“As would I,” Aeron said. “But in the interim, we need to think about Matlal’s request.”
They all turned to the blue-green dragon.
Under the scrutiny, he shifted on his paws and unfurled his wings slightly.
Matlal. Anaya stood. We will consider your request. I have a question for you, however.
Of course, Queen Anaya.
How many Departed have an interest in joining us?
A–At this time, ten have asked about you and your House.
“Ten?” Aeron nearly shouted the question.
The young man took the words from Millinith’s own mouth. Could they absorb that many dragons into the guild at once?
Matlal shied away from the outburst, taking a step back.
Anaya let out a quiet bark at Aeron.
He glanced at her with an apologetic expression.
Anaya turned back to the nervous dragon. How many Departed are there in total?
F–Fifty, Queen Anaya. Many of us are older dragons, however. B–But most of those who asked about you have less than eight season cycles.
Anaya glanced at Aeron then at Millinith.
Millinith, likely thinking the same thing as her, stared back. That was a lot of dragons.
Anaya turned to Matlal. Once we have talked about it, where can we find you to speak further on this?
I–I think it would be best if I came here.
Anaya chirped. Then return here in six nights. We will have an answer for you then.
Thank you, Queen Anaya! Matlal bowed once, twice, three times. I will let the others know! He turned, ran two steps, then leapt into the air. With wings beating quickly, he flew off.
Millinith watched the shadow against the stars grow smaller with distance. “So much for going to Bataan-Mok.”
“You’re not going?” Aeron looked shocked.
She shook her head. “No. Polandra, Liara, Cirtis, and the others will have to deal with whatever Fala intends.” With a glance at her wrist-watch, she said, “Most people in the guild would have gotten up in about an hour or so anyway, so me asking them to get up now won’t be too much of a hardship.”
“The courtyard outside saddlery?” Doronal raised his brows at her.
“That will serve. All of us, dragons and humans, will meet there to talk about Matlal’s proposal. I want to make note of initial ideas and concerns, now. We can get opinions and such from those bond-pairs not at the Guildhall in the next few days.”
She turned to Aeron. “Wake up Gregor, Terry, and Korrie. Have them and their dragons, assuming they can wake their dragons, meet us there.”
Aeron nodded. “We can do that.”
“I’ll wake Liflin,” Doronal said. He drew his brows together. “Assuming he isn’t already awake. With his dedication, that boy sometimes makes the rest of us look bad.”
“Alright,” Millinith said, “let’s get back to the Guildhall.”
+ + + + +
Polandra frowned. Something was keeping the Guildmaster.
“We should be fine, shouldn’t we?” Liara looked from one person to another around the low table in Cirtis’s rooms. “Ikan is out there with Stoltz. All they have to do is keep an eye on Fala when she leaves and step in when she tries to do something with the poison. Right?”
“Assuming she hasn’t given some poison to another.” Yiska looked worried. His thin hands made fists on the table before him.
Polandra sat forward on the pillow. “What do you mean?”
“Stoltz wasn’t following her the entire time,” Cirtis said. “She could have given some Yrdra’s Blood to another.”
“To which other?” Liara said. “There are only the four of—”
“According to what Stoltz told Polandra,” Cirtis said, “Jaci was not at the hut when he got there. For all we know, Fala could have given her a portion of the poison and sent her on ahead.”
“Ahead?” Liara raised her brows. “But Jaci returned last night, according to Ikan.”
“True,” Yiska said, “but Fala could have done as I did and bribed one or more people in Bataan-Mok to do . . . something.”
“Jaci could have delivered her share of the poison to them and returned,” Cirtis said. “Fala could be planning a multifront attack.”
“That’s simple enough to address.” Polandra turned to Liara. “Have Mia start patrol flights over Bataan-Mok immediately, looking for anyone thinking of poison.”
“Don’t forget the Observers,” Lonato said. “As was suggested, I spoke to Isandath last night about Fala and he’s got them keeping an extra wary eye out for her. I’ll tell him about a potential multifront effort so they can watch for that, too.”
They are leaving.
Polandra’s chest tightened. So it begins. Remind Stoltz to keep out of sight. And you, too. Be careful not to be seen. We don’t want them knowing they are being followed.
Of course.
She glanced at Liara. “Fala and Kwatoko have left the hut.”
All eyes turned to her.
“Ulthis watch over us.” Yiska made a warding motion.
Polandra frowned. “We’re going to have to do this without the Guildmaster, it seems. This would be a great deal easier if we had some pissing idea what Fala intended.”
Cirtis sighed. “Alas, Yrdra’s Blood is such a—and I hate to say it like this, but—it’s such a versatile poison that pinning down her exact plan is almost impossible. Mere contact with it is enough to kill someone. Something as simple as brushing it on handrails or splashing it on the floor of a well-traveled intersection of hallways would kill dozens, at the very least.”
“It could be poured into the fountains,” Yiska said, “or given to someone in the kitchens to put into food and drink.”
“Or,” Lonato added, “poured into the baths.”
“Exactly,” Cirtis said. “There are so many ways that Yrdra’s Blood could be used effectively, it’s quite frightening.”
“Now I’m getting nervous.” Liara’s gaze went flat. “Mia will begin her patrol,” she said. “She’ll do her best.”
“Good,” Cirtis said.
“I’ll update Isandath.” Lonato stood and hurried from the room.
“We might as well have the manisi placed on alert, as well,” Yiska said. “Or, well, the guards, that is. We’ve been trying to keep our efforts against Fala quiet, but the potential threat is big enough that we best not let those concerns hinder any efforts at finding the woman.”
“I can do that.” Polandra stood. “It will take Fala some time to get anywhere near Bataan-Mok, and this will give me something to do besides sit and wait.” She picked up several of the spare sketches that had been made of Fala for the Observers. “I can take some of these to the guards, too.”
Liara gripped her hand, briefly. “I’ll have Mia let you know if anything happens.”
Polandra nodded. “Thanks.”
Luckily, her feet knew the way, because her mind was still aswirl trying to figure out what Fala’s plans were. From all that the woman had done so far, she and her people had no qualms about taking lives, and with her apparent intention to use Yrdra’s Blood, it seemed Fala wanted to kill as many as possible. But how?
Polandra’s recollection of the woman from that day in Daelon’s Plaza was vague. Fala had been the one who’d blown the whistle to signal those who Yiska had bribed to attack the dragonlinked. The piercing blasts on the whistle had drawn Polandra’s attention to the tiered seats, where Fala stood, the small, shiny instrument at her lips. Shoulder-length gray hair, average height, and a medium build. That’s all Polandra could remember about her.
She gave that information along with the sketches of her face to the guard captain when she informed him of their suspicions about Fala. She also told him of the various ways she and the others thought Fala might use the poison.
“I’ll have runners dispatched to the various stations and foot patrols to let them know. Along with what kinds of things to expect, I’l
l include Fala’s name, in case some know her on sight, as well as her description. I’ll have these sketches given to guards at the gates and to those in stations near areas of particular concern.”
The Observers were keeping watch over those areas already, but the more eyes, the better, Polandra supposed. “Thank you, Captain. If she succeeds, many will die.”
“We’ll see about that.” He turned to relay the information to an assistant.
Polandra left him to his work and returned to the hallways. Any change?
The woman walks slow. She and the big man still approach Bataan-Mok.
Alright.
Hallway after hallway, she walked. She just couldn’t stand still. Nerves made her too antsy. When she found herself out in Dragon Square, she looked up and spotted Mia on patrol. If there was anyone plotting to use the poison besides Fala, hopefully Mia or the Observers or the guards would spot them.
There were two fountains in the concourse and one in the plaza to the east. People sat on the benches around the water features to take their ease, and younger people sometimes splashed in them. If someone did toss poison into one or more of them, the children would be the ones killed. They’d start dying less than a minute after contact with the poisoned water. Of course, once they did, people might connect the fountains with the dying kids and the guards certainly should. That meant that perhaps only a few would die.
The muscles in her jaws worked, and her hands clenched into fists. No! She didn’t want anyone to die! She spun on her heel and left the square for the hallways.
Walking wasn’t helping. Her nerves kept her jittery. A bath might relax her, but she wanted to be ready for anything that came up. And besides, baths were one of the places that might be attacked. Although, now that she thought about it, most people had already bathed this morning. It wasn’t likely that the baths would be poisoned at this hour. Not many would die right now, and she suspected Fala wanted to kill as many as she could.
Stoltz is surprised.
Why?
The woman and man were almost to Bataan-Mok, but they have turned down a path leading somewhere else.
Does Stoltz know where the path leads?
A few moments later, Ikan replied. He says it leads up to hills on the side of Bataan-Mok.
Polandra frowned. That was odd. Continue following her and keep me updated.
I will.
Was she going to bypass the main entrances by using the rope to climb down into Bataan-Mok over the wall? Polandra had hoped Fala would be stupid enough to enter through one of the gates and get caught before anything happened. It looked like the woman was doing something else, however.
In her mind’s eye, Polandra pictured where the kitchens were, but they weren’t anywhere near the walls of Bataan-Mok. It would be a long walk with lots of time to be discovered. Unless Fala had disguised herself to be able move around easier without being recognized?
Ask Stoltz if Fala tried disguising herself at all.
He said she did not.
Polandra grunted. Damn the woman. Maybe once they were inside, she was going to have Kwatoko take the poison to the kitchens. He was less known than she was, less likely to be recognized, and many more people would die from poisoned food and drink in the cafeteria than from poisoned fountains. Jaci would have served just as well, for that, however. But mayhap Kwatoko was the one that would get them over the wall?
She shook her head. There were too many unknowns! What are they doing, now?
They have reached the top of the hill and seem to be resting. She sat down when they arrived, and right now she and the man are talking.
Polandra scowled. Tell me if they do anything different.
She looked around and found she was near to Cirtis’s rooms. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to head back.
“You look as bad as I feel,” Liara said.
“After notifying the guard captain, I spent some time walking around, thinking, but I couldn’t come up with anything that made sense as to what Fala’s plan is. All I did was make myself anxious and angry.”
“I completely understand,” Cirtis said. “I’ve been unable to come up with any one thing she might try.”
Polandra paced around the low table. “They aren’t even coming directly into the city, it seems.”
“What do you mean?” Yiska looked up at her.
“They’ve taken a side path just outside Bataan-Mok that leads into the hills.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s just so frustrating! What in hells does she plan to do?”
“You need to relax,” Liara said. “Maybe you should take a nice soaking bath.”
Polandra scowled. “I actually thought about that, but I want to be ready to act quickly.”
“Hmm,” Liara said. “My other suggestion wouldn’t work either, then.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“I was going to suggest you go visit the cistern. It’s very relaxing there, and you are much too uptight right now.”
Polandra chuckled. “True enough, but it’s even farther out of the way than the—”
Baths. Sinks. Fountains. Kitchens.
Her smiled faded and her eyes grew large as she stared at Liara. “Good gods! She’s not thinking of doing any one of the things we thought of, she’s going to do them all and more! Fala’s after the cistern!”
Liara stood. “What? But she’s outside!”
“Alandra’s merciful heart!” Cirtis turned and his fingers flashed at his steward.
The woman has put on some kind of belt and the man is . . . tying her with rope?
Ikan! Polandra looked up at the ceiling. The hill they climbed, is it the tallest hill against the walls of Bataan-Mok? The one with the high rocky outcrop?
It is. The man has just started lowering the woman into a hole in the ground.
Tell Stoltz to stop them! The water used by all of Bataan-Mok is in the cistern down that hole. She’s going to poison the entire place at once!
Polandra didn’t wait for a response, instead she ran for the door.
+ + + + +
Stop them!
Stoltz glanced up at the small speck in the sky that was Ikan. It seemed to be growing. What?
The Bataan-Mok cistern is down there!
His feet were moving before he knew it.
He’d kept far back so they wouldn’t see or hear him trailing them. That, and there was much less scenery to hide behind aside from clumps of brush and the occasional rocky outcrop. He didn’t worry about that now. Leather soles slapping the ground, he pelted up the path toward Kwatoko.
That cistern supplied water to the entirety of Bataan-Mok. He’d stood watch more than a few times outside the stairwell leading to it. On more than one occasion, he’d also made the climb up the stairs to see the water pool for himself. He’d explored the room on one such trip and discovered the tall shaft at the back of a short passage just off the catwalk. Looking up the chimney-like opening, he’d seen a small patch of sky far above. That must be where Fala was climbing down, now.
Why hadn’t he made the connection before!
The shoes occasionally slipped on the rocky path as he raced to the top. He had to catch himself against the ground after almost falling a few times. All the while, Kwatoko slowly paid out more rope into the hole.
Stoltz had only a few dozen yards left to go when he called out. “Kwatoko! Stop!”
The big man looked up. “Stoltz? Why are you here?”
“You mustn’t let her down there!” He kept running. “She’s trying to kill everyone in Bataan-Mok!”
“What?”
Fala’s words came to him. “Keep going, you oaf!”
Kwatoko looked down at the hole.
“This is our chance to stop the guild!”
The big man stared down for a moment, then continued to lower her down.
Almost there! “Stop, Kwatoko, stop! Do you really want to have the deaths of everyone in Bataan-Mok on your hands? Even the children?�
�
The rope ran up from a large coil on the ground, to Kwatoko’s gloved hands, and then down the hole. Brows drawn together, the big man fed out another bit of rope, then stopped.
He looked up at Stoltz. “I–I don’t want to kill the little ones.”
“Kwatoko!” Fala sounded furious. “Keep going!”
Stoltz finally reached him. Panting, he looked down the hole.
Aside from a small section that the low morning sun could reach, maybe half a foot down one side of the shaft, the rest of the hole was in complete darkness. The rope disappeared into an abyss.
Stoltz stared down into the inky nothingness. “Fala! This is madness!”
The rope trembled.
“Traitor! How dare you interfere!”
“Alandra’s merciful heart, woman. Why do you want to kill all those people?”
“They’re weak-minded idiots, the lot of them. Everyone has been taken in by the dragons, and thus the Order cannot be saved.”
He shook his head. “Taken in? No one has been taken in. People just want to be able to feed themselves, to have money to send to their families. The Corpus Order was done-for when Takatin plotted with National Transportation. If anything, the Dragon Craft Guild picked up the pieces of the Order and helped people continue with their lives.”
A short bark of a laugh rose from the darkness. “Why would anyone want to send money to their families? All families do is let you down. They don’t care for you. They don’t even want you. Families send you away. At least the Corpus Order gave us something to live for! But it’s gone, now, thanks to those gods-cursed beasts!”
Powerful wing beats behind signaled Ikan’s arrival.
Stoltz turned to the magnificent creature. “Dragons had nothing to do with the fall of the Order.”
“So. You are a dragon-lover.”
“I respect them, yes.”
“How can you respect those monsters!”
Angered, he glared down the hole. “They aren’t monsters. They’re people like you and me.”
“People? Don’t make me laugh. Dragons and those who love them are . . . are . . . are deviants!”
“Have you ever spoken to a dragon? Have you ever spent time with one? Do you actually know anything about them at all? Or are you basing your hatred on hearsay?”
Of Gods, Trees, and a Sapling: Dragonlinked Chronicles Volume 4 Page 57
