The Sail Weaver Read Online Free Page A

lying to me, Tristan Weaver.”
    “What? No, I’m not.”
    “So the lure of creating sails like that has no attraction?”
    “Of course it does, but I am Weaving them because Darius asked me,” Tristan insisted, but heard the uncertainty in his voice.
    “ Hmph .”
    “The dragons have never asked us to Weave for them.”
    “True.”
    “And these sails are unprecedented.”
    “Also true.”
    “The Weaving is dangerous.”
    “Yes.”
    Tristan cocked his head at the dragon. “You know me too well, Fen.”
    “Your motives are different than you stated?” Fenfyr asked.
    “No … ”
    “But?”
    “It’s … ” Tristan paused, trying for the right words, trying to express what he’d felt the first time he’d seen the plans of the Winged Victory. It was almost impossible to explain the attraction for the ship and the desire to be the one to Weave the sails for her.
    “Ah,” Fenfyr said with a soft noise. “I understand.” He shifted his head, peering around the canyon. “You have come here seeking the Elements?”
    “Yes, as soon as I saw the plans for the ship, I knew this was where I would find them.”
    The dragon made a humming noise, encouraging him to go on.
    “I’ve been here before, but never felt a pull like this. I already found a piece.” Tristan grabbed his pack and pulled out the wood he’d found earlier, carefully unwrapping it and showing it to the dragon.
    “I see.” Fenfyr bent closer, his head dwarfing Tristan as he examined the piece. “Yes, very good, very old, very beautiful. The willowisps will love it.”
    “You think so?” Tristan asked hopefully.
    “Yes. When have they ever rejected your Elements? You are the Master Weaver for a reason, Tris,” he said gently.
    “Thank you.”
    “You are worried about this Weaving as well.”
    Tristan cast a smile at the dragon. “Yes, I am. The Navy and Darius asked me to do it. The sails are huge, and you are very right, there is something off in the whole thing. There is more here than we know and that bothers me.”
    “If it makes you feel better, we have sent someone out to investigate,” Fenfyr offered.
    “You have?”
    “Darius and Rhoads and the Guilds. We are united in this and we are suspicious of the Naval creatures. You do not know, for we have not spoken of it, but there was some … trouble a year ago.”
    “Trouble?” Tristan leaned forward, the dragon was agitated.
    “Yes.”
    “Fenfyr? What aren’t you telling me?”
    “We cannot confirm the information, but there is a possibility that the Naval creatures managed to capture a Vermin ship.”
    “They didn’t kill it?” Tristan asked horrified.
    “That’s the problem, we aren’t sure.”
    “But … ”
    “Yes, it violates the Treaty, it violates everything,” the dragon said softly.
    “No, they couldn’t, they wouldn’t! It’s one of the Founding Principles of the Treaty. Fenfyr, if it’s true … ”
    “If it is true, our two people could be at war within a year.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    III
     
    The small canyon was bathed in long shadows as Tristan reached the spring. He’d left the comforting shade of the cottonwood several hours before, knowing that the cool was almost more illusion than reality. This time of year the rock walls heated up to furnace levels by mid-day. The massive cliff that marked the end of his journey soared over his head. He was skirting the edges as he walked towards the spring that had been sacred since before humans had discovered how to forge metal. It had remained a stopping point for millennia, the graffiti that scarred its bright red walls showed this in intimate detail.
    Tristan paused by one that he remembered from the first time he’d come here. He felt a connection to this man who had lived centuries before him, and it wasn’t merely because of the obvious. “Sgt. Tristan Means passed by here in the co. of Gen. Knox, 1853, lost all but four men, heading west.” He