She glanced at Sedric and realized that once more, he’d only heard half of a conversation. She interpreted hastily. “The dragons want to go to Kelsingra. The place that Alise has been talking about to the silver. It’s the name of a city, an Elderling city, that they all seem to recall.”
She sensed restlessness in the air and saw another of the dragons fling up his head, turn, and abruptly move toward the river’s edge. “They’ve finished eating. We’d best get this fellow’s tail bandaged and gather our gear. I’m sure our barge will give us the signal we’re to leave soon. This morning they told us they wanted us to leave as early as possible.”
As if her words had sparked it, dragon after dragon was leaving the feeding grounds and striding toward the river. It was the first time she had seen the dragons move with such concerted purpose. She kept her hand on the silver, as if that could detain him. She saw Tats coming with a bucket of clean water. “Are they just going down to drink?” she asked him, as if he would know the answer. She’d seen the dragons wallow and even drink the river water, something that would have meant eventual death for a human.
But he looked after the departing dragons with the same puzzlement she shared. “Maybe,” he said.
But before another word could escape his mouth, the silver dragon lifted his head high. He stared after the others, and Thymara felt a shimmer of excitement from him that infected her whole body. “Kelsingra!” he trumpeted suddenly, a blast of sound and emotion that sent her reeling. Even Sedric recoiled from it, staggering back and lifting his hands to his ears. It was well that he had, for the dragon wheeled away from Thymara’s touch and suddenly lurched after his departing fellows. With no regard for the humans, he trampled through them, narrowly missing Tats as he leaped to one side and shouldering Alise as he passed. The Bingtown woman was knocked off her feet and landed heavily on the ground. Thymara expected her to cry out in pain. Instead, she caught her breath and shouted, “His tail! We didn’t bandage it up. Sedric, head him off! Don’t let him get into the river!”
“Are you mad? I’m not getting in front of a hurrying dragon!” Alise’s friend stood clutching his medicine case to his chest.
“Are you all right?” Thymara asked her, hastening to her side. Tats was already there, kneeling by the supine woman. Sedric hastily knelt and opened his case of supplies, and Thymara half expected him to offer bandages, but he appeared to be checking the contents for damage. His face was anxious.
“Sedric, please, go after him. Stop him. The river water will eat into his tail!” Alise commanded him.
He shut the case with a snap and looked after the retreating dragons. “Alise, I don’t think anyone can stop that creature. Or any of them. Look at them go. They’re like a flock of birds on the wing.”