Battle Born

by Amie Kaufman

  For once, he barely noticed the view, and he couldn’t bring himself to admire the beauty of the land below. He knew that soon he would have to find the words to explain everything that was in his head and his heart. He knew from the way Lisabet’s arms tightened around his middle every so often that she was just as heartsore as he was, but as the wind flew by, there was no comfort he could offer her except to rest his hand on top of hers.

  By the time Rayna landed and he pulled off her harness, he felt no more ready than he had at the beginning of the trip. But he was determined. He would find the right words. He had to find the right words.

  They were in the foothills to the north of the ruins of Holbard, within walking distance of the town camp, running distance of the wolves’ camp, and flying distance of Drekhelm. It was a large, fairly flat area, a little raised up, with a series of boulders off to one side.

  Anders chose what he thought was the middle and set down the wrapped cloth package that held the Mirror of Hekla.

  Meanwhile, Rayna took the Staff of Reya and began to trace out a large circle, just as Hayn had instructed them. She carefully dragged it over grass, dirt, and stone, making sure she didn’t miss an inch, and that the edges of the circle connected up when she was finished.

  And after that, there was nothing more they could do, except wait and hope.

  The three of them settled into their hiding place between two of the boulders, and Anders opened up his communicator mirror to see how the others were doing. If anything went wrong now, then everything they were doing would have been for nothing.

  Ellukka and Sakarias were equipped with two of the four communicators in Drifa’s and Felix’s set. Anders had the third, and Sam and Jerro had met Hayn just outside the humans’ camp, taking the fourth from him.

  Anders spoke Ellukka’s name quietly into the communicator and waited for it to bring him an image from her point of view. She had her mirror pinned to the front of her cloak, like a brooch, so if anything went wrong they would at least be able to watch it and know what was happening.

  The surface of the little mirror didn’t change, though. It remained completely blank, showing Anders only his own reflection, which must mean that Ellukka was still in dragon form. He’d expected her to be at Drekhelm by now.

  But even as he was thinking that, an image suddenly came into focus, and he was looking at the Great Hall at Drekhelm—scene of more than one showdown with the Dragonmeet, and of the battle between his classmates and the dragons. She must have just landed and transformed.

  She turned, and he saw Mikkel and Theo land behind her, one at a time, shifting quickly into boys.

  Bryn, Isabina, and Ferdie had remained back at Cloudhaven, in case everything went wrong today, so those humans left behind would have a chance to get away somewhere safe.

  Of course, if the dragons, wolves, and humans went to war, who knew if anywhere would be safe?

  Meanwhile, at Drekhelm, the Dragonmeet was assembled around its long table at the other end of the room, its members mid-conversation. Voices were raised, and several of them were standing, as if they were readying themselves to leave. But everyone fell silent as they realized who the three new arrivals were.

  Valerius was the first to respond. He was a big, blond man, his hair pulled back into two braids, just like Ellukka’s. He rose to his feet and vaulted the table, cradling his still-injured arm against him as he ran toward his daughter.

  For several moments, the only view Anders had through the communicator was the front of Valerius’s tunic as he hugged Ellukka against him, holding her tight.

  “You are in so much trouble,” he said quietly, “that I don’t even know how to describe it. But I’m so happy you’re safe.”

  Then Torsten’s voice sounded from behind him. “What have you three been up to?” he demanded. “We were expecting to see you days ago. You’re just in time to join us in the attack. I’m sure you’ll want to prove your loyalty.”

  Valerius released his daughter, and Anders could see the Dragonmeet once more. Very few of them looked anything less than threatening.

  When Ellukka spoke, her voice was humble. “We’ve been up to . . . we’ve done things we shouldn’t have,” she said quietly.

  Mikkel joined in beside her. “We were wrong, we know that now. We’ll accept whatever punishment you give us. We do want to show you we’re loyal.”

  “Let’s not be hasty,” said Leif, coming to his feet, concern all over his face.

  Mylestom rose as well, and beside him, Anders could see Saphira’s horrified expression. All three of them must be afraid that Ellukka, Mikkel, and Theo really had broken, had decided to come back to Drekhelm and seek forgiveness, abandoning their wolf allies. Perhaps Leif thought he’d made a mistake in telling the children that the Dragonmeet was threatening to attack—that knowing they’d run out of time, they were panicking.

  It wasn’t such an impossible thing, after all. Living at Cloudhaven, away from their friends and family and everything they knew, had been hard. Others might have given up.

  “Why have you come back now?” Torsten asked. “Why today?”

  It was Theo’s turn to answer. “Because we have information you need to know, and it’s urgent,” he said.

  Leif tried again. “Are you sure—”

  “What information?” Valerius demanded. Anders could tell from the angle he was on that he still had an arm around Ellukka.

  “We know exactly where Anders and Rayna and Lisabet are going to be soon,” she said. “We’ll show you, but we don’t have much time.”

  “And it’s a small place,” Mikkel added, “only a few of you will fit.”

  “Then we should act quickly,” Valerius said. “The Dragonmeet will need to empower a small group of us to act.”

  “I will be part of it,” said Leif firmly. “I am the Drekleid. I am the leader of the Dragonmeet.”

  A woman from farther along the table spoke up. “Let’s make a list of the aspects of this issue that we should discuss,” she suggested.

  “There’s no time for that,” Theo insisted.

  For once, Torsten was on their side. “No time at all,” he agreed. “The traitors must be captured.”

  “I will be going with Leif,” said Valerius. “It was my daughter who brought us the news.”

  Leif nodded. “I propose we bring Torsten and Saphira as well. Then both ends of the debate will be represented, and the decisions that are made will be fair.”

  Anders knew exactly why Leif was proposing this. Torsten would cheerfully have incinerated the lot of them, given the chance. Saphira felt exactly the opposite—Leif must be hoping that he and Saphira could protect the children.

  “We have to hurry,” insisted Ellukka, cutting off further discussion.

  Leif nodded, coming out from behind the table. “Then let’s go,” he said simply.

  Anders caught a glimpse of Torsten rising to join him, and Saphira wheeling toward the ramp at the end of the table. Then Ellukka’s communicator went blank once more, as she shifted to dragon form.

  Next, Anders spoke Sakarias’s name quietly into the communicator.

  The view from the front of his friend’s cloak was of the wolves’ camp, which he was walking toward. He couldn’t see the others, but he knew Viktoria would be beside him, with Det, Mateo, and Jai close behind. The five wolves had insisted on sticking together to do this, more comfortable as a small pack, even if they were exiled from the larger.

  Their plan was very simple. Unlike the dragons, they didn’t need to do any talking or any convincing. They only needed to be seen by the guards, and then run for the meeting spot—the wolves were guaranteed to chase them.

  After all, Anders and Lisabet had betrayed the pack by stealing Fylkir’s chalice and defending the dragons when Ennar had led the class against them. The rest of his friends had betrayed the pack by defending Anders and the others against Sigrid at the Battle of Holbard. All of them were wanted now, so all they had t
o do was run.

  Oh. And not be caught along the way.

  The guards would follow, and Anders was sure that Ennar and the others would join in the chase. Anders was hoping that Ennar would try to make sure the children weren’t hurt. They had all been her students, after all, and not so long ago.

  As Sakarias drew nearer to the camp, Anders saw it had been set up with absolute precision. There were no tents—they were not needed, as the wolves could sleep under the stars in wolf form and be perfectly comfortable.

  Anders did wonder where the human staff from Ulfar Academy and Ulfar barracks were, though. Wouldn’t they need tents? Perhaps they had been left, or sent, to join the town camp. That was the problem with wolves. They only thought about the pack.

  There had been small shelters erected to safeguard the wolves’ supplies, but there was very little to block anyone’s line of sight.

  “Anders,” Sakarias muttered, “if you’re watching, I really hope this works.”

  A moment later, they were spotted by the guards, and the howl went up.

  “Stop. Traitors!”

  Sakarias whirled around and away from them, and Anders could see the others already in wolf form and starting to run. His communicator went blank as he transformed as well.

  Now there was nothing to do but hope.

  Rayna nudged her brother as a shape appeared on the horizon. It was Hayn—big, even as a wolf—and as he reached them, he slowed to a trot and then slid into human form.

  “How’s the plan going?” he asked.

  “The wolves and dragons are on their way,” Anders replied. “Now we just have to hope Sak and the others can stay ahead of the wolves, and that Jerro and Sam can pull off their part.”

  This was, in some ways, the riskiest piece of the plan. The wolves and dragons could at least guarantee that they’d be able to speak to their leaders, even though that didn’t mean they’d be able to convince them. Before Jerro and Sam could do anything, they had to find a way to even get near the mayor, and that was far from guaranteed.

  But since the first day they’d rescued Sam and Pellarin, Anders had known that they couldn’t just ignore the humans. The wolves and dragons had done that for far too long. Now, they had to include them. Everyone had to have a voice.

  He spoke Sam’s name into his communicator, and after a moment, he came into view. Or, rather, Jerro did, as seen from the front of Sam’s shirt.

  Jerro was holding a knife, which was unexpected, and cutting a hole in what looked like thick, expensive fabric. After a moment, Anders realized it was the back of the mayor’s tent.

  “Are we sure this is a good idea?” Sam whispered.

  Jerro looked back over his shoulder. “Have you got a better one? They’re counting on us.”

  “I can’t believe we’re trying one of Rayna’s ideas,” Sam muttered. “I mean, we’re talking about the girl famous for running barrel races through the fish market. Maybe we should try the assistants out by the front again.”

  “They told us to go to the back of the queue,” his big brother pointed out. “Unless the others can somehow entertain the wolves and the dragons for two or three days, that won’t work. And you have to admit, the barrel races worked. We ate better than the mayor that night.”

  He pulled aside the fabric and startled as he discovered a woman waiting on the other side to greet them. “Can I help you?” she said coldly.

  “We’re here to see the mayor,” Sam said, sounding almost confident.

  “This isn’t the door,” she informed them.

  “It’s a door,” Jerro replied. “Well, it’s a door now, anyway.”

  “Go to the front of the tent,” she said firmly. “You can join the line there.”

  “It’s urgent,” Sam insisted, stepping up beside his brother. “We can’t wait, or we never would have done this, we promise.”

  “Everyone’s problem is urgent,” she replied with a sigh.

  Then a voice came from behind her. “Just a moment, Lovisa.” The mayor came into sight, looking the same as he had the day Anders had met him, but perhaps a little more tired. “It might actually be urgent,” he continued. “They did just cut a hole in our tent, after all.”

  “You want to hear this,” Jerro promised. “Do you want to know where the wolves and dragons who destroyed Holbard are? Because we know where they are right now. Together. But they won’t be for long.”

  The mayor straightened. “This is our chance,” he said.

  “Are you joking?” Lovisa demanded. “They’ll kill us.”

  The mayor shook his head. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. They have to hear our voices,” he said. “I won’t let us be caught in the middle of their fighting one more day. I’ve recently learned to listen to my people, and now the wolves and the dragons are going to learn to listen too.”

  “Then, Herro Mayor,” said Sam, “we really have to hurry.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  ANDERS PACED AND CHECKED THE WRAPPINGS on the Mirror of Hekla again. And when he looked up, he realized he could see the dragons on the horizon.

  Lisabet came up to stand beside him. “You can do this,” she murmured.

  “I’m scared,” he admitted quietly.

  “That’s okay,” she replied. “It’s scary.”

  “Are you all right?” He glanced across at her—her eyes were still red, her face white.

  “Not really,” she said. “But I will be. We both will be. You can do this, Anders.” She lifted her chin, as if she were saying something daring. “Your mother isn’t the only one who’s proud of you.”

  She turned and walked back to where Rayna and Hayn were sitting together by the boulders, and when she sank down beside them, Hayn wrapped an arm around each of the girls.

  Anders walked out to the middle of the circle to stand by the mirror and waited.

  Out of everyone, he was the one who had betrayed the wolves and the dragons. He had to be the bait they saw, the one who would convince them to enter the circle.

  Once they entered the circle, of course, they wouldn’t see anyone but themselves.

  After a little while of watching the dragons arrow in toward them from above, Anders began to make out the smaller shapes of his friends out in front, and then Rayna called to him from her place by the rocks. “Over there! I can see the wolves!”

  Their friends were racing toward them, visibly exhausted by the effort of staying ahead of the Wolf Guard. They were just managing it, though Ennar and a dozen of the Wolf Guard were in hot pursuit and not far behind them now.

  The younger wolves went hurtling toward the rocks at the edge of the circle, then around behind the big pile of boulders where Rayna, Hayn, and Lisabet sat. Anders knew his friends must have turned to humans as soon as they crossed the line that Rayna had traced out with the Staff of Reya—but they made sure that Ennar and the Wolf Guard didn’t see it happen.

  Ennar and the others pulled up some distance away, and while her followers growled low in their throats, Ennar slipped into human form. “Hayn,” she called, ignoring Anders, though she certainly had one eye on him, “what is this?”

  Hayn’s voice was loud enough to carry, but calm. “This is me asking you to just wait a minute,” he replied. “It isn’t what you think.”

  Beside Ennar, one of the Wolf Guard, a man Anders didn’t know, transformed as well. He jabbed a finger in Hayn’s direction. “He betrayed the Fyrstulf,” he shouted, looking at Ennar as though he couldn’t believe she wasn’t attacking already. “He delayed the search for augmenters. He deliberately slowed her down. That’s why she imprisoned him.”

  Hayn didn’t raise his voice, but stayed calm. “We’ve been friends a very long time, Ennar,” he said.

  “And that’s why I haven’t attacked yet,” she said, finally looking across at Anders.

  “Professor Ennar,” he said, “we never meant for any of this to happen. You told us, when we were training at Ulfar, and when you attacked Drekhelm, tha
t you would do anything to protect your students.”

  “I think,” said Ennar slowly, “you are badly misunderstanding what I want to protect them from.”

  But neither she nor Anders got any further. The wolf beside her broke in again, and this time when he shouted, he was pointing at the sky. “Dragons,” he cried. “Dragons overhead.”

  By now, the dragons were circling in to land, touching down one after another, not far away. They stayed in draconic form—all the easier to breathe fire if they needed to—and began to move forward, drawing snarls, snaps, and growls from the wolves.

  “Wait,” said Ennar warily, holding up one hand, though it wasn’t clear whether she was speaking to the wolves or the dragons.

  Valerius, Torsten, Leif, and Saphira were out in front, and as each of them crossed the line into the circle, they suddenly, involuntarily, turned to humans. Behind them, Ellukka, Mikkel, and Theo slipped into their human forms, and walked across to join Hayn, Lisabet, and Rayna.

  “What’s this?” Torsten demanded, looking down at himself in shock, as beside him, Leif politely offered Saphira her chair and helped her into it.

  “This is treachery,” snapped Valerius. “This is betrayal.”

  The wolves began to run forward, and as each of them crossed the invisible line, those who weren’t already human also transformed, suddenly finding themselves on two legs, stumbling to catch their balance.

  “I can’t change back,” Valerius cried, staring down at himself.

  “What have you done?” Torsten demanded.

  “Ah,” said Leif calmly.

  “I see,” said Saphira. “How fascinating. I wonder how far up it goes? You wouldn’t want to change in midair without expecting it.”

  “Gosh,” murmured Anders, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Was the artifact your mother’s?” Leif asked him. “There’s probably a safety mechanism in there somewhere.”