Or they’d better.
If the attack came as Rufin predicted, he could bear it better knowing that his wife - and, he hoped, his daughter - were out of harm’s way.
***
Eva paced outside the door to Tren’s room, afraid to go inside. He was alive, so Limbane had said, but his condition was not good. It had not been easy to save him. He had lost a great deal of blood, and while Limbane’s healing skills were beyond anything seen in her own world, that was one problem he could not resolve.
It was her fault that Tren had been so severely weakened. She should have listened to him to begin with, for he’d been right, entirely right. She was incapable of healing him. The journey to the Library had been hard on him, but if she had done it right away, he would probably have been in better shape for it.
Now she feared the worst. Tren’s wound had been closed and healed, but he was still desperately weak, and he would have to rely largely on his own strength to recover. How strong was he? He was young and fit, true, but would it be enough?
Steeling herself, she quietly opened the door and went in. The room was almost completely dark, though enough faint light was present to allow her sensitive night-eyes to make out the details of Tren’s form, lying still in a large bed in the centre of the room. Approaching with care - she didn’t wish to wake him if he was sleeping - she surveyed his face.
So pale, and his eyes smudged with shadows. But he breathed still, and his face lacked the pallor of death.
‘You’re too late,’ he murmured without opening his eyes. ‘For I am dead and gone, slain by wayward pride.’
Eva flinched and stepped back. She knew she deserved some recrimination, but it still hurt to hear it.
‘Tren, I’m sorry. I feared for the journey -’
He opened his eyes and looked at her gravely. ‘That might be true, but is it also fair to say you were competing with yourself? I know how you dislike to fail.’
She took a pained breath. ‘Yes,’ she said shakily. ‘I really thought that I could make it work, somehow. I was determined.’
He gazed at her for a moment longer with that detestable gravity. Then, suddenly, he grinned.
‘You did it because you care. Aren’t I right? Admit it.’
Relief weakened her knees. She pulled up a chair and sat at his side.
‘Perfectly true: it cannot be denied.’ She took his hand and folded it in her own.
‘You’ll have to make it up to me,’ he said, returning the pressure of her fingers.
‘How would you like me to atone?’
He made a show of thinking it over.
‘I think I have earned a kiss,’ he decided. ‘I wasn’t in a position to properly enjoy the last one.’
Eva complied, thoroughly and without hesitation.
‘Curse my weakness,’ he said somewhat later. ‘Now would be the perfect time to - well, to -’
She opened her eyes very wide. ‘To what?’
‘Uh. Never mind,’ he said lamely.
‘Later,’ she promised. ‘You’d better work on getting well, as fast as you can.’
His eyes widened. ‘I wasn’t - I mean I was serious but not - I didn’t think you’d – um.’ He blinked a few times. ‘Why the change of heart?’
She countered that with another question. ‘Why did you get yourself stabbed?’
He tried to shrug but it obviously hurt somewhere, for he winced in pain. ‘If one of us is going to get stabbed, it had better be me.’
‘Why?’
‘Because your being hurt is not an option.’
She smiled at that. ‘I find it hard to believe that even I could mesmerise someone into risking their life for me. It occurred to me that maybe you weren’t talking complete nonsense after all.’
‘Hey. I know my own mind, my lady. You’re insulting.’
‘Of course you do.’ She adopted the soothing tone that adults use to reassure children.
Tren scowled at her. ‘I can’t think why I love you. You’re perfectly horrible.’
‘I know,’ she said placidly. Abandoning her chair, she lay down next to him. They lay in silence for a while as Tren gathered his strength and regained his breath.
‘So,’ he murmured eventually. ‘What are we doing next?’
‘You’re getting well,’ she replied. ‘Then we’re going with Limbane to Ullarn. He’s after Krays’s workshops.’
‘Right. Excellent. But what I actually meant was, what are we doing next? Is it too soon to think about children? Because I think our babies would be too gorgeous for this world.’
She laughed at that and kissed him. ‘Ask me again when you’re well.’
Epilogue
A week or so after the removal of his wife from Glinnery, Aysun Sanfaer stood at the top of the tallest glissenwol tree in Waeverleyne. A structure had been hastily erected, large and sturdy enough to accommodate the considerable bulk and weight of his new war machines.
The monstrous contraptions were wrought from steel and pale tayn wood brought from Irbel. It was the hardest, strongest wood available and it needed to be, for these machines were built to hurl the heaviest of missiles at intruders from the air.
One was equipped to hurl rocks. Ammunition was being brought up by pulley; a stack of at least thirty waited to be loaded into the machine.
The other was fitted to hurl something more deadly. Globes of hide rested, seemingly innocuous, in a great container at the base of the machine. They were designed to break on impact: inside was a chemical concoction that would burst into flame when disturbed, engulfing the enemy in a conflagration.
Or so he hoped.
Similar towers had been erected all over Glinnery. Every major settlement had at least three towers, and many of the smaller ones now had one at their defence. But they were not working fast enough. Aysun knew that the delay was far from promising. While they worked feverishly to prepare their defences, the draykoni were doubtless working to improve their numbers. It was impossible to guess how many would eventually come at them: the best they could do was work fast and hard and hope for the best.
It wasn’t Aysun’s favourite approach.
This tower was almost complete. Two machines stood ready, with full complements of ammunition. More would be delivered when they became available; since the Council of Elders had converted many of the realm’s businesses to the production of weapons, war machines and ammo, Aysun hoped those deliveries would be arriving soon.
In the meantime, there were more towers to be built. He began, wearily, to clamber down the side of the tree. He hoped to be able to construct elevators at each of these defence points, but at present the engineers lacked either time or resources. A mere ladder had been built instead, wide enough for two to ascend or descend at once but shockingly vulnerable to attack. It was yet another important item on his agenda.
‘Ah, sir?’ a voice said, halting his progress. He looked up at the man questioningly, but the engineer wasn’t looking at him. He was staring out beyond the borders of Waeverleyne, the height of this tree allowing a long view over the horizon.
The younger man jabbed a finger at the skies. ‘What does that look like to you?’
Aysun climbed back up the ladder and hauled himself onto the platform. Taking his station by the young engineer’s side, he squinted into the sun.
Dark patches of colour blotted the serene beauty of the horizon, rapidly growing in size. As he watched, the foremost of them began to resolve into a definite shape: he saw outstretched wings and long necks and tails.
‘Looks like they’re here,’ he replied, quiet and grim. ‘Sound the warning, Ven.’
Every tower had been given an alarm, each fairly simplistic in nature but effective. Ven pulled a lever sharply down and sound blasted out of the clumsy device, shrieking a splitting warning across the buildings of Waeverleyne. Moments later another alarm was sounded, and another. The noise was deafening.
The first draykons were now in clear view. Aysun r
ecognised the dark red beast of whom he’d heard - the one who had led the previous attack. The one who had injured, maybe destroyed, his wife.
She didn’t seem to be the leader now. She flew at the side of another draykon, an impossibly large creature with scales of deep green hue flecked with white. This one bore itself with the pride and fury of a monarch.
Behind these two flew draykon after draykon. Aysun estimated that at least twenty were so far visible; more may yet be concealed in the sun’s glare.
As the draykon’s shrieks competed with the din of the alarms and rocks and fire began to fly, Aysun had barely a moment to feel relief that his wife and daughter were not in the realm.
Then he strode to the nearest of his new war machines. Ven took up a position at the other as soldiers and engineers swarmed up the ladder, ready to man the tower.
‘Well,’ he said to no one in particular. ‘Here we go.’
***
End Notes
Thank you for reading Lokant! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your favourite ebook store or online book club - this really helps spread the word.
The second book in the series, Orlind, is available now. Read on for an excerpt!
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Also by Charlotte E. English:
The Draykon Series: Epic fantasy
Draykon
Lokant
Orlind
The Malykant Mysteries: Dark fantasy murder mysteries
The Rostikov Legacy
The Ivanov Diamond
Myrrolen's Ghost Circus
Ghostspeaker
The Drifting Isle Chronicles: Steampunk fantasy
Black Mercury
Tales of Aylfenhame: Regency fairytale fantasy
Miss Landon and Aubranael
Miss Ellerby and the Ferryman
Glossary of Terms
Arvale: An ancient draykoni name for the realm now known as Glinnery.
Ayrien: An ancient draykoni name for the Lower Realms.
Cayluch: A hearty beverage made from milk, cream, cocoa beans and coffee. Typically enjoyed steaming hot.
Daefly: Insects with small, thin bodies and enormous coloured wings. Feeding on flower nectar, daeflies are instrumental in the pollination process.
Darklands: It is always night in the Darklands provinces of the Seven Realms. During the day, sorcerers use a powerful enchantment called the Night Cloak to block out the light and keep the sun from damaging the eyes of its residents, or the plants brought from the permanently dark Lower Realms.
Day Cloak: A magical enchantment wrought by sorcerers which keeps the Daylands permanently in sunlight (or something like it). This ensures that sun-loving plants and animals native to the Upper Realms may thrive across the Daylands, too.
Daylands: In the Daylands provinces, night never falls. When the sun goes down, sorcerers create an artificial daylight effect called the Day Cloak, less powerful than full sunlight but sufficient to keep light-loving plants and animals content. Daylands realms include Glinnery and Irbel.
Desente bird: A large, dark bird with purple feathers and keen eyesight. Desentes have such enormous wings they can stay aloft for up to eighteen hours without landing.
Drauk: These reptiles are adaptable and can live in most Daylands environments. They are usually black-scaled, with wickedly sharp claws and long, thin necks and tails.
Draykon: The largest and most fearsome species known to the Seven Realms. Draykons are reptilian, with scaled hide of various colours as well as long tails, claws and vast webbed wings. They are as intelligent as humans and can shape-shift.
Evenglow: Glinnery term for the Day Cloaked hours, when the strong natural sunlight gives way to the more muted light of the enchantment.
Everum: An ancient draykon name for Glour.
Glissenwol: Native to the realm of Glinnery, the glissenwol tree is taller than most other species, with a broad, sturdy trunk and a wide cap instead of branches and leaves.
Glostrel trees: Graceful, slender-branched trees with silvery bark and wide, white leaves. These grow in abundance across Glour, and in some parts of Orstwych and Ullarn.
Irignol trees: Leafless trees with black, frondy bark and very dark brown wood. These form symbiotic relationships with a species of pale silvery-green lichen. They can grow to great heights, and their trunks and branches become ever more contorted with age.
Irilapter: These tiny winged creatures have long, thin bodies covered with fur and comparatively large wings similar to those of a daefly. A typical irilapter will have a long, curled tail and a similarly long, curled proboscis, plus far more riotous colour in its small form than ought to belong to a single creature.
Irtand: Draykon name for the "Middles" or the Seven Realms.
Iskyr: An ancient draykoni word for the place now more commonly called The Upper Realms.
Istore: Named by Llandry Sanfaer, istore is an indigo-coloured gemstone with a silver shine.
Lokant: A word meaning "Librarian" in an ancient tongue.
Lower Realms: Existing as an adjacent plane to the Seven Realms, the Uppers are so-called because they are believed to be situated somewhere beyond the ground. There is no sun in the Lowers, and as such it is always dark - though there are multiple moons which sometimes change colour. This place is notoriously unstable and difficult to navigate, as the geographical layout and scenery are in a state of constant flux. The Lower Realms may be reached by opening a gate between the two worlds.
Night Cloak: A magical enchantment wrought by sorcerers which cloaks the Darklands in shadow, keeping the sunlight away from the delicate and night-loving plants and animals cultivated by its citizens.
Nivven: The most popular mount across the Seven Realms, the nivven is a tall beast with four long, powerful legs and a graceful stride. Their scaled hides range in colour from pearly grey to dark brown. Nivvens are herbivorous and pacifistic in nature, making them ideal beasts of burden.
Meerel: Tiny woodland beasts with brown fur and long whiskers, noses and tails. They eat fruit and nuts and typically live in nests built of woven grass.
Muumuk: A huge, heavy, slow-moving creature, omnivorous, its hide the colour of polished bronze. Muumuks have poor eyesight but much keener hearing with their enormous ears.
Nara-fruit: A juicy fruit with pink skin and flesh, grown in Glinnery.
Off-Worlds: A term used to refer to all those worlds (the Upper and Lower Realms) which are not part of the mainland and can only be reached via magical travel.
Orboe: A large beast more than six feet long from nose to tail. Orboes are shaggy-furred, ranging in colour from cream to grey to black, with tiny ears and massive jaws. They walk on all fours and can run at amazing speeds given their size and weight.
Orting: A small mammal with pale grey fur, short ears and a short tail. The orting is a friendly, herbivorous species native to the Upper Realms.
PsiMap: A magical construct useable by Lokants to locate, and subsequently travel to, any part of the world(s).
PsiTravel: A Lokant technology allowing their kind to cross large distances almost instantaneously.
Shortig hound: A small but energetic dog celebrated for its tracking abilities. Shortigs are black-furred, with long ears and large noses. They can be difficult to befriend, but are capable of great loyalty.
Tayn wood: A pale wood from the tayn trees of Irbel. Tayn is the hardest and strongest wood known to the Seven Realms, and as such is popularly used for buildings and machinery.
Upper Realms: Existing as an adjacent plane to the Seven Realms, the Uppers are so-called because they are believed to be situated somewhere behind the sky. Multiple sun
s shine down on the Upper Realms, ensuring that it is always light. This place is notoriously unstable and difficult to navigate, as the geographical layout and scenery are in a state of constant flux. The Upper Realms may be reached by opening a gate between the two worlds.
Whistworm: A fat worm, native to the Lowers, that climbs the stems of tall plants and feeds off tiny insects. They are an unwholesome yellow in colour and lightly furred.
Whurthag: A fearsome beast from the Lower Realms, long since banned as summoner companions. Whurthags are large, muscular and very aggressive, with night-black hide and vicious claws and teeth. They are adept at stalking prey, their black hide all but invisible in Darklands provinces.
Worvillo: Aggressive pack animals with long legs, shaggy grey or black fur and a sensitive sense of smell. They hunt their prey over long distances, shrieking chilling hunting-calls when in the fever of the chase.
Excerpt from Orlind (Draykon 3)
‘Sir? Sir! Are you awake, sir?’
Aysun opened his eyes to find bare earth two inches from his face. A hand was shaking him, hard, and the voice - Ven’s voice, he realised - shouted directly in his ear. Even then he had trouble hearing the lad over the ear-splitting noise of destruction, shrieking draykoni and wailing alarms.
‘I’m alive,’ Aysun grunted, and Ven mercifully ceased his attempts to shake him to pieces. He tried to sit up, but his back protested forcibly. A curse escaped his lips as he eased himself back to the ground.
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