“A-ha. There you are. Rosi said that you were okay but I figured you for dead so I was just planning what I was going to do with all your stuff.”
Kai groaned. “You’re a funny guy. How about you get me some water, funny guy.”
Jaime passed him a cup of fresh water and helped him sip it. It seemed that all though he was feeling better, he had little strength in his body.
“He’s up,” Jaime yelled.
Rosalie entered the room, carrying a tall glass vial filled with a light purple liquid.
“How are you feeling?” she said, running her fingers through his hair.
“Weak but much better than I have felt in the last few days,” he said.
Rosalie held out the glass vial. “Here, drink this,” she said.
Kai took the glass vial and looked at the contents. He sniffed at the top and crinkled his nose.
“Just drink it,” Rosalie said. “It will give you enhanced stamina for a short time. With any luck, enough time to meet with Amelia and plan our next move.”
“Camdyn?” Kai asked, steeling himself for bad news.
“Nothing yet,” Jaime said. “There has actually been no communication from the Tower at all.”
“None?” Kai was surprised. Usually, when a fortress is occupied there are demands or, at very least, jeers from the victor.
“It is completely dark. It is all locked up and there is no light or movement. We have scouts in the village watching but they have nothing to report.”
Kai handed the empty vial back to Rosalie and moved his legs over the side of the bed. He wiggled his toes. He could feel the strength returning to his limbs. He put his feet on the floor and pushed himself up.
“Whoa, there,” Jaime said, jumping up to help support his friend. “Easy.”
“What was that?” Kai asked Rosalie, as he dodged his friend’s grasp and grabbed Rosalie as if they were about to dance.
Rosalie laughed. “It is called Trollseed. The effects will only last for a few hours then you will lose all your strength. You better not waste it. We don’t have very much.”
“Just make more. This stuff is fantastic. I should drink this all the time. You know, we should be giving this to all the Daxrah, in large amounts.”
“It's not something that can be made.” Rosalie laughed. “It’s more… Well, it’s… collected.”
“Collected? From what?”
Rosalie just laughed as she left the room.
“Let’s go find, Amelia,” Jaime said and made his way to the door.
The two men found her in the kitchen of the old farmhouse. Kai loved these old homesteads, even though they were beginning to fall apart. They were something he needed to address when this whole mess was over.
“Kai. Good.” Amelia stood up from the long table that stood in the middle of the room. Around the table sat a few people that Kai recognized, and other that he did not. Adina sat next to Amelia. She nodded a greeting to him when they made eye contact. “How are you feeling?”
“Great right now, but Rosalie tells me it is only temporary. She gave me some sort of potion or something. I’m in bad shape otherwise,” Kai said as he found a seat at the table.
“What did she give you? Runner’s brew? Or Lathie’s Elixir?” Adina asked.
“Trollseed,” Kai said.
“She didn’t, did she?” Adina exclaimed excitedly, hopping up to her feet.
“Yeah, she tells me it is a rare commodity so we must preserve our supply or otherwise I would be giving this to my men on a regular basis. It is truly amazing,” Kai said then thought for a moment. “I hope it is okay that she gave it to me. She said that I needed to be sharp for the meeting.”
“Oh, it’s just fine. We hadn’t fully tested it yet so I am just a little bit surprised.”
Kai thought about this for a moment.
“So, you are saying that you didn’t know what would happen when I drank it?”
“No, no. Not at all. Of course, we knew. Pigs and humans are very much alike, you know. We know for sure it is not harmful if that’s what you’re worried about. We just don’t really know how long it will take you to recover from the effects. You are the perfect candidate as you are on bed rest anyway.”
“I’m not on bed rest.” Kai slammed his hand on the table. “We need to take the fortress back and I intend to lead us to victory. I’ll just have more of that Troll seed.”
“Kai, look.” Jaime stood up and walked toward his chair. “You have suffered grave injuries and need time to recover. You would be a liability on the battlefield, you know that.”
Kai looked at his old friend and was about to protest until he saw the look in Jaime’s eye that told him that this was an argument that he could not win.
“Fine. What do we know?”
For the next hour, they went over the available information and came up with a viable plan. Attack the same way the Sacred Blood did, using stealth and intrigue. They would split their force into three groups and attempt to sneak in using the cover of darkness. It was not the best plan but it was the best that Kai could do considering their limited knowledge.
Kai walked over to the window and stared into the darkening sky, racking his brain for better, and less dangerous options. It had been a clear day and there were no clouds hanging in the sky. Far on the horizon there looked to be something hanging in the air. He retrieved a spyglass from the table and looked toward the horizon.
“Well,” he said, “I think we have a new plan.”
Kai pointed out of the window. There in the distance, was a dark shape floating through the sky, slowly getting closer. Squabbles broke out amongst the villagers as they discussed who among them had better eyesight. These petty arguments faded quickly as the shapes came into better view.
Three bird-like animals were cutting through the air towards them at a tremendous speed. One was hard to see as its light color succeeded in camouflaging the beast against the sky, only the rare glimpse of red gave it away. Another was so brilliant that there were times that it could only be seen as a reflection of light. The last was a dark purple with bits that glinted in the last rays of the dying sun.
Kai’s heart leaped in his chest.
“They’re back!”
44
“I need a bath!” Isabella said, jumping down from Sisera’s back as the dragon landed on the soft grass of the big field.
“You do have a strong odor.” Sisera laughed, stretching herself out. “When was the last time you washed your clothes?”
Isabella crinkled her nose at the beast. “Last week,” she said, then furrowed her brow. “I think.”
The dragon rolled onto her back and stretched out her wings, almost knocking Isabella to the ground. The girl jumped at the last second to avoid being struck by the huge, leathery appendage.
Isabella landed in a crouched position. She glared at the dragon who paid her no attention.
“I think we should talk about when we will be going home,” the dragon said as she achieved a full starfish position on the field.
Isabella stood up, the comment pushing all thoughts of revenge from her mind. “Home?” she thought. It had been so long since she thought about what was going on at the Tower since she thought about Makal. Suddenly, she felt ashamed. “The reason we came on this journey was to help protect our home,” she thought. “And, I’ve all but forgotten about it.”
“You were just distracted,” Sisera mindlinked. “We’ve been so busy with training. I just thought I would mention it.”
Isabella thought about home for a while. She wondered if Makal was thinking about her. Would he still be waiting for her? They had only been gone for a few weeks. That wasn’t enough time for him to forget about her, was it? The questions raced through her mind.
“Don’t stress out about it,” Sisera mindlinked. “You’re not even thinking about the important things. What if the Tower gets attacked again? What if our home is destroyed? Those are questions you should be askin
g yourself.”
Isabella remained silent. Sisera was right. She was being selfish and only thinking of what she wanted. “My power gives me an obligation to my people and I will not let them down.” She repeated it over and over.
Caritha came flying over the top of the mountain and landed in the field. She nodded to Isabella and lay down on the grass next to Sisera.
Isabella looked around but saw no sign of Shayla. “That’s odd,” she thought to herself, when suddenly the older girl appeared in front of her, having dropped from the sky. Isabella could help but give a little scream.
Shayla burst out laughing.
“So, that’s what it feels like.” Isabella chuckled. She thought about how she would laugh when she did the same thing to Raven. She began to feel an aching in her soul. She was starting to miss home.
“Excellent work today,” Shayla said, tossing Isabella an apple. “You are becoming an unstoppable force.”
Isabella laughed at the notion. She bit into the apple, wiping up a trickle of juice that rolled down her chin. “I think I want to go home,” she said plainly.
Shayla took a seat next to Isabella and took a bite of her own apple. She sat for a bit, chewing, staring off into the distance. “I don’t think Apophis would have a problem with that. I will go with you so we can continue the training. I wouldn’t mind getting a crack at these Sacred Blood fellows either.”
Isabella smiled. She enjoyed the idea of Shayla returning with her to the Tower. What a celebration there would be when they returned. Her mother would be so happy that she got home safely. And she would get to see Makal again.
The two girls sat in silence for some time until Shayla stood up, staring into the distance. She pointed and Isabella followed her arm. There was a dragon flying towards them at a great speed.
“Do you recognize it?” Isabella asked nervously.
Shayla held up her hand to stop Isabella from questioning and stepped closer as if moving ahead two feet would allow her a better view.
“It’s Bryma,” Shayla said, a concerned look crossing her face. She turned to face her dragon, who was still lounging on the lawn. “Caritha. Go summon Apophis.”
The huge dragon rolled over and gave Shayla a disoriented look. Suddenly, Caritha leaped to her feet and flew off in search of the Alpha.
As the medium sized brown dragon landed, Shayla walked out to meet her.
“Bryma. Hello.” Shayla greeted the dragon with great respect.
The brown bowed her head slightly. “Dragonkin. Well met. I am in search of Apophis.”
“Caritha went to find her and bring her back here,” Shayla said.
“My thanks,” Bryma said, stretching her wings out. “I flew hard to get here and I am tired from the journey. I will lay down until she arrives.”
Shayla nodded and returned to where Isabella stood, watching.
“I will introduce you after,” Shayla said. “It is bad etiquette to do it before she meets with the Alpha.
Isabella nodded. She understood such things from her days in the Court of Prozia.
“Why is she only brown?” she asked, watching as Bryma, stretched herself out on the wide lawn. “I mean, why do her scales not have a colored hue?”
Shayla shrugged. “She is a common dragon. Or was a common dragon. There is nothing common about them nowadays.”
“Why is that?” Isabella asked, confused.
“As I understand it, a thousand years ago, before the beginning of the Wars, browns were the most common of all dragon colors. They came in all sizes and lived all over the world. The difference is that browns have little or no magical abilities so when the Wars came, humans found it much easier to kill browns, regardless of the fact that they had no part in the atrocities that provoked the conflicts.”
“That’s horrible.” Isabella was shocked.
“Eventually the browns took sides in the War but by that time hundreds had been wiped out. Now, there is only around a dozen left. Bryma, and her sister, Rythin, are the only two who left the Isle, as they are messengers for Apophis. The rest are working on increasing the population again, so Apophis thought it would be safer for them to remain on the Isle.”
“How many colored dragons are still alive?” Isabella asked.
“About a hundred or so,” Shayla said.
“How many stayed on the Isle?”
“Thirty or so, I think. Some travel back and forth.”
Isabella wondered how many dragonbloods there were in the world. “Was there one for every dragon?” she wondered.
“I hope not,” Sisera mindlinked. “I would not wish this agony on any other dragon.”
“Very funny,” Isabella said.
Shayla suddenly stood up. Confused, Isabella looked around and saw the reason. Apophis and Brendoth were just flying over the crest of the mountain top, toward the field.
The Alpha landed on her perch, atop the rock formation in the middle of the field. Brendoth landed to the right of her.
Bryma stood quickly and bowed before Apophis.
“What news brings you so urgently?” The white-gold asked.
“The witches have sent a message,” said Bryma.
“Witches?” Isabella whispered to Shayla.
“They are an old coven that fought on the side of the dragons during the Wars. They have made contact shortly after the dragons returned. Apophis met with them and discerned that their goal is aligned with ours. Preventing another thousand years of war is a big deal.”
Isabella nodded in agreement.
“And what is the message?” Apophis asked.
“The Brotherhood has made a big move. They have militarized and took a fortress on the Isle of Seron. The Tower of Kings it is called.”
“No!” Isabella gasped, her heart almost shooting through her chest. She wanted to rush forward and demand more information but Shayla put her hand on the girl’s shoulder, silently urging her to wait.
A grim look came over Apophis’ face. She glanced over at Isabella and made a motion for the girl to step forward. Shayla took her hand off to allow the younger girl to go. Isabella began to walk forward, when she reached back and grabbed Shayla’s hand, pulling her along. Shayla resisted at first, but when she saw the look in Isabella’s eyes, she allowed herself to be taken along for support.
“Tell us more,” Apophis said when Isabella and Shayla found their place.
“There was a minor conflict, few casualties, no deaths. It is unclear how it was managed but it seems that the Sacred Blood have taken possession of the Tower.”
“And the village?” asked Isabella, relieved that there were no deaths.
“Evacuated. All the previous residents have been relocated around the region.”
“Do you know where my mother is? Raven? Kai?” Isabella asked desperately, squeezing Shayla’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” Bryma said, bowing her head. “I do not have that information.”
“What other information do you have?” Apophis asked.
“Nothing else pertaining to this matter. I do have other information but it is for your ears only,” said Bryma.
Apophis nodded. “Brendoth, you’re thoughts?”
“Clearly a trap. It is very little information to go on but that’s what it seems to indicate,” the blue-white said. “I think it is best if the girl remains here while I take a group to deal with the problem.”
“No!” Isabella shouted, her anger fueled by her fear. “I must go. That is my home. That is my family. I have to go.”
Isabella was so wound up that she did not notice that her fists had become encompassed with flame.
“Isabella. Try and relax,” Sisera worriedly said through the mindlink.
Apophis stood, immediately calming down the situation with her overbearing presence.
“I agree with Isabella,” she said, drawing inquiring looks. “She should be the one to go.”
Brendoth spread his wings in protest but Apophis reared back and spread her
own to assert dominance. Brendoth quickly submitted and held his tongue.
“If we sent a group of dragons to kill an army of people that could be misinterpreted as an act of war. You will argue that Isabella has already incited unrest when she destroyed that army with her dragon magic. That is not true. Her actions are seen as warranted because she defended her home. This is something that she and Sisera need to do again, defend their home.”
Brendoth thought for a moment then nodded in agreement.
Apophis looked at Isabella. “Are you ready for this? It will not be an easy fight. The Sacred Blood have been the sworn enemies of the dragonkind for millennia. They know how to fight dragons, it is what they have spent their whole lives working toward. You will not go alone. Tyrath will, of course, accompany you.”
“I would like to go as well,” Shayla said.
Apophis nodded. “That is acceptable. Caritha has been known to be quite intimidating when she wants to be. It is important that you are just there to support her. This needs to be Isabella’s and Sisera’s fight.”
Shayla nodded her agreement.
Isabella gave Shayla a tight hug. “Thank you,” she said.
Shayla smiled and returned the younger girl’s embrace.
“Gather your belongings,” Apophis said as she sat back on her hind legs, spreading her massive wings. “You will leave at dawn.”
45
“I wish the others could see it from up here,” Isabella said loudly, as she brushed a clump of stray hair from her face. “They would see how beautiful this area really is.”
Shayla laughed. “You’re such a romantic,” she called. “We should actually be flying lower so we can maintain the element of surprise. We have no idea what is happening here so we shouldn’t expose ourselves.”
“Good idea,” Isabella said.
Sisera flew lower over the land, leading the other two dragons through mountainous, but more importantly unpopulated countryside. When they reached Seron, they decided that it would be the best to follow the coastline to the west and cut inland midway through the vast mountain range that separated Mara from Prozia thus reducing the chance of them being seen. Three dragons were a terrifying sight for most people, so reducing the chances of being seen was preferable.
Sisera's Gift 2: Sacred Blood Page 29