“Of course he did.” I sighed, trying to extinguish the spark of jealousy. What did I care if Jallis was an officer and I wasn’t? Officers had to deal with more responsibility, which was exactly what I didn’t want.
“I guess this means none of us are getting partnered up together,” I said, glancing over to Jallis and the older rider he’d been paired with.
Daria shook her head. “They’ll want to send us out with someone more experienced,” she said. “To make sure we’re safe.”
Meaning someone who’s rigid and unwilling to think outside the box, I grumbled quietly to myself as I ate my food. What Rhia and I did, flying up into the clouds and taking out that airship on our own initiative, was exactly the kind of forward thinking the military disapproved of. Dammit, I missed her already. I understood why she and I had been split up, but I still hated it.
Observe and report, I reminded myself. As long as I stuck to the parameters of the mission, I shouldn’t need to break the rules, right?
After dinner, I went back to the stables, hoping to see Jallis again. Sure enough, he was in Kadryn’s stall, gently petting the larger dragon’s head as he sat in the hay with him. The stiff, formal officer was gone, replaced with the kind, caring young man with a gift for comforting animals.
“Hey.” I leaned over the stall gate and smiled at him.
“Hey.” He twisted around to look at me, a rueful smile on his face. “Fancy seeing you here.”
I opened the gate and let myself in. “You really aren’t happy to see me,” I said, making a face as I sat down and leaned my back against the opposite wall.
Jallis sighed. “I’m just surprised Lord Tavarian allowed it,” he said. “Does he know you’re here?”
I nodded. "I spoke to him the night before we left. He wasn't happy about it, but General Sarte was insistent that Rhia and I be deployed since we're the only two who have experience dealing with the cannons. I'm not sure why that's necessary since we're just going to be doing reconnaissance missions, but it's not like I can ask." I shrugged.
“Rhia?” Jallis frowned. “Is she here too?”
I shook my head. “She was sent to the Zallabarian border.”
“I see.”
The two of us fell silent, Jallis turning his attention back to petting his dragon. I was about to leave so I could spend time with my own dragon when Jallis shifted, reaching for a leather pouch sitting in the hay.
“I brought this for you,” he said, handing it to me. “Wax and star blossom oil,” he added as I pulled out two containers. “You’ll want to treat your gear with this before you go out on patrol. It helps keep them waterproof.”
"Thanks," I said, a little surprised. "Is the weather nasty out there?"
Jallis grimaced. “Even on good days we end up getting hit by rain and squalls.”
“Ugh.” I was not looking forward to that. “Have you seen any hostilities yet?”
“No, but the Traggarans are assembling a large navy in one of the southern ports that might be intended to cross and invade Elantia. Manfried and I regularly pass by there to check on it, and this armada is growing by the day. They’re even loading the ships up with large amounts of supplies.”
“Then they’re definitely going to be used soon,” I said. Biting my lower lip, I considered the problem. “Is there a way to burn the ships before they can launch their armada? Maybe we can swoop down there with our dragons and light them all up.”
“Not without putting them at great risk,” Jallis said. “We’d have to get close enough for the fire to reach the ships, and the port is heavily fortified with those heavy, old-style cannons. We’d be blown out of the sky. Not to mention we’re not allowed to make a move,” he added. “We’re not officially at war, after all.”
“Right.” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The Zallabarians had already attacked us, and yet we couldn’t retaliate. I understood why we had to wait—we didn’t want to strike before Tavarian had a chance to convince the Traggarans to stand down—but it was still frustrating to have to sit on our hands and do nothing.
“Well, I better turn in for the night. I’ve got to be up early for a meeting.” Jallis rose, dusting the hay off his uniform. He extended a hand to help me to my feet, and I took it. The familiar current of warmth passed between us, but instead of pulling me against him, as he would have in the past, Jallis merely smiled. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I echoed. Patting Kadryn on the head, I followed Jallis out of the stall, then went to join Lessie.
“At least it sounds like Traggar hasn’t gotten its hands on the new cannons,” I told her as I settled in next to her for a snuggle. I wasn’t sure if it was “proper” for riders to snuggle with their dragons when on active duty, but frankly I didn’t care. “Maybe that means their alliance with Zallabar isn’t as solid as we’ve been led to believe.”
“Very possible,” Lessie agreed. “As far as blowing up that armada, I think we could do it on a foggy night, when the Traggarans are unable to see well enough to use their cannons effectively. We do not need the same level of visibility to set the ships on fire—we merely need to get close enough and aim in the general direction.”
“That’s an idea,” I said, though I wasn’t as confident about it as Lessie. After all, the dragons could easily get hurt by crashing into buildings or impaling their fragile wings on masts.
“You should talk to the colonel about it,” Lessie said eagerly. “The sooner we can get the others on board, the sooner we can try it out.”
“Whoa, there.” I stroked Lessie’s side, a little alarmed at her enthusiasm. "We're not officially at war yet, remember? Besides, the colonel will dismiss the plan as reckless and foolhardy. We'll just have to wait for a good opportunity to make a difference."
Lessie grumbled at that, but she didn’t argue. We cuddled for a little longer before I turned in for the night, trudging back to the barracks so I could lay my bedroll out on the hard bunk. A few soldiers were already tucked in, snoring away, and I gritted my teeth, wishing I’d thought to bring earplugs.
Better get used to it, Zara, I told myself as I tried to tune it out. I valued my privacy more than almost anything else, but I realized as another soldier moved about the space, stark naked, that privacy was quickly becoming a thing of the past.
This is going to be a loooooong night.
16
Despite my misgivings about the military, fitting in at camp was surprisingly easy. In many ways, it was not unlike the academy, with its rules and rigid schedule. We all ate together, bathed together, worked together, drilled together, and slept together.
Many of us literally.
On my way to the mess hall, I rolled my eyes as moans came from a closet. I wouldn’t be even remotely surprised if I opened the door and found Kade—he was a bit of a cocky bastard, and had no problem getting women into his bed despite being one of the youngest men on the base.
If I was honest with myself, I was a bit jealous that I wasn't the one in there, with my legs wrapped around Jallis. But we were on different shifts, and almost never saw each other. The night I'd arrived had been his day off—he and Kadryn were assigned to night shift, while Lessie and I were on day. And the few times I happened to be in the mess hall with him, he kept his distance, not wanting to make a misstep in front of his fellow officers.
Man, I need to get laid, I thought grumpily as I shoveled porridge in my mouth. I wouldn’t be so grumpy about his continued cold shoulder if not for the fact that I hadn’t been intimate with anyone in the last six months. But it wasn’t as if there were any good prospects here. A few men had made lewd advances on me, but they were practically thugs, not appealing in the slightest. And most of the older riders kept their distance from me, disapproving of the way I’d come into my birthright, much like Jallis’s mother, Lady Lyton, had been. I wondered if Jallis even attempted to change their minds about me, or if he kept his head down and allowed them to think as they would.
Fin
ished with breakfast, I went out to the stables and saddled up Lessie for our shift. As I led her out into the blessedly sunny day, I saw Captain Gabin Fosse, my partner, waiting with his olive-green dragon, Mirn.
“Ready?” His eyes flicked over Lessie, who was half the size of his dragon. Fosse was in his late thirties, with sandy brown hair and a medium build, and handsome, if a bit boring, features. We’d been flying together for three days now, and while he wasn’t particularly friendly, we were growing a bit more comfortable with each other.
“Yes, sir,” I said as I swung myself up into the saddle. As captain, he outranked me by a mile. Gripping the reins, I waited until Mirn took off, his great wings kicking up dust in my face, before urging Lessie into the sky.
Though we had earpieces similar to the ones Tavarian had used while training Lessie and me, Fosse and I didn't speak much. I knew it wasn't because he was a man of few words; I'd seen him talking animatedly with the other officers at dinner. But I refused to let his dislike bother me, not when Lessie and I were doing what we loved most—flying. True, the wind was freezing, but I dressed warmly to compensate, and the shining sun, which rarely made an appearance out here, made things more bearable as it glittered off the waves below.
“It’s beautiful,” Lessie said happily as we soared along the coast, watching the gilded waves lap against the shore. From this height, far above the gulls and other marine birds, we could see the entire channel and all the ships on this particular stretch of coast, as well as the Traggaran islands floating off in the distance. It was the perfect place to keep track of our enemy.
Speaking of Traggar…I narrowed my eyes as I spotted a ship sailing across the channel toward the delta of the river Traice, which led directly to Puilin, Traggar’s capital city. Lifting my hand to my face, I twisted the dial on the goggles Carina had given me and zoomed in to see if I could identify the ship. I had the night-vision goggles, too, but since we patrolled by day, I used my own even though they weren’t regulation.
No markings, I thought as I studied the flag. Was it a ship from Elantia, or Zallabar? Could Tavarian be on it, headed for the capital to speak to the king? I knew he wouldn’t be able to hitch a ride on Muza, not if he wanted to keep the dragon’s existence a secret.
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be, doing a job as difficult as Tavarian’s without having his dragon by his side,” I said to Lessie. “I come to you for comfort all the time when things get rough, but he can’t do that with Muza.”
Lessie didn’t make a sound, but I felt her agreement and sympathy in the bond. “Muza told me he feels guilty sometimes that he and Tavarian are forced to live separately. But Tavarian won’t hear of it when Muza offers to come home. He wants his dragon to be free.”
I frowned. “But is Muza really free?” I asked. “As long as the two of them are bound together, they still feel pain when they are separated. How is that freedom, when neither of them can move on from the other?" I understood Tavarian’s desire to keep Muza safe, but it seemed like the two of them were punishing themselves for no reason.
“Even if Tavarian did decide to bring Muza out of retirement, it would only bring trouble,” Lessie said. “Tavarian would have to admit to the council that he’d lied, and there would be consequences for that. He might lose his position, and what good would that do?”
I exhaled. It was a tough situation. And yet I felt that there was still something more to this that had to do with the secret Lessie refused to divulge to me. If only I could ask Tavarian about it—
“Zara.” Lessie’s urgent voice pulled me away from my speculation. “Down there. An Elantian ship.”
Craning my neck, I saw that there was, in fact, a vessel flying Elantian colors—red and gold. It was drifting there, without sails, rather low in the water.
“Fosse,” I spoke into the device, waving a hand to get his attention. “There’s an Elantian ship stranded in the channel. It looks like it’s sinking.”
Fosse looked toward where I pointed. “We are not a rescue team,” he said. “Our job is to observe and report.”
“Oh, come on,” I say, a little exasperated. “Don’t you think we should at least ask what happened? We’re supposed to be gathering intel. What if they were attacked?”
Fosse was silent for a long moment. “Mirn is too large to be able to land on the ship’s deck,” he finally said. “We will circle above while you go down to check it out.”
“Thank you, sir.” I leaned into Lessie, gripping the pommel, and she immediately tucked her wings in and dove.
“Remember, it might be a false flag!” Fosse shouted into my earpiece, but I paid him no mind. Neither Lessie nor I spotted any weapons or other signs of danger on the ship, and between my goggles and her sharp vision, we should have. In fact, we didn’t see anyone on board at all, which made me wonder if the ship was abandoned.
Snapping out her wings, Lessie glided onto the deserted deck. The ship immediately began to sink farther into the water, and we froze. Was it going to go under completely?
“It’s fine,” Lessie said after a few moments. The ship did sink a few feet, but now that we weren’t moving, it stabilized. “I’ll wait here and warn you if the ship sinks more, or if I spot anything. Go below and see if you can find anyone.”
“I’m on it,” I said, hopping off her back. My boots made no noise as I hit the deck—I’d managed to convince the sergeant to let me keep them even though they weren’t regulation. Cautiously, I climbed down the steps into the dim interior of the ship, my ears straining to pick up any sound. Faint groans drew me farther into the belly of the ship, and I struck a match from the book in my pocket, then used it to light a lamp sitting abandoned on a table.
The sounds were coming from the hold, toward the hull of the ship. The door was locked, but thankfully I had my magic lock pick with me, and in seconds, I was yanking it open.
“Dragon’s balls,” I swore as I waded in. Water sloshed around my boots as I made my way to the far corner of the hold, where the crew was trussed up, gagged, and half-buried by sacks of wheat. Pushing one of the sodden sacks aside, I reached for the nearest man and yanked his gag out.
“Thank Dariann,” the man cried in Elantian, invoking the name of the deity that we used to worship centuries ago. I relaxed, recognizing them as my own countrymen. Drawing my knife, I cut him free, then ordered him to move the sacks of wheat aside so I could free the others—seven men in total, of varying ages, and two boys that couldn’t be more than fourteen years of age. They all thanked me fervently as they raced past me to escape the bowels of the ship. Not that I could blame them—judging by the slowly rising water level, they must have been terrified that they were going to die with the ship.
With all the men freed, I followed them up to the deck to see them crowded on the starboard side of the ship, away from Lessie, who was watching them curiously. "Blast it!" one of the sailors cried, his face red with anger. "The lifeboats are gone!"
“What happened here?” I asked them, but the sailors were beside themselves, shouting and yelling as they lamented their ill luck. “We are dead men,” the captain moaned, shoving his hands through his silver hair.
Scowling, I looked toward Lessie, who immediately opened her mouth and let out a loud roar. The men instantly quieted, and I used the beat of silence to my advantage. “Let’s not get carried away here,” I said. “Is there anything we can use on here to make a raft while we go to get you help?”
“Kenrook,” Fosse snapped in my ear. “What’s going on?”
I ignored him.
The captain glanced up at the mast. “We might be able to topple that.”
I frowned. If we were going to start taking the ship apart, we might as well give them something they could sit on. The water was far too cold for them to cling to that mast—they'd last maybe an hour, tops, before they started to catch their death of cold.
“Stand back,” I ordered them, gesturing Lessie forward. Using her claws, she broke off a
large section of the poop deck, doing her best to keep it intact. At first, the sailors cried out in dismay, but their cries quickly turned to cheers as they realized what Lessie was doing.
The ship chose that moment to groan loudly, rapidly tilting to the right. “Get off the deck!” I cried as we all began sliding. Lessie snatched me just before I slammed into the railing, then tossed me onto her back as she took to the skies. The sudden disappearance of her weight helped stabilize the ship, and the others who hadn’t already gone over the edge were able to tie a rope to the railing and shimmy down to the raft waiting below.
“Kenrook,” Fosse barked in my ear when Lessie and I circled back around. “We’ve done more than enough.”
“These men could still die out here,” I argued as I pulled a rope from my pack. “We need to get them to safety.”
“They’ll be fine,” Fosse countered. “You’ve made them a nice raft, and a ship is sure to come along eventually. They’re commoners, Kenrook, no one of importance. Come back here at once.”
Gritting my teeth at his high-handed manner, I ignored my partner and dangled the rope down to the men. “Tie it to the raft!” I shouted, fastening my end to Lessie’s pommel. I’d drag them back to the shore if that’s what it took to save them.
Sensing my intention, Lessie put on a burst of speed, heading back for the mainland. It was slow going, and I could tell the additional weight was a strain on my poor dragon’s muscles, which were not used to bearing such heavy loads. Mirn could do it, I thought bitterly as I eyed the larger dragon following us from above. But no, Fosse was going to leave us to flounder here on our own.
I was just starting to worry that I'd have to cut the cord when I spotted a ship coming toward us, flying Elantian colors. The men saw it too, shouting excitedly, and I felt a burst of renewed energy from Lessie as she changed course, heading straight for it.
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