Dragon School: Dust of Death

by Wilson, Sarah K. L.

  “Listen,” he put a hand on my arm and I stopped. It didn’t take much to make me want to take a break. I felt lightheaded. I needed sleep and rest. I wasn’t going to get either. “Have you stopped to consider why Baojang chose to attack the Dominion?”

  “As a matter of fact-”

  “Because that reason hasn’t gone away, and since you arrived in Baojang, your presence has only fuelled our war leaders desire to see the Dominion under the feet of Baojang.”

  It had?

  “But Jalla has big plans.”

  Big plans, hmmm? What did that mean? “Is that why she ordered the Rock Eaters killed?”

  Rakturan looked around furtively before saying, “Jalla doesn’t like to share.” He paused, but we were almost to the pavilion now and he had to be quick. “If I can save your Dominion, I will – for Savette. But there’s no guarantee that I can, and better a vassal of Baojang than a slave of the Rock Eaters or a puppet of Ko’Torenth. At least we have honor.”

  What did that mean?

  You still have a lot to learn about our neighbors. He’s right about one thing – the other options are definitely worse than Baojang.

  Worse? Worse than slavery and bickering war leaders and those awful Sentries? Worse than deserts and heat and holes in the ground with people hung over the side in baskets?

  Yep. Worse than that.

  My stomach flipped at the thought.

  “And now I want a similar promise from you, Amel.” Rakturan’s eyes flared, like his emotions were triggering greater light.

  “What promise?”

  “I want you to treat my people like they are your own. You’re about to lead them down an unsafe path under the ground. I want to know you are looking out for them, that in your eyes they aren’t just a tool to help Savette.”

  “I thought you wanted to help Savette.”

  “I thought you wanted to save lives.” He was quicker than I was.

  “Okay, I promise. We’re still driving for the same goal, aren’t we Rakturan? Can you promise me that?” I thought that perhaps Rakturan was a good man, an honorable man, but why did he always leave me guessing? Why couldn’t he just be who he was instead of always showing this opaque exterior?

  “I will die trying to rid this world of Ifrits and give my wife what she needs. Is that what you need to hear?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Then the covenant is made between us. Together, we will destroy the Ifrits and help Savette. So let it be soaked in our spirit. So let it be accomplished.” He offered me a waterskin. “In Baojang we seal an oath with a sip of water.”

  “I bet you do,” I muttered, but I wouldn’t be sipping Silla-laced water ever again. Instead, I grabbed his hand. “In the Dominion, we seal it with a handclasp. Since we’re in the Dominion, let’s do it that way.”

  He hesitated before nodding.

  “As you say.”

  There. I might not understand the Dark Prince, but this was probably the clearest words I’d ever get from him. I needed to just be grateful for what I had.

  I think that in the end, you will have been glad to know Rakturan.

  Was Raolcan a prophet now?

  No, but I’m good at judging people.

  I almost believed him ... but then I remembered that he liked Jalla.

  Chapter Four

  “YOU’RE LATE,” JALLA said as soon as I was in earshot. “Come and tell my war leaders what they can expect from this underground shortcut.”

  “I don’t know, exactly,” I said. There were sounds of disbelief around me.

  Jalla raised an eyebrow, peering down her nose at me like I was an insect crawling on her clothing. “That’s unlikely.”

  I sighed, but the war leaders were all watching me like a ring of rodents and I had promised Rakturan to take care of them.

  “The warrens extend underground,” I said, letting my gaze sweep the gathering. I kept my head held high, refusing to look down and lower my gaze like the servants pouring wine and water throughout the pavilion. “They were built by the Elders of the dragons.”

  Don’t get too specific. This is not their business.

  “If you are knowledgeable about how to use the hub points, you can shorten travel time between points by use of the power of the ancients.”

  There was a murmuring and one war leader spoke up. “Like how you used the Kah’deem in the service of the Winged Prince to establish her power over Baojang?”

  Jalla smiled indulgently and it took all my fortitude not to roll my eyes.

  “It’s similar, yes.” I couldn’t keep the tightness out of my voice despite all my effort. They all saw my victories as Jalla’s!

  “Then why are these warrens not used all the time?” the same war leader asked. He was young for the role, not much older than Jalla and his armor was finely tooled speaking of status. I didn’t like how soft his hands and face looked – as if he had never seen hardship.

  “They are very dangerous, and their entrances are a secret to all but a few.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “The warrens are dark.” How did I convey just how bowel-churning my last passage through them had been? “And narrow. There are vast chasms bridged only by small rock bridges. Any fall would plunge you to the depths.”

  “So, it is like climbing in the mountains at night. Soldiers can do this with good leadership,” the man said with a shrug. He motioned to one of the servants to refill his cup. “Your slave is overly timorous, Jalla. No true war leader shies away from danger or trembles at the hardship of losing a few men. I hope she has not learned this from you.”

  Jalla’s face flared red and her eyes took on a fiery spark. “I fear no caves of stone, Habrida. Nor does anyone who serves me. She must be concerned only for your lily-white hands.”

  I hid a smile as Jalla’s insult hit home and the man flinched.

  “Mostly, I am concerned about the Ifrits reported to have entered the tunnels,” I said. “In my last journey through the warrens, I was relentlessly pursued by them. They filled any space we found with violence and terror.”

  “A rumor,” Habrida said, waving a hand. “The Ifrits were an evil brought to us by the Crescent Prince. They are no longer a problem. The Rock Eaters only spread such rumors to keep us from our prize.”

  I gritted my teeth but Jalla smiled at Habrida. “The Serpent Prince’s words tell me that he has chosen to enter the warrens first. He and his soldiers will hold the honor of Baojang at the front of the line.”

  Habrida arched a single brow like he found all of this amusing. “We would never take that honor from your most excellent person, Winged Prince. Can I assume that you and your guides will ride before us – the glory and majesty of Baojang? We would never ask for more than the second honor.”

  Jalla’s smile fell. Whatever scheme she’d been planning had hit a bump in the road. “As you say, Serpent Prince.”

  I didn’t know why anyone would want to have someone named the “Serpent Prince” at their back.

  What about the Dragon Prince?

  That was the name of the only one I ever wanted to have watch out for me.

  “The Serpent Prince will designate the placements of the other war divisions,” Jalla announced. “Strike camp. When the men are ready to march, my slave will lead the way.”

  She swept away from the table like a queen in a castle. Which, I supposed, she was. She was the closest thing Baojang had to queens.

  I was worried by Habrida’s words, though. What did he mean by their “prize?”

  There are deep waters running here. Motivations are tangled and diverse, but there is one thread running through every heart – greed. They are all slick with greed and want.

  I swallowed. Of all things to bring with you into the warrens, greed might be the most dangerous. It had bent Iskaris into a traitor in these very dark corridors. What would it do to these war leaders and their men?

  “Amel? A word?” Jalla said, grabbing me by the arm and pull
ing me from the tent.

  “My injuries-”

  “Are not preventing you from causing me problems.”

  “What is it this time?” I asked.

  She leaned in, so her lips were inches from mine. “You have only two jobs in the warrens. The first is to lead us through without trouble.” If only she knew how hard that was! “And the second is to see that the Serpent Prince does not survive the journey.”

  Chapter Five

  THE DRAGONS CLEARED the way to the central tower under Raolcan’s direction while the Baojang camp packed up. As much as I hated entering the warrens again, I was glad to take the army away from Vanika. I didn’t like the way the Baojang war leaders were watching the city or the glances they sent toward the camp Ephretti and Dax had set up on the mountainside. The sooner we took them away from here, the better.

  We’re almost through to the tower, but the path is still ember-strewn and hot. For anyone less than a dragon, it will be impossible to cross.

  But it would cool. And if it didn’t, we would dump water on it to cool it faster. I sat on a large portion of wreckage from Vanika’s original destruction, just outside the new city walls and massaged my healing leg. The wound was closed now, leaving only a red scar, but the muscles were still tender, and I just didn’t have the confidence in it that I used to.

  It just needs time. Be patient with it.

  I was trying to keep my mind busy so I wouldn’t fall asleep. The sounds of the army assembling behind me combined with the moment of rest were lulling me into a sleepy state. I was reading the Ibrenicus Prophecies off an on between watching, but the page I was reading today made no sense to me.

  Tide of the north rushing, rushing,

  Longing for sea to meet sky and conquer,

  Longing to take to wing,

  But by blood they grasp,

  And the innocent fall with the guilty.

  But one shall rise,

  To stand in the place of the other,

  to bear the debt of nations,

  to give up the breath of life to dispel the dust of death.

  I watched as Raolcan and Kyrowat slowly cleared a path with the wild dragons helping them. I hadn’t taken out the pipe yet. I didn’t want to remind Jalla about it. She was distracted right now, but eventually, she would ask me for it and I didn’t want to give it to her – not now that I knew what it did. It was too powerful. No human should own such a thing.

  I couldn’t agree more. I don’t like being piped into a trance.

  After this war, it would need to be destroyed.

  After?

  Well, we still needed it right now.

  You should think about whether that is really true. Real strength will give up an advantage for the good of others.

  I let the moments tick by, thinking. I supposed that I could destroy the pipe. Smash it? Something told me it was unlikely to break easily. Despite the general delicate look, it had sat in that Kah’deem for generations, and it hadn’t broken or even cracked in all my rough adventures. Set it on fire? It was metal. The worst that was likely to happen was soot covering it. Should I throw it into an ocean or hide it in the forest or drop it off a cliff? The thing was – in any scenario like that it would be found eventually, wouldn’t it? It would be found and manipulated and used against the dragons and I just didn’t think that was right.

  I watched in the distance as Baojang loaded their horses and Sentries. The Sentries buzzed in their unnaturally straight line as their riders mounted. I could probably force them all to do my bidding, too, if I found the right setting. And that was just plain wrong. I needed time to think about it.

  “Are they almost done?” Tor and Hubric were waiting with me – Tor less patiently than my mentor.

  Surprisingly, the base of the tower is mostly intact. It was built on a part of the original base of the skycity – of course, most of the ruins are, but this part is bent and twisted, but mostly still intact. Hmmm. Look at this, Kyrowat! The door still opens and... Amel?

  Yes! I was still listening.

  It’s a door into a carefully dressed stone cavern. There are ancient carvings of troglodytes ringing the entrance. This is it. And it was shockingly easy to find. I don’t like that at all.

  It would have been harder when it was tucked into the base of the city.

  If we go down there, there will be nothing to prevent anyone from following us. People shouldn’t be able to just wander inside. We’ll need to block it up behind us.

  “They found the entrance,” I said, grimly. I didn’t like the idea of being blocked up inside the underground caves. Only a fool would stop up their only chance of escape.

  “Once we go down, you’ll need to get Ephretti to block up the entrance after us,” Hubric told Tor. “Let nothing back up after it has gone down. Who knows what ancient evils lie in the dark?”

  Tor frowned. “You’ll be down there.”

  Hubric snorted. “I appreciate the confidence, boy, but even I have limitations.”

  “Will they all fit down there?” Tor asked, watching the hundreds of Baojang soldiers form up.

  I wondered the same thing. The warrens were huge – but were they big enough to move hundreds of people, animals, and Sentries, never mind the wild dragons?

  They were built for dragons.

  And yet that made me more nervous than I could justify. Somehow the idea of bringing all those dragons and people down into the warrens filled me with dread.

  “Lazing around, slave?” Jalla asked as she approached us. Renn hovered at her elbow, his expression a mix of smugness and anticipation.

  Hubric cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look.

  “We’re waiting for the path to be clear,” I said stiffly. When Baojang was through the warrens and helping Savette I would find a way to make her eat that word.

  “It looks clear enough to me. I’m here for the Pipe. I’ll call the dragons to follow us into the warrens.” My face must have betrayed me, but she smirked. “You can’t keep secrets from me, Amel. Did you think I didn’t know? That Lenora didn’t tell me what happened at the arches? For that matter, why do you think I came to Vanika and not Cabradis, which was closer. I know more than you think I do.”

  My brow crinkled as a wave of cold washed over me. How did she know about Vanika? How had they arrived here? She was insinuating that she had some way to track me – to watch me – when she wasn’t there. That couldn’t be true ... could it?

  We’ll have to find out.

  Behind Jalla, Rakturan and Enkenay landed on the scorched earth.

  “Your War Princes are ready to move, War Leader,” Rakturan called.

  My eyes narrowed. We’d made promises to each other about keeping his people and mine safe and helping Savette, but we’d never said anything about information. And I knew the Troglodytes had chosen him as much as they’d chosen me. Perhaps he had watched me in visions and told the Winged Prince.

  It’s a good theory.

  I would have to be careful what I told Rakturan.

  Chapter Six

  MY FIRST STEP BACK into the warrens was the most terrifying. My will told me to press forward but my mind and heart were a gibbering terrified mess in the background wailing as my crutches led the way into the darkness. Jalla had insisted we wait to mount the dragons until we were inside.

  “Otherwise the soldiers won’t believe it is safe to walk into the tunnel,” was her excuse. As if the warrens were ever ‘safe’ for anyone.

  I leaned a shoulder against Raolcan as I walked. I would have liked to place a hand on him, but I was still using both crutches even though I thought I might be able to get away with just one again. Dax’s was carved wood and nice, but it didn’t move as easily or fit nearly as well as the one Hubric had given me and I was growing weary of having both hands full.

  As soon as I leaned against him, a vision washed through me. Leng was shifting in a dark space that smelled of dust. He moved and I could feel wool against his skin. Was
he behind a tapestry? Voices filtered in from behind the curtain.

  “... only a month and Ko’Torenth will be ready to send troops to support us. Are you really telling me this rebellion can’t be held back for a few more weeks?”

  That voice! I would recognize it anywhere. Iskaris!”

  My mouth went dry as Leng shifted his weight. What was he doing in such a dangerous place? He shouldn’t be there! He must be at the very heart of Dominion City!

  “Did you hear something?”

  Iskaris’ question set my heart pounding, but before I could see what happened next, I was back in the real world, stepping into the cool darkness of the cave.

  “There, see? She walked through a stone door without dying.” Hubric’s tone was dry as he spoke to Jalla. “Can the rest of us get a move on? I’ve already lit my lantern and I don’t want to lose the light. Do you know how hard it was to find fuel oil in this city after a fire? And now that you’ve put the dragons at the very back it will be hard for them to light anything for us along the way. Only those disgusting Sentries are behind them.”

  I hated his reminder of the dark, but he was right. We were lined up in the rubble of the tower – me in the warren, Hubric, Rakturan, Jalla, Renn and their dragons next, and the Baojang army after them. The Serpent Prince had relegated the dragons to the tail end of the procession and the Sentries were to follow them at the very end. I thought he was treating them like herd dogs and the dragons like sheep – which showed a lot of ignorance about each species.

  We could shred those lampreys like torn noodles if we needed to.

  Ugh.

  “First, hand me the Pipe, Amel.” At my reluctance, Jalla raised an eyebrow looking at the army at her back.

  I gave her the Pipe, but the moment it left my hands I was rocked by a second vision. Savette studied a paper in her hand.