The rest of the men lowered their hoods as they approached Anders. Gabriel recognized Cal Mast, walking in the lead. He had the slightly olive skin of a Castalanian. He was a little taller than Lorne but similarly lean. The other two wore the uniform of the Queen’s Guard. Gabriel fought a smile as he recognized Jenner by his lazy eye, staring off uselessly towards the horizon. The other guard Gabriel didn’t know, but he had the bored look of a sober drinker. That one could be made to talk and his price might be a tankard.
As the men neared, Anders opened his arms in welcome, drawing all eyes to him. He should have been in theater. He was useless as a captain. “The Syndicate of Delhonne Corvale, we welcome you to Camron.”
Cal stopped a few feet in front of him. “So glad we could stop and have this conversation.” He placed just the slightest extra emphasis on the word stop, signaling his displeasure at the summons breaking up their flight. Aaron Lorne was hanging back a bit, the Queen’s Guards even farther.
There was a pause in which it seemed Anders was waiting for them to do more to acknowledge him. When Cal remained silent, Anders spoke loudly, “I’m Anders Dentrick, lead captain of Camron Air. I thought it important we talk. There are so many possibilities for misunderstandings. I thought we should meet before I allow you to fly dragons into my skies.”
Cal gave a small, mocking bow. “Such an honor. We hate misunderstandings. Our permission comes directly from the Queen, however. We had planned on using her skies. Maybe you could point out which ones belong to CA.”
Anders gave a short laugh. “Come now. We’ve no desire to pick a fight. We just need to discuss some operational questions. We can be civilized about it.” He turned back to one of the CA riders and gestured him forward. The man handed him a bottle. Gabriel could tell from the label it was an expensive Dushens whiskey. Anders turned back as the guard retreated. He said, “A gift,” and then tossed the bottle to Aaron Lorne. It was a good throw, but Aaron made no move to catch it, instead letting it pass him and shatter against the rocky ground.
The tension level of the plateau rose dramatically. At the sound of breaking glass, the CA dragons stirred. In response the SDC dragons rose from their rest poses, and Gabriel could again see four sets of eyes in the darkness beyond the men in front of him.
“You see,” Anders’ voice struggling to summon a note of danger, “this is how misunderstandings are made.” His brow was furrowed, thinking hard. Gabriel could see him making the transition to a more aggressive conversation than anticipated. He could practically hear the wheels turning.
While Anders was catching up to the rest of them, Gabriel managed to catch Jenner’s good eye. He gave him a mocking grin and mouthed Watchful. Jenner had been the guard on duty when the princess was kidnapped and was soundly beaten for falling asleep at his post. Everyone in Camron called him Watchful now. Gabriel hadn’t been part of the crew that fucked up his eye but he sure wished he had been. Not so much because he cared about the Queen or her daughter, mostly because he hated the Queen’s Guards and enjoyed a good stomping party.
Aaron Lorne was watching him, Gabriel realized abruptly. Gabriel felt like he’d been caught shirking his duty, but Lorne just looked curious about the interaction. His eyes had already moved on and settled on Curly-hair.
“You know what this looks like to me?” Anders had finally found his voice again. “The world’s fastest retreat. Is that what this is?” No response from the SDC group. “Word just started coming in yesterday that you lost the war with the Borhele. You turned tail and ran. I would guess most weren’t expecting you to run all the way down here.”
Cal didn’t say anything, but Gabriel could detect some anger.
Anders continued, “I wonder, with all that hustle and bustle of the retreat, does anyone else know where you are? Maybe if you got lost in these lonely hills it wouldn’t be such a bad thing?”
Gabriel’s skin went cold. Was Anders really picking a fight over a bottle of whiskey? These were not good odds. This was because Curly-hair was here and Anders didn’t like looking stupid in front of her. This was foolish.
Cal replied, “We don’t even need to get into what would happen to CA if you raise a hand against Aaron. Or me for that matter. We could just focus on the fact that we have two Queen’s Guards with us, in their capacity as a royal messenger. I don’t think you or your men want to fuck with that.”
For a moment it looked as if Anders was actually weighing it. Then he broke out into a smile and shot a glance at Jenner. “We wouldn’t want to offend a Queen’s Guard. We know he’s keeping an eye on us.”
Gabriel fought a smirk. Not a terrible joke. He was surprised Anders knew of Jenner, but word got around.
“I don’t care what the Queen said,” Anders continued. “Your dragons are to be grounded on arrival at the Plate unless granted explicit permission directly from me. I see anything in the skies over the Plate that isn’t mine, I kill it.”
Cal leveled a long look at Anders, then turned and looked back at Aaron for the first time. Aaron shrugged. Cal turned back to Anders and repeated the shrug.
That seemed to be all Anders needed. He nodded, seeming to relax a bit. His voice held a more curious tone as he asked, “What exactly are you doing here? This have anything to do with the doubling of the Queen’s Guard? Especially the ones around the princess? The moon is three-quarters full. I’ve heard rumors the Queen is scared of the full moon. This must be the oddest request I’ve gotten since taking charge of CA. Sleepy Jon Harpish is brought into town and is suddenly given authority on the Plate second only to the Queen. And we hear nothing from him for several weeks until he requests an SDC flight clearance in my zone. Curious. This looks to me like an investigation, one Sleepy’s struggling with. Only I can’t figure out, where’s the crime?”
There was a long silence, the SDC apparently in no mood to indulge Anders’ curiosity and lower the tensions on the plateau. “Fine,” Anders said finally, his natural arrogance back in his voice. “I had a party lined up for tonight but it appears I’ve instead wasted my time offering an unappreciated welcome to foreign scum who wish to crawl onto our Plate. So get on with it and get your sorry asses off my rock.”
He drew long looks from the SDC group, then they turned and walked back to their dragons. Gabriel watched as one after another, the dragons rose up, beat their powerful wings, and lifted off the plateau. In moments they were back in the skies, headed towards the greenish glow on the horizon, the city of Surdoore.
Once they were gone, Anders dropped his dramatic pose and scuttled over to Curly-hair, looking like a child who’d just won a footrace. Picking up on his expression, she squealed in delight. “You were so brave!”
Anders immediately began downplaying his performance. He turned to Gabriel, probably forgetting he hated Gabriel in his excitement over the evening’s events. “What did you think?”
I think you gave them everything and they gave you nothing. I think you just surrendered air space to your biggest rival without a fight. I think you still don’t even know what Lorne’s voice sounds like, and he knows everything you know. “I thought it went pretty well, sir,” Gabriel said. “We’ll want to put a tail on them, of course, make sure they comply with your directive.”
“Already done, Gabriel.”
I think your mistress is going to sell what happened here to the highest bidder as soon as your head hits the pillow tonight. I think we almost died because you were showing off for her. I think you’re out of your league, and I can’t believe I’m standing on your side. I think I need to start shopping for a better deal.
“Gather the dragons,” Anders said, unnecessarily, perhaps seeing that the rain was returning, perhaps realizing, finally, that he’d just managed to put his new rivals between him and any reinforcements. In moments, the plateau was empty save for the wind.
Chapter 2. Reunion
It wasn’t long before the SDC dragons neared Surdoore. As they did, the rains came. There were times when th
ey could fly the dragons above rain showers, but this wasn’t one of them. The clouds hung high in the sky, masking the stars which had been visible during their unscheduled stop on the plateau. Soon every inch of the four riders was drenched and cold.
Cal had his hood pulled up but the rains seemed to come from all directions at once. He needed to blink several times to clear the water from his eyes and bring Surdoore into focus. The greenish lights of the city swam through the watery dark, calling them forward.
Surdoore was built in a near perfect circle that the locals called the Plate. About two thirds of the round city was surrounded by water. Surdoore was the capital and only major city in the Kingdom of Camron. Cal could see the low, flat boats the Camrons favored at harbor. It had been raining steadily in Surdoore all month and the many canals were near overflowing.
The moon was visible through a gap in the clouds. It was near full, as had been pointed out by the arrogant CA leader, the reflection of the silvery disk broken in the dimpled water below Cal and his group as they neared their landing site. Cal couldn’t see any of the CA dragons watching them, but they were out there somewhere.
There was only one public dragon landing in Surdoore and they headed towards it, moving so slowly through the rain it felt to Cal like they were swimming. Jenner was in the lead. He’d taken well to flying. Aaron was off to the right, studying the city below, committing to memory the complex weave of streets and canals. The other Queen’s Guard, Geoffrey, was somewhere behind them. It would be a pity if that one got lost, maybe fell off his dragon into one of the canals, hopefully a shallow one. Cal had nursed a secret hope that Geoffrey would try to steal the dragon he was riding. Try leading it away blissfully unaware that it would toss him or kill him as soon as it perceived neither Cal nor Aaron were around to tell it not to.
They finally landed and dismounted. Cal gave his dragon, Tyrne, a gentle bat on the nose but left it at that. The dragon would be surly after the long flight through the rain and eager for rest. Cal let Aaron handle the stewards. He headed for a sheltered overhang to light a cigarette, the Queen’s Guards following. Cal had only gotten one drag in when he heard a soft cough behind him.
“You’re Cal?” asked a thin man with short red hair. His hands were held out open near his waist.
“Who’s asking?” Cal replied.
“I’m Finn. Sleepy Jon sent me. Said to give you and Aaron a ride to him. Said to tell you your debt to Cullmore still stands and the fat man complains loudly.”
Cal nodded, recognizing Jon was verifying his identity so they’d go with this Finn. “Sounds fine. Give us a minute.”
“I should get to the Palace,” Geoffrey broke in.
Cal looked at him, then Jenner. He could tell Jenner didn’t like that, the idea of Geoffrey having a chance to make a report before him. “Okay, we’ll find you there later. Jenner, why don’t you go with him?” he said as Aaron joined them. Geoffrey was looking a little cheated, but didn’t have much argument in him. They parted ways, Cal managing to catch Jenner with a nod.
As they walked out of the building, Finn gestured towards a horse drawn carriage parked just outside the landing complex. They went down a few steps. Finn climbed on to the driver’s perch as Aaron and Cal moved around the carriage to the door.
Cal’s hand slid down to his sword when he saw there was a man, or woman, hard to tell at first, standing on the far side of the carriage, wrapped in a thick cloak that was a patchwork of blues and greens. The pointy hood was drawn, creating a sharp and unsettling silhouette. It made no move but Cal kept his hand near his blade.
“The tides turn and bury us in green.” It came from the depths of the hood. The voice was a man’s, the words delivered solemnly.
“Get lost, cloak,” Finn growled from the driver’s perch above them. “Or you’ll have a quick lesson in getting buried.”
The strange man looked up at him, then back at Aaron and Cal. The hood seemed to shift, studying them both in turn, then the man turned and walked slowly away into the rainy streets, unhurried.
“There seem to be more of them every day. Wetcloaks,” Finn said by way of explanation. “Spouting the same nonsense. They don’t hurt anybody, just waste everyone’s time.”
Cal stared after the hooded man for a moment, then climbed into Finn’s carriage. As soon as they were seated, it took off through the wet streets. Cal shared a quiet look with Aaron. Neither had liked the attention they seemed to be receiving upon arrival. After a moment, Aaron shifted back in his seat and looked out the window.
The pair fell quiet for the ride. They’d talked late last night, putting a bow on the Borhele operation. Trying out the stories they’d carry forward from it. Reminiscing about the companions who’d died. New friends they’d made along the battlelines. There was no shortage of new enemies they’d need to discuss when they got around to it. The retreat order had been unpopular beyond the battle front.
But today Aaron had few words. Probably dwelling on the consequences waiting for him following their inability to deliver on the Borhele war contract. Cal had been the project manager and the failure should be on him, but both knew Conners Toren, Aaron’s Lord and the leader of the SDC, would hang this one on Aaron. They had no idea how he’d react to learning they were in Camron at Sleepy Jon’s vague request.
Cal didn’t bother tracking the carriage’s route, but it was clear Finn was mixing in some extra turns, shaking any followers from the landing site. The low visibility caused by the heavy rain would help. Soon Finn pulled the carriage to a stop in an alley behind a tavern and hopped out. Cal saw several stray dogs melt away into the shadows of the alley. Finn led the men to a discrete side door and they ducked in.
The tavern was dim, only a few lanterns hung behind the bar. There was a handful of people scattered about, talking quietly. Finn led them to the bar and held up three fingers, knocking on the bar three times simultaneously. The bartender gave him a nod and produced three glasses of whiskey. Finn handed one to each man and raised his in a quiet toast. After a sip, he headed towards a door in the back, motioning for Cal and Aaron to follow him.
Once they’d passed through, Finn turned a lock behind them. At the end of a long, narrow hallway, a woman stood, loaded crossbow in her hands. She gave Finn a nod and looked curiously at Aaron and Cal. They turned into a room just before her position. It was a little nicer than the rest of the bar. A small sitting area was lit by red light from a lamp. Finn pointed to the chairs then headed farther back in the apartment. Cal sat slowly, watching as Finn’s dark shape approached a bed. He gently shook awake a man sleeping there. As the man rose, Cal could only see Jon’s silhouette in the red light, his thick neck, mop of unruly hair. Jon put his purple tricorn hat on, so much a part of him Cal barely recognized him without it. Jon exchanged a few quiet words with Finn. Then he walked out to greet Cal and Aaron.
“Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes?” Sleepy said. He looked worn out. “Finn, go get a bottle. We got some catching up to do.” Sleepy sank down into a chair with a groan. He waved away the offer of a cigarette, but accepted as Finn poured him a drink. He looked at Cal, then Aaron. “I got your note. You’re in later than I expected.”
“We got stopped by the local sky marshal, wanted to have a chat,” Aaron said.
Cal said, “Aaron really turned on the charm, let a bottle of what looked an awful lot like eighteen-year Dushens break on the rocks. We could be drinking it right now instead of this.”
“I aim to please,” Aaron said.
“I wasn’t sure you’d make it at all,” Jon said.
“Your timing wasn’t great,” Cal said.
“I heard. I’m hoping this invitation didn’t have anything to do with the surrender to the Borhele.”
Cal snorted. “You don’t surrender to the Borhele. You just give them what they want. Which in this case was not a lot. Just some lands along the border that happened to include the estates of some very wealthy Eostre nobility. We should have pack
ed it up a month ago. Far too much blood was spilled to justify what we were protecting. So don’t flatter yourself.”
“Is SDC getting blamed?” Jon asked.
Aaron looked at Cal, then shrugged. “Not the best outcome for sure. Conners will be pissed. We lost most of the money we were promised for the contract. The battle to assign blame for the loss is fierce, I’m sure, and our leaving so fast won’t help. How’s your family?”
“Pretty good. Kevin’s at a boarding school in Danette. I’ll go see him when I’m finished here. He’s almost as tall as me now. All the others are doing well. Jamie will turn seven in a couple days.” He took his hat off and held it in his hands. Cal knew Jon well enough to recognize his rare signs of nervousness.
“What do you need us for, Jon? What are we getting into?”
“How much did the Guards tell you?”
“A bit. Jenner seemed like a straight shooter. Geoffrey was a piece of shit. Why’d you send him?”
Jon sipped his drink. “I didn’t pick either. Just told the Queen I needed the pair of you. She sent the messengers.”
Cal and Aaron exchanged a look.
“What?” Jon asked.
“Did you tell Jenner how to get our attention?”
“No, didn’t have much time to tell him anything beyond I thought you were in Delhonne. I didn’t have much faith he’d come through after I learned I sent him to the wrong city.”
“You’ve got to see this.” Cal leaned forward and drew his sword.
Jon raised his hands, stopping Finn, who’d drawn his own blade. The other palm was pointed behind Cal, where the woman from the hall held the crossbow aimed at Cal’s back. “Finn, Mary, this is Cal Mast. The other is Aaron Lorne. They are our guests and friends. No need for that.” He gestured to the crossbow.
Alliance of the Sunken (Spies of Dragon and Chalk Book 3) Page 2
