He paled further.
“Or about who is really in charge in the ruined city and what the weaknesses in the defenses are?”
His features went hard. He didn’t like the idea of us taking his city back, but that didn’t mean he was Dusk Covenant. If he survived the fall of Vanika, he could be very scarred from that.
He is. He never wants to see that again.
“But I bet a clever man like you knows that an army is headed this way and they’re going to take Vanika back by force. Maybe a clever man thinks he could survive this second conflict. But what about his friends. Do you have friends, Tor?”
He licked his lips. “A few. Are you saying you could protect them?”
His face was tight while he spoke. Now, he was bargaining for something he needed.
I smiled. “If you guide us correctly and tell us what we need to know, I’m sure it can be arranged.”
He sagged with relief, nodding. “I think we have an agreement.”
Nice work with the friends. How did you know he had people he cared about?
I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was that twinkle in his eye, or maybe I just wanted as many civilians out of that city as possible before we attacked. Thinking about starting a battle had me nervous as a cat in a dog city.
Mmmm cats.
Now, that was going way too far!
Chapter Nine
It was hours before Tor was done talking. Surprisingly, he actually did know a lot about the inner workings of the city since it had been occupied.
“So,” Dax said, summarizing. “There are still about a thousand citizens in Vanika trying to survive and pull a life back from the wreckage, and an occupying force of a few hundred. They’re led by a contingent of about a dozen Magikas and about fifty Rock Eaters. They have a guard established, a central stone tower built from the wreckage to house them, and an established curfew. If we want to do the most damage to the occupying force and the least damage to the citizenry, a night attack is probably best, but they are scattered, so we can’t just hit a few major targets and be done with that. On top of that, the enemy is housed along with civilians, so our dragons will have to be careful with their fire. They can’t just set every building with enemy soldiers ablaze.”
“Yes,” Tor said, sipping the tea Dax had made for him. “Do you have anything to eat? I mean the tea is nice – I’m not complaining – but a man could use some real food, you know?”
Ephretti rolled her eyes – she still wasn’t happy with Tor, but she fished some dried meat and berries out of a leather pouch for him. She kept her eyes on him, watching his hands no matter where she went in the camp. Perhaps she was still bitter that Dax and I had insisted on untying him.
“And you think you know where this entrance into the ground is.”
“If it’s where the ghost giants go, then yes.” He was still nervous talking about Ifrits. He wouldn’t meet our eyes when he did that.
“You don’t like them,” Dax said.
“We were curious about them at first.” He chewed his meat, pausing and staring at the fire. “A group of us – boys like me, you know?”
Dax nodded. “People who live on the streets. Urchins.”
Tor frowned. “I’m not an urchin. I’m twenty.”
“You aren’t twenty.”
“Fine. I’m seventeen.”
Dax snorted. “Are you thieves?”
Tor shrugged. “If you want to call us that. I’ve never stolen a person, though.” He gave Ephretti a significant look and she scowled.
“There was a group of you,” Dax prompted.
“Yeah, we were curious, so we tried to set a trap for one of them.” How would he even do that? It’s not like you could trap fire and dust. “We set up this big net we found from the ruined dragon cotes and tried to herd the demon to a dead end in the rubble and drop the net over it. It went ... bad.” He cleared his throat. “Jimin and Relv ... well, I don’t have many friends left and they were some of the last ones before ... before ...”
“Before you thought it was a good idea to trap a dust demon?” I offered. He was a fool.
But we’re all fools from time to time.
“Yeah.”
We sat in silence, letting the details he didn’t share fill our minds. Watching your friends die like that – fleeing through the night listening to their screams echo in your ears -
“Okay,” Dax said eventually when the silence became too much. “So, you can take us to the door and you can grab your friends and get them out of the city when we attack.”
Tor nodded.
“Then we all need to get some sleep. Tomorrow night we’ll be busy.”
“And what will we do with him?” Ephretti asked, her eyes narrowed at Tor and her arms crossed over her chest.
“I have an extra blanket he can use,” Dax said mildly.
“That’s not what I meant,” she muttered, but Dax was already fishing out the blanket from his saddlebags. Tor smirked at Ephretti while Dax’s back was turned.
I took a sip of tea, trying to disguise my grin. It was fun to watch someone get Ephretti all wound up. At least, it was until a coughing fit left her gasping for air and spitting up black goo. What was it – a week maybe since her dragon died? That gave her only a week more. We needed to hurry.
I went to sleep resolving to help Ephretti get what she wanted before she died. I owed her that much.
Plus, it’s what we want, too.
Even with the warrens involved?
Yes.
And who would work the central pillars to transport us?
I will.
In that case, I’d just have to trust him and stop worrying.
That’s my spider.
Yeah. Right. As if sleep would come so early. But I must have been tired because I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep until Raolcan nudged me with a toe.
You might want to wake up.
I sat up painfully, my leg still hurt all the time, but it was worse when I was going to sleep or first trying to move when I woke. Everything felt stiff and uncertain.
Forcing the pain from my mind, I scrambled for my crutches. It was still dark. I couldn’t have slept for more than an hour at most. A haze on the horizon suggested dawn was not far off, but everything else was silent except for a few quiet grunts and a curse.
“Skies and stars! Just fly, would you! We’re going to get caught! Do you need a magic word? What is it? Up! Fly! Giddyup! Go, dragon, go!”
I pulled myself up on my crutches and looked at Raolcan’s dry expression. He looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh. Further up on his back, Tor sat without a saddle, slapping Raolcan with his hands and digging in his heels.
“That’s a great way to get flamed,” I said thickly, rubbing my eyes.
Tor froze, looking guilty. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I generally don’t interfere with his fun.”
“Fun?”
Raolcan moved with smooth suddenness, his neck reaching around and his body moving so quickly that he knocked Tor loose and snatched him up with his mouth in a single fluid motion. Tor wriggled in his jaws until Raolcan neatly set him down in front of me, placing a heavy forefoot on Tor’s back and shoulders to keep him pinned in a sitting position.
“He generally finds putting people in their place pretty fun.”
I could really get to like this kid. I told you he was entertaining.
You shouldn’t play with your food.
We don’t eat humans. Not anymore.
“You’re all crazy,” Tor said, bent over by Raolcan’s foot.
I sighed. “The thing about dragons that you should never forget, Tor, is that they are their own masters. It doesn’t matter who rides them or what they choose to do, they belong to themselves. Kicking them and using ‘magic’ words isn’t going to get you anywhere.”
He grinned. “Then how do I get to ride one?”
“You should ask. Respectfull
y.”
Tor twisted to look up at Raolcan. “How about we make a deal, dragon?”
“Can’t this wait until morning?” I asked. “I’m really very tired.”
Me, too.
“I can’t exactly sleep like this,” Tor said, patting one of the toes wrapped around his shoulder.
I’m not letting go. He’ll just get into trouble. Like a curious puppy.
“Then shift into a position you can sleep in,” I said grumpily. I hobbled back to Raolcan’s side and sank painfully back to the ground. It was too cold and hard on my aching legs. Fortunately, Raolcan was always warm as a cookstove. “Raolcan doesn’t trust you on your own tonight.”
“Are you suggesting that I should sleep under a dragon’s foot?!”
“You’re going to stay under that foot until after we get some sleep. Whether you sleep, is entirely up to you.”
Nice. We need to work on your zingers, though. You always sound too nice when you’re delivering them.
Chapter Ten
As I slept, I dreamt of Leng. Wherever he was now, he didn’t seem to be helping refugees anymore. Had Savette assigned him to something new, or had he gone off on his own? It would be just like him to see an opportunity and take it.
He was dressed in rough city clothes – not his usual Dragon Rider leathers – and he slipped through a dark alley like he was hiding from something. He rounded a corner and I caught a glimpse of city buildings rising up all around him. The night was anything but peaceful, with children wailing in the night and harsh words coming from open doors. The glowing entrance to an inn peeked through a gap between the buildings and Leng shrank back into the shadows as a man was thrown roughly out the door to sprawl across the sky steel street. Sky steel! He was in a skycity somewhere. Leng pushed on, keeping to the shadows, and entered a poorly lit door.
“You’re late,” a voice said from the shadows.
“Two knaves and a dragon kept me at bay.”
“What color of dragon?” The way the question as asked seemed significant – like it meant something beyond just dragons.
“Gold,” Leng answered and there was a sigh of relief from the other man, like the answer was a key to a lock.
“We’ve been expecting you. Come inside.”
I woke to a yell and sat bolt upright, the dream of Leng still fogging my mind. At least he’d been safe, even if I couldn’t puzzle out where he was or what he was doing.
Raolcan slept, snores coming up from his belly and smoke gusting through his nostrils with each rumbling snore. His foot was empty. Tor must have wriggled out of his grip while he slept. Around us, the other dragons slept, too, massive bodies heaving up and down with each breath. I scrambled up on my crutches, scanning the camp. Who yelled? Had Tor betrayed us somehow?
There was dew on the grass despite the bright light – so probably morning still. Ephretti and Dax’s tents sparkled with dew droplets. They must still be in them or the dew would have shaken off when they were disturbed.
I scanned the horizon. No trail of people. No horses. No unfamiliar dragons that I could see. Our wild dragons roamed the hills and mountains, but in ones and twos not in clusters like an opposing force would be.
My breath was quick as my mind flittered from one possible scenario to another. What did I know? That Tor was missing and there had been a scream. It must be him screaming. He either fell off a cliff or was set upon by an enemy. Either way, I was in no condition to help. I’d need to wake Raolcan.
I was just moving to do that, when a pair of silhouettes entered the small hillside clearing, their backs to the sun so their faces were wreathed in shadow. I could tell that the skinny figure in front, with his arm pinned awkwardly behind him, was Tor. The golden halo of the sun lit him from behind. He limped forward but with the over-exaggerated movement of someone feigning more injury than was actually there. That was just like him. A trickster through and through.
It was the other figure that made me take a quavering step forward. There was something familiar about that confident stride. Was it ...?
The second the light finally hit his face, I rushed forward, clenching my jaw against the pain in my legs from my hurry. My crutches sped across the uneven ground as I almost launched myself into his hug.
“Hubric!”
“You’re not dead! Skies and stars, Amel!” His tone was full of wonder, though one arm still pinned Tor in place. “I think I found something that might belong to you. He was sneaking out of here like a thief. He’s lucky he didn’t spook the wild dragons. I have no idea why so many of them are here, but the hills are crawling with them! I haven’t seen a goat or horse alive in miles.”
I really hoped he was joking about the horses.
“Hubric ... I ... I’m sorry. About Haskell.” My mouth felt dry as I spoke. I was saying the wrong thing. There was something I was supposed to say, something to make things better, right? Some words of wisdom? But they were lost to me in the moment.
He ran a hand over his face, letting Tor’s arm fall.
“Stay, boy,” he growled, before turning to me. “You know?”
“I have a curse now – or a gift if you can believe the givers. I see little snatches of my friends lives.”
“And you saw ...?”
“Yes.”
Light glimmered off a single tear on his cheek but he sniffed and gave a jerky nod before saying. “This is not Baojang.”
Why the sudden turn of conversation? “No, it’s Vanika.”
“You were sent to Baojang to bring reinforcements.”
I laughed in relief. “They’re on their way. We came here to find a faster way to bring them to Savette.”
“A faster way? The fastest way is to march them straight to her or leave in ships.”
“Or go through the warrens? Through a door under Vanika?”
His old face paled. “Never again.”
“That’s what I said, but Raolcan says that’s silly. Either way, that’s why we’re here. Jalla’s army is right behind us.”
“Whose army?”
“Did I mention I’m a slave now?”
His big eyes and stunned expression were enough to almost make it worth it. Almost.
“Nonsense. You’re my apprentice. I don’t allow my apprentices to become slaves.”
“You’ll have to take that up with Jalla.”
“Hrmph. I suppose I will, then.” He had an affectionate humor in his eyes as he watched me.
“She’s not very easy to talk to.”
“Neither am I.”
I laughed. Having Hubric back filled me with relief. It was like a part of myself had returned to me. His growls felt like home.
“Do you have a fire lit, Amel?”
I nodded.
“Good. You can brew caf and tell me all about it. And you, boy, are going to stay where I can see you. I know your type.”
“I’m just a simple city boy,” Tor said with an innocent smile. “Remember? I told you I was with these people and that I’d just needed a moment to myself. It’s not my fault that you didn’t believe me.”
I rolled my eyes. Ephretti wasn’t the only one who’d had enough of Tor.
“And why did you need a moment to yourself?” Hubric asked skeptically.
“I needed to ... meditate, I guess ... compose myself. You know, get ready for the battle in a few hours.”
“Battle?” Hubric looked at me.
“Tonight we’re going to take Vanika back.”
He laughed, sobering when he realized I was serious.
“Well, you’ve gone and turned into a full Purple while you were gone, haven’t you? Fully arrogant and certain you know what’s best. We’ll have to get you raised to Dragon Rider as soon as we can before your head is too swollen for a new scarf. Sit down and tell me all about it.”
Chapter Eleven
By the time Ephretti joined us, yawning, Hubric was on his third mug of caf – he’d brought his own grinds – and was grinning hugely. S
he leapt when she saw him, like she’d seen a ghost.
“Hubric Duneshifter! You scared me half to death!”
“I see you’ve managed to mangle my apprentice,” he barked. Her face went white until he said, “Not that she doesn’t do most of this to herself.”
But she had an ease about her after that, like she was safe again. Hubric had taken the group authority away from her as easily as reaching for another mug of caf.
Dax was also pleased. He asked Hubric about friends of his in Dominion City and White Dragon Riders who led their color, offering him food from his own packs. I was surprised by that. Whites and Purples didn’t usually mix.
Times have been hard for Dax. He’s – soft – now. Vulnerable after everything. The prejudice has evaporated and the old walls just aren’t there.
Hubric also seemed indifferent to the color rivalry, gladly accepting the food and quizzing Dax on my health in a way that made me blush and shift uncomfortably. I resorted to reading my book of Ibrenicus Prophecies to drown out their conversation, but after just reading a short piece I felt stuck. My eyes scanned over it time and again, but I couldn’t seem to get past that little paragraph, though it meant nothing to me:
Twice dead, she rises.
Her rising a sign of salvation.
Favor from the heavens.
Relief from the fires of hell
How could you be twice dead? The little verse haunted me as the afternoon wore on, but no matter how often I read and re-read it, no clarity came to me.
“You need to copy your own book soon,” Hubric said when he caught me reading it yet again. “Talsan’s is good, but having a copy in your own writing is important.”
“When do I go back and round up my friends?” Tor asked, interrupting us. He’d spent the day leaning against a fallen log with an arm draped over his face and a flask of something in the other hand. I didn’t want to know what was in it. Despite Raolcan’s strange fondness for the boy, I found his irresponsibility grating.
He’s doing his best. It’s not easy for a stray to find his way in this world – particularly not during a war. His family was already poor and in trouble before the fall of the city and the last of them was lost to him that day. He lives how he can – scavenging and thieving. He doesn’t know if he can trust us and he certainly doesn’t feel part of this group. I think if he were given a chance he would be a different person.
Dragon School: Dragon Piper Page 4