The rasping sound of a saw filled the air as a couple of dragonettes cut into a thick tree trunk. They were working on their second tree of the afternoon. With the way things were going, they might finish a third before dinner.

  Personally, Hasker doubted it. The handsaw was starting to stick and every round was taking just a little longer to cut.

  'That might well be me, though.' After a long winter spent mostly in hibernation, his muscles were out of practice. Not that he could let his eldest daughter see it.

  Udali was on the other side of the handsaw. She didn't show any sign of flagging. Of course, at fifteen, she was taller than he was and nearly as big as her mother.

  For once, the cool spring air was a blessing. Hasker was managing to keep his panting discrete. A stiff breeze from the east helped, but the once invigorating sunshine was turning oppressive.

  He was starting to really struggle a few strokes later when Udali called out, "I think that will do it!"

  Carefully, the pair pulled the long, thin saw blade out of the fallen trunk. Then Udali produced a wedge and a hammer. After just a few quick smacks, there was a crack and the wooden round fell free. Together, they rolled it over to a small pile of other logs waiting to be split.

  Before his daughter could pick up the saw again, Hasker said, "You look like you could use a break."

  She straightened, ears twitching and a slight smile on her face. "Sure, dad. Whatever you say."

  "Damn right, whatever I say." He even managed to keep a straight face.

  The effect was somewhat ruined by his daughter's snort. Then she called out, "Servants! Our lord requires refreshment!"

  There was the sound of running feet and giggling. A gaggle of kids emerged from the forest, ranging from five to eight. Two older kids followed at a more sedate pace, keeping an eye on the youngsters as they made a beeline for Hasker.

  Their clothes were dirty and a few sported new holes that would need patching. There were streaks of mud across cheeks and tails and a few scrapes, but the kids were all smiling and dragging canvas sacks behind them.

  The smallest ran up and skidded to a stop in front of the adult dragonette. "L'rd Liz'n!"

  "Lord Lazon," one of his fellows hissed.

  "Yeah! L'rd Liz'n!"

  "Sir Iezin," Hasker replied, with mock formality. "What have you brought your lord?"

  "Berries!" He held up his bag and opened it wide. Small red and white fruits filled the bottom.

  Hasker leaned down to pick one and popped the wild strawberry into his mouth. The sweetness was tempered by a strong tart flavor. It hadn't been quite ripe. Tasty enough, though.

  "Excellent, as always Sir Iezin."

  "T'anks da!"

  "Now put your berries over there and grab me the waterskin while I finish with your comrades."

  "Kay!" The boy practically threw the sack in the indicated direction and hurried off to grab the drink.

  Hasker repeated the process with the other young kids, then gave their minders a thankful nod as they herded the group off towards a nearby pond to scrub off some of the grime. The weather was still on the chilly side for a bath, but they had some old rags to scrub with. "Knights" had to look their best, after all.

  "Gods, I still can't believe you got us all to do that," Udali muttered before taking a sip from the waterskin. After a moment's consideration, she handed it back.

  Her father accepted it and took his own drink before replying, "I actually did just that with your grandmother. Then when she stepped down, she managed to get the kids to do it to me." He paused for a moment and squinted at her. "I seem to remember a certain little girl who was especially enthusiastic about it."

  "Oh, who is that?" Udali asked, deadpan.

  "Couldn't say. She took her duties seriously, though. A model knight, that one."

  "Including that time she planted half a deer's worth of venison in the fields?"

  Her father grinned. "You have heard of her!" Then he looked out to the nearby fields. "It would be nice to be able to grow venison like wheat."

  Little green stalks were beginning to push their way out of the soil. It wasn't a large field. They didn't have enough people to deal with the weeding and watering that would take. It still produced enough to pay the tax collector and leave them with a little for trade and their own use.

  Udali considered the words and shook her head. "Nah. Mom would sneak out in the middle of the night to burn the fields. No way she'd be willing to give up hunting."

  "Speaking of, she ought to be back soon." Hasker looked to the skies, hunting for any sign of the trio of huntresses that had flown off in the morning.

  Everyone was starting to get tired of stewed venison jerky, and it was late enough in the spring that the deer had put on a little bit of fat. If they couldn't find any, rabbits or a boar or even a couple of squirrels would still make for a welcome change.

  As he scanned the western horizon, he squinted against the glare while searching for an even larger form in the distance. They were expecting the first trader of the year in the coming weeks, and despite the long winter they still had some surplus from the previous year's harvest to sell. Between that, a few pelts, and some odds and ends they'd crafted during free time, they ought to be able to afford a few luxuries.

  Hasker had looked through the stores and figured that after the essentials, there would be enough left over to treat the residents of Lazon's Rest to a keg of decent ale. They hadn't had anything but some very rough homemade beer since Reed and Faelon had come through the fall before, so the treat would certainly be appreciated.

  "Oh, there they are!"

  He turned and followed his daughter's pointing finger. Sure enough, he could just make out three figures flying in from the east.

  "Definitely look like they're taking their time," Udali commented. "That means they got something big!"

  "Here's hoping."

  The kids were starting to trickle back about then. Hasker put the older ones to work dragging branches towards a pit near the pond. They would do a charcoal burn sometime in the next few days. It would help replenish their supply after the long winter forced them to dip into the forge's stocks.

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  Iezin and a couple of the youngest kids helped by finding 'swords,' and were using them to fend off invisible darklings. It was keeping them out of the way, at least.

  Hasker watched them for a while, but he couldn't put off his duties for long. Sighing, he picked up one saw handle, Udali grabbed the other, and they started in on the tree trunk once more.

  Someone must have sharpened the blades while he wasn't looking because they bit into the wood much more easily than before. That's what Hasker told himself, anyway, as they sawed away at the thick trunk.

  Three trees ought to give them enough wood to last well into summer. They would finish one more in the morning, then split the logs from the first. It had died over the winter, and was reasonably well seasoned. That would give the other two time to dry a little before they started working on them.

  Hasker looked towards the small cluster of buildings that might be charitably called a keep and hid a wince. When he was a kid, the treeline had been quite a bit closer. All that timber had gone into expanding Lazon's Rest and feeding its ovens and fireplaces. He didn't look forward to hauling all this firewood up the slope to the hilltop.

  They were about halfway through the next round of wood when Iezin tugged at his father's shirt.

  "Da?"

  "Yeah, Izzi?" Hasker asked, pausing their cut.

  "Who are day?"

  He scrunched his eyeridges in confusion, but looked in the direction his son was pointing. Then he stiffened like someone had stomped on his tail.

  The three dragonettes he had taken for returning huntresses were coming in to land, and now it was clear that they weren't who he thought they were.

  On the edge of the frontier as they were, Lazon's Rest probably wasn't much more than a note in the crown's ledgers. Official correspondence with the rest of the kingdom was generally limited to their tax dues and an occasional request from one guild or another.

  Only Reed had brought with her an official warning from the crown. There weren't any specifics contained within, only instructions to be vigilant.

  Some pointed questions had revealed that several keeps had dropped out of contact during the previous year. A few of those had been confirmed to have been overrun by darklings and the forces of the dark, a few of them relatively nearby. The warning had gnawed at him throughout the winter, even as the cold made the skies impassible for anything but a white dragon.

  The sight of three strangers brought those fears front and center.

  There was an ax nearby and he instinctively reached for it. The heft was reassuring, even if he wasn't any sort of warrior.

  His initial jolt of terror faded somewhat as the appearance of the strangers registered. Only two had any sort of visible weapons, and those were simple, utilitarian bows still tied to their packs. The third was much smaller, and appeared to be carrying nothing except the clothes on his back.

  Those clothes were rough. Leather, mostly, and not particularly well tanned. The others wore similar outfits, although theirs seemed a touch more worn. Patched in places, with the undyed leather bleached slightly from exposure.

  None of them seemed to be having an easy time of it. They were coming it at a glide, not aiming for anywhere in particular, and the droop of their tails betrayed serious exhaustion.

  The smaller one in particular seemed to be struggling. He - and judging by his size, the dragonette was almost certainly a he - seemed to be wobbling back and forth. A slight nudge from one of the pair accompanying him seemed to help, but it also nosed him up a bit.

  He seemed to hang in midair for a moment as what little speed he had disappeared. A sudden gust of wind only made things worse, and Hasker winced as the male started to tumble.

  It was only quick thinking by one of his companions that saved the dragonette from a nasty fall. She had been hanging back slightly. When he started to falter she swooped in to grab him by the shoulders and pulled up in the final moments before impact.

  Both of them hit the ground, but the two managed to skid across the field instead of crash into it. Hasker could hear groaning from where they sprawled, but no screams or cries of real pain.

  Their third came to a landing not far away from the first two. This woman was older than the others, and bore a number of scars. She managed to remain standing, but bent double as she panted and fanned her wings to cool off.

  "Izzi!"

  The shout jolted Hasker from his gawking. He whipped around to look at Udali, then followed her gaze to where his son was running towards the strangers. The boy had his stick in one hand and a bag of berries in the other, and he was completely ignoring his sister's shout.

  No one had noticed him until he was nearly halfway to where the pair of dragonettes were struggling to untangle themselves. Hasker knew better than to try adding his voice to the shouts. He sprinted forward, even though he would get there too late.

  Iezin came to a stumbling halt in front of the male who was still laying on the grass. He said something unintelligible and extended the bag.

  Icy talons closed around Hasker's heart as the prone dragonette reached out a hand. His stride faltered and, and he only just managed to keep from tripping over a patch of uneven ground. But the stranger only pulled a few berries out of the bag and gave the boy a smile before popping them into his mouth.

  Meanwhile, his companion was sitting up and her attention was clearly focused on the oncoming Hasker. She pulled herself to her feet and if she wasn't standing directly between him and her fellow, it would only take a step or two to block him.

  Hasker slowed his sprint as the panic subsided a bit. None of the three were making any threatening moves. They didn't have any weapons out, and frankly looked so exhausted that they were at more risk from Izzi than the other way around.

  Coming to a stop a few steps away from the group, he edged to the side just a little to keep a clear path to his son. The tall female didn't move to stop him, but did watch him warily.

  Belatedly, Hasker realized he was still holding the ax. He didn't drop it, but he did relax his grip slightly and let his arm hang at his side.

  "Hello," he began, hesitantly. "I'm Hasker Lazon. I'm the lord of this keep." The last was added a little ruefully given his appearance.

  She gave him a slow nod. "I am Rina."

  Her accent was strange. Sharp and cutting. Still, the words were understandable enough.

  "Why are you here?"

  Rina cocked her ears at the question, then shook her head.

  The third dragonette of their group approached from the far side of her comrades, and she said something unintelligible. Rina turned and said something in response, followed by muffled words from the prone male that Izzi was fussing over.

  It was obviously some other language, but not one Hasker recognized. He frowned in thought as their clothing made more sense. 'Wildlings. But I've never heard of any living on this island. Which means...'

  His eyes widened at the implication. Crossing the skies, with nothing between them and the watery hells far, far below. There was a reason people only did that on dragonback.

  Hasker let out a slow, astonished hiss. "You're all a looong way from home."

  He knew that the wildlings couldn't speak much of his language, so he was taken aback when the male answered in kind.

  "You... have no idea."

  The dragonette shakily pushed himself up to his knees, and Hasker finally got a good look at him. He was scarred up pretty badly, especially for someone that young. Something had torn up his wings particularly badly. One had a slash nearly from the muscle to the edge. There was a matching scar on the other, with a fainter slightly jagged line crossing it.

  There was also something vaguely familiar about him. Something that the Lord of Lazon couldn't place until the young male turned to accept a hand from Izzi.

  The sight of that kinked horn triggered a memory. A younger, softer version of the dragonette in front of Hasker, telling stories and drinking ale. But even though the shine was long gone from his scales, the profile was unmistakable.

  "Aren't you... you're the Bloodhorn's son, aren't you? From last fall?"

  He got a slow nod in response. "Yeah. I'm Aytin Luffin."

  Aytin gave Izzi a pat, then reached an arm out across Rina's shoulders. The two seemed to lean on each other for support as the third slowly made her way over.

  A thousand questions flashed through Hasker's mind. "What happened...? How...?"

  Aytin smiled slightly. "It's a... it's a very long story. And I don't mean to be rude, but I'd much rather tell it somewhere more comfortable. Maybe with a few more of those berries?"

  "Oh! No, of course!" Hasker gestured towards the keep, and then frowned at the sorry state of the three dragonettes in front of him. "If it's too far, I can-"

  He got a firm shake of the head in response. "No, we'll make it." The younger dragonette looked up the slope with a determined expression. "We've made it this far," he said, giving Rina's shoulder a squeeze before taking a cautious step forward. "And there's still a long way left to go."