The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus 1

by James E. Wisher

  “You did exactly the right thing. We can keep her safe and help her learn to use her gift wisely.”

  “Will you tell King Rend?” Moz asked.

  “It’s my duty.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “He’s a good man. I know he ordered us to do horrible things, but it was necessary to win the war. A war he didn’t start, by the way.”

  “He might be a good man, but he’s as ambitious as any other monarch. Can you look me in the eye and tell me if Rend knew about Ariel, he wouldn’t use her to crush Carttoom?”

  “Carttoom is a horrid, evil place.” Callie looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

  “King Carttoom is a horrid man and many of the things he allows are equally vile, but that doesn’t mean everyone there is evil. I suspect there are far more good people in the kingdom than bad. Farmers, merchants, people just trying to make a living. A war won’t be good for anyone, on either side.” Moz looked past Callie toward Ariel. “And frankly, I don’t know what she might do if someone tried to use her like that.”

  “I won’t tell Rend right away, okay? This is where she needs to be, Moz. With people who understand her gift and won’t be afraid of her.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll entrust her to you.”

  “What about you?” Callie asked. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  “I’m grateful for that, but I’d be more grateful for a horse and supplies. There are too many unanswered questions swirling around for my liking. The two I’m most interested in are where Ariel came from and who is Rondo Tegan. Considering how much he’s done so far, I doubt Rondo’s just going to give up on getting his hands on Ariel.”

  Callie smiled her fierce smile. “I’d like to see him try and get her out of here.”

  Moz smiled back, but deep inside he feared that was exactly what the man intended. He refused to let it happen.

  Callie watched Ariel nibble on her cookie and tried to make sense of what Moz had told her. There was no question about her strong connection to the hummingbird dragons that constantly buzzed around her. She held up a little piece of cookie and the dragons promptly started fighting over it, making her giggle. Other than her eyes, there was really nothing remarkable about the girl’s appearance. She wouldn’t have gotten a second look anywhere in the world, well maybe Moz’s homeland, but other than that she’d fit right in.

  “What happens now?” Ariel asked.

  Callie blinked. She’d been so deep in thought she hadn’t even noticed when the girl finished her snack. Callie put on her most reassuring smile. “Now we’re going to figure out the best way for you to use your power. We’ll find you a room in the dorm and you’ll study and practice with the other bards. Before then, I don’t think it would be a bad idea for you to spend another night in the infirmary, just to make sure you’re okay. It’s been a rough few days for you.”

  She nodded. “Moz saved me. He’s nice.”

  Callie’s smile widened. “Yes he is. He saved me more than once when we worked together. I owe him a lot. I’m sure he’ll be back to visit as soon as he can.”

  She nodded again and went back to playing with the dragons. Something about Ariel seemed off, not damaged, but distant, like some part of her was blocked. Callie’s gift let her heal the body’s injuries, but an injured mind was beyond her. Luckily there was a mind healer on staff. More than one bard showed up here damaged in that way.

  “I’ll be right back,” Callie said.

  Ariel paid her no mind as she ducked out of the infirmary. Jonas should be up and ready by now. Callie made the short walk to the castle’s dining hall. Fifteen students, most between the ages of thirteen and twenty, along with five senior bards that served under Callie as instructors, were seated around a handful of tables.

  She quickly spotted Jonas. Despite only being in his early twenties, every hair on his body had fallen out. At nearly seven feet tall, his shiny head rose above the others. He was so tall they had to alter a set of brown robes for him and have a uniform custom made. When he looked up from his plate, she waved to him. He nodded and rose.

  Despite his height, there was nothing imposing about Jonas. Callie doubted he weighed more than a hundred and fifty pounds. He hurried over and bowed.

  “Master?” Jonas asked.

  “How many times have I told you to call me Callie?”

  “I don’t recall, Master. Can I be of some assistance?”

  Callie let the old argument go. It was just for fun anyway. She didn’t care what he called her. “I need you to take a look at our new arrival. Something about her seems off.”

  “The school’s been buzzing about her. We haven’t had a new arrival in half a year and her guardian about gave Thom and Andrew a heart attack.”

  Callie led him out of the dining hall. “Alteran Rangers will do that. She’s a dragon speaker, Jonas.”

  He stumbled but caught himself before he could fall. “Dragon speaker? There hasn’t been a dragon speaker since—”

  “I’m aware. I’m also aware of the potential consequences. That’s why I need to know if she has some sort of mental defect. Someone with such a powerful gift needs to be treated carefully.”

  “Of course. I’m happy to help any way I can.”

  They reached the infirmary and Jonas was forced to duck through the door. Ariel glanced their way when they entered but went back to singing to the dragons a moment later. The fact that she didn’t have more of a reaction to Jonas reinforced Callie’s concern. No one met Jonas for the first time and didn’t do a double take.

  “Now?” Jonas asked.

  Callie nodded. No time like the present.

  Jonas closed his eyes and hummed an off-key little tune. It didn’t really matter what he did, some sound was necessary to activate his power. Once the initiation was complete it worked on a completely mental level.

  He fell silent and his face scrunched up, forming deep wrinkles on his forehead and making him look like an old man. A few seconds passed and he grit his teeth.

  Callie shifted her focus to Ariel. She was humming happily, paying them no attention. One of the little dragons, however, stared at Jonas with its beady little eyes.

  The tall bard gasped and staggered back, holding his head in his hands. Callie grasped his arm and murmured. Her power revealed no injury so whatever happened, happened in the psychic realm.

  “Jonas? You okay?”

  He groaned and straightened. “Yes, Master. The little dragon refused to let me touch her mind. When I tried to force my way in…it objected. I didn’t get hints but I’d say the girl’s mind and the minds of the dragons are deeply entwined. I had trouble telling where one began and the other ended.”

  That explained why she didn’t react to things like a normal girl. In her mind at least she was part dragon.

  “What do you wish to do, Master?”

  “Is there anything you can do?” Callie asked.

  He winced. “To separate them? No.”

  “Then we will have to be patient and draw the girl out little by little. I suspect something happened that forced the dragons to act to protect her mind. Until she trusts us enough to reveal what that was and we can help her deal with it, there’s no other choice but to accept how she is.”

  “Might that be dangerous, Master?”

  “If she feels threatened, it might be extremely dangerous. Once I move her into the dorms, I’ll make it clear no one is to tease or otherwise bother her.”

  The story Moz told about her calling down a dragon was fresh in Callie’s mind. A little innocent teasing might end up with a dragon smashing down the castle. No, Ariel had to be kept safe and calm. For all their sakes.

  Chapter 14

  As Rondo rode up to the Dark Sages’ citadel, he couldn’t get the earlier battle out of his head. He could still see that huge dragon swooping in to ruin his moment of triumph. It had destroyed his mercenaries like they were nothing. He never even considered trying to finish
the job himself once the dragon had flown off. He was already two miles up the road. Besides, if she called it once, she could call it again. Capturing that girl was going to be even harder than he thought when his only obstacle was an old ranger. Now he had to deal with bards and dragons. One thing he felt certain about, Lord Black wasn’t going to be pleased with his report.

  The same two men were on guard duty today as the last time he arrived. They gave him a single look, shook their heads, and asked, “Name and business?”

  “Rondo Tegan to see Most High Black.”

  One of the guards consulted their scroll. “The most high is no longer in residence. However, he was expecting your return and left one of his cadre to speak to you.”

  The portcullis went up and Rondo entered. He’d barely gone through the gates when he reined in his horse and turned back. “Where can I find this person?”

  “Try the lounge. Shade usually hangs around there.”

  Rondo blinked. The citadel had a lounge? He shrugged, left his horse at the stable, and entered the main keep. The lounge would probably be near the kitchens and if worst came to worst he could ask a servant for directions. Rondo hated admitting he didn’t know something, but if Lord Black’s man was waiting for him, he dared not delay, not after his failure.

  He followed the scent of baking bread down carpeted halls until he reached the dining area. It was between meals so none of the dozen tables were occupied. He grimaced and tried to figure out where the lounge might be.

  “Sir?”

  He nearly jumped when a soft female voice spoke.

  Rondo turned to find one of the many servants dressed in a standard black-and-white uniform standing a few feet behind him. A dusting of freckles made her look younger than her true age which couldn’t have been more than twenty. She bobbed a curtsy. “If you’re hungry I can fetch you some leftovers, sir.”

  “Thank you, but I’m late for a meeting with Shade. Do you know where I can find him?” Rondo sounded pretty confident, at least to himself.

  The servant blushed to her ears. “Master Carmine is drinking in the lounge. Please follow me.”

  She made for the same door Rondo had entered and he fell in behind her. Twenty yards back the way he’d come she made a left turn down a hall he’d never followed. They walked past two closed doors and finally stopped at the third.

  She opened the door for him. “Right through there, sir.”

  Rondo went into a dim room filled with leather couches and chairs. There was a self-serve bar stocked with all manner of alcohol. Rondo didn’t drink since he despised anything that dulled his senses. Along the back wall a bronze-skinned man with flowing black hair and wearing a black robe reclined with a pair of women who were bursting out of their low-cut dresses. He held a half-full glass in one hand and a slender, burning cigar in the other.

  He looked Rondo’s way and a flicker of recognition appeared on his face. “Excuse me, ladies.”

  The women muttered complaints as he got up, but he ignored them and walked over to Rondo. “You’ll be the newest member of Lord Black’s cadre. Name’s Shade Carmine. The boss wants me to bring you out to his private stronghold. I’m guessing the mission didn’t go well given your lack of a prisoner.”

  “There were complications,” Rondo said.

  Shade grinned and set his drink on a handy table. “Aren’t there always. Don’t worry, the boss said you’d probably show up empty handed and he didn’t seem too bent out of shape about it so I doubt he’ll kill you. Don’t hold me to that though. If he’s in a bad mood you never know. We’d best get riding. Sorry, ladies.”

  Groans followed them out of the lounge.

  “Who were those women?” Rondo asked.

  Shade shrugged. “I haven’t the slightest idea. Off-duty servants I assume. They find me wherever I go. Women that is, not those two in particular. It’s a curse really, but so far I’ve survived.”

  They retrieved their horses and were on the road again. Shade turned east and set a steady pace. When the citadel was out of sight Rondo asked, “Where is Lord Black’s fortress?”

  “The old imperial capital. The ruin sort of suits him. It’s every bit as grand and imposing as the boss.”

  “I didn’t realize the city had been cleared,” Rondo said. “Last I knew it was crawling with vermin, failed experiments, and guardian constructs.”

  “A lot of it still is, but the boss carved out a safe zone in the city center along with making a safe passage through the ruins. Only his cadre knows about it and we like to keep it that way. Discourages the snoops.”

  Rondo had always wanted to visit the old capital city ruin, but he’d never summoned the nerve. Looked like his chance had finally arrived.

  Rondo just stared at the sprawling expanse of fallen buildings. He and Shade had been riding for two days and they finally reached the city an hour before sunset on the second day. In the distance a single tower rose undamaged from the ruins. The former capital had to cover several square miles.

  According to the books Rondo had read, over half a million people had called the city home at the height of the empire’s power. Most of them died on the Day of Mad Dragons. What a sight that must have been. All the dragons formerly under the emperor’s control all losing their minds at the same time and destroying everything in their path. An entire civilization reduced to nothing in twenty-four hours. It wasn’t an easy thing to wrap your mind around.

  “Hey!” Shade said. “Don’t fall behind. If you get off the safe path, you’re a dead man. Can’t have that, at least not until you see the boss.”

  Rondo shook off his awe and nudged his horse up beside Shade. They rode a twisted route between tumbled buildings, through open plazas, one of which still held a pair of marble statues depicting idealized male and female figures that, should they make it to market, would bring hundreds of golden scales apiece. Unfortunately, they probably weighed half a ton each.

  Though the city was only a little over two mile across, they probably rode five miles to finally reach the city center so twisted was the path Shade chose. What waited stunned Rondo nearly as much as the city itself. In a clearing at the foot of the tower was a trio of flat-bottomed ships that superficially resembled the swamp skiffs but on the scale of merchant caravels. Each ship had a single unrigged mast. The sides were high enough to allow for at least one below-deck level. Rope ladders hung down the side of each ship.

  “What’s this?” Rondo asked.

  “I’m sure the boss will explain it to you, if he’s so inclined,” Shade said. “Lord Black!”

  The most high appeared at the rail of the nearest ship and looked down at them. He leapt over the rail and drifted slowly to the ground.

  When he landed, he said, “No problems, Shade?”

  “No, according to the dragon worshippers, their man on the ground is in. He just needs the exact date.”

  “Good. Domina’s installing the final flight stone now. When Umbra gets here with the cloud maker, we’ll be set.” Lord Black turned his intense gaze on Rondo. “And you? Another failure I see.”

  Rondo winced. “Forgive me, Lord Black. The girl summoned a large dragon that slaughtered my mercenaries. I barely escaped with my life.”

  “How big exactly would you say the dragon was?”

  “Fifty feet in total, maybe. I didn’t wait around to study it.”

  “Prudent, if not especially brave.” Lord Black looked away from Rondo as though lost in thought. “Her power has awakened enough to call an adult dragon. Good, she definitely has the potential to do what I need.”

  The words weren’t directed at Rondo and, given his position, asking questions might not be wise, but he had to know what was going on.

  “My lord, I thought you’d be more upset, yet you seem pleased. I don’t understand.”

  Lord Black turned back toward Rondo. “That’s because you only see a tiny sliver of the larger picture. I never expected you to succeed, so your failure doesn’t bother me. Y
our report about the adult dragon indicates that I’ve found the right person. She’s with the bards now, yes?”

  “I assume so,” Rondo said.

  “Let them protect and train her.” Lord Black’s smile sent a shiver down Rondo’s spine. “When the time is right, we will seize her. Until then, we know where she is and that she’s safe. What more could I hope for given the minimal resources I’ve expended?”

  Rondo thought back to the heavy pouch of gold and swallowed. He considered that wealth minimal?

  “What should I do now, Lord?”

  Lord Black eyed him. “I’m not sure what I’m going to have you do. You’ll stay with us for now. We’ll need all the help we can get for the raid. For now, you may retire to the tower and enjoy the library. I’m sure you’ll find plenty to amuse yourself inside.”

  Lord Black raised his arms and flew back up on deck.

  “You survived, congratulations,” Shade said. “Let’s see if we can find a drink.”

  Rondo followed his erstwhile guide toward the tower. For the first time in his life, Rondo thought a drink might be just the thing.

  Chapter 15

  Yaz and Brigid had been hunting dragon sign for over a week and he still hadn’t seen anything promising. Not a track, a shed scale, or even a sandy stretch suitable for laying an egg. If there were dragons lairing in this part of the country, they were skilled at hiding.

  Their current waste of time was a dry creek bed winding its way through the hardwood forest. At some point water flowed through the bed but given the lack of rain they were in no danger of getting wet. They’d been following it for a day and a half in the hopes that it might lead to a sandbar, but so far, they’d found nothing but gravel.

  Yaz straightened and wiped sweat from his brow. “I think it’s time to move on to richer grounds.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me,” Brigid said. “Who would’ve thought hunting dragons would be so boring? When I pictured our journey, I figured it would be more exciting.”