Had the window moved? It didn’t appear different, but he was sure he felt it give. Delirious, he smashed his palms time and time again and then suddenly he nearly fell into the room as the window slid up on the edge of his bowed staff.
Oblivious to the pain of his battered hands, he shouted, “Give me your hands!”
“Take this!” Nelly handed him the staff, the old length of hardwood scraped up and dented, but he didn’t care.
Even with the window open wide, Nelly struggled to get over the sill. Devius applied his insignificant weight against her bulk to keep her from falling off the ledge.
She stared at him in disbelief. “You saved me.”
“Ya. Ya, don’t make a big deal out of it. Who else will make my supper now that the king wants my head on a pike?” He glanced toward the rear of the building. “Move.”
She nodded. Her face covered in tear-smeared soot, she moved slowly—the thin ledge difficult to manage her full-figured frame along without falling to her death.
Devius looked into the room, his eyes catching sight of the sack containing the scrying bowl. For the briefest of moments, he considered going after it but the incredible heat blowing through the window prevented him from trying.
Following Nelly along the ledge, another explosion ripped out the front half of the building—showering the street with burning timber and flaming debris.
The ledge pitched as the building canted forward and settled. If not for a window that had blown out earlier, they would have fallen into the alleyway below. They hung onto the sill until the building stopped moving. Staring at the shock on Nelly’s face, Devius swallowed.
The room they had escaped from no longer existed.
The sun dropped beyond the distant line of trees marking the eastern edge of the King’s Wood. Its departure took with it what little warmth remained of the late winter day.
Nelly sat with her back against the withered trunk of a dead tree. Devius lay across her lap, shivering in her embrace.
Far to the south, two separate plumes of black smoke rose above Arcanium. Though neither of them had any way of knowing the source of the second fire, they suspected the Wizard’s Staff had served its last stein.
Nelly crushed him against her bosom “You’re freezing. Why don’t you use that staff to give us some heat?”
Devius subtle head shake spoke volumes to his weariness. “A fire will give away our position. If I use magic, J’kwaad will know.”
“How? He’s no more powerful than you. You can’t tell where someone is just by their use of magic. Can you?”
Devius rolled his head to look beyond her triple chin and into her kind eyes. He answered by raising his eyebrows.
She grimaced and stared at the southern horizon.
“I don’t tell you as often as I should.”
Nelly blinked a couple times before looking at him. “What?”
“How beautiful you are.”
Nelly grunted, but held him closer. “You inhaled too much smoke.”
“I’m serious. The only thing more beautiful in this world to me is how wonderful you are on the inside.”
“You’re delirious, you old fool. Lend your mind to what we are to do now.”
“The royal ball is probably out of the question.”
“Mm.”
With his ear pressed against her chest, Devius listened to Nelly’s heartbeat and pondered how quickly his life had changed since the Windwalker had made her presence known. He wondered where she was now. Without his scrying bowl, he might never know.
He pondered retrieving it, but there was no way he could return to Arcanium to fetch it from the ashes. J’kwaad and the king were searching high and low for him. The king had countless resources at his disposal, but that was his least fear. The prince would be relentless. J’kwaad wouldn’t leave a stone unturned or a burrow undug.
He winced. The scrying bowl would likely end up in Draakhorn. If that happened, there was only one place in all the land that he might be safe from J’kwaad’s magical surveillance.
He turned in Nelly’s lap and looked north to the white-capped peak towering over the land—rare that Dragon’s Tooth’s summit could actually be viewed.
He sighed. Just the trek to the base of the notorious mountain was enough to deter the hardiest adventurer. Nor was the climb to the top of the highest peak in the Great Kingdom for the faint of heart.
Pulling at his beard, he contemplated the dangerous terrain they would have to descend into to just to get to the mountain. The Gap. A series of canyons with ravines so deep their bottoms barely saw daylight.
The Gap itself wasn’t the real issue, however. The unspeakable denizens stalking the canyon floor made the trip virtually impossible.
As far as he was concerned, they faced three choices. Try to hide and risk death at the king’s hand. Attempt the Gap and hazard falling prey to creatures he dared not imagine. Or give themselves up to J’kwaad to fulfill whatever dastardly destiny he entertained in that twisted mind of his. Of the three options, becoming the dark heir’s slave was the last one he cared to entertain.
He contemplated his resources.
With any luck, Fleabag would find them soon. He had left the white lion on the edge of the King’s Wood; afraid she would give him away if he took her into Arcanium.
Nelly would give most wizards a bad time—the importance of her added magical prowess couldn’t be underestimated.
And then there were his own, extraordinary arcane skills. One didn’t become high wizard of the Great Kingdom without first proving their worthiness.
He shook his head. J’kwaad’s skills had grown exponentially since Devius had first begun instructing him as a child. He grimaced. He should have shoved the impetuous malcontent off Draakhorn’s balcony when he had the chance.
Left with no other choice, he sighed. An ancient man with little muscle and an overweight, old woman had no business anywhere near Dragon’s Tooth. He would have to be insane to consider such a journey.
He chuckled in resignation and nodded against Nelly’s bosom.
She stroked his hair. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing.”
She leaned over him, squishing him between her folds. “Nothing, my skinny arse. Out with it.”
He smiled at her words, debating the merits of taking her on such a journey. A waft of burning wood from far away Arcanium turned up his nostrils. The relevance made the decision for him.
“Are you up for an adventure?”
“Humph.” She leaned back against the tree. “Every day’s an adventure with you, my old dodderer.”
He gave her a mock frown.
Her pudgy cheeks lifted. “Where to, oh high and mighty wizard?”
“I intend on escorting you, my princess, to the highest tower in the land.”
“Princess? You really are mad.”
Devius sat up. “How about queen of the skies, then?”
Her thick eyebrows knit together.
He faced the solitary mountain; its peak so high it still caught the sunshine and sparkled like a crown. Spreading his arms wide, he grinned. “Miss Nelly, may I present to you a castle befitting the loveliest queen in the land. The high wizard of the north’s bastion. Dragon’s Tooth.”
Feline Chatter
Lurker was unusually quiet the morning after Reecah’s confrontation with Duke Ryonin as they flew east, over a vast stretch of green swampland stretching to every horizon. A line of dark mountains marked the southern horizon while the eastern edge of a separate mountain chain could be seen far to the north.
The silence helped Reecah sort her conflicting emotions. If she was going to go against what everyone else thought was the proper thing to do, she must do it soon.
She glanced at the sky around her. Silence had assumed her usual position high overhead—a sensible tactical decision since Tamra’s eyesight rivaled that of an eagle.
Junior flew Swoop on her left while Aramyss hung onto Scarletcl
aws for dear life on her right—the dwarf’s stubby legs not providing much stability in the prevailing wind.
“We need to land soon and take a break. We’ve been flying all morning.”
Lurker looked back at her and nodded, but remained quiet.
“Is something wrong?”
Lurker didn’t respond. Even with the noise of the wind, she knew him well. He could pick up a whisper from a long way off.
She patted his neck. “Come on, buddy. You can tell me.”
Lurker’s gaze drifted to Swoop and Junior who appeared to be having an animated conversation of their own. Swoop wasn’t allowing her to hear her voice and the wind negated anything Junior might be saying.
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. It’s Reecah asking, remember?”
Lurker’s gaze lingered on Swoop and Junior.
“Ahh. It’s Swoop, isn’t it?”
His eyes darkened.
“Then who? Junior?”
Lurker turned his attention back to the sky in front of them.
“It is Junior. Why? What has he done?”
Lurker’s wing-flaps became unusually rough.
“If he’s done something, you have to tell me. I can talk to him. Junior and I are a couple now.”
A strange sensation rippled her underside and the inside of her legs. Lurker’s body had gone tense.
She frowned, trying to figure out why.
“Don’t approve of Junior and me?”
Lurker’s muscles relaxed. He hung his head.
“I don’t understand. You’re the one who vouched for him in the King’s Wood. You were right. He’s an amazing person. Nothing like his father.” She looked at Junior sitting easy on Swoop’s shoulder.
He must have sensed her attention. He waved—a great smile on his handsome face.
She waved back.
Returning her attention to Lurker, the thought of the Waverunners darkened her spirits. She grumbled, “Or any of the others in his family.”
“He’s going to take you away.”
Lurker’s words startled her. They had come out of nowhere. “Who is? Junior? Why would you say that?”
She sensed his shoulders undulate beneath her. “Did you just shrug?”
Lurker didn’t answer.
She sighed. Dragons were like little children sometimes.
She reflected on their early departure. Leaving Castle Svelte at dawn had been a somber affair. Already the plains around Carillon were filling with tents belonging to the duke’s closest neighbours as his bannermen amassed to take part in the rebellion against the crown.
The duke and duchess had been understandably reserved in the face of the inevitable conflict. Their forces were set to march out within a tenday if the southern and western banners could be rallied on such short notice. Rumours had reached Castle Svelte that an imminent attack on Draakvuur was in the works. If Zephyr didn’t respond quickly, there might not be a dragon colony left to save.
Though not spoken officially, Jozwa had made a troubling remark at the early morning breakfast table. Not all of Zephyr’s nobles would rally in the duke’s name. Unsurprisingly, Thunderhead was mentioned as one of the malcontents loyal to the king, but according to Jozwa, there were others.
Jozwa had told Reecah and her companions that his parents’ biggest fear was that by virtue of throwing their full weight behind the dragon cause, the duke of Svelte risked losing everything. If that happened, the resulting chaos would prove disastrous to any hope of forging an alliance with dragonkind.
Reecah blinked several times, doing her best to push away those fears as she concentrated on the admittedly minor issue at hand. If she understood Lurker as well as she thought she did, she would say he was jealous of Junior’s attention. That made her smile.
“So, how are you and Swoop getting along?”
Lurker’s head perked up but he didn’t answer.
“See? Perhaps I should be worried about your relationship with Swoop. Afraid that she might come between us.” She let that sink in for a moment. “I could be, but I’m not. I’m happy for you. You’ve liked her ever since I first met you. It’s good to share yourself with one of your own kind.”
“That’s different.”
“Exactly! Junior and I share an intimate bond. One that I don’t plan on ever sharing with anyone else. You and I share a different type of bond, but that doesn’t make it any less intimate. Just in a different way. Does that make sense?”
She slid her hands beneath two of his scales and scratched at his leathery skin. He loved that. “You never have to worry about Junior taking me away. I promise I will never willingly part with you again. You and I share a bond that is very special to me. One that I won’t allow anyone to break until the day I die.”
Lurker tensed. “Please don’t say things like that.”
“What? Death?” Reecah laughed. “Tell you what. You promise me to never die and I’ll promise you the same. Whoever breaks their promise first loses.”
Several, long, slow wing beats passed. “I think that whoever is left alive will be the loser.”
His wise words hit her hard. She leaned in and hugged his neck. A dragon’s lifespan consisted of several centuries. Kissing the cold scale pressed against her cheek, she whispered, “I’ll try to live as long as I can.”
A peculiarly golden coloured pond cast the surrounding swamp in an ethereal haze—the light appearing to emanate from beneath the water’s surface.
Tamra had spotted it from Silence’s shoulders and led them to its shores.
“What do ye suppose it is, lass?” Aramyss stood beside Tamra on the edge of the pond, his helmeted head barely reaching the elf’s elbow.
“Earth magic.”
Aramyss nodded as if that explained everything. A great cloud of smoke billowed from his lips as he puffed on his pipe and stared at the still water.
Reecah and Junior sat together on a rock by a fire—more for warmth than to cook anything. The midday sun shone brilliantly in a clear, pale blue sky, providing them with little relief from a late winter cold snap.
Junior nudged Reecah and whispered, “You think pointy ears will get with stubby legs?”
Reecah’s jaw fell open. She glanced at Junior like he had lost his mind and held a finger to her lips—her eyes indicating Tamra.
“What? She can’t hear me way over here,” he said with confidence, but his features lost their mirth.
The four dragons stopped what they were doing and looked his way.
Reecah lifted her eyebrows.
Junior kept his voice down. “Ya, but they’re dragons.”
Tamra’s head slowly rotated to stare him straight in the eyes. “And I’m an elf.”
If Junior’s face could have slid from his skull, Reecah was sure it would have ended up in his lap. She punched his shoulder and fell to her back laughing harder than she had in a long time. Trying to compose herself, she held out a hand. “Help me up.”
Junior’s cheeks were Scarletclaws red. Unable to look at Reecah, he reached back and pulled her up beside him.
Reecah wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, snorting. “Oh Junior. You make me laugh.”
Tamra looked down at Aramyss. “It’s a good thing for him he’s the Windwalker’s friend, else I’d carve him like a fawn and spit him over the fire.”
Junior swallowed, gaping at Reecah, genuine fear in his eyes.
A black missile dropped to the ground before them, rolling in a flurry of feathers. “Carve him! Carve him!”
Reecah hugged Junior tight, laughing even louder. It felt good to release her tension. It served as a way to push aside the heavy decision she was about to make. Releasing him, she wiped at the tears of happiness and considered the dragons.
The smile left her face. “I have something I want to say.”
The dragons’ heads perked up. Tamra and Aramyss walked over to stand across the fire.
Reecah bit her lower lip, searching for words to smooth over the contentious pronouncement, but they wouldn’t come.
“It’s time we went our different ways.”
Everyone nodded, expecting nothing less.
She forced a smile for Tamra and Aramyss’ benefit. “But we’re not going where the duke thinks.”
The elf and dwarf frowned.
Not that it made any difference to their ability to hear, the dragons crept closer.
“Well, I guess in a way we are but…oh!” She belted out in frustration. “What I’m trying to say is this. I am the one who is going to find Devius. Me and Junior actually, not you two.”
Tamra’s face hardened.
Aramyss’ multi-coloured eyes narrowed.
“Hear me out. This is something I honestly believe I must do if I’m to make a difference. Devius claims that a powerful magic user can augment their skills many times over if they possess the proper staff.” She grabbed her staff and stood, holding it out for all to see. “This is what Grimelda gave her life for. To help me do what must be done. I cannot allow her sacrifice to have been in vain.”
Aramyss took off his helm and shook out his scraggly hair. “Ye cannot know that. Duke Ryonin says the dragon queen will have need of ya.”
Tamra relieved Reecah of the staff and inspected it. “Devius told you that the dragon queen will teach you what you need to know. The longer you delay your meeting, the less time you’ll have before J’kaar’s army attacks.”
“Devius had no way of knowing that I would acquire such a magical conduit. Without his instruction, it is nothing but a stick.”
Aramyss went to touch it but Tamra pulled it away from his thick fingers. He glowered at her but spoke to Reecah, “Who’s to say Queen Askara ain’t to be the one to teach ye about yer staff?”
“Don’t think that hasn’t crossed my mind.” She turned to include the dragons who stood close behind her. “No offense my scaly friends, but I don’t think dragons can teach me wizardry. Dragon magic, whatever that is, yes, but wizardry is a human trait. Grimelda was human.”
Legends of the Lurker Box Set Page 76
