The Captive

by Paul Lauritsen

  Khollo didn’t bother trying to sort out the tangle of words, sensing Kanin was losing patience. Instead, the young Keeper continued peering into the night, waiting for the strange sight to repeat itself. He was rewarded for his determination not a minute later, when another brief flash lit up the jungle, accompanied by a muffled shout.

  There! he said, pointing triumphantly. I told you!

  What? Kanin asked, twisting around. I didn’t see it.

  Weren’t you watching?

  Not really. I was wondering when we would get to sleep again. Can we chase phantom lights some other time?

  Khollo glared at the dragon. What is wrong with you?

  I’m tired. You have not been flying around trying to get a bunch of young dragons to obey you and follow your commands in flying exercises. Or relaying commands to the humans riding on the backs of those dragons.

  Okay, Khollo said, I understand, you’ve been working hard, and you’re tired. But what if I’m right and there is something there and it means harm to the hatchlings?

  Or to us, Kanin agreed grudgingly. Fine. We investigate. But only one more time.

  You have my word, Khollo promised. Let’s sweep at high altitude, try to avoid being seen.

  We missed it at high altitude before. And if it really is as close to the hold as you say, we will have reinforcements close by if there is trouble. I say we fly right in, take the trouble by the neck, and shake it until its spine snaps.

  What if it’s nothing?

  Then it won’t have a spine to snap.

  Or a neck to grab either, Khollo replied, grinning.

  You get the point. Are you ready?

  Wait. Khollo quickly tightened the flying straps, just in case. Now I’m ready.

  Hang on.

  Kanin lurched off the ledge, swooping into the jungle. As he flashed past the first rank of twisted trunks, the light flashed again, brighter and longer, not far off at all. Kanin swerved through the jungle, turned sharply, and pulled up, jaws spread wide to engulf his target in fire.

  A scream rang through the jungle.

  Kanin flinched, flapped twice and drifted backwards, then landed heavily on the ground, staggering to regain his balance. Khollo, unable to see what was happening because of Kanin’s spread wings, leapt to the ground and ducked under the translucent membranes, searching for the source of the scream. “What in the world – ?”

  In front of Kanin was a charred patch of jungle, though the dragon had not breathed fire. The ground still smoldered, embers and tiny flames flickering in the night. On the other side of the patch was a strange shape, with a strange texture. It looked like a bit like an oversized rock, but the pattern on its surface was almost . . .

  Like scales.

  Khollo blinked and tilted his head. Yes, there was a foreleg, and a back leg. And there the neck. In the scant light, the scales looked almost black, but in the day they would be a different color. By daylight they would be purple.

  “It’s all right, Ayrmi, Aralye,” Khollo called, sighing with relief. “It’s just Kanin and I.”

  A scaly head popped up from the scaly rock as Ayrmi looked back at Khollo and Kanin. The purple dragon blinked, then uncoiled herself and stood back, revealing Aralye. The girl was crouched on the ground warily, hands up to shield her head. When she saw Khollo standing there, she stood upright swiftly, color rising in her cheeks.

  “You almost flamed us!” she said accusingly.

  “Sorry,” Khollo replied evenly. “We didn’t realize you and Ayrmi had left your hold in the middle of the night.”

  Aralye’s mouth snapped shut and her jaw tightened angrily.

  “What were you doing out here?” Khollo demanded. “How did you get out here? Were you and Ayrmi flying? You know she’s not nearly big enough yet!”

  “We weren’t flying,” Aralye retorted. “Which you should know since you found us on the ground.”

  “Then how did you get away from the holds?”

  “Easy. Ayrmi dangled her tail over the edge and I climbed down. One level at a time.”

  “You still would have had to jump quite a ways,” Khollo observed. “It’s not too far,” Aralye replied dismissively.

  “And how did you plan to climb back up?”

  “Easy. There’s a springy sapling I’ve been using to help me jump up to Ayrmi’s tail and then climb the rest of the way. Then when we get to the second level – ”

  “Wait,” Khollo interrupted, seizing on something she had said. “This isn’t the first time you’ve snuck out?”

  Aralye flinched. “Maybe not,” she muttered.

  “What were you thinking?” Khollo demanded. “Do you not remember me telling you the jungle was dangerous? Do you not remember me telling all of you about the tiger Kanin and I killed? We have no idea what walks these lands at night.”

  “I was safe enough with Ayrmi.”

  “Ayrmi is not even half grown! There’s no guarantee you would be able to defend yourselves. And if you had to fly away in an emergency, she might get hurt! Do you see the foolishness of what you were doing? And for what purpose? I thought you, out of all of the new Keepers, knew better than this!”

  Ayrmi growled, moving up beside Aralye, spreading her jaws slightly, light flickering along her fangs. Aralye pushed the purple dragon back worriedly, shielding her head. But Khollo’s rage was quite suddenly forgotten as he realized the significance of the smoldering ground and the faint, ruddy light Ayrmi was producing now.

  “She can breathe fire,” he said. “That’s what you’ve been attempting.”

  Aralye nodded slightly. “Yes. Ayrmi has learned to breathe fire. The library had instructions in one of the books, so I memorized them and we’ve been practicing.”

  “When did you go to the library?” Khollo demanded, flustered by this wave of revelations.

  “While you were training with the others.”

  “You were supposed to be watching!”

  “And learning what? I can’t even see what you’re doing from the ground!”

  “Well of course not! If you’re all the way off in the library. How did you even find the right book?”

  “There was a big book on the first floor, off by itself,” Aralye replied, shrugging. “It listed how everything was organized in the library, including the section on raising dragons. I thought you’d been doing research there for months?”

  Khollo swore under his breath. “Yeah, well, it would have been way more productive if I had noticed that book.”

  “What were you doing then?”

  “Reading every blasted scroll and bit of parchment I could get my hands on,” Khollo muttered darkly.

  Aralye turned away slightly, hand covering her mouth. Khollo was sure she was laughing at him. “Oh,” she managed to say finally. “Well, now you know.”

  “Now I know,” Khollo growled. “Is there anything else I should know? Any more foolish risks the two of you have been taking? Any other express orders you’ve been disobeying?”

  Aralye sighed. “Look, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. Ayrmi wanted to, but I didn’t. I mean, what if we had failed? We wanted to succeed at something on our own, do something the others couldn’t do. And this was the best way to do it.”

  “By risking your lives,” Khollo said flatly.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not helpless,” Aralye shot back, brandishing her bow at him. “How do you think I fed myself in the marshlands all these years? I’m a dead shot, and you know it!”

  “The jungle is different than the marshes,” Khollo replied. “The tiger Kanin killed was easily as large as Ayrmi is now. If you think an arrow would have stopped that – ”

  “Probably not,” Aralye muttered.

  “And there you have it,” Khollo said, throwing his hands up. “So much for trust.”

  “Look,” Aralye said, “It won’t happen again.”

  “What won’t happen?” Khollo demanded. “You disobeying a direct order? The two of you
putting your lives at risk? Sneaking out into the jungle at night?”

  We did what we thought was right, Ayrmi said, speaking to Khollo for the first time. We decided we wanted to contribute something, that we wanted to be more than a purple runt and a grounded hunter. So we took this chance.

  “You don’t have to prove anything!” Khollo growled.

  “Not anymore,” Aralye agreed. “Ayrmi is the only one of the young dragons who can breathe fire now. She was the first, and can teach the others. Is that not worth the risk?”

  “They would have learned eventually,” Khollo muttered. “It was still a foolish thing to do.”

  Khollo, Kanin interrupted. They did what they believed to be right. Right for them, right for the Keepers.

  It’s the way they did it, Khollo protested.

  Their way was the only way this would have succeeded, Kanin replied. It is not their fault their definition of the right thing is different from ours. You will never convince them they were wrong, and further arguing will only muddle the real issue.

  So what, I give up? Let them do whatever they want?

  No. Make it clear that you disagree with their actions, but you understand their motivation. Help them see the danger, so next time they will not be so rash.

  Khollo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Kanin is full of wisdom tonight,” he grumbled to Aralye.

  “Good thing one of you is.”

  He ignored the barb, though he longed to fire back in kind. “Anyway. I’m glad you succeeded. I’m glad the two of you worked together to do something extraordinary. Just . . . be more careful in the future. Do you understand the hazards of the jungle better now?”

  Aralye nodded. “A little. What else is out there?”

  “We don’t know,” Khollo replied, grimacing. “Could be anything, really. Until we clear the valley, anything could be hidden here.”

  “Then I suppose we should clear the valley and make it safe for dragons and humans again,” Aralye suggested. “That should be a little easier with five flaming dragons, don’t you think?”

  Khollo’s sighed. “Yes, it will. Kanin was a little outnumbered on his own.” He took a step towards the two young Keepers, resting a gentle hand on Ayrmi’s snout. The purple dragon hummed in reply.

  “You did what you thought was right,” Khollo said finally, locking eyes with Aralye. “I suppose that’s all I can ask. I just wish you would think your actions through more in the future. We may still disagree, but that’s bound to happen since the Keepers have no official code or laws. We’re bound by our own sense of right and wrong, our own inner compasses. It makes our path unclear at times.”

  “I understand,” Aralye replied, her expression softening a little. “And . . . I do appreciate you looking out for us.”

  Khollo nodded. “Always. You and Ayrmi are Keepers, and you’re our friends. We’ll always look out for you and the others.”

  Aralye nodded, looking down at Ayrmi, scratching the purple dragon’s scales absently. “Is that everything?” she asked after a moment. “I don’t know about you, but Ayrmi and I could use some rest.”

  Khollo hesitated, then nodded. “Do I have your word you two will consider your actions more in the future? That you’ll err towards caution?”

  “You have our word we will do what we think is right,” Aralye replied. “But what we think is right could change slightly after tonight.”

  Khollo nodded. “That will work. Need a lift back to the holds?”

  “We’ll make our own way,” Aralye replied immediately. “We’re not helpless.”

  “I was just offering,” Khollo said, raising his hands defensively. “Good night Aralye, Ayrmi. Go back to your hold and get some rest.” He grinned ruefully, looking back at Kanin. “Tomorrow – or today, rather – is going to be an exciting day. Today, our young dragons will begin to learn to control their flame.”

  Chapter 34:

  The Regent’s Report

  Relam arrived at the weekly meeting a few minutes late, for the first time in several weeks. It wasn’t even his fault, really. First Clemon had wanted to discuss provisions in case the winter was longer than expected, then Eckle wanted to update him on palace security and the status of the guard. Then Clemon had come back, remembering he had wanted to deliver a report on the year’s unusually low crop yield for Gobel-Tek. By the time the report was finished, Relam was already ten minutes late. By the time he got to the council room with his six guards in tow, he was more than twenty minutes late. He expected the regents would be waiting impatiently, if they had waited, and that they might have started without him to get minor things out of the way.

  What he did not expect was to enter the council room and find everyone on their feet yelling at each other. Relam blinked in surprise and froze, the door nearly clipping him as it swung shut. Sebast and Delan were face to face, roaring at each other, while Cevet and Knet were arguing more quietly, though judging by their expressions the argument was no less intense than Sebast and Delan’s. Jatt hovered between the two debates, trying to follow both but not really participating in either.

  Behind Relam, Wil pushed the door open a few inches, peering in. “What in the name of . . . ?” He broke off. “Oh. Sorry, sir, didn’t mean to interrupt. But it sounded like there was a battle going on in here. You sure you want us out in the hall?”

  “Yes,” Relam replied immediately. “That’s where any threat will come from. Besides, I should handle this myself. Whatever this is,” he added, puzzled.

  “Your call, sir,” Wil replied, shrugging. “We could always knock some heads together if you want. That would shut them up right quick.”

  “That will be all for now, Wil,” Relam said curtly. “Wait outside with the others please.”

  “Only trying to help,” Wil replied with a totally unabashed grin. “Good luck controlling this lot today, sir. They seem really riled up for some reason or other.”

  “Are you still here?”

  Wil’s grin widened, then he withdrew smartly, the door shutting behind him. Relam braced himself, then stepped away from the door and towards the table. The moment he started moving again, the others noticed him and the arguments died away. But only for a moment.

  “Relam!” Delan called. “Where have you been? We’ve got a big problem. A huge problem!”

  “Clemon and Eckle,” Relam replied, rolling his eyes. “Between the two of them they can waste anyone’s day with mindless prattle. Sorry I’m late everyone.”

  “You’re king,” Cevet replied. “We’ll let it slide.”

  The others laughed nervously at the joke, but quickly returned to their uneasy silence. Relam took his seat and frowned around the table, wondering what was going on.

  “Delan, you said we had a big problem. What sort of big problem? A serious one?”

  “Very,” Delan replied. “I received my latest round of reports from the South this morning. Relam, Ishkabur is gone.”

  Relam frowned, puzzled. “Gone? Delan, a city doesn’t just disappear. What happened?”

  “The city was attacked,” Sebast broke in. “Apparently, a silver dragon flew in over the sea, burned everything in sight, and slaughtered hundreds if not thousands.”

  Relam’s insides went numb and for a moment all he could do was sit there, stupefied. “What?” he finally asked, voice rising in disbelief. “A silver dragon?”

  “And a rider,” Delan said, nodding. “Refugees have been turning up in Narne, Jalakash, and a number of other cities and villages along the coast. Most have come by ship so far, and they never stay in one place long. They stop only long enough to reprovision, if they have the money, then they head right back out to sea. Seems they’re trying to put as much distance between them and this dragon as possible.”

  “A silver dragon?” Relam repeated. “With a human rider?”

  “Yes,” Delan replied. “A real giant of a man, Relam. The dragon dropped him at the top of Ishkabur’s keep and this man slaughtered every
one of Horam’s guards. Then . . . well, not all the reports agree on this, but most do . . . he ran Horam through with his own flag and threw him from the roof of the keep.”

  “A dragon,” Relam muttered, running a hand through his hair. “With a rider. Flying in over the sea. Cevet, where’s the map we usually have sitting here?”

  “Here you go,” Jatt rumbled, sliding it towards Relam. “I was trying to find Ishkabur.”

  Cevet rolled his eyes and passed the map further along so it was resting in front of Relam. “I know what you’re thinking,” he murmured quietly, “And I find it hard to believe too. But everything fits perfectly. I just don’t understand why.”

  Relam nodded absently, locating Ishkabur and mentally drawing a line to the west, where he knew the secret isle of Ethgalin to be. The trajectory was nearly perfect. Ishkabur had been attacked, by a dragon and human flying in from the west.

  “Where are the Keepers?” Relam asked quietly. “Last we heard anyway.”

  “Last we heard they were on their island,” Sebast replied immediately. “I have it on good authority from Narne. The Southern Star returned a few weeks ago.”

  “The what?” Knet asked.

  “The ship that has been named the official Courier to the Keepers,” Relam explained. “Sebast, send word that they are to reprovision and head out to sea immediately. They’re to take a message to Ethgalin and the Keepers.”

  “And what will this message say?” Cevet asked quietly.

  Relam slumped in his chair. “I don’t know,” he admitted hollowly. “Ishkabur . . . is gone, Delan?”

  “Leveled,” the regent replied, his voice tight. “Very few survived too. Wherever this dragon came from, it’s powerful. As far as we know, it took the city all on its own.”

  “By surprise,” Sebast added. “No one would have expected the dragon to attack when they first saw it. Everyone knows the Keepers are supposed to be our allies,” he added bitterly.

  “They are,” Relam agreed, tapping the table furiously. “They saved Ishkabur a year ago, then destroyed Dun Carryl and covered our retreat. I like Khollo, and I trust him. So why in the world . . . how did . . . what sort of . . . ?” The king stopped and shook his head, completely at a loss for words to describe what he was feeling.