When Dragons Rage

by Michael A. Stackpole

  Unknowable without the use of magick.

  A wagon wheel had been made into the chandelier and it hung above the long, narrow table that filled the center of the room. Thick candles guttered on the wheel, and companions dripped wax in thick icicles from the shelves. Chairs had been arranged at Kerrigan’s end of the table, and the opposite. A mélange of crockery and silver had been set on the table and steam rose from some dishes that Kerrigan could not recognize by sight or scent.

  He shared the room with two other occupants. The first was seated across from him, with the high-backed chair turned so the person sat looking diagonally off to Kerrigan’s right. He appeared to be slender, and wore a gorgeous crimson robe of silk that had been painstakingly embroidered with golden thread, depicting dragons scrolling through an intricate knotwork. Thick gold cord covered seams, finished the sleeves, and rimmed the opening in the hood. The hood itself came low on the person’s face, shadowing most of it, and revealing little more than a highly stylized mask that completely covered the person’s face. The figure even wore leather gloves and a bright gold scarf, which meant not an inch of its flesh was revealed.

  By contrast, the other figure in the room was all but naked. It squatted in the corner, rump on the ground at its heels, knees poking up above its shoulders, which were hunched forward, with its hands pressed to the floor before its groin. Kerrigan recognized it immediately for an urZrethi, but its shaggy black mane covered its shoulders and its beard bled down into a thick mat of chest hair. That hair continued down over its belly and thickened over its loins. Kerrigan couldn’t tell if the urZrethi was wearing some sort of furred loincloth or not, and did not study it long enough to find out. Where hair did not cover it, malachite flesh showed through, though in the candlelight it took on a sickly color.

  Kerrigan immediately amended his assessment. The urZrethi had to be male—at least, it looked more bulky and wider than any female urZrethi he’d ever seen. What surprised him was seeing it at all. While he did not know much about urZrethi males, he had been under the impression that they were never seen outside the mountains. While Meredo’s proximity to Bokagul made it possible for Kerrigan to have been transported there, the young mage thought that unlikely.

  His host waved his left hand casually. “I apologize for the poverty of our surroundings, and the paucity of the victuals, but my means for treating with a guest are lamentably strained.”

  Kerrigan nodded politely, then held his dirty hands up. “I am hardly much of a guest.”

  Without turning his head, Kerrigan’s host raised his left hand and beckoned. “Bok, his hands.”

  The urZrethi hunched his shoulders further and narrowed his black eyes. He made a little chortling sound deep in his throat, managing to rob it of any melodic content at all, then scuttled forward. Bok extended his left hand up, reaching for a silver basin on a high shelf, but without rising from that crouch, the basin remained a good foot beyond his reach.

  Then the urZrethi’s arm stretched. Just the forearm bones lengthened, thinning the limb somewhat. The fingers nimbly caught the lip of the basin and brought it down, though Bok had to raise his elbow at an awkward angle to swing the vessel into his right hand.

  Kerrigan watched the creature and failed to hide his surprise. He knew urZrethi could shift shape and had seen urZrethi who had changed their shapes, but he’d never seen the process taking place. Moreover, those he had seen in an altered form had kept their limbs symmetrical, which made their odd shapes easier to understand.

  Bok reached to another shelf and got a small towel, which he clapped over the top of his head. He continued forward, then squatted at Kerrigan’s feet. He raised the bowl in one hand and warbled hoarsely. At the invitation, the mage dipped his hands into the cool clear water, instantly darkening it, then the creature pulled the bowl away and soiled the towel scrubbing Kerrigan’s hands down.

  Kerrigan’s host gestured, and the bowl floated from the floor to his end of the table. He took it in both hands while the urZrethi dried Kerrigan’s hands and swirled the dirty water around. He peered into it as if reading it for portents and signs. Kerrigan watched, straining to catch any phrases of a mumbled spell, but he saw or heard nothing to indicate what his host was doing.

  His host set the bowl on the table, then pointed to the chair, which slid back from the table. “Please, be seated.”

  Bok moved away, returning to his corner, and Kerrigan sat, pulling his blanket tight around him. His stomach complained about being empty again, but the mage reached for no food. He had waited for a specific invitation to enter, and would wait for another to dine.

  His host nodded. “I shall be known to you as Rym Ramoch. My servant is Loktu-bok Jex. I do not know how much you know of the urZrethi, but from your reaction to him I do suspect you know that finding a male urZrethi outside the mountains is exceedingly rare. In urZrethi society, which is a matriarchy, males are segregated and used for work or breeding. They are little more than chattel, though capable of reasoning. The suffix ‘bok’ indicates he is an outcast. I found him lurking in the Bokagul foothills and discovered he had potential as an aide. Alas, away from urZrethi society he becomes more and more feral, but is yet loyal and quite strong.”

  Bok looked up at Kerrigan and gave him a toothsome grin.

  Rym tapped his gloved index finger on the table, then drew a small circle with it. “You wonder why you are here, of course; any sapient creature would. You have determined that Bok was the one who stalked and captured you. He is quite at home beneath bridges and you fell for the snare we devised. You are, as you know, quite powerful and have a taint about you and your magick.”

  “A taint?”

  “Indeed, a taint, a stain. I thought it was of one source—the dragonbone armor—but it is more than that.”

  Kerrigan blinked his eyes. “Dragonbone armor?”

  Rym’s head came up, but the hood’s shadow hid his eyes. “You did not know that the armor that rises through your flesh is composed of dragonbone?”

  Kerrigan thought back. The spell had used three fluids, all thick. The first had been ruby red and the second ivory. He’d not seen the third, but it had smelled of mint. “The ivory liquid, that was of dragonbone?”

  “It was. Used first was earthsblood, a rare concoction known to few and fewer yet are those who can prepare it. It changed you enough to allow the binding of the dragonbone to you.”

  “And the third? It smelled of mint.” Kerrigan shivered. “It numbed the pain from the other two.”

  “Some unguent. It is not vital, but recommended so the recipient can concentrate enough to cast the spell. I will say, to have one as young as you cast it is remarkable.”

  Kerrigan started to smile, but thought better of it. “I did what was required of me. They just asked if I could cast it, then had me do so.”

  “So, you cast the spell without thought of the consequences?”

  “Well, I . . .” Kerrigan frowned and hunched his shoulders. “I had ventured into Yslin, into the bad section of that city, and had been beaten badly. I could have been killed. And before that, pirates had tried to kill me and had shot me with an arrow. My masters decided I needed protecting. They showed me the spell, asked me to cast it, and I did. I didn’t know what it would do to me.”

  Rym canted his head slightly to the right. “And if you had, would you have cast it?”

  Kerrigan shrugged. “I was afraid then, so I probably would have. Your demonstration before, with the rocks, reminded me that even protected, I’m pretty vulnerable.”

  “It disturbs me that you were given this spell to cast without being told its consequences, but your answer does please me. You are honest about your fears. It also speaks well of you that none of the spells you were preparing to cast earlier were of a violent nature.”

  The young mage’s head came up. “How do you know that? I never cast any of them. You could not know what was in my mind.”

  “Ha.” It came as a single low sound, not
as much ridicule as surprise. Bok echoed it deeply, chuffing along insensibly until the flick of a finger silenced him.

  Rym turned in the chair and brought his hands together, resting his elbows on the table. “You have been trained on Vilwan and you should know that Vilwan now is not as it always was. In the time of Yrulph Kirûn, the way in which magick was taught, and the understanding of it, was different. Because of the methods and understanding, someone like Kirûn could do the things he did. He understood enough of magick to be able to create that spell, and you know it had elven and urZrethi components to it.

  “Think on this, Kerrigan Reese. While you are very special and quite adept at magick, how is it that a man, centuries ago, could have created that spell and yet, now, on Vilwan, you are the only man who has mastered the art of healing spells? You have not yet seen a score of years, yet can do something that learned mages four times your age cannot. Do you know why?”

  Kerrigan started to answer that they just couldn’t grasp that sort of magick, but he knew that was not true. “They are not given the knowledge needed?”

  “Not only that, but they are taught to believe it is impossible for them to learn such spells. After Kirûn, after the bloodshed, Vilwan knew it had to police its own or the world would destroy it. They denied to men things that men had done before, and within two generations the hobbling of human mages was complete.”

  “Then why am I able to do these things?”

  “To fight fire, they decided to set a fire. Now, however, they fear you.” Rym pressed his hands flat to the table. “And I have cause to fear you, for that second taint on you. How far down the path of Kirûn have you ventured?”

  “None. I haven’t.” Kerrigan raised his hands and the blanket slipped off his shoulders. “Aside from that spell, which I didn’t know was his, I’ve done nothing.”

  His host’s head came up. “If this is true, why do you bear the stink of the DragonCrown about you?”

  Kerrigan hesitated. “I don’t know . . .”

  Rym rose to his feet, his hands still on the table, but flames wreathed them, blackening the table around them. “Do not lie to me, child. You do not want to try me or my patience. Tell me what you know.”

  “But if you are working for Chytrine . . . !”

  The masked mage snarled in some guttural language and the urZrethi became very agitated. Bok bounced in his corner and that long left arm suddenly sprouted spikes from its hand. The urZrethi started to creep forward.

  “Bok, no!” The mage looked his servant back into its corner. Once he had retreated, cradling his mace-hand to his chest, Rym looked up at Kerrigan again. “Adept Reese, either you have come in contact with pieces of the DragonCrown—prolonged and personal contact—or you are working on creating your own DragonCrown. Either is madness for someone of your youth. The former might slay you, the latter certainly will and by my hand. Tell me now, do I kill you, or do I help you remain alive so we can end this madness?”

  CHAPTER 26

  W ill’s first sensation upon waking was the searing pain in his throat. He tried to swallow, which didn’t help. Then the tickle in his throat made him cough, which amplified the hurt and brought him upright, snapping his eyes open. His left hand rested on the straw-tick mattress and his right hand clutched at this throat.

  A high, keening wail filled the room. Qwc, who had been holding a half-completed braid of a temple lock, was jerked from the pillow and whipped through the air. He tumbled as he let go, the braid lashing the left side of Will’s face, then crashed down between Will’s ankles. He landed awkwardly, half on his head and shoulders, then slumped to the side.

  The Spritha quickly regained his feet and tried to look dignified as he smoothed his antennae. The effort failed miserably, which sparked laughter from Dranae, Lombo, and Peri. The three of them, arrayed around the room, tried to stifle their mirth, but happy sounds burst out from behind their hands.

  Will laughed once, sharply, which sent a dagger through his throat. He groaned and flopped back on the bed, his chest heaving with chuckles, his body twisting, and both hands on his throat. He wanted to stop laughing and stop the pain, but he couldn’t.

  Qwc scrambled up onto his chest and stood there balancing like a sailor on a pitching deck. “No hurt, Will, no hurt, no. Sorry, so sorry. Stupid Qwc, stupid.”

  Will screwed his face down tightly to fight the pain, then snorted and let his body ease. He opened one eye and saw the green Spritha standing there, all four hands pressed to his cheeks, and almost started laughing anew. He closed that eye again and swallowed, finding the pain slightly lessened.

  Dranae spoke from his corner. “Qwc, come off his chest and let him breathe. If he is able to laugh, he is in no mortal danger.”

  A whirring buzz filled the room and the Spritha hovered in the air for a moment before flying off toward the foot of the bed. Will listened for the sound to diminish, then risked opening his eyes again. He saw Qwc half-hidden behind Lombo’s head, peeking out through his dark mane as if it were underbrush.

  Peri crouched beside the bed and smiled at him. “You don’t have to talk, Will. Probably best for you not to.”

  The thief nodded, but hazarded a whisper. “Lady Snowflake. Where?”

  The Gyrkyme blinked her big amber eyes. “Who?”

  Qwc again launched himself into the air. “The lady. Qwc saw the lady. White, white, white.”

  Will nodded. “Lady Snowflake.”

  “There’s none such here, Will.” Dranae eased himself out of the chair in the corner and approached the foot of the bed. “King Scrainwood came and an argument began, so Qwc sent us from the room. Next thing we knew, you appeared at the door to Kerrigan’s room, your neck healed, and you collapsed. We tucked you back into bed and you’ve slept well past noon.”

  Lombo sniffed the air, his nostrils widening. “Traces. People here, aside from us.”

  “Yes, yes.” Qwc looped once, then landed with great élan between Will’s knees. “Beautiful lady came. Saw her, Qwc did. Beautiful.”

  Dranae smiled. “And what did she do, Qwc?”

  The Spritha sat down abruptly. “Don’t know. Qwc slept.”

  Will nodded. “Touched me. Healed me.”

  “Healing requires a lot of magic.” Peri scratched with a talon right beside her right ear. “You had poison in you, and a horrid wound. It left scars.”

  “Scars?” Will winced as he spoke more loudly than he should have.

  Peri reached over on the bedside table and handed him a small hand glass. Will took it and held it back and away so he could inspect his throat. Qwc lightly leaped over his right knee and helped support the small mirror.

  Will got a good look at his throat. Two scars stood out on his neck, each with the fluid patterning of severe burn marks, yet they had regular edges and could each have easily been covered by a small silver coin. When he swallowed, the pain did run from one scar to the other.

  He released the mirror, and Qwc toppled backward with the thing on top of him. As the Spritha struggled from beneath it, the thief looked up. “I saw her.” He wanted to say more. He wanted to describe this winter vision of loveliness, with her white hair and pale skin and silver eyes. He wanted to tell them of her touch, which was at once gentle and firm. He wanted to share that all with them, but he realized that even if his throat had been fine, the words to explain would be elusive and insufficient.

  Dranae folded his arms across his chest. “That you were healed magickally is beyond question. Resolute was able to detect some basic magick, but could not determine how your healing took place. King Scrainwood sent some of his mages, and someone named Syrett Kar came from the Vilwanese consulate. They said a lot, but told us nothing more than Resolute.”

  Will shivered and drew the bedclothes up around him. “Cold. Thirsty.”

  Lombo moved to the door. “Thirstbane for Will.”

  “Lombo, something hot.” Peri opened the door for him. “Soup if they have it, nothing too strong. An
d nothing too solid.”

  Will nodded and gave the Panqui a smile. The Gyrkyme closed the door, then quickly told Will what little had happened since he had been wounded. She started by assuring him that the ruby fragment was safe, and that Resolute had said that but for Will, it would have been long gone.

  Will knew that for a lie, but a kindly one. Resolute would have cursed him for a fool for going after a sullanciri with nothing more than a dagger. Will also caught a hint of hurt in Peri’s voice that Alexia had kept a secret from her, but that she understood why it had been done.

  Will was glad to hear that Nefrai-kesh had not been seen again in Meredo, and even more glad that Crow would be released. While he did not like the idea of Scrainwood getting control of a fragment of the DragonCrown, he agreed with the reasoning. It was better to get Crow free and preserve Alcida’s strength than to fight a battle they were destined to lose.

  The only true negative was learning that Kerrigan was still missing. Will remembered the trouble Kerrigan had gotten himself into when wandering through the Dim in Yslin. Will had once felt Kerrigan was about as useless as a thief’s promise, but he’d come to see just how powerful he was. He admired Kerrigan’s pluck in getting the fragment out of Fortress Draconis, and very much wanted his opinion on the business of the healing magick.

  Dranae draped another blanket over Will and the thief pulled it tight around him. His flesh developed goose pimples and his body began shivering, but that helped him warm up. As he did, the pain in his throat began to slip away. “Feeling better. Thanks.”

  Lombo returned with a huge steaming pewter tankard of fragrant soup. Peri eyed it suspiciously because carrot chunks floated within the creamy liquid. She clearly intended to have Lombo take it back, but Will reached for it, so she transferred it from the Panqui to him. “Be careful, Will, it’s hot.”

  The thief nodded, then sipped. The steam filled his head and the soup went down easily. It was hot, no doubt about it, but didn’t sear his tongue. He got a piece of carrot, but it had been so well cooked that it just fell to mush in his mouth, and he swallowed it with ease. Easier, in fact, because the soup’s warmth helped soothe his throat further.