Their fists pounding their chests, the silent assassins bowed their heads. No questions asked.
Ithsar swallowed. Would they be so compliant when they got to the drop-off and realized they were required to throw themselves into the sea to prove their trust? Sharks prowled those waters. Suspicion of sea monsters was as much part of their Robandi culture as camel butter on couscous.
Perhaps she’d be flying to Dragons’ Realm on her own, an army of one to fight against Commander Zens’ evil shadow dragons.
A Test of Trust
Camels snorted, saddlebags creaking as the assassins tightened them around the girth of their beasts. Hooves shifted in sand, like hissing rust vipers. Ithsar strode through the camels, nodding at her women as she made her way to the front, Thika nestled on her forearm.
“I assume you’ve told these women what is required of them? They look resolute and willing to fight,” Saritha rumbled.
Ithsar avoided answering, helping Thika onto Saritha’s back. “I assume you’re ready for the long trek across the desert?”
Saritha snorted. “It’s a mere wingbeat or two. We could be there in no time.” As Ithsar climbed into the saddle, Saritha flicked her tail toward the camels. “Those creatures will take half a day.”
“I’m afraid we will too. I dare not take my eyes off those three at the back.” Ithsar glanced at Izoldia, Thut, and Bala.
“A little jet of flame will sort them out, no problem.”
“I know, but you might spook their camels,” Ithsar replied.
Saritha’s talons kneaded the sand, and she turned, angling her head to gaze at Ithsar. “Well, we couldn’t have that, could we?” A mischievous twinkle gleamed in her golden eyes.
“I’m trying to lead my people by example. I can’t have you upsetting them.”
“Upsetting them? Who said anything about upsetting them? I was merely contemplating setting their camels’ tails on fire.” Her fangs gleamed in a dragonly smile, and she tossed her head, facing the camels again. “Are we ready?” Saritha’s body quivered with impatience.
Ithsar scratched her neck. “I don’t blame you. You’ve been cooped up here for so long.”
“With nothing but stringy goats, the odd fish, and desert vultures to eat.” Saritha eyed one of the camels.
“No, you don’t. They’re our transport! You can’t eat them.”
“Well, I could… but they do have a rather unpleasant scent.” The dragon wrinkled her snout.
“Lucky for them.” Ithsar stifled a smile as she turned to her assassins. She drew her saber from its sheath and raised it in the air, calling, “We’ll ride out across the desert toward the Naobian Sea.” Her eyes flicked to Izoldia, Bala, and Thut. “Saritha and I will ensure that nobody gets lost.”
Bala leaned across her camel to say something to Izoldia, who grinned. Thut sniggered.
“Those three are trouble, all right. It’s not too late to leave them behind,” Saritha rumbled.
For a heartbeat, Ithsar considered it. It would be safer for all of them if Izoldia, Bala, and Thut didn’t come. “What harm can those three do against a mighty dragon like you?”
Saritha preened her scales. Gasps echoed through the ranks of the assassins as her majestic green wings unfurled, glinting in the morning sun. She sprang into the air, spraying sand over the nearest camel’s haunches, and then spiraled upward until the camels were a mere speck below them in the sand.
Exhilaration sang through Ithsar’s blood as the wind swept her headscarf back, the ends trailing in the sky behind her. The full force of the hot summer sun beat down upon her, but instead of sapping her strength, she felt energized, alive, as if the world was full of wonder and possibility. Saritha’s pleasure shot through her, the sea dragon’s delight setting her veins on fire.
Saritha swooped, and Ithsar’s belly flew straight into her throat. As far as she could see, tangerine sand was spread before her, enormous dunes rolling into hillocks. The Naobian Sea winked deep sapphire-blue in the distance.
Ithsar drew in a deep breath, the tension of these long weeks training the women unfurling and rushing out of her in a whoosh.
They dived and shot out across the desert, camels trailing them, and then Saritha circled and swooped in behind the camels, driving them forward. “Go on, just a little flame? Please?”
“What a tease you are.” Joy blossomed inside Ithsar. Too big to contain, it felt as if her skin would burst. She whooped and laughed.
Some of the assassins gazed up, surprised. Some smiled. Others waved.
She’d soon see whether they’d still be smiling when they found out they had to throw themselves off the cliff to the monsters of the deep.
§
The lapis sea was sparkling in the blazing sun when they arrived at the Naobian coast. Saritha landed upon the dune where Ithsar had fought Ashewar, only a moon and a half ago. The rugged sandstone cliff cut away beneath them where the cliff had crumbled when she’d fought her mother. The giant waves that had battered Ithsar were only tiny crests of white from way up here. The sea rushed in, roaring as it pounded the cliff, then hissed as it was sucked back out again.
Dark brown flecks—Drida’s blood—were half covered in windblown sand. This was a place of death.
And of the birth of her new life.
Ithsar shook a trickle of unease from between her shoulder blades. Hopefully, no more blood would be shed today.
Saritha rumbled, “I’ve signaled Queen Aquaria. She and the sea dragons will be arriving shortly. I’m glad these women know what to expect.”
Ithsar slid from the saddle, not meeting Saritha’s gaze.
The sea dragon nudged her shoulder. “You have told them, haven’t you? They need to be ready to jump, so they can imprint.”
The camels sat at the base of the dune. The women were traipsing up, their orange robes making the sand ripple with movement. They reached the top of the hill and stood in formation, pounding their fists upon their chests.
Misha approached. “The women are hungry, and more than a little nervous. Is it all right if we eat first? It may help settle their nerves.”
Ithsar nodded. “Yes, you’ll need your strength.”
Nila spoke up. “Are the sea dragons meeting us up here?”
Ithsar’s belly coiled tight and a trickle of unease rippled through her. “You’ll see,” she replied softly.
But Saritha heard. She nudged Ithsar again, this time a bit harder. “So you haven’t told them? Ithsar, I warned you—”
“I know what I’m doing.” Ithsar broke mind-meld and joined the women. She hadn’t been prepared when she’d imprinted with Saritha.
She bit into her fresh flatbread, but it tasted like sand. She tried a poppyseed cake, but its usual sweetness eluded her. Even her dried fruit was tasteless pap. So, she melded with her dragon again. “Saritha, these are my people. I know them well. Please trust me.”
A low rumble issued from Saritha’s maw, but she nodded, yellow eyes glinting. “Very well. But I hope it won’t cost us the safety of Dragons’ Realm. Since the messenger bird arrived, I’ve felt something dark slithering under my scales. But at the same time, I sense sunshine filtering down through murky waters.” Her golden eyes met Ithsar’s. “Hopefully, we shall be all right.”
Saritha unfurled her wings and leaped to perch upon the edge of the cliff. She opened her maw and roared.
Below, the water churned with shark fins. Green and blue scaly heads rose out of the sea. In the depths, more long shadowy shapes sped toward the base of the cliff.
Ithsar raised her arms and faced her fellow assassins. “Have you pledged to follow me?”
“Yes,” the women cried.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
Although Izoldia’s eyes narrowed, and Bala nudged Thut.
Bala asked in a booming voice, “Should we stand back to leave space for the dragons to land?”
“Soon we’ll be riding dragons into battle.” I
thsar flung her arms out. “The sea dragons are waiting.”
The women cast about, looking behind them and into the sky.
She gestured to the cliff. “In order to imprint with a sea dragon, you must show great trust. They require us to leap from the drop-off and meet them in the sea. There are more than enough dragons for all of you, but this is the test you must pass to become a rider.” Ithsar waited. No one moved. “You may choose to go back to the oasis, and we will not think less of you.”
Wind hissed across the sand. Waves pounded on the cliffs below.
“Misha, you’ve shown courage. Would you like the honor of going first?”
Misha’s eyes shot wide. Her face paled and she opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.
“Your most loyal follower, gaping like a stranded fish,” Saritha melded. “I thought you knew your women.”
Ithsar turned to Nila, who gave a barely perceptible shake of her head.
Panic dug its claws deep into Ithsar’s belly. If nobody imprinted, Dragons’ Realm would be lost. Her eyes flitted across the women, but no one met her gaze.
A voice rang out. “I’ll go first.” Izoldia swaggered toward Ithsar, barely restraining herself from an arrogant sneer. “I, Ashewar’s greatest warrior, do not hesitate to leap into the deep. I shall conquer a wild beast.”
Shaking her head, Ithsar replied, “These dragons don’t require conquering, Izoldia. They require an equal, a friend.”
As quick as an asp, Izoldia’s arm flashed out. She whipped Roshni’s ceremonial saber from Ithsar’s sheath and kicked out at Ithsar.
Ithsar palmed her dagger and spun, countering with her own kick, but Izoldia leapt off the cliff, her bellow slicing through the air. “I will conquer a sea dragon.”
Saber flashing, she plummeted toward the sea.
Izoldia’s Plot
The wind ripped Izoldia’s head scarf from her head and flung it into a wild breeze. Triumph and rage thrummed through Izoldia’s veins. This was it. This was her final chance at leadership. If she could obtain a dragon—the largest dragon, the queen she had glimpsed in Saritha’s mind—then she had a chance of leading these people. Her last chance of being a mighty ruler.
She would subdue the beast and bend its will to hers, and then destroy the deformed runt on top of the cliff, laughing as the sea monster blasted Ithsar with flame and melted her bones.
Izoldia hurtled through the air and hit the sea, feet first, the shock jarring through her leg bones into her hips. She barely had time to snatch a gust of breath before she plummeted down deep.
When her descent slowed, she kicked up, aiming for the surface. Still holding Roshni’s saber tight, she burst from the ocean.
A giant green-scaled beast, the hugest of them all, plowed through the water toward her.
All she had to do was mind-meld, and this beast would be hers. Izoldia grinned, tucking Roshni’s saber in the back of her waistband, and swam closer. The beast’s majestic head rose from the ocean, its jaws dripping seawater and its golden eyes glinting. Fin-like projections from the side of its face glittered like emeralds in the sun. Its maw, longer than Izoldia’s torso, opened, its snarl making Izoldia’s bones skitter.
Nearby, a shark cut through the water. The beast lashed out with its tail. The shark arced through the air and landed in the water a hundred camel lengths away. The power of this beast was thrilling. With such a mighty creature fighting for her, the world would be hers.
Izoldia swam nearer.
The monster slitted its eyes and lowered its head, gazing at her. A deep growling voice burst into her mind, “You would dare imprint with me?”
It stole Izoldia’s breath. A wave lapped, crashing over her head. She spluttered and kicked upward, projecting her thoughts outward. “Oh yes, wondrous creature of the depths, I have come to imprint with you and be your new rider.”
A dark, roiling cloud drifted through Izoldia’s mind. “You, who killed so many and taunted my daughter’s rider?”
Fierce rage surged through Izoldia’s breast. Not that deformed little runt again. Ithsar had always stood between Izoldia and everything she’d ever desired. She quelled her rage, dampening it and shoving it down deep where the sea monster couldn’t detect it. “I have seen the evil of my former ways, dear gracious, wondrous sea monster. I am here to offer myself to willingly serve you and Ithsar.”
She rotated her feet and thrashed her arms, treading water, to stay above the crashing waves.
“You held her saber as you plunged into the ocean—the saber of the one who sacrificed her life to save her. Your heart is full of canker. The rotten fire of hatred burns within you.”
“No, no, honored Sea Queen, you sense only the trace of my old life. I have changed.”
The monster tilted its head, regarding her. Izoldia’s pulse pounded against her temples. At last it spoke. “I do believe in giving the darkest, foulest creature a second chance. Come here and I will test you.”
Izoldia swam closer. Dangerously close.
The beast lowered its head, jaws underwater, only the eyes and top of her head above the surface. “Swim alongside me.”
Izoldia splashed, gasping, until she was alongside the queen’s giant head.
“Now place your hands upon my brow so I can see our true essence.”
This stupid monster was obsessed with its dung-filled rituals—the beast had no idea what she was up to. “I am too weary, not used to swimming. Please let me climb upon your back, for I fear I will drown.” She spluttered, letting herself be dragged under for a moment, then kicked up again, gasping in great chestfuls of air. “Help me.”
The monster’s eyes narrowed. “Very well. Climb upon my neck.” It lowered its head, its eyes gazing at her from underwater. And then that giant head swooped under Izoldia’s body.
Izoldia grasped a spinal ridge on the top of its neck, but as she laid her hands upon the beast’s hide and it raised its head from the sea, a violent wave of black fury ripped through her mind.
“You have the darkest heart. You will never be my rider. The blood of too many men stains your hands, and your mind is full of foul intent.”
If Izoldia could never have this beast, no one would. She wouldn’t face the humiliation of another assassin imprinting with the queen of the sea dragons. It was bad enough that Ithsar had taken her rightful place as heir after she’d worked so hard to curry favor with Ashewar. Izoldia whipped Roshni’s saber from the back of her waistband, and raised it high above the beast’s head. Then she drove the curved blade into the monster’s head above its eye. The queen of the sea dragons let out an agonizing shriek. Izoldia jumped upon the saber, driving it through the beast’s skull with her full body weight.
Blood sprayed from the dragon, bathing Izoldia, but she didn’t care. Hanging on as the queen’s neck drooped, she drove that saber with all her strength until the monster’s body went limp and slumped under the water, taking her with it.
§
Izoldia disappeared over the ledge in a flash of orange robes and a silver glint of Roshni’s saber. Ithsar rushed to the edge and stared down at the churning waves. Queen Aquaria was racing to meet Izoldia, her jade body undulating through the sea.
A shudder skittered through Ithsar’s bones. Nothing good could come of this—Izoldia was always scheming. A cry broke from Ithsar’s lips, “Saritha.”
In a flash of green and silver, Saritha was beside her. Ithsar scrambled onto her back. Saritha’s mighty haunches tensed, and they dived down the sandstone cliff, the wind rushing through Ithsar’s hair, the churning surf beckoning.
The queen of the sea dragons surfaced, raising her head. Izoldia burst from the ocean and clambered upon the dragon. “No, what is Queen Aquaria thinking?”
“She wants to test Izoldia,” barked Saritha. “I’ve warned her not—”
In a flash of silver, Izoldia drove Roshni’s saber deep into Queen Aquaria’s head, and then leaped upon it, driving the blade through her skull.
The dragon and Izoldia submerged, disappearing from view. A bloody trail of red frothed in the sea.
An agonized roar burst from Saritha’s throat, and she and Ithsar plunged into the ocean, a bubble of silver enveloping Ithsar.
It was chaos underwater. Sharks swarmed around Queen Aquaria. Saritha tore into them with her claws, rending their bodies and flinging them aside. More sharks dived in, biting at the queen’s carcass, whipping the sea into a bloody frenzy with their thrashing tails.
Izoldia’s limp body floated past. Saritha smacked it with her tail, sending Izoldia into the mass of frenzied sharks. In horror, Ithsar watched as they devoured the burly guard, crunching through her bones and ripping her apart. Feasting upon her remains.
More dragons dived through the water, swimming toward their queen, slashing at sharks with their talons, and driving them away with their tails. Blood swirled around Ithsar, clouding the water, and the sea reverberated with anguished cries of hundreds of dragons.
§
The sea dragons formed a ring around Queen Aquaria, protecting her from the ocean’s finned vultures. Anguish ripped through Ithsar’s mind as Saritha opened her maw. A mourning keen reverberated through the water, shattering through Ithsar’s body. The dragons joined in. Keening came from all around her, bouncing off her—an eerie lament, muted by the water, rippling through her body and echoing in her mind.
They hung, suspended in the water around the queen’s limp carcass. Ithsar lost all sense of time—there was only the eerie cry reverberating through her again and again.
The dragons dived, weaving under the queen and lifting her body. Driving upwards with their mighty forearms and lashing with their tails, the loyal dragons pushed their queen’s body up toward the daylight.
Riders of Fire Complete Series Box Set books 1-6: YA Epic Fantasy Dragon Rider Adventures Page 166
