by Amie Kaufman
“You better be telling the truth,” Sakarias said, as sternly as Anders had ever heard him, outside of a discussion ranking the Academy’s desserts. And he took dessert very seriously. “We’re trying to do what we think Hayn would want. He’s locked up, but Professor Ennar won’t hear anyone say anything bad about him, and we think if we’re going to trust anyone, it’s her. And your letter promised . . .”
Jai finished for him. “You’re our friends, we’re trusting you won’t hurt us.”
“We won’t,” Anders promised. “We only want to keep the balance.”
“Let’s go,” said Viktoria. “It won’t be long until everyone’s coming out of breakfast and going to class. We need you gone by then.”
Jai took off their cloak and wrapped it around Anders’s shoulders, and Viktoria was doing the same thing with hers for Lisabet, hiding their clothes underneath, since they weren’t in Ulfar gray anymore. It was another uncomfortable reminder of the distance between them and their friends.
“Keep in the middle of the group,” said Viktoria, as the six of them moved off. “Try to blend.”
Det joined them as they passed him, white teeth flashing against his dark-brown skin as he shot Anders one of his easy grins. “If Sak was snoring that loud, you could have just switched rooms,” he said in his easy Mositalan accent, putting himself between Anders and the gate guards. “I know he was a messy roommate, but you didn’t have to run away over it.”
“Hey!” Sakarias protested, but there wasn’t any heart in it. Det’s words were the first any of the wolves had offered without an edge of suspicion, and Anders was more grateful for the trust than he knew how to say. Perhaps Det could see things differently than the others because he’d grown up outside Vallen, without stories of wolves and dragons from the day he was born. In the end Anders didn’t say anything, but he tried to find a smile for Det, even though he knew it was weak.
Lisabet was whispering with Viktoria and Mateo about which aisle she wanted to try first, and when the group entered the library, Mateo peeled off to walk straight over to the librarian. She looked up, surprised to see students at this hour. “Did you all forget to do your homework?” she asked, amused.
“Something like that,” Mateo said. Anders could hear him as they hurried toward the back of the library. Mateo was big and strong and always looked calm, and some people thought he wasn’t clever just because he was quiet. Anders knew better than that, but the other boy was using that impression to his advantage with the librarian, talking in circles, pretending not to understand her answers, and keeping her completely diverted from the rest of the group.
When they reached the aisle they wanted, Det and Viktoria took up guard positions at each end of it, and Lisabet, Sakarias, Anders, and Jai made their way down the shelves. Lisabet issued quiet orders, and they all pulled down the books she wanted, laying them out in a row on the ground so she could crawl along it, opening each in turn and flicking through it.
Anders had always known Lisabet was clever, but now she was moving at the speed of lightning, flicking through pages, darting back and forth between books, comparing paragraphs, murmuring to herself under her breath. Looking for the places the wolves considered their greatest sources of power.
“Almost all of them are in the north,” she said, focusing on one book, which had a map of the top part of Vallen. “Makes sense, that’s where it’s coldest.”
Anders kneeled down beside her, laying out Drifa’s map so they could compare it to the one in the book. Sakarias and Jai joined in, helping point out the places that showed up on both.
“It has to be one of these,” Lisabet said. “It wouldn’t be hidden in a place that isn’t even marked on the map.”
“What wouldn’t be hidden?” Sakarias whispered.
“An artifact that will help keep the weather even, we hope,” Anders said quietly. “Not too hot, not too cold. Safe for everyone. We don’t want to help anyone win, we just want to keep us all safe.”
Sakarias looked like he wanted to argue, but Lisabet leaned down to the page. “The riddle says ‘through spray so high and wind so cruel,’ so one of these places on the coast . . .”
“Here.” Suddenly, Anders saw it. “Look, the Chelle Islands, off the coast in the very northeast. The riddle says ‘they might be crumbs, or scattered jewels,’ we haven’t been paying enough attention to that bit. That’s exactly what the islands look like. And they have lots of coast, lots of spray, and they’d be windy, out there in the middle of the sea. Is there anything in the book?”
Lisabet was already flicking through the pages. In a soft, excited voice, she read out the entry when she found it: “It says, ‘The Chelle Islands, also historically known as the Sainelle Islands, from the Old Vallenite word for “wayfarer,” “adventurer,” or possibly “discoverer,” were home to colonies of wolf scholars in centuries past. They located their bases in the islands because of the high natural concentration of essence there. Essence is the natural force channeled into artifacts to imbue them with magic, and—’ Yes, yes, we know this bit, what else? ‘Although the islands have been abandoned for centuries due to their unreliable weather and difficult living conditions, they are considered an important and powerful part of the Ulfar pack’s history.’”
“‘Home to mighty strength,’” Anders said, echoing the riddle. “That’s the place.”
“You’re making absolutely no sense,” Jai told them, peering down at the book. “But this is what you need?”
“This is it,” said Lisabet, standing to start putting the books back on the shelves. “Let’s go.”
They were quiet as they walked past Mateo and the librarian, who barely spared them a glance—she was busy drawing Mateo a diagram now, a hint of desperation in her tone, as he nodded slowly. Out in the hallway they could hear the distant sounds of the dining hall emptying, and they hurried in the other direction. Sakarias had chosen their meeting place well—they were around the back of the Academy buildings, hidden from almost everyone, and if they made good time they’d get over the wall without anyone spotting them.
Anders spoke quietly as they made their way outside, and around the building. “Is my—” He bit his tongue. He’d almost said “my uncle.” That was how he thought of Hayn now. “Is Hayn okay?”
“We don’t know,” said Det, soft and worried. “We heard he’s shut in his rooms, but you know he doesn’t teach our year, so we’re just getting rumors. We tried asking Professor Ennar, and she said we should keep our noses out of trouble, but she looked really worried.”
“Speaking of rumors,” said Jai, just as soft, “they’re saying the artifact we stole from Drekhelm is making it colder. That Sigrid has a plan.”
Anders and Lisabet exchanged a long look. “She does,” Anders said. “And we think her plan is an attack. If that happens, wolves will die too.”
Mateo jogged up to join them, adding his bulk to their protection. “Well, that’s going to take a while to live down,” he muttered. “Get what you needed?”
Anders nodded, but Det was speaking. “Perhaps we would be in danger if Sigrid had us attack the dragons. But if we don’t, they’ll attack us first.”
“No!” Lisabet insisted. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to prevent.”
“Lisabet . . . ,” said Sakarias, doubtful.
“She’s right,” said Anders. “Whatever you think about Lisabet’s ideas about dragons, it’s a lot more complicated than we thought. A lot.”
Lisabet’s lips were pressed together in a thin line, and she looked down. “You’d think that of everyone, I’d be the one who could figure out where she’d hide it,” she said quietly. “But I have no idea. I don’t know her as well as I thought I did.”
Before anyone could reply, Jai grabbed Anders’s arm, and the seven of them slowed to a stop as two adult guards rounded the edge of the building, making their patrol. Anders kept his head down, hoping his gray cloak would mask him in the middle of the group.
“Just on our way,” said Jai brightly.
“It’s in the other direction,” the woman said, raising one eyebrow, and everyone hesitated.
“We just have to check the results of our science experiment first,” said Sakarias, as Anders silently urged him on, unable to speak himself for fear he’d draw their notice. “It’s really very interesting, we’re studying the moss on the northern wall, and whether it—”
The guard held up her hand, to save herself from the rambling science explanation that was clearly coming, and then she simply waved them on.
Anders didn’t speak again until they were safely past, but Sakarias’s words had jogged something in Anders’s mind. “Will you do one more thing for me?” he asked.
“What is it?” said Viktoria.
“It’s not a small thing,” he admitted. “Have you ever seen the puppet shows of the last great battle? They put them on in the streets sometimes, you pay a copper to watch.”
“Sure,” said Viktoria, her brows drawing together.
“They make fake dragonsfire in those,” he said. “It’s white and gold, like the real thing. I think they use salt to do it, and iron. Would you look it up, find out exactly how they do it?”
“You want us to make fake dragonsfire?” Mateo asked, blinking. “I thought we were trying to stop a war, not start one.”
“I don’t want you to make it,” Anders said. “I want you to see if it leaves any traces, the salt. And then check where the big fire at the port was, and see if you can find anything.”
The others gasped or slowly shook their heads.
“Anders,” said Jai, their voice a whisper. “You can’t possibly think . . .”
“I don’t think,” said Anders. “I just wonder. And it doesn’t hurt to know.”
They’d reached the wall then, and Mateo was preparing to boost Lisabet up, as Jai and Det looked over their shoulders to see if they were being observed.
“Be careful,” said Viktoria, suddenly slinging her arms around Lisabet and squeezing her old roommate tight.
Lisabet squeezed just as tight. “We promise,” she whispered. “And whatever we learn next, we won’t let it be used to hurt you.”
Mateo pushed Lisabet up the wall, and she disappeared over to the other side, to where Ellukka and Rayna were hopefully waiting to help with her landing.
Viktoria had the same hug for Anders, and then Sakarias was joining in, and then Jai. Det was keeping watch, but he reached back to rest a hand on Anders’s shoulder, and Mateo nearly squished everyone when he wrapped his arms around the whole group.
And then Anders was up and over the wall and lowering himself down to his sister and friends on the other side, before he could find the words to tell his friends what their trust meant. What it was worth, that they could set aside what had happened even a little—something generations of wolves and dragons had failed to do.
But he knew the best way to repay them was to keep them safe.
It was time to head for the Chelle Islands.
Chapter Thirteen
ANDERS AND LISABET TOLD THE TWO DRAGONS what they’d learned as they made their way across the rooftops, hurrying toward the city wall. The morning crowds were still all abustle, which meant now would be the perfect time to get through the gate without the guards noticing them.
“Should we bring Kess?” Rayna asked, cuddling the cat close—Kess had her little black head sticking out of the top of Rayna’s jacket, and looked perfectly content.
“She got so thin while we were away,” Anders said. “It won’t be that safe with us, but I think it’s where she wants to be, and she might not be that safe here either.”
They climbed down from the rooftops and made it out through the gate without incident, letting the crowd on the road slowly carry them away from the city. Ellukka’s usually suntanned skin looked sallow, and even Rayna’s warm brown skin was dull, both the dragons clearly affected by the cold. Anders was so busy worrying about that, that when someone fell into step with him, he didn’t notice straight away.
“Anders.”
Anders nearly jumped out of his skin, whipping around, and then remembering an instant too late that he should have pretended he didn’t know who that was. Mikkel was walking beside him, dressed in a coat and cloak as well—Mikkel, who they’d left to cover for them back at Drekhelm, along with Theo. An instant later, he realized Theo was on Mikkel’s other side.
“What are you doing here?” Anders whispered.
“They know,” said Mikkel, without a trace of his usual smirk. “We ran out of excuses. They know you’re up to something, and they know that we know what it is. It was either run for it and hope we could find you and help you, or let ourselves be locked up somewhere.”
They all fell silent until they reached the bend in the road where it was time to peel away from the crowd and strike out across the countryside. Those who saw them go no doubt thought they were heading for some little farm or village. Soon they were far enough away to speak.
“They wanted to lock you up?” asked Ellukka, who looked sick at the thought.
“Torsten did,” Theo said. “And some of the others were starting to agree. Don’t worry, your father wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t happy, though.”
“Do they have any idea what we’re up to?” Lisabet asked.
“Not yet,” Theo said. “Except that you two wolves are involved, and you wouldn’t be keeping it a secret if it was good news for the dragons.”
The silence was grim. Rayna was the one who broke it. “How did you get away, if they suspected you?”
“Some of the Finskólars helped us get out,” Mikkel said. “Bryn and Ferdie. And maybe Isabina, though to be honest we weren’t sure if she was trying to help us or was just so distracted by her mechanics that she got in everyone’s way.”
“It’s good to have you with us,” Ellukka said.
“Good to be here,” Mikkel agreed. “Sparks and scales, Holbard’s huge, I had no idea. We figured you’d have gone in the western gate, coming from Drekhelm, so we just waited outside it. Nobody knows our faces, after all. What are we doing next?”
Eventually they reached the spot where they’d hidden the harnesses and the rest of their supplies, and they all sat down to breakfast, catching Mikkel and Theo up on what they’d missed. Anders looked around at the group as he ate, feeling a strange mix of amazement that he’d found such friends and allies, and worry about the wolves and dragons at Ulfar and Drekhelm who were all now looking for them.
They seemed such a small group, to keep so many people safe.
They rolled out the map and leaned in to study it carefully. It wasn’t very clear, but it seemed as though the smallest island was up in the very north of the chain.
“Farthest to fly, of course,” said Rayna. “Assuming they’re all marked on it, anyway.”
“We’ll be able to tell from the air,” said Mikkel.
“It says to search along the shortest length,” Lisabet mused. “So we find the smallest one and then . . . ?”
“Walk the length of it?” Anders suggested. “There are six of us. If we all stay in a row, we should find the piece of the scepter—assuming it’s hidden there—even if we have to go back and forth more than once.”
“And then we hope like anything that the final riddle is one we can understand without going to Drekhelm,” Rayna said. “Or anywhere, really.”
“Um,” said Theo. “Is that a cat?”
They introduced Kess to Mikkel and Theo, finished their breakfast, and then packed up their things. Anders took Kess from Rayna before she transformed, and he wrapped a scarf around his body in a sling, tucking the cat inside. She seemed to like it there.
They all knew there was a chance that they’d be seen from Holbard if they took off—it
might be early morning, but the sun was most definitely up. Still, the dragons all insisted they couldn’t wait the whole day feeling this cold, and they were all worried that either the wolves or the dragons might find them if they didn’t keep moving. They’d just have to take off as low as they could, fly as fast as they could, and hope.
They took to the air and followed the same route that Anders and Lisabet had with their class a few weeks before, on their way to the fateful campsite where they’d stolen Fylkir’s chalice and made their run for Drekhelm. Anders saw the Trondain River pass underneath them, and after a few hours the green gold of the rippling plains gave way to the steep, sharp, black slopes of the Seacliff Mountains, snow blanketing their upper slopes. They plunged straight down into the sea on the dragons’ right, and the air currents around them were perilous, one moment pushing them up, the next buffeting them sideways.
Ellukka was the strongest of all the dragons and was out in front carrying Lisabet. It was when they reached the familiar shores of the Skylake that she angled down, gently descending until she could land at the water’s edge, flaring her wings to help her stop, and then folding them back as Lisabet jumped down and began removing her harness.
“Time for a rest,” Lisabet called back, as Anders and Rayna landed and began to do the same. “And lunch!”
Anders looked back over his shoulder as Mikkel and Theo landed, then shifted quickly to boys crouching on the grass. Theo looked tired, but his spirits lifted when he saw the Skylake, and they all gathered together on its edge to eat a quick lunch. Mikkel even lit a small fire, heating up water to mix with cocoa powder and passing mugs around. Kess raced across the meadow in pursuit of a butterfly, not seeming to mind in the slightest that she’d been flying only a few minutes before.
They couldn’t afford to break for long, though—they needed to reach the Chelle Islands by early afternoon, so they’d have time to seek out somewhere sheltered to sleep before dark.
“And,” Mikkel said with a grimace as they packed up their things, put out the fire, and retrieved Kess, “by now the Dragonmeet is doing everything they can think of to look for us. So we’d better keep moving whenever we can. They could have some kind of locator artifact we don’t know about.”