“Common? I don’t think so. Unlike other Castelan families, the Woelrans are not very large. There are only a handful of them. Why? Who have you met who is a Woelran?”
“Well, do you remember that golem rider? The one who wore a helmet and led Shabren’s golems?”
“She was a Woelran?”
“Weren’t you listening when Shabren introduced her?”
“I had other things on my mind!” Zyla said, her tone high pitched in her defensiveness. “This Woelran, did you ever see her face? Was she pretty?”
“I suppose. But older. Thirties, I’d guess.”
Zyla was nodding. “And did you see signs of magic use?”
“All those golem riders are Magikas.”
She was still nodding. “It must be Katlana. She’s an important Woelran. The sister of Castelan Tenn Woelran who currently leads Woelran City.”
“That’s the name she gave,” I said dryly.
“Oh.” She colored prettily. “I guess I could have asked you for her full name.”
“She seemed like she knew what she was doing – like she was going to be hard to fight against. She was also kind to me – relatively speaking.”
Zyla was nodding. “I was worried about Woelran for two reasons. First, Tenn Woelran’s sister kept coming up as an ally of Shabren and then of Apeq. Apeq also had letters from Tenn Woelran. They’ve been trying to get him to influence a cousin to bring Baojang back into conflict with the Dominion. I had a feeling they weren’t succeeding, but that all might change when he sees an army of golems marching on his city.”
“A cousin? They have cousins in Baojang?” That was one country I never wanted to visit. They said that everyone there was a violent trickster. If I wanted to see that, I’d just look in the mirror.
“There’s one who is rumored to be married to one of their Princes. A recent development.”
Below us, the mountains were falling away and the forest thickening. Plumes of smoke rose in the honeyed sunlight above the forest, indicators of humans living there. I could use some friendly civilization. Ko’Torenth didn’t count since almost everyone there seemed to want to kill me.
“Anyway,” Zyla was saying. “We will need to be careful in Woelran. Anyone could be a traitor. Even these cheerful Green Dragon Riders.”
If I had gone to Dragon School, I had planned to choose Green.
I’m better than any Green.
I liked how boisterous they were as they rode, leaping to the front of the crowd and displaying an interesting trick before falling back and letting the next dragon have a try. It looked easier than worrying about who was trying to kill who and use which nation’s army to do it.
I sighed.
Responsibility was a death of sorts.
“A death you were never meant to die,” my mimic said, appearing suddenly on Saboraak’s neck. “Maybe you should leave them to it and keep flying south. Go to Saboraak’s lands. I bet they have a lot of fun there.”
Tell your worse half to shut up.
That was strong language coming from Saboraak. The mimic thumbed his nose at her, and her neck lengthened, zooming all the way around as if to pluck him off the base of her neck. She flamed across it and the mimic vanished.
I gasped. Flinching back from the heat of the flame.
I looked around hurriedly, hoping none of the Greens had noticed. They’d all moved up ahead of us as one of them did the equivalent of a cartwheel in mid-air. I breathed a sigh of relief and Saboraak returned to her Purple dragon shape.
Showed him. I bet he was impressed.
If you’d be caught, we would have all been in trouble. I’m not the only one with responsibilities!
But I couldn’t frown too hard. I liked that she’d shown the mimic who was boss. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Zyla tapped me on the shoulder again, though.
“You’d better watch Saboraak,” she whispered, tucking her chin over my shoulder so her words were only for me. “She could get caught goofing off like that. Even if she was just telling you off for whatever fool thing you were thinking.”
Saboraak wasn’t the only one who knew how to have a good time. Dropping the reins I was only holding for show, I wrapped an arm behind me, placed my palm on the small of Zyla’s back and pulled her in closer to me.
She squeaked but made no move to pull away.
“I like you riding up here with me,” I said, teasing. “That way there’s no room for you to plant a dagger in my back.”
I could almost hear her eyes rolling. “You know there was nothing going on between Eventen and me. I was just thinking ... just for a moment.”
“And what are you thinking about now?” I asked.
“Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a wicked smile, and devilish good looks.”
I began to grin.
“That Nostar sure is a good-looking Dragon Rider,” she finished.
My grin sagged at the same second her giggles began. Zyla. She sure could burn my socks! I needed a nice girl like Zin not one who –
Is more than a match for you?
No! One who teases me and –
Keeps up?
One who lectures me and –
Is right?
I gave up. At least Zyla’s chin felt nice tucked over my shoulder.
I pulled out my book of Ibrenicus prophecies and began to read. I was nearly through Savette’s prophecies, though they still hadn’t become clear to me. At least they were easy to remember. I found them coming back to me as I ate or fell asleep or looked at the floating clouds. There was something about them that stuck in the memory.
We flew like that – me reading and Zyla looking over my shoulder – until we could see Woelran.
Chapter Eleven
WOELRAN CLUNG TO THE edge of the sea like a giant oak tree rising above a pond. The roots of the city spread further than Vanika’s ever had, and the top of the sky city seemed to branch more, too. It had been so long since I’d seen a healthy sky city that I gasped, a sense of well-being filling me. It was almost like coming home.
I would have loved to watch the Magikas grow these in the early years of the Dominion.
Funny, thinking of a time when Magikas had been our friends and allies and not our enemies.
They only became enemies in the Truth War.
The what?
That’s what people are calling the war your Dominar and her enemies fought against the Ifrits – the dust spirits. They’re calling it the Truth War.
It would always be the ‘Fire’ War in my mind. I’d watched my city burn twice. Once when they toppled her and once when she was set ablaze by that very Dominar. A mistake, she’d called it, but still an awful tragedy. I wondered what she was doing now.
When you were unconscious Eventen gave Zyla the latest news. The Dominar has withstood three Magika assassination attempts in the past weeks. In the last attempt, her dragon – Raolcan – ate one of the assassins.
My eyes went wide. He ate him? I remembered Raolcan. He was bigger than Saboraak and more gnarled with a sharp edge she didn’t seem to have, but I couldn’t imagine Saboraak eating anyone.
I don’t think I’d care to eat something that thinks on a higher level. No. That feels wrong to me.
But I bet it put a damper on the assassination attempts, didn’t it? Had Eventen told Zyla all of that? He was very well informed for a man so far from anyone else. Did he have some secret means of communication or travel?
He had a dragon there, a little way out in the forest. A gold.
You didn’t mention that before!
You were somewhat preoccupied with jealousy. Besides, he seemed like he was on our side. He fed me. Tended your wounds. He studies things. He’s interesting.
Yes. He was interesting, wasn’t he? And he’d given me breakfast and an opportunity to leave. And that’s what worried me. Why had he suggested that I leave? Could it only have been because of Zyla? Most people were desperate to find a more responsible, better Tor. They were alw
ays seeing the worst in me and demanding that I overcome that. He saw the worst in me ... and offered to promote that. It made me nervous.
Saboraak shifted under me. Perhaps she was nervous, too.
We were close enough to Woelran now that the sky city filled my vision. Black dragons flew in orbits around the city, guarding and protecting it. Even now, a pair of them broke off from their path to intercept our band of merry Greens.
The city rose up before us, built tier upon tier on a lattice of skysteel formed from magic. The stem of the city holding that lattice had strong branches and roots – like a celestial tree of life. But on those branches, it wasn’t leaves and fruit that sprouted but shops and dragon cotes, mansions and hovels, taverns and artificers. I could already smell the street food cooking. Scavenger birds flew up in puffs of black from the open areas and long cables dangled down from the city bearing baskets big enough to hold Saboraak, filled with goods from the surrounding countryside.
I shivered when I looked down at the roads converging at the base of the city and the inns and taverns there. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the long lines of people and pack animals traveling to them. It was just the memory I had of when my sky city fell – the memory of all those people who died, both in the city above and those who had been under it before it toppled.
I forced the thought from my mind before I could be wrenched back into the terror and anxiety of it. Better to focus on what I was doing now. I’d felt oddly untethered since returning to the Dominion. It was almost as if finally being free of constant threat and violence made me feel lost.
You need to remember that you have an important mission and purpose. You can’t fall back into bad habits. Just because this place feels familiar, doesn’t make it friendly.
But it felt friendly. The Black dragons and their riders met our Greens with hails of welcome and smiles. They didn’t even question the tale the others told about Saboraak and me, banking to join the Greens in escorting us to the dragon cotes.
Nostar flew in close to speak to me.
“Since your message is for the Captain of the Castelan’s guard, we’ll take you straight to the cotes in the Castel.” His smile was broad. “You won’t believe how beautiful they are!”
A fist of worry grabbed my belly and twisted. We were going right into the heart of this beautiful, welcoming city. So why did I feel like I was going to be ill?
Chapter Twelve
I DIDN’T BOTHER TO wake Zyla. She’d fallen asleep with her cheek pressed against my shoulder, her arms draped around me. It was a comfortable feeling, like wearing a thick cloak, and my clothes still hadn’t dried properly. I could use the extra warmth. I’d never had a girl fall asleep against me before. She smelled nice. Nicer than the company I usually kept.
I smell just fine, thank you. Of sulfur and other glorious chemicals.
The setting sun left a bright orange gild on the edges of the buildings as we descended from above the sleek white walls of the Castel at the apex of the sky city. From its central tower, a man could twirl around and see every inch of the city below and the hills and sea surrounding it- if his eyes were as good as a dragon’s.
We need to see well. Our prey scurries below.
She sounded nervous.
You aren’t the only one who is having second thoughts.
The Greens led the way, our Black dragon escort peeling off as we arrived at the honey-combed cliff of dragon cotes at the base of the Castel. It was man-made and white, but if it had been golden and filled with shimmering liquid it would have looked just like the real thing. Dragons filled almost every cell and their hoots and spouts of fire filled the air.
I’d never been around a Dominion dragon cote before. My blood felt hot and my heart raced with excitement. What energy! What power!
They sure were pulling out all the stops to welcome us! At the flashes of their fire, the Greens reacted by dancing against the reins, their own bursts of excitement searing through the air in sulfurous streams. The Dragon Riders fought the reins, resorting to their magic sticks to threaten their mounts.
It was amazing that Dragon Riders got anything done with all this fuss! They should all ride female dragons. Saboraak never stirred up such drama!
I have a confession.
Have you been holding out on me? Have you wanted to dance around and breathe fire into the air for no reason?
No!
Then what?
Remember how the Greens reacted to me because I’m female?
Oh.
Yeah. I don’t think the dragons usually do that.
Is everyone going to know? It might blow our cover!
Really?
Sarcasm? From Saboraak! Who would have thought it?
“What’s going on?” Zyla asked, waking now that the hooting had grown intolerable.
I don’t see any Purples, Saboraak said.
Who cared what color they were?
We Nostar’s pointing finger toward an empty cell. I watched to see where his dragon was headed. Tachril landed in a cell already housing a big Gold dragon. There were two other figures standing there in the shadows. Was that –?
It couldn’t be. I shook my head.
Only Purples can speak to humans – remember? And females. So, if there are no Purples here, then none of them can tell my secret to the humans.
If they didn’t guess what was happening from this ridiculous display.
You think this is ridiculous? You should see yourself around Zyla!
Boy! She was a cranky cat this evening!
I squinted my eyes. I was certain I was seeing things. I could have sworn that I saw Eventen beside that Gold dragon. But the sun was getting low in the sky and the shadows were deepening.
They vanished from view as Saboraak ducked into her cote. The honeycomb cell was fitted with food, water, and dragon bedding which mainly consisted of fresh smelling hay. I helped Zyla off with shaking legs.
“Was that all because she’s a girl?” Zyla whispered in my ear.
“It’s amazing what kind of trouble your lot causes,” I agreed.
“You don’t seem to mind it too much.” She raised a coy eyebrow, a smug look on her face.
I should have left that alone, but the thing with Eventen and then Nostar – well, would anyone blame a man for feeling jealous? And she liked to tease me. Was it really so bad to tease her back?
I grabbed her waist – gently, but suddenly enough that she gasped – and spun her around so her back was resting against Saboraak and then I leaned in close to her so that our noses were almost touching.
“I think that they just want to do this.”
And then I kissed her.
She kissed me back, so she must not have minded although she was shaking her head when I pulled back, as if she’d caught me up to mischief.
“Remember your cover,” she said severely. “We need to get to Captain Arendis, not spend our time kissing in the shadows.”
Also, they don’t want to kiss me. That’s not something that dragons do.
“Admit it,” I said to Zyla. “You like it when I surprise you.”
“I like it when you behave yourself.” But she looked pleased. “Come on, Tor.”
I hoped Saboraak would be safe here while we were gone.
I will be fine. I could use a break after a day of flying. Just don’t do anything reckless without me.
Don’t worry. I will save all my recklessness for you. I need someone to catch me when I fall.
I felt so light, so free now that I was standing back in a Dominion sky city, that a grin broke out on my face and my travel-weary muscles felt eased and happy.
We left the cote into the hall beyond and I had a bounce to my step. What would Woelran be like? Would it have the same kind of taverns that Vanika had? The same kind of shops?
The thought vanished when I turned the next corner.
Chapter Thirteen
THEY WERE LAUGHING. That was my first thought.
Laughing together. Laughter meant friends.
My mimic took that moment to appear. He strutted around the pair of them, inspecting them from every angle while I stood frozen the gasp stuck in my throat.
I had hoped to never see Katlana again – and that if I did, that I would see her with my dragon close by and a good weapon in my hand. I had never expected to see her in Woelran – especially not at the same time that I was here! Or to see her laughing with Eventen.
She patted him on the shoulder and her hand lingered a moment. They were at the other end of the corridor. They hadn’t noticed us yet.
“You could throw that dagger of yours and kill one of them,” my mimic suggested.
A fool thought from a fool. And yet, I wanted to obey.
That was the problem with the mimic. I always wanted to do what he wanted. But what may have seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago felt like a terrible one now. You couldn’t just attack people because you knew they were evil. My scar flared with the cold of truth at that thought.
If you did that, then no one would ever get the chance to change their minds and learn a different way. It was possible, wasn’t it, that Katlana had decided not to lead Shabren’s golems. Maybe she had even been a spy of his all along. Too bad my scar didn’t indicate whether that was true. It would have saved me some trouble.
“Then why did she let Shabren torture you?” the mimic asked.
Maybe she couldn’t stop it, just like Zyla couldn’t stop the draining of the souls of Dragon Riders while she had been spying.
Zyla’s hand gripped my arm urgently, steering me into an empty doorway. Her finger was over her lips. “Shhh.”
“I think your boyfriend is two-timing,” I said casually. How could Eventen have beaten us here?
The Greens waylaid us, and they were more interested in fun than efficiency on the flight to Woelran. We did not take the most direct route.
And Katlana? What about her? Golems didn’t fly as fast as dragons.
But you were being tended by Eventen overnight and you were caught in the dust storm. If she took a different route, who is to say what might be possible? It’s not the first time we’ve seen people cross unfathomable distances in a very short time.
Dragon Chameleon: Episodes 5-8 Page 25
