‘Yeah, well, isn’t it a bit late for that? He’s been here a few times, and you didn’t stop him on any of those occasions.’
‘I should have.’
‘Captain,’ he said, ‘I respect you, but if I don’t get in there to speak to Blackrose, there could be serious consequences.’
‘Are you threatening me, champion? If you intend to physically remove me from this doorway, then do it; I’m not scared of you.’
‘I’m not a bully, Captain, and if I can’t persuade you, then I’m not going to force you.’
‘I’m glad to hear it; now leave.’
‘Alright. I hope Blackrose doesn’t incinerate you when she finds out.’
He turned, and strode back down the hallway toward the exit.
‘Wait!’ cried Maddie, hurrying after him.
He paused by the front door and waited for her to catch up. ‘Aye?’
‘Buckler,’ she whispered. ‘You can get inside through his lair.’
‘Buckler’s out exercising his wings; who knows when he’ll be back.’
‘Maybe that’s better,’ she whispered, and opened her hand to reveal a key on her palm. ‘That’ll get you through the door in the red gate. Do you promise to bring it back?’
‘Aye,’ he said, smiling at her as he took the key. ‘Thanks, Maddie.’
She gave him a nervous smile in return. ‘Just don’t tell the captain.’
He nodded, then went through the door and emerged back into the thick fog. He walked across the forecourt then through the rather more grand entrance to Buckler’s lair. The guards on duty let him pass, and he descended into the huge underground caverns that made up the home of the young dragon. His footsteps echoed off the stone floor as he reached the red gate. He glanced to either side, but no one was around. He took the key and found the hatch cut into the enormous gate. He unlocked it, and pushed it open. Captain Hilde was still standing by the doorway opposite, and he could hear her arguing with Maddie. To his right was the black gate, and he stepped through into the cavern. The door creaked behind him, and Hilde turned.
‘You!’ she cried.
He sprinted for the black gate as she ran to cut him off. He powered his battle vision and jumped through the hatch, then swung it shut and bolted it as Hilde arrived on the other side. She pounded her fists against the hatch.
‘Five minutes,’ he shouted through the door; ‘that’s all I need. Five minutes.’
He turned, and saw Blackrose watching him.
‘I wondered when the dear captain would attempt to prevent you from seeing me; it seems I have my answer.’
‘Aye,’ said Corthie as he walked towards her. ‘This will probably be the last time I come here until, you know…’
‘Until you have the Quadrant?’
‘Exactly, only that might end up being a lot sooner than we’d planned.’
‘I don’t understand. I require a month for my wings to properly heal, and the process has only just begun. How soon were you thinking?’
He glanced at her. ‘Tonight.’
‘Out of the question.’
‘But your chains have already been removed. In theory you could leave right now, if you wanted to.’
‘No, I could leave right now, if I could fly. I cannot. My wings are in poor shape and they will need time to heal. Tonight, Maddie is due to help me again; we swing the black gate open so I can stretch my wings out. The girl has soft hands, and is very good at rubbing in the ointments I need.’
‘That’s nice, but tonight I’ve been ordered to assassinate the ruler of the City. I can’t refuse, but at the same time, there’s no way I’m going to do it. That leaves me one option; steal the Quadrant tonight, and get back here with it. I have one thing in my favour, Lord Naxor is in the same place as Khora, and if he has it with him… well, it could just about be done, I think.’
‘You think? You’re not filling me with confidence, champion.’
‘How do you think I feel? I’m just back from seeing the duke; he’s planning on launching a coup overnight. When he learns that I’ve not killed Khora, he’s going to come after me.’
‘Unless…’
‘Unless what?’
‘Unless you actually kill her. Is she not the one who was trying to have you assassinated? Kill her, and Naxor, then take the Quadrant. There’s no need to do everything tonight. And besides, it remains impossible for me to fly at present, so we have no choice other than to wait.’
‘No. I’m not doing it that way. You don’t need to able to fly to activate the Quadrant and get us out of here; the flying part was always a luxury.’
‘A luxury? What nonsense. Flight will be a necessity from the moment we arrive on Lostwell. How long do you think a flightless dragon will survive in that place?’
‘I’ll protect you, I swear. I’ll never leave your side until you’re able to fly.’
‘No. I need time to heal, and that time would be better spent here, in safety, rather than risk the poisoned wastes of Lostwell.’
‘Look, if I come running in here later tonight, with the Quadrant in one hand, and four thousand Blades chasing me, we aren’t going to have any choice.’
The dragon glared at him. ‘Then make sure that doesn’t happen. You promised me you would do whatever it takes to get us out of the City. Are you going back on your word?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Then the answer is clear. Kill Khora and Naxor, hide the Quadrant, and wait for my wings to heal. I appreciate that you may have to toady for the duke a while longer, and for that you have my sympathies, but please do not destroy our hopes for the sake of someone who has tried to kill you.’
The pounding on the hatch in the gate resumed. ‘That’s five minutes,’ cried Hilde. ‘I want you out now, or I’m summoning the wardens.’
Corthie glanced towards the gate.
‘Go, champion,’ said Blackrose, ‘and do what must be done.’
He strode to the gate without a word, and unbolted it.
Hilde pushed it open, and put her hand out. ‘The key.’
Corthie placed it into her hand, then squeezed past her and made for the other door, where Maddie was watching.
‘Sorry.’
She shrugged. ‘I’m glad you got in to see her. I hope it works out alright, whatever it is.’
‘Thanks. Take care.’
He walked down the hallway.
‘Hey,’ she called after him. ‘Why did you say that? You are coming back, aren’t you?’
He didn’t reply. He left the building and strode to the gatehouse, where the sergeant was leaning by the gates.
‘I need a carriage.’
‘Coming right up, sir,’ the sergeant said. ‘No Quill this time?’
‘No, just me.’
‘And where is sir off to this fine, foggy evening?’
Corthie caught his eye. ‘Pella.’
Chapter 27
The Dragon Port
Arrowhead Fort, The Bulwark, The City – 3rd Balian 3419
‘You’re done here,’ Hilde cried; ‘I want you out, tonight.’
‘What?’ said Maddie, her eyes wide. ‘You can’t…’
‘Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, girl, I’m your superior officer, and I am relieving you of your duties in this lair. Pack your things, and go.’
‘No, I won’t.’
‘I am a captain, and you are a private. Are you disobeying a direct command? I can have you locked in the cells, girl, and don’t think I won’t. You betrayed me; you gave the key to Corthie behind my back when you knew I didn’t want him in here. How can I ever trust you again?’
‘I was doing what I thought was right.’
‘And by doing so, you proved that you are of no more use to me.’
‘But what am I supposed to do? I have nowhere to go, except the Rats.’
‘Where you’ll have Corthie to protect you; and Blackrose, if she ever actually flies again.’
‘You know
she will. That’s what the problem is, isn’t it? You don’t want Blackrose to fly again, you want her to stay here so you can keep her all to yourself. She’s not your pet dragon, Captain, she’s a champion of the Bulwark, or will be soon, and you can’t stand that you might lose her. Well, tough, she’s not yours, and never has been.’ She strode into her room and sat down, her arms folded. ‘You’ll have to call the wardens and get them to drag me out of here, because I’m not moving.’
‘You don’t know what your talking about, girl. That champion’s filled her head with nonsense, and I’m starting to think you’re part of it. What are they planning? Tell me.’
‘I don’t know. They haven’t let me in on their little secret.’
Hilde walked over, and crouched by the chair. ‘And that drives you crazy, right? You’re dying to find out what they’re up to, aren’t you? Listen, if you go in there and speak to Blackrose, and find out their plan, then I might reconsider dismissing you from your post.’
‘No way; I’m not your spy. Besides, Blackrose would see through me in a second.’
‘Fine, I don’t need you anyway; I already have a rough idea of what they’re up to.’
‘You do?’
‘She wants to go home, wherever that is, and she thinks Corthie can help her.’
‘They’re trying to escape? I thought they were waiting for his super-amazing sister to turn up.’
Hilde shook her head. ‘What else could it be?’
‘Then we should help them.’
‘Are you out of your mind? Do you hear what you’re saying? What you’re suggesting is treasonous, and would see us both hanged. We each swore an oath.’
‘Screw the oath; we should do what’s right for Blackrose.’
‘Bravo, Maddie,’ came a booming voice from the hallway.
Hilde and Maddie both turned, but there was no one standing outside the room. Hilde got up and walked over. She glanced towards the entrance of the lair.
‘How long have you been listening?’
‘Long enough,’ said Blackrose.
Maddie got to her feet and joined Hilde in the hall. Part of the dragon’s face was visible through the open doorway.
‘Now that I am unchained,’ Blackrose said, ‘I can come to you, instead of you having to come to me. It’s more civilised than roaring, I find. I heard you arguing, and so I swung the black gate open and here I am.’
Hilde frowned. ‘It’s not polite to listen to other people’s conversations.’
‘Whoever said I was polite? Now, let me make one thing clear, Captain; you will not be dismissing Maddie Jackdaw from her post, is that understood?’
‘It’s not up to you.’
‘Very well, let me be even clearer. If you dismiss her, I shall kill you.’
Hilde’s face paled, and she stared at the dragon through the doorway. ‘But, after all this time? After everything we’ve been through, you’d choose her over me?’
‘She has faith in me, while you seem to have lost yours. In truth, I want you both, but if I had to choose, then yes, I would choose her. Do not force my hand.’
‘This girl is nothing,’ Hilde said; ‘I made her.’
‘And then you abandoned her to Lord Kano, while you hid in your room and got drunk. Perhaps you should do the same thing now, and in the morning we’ll pretend that none of this happened.’
Hilde’s shoulders sagged, and she turned away.
Maddie winced as she watched the captain disappear into her office. ‘Oh, poor Hilde. You wouldn’t really kill her, would you?’
‘Do dragons lie? Now, fetch my ointment, and bring a ladder this time.’
The anxious anticipation of seeing Blackrose’s wings had been worse than the reality. With the dragon standing in her lair, she was able to stretch out one wing at a time into the neighbouring cavern. For several nights in a row, Maddie had been rubbing gallons of thick, waxy ointment into the dried folds of her wings. It had a healthy, medicinal scent, and Maddie found it quite relaxing.
‘I only treated this section last night,’ she said from atop the ladder, ‘and it’s healing already. Your wings are beautiful.’
‘Indeed they are, but at the moment they are also very painful. I haven’t stretched like this in a long time.’
‘A decade?’
‘Longer. I was imprisoned for years before I was brought to this world.’
‘How were you captured?’
‘With a very large net.’
‘That’s not what I meant. You’re always a little evasive when I ask you questions about where you came from. I know it’s “another world”, but what does that even mean? And does Corthie come from the same place?’
‘I’m evasive because such knowledge will do you no good.’
‘How does somebody get from one world to another?’
‘Rub a little slower.’
‘What realm were you a queen of?’
‘Not that slow.’
‘Will you ever tell me anything?’
‘Perhaps; I haven’t decided.’
‘Oh, so there’s hope, then. That’s all I need, a little glimmer of hope to keep me going. Hang on, I need to move the ladder.’ She hopped to the ground, then wobbled as her left leg throbbed. ‘Ow. Too soon for hopping.’ She wiped her hands on her tunic and pushed the ladder a yard to the right. She stood back for a moment, surveying the wing. The healed parts looked like waxed black leather, sleek and strong, but there were still several dry areas. She rubbed her chin, smearing it in ointment. ‘Damn it,’ she muttered.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, just got ointment on my chin.’
‘Well, back up the ladder, girl; I want as much done tonight as possible.’
‘Why, thinking of going somewhere?’
The dragon hesitated for a split second. ‘What a ridiculous notion.’
‘I notice you didn’t deny it. What’s going on? Was Hilde right; are you and Corthie planning an escape?’
Blackrose said nothing.
‘If you don’t answer, I’m going to take that as a “yes”. You can tell me; I could help.’
‘You would help me flee the City?’
‘You heard what I said to Hilde; of course I would. It’s wrong to keep you in this dungeon, and I’m glad that you’ll soon be out flying again; but I’d be even happier if you were free.’
‘Do you wish to be rid of me?’
‘Seeing you go would be… it would be hard, I know that. I’d be sad for a while, I know that too, but I’d also know that you were living the life you should be, and that would make me feel a bit better.’
‘And what life should I be living?’
Maddie smiled. ‘A dragon queen life. Doing whatever dragon queens do.’
Blackrose fell into silence, so Maddie climbed back up the ladder and began to rub in more ointment.
‘A touch slower.’
Maddie scowled at the back of the dragon’s head, then did as she had been asked.
For hours, Maddie worked her way along the wing, until her arms were aching.
‘Time for a break,’ she said as she stepped down from the ladder.
‘Are your puny arms exhausted?’
‘They are, as a matter of fact. I need a drink.’
‘You’re too young to be drinking.’
‘I’m nineteen; I’m old enough. You worried about me?’
‘I’m worried about you pickling the tiny brain inside your skull.’
‘Aww, that’s nice; thank you.’ She picked up a cloth and began to wipe the ointment from her hands. ‘Have you decided if you’re going to tell me anything yet?’
‘No. How does the wing look?’
‘Shiny, but that’s all the ointment. Great, actually. What you need to do now is exercise it.’
‘And how exactly am I to do that in here?’
‘Stretch it back and forward a hundred times; then shift around and do the other wing.’
The dragon drew he
r wing in slowly, groaning as she did so, her eyes clenched shut. She pulled her wing in close to her body, then began to stretch it out again.
‘That’s it,’ said Maddie; ‘that’s what I had to do with my arm and leg, over and over, after, you know, you broke half the bones in my body.’
‘Leave me,’ the dragon said; ‘this is humiliating. I will do as you suggest, but I will do it alone.’
‘Alright. See you later.’
Maddie turned and went back through the door into the hallway. She walked into her bedroom and stripped off the ointment-plastered clothes, dumping them into the laundry basket. She needed a bath, but it was too late in the evening and there would be no hot water. At least the ointment made her smell clean, she thought, as she pulled on a fresh uniform. She wandered down towards the kitchen, but stopped outside the door to Hilde’s office. She put an ear to the wooden surface and listened. A gentle sound of snoring was coming from inside, so Maddie pushed the door open, and looked in. The captain was at her desk, her head resting on its surface. There was a couple of inches of brandy left in the bottle that was sitting by her elbow, and Maddie crept in and picked it up.
Hilde stirred. She lifted her head and squinted at Maddie. ‘You? I trusted you.’
‘You still can.’
‘To do what? Stab me in the back again? I gave you somewhere to stay when no one else would take you; I gave you a purpose. Well, you can have her. First thing in the morning I’m requesting a transfer.’
Maddie smiled. She had heard Hilde threaten that before, always after a few brandies.
‘This time I mean it, and then it’ll be you that has to put up with Blackrose’s crap; I’m sick of it.’
Maddie sat, the bottle of brandy sitting on her knee. ‘What would happen if you actually went ahead and did it? Would they put another captain here to replace you?’
‘How should I know? I’m the only officer that’s ever been assigned to her. Maybe if you’re lucky, they’ll put Kano in charge.’
Maddie stood and went to the door. ‘In the morning, I’ll help you write your letter of resignation, if you like.’
She stepped out into the hallway before she could either shout or cry. She clutched the bottle to her chest, anger coursing through her. Hilde had claimed to have heard nothing on the night Lord Kano had visited the lair, but Maddie had retained a tiny bit of doubt in her mind. It was the brandy; she hated when Hilde was drunk. She walked into the kitchen and put the bottle down. She had been intending to finish it off, but the thought was making her feel sick. She needed some fresh air.
The Mortal Blade: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Magelands Eternal Siege Book 1) Page 38