The Emerald Rider (Book Four of the Dragoneer Saga)

by M. R. Mathias

  Turning away from the chase was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. She wanted more than anyone alive to race in and rescue Jericho while delivering revenge for Herald, but that just couldn’t be. She was the Queen of the Frontier and she had people to protect. She’d learned the lesson of responsibility at the cost of a few hundred soldiers’ lives once. She wouldn’t sacrifice the people for the prince. That wasn’t how true royalty was supposed to rule. She had to help the people defend themselves, at the very least. If troops were coming through the Midwal Gate, then she needed to surprise them.

  It churned her stomach to think so, but she was almost glad Linux was helping inform her. He’d been a fantastic teacher, and up until he soul-stepped King Blanchard, he’d been more or less her idol. The fact that he’d asked her for forgiveness while telling her of Herald’s fate wasn’t lost on her. Maybe, after her son, and now Rikky were back safe, she could grant it. Until then Linux would just be what he was, a murderous spy who wanted her favor back. Right now she had to focus.

  With a grim set to her jaw and an expression not unlike Rikky’s, she turned Crystal around and started getting her mind ready for a war that was undoubtedly going to break her heart. As a mother, she was terrified for her son, but as his Queen Regent, she was ready to end this madness with a bloodbath and unify the lands for him.

  ***

  In the early morning, Rikky brought Silva down right on the farmhouse where Herald and Linux had overheard the witches’ plan. The prisoners who’d told them of the coven’s place had detailed its location well enough that it was easy for him to find from the sky. The pewter-colored wyrm sprayed molten liquid breath all over the tiled roof, and as the stuff cooled and hardened into its soft metallic state, the weight collapsed the rafters. The first woman who came running out was wearing the clothes of a servant girl, and Silva spared her, but the second came out blowing a ball of fire up at them, and Rikky’s Dour-formed arrow tore right through her leg. The whole structure crumbled then, and three witches came racing out of the pile of dust and debris on their brooms.

  Silva snapped up one of them and then slung the resulting limp body away from her.

  A fireball lit up the morning before it impacted them, and though they were engulfed in an explosion of flames, they were not badly injured, for Rikky had previously cast a shielding to protect them from the novices’ crude castings.

  “Tell me where they have taken Prince Jericho and we will spare your lives,” Rikky commanded. “If you don’t, you are soon to die.”

  One of the witches spat at them. She was instantly bathed in boiling hot spew and falling. She ended up crumpling into a hardened fetal knot on the ground.

  The last of them tried to dart away on her broomstick, but Silva’s speed kept her from going far.

  “Last chance,” Rikky called.

  “They’ll kill me if I tell you,” the witch said. In the bright light of dawn Rikky realized she was but a girl, not much older than he was. She looked terrified, fidgeting around in the air on her wobbly stick.

  “I’ll kill you if you don’t,” came Rikky’s reply.

  “I’ll tell you,” the older witch, who had her leg nearly removed by Rikky’s magical arrow, said from the ground.

  “Don’t tell him,” the broom rider called. “She won’t forgive you if you do.”

  “None of us knows where Ankha Vira has taken the baby, but I know where they took those two men they caught snooping.”

  “Where?” Rikky asked sharply. “Tell me or I’ll kill you both.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Zahrellion realized a moment too late that she and Crystal weren’t alone in the sky. Crystal knew exactly when Zah did, and the fact that they’d been surprised angered them both. It was too late to chastise themselves, though, for here came a half-dozen witches of the more capable sort, all cackling and merry as they started flying circles around the large frost dragon.

  Crystal tried to snatch one of them but missed. Zahrellion had a spell on the tip of her tongue, but just as she was about to speak the word that released a powerful pulse of Dour, she saw Ankha Vira. The witch had baby Jericho in her arms, and a long, black fingernail that was tipped with a sharpened steel extension was against his temple.

  “I don’t really need him, you know,” the witch hissed. “Richard’s seed is potent enough to create an heir inside me, and I am clever enough to get into his bed as I please.”

  “Not even that lunatic would stoop so low as to bed you,” Zahrellion spat.

  Ankha Vira laughed. “Oh dear, but you are wrong. His will is the only reason your son isn’t in my brewing kettle as it is. Gravelbone left the king vulnerable, and he needed someone, a bosom to bury his face in, if you will. How could he resist mine?” She pushed out her ample chest proudly. “You will be coming with us now. There is no need to put up a struggle. Young Rikky Camille is finding himself in a similar situation to yours, and we will kill him and Jericho both if you do not comply. King Richard wants to speak with you. I give him what he wants now.”

  “I thought you wanted to rebuild the Council of Three? I thought you wanted the kingdom as it had been?”

  “That was before I tasted Richard’s madness. The pleasure of the pain he offers is exquisite. We will unify the kingdom, and there will be no more need for Dragoneers, or rangers, or even city guards, for the people will serve us with complete loyalty, if only out of fear.”

  Zahrellion wanted to say that she and Richard were exactly why the Dragoneers were needed, but she bit her tongue. If what the witch was saying were true, then there was no need for them to keep Jericho alive. There was no reason for them to keep her or Rikky alive, either, but she wouldn’t just let them kill her. She would use her remaining time to bargain for her son, and hope that she found an opportunity to kill the dark king and his harlot in the process.

  ***

  Having warded each other even more as they bolted away from the crumbled farmhouse, Rikky and Silva were aware of the witches trying to surprise them long before they made their move. They were close to Mainsted’s outer wall, and closing rapidly. It was clear the witches of the Coven Wisteria had no idea how fast he and Silva could move. None of them expected what the pewter-colored wyrm did next, nor did Rikky. It was all he could do to hold onto his dragon.

  Silva slowed until they could see the fastest flying of the witches behind them, then she pulled straight up and back, and within the span of a heartbeat was flying in the opposite direction. Her molten breath launched up into an arcing spray, and though none of the witches were bathed in the stuff, most of them were scalded from the droplets that showered over them as they flew through it.

  Rikky urged Silva to dive under them, but his dragon feigned an upward turn before doing so. The maneuver served to make a blown fireball and a spiraling streak of buzzing hornet-like sparkles miss them completely.

  Silva went into a dive and Rikky began breathing deeply because he knew he could black out when she leveled off at this speed.

  Rikky hadn’t had a father, and Jenka had always been like an older brother to him. They’d grown up together in Crag. Master Kember had been killed before Rikky’s eyes just moments before Rikky’s leg was eaten by goblins. Losing Herald was so painful that he wasn’t sure he could stand it. On top of that, he was ashamed that Jericho had been taken from them. He knew Zahrellion was hurting inside, for she loved that baby more than life itself. He knew she didn’t like being responsible for all the people of the Frontier, either. The anger helped him cope, and as Rikky focused his aggression, he wished more than anything that he could avenge Herald and get Jericho back for Zah.

  As the heavy pull of Silva’s deep-curving upturn slipped away, Rikky let all of his emotion loose and took aim. Dour-formed arrow after Dour-formed arrow streaked away from his bow, and in a matter of moments the witches were scattered, two of them tumbling from the sky into the cobbled streets below.

  One of the witches had an enchanted bo
w similar to Rikky’s, though he doubted it was sustained by the teardrop of a dragon. Her arrow nicked his flesh, and two more found their way through Silva’s scales.

  The dragon roared out and turned away, and Rikky had to swallow his heart back down his throat as they nearly crashed full-on into the Nightshade.

  A shrieking call cut through the air, and Rikky and the witches were forced to slam their palms against their ears to protect them from the terrible sound.

  Silva pulled up and darted away. Then she went into a hover while keeping a defensive posture and a bit of distance from them all. Rikky was amazed at how much Richard had changed. When they fought Gravelbone, he had worn polished steel armor chased with bright blue, the color of Royal’s scales. Now his plated mail was dark, as if it had been blackened in a fire. Richard wore a helmet studded all over with finger-long spikes, and his eyes sunk so deep into the visor that they were impossible to see.

  After the Nightshade’s screech ended, Rikky called across the air a bit more loudly than he needed to. “What are you doing here? Are you here to help me kill these fargin’ witches?”

  “Fargin’ witches?” Richard laughed. “You sound exactly like that fat old bastard I just killed.”

  “What?” Rikky asked. A wave of confusing nausea washed over him. Around them, the witches were circling at a wary distance.

  “Herald Kaljatig,” King Richard went on. “I just let my mount here eat him for supper. I should have let him eat Linux, too.”

  “You!” Rikky screamed with tears welling in his eyes. “You killed Herald? Why would you do such a thing?”

  “For the same reason I am going to kill you.” Richard rolled his shoulders, as if he knew there was about to be a fight on his hands. “It’s really simple. I told you all to stay on your side of the wall and you didn’t.”

  “Me and Zah fought a serpent just to bring back the stuff Mysterian needed to make an antidote after Gravelbone poisoned you. You wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for us.”

  “I know, Rikky.” Richard laughed again. “I just don’t care. After Royal died, I learned that there is no good in the world. You and Zahrellion should have let me die. I didn’t want to be saved. But since you helped revive me, this is all your fault.”

  Richard waved a hand sharply, and all of a sudden there was a magically formed net coming down over them. Rikky wasn’t sure if the Nightshade or the witches had created it. Either way, Silva’s wings were entangled, and now they were falling.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Rikky wasn’t sure why, but Silva was suddenly able to catch air with her wings. They narrowly missed the rooftops of the buildings just inside Mainsted’s great wall, and people were screaming and pointing up from all sections of the city. Rikky caught his breath and turned just in time to see a witch explode into a mist of sparkling bloody ash. Thankfully, Silva avoided flying through the mess.

  Rikky saw them then, and he’d never felt so much relief in his life. He also saw the Nightshade carrying King Richard swiftly away from the knot of witches he’d left behind.

  Here came Blaze and Jade streaking past Silva. They were chasing after Richard and his hellborn wyrm. And there was Aikira pulverizing another witch with a thrown fist of energy. Two of the three witches were already fleeing, but the third and last of them was gesturing rapidly with the intention of returning Aikira’s favor.

  Rikky pulled his bow over his shoulder and willed an arrow out of the Dour. It tore through the air but missed the wicked woman. It caused her to lose the spell she was casting, though, which allowed Silva enough time to shower her with molten spew as they passed.

  Where is Zah? Aikira voiced when they came around to face Rikky. What was going on here? Why are you on this side of the wall?

  “You ran off with Marcherion, and a witch stole Jericho!” Rikky screamed as a dam of tears broke. His face was anguished as he finished. “Now Herald is dead, and Richard wants to take over the Frontier. Where have you been?”

  By the gods, I’m sorry about Herald, Rikky, Aikira voiced calmly. Where have they taken the baby? Where is Lemmy?

  The witches got him, Rikky said, trying to get his emotions under control. He was glad Silva was keeping them close to Golden and Aikira. He’d had the thought that he might not see any of them again. We don’t know what they did with Lemmy. They spelled one of the coven to look like him and then took Jericho from us.

  Aikira looked crestfallen, and Rikky felt a bit of regret for being accusatory when he started explaining.

  Where is Zahrellion? she asked.

  Rikky wiped a sniffle on his sleeve. The witches are planning to storm the Midwal gate and attack Three Forks. I’m sure she went to warn them.

  Should we chase down those two witches?

  We’d be better to follow them from up high. A spark of hope lifted Rikky’s spirits, if only slightly. Maybe they will lead us to Jericho.

  Agreed.

  Then let’s go. Rikky urged Silva to climb. Before they can lose us.

  No need to worry about that. Aikira made a long gesture and then spoke the words to a spell unfamiliar to Rikky. Just follow Golden through.

  The only thing more amazing than flying into the spinning cylindrical tube forming in the sky was that when they emerged from the other end of the tunnel, the witches were flying directly below them.

  That was awesome, Rikky said. I don’t think they’ve seen us. He considered his next thought for a moment. Just because you can get somewhere faster than me, Aikira, doesn’t mean Golden is faster than Silva.

  ***

  Marcherion couldn’t remember not being angry. Since the day Brendly Tuck died, since the elves more or less forced him into being a Dragoneer, his attitude had been off-kilter toward the aggressive side. After he saw Crimzon fighting the priests with his true rider, March was nothing less than envious. The two were lethal, and awesome to behold. He hoped the two of them found a nice place to wither away, for that is what Clover was doing as she fought. The idea that she was freed from being a statue only to gain all her years back at once seemed unfair. And, as usual, Marcherion was angry about it. When he saw King Richard and the Nightshade laughing as Silva tumbled toward the ground, his rage boiled over.

  He burned through the witch’s magical netting and then let the cherry red rays burning out of his eye sockets slide across the Nightshade’s scaleless hide. When he saw that Silva had caught herself, he let the intense power of the medallion he wore rise up from his chest into his throat. The charge of Dour he vomited forth vaporized one of the witches. King Richard and his hellborn mount used the moment to get some distance, but Jenka and Jade were right behind them. Marcherion and Blaze didn’t hesitate to follow.

  Get to the right a little, March said into the ethereal. He hardly ever used the ability, but there was no way Jenka would hear him if he yelled.

  Yusss. It was Jade who responded, but he saw the corners of Jenka’s mouth turn up when Jenka looked back over his shoulder.

  Marcherion didn’t need motivation, but he thought about little Rikky slamming into the cobbles just the same. The surge of anger that assailed him was potent, and his eye rays were as focused as they’d ever been. When they cut across the Nightshade, they burned right through the wing membrane and actually removed a bit of the tip.

  March wasn’t expecting the ear-shredding shriek that came in response to the damage, but Jenka apparently wasn’t fazed by the sound at all. When Jade darted past and then curved around the big, dark wyrm in an impossible flash of motion, Marcherion was left dumbfounded. Jenka was something beyond human now. It was clear in the way his eyes glowed and the strange aura that clung to him, but seeing him and his dragon move as if the rest of the world were stuck in a jar of molasses was amazing to behold.

  Even with all of Jenka’s strange power, Richard’s blow found him. Jenka and Jade stopped their supernatural burst of movement in the Nightshade’s path, and then, as if they were backhanded by some angry god with a c
lub, they were violently pummeled sideways.

  Marcherion’s anger reached the place where his dragon and the power of the dragon tear medallion took him over. It was a good thing, for had he not been consumed in the rush of Dour-infused battle lust, his defenses might not have been as acute. The pulse of Dour that erupted from his throat missed the dark king, and the Nightshade wasn’t affected by Blaze’s charring brimstone breath at all.

  It was a disheartening pass, but March urged his dragon around for more. He saw that Jenka and Jade were recovering, but then a blast of Richard’s magic impacted them and every bit of air, as well most of his thoughts, were knocked from him completely.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Jenka was still reeling from everything Aikira and March had told him about his son. Now Rikky was telling him through the ethereal that Richard, or some witches, had taken Jericho from his mother. All of this came to him while trying to recover from Richard’s gut-pulverizing attack. Seeing Marcherion and Blaze hammered across the sky in a similar fashion only served to fuel his determination. He wasn’t about to let Richard have the baby he’d yet to see, but only after he saw Blaze recover did he confront his brother.

  Do you have him? Jenka yelled with his mind. He could feel his relation to his disturbed brother somehow. He could feel the blood they shared, and he didn’t like it.

  Ankha Vira has them both, Jenksy. Richard’s smile actually looked genuine. I have to say, I have missed you. Did you save the old red’s pet, or whatever you were trying to do?