Dragonhold (Book 2)

by Brian Rathbone

  Having done his best to oversee the placement of the timbers, Kenward hoped it was all worth it. If this didn't work, he might throw himself into the plasma barrier in frustration. His mother had warned him about such thoughts. Better to clear his head during the difficult and time-consuming climb back to the keep. Looking down on him, even Trinda watched the spectacle. Climbing the obliterated stair, his arms grew tired and sore. Ropes hung down over missing sections of stair, challenging his endurance. Somehow he found the strength, though his arms trembled.

  The order to light the fire was given long before he reached Dragonhold. Smoke and heat grew worse as he climbed. By the time he gained the entrance, smoke filled the valley, obscuring all except an orange glow where the flames were highest. Swirling winds created wandering vortices of ash floating around them. Trinda coughed and looked over to Kenward, who was still catching his breath. She rolled her eyes as if believing there was no chance this would work. He wondered at the expressiveness of her face. The ability to communicate without words was a valuable skill, and he respected those who did it well. Still, her attitude annoyed him. Why would she hope for this to fail? Was it because it hadn't been her idea? Had Kenward wanted her support, he would have tried to make Trinda believe it was her idea, but it was not her support he needed. Trinda's power within Dragonhold continued to dwindle.

  People filtered in and Kenward did what he could to help people make the last of the climb. He remembered how tired he'd been, and these folks had worked longer and harder. No one left afterward. They all stayed behind to witness events for themselves. They had been a part of this and were not ready to walk away. Kenward couldn't blame them.

  Trinda, on the other hand, looked as if she were being punished. The ash stained her white dress and collected in her hair. A carpet of it danced across the stone, constantly shifting and moving in the wind, and it dirtied her shoes as well. "How much longer is this going to take?" she asked.

  Kenward just shrugged in response. Trinda made a huffy noise. Not long after, though, a steady whistling grew in volume and rose in pitch. People came in faster now, and Kenward did what he could to help. Others joined in, the whistle's growing intensity increasing the urgency. Then, with unexpected suddenness, the whistling stopped. Now raging, the fire crackled and roared.

  "What happened?" someone yelled.

  No one got the chance to respond. A series of explosions sent shock waves up the barrier, which reflected into the hold. It started with a single, smaller explosion, immediately followed by two larger blasts. When the second shock wave hit, it knocked Kenward, Trinda, and most everyone gathered from their feet. Cries from the stair told of those who'd fallen as a result. Kenward scooted himself backward as the heat and glowing embers followed in a towering wave. Then the cinders got bigger--much bigger. A flaming chunk of pressure tank landed where Kenward had been sitting just a moment before. As fast as he could, he regained his feet and started pulling people away from the ledge.

  Waves of steam and a thunderous crack followed the explosions in rapid succession. Cries echoed within the hold. A mighty dragon roar drowned out the flames, a thunderous boom shaking the Godfist's foundations a moment later. Jehregard had struck the spire, Kenward assumed, though he could see little through the smoke and steam. Allette's shouts also drifted up to where he sat, and Kenward admired the girl's courage. Even amid a firestorm, she maintained her composure. It was a skill few possessed.

  The feral queen struck the spire next, which resulted in a much different, higher-pitched sound. Kenward felt each blow in his boots. Striking repeatedly, one right after the other, the dragons beat a rhythmic tune. Caged thunder filled the hold as stone gave way and the plasma wavered. Another cheer rose from those gathered. Lightning leaped out from the destabilized barrier, and from the sounds of their cries, it struck both the feral queen and Jehregard. Again and again lightning created a dancing spider web that almost continuously struck the dragons. Kenward felt helpless and useless, unable to do anything to ease their pain and knowing they wouldn't last much longer.

  "Look out! Get down!"

  Kenward had no idea who shouted the warning, but he was grateful nonetheless. Just as he hit the stone, ash swirling maddeningly around him, Kyrien flashed overhead at high speed. Smoke roiled in his wake, and no one had to wonder for long what he was doing. The dragon must have struck the spire at full speed. The impact caused the flagstone to jump up and smack Kenward in the face. He was still regaining consciousness when the snapping started. It grew louder and when Kenward looked up, the spire moved toward him. The goal had been to push the spire outward, and he would have thought Kyrien's momentum would have done just that, but no one had accounted for the energy field's grip. It flexed and pulled the mighty stone finger back toward the hold. It was then the spire's base failed. The stone megalith no longer lumbered toward them; it crashed down at full speed. Helping pull the last few people over and away from the ledge, Kenward went down for a third time.

  The mighty pillar rushed toward him. Solid stone surrounding Dragonhold's main entrance was all that saved him from being crushed. Blocking most of the entrance, the spire now rested against the mountainside. What little open area remained was filled with a constant barrage of sparks and lightning. The plasma barrier remained in place, except now it bulged inward, closer to the hold and far angrier.

  * * *

  Kenward watched as the entrance to Dragonhold was effectively sealed, leaving Allette, Onin, and the dragons trapped outside with no access to food or water. Safety from the lightning was scarce. Kenward wasn't sure how long anyone would be able to survive trapped between the plasma barrier and the mountain. What had been only a matter of time for the dragons was now a matter of much less time. The few people who'd made it back were moved to an impromptu infirmary deeper within Dragonhold. No one ventured close to the front gates, afraid of being the lightning's next victim.

  The keep resonated with a distorted note that warped the energy, making Kenward's teeth hurt. If he didn't get out of this place soon, he was going to go as crazy as most people thought he already was. Appearing to be a crazy fool had worked well for Kenward much of his life, but actually going insane was not a fate he relished. He'd seen powerful people, once vibrant and at the top of their mental games, reduced to shades of their former selves. Looking back at the gap between the stone spire and Dragonhold's gates, Kenward considered grabbing supplies and running through. Then he realized he could toss at least a few packs loaded with water, food, and other necessities through the narrow opening and remain unscathed.

  Kenward raced for the kitchens, where Brother Vaughn was already explaining the situation to Miss Mariss, who looked more annoyed than ever.

  "People just don't know when to leave well enough alone," she said.

  Kenward would have defended their actions, but he knew better than to argue with Miss Mariss in her kitchen. It was the kind of thing you did only once. Despite her grumbling, Miss Mariss packed generous portions and included extra touches Kenward suspected were more for Onin's sake than Allette's. He was grateful when she handed him the packs and turned back to her work. He couldn't miss the worried look she gave him when he walked out.

  "Don't go and do anything foolish!" she shouted after him.

  He smiled. His aunt knew him well.

  Though she'd given him water skins, he had to fill them himself. Not far from the kitchens was a small fountain perfect for the task. The things the ancients had built never failed to amaze him. Even as he filled the flasks, he imagined ways the wonders within Dragonhold might have been created. This led him to ponder how so much knowledge had been forgotten. Certainly things must have changed after Istra last departed, but that didn't explain how so much knowledge relevant to both Istran and Vestran phases had been lost. When he was honest with himself, he realized he was thinking about anything but Onin and Allette. Even if he could get supplies to them, what kind of existence would they have outside? Now more than ever, K
enward wished Catrin and her party success. Allette and Onin had both suffered enough in their lives, and Kenward wished no more hardships on them. His own memories proved just how painful such things could be, and he'd been lucky.

  After capping the last water skin, Kenward walked back toward the Great Hall. Shouting and thunder quickened his step. When he turned the corner, two figures stood silhouetted against the fiery backdrop. Onin supported Allette, but even his strength was not enough to withstand the lightning. Dropping his burdens, Kenward ran toward them despite the fact that others were far closer than he. The lightning continued and the others slowed. Kenward did not.

  It was a brave and foolish thing to do. Quicker than thought, a flash of light relieved him of control over his body. Through his pain, Kenward learned lightning's true nature and power. When finally the lightning relented, his body was slow to respond. Onin, the man he'd come to save, dragged both Kenward and Allette away from the entrance. One last time the lightning exacted its price for passage, sending all three to the stone. Other hands grabbed him then and pulled him to the infirmary.

  He'd been fine moments before, but now his heart fluttered and his thoughts slowed. If this was how death felt, he liked it not at all. A woman he didn't recognize cut away his shirt to expose a charred wound, and Kenward cried out. His arms flailed at his sides against the shock of pain. His right hand met something warm and soft rather than the cold stone he'd expected. Calloused yet delicate fingers closed around his hand. Empathy and support flowed through the physical bond. Turning his head once he was able, he saw Allette staring back at him with pain-filled eyes. She'd given him strength when she was, herself, in great need. Kenward did what he could to communicate through touch, and he felt even worse when Allette gripped his hand hard, crying out in pain as someone tended her wounds. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she passed out, her grip going limp in his hand.

  Few things in this world impressed Kenward Trell, but reaching out to him in her greatest time of need and offering something of herself imprinted this woman on his very being. The rest had Allette Kilbor all wrong. This, Kenward was determined to change.

  * * *

  Walking beside Kendra, Sinjin could not believe what he heard. Even before they had split from the main party, the rumblings from deeper within the hold had begun. His mother had shown concern but said nothing. There had been speculation, but she had never confirmed or denied any of it. Now it was getting louder, and some was definitely not thunder, although Sinjin thought there had been legitimate thunder as well. This added to the confusion. High-pitched screams were a different matter altogether. The latest one sounded nearby, and Kendra grabbed Sinjin's arm, an instinctive defensive measure. She reached for what she treasured most.

  With a lump in his throat, Sinjin cleared his sword from the scabbard. He made more noise than Kendra did performing the same motion, which made him blush. Next came a series of rumbling booms as if a god snored. It was impossible to know exactly what it was, but Sinjin's mind conjured gruesome images that made him sweat. He and Kendra were not untrained or unarmed but were no match for what Sinjin imagined waited in the darkness. There was something about exploring a place no human had seen in thousands of years. At every junction Catrin's party had come across, they had split up until broken down into pairs. No one was to go off alone. Despite the large number of people in the party, they got down to pairs surprisingly fast.

  At first Kendra and Sinjin occasionally reencountered others who searched the halls, but there had been no signs of other humans in hours. Being in a constant state of alert took its toll on them, and Kendra motioned for him to sit and rest. She wrapped her herald globe more tightly in cloth to dim the light. Getting Trinda to provide the globes had been difficult, and the child queen continued to surprise. After sending one of her guards to retrieve the globes, she'd disappeared.

  "Can you believe she just ran away?" Kendra asked, looking down at the glowing bundle in her lap.

  "At least she gave us some of the herald globes before going wherever it is she went."

  "You think he was telling the truth about not knowing where the rest are?" Kendra asked.

  "I wouldn't put it past Trinda to hide them all over the keep and not tell anyone where they all are," Sinjin said as quietly as he could. Rumbling thunder obscured his words. Echoes danced within Dragonhold in strange ways. Sometimes the stone simply absorbed the sound, leaving people stranded where no one could hear them, and other sounds carried deep into the hold.

  "What do you think we're going to find?" Kendra asked.

  Sinjin shrugged, not wanting to reveal his fears. The question had come up before, and he hadn't answered then either. Knowing his wife as he did, Sinjin expected the question to come again. She wouldn't relent until he answered. She knew his weaknesses, yet he still wanted to be strong for her. Most of the time, she projected strength, but he knew her every weakness as well, and there were times she needed him. He'd let her down in the past and never wanted to feel that way again.

  Reaching out, he squeezed her hand. After appearing confused at first, she looked up and smiled. Without warning, Dragonhold itself trembled and shook, tossing them helplessly about. When at last the tremors ceased, Sinjin jumped to his feet and helped Kendra up. Something was wrong. Sinjin's hair and teeth hurt, making him feel as if he'd been rung like a bell. When the feeling didn't abate, he looked to his wife, struggling as well, her eyes squinted from pain. Resonating within the halls and permeating the air around them, a discordant note threatened to debilitate them both. Like bees boring into Sinjin's ears, the feeling was inescapable. It nagged at him. High-pitched, panicked screams accompanied deep rumblings. If there were other creatures living within Dragonhold, surely now they were on full alert.

  Moving as quickly as they could, they found the note more prevalent in some places than others and stopped to recuperate in a place where it was not overpowering.

  "I can only imagine what your mom is going through," Kendra said.

  Sinjin tried not to think about it. There was little he could do to help his mother, and thinking about her pain brought him physical and emotional anguish. It was a feeling no one should know, though many did.

  So far Kendra and Sinjin had found little that was useful in their current circumstances. They found a beautiful fountain in full operation, though in need of a good cleaning, and they had discovered rooms filled with sealed clay jars as big as Sinjin. Halls cut in stone were indistinguishable from each other, the pebbles they dropped near each junction all they had to lead them back out. The deeper they went, the less likely they would ever make it back. The weight of the stone above pressed down upon them.

  "You know Valterius is going to knock you down with his tail for months once you're reunited, right?"

  Sinjin smiled and even laughed. It was the perfect thing to say at that moment. He loved his wife.

  Chapter 6

  Information from the past is changing our future.

  --Brother Milo, Cathuran monk

  * * *

  Pelivor walked alongside Catrin in a state of disbelief. He'd mourned the loss of her, and she'd been returned to him. He'd lamented her previous marriage, and now his relief over Prios's absence in Catrin's life shamed him.

  His old friend captured him with her eyes, just as she always had. She'd been his first kiss, and nothing could ever change that. He'd dreamed of her for years, which made him flush deeply. She spoke to him with softness in her eyes. Despite all the pain and danger, she still had a smile for him. Being so close to the very thing he desired was sweet torture, and he found himself staring too long.

  "We somehow manage to find ourselves in the most dangerous situations," she said.

  Smiling and nodding, Pelivor agreed. All along, he'd planned to stay by Catrin's side, and no one had challenged him. His pairing with her for this exploration had been at his desire, but she'd made no move to change it. That was the same as wanting it in his perception, and h
e tried to restrain his overeager heart. If Catrin hadn't been looking at him, he'd slap himself in the face. He should be thinking of ways to get them out of this colossal mess, yet he was acting like a foolish boy.

  "I'm hoping all these dangerous situations will one day lead us to a peaceful existence," he said.

  Catrin nodded. "Such a thing does exist."

  Pelivor laughed. "What would you do?" he asked, knowing it was a silly question.

  "Do you really want to know?" she asked, somehow managing to look innocent and fragile despite being the most powerful person on the planet, even if caught in a spider's web. "It's rather boring, actually."

  Without realizing what he was doing until it was too late, Pelivor asked wordlessly, using only his facial expression. A flash of pain clouded Catrin's beautiful face. It was gone in an instant. Prios had always used a similar expression to coax words from people, and Pelivor had temporarily forgotten where he'd learned it. The result was that he'd made Catrin think of her dead husband. No matter how he tried, Pelivor always found a way to say the wrong thing around her.

  The keep continued to rumble; the noise unidentifiable. Pelivor and Catrin exchanged a glance.

  "Didn't Chase say Trinda had guards posted farther in than this?" Pelivor asked.

  Catrin nodded. "He did. She's been monitoring the stone forest, and Chase said he thought she might have guards posted beyond there as well."

  "I can't picture this forest," Pelivor said. "How much farther is it? It doesn't seem like a place this big should exist."

  "Not that much farther," Catrin said. "The keep could go on for miles. I'm fairly certain the ancients exploited natural formations. The river that runs through this place is a big part of why the keep exists at all. It has worn away the soft rock over the millennia."