Dragons of Wild (Upon Dragon's Breath Trilogy Book 1)

by Ava Richardson

  I almost grinned.

  I was talking to a dragon, who was trying to answer me.

  “Jaydra, I don’t know how you found me, but thank you!” Shifting around, I staggered over to the other side of my cell so I might better see her. “Saffron isn’t here. I think the king took her to the palace! Maybe I’m at the palace—I don’t know. I do know this…as a horse, you might be able to get into the stables. I’ve been to the palace before and I know the stables are behind the main buildings, to the northern side. You should be able to find it by the smell of the horses and the hay. Even with your size, you should be able to get in. Find Saffron. Get her away from the king, please!”

  The now familiar buzzing sensation scraped against the back of my eyes. I shrugged—I couldn’t understand her. However, Jaydra gave a snort, banged once more on the grate and then her shadow and eye disappeared.

  I almost wanted to laugh, but my side ached too much for that.

  “Now all I have to do is to figure a plan to get myself out of here!” I told myself.

  At least Saffron would be able to escape—Jaydra would help her. They might be able to do something to prevent the king from going through with any plan to destroy Torvald. And even though I was still imprisoned, a flash of hope had ignited inside me. There was at least someone—something—on the outside that was waiting for me to free myself.

  It was a small consolation, but it was a start.

  I ducked. The captain’s quarter staff whistled over my head. He missed me, but it had been close indeed. He was one of the king’s guards, so I didn’t feel bad for trying to hit him as hard as I could. But he wasn’t making it easy for me to do so.

  Grinning, he tried to circle me. I wasn’t going to let him best me.

  I had asked the king again today when I would start to learn magic. He had sent word he was too busy with his plans for Torvald. That had set my blood running cold. Was time running out? I had decided I could not wait. I had forced Caitlyn to take me down to the guard room, and had demanded some exercise. Enough insults tossed around, and the captain of the guard had accepted my challenge.

  I just wished it was Enric I could smack with a staff.

  The captain was both larger and taller than me. But I was faster. While he knew more, I had a few tricks I had yet to try with him. So far he had knocked me to the ground twice, and smacked my thigh with enough force as to leave me limping for a few steps. I rather thought he had no love for women, or maybe he just didn’t think that I would make a worthy queen.

  We’ll see how weak he thinks I am!

  Stepping back to our original positions on the flattened circle of grass, I took a fresh grip on the ash staff. The captain turned his staff over once—I knew now that meant he intended to feint. Well, what he didn’t know was that I could be as fierce as a dragon. If there was one thing I learned from hard play with Jaydra it was that an attack must be quick and meant to draw blood.

  I let the captain make the first move. As I’d expected, he jabbed in a feint. He wanted me to lunge at him and overreach myself so he could smack me on the back.

  I ducked and spun and waited for his real attack to come.

  Another jab came at me. I easily sidestepped that one. A flicker of annoyance tightened his mouth and flashed in his eyes. He did not like that I was refusing to try to parry his blows. This time he jabbed straight forward just as I was stepping forward, hoping to crack me a painful thump in my chest. Not a killing or a finishing strike, but hard enough to hurt.

  But I saw the move coming and parried the blow.

  The captain used my parry to reverse his strike, spinning his staff around quickly in the other direction, straight for my head.

  I pushed one foot out to the side, crouched down and swung my staff upward to catch him in his ribcage. The blow knocked him out of the circle.

  He hit the ground with a loud thud and a grunt.

  I realized I fought best when I stopped thinking, when I let my dragon self through.

  Saffron!

  I staggered back. The captain was pushing himself up and dusting himself off.

  Jaydra? Is that you? I sent her thoughts were washed with worry for her—it seemed a very long time since I had last heard from her. Glancing around, I couldn’t see her, but I knew she was in horse form. She needed me, and suddenly I was done with this captain.

  “You got lucky,” the captain said. I detected a slight wheeze as he stepped into the ring again and leveled his staff.

  Bower needs Saffron right now. The horse-dragon’s mind was strangely clear in my own, and I wondered if all of this hiding out in a city near so many other human minds and voices was making her more human as well.

  “Again?” The captain gave me a dark look that told me I would not be so lucky this time, nor would I come away undamaged.

  Eyes narrowed, I moved before he was ready, dropping to the ground and using the staff more like a dragon’s tail, whipping it around to knock his feet out from under him. Rolling onto my feet, I slammed the staff into his head, knocking him senseless.

  I stood and bruised the grass from my clothes. “That will teach you not to overestimate yourself or underestimate any opponent.” I told him.

  He gave a moan. I nudged a toe into his side.

  Jaydra thought to me, Too like gulls of the island. I knew what she meant. The seagulls that lived in the Western Iles hunted in swarms. Together they were strong. One on its own, however, was loud and obnoxious and easily taken down.

  I think that you are right, Jaydra. I greeted her more formally, letting her feel how glad I was at being able to talk to her again. Where are you?

  Outside. Near a place with many horses and humans. The horses keep looking at me as though I might eat them. Jaydra snuffed a laugh.

  And might you? I asked, sensing a flicker of her old humor.

  Only if they keep trying to feed me grass. Jaydra talked to Bower. Bower is in a cave-box below.

  Taking the staff with me, I set off to find Jaydra.

  As big as she was, it wasn’t hard to spot her. The other horses did seem nervous around her, dancing away.

  A box? What do you mean?

  I realized I had actually believed King Enric when he had told me that Bower had left the city. It was not just because I had known how much Bower despised the king, but Enric’s magic had been more powerful than I had expected. I would have to be more careful and aware around the man.

  A stone box. Below this place, Jaydra repeated.

  It was difficult for her to correctly shape the thoughts around such human concepts as palace or prison. To her all buildings looked essentially the same—some came in bigger sizes, some smaller, some smelled more than others and some were fun to tear apart. They all came across as a sort of den to her mind.

  Does it have bars? Metal on the windows or doors? Is it small? Dark or light? I tried to ask, feeling Jaydra try to understand my answer.

  No… Yes. Small hole with metal. Just big enough to smell Bower. He was cold and dreaming—Jaydra had to wake Bower.

  It sounded as if Bower really had been thrown into the king’s dungeon! We have to get him out. Thank you, Jaydra. You’ve done more than I’ve been able to manage so far.

  Saffron wanted family. King is no family. Enric magic smells bad. Jaydra’s thoughts seemed matter of fact, as if she could have saved us all the bother of this trouble many days and weeks ago if I had just listened to her. That might have been true—but I knew that some things you had to learn for yourself. That wasn’t always fun, but the lessons took better.

  Wait just a little longer in the horse ground. I will come find you after tonight. I have to get Bower out of his cave-box and then we have to talk about what to do about the king.

  A pleased wave of fierce satisfaction came to me from Jaydra, but it fell away.

  I glanced around. I didn’t care about the captain any longer—I needed a plan to get Bower out of his dungeon. It was good to have Jaydra close by—I had a
feeling we might need to get away quickly. But we couldn’t leave until we were certain the city was also safe. That might take even more work.

  Glancing down at my hand, I thought about my magic. However, I didn’t dare try it again. Last time I’d used it, it had sent me flying. If only the king had taught me a few things. Well, I couldn’t worry about that now. If we got out of this, perhaps I could simply vow never to use magic again—but I feared that would be a vow I would all too quickly break. I had wanted more than anything—even more than finding out the truth about my family—to learn how to control my powers. Now that seemed impossible.

  The King had lied to me. He had used his magic to try and blind me. And now I wondered if he ever really intended to teach me anything—maybe he just wanted my powers. Or wanted to use me as a pawn in yet another plan he had to gain power. That didn’t matter.

  Bower was alive and I knew where he was at last.

  Glancing around at the training equipment, I let a small smile curve my lips. I was going to need some supplies and tools if I was going to break Bower out of the king’s own dungeon.

  18

  Magic

  Den-sister?

  Jaydra’s voice cut through my dream like a bird through the sky.

  I’d gone to bed early, telling Caitlyn I was tired from a day of sparing. I didn’t tell her I’d knocked the captain senseless. I’d also noticed that he and his guards were avoiding me, which was all to the better for my plan.

  I’d been in a light doze—I was too tense to sleep. The moonlight came into my tower room in a thin strip. I hadn’t undressed, so I simply threw back the covers and lit the lantern on my table. My boots were soft and would make hardly any sound on the stone.

  The palace sleeps, Jaydra thought to me. I knew she could hear everything—every breath, every dream. She would be able to alert me of any danger.

  Guards, I thought to her.

  Cold and lazy. In dens or standing near fires. Not warm like Jaydra.

  I sent her my thanks and felt under the pillows for two long-handled knives that I had pilfered from the training today, as well as some padded greaves. It wasn’t a lot, but it would have to do for now.

  I couldn’t ask Jaydra how long until dawn. Time in the form of hours wasn’t something dragons ever understood—they knew now and all of the past, but they tended to confuse dreams and the future. But Jaydra would smell the morning dew—she would sense the warmth of the sunrise. I asked her to let me know when dawn was close. We had to be gone by then.

  The door of my tower room was always locked, but I had fed Caitlyn most of my dinner and slipped a bit of cloth into the lock so that when she had locked it, the key had not actually locked anything. I’d held the door shut so she would try the door and think she had locked it. I felt bad about fooling her, and hoped nothing too bad would befall her. But if we managed an escape, the king would be after us—not poor Caitlyn.

  Slipping onto the stairs, I propped my staff against the wall, held up the lantern and pulled the door shut behind me. I had the knives tucked into my belt at my back. My heart was pounding. Taking up my staff again, I ran down the stone stairwell and out to the Rose Hall.

  Anyone there, Jaydra? I asked as I paused at the ground floor.

  Closing my eyes, I lifted my head and allowed Jaydra to sense as much as she could through my senses. As a dragon she could smell a fish deep under the waves—she found my ability to smell and hear clumsy and limiting. But she sent me word that the hall was clear.

  I hurried across the marbled floor and to the door that let out into a small courtyard. I put out the lantern. From here, I would have to stay to shadows and moonlight.

  Across the way from the Rose Hall stood the Imperial Lodge, a shorter building made of stone. I ran across the courtyard. I didn’t want to stumble across any half sleeping guards, so it was better to keep to open spaces. Jaydra approved of this idea.

  Easy to be quiet and unseen…marble noisy.

  I’d never been inside the Imperial Lodge. Caitlyn had told me the king held most of his meetings there, but no one slept in the lodge or lived there. She had said it was one of the oldest buildings in the palace, and that it had a lot of rooms underground—to me that meant it must have access into the dungeons. Jaydra had sent me an image of where she’d found Bower—she’d also sent me an image of the trees and plants around his very narrow window. I’d taken a walk around and I knew where he was—the trick now would to find the right route to reach him.

  Saffron…halt!

  Jaydra sent me an image of a guard, walking toward me, making his rounds. I froze. I had reached a shuttered window. I flatten myself against the stone and held my breath. If I was discovered out here, I might be able to get away with a story of wanting a walk or not being able to sleep. A guard might let me go. However, once I got into the dungeons, I would have to do away with any guard who found me. The king might want me for his own reason to be his queen. But he might not want me after I had shown I could see through his magic. And any excuses I could make would not extend to Bower or Jaydra.

  I waited and heard the plodding walk of a palace guard. He carried an oil lantern in one hand. A broad-brimmed helmet shaded his eyes. I knew he hadn’t spotted me, for he yawned and kept on walking, almost looking half asleep. He strolled across the courtyard, lantern held high.

  He was going to pass right by me—he would see me for a certainty unless he was almost completely blind. My hands itched to use the trick to hide myself. But if it went wrong, it would rouse the entire palace.

  Saffron? Jaydra’s mind brushed against mine in warning. I had no time to ask her what was going on where she was. I took a deep breath and thrust the staff out, tripping the guard.

  He started to fall. He seemed too surprised to shout. I flipped the staff and landed a blow across the back of his neck.

  He hit the ground with a thud and lay still. His lantern hit the stone wall and shattered. I held my breath and waited. No one called out to ask what had happened. No one raised an alarm. But the sound might have been loud enough to attract another guard.

  Grabbing the man by his ankles, I dragged him into the lodge. I went back for his helmet, which had fallen off, and kicked the lantern under the bushes near the window. Inside the lodge I found a cupboard large enough to hold the guard. I rolled him inside and started to toss his helmet in after him. But I realized it could be put to better use.

  I pulled off his cloak and threw it over my shoulders. Metal gleamed from his belt in the moonlight. Reaching down, I found he wore a set of keys, as did many of the guards. They had to be ready to open doors in case of fire.

  Taking his keys and his helmet, I left him locked away. He would not wake until long after dawn.

  Not long now, Jaydra—what was wrong? I threw my mind toward her and hurried to the nearest door. Jaydra did not reply. I could not even sense any emotion from her. She had fallen oddly silent, as if she had fallen asleep or had to hide herself.

  Jaydra? I asked again. Den-sister?

  Still no response. Worry spike within my breast. For a moment, I wanted to abandon Bower and race over to the stables. However, if Jaydra was hiding my thundering over there might put her into more danger.

  Jaydra would also tell me to save Bower, as she was a dragon and could look after herself. I set to opening the door again. It swung open and I found myself in an elaborate hall with myriad, arched doorways leading into even more rooms.

  The Imperial Lodge had an elegance about it that the Rose Hall lacked. To me, it seemed that Rose Hall had been built to show King Enric’s power and glorify House Maddox. But this building lacked all the paintings of brave deeds. Instead, the decorations were of building or bridge, and even a few landscapes of Torvald. I wondered if this place showed what Torvald had once been like.

  I passed every grand door—I was searching for the smallest, most unobtrusive door, and one that looked sturdy enough to withstand an axe. I found it at the far end of the main
room. Iron bands crossed the door. The posts and frame looked sunk into the stone of the floor. I was certain this door would lead to the dungeons—it looked a prison door.

  I went through almost the entire set of keys until I found a heavy, iron one that fit the lock. I winced, expecting the lock to squeak and growl with rust. Disturbingly, the lock turned easily and the door swung open on silent, well-oiled hinges.

  This door must be used often, I thought with a sense of despair. How many others were down here, besides Bower? I could not save them all. A wave of fetid, damp-smelling air rose up from the darkness. I stepped into a narrow, stone corridor and pulled the door closed almost completely behind me. Without any light, and with my heart beating fast, I had to stop and wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  It was not the pure pitch black of the deep caverns and tunnels I knew from my childhood of scrabbling over dragon hides in dens so deep that it was easier to close my eyes to see. Light filtered down from torches set at long distances apart. Instead of blackness, a soft light revealed a set of stairs that led downwards. I hurried down the steps to the bottom, keeping one hand raised with fingertips just gently stroking the wall in case I came across a doorway. In my other hand, I held the staff at the ready. The scrape of rat claws and the drip of water grew louder.

  I reached a long corridor with doors that stood open and empty cells. At the end of it, I glanced left and right. To the left I could see a little more light, but to the left seemed utter blackness.

  Jaydra said a grate opened onto the outside—and that must mean moonlight!

  I turned to the left and strode down the stone hall, my stolen cloak flapping around my ankles. I found more empty cells.

  But no other prisoners.

  These dungeons had to be well used, given the ease with the door opened and the rank smells that left me wrinkling my nose. But now they stood empty. Did that mean that a lot of prisoners had just recently been released, or had they been…?