Dragon School: Dust of Death

by Wilson, Sarah K. L.

  “And there was nothing else?” she asked the man in front of her. “Only a satchel of dust and this note?”

  “I swear it.”

  “Hmmm.” She opened the note as she spoke. “A strange thing for an assassin to sneak into the heart of our camp with nothing more than a knife, a bag of dust and a note.”

  “What does it say?” a voice asked from beside her. I turned to see a woman dressed in fine wools – a Castelan. Was she one of Savette’s allies?

  Savette glanced down and I read the words on the paper.

  “We will take the strength of the Dominion from under your seat. Your lives are forfeit for hoarding it throughout this age. The wealth shall be redistributed. The privilege removed. The strength given to the weak. Take warning.”

  There was the sign of a tower under the writing.

  What did it mean? It sounded like something Renn might say but carried by an assassin ... that was different. What sort of an assassin brought a bag of dust with them.

  “The man was from Ko’Torenth,” the messenger told Savette. “We found coins and dried fire vines in his clothing.”

  “But why would they send this vague message?” The Castelan asked. Her wrinkled face twisted in thought as she spoke.

  That bag of dust was just like the one Dax had found on his dead friend – a strange thing to bring with you to kill. Was it a symbol? Some sort of token or talisman?

  I returned to the real world just as Jalla threw the Pipe at me. “This thing is junk!”

  It bounced off Raolcan’s flank and Tor caught it, offering it respectfully to me.

  “Thank you,” I said. Turning back to Jalla as Hubric began to whisper to Tor about remembering his part of the bargain and returning to Ephretti until Hubric came back for him. I held the Pipe up and caught Jalla’s eye. “Do you want the dragons to follow us into the warrens and fight with us on the other side?”

  It was lucky for her that so few people could see me from here - only her and my friends and a handful of Baojang princes. If I had been on a hill where everyone could listen, this would have been the perfect speech.

  “The dragons are not our slaves, Jalla. They are free to come as they wish and go as they must. But let’s see if they would like to come with us.”

  I adjusted the arm and blew a three-note tune. I couldn’t even see from here if it worked.

  They come, Raolcan said to me. I have instructed them to follow at the back of the line in the place they were assigned – between the army and the Sentries.

  How did they feel about the Sentries?

  No one knows if they taste good or not. It’s hard to live with an unanswered question like that looming over us...

  Jalla’s face was so cold that I didn’t know whether it was rage or jealousy making it look like death had come early to her.

  Both. Be careful, Amel. Petty people can do very cruel things.

  But I had already turned around and begun to mount Raolcan. What did I care if the Winged Prince hated me? She had already taken me as a “slave” and taken all my victories for her own. What more could her anger take?

  The warrens, now. They were a different matter. They had almost taken my life last time. I would not let them finish the job this time.

  Chapter Seven

  AT LEAST I DIDN’T NEED to walk on crutches the whole way through the warrens. I kept reminding myself of that as the cool damp of the first tunnel penetrated through to my bones and filled me with remembered dread. Raolcan and I led the group at the very front, a lantern from Hubric attached to the saddle on a long pole he’d hewn from a sapling before we left. He followed me, a similar pole holding his own lantern. Jalla rode behind him with Renn and I could hear her chastising him - a background noise as we wound through the tunnel, moving ever downward into the belly of the earth.

  “If we incorporate the citizens of the Dominion into your rule they will finally be equal – subject to the same rules and strictures instead of the tyranny of merit.”

  “What, exactly, do you mean by that, Castelan?”

  “Well, citizens of the Dominion have to work and fight all their lives for respect and position, but in Baojang it is granted by a higher authority, equally to all.”

  “You think you are my equal?”

  “Well, we are getting married...”

  “You will never be my equal, Castelan. You should feel great honor that I have chosen you for a consort. And you should be thinking about how your lands and blood can purchase for us greater dominance and influence.”

  “Ummm...”

  “And if you can’t think of that, then perhaps I can find someone more useful.”

  I tuned them out, focusing on the way ahead. I could almost smell the stink of Ifrits ahead.

  It’s all in your mind. Ifrits smell of nothing but dust.

  Dust. Bags of dust.

  Wait. How, exactly, did Magikas bring up Ifrits from the ground? When I had been shot and lying on the ground to bleed to death the Magika had screamed at Lenora.

  He said that without the aid to his magic brought by the Healing Arches he would need blood instead.

  Bags of dust and knives ... could it really be so simple? Could these assassins – like the one found by Savette – be there to unleash an Ifrit? Did they just need the blood to finish the effort?

  It couldn’t be just any kind of dust, could it? Or why bring it with them?

  Well, there wouldn’t be much dust in a city – or at least not all in one place.

  So, they kill an innocent person and use their lifeblood in some sort of dark magic to raise up an Ifrit? How chilling.

  How utterly unstoppable. A man could bring a bag of dust anywhere. He could open it up and kill someone anywhere. I looked behind me nervously. There were hundreds of people behind me with bags.

  Soldiers. With their equipment on their backs. Not assassins.

  But how did he know? Now that I knew, I couldn’t help but suspect everyone.

  Even me?

  Okay, not everyone.

  The air felt too thin with so many people jammed into the narrow tunnel. I hadn’t wondered if we would run out of air. But I should have, shouldn’t I? They had probably already blocked up the entrance...

  Actually, even though we’ve been walking for two hours, there are still dragons entering the tunnel behind us. We’re taking a massive horde with us through here.

  And did he really think he could work the portal if we got to it? He hadn’t been able to before.

  No guarantees, but I wasn’t completely idle at the Dawn Gate.

  What?

  Well, there were a lot of dragons there. I asked around. Some of them were curiously well-informed.

  How did I not know this?

  I can’t possibly tell you everything.

  I felt so stunned that I rode in mental silence for a few minutes before the chagrin of it hit me. Raolcan was always one step ahead of me.

  A dragon has to try.

  And what about the dust and the knives? Was he ahead on that, too?

  No. We both thought of that at the same time. So, I guess there is only one last puzzle for you. What do the Rock Eaters, Baojang, and Ko’Torenth have in common?

  They are neighbors of the Dominion.

  And?

  They are allied against us.

  And?

  They want something from us.

  You are very close. Keep thinking.

  Why didn’t he just tell me if he’d already figured this one out?

  Because I think you need to get there by yourself. There are implications to it that will make a huge difference to you.

  Well, now I really wanted to know.

  I think I see the first marker ahead.

  A hub?

  Yes. And I see the glow of the sigil. If we are lucky, it’s undamaged.

  Would that be lucky or unlucky? After all, if it was undamaged then the Ifrits may have been using it all this time to plunge deep into the heart of th
e Dominion.

  But now we know they can come from anywhere with the right ingredients.

  What were they? Products of magic or true living entities?

  Enemies. That is all we need to know. We will rip and tear them to pieces.

  We stepped out onto the bridge that led to the center hub. I could sense it immediately. Something was not right.

  Chapter Eight

  “WHAT IS THAT?” THE murmur came from the ground beside us. How had the Serpent Prince snuck up here?

  “You shouldn’t be at the front,” I whispered.

  “What is that monstrous thing?”

  Above the carved dragon figure in the center of the hub, an Ifrit floated, detached from the ground. It was as if it slept, its usual gashes of fire and brimstone that served as eyes and mouth were shut. Was it alone? I glanced furtively from side to side, my breath coming quicker.

  Even if we wanted to turn around there are hundreds behind us. We cannot run.

  I settled for venting at the Serpent Prince. “Weren’t you at the Kah’deem?”

  “I was not. I did not see Jalla’s victory.”

  Hubric pressed forward so that Kyrowat’s head was almost touching me as he pushed into Raolcan’s back.

  His voice was hushed. “Whatever it’s doing, we’ll have to fight it. If you sweep wide to the right, I’ll take the left and we can try to pinch it between us.”

  Solid enough plan.

  I didn’t like that it was sleeping. Somehow, an Ifrit in motion felt better than one lying in wait. What did it know that we didn’t?

  “Take me with you!” the Serpent Prince said, his eyes alight.

  I ignored him, hunching low in the saddle as I prepared for Raolcan’s leap. As he leapt, I felt myself slipping to the left. I gripped the saddle hard, hoping my straps would hold. My bad leg was caught on something! Fear rose as I tugged at it. But no – we hadn’t stopped, we were still rising!

  And then I felt the pressure moving higher and I looked down to see the Serpent Prince holding my leg as we flew through the black of night.

  “You’re insane!”

  Grab him and get him up quickly! He’s thrown us off balance.

  “What does it matter?” he asked. “It’s the useless one, isn’t it?”

  “It’s still useful to me!”

  I reached down, trying to push back nerves as I pulled him up. I wished I could just push him off and let him fall. His comment disgusted me.

  This felt too much like last time. It was almost as if I could still hear the pounding of hundreds of Ifrits on the door, feel them rushing behind us, see again Iskaris stealing the mask and pulling the Dominar out of the circle of safety and now another enemy sought to take what wasn’t his.

  “Jalla isn’t the only one who should have a dragon rider to serve her,” he said with a grunt, pulling himself up into the saddle behind me. “And I think she owes me your service. After all, most of the soldiers here are mine. How do you steer this beast?”

  “I’m not available for the taking,” I said tightly.

  He whispered his response in my ear, and the act was too close – too intimate. It made me shiver with revulsion. Perhaps this was why they called him ‘Serpent Prince.’

  “I know who wins Jalla’s battles. I think you could win some for me. I’ll even offer you something she can’t. I’ll marry you – with all the status that brings – and just like Renn manages her dragon, you can manage mine. Obviously, with that leg, you won’t be bearing my children, but the arrangements I make for that will not impinge upon your standing. Now that is a better offer than you’ll receive from anyone.”

  “No,” I said, my voice a ghost as the horror of his proposal washed over me. Would Jalla really give me to him? With this army, how could I stop them? I swallowed as I watched the Ifrit growing closer, worry knotting deep in my belly. I could see my life playing out just as he said – forced to fly him here and there as he whispered directions I couldn’t stop in my ear. I felt sick.

  “Then how about this, instead?” His tone remained low – pitched only for my ears as we soared toward the sleeping monster. “How about if you kill Jalla for me down here in these caverns? It’s so dark that no one will know. You’ll be free of her, and I promise that once you return us to the surface you’ll be free of me.”

  “I won’t be killing anyone,” I said tightly. I didn’t like how close he was sitting or how he chuckled in my ear.

  “I can guarantee you one thing. You will give me Jalla or she will give me you. There is no third option.”

  Or you could kill him like Jalla asked you to.

  But I didn’t think I could do that. I remembered when I wanted to kill Iskaris. What had Hubric said? He’d said that the consequences went a lot further than I thought. And what about when I thought I could conquer a city? Just thinking of it now brought thoughts that stabbed through my brain like jagged glass shards. The mind-numbing shame of what I had done hurt too much to dwell on. Thinking about it again was like picking up red-hot metal with your bare hands. My mind shied away from even allowing it.

  My fault. Still my fault.

  No, I wouldn’t be killing anyone.

  We circled the Ifrit, my fear of the dust creature lessened by my horror of the human creature on my back. One loop and no reaction. Hubric shook his head with a frown.

  Strange. What was it doing here, still as a statue?

  Raolcan slowly circled lower around the glowing dragon statue at the center of the hub. The huge glyph at its feet glowed a bright purple over the dusty stone floor and the runes along its base flickered with light. I tensed, anticipating his landing, but had to grab for support when he spun suddenly, neck arching around and wings shooting upward so quickly that the Serpent Prince fell from his seat. Raolcan snatched him in his jaws, shook him twice and spat him into the circle.

  No one talks to my human like that.

  I didn’t know if I should laugh or choke on my laughter. There would be a price to pay for that. And I wasn’t even a little bit sorry.

  Chapter Nine

  “SO, WHY IS THERE AN Ifrit hanging over us looking like he might dive down and shred us to pieces at any moment?” Jalla asked as Ahummal landed beside us.

  I hadn’t been able to tear my eyes away from the motionless statue since we landed. It gave me the creeps. I had the horrible suspicion that if I turned my back for even a second it would come to life and gobble me up.

  “If we had answers, Winged Prince, we’d be sure to offer them,” Habrida, the Serpent Prince, said with a smirk. Even a good shaking by a dragon couldn’t wipe the confidence out of him – though I noticed he wouldn’t look at Raolcan or me.

  Good. If he so much as looks my way, I’ll shake him again.

  But you couldn’t treat people like that. Especially not powerful leaders of armies.

  I’m pretty sure that I just did...

  “I’d like an answer, Amel,” Jalla said. I glanced at her for a moment. “If you don’t know what the Ifrit is doing there, or why it is motionless, then can I suggest you at least find a way to carry out my orders?”

  She shot a significant look at Habrida. It was true. When he grabbed my leg it had been the opportunity to kick him into the darkness and let him fall to his death. But if she didn’t realize I wasn’t the kind of woman who would do that, then she didn’t know me at all.

  I settled on something safer to say aloud. “We’re figuring out how to transport your army, Winged Prince.”

  Raolcan was focused on the center statue, studying it carefully, just as I’d said.

  It’s intact and working. Well, mostly working. It looks like it can only take us two places – the other runes are damaged.

  And where were those places?

  Somewhere near Dominion City and somewhere close to Leedris City. I can’t tell specifically.

  Perhaps the Leedris City entrance let to the caves we’d sheltered in before we entered the warrens the first time.


  Possibly, but I don’t think so.

  “What’s taking so long?” Jalla asked.

  “It’s not like gutting fish,” Hubric said lazily. He must have landed behind us. “If you’re lucky enough to find someone able to tune the hub, it still takes time.”

  Hmm... it’s tuned right now for Leedris City. And the runes are ... stiff would be a way to put it, although it feels more complex than that. I’m a little worried that if I try to change it I might break it.

  “The Hub is tuned to Leedris City,” I said.

  Jalla motioned to Renn who pulled a map from his saddlebags to show her in the lantern light.

  “Remember when I told you it would be better to go to Leedris first?” he said, excitedly. “Better to establish a stronghold there, so we don’t have enemies on every side. And it will be harder for the Dominion to ask for it back if we take it and occupy it before a decisive conflict to the south.”

  He was sharing strategies to defeat his own country with her? My eyes went large and I felt hot at his words. This was outrageous! It was hard to think clearly when all I wanted to do was shout at him.

  “Leedris will be just right,” Jalla said, as if it were as easy as ordering more wine from her servants.

  But I didn’t want to go to Leedris. That was days away from where we could help Savette! If we went to all this trouble I wanted to go to Dominion City.

  I’m really not sure that tampering with the hub is a good idea right now. If it’s working, why risk it? You’ve seen how easy it is for them to stop working entirely.

  How many times would this one work?

  There’s no way to know.

  And how many times would it take to get all these people through?

  Many.

  Like how many?

  Many. Many. Many.

  Well, that was helpful.

  Don’t blame me! It’s not me who brought an army down here.

  I clenched my jaw. No. It was me who brought the army down here. Me, who was relying on him to use this hub over and over. Me, who knew that if we went to Leedris City there would be another battle like the one I started at Vanika, another chance to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocents. I could still smell the smoke on me from when Vanika burned.