"About that," I said. "I don't think there's a way to kill it."
A grim line formed on Rowan's bloodred lips. "You'd be surprised. I didn't think so myself until Ana showed me what they'd found in the mountains."
Ana spoke hesitantly at first, glancing in the khan's direction the whole time.
"Our expedition to the other cave, the place we met, was not just for food and furs. Using our supernatural contacts"—her eyes hardened, and I knew she meant the Uthlaylaa, which meant she hadn't told the others of its existence—"we learned of an object that might help us defeat the Nenet."
"What is it?" I asked.
Ben spoke up. "The spear, Gungnir, said to have been wielded by Odin."
"But that box wasn't large enough for a spear," I said.
"It was the spearhead they found." Ben's eyes were wide with wonder. "I wouldn't have believed it myself, but Anton shoved the spear into a rock wall. The stone parted like milk cream."
"I know this spearhead. It's meant to be wielded at Ragnarök, the ending of the gods," I said, remembering my book of myths.
"You mean the ending of the world," said Brassy.
"No," I said, "that's the popular view of the word Ragnarök. The older translations call it the 'twilight of the gods,' or the 'doom of the gods.' Now, the ending of the gods might have some effect on the world, but the myths do not mention the end of the world. But, still, having the spear appear now, at this time, seems rather odd."
They sensed my unease and drew closer.
"In what way?" asked Rowan, studying my face as if it were a map.
"I don't know," I said. "I think there's more here than what we understand."
"That doesn't help us now," said Ben.
"So the plan you've been hiding from me was to sneak me up the cliff using a hot-air balloon and then just trust me to shove the spear into the dragon?" I asked.
"When you say it like that it doesn't sound as impressive," said Ben with a wink. "There were other parts to the plan: destroying the airship and the lift so they can't stop us from returning to Ice Lake, gathering intelligence on any connections to Veles, but I think we'd just be happy with the death of the dragon, freeing you from your obligations to the Great One."
Ana grumbled. "And saving my people from annihilation."
"Apologies, Ana," said Ben. "But the whole world, possibly the whole multiverse, is at risk if we cannot reach Moscow."
About that time, Koryak appeared, alone, looking like a fleeing prisoner. Ice-crust had formed around his nose. His sleeve was ripped and his gear missing. Right as he glanced into the darkness, the bone-chilling sound of a wolf howl cut through the night. Not just any wolf, but a wolf of shadow.
We gathered around the shaman as he spoke in halting breaths.
"I had to use magic to save myself when we ran into a Nenet patrol on the plains," he said. "Four of us survived the battle, but not a half a day later, I heard the first howls as the wolves of shadow pursued us."
Anton grabbed Koryak around the throat. "And you led them right here!"
Koryak's eyes bulged as his neck was squeezed by Anton's large fist. "I had no choice," he squeaked out.
Ana grabbed the khan's arm, forcing him to release Koryak's neck. "Anton. It's too late now. And if we go up the cliff, we won't have to worry about the wolves. They can't fly. We'll just have to modify our plans."
"Modify?" he asked, rubbing his beard with clawed fingers until he realized all eyes were on him. He turned to his warriors. "Get on your climbing gear. We're going up."
"I can't possibly climb," I said, holding up my hand with short fingers.
"Dammit," said Rowan, looking into the cold. "Where is Harvest?"
Koryak spoke after a few abortive coughs. "I heard something large moving through the valley, like a great bear. It might have eaten him."
Rowan's lips curled into a smile. "A bear? Well, then. He should be here any moment."
"But we don't have the fire ready to heat the balloon," said Ben. "There's no time to get one going."
"I can heat it with magic," I said, relishing the chance to use my powers again. Not using them for so long had left me feeling itchy.
The group burst into multiple discussions, working out details of the plan. We were all so busy talking over each other that we didn't notice Brassy trying to say something. She'd been quiet for the majority of the journey.
"How do we get back?" she asked.
The hard reality settled on our brows, turning them rough and dark.
"She's right," I said. "If the wolves prowl the cliff, then we can't get back to Ice Lake."
"We'll have to commandeer the airship," said Ben. "It'll get us back to Ice Lake faster."
"What about the dragon?" I asked, knowing Ben's answer even before he spoke.
"You'd better take care of it. Or we won't make it back," he said.
In the harsh silence, another pair of shuddering howls pierced the night. The wolves grew closer.
Then Harvest appeared in human form, pulling the sled behind him. Though he no longer had his bear form, the aura of wildness still rested on his brow. He appeared uninjured and full of vigor, much the same as Rowan Blade.
At Ben's command, the warriors jumped into action, dragging the balloon off the sled, then spreading it out.
"Are you sure you can heat it?" asked Ben as we trudged back into the night.
"I have no choice," I said.
Two dozen warriors, led by Anton, began climbing the cliff using ropes and pitons. It would take them the rest of the night to make it to the top.
Even though it was probably miles away, the approaching storm pushed strong winds through the valley as we worked, turning the mountains into screaming banshees. We had to shout at each other to hear over the wind.
I grabbed Rowan when she checked on the progress of the balloon. Ana was with her. "We don't have enough time before the wolves get here."
"That's what we were coming to see you about," said Rowan.
"We need a diversion," said Ana. "Otherwise, they'll attack us when you're trying to fill the balloon."
By the look in Ana's eyes, I knew I wasn't going to like the diversion.
"Harvest and I are going to lead the wolves out of the valley," said Ana. "Rowan told me about his bear form. He can move faster than the wolves like that."
"With you riding on top?" I asked.
She smiled sheepishly. "I'll have to hold onto his fur."
"But why are you going at all?" I asked. "Why not let him lead them away?"
"They're drawn by magic. I'll have to use it to lure them away. I'm sorry, Mother. I'd planned to go with you and help you reach the dragon, but I'm afraid that's not going to work now," she said.
"Why not Koryak?" I asked.
"His magic is much weaker than mine," said Ana. "Rowan tells me the wolves will go towards the strongest source. That means me, especially if you're going to be filling the balloon."
I gritted my teeth, wishing it wasn't true. She moved close and hugged me.
"I'm leaving now. I came to say goodbye. Good luck with the dragon. If I don't get to see you again, just know that I'm sorry," she said, eyes glassy and wet.
"Sorry? It is I that should be apologizing. I drove you and Anton away. I'm sorry, Anastasia. I was so focused on your brother that I didn't give you enough time. I realize now how much you needed me, and that I needed you," I said.
Another wolf howl signaled that time was short. Ana kissed my cheek.
"Don't start filling the balloon until I've led them away," she said before the darkness swallowed her.
I imagined her climbing onto Harvest's massive shoulders and riding into the snow-clogged valley throwing sorcery in every direction like a celebration on the fourth of July. Rowan took my hands and we waited for a while, listening to the growing storm, the winds howling. When we heard the broken-stone screams of the wolves of shadow further away than before, I took off my gloves and readied to heat the b
alloon with my magic.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Six remained in the camp, waiting for the balloon: Ben Franklin, Haida, Rowan Blade, Brassy, the shaman Koryak, and I. The winds blew snow off the cliff and into our faces. I couldn't see Anton and his men anymore. How they climbed in that frigid night I would never know.
When a distant wolf howl reached us, I knew it was time to begin. I had Brassy and Haida hold the bottom of the leather balloon open and summoned my magic. It came frothing to the surface like an eager whale.
I imagined a space about three feet in front of my hand burning like a crackling bonfire. The air heated immediately, forcing me to step back. But we quickly found a problem, when first Brassy and then Haida yelped and dropped the opening of the leather bag.
They shook their hands as if they were on fire.
"We can't hold it if you make it that hot," said Brassy.
"I'll need the opening wider and more space inside then," I said.
Ben and the others disappeared into the darkness in search of a solution. They returned with long branches hacked from pine trees and stripped of needles. Using the makeshift poles, they created a large enough space inside that one could walk in after ducking. It took two of them on each pole and Franklin on the backside of the bag pulling on the leather.
On my second try, I stood right at the boundary of snow and open bag, and thrust my hands forward, repeating my earlier mental imagery. Soon, I felt a warm breeze baking my face, but even after ten minutes the bag wasn't filling.
"It's not working," I said.
"Are you giving it enough heat?" asked Ben.
"How much is enough?" I asked.
Brassy spoke up. "Maybe the Siberian weather is too much for it."
"The cold weather should help the balloon," said Ben. "It's not the absolute temperature but the difference between the inner and the outer air temperatures that matters."
"The draft from the cliff is quite strong," suggested Rowan. "Could it be the wind is sucking out the hot air?"
"Let's try turning it around and keeping the opening as small as possible," said Ben.
It took another twenty minutes, but we were able to maneuver the leather bag around until it was facing the cliff. Without the warriors who'd gone up the cliff, the task was much harder than expected.
The third try went smoother, as the bag started inflating right away. Once I knew it was going to work, I poured more energy into it. After twenty minutes, the bag lifted off the snow, while I was beginning to tire. I kept at it, concentrating on the space at the center of the balloon as if I were locked into a staring contest.
When the balloon lifted off the ground, I got scared that it would float away and severed my magic. The ending of it made me stumble.
I was about to ask how we were going to ride the balloon when Ben and Haida dragged netting into view and began tying it off to the anchor ropes. The bag was slowly deflating, but I needed a break.
"Can you give it enough heat to bring us up the cliff?" asked Ben, staring into the darkness above.
"With all six of us? Do I have any choice?" I asked.
"Not really, but I thought I'd ask," he said.
"Then climb in and let's see what I can do," I said.
I found I could pour more magic than I expected into the balloon. We rose hesitantly, like a newborn foal climbing to her knees, then confidently we soared upward.
The six of us clung to the ropes like spiders on a silken thread. Rowan held me around the middle so I could keep my hands pointed upward.
We passed Anton and his men clinging to the rock amid the icicles. The cliff wasn't vertical. It had a slight angle and plenty of chunky rock for handholds, but I much preferred my method of ascent to theirs.
But when we neared the halfway point, the downward shear caught hold of the leather bag and dragged us into the valley. Soon we were a dozen meters from our desired destination. Ben hadn't anticipated the storm or the need to ascend in one pass rather than ferry up the war party using manlines. We were untethered and floating free. I stopped filling the bag.
Ben shouted from below in the ropes, "Can you get us back to the edge?"
"No," I said. "Rowan, can you help?"
"I cannot affect the elements like you," she said.
We all stared at the balloon, wishing it to move back towards the cliff.
"I can do it," said Brassy suddenly.
We all looked to the slight girl. I had no idea what she meant until she pulled out a knife and cut the section of netting that she was clinging to. She unraveled into the darkness below, quickly sliding out of view.
After a few minutes, the balloon jerked and then slowly started moving back to the cliff. Progress was slow, as Brassy had to haul us over the snowy slope, but she was moving us in the right direction.
Eventually she was able to pull the anchor rope to the edge of the cliff and wrap it around a fallen tree. We were able to see this because she'd lit the lantern that we'd left at the bottom.
We were back where we started, except the wind shear pushed us away, making us bob against the current. I was feeling a little vertigo from the swaying motion.
"We need to keep rising," shouted Ben.
"How will we get to the edge?" I asked.
"We'll figure that out when we get there," he said.
Not wanting to prolong the rocking motion that was making me slightly ill, I poured more magic through my hands than I'd ever attempted before. The balloon rose with authority, which reduced the back and forth.
When the netting reached the top of the cliff, we were yanked to a stop, but we were a good four meters away without a way to cross the distance. The wind was blowing too hard.
This time, Rowan spoke up, "Take us higher, Kat."
"Will the winds be different up there?" I asked.
She shook her head grimly. "Just take us higher please."
When we were a good five meters above the plateau on top of the cliff, Rowan had me stop filling the balloon, and Ben tugged on the rope to signal Brassy not to give us any more slack.
"What are you going—?" I asked, my question dying in my throat when Rowan leapt from the ropes. I didn't think she had a chance of making it, but she soared across the distance, landing heavily on the rocks. Even across the wind-whipped gap, the snap of her leg bone reached us with surprising clarity. Rowan muffled a scream and lay in a heap for a few minutes while we watched from our netting.
After a time, she rose to her knees, and I sensed she was pouring healing energy into her body. Once she was done, Rowan rose on two unsteady feet and motioned for us to throw a rope over.
Using the rope, Rowan pulled the balloon towards the cliff and tied it off on a tree further up the rocky ledge. We crossed the gap easily. I checked with Rowan to see her gaze gaunt with the efforts of healing. I offered some of my essence to replenish her, but she declined, stating that I would need everything I had against the dragon.
The ropes provided an easier way up the cliff for Anton and his warriors. After an hour, they appeared, and then another twenty minutes later, Brassy climbed over the edge. We'd made it up.
We didn't have the numbers we'd expected for the assault on the village, so Anton and Ben assigned new roles for everyone. One small group would head to the lift and sabotage it, then rendezvous with the warriors whose task was to commandeer the airship so we had a way to escape after we killed the dragon.
The sky was still gray with clouds, and a few flakes fell on us, but we had a bit of good luck when the storm shifted north, depositing the majority of the snow on those mountains.
"How again will I reach the dragon?" I asked at the end of the explanation.
Koryak stepped forward. I hadn't realized it before, but his lips were blacker than I'd ever seen them. I wondered how much blood they could take from the Uthlaylaa before it would die.
"I will shepherd you there, keeping the Nenet from discovering you," he said.
"Just you?" I aske
d.
"We won't be fighting our way through," he said cryptically.
Reaching the Aerie took another hour as we had to traverse a steep rise and cross a crumbling ledge that could have tipped us into a jagged ravine. Using ropes, we made the journey safely as morning spread her golden wings on the horizon. If we didn't hurry, the whole Aerie would be awake upon our arrival.
So we moved through the pine forest above the Aerie, coming down through the trees so we couldn't see the village, nor could they see us. But we all knew the layout of it, as Anton had drawn it out on a table back in the hall. The Aerie was a collection of buildings in an oblong space. At the front was the canyon and iron gate. We'd bypassed them by coming up the cliff in the balloon. Anton and a few others would attack the lift, while the rest of the group would head to wherever the airship was parked. But no one was worried about finding it, due to its size.
Once the others had moved out, Koryak and I would move towards the cave entrance at the back of the village, the complete opposite side to the canyon. Unless the villagers thought they needed to be kept safe from the dragon, there wouldn't be any guards posted there.
With a victorious plan ringing through our minds, we stepped out of the safe confines of the pine forest above the village, prepared to make our assault, change the fate of the Yaran people forever, and free me from the geas the Great One had placed upon me.
At this shining moment, when the first nugget of sunrise cracked the eastern mountains, the Nenet's airship lifted from the other side of the village like a bee full of pollen, heading west into the valley, leaving our plan in tatters, and two hundred men in furs and wielding weapons burst from the nearby houses, converging on us with great menace.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I suppose I made the rare princess who had wondered about the experience of surviving a pitched battle. As Catherine's confidant, I spent time at her side listening to the generals report on the details of battles: the listing of casualties, objectives met, nobility captured and the price they would earn.
Dragons of Siberia (The Dashkova Memoirs Book 7) Page 11