Adina nodded. “Makes sense. But, how?”
Isabella said the plan and what they still needed to find.
“I know just the thing,” Adina said excitedly. “Use the netting from that infernal contraption those bastards used to capture her.”
Isabella remembered how helpless Caritha had looked under the netting made from a mesh of strong metal rope. Sisera had been captured shortly after by a similar netting and Isabella could feel the dragon tense up with fear at the mention of it. She reached out and placed a hand on the dragon’s shoulder.
“That would work perfectly,” the dragon said, as confidently as she could muster but Isabella knew the idea of seeing the horrible devices again made the beast nervous. “Truly. I will tell Brendoth,” Sisera said quickly and made her way into the cave.
Adina gave Isabella a questioning eye and the young girl quickly laid out the situation.
“I am so sorry. I am a terrible person. I had no idea,” Adina said, her hands planted firmly on her cheeks.
“It’s fine. She will be OK. She knows that it is the only option we have at this point. It will be good for her to face her fear of it so soon and under these circumstances. If the next time she sees one is in another attack, that may be the end of us,” Isabella said.
“It’s hard to think that you are only thirteen. You’re so mature,” Adina said with a proud smile as she ran her hand down the young girls dragonscaled cheek.
“I’ve been through a lot already,” Isabella said with a sheepish smile.
“Brendoth suggested we get the netting then stop at the monastery on the way back. We should make it there before it gets light out,” Sisera said as she returned from the cave.
“That’s a good plan. Are you sure you are OK, though? You’ve been flying for a long time without much of a break,” Isabella said.
“I’m doing fine,” Sisera said. “I just need some food and I will be right as monkey’s uncle.”
Adina and Isabella shared a look of misunderstanding that turned into shared concern about the dragon’s current mental state. She’s losing it, Isabella thought with a wide-eyed expression on her face.
“You remember we can share thoughts, right?”
“Sorry, just a little concerned,” Isabella mindlinked.
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
The flight to the Tower was short and familiar but the fortress itself felt cold and unwelcoming. It stood completely dark, hidden from the moonlight by the mountain into which it was built. That made it look even more ominous.
“The workers are there,” Sisera said as she pointed to a small flicker of light in the trees. The dragon landed in a clear spot and Isabella proceeded toward the camp on foot. The workers immediately recognized the girl as she walked into their camp. Forty voices cheered at a visit from their Dragonblood Princess. Isabella quickly said that they were in a hurry and what they were after. The workers pointed out the rubbish heap where all the machines left by the Sacred Blood had been stacked.
Even by torchlight, Sisera easily found the nasty metal netting and fearlessly plucked it out of the pile. After an extended farewell, where it was insisted that Isabella meet each worker individually as they each had something they wanted to say to her, they set off toward the monastery.
“It will be daylight before we arrive,” Sisera said by way of a warning.
Isabella shrugged it off. “There will soon be six mighty dragons flying toward us. Seeing one would be a good icebreaker for anyone,” she said with a laugh.
As they approached the monastery, the sun had peeked over the eastern mountain range. The main yard was already alive with busy people. Sisera landed outside of the main gate where the pair was met by Amelia and Jaime. Isabella held her mother tightly in a warm embrace before she asked, “What are we building?”
“We are upgrading the defenses. I found a few areas that needed improvement and there were plenty of idle hands about. The monks are happy too because it keeps us out of their hair,” Jaime said, turning his head and raising his voice during the last bit so as to be heard by a group of monks working in a garden nearby. The three bald monks turned and gave an appreciative wave. Jaime returned the wave and chuckled to himself.
“I see you’ve had no trouble fitting in,” Isabella said, reciprocating the man’s laugh.
“Was there ever a doubt?” Jaime said with a wink. “I’m sorry but I just wanted to say a quick hello. I must be off. We are erecting walls on the new shelters and they could use a strong lad like me.”
Isabella, Sisera, and Amelia all shared a laugh as Jaime pranced merrily across the yard toward a group of men standing around a stone foundation. His antics also became a source of great amusement for everyone else around.
“Is Oshri fitting in just as well?” Isabella asked.
Amelia shook her head. “He left shortly after you did. He said there was a library in Kosal he needed to visit. Apparently, it is important for the restoration of the Tower.”
“It seems that things have progressed much further than I would have expected in just two days,” Isabella said with a nod.
“With a renewed sense of purpose, the villagers have come alive again,” Amelia said happily.
“What about Makal?” Isabella had held out on asking the question for as long as possible.
Amelia smiled. “He is still here, in the kitchens. He is working as hard at cleaning dishes as he did hauling stone. He seems to be making friends but he knows he is on thin ice. Adina publicly supported him so the villagers are giving him a chance. Maybe you should, too?”
“Don’t wink like that, mother. It’s creepy,” Isabella said, playfully faking disgust at the face the older woman had made to accentuate her question.
Amelia just laughed and repeated the offensive action repeatedly, much to Isabella’s horror but Sisera’s amusement.
“Human parents are so weird,” the dragon said with a laugh as Amelia tormented her daughter.
“So, why don’t you go find your boy?” the older woman said and laughed at the shocked look she received from Isabella. “Go now. You must be leaving soon. You’ve already warned us so there is not much else left to do so go find that boy and make amends before you leave again for who knows how long.” Tears were beginning to form in the corners of her mother’s eyes.
Isabella hugged her mother tightly and ran off in the direction of the monastery’s kitchen. She burst through the doors to find the two dozen monks cooking and baking to feed breakfast to two hundred people. In the far corner, were four boys sweating over hot tubs of soapy water, furiously scrubbing dirty pots. One of the boys stood out with his dark shaggy hair and olive skin. Makal’s southern complexion made him stand out in the north. She dodged her way through the busy kitchen toward him, excited that he had not yet to seen her approach so she could surprise him but she stopped short when she got within earshot of the four boys conversation.
Isabella had missed the context but she knew she definitely heard the words “slayed that dragon” spoken by one of the boys and she was sure it was Makal. She stood and stared at him while he worked, laughing with his friends, unaware of her presence until one of the other boys pointed her out.
“Isabella, you’re here,” he said, a wide grin crossing his face. He grabbed a towel to dry his hands and went to give her a hug but stopped when he saw the expression on her face. Instantly nervous, he stammered, “What’s wrong?”
“You want to slay some dragons?” she shouted, suddenly aware that everyone in the kitchen had stopped moving at the instant of her outburst. Her anger negated any care she had of anyone witnessing the scene she was about to cause. “Do you want to slay me now, traitor?”
Makal put up his hands as a gesture of defense. “We weren’t talking about slaying dragons,” he said, pleading with his eyes.
Balls of white hot flame suddenly burst into existence in the young girl’s hands. Her gold-purple dragonscale had turned a bright reddish hue and made her
appear demon-like as the light from the fireballs reflected from it.
“I heard it with my own ears. Are you going to call me a liar before you slay me?” Isabella was seething. A voice in the back of her mind told her to just leave now but she blatantly ignored it.
One of the other boys gathered up the courage to speak out. “We were talking about the celebration the other night. It is just a figure of speech.”
Isabella looked Makal directly in the eyes and gave him a look that demanded to know why he wasn’t the first one to answer. “Is that true?”
Makal shrunk away and nodded.
“What does it mean?” she demanded.
Makal looked as if he was trying to speak but no sound was coming out. Isabella made the fireballs flare up which helped loosen his tongue.
“It means …” Makal began to say but his words became a mess of gibberish.
The fireballs flared again.
The boy gathered his courage and straightened his posture, like he had just come to terms with his fate and was ready to meet it head on. “It’s another way of saying that you bedded an ugly girl.”
The fireballs disappeared as Isabella stared at the boy she was willing to put her heart on the line for. “Dragon is the word you call ugly girls?” she asked aloud but regretted it instantly as she did not want to hear the answer. Makal opened his mouth to respond but she put up her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear it. I am not interested in any more of your lies,” she said. “You can fool everyone else but I won’t let you fool me anymore. Goodbye.”
Isabella took one last look at Makal and walked away, turning back before she went through the door, “Forever.”
20
“How is that you are capable of commanding an army?”
Kai stared slack-jawed at Bastion, unsure if he should respond to the question. He had been struggling with straps of his new cuirass when the boy came along and fixed the issue immediately.
“Hurry up. Astrid is probably waiting for us already,” Bastion said as he disappeared into the next room just as quickly as he had appeared.
“I thought you said I would get used to him,” Kai said to Aarav with a chuckle.
The two men were woken just before dawn and presented with new traveling clothes including new armor and boots. Kai hated adjusting to new armor but, as Bastion failed to recover his Daxrah-crested cuirass, he had no choice. The gear was plain but strong and practical which Kai was thankful for. Everything fit perfectly, as if each outfit was custom made for each man. Kai figured there was magic involved with that.
When they finished dressing, they collected the rest of their belongings and made their way back to the sitting room.
“Alright. I am in a terrible hurry but I did say I would see you boys off,” Fronya said as they entered. She first went to Aarav and took his hands in hers. “It has been a pleasure, Aarav. I hope to make your acquaintance again in the future.” She then moved onto Kai, taking his hands as she had Aarav’s. “Good luck. I say that with the utmost sincerity. It will be a hard road but I hope you find what you are looking for. There is no one else in the world who knows more about the vividus than Sova.” She gave Kai a reassuring nod and smile. “Good. Well, I must be off. Oh! And, I took the liberty of filling your bags with supplies for the road. Bastion will take good care of you, I am sure.” She cast a glance at the boy who nodded his agreement. She smiled and gave Kai’s hands a squeeze before she let go and hustled out of the room.
“Astrid is waiting. Let’s go,” Bastion said, a tone of annoyance in his voice.
Bastion led Kai and Aarav along the same path they had taken the day before. They entered the corridor which led them back to the barren room but it did not seem as far as it did previously. Before Bastion opened the door that led back to the street, he turned to face the two men.
“We need to be careful. The pirates of the Scarlet Shade and the Brotherhood are both looking for you,” Bastion said sharply. “Keep your head down and move quickly. We will go to Astrid’s then head immediately out of the city. Once we are on the road, we should be out of their scope. The Sacred Blood may have spies along the way but there is not much they can do once we enter Pyx territory.”
Kai and Aarav agreed silently. Bastion opened the door and they were once again in the midst of the city, already busy despite the early hour. The two men followed their guide quickly and quietly to minimize any risk of being spotted. They followed a twisting path through back alleys and side roads until they came out into the main marketplace.
More than once, Kai saw men he recognized from the Scarlet Shade but he could pass by undetected, certainly thanks to the new clothing. He was sure they would recognize Aarav because of the time he spent as part of the crew but he passed unseen as well.
As Kai expected, they came to a small, unassuming shop. Bastion pushed through the door and led them into the alchemical supply store.
“Astrid?” Bastion shouted but the shop remained unattended. He began to look around the shop calling out the girl’s name.
Kai noticed a change in the boy’s demeanor whenever this witch, Astrid, was involved.
“Good morning,” a girl said as she suddenly appeared behind the counter. She was about a foot short than Kai and looked to be not much older than Bastion. Her short dark hair was held in place at the back of her head with a long, thin strip of leather which gave light to her angelic face. “Sorry about that. I usually clean the genie lamps this early because things are quiet.” She saw the boy and her smile faded. “Oh. Hello Bastion. I suppose one of you is looking for Sova Zlo?”
Kai was unsure about her greeting to Bastion so he quickly answered to prevent any discomfort. “I am. Kai. My name is Kai Woods. You must be Astrid Mallor,” Kai said, extending his hand in greeting.
Astrid shook his hand and gave Kai a smile that really did not hide her true feelings.
“And, this is Aarav,” Kai continued. “I am told that you maintain contact with Sova. Is this true?”
The girl sighed. “Yes, but she really does not want to be disturbed.”
“So, you have talked to her about meeting me?” Kai asked hopefully.
“No. I haven’t seen her for almost a year. I just know that she doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“Oh,” Kai said. He looked to Bastion for assistance but the boy was staring longingly at Astrid and did not meet his gaze. “Well, regardless, I still have to find her.”
Astrid suddenly looked at Bastion. “Stop staring at me, creep.”
Bastion quickly moved to the other end of the shop and began to pick up random vials and inspect their labels. Kai could see the boy looking up every few moments to catch a glimpse of the witch.
“Frida told you about what happened to Sova?” Astrid asked, the annoyed look she gave Bastion remaining on her face.
Kai nodded.
“Well, then you know what you are in for. OK, so it is very important that you have the box. Frida gave you the box?”
Kai nodded again.
“Good,” the witch said. She reached under the counter and placed a leather document folder on the counter. She pulled back the cover and rustled through the papers. She pulled one out and handed it to Kai. “You’ll need this. They are instructions on what to do with the contents of the box but they won’t be clear until you reach her island.”
Kai accepted the paper and tucked it into his bag. “Is that all we need?”
Astrid laughed. “You are going to need a lot more than that but that’s all I can offer you.”
“OK, well thank you very much,” Kai said and turned to Bastion. “Should we go?”
The boy nodded and looked toward the witch. “Goodbye, Astrid. It was really nice to see you again,” he said in the sweetest voice Kai had ever heard another human use.
Astrid scrunched her nose and disappeared back into a genie lamp.
Kai and Aarav exchanged a look of confused wonder as Bastion led them back to the street.
>
“OK. Same as before. Head down and move quickly,” Bastion said sharply, apparently back to his old self again.
Kai and Aarav followed the boy again, this way and that, through the twisting city that reminded Kai very much of North Port.
“That’s him.” The shout came from the other end of a market street. Kai had taken a moment to inspect a display in a shop window which was clearly all the time that was needed for him to be spotted.
“This way,” Bastion said hurriedly and ran into a tea shop.
Kai and Aarav followed quickly but Aarav ran into the server and knocked her tray to the ground. He apologized profusely but followed behind Kai who was shouting at him to pick up the pace. The trio ran through the shop and out into the back alleyway.
“If we can make it outside the city, we should be fine. They will be guarding the gates now so we will have to go an alternate way,” Bastion said, wearing his usual scowl. “I know a way but it’s going to be difficult. If you agree, then you can’t question me or back out. Agreed?”
Kai looked to Aarav and both men shrugged. “We don’t have a lot of options,” Kai said.
“Alright,” Bastion said, looking up. “Let’s go.”
The tall boy began to scale a ladder that led to the top of the two-story building. Kai and Aarav followed closely behind. Once on the rooftop, Bastion began to head in the direction of the main gate, jumping from building to building.
“The buildings are close enough together that we will make it all the way to the gate and over without going back down to the street,” Bastion said. “They won’t look for us up here but even if they do, it gives us a lot more options for escape.”
Kai could only agree with the boy’s logic so he followed without protest. If this was the fastest way out of the city and away from the pirates, then he was all for it.
There were sections of the route that got a little sketchy. At one point, they had to slide down a steep roof but just as they slid to the bottom they would have to jump to the next rooftop because there was nowhere to stop. All three made it across but Aarav swore he had to change his pants afterward.
Dragon Flight: Sisera's Gift 3 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 5) Page 15
