“Right.” He looked at the map. “If they look like they are heading in to Bataan-Mok, maybe we can do some sort of diversion to distract them, so Aeron and the others don’t have three hands to deal with.”
Polandra nodded. “Yeah. The others should be arriving soon and we can talk about it then.” She stood and turned to the short tunnel leading to the cave mouth. “Twilight is an odd time of day. The light changes, becomes strange. Even so, we’ll all need to be careful not to be spotted. We’re going to be flying there just before sunset, after all, while the sun is still up.”
“At least it will afford us a little protection. It will be in anyone’s eyes that looks the direction we’re heading in from.” Willem glanced down the tunnel. The cave mouth opened on a desert vista bathed in late afternoon light. The sun would set in a few hours, and by then, Aeron and Anaya should be back.
No, Willem thought, they will be back. They will.
+ + + + +
Aeron paced back and forth along the bars of the cell. He took normal steps now, though he’d earlier discovered that his cage was about six of his feet—heel to toe—in width and almost exactly eight of them deep. Hands clenched at his side, the skirt had no pockets, he stared unseeing at the dusty stone floor as he walked. Each time he reached the wall on the right, however, he’d glance at the heavy door while turning around. Not at the guards. The one had not uttered another word. No. It was the door that occupied him now, and when it would open.
Where is Capu Cirtis?
Though Aeron didn’t know the exact time, he knew it was late in the day. The man had said he could get Aeron near Anaya, but how? And when? Would Aeron be bound, or free to walk about? The same questions had plagued him for some time now. When would he get answers?
He’d started this ‘patrol’ of the front of the cell to do something with all his nervous energy, but it wasn’t helping much anymore. His breathing was faster, now. It sounded a little like panting. Each heartbeat was heavier and almost hurt. And his stomach, too, felt off. As he paced along the front of his cell, he took deep breaths to try to calm himself.
The plan will work. The plan will work. The plan—
They are all here, at the caves.
He stopped mid-stride and stood taller. His mind went still, the nervous thoughts silenced. His heart slowed along with his breathing, and he felt the anxiety leave his body, replaced with calm determination. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then he turned toward the door and sat on the cool stone floor.
Good.
The plan would be in motion, soon. He was confident it would work but was ready to do whatever it took to see it through. Besides, his friends would be here with him.
He’d sat there for perhaps ten minutes when the door opened.
Capu Cirtis stepped through. A guard entered behind him, then approached the cell. When the cell door was unlocked, Aeron stood.
“Come,” Capu Cirtis said. “I thought you might want to freshen up a bit before the ceremony.”
Aeron’s brows drew together and he stared at the Capu.
What happened?
Capu Cirtis just arrived. I think he’s going to take me to you.
Anxiety and excitement came through the link in equal measure. Aeron felt the same.
He stepped out of the cell. “Thank you.”
“There is less than an hour,” Capu Cirtis said, “so we should hurry. Come.”
Aeron followed the Capu out of the room. The guard who’d unlocked the cell followed them along with another who’d been in the hallway outside.
The sound of the large door closing came from behind.
“We understand that the dragon may mean something to you,” Capu Cirtis said, as he walked along the dim hallway, “as you are in the Dragon Craft Guild, so the Nesch and I have agreed that it would be a kindness to let you say goodbye to your friend before the, ah, conclusion of the ceremony.”
He is taking me to you. To say goodbye.
Goodbye?
That is the excuse he came up with to let me be near you. Of course, there will only be a hello.
Aeron lost track of the passages they took, so many were they, but eventually, they came to a wider hall and stopped before an archway. There was a wall just inside the arch, but a peek within revealed openings—doorways?—on the left and right, and the sound of running water came from them. There must be some kind of room or rooms beyond.
“These are the pesani baths,” Capu Cirtis said. “You have perhaps ten minutes to freshen up before we must leave for Daelon’s Plaza.” He gestured to the archway while the two guards moved to either side of it.
Aeron walked in and took the right doorway. There were no indications as to which was for boys and which was for girls. He hoped he’d guessed right. It turned out that it didn’t matter. Both doors went to the same place.
The large room was similar but entirely different from the tub room of the Bath Hall. Instead of tubs, there was a large . . . pool was the only word he could come up with. It ran across the entire back of the room. A two foot wall of solid stone fronted the thing, and a series of low steps allowed entry. Steam rose from the surface of the pool. Along the left and right walls, there were several sinks, each with washcloths and bars of soap. They were very low to the ground. There was a wooden stool before each one, and a small bucket atop each stool.
“You must hurry. The Capu should not be late to the ceremony.”
Aeron spun on the voice. A girl, or perhaps it was a boy, stood near the front wall, holding out a folded robe with both hands. A pair of smallclothes and an a’sano sat atop it. The robe looked like it might be his. It was the same pale green as the one the girls had bought him in the villages.
The pesan, Aeron assumed that’s what the child was, looked to be eight or nine years old. The kid’s head was shaved bald, and she, or he, was nearly naked. Polandra was right about the uniform. The a’sano Aeron was wearing had about ten times more material than that tiny loincloth hanging from a thin cord.
Faint chimes came from the gold hoops on the pesan’s ear. “Bathe and then change. Quickly.”
Aeron’s cheeks heated. He should not have been staring impolitely down there for so long. “Of course. Sorry.” He turned to the pool and pointed. “Do I bathe in there?”
“No.” The pesan walked to the nearest sink and stood next to the wooden stool. “Remove your a’sano and undergarments and sit. Use the bucket to get water from the sink and wet yourself. Use soap and washcloths as needed, then use the bucket to rinse, after. Towels are on the shelf, there.” After nodding at the shelves in question, the pesan glanced at the pool. “We do not have time for you to relax in there once you are clean.”
“Simple enough.”
Aeron stripped and sat before the sink. He filled the bucket with water and doused himself. The floor of the room must be angled, slightly. The water ran toward the sinks and into a narrow grating, what must be a drain system that ran below all the sinks. Grabbing a bar of soap, he lathered up his hair, snagged a washcloth, lathered it up, and made thorough use of it. As scarce as water likely was down here, this method of bathing made sense. When he was done, the bucket got tilted over his head, and sudsy water flowed into the drains.
Once he was clean, dry, and dressed, Aeron was surprised by how much better he felt.
The pesan held out a hand. Upon it sat a little pill. Almost in a whisper, the child said, “The real reason Capu Cirtis brought you here is so that I might give this to you without the guards seeing. Swallow it, now. It will be needed for one of the distractions.”
Aeron picked up the brown tablet and frowned. A distraction, eh? Capu Cirtis or the Laminae must have come up with another one. “I wondered about the bath. By the way, are you a girl or a boy?”
“Does it matter?”
Aeron grunted. “Good point.” He swallowed the pill, dry. It felt like it was stuck in his throat, so he had to swallow a few times, trying to get it to go down. “Ugh.�
� He grimaced.
The pesan said, “Go, now. Hurry.”
Aeron left the room.
“Good,” Capu Cirtis said. “It is time.”
Aeron followed the Capu, and the two guards brought up the rear.
Many hallways followed, these wider, more open, and decorated with vases, carpets, paintings, and such. A few people wandered about these well-lit passages, members of the Order, no doubt, or maybe visitors to Bataan-Mok. Most seemed to be heading the same direction as they were.
Aeron spied another pesan along the way and wondered how long would it take to get used to that uniform.
They are ready at the tower of rock. Fillion, however, has been asked to watch for a manis patrol that will pass nearby. He will not be part of those ready to try should the first attempt fail.
That’ll be okay. There are still three.
The rocky spire, Renata said it was called Daelon’s Staff, was the tallest of five towers of stone that stood like sentinels several hundred yards to the west of Bataan-Mok. It would serve as the perfect place for his friends to watch the ceremony in relative safety as well as assist him and Anaya with the plan.
Ahead, ruddy light came from the end of the hallway. Sunlight. Aeron quickly followed Capu Cirtis out into a large, square courtyard.
“Daelon’s Plaza,” the Capu said as he stopped just past the threshold.
The place was enormous. Aeron didn’t know where to look first.
Crowds of people filled the large, open space, talking, laughing, and jostling each other for better position. Behind him, to the left, and across the plaza, the walls were topped by covered walkways. A few people stood in their shade, staring down at the activity in the courtyard.
Large banners hung on the walls below the walkways, almost reaching the plaza floor. There was some kind of insect emblazoned on the pennons. Aeron’s brows rose when he recognized them from the Nesch’s dream, though these actually had insect heads instead of a woman’s torso. It was strange that they were here, and he wondered why they were.
To the right, the west side of the plaza had only a short wall, maybe four feet high, leaving the rest of that end open to the desert. It looked like an enormous window. Tall, thin spires of rock were visible through it, the sentinels, and beyond them, the distant horizon.
The middle of the courtyard was dominated by a low platform that was surrounded by ten manisi keeping the people back. She was there.
Anaya!
Her head lifted and she turned to him. I see you!
Are you okay?
I am fine.
I can’t wait until we get home.
Willem can see you.
Aeron did not look to the spire where his friends watched.
Do they still have the spells on you to stop you from casting?
They do.
Alright. We’ll have to do something about those at some point.
The square stage she lay on appeared to be made of granite, all of one, enormous slab. Where had they gotten such a large piece from, and how had they brought it here? Large blocks of stone sat atop the platform, several feet in from the corners. From each of the four blocks, a heavy chain ran toward the center of the stage, to a shackle on his bond-mate’s legs.
Aeron followed Capu Cirtis to the left, to tiers of seats just outside the doorway. The covered section was set off with waist-high hand rails and was comprised of several rows of seats. Pesani were walking amongst the people seated there, handing out goblets of some kind of drink. Aeron hoped it was water. He could use some. That pill had left an odd taste in his mouth.
Nesch Takatin was already seated at the front. The man glanced at him, waved off a pesan trying to offer him a drink, and looked away. Many other people were seated in the section, dozens and dozens of them, all dressed the same. Faint tinkling came from earrings whenever one moved. Were these umeri?
The Capu walked to the front row and they sat near the end. Nesch Takatin, several seats in, did not look their way.
“Historically,” Capu Cirtis said, accepting a goblet from a pesan, “the Capu has presided over these. But, in order to get him to agree to let you say goodbye to Anaya, I asked him if he could.” He glanced at Nesch Takatin. “Of course, he was happy to.”
Aeron accepted a goblet, it was cool to the touch, and looked at the Nesch.
The dreams they’d flown, at least the first two, revealed someone who’d suffered loss, but also someone who definitely knew the truth of the First Principle and was upset that the Order continued with the lies. So why was he not working with the Capu to change the Order? Why did he want Anaya dead?
“Drink, enjoy.” Capu Cirtis raised his cup and nodded at Aeron’s. “I could not protect myself, it would appear suspicious, but you will be fine.”
What did he mean by that? Aeron glanced in the gold goblet. It looked like water. Good. He took a deep gulp and nearly choked. It was chilled white wine. With a frown, Aeron swallowed, suppressing a shudder. He hated white wine, it was much too dry for his taste. He set the goblet aside.
Capu Cirtis smiled. “Not partial to wine?”
Aeron twisted his lips. “Not white, anyway.”
A deep gong sounded and the milling crowd became quiet. Aeron looked around, wondering what it meant.
“It begins.” The Capu sat farther back in his seat.
Nesch Takatin stood and made his way out of the seating section and stopped in front of a podium a few yards beyond the rails. From where he sat, Aeron could only see the man’s profile, but he appeared to be excited.
After looking around at the people, Nesch Takatin raised his hands. “Bataan-Mok, visitors, and guests. Tonight is an historic night for the Corpus Order. Testament to the dedication and skill of our manisi fighters over the years, it has been four decades since the last dragon execution.” He placed his hands on the podium.
At those last words, uncertainty tightened Aeron’s chest. He glanced at Anaya to see what she was doing. The tawny dragon raised her head and watched Nesch Takatin.
“Not a single terrible beast has been seen since that time,” Takatin said, leaning forward. “No one has had to worry about encountering the fearsome things alone in the desert.”
Anaya cocked her head to the side and let out a little bark.
Far from sounding fearsome, she sounded happy, playful, even.
Aeron couldn’t help himself. He laughed. Surprisingly, wonderfully, he wasn’t the only one. Several in the crowd, Capu Cirtis, and even a few others in the seating section laughed or chuckled at her outburst.
Aeron looked at Nesch Takatin. His face was red, and a muscle twitched in his jaw.
“Tonight,” the man shouted over the chuckles. When the crowd grew quiet, he continued. “Tonight we will once again demonstrate and affirm our purpose, which is to protect the people of the villages by destroying the evil creatures that Yrdra created.”
Anaya chirped at him.
From somewhere in the crowd, a child’s voice could be clearly heard in the silence. “Aww, isn’t it just the cutest?”
Hands gripping the edge of the podium, lips curled in nearly a snarl, Takatin glared at Anaya. “Enough!” He turned to Aeron and pointed. “You! Say your goodbyes, for sunset is nearly upon us.”
Aeron now realized why the west side of the plaza was open to the desert. It was so the executions could be timed with sunset. A quick glance revealed Suule, swollen and ruddy, hovering between two of the tall rock spires, only minutes away from touching the horizon.
“Go,” Capu Cirtis whispered. “Now is your chance.”
Aeron stood and smiled at Anaya. You were perfect, dear-heart!
I thought it would be best to just be myself.
Aeron stepped onto the floor of the plaza, and strode over its large, square pavers toward the platform, to Anaya. Murmurs and mutterings started in the crowd.
“Who’s that?” “You don’t suppose that’s the dragon boy?” “Is that . . . is that his dragon?”
>
The sight of the heavy iron shackles on Anaya’s legs made him frown. No matter, they would soon be removed. He took the wide steps up to the platform and stopped next to her, staring into the beautiful gold eyes that stared back at him.
Utter stillness filled the plaza.
Throwing his arms around her neck, he hugged as tight as he could. “Gods, I missed you!”
With a chirp, Anaya lay her head upon his and wrapped him in her wings.
“It’s going to crush him!” “Someone save him!”
Aeron lowered his arms. Let me free, dear-heart. We don’t want them to panic too much, and we have to start, anyway.
Anaya lifted her head and roared. In the stunned silence, she opened her wings and took a step back. Her heavy chains were loud in the quiet courtyard.
Aeron spoke so all could hear. “Anaya would never hurt me. She and I are bond-mates. Our very souls are linked.” He glanced at Nesch Takatin and then back at the crowd. “Dragons are not the fearsome things that you have all been led to believe they are. They are not the creatures Yrdra created.”
“Enough! You have said your goodbyes.” Takatin turned to the side. “Bring me the sword! It is time.”
Bring him the sword? Aeron turned to Capu Cirtis. The man looked as confused as Aeron felt. Where was the executioner?
“Lights!” Takatin looked up to the darkening sky.
Aeron felt pulses of magic from several locations, and large, sorcerous glows appeared around the plaza, casting new shadows with their illumination. At the same time, large braziers lining the walls erupted into flame. Their dancing, flickering light lit the banners behind them. The fire in one of the braziers was crackling quite a bit, shooting out sparks now and then.
A man brought out a long, heavy-looking sword. Takatin took it, turned it this way and that, testing its heft, and smiled. The smile got larger as he approached the platform.
Aeron frowned. Takatin had changed the ceremony, apparently. No matter. The plan would still work. Looking around, Aeron checked where the manisi were standing. It seemed they were all far enough away to be safe from the portal.
A Storm in the Desert: Dragonlinked Chronicles Voume 3 Page 45
