I tried to think of a reason Galtero dismissed me so quickly. Something was amiss.
Maybe Ansel is on his way?
I reached out to Eshshah to ask her, when I heard a swish. A shadow passed the doorway. Someone was making an effort to approach undetected. My constraints wouldn’t allow much freedom, but I tensed to defend myself as best I could.
Barely audible footsteps crept slowly toward me. My sight was blocked by a brick oven to my right. The intruder stopped and waited behind the oven.
I held my breath and called for Eshshah’s strength, my ears attuned to the shallow breathing of my visitor.
“Show yourself,” I said.
A small gasp echoed nearby.
“Amáne, it Lia’ina.” The native girl poked her head from her hiding place, her fingers to her lips, eyes wide with fear. Crouching, she moved toward me, glancing left and right for anyone who may have heard me call out.
“Please, eat.” She held out a small loaf of bread in which she’d stuffed a piece of meat.
I grabbed the offering from her and devoured it as she watched. She pulled a flask from a pouch at her side and handed it to me. Water had never tasted so good.
Tucking the empty flask back in her pouch, Lia’ina took my chained hands in hers and brought them to her forehead. She shook her head at the metal bands surrounding my wrists. With tears welling in her eyes she said, “Lia’ina want help Amáne leave this place. One time you prisoner at my tribe. I have shame of that time. I ask Amáne forgive.”
“Of course I forgive you, Lia’ina. But you’re as much a prisoner here, as I. How do you expect to help me if you aren’t even free?”
“I not know. I think and think. Lia’ina owe Amáne.”
“You don’t owe me. My captivity by your tribe was not of your doing. That’s in the past, now. You’re brave to even be here, Lia’ina. I don’t want you to get hurt on account of me. My dragon and my friends — and my husband — are going to get me out of here. When they do, we’ll take you with us.”
“Husband? Amáne have husband?”
“Barely. I was snatched from my wedding.” My lip trembled.
The native girl gave a quick squeeze to my hands before releasing them.
“Lia’ina help. No matter ropes on feet.” She gestured to her hobbles.
Her eyes lit up. She tapped her head. “Lia’ina think idea. Every day Lia’ina walk to meet man. He name Manu’eno. He bring food for castle. Supply come by cart and animal. Not know name of animal. Like horse, but small. Galtero demand many thing, many food. Manu’eno come each day with cart. Lia’ina tell Manu’eno. Him help Amáne. He know my father before ... before ...”
Lia’ina took in a long breath and swallowed hard. I held no love for her father, the tribal chief. I knew Lia’ina had been a good and obedient daughter, and as such, she would have a daughter’s respect for him.
“I’m sorry for you if something has happened to your father,” I said.
“All my family, my tribe, no more. Galtero capture for slave, or send to ancestors. Lia’ina promise to avenge.” She closed her hands into fists and shook them.
Bootsteps sounded from the hallway. Lia’ina glanced around in alarm, then gave me an encouraging nod before she disappeared behind the oven.
Shouts and panicked voices echoed outside the kitchen. From the ruined walls of my confinement I could see a small portion of the battlements to the west. Trees blocked most of my view, but men with crossbows were visible as they mustered along the wall-walk.
A chilling screech resonated from the sky, a keening that raised the hair on the nape of my neck. It came from a dragon.
“Eshshah! What’s going on out there?”
“It’s Senka. His mate just ... He is keening for her loss. He’s taken flight and is heading toward the castle. I’m going to follow.”
Senka’s shrieking sent my heart to my throat. I couldn’t block his cries of desperation nor the sounds of terror that came from the men on the walls. Orders were shouted, but it seemed like nothing but chaos echoed from the heights.
“Amáne, he’s attacking. They have harpoon cannons. He doesn’t stand a chance alone. I must go help him.”
“No, Eshshah. Please. I’m sorry, but I need you.”
A flash of fire lit up the grounds just outside the kitchen. The temperature rose as Senka belched an inferno at Galtero’s soldiers. Stones from the kitchen walls crashed down. A choking dust filled the room.
“Amáne, if I don’t stop him, you’ll be crushed in the fray, or burned in his flames.”
“I’m all right, Eshshah. The outer walls should be far enough from me.” I coughed. “Please don’t come closer.”
Eshshah remained at a distance and shared her view in open thought transference.
Through her eyes I saw Senka dive in for another assault. Scores of men burst into flame. Their screams filled the air.
The stench of burning flesh reached my sensitive nose. Heat from Senka’s wrath could be felt through the broken roof and dilapidated walls.
Circling the castle, the fierce grey dragon trumpeted in anger. Swooping low, he plucked men from the wall walk and tossed them like rubbish to their deaths below. He disregarded the arrows that filled the sky.
Senka’s fire continued to rain down upon Galtero’s men. A harpoon cannon went off. He dodged it. The missile flew harmlessly past him.
Enraged, he came in for a strike. The boom from another cannon shook the walls. More rocks and dust fell into the kitchen.
A piercing screech assaulted my ears. I felt Eshshah’s shock and sorrow and I saw what she saw — Senka fell from the sky.
The grounds became silent except for a few orders shouted on the battlements.
Anger swirled in my chest, matching that of Eshshah’s. My heart beat violently.
“Oh Eshshah.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Two more dragons dead because of Galtero. I can’t be a part of him becoming a dragon rider. Please get a message to Ansel immediately. He has to know about this.”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve as I waited for Eshshah to speak to Sovann. He would convey the events to Ansel.
“Amáne,” she said, “King Ansel is as outraged as we are. Sovann told me it’s getting more difficult to keep his rider from storming the castle.”
“Poor Ansel. I pray he has better sense than that.”
“Sovann and the riders will keep a close eye on him. They won’t allow him any foolishness. Plans are being made. He said to assure you he will see you soon.”
“Please tell him he can’t bring a dragon egg here. I don’t want one even close to Galtero. I’ll take no chances.”
After a pause, Eshshah responded, “He insists it will only be a back-up plan, but he’ll use it as a ruse. King Ansel has no intention of actually letting Galtero have an egg, but he’ll do what he needs to get you back.”
I could understand his position. I would do the same, but I repeated that Galtero must in no way get his hands on a dragon egg.
“Eshshah, I have news that might help a dragon rider or two get into the castle. Ask Ansel if he remembers the native girl I told him about, Lia’ina. Tell him she’s here. She’s a prisoner, too. There’s a man she meets every day, someone she knows, who delivers foodstuff to the castle. He frequents a place in the village called the Tavern of the Ancient Ones. His name is Manu’eno. She told me she’ll connect him with —”
The sound of men approaching broke into our conversation.
“Someone’s coming. Please tell Ansel about Manu’eno. And tell him I love him. I’ll be with him soon. I’m sure of it.”
My now-familiar guards stomped in. The head guard unlocked my chains from the spit and jerked me toward a kitchen exit.
The greasy-haired man was part of the group this time. He situated himself to my right, close enough I could smell his breath. Every few minutes he would reach out and stroke my hair or my arm. My skin crawled at his touch.
They led me t
hrough another series of corridors. It seemed Galtero not only changed the location of my cells, he never received me in the same room, either.
Paranoid weakling.
I gasped as the door opened onto a small replica of the hatching grounds of Castle Teravinea. An oval room with a sand floor spread out before me. A few tiers of wooden benches curved around above, taking up about a third of the chamber.
Galtero sat in the front row and looked down at me as I stood on the sand, a sickening leer on his face. A scribe sat to his left with a quill and ink, his hand poised above a journal. Ravana took her place to his right.
“Now, let us take up where we left off, before the interruption,” he said in his nasally voice.
“You’ve killed two more dragons!”
“That is none of your concern. Begin. Tell me of the hatching.”
“You’ve murdered dragons! Here. Now.” The hysteria rose in my voice.
Before I lost control, I inhaled slowly. My temper had been the bane of my life, and had never served me well. Galtero would just feed off of my frantic ranting. However, I couldn’t let the subject drop.
In a calm, yet strong voice, I said, “How, if I may ask, can you expect to be a dragon rider with the blood of so many dragons on your hands?”
“I do not need to answer your ill-mannered questions. But, to demonstrate my hospitality, I will answer you — this one time only. Your next outburst may cost you.”
He paused and glared at me, eyebrows raised as if to verify I understood.
“The she-dragon died of her weakness, and her mate attacked my castle. It was rightfully defended. I will do what is necessary.”
“I will not be a part of this.”
“You have little choice if you value your life, girl.”
“Well, maybe my life is not worth the life of another dragon.”
Eshshah echoed her version of a gasp.
“Enough!” Galtero bellowed. “You will instruct me. Now. You are wasting my time.” He drew his knife and made a cutting motion, simulating the severing of another joint in my finger.
My anger pushed aside the fear of his knife. “You want to learn what it’s like to link with a dragon?” I said through gritted teeth. “Very well. Listen carefully.”
I paused, making sure I had his full attention. “Once the hatchling breaks from its shell, it will hypnotize you with its swirling, glowing eyes. Draw you in. Lure you toward itself. You won’t be in control of your actions. You will have no choice but to move closer to the dragon. So close, you can see his sharp white fangs. Possibly even see the venom dripping from the tips.”
I drew a secret pleasure seeing Galtero’s eyes go wide.
He opened his mouth to say something, but I continued. “Once you are near enough, the dragon will strike.” I mimicked the motion with my hand. Galtero jumped. “He will bury his razor-edged poisonous fangs deep into the flesh of your right shoulder. The venom he pumps into your body will feel like hot lava in your veins. You will never have felt such excruciating pain in your life. The fire will travel up to your head so it feels like it would explode, and then burn down to the tips of your toes. Every muscle, every organ will scream in agony. Your eyes will bulge, your throat may close. To answer your earlier question, there is nothing that will relieve your pain.”
Galtero leaned back in his bench, pale. Horror, combined with anger distorted his face. I thought he would either get sick or throw his dagger at me. Ravana bit down on her bottom red lip. The scribe leaned over and whispered something to the false king.
Anger overcame him. “You lie! Do not mock me, girl. You are not describing a hatching. This is your last chance. Tell of a true dragon hatching if you care to live.”
He pulled himself to his feet and motioned for the guard to bring my hand to the railing. Galtero leaned forward, his knife at the ready.
I suppressed a shudder at the thought of his knife slicing through my flesh again.
Fighting my panic, and the man who tried to drag me closer to the rail, I asserted, “I do not lie. You asked for a description of a hatching, and that’s exactly what you’re getting. It is what I, myself, went through. Would you prefer I tone it down so you can feel more at ease?”
He shot me a black look and leveled his blade over the rail.
As I strained against the guards to keep my arm close to my body, and my body away from the rail, my tongue was loosed. Eshshah groaned.
“Because I can dilute it, and make it sound like a cowardly daydream instead of the three-day nightmare that’s possible in a hatching. I can neglect to inform you that you could visit your ancestors in the Shadows, where you would beg to stay with them and not return to the pain caused by your dragon. I could omit —”
Galtero jabbed his knife at me. His face, at first white, turned to purple.
I flinched, but thankfully enough distance remained between us, I was beyond his reach.
Abruptly, he halted his attack and shouted, “Away with her. Throw her in the dungeon before I finish her here and now. Insolent, ignorant, stubborn girl. If you weren’t my leverage for a dragon egg, I would slash your throat this instant. But, you still have plenty more body parts I can remove if you do not start cooperating. Think about that when you are down there.” The veins stuck out in his neck.
I was dragged away, but while he remained within earshot, I yelled over my shoulder, “I tell you the truth.” Then lower, so he couldn’t hear me, I said, “I hope you choke on it.”
The man to my left cuffed me on the back of my head.
Five guards simultaneously pushed and pulled me down a narrow spiral staircase. Eshshah tried to calm me but I was on fire. I struggled to resist them. There was not enough room to fight in the cramped space. I had to halt my struggle, else the result would send us tumbling down the stairs — them crushing me at the bottom.
We reached a damp, dark level. Three of the men held me while another opened a hatch in the dirt floor.
I gazed into the dark hole at my feet. The stench of old bones and death reached me. I realized too late, the penalty for my temper.
One of the guards uncoiled a rope and attempted to tie it around my waist. The thought of spending any time in that black pit gave rise to my panic. I wrestled and kicked as the men tried to get a hold of my chains. Too close to the edge, I lost my balance. My captors grabbed for me, but grasped only air. I plummeted into the dense blackness, screaming in terror.
Exclamations of dismay echoed from the guards.
“Eshshah!” I shrieked as I fell into the pit.
“Amáne,” she called in agony.
Is there no bottom?
As that thought completed, my body hit the hard ground, head first. I heard a thump and a squishing sound, like smashing a pumpkin, and felt no more.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I forced my eyes open. Darkness rushed in around me.
The smell of rot and death. The damp dirt walls. The sweltering heat. The pain in my hand. I’d had this dream before. I bit back a scream.
It’s not a dream is it? I am in a dungeon. An oubliette. What crime did I commit to find myself here?
I grabbed my head as an explosion of noise assaulted me. A sound like metal scraping against metal, but in the form of words I couldn’t understand.
“Leave me alone,” I cried in my madness.
A commotion overhead startled me. Men’s voices echoed loudly. A shaft of light entered the blackness.
A torch?
I brought my hands to my face to ward off the painful glare.
“Ho, down there. You alive?”
“If she don’t answer this time,” another voice said, “yer goin’ down there to get ’er. If she’s dead, yer the one gonna tell the king, as you bein’ the one to let go o’ her.”
“Yes, I’m alive. Get me out of here,” I said in a raspy whisper.
“I didn’t let ’er go. You pushed ’er.”
“Please help me.” I tried louder this time.
>
“Can ya hear me? Are ya alive down there?”
I took in a painful breath and attempted to shout, “Get. Me. Out!”
“I hear her. She’s comin’ ’round,” said the second voice.
“Well Gahn, be thankful for that,” said another. “At least you can keep yer head.”
“Yeah, if you hadn’t pushed her …”
“I didn’t push ’er, she slipped.”
The argument above me escalated.
“Stow it. I’ll have all yer miserable heads if ya don’t do what ya came here fer. Now git her outta there.”
“I’m not goin’ in that hole if I don’t have to,” The voice attributed to Gahn echoed above.
A swish of air moved in front of me as something dropped down.
“Grab the rope and tie it around ya,” he ordered.
I forced myself to a sitting position, reached out and found the rope. It was thick and rough. After fumbling and trying to work my uncooperative hands, I succeeded in securing it around my waist.
“I’m ready,” I called up in a weak voice.
The line tightened and the men pulled me up. Each yank jerked my body. Tears of pain poured down my face.
Free of the oubliette, they steadied me away from the opening. One of the guards undid my chains.
“Ought you to do that?”
“Look at ’er. Does it look like she got any fight in ’er? Don’t question me again.”
The men surrounded me and led me toward a lit passage.
Delirious, I let them push, pull, drag and carry me up stairs, down corridors and up more stairs until we were above ground in an area that nearly reeked of opulence.
One of my captors turned to me and said, “Straighten up. Don’t dare topple. Yer ’bout to face the king.”
They’re bringing me before a king?
I sucked in a trembling breath and stood as well as my pain-wracked body would allow.
The large doors opened before us and we stepped into an immense room. Light streamed through the high windows. My eyes went in and out of focus as my head threatened to explode. The king sat atop his throne in the middle of the chamber. A sleek lady in a black cape stood to his right. Her lips red against her pale skin. With her dark dress and the ruby hanging at her forehead, she resembled a black widow spider.
Amáne of Teravinea - Black Castle (The Teravinea Series Book 4) Page 8