The Dragon Circle

by Irene Radford

  (Elsewhere,) Iianthe responded to Konner’s unspoken question.

  “Welcome, Iianthe,” Konner bowed again to the dragon. “May we ride upon your back to the place of safety?” He did not have time to debate with the dragon. He needed help getting Dalleena away now.

  (Yes.) The deep bronze bell of Iianthe’s voice reverberated on the back of Konner’s tongue and at the base of his spine. (Irythros sends greetings and a warning. You must beware of the one you trust. The one who does not smell correctly; the one who still speaks to the stars.)

  “And who might that be?” Typical cryptic dragon speech. Konner had no more time or patience for it. Why couldn’t they just come out and say what was on their minds?

  Iianthe did not reply.

  Sighing heavily, Konner reverted to the purpose of this meeting. “If you speak of Taneeo, then we know of his betrayal. Pryth deals with him now. My lady is injured. Can you crouch lower to make climbing easier for her?”

  (You must carry her.) With that pronouncement, Iianthe spread out, bringing his belly into contact with the ground and his left foreleg lower.

  “I worry that our combined weight will damage you.” Konner eyed the makeshift staircase of the dragon’s limbs.

  (Do not.) The dragon made himself flatter yet.

  “Easy, love. This is going to hurt, but only for a little.” He scooped Dalleena into his arms.

  She groaned and her head fell against his shoulder. Before he could think twice about his actions, he hastened along Iianthe’s foreleg to his shoulder. He had to shift Dalleena’s weight to grasp a neck horn for balance as he heaved her upward between two spinal horns. She came awake again with a pain-filled gasp. She clutched her middle with crossed arms.

  “Hey, you!” an IMP guard hailed them from the village compound. He brought his weapon to bear.

  Konner scrambled up behind her. “Now, Iianthe.” He slapped the dragon’s side.

  Iianthe took five steps, working his wings frantically.

  A blast of energy shot from the IMP’s weapon.

  “Fool, you could kill her!” Lotski, the medic, cried. She clung to the guard’s arm, tugging at his rifle.

  Iianthe took three more long strides. His wing action seemed slower. He still did not have enough momentum or lift to fly.

  Konner tried hunkering lower. Dalleena groaned as he pressed against her back. Her injuries would not allow her to bend.

  Another bolt of energy slid past them. Voices rose in disagreement.

  At last, after lumbering across three fields, Iianthe lifted in flight. Konner breathed a sigh of relief. Dalleena slumped against him.

  And a low moan filtered into the back of Konner’s mind.

  “Iianthe? How fare you?”

  (Not well. I must land.) With that pronouncement, he dropped rapidly below the tree line, onto a small knoll beside a tributary river. They had covered less than fifteen klicks’ distance from the village

  Konner dropped to the moss-covered rock. He let his hands roam over the dragon’s hide, seeking the source of injury. He did not get far before he noticed the left wing drooping, only half folded. A little more investigation showed a deep burn where the lower wing bone met the spine.

  “How can I help you?” he asked, careful to keep his hand off the injury.

  (Remove your lady from my back, Stargod Konner.)

  “Down is easier than up,” Dalleena attempted a grin. She fell more than climbed down into Konner’s arms. The jolt sent her groaning again.

  Konner cradled her close to his heart. Tears smarted in his eyes. Disaster piled on complication. He bit back his own cries of frustration and disappointment.

  Somehow they must make the best of this awful situation.

  Before he could voice his thoughts, a soft silvery light emanated from the dragon’s hide.

  Konner blinked. The light grew to engulf him. It brightened until he had to close his eyes. Even through closed eyelids, the light nearly blinded him. He turned his back to the dragon’s light, still protecting Dalleena in his arms.

  With the light there came a hum. Unlike the song of the dragongate, this music tickled his mind with elusive harmonies and tunes.

  Finally, the glare around them softened and receded. He opened his eyes and turned back to face the dragon. He nearly dropped Dalleena in surprise.

  “Iianthe?” he asked of the black cat that crouched before him. No ordinary cat, this one had wings. One of them drooped.

  (Who else?)

  “You transformed into a flywacket. Never thought I’d live to see it happen.” According to Hestiia, only a purple-tipped dragon could perform this miracle.

  (See and believe.)

  “Oh, I believe. Now what?”

  (We rest. Dalleena and I must huddle together for a time. You should build a fire, fish, bathe, refresh yourself.)

  “Never question a dragon.” Konner shrugged and set Dalleena down beside the black cat. She draped an arm around the solid feline body. They leaned together, supporting each other.

  The hum intensified and grew louder.

  “Ultrasound,” Konner murmured. “The original ultrasound for healing was a cat’s purr.”

  No comment from either patient.

  Konner set about his chores. Fire. Food. Bath. Sleep. Morning would determine if they could continue their journey. For now they were hidden from the IMPs.

  CHAPTER 39

  “WHERE IS EVERYBODY?” Loki asked as he stomped down the ramp from Rover. “We need to get started on building our defenses against the IMPs. We need plans and tools and Konner.”

  Kim had already disembarked from the stolen lander. He had an arm around Hestiia’s waist and seemed oblivious to all else.

  “What?” Kim asked, lifting his gaze from his wife.

  “Konner. Kat. Where are they?” Loki knew a moment of panic. He suppressed it. If he showed weakness, they’d never get anything done. His people would doubt his wisdom.

  All his troops looked about, puzzled by the emptiness of the clearing.

  “Someone started to build a fire,” Raaskan offered.

  “Probably Kat. Konner knows how to build a better fire than that.” Loki kicked at the pile of branches. It toppled easily. Lights from the two vessels illuminated the clearing but did not penetrate the tree line beyond.

  “What do we do with the crystals?” Poolie asked. Like Kim and Hestiia, she and Raaskan clung to each other as if they had been parted for years instead of hours.

  “Is this what you brought me to?” Cyndi whined from the hatchway. “There isn’t even a building or a road, or other people or . . . or . . .” She bit her lip and turned her head away.

  Loki caught a glint of moisture in her eyes.

  “Sorry. Life is primitive out here in the bush. We survive by our wits and make what we need.” Loki had no sympathy for her. Why had he ever believed himself in love with this spoiled dome breather?

  “Primitive? Primitive implies rudimentary amenities. This is barbaric!” Cyndi’s voice became shrill.

  Loki blocked out the stream of invective that followed. “Stay aboard the shuttle, Cyndi. You’ll only get dirty if you try to interfere.” He might just deck her himself if she kept up her complaints.

  Wisely, she retreated with a pout and an angry glint in her eye. The last time Loki had seen that expression on her face, he’d made love to her to soothe her mood. His aggression had excited her and her mood changed rapidly.

  He’d not resort to that method of appeasing her again.

  “What do we do with the crystals?” he asked Kim.

  “Konner knows where he wants them placed,” his brother replied.

  “Can we not duplicate the distances on the mother ship?” Hestiia asked. Her ability to learn new vocabulary and make associations never ceased to amaze Loki.

  “I know the specs for Sirius’s crystal array. But that’s a star drive. St. Bridget only knows if Konner needs the same ratios for a confusion field.” Loki shook his
head and began pacing off distances.

  “He’s created a confusion field around Sirius with our crystal array,” Kim reminded him.

  “Then let’s break out the laser sight on the needle rifle. That will give us distances to the picometer. Something to do while we wait. Save time once Konner gets here.”

  “I’ll build a proper fire,” Hestiia said. She disengaged from Kim’s embrace with a quick kiss to his cheek. She and Poolie cleared away the ineptly piled wood and began anew with a wad of dried moss and ferns. By the time the first crystal rested beside a small cairn of rocks marking its eventual resting place, the women had a fire blazing and something cooking over it.

  The rain showers held off.

  “How are we going to bury these things?” Loki looked up from his measuring of the last driver.

  “We’ll think of something.” Kim shrugged.

  “We can dig,” Raaskan said.

  “With what? All our tools are in the village, half a continent away.”

  Everyone sobered a few moments.

  “We fly,” Hestiia replied blithely. “We can bring our villagers here at the same time.”

  “We’ll need three trips with both vessels for that.” Loki marked the place for the next crystal with three small rocks. Niveean carried a green over to him. “We’re running low on fuel cells again and no way to recharge them.”

  “We have sunlight,” Kim suggested.

  “That will take weeks, if we ever see the sun again,” Loki protested as a raindrop plopped onto his nose.

  A roaring wind accompanied the rain. All of them ducked into the open hatches of the shuttle and the lander. The feeble light from the drowning fire and the portable illuminators revealed a ghostly silhouette descending from the heavens. All of the locals crossed their wrists and flapped their hands.

  Loki felt an unreasonable urge to mimic the ancient ward against the bloodthirsty demon Simurgh. Kim crossed himself, murmuring silent prayers.

  “You mangy traitor! I’ll feed you to an Anubian blood worm.” Another string of curses, in a language Loki did not recognize, as Kat’s husky voice split the air.

  Unceremoniously, the dragon thudded to the ground. Kat’s spine must have jarred, for she bit off the last diatribe. Then the dragon rippled his back and extended his wing. Kat slid from her perch and landed in the soft dirt directly above the buried king stone.

  “Oh!” She rubbed her abused bottom. With her legs splayed and her hair drenched she did not look happy. Or comfortable. “You promised to take me back to my own people,” Kat spat at the dragon.

  (What are your people other than blood kin?)

  “I don’t claim them. I don’t like them or their way of life. I belong with His Majesty’s Imperial Military Police.”

  The dragon looked down his long nose at her. For a moment the spiral horn on his forehead looked as if it would lift Kat off her feet and toss her into the air.

  Loki smothered a smile.

  Kim had a sudden coughing fit and had to turn his back. He snaked out an arm to keep Hestiia from running out to assist Kat to her feet.

  (Irythros,) the dragon announced his name.

  “Welcome, Irythros. Loki here.”

  “You didn’t welcome me!” Kat protested.

  “You, baby sister, are a pain in the ass. What happened, Kat? Did the dragon foil your escape plans?”

  She did not deign to answer.

  “May I come in? I’m cold and wet, sunburned, and I have a headache,” she spat through gritted teeth.

  “Survival often depends upon the hospitality of others. By custom we honor your request for shelter. May you return the favor to others so benighted.” Loki bowed to her in the same manner he had witnessed Raaskan greet newcomers to the village.

  She muttered something that sounded like, “Extremely unlikely.” To put it politely.

  “Your word of honor as an officer in His Imperial Majesty’s Military that you will honor the custom of hospitality.” Loki braced his feet and stood firmly in the hatchway. He kept reminding himself that they all had to learn to live together on this planet.

  “Lieutenant Talbot!” Cyndi pushed past Loki and ran to help Kat to her feet. “At last, a civilized person. Tell these people to return me to the ship immediately. I shall perish in the cold and the damp. Who knows what bacteria lurk in this filthy air!” she gushed.

  Kat shook off the helping hand and stiffly got her feet under her. She shot the dragon a malevolent look. “I suggest you keep your thoughts and words to yourself, Ms. Baines. Return to the ship is dangerous at the moment and unlikely to help the situation.”

  Cyndi stared at her, mouth agape.

  Loki racked his brain trying to remember why he ever thought Cyndi attractive let alone the most beautiful and desirable woman in the galaxy. Thoughts of Paola Sanchez jumped to his mind’s eye. Determined, energetic, independent, her stark beauty held much more appeal at the moment.

  Cyndi dominated by manipulating people, like Mum. Paola led.

  The dragon took off in a huff, leaving behind a flurry of windblown debris that cascaded over Kat and Cyndi. Dragons were big enough and powerful enough they did not have to hide their emotions or cater to the whims of others.

  Loki wished he were a dragon at that moment. Or had the respect proffered to them.

  “Your word of honor, Kat,” he reminded them all of the reason for the delay.

  Kat returned his glare for a long moment before firming her shoulders and thrusting out her chin. “My word of honor. I will honor the custom of hospitality and deny it to no one who asks properly for shelter in my abode.”

  “Full of loopholes but good enough for now. You’ll learn the value of honor and hospitality and a bunch of other qualities alien to civils of the GTE.” Loki turned his back on the women and retreated deeper into the shuttle.

  “Qualities totally alien to the O’Hara brothers who have broken nearly every law honored by civilized humans since time began,” Kat retorted.

  Loki froze. The weight of his crimes came crashing down upon his shoulders. He wanted to justify his actions, blame them on others who had cheated him. The truth was, he enjoyed the danger and excitement of defying the law, always one jump ahead of arrest.

  Suddenly he needed to punch someone and did not like himself very much for the thought. How could he lead this ragtag group of refugees when he could not properly exhibit the qualities he professed?

  Konner drifted slowly to the surface of his meditation. A bird chirped a tentative inquiry.

  A soft glow of predawn light shimmered around the edges of Konner’s awareness. A gentle shaft of warmth struck his back. Then all of the birds came alive with songs of greeting to the sunrise.

  Konner heaved a deep sigh of release and opened his eyes. He looked around before moving. Nothing but the birds and a slight breeze filtered through to this grassy creekside. He might be the only person alive on the entire planet.

  Except that his heart ached for the one missing. Best let her continue resting until she awoke naturally. The healing magic of a cat’s purr needed time. Even the more intense ultrasound treatments of modern medicine needed hours to show an effect.

  The muted roar of Iianthe’s throat rumbles ceased abruptly.

  “Wake up, Konner,” Dalleena whispered. Her hand touched his shoulder.

  He scrambled to his feet and encircled her with his arms, needing to protect her from whatever had roused her. “What’s wrong,” he asked quietly.

  “They come.”

  There was only one “they” that would make her eyes go wide with alarm. IMPs.

  “How far away?”

  “Not far.”

  “Can you travel? Is that still sore?” Konner asked, exploring the bump on the back of her head with his fingers. She winced but stayed within the circle of his embrace. He peered at the spot, not daring to touch it. He wished Kim were here. His brother could hasten the healing started by Iianthe.

  (I cannot fly
today,) the dragon announced. His mental voice sounded as hushed as Konner’s and Dalleena’s whispers, as if he feared alerting the approaching soldiers.

  “We must hide,” Konner decided. IMP officers used hostages as bargaining tools. Their captain must be desperate to regain the king stone by now. If they had to, would Loki and Kim trade it for Konner’s safety?

  He did not intend to give them the opportunity.

  “We have to get to the clearing. I have to leave today to get to my son in time.” He wanted to shout and pound things with his fists. No time.

  Muted voices came from a spot due west, a few hundred meters away.

  “Can you climb?” He shoved Dalleena toward the tallest tree he could see.

  She stretched one arm above her head. Grimaced. Nodded hesitantly, then shook her head. She looked as if she might cry.

  (To me,) Iianthe called.

  Shafts of sunlight seemed to concentrate upon the mossy rock where the flywacket crouched. Surely the IMPs must see the blinding explosion of light. Konner whirled Dalleena around so that both of their backs were to the transforming dragon. She clutched her middle from the abrupt motion. When the glare dissolved, Konner peered over his shoulder.

  (Your enemies see only the sunrise.)

  Konner hoped that was so. True civils like Pettigrew had probably never observed a sunrise. Looking east they might mistake Iianthe’s shedding of light as nothing more dangerous.

  (To me,) Iianthe repeated. He lifted his good wing a little.

  “I hope this works.” He and Dalleena slipped beneath the wing. They lay flat upon the cushion of moss.

  (Do not move,) Iianthe admonished them. (Color and movement betray the hunted.)

  “What about your purple-tips?” Konner asked as quietly as he could.

  (Inconsequential.)

  The voices came closer.

  ”Heat sensors indicate the quarry has . . . I can’t find them anywhere, Lieutenant Commander M’Berra,” a female voice said. “Must be something wrong with the handheld. All I see is one block of heat half a klick square.”

  Konner wished he could see through Iianthe’s wing. He needed to read body language as well as vocal tones to judge the degree of danger.