by Bianca D’Arc
“The coin itself is not the problem,” Skelaroth put in. “It is the…animal…depicted on it.”
The emphasis Skelaroth put on that word—animal—seemed to be significant. As if the skiths were lower than low. Base. Animalistic. Not thinking creatures, at all. Liam supposed that Skelaroth knew more than he did about it.
Liam had avoided Skithdron, as did most reasonable people. It was an isolationist nation that didn’t welcome trade with anyone other than the few criminals willing to risk their necks for a profit. Hence, there had been no reason for Liam to ever go there. He wasn’t the sort of cut-throat who would deal in the illegal and immoral things that were said to be of interest to the Skithdronian king.
“I think they camped here,” Rivka said, breaking into Liam’s thoughts. She was walking around, placing her feet very carefully. “See the way the grass has been flattened and then righted again? And here…” She flipped over a broken tree limb with the toe of her boot. Underneath, Liam could see the remains of a campfire. The ground had been charred a bit, and there were ashes in the blackened circle. “They tried to hide it, but a fire always leaves a mark.”
So says the fire-breathing dragon, Liam thought. She probably knows what she’s talking about.
“Can you tell anything of their numbers?” Skelaroth asked.
“Not really,” she replied. “Not with any certainty.”
“I counted at least four places where the grass was disturbed enough to have been sleeping spots,” Liam offered.
Rivka nodded. “I agree. But there might have been more. This was probably their campsite two nights ago. It’s not fresh enough to tell us more.” She sighed and shook her head.
“At least now, we know we’re on the right trail,” Skelaroth put in.
“Well,” Liam didn’t want to be too contrary, but had to be realistic, “we know we’re on the trail of someone who has been to Skithdron. Logic tells us that must be someone from Fisk’s crew. Or, at the very least, some kind of pirate. Since Fisk is the only pirate we know of to land in Tipolir and take to the road recently, it makes sense that it is his crewman. But we still cannot be sure this group is the one in which Fisk is traveling.”
Skelaroth grumbled.
CHAPTER NINE
Rivka could not fault Liam’s logic, though she could wish he hadn’t pointed out that their effort could be all in vain. She had the feeling they were on the right track, but Liam was right. They couldn’t be absolutely certain, at this point.
“The messengers should have reached someone by now,” Rivka told them all. “There will be more dragons and trackers on the other roads soon enough. This is still the most likely route, so we are probably on the right trail. We can’t give up or give in to hopelessness. We have to keep going.”
Liam looked taken aback by her words but seemed to use caution when he spoke. “I didn’t mean to imply we should, milady,” he told her. “I have just learned to be prudent in getting my hopes up where chasing Fisk is concerned. He’s slipperier than a fish and twice as cunning as a fox. He has managed to evade me and all the men at my command for far too long for me to take anything for granted.”
Rivka had to bow her head slightly, in acknowledgement of his past efforts, but this was a new day, and a new team. He’d never had two dragons searching with him before. “I take your point, Captain, but I think, this time, he will not escape.”
“I pray you’re right, milady. I truly do.”
They took to the air again, a few minutes later, keeping close watch on the road below for more signs of the pirates’ passage. Nothing showed obviously from the air, and it was getting toward midday, so Rivka headed for the ground once more after they had covered a few leagues distance.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Rivka could see the faint signs of hooves. Several horses had come this way, at speed, heading in the direction they’d been traveling all day. She was puzzled as to why she hadn’t seen this from above.
As Skelaroth landed beside her, she turned to him. “See the hoof marks?” she asked, still in her dragon form.
“I do,” the other dragon replied quickly. “Though, I did not before,” he added, puzzlement sounding in his tone.
“Me neither,” Rivka agreed, feeling a prickling sensation at the back of her mind. There was something going on here. “Let me just check something,” she told Skelaroth. “Stay here for a minute.”
She leapt into the air again, and flapped her wings to gain altitude. Then, she banked to turn and look at the road where Skelaroth stood, Liam now at his side. While she could see them both clearly, the hoof prints were gone, as if by…
“Magic!” she practically spat the word back at those on the road. “They are hiding their trail so it cannot be seen from above by magical means.”
“Surely not,” Skelaroth objected. “They would have to know they are being chased from above to take such precautions.”
“My lord, we are in the land of dragons,” she reminded him gently. “If I were a criminal intent on hiding my trail, I would take pursuit by air into account. The knights and dragons of this land are well versed in tracking wrongdoers and have all the power of their station to bring villains to justice. It is their sworn duty.”
She circled and landed again, neatly beside the other dragon. Liam was a few yards distant, with Ella hovering at his side. It looked like he was examining the hoof prints in some detail.
“I will go aloft and see what you have discovered,” Skelaroth said quietly before he took off in the opposite direction from where Liam was standing.
Rivka watched them both for a moment before deciding to shift into her human shape and see if she could discern anything more from the marks on the road. She walked up to Liam’s side on two feet and tried to see if there was anything more they could learn.
Almost immediately, she noticed the different hoof sizes and patterns. At least one of the horses was in need of new shoes, and the others looked to have been shod by completely different farriers, each with their own style.
“I count five distinct hoof patterns,” she said as she bent to look more closely at the dirt road.
“I came up with five, as well,” Liam concurred.
“From the depth of the prints, I’d say all were carrying a burden equal to the weight of a man,” she told him, trying to be as cautious about drawing conclusions as he had been earlier.
“So, either four men and a heavily laden pack horse, or at least five men on horseback,” he said, almost absently as he strode forward to examine more of the roadway. “No less than five, at any rate,” he said a moment later. “There could be more that we’re just not seeing in this mess.” He took a few more strides then stopped. “The road gets harder from here. This is a soft spot in the dirt and holds prints better than what I can see ahead.”
“And we can’t see it at all from above,” she added angrily.
“We should pause here, eat something, then go on cautiously—stopping every few minutes to check the road—until we find a town or farm or something. Someplace we can get horses of our own. I think the wisest move would be to go over land from here, since we wouldn’t be able to see these prints from above.”
She hated to agree, but she had to. In this instance, flying wasn’t the best solution.
“We’re not going to be able to catch up as quickly,” she told him. “Perhaps not at all, if they can get fresh horses.”
“I know, but if we get close enough, we can leave the horses somewhere and attack from the air,” he said.
“If we can see them from the air,” she reminded him. “I’m not certain how this magic works. I don’t know if he’s just hiding his trail or if he can actually make himself, and his men, invisible from above.”
“I have to think that, if we can at least spot them from down here, we will be able to remember the place and fly to it. Once we’re on the ground, we should be able to see them, again, right? Even if we can’t see them from above?”
/> “I’m just not sure,” she admitted, biting her lip. “But I know we can’t track from up there, right now.” She pointed to Skelaroth, who was circling lower and lower, his neck craning this way and that as he surveyed the land below.
“All right, then.” Liam walked back toward where Skelaroth was coming in for a landing. “Lunch first, then we find a place to get provisions and horses. We’re almost completely out of food, so we would have had to stop somewhere today, anyway.”
Rivka couldn’t argue with that. She followed Liam to a convenient fallen log they could sit on while they ate. There was a brook running alongside the road, so they were all able to drink the fresh, clear water bubbling down from the mountains. Skelaroth seemed subdued but managed to find a few fish for his midday meal, and Ella fished with him, getting a small one for herself.
It was hard bread and the last of the cheese for the humans, but Rivka didn’t mind. She had almost lost her appetite at the idea that her dragon side would be of little use in this hunt. She had always relied so heavily on her dragonish instincts, it was as if she had been forced to work with one hand tied behind her back if she had to remain human for the remainder of the chase. Not that she wasn’t comfortable in her human guise, but when on the prowl, her dragon shape was usually the more useful one. Not so, now. Fisk had done something to make her unique skills superfluous. He had effectively neutralized her dragon, and that made her mad.
Angry and sort of lost. She’d never felt this powerless before.
A few hours later, after meticulously stopping to examine the roadway every so often, Rivka spotted a small town in the distance. They’d be able to resupply there and perhaps learn something about the travelers who had come through before them. For, if her instincts were correct, the party of pirates wasn’t too far ahead of them, now. Their quarry had maybe a half-day lead on them, which could be made up with not too much work, even over land.
She signaled to Lord Skelaroth and made for a clearing just outside the town, in the woods, where she could shift shape and the humans could walk in on foot. Whether or not to have Skelaroth reveal his presence would depend entirely on the reception they got from the townsfolk.
“I saw the town,” Liam said, as he dismounted from Skelaroth’s back.
Rivka realized with a start of surprise that the sea captain’s skills at aerial surveillance were improving right along with the sea dragon’s. That was something she hadn’t contemplated. More and more, Skelaroth and Liam were beginning to operate as a team—just like a dragon and his knight.
Liam was checking his gear as he approached her. Rivka shifted into her human form and did the same. They didn’t know what they would be walking into. It was best to be prepared for all contingencies. She looked him over and he looked to her like a rather successful warrior. Perhaps a mercenary?
He was clothed in dark leather with stretches of harder armor-quality leather in strategic places, as well as thin metal plate sewn into the garment on his chest and back. There were even small sections of chain maille work along his arms—especially in the joints. It was a unique garment she had never seen the like of in Draconia, but she knew such things were common in other parts of the world.
Foreign mercenary, then? Though, he talked with a pure Draconian accent. So, local boy gone off to make his fortune as a sell-sword then returned. She nodded at her own surmise. If anyone asked, that would be their explanation. They were hunting a bounty on the troupe of pirates that had just gone through the town. If the townsfolk thought there might be some reward for sharing information, they might be more likely to speak.
She knew she dressed like the warrior she was, so they would be a duo of sell-swords—perhaps mates? The idea was tempting, but she would not suggest it to Liam unless a deeper cover story became necessary. Even if merely the thought of posing as his wife sent a little tingle down her spine. She knew he would not meet the idea as easily. No, Liam was a one-trick pony. He was still wrapped up in his dead wife and his need for vengeance. To even think of another woman in the sainted Olivia’s place was not possible.
Rivka understood, even as it saddened her. To have such devotion, Olivia must have truly been a special woman. From all accounts, her daughter was just as lovely and took after her mother. Rivka had met Livia O’Dare on the fateful night the page had been taken from Gryffid’s book. She remembered the girl as stunningly lovely with a bright spirit and cunning mind.
The thrill for adventure, Livia had, no doubt, inherited from her father. Her mother was said to be a lady of the first order. Livia was also a lady, but she had a daring warrior spirit and little fear. She had been at the forefront of the search for the book, and she and her mates had actually found it and returned it to Gryphon Isle. Only later was the discovery made, by the wizard himself, of the missing page, and a new quest had been born.
Liam had already been on the trail, chasing after Fisk. He’d had a head start on everyone else and knew the pirate well from the many years of chasing him. Rivka had chosen to ally herself with Liam, since she truly believed he had the best chance of catching up with Fisk and his crew before real damage could be done.
“We make for the town?” Liam asked, coming up beside her.
“Verily,” she replied, her thoughts still troubling her. The virkin caught her eye, hovering near Liam’s shoulder. “Should Ella not stay here with Skelaroth?”
“I have asked her to do so, but she insists on coming with us.” Liam looked a bit chagrinned at not being able to control the small creature.
Rivka thought about it then nodded. “Well, since you already look like a foreign mercenary, Ella will only make you seem more exotic. Perhaps she can enchant the children of the town and win over their parents.”
Liam’s eyes flashed with amusement. Oh, he was a handsome brute when he wasn’t scowling. Rivka counseled her insides to stop fluttering. He was not for her. He’d made that abundantly clear by his behavior since their kiss. His every move said he thought the momentary loss of control had been an utter mistake. Never to be repeated. Much to her disappointment.
“Shall we set off?” Rivka prodded him, not wanting to think about her embarrassment any longer. She’d had enough time to do that while flying all morning.
Liam walked at her side, not too close, but within a good distance to aid in their defense should they somehow be set upon by ruffians or the like. Ella fluttered along at his side, her long neck stretching and swiveling side to side in interest as she took in their surroundings. Rivka realized this land must be strange to the small creature.
Elderland had very different terrain. Different animals and plants, and a totally different feel. Ella had probably never been too far inland when Liam made port. Perhaps, she’d never been off the ship at all since joining it. Everything here must be interesting to her, and Rivka could understand why Ella had not wanted to be left behind.
As they approached the town, Rivka got a bad feeling in her bones. “Something’s wrong,” she whispered.
“I feel it,” Liam replied. “It’s too quiet.”
Rivka’s steps slowed. “Ambush?” she asked in the barest whisper.
“I think not,” Liam answered, his eyes squinting ahead as if that might help him see what was going on in the village.
“There’s no one on the streets,” Rivka told him. She, after all, had keener sight than most humans, owing to her dragon half. “There isn’t much sound at all.”
They walked cautiously closer. “It’s as if— Sweet Mother of All!” Liam swore as he spotted the dead horses lining the perimeter of the fenced field that bordered one side of the road.
Rivka took a closer look. The horses had not died of their own accord. “Someone has butchered them,” she said, the grave feeling in the pit of her stomach coming through in her low tone.
“Fisk.” Liam said the pirate’s name like a curse. “He would slaughter innocent animals to discourage pursuit.”
“Do you think he knows we’re followin
g him?” Rivka asked.
“He has to believe that somebody is checking the trails he left from Tipolir. Otherwise, he would not have taken steps to send a party out on every major road leading out from the city. He is a cautious brigand, is our Captain Fisk.”
“But to kill all the horses…” Rivka couldn’t even finish her thought. That Fisk had done this was beyond disgusting. These horses were vital to the town. Without their beasts, they could neither ride for help nor plow their fields or take their harvest anywhere. A town’s livestock was their livelihood, no matter the season.
“Seeing this, my real concern is for the people,” Liam intoned in a somber voice. “What did he do to them?”
“Stars!” Rivka was appalled at the idea that Fisk and his men could have easily decimated a small town like this with only farm folk and villagers to defend it. She turned toward the town, again. “We have to help them, if we can.”
Liam looked grim. “Indeed, we do.” They set off walking, again. “In any case, those horses were killed a day or two ago. The trail is not fresh. We will not meet up with Fisk this day.” He could not keep the disappointment out of his tone, but Rivka understood. Liam had been waiting a long time for justice.
As they walked into the town, Liam’s worst fears were confirmed. Dark brown dried bloodstains marred the dirt of the street, and nobody was stirring. If anyone still lived, they were either busy elsewhere or hiding. He didn’t blame them. They had likely been traumatized by Fisk and his men, and their evil deeds.
Liam heard the slight ring of steel on steel at his side. Rivka had drawn her swords. He did the same, just in case anybody took exception to their presence and came out swinging. It was just possible that Fisk had left some of his crew behind to waylay any pursuit.
But, as they walked together through the empty village, no one erupted from the shadows. Only a few chickens could be seen pecking in the dust at the side of one house. Nothing bigger than a cat came out to greet them. When they got closer to the center of town, there was some activity. A cart was pulled up in front of the largest structure they had yet seen. It had to be an inn of some kind, but there wasn’t much sound to indicate what should have been a bustling meal service.