The Stone Eater (The Magic Eaters Trilogy Book 3)

by Carol Beth Anderson

  “I was wondering the same thing, until you reported back. How many people do you think could fit in the area by the river?”

  “A few hundred at least, if they cram together. Plus there are plenty more trees at other spots along the river.” She stopped, too excited to keep walking, and faced Krey. And despite her resolution to keep her distance, both of her hands somehow found his. “This might actually work.” All at once, her heart dropped. “Except we still don’t know how to get into the dome. We could storm the entrance, but they’ll pick us off as we come in. I don’t want a bunch of people to die for me, not if we can avoid it.”

  He squeezed her hands, making her heart leap in her chest. “I have an idea for that too. I think I may know a way for us to use the stone Sarza stole.”

  “Tell me!” Her traitorous body stepped closer to him.

  “It’s a little odd.”

  “The best ideas usually are.”

  I trust him absolutely, Osmius told Nora.

  She was sitting in a patch of sparse grass in front of the gray dragon. His head rested on the ground, and she gazed into his golden, faceted eyes, wishing she could read his emotions in them. I don’t know Vin very well. Not like I know you.

  I do not know him deeply either. Yet I am certain he is trustworthy.

  Is it because you’re both dragons?

  That is much of the reason. In my two hundred years, I have heard of only one dragon whom some might consider evil. Her mate had been killed for sport. She then spent decades hunting humans.

  Nora pictured her father, shooting that terrible spear of stone at Taima. Shame warmed her cheeks and neck. A human killed your mate too.

  We all respond differently to grief. Perhaps if I had not already met people like you, I would have turned vengeful as well.

  Nora leaned forward and rested a hand on the side of his face. You’d risk humanity’s future on Vin?

  While your phrasing is a bit dramatic, yes. I would. He is the safest choice, since I need to stay away from your father.

  Nora turned to Krey, who was sitting about a met away. “Osmius says we can trust Vin.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “I agree with him. Let’s talk to Vin.”

  Krey’s mouth widened into a grin. “If he says yes, we’ll have to test it out.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  The next morning, Krey climbed on Osmius, along with Nora and Ovrun. Osmius took to the air, followed by Vin, who carried Zeisha, Kebi, and Joli. It was time for part two of their tour of Cellerin.

  Today’s flight would take them a good portion of the morning, even at dragon speeds. It was a clear day, warm for mid-autumn. Traveling east, they passed over the southern portion of Cellerin’s inhabited lands. Most of the area was wilderness, but they saw a few lakes surrounded by lush trees. To the south, Krey caught glimpses of the golden dunes of the Therro Desert.

  They landed in the center of a town that, while small, was larger than any nearby communities. Its citizens had welcomed them warmly on their first visit. The mayor met them in the square and bowed to Nora.

  “Thank you,” Nora told her. “My advisor and I would like to meet with you privately.” She gestured to Krey.

  Krey’s eyebrows rose a bit, but he tried not to give any other outward sign of his surprise. He’d assumed Nora would handle these meetings alone. She was certainly capable of it. Apparently he was now officially her advisor. He considered the term, deciding he rather liked it.

  Once in the mayor’s office, Nora explained their plans to confront the king. She then asked the mayor to send fighters to the capital and to ask nearby communities to do the same. Not releasing the woman’s gaze, she waited for a response.

  After a long pause, the mayor said, “We’ll fight for you, Your Highness. And we’ll spread the word. I don’t know how many will go—I won’t force it. But things in this nation need to change. We trust you to make that happen.”

  A small smile pulled at Nora’s lips. “I’m honored.” She turned to Krey. “Would you like to explain our other request?”

  He leaned forward. “Mayor, I can’t tell you why I need this, but I can assure you it’s important. Do you have any stone eaters in the area?”

  After a much-needed bath and an early lunch, all in the town’s tiny inn, Krey climbed on Vin’s back behind Nora. A quick flight brought them to a house where a wide-eyed, fourteen-year-old girl sold them a slab of magical stone she’d used her talent to create.

  They returned to the air. Vin carried the stone between his front claws. It was roughly square, about a met to each side and half a met thick. They landed out of sight of any structures or people. Vin set down the slab, and Nora and Krey dropped to the dirt.

  He watched her chew on a cuticle before catching herself and clasping her hands together. “Let’s do this.” She reached toward her pocket.

  “Gloves,” Krey said quickly.

  She nodded and swallowed. “Thanks.” She put on a pair of thin leather gloves and knelt in the dirt. Carefully, she pulled the sock-wrapped parcel from her pocket, then turned the sock inside out and let the stone tumble a few simmets to the ground, too cautious to touch it even with her gloves.

  Nora was gazing at Vin, and somehow, Krey knew she was talking to him. The wine-colored dragon stepped closer and, without hesitation, set one of his front claws on the stone, covering it completely.

  Orange light traveled up the dragon’s front leg, then raced across his chest and up his neck. Nora stepped back to Krey, her arm brushing against his. The light continued to spread across Vin’s body until his entire form glowed orange, like the broken faces of the stone.

  Vin removed his claw from the stone, and the orange glow faded to nothing. Nora carefully put the stone back in the sock, then in her pocket. “Okay, Vin,” she said aloud. “Let’s see what you can do.”

  The dragon stood before the stone slab and opened his mouth, sunlight reflecting off his incredibly sharp teeth. Fire rushed from him in a loud whoosh.

  Krey had never seen a dragon breathe fire like this—bright blue and so brilliant that he had to squeeze his eyes shut. An after-image of the stream of fire seared his eyelids.

  The noise continued for several seconds, then ended abruptly. Krey opened his eyes. He followed Nora as she approached Vin.

  Dragon fire could burn through wood, flesh, and even bone. It could not, however, destroy stone. So Krey had suggested they might enhance Vin’s fire-breathing magic in the same way Ulmin increased his own power.

  He hadn’t dared hope it would work this well. In front of Vin was a charred crater. The magically crafted stone was gone, utterly incinerated by the dragon’s blue fire.

  “Wow,” Krey breathed.

  A few stronger words came out of Nora’s mouth.

  “Vin,” Krey said, “how do you feel about doing the same thing to the king’s dome?”

  Nora laughed. “He says it would be a dream come true.”

  29

  “We captured a spy today,” Ulmin told me. “My grandmother has to decide whether to imprison him.”

  “Is there any other option?”

  “We could extradite him. But if we do, he’ll be executed for getting caught.” He let out a long sigh. “One day, all these decisions will be on my shoulders.”

  If I become queen, I’ll have to help him make those calls. I can’t imagine holding lives in my hands.

  -Letter from Ambrel Kaulder to Dani Kaulder

  Dated Barna 15, 180 PD

  “Thank you, Sarza.”

  Sarza flinched, looking around. She was in King Ulmin’s large office, sitting on a comfortable couch. The last thing she remembered was him walking into the room where she was staying. He’d caught her eye. Then . . . nothing.

  Now he was seated across from her, smiling. “As always, I enjoyed our conversation. It was very insightful.”

  Sarza’s throat tightened as images of Nora and the rest of the team filled her mind. How
had her words betrayed them today? Her gift had never felt like more of a curse.

  The king’s interrogations weren’t the only reason she hated her magic more than ever. The day before the battle, Sarza had read some of the book Nora had loaned her. The chapter was titled, “The End of a Seer’s Life.” In the same matter-of-fact tone used in the other chapters, the book had informed her that seers eventually lost their minds, finding it impossible to distinguish between imagination, prophecy, and reality. Only those who died early avoided such a fate. Sarza had read the passage over and over, hoping she was misinterpreting it. But the words were clear.

  Horrified, she’d tried to put the information out of her head. Now she wished she could share the weight of it with someone. Was this really her life? Mental slavery to a king, then eventually joining him in his madness?

  “A guard will escort you out,” Ulmin said, his voice a welcome distraction.

  As Sarza stood, she glanced at the dark window. She’d only been in this place for four days, but she already hated its perpetual night and still, stale air. At least it was cooler than when she’d visited the chapel.

  King Ulmin opened the door. As always, she considered attacking him. But she’d have to knock him out immediately, or he’d take her mind. Plus, there weren’t any weapons in here—no fireplace pokers or heavy vases. Not even a letter opener. Sarza absentmindedly patted her pockets, wishing for her knife.

  The king held out his arm, blocking her from exiting. “I bet you wish you had some shield fuel in that pocket, don’t you?”

  She glared at him, refusing to answer. Of course he knew about shield fuel now. Between her and Sharai, there wasn’t much he didn’t know. Thank the sky only Nora, Zeisha, Kebi, and Osmius knew exactly where shield fuel came from.

  Ulmin smiled at her and handed her over to a guard outside the door.

  The man led Sarza down the hallway, not speaking a word. He unlocked another office with a sign on the door reading, “Dani Kaulder.” Sarza stepped inside her daytime prison.

  She wasn’t the only inmate. Sharai sat in the corner, as restless as ever. Sarza tried not to smile. Had the former minister thought the king would welcome her back with open arms? She’d played both sides, and now no one trusted her.

  The room’s other occupant was Dani, King Ulmin’s sister-in-law. She sat at her desk, head tilted slightly to the side, her face placid. For some reason, King Ulmin kept Dani controlled all day, every day. Sarza had quickly learned that trying to converse with someone whose mind was enslaved was a losing prospect.

  Sharai, on the other hand, started frequent conversations with Sarza, trying to convince her to trust the king. The woman was clearly in this room as part of Ulmin’s strategy to get Sarza onto his side. The king himself had also been surprisingly nice to Sarza—keeping her out of a cell, giving her good food, and pretending to like her. None of it was convincing Sarza to change her loyalties, and none of it would. If she had one talent beyond prophecy, it was stubbornness.

  The afternoon passed slowly. At six, Ulmin entered. “Sharai,” he said, “I’ll have a dinner tray sent up.”

  “Thank you so much, Your Majesty.” She bowed humbly.

  Ulmin raised an eyebrow. Even as he tried to change Sarza’s loyalties, he seemed to be constantly testing Sharai’s. He even made her sleep in this office, on the floor without a pillow.

  The king walked Dani and Sarza to the kitchen in the residence for a quiet meal, not even hiding the animal brains he ate alongside his small portions of meat and vegetables. Sarza didn’t eat much. Her gut was still sore from the knife wound. After dinner, a guard escorted the women to Dani’s room.

  When it came to her sleeping arrangements, Sarza wasn’t sure what the king’s game was. Did he not want to assign extra guards to guard a private bedroom? Did he think she’d appreciate not being forced to sleep alone?

  Dani’s room smelled a bit of smoke, and gray smears stained the walls and furniture. Sarza remembered Nora talking about a dragon burning up part of the palace, months ago. The living room looked and smelled brand new. Couldn’t Ulmin have renovated Dani’s rooms too? Was he too insane to think of it, or did he just not care?

  Dani brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas, her glazed expression never changing. They both went to bed early, Sarza on the couch in the sitting room, Dani in her own bed.

  Some time later, Sarza woke from a dream. She’d been hanging out with Nora, Krey, Ovrun, Joli, Kebi, and Zeisha. Her friends. For once, she hadn’t felt like an outsider. She’d relaxed and laughed and told stories.

  When she woke in the dark room, breathing the dome’s dank air, she sat up and started weeping, her body heaving with uncontrollably loud sobs.

  The door to the hallway cracked open. “Is everything okay?” a male guard asked.

  “I’m . . . fine!” Sarza practically shrieked between gulping breaths.

  The door swung closed. Then Dani’s door opened, and she emerged with a candle, setting it on a table by Sarza. She knelt in front of the sofa. Her expression was clear, her brows furrowed. Concern practically bled from her eyes. “Oh, honey,” she said, holding out her arms.

  It was the first time Sarza had seen Dani in her right mind. Her shock stalled her sobbing. The king must not be able to enslave her while he slept. Sarza fell into Dani’s outstretched arms, then started crying again.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dani said softly in her ear. “I know it’s hard. I’m so sorry.”

  As she calmed, something occurred to Sarza. The woman holding her had no idea who she was. She pulled away and wiped her eyes, first with her hands, then with a handkerchief Dani fetched for her. “I’m sorry. You don’t even know who I am, and here I am on your couch—”

  “Shh.” Dani shook her head, and there was a certain intensity to the action. A message. Don’t tell me anything.

  “Why?” Sarza whispered.

  Another shake of the head, accompanied by a gentle smile. Dani took Sarza’s hands, rubbing her thumbs gently along the younger girl’s skin.

  Sarza’s breathing slowed further. She wasn’t sure why Dani wouldn’t talk, but she could guess. Ulmin would likely find out if they had any conversations of merit. Would he punish them? Possibly. Was his constant daytime control of Dani a reaction to something she’d done in the past?

  Letting go of the unanswerable questions, Sarza let Dani’s soft touch bring her peace. Her eyelids got heavy, and she smiled and lay down again.

  Dani gave her hands a squeeze before returning to bed.

  30

  You’d better be glad you’re home, because if you were here, I wouldn’t know whether to hit you or hug you! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Mom was coming. When I walked into the dining room for lunch, there she was, Ulmin next to her, both grinning.

  I know I’ve only been gone a little over a month, but seeing her is just what I needed. I probably won’t write for the next two weeks while she’s here. She’ll update you on everything anyway.

  By the way, she and Ulmin got along like they’d known each other for years. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

  -Letter from Ambrel Kaulder to Dani Kaulder

  Dated Barna 16, 180 PD

  Krey caught Nora’s eyes across the campfire. “Where to next?”

  She swallowed her last bite of lunch. “We need baths and beds.”

  He looked around the group. Nora was right; they were dusty, their clothes smelling of smoke. The last time they’d bathed was four days ago, in the town where he and Nora had met the stone lyster.

  Since then, they’d traveled almost nonstop. As before, they’d camped in the middle of nowhere each night. The first community had supplied them with tents, and every town since had offered whatever other supplies they needed, including fresh clothes. But nothing could beat a bath.

  “Do we have time to take a break?” Joli asked.

  “We need to make time,” Nora said. “We’ll all think more clearly if we’re rested a
nd clean. Besides, it won’t exactly be a break. We’re headed to an area we haven’t visited at all yet. I happen to know there are plenty of brave people there. It would be good to have their support.”

  Nora’s expression was unreadable until her gaze caught Krey’s, and the corner of her mouth twitched. Hope made his heart leap. “What area?” he asked.

  She gave in and grinned. “We’re going to Tirra. Krey and Zeisha’s hometown.”

  “Yes!” His eyes found Zeisha, who was sharing a joyful smile with Kebi.

  “If we pack now and get out of here,” Nora said, “we can be there mid-afternoon. I think we have enough food for tonight—”

  “My Aunt Min will insist on feeding us,” Krey said.

  Nora laughed. “She can cook for six extra people with zero notice?”

  “She could cook for the whole army with zero notice. And it would taste amazing.”

  “My family will want to help with the meal too,” Zeisha said.

  “Well, then.” Nora stood. “Let’s get to it.”

  She walked to her tent and knelt to pull a peg out of the ground. Krey approached and squatted behind her, laying a hand on her shoulder. When she turned, he got lost in her dark eyes for a moment before remembering why he was there. “Thank you.”

  An adorably awkward laugh exited her mouth. “What are friends for?”

  The words were like a sudden rainstorm on a sunny day. “Yeah, well—uh, thanks.” Krey was standing and turning away before he even finished talking.

  The roads to Tirra ran through the steep foothills around Cellerin Mountain. They were narrow, winding, and poorly maintained. Nora remembered traveling them the year before. It had seemed to take forever.