by N. M. Howell
He turned to leave and the people in the room looked up at the flowers; all the way around the top of the room the flowers were turning black, becoming Ashur, and pouring the white smoke over them. There wasn’t much time after that. Soon they were all dead. The chancellor’s only regret was that he hadn’t had all of the dignitaries in the room at the time. Apparently nearly 300 had already left the building before they could be rounded up.
As the chancellor rounded the corner, the screams began to reach him. Ashur and his battalion must’ve caught the other families before they boarded the train to leave. The chancellor relished the sound of death and magic. He was more confident than ever that the new armor would prove more than a match for the dragonborn if it could defeat the families. All seven of the family lines were extremely old and extremely powerful, not to be taken lightly if one valued your life. If the armor could best them in an honest battle, it just might defeat the dragonborn.
“Chancellor! Chancellor!” screamed one of his assistants as they came running through the hall. “Something is going on at the train. The battalion... they’re killing the families!”
“Killing them?” Chancellor Mharú asked. “As in defeating them? Murdering them?”
“Yes! There’s blood everywhere and the families are trying to escape, but the battalion won’t let them. It’s a slaughter!”
“I understand your sentiments, it’s very distressing,” the chancellor said, trying desperately to hide his smile. “But the battalion is only performing its duties. Evidence has recently come to light proving that the families are actually traitors in league with the dragonborn. I asked them here to give them a final chance to come over to the right side and they attacked us. The battalion has no choice but to eliminate the threat to the University. It’s to protect us, all of us. Even you.”
The girl still seemed anxious, panicked, clearly not used to seeing much blood or violence. She was shaking uncontrollably and by now had begun to cry. Chancellor Mharú took her gently by the arms and looked into her face.
“Go back to my office. Have one of my aides make you some coffee and try to settle down. Don’t think about what you saw or heard at the train, okay? Put all of that behind you.”
“I can’t forget that. I can’t stop... hearing those voices...”
“Listen,” he said through gritted teeth, grabbing the girl hard and giving her a violent shake. “If you want to work here you need to get used to seeing these kinds of things. People will die here. A lot of people. There will be torture, pain, suffering, dark magic. There will be blood. If you can’t handle that then maybe it’s time for you to do a little suffering of your own. Now get out of my sight.”
He tossed the girl aside and kept walking, not even looking back to see if she was alright. The cruelty made him feel powerful.
Once he was outside, the chancellor walked straight across from the University to the very edge of the precipice and looked down on the city. The whole vast grid was under his influence, his lies, his propaganda. All he need to do was make the people afraid and after that they belonged to him. They would support anything he wanted, as long as he could kill the dragonborn and their beasts. And if he actually did manage to kill the dragonborn, then all of Noelle would be his.
Just then he heard a scream and the sound of running feet behind him. He turned. It was Rasputraenir, current head of the House of Urania. He had managed to escape the battalion and was running, running, running, straight for the chancellor.
“Myamar! Myamar, you have to help me!” the man cried. “They’re going crazy in there! They’re killing us, they’re—”
But before he could finish, the chancellor waved a hand and the man was lifted into the air, flipped, and thrown over the side of the mountain. The chancellor didn’t even bother watching the body fall. Instead, he simply enjoyed the sound of the man’s final scream.
“Everything is mine,” he said, his eyes on the city.
Chapter Sixteen
When Andie woke, she didn’t know where she was, at first. Her mind was clouded, her head hurt, and she felt nauseous. But within seconds everything that had happened came rushing back in. She bolted upright and found she was lying in her living space, on the mountain. Someone had spread her bed out for her and there were two little cups beside where her head had been. She threw the cover off and jumped to her feet. As she turned, she came face to face with Lymir. It startled her.
“Lymir,” she said. “What are you doing here? How did I get back on the mountain?”
“Well, it’s a hard tale,” he said, taking a seat. “The way I heard it was ye fainted down there by the river. I don’t blame ye, not after what happened. They gathered ye up an’ flew ye back up here for a good rest. I haven’t left your side since. I give ye some tea to make ye sleep an’ I’ve been wi’ ye ever since.”
“Where is she?” Andie asked. “What have they done with Yara?”
Lymir looked down at his feet and for a moment he refused to meet Andie’s eyes. She moved closer to him and lifted his face.
“Lymir, tell me what happened.”
“They’ve sentenced her to death, Andie. I’m afraid...”
Andie felt like she should have said something, anything. But she knew there was no point. She turned from Lymir and began to straighten up her area. He watched her and tried to talk to her, but she responded to nothing. Then he tried to help her clean up, but she refused and asked to be left alone. Hesitatingly, he left.
About a half hour later, Andie emerged from her space and went straight for Saeryn.
“How soon can we be ready to leave for Arvall?” Andie asked.
“Are you sure that’s the best thing for now?” Saeryn asked. “I agree that we need to leave as soon as possible and make great haste, but you have quite a situation at hand. Hundreds of your friends are injured, some dead, and of course there’s the issue of the traitor.”
“I understand it’s not ideal, but you know as well as I do that we need to stop the University. That’s what all of this has been for. All the suffering, and enduring, and betrayal, and lives lost, everything was leading us up to this moment.”
“But Andie your people—”
“Knew what they signed up for. I’m not happy to see them like this: broken, injured, betrayed. But they knew the risks. They understood that they might not make it home again or if they did they might not be the same people who left. We are at war, Saeryn. This is the cost. And while I am beyond grateful for everything that they have given and sacrificed, they are not my people. You are. The dragonborn are.”
Saeryn did not look convinced, but she gestured for Oren to come.
“Oren, have the warriors prepare. We leave within the hour.”
Oren nodded and disappeared around the bend of the cavern. Saeryn remained and watched Andie, looking her over from head to toe. Andie felt herself being watched, but she wouldn’t meet Saeryn’s eyes. She could feel everything Saeryn wanted to say, every emotion she was feeling. Pity, compassion, sympathy, fear, anxiety, love. Saeryn had told Andie that when two dragonborn were especially close, they could sometimes sense each other’s emotions. Andie hadn’t realized until just that moment how much she and Saeryn meant to each other.
“Andie, I already know what you’ll say, but you should be here for it.”
“For what?”
“The execution.”
Andie gave a small gasp. The word made her feel cold. Numb.
“She made her bed and now she needs to... They can do it without me. I don’t need to be a part of it.”
“You know, there were traitors in our time as well,” Saeryn said. “And many of them were friends and people I trusted. It was hard to have to watch them die, but somehow I knew it was my duty to be there. Betrayal never ends, not really. They turn their backs on you, betray you to your enemies, and then force you to have to kill them. That’s the worst part of all because then you feel guilty for punishing them, even though you know you had no choice. And you cont
inue to feel guilty for the rest of your life.”
“Saeryn, I can’t. I just can’t. You and the rest of the dragonborn call me your savior. You lift me up on a pedestal and act like I’m some kind of miracle. You say I’m the one who can bridge the gap between our people and the rest of Noelle. Let me focus on that. Give me the chance to be everything you and the rest of our people already think I am. Let me earn your trust. But, please, please, don’t ask me to stay here and watch her die.”
“As you wish,” Saeryn said, touching Andie’s arm. “I’ll call for you when we’re ready. You will ride with me.”
Andie bowed and turned to leave. She went outside to be alone and found herself in the very corner of the mountain where she had been when the ship exploded. But she didn’t think about that. She didn’t think about Carmen and Murakami and the others lying unconscious in the sand. She didn’t think about her father’s terrible wound. She didn’t think about Marvo’s death or Raesh’s pain. She didn’t think about the ship, the victims, the blood, the unbelievably agony and blackness of that entire circumstance. She didn’t think of Lilja. And she didn’t think of the traitor.
Not much later, Saeryn found her. She took a seat beside Andie and they simply sat there in the sun, in silence and uncertainty.
“Raesh can handle things down at the ship,” Andie said.
“And your father?” Saeryn asked. “I think his wound may have been more serious than he let on. With him already being in such frail condition, I fear for him.”
“I just want to get out of here,” Andie said, standing.
Saeryn gave up after that, though she seemed hurt. She led Andie to where the dragon warriors were gathering with their dragons. Lymir tried to get Andie’s attention, but she ignored him and mounted up behind Saeryn. When all the warriors had mounted their dragons, they all left the ground behind. Oren was to stay behind and oversee the execution, but would join them after the deed was done.
A faction of warriors and healers had also been left behind to watch over those who were staying on the mountain. The scientists, thinkers, teachers, farmers, and other important contributors were to remain behind, as well as the children. They weren’t terribly concerned about being defeated in battle, but Saeryn was a wise and careful ruler, and she did not want the future of her people to be left to chance. She wanted to be prepared for any outcome and to ensure that the dragonborn would never again be in danger of extinction from the earth.
They flew like they had never flown before. They soared so high in the sky they couldn’t be seen from the ground. Andie held on tight and every time she thought the dragons couldn’t go faster, they surprised her. They truly were incredible beasts. Before the sun set they had left the Hot Salts of Mithraldia behind and were making great haste over vast rural regions that Andie didn’t recognize. The sun sank behind the horizon and still they flew on, as efficient at night as they were in the day. Andie allowed herself to be filled with the energy of flight. It kept her mind from going to places she didn’t want to think of.
The dragons were flying as fast and deliberate as ever, not the least bit tired, but the dragonborn treated their dragons like they treated their family and so they soon came down to earth and landed in a field that had recently been harvested. The bent stalks were a perfect place to lay for the night. The warriors all dismounted and saw to their dragons, then everyone went to sleep almost at once. They would need to rest and be back up in the sky before the sun came up. They couldn’t risk being seen and spreading fear before they reached Arvall. They had no plan, not even a definite beginning of one, and the last thing they needed was for their surprise appearance to be ruined. Neither Andie nor Saeryn slept at all.
In the morning, just as the sun was beginning to lighten the sky, the dragonborn took up again and rose to their usual height. On and on they flew, passing mountains and valleys and woods that sometimes seemed to go on forever. They passed a lake so blue and deep and dark that it looked like the night sky had taken liquid form and fallen to earth. They flew over small villages that could barely be seen from the sky and they came to cities whose building were so tall they had to circumvent the city just to be safe. Shortly after midday, they settled in another field to rest and were soon off again. They mounted up again and followed a narrow but seemingly endless river. They flew as if a demon chased them, cutting the sky with blinding and confident grace. Never once did they break their formation, they were so disciplined and focused. Andie was certain that whatever they met in Arvall would be no match for them.
Night came again and they settled to earth once more to rest. The dragons were able to drink from the river and some of the warriors washed their faces before eating and lying down. Saeryn laid down and was asleep instantly. Andie watched her, knowing she must have been exhausted from the stress alone. She knew that as much as Saeryn valued her help and support, she wanted more for Andie than just fighting for a cause. But that would have to wait. There was too much going on at the moment, but the most pressing issue was the University and its inability to let the past go, to stop spreading lies and leave the dragonborn to live in peace. Andie felt her own body warning her it was becoming dangerously low on energy, but as long as she kept getting enough sunlight in the daytime she would be fine. Besides, she couldn’t possibly think of sleep at a time like this, when the soul of the whole world was hanging by a thread. The University couldn’t win. The chancellor couldn’t win.
When they woke up in the dark of the morning, Saeryn said that they would arrive in Arvall just before sunset. By flying in a straight line and taking advantage of the dragons’ incredible speed, they would do in three days what would have taken the ship more than six weeks to do. Andie didn’t respond when Saeryn said it, she just went to the dragon and loaded up again. For the first time in days, she was excited. She was ready to fight the University, to meet them in the street or in the hallway and hand them over to destruction. They had killed so many people and caused so much pain, not only in the past weeks, but in all the centuries that they had been in power. Andie was full of mixed emotions and she relished the opportunity to vent them. She had no intentions of holding back or showing mercy.
The dragons mounted up from their final rest and they took to the sky. They would not touch the ground again until they reached Arvall City. They did not know what they would find there, but they went to face their destiny bravely. Andie looked down on the lands they passed over, knowing they were probably filled with people who hated them, who wanted to see their blood running in the street. It had never occurred to her before that it might not matter to the world if the University had been spreading lies. For all she knew, the rest of the world hated the dragonborn as much as the University and would want them dead anyway. It was no secret that the dragonborn were incredibly powerful; people tended to fear things more powerful than themselves, regardless of whether or not those things or people posed an actual threat. And though the dragons were sweet, calm creatures by nature, their great size and intimidating appearance would put people off. What if the world didn’t care that the dragonborn hadn’t done anything? What if they were just looking for an excuse, any excuse to slaughter the dragonborn? And if a fight did break out, the dragonborn would have no choice but to defend themselves and then the world would see the true magnitude of their awesome power. If that happened, if the dragonborn were forced to take even one life, the world would never forgive them. Everything would be at an end. They would go to war and the dragonborn would kill thousands, millions, of the sorcerers and common folk in an attempt to save their way of life—and in the eyes of Noelle the dragonborn truly would be monsters.
More than that, there was always the chance that the people would be willing to relent, but simply wouldn’t believe Andie. The loose, ill-conceived skeleton of a plot they did have revolved around Andie’s ability to persuade people that neither she nor the dragonborn posed a threat. She had to erase centuries of hate, propaganda, and engrained teaching. Even And
ie didn’t believe it could work. Hatred of the dragonborn was one of those things that simply was. She had no idea what she was going to say.
The land slid away underneath them. Rivers and lakes disappeared somewhere behind them. Things too small and far away to be distinguished flashed by, instantly forgotten. The sun fell lower and lower into the sky until it finally touched the land in the distance. Across the horizon, the great towers of Arvall City were coming into view, shining silver and blue against the land. The sky began to darken as they flew closer. The energy and the mood among the warriors seemed to change as they began to get close to the city. Everyone was bracing for the inevitable, whatever it might be. They slowed gradually the nearer they came and began to drop lower over the city. As they slowed, the sound of the wind and the dragons’ wings lessened considerably. Saeryn turned to speak over her shoulder.
“The outcome doesn’t matter,” she said.
“How can you say that?”
“Because I only just realized it. No matter what happens, Andie, we are forever grateful for you being with us. Thank you.”
Saeryn turned back around and then the dragon plunged. The phalanx of warriors followed closely and they were all diving through the air, descending on the city. For a moment, Andie was perfectly calm: the wind raced past her, the massive wings of the iridescent creature pumped up and down on either side of her, the city rushed up with its lights and actions, Saeryn’s long dark hair danced in the sky. And just for a moment, before they knew the result and before the conflict started, Andie felt the future was theirs, one way or another.
But suddenly there was an explosion in the air and one of the warriors was knocked off of his dragon. The dragon quickly maneuvered itself back under him and he caught hold, but the first explosion was quickly followed by several more. The explosions were erratic and incredibly powerful. Because the dragons couldn’t see the explosions coming, they couldn’t maneuver around them and the situation quickly became dangerous. What was most terrifying was that the explosions were black and as cold as a freezing winter. It was smart. Any regular explosion wouldn’t have been able to distract a dragon or the warrior on it. Heat made them stronger. But a cold explosion could seriously harm them and with the sun going down it would be harder for them to heal.
