Within the Dragon's Jaw (The Dragon Thief Book 2)

by D. K. Holmberg

  Gayal stared off into the distance. “The Jaw has been here longer than mankind and will be here when we are gone.”

  “Unless we destroy them,” he said, muttering.

  She tilted her head, watching him. “The Dragon Touched have used their power upon the stone, but fortunately even they have limits.”

  From here, he couldn’t make out the mountains other than as a steady rise in the distance, a gradually increasing line on the horizon. When he and Bingham had departed Zarinth, the volcano head had quickly disappeared from view, leaving nothing more than a gentle slope that made it difficult to make anything else out.

  “How often do you get back to your homeland?”

  Gayal turned her attention to him. “I serve the king,” she said.

  “I wasn’t disputing that. I was just asking how often you return home.”

  “This is my home now,” she said softly. She tore his gaze off the Dragon’s Jaw, turning it toward the rest of the city. “The records claim that Carn was built over five hundred years ago, and that the king from that time, Rogel the Proud, designed the city to be a beacon of power.”

  “I can’t imagine building a city,” he said.

  “Most can’t imagine building one here, either,” she said. “We are far from a source of fresh water, which means digging wells and channels out of the north to direct water to the city. It was an engineering feat of great significance, though Rogel the Proud felt that it was necessary that it be here.”

  “Because of the Dragon’s Jaw.”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Mostly because he wanted to expand the kingdom,” he said.

  “There is that,” Gayal said, smiling at him.

  She turned and Ty watched her cloak as she did, trying to figure out just what it was about the cloak itself that left him feeling oddly unsettled, though he suspected it wasn’t anything extraordinarily unusual.

  “The original capital was farther to the south. The city has been mostly abandoned, though there are remnants of what was once there. You can see the remains of the palace, the temples, the houses as they had once been. Though when Rogel moved the capital to Carn, he forced others to abandon it.”

  “I think he should have been called Rogel the Arrogant,” he said.

  “I believe there are some from that time who referred to him in less than flattering terms,” she said, chuckling.

  “I didn’t realize the Tecal were such historians.”

  “It is a personal interest of mine,” Gayal said.

  “Have you ever visited the old capital?”

  “My journeys have taken me all throughout the kingdom.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “I have visited many places within the kingdom. All in service of the king.”

  As much as he had wanted to stay in Zarinth to find answers about his parents, there was a part of Ty that wished that he had the same opportunity that Albion had to see the world. Following the High Priest and working as the Dragon Thief had given Albion a unique perspective about the world, one that was far different than what Ty had.

  Gayal laughed softly. It seemed as if her cloak fluttered again. “I can see that you are uncertain. I can understand that. You have not had the same experience as others.”

  “I’ve had my share of experiences.”

  “But not beyond the borders of your city. That is why I thought I could show you around Carn. Unless you need to get to your brother so quickly that you would not be interested.”

  Ty had come to try to find Albion, and he should’ve been getting back to Eastley and Bingham, but if she were willing to guide him through the city, it was possible that he might learn something that he couldn’t otherwise. If so, then it would be foolish for him not to.

  “Why would Roson James return to Zarinth? I thought he was after the Dragon Thief and the egg.”

  She turned, and her cloak twisted slightly. “The dragon egg was a great prize, but they aren’t nearly as rare as you would think. The king has discovered many eggs over the years. The challenge is hatching them.”

  Could that have been what Albion had been after?

  “I’ve seen the king’s dragons.”

  “You may have seen one at a time, but there is something to be said about seeing many.” She turned to him, watching for a moment, and as before there was a strangeness to her gaze. “Perhaps it would be best if I showed you. Come with me, unless you would rather not.”

  Ty wasn’t sure how to answer but found himself drawn to her, curiosity getting the best of him. She wanted to show him dragons. Who was he to refuse?

  Chapter Twenty

  Ty had no idea where Gayal was going to lead him, but she guided him along one of the side streets, weaving along the road heading toward the palace. Shops and storefronts on either side, their owners were out shouting to passersby and hawking their wares. Eventually, she took him in a surprising direction.

  “I would’ve expected he kept the dragons at the palace,” he said, keeping his voice low.

  “Doing so would be dangerous. They might be small, but they do have power. Even a small hatchling has a great connection to the Flame. You will see.”

  “I’ve seen the king’s dragons in Zarinth.”

  “You have seen one,” she said again. “And an isolated dragon has its own dangers, but dragons with others of its kind are another matter altogether.”

  They continued heading off to the west, moving now away from the palace, taking a narrow road that gradually began to open up. Shops ended, and the roadway transitioned to houses. Ty wasn’t sure if he would be able to find his way back to Bingham at this point. If he had to go all the way around the city, he thought he might be able to start back from where the two of them had entered, and he might be able to figure out where to go to find him, but from here…

  From here, it was going to be difficult.

  Eastley would never find him. Perhaps that was Gayal’s intention. She wanted to separate Ty from Bingham and Eastley, keeping him confused. If that were the case, why would she keep him with her, though?

  She was after something. He was certain of it. When he had encountered her in Zarinth, she had simply come out and told him what she wanted from him. Why wouldn’t she do the same thing now?

  A strange domed building appeared in the distance.

  “Is that where you’re taking me?”

  “The king calls it the Hatchery,” she said.

  “And you’re just allowed to bring outsiders into the Hatchery?”

  “Not normally, but I think in your case he would permit me to make an exception.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because he recognizes I would do nothing to harm what’s inside.” She glanced over at Ty. “And I doubt you will, either.”

  “What if I did?”

  She studied him for another moment before shaking his head. “You will see, Tydornen.”

  They reached the domed building and she pressed her hand against the door. It started to glow softly, and then she twisted it.

  Dragon magic. It had been embedded into the door, forcing it locked. Would there be other dragon magic that was similar? If so, he might not be able to open anything else. Maybe that was his entire point. She wanted to show him the levels of dragon magic used even in a place like this, so that he would know that any attempt to break into the palace would be nearly impossible. Without some way, some sort of key, he wouldn’t have any ability to enter the palace.

  He followed her inside the building. The air had a spicy fragrance to it, something that he found almost pleasant, which surprised him. Light glowed around him, though it wasn’t situated anywhere openly, almost as if it came from all around. It was a band of a bluish white light, a trailing glow that circled the inside entirety of the domed room.

  “This is the Hatchery?” Ty asked, sweeping his gaze around. It was difficult to tell much of anything about the room, which looked to be a circular chamber with a h
igh arching roof overhead, the bluish white light giving everything a strange glow and casting the shadows around him. It made it difficult to determine much about what he saw.

  Alcoves were built into the walls, and as he stared Ty tried to make out what was within those alcoves, but he couldn’t quite do so.

  “This is a place that very few people outside of the Dragon Touched and Tecal have ever been permitted to come,” Gayal said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  He turned to her, frowning. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “You believe the eggs to be rare,” she said, her voice soft. “And you believe that your brother went after some great prize.”

  Ty looked around him. He took it all in, making a point of seeing—truly seeing—everything here. As he did, he realized what was inside of those alcoves. He had seen, and held, that shape before.

  He was drawn to the nearest alcove. Situated inside of it was a round, practically oblong shape. The surface was yellowish, though not completely a pale yellow. It was streaked with darker colors, and there was heat radiating from it.

  “This is a dragon egg,” he said.

  He turned to Gayal. She had stopped in front of another one of the eggs, holding her hands out in front of it, cupping it, almost as if she were celebrating it.

  “That it is,” she said, her voice still low. “Like I said, very few people have been given the opportunity to see this.”

  “There are so many,” Ty said, looking around. Inside the Hatchery, there were probably close to three dozen eggs, each of them set into an alcove much like the one in front of him. The air had that spicy aroma, and it took on a sense of energy similar to what he had felt when he was around the Dragon Touched, almost as if he could feel the heat radiating from them.

  A strange gnawing in the pit of his stomach had developed the moment that he had stepped into the Hatchery. Ty thought it was hunger pangs, but that didn’t seem to be what it was.

  “You wanted me to see the eggs. You wanted me to see that my brother wasn’t after some prize that I believed.” He looked over to her. “But you didn’t need to show it to me like this.”

  Then again, had she not, would he have believed?

  Ty thought that he would have. He didn’t think Gayal had lied to him. At least, she hadn’t lied to him so far. It was possible that she would. She was one of the king’s spies.

  “I did not need to show it to you like this,” she agreed. “But I did so because I wanted to know if my suspicion was correct.” She watched him, sniffing slightly. “And I can see that it is. You are attuned to the power that is here.”

  Ty started laughing, looking around the inside of the Hatchery. “If you think I was somehow attuned to the dragon magic, I wouldn’t have to be so concerned about trying to get my brother.”

  He could break into the Dragon Touched fortress. By the Flame, he could simply claim that he was one of the Dragon Touched, go to the fortress, and search for his brother.

  Ty looked at one of the eggs in an alcove near him, holding his hands above it. Surprisingly, he could feel some energy that seemed to come off the blue-black egg. He reached for it, waiting for Gayal to stop him, but she didn’t. The surface of the egg was smooth, though there were small indentations he could feel. Strangely, he also detected a subtle trembling within the egg, as if it were trying to push against him.

  “See?” Gayal said. “When I first met you, I suspected you had some ability to attune to the dragons, even if you didn’t know it.” Her gaze flicked his waist, where he had the dragon-bone dagger. “How many people do you know with a weapon like that?”

  “They aren’t that uncommon,” he said, tapping the hilt of the dagger.

  She shrugged. “Not uncommon, but not common, either. There’s a reason for it. Most find holding a dragon-bone dagger, or sword, as the case may be, unpleasant. The blades are hot, and only those with the ability to withstand that heat can hold the dagger, let alone use it.”

  He started to smile. “There are plenty of people in Zarinth that have used daggers like this.”

  “Without gloves?”

  It was such a simple question, but she wasn’t wrong. When Ty had been around others using daggers like his, they did so with gloves. Most appreciated the sharpness of the blade, the indestructible nature of it, but maybe there was another reason. Ty had not found it to be as unpleasant. He didn’t expect that meant he had a connection to the dragons, though.

  She motioned for him to follow, and she continued through the Hatchery, guiding him to another doorway on the far side. Once there, Ty turned back and looked behind him, taking in the sight of the Hatchery. It was impressive. More than that, he could feel the energy here. There was a distinct sensation around him, a power that filled him, something that told him that he was right in what was saying about him.

  It left his skin tense, but more than that, there came a sort of burning deep within him. Almost as if he’d eaten something too spicy or swallowed hot water. It worked its way down his throat, into his stomach, and spread out into his arms and legs, leaving his entire body feeling as if it were humming with heat and energy. He breathed out slowly, trying to ignore that feeling.

  Gayal watched him, an unreadable expression on her face, though it seemed to him that she knew what he felt. That couldn’t mean that he felt something about these dragons. He was in the Hatchery, a place of dragon eggs, and it was a place where he should’ve felt something, shouldn’t he have? There should’ve been no reason for him to feel otherwise.

  “If the king has all of these eggs, why doesn’t he try to hatch them?”

  “He does,” Gayal said. “Unfortunately, he is not often successful.”

  “Which is why he has the small dragons.”

  “That’s part of it,” she said. “There’s more to it, though. Something about the dragons that we don’t fully understand. We have searched for answers, but they aren’t easy to find.”

  “Answers about the dragons?”

  “Answers about many things,” she said.

  She pushed open the door, having first pressed her hand upon it the way that she had before, causing the door to glow softly. After it did for a moment, she withdrew her hand and the door came open.

  It let out into a small courtyard. Ty followed her, noting a shift in the air. He hadn’t noticed how warm the air within the hatchery had been, but now that he was outside, feeling the cool breeze gusting along his cheeks and whispering along his face, he was much more aware of it.

  He took a deep breath.

  He followed Gayal.

  There was a soft glowing light here as well, the same sort of bluish white light as there was within the Hatchery, and Ty looked around, trying to figure out just where she was guiding him. They were in a fenced-in courtyard, a stone wall probably no taller than his shoulder rising around the courtyard, and within it were dragons.

  Ty looked over at Gayal, noticing the bright light in her eyes, the way she stared at them, and surprisingly he felt something from her as well, as if there was some connection that flowed between her and the dragons. Her cloak fluttered but then fell still again.

  There had to be a dozen or so.

  He had seen one of them, the black-scaled dragon near the back wall, in Zarinth once. There was another, one with deep red scales that lounged against the wall near the black dragon, that had been in the city another time. All of them were of a similar size, though some were larger than others. Each had stunted leathery wings, muscular back legs, and small forelegs. He couldn’t imagine any of them flying. None of them looked nearly as impressive as the dragon relics that he had seen.

  He started forward before catching himself, but not fast enough.

  Gayal was there, pulling out his arm, blocking him. “I know you aren’t impressed by them, but these dragons are not to be taken lightly.”

  “I’m not taking them lightly.”

  “You must be careful.”

  “Or what?”<
br />
  “Or you are likely to lose a hand. Or worse.”

  Two of the dragons were playing in the back of the courtyard, rolling as they kicked and scratched at each other, while others simply lounged, curled up so that their tails were wrapped all around them, their wings folded in at their sides.

  One of them looked up, gazing at him with an expression of heat in its eyes, but there was something else there as well. There was something that he couldn’t quite identify.

  “These are the dragons the king has hatched and raised. The Dragon Touched come here, learning about their connection to the dragons, as do those of the king’s Tecal.”

  “Let me guess. You brought me here because you somehow think that I have a connection to the dragons and you want to bring me into the king’s service. I’m sorry, but that’s not why I came to the city. I have no interest in serving the king so directly.”

  She smiled slightly. “I didn’t bring you here because I thought you had some connection to the dragons, though I would not be surprised to learn that you did. I didn’t bring you here to try to convince you that you could be one of the Dragon Touched. It’s possible you could be. There are many more Dragon Touched throughout the kingdom than the king even knows, though most of them have a minor ability. Some can eventually develop in the way of the Dragon Touched you have seen, men like Roson James, and others who are equally dangerous. Then there are those of the king’s Tecal. We have a different role as we serve the king.”

  He waited for her to expand on that, but she didn’t.

  Ty knew the role of the Tecal within the kingdom. They were spies, but what if they were something else as well?

  He looked over to Gayal, wondering what she might share with him, but she said nothing.

  “Why did you bring me here?”

  “Curiosity,” she said. “And I thought that it would be beneficial for you to know the truth.”

  He shook his head. “Even if I were to believe you and that I was somehow attuned to these dragons, I can’t really do anything with it. I’m not a Dragon Touched like Roson James or the others in the fortress.”

  In that was what it really came down to.