In the distance, a burst of fire shot up from the Baojang ship with a sharp ‘crack.’ I leapt, fear filling me. We were under attack of some kind. Rakturan and Savette had been heading out to that very ship! Could we get to them in time?
Ahlshibi’s puff of flame and smoke looked more like a laugh than a cough and Raolcan was shaking, his own puff of flame flashing harmlessly over the river rock. What...?
“Have you ever seen a night flash before?” Leng asked me, smiling in a far too self-assured way. “They’re a trick of Baojang for special occasions, like a fiery flower shot up into the sky. They guard the recipes for it closely, but I heard a rumor that it’s made of some kind of earth.”
My mouth fell open. So, we weren’t under attack? That was on purpose? They shouldn’t go terrifying people like that!
“I think it’s to signal the wedding. Rakturan must be in a great hurry.” Leng took my hand. That did sound like Rakturan. He had his own way of doing things. “Do you think Raolcan will let me ride with you? Ahlskibi is a bit busy right now.”
As long as he doesn’t get any ideas while we’re there. I think I’ve seen all the romance I can handle for the next fortnight.
We climbed up and Raolcan swooped into the cobalt sky, twisting slightly as he turned toward the ship. It was probably just to remind us who was in charge of this flight, but the sudden twist left Leng grabbing my waist for stability and I didn’t mind that at all.
You’re welcome.
Chapter Four
We looped around the Baojang ship and I craned forward to look at every detail. The woodwork along the hull amazed me. Strange symbols cut into the rail all along the deck and intricate swirls and scrollwork were carved up the mast and across the deck, like the whole thing was a work of art. The sails – saffron in color - whipped in the bracing wind and were bright against the still charcoal sea as the last gold of the sun sank beneath the horizon.
I gasped at the beauty of it, whooping out loud as Raolcan zipped over the water, skimming so close to the dark waves that his belly slid along the crest of them. Leng was laughing behind me and all I felt through my bond with Raolcan was exhilaration.
Was he really a prince of dragons?
Really.
Even with this love of fun?
And a heavy load of responsibility. Why do you think I was sent to Dragon School as tribute? Even the Queen’s own family is not exempt from the ancient pact. One of us had to come, and it was me who was ordered to go.
Ordered to an early death and bonding to a human he didn’t know by his own family. It seemed cruel.
No more cruel than life has been to you. You’ll find that no one’s path is easy. Not if you look carefully enough.
Maybe that explained why he’d hinted that he was supposed to be someone else’s dragon. Maybe Haz’drazen sent him there for a very specific purpose. I waited for him to answer my thought, but he stayed silent. In a way, the silence was telling me everything I needed to know. There had been a purpose for him and it hadn’t been me.
On the contrary. I moment I heard your mind I knew you should be my rider. Sometimes people don’t know what true value is until it’s right in front of their faces.
Savette was waving to me from the ship deck and I waved back. That blindfold certainly never seemed to hinder her and now here we were, arriving for her wedding! When I first heard she was promised to the Dark Prince and I’d thought about her wedding, I’d expected pomp and lavish festivals for weeks. Instead, she’d marry the Dark Prince on a ship with only a skeleton crew, two dragons, and two Dragon Riders for wedding guests.
Behind her, Rakturan was in deep conversation with the men on the deck. The waving swords and guttural tones made me flinch, but Raolcan didn’t seem worried.
It’s just the way of Baojang. They speak loudly and carry big swords. I don’t feel the need to brag like that despite being the best armed in any room, but some people just have to let everyone know they are in charge.
That was rich coming from him. Although it was true that he hadn’t even let me know he was a prince.
Was I also supposed to mention that when I was a dragonlet my favorite color was yellow? I thought I’d let these insignificant things come up naturally.
I was laughing when he landed on the rear of the ship, causing massive waves to roll out on either side of the ship and a yell of worry from the sailors.
Fools. I’ll only be a moment.
I noted that Enkenay was circling the ship in the sky. Perhaps he’d also elicited worry when he landed.
But definitely dismount quickly. I might be heavier than I thought.
Leng leapt down and reached a hand up to me, so I grasped it and slid from Raolcan’s back. He leapt up the second I was off and took to the sky. The ship rocked boisterously at his departure and I was flung into Leng. He steadied us and laughed.
“Purples are an arrogant lot and Raolcan certainly fits in.”
Hadn’t Raolcan said that Leng was very Purple? Did that mean he was arrogant, too?
You should expect that – after all, he’s trying to ignore those painful ribs like they don’t even exist. If that’s not Purple arrogance, then I don’t know what is. Good Dragon Riders take on the traits of their dragons. Next time you land on a ship you might be the one teasing the sailors.
I doubted that would happen.
I’ll keep working on your sense of humor.
Someone had given Savette a new dress – white, flowing sky-silk in filmy ripples that highlighted her slender curves. Gold embroidery traced the edges in the same type of pattern as the carvings on the ship. A wedding dress?
In Baojang they marry in purple clothing. This is probably a trade item that Rakturan has taken from the Captain of the ship. It suits her.
“You look lovely,” I told her as she drew close to greet us. The scarf around her eyes had been replaced by a filmy white scarf made from the same sky-silk and her long blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders.
“Rakturan says we must hurry,” she said. “The Captain says that if he wishes to reach Baojang this season then he must leave now before the winds change.”
“Right now?” I asked. Were ships really so sensitive? Why didn’t Rakturan just fly? Enkenay didn’t need a certain type of wind.
No, but he needs somewhere to land or he’ll fly himself to death. A ship is better for a long sea crossing. Enkenay could take a few rests riding on the ship so he doesn’t tire out.
I hadn’t thought of that. Could he just float on his belly in the water?
Would you want to sleep while floating on the sea?
I shivered.
“Join us!” Rakturan called to us, motioning for us to join him and the Captain. He looked exuberant, like he could hardly contain his excitement, though the Captain gave him the occasional side-long look, clearly still nervous about his glowing eyes. The rest of the crew rushed about, clearing tools and rope to the sides, arranging a string of red lanterns on either side of the ship and lighting them. They hung a golden cloth at the rear of the ship deck with lanterns in front of it, too.
The rear of the ship is called the ‘aft.’
“You’ll find the ceremony strange,” Savette whispered to us as we followed her. “Rakturan warned me it would feel foreign to us. Please don’t object. I want to marry Rakturan according to his people’s traditions.”
“Of course,” I agreed, but Leng held onto my hand like he thought he’d need to protect me. That seemed extreme. After all, it was only a wedding.
I didn’t know how nobles in the Dominion married, but it was relatively simple for commoners. Your families made an agreement oath – that they released their hold on their son or daughter and forgave all debts owed so they could be free and clear. The couple affirmed that they were entering the marriage without coercion and stated their names clearly for the town and then said their new family name together – usually the groom’s family name, but it wasn’t unheard of to take the bride’s
. Then we all ate a lot of food and those who could dance, danced until the night grew late and everyone left for home. Simple, but sufficient. Could a Baojang wedding be much different?
The night flashes were the main thing that was different. The sailors arranged themselves formally around the Captain and lit off a careful sequence of flashes that filled the sky. I tried not to flinch, but I must have still been nervous because Leng gripped my hand firmly, as if to steady me.
Seriously, they need to stop firing those things off. They could hit someone.
I wasn’t paying attention to the Captain’s speech, which was in a language I didn’t speak. He read it out of a book, stumbling occasionally as if it were an unfamiliar task.
I didn’t care, I was watching Savette’s face. Even without seeing her eyes it was clear she was happy. Her smile grew when she and Rakturan joined hands and a sailor rushed forward to chain their hands together. Hopefully, they weren’t planning to keep them chained together, or their lives would become complicated very quickly. Rakturan leaned down and whispered to her and his cheeks flushed at whatever she whispered back.
More words were said and Rakturan spoke as well. Could Savette understand any of this? Her confident smile didn’t waver, though she blushed a pretty pink when he leaned in close to murmur something to her before finishing his speech.
When he was finished, another sailor presented a golden bowl to the Captain. He drew two golden loops and a long, thin golden chain from the dish. With a quick step forward, he drew a tiny knife and reached up to Rakturan’s ear. I couldn’t make out his precise movement, but when he was done the loop was in Rakturan’s ear. Savette never flinched when he did the same to her, though a tiny drop of blood fell on the white shoulder of her filmy dress. They were linked now, by the loops in their ears and the long chain. A sailor rushed forward to unlock the chain around their hands and the bride and groom knelt on the ground, fingers of both hands interlaced and the Captain said a few words and Rakturan repeated them, and then the Captain spoke again and Savette tried her best – with help from Rakturan – to repeat them.
When they were done, the Captain made a pronouncement, Rakturan kissed Savette very formally, and the whole ship burst into a cheer. Night flares lit off by the dozens and Savette’s smile was the only thing brighter.
That one almost hit me! Savages! You can tell they have never been civilized by dragons. That’s a terribly backward nation your friend is marrying into. You should tell her that.
Chapter Five
“I think we should read the messages,” I told Leng as we leaned against the ship railing. The sailors had prepared a feast on short notice and we were waiting for Savette to finish eating before we returned to shore. She’d have to come with us then, while Rakturan sailed for Baojang, and I wasn’t looking forward to splitting them up. What were they going to do about those earrings with the chain?
“You can’t. It goes against our traditions.” He seemed tight and tense now that the wedding was over, like he expected something terrible to happen at any moment.
To be fair, we did just rescue him from a flaming hillside – a fire which my dragons put out, thank you for noticing – and then hauled him off to an impromptu wedding.
Now I felt tense. I needed to remember the messages and prisoners and Savette and Leng and the dragons and –
Enough. One thing at a time. The dragons are not your concern. They are my brothers and I will manage their actions. The prisoners can be dealt with once Rakturan is on his way. Findar still sleeps.
“They were lost before. They could be lost again,” I argued. “The safest way to ensure they reach their intended destination is to read them ourselves. Then, if something happens to them, we can still relay the messages.”
“Amel, these things are in place for a reason. Would you feel safe giving a Purple Dragon Rider a message if you knew they would read it?”
“I would if I knew the message was too important to lose.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” He looked so tired. We both leaned against the rail, our backs to the festivities, looking out over the dark ocean. I let my shoulder nudge up against his. “We’ve been trusted with messages for hundreds of years because people know the messages are safe and secret in our care.”
I shifted my weight irritably. So what if we’d done it this way for years? It clearly didn’t work. Didn’t he see that?
“Well, I think that with war on the horizon and cities collapsing, and the Dusk Covenant everywhere, we should find ways to make sure our messages reach their recipients. One way to do that is to read them so that they can’t be destroyed by fire, water or theft.”
“I’ll think about it.” He said it like he was ending the conversation, but he leaned his shoulder against mine to soften the blow.
But it wasn’t really his decision, was it? I had the messages and it would be up to me if they were read. I’d give him until tomorrow to decide and if he didn’t say anything, then I’d just go ahead and read the messages. Someone had to. What was the worst that would happen if I did?
“There’s this place we could go on the way to Leedris - Backwater Manor,” he said. “We could get help there instead of a nearby city.”
I reached for his hand, wanting to offer comfort as I broke the news. “We were there two days ago. It was destroyed by Ifrits.”
He cursed.
“Hubric said it was a Lightbringer safehouse.”
“He told you that? And he told you about Savette too - that he thought she was the Chosen One.” Leng looked stunned. He took my left hand in his gently and pulled my sleeve up to expose my wrist and then looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
“What did you expect to find there?” I asked, pulling my wrist back.
“This.” He drew his own sleeve back, exposing a tattoo of a rising sun over a single hill. The sign of the Lightbringers.
“Well, I only agreed to join a few nights ago. He didn’t exactly have time to demand body art.”
He laughed. “So, you are one of us now?”
I nodded.
“Then I think I should tell you something.” His tense look had returned. “When I was in the south I met with some of our informants there. The Dusk Covenant is spreading like wildfire. They feed on the discontent among us and twist the words of the prophecies. They have found a girl that they plan to bring to Dominion City and set up as the Chosen One of prophecy.”
“Starie Atrelan,” I said.
He went pale. “How do you know?”
“We were there when she arrived at the Garrison of Dominion City. One of the Generals in the room dropped dead under her gaze.”
“This is worse than we feared. Things are coming to a head faster than I imagined.” He ran a hand over his bald scalp, chewing his lip at the same time. “There was a rumor that they are trying to infiltrate the dragon’s lands, too.”
What rumor?
“What was the rumor?”
“It was very vague. Just a rumbling that they plan to strike at Haz’drazen. Our pact with the dragons has long been the strength of the Dominion but, like in all places, there are those who wish to disrupt the peace here and bring the Dominar down. They plan to strike at the heart of our strength – the dragons.
Stay where you are. I must leave for a time. Enkenay will bear you back to the shore by his promise to me.
Where was he going?
I’ll be back soon.
That wasn’t an answer.
Chapter Six
We were all quiet as we rode Enkenay through the night. I clutched Leng so tightly that I was afraid he’d get annoyed, but I wasn’t used to riding a dragon I couldn’t speak to. It felt weird. Savette rode at the front with me and Leng behind her. I could hear her sniffling.
Her first tears had come on the ship when Rakturan detached the golden chain from their earrings and kissed her goodbye. I tried not to watch – they needed their privacy – but it was hard not to be drawn by their sweet
words and the way he kissed her tears.
Enkenay was being cranky about carrying us. It was a wonder that he would even do it – dragons didn’t like carrying people who didn’t belong to them – but he seemed very attached to Savette, and it wasn’t very far. As soon as he dropped us off, he would be returning to Rakturan to sail across the sea with him. I was going to miss that white ghost of a dragon.
He set us down close to where Ahlskibi was watching Findar. Leng and I scrambled off and Savette stayed long enough to whisper in his ear before he launched back into the air to return to Rakturan. Despite the late hour, the skies were still busy with flying dragons. They guarded the prisoners and took care of whatever dragon-ly needs they had. The dead were all honored now, and the fires put out, so there was little else that needed to be done.
We trudged through the night, careful not to twist our ankles on river rocks. Leng picked up bits of driftwood as we walked.
“We’ll want a fire,” he said. “Ahlskibi says that Raolcan left your baggage and his saddle nearby. We can set up your tent and make some tea, perhaps.”
“I could use some caf,” I agreed. How had Raolcan removed his own saddle? I didn’t realize he could do that.
You never give me enough credit.
He was nearby!
Not really. Our range grows.
Well, I was grateful that he’d left my gear. We were all tired and we needed our rest, though blankets would be scarce. Maybe Ahlskibi would let us curl up against him.
Unlikely. He’s very irritable with all his injuries. Constant pain will do that to a person – even if that person is a dragon – as I’m sure you know.
I wished we could do something for him. He was standing when we arrived, teeth bared. Was he so irritable that he thought we were enemies? No. Findar was awake and sitting on the rocks before him.
“Findar,” I said. Now that he was awake, we had questions to ask.
“Stay back,” he said.
“Or what?” I leaned on my crutch and I knew I looked like an easy target – the same target he’d stolen a blanket from and tricked into trusting him. But I wasn’t that. I was Sworn and I knew how to use this crutch as a weapon.
Dragon School: Prince of Dragons Page 2