Kelben’s voice spoke in my head. “We will go to Delaron. Your young friend Traz is there.”
“Traz! I don’t understand. How can he be in Delaron?” That didn’t make any sense. I began to think I really must be dreaming after all. I shivered again, and Breyard rubbed his hands on my thighs in a vain effort to warm my legs.
“I will let Traz tell you his story,” said the dragon.
The flat, yellow land below us sped by. Here and there were patches of dark green or brown. The air had grown dry, making me thirsty again.
Before long, a cluster of buildings alongside a good-sized lake appeared ahead of us. Breyard pointed and said, “That’s Delaron.”
“How can Traz be there?” I asked, but the dryness in my throat made it come out as little more than a whisper, and the wind stole the words away.
My head felt muddled, as if it were stuffed full of cotton. Traz in Delaron? Breyard here? I couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how hard I tried.
Then we were heading downward toward the sprawling city built next to the lake. Breyard’s arms tightened around me as I leaned back against the angle of descent.
Before we landed, I caught a close-up glimpse of the deep blue water surrounded by strange trees that looked like little more than trunks with a bit of fluffy foliage on top.
Then we were on the ground, and the man leapt off the huge dragon’s back and landed lightly on the ground. Breyard helped me dismount in the more conventional way. The soft, silky sand cushioned my landing but burned the soles of my feet. I let out a yelp of pain. Breyard thudded down next to me and lifted me into his arms.
Someone shouted my name, and I thought I recognized Traz’s voice. I swiveled my head around to see, but as if that movement took up my final reserves, my equilibrium failed. For a brief moment, everything swirled around me, and then I passed out.
My eyes fluttered open. At first, I feared I was back in my cell, but there was too much light. Then I thought I must be in Rennirt’s sitting room, until my brother’s face floated into view, his hazel eyes dark with concern.
“Breyard?” I asked in a whisper. “Is it really you? It wasn’t a dream?”
He smiled in relief. I heard a sound of dripping water, and next thing I knew he was placing a cool, damp cloth on my forehead. “No, it wasn’t a dream at all. How are you feeling?”
“A little woozy and confused. And hot.”
“Typical. She complains of being hot in the coolest place around.” Traz’s voice from nearby startled me into trying to sit up, but dizziness forced me to lie back again.
“Careful,” Breyard said. “Halla said you need to take it easy ’til your system gets over the shock. Lie still while I get you something to drink.”
I started to reach for his hand, not wanting him to leave my side—not yet, anyway—but he was too fast and I was too sluggish. Then Traz was there, giving me one of his grins. I lifted my hand to touch his face.
“It’s really you,” I said, smiling when he blushed. “But how?”
He looked around, then leaned down close to me. “I’ll tell you the whole story later, when you’re feeling better, but the gist of it is this. Shandry had gone outside the hut to check on Dyster. She heard those people coming, so she hid from them. That evil guy, that was Rennirt, you know.”
I nodded. “Believe me, I know.”
“Well, Shandry rescued me in the morning after they took you away, and we made double-time here. As soon as Botellin heard what happened to you, he and a few others blasted out of here like lightning. Shandry took some others to Xyla. And—”
But he cut himself off and sat straight up, a look of innocence on his face that would’ve made anyone who knew him well suspicious. A moment later, Breyard came to the other side of my bed with a mug. He slid an arm under my shoulders and lifted me gently, just enough so I could drink the clear, cold water.
“Sip it slowly,” he said. “Halla said that gulping it down will give you a stomachache.”
I thought a stomachache would be a small cost to relieve my thirst, but Breyard let me have only tiny drinks. I resolved to get him back one day.
A tiny woman with short, curly hair and green eyes walked up and put a wrinkled hand on Breyard’s shoulder.
“I’ll take over now, lad. If you don’t mind.”
He stepped back, letting her take his place near my shoulder, then hovered next to her as if not wanting to let me out of his sight. For a change, I didn’t resent his protectiveness; indeed, I actually appreciated it. Not that I’d ever admit it to him, though.
“I’m Halla, my dear,” the old woman said, picking up my hand as gently as if I were made of fine crystal and taking my pulse. “These two have told me your name is Donavah.” Her voice was soothing and her eyes jolly, but her words carried the weight of a master. She must be the healer.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, licking my lips as my voice came out as a croak.
“You may have more to drink in a few minutes.” She set my hand down, patted it, and felt first my right cheek and then my left, frowning but saying nothing about the mark there. “You have had a bit of a shock, and I want you to stay here a few more days to regain your strength. I trust you will have two attentive caregivers.” She smiled at Traz and Breyard. “You may talk here quietly until she sleeps again.”
Breyard and Traz nodded in agreement, and Halla left, saying something about a light but nutritious meal.
Breyard helped me to drink some more water, and this time when he lifted me, I didn’t get dizzy, so I asked him to help me sit up properly.
That felt much better. The cloth Breyard had put on my forehead only a few minutes before slipped to my lap, and when I picked it up, I found it was practically dry.
Traz took it and set it next to a large bowl on the bedside table. Breyard sat on a chair, just looking at me without saying a word. For a moment, I stared back. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, that’s an interesting story,” he said, then didn’t say any more. His eyes took on an unfocused look.
“Maybe you could tell me sometime today? Before I burst from wondering about it?”
He focused back on me. “Oh, sorry. Got distracted for a moment there.”
I looked at the wall behind me, but that’s all it was, a plain wall without even any pictures on it. The windows were on the other side of the room, though from where I was, the only thing I could see out of them was the bright blue sky.
Breyard continued. “You know about the fight in the dragon pit. Traz told me all about the part you and he played in it.” I nodded. “Well, all I knew at the time was that a dragon was going to kill me. Just before they shoved me out there, they shaved my head, stripped off my clothes, and doused me with some foul-smelling liquid they called ‘dragon bait.’
“I’d been in the dark so long that when I entered the pit, the sun blinded me. But I could hear the noise of the crowd rising up all around me. And then, when my sight cleared, all I could see was this huge red dragon.”
He stopped speaking, and his eyes tightened as if the memory of that day still brought him pain.
“Xyla,” I said softly, trying to bring his attention back to his story.
“Yes, Xyla. When she grabbed me up in her mouth, I figured it was all over, but she didn’t hurt me at all. Everything went sparkly, and hot and cold, and my ears were filled with strange noises like musical explosions. But that sounds stupid. Maybe it was all a dream. I can’t remember it very clearly. Xyla landed, had me mount her properly—”
Traz’s giggle interrupted Breyard. “Bet that was comfy, you being naked and all.”
“Traz!” I exclaimed as Breyard blushed.
“Well, it’s true,” Traz said, not even trying to hide his mirth.
“But you don’t have to say it.”
“It’s all right,” Breyard said. “He’s right, anyway. That whole journey was something I’d rather forget, but it was better than the alternative. And Xyla brought me here, to Delaron.”
A million questions rushed into my head, leaving me unable to articulate any of them. Why hadn’t Xyla simply returned right away with Breyard? Why wait here so long? Now I remembered him saying that he’d stayed here more than a year. Why? Then another clear thought rang through all the questions.
“There are two of Xyla here!” I exclaimed.
Breyard shook his head. “No, three.”
He was right, of course. She’d come here to Stychs as a baby to grow. Then she’d brought Breyard. And now Traz, Grey, and me. The idea of it took my breath away and made my head hurt.
“Are the other two here? In Dealron, I mean?”
“No. The younger one is with the rest of the youngsters at a place called Rinkam.”
“A dragon nursery?” The image that thought conjured made me smile.
Breyard smiled, too. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. The other one, the one I’m here with, well, as soon as Traz explained the situation, Botellin sent her away. She and a few other dragons went to Altan. She said she’ll come back once everything is resolved.”
It was a moment before the significance of what Breyard said sank in. “She said? You can speak to her?”
He bit his lower lip and gave me a sidelong look.
“You’re maejic, too!” I exclaimed.
He nodded slowly. “I discovered it when I was in Erno’s prison. One of the dragonmasters denounced me. It didn’t, shall we say, improve my plight.”
Halla came back just then carrying a tray with food on it. She shooed the boys away, promising they could come back after I’d eaten and rested a bit.
There was a thick soup that was tasty without being too savory; a bowl of red, green, and pale yellow beans with melted butter; two pieces of flatbread; and a cup of hot herb tea. I didn’t feel hungry until the aroma of the soup filled my nostrils. Halla watched with a satisfied look on her face as I began to eat.
She pointed to a small bell that hung from the wall next to the bed. “Just ring when you’re done, and someone will come to take the tray. Then I want you to try to sleep again.”
“But I’ve only just woken up. I’m not tired, and I’m feeling better every minute.”
She smiled in the kindly aggravating way of healers everywhere. “You might not feel tired now, but you need to rest a bit more before I’ll release you.”
“But I have to get back to Xyla—”
She put a finger to her lips. “Just eat. Then sleep. We’ll see after that.” She left my bedside.
I looked around the infirmary as I ate. There were only three others, though there were sixteen beds, and we were spread around the room as if to give as much privacy as possible. Two of the others were men. The older one sat up studying a piece of parchment while the younger one had a tray on which he was playing some sort of solitaire card game. The third person lay sleeping, and I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
When I finished eating, I rang the bell as Halla had instructed. It gave off a pleasant note that remained steady and didn’t die away until a dark girl about my age came to my bed and pointed at it.
“I’m Jinna,” she said with a cheery smile. “I’ll be your attendant while you’re here. Is there anything I can get for you before you sleep?”
“Well, actually … ” I started, feeling the first signs that the tea had gone right through me.
“Oh! Yes, of course,” Jinna said, immediately catching on. “I’ll take you.”
She helped me out of bed, producing a thin robe and slippers from under the bed. The facility was just a short walk away, but by the time I climbed back into my bed, I was worn out.
Jinna put the robe and slippers back where they came from, asked once again if I needed anything, then took the tray and left.
I lay for awhile, not sure whether I was tired enough to fall asleep. My mind was filled with too many thoughts to be able to catch hold of any of them. The journey to Delaron, everything that had happened with Rennirt, the rescue by the dragons, and now finding Breyard here. Trying to put all the pieces together made my head spin, and eventually I did drop off.
In my dream, I walked through a dark tunnel toward a dim light at the far end. When I came out, it was to step into a cave lit only by glowing embers. Something lay on the ground just ahead of me: a long, thin bundle wrapped in black cloth. I drew nearer.
The bundle moved, and I realized that it was me, sleeping. That brought me to a halt. Before I could puzzle out the meaning, a cloaked figure stepped from the shadows. It moved silently and smoothly, as if it were floating instead of walking.
It reached the sleeping me and crouched down, placing a hand on my head—a hand from which power flowed so thick I could see its tendrils encasing my whole upper body.
A voice floated on the air, and I strained to catch the words. “Your move.” Why was that familiar? “Your move.” The flavor of the words left behind a rancid aftertaste.
The crouching figure moved slightly, and I caught a glimpse of the person’s face. A handsome face with strong features. Rennirt! My heart almost stopped. But no. This person was shorter than he and wider in the shoulders. And had much lighter skin.
Anazian!
Yes. Now I recognized his chiseled features and well-groomed hair.
“No!” I cried out. “Get away from me!”
He looked up from the sleeping me to the watching me, and his gaze went straight to my heart like lightning. He rose to his feet, pulling back his hood. His smile lacerated my soul.
“No!” I cried out again.
His lips parted.
“Donavah.”
“No! Get away from me!” I wanted to flee but couldn’t seem to move.
“Donavah! Wake up!”
A half-played game of Talisman and Queen lies before me, the jewel pieces glowing as they sit on the black velvet, embroidered with glittering silver thread. The Queen’s Heart, made of lapis lazuli, gleams at the center. Ranged about are the Talismans: mine, topaz; my opponent’s, amethyst.
I cannot see against whom I play. Shrouded in shadow, the brooding presence stands, absorbing energy and my concentration. It seems to suck the very air from the room. I can scarce breathe.
The game is almost won. My heart tells me that with a single move, I will Secure the Queen’s Heart. But my brain is frozen, unable to make sense of the game pieces. A wrong move, and my enemy will take all.
A voice breaks the silence—a familiar male voice that echoes around the room growing in power instead of fading away.
“Your move,” it says.
A bright light shines, exploding the darkness.
“Perhaps you should give up and go home. Yes, that would be a plan. Home, where all is not as you left it,” the voice says again, taking the last of the air with it.
I fall into a black pit of nothingness.
And then I awake.
I snapped out of my dream with a start that left me breathless. Breyard was leaning over me, hands on my shoulders, gently shaking me. I could hear my own ragged, shuddering breaths as I gulped the air.
Eyes dark with concern, Breyard asked, “Are you all right?”
I closed my eyes and reopened them just to make sure I’d really woken up.
“Yes,” I said, my voice dry and harsh. “Bad dream.”
Breyard, who I now saw was wearing strangely bright clothes made of some shiny fabric that gleamed even in the dimly lit infirmary room, let go and poured me a cup of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. “Here. Maybe this will help.”
I sat u
p and took the cup. The water tasted sweet and cooled the fever of my dream.
“Want to tell me about it?” Breyard asked.
“It was so weird,” I replied.
“Oh, and most dreams aren’t?”
I shot him a look of surprise, only to find him grinning. He turned the chair so that he could sit facing me. “All right, I’ll shut up and let you tell.”
I took a deep breath and let it out in an audible sigh. “It was Anazian.”
“Who or what is that?”
Right. Breyard wouldn’t know about that. And I realized I couldn’t tell him, because when he returned to Hedra, the whole thing would be part of his future. I’d have to keep the details vague.
“He’s a mage. Back home. But the thing is that he said something to me that I’d been dreaming about before we came here.” I told Breyard about the strange dreams of playing Talisman and Queen, and my opponent saying, “Your move.”
“Do you think it means anything?” Breyard asked.
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know what it could mean.”
He took my hand in both of his, which were warm and comforting. “Then forget it. It’s probably nothing. I came by to check on you, see how you’re doing.” His eyes flicked to my left cheek, but he left that question unasked.
“I’m all right. I just want to get back to Xyla. And back home.” A lump rose in my throat. Home. To Mama and Papa. Where I could be safe.
As if to stave off my impending tears, Breyard guffawed. “Home? And miss all this excitement?”
His strategy didn’t work. My heart was still too raw. “Excitement?” It came out of me like a river bursting a dam. “Excitement? Being attacked by traitors and dragonmasters? Being chased into a whole other world? Being imprisoned and … and … ” I yanked my hand out of his and covered my cheek “ … having someone cut into your face? If that’s the kind of excitement you’re after, you can have it!” By this time, tears were streaming down my face.
Breyard looked stricken. “That’s not … oh … ” He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and he gathered me into his arms. I wept. And wept. All the bitterness of those long, dark hours came spewing out of me. Breyard simply held me, patting my back every once in awhile or whispering, “It’ll be all right,” in a soothing way.
SpringFire Page 12