The Last Dragon: Book Three

by LeRoy Clary

  He nodded.

  The food was simple; all served to be eaten with bare hands in the way of Kondor. A cloth was provided for each of us to wipe clean our hands, but the crisp slices of bird were long and slim, intended to be held between thumb and fingers, the heart of palm the same. Fruits were peeled and waiting. At least three varieties of figs awaited. Wine and water were served by beautiful young women.

  It occurred to me that this slaver led a life of more luxury than any royal I’d ever met. His every wish was a command, and servants leaped to obey or lost their heads—a powerful incentive to please their master.

  It also occurred to me that he had chosen to join us for more than social reasons. Before storming from his tent earlier, he’d made the cryptic statement to me that “Kondor is not my enemy” and that phrase, and the intensity of his voice, refused to leave my mind. If Kondor is not the enemy of Dire, who is?

  My thoughts shifted to the image of the girl, Emma.

  How could a mage fool us for so long with such an image? Every detail had to be perfect, not only to me but to Kendra and Damon who lived with her all day and night, on the voyage and after. How much power, precision, and concentration were required to accomplish that? It was unheard of.

  I had lived with Damon as my personal servant for ten years, sharing his accomplishments in the use of magic. His abilities to direct an arrow in flight to hit the center of a target every time had taken months to perfect. Months! For learning such a simple feat of magic. Damon’s powers have always been minuscule.

  But what must the abilities be to generate an entire image of a girl for weeks, an image so perfect that even those closest to her never had any idea she was not real? The gap in abilities was beyond my understanding.

  The Slave-Master grunted, “This is the dullest dinner party I’ve ever attended.”

  Again, nobody laughed, but his comment lightened the mood. The man who was known as Flier, and I had never had a conversation. He was accepted by the others as family, so I accepted him as the same. I watched them all carefully, not because I distrusted any of them, but because I loved and missed their company. I also feared for them, and for myself.

  He said, “I don’t know what happened here today, but for the rest of my life I’ll remember it.”

  We all agreed. My eyes kept returning to where the image of little Emma had morphed into the terrible creature that held us spellbound. I wouldn’t go near the spot.

  My gaze fell to Anna. I said, “Our story begins with you, I believe.”

  She accepted the invitation to speak. Her story unfolded in a few words, beginning with having no memories of her sister before Kendra and Damon took them in. The absence had only puzzled her at first, but later she doubted and finally believed before confiding in Damon.

  Kendra and Flier had little to add, so everyone turned to Damon instead of me. He confirmed her story while adding his insights and plans to draw information from Emma. He added little we didn’t already know, except for the account of the game of blocks he’d played with the Slave-Master, but I saw Kendra was still upset with him for not sharing the information.

  Then it was my turn. I told them in concise terms and without embellishment of my kidnapping and even my near escape beside the lake. Even the Slave-Master seemed impressed that I had managed to free my hands and had memorized the location of a rock in the dark within reach that would have killed the bounty hunter. He was surprised that I planned to do so and would have done it with little regret.

  We believed everyone had spoken, but the Slave-Master cleared his throat. He stood as if addressing us formally. “Before meeting you people, I captured people and sold them as slaves, expecting someone to eventually kill me and assume my position as I did to the previous Slave-Master. I make no apologies.”

  He paused, and we all waited. He was still on his feet and had more to say.

  “I believe all of you are trying to improve the lot of people, no matter where they live—and I see that you are making mistakes. It is true that the mages fled from Dire with the release of the last dragon. They went to Kondor, to Dagger. Nearly all of them. They are there now. You are following them, gathering information and willing to sign a peace treaty for your kingdom, but are wrong.”

  “You do not believe in peace?” I asked with more sharpness than necessary.

  “No, Princess, it’s not that. Only those with magic, both male and female are in Dagger. They live in a former palace, planning the future of all. The air above the city is filled with Wyvern bleeding their magic to those mages below. Everyone in Dagger knows what is happening and that it will draw enemies to the city to be easily slain. But it is a feint, a misdirection intended for you.”

  “How so?” I asked in a calmer tone, suddenly very interested in what he had to say.

  The Slave-Master crossed his massive arms over his chest and gazed down at me. “I am allowed to hunt slaves in Kondor and sell them in Kaon. Encouraged to do so. Isn’t that strange? Ask yourselves, how is that possible? Why does Kondor allow it?” he paused briefly. “It is because slaves are needed in Kaon to serve the hidden leader who resides there. It is because Kaon rules Kondor—and those who possess magic, mages and sorceresses.”

  He quit speaking as quickly as he’d begun. The impact of his words struck all of us. If what he said was true, I would waste my time in Dagger. No, worse, I would be doing exactly what was placed there to confuse me. “Kondor is a front? An imposter?”

  “And a trap. The rulers of Vin and Trager journeyed there before falling. What returned to each of those kingdoms may not have been the kings, but images similar to Emma. Dagger draws in the kings and there they die—as yours will when he voyages there to sign the treaty you are so insistent on presenting.”

  “The bounty hunter was taking me there to sign a sham treaty?”

  He nodded. “One requiring your king to briefly travel to Dagger. What returned by ship would be a double much like Emma, one destined to become ill and turn over power to mages and their appointees from Dagger. It is easier to do than making a king ill and hoping to form a council to rule for him.”

  I said, “My father was ill. It was really him.”

  “Yes. That is the first step, and easier than replacing him in some ways, especially if there is a confused line of succession. It almost worked in Dire, but in the cases of Vin and Trager, the real kings died in Dagger and images of imposters took their places.”

  Damon said, “That all sounds too complicated. I tend to believe you, but one question remains. Why? I mean, why do all that when there are easier ways?”

  The Slave-Master allowed himself a slight grin. “When we played blocks, you often deceived me into using my power to attack from one direction, and then when I was weak there, you attacked from another. You intentionally presented a weak front while hiding your strength.”

  Damon nodded.

  “This is the same sort of thing. Dagger is there for you to attack and defeat, but it will weaken Dire, and then the real power in Kaon will emerge to win the game.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Damon

  “The real power is located in Kaon.” The words haunted us. We had been about to make a huge mistake in going directly to Dagger to try to rescue Elizabeth if what the Slave-Master revealed was correct. I looked at my sister and then at Elizabeth. The three of us shared the same expression, one of mixed belief and fear of failure.

  The Slave-Master turned to me. “Damon, we played blocks, and I have a certain insight into you, and suspect you have the same for me. All I am saying is for you to think. Use that mind of yours as if this was a game. How would you defeat me if I was you?”

  “You wouldn’t show me your true power while you wore my defenses down.”

  “Exactly.”

  The Slave-Master sat cross-legged on a fat pillow and waited. His partial smile was not what I’d term smug, but not humorous either.

  I said, “We think the mages are gathered in
Dagger.”

  “I think you are right, as I’ve told you.”

  I said, “Then, I don’t fully understand the reasoning. If they are there, we should go there.”

  “The mages are like the princes and princesses of a royal family. The king is in Kaon.” The Slave-Master showed his first signs of impatience with me.

  Elizabeth snapped, “What king?”

  It was not the Slave-Master who answered, but Kendra. “The one behind all the attacks and controlling the mages in Dagger and elsewhere. They are not powerful enough, not even as a group to do what we saw in Emma.”

  Elizabeth turned to the Slave-Master. “Are you speaking of the Young Mage?”

  Kendra and I exchanged puzzled looks. We hadn’t heard the term.

  The Slave-Master said, “I have not heard that name but like it and believe we’re talking about the same one.”

  “He lives in Kaon?” she asked.

  “He does. At least that is where he first appeared and seems to reside still.”

  She bit her lower lip as she concentrated on the new information. Finally, she snapped, “What else can you tell us about him?”

  The Slave-Master spread his hands in resignation. “Rumors. Lies. Conjectures. They say he is young, not yet a grown man. He craves power and puts ambitious ideas and thoughts into the minds of mages, things they are not aware that he has put there. People act on those thoughts believing them their own ideas. Some say he can make people do things, almost anything.”

  “Make them?” I asked skeptically. In my experience, a person could be tricked or persuaded, but never made to do things.

  He smiled and said as if I was a child. “Making a person do something they don’t want to do is as easy as providing ugly choices. For instance, a man who is afraid of snakes does not want to jump off a roof. But if he does not, the snakes he sees in his mind crawling on that roof and slithering up to him will make him jump.”

  “It just takes a larger fear to convince someone to ignore a smaller one,” I said.

  “Exactly,” he said. “Suppose a man does not want to sail to Dire but finds out if he does not board the ship he will face the lingering torture of the king’s dungeon—and the tide is right for sailing. He must decide now.”

  I finished for him, “He gets on the ship.”

  Elizabeth said, “Using that technique, the Young Mage can make almost anyone do whatever he wants them to do. The concept is frighteningly easy.”

  To my surprise, neither Flier nor Avery spoke, and Anna remained quiet too. However, they all listened to every word that passed between us. Servants brought more wine. None of us ate except the Slave-Master,

  Kendra said, “You refer to him as the ‘young mage.’ Why?”

  The Slave-Master said, “Remember, all I’ve told you are rumors, many drawn from slaves who will say anything for their freedom. I cannot vouch for the truth of what I’ve told you, only that I’ve faithfully presented it as I’ve learned.”

  “But you believe it,” Elizabeth said.

  He sighed. “Yes.”

  “Tell me why,” she continued.

  “The rumors fit with what I know and have experienced. That’s all I can tell you.”

  We exchanged more confused looks. It appeared the Slave-Master had said all he was going to. We could believe him and act on the rumors or not. He avoided making eye contact with any of us.

  The temperature in the room seemed to have fallen. At the same time, I was sweating more than ever. That may seem strange if you’ve never been lost in your emotions.

  Kendra had turned and looked at Anna.

  Anna said, anticipating the coming question, “Touch me. I’m real.”

  That summed up our conflicting beliefs. We didn’t even know if the girl who traveled with us was real or not. If she was not, and another manifestation of the Young Mage, as we called him, what would she say? Probably exactly what Anna did.

  *Tell her,* Anna’s voice came to my mind.

  “Anna is real,” I said, probably too loud because everyone jerked at the sound of my voice.

  “How do you know?” Elizabeth asked. “I mean, how can you tell she is not like the other one? Maybe created for the exact circumstances of when Emma was discovered.”

  I said as I touched a finger to my forehead, “In here. I can see inside her mind.”

  Several people reacted to my statement, including two servants who rushed out of the tent in near panic as if I was going to invade their minds. The Slave-Master’s expression turned cold.

  Kendra reached out and grabbed Anna in a warm hug. “I’m so sorry.”

  Anna sat stiffly, not reciprocating the affection.

  Elizabeth was looking at the Slave-Master. Her expression was one I’d seen when she bargained or dealt with people in Crestfallen, those who opposed or withheld information. It was not that she doubted what he’d told us, but that she thought there was more unsaid. Since we’d found her, she had acted differently, more confident and less like a child.

  Her opinions were stronger, her attitude more demanding. Instead of talking around subjects as was her norm, she went directly to the information in question. Instead of asking, she demanded.

  It was a subtle change, but one Kendra and I had both noticed and raised an eyebrow over. Our little princess was growing up. Also, there was Avery who sat aside and contributed nothing. As if reading my mind, Elizabeth turned to him. “Your thoughts?”

  He smirked. “I was wondering how to explain to the king and to the king-to-be the changes in you. In Trager, you were much the same as in Crestfallen. Now, only a few weeks have passed, but you have grown into a true Royal, one ready to assume important duties in ruling a kingdom.”

  “Your thoughts on this situation?” she continued as if she hadn’t heard her first compliment in her relationship with Avery.

  “I came here to rescue an old friend who is dead. Without the three of you, I’d have sailed home as ignorant as when I sailed away.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?” Elizabeth asked.

  Even the Slave-Master wore a grin as Avery said, “I live to serve. Your father, your brother, and you. What is your wish?”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. Then they snapped open as she came to a conclusion. “Dire must know of this danger. If we should fail, or be killed, our kingdom is at risk of being taken as easily as Trager and Vin, and with the same results. I command you to return to Dire and inform those in need. Tell them all you know.”

  “And you?” he asked respectfully.

  “It appears we are going to Kaon.”

  Her pronouncement was not expected, and it allowed for no argument. The Slave-Master said, “It happens that I’m going that way. My caravan will make its own way. Perhaps I can be of service.”

  I expected her to decline, but she said, “We’ll appreciate any help. Also, can you spare a detail to escort Avery to the port in Dagger and see him safely on board a ship?”

  He said, “Few people concern themselves with Wandering Priests, and he will draw even less attention than the four Kaon warriors who will ‘happen’ to be traveling in the same direction. Remaining out of sight without drawing attention is worth ten guards.”

  “Thank you.” Elizabeth turned to us. “Flier, you have more than repaid your debt to Damon and are free to go your own way.”

  “I’ll stay.”

  She rolled her eyes as if he was making a dangerous mistake without proper consideration. “Your choice. Now, Anna. What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “I’ll stay, too.”

  Elizabeth said, “You are a child.”

  “A child who ferreted out the spy in our midst when no adults did. And one who talks to Damon without words, even over long distances.” Anna didn’t back down in her words, meaning, or attitude.

  “What’s that mean?” Elizabeth said, then quickly added in a raised voice. “Clear the room.”

  The servants and guards all glanced at the Sl
ave-Master before departing, but once the first moved, it was like a race to see who would remain last. In a few moments, there were six of us.

  The Slave-Master said, “Do you wish me to leave?”

  “No. There can be no secrets between us, and you’ve decided to make yourself one of our group. Anna, please go on, and keep your voice soft.”

  “We use our minds to talk. Damon talks to me, too. Like Kendra does to the dragon.”

  Elizabeth fixed both Kendra and me with a look that warned us to be truthful. “If true, what else is there I don’t know about?”

  I said, “Kendra can ‘see’ those with magical abilities from a distance of about a day’s travel.”

  “Mages and sorceresses?” Elizabeth asked.

  Kendra muttered, “Yes. I can’t know who they are, but I know they are there and can point to them. The same with my dragon.”

  “So, it’s your dragon, now?” she said.

  “Funny. I think Damon used those same words to me a few days ago. Yes, it is now my dragon.”

  My sister was treading close to being snippy, and Elizabeth was a princess and not used to the tone. Before war broke out between them, I said, “My magic powers, such as they are, have increased. Not mage-strong, but more than before.”

  Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows as she thought before speaking—another new thing she was doing. “Tell me. How would you compare your powers to that of a mage?”

  I said, “Like a small boy might wave his little carving knife in a mock threat to one of the King’s Guards.”

  She gave me one nod of understanding, then continued, “And compare a mage we are familiar with to this new one, this Young Mage.”

  “About the same difference, I think,” I told her.

  “I thought so. Your magic will do us no good at all.”

  That annoyed me. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  She smiled sweetly, trying to disarm my anger. “What we need is your bravery and mind, and perhaps skill with a blade.”