“Blood doesn’t have anything to do with who you are,” Seron said.
“Doesn’t it? We choose kings based on it! And it was the blood of Orvenu that brought this crown to me. It’s written into prophecies.”
“Yeah. I guess it does,” Seron said. “But it shouldn’t.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ezeru
This time, we had an entire army behind us. I was glad Seron knew what to do with them.
“Captain Korsu, I want you to take your men through the Quartz Passage. Wear your masks, and at the first sign of mist, withdraw. Hold your breath as much as you can and stay out of its way. We want them to try and expend their mist faster than they can replenish it. Minister Avo, I want you to be waiting in the Strata Caves. If they decide to go on the offense, back up Korsu. If they withdraw, let them withdraw—for now. We have time to wear them down. This might be a war of attrition. Ezeru, I want you to support Avo, and try to turn any more rock dragons you find to our side, but I also want you to keep communication flowing among the rock dragons. If they see the mist dragons trying to retreat, we’ll go after them. We’re going to try to bleed them of resources, but I expect if they get too strapped they might withdraw and attack our villages. The rest of you, keep watch over the entire area. We can’t let any mist dragons escape to get back to Phoebe and the guardians. And the Elders are humans. So don’t drop your guard for anyone.”
“Yes, sir!”
Still, it was somewhat reluctantly that I took my dragons with Avo. I knew a lot of his men still didn’t like or trust rock dragons. And I could tell they were also a little wary of Seron now.
I heard murmurings on our travels.
“I hope this isn’t some act and she’s still under his control…”
“That mist is so strong…”
“But the queen healed him, right?”
“Well, I hope so. She’s just a girl…”
“Lord Seron’s never let us down.”
“Still, since he became king, he’s changed.”
They went quiet whenever they noticed me, although I don’t think they realized how good my hearing was. I stuck to my own kind.
We staked out a camp in the cavern, where the walls were striped with different colors of rock—reds and golds, white and sparkling grays, pink and even a pale purple. We were close enough to the mist dragon camps, but for days—weeks—there was no action. We didn’t have much to do besides training practice, hunting for small prey, and peeling off small groups of rock dragons. My dragons grew restless.
We received messages back and forth between the encampments.
I don’t like this, Seron wrote. They must have some sort of plan. They’re not attacking or retreating. They’re waiting for something. We need more information.
I sent out my spies, but rock dragons didn’t bring much nuance to their reporting. That day, my female scout’s report amounted to, “Lots of mist dragons! Lots of big mist dragons eating licking snake. Tasty. I want…”
“Did you see anything strange there? Did you see the priestess? A human girl?”
“Ahh…human girl sitting by Queen’s brother. Quiet. Sad. Sad little mate.”
“Is he mating with her?”
The dragon girl nodded. “Not too close to smell seed, but she look mated to me. Not a good mating. Like the bad times when a woman not want to mate.” She bristled a little. “Poor girl,” she added, putting a paw on my leg.
“That’s enough for today,” I said. “Go rest. We’ll figure out some way to help her.”
I had always found these stories particularly upsetting. I had grown up seeing high dragons disdain the rock dragon women, treating them like animals and calling them ugly names—and then, those stories. Maybe that was why I still hated the high dragon women looking at me. There was too long a history of rock dragons being taken advantage of. I couldn’t have mated with any woman but Himika, even if I wanted to. But with Himika, I could hardly control myself. I worried I might hurt her. But she always seemed very happy even when I knew I did hurt her.
I lay down to sleep, but I kept thinking of the human girl who would be the priestess if Phoebe was killed. Gilbert, bringing up how Mage Emory had cut off his hand, and how Rothair had all the power now. If she became the priestess, she would have a little more power over him, but even then…how much power could a young girl have over a seasoned dragon mage?
He had probably stolen her from her family. Her sigils weren’t awakened yet. She was a prisoner, just held until the time when her role might appear.
He might be hurting her. But she wouldn’t be happy. She’d be terrified.
My breathing grew more strained.
‘Do you have any idea who your parents are?’
I knew it wasn’t Izeria, because it couldn’t be. She couldn’t force herself on a rock dragon man. It was Dvaro or Rothair. When the rock dragon girl told me about the human girl there, looking like she’d had a ‘bad mating’, I couldn’t shake the image of Rothair casting a spell to find all the dragons with the blood of Orvenu. And then…the look on his face when he saw me there.
I had to struggle to sit up, my lungs choked, and turn to the fire to make a cup of Himika’s tea.
A few rock dragons stirred. “King okay?”
“I’m…fine…”
Then, they all stirred at once, turning to look outward. I caught the faint scent of foreign rock dragons.
“We’re not alone here,” I said. I forced myself to my feet. “Wake up! Someone’s coming!”
There were already guards awake, but they didn’t smell the rock dragons as quickly as we did. They blew horns, alerting everyone.
We were caught off guard by a large pack of rock dragons who burst into the cavern from multiple crevices. Just rock dragons, no mist dragons. My dragons ran to meet them. I could see the high dragons taking out their weapons.
“No. Please…tell your men to stand down,” I told Avo. “If they see all the swords, they’ll think we mean war. Try to keep going about your business.”
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t like being caught unawares.”
“I do.”
My dragons chittered, showing that they wouldn’t fight unless provoked. “King. This rock dragon king, Ezeru.” My dragons would assert my position. I looked for Aknu to lead them. It was a reflex by now. Aknu was always so good at helping me turn the rock dragons. He understood me more than the others, while still being closer to other rock dragons. He was a bridge between me and my own kind.
Now he was gone, and the loss still felt so raw. Even though I had seen him die, I didn’t accept it. I expected to see him with the other in his old place.
The enemy rock dragons sniffed the air. “King weak,” they scoffed. “We follow Queen Izeria.”
They smelled my grief. I couldn’t allow that. I had to stop coughing and struggling to breathe. Rock dragons expected their king to be the strongest warrior, to fight whatever beast one might encounter in the tunnels and caverns.
But it wasn’t always easy.
I touched the ground and brought the rock up, armoring my arms and legs, and stomped, swishing my tail. “I am your true…king,” I said, my voice hoarse. I wondered if I would have to go through the whole display of fighting a man made out of rock again. Ever since I had brought the first group of rock dragons into the fold, I hadn’t had much trouble with them since. That was a lot of work…
“Queen Izeria want you to have message. They have beautiful sad girl to shut the gate. They send someone to kill priestess. Stone Mage send message to guardian.”
“What guardian?” I asked.
“He called Merrick.”
I could feel the ripple of panic through the whole room. “Merrick? Merrick Sewell is a guardian?”
“Yes. He is guardian. Stone Mage say so. You come here, and he kill Phoebe.”
“Gods!” Even Minister Avo was panicking. “But he’s been working for Commander Abel for all
these months! He seemed so trustworthy! He’s dating his sister, isn’t he? Can he get in the house?”
“Queen to tell you, she not kill girl Fee-bee if you come home to her, Ezeru. She send an order to spare her life,” the rock dragon said, a little proudly. This message was a lot for a rock dragon to remember.
“We can’t trust her,” Avo said.
“I don’t trust her. Damn it…but if what they’re saying is true…what am I supposed to do? If Merrick kills Phoebe, then they get instant control over these caverns. They shut the gates and this entire army could be wiped out. People have already died, and even Seron was almost lost, because Izeria wants me back. I’ll go.”
Chapter Thirty
Ezeru
Avo walked over to me and bowed. “It seems like she has us trapped. We’ll pray for your safe return.”
Damn. I was hoping he would tell me he had some other plan.
I really did not want to do this. I didn’t want to see Izeria ever again. I knew she would use mist on me. She would destroy me. If I ever saw Himika or Peri again, or any of the others, I wouldn’t remember them, and I might even kill them. This was the end of my brief, wonderful happiness.
But to save the ones I loved…I would do it.
“Go back to protect the queen,” I whispered. “Merrick has access to the house.” I could hardly speak. I was terrified in a way that went well past any strength I had gained in adulthood, down to my earliest childhood days. Even before…Peri was always there. Now I will have no one…
“Bring no weapons,” the rock dragon said. “Come.”
As I started to walk after the messenger, all of my rock dragons started to follow me.
“No,” I said. “Stay with the other dragons. Go back to Queen Himika. Izeria will only hurt you.”
“You are king,” the rock dragons said, the voices chorusing around the cave. “You king!” “We die with you.”
“No, you come alone,” the other rock dragon said. He hissed at the others. “Alone! If you come, we fight you!”
“Then we fight!”
“No. No.” I growled. I wanted them to be safe too. They knew I was weak when it came to Izeria, and I expected them to back down at my order.
Well…as it turned out…I wasn’t alone after all.
They didn’t back down. They formed a circle around me and attacked the other rock dragons as viciously as if their own lives were at stake, as if I hadn’t made any bargain at all.
“Rock dragons ain’t much of a military to follow orders, are they?” Avo asked me. “All right, people, if they’re fighting anyway, we might as well help our side!”
The soldiers immediately drew their blades and took up shields. Most of the humans had already put on their armor. The battle broke out all around me, and Izeria’s rock dragons didn’t stand a chance. But what would happen then?
I doubted the story about Merrick was a lie. It was too specific.
“I’m still going,” I told Avo. “I’m going to rescue the potential priestess.”
“Ezeru…if we can kill the rock dragons, it might buy us a little time. We should consult with Lord Seron.”
“I’m the rock dragon king. She wants me. This is my business. I’d rather come after her now on my own terms.”
“Stay,” I told my rock dragons. “Stay and fight.”
Then I left through the tunnels.
I was alone, but there was no place in these caverns where I didn’t feel at least a little at home, because there was rock everywhere, and the more skilled I had grown, the more the rock itself brought me some comfort. I listened to it. I spoke to it. And I made it my own. My feet fell silent in the darkness as I felt the rock all around me, and I wore a layer of it to armor myself—and cloak myself.
I’m not sure how much time had passed by the time I reached the camp. I sensed it through the wall itself, and carved out my own passage, until I formed a slat in the ceiling above one of the rooms. I paused to catch my breath, and then I looked down.
This was definitely the place. Mist dragons I recognized were milling around, a little restless, but waiting. The soldiers were armed and ready, probably expecting the rock dragons back. Where was Izeria? I didn’t see her, but my eyes quickly found the priestess.
She wasn’t the only human in the camp. I saw some men in robes all clustered together in a corner. But she was the only girl, and she was quite young and looked scared and miserable. She was sitting by a fire all alone, arms crossed, shivering as if from some inner chill no fire could reach.
Rothair walked over to her, and I watched the moment she saw him coming toward her. She stiffened. He brought her a tray of food and pressed a cup into her hand. Calm, but insistent. He put a hand atop her head. His body language was not without tenderness, but it was possessive, too.
Anyway, it didn’t really matter what he felt, did it? She wasn’t a rock dragon in heat. She wasn’t a priestess with her sigils activated. It was obvious she was terrified of him, but there was no one to rescue her.
Until now.
I wondered how I could get her attention to nab her from the cavern without being noticed. That would be the tricky part. I could drop rocks on the camp, but there was no guarantee the chaos would work…
I heard something behind me and I turned in a panic, expecting a fight.
“Be calm, king! It just us,” said Shika.
My rock dragons had followed me anyway.
This wasn’t what I needed, but despite that, I was glad to see them. “Shh. Just stay back. I’m trying to do king business.”
“We help?”
“Shh, shh. No. Please don’t help.”
“Rothair?” Izeria’s voice came from below me. She was in a smaller cavern that broke off from the main gathering room.
“Yes, sister? I’m busy here.”
“Please. Just for a moment.”
“I shall be right back, Emi,” he said, putting the tray in the girls’ hands and bowing to her, trying to be somewhat polite, at least. “Please…eat something.”
He walked over to Izeria and I heard a leather curtain snap.
I dropped down from my perch and carefully tried to bore another hole in the wall to spy on the other cavern. I had to be extremely careful this time, since they would notice noise or rocks tumbling down.
“…I sent them to find Ezeru,” Izeria said.
I peered through a pinhole I made in the rock. I didn’t dare create a wider view. My heart was pounding so hard in my ears, and it was a struggle not to breathe audibly.
“I thought we had reached an understanding on this matter,” Rothair said. “Don’t you get it by now? All the mist in the world can’t make someone love you.”
“Those other dragons are going to kill us,” she said.
“Maybe not. We have Emi. Merrick is getting so close to the priestess that he is invited to family dinners. You think we’re going to lose? Sacred stones—we’re on the brink of winning. If you don’t screw it up. What did you tell them?”
“I told them to…trade. Oh, don’t you dare give me that look. I am the queen. Not you. If your plan doesn’t work, you have nothing else.”
“It’s better than your plan, which is just to re-adopt a stupid rock dragon, and then what? Make peace with Aurekdel and Seron?”
“No. Never.” Her hands formed fists. “But they have Ezeru. Even if we win, it will be a bitter win if I lose him.”
It was very strange to hear her saying these things. I suppose she had defended me against Dvaro now and then. But it wasn’t loving. She was just as cruel as he was. She had always been sort of…possessive of me. I guess that was it. Not unlike the way Rothair put his hand on Emi’s head. She was proud to have created me.
Whenever I thought of that, a sick anger boiled inside me.
She looked down. “I don’t want to die. I want to start over. I want a son.”
He put his hands on her shoulders. “He is not your son.”
“He is my
blood!”
“He is a mistake. And you want me to look at him every day? To be reminded of some shameful day in my own youth? His mother was an animal and I should have killed him when I killed her.”
I let out a raspy growl of utter fury and broke a chunk of rock out of the wall, sharpened the edges in my hand, and threw it at Rothair’s head.
“Unfh!” The rock knocked into his skull. He fell against the wall and slumped.
“Ezeru!” Izeria shrieked. She didn’t exactly look happy to see me. Hopefully, I looked terrifying.
I grabbed Rothair and threw him against the rock wall even as I formed spikes from it, so they jabbed him painfully. “So you are…you…” My rage had gone beyond words.
“Ezeru! Brother.” Izeria forced herself into composure, like the queen she was, I could give her that at least. “Please—don’t do this. Don’t hurt each other. You’re family and there’s no need for all this. Ezeru—” She spread her hands in a pacifying gesture as I turned my snarl toward her. “I know I made huge mistakes with you. That’s why I got Dvaro out of the way. He was the one who really didn’t like you, and my father never treated me with any affection so how was I supposed to know what it was like? But I love you. To me, you are a son. I—I wanted to make you stronger, and that’s why I did everything I did. I was so proud of you, watching you grow…”
“I believe that much,” I said. “You were proud of making me into something that wasn’t really a rock dragon anymore. You were proud of that.”
“I don’t hate rock dragons, but they are…beneath you and your blood. You know that as well as anyone. They’re just little beasts who do what they’re told. You’re a man. A complicated—magnificent—”
I clamped rock around Rothair’s arms and legs, and turned my attention to her for now.
“You made me choke on your mist. You assured I would always be alone. The mist dragons hated me. And the rock dragons—yes, I know what they are. But I’m still a rock dragon too. Thank the gods for that. Rock dragons are simple. If there wasn’t some part of me that was simple too, I would never find any happiness. In many ways, beasts can recognize what love really is better than you can. When I went to Irandal, I found people who loved me. It’s the rock dragon part of me that is able to forget everything you did to me. Unfortunately…it still doesn’t feel like enough sometimes.”
The Kingdoms of Sky and Shadow Box Set: A Fantasy Romance Page 76
