“Will you come back and see us?” one of the toddlers asked, pointing a chubby hand toward Lessie. “I want to ride a dragon again.”
“You will,” Mrs. Thomas said as she squeezed him tight. “When all of this is over, you will all ride dragons again.”
“Should she be giving them false promises like that?” Jallis muttered from behind me. “For all we know, these children may never see a dragon again.”
“It is far better to give them hope than despair,” Tavarian said quietly as he watched the children hug Mrs. Thomas goodbye. “The responsibility to make sure that the right future comes to pass is on our shoulders, not theirs.”
"Finally," Lessie said as Polyba came into view. "I never thought I'd say it, but I'm ridiculously glad to see this place again."
"Me too." I was relieved we'd managed to make it back in time. With the extra load the dragons had to carry, we'd had to stop for rest breaks. The flight over the open ocean had worried me the most, with nowhere for the dragons to stop if they got tired, but Lessie and the others handled the journey like champs, their wings strong and true as they carried us across the sea.
Kade and the other council members were gathered in the courtyard as we landed, practically buzzing with excitement.
"Commandant!" he exclaimed as we dismounted. "Thank the skies you're back. We were worried something terrible had happened when you didn't return with the rest of the party."
"We ended up taking on a side mission," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Did everyone else make it back safely?"
"One of the teams hasn't made it back yet, and another suffered great losses," he said, his expression turning sober. "The village they were assigned to was better defended than we anticipated, and two out of the three dragons were shot down. The third officer barely made it back alive."
Kade’s words slammed into my chest, a sucker punch of emotion that temporarily stunned me. "Is the officer who made it back unharmed?"
"He's all right," Kade said. "Grieving, but all right."
"We will hold a vigil for the ones we've lost," Tavarian said as he came up from behind me. "Tomorrow night. First, we have urgent business we must complete."
We unloaded the weapons and treasure from the dragons. Despite the loss of two more dragon rider pairs, the soldiers were overjoyed to see the spoils we'd brought back, and they quickly squirreled away the treasure in one of the tower rooms.
"This will be more than enough to buy the supplies we need," Daria said excitedly after she'd finished cataloguing everything. "Between everything the teams managed to retrieve, we've got enough to feed everyone here for years."
Treasure wasn't the only thing the other riders had brought back. There were six children playing in the great hall—boys and girls rescued from dragon rider families. Rhia's mother—who had been tempted to stay at the estate but had come with us after Rhia told her she would be needed—set on them immediately, fussing like a mother hen and scolding the hapless soldiers who had been assigned to them for not making sure the children were bathed and properly dressed.
"Maybe we should take them to the hidden estate to join the others," I said. "They might be safer there."
"Perhaps, but we don't have time," Tavarian said. "We need to leave for the forge soon, and it is too risky to send a team there without being able to cloak them. A Zallabarian ship could follow them to the estate."
"Right." I watched as Mrs. Thomas herded the children from the great hall, presumably to get them cleaned up. At least Rhia's mother was here to look after them, which took a great burden off my shoulders.
Now that all the treasure had been secured, I called a meeting with both the council members and the dragon rider teams who had returned. Captain Ragorin gave a quick report on the status of the base. They'd made a number of improvements, including repairing some of the outer walls and making the building more defensible, and the group was now ruthlessly organized and efficient.
"The airship is nearly repaired as well," he said proudly. "We should be able to do a test run next week."
"Has there been any activity from the other tribes?" Jallis asked.
Captain Ragorin shook his head. "The Porcillas family has kept their distance," he said. "Though one of our sentries did report seeing a few scouts earlier today."
Tavarian and I exchanged worried glances. "We're going to need to visit them first thing in the morning," he said grimly. "They've seen the dragons returning and must know we've made it back. If we do not call on them soon, they will think we've broken our word."
We went around the rest of the group, getting reports from each of the rider teams on how their missions went and what they retrieved. Aside from three teams—the one that had suffered casualties, along with one that had not returned and a third that found their target estate already looted and abandoned—the rest had successfully managed to bring back either children or eggs.
"Eight eggs and six children," Tavarian said proudly. "You've all done very well."
The dragon riders seemed to glow beneath Tavarian's praise. "We brought back treasure, too, but nothing like what you did," Kade said. "We're definitely going to need to do another run soon and try to hit the other floating estates before the Zallabarians get to them."
Tavarian nodded. "If we take the proper precautions, there is no reason not to," he said. "This stealth mission is proof that dragons are still valuable in warfare. Their ability to glide stealthily through the air at night is absolutely essential."
"But still not enough to take back the country," Captain Ragorin lamented. "We'll need more men, and better weapons, if we hope to accomplish that."
As the meeting continued, the talk turned to grim tidings. The other riders reported the same things Tavarian, Rhia, Jallis, and I witnessed in Zuar City: greedy citizens buying up dragon rider homes on the cheap and collaborating with the invaders. Plenty of citizens were resentful and angry toward the riders, who they felt had precipitated their suffering, but many were also angry at the Zallabarians.
"The first stirrings of revolt are already happening, though," Ullion said. "And I think the soldiers we've planted in the towns and villages aren't going to find it hard at all to fan those flames."
"Agreed," Rhia said, "but it will take some time for a rebellion to build up any steam. In the meantime, we need to do everything we can to make things difficult for the Zallabarians, including finding new allies, if possible. Perhaps whoever sent those ships to scout the floating islands might be someone we can team up with."
"We need to find out what's happened with the overseas colonies," Jallis said. "The Zallabarians probably haven't had time to hit them yet, so we might be able to form a new base that's less hostile."
"We should send an envoy to investigate," Tavarian agreed, "but we must be cautious. If the locals have found out that Elantia has fallen, they might very well decide to revolt against the government. Most of the colonies are very stable and prosperous, so there is little worry of that, but I've seen this thing happen far too often to not be wary. We will need to gather intelligence first, or at the very least some news."
"I can help you with that," Halldor said as he walked in. He was still wearing his dragon rider armor, his cheeks pink and his curly red hair windblown, and I didn't miss the way Rhia sat up straighter at his arrival. "I've got plenty of news from Warosia."
"Halldor!" I nearly jumped up to hug him before remembering there was a plate of food on my lap. "Did you bring the canvas back?"
"Sure did," he said with a grin as he took his seat between Rhia and Tavarian. His knee bumped against Rhia's, and I had to hide a grin of my own as she blushed. "Already dropped it off with the crew."
"You went to visit a friend of yours in Warosia, didn't you?" Rhia asked.
Halldor nodded, turning his attention to her. "Kal. He's well connected to the Warosian court, so I managed to finagle an audience with the king."
"King Rodici?" Tavarian was astonished. "He does not give
audiences to just anyone. What did you say to him?"
"It's what he said to me that's important," Halldor said, his grin widening. "Turns out the king is getting pretty nervous about Zallabar. Apparently, they've got their sights set on Ruisin and Traggar next, and the Warosians don't want to wait around until Zallabar decides to go after them, too. They want to make an alliance with us, but only if Tavarian personally oversees the negotiations."
The others burst into excited chatter at this as Tavarian and I looked at each other. I could tell he was just as conflicted as me. On the one hand, this was an excellent opportunity. A lucky break, in fact, as there weren't that many potential allies on the continent to begin with. But we couldn't delay our trip to the forge any longer. I hoped to be on our way in the next forty-eight hours.
"The king said you will be treated as the representative for the Elantian government-in-exile," Halldor went on when everyone had quieted a little. "You are the only one left with the power to make these negotiations, as the rest of the original council has been taken prisoner. They fled to Winnia, but a group of insurgents had already deposed the governor by the time they got there."
"That is most unfortunate," Tavarian said, but the rest of the group did not share his sentiment, and neither did I.
"Serves those bastards right," Lessie huffed. "They deserve nothing less after abandoning us."
"Agreed." I squeezed Tavarian's hand, silently glad that he hadn't gone with them.
"There is also," Halldor added, a sly smile coming to his lips, "a mage at the Warosian court who is a scholar of ancient lore. She specializes in magical warcraft, so if anyone can help us figure out how to use that horn, it's her."
"It sounds like an opportunity I cannot afford to pass up," Tavarian said cautiously, "but the Warosians will not ally with us without expecting something in return. There will be a price to pay."
But the dragon riders didn't seem to care about that. All they knew is that we needed to get off this forsaken island, and that an alliance was our best bet for striking back at the Zallabarians.
After lunch, Tavarian and I gathered up the weapons we'd promised as payment and secured them in one of the litters. As we flew to the Porcillas settlement with three other riders in tow, we discussed our plans.
"I don't think that we can afford to keep the Warosians waiting," Tavarian said into my ear as the wind whipped around us. "If the king wants to make an alliance, we need to jump on that opportunity."
"I know." I sighed as I leaned into him. "And if that mage can help us figure out how to use the horn, all the better. But I don't like the idea of us separating, Tavarian."
"I don’t either." He tightened his arms around me. "But perhaps there is a way for us to do both without having to go our separate ways.”
"We'll discuss it later," I said as the settlement came into view. I tensed, half-expecting another volley of arrows. Although sentries stood on the rooftops, bows and arrows at the ready, they didn't fire. I heaved a sigh of relief as we made it to the chieftain's house. This time when we knocked, we were let in without hesitation.
"For you," I said as we laid the litter full of weapons on the floor in front of the chieftain's throne. "In exchange for the horn."
The chieftain's eyes shone greedily as he beheld the array of steel. "This is quite an offering," he said.
We actually had more weapons back at the base—we planned to offer these first, then a second half once we determined the horn worked—but judging by the chieftain's reaction, it looked like we wouldn't need it.
"The horn is yours," he said, snapping his fingers, and one of his wives, the fierce woman who'd tried to throw us out the last time we'd come here, came forward with the box. I could feel the power thrumming from the object within before I even took it, and when I touched the box I had to hold in a gasp as the power flowed up and down my skin.
"Let it be known that the blood debt has been paid," the chieftain said, thumping his staff on the floor. "So long as you honor our traditions and respect our property, we shall no longer attack you and yours."
"Thank you," Tavarian said. "The next time we meet, I hope it can be as friends."
The chieftain sent us on our way, but not before we promised to come back to trade the next time we got supplies from Warosia. We'd greatly impressed them with the weapons, and they were eager to see what else we could bring.
"Who knows," I joked as we flew away. "Maybe if we stay here long enough, we can turn Polyba into a thriving civilization."
Dismissing the other dragons, I asked Lessie to fly us to some remote cliffs overlooking the ocean, far away from any settlements. Sliding down from her back, I stood atop the rocky cliff and glanced around. "I think that should work as a good test target," I said, pointing to a large boulder sitting on an adjacent cliff about a hundred yards away. "I'm guessing you activate this thing by blowing into it?"
"Presumably, yes," Tavarian said. "But hang on a minute." He flicked his hand in a complicated gesture, summoning a glowing blue shield around us. "This should protect us from any shrapnel," he said.
My stomach knotted itself with anxiety as I lifted the horn to my lips, but I steeled myself for any impact and blew anyway. A deep, clear sound echoed from the horn, and everyone tensed, waiting for something to happen.
But nothing did. No magical energy issued forth from the mouth of the horn, or anything else. And the boulder stubbornly remained where it was.
"Damn." I tried again, but the same thing happened. "I guess this was a waste of time."
"Hmm." Tavarian took the horn from me, studying the runes carved into the bone. "I can't read these, but they do look somewhat familiar. Perhaps the mage in Warosia can help decipher them. I've no doubt these are instructions. Perhaps the horn must be prepared with certain herbs before it can be used, or there must be certain weather conditions."
I frowned. "That seems stupid, though," I said. "Why would you design an item that's so finicky if you intend to use it during wartime?" A thought occurred to me, and I nudged Tavarian. "Why don't you try it?"
"I doubt me blowing on it will make any difference," Tavarian said dubiously, but he lifted the horn to his lips anyway. The sound that issued from the horn sent a chill through me. It was ten times louder, reverberating through my bones as if I were sitting directly on a fault line. The air shimmered as an unseen force barreled toward the boulder, and a thunderclap rent the air as the magic struck true.
"Get down!" Tavarian yelled, yanking me to the ground as the boulder shattered into a million pieces. Even at this distance, deadly shards rained overhead, and I screamed as the cliffs shook uncontrollably. Loud crashes sounded all around us, as if the entire world was being shaken apart. My amulet flashed, pouring bright white light over us, but terror raced through me as I realized Lessie was unprotected.
"Lessie," I croaked, struggling to my feet. But a wave of nausea drove me back to the ground, and I vomited up the contents of my stomach. Tavarian and Lessie retched as well, a side effect of the magic and not just my nerves getting the better of me. My head felt like someone had clamped a vise around it, and something warm trickled from my ears and down the sides of my neck.
"Blood," Tavarian rasped. He reached out and dragged a finger along the side of my neck, and I was horrified to see it come away wet and glistening red. "Dragon's balls, what did that thing do to us?"
"Seems like we suffered the blowback," I managed, then closed my eyes and leaned my head against the ground. I was in too much pain to think further than that, never mind speak.
"This thing is dangerous," Lessie said, her voice vibrating with anger. She nudged me with her snout, and when I didn't move, curled her tail around me protectively. "It didn't affect me the way it did you, but if I'd been flying when Tavarian had blown that thing we all would have fallen from the sky."
I wasn't sure how long we lay there, but flapping wings stirred me from the fetal position.
"Zara! Lord Tavarian!" Halldor cried
as he jumped off his dragon and rushed toward us. He dropped to the ground beside me and rolled me onto my back. "Skies, what the bleeding hell happened to you all?"
"We tried using the horn," Tavarian croaked. He finally managed to get upright, pushing himself into a kneeling position so he could survey our surroundings. "Bloody hell," he muttered. "The cliffs."
Halldor helped me into a sitting position, and my mouth dropped open. The entire section of cliffs beneath the boulder had fallen away, and even a portion of the cliff we'd been standing on was gone.
"No wonder it felt like an earthquake," I said numbly as I gazed at the destruction. “We were standing in the middle of the cliff when Tavarian blew the horn. Now we’re practically at the edge."
"Yeah, and on that note, let's get you away from the edge before more of the cliff decides to break off," Halldor said. With Lessie's help, he guided us to more solid ground, where Kiethara was waiting. "Are you guys well enough to ride?"
"Not quite," Tavarian said shakily. "I doubt Zara is either."
Halldor released me, and I tried to stand. But the nausea made me dizzy, and I had to crouch, sticking my head between my legs.
"Here." Tavarian helped me the rest of the way to the ground. "Let me heal you."
"Do you have the energy for that?" I asked as he placed his hands on either side of my head, but Tavarian didn't answer. Closing his eyes, he began murmuring under his breath. A warm glow enveloped my head, and I gasped as pain lanced through my skull. Lessie growled, sensing my suffering, but the pain quickly faded as the magic did its work, healing the ruptured and inflamed tissue and banishing the crippling nausea.
Test of the Dragon Page 11