That was mysterious.
Why is Hubric in such a hurry?
Oh yes, he’d slept through the ‘Dominar’s’ demand that we fly to Umtal.
That’s a strange emotion you’re projecting about our Dominar, Amel.
He was not the Dominar, that’s why I felt so wary. He was Iskaris. The more I remembered back to that hazy time before we transported out of the warrens, the more I was certain that was who he was.
Raolcan tilted his head like he was looking at something far away and then his gaze spun to meet Kyrowat’s eyes. They both tilted their heads together. What were they doing?
We ... it’s hard. It’s hard to tell. His thoughts are not clear to us – and his fever does not help. Something about the mask or crown - or whatever it is - shields us from them. I see in your mind what you remember, and yet Hubric is right. You could be imagining it. The blow you took to the head was hard enough to threaten your life, spider. It was definitely strong enough to shake your memories around. We’ll need more proof than your shady memories before we can go against him.
But if it was Iskaris, then we didn’t need to follow the ridiculous order to go to Umtal when Savette clearly needed help right now. Did Raolcan really think they could help her?
I have heard rumors that Haz’drazen has the ability to break the bond. If the bond is broken, then Savette won’t die. It’s not something we talk about, because we assume that those of us given to human riders will die far from home. There’s no point hoping to be free of that. But I have heard the rumors. And the Chosen One is as important to dragons as she is to humans. Haz’drazen will have a plan.
I hoped she did. I glanced over at Savette. She was clearing up the campsite and gracefully maneuvering towards us. I’d better saddle Raolcan before we took flight again.
Are your eyes glowing?
What?
I think there’s a faint glow to your eyes – not like Savette’s but... yeah, it’s there.
She had healed me. Had some of her truth-power ended up inside me like it had in Rakturan?
It’s not nearly that bright. Maybe it will fade with time.
Or maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe it would go the other way and slowly brighten until I had to wear a blindfold, too. I shivered, hurrying to saddle Raolcan. As grateful as I was to move without pain, I was worried about what that would mean. What if, like Savette, I was given truth power? What would that mean for my future? For my responsibility to the Dominion and to the world? I wasn’t ready to carry around the burden on Savette’s shoulders.
Well, not to burst your bubble, but you’re inflating this situation. All I said was that your eyes were brighter and from that you’ve decided that you’re nearly as important as the Chosen One. Are you sure you aren’t a dragon with an ego that size?
I felt my cheeks heat as I cinched the saddle in place. Savette joined us, stuffing the blankets and a single waterskin in the saddlebags before doubling over in a fit of coughing. We needed to get her south immediately. I ground my teeth as I tried to think about how to convince Hubric and Kyrowat that the Dominar was really Iskaris. Maybe I should rip his mask off.
And if you’re wrong you’ll be lucky to live the week out and die horribly.
And if I’m right?
Then somewhere out there, Rasipaer flies with the true Dominar, vulnerable, hunted by enemies, and usurped by a treacherous villain who will destroy the land we love.
I shivered. There had to be some way to prove I was right. I would find it and use it. If I was wrong, then soon this false Dominar would meet Starie, the false Chosen One and I couldn’t imagine that being good for anyone.
Chapter Five
We stopped for a water break just outside of Umtal. The skycity loomed large on the horizon, under an hour’s flight from the stream we stopped along. It had a flavor all its own – similar and yet different from Vanika or Dominion City. This skycity looked like a tree with wide swaths of hanging moss swaying beneath it in the wind.
The people here hang nets and hammocks and even rooms from the edge of the city.
What kind of crazy person would do that? Weren’t they afraid of falling?
You do know that you ride a dragon, right? You are more in danger of falling than anyone in the world - or you would be if it weren’t for me. I’ll never let you fall.
And after everything we’d been through I knew that was as true as the sky and the stars.
Finally! A little faith.
Hubric and the Dominar dismounted at the same time that Savette and I did. Savette and the Dominar striding off in two different directions towards the scrubby trees near the stream while the dragons sunk their massive jaws into the water.
It feels so good when it trickles over my tongue. Skies and stars, I’m beat. I need to sleep for a thousand years.
I swallowed nervously. This was my one chance to talk to Hubric before we reached Umtal. He never liked it when I questioned his decisions and he wouldn’t like this now, but I couldn’t let it go.
I approached him in the deep grass beside the stream. The smell of fecund earth and algae was strong, but he was reaching out to where the current was deep to fill up his waterskin. I hobbled up beside him, my own skin ready to be refilled. I swallowed down my fears, ready to speak.
“Hubric?”
“Hmmm?” He kept his eyes on the water, deep in thought.
I lowered my voice, feeling like I was sure to be overheard even with the Dominar off in the bushes. “We can’t bring him to Umtal. I’m certain that he isn’t the Dominar. If we bring that man there, then everyone will believe he is our ruler and no one will be able to prevent Iskaris from assuming the throne and joining with Starie against all that the Lightbringers stand for.”
His steely eyes turned on me, narrowing as he spoke. “And if you’re wrong?”
“Isn’t it worth the risk?”
Hubric closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling as he took in a deep breath and let it out again. He set down the waterskin and took my hands in his.
“Amel, I have never had an apprentice that I loved so much. And I have never had one who caused so much trouble. Do this, and you will get yourself executed, and me and our dragons along with you. Do you want that?”
“Hubric, he’s only one man. Out here, alone, with us. He has no power but that mask. Did you read the messages?”
Hubric made a sound like a curse at the back of his throat and took another deep breath. “Are you suggesting that we murder this man? Why would you think I would do such a thing? Even if he is not the Dominar he is still a man who fought alongside us.”
“Of course, I’m not suggesting that!”
“Then what are you suggesting, Apprentice? Think! What are our options? Rip his mask off his face and then what? If it is the Dominar, we are both dead. No question about it. And our honor will be gone forever and with it our chance to help in this conflict. Who will protect Savette and ensure that she is able to do all she is called to do?
“If it’s not the Dominar. What do we do? How could we prove to anyone else that it is Iskaris? We’d have seen his face for a moment – sure – but no one knows what the Domianar looks like. There is no way they would know. All he’d need to do is order us executed – which he will - and we’re back to being dead and unable to help.
“If we choose to murder this man, then we’ve killed someone, not in battle, or in the heat of self-defence, but in cold blood – a crime I will not commit or let another commit in my place. Maybe you are right. Maybe Iskaris lies behind that mask, but here’s the thing Amel: whoever wears the mask is the Dominar. Do you understand?”
“No, he’s not!” I wanted to shout, but I hissed it in a whisper, terrified that even out of sight Iskaris could hear me.
“You don’t understand. The mask makes the Dominar, not the man behind it. The moment Iskaris put that on – if that’s what happened – he became the Dominar. There’s nothing you or I or anyone else can do about it. He is the
Dominar now.”
“What if the true Dominar surfaces? He must be with Rasipaer.”
Hubric looked around us like he was checking for anyone who might be listening. “We’ll do all we can for him. But we won’t be able to prove who he is. No one can prove it since no one has seen his face.”
But that wasn’t true. I’d seen it, and so had Ashana Willowspring. So why did it feel wrong to say that right now? Was it because I’d sworn to her that I’d never speak of it? Didn’t this make that promise null?
“Let’s get our water and fly to Umtal and hope we can leave quickly and get Savette to Haz’drazen,” Hubric said. “Remember, Amel - you’re family to me. I want what is best for you.”
I filled my waterskin with the horrible realization that I wanted something else entirely. I wanted to take that mask off of Iskaris and demand that he confess what he did and if he didn’t confess, I wanted Raolcan to flame him to dust. What did that make me?
Incredibly human.
Chapter Six
Umtal was just as incredible and unique as it had looked from afar. Brightly colored cloths and banners flew from spires all through the city and long embroidered banners hung from the edges of the city along with the suspended rooms and decks. Some even had hanging bridges strung from one room to the next, as if to add yet another level to the tiered structure. In the heat of mid-afternoon, a haze made the tallest tiers indistinct from this distance, but just like with Vanika, we were stopped by swooping black dragons while still in the air.
The Dominar – or Iskaris, as I couldn’t help but remind myself whenever I accidentally thought of him as the ruler of this land – had demanded Savette’s red cloak. He wore it now - the deep hood disguising the crown and mask.
Hubric spoke a few words to the Black Dragon Riders and then signalled for us to follow. I expected us to fly to the dragon cotes on the edge of the sky city – they were obvious from our vantage point – but he headed up and in toward the top tier of Umtal. I swallowed down nervous flutters as we watched the city unroll beneath us, layer after layer of winding snail-shell streets, tightly packed buildings and bustling city-dwellers. It was really happening. We were headed to the Castelan’s palace with a fake Dominar so he could be welcomed by the great people here. I felt sick at the thought.
Let’s just get through it and be on our way with Savette. The sooner we are gone from here the better.
I agreed with that, though I hoped we could re-supply. With her cloak gone, Savette was wrapped in one of the blankets, coughing and hacking. She hadn’t spat up black goo yet, but I knew what was coming. We would need food and water and a new cloak for her at the very least. A kettle would be nice, if we could manage that.
We were escorted by black dragons all the way to the top tier, but all of them except their leader peeled off and went their own way when we set down outside the smooth walls and vaulted entrance of the High Castelan’s palace.
The Black Dragon Rider leapt off the back of his dragon and ran up the steps and into the entrance. A moment later, alert and precise, the palace guards came running down the steps in formation, fanning out around us in a solemn ring that pushed back the steady stream of people coming and going into the Castel. Excitement filled their serious faces and they looked more like parade guards than men on the alert.
So, they knew that the “Dominar” was here. They were the first honor guard sent. A second wave of officials arrived a moment later, lining the way from the ring of guards to the entrance, puffing and straightening clothing as if they had run all the way there. I could recognize some of them. There was a collection of red and white Dragon Riders, a few healers in white robes, a Dominion Envoy and a few men who looked like clerks.
We waited long moments in silence until our escort re-emerged. At his heels, dressed in the high-collared coat and segmented breastplate of nobility, strode an impressively large man in his thirties. He was clearly the Castelan here.
Adanti Umtal, High Castelan of Umtal.
He marched down the line of waiting dignitaries until he was right before Kyrowat and then lowered himself to his knees in a dramatic bow. As if by order, the guards and dignitaries around us followed suite.
The Dominar, with a flourish, threw back his hood, light glinting off his crown and mask. I chewed at the inside of my cheek. The sound of a hundred throats drawing in breath surrounded us.
This couldn’t be good. He didn’t need to speak a word and they believed it was him. Surely, there had to be a way I could have prevented this.
There really wasn’t. Let the fools follow a fool. We have our own business to worry about.
“Lord Dominar, glory to your reign,” the Castelan said in a loud, carrying voice. “We welcome you to Umtal Castel.”
The Dominar accepted Hubric’s hand down from Kyrowat’s back. When his feet reached the ground, he flung the red cloak off. Gasps surrounded us as his missing arm was revealed, the makeshift bandage Savette had used red with blood. He swayed slightly at the effort of standing with such a grave wound. That alone should have been enough to have tipped her and Hubric off. Ashana and I had sealed that wound with tar. If this was really the Dominar, it should be healing by now. But neither of them had seen that, had they?
“Master Nestor, hurry,” the Castelan said, scrambling to his feet and waving one of the healers forward. “Please, Dominar, allow us to offer you our best of healers.”
“So be it,” the Dominar said.
“And anything else we can do to ease your arrival.”
The Dominar – Iskaris – looked back at us and I wished I could see his face. “Do not permit those who came with me to leave this palace until I give instructions for their dispersal.”
“Of course, Dominar,” Castelan Umtal said with an additional bow as the healer moved forward, respectfully guiding the Dominar toward wherever the healing halls were.
The inside of my belly was roiling like a pot at full boil. We needed to leave as soon as possible, but with the Dominar’s order, we were stuck here. What plan did he have for us that needed us to remain? Wouldn’t he want us as far away as possible? After all, we were the only ones who could know what had happened in the warrens.
The only loose ends he needs to tie up, you mean?
My lips pressed together as I considered that. Iskaris had no qualms about stealing a crown that wasn’t his and condemning its true owner to death. What qualms would he have about killing us if it suited his purposes? There was no question in my mind that he was Dusk Covenant and a traitor.
Trust me when I tell you, evil follows a man who embraces it. This man has a long shadow and someday, alone in the dark, that shadow will swallow him up.
I shivered at the thought.
Chapter Seven
The High Castelan followed the Dominar into the Castel with his entourage close on their heels. Rumors and whispering buzzed all around us. Likely, this was the most important thing to happen in this city since the rumors of war reached this place.
As he walked up the steps he leaned in to speak to someone, but I didn’t realize who it was until everyone else had filed out, leaving only the usual Castel traffic, a small ring of guards and a Dragon Rider with black scarves.
“Hubric Duneshifter. I thought you were dead, old man.” The Dragon Rider was old enough to be my father, bearded and a bit soft looking around the middle.
“Ulif Fidelis.” Hubric didn’t seem enthusiastic.
“It looks like hospitality falls to me. Let’s get your dragons in the Castel cotes and your people in their quarters.”
Hubric sighed but signed a dismount. Reluctantly, I obeyed. We shouldn’t be dismounting. We should be winging our way south toward the dark lands of Haz’drazen.
We wouldn’t make it five minutes if we left right now. Better to wait for a clean opportunity.
“I didn’t see cotes along the sides of the Castel,” Hubric said, falling into stride beside Ulif as I helped Savette down. She seemed distracted sudd
enly, like she wasn’t processing what was going on very well. I hadn’t seen her like this since ... since the last time we were near a lot of people. Did people cause that distracted air or was it a symptom of her new illness?
“They hang below the Castel – convenient, right? Don’t worry. There’s a servants’ entrance around the side of the Castel with room for dragons to walk.”
Servants’ entrance? And the cotes hang below the city? Is this man even a Dragon Rider? He doesn’t have any idea how to show proper respect to dragons! Where is his dignity?
“What news is there in the Dominion?” Hubric asked.
“Times are grim, Duneshifter.” Ulif lead us around the side of the Castel, the Castel guards tailing us in case we chose to escape.
They’re for show. The real threat is the dragons circling the city. Those are the ones who would turn us into a rain of charcoal if we tried to flee.
I was still thinking about running while we still could. After all, what would Iskaris do if we stayed?
“War creeps south,” Ulif said. “Even with the soldiers all the cities have sent north, we are losing ground. General Eaglespring was defeated when he tried to retake Leedris City, and his men were pushed back south of the Dragon Snout mountains. We have not regained the coastal cities or the lands of the north. Now, Ko’Torenth is spear-rattling about an old land dispute with Woelran. They know we can not afford war with them, too, and that we will have to concede. There are pockets of good news. A few hundred dragons, led by a young dragon rider re-took Saldrin and held her long enough for the citizenry to flee, but refugees are a problem. They have flooded the frontlines, making supplies scarce. Crime and brutalities have increased along the front and none of us have men to spare to deal with the situation.”
“You seem unaffected here.” Hubric stayed close to Ulif, but his voice carried well as we entered through the wide servants’ entrance filled with carts and hand-trucks bringing parcels and supplies to and from the Castel. The dragons followed behind Savette and me, though I saw Raolcan eyeing the guards with a baleful glare. It was a wonder that Kyrowat hadn’t flamed anyone yet.
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