"How do you know about my children?" it asked.
I'd only guessed their existence, based on the noises in the cave, but I wasn't about to tell Tugain.
"The prophecy spoke of the small scales in the sky, and at the time I was confused, thinking the scales were things that weighed, not the armor that your children wear," I lied.
Tugain pulled its claw back. I moved to my feet tentatively. I was still dizzy from hitting my head against the stone.
"Tell me," it commanded.
Though I had the urge to defy it, merely for spite, it was my opportunity to influence its actions, so I kept my head and spoke quickly, the lie taking shape with each word.
"The void. It's inescapable. If you heard what the Gamayun told me, then you know that it cannot be denied. I must make that choice, whatever it is, or fate will claim its reward," I said.
The dragon growled, turning its head to one side. "I'd hoped to thwart that end to the multiverse by killing you here and now."
"If I thought it would work, I would offer myself to your jaws willingly. But I have been ensnared by the bird-women's prophecies for too long to think such a thing would untangle their snares. The more you struggle, the more they wrap around your neck and strangle you. It is better to face them with an open heart," I said, watching the dragon carefully. Its baratone voice suggested that it was male, though I had no idea how to judge such creatures.
The dragon's eyelids lowered. "I have lived a long and fruitful life. If my end came, I would meet it willingly, but my children have yet to experience the wonders of the world. I cannot bear the thought of them bereft of that opportunity."
I almost asked Tugain if he would let me slay him, since he was content with his long life, but worried such a request might anger the great beast. While the dragon was being introspective, I grabbed the torch from the rocks, thankful that it hadn't gone out in the commotion.
While the dragon was still, I moved to reclaim the spear, but it growled and lifted a barbed eye ridge.
"I've seen that spear before," said Tugain. "Why would you bring it here?"
"Not to be rude," I said, "but surely you must know why I'm here."
"If you meant to kill me with it, it's not for me," said Tugain.
For some reason, I knew the dragon was telling the truth without knowing why. "Then who is it for?"
"It was forged by the gods for one task, the slaying of the beast that might eat the world," said Tugain.
"You lie," I said. "You only wish to protect your own scales."
The dragon snorted. "It's true. Because of what you know, you could walk over here and pick up the spear and try to push it into my breast, but maybe I would decide that I should kill you even if it meant the end of the multiverse. Or if I wasn't inclined to see the end come, I might take my brood and flee into the depths of the mountain where you could not follow."
I took another step forward, and it moved a massive forearm over the spear. There would be no reclaiming of the weapon unless the dragon wished me to take it.
"What is this beast that will end the world?" I asked.
Tugain chuckled, the gravelly laughter echoing around the cavern.
"Surely you are not so blind to not know what I mean," it said.
"The earth dragon?" I asked.
"Dragon?" said Tugain, the booming voice forcing me to cover my ears. "That is no dragon beneath Ice Lake."
"You know about the lake?" I asked, suddenly concerned.
"I've always known," it said.
"Then why didn't you tell the Nenet?" I asked.
Tugain shifted, scraping its scales against the rocks. "It's not my place to meddle with mortals."
I glanced at the bones. I saw a few blood-crusted ropes amid the refuse. "So you just accept their offerings and let them murder each other?"
Tugain leaned forward. "Hold your tongue."
"Then tell me what it is that lives beneath Ice Lake?" I asked.
The dragon curled away from the light. As it moved, it picked up the spear between two talons.
"It's not my fight," said Tugain.
"But you said it might eat the world. I thought you cared about your children?" I asked.
"Obviously I care if I choose not to kill you," said the dragon from the darkness. It was completely hidden now, and I could hear it moving away.
"Can I have my spear back?" I shouted.
Frustrated, I let loose a volley of sorcery. The cave lit up as the purplish wave slammed into the dragon's back half, rolling over its scales as if it were a splash of water. As the brief light faded from my eyes, I heard the dragon laughing. After a few minutes, I no longer heard the dragon.
I should have been happy that it hadn't killed me, but I wasn't. I'd been sent to kill it, and I'd lost the one weapon that might be able to accomplish the deed. Now, it had retreated into the mountain.
We'd made this expedition to the Aerie, losing lives along the way, and I'd failed at my task. Not only that, but Tugain had indicated that the creature beneath Ice Lake wasn't a dragon. Had I been bound to something worse?
My impression when I was beneath Ice Lake was that the creature had been gargantuan. Much larger than Tugain, as improbable as that sounded. Which only made me worried that I was missing something.
If I couldn't kill the dragon, then I needed to get back up top and help the Yaran. Since it was clear the dragon wasn't causing the raids, we could at least cripple the Nenet's ability to attack us.
With only a torch in my hand, I jogged back. It took much longer to reach the top and when I neared the antechamber, I expected to hear the children, but heard silence instead. Koryak was nowhere to be found either, so I continued until I exited the cave.
Immediately, I heard weapons clashing, pistols firing, men shouting, and something else. Something that didn't register at first, but when I stopped and turned my head, the realization of what it was hit me so hard I dropped the torch and went running at a full sprint.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
After I'd been captured, when Koryak and I had been chased down the mountainside by what we thought had been the dragon, we'd gotten trapped beneath a boulder. During that time, something had crashed around the forest, lopping off the tops of trees and generally creating widespread destruction.
Like I said, we thought it'd been the dragon.
But once we'd seen the airship on the snowy plains, I'd revised the events of that day. Except I hadn't thought about how the trees had been thrown around so violently, or how the boulders had been pushed into the earth.
The grinding, growling, and snapping of timbers had been singular in my life. Never before had I witnessed such destruction, even if I'd not seen the source.
That noise echoed across the Nenet village, which confused me because the Tugain had gone deeper into the earth and I didn't see an airship hovering over top. Whatever was causing it, I'd not encountered it in my well-traveled life.
I ran through the streets, catching glimpses of Nenet warriors moving in small packs. My boots pounded against the frozen mud. A child in light furs ran from one doorway to another, its eyes growing wide when it saw me.
As I rounded the corner, it took a moment to comprehend what I was witnessing.
A creature as large as a house lumbered through the gap, taking ponderous steps with shiny, slick legs. A long, curved neck ended in a circular head that screamed as it spit sparks in all directions. The creature slammed its head into a barricade, exploding the timbers and sending the men behind it fleeing back into the village.
Other warriors shot at the beast with pistols and arrows, aiming primarily for the glassy hump on its back. Only then did I realize the thing was not a beast at all but a machine, and piloting the machine was Ben Franklin, looking like a kid in a toy store.
His hood had been knocked back and his blond hair was askew. He leaned and dodged as the warriors tried to dislodge him from the machine with their projectiles. He was only protected by a couple of iron struts. I fear
ed for his life, though he seemed not to share my discomfort as his laughter carried over the wanton destruction.
Ben maneuvered the spinning head into a nearby house, ripping the roof from the building. Timbers flew like toothpicks from an outstretched hand.
The machine was meant for cutting trees into logs. The Nenet hadn't been trying to kill us, but had landed in the forest to collect materials. At the four corners of the machine, heavy circular loops provided grasping locations for the airship so they could carry it across Siberia. Other thoughts about what was going on presented themselves, but I had little time to think when four men with spears came running up.
Rather than annihilate them with my sorcery, I sent a wave of the purplish-black mist over their heads. Realizing they were outmatched, they fled the other way.
"Ben! Where are the others?" I shouted.
He grinned like a madman when he saw me, right before he sent the spinning head of the machine into another line of attackers. As soon as it bit into the wagon they were hiding behind, they fell over themselves to scramble away.
We were left alone for the moment, though I heard other pitched battles around the village. I climbed the machine, using cold brass rungs, until I reached Ben.
"Did you slay the dragon?" he asked.
"It fled into the mountain," I said.
His expression fell. "Then how will you escape the Great One?"
"There's more going on than a simple dragon slaying"—we briefly shared an incredulous look as those words passed my lips—"but I think we need to get out of here before we discuss it. Have you seen the others?"
He shook his head. "After you and Koryak left for the caverns, the battle moved into the streets. Brassy and I were fighting side by side until an explosion ripped down the wall we were standing next to. When I came back up out of the timbers and grass, she was gone."
"We need to rally the Yaran warriors and escape," I said.
A sudden exasperation appeared on his face, briefly betraying his true age. "The airship left before we made our attack. We're stuck here unless it returns."
My thoughts went to Ana and Harvest, who had led the wolves of shadow away.
"The Nenet knew we were here. They must have spied our approach or heard the advance up the mountain cliff. So they sent the airship after Harvest and Ana," I said.
Ben rubbed his chin. "We need that airship. I was looking for a way to signal it when I found the lumber machine. Alas, I have not found a method that the Nenet use to encourage the airship's return before it is ready."
His brow hunched, and he glanced around as thoughts careened in his head. Before I could get out of the way, he slipped past me, scampering down the ladder and falling into a muddy snow pile.
"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked.
He made hand waving motions, but declined to explain, hurrying at a great pace, unmindful that we were running through enemy territory.
Thankfully, we made the desired destination without encountering Nenet warriors. When we came upon a locked door, Ben frantically motioned in my direction.
"Are you having seizures?" I asked.
"Do that thing you do with locks," he said, bouncing on his heels.
"Not even a please or thank you," I said, deftly pulling the picks from my boot and addressing the lock on my knees. "I work better when lubricated with the proper adoration."
"Fine," he said with great flourish. "Oh, Magnificent Katerina Dashkova, Empress of Tumblers, Scourge of Keyholes, Sultan of Brassy Slots, would you please open this door with your nimble and thoroughly priceless fingers."
I stood up and threw the door open. "See, that wasn't so hard."
He winked as he ran in, exclamations rising to his lips.
In the dim light, I saw only boxes, until I noticed the words "Danger" written in Russian. The house contained explosives.
"I've found our signal," he said, moving to open a nearby box.
"I suggest we relocate these boxes to a safer spot," I said, thinking of the child that had run across the street a few houses up.
"Isn't time of the essence?" he asked.
"I'll explain later," I said.
We found a cart that they used to move the explosives safely and loaded it up. Before long, we were rolling it through the street.
"Why do you suppose they have these?" asked Ben.
"I suspect these explosives are used for dislodging avalanches so they can safely cut timber. The day Koryak and I were trapped beneath the boulders, there'd been an explosion to start the whole thing. So I don't think the Nenet are who we think they are," I said.
Ben quickly understood what I meant. The realization disturbed him as much as it had myself.
"Yes, yes. We should move the signal to a safer place," he said, a frown hanging on his lips.
A heavy weight fell upon us as we found a ridge away from the village and unloaded the explosive sticks into a pile next to a grove of trees. Ben took the wicks and twisted them together. We had collected a lantern along the way and had it set safely away from the explosives.
"Take cover behind that wall down there," he said. "I'll light them and run to you."
As I crouched and waited for Ben, exhaustion claimed my bones. It was one thing to fight a righteous battle, it was another to find that we'd been tricked.
I barely had time to ready myself when Ben appeared and ducked behind me as he stuck his fingers in his ears.
The concussive force sent leaves and snow past us. Then a few seconds later, mud and rocks rained down.
The ridge was missing a chunk of earth. My ears were ringing.
"If that doesn't bring the airship, then I don't know what will," said Ben, shouting despite our close quarters.
"Let's find the others and prepare to become sky pirates," I said.
As we ran back into the village, I knew we both shared the same concern: were any of the others still alive?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It wasn't hard to find the others. Once our ears stopped ringing, we were able to follow the sounds of fighting. We slowed as we approached.
The remaining Yaran had barricaded themselves in an alleyway near the canyon gate. I couldn't tell how many remained, maybe a half-dozen to a dozen. Anton's long hair and broad shoulders were clear, but I couldn't identify anyone else.
About forty Nenet warriors surrounded them with barricades of their own in the form of wagons rolled into place. Shots were traded between the two camps, but no one was getting hit.
"Do you see Brassy or Rowan?" I whispered.
The dark cast to his gaze was answer enough.
Ben put a comforting hand on my arm. "Wait here, and I'll go get some of the explosives."
"No," I whispered back forcefully. "No more killing. We've done enough damage."
Creases formed at the corners of his youthful eyes. "Then how do we rescue them?"
"Do you have any tricks left in your pockets?" I asked, remembering the mist he'd used at the beginning of the battle.
Ben patted around his caribou coat and the various pouches he had on his waist. Eventually, with his nose wrinkled in thought, he produced a tiny vial the size of my pinky. The viscous fluid looked like orange juice that was slightly phosphorescent.
"What does that do?" I asked.
Holding the vial in one hand and tapping on his lips with the other, Ben's expression went from curiosity to concern to bewilderment.
"I don't recall. It seems this was a recipe that I learned from Santiago, but for what purpose, I cannot remember," he said.
"Is it an elixir, explosive, or a poison?" I asked.
"Elixir. I'm mostly certain. Well, ninety percent, or eighty, maybe eighty-five," he said with a shrug.
"Whatever it is, we can't wait much longer," I said, plucking it from his fingertips. "I'll have to figure out what it is on the fly."
Using my teeth, I wrestled the tiny cork from the vial. Ben seemed concerned, but didn't move to stop me.
"Cheers," I said, then drank half of the tiny potion.
The moment the liquid passed my teeth and landed on the back of my tongue, Ben's eyes lit up with remembrance. I was too busy reeling from the sudden explosion of sensation on my tongue to hear him.
I'd eaten spicy foods before, especially when dignitaries from the Far East had come to Moscow, so I was not unused to the idea of hot. But this was different. Once the liquid touched my tongue, my skin became an inferno, and not just in my mouth.
It was as if I'd been doused in whale oil and lit with a torch, minus the actual destruction of flesh. The heat was uncomfortable, the kind of uncomfortable experienced when standing in front of a blazing fire when even the slightest pressing of clothing to skin produced sudden pain.
Through the overwhelming experience of heat, I heard Ben's exclamation of understanding.
"Apologies, Kat. I think it was a poison of sorts..."
What he said after that was lost as I struggled not to combust into flame, and stripped off my clothes until I stood naked in the Siberian winter.
At this I realized my skin glowed with the intensity of a bonfire. Shouts of alarm reached me through the haze. The Nenet had noticed me.
Staggering into the street, I loosed a volley of sorcery into the sky, just to release the pressure on my skin. It worked, a little bit. Like being covered in poison ivy from head to toe and getting to scratch an elbow.
I couldn't see what was happening around me. Bullets ripped into the building near me. I expected to feel their bite, as I was an easy target: a naked, glowing woman wandering into the middle of the street.
I was vaguely aware of steam around my bare feet as my body cooked the slushy mess of snow and mud.
I released more jets of sorcery, aiming high so I didn't hit anyone, friend or foe. My life was one searing ball of intensity. What I wanted more than anything else was a frozen lake to dive into so it might siphon off the heat contained in my mortal body.
The heat went on for what seemed like hours, but could have only been minutes. Eventually I realized I was crouched on my hands and knees in the mud, naked and steaming. My skin glowed like a lantern. I was surrounded by a small group. I recognized Ben, Rowan, and Anton's voices discussing how to move me without burning themselves.
Dragons of Siberia (The Dashkova Memoirs Book 7) Page 13