“Are you certain he’ll be there?”
She shook her head.
“He wasn’t very helpful when you were being given away as a tribute bride.”
She pressed her lips together like she would say no more about it. My chest felt tight and my heart was racing. This was one thing I couldn’t allow! Hubric would be furious if he knew I let the Chosen One slip away. Rakturan would be equally angry to hear his bride was undefended. What was I supposed to do?
“You can’t,” I said, spitting out the words over my thick tongue. I was so stunned that I felt like I could hardly talk at all.
She crossed her arms. “We all have our responsibilities, Amel, and I’m not a pet that will follow you all the rest of my life. I have my own path to walk. By nightfall, we’ll reach the mountains and camp south of Leedris Castelan. The next day, we’ll arrive. You can deliver your messages and you and I will part ways.”
“But-”
“I’ve thought a long time about this, and I think it’s best. I’m done hiding. It’s time to show the world who I am.”
Chapter Ten
This was a complete disaster! It was up to me to make sure that it didn’t happen. But how did I do that? I didn’t have any allies here except Raolcan. Who was going to help me convince her not to leave us? Maybe I should just follow her? She couldn’t stop that, could she?
And your messages?
How important could they be, really? I pulled the first one from the slot and opened the seal, frustration filling me as I pulled out the tiny slip of paper detailing military logistics and the armies being sent north. Important, but in Leedris Castel I could find someone else to carry that message.
And will they tell the Dominar that the ground has burst open and Ifrits rage across his land? My dragons did not kill all of them.
They could do that. You could say the whole thing in a single sentence.
And will they tell him of the coastal invasion?
They could do that, too. It didn’t have to be me bringing the messages.
Actually, it does.
It really didn’t. Hot tears ran down my face. When had I started crying? But I was just so mad. Everyone left me.
That wasn’t Hubric’s fault. Or Leng’s. Or mine. Or Rakturan’s.
Everyone kept me in the dark.
That’s unfair.
I pulled open a second message. It bore news of Starie’s visit. I could tell the Dominar who Starie was and how much to trust her, but so could someone else. I shoved it back in its cylinder and into my belt. I grabbed a third message. Leng would be horrified. He would tell me to put them all back. But he wasn’t here, was he? It was only me here, all alone to deal with this mess.
Hey! That hurts! I’m here, too.
“Oh yeah?” I said, “Then if you’re here, stop keeping secrets from me. Where did you go? Why were you sent to Dragon School and why am I the one who has to deliver the message to the Dominar?”
Calm down. Take a deep breath. You are not owed all the information in the world. But to satisfy your curiosity, I went to see a representative of Haz’drazen. She has given me a message for the Dominar that I am sworn to give to him directly. I may not share it with anyone else until that time.
“So you were being all mysterious because you didn’t want to hurt my feelings?”
You have enough troubles of your own. Focus on them. But know that there are two things we must do. We must bring Haz’drazen’s message to the Dominar, and we must keep Savette safe.
Because she was the Chosen One.
And because I owe it to my home and people to keep her safe. That was what I was charged with before I left for Dragon School.
I felt that knowledge click into place like a key in the correct lock, and as it turned in my mind I gasped. He’d said he’d gone against what he was supposed to do when he chose me. He’d said that he was sent to Dragon School to honor their pact. He said that Eeamdor had to step up when Raolcan chose me. Together, it seemed so obvious. Haz’drazen had sent Raolcan to Dragon School to choose Savette for his rider. Somehow, they’d known before the rest of us that she was the Chosen One and they’d sent their prince to be her dragon.
The knowledge knocked my breath out. My head spun with what it meant. If Raolcan had chosen Savette, she would have had his protection and strength. She wouldn’t have been snatched at the Ruby Isles – I was certain he’d have found a way to be there to stop that. She wouldn’t have needed to be saved by me. She wouldn’t need protection now.
So why had he ruined all that by choosing me?
There are people who save the world in obvious ways, Amel, and there are people who save what’s best about us in less obvious ways. One is not more important than the other. Remember that when you doubt your path.
Chapter Eleven
I blinked away moisture in my eyes and cleared my throat.
We needed to get flying again, but I had time to read one more message. I pulled out the next cylinder from my belt as I looked around the rocky dell we’d set down in. I couldn’t see Savette anywhere. She may have slipped behind one of the rocks for a little privacy. She was still human, after all.
The mid-day sun was hot and both dragons were stretched completely out on the rocks, sunning themselves. I sat down and examined this next message. In the bright sunlight, the outer markings were easy to pick out. This cylinder had a boar on the outside and was addressed to Lieutenant Iskaris, Dominar’s Dragoons. Wait. I knew that name.
I pulled out the message from the Dusk Covenant. Just as I’d remembered, Lieutenant Iskaris was listed as the man to send word to when their invasion was complete. I was carrying a message addressed to him. What would it say? I swallowed and cracked open the message.
Maybe reading these hadn’t been the best idea. My hands fumbled with the cylinder and it took three tries to get the message out of its holder.
“Iskaris,” it read. “Continue as planned and watch for news from our invasion force. We have reason to believe that the Dark Prince escaped without suspicion during Baojang’s attempt on the Dominar. He continues to be an asset we can rely on. When he surfaces again he may contact you. Watch for his message and send word as soon as you have any.
There was nothing but an ink stamp of a boar as the signature. I reread the message. Could it be true?
That Rakturan is working for our enemies? Just because they think he is, doesn’t mean that he really is.
I was still reading it when I heard a twig crack. I looked up quickly, hiding the message in my pocket.
“What do you have there?” Savette asked, stepping forward and putting out her hand. In the golden mid-day sun, her hair shone like gold. In the sky, a raven shrieked, making me jump.
“It’s one of the messages I’m to deliver.”
“You’re reading them even though Leng asked you not to?” She tilted her head to the side, emphasizing both her question and criticism of me.
I felt my cheeks heat. What if she knew what was in the message I was holding? Would she worry that Rakturan was untrustworthy just like I was?
I don’t think he’s working for our enemies. Or at least, not anymore.
“You look upset,” Savette said.
“I am upset.” Why lie? Didn’t she have a right to know what was in the message? I couldn’t quite look at her, though. Instead, my eyes drifted over the rolling foothills we’d set down in. You could see a long way from here. Maybe as far as the Eastern Sea, though puffy white clouds hid the horizon right now.
“Let me see.” She held her hand out and, reluctantly, I put the tiny slip of paper into it.
She read it and handed it back. “Let’s get going. We’re wasting time here.”
“You’re not worried about the note?”
“I know who Rakturan is. I married him for a reason.” She was already on her dragon, strapping in. She looked like the goddess of dragons in her filmy white dress on the back of her serpentine red dragon. The flamboyant blue
and white sky behind her only amplified the look.
I climbed up on Raolcan’s back. Savette’s gaze shone at my back and I felt awkward. Did she judge me for doubting her husband?
Raolcan launched into the sky, barrel rolling as he ascended.
Stop worrying. There’s nothing you can do whether he is guilty or innocent.
But there had to be something. I should warn someone. Savette needed more protection than ever. I tucked the slip of paper back into its cylinder and into my message belt. I wouldn’t deliver that one, but if we found Hubric, then I would show it to him. I hadn’t felt this ... lost ... since I’d joined Dragon School. I wanted to go in so many different directions - with Leng, with Savette – and yet I was stuck flying to find the Dominar.
We flew through the clear skies and I watched as the forest faded to mountains. We flew higher, crossing over the arm of the mountains as we moved toward Leedris Castel. When we got there, Savette would leave on her own. That ate at me. I wasn’t going to think about how angry I was with her for putting herself at risk. I wasn’t going to spend all my time worrying about her safety.
I spun Hubric’s davari on my finger. Was he near to here? Leng had said that I needed to find a mountain called “the Peak of the Morning” but there were dozens of different mountains here and rolling hills as well. How would I even find the right one? Did Raolcan know which one it was?
I’m not sure. We have different names for these mountains. It might be further up along the range.
Was Hubric there already, waiting for us? Watching for us to join him? I twisted the ring in my hand and tried not to think about how long it would take him to find the Dominar and return to that spot. Probably a lot longer than two days. Which meant that even if I found the place he meant, then it would be empty and Savette would want to keep on going to Leedris Castel.
Hold on. I feel a strong current in the wind approaching.
A few moments later it hit us, a powerful force of wind that filled my ears and made me deaf to anything else. Raolcan pushed into it snout first, angling deeper into the mountains to keep from being blown aside.
I’ll try further up.
We flew upward, my breath growing more labored as we climbed. I was seeing spots.
Not good. You can’t breathe here.
We plunged down again, jostled and jolted by invisible forces until Raolcan had us almost level with the peaks of the mountains. He dipped around their shoulders, moving closer to the ground. I looked behind me to make sure Savette was still following.
Nothing.
Where was she?
I scanned the sky behind and above us.
Was that her and Eeamdor tumbling toward that blunt-headed peak? Raolcan?
I see them. I’m twisting to follow, but this wind is unnatural. It’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before. It must have knocked them off course.
I lost sight of them as they fell to the feet of the mountain. It rose like a tombstone, tall, flat and blunt, from the surrounding landscape. At least I wouldn’t lose track of where we lost them.
Hold on tight. It’s getting worse.
Chapter Twelve
It was at least another hour before we found them at the base of the mountain. Even on the ground, the wind was too powerful to hear words. Savette crouched under her dragon, the two of them tucked up against the mountainous cliff, trying to avoid the worst of the wind. I fought my pack open and pulled out my last blanket. Savette’s dress wasn’t warm enough for this wind.
Dismounting awkwardly, I stumbled to where she was and offered her the blanket. She mouthed a “thank you” but her words were lost in the wind.
She feels a great evil – like the Ifrit. She thinks the wind comes from it. I know there are other healing arches. Not all of them are on maps or even known to dragons. Perhaps the Dusk Covenant raises more Ifrits somewhere close.
This felt even worse. To cause winds so strong, what sort of ominous magic could they be creating? Was this what it was like when they made Starie into whatever she was now?
Maybe. I noticed an anomaly when we were landing here.
An anomaly?
Part of this mountain looks like it was carved out by the hands of man. If we investigate, there might be shelter there.
I motioned the Dragon Rider sign to follow to Savette and then stumbled forward, but the wind was too strong for me. I stumbled, falling hard on the rock and cutting my hand. I pulled myself up, only to lose my balance again.
You’ll have to ride.
I climbed back on and clung to Raolcan as he struggled forward against the wind. Behind us, Savette and Eeamdor did the same. She shouldn’t be alone against an enemy who could affect the weather. Couldn’t she understand that?
Look!
He was right. A crevice between two rising mountainous cliffs was in the rock we approached. It was clearly carved by humans. A large pillar it stood just outside the crevice, its shaft carved with swirling dragons. I’d never seen a pillar just left somewhere with nothing to support.
There are grips on one side. You could climb it and stand on there to look out over the horizon.
Or you could fly to the top of one of the mountains.
Not everyone has a handy all-purpose dragon, you know.
Point taken.
Behind the pillar was a crevice. It had seemed small from our angle until we drew closer. It was tucked between the rising mountains in such a way that you had to follow the curve of the land and really get in close to realize that there was more than enough room for a dragon to enter it.
We pushed against the wind – it was particularly powerful rolling over the mountain and through the narrow canyon between the mountains - and entered the crevice. Once we were inside, we immediately saw the door. It was along the mountain side of the crevice, a wide, yawning black hole, but with a carved-stone frame and steps leading into it. It was still wide enough for a dragon, so I stayed on Raolcan’s back as we slipped inside.
The silence within was almost deafening.
There’s no wind here.
My ears echoed with the sound as my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. It wasn’t dark like a cave. Long slits had been cut in the rock high above and through them, light filtered in to keep this outer room bright. A gust of flame lit up my vision and I flinched into Raolcan in surprise. A moment later the figure registered – Kyrowat!
I slid off Raolcan, but his warning was lightning fast.
Stay back. He’s hurt and angry. Go further inside while I tend to him.
Inside? I looked around. Oh. Up a set of steps on a wide platform was another door – this one, human-sized. I hobbled forward, flicking my crutch into a weapon. What had hurt Kyrowat? Was there danger behind that door?
Behind me, I heard Savette and Eeamdor enter the room, a second puff of flame told me that Kyrowat wasn’t excited to see yet another dragon.
You’d be irritated, too, if you were full of arrows.
Arrows? Where was Hubric? It wasn’t like him to leave his hurt dragon’s side.
Nausea filled me as I entered the inner room. I saw a dark footprint smeared across the stone and quickened my pace. This room was also carved from rock. There were tables, benches, shelves, water barrels and a wide stone fireplace all hewn from the rock and in front of the water barrels a bundle of rags had been left.
No. Wait. Those weren’t rags. I rushed forward, dropping to my knees beside Hubric’s fallen form. His eyes were closed, his teeth gritted, and in his hand, he held a metal ladle. He must have been trying to get water. Sweat poured from his face, mixing with the blood pooling beneath him. How long had he been here?
Since this morning. They made it almost as far as Leedris Castel, but war is upon us. They were shot out of the sky and managed to flee back to here.
Where was he hit? I pulled back his cloak, examining his leathers.
He groaned. “Knew you’d come. More on the way.”
I was so relieved to hear his voi
ce that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I settled for a muffled sob of relief.
Chapter Thirteen
“Hubric! Where are you hurt?” I drew back, looking him over. The pool of blood was sticky and crusted on the edges. Was he still bleeding?
“Caught my ribs. Can’t get back up.” He moaned.
“Savette!” I called, positioning myself to help him stand.
Savette’s hurried footsteps echoed on the stone floor and then she was beside me helping me stand Hubric up. His head lolled against her shoulder as we half-helped, half-dragged him toward one of the benches.
“I saw a glimpse of beds behind that door,” Savette said, nodding with her head to one of many doors that stood ajar around the room.
How could one old man be so heavy? We were already stumbling under his weight and I could barely manage to do my part while leaning heavily on the crutch. Carrying him the dozen steps to the door dragged for what felt like an hour. Savette was right. There were four beds in the dark room with a drain on one side of the rock floor and a rain catchment on the other. A trickle of water fed a large stone basin. At least we didn’t need to worry about water.
“This place could withstand a siege,” Savette said as we stumbled to the closest bed. “I found a storeroom off the outer sanctuary where the dragons are. It’s stocked with wine and dried foods in barrels. There are clothes and blankets. Bandages and herbs.”
I noticed she’d helped herself to a fur-lined red cloak. It looked a lot warmer than the wispy white dress beneath it. Would there be anything to help Hubric? Could he be helped?
Kyrowat can be, but he needs all my energy now. Eeamdor guards the entrance.
It was the best we had but I was still sweating with worry and fear as we laid Hubric on the nearest bed. Neither Savette or I were doctors.
“Here,” Savette said, unlacing Hubric’s leathers and stripping him to the waist. He moaned, but his eyes were shut in pain and he didn’t speak. She pointed to a mass of bruises on his side. “Broken ribs.”
Dragon School: Prince of Dragons Page 4
