Sauragia: Journey to the Red Mountain

Chapter 16

That evening the preliminary festivities began to celebrate the end of winter. Throughout Saurahall, and particularly on the grounds around the Palace, dinosaurs gathered together and co-mingled in the festive air. Being the spring festival, it was not as big or fancy as the ones for winter and summer, but it was nevertheless carried out with great cheer as all such occasions were. Though winter was not officially over yet, some began to sing “The Light of Spring”, an old standard for welcoming the new season.

Spring is here and winter gone.

Merrily we trot along.

Listen closely and I’ll sing.

Hearken to the light of spring.

Tra la la and la dee dee.

Never have I felt so free.

Sprightly now join claws and sing

Happily the light of spring.

Though I know good spring must end

Have no fear, ‘twill come again.

But ‘til then have not a care.

Joy and love are everywhere.

So come together all and sing

Faithfully the light of spring.

It was a lively little song that tended to sound good no matter who sang it. It was known throughout Cardolin, too, so even visitors from out of town could sing along. And indeed the number of visitors for this festival was unusually big this year, which pleased Astron quite well. Numerous dinosaurs had even arrived a few days early in anticipation, and it was his hope that once they saw how good life at Saurahall was, some might stay on a bit longer and become permanent residents.

Other visitors had waited until the last minute to arrive, and were still straggling in through Saurahall’s three gates. Among these were several small parties of Gorvosaurs, which was most unusual. As a general rule, Gorvosaurs and Alvarosaurs did not get along well, and so avoided each other when possible. Gorvosaurs considered Alvarosaurs weak and frivolous, and Alvarosaurs found them dumb and brutish. This was especially true since the Saltrak War, and Astron still did not particularly trust them. But they were at peace now, and this festival was open to all, so he supposed he could not keep them away.

The foremost thought on his mind, however, concerned not so much the guests as his own children. And not merely Violet, who was enjoying herself immensely from the safety of her mother’s arms. The truth was, Astron felt somewhat sorry about scolding the older three so badly earlier, and wanted in some way to let them know it. Alyssa, to whom he had told everything, could tell he was distracted, and urged him to go and talk with them. At the same time, however, he felt he had to be firm and show the youngsters that he meant what he said. In the end, his stronger side won out, though he remained contemplative throughout the evening.

Had he been more alert, he might have noticed something very odd about one of the Gorvosaurs present. As it was, he gave no more than a passing glance as one stumbled a bit and almost bumped into him.

“Pardon me, sir,” it said with a quick apologetic bow, then continued on its way.

Astron merely nodded graciously in turn. After taking a couple of steps more, he stopped suddenly. There was something strange about that dinosaur. Had his eyes been completely black? He shuddered at the thought and glanced back over his shoulder. The Gorvosaurus was already gone though, so he shook off the disturbing notion and carried on.

He would have been less hasty to move on if he had seen what the black-eyed dinosaur did next. Bandor had been summoned over by Oric via a signal agreed upon earlier. Joining the band leader subtly, he spoke to him:

“Is it time to make our move yet, boss?”

“Not so loud you i***t,” admonished Oric, looking around to ensure no one would overhear them. “And no, not yet. But soon, don’t worry. These frivolous dinosaurs are deep in their cups, if you haven’t noticed, so we won’t have too much trouble, I shouldn’t think.”

“And the guards?”

“They’re well placed,” admitted the Red One. “But they haven’t covered everything. The windows are not watched that closely, and there’s a cellar door I’ve been keeping an eye on beside the garden. I think I can sneak in there, then work my way up to the third floor. When I tell you, head up to the wall behind the Palace with Reddi and wait for me to toss the rope down. In the meantime, tell the others to wait around the back with the cart. Got it?”

“Right,” answered Bandor with a nod, then wandered off casually into the crowd.

Oric looked around, then pretended to take one more sip of the wine he had been served before dumping it all surreptitiously into the grass. It smelled very nice, certainly, but he could not risk even the slightest hindrance to his senses. He must be completely alert and focused for the task ahead. So, setting the cup down on the edge of one of the long outdoor banquet tables, he headed off with a single-minded determination toward the back of Saurahall’s grand keep, all but unnoticed by other dinosaurs in their current state of revelry.