Dragons of Siberia (The Dashkova Memoirs Book 7)

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  The Jörmungandr paused, looking back at us while its tongue tasted the air.

  "I'll take care of you later," it said, before turning back towards the wounded dragon.

  "Are you that afraid of me?" I screamed, the echoes of my words bouncing off frozen walls, forming an eerie tremor to my voice. "You know you have no chance to win. Veles only put you here to slow me down. He never expected you to actually kill me."

  The serpent paused, its neck hunched, tongue flickering angrily.

  "You're just a distraction for Veles. In fact, he probably knew that it wouldn't matter if he placed you in my way or not. The prophecies cannot be denied, and they'll find a way to warp reality whether or not he bothers to try. So I suspect he was using me to take care of you since your destiny is to be the herald of the end times," I said.

  "Quiet!" screamed the serpent in my mind.

  I fell to my knees, holding my ears even though that did nothing.

  "No! I won't. But you will when we slay you, beast, teller of lies, harbinger of nothing," I shouted.

  The Jörmungandr turned and flew towards our location. As I readied my magic, Ana stepped to my side.

  "Let me do it, Mother. I studied the pillar. It's already damaged. I know how to do this," she said.

  "But you might get killed when it falls," I said.

  "Let me do this," she said, and my heart welled with pride.

  I pulled her towards me and kissed her forehead before taking a step back. My magic frothed to the surface, ready for commands, but I kept it at bay.

  As the Jörmungandr came rushing towards us, she cracked the pillar at the base with a curl of her fist. The ice shifted and broke away from the ceiling. Chunks as large as airships broke away and fell into the lake bed.

  The pillar began to fall forward, towards the serpent. When I saw its trajectory, I thought it was falling too slow. But then it sped up, and the Jörmungandr's ridged eyes arched as if it had just noticed the falling pillar. The serpent tried to dodge at the last second, but the ice had gained too much speed.

  The ice pillar impacted with the Jörmungandr, smack in the center of its scaled head, driving the spear Gungnir through its skull. A great cry filled the empty lake as I felt the bond to the Jörmungandr pull away from my mind.

  I was free.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  We weren't out of danger yet, as the falling pillar started a chain reaction with the rest of the lake. The structural piece had held up the center of the lake, and without it, the rest of the ice fell in.

  We ran towards the area that had already fallen, putting us out of danger. As the moonlight flooded down upon our shoulders like silvery dust, arm in arm we watched the final destruction of Ice Lake.

  At first—our senses heightened from the battle with the great serpent—we flinched at each explosion when the ice crashed into the frozen ground. After a while, we stopped reacting.

  "It's like Independence Day on the fourth of July in America," I said.

  "They throw ice on the ground in celebration?" asked Ana.

  "No," I said, laughing, "they use fireworks, though none make explosions as loud as these."

  From behind us came the dragon, climbing over the uneven ground. Her claws scraped against the ice as she limped. Most of the ice had fallen into the lake, so we could hear ourselves think. Tugain stopped, holding herself at an awkward angle to protect her wounded wing.

  "Greetings, Tugain," I said, bowing. "Thank you for coming to our rescue. We would have perished had you not interfered."

  "My involvement was only the boon of fortune. I saw an opportunity to eliminate my foe," said the dragon.

  A cold hand seized my heart. "The origin of this brief alliance matters little. Only that we prevailed."

  Tugain's scaly eyebrow rose, while its grand mouth stretched into a grin. "So only the results matter? Any method that achieves said goals is worthy of following?"

  The dragon's words struck true. I'd been in her mind, which meant she'd had some access to mine. Clearly, she'd picked up on my conundrum.

  "No," I said, shaking my head. "I spoke poorly. The methods matter as much as the final result. Apologies, these are thoughts that still do not come naturally to me."

  The dragon chuckled. "Do not despair. It was your honest wrestling with these difficult questions that led me to interfere. That and your willingness to risk my wrath rather than eliminate me."

  "I could not bring myself to murder you. I'd only come for the spear," I said.

  The dragon shifted, which brought a brief tortured roar to her lips.

  "Are you in pain, dragon?" asked Ana.

  "My wing is broken," said Tugain, looking around. "I cannot fly out with only one wing."

  Ana said, "Let me fix it. I am trained in the healing arts."

  The dragon looked suspiciously at my daughter, but then reluctantly presented her mangled wing.

  After a few minutes of careful examination, Ana put her hands on the bone, one on either side of the break. Then she closed her eyes. I sensed her inward focus as she pushed her magic into the wound to heal it.

  The broken wing began to close, which caused the dragon to lean her head back and spit fire into the sky. I feared Tugain might kill Ana in a pain-rage.

  Ana fell away from the wing, and I caught her. Her forehead was damp with sweat.

  Tugain stretched her wings wide, giving a tentative thrust that threw cold wind in our faces.

  "My thanks, Anastasia," said the dragon.

  Before I could speak, Tugain's head whipped around to face the tunnel exit. Two figures limped in our direction.

  "Ben! Brassy!" I cried.

  When they reached us, we hugged, tears of happiness on our faces. Ben looked like he'd been dragged behind a steam carriage for twenty miles, while Brassy looked like she'd climbed out of a dust mine.

  I introduced Brassy to the dragon, who gave the glass arm a tentative sniff. Her eyebrows rose, but she said nothing.

  Ben inquired about the dead serpent, whose body lay at the bottom of the lake bed. I recounted the details, emphasizing Tugain's role as much as possible.

  "It's going to feed a lot of scavengers for a long time," said Ana.

  "Why was it working for Veles?" asked Brassy.

  I shrugged. "Maybe it thought he would be the new local god and wanted to court favor. Or possibly the Jörmungandr wanted power for itself by controlling me."

  "That serpent wanted nothing more than the destruction of the world," said Tugain. "Why else do you think the myths speak of its role in Ragnarök? There is always a kernel of truth within every myth, no matter how fantastical."

  "So sayith the talking dragon," said Ben with an impish grin.

  The dragon leaned towards Ben. "I can see why I'd heard of you with a tongue like that."

  Ben put a hand to his chest in mock injury. "You're making it very difficult for me to practice my Virtues. I'll have to work extra hard on humility now."

  My face was sore from the cold, but it felt good to let it crack wide in a smile.

  "What will you do now?" I asked the dragon.

  "Return to my younglings," she said.

  "Would you do us a favor?" I asked hopefully.

  A faint rumble formed in the dragon's throat, reminding me that we were only temporary allies. "You are an insistent human. Speak quickly."

  Chapter Forty-Four

  After refueling the airship with more kindling, a task made easier with Tugain's help, we flew back to the Aerie. The storm wall no longer haunted the southern expanse, which indicated the Jörmungandr had been behind its creation.

  Tugain flew beside us, though it was clear our slow speed held her back. I spent most of that journey watching the dragon beat her glorious wings in the dim light of morning, remembering the brief time I'd been in her mind, wishing I could feel that way again.

  We landed in the Aerie on the platform. This time the Nenet people did not greet us with weapons raised, as Tugain had
landed at our side.

  A small contingent with the captain at the head met us at the landing area. Her lips were set and she kept glancing towards Tugain as she approached.

  "Greetings, Captain," I said.

  "What sorcery is this?" asked the captain.

  Tugain answered for me. "I vouch for them, Iskly. They have slain the Great Beast with my help."

  The captain's stoic face broke with relief, and momentary joy, before her eyes snapped open.

  "The Yaran?" she asked.

  "They have fled Ice Lake, no longer dominated by that beast. I do not know where they are headed, but I ask you not to blame them for what happened here," I said.

  The captain's jaw rippled with annoyance at mention of the raid.

  "Why did you come here?" she asked, her tone indicating she'd still not forgiven us.

  "To return your airship," I said.

  Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You're bringing back the Siberian Destiny?"

  A ripple of laughter traveled through our group as we heard the name for the first time.

  "Yes, and no," I said. "If you notice, the storm wall is gone. It was placed there to keep me and my friends from reaching Moscow."

  "Why?" asked the captain.

  "Because we can stop the people trying to take over Russia and the world," I said.

  "You?" she asked incredulously.

  "We killed the Jörmungandr," I said simply.

  Tugain spoke. "Listen to her. She speaks the truth. More than this world is at stake."

  The captain thought for a moment and then nodded.

  "We need to get to Moscow," I said. "But we didn't want to take your airship, leaving you without it, since you need it to survive here."

  "You want us to take you there," she said.

  "Yes. Then you can have your ship back, and you won't have to worry about us again," I said as I stole a glance at Brassy. I had another request of the captain, to take Brassy back with them so she wasn't in danger anymore, but I wasn't going to say anything right now.

  "We just need to take you to Moscow and then we can return. Nothing more?" she asked.

  "Nothing more," I said.

  The captain didn't appear to believe us at first, but then she nodded her head.

  "I accept, if only for Tugain's involvement," she said.

  We stayed in the Aerie for the next few days while they prepared the Siberian Destiny for the long trip south to Moscow. They gave us a small house to stay in, and brought food, but otherwise no one spoke to us.

  On the day that we were to leave, Tugain again visited with us before we loaded into the airship. The dragon wanted to speak to me alone, away from the others.

  "Are you prepared for what's to come?" asked the dragon.

  "Did you see something in the prophecies?" I asked, remembering that Tugain had been in my head.

  "Briefly did I brush against them, and they gave me the impression there is a great decision ahead of you. One filled with awful pain and a terrible price," said Tugain, whose scaly face appeared almost sympathetic. "Are you prepared?"

  "I have no choice," I said.

  "No," said Tugain. "You'll have every choice. It'll be up to you."

  The weight of that eventual decision seemed too far away. "There are many events before I reach that day."

  The dragon spoke in a raspy hush. "Remember that I saw in your head the decisions that plague you. You wish to shed the cloak of your past and embrace the Enlightenment, and for the Jörmungandr, you were able to keep your ideals while slaying the beast. But what if the only solution requires you to give up everything you believe in to save the multiverse? What will you do then?"

  I had no answer for the dragon. We stood in silence for a long time. Eventually the dragon started to move away.

  "Farewell, Katerina Dashkova, Eater of Prophecy, Decider at the End Times. I do not envy you. Be well and may you find peace no matter what you decide," said Tugain.

  After the dragon left, I joined Ben in the pilot room of the Siberian Destiny. Ana and Brassy stood at the window, waiting quietly.

  "What did Tugain say?" he asked.

  "She was warning me of the difficulties ahead," I said.

  He winked at me. "I think we're well acquainted of our struggles."

  I gave him a smile despite my reservations.

  The captain entered the room, wearing her coat, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  "Are you ready to depart?" she asked.

  I nodded, my heart heavy with thoughts of the future.

  When the Siberian Destiny lifted into the sky, my stomach churned at the rapid change in elevation. Then the rough ride smoothed out and we headed south with the sun on our left. The snowy expanse below glittered like a field of jewels. The mountains wore a cloak of white, highlighted with dark green pines. We soared above them, floating through the pale sky with no clouds ahead.

  We were on our way to Moscow.

  ###

  Purchase the final book in the series, Book Eight: Shadows of an Empire on Amazon.

  Sign up for a newsletter to know when the newest book is released!

  Also by Thomas K. Carpenter

  THE DIGITAL SEA TRILOGY

  The Digital Sea

  The Godhead Machine

  Neochrome Aurora

  GAMERS TRILOGY

  GAMERS

  FRAGS

  CODERS

  ALEXANDRIAN SAGA

  Fires of Alexandria

  Heirs of Alexandria

  Legacy of Alexandria

  Warmachines of Alexandria

  Empire of Alexandria

  Voyage of Alexandria

  Goddess of Alexandria

  MIRROR SHARDS ANTHOLOGY

  Mirror Shards: Volume One

  Mirror Shards: Volume Two

  THE DASHKOVA MEMOIRS

  Revolutionary Magic

  A Cauldron of Secrets

  Birds of Prophecy

  The Franklin Deception

  Nightfell Games

  The Queen of Dreams

  Dragons of Siberia

  Shadows of an Empire

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Thomas K. Carpenter resides near St. Louis with his wife Rachel and their two children. When he’s not busy writing his next book, he’s playing soccer in the yard with his kids or getting beat by his wife at cards. He keeps a regular blog and can be found on twitter under @thomaskcarpente.

  To learn about new releases from Thomas K. Carpenter, and receive free books and gifts on occasion, sign up for his newsletter.