Lawless
Page 18
“Oh, I’m sorry. It wasn’t anything significant.” Kesia walked over to the wooden table and chairs that dominated the small space and sat down. “Can we start, then?”
The others took seats around her, Zephryn on her right side and Shance on her left, the other robed figures across the table from them. Kesia kept her hands clasped in her lap. She would be listening only. No revelations of her strange ability unless she had to.
Except that Shance knew. Would he tell them?
The tallest robed figure spoke, his voice level. “Nightstalker has told us what happened this afternoon, at least in part. Captain Windkeeper, were you able to make excuses to High Command?”
“Yes,” Shance tapped at the table. “Although not without having to smear Nighstalker’s name through the bilge. He’ll need to steer clear of all military and political areas from now on, but Kesia is clear. They’re very protective of her Talent and consider her to be an asset to the Congruency fleet.”
Zilpath’s fingers moved again. This time, a robed female translated. “She wants to know more about your Talents and what you told Nightstalker about the green smoke. As do we all.”
Everyone stared at Kesia. Silently judging, protected by their hoods, as anonymous as the dragons in the top tower of the Pinnacle. As if she was still a criminal. A deep, intense sense of falling filled her, as if she had no wings to catch herself. Curious how the feeling of falling made everything she’d eaten want to come back up.
A hand, warm and pebbled with dragon scales, took hers. She looked into Zephryn’s calm face.
Kesia took a deep breath and began to speak. “I inherited the Talents of both my mother and my father.”
Everything marched out of her mouth in slow, even statements. She pretended she was giving a field report before the Pinnacle, only no one here wanted to kill her for failure. That was one positive. Zephryn’s presence next to her was another, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.
She did not, however, speak about the treatments she had recived from Garishton as a child. From Shance’s reaction, it seemed that humans could inherit two Talents without any adverse effects. Let them think dragons were the same.
Kesia continued on, relaying what had happened the night her parents died and how her own grief and confusion had skewed her memories. Each word was bland, although her grip tightened on Zephryn’s hand. The story of her parents finished, she described her night mission to the laboratory. Kesia studied the knotted wood of the rough-hewn table. She was tempted to shape it into something beautiful, like the cloud lily voicelator she wore around her neck.
“The next day, Shance and I went to the opening gala, where we met with Zephryn. From there, Zephryn and I spoke, and the explosion occurred.”
“Yes, the explosion with the green smoke bomb.” That was the male again. “What alerted you to its presence?”
Zephryn cleared his throat with a puff of smoke. “Kesia scented it a few seconds before it exploded.”
“She scented it? Ah yes, because she had smelled it previously on Captain Windkeeper’s airship. Why didn’t you act sooner? Was your conversation in the utility closet so interesting?”
Zephryn’s face stayed impassive. “Yes. Very.”
“And somehow all of the green smoke disappeared?”
“It can do that.”
The cloaked man shifted toward Shance. “Is this true, Captain Windkeeper?”
Shance’s jaw set. “As far as I know, yes.”
Kesia’s cheeks heated. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t return Shance’s feelings, but that didn’t mean he had to lie for her.
No answer. Just the odd pulse of Zephryn’s intensely thoughtful mind, layered with assurance, concern, and a twinge of hurt at her question.
Kesia spoke, “There is one other thing you should be aware of.”
“Yes?”
“The green smoke. I was able to burn it away using my flames.”
Silence.
“A fascinating addition to your array of skills,” the male voice said. “Able to detect the green smoke and eliminate it? How?”
“I was…treated, by my uncle. Garishton Ironfire.” She explained the details of dragons born with two Talents as well as the green smoke that had been present at every treatment session. “I believe he was experimenting on me. Zephryn has told me many have been used for experimentation.”
“Yes.” The cloaked female spoke. “Although not in that way. Garishton seems to have attempted to militarize her, the same way he mutilated her father. Using the green smoke to turn Talents into weapons.”
Zephryn leaned forward, voice low. “She was a child. She had no choice.”
“Understood, your highness.” It was the cloaked male who spoke. “And that will be taken under advisement. But we must also consider your position.”
“What position?” Zephryn’s voice grew even lower and quieter. Kesia knew that tone. Anyone who mistook it for gentle would be sorely mistaken.
Zilpath’s hands flew in complicated gestures. The other female spoke, hesitantly. “Because Kesia is an Ironfire.”
Kesia cleared her throat. “I don’t understand. Ironfires are metal-workers.”
“Do you know of the leader of the Pinnacle?”
“Yes, Garishton Razorclaw. Garishton is a common enough name among dragons.”
The cloaked male cut in. “Not that common.”
Kesia’s mind spun with memories. Garishton’s possessiveness over her treatments. Her parents’ worry. Numbness spread through Kesia’s body. But she had been so poorly treated by the Pinnacle. They believed her a criminal!
And yet, they’d never killed her, not even for escaping. The threatened separation of her and Zephryn had been to bond her with someone else.
Because she had value.
“Fewmets. This can’t be true.”
The male sighed. “The dragon you know as Garishton Razorclaw is actually Garishton Ironfire, head of the Pinnacle and the scientific mastermind behind the Curious Intrigue.”
“But why treat me as worthless?” Her stomach lurched as if she was back on the ship at the docks. She swallowed hard and clung to Zephryn’s hand. “How do you know that Garishton Ironfire is the head of the Pinnacle? Has he made an appearance? The Pinnacle keep their own counsel and are rarely seen by most dragons, much less humans.”
Now, he stared straight ahead. Ashamed of keeping information from her? Or trying to avoid what he deemed foolish anger? Kesia released his hand and pressed her palms into the table, trying to slow the thoughts spinning through her mind. She recalled how Zephryn had never been called before the Pinnacle to answer for his actions with her. How he had been able to deflect punishments for her.
Because he was royalty.
Anger stirred within her.
Zephryn snorted ruefully.
Shance cleared his throat. “Wo
uld you two please speak aloud again? I feel as if I’m missing some very important details in this matter.”
Zephryn breathed out smoke. “I am Prince Zephryn Nightstalker, the last heir to the throne of the old dragon kingdom. My family was taken captive when the Pinnacle overthrew our rule, and over the course of my childhood, they disappeared. As far as I know, I am the only Nightstalker remaining.”
Shance gave an incredulous laugh. “Blind Viorstan’s beard. A dragon prince? I struck a deal with the dragon prince.”
Something gnawed at Kesia. Why did the cloaked man keep focusing on her position? “If my uncle is the head of the Pinnacle,” she asked “what does that mean for me?”
Zilpath’s fingers moved far more slowly than normal. The cloaked female’s translation was also weighted with reluctance. “It means you’re a target.”
“A target?”
The cloaked male spoke up. “Either you are a threat to Garishton because you can counter his green smoke, or you are a threat to us and aren’t even aware of it.”
“A threat to you?”
“Do you remember what Garishton Ironfire did to you in those treatments?”
Green smoke. Straps. Searing pain through every vein.
Screams.
A dragon voice thick with command.
“Tell. No. One.”
Kesia grimaced. Revealing that wouldn’t look suspicious at all.
“No.”
“And you’re bound to the last prince of the old kingdom. Who knows what your uncle could have brainwashed into your mind? For all you know, you could be the very thing that brings about Prince Nightstalker’s downfall.”
Chapter 18
Zephryn had seen Kesia beaten and bruised, left unconscious from pain and fatigue. But he’d never seen her so betrayed. Her face bore the same shocked expression it had when she’d taken the barb-hook to the wing.
Had that only been last week? It seemed like a century ago.
He wanted to hold her, to reassure her that he would stand beside her. That he wasn’t going to leave, no matter what her lineage was or what strange powers she had.
But the Lawless needed answers. Answers that neither he nor Kesia had.
He couldn’t believe Lord Garishton would have put his own niece through that much pain, but now his interest in breeding her made sense. Did he know, even then, that Kesia was special? Unique? Was he simply waiting for the chance for her mother’s Talent or her ability to dissolve the green smoke to manifest? Was that the reason for placing her under such harsh treatment?
Zephryn hesitated.
Her question stabbed at his heart.
She sighed, her lips pinched tight.
He didn’t think it was possible for her face to grow sadder. He was wrong. Her stricken expression tore at his heart.
She exhaled shakily. “You did that because of me? A worthless murderer. Now it’s even worse: I’m the heir of the dragon who made your family disappear. You’re the hope of the kingdom, Zephryn. I’m nothing more than the daughter of metalworkers and the niece of a despot.”
Pryenil cut in. “You are more than that, Kesia. Far more. You may be our only way to stop Garishton. You can use whatever he did to you against the Pinnacle. You already did so at the gala today.”
“That may be, but you don’t trust me. You wear robes to conceal yourselves.” Kesia paused. “As you should. I’m not to be trusted. I understand. I can counteract the green smoke. I suppose that is a useful benefit from all of this. Do you want to keep me in a cage? A cell? I’ve grown used to them over the years.”
The bitterness soaked her voice. Zephryn’s throat heated.
“Kesia, you know that isn’t true.” Shance’s words followed his. How could this human have such confidence in Kesia after only a few days? Had Shance fought for reprieves for Kesia? Had he slept beside her on missions? Had he celebrated launch days with her? “You’re worth far more than a fool airship captain like me.”
The robed male spoke, “All of you are critical. Windkeeper, you too belong to a legacy.”
The human, important? This merited further attention. Zephryn pushed his thoughts aside and pressed his emotions into a place where they couldn’t interfere with his judgement.
From the surprised look on Shance’s face, the news had startled him as well. “Me? I mean, Windkeepers used to work with dragons. We don’t talk about it much, though. The High Command doesn’t like that stuff.”
“Not all of High Command is against you,” the male continued. “You might be surprised at your allies, but we have to keep our identities very secret.”
Shance gave him a sharp, speculative look.
Pryenil added, “In the days of the old kingdom, the Cloudpeaks were the home of the Scepter of Justice, the place of law and order, history and tradition. A place of refuge where any accused could receive a fair trial, as well as a home for officers who monitored the other Scepters for any deviancies. There was a dragon monarchy as well as a human council that allowed dragons to fill elected seats, but was always ruled by a human Chief of Council. By a Windkeeper, as long as the council confirmed it.”
Shance shook his head, and breezes swirled in the room. “Windkeepers? No, we’re simply merchant sailors. Very good ones. We don’t rule anyone.”
“It isn’t a matter of ruling. It is a matter of keeping peace and ensuring that all are making wise judgements.” Pryenil sighed out a faint stream of smoke. “It is a bit much to absorb, but I assure you, this is the truth.”
Zilpath’s fingers began moving furiously. After several days, Zephryn could interpret many of her basic gestures—mostly vulgar words she used as accents or for emphasis—but this was far too complex. He turned to Pryenil, who sighed. “Very well, Zilpath. I will speak your piece as well. Zilpath wants to inform you this was ordained for decades, and there are those among the Four Corners who have foreseen such a day as this. She warns all of you to hold fast to your vows and stand strong in the days ahead. She also says that many among the devout will give you aid, and if they don’t—ah, something to the effect of to the dark and depths with them, and Zilpath, no, I don’t care if your holy scrit says that, I won’t repeat it. It’s disgusting.”
Shance laughed shortly. “Apparently, the great Bonilus and his emissaries didn’t mince words. She’s right, though; the Four Corners clerics are trustworthy—and I had thought, neutral about the war.”
Pryenil put in, “Keeping silent about a matter isn’t the same as agreement. Many have supported the Lawless for years. The clerics who don’t are identified quickly and avoided.”
Zilpath’s fingers were still moving, and Shance was frowning and replying to her in equally quick gestures. The male figure sighed. “Enough! Zilpath, you and Shance can debate matters of religious significance and calling later. Right now, we need to
decide our next step. You have succeeded in proving something the Lawless have suspected for years. There is a conspiracy maintaining this war, one that may have sparked the war itself.”
Zephryn seized the opportunity to turn the conversation. “Specifically, it was Kesia who risked herself to find the proof you needed. Why would she aid in revealing a conspiracy if she were a part of it? Wouldn’t she turn us away from it?”
“Good point,” Windkeeper added.
“Indeed.” The cloaked male figure sighed. “At this point, we can only make assumptions. But it is a mark in her favor, as were her swift repairs to Windkeeper’s vessel.”
Shance raised his eyebrows. “How do you know about that?”
“I know many things, Captain Windkeeper.”
Kesia finally spoke up, her expression neutral. “You mentioned a conspiracy. Why?” She tilted her head to the side. “Garishton benefits because he has control of the Pinnacle, but how does humanity benefit from this?”
Pryenil answered, “Garishton wasn’t the only discontented leader or ambitious criminal. He spent years among those who hated the regulations and policies of the Scepter of Justice. The Scepter had made poor judgements in the past, so Garishton and the other members of the Curious Intrigue stirred up the discontent of anyone who felt victimized. It was a masterful plan—and one no one saw coming until it was too late.” Pryenil paused. “But there is one thing he didn’t count on: all of you. Especially you, Kesia. We need to get you out of the Scepter of Commerce and away from High Command before anyone realizes who, and what, you are.”
Kesia raised her eyebrows. “Why? Because I can destroy the green smoke? Because I have unfortunate relatives?”
“Because even if you weren’t brainwashed, Garishton clearly had plans for you. The Lawless need to discover that purpose first.”
Anger filled Zephryn. “So you can decide her fate instead?”
“We only wish to assist her.”
“And use what she can do,” Zephryn growled. “But I agree. Kesia and I must leave this city. Unless there is need of us here?”