She quirked her lips in a half-frown. As much as she wanted to do more, he was right. Dragons can’t sense other dragons except when they are near, like any other creature, right?
Correct. At least any creature not a nahual. I believe you said it was called a mile?
A little over a mile, yes. Millinith tugged on a lock of hair.
Doronal, still brushing, glanced at her. “How’s Polandra holding up, anyway?”
She walked into the bedroom and grabbed the status report from the side desk. “Well enough, it seems. She’s turning out to be just as good at managing things as Renata.”
Organizing the acquisition of the Corpus Order’s assets and transitioning its former home, the sprawling structure that was Bataan-Mok, into a branch of the Dragon Craft Guild was proceeding better than Millinith had hoped. Aside from all the accidents.
“Liara’s gone down a few times to help Polandra,” she said, “and Cirtis, Yiska, Isandath, and the umeri who didn’t flee have been lending their assistance as well. Renata has even gone down twice to lend a hand.”
Millinith let out a quiet breath. “I should return there soon, however. I’d like to settle a few of the outstanding issues.”
“Well, if you need help, I’ll be glad to go with you.”
She absently twirled a lock of hair. “No. As much as I’d like you along, I’d prefer you remained behind in case something comes up while I’m gone.”
Gods grant that nothing came up, though. There were quite enough things to deal with already. Her biggest concern right now was the surprising number of accidents in and around Bataan-Mok. Aside from loss of property, there had been a few injuries, and even some deaths. If those were due to deliberate actions . . .
Many umeri fled when the Corpus Order was forced to shut down, but of those who remained, some could secretly resent the guild for having been part of the Order’s dissolution. Perhaps she’d have Fillion and Coatl come along to look into whether there was anything more to the accidents.
She frowned. No, Master Gella was on some new investigation. There was no telling when she’d ask for Fillion’s help again. Liara, then. The raven-haired girl was reportedly doing very well with Investigation Craft lessons, and she and Mia would likely be happy to visit Polandra and Ikan.
Itzel, could you have Mia ask Liara if they’re free to go to Bataan-Mok with us today?
The reply came quickly. She says she is.
Tell her we will leave in an hour from the front of the Guildhall. That should give plenty of time for a shower and breakfast.
Millinith grabbed a change of clothing from the wardrobe. It was hot in the desert, so she chose lighter garments. It wasn’t as if she were going on a patrol, so she’d not need full riding gear. After a quick breakfast, she’d stop at the office to tell Renata her plans. The very able girl and Liflin were more than capable of watching over things for the day, and, too, Doronal would be available to them if anything happened. That should give her plenty of time to get things in order down there.
She gave Doronal a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the bathing rooms. “I’ll be back later.”
+ + + + +
Liara watched Polandra and smiled. The tall girl was in her element. Liara had been more than happy to accompany the Guildmaster down here. It gave her a chance to spend some more time with her amazing girlfriend.
“From reviewing the records,” Polandra flipped over the top sheet of paper on the stack before her, “it is plain that a great deal of the Order’s money was spent on unneeded luxuries.”
Cirtis, sitting to her left at the large table, nodded. “I always suspected as much but was not privy to all the details. Management of the Order’s funds was a very tight-lipped affair. Not even the Observers knew all the particulars.”
“Jewelry, art, rugs and carpets, dishware, silverware, imported foods and drink . . .” Polandra shook her head. “The list goes on. Most of the furniture, too, is a poor match to the climate here. If of the wrong types of wood, a lot of work is required to maintain it against the very dry weather.”
Yiska grunted. “Though it has been decades since I was a crusan, I still remember the smell of the oil I used on the furniture.”
Cirtis chuckled. “I do, too.”
“‘And after,’” Polandra said, raising her brow, “‘Lay the rags out . . .’”
“‘. . . or I’ll lay you out!’” both Cirtis and Yiska finished. All three laughed at the apparently oft-repeated saying.
Liara would have to ask her about what that meant later.
Guildmaster Millinith cleared her throat.
Polandra glanced at her, blushed, and hurriedly continued. “Taking into account the elimination of waste, we concluded that the ‘allowance’ paid to volunteer members, which will soon be employee pay, could be raised dramatically. They’ve had better than living wages for over two weeks now.”
“The mood had darkened after news of the impending dissolution spread.” Yiska looked at the Guildmaster. “People were nervous and angry. Scared. They wouldn’t even look at others as they hurried about the place.”
“But now,” Cirtis said, “people are smiling again.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Guildmaster Millinith turned to Polandra. “And what of the dragon dens?”
She flipped through papers. “As we initially discussed, this is not the craft guildhall, so we won’t need as many dens. Still,” she smiled, “interest is high. As such I had them draw up initial plans for eight suites in the former Daelon’s Plaza.” She slid them to Guildmaster Millinith.
“As you can see, they’re laid out on a square. Two suites at each corner, with walkways at the sides of the square leading to an open courtyard at its center. They’re of a fashion reminiscent of the dragon dens at Caer Baronel. These suites are slightly smaller, though still spacious. And if there are dragonlinked who are amenable,” her gaze flicked very briefly to Liara, “there is room enough for more than one, ah, dragon to a den.”
Guildmaster Millinith flipped back and forth between the floor plans. “Yes. This all looks good. Once we receive confirmation that the purchase of assets will be allowed, which should be soon, we can begin the actual construction.” She looked up. “As such, we’re going to need that marble.”
Polandra, Cirtis and Yiska looked at each other and then at the Guildmaster.
Liara narrowed her eyes. What was this all about? Polandra hadn’t mentioned anything that would elicit these worried looks.
Guildmaster Millinith drummed her fingers on the table. “Have there been any new ‘accidents’ since the destroyed marble shipment?”
Liara sat up. She didn’t like the emphasis that had placed on the word. What was going on here?
“No.” Polandra shook her head.
“Perhaps,” Cirtis said and glanced at Yiska. “Perhaps now that people see what we are trying to do, those will stop?”
“That would certainly be beneficial, but someone died,” Guildmaster Millinith said. “I’m not going to just ignore that. I brought Liara and Mia so they can learn everything they can about that failed marble shipment.”
Liara blinked. An investigation?
The Guildmaster leaned back in the chair. “With us now taking open applications at the Guildhall, there will likely be interest here at the branch, just as Polandra noted. We need to be ready for bond-mates living here while studying, or while working, for that matter.”
Liara looked at those around the table. If she was going to investigate the happenings at the quarry, she needed to know more about what had been going on down here. With a glance at Polandra, she wondered why none of those accidents had been part of their talks.
“To that end,” the Guildmaster continued, “I’ve been working on enchanting schedules for the dragon dens. But for any dens to be completed, we need to get that damn marble here, safely. And if it tuns out these incidents are more than accidents, I want the murderers caught.”
From thei
r further discussions, Liara learned about the accidents that had been occurring in and around Bataan-Mok. It did seem as if there was more to them than just random bad luck.
Apparently satisfied with how the meeting had gone, Guildmaster Millinith and Itzel headed back to the Guildhall when it was finished. Cirtis and Yiska took their leave as well, heading off on their own errands. That left Liara with Polandra, and she was more than happy to spend some time with the tall girl.
Polandra led her through the numerous hallways back out to Daelon’s Plaza. Mia and Ikan were there, next to the pool of water where the execution platform had stood. They lay on the stone floor of the courtyard, wings touching.
Liara smiled. You two are so cute lying together like that.
And you two are cute holding hands like that. Humor and love came through the link.
Liara chuckled and squeezed Polandra’s hand.
“One day,” Polandra said, “dragons and their bond-mates will live, will thrive, in this former place of death.” She looked around the plaza. “I cannot tell you how happy that makes me.”
Liara nodded. “Me, too. But like the Guildmaster said, we need the marble to make it here if we want to build those dens. If there are more of these . . . incidents, however, that might not be possible.”
The slight change in her tone hadn’t been missed, it seemed.
Polandra sighed. “I’m sorry I haven’t mentioned the accidents. At first, they really seemed to be accidents and were more nuisance than anything else. I just didn’t want you to worry.”
Liara looked up at her. “Thinking that you might not be telling me everything, that you might be in some unknown danger, will only make me worry more.”
Polandra closed her eyes and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She opened them. “Are you angry with me?”
“A little, but that’s because I love you.” Liara lifted up on tip-toes and kissed her. After, she lifted a finger and waved it at her. “So no more omissions, hear? Or I’ll get Ikan to drop you in a lake somewhere.”
Polandra chuckled. “And that heap of leather scraps would, too. He loves you almost as much as I do.” She took a breath and let it out. “I have more gods-cursed meetings tomorrow, or we’d go with you and Xochi to the quarry in the morning.” She twisted her lips. “There’s so much to manage here. I really don’t know how Renata and the Guildmaster do it.”
Liara wrapped her arm around Polandra’s. “I thought you did quite well in the meeting.”
“Really? I wish I hadn’t been diverted, though, about the oil rags.”
“Is that what the saying the three of you used was about? Oil rags?”
Polandra smiled. “The oil we use on wood furnishings stays in the rags for a while. When the crusani tasked with polishing furniture were finished with that duty for the day, they were supposed to leave the rags in a sheltered courtyard to dry. We were admonished again and again to spread the rags out for that, to not leave them in a pile. ‘Lay them out or I’ll lay you out,’ is what the supervisor in charge of furniture polishing repeated about it every day. And apparently, every supervisor for decades has said the same thing.”
Liara chuckled. “Why would it matter? They’ll dry either way.”
“Actually, due to the way the oil dries, if they are left in a pile, the rags can get so hot they could burst into flame.”
Liara glanced at her. “Are you toying with me?”
Polandra laughed. “No, I’m serious.”
“Hmm.” Liara wasn’t sure whether to believe her.
“That they both knew the phrase was also a reminder to me that everyone in the Order rose up in the ranks the same way.” Polandra quirked her lips. “That being the case, I just don’t understand how some people ended up with such . . . strange attitudes.”
Liara nodded. Cirtis, the leader of the former Corpus Order, and Isandath and Yiska, both former umeri, all rose through the ranks like everyone had in the Order. But while Cirtis and Isandath were always on the side of dragons, Yiska had once fought vehemently against them.
She looked around the plaza. It was much emptier than it had been on that afternoon they’d met with the leadership of the Order. Hundreds of spectators had stood behind sorcerous walls watching the discussions. The fight that broke out at the end, oddly punctuated by the incredibly bright and loud bolt of lightning, had brought about many changes. The housing for dragons and their bond-mates that would soon be built here was not even the largest.
“So,” Liara said, “does Ikan sleep out here? Rooms inside Bataan-Mok don’t come with an attached dragon den.”
“Actually, he flies to the caves.”
“He does?” She glanced at the large brown dragon. “I don’t know that I’d like Mia that far from me.”
Polandra’s eyes went flat for a moment. “No matter how many times I ask, he won’t tell me exactly why he does that.” She leaned close and whispered. “I think it’s the bad memories he has of this plaza.”
Dragons could access memories of their forebears. Ikan’s family had come from here in the desert, so if he tried, he could re-live memories of ancestors that had witnessed dragons being captured and killed in this plaza, memories that would be clear enough to make him feel as if he had witnessed it all himself. It was no wonder he was reluctant to sleep here, the very courtyard where dragon blood had been spilled.
Still, while Liara didn’t ever want the atrocities committed here to be forgotten, there was something gratifying about a place once used to take dragon life now becoming a home for them. And who knows? Eventually, a few dragons’ lives might begin here, too, on passion-filled nights with the whisper of desert breezes in the air.
How long would that take to happen, however, if one of the senior dragons refused to sleep here?
Liara whispered back. “If that’s so, then let’s give him some good memories of the place.” She glanced at Mia. I have an idea I’d like your help with that could lead to some fun later on.
Her bond-mate looked over. Okay.
Liara led Polandra over to the dragons. “Ikan, can I ask a favor of you?”
He chirped. Of course.
“Could you keep Mia company when she sleeps here in the courtyard tonight? While we’ve visited before, this is the first time we’re going to spend the night, and I don’t want to leave her alone.”
He blinked his large eyes.
Mia rubbed her cheek along his neck. Please?
Ikan blinked again and let out a rumble. I . . . will keep her company.
That was perfect, love! Liara nodded to Ikan. “Thank you.”
Mia touched her nose to his. Two of the dens are complete, so we will have our choice of where to, ah, sleep tonight.
Liara smiled at her bond-mate.
Polandra leaned close and whispered, “You are a very naughty girl.”
Liara squeezed Polandra’s hand. “Just you wait.” She glanced to the west and verified Suule’s position in the sky. It was faster than uncovering her wrist-watch. “It looks like there are some hours to go before evening, however, so what other fun things are there to do around here?”
Polandra looked at her with a crooked grin. “I suppose I could take you to another place in Bataan-Mok you haven’t seen.”
Liara frowned. “You aren’t going to show me piles of rags, are you?”
Polandra chuckled. “No. But you haven’t seen Tranquility Garden, yet.”
+ + + + +
I can see the dragon. He watches me.
Shielding his eyes from the late morning sun, Chanté looked up to where Nantli glided. She was bathed in its bright yellow light. Is he angry?
I do not think so. I feel strong curiosity.
That’s good. Once we get inside, lead us to him.
Quillan dismounted and walked over to the gate guard. A watchman also stood in each of the two towers flanking the gate, gaze on those below.
Chanté stayed on the horse. He didn’t feel comfortable with all the peo
ple or the scrutiny.
Now and then a guard would look up to where Nantli circled above. None of them seemed overly surprised by her, which he supposed made sense. This was the original home of the dragonlinked, after all.
Nantli had sensed the dragon as they drew closer to the caer on their way to the Dragon Craft Guild, but she hadn’t been sure at first if he was in the caer or beyond it. Once she knew, Quillan had asked if they could enter the caer to meet the dragon, rather than just pass by. While getting to the guild to secure food and shelter was Chanté’s top priority, a very short side trip to see another dragon wouldn’t waste too much time, so he’d been amenable.
“I used to pride myself on knowing all the dragonlinked.” The gate guard, looking at Chanté, chuckled. He shrugged and looked back at Quillan. “Ah, well. There are so many of you now. Welcome to Caer Baronel, and good luck at the guild.”
“Thank you, sir.” Quillan nodded, then walked back to the horse and mounted up.
After they rode north through the gate, Chanté leaned forward and pointed upward. “Nantli is going to lead us to the dragon.”
Quillan glanced over his shoulder. “Okay.” He smiled as he looked up to Nantli. “I never thought I’d see a dragon, much less two.” He shook the reigns and got the horse moving.
As they trotted up the street, Chanté looked about the place. A few people walked along the cobbled roads, and he spied the occasional wagon. It seemed like a pleasant enough community. Most of the people wore smiles and a few lifted their hats as they passed. It seemed to be a kind of greeting because Quillan would nod or wave at them in return.
Those buildings ahead on the left. He sits in a courtyard between them.
A flash of the buildings she meant, almost like a faded memory, came to him. “There.” Chanté pointed. “Head for those buildings.”
“There’s no path that way, but alright.” Quillan guided the horse off the road and across the grassy area alongside it.
Ahead, a road ran between what looked like horse stables on the right and the buildings they made for.
He and Quillan dismounted between the ends of the buildings that fronted the south and east sides of the square courtyard. After Quillan tied the horse to the fence, they walked through a gate and stopped about twenty feet from a man and a dusty red dragon who waited on the north end of the open space.
Of Gods, Trees, and a Sapling: Dragonlinked Chronicles Volume 4 Page 9