“What’s going on?” she shouted as she blinked and shook her head to chase the sleep away.
“We must go,” Brendoth said. “We believe there is a fleet of ships after us.”
“Excuse me?” Isabella thought that she must still be sleeping.
“While we were fishing, we noticed a few boats coming toward us,” Sisera said. “Then, a few more. We turned back this way and they are following us with more ships joining the fleet along the way.”
“They are a few hours behind us but we must go now. We do not wish for a confrontation and Caritha will slow us considerably,” Brendoth said.
“Agreed,” Isabella said. “We are ready.”
Adina closed the crate and Isabella lifted it into the netting alongside Caritha.
“Hello, dear,” Adina said as she approached Brendoth.
The massive dragon bowed his head low so the older woman could find a grip between his shoulder and neck. She scaled up the giant beast with dexterity that surprised nobody there but Isabella. When she was settled between the dragon’s shoulders, where she could easily wedge herself into his scales and not fall off, she patted the blue-white and shouted, “Let’s go!”
Brendoth took hold of one corner of the netting and when three other dragons, Sisera included, had their grips he pumped his massive wings as a signal to take off.
“That’s amazing,” Isabella said with a smile as she watched the scene from the beach. She watched for a moment more but just when they were about to take off she ran and leaped on to Sisera’s back.
“You need a diet or something.” The gold-purple laughed which was cut short by a stomp by Isabella.
“Concentrate on what you’re doing,” Isabella said with a laugh.
The group made it around the north-west horn of Droll before the ships came into sight on the far horizon. At first, they looked very far off, nothing more than a small black line in the distance but in no time that line grew longer and thicker until it became a threatening slash.
“Take me closer,” Adina shouted to Brendoth.
The blue-white traded off his carrying position to a green-blue called Brayeth. “Begin to fly inland,” he shouted. “Find shelter in the mountains.”
Sisera traded her position with a yellow-red called Nuze and followed after Brendoth.
“We can’t fight them,” Isabella shouted as they caught up.
“I don’t want to fight them. I just want to see who they are,” Adina said. “Maybe they are friendly.”
Isabella and Sisera laughed simultaneously.
“Somehow, I doubt it,” Isabella shouted. “We should probably fly higher.”
There were dozens of ships in the fleet but only one was big enough to have a crew larger than twenty. Adina pointed to that one and Brendoth flew closer.
When Adina saw the flag, she scoffed and shouted, “I thought so.”
The crew on the deck of the big ship, as well as all the ships around were busy firing arrows at the dragons as they circled ahead. The dragons flew at a safe height, well out of the range of the volleys.
“What is it?” Isabella asked.
“They are pirates from the Grim Isles. Many of them port in Bridgewater. That ship belongs to an old acquaintance of mine, Captain Vern. They are small time buccaneers and are mildly dangerous. More of a nuisance than anything else. My guess is that there is bounty on dragons and the fools think they can take down an easy payday.”
“That’s a lot of ships for an easy payday.”
“That’s a lot of dragon’s.”
Isabella nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Maybe if we just stay up here, they will exhaust their stash of arrows,” Sisera said.
“It baffles me why they keep firing though we are clearly out of range. Their commanders must be daft,” Brendoth said, shaking his head.
“How far would they chase us?” Isabella shouted.
“Across the world, if the money was right,” Adina said.
“Great,” Isabella said. The only two routes were not terribly hazardous but the only other option was leaving Caritha behind which was not an option at all.
“Inland but along the coastline will be our best bet,” Brendoth said.
The two dragons left the ships behind, still uselessly firing arrows in their direction, and went in search of their comrades. It took some time and Isabella was beginning to get worried but they finally found the six dragons with the injured Caritha, on a high plateau, a mile inland.
“Something is wrong,” Sisera said as they got closer. All the carrier dragons were laying on the sandy ground not moving.
When they landed, Adina immediately climbed down the blue-white and ran to inspect the fallen beasts. Isabella went straight for Caritha, relieved to find the dragon still alive, though still unmoving. Sisera was checking the other dragons but breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
“They are all alive,” Adina said. “I think it may be poison.”
“Poison? When? How?” Isabella asked, so confused. She racked her brain but could not think of when it might have happened. “Did they stop somewhere before here?”
“I don’t know but I think I can treat it,” Adina said as she cracked the lid off her crate. “We need fresh water and lots of it. And, something to make shelters. We are going to be here for a while.”
The old woman rolled up her sleeves and disappeared into her work.
Isabella looked around the plateau and sighed. There was plenty of room and it was flat but there was absolutely nothing. They would have to haul up everything. “Well, at least it’s safe here, if we are going to be staying for some time,” she said as she flew off with the dragons to collect what they needed.
25
When Raven was a child, her father told her bedtime stories of famous warriors and legendary battles. One of her favorites was the tale of the Defence of Hope Spring Temple. This was the one story that always kept her awake until the end.
Centuries ago, a powerful warlord stormed across the land with his great army of nomadic warriors, razing villages, castles, and temples across the North in search of magical relics and sources of mystical energy. It was said that the warlord, called Hethtar the Conqueror, had been blessed by the gods and was undefeated in battle. Across ancient Solotine, fortresses and cities crumbled at the hands of Hethtar and his mighty black-steel blade, Orenmire the Lifedrinker. Some said that the legendary blade was so powerful that it could cut through thick stone walls like it was cutting through fine silk but others said that it was the ability of Hethtar himself that would break the stone.
From the mouths of tortured prisoners, Hethtar heard the story of a temple high on a mountain that housed a pool of immense magical power. Of course, he could not resist the urge to grab it for himself so he turned his horde toward the mountain called Ghurghol.
When he arrived, he found the mountain impossible to climb, save for a narrow, steep staircase that had been cut into the nearly vertical cliff face. Hethtar mounted the steps and was met by a small group of monks, who were caretakers of the temple. The monks welcomed him and showed him the shimmering pool beneath the ancient house of worship. Hethtar drank from the pool and was revitalized.
Amazed by the power of the pool, he wanted the pool for only himself. He demanded that the monks relinquish control of the temple to him but they refused and sent him away. Determined to have his prize, Hethtar organized his horde and ordered them to climb the staircase to fight for the temple. Standing two abreast, a column of two thousand warriors climbed the steep, miles-long staircase, like a snake winding its way up a tree trunk.
The monks fought bravely and repelled wave after wave but it soon became evident that the monks could only maintain the pace of battle for so long before they became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. The monks knew they needed to call for help but there was no way for them to get word out as the horde made it impossible to pass down the stairs.
One monk, a boy of barely eighteen
named Benji, offered to go. The elder monks were skeptical of his plan but the boy’s steadfast faith convinced them to let him try. Benji went immediately to the shimmering pool and drank deeply of the waters. He then ran out of the temple and threw himself from the steepest cliff.
An hour later, warriors from a nearby village arrived to give aid to the monks. Like a nut in a vice, the horde was crushed and Hethtar was defeated, though he was more than content to die in the heat of battle.
A veranda was built on the cliff from which the young hero leaped. It was named Benji’s Bluff in his honor.
The story of Benji became a lesson passed down over the generations to teach Solotinian children the importance of bravery and ingenuity
Raven thought of the story as she fell through the air after leaping from Benji’s Bluff. Hopefully, the story she loved so much as a child was not a just a tall tale and the feat Benji performed could be recreated.
The answer came when she slammed into a stone outcropping halfway down the side of the sheer cliff. The impact pushed all the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping but otherwise unharmed as she bounced off and continued to fall. A moment later she hit a large boulder with similar results except for the rock halted her progress.
Raven lay still and stared up at the distance she had just fallen. After a moment, the shock seemed to wear off and she got her breath back. She began to laugh.
What a rush! she thought. Benji probably did that for fun.
She stood and brushed herself off after checking for injuries. She had none.
Filled with amazement, Raven lowered herself from the boulder and proceeded down the steep embankment with some caution because she couldn’t be sure how long the effects of the Hope Spring water would last.
She knew that her stunt had put her ahead of the Sacred Blood brothers with their young captive giving her a tremendous advantage. Raven imagined that they would trap the staircase somehow in case she freed herself before the estimated time to slow her even further, so they would surely not be expecting an ambush.
Raven thought back to her youth, when she would travel to the temple with her family. She tried hard to remember the trails and routes they would take but they were not something a young child paid particular attention to.
Cursing under her breath, Raven decided that the best course of action was to discreetly find the Brothers and which way they were going. Only then could she plan her attack.
She followed the mountain until she found the trail that headed west however she couldn’t be sure that was the route they would take though she was certain that she was still ahead of them. She found a spot where she could see them approaching from far away and waited.
Hours went by and she started to doubt her reasoning, when she caught sight of movement in the distance. Straining her sight, she watched for it again. Sure enough, a slim man in a dark, hooded robe came into view, holding a rope as if he were leading a pack mule. A moment later, the mule, or rather, the young girl at the end of the rope, came into view. Raven looked for the big man but he did not appear.
Maybe I missed him? she thought.
It didn’t matter now anyway, so Raven left her perch and hurried down the trail to find her ambush. She knew she had time. The Brothers obviously needed the Dragonblood girl for some purpose so she would be safe for the time being.
After running along the trail for some time, a horrible thought occurred to Raven. If either of them have even the most basic training in tracking, then they will know someone has been on the trail shortly before them. Raven cursed her own stupidity but there was nothing to do except continue with her plan though she would have to be more careful now.
The sky began to grow dark and Raven began to grow weary. They must stop to camp sometime soon, she thought. There were a few spots along the trail that Raven thought would make an easy camp but she could not be certain if the men would choose to stop or just push on into the darkness.
I am going to need to learn to be a better strategist if I am going to continue to chase after kidnapped Dragonblood girls, she thought. When Isabella had been kidnapped, Raven had enlisted the help of a town drunk who turned out to be a brilliant tracker with a keen mind for strategy. Kai would know exactly how to get her back.
Her thoughts saddened as she thought of her friend. It had only been a few days since she had seen him last but it felt like a lifetime ago. Raven wished he was there now. Even if they could not be lovers, she cherished his friendship.
The trail was much harder to follow in the dark so Raven decided to find a place to wait out the night. She found a large oak tree and pulled herself up into the branches. She climbed until she found a spot where the branches made a perfect seat and she settled down to rest.
Sleep would not come and her thoughts drifted back to Kai. She had flashbacks of the night the Brothers took control of her mind and sent her to kill him. She thought she had. What a relief it was to see him that night in Adina’s growing house, injured but still fighting. She could never forgive herself for that. Even though she had been under the control of the Brothers, Raven still felt somewhat responsible. She had been forced to watch the horrific scene as a prisoner in her own body and the memory of it made her feel ill.
Raven renewed her vow of revenge on the Brothers and climbed down from the tree. Just as she reached the last low hanging branch though she saw a flame flickering in the distance. As quietly as she could she climbed up high enough to see the trail and remain hidden.
What seemed like hours later, she saw the light again, blinking on and off as it danced behind trees. She held her breath as it got closer and steadier. Soon, she saw three silhouettes making their way up the trail at a steady pace. She dared not blink as the trio passed beneath her lofty hiding spot.
“I could really go for a mug of Porthonie ale right now,” the slim one said. “Or six.”
“That is tonic for loosening bar wenches. You have no business drinking that. You are a grown man,” came the reply.
She could not make out his face in the shadows but Raven recognized the voice as Tarak’s. She gritted her teeth and gripped the branch. Now was not the time for action. She had to be patient.
It was unfortunate that she could not set an ambush but it was perhaps for the best. Raven did not feel as confident in her ability to set a trap as she did in her ability to follow.
After a few moments, while she could still see the source of light, Raven scrambled quickly and quietly down the tree. She kept her distance but always had the light in her sight. She tried to remember everything Kai had taught her over the years about hunting but the only lesson she could recall at the moment was ‘stay down wind’ which didn’t really seem to apply in this situation.
The sun was nearing its apex before the Brothers and their prisoner stopped for a break at the edge of a wide, fast-moving river. Raven found a thicket to hide in where she could maintain her sightline to her prey but also take a much-needed rest.
The slim Brother had been quickly repairing the ice that held Shayla while they were walking so he took the opportunity to completely redo the frigid bonds. Raven had seen magic similar to what he was using but it was still amazing to watch the ice turn to water and fall away with just a wave of his hand. With another incantation, ice began to reform around her. Raven noticed that Shayla did not even struggle as the slim one bound her with his magic.
It was then that she saw an opportunity arise.
Santaal retied the rope to the back of Shayla’s ice-bond then looped the rope over a low-hanging branch. He called to Tarak, who had disappeared from Raven’s sight, then followed after the response.
The young girl could not free herself but Raven could very easily. A plan came to her mind. A reckless, crazy plan that just might work.
Raven leaped out of the thicket and ran full-tilt toward Shayla, whose face showed both happiness and surprise. She pulled the rope free from the branch and pushed the young girl toward the riverbank.
“Hey!”
The shout sounded far enough away that Raven did not bother to look back. She grabbed the rope and shoved the girl into the river, jumping in after her. The fast-moving current quickly swept them downriver. When Raven sputtered to the surface, she quickly pulled herself along the rope to Shayla who was floating face down with no way to turn herself over because her arms were frozen to her side. Fighting against the growing rapids, Raven managed to flip the girl over. The ice that thickly wrapped the Dragonblood acted as a flotation device and aided Raven in keeping the girl, as well as herself, from drowning.
When she finally took the time to look upriver, Raven could see no sign of the two Sacred Blood brothers.
They had escaped.
26
They had been marching for a day, a night, and well into another day before Tarak decided that they should stop for a rest. He regretted that decision.
“Hey.”
The High Priest was relieving himself behind a tight cluster of trees when he heard Santaal shout. He knew something was terribly wrong. He grabbed a bunch of broad leaves from a nearby bush and cleaned himself quickly.
“What?” he asked as he emerged from the cluster.
“She’s gone. I told you to kill her,” Santaal screamed as he thrust his arms toward the river.
Tarak scanned the area but the Dragonblood girl was gone. “What happened? Where did she go?”
“That wench that you just had to let live grabbed her, threw her in the river, and jumped in after. They’re gone.”
Tarak stood momentarily dumbfounded. It was not often that he was not prepared for any contingency.
She must have possessed some unknown magic. How did she follow us so quickly?
“What are we going to do?” Santaal shouted, his face starting to turn a deep shade of red.
Tarak furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. There was only one thing to do.
“We go after them,” he said plainly and began pulling at the laces of his leather cuirass.
Dragon Flight: Sisera's Gift 3 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 5) Page 19