by LeRoy Clary
However, there were also a disproportionate number of military, milling with the crowd and trying their best to look unobtrusive, which only made them stand out more in their clean uniforms and healthy bodies. While there had been a few during our earlier docking, now there were dozens.
Kendra and I had agreed to take Flier ashore and purchase the supplies he felt we required to cross the Vin pass, clothing, food, and more. She leaned closer to me and whispered, “None of us goes there until we figure out what’s happening with all those troops.”
She wouldn’t get an argument from me. I turned to Flier.
He was watching the group closely. “The city has no police anymore. Trager doesn’t have an army. Those are royal guards from upper Trager. They serve the council and usually remain up there.”
I said while noticing Kendra hung on our every word, “Ever see them down here at the docks before?”
“No. I mean, one or two at a time, but never more.”
“You said upper Trager again. I get it that the palace is on the hillside, so it is higher or upper, but you made it sound like a place in a foreign land, a place where nobody goes.”
“Nobody does. If you look above the rooftops, up on the hill, you’ll see a ledge with a short wall built on top. Without a pass issued by the palace guards, anyone going there is killed. No second chances.”
“The king lives there?” Kendra asked.
“Some say so. He used to, but about the time they took me prisoner, he dropped from sight.” Flier didn’t elaborate but didn’t have to. He suspected the king was dead and the city ruled by a council, the same story we kept hearing variations of in one land after another. Councils probably reporting to mages, in some fashion.
Those few going ashore left the docks without a problem. The palace guards remained. Kendra mused, “Who are they here for?”
Flier held up his thumb and forefinger, making a small circle. “Do you have a silver coin this size?”
I nodded.
He glanced at the sky. “I will take it and a few small coins, all copper, and go ashore to get the things we need. You will ready yourselves and be on deck at midnight. Do not leave the ship for any reason.”
Kendra said, “You believe they are here for us? The military?”
“Or your princess. Or both. I’ve watched everyone carefully since arriving on board, and there is nobody else on the ship who is powerful. A few are wealthy, most sail for business, but only your princess is important. You should send word to her that she must also remain on the ship. Not even the palace guards will board a free ship. But the pier belongs to Trager.”
Kendra said, “I think she suspects the same thing. Here she comes, but she is wearing soft slippers, not shoes suitable for cobblestones.”
“Then what is she doing?” Flier asked.
“Watch.”
She strode, with five servants and attendants behind, directly to the gangplank, where she paused to speak with the purser as if departing the ship. Flier said, “Stop her.”
Kendra remained relaxed, and we watched Elizabeth. Her eyes remained on the purser and never strayed to the palace guards who began to edge forward on the pier until they were spread all the way across, and the only way into the city was to pierce their line.
“You’re sure she is not leaving? Because it looks like she is, and I’ll have to stop her,” I said to Kendra.
As if hearing my words, the Princess Elizabeth of Dire spun on her heel and stormed away from the gangplank and the ship’s purser as if he’d insulted her. She disappeared into the passageway where her cabin was located.
“A feint,” Flier said, obviously impressed as the men fell back and tried to blend in again.
I answered, “A successful one, too. We now know they are waiting for her to enter the city.”
Kendra said, “We could attempt the same trick, but that would give the palace guards the information that we’re on to them. I believe it is a fair assumption they are also after us. Now that Elizabeth is out of sight, all their eyes are on us, if you notice. They look away when I turn to them, a sure indication of deception.”
Flier said, “Even if they are not after you when you purchase travel items, word will spread that you have money. Gangs will fight each other to follow you, hide to intercept you, and ambushes will be everywhere.”
“What do you suggest?” Kendra asked.
“I have your money and will spend it well. At midnight, on the dark side of the ship away from the pier, a rowboat will approach. There is a coiled rope ladder stored near the bow. Untie it and let it roll down, then climb down quietly and quickly. Take only what you wear or carry.”
“You have a friend with a boat?” I asked.
“I do.”
“What if they arrest you when you leave the ship?” Kendra asked.
He shrugged as if there was no option. He said, “I’ll die.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I n our cabin, we watched Flier transform himself into a familiar, tired beggar again, one with a limp worse than before. He used the tar that sealed between the planks to make his hair thick and greasy. A few scrapes of the edge of my knife provided wood chips that stuck to it. He smeared tar on his cheeks and clothing and ripped one arm off his shirt, as well as a long tear from the neck to his waist. The last should be explained. It was my shirt he tore the arms off and ruined—my only spare. He rubbed black over his clothing.
“You look worse than when we met, all but the limp,” I told him. “And you owe me a good shirt.”
He laughed as he hid the small coin purse that contained far more than he requested on a string that allowed it to hang from his waist to his inner thigh. His ragged boot came off, and he rolled a strip of material and stuffed it inside the toe, so the boot fit too tightly.
“To make sure you don’t forget to limp.” My comment drew a nod.
He smiled at my evaluation. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the man in my cabin was a social step below the one we’d brought aboard. He said as he placed his crutch under his armpit, “Will you give the purser a copper coin and ask him to publicly order me off the ship?”
“As if you snuck aboard. A show for those on the pier. Are you sure you want to do this?”
He stood. “I’m sure I don’t want to sail into that storm the mages have waiting for us.”
I went to the main deck and found the purser standing at his station. In a few words, I explained what I wanted, and he readily agreed—after the coin changed hands. It appeared pursers were aptly named. I left him and went back to my regular seat on the hatch cover and waited, eyes averted.
Flier emerged, looking forlorn, filthy, and dejected. He slowly limped, with the use of his crutch, to the gangplank where the purser shouted a few epitaphs at him and pointed the way off the ship. My eyes went to the small crowd still on the pier, smaller than it had been, and it now consisted mostly of palace guards.
They paid no attention to the familiar beggar. He didn’t hurry, not even when he reached the pier. He used the crutch for every-other step, his eyes lowered, his pace so slow I wanted to leap to my feet and shout at him to hurry up.
Instead, I sat and watched him navigate the pier as if he was invisible. Not a head turned in interest, not one person offered to help. He was invisible. He moved across the cobblestone street to the nearest alley, where he paused long enough to give a quick wave of encouragement to the ship.
Kendra said, “That is one brave man.”
I nudged her playfully in the ribs. “We’re really taking Anna and Emma?”
She didn’t laugh. “There is no choice. Hey, look up above. See who’s checking up on us?”
The dragon flew high above, so high she looked the size of a small bird. That reminded me that there were supposed to be Wyverns here, at least some that were migrating south. I hadn’t seen a single one.
As often happened when you make a statement like that, it happened. A single wyvern flew from the north, at a h
eight low enough to endanger the main mast on the Gallant. It flew with long, lazy strokes of its wings, the serpentine neck and head turned left, then right as if searching for something.
A scream made the hairs on my neck stand. I’d believed that to be a myth, but it penetrated on a primeval mental level. The dragon had already folded its wings to her side when my eyes found her again. She was diving at the wyvern from above and behind.
The wyvern sensed the danger and twisted its head to look for the dragon and speeded its wings, but before it gained enough speed, the dragon extended its hind claws and raked the wyvern as it flew past. The dragon beat its wings frantically to prevent it from hitting the water, but the blow had sent the wyvern straight down.
The water where it splashed turned red with blood from the numerous gashes from the talons, then churned white as the wyvern attempted to take off. Meanwhile, the true dragon gained height and attacked again before the smaller, faster wyvern managed to reach the safety of the air.
The dragon dived again. It grabbed the wyvern by the neck and beat its wings until it managed to lift the wyvern out of the water, the claws wrapped so tight, the wyvern couldn’t defend itself—or breathe.
The dragon roared again after reaching high into the air, released the lifeless Wyvern, and flew higher and to the south until it disappeared. A hushed crowd of everyone on deck, the pier, and near the water in the city had watched the lifeless wyvern fall and splash into the bay. There was no cheering, no applause. There was only a stunned silence. In my entire life, I’d never seen such a vicious killing. It left me as stunned and speechless as the rest.
I’d begun thinking of the dragon as a her, almost a friend. Now it was like seeing that friend change into a dangerous, murderous animal.
“Serves it right,” Kendra murmured, sounding satisfied.
Without turning to look at her because of fear of giving away my thoughts, I watched the body of the wyvern sink and imagined thousands of fish feasting on it. Those thoughts didn’t erase the thoughts that swirled around inside my head concerning my sister.
She had displayed affection for the beast. More than affection. They were somehow connected in a manner I didn’t understand. There are times when it is best for all to remain quiet, and this was one of them.
She said, “We need to pack.”
We’d come aboard with a change of clothing, our weapons, and food that we’d already devoured. The sun was high in the sky and Flier’s boat was due at midnight. I thought I’d have all of mine packed and ready within minutes.
Still, it gave me an excuse to go to my cabin and think things out, as well as taking a short nap. The getting ready part wouldn’t take long. Against my expectations, I slept long and hard. Kendra tapped on my door to remind me to eat because the galley was going to close. The porthole told me it was dark outside.
“Have you spoken to Elizabeth?”
“I have. She will sail with the ship and not go ashore here. We are to meet her in Dagger or make our way back to Dire after delivering the message to Avery.”
“That is making a lot of assumptions.”
“Meaning?” the tone of her voice warned me to be careful.
My reply was cautious. “We may not make it to Dagger—or she may not. What is the alternative plan? We also have Anna and Emma to think about, plus Flier. There are mages and sorceresses trying to stop us or kill us. There is a Council of Nine we know nothing about, we have no authority from our king to agree to anything, even if we ever face the right people. We don’t even know why we are going to Dagger.”
She slumped. It was not like her to be defeated without even trying, but since her first encounter with the damned dragon, her entire personality had shifted. The only reason we were on the ship was because we’d seen Elizabeth go aboard and believed she wanted us there with her.
She said wearily, “I have to go back to our cabin and get the girls ready.”
I watched her leave without comment. A few moments later, a tap at the door made me call to her in irritation, “Come in.”
It wasn’t Kendra, but a young boy who ran messages for the crew of the ship. He snapped to attention. “Sir, you have a guest at the gangplank.”
“Who is it?” The question was fair because the only person I knew in Trager was Flier, and if it was him, he would have come on board because he had paid passage. If it was anyone else, especially one who wanted to speak to me ashore, I saw no reason to talk.
The boy said, “He sent a message. He said, ‘I told you I’d see you in Kondor.’ You are supposed to know what that means.
I raced from the cabin, down the passageway, and paused when I caught a glimpse of a man wearing a robe that fell to his sandaled feet, a hood pulled over his head so low his eyes were obscured. He carried the crooked staff of office signifying a Wanderer priest.
Why would a priest want to speak with me? I didn’t know any. There had been a few passing through Dire over the years, but my memory couldn’t find a single instance where we’d spoken. As I approached, his stance was familiar.
The purser turned at my footsteps. “This priest says he knows you.”
It was Avery, my old nemesis from youth, and the personal servant of the next king of Dire. We were supposed to deliver a message from Kendra. He’s arrived in Trager but hadn’t had time to continue on to Kondor as intended. Now he was dressed as a priest, an occupation far from his tangled and unscrupulous background.
“Yes, we have met,” I told the purser carefully. Whatever Avery’s intentions, he was always loyal to his master and the crown. “Can he come aboard to talk to me for a while?”
“Certainly. Just make sure I remove him from my visitor list when he leaves. Keep him on the main deck, please.”
I said I would, thinking he might be the only visitor during the ship’s stay, so he would be easy to keep track of. With a nod, Avery was invited to stroll the main deck with me. He said nothing as we moved to an empty place near the anchor windlass where the deck was clear enough to ensure nobody was close enough to listen. Will lurked in a shadow. Avery probably didn’t notice him.
Avery said, “Your ship was turned back by a storm.”
I nodded.
“My ship sailed while the palace guards of Trager questioned me as a spy.”
“Did they recognize your robes?”
He smirked. “How could they not? I maintained my poise and admitted nothing of being a spy sent here by the evil Kingdom of Dire. More to the point, I have never seen a dragon and am not sure they exist, let alone a woman who commands one. Who would believe such nonsense?”
The last took me by surprise. The glint in Avery’s eye told me enough to guess at more. “They are searching for Kendra?”
“It appears the local king has appointed a small number of confidants to carry out the daily drudgery of ruling this decaying city. They are concerned about anyone traveling from the north to Kondor, and they are talking of a blockade to prevent interference from the north.”
“I think it is more than talk,” I muttered.
He settled himself on the deck in the cross-legged position common to penniless priests. His hand clutched the coiled staff cut from a thick vine that twisted and turned as it grew, then hardened into wood as solid as metal after cutting. Avery played the part well.
He continued, “A similar council rules Kondor.”
“The Council of Nine,” I filled in for him.
He seemed surprised by me knowing that. He said, “Certain information leads me to believe the King of Kondor is dead, as are all who would inherit the crown, and his power has been replaced by that council. The mages rule the council.”
“That coincides with what I’ve managed to find.”
He said wistfully, “I visited here once, and the yet-to-be king visited me at Crestfallen, this all happened when we were very young. With my master’s permission, we hunted and when not in the forests, chased after the most beautiful women in two kingdoms.”
“I often posed as a priest while traveling. He was my acolyte, a private joke between only us. Nobody else knew of the ruse.”
Now, he grew agitated, as if waiting for something to happen. It was like tossing popper nuts into a campfire and waiting for them to explode from the heat. One might pop right away and send hot coals and sparks flying, another might last half the night—but sooner or later it would. The longer it took, the more the tension increased.
He said, “He was my friend. Is my friend. The man I know would never allow his city to fall into disrepair like this, yet all the information I glean tells me he is alive. I will remain here and attempt to make contact or rescue him.”
“And you want me to carry that information back to your master and king. Of course, I will.”
He smiled wistfully. “There is more. Left unchecked, the mages will win full control of Trager. Before the death of the king, they will seat the council and remove any claimants to the throne. That seems their pattern. I sense the time is near. You can help me.”
“Tell me.”
“There must be an event, a catastrophic happening that will break the cycle the mages have put in place. The people of the city must finally pull together and fight the council. A revolution must occur.”
“Avery, I am a servant of a princess far removed from the seat of power in a foreign land. It sounds like you want me to trigger the event.”
“No. Your sister. I have laid the groundwork, spread the rumors, and hinted of what the mages intend, which is to destroy the lower city of Trager, leaving only the upper city and palace intact. They will kill all who live here.”
“I don’t understand,” I confessed.
“People know mages work with dragons, and now with Wyverns. They saw the fight in the sky today. They have heard of Mercia being destroyed by you, the Dragon Tamer. If a dragon attacks the city, its great size will knock down wooden buildings. Any burning candles or lamps will catch fire to the wood and burn more of the city. It will convince the people left they are doomed if they remain in lower Trager.”