Blood of the Dragon

by Sarina Langer

  “Then I accept,” Kleon said. “If the Mothers return, we’ll be ready.”

  Now he just needed to figure out what to tell the king’s messenger.

  Lon grinned and shook his hand. Kleon couldn’t help smiling. He had a purpose again. By helping the Sparrows, he would help Rachael. He had a lot more to make up for on his father’s behalf, but this was a good start.

  Chapter Six

  Something inside Rachael’s head felt wrong. Now she was aware of it, she didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed it sooner. Something there didn’t belong, like a big, black fly in the middle of an undisturbed snow field. She had believed it a headache at first, but headaches weren’t there only when you focussed on them. They didn’t feel like… like… walls, built for a purpose.

  Something twitched at the back of her mind. Rachael knew the feeling, but she’d never experienced it before a vision. She’d been wrong—her gift was still there, and it was trying to show her something.

  And the strange wall in her mind blocked it.

  Kaida had said her gift would evolve and strengthen, but she’d also hinted at it costing Rachael her mind or her life, or both. Was this what Rachael felt? It had never been this easy to pinpoint her gift in her head before, but now, with the barrier around it, locating it was a breeze. Was her magic growing stronger and making the consequences clearer by erecting this barricade? It felt wrong, but then she supposed that a warning regarding her life wouldn’t feel good. Maybe that was the point—that only the most dedicated seers continued once the block was there.

  She’d assumed it would be a gradual process, that it would affect her mind one vision at a time, but she wouldn’t complain, because this was exactly what she’d needed.

  Kaida had said her gift would claim her sanity or her life eventually, not suddenly. Rachael felt a vision trying to reach her right now; one more wouldn’t hurt. She never knew what a vision was about until it played out inside her head, but if there was any chance at all that this one got her out of this prison, she had to risk it. The chance she’d die from it today was small, but if she stayed here, waiting for Cephy to come for her, death was guaranteed.

  Hope bubbled up inside her. Rachael breathed deep, closed her eyes, and willed her vision to come. She felt it beyond the wall, trapped just like she was, struggling to break free. She reached into herself like Ailis had taught her, reached out to the source of her gift, found that sliver she’d so desperately needed, and tried to guide it, but it was hard. Without experience, her gift didn’t respond the way she needed it to. It was a light inside herself, but it dimmed, flickered out of sight, and lit anew only when she blocked out the pain in her body, the dryness on her tongue, and the emptiness in her belly.

  “Come on,” she whispered. “Work with me.”

  The light paused like it had seen something more interesting. Her breath stocked.

  “Yes, that’s it.” It grew a little brighter. “Help me.”

  It steadied and grew to a pale, round glow. Rachael directed it, felt tears well up when it responded to her wish and flowed up, past her heart and into her mind. She saw the wall before it like it was a real structure. Her gift hesitated, and somewhere within her she knew it wasn’t related to her gift at all. It feared the barrier, froze in place like a deer that had spotted the archer.

  Rachael willed it to stay, scared it would bolt and all this progress would have been for nothing, but it trembled at the sight.

  “Just a little—”

  Her gift inched forwards, and pressure built inside her head until it felt ready to burst. It hurt, like her head would break open if she went any further, but she was close. Too close to give up. Rachael held on to her gift as tight as she could and forced it against the wall.

  Light exploded behind her eyes.

  Intense pain cracked through her skull and gripped her mind so hard she couldn’t breathe. A thin line of blood ran from her nose, dried on her lips. Rachael gasped for air, dug her fingers into the cold ground—

  And fell into darkness.

  Chapter Seven

  Cale found Kaida sitting in the small room where they’d left Rachael when they arrived. Rachael had passed out from her wounds and the shock of being carried off by a dragon, and Cale hadn’t wanted to wake her when he shouted at Kaida. She had earned the rest.

  He gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter now. The Mothers weren’t likely to give her a break or any form of compassion.

  Cale didn’t shut the wooden door behind him. He could never outrun a dragon or a Mist Woman, never mind a creature that was both, but he still preferred options, pointless as they were.

  “You have a plan, witch?”

  Just like every part of the library he’d seen so far, darkness overwhelmed this room. A single candle burnt on the table where Rachael had left the tomes, and another wall sconce burnt just outside the door. It wouldn’t have been enough to light the room, but Kaida had placed small orbs of blue-glowing magic around the space. In the strange light, her pale skin looked sickly, and her usually bright red hair appeared a coppery brown. Kaida herself looked like she didn’t belong in this world. He didn’t find it comforting.

  She was reading one of the tomes, but now Cale had entered she put the book aside and looked up.

  “Are you ready to listen?”

  He glowered at her. “I’m ready to save Rachael.”

  She smiled. “That is good enough for me. We both want the same thing, Cale. I am glad you are willing to work together.”

  He scoffed. This wasn’t about choice. Without Kaida’s help, it’d take him weeks to get back to the White Palace, if not months.

  “What’s your plan?”

  “I am certain Rachael has been taken to Kaethe. Cephy will be there, as will her Mothers. She has become the Dark One’s willing host; we have to assume her power has grown significantly since we last saw her.”

  “So, we land on Kaethe, ask them to give Rachael back, and leave?”

  He hated her sure smile, like she had everything figured out. How was she so calm?

  “I am relieved you can joke in times like these. I have always found it to be an odd coping mechanism, but many humans seem fond of it.”

  “What do dragons do when everything they love is threatened?”

  “That depends on the threat. In most cases, we use superior fire power.”

  For a second, he was too surprised to speak. “I see dragons sometimes use humour to alleviate stress, too.”

  She laughed. “I hoped it would ease some of the tension. I am not your enemy, Cale. We both want Rachael back, do we not? Rest assured, if I wanted to kill you I could do so easily.”

  He frowned. “I feel better, thanks. How do we save Rachael?”

  “We will need more people before we can hope to reach her. Kaethe will be well protected. I hear prison raids are your speciality?”

  “My Sparrows and I used to free people from the White City prison.” It didn’t seem like the same thing. He’d known the prison after years of smuggling people out. With Reeve’s help, he’d created a detailed map of every corridor, every well-patrolled area as well as the lesser patrolled ones, of every cell and torture chamber. He’d known every flickering light, every creaking door, even recently replaced locks. But here? No overworked human guards tried to catch a five-minute nap in the early morning. Single-minded monsters patrolled Kaethe, and they didn’t feel fatigue or pain. Which door was safe to open, and which would give him away? Would his lockpicks open the way for him, and would they need Kaida’s magic to get anywhere?

  His stomach churned. If this wasn’t for Rachael, he wouldn’t have taken the risk. Not without mapping the prison first.

  “Then we have an advantage,” Kaida said. “Think about who you want to take with you when we fly to Kaethe. I can only carry so many, and Rachael’s life depends on it.”

  “I don’t see how my experience with the White City prison helps us. None of us have been to Kaethe before. We d
on’t know the layout of the Dark One’s temple or where Rachael might be inside it. There were never too many guards in the prison, whereas Kaethe will be swarming with Mothers, never mind Cephy and the Dark One. Unless you have a convenient map…”

  “I do not, but I have magic. I can hide you for short amounts of time, and we can split up once we get to the temple.”

  “How will the others know when one of us finds Rachael?” When, not if. He had to stay positive or he’d lose his mind.

  A small orb appeared in her hand. “We used these when we went to the Halls of Reflection. If we do not stray too far from each other, we can use them to alert others of our progress. They will warm and light up when you whisper your name into them, and that will be the sign for the other groups to return to a meeting place we can decide on once we are there.”

  Excitement rose within him. Insane as her plan sounded, he could make it work with the right team.

  “Pick your Sparrows well and be prepared for the worst. There is a good chance you will lose people.”

  He nodded. His Sparrows knew any mission could cost them their lives, and they were ready to give it. Their loyalty was to him and their queen. It was why they were Rachael’s personal army.

  “Rachael is our priority.” His stomach twisted. There weren’t many original Sparrows left. If everything went wrong on this trip, it could wipe out the rest of his family, and then all he’d have left were new recruits who weren’t comfortable calling him by his name. Who hadn’t gone through what he’d gone through. He’d just have to lead them into danger first and then back out to safety. He wouldn’t leave someone behind if he could save them.

  “Can you get a message to one of your sisters in Paranossa?”

  “I can. What do you need from them?”

  “I need one of them to tell Reeve to get back to the White City. I want everyone there when we arrive.”

  “What about Ludo?”

  Cale grimaced. He should have killed the spy when he had the chance. “By now, Reeve should have interrogated him. I trust Reeve’s judgement.” Rachael had been convinced Ludo had a good reason for his actions. Cale didn’t see it, but he trusted Rachael’s instincts and he trusted Reeve’s opinion. Reeve was one of his first Sparrows; he had a temper, but he was good at judging people.

  “It will be done.”

  “Do you need a moment?” Cale had no idea how Mist Women contacted each other or how exactly their magic worked. He had no trace of the gift himself; Ailis had been the gifted child in his family, and she was gone now, too. He thought of how she’d hummed to herself every morning, how she’d brought the fresh scent of flowers into the house every day, and how she’d helped everyone regardless of social standing or wealth. He did this for kind people like her. People who should still have been here.

  His heart clenched.

  “My sister has already been alerted.” When he frowned, Kaida smiled. “There are only so many of us, Cale. Magic connects us at all times in case of an emergency.”

  “Then I’m ready.” He gripped the hilt of his sword and drew strength from the familiar touch. “Let’s save Rachael.”

  Chapter Eight

  Commander Dryden took one look at the crowd that had gathered—and was still gathering—in Rachael’s throne room and steeled himself. A part of him wanted to order the doors closed to halt the unending mass of people, but a much larger part of him knew it’d be better to keep them open. Rachael didn’t want to keep secrets and trusted him to look after her people in her absence, so he wouldn’t keep secrets either.

  Not that he had the answers they craved. There was nothing he could do about that but trust that Rachael was alive and well, and, Maker willing, on her way back.

  “I want you behind me,” he told two of his men. “Not right behind me, I don’t want to look aggressive or defensive, but close enough just in case.”

  His men clutched their arms to their chests and inclined their heads.

  The crowd hadn’t shown signs of violence, but he knew not to underestimate an angry group of likeminded people. They’d come for answers he couldn’t give them, and they had every right to be disappointed.

  Maker willing, he could control it.

  The first whispers of discontent had reached him even before the attack on the palace. He agreed with Rachael’s decision to leave and visit other countries—her life had been in danger, and it wasn’t unusual for a new ruler to visit his neighbours—but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Rachael wasn’t any new ruler—she was the first gifted on the throne in centuries, and not everyone thought it was the right move for Rifarne. Rachael should have been here to reassure them and pass new laws, but a dragon had kidnapped her. What chance had she stood against such a beast? He hoped she was alive, but he doubted it would be enough for the people in her throne room.

  Maybe a small lie after all, then. Tensions were fragile enough as it was; no need to make things worse. The last thing he needed—the last thing Rachael needed to return to—was an all-out rebellion. Rifarne had suffered enough. If a white lie kept the peace a little longer, his Maker would have to forgive it.

  “Let’s do this.”

  Commander Dryden opened the door behind the throne and stepped out. The crowd erupted in accusations and questions; they thought Rachael had abandoned them, had run to watch the country burn. The gifted felt abandoned, while those opposed to the gift saw it as proof that the gifted were evil. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before, but he couldn’t deny their anger when there were so many at once and when they were right in front of him. They didn’t know what he knew, and he barely knew anything. Of course they were angry.

  He stepped in front of the throne and raised his hands. It took a moment, but the people quieted.

  “I hear your anger, people of Rifarne.” Sometimes, it was better to get to the point; his audience didn’t look patient. “I hear your doubts. You have every right to both.”

  The people before him exchanged confused glances, and he suppressed the urge to smile. So far, it was going as planned.

  “King Aeric had his flaws, but at least he was here.”

  “At least he cared!” came a shout from the back of the crowd.

  “He’d never have abandoned us!” someone called at the front.

  Commander Dryden couldn’t argue with that. King Aeric had been many things, but he’d never run from his responsibilities. He had fought until the end. He’d tested Rachael’s resolve and deemed her worthy, but Rachael’s opponents didn’t care about that. Commander Dryden had been there the night she’d killed the late king—the night King Aeric had let her kill him—and Commander Dryden believed in the future Rachael wanted to create. He wished she were here, but she’d asked him to lead the country while she was gone, and he wouldn’t let her down. The future she wanted was worth fighting and telling white lies for.

  “Queen Rachael wishes for a shared future of gifted and non-gifted working together,” he said. “Can the gifted amongst you deny that your life has been better since she came to power?”

  An awkward cough and murmurs travelled through the crowd, but no one objected.

  “Change is never easy. The improvements Queen Rachael wishes to make to our lives are the biggest our country has seen in a long time, but they are improvements. I am tired of the rift between us.”

  “Where is the queen?”

  Several shouts of agreement tore his plan in two, but he’d known his flimsy speech wouldn’t placate them for long. Only actions would, and it wasn’t his actions they cared about.

  Time for honesty with a few white lies.

  “Many of you saw the dragon leave the White City. Those of you who didn’t can’t ignore the damage to the palace roof it left in its wake. That same dragon took Queen Rachael.”

  Commander Dryden paused for emphasis. He’d heard rumours that many suspected as much, but this was the first time he’d confirmed it publicly. Their reactions were mixed; he saw some disbelief,
but mostly he saw shock.

  He sighed in relief. At least they weren’t glad a dragon had taken Rachael.

  “I don’t know why the dragon took our queen”—honesty—“but I do know that Mothers had overrun the palace when it happened. Without the dragon’s interference, our queen might already be dead. Whatever it wants, it doesn’t wish her dead.” Mostly speculation, but he had thought it through. “The Mothers would have killed more people if the dragon hadn’t intervened. We might all be dead without it.”

  And there were the lies. He suspected the Mothers would have stopped once they had Rachael, but the people didn’t need to know that. He had to give them something to celebrate.

  “The demons were only here because of Queen Rachael!” The same voice from the back.

  “If it wasn’t for her, it wouldn’t have happened!” A different voice from the front. He found its owner easily—a poorly dressed woman, probably a farmer. Not palace staff, maybe not even from the White City. The others’ anger riled her.

  His eyes wandered over the crowd but couldn’t locate the person who’d spoken out. The voice had sounded male, but the crowd was too mixed and there were too many to single anyone out that far back. It’d make it harder to keep an eye on him, but at least Commander Dryden was aware. If the man riled others, continued to speak out…

  He needed to finish this before it got out of hand.

  If only Cale were here, but the dragon had taken him too. Kiana was his second in command, but as luck would have it, she had also disappeared. Neither he nor his men had found her body, so there was some hope at least. If he could have shown the people that the White Guard—Rachael’s former enemies under Commander Videl—and the Sparrows—supporters of Rachael and the gifted under Cale—worked together to restore order, it could have made a big difference to everyone’s morale, but he was on his own.

  He feared the White Guard couldn’t hold the city together alone. He needed allies, but without leadership, the Sparrows were too injured to stand without him. There was no one else.