Patterns in the Dark

by Lindsay Buroker

  “I volunteer to ride with someone besides Cas on the way home,” Tolemek announced.

  She glowered at him almost as balefully as the dragon had.

  “Nobody else wants your hairy pirate butt on their seats,” Zirkander said as he hefted more bones and garbage over the side.

  “Sir,” Sardelle said, catching Moe’s eye, “where did you get the bones for your ruse?”

  Moe closed his book. “From the catacombs beneath the library, of course. This town has a far more fascinating history than I suspected. I’d only intended to do some research of this archipelago in general, but I may need to stay here for a while.”

  “You would like the pyramid, Dad,” Zirkander said, his voice muffled since his head was below the seat, his butt sticking in the air.

  Tolemek thought about commenting on the position, but decided he had better help Cas instead. He wanted to go home. And strangely, the image that formed in his mind at the thought was that of Iskandia and his lab in the capital, something to do with Cas’s whispered, “I love you,” perhaps. The memory of that moment made him smile.

  “Ziggurat?” Moe flipped open his book again. “I read about that in here, and the dragon-worshipping culture that built it, but it’s believed that the jungle took it back centuries ago.”

  “It didn’t, but it’s not in the best shape anymore. There were some explosions… and a dragon flew through the roof.”

  “Explosions?” Moe’s eyebrows flew up. “Ridgewalker Meadowlark Zirkander, did you blow up priceless ancient ruins?”

  “Meadowlark?” Tolemek mouthed.

  I understand that was his mother’s contribution, Jaxi shared.

  “It wasn’t me,” Zirkander said. “Why assume it was me? I was busy trying not to die from some horrible disease. Sardelle, tell him.”

  “You were thinking of toting those kegs down the corridor to bring down the roof on the Cofah,” she pointed out.

  “But I didn’t actually do anything.” Zirkander flattened a hand to his chest. “I’m innocent.”

  “Ridgewalker,” Moe said sternly. “I don’t think you understand how important history is and how irreplaceable relics from the past are.”

  “How am I getting a lecture when I’m the one who came back to a flier full of bones and… seven gods, is that goat poop?” Zirkander’s lip curled. “Sardelle? I need you to wave your hand like you did before, that move where you clean the seats of disgusting organic matter.” He cast a plaintive look in her direction.

  “Need any help?” Tolemek asked Cas from the ground next to her cockpit.

  She shook her head, but she wasn’t looking at him. She had stopped cleaning and was frowning up at the sky, a hand shadowing her eyes.

  At first, Tolemek thought she had spotted the dragon, but the creature flying through the sky was mechanical rather than living. A bronze Iskandian flier buzzed out of the clouds over the ocean. Now that Tolemek had seen a true dragon, the craft was truly laughable—what would Phelistoth think when he encountered his first one? Or a Cofah airship?

  “That’s Wolf Squadron,” Cas said.

  Zirkander, who had been arguing back and forth with his father about the sanctity of ancient ruins and how they shouldn’t be damaged, even if they had been taken over by enemy troops, looked up. The flier descended toward the harbor, and a few shouts went up from ships docked out there, pirates who must have thought this heralded a raid. But the lone craft veered away from the town.

  Zirkander lifted a hand—fortunately, he wasn’t holding any skulls this time—and waved. “That’s Apex.”

  The flier circled and came in over the trees to land in the field, bumping along the uneven ground and flattening two of the poles before coming to a stop nearby.

  “That’s definitely Apex,” Zirkander added dryly.

  “Captain Kaika is with him,” Cas said.

  “I see that.” Zirkander hopped down from his flier.

  Tolemek hung back, doubting this had anything to do with him.

  Cas dropped down beside him. “That’s odd. I could see why Apex might be sent to check on us—though I’m not quite sure how he found us, since we’ve been island hopping—but why would the general send Captain Kaika back?”

  “Perhaps he found out the ziggurat had only been partially blown up,” Tolemek said.

  Moe frowned at him.

  “Sir,” Apex blurted, practically flinging himself out of his cockpit. He landed on a couple of bones, but kicked them aside, barely noticing them. Usually, Duck was the young careless one; Apex was Tolemek’s age and not nearly so brash. “I’m so relieved we found you.”

  “How did you find us?” Cas asked.

  “The dragon and this island are in the news back home. We’re not sure who the source was. It’s chaos in the city right now. And we weren’t sure you would still be here, either.”

  “Let’s have the report, Lieutenant,” Zirkander said.

  “The king is missing, sir. The queen is in charge, supposedly, but she hasn’t addressed the people, and nobody’s seen her outside of the castle.”

  Zirkander accepted the news with a worried frown but nothing more explosive. Until Apex spoke again.

  “Sardelle’s face is on wanted posters all over the streets of the capital. As a witch.”

  Zirkander thumped his fist against his thigh. “Damn, what’s been going on while we’ve been gone?”

  “Nothing good, sir. We had to sneak away to warn you. Colonel Therrik has been put in charge of the flier battalion, and you’ve been declared AWOL.”

  “What?” This time Zirkander cursed so vehemently that Apex backed away, sending a worried look up to Kaika. Tolemek wondered if Sardelle would be offended that this information drew more of a distressed reaction from Zirkander than the news about her bounty. “Therrik?” Zirkander went on. “That buffoon doesn’t know anything about flying except how to puke in the back of my craft. He’s in a different brigade altogether. He was. Where’s General Ort?”

  “He made a fuss, and he’s been relieved of duty.”

  Zirkander pushed his hand through his hair several times, as if he might find some answers in there.

  “We’ve probably been declared AWOL, too, sir,” Apex went on. “But we had to let you know.”

  “Thank you.” Zirkander faced Tolemek. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance your sister would like to bring that dragon back, to fly menacingly into the harbor and show the capital that we’ve been up to important things these last couple of weeks?”

  Tolemek spread his hands. “Sorry, Zirkander. I don’t think my sister is aware of or cares about Iskandian politics. Also, I don’t know how to reach her. If I did, I’d tell her she’s not old enough to stay out past midnight, much less fly around the world on a dragon’s back.”

  Apex’s mouth descended to his chest at this talk of dragons, but Kaika was the one to ask, “You got a plan, Colonel? Because I didn’t go AWOL because of Apex’s companionship. Nobody in my company was doing enough about finding the king, and I was definitely getting the feeling some conspiracy was afoot.”

  “A plan,” Zirkander said. “We’ll work on one. On the way back home.” He waved at the fliers. “Everyone in. Dad, are you coming?”

  “In one of those cursed contraptions? No chance.” Moe glowered over at Sardelle, who lifted her hands in innocence. “I’ll catch the next boat. Have some more research to finish up first, but… check in on your mother for me, will you? If there’s any trouble in the city, make sure she’s safe.”

  “I will, Dad.”

  “Guess this means I’m not getting that nice bath I’ve been dreaming about,” Cas said with a sigh as the others climbed into their fliers.

  “I didn’t know you dreamed of such sybaritic luxuries,” Tolemek said.

  “I do. And I dream of people hopping in with me and rubbing my shoulders.”

  “Random people or specific ones?”

  “Scruffy-haired pirates.” Cas hopped up, caught the
lip of the cockpit, and pulled herself aboard.

  “Scruffy?” Tolemek asked. “I thought you found me handsome and alluring.”

  She winked at him. “I’ll find you more alluring if you climb in back there and clean those goat droppings off the seat.”

  Tolemek looked to the sky again, feeling a little envious of his sister.

  THE END