A Storm in the Desert: Dragonlinked Chronicles Voume 3

by Adolfo Garza Jr.

  Umeron Yiska glanced at the other dragons. “You’re all . . . different.” He looked back at her. “It is good to see you again, Anaya.” His smile was sly as he bowed from the waist.

  Excitement surged within him. Anaya tried to determine why, but his only thoughts were about . . . a whistle?

  Three short blasts pierced the air—short, long, short—and magic pulsed from several directions. The alarm had come from the tiered seats.

  Anaya stood. Aeron!

  “Dragonlinked,” he shouted, “ready stances!”

  Several of the manisi slid toward them from the barrier walls, bos held out.

  “What’s the meaning of this!” Capu Cirtis looked around. “Stop this, immediately!”

  The umeri who’d gathered near the dragons scattered, fear and confusion coming from them in waves. The dragonlinked and the others turned to face the advancing fighters.

  Aeron grabbed his bo from the saddle and spun to face a manis sliding toward them. He slid out to meet the man, ducked the manis’s attack, and swung as they slid past each other, connecting with the fighters calf. A grunt and a grimace came from the man as his slide continued. Once it was complete, he spun to face Aeron.

  Anaya tried to grab the fighter’s bo, but he slid back toward Aeron, and her jaws snapped closed on empty air.

  All around, the loud, staccato sounds of bos slamming into each other echoed across the plaza. Grunts and curses, male and female, accompanied the wooden beats. The rest of the dragonlinked were apparently engaged, too.

  “It was a trap!” The angry man’s voice came from the crowd near her, on the eastern side of the plaza.

  A woman raised her fist. “Leave the dragons alone! Dragon freedom, you bastards!”

  “Manisi” Capu Cirtis yelled, “leave the barriers! Protect our guests from these traitors!”

  “Enora,” Guildmaster Millinith said. “The dragonlinked can take care of themselves for now, we need to guard ourselves and these two in case this is a ruse.” She jerked her head to Capu Cirtis and Nesch Takatin.

  Master Enora nodded and moved to the other side of the two men, eyes wary.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Nesch Takatin said, “I can take care of myself.” He pulled out a dagger and ran for the pavilion.

  What was he doing? Anaya didn’t have time to think long about that. Fighting was all around her.

  Balam and Willem were battling two manisi, with the help of Adept Oran. They seemed to be doing fine. The young man was quite agile, actually. Ducking and dodging attacks while casting spells of his own.

  Aeron grunted and a flash of pain came through the link. Anaya turned to him. Dull throbbing came from his shoulder, where the manis must have landed a blow. If she could figure out how the fighter moved, what his style was, she could attempt to help Aeron somehow.

  From the corner of her eye Anaya saw a manis sliding toward Kisa. Gregor, help Kisa!

  Flame shot from the young dragon, aimed at the advancing manis. The fighter screamed, dropped the bo, and raised his arms for protection. Kisa ended the flame just before the fighter reached it and whipped her tail around, hitting the manis in the head and knocking him unconscious.

  Well done, Kisa!

  The young dragon turned to Anaya, smiled, and barked.

  Gregor, having retrieved a bo from somewhere, finally reached his young bond-mate. Head swiveling around, he looked out for more attackers.

  A grunt drew Anaya’s attention back to Aeron. The fighter, rubbing an arm, circled Aeron.

  Anaya, when you sense me binding his arms, you bind his legs.

  Okay.

  Magic pulsed from Aeron and through the link. She cast the bind spell. The fighter’s arms slapped to his sides and his legs slammed together. The man’s bo clattered on the ground. Spinning, Aeron leapt up in the air and landed a kick to the side of the man’s head. The fighter toppled over, eyes closed.

  With another one down, Anaya looked again at her brothers and sisters fighting around the plaza. They seemed to be doing well, for the most part.

  “Xochi! Let him help us, silly girl.”

  Renata and Nesch Takatin rounded the south end of the pavilion. He was helping her and Xochi fight two manisi. That must be where he had gone. On the north end, Zolin ran out and spun, facing a manis backing around the pavilion. Jessip followed, bo swinging. The black dragon roared.

  For some reason, the fights seemed to be slowly migrating to this side of the pavilion.

  “Watch out! Kisa!”

  The sound of bone snapping and a muffled grunt came from the left.

  “Damn it!” The male sorcerer turned to the manis he was fighting.

  “Gregor!” Fillion stared at the healer adept who’s arm hung crookedly at his side.

  Gregor’s eyes were closed and his lips were pulled back from clenched jaws. “I was too late, could only slide between them.”

  Anaya sensed the pain—throbbing, red, and thick—pulsing from him.

  Kisa growled at a nearby fighter. The manis, who must be the one who did that to Gregor, smiled, spun her bo, and began to slide in for another attack.

  Coatl roared and ran to intercept while Aeron slid toward Gregor. Anger thrummed through the link from Anaya’s bond-mate.

  The manis, already sliding, saw the bounding dragon too late. Eyes wide, she let out a loud grunt when Coatl collided with her. There was another sound, of bone breaking.

  The collision must have knocked the manis senseless, because her slide did not continue. Instead, her limp body was knocked a few feet to the side from Coatl’s impact. The odd angle of one of her ankles seemed to confirm where the snapping sound had come from.

  Coatl roared at the unconscious fighter, then ran to help the young sorcerer.

  “You’ll have to set the bone, Fillion.” Sweat covered Gregor’s brow and his jaws were still clenched. “Aeron, help him.”

  Anaya felt sympathy and a little fear coming through the link.

  Aeron took a breath and nodded, then he and Fillion gingerly grabbed Gregor’s arm. They pulled and Gregor screamed. Kisa let out a wail.

  Panting, Gregor said. “I’m okay, Kisa. It had to be done.” He turned to Fillion. “Now cast the pain enchantment.”

  “Gods damn it!”

  Anaya spun on Umeron Yiska. He stood just over three wing-lengths away, fists clenched and anger emanating from him like waves of heat.

  “It was those two bitches, wasn’t it?” Betrayal, fear, and resignation colored Yiska’s thoughts. “They taught you the manisi fighting methods. Well, it won’t matter.” He turned to the tiered seats. “Now, Fala!”

  Another series of whistle blasts burst forth. The woman Yiska had glanced at earlier was standing in the seating section, small metal object held to her mouth. Anaya turned back to Yiska.

  Four, no, five bind spells suddenly wrapped around her. One bound her wings to her back, while the others were on her legs, locking her in place on the ground. The remaining rebellious manisi must be doing this.

  I’ll help counter! Aeron stood from Gregor and turned to her.

  She removed the spell on her wings, and then started on one of those on her legs. Aeron had freed one already and began work on another. Before Anaya finished, however, her wings were once more bound as was the leg Aeron had liberated.

  She began to worry. She did not want to be captured again. They bind as fast as we can counter. There are too many!

  “Goodbye, beast.” Yiska had a sword and was walking toward her, steel blade shakily raised before him. It was aimed at her chest.

  “Yiska, no!” Capu Cirtis ran for him.

  A pulse of magic came from Yiska.

  Barriers rose, around Anaya, perhaps eight feet high, but these magic walls were different. The view through them was distorted. The blurred walls formed a long box that only she and Yiska were in. Unable to see through those walls, no one would be able to cast spells to assist her.

  “Yiska!” Capu Cirtis’s voice
came through the barrier and a heavily blurred form appeared to be pounding on it. Shimmers pulsed in the wall with each strike.

  A flash of sunlight ran along the razor-sharp edge of the steel blade as Yiska and the deadly sword drew closer.

  Others might not be able to see within, but Anaya could. She began placing a barrier directly in front of her. Before she could complete the spell, however, she saw a bind being changed, one of those that held her to the ground. The manis was trying to snap her leg!

  She abandoned the barrier spell and instead worked to end that bind as fast as she could.

  Anaya! Fear and panic came through from Aeron. “Dragonlinked! Manisi still have binds on Anaya. They’re trying to break her bones. We need to stop them!”

  Yiska paused and glanced up, listening. He looked at her and smiled. “Your friends can’t help you in here. You’ll not escape execution this time.” He continued walking toward to her, heavy blade held before him.

  Anaya tried to think of what she could do. Flame could help, but she did not want to kill the misguided man. Beneath his anger was fear. He was afraid of her, afraid of dragons. Why, she did not know.

  He was now two wing-lengths from her.

  I do not want to hurt him, Aeron, but every time I try to do something, I have to counter a bind.

  Don’t worry about those. You stop him while I remove the last binds. He began removing another leg bind.

  Of course! Aeron could still counter even with the distorting barriers. He could see the bind spells through the link.

  Okay. She tried the barrier again.

  Her wings! The bind on them was being changed! Aeron would not have time to finish on the leg bind before the change on this one was complete. She stopped casting the barrier and worked to counter the enchantment. Broken legs would mend well enough, but broken wings would end her flying forever. She removed it in mere moments.

  Anaya breathed a sigh of relief and turned her attention once more to Yiska.

  A furrow appeared between his brows and he stopped. He glanced at her wings, then down at her hind legs. Eyes widening, he said, “No!”

  He must have seen her move and realized that they were removing the binds. He leaned forward and began to slide to her, both arms holding the sword up.

  He was less than a wing-length away. There wouldn’t be enough time to cast the barrier before he reached her.

  She stared at the point of the sword as it rapidly slid closer. Care well for my children, Aeron. Love them as I love you.

  Alarm and confusion came through the link. What?

  A bolt of lightning split the empty sky. Deep anger pulsed from its crackling, white-hot heart. It struck the sword with a flash and forked in two as it continued to the ground. A blast of force, light, and sound momentarily blinded and deafened Anaya. The binds still on her forelegs held her to the ground, so she clamped her wings to her back and crouched against the pummeling air.

  When the sound and light faded, there was silence.

  Anaya blinked as hearing and vision slowly returned. The binds on her were gone. The distorting barriers were gone. All around, people stood about, hands to eyes or ears.

  “What in Yrdra’s deepest hells happened?” Master Enora stared where the bolt had struck. Two spots in the paving stones, each about the size of an apple, were cooling, molten pools of glowing rock.

  “Lightning,” Guildmaster Millinith replied. “With no clouds in sight.”

  Anaya looked up. The clear, blue sky was like a beautiful glass dome above them.

  Are you alright? Aeron placed his hand on her neck.

  I think so. She looked at him and then at the others.

  Umeron Yiska lay on the ground, two wing-lengths away. He must have been knocked back by the blast. Had he been injured?

  Of the sword, there was no sign.

  + + + + +

  A bell, a chime—something, somewhere—made a pure, continuous sound. Or was it the choir of children singing a sustained note?

  Eyes closed, Yiska breathed deeply and smiled. He felt warm and at peace. It was a strange feeling. That he thought it strange was in itself strange.

  Are you injured?

  What a beautiful voice! Was she one of the children? Probably not as he didn’t recognize her voice. No, I am well.

  I was afraid you might be hurt.

  She did sound worried. Fear not, child, I feel fine. I feel very good, in fact.

  Are you certain? You were knocked back pretty far. I could send for a healer, if needed.

  Unease made him pause. He was forgetting something. Your concern does you credit, but I think I’m fine.

  The music, the sound, was not the choir. It was more a constant tone as from a small bell or chime.

  Again, the beautiful voice came to him. I am sorry.

  What ever do you have to be sorry for?

  We do not mean to scare you. We do not mean to make you worry.

  I’m not frightened. Why would I be frightened of you?

  The tone was changing, was weakening. Hints of other sounds came to him, now.

  I do not know. We only want to serve our purpose. We only want to be happy. We only want to live.

  The sadness, the yearning in her voice, nearly broke his heart. Who doesn’t want you to live, child?

  You.

  Me? I don’t understand.

  You tried to kill me.

  Yiska’s eyes sprang open.

  “She won’t hurt him, will she?”

  “Anaya can eat him for all I care.”

  He lay on his back, and a foot above, the dragon’s face loomed. Warmth bathed his face with each of her soft exhalations. Her gold eyes were large and luminous and . . . full of compassion. She watched him. She saw him.

  Memories of all the dragons he’d seen die returned. Flashes came back to him of whimpering, cowering dragons, of frightened roars, and shiny, dark blood spreading across the execution platform. All those terrified creatures were killed here in this plaza.

  ‘We only want to live.’

  Crushing realization gripped his heart and his eyes widened. A short burst of breath escaped his lips, a sob that he clamped his lips against, and tears blurred his vision.

  Anaya chirped at him.

  He blinked and tears fell from his eyes. He took an unsteady breath. “I’m sorry.”

  “She’s scaring him.” Capu Cirtis sounded worried.

  Yiska shook his head. “I didn’t understand. I guess I wouldn’t let myself understand.”

  Anaya turned to the boy. He says he is uninjured, but I think we should get him to a chair before the others arrive.

  Aeron looked at her. “Others? And wait, you spoke with him? Why?”

  Yiska touched his temple. “Her voice is beautiful.” He slowly sat up and then put his face in his hands. Good gods, they’d been so very wrong.

  “Umeron,” Capu Cirtis squatted next to him. “Yiska? Should I call a healer over?”

  “We’ve been killing intelligent beings.” He gripped the Capu’s arm. “People!”

  Sadness and sympathy filled Cirtis’s eyes. “I know.”

  Yells and confused shouts came from the crowd to the south. It sounded like a great number of horses were riding up. A few manisi ran to the barrier, those who had not been bought.

  Yiska’s initial thought was confirmed when the crowd behind the barrier parted and two dozen horses rode up and stopped before the manisi. Another dozen or so of what looked like soldiers followed behind on foot.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Capu Cirtis stood and faced them. “Who are you and why have you brought all these soldiers to Bataan-Mok?”

  “Master Gella?” The Guildmaster walked a few steps toward the new arrivals and stopped.

  “Guildmaster Millinith. I’m glad we didn’t miss your meeting.” The woman looked around the plaza. “Although, it appears we did miss something.”

  All the manisi that Yiska had bribed Gomda to help with the plan, all twel
ve of them, were tied up and hooded. The remaining three fighters stood at the barrier. Injuries were being tended to here and there about the courtyard. He couldn’t see Fala in the tiered seats. She must have fled at some point.

  “Capu Cirtis, Nesch Takatin,” Guildmaster Millinith gestured toward the woman, “allow me to introduce Special Investigator Gella.”

  + + + + +

  Fillion jerked his hand back when Gregor flinched. Kisa, head resting in the healer adept’s lap, looked up at Gregor and made a sad little sound.

  “Barbs and blades, Fillion, if you don’t leave my arm alone, I’m going to break one of yours.”

  He grimaced. “I’m sorry, I just . . . I can’t stand that it hurts you.” Seeing Gregor’s arm hanging at that weird angle had scared the piss out of him.

  “Yes, well, you fiddling with it makes it hurt more. The enchantment reduces the pain, it doesn’t eliminate it. Just leave my arm be. You two set it properly.” Gregor patted the paving stones on his other side. “Come. Sit.”

  Fillion stood. “Alright.” As he made his way over, he looked around at everyone. They all sat together on the flagstone floor of the plaza, surrounded by their dragons. They’d gathered where Gregor had been injured, near where Anaya had been attacked. Guildmaster Millinith, Capu Cirtis and Nesch Takatin were under the pavilion talking with Master Gella. Well, he supposed she was Special Investigator Gella for this.

  He sat next to Gregor. The young healer put his uninjured arm over Fillion’s shoulders, leaned against him, and sighed. Unlike Gregor, most people had come out of the battle without serious injury. The two sorcerers got banged up a bit, but had no broken bones. Aeron had a bruised shoulder. Renata and Jessip said they only had a few bruises.

  “Xochi was ready to pounce on Nesch Takatin when he ran toward us, dagger drawn.” Renata chuckled. “But I saw his eyes were on the manisi. He’d come to help me. I hope that means he’s been swayed to our side.” She glanced at the pavilion. “I always liked him.”

  Jessip put his arm around her. “We can only hope. It would be nice if the Corpus Order wasn’t shut down.”

  “Yeah. Then all we have left to do is change their core principles.” Liara’s smile was ironic.

  Fillion twisted his lips in a grimace. Liara had a point. He looked at her. She was the only other dragonlinked who had more than scrapes and bruises. There was a bandage on her cheek.