by Duncan Lay
‘They went to a lot of trouble to get her onto the ship. They took her when they left their own men. They must think she’s linked with the Egg somehow,’ Havell said urgently.
Martil gazed at him before finally nodding. He would follow them—and destroy them. ‘We must find where they are going. And when we arrive, they will pay!’
There were plenty of wounded men, most slowly dying from their wounds, although a few were merely insensible. Martil inspected them quickly, looking for someone who would have useful information. The wizard, although unconscious, seemed by far the most promising.
‘Tie him and then bring some water to revive him,’ Martil instructed Havell. ‘The rest of you better help these wounded.’
The Elfarans nodded agreement and several drew their swords and began finishing off the wounded.
Martil, who had seen these men almost in tears when he cut up a fish, stared in surprise.
‘They came here to bring death to us and the dragons and, by their actions, may have doomed the entire world. They do not deserve our pity,’ an Elfaran, bloodied to the elbows, stated.
Martil shrugged. He had much bigger worries.
The wizard was tied down, while Elfarans stood around him with swords poised.
‘I have seen wizards in action and…’ Martil began.
‘We have been around magic since before your great-great-great-grandfather drew breath. If he seeks to try something, we will know before he does,’ Havell said grimly.
Martil almost smiled, then threw a bucket of seawater over the wizard. Nothing happened.
‘Try this,’ an Elfaran offered, holding out a small pouch of herbs. ‘Hold a pinch under his nose. Just try not to breathe it yourself.’
Martil gingerly held a pinch of the powdered herb under the wizard’s nose, then jumped as the man convulsed.
‘Who? What? Where am I? Did we get the Egg?’ The wizard’s eyes were open but unfocused. He tried to stretch and groaned. ‘I think my leg is broken—and some ribs too. Why can’t I move?’
Martil waited until the wizard’s eyes seemed to clear, then grabbed the man’s beard.
‘Do you know who I am?’ he demanded.
The wizard’s eyes widened. ‘Captain Martil, the Butcher of Bellic,’ he croaked.
Martil nodded grimly. ‘Then you know what I am prepared to do. I need answers. If you are to live, then you will give them to me. Try to use magic and pain will break your concentration. Understand?’
The wizard looked up at the grim-faced, bloody elves, and shuddered.
‘What do you want to know?’
‘Who are you and why did you come here?’
‘I am Khaliz, once King’s Magician to Markuz of Berellia, now serving King Gello. We are here because we were defeated on the plains of Norstalos. The Fearpriest Onzalez learned of a powerful magical item, the Dragon Egg and…’
‘Who told him of that?’ Havell interrupted.
Khaliz’s eyes flickered up. ‘I know you, also. The elf who rode the dragon that so impressed the goblins.’
‘Talk to me!’ Martil said sharply.
Khaliz’s eyes jerked back to Martil. ‘A man called Ezok. Once Berellia’s ambassador to Norstalos. He and I accompanied Cezar to the far north, to win over the goblins. Ezok was talking to several of the goblin chiefs, and had bribed some of the goblins who served the priest of Aroaril there. Through them he found out about this amazing object, the Dragon Egg, which was even more powerful than the Dragon Sword and could control magic itself. When our mission ended in failure, we knew our lives would be at risk from Onzalez. Ezok talked to Onzalez, did a deal for his life, telling him about this Egg. In return for this knowledge, Ezok and I lived.’
Martil glanced up at Havell, who looked ashen.
‘Go on.’
‘So when we were defeated before the Norstaline capital, Onzalez decided this was our last hope. With so much magic, he could not be stopped.’
‘That is not what it is for! You fool! That Egg is the only chance the dragons have of being reborn. If it is not returned, all life will end!’ Havell grabbed the wizard by the front of his robe.
‘What? Dragons reborn?’ Khaliz gasped.
‘Did you not wonder why there were no dragons on the island?’ Havell shook the mage before letting him drop back to the floor.
‘We thought they were away! If I had known…’
‘That Fearpriest would still want it for himself. He craves power, does he not?’ Martil said harshly. ‘Where is he going and what does he plan to do with it?’
‘Tenoch. He is going back to Tenoch,’ Khaliz gabbled. ‘He hopes to use the Egg’s guardian to unlock its power.’
‘Egg’s guardian? What nonsense is this?’ Martil now grabbed Khaliz.
‘The strange child with magic powers, who used the Egg against us, who defeated me. We knew she could not be a normal girl! Ezok told us she was its guardian, a creature called the Radiant Child and the only way we could unlock the Egg’s power!’
Martil shifted his grip to Khaliz’s throat.
‘That’s my daughter! What will he do with her?’
Khaliz choked and gasped, unable to talk.
‘Martil!’ Havell struck at his arm.
Reluctantly, Martil let go of the wizard, who gasped for air.
‘I do not know what he will do to her. But if she can use the Egg, then he will seek to use her to unlock its power…’
‘How many men does he have with him?’ Martil interrupted. ‘How strong is his power base at Tenoch?’
‘I have never been there. But his army is gone—destroyed at the Norstaline capital. Gello has perhaps two thousand men with him, and they will seek to use the magic of the Egg to turn the people of Tenoch into a fresh army of conquest.’
‘And how big is Tenoch?’
‘It is rumoured that our continent of Albiona could fit inside it half-a-dozen times,’ Khaliz coughed.
Martil stood, his mind awhirl. His first instinct was to rush there himself, take back Karia and the Egg with the Dragon Sword. But he was not going to be enough. He needed an army, both to win them back and for his vengeance. He would not make the same mistake thrice. He was going to go there and destroy everything, make sure that Gello was dead, that the Fearpriests were dead and these Tenochs would never dare to cross the sea again.
‘We must fly back to Norstalos, gather the army, follow them to Tenoch, take back the Egg and Karia and teach them a lesson they shall never forget,’ he vowed.
‘But how long will that take?’ Havell asked.
Martil rounded on him, trying desperately not to think about whether Karia could stay alive that long without angering a Fearpriest. But the Fearpriest should hope that he let her live, for Martil’s vengeance would make Bellic look like a minor disagreement if anything happened to Karia.
‘Do you have any better ideas? Besides, we can use magic to speed ourselves along.’
Havell looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
‘Agreed. What do we do with this one?’
‘I promised him life,’ Martil shrugged.
‘I did not,’ Havell said fiercely, and stabbed down once.
Martil looked on dispassionately as the wizard died.
‘Find Argurium. Every moment is vital,’ he said.
21
Merren found her mind wandering as Milly’s long sermon came to an end, to thunderous applause from the assembled people.
She felt her heart beat a little faster, when she saw Bishop Quiller hand Milly the thick Book of Aroaril. Until then she had been able to imagine she was merely listening to a church sermon, albeit one that had gone on for more than a turn of the hourglass. But now it was real. Now she was about to marry—for all the wrong reasons.
‘And now, before I begin the traditional vows, I ask the traditional question: is there anyone here in this congregation who knows of some reason why these two people should not be joined in marriage? For when a couple is brought
together before Aroaril, it is a partnership for life.’
There was the usual expectant pause followed by a few laughs as a half-drunk man raised his arm, then had it pulled down again swiftly by his wife.
Merren could not help but glance around, and felt her heart fall when there was nothing.
You are doing this for your people. Be strong. Be brave. You have faced worse, she told herself.
Milly smiled gently at Merren, as if she knew what was going through her mind, then opened the Book of Aroaril.
She went through the vows for Sendric first but Merren could not hear them. A tiny part of her had hoped, had believed, that something would happen to stop this. But her last hope was gone.
Then Milly turned to Merren who had to stop herself from throwing up.
‘So, Merren, do you promise—’ she began.
The bellowing challenge of a dragon drowned the rest of the sentence.
Everyone looked up and around to see a dragon swoop down from the sky. Merren recognised Argurium and could see a score of figures on her back. She just knew one of the riders was Martil—and was sure he was not here to offer a wedding toast. Was he going to do something crazy, fall on one knee and declare his love for her, or demand that she marry him? She hoped he was.
The dragon roared again, a deafening sound that caused the cheering crowd to fall silent. The packed people edged away, creating space as the dragon hovered impossibly overhead, then landed close to the altar. Almost before its claws had touched the cobbles, Martil had slid down and was running to where the shocked wedding party waited.
Martil saw Merren in her wedding dress, and the sight of it went through him like a knife—but he had more to worry about.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Sendric shouted, but Martil ignored him, as well.
‘Merren! I need every man you can get together! Gello and the Fearpriests have kidnapped Karia!’ he announced. ‘We have to get her back before it’s too late!’
Merren stared at him. He looked terrible. Blood, sweat, vomit and seawater had soaked him, then been dried to a crust by the rapid flight over the water. But she still wanted to hold him. This was her chance to make everything right, to fix the mistake she had so nearly made.
‘Merren, they took the Dragon Egg!’
His words snapped her back into focus. Her stomach rebelled and it took a moment to get past the sheer horror of it—the Egg, the future of the world, in the hands of Gello and his Fearpriests. Then the other thing came back to her. They had Karia. Unbidden, the image of the poor sacrificed people the Fearpriest had slaughtered before the gates of the capital swam into her mind. Her heart went out to him. She wanted to hold him close, tell him everything would be fine, that they would get Karia back. Except she worried she could not be seen to do that in front of the people—and especially in front of Sendric. Then she thrust all that aside. Personal feelings had to be put away.
‘How did this happen?’
‘There are no dragons left. Argurium is the last. Gello landed on Dragonara with two companies of men and got inside the Hall. Karia was using the magic of the Egg to hold them off while Havell went to fetch me. I nearly got her and the Egg back but there weren’t enough Elfarans, and Gello escaped on the Tenoch ships. They’re heading for Tenoch with about two thousand men. We need to load up the rest of the ships they left behind, get there and take back Karia and the Egg, then destroy Gello and his Fearpriests once and for all. Argurium will help us get there much, much faster but we have to go now!’ he gasped out.
‘We understand the importance of what you are saying if not the words themselves—and we all know how you must feel about Karia. But do you have to interrupt the ceremony?’ Sendric growled.
Martil turned on him instantly, his rage in check by the finest of threads. ‘There is no time to lose! The difference between life and death could be these moments that we are wasting now!’
‘This is the last dragon. If she dies and we are not able to reach the Egg before sunrise the next day, all life will end!’ Havell added.
‘We must act now,’ Merren agreed. ‘I want all soldiers to meet outside the city gates. We shall leave immediately.’
‘Immediately?’ Sendric protested.
‘Now! I want everyone here! Every captain, High Chief Sacrax and his chiefs—everyone! Someone get some quills and parchment!’
‘But,’ Sendric tried one more time.
‘This is the priority. There will be time for ceremonies later,’ she said crisply.
The crowd gazed on as the altar was used as an impromptu table, presided over by Merren.
They also stared at the surviving Elfarans, who stood in a small group aside from the council. All were wearing blood-spattered armour and looked like the elves of the saga tales, rather than the gentle Elfarans they were. The strange armour and, above all, the signs of battle, had people talking, whispering and wondering.
‘Does Gello know what he has done? Does he realise this Egg holds the key to life itself?’ Merren asked.
Havell shrugged. ‘I doubt it. He thinks it a magical object, similar to the Dragon Sword, that will provide him with the means to seize back Norstalos.’
‘Would he listen to an appeal? I could contact him, explain to him about the Egg…’ Milly suggested.
‘I doubt he would believe us,’ Merren sighed. ‘He would think it a trick.’
‘Surely we must try anyway?’ Sendric offered.
‘And what will happen to Karia then?’ Martil demanded.
‘With respect, that is the lesser of two evils. Returning the Egg must be the priority,’ Sendric pointed out.
‘The lesser of…!’ Martil stepped forwards, snarling, but Merren held out her arm.
‘Stop! If I thought Gello would listen to reason, I would try that. But he would not believe us if we told him the sun rose in the morning. We must go there and take it back. What forces have we got around Worick and Cessor?’ she asked.
‘Plenty.’ Rocus, wearing a surcoat but no armour, was the only one seated, because his leg was not strong enough to stand for long periods of time. ‘Most of Kettering’s regiment have moved there, while almost all of the rangers and archers are helping with the rebuilding. The Rallorans are helping rebuild the south of the country. They’re in and around Wells…’
‘They all have horses. They can be at Cessor swiftly,’ Nerrin agreed.
‘Why not Worick?’
‘Gello took almost all of the ships from there. It will be simpler if we go to Cessor,’ Nerrin explained.
‘What have we got here that can get there fast?’
‘The Royal Guard, of course, and High Chief Sacrax brought an honour guard of two hundred warriors with him as well.’
‘We can outrun a horse,’ Sacrax agreed with a grin.
‘And we shall fight. Our lives are running out anyway—better we die and take our enemies with us than some of your men die,’ Havell stated.
‘Then we need to feed them on the voyage to Tenoch. Aroaril knows how long that will take…’
‘The Magicians’ Guild will ensure that you have plenty of fish to eat,’ Barrett declared. ‘We can also turn seawater into drinking water.’
‘Good, because we shall need every wizard,’ Merren said grimly. ‘Going against the Fearpriests, we shall need every drop of magic we have. It means they will have to leave the valuable work they have been doing here but our need is greater.’
‘The Guild shall be with you,’ Barrett promised. ‘I shall gather as many as I can. We will do whatever it takes.’
‘It will be a fast trip,’ Havell offered. ‘And a calm one. There is no need to hold back on the magic. Argurium will have us across the sea in days.’
‘We shall need Archbishop Sadlier, as well, if we are to face the Fearpriests in their lair,’ Merren decided. ‘She has defeated one already.’
‘Aye, and once inside their city, we do not stop until the last Fearpriest, Berellian and traitor of Gello’s
is dead,’ Martil snarled.
Silence greeted his words.
‘We have let them get away twice now, and each time Gello has returned with more evil. He shall not escape a third time—and all who stand with him must fall,’ Martil went on.
All eyes swivelled to Merren, whose face was impassive at Martil’s words. But inside her stomach was churning anew. She did not like the look in Martil’s eyes, nor the tone of his voice. This was how she expected the Butcher of Bellic to look and sound.
She cleared her throat. ‘Bishop Quiller shall look after the church. I shall lead this expedition, as well…’
‘My Queen!’ Sendric protested.
Merren adjusted her wedding dress train to turn and face him. It gave her time to think. She had to be careful here. Martil needed to be kept under control, as did Sendric.
‘I trust Captain Martil implicitly. But, as he said, they have Karia. I am sorry to say this, I love Karia, but rescuing her is secondary to the real mission, as Sendric said. We must retrieve the Egg first of all. Also, as Dragon Sword wielder, Martil cannot risk his life. It will avail us little if we retrieve the Egg, only to have no Dragon Sword wielder to finish the ceremony.’
Martil bristled but was not willing to waste time on arguing. Merren, meanwhile, lowered her voice and signalled them in close.
‘But perhaps we should not tell the people that the world might end. Better, instead, to say that we are going to rescue the Captain’s daughter. After all he has done for the country, I think the people will understand…’
‘Of course they will, my Queen! And Karia is more famous than most of us!’ Louise declared. ‘There’s not a parent in this country who wouldn’t agree with what we are doing!’
Merren smiled thinly. ‘But let us remember that returning the Egg and saving the world is our priority. It has to be. So I shall command. Sendric will stand in as regent in my absence.’
‘With respect, your majesty, that would not be a good idea,’ Sendric said stiffly. ‘Might I have a word in private?’
Merren glanced around the packed square, then sighed and beckoned to Sendric to follow her.
‘Merren, the sand is running out of the hourglass,’ he whispered. ‘There is only a small window of time for the wedding to take place at an acceptable distance from the birth. If you take too long with this expedition to Tenoch…’