by Diana Green
She could see it, flowing from each of them into the ruthless magic-user. He channeled it through his staff, casting a mighty spell that exploded across the chamber.
Hathos and Oliana sank to the floor. Meanwhile, a large opening appeared on the far side of the circle. Through it, she could see another land, bleak and menacing.
In the next instant a terrible clamor reached her ears, and the portal filled with creatures. They were only half her height, with tufts of mangy fur dotting their wrinkly gray skin. Their eyes appeared like luminous slits, colored the same yellow as the sky in the world they came from.
In their midst, strode a taller figure, shouting commands in an unfamiliar language. He was heavily cloaked, with only a chalk-white face visible. Dark hollows rested where eyes should have been, and stark black symbols marked his brow and cheeks.
The mass of creatures rushed forward, swarming over Hathos and Oliana. Though each beast was no bigger than a pre-adolescent human, their numbers gave them strength. Squealing like bats, they hefted the two unconscious dragons—still in eldrin form—and hauled them toward the portal.
More of the little monsters skittered toward her, but she could tell the sorcerer’s control was slipping. He struggled, fending off a cluster of the beasts, and lost focus on the binding spell. This was her chance to break free.
She forced her muscles to move, feeling at first as if she swam through deep water. Her limbs were sluggish and weak. Already several of the creatures circled her, grabbing with bony hands, while another jumped on her back.
Needle-like teeth jabbed into her neck. More sank into her ankles and arms. She had to do something, fast.
Needing the power of her drake form, she shifted, scattering her attackers. Flames blasted from her mouth, as she spun, setting the nearest monsters on fire. With her long scaled tail, she lashed out and sent three more flying.
A fresh wave of creatures came at her, their pale fangs exposed. She roared, shaking the tower’s foundation, and waded through the monsters like they were nothing but a patch of nettles.
Hathos and Oliana were already through the portal, followed closely by the cloaked overseer. The opening began to break down, its edges shrinking, and the center wavering. The whole thing moved, bucking like a bee-stung horse. She had to get the two of them back, before it was too late.
Slamming more creatures out of the way, she lunged forward, but the portal spun away in the opposite direction. It lurched again, the landscape within changing. Now it showed a dense forest, with odd reddish trees. Next it flashed to a vast white plain.
Where were Hathos and Oliana? They’d disappeared into the place with the mountains and yellow sky, but how was she to follow? What if the portal closed down, and she lost her chance to save them?
There was only one thing to do. She fought through the remaining creatures, snapping one after another in her massive jaws. Their bitter taste fouled her tongue, as she cleared a path to the sorcerer.
He huddled on his knees, barely conscious, monsters clambering over his shoulders. She grabbed him up in her mouth, not caring if one or two of the beasties came along. They didn’t matter, but he most certainly did.
The sorcerer was the only one who knew how to reopen the portal, once it closed. She couldn’t afford to leave him on this side. The whole nightmare was his doing, and she’d be damned sure he put things right.
With only a moment of trepidation, she launched herself through the disintegrating portal. Colors whirled around her, and the floor fell away. She tumbled forward, unfurling her wings to regain balance.
The ground rose up to meet her. She landed with a thud, the impact softened by the spread of her wings. For a moment her head swam, before her vision cleared.
Close by, she saw a wide glassy lake, with water the color of jade. Stacks of rock, fine and pale as marble, rose from the surface like mismatched pillars. Squinting, she could just make out a far shore—ghostlike in the distant haze.
The ground, where she stood, was flat and dusty, light-colored like the rock formations that punctuated both the lake and land. The only visible vegetation grew in leathery clumps atop these uneven spires.
It struck her as a strange lifeless landscape. No sound broke the stillness. No puff of breeze or chirp of insects. And all the while, a fierce white sun blazed down, baking her scaled back.
She opened her jaws and dropped the sorcerer on the ground. One of the monsters still clung to him, like a child riding piggy-back. Dragon saliva dampened its fur, and it trembled violently. Away from the rest of its horde, the thing looked pitiful.
Before the creature had a chance to flee, she curved one foot around its chest, making a cage of her talons. Hopefully she could pump the little beastie for answers. Assuming it could talk.
The magic-user looked in bad shape, his limbs hanging loose, his eyes heavy-lidded. From a practical standpoint, that was best. She needed to take command of the situation, and his weakened state gave her time.
Shifting back to eldrin form, she placed the tip of her sword against the furry creature’s throat. She planted one boot firmly on its chest and glared down at its ugly rodent-like face.
“Who sent you? And where have the others been taken?” She pressed the sword closer, nicking the creature’s skin for emphasis.
It chittered and squeaked, in a semblance of speech. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand a single word. Gritting her teeth, she tried again, this time using gestures to communicate her meaning.
The creature wriggled and squalled, babbling more incoherent words. Valla huffed in frustration. How was she going to get her questions answered?
“What did you expect?” the sorcerer asked, his voice quiet but cold. “We’re in a different world. They won’t speak our language here, and this beast seems barely sentient.”
“Thanks for the brilliant observation,” she snapped. “Why don’t you keep your mouth shut, unless you have something useful to offer?”
Features straining with effort, he pushed himself to a sitting position. Glossy silver hair slid like water over his shoulders, falling forward to obscure half his face. She almost missed seeing how he muttered an incantation under his breath.
“Don’t even think about it!” Valla snarled. With her free hand, she whipped a dagger from her boot and prepared to throw it at him. “You’ll be dead before the spell is cast.”
He froze, gray eyes fixed on the poised knife. “I just worked a simple translation charm. It’s all I’m capable of, at the moment. But it should serve the purpose.”
“I don’t believe you.”
His jaw muscles tightened. “Doesn’t it occur to you, I might also want answers? Hopefully we will get some out of our captive.”
Our captive? That seemed a bit cocky, considering the circumstances. Before she had a chance to set him straight, the furred creature started talking at a rapid pace.
“The boss, he won’t like me breaking from the pack. He’ll be mad. Real mad. Won’t let me back, I don’t think. Maybe I work for you now? Start you up a pack?”
Valla had to admit, the sorcerer’s translation spell worked perfectly. And he hadn’t lied to her. At least that was something.
“Who is this ‘boss’ person?” she asked the creature.
“Tall, black marks on his face, nasty dead eyes. He won’t be too happy, me being gone. Won’t let me back, I don’t think.”
“Does your boss take orders from anyone?”
“Huh? What’s that you said?”
She spoke slower this time. “Who bosses the fellow with the marks on his face and the hollow eyes? You know…who’s the big boss?”
The creature looked worried. “Big boss, she’s mean. You don’t mess with her. She can break you down to nothing.”
“This ‘big boss’ is a woman?” The sorcerer leaned forward as he spoke. “What does she look like? Are her eyes violet?”
“You don’t look in her eyes!” the creature squawked. “She’s the empress. Y
ou don’t see her face. You don’t do nothing but keep your head to the ground and stay low, till she’s passed by.”
“What does the empress want with my friends?” Valla demanded. “Where are they being taken?”
“Don’t know.” The creature shook its head. “We go where she sends us. That’s all. Don’t know more.”
“What is the empress’ name?” The sorcerer spoke with such intensity, Valla wondered what his stake in all this might be.
“Her name! We don’t know her…” Before another word left the creature’s mouth, its body went rigid, yellow eyes widening. A shiver ran up its legs and torso, then suddenly the whole thing disintegrated.
Just like that. One moment a living creature squirmed under her boot, the next there was nothing but a pile of ashy powder.
“What the blazes just happened?” Valla gasped. “Did you do that?” She whirled on the sorcerer, bringing her sword to his chest.
“Use whatever small intelligence you possess,” he sneered, “and think about it. Why would I destroy our only source of information?”
“How should I know? You’re crazy.”
“Perhaps, at times, but I didn’t kill the creature. It had barely begun to be useful.”
“Then who did?”
“Probably the empress or the pack ‘boss’. Someone who wants to make sure missing pack members don’t share too much information.”
“But how?” She glanced around, worried they’d somehow been followed. Were there hostiles hidden in the rocks behind her?
“I imagine they have some sort of magical bond, to exert power over the beasts and also destroy them, if needed. It could be accomplished over a great distance, once the bond is in place. I don’t think you need be concerned about uninvited guests. We seem to be completely alone here.”
If his words were meant to reassure, they failed. He understood far too much about these matters. Who knew if he even told the truth? He might have killed the creature before it shared his secrets. Maybe he’d been in league with the empress all along.
Her head spun with possibilities, and none of them good. She couldn’t trust this sorcerer for a moment, but what was she to do with him? Somehow, she had to ensure he didn’t work any more magic on her—before she had a chance to rescue Hathos and Oliana.
Slipping off her belt, she knelt in front of him and used it to bind his wrists. To her surprise, he didn’t resist. A cold smile thinned his lips, as he observed her efforts.
This close, she could see his eyes weren’t simply gray but a deep silver, with brighter striations that seemed almost to glow. They unsettled her, as did his enigmatic expression.
“What are you smiling about?” she grumbled, yanking the belt tighter.
“I find your attempt to overpower me amusing.”
“It won’t seem so funny, once I stuff a gag in your mouth.”
“I applaud your reasoning, but you are missing an important fact.”
“And what’s that?” She tensed, meeting his uncanny gaze.
“Unlike a common wizard, I don’t have to speak or use hand gestures to perform magic. I can easily destroy this belt, a gag, or any other measures employed to contain me.”
“What rot. I’ve seen you using words or hand movements every time you’ve cast a spell. You’re bluffing.”
“A demonstration then?”
“Don’t try anything, or I’ll—”
Before she could finish her sentence, his focus shifted from her face to a nearby pile of boulders. His eyes narrowed, and his muscles tensed. One of the rocks exploded, bursting into a shower of sand.
She yelped and drew back from him, alarmed. How could he manage something like that, while clearly exhausted? How was she ever going to control him?
“So you see.” He spoke the words quietly, his whole body sagging, his face drawn and pale. “Even in my current state, you couldn’t keep me prisoner for long.”
“Then what am I going to do with you?” Valla eyed him warily, wondering at the mess she found herself in.
“Now’s the time to kill me, if you’re going to.” His voice came out flat and weary. “But I don’t think you will.” He eased to the ground, lying down and closing his eyes but continuing to speak. “I can get you and your friends home again. It’s doubtful anyone else can.”
“I know.” She saw no reason to deny the truth.
“Then it appears we should call a truce. At present, we both have the same objective…finding the empress. We’re in a strange land, with myriad unknown dangers. There’s no question, our odds of success will improve by combining our strengths. I can use magic to find our destination, and you can fly us there. Along the way, we’ll stay safe by watching each other’s backs.”
“But I can’t believe a word you say.”
“I understand your reservations. However, you don’t have much choice. Even if you rescue the other two, you can’t create a portal without me.”
“And I’m guessing you can’t create one without dragons to source from.”
“Exactly. We need each other.” His eyes opened halfway, and he turned his head to look at her. “I give my word…I won’t harm or misuse you, as long as we’re working together. If you attack, I’ll defend myself, but nothing more. I won’t seek to bend your will to mine.”
“I’m supposed to accept your word?” She snorted. “I’d rather kiss a viper.”
“Interesting analogy, especially coming from the likes of you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Only that you live in a stolen fortress, soaked in bad blood, making slaves of the former inhabitants. You have no right to judge me.”
“I don’t come from that cursed place, and I’ve never enslaved anyone. My clan lives in the far north, in the Drake’s Teeth Mountains. We treat others fairly, and we don’t even have servants. All the work is done by our own hands.” She didn’t know why it mattered that he believe her, but it did.
“If that’s true, why were you in the south, trying to rescue Lord Baylis’ daughter?”
“Because you had the poor girl so terrified, my friend could sense her fear in his dreams.”
“And you traveled all that way, just to help her?”
“She’s an innocent. You had no business harming her.”
“No one from that fortress is innocent. They’re all neck deep in human misery and death.”
She growled, frustrated. “You think in absolutes, but everything isn’t so black and white. Oliana’s not to blame for her father’s actions. And I’m the first one to admit he’s a brute.”
“So you’ve met the high lord himself?”
“Yes. And I’ll have you know, I knocked him on his ass.”
“You struck Lord Baylis?” The sorcerer’s eyebrows lifted.
“I laid him out winded on the floor.”
“Well done.”
“I’m not looking for your approval.” Or was she? Why bother telling him any of this, if she didn’t care what he thought.
He exhaled and closed his eyes again. Clearly the conversation tired him, but he wasn’t finished.
“Despite how things appear, I’m not without honor.” He spoke so quietly, she had to move closer to hear him. “You saw me at my worst today, driven to do things I never…” His words trailed off, as he shook his head slowly. “It’s not something I care to explain, but let me just say, I am a man who keeps my word. I do not betray, unless I am first betrayed by others.”
“And how did Oliana or Hathos betray you? What did they do to deserve this fate?” Anger heated her voice.
“Apart from being dragons?”
“That’s a crime in your eyes? Dragons are no more evil than humans. We’re all a mixture, cruel and kind, selfish and noble. What matters are the choices a person makes, not the race they’re born to.”
He stayed silent so long, she thought he might have dozed off. At last he propped himself up on one elbow and met her gaze.
“Not a
ll my choices have been good. I admit.” He took a deep breath. “Today, more than ever, I’m forced to acknowledge my mistakes. Opening the portal was foolish and arrogant. The results could have been disastrous…not just for me, but for our whole world.
“That gateway remained closed for a reason. I was wrong to lay it open. There are some lines a person shouldn’t cross, or they become no better than their enemies. I regret losing sight of that.”
In spite of healthy caution, Valla found herself moved by his words. Perhaps he had experienced an epiphany. Yet questions still plagued her.
She spoke the one forefront in her mind. “Why are dragons your enemies?”
He sighed. “It’s a long story, and I don’t have energy for it right now. Soon I must perform a locating spell, to find the empress. But first I need rest and food.”
“Very well.” She removed the belt from around his wrists and rose to her feet. “You rest, and I’ll see what I can do about food. There should be some sort of fish in that lake. It’s big enough.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded and walked away toward the water, head buzzing with doubts. Her conversation with the sorcerer had turned in a surprising direction, but she still didn’t trust him. He wasn’t quite what she’d imagined, but he remained a dangerous adversary. It would be idiotic to forget that fact.
For now, they’d work together as he suggested. But she wasn’t going to let her guard down. Not for a second.
Chapter Eight
Vadin woke with a pounding headache. An energy hangover wasn’t unexpected, after working such powerful magic. He’d made matters worse by performing a translation charm and breaking apart that rock, to impress the she-dragon.
What had possessed him? It’s not as if he needed to prove his prowess. Was he trying to inspire fear or respect?
He stretched and sat up, looking around. She leaned against a nearby shelf of rock, eyes closed, right hand gripping her sword hilt. The slow rise and fall of her chest spoke of sleep, as did the relaxed angle of her head, tilted back and to the side.