Chapter 11-2: Sir Eric

        Caden finished every delivery except Sir Eric's. He carried the basket, empty sacks and two loaves of oat bread. He felt better, and regretted spending two weeks in bed. Even now he wondered how close the Dragon Knights were to rescuing Keilee.

        Sir Eric's homestead looked the same as it always did. Caden knocked on the door. Sir Eric opened the door. He wore a simple white shirt, brown pants and leather brace over his missing shoulder. Caden stared at the wound.

        "Caden?" Sir Eric said. "So you're not dead after all."

        "No, Sir."

        Sir Eric took his bread from the basket. "So how did your quest go?"

        "I made it to the Dragon Knight training camp, and now I need your help."

        "Why?"

        "I can join the Dragon Knights to save Keilee, if I'm not to late already," Caden said. "But first I need to slay five dragons. Can you help me?"

        Sir Eric sighed. He stepped aside and held the door open. "You better come in."

        Caden smiled and stepped into the house. Sir Eric closed the door, and motioned for Caden to sit at a table. He walked into the kitchen. Caden sat in the small room. He had never been inside Sir Eric's home before. He looked at the bearskins on the floor, and the deer antlers on the wall over the fireplace. Caden smiled when he saw through an open door. Sir Eric's Dragon Knight armor was displayed in a small shrine in the next room, exactly how it should be. 

        Caden stood up and walked into the next room. In the center of the far wall, was Sir Eric's armor. Spread out on shelves were weapons, broken bits of war machines, statues, and other trinkets collected from the battle field. Everything Sir Eric ever did, and was ever honored for was on display in this room. A museum to his service for the dragon knights.

        Caden walked around the room. He wondered what part of a dragon would he find. What part is considered a trophy. The heads would be too big to be put on display. Looked for a fang, or a talon, or even a scale. While he looked for the dragon trophies, he stopped on a weapon. A sword, that looked exactly like Rilyn's. Caden picked it off of the shelf and looked at the half sun engravings.

        Caden heard a shatter come from the kitchen. He returned the curved sword to it's place on the shelf and went to the kitchen. He found Sir Eric picking up a broken tea cup. Caden helped him clean up. He took the tray of tea out to the main room and set it down.

        Sir Eric came out with a new tea cup. "Caden, I'm going to make this as clear as I can." He set the tea cup down on the table. Caden served the tea. "Before the Dragon Queen attacked Erdon, I didn't believe dragons existed."

        "What do you mean?" Caden placed a cup in front of Sir Eric. "You've been trained to fight dragons, how could you not believe in them?"

        Eric shook his head. "I was never trained to fight dragons," he said. "I was trained to fight people."

        "You mean trolls and gremlins."

        "No, though they are closer to people then you might think. I was trained to fight people, like you, me or the mayor. We're never taught anything about dragons."

        "So you were part of a special squad? Others specialized in dragons."

        "No. None of us were."

        "But the general, he said his best dragon trackers wou..."

        Sir Eric slammed his fist into the table. His tea cup tipped over. "You're not listening to me. There are no dragon trackers, no dragon slayers." Caden watched the tea run across the rough wood table and drip onto the floor. "We got hundreds of 'dragon sightings' every moon. Yet not a single one ever turned out to be anything more then a rumor. The dragon knights don't investigate most of them anymore. The general probably thought that you made to story up to join even after he turned you down."

        "But he said..."

        "He lied, Caden. He told you what you wanted to hear so you would leave. No one is looking for the Queen, no one is going after Keilee."

        "The Queen, it's attacked other temples. When more reports about her come in, then..."

        "No, they'll go to the closest Dragon Knight camp. And they will be ignored. No one will pass on the story, so no one will ever see any patterns."

        Caden stood up. He grabbed his basket and sacks. "You're lying. You just don't want me to join them." Caden walked to the door.

        "Believe what you will, Caden. But the only people in the world who will believe your story are right here in Erdon."

        Caden left and slammed the door. Sir Eric left the tea on the table. He went into the kitchen and fetched a bottle of shine.

Chapter 11-1: A New Day

        When the sun rose the next day, Caden walked into the kitchen. Sam was busy baking. Caden looked around. Sam was baking all by herself. His father wasn't in the kitchen.

        "Hey," Caden said.

        Sam turned around, "Caden, you don't have to be up." She wiped flour off her hands with a towel. "I can take care of all this by myself."

        "I've been home for two weeks, and haven't completed the morning deliveries once." Caden smiled. "My father must be tired of listening to Valron complain by now."

        "Yeah, Valron..." Sam placed several lumps of dough on a large wooden paddle. She loaded them into the stone oven and pumped the bellows. She used the wooden paddle to turn other loaves. She removed other loaves that looked done. She tapped on the crust and listened to the echo. "Okay, Caden. These are the last loaves for the morning baking." She buttered the crust and moved them to a basket. "Do I need to tell you where everything goes?"

        Caden laughed. "No, I think I can remember everything. Need anything from the market?"

        "No, we're good."

        Caden took the basket and two sacks, and walked out the door.

        Caden was surprised at the changes in Erdon since he left. Buildings were still being rebuilt. The hollows had simple bridges built over them. Water from the lake ran down the hollows. It felt like a new town. 

        Caden walked out to Valron's manor first. He used the heavy iron knocker to bang on the door. Valron opened the door. "Caden?" He grasped Caden by the shoulders. "It's good to see you're alright."

        "Has it been an hour?"

        "What?" Valron looked at the rising sun. "No, it hasn't. You're on right on time." He smiled.

        Caden gave Valron his breakfast, and left. As he walked through town to his next delivery, he smiled and whistled.

Chapter 2: The daily grind

       Caden woke up early. His father kicked him in the side. "Come on, boy," he said, "you're in my way." Caden rolled over and crawled away from the stone oven. "Why don't you ever sleep in your own room." He loaded more wood and stoked the fires.

       "It's warmer in the kitchen." 

        "Well, get cleaned up. You're going to have deliveries to make."

        Caden stood up and walked outside. He pulled a bucket of water from the well. He washed his face with the cold water, and used the bottom of his shirt to dry off. As he rubbed his face, he remembered the stranger in Sir Eric's boat.

        The morning baking was done by sunrise. Caden returned to the kitchen to pick up the fresh baked goods. His father's apprentice, Sam, handed him two butter rolls for breakfast. "Okay, listen," his father said. "Take the meat pies and honey loaves to the tavern, the..."

        "I know," Caden interupted. "It's the same every morning."

        "Well, I have to tell you again. Valron came by yesterday and said he didn't get his breakfast delivered." His father wiped flour off his hands. "Now, the meat pies..."

        Grumpy old Valron, Caden thought. His apprentice probably brought them to his study and he forgot them in there. Caden looked Sam rolling out the dough. Maybe if he delivered to Sir Eric last, he could meet the stranger.

        "Now after you make the deliveries, go to the market. Get two fish for dinner," Caden cringed at the mention of fish, "and a bushel of potatoes. Oh, and Harron said his daughter was going to be in town today with fresh cream and butter. Don't leave it in the kitchen this time, take it down to the cellar. I also need you to..."

         Keilee is going to be in town! I wonder if she'll go to the town social with me.

       "You got all that?" 

       "Yeah, yeah." Caden grabbed the two sacks, swung them over his shoulder,  and lifted the large basket under his arm. He walked out the door. Sam looked at him and smiled.

        Caden walked through the town square. Both sacs were empty and rested in the basket next to the oat bread for Sir Eric. The ground around his feet swelled up and engulfed his legs to the knees. "Caden!" yelled Valron. "Where's my breakfast?"

       "I just gave it to your apprentice." 

       "It's late," Valron walked up and stood in front of Caden. "I want my breakfast an hour after sunrise."

       "Your manor is on the other side of town." Caden struggled against the earthen embrace. "I have other deliveries before you."

       Valron raised his hand, and the ruby on his ring glowed with fire.

        "Now let me go. I'm not done yet."

       "Your father will hear about this." Valron waved his hand. The earth and stone crumbled away from Caden's legs. Caden ran off.

        Freak. Caden stopped running and looked where the sun was. How long is an hour anyway?

         When Caden got out to Sir Eric's house, he could see movement through Sir Eric's bedroom window. "Sir Eric," Caden called. "I got your order." Caden waited till Sir Eric answered the door. He looked up and saw someone looking out the window.

         Sir Eric opened the door. He had a straight slice across his unshaven cheek. He was holding a rag up to stop the bleeding.

        "How'd you cut yourself?"

        "Shaving." Sir Eric took his bread from the basket. He went back inside. He looked at Caden as he closed the door. "Do you need anything else?"

        Caden moved to see inside. "Well..." I can't ask about the stranger, he'll know I followed him last night.

       "Then go home. I'm busy." Sir Eric closed the door.

        Caden walked away. He looked up and saw the stranger in the shadows of Sir Eric's room.

        When Caden got to the market, he walked past the fishermen. He didn't want to smell like fish when he talked with Keilee. He looked for Harron's stall and ran over to it. Mika, Harron's youngest daughter was working. She was two harvests younger then Caden. She smiled when she saw him.

        "Hey, Mika," said Caden. "Where's Keilee today?"

       "She's helping Mom spin the wool." Mika twisted her toe into the ground. "Hey, Caden, do you..."

       "I'm kind of in a hurry today," Caden interupted. "Can you just give me a stone of butter and a cask of cream?"

        "Sure." Mika turned around and fetched Caden's request.

       Caden took the butter and cream and walked to the fishermen. He looked around the stalls. He knew his father wanted something else, but nothing looked right.

        Caden opened the cellar doors. "Caden, bring the cheese into the kitchen." His father yelled. Caden cringed. He put the butter, cream and fish away, before going into the kitchen.

        "Hey, sorry." Caden said. Sam looked at him. "They didn't have the right kind of cheese today." Sam shook her head and smiled.

        His father scratched his beard. "I'll have to give the Mayor something else then." He threw the dough to Sam. "See if you can make something else with that. So when did the woodcutter say he was coming by?"

       "Woodcutter?" Caden looked at Sam. She cringed and drew a spoon across her neck. "You know... He didn't say. I'll just run back and ask him." Caden ran out the door.

       His father looked at Sam. She started beating the dough with her spoon.