The boy collapsed into Belli’s arms, his strength gone, the torment of reliving his greatest terror too much to bear. Valian approached and picked the unconscious child up out of Belli’s arms. She followed him outside after grabbing the stuffed toy she saw sprawled on the floor behind the dresser.
They found the wagons just outside the gates. The former dragon keeper placed the boy gently in Bellithana’s bed, where she tucked the toy under his arm, and they went back to the courtyard. The group had reassembled, finding nothing but a few supplies and some battered weapons.
“Most of it is burned beyond repair,” said one of the soldiers. “If anyone survived, they fled. It looks like all the dragons are dead, too. Whoever did this was thorough and unrelenting.”
Valian’s face was beet red with fury. “We know who did this. There is no question in my mind. They freed their dragons. Aito thinks this is still his territory, so he retaliated. He will not get away with it. These people will have justice, if I have to use my last breath to achieve it.”
“What will you do?”
The man thought for a moment. “A trap. We send someone to find him. Their trail should not be difficult to follow. There hasn’t been enough snow since the attack to cover that many tracks. They will report that a group of Rona’s warriors are here, unaware that Aito is so close. When they come, we will be ready.”
“We cannot take on so many, Valian. We are too few, and we did not receive the help from the Gypsies that we expected.”
A snort of irritation beside her made Belli smile in amusement. She did not find it funny that her fellow Gypsies had abandoned them once the biggest battle was won, but Passo took it even harder than she did. Long into the night he would rant, and many of his rants were quite entertaining.
Valian growled. “I know, but we have to do something. We cannot allow this to happen again.”
He paced the courtyard before pausing in front of the Gypsy woman. His eyes were big and bright and she could see the idea shining in them like a beacon of hope.
“The Rimers,” he said simply.
“They are a tall tale.” The voice came from one of the soldiers.
Valian turned to him. “No, they are not. Maybe they seem that way to you southerners, but they do exist. They are some of the fiercest fighters I have ever seen. And we need their help.”
“How will we find them?”
“Send the child.”
“No.” Belli’s mouth grew into a hard line. “He has been through enough. You will not use him that way.”
Valian stepped in front of the Gypsy. “The Rimers are compassionate, even though they may not seem it. When the child nears the Barrier, they will see him, and they will not leave him to die. He will be perfectly safe in their hands. He can convince them to return to the village.”
Belli scowled, her arms crossed. “It is his choice. You will not force him.”
“Fair enough. Now, let’s plan how we will destroy Aito’s forces once they arrive.”
Chapter 18
The sky was just turning a deep purple when Dixon woke Lana from her dreamless sleep. Lana once again rode Jalea, but very few words were exchanged. They were nearing the Barrier and Jalea had requested their silence. Her nervous demeanor set Lana on edge. The young dragon’s head constantly swiveled and she jumped at every noise in the deep woods.
The thick blanket of snow muffled their movements, but Lana’s chest tensed with every sound. She felt Jalea’s pace slow as they neared a turn in the path and reached back to place a hand on her bow.
“You might not want to do that.” The voice was deep and strong. Lana knew it was not Dixon’s voice and her nostrils flared with fear.
Jalea turned her head, glaring at the woman on her back. “I told you no weapons.” She snorted and faced forward again.
As Lana lowered her hand, she looked around. Dixon was removing his own hand from his sword and Neth had tensed visibly. Several stressful moments passed before Lana heard a noise and looked to her right.
In the woods, she could just make out the outline of a dragon between the snowy trees. As she surveyed the area, she saw more and more dragons. Settling her hands into her lap, she straightened her shoulders and raised her chin, staring down the path in front of her.
Another dragon emerged from around the bend. He was pure white, like Jalea and the other Rimers, but he had a pink scar running across his snout. To his back was strapped a large hammer, which Lana had no doubt he could wield with proficiency. The dragon approached them without fear, his blue eyes blazing and meeting Lana’s stare with a challenge. She held her head high and did not break his gaze, though her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.
When he finally reached them, he lowered his eyes to focus on Jalea. “Are you hurt, child?”
The smaller dragon shook her head. “No, Master Andeo. I am fine. These people saved me from a band of slavers.”
Jalea’s words were soft and she kept her head lowered slightly, though she did not appear to fear the other dragon. Lana heard the way the youth addressed the creature and bowed her own head, dropping her hard stare to his chin instead of his eyes. Through her peripheral vision, she saw Andeo’s eyebrows raise as he appraised the human, and he nodded once almost imperceptibly.
“Friends?”
Jalea paused before answering, her head wobbling as she debated the question. “Close enough,” she finally said.
Andeo’s eyes narrowed as he examined her face, then he snorted in laughter. “Alright. ‘Close enough’ is close enough for me. Introduce us, please.”
Jalea jerked her head backward gently. “The dragon is Anethesis, called Neth. She was a slave, but now she is free. The Gypsy is Dixon. He helped free Neth not too long ago.”
The young dragon turned her head around to look at Lana. “This is Chelandra.”
Lana could hear murmurs through the trees. She strained to hear what they said, but she could not tell if they were happy murmurs or angry murmurs. Her fingers twitched and she longed to reach for her bow, but she kept her body as still as possible.
“I see.” The large white dragon moved forward, coming to Jalea’s side. He was face-to-face with Lana and he leaned in so close she could feel his hot breath on her cheeks.
“I always thought you would be uglier. Heroes are never as pretty as the tales claim. The stories are true this time.”
Lana clenched her teeth and felt the color rise in her cheeks. She knew the hotness there was no longer due to the dragon’s breath. “Thank you,” she muttered, unsure of what else to say. Hearing Dixon laugh behind her, she threw a glare his way, desperately wishing she could reach the snow to throw a chunk of ice at him.
“Come,” said the larger dragon. “Your mother will be thrilled to see you. She has been a wreck since you disappeared.”
As they rounded the corner, another dragon stepped up to them and Andeo addressed her. “Incatan, you are in charge until I return.” The other dragon bowed and stepped back into the woods, blending into the landscape so well that Lana had a hard time picking her out as they passed.
The group walked in silence for several minutes before Jalea spoke up once more. “My brother…” she began, but her voice cracked before she could get any other words out. Lana reached down, placing a gloved hand on the dragon’s back.
Andeo turned his head and smiled. “He is fine. He suffered a sprained wing and his pride is quite wounded, but he will be good as new in a week or two. Especially now that you have returned. Your loss has been very hard on your family. We have searched for you nonstop. I only just returned from leading a search party. But those slavers knew what they were doing. I believe they are the same who took Milwaith’s heir and the Zelt twins.”
“They will not be a problem anymore.”
Andeo turned so he could see Dixon riding on Neth behind them. “No?”
“No. This lovely little dragon,” the Gypsy said, waving at Jalea, “took care of the leader quite handily. And we
left the other two in the woods without so much as a slice of bread.”
“Very good.” Andeo nodded and smiled at Jalea.
Lana saw the youngster’s white scales color slightly and laughed, glad she was not the only one to be embarrassed that day. “So, Master Andeo, is it? Or do you have another title you prefer outsiders to call you?”
“We have not had many welcome outsiders for the last three centuries, my dear, so Master Andeo is fine. I am the leader of the Milwaith, head of the Rimer defenses.”
Lana nodded once. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
At Andeo’s insistence, Jalea related the entire story of her capture and rescue while they walked. By the time she finished, the sky was nearly dark and the humans were struggling to stay in their seats on top of the dragons. Lana’s eyes drooped and she felt herself leaning further forward with every step Jalea took.
“Look.” Jalea’s high-pitched voice and vibrating body brought Lana out of the numb, half-aware state she had fallen into. Before them stretched a wooden wall, dotted every few feet with brightly burning braziers. Atop the wall, Lana could see figures moving.
“The gates of Lestar are at hand, my dear weary travelers,” said Andeo as he beamed at those following him.
“And my mother,” replied Jalea. Though the young dragon did her best, she could not suppress the squeal of excitement that rose in her throat and it brought a smile to Lana’s tired face.
It took them another twenty minutes to arrive at the city, despite the rapid pace the young Rimer set. As they drew closer, the wall rose in front of them until they could look both left and right and only see the massive construction.
“This thing is huge,” marveled Dixon.
“Indeed. Lestar is the greatest village in the Rimer lands. It was the home of the first god and it has been a beacon of safety and promise since those days. Come. The gates are this way.”
Jalea and Neth followed Andeo along the wall until they came to the enormous double gates. Six full-grown dragons could pass through abreast without touching. Four armored white dragons stood at attention outside the gates, one on either side and two in the middle. Lana could feel their icy eyes on her and shifted nervously. The gates themselves were shut.
“Why are they gates closed, Master Andeo?” Jalea sounded confused and slightly distraught, which worried Lana.
The large dragon turned to the youth and smiled. “Your disappearance and rumors from the south have everyone on edge. No one is allowed outside the gates without a guard now. Wait here, please.”
Andeo left the others standing a dozen paces from the gates and approached the guards. After several minutes of hushed conversation, he returned to the group. As he did, the gates began to move inward. Lana strained her eyes, but she could see no mechanism to allow such an action.
When the gates were far enough apart to allow the dragons to enter, the guards in the middle stepped to the side. When Andeo passed, they fell to one knee for the count of three before rising and returning to their posts.
Hearing a creak behind her, Lana turned to watch the gates shut. Six enormous creatures held six equally enormous handles and shoved the gates into place. The wooden constructs settled into position with a resounding thud.
“They are reinforced with stone,” Andeo said from beside her. “The outer layers on both sides are wood, but inside is solid, pulled from the depths of the Aegis Mine.”
Lana nodded. “I have heard of the Aegis Mine. Its stone is supposedly the densest in Layr, impossible to penetrate and almost as impossible to lift.”
“You are correct. Because of the extreme difficulty in mining, moving, and lifting, it is mostly used in construction of walls and strongholds. The clan home is built with it. Should Lestar ever be attacked, the inhabitants will fall back to the compound.”
Lana followed Andeo’s nod and saw a massive structure rising from the center of the village. It towered over the other buildings, multiple stories high and nearly half as wide as the village itself. She could see a high stone wall surrounding the interior building.
As they walked through the streets, Andeo and Jalea pointed out several of the more notable points of Lestar. Lana noted that the buildings were much larger than those she was familiar with, more like the dragon houses in Atina. The doors were large enough to fit even Ychthorn. The thought of her friend brought a tear to her eye and she blinked it away before it had a chance to fall.
“When we arrive at the gate, you must wait until I return for you. Humans have not been allowed beyond those walls since the fall of Sigurd and I cannot promise you will be welcome.”
The entrance to the stronghold was only a single gate, half the size of the Gates of Lestar, but still made of the same stone. It required four of the enormous creatures to open it. Once inside, Andeo held up a hand. “Wait here, please.”
The group stood in a courtyard. In the center bubbled a fountain and Neth walked up to it. As she put her head down to take a sip, a guard stepped up to her.
“You may not wish to do that, ma’am.”
She frowned at him and looked back at the water. Only then did she notice the steam rising from it and the small bubbles forming along the stone at the bottom. He pointed to a smaller pool to the side. A stream of the hot spring water trickled into it, keeping it full, but not boiling. Neth nodded her thanks and drank her fill before joining the others.
Jalea was explaining how the fountain worked when the group heard a scream echo through the courtyard. Instinctively, Lana reached for her bow. As she did, the guard next to her drew his sword and pointed it in her direction. Jalea ignored them both, racing toward the source of the disturbance. When Lana saw the young dragon throw herself into the embrace of the other dragon, she lowered her weapon and the guard lowered his.
“That is her mother,” he said, his stern look moving from Lana to the dragons.
Lana, Dixon, and Neth waited with the guard for Jalea and her mother to finish their tearful greetings. Before they were through, a dragon that Lana assumed was Jalea’s brother joined them. Jalea pulled herself away from both and bounced over to her new friends, her grin so big that Lana thought the girl’s face would crack.
“Mom, this is Lana, Dixon, and Anethesis. They saved me.”
Jalea’s mother threw a massive arm around Lana and pulled her close. Lana could do nothing but focus on forcing air through her crushed body until the scaly creature released her and accosted Dixon and Neth the same way. The white dragon offered no words of thanks. Her tears and affections were more than enough to show her appreciation.
“Mother, please calm down. You are going to break them.” Jalea’s brother’s tone was not harsh, but amused and gentle, and he held the same smile as his little sister.
When the maternal dragon finally pulled herself away from her daughter’s rescuers, she sniffled and visibly tried to compose herself. Lana noticed that several of the dragons in the courtyard were staring with mouths agape at the scene.
The guard beside Lana leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Clan Leader Theatea rarely shows so much emotion. You have caused quite a scene, young human.”
Lana could sense the smile in his voice, though none showed on his stoic face. She grinned at him before being ushered through the courtyard and into the interior of the castle.
The sight that greeted her was beyond anything she had ever expected. Rimers were often referred to as barbarians in the tales she had heard. She had realized that all those tales were wrong when she entered Lestar, and the spectacle before her solidified that. The main entrance hall was enormous and decorated lavishly with beautifully woven tapestries, plush carpets, and dozens of carvings made from wood, marble, gold, and numerous other materials which she could not name.
The dragons they passed inside were outfitted with jewelry rivaling that of the Gypsies and many wore thick wraps around their shoulders in various colors. Andeo, who had followed them inside, stopped to pick up a wrap that lay on the floor.
It was a deep burnt orange and was elaborately embroidered with leaves and vines along the edges. Fringe lined it at the shorter ends. He carefully draped the wrap over the shoulders of Jalea’s mother, bowing as he stepped away from her. She smiled at him, her eyes still shining with tears, and nodded once.
“Come, my children. We have so much to discuss.”
Together with Jalea and her brother, the dragon swept through a set of double doors into a smaller chamber. Lana, Dixon, and Neth hesitated. Andeo stood behind them, blocking any retreat, but they did not wish to enter the room uninvited.
Moments later, Jalea popped her head through the doors, a frown on her face. “What are you doing?”
Dixon shuffled his feet. “We thought your mother wanted to speak to you two alone.”
Jalea laughed. “She refers to everyone as her children. Get in here.”
She held the door for them as they entered and showed them to pillows arrayed along the floor. The pillows were massive, fit for a dragon, but Lana and Dixon settled in comfortably. Once they were seated and a servant had brought drinks for the group, Jalea’s mother turned her attention to the visitors.
“Now, tell me everything.”
Chapter 19
For the second time that day, Jalea related the story of her capture and rescue, with Lana, Dixon, and Neth adding in details along the way. When she was finished, her mother turned to the visitors.
“So you are the famed Chelandra, then?”
“Yes, clan leader.”
The white dragon shook her head. “Please, you are not of my clan. Call me Thea. I would like to hear your story, if you do not mind. We have heard many rumors of your deeds, but it is often difficult to part the tale from the truth.”
Lana began with her life in Jaje. When she reached the part where she first learned about Ychthorn, Theatea held up a jeweled hand. “Please pause for a moment. I believe there may be a few others who wish to hear this. I do apologize for making you start over.”
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