Well, this was a hell of a mess to be in. Here I was suffering from a possibly fatal case of dragonsbane poisoning, chained spread-eagle in an iron cage, trundling down a dirt road toward Schoffield.

Tears misted my eyes as I thought of Dad's ghost. He was gone now, exorcised by a priest. There was a big hole inside of me and I ached for the sound of his gravelly voice. If he'd somehow managed to resist the exorcism, Dad would be here now to advise, insult, tease, and teach me.

God, I loved the old lizard. "Dad," I whispered, "I'm sorry. Save me a place among the stars, you old bastard." I tried to laugh. "It looks like I'll be joining you."

Seeing him again, hearing his voice, was about the only thing good about this whole mess. I wondered idly if I could do what Dad had and haunt my murderer. Laying there in the bumpy cart, I drifted into a trancelike state and saw visions of the past.

My days as a human had been miserable. I glossed over the orphanage, with its dingy clapboard walls that never kept out the wind. I saw Mordo the wizard hanging from a tree in the town square. His body swung around to face me and he croaked, "You were a terrible apprentice Farquarte."

"Sorry" I told the corpse, and then the vision moved on. I saw Dad, the old dragon who'd taken me in, sitting regally on his pile of gold in the mountain cavern, lovingly cleaning a giant ruby with his tongue. I watched him beat the stagnant air with his torn wings as he wrestled with the titan that killed him. I saw a stream of tiny brown dragons bubbling up from a crevice in the ground over his tomb. They were crunchy when slow-roasted over a campfire, their potent dragon hearts like sweet meat in my mouth.

The dream changed. I was the dragon, while Dad was a frost-covered ghost. We flew over the countryside, burning the buildings of an oppressive government. We plotted commerce and insurrection.

The vision shifted and I found myself in a living forest, where trees whispered. Green Wood Elves shared branches with long haired monkeys. Darker Elves came, gray skinned and white haired, enemies who would become friends. I walked with Mimi, her tiny hand in mine, her white hair flowing in the moonlight. Mimi sporting in the shallows at the sea shore, Mimi as a white wolf snuggled in my lap while I listened to her heartbeat. Mimi clinging tightly to the collar around my dragon's neck as I carried her over the clouds on leathery wings.

Mimi thrown to the ground by a royal guardsman, as I lay helpless on the dirt, ground glass gnawing at my stomach and fever coursing through my veins.

And Dad faded. I awoke growling. Rick, the burly Park Ranger, took a cloth. He poured cool water on it and reached through the iron bars of my cage. "Here," he said and squeezed moisture between my cracked lips, then set the cloth on my forehead.

"Thanks," I croaked. "The others-Mimi-Sirrah-the Mayor..."

"If you mean your friends, they're alive. The little Elvin girl and the Mayors daughter, Alyssa, are up ahead. They've been taken hostage. The Mayor is back in Krugerville for now, but he'll probably be executed for helping you."

"He hasn't really done anything," I protested, blinking against the late morning sun.

"He filed a lawsuit on your behalf with the Royal Court, Farquarte. The King is charging him with treason."

I moaned. Rick looked around, his eyes narrowed. Then he leaned over and pressed his face against the bars of the cage. I saw his hands, with their long, sharp nails wrap around the bars so tightly his knuckles blanched. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "That old guy is in hiding. You know, the one dressed like a beggar?"

He was a beggar, I thought.

"The Mayor said the guards missed him because he was passed out drunk."

"How many days has it been, Rick?"

"You've been writhing around shouting and calling for your Dad and your girl for two days and nights. I'll go tell her you're awake, lad. She's up there in the next cart." His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. Through long, clenched teeth he said, "She's been crying and won't eat. Dammit, this is wrong!" He stalked away muttering.

I heard the sound of his bare feet slapping the dirt. My mind fogged over and I lost consciousness. I dreamed of little brown dragons and Rick, the tall, muscled Park Ranger. I had found an unexpected friend, but something about him bothered me. In the dream, he sprouted bat wings.

When I awakened, the light was coming from the other side of the cage. Glancing over, I saw that the sun was low on the horizon. Skinny pine trees and bare oaks surrounded us. The wagon cage I lay in was tilted downward on the left side. We must have skirted Dad's mountain.

I watched quietly as the trees disappeared and we struck out over grassy plains. Rick came again with water, and then fed me small bits of meat. He slipped them into my mouth and I swallowed in spite of my stomach's protest. Dragons needed food to work their magic.

As he walked alongside the cage Rick talked of all that had happened while I in the forest of Elves. "Professor Breathe," Rick grumbled, his long teeth flashing, "It was his doing. He took over the excavation of your Dad's grave."

"The lizards?" I asked. "The little brown ones?"

"Yep, he caught them, claiming they were magic. He pureed them and called it a protein shake." The Ranger's long nose wrinkled. "It tasted terrible."

My eyes widened. "You had some?"

"We both did."

This is not good, I thought, sipping a bit of water.

He continued, "Professor Breathe roasted two of the lizards' hearts and I ate them. I didn't want to be his guinea pig, Farquarte, but that damned captain ordered it. When the professor saw that I didn't keel over dead, he tried a bit. It didn't help him any, though. He's still the twisted little, bandy-legged twig of a fellow he's always been."

I sighed, and he stopped feeding me. Houses were showing up now, and the road beneath the cart was less bumpy. "I hope you like flying," I told him.

He gave me a puzzled look, and then set a fresh cloth on my forehead. "Sleep, Farquarte."

I was grateful for the cooler weather. The iron collar around my neck had soaked in the sun's rays, heating up. The cuffs around my wrists and ankles and the bands across my chest and thighs were hot as well, but although they were uncomfortable, they didn't burn my skin. Even in this human form, I was a dragon.

We were just coming up on the river when the horses began rearing, and refused to go on to the bridge. I could hear their leather harnesses creak and stretch as they and reared up. Their heavy bodies made noise as they thrashed and stomped. The high pitch of their neighs and the smell of sweat told me they were afraid. Of what? I looked from side to side. There was nothing showing through the bars of my cage except the grasslands and an old wooden shack.

Then the wind shifted direction and I smelled it; wolf's urine. The acrid smell was strong enough to reach me over the scent of several horses and men.

Jacques had marked the bridge. By the strength of the odor, he'd consumed a huge amount of liquid. I laughed. Poor Jacques. There wasn't any beer available. He'd have to drink water.

I tried to do the math. He wouldn't have had time to go all the way to the forest to get help. He wouldn't have known we were in trouble unless....

"Dad?" I raised my head. For once the world didn't spin. Bless Rick's heart; he must have gotten enough food down my throat for my healing magic to kick in. I tried thrashing and my gut was rock solid, no lancing pain shot through me.

Ah.

"Now" I thought, "Let's see." Dad was gone so Jacques must have seen us coming. He could have crouched low in the grass as we trundled past. If he saw me staked out in this iron cage, He would double back and run to soak down the bridge, hoping to stop us.

He'd be alone. As tired as I was, I had to help him or Jacques would be killed. Mimi was probably in chains. She couldn't shape-change, or wouldn't, in case they killed me.

Gazing up at the sky, I looked in vain for the shape of Dad's ghost. "Farquarte." Rick's voice startled me and I turned my head. He gripped the bars of my cage with both hands. His fingers were tipped with nails so long they resembled claws. "You'll be okay." His voice was deeper, and I could sense the dragon in his blood.

"When did you have Professor Breathe's Lizard Protein Drink?"

His eyes narrowed. "Are you hallucinating again?"

The cage jerked, and then surged forward. "Damned horses," Rick yelled, and ran to the back of the cage.

I heard the clinking of metal hitting metal, and someone shouted "Oy, Ranger, stay out of the cage." The hinges groaned as the door was flung open. The cage wagon surged forward, and I heard the high-pitched neighing of a horse just over my head. The cage dipped as Rick climbed in.

Crawling, he reached my neck and banged my iron collar with something that sounded like metal. "Hold still," He growled through clenched teeth, then raised his fist and slammed it down. The iron collar jerked, hitting me below my chin, then fell from my neck.

As I lay there coughing, he broke the locks on my wrist and ankle cuffs, freeing me. "Thanks." I muttered and tried to sit up, but the cage jerked around, the front end raising up and then dropping with a crash. A guard ran to the cage door, sword drawn, and slashed at Rick's legs. He snarled, a deep, guttered sound. As the wagon slammed backward, knocking down the guardsmen, Rick's eyes grew wide.

"Gruglmph," he said, dropping to the cage floor. He rolled sideways. He shuddered and curled up, knees to chest.

The iron cage surged again and a wolf howled, long and high, like a dying wind. I saw the horses plunging, their eyes rolling wildly, their teeth flashing as they bit at a man who tried to pull them forward. We were sideways along the road when the wolf howled again and the horses took off. They trampled the man and headed across the tall grass at full gallop.

I heard crashing and a second team of horses plunged along side us, tearing up the plains, pulling a small coach. Five armed guards on horse-back gave chase, with seven more following on foot.

Rick's body started growing. I watched as his torso thickened and expanded. His cotton pants and vest ripped. He grew out his shoes as his feet stretched. Rick's neck elongated. He threw his head and opened his mouth. His jaws stretched and long teeth erupted from his gums as he emitted a choked howl. I had to get out of there.

I crawled to the cage door. It was banging freely as we stampeded across the plain, smacking the cage and swinging. The ground was rushing past. If I jumped out now I'd hit the dirt and break bones. Moaning, I clutched the iron bars and tried to swing my body out of the door. The door collided with my spine. One hand slipped and I fell down, hitting the grass. I was dragged side-ways for about five yards, then let go of the bar and went rolling away. I lost hide and blood, but I didn't feel any bones snap.

As I lay there in the grass panting, my heart banging in my chest, I heard a crashing sound. Looking up I saw the black coach roll. The horses broke free and the doors popped open, throwing Alyssa clear. She landed with a scream and just lay there. The wolf surged past her, following the coach. It rolled twice and came to rest on its side. The white wolf leapt up on top of it. He pawed and bit at the door, knocking it aside, then dropped down into the coach, barking.

I spotted the iron cage, still hooked up to runaway horses. It was filled with dragon, bursting at the seams. I heard the metal groan as the cage wagon rocked, teetering on two wheels.

The thundering of the horse's hooves and the shouting of men brought my attention back to the road. The guardsmen almost reached us. It was time to dragon up.

Snarling, I thought of blood and fire. I remembered the sweet taste of human flesh and the magic sparked.