The Dragon Eaters
Page 25
Chapter 16
The sound of footsteps running up the hallway drew the attention of the captain, and she moved to the doorway to see Thomas, her cabin boy, being followed by the first mate. Thomas burst through the door and threw his arms around Captain Morgan’s waist. “Captain! You’re all right!”
She put her hand on top of Thomas’s head and stroked her fingers through his black fur. “Yes, Thomas, I’m just fine.”
Allister stopped a few feet away from the captain. “Captain?”
“Everyone’s all right, Allister. An item of magic exploded underwater behind the ship. Tell the crew not to worry.”
The first mate straightened up and cut a brisk salute. “Aye, Captain.”
Captain Morgan led Thomas back to her bed and seated herself on the edge with the young cat next to her, his arms still around her waist. She turned her attention to Tina. “You might have warned me you were bringing something explosive onto my ship, Tina.”
Tina bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Jessica. I didn’t have any reason to believe it would detonate until I saw your list and got a look at the magic surrounding it. I also preferred to look at it in a place private from the rest of the city.” She raised her hand toward Likonia. “Too many wandering eyes, and now that I believe the Dragon Eaters were created by a wizard working for the governor, I’m not certain who I can trust.” Tina glanced up at Kravek. “You, though, I’m not so worried about.”
Kravek lifted his eyebrows and folded his arms with a smile on his face. “Don’t think I’m smart enough to be a co-conspirator?”
Tina giggled. “Oh, nothing so insulting as that. Your arrival time doesn’t fit a co-conspirator. Willa told me you didn’t get here until six months ago. The Dragon Eaters appeared eight months ago.” She lowered her gaze and tapped the end of her muzzle. “Though, something about that doesn’t make sense. Didn’t you say before you had carried supplies to the Maw of Kaelus at one point?”
Kravek nodded. “I did. Wasn’t long after I got here.”
“And you didn’t go inside the cave.”
Kravek shook his head, then paused. “Well, I went into the mouth of the cave. Not much deeper.”
Tina steepled her fingers in front of her muzzle and looked down at the table. “I don’t suppose you know what it was you were carrying, do you?”
“Sorry.” Kravek’s tail swept around to slap the tuft of fur on the end of it against his side. “The foreman said go, so I went. But whatever was inside wasn’t all that heavy.”
“No?”
“Felt mostly empty. I could hear something shifting inside, but it was like I was carrying an empty crate. Probably something fragile with a lot of packaging.”
Tina rubbed the side of her muzzle. “How big was it?”
Kravek held his hands up to show the size. “Maybe two and a half, three feet tall, rectangle-shaped. But like I said, it wasn’t heavy at all.”
Tina narrowed her eyes as she thought. “If the Dragon Eaters appeared eight months ago, but the wizard wasn’t killed until five months ago, perhaps something went wrong.” She looked up at Captain Morgan sitting on the edge of the bed with Thomas. “It’s possible the wizard made the Dragon Eaters to gain some leverage with the Maldavians, but then he lost control. If that’s the case, he might have had something delivered to the city to help control them. Captain, is this list everything from eight months ago?”
Jessica, who was purring to Thomas, turned her head. “It is. You want me to have another talk with the foreman?”
Tina straightened her head and rested her chin on her hands. “Mm. No, I don’t think so. You start asking too many questions, and the foreman might get suspicious about your intentions and completely shut down. But knowing what was in that crate could be helpful in unmaking the Dragon Eaters.” She rubbed her forehead. “And I would very much like to find out what happened to the wizard’s assistants, the two Kamadene women.”
Captain Morgan’s ears lay back against her brown hair. “Tina, is it possible the wizard used them to create the Dragon Eaters, sort of like these reagents?”
“I haven’t dismissed the possibility, and it would certainly account for why they haven't been seen in a long time.” Tina sighed and put her hands down in her lap. “From what I’ve heard of them, though, they seem kind-hearted what with helping the farmers. It’s possible he used them to create the Dragon Eaters thinking he would be able to control them more easily, but something went wrong.” She scratched behind one of her ears as it twitched. “But that’s also something which doesn’t make sense. There weren’t only the two Dragon Eaters. Shalizan said there are three of them, and his people have only ever seen the three.” She rose from the table. “I should make a report to High Theorist Mythran. If it’s true that wizard created the Dragon Eaters, this matter may have just escalated considerably.”