The younger dragon dived for the ground and glanced behind her to ensure her mentor was close behind. Azerick’s rune magic was not her only source of power however. Using her sand dragon heritage, she called up a fierce dust storm and dived into the heart of it. Despite the sudden drop in visibility, Sandy was far from blind. Racing through the gritty cloud, she barked out short, sharp roars, and her ears created a sort of map in her mind as it processed the returning echoes. One of the advantages of spending a great deal of time beneath the surface was the ability to see without one’s eyes.
“Very good, young one!” Mordigar called out behind her.
Sandy darted for a series of ravines and deep fissure cutting through the mountainous region like knife wounds on the skin of the world and pulled her dust storm along behind her. She weaved around jutting rocks as she raced through a twisting labyrinth of cuts and draws. Despite her obscuring cloud and evasive moves, Mordigar stayed close on her tail, and she could hear him chortling his pleasure at her seeming inability to shake him.
“I may not be able to see well, youngling, but my memory is impeccable despite my great age.”
Sandy knew Mordigar was following her by sound as well as memory and led him toward her trap. She remembered a low waterfall spanning the gap between the walls of one of the canyons along which tracked a narrow but deep river. Sandy called to the stones lining the canyon, pulled them free with her magic, and bombarded the elder dragon. Mordigar swooped right and left, avoiding most of the stones and letting his powerful wards deflect the others. Sandy knew the old dragon would not be phased by such a simple assault, but such was not her intent. Her earth runes flared and the waterfall’s riverbed rose several feet. Sandy skimmed just over the crest with Mordigar practically shadowing her every move. With any luck, he would not differentiate between the magic used to raise the ground from that which caused the continual dust storm and falling stones.
Sandy heard a great splash and cursing as Mordigar struck the lip of the falls. He began laughing when he realized what his student had done, but sandy was intent upon cutting that laughter short. He was off-balance, and it now was her best chance to make a decisive strike. As Mordigar floundered and struggled to right himself, Sandy quickly reversed her course and summoned a great spout of water from the river. The column struck the massive dragon under his left wing, throwing him further off-balance. Mordigar cursed again but did not have time to get inventive with his expletives as Sandy struck him in the back and summoned a powerful gust of air to add power to her attack. Her mentor was unable to counter the triple onslaught and crashed heavily into the river.
Sandy landed on a sandbar and beamed as Mordigar dragged himself from the river and coughed out water from his lungs. She could tell he was trying his best to look fiercely dignified but gave up the pretense and laughed heartily.
“Well done, little one! I am wet and hungry. Let us leave this place and get something to eat.”
***
Student and master lay curled into two scaled mounds, one large, one beyond enormous, digesting their heavy meals. Sandy was just on the edge of consciousness when Mordigar tensed and anxiously raised his head.
“I fear our time together is at an end,” he said with tension in his voice.
“No, there is too much for me to learn still!”
“It would take me a century just to begin to teach you all I know, but that was never my intent. I showed you how to mix the colors. It is up to you to paint your masterpieces. You are tenacious and brilliant, and it will carry you very far. The Scions are breaching the walls of their prison. You must leave now. Once they come through, we will be enemies.”
Sandy’s stomach twisted into a knot and she denied his words with every fiber of her being. “No! You can fight them. We will fight them together!”
Mordigar bent his head down and nuzzled her cheek. “It is not possible. Believe me when I say I have tried and with the most powerful of motivations.”
“I cannot fight you. I won’t.”
“You will!” the ancient dragon roared. “You will fight me and you will kill me because if you do not I shall certainly kill you, and I cannot live with that. I am old and I am tired. I have suffered at the hands of these so-called gods, and I do not wish to do so again.”
“What did they do to you?” Sandy asked softly.
Mordigar’s eyes became haunted as the ghosts of the past peered out of them like windows of his soul. “I once had two daughters. You remind me of them both so much. My eldest was kind and wise beyond her years. My younger was fierce and full of fire. She had so much she thought she had to prove.”
“What happened to them?”
“The war happened. My little one died in the fighting, unwilling to back down no matter how terrible the odds. My older daughter survived the insurrection, and when the Scions were banished and the dragons no longer under their spell, she tried to be a bridge between us and our former enemies. She thought she could be an ambassador to help the freed people rebuild their lives and repay what we had done to them. The humans pretended to be willing to talk, but it was a ruse. They did not believe we too were victims and only saw us as the tyrants who oppressed them. They killed her before she could speak a word of peace. I know we have only spent a few days together, but for those few days I had a daughter once again. I will not lose another! So when I tell you to fight me with every ounce of strength and every bit of cleverness you possess, you will do it if you give one fraction of a damn about me!” Mordigar softened his tone and Sandy felt the mountain cease its trembling. “It is a mercy for me and a chance for you to live the life my daughters never got. Do this for me, One Whose Brilliance Outshines The Sun. Survive this and tell the races we too lived as slaves with less freewill than they.”
“I will save you, Mordigar, I swear.”
“Survive and you will. Now go, the barrier is falling.”
Sandy ran down the short passage and hurled herself into the air, flying desperately westward. She was buoyed with new wisdom and a new name, but she dragged an anchor of despair behind her. She had known no other dragon in her life but her mother, and this one was about to be taken from her too, and long before it was time. Her mind flashed to the thought of the Scions. The rage and hate filling her was greater than any in her entire life. Even her breaking at the hands of the Sumaran lord paled in comparison, and she swore to unleash every bit of it upon the Scions and their horde. She was more brilliant than the sun, and she would explode in a supernova to scorch them from the face of her world.
CHAPTER 13
Ghost raised his black muzzled to the night sky and released a long, wailing howl. Wolf finished tying off another lethal trap and looked up into the trees to check the placement of one of his many ropes strung through the branches. He had spent more than a year making roadways of ropes and bridges through the trees and creating thousands of traps to show the invaders they were not welcome in his woods. Borrowing from the vast cache of arms Azerick’s people created, he had dozens of bows and hundreds of quivers of arrows hidden in the treetops of the thousands of acres of forest he claimed as his.
“For crying out loud, would you give it a rest?” Wolf groused. “You’ve been shouting at the sky for the past week. It’s a new moon, and all your whining won’t make it come out.”
Ghost turned his golden eyes on Wolf, huffed loudly, and resumed his howling. A glimmer of light caught the corner of Wolf’s eye and drew his attention to the west. There was a glow far out on the horizon as if the sun were rising; only it was a white light not orange, and it came from the wrong direction. Brilliant bolts streaked out from its epicenter and cracked the sky like a massive burst of lightning only it continued to split the sky like cracks across glass.
“Way to go, stupid! Your shrill caterwauling broke the sky!” Ghost looked at Wolf and glared. “Yeah, I know it wasn’t you. This can’t be good, and you know I’m going to get blamed for it.”
***
R
aijaun bolted upright and nearly fell to floor as he rolled out of his bed seconds before realizing he was awake. His heart raced, and a cold sweat traced lines down his grey skin. It was an odd sensation. He could not ever remember sweating before. He ran to his window and immediately saw the source of his fear. Raijaun sent half a dozen intense orbs of light streaking out of the window to hang in the air and illuminated the entire school grounds.
A bell clanged in alarm at nearly the same instant he lit up the grounds. Raijaun hastily threw on a robe, grabbed a ready travel pack, and raced down the stairs. He called into Miranda’s room on his way down, but she was already standing in the stairwell by her door, sword held ready in a white-knuckled grip.
“Raijaun, what is it? Is Azerick back?” she asked hopefully.
“No, the Scions have breached the walls of their prison and torn their way into our world. We need to get everyone to the city.”
“Go, I’ll be down in a minute.”
Raijaun nodded and ran down to the remaining stairs to the ground floor. He met Alex and the mage leaders just outside the tower. The school was in a controlled uproar as people hustled to pack gear, load wagons, and readied themselves for war. Only minutes had passed since the alarm sounded, but Alex and most of his warriors were already fully armed and armored and leading the efforts to mobilize. Such was the state of their constant readiness training.
“Is this it?” Alex asked.
“It is,” Raijaun answered. “Has anyone seen Peck yet?”
“Here, sir!” peck’s voice called out from behind the group before pushing his way to the fore.
“Peck, are your riders ready to move?”
“Already saddled and mounted.”
“Get them out as quickly as you can, warn the towns, and get to Brelland.”
Peck saluted sharply. “Yes, sir!”
“Has there been any news of Azerick?” Allister asked.
“None whatsoever.”
“How are we supposed to fight these things without him?” Rusty asked morosely.
“We will fight exactly as we have been trained to,” Raijaun answered. “We are not going to win this war today, so it is not an immediate issue.”
Allister gave Raijaun a grave look. “What if he does not come when we meet them in the valley?”
Raijaun stoic façade slipped just a bit. “Let us pray we do not find out.”
Miranda burst through the front door of the tower fully armored with her helm in hand. “What are we doing?”
“Everyone is preparing to move to the city.”
“What can I do?”
“Nothing here. You should take a platoon of our people, ride ahead, and inform the Duchess so she can prepare the city.”
Wagons, horses, and ranks of people on foot massed in an orderly column stretching out of the gates and pointed toward North Haven. In less than an hour, every man, woman, child, and farm animal went from dead asleep to ready to march with a few of their worldly possession strapped to their backs. A plaintive wailing echoed over the caravan from the distant woods.
“Did we send someone to get Wolf?” Miranda asked as she took the lead of her guard contingent.
Ellyssa shook her head. “The idiot refuses to leave his woods. I have tried talking him into leaving with us a hundred times over the past year, but he refuses to budge.”
Miranda pressed her lips into a thin line of dismay, but she understood the young man’s conviction. Were it not for Azerick’s insistence, she would stand and defend North Haven until the last drop of blood drained from her body. Only her husband’s belief that her greatest value lay in fighting the battle and restoring civilization after the war convinced her it was more important to survive than die needlessly.
“All right, but inform everyone guarding the gates to keep an out for him in case he changes his mind. It looks like you are all ready to move out. I will ride ahead and apprise Mother of the situation. I am sure she and General Brague have already roused the army, but she will need to know exactly what is happening even if I have little to share at this moment.”
“Be careful, Mother,” Raijaun said. “Father said they would likely come from the sea, but it is not unreasonable to think the Scions might be able to gate smaller units onto the mainland as they have done in the past.”
Miranda smiled, the hint of tears gleaming in her eyes. She leaned over in her saddle and hugged her step-son. He was so tall now she could wrap her arms around Raijaun’s neck while seated upon her horse. Azerick rarely showed his demonic form, but the image of it was burned into her mind for all eternity. Raijaun looked so much like him now, and being reminded of his absence tore at her heart.
“Raijaun, I know I have been a terrible mother, but know that I love you. You are a good boy, and I am so proud of you.”
“It’s all right, Mother. We all do the best we can. I think you tried harder and did far better than most women would have done if faced with such an unusual situation.”
“I was blind. You were always the good son.”
“All good mothers are blind when it comes to their children. It is the side-effect of unconditional love. Do not give up on Daebian yet. I do not think any of us can understand the enigma he represents, but I know he will be a vital role in this tragic play that is unfolding.”
“But for which side?”
Raijaun shook his head. “I cannot begin to guess.”
***
A knocking at the door roused Daebian from his sleep. He disentwined himself from Eva’s arms, pulled on his trousers and boots, and stomped to the door. He yanked open the portal and glared at his first mate in mock agitation.
“Are we sinking?”
“No, sir. We’re near the coordinates you set.”
“Ah, excellent.” Daebian turned to Eva. “Best rouse yourself, dear. I’ll be needing your other fantastic skills soon.”
“You are awful!” Eva laughed.
“And you sound just like my father.” Daebian grabbed a shirt and followed Tobias onto the deck. “I am rather awful if you consider the fact that I am only ten years old.”
“Put that way Eva is the deviant.”
“She is isn’t she? I will have to punisher her for her wickedness later. Have we spotted anything yet?”
“No, sir, but that ain’t surprising. What is it you expect to find out here? Begging your pardon, Commodore, but the men are getting a might uneasy. We’re in the middle of a barren sea, and now the sky’s cracked open like the shell of a boiled egg.”
“When war comes and battle is met,
Blood will spill and rivers run red,
Men will die, their hearts filled with regret,
While the victors stand in a field of the dead.
The coward will run away and hide,
The fool will fight for honor and pride,
But the wise man will…,”
Daebian looked to Tobias to finish his rhyme.
“Do his damnedest not to die?”
“Will choose the winning side. War is upon us, and it is time to choose our allegiance.”
“If it’s the same to you, I’ll still do my damnedest not to die,” Tobias stated firmly.
Daebian clapped him on the shoulder. “Please do. You are a good man, Tobias, and it would be a great inconvenience to me to replace you.”
“Aye, sir, I wouldn’t want my death to be an inconvenience.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
“So war is coming and we need to pick a side, but who’s coming? There ain’t nobody out here but maybe a crazy Northman or minotaur ship.”
“I assure you, they are coming, and they are far more frightening than Northmen or minotaurs.”
A shout from the crow’s nest rang out. “Sails two points off starboard!”
“And there they are. Let us see what we have.”
Daebian pressed his spyglass to his eye and scanned the horizon. Just peaking over the edge of the world were the sails of several
ships. As Daebian watched them draw near, it became apparent these were not ordinary ships.
“Captain!” the lookout shouted.
“I see it, and it’s Commodore!” he shouted back. “It looks like my father was telling the truth. They do have flying ships.”
Tobias took the spyglass Daebian offered. “Dear gods above. What are we going to do about those?”
“We are going to go apply for a position.”
Tobias’ face fell slack. “Something tells me this ain’t the parlaying sort of applying is it?”
“Not a chance.”
“What is it you have in mind?”
“We’re pirates, what do you think?”
Tobias sighed and studied the flying armada. There were two dozen ships of similar size with a massive dreadnaught flying in the center. The hulls were an off-white and smooth without the visible seams of timber-constructed ships. It was as if they were carved from a single enormous bone. Their sails were a shimmering screen like a soap bubble flattened into sheets and hung from masts and yardarms.
“I suppose we might be able to pick one of the smaller vessels off from the rear if they ignore us and fly past.” Daebian narrowed his eyes at him. “But you want the big one.”
“Damn right I want the big one.”
“You have a plan for snatching it?”
“Two stupid statements in a row. You’re slipping, Tobias.”
“Sorry, sir, I guess I’m a bit put off from seeing flying ships.”
“I suppose I can understand that. After all, you’re only human. Bring as many men onto this ship as we can cram aboard and have the others hold their positions here.” Daebian turned toward his cabin. “Eva!”
The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) Page 20
