Revelation of the Dragon

by J Elizabeth Vincent

  She transformed immediately and stood face to face with the man who had seemed to recognize Shira earlier. He didn’t seem upset to find her outside her cell. In fact, he was grinning broadly.

  As his companions came up even with him, he gestured toward her with a hand. “Mellar, would you look at that? Out of the cell on her own”—he grabbed her hands and turned them over—“without a key.” He dropped her hands and stuck his hand through the grate on the door, pulling roughly. “And the door is still locked.”

  Mellar, the short, burly man who had come to their cell with him before, grimaced. “How did you—”

  “Can you do it again?” the older man asked Mariah. “In front of these fools? Clearly, they won’t believe anything unless they see it for themselves.”

  Mariah stared at him and then looked back over her shoulder. Shira was standing just inside the cell next to Xae. She nodded at Mariah encouragingly.

  Although her friends were there, Mariah had no desire to put herself back in the locked room, but she had to do something. How had what she’d done even been possible? She shut out those thoughts and closed her eyes. She knew now that she could get free if she wanted, but she didn’t want to be free at the cost of her friends’ imprisonment. Bringing on the state of mind she used whenever she made the shift to hawk form, she imagined herself changing, flying just over the heads of the little group before the cell, and rounding about.

  Immediately, she found herself on the wing, approaching the group from behind. A spark of impetuousness came over her, and she landed on the shoulder of Mellar, the councilor’s companion. When he felt her claws dig into his tunic, he started. The group had all been staring at the place where she had just been standing, fully human, and now all but Mellar spun around to look at her. There was a woman in her thirties with the same blond hair and dark eyes that Kaddan had along with a ruddy-faced young man close to Mariah’s age with tousled tawny hair, large brown eyes, and a good two days’ worth of beard growth. Except for the councilor, they were all looking at her, openmouthed in shock. Apparently, her change and her flight had been so fast that no one had seen her until she landed. She shrieked at them defiantly and then settled on the man’s big shoulder once again. He made no move to dislodge her.

  Shira and Xae were grinning from ear to ear just inside the cell. She felt like grinning herself.

  A great laugh erupted from the councilor, and he elbowed Mellar. “Give me the keys, Kiem. It is time.”

  Without arguing, his eyes still on Mariah, the man did as he was asked, and in just a moment, the door to the cell was opened. As her companions stepped out, Mariah fluttered over to Shira’s shoulder.

  To her surprise, the older man bowed to her friend in a flourish. As he came up, he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles softly. “Dearest Shira, may I introduce myself … again? As you may have guessed, we already met, although perhaps too long ago for your memory. I am Berg Ludrem, and I was—I mean, I hope to think I still am—a friend of your mother and father and your papa too, although you were just a wee cub the last time I laid eyes on you. You are the image of your mother, young lady, and I’ve never met a woman as tenacious as Rose Caden.”

  “I … I remember,” Shira said in a soft voice, her eyes distant. “I remember playin’ with you in a meadow.” Mariah saw that she was squeezing his hand now. “It must have been at the cabin before … before Grof. My mother still talks about you, Berg. You saved us all.”

  It finally clicked for Mariah. Shira had told her the story of how Berg had helped her parents escape Westholde when she was just a toddler and had started to change into a bear cub. Rose had told Shira the story only after they had returned from their mission to rescue Xae’s family.

  “Oh, I only took you and your ma for a little ride,” the man replied, chuckling. Still holding Shira’s hand, Berg turned to the group. “Council members, may I present to you Shira Caden, prophesied by the Keepers when she was only a babe to have a great purpose set upon her by the Althamir themselves.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that—” Shira began, but Berg waved her words away.

  “These are some of our esteemed Sovereign Council. Mellar Kiem.” He motioned to Mariah’s former perch. “Nilovi Melosi.” The woman who looked like Kaddan. “And Teneth Tam.” The young man.

  They all nodded to Shira, although their eyes remained on Mariah. Shira returned their nods before pulling Xae forward. “This is our friend, Xae.”

  Finally, Berg looked back to Mariah. “And if I am correct, our hawk friend here is Mariah Griven. If you will?” He gestured toward the open space in front of Shira, and Mariah reluctantly jumped down to the floor, took a deep breath, and transformed.

  “Griven?” Mellar Kiem turned to her again, his perpetual frown beginning to relax, only to be replaced by a more wondering look. He opened his mouth to continue, but Berg interrupted.

  “Yes, you knew her parents, Magnus and Ashanya, I believe, although I did not have that particular pleasure.”

  It was Mariah’s turn to stare. “You knew my parents?”

  He nodded. “I am pleased to meet you,” he said in a somber tone. “Your parents were honorable people and better friends than a man could ask for.”

  Mariah’s mouth worked, trying to find the words. He had spoken of them in the past tense. Did that mean …? Before she could form a coherent thought, Berg cleared his throat.

  “Let us not stand here in the corridor any longer. Let us go to the council room and feed and water our guests appropriately. Then, if you wish, we can continue our argument over whether we have found our Banished One. I, for one, am quite convinced.” With a warm smile, he put his arm around Shira’s shoulders and led the little group down the hallway and away from the cell.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The Council of the Sovereign

  The rest of the Cellar turned out to be nothing like Mariah would have thought. Her experience with the remote cell had made her believe that the whole place was just a collection of dirty tunnels, but once they emerged into the small antechamber beyond the corridor connected to their cell, her surroundings began to change.

  The natural stone beneath her feet became more polished and worn, and she guessed that the area they were entering saw more frequent use. They walked through the little room without stopping.

  It did nothing to prepare her for the immense cavern they stepped into next. It was almost too big to even be called a cavern. Despite the prevalence of oil lamps placed regularly among the walls and columns, both the oblong grotto and the ceiling extended into darkness, giving her no clue as to where either ended. Spikes and columns of stone, both delicate and massive, grew from the floor and hung from the ceiling, streaked with whites, greens, and grays. A dull roar filled the room, but she couldn’t immediately place its source. The smell of dust was replaced by the odor of wet stone.

  As Berg led them through among the rocks, Mariah spotted people walking along the natural, worn pathways around the main cavern. Upon noticing her little group, many stopped to stare a moment. It made Mariah wish she could cover her hair again. After Kaddan’s reaction to her, she wondered if everyone in this place knew who she was.

  She looked over to find Xae and Shira sporting faces of wonderment, obviously as in awe of their surroundings as she was. As she shook off her discomfort, a warmth filled her as she continued to explore the cavern with her eyes. Although it dwarfed her home in Mount Edana, being surrounded by stone still made her think of Firebend. As they came closer to the center of the cavern, the source of the sound finally became clear. A river ran through the center of the grotto far below them. Coming up to a rope railing that had been tied as a barrier at the top of the drop-off, Mariah looked down to see the water rushing past. Little boats were moored at wooden docks along several spots, with circles of lamplight illuminating the paths that led to them.

  Berg a
nd his companions stopped for a moment as the three of them gawked at the watercourse.

  “Where …?” Mariah couldn’t find the words.

  “The river,” Berg answered, raising his voice over the roar, “which we call the Dragon’s Breath, starts in the hills outside of Direstrand and dips underground. It travels through this whole cave system before spilling into Falmermere in the west.”

  Mellar glowered at Berg.

  The old man clapped him on the shoulder as he led them on. “If this young woman”—he gestured to Mariah—“hasn’t proven herself to you by now, Kiem, I will vouch for her companion at least. Shira is the granddaughter of none other than Pol Miranda himself, and she’s the reason he and I have supported this place since we learned of it. Don’t we owe our trust to her at least?”

  Mellar only grunted and turned away as Berg led them uphill toward one of the openings in the cavern wall. A little sad to leave the vast, open cavern behind, Mariah followed them as they walked down a series of wide corridors. Again, they passed several people and even a couple of dogs. All of them stopped or looked up to meet Mariah’s gaze before moving on.

  She was grateful when one corridor finally ended in another cavern, this one grand but much smaller than the one the river ran through. Limestone columns lined the edges, and the space was warmly lit. A long, polished table and chairs, enough to fit two dozen people, filled the middle of the room, and several men and women were bustling about, coming and going from a small doorway on one side of the room and filling the table with food and drink.

  “Nilovi, please summon the others.”

  The pale woman nodded without speaking and hurried back the way they had come.

  “We will eat, and when the others have assembled, we will talk.”

  Berg walked to the head of the table and pulled back the chair. “Miss Griven,” he said, gesturing to the seat.

  Discomfort squirmed in Mariah’s gut at being put in such a spot, but Shira prodded her from behind, muttering under her breath, “Go on.”

  “Please, call me Mariah,” she murmured to the councilor as she took a seat on the softly padded chair. She hadn’t seen its like since she had gone to Wakely’s country house when he and Gwyn had been joined. The manor had been filled with his ornate creations.

  “Mariah then,” Berg replied before taking the seat to her left and gesturing the others to sit down across from him.

  “Berg,” Shira said as she sat. “Mariah and I had a friend with us when we came from Direstrand. Big guy.” She gestured with a hand to show how tall Han was. “And Xae here, he was traveling with a boy, and well, he’s like my little brother. Do you know where they are?”

  A pang of guilt ripped through Mariah’s chest. She had been so caught up in her new situation and in marveling at the natural wonders of this—Was it a hideout? An underground village?—that she had completely forgotten about Han and Grelem.

  “Of course. They would have been taken elsewhere, to another secure cell. They’re especially careful of the Unblessed here, lest they spill the secrets of this place to the king’s soldiers. That would undo many years of progress. There are many Unblessed here, like myself, to be sure. But almost all are either family members or long-trusted allies.”

  The Unblessed? Did he mean regular humans? Those who weren’t Ceo San?

  “Kiem,” Berg continued as the other man started to pull back the chair at the other end of the table. “Would you be so kind as to fetch their friends?”

  “Councilor,” the other man responded, his knuckles whitening on the chair back, “with all due respect, we haven’t had a chance to interro—”

  Berg raised an eyebrow, and his voice sank into a lower, menacing register. “The time for such things has passed, my friend. Now, if you will …”

  Mellar spun on his heel and stalked out of the room without another word, although Mariah could see the tension in his body from where she sat.

  “Councilor—”

  “Berg is perfectly fine,” he interrupted.

  “Berg,” Mariah continued, “Mellar … you said he knew my parents? How is that?”

  “If I recall correctly, Magnus and Mellar were friends as young men and worked together in Glenley when your parents were newly joined.”

  “Glenley?” Mariah shook her head in confusion. “There must be a mistake. We were from Eaglespire.”

  “Later, surely, but from what I understand, they traveled to that village only after you were born.”

  “That can’t be … I was born—” Her protest was cut off as a group of people entered the room and seated themselves at the table.

  Instead of allowing her to continue, Berg began to introduce Mariah, Xae, and Shira to the other members of the Council of the Sovereign, which seemed to be the governing body of the Cellar. Her unanswered questions continued to eat at her until Han and Grelem were brought into the room. Overcome, Mariah and her companions rushed to greet them. They looked tired but hale, and Mariah felt greatly relieved as she hugged the boy and put her hand out to grasp Han’s.

  She nodded at them, trying to show them that things were okay.

  At the same time, Shira leaned over toward them and whispered, “We’ll talk later.”

  Mariah hoped that was true, that they’d have time alone with their friends to figure everything out. There was already so much to share, and she had a feeling that before the gathering was over, there would be much more to discuss.

  Before long, the table was full, and the meal began. The whole thing was unfortunately very awkward. Mariah was loathe to say much to her friends in front of all of the strangers, and the same seemed to be true of the Council members, especially as they ate. The food was good, but even though it felt like she hadn’t eaten much in days, Mariah found her appetite had waned, and she ate very little before putting her fork down and fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Han, sitting a few seats down on her right, looked especially stiff and uncomfortable around the Sovereign. He leaned over his dish, avoiding direct eye contact with those around him. She didn’t even know how much he knew about his captors. Had Kaddan paid him a visit as well?

  If he did know who and what they were, Mariah realized how strange this situation must be for him. It was one thing to go against his orders to help a couple of people, one of whom he seemed to consider an old friend, but this was practically a whole village, or maybe even city, of the very type of people the entire guard had been under orders to arrest. Mariah’s heart picked up speed. Would he turn on them after all? Was he really trustworthy around other Ceo San beyond her and Shira?

  This area really was filled with Ceo San. The realization hit her like a boulder. The ones present were only representatives of a greater whole. Just how many were there? The legends said that Ceo San were called when there was a need. What task had they been called for that was so big as to need all of them plus all of their brethren, the ones captured and enslaved by the king?

  “Is the food all right?”

  Mariah started when Berg interrupted her thoughts. “It’s good, thank you,” she said. “I’m afraid I just have a lot on my mind.”

  The old man looked around the table, and his face scrunched up in obvious disappointment. Mariah followed his gaze and found that she was not alone. Many of the others were looking at her or her companions as their food sat untouched on their plates. Those that were eating stopped as silence filled the room.

  Berg sighed and spoke again, this time in a raised voice. “I suppose it was too much to ask for a little informality before we dive into more serious matters.” He set his own fork down deliberately and stood. “If there is no objection, I’ll call this meeting to order.”

  Silence met his proclamation, and he nodded to the men and women lining the walls. In minutes, all of the plates were cleared away, and those at the table were left with only goblets of water and littl
e dishes of nuts. Then, the men and women who had served them left the room until only the councilors, Mariah, and her friends remained.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Prophecy

  It was Mellar Kiem who spoke first.

  “Why are you here?” His hard gaze was directed straight at Mariah, who had just taken a sip of the cold water from her cup. “Why did you come to Direstrand?”

  She swallowed hard, still uncomfortable with all the focus on her. She took her time lowering her goblet, trying to focus her thoughts. “We came looking for help. We have a mission. Months ago, the three of us”—she motioned to Shira and Xae—“along with one other rescued a family from one of the king’s camps near Glenley. We intend to repeat that on a broader scale throughout the kingdom.” Her voice got stronger as she spoke and as her conviction filled her. “I’ve lived years in exile, hiding, but I can no longer do nothing while children in Varidian are turned into slaves.” The eyes of those around her had grown wide, and people started to murmur questions, but Mellar silenced them with a hiss. “It’s been a long time, over seven years, but my mother once told me that there was help to be found in Direstrand. I’m guessing now that she meant you, the Sovereign. I’d like your help with saving as many Ceo San children as we can and with building a group of people, a network if you will, to help get them to safety, maybe even out of Varidian altogether. It looks like you’ve already done much here to protect … our kind.”

  “Who is your mother, girl?” An older woman near Mellar asked over his protests. In the thrum of dinner, someone had mentioned her name. Was it Midelia?

  After years of hiding, it was difficult for Mariah to reveal all of her secrets to these strangers, but why would they agree to help her if she lied to them or acted as if she didn’t trust them? “My mother was Ashanya Griven of Eaglespire.”