Free me, and I will bless you, Bhrava Saruth tried again right before Bergethor did something to him, and his head snapped to the side. Blood trickled from one of his nostrils, and Taylina felt pity for him, even if he wasn’t the resident dragon here. A god must be magnanimous. I will bless you. Or grant you a favor!
“A favor?” Taylina whispered, turning again toward Raff. Had he heard Bhrava Saruth’s offer, or had those words been spoken only to her?
Though he was still wincing and appeared to be in even more pain than she was from the power being thrown about, he met her eyes.
“This is what we need,” she whispered to Raff. “Is there anything you can do? Or…” Taylina eyed the bag of tools, trying to remember exactly what she had stuffed in there. Was there anything that might affect those ropes? “Or maybe if we distract Bergethor, the ropes will go away?” she added, thinking of the way Raff’s globe of light had gone out when he’d been distracted.
“No,” Raff said. “It’s a tool, not something he’s projecting from his mind.”
He pointed toward the ground at Bhrava Saruth’s feet, a black disc just visible behind his haunches.
“Could you find a way to disable it if we could convince Bergethor to leave for a while?” Taylina whispered, remembering that Bhrava Saruth had read some of her thoughts. She did not want Bergethor doing the same and hoped he was less inclined to poke into her head.
“I… don’t know,” Raff said. “Dragons make things much differently from the way we humans do it.”
“You’re the tool expert. This is what you do.” She tried to sound encouraging rather than desperate. “I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“Not with a dragon standing on it.”
“I don’t think the one standing on it is the problem,” Taylina said.
You cannot do this to the god Bhrava Saruth, you toad-licking troglodyte! Stop before—ow! Blasphemy!
“Not the main problem,” Taylina amended.
Raff grunted dubiously.
“I’ll try to convince Bergethor to take a flight.” Taylina squared her shoulders and stepped into the chamber. “Bergethor? We came here to warn you about something. Can you spare a moment from your, ah—” She looked at Bhrava Saruth and groped for a word.
Blasphemy! he suggested in her mind, loudly enough to send a stab of pain through her skull.
“Your project,” Taylina finished.
When Bergethor’s head swung toward her, she locked her knees. She refused to fall down again if he communicated with her.
Do not trouble me with your grating barking, thieves, Bergethor spoke into her mind, his hard yellow eyes boring into her soul. If you are not gone from my home when I finish dealing with this fool, I will turn you to ash.
Taylina was beginning to warm to the idea of working with Bhrava Saruth, however delusional he was. Bergethor was every bit as unpleasant as the stories said.
“We’ve come all the way across the island to warn you about the invaders,” she said, projecting her voice into the chamber, trying to sound confident and calm. Bhrava Saruth looked at her. For the moment, he did not seem to be in pain. At least she had distracted Bergethor from his torture.
I do not need your kind warning me of anything, Bergethor replied. Do you think I don’t know about the Cofah and their dragons? That their force is here to complete the takeover and occupation of Iskandoth?
Raff sucked in a breath. The words must be echoing in his mind too. Hearing the confirmation of what she had suspected upset Taylina, but it did not change her mission. She must worry about freeing her people, her town. There was nothing she could do for the rest of the country.
“Aren’t you concerned that they’ll come for you?” Taylina asked, extending a hand toward the tunnel. “You are not a Cofah dragon.”
I am nobody’s dragon. Those fools who align themselves with human interests deserve to be dropped into volcanoes. Bergethor’s scaled head rose, his horns almost brushing the ceiling, and he stared at her, proud and defiant. Those dragons will not bother me, regardless. I have nothing to do with the ridiculous human war.
“That’s not what I heard,” Taylina said, trying to keep her mind blank so he would not read the lies in her thoughts. “I was close enough to hear the dragons and their riders speaking to their commanders. They know there is a dragon on this island, and they have orders to get rid of him, to get rid of you. That is why we came to warn you. Perhaps, if you left now, you could slip away under the cover of night. Or you might even strike a blow against them, surprise them by appearing in the darkness.” She said the last wistfully, doubting he would entertain such a notion, but it would be wonderful if he could lure at least one of those dragons away so she and Raff might have more of a chance of dealing with the others. Somehow. She glanced at Bhrava Saruth.
To her surprise, his head bobbed in something akin to a nod. Did he agree with her strategy here? Or was he promising that he would help with the Cofah if they found a way to free him?
Lies, Bergethor cried in her mind, and Taylina stumbled back. Intense energy battered her in addition to that word, and if not for Raff catching her, she would have fallen again. You think I cannot see the lies in your mind, puny human? Do I look like a hatchling? Or some pathetic bronze dragon that would fall for your weak attempt at trickery? Nobody tricks a dragon of my stature!
His wings spread wide again, and his great maw opened as smoke curled from his nostrils.
“Look out,” Raff ordered, grabbing Taylina around the waist and hoisting her into the air.
She dropped the healing wand as he sprinted away, locking her over his shoulder. She was tempted to struggle, or to tell him to let her go, but she feared she knew what was coming.
As Raff rounded the bend and sprinted for the exit, red light flared behind him. It preceded the flames that flooded the passage. Heat hammered at Taylina’s back, and the sound of crackling fire filled her ears. For the first time that night, true terror flooded her body. And she was helpless to do anything about it.
Fortunately, Raff kept running. Only when he reached the mouth of the cave did he pause, gripping the wall as his toes dangled over the edge. The dark surf roared far below, waves pounding against the cliff.
Taylina thought he might jump with her still clutched over his shoulder, but he looked over his shoulder. The flames were dying away. Thanks to the bend in the tunnel, the fire hadn’t quite reached them. She eyed the tunnel warily, wondering what they could do if Bergethor stomped out after them.
But a shriek came from inside the chamber. Bhrava Saruth being tortured again. Taylina did not know whether to be thankful or not that his crime, whatever it had truly been, had irked Bergethor more than the idea of humans lying to him.
“Now what?” Raff asked, setting her down gently.
Taylina slumped against the cave wall, the salty sea breeze tugging at her hair. “I don’t know.”
4
Don’t go, a mournful cry sounded in Taylina’s head. Bhrava Saruth.
She looked at Raff, not able to read his eyes in the darkness, and wondered what he thought. She had come here to ask for help from a dragon, not rescue one. Bhrava Saruth’s plea made her want to help—not even a delusional dragon should be captured and tortured—but she had already tried and failed. What more could she do?
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Raff said, alternating between looking down the tunnel and at the shoals far below them.
Taylina was not looking forward to climbing back down. She would risk it if a dragon charged out, breathing fire at her, but it would be harder going down than it had been coming up, especially in the dark.
“As long as Bergethor is in there,” Raff added, “we can’t get close. We’re lucky to have gotten out with our lives. He could easily have caught up with us.”
And he hadn’t because he’d been focused on Bhrava Saruth. Taylina realized they owed him a favor. Even if he hadn’t intended to be a distraction, Bhrav
a Saruth was probably the only reason Bergethor hadn’t killed them for daring to intrude upon his sanctuary.
I am a benevolent and goodly god, Bhrava Saruth informed her. Come back and help me break this treacherous device, and I shall leap upon Bergethor’s back and destroy him utterly. He’ll never bother your island again. Your people will be free to worship—ow!
“What do you expect us to do?” Taylina asked, not sure whether to respond to him in her mind or out loud. She figured Raff should be able to hear all parts of the conversation. “We’re just humans.”
Taunt him! If he leaves his cave to chase you, your hulking male friend can come in and fix the trap.
“Hulking?” Raff asked. “Is that me?”
“You are large and broad-shouldered for a sorcerer.”
“Sorcerers come in all shapes and sizes.”
“The only ones I’ve seen have been bookish. And wore spectacles.”
“How many have you seen besides me?”
“The one who came to town to recruit you.”
“That’s a lot, indeed.”
“Listen, Dragon,” Taylina said, facing the tunnel.
Bhrava Saruth, the god! he corrected her.
“Uhm, right. Listen, I can’t taunt him, because if he chases me, he’ll catch me. Small children can catch me when I run. I’m not fast.” She grimaced, memories of being young and being chased and teased by children younger than she coming unbidden to mind.
I can heal your leg if I’m free of this mule-molester!
“Mules?” Raff murmured. “Wasn’t it giraffes before?”
Her mind frozen on Bhrava Saruth’s words, Taylina almost didn’t hear Raff. Seven gods, could the dragon truly fix her leg? Straighten it so she could run? Walk without a hitch? Without pain? She knew her concerns should be for her family and her town, but she couldn’t help but imagine how wonderful that would be.
“Don’t you have mind powers of your own that you can use against him, Bhrava Saruth?” Taylina asked, trying to find another way that they might free the dragon. “We can feel your power just when you’re speaking into our minds.”
It’s lovely, isn’t it?
She resisted the urge to point out that it grated and gave them headaches.
I do have powers, yes, but— Bhrava Saruth’s words halted as another shriek of pain echoed down the tunnel.
Taylina closed her eyes, feeling more for him the more they spoke.
He does too, Bhrava Saruth finished softly, his voice sounding more weakened in her mind. My greatest strength is my cunning—I am far smarter than this mule-molester, but I did not expect such cowardly treachery so I was caught unprepared. He invited me here under a false pretense. He asked for my help in driving the Cofah dragons from his island. I hate Cofah dragons. They’re so smug and superior!
“I agree,” Taylina said. True, she hadn’t met one up close, but after watching them light her town and the olive groves on fire, she had an instant dislike for them. “Can you talk to them from here?” she asked, wondering if the dragons had communicated with each other.
We have not—why would I talk to Cofah dragons?—but I could if I wished. Naturally.
“What if they were the ones to distract Bergethor?” Taylina asked. “They could survive being chased by him, I’m sure.” And if they didn’t, that was fine with her.
They are Cofah dragons. They won’t come to help me, and I will not beg another dragon. I will die first. Another cry of pain came from within the chamber.
“What if he gave those dragons a reason to want to fight Bergethor?” Raff asked, watching her.
Taylina nodded. That was what she was thinking. “Bhrava Saruth, can you and your cunning think of any way that we could convince the Cofah dragons to come over here and attack Bergethor, or at least draw him out of his cave? Then Raff and I could sneak in and look at that device.”
My cunning is being very distracted right now, he informed her, that mournful quality to his voice again.
“I can imagine,” Taylina murmured. “What if you told those dragons that there was a great treasure hidden in Bergethor’s cave? Would their riders allow them to come over and check it out?”
Even if a couple of dragons only came over to investigate the cave, that might create enough chaos for Raff to sneak a look at the device.
Allow? Dragons are not controlled by humans. Some dragons allow humans to ride them because they share common goals. Or because they’ve bonded and share blankets when the dragons shape-shift.
“I, er.” Taylina did not know what to say to that.
“He struggles with focusing, doesn’t he?” Raff asked.
“Yes, we need focus right now, Bhrava Saruth. The treasure idea. Could it work?”
What dragon would care about baubles? Bhrava Saruth asked. Unless they are powerful, magical artifacts, and if such a thing were in this cave, my kind would sense it for miles and miles in all directions. All this cave has is ugly ribbons on the stones.
“What would appeal to a dragon?” Taylina asked, not dissuaded. There had to be some way to get those other dragons to come visit.
Power, intellectual stimulation, the delightful feel of the wind beneath our wings, carnal pleasures.
“Carnal pleasures? Like if those are male dragons, they would be drawn by a female?” she asked, thinking of the predicament that had apparently landed Bhrava Saruth in this situation.
Of course! The opposite is not always true. Females can be terribly aloof. Even with me. And I am a delight.
“Clearly.” Taylina rubbed her head, contemplating how they might fool those dragons into believing an attractive female waited here for them.
“He’s chatty for someone being tortured, isn’t he?” Raff asked.
“That’s because he’s a delight. Bhrava Saruth? Can dragons always tell who’s talking—” Talking? Was that the right word for their mental speech? “Who’s communicating with them, or do you have to introduce yourself first? And can they tell the sex of the dragon communicating with them from across a distance?”
“What are you planning?” Raff whispered.
You wish me to pretend to be female? Bhrava Saruth cried, apparently peeking into her mind and catching the gist of her thoughts before Raff.
“If you can disguise your voice, yes,” Taylina said. “Convince them that you’re female, waiting for them, and, ah, eager to breed.”
I do not breed with males! Unless they are extremely pretty and bring me gifts, but that never happens with dragons. Only humans bring gifts!
“I’ll bring you a gift if you can pull this off,” she said. “Do you like wooden puzzles?”
He’d mentioned intellectual stimulation, hadn’t he?
“Tay,” Raff groaned, slumping against the stone. “You’re going to get us killed yet.”
“I was planning on us hiding while all this happens.”
“In one of the copious alcoves in this tunnel?” He pointed to the flat and alcove-free tunnel walls.
“Behind one of the pillars in that chamber.”
“You want to go back in there? Did you not see the wave of flames that followed us down the tunnel?”
“Not clearly,” Taylina said, “but I do appreciate you carrying me to safety.”
“You’re welcome.”
I am trying it, Bhrava Saruth announced into her mind.
Pretending to be female and talking to the other dragons?
Yes, but don’t tell anyone! This is not the kind of cunning I prefer. It’s not dignified for a god.
“I won’t tell a soul.” Taylina decided not to mention that if the other dragons showed up, they might figure it out for themselves.
“How exactly does one become a god?” Raff asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Is there a committee? A voting process?”
One dragon is coming!
Taylina and Raff turned, looking toward the night sky.
“That was fast,” she said.
“Yes, and it won’t take a dragon long to fly over here.” Raff frowned at the cliff below them. “Are you sure you wouldn’t consider climbing down rather than going back in?”
“If we climb down, we have to climb back up in order to look at that device. I don’t know how much time we’ll have. I assume the dragons will know when they look at Bhrava Saruth that he’s not female.”
Taylina closed her mouth, realizing that the sounds of torture had stopped, and all she could hear was the roar of the surf below. Was it because Bergethor had noticed a new dragon approaching? Or was he listening to their conversation? He’d seemed so busy—and so uninterested in humans—that she hadn’t worried overmuch about speaking aloud, but now she wondered if that had been a mistake.
Not consulting Raff, she crept down the tunnel again. He grumbled something behind her and followed. She hoped her silly plan wouldn’t get him killed, but Bhrava Saruth had promised a favor. And they were badly in need of a favor.
As she reached the bend in the tunnel, the rock wall still warm under her hand from the dragon’s fire, a flapping noise sounded behind her. A draft whispered down the passage.
“Hurry,” Raff urged, touching her back.
She turned her careful creep into a lopsided run, grimacing at the pain, but too afraid that a dragon might be swooping in behind them to slow down for it.
The golden light of the chamber came into view again. She spotted a few columns to the left and picked the closest one to run behind. She paused to peer into the chamber first to make sure Bergethor wasn’t looking right at them. He crouched on his golden haunches, his back to them. She hoped he was still focused on Bhrava Saruth and would not notice them.
Before she took more than a step out of the tunnel and toward the column, Raff bowled into her from behind. She crashed down, barely getting her hands out to break her fall before smacking her nose on the stone floor. Only the presence of the dragon kept her from shouting out in indignation. Then a shadow passed over her, a draft stirring her hair as a dark shape soared into the chamber.
Beginnings: Five Heroic Fantasy Adventure Novels Page 4