She glanced at her father and warmed under his concerned gaze. He and Joanna knew what trouble Hazel had given Kinna. The Pixie did seem to have put it behind her. Tristan held Kinna's look, giving her the tiniest nod, and it was settled. She nodded to Cedric.
“Well, then,” Cedric said. “We agree.”
Kinna turned back to Hazel. “Aye,” she said hesitantly. “We agree. For your help and the help of your people, you may join us.”
Hazel bowed. “To take down Sebastian,” she said. “So be it. I wish to rid this land and the world of his stench, and I will do all that I can to help.” With that, she walked to the table and sank into an empty chair.
Kinna was startled, but before she could say anything, Cedric spoke. “Hazel, we are preparing to close our meeting. Would you wait in the corridor? We will be with you presently.”
Hazel stared at him, raising one perfect, pink eyebrow. “Nay, Your Grace. You did just agree to side with me and my Clan, to allow me to be an ambassador between you and my people, to let me be a party to your meetings, to allow me to set up my spies in Sebastian's own castle. How can I do that if I do not understand what your wishes are?”
Troubled, Kinna considered Hazel's motives. Kinna, too, wished to rid the world of Sebastian's despotic rule, but not because the powerful rush of vengeance flooded her. She hoped, perhaps naively, to create a better world for the creatures trapped beneath Sebastian's control. It was the point of this whole effort. Hazel wished to kill Sebastian out of revenge. Kinna hoped, through Sebastian's death, to right many wrongs for her uncle's subjects. She wondered how long she and Hazel could work together with their motivations at such variance.
Kinna glanced at her father, one of the prominent leaders in the Pixie Glades. “Father?” she asked. She trusted his wisdom more than Hazel's persuasion.
After a moment, he nodded. “Aye, let her stay, Kinna. She may offer us some valuable insight. Helga, is that amenable to you?”
The Seer Fey nodded slowly, her eyes piercing the Pixie. “Aye.” She said nothing else, and Kinna wasn't reassured by her brevity.
Kinna glanced around. “Let us continue, then. Helga, what was the third thing you were preparing to say?”
Helga straightened and cleared her throat. “I wish you to go to Ongalia, to recruit some help from King Bennjan. I am sending Jakkob, the Trolldimn, with you,” she hesitated, “as well as Hazel, I think.” Helga's gaze turned to the pink-haired Pixie, and her expression changed to one of speculation.
Hazel inclined her head once. “As you wish,” she murmured.
Kinna's eyebrows rose. “Ongalia! Why there? And why Jakkob?”
“Jakkob,” Helga explained, “is a renowned swordsman, and will serve as excellent protection for you in place of—” She cut off abruptly. Ayden's unspoken name reverberated in Kinna's ears. She blanched. Helga's mouth softened as she went on. “A noble close to the ear of King Bennjan of Ongalia, Lord Adrian Fellowes, holds some sympathy with our cause. He had tried to orchestrate an attack on Lismaria years ago when Liam's father, Bryan Andrachen, was King; however he was arrested and deported, a kinder punishment, I may say, than Sebastian would have dealt. As it was, the peace treaty was sealed when the Princess Olivia of Ongalia wed your father, Liam, not long after he turned nineteen. I have word that Lord Fellowes would provide help should our uprising need his assistance.”
“Would it not come better from you?” Kinna asked. “Does he know you?”
“He does. However, there is a stronger connection he has with you through your Mirage, Kinna.”
“How so?”
“Lord Fellowes managed to achieve psuche with one of the Great Dragons, the Mirage of the Bond of Blood and Fire, who still survives.”
A chill spiked the back of Kinna's neck as her mouth fell open. “But—that was nearly half a century ago.”
“Aye. It is unfortunate for the Mirage to have taken Lord Fellowes in psuche. Once the lord dies, the Mirage's life will end as well. Ah well, perhaps he is ready after so many years.”
“What will one more Mirage do for us that we cannot already do?” Cedric asked.
“Not one. Many. The four Great Dragons reside in a wide valley in the tundra of Ongalia. With them dwell their descendants and many other Dragons from across the four nations who wish freedom from oppression and hope to be left in peace. Many thousands of Dragons live there, but the kings have not dared approach the Valley.”
Kinna swallowed hard. “And what do you wish me to do?”
“Go to Lord Fellowes. He sits, with thirty fellow Ongalian nobles, on the Ongalian Council of lords. Each Ongalian nobleman holds land and military might. If you can sway Lord Fellowes to our cause, he may influence King Bennjan's Council, adding thousands to our side.”
“But—what can I use as a bargaining tool?” Kinna asked, her hands gripping the table's edge.
A mysterious twinkle lit Helga's eyes. “It may, perhaps, be easier than you imagine, Kinna Andrachen.” The shadow of a smile floated on her lips. She straightened, nodding to Lanier. “And then once we have our allies from the north, once we have the Seer Fey blade, along with the Amulet so we can destroy it, and once we have weakened Sebastian's army from the inside... we launch a land assault.”
Kinna coughed when Chennuh puffed smoke in her face. “Chennuh, you great oaf, stop,” she chided teasingly while she scratched his soft muzzle. His smoky irises fixed on her, and his thoughts rolled around her, deepening and swelling. Luasa, Chennuh's mate and Ayden's psuche partner, flashed in Kinna's mind as she caught her Dragon's thoughts sweltering in white-hot agony.
Kinna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know. I miss them, too.”
Around them, the Dragon dens were quiet. The creatures had been freed upon Kinna's return to The Crossings, several choosing to travel to Dragon Hollow to mate. Only a few had chosen to remain in West Ashwynd's capital. Some of the Clan leaders had been hesitant to allow the Dragons freedom, but contrary to their expectations, the remaining Dragons had settled deeper into their dens and enjoyed the relative privacy of the stone fortress that had been their home for so long.
The corridors were lit with the dim dance of torchlight. A few dens down, the glimmer of Cedric's Ember moved across the floor. A footstep drew Kinna's attention. Cedric emerged from Ember's den. He glanced her way and smiled, striding toward her. “I know it's a cold night,” he said, “but perhaps we could take a flight together on Ember. He's not forgiven me for carelessly leaving his den door closed for most of the day following our gathering.”
Kinna grinned. “I'd like that.” She had yet to ride an Ember, and she wanted to feel the difference between her Mirage, Chennuh, and other species.
As she accompanied Cedric back to Ember's den, she sensed his preoccupation. “What's wrong?”
He shook his head as they approached Ember, who greeted him with a ball of flame across Cedric's legs. Cedric smiled and rubbed the Dragon's snout. “Do you trust Hazel?”
“Trust her?”
“Aye. She—well, Tristan had told me how it used to be between you. Though she seems to have put it behind her, I don't want to accept her help without your blessing, Kinna.”
Kinna touched Ember's flaming scales, welcoming the searing heat that enveloped her hand. “Thank you, Ced. I was surprised that she came, but if she has put her grievances in the past—even better. She can stay, as far as I'm concerned.”
Cedric opened his mouth to speak, but a panicked shout interrupted him.
“Your Grace!”
Kinna leaped to the doorway, spying a sprinting figure at the far end of the corridor. “Your Graces,” the guard panted as he neared. “Our bateaus have been boarded. Sebastian attacks!”
Dread clamped a stranglehold around Kinna's throat. She opened her mouth and closed it again, staring at Cedric as he froze next to Ember.
Cedric broke the tableau. “Open any dens that are closed, Kinna! Release the Dragons; they're our best defense.” He passed
her, sprinting down the hall toward the Dragon's exit. Ember's great flaming body pushed by her as well. Kinna raced after them, shouting to the messenger, “Find Commander Lanier and bring him to the castle walls overlooking the Channel. Gather what troops we have within the city into the garrison and I'll meet you there.” She dashed down the wide, stone corridor, hurling herself onto each winch-and-pulley system outside any closed dens, raising the doors to allow the creatures their freedom. Nine, she thought desperately. Only nine Dragons chose to remain in The Crossings. We have no time to send a message to Dragon Hollow for help. Panic surged into her limbs as the beasts plunged down the corridor. Chennuh, help! The heavy, taloned feet of multiple Dragons thudded against the stones until the corridor nearly shook. Shimmering scales appeared beside her. “Chennuh, The Crossings is in trouble,” she murmured. He snorted as he crouched low. She moved closer to climb onto his back.
“Kinna!”
A running figure angled out of a side tunnel, barreling down the hallway to her side. Lincoln pushed her onto Chennuh's back. His normally half-grinning face was grave. “It's not good, Kinna. Helga is already down there on the waterfront, brewing a water maelstrom, but Sebastian has sent the Seer Fey Grand-Master, Paik, to lead his vessels, and neither Seer Fey is holding back.”
Kinna bit her lip. “Linc, go to the garrison and wait for the gathered troops. Bring them to the walls when they arrive. Cedric and I must organize the Dragons for defensive maneuvers.”
“Aye, m'lady.” He sprinted down the corridor, disappearing out the exit, and Chennuh hurled himself forward, his wings already spreading, scraping the walls until he plunged into the night air. Swirling black clouds blanketed the sky, creased with blinding cracks of lightning zigzagging among them. Chennuh's armored wings snapped outward with a jolt. Hurtling toward the battlements atop her Dragon, Kinna could already see Ember perched on the wall like a flaming sphinx overlooking the Channel. The other Dragons had lined up nearby, some already in the air, flapping over the waters like carrion birds circling a feast.
Chennuh landed on the walkway north of the southern lookout tower. Cedric and Lanier and several of the higher-ranking officers who had hung their banner beneath the Andrachen twins' leadership already clung to the battlements, gesturing over the water.
Heavy, crashing roars from the Channel shook the air. A chill slid down Kinna's spine. It was not the crack of thunder she was hearing, but the clash of waves against each other and the resulting sea foam.
Kinna slid off of Chennuh's back and ran to where Cedric stood with Lanier. “Our men will wash away on our bateaus; the Channel is too rough!” she shouted, pointing through the battlements at the tossing ships. The first pelting drops of icy rain slid across her face.
“Aye, it's a possibility. We have more soldiers gathering at the garrison, and we can possibly hold the city if the ships fall through,” Lanier shouted above the thunder. “But our more immediate problem is that we haven't evacuated the city, and the rest of Sebastian's naval fleet draws close to the shoreline.”
Kinna could see the outline of four of West Ashwynd's bateaus, surrounded by at least ten of Sebastian's fleet, and the Lismarian vessels were closing in. Two more Lismarian ships had pulled broadsides with two of West Ashwynd's, and in the flash of moonlight between clouds, she could see flashing swords, like a dance, amidships.
Kinna's knuckles were white on the battlements. “Cedric, the Dragons can evacuate the city. They can carry the people to safety!”
Cedric shook his head. “They would be more effective against Sebastian's fleet, Kinna!”
Kinna made a split-second decision. “Let's divide them. We'll send four of the Dragons into the city to evacuate. The rest can attack from the air.”
“Kinna, not everyone will be Dragondimn; they won't be able to stand the heat!” Cedric shouted, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Throw leather padding on their backs, then!” Kinna sprinted toward Chennuh. “Chennuh, to the skies! Dragons,” she pointed to each of four Dragons as she ran by them, “with me!”
Chennuh's wings were already spread. Kinna glanced back to see Cedric take her advice, mounting Ember and lurching from the walls with the remaining Dragons, circling over the city into the streets far below.
As Kinna mounted the air currents thick with lightning, heavy with thunder, she motioned for two of the Dragons to dive at the warships. Brilliant Dragonfire kindled the rigging and sails of one of Sebastian's vessels. It didn't last; a watery maelstrom rose in a twisting waterspout, dousing the fire before it could obliterate the ship.
Chennuh circled the boats, and Kinna blinked the rain from her eyes. The other two Dragons had landed on Sebastian's boats, biting, clawing, and tearing.
We need more Dragons, Kinna thought hopelessly. The Dragons were effective, but Sebastian's warships far outnumbered The Rebellion's bateaus. Many Lismarian vessels still moved closer to the city.
Chennuh's impatience to join the battle tugged at Kinna's mind. He wanted to go down, to fight with his fellow Dragons. “Wait,” Kinna shouted. “I need to find Paik!”
Movement on the shoreline below the city walls drew her attention. Helga stood on a rocky outcropping, her hands raised to the heavens, her pink hair lashing her weathered face. Sea spray crashed around her in waves higher than she stood.
Lightning split the heavens, striking the deck of a West Ashwynd bateau. On the helm above the figurehead of a mermaid, another man stood, a staff in his hands. The lightning had not hit the deck, but the staff itself, and the man holding it was unaffected.
“It's the Grand-Master,” she cried to Chennuh. “Paik of the Seer Fey Council!” The Dragon immediately dropped into a dive for the ship.
They hit an invisible wall, a shield arching high above the vessel, before they had come within a hundred spans of it. “He's protected from the air!” she shouted as rain lashed her face and Chennuh's mirrored scales. The Mirage opened his mouth and released a torrent of Dragonfire. It flew straight toward the ship, and then burst outward as it hit the barrier.
Kinna glanced back at Helga on the rock. “They're fighting with taibe, Chennuh, but she must return behind the city walls. She cannot save us all.” On the walls high above Helga, Lincoln's lithe form stood next to Lanier. Scores of soldiers streamed out of the garrison just below The Crossings, still within the city walls, heading toward the gates of the city. Even Kinna could see there was no time to form. Sebastian's ships were too close, and while the Dragons had sunk one and another was burning, at least ten were dropping anchor.
“Back to the walls, Chennuh. I must speak with Cedric and Lanier.” Her brother's Ember had returned to the walls near the others. Chennuh's wings beat the air as he raced toward the battlements, settling onto the stone wall.
Kinna leaped free of his back, hurrying toward the others. “Lanier, Helga must retreat. Paik and the ships are overcoming us. She could do more good inside the gates surrounded by our troops from the garrison!”
Lanier shook his head. “It's no good, Your Grace. I've already tried to pull her back, but she won't let any of us close.”
“Because she is the only one who can battle Paik,” Lincoln murmured. “But I can help.”
Kinna whirled. “Wait, Linc, what are you going to do?”
But Lincoln was already sprinting across the battlements to the guard tower. “Stay there, Kinna!” His voice undercut the thundering water.
Kinna's fiery-red hair dripped as she leaned over the battlements. Below, the soldiers of the garrison lined the city walls, lighting and releasing arrows into the maelstrom. Two of West Ashwynd's bateaus had already sunk. The Channel was rife with debris and the bodies of naval soldiers from both sides of the Channel.
A streak of light flashed through the pouring rain. To the north, Ember flew through the clouds, descending close to the ships and breathing a river of fire. Chennuh flew next to him, adding his own to it. Kinna hadn't even realized that the creatures had t
aken off again after they had released their psuche partners, so panicked was she.
Paik raised his staff, and lightning shot from it toward the Dragons. Chennuh flinched backward as he narrowly avoided a blinding flash.
Chennuh! To me! Kinna's thoughts screamed louder than all the confusion around her. The Dragon turned in the sky and cut through the rain toward her. The other four Dragons tried to enter Paik's shield, but they were rebuffed. They flailed frantically in the air, clawing for control again.
“Kinna!” Cedric shouted, his own auburn hair pasted across his forehead. “We must get them out!”
He gestured below, and Kinna's eyes widened in horror.
Along the bouldered shoreline, behind Helga's tiny form on the rock, civilians, peasants, the denizens of the city streets crept through a fissure in the wall, shivering toward the only thing that looked like protection: the pink-haired Seer Fey on the rock who kept the elements of nature at bay. They huddled against the boulder on which Helga braced. Even from her height, Kinna could read the terror on their faces.
“You were supposed to evacuate them, Cedric!” she shouted.
“I was too late! They had already entered that portion of the walls, and the Dragons could not get to them!” His voice broke, and Kinna stared at the sight below.
“Cedric! There are children!” Some of the mothers held their babes in their arms.
“Get them out!” he repeated. “I'd take Ember, but he's too big. Chennuh's smaller; he can fit on the shore with the others, and you can guide them back in.”
Ember had taken to the skies again, breathing fire over Lismarian warships. The shield blocked most of it. Soldiers streamed by Kinna on the battlements, and then all of them ducked in terror as Chennuh snapped open his wings again, rising into the air, his talons closing over Kinna's shoulders to hitch her skyward.
Kinna caught his neck and slid onto his back between his fins. “Down, Chennuh. We have to get them back into the city!”
Unleash the Inferno (Heart of a Dragon Book 3) Page 4