Bard's Oath (Dragonlord)
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For
Matthew Logan
Our own private miracle
Without whom this book would have been finished a lot sooner but not nearly as joyfully
and to
Sam
Daddy par excellence
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my editor, Jim Frenkel, for believing in this book and waiting for it. Also, thanks to Tom Doherty, whose vision makes Tor Books the great publishing company it is; my thanks also to Art Director Irene Gallo, who brought Bob Eggleton’s beautiful jacket art to my books; and thanks to the many other people at Tor in editorial, production, publicity, advertising and promotion, sales and marketing, who work together to produce and sell my own and so many other wonderful books.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
The Story So Far
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Epilogue
Tor Books by Joanne Bertin
About the Author
Copyright
The Story So Far
Dragonlord Maurynna Kyrissaean, the youngest of the great weredragons, cannot Change from human to dragon at will. Such a thing has never happened before and the Lady of Dragonskeep wants to keep Maurynna close to ensure her safety.
But Maurynna’s childhood friend Raven Redhawkson journeys to Dragonskeep, bringing with him one Taren Olmeins, an escaped slave from the mysterious, isolated kingdom of Jehanglan far to the south. Years before, Taren had been on a northern ship that had dared the forbidden waters of Jehanglan and sunk. Taren had somehow survived the wreck and was taken prisoner. After years as a slave, he escaped to bring the Dragonlords news he had discovered.
The tale that the former slave brings to Dragonskeep horrifies everyone: a dragon is kept prisoner in Jehanglan, its magic used to confine a Phoenix and keep it from its pyre. The Phoenix’s magic keeps Jehanglan separate from the rest of the world. No one save one trading House in the island country of Assantik to the north of Jehanglan may enter or leave Jehanglan save by a secret sea route protected by magic.
But the prisoner, whether Dragonlord or truedragon, must be rescued. The truedragons, led by the ancient and powerful Morlen the Seer, fly to Jehanglan in an attempt to free the draconic prisoner. Their invasion fails and many die.
Now it is left to the Dragonlords to free the prisoner if they can. Dragonlord Lleld Kemberaene, nicknamed Lady Mayhem by her fellow weredragons, digs into the archives at Dragonskeep. She discovers that among the few things the Jehangli allow into their kingdom are troupes of entertainers whose memories are magically wiped before they are allowed to return to their home countries.
Before she was a Dragonlord, Lleld had been a performer in a troupe of acrobats. Despite the Lady of Dragonskeep’s misgivings, Lleld devises a plan: Some of the Dragonlords will form a troupe of entertainers. And although the Lady would like to forbid it, Maurynna must be one of the Dragonlords. As a result of her inability to Change, no Dragonlord or truedragon can sense her. Only she can approach the mountain where the dragon is held prisoner without alerting the Jehangli priests.
It is decided that the members of the troupe will be Maurynna and her soultwin Linden Rathan; Lleld and her soultwin Jekkanadar Surael; Raven and his great-uncle Otter Heronson, a bard; and Taren Olmeins, who will guide them.
According to old accounts Lleld has found, the Jehangli hold horses in high esteem. Raven comes up with the idea to use Llysanyins, a magic-touched breed of very long-lived, highly intelligent horses, as part of the show. But they need more than the four Llysanyins that are bonded to the Dragonlords themselves. All save Taren Olmeins visit the herd; Lleld asks if two would be willing to accept the truehumans Otter and Raven. As Llysanyins bond with their riders and live much longer than truehumans, that asked the intelligent animals to face heartbreak when their truehuman riders die.
At first, the herd turns away. Then two Llysanyins come forth, a grandmother and grandson. The elder, named Nightsong by Otter, agrees to carry the bard. Her grandson chooses Raven and is given the name Stormwind. Nightsong bullies two more of her offspring into joining as part of the troupe. Taren, claiming he is unworthy of the honor of riding a Llysanyin, is given an ordinary horse.
The company journeys first to Casna, a city in the realm of Cassori. They stay a few days with Maurynna’s Cassorin aunt, uncle, and cousins. At the Dragonlords’ request, the regent of Cassori gives them a ship and crew to take them to Thalnia, the island nation where both Maurynna and Raven grew up.
Once there, they spend the winter in a secluded estate belonging to Maurynna’s family, to devise a show and rehearse. The high point is to be a performance by the Llysanyins.
When spring comes, the company sails to Jehanglan. Taren warns the Dragonlords not to use any of their magic, not even to mindspeak, because doing so might enable the priestmages of the Phoenix to detect their magic and hunt them down.
Maurynna and Raven are to split off from the others to free the captive dragon from his prison. The plan is hardly to the liking of Linden, Maurynna’s soultwin, but it is feared that to do otherwise would risk that the priestmages might “feel” Linden’s Dragonlord magic and the quest would fail.
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But unknown to the Dragonlords, Taren is leading them into a trap. He is not an escaped slave, but instead is the trusted servant of a Jehangli noble who wants the Phoenix throne for himself. A prophecy made in Jehanglan promises the throne to the one who fulfills it:
One alone—the Hidden One—means the end of the Phoenix. But four will give you the throne.
The Dragonlords and their friends travel through Jehanglan unaware of their danger. But there is one trailing them, someone only Maurynna senses, though she has no idea who or what it is. That someone is a dragon-child named Miune Kihn, a waterdragon, a breed unknown in the north, and the only one of his kind left in the world. When Miune realizes Taren is bringing soldiers to capture them, he warns the Dragonlords and their friends. They break free and as planned, the group splits: Maurynna and Raven depart on their mission, and the others head in a different direction to draw pursuit away.
Linden, Lleld, Jekkanadar, and Otter are taken prisoner by a band of Zharmatians, one of the tribes the Jehangli consider barbarians, and their bitter enemies.
When some soldiers pursue Maurynna and Raven across a river, Miune Kihn comes to their rescue, attacking the soldiers’ horses from below. Maurynna and Raven travel for days to reach their goal. They ride hard and the journey is exhausting, especially for Maurynna who is still an indifferent rider.
During a break in riding, Maurynna goes down to a river to bathe, and she meets Miune Kihn for the first time. Kyrissaean, Maurynna’s dragon half who should be sleeping for many years yet, resents her human half’s speech with the young waterdragon. But when Miune mentally “thumps” her dragon half, Maurynna realizes what has been going on within her divided self: Kyrissaean, only a dragon-child herself, had been awakened too early and was throwing tantrums. At Miune Kihn’s urging, Kyrissaean subsides—somewhat.
Later in their journey, Maurynna and Raven meet a young man, a Tah’nehsieh tribesman named Shima, who in turn is the spirit drummer to a shaman named Zhantse. Shima brings them to his home where, to Maurynna and Raven’s astonishment, they find his mother, Lark, is a Yerrin who had been shipwrecked on the Jehangli shore years before.
There Maurynna learns of Taren Olmeins’s true identity: a kinslayer under a death sentence who had tricked the captain of the ship Lark was on into taking him on board. Lark blames Taren for the madness that came upon the captain and caused him to dare the enchanted waters around Jehanglan. Of all on board that ill-fated ship, only Lark and Taren lived. She is certain that the gods punished the crew for unknowingly aiding a kinslayer.
Because Raven’s strawberry blond hair would stand out in a country filled with dark-haired people, it is decided that Shima will go with the black-haired Maurynna for the final stage of her journey. Raven is not happy with this. When he tries to follow, Lark confronts him. She appeals to Raven’s Llysanyin, Stormwind, telling him of Zhantse’s Seeing that the mission will fail if he goes. Stormwind refuses to go any farther.
But Raven is not balked for very long. With the connivance of Shima’s little brother, Tefira, and a fake “Seeing” that they made up, Raven and Tefira convince Stormwind that they need to follow Maurynna and Shima. What neither realizes is that Tefira’s Seeing is indeed the truth: They are needed to save the youngest Dragonlord.
By now Maurynna and Shima have figured out what dragon is the prisoner: Pirakos, a truedragon. Maurynna and Shima reach the place where he is held underground. Maurynna is armed with the sword of the dead Dragonlord Dharm Varleran who had accompanied Pirakos on their ill-fated expedition to Jehanglan. They sneak into the tunnels that lead to the chained Pirakos.
It’s only when Maurynna’s conjured ball of coldfire disappears that she discovers that Shima has recently suffered from intense attacks of claustrophobia. They find a place in the tunnel system with an opening to the outside and rest there. To their horror, they see Raven and Tefira are prisoners of a Jehangli patrol. Maurynna orders Shima to go help them; she’ll continue alone.
Though his senses seem to be going mad, Shima tricks the patrol and rolls a rock down upon them, killing most of the soldiers and allowing Raven and Tefira to escape. Shima runs in one direction, leading the remaining soldiers away. Raven and Tefira go in another direction.
Tefira guesses where his brother is going and leads Raven there. They watch from one ridge as Shima comes over another. Shima falls and rolls down the slope into the “bowl” formed by the ridges. He takes shelter in a small cave as the patrol chasing him clears the ridge.
Just when Shima thinks he’s safe, his claustrophobia drives him into the open. His senses reeling, Shima fears he’s gone mad, because he feels as if he is melting. The last thing he sees is one of the patrol readying to cast a spear at him.
Only Raven understands what is happening: Shima is Changing. Knowing that if the iron spearhead should touch the red mist forming around Shima, the young Tah’nehsieh will be unmade, Raven throws a rock at the spearman. His aim is true, and Shima, unharmed, safely Changes into a dragon.
Meanwhile, Maurynna goes deeper and deeper into the tunnels to Pirakos. Driven mad by his long confinement, he tries to kill her when she arrives. Using the dead Dragonlord’s sword, she weakens each of the chains binding Pirakos’s feet. She flees into the tunnels, knowing she has little time before he breaks free. With the insane dragon in pursuit, she runs through the tunnels.
Just as Pirakos corners her, the massive doors leading to the outside open for a procession of Jehangli priests. Distracted by the first touch of fresh air he’s felt in centuries, Pirakos forgets Maurynna long enough for her to beg her dragon half to allow her to Change. When Pirakos turns his attention back to her, he finds a dragon. Their battle is brief; the longing for freedom is too much for Pirakos. He runs for the open air, Maurynna right behind him. Both burst into the sunlight. Unexpectedly, Pirakos turns and flies away. Maurynna and Shima, both still in dragon-form, follow as best they can.
Meanwhile, Linden, Lleld, Jekkanadar, and Otter have remained with the Zharmatians. An unknown dragon, Miune Kihn, again mindcalls them and tells them they must destroy the three stones that anchor the circle of enchantment that holds the Phoenix captive. So they Change. Each chooses a point of attack; Linden, as the fastest and strongest flier, makes for the city where the Phoenix is held after accomplishing his mission.
When the magical shield holding the Phoenix falls, Linden does his best to keep the furious creature from taking revenge upon the humans who kept it imprisoned. But Linden is no match for the Phoenix; only the arrival of Pirakos stops the unequal battle before its inevitable, tragic end.
Pirakos and the Phoenix, each consumed by hatred for the other, close in battle. It ends with both falling to the ground, locked in a fatal embrace.
Yet out of the fiery ending comes a newly risen Phoenix. But this one is not the unthinking animal of previous incarnations. As the new Phoenix rises, it becomes clear that this one is a melding of phoenix and dragon.
Once the young Phoenix is safely away from the city, Linden, Maurynna, and Shima make their way to Shima’s home, a part of Jehanglan held by Shima’s tribe: Nisayeh, land of the Tah’nehsieh. There they meet again with Otter, Lleld, and Jekkanadar.
Soon it will be time for all to return to the north with the newest Dragonlord, Shima Ilyathan.
Prologue
In southern Yerrih, a few months after the return from Jehanglan
Raven and Beast Healer Gunnis rode easily on their way to the Beast Healers’ chapterhouse of Grey Holt, close to both the Yerrin town of Fern Crossing and the border with Kelneth. The sun shone high overhead in a cloudless sky. In another candlemark, it would begin its journey to the west; but for now it was high enough that it didn’t shine in their eyes. And by the time Raven came back this way, it would be behind him. What could be better?
Oh, yes; a good day, this, Raven thought with contentment. The haggling was done with; Gunnis had confirmed all the horses they’d bought were healthy and fit for the journey north.
And his aunt Yarrow was well-nigh walking on air, she was so pleased with her new band of broodmares. All that was left now was to get some liniment from Grey Holt’s store of medicines to replenish their supply. For the morrow would see them on their way back to Yarrow’s holding with their fine new mares.
Raven patted his Llysanyin’s neck. Even now he sometimes still couldn’t believe that one of the legendary mounts of the Dragonlords had chosen to share his life with him, an ordinary truehuman. Yet Stormwind had.
“I feel bad for Lord Sansy that he had to sell those mares,” he said. “But his bad luck at gambling is our good fortune—that and Reed Thornson buying five palfreys from my aunt at just the right time. Those mares of Sansy’s are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
Gunnis nodded. “They’re fine animals. It’s a pity, really. Rade Welkin, the old Lord Sansy, worked hard to build that herd. And now his son Agon sells the best part of it for a fraction of what it’s worth. Agon started out years ago with everything his father had left him—it was a good bit, too!—and let it dribble away from him. All because he can’t stay away from the dice.”
Gunnis sighed, staring down at his horse’s mane as if he saw something else there. The long-legged, shaggy hound that was his familiar—or brother-in-fur, as the Yerrins called the animals that shared a Beast Healer’s life—looked up at him as it loped alongside his horse and whined softly. A meadowlark’s song drifted sweetly on the warm air.
“Don’t worry, Bouncer. It’s nothing we can help, old fellow.” The Beast Healer shook his head and went on, “I wonder if it would have been different if title and manor had gone to one of the children from the first marriage.”
“A younger son inherited? The others all died?” Raven asked. Gods, but that house was plagued by ill luck, he thought.
“No, not all died—one went for a bard. The others were still alive then, you see.”