I’d lost track of Leng in the flurry of dragons, but I noticed something about the enemy dragons around us. Their riders were dressed differently than the norm, their dragon rider braids tied up in topknots and their clothing bedecked with capes and jewelry instead of scarves. Interesting. It was as if their new allegiance had severed ties with the old and they felt the need to express that in what they wore and how they conducted themselves.
As if reading my mind, Starie answered my thoughts.
“It’s a new age, Amel. The times and values you are devoted to are past. This is the future.”
New fashions were the future?
“What do you know about Magikas and their power?” Her question had a testing note to its tone.
“They harness power from seams beneath the earth’s surface.” It felt strange to have my enemy – a fearsome wielder of dark power – engaged in such a simple conversation with me. Even now, black light emanated from her. It was hard to see it dead on, but it turned the edges of my vision blurry in a way that made my head ache. If I tried to look right at it, it wasn’t there, and yet it was always present in the edges of my vision.
“In part, yes,” she agreed as our dragon climbed higher through the swirling snow. The plains below were still dull, despite the dawn and the clinging wet cold seemed to penetrate through my clothing to my very bones. “But there is so much more than that. Magikas pull power from everything around them. And everything has some of the residue of the power that created it still within – people do, of course, but also grass and trees and even rocks."
"Rocks?"
"Where do you think Ifrits come from? They are creatures of life and dust. Sure, the life is needed to fill them, but so also is the dust. But that is not what we're discussing just now." She signaled to a nearby rider and our dragons all shifted to a slightly changed course. I kept my eyes on Starie. Perhaps, in the middle of this seemingly irrelevant conversation, she could tell me something about herself and if I was wise, perhaps I could use that to free us all. "Magikas pull on that leftover power - but it takes a toll on what they pull it from. There are deposits of it left in the earth from when the world began. Large, deep deposits and it is better if they pull their power from there. Not just better - but more effective. It's like the difference between harnessing the power of water from a raging river or harnessing it from gathering it drop by drop on a dewy field. You comprehend?"
I nodded, but she was facing forward and couldn't see. She seemed to take my agreement for granted.
"And now, those stores are mostly used up."
Wait. What? They were mostly used up? But that didn't make any sense. The Magikas I'd encountered were still using magic. They were throwing fireballs and building bridges and burning those resources up like there was an unlimited supply.
"People, it would seem, are terrible conservationists," Starie remarked indifferently. "I thought so from the moment I understood what I'm telling you now. They know their supply is limited. They know it can't go on forever and yet they use, use, use. Why? Because when it runs out that will be someone else's problem."
It was true that people were endlessly adaptable. If we ran out of linen for clothing, we would move to wool. If we could no longer grow rice, we would eat oats with as much enjoyment.
“There are ways to supplement it, of course. Ways to magnify the power that’s left. But some of them don't want to lose the power that comes from tapping into the power of the earth. Have you ever asked yourself why so many Magikas are part of the Dusk Covenant? Haven't you noticed that none of them are with your precious Lightbringers? We don't care about your ridiculous claims to truth. We don't care about your romantic ideas about faithfulness to a lost ideal. We are concerned - and rightfully so - with our impending loss of power. We don't want to watch the Dominion die and her rivals eat what's left like ravens fighting over a half-eaten carcass in a field.”
"You've allied with Ko'Torenth, Baojang and the Rock Eaters to destroy the Dominion," I said, unable to keep silent in the face of her lies. "Don't tell me you are trying to save our land!"
She laughed. "They should never have let you into Dragon School. They certainly shouldn't have released you out into the world with such a poor education. Grandis Elfar has been saying that all along, and she's right. It's only the woefully uneducated like you who can stand in our way now - and if you only knew ... but, of course, I am telling you.
“Listen, Amel. We aren't trying to destroy the Dominion. We're trying to save it - or at least save what we can. And yes, that means selling part of it to outsiders to keep what we can. And most of all, it means tapping into our strongest resource to buy friends where we can, so this whole country isn't overrun and our entire population isn't swallowed up by a stronger, more powerful nation. Yes, we've been making friends. Yes, we are giving them the dragons as a tribute gift - and as soon as possible! Yes, we will be giving them about two-thirds of Dominion held cities. What, exactly, did you expect would come as a result of the waste and irresponsibility of these last years?
“This is the last hope of our land. We must raise up defenders who can help us - Ifrits. We must destroy the dissenters. We must build a land strong enough to withstand the devastation to come. You think that you and your friends are going to save the Dominion? You're the reason this land is dying! It's only we - the last few people who really understand - the people at this world’s dusk, who have made a covenant together to keep a remnant of this place alive - it is only we who can save the world now. And you’re going to help us. It’s time to begin."
Chapter Five
The clouds below us were clearing and the dragons dropped lower in the sky. As Starie talked, I was watching the landscape rolling under us. We were approaching the twin sky cities at the heart of the Dominion. I couldn't see them yet, but the fields below had changed from tall wild grasses to fenced pastures and tilled fields. Small specks of villages dotted the land below, but there was no smoke drifting up into the air. Were there still villagers in those little hamlets? Or had they fled the conflict?
When all of this was over, the Dominion would be in a precarious situation no matter who won the war. Our cities were devastated, our crops dying in the fields, unharvested. Winter approached, and with it would come hard, bare times unless we could end this quickly and take the time we needed to rebuild and store what crops we could salvage.
My belly twisted at the thought of taking care of all of these people. With Shonan gone, Leedris Castel fallen, and hundreds of our best dead or dying, who would lead us? Would Savette step up to take that role? Should I be worried that she was married to Rakturan? He would always hold his allegiance to Baojang above his allegiance to the Dominion.
"You should stop fretting about things that will never be your responsibility," Starie said airily. I hated that she could catch the edges of my thoughts.
She directed her dragons with her hand signals as she spoke in a way that reminded me of Grandis Elfar. Where was the Grandis? I would have expected her not to leave Starie's side. Was it possible that Starie had left her in charge of something? Something too important to leave unprotected? And if that was the case, what did that say about my enemies? Perhaps their trust was fractured. Perhaps I could use that to find a weakness ...
"If taking you out of Dragon School has made you that devious, then I take it back - it's a good thing you left."
I didn't care what Starie thought. I only cared about bringing down her reign of evil. Where was the frightened girl who had been forced to join the Magikas? The last time I'd talked to Starie, she had been a very different person.
"We've all had to grow up in the last months, Amel. Don't think you're the only one who has had to stretch into a new role. But now, we get to the point of this talk. Tell me about Savette Leedris."
"She's the Chosen One," I said, firmly. I knew it was true. I had seen the signs.
"No, no, that's me. Let's try this again. How did Savette acquire her power? It doe
s not come from tapping the resources of the living earth like the power of the Magikas does."
"No, it doesn't. Savette's power comes from truth."
"That's an interesting perspective - though likely flawed. When did she first start to show her power?"
"She was taken by the Dusk Covenant," I said. "You know that. And she was brutally tortured."
"And that brought out her ability?"
"Yes."
“It wasn’t present before that?”
“No.”
She was silent a long time and I took the time to study the landscape, trying to gauge how many days it would take for the armies of Baojang to catch up with us.
"Power often comes from suffering," Starie said. "Yours or another's – it hardly seems to matter. I find it interesting. After all, we are the only two people I know who have a power different from that of the Magikas."
Then she didn't know about Rakturan. Or about Ephretti. Or about me. Because all of us had tasted Savette's truth-power and used it to help others.
"What sort of power do you have, Starie Atrelan?" I asked.
She turned around in the saddle so she could look at me face to face through her black blindfold. A smile curved across her face and I shuddered.
I was growing to loathe Starie's smiles. It was true that suffering and difficulty matured a person. I was deeper and stronger than I had been. So was Savette. The problem with Starie maturing, though, was that she had matured into something more deeply herself: she'd started as a self-centered, vindictive child. Now, she was all that but multiplied by a hundred and aged into a person who could wield power well to achieve her goals. Would I be able to find a weakness in her at all, or had she already shored up every opening? Was there any hope against an opponent who was clearly miles ahead of me in reaching her goals?
"I have the power of mirrors, Amel." I felt an icy stab go through me at her words. The memory of her mirror distorting flashed through my mind. What could you do that was magical with mirrors? "Where the Magikas need deep flows of life-force to draw on, I need only those droplets, because I can multiply them by mirroring their power back and forth and back and forth concentrating it to do as I will. I can tap the edges of their minds and amplify what is there. I can take the power of someone like Savette and mirror that, too. How do you think I achieved these marks?" She held up the arm that had been marked in the dragons' test. "It's easy enough to mirror another's power ... if you know the trick. And the dragons weren’t watching for that. It never occurred to them to guard their tricks against counterfeit."
What did that mean for the coming battle? Could she mirror back at us everything we came up with? Maybe I should push her off here while I still could. I studied the straps holding her in place, weighing whether I could cut them or unfasten them quickly enough to pull them off in time. I wasn’t tied in like she was and I was pretty sure that she could knock me loose before I could loosen her safety lines.
"How do you think that I hear your thoughts, Amel?" Her smile twisted, giving her an almost mischievous look that was at odds with her intensity. "I'm mirroring them back to you. It's the reason that I know I won't ... can't ... be beaten. Whatever you or your friends try to send my way, I can send back with twice the force. There's no way to beat someone who knows you better than you know yourself."
Chapter Six
We were headed toward a cluster of foothills when the dragons began to descend. Around the base of the hills, a massive camp was set up. Tents in rows, campfires, picket lines, and a long line of caged wagons filled the dips and valleys around the foothills and a massive set of three pavilions was set up on the hillside, so the leaders could overlook the camp. Jalla would approve - or she'd kill them all without a thought. I was almost starting to miss my 'blood sister.' I had a feeling that she wouldn't be hindered too much by mirror magic. Jalla had little to hide and revealing her secrets wouldn't stop her from ruthlessly destroying you.
Raolcan? I called out, hoping beyond hope that I would hear him.
There was no response. I took a long steadying breath. He was alive, wherever he was. I needed to manage my own business and wait. He would come as soon as he could and if he was anywhere near Jalla's camp, Hubric and Kyrowat would be helping him heal. They would take care of him. I just had to trust and focus on what I could do.
Starie was occupied with the landing, leaving me to study her camp. I didn’t like what I saw. The guards circling the camp seemed attentive and the dragon section of the pickets was manned by Dragon Riders in proper leathers, though these ones were also dressed non-traditionally. I was most puzzled by the cages on wagons. They reminded me – in an uncomfortable way – of the wagons Savette, Hubric and I had been loaded into to be brought to Dominion City, except these ones had roofs, which made them difficult to peer into from above.
Arriving at this new camp made me feel like a drum was beating in my mind, slowly, one beat at a time, but it was speeding up with every step we took toward the final battle. Eventually, we would run out of time.
We landed in a clearing at the center of the camp. Whoever laid the encampment out had carefully thought through dragon landings. Starie's dragons circled in the sky waiting for their opportunity as dragons landed one by one, quickly hurrying off to the pickets. Dusk was descending, and I was already shivering and looking longingly at the fires as we landed in the field.
Starie’s golden dragon snapped at the Dragon Rider who ran up to take his reins and Starie cursed at him, kicking him hard with her heel. There was no love lost there. Perhaps that was where her weakness lay, but she could have used the Pipe at any time if she really wanted to. Why didn't she use it to calm the Gold?
“I’m not going to waste my time getting to know a flying horse cart.” She must have heard the edge of my thoughts. She turned to me as I slid off his back and adjusted my crutch. "You can cajole a person - or dragon - to do your will, or you can remind them who gives the orders. I'd rather train him to listen all the time and do as he's told. Then I can rely on him when there's nothing forcing him to obey."
Which was fine in theory, but in practice, the dragon hated her. And that was definitely a weakness.
"I'm done with you for tonight, Amel. Don't forget the agreement. You need to be on your best behavior." Her icy gaze swept the frosty camp. The snow was starting to swirl again, gathering in footprints in the mud and waiting long minutes before melting away as if it never was.
I watched the snow as a Magika hurried to my side and laid a powerful hand on my shoulder. Other Magikas rushed to greet Starie and on the hill. The door to the center pavilion opened as a familiar figure stepped out.
Grandis Elfar.
Perhaps the precious thing she was guarding for Starie was her army.
Starie climbed the hill, mostly ignoring the Magikas and nobles hurrying to fawn over her. I wanted to watch her greet Grandis Elfar - that greeting would be telling - but the Magika pushed me forward.
"Don't make me ask twice," he said, as if a push were a gentle request, but I knew better than to fight over that. I hobbled forward, responding to the pressure of his hand as he guided me through the camp, dodging hurrying servants and cursing soldiers, weaving between full tents and crackling fires. The soldiers were in good spirits, joking and calling to one another, but more than one sneer was directed at me.
It didn't take long to realize where the Magika was headed. Dread filled me as I watched the long train of caged wagons growing nearer. I scanned the area around my path, looking for any other option - any way to negotiate or cajole the Magika into keeping me out of those cages. - but there were no other options.
As if he were reading my mind, the Magika leaned in to make sure I could hear him as he said, "If you ask me, the cages are a waste of time. You're all traitors to the Dominion and you should die a traitor's death. As quickly as possible."
I studied the nearest cage as we drew level with it. A puff of smoke surprised me, and I stumbled slightly. As t
he Magika cursed, leaping back from the cage, the edge of a purple snout poked out and I caught a glimpse of the dragon inside.
"Rasipaer!" I said.
I thought he might almost be smiling in greeting, but the Magika pulled me away, forcing me back to the path.
"All you Dragon Riders are alike, fawning over the creatures as if they wouldn't take your arm off in a second if they were given half a chance!"
Someone hadn't had a good experience with dragons. From what I could tell, he'd probably earned whatever wrath he'd received. We reached the next caged wagon, and he angled us toward the door. A few figures were huddled at one end, but in the fading light, their faces were impossible to see.
The Magika called out and a guard hurried over from a few wagons down, keys jangling in his hand.
"Would you hurry it up? I want to drop this prisoner off so I can get some hot grub and warm up. Do you know how cold it is out here?”
“I have one, too,” a voice from behind me said. I tried to twist to look, but the Magika holding me slapped my face. “Eyes ahead!”
The guard with the jangling keys turned the lock and opened the door with a squeal of unused metal. “Here, move them in. Let’s get this over with.”
The Magika pushed me forward and I hobbled to the wagon, climbing awkwardly up the steps to the door. After a moment he grew impatient and shoved me in.
There was a growl from behind me. “Treat her with respect!”
Leng! I had just enough time to feel relief and then he was shoved in after me and the door was locked behind us. We were trapped.
Chapter Seven
I pulled myself to my feet, Leng reaching to help me as a voice from the other end of the cage interrupted us.
“I knew I’d see you again, Amel Leafbrought. And still alive. I was betting you would be.”
Dragon School: Starie Night Page 2
