They trudged through the snow to the aviary where Calvin was waiting outside. From the deep frown creasing his usually impassive features, Yaz gathered there was a problem.
Before he could inquire, barking filled the air. A moment later a dog came bounding out and jumped on Brigid.
“Rum!” She hugged the dog and scratched his ears. “Good boy.”
“He followed us in two days ago,” Calvin said. “We gave him some jerky, but he seemed fine.”
“Thank you,” Brigid said.
“Glad you made it okay,” Yaz said.
“Yeah. It was a cold ride. We had to ditch the carriage a couple days from Kuralt. The roads just got too bad for it. We left that fat merchant with his carriage. Everything went smooth until we got here.”
“What’s the problem?” Yaz asked.
“Come in and I’ll show you.”
They followed Calvin inside and found the other riders standing around as though not certain what to do. The dragons were all in their stalls, curled up and still. No little puffs of flame escaped their noses. He’d never seen them sleep without the little jets.
“They won’t wake up,” Calvin said.
Yaz went straight to Soto and climbed into her pen. The swell of her stomach was gone so she must have laid her egg somewhere. He rubbed her favorite spot behind her head and got no reaction.
“Come on, girl, wake up. I’ll find you a nice sheep to eat.”
Still no reaction.
Yaz consulted his mental library. It didn’t take long to figure out the problem. “You lazy dragons. Didn’t want to hunt during the winter, did you?”
“Yaz?” Calvin said.
“They’ve gone into hibernation. They won’t wake until warm weather arrives. Wild dragons do that when game is scarce. These louts probably didn’t feel like hunting and figured we’d be back in the spring to feed them.”
“Bah!” Burke pushed into the pen and past Yaz. “You’re just too soft. I’ll wake her up.”
Burke drew back and punched the top of Soto’s head as hard as he could.
“Ahh!” He shook his hand then cradled it to his chest.
Soto gave no sign that she’d noticed a thing.
“Well you certainly showed me,” Yaz said. “Feel better?”
Burke snarled but said nothing more.
“What are we going to do without the dragons?” Tarik, one of the other squires, asked.
“I think I know where Dad is,” Yaz said. “Anyone that wants to help me find him is welcome.”
“Where?” Calvin asked.
“The Vast Swamp. Dad’s being held by a group of dragon-worshipping cultists. We’ll be passing by the other villagers on our way if you’d prefer to remain behind.”
“The chief’s in Rend?” Calvin asked. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure that the people that took him are. If they don’t have him there, then they’re going to tell me where he is. I’m sure they’ll have guards so warriors will be welcome.”
“How long will it take to get there?” Calvin asked.
“A week or so. Are you coming?”
“Yazguard is my best friend,” Calvin said. “You’re damn right I’m coming.”
“We’re all coming,” Burke said. “It’s all those Scaled Society bastards’ fault this happened. I mean to bust a few heads.”
Yaz grinned. He might not like Burke, but this was one time he’d be glad to have him along. Busting heads might be about all he was good for, but he was really good at that.
Chapter 13
Rondo guessed they’d been trapped in the cage for a day and a half. The bars were holding up fine despite the constant battering the possessed hybrids were giving it. Rondo’s head, on the other hand, was screaming in protest at the noise. He was also so tired the room occasionally spun. A mouthful of tepid water and jerky did nothing to set things right.
Polymus had been silent for many hours and Shade didn’t seem much more interested in conversation. The few times Rondo had tried to talk to him, he’d said the more they talked the more water vapor they exhaled thus speeding up the dehydration process. They were getting low on water, but not that low. Shade probably just didn’t want to talk to him.
When he’d gotten locked in a cage surrounded by demonic creatures, it never occurred to Rondo that he’d end up dying of boredom and exhaustion.
Shade sat bolt upright. It was the first quick move he’d made since they reached the cage. “Did you hear that?”
“I can’t hear anything over those things pounding the bars.”
A moment later an explosion from above sent pebbles raining down on them.
“I heard that.” Rondo and Shade got to their feet, the assassin grinning. “What’s got you so happy?”
“The boss is here.”
Rondo looked up at the ceiling. “How do you know?”
“Trust me. I’ll wager my second dagger that was the guard monster upstairs blowing up.”
“Shade?” someone called down through the hole Umbra had opened up.
“Yeah, Boss.”
“What are you doing down there instead of in the lab?”
“We ran into some complications.”
“What… Never mind, I’ll be down in a second. Move over beside the wall. If a rock slips free, I don’t want to crush you under it.”
Shade motioned to Rondo, who grabbed Polymus before the two of them moved to stand with their backs to the stone.
“All set, Boss,” Shade said.
The ceiling rumbled, cracks appeared, and chunks began to fly up until the ceiling was gone. Lord Black and Domina floated down and landed beside them. The minute they did, the demon hybrids went berserk, pounding the bars with renewed intensity.
Lord Black winced. “Your complications?”
Shade nodded, making no attempt to speak over the racket.
Lord Black pointed and a lance of crimson energy shot out, struck one of the creatures, and blew it to smithereens. He repeated the process until all the hybrids were little more than charred scraps of flesh.
“There, that’s much better. What were those things?” Lord Black asked. “Their magic felt different than any I’ve ever encountered.”
Shade gave Lord Black a condensed version of what had happened. When he finished, he added, “I’m glad you got here when you did.”
Lord Black clapped Shade on the arm. “As am I. I’d hate to lose you when we’re so close to total victory. Though I’m surprised you didn’t kill those things yourself. There were only six of them.”
“I stabbed one in the eye and all I got for my trouble was a melted dagger.”
“Leonidas, the lab,” Domina said.
“Quite right, my dear.” Lord Black waved his hand and the bars twisted apart, making a path for them.
Domina hurried through it, pausing only to fish a glowing crystal out of her pouch.
“She’s been anxious to see the lab since Jax mentioned it.” Lord Black turned his gaze onto the head in Rondo’s grasp. “And this must be Polymus. A pleasure to meet a member of the imperial family. I’m certain we’ll have a great deal to discuss.”
“Doubtful,” Polymus said. “Unless you’ve come to return my creation and pledge your fealty to me.”
Lord Black’s laugh sent a chill up Rondo’s spine. Immortal and invulnerable he might be, but Rondo found himself not envying Polymus’s future.
“Come along,” Lord Black said. “Let’s see what Domina makes of this lab.”
“Where’s Jax?” Shade asked as they strode along back toward Polymus’s workshop.
“He stayed behind on the ship with Ariel. I didn’t wish to risk leaving the girl alone or bringing her along until I was certain this facility was safe.”
“I’m surprised you brought her at all,” Shade said.
“The last tower’s only half an hour from here by ship,” Rondo said. “If there’s a way to wake her, she can take control of the dragon and this mission will
be finished.”
Lord Black offered Rondo a smile. “Precisely correct. With any luck, we can wrap this up and begin the final phase by the end of the week.”
They entered the lab and found Domina with her nose in a book. Rondo ignored her, setting Polymus on the bench while Lord Black stared in wonder at the collection of books filling the space.
“Find anything interesting, Domina?” Lord Black asked.
“It’s all interesting. I have no idea how I’m going to find anything specifically about Ariel. I could spend a lifetime doing nothing but reading and not make it through a quarter of the books here.”
“I needed two hundred years to read them all,” Polymus said.
Lord Black crooked a finger and Polymus flew over to him. “There’s magic running through your entire being. It’s a part of you, inseparable from your flesh. I wonder what will happen when I touch it with the Black Ring.”
He reached out and put a finger smack in the center of Polymus’s forehead. A moment later the head let out the most horrific wail. Rondo nearly choked in shock.
“What did you do to me?” Polymus asked, the pain and surprise clear in his voice.
“I tried to absorb the magic infusing your flesh. Turns out, man and magic can’t be separated. So in addition to a piece of your magic, I also took a chunk of flesh out of your head. I think I’ll try your ear next.”
“Wait!” All of Polymus’s arrogance was gone now. “Perhaps we can reach an agreement. I know more about alchemy and the empire than most people can conceive. A position of chief advisor and a new body would be a fair exchange for waking the girl, wouldn’t you say?”
“Indeed. Except I understand you’ve conditioned your creations to obey your commands. I can’t have anyone else giving the girl orders. You might get ambitious. There can only be one master, and I’m it.”
“I’ll throw in the secret of the immortality potion,” Polymus said.
Rondo looked from one to the other and tried to imagine what Lord Black was thinking. Everything he’d been after was being offered to him on a silver platter only the one making the offer was about as trustworthy as a rotten branch. How would he react? How would Rondo react in his place? He couldn’t say.
“You drive a hard bargain,” Lord Black said. “The problem is I don’t trust you to stand by your oath. And I can’t have people I don’t trust by my side. However, there is another option. I’m sure an alchemist of your caliber is familiar with the tongue twister potion.”
Polymus grimaced. “I am. You’ll forbid me to speak to her?”
“Correct. Do we have a bargain?”
“Very well. I destroyed the formula I used to create the girl after memorizing it. What poison did you use to incapacitate her?”
“It was a combination of Black Orchid extract and Silk Adder venom,” Domina said.
“That’s all? She should have recovered in minutes from such a weak poison. I need to see her.”
“Not until you take the potion,” Lord Black said.
“She may have gone into hibernation. If she has, the only way to wake her involuntarily is by my command. You’ll be right there to stop me from saying anything you don’t want me to say.”
Rondo watched the emotions play across Lord Black’s face. Finally, he said, “Domina, how long to prepare the tongue twister potion?”
“Assuming all the ingredients are here, two hours.”
“Very well. Prepare the potion. When it’s ready, we will return to the ship and see if our new friend will serve as a useful advisor with a valued place in the new empire or if he’ll spend the rest of his eternal life in screaming agony.”
It took Domina nearer to three hours than two to prepare the tongue twister potion, and every second of that time Leonidas paced and snarled. He was so close he could taste it. All the years of planning and patience came down to this moment. If Polymus could wake Ariel, then victory would be his.
When Domina finally finished she said, “I need only a drop of the girl’s blood to complete the potion.”
“Finally. Rondo, grab the head. We’re leaving.” A short walk through the empty halls followed by a quick flight up to the ship and they were done.
Jax stood at the helm, his hood protecting him from the midday sun. “Where to, Leonidas?”
“We’ll know soon enough.” Leonidas led the way below.
They’d left Ariel strapped into the chair in Domina’s lab. She looked exactly like a sleeping little girl. Leonidas could hardly believe she was artificially created. While alchemy wasn’t his specialty, he knew enough to believe the art was still centuries from such a breakthrough. It seemed he needed to pay more attention.
Domina brushed past him, pausing at her work bench to collect a needle before going to the girl and collecting a drop of blood. She uncorked the potion vial and added it. The liquid turned from blue to red and she nodded.
“It’s ready.”
“Your turn, Polymus,” Leonidas said. “Just remember what’s at stake.”
“Bring me closer,” Polymus said.
Rondo glanced at him and Leonidas nodded. As he carried the head over to the girl, Leonidas withdrew the crown from his satchel. The crown hadn’t left his side since Shade recovered Ariel. He moved to stand directly behind the girl. According to Domina, he had to place the crown on her head as soon as she woke or risk a dragon swooping in and burning them out of the sky.
“Wake up and—” Rondo slapped his hand over Polymus’s mouth before he could say anything else.
Leonidas really had to stop underestimating Rondo’s usefulness. The man had good instincts. With time and proper training, he’d make a fine field agent.
Ariel gave a little moan and Leonidas immediately settled the circlet on her head. She sat bolt upright and went rigid.
“Say your name,” Leonidas said.
“Ariel.”
“Say my name.”
“Don’t know your name.”
He smiled. “You may call me master.”
“Master,” she repeated.
Very good indeed. “Shade, go up and tell Jax to set a course for the final tower.”
“On my way, Boss.”
Leonidas laid his hands on Ariel’s still-rigid shoulders. “Relax, child. We have important work to do.”
She slumped a fraction and Leonidas turned his attention to Polymus. “The potion, Domina.”
He conjured a gag over Polymus’s mouth. “Remove your hand and turn him face up.”
Rondo eased his hand away and turned the head, so he was staring up at the ceiling. “Um, how can he drink the potion with no body?”
“Fool,” Domina said. “The tongue twister potion is absorbed through the tongue and the magic goes directly to his brain, binding the section that controls speech. Given that both of those organs are in his head, we should have no problems.”
“Force his mouth open, Rondo,” Leonidas said.
After a bit of a battle, Rondo wrenched Polymus’s jaws apart and his lips open. Domina poured the potion in and none drained out the bottom of his neck. So far so good.
After half a minute Leonidas said, “Say something to her.”
Polymus opened his mouth but only nonsense came out.
“Good, now that we’ve taken care of that bit of temptation, what do you need for a new body? I can’t very well have Rondo carry you around forever.”
“Any body will do as long as it’s headless and fresh. Male would be preferable as well, though I can make a female body work if there’s no other option.”
“A fresh body shouldn’t be a problem,” Rondo said. “We seem to run into a lot of them.”
Leonidas laughed, his mood brighter than it had been in a long time. Soon now, very soon, the world would be his.
Chapter 14
After days of virtually nonstop travel, Yaz, his friends, and the dragonriders finally guided their exhausted mounts into the muddy town of Gator Alley. The place was even smaller than Drag
onspire Village and way more rundown. If the town ever had a best day, it was long past.
It seemed strange that there wasn’t a soul to be seen on the boardwalk. Maybe this far south, the locals considered the weather to still be cold. For Yaz it was a blessed relief. Even if it was still brisk, at least he didn’t have to wear extra furs to keep from shivering.
He smiled and adjusted his grip on his ironwood staff. Before leaving the village, he and Brigid had paid a visit to the armory and reclaimed their weapons. Yaz also helped himself to a bow and quiver of arrows he kept lashed to his saddle. Being properly armed felt good.
Given the lack of people on the streets, he figured their best bet was the tavern. There should be someone there that could answer a few questions. Halfway down the street Yaz spotted the building. It was as rundown and worn out as the rest of the town, but there was a long hitching post out front.
He dismounted and tied up. “We don’t want to scare these people to death. Brigid, Silas, and I will go in and see if we can learn anything. You guys stay out here and keep watch.”
“Who put you in charge anyway?” Burke asked.
“I did,” Yaz said. “You don’t like it, you know the way back to the new settlement.”
After dropping off the flying sleigh, they’d taken a short detour to see the land Rend had offered for their new village. It was a nice spot and once spring arrived the wide, open fields should make for good planting. Everyone had seemed optimistic which made Yaz smile even as he realized that the days of Dragonspire Village were past.
But he couldn’t think about that now. All that mattered was finding his father. He appreciated any help Burke wanted to offer but had no intention of arguing his every decision with the man.
Burke grumbled some more, but Yaz ignored him and led the way into the tavern. It wasn’t much busier than the streets outside. There was a barman behind the counter, two parties at the scattered tables, and a lone young man drinking in the corner.
Always best to start with the man in charge. Yaz went to the counter and plastered on his friendliest smile. “Morning.”
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