Dragonskin Slippers (30 page)

“I’m sorry, good sir, but I’d prefer that your hound not enter,” I said, the light coming from the large front windows casting the young man’s face in shadow.

“Oh, but Azarte has been longing to see you,” Luka said with a laugh. “I borrowed him from Miles specially.”

“Luka!” I ran from behind the counter and threw my arms around him. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

He squeezed me back. “I’ve been in Roulain for the last month,” he explained. He had grown at least a hand’s span and was very tan.

“Ugh, how was it?”

“Boring, but sunny,” he said with a shrug.

I patted Azarte’s narrow head with one hand, and tried to keep him from leaning against me with the other. I was wearing a new gown, pale green with darker green embroidery, and didn’t fancy picking white and black dog hairs off it for the next five hours.

“It looks as though your shop is doing well,” Luka said, gazing around. “Could you help me find a gift for a lady friend of mine?”

My heart plunged to my green satin slippers, and I had to stare down at Azarte for a minute, petting him hard. Naturally Luka had a “lady friend”. She was probably nobly born: the daughter of a count or a duke. I imagined her having thick dark hair and clear skin, and was bitterly jealous. “Of c-course,” I stammered after a time. “What would she like? A gown? A sash?” If she came in for a fitting, I decided to “accidentally” poke her with every pin.

“Hmm, well, she is wearing a lovely gown today,” he said. “Although no sash.”

So. He’d already seen her today, and it was not yet noon. I rubbed Azarte’s ears furiously. “What colour is her gown?”

“It’s sort of green, with more green, and the design looks like stained-glass windows,” he said. “It’s very beautiful, like her.”

I stopped petting the dog and looked up at him, not sure what I was hearing. “Oh?” My heart thumped painfully.

“Yes, so perhaps she doesn’t need a sash after all. No sense gilding the lily.” He gave a melancholy sigh. “But I really would love to give her a very special gift. I was hoping if I did, she might give me a kiss in return, instead of the brotherly hugs I always get instead.”

I raised my eyebrows, trying for casual interest even though I could feel my pulse beating in the blood rushing to my cheeks.

“I know!” Luka snapped his fingers. “Forget a sash. I’ll give her this!” And with a flourish, he pulled a roll of parchment from his belt pouch.

More confused than ever, I unrolled the paper and read. It was a letter from a priest in the Southern Counties, addressed to King Caxel. In it the priest begged for a grant of money. They had recently built a large chapel, the finest that had ever been dedicated to the Triune Gods in that region, and it had only been completed the year before.

“But we do need another grant from the crown,” the priest wrote. “For a most heinous act of vandalism has taken place. Our rose-glass window, which illuminates the Triple Altar in glorious colours pleasing to the gods, has been stolen. It was removed from its frame the night before last, and not a pane of it can be found.”

“Shardas?” I looked up at Luka with my eyes brimming. “Shardas!”

“I have a pair of horses waiting outside,” Luka said. “We can be at Feniul’s cave by nightfall.”

I threw my arms around him again, and this time I gave him the kiss he’d been waiting for.

“Creel!” Marta came out of the back room. “What in the name of the Triunity … Oh, hello, Luka!”

“Shardas is alive,” I shouted to her. I ran back around the counter and danced her about until we ran into a rack of ribbons and sent them tumbling to the ground.

“What? You’re joking!”

“No, I’m not! A window’s been stolen, a window’s been stolen!” I sang. “Can you and Alle manage the shop until I get back?”

“Of course, but where are you going?”

“We’re going dragon hunting!” And I ran out of my shop, with a large hound galloping ahead and my own prince following after.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge that this book would never have been written if not for the following things: First, in 1989 my sister checked out from the library Robin McKinley’s fine Damar books and then left them on the floor of our bedroom, where I tripped over them and then fell in love with them. Second, for many years my parents lovingly supported both my book-buying habit and my book-writing ambition, taking me out of school to meet people like Robin McKinley and Patricia C. Wrede, and forking over lots of hard-earned cash for books about dragons and magic and heroic rescues, before finally handing the (financial) responsibility over to my husband. And third, when the first line of this book leaped into my brain one night, my poor, dear husband agreed to walk the floor for hours upon hours with our colicky baby so that I could get some writing done.

I would also like to acknowledge (or confess, really) that when Melanie, the editor of my dreams, called to tell me that Bloomsbury (the publisher of my dreams) was going to publish my book, I was still in my bathrobe.

It was noon.

Meet the Author

Jessica Day George is the author of many books for young readers, including
Dragonskin Slippers, Dragon Flight
and
Dragon Spear
. Jessica studied comparative literature at university and took a class in Old Norse so that she could read the great Viking sagas in the original language. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a librarian and bookseller. Jessica lives with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Your characters live in worlds where magic is possible. If you could bring one magical element from your books into our real world, what would it be?

Oh, how I wish I could fly!

Do you see yourself or your family and friends in any of your characters?

I like to think that I’m nice and spunky and sassy like my heroines. I once tried to put my husband in a story and he wasn’t that thrilled with the character, so I figure it’s better to leave everybody else out.

What was your favourite book when you were younger?

Umm … when I was younger I remember reading
Tam Lin
by Pamela Dean until it fell apart. Also Tad Williams’
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
trilogy.

To find out more, visit
www.jessicadaygeorge.com

Also by Jessica Day George

Dragon Flight
Dragon Spear

First published in Great Britain in June 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP

This electronic edition published in February 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 4088 2477 1

www.bloomsbury.com
www.jessicadaygeorge.com

Visit
www.bloomsbury.com
to find out more about our authors and their books. You will find extracts, author interviews, author events and you can
sign up for newsletters
to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers.

Look out for more dragon stories full of action, danger, friendship and romance!