, seeming not to be worried by the stranger coming through. Fengi and Sapphire had chatted a bit, and sapphire had come out of hiding again.

As Tom pulled up at the base of the big cliff that apparently constitutes the foundation for the Keep, he looked up in awe, it was as tall as a damned cathedral. Even if the cliff added a few dozen meters, it was still near 80 meters tall on its own! Low gravity and flying workers clearly make going tall easier he guessed, imagining the endless flights of stairs going up. It would be a lot of trips if he didn’t want to leave everything down here. Being flightless suddenly sucked a lot more than he had thought it would.

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Balethon and Unkai had given them some grief upon their return. They were a day late, had a wounded and some weird stranger with them. After some protest, Dakota had simply told them to go get anyone important and be done with it. It was not their place to refuse her so they had snapped to it.

As they approached everyone had stopped to look at them. Sapphire wasn’t normally opposed to being the center of attention, but being carried home with a broken wing wasn’t something she wanted to be known for. And she felt weird, sluggish, she thought, she had tried to pinch her arm and hadn’t felt a thing “damn this stuff is strong” she had said

“What is?” Fengi had questioned turning around on the seat to face her.

“This medicine Tom has given me I can’t feel a thing”

“Sure that is safe”

“Well he is taking it too just don’t let me fall asleep okay”

“Uhhh okay” Fengi answered clearly not comfortable with the situation

Raulf had greeted them as soon as they were within earshot. “Oh hi welcome back, the hunt went well I see” The old man clearly amused, there would be stories about this in the future, she thought to herself. Not sure what to do about it. For the time being, she would concede to hide in shame

“Oh come now Saph, it’s not that bad you will be flying again in no time” Fengi tried cheering her up.

“I know, but this is still embarrassing, and I feel sick”

“Oh now you're just being facetious you are riding home on a magical cart sitting on a treasure trove of who knows what, how can that be embarrassing”

Sapphire conceded the point and came out of hiding, even if she wasn’t pleased with the situation. The rocking motion of the cart didn’t help how she was feeling either.

They had pulled up the foot of the keep, Tom was sitting on the cart staring at the Keep. Fengi had helped her off, as Dakota came back down with Balethon and Unkai. “They want to see our guests right away, also they are not pleased with making them worry about us.”

“Well, what should we have done? We couldn't spare someone to go tell them now could we, what if we needed to get everyone airborne?” Fengi objected, trying to ready her defense in case what Dakota said was true.

“I take no responsibility for what happened,” Jackalope had been quick to add.

“I know you don’t, you never do” Dakota seemed consigned to her fate of having to endure this on herself.

“Old reliable” Jackalope sounded almost proud at the statement

“Ugh, why do I have to deal with you”

“Ohh you love me and you know it”

“Right” Dakota snapped “let’s get everyone up to the greeting hall. You two, guard this cart nobody touches anything on it, it isn’t ours, and it might be capable of killing us all.”

The two guards stiffened nodded and looked perturbed at the weird cart, “Should we put it further away, mam?”

“You shall not touch it, am I clear?”

Crystal clear ma'am” Satisfied her orders were in fact going to get carried out, Dakota took to the sky, “Well follow on then, you get the heavy one, Jacko, since I love you so much”

“Ohh come on! No fair”

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While Tom had stood there staring, Dakota and the Two guards had returned, words were exchanged, and from what he could gather Dakota seemed to have some authority here. That would make things easier he thought. As Jackolope snapped her fingers in front of him, and started making hand gestures too fast to follow, and beating her wings, “Ohh, right, up.”

Tom nodded and Jackolope took to the sky and came swooping back around, he ran like hell, and soon, he was airborne again. At least this means I don’t have to take the stairs this time, my thigh still hurts like hell running like that. He took the opportunity to look out over the keep’s grounds. There wasn’t much to see apart from the field small lake and pens, it was quite idyllic though.

He had been put down on an open platform kinda like a helipad if a bit rectangular, that stuck out from the side of the Keep, it had a big wooden door with metal bracing that opened upwards, currently open into an internal area about the size of the pad itself. Sweet a hangar he had thought to himself. It was empty though, and what would they need a hanger for in the first place?

There was a welcome party waiting for them, a few more guards, two important-looking people in the middle, and a few others around including a few more children. The two in the middle looked like a male and a female and seemed quite old, both being nearly completely silver in color. two of the guards looked a bit more important too.

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“Ohh so this is our guest you spoke of, I'll give it to you. He looks weird, where did you say you found him?”

“In the claws of a small pack of vargulfs, mom,” Dakota answered promptly back straight looking ahead.

“Ohhh and dear Sapphire you got yourself quite hurt this time, did you hit a tree or something”

“No mam our guest was thrown at me mid-air," Sapphire said she was getting worse her head was spinning hard now,” I think I need to go lay down I don’t feel well”

“Huh that's a new one, quickly now get inside I shall be with you shortly, Fengi help her out will you?” As the two hobbled off Nunuk turned her attention back to the new guest”

“Soo, you aren’t from around here are you?”

“He can’t understand you mum” Dakota interjected

“Is that soo, well, in that case, we might as well bring him inside, Apuma we have need of your skills. Rachuck if you wouldn’t mind escorting them”

“Right then, you go and see to Sapphire I shall prepare for this one” Apuma answered turning to leave gesturing for Tom to follow

“Our guest took a wound to the gut he will need attention too I think,” Dakota interjected

“Well I need some time to prepare anyway, I promise not to make a mess. In the meantime, you should take a look at our guest then” Apuma sounded playful as always even in his old age.

“You better not or you are sleeping on the floor tonight, I'll take a look at our guest too. If he was wounded like that though, perhaps we should let him rest for the night too”

“His name is Tom, and I think he would appreciate a bit of rest,” Dakota said, almost sounding apologetic that she had failed to mention the information.

“I see, you look like you have been through it too, go get some rest. I guess we will hold on till tomorrow.” The old woman said, turning to lead the way inside.

As Sapphire was taken to the infirmary, she sighed a sigh of relief, she was home safe if not entirely sound but her wing and leg would get tended to properly. Nunuk had started by checking everything had been seated properly. All was gonna be fine, if a little boring being grounded was no fun, you couldn't do much except get in the way.