To Light the Dragon's Fire

by Margaret Taylor

  “Sis? What the hell happened?”

  She gulped at the air, dragging it deep and the words spilled back out. “Arin,” she panted. “Fight, at the Tavern. Arrested.” She sagged, her eyelids fluttering and he saw the blood just before she pitched forward.

  Terra was at her side instantly, shouting orders at Ion as he struggled off the bed. Grabbing the end, he hopped across the room and leaned his hand against the wall just as she flipped her sister over.

  “Find a healer,” she bellowed.

  Ion shot to his feet and rushed out of the house.

  He stood over them, seeing the ends of two arrows sticking up through her forearm. They’d been broken off near her skin and blood bubbled out of the wounds, pooling on her stomach now that she was lying flat. Another stuck out of her chest, near her lungs and she labored at the air, the sound rattled and clogged.

  Terra was reaching for her hand to move it and he stopped her. “Do not. Leave it.” Gut shots were the worst and what he feared was confirmed as Ion returned, a Harpy doctor right behind him.

  The Rider took Terra by the shoulders and gently pulled her away, giving the female room to work.

  The feather covered head tilted this way and that, her green eyes assessing. “We need to get her to the clinic,” she barked, looking at Ion. “Bring her.”

  He nodded and scooped Lanni against his chest, following the flash of green into the early morning light.

  Terra turned a distraught look up at him and he nodded, the air seizing in his lungs. Rage from the spell’s directive to just let her die and agony over the fear in his Kyleri’s eyes warred through his thoughts. He wanted to keep her here, with him, but if he did, and the vawi passed through the Veil, she would hate him for all eternity.

  If he let her go, she might never come back.

  No! That was not right. She would come back.

  Leaning against the wall, he cupped his hand around her cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb. “Go. Send Ion back when you can. I will find out what happened.”

  She angled her cheek into his palm, closing her eyes. “I’ll let you know how’s she’s doing.” Without looking at him again, she dashed after the others.

  He should go with her and cursed his body’s weakness in Goblin, Griffon, Pegasus and Ogre for good measure.

  He hopped into the front room, sinking into the nearest chair to wait for the Rider to return…

  ***

  Bright and early on Rotation 243, Interim King Tyleios Cannis called the Council to order. As the members took their seats he kept his face impassive. He had the desire to beam, run in circles shouting at the top of his lungs, but the news he had to impart was grave – or would be to the twelve males and females currently looking his way. To him, it was glorious and more than he dared to dream for so quickly!

  “I have received responses from the Ogre’s, the Centaurs, the Griffons and the Orc’s.”

  A low murmur of voices rounded the table and several exchanged worried looks.

  “What did they say?” Ordrac asked.

  He sighed heavily, looking each in the eye. “In light of their Regents death’s on our soil and at the hands of one of our own, they have declared War.”

  Twelve voices spoke at once.

  “What?”

  “How dare they!”

  “We must defend ourselves!”

  “Who are our allies?”

  “What are the enemy’s numbers?”

  “What weapons does the enemy have?”

  Cannis sat back in the chair, clasping his hands together under his chin and let the questions and indignation fly back and forth.

  Oh yes, this was more than he could have ever hoped for indeed!

  Ho’li, the Harpy, seemed to be the only voice of reason and spoke over his shouting counterparts. “Can we avert this?”

  And there it was!

  If he allowed the Neither-Born traitor to stand trial, thus doing exactly as the Harpy was suggesting, he would become the Savior of Bra’ka. If Manus befell a mysterious accident on his way back, then he could become a Hero during the next Great War by defending the people. Or if he just let things play out as they were going, he would rule everything and everyone by stepping up to take over after they were done killing each other off…

  Oh, decisions, decisions…

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Furiem listened from the shadows. He’d come down to the chambers to steal a moment of peace and quiet from his nagging wife and curled up on the ledge behind the curtains. He’d been awakened with the first shouts of the members at the table and remained hidden.

  Not because he feared reprisal for being there, but more out of interest into exactly what was going on.

  And something was just not right with this whole scenario! Everything was, in fact, very wrong.

  The Dragon King his family had served loyally for many Suns, was dead.

  His long-time friend and Advisor, Arin Manus was accused of the crime.

  And the four factions they feared most, had just declared War?

  No, this was all wrong.

  He wanted to pace along the ledge, work it out in his own mind, but he couldn’t and remained stock still until he heard Cannis interrupt the others.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we must start making defense plans,” he said calmly.

  “What about Manus? Has he been found?” someone asked.

  There was a smugness in the interim leader’s tone that set the hair on Furiem’s neck on edge.

  “He has. I have dispatched troops to Gahroon to retrieve him. They will be leaving shortly and should return within a few rotations to put the traitor on trial.”

  “Do you have definitive proof he is the culprit?”

  Furiem recognized the Head Doctor and his chest filled with pride for the voice of reason. The feeling disappeared with Cannis’ reply…

  “We do. The Inspector found all the materials he used to make the device…”

  “Where was it found?” Ho’li interrupted.

  Cannis sniffed. “Some in his quarters, but most in an off-building facility Manus was known to frequent.”

  Furiem did not believe for one tick that the War Advisor would be capable of such a thing. Defense of the city and his King, yes, Manus was more than willing to put his sword and knowledge to it, but outright murder? Of innocents? No. That was just not a part of the Chimera he knew, Neither-Born or not!

  There had to be more to this! Just had to be…

  Cannis clapped his hands together, bringing the matter to a close. “Now, let us talk defenses…”

  ***

  Draven heard the bellowing rage long before he and Ion were escorted from the entrance of the Magistrate’s station to the cells under it.

  “He does not sound happy,” Ion commented dryly from behind him.

  “No, he does not.”

  The Chimera on duty gave them a pointed look and a disgusted shake of his heads, but held the gate open. Leading them down a long, curved ramp, they exited into a stone corridor not unlike his own dungeons back in Bra’ka. A shudder skipped along his nerves but he drew in a steadying breath as Ion pushed the wheeled chair he’d brought back from the clinic down the hall.

  Arin’s voice echoed all around them, rattling a rain of dust from the ceiling. “You must let me see her! Is she alive? I have to know!?”

  They rounded a curve and he saw five Chimera at the end, forming a semi-circle in front of one of the gated rooms. Four of the humanoid versions of the race had a sword and shield in hand, poised and ready to fight.

  The fifth stood in front of the grated portion of the wall, his long tail twisting back and forth. “Advisor, please, remain calm.”

  One of Arin’s arms shot out, swinging around ineffectually and he bellowed all the louder. “Let me out of here! I must go to her!”

  “Not happy at all,” Ion quipped.

  Draven ran a hand down his face, silently urging the Rider to hurry. It seemed to t
ake an eternity to get from one end to the other but eventually the chair halted. “Gentlemen,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “If I might have a moment?”

  The lead Chimera turned and his left head sighed while the right shot a disdainful look down his nose. “He is unsafe. If he continues, we will have,” the left said. “No choice but to restrain him,” the right finished with just a touch of smugness.

  “That will not be necessary,” he replied in his best King’s voice. “I will see to my Advisor personally.” He checked the man’s chest medallion for a name and added, “1st Commander Hunir.”

  Hunir’s duel heads tilted in respect and he waved off the others with his tail. They turned and marched away, leaving just the four of them. “Would you like me to stay, Your Majesty?”

  He shook his head and waited for the Commander to depart before giving a soft order to Ion. “Make sure he does not expose my presence.”

  The Rider saluted and headed back the way they’d come.

  Arin continued to rage inside the cell, pacing from one side to the other, slamming his fists into the walls, growling, bellowing and just generally acting like the desperate man he was. Not that he could blame him. He obviously cared for Kyleri’s twin and despite the rage underlying that thought from the spell, he understood it. “What happened?”

  His soft question brought Arin to a dead stop. He spun toward the bars, a feral look in his eyes and shot forward, gripping the metal in his large hands until it groaned under the pressure. “Draven! Is she alive? Gods above, tell me she is alive!”

  There was no easy way to say it. Bluntness would be the best option, but that could just as easily send his poor friend further over the edge. Still, Arin deserved the truth, no matter his personal feelings on the matter. “She was the last time I saw her. It is not pretty Manus,” he said, using his friend’s last name to shake him back to reality. “She took two in the gut, one in the lung. Now, what happened?”

  It worked. Arin’s head thunked against the bars and tears began to drip from the end of his nose a heartbeat later. “She tried to defend me.”

  There was such torture in those five words that his own hearts clutched together painfully. There was more and he waited for Arin to let it out in his own way and time. Sadly, it didn’t take him all that long…

  A shudder rolled down his body, rattling the bars in his hands and he spoke in a low, fearful voice. “It was Kru. He baited me and I took it. This is my fault. If I had just walked away, she, would not have been hurt…”

  ***

  The strange looking clock hand ticked across another number.

  Had it really only been an hour? Maybe.

  Terra couldn’t tell from the device on the wall, but it felt more like an eternity since one of the nurse’s had sat her here to wait.

  The clinic itself was like any other she might have been in back home. Once more, save for the Chimera moving here and there to go about their business, it was almost like being home.

  But she wasn’t home. She was in a foreign land, more than that an entire foreign world and her sister could be dying just a few steps away!

  She pushed out of the chair and headed for the reception window.

  Black eyes swirled with green lifted from a stack of paper and regarded her calmly. “Yes? May I help you?”

  She could barely get the words out. “Is there any word? On my sister?”

  The Harpy’s matching black and green feathers rustled softly as she checked something off to her left. “They are moving her to a room.” Those odd eyes came back around to hers but she couldn’t decipher the meaning in the glint that swirled through them. “One of the Doctors will be with you shortly.”

  She pushed back from the counter with an angry grunt and started pacing, fingers fluttering. That could be good, or very, very bad. Most likely the later given the placement of the arrows in Lanni’s body. It would depend on how long they were, what kind of heads they had, and more importantly if they’d hit anything vital…

  Hundreds of possibilities raced through her brain, each more dire than the next as she wore a hole in the stone floor of the waiting area.

  A door swished back and she stopped, blood pounding wildly in her ears. The same doctor that had come to the house moved slowly across the room. There was a solemn glow to her eyes and she stuffed her clawed hands in her pockets.

  She stood in front of her and the words she knew, deep down, were coming did nothing to alleviate the shock.

  “I am sorry,” she whispered. “Would you like to see her?”

  “Is, is she, dead?” she managed to croak.

  The Doctor took her elbow and led her back through the doors. “Nay. But she does not have long. The Crone Mother will be with her and help her passing when it is time.”

  She literally tripped over her own feet with that bit of news and tears she never would have guessed she had, coursed down her cheeks. “How? Why?”

  The Doctor caught her, supporting her with an arm around her waist and continued their progress down the halls. Harpy’s and Chimera’s moved here and there, voices spoke, giving orders but she heard none of it. They twisted and turned, heading for a seemingly dark corner of the building and her steps became heavier the closer they got.

  She’d never thought about death. Not much anyway, but she could feel Lanni hanging on its edge through their link. Her chest locked up and she pushed at the air, trying to suck a lungful back in. She was caught up now in her twin’s distress and sagged even more into the Doctor’s surprisingly firm grip.

  They entered a bland room, not unlike one back home. Machines circled a bed, beeping softly. Lanni’s fire red hair was the only color against the pristine sheets and she hiccupped on fresh tears. She hadn’t seen her twin look so peaceful since they were teenagers and it grabbed her by the soul they shared, propelling her across the room to her side.

  The arm that had contained the arrows was now bandaged and lay limp against the coverlet. Her chest jerked up and down and she could feel the effort it took for Lanni to draw the next bit of air.

  She stuffed a fist in her mouth to stifle a cry and reached for the unhurt hand of the only person in her life she’d ever truly trusted. “Lan—Lanni?”

  Her eyes fluttered open and a small smile lifted one corner of her lips. “So—sorry,” she gurgled roughly.

  Terra swiped the tears away, pulled back her shoulders and tried to find strength from somewhere. “For, what?”

  Those same silver eyes she stared at in a mirror everyday fluttered closed again. “Making, a mess. Of, things.”

  She gripped the fingers under her hand. “You didn’t,” she managed. “The Doc says you’re fine. You’re gonna be just fine.”

  Lanni’s chest rattled, the sound ominous and dark over the soft beeps as she drew in enough air for one word. “Liar.”

  And that, was that.

  For the next hour, she stood a silent vigil, watching her sister slowly fade away.

  With each breath Lanni struggled to draw, her own chest seized a little tighter…

  With each beep to indicate Lanni’s heart was still functioning, her own thumped painfully against her sternum…

  With each drip of fluid down the tube hooked to Lanni’s damaged arm, a tear plunked to the stone flooring from her own jaw…

  With each moment that sent her twin closer to the end, the connection they’d shared since birth twisted and snapped against her soul as it was severed for good…

  ***

  “Terra?”

  Draven saw her coming down the hall and Ion sped up the chair without being asked. “Terra?” he called out a second time.

  There was no recognition in her eyes, no pause in her wooden steps as she continued toward them. They came even and he reached out to grasp her hand. She jerked from head to toe and her mouth opened and closed but there were no words being made. At least none that he could hear.

  He tightened his hold, giving the limb a shake. “Terra?”
She didn’t turn and he tried something else, using the endearment with a firm tone. “Kyleri!”

  She jerked again, the skin under his palm shaking on its own. Her eyes finally shifted his way, overflowing with tears. “She, she’s gone.”

  “What?!”

  Lanni’s injuries had been grave, yes, but not fatal. Not from what he could see. The haunted look in her eyes confirmed it though. The spark he’d fallen in love with from day one was gone, blanketed over with a grim darkness he’d have given everything in his Kingdom to make go away.

  “She cannot be. Are you sure?”

  Anger suddenly flared across the silver, a shooting star against the night sky. Her free hand came around, landing against his cheek with a resounding thwack that echoed over everything and caused more than a few nearby to pause whatever they were doing. “Of course I’m sure you bastard!”

  He took the hit, turning with it and clenched down on an equally angry retort. It was grief, pure and simple and he let her have it.

  She yanked at her wrist but he held firm. She would bolt if he let go. He knew it as sure as he knew his own name. And this was something he wouldn’t let her suffer through alone. Instead, he pulled and step by agonizing step, guided her into his lap.

  Defeated, she collapsed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. A wail filled his ears and his hearts jackhammered in equal agony.

  He lifted his gaze to Ion’s. “Let us go,” he said just loud enough to be heard.

  “Where?”

  He ran his good hand up and down her shaking form and tilted his face atop her head. “Home, Ion. Let us go home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Arin paced the cell, alternately growling at the air or punching the walls until his hands bled profusely.

  Draven left an eternity ago to check on Lanni and had yet to return.