"It's beautiful," Lainey said, breathlessly.
"There was a time when this entire cavern was bright as day for the number of dragon stones. Now it grows dim as our kind diminishes." Derth hung his head.
Renick turned back to the beauty of the dragon hall and tried to imagine it filled with glowing gems. His chest tightened with regret at the loss of such a wonderful sight and what it reflected about the Dragon Kind. "I'm sorry," Renick said in a low whisper.
Without warning, a cluster of images and emotions struck Renick's mind. He stumbled backwards, his head on fire with pain. "Please stop," he pleaded. He felt Thane supporting his shoulder and Lainey's warm hand slip into his.
Derth seemed troubled by Renick's reaction, he withdrew his thoughts and Renick's mind quieted in response.
"Here." Lainey pressed something into Renick's hand.
He straightened to stand on his own and looked down at the clump of dried leaves resting in his palm.
"Chew on them—it'll dull the pain a little." Lainey smiled at him.
Renick placed the leaves in his mouth. They tasted bitter. He swallowed some of the juices and the relief was enough to make the terrible taste worth it. "Thanks," he said.
"Come. They are waiting for us." Derth led them along a narrow walkway that circled the chamber.
Casting a glance over the edge, Renick was met with only darkness. At one narrow end of the oblong cavern, a portion of the walkway widened out over the black abyss, creating a sort of platform.
Derth halted. "I will be serving as your advocate. Do not speak unless I tell you to." The dragon waited for each of them to nod in acknowledgement before he stepped onto the platform.
The cavern began to fill with light. Renick looked up to see a shaft leading to the sky above. The little patch of blue grew steadily brighter as somewhere out of sight, the sun started to rise. The growing light flooded into the cavern, revealing its interior. In the center of the chamber, like islands in a sea of night, stood giant stone pedestals. They were arranged in three circles, each inside the other, and rose like steps leading up to the ceiling. Renick noticed that on the wall behind the pedestals, a matching array of circles shone in the early morning sunlight. For each pedestal there was a stone, and on each sat a dragon of answering color.
In the second circle, one of the pedestals stood empty. Renick wondered if it was Derth's place.
Sunshine bathed the walls of the cavern, causing the dragon stones to flash brightly. Renick could now see that there were alcoves, like balconies, high above their heads. Even more dragons, heads down toward him and his friends, filled these balconies. All around him, the air hummed with a sense of anticipation. They were waiting.
Renick felt a shiver run up his spine.
A rumble echoed through the cavern as the dragons gathered there joined together in a single–note chorus. Renick held his breath. The vibrations of the sound penetrated his bones and thrummed through his body. His breath caught in his throat when he felt the emotional undercurrent to the song. Abruptly the dragons' jaws snapped shut, but the echo of their chorus remained, lingering in the cold air of the cavern.
In the silence that followed, Renick noticed the ache returning to his neck and was grateful for the bitter herbs still held between his teeth. He watched the gathered dragons closely. They were turning to look at each other, shifting their stance, groaning and tossing their heads. Then he felt it—a sense of worry and danger. It seemed to pulse through the empty space of the dragon hall, a constant tide of emotion. With the pain in his head dulled by Lainey's herbs, Renick was able to concentrate on the feelings coming from the dragons. Soon they were joined by images and impressions that flew by so fast that he could not keep up with them.
As Renick continued to focus, some of the jumbled thoughts started to form into words in his mind. He could almost hear the conversation.
"Hunters?" someone seemed to say.
"Running. Near south end of forest," a dragon replied.
"Not safe yet," many agreed.
"Keep watching, keep chasing." This seemed to be a decision or an order. Renick could not tell which.
The conversation about the hunters continued for a short while. Renick saw the face of Horrin a few times. One of those images showed him whole, without the scars and missing eye. Renick balked at how much ambition Horrin's past eyes held, contrasted with the anger he had seen.
"The fallen?" The question had a deeply sad undertone to it. Renick's chest tightened.
The images of five dragons flashed in Renick's mind. He recognized one of them, a silvery gray dragon—Plyth's mother.
"Mythaari." Derth's voice echoed in Renick's head.
"Honor. A moment of silence."
Every sound in the chamber stopped. Renick's own breathing slowed until he could not hear it. Not a dragon moved. Renick bowed his head, thinking of Mythaari and the dragon from the flyer.
One of the dragons gave a long, low bugle that ended with a slight catch. The time to mourn was over. Looking up, Renick saw Derth watching him.
The council of dragons moved on to the next topic at hand.
"The humans." He heard this over and over in his head. Some of the whisperings started to take on a personality of their own, and Renick thought he could identify which dragon was speaking.
Renick remembered a time not too long ago when his parents were discussing where they should send him for an apprenticeship. He had been helping his mother hang the wash while his father watched. They talked about Renick without acknowledging he was there. It was a regular occurrence in his family. Renick remembered the awkward sinking feeling he had felt then. He felt much the same way now.
Derth seemed to be relaying much of their story to the assembly. Renick could see images from their journey through the forest and their encounter with the hunters. Most of the images were from Plyth's point of view, but a few must have come from Wrytha.
For a moment there seemed to be some discord among the dragons. Derth suggested something about hearing or understanding, and some of the other dragons did not receive it well.
"They do not understand us." Derth's words reverberated in the stillness of the dragon hall. "They deserve to know what is being said of them."
This angered many of those perched on the stone pedestals. A rumbling order silenced the growls of protest.
"Present the humans." A deep voice echoed off the walls of the cavern.
Derth turned and used one of his front claws to motion the children forward. In a low voice, he said, "Introduce yourselves."
"I'm Renick–Trusted." Renick glanced at Derth, who dipped his head in approval.
"I'm Lainey–Kind."
"And I'm Thane–Brave," Thane declared, his chest puffed out in pride.
A rumble rippled through the assembled dragons. "They are dragon–named?" one exclaimed.
"Who has dragon–named them?" The dragon at the very center of the tallest circle was watching Renick. He was a large, gold dragon with black wings.
Renick opened his mouth to reply before he remembered Derth's instructions.
Derth answered, "My great–nephew, Plyth Firetongue."
"And he claims they aided him?" the gold dragon asked.
To confirm the statement, Derth dipped his head.
"Speak," the gold dragon said, his eyes boring into Renick. "Did you indeed help the young one, Plyth Firetongue?"
"Yes," Renick answered. He rubbed his palms along his pants, wiping away the sweat.
"Why?" a different voice asked.
Renick turned to the speaker. She was a beautiful pale green with white neck spikes. He shrugged. "Plyth needed our help. He was in pain and alone."
"Lies," a red dragon hissed. "Complete and utter lies!"
At the words, Renick's stomach sank. He had no way of proving what he said was true. What would he do if they did not believe him?
"I will vouch for their honesty. They are who they profess to be. Nothing more, noth
ing less," Derth insisted.
Renick watched the older dragon, confused by his loyalty and fervent defense. He did not understand how they had earned such deep respect from him.
"Even so," a purple female with a shaky, unused voice said, "they could still know too much to be released. They could lead our enemies to this sanctuary."
Renick knew in his heart that he would never give away the dragons' secret if they asked for his silence. A small pang of regret hit him when he thought of never being able to share the story with his father. But his silence would be to protect the dragons, and that was more important.
"I trust them to keep our secret. All of them." Derth glanced back at Renick and the others.
Renick turned to see Thane and Lainey nod in agreement.
"There are ways to extract knowledge from unwilling informants," a stiff orange dragon offered. "That they know of our existence and how to locate us makes them dangerous, regardless of the merits of their character."
For a moment, Renick could not breathe. He remembered Horrin and how he had tried to get information. The dragons had much more power and strength at their disposal, not to mention their magic. For the first time since meeting Wrytha, Renick started to feel afraid.
"But they are so young, so innocent," a light, airy voice said.
"It makes no difference," the red dragon said. "They are still a threat. I call for their execution!"
The dragon hall erupted. Dragons flapped their wings and sung out their agreement or shock. They ceased to talk aloud and Renick's mind filled with images and emotions. The dragons' speaking beat against Renick's head. The pain flared and exploded. He stumbled back. Lainey's small hands closed around his arm. Was she calling his name?
"Make it stop," Renick pleaded.
He felt himself being drawn away from the dragon hall. The bursts of pain lessened as the dragons voices faded from his mind. His vision cleared a little and he saw that he and Lainey were in a side passage. Thane stood with his back to them, watching Derth, who was just visible around a bend.
Lainey pressed a handful of dried leaves into his hand and commanded him to chew on them. Without complaint, Renick compiled. She then held out a waterskin to him. "Drink."
The cold water slid down his throat, carrying with it some of the numbing juice of the leaves. As the herbs took effect, Renick relaxed and leaned against the passageway wall.
"Better?" Lainey asked.
Renick smiled and nodded.
The dragons sounded their song one more time and then dispersed. Derth came to stand with them.
"So?" Lainey said in a shaky voice.
"There is disagreement among those in the Inner Circle. They have decided to choose your fate at a later time. For now, you will serve in the mines," Derth told them. Renick had the feeling that "mines" was not the word Derth really wanted to use.
"The mines?" Thane asked. Renick could see the muscles in Thane's jaw tighten.
"It is where we send our outlaws and criminals for punishment," Derth said. Renick could feel that familiar sense of secrecy underneath the words.
"Great," Thane said.
"At least they aren't going to execute us," Renick offered.
"Not today," Thane countered.
Chapter 22: Enslavement
Renick followed behind Derth as he led them through a series of complicated tunnels, moving ever downward. As they descended deeper into the mountains, the tunnels became more rough and constricting. Lainey became ever more wary.
"We have entered the mines," Derth told them. The mines were cold and dark. An oppressive sense of foreboding hung in the stale air. Renick felt the same shrouding he had felt when Wrytha first brought them to the city. Secret way, Derth's voice seemed to say in Renick's mind.
"I won't go down there," Lainey cried, shaking her head as she peered into the dim tunnel ahead.
Derth turned to look at her. A wave of pity sent a spike of pain through Renick's head. "You must," the dragon told her.
"No." Her eyes filled with tears and she started to tremble.
"Why must we?" Thane demanded. His jaw set and his stance firm.
"Thane–Brave, the best way for you to gain freedom is to cooperate," Derth said.
"So we're just supposed to roll over and play dead?" Thane crossed his arms. Renick half expected him to stomp his foot in protest as well.
Lainey let out a small cry. "It isn't fair!"
"It'll be okay." Renick held out his hand and patted Lainey's arm. "We have to trust Derth and Wrytha—it's our only hope."
Lainey tore her arm away from him and buried her face in her hands.
Thane touched her shoulder and when she looked up, he offered Lainey his arm. "We'll be with you every step."
With a final squeeze of her eyes, Lainey nodded. She clutched at Thane's arm the whole way. The long tunnel leading into the mines eventually opened up into a wide chamber with a low ceiling. Glowing orbs offered scant illumination that cast everything in an odd orange glow. They were delivered to a hulking gray dragon named Boren. He seemed to grumble under his breath when Derth explained the situation.
"Out loud, please," Derth reminded the other dragon with a meaningful tilt of his head.
"So the Inner Circle leaves me to clean up their mess for them again, huh?" the large dragon said with a huff. "It is enough to have a murderer and a thief on my hands, let alone three humans."
Before he left, Derth turned to Lainey. "I will be pressing for them to decide your fate as soon as possible. I still hope to persuade them to show mercy. Lainey–Kind, it will only be for a short while."
Lainey smiled weakly at him. Her free hand stopped trembling, but she still held onto Thane's arm. With a slight bob of his head, Derth turned and left them in the mines.
"Very well," Boren said. "Come with me. Let us see if I can find somewhere to put you to good use." He lumbered down a side passage that was even dimmer than the chamber they left behind.
"We have to go down there?" Lainey whimpered.
Thane extracted his arm from her grip and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Come on, Lainey," he said, "you can do this."
She looked up at Thane and smiled. Renick reached out and touched her arm. "We'll do it together," he promised. Lainey's smile brightened. The three of them followed after Boren.
The large dragon led them down a tunnel wide enough for four dragons to walk abreast. With rough–hewn walls and jagged floors, the tunnel seemed newer than the ones above them. For a time, the hollowed–out area angled downward, but after only a short while, it leveled out and started to narrow. When the passageway dead–ended in a pile of rubble, it was just large enough for two dragons of Boren's size.
In the center of the pile of rocks and dust, two dragons labored to dig through a rock wall. They breathed fire on the wall until it glowed red and hot, then raked their claws over the heated portion, causing chunks of rock to fall away. In a pair of alcoves across from each other, two more dragons stood watch over the prisoners as they worked.
"Dig here," Boren said and left.
"Here we are, our punishment for—what was it?" Thane looked over at Renick. "That's right, saving the little squirming worm."
"Thane," Lainey admonished, her voice soft and weak.
"Lainey's right. My mother always says you can't change the winds—just roll up your sleeves and get the work done."
Renick eyed the guard dragons. They looked stern and alert. The dragon prisoners had paused in their digging and were watching them.
"All right, then," Renick said and rubbed his hands together. "What're we mining for?"
A sound very much like a chuckle emanated from the smaller of the two prisoners. It was hard for Renick to tell what color he was under the layer of dirt covering his scales. The dim lighting did not help much, either.
"Not mining." The prisoner chuckled again. "Just digging." The dragon turned back to his work. His laugh grew in pitch until it was almost a wail as he tore vici
ously into the rock wall.
The other prisoner dragon just watched them with dull eyes.
"Do not mind Hyngarth," one of the guards said. "He is not right in the head."
"What's the point of digging if you aren't mining?" Thane asked.
The guard tilted his crimson head, but did not answer.
"Secret way," Hyngarth hissed. "Under mountain, under trees, secret way out." He let loose a stream of flame that danced wildly around the rock wall.
"Prisoners dig for punishment." The other guard, who was a striking green on white, said.
"Ah," Thane said, not sounding the least bit satisfied.
"I'm Renick–Trusted," Renick offered to the two guard dragons.
"Guards do not speak to prisoners unless absolutely necessary," the green guard intoned.
Thane looked over at Renick, who shrugged.
"I guess we get to work, then." Renick examined the pile of rubble. Most of the broken rocks were too massive for them to move, even if they worked together. But there were plenty of smaller rocks and dirt that they could shift. He bent down and picked up a cooled rock about the size of his head. He turned to the crimson guard. "Where do I put this?"
The dragon moved aside, revealing another passageway. Renick trudged down the tunnel, which proved to be quite short. It ended abruptly at a fissure in the ground. There was a small area that had been hollowed out above the crack. Renick wondered if it ran further out on either side, but he could not tell in the almost complete darkness.
Renick lobbed his rock into the crevasse. On his way back, he found Thane and Lainey standing at the opening to the tunnel. Thane was balancing a large boulder between his knee and the wall. Lainey was clutching a small rock and staring into the darkness.
"She won't go in," Thane said.
Renick nodded. Thane picked up his load and headed down the tunnel.
Gently, Renick pried Lainey's fingers away from the rock, which was not much bigger than her two fists. He set it down next to the opening. "How about this. You carry the rocks here, and Thane and I will take them into the tunnel, okay?"
Trusted: Dragons' Trust Book 1 Page 11
