I smirked. “That’s just to impress the ladies.”
“We are not impressed.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the shrinking sight of the line of golems. If only my worries could be limited to teasing Zyla instead of a war with inhuman enemies.
“Stand ready!” Nostar called from beside us and I turned my gaze forward again in time to see the Black dragons breaking off from circling the city to meet us in the air.
These ones had better be real. I couldn’t take one more encounter with a shadow city. I felt a creeping sensation reach up my spine and tickle the back of my neck. Those golems behind us weren’t shadows and if we didn’t find a way to stop them and the other golems rushing to join them from Woelran, shadows would be the least of my worries.
Chapter Seven
The Black dragon rider was impressive when he flew out to us. He was kitted out in full armor – I’d never seen a Dragon Rider in armor before.
His dragon was the largest I’d ever seen, almost double the size of Saboraak and the response of her Greens was surprising. They pulled tightly around her – so close that I could hear their riders cursing and yelling as wingtips brushed and tails whipped in the faces of other riders. Tachril’s throat frill flared again, as if challenging the bigger Black dragon and the Black pulled up short, a look of surprise on his rider’s face. The Black’s throat pulsed and then returned to normal, a jet of fire bursting from his mouth in a harmless direction.
“Steady!” I heard Nostar call.
The Black Dragon Rider cleared his throat. “All visitors are to be immediately escorted to the Castel for interrogation by Castelan Estabis. No exceptions.”
“We are pleased to comply,” Nostar said. “I am Castelan Nostar Kaardis, Dragon Rider of the Green and this is my wing.”
“Greetings, Kaardis. I am Castelan Lee Estabis, son of the reigning Castelan and Dragon Rider of the Black. I apologize for the ... peculiarity of our circumstances,” he glanced at his dragon whose head was weaving back and forth as if trying to get a good look at Saboraak through her wing of dragons. “I’m afraid our current situation necessitates all caution.” His last words were clearly for the Black dragon. “Calm, Isitdor! Calm, now!”
The dragon flipped his head like he wanted anything but calm and Estabis made a clicking sound in response.
“I don’t know what spirit has possessed him! We will escort you to the peak of the Castel. You will land there, and the humans will dismount. You may leave a single Dragon Rider with your dragons to help us bring them to the cotes. They will be cared for during your interview. Understood?”
“Yes, Castelan,” Nostar said.
My eyes were wide. When I’d told Hubric I wanted to be a Dragon Rider this is what I’d imagined. Noble warriors on strong dragons meeting officially in front of cities, issuing orders in grand tones, sitting tall and straight in gleaming armor. Maybe someday ...
You’d never catch me flying around like a pretty show-horse. That Isitdor has far too high of an opinion of himself.
He looked like he ate other dragons for breakfast.
He’s not the quickest on the uptake. He thinks he could take out Tachril’s entire wing to win me as a consort. Fool.
Dealing with dragon romances was definitely not what I’d signed up for. I didn’t have the knitting needles to play match-maker. That was more of a grandmother’s role.
In dragon lands, it is the role of the best friend.
I wasn’t scaly enough, then.
We flew toward the skycity of Estabis, Lee and four other Black Dragon Riders escorting us. It was late afternoon and the city was abuzz with activity, the streets teeming with people. Swarms of colorful dragons leapt in puffs from the sides of the cities, their riders directing them in every direction except north. Interesting.
I felt excitement and trepidation in an equal mix. I’d never seen a Castelan in his audience room. And I still loved the sights and smells of a city. But my memory of Woelran was too fresh. For every bakery I smelled below, I could remember a shadowy one from that city that had turned out to be nothing but a hollow shell. For every bright dragon in the sky, the memory of the empty cotes haunted me. For every bustling street, I remembered the empty streets of Woelran.
This place had better not be as disappointing as I feared.
We followed Lee Estabis and his Black dragon to the apex of the city – the courtyard of the Castel. Someone at some point had been thinking. There was a raised platform in the courtyard made from the same skysteel as the city and big enough for five dragons to land easily.
Lee leapt off Isitdor the thick-headed and one of the other Black Dragon Riders grabbed his reins, tugging him back up into the sky and making room as Tachril landed with Nostar and Katlana, followed quickly by each of the others until there was only Saboraak left to land. Letina on Nazscal was left to tend to the dragons.
Saboraak set down nervously.
You’ll be okay in this Castel?
She was worried about me? I was worried about her.
I have my wing. I’ll be fine.
I have my wit.
So, you’re saying I should worry?
I snorted and leapt off her back. I reached up to help Zyla but she was already on the ground raising a single eyebrow at me.
“Save your chivalry for when there’s only one cup of tea left.”
I chuckled and followed her toward Lee Estabis, but my chuckle died in my throat at his approving look. His eyes traveled from her polearm to her swaying walk. Seriously. Was everyone in the Dominion going crazy? They all had romance on the mind? It wasn’t even spring yet and they were all engaged in one love-dance or another. I rolled my eyes and followed.
Lee Estabis led us through the halls of the Castel. The guards we passed saluted promptly at each doorway, their boots loud on the stone floor. A maid squeaked, darting out of our path with her arms full with a laundry basket.
So far, they all looked real. But I couldn’t shake the worry that they might fade to mist a moment’s notice.
I was so busy staring at each face as it passed that I had fallen to the back of the group by the time we reached the tall doors that led to the Castelan’s audience room. Zyla was in the front of the group, a determined expression on her face and the Green Dragon Riders swaggered between us with their usual carefree panache.
As we reached the large doors, a figure in black leather with green scarves tied around her neck, elbows, and thighs came strutting out. Her high boots came well over the knee and her arrogant look jarred against the half-braided, half-loose jumble of her dragon rider hair. A few tiny ornaments and feathers were tied in that dark mass, but her level gaze was firm in her wide eyes.
“I’ll take it from here, brother,” she said.
Chapter Eight
“Tor Winespring,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing. “And where is Hubric?”
“Where’s Ephretti?” I quipped back. I knew Lenora. Those black Dragon Rider leathers must still squeak they were so new. The last time I’d seen her she’d been tagging after Ephretti as an apprentice like a puppy behind a hunting dog. While I had given Ephretti my complete loyalty, Lenora never fully trusted me.
“And what tricks are you up to today, Tor?”
“The trick of saving your skinny hide, Lenora.”
Her eyebrows shot up. If she expected sweet-talk and a submissive spirit, she’d need to adjust her expectations.
She frowned and when Zyla and Nostar turned to me, their frowns matched hers. What? She started it.
“Last I heard, you were nothing but a sneaking street rat scuttling around trying to con your way into a meal,” Lenora said.
“Last I heard, you were licking Ephretti’s boots hoping she’d raise you to a Color someday.”
For Dragon Rider Apprentices there were stages. There were the brand-new trainees, then Initiates who could actually be trusted to ride, then Sworn – those who had sworn in person to defe
nd the Dominar – then a Color chose you and then last of all, they would raise you to full Dragon Rider. I wasn’t any of those things. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t needle Lenora about it. She was born noble and being teased about her low rank in the Dragon Rider world always set her teeth on edge – and that was the only edge I was likely to get if she was running things. She was too smart to be manipulated into anything and far too suspicious of me to be sweet-talked.
Around me, I saw the Greens hiding smirks.
“You’re late, Tor. Eventen told us to expect you hours ago.”
I paled at her words, all teasing gone.
“He’s here?” I asked.
But she didn’t give me an answer, she simply turned and opened the doors, leading us through them into the audience room.
Zyla led the way, head held high. I could count on her. Which was good, because my eyes were on Katlana. She walked like she was here as a guest, despite the fact that her hands were still tied and Nostar was still pushing her forward.
“This is bad!” My mimic said, sauntering beside me. “You and I both know he is a part of all this. He was at Woelran leading those golems.”
But how could he have led them? I saw them following the Gold dragon he rode, but only Magikas could lead golems.
“You don’t know that.”
Katlana told me that.
“You can’t trust her. Why was it so easy to capture her? Why hasn’t she used her magic since? She flew for hours on Saboraak’s back in front of you and she just lay there. She didn’t try any tricks and Nostar didn’t dose her until you gave her to him that night. Something is up.”
Katlana looked over her shoulder at me, a ghost of a smile on her cat-like face. She was venom in a tight leather suit. A copperhead walking where a woman should be.
I shivered.
I hadn’t been in rooms like the audience room before, but it was easy to dismiss it. There were rich rugs and vases on tables and fancy statues and lots of room for people to stand around a raised chair. Typical rich-people trappings. Someone else might have seen significance in their choices of which vase or which rug, but to me, they just said money and power. I had neither. And I’d been just fine without them all my life.
“You probably could get both if you played your hand right ...” my mimic suggested.
We weren’t here for that. We were here to stop a war. And then we’d be on our way. Saboraak had a Drazenloft to build after all.
It warms my heart that you are adopting my goals, Tor.
Yeah. Well. It wasn’t like I had a better plan, and dandling baby dragons from my knee seemed like a better option than dying alone on a cold battlefield.
You can pretend all you want, but I know that you’re secretly excited about our plan.
The Castelan was younger than I thought he would be. His hair was still dark and curling and his short beard was a little wild. His eyes crinkled around the edges as his son introduced us. I would have trusted him under normal circumstances – he practically exuded trustworthiness.
But Eventen stood at the Castelan’s side looking powerful and superior. His little smile made me want to shove him down a well.
My mimic laughed at the thought and began to hum ‘The Farmer in the Well’ a song from our childhood.
“Welcome to Estabis Castel!” the Castelan said.
Zyla, then Nostar, greeted him. They were explaining the situation – the golems we’d seen circling the city, the golems chasing us from Woelran, what we had seen in the city.
But I wasn’t listening to them. I was watching Eventen.
His smile hadn’t slipped at all. I was watching the tiny glances he and Katlana shared. Somehow – I didn’t know how – they were communicating.
I could feel Lenora’s gaze on the back of my neck watching for what I would do and I could hear my mimic making snide comments about the Castelan as he circled the group.
This was spinning out of control. Any moment now, Eventen would speak and all eyes would turn to him. Somehow, he’d wormed his way into this rich room with these rich people. The Castelan wasn’t even looking at him. He was close enough to be stabbed by Eventen and he didn’t spare him a glance. Any moment now, Eventen would offer up a plan and everyone would know it was right and they would listen and this city would fall. Just like Woelran.
I didn’t know how I knew it, but I knew.
And then suddenly, I could see the threads spinning again, weaving the future and I could see the soft spot coming up. That one point that needed to be pressed.
“Enough!” I said firmly.
The silence that blossomed suddenly was not a friendly silence. The Castelan’s eyebrows rose. Fury filled Lee Estabis’ face and irritation filled Eventen’s. Even Zyla and Nostar were frowning. I didn’t bother looking at Lenora. I knew she thought I was a fool. But I had no choice. I needed to stick my finger in that spot and change what was about to happen and I needed to do it now.
“We’re wasting time. And I don’t think you want to do that, Castelan.”
“I – ” he began, but I cut him off.
“You have a skycity bustling with people – lives you are sworn to defend and protect. A sky city seems impenetrable. Until you see what a golem can do. A single one can savage this city, tearing a path of death and destruction through the heart of it as fast as you can blink. It doesn’t matter that you are high above the plains. A creature like that is magic and metal and death. It can climb the stem of the city and creep over the whole of it like descending night. And that’s just one. What will happen when there are hundreds of them attacking? You know there are hundreds standing on the edge of the forest. And hundreds more following. What could they do to this place? Would it last five minutes?”
“Who are you to ask me that?” the Castelan asked, his face white.
“Who are you?” my mimic echoed. I shoved him away mentally. I didn’t need his doubt right now.
“You let this traitor stand beside you – Eventen. He was there when we fled Woelran,” I said. “He is working with our prisoner, Katlana Woelran.”
“I was not at Woelran,” Eventen said quietly, a slight smirk still on his lips. “I left the House of Healing as soon as you left me after I healed you, and I came straight here to help the Castelan. Ask him yourself. I arrived yesterday.”
That couldn’t be possible.
“He presented himself to my father yesterday morning,” Lenora said quietly behind me.
Not possible. But my scar flared cold with truth.
My mind was racing, but I couldn’t stop. If I stopped, I knew what future would be woven here.
“He has been working with Castelan Katlana Woelran. And she leads the golem armies of Shabren the Violet.”
“Who is that?” Katlana asked coolly.
“I’m afraid I’ve never met Castelan Woelran before,” Eventen said, still smiling as if to a foolish child. “Though of course, I know her reputation as an accomplished Magika. Strange that she would allow you to capture her if she were truly an enemy.”
My scar – my gift from the World of Legends flared hot. I didn’t need it to know he was lying. But how had he arrived here so quickly?
“I didn’t want to hurt the boy,” Katlana said, the tie falling from her hands as she moved them easily to the front of her body, extending a hand and forming a tiny glowing fireball above it with a satisfied smile. “I was certain that eventually, he would bring me to where adults could make clear-headed judgments.”
My scar was hot with her lies.
“Indeed,” Castelan Estabis said. “We seem to have ourselves an interesting situation here. While I have the utmost respect for Dragon Riders, Nostar, and your family reputation is a good one and while I respected your father very much Zyla Cloudspinner, I also must think of my neighbors. We have no quarrel with Woelran. And Eventen assured me that rumors of golems are greatly exaggerated.”
“Is the line of golems on your treeline exaggerated?” I asked
quietly.
“They are here for our protection. There are rumors that the north is preparing for battle. Dear Eventen brought them to us to protect us. By what marvel they have been created, he can not say, but they obey him perfectly. They have not harmed us or our people. They certainly have not torn ‘a path of death and destruction’ through our city as you claim.”
I opened my mouth and he held up a hand. His fatherly face gentle. “We will give your claims due investigation. Until then, the Castelan Katlana Woelran, Eventen Shadereaver, and his Gold dragon Lavanoy are our guests. You others are also our guests. You will keep the peace of Estabis and stay here in my Castel. You will not spread wild rumors or trouble here, do you understand?”
“There isn’t time for this,” I said quietly. “A messenger must be sent to Dominion City with the news of imminent invasion. And your civilians must flee Estabis immediately. We must set up defenses, call in any dragons or soldiers we can from the area. Alert neighboring cities.”
“Enough.” The Castelan’s eyes met mine.
“It’s not enough,” I objected.
“Enough, or you will find yourself in a prison cell instead of as a guest of this house.”
My jaw snapped shut but the fury in my mind drowned out the sounds of Zyla and Nostar thanking the Castelan. It roared, flaring hotter with every cool smile from Eventen or Katlana. I couldn’t hear a word.
How could they be so blind? How could they ignore the obvious? And how was I going to convince them to take all of this seriously?
I had never considered that my warning might not be heeded. Had this happened in Vanika? Had my own city been destroyed because our Castelan ignored warnings that were right before his eyes? How many people were living their lives in the city below just as I had – completely unaware that war was hours away?
I let them lead me to the cluster of rooms we’d been assigned. There was a common room between the bedrooms of Zyla, the Green riders and me. Unfortunately, the Castelan had assigned rooms to Katlana and Eventen elsewhere. If he’d left them here, I would have at least had a chance to try ...
Dragon Chameleon: Episodes 9-12 Page 3