6.0 - Raptor

by Lindsay Buroker

  I can’t read the leader that well for some reason, but I think he blames the cave-in on Sardelle. They can’t know there’s a dragon down here. We’re getting close to them and will have to deal with them soon.

  Can you wait? Kaika should be through with the explosives soon. Then I can deal with them. Ridge’s fingers curled into a fist. He was sorry about the loss of lives, but he’d had enough of Iskandians persecuting Sardelle for no reason. He knew she could defend herself without killing people, but Phelistoth’s presence would make the encounter questionable. Apparently, the dragon couldn’t even drill a hole without killing people.

  We’ll wait. We can hear the noise of the explosives, so Kaika shouldn’t be far. You would think these people would be more interested in escaping than exacting revenge.

  Ridge trotted up the steps. I’ll try to hurry things along.

  • • • • •

  “Phelistoth, can you stop, please?” Sardelle asked, shielding her eyes from the intense orange light, even as she continued to shield their small group from the heat. Hours had passed since the cave-in, and it was starting to feel like days. Her headache had intensified to stabbing pain, and her eyes were so gritty and sore that it felt like someone had punched them. The request had been hard to get out, since she wanted Phelistoth to continue, to free them from this prison, so she could lower her magical defenses and walk again in fresh air.

  We are very close, the dragon responded.

  “I know, but there are people waiting in what remains of the chamber around the tram. We don’t want to incinerate them.”

  Then they should move.

  They should, but not all people are as wise as dragons.

  Jaxi made a rude noise in Sardelle’s mind. Flattery?

  I prefer to think of it as diplomacy.

  Does it make you feel less obsequious when you do that?

  Slightly.

  The light disappeared. Sardelle leaned against a wall still warm from Phelistoth’s earlier attentions. A layer of hardened lava lay under her feet, all that remained of the boulders he had melted.

  A distant, muffled boom reverberated through the mountain, and the ground shivered.

  Your noisy humans will be more likely to kill them than I, Phelistoth said.

  A lot of rocks and debris are falling on them, Jaxi noted. Captain Kaika is clearing the tram shaft.

  “Why don’t they go back up to the higher levels? Do they want to kill me that badly?” Sardelle pressed a hand against her throbbing temple. “That they’d risk their own lives for the mere chance?”

  Perhaps you should have flattered them on your way in.

  These aren’t even the ones we walked past, are they?

  I don’t believe so, no.

  Sardelle wished Ridge were down here. She wanted someone to lean on. “Captain Kaika should break through soon,” she said, assuming that was correct. Her brain hurt too much for her to reach out with her senses. “We’ll wait here and let the soldiers deal with the miners.”

  Clinks and scrapes started up ahead of them.

  “What is that?” she groaned, even though she knew without checking.

  They’re eagerly trying to get to us.

  How can they possibly know we’re here? Close enough for them to get to? Sardelle frowned at the half-melted rocks ahead of them. She didn’t think Phelistoth’s method of clearing the passage had caused much noise. Now and then, rocks had shifted and thudded to the ground, but that hadn’t happened for a while. He had grown quite efficient at melting the rubble ahead of them.

  That’s a good question, actually. They came down from upper levels. As far as they should know, we could be anywhere. We could even be dead. I wonder why they aren’t assuming we’re dead?

  A thump sounded, then a clank and a clack. Faint light seeped through a tiny hole that had appeared in the end of their tunnel. They were closer to the chamber and the tram than Sardelle had realized. She should have stopped Phelistoth sooner.

  You will continue to shield us, Phelistoth thought, and I will melt the way through the remaining blockage. There is no need to fear these puny humans.

  Just don’t hurt anyone, please. Sardelle didn’t know how to explain that she feared for them more than she feared them.

  Phelistoth gave her a disdainful look and raised his arm. Tylie, who had been shambling along half asleep, stepped forward and clasped his hand.

  “We understand,” she said, smiling at Phelistoth.

  Another rock tumbled free, and more light seeped inside, the soft orange from a lantern. Then the light dimmed as a shadow moved in front of the opening—someone’s head. Belatedly, Sardelle thought to dim Jaxi’s glow, so her group wouldn’t be visible, but it was too late.

  “They’re in here,” a man yelled. “We found her!”

  Sergeant Jenneth and the private drew their pistols. Would they defend her from the miners or take advantage of her distraction to attack? They hadn’t been thrilled to escort her around down here, and they had seen things they might wish they had not.

  “Brace yourselves,” Sardelle murmured, feeding more of her flagging energy into the shield. “But don’t try to shoot anyone. The bullets won’t go through my barrier.” She could easily imagine the soldiers shooting her by accident, as one of their bullets ricocheted.

  This is interesting, Jaxi thought.

  What?

  With a noisy clatter, more rocks tumbled away from the opening. Several sets of hands gripped a boulder and rolled it out of view. Two miners in coarse wool clothing jumped into sight.

  Phelistoth shifted to face them, his body alert. Tylie stood at his side, looking surprisingly calm.

  Sardelle attempted calmness, as well, or at least she tried to appear unthreatening. It probably wouldn’t matter.

  “There she is!” the man blurted. “She’s alive.”

  “Did we do it?” a second man shouted, pushing through the hole. “Did we save her?”

  “Save her?” Sardelle mouthed.

  “Yes, it’s her, the general’s woman. She’s standing up in there, and so are some other people.”

  “Will we get a reward? A day off?”

  “I’m hoping for a whole week. Here, move the rest of these boulders.”

  Sardelle gaped numbly at them, her mind slow to process what was happening. They had come all the way down here, risking themselves, not to kill her but to rescue her? Even if their motives weren’t selfless, this was far better than what she had expected.

  Ah, interesting. Yes, now that they’re closer, I can get a better sense for their thoughts. Lord Dragon and his giant aura have really been dampening my abilities. Also, you’re looking remarkably well for a woman who needed rescuing.

  They knew we were down here and came to help? That’s not what I expected, given the hate that other group of miners was radiating.

  Maybe there’s a reason the other group was stuck down here in the deepest, darkest level.

  Tylie smiled over at Sardelle, as if she had known all along that these people did not pose a threat.

  No, but another explosive is about to be lit in the shaft, Jaxi said. We may need to figure out a way to protect your new admirers.

  “Everyone,” Sardelle called. “Come this way, please. The team from above is about to set another bomb.” She could see the rocks that had fallen in the chamber behind the miners and wouldn’t be surprised if part of it was also caved in.

  Several of the men were already approaching. Sardelle waved, inviting them closer and lowering her shield. A few rocks trickled down from above, one bouncing off her shoulder, but Phelistoth had been clearing the tunnels effectively. If not for the heat from his magic, they might not have needed the protection.

  It’s lit, Jaxi warned.

  What? Already? Help me shield them.

  Jaxi offered a mental groan, but some of her power flowed into Sardelle’s limbs. She summoned the dregs of her own power and created a new shield, trying to encompass the miner
s. Some she managed to cover, those who had already entered their small tunnel, but she was still trying to find a way to extend her energy to protect the ones in the chamber when the explosion sounded.

  Before, those booms had been muffled, but with their tunnel now open, there weren’t walls of rock to insulate them. Sardelle heard the roar distinctly. Flying rocks slammed into her barrier, the edges weak because she had tried to stretch it so far. Their tunnel shuddered, and dust flooded in. Several people dove into the passage, trying to escape what turned into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders tumbling away from the tram shaft entrance.

  More power flowed into Sardelle, but it wasn’t enough. Neither she nor Jaxi could hold back the entire barrage, and she was forced to draw back, to rebuild the shield across the tunnel entrance. She couldn’t stop the rocks falling in the chamber, and frustration welled inside of her because of it. There were people out there.

  The crashes and clatters of flying rocks seemed to last for minutes, but it was only a few long seconds. The dirt settled, and their tunnel grew still. Miners hunkered on their hands and knees, protecting their heads. Sardelle realized she had fallen to her knees, too, her legs too weak to support her. Once she saw that the danger had ended, she let her shields drop. She didn’t think she could have kept a barrier up any longer if her life had depended on it. She knew Jaxi was as exhausted, based on how little energy she had been able to contribute.

  I’m sorry.

  I know. It’s not your fault.

  There are three in the chamber who didn’t make it into our tunnel. One is injured, one is huddled by the wall, and one is dead.

  Sardelle lowered her head. A few minutes ago, she wouldn’t have blamed herself over the loss of more of the miners, but that had been before this pack had come to rescue her. These people hadn’t even been in danger from Phelistoth’s original cave-in. They had come down here, specifically for her.

  Because you’re Ridge’s “woman,” Jaxi said, not because they adore you.

  It’s better than what they considered me before. They didn’t even know me, and they ended up dying for me. Even if they were dying for Ridge, he’s… we’re the same now. The loss hurts. Sardelle pushed herself to her feet, her knees wobbling and threatening to dump her back onto the ground.

  “She saved us!” a miner blurted. He had risen to his knees and was gaping back at a boulder that had slammed into her shield, a boulder that would have traveled down the tunnel if she hadn’t stopped it.

  “Two-forty-one was right,” a miner said. “We can trust her. Even though she’s a witch.”

  Before Sardelle quite knew what was happening, men raced forward, some offering to help her stand, others reaching out to touch her sleeve. Phelistoth backed up, keeping Tylie behind him with his arm. His eyes closed to slits as the people swarmed past him. Jenneth and the private fingered their pistols and traded glances with each other, but neither said anything.

  “Who’s Two-forty-one?” Sardelle remembered that the soldiers were given numbers, their names taken from them when they were processed here. Ridge had insisted on calling the ones he had met by name. She would, too, if she could learn them.

  “He’s…” The speaker turned, looking at the faces around him, then frowning toward the boulder. “I don’t know if he made it in here.” He waved at a couple of his comrades. “Come on, men. Let’s move that rock and check on the others.”

  Her heart heavy with dread, Sardelle followed them.

  A cool breeze whispered into the chamber through the now-open tram shaft, and voices drifted down from above, shouts of congratulations that they had done it, that they’d broken through.

  Yes, but at what cost?

  Sardelle stopped when the miner she was following stopped. He looked down at a man, one who appeared little different from the others, but whose eyes were locked open as they stared at the ceiling without seeing it. The side of his head was a bloody, caved-in mess, and Sardelle knew without extending her senses that it was too late for him.

  “Two-forty-one,” the miner sighed.

  He walked away to help the other two people who had been caught out here. Sardelle knew she should go over and check on the injured one, even if she lacked the strength to heal him right now, but she couldn’t help but gaze down at the dead man and wonder why he had stood up for her.

  I may know why, Jaxi said. And I think he may have been the one who knew we were alive down here and who led the way.

  Why? How?

  He has—had—dragon blood.

  Sardelle’s senses were so burned out that she doubted she could have told if the man had been a dragon, but she did not doubt Jaxi. Her first feeling was one of shock, but she chastised herself over that. People with the ability to learn to wield magic could be criminals, the same as anyone else. There were also enough distant descendants of dragons out there in the general population that finding them wasn’t all that uncommon. The shock would be if there weren’t more of them here.

  What if he wasn’t a criminal? Jaxi asked. What if he was condemned because of his witchy ways?

  Those suspected of using magic seem to be killed outright in this society, not imprisoned.

  This prison is a death sentence, though, isn’t it? People are sent here as an alternative to being killed, and they’re not expected to last long.

  Aware of clanks and scrapes coming from the tram shaft—people with ropes coming down to check on them—Sardelle didn’t continue the conversation. She did vow to look up the record of Prisoner 241. And if she had a chance, she would peruse the other records and look for mentions of magic. It would be bad enough if a criminal had given his life to try and save hers. But if someone who had been wrongfully accused had died down here for her, that would hurt even more.

  Maybe you don’t want to look.

  Do you know something I don’t know?

  Jaxi sighed. Just that you’ll make yourself miserable, no matter what you find.

  Probably so. But she would look, anyway.

  Chapter 15

  Cas closed the door quietly and stepped into the room full of artifacts, keeping her lantern low so the light would not be visible from the courtyard outside. It was late, with wind and rain hammering at the window, so people should not be out there. She did not have permission to be in the storage room, and she didn’t want to be noticed.

  She doubted Zirkander would mind, but she didn’t want to explain to Colonel Therrik that she was looking for ancient words of power to activate Kasandral. He was still circling his heart whenever he crossed paths with Sardelle. With luck, his day of yelling had made him tired and he had passed out by now. Zirkander had pulled an exhausted Sardelle, Tylie, and Phelistoth out of the mine a couple of hours earlier, and Cas suspected they were all asleep in the rooms downstairs. Duck and Pimples probably were, too, though she hadn’t seen much of either of them that day. They had been helping clear the tram shaft, while she had been sucked into assisting the outpost engineer with aligning the sights on the artillery weapons. She had no experience with such things, beyond zeroing a rifle on the range, but Zirkander had either thought it a good task for her, or her reputation for marksmanship had preceded her.

  Cas leaned the sword box against the wall by the door. She felt silly dragging it around the fort, but she hadn’t wanted to take it up to her cabin on the airship. When the dragon came, she would need to be ready quickly.

  She moved past silverware and other oddly mundane household items and headed for the bookcase. All of the old tomes had been tagged and entered into a logbook that lay open on a table, but from the dust covering their spines, she doubted anyone had done more than glance at the titles. A pair of thick gloves rested on the table next to a pencil and the logbook. For handling the centuries-old texts without damaging them? More likely, as some kind of protection to keep magic evils from oozing all over the skin of the person touching the artifacts. She supposed she shouldn’t snort with derision since, until a few months ago, she hadn�
�t believed magic existed, but she had always found it asinine to believe in superstitions. Some of her father’s prejudices that she had grown up with, maybe. It was ironic that, in a way, those who had believed in and feared magic had been closer to the truth all along.

  “One hundred and fifty books,” she murmured after a quick count. “What are the odds that information about Kasandral happens to be in one of them? And that I’ll be able to read it if it’s there.” She frowned at the flowery titles, some containing letters that had since changed to other forms or disappeared from the language.

  Apex would have known right away which titles might be useful, and he would have been able to read them all too. For a moment, all Cas could do was stand and stare at the books—and miss him. She hadn’t been as close with him as with the lieutenants who were closer in age to her, but he’d been a memorable part of the squadron, with his penchant for sharing historical tales in the middle of missions. And he’d had so much knowledge. She felt his loss keenly, especially now.

  “Twenty-four hours,” she mumbled, shaking herself out of her numb stillness.

  She had heard about the ultimatum from the dragon, and knew that half of those hours were already gone. From what she had observed, nobody was down in the mines digging for the artifact that Morishtomaric sought, so she assumed the original plan was still in effect, that she would be expected to go up with Zirkander tomorrow to attack the dragon in the sky. Since Sardelle had spent the day trapped, Cas doubted she had been able to do any research on Kasandral. Cas didn’t know how much having phrases to speak to the sword would help with controlling it, but she wanted to put every advantage on her side that she could.

  She skimmed through the titles in the logbook, flagging three that promised to share histories of magic, then hunted them down on the shelves. The first two came out easily, but when she touched the third, a tingle of electricity zapped her.

  Startled, she backed away, staring at her finger, half expecting the pad to be blackened. She glanced at the gloves on the table. Maybe they were there for more than reasons of superstition.

  That one’s only for those with dragon blood. You should have brought your scruffy pirate to read it to you.