The Dragon Blood Collection, Books 1-3

by Lindsay Buroker

  Cas chewed on that a little, trying to decide if he meant to try and trick her into cooperating or at least leaking sensitive information, or if he genuinely might want to figure out a way to go ahead as... something other than enemies. And if there was some of the latter in his words, was that what she wanted? If nothing else, should she not try to lure him into some trap, even as he and his captain tried to use her to lay one for Zirkander? She had to be careful thinking like that though. He might not stroll around with books clutched to his chest and quotations of mathematical formulas on his lips, but the very existence of all of his potions and inventions suggested he was a very smart pirate.

  “Go on,” she finally said.

  “Was that an agreement to answer some questions for me?”

  “You give me your information, and I’ll consider answering some questions.”

  “Consider, huh?”

  “That’s more than you were getting before.”

  His soft grunt wasn’t quite a laugh, not like the chuckles from before, but he sounded more amused than irritated. Good.

  “All right,” Tolemek said. “I don’t know whether he was back on the ship when your people attacked, but Stone Heart had brought an interesting passenger with him to the station. He showed up to talk at a meeting of all the captains currently docked here. He is—or was—a Cofah soldier who was part of an attack on a secret mining installation in the mountains of your homeland. According to him, it’s where your flier power crystals come from.”

  He paused, and Cas expected a question. Such as did she know anything about this? The answer was no—her flier had simply come with a crystal installed in the engine. She knew their origins were a secret of the kingdom, and she had never asked about them. What did she care, so long as the power crystals worked reliably and got her into the air?

  “It seems your Colonel Zirkander was there, in charge of this secret installation,” Tolemek said.

  That made Cas pull her head back in surprise. That’s where the higher ups had sent him? A mine in the mountains? Why?

  “It seems there was also some witch or sorceress with a soulblade there working with him,” he said.

  “Uh, what?”

  “That’s what the Cofah corporal said.”

  “Maybe the Cofah corporal got walloped hard on the side of the head while he was serving.”

  “He said he saw the battle with his own eyes and that the sorceress was the only reason they were defeated, because they had a mercenary shaman of their own.”

  Cas shook her head all through his explanations. “There’s no way my military, my government, or anyone on my continent would have anything to do with a witch. Sorcerer. Whatever.” She had no idea what the difference was; hells, she hadn’t even thought they existed anymore. She’d always thought accusing people of witchcraft was something the superstitious hill folk did to get rid of annoying in-laws and neighbors. It certainly never seemed to happen in the big city, where she had grown up. At least not that she had heard about. “I don’t know how it is in Cofahre or on floating pirate outposts, but people get drowned over accusations of witchcraft in Iskandia.”

  His voice grew noticeably grim when he said, “Cofah traditions are not dissimilar.”

  “Even if someone in my country did have some sort of power, if she was even vaguely smart, she would hide it. She wouldn’t be out in the middle of some fortress, throwing magic around with a—what did you call it?”

  “Soulblade.”

  “A magic sword?”

  “Essentially. But it’s more than a simple tool. These ancient swords contain the souls of powerful sorcerers who once walked the world as mortals but then, when learning that disease or old age was creeping up on them, undertook a special ceremony to transfer their essences—all they knew and all they were aside from their physical bodies—into a sword. The weapon could then be handed to another sorcerer, often some youth coming up through the Referatu training system. They would be bonded somehow, and the sword would become a mentor and an ally. The swords themselves possessed some of the power that the owner had wielded during life, so a sorcerer with a bonded soulblade could be extremely powerful, more so than one sorcerer alone.”

  “This all sounds like goat droppings,” Cas said. She couldn’t believe he knew so much about it. Surely he didn’t believe any of this? “This soldier told you all this? How could you know he was telling the truth? It sounds like a fanciful tale to me.”

  “He told us of the battle and of seeing the sword-wielding woman defeat their shaman and use the blade to deflect bullets and magical attacks. Based on his description, I deduced that he had seen a soulblade. And a powerful sorceress.”

  So all that knowledge about souls and dead sorcerers was Tolemek’s from some past research? Cas remembered his words in the ruins beneath the prison, that he had sought some ancient magic to help... it had been a little sister, hadn’t it? Or had that been some lie meant to win her over to his side? Maybe he had spent time researching these swords because he wanted one.

  “So, would a normal non-witchy person gain anything from wielding one of these swords?” she asked, wondering what he had truly sought down in those ruins.

  Tolemek shifted his weight behind her. “Hm, possibly? From my research, I got the impression that it was unlikely a soulblade would deign to be handled by someone who didn’t have dragon blood. They’re supposed to be sentient still, and they might harm you to keep you from even picking them up.”

  “Huh,” Cas said. It was about all she could think of to say. All of this sounded like fantasy to her. “I still think your Cofah soldier might have been hit on the head, or that he was telling your captains a tale he thought might get him accepted into the outfit. If he truly saw those mines...” Cas shut her mouth. She didn’t want to speculate about top-secret mines with him. She didn’t know where they were, so she was certain he shouldn’t know where they were either.

  “Any chance your Colonel Zirkander is being controlled by this sorceress?”

  “Please, the king can’t even control him. Or the commandant. Or anyone in his chain of command.”

  “Yes, but they’re not pretty women, presumably.”

  “He’s not the type to—” Well, Zirkander liked pretty women just fine, and she had seen him go home with some of the ones from the taverns before, but, no, he wouldn’t let one sway him like that. “He wouldn’t let a woman control him, and certainly not some witch. It’s true he’s a little on the superstitious side, but not hugely so. He wouldn’t let that blind him or scare him.” She decided not to mention that dragon carving he flew with. “He certainly wouldn’t get into bed with a woman who had ulterior motives.” Much like Cas wouldn’t get into bed with a pirate who had ulterior motives. “He’s got a lot of flatterers. He’s good at sussing that stuff out.”

  “You seem to know a lot about him, outside of his professional persona.” Tolemek’s voice was neutral, carefully so, she thought. Was he suggesting something untoward?

  She scowled over her shoulder, though he probably couldn’t see it in the dark. She couldn’t see much of him except for a vague darkness against the wall. “We all know a lot about each other. We spend all day together then go out at night because...” She shrugged. “It’s like a family. A family where everyone has something in common and understands what the others are going through. Sometimes the men who are married don’t even get that kind of understanding at home.”

  “I see. Well, I wasn’t suggesting that Zirkander was in this woman’s bed necessarily, but that she might be controlling him, possibly without his even knowing it. Most of the sorcerers of old were telepaths. Some specialized in beast control, and some of the ones who went rogue, who made everyone hate and fear sorcerers and want to get rid of them, could control people.”

  “I still think that if someone showed up at his fortress with a glowing sword, the colonel would figure out something fishy was going on pretty quick. I don’t think your Cofah was a reliable wit
ness, and I refuse to believe anything about magic until I see it for myself.”

  “Hm. Do you know why Zirkander was sent to that fortress to start with? A ground-based fortress high in the mountains? Seems a strange place to send a pilot.”

  Punishment, Cas thought with a guilty twinge. Because of that incident with the diplomat. Because of her. “He didn’t tell us.”

  “Top-secret government movements, eh?” Something about Tolemek’s voice said he knew she hadn’t told the whole truth there. Too bad. She’d told him she would consider answering his questions; that was it.

  “I guess. Lieutenants don’t get included in many meetings.”

  “That much I believe.” He grunted, as if at some memory of his own.

  “Are we done with the question and answer session yet?”

  “I’ve answered far more questions of yours than you have of mine.”

  “Yes, but you’ve given me fluffy fairy-tale answers about magic swords and sorceresses, neither of which has been seen in Iskandia for hundreds of years.”

  “Three hundred,” Tolemek murmured.

  Cas didn’t ask him for clarification. She didn’t want to admit that he might know more about her continent’s history than she did. That subject hadn’t been a passion of hers in school.

  “One more question,” he said. “Zirkander.”

  She tensed, not wanting to say anything more about him, fearing the little she’d said already constituted disloyalty.

  “From what you’ve said so far, I’m gathering he’s not an ass to work for,” Tolemek said. “Is there any scenario in which you would...”

  “Betray him? No.”

  “Help me get to him to ask him some questions,” he said.

  “Questions. Right. That’s what you and your captain have wanted all along. To use me to get to him to question him.”

  “It’s true that I originally saw you as a way to get to him to kill him, something that would... if not win me a spot in Cofah society again, at least make them think a little more kindly toward me. And it’s true that Goroth wants him dead. With the vengeful fire of a thousand suns. But I... I don’t know, Ahn. Or can I call you Caslin, now that I know your name?”

  She hadn’t given it to him and wondered when he had gotten it. It hardly mattered when she was leaning against him—damn, she didn’t even remember doing that, but somehow the back of her head was resting against his chest again. Maybe she was just tired. And afraid of the moist, bumpy growth on the wall.

  “Cas,” she said.

  “Ah, thank you. Cas, then. I have always considered Zirkander an enemy—as I told you, he’s the reason I was cast out of the Cofah army—but time has worn away my bitterness, and I no longer imagine that his death would fill a great emptiness in my soul. I’ve had enough of death, to be frank. I also find myself reluctant to lose your... well, I don’t know if I have anything of yours, but I should not like to earn your utter hatred. Nor, given your accuracy with everything from pistols to rocks to hammocks turned into nets, would I want you gunning for me for the rest of my life.”

  She thought about telling him the net had been a trap, not anything she had shot or thrown, but waited to see what else he had to say instead.

  “After hearing that soldier’s story—and I saw the fear in his eyes when he relayed it, so I don’t think it’s as tall a tale as you believe—I’d like very much to find a way to speak to Zirkander and find out more about this woman.”

  “You want the sword,” Cas guessed.

  “If she is a sorceress, trying to take the sword could be suicidal. I might not be above trying to find some clever way to do so, I suppose. But if the weapon came out of those mines, not unlike your power crystals, maybe it’s possible I can find one for myself. For my sister, actually. I mentioned her, I believe.”

  “Yes,” Cas said, though she didn’t know if she believed this sister was truly who he wanted the sword for. If there were such things as magic swords, and they were as powerful as he suggested, they would be worth a fortune. Or maybe he thought he could channel the sword’s power for himself, for some new invention of his. Just because he had treated her fairly so far didn’t mean she had seen the real man. “Here’s the problem: I can’t imagine the colonel wanting to sit down and have a chat with you, about sorceresses, swords, or even his latest toenail fungus. You and your pirate buddies are loathed where I come from. You especially.”

  “I know. I suppose that’s where I see you coming in.”

  “Arranging a meeting?”

  “Yes. Preferably without weapons.”

  “Uh huh.” Cas turned around to face him. “Listen, Tolemek. I appreciate that you’ve been decent to me, and I believe that maybe you were thinking of letting me go back in that jungle, but on the other hand, I figure you’re a bright fellow, and you could be telling me all the things you think will make me want to help you. Either way, what you want probably doesn’t matter all that much when your captain is the man we’re meeting at midnight and who is presumably taking us to Iskandia. And who is, as far as I’ve seen, the person you answer to.”

  A long moment passed, during which Cas hoped Tolemek would proclaim that he wasn’t utterly loyal to the captain, but he eventually said, “Yes. He is.”

  “I won’t ask why, because you didn’t ask why I wouldn’t think of betraying my colonel, but just in case you didn’t know about it, I will say, he told me that he’s not afraid of you. That he’s crossed you before and would do so again.”

  “I would not expect him to be afraid of me. He was my instructor at the proving grounds more than ten years ago. And when we both ended up cast out of the military, he was the one to offer me a position here. To allow me to do my research and explore my interests with minimal interference.”

  Cas thought he might go on to explain how and why the captain had crossed him before, but he either knew about it and was dismissing it or he didn’t believe her statement. Uttering it a few more times wouldn’t make him more likely to do so, so she didn’t mention it again. Maybe she had planted a seed and she would get lucky. But she doubted it. Tolemek and the captain had seemed close from the beginning, and nothing in this conversation suggested otherwise.

  “As long as you’re following his orders...” Cas stopped herself before declaring that she wouldn’t arrange anything between Tolemek and the colonel. She ought not be so honest with him if she was entertaining the idea of trapping him somehow. “That’s a problem,” she finished, since he could guess that much anyway. “Unless you’ll consider leaving him.”

  “There is... nowhere else for me to go.” His hand came up, brushing the side of her head, making her shiver a little, or maybe it was the poignant sense of regret that had entered his voice.

  “I can understand wanting camaraderie, of a sort, and someone to watch your back, but don’t you think it would be better to live alone than to live with villains?” Cas winced, because that sounded so condemning. But these pirates were villains; they weren’t soldiers fighting for their country and couldn’t simply be considered men on the other side of the war. Despite whatever circumstance or choice or fate that had brought them to this lifestyle, there was no denying that they were here, and they were committing crimes.

  Tolemek lowered his hand and spoke so softly she almost missed the words. “Where else would a villain live but among other villains?”

  She didn’t know what to say to that.

  Chapter 10

  A few minutes before midnight, Tolemek led Cas out of the maze of ductwork and into the streets above. The fog had not only diminished; it had been turned off. Stars glittered overhead, and the horizon stretched for miles without a cloud in the sky. He supposed the administrators saw little point in expending energy to create the fog when the Iskandians knew exactly where they were. Presumably the outpost would move soon, but for now, repairs were underway. Lights burned on the ships in dock, and the sounds of hammers and rasping saws drifted on the breeze.

  T
olemek hoped the industriousness meant that the bounty hunters had been called off Cas’s trail, but he stuck to the alleys anyway, walking with caution toward the tavern the captain had named as a meeting point. Cas walked at his side, or slightly behind, not saying much. She hadn’t since she had made the suggestion that he leave the pirates—and he had rejected it.

  It was something he had considered in the past, after Tanglewood and Camp Eveningson in particular. He had gone off on his own for a month that time, but he had been hunted relentlessly by Iskandian and Cofah spies. And more than that, he had learned he hadn’t the stomach for a life of solitude. When he had started to grow excited at the appearance of bounty hunters, realizing that they and their pursuit represented an odd sort of company, he had known he had to return. What was the point of creating and inventing if there was no one to share the results with? When Goroth had sent that note, saying he hadn’t given away his cabin yet, Tolemek had been back within three days.

  A part of him wondered if he should have been less honest with Cas, maybe playing along with the notion of leaving Goroth in the hope that she would consider arranging the meeting he sought. Or maybe in the hope that she would go back to leaning against him and letting him nuzzle her hair. That had been... pleasant. And she hadn’t pushed him away. Of course, she hadn’t exactly given the impression that she was enjoying his touch either.

  Even so, when she had mentioned the idea of him leaving the pirates, he had found himself wondering what he would do if she offered him a home in Iskandia. Not that she could. A lowly lieutenant would have no sway with her superior officers and certainly not with her government. She couldn’t offer him refuge. To even defend him to her people would get her in trouble. Did the Iskandians have courts-martial? Probably.

  “There’s the Crow,” Tolemek said, drawing her into the shadows of a dark storefront a couple of buildings down. “It’s still standing, even if it doesn’t look very busy. That’s our meeting spot.” He didn’t head for it immediately. He had a feeling he shouldn’t stroll in, not after he had been running around the station, knocking out pirates and helping a pirate enemy evade capture.