Test of the Dragon

by Jessica Drake

  The last part came out as a half-sob, half-shriek that broke my heart into a million pieces. Swallowing against the sudden lump in my throat, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. The sobs grew louder as she buried her face in my chest, and I held on as she let out all the grief that had clearly been festering in her heart for weeks.

  "I-I'm sorry," she hiccupped, pulling back to wipe at her ruddy face. "I didn't mean to lose it like that. It's just—"

  "You don't have to explain." I squeezed her hand and gave her a gentle smile. "If I had family back home in Elantia, I would be worried sick about them too. I worry about Carina and the orphans every day, but I know that's not the same as blood relatives." I'd come to consider Carina and the orphans my family, but I knew the love I felt for them had nothing on the bond I'd seen between parents and their children. "To be honest, the horrors I've seen have given me nightmares too." I still sometimes dreamt of that horrid battlefield Tavarian had walked through, littered with dead soldiers from both sides, the giant bodies of dragons lying broken and still in pools of blood. "I think having the piece of heart nearby is making things worse, so the sooner I leave for the forge, the better."

  "You mean the sooner we leave." I opened my mouth to argue, but Rhia cut me off with a dry look. "There's no way you're going on a quest to speak with an ancient death god and leaving me behind. I've missed out on all sorts of adventures since the two of us were sent to different camps, and Ykos and I aren't missing out on this one for the world."

  I laughed. "You do realize we could all die horribly, right?"

  Rhia spread her arms wide, as if to indicate the inhospitable land around us. "And we could die horribly on this island, too. If I'm going to die, I at least want it to be a glorious end. Wouldn't you agree?"

  I'd never been one for dying in glorious endings—in fact, I'd much prefer to be lying in a comfy bed or curled up with Lessie when I finally passed—but I wasn't going to rain on Rhia's parade when she was finally looking in better spirits.

  "All right," I said, clapping her on the back. "One horrible death, coming right up."

  She giggled, and even though there might have been a little bit of hysteria in the sound, I'd take it over the crying. Finished at the estate, we mounted up and headed back to base. The return flight was uneventful, with not a single arrow shot from the sky, and I surmised the two boys we'd scared had spread the word.

  "I might not agree with what you did, but I admit this is much more pleasant," I said to Lessie.

  "Of course it is," she said, a smirk in her voice. But then she added, "I do see your point, though, and I will tell the other dragons to make efforts not to exacerbate relations with the natives."

  "That would be much appreciated."

  "Hey," Rhia said. "Isn't that Tavarian and Halldor on the ground?"

  I looked over the side of Lessie's neck toward where Rhia pointed. Sure enough, Tavarian and Halldor stood there, talking to four very irate-looking men. They were about half a mile away from the settlement they'd gone to visit, and the men very much looked like they'd like to bolt in that direction if not for Halldor's dragon blocking their way.

  "Let me check it out while you keep watch," I said to Rhia.

  By unspoken agreement, Lessie swooped down toward the group of men. The strangers looked like they were about to wet themselves as Lessie came near, but I merely jumped off her back and landed in a crouch next to Tavarian, and the men let out a sigh of relief as she passed by them.

  "Zara!" Tavarian broke off the discussion as he turned toward me, looking mildly surprised. "I take it you and Rhia have finished at the estate. Did you find anything?"

  I shook my head. "The estate has been completely cleared out. We'll have to try the settlements next. Any luck with the natives? It would help if they were on board with the search."

  "Not precisely," Tavarian said with a sigh. "We went to the closest village, but the doors on all the homes were barred, and no one would speak to us or answer us. That said," he added, clapping Halldor on the shoulder, "Captain Halldor's talent helped us locate these four men, who were hiding in an underground cellar." He pointed to two wooden doors I hadn't spotted from the sky, partially hidden by a clump of bushes. "We are trying to come to an understanding."

  "What is there to understand?" one of the men spat. He was bald and wiry, with a thick mustache and brows that I imagined made him look intimidating even when he wasn't angry. "You are trespassing on our land, and you need to leave!"

  "And we've already explained that we don't intend to stay!" Halldor said hotly, and I winced. Perhaps he hadn't been the best choice to bring along to a diplomatic discussion, but he'd wanted to help after what had happened that morning. "We're just here to look for an item that the dragon riders who lived here might have left behind. Believe me, we intend to leave this forsaken place as soon as possible."

  "What Halldor means to say," Tavarian said in a pleasant voice after giving him a warning look, "is that the sooner we can find this item we are looking for, the faster we can be on our way. It would help us tremendously if we could understand what the cause of all this resentment toward us is, and if there is anything we can do to fix it. We do not wish to cause trouble, and we certainly do not wish to fight with you or disrupt your way of life."

  "Hmph." The men did not look entirely convinced, but one sporting several facial piercings and a geometric pattern shaved into his close-cropped scalp spoke up. "Dragon rider memories may not be long, but the Ariban family never forgets. Our ancestors were brought here by you dragon riders to help work the land and the estates here hundreds of years ago. The elders say that even then the rich treated us like mud, but at least we had plenty of work and food."

  "At least until the drought," the bald man grunted. "That was fifty years ago, and it continues to plague the island. The riders must have done something to anger the gods, and instead of fixing it, they abandoned this island and left us to starve."

  "We have only barely managed to carve out a living here, only now for you to return and steal our precious resources!" one of the other men cried, and then all four began shouting at once. They might have even worked themselves up into a frenzy, but Kiethara, Halldor’s dragon, let out an ear-splitting roar that shook the ground and silenced everyone instantly.

  "I am sorry that your people have suffered so," Tavarian said in the deafening silence. "You are Elantian citizens, and you should not have been left stranded in this unforgiving climate. If our country were still at peace, I would have my airship bring you back to the mainland, and get you settled somewhere with good farmland and plenty of water, paid for by the family that abandoned you here. Unfortunately, our country has been taken by the Zallabarians. The only reason we are here is because we are searching for a weapon that was rumored to have been left behind here, something that may help us take back our country."

  "Zallabarians?" For the first time, the men looked worried. "We don't know anything about them, but they must be strong to have taken the entire country. How long has this war been going on?"

  "Just a few weeks," Tavarian said grimly.

  The men goggled. "Only a few weeks? And the country is already lost?"

  "Not completely lost," Halldor said irritably. "They tried to capture our dragons to use for themselves, but we managed to rescue them. That's why they're all here on the island with us. We just escaped from Zallabarian territory."

  "It's only a matter of time before the Zallabarians turn their attention to this island," I told them. "Normally, they wouldn't have much interest in a place like this, but they will be very interested if the dragons are still here. Please, help us find this weapon so we can leave."

  "We don't know about any weapon!" the bald man snapped. "The Porcillas family did most of the looting in that other estate you mentioned—we barely got anything! You'll have to speak to them if you want to find this weapon, but I doubt they have anything or they would have used it to wipe out the other families on the i
sland already. They are very nasty, vindictive people."

  "And speaking of the Porcillas family, you had better watch out," the man with the piercing warned. "I heard they lost two men last night in that ambush against you, and they will not be satisfied until they are paid in blood."

  Tavarian sighed. "I was afraid you might say that."

  "What does that mean?" Halldor demanded. "That they won't be satisfied until they kill two of us? But they attacked us first, not the other way around!"

  "We Polybans practice blood vengeance," the third man, bulkier than the others, said proudly. "So yes, the Porcillas family will continue to attack until they claim two lives for the lives they lost. They cannot be bought off, and their clan is nearly two-thousand members strong."

  "Shit," I muttered, scraping a hand through my hair. Two thousand? It was a good thing Halldor could sense people and that our dragons had such good hearing, because they could massacre us overnight otherwise. "How many families are on the island?"

  "There are six of us total," Baldy said. "The Porcillas family is the largest, but our clan is fairly large as well. And with so many people on the island, it is a battle every day to feed all of us. This island cannot afford to support you and your dragons as well, so the other clans will be coming after you too. It is only a matter of time."

  "We will do our best to consume as few resources as possible," Tavarian promised, "and we will be leaving as soon as we can. In fact, our airship was bringing back supplies so we wouldn't have to rely on the land, and it would have gone out to bring back more if the Porcillases hadn't damaged it. Once we get it fixed, we will bring back supplies for your clan in return for your chief's support."

  The bald man grunted, but the men’s eyes gleamed. Tavarian had finally piqued their interest. "We cannot make any promises," he said. "But we will speak to our chief and let him know of your offer."

  "Thank you," Tavarian said. "That's all I ask."

  The disgruntled men finally left, skirting nervously around Halldor's dragon while they cast suspicious glances over their shoulders at us.

  "I know we are running low on funds," Rhia said, "but is there any chance we might be able to hire some of the locals to cook for us? If we traded goods for labor, I'm sure they would be more than happy, especially considering how scarce food is around here."

  "That would be a good idea, Rhia, if the natives weren't so hostile," Tavarian said. "As it is, we could not trust anyone we hire not to poison our food or try to kill us in our sleep."

  "They already tried to poison us with those sheep," Halldor pointed out. "No way would I trust any of them in our camp."

  "Right." Rhia's cheeks colored as Halldor's dragon let out a low growl. Rhia had already forgotten the incident, and as it was Halldor's dragon, that only made it more embarrassing.

  "Hey." Noticing Rhia's discomfort, Halldor moved closer and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I didn't take any offense, so don't sweat it. I know how overwhelmed you've been trying to run things around here, and you’re doing a great job."

  "You really think so?" Rhia's blush deepened with an entirely different kind of embarrassment, and I had to hold back a smirk.

  "Absolutely." Grinning, Halldor gave her a one-armed hug, then steered her back to Ykos, who waited nearby with Lessie. "Now, let's get back to base so we can figure out where to go from here."

  We mounted up, then returned to camp and held another meeting with Jallis. The four of us made a list of all the problems that still needed to be solved: digging new latrines, finding a team of cooks, procuring more funds, dealing with the Porcillas's threat, and finding the weapon. Jallis promised to find a volunteer to leave for Warosia as soon as possible, and he and Rhia left to go check in with the others.

  "We'll need to hold a council meeting soon," Tavarian said. "In addition to these issues, we also need to discuss our trip to the forge, and where to go next. Given that we have no other options, the others may have to stay here while we are gone, but if we cannot come to an agreement with the locals, that may be too dangerous."

  "I know." I massaged my aching temples. There was so much to do, so many threats to deal with—fighting in the war and dealing with Salcombe was easier than this in some ways, as at least I only had to focus on one objective, and I was only responsible for Lessie and myself. Now I was responsible for over one hundred riders and dragons, the last remnants of Elantia's legacy. No way in hell was I going to let them get wiped out on my watch, especially not by a few thousand locals with only arrows and spears.

  "Is it bad that I'm looking forward to our trip to the forge?" I said to Tavarian, only half-joking.

  He smirked. "Better than quaking in your boots with fear, don't you think?"

  True. The latter was probably a healthier response. But then again, nobody went on dangerous quests or took on dragon gods without having a little crazy in them. And I had a feeling I would need a whole lot more crazy if we were going to get through this in one piece.

  4

  "You got this?" Jallis asked as I tied the rope onto the pommel of Lessie's saddle.

  I tested the rope, which was attached to my end of a very large net, and nodded. "It should hold." Or at least that’s what I figured. After all, Ullion had gone out with another dragon rider to do this the day before. How hard could it be?

  Lessie tossed her head. "I can't believe we're doing this," she grumbled. "We are dragons, not fishermen!"

  "Right now, we're whatever the group needs us to be," I reminded her. "And with the airship down for repairs, we have to keep catching fish to supplement our rations."

  I gave Jallis the thumbs up, and after counting to three, the four of us took flight. For a minute, I was worried Lessie wouldn't be able to fly in sync with Kadryn, who was still larger than her despite her alarmingly frequent growth spurts. But though she had to beat her wings a little harder than him, she kept pace.

  "I'm so proud of you," I told her. "You've come such a long way."

  Lessie didn't say anything, but I could feel her heart swell with pride through the bond. We seemed to have smoothed things over since our fight two days ago—she'd admitted she was wrong, and I apologized for being overly harsh. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Lessie was barely a year old, and that she hadn't been disobeying me out of spite. Despite her moments of wisdom and her advanced vocabulary, she was still a child in many ways, and not always able to see the bigger picture.

  "Isn't that why I have you around?" she teased. "So you can be the brains, and I can be the brawn?"

  "I'd like to think I bring a fair bit of brawn to the table," I said with a grin.

  "Maybe, but I'd like to see you beat me in an arm-wrestling match."

  "You ready?" Jallis asked through the earpiece, breaking up the banter. "Kadryn says this is a good spot."

  "Yep. Let's go."

  Lessie and Kadryn lined up the net so the two sides were level, then dove toward the water together. They flew as low as they could, their bellies skimming the waves, and I laughed, holding up my hands to shield myself as the salty sea spray spattered my clothing and hair. A few seconds later, the two dragons brought up the net, and Jallis and I cheered at the sight of several hundred fish inside, their scales flashing as they tried to wriggle free.

  Unfortunately, Lessie shot up a little too fast, and the net slid too far back. "Dammit!" Jallis swore as the fish waterfalled back into the ocean.

  "Sorry," Lessie said sheepishly. "I got a little too excited to get them back to the base."

  It took three tries, but eventually we managed to catch the fish and keep the net steady as we carried it back to the coast. As we landed in the courtyard to hand over the catch to the four riders who were unwillingly drafted to assist with prepping and cooking the fish—we all rotated shifts daily, hence why Jallis and I were out here—something glimmered high in the sky. Turning around fully, I slipped on my goggles and zoomed in to get a better look.

  "Newcomers!" Lessie cried
as I locked on to two enormous dragons flying through the sky. The riders on their backs appeared to be elderly, with lined faces and white hair.

  "They must be escaping from the mainland," Jallis said, sounding worried. "How did they find us?"

  That's a damn good question, I thought as the riders landed. Their dragons were too large to fit in the courtyard with both Kadryn, Lessie, and the catch, so they soared past us to the field where the other dragons were headed.

  Leaving the fish to the others, I hopped onto Lessie, unhooked the net, and took off to where the newcomers were. To my surprise, Halldor was already there, talking to the riders as if he knew them.

  "Commandant," he greeted me as I dismounted. "This is Sirion and Nimor, of House Callias.”

  "Pleasure to meet you," I said to them, but my attention was still on the captain. "Did you know they were coming?"

  "Kiethara got a message from Sirion's dragon while you were out." He pointed to the dragon on the left, his hide a charcoal gray woven through with glimmering silver. "Apparently he has a longer telepathic range than most dragons, which was how he was able to find the island."

  "I see." I wished Rhia was here to interrogate them. My instinct was to trust them, but given our precarious position and the fact that at least one dragon rider had already defected to the Zallabarians' side, we couldn't risk that these two hadn't been turned.

  "You don't seem very happy to see us," Nimor commented with a frown. He was a little hardier-looking than Sirion, with keen blue eyes and a frank stare. "I thought you would be pleased to know there are more dragons alive."

  "I'm sorry," I said, feeling a little guilty about my cold welcome. After all, these guys had probably gone through hell recently, just like the rest of us, and flying long distances couldn't be easy on them anymore. "Please, come and rest inside. You can fill us in on your story over lunch."