Blood of Dragons

by Jack Campbell

  Kira stood watching, wobbly on her feet, knowing she was crying and laughing at the same time, so overwhelmed by events that no other words or thoughts could come to her. She felt nothing but amazed relief. For the first time since she had left the reception at the queen’s palace in Tiaesun, Kira felt safe.

  Another small group of cavalry rode up, their leader dismounting a little more slowly than the others.

  He came forward, saluting. “Kira. Glad I could make it in time. We’ve had a hard ride, but I wasn’t about to let the Imperials get the daughter of my old commander.”

  “General Flyn!” Kira gasped as she recognized the voice of the old soldier. She straightened and returned the salute as precisely as she could, even though she felt in danger of passing out at any moment. “I don’t believe it. How did you get here so fast?”

  Flyn grinned. “Thank your mother for the warning that had Alexdria’s forces already well along with mobilizing when the legions entered the mountains, and thank your mother’s plea for me to help find her wayward daughter. I’m long past the days when I should be chasing legionaries through the Northern Ramparts, but when the daughter of Jules calls I will always answer.”

  He turned slightly to gesture to the west. “As to how we got here, thank the guidance of Lady Mage Asha, who is back there a ways and sensed your presence in this direction earlier today through means she would not explain. Then we heard the sounds of battle and figured only Lady Mari, or her daughter, could be giving a legion that much trouble on her own. You held them off for quite a while, long enough for us to get here, but that’s to be expected from members of your family. Although I understand you also credit it to being a Lancer.”

  “The Queen’s Own,” Kira said, deciding to claim that even though she was no longer formally entitled. “I couldn’t have done it without Jason,” she added. “But he’s almost a member of the family. Someday he will be.”

  “Oh?” Flyn asked. “Are you announcing a battlefield engagement?”

  “I am,” Kira said. “It’s only right that you hear it first. You saved my mother and father at Dorcastle and now twenty years later you’ve saved me and Jason.” Kira started laughing again, then took two laborious steps forward as the world seemed to tilt and sway around her. “May a lieutenant of the Lancers offer a kiss to an old cavalry general?”

  “Normally not,” Flyn said, “but I’ll make an exception for you.”

  Kira kissed the old man’s cheek. “How can my family ever repay you?”

  “This world and I are still repaying your family,” Flyn said awkwardly, then took a good close look at her in the dim light. “Stars above, girl, you’re about to collapse. Is any of that blood on you your own?”

  “It’s mostly Jason’s,” Kira said, wondering why the ground felt to her as if it were trembling in a earthquake. “Or from legionaries. Some is mine.” Her hand went to her side. “Oh, and that’s bleeding.”

  “Lieutenant Kira said she was fine!” one of the nearby Lancers protested.

  “She’s the daughter of the daughter!” Flyn cried. “A dragon slayer, like her mother! She wouldn’t complain of anything that didn’t kill her! Somebody see to her injuries!”

  Kira realized that she had fallen to her knees, staring blankly down at the rough surface of the plateau. Someone thrust a canteen into her hands. She started to drink, then twisted her body toward where Jason lay about two lance lengths away. “He needs…“

  “He’s being looked after,” a voice soothed her. “Drink, Lady.”

  She took several swallows, halting to gasp for breath. Someone was pulling off her jacket. Kira yielded to that, but balked when hands began unstrapping her holster.

  “Easy, Lieutenant,” someone said. “You’re in friendly hands. The healers need to look at you.”

  “Okay,” Kira muttered.

  “What did you say?”

  “All right.” She blinked against the darkness as someone gave her a pill that she swallowed without thinking, draining the last of the canteen this time. “I’m really tired.”

  “Go ahead and sleep. You’ve earned it.”

  “Wake me,” Kira said, trying to focus her mind. “Midnight. My watch.”

  “The general says you have the night off, Lancer.”

  “Tell…my…mother…” She tried to say something else, but Kira couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Commodore Banda saluted Mari as she and Alain boarded the Julesport. The new warship, the largest ever built on Dematr, rode the waves with ponderous grace, mighty guns in turrets fore and aft poised to hurl shells farther, harder, and more accurately than any ship-mounted weapons before them. The sun had just risen, gilding the upper works of the ship as if they were adorned with gold instead of steel. “Welcome aboard, Lady,” Banda said, gesturing to the uniformed woman beside him. “This is Captain Whitni, commanding officer of the Julesport.”

  “It's an honor to be aboard,” Mari told her, conscious of the ranks of sailors drawn up for her arrival, the dark jackets of Mechanic specialists intermingled among them in a way that would have been unthinkable when the Mechanics Guild ruled.

  “The honor is ours,” Captain Whitni said. “Thank you for choosing the Julesport as your flagship to regain the freedom of the Sharr Isles.”

  Mari and Alain gazed across the steel decks as the sailors broke ranks so the Julesport could get under way and join the other ships waiting outside the harbor of Dorcastle. Many times the target of invasions, this time Dorcastle was launching an attack, not for conquest, but for freedom.

  “Is there any word of Kira?” Commodore Banda asked as he led Mari and Alain to their stateroom on the warship.

  “No,” Alain said. “We have heard nothing. I have seen nothing.” He looked north and paused, his eyes suddenly intent.

  “What is it?” Mari asked, frightened.

  “Kira. I see her face. There are bandages. She wears a uniform of the Free Cities and is riding a horse.”

  Mari grabbed the doorway to support herself, staring at him. “Kira is all right?”

  “She will be,” Alain said, breathing deeply. “But I do not see Jason, and her expression is saddened.”

  * * *

  When Kira opened her eyes again she was looking up at the top of a canvas tent which was bright with sunlight. She stared at it, trying to remember how she could have gotten here.

  “Kira?” a soft voice asked, the emotions in it muted.

  She looked over and saw a beautiful and familiar face. “Aunt Asha. You won’t believe the nightmare I had. Why am I—?” Kira winced as she tried to move and something pulled painfully in her side.

  Where the legionary’s sword had ridden along her ribs.

  “It wasn’t a nightmare.” Kira swallowed, her heart racing. “Jason?” She frantically felt for the thread and saw it leading off to the side, strong and bright.

  “Over there,” Asha said.

  Kira was already turning her head, feeling a large bandage beneath her jaw resisting the movement. She saw Jason lying not far away, either unconscious or sleeping, his breathing deep and regular. “He’s all right?”

  “Yes,” Asha said. “The healers say he will recover.”

  “His leg… He was shot and I had to put on a tourniquet and—”

  “The healers said the leg should be fine.” Asha gazed at Jason. “They were surprised, saying his body handled the trauma better than it should have.”

  “That was probably his gene pac things,” Kira said, overwhelmed with relief. “Jason’s going to be okay.”

  “Oh-kay?”

  “Ah, he’s got me doing it! All right. He’s going to be all right.”

  “Yes. Can you eat?”

  Kira stared at Asha, aware again of the emptiness inside her where too little food had been for too long. “Do you have a spare cow?”

  “The healers recommended that you begin with something less than an entire cow,” Asha said, smi
ling a slight Mage smile as she offered Kira a cup filled with broth. “Do you need it heated?”

  “What?” Kira mumbled around a mouthful before she swallowed. “No. It’s great. The most wonderful thing I ever tasted.”

  Light brightened as the tent flap opened. Kira grinned at the man entering. “Uncle Calu! Where’s Aunt Alli?”

  “Down south, missing all the fun,” he said, bending over to smile at her. “You’re good with broth? I heard that your tastes have changed a bit. Something about blood?”

  Kira almost choked on her latest mouthful. “Who told you that?”

  “The Imperials we captured. They were terrified when they found out you were in the camp,” Calu said, grinning. “What’d you do to them?”

  “I just…tried to…make them less enthusiastic about attacking me,” Kira said.

  “Your mother is going to love hearing about it.”

  “Don’t tell her!”

  Asha gave Kira a solemn, inquisitive look. “Speaking of those things your mother will want to hear about, General Flyn told me something about you and Jason.”

  “We’re engaged,” Kira said, surprised that Asha didn't display any happiness.

  Asha placed a hand over Kira’s. “If you come to regret something that you agreed to in the face of great danger, no one will fault you for reconsidering.”

  “Why—? Oh, you're remembering me weeks ago when I was still trying to decide how I felt.” Kira laughed, wincing as the movement caused her side to hurt again. “I proposed to him, Aunt Asha, when I realized what my feelings were for him and when he stood by me like…like Father has done with Mother so many times. Jason knows he can back out at any time if he decides life with me might be a little too, um, interesting. And speaking of Father, that’s how I know what I feel for Jason is real, Aunt Asha. There’s a thread connecting us.”

  Asha finally smiled slightly and nodded. “Just as a thread ties this one to my Dav, and as a thread ties your father to your mother. That is indeed a strong proof, Kira.”

  “Can you sense it?” Kira asked, gesturing toward where she could see the thread. She tried to sit up a little more, grimacing at the effort and becoming aware of another bandage on her left shoulder, but Asha’s hand restrained her.

  “No. It is only between those who share it. But you should perhaps put on a shirt before sitting up,” Asha warned.

  Kira checked herself, seeing that under the sheet she was naked, a large bandage wrapped around her torso. From the feel of her side, there were fresh stitches under that bandage. “What happened to my clothes?”

  Calu held up a tangled, torn, badly bloodstained mess of fabric. “You mean like this shirt?”

  “That’s my shirt?” The same one she had been wearing in Tiaesun, the nice shirt she had been worried might get a little blood on it if Jason accidentally stuck her with the pin on the enameled dragon. She stared at the gory remnants of the garment, one hand going to her hair. “Do I want to know what I look like?”

  “Better than the shirt, and better than your mother did after Dorcastle,” Calu added.

  “Oh, good. So I don’t look as bad as if I’d died and been brought back to life,” Kira said. She touched cautiously around her head, feeling small bandages in addition to the large one under her jaw. “What are these for?”

  “Small cuts,” Asha said. “Except for that larger one we were told was from a bullet. That will leave a notable scar.”

  “Great. Another scar. I guess the small cuts are from the rock fragments knocked off by Imperial bullets,” Kira realized. “There are probably some older cuts there, too, from when we fell down that cliff. Where am I going to get a shirt? And pants? And everything else?”

  “I brought someone who's waiting outside who can help with that,” Calu said. “You’re pretty hard on clothes, you know.”

  “I’ve been through a few things the last few weeks!” Kira protested as her honorary uncle went to the entrance and beckoned a cavalry captain into the tent.

  “We’re about the same size,” the captain said, holding out the garments in her arms, “and I understand you need something else to wear. I had this spare uniform with me. You’re welcome to it.”

  Kira looked at the uniform, shaking her head. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”

  The captain smiled at her. “Perhaps I should explain. I’m Diana of Alexdria. I was a young girl when my father was part of an expedition to raid the Empire. Your father was the Mage hired to assist that expedition. When my father returned home he told us that the only reason he survived was because of the heroism of your father, a Mage who had repeatedly risked his life for common people. We had a hard time believing him until we heard the stories about the daughter of Jules and her Mage. Please take this uniform of mine as a very, very small repayment for the many years since then I have had with my father, thanks to the Mage who became your father.”

  “Thank you,” Kira said, embarrassed and pleased. “If it’s offered in that spirit, I’m proud to accept. If you know any stories from your father about that fight, I’d love to hear them. My father always just says that he tried his best and leaves it at that.”

  Captain Diana grinned. “Of course.”

  Calu backed out. “I’ll give you some privacy while you get dressed. We’re still trying to get a far-talker message out that you’ve been located, Kira, but I understand one of the message Mages will be here soon.”

  “Where are Mother and Father?” Kira asked, suddenly realizing their absence.

  “In Dorcastle. There’s a war going on, you know, and the daughter was needed.” Calu’s smile faded into a serious expression. “It’s killing Mari that she couldn’t come looking for you. You know that, right?”

  “I do,” Kira said. “Mother is going to keep the war as short as possible?”

  “She’s going to try.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Calu. Tell her that I love her and I understand.”

  He paused on his way out of the tent. “You’ve grown up a whole lot in less than a year, Kira.”

  Captain Diana and Asha helped Kira sit up and struggle into the clothing. Another soldier had contributed clean underwear that Kira pulled on with a sigh of relief, having spent the time since she was kidnapped being forced to wear the same pair. Hopefully someone had burned the old pair rather than try to launder it. Alexdrian troops wore light blue shirts and dark blue trousers, which felt odd to Kira after the green and gold uniform of Tiae she was accustomed to. Someone else had provided a spare set of cavalry boots close to Kira's size to replace the badly battered boots she had been wearing. Diana hadn't brought a cuirass or helm, which Kira was grateful for since she didn't think she could handle the weight of those items in her current condition. A lightweight garrison cap would serve the needs of military protocol if she went outside.

  While she was unconscious the healers must have scrubbed her down, so Kira didn’t smell as bad as she had expected. She felt embarrassed by the amount of assistance she needed to get dressed, though. Those parts of her that didn’t hurt from cuts and other injuries were stiff and sore. But at least the clothes hid two of the largest bandages on her as well as most of the bruises.

  “You two must be made of leather and nails to have gotten so far,” Captain Diana commented, glancing at Jason, who remained deeply asleep. “Your man must be tough enough to be a Lancer, too.”

  “Yes,” Kira said, smiling proudly. “He is.”

  “You’re a lieutenant, right?” Diana asked as Kira laboriously buttoned up the front of the uniform blouse.

  “I was. Of the Queen’s Own Lancers of Tiae. But only an honorary officer. And not that anymore.”

  Captain Diana raised her eyebrows at Kira. “If the Queen’s Own Lancers of Tiae don’t want you, I’m sure the Fourth Lancers of Alexdria do. I’ll get you the proper insignia. One of our lieutenants is bound to have a spare set.”

  “I’m not—”

  “Yes, you are.” Diana gestured toward the outsi
de. “Girl, there’s not a Lancer out there who wouldn’t follow you into the heart of the Empire. There aren’t a lot of lieutenants who can say that.”

  Captain Diana could stay only a short time, just long enough to share a couple of stories of the battle in which Kira’s future father had saved her father. Mention of the lightning Mage who had nearly killed Alain in that fight reminded her of the one who had attacked her and Jason in Kelsi six months ago. Were they the same Mage? That was a bit of unresolved family history that Kira hadn't wanted to inherit. But perhaps she had.

  Afterwards, alone with Asha and Jason in the tent for a while, Kira cautiously drank some more broth, amazed that a cup seemed to fill her stomach shrunken by too many days with too little food. But other things concerned her as well. “Aunt Asha, does foresight ever manifest as a voice?”

  “Sometimes,” Asha said. “A voice will tell a Mage something, though as with all foresight the meaning may be far from clear.”

  “What about just your name?” Asha looked a question at Kira, so she explained. “Jason and I were walking, and I hadn’t looked back in a while, and I suddenly heard someone say my name very clearly, as if she was right behind me. I turned that way and saw legionaries coming.”

  “Just your name? Did you recognize the voice?”

  “No,” Kira said. “It’s hard to say from just one word, but the way she said my name sounded like someone from the northern Confederation.”

  “It said nothing else? I have not heard of any other times when foresight worked in that fashion. We will ask your father of this when we see him again,” Asha said. She tilted her head slightly as she gazed at Kira. “Something else worries you.”

  “Not really,” Kira said, not sure why she was avoiding saying more.

  Mage Asha’s eyes stayed on her, plainly seeing that Kira had left something important unsaid.

  “I just had some trouble remembering things after doing a spell,” Kira finally said.