That was Raolcan - always dramatic.
If your life is full of drama, then you’re dramatic. How is that a bad thing? Should I pretend I’m boring and dull? Stop fooling around and get back here.
“Ahlskibi is getting testy,” Leng said with a laugh. I guess we’d better get back.
I nodded, following him up the lonely trail.
“And I think Shonan is making his own choices now, too. Why can’t people just do what I want them to?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Because then they wouldn’t be people.”
“I wish I could roll everyone I love into a messenger cylinder and keep them safe in my belt.”
It was one thing we agreed on. My life would be considerably easier if I could do that. And I probably wouldn’t have a glowing mark on my arm.
Or much of a life. Lives are meant to be spent, not saved up for a rainy day. You are spending yours well, every moment and day devoted to truth and loyalty ... and love.
We climbed higher and finally took a new turn over the mountain-scape that threw the shelf back into view. A double line of dragons stood in ranks across the mouth of the gate as if they were guarding it. The white dragon, Taoslil, was nowhere to be seen. In front of the gate, the crowd surrounded Starie, cheering and waving makeshift banners in the air. Her servants had already begun to erect a golden pavilion directly in front of the gate and horses were being unloaded in a steady stream as she addressed the crowd.
She doesn’t have Savette’s gift of speaking over long distances, but at least she’s busy bragging rather than trying to kill us.
We continued to climb, and I scanned the hills, finally finding our dragons and allies. They’d reached the little camp, arranging themselves in a defensive pattern.
Good thing we slept last night. We’ll have to keep a close guard tonight. There are plenty of people below who think we disrespected Starie by challenging her. They’d like to remove the competition without a test.
Good thing we had the best dragons in the world with us. They would keep a close eye out for us.
Ha! Don’t use flattery to try to get out of taking your own turn. You’ll stand a watch, too. Oh, and you’d better hurry. Hubric wants to talk strategy and he’s waiting for you two.
Chapter Thirteen
When we arrived the dragons stood in a ring: Raolcan, Kyrowat, Ahlskibi, Rasipaer, Vincaud, Sareshy, Olarmas. They were an intimidating sight, hunkered low, wings raised and at the ready. I could imagine flames pouring from them in every direction like a dragon-made volcano.
Most volcanos are.
In the center, the pavilion and our gear were still where we’d left them, but the humans stood around a campfire in their own ring, worried looks and anxious movements the only thing common to them all - Hubric, Haskell, Savette, Shonan, Denu, Kerch, and Jenanta. Leng gave my hand a last squeeze before we separated to join the ring.
“We stood by you because you’re an old friend, Hubric, but we aren’t happy with this. We’re no cult members,” Jenanta said. “You should keep your Lightbringer nonsense to yourself.”
“But you will stand with us?”
She looked uncomfortable, not meeting his eye.
“It’s not that we don’t think she should have a chance to prove herself,” Kerch said abruptly. He waved toward Savette. “If she wants to die for no reason, that’s not our business. Stupid, but not our business. It’s just that there’s a war on. Why get in the way of the Chosen One when she’s trying to negotiate with our allies?”
Denu was silent, staring at the fire. He was Purple after all. His dragon must be telling him what was happening and that Savette was who she said she was.
He can tell him what we think, but he can’t know for certain. Like Taoslil, the best he can give us is a chance to prove it. Also, his apprentice refused to return to our encampment and it’s worrying him.
“Because that golden trollop down there isn’t the Chosen One, that’s why!” I’d rarely seen Hubric so irritated by someone other than me. “She’s an imposter. And what can an imposter do besides lie and deceive?”
“Tell that to them,” Jenanta said, practically. She was looking at the crowd below. “They are pretty sure she can save the world. Are you really saying that they’re wrong?”
“She’s also got the Dominar’s backing. This test would have to go pretty wrong to convince any of us that she isn’t the Chosen One.” Kerch stirred the fire with a branch as he spoke.
Unnoticed, Haskell began to cook on the fire. I was starting to find that endearing. Perhaps it was what Hubric loved about her. There would never be a hungry belly when she was around.
It’s definitely part of it, but not all of it. He’s lived a long time. He looks for different things than you do.
“What sort of symbol do they need to come back with?” I asked.
“What kind of training are they giving in Dragon School these days?” Jenanta complained. “In my day you couldn’t be Sworn without knowing the prophecies, never mind a Color. It’s a crying shame that you’d ask that question. Where are your teachers, girl?”
“One of them is down there, leading the Chosen One’s Dusk Covenant,” I said, keeping my expression neutral.
Jenanta grunted. “Fine. The prophecies say, ‘Marked by light and dark to stand for all. Marked not once but thrice to show the call, Marked and now a target for the foe, Marked to stand and fight and marked to go.’”
I remembered that, but there was more. Quick as a dragon landing, I slipped my book out and turned to the right page. There it was in Talsan Woodcarver’s cramped handwriting:
‘...marked to go. The unbelief in hearts is burned away and with the blood of many truth will spread. And scatter to the winds on every side the battle that began where dragons tread. When the symbol shows itself do not linger, but fly, fly from the trumpet sound. For light calls to dark to answer in kind. Who will stand in that day? Who will survive when dusk fights dawn?’
“Ha! Looks like she cares more than you thought, Jenanta,” Denu said. “No one knows what the symbol will be, apprentice. Maybe it’s a talisman of some kind. Maybe a crown. All we know is that we’ll know it when we see it. And I guess we’ll be seeing it soon.”
“Does that mean you believe them?” Kerch asked. “That you’ll stand with them?”
Denu shrugged. “They have the right to try to prove themselves. People have the right to make their own decisions – even my fool of an apprentice.”
“It’s a fool’s errand,” Kerch said. “I’ve listened long enough.”
He began to gather his things while we watched in silence. When he had them all, he turned to Jenanta.
“You should come with me. When those down below hear what they’re saying, I doubt they’ll be happy to let this ridiculous contest continue, dragons or no dragons. No need to get caught up in that.”
Jenanta shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a considering frown on her face. “I don’t know.”
“Well. Don’t take too long deciding.” He whirled away, his dragon following him. “Or you might get swept up in what comes next.”
We stood in silence until he was out of earshot.
“I don’t like being bullied,” Jenanta said. “I don’t think you’re right. I suspect this poor wisp of a girl is about to die painfully in the heart of a volcano - but that’s her choice. I won’t be told what to do and I won’t tell her what to do. And if Kerch thought he could intimidate me, well he thought wrong.”
“Thank you,” Hubric said quietly.
“I’m going to go for a walk. Don’t die while I’m gone.” She set off, her arms pumping with energy as she left.
Blowing off steam. Even with her big talk, she’s worried. The crowd below is growing agitated.
“Savette Leedris, High Castelan, and Chosen One of the Lightbringers has my support,” Shonan said quietly. “And it is my honor to give it.”
“Too bad you don’t matter, son,” Denu said with a
coughing laugh. “We have the support of some travelling warrior and they have the support of the Dominar. Ha! Not much of a match. But I’m here to make sure the girl gets a chance to prove herself, however this plays out. Wake me when dinner is done.”
He stalked off to nap.
Little does he know, we have the support of the real Dominar. And while no one else seems to think that matters, I am certain that it does. Tomorrow, whatever happens, Savette will come back thrice marked and the curses in the prophecy will come upon us all.
Curses?
What would you call being marked for battle and having to flee for your life?
Yesterday? Last week? Last month?
Ha! A sense of humor! I was beginning to think you didn’t have one.
Chapter Fourteen
It was a good thing we chose to keep watch. At first, everything was quiet on the shelf below. They ate, lit fires, and settled in, but as the sun dropped in the sky the voices below grew louder. Occasionally a cheer or indiscernible chant broke out. The energy of it made me nervous. I shifted back and forth in my stance as a guard. I’d been given first watch. In the growing dusk, the occasional shadow shifted, making my senses tingle.
They’re testing us, running in and out of the shadows. No one of importance, no one serious, just thrill seekers ... for now.
The older Dragon Riders and Savette had turned in for the night, leaving Leng, Shonan, and me on first watch. Would she be able to get much sleep? I felt nervous and it wasn’t even me being tested in the morning. I stood in silence, watching the shadows. Behind me, keeping an eye in the other direction, I heard Leng and Shonan in quiet conversation.
“You helped her challenge Starie. That has to mean something.” I knew Leng well enough by now to know he was trying to keep judgment out of his tone.
“She’s the rightful Chosen One. The prophecies point to her.”
“Yes, but you could have let her challenge on her own. You went down with her.” Why was Leng pressing him on this? I would have helped Savette. Hubric would have. Why did he think it was so significant that Shonan helped her?
“The old man makes a good point.”
Hubric? Were they still talking in the cards? Better question – did Hubric ever stop talking in the cards? They were playing together when I left to wait in line. What had Hubric said to him?
There was a long silence between Leng and Shonan and my ears prickled from listening so hard. It felt almost as if they were speaking without words.
“Then you’re willing to commit treason.” Leng’s voice was so quiet that I barely made it out over the chirruping of insects around our camp.
“What is treason? Is it disloyalty to the Dominar or to the Dominion? Is it treason to stand for the love of the nation or treason to stand in the way of her enemies? Loyalty is complicated. My decisions around it even more so. When he stole ... what he stole ... from me, that didn’t take away my responsibilities to this place. I realize that now. I have not changed. My purpose has not changed. Only my enemies have changed.”
They were silent again and I saw a shadow skitter across my vision. Were there more people in the darkness outside the glow of our fire? I snapped my quarterstaff out of the crutch. I needed to be ready.
“Will you stand with me?” Shonan asked his brother quietly.
“Are you certain you want to fly these skies?” Leng countered.
“I’m becoming certain.”
“Then I’m as loyal to you as I ever was.”
“Brothers?”
“Always.”
I was smiling in the dark when a sudden grunt and clash from where they stood broke my concentration. Was someone attacking us?
“For the Chosen One!” a voice bellowed from the dark.
They must be rushing towards us, though I couldn’t see anything outside our ring of firelight. Light, sudden and searing, blinded my vision as all of our dragons flamed outward at once. The shadows around us lit up for a moment as charging dark shadows suddenly shifted into shadows fleeing into the night.
That will keep them at bay for a while. They aren’t Dragon Riders. Just servants and hawkers. People hoping to improve their lot in life by causing trouble.
We settled back into watching, but now every movement in the dark made me jump. Eventually, Hubric came to relieve me, whispering to me as we changed places.
“I think we have Shonan back on the right course.”
“Did you convince him to stand with Savette?” I whispered back.
“Not my place. Remember when he told you that you were healed, only to leave it to you to choose to sacrifice that? He had the same realization and choice to make. The idea of freedom for him was such a release from bondage – but it was never his to keep.”
I went to sleep thinking sadly of Shonan, who had to choose to give rather than gain. He’d had so much compassion in his eyes when he’d asked me to do that. I just hoped we could show him the same kindness as he made his own sacrifice.
I woke before dawn. Hubric nudged me in the ribs with a foot and I woke sleepily, leaning against Raolcan as I righted myself.
“Get ready. We’re heading down the mountain.”
Around me, the others were taking down the pavilion, packing what little we had and cinching saddles tight. Savette was calmness embodied, her blindfold snug, dress tidy, and light blonde hair swirling in the wind. I patted her shoulder as I walked by, but she seemed unaware of my touch, as if she were already somewhere else in her mind, preparing for battle.
Leng came over for a moment to give my hand an encouraging squeeze. His steps were lighter since last night. He had felt the weight of Shonan’s decision as heavily as his brother had. I smiled back in silence as we readied everything and mounted our dragons.
The sun wasn’t up yet, but a slight glow had begun on the horizon. Time to face what lay ahead. If Savette failed in this test, we wouldn’t be leaving here unharmed. Twice more in the night knots of troublemakers had rushed our guards, only to be sent back. But they weren’t the ones we had to worry about. They were just froth on the top of the wave about to come crashing down.
Chapter Fifteen
We rode in silence down to the Dawn Gate.
Well, the humans are silent. The rest of us have a lot to say.
What did the dragons down there think about this? They didn’t believe Starie was the Chosen One, did they?
The wild dragons care only for what Haz’drazen says. They will respect the results of today’s test. But dragons who work closely with humans take on human characteristics and loyalties. They are torn – conflicted – just as their humans are. For the most part, they agree that Starie is the Chosen One and they are simply waiting now – impatiently – for Haz’drazen to confirm it. Everyone is impatient. The longer we wait here, the longer the war goes on without us. There are rumors that the Rock Eaters have landed more ships. Ko’Torenth is also making noises that no one trusts. We can’t afford more enemies.
We were at the road now, where the shelf met the volcanic mountain where we’d slept the night before. Already, the shelf around the Dawn Gate was packed with people and dragons, pushing to get a good view of the gate. Our group shoved into the crowd, shouts of disapproval following us. A man in Dragon Rider leathers with a white scarf threw a chunk of bread – his breakfast? – at Savette, and then there were chunks of food and rags and other refuse being thrown.
Don’t flame them! How were the dragons going to control themselves in the middle of this?
With great difficulty. I’d like to “cough” a few times into this crowd.
The look in Kyrowat’s eye made me want to ask Raolcan to back up. I was nervous Kyrowat might burn me to cinders when he lost his temper and finally flamed someone.
We all know how important this is. It’s why Rasipaer is still here. He desperately wants to go north to look for Ashana, but he’s waiting until this challenge is complete.
If Raolcan and I were separated, I’d be desper
ate to find him, too.
We were still only halfway to the Dawn’s Gate when Savette slipped off Rasipaer’s back and spoke to us.
“He said to come alone with no weapons or allies. Wait for me here.” She turned and strode forward through the angry crowd.
Was she kidding? She needed our protection!
My brother will appreciate her respect for the rules. She needs to hurry, though. Starie is already in place, though her allies surround her. Ah! Here is Taoslil. His timing is perfect.
I peered forward. Even up high on Raolcan’s back, it was hard to see what was going on at the gate. There were just too many other dragons and too much distance. I thought I could make out an ethereal white dragon and a group of other glorious-looking dragons around him. Was that a human at his feet?
An Ilerioc. They live with dragons and serve as our interpreters.
It was hard to make out the details of his clothing, but I could see his face and head were wrapped in cloths and he wore a flapping cloak that caught the wind like a banner. So he wasn’t human despite how he looked?
Sort of but not exactly. Quiet. He’s speaking now.
What was he saying? I couldn’t hear from here. Around me the crowd murmured, jostling us as they also leaned in, straining their ears to hear.
The Ilerioc translates. He is giving a speech about the Queen and about her glorious son, Taoslil. Really, he is not as amazing as they’re saying. Seriously. He’s a White dragon who thinks he can tell everyone else what’s best for them. Typical White. A finger in every pie even though they have no business there. And anyone could do his job. It’s mostly listening to people’s arguments and making up compromises. I could do that.
Raolcan could compromise?
No, but I can make other people compromise. Okay, the speech is winding down. Now he’s laying out the parameters. Both women will enter separate doors to the two volcanos. Within there is a symbol. They will find and retrieve it. They are to bring no food, water, weapons or allies. We will wait for them to return. While we wait, the dragons here will pledge to Haz’drazen. When one of them returns – if she returns – we will know who the Chosen One is.
Dragon School_Mark of Loyalty Page 5