“Did they ever look in the Draconis Pass?”
“It has been too difficult for anyone other than a significantly powered fire mage to come here.”
“You are here.”
“I am with you, Deshazl.”
Fes glanced over at the priest. “I thought you said you were able to come through the dragon plains?”
“I can come to the dragon plains, but I’ve never been to the pass. It is too difficult, even for me. This is a place where only the Deshazl would have managed to come.” Talmund smiled at him. “Do you still doubt what you are?”
Fes looked around. It was this ability that Azithan had hired him for, wasn’t it? It was the connection to the relics that made Fes valuable. “I stopped doubting a while ago.”
“I can help you understand, especially with everything that you’ve done for us.”
Fes shook his head. He wasn’t sure that he wanted the priest to help him understand. Wasn’t sure that he wanted anything other than what he had always wanted. Wasn’t that enough?
Energy began to sizzle around him, and Fes looked up. Reina was working at her magic again. Much longer, and it would explode away from her, and then the dragon bones all around Fes would be exposed. How many times before she discovered how extensive the collection of bones was?
When the explosion came, sucking the haze back up into the sky, drawing the heat away, if only momentarily, Fes looked around and saw the bones near him. One of them was enormous, curving out of the ground, looking like a finger pointing at the sky.
A robed figure moved toward them.
Reina.
“There she is,” Fes said.
He started toward her. If she reached the relic, she would be able to draw on the power that remained in this place, and then she would become unstoppable.
“She will have just used up much of her power,” the priest said. “Now is as good a time as any to attempt this.”
Fes took a deep breath and stalked toward Reina.
As he approached, the heat barrier began to shimmer around him, the same barrier that he had detected when he first encountered Reina. With it came doubt.
What was he doing? What was he thinking coming here, and assuming that he could somehow confront a fire mage? Who was he other than a collector for the empire?
Did it matter who he was?
All that mattered was that he needed to stop her. Once he did, then he could reach the dragon heart.
That had to be the focus of his plan. Stop Reina. Reach the dragon heart. Figure out the rest later.
The haze built quickly, making it difficult for him to see anything.
Surprisingly, he could feel Reina. Heat radiated from her. Fes slashed at it, using his daggers to part her magic as he approached.
It worked, but only barely. The heat built again and he tried to ignore it but found it difficult to do. It seemed to push him away, a physical presence, as if Reina used the energy drawn from the dragon relics to throw him back.
Fes considered his options. As she approached, the haze of heat building off her seemed to shimmer, reminding him of the haze hanging over the entire dragon fields. Each time he attempted to swipe through it, slashing with his daggers, he failed to make any sort of change to it.
“Is there anything that you can do?” Fes asked Talmund.
“I will have the same restrictions as her,” the priest said.
“And by that, you mean that you can only use the dragon artifacts?”
“I can use the dragon relics, but she will have much more power than anything I can generate.”
“See what you can do to slow her,” Fes said.
They needed to have her continue to draw off the haze coming from the dragon fields. If they could do that, it might weaken her enough that he could get close. If he managed to do that, he thought he might be able to sink a dagger into her chest.
Would that even be enough?
Would her magic let her survive a stabbing like that?
The barrier exploded out from her.
Fes was thrown back, away from the dragon bones.
She had targeted him and not Talmund.
Fes stumbled to his feet, staggering toward her, slashing at the air with his daggers. Energy sizzled along the blades, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. There was power there, but something else, too.
Could the daggers somehow be storing the energy she expended?
It was a possibility that he hadn’t considered. If that were the case, then Fes had to believe that he had a chance of using them against her.
If only he could get close enough.
It was possible he would not be able to. If she continued creating the same barrier, if she continued to attack him with it, then she could prevent him from reaching her.
Fes continued to swipe at the air, cutting over and over again, and each time he did, he managed to get only a step closer. None of it was enough.
The air exploded, and Fes readied to be thrown back again.
It wasn’t targeted at him.
He glanced over at Talmund and saw him holding a length of dragon bone. The bone glowed, the striations within it radiating colors. He aimed it at Reina, almost as if it were a crossbow or a sword.
Reina swept her hand toward the priest and flame exploded. The priest lowered the bone and made a swirl with his free hand and the flame dissipated.
She turned her attention back to Talmund, focusing more intensely on him.
“You are more than a simple dragon priest,” she said. She held both of her palms up, angled together. A ball of fire formed between them.
Even from where he stood, Fes could feel the heat rising from whatever it was that she was doing. If it exploded from her, would the priest be strong enough to withstand it?
“You will not claim these relics,” Talmund said.
“The dragons are gone. It is time that you and your ragged band recognize that. And this empire will fall. Now that we know—”
Talmund didn’t let her finish. “They’re not gone. They live within us.”
The priest reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He held it open in his palm. It was a sphere, hints of blue color glittering against the gray sky.
A dragon pearl.
Fes was sure that was what it was, though it was small and certainly didn’t seem to be large enough to withstand a fireball the size of that which Reina intended to throw at the priest.
Talmund angled his hand toward Reina. The pearl began to glow, taking on the bluish color that Fes saw coming off it.
She released the fireball held between her hands, forcing it toward the priest.
Fes cried out.
The dragon pearl exploded outward, and the blue flame met the red of Reina’s fireball.
When it did, the air exploded with heat and energy and the blue from the dragon pearl pressed through the red fireball, destroying it as it continued to make its way toward Reina.
She reached into her pocket and withdrew an object and pointed it at the blue flame. It hovered in the air for a moment before streaking up into the sky.
“A challenger. I had not expected to meet one in these lands.”
“I am no challenger.”
She smiled. “No? Then perhaps you will simply die.” She pointed the object that she had in her pocket at Talmund. When she did, Fes could see that it was a dragon pearl, and it was more significant than what the priest had used.
The priest’s eyes widened. He scrambled into his pocket, trying to reach for something, but as the pearl the fire mage held began to glow, Fes could tell that he wouldn’t be fast enough.
He launched himself forward, cutting at the air with the daggers, not wanting Talmund to die. He screamed.
The air hung with a strange energy and his body practically burned with it. He streaked like an arrow at the fire mage.
She turned to him and pressed out with the dragon pearl.
A glowing ball of red flame shot
toward him.
Fes could do nothing. His momentum carried him forward, and he couldn’t change direction. He led with his daggers, holding them in front of him, pointed together like a tip of a spear or an arrow. Energy sizzled along the blades.
The fireball would envelop him.
There was nothing that Fes could do that would prevent that. Not now.
When it reached him, the heat was tremendous. He gritted his teeth, preparing to be burned, but the flame parted around his daggers and sizzled out.
The fire mage’s eyes widened slightly, and then Fes reached her.
She waved her hands quickly, and a barrier sprung into place. The haze began to lift, rising from the ground, practically obscuring everything so that it was only Fes and the fire mage. He slashed at the barrier, sweeping his daggers across the magic, trying to part it, but she continued to move her hands, blocking him.
“Who are you? How are you here?”
He ignored her question, sweeping the blades toward her. The barrier began to part, separating, and she continued to weave her hands around. Each time she made a movement, the barrier reformed, pushing Fes back. He didn’t know enough about how to use the daggers to separate it, and if she had enough time, he suspected that she would be able to push him back completely.
An explosion struck her from the back.
Reina turned and pressed her hands together quickly, sending flames shooting out.
At that moment, Fes slashed at the air, separating the magic, and stabbed one of his daggers into her back.
Reina fell forward, and the dagger slipped free. She rolled, facing him on the ground. She tried to bring her hands together, but Fes leaped on top of her, jabbing into each shoulder with the daggers. He pressed down, holding them in place.
“Perhaps you are more than Deshazl,” she said.
He jerked on the daggers, and they carved through her flesh. Blood poured from her wounds. Heat rose up from her, washing over his hands much like the warmth of her blood. Fes held her in place, afraid to move, afraid to withdraw the daggers, and afraid that she would get back up. If she did, if she somehow managed to reach for her magic again, he didn’t know whether he would be able to stop her.
Someone grabbed his shoulder, and he glanced up.
“It’s done,” the priest said.
“What is?”
“All of this. Her,” he said, motioning to Reina. “Your mission.”
Fes looked down at Reina. Her eyes were glazed, and her skin had gone pale, much paler than it had when she was alive. Her curly raven-colored hair had lost its luster and age wrinkled her face in ways that had not been there before.
“That wasn’t the mission.”
“Not at first, but now it was.”
Fes removed his daggers and wiped them on Reina. He reached into her pockets, searching for other dragon relics, and found another dragon pearl. He held it in his hand, feeling the warmth and noting the reddish striations along it. There were a few other dragon relics, and he pulled them from her pockets, lining them up on the ground next to her. When he was done, he turned to the priest and held out the dragon pearl.
The priest shook his head. “That is not meant for me.”
“Why not?”
“It’s difficult to explain.”
Fes pocketed the dragon pearl. There was no question that this one was authentic; he could tell in a way he hadn’t been able to with the others. When he stepped away from Reina, Talmund removed another dragon pearl from his pocket and set it on her body. He pressed his hand down on top of it and flames began to envelop her, quickly burning her body to nothingness. The flames continued, catching through the rock and exploding with small pops.
“What was that about?”
“She cannot defile this place,” the priest said.
The haze had nearly completely returned. Fes realized that he no longer heard the sounds of battle, not as he had.
“What now?”
“And now you return.”
“Just like that?”
Talmund nodded. “Your mission is complete.”
It wasn’t, but maybe that didn’t matter. “What of Carter and the rest of the mercenaries?”
“The mercenaries will find it much more difficult to traverse these lands without Reina.”
Fes chuckled. “You still might find it difficult to overpower Carter.”
“If she’s smart, she’ll run from here as quickly as possible.” He turned his gaze to the north and the mountains that were now obscured by the haze of the Draconis Pass. “And she will find it much more difficult to return.”
“What of the dragon heart?”
“The dragon heart will be harvested, and it will be protected.”
“And my payment?”
The priest regarded him for a long moment. “Is that what it’s all about for you?”
Was it? That was why he’d taken the job, but now he had different questions. Was there anything he could learn from Talmund? Would there be any reason to remain with the rebellion? “What else should it be about? I took this job with the incentive of getting paid.”
The priest stared at him for a moment before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a small satchel. He handed it over.
Fes took it and found the satchel heavier than he expected. When he opened it, he saw it filled with gold coins.
He glanced up. “This is more than what Horus agreed.”
“It is, but you’ve done more than you agreed as well.”
Fes looked around. “What about you?”
The priest turned in place, surveying everything around him. “I will be well enough to get out of here. I know how to get free.”
“And these dragon relics?” Fes asked.
“They will remain. This place should not be disturbed.”
Fes debated whether he should stay with the priest before merely shaking his head. There was no point in remaining. He had his gold. He had completed his task. And now it was time for him to return.
“What about you?” he asked.
“Now I will find the dragon heart.”
“To raise a dragon.”
The priest smiled. “After everything that you’ve seen lately, is that so hard for you to believe?”
Fes thought about the dragon plains and what he had seen. It wasn’t hard for him to believe. If anything, he could almost imagine dragons returning, especially if there were others as powerful as Reina. Fes had never seen how powerful Azithan could be, but he suspected that he was more potent than that. Would he be able to raise the dragons again?
“I guess it’s not.” He looked at the rebellion, who had gathered, post-battle. Alison was there, and a part of him wanted the chance to reconnect with her, but the time for them had passed. He had seen that during their travels. She had moved on, joining the rebellion, and he had Azithan. Regardless of what Alison believed, Azithan had treated him well.
But maybe there was something he could still do for her.
He regarded the priest. “Do you have everything you need to raise the dragon again?”
“Ah, for that we don’t. In time, we should be able to. Then a dragon will confront the dragon. And the reign of the empire’s violence will end.”
“What happens if a new violence takes its place?”
“The dragons deserve to be a part of this world, Fezarn. If you would stay with me, I could help you understand. You of all people deserve that opportunity.”
It was tempting. A chance to better understand who he was and where he came from. But if he did, it meant working against the empire, and that wasn’t something he was willing to do. Besides, he suspected Azithan had answers for him. That had to be the reason he’d sent Fes in the first place. And if he did, Fes might be better served returning to Anuhr than by staying with the priest.
“Good luck,” Fes said.
“Luck?”
He nodded. “Finding the dragon heart. Good luck.”
“For that, we do
n’t need luck.”
“You don’t?”
The priest smiled. “I already know how to find it. As I said, you could accompany me. I will help you understand what it means to be Deshazl and you could—”
“I don’t intend to join the rebellion. And there’s still something that I need to do.”
“What is that?”
“Keep a promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fes crept along the rock, moving slowly as he trailed alongside the rebellion caravan. Every so often, the wind would shift, and he would catch sight of them, and when he did, he looked for signs of Alison, but he didn’t see her again. She was there. He was certain of it. He had stayed close enough to the rebellion caravan to ensure that she was.
As he followed the rebellion, he began to overhear sounds that made him think that they passed the reminders of the mercenaries. He veered off, making his way through the haze, and came across the expected remnants.
Fes moved closely, keeping track of them, watching for signs of Carter. She would be there, he was sure of it, and while he wasn’t concerned about chasing her, not anymore, he didn’t want to deal with a confrontation any sooner than he needed to.
He waited until late at night, long after they had camped, and he used the fog to sneak into their camp. When he reached the first guard, he wrapped his arms around his throat, knocking him out rather than cutting him down. He didn’t have much reason to be kind to him, but he had no interest in slaughtering these men.
With that guard down, he hurried forward and reached a tent that had two other men on either side of it. Fes lunged forward, slamming his fist into the side of one man’s head and sweeping his leg around, knocking the other down to the ground and punching him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him before he could react.
He used his daggers to cut through the tent and then he stepped inside.
A part of him expected there to be guards inside, and after everything that they had been through, he worried that there would be another fire mage. A part of him feared that perhaps he hadn’t removed the threat of Reina quite as effectively as he had believed, but he had seen her die, and there was no way she was coming back from the wounds she had sustained.
Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1) Page 28