Dragon School

by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Chapter Fourteen

  “There they are,” Hubric said. “The Feet of the River.”

  What had I expected from that name? Maybe I’d linked it to “foot of the river” in my mind, like the foot of a mountain. Maybe I had thought it would just be where the water poured into the sea.

  That would be the mouth of the river.

  And of course, this was that, too.

  We were perched low on the rise of a hill about a mile away, our dragons hiding on the other side of the huge outcropping. Hubric and Cynos had insisted that we climb to the top – with his lieutenants – and watch the Feet of the River from this vantage point. They’d produced a number of small telescopes and were carefully scanning the entire area with constant warnings to me to avoid making a “profile” by getting too high.

  That was how I came to be lying on my belly, in the dirt, looking out over a panoramic landscape where the rushing Great Drake River rolled in muddy turbulence into the greeny-blue tide of the Eastern Sea. I wished I had a telescope like the Reds did. They had a lot of very interesting equipment that we should really consider.

  Don’t turn traitor on me just to get great gear!

  No one said anything about being a traitor. That glass was just extremely handy.

  “Let your apprentice take a look,” Cynos said handing Hubric the glass.

  Hubric handed the glass to me with an indulgent smile. “What do you think, Amel?”

  “Where can we get one?” I asked, raising it to my eye and studying the river banks hungrily. I’d been longing for a closer look at these.

  “See, she should have been Red,” Cynos said, but I barely heard him.

  Along the river bank, were a series of statues – or at least, they had been statues at one time. And when they had been, they must have been almost as tall as a sky city. Now, what must have been hundreds of years later, they were rubble – huge white stone chunks of rubble-strewn along the river bank, larger than houses or even guard towers, in some cases. All that was left of what had once been statues of twenty people on each side of the river bank, was twenty pairs of feet, broken off at the knees, or ankles, or in a few cases the thighs. Where their sandaled toes met the river, the water lapped around them, rounding the feet off so that they were blocky and worn compared to the exquisite detail of the ankles and knees above them.

  “Reds aren’t known for their acceptance of physical difficulty,” Hubric said, diffidently.

  “I saw no difficulty when she scrambled up the hill. The girl is fit,” Cynos said. I would have preened under his praise a month ago. Now, I had more important things to think about.

  “Who were they?” I asked.

  “The statues?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “No one knows anymore,” Cynos said. “They guarded the Great Drake River from our enemies who might come this way.”

  “By means of the river?”

  “Or the sea, I suppose,” he said.

  Reds don’t talk to their riders. That’s why he doesn’t know the truth but look at Hubric. I bet he looks bemused.

  He did.

  It’s because we know there wasn’t always a river here.

  There wasn’t?

  In the days when dragonkind were young, this was a split in the earth, and from it, our enemies drew up the Ifrits. We – the people of the Dominion and the dragons - fought them long and hard and when they were banished from this earth, we built the statues to remind us always to stay on guard against them. But that was long ago in the days of the First Dominar. And people forget things too quickly.

  But dragons remembered.

  We have long memories. Even those of us who live short lives tied to humans.

  I’d forgotten about that. I had the terrible feeling of all the air being sucked out of my lungs at once. Because of me, his life would be shorter. Because of me, he would die young. He would die in battle or die like Enkenay was going to before Savette saved him and there was nothing I could do about it, because even if I lived a long life – for a human – it would be a short life for him.

  Don’t spiral away, Amel. It will be as it is. I made a choice.

  But he hadn’t chosen life as a dragon bonded to a human.

  I did choose to live it with you.

  He did. And his explanation of this being a big deep pit of Ifrits didn’t explain the river.

  When we drove the Ifrits away, the ancients rerouted the river to flow down this path instead. It was a great feat, accomplished by humans and dragonkind working together to move the earth and rocks to do our bidding. We filled the pit with water to keep away any thought of bringing Ifrits back to this land.

  That was all well and good, but I suddenly had a terrible feeling of foreboding. After all, Savette – who could usually sense Ifrits - had not sensed the Ifrit beneath the water. What if there were hundreds of them waiting beneath that river. Waiting in their pit. Gathering one upon another. Until one day, they broke free.

  Down in the rubble around the Feet, I saw something stir. I peered through the glass at it, uncertain about what I was looking at. A group of people walked out from behind one of the statues. The bottom half of their faces were stained red, like someone had painted half of their faces, and their hair stuck up a hand-width into the air. I’d never seen anyone like them before.

  “Who are they?” I asked Hubric handing him the glass.

  He peered through and then his face went white and he handed it urgently back to Cynos.

  “Rock Eaters are here.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Rock Eaters,” Cynos said, his tone full of horror. “There! Just past the wave breaks. Three ships flying black flags.”

  “What does that mean?” I whispered to Hubric.

  “They come from the dark continent,” he whispered back.

  “Baojang?”

  “Baojang is on the dark continent, certainly. The Rock Eaters lie deeper within. They don’t speak a language we know. We have sent emissaries to them in the past. They kill our people ruthlessly and without warning. What little information about them that has trickled back worries us. Their customs make no sense to us. We cannot seem to communicate, and they have no mercy.”

  “There are men of Baojang here, too. I see their saffron pennants. Perhaps a hundred mill around the Feet close to the sea. I think I see tents. They are camped here.”

  It was hard to see anything between mounds of rubble, but Cynos was expert with his glass.

  “Any sign of Dragon Riders?” Hubric asked, scanning the ground.

  “See that hilltop between us and the sea?” Cynos asked. I peered towards it. The land jutted upward, ending abruptly in front of the Feet and the river. Had it been carved by water or by the hands of man and dragon before the monuments were set in place?

  “I see it,” Hubric said, squinting.

  “Take the glass again.”

  Hubric lifted the telescope up and grunted. “I see them. Four Purple Dragon Riders in heavy stocks. There must be twenty magikas around them, meditating – or something – and a dozen large tents.”

  “Do you see Leng?” I asked, anxiously. I wanted to see through the glass myself, but Cynos already had it back, peering through it at the hills.

  “Maybe,” Hubric told me. “I can’t see faces clearly.”

  Cynos ran a hand through his hair. “But where are the messages you lost? In that camp, or the one on the beach, or somewhere else?”

  “Wherever they are, those Dragon Riders need to be freed.”

  “Agreed,” Cynos said. “But what are they doing to them there?”

  Hubric knows. Kyrowat is a very clever dragon.

  “They are using them – using their ability to speak to dragons – but amplifying and extending it with magic. They are using it to keep dragons and men of the Dominion far from here.”

  “What are you talking about? What ability to speak to dragons?” Cynos looked mystified.

  “It’s a Color sec
ret,” Hubric said, looking uncomfortable. “One we are sworn to keep quiet about. But right now, you need to know this. Purple dragons – so elusive and strange to the rest of you – can speak into the minds of man. When they choose their rider-”

  “They choose?”

  “Listen. Don’t interrupt. When they choose their rider, they start to speak so frequently that the rider also develops the ability to stretch out with their mind – at first it just results in greater range between the dragon and the rider. Then, it moves to sensing little things about people – things they can’t quite explain. In the end, we can start to read thoughts, too. Who knows how far it could go? Most Purples don’t live as long as I have.”

  Cynos’ face was pale. “I don’t think I like the sound of that. Tell me you aren’t reading my mind.”

  “Your mind?” Hubric laughed. “I wouldn’t dare. Who knows what filth you have in there? It would be like eating garlic and tasting it on your breath for a week.”

  Cynos laughed but I could tell he was relieved. “Let’s go back down the hill so we can talk freely.

  We climbed back down the hill as carefully as possible, working not to make a sound or cause a rock to tumble or fall. We didn’t dare alert our enemies to our presence. At the bottom of the hill, in a cluster of tall trees, Cynos motioned us to form a tight ring and Hubric spoke again.

  “Kyrowat thinks that they are using the Dragon Riders as a mental shield to hide what they are doing here. Perhaps they fog the mind of those passing so that they do not notice those gathering here. Perhaps they plant within them the idea to go elsewhere. All of it would have to be amplified by magic – but there are plenty of Magikas on that hill...”

  Cynos grunted again. “Then they’ll use it on us when we venture close.”

  “We’ll need to be prepared for that.”

  Cynos gave Hubric a long look and then cleared his throat. “Us, but not you, my friend. You are hereby charged to fly directly to the Dominar and tell him of what has transpired here.”

  “Charged by who? You’re no master of me!” Hubric looked put out, his face flushing with his words.

  Cynos shook his head. “You know this as well as I do, Hubric. As long as we were only recovering your messages, you led. Now that there are enemies invading the Dominion, this is Red territory and we have dominance here. This battle is mine to fight. And I will fight it without you.”

  Hubric leaned in close and I thought he was trying to keep his voice from carrying to me or the lieutenants, but I could hear him just fine. “This is suicide, Cynos. You see our enemies out there. Any attack on them is sure to be met with more force than we can possibly handle. You need every dragon and rider. Don’t deprive yourself of two Purples.”

  “One Purple.” Cynos was so calm. And yet, Hubric’s words about suicide hadn’t even made him blink. Did he already expect to die?

  Yes. As soon as they saw the assembled forces they knew they would have to fight – and die – for the Dominion. Their dragons also understand.

  “Then let’s send the girl, my apprentice. She’s already delivered her first message. She’s ready to carry word to the Dominar on our behalf. She met him in person. She’s ready.”

  Why did it sound like he was pleading?

  Cynos shook his head grimly.

  “I know why you ask, Hubric.” He laid a hand on Hubric’s shoulder. “I’d give you this if I could, but I can’t. I need every dragon I can get. I must have hers. But not yours. This message could mean the life or death of our Dominion and you are a full Dragon Rider, fully mature and ready. We can’t possibly send a half-baked Purple to deliver this message when we have a full Purple to do it. I’m sorry, friend, but the answer is no. You will fly away and tell the Dominion of this threat and we will stand and fight. If the girl survives the battle, she will be free to return to your side. Now, I’ll give you a moment to say your goodbyes while I discuss strategy with my men. I hold you on oath to do as promised, Hubric. Don’t try to trick me or to swap places with her. Your word compels you.”

  Hubric looked slightly chagrined, as if he was planning to do exactly that, but then he nodded and put his fist to his heart.

  “By my word and the truth, which is all I have, I will deliver your words to the Dominar – long may he reign.”

  Cynos nodded briskly and turned away and Hubric rounded on me.

  “I can’t get out of this one, Amel. He has me by the word and there’s no getting out of it. I’m bound as sure as magic.”

  He looked so agitated that I laid a hand on his arm. “It will be okay, Hubric. I have Raolcan.”

  He nodded jerkily, like he was holding back tears and pulled his neck scarf off to retrieve a leather cord. He pulled it free and gently placed it over my head. On the end, a message cylinder dangled.

  “There’s directions and a map in there to a place I know north of here. It’s coded, but you’re a smart girl and you’ll figure it out. If. When. If...” He coughed. “I don’t know what I’m saying. When you get out of there with Savette and Leng, you’re to follow that map to the hidden place and wait for me. I will be as fast as a cat caught on the feast table and I’ll get right over there to retrieve you. Understand?”

  I nodded. But how could I promise anything? After all, we weren’t supposed to part ways, but his previous obligations bound him. And I was just as bound in so many ways. How could I know what promises I could keep and which ones would unravel me?

  Hubric took a silver ring from an inner pocket and handed it to me. “It’s my davari to you, Amel Leafbrought.”

  Like the one Leng gave me? My eyebrows knit together.

  “It’s not like that one from Leng. It’s not a romantic gesture. It’s a promise. My promise to you. I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

  I took the ring and when I looked up there were silver trails on the old man’s face. He frowned and looked away, not wanting me to see him cry.

  “I believe you, Hubric. Be safe.” On an impulse, I hugged him. He patted my back awkwardly.

  “I’ll be back for you, girl. Don’t let me down, now.”

  “How would I do that?” Our hug broke and I swayed backward on my crutch.

  “By dying. That’s how. Don’t die.”

  I laughed, relieved that it was all he was asking, but he seemed serious when he patted my shoulder and strode away. I wished - as I watched him walking so quickly in the other direction - that there were stronger things than words to communicate how you felt. Mine just never felt substantial enough.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Over here, girl,” Cynos said, gesturing to me. I joined the circle that now had all twenty of the Red Dragon Riders. “Remind us of your name?”

  “Amel Leafbrought.” I tried to make my voice strong, but it was hard with Hubric leaving. I hadn’t realized how much I’d grown to depend on him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him checking Kyrowat’s straps and then whispering something to Raolcan before he mounted up again.

  “And you have this wonderous gift of being able to speak to your dragon, Amel?”

  I felt my cheeks heating. “Yes.”

  Cynos nodded, briskly. “Then this is our plan. The Magikas may be Dominion citizens, but if they are fogging the minds of those who come close for the sake of our enemies, then they are enemies, too. They have forfeited their rights to our protection. Understood?”

  The men in the ring nodded and I added my nod. Obviously, anyone working with the Dusk Covenant was my enemy. I didn’t need reminding of that. Behind the group, Kyrowat leapt in the air and Hubric gave a sign of farewell.

  Cynos keep his voice low but he spoke briskly. “We’ll fly straight to the hilltop where they have the Purple Riders. If they are using them to fog minds, we need that to stop first or we won’t be able to route our enemies or even engage them. The Magikas holding the Dragon Riders are our first target and freeing them is our first priority. Amel, as a Purple trainee with the ability to speak to your dragon, your j
ob it to keep us focused and clear. That means asking your dragon to remind ours why we are flying toward that hill. Understood?”

  I nodded.

  “We will chant to ourselves why we are here. ‘Fly to the hill. Free the Purples.’ Over and over as we fly, we will say these words. Understood?”

  There were fist to heart salutes all around and I hurriedly added my own.

  Cynos nodded, satisfied. “Formation D seven with Amel tucked on our six. She is an honored guest and to be treated so. She is unfamiliar with our maneuvers, so expect that.” He turned to me. “Watch for the signals. Some will be unfamiliar to you, but some are standard signals. Do your best to keep up. Once your task of keeping us alert is complete you will join us in freeing the Dragon Riders and await further orders.” He turned back to the group. “Rock Eaters and Baojang invade our lands in this place. We know our duty. We know our Color. With our blood and lives we will defend the Dominion. We will repel her enemies. We will lay havoc to her plans. Defend the Dominion.”

  “Defend the Dominion,” they chorused back.

  Cynos gave us a hard smile and saluted. “Mount up!”

  I followed the others toward Raolcan. My heart hurt that Hubric wasn’t with him and my hands were shaking at the prospect of a battle my allies were certain we would lose.

  Hold onto courage, Amel. We will free Leng and help Savette. Have I let you down yet?

  Never.

  Then don’t doubt me now!

  When I joined him, hunkered low in the grass, I couldn’t help but give him a hug around the neck.

  Let’s go get your friends.

  His straps were secure and load safe. Hopefully, Hubric had taken whatever he needed from my pouches.

  He left you a medical kit.

  I mounted up and stowed my crutch, settling into the straps. As I tightened the last one, Cynos signaled launch and shot into the air. Behind him, the Reds launching in waves, and we were last, launching into a stiff breeze with our minds set on our task.

  “Fly to the hill. Free the Purples,” I said. Would Raolcan remind the Reds?