Taken - part 5

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part five of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!

Max and I set off at once. Nobody asks us where we are going - I guess the grim looks on our faces must be enough to dissuade any questions.
Max leads me to an unfamiliar house and raids a jar in the cupboard for gold. "We'll get food and horses with this," he says, examining the money.
"Max, you can't just steal other people's money," I hiss. "I've got some of my own, come on, we'll go to my house."
A pained look crosses Max's face. "Halie, this is your house. We've been living together here for almost a year now."
My protests die in my throat. "Oh."
Max grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house, not letting me dwell on my very confused thoughts, for which I am grateful.
We have horses and supplies in short order, and soon we have set out at a brisk trot. "Careful," Max says. "Don't panic. Last time we were here, we heard what we thought was people chasing us, and we broke into a gallop. That's how we ended up in that hole."
I glance over my shoulder, but see no one following us.
"How many days until we reach the capital - do you know?" I ask.
"I think it'll take about a week. Haen should be there; he usually is."
Max and I ride in silence for a while. It is a peaceful, relaxed silence. "How did we meet Erele?" I ask after a while.
"There have always been dragon slayers," Max says. "You know the king outlawed them, but they still exist. We were having a picnic in the forest once, when we saw Erele. She was just a baby, then - no bigger than a dog. Two men were advancing on her with spears. We chased the men away; I had my bow with me, and it was clear they weren't very good with those spears.
"Erele grew quickly, as all dragons do, but she never forgot what we did. We've been friends ever since. She gave us an enchanted stone to use if we needed her. When I tapped it three times and whispered 'help' the other night, that called her to us. That's how she knew we were in trouble."
"I wish I remember this," I say wistfully.
"You will," Max assures me. "We'll find a way."

We travel for days. Erele comes with us, staying high above the clouds in the day, then descending at night to watch over us. Dragons don't need as much sleep as humans do, so she rests in the day when she needs to, and easily catches up later.
"Why couldn't we just fly?" I ask on the fifth night. "It would be much faster than riding."
"Dragons are still hunted, and seeing one would cause an uproar," Max says. "Erele needs to fly very high to avoid detection - too high for us to survive."
I lean back against Erele's warm side, staring at the fire.
Max suddenly jumps up, looking alarmed.
"What's wrong?"
He shakes his head, holding his hand out for silence. I listen, and I can hear a faint crackling coming from somewhere ahead of us.
"What is that?"
Max and I both look to Erele, hoping her wider knowledge of the world will come in useful.
"I've never heard anything like it," she says slowly.
"Come on," I whisper. Max looks doubtful for a second, then gets up to follow me. Erele stays put - there's no way anyone will not hear a dragon walking through the forest. We creep closer and closer to the scene of the disturbance. I see a spooky green light shining through the trees.
Max makes to take another step, but I grab his arm, pulling him back, for I have just realised what this is. Magic. More than that, it is dark magic; I can feel it in the air, so unlike the magic Erele uses.
"Haen," Max whispers. I look where he is, and see the pointed face of a wizard, the green crackling from his hands.
A shiver of dread goes down my spine. "Max, I know what she meant!" I whisper. "I know what Sarah was trying to say in her note. King's wizard Haen, black magic."

To be continued