Draggah

by Toby Neighbors

  From where Rafe lay, he could see the prisoners, many of whom looked as if they had been on the wrong end of the Rogu’s wooden clubs. More of the prisoners were brought to the area in front of Tiberius’ tent. By the time the sun rose, there were nearly thirty raiders huddled together on the patch of ground before the big shelter. Some of the Rogu and a few other tribe members had been hurt as well. Rafe watched as they were carefully brought to the far side of the shelter. Rafe guessed that Tiberius was working on them first. He didn’t begrudge his friend’s choice, but the pain was so acute that he almost wished that someone could knock him unconscious until Tiberius could heal him.

  He drank as much Kymis as he could hold, but the mild drink did little to dull the pain. Rafe realized that under normal conditions, he would have been laid up for weeks, perhaps even crippled for life. He’d come to depend on Tiberius’ ability to heal. The magic he wielded in regard to healing no longer seemed frightening or even wrong. When Rafe had first realized that Tiberius was working magic, he’d been angry. Everyone in Avondale believed that magic was evil; in fact, it was outlawed in all of the Nine Cities of Valana. But Tiberius had risked everything to study magic, and that knowledge had saved Rafe’s life. He didn’t understand how something like magic could be so good, yet so evil at the same time.

  “Are you hurt?” Olyva asked as the sun rose above the thick blanket of mist that covered the blighted lands.

  “Yes,” Rafe said. “Serves me right for the way I treated you last night.”

  “What is wrong?” Olyva said. “Is it your shoulder?”

  Rafe nodded. His throat and eyes stung with tears that he refused to let fall. He was ashamed of the way he’d treated Olyva. He’d let his fear and frustration get the best of him, and worst of all he’d taken his frustration out on her.

  “Can I do anything?” she asked.

  “No,” Rafe said. “Tiberius will come around when he can.”

  Olyva looked at Rafe for a moment, then she reached up to her arm where he’d snatched out the patch of small soft stems. Most of that patch was gone now, covered over with a thick glaze that looked like amber-colored sap, but there were a few of the tiny stems left. Olyva took one between her finger and thumb, pulling gently. The little stem broke free of her flesh with a round drop of the amber colored liquid on one end.

  “Eat this,” Olyva said. “It should help with the pain.”

  “What?” Rafe said. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have hurt you last night…”

  “Stop talking and do as I say.”

  “What’s it going to do to me?” Rafe said.

  “It’s going to help with the pain,” Olyva said. “Don’t be afraid.”

  In truth, Rafe was afraid. He had no idea what would happen if he ate the little stem. It could be poison for all he knew. Or perhaps it would start to change him, the way the trees had changed Olyva. Still, he couldn’t refuse her, not after the way he had treated her the night before. He opened his mouth and he dropped it onto his tongue. The little stem seemed to dissolve; the small drop of amber looking sap tasted sweet. It reminded Rafe of honeysuckle.

  Almost immediately, he felt his body relax. It was as if he had been covered with a thick, warm blanket.

  “What is that?” Rafe asked.

  “It won’t heal you,” Olyva said. “But it will ward off the pain for a while.”

  She was smiling and Rafe thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “You’re so pretty,” he said, his tongue felt sluggish and he slurred his words.

  Olyva just raised an eyebrow at him.

  “I love you,” he said, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face.

  “Why don’t you sleep, it will help your shoulder heal.”

  Rafe giggled. He didn’t care about his shoulder. He felt so good he wanted to pull Olyva down on top of him and kiss her, but he couldn’t lift his arms. His muscles were so relaxed he could barely keep his eyes open.

  “I love you,” he said again, then he drifted off to sleep, finding peace at last.

  Chapter 25

  Leonosis

  “You are certain you have everything in hand?” Leonosis asked.

  “Yes,” Brutas said in a snarky tone, “for the last time. If our baby brother returns with an army, I shall spank him and send him on his way.”

  Leonosis knew Brutas wasn’t ready. The war band was at full strength, and the watches had all been doubled, but Brutas couldn’t conceive of a real threat to Avondale. If Tiberius did return while Leonosis was gone, it would be up to the commanders to save their city. Leonosis had already met with each of them and made sure they understood the threat. The only exception was Grentz, the legendary Sword Master. He was the high commander of the Earl’s war band, no matter what title was bestowed on Brutas, but Leonosis didn’t trust the aging warrior to fight his son. If Tiberius returned, it would be with Rafe leading an army, and then Grentz would be in a terrible fix. So Leonosis was taking the Sword Master with him and leaving the defense of their city in that hands of the other commanders.

  “Don’t take this threat lightly,” Leonosis told Brutas.

  “How else should I take it, brother? Tiberius couldn’t fight his way through a dense fog. Do you really expect him to return here?”

  “I don’t expect anything, but I will be prepared for it,” Leonosis said. “And so should you. If he comes back, it will be to murder us all and replace us as Earl of Avondale.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Nothing is impossible you oaf, now do your duty. If not for me, then do it for our father.”

  “I think I’ll do it for myself,” Brutas said with a sneer.

  He turned away and Leonosis watched him leave the small family room. He sighed in exasperation. It was inevitable that at some point he would have to put Brutas in his place, perhaps even kill him outright. His younger brother wasn’t ambitious enough to challenge Leonosis to the throne, but he hated authority of any kind. If Brutas didn’t drink himself to death, he would have to be disciplined and brought to heel.

  “My lord,” said a servant stepping into the room and bowing. “All is ready on your ship.”

  “Good, I will be there soon. Have the captain prepare to cast off.”

  “As you wish, my lord,” said the servant.

  Leonosis went over his plans one last time in his mind. He knew all he needed to know about Tiberius’ past, except for the extent of his brother’s powers. That was the one sticking point that bothered Leonosis. It was difficult to make plans when he wasn’t sure what his brother was capable of. Still, Leonosis would move forward and make the best of a bad situation. What Tiberius hadn’t counted on was the fact that Leonosis would discover his crimes. Tiberius may have become a wizard, but magic was still outlawed in Valana. He would find no allies in the Nine Cities. And, Leonosis thought with a chuckle, if everything goes well, he may find a new King on the throne in Sparlan Citadel when he decides to return.

  Leonosis walked out of the small room and made his way down the wide corridor. It felt strange to be leaving Avondale of his own volition. He had made trips in the grand airship before, but always with his father. He had always been a passenger before, with no say in where they went or why. Now, with his father on his deathbed, and the Earlship all but his, Leonosis was making the decisions.

  His mother was waiting for him at the bottom of the grand staircase that led up to the roof of the palace where the airship was waiting. She looked concerned, her once beautiful face lined with worry. Her skin was pale, and she looked sad, which surprised Leonosis. He had never thought that much love existed between his parents. His father certainly had little compassion for their mother. She was a figure piece, and an heir maker, nothing more. But his mother seemed worried, so perhaps she felt something for Aegus after all.

  “Mother,” Leonosis said, trying not to let his irritation at being detained show.

  “Where are you going, Leo?” she
asked.

  “I have business to attend to,” he said. “It is nothing you need worry yourself about.”

  “But do you have to go now? Your father could pass at any time.”

  “I am well aware of the Earl’s health. His physician reports to me daily.”

  “Don’t you want to be here during his final hours?”

  “Why? What nugget of wisdom do you suppose he has to pass on to his heir? How to treat a wife, perhaps?”

  Leonosis could see that the remark stung her. She hadn’t been prepared for his sarcasm, and tears glistened in her eyes.

  “You can be a good Earl, Leo,” she said.

  “I can be an even greater King,” he snapped. “Good day, mother.”

  He pushed past her, pretending not to hear her quiet sobs. It made him angry that she would spoil his plans with her emotional drivel. Of course what really bothered him was the fact that he cared for her at all. She was his mother, and no matter how hard he tried to clamp down his feelings for the woman, a small part of him deep down inside still did. Her tears felt like small barbs of guilt sinking into his soul. He despised such feelings, but he couldn’t will them away.

  He passed from the shadow of the palace into the bright sunlight of the rooftop. The wooden stairs that could be raised and lowered from the hull of the airship were down and securely connected to the roof of the palace. Above him hovered the grand ship. Avondale was one of the wealthiest of the Nine Cities, with its own natural resources and their greatest asset being the Hylum that filled the great bulbous sails that kept the airships afloat. It was only found in the volcanic cone that sheltered Avondale. So it was no wonder that their ship, no his ship, he thought with a smile, was the grandest of all the airships in Valana. He smiled as he looked up at her. Nothing had made him feel as powerful as climbing the steps into the airship did. He was truly master of all he could see.

  Inside the hull, Leonosis was met by the captain of the ship. Leonosis nodded to the man and continued climbing the ornate stairs that led up to the deck of the ship. He heard the captain barking orders to his men, who untied the stairs from the palace roof and then began raising the heavy wooden steps up into the ship’s hull.

  There were several decks on the great vessel, but Leonosis wasn’t concerned with them on this voyage. They had been filled with gifts for the other Earls, which he would distribute to earn their fealty, and more of Avondale’s annual taxes to the King in Sparlan Citadel. Leonosis made his way up the wooden staircase as quickly as possible. He wanted to be on the elevated command deck which was built on top of the opulent cabin reserved for the Earl.

  Once he made it out onto the main deck, he stopped and looked around. The main deck was a wide open expanse, with only the towering masts and the command deck rising higher. There were thick ropes and huge nets that clung to the bulbous sails that were filled with Hylum. And the sailors who worked the ship were climbing high in the ship’s rigging, preparing to lower the traditional sails that would fill with wind and propel the ship toward her destination. Leonosis liked that the ship was managed so well. Across the deck, nothing was out of place and everything was so well maintained that it looked brand new.

  He slid his hand along the bannister that led up the stairs toward the command deck. On the command deck was a great ship’s wheel which controlled the rudders used to help steer the behemoth. The air currents weren’t as solid as water from which the ship had been designed and the rudders were much larger on the airships, but they functioned much the same way. The real difference is that they protruded from the sides of the ship rather than from the bottom. The rudders steered the ship both up and down, as well as side to side. The man at the huge wheel knuckled his forehead in salute as Leonosis passed.

  From the command deck, Leonosis could see the entire city, even the shadier districts far across the volcanic cone. He could see the sloping fields where the city’s food was grown, and the thick forest of evergreen trees that surrounded the lake at the center of the extinct volcano. The dark blue of the cold water was visible through the thick foliage and Leonosis admired the beauty of the city. His city, he thought to himself. He could also see the thick barrier of mists that covered the blighted lands for miles and miles all around the mountaintop.

  What are you doing down there, brother? Leonosis wondered. Are you even still alive? Did the monsters below the mists devour you, or have you brought them under your control with your magical power? Are you building an army to defeat me or just hiding from my wrath? I shall find the answers to these questions, my brother, and then I shall make you pay.

  “I hope all is well with your lordship,” said the captain in a cheerful voice. “With your permission we’ll get underway.”

  “Granted,” Leonosis said.

  A servant hurried up the stairs with a heavy, fur lined cloak. He wrapped it around Leonosis’ shoulders as the captain shouted orders to the sailors around the ship. The last of the ropes holding the ship to the palace were untied and tossed down. Immediately, the ship rose up into the air. Leonosis felt a little out of control. He didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t make the ship stop rising upward, but he didn’t want anyone to see his fear, so he stood stoically as the captain gave orders for the sails to be unfurled.

  The great sheets of canvas dropped and the ropes holding them in place were pulled taut. The sails filled with wind, billowing out as the sailors worked frantically around them. Suddenly, the feeling of movement shifted from straight up to a forward motion. It was a powerful sensation, as the wind blew through Leonosis’ hair. He felt as if he could go anywhere, do anything. He watched as Avondale grew smaller behind them, then he focused his attention on the thick bank of clouds below.

  The command deck was as wide as the main deck and positioned just behind the huge wing-like rudders. Looking down from the side of the command deck. Leonosis could see the side of the ship and then straight down below. Leonosis strained to see through the mists for a moment. It made him angry that he couldn’t penetrate the barrier of clouds to see what lay below. He was tempted momentarily to order the ship down below the clouds, but he quickly abandoned that idea.

  He wouldn’t risk his life or the airship by doing something rash. Instead, he would find men willing to go down and report what they found below the mists. That was a plan worth seeing through. Of course he would have to pay through the nose to motivate men to leave the city willingly, but gold had a way of getting people to do what they normally wouldn’t. He smiled. In time, he would know everything he needed to know, and his plan would come together. It was like the wind, invisible high above the misty barrier below him, but it propelled the airship just the same. And so his plans, his knowledge, unseen by others, but real just the same, would propel him forward. All the way to the throne.

  Chapter 26

  Tiberius

  Tiberius thought he would return to Rafe quickly. He just wanted to check his manuscript about healing dislocated limbs. It wasn’t specifically mentioned in his book, but he was confident he could do it. He wished he weren’t so tired, but he didn’t want his friend to hurt any more than he had to.

  He was just retrieving his pack from inside the shelter when Te’sumee called to him.

  “Tiswanee! We need your help,” the Rogu leader said.

  Tiberius tucked the book, still wrapped in a soft cloth, into his shirt as he crawled out of the shelter. The Rogu had been scouring the camp, looking for anyone who might have been hurt or to ensure that none of the raiders were hiding in the camp and waiting to free their comrades.

  “What is it?” Tiberius asked, unable to keep the fatigue from his voice.

  “Some of the Hoskali are injured. You must help them.”

  “I have to heal Rafe first,” Tiberius said.

  “No, no, the people must come before the Rogu,” Te’sumee said. “It is the Hoskali way. Come and see.”

  Tiberius wanted to argue, but he knew that Rafe was in good hands. The women of his T
rogooh, or harem, would keep Rafe comfortable. He followed Te’sumee to the far side of his tent. The prisoners were being bound hand in foot in front of the tent. The Hoskali didn’t usually truss their captives up, but everyone was tired and no one relished having to guard prisoners while everyone else slept. Olyva and Lexi were sleeping on one side of the large shelter. Rafe had joined them, along with the rest of Tiberius’ wives. On the opposite side of the tent, the Rogu and some of the healthier men of the tribe were carrying those who had been injured. Most of the injuries were minor cuts and bruises. If the tribe member managed to fend off a raider, he wore the injuries proudly, but a few of the injured were women. One looked as if her skull was fractured.

  Tiberius took a deep breath. He realized he wasn’t going to get to rest any time soon. He started with an older woman who was having trouble breathing. When Tiberius lifted her shirt to see what had happened, he found a large purplish bruise.

  “Acies Penetralis Deprimo Sano Crudus Viscus,” he said quietly.

  The rush of magic nearly swept Tiberius off his feet. It felt almost like fainting. Leonosis had learned a choke from one of the soldiers when he was a teenager. He immediately practiced it on Tiberius, squeezing his throat and head until Ti couldn’t breathe. Tiberius remembered flailing wildly, trying to get his brother to stop, but then the world seemed to tilt to the side, his vision going flat and he saw bright bursts of light before falling unconscious. The power of his spell did almost the same thing. He had to fight with all his mental strength to stay in control.

  He let his mind delve deep into the woman’s side. He could sense the bleeding there and he opened himself up to her injury to let the healing magic flow through him and into the injured woman. He hadn’t been prepared for the pain. He had forgotten that Sana Magus required Corporeus Adfectus, which was a physical empathy that caused him to feel the pain of the person he was working to heal. It was a useful tool in working magic because it allowed him to gage exactly how effective his spell was working, but he wasn’t prepared for the pain. He felt as though a fiery poker had been stabbed into his belly.