by Ben Hale
“We steal the one that controls them,” Jack said. They all turned to face him, and he grinned at their astonishment. “I suspect the central construct is the Mind Vault we came to retrieve.”
Sirani burst into a wild laugh. “A vault that protects itself. How ingenious.”
“Now that we know what it is,” Jack said. “We can steal it.”
They stared at him until Inna said, “You want to steal a dragon construct?”
“It’s what we came for,” Jack said. “And I know how to trap it.”
“This is madness,” Rezko exclaimed. “You don’t even know if the dragon is the Mind Vault you seek.”
“Are you afraid, human?” Aranis asked.
“I’m not a fool,” he said heatedly. “So yes, I’m afraid.”
“It’s better than our other options,” Erix said.
“You support his plan?” Rezko rounded on him.
“You don’t?” Sirani asked.
“Enough,” Erix said. “Rez, get the rudder fixed. Strip whatever you can from the other ships and add sail to ours. When the time comes, Sirani can use her magic to give us the boost we need to escape. And don’t let those blasted constructs see you.”
“It’ll take us a few days,” Rezko said.
“Then that’s how long we have to come up with a plan,” Erix said, and turned on Jack. “You’d better be as good a thief as I hear, because stealing from a nest of ancient dragons is outside my skill set.”
“Don’t worry, captain,” Jack said with a grin. “It’s within mine.”
Sirani chose that moment to yawn. “Dragons will spot me if I wander about the city, so let me know when you have a plan. I’m going back to sleep.”
“How can you sleep in this place?” a sailor growled.
Sirani shrugged. “It’s the most peaceful place I’ve ever visited. Very quiet.”
She ambled to the ascender and departed to a higher level. Jack laughed in her absence and several of the others joined in his mirth. Sirani had lost much of her wits, but she seemed to truly enjoy the disturbing island. When his humor subsided Jack motioned outside.
“Inna, Aranis, and I will see what we can find when they’re asleep at night. I’d suggest you split your men up among a few houses so it’s harder for the dragons to locate you.”
“I’ll do that,” the captain said.
Jack stepped into the street with Inna and Aranis. Once they were out of earshot he stabbed a finger at the spires rising above them.
“Anyone have an idea?” Jack asked.
Inna scowled at him. “You made it sound like you knew what to do.”
“I’ve never trapped a dragon,” he said. “Let alone one built by the ancients.”
Aranis chuckled at his admission. “Do you always lie to your allies?”
“I only lie on assignment,” Jack said, quoting a thief saying. “But we have plenty to work with.”
“Like what?” Inna’s features darkened with fury. “Rope and arrows?”
“A rock troll and a dark elf,” Jack said with a smile.
“How can they help?” Inna snapped.
“I like being called an asset,” Aranis purred, “but I don’t know how to kill these creatures.”
Jack came to a halt and pointed to the downed spire. “Someone defeated one of the constructs. Let’s find out how.”
Inna growled at him but did not argue, and Jack led the way to the fallen spire. When they reached it Jack leapt up and caught a wide crack, levering himself through. He slid down the curve of the wall to the interior. A moment later Aranis and Inna joined him.
“The spires do not have windows,” she said.
“But why?” Jack asked.
“Perhaps they are not for living,” Inna said.
Jack looked about the chamber, tilting his head sideways to imagine what it would have appeared like when vertical. Strange machinery lined the walls with pillars extending from floor to ceiling. Jack spotted a disc on the floor and made his way to it. It evidently connected this level to the one below, but it did not activate when Jack touched it.
“There’s nothing here,” Inna said.
“Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place.” Jack pointed to the base of the spire. “When this was upright, the most likely place for the ancients to access it would not have been above.”
“It would be below,” Aranis said.
They climbed out of the fallen turret and worked their way through the darkness to what remained of the base. The spire was over forty feet thick and two hundred feet tall. Its fall had flattened homes and shops, crumpling roofs and blocking streets, cracking the smooth exterior.
The proximity to the other towers required caution, and they avoided the moonlit streets. The construct flew above them once and they stilled until the dragon had passed on. Then Jack worked his way to the broken base of the spire.
“No windows,” Inna said.
“At least we know how they broke it.” Aranis stooped to pick up a large triangular shard on the ground. Black and as hard as steel, the object did not match the architecture of the city.
A dragon’s scale.
“Someone brought their own dragon,” Jack said.
Inna grunted in recognition. “My father’s history books told of a pirate that enslaved dragons. He used them like an army and no one could stop him. Then he disappeared.”
“The Shattered Isle claimed another victim,” Aranis said.
Inna motioned to the point where the spire had broken off. Jack noticed the pockmarked texture to the white material where the dragon’s acid had eaten through, weakening it. Like an ax cutting into the side of a tree, the black dragon had cut a wedge in the spire, and it had fallen under its own weight.
“He had a dragon and failed,” Inna said. “What can we do?”
Jack ignored her. “Let’s see what’s inside.”
He cast his shadowhook at the darkened wall of the broken spire and ascended until he could peek into the interior. He scanned the dragons clinging to the spires nearby, and then pulled himself up and over, dropping into the darkness below.
He landed on his feet and rose, twisting to look at the walls. As in the higher level in the spire, the room contained strange machinery and thin columns. Moonlight filtered into the space, providing enough illumination to examine the space. Then Jack turned and noticed a pedestal at the center.
A small dragon sat atop the pedestal, limp and lifeless. He reached out and touched it, unsurprised to find it metallic. Inna and Aranis joined him and the dark elf bent to examine the beast.
“It looks like the constructs outside,” Inna said in surprise.
“I suspect the beast was controlled by this,” Aranis said, gesturing to the dead creature. “Remember how they flowed out of the tower? They gain power from the spire, but their mind resides here.”
Jack noticed a thread of faint light coming from the side of the spire. The conduit passed across the floor and came to an abrupt halt where a fragment of the spire had plunged into the floor. On the other side the lifeless thread continued to the pedestal, connecting to the dragon.
An idea began to form in Jack’s mind and he paused to consider it. As he thought through the possibilities a smile appeared on his face. Noticing it, Inna raised an eyebrow. Jack swept a hand at her unanswered question.
“I have an idea now.”
“Let’s hope it’s a good one,” Inna said sourly.
“It is,” Jack said. “But it won’t work without the black dragon.”
“The dead one?” Inna asked. “How are we supposed to find it?”
“Follow the trail of destruction,” Jack replied. “It would have died fighting.”
“And what do we do with a dragon’s corpse?” Aranis asked, folding her arms.
“Cut it open and gather the acid from its stomach.” Jack said it like it was obvious and then turned away.
“You want us to cut open a rotting dragon?” Inna asked.
“I’m a killer,” Aranis said. “I don’t do carrion.”
“Get Rezko and the sailors to help,” Jack said with a shrug. “You can supervise.”
“And while we do the disgusting part, what will you be doing?”
“The hard part,” Jack said. A faint chime echoed in his ear and he abruptly walked away. “I’ll meet you back with the others.”
He cast his shadowhook and departed the spire. As soon as he was out of sight he used the pocket Gate and left, returning a few hours later with a pack of supplies. Stashing the pack near the prison he’d discovered with Aranis, he returned to the refuge.
“They told us about the black dragon,” Erix said. “What are you planning?”
“Do you want me to explain it? Or do it?”
“Both,” Erix said.
“Later,” Jack said. “I need to set something in motion first.”
Erix scowled at the lack of information and swept a hand at the sailors packed in the room. “What would you have us do?”
“Oh, it’s not you I need,” Jack said, catching sight of Sirani playing dice with a group of sailors. “It’s her.”
Jack strode up to her and said, “Ready to fight?”
Sirani giggled when she rolled all sixes, causing the men to growl in disgust and throw their money onto the floor. Sweeping up the coin, she stood and faced him, a twinkle in her eye. Behind her, one of the dice wobbled as the wind caressed its corner.
“Ready for duty and debauchery,” she said.
“This way,” Jack replied, guiding her into the dark street.
He led her through the streets, staying clear of open areas. Several times the dragon sentries soared above them and Jack was grateful the unpredictable troll held her tongue. She settled on making a rude gesture at the dragons as they soared away. They reached the prison and Jack retrieved the pack, opening it to reveal a collection of whitish discs.
“My dear thief,” Sirani said, “wherever did you acquire those?”
“You can find nearly anything in Griffin,” Jack said, “if you know the right merchants.”
“I doubt our good captain had these aboard his ship.”
“I acquired them by other means,” Jack said evasively.
She winked at him. “I’m sure you did. But just what do you intend for me?”
“Did you know that the druids are led by a man bonded to a phoenix?”
“Newhawk,” she said with a low whistle. “He’s as delicious as you are.”
“I once saw him astride his firebird,” Jack said. “They were trying to land in a storm but the gusts of wind kept driving into the bird’s wings, keeping it aloft.”
“Anything with wings can be turned aside with wind,” Sirani said, her expression lighting with anticipation. “Even an almighty dragon.”
“Can you keep the constructs occupied without getting killed?”
“Alone?”
Jack handed her the pack. “You’ll have these.”
She laughed and accepted the pouch. “I can give you a few minutes.”
“Don’t die for it,” Jack said.
“You may be delicious,” she said, “but I only die for family.”
“Good,” Jack said, and swept his hand at the prison. “Here’s your playground. Go play.”
Sirani grinned and hurried away. Stopping in an open area, she cast a charm that dug a hole into the ground. Like planting a seed, she dropped one of the discs into the hole and then covered it up. Satisfied, Jack turned and left.
“Let’s steal a dragon,” he said.
Chapter 33: Stealing a Dragon
Two days later Jack put his plan into motion. With dawn on the horizon he watched the spires for any sign of the slumbering constructs. A lone dragon remained on patrol, sweeping around the island on its great wings.
A gout of fire abruptly exploded next to the prison, causing the beast to fold its wings and dive. Its haunting snarl reverberated throughout the city as it flew through the smoke rising from the explosion. Then Sirani stepped into its path and shouted up to it.
“This pig is more bite than bacon!”
The dragon snarled and dropped—but a gust of wind caught one wing and sent it spiraling away. Unable to withstand the blow, the dragon crashed through an ancient home, crumpling the roof and collapsing the walls. Fire lanced from its jaws as it scrambled to its feet and darted back, but again Sirani punched its wing and sent it careening away. Deep in the shadows near the fallen tower, Jack spotted two dragons flowing out of their spires.
“They’re taking the bait,” he murmured.
“I still can’t believe you asked her to fight dragon constructs . . . alone,” Inna said, her voice worried as the two dragons descended upon the prison.
“She’s loving every minute,” Jack replied.
Sirani’s cackling laughter echoed back to them as she ignited one of the cyclone hexes buried in the ground. Wind exploded forth, churning and twisting, forcing both dragons to bank to the side. They unleashed their fire breath upon the building, but it just grazed the roof.
Another dragon exited its lair and flew to the battle, and then another. Titanic growls and snarls punctuated the morning, accompanied by bursts of fire and a shrieking blast of air. Cyclones blossomed up, turning the entire prison into a deadly battleground of fire and wind. Sirani darted through the charred buildings, adding her magic to the wind, knocking the enraged dragons away, preventing them from landing. The last of the dragons left its spire, the one from the center, the Mind Vault. It unleashed an unholy scream and streaked for the battle, flames igniting across its back.
“No one likes to be wakened from slumber,” Jack said, stifling a laugh.
“Let’s just get this done,” Inna said.
“Before it comes back and burns us to ash,” Aranis agreed.
The three of them bent and picked up a bowl fashioned out of black dragon scales. With great care they worked their way out of the shadows and through the spires, aiming for the one at the center. Drops of acid seeped through, dripping to the ground and leaving wisps of foul smoke in their wake. They reached the center pillar and positioned themselves against the wall.
“Don’t let it splash on you,” Jack said.
“It’s dragon vomit that can melt flesh from bone,” Inna hissed. “I’m not going to let it touch me.”
They nodded in unison, and swung the bowl, sending a splash of dragon acid into the wall. Acrid smoke blossomed from the contact, rising into the air. The white stone, impervious to blade or blow, began to bubble and steam. It dripped to the ground as if reluctant to relinquish its shape, great globs sinking into an expanding puddle.
The smoke increased, forcing them to retreat as the acid ate through the wall. Then a thundering roar caused them to whirl and face the prison in the distance—to see the small dragon and three others streaking for them.
“Go!” Jack barked. “Try to lead them away and then get to the ship.”
“What about you?” Inna asked.
“The acid is working,” he said. “I’ll find a way inside.”
“You can’t expect to fight them,” Aranis said.
“I’m not stupid,” Jack snapped. “I intend to run.”
He turned and sprinted away, casting his shadowhook at one of the spires, using it to launch himself into the city. The four constructs closed fast, winging toward him, fire exploding from their jaws. One darted after Aranis, while another went for Inna. A third came for Jack, and he raced through a destroyed section of the city.
Jack swung to the side and dived through a building, leaping out a window on the opposite side. The dragons ripped the house apart in an almost desperate fury, rending it to shreds and coming for him. He caught a glimpse of the small dragon landing at the base of its spire, bending its neck to inspect the hole in the wall.
A burst of fire forced Jack aside, sending light into the dim street. Jack cast his shadowhook at a roof and yanked himself upward, kicking off the ro
of and dropping into an alley. The dragon tore both buildings apart, leveling every inch with searing flames.
Jack twisted and leapt, fighting to stay clear of the construct. He turned and fired his crossbow and ice exploded over its face. The dragon swung its head against a structure, shattering the ice and flattening the wall.
Jack kept his path in a wide arc, keeping the spire in view. When he saw the last of the material eaten away, Jack veered toward it. He activated his speedstone and sprinted down the street, inches from the fire reaching for his back. In his peripheral vision he spotted the two constructs following Aranis and Inna abandon their pursuit and come for him, fire lancing from their jaws.
The small dragon spotted him and whirled, barricading the opening. It lowered its head and roared its fury, sending a current of fire into Jack’s path. He fired a frost bolt into the flames but the bolt disintegrated, unable to endure the tremendous heat. Caught between three dragons behind and one ahead, Jack pulled out a lightstone and threw it on the ground. It shattered, turning into a miniature sun that flooded the spires in blinding light.
He dove to the ground and fired his shadowhook underneath the dragon, where it passed through the acid-created doorway and fused to the shadows inside the spire. Skidding and sliding, he streaked across the ground with flames arcing above him, the blinded dragons blasting everything in an effort to find him. The light subsided as Jack passed beneath the small dragon. It snapped at him and the jaws tore a chunk out of the ground. Then Jack slipped into the darkened interior of the spire.
He rolled to his feet and leapt to the pedestal, snatching the small dragon and recasting his shadowhook high above him. His cloak billowed around him as he flew upward, evading the explosion of flames as the dragon shoved its jaws into the hole and unleashed its might.
From high within the spire Jack paused to catch his breath, coughing as the temperature spiked. Then the flame cut off and claws ripped into the opening, making room for snapping jaws and an angular body. Jack winced when the tiny dragon in his hand bit him, and he looked down at the struggling creature.
The dragon snapped at his arm, its claws tearing into his tunic. Tightening his grip, Jack peered at the beast, examining the markings placed along its back. His grip on the wall shuddered as the dragons rent a chunk from the wall below. Then he heard a snarl that didn’t come from beneath.
