Verde listened. He repeated the tonal sequence until the Old One was pleased.
*Now for the pattern for the reds.*
Verde memorized that sequence and the one for the blues. *Must I do this alone?*
*I fear you must for this will make the greens receptive to you as a teacher.*
*What if I falter?*
*I will be there to support you but I do not think you will need me.*
Pride made Verde’s chest swell.
* * * *
Lagon sat in his tower chamber and sipped the fiery liquor he’d bought with some of the coins the wizards had paid for the blue hide. When he’d tried to bargain for another blue stone he’d learned none were available. The priestesses of the temple of Fyre had closed their land to the slavers. Thus the wizards had no access to the stones. He frowned. Did that mean they would lose the power of the wands they wielded? Not that he cared. His attempt to purchase one had been futile even if he had been able to activate the fire.
His thoughts turned to the gift of thorns and berries and the rumors brought by the men who should have been loyal to High Peaks Tower. He laughed. At the end of the spring planting season he would send a group gathered from the four towers into the pass. Anyone who fought against him would die like the people ten years and one before had. He would possess the healthy fyrethorns. He should have carried the bushes from the ravaged villages near the tower years ago.
He finished the first glass and poured a second. Those men from High Peaks had been hiding something. When he’d sought to question them further he learned they had disappeared.
Were the rumors they’d spoken of true instead of invented tales? Was there a pair of dragons at High Peaks? Was there a new lord who ruled with Arana at his side?
There had been a dragon hidden in the pens here. A green. Had the creature aided Arana’s escape? Question piled on question and made his head ache. If Arana was discovered at High Peaks he would order her brought here so he could supervise her punishment.
He heard sounds in the hall and went to the door of his chamber. His daughter ran down the stairs.
“Lorana, come back,” the nurse shouted.
“I’m going to the dragon pens. They call me. They have secrets to tell me.”
Lagon frowned. Did she really hear the dragons without drinking the berry tea and risking the headaches? Had she invented the tale to anger him? If she heard the dragons she could turn the Sea Cliff dragons against him. Would they obey a child? He had no desire to learn.
He drained the glass and followed the child. He caught her at the entrance to the pens. He heard the dragons shifting in their places. Several poked their heads over the gates. They hummed and the sound surprised him. They sounded like giant hearth cats.
Lagon grabbed his daughter’s arm. “Go to your room. I told you never to come here. When will you learn you have no place with the dragons of Sea Cliff?”
She glared. In that instant he saw her dead mother’s anger and defiance in the child’s eyes. Heir or not, when the wizards arrived she would leave with them.
Chapter Nine
Arana sat beside Roja and tried to sort through her feelings. Hope mingled with a foreboding of trouble she could not stop. She believed Bekla was a threat. She feared Lagon would arrive the moment the days of winter ended. Something made her wonder if the danger would peak on the day the dragons rose to mate. Thoughts of that day brought hope. The Old One had said there would be two eggs, a red and a blue, to insure High Peaks Tower’s survival.
With a sigh Arana searched for the reasons beneath her uneasiness. Were they caused by the attempt to steal Roja? Were they a premonition? Roja had said Bekla smelled bad. A memory of the cloying perfume arose. She wrinkled her nose. Was there more than the perfume to the red’s announcement? Had Roja’s keener senses caught traces of evil in the other woman?
She closed her eyes and recalled all that had happened since the flight over the village. The receiving and giving of pleasure with Drakon had been wonderful. The fight with Bekla had revealed a truth. Arana smiled. Her antipathy toward the other woman had two causes. Drakon and Roja.
Arana’s hands clenched. Her feelings for Drakon had gone beyond friendship. She had tumbled into love. Did he love her in return? He had stopped the fight. He had hurried Bekla from the cavern and sent her back to the village. At least he said he had. How could she be sure?
Bekla was his far kin. He was someone who had a need for family. He’d spent his childhood as the youngest son of the tower’s lord and lady. When his intolerance for the berry tea had been discovered his older brothers had called him a misfit. Instead of becoming a speaker he’d been in training to become the tower’s steward. Soon after this had happened Lagon had invaded. Drakon had endured years as a captive in the harras as a slave for the priestesses. Now he was lord of a tower and a man who had no close kin ties.
Arana stroked Roja’s leathery flank. Like Drakon she had no close family. She also had no known near or far kin. When the slavers had brought her here, she had been too young to have memories of her past. Her acceptance by the lord and lady of High Peaks had given her a sense of belonging. Her capture by Lagon had taken her sense of safety and belonging away.
*You have me, Drakon, Roja, Azure, the Old One, Sofona and Radlan,* Verde said.
*You’re right. It’s just … just there is no one of my blood in this land. I have never seen anyone with hair like mine.*
*When you lay an egg, there will be one,* Roja said.
Arana giggled. The thought of laying an egg amused her. *Old One, are there those among Drakon’s kin who can become speakers for the coming dragonets?*
*There are two of the proper age who have no need to drink the tea. They heard my call but they thought they dreamed my voice. Their paths are not as open as yours and Drakon’s.*
*So there are speakers for Roja’s eggs.*
*You’ll meet them soon. When the time is right they will come to the cavern.*
This news made Arana’s spirits rise. Knowing Bekla wasn’t one of the chosen relieved some of her concern. Still, Arana wished the other women could be banished even from the village.
Impossible, she decided. From all she had learned about the people, at least the ones at Sea Cliff, few left their villages. She rested against Roja. *Old One, when will the dragons rise?*
*Before many days have passed.* Verde and the Old One spoke as one.
Arana rubbed her temples. *When you speak together my head aches.*
The Old One sent warmth that eased the pain. *You must remain alert for the call. I will know a day before the time arrives. When Roja and Azure quicken you will have an hour to prepare.*
*Should we send for the two who will speak for the dragonets and have them come to the tower?*
*At present there is no need,* the Old One said. *They should be told once the eggs have been laid. If they appear now, Bekla will be on their heels. She wants but one thing and that is to be the wife of a dragon speaker. She has no care for how she finds one. When she came to be with Drakon’s oldest brother she was furious when he dismissed her.*
Arana drew a deep breath. *Since she’s related to the traitors why wasn’t she punished?*
*How could the identity of the traitors be proved? The ones who allowed Lagon’s men into the pass died there. When their deaths were discovered by the villagers they were considered heroes.*
*Is there a way to prove what they did?*
*No.*
Arana sighed. *Why was the village untouched? Is the headman a traitor?*
*I think not. He clings to tradition. Members of that family have always guarded the pass. There have been no other attempts by Lagon since the invasion.*
Arana pondered this information. If she told Drakon about her suspicions would he believe her? *Old One, you should tell Drakon what you told me. He has the power to change the guards at the pass.*
*He will be told but he will do nothing without proof.*
The yellow’s words confirmed Arana’s own understanding of Drakon. She rose and left the cavern. The snow on the forecourt had turned to slush covering patches of black ice. Several times she slipped and nearly fell. She joined the others at the table for the midday meal. Drakon and Radlan discussed their plans. In three days they would leave for the village with the horses to help plow the fields.
Arana rested her spoon in the soup bowl. “I want to go. I want to meet the pair who will be speakers for the dragonets.” And to make sure Bekla is neutralized, she silently added.
Drakon frowned. “You should stay to help Sofona. Radlan and I will be gone five or six days. How can she feed and care for four dragons?”
“If Arana feels she must go I can manage,” Sofona said. “With enough meat in the cold cave I can manage the feedings. If the dragons aren’t flying great distances there’s no need to oil them. Arana should go to meet the people she will help you rule.”
Drakon’s eyes narrowed into an intense stare. Arana knew he spoke to one of the dragons, probably the yellow. He refocused his eyes. “The Old One says Arana should go. He and Verde have things to teach Roja and Azure in preparation for the mating flight.”
“I’ll stay,” Radlan said. “I’ve thought about starting a garden here so we will be less dependent on the village. Each of you can lead a horse and ride another. Switching off will speed your journey.” He walked to the door and looked outside. “You should leave this afternoon. The snows will be gone from the village.”
Arana ran to her tower room and packed a haversack with clothes for the journey. She met Drakon on the stairs. When they reached the kitchen, Sofona handed them several packets of food for the journey. Though they offered to wait until morning and spend the afternoon chopping meat, the older couple sent them off.
*Have a nice journey,* Verde said. *The mating flight will occur soon after you return.*
*Take care of Roja, Azure and the Old One,* she said.
*I will.*
Arana urged the horse forward and caught up to Drakon. By switching horses and riding until moonrise they reached the village at dark on their second day of travel. The headman welcomed them. After a quick meal they sought the guest rooms.
In the morning Drakon joined the men to plow the far fields. Arana joined some of the women in bringing seedlings from the growing house. She lifted a basket of fyrethorn seedlings and walked with several young women to the hedge surrounding the field closest to the village. She noticed empty spaces where bushes had been removed. “What happened here?” she asked. “Were they blighted like the ones at Sea Cliff?”
One of the young women nodded. “I don’t know about the hedges there but the ones we removed in the fall were spindly. We had replaced some using the seeds the lord brought. The surrounding growth gained vigor. This planting should see the hedges restored.”
“I’m Arana.” She lifted several plants and placed them in the hold left by the removal.
“Cerene, far kin to Drakon.”
*She is the one for the red.*
The Old One’s comment startled Arana. She smiled at the young woman. “I’m glad to meet you. The yellow dragon says you will be a speaker.” She studied Cerene and liked the pleasant smile she saw. “Is Bekla helping today?”
“And dirty her hands.” Cerene laughed. “She went to the pass to visit her brothers.”
A chill slithered along Arana’s spine. “How long has she been gone?” She patted the earth around the newly planted seedlings.
Cerene tucked a second cluster of plants in the dirt. “I’m not sure but it wasn’t long after she returned from the tower. What a mess she was. She had a pair of shiners and a split lip.”
Arana looked up. “I know.”
“You should have heard her carry on. Said the tower was a disaster and the new lord a tyrant. Said she missed her brothers and left. Probably didn’t want people to see her as less than beautiful. Her aunt was glad to see her go. Woman’s had a sad life. Her sons died defending the pass. Then Bekla’s mother died. Her aunt had to raise her.”
“My dragon said Bekla smelled bad.”
Cerene laughed. “Her perfume. Before she left she tried to stir the villagers against the lord.”
“Do you mean Drakon?”
Cerene nodded. “She said he tried to force her. Not that she hasn’t lain with half the men here.”
“How could she say that?”
“No one believed her.” Arana moved to the next empty space. “She said he was the one who hit her.”
“A lie.” Arana lifted the basket. “Any mark on her was made by me when we fought.”
“I wish I could have been there.”
Arana planted another pair of seedlings. “You’ll have everything she craves.”
“Are you sure?”
“The Old One told me. He spoke to you but you thought you dreamed.”
Cerene looked up. “I did. The voice frightened me awake. Am I to go to the tower when you leave?”
Arana shook her head. “Your time isn’t yet. Once there is a mating flight and the eggs are laid, you and the speaker for the blue will be summoned.” Though she wished the other couple could come when she and Drakon left she knew their presence might confuse Roja and Azure.
* * * *
Verde watched as Roja paced from the cavern across the forecourt. She reached the edge and prepared for flight. He called her back. *Arana is in the village. She has spoken to the Old One. You can reach her if you would try.*
*I am afraid. What if the woman who smells bad is there? She will hurt Arana again.*
*She only hurt Arana a little. Arana won the fight. If there is another Arana will win.*
*Good.*
*Enough of being silly. You must practice for your part in the mating flight. I want you to know the pattern so the flight will be a success.*
Excitement bubbled in Roja’s thoughts. *Do we fly today?*
*Practice only. First you. Then Azure.*
*Why not together?*
*The flight is a challenge. Until Arana and Drakon return you can’t mate. They will fly on the speaker’s path with you and keep the challenge from becoming a battle. The Old One tells stories from the other land of dragons being killed during the mating.*
*I do not want that.*
*So follow me.* Verde left the ledge and caught an updraft. Three times he led her through the intricate patterns of the dance to insure two eggs. On the third try she flew the sequence without a mistake and no guidance from Verde. *You have done well.*
*I like this sky dance.*
The Old One chuckled. *Verde, this is a clever idea.*
*Yes it is. This way should I become too involved with the dragons at Sea Cliff Roja and Azure will have a perfect flight.*
After they landed Sofona and Radlan brought feedings. Verde ate and curled in the sand and slept. When the sun was well past midday he led Azure through his part of the patterns. The blue mastered the sequences as quickly as Roja had.
*Well done,* Verde said.
*What will we do if Drakon refuses his role as speaker during the mating flight,* Azure asked. *That idea bubbles under the surface of his thoughts. He is afraid.*
*He will be with you. The pattern of this flight will break the last of the fetters placed on him by the women who ill-treated him. The Old One will make sure Drakon is with you when the flight begins.*
Azure sighed. *If so, the flight will succeed.*
*Have no fear.*
After Verde and the blue returned to the cavern, the Old One crouched beside the green. *I know you are worried about the flight. Put your fears aside.*
Verde sighed. *What if I should falter while directing the dragons at Sea Cliff. They must form green eggs so I will not be alone.*
*I will be with you to help if you falter. Though I am asking much of one so young you are well suited to the task. Speak to the reds at Sea Cliff and plant the idea of a mating flight. Once their speakers see the signs they will
order extra feedings.*
* * * *
When Drakon returned from plowing, he joined Arana in the village square. “How goes the planting?”
She glanced at the sky. “If the rains hold off for a few days, all will be well. Tomorrow, the near fields can be sown. The fyrethorn hedges and most of the herbs have been planted. Is the plowing done?” He nodded. “Then tomorrow you can help the men plant the grains and tubers.”
He clasped her hand. “Our help is gratefully accepted. In the years before Lagon’s invasion, this village seldom received the lord’s help since it was so distant from the towers. The lord did accept his tithe of the harvest.”
“That might explain why the village spawned traitors.”
He nodded. “That cannot happen again.”
“I spoke to Cerene and told her about the expected flight and the eggs to result. The Old One said she would speak for the red.”
“Tiron will be the speaker for the blue.”
“As soon as the eggs are laid, they must come to the cavern.”
“Why the rush?” Drakon asked.
Arana shrugged. “Only the Old One knows and he’s not speaking of his reasons.”
*There is a need I will explain later,* the Old One said. *Something brews at Sea Cliff but the reds there have no idea what. We must make our plans with care and act before the evil one does.*
Arana grasped Drakon’s arm. “He’s right. Did you know Bekla left the village the day after she returned from the tower? She went to visit her brothers at the pass. Do you think she intends to find a way to the tower and bond with the egg?”
Drakon shook his head. “Why would she do that? Even if she licked the egg she would never be able to bond.”
*That is not her plan,* the Old One said. *I cannot be sure what scheme she lays since she had little speaker’s path.*
“Maybe we should visit the pass and see if she’s there,” Arana said.
Drakon nodded. “We could.”
*You do not have time to go to the pass and return,* the Old One said.
Arana’s shoulders slumped. “I fear what she will do.”
Drakon straightened. “Would Lagon welcome her at Sea Cliff?”
The Dragons of Fyre Page 14