by Kyle West
“They might if they knew what was coming for them,” I said.
“But how to explain such intricacies to . . . savages?” Percy asked, his mouth twisting in distaste. “You’re asking us to work with people that have been our enemies for generations. They kill and scalp all who seek to cross the Barbarous Lands if they judge them easy targets. They are not truly people, if you ask me.”
Already, I had decided that Lord Percy and I were not going to be friends. While I tried to think of a response, Fiona spoke.
“Have you even tried negotiating with them?” Fiona asked. “They are people, Lord Percy. I hope that wasn’t just a hyperbole.”
“They won’t speak to a Mongarian,” Syndic Salas said. “Lord Percy is right in that. We’ve tried, many times. We’ve lost too many messengers to risk ever sending another.”
“Savages,” Lord Percy said again, blowing out his long, gray mustaches.
I wanted to slap the walrus man across the face, but obviously, that wasn’t an option at this point.
“We’re closed in on both sides,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm. “Negotiating with the Radaskim is impossible, but if there’s even a chance that the Plains People will listen to us, we need to take it. What is it that they want, exactly?”
“What else?” Lord Percy quipped. “They want what they’ve always wanted. Our food, our women, our gold and ichor.”
“They must be spoken to,” I said. “We can’t just assume that’s what they’re after, especially now. Such an assumption could be the death of all of us.”
“What about the Novan force?” Elder Arminius asked. “Any word on their movements?”
“They are besieging Highgrove at this very moment,” Salas said, with a scowl. “May those fools starve and die where they stand! Our scouts report that the Novans are ill-prepared for the cold and will likely surrender before they can even challenge the city. Even if Highgrove’s defenses are not as strong as ours.”
I could only shake my head at how senseless this was. All of us had to work together, and there were three human forces now in the Red Mountains, all hostile to one another. If that continued, we were only making ourselves weaker.
But I could control at least one of these things. “Who’s in charge of the Plains People?”
“They have what they call a First Man, but his word is hardly law. Any man can claim that title, if he has the strength and bravery to take it from him.”
“Someone must be leading them,” Shara said. “How else are they so organized? You’re making it seem like they’re . . . animals. You’re blinded by your hatred of them.”
The Syndic didn’t have an answer for that. I had to side with Shara. Large forces comprised of thousands of men didn’t just gather together without some sort of central, charismatic figure. Someone was leading the Plains People, and I would need to find out who if we were to even have a chance of leaving this city.
The talks went on late into the night. Harrow did most of the talking, wheeling and dealing to get the best for our men. We would still oversee our own food supplies, but were expected to share it with the local population, which none of us had qualms with. The dragons would be staying in a system of caves south of the city. There were ichor pools and xen growing there, which would provide food for them as well as ichor to bathe in.
At last, the conversation turned back to the Plains People; whether to continue fighting them, or to seek some form of resolution. The assembly seemed to be split in half, with the Mongarians generally siding with fighting their ancient enemy, and my side wanting to negotiate.
“You think that they are people in the same way that we are,” the Syndic said, after going back and forth for hours. “They are not. That’s all I can say. If you think their fear of the Radaskim will overcome their hatred of the Elekai, then you’ll be disappointed. I won’t stop you if you want to speak to them. They kill all messengers, like I said before.”
I listened and tried to think the problem through. It wasn’t that I doubted Salas; no one seemed to be contradicting him, not even the people on my side. But there was a missing piece, and I refused to believe that they were “savages,” as Lord Percy distastefully put it.
But it was a question that would have to be settled tomorrow. I noticed that some people on our side were nodding off, and the fires in the hearths had burned low.
“I think we’ve accomplished all we can for now,” I said. “We’re exhausted.”
The Syndic nodded in agreement. “I’ve prepared rooms for all of you. Most will have to be shared, I’m afraid; every inch of the keep is occupied.”
“I’m grateful for anything” I said. “As long as I have a place to lay my head.”
“And Elekim,” Salas said, now standing and placing a fist over his heart. “We are grateful for your coming.”
“And we are grateful to be here,” I said. “We are saving each other, as best as we can. I hope we can figure things out going forward.”
The Syndic nodded, indicating that he had the same wish.
The council broke as sleeping arrangements were discussed. The Syndic himself led us upstairs, to a room that had its own fireplace and about twenty cots. I grabbed the first one I could find and laid down on it. None of us spoke with each other. Everyone only had one thing on their minds.
When I closed my eyes, I was dead to the world.
Chapter 38
When I woke up, the room was full of people still sleeping. I didn’t know most of them, but they seemed to be soldiers. My friends had taken up the cots around me. The small room contained one window, both shuttered and barred, with sunlight peeking through. The room was hot, almost stifling. And it reeked almost to the point of causing nausea. At least I was warm from head to toe for the first time in weeks.
I flipped on my stomach to sleep some more, awakening only when the noise of everyone waking up was too loud to be ignored. Shara was already dressed and sitting on her cot, seeming surprisingly refreshed despite the chaos of the last few days. Isaru, Isa, and Fiona were also waiting. I was a bit annoyed that none had wanted to wake me, but I could hardly blame them.
In the end, it was Shara who led us down to the Great Hall. Already, a lot of people were sitting at the tables eating breakfast, or taking up spots wherever there was space, even on the floor or leaning against the wall with bowls and spoons in hand.
We lined up to get our own food, the men watching us with surprise, probably at the fact that we were even eating with them. Some reached out to shake my hand, others asked me questions, such as what our next move was going to be. Some asked if we were going to fight here.
I answered them all as best as I could. Some of the men offered me their food, but I refused, telling them to eat.
Nonetheless, when we were finally served, each of us got larger portions than the others. There was nothing to be done about that, and I was hungry, so I let it slide.
As we looked for a place to eat, a group of men hastily stood, giving us their seats. I refused them, but they insisted, gesturing for us to sit down. It would be rude to say no at this point, so we sat. The higher-ups had agreed to meet again in the morning, but the time and place hadn’t been specified. The men watched us eat, every one of our moves being scrutinized. If we ever needed anything – a refill on coffee, a second helping, the men rushed to do it faster than any servant would have.
It was strange to see the men respect me when so many lives had been lost because of my bad decisions. I didn’t feel worthy of the respect. But in the end, I realized that this was where I needed to be. They had to see me as Anna Reborn. I wasn’t only that to them. I was Elekim, and to most of them, that was the same as being a god. I didn’t know how I would react if a god sat down to eat breakfast with me.
Finally, one of the men, a bearded soldier not much older than me, plucked up the courage to speak to me directly.
“Elekim, they say you destroyed Odium. Why is his army still chasing us?”
/> I looked at him, wondering how he could have gotten things so wrong. “Is that what people are saying?”
“They say many things,” he said. “I don’t know what to believe. They say you defeated him. Some say he’s still alive, and we’re fleeing because we can’t defeat him. Others say that the Radaskim can’t fight as well in cold weather, which is why we came to hide here.”
“We are the ones who can’t fight in the cold weather,” another soldier said.
I decided I’d have to clear up the rumors, whatever they were. I made my voice loud enough to where most could hear. Most other conversations had gone quiet by this point.
“I didn’t defeat Odium. Not even close. Using the Xenofold, I slowed him down and gave us a chance to get here.”
The first soldier nodded, as if he understood. “And we’re going to fight him here?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “We might. General Harrow, the Elder Council, the Syndic . . . we’re all still trying to decide what’s best.”
Others grew bold enough to ask more questions: How are we going to win? Do we have to fight the Plains People? How much longer until we run out of food? Can we please get moved to the castle to sleep?
On and on it went. I patiently tried to answer everyone I could, until Fiona touched me on the shoulder and nodded toward the front doors. My parents were standing there, along with the Syndic and some of his closest counselors, including Lord Percy from last night.
I excused myself and made my way there, telling the men to stay strong, and that I was proud of them. When I reached the doors, my parents embraced me.
“We think we’ve come up with a solution to last night’s problem,” the Syndic began.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He eyed the Great Hall. “Let’s go outside. It’ll be quieter.” We followed him out there, taking a few steps away from the doors. I noticed Elder Arminius was also here. He came to join our group as the Syndic continued. “In the past, we’ve always sent men on horseback to deal with the Plains People. At least, back when we were foolish enough to try and negotiate with them. But you have something that we’ve never had – dragons in quantities great enough to give them pause.”
“Of course, it wouldn’t just be me going out there alone,” I said. “I would take Flame with me.”
“We’re not used to thinking in terms of dragons,” the Syndic explained. “We aren’t like the Annajen, or the Makai, or even the Colonians, who have a long tradition of dragonriding. To even think of having a hundred dragons in the same place, on the same side as us, is hard to fathom. And yet, here we are.”
“That settles it, then,” Shara said. She looked at me. “Right?”
I thought about it for a moment. It didn’t solve things entirely. “If we’re going to speak with them, then we will still have to be face to face at some point. We can’t just shout from dragonback, and even if we could, we’d be in range of their arrows.”
“We can send a man ahead, if you like, to warn them of your coming,” Lord Percy said.
“And have him die for no reason?” I asked. “No, I don’t think we’ll do that.”
“The Plains People speak English,” Syndic Salas said. “The ancient kind from books. But of all those people, there might be some who speak Espan. They let some trade caravans pass through their lands, after all.”
“Shanti can speak English perfectly,” Fiona said.
“Book English,” I said. “It probably isn’t the same as theirs.”
“Maybe that could open things up,” the Syndic said. “Of course, we’ve tried talking to them in English, but it hasn’t been any more effective.”
I frowned as I thought about the problem. I didn’t want to take many dragons with me. That would only cause panic, and perhaps make them more likely to retaliate, which was something we couldn’t afford.
“I don’t want too many to go with me,” I said. “One, or at most, two other people.”
“Elekim,” Elder Arminius began, “I would strongly advise against that. Take twenty dragons, at the very least.”
“That sends the wrong message,” I said. “I need to show them I’m strong, even when I don’t have an army behind me.”
“Elekim,” the Syndic said, with forced patience, “Strength is the only thing the Plains People understand. You shouldn’t be afraid to show it.”
“I must show them a different way,” I said. “You’ve shown them strength before, but did it have the effect you were looking for?”
The Syndic was silent on that point. At the same time, I didn’t know if what I wanted to try would work, either. I knew that if I could just communicate with them, they would see the sense of my words.
I hated to go in blind, not knowing what would work. But what choice did I have? The last thing I wanted was to cut my way through these people. Something told me they saw the danger that was coming, although I didn’t know why that would lead them to the gates of Mongar.
There was only one way to find out.
“I’ll take Shara with me,” I said. “The rest of you can bunker down here.”
I said it in a tone that was final, so that no one would try to contradict me.
At last, Syndic Salas bowed to my demand. “As you wish, Elekim. As you wish.”
Elder Arminius swallowed. “And when do you intend to go?”
“As soon as possible,” I said. “We have no time to lose.”
* * *
Making good on those words, I called for Flame and Red Tail, sensing that they were not far in the mountain caves south of the city. We watched the white mountainside until we could pick out their forms against it. They glided over the city wall until they were above the Skykeep’s courtyard. As they landed, people scurried out of the way.
Shara and I mounted up while everyone else saw us off. Before I had climbed on, my mother insisted Shara and I each wear a heavy fur coat she had found from somewhere, along with fur-lined gloves. I was a bit annoyed, but I had to admit she was right. We would be much warmer wearing them.
The Elders watched with worried expressions, while the Syndic’s face was neutral. Lord Percy’s face had an appraising, and almost amused air. Fiona, Isa, and Isaru watched as well, with Fiona offering a final bit of advice.
“Don’t feel as if you have to contact them if you deem it too dangerous,” she said. “It’s a long shot, and all of us understand that.”
It felt as if I were the only one who was still optimistic. I didn’t care what they said about these Plains People, or how much experience they had dealing with them. People were the same everywhere when you peeled away the outer layers of custom and culture. The key was whether they’d be willing to let me into their culture.
Let’s go, Flame.
Flame gave a running start and beat his wide wings rapidly, with Red Tail in close pursuit. Flame circled the courtyard twice before he was high enough to pass over the wall surrounding the keep. And just like that, the Skykeep was behind us, along with my parents, friends, and all of those advising me against doing this.
* * *
As soon as we were airborne above the crowded city, I was very glad for the coat my mother gave me. Only my face and ears were freezing, now, but it was manageable. I turned Flame east, which would take us out of the city and through the rest of the Red Pass, toward the wide plains where the Plains People were said to be camping.
We flew over the final rise of the pass and got our first sight of just what we would be dealing with. Spread along those plains, at the bottom of the foothills, were hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of round, pointed tents, each with smoke emitting from their tops. There were also just as many horses, if not more, sheltered under shabby roofs built over hitching lines. Just how many horses did these people have?
And there were a lot of people, all of them milling about like ants on the ground, gathering, talking, and as we drew closer, pointing upward and staring.
As we neared them, lower
ing in altitude, I was at a loss for where to go. Every tent looked the same, and there was none that was significantly larger than the others which might give a clue about where to find their leader. I remembered what Syndic Salas had said; the Plains People didn’t see hierarchy the same way as the Elekai kingdoms. In that way, they seemed to be more like the Wilders. Other than what I’d been told, I didn’t know much about them. My education at the Sanctum had barely even touched on them.
“Where do we go?” Shara called.
Down below, men were already mounting their horses and hefting their bows. Their hair was long and wild, and some of them even had bare skin above the waist, despite the harsh weather. It was probably just above freezing.
“I think they’re trying to follow us,” I said.
Just a minute more of flying above the camp revealed that to be the case. As we flew on ahead, about a hundred horsemen had gathered below us, easily keeping pace with Flame and Redtail, though neither of our dragons were trying to outrun them. We were out of range, and their bows were no danger to us. All the same, it didn’t seem they would let us land. Even as we flew outside the bounds of the camp, they followed directly below us.
“We should turn back,” Shara called out. “There’s too many.”
“Maybe I should try talking to them,” I called back.
“No!” Shara said. “You see those bows? It’s not worth the risk!”
I knew she was right. It was hard to hit a moving target, but there were well over a hundred horsemen by now. A couple of them might get lucky.
“What do we do, then? We can’t just go back empty-handed.”
A piercing shriek emanated from behind us. That sound could only mean one thing.
“Dragon!” Shara said.
We turned to the sight of a large Askaleen flapping after us. And it wasn’t just a dragon. It was carrying a rider, long-haired and bare-chested, wearing a long headdress made of white animal fur.