Defenders of Kron - The Black Dragon by Ritu Ghosh Page A

Aaron.
    “He said he is very happy to see us and he will have a feast arranged in our honor tonight.” Dan replied.
    Ony’s face lighted up at the mention of a feast.
    “A feast?! That’s the way I like it” he said stroking his beard.
    Soon, they were escorted to another hut by some pretty girls. They wore long dresses and decorated their hair with many colored beads.
    The hut they were taken to had three large beds and a large bathroom. The beds were neatly laid out. A lady dressed in bright red gown came to them after the girls left. She wore a lot of jewellery studded with precious gems. She looked like an important member of the village.
    “Make yourself comfortable sirs; we are all here at your service.” she said.
    Dan and Ony bowed and said thanks to her.
    She then clapped her hands and a man wearing pristine clothes appeared out of nowhere. “This is Ali, he will serve you during your stay here. Please call him, if you need anything at all.”
    The man bowed to Dan and Ony.
    As the woman turned to leave, Aaron asked suddenly “What about my friend?”
    The woman looked back at Aaron and said “Don’t worry sir, we are taking good care of him. He will be up and about by the time for the feast.” She smiled and walked away gracefully.
    Ali brought some food for them immediately and made sleeping arrangements. A warm bath, a cozy bed and an upcoming feast made Aaron feel so comfortable. Both Ony and Dan fell asleep on the soft beds. Aaron closed the door and lied on his bed. He had a good sleep which took all his tiredness away.
    He was awakened by the sounds of drums from outside the hut. Both Dan and Ony were up and getting ready for the big feast. Aaron washed his face to wake himself up just in time they left for the feast.
    The whole village had gathered on the village grounds for the celebration. It reminded Aaron of the harvest festival in his own village except that the people here wore strange cloths and performed strange dances with fire. The long tables and benches were laid out for the hunters to enjoy the feast. Everyone there looked very happy. Aaron’s eyes were searching for Flynn in the crowd.
    All three of them were escorted to a small circular seating arrangement where the dances were talking place. Dan and Ony sat next to the Chief Barda. Ony pulled Aaron to sit next to him. Some girls were dancing to fast drum beats and the music of a strange flute. A music Aaron had never heard before. He started to enjoy himself in no time and was lost in the dances and the music.
    The hunters served some drinks in big clay pots. Dan and Ony gulped the drinks down the moment they got their pots in their hands. Aaron could see the droplets of the red liquid falling from Ony’s beard. Aaron tasted the drink. It was sweet and bitter at the same time; he never had a drink like that ever before. He had a little more and soon, he finished nearly half of his pot. Dan and Ony’s pots were regularly filled by Ali. Ony seemed to be enjoying the dance very much. Soon, he got up and joined them. The girls danced around him and the village chief laughed in amusement.
    One girl came up to Aaron and pulled him into the dancing circle. He felt very shy, there was not much dancing he had done back in the village. He and Flynn would always hide and watch the dances from behind the trees. They were always too timid to take part in those dances.
    But now, there was no escape. The hunter girl caught his arms and started to dance around him. Aaron soon forgot that many people were watching him and began to dance merrily. His shyness was all gone. He knew that the drink had something to do with it.
    After many dances and drinks, Aaron started to feel dizzy but Ony was going strong. Dan didn’t budge from his seat even as many girls requested him to join in with them. Chief Barda was also in the dance circle now with two drinks in his hands.
    Aaron didn’t know how long it had been since he was making merry. He started