Chapter 3 Continued

Later that evening the men of the family sat down to a dinner of freshly baked quail, gently seasoned with lemon, pepper and parsley, and a variety of vegetables. Without mother there, the vegetables went mostly uneaten. Dinner conversation was lively, centering on the day’s hunt and the antics of the dragons. Dayton loved the stories and couldn’t wait until he was old enough to have his own dragon so he could participate in the hunts. Of course, had Mother been here, the telling of the hunt might have included fewer curse words, but it still would have been told with skill and excitement. But it was after dinner had been eaten and his father was ready to retire to the courtyard to smoke his pipe that the conversation turned serious.
Father sat in his favorite chair; the boys sprawled on long wooden benches now covered with soft, down cushions placed there by the servants. His expression change was enough to quiet the boys.
“Today we traveled to the edge of our kingdom on the north. It had been awhile since I had visited there. We found signs of looting and poaching. The Kindale family is gone from their farm, which has gone to weed. Their stock is gone as well. The home had been ransacked with Mary Kindale’s pottery plates smashed upon the floor. This leads me to believe that their leaving was not of their own making, nor was it a planned departure. My fear is that we will find the Kindale’s still at the farm………” His voice trailed off. It took Dayton a moment to realize what he was saying.
“But father, what about Maria, Jacob and James?”
“Ah, yes,” said his father.
Dayton looked at Perseus. Even he was as somber as Dayton had ever seen him.
“We circled the farm after we had checked out the home,” said Perseus. “But we couldn’t find any sign of them. It is possible they fled into the woods, but given the condition of the farm, this happened more than a few weeks ago, perhaps as long as a month. Had they been able to flee, they would have had time to get here to ask for help.”
“What do we do now?” asked Dayton. “Will you be mounting a search party, Father? If so, I would like to help. Jacob, although not a friend, was a nice enough boy who could have been my friend when he got a little older.”
King Lothan looked at his son. “I think it would be good for you to participate in the search, though I fear what we will find. I plan to call for a meeting of the community elders in two days to discuss this matter and find out what they know or have heard. What concerns me most is that I had to find this out myself. It means that no travelers from the North have come to our kingdom in quite a while, bringing news of the Elderon Kingdom. “
“Do you think it was them, Father?” asked Perseus.
“No. King Elden is a noble man. I plan also to send a messenger to him to find out what he knows. I am hoping it is a random band of thugs, easily dealt with once we find them.”
“I volunteer to be that messenger Father,” stated Perseus, stung that he might have falsely accused King Elden of attacking the Kindale farm.
“I will need you and Gemna to assist in the search,”stated the King, his voice changing to command mode. “You will search from the air, while your brother and a platoon of soldiers handle the ground sweep.”
He looked at Dayton. “You will be under the command of Barcus, who will place in charge of the search party. Do everything he tells you, and I mean everything!”
Dayton nodded his head. “Yes , Father. I will. I promise.”
“Hello…..” came a call from the hall. “Where is everyone?”
Father and the boys all rose as Queen Zenia entered the room. She was beautiful, even with the cloak she was wearing covered with dust from the trail and her hair, once neatly swept to the top of her head, now hanging slightly to the side. Dayton grinned.
“I must look the fright judging from your faces. It was a rough day and a long ride back in the dark,” she smiled. “But it was a wonderful day! Megana Harper had twins! Imagine my surprise. We delivered the first, a feisty little girl and didn’t even realize there was a second until a few minutes later when poor Megana began to labor all over again. A healthy baby boy followed about ten minutes later. I’ve never delivered twins before,” she laughed. “I was beside myself with worry and joy at the same time.”
“Excellent!” stated Lothan. “I was wondering if you were going to be staying in the village, when you missed dinner.”
“Andromeda decided to stay behind to help for a day or two. She was quite the trooper during the delivery. She did an excellent job for a young woman of only 14. I thought about sending a messenger, but decided to make the trip, even in the dark, to get home to my men.” She gently touched Lothan’s face and then turned and opened her arms to both boys, who moved in close for a hug.
“How was the hunt? Dinner? Is any left? I am starving!” she said as she began removing her cloak. Silence met her. She turned and looked at the now somber faces.
“Boys, I think it is time you turned in. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Be ready to depart right after breakfast. I will brief your Mother while she has some supper, ” stated Lothan.
Without hesitation, both boys began to leave the room. “Goodnight mother,” echoed from both of them.
“What has happened?” they heard her say as they began working their way up the stairs to their rooms.