Were there more of these?
Undoubtedly, but where they are along the path and whether they, too, are stripped of power ... that is the question.
So, we were faced with a decision. Some of us could flee the terror of this living grave – but not all of us. I already could guess who Iskaris would nominate to go once he got here.
Chapter Thirteen
Fortunately, Ashana was the one barking orders when we arrived. “Yes, all of you. Every villager, every child, every bag you carry has to fit in that circle and room for a dragon and rider, too.”
As she spoke, children wailed as their mothers hushed them and the quavering voices of the elderly asked for clarification. My belly flipped with queasiness. What if those were my children sobbing? My grandparents confused in the dark? If there was a way – any way – to get them out of here we had to take it.
“Unload the Dominar and bring his pallet here,” Ashana said.
I scrambled to obey, Hubric immediately at my side. “The Ifrits aren’t far behind. We must hurry.”
Would we wait for the Dominar to be transferred to the circle if they came around the corner? Wouldn’t it be better to get the innocents as far away from the clutches of the earth demons as possible? My heart was racing, my brain swirling round and round so quickly that I couldn’t catch a thought.
Calmly now. Don’t fear. I won’t let those little ones perish no matter what comes next. You have my word.
If I had Raolcan’s word, then it was as good as done. I felt my breathing slow as I climbed up on his back and began to unfasten the pallet. Behind us, Iskaris and his men arrived, the Silver dragons with them.
“What manner of place is this?” Iskaris breathed.
“A gateway.” Hubric’s words were clipped but steady. “We can get some of these people out of here.”
“To where?” Beside Iskaris, his Dragoons formed a line, blades out toward the darkness, their dragons anchoring the ends of the line, despite their injuries.
“The Dragon Lands. Don’t ask me where it leads to there. Kyrowat says that the gateways can be manipulated, but this one is low on magic and he says that if we try to change the destination it might sap the last of the strength of it. We’ll just have to risk sending them to Haz’drazen wherever they end up in her lands. Ashana is trying to fit a dragon in with them to help with communication. Here, help us with the Dominar.”
I had the last strap unfastened and was already shuffling the pallet toward Hubric’s reaching arms. Behind him, Aliss and Ashana had Daieseo in the ring, lying down. People sat on his back, tail, and neck, crowding in so that they could all fit in the circle with the big Purple dragon. Aliss was wedged against his face, hers bent in close, clearly trying her best to keep him from complete claustrophobia. We’d better hurry before he panicked and flamed someone.
A real possibility. Hurry.
“I’m not going to send the Dominar to an unfamiliar location without a proper guard. Particularly not when he’s injured,” Iskaris said. “What do we know about how the dragons will receive him. They could flame the lot of them as soon as they arrive.”
The closest faces of the refugees registered terror at his words and I shook my head vigorously to them. Savette slipped off Eeamdor and rushed to calm the fearful among them, her white dress and blindfold glowing in the faint light. Iskaris was going to cause a revolt.
“We need to hurry.”
Hubric nodded, taking the pallet in a strong grip as I lowered one end towards him.
“Stop,” Iskaris said. “Put the Dominar back on that dragon and then clear these people off. We’ll get him to safety first – with a proper force of guards.”
“No time,” Hubric said gruffly.
I scanned the area looking for support. Could Hubric and I stand up to Iskaris on our own? These people needed protection – more even than the Dominar, though I was worried for him, vulnerable as he is. But there were babies and tiny children in that crowd of people. Tiny, desperate souls who were being chased by the things of nightmares. One little boy’s panicked eyes met mine – wet with tears. His little lashes blinked and another tear rolled down his smooth cheeks. I would do anything to prevent these children seeing more terrors.
Aliss was busy keeping her dragon steady. Ashana paced the circumference of the circle, kicking feet and bags back into the circle with harsh reminders that only what was inside the circle would be transported and that included limbs. And Savette... where was Savette?
There. She was standing beside the glowing stone pillar, her hands wrapping around it and the glow of her eyes piercing through the bandage.
“There’s plenty of time, Dragon Rider,” Iskaris said. “The Dominar is my top priority. No one else matters more, not filthy villagers and not you. He goes through that gateway and he goes with a proper guard.”
“Do you want him to go or not?” Hubric asked. “Because if you want him to go, then lend me a hand and let’s carry him over there before it’s too late.”
From the darkness, I heard a howling like a strong wind. I whipped around, staring into the darkness, but it didn’t take long to see the flickering fires that glowed in the eyes and mouths of the Ifrits as they rushed towards us. I bit off a scream, but the people in the circle didn’t bother to stop the cries of terror welling up from their throats. The only thing louder than their screams was the voice of Ashana.
“Stay inside the circle! No matter what, stay inside!” She grabbed a small girl who darted out of the circle, throwing her over her shoulder and stepping within the glowing glyph. “Whose girl is this?”
Before I could hear the answer, the people in the circle seemed to stretch and then vanish before my eyes, Ashana with them.
Chapter Fourteen
“Oops,” Savette said from her place by the pillar.
“Get him back on Raolcan!” Hubric yelled urgently, pushing the Dominar’s pallet back up. From the pallet came a moan, but I ignored it, clawing it back into place and scrambling for straps to fasten around his pallet. There would be none left for me, but I could cling to Raolcan without them.
I told you they wouldn’t be harmed.
I felt a swell of pride at that, but there was no time to respond to his smugness. Hubric was already half-running, half-stumbling back to Kyrowat as Raolcan whipped around to face the incoming Ifrits. Savette left the pillar, leaping onto Eeamdor’s back. The glowing glyph was gone, the last embers of the pillar’s power drained from use. There would be no escape there.
There may be other gateways in here somewhere.
Hopefully, those little children were safe with Ashana and Aliss and Daieseo.
Daieseo will make sure the dragons on the other end know what has occurred here. They will guard the innocent. Do not fear.
I wasn’t worried. These days I trusted dragons more than humans. What I was worried about was Rasipaer. When Ashana had entered the glyph with that child, they’d been separated.
He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine. If it were me, I’d be grateful to see you out of harm’s way.
But he hadn’t tried to get me into that circle.
You’re a Dragon Rider, not a porcelain doll. It is our honor to defend the weak – even if that means staring down a dozen Ifrits in the pitch black with the ruler of the Dominion tied to an old mattress on my back.
I swallowed and cinched the straps around the Dominar tighter. Was it lighter in here? I thought I could see his chest moving up and down as he breathed. He moved like he was trying to sit up using his missing arm. I placed a hand on his chest as yells and screams around us told me the Ifrits were almost here.
“Dominar?” I said. “If you can hear me, you need to lie still. You lost an arm and are gravely injured. You are on the back of a dragon as we flee for our lives, but if you squirm too much these straps will get loose and you’ll fall off. So, please stay still until it’s safe to move.”
I couldn’t tell if his moan was pain or acknowledgment.
Raolcan left the ground with a burst of speed, launching us into the air. Beside us, Eeamdor launched, too. That’s where the light was coming from! Savette had removed her blindfold and in the presence of the Ifrits, the glow was growing brighter and brighter.
“Hold the line!” Iskaris yelled, bracing himself, sword in hand. On either side of him, his Dragoons followed, the Silvers rearing up, ready to flame.
Was holding the line the right move? There was still time to flee. I scanned the other bridges. Which way would we go?
Rasipaer read the signpost. He said the way is not obvious, but it is between two likely paths.
And if we chose the wrong one?
There’s no way to tell what would happen. We’ll just have to play the hand we’ve been dealt.
The Ifrits closed in, but the first in line evaporated in a soundless boom.
Hold on tight. It’s about to get interesting.
Hubric flew by so close that I held my breath, ducking low over the Dominar.
“Hold back, Amel!” Hubric called. “The Dominar is too important to lose.”
Raolcan cursed in my mind. Knowing him, he’d been just about to dive into the ranks of Ifrits the way Kyrowat just did. Instead, Raolcan reared back, spinning to arc around to the back of the group.
Kyrowat flamed in steady bursts, Rasipaer following him in formation, filling in the gaps. Both dragons were cunning, and they seemed to avoid the grasp of the Ifrits with ease.
The problem was, we couldn’t afford to lose any of them. We needed to fall back to where we could flee again. In the bottleneck of a tunnel, we would only face one Ifrit at a time.
Not much of a consolation if you’re last in line.
A scream came from the Dragoons, but I was too distracted to look. Raolcan’s turn was too tight and I almost slipped from his back in my awkward position over the Dominar’s pallet. With a grimace I found a baggage strap and wound it around my waist, buckling it tight and then finding two more to make make-shift thigh straps. Heat blew back at me as Raolcan flamed at an Ifrit.
They’re overwhelming us. We must retreat. Rasipaer leads the way.
I looked up to see Rasipaer barrel past, his belly inches from the top of my head. I ducked, instinctively. Raolcan lunged in front of Eeamdor who was trying to spin for another attack. He shoved him towards Rasipaer instead.
Reds! Hotheads, all of them!
We were right behind Eeamdor and Hubric was behind us. He was screaming for the Dragoons to follow.
“Belay that!” Iskaris yelled. “We stand for our Dominar!”
“They’re too much for you! Flee!” Hubric called back as one of the Silver dragons was swept off the rock island by an Ifrit. He plunged with a flaming scream over the side. With his broken wings, he could not fly.
I’d never heard a dragon scream before. It seared me to the core. I bit my lip and held on tight to Raolcan, as if, somehow, I could keep him safe.
The world filled with light again as Savette launched a second attack, wiping out three Ifrits in a single moment. They exploded in clouds of dust, but a dozen more were pouring through the warrens toward us. If we stayed here, we would be overrun despite her efforts.
Through the clash and shouts of battle, a voice deep and heavy as an iron hammer smashed through to all our minds.
“Retreat.”
I didn’t need to look to know it was the Dominar.
Chapter Fifteen
When I joined Dragon School, I knew that riding a dragon wasn’t for the faint of heart, but I could barely keep my eyes open now as we corkscrewed through the warren passage. Raolcan was half flying, half scrambling like a worm through a garden bed. He was using wings and legs indiscriminately and after just a few moments I’d lost any sense of up or down as we climbed along walls, vaulted off ceilings, and soared anywhere there was enough room for his wings to get lift.
The second we’d hit the warrens, I’d had to double over top of the Dominar – body to body – to avoid being scraped off Raolcan’s back in our passage. I gripped my straps and his pallet to keep myself wedged that way, fear and adrenaline thundering through me so that I was a wash of intensity and anxiety. The world beyond was only something I saw in flashes and any sense of where our companions were, was completely lost.
I’m keeping track.
I didn’t want to think about the dragoons on foot. What had happened to them?
In situations like this – when running for your life – it’s best for each person to keep their mind on their own business.
But I couldn’t do that. Especially not with my body pressed up against the Dominar’s in a far-too-familiar way. His crown-mask dug into my shoulder and I bit my lip as every jostle of Raolcan’s movement brought pain from where the metal hit my bone and added pain where straps dug suddenly into waist or belly or thighs. Comfort was not our priority. Survival was.
“Where are we?” the Dominar asked. His voice was quiet, but whether that was because he was speaking softly or because the rush of my own heartbeat was too loud in my ears, I didn’t know.
“Dragon warrens under the Dragon Snout Mountains,” I said.
“We fled here,” he acknowledged. “After that grizzly run from the stronghold. How many of my men survived?”
I tried to remember how many people I saw standing when we fled the Ifrits.
“Five, I think, and one Silver dragon.” I fought against the memory of the other one falling off the edge of the rock island. I didn’t dare let my imagination dwell on what happened after he fell from view.
“We started with three hundred.”
Three hundred? That couldn’t be possible!
“Treachery from within our ranks and armies of demons set upon us. I lost track of what was happening sometime during the fall of Leedris City. My arm...”
“Is gone. We had to amputate it to stop the infection,” I said. I knew there was no use in trying to make it sound nice. There was nothing nice or pleasant about losing something as precious as half your physical capability.
“An acceptable loss.”
He clearly hadn’t been trying to live his whole life with a useless limb if he found the loss ‘acceptable.’ But I supposed that compared to losing two hundred and ninety-five friends it might not be that big of a deal. I wasn’t even sure if that number included dragons.
It doesn’t. Rasipaer has made an exception to our usual rules about communicating with humans and is filling the Dominar in on our situation. As the dragon of the Top Rider, it is his right.
None of us might live to see the day out, so usual rules probably didn’t matter too much.
Purples have stayed hidden this long because we don’t advertise. We have rules for a reason. Hold tight!
We squeezed through a tight space and I felt Raolcan fighting to get his legs through without crushing us on his back.
If the Dominar can make it without that pallet, we need to set it loose. See if you can move him when we get into this open area.
We’d arrived at another hub, but there was no light in this wide area except for the light of Savette’s eyes near the front of the group. The only way I realized it was open was when we stopped pinwheeling through the warren and soared straight and level.
“Can you ride without being strapped onto a pallet?” My tone matched my emotions – urgent.
“Yes.” His tone impressed me. If I had been answering, there would have been less surety in my voice.
“Okay, I’m going to unstrap you. You’ll have to hold on to me so that you don’t fall when the straps are off.”
“Agreed.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat, my mind completely filled with the task of loosening his straps without losing him over the side of Raolcan.
I unfastened the first one that was keeping his chest tight to the pallet and as soon as he was free he sat up, wrapping his arm good arm around my waist as I worked the second set of straps that held his waist to the pallet. Together, we shuffled
off of the mattress as we loosened each strap. The straps had gone around both the Dominar and the mattress, so as I freed them, the mattress caught the air, whipping in the wind. I fought against the last strap, finally loosening it and the mattress flapped hard, pulling free and flying toward the chasm below.
I refastened the first strap around the Dominar’s waist in the proper, dragon rider manner. My breath hitched in my throat as I realized suddenly what I was doing. I’d been so focused on the task that I hadn’t realized how close I was sitting to the ruler of our entire Dominion. Too close. I froze, fearful of treating him too personally. It was different now that he was conscious of what was happening than it had been when he was ill.
“Can you help me?” He asked. “I’ve never strapped in with just one hand, and I’m not sure that I can put the shoulder straps on by myself – or any of the others for that matter. I will need to learn to fasten buckles with one hand.”
I swallowed, uncertain about where to start.
“I promise, I won’t bite,” he said.
Nervously, I strapped him in the rest of the way and helped him turn to face the right direction before fastening myself in properly. Now that the pallet was gone, there were more straps to work with and I’d better use them or Raolcan would be furious. Besides, it took my mind off the fact that I’d practically hugged the ruler of our lands.
Not practically, Amel, actually. He had his arm around you. That’s quite the honor, I hear, although to be fair his thoughts were entirely on how to fight the agonizing pain in his arm, not in how close he was to the Dragon Rider helping him.
Chapter Sixteen
We didn’t stop, though Rasipaer dove around us, heading back the way we came. What was he doing?
He’s swooping down to gather up any dragoons that survived our flight.
Raolcan’s mental tone was grim. Were there any who survived? I craned my neck to look for survivors, but it was too dark to see.
Iskaris and two others live. Inrujee perished in our retreat. There was no chance for all of them to live – on foot and wounded as they were.
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