Dragonhold (Book 2)

by Brian Rathbone

  "You really are a know-it-all," Pelivor said, elbowing her in the ribs. The physical contact, no matter how minimal was thrilling.

  "Sorry. I spent a lot of time studying, and I find these kinds of things interesting."

  "Don't be sorry. That's one of the things I love about you."

  The words were said before Pelivor could take them back, and the silence that hung after his statement was increasingly awkward. Searching for words, he drew a breath. Catrin gave him a sad smile, and he was about to apologize when someone knocked the world sideways. There were things in life that were part of the background, like the ringing in his ears, but when suddenly amplified and shifted to a frequency that set everything on edge, those things became unbearable. Reeling from the sudden change in the energy around them, Pelivor caught a glimpse of Catrin, her head cradled in her hands. He could not imagine how much worse it must be for her.

  For years Pelivor had struggled to eke enough power from the air to fly the Dragon's Wing, and he couldn't even imagine how it must feel to have access to all the power all the time. The small amount he was able to draw was an elixir that left one wanting more. He knew the extent of Catrin's powers, and it frightened him if he thought too much about it.

  "What is it?" Pelivor asked without realizing he was speaking.

  "That fool Allette," Catrin said. "I think she damaged the Fifth Magic without actually disabling it. Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "We are powerless to do anything about the barrier. It's still there but now it's distorted; I can feel it. We must press on and hope we find some other way out soon."

  Pelivor let the silence hang. The initial shock of the ringing was wearing off, and now it felt as if his teeth were going to crack. Catrin leaned on him for a moment; he put his arm around her. Why did it have to be so hard for them, he wondered, but he carried on nonetheless.

  Only when they reached the stone forest did Pelivor really see the world around him again. His sole purpose was to take Catrin to the infernal ringing's source and make it stop. Thousands of trees, painstakingly carved with unmatched accuracy and detail, temporarily made the pain go away. For a moment the majesty erased all other thought. No guard could be seen, but evidence of their presence remained. Supplies and foodstuffs were stacked nearby, a cot tucked into a side hall not far from where the forest began.

  Trinda might have recalled the guard, but Pelivor wasn't so sure. Perhaps it was the lifelike forest, or maybe it was the occasional carved inhabitants of those trees that unnerved Pelivor. Either way, he felt as if they were being watched. The hairs on his neck stood.

  Neither wished to prolong this exploration, and they ate strips of dried beef while walking through the silent grove. Catrin unnecessarily motioned for silence. Others would be listening across the world in places just as improbable as this. Instantaneous global communications pushed the limits of imagination, yet it existed and Pelivor stood inside it.

  While the high-pitched whine threatened to relieve Pelivor of his sanity, other noises indicated more immediate threats. No matter what anyone said, some of those deep booms were not thunder. Catrin had never said they were, and both knew the kind of danger they might face. It gave Pelivor great pride to walk beside Catrin into the unknown. They had fought overwhelming odds before, and though they hadn't always won, they had survived.

  When Catrin drew a sudden breath and grabbed his arm, Pelivor wasn't certain they would again.

  * * *

  The maze beneath the Black Spike appeared to have been built by someone who was losing his sanity. Many tunnels went nowhere, some ending in vertical shafts. The construction was far rougher than what Durin had seen within Dragonhold or even Windhold.

  "I knew a smith who made art by pouring molten silver into anthills," Strom said as if to chase away the ever-impinging darkness. "This place reminds me of the many tunnels and chambers the ants create."

  Markers, presumably left by Catrin, saved them from exploring the entire place. Durin had to assume she was the one guiding them. Any other thought was just too frightening to bear.

  "I'm convinced this place is the work of Ain Giest," Osbourne said. Strom glared at him as if mentioning the name might summon the immortal madman himself.

  Durin wasn't certain he believed the old tales about Enoch and Ain Giest merging their consciousnesses and going mad, but someone built this impossible place. If Osbourne was correct, they were walking into the lair of the most notorious character in Godsland's history. Even the possibility gave Durin the crawls. They could do nothing to prepare and were essentially defenseless against whatever they encountered. Beyond the statuettes' light, darkness shifted and moved. Strom kept the figurines glowing low, afraid of discharging them too quickly, although there had been no perceptible lessening of the light they provided. Durin wished to see farther into the distance; not knowing if they were walking up on some ancient monster made his stomach hurt.

  "If it was Ain," Osbourne continued, "I believe we are safe. He was never malicious as much as he perceived the world differently than others. No one can say what it must have been like always having his grandfather in the back of his mind, controlling his breathing, heart rate, and other functions. His frailty was the price of Enoch's folly. He was the one who'd taught so many of his people to heal themselves, not knowing how dire the consequences would be."

  "No one should ever get into someone else's head," Strom said. "It's against nature and just wrong."

  Durin could see his point, knowing Strom's experience with Kyrien was a driving factor behind his stance on the matter. There were others, though, who had benefitted from direct communication with the mind of another, sometimes across great distances. Had Prios not spoken in Sinjin's mind, assassins might well have succeeded in killing him. Some things were dangerous and needed to be used with care was what Durin took away from the conversation.

  Ahead twisted carvings of trees materialized from the pervasive darkness. Winged gargoyles watched from glistening black branches as they moved deeper into a nightmare. Artfully carved, the trees may have once been accurate representations of nature. Now they looked as if they had been turned to wax, melted, then turned to stone. The creatures who occupied the upper branches were angular in comparison, lifelike images of things Durin prayed did not actually exist. And if they did, he hoped there were none within this place, which was horrible enough on its own.

  Shuffling noises up ahead made Durin want to run and hide. Strom stopped them with a raised hand, and all three were on full alert. The light they bore would make them stand out to anything living in that darkness and might even drive some away. Durin didn't want to consider which of the creatures he'd seen in the trees might have been real, especially since far more terrifying monstrosities waited deeper within the twisted forest. Wings and tails emerged from human-looking torsos. Durin thought he might faint if one moved.

  Nothing gave any indication of how large the forest was or if there were other tunnels leading out of the place.

  Strom continued forward, as if drawn by magic, and Durin wondered if it might be true. He knew better than to ask the man. Strom was uncomfortable with his powers, and asking him would only make him defensive about it. Better to let the big man lead and follow his instincts. Durin smiled. He was finally starting to understand how to work with other people. He'd never known it could be so complicated or rewarding.

  When Strom stopped without warning, holding up his hand again, Durin wasn't prepared and walked into Strom's back. He grunted loudly from the impact, and both Strom and Osbourne cast him scathing glances, demanding silence. When Durin recovered himself, he understood why. Voices came from not far ahead. Who in the world could possibly be at the bottom of this forsaken place, Durin asked himself, liking none of what his imagination conjured.

  Strom quietly led them deeper into the nightmare forest, the pool of light giving them away to anything with eyes. Durin, too, felt compelled to move in silence. Some
one or something else was there. The odds of its being friendly were decidedly slim.

  No more voices came. Low rumblings and something akin to a growl were all that could be heard. Highly alert, all three jumped upon hearing a sudden intake of breath. Startled, terrified, and confused, Durin searched for a tree to hide behind but could find none that didn't bear some creature from his nightmares.

  A mighty growl split the air, followed by a grunt, but Durin saw nothing. He exchanged confused glances with Strom and Osbourne but then remembered the tales of keystones. Sinjin had told him about them and had used them himself, so Durin knew such things really existed.

  Grunts and cries filled the air but no words. Still, Durin felt some sort of connection. Even across the distance, he knew, even before Pelivor shouted, "Look out, Cat! Behind you!"

  Though Durin was not there in physical form, Catrin's foes didn't know that. He made up his mind. "For Catrin!" he shouted with all the authority he could muster. Strom and Osbourne took a moment to understand his goal, but then they charged into the empty darkness, shouting battle cries that reverberated through the Black Spike.

  * * *

  Stopping cold when Catrin grabbed his arm, Pelivor held his breath. A hulking, shadowy form stepped into the light and did not shy away. Another approached from a different direction. Pelivor grabbed Catrin's collar and turned her back the way they had come. A third demon stepped into their path. There was a chance they could retreat through the stone forest, dashing between the trees to lose the enemy, but there were likely more where these had come from. Without their most potent weapons, they were in serious trouble.

  His grip on Catrin loosened, and she darted away from him, dividing the monsters' focus. Charging toward the first one they'd seen, which wasn't far away, Catrin leaped into the air, executing a flying kick at the demon's knee. Too slow to react, the demon went down with a loud crack. The dark monster growled and thrashed in anguish but would pursue them no farther.

  "Look out, Cat! Behind you!" Pelivor shouted. A mace made from a small tree trunk missed Catrin's head by a hair's width, but Pelivor had his own problems. The demon closing on him carried no weapons; instead, the foul beast wore twisted ironworks more like hammers than gloves. One soared past Pelivor's head, crashing into a stone tree, desecrating the eons-old masterpiece. Even as he sought to save his own life, Pelivor was aware of the beauty around him. What had seemed like a miss proved an effective attack, when a heavy branch came crashing down on Pelivor. Her eyes defiant, Catrin stood in the mace-wielding demon's path. Having no time to process what he saw, Pelivor rolled away. Two mighty hammers raced toward him, and there was little else he could do to defend himself.

  "For Catrin!" came a sudden cry. Pelivor could hardly believe it. More cries split the air, and the course of the battle shifted. Pulling himself out from under the stone branch, he came away with cuts, scrapes, and bruises but little more.

  The demon cast about, searching for this new threat. It was all the opportunity Pelivor needed. Following Catrin's example, he struck the enormous creature from behind, buckling the knee to take the beast down. It hit the stone floor with a resounding thud, its gruesome visage smacking the wall hard on its way down, knocking it out.

  Limping away from a still form on the stone, the third demon fled. Running as fast as he could, Pelivor reached her side to find her still breathing.

  "Can you hear me, Cat? Are you all right?"

  She gave no answer for a time, and Pelivor sat, strangely alone.

  "We were trying to help," came Durin's voice from the ether. "Is Catrin hurt?"

  "I'll be fine," she said, stirring in Pelivor's grasp. "Thank you. You saved us."

  "What do you need us to do, Cat?" Strom asked across the distance. He sounded as if he were standing right next to them. "We've done our best to follow your guidance."

  "You're almost there," Catrin responded. "Keep going the same direction you've been traveling, and you'll find Ain's machine." A fit of coughing interrupted her words.

  Pelivor helped her sit up. Demon calls rose in the distance. "We need to get out of here, Cat. Now."

  "I've left you the very tool you'll need to activate the portals," Catrin said as Pelivor hoisted her back to her feet and hauled her away. Demons were coming.

  * * *

  Onin and Allette both walked under their own power, carrying their own packs despite Kenward's offered assistance. In the end he was glad for their stubbornness since his pack grew heavier over time. His aunt had been generous to him, and she'd been kind to Onin. Both were glad when she had agreed to show Allette similar courtesy. Miss Mariss was a woman of reason, and she'd nodded when Kenward reminded her that Allette hadn't come voluntarily.

  "Catrin was correct," Allette said. It was as close as she'd come to an apology. "I can only hope she was right about going deeper into this tomb. At least here I can see the light, even if I can't feel it."

  Onin shrugged. "Don't beat yourself up. Your idea had merit."

  "I'm not angry with myself," Allette said. "I'm mad at her. How dare she be right?"

  The comment took Kenward off his guard, and when he cast her a sideways glance, the Black Queen wore a rare grin. This young woman was a puzzle to match Trinda, Kenward thought. Most of the women in his life were mysteries to him, so he was undeterred by this fact.

  "Catrin feels responsible for all of you," Allette blurted. "She feels terrible about the Slippery Eel and the Serpent. She'd take it back if she could."

  Kenward gaped. He'd always known but somehow hearing it from Allette meant something more. Catrin and Allette had bonded in ways he could never understand and shared their deepest secrets. She had no reason to tell Kenward these things unless Catrin absolutely believed them. He supposed she told him to make him feel better, but it had the opposite effect. He'd cursed Catrin in some of the most creative and unusual language ever uttered on Godsland, and having her remorse verified removed much of his right to complaint.

  "She really is your friend."

  "Thank you," Kenward said. "You didn't have to tell me that, but I'm glad you did."

  "Can she communicate directly with her dragon over great distances?" Onin asked.

  His abrupt and specific question came as a surprise.

  "Yes," Allette said after a moment. "But it's more difficult when she's deprived of Istra's light."

  "Amazing," Onin said. "I can barely communicate with Jehregard when I'm on his back and armed with a hammer."

  Kenward had wondered just how brave Onin really was.

  The man's next question proved he was the braver of the two. "Can you communicate with your dragons over great distance?"

  All three continued walking, but Allette said nothing. Kenward wondered if she might scold the old warrior for his prying, but she proved capable of handling herself in other ways.

  "I've no need of the hammer," she said.

  Kenward smiled. She'd answered his question without really telling him what he wanted to know. Onin just grunted in response. Kenward had thought that might be the end of the conversation, but the old warrior wasn't quite done yet. Apparently he was determined to make the best of having the Black Queen's undivided attention.

  "What do the ferals want?" he asked.

  A bold question, Kenward thought. Allette did not respond right away. This was a sign of wisdom in Kenward's estimation. Those who speak with haste often fail to fully consider their words.

  "To be left alone. If provoked, however, they'll seek revenge."

  "Revenge?" Onin asked.

  "The feral dragons did not fare well at the end of the last age," Allette said.

  "That was thousands of years ago," Kenward said.

  Allette's eyes were cold. "Dragons do not forget."

  Onin grunted in acknowledgment. There was something she wasn't saying. After all, if the ferals wished only to be left alone, then why had they attacked the Greatland and the Godfist? Something wasn't adding up.

  "
And what do you want?" Kenward asked before he could think better of it.

  Allette looked at him almost sheepishly. "I don't know."

  It was perhaps the most honest thing anyone had ever said to him, and he recognized her vulnerability in that moment. She'd shown him something of herself, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Life had been so unkind. She deserved some respite. She deserved to be loved.

  "Not much chance you'll get it, then," Onin said.

  Allette stuck her tongue out at him, and he actually smiled. It was something Kenward had never seen before. This day just kept getting stranger. Their journey had been relatively uneventful, and Trinda's guards surprisingly helpful in telling them where Catrin's group had gone.

  "Heard Lady Catrin was going beyond the stone forest," one man said when he encountered the group. He just pointed in the general direction and told them to keep going.

  It seemed odd to explore the hold by going directly down the main halls, but Kendra had most likely had this part of the hold thoroughly searched. If Catrin had good reason to believe she would find whatever it was they were searching for beyond the stone forest, then that would be the best place to start their search. That excited Kenward in one way: it was the chance to see this stone forest for himself. Some things simply are not real until experienced, and he could not imagine such a thing existing.

  "What do you want, Onin of the Old Guard?" Allette asked the old warrior.

  He grinned at her. "I'd like to live out my life with an eccentric dragon, a warm woman, and a full mug."

  Allette laughed. "At least you've set achievable goals."

  "You'd think. So far it's proven impossible."

  "I just want to be free," Kenward said despite the fact that no one asked. "Give me a ship and open skies, and I'll be the happiest man alive."

  "You actually want to fly one of those things again?" Onin asked.

  "This from a man who navigates with a hammer," Kenward said, and they all laughed. It was an odd thing. All of them had reason to resent the others, reason enough to go to war in cases, yet they had found a common cause and were able to get along just fine. War was a prolonged and messy business Kenward wanted nothing to do with. Give him a good boarding and looting any day. No one gets hurt, and the pirates go on their way--most of the time.