Test of the Dragon

by Jessica Drake

  They nodded. "We won't tell anyone where you've gone," Kade said. There was always a possibility one of Salcombe's minions would come to the island, or that the Zallabarians would get here before Tavarian managed to negotiate asylum for the rest of us. "See you on the other side, Commandant."

  The group saluted, and the three of us returned the gesture before mounting up.

  "Let's go," I said to Lessie as the last of the sunlight finally died. Hopefully with the pieces of heart far away, the rest of the base would be able to rest easy tonight.

  15

  The first leg of our flight took four hours across the open ocean. We headed to Movaria, a different continent entirely, located in the east. We had a few colonies in the northern part of the continent, but after hearing about what happened to the council who'd decided to take refuge at Winnia, we decided to stay away from those entirely.

  "I wish you'd had a chance to rest more," I said to Lessie as we lounged by the campfire. We'd chosen a small, uninhabited island to rest on for the day. Unlike Polyba, this place was verdant, with lots of vegetation and animals, a good place for the dragons to hide while we rested. "You were hit pretty hard by the horn's blowback, too."

  "Not as hard as you," Lessie said, "and besides, I don't need to rest between flights as long as I used to. I've gotten quite a bit stronger."

  "You sure have," I said as I stroked her glittering scales. "Maybe that fish diet has been good for you."

  Lessie snorted at my joke, and I laughed. Despite the dangers ahead, it felt good to be on the road, or in the skies, again. While it was nice to have breaks, I belonged outside in the wide world, traveling to new places and embarking on new adventures.

  "And getting ourselves into trouble, of course," Lessie said with a grin, and I laughed again.

  "You two look like you're having a nice time," Halldor said as he and Rhia walked into the clearing. They'd gone to gather more wood for the fire while I stayed behind to roast the mussels and shellfish we'd gathered along the shoreline. "Mmm, that smells delicious."

  "They should be done right about now," I said. I nudged the mussels out of the fire with a stick and onto a waiting leaf to cool so we could crack them open. "You find anything of interest?"

  Halldor shook his head. "There's no one else living here."

  "Makes sense." I hadn't sensed anything of value on the island when we'd landed, and I doubted I'd find much with an in-depth search. I supposed it was too small to be anything other than a private retreat, and for whatever reason no one had claimed it yet.

  The dragons, satisfied that we would be safe for a while, took flight to hunt for their own breakfast while we ate ours.

  "So," Rhia said after she'd swallowed a mouthful of shellfish. "What exactly can we expect once we arrive at the forge? Did Caor tell you anything useful?"

  "Not really," I said, a little grumpy as I thought of the messenger god. "He just said that Derynnis doesn't like visitors, and it's fifty-fifty as to whether or not he'll help us."

  "That explains why the forge is so damned hard to reach," Halldor said as he stoked the fire. It was nice to be able to sit around one without fear. On this remote island, and in broad daylight, we didn't have to worry about attracting attention. "I'm not looking forward to the voyage."

  "Do you know anything about Derynnis at all?" Rhia prompted. "You've studied a lot about the ancient gods, Zara. Surely you've read something about him."

  "Yeah, a little." And nothing good, but Rhia and Halldor deserved to know as much as possible. "Derynnis doesn't have the best reputation. He was feared by everyone. His job is to judge those who pass into the afterlife and make sure those who did not get punished for their evil deeds in life don't escape their fate. He tends to express his anger via earthquakes and erupting volcanoes, and he has dominion over the fires under our feet."

  "The fires under our feet?" Halldor exclaimed. "But there is no such thing."

  "Actually," Rhia said, "there are scholars who theorize there is a river of lava flowing beneath the earth. That's why it spews out of volcanoes."

  "Really?" Halldor's brow furrowed. "I just thought there was a pool sitting beneath the volcano and that it got agitated every once in a while. I've never actually seen a volcano explode," he admitted. "Elantia doesn't have any active ones."

  "In any case," I said, not wanting to get pulled into a scientific discussion that I didn't have any answers for, "we need to be prepared for opposition when we arrive at the island. Hopefully Caor will tell us more when he next decides to grace us with his presence." I raised my voice and pointedly looked toward the sky in case he was listening, but naturally, I received no answer.

  Rhia laughed. "I guess the gods don't like to come when called."

  "Not only do they not come when called, they show up when they're not wanted," Lessie said snidely.

  "Maybe a little less vitriol?" I suggested. "We kind of need the gods on our side for this one."

  Lessie said nothing, but I could feel her animosity in the bond. Not that I could blame her. The gods had made no secret of their dislike for dragons, so it was only natural that she would hate them as well. For our collective sanity, we finished the rest of our meal in peace.

  "Do you have any family still in Elantia?" I asked Halldor as we cleaned up after the meal. "Or did they manage to escape?"

  "I checked on my family estate when we went to Elantia, and it seems like they've fled," Halldor said bitterly. "It's occupied by Zallabarians now. I can only hope they won't trash the place too much or sell off all our family heirlooms before we can take the country back."

  "I'm sorry." Rhia placed a hand over his. "I know what that's like."

  "Yeah." He nodded, lacing his fingers with hers. "Your mother was driven out of her home too, right? That's why she's at Polyba with the rest of our group?"

  "She would have stayed in Zuar City if we hadn't come to rescue her," Rhia said. "I think she might have been fine hiding out with friends since she’s not a dragon rider. But I think it's best that she's away from it all, and the painful memories."

  "Are your parents the only members left of your family?" I asked Halldor.

  "There are others scattered around Elantia, but we were the only ones at the estate. My aunt, my father's younger sister, lived with us when I was little, but she left after she had a falling out with my father." His smile turned sad. "Actually, you remind me a bit of her, Zara. She had a very adventurous spirit and always wanted to travel to new places, or so my father said. And not to mention that red hair," he said, twirling a finger around his own curls. "Though we have that in common, too."

  "I've never actually met someone with hair that looked so similar to mine," I said. I'd met people with red hair, and curly hair, but the combination itself seemed to be rare. "Does it run in your family?"

  Halldor nodded. "Everyone from my father's side of the family has it."

  My heart beat a little faster as pieces fell into place. "How long ago did your aunt leave? And how old is she?"

  "Maybe thirty years ago?" Halldor scrunched up his face as he tried to remember. He would have been no more than five years old, so he couldn't have remembered her that well. "We never heard from her again, and I think my parents received news some years later that she had died." His gaze sharpened. "Why do you want to know?"

  "Because," I said, not wanting to beat around the bush, "I think we might be related." I showed him my dragon blade and told him what little I knew. "There's a town in southwest Elantia I've been wanting to visit that may have answers," I told him. “Marcine.”

  "That's where my family estate is!" Halldor exclaimed. He scrutinized my face, inching closer to me. "I wish I remembered her face better. But you and I do share the same nose, I think."

  "You do, now that I look at the both of you," Rhia said, sounding a little stunned. "The same chin, too. I'm not sure why I didn't see it before."

  "There have been more important things to worry about," I said, a little bre
athless with excitement. "If I'm right, we might be cousins. What was your aunt's name?"

  "Allara," he said. "Allara Savin."

  “Savin.” I tested the name out on my tongue. Of course, that wouldn't have been my family name, but it was close, closer than I'd been in a long time. “You know, there is one way to settle this for sure,” I said, standing up.

  Halldor eyed me apprehensively as I picked up my dragon blade. “And what way is that?”

  Smiling, I handed him the weapon. “Take it for a spin. If you’re able to wield it, that means you and I share a bloodline.”

  Halldor grasped the weapon, then gave it an experimental spin. I’d retracted the blades so that only the tips protruded from the handle, but when Halldor pivoted to the left and jabbed, the foremost blade shot out, extending to its full-length.”

  “Whoa.” A delighted grin spread across his face. “I’ve heard of these blades before, but I’d never had a chance to try one out before! Where did you get it?”

  “Jallis gave it to me,” I said. “His family had it in their armory, but since I was able to use it, it obviously didn’t belong to them. Since you can use it too, that means it must have originally been in your family.”

  “Our family,” Halldor corrected. His grin softened as he handed the weapon back to me, the blades retracted once more. “Do you think we’re cousins, then?”

  “Most likely.” I returned the blade to its sheath, then sat down heavily, my thoughts whirling in my head. Halldor, my cousin! Excitement raced through my veins at this new development—I was talking to a living, breathing member of my family! “When all this is over, I’d like to seek out your father and ask him some questions.” This woman, Allara, might very well be my mother. Could it be the estrangement Halldor was talking about was over my father? Had he been a common ground-dweller, unsuitable for Allara in her brother's eyes? Or was there a feud between the families that had driven her away? The possibilities were endless.

  The three of us discussed the issue for another hour before finally turning in. I decided against the tincture today, but even so I fell into a deep, relatively peaceful sleep. The three of us took turns watching while the dragons slept straight through—they needed the most rest since they were flying—but neither the dragon god nor anyone else disturbed us. I wondered if the dragon god could only attack us in our sleep in the night, or if he was busy elsewhere. And what of Salcombe? Was he tracking us across the sea, even now?

  We awoke at twilight, and after a quick meal from the rations we'd brought with us, set off again. As we climbed higher and higher into the sky, a group of ships passed by, flying black flags from their masts.

  "Pirates," Halldor said in disgust, his voice clear as a bell through our earpieces. "They infest the northern shores of the Movarian continent, hitting coastal towns and dragging away both treasure and people to sell into slavery."

  "Slavery?" Rhia sounded shocked. "Is that legal in this part of the world?"

  "No, but that doesn't stop it from happening," Halldor said. "Rich, powerful men love to buy slaves, especially pretty women."

  "We should set their sails on fire," Lessie growled, her anger sizzling through the bond. Kiethara tossed her head in agreement, smoke steaming from her nostrils, and I knew that if I gave the word, the three of them would gleefully dive-bomb the pirates.

  "That's a nice idea, but what about the innocents who might be on board?" I countered. "We would end up killing them too. Besides, the last thing we want to do is draw attention."

  Lessie drew in a longsuffering breath. "Just once, it would be nice to throw logic aside," she said. But to my relief, she didn't try to challenge me, and neither did the other dragons.

  Even so, I was tempted as we flew over the flotilla. The men on board craned their necks to watch us, many pointing and shouting in fear and awe.

  "Zara, look! To the left!"

  My heart leapt into my throat. A boy was arrowing through the water, heading straight for the island we'd just left. I zoomed in with my goggles. He couldn't be more than twelve, his scrawny body battling against the ocean waves as they tried to batter him back toward the ship. He must have taken the opportunity to escape, knowing his captors would be distracted by us.

  "Dammit," I swore under my breath. We couldn't leave him there—he would drown. Taking my unspoken permission, Lessie dove for the waves. Gunfire exploded through the air as the pirates fired at us, and I sucked in a sharp breath as a cannonball hit the water only five feet from the boy. He sputtered as the resulting wave crashed over him, then shrieked as Lessie caught him up in her claws and shot back into the sky.

  "Let me go!" he cried in Warosian, and I nearly fell off Lessie in shock. So he wasn't even from this continent? I leaned over the side to get a look at him, and gritted my teeth as he continued to fight, kicking and waving his arms about as he tried to get Lessie to dislodge him.

  "Shut up!" Halldor snapped as Kiethara brought him level with the boy. "Do you want Lessie to drop you? You'll die from this height."

  "What do you want from me?" The boy's voice was pitched high with fear. "I just escaped from one slaver. I'm not going to be taken by another!"

  "We're Elantians, you idiot," Halldor said, his eyes flashing with impatience. "We don't practice slavery. Weren't the dragons a clue?"

  "We're not here to hurt you," Rhia said gently. "We just saw that you were in trouble, and we wanted to help."

  The boy stopped struggling, his lanky body sagging in Lessie's arms.

  "Do you think I could sit with one of you?" he asked in a small voice. "It's a little uncomfortable, hanging here like this."

  "Ungrateful brat," Lessie huffed. But she deposited the boy on the back of Halldor's dragon, and Halldor secured him on the saddle in front of him.

  Lessie pulled close enough to Kiethara that I could talk to the boy directly.

  "I'm Zara, and this is my dragon, Lessie. We saw you in the ocean, and Lessie was worried you would drown, so she rescued you."

  The boy's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that? Can she talk to you?"

  "Yes. We have a telepathic link."

  "Really? Can she talk to me, too?"

  "Just me, unfortunately." I gave him a crooked smile. "But trust me when I say she has a mind of her own. She was trying to convince me to set those ships on fire right before we rescued you."

  "I wish you had." A dark cloud passed over the boy's face. "The things they do to us...it would have been better to die, even in a fire, than continue to be a slave."

  My heart ached at the raw pain in his voice, and if he'd been sitting on Lessie I would have been tempted to wrap him up in my arms and hug him. "I'm sorry you've suffered so much," I said gravely. "What is your name? And how did you get all the way out here?"

  The boy's eyes filled with tears, and his lower lip trembled, just for a moment. "My name is Tibo," he said. "My parents and I were from Teluva.” My brain instantly placed the town on a mental map—it was a coastal town in southern Warosia. “We'd heard the Movarian pirates were attacking nearby countries, but we didn’t think they’d come to Warosia until two weeks ago when they attacked. My parents hid me in the cellar, but the pirates found me anyway." He sniffled, wiping at the tears running down his cheeks, but anger flared in his deep blue eyes. "I guess they thought I was pretty, because they decided to take me along instead of kill me."

  A sick feeling settled in my stomach as I looked at Tibo again. Beneath the bruises and dirt on his face he was a handsome boy. That rat's nest of dark hair probably curled handsomely around his angular face, and he'd probably gotten his mother to give him anything he wanted with one look from those sapphire eyes. The look of horror on Halldor's face told me he was thinking the same thing I was—the boy would have met a terrible fate if he'd stayed on that ship.

  "Do you know if your parents survived?" I asked cautiously. "Or were they taken with you?"

  Tibo shook his head. "They were killed," he whispered. "I heard the pirates
gun them down in the living room while I hid below. I wish..." His voice choked with tears. "I wish I'd been brave enough to do something. To fight them."

  "There was nothing you could have done," Halldor said roughly. His annoyance had long vanished, and he gave the boy a one-armed hug. "You did exactly as your parents wanted, and you're here with us now. We'll get you someplace safe."

  But where? I wondered as we flew into the night. The stars glittered coldly around us, like a sea of sharp diamonds ready to slice into us if we strayed off course. I didn't dare bring him along with us to the forge. The journey would be dangerous, and the forge was no place for a child. And we couldn't turn back to Warosia. We would lose too much precious time.

  "We'll figure something out," Lessie said softly. "We always do."

  "Yes." And despite the problem literally sitting in our laps, I couldn't regret saving the boy. After all, if we turned our backs on someone as badly in need as Tibo, we would be no better than the monsters we sought to destroy.

  16

  We flew until the sky turned light gray, signaling the coming dawn. Tibo was fast asleep in Halldor's arms when we landed in the ruins of an ancient pre-Dragon War settlement. It was a good twenty miles inland from the shore, and far enough from the closest town that we were relatively safe from pirates and prying eyes.

  "This place is a little creepy," Halldor said as we made camp in one of the more intact buildings. Three of the ivy-covered walls were still standing, and part of the roof was even intact, though there was still enough of it exposed that it wouldn’t keep any rain off us. "I think ghosts probably rise up from the ground at night and walk around the town, lamenting their lost lives and cursing whoever sacked this place all those years ago."

  "Do you really think so?" Tibo asked, his eyes wide as saucers. He was already sitting on his bedroll, halfway through the hard biscuit I'd given him.

  Rhia smacked Halldor on the shoulder. "Don't tell silly stories like that! You'll scare the boy."