by K. E. Young
I sighed and muttered, "He had to wander all over, didn't he? Why couldn't he pick an easy one to explore?" I hooked the lantern to my belt and continued up since I was already heading that way.
I found that the shaft linked passages, at each level. At each passage, I inspected it for disturbance and if it showed any I marked it with an 'X'. A series of narrow slits lit the top of the shaft and let fresh air into the passage system. There was also fresh oil on a pulley on the ceiling. I climbed back down to the captain who had stayed to keep watch.
"Four passages up there show disturbance, none of it fresh. I marked them for further investigation. There's also a recently oiled pulley attached to the ceiling of the shaft. Shall we head down and see what we find or do you want to wait here?"
He smiled easily. "Since we know there isn't anyone above to sneak up on us I think we're safe enough to both look down below." He marked a downward arrow on the wall to indicate our direction and swung out onto the ladder below me.
The shaft bottomed out just one level down. The passage revealed was in worse condition than the other passages but was still intact enough to be safe. Captain Kilas again marked an arrow to show our direction.
This passage was rather dull with no side passages or doors. It went on for a little in a curve then sloped downward for a long way, switching back and forth. It went even deeper than the cistern passage had and I wondered if this was one of the exit tunnels although I didn't remember it from the maps I had compiled. Maybe it was another passage added afterward.
We exited into a little room with another secret door matching those that led to the cistern and the vault with freshly oiled hinges. The door design clinched its provenance in my eyes.
Listening at the door, I heard footsteps and a rumbling so the captain and I waited until it was silent. I cracked the door and peered out into what appeared to be the back of one bay in an old brick-fronted warehouse carved out of the cliff. I could smell water and hear talking outside.
We entered the warehouse as silently as possible and looked around. In the area to one side of the main doors, there was an office area screened off from the bulk of the warehouse. It was empty so I padded over to see if I could identify which warehouse this might be. The captain posted himself at a window to keep watch.
The captain hissed to catch my attention. I repositioned the paper I was reading and we were halfway back to the secret door when I heard Koris shouting outside. Reversing course, I placed myself inside the main doors with weapons drawn. Koris was under Harad's command so he had to be part of the sweep to round up Nurian's minions. I couldn't let them escape through the secret door into the palace.
Sure enough, several warriors burst through the door. They should have been looking where they were going. I threw the first one into the second while the captain engaged a third. With the first two distracted, I stepped aside to avoid the fourth's charge, whipped an arm around his neck, and sank my knife into the notch above his collarbone and into his heart. As I dropped him, a wave of fear swept through me then vanished. I kicked his weapon away then kicked the first one under the chin as he tried to rise. I blocked number two's sword with my knife, stepped close, and kneed him in the groin, then stepped behind him and slit his throat. By this time, the captain had disarmed the third fellow and pinned him.
I stood, shakier than I should have been, wondering where the fear came from. The current situation was stable which meant something on Mero's end was wrong. I reached through the bond but Mero was concentrating fiercely, focused so tight on his task I could feel nothing else. Whatever had caught his attention, it wasn't curiosity. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good, and anxiety for him blossomed.
Since I couldn't help, I left him to his task and was checking on my remaining victim when familiar warriors came through the door in Koris' wake. One exclaimed at seeing me, but Koris just lifted an eyebrow.
I gave him my innocent look. "What took you so long? I've already captured Nurian looting the vault and found a lovely little secret passage that isn't on the map leading from that wall over there all the way to the heart of the palace."
Koris gave a rueful laugh. "You keep adding to that list don't you?"
"I hate being bored." Despite the joke, there was no smile on my face and my usual humor was missing due to my preoccupation with anxiety for my mate. Something was wrong, but I could do nothing about it from here.
Koris gave a forced laugh, a worried expression on his face as he watched me. "I can't wait for you to recite the whole thing to the Emperor. His face should be something to tell my grandchildren about." He looked around. "This was the last target Harad assigned us. It's the warehouse that received the poison shipments. Do you have anything else you want us to do?"
My mind raced, listing the tasks I needed to accomplish before I could got to Mero. Too many people depended on me to just dismiss those to go stampeding after my loved ones. "Can you follow me so we can finish the sweep on the court passage? By now, we should have the court conspirators identified at least. It means a fast hike uphill through the passage."
"Good training for these louts. I'll let Harad's men know so they can take custody of these guys… or rather, the survivors."
"Survivor. Singular. I kicked this guy too hard and broke his neck. All we've got is the fellow Captain Kilas saved from my enthusiasm." I hope they didn't have information we needed. It's hard to get anything from a corpse.
"Well, that makes it easy then." He motioned to the captain's prisoner, "Come on you. I have to admit, going up against a dragonlord in combat was brave. Stupid, but brave. It's almost as stupid as working with Nurian." I chuckled as Koris led the prisoner out of the warehouse.
I went to the secret door and opened it, propping it open with the edge of a nearby crate. "My lady," Captain Kilas said, "we can return to the palace quicker as long as there aren't too many warriors with us."
I cocked a questioning eyebrow at him and he continued. Anything that got me back to Mero was worthy of interest. "In our dragon forms, we can carry a significant amount of weight. Carrying warriors won't be an issue as long as we can hold them safely. In Drakken, we carry people and other delicate cargo in the travel baskets like the one Halara used. Since one isn't available, we can each carry four to six men in our paws. We could carry more if we had harnesses."
I thought about that. "We do need to get back as soon as possible. Perhaps a cargo net would work?"
The captain nodded. "If we're careful. It would be better if the cargo net contained something to protect the warriors though, takeoffs and landings can be rough otherwise."
"Let's find out from Koris how many men we have first."
"Eight men, my lady, plus myself, why did you want to know?" Koris was just stepping through the doorway.
"Ever been flying without the basket, Koris?"
"Yes, my lady. I don't like it. I can close my eyes though. It sounds as if time is a factor."
"Yes. There is your answer captain. There's no need for the net after all. Shall we get going?"
The captain grinned and strode out of the warehouse. I asked Koris, "Do we leave the secret door propped open for everyone to see or close it now?"
Koris sighed. "Best we close it, my lady. There are those outside we don't want to know of it."
I moved the crate enough that the door swung closed and verified that it latched.
Outside, a crowd watched as warriors loaded prisoners into a wagon under the watchful eye of Harad's guardsmen. Captain Kilas had already transformed into a bulky beast of a dragon. He was a dark forest green with a bright silver stripe down his spine and a few speckles of silver overall as if he had mirrors glued to his hide. The crowd seemed quite taken with him. No doubt it was due to the novelty of a new dragon. He was flashy to look at and he preened under the attention.
Koris directed half the men to stay with me and took the rest to Captain Kilas. Once the men climbed into the captain's paws, he took off and headed
towards the palace. I walked a few steps since I needed more room than the Captain had and called on my dragon. The crowd oohed over another new dragon and I held my paws out for my remaining men. Once they settled, I closed my claws over them to keep them secure, crouched, and launched myself skyward.
The takeoff took effort but I didn't think the men added significantly to what I might have experienced without them. A few moments later, we arrived at the top of the cliff. We landed in the practice yard and one of my men promptly launched himself from my paws and lost his stomach.
The rest dismounted with more grace and I transformed back to human form. We trooped back into the palace and headed for the entrance to the hidden passages we had been using. Tani met us enroute with a harried expression and handed me my sword and an extra knife. "My lady, we've been waiting for you! The High-Lord directed his own men to block the exits from the court wing. Thalak got the doors identified and the other exits investigated. Cordan has posted people as watchers per your commands. Thalak says twelve doors show usage besides Nurian's, although his door showed the most use. The noise Cordan heard was one of Nurian's men. He was moving a bundle of arms from a hidden room they were using for storage. He still hasn't divulged where he was taking them." She paused. "There's no sign yet of lords Cassettis and Dantalion."
Another flash of fear, barely registering before it disappeared. I reached out for Mero through our bond and met nothing. I couldn't feel him at all. My anxiety flared and my dragon howled in alarm. I needed to find him. However, I couldn't indulge myself yet. We needed to finish this before I could go hunting for my mate. "All right, give us ten minutes after we enter the passages to get into place. Will that be enough?"
"Yes, my lady. I'll let the High-Lord and Master Thoras know. They're commanding two of the groups while I'm taking the third."
I nodded and waved her off as I triggered the entrance to the hidden passages. We entered the passage and made our way to the crossroads where the captain's men waited with Thalak.
Counting warriors, I had just enough. "I want one of you posted at each marked door. Be ready to go through as soon as I give the signal. Be silent if possible, but hurry, we have little time. Nurian's disappearance and the disturbance in the town will cause questions."
We hurried down the court passage, which was now well, if dimly, lit by candles set on the floor at intervals. A warrior peeled off at each marked door. The thirteenth, and last, door was Nurian's and I took that one for myself. Captain Kilas had stuck to me like glue and I was glad. If there were any rooms expecting trouble, it would be these. Nurian had men other than the one we had already captured and they would have noted Nurian's absence by now.
We got into position a minute or two early so I showed the captain the secret door down to the cistern. I opened the door and listened as hard as I could but there was no sound from below. My bond remained stubbornly empty. My heart clenched in fear and I fought my dragon's desire to hurtle down those stairs to find our mate. I had to satisfy myself with whispering, "Please, be safe."
The captain's hand on my shoulder caught my attention. "It's time my lady."
I nodded and stood, letting the secret door swing shut. We made our way back to Nurian's door and I focused on the rage I had felt when I tossed Halara across the room and thought to my dragon 'These traitors are keeping us from hunting our mate. They put him in danger in the first place, they want us all dead'. That same rush of rage came to the fore and I felt the changes this time. I checked my hands and saw claws. I nodded again in satisfaction then tipped my head back and roared as loudly as I could. As the captain and I rushed into Nurian's rooms, I could hear doors opening all down the passageway as my people made their move.
As expected, Nurian's men were preparing for trouble. They were not expecting that trouble to be an angry dragonlord with claws and attitude. I didn't bother with the sword I carried. I wasn't used to it and I was too angry at having to clean up this mess rather than search for my mate, a mess I feared had taken him and my new brother away from me permanently. Captain Kilas sensibly stayed out of my way, satisfying himself with chasing down one who ran.
I finished with those who stayed to fight then went looking for clues to what was down there. Nurian had to have a map or something similar. He arrived half a year ago. He knew too much about the palace when he arrived and had gotten too much accomplished in his time here. Captain Kilas restrained his prisoner and left to get an overview of the ruckus besieging the court wing.
What I found wasn't a map, but an old child's diary. Nurian had made notes in the margins and there was a rough map sketched inside the back cover. We had already found most of the locations that interested Nurian. I leafed through the journal, skimming for any mention of that stairway. Predictably, Nurian noted that the entrance to the cistern was easily accessible while the child who had written the journal had talked about floating boats made from sticks and leaves. The child mentioned that further down the stairs was a room full of gold and sparkly stones. Nurian's notes said it was the old king's hidden cache. The stairway went no further than the cache room but there was a tunnel leading from it with 'strange sounds' that frightened the boy and kept him from going further. Nurian made no note of it at all.
There were other papers proving Nurian's guilt and the guilt of a few others but I was less interested in them. I grabbed the collar of Kilas' prisoner and dragged him into the hallway to see what was going on. Mopping up was in progress with warriors leading away various lords and their men in restraints. Ladies were running around weeping and generally being hysterical and getting in the way. My bloodied and clawed appearance drove them out of my way screaming in fear. My dragon relished their fear. I caught the attention of one of Geran's men. "Keep watch on the door to Nurian's quarters, there's evidence inside Geran will want. Meanwhile, what shall I do with this fellow?"
"You may leave him with me, my lady. They'll collect him along with the others."
"Thank you." I stalked off looking for Geran. I needed to know if I could go hunting for Mero yet. Panic bubbled.
I found him further down the hallway talking to Kelan, Captain Kilas, and two strange men I didn't recognize. The first was as tall as Geran but a little leaner with long straight black hair pulled back in a tight braid, his skin a lighter bronze. The second man was a couple inches shorter than Geran with black hair shorn close in what looked much like a jarhead's buzz-cut. While they weren't wearing uniforms like Kilas and his men, it was clear they were both Dragonlords and warriors.
That thought shook me from my preoccupation with Mero enough to notice the resemblance to Geran. This had to be Rendas and Daro. The shorter one noticed my approach and his eyes widened considerably. This caught the taller one's attention and I finished my approach in silence. It made me self-conscious enough that I could feel myself changing as the claws and scales melted away.
I couldn't tell which was which so I settled for nodding to each of them before turning to Geran. Handing him the diary I said, "This is how Nurian knew about the passages. It looks like we've already cleared most of the ones that interested him. One leads to a gallery of peepholes in the throne room, council chamber, and your office. Your office also has a door. Nurian had oiled the hinges so he may have used it. I'm sure Captain Kilas has told you about the passage that leads down to the river warehouse."
He nodded assent as he examined the diary. I prodded at the bond. Still nothing. My dragon paced and fretted in the back of my mind. Her fear was distracting.
"The stairwell Dantalion, Mero and I took down to the cistern continues down to a room Nurian noted as the old king's cache room. It was full of gold, sparkly stones, and stuff, according to the diary's author. He also said there was a tunnel on the far side with 'strange sounds' coming from it. It frightened him and there's no mention of where it leads. Nurian added no notes."
Geran's tone oozed satisfaction. "Excellent. In one afternoon, we have wrapped up a plot that could have killed us al
l, including the Emperor. There's still cleanup to do, but that's always the case. Tani mentioned that you want your man Michael to audit the treasury to see how much Nurian has stolen. May I ask why? Specifically, why him?"
I blinked for a moment before answering. I had won this war and my new family was safe, but at what cost? My dragon's frantic calling along the bond made it difficult to focus on anything else. "Michael specializes in forensic accounting." I fumbled momentarily when I realized the word came out in English. "Using accounting records to track down missing money, graft, fraud, and other things like that. He seemed ideal for the task."
"Ah. I understand now. Yes. I believe you're right." He frowned at me. "Kendra, what's wrong?"
I swallowed the tears that wanted to come. "I can't feel him. Mero's missing. Gone. The bond is empty."
Fear made my heart pound. "I have to go find him Geran. I have to. I can't feel him and it's been too long."
Geran cupped the back of my head and kissed my forehead. "Yes, you must sister, but not alone. Captain Kilas and his men will go with you. Do not despair yet. Just because you can't feel him does not mean he's dead.
"If you get to a point where you cannot continue safely, you will come back and we'll try again with better resources. There is no point in getting him back if you kill yourself in your rush. You are the other half of his soul just as he is the other half of yours. Neither of you will live without the other."
I nodded numbly as he turned to shout orders, prodding at the empty place in my mind as my dragon called out in vain for our mate.
✽ ✽ ✽
Kendra's story continues in Tasks of the Nakairi: The Shurshu…
About the Author:
People are complex things and I'm no different, so anything I tell you here will be, of necessity, incomplete and leave a lot out. I'll try to give you a sampling though.