Imagine you are a dragon flying high in the air, as high as the clouds. If you look down at the land below, everything would seem very small. A river would look like a snake, mountains would look like teeth. The mapmaker has drawn what the dragon sees.
“Where are the Stormlords?” Skylan asked, trying to imagine he was a dragon.
“If we follow the coastline north, we will reach the realm of the Stormlords, which is located here,” Farinn said, putting his finger on a dot on the chart.
“What are these words beside it?” Skylan asked, pointing to some squiggles near the dot. “The name of their realm?”
Farinn shook his head. “The mapmaker wrote, ‘Keep Away.’ Acronis said that the Stormlords are dangerous people. They live in walled cities guarded by lethal magicks.”
“Yet my emperor cousin, Raegar, does not ‘keep away,’” Skylan muttered. “He has no fear of these magicks. He knows something, while I am in the dark, sailing blindfolded with my hands tied.”
He ordered the dragonships to hug the coastline and keep careful watch. The next day, just as dawn lit the horizon, Dela Eden hailed the Venejekar from her dragonship.
“My people have a small colony near here,” she shouted over the water. “They are friendly with the Stormlords and can give you the information you need.”
Skylan thanked her, but instead of being grateful he turned away, scowling.
“What is wrong?” Aylaen asked.
“I do not like these Cyclopes,” Skylan replied. “Dela Eden is on board another ship and yet she can still see into my head, know what I am thinking.”
The coastline appeared deserted and Skylan gave the order for the dragonships to land. Dela Eden suggested that the ogres remain on board their ships.
“Although an uneasy truce exists between our two races, brokered by the Gods of Raj, the sight of a large contingent of ogres on their land would certainly cause my people alarm,” said Dela Eden.
“We will ask Bear Walker to come with us,” said Skylan. “So he will know we are not plotting behind his back.”
Bear Walker agreed to come, and his shadow, Raven’s-foot, tagged along. They were joined by Aylaen in her capacity as Kai Priestess.
She wore the robes she had worn to confront Aelon, now cleaned and mended, all traces of Treia removed. Skylan wore his armor and carried his sword, though he kept it sheathed. Bear Walker carried an axe in a harness on his back and Raven’s-foot brought his gourd.
“A sensible precaution,” Skylan told Dela Eden, thinking she might object to the weapons. “We are going among strangers who have no love for us.”
Dela Eden grinned. “My people know you are Vindrasi. They will make allowances.”
On the beach lay several boats, along with a quantity of fishing net, buckets, knives, and spears that Dela Eden said were used to spear fish, not men. Skylan saw footprints in the sand, but no one was around except a few dogs investigating the buckets, hoping to find fish that had been left behind.
“Where is the village?” he asked.
“About two miles inland.” Dela Eden frowned. “Strange to find no one here. The men should be out fishing at this time of morning.”
Skylan felt a prickle of alarm and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, while Bear Walker removed his axe from the harness.
“What do you think is wrong?” Aylaen asked Dela Eden.
Dela Eden shook her head. “I do not know. I will go find out.”
“I don’t like the looks of this,” said Skylan, going to talk to Bear Walker. “I will go with Dela Eden. You return to the ships, warn the others.”
Bear Walker agreed and he and Raven’s-foot went back to the dragonships. Skylan was going to send Aylaen back with the ogres, but she refused and before he could argue, she set off across the beach with Dela Eden, leaving Skylan to catch up. They headed inland over soft, white sand mixed with dirt and covered with sharp-bladed grass. Dela Eden walked rapidly and seemed to know where she was going.
“I have been here before,” Dela Eden answered, though Skylan hadn’t asked. “I came many years ago when I was young. My husband had family here. We lived here until he died, and then I returned home.”
“This colony is far from the Cyclopes’ homeland,” Skylan said. “How did your people come to settle here?”
“The Stormlords invited us,” said Dela Eden.
“I thought these wizards didn’t like strangers,” said Skylan.
“They don’t. But we are not strangers. Legend has it that once we did them a great favor and they gave us this land in return.”
“So your people don’t live with them in their city,” said Skylan.
“Oh, no,” said Dela Eden with a glance at the sky. “We prefer living on the ground.”
“Not on the top of a mountain,” suggested Skylan.
“Not in the clouds,” said Dela Eden.
Coming to a sudden halt, she raised her hand in warning.
“What is wrong?” Skylan asked.
“There is the village,” said Dela Eden, pointing. “But I see no people. No one is about.”
With the sun blazing in the sky the heat was oppressive. The village was almost lost to sight, hidden among a large grove of odd-looking trees. The trees were enormous, each tree formed of a great many trunks that had all grown together. The houses were little more than huts with roofs made of grass.
“Those are fire pits,” said Dela Eden, indicating holes that had been dug in the ground. “The women should be preparing the midday meal. There should be children playing and going about their chores.”
Skylan saw kettles for cooking and plates and bowls made of wood stacked neatly off to one side of the fire pits. Bright colored blankets lay on the ground.
“They weren’t attacked,” said Skylan. “There are no bodies, and the village was not ransacked. The fire pits are cold.”
Dela Eden cupped her hands around her mouth and whistled, sounding so much like a bird that Skylan almost mistook her for one.
The whistle was evidently a signal of some sort, for a male Cyclopes emerged from the trees. He was practically naked, wearing nothing except a strip of cloth tied around his thighs. He carried a bow with a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. At the sight of the strangers, the Cyclopes moved with remarkable speed, nocking an arrow to his bow and aiming it at Skylan’s heart.
“It is me, Kamau. Dela Eden,” she called.
“You walk in strange company, Dela Eden,” said Kamau.
“We come as friends,” Dela Eden told him. “We fought a great battle together against the forces of Aelon.”
Kamau lowered the bow, though he kept a wary eye on Skylan, who made certain to keep his hands well clear of his sword.
“The Gods of Raj be with you, Kamau,” said Dela Eden.
The two touched their foreheads together, third eye to third eye, an exchange of greetings. She introduced Skylan and Aylaen. Kamau gave them polite, though cold, greeting.
“Many years have gone by since you were last among us,” said Kamau. “Sadly you come back in troubled times.”
“What has happened?” Dela Eden asked.
“A messenger from the Stormlords warned us to seek safety in the hills. A large army is sailing from Oran to attack them.”
“The army of the Emperor Raegar,” said Dela Eden with a glance at Skylan. “We learned of this ourselves. That is why we are here. How did the Stormlords find out?”
“The wizards discovered the bodies of two of Aelon’s spies in one of the stormholds. The Stormlords returned their corpses to the emperor and warned him to stay away.”
“Good for them!” said Skylan, laughing.
“You find violent death amusing?” Kamau asked in stern tones.
“He is Vindrasi,” said Dela Eden.
“Ah, of course,” said Kamau. “The wizards believe that the emperor’s army will attempt to capture one of the stormholds and use it to enter and conquer Tsa Kerestra. Once the emperor h
as the Kingdom Above, he will send his armies to lay claim to the Spirit Coast. Aelon has no love for us. The emperor will enslave us or, more likely, simply destroy us.”
“What will you do?” Dela Eden asked, concerned.
“We have made plans to sail back to our homeland,” said Kamau.
“Aelon’s reach is long,” said Dela Eden gravely. “It stretches far across the sea. Nowhere is safe from him.”
Kamau gave a shrug. “What else can we do?”
Skylan was about to tell him what the Cyclopes could do: they could fight. Aylaen cast him a warning glance, reminding him that this was none of their business, and he kept silent.
“Let the emperor capture a stormhold,” Dela Eden was saying. “Much good it will do him. He does not know the secret of the magic.”
“On the contrary, the Stormlords believe that Aelon’s spies discovered the secret of the magic and how to dismantle it.”
“Even if that were true, the spies did not live to tell what they found,” said Dela Eden.
“The spies had ways to communicate with priests in Oran. The Stormlords found references to the magic and how it works, and evidence that the spies shared this secret with the priests in Oran before they died.”
Looking grave, Dela Eden turned to Skylan and Aylaen. “This is very bad news, my friends.”
“I do not understand,” Skylan said. “What is a ‘stormhold’ and what is this secret that is so valuable?”
“The stormholds are located in the kingdom of Tsa Terestra, the Kingdom Below. They guard the keys to the gate of the kingdom of Tsa Kerestra, the Kingdom Above. If Aelon’s soldiers know the secret, they can use it to open the gate, and nothing will stop the enemy from entering Tsa Kerestra.”
“The army of these Stormlords will stop them,” said Skylan. “And your army and our army will fight with them, join them in their shield wall.”
Kamau laughed out loud.
“What is so funny?” Skylan demanded.
“The Stormlords do not have armies, Vindrasi,” said Kamau. “I doubt if they have ever heard of a shield wall. They spent centuries fighting for their lives in the Realm of Fire. When they escaped that realm, they vowed that they would live in peace, which is why they refused to worship Torval after he defeated the great dragon. They wanted nothing to do with a god who finds honor in butchery and glory in slaughter.”
Skylan barely heard the insulting reference to Torval. He was far more intrigued by the information that these Stormlords had come here from the Realm of Fire, the same realm where the dragons lived, and that they had been here during the time when Torval fought the Great Dragon Ilyrion. Perhaps that explained why Vindrash had given them the spiritbone.
“The Stormlords may not soil their hands with blood, but we have heard that their magic is deadly,” Aylaen was saying. “They can fight with their magic.”
“But they won’t.”
“Their magic killed the priests,” said Aylaen.
“No one knows how the priests died, but the Stormlords did not kill them. The magic acts as a warning. A very powerful warning, but a warning nonetheless.”
Skylan grunted. “Even if these Stormlords cannot stomach battle, they will certainly fight to save their people—”
“On the contrary,” said Kamau, “the Stormlords will do everything in their power to keep from fighting.”
“Are they fools?” Skylan demanded. “Do they know the terror Raegar will bring to them? His soldiers will rape their women and spit their children on their spears and burn their city to the ground.”
“He is right about the soldiers of Aelon, Kamau,” said Dela Eden. “They will show no mercy.”
“The wizards believe the emperor will permit them to surrender peacefully,” Kamau replied. “They have in their possession a relic coveted by Aelon and they plan to give this relic to the emperor and hope that he will leave them in peace.”
“Raegar cares nothing about some old relic—” Skylan began.
Aylaen stopped him, digging her nails into his arm.
“He means the spiritbone, Skylan,” said Aylaen. “What else would Aelon consider so valuable?”
“They cannot do this!” Skylan said angrily. “Vindrash gave these Stormlords the spiritbone in good faith, to keep it safe! Once they give Aelon the spiritbone, the god will grow in power and will not rest until he drives your gods and mine from this world!”
“The Stormlords care nothing for your gods or mine, Vindrasi,” said Kamau. “They care only for the safety of their city and their people.”
“And I care for my people. I will not allow these wizards to give Aelon the spiritbone,” said Skylan, gritting his teeth. “Show me how to find this kingdom. I will talk with them and if that fails, I will take our spiritbone by force, since these Stormlords have so little care for it.”
To Skylan’s ire and chagrin, Kamau burst into laughter so loud it disturbed the birds and sent them flapping up out of the trees. Skylan drew his sword. Seeing this, Kamau raised his bow. Dela Eden stepped swiftly between them.
“Put your weapons down, both of you,” Dela Eden said. “Let me explain. Look to the north. Do you see that massive cloud bank?”
Skylan saw towering clouds, white with the pinks and golds and oranges of the sunrise. The lower part of the clouds were tinged with gray and he could see wisps of rain.
“I see them,” he said.
“You see Tsa Kerestra,” said Dela Eden.
Skylan frowned. “Beneath those clouds?”
“In the clouds,” said Dela Eden. “Tsa Terestra: Kingdom Below; Tsa Kerestra: Kingdom Above. Tsa Kerestra is a city built in the clouds.”
Skylan flushed. “People cannot live on clouds! What do you take me for?”
“I do not think she is making sport of you, Skylan,” said Aylaen. “She is in earnest.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before we came on this journey?” Skylan demanded.
“You would not have believed me. It was hard for me to believe, at first,” Dela Eden admitted. “Then I saw for myself. When you are closer, you can look into the clouds and see the silver towers of their castle.”
Skylan looked back to the cloud bank and perhaps it was only his imagination, but he thought for a moment he caught a flash of silver shining in the midst of the gray. He shook his head.
“People cannot live on clouds,” he repeated.
“So it would seem, yet we have seen a great many wonders, Skylan,” Aylaen said in thoughtful tones. “We lived with people who dwelt beneath the sea, people who breathed water like air. We would have said that was not possible.”
Skylan considered in silence, then, making up his mind, said to Kamau, “Suppose I concede you are right. I ask that you take me to the stormhold. I need to speak to these Stormlords. I will go in peace!” he added, seeing the man’s expression darken. “I want only to reason with them.”
“Dela Eden can take you to the stormhold, Vindrasi, but unless you know the secret to how to make it work, the gates to the city will not open.”
“Do you Cyclopes know this secret?” said Skylan.
“We do not want to know. As I said,” Dela Eden replied, “we live on the ground.”
“Perhaps there is another way,” Aylaen said, turning to Kamau. “How do the Stormlords in the Kingdom Above communicate with those who live in the Kingdom Below?”
“Through the seneschals,” Kamau answered. “The wizards who oversee the stormholds.”
“We can talk to them, Skylan,” said Aylaen. “We will ask them to carry a message to the wizards in the Kingdom Above.”
“How long before the emperor’s army arrives?” Skylan asked Kamau.
“According to the seneschal, the Stormlords are doing what they can to delay the fleet, but the god Aelon is working against them. A few days, but not more. The nearest stormhold is up the coast. If you depart now, you can reach it before noon.”
He was obviously eager to be rid of them. Bidding farewe
ll to Dela Eden, Kamau ignored Skylan and Aylaen and departed, melting into the shadows of the trees.
“He keeps watch over the village,” Dela Eden explained, as they walked back to the dragonships. “He will let our people know when it is safe to return.”
She glanced at Aylaen, who was walking rapidly, her cheeks flushed, her arms folded across her chest.
“This news has upset her,” said Dela Eden.
“Can you blame her? She is the Kai Priestess of our people. She has risked her life to save the spiritbones, and these wizards would barter one of them away to save their own skins!”
Skylan had rarely seen Aylaen so angry. She was shaking with outrage. He tried to calm her.
“We have four spiritbones,” he said. “We traveled beneath the waves for one and to the realm of the dead for another. These wizards will see reason.”
“They have to, Skylan,” said Aylaen. “The lies, the fear. All that is behind us. I understand. I see so clearly! The five must come together as one, as the runes foretold.”
“We will get the five spiritbones,” Skylan said confidently. “And once we have them, you will summon the Great Dragon Ilyrion, and she will drive out Aelon. Our gods will be strong again, our people will be safe and all will be as it was before.”
Aylaen took hold of his hands, clasped her hands around them, and looked at him as if she could see deep within him.
“You would give your life for that,” said Aylaen, not asking a question, but seeking assurance.
“I would. I am Chief of Chiefs,” said Skylan.
“And I am Kai Priestess,” she murmured.
He saw that she was still troubled and he thought he knew why.
“The Stormlords will see reason,” he repeated, but she only sighed.
CHAPTER
23
The Venejekar and the small dragonship fleet sailed north along the Spirit Coast until they came to an enormous promontory jutting up out of the sea, which Dela Eden said was named Gray Beak, because it was shaped like the beak of an eagle. She told them to stop.
“You cannot see it, but through those trees is the mouth of the river that leads west to Tsa Terestra, the Kingdom Below,” said Dela Eden. “The stormhold is on the peak above. It guards the mouth of the river and serves as a gate to Tsa Kerestra, the Kingdom Above.”
Doom of the Dragon Page 21
