Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Meet where?”

  “Near the market. There is another party that will be accompanying you.”

  Fes gritted his teeth. He could easily imagine what the other party would be, and if he was right, it meant that he would be traveling with the same family he’d stolen the bone from. How long would it be before that became awkward?

  But then, the priest had hired him.

  “I’ll meet you in the morning.”

  He headed outside and found Alison waiting in the shadows. She looked over when he appeared outside of Horus’s door, rising from her crouch. “Are you doing it?”

  He frowned at her. She knew of the job, which meant she was involved. “It seems you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “If you attempt to steal this and run off…”

  “Why would I attempt to do that? Horus has made it quite clear what this job is and what it will pay.”

  “Yeah? How much did he offer you?”

  Fes frowned. Could she have been offered more than him again? Horus had a soft spot for Alison, but doing so meant the priest was paying significantly more than what Horus would pay Fes. He had a hard time believing the priest had access to that kind of money.

  What exactly were they going after? “What do you know about the job?”

  She glared at him. “It seems you’ll find out soon enough.”

  Chapter Six

  Fes returned to the palace after leaving Horus, sneaking in through the side entrance Azithan had shown him and up to the fire mage’s private room, pausing every so often to admire the sleek dragonglass sculptures along the way. Most were of dragons, though some were of strange figures that reminded him of the totems the merchant from Toulen had shown him.

  “You knew,” Fes said after entering Azithan’s room.

  The fire mage glanced over from his seat near the hearth. Smoke curled around him and the haze in the air left Fes’s skin tingling. “I knew what?”

  “That Horus had been hired by the priest. You knew.”

  “I knew it likely.”

  “Why not tell me? Why throw me in there for the surprise?”

  Azithan turned and stared at the fire crackling within the hearth. He crossed his hands over his lap, and Fes noticed something clutched between his fingers. It wasn’t a dragon bone. The shape was small and round, far too smooth to be a bone like the one he had stolen from the priest.

  “There are things I cannot fully ascertain, Fezarn. Your prior connections are valuable.”

  It troubled Fes that Azithan said something similar to what Horus had said. “He’s after something. I was asked to provide protection as he travels north.”

  Azithan nodded. “From what you told me of the Bayars, I suspected that would be the case.”

  “Do you know what he’s after?”

  “I know what he might be after.”

  Fes made his way into the room until he faced Azithan, forcing the fire mage to look at him. “You care to tell me what it might be?”

  “Think of what you’ve already seen. What do you think it might be?”

  It wasn’t hard for him to come up with an answer. It was what Azithan had sent him after in the first place. “A dragon relic.”

  And not just any dragon relic, not if Azithan was so interested in it. As a fire mage, he had access to authentic dragon relics. Plenty of them. They were what fueled his magic. Whatever Azithan was after would be something rare.

  “A relic,” Azithan agreed, “and perhaps one that we have not often discovered.”

  “Why me?” He glanced over at the fire, turning his attention to the flames much as Azithan did. “The priest wanted me. Was it only because I stole the dragon bone from him? Or does he want me for the same reason you wanted me?” They didn’t talk about Fes’s ability, but neither denied it. There was no point in it.

  Azithan pressed his lips together. One hand squeezed the item he held for a moment, the knuckles going white. “It’s possible.”

  “Not possible. Probable. That’s the reason you want me to go, isn’t it?”

  Azithan glanced up at him. “You have a quick mind, Fezarn. You will learn much about yourself on a journey like this, much that will be useful.”

  “Useful to you? The empire? Or to me?”

  Azithan turned to stare at the fire once more. “Yes.”

  They fell into a silence. There was no sound other than the steady crackling of the flames. Smoke drifted out of the hearth, and it was pleasant, a scented aroma that wafted into his nostrils, making his head swim.

  “I take it you want me to claim the item the priest is after for you.”

  Azithan nodded.

  “What’s it worth?”

  Azithan looked up. “More than you can imagine.”

  Fes chuckled. “I can imagine quite a bit, Azithan.”

  The fire mage stared at him. “Don’t worry, Fezarn. If you manage to bring it back, you will be well compensated.”

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  Azithan sighed. “I know it’s not, and if what I suspect is right, you might be the perfect person to bring it to me.”

  “What if they stop me?”

  “I trust that you won’t fail me. You haven’t so far.”

  Fes left and wandered the city for a while before returning to his home and resting. He had a restless sleep, and by the time morning came, he had an uneasy sensation in his stomach. Maybe it was nerves. Perhaps it was something else. He felt as if he were forced into taking this job, though he wasn’t—not really. Azithan didn’t require it of him, and neither did the priest, but they were paying him enough that he really had no choice in the matter. Besides, if he didn’t take the job, he wouldn’t be able to recover his dagger. That might be the greatest prize in all of this.

  When Fes arrived at the market, he was prepared for the Bayars’ anger at him stealing the bone from the merchant but found none. They had their tent packed, and their carts were loaded. No one seemed to pay any mind to him.

  “You showed,” Alison said.

  Fes glanced over at her. She was dressed in dark leathers, almost as if she intentionally tried to contrast with the maroon and gold the empire soldiers wore. “I did.”

  “Your master let you play?” she asked with a sneer.

  Fes glanced over at the distant palace. From here, it was little more than a massive structure rising in the center of the city. Over the last year, Fes had become comfortable making his way in and out of the palace, though he still snuck in, feeling more like a thief than a servant of the empire. Perhaps he never would feel like a servant to the empire and the Dragon Emperor.

  And why should he? The empire didn’t care about any individual. It hadn’t protected his family. Azithan might pay well now, but how long would that last? There would come a time when Fes was left alone again, and he had to be prepared for that.

  No. He had no allegiance to the empire. He cared about ensuring his own safety and future, and that was it. But first, he had to get through this. When he did, he might finally have enough.

  “How long before we leave?” he asked.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” she said.

  He was the holdup? That wouldn’t endear him to anyone, either. “I don’t have a horse.”

  “Your master didn’t lend you one?”

  To be honest, Fes hadn’t thought about asking for a horse. He probably would have, but considering the quality of the animals he saw lined up ready to depart the city, he suspected that any horse he might have been lent would have stood out. Maybe it was best that he hadn’t asked.

  “I don’t have one. How about you let me ride with you?”

  Alison glared at him. “I’m sure the Bayars can find something for you to ride. Or you could steal one from them. I hear you’re good at that.”

  The priest rode up before he could answer. He tipped his head at Alison before glancing at Fes. “Horus thought that you might back out.”

  “Even though he offered
to pay forty gold?”

  “He wasn’t sure whether your ties to the empire would overrule your desire for compensation.”

  “You know, you could just give me my dagger back, and we could be done with this.”

  “And then you would have what you want, but I would not have what I want.”

  Fes glanced at Alison and then the priest. “You wanted an escort. It seems you have one.”

  “They will travel with us some of the way, but our journey will go beyond where the Bayars will travel.”

  Beyond? The Bayars lived in the northern plains, and beyond there… “The dragon plains?” he asked, and the priest nodded.

  Skies of Fire.

  He had known they would be after a dragon relic but hadn’t expected they would go as far as the dragon plains. “There aren’t any relics there. Not anymore. The dragonwalkers pick them over.”

  “Perhaps, but perhaps not. What does it matter to you? You’ll be compensated either way.”

  By Horus, but not by Azithan if he didn’t bring the relic back to him. And while Fes didn’t have any real loyalty to the empire, he did have some to Azithan. The fire mage was the reason he had managed to escape the slums.

  “I suppose it doesn’t.” He smiled at Alison. “Now. About that horse.”

  She grunted and shook her head but dismounted and stormed off.

  When she was gone, the priest turned to Fes. “I understand the two of you once had a better relationship.”

  Fes watched Alison. She was speaking with one of the merchants and waving her hands as she did. She could only imagine what she was saying to wrangle a horse for Fes. “It was better, but I’m not sure that you would call it a relationship.”

  “No? What would you call it?”

  Fes stared at the priest. “Not a relationship.”

  The priest studied Fes. The way that he looked at him made Fes wonder what Alison had told him. Could she have shared how they had been together for more than a year? Could she have shared with the priest how Fes had been unwilling to continue taking jobs from Horus for meager pay, bolting at the first opportunity for something more? After Azithan had offered the job, Fes had tried taking her with him, but she had refused. She could have had more, but she preferred what Horus could offer over what Fes had been promised.

  When she returned with his horse, he took it without a word, climbing into the saddle. They headed off, quickly putting distance behind Anuhr and making decent time.

  As the procession headed through the countryside, Fes glanced every so often at Alison or the priest, but neither of them said much. He was hired help, which meant that there wasn’t much for him to say.

  Alison had procured him a dark brown stallion, and Fes sat stiffly in the saddle. He didn’t have as much familiarity riding and would prefer to have remained on the ground, walking alongside, or even riding in one of the carts that trailed behind them, but that wasn’t to be his place.

  The merchants moved quickly. He would’ve expected a slower pace as the wagons rolled along the countryside, but with three horses to each, they were able to keep a relatively rapid clip.

  As they rode, the priest glanced over at one point, and he nudged his horse closer. “You’re quiet.”

  Fes looked over briefly. The priest wore the same striped hat, and even his cloak had red embroidered along the sleeves. He squinted in the bright sunlight, and it made the wrinkles along his brow more prominent.

  “What’s there for me to say? You’re paying for my presence. Isn’t that enough?”

  “Is there somewhere else that you would like to be?”

  Fes turned away and looked into the distance. If he were able to remain in the city, working for Azithan, that would be preferable. “There are lots of places that I would rather be.” He let his horse slow to avoid more conversation and tried to get behind Alison in the line, but the person riding behind him nearly ran into them.

  Fes glanced back, apologizing briefly before kicking the horse to go faster. The horse began to gallop and moved far more quickly than he wanted. Fes pulled on the reins, hating how inept he felt while riding, but that did little other than twist the horse around.

  When he was turned, he saw a trail of dust in the distance.

  Alison reached him and grabbed the reins, turning the horse and slowing him back to her pace. “You’re welcome.”

  He shook his head. “Do you see what’s coming?”

  Alison glared at him for a moment. “That’s all that you have for me?”

  He twisted in the saddle, ignoring the barb. Now wasn’t the time for them to deal with their past issues. He’d rather not deal with them at all, but with as long a journey as they had before them, he wasn’t sure he’d be so lucky. “Look back there. Do you see the trail of dust?”

  Alison turned, but she wasn’t as tall as him. “I don’t see anything.”

  “It’s coming from the south and moving quickly.”

  “I don’t see it.”

  “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there,” he snapped, instantly regretting it.

  “There are plenty of people who take this path,” Alison said.

  Fes didn’t argue. He hadn’t been outside of the city nearly as much as she had, so he didn’t know what travel on the hard-packed roads leading toward and away from Anuhr might be like. He tried to twist in the saddle to position himself so that he could get a better view but wasn’t able to see anything other than the very distant trail of dust.

  “You need to relax,” Alison said.

  The priest frowned and veered his horse off the road, slowing enough that he got behind them before twisting around and moving at a faster clip again. “I only see a hint of a haze. I don’t see anything else.”

  Fes shrugged. “Fine. I see what I see, and if you don’t care, then I won’t worry.”

  Only he found that he was worrying. Azithan had learned the priest was after something valuable, and if he could learn that, others might also.

  Others like Carter.

  She had chased many of the same things he had, but he’d not learned who she served. Whoever it was had money—and enough for Carter to be as well-established in the city as she was.

  If it was her, he needed to know.

  He pulled on the reins and circled around outside the caravan, ignoring Alison’s protests as he did. From here, he had a much better vantage of everything behind them. The procession was incredibly long, all members of the Bayars, and all traveling back toward their home.

  When he was free of the procession, the distant trail of dust in the distance was clearer—and moving quickly.

  He hurried the horse and reached the others. Alison glanced over, looking as if she intended to grab the reins of his horse before shrugging when he twisted away from her. “Someone is coming.”

  “This road is heavily traveled, Fes. It’s nothing,” she said.

  Could that be what it was? Maybe it wasn’t anything more. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be anything for him to worry about.

  “I’ll have the wagons send scouts,” the priest said.

  “Talmund—”

  “It’s better to be cautious.” He rode off, leaving Fes and Alison in an uneasy silence. Neither of them seemed willing to break it. When he returned, he motioned to the back of the caravan where word spread through the caravan. “They decided to speed along until we know for certain.”

  It took a moment, but the caravan began to move more quickly. Fes twisted so he could watch other riders as they left the procession and then returned. A murmuring passed along the line of wagons, and then they surged forward with even more speed.

  “Who else might have followed?” he asked.

  The priest glanced over. “Even merchants aren’t always safe on the roads.”

  “The empire has soldiers patrolling—”

  “Their patrols can’t be everywhere.”

  Fes stared at him for a moment before smiling. “I spent e
nough time in the palace to know the empire is generally secured.”

  “Is it? I’ve heard rumors to the contrary.”

  “Such as what?”

  The priest looked away, not meeting Fes’s eyes. They rode at a gallop now, moving quickly across the rolling countryside. Fes considered the priest, wondering what he might know. Considering the beliefs of those who followed the Path of the Flame, it wasn’t difficult to determine what that might be.

  “The rebellion? They wouldn’t be so close to the city.”

  “There are those who question the rule of the empire.”

  “The empire has kept the people safe for over a thousand years.”

  The priest glanced over, and darkness clouded his brow. “At what cost?”

  Fes laughed. “Those like you still get hung up on the dragons. They’ve been gone for centuries, no longer a threat. Because of the empire.”

  “What if they were wrong?”

  Fes stared at him, uncertain how to even respond to that statement.

  When he glanced back, he noticed riders wearing darkly colored clothing were moving swiftly toward them. There were limits to how fast the caravan could push the wagons. It wouldn’t take long for the riders to reach them.

  “What are they after?” he asked the priest.

  “Money, probably,” Talmund said. “I’m sure that’s something that you know quite a bit about.”

  “Why would they think that there is money to be had here?”

  “With all of the trade that takes place in the city, each wagon carries considerable wealth.”

  Fes peeled off, wanting to see for himself how many were approaching. He slowed his horse long enough to count probably a hundred riders. All of them were armed with swords and bows, more than enough to overtake the caravan. How had they not caught sight of them before?

  None of them was Carter. At least there was that.

  When he returned to Alison and Talmund, he said, “I counted at least a hundred. All wearing dark clothing. Is that the rebellion?”

  Alison said nothing.

  “It doesn’t seem like enough to be from the rebellion, at least not the rumors I’d heard. But we won’t be able to outrun them.” And he didn’t think the caravan was equipped to fight.