Heartscale

by Lola Ford

  “Should Zel leave?” Graith asked.

  He didn’t want the dragon to go - what would they do if something happened while she was away? - but he doubted whoever the buyer was, was expecting a dragon.

  I can hide on the backside of the statue, between its wings. It faces away from the city, and I can get to you in moments, Zel suggested.

  Kali shrugged indifferently.

  “Works for me.”

  ***

  They didn’t have to wait long.

  Before the sun had rose even a finger span more, Zel told them, People are coming.

  “Good. I’m ready to meet back up with Kade and the others,” Kali said as she jumped to her feet.

  Graith saw her check the hilts of the knives he knew were hidden along her arms and waist. She walked over to the crate and leaned casually against it while she waited for her customers to arrive.

  A few minutes later, the most beautiful woman Graith had ever seen appeared, along with an entourage of guards.

  She had silky blond hair, and dark gray eyes. She wore a dress of red silk, and a black gossamer shawl, so thin that it was transparent. Her ivory skin looked as if the sun had never touched it.

  “You must be the Lady Imra?” Kali bowed to the woman.

  One of the soldiers stepped forward, hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “Who are you to directly address our lady?”

  “Oh, Dayne, don’t be so rude to our new friends.”

  Lady Imra’s words, while harmless enough, chilled Graith to the bone. Her tone was icy, and her smile fixed in place as she spoke. She didn’t even look at Dayne, but he fell to his knee, head bowed in a pose of someone who’s received a lashing one too many times.

  “Of course, my lady.”

  “We aren’t your friends.” Kali’s tone echoed Imra’s, “We’re here to make a deal. We’ve brought your goods. Now - we want our money.”

  Graith had to resist the urge to turn and look at Kali. While she hadn’t been out right friendly with him per say, she’d never used that tone with him. It sent a chill up his spine and reminded him of how Doreen had completely switched her personality after thinking he was in league with Oron.

  “Once I see the scales.” Imra said it dismissively, as if she doubted, they were what she had requested, and thus would be unlikely to hand over the money.

  Imra motioned towards the crate, and Dayne and several other guards rushed over. Graith glanced at Kali, and saw her face was set in a frown, but she wasn’t stopping them. They were opening the nearest side, using their swords to pry the wood open.

  As the large wooden panel hit the ground, a cascade of glimmering, smooth red scales tumbled onto the ground. Each was as large as Graith’s chest. The red of the scales was dark in the early morning light, nearly the color of fresh blood.

  Zel was watching the exchange through his eyes, and when she saw the scales, he felt her anger lash out immediately. He felt her rear back from her perch on the stone dragon’s wing and could faintly hear a hiss.

  Ask her why she needs the scales. What she’s going to do with them!

  What’s wrong? I know you were opposed to the scales being sold, but you act like you’ve just been bitten.

  I know those scales! Those are Coale’s scales!

  As in, father of your eggs, Coale?

  Graith did a double take and looked at them again.

  Yes!

  Graith cleared his throat uncomfortably. Lady Imra had walked over to examine the scales, picking up one that was closer in size to her hand. She was paying no attention to them.

  “So, what are you using the scales for?” he asked, trying to calm both his racing heart, and Zel who was contemplating flying down to them.

  Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over from her bent position. Her fine hair had cascaded in front of her face, and she brushed it back impatiently.

  “Does it matter? You are the seller. I am the buyer. End of story.”

  Graith felt his face redden, but he also felt Zel’s anger growing by the seconds. She wanted answers, and if he didn’t provide them, she was going to come get them herself.

  “Just curious. Not often you see dragon scales.”

  Graith felt Kali’s eyes burning into the back of his neck, and he was sure that she had her hand on at least one dagger and was considering ways to shut him up. If Zel would just tell her what was going on…

  “More often than I would like.” Imra straightened to look at him, “All the great lords have suits of armor made from scales. I’m having a set made as a gift.”

  “Oh. Where did they get the scales for their armor?”

  Graith wasn’t sure how far he could push the subject before Imra shut him down. Her eyes narrowed, but she let out a tinkle of laughter.

  “You Lutesians really are from the boonies. They got them from their guardian dragons.”

  There are dragons here? Zel asked, her anger forgotten instantly.

  “There are dragons here?” Graith echoed.

  “Too many if you ask me.” She turned to Kali, her interest in Graith immediately lost, “I find the scales to be of a suitable quality. Here is your payment. We’ll take care of the scales.”

  It was a clear dismissal, and Kali had to nudge Graith hard in the back to get him moving. He wasn’t sure where they were going, but it was away from the statue and towards Alluvia. He looked back once at the large statue where Zel hid, and then followed Kali towards the city.

  Dayne was signaled to, and he escorted them around the end of the tail. Another guard waited there, with a small chest sitting by his feet. With a nod from Dayne, the guard stepped back, and Kali grabbed the chest. She opened it slightly and upon inspection saw it contained a tidy amount of gold.

  Zel’s anger returned as she thought about the fact that it had been Coale’s scales. She was half tempted to start questioning Kali on how exactly they had gotten his scales. She knew Doreen had said that they had been shed and sold, but honestly, she thought Coale to vain to sell them.

  And the fact there were more dragons.

  Here.

  In Situra.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Graith

  Zel was silent as Graith and Kali rushed through the streets towards the harbor. Both were too anxious to reach The Running Ship to take time to really look around the town they were passing.

  It took much longer than Graith expected to cross the city by foot. Alluvia was larger than Dunlaith and Kelna, but still dwarfed by Tesia. As the masts of ships came into sight, both picked up their pace.

  “Ahoy there!” Kade shouted from the deck of the ship as they came into sight.

  Kali just shook her head, but Graith could see a sliver of a smile appear on her face as she saw her brother.

  “Graith! Kali! I missed you!”

  Alix was shouting and waving, causing people to turn and look at them.

  A wide plank had been lowered to the docks for the crew to easily unload the ship, and between two sets of busy sailors, they made their way on board. Alix was waiting for them at the top, immediately hugging both of them.

  “We were only gone a day!” Graith said, ruffling the boy’s hair once as he hugged back.

  “A long day!” Alix said, but his attention had shifted.

  He was now trying to peek into the chest that Kali carried. Swatting him off, she nodded to the captain’s quarters, and the four of them filled in.

  “Everything go okay?” Kade asked, once the door was closed tight.

  “Mostly. Graith here got a little nosy.”

  “Graith?” Kade looked at the older man in surprise.

  “It was Zel. The scales that we sold belonged to the father of her eggs. She was… not happy.”

  Graith shrugged, not sure what else to say.

  “And you didn’t say anything until just now - because?” Kali was looking at him in annoyance.

  “They were your scales to sell. And Zel promised not to interfere.” />
  Promise might be a bit of an over exaggeration, but they didn’t need to know that. They definitely didn’t need to know how close they’d come to having her try to end the sale.

  Kade and Kali looked at each other but let the subject drop. The two of them spent the next few minutes talking about their legal wares. What had been off loaded and what still needed to go. It seemed that while they had buyers for most things, there were still some things that they needed to find buyers for.

  Graith sat wearily in one of the few chairs in the cabin, his joints aching. While it was warmer on this side of the sea, it was still cold. Alix finally got to look inside the chest and was busy studying the strange markings on the golden coins of Situra. Graith also eyed it curious, he’d not realized they’d had different currency.

  “We can’t leave Alluvia until all the goods are sold,” Kade told them, looking between Alix and Graith.

  “But what about Zel’s eggs?” Alix asked, horrified by the thought of letting them get any farther away.

  “Honestly, they are probably as safe as they can be right now. Since Prince Brantom wasn’t on board the ships, that means he and all his guards are likely with the eggs,” Kali answered, shrugging.

  “We can use this time to talk to our contacts and see if they know where the eggs are heading. If no one knows, we can always just head south to Veles, and follow their trail. It’s not as if the prince will be hard to follow,” Kade followed up.

  Graith didn’t care for the idea, but nothing had changed. He still couldn’t fight. The prince or his guards seeing Zel would simply put her eggs at risk. Waiting and going with Kade and Kali was honestly the best course of action.

  Alix looked to Graith, clearly upset with the lack of interest and care the siblings seemed to show for the eggs.

  “Alix, they’re right. We can’t just rush into this. We want to get the three eggs back alive.”

  “What does Zel think?” Alix asked impetuously.

  Zel answered for herself.

  They seem to want my eggs alive. So, for now, especially with that horrid knight Braylin dead, we should just follow my eggs.

  Graith nodded as Alix’s face fell. It was not what the boy had wanted to hear.

  In the meantime, I think that I want to know more about the dragons that live here. My people believe that both Lutesia and Situra are hostile to dragons, she told the four of them.

  “There are dragon’s here?” Kade and Alix asked in surprise. Graith hadn’t gotten to that part yet.

  “According to our client. Yes.” Kali nodded as she spoke. “Also, the statue that we met her at was a giant stone dragon - you can’t quite see it from the ship.”

  “Well, that gives us somewhere to start. People love to talk about their gods. I can bring it up while looking for buyers,” Kade said.

  He leaned against the table in the middle of the room, not quite sitting on it, but putting more weight on it than it was designed for. It gave a slight squeak as he tried to get comfortable.

  Dragons aren’t gods.

  Zel’s tone was reproachful.

  “Doesn’t sound like the people here know that. You don’t just build a shrine to your buddy,” Kade said while laughing.

  “Well, we have things to do, goods to sell, and information to collect!” Kali said, even as she pulled open the door to the deck, “No point in sitting around waiting!”

  Graith stood, the pops that were becoming more frequent from his joints making Alix laugh. He put his arm around Alix’s shoulder, and they followed her out. Kade sighed once, straightened, then brought up the rear.

  On the deck, the four of them stood looking out over the city of Alluvia. Graith could feel Zel watching through his eyes. He just hoped that they could find the answers they were looking for here.

  We will.

  Zel’s current mood was green and calm. She trusted him and Graith would do anything to protect that trust.

  ***

  After getting directions from the harbor master, Kade led their small band to a shop along the pier. A general wares type place, it had a cozy atmosphere, and Alix idly ran his fingertips along soft fabrics and fresh leathers. Graith followed behind the boy, turning a seasoned eye to the seeds they were offering for the coming spring and the few farm tools they had hanging on the walls.

  Kade and Kali were escorted with their goods into a back room, and Graith could hear over the general bustle of the shop patrons their attempts at negotiation. He took their raised, but not angry tones that they were arguing for a better trade rate for some of the fabrics they had brought. Not seeing these trades being over any time soon, Graith laid a soft hand on Alix’s shoulder, and motioned with his head that they could walk along the pier.

  Stepping outside, the water slapped loudly against the ships and the poles that supported the pier. They were thicker around than Graith’s chest and stood nearly as tall as Alix above the planking. Birds cawed loudly, and a stiff breeze blew through the open port. Graith pulled his coat a little tighter but motioned for Alix to lead the way.

  Over the course of the next hour, they stopped at different stalls and stores. Each specializing in some tasty treat or craftsman’s goods. They chatted idly but moved quickly. Their thick slow accents caught the attention of the Siturans, who for the most part were polite, but brisk. A few however quickly became busy with other customers or tasks that needed immediate attention.

  They reached the south side of the pier, then had turned around and nearly made it back to their starting point when Kade and Kali found them in the crowd. Kali was scowling, rolling her head side to side while Kade was smirking like a dog who’d been caught rolling in shit.

  “They bought everything!” he crowed excitedly when they’d finally reached Graith and Alix.

  “That’s amazing!” Alix bounced excitedly, while looking up at Kade.

  Kali let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes.

  “It took you long enough. You couldn’t have squeezed a copper more out of him - not that you didn’t try.”

  “Trading is an art! It depends heavily on negotiations and patience. Something that you lack.”

  Kade bumped shoulders with his sister, and Graith could see her normal cool break slightly as the urge to slam her shoulder back into her brother crossed her mind.

  Graith was trying to figure out how to diffuse the situation when Alix grabbed Kali’s hand and dragged the girl down the pier. Graith and Kade could faintly hear Alix telling her that she just had to try some of the fried fish from the stall three stores down.

  They looked at one another and chuckled before slowly following the two.

  ***

  After a quick lunch, the four of them headed back to the Running Ship. They packed their few belongings, and Kade and Kali pulled the captain into the small office where they counted out their sales for the goods, as well as the small chest that had been their spoils for Coale’s scales. Once the final sums were tallied, each paid out their own stipends as well as portions for Graith and Alix.

  With that, the ship and the money were handed back over to its captain. They headed back to the pier, and into the city proper. When Kade tried to give Graith both his own and Alix’s shares, Graith made a point of telling Kade that Alix had his own money purse. The younger man smiled and nodded, then made a large show of presenting Alix with his portion of the spoils.

  They found an inn to stay in, but while the general attitude towards them on the pier had been good humored interest, here the patrons and staff seemed hostile. Graith wondered for a moment as Kade requested three rooms if they would be turned away. Instead they were told that only one room was available and shown to a small room with barely enough room for the two small beds that it held.

  The four of them looked at the small, hay stuffed mattress before Kali threw herself down on one. That left Graith, Kade, and Alix to flip for the other. When Alix was ruled out first, he pointedly told Kade that Graith was getting stiff in his old age, an
d that the floor wasn’t the best place for him to sleep. Kade ruffled the boy’s hair and just agreed.

  They settled in for the night, and quickly fell asleep.

  The following morning, Kade paid for their room, and they headed out into the city. They needed to purchase supplies for traveling, and at Zel’s insistence, they needed to find out more about the dragons of Situra.

  As they wound their way through the city, they found that they were at the center of attention, with whispers following them everywhere they went. No one seemed to want to meet their gaze, and only after multiple attempts at conversation was Kade able to get them the supplies they needed.

  At one point they turned down a road, only to find that there had recently been a fire, with large sections cordoned off from the public. When Alix asked the next vendor they stopped at, what had happened, he only got stony silence in return.

  Another merchant he asked about the large stone dragon that loomed overhead, to which he only got the response, “It’s a memorial. So, visitors like you never forget.”

  Graith had moved them on before Alix could ask what it was he wasn’t supposed to have forgotten.

  They were never given the opportunity to ask about dragons, but something about the way the people glanced at the sky or looked around when there were arguments in the street seemed to the group like the people were looking for a guardian. The name Galean was mention in a few of those situations, but who or what Galean was, was never answered.

  Kade confirmed with the man that he bought their horses from that Cian was the Situran city that mirrored Veles, and that they could reach it by heading south along the main road.

  Zel stayed quiet for the most part, and when Graith asked her why she was so quiet, she told him that she was listening. He got the impression that she wasn’t talking about listening to them.

  When they started to ride south, she told Graith that she would catch up to them once they reached Cian. Knowing that he was leaving her behind, even temporarily made him uneasy, but it couldn’t be helped. It was still safer for her to travel at night, and Cian was only a two-day ride away.