Kingdom

by Kyle West

  I understand. I may not know as much as you, and I may not know as much as Anna did in the past. But I do know this, Tiamat. The fates of humankind and dragonkind are linked. For all our faults, we are the only ones to defeat the Radaskim in battle and save our world, even if that battle cost us dearly. In a thousand worlds, we were the only ones able to succeed, I paused as I looked him straight in the eye. Think of that before you decide to give this place up.

  It was hard to read what Tiamat was thinking. His thoughts were closed to me. All the other dragons had been listening quietly, but there was a sense that the discussion was going to continue far into the night. Perhaps the real discussion after I had said my piece.

  I will bear you back to your ship, Quietus said.

  Once I was mounted, Quietus ran and took flight.

  When we were in the air, she said, do you plan to fight the swarm on your own with just the ship?

  I see no alternative.

  It is impossible, you know.

  Perhaps, I said. But if there’s a chance, I’ll take it. I can’t let innocent people die if there’s something I can do to stop it. Besides, Odin has a weapon that might be powerful enough to defeat the swarm.

  I remember, Quietus said. A terrible weapon. You are not the only species to use it, you know. It will not work in the end. It will kill many, but not enough.

  It’s all we have, I said. The alternative is doing nothing and letting the swarm do whatever it wants.

  If you are set on trying, I will not stop you, Quietus said. Use your best judgment. The real target is the Hyperfold.

  Would that work?

  If all else fails, Quietus said. When the power of the Hollow fades, the Nameless One will have answers. Remember this.

  The Nameless One who didn’t allow me to speak to him.

  The way will open, Quietus said. Listen for it.

  Perhaps that was true, but right now I had to focus on the things I could stop.

  The rest of the flight was quiet. It wasn’t long before we reached Dragonspire and the ship, outside of which everyone stood waiting.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  QUIETUS LANDED BY THE SHIP and I slid off her back in one fluid motion. I landed lightly on my feet in front of where the others were waiting.

  Quietus backed away to give us room.

  “How’d it go?” Ret asked.

  I shook my head. “Not well.”

  I explained everything while they listened. Once I reached the part about the dragon swarm heading east and the description of the city, Nabea interrupted.

  “That’s Atlantea,” he said. “It has to be!”

  “The description seems to fit,” Isandru said. “Though I’ve never seen the city itself, I’ve read about it before.”

  “If that’s the case,” Nabea said, “then what are we still doing here?”

  He was already going up the ramp, inputting the code to open the blast door.

  “Nabea is right. We need to get moving.” I nodded toward the ship. “Everyone on board.”

  As they filed up the ramp, Fiona came up to me. “Do you even think it’s possible to stop the dragons?”

  “I’ll get to that as soon as we’re on board.”

  I could see she was frustrated with my answer, but she nodded. “All right.”

  I followed her up the ramp, turning to face Quietus once again.

  Is there anything you can do to convince Tiamat to help?

  My son is . . . willful. More than any dragon I have ever known. And he has his reasons. All that he has told me is true.

  Can the dragons escape Earth, if that’s what they want?

  Yes, Quietus said, it’s possible.

  You wouldn’t do that, would you?

  You may not remember fully your days as Anna, but I do. Askal and I fought battles with you and your friends. We gave everything we had. That time was . . . different. Even if we died, because of the nature of the Xenofold then, we would have been reborn on another world. But if we fight in a way that gives everything, on this world . . . we may never wake again if we fail here.

  I don’t understand. You’ve lost worlds before. Hundreds of them. And you were always reborn on the next?

  Yes. We cannot take with us what we learned or how we grew; we are born as we were on the World of Worlds, Askalon. None of the wars lasted long . . . not so long as we have stayed here. It is difficult to explain. Our names are the same, but the realities are different. Such as suits the Nameless One’s sense of balance.

  He is the one that confuses most of all. Alex spoke with him before he gave himself to kill Askala. He didn’t really win, did he?

  He did all that could be done, Quietus said. He did what he was supposed to. His power will need to be awakened to defeat the Radaskim in full. His power can only be awakened if the Hyperfold is destroyed.

  I need to speak to the Nameless One then.

  Even now, the Hollow withers away . . . but I can sense its trace in my mind. It isn’t gone yet. When it has left fully, perhaps the door in the lake will be open.

  How long must I wait?

  You will know, Shanti.

  I looked back at the open door of the ship. Everyone was already on board.

  And the swarm? How is it possible for me to save Atlantea? You saw the size of it. How can we stop them if the dragons won’t help?

  There may be time to stop them, Quietus said. You will never know until you see for yourself. If you hurry, there might be a chance to save the city in time. Quietus lowered her long face until her snout was just inches from my nose. May the wind be ever under your wings, Anna.

  Goodbye. The same for you, Quietus.

  I headed into the ship.

  * * *

  When I got into the wardroom, the door hissed shut behind me. Everyone was standing there and waiting. Nabea’s arms were crossed and his expression tense.

  “I know,” I said. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

  I tried to meet all their eyes. Samal’s brown ones were determined and ready. Mia’s looked afraid; Isa’s concerned.

  “We’re about to head into battle against the swarm,” I said. “The dragons have guaranteed us no help. Quietus and Askal are going to stay behind and try to convince Tiamat to see things our way. The thing is . . . Tiamat is holding a grudge from the past. A grudge he has nursed for two centuries and refuses to let go. Humanity is beyond redemption in his view. He speaks of fleeing Earth and leaving it to its destruction.”

  “What?” Samal asked. “How is that even possible?”

  I did my best to explain how it was possible for them to use the Xenomatrix to escape Earth. While most of them looked confused, I focused on the part of it being possible for the dragons to all but abandon us here, leaving Earth to the Radaskim.

  “We can’t let that happen,” Fiona said.

  “You’re right,” I said. “But we have things to do on our end to show our commitment. We must destroy the Hyperfold. Only that will stop the swarm’s organization and begin the process of healing the Red Wild. It would end Shal’s reign of terror and make the Mindless easier to deal with. The Xenofold could heal for the two years we have until the Radaskim return.”

  “Would there be time for it to heal?”

  “I don’t know, Ret.”

  “What about Atlantea?” Nabea asked. “What about my people? My mother and father, my family . . . all of them are there! Why are we sitting here when people could be dying, even as we speak?”

  “We are going there, Nabea,” I said. “We will be there in hours. And as impossible as the battle will be, we must do what we can to help.”

  Nabea nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. Even as capable as Odin was, I knew that even it couldn’t hope to face an army of dragons. There simply weren’t enough bullets. We needed something better and stronger.

  What that was, though, I couldn’t begin to guess.

  * * *

  Just minutes later, we were in the air with
our course set northeast.

  I went aft to get a bit of shuteye before arriving. What I’d gotten in the hospital vat didn’t really count as proper sleep, and I didn’t know when I’d be getting it again. The wardroom was empty—it seemed everyone had the same idea as me.

  I entered my cabin and crashed on the bed. I was out in seconds.

  When I awoke sometime later, I wanted nothing more than to keep sleeping. There was a digital clock on the wall, reading six in the morning on the dot. It’d been four hours since I lay down. In my old life, the actual time was not too important. There was sunrise, there was sunset, and there was midday. There were bells that kept the hours, plus or minus two minutes. The precision of a digital clock was not something I was quite used to yet.

  We had to be close, or nearly there by now.

  I forced myself awake by reaching for Silence. I found the connection and pushed the tiredness away. What I was left with was a focus that came from the Xenofold. My tiredness, my weakness, was a sensation that could be ignored.

  I changed into some clean clothes before heading out into the wardroom, where I found Elder Isandru and Mia sitting at the table, drinking coffee. From the galley came the clamor of clanging pots. It seemed the boys were scrounging up a proper meal for the crew.

  “Morning, Captain,” Mia said, smiling and unusually cheery.

  I had noticed cheeriness was a side effect of the drink she held in her hand.

  “Coffee, Captain?” Isandru asked.

  I almost did a double take at him calling me that. I let go of Silence, and the fatigue returned. “There isn’t enough coffee in the world to fix my lack of sleep.”

  “It’ll help.”

  He reached for a mug and poured me a cup of the steaming hot black liquid. I had to admit, the aroma was pleasing.

  “What the hell,” I said, grabbing it and taking a sip. It was bitter but palatable.

  The cacophony in the galley was dying down. Ret poked his head from there into the wardroom. “Morning, Captain. Breakfast is ready.”

  “Why is everyone calling me captain, now?” I muttered to myself.

  “It’s good,” Isandru said. “They need to see you as captain first and friend second. A captain you follow without question. A friend you walk with side by side. Both have their places and their times.”

  I nodded. I supposed that made sense.

  I sat next to Mia and drank the coffee as fast as its heat would allow. Ret and Samal left the galley and walked toward the table, where they set down a giant pot of stew.

  “Breakfast is served,” Ret said proudly.

  “Thanks,” I said. “All of you, get started. I’ll round everyone else up.”

  I went to the back cabins, opening doors and waking everyone who wasn’t already up. In neither of the cabins, however, did I find Nabea.

  I walked aft toward the engine and found him standing, bathed in the pale red light emitted by the room. He didn’t hear me approach.

  “Nabea? You all right?”

  He was stirred from his thoughts. “Shanti. Didn’t see you there.”

  “Breakfast is ready.”

  “Breakfast.” He said it as if he’d never heard the word before.

  “Yeah, that thing you eat in the morning.” He didn’t laugh at the joke. “All right, that wasn’t funny, but I can tell something’s bothering you.”

  He clenched his fist. “How can I laugh when my home is going to be attacked by dragons? Even now, while I’m safe in this ship, people could be dying.”

  “We can’t save anyone if we’re not well-rested or have food in our bellies,” I said. “They say an army marches on its stomach. Well, a crew flies on its belly, too.”

  “We have no means to defend against an attack by air,” Nabea said as if I’d just said nothing. “We don’t have dragon riders like the Annajen or the Makai. None of the Eastern Kingdoms do. We have bows, we have catapults, we have pikes. A few dragons we might defend against, but hundreds?” He shook his head. “Thousands of Atlanteans will die. Why Atlantea, of all places? What does Isaru hope to accomplish? No, not Isaru. Rakhim. What does he gain by attacking us?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Nabea. Perhaps he went there because it was what we least expected.”

  “Perhaps. My father’s kingdom. One of the most powerful. If it falls as an example, the others could be brought to heel as well. Even with an army of dragons, the Eastern Kingdoms are too vast to rule directly. If he hopes to rule them, then he needs powerful allies in the region.”

  “So, this isn’t just wanton destruction,” I said.

  “I don’t believe it is,” Nabea said. “This was planned. I feel it in my bones.” He gave a tired sigh. “Whatever stability we have formed will be completely shattered by this. Hundreds of thousands of people’s lives will be thrown into chaos.”

  “Chaos,” I said. “That’s what he’s after. The Kingdoms are isolated from the Red Wild, too. Anyone with a flying force is days away from helping. But Shal can’t keep it up. The dragons cannot fly forever without feeding. An army of dragons needs xen.”

  I left it unmentioned, but the dragons would have to kill an enormous amount of people to feed themselves. In the end, that wasn’t sustainable.

  “Perhaps,” Nabea said.

  “That might be when they’re vulnerable.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m truly sorry, Nabea. None of us asked for this. We’ll be down there soon, doing what we can to help. Who knows? Perhaps we’ve arrived in time to give some warning at the least.”

  A tear fell from his left eye, which he promptly wiped. “I . . . cannot cry. Perhaps there will be a miracle. Perhaps the city is safe still, or they are defending themselves valiantly. There is always hope, right?”

  I nodded. “Of course there is. Why else would we be doing this? We fight until we can’t anymore. That’s the only way we’re getting through this.”

  Nabea nodded. “You’re right. My blade might not help against dragons, but my people make the strongest pikes. Atlantean steel is strong—strong enough, perhaps, to pierce a dragon’s heart.”

  “A pike against a cavalry charge is different compared to a swarm of dragons.”

  Nabea nodded. “Maybe I’m just trying to fool myself.”

  “It’s not wrong to hope, Nabea. Even if we don’t know how to defeat them, we will find a way. We’ll have to remember how the people fought in the Mindless Wars. It’s been over a century since those times. And if anything, we have Odin’s turrets.”

  “Would there be enough bullets?”

  “Enough to kill a good many of them. Enough to scare them off, with luck. And as strong as dragons are, they can’t dismantle fortresses and walls made of stone. They are a terrible enemy, but they have weaknesses. We just have to find them.”

  “We will do what we can, then,” Nabea said. “As you said . . . so long as we fight, there’s hope.” He nodded. “Let’s go see about breakfast. I’ll need my strength. We all will.”

  We headed back for the wardroom.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  ONCE EVERYONE HAD EATEN, I began to lay out our battle plan. We weren’t going to fight on the ground . . . in fact, swords would be all but useless here. All the same, I made sure everyone was armed and ready. Merely having a weapon changed a person’s mentality.

  “I want the Elders, Fiona, and Nabea to join Pallos and me on the flight deck. The rest of you, stand here for further orders.”

  “Wait,” Shara said. “How will we know what’s going on? I didn’t come here just to sit.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “There’s limited space, and that’s who I’ve chosen to be up front. All of us will be fighting soon, don’t worry about that.”

  Shara pursed her lips but said nothing more. It wasn’t the best explanation, but if there were too many people on the flight deck, it would cause too much commotion.

  Those I had named followed me to the flight deck, where I took my seat. Dawn wasn’t lon
g in approaching, the eastern horizon lit orange above the green, forested hills. We cruised east over mist-shrouded trees.

  “How far out are we?” I asked.

  “Not far,” Pallos said. “City should be visible on the horizon anytime.”

  I peered out the windshield. For now, I was unable to see anything but the wilderness before us.

  Behind us, Isandru, Tellor, Fiona, and Nabea all remained quiet, watching intently.

  “Does the scenery look familiar, Nabea?” I asked.

  He nodded. “There’s forest for hundreds of miles west of Atlantea. If Pallos is right, we should be coming up on farmland soon.”

  Not a minute later, the forest thinned. Any place there was no forest, there was row upon row of growing crops, but the trees were ever-present. But there was something else. The dawn light here was gray, as if tinged with smoke.

  Nabea realized it as well.

  “They are here, then,” he said.

  As we approached, my fears were manifested. The forest never seemed to end, but instead, the city appeared to be built within it. Even so, buildings of stone and wood were set ablaze as smoke poured into the sky. Toward the center of the city stood a series of large towers—towers that couldn’t be anything other than constructions from the Old World.

  Looking in all directions, there was no sign of the swarm itself . . . only the destruction it had left behind.

  “I’m sorry, Nabea,” I said.

  The prince of the city did not respond. He seemed unable to respond. He stared at the fires with unbelieving eyes.

  “How . . . how could he do this?” Nabea asked. “Isaru . . .”

  I didn’t bother to point out that Isaru was not in control of himself, that he was being controlled by Rakhim.

  “I know it isn’t him,” Nabea said. “We should’ve killed him when we had the chance.” His eyes focused on something in the distance. “We must go to the tower.”

  “Which one?” I asked.