The Blue Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 2)

by Salvador Mercer

  “Well, I asked one of the Balarian aides who I saw discussing matters with the Kesh representative, so I’m sure you’ll hear soon enough.” Toray smiled.

  “The Kesh are here, then, finally?” Arwell asked.

  “The governor announced it at the commencement of the festivities. Didn’t you hear?” Diamedes asked.

  Arwell laughed out loud, grabbing his cup and finishing his wine and motioning for a servant to refill his cup. “I was a bit preoccupied with a pretty Safron girl and must admit I was neglecting my duties a bit.”

  Orwell shook his head and held his cup out to be refilled, too. “Ever the womanizer you are, old friend. I care little for news of the Kesh and it bores me, so let’s hear something more interesting. Perhaps a tale from one of your battlefield days?”

  Suddenly a storm seemed to move as lighting struck the ground far out near the bay, and its thunder rolled over the group, a large cracking sound that hit their ears like the clashing of metal swords.

  “I didn’t think we were expecting foul weather,” Toray said.

  “We weren’t,” Orwell commented.

  Several more flashes of light lit the tranquil bay waters near to where the bay passed the small, rocky promontories that led it into the deeper ocean. Slowly, something in the bay began to burn, though it wasn’t clear what it was.

  “That would be a very low-lying storm,” Arwell said, looking over his shoulder at the spectacle.

  “I don’t think that’s a storm,” Orwell said, standing now and taking a few steps to the patio’s edge where it overlooked the bay, cup of wine still in his hand.

  He was accompanied by the rest of the group, and Diamedes took a glance behind him and way up higher at the brightly lit walls of the Balarian complex that overlooked everything. He could see no activity there, only sections of the wall lit by those magical orbs and very few shadows along the small cliff face. The rolling thunder arrived in waves again, and the men looked across the bay but saw nothing. The lightning had stopped.

  Without warning, a bright flash lit up much closer to them and to their left, right where the city harbor was located. The rolling thunder arrived almost instantly, and the sound was much louder this time.

  “Whoa, that was close,” Arwell said, looking in awe at the bright flashes.

  The faint sounds of people screaming and yelling wafted up to them from the city docks below. Small figures occasionally could be seen running past one or more of the brighter lamps near the main dock where it met with the large street that ran completely around the bay’s edge.

  A fire started at the base of the wharf, and then another. Again, something started to burn, and the smoke and darkness kept the exact details obscured. There was no doubt, however, that something was happening, and it wasn’t benevolent.

  Finally the central main bell of the city began to chime. Its sound was distinct, and it was the same sound that they had all heard that very same morning.

  “What is that?” Toray asked, trying to squint and gain sight of something silhouetted against the lights of the docks.

  “I don’t know . . .” Orwell said, straining to see. “Diamedes, what do you make of that?”

  Diamedes squinted and watched carefully before responding to a stunned group. “That, I believe, is a dragon.”

  Chapter 10

  Krom

  Dawn rose finally on the city of Balax, and Seth watched as the last of the fires were put out by the bucket brigades. They had encountered fires before, but nothing this fierce or of this magnitude, despite that the actual destruction was less than what could have been expected except in two key areas.

  The first was that there was only one ship along the docks that suffered complete destruction. It was the ship itself that caused Seth the most grief and indeed stress. The Dagger’s Edge had been completely destroyed. Its once proud mast was broken in several places, and the charred remains floated haphazardly in the bay, some only held together by burned rope that was tangled with the debris of the ship.

  The usually sleek outline of the ship was broken in several places, and the bow was sticking out of the water at a nearly ninety degree angle. The middle of the ship and the bow were also broken from each other and were clearly visible just under the surface of the tranquilly clear blue waters of the bay.

  The second and only other ship to sustain real damage was Baron Umbrey’s cutter, Invincible, which proved anything but. The Baron had boarded his ship right after the death of Captain Eiry the night before and had not waited for the tide to sail. It wasn’t necessary in the bay as the tides changed much less in such a large body of water despite the dual moons of Agon, Tira and Sara.

  The ship was attacked and sunk at the entrance to the bay. It could be seen with its mast intact, sticking out at a forty-five-degree angle to starboard, facing north, with the bulk of the ship underwater. The very small rocky promontories that flanked the bay were scored with ugly black markings. Something had blasted the hard stone mini cliffs and sent large slabs of rock into the water of the bay.

  The overall effect was to have blocked the bay’s entrance to either entrance or egress, at least by most of the larger ships and vessels. Perhaps a few small caravels and the various sloops and brigantines could sail past, but anything larger than a carrack was virtually trapped until they could at least clear the mast from the baron’s ship. The Ulathan man-of-war, Hammer, for example, was much too wide to pass.

  One of the first places Seth checked as he raced down to the docks was Merchant Square. The recently mounted dragon’s skull was there, firmly perched atop the marble column more than twenty feet above the ground. The death beetles had done a thorough job, picking the flesh clean away and leaving only the immense bone of the beast’s skull.

  The harbor master was barking orders, and the troops were having a hard time controlling many of the people at the docks who wanted to depart. They were being allowed to board their ships but were told to stay at anchor or tied to the dock proper. Governor Richtor was nowhere to be seen.

  “There’s no hiding this, for sure,” Alyssa said from her seat next to Seth. The two were atop one of the taller buildings closest to the docks, sitting on the roof’s ledge with their feet dangling over the side four stories in the air.

  The A-shaped eve of a window ledge provided shade from the rising sun behind their backs and allowed them to observe all activity along the entire wharf from one end to the other. It had always been one of Seth’s favorite observation places, and he oftentimes liked to sit there at night and contemplate when he had the time. It made him feel as if he was above the hustle and bustle of the city.

  “There were hundreds of witnesses, all swearing it was a dragon,” Seth said, his voice low despite the fact that no one was around to overhear their conversation.

  There would be no leaning on top this perch, so Alyssa focused in order to hear Seth clearly. “Hard to hear you, Seth, but Richtor will have to do something. This is getting ugly and out of control with every minute.”

  Seth looked at his longtime comrade. He remembered when she was just a street urchin, pinching pennies from unwary merchants visiting Balax. She had been caught more than once, and when a particularly nasty merchant from Tallist caught her, he took her to his ship and clamped her in irons. He had been taken advantage of more than once, and this time he intended to teach the Balarians a lesson in justice.

  Seth had taken it upon himself to swim the bay and board the ship at the rear of one of the smaller docks. He had not dared to approach that way; there were four guards on duty. It was decades ago, and Seth was barely a young man, just learning the ways of the world. He had shimmied the rope and entered through a larger porthole that had been left open to catch the easterly breezes of Balax Bay.

  Using his superior stealth and the ability to pick any kind of lock, Seth waited hours until the guard fell asleep not long before sunrise. In a daring raid, he picked the lock and freed Alyssa, returning the way he had arrived. Th
ey had just made it to the barren part of the shore at the far north side near the bay’s entrance when the alarm had sounded. Seth kept Alyssa at the Temple of Akun where a kindly holy warrior took her in and granted her sanctuary.

  Seth had returned to the city, and after a couple of days, the entire ordeal blew over and the cruel merchant had to depart again. Seth oftentimes saw the man return, and each time he did, he made sure Alyssa was sequestered at the Akun temple. Both Seth and Alyssa owed the kind holy warrior for his aid, and that is why they were fond of Krom and had become fast friends. They seldom did anything without seeking his advice and counsel first.

  Not long thereafter, Alyssa joined the Balax thieves’ guild and became an apprentice till after many long years she worked her way up to rogue status and a fully independent member, only swearing allegiance to its guildmaster, Jayrel.

  Over the years, the old cleric remained more and more secluded until recently when Seth called upon him for his expertise involving the Kesh expedition. It was against his backdrop that Seth thought carefully in planning his next move.

  “Alyssa, I think it’s time we paid our old friend another visit,” Seth said, looking at Alyssa.

  “You mean Krom?” she asked, eyes widening and a smile crossing her face.

  “Yes. I’m worried that something, or someone, is targeting our expedition. I worry that with all the Balarian troops now dead, this would leave only us members remaining. His life could be in danger.”

  Alyssa laughed, patting her daggers on her belt and swinging her right leg nonchalantly as she looked back at Seth. “I’d think any would-be killers of a holy warrior of the death god would have a nasty surprise coming to them.”

  “I know he can take care of himself, but I think we owe it to him to make sure he is at least aware of what’s been happening. It’s only been in the last day that all of this occurred, and his temple, indeed most of the temples of the various gods are scattered around the island far from the city. I’m not so sure they receive daily news from Balax.”

  “I doubt they receive news weekly, for that matter,” Alyssa said, contemplation in her voice. “Perhaps you’re right. We need to at least warn him. When do you want to depart?”

  “Well, it’s less than a day’s journey from here, so the sooner the better. If we leave within the hour, we can arrive there by sundown this evening. I’ll need to inform the boss about this first,” Seth said.

  “You mean your boss,” Alyssa corrected. “Azex is entirely too dependent on you for his own good. Jayrel could hardly care what happens to me.”

  “Not true,” Seth countered. “The guildmaster profits too much from you.”

  “Hardly what I was referring to,” Alyssa retorted.

  “Fine, meet me at the northern gate in an hour,” Seth said, standing and nimbly walking to the open window of the empty residence which served as an occasional safe house when the guilds required one near the docks.

  Alyssa nodded and followed his lead. When they reached the street level, they separated and Alyssa went to her quarters to secure a few items and her pack. Seth found that the grandmaster was occupied with the governor still, and he left a message for him regarding his departure and informed a colleague to maintain their surveillance on the Ulathans till he returned.

  When Seth arrived at the far north gate, he found Alyssa sitting on top of a small quarter horse with a larger thoroughbred saddled and ready to go. “Where did you get them from?”

  Alyssa nodded at Seth, handing him the reins of the larger horse. “A certain merchant owed me a favor, and I cashed it in today.”

  “I dare not ask,” Seth said, taking the reins and mounting the animal, adjusting his seat and securing his feet in the stirrups. It had been a few months since he had to ride one. He knew that horses were expensive in Balaria, both to buy and to maintain their upkeep. Most Balarians either walked or used sailboats to move around the island and to travel from Balaria to the mainland.

  “Well, you may get to do what you want to, but Jayrel has plans for us tomorrow, so speed will be necessary today. Besides, if what you say is true, I’m worried as well for Krom’s safety,” Alyssa added.

  The two nodded at the gate guards who simply stood aside. The gates were kept open during the day, and much traffic flowed through them. The road ran north for only a short distance before it veered to the west, skirting the same mountainside that the city sat upon. It led the pair to the coast before resuming north again and flattened out with a few farmhouses and livestock ranches that supplied the city.

  The sun rose, and the pair traveled at a gallop, not pushing their mounts hard and not proceeding at a walking pace either. After several leagues, they took a short rest and ate some dried meats and cheese from their packs, allowing the horses to take their fill at a small stream from the small creek running to the ocean.

  Soon they arrived at a small road off the main coast road that headed up into the massive highlands towering above them to their east. This part of the road was hardly traveled and saw few visitors. Continuing to gallop, they rode until the road rose high above the coastal plain. The road narrowed, and they zigzagged across the steep landscape until they came to a small, flat plateau overlooking the ocean, far in the distance. The air was clear and crisp, and the temperature was noticeably cooler.

  They spotted the Akun temple compound immediately, hewed from the solid granite rock of the edge of the mountainside. The small outer gate was ajar a few feet but otherwise intact, and there were no sounds to be heard. Even the usual chirping of birds and the occasional rustling of the tree branches weren’t heard this day.

  Dismounting, the pair tied their horses to a low-hanging tree branch near the temple and gave them oat sacks with which to occupy their time and allow them to replenish themselves after a tough, long ride. The sun could be seen as it started to pass midday and move into the later afternoon hours. They had made very good time.

  Alyssa didn’t speak, instead giving the hand signal for lead or follow. Seth motioned for her to follow and signed that she should ready her bow as opposed to her short sword. Nodding, she quickly pulled her bow and nocked an arrow, stepping slowly behind Seth as he drew his own sword and moved to the gate.

  Seth slipped inside, not bothering to move the gate so it wouldn’t make a sound. Alyssa followed quickly, and they found themselves within the small courtyard that doubled as a weapon training ground. Lying on the ground were three of the order’s acolytes. They appeared to have been either stabbed, run through with a sword, or hacked at with large axes.

  Seth motioned again, and they each checked one, meeting at the third together. Alyssa nodded toward the main building.

  Speaking lowly, Seth said, “All dead. Follow me at ten paces.”

  “All right, let’s find Krom now,” she said, a tinge of panic in her voice.

  Seth nodded and then stood and quickly moved into the building and down a main corridor, stopping to pass a kitchen servant who was lying in a pool of blood, obviously dead by his pale blue skin. On the stone floor were cups with spilt wine that had yet to dry and a serving rag. A few Balarian grapes and some small cheese slices were scattered across the floor along with a loaf of bread, uncut. Seth took the loaf, splitting it and feeling the inside. It was fresh.

  Quickly they reached the overlook room. The overlook room was a crescent-shaped room, roofed but open to the west where they could worship the setting sun which was the custom amongst the Akun worshipers. Seth had guessed that this holy place would be where he might find his old friend, if not the man’s quarters. Seth had guessed correctly.

  They found Krom lying face down, his blood dried and caked on the floor beneath him. His skin was pale, and Seth didn’t wait, turning the old cleric over onto his back and feeling for any sign of pulse. Having been a dealer of death himself, Seth knew the outcome already.

  Alyssa knelt beside Krom, taking the man’s head and gently laying it in her lap. Tears began to roll down her face as s
he stroked the blood-soaked hair of her old benefactor. She was still the professional, not screaming out or making a sound during the discovery. Seth wanted to grieve, but his instincts were stronger. He quickly started moving from column to column, ensuring the room was empty, looking for any signs of Krom’s killer.

  Seth had moved onto the patio edge, and as most balconies in Balaria, they overlooked the sea. He peered over, half expecting to see darkly clad figures descending the cliff wall. He had done the same countless times before.

  Moving to a large wooden chest, Seth scaled it quickly and jumped to the ledge above where there were rudimentary rafters for the roofed part of the room. He took up an advantageous vantage point where he could observe Alyssa with Krom’s body.

  Seth crouched unmoving for several minutes before he started hating himself. He knew Alyssa saw Krom as a father figure, and he knew she would be grieving intensely at a time like this. Yet, a part of Seth could only see her as bait. The instinctual part reveled in the chance to lure the would-be killer back for one last kill. Seth would surprise the surpriser, kill the killer, though at what cost? What was his soul worth?

  The hair on his skin was standing on end, yet nothing moved. Alyssa had set her bow down at her side and failed to draw her short sword. Her first mistake and probably not her last. She would only have quick access to her daggers should the assassin return. Seth longed for that very fact, despite the risk to his friend. Was she his friend? Could anyone be a friend with someone like Seth? So much blood spilled at his hands.

  The minutes crawled by, and the gentle mountain breeze fluttered a lone, sheer curtain near the back where they had arrived from. Alyssa gently laid Krom’s head down on the marble floor, standing and finally drawing her blade, looking around.

  “Up here,” Seth said, his voice a loud whisper.

  Alyssa nodded and then narrowed her eyes and started walking along a straight line directly underneath the long timber beam of the rafter that Seth was crouching on. Seth felt underneath the beam with his hand and instantly recognized the scoring of the wood as if pieces had been gouged out. Walking along the top of the beam, still crouched to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling, he scrutinized the top of the beam and could just barely see the same type of scoring.