Daughter of Dragons

by Jack Campbell

  "How high is it?"

  "Probably a couple of hundred kilometers."

  Kira stared at the fast moving star. "A kilometer is a thousand of your meters, right? So two hundred thousand meters, which would be about one hundred thousand lances. How can you get something that high?"

  He looked at her. "Kira, it's just technology. Someday, you guys will get to the same place and be able to enter space again. Even if Earth never helps you at all, even if they quarantine you like some interstellar theme park to 'protect' you, you'll get there. Someday, you guys will send a ship back to Earth. And when you get there, do you know what you'll say?"

  "What will we say?" Kira asked, smiling.

  "You'll tell Earth that you don't need any of their technology. But you have something that Earth needs. Because Earth has forgotten things, things about people, that you guys still remember."

  "Do you really believe that?" Kira asked, her voice soft.

  "Yes. They're not better people on Earth, Kira. I know you guys aren't perfect, but you're as good as they are. Better in some ways. They don't have anything on Earth you need to envy."

  Kira looked at the stars, thinking. "You told me that on Urth they could have saved my brother's life. And helped my mother have other children."

  He paused. "Yeah. I'm sorry. The medical thing is big. I didn't mean to sound like that wasn't important. I guess I take it for granted."

  "That's all right. There are things we all take for granted. Until we need them and don't have them. Jason, I'm sorry."

  "For what?"

  "For not being able to say 'I love you' back to you. I might, someday. I don't know."

  "Only a jerk would demand that you make up your mind now," Jason said, "and I'm told that I'm not a jerk."

  "I do remember somebody saying that," Kira said. "Rest well."

  She lay on her back, gazing upwards, trying to concentrate on the lessons that would help her hide her presence from Mages. Other Mages. When had that happened? And how? Her parents were worried about it. Everybody who knew was worried about it, even Jason who didn't know enough to know he should be worried about it.

  There was nothing she could do, though, except hope that her Mage skills would be enough to do what Jason thought could solve their problem.

  One of their problems, anyway.

  * * *

  The flight across the Sea of Bakre was long and hard, angling the long way over the waters, the Rocs pushed to their limits. But Mage Saburo and Mage Alber brought them safely to from Dorcastle to Marida.

  People arriving on Rocs tended to get a lot of attention. When they proved to be the daughter and her husband, the only Master of Mages, the attention multiplied fast. Before Alain and Mari could reach the waterfront they had a police escort, and by the time they saw the harbor before them a military escort had arrived as well. "Taris," Alain said. "The name of the ship includes the word Taris."

  "We know the one," a port official announced. "This way, Sir Mage."

  The Son of Taris was tied up at a pier, but plainly preparing to get underway soon. Those preparations halted when a score of Marida's soldiers rushed up the gangplank as the crew were getting ready to haul it in. Alain and Mari followed, he studying the ship as they went aboard. A common enough merchant ship, neither large nor small, with nothing to distinguish it but the fact that it had appeared in Asha's vision.

  The crew was lined up along one side of the main deck, looking as nervous as anyone could look. At the stern, before the raised quarterdeck, a tall man in a greatcoat and a stout woman stood waiting. The officials and soldiers of Marida stayed near the gangplank in deference to the daughter.

  Alain saw the ripple of recognition that ran through the two ship's officers as they looked on Mari. "You have seen our daughter," he said.

  The captain nodded, his expression grim. "I am not fool enough to try lying to a Mage. And I cannot believe that the daughter of Jules means harm to her. The girl called herself Kara. She was with the boy Jason, though he called himself J'son."

  "What do you know of the boy?" Alain asked.

  "We know he was sought by the Imperials. Kara told us that he had taken something from the ship from Urth in order to save many lives. I believed her."

  "She spoke the truth," Alain said. "Her real name is Kira."

  "Is she all right?" Mari asked. "Where is she now?"

  The first mate answered. "She was fine when we set her ashore at Kelsi, Lady. Our last port before this. They had all with them when they left that they had when they came aboard. Kelsi was where she and the boy wished to leave the ship. What a dolt I am! She told me both of her parents were on the last wall at Dorcastle! Who else could that be but the daughter and her Mage? And then she said—" The first mate's eyes widened suddenly.

  "Speak of it," Alain said.

  "We…were discussing things," the first mate said with reluctance. "She asked me to pass a message to her mother if ever I should meet her."

  "What message was that?" Mari asked.

  "She said I should tell you that she thought you would like me," the first mate said as if the words were being pulled from her one by one.

  Mari laughed with relief. "You must be the easiest first mate on the Sea of Bakre."

  "Begging your pardon, Lady, but no," the first mate said stiffly, her pride affronted. "I am not easy. Ask any of the crew."

  "Where did you get that mark on your head?"

  "During the storm before we reached Kelsi. I was knocked out. That's when your daughter saved my life."

  "Kira saved you?" Mari asked.

  "She saved the entire ship," the captain said. "With the first mate down and myself lashed to the wheel, your girl led the crew up the mast in the worst storm I have ever encountered, got them to furl the mainsail and reef the topsail. Then she kept them working the pumps all night. If not for her, the mast would have gone, and the ship followed soon after."

  "Kira did that." Mari looked at Alain and he saw the pride in her. He nodded to show that the captain and first mate had spoken true. "How did she get aboard this ship?"

  "She and the boy stowed away in Dorcastle," the first mate said.

  "I made them work their passage, as was my right," the captain added. "Part of the crew. They were worked hard, but treated fairly. Ask any man or woman aboard, Sir Mage."

  "Why did she tell you who Jason was?" Alain asked.

  "It was in Caer Lyn. We were tied up for the night, and the Imperials came down the pier, searching ships. Lady, every year the Imperials act more and more like they own the Sharr Isles once again."

  "I know. I'm trying to resolve that short of war. It hasn't been easy," Mari said. "They were looking for Jason?"

  "And your daughter, Lady, though they did not identify her as such. Offered great reward. But we had hidden the two of them so they were not found, and kept them safe until our ship left harbor the next morning."

  "You knew there were rewards for both, but you protected them?" Mari asked.

  "Aye, Lady. That was my decision."

  "And you didn't know Kira was my daughter?"

  "No, Lady. I knew she was a good sailor, and she had earned my trust. Nor do I care for the Imperials." The captain squinted as if suddenly realizing something. "Your daughter. And we protected her and the boy, and agreed to let them sail on with us to Kelsi, so they were aboard when the storm hit. The boy saved her, and then she saved all of us. I do not know what led to you offering us your favor, daughter of Jules, but without your daughter this ship and all aboard would have been lost."

  "You saved yourselves by your actions," Alain said, having once again seen the truth in the captain's words. "You said the boy saved her?"

  "Aye. Her line snapped. She was going over the side. The boy set free his own line and went after her. The wave nearly took both, but he managed to hold her and bring her back aboard."

  Mari stared at the captain, then at Alain, then back at the captain. "Jason? The boy Jason did that?"r />
  "Aye, Lady. I admit he did not impress when I first saw him, but he saved your daughter's life. There's not a doubt of it."

  Mari looked at him and Alain nodded. She faced the two ship's officers again. "You brought my daughter and the boy with her across the Sea of Bakre, treating them fairly, safeguarding their possessions and seeing them safely ashore. You knew that substantial rewards were offered for both, and you still kept them safe. My husband and I owe you a great deal." Mari turned and beckoned to the officials from Marida. "This ship has done a great service for me. I ask that word to be passed through the Free Cities and other lands that I would like The Son of Taris to be given preference for official cargoes and mail. And I authorize this ship to fly the banner of the daughter from this day on, to show that the ship and the crew sail with my favor and under my protection."

  "As the daughter wishes, it will be done," the most senior official said.

  "Lady?" the captain said, sounding as if he doubted his own ears. "You honor us with such measures? They will guarantee the prosperity of this ship and her crew, and your favor might save us when all other means fail."

  "You have earned it," Mari said, extending her hand. "Take my hand, both of you, and with it my thanks." The captain and first mate both shook her hand, the captain smiling broadly and the first mate looking like she was about to pass out.

  "Luck from the daughter herself," the first mate said, shaking her head in disbelief.

  "My daughter did say I would like you," Mari reminded her.

  "If I see your daughter again I will have some words with her, Lady! Tasking me to deliver such a message to you. But she is a fine sailor, and a fine girl."

  "Thank you."

  Alain let Mari lead the way off the ship, passing the line of sailors who chattered among themselves in amazement. He stopped and waited as Mari paused, then went to the sailors of The Son of Taris and also shook the hand of each one. He knew how little Mari liked the superstition of sailors that her touch brought them luck, but Mari knew how much it meant to the sailors, and so she went through the ritual. Because that was how Mari was, and that was how she had been when first they met, and if he did not like that Alain knew he had no one but himself to blame for falling in love with her.

  In truth, her concern for others had been what had first impressed him. And saved his life.

  On the pier, Mari stopped again to speak to Alain, officials from Marida close by this time. "She left the ship in Kelsi just a few days ago."

  "Kelsi?" a police commander asked. "A few days ago?"

  "Yes. What is it?"

  "We've just been hearing of a big fight in Kelsi a few days past. Dark Mages and other scum. There was a fight in the streets at night, with gunshots, and more gun battles along the sea-facing wall, on the waters of the harbor, and the nearby coast."

  Alain felt fear. "What else is known?"

  "The criminals who were rounded up wouldn't talk, but with the help of a Mage the interrogators were fairly certain the incident did involve your daughter. I just this morning received the report from my counterpart in Kelsi."

  "But what of our daughter and the boy Jason?"

  The official shook his head. "No trace of them. Except that a boat owner claimed he was hijacked by a boy and a girl that night, and his boat was later found farther down the coast, abandoned."

  Mari stared to the west. "We haven't heard any far-talker messages from anyone claiming to have the boy or my daughter. Have you?"

  "No, Lady," another official said. "You know that the reward sheets dropped by the Urth ship are…vague on whether or not the boy and your daughter need to be found alive."

  "Yes," Mari said, her voice almost as emotionless as that of a Mage. "We have noticed that."

  "But still no one has tried to claim the reward," the official added hastily.

  "Meaning they are not dead," Alain said.

  "That is my assumption."

  The police official spoke again. "Kelsi has been turned upside down since the fight. If the boy and your daughter were being held there, it seems unlikely that no one would have found them. And if your daughter had been found by any of your friends in Kelsi—and you have many, many friends in Kelsi as you do in all the Free Cities—the word would have come to me by quiet means so that I could inform you if I met you."

  "Thank you," Mari said. "That is reassuring. Alain? Where would they have gone from Kelsi? Kira knows we have friends in Alexdria. General Flyn among them."

  "Kira also knows that Alexdria can be reached only through a few mountain passes," Alain said. "They would be easily trapped there. You said the boat was found abandoned along the coast? In which direction from the city?"

  "West, Sir Mage. A search was made there and inland as far as the entrance to the pass toward Ihris. On foot, they couldn't have out-paced the searchers."

  "I am beginning to suspect," Alain said, "that it is a serious mistake to underestimate our daughter."

  "But, Sir Mage, unless they flew…" The officials exchanged glances.

  "Yes. Unless. Mari, I think we should go to Ihris."

  "We'll need new Rocs. Mage Saburo and Mage Alber are worn out."

  "I am certain some Mages who create Rocs are available for hire at the former Mage Guild Hall," another official offered.

  Mari sighed. "Another night sleeping among the clouds. That's not nearly as restful as it sounds," she told the others. "Alain, are we sure we should draw attention to Ihris?"

  He tried to put into words what he was feeling. "I have a sense that we will be needed there. Soon."

  "Then we're going to get there, as quickly as we can."

  * * *

  As Petr had predicted, it was fairly easy to slip unnoticed through the bustle of the livestock market. Between the herds of cattle and horses and mules, and the buyers and sellers and herders moving and arguing, two more figures weren't noticed making their way to the edge of the market to join the intermittent stream of people between there and the city.

  Kira didn't see any of the papers with Jason's face on them, so she had him lead the way through the city gates, keeping him between her and the guards. The guards, though, didn't seem particularly alert, relaxing and talking to each other. Nor did there seem to be anyone lounging about watching for them as there had been at the gate in Kelsi.

  Any comfort that brought vanished as Kira was alarmed to "feel" a Mage somewhere. If she could feel one, another might feel her. Her Mage skills seemed to be changing and growing in erratic spurts. That wasn't how her father had described his own skills growing slowly and steadily with time and practice.

  Kira did her best to focus on the drills that Alera had taught her, trying to ensure that no other Mage could feel her presence. Such a Mage might be friendly, or might be one of those still enraged by the fall of the Mage Guild and the loss of the impunity with which Mages once treated other people as less than nothing.

  By the time they made it inside the city, it was late morning and the streets were fairly crowded. Horse- and mule-drawn wagons filled the streets, along with riders. Ihris, like much of Dematr, had prospered in the years since the overthrow of the Great Guilds. The Peace of the Daughter had kept conflicts to a minimum, so trade had flourished. And the freeing of technology had given new vigor to every city, even though not many changes had worked their way into everyday life yet.

  "Where exactly are we going?" Jason asked, keeping his voice low so that passersby couldn't hear his accent.

  "We're looking for a good hotel so we can get a room," Kira said.

  To her surprise, Jason laughed. "Do you know how long I have dreamed about a beautiful girl saying that to me?"

  "I really don't want to hear about those kinds of dreams, that is not why we are getting a room, and I'm not beautiful."

  "It's my illusion and I'm sticking to it," Jason said. "Do you have any idea which way we should go?"

  "I think I once heard Mother and Father say the district with the best hotels in I
hris is to the south. Let's head that way."

  They moved along the streets, Kira trying to keep her head buried in her coat, trying to keep Jason between her and most people, and trying to maintain her concentration on the Mage-presence blocking drills.

  As she and Jason went down a sidewalk, Kira noticed a pair of police officers sauntering down the street. Before she could slip around to the other side of Jason, one of them looked at her, looked away, then looked back, surprised. Without realizing it, Kira's concentration dropped, recentering on the police.

  "Hey," the officer said, still looking at Kira.

  But Kira felt something else, a sudden surge of power, and turned to look across the street where it was coming from. A man stood there, staring at her with abrupt yet clear recognition. And his eyes…

  "If you ever meet a Mage who creates dragons," her mother had told Kira, "you'll know it. There's something about their eyes. Something…fierce and brutal. I can't describe it better than that, but you'll know it when you see it."

  Kira realized she was staring back at a Dragon Mage.

  Dragon Mages hated her mother and her father.

  The police officers were walking toward her. Before Kira could react to that, a dragon appeared in the street.

  The spell must have been a hasty one. The dragon was only about a lance and a half tall, about three of Jason's meters, but to Kira's eyes the claws on the dragon's forearms and the teeth in its gaping maw were huge.

  And the dragon's eyes were fixed on her. She was its target.

  The two police had begun turning, drawing their hardwood clubs, their faces reflecting shock, when the dragon backhanded both of them. They flew across the street toward Kira, tumbling to the pavement, one of their clubs clattering to land at her feet.

  Without realizing she had done so, Kira had her pistol drawn. She flipped off the safety, chambered a round, then without knowing why crouched down to grab the hardwood club with her free hand.

  Jason was running toward the dragon as it charged her, but another backhand swipe tossed him aside. Kira was vaguely aware of screams and shouts echoing around her as the other people on the street saw the monster, of the panicked snorts of horses reacting to the appearance of the dragon, but all she could see was the beast charging her.