“Yes, ma’am.”
Talon closed his eyes, listening with his ears and his mind as the soldiers finalized their plans. He could sense his kind moving around in the levels above, with many of them heading for the audience chamber. The meeting might be about to start. Hul should be there to attend it, but he might decide to arrive late and add some flair to his entrance. After all, he was setting himself up to be a god.
Talon brushed across familiar and less familiar presences in the chamber, hoping they wouldn’t notice him. The population of his kind that had come to this world was small enough that he recognized everyone, even if he had not communicated directly with them before. He knew the military commanders, but few of the priests, having never been a strong believer in the gods.
The human troops filed into a tunnel different from the one that led toward the audience chamber, leaving Zala and Salena alone with him. They both appeared tired but determined, their hands never straying far from their storm swords.
Zala met his eyes, looking as if she was searching for some answer there.
“I’m sorry we killed the dragon guarding the nursery,” she said. “We didn’t know what was down there. We thought it might be the portal that your kind originally arrived through. I’m sure you can understand why we’d like to destroy that, to keep more dragons from coming. If I’d known what was really down that tunnel, and if she hadn’t attacked us first, we would have left her alone.”
“I know.” Talon was surprised she was apologizing for that. These were the realities of war, a war his people had started. He spread an arm, inviting her close.
Zala hesitated, glancing toward the map she had drawn and probably thinking that there wasn’t time for intimacy. He felt a twinge of disappointment until she relented and stepped into his embrace, slipping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder. The hilt of her sword jabbed him in the stomach, but he did not mind.
“I did not know what to expect from you when you first walked toward me in that mine. I knew your reputation, but…” Talon lowered his mouth to her ear, rubbing his face in her hair and whispering, “I’m pleased you turned out to be exactly the person I hoped you would be.”
Zala melted into his embrace and leaned into him. “I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll assume it’s good.”
“Yes.” Talon gave in to an urge to nibble and suck at her ear before reminding himself of the danger all around them. He finished with a kiss and imparted an image into her mind, one of them flying together and then enjoying each other’s company in more intimate ways. He would make that image a reality if they got out of this alive.
When she stepped back, it seemed to be with great reluctance, and there was an appealing flush to her cheeks. Zala glanced at her lieutenant, who had been looking the other way during the hug, then straightened her jacket and found her usual calm, commanding face.
“This isn’t your battle,” Zala told Talon, “and I don’t want you to feel obligated to fight, but do you know where your king is likely to be? If we could catch him alone or with minimal guards, that would be ideal.”
“I checked the audience chamber, and I don’t believe he’s joined the dragons in there yet. He undoubtedly will soon, but we can check his quarters and his library.”
“Dragons have libraries?” Salena wondered.
“We do not have books, as humans have, but we have magical repositories of knowledge that we can learn from. I suspect Hul would be practicing his speech rather than learning anything.”
“Will you show us the way?” Zala asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get close without crossing paths with other dragons.” Talon considered them, as well as the gear they wore. Salena had a coil of rope strapped to the outside of her pack. “Perhaps if you two appeared to be prisoners, we could get past those dragons who are merely visiting. The king and the chamber guards will know that I’m an enemy, but with luck, that word hasn’t gotten out to everyone else yet.”
“Prisoners?” Zala’s eyebrows rose as she glanced toward Salena. “What does that mean?”
“Probably that he’s going to relieve you of your coffee stash,” Salena said. “And our swords.”
Neither woman appeared happy at that prospect, but Talon nodded. As long as they held those blades, nobody would believe they were prisoners.
Chapter 19
Zala walked after Talon, feeling like a dog being led on a leash. He held a rope that attached to a collar around her neck, one also made of rope, and from her the lead led to Salena, who strode along behind her, also collared. They had both stashed their smallest knives in the waistbands of their trousers, covering them with their jackets, so they could cut the ropes any time, but Zala did not like this turnabout, even if she trusted Talon and even if it was an act.
He carried their storm swords in his free hand, gripping them by the scabbards. They had to be buzzing so much that they jolted his arm, but he didn’t show it. Maybe he didn’t even feel it; maybe the material reacted differently in the hands of a dragon. Zala wished it would zap his kind, ensuring they could never touch one of the swords, but since the magic was a part of what had brought them to this world, she doubted it would ever turn on them so completely. That it allowed humans to cut into their scales was enough.
So far, their trio had not passed any dragons, but Zala could hear them, moving about down the cavernous corridors they passed, their claws clicking on the stone. The lack of voices seemed strange, but she reminded herself that dragons spoke to each other with their minds, not with their tongues.
A shadow moved in the tunnel ahead. Up here, the passages were lit with small orbs similar to the ones that had brightened the nursery, though these did not give off heat. They hung from the ceilings, stealing shadows Zala would have preferred. Without shadows, there was no place to hide, not that the smooth-walled tunnels would have offered many niches or alcoves. Far below, the passages had shown evidence of pickaxes and human mining. Here, the smoothness was an oddity, being the result of neither nature nor the human hand. Magic practically emanated from the walls.
As if dragons did not have enough power with tooth and claw. They needed additional magic?
Any further mental grousing Zala would have done was interrupted when that shadow turned out to be a dragon, a dragon clacking down the tunnel toward them. The creature faltered when it saw them.
Zala tensed, all too aware that her sword was in someone else’s hands.
Talon stopped and stared back at the dragon. Several silent moments passed, and Zala realized they must be communicating with each other. She lowered her chin and tried to look dejected, like some prisoner certain that death waited around the next corner.
“I don’t like this, ma’am,” Salena whispered from behind her.
“Nor do I,” Zala responded through her teeth. “Make sure you look like a prisoner.”
“That’s not hard.”
Eventually, Talon started walking again. He jerked the rope, though it must have been an act, because Zala did not feel much of a tug. She started walking promptly and kept her head down. They were going to pass right beside that dragon, and that dragon took up most of the tunnel.
Talon strode forward with confidence, as if he belonged. Apparently, that dragon wasn’t one of the ones who knew what he had been up to lately.
He’s not, Talon whispered into her mind. We may not continue to be so lucky, but let us hope.
Lucky, sure. Even with her head down, Zala could feel the dragon’s suspicious eyes boring into her as they passed. She was fairly certain its neck bent so it could continue to watch them.
He’s suspicious of me and wondering why I’m in human form here, Talon thought. I told him it was because I needed a hand to hold the swords.
So long as he doesn’t wonder why you didn’t carry them in your mouth. Zala supposed toting the swords and the rope that way would be awkward.
Yes, and I’ve seen what
happens when your sword ends up in a dragon’s mouth. It does not appear comfortable.
It’s not. Especially if I have to go in to retrieve it.
I saw. He sounded amused. So long as he didn’t sound terrified that they were about to be discovered.
The ceiling of their tunnel disappeared, leaving the space above them open until it reached natural vaulted rock some thirty feet overhead. Warm air that smelled of earth and foliage drifted in on a breeze, sweeping away the scent Zala had started to think of as dragon den. She peeked over what had become a half wall to one side of the passage, then jerked her head back.
“Dragons?” Salena whispered.
“A lot of dragons.”
Their passage now overlooked a vast cavern, with dragons milling on a polished floor twenty feet below. Floating chandeliers of orbs illuminated the space, highlighting pillars and stalactites bedecked in gems that glittered under the light. A dais rose at the far end with three raised platforms. They were currently empty, and Zala guessed that the king had not yet made an appearance.
The audience chamber, rumbled Talon’s voice in Zala’s head. She didn’t know if her lieutenant heard the words too. Stay down.
Gladly, Zala thought, slumping as they continued quickly through the tunnel.
Their passage led them across the top of the back of the chamber, well above the dragons, but all it would take was for one of the dozens of creatures packed into the space to look up. The prisoner story might have fooled one dragon, but one of the dragons in that chamber was bound to know who Talon was and to know he hadn’t been invited to this meeting, that he also hadn’t been invited to leave that mining pit.
Talon paused, and Zala halted shy of bumping into him. Several seconds passed, and he did not move. Someone had to be talking to him. Or had some female dragon launched a mind attack?
Zala laid a hand on his bare shoulder, leaning forward to check his face.
I’m being questioned. He frowned, but started walking again. Someone has sensed you and the swords. I think I’ve been identified, too, but they’re not saying that. I’m not getting any details at all. We’ve been instructed to wait until the chamber guards arrive.
You’re not waiting, Zala noted.
No. Talon dropped their rope lead. Cut yourselves free and follow me. You need to reach the king’s chambers. He jogged off, scarcely giving them time to cut off their collars.
They passed beyond the audience chamber and into another series of wide halls. The familiar scrape of claws on stone echoed from behind them, someone turning into their tunnel. Zala and Salena ran, right on Talon’s bare heels. If they reached the king, only to have ten dragons storm in right behind them, there was no way they would succeed in killing him. There was also no way they would escape with their lives.
Zala grimly accepted that she had always known that was a possibility. Can you give us our swords back?
She meant to go down fighting.
Talon turned right at an intersection and followed a wide ramp that sloped upward. He did not answer her.
“Talon?” she asked, not sure if he had heard her. He might have a dozen voices in his head, ones that could project in a way hers could not.
“One moment. We’re almost there.”
Her fingers itched. The clacking of claws was growing louder, closer. It sounded like multiple sets of dragon legs chased them. Not good.
Talon stopped at the top of the ramp. Ignore the side chambers. That goes to the king’s rooms, he said, pointing toward a large opening at the end.
“Are you coming?” Zala asked, glancing behind them. Big shapes moved at the end of the tunnel, dragon shapes.
I’ll try to make time for you to get him. Talon handed the swords to them, then nudged them toward the end of the tunnel.
Salena took off right away. Zala hesitated. Even though she had been prepared to give up her own life for this mission, she hadn’t meant for Talon to do the same.
Go, he urged, power underlying the single syllable.
Zala’s legs moved, almost against her will, propelling her after Salena. She kept glancing back. Talon faced in the other direction, but he gave her a long look over his shoulder, then transformed before her eyes. He changed into a dragon, his wings expanding as far as they could in the tunnel, blocking the way.
How much time would he be able to buy them? Not much if there were multiple dragons and they had orders to attack him. Zala hoped Sandirr and the others had found the opportunity to place their explosives, but she worried that they hadn’t had enough time. They also could have been caught and killed already. She had no way of knowing.
A screech came from the chamber ahead, and Zala pushed aside the thoughts. She sprinted to catch up with Salena, and they rounded a corner in time to spot a single dragon leaping to its feet in a cave adorned with glowing sculptures and light orbs, with fur-lined nests built into giant wall cubbies on either side. That was all the decor Zala had a chance to notice because Salena was already charging toward the sole occupant.
Zala had never seen the dragon king—he sent his warriors out to do his work, content to luxuriate in his headquarters here—but she was fairly certain this was a female, so it could not be Hulaskalis. In fact, this dragon had very familiar red eyes that turned toward Zala and Selena, flaring with a harsh crimson light.
This was the one that had been trying to kill Talon.
Chapter 20
You dare come here? a female voice raged into Talon’s mind. After killing my sisters? After bringing meat into this mountain? After spending time with human filth?
The female, some kin of Semptrusis, he thought, faced him in the tunnel while two male chamber guards crowded behind her. Fighting in the tunnel would be awkward and limited, but the narrow passage also ensured that only one dragon could come at him at a time. He flexed his wings and showed his fangs. He was tempted to spring now, before more gathered behind the female, but remembered that he wanted to give Zala the time she needed. He hoped that she and her lieutenant could handle Hul.
I go anywhere I please, Talon said. Hul is a dubious king and a false god. He has no right to decide my fate.
You attacked our kind!
Only after Semptrusis tried to kill me. Twice. And why? Because Hul did not want a commander who voiced an opinion. He only wishes to be surrounded by those who blindly obey him.
Talon watched her lowering into a crouch, getting ready to spring, and knew his words would do nothing to sway her, nothing to sway any of them. Maybe Hul had already succeeded in winning the minds of their kind.
Do you not question his authority? Talon projected the words to the guards and to all other dragons nearby, no longer worrying about remaining unnoticed. The entire mountain probably knew he was here anyway. Do you not object to him declaring himself a god?
Better than declaring oneself a friend of meat, the female sneered into his mind. Then she sprang.
Talon could have withstood a pure physical attack, for he was larger than she and had more muscle mass to protect his vital organs, but she also launched a mental assault. Instead of targeting his mind, she wrapped invisible claws around his throat, tightening them like a vice. Before he could deflect them with his mental defenses, she physically leaped for his head, claws slashing at his face. He had to deal with that first.
He retreated a few steps so she would land without touching him, then, while her feet were alighting on the stone, he reversed his momentum and jumped back in. Though he struggled to breathe with his throat restricted from her magic, he made himself take his time. Rushing during a battle could get a dragon killed.
Instead of worrying about gashes and bites, he let his head shift to the side and rammed into her with his shoulder. His weight served as a weapon, and she skidded backward, losing traction on the stone floor. Two of her legs slipped out from underneath her body. Aware of the guards behind her jumping and looking for a way to reach him, Talon snaked his neck around hers to sink his fangs into her
throat right below her head.
She thrashed, beating at him with her wings. The frenzy did little to harm Talon, who locked one wing down by adjusting his body against hers, but it kept her guards from coming in to help. One snapped at him, but seemed too afraid of him—or her—to clamber over her body to reach him more fully.
Talon shook his head, tearing out a portion of her neck, then backed away. The pain finally broke the female’s magic, and the pressure on his throat disappeared. He inhaled deeply, though he was careful not to show any distress.
The female dropped to her side in the tunnel, curling her wing around her wounded neck. Knowing she was out of the fight, Talon glared at the other two, inviting them to challenge him.
They snapped their jaws, almost frothing at the mouth, but again they hesitated to lunge for him. More and more, Talon thought they were worried about clambering over the female. She must have been given an important status since Hul declared his kingship.
Let them worry. It would give Zala more time. He resisted the urge to look back down the tunnel. From his position, he could not have seen into the king’s chambers, regardless, and he did not want to remind these dragons of the humans’ presence.
Get them, an angry voice roared in Talon’s head.
It belonged to the female. He should have finished her while he had her throat in his maw, but he had not wanted to linger, to invite the others to sneak in for an attack.
Now, urged by her order, they both tried to climb over her at once. There was room enough in the tunnel for two, but barely. Their shoulders bumped against each other and the stone wall.
Talon took advantage of their constricted movements. He leaped in, feinting with a bite to one dragon’s snout. His opponent whipped his head back to avoid the strike, but Talon had already changed his movement. His teeth latched onto the foreleg closest to the wall, and he ground his jaw down on scale and bone with all of his power.
Dragon Bond Page 18