Breath of Dragons (A Pandoran Novel)

by Barbara Kloss

  "Aleg-zander?"

  It was the same accent Vera had when she said Alex's name. I nodded, suddenly anxious.

  "'E stepped out a few meenits before you woke, preen-ciss."

  "But he is all right?" I asked. "He isn't hurt or anything?"

  She eyed me down her little nose. "'E seems in perfect health to me, but 'e 'as been very worried for you, preen-ciss."

  I sagged with relief. "Did he say where he was going?"

  The girl wrung a rag in a bowl full of water that sat on the floor beside my bed. "I made 'im go end eat some food because 'e 'ad nit eaten all day. 'E does nit like to be away from you, no?"

  I smiled at her. I did not like to be away from him either, and I hoped he wouldn't be gone long. I really needed to talk to him. "And Vera…?" I asked.

  The girl made a funny face. "Veranna is with her ladyship, and now thet you are awake, her ladyship would like to spick with you."

  I was about to ask who "her ladyship" was, but then I suddenly remembered: Mercedes.

  "May I fetch her now?" the girl asked.

  "Of course," I said.

  The girl stood and grabbed the rag and the bowl.

  "Excuse me…" I started.

  She paused on her way out, water sloshing in the bowl.

  "I didn't catch your name."

  She pushed a clump of brown hair from her forehead. "Ansha."

  "Ansha," I repeated. "Please, call me Daria."

  She eyed me a moment, then whisked herself away through the doorway, closing it after her. She wasn't gone very long. Or maybe I dozed off in between. I was in such a state of euphoria and relaxation that I wouldn't have put it past myself. But Ansha returned only to take her leave, and then Mercedes Bellona of Gesh appeared in the doorway.

  I remembered Mercedes from the games in Valdon; Mercedes was not a person one forgot. She was a fiercely beautiful woman. Her long, white hair fell in a plait to her waist and she wore a sort of wrap for a top that exposed lean but strong arms decorated in golden bands. Panels of pale blues and whites fell loosely from her waist to her ankles, as if her skirt were an ocean drifting around her, and she wore flat sandals that tied around her feet and disappeared beneath the fluid skirt. She looked like some kind of Grecian warrior queen.

  Her dark, exotic eyes fastened on me. Being the object of Mercedes' scrutiny was like being under the lens of a microscope. Every flaw and blemish illuminated, every freckle and pore studied and measured so that you could be promptly identified and categorized. I just wasn't so sure she liked what she saw.

  "I am glad to see that you are better," she said in that sultry voice I'd remembered. Her accent was slight, like Vera's. "May I come in?"

  "Yes, um, of course…" I replied. Even though by title I was technically her superior, the natural power and confidence she exuded made me feel like a child before an empress.

  Mercedes sat on the edge of my bed. "You look much better than you did yesterday."

  Yesterday? "How long have I been here?"

  Her expression turned thoughtful. "About two days."

  "Two…days?"

  "There was quite a lot of poison in your body," she continued. "A few minutes more and the spirits would have taken you. But you are strong. You shouldn't have made it this far without a healer. Your Aegis is very gifted, but it takes a true healer to cure what ailed you." Her eyes settled on my shoulder.

  I glanced down; my shoulder was exposed through the thin shift with spaghetti straps I'd been clothed in. The skin puckered in the shape of a star where the puncture had been, but the skin around it had returned to a normal shade. No more oozing yellow or black and purple veins. I trailed my fingers over the smooth bump.

  "I'm afraid you will keep the scar," she said.

  I dropped my fingers and looked up at her. "Thank you. For all you've done. I…I owe you my life."

  She waved her hand dismissively. "I have spent a good deal of time in Veranna's company and have spoken with Aegis Del Conte." She clasped her hands and glanced down as her brows knit together. "It was not Veranna's place to give away the location of our passage in Thieves, and she would be in a good deal of trouble for it had the situation there not supported her claim that you were in danger enough to utilize it."

  I felt the sudden urge to defend Vera. "I know the shortcut in Thieves is a secret—and I swear I will not share it with anyone—but Vera only suggested it because we were in trouble and I was wounded…we didn't have much time and she was worried for my life. If there are any ill feelings about it at all, they should be directed at me. Vera was only doing her duty as my Aegis."

  Mercedes regarded me like she was trying to make sense of what I was. "If Vera had been doing her duty as your Aegis, she never would have let you come on this errand in the first place. For that matter, I am surprised Aegis Alexander Del Conte agreed. They must both really believe in you."

  They did, and this statement didn't help the weight of the burden I felt. "Do you have any idea what could have tempted Myez Rader to turn against you?" I asked.

  Mercedes shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I have discussed this at length with Veranna and Aegis Del Conte. Myez Rader has a somewhat shrouded past; I only know what he's revealed since the day we met. He has always had a slight edge against King Darius, but I did not believe it cut this deep. I can't imagine what Lord Eris offered him that would cause him to defy the code and our agreement." A shadow past over her face, and there was a look in her eyes that warned me never to cross this woman.

  She took a deep breath, clasped her hands in her lap, and the moment passed. "That is not why I have come to speak with you, though. I would like for you to tell me the last thing you remember."

  I'd hoped she'd have some light to shed upon the mystery surrounding Myez Rader, but alas, he had just added himself to my ever-lengthening list of unsolved mysteries. I really wished Alex had been here when I'd woken so that he could have debriefed me on all that had transpired while I'd been out cold. After a bit of thoughtful vacillations, I answered Mercedes' question. "We had been crossing the Shattered Plains," I started slowly, "and then we were rescued by a group of men who were sitting on very large…I don't know what they were. Some kind of large animal."

  "The durát." She nodded, encouraging me to go on.

  "Then we were attacked by gargons," I continued, "and…then I think I remember seeing a great white dragon."

  Her eyes flickered over my face without expression. "You did. A few in the city saw it as well, and I've gone over it with your Aegises, but neither of them seem to know what made it wake."

  "You don't know either?" I asked.

  She shook her head. "Not exactly, though this entire city is thrumming with excitement. Everyone wants to meet this wielder of the skies who is waking the dragons."

  Wielder of the skies? I set my cup on the stand beside my bed and folded my fingers in my lap. "I don't know what you mean about wielding the skies, your ladyship, and I am certainly not waking any dragons."

  "Please. I'd prefer it if you called me Mercedes. Your father and I never recognized titles between one another, and I would like the same friendliness with his children." There was an emotion behind her gaze that I couldn't pinpoint. "If, of course, that is all right with you."

  It was an interesting sentiment coming from a woman who was all control and strength, though that particular path of conversation would have to wait till another time. There were too many other things to discuss that were more important. It did, however, leave me wondering what her history had been with my father. "That's fine," I said. "I would like that."

  She looked pleased. "I understand you have spent the vast majority of your life on Earth."

  I nodded.

  "What do you know of dragons?" she asked.

  "Only what I've read," I admitted. "That they existed before and during the time of Galahad, but were killed off after the Great War and haven't been seen since. That they are somehow tied to Gaia's spirit and therefore
can't be resurrected simply with magic—like gargons can."

  "Nothing else?"

  "Is there something else?"

  She regarded me a moment, then looked out at the middle-distance, collecting her thoughts. "I must begin by saying that out of all Gaia's sects, Gesh is famed for its superstition. I cannot deny that Gesh has deserved its reputation. However, while I understand that some beliefs have been taken to extremes—which is true in every culture—in the case of dragon lore, the people of Gesh are anything but superstitious.

  "Gesh has practiced the rites and rituals the other territories have long forgotten—save, perhaps, a few of the Arborenne. But they are such a whimsical and eclectic race, there is no set belief to unify them, such as how Gesh believes in the Draconi…" She paused and pressed down the folds of her skirt. "I am being somewhat tangential. My point in telling you all of this is that dragons have existed since the beginning of time. It has been centuries since the last of them disappeared, and though the rest of this world may have chosen to forget, my people have not. We have not forgotten that the dragons were sentient beings, unable to be tamed or controlled by man or magic. We have not forgotten that our ancestors tried and failed and died pursuing the endeavor." She looked straight into my eyes. "And we have not forgotten that there are those born with dragon's blood flowing in their veins, and when they have need, the dragons will answer."

  I sat there in silence beneath her scrutiny. She truly believed I was the cause of the white dragon, but this was ridiculous. I was a lucky young woman with human blood who might just be a little bit crazy. "Your…Mercedes." I spoke carefully and with respect; I didn't want my next words to sound impertinent. "I appreciate your thoughts on this—I really do—and I know I am very ignorant when it comes to this world, but I have to disagree here. The dragon just…rose from the mountain, on its own accord. I swear that I had nothing to do with it. If there is someone with the blood of dragons, as you say, then that person is still out there. It is not me."

  Her dark gaze was steady, and she was quiet for so long that I was certain I'd offended her.

  Way to go, Daria. Insult the woman who has taken you in and saved you from death. Some guest you are.

  "You may not know this," she said at last, "but there is a peculiar bond between Cian, the elemental of wind, and the dragons. It has been so ever since the beginning of this world. You share a tie with Cian, do you not?"

  I opened my mouth to downplay her assertion, but hesitated. The past few days had irrefutably shown me that Cian was there, ready to help in a time of need. I could no longer argue the point my father had been saying from the beginning. "Yes," I whispered. "I believe so." But the relationship was rudimentary.

  Her eyes flickered over my face with subtle satisfaction. "The augurs have long since spoken of this day, when a child of the wind will bring back the dragons of old. Many have forgotten, but we have not."

  Another hot breeze ruffled the draperies. I wasn't sure how our conversation had taken this turn, but given the current circumstances, I didn't really have time to be sitting around discussing dragon lore and prophecy. What we needed to be talking about was getting to Pendel. Tran had told us to sail from Gesh to Pendel because he'd believed the portal system too risky, and Alex and I had agreed with him. But our circumstances had changed. Drastically. Eris knew where we were, had sent enemies after us every step of the way, and if what Myez Rader had said about the shadowguard was true, we couldn't afford the two-week, round-trip journey by sea. Stefan needed us now.

  Stefan needed us yesterday.

  I wasn't entirely sure what Gesh's stipulations were on portal usage, for I'd been told each territory had its own set of rules, but they would have to make an exception for us. "Mercedes," I began, "I am not sure if Vera mentioned why we've come here—"

  "She has," Mercedes replied. "I've already secured a schooner and crew for you. It's a small ship, but it's fast and should have you to Pendel by week's end. Be careful there. The people are friendly, from what I understand, but there are old powers that still haunt the land."

  I inhaled slowly. The people of Gesh really were superstitious. "Thank you, again, for your help, but I'm afraid that won't be enough. We need to use your portal."

  She inclined her head as if she hadn't heard me correctly. "The portal?"

  "Yes."

  She shook her head. "That is out of the question."

  "Why?" I asked. "The portals are a network of public transportation—"

  "The portals are no such thing. Mosaque has its protocols, just like each and every single territory in Gaia, and we cannot simply alter our rules because you would like passage. The rules are what they are; they do not change—not even for a princess."

  I felt as if my hand were being slapped. "But how can you say that when there is an entire army of shadowguard assembled along the northern wall?"

  She went suddenly still. A statue of a goddess seated upon my bed, staring openly at me. "What do you mean, army?"

  She had been at the games. She had known the shadowguard and my uncle, Eris, had somehow infiltrated the castle, but profession of an army was something else entirely. "Myez Rader informed us of this before he had us thrown in his dungeons."

  She suddenly stood and walked over to the glass doors, looking out absently while touching the gauzy panel that hung there.

  Seconds passed silently by, and when Mercedes still didn't speak, I continued. "Mercedes, we need to use the portal. I wouldn't be asking you if it wasn't an emergency. I need to get to Pendel and stop Eris before he attacks. There isn't enough time for us to sail all the way to Pendel. I had initially thought there would be, but now I know there is not. Valdon would be taken before we even landed."

  She exhaled slowly. "I am sorry, Daria, but I cannot. Believe that I would help you if I could, assuming the portal in Pendel would accept you, but this…this is not in my power to do. The people of Gesh will not interfere in the matters of the mainland—"

  "Do you honestly believe he'll stop there?" I cut her off out of desperation. "Once my uncle's marched through Alioth and Valdon—no telling where Orindor's fealty is in all of this—he will come here. You know he will; he's done it before. Would you leave your people at his mercy, bringing about a second Dark Reign, when you could have acted to prevent this?"

  She dropped her hand from the drapery, turned to face me, and I knew that I had spoken out of line. "And if he does," she said, her tone severe, "then Gesh will deal with him. The politics of this world are much older than you are; do not tell me how to rule my people."

  My fists clenched and I looked away from her while trying to steady my breathing. She had done much for me and I was grateful, but I was also angry with her for so easily dismissing this. How could she let this happen? If the other territories were taken, Gesh would never survive. It would be the Dark Reign all over again. She had to know that!

  After a few moments of charged silence, she continued in a somewhat softer tone. "Forgive me, Daria. I should not have spoken to you thus." She paced, pausing near a small dresser and absently tracing the contours of a small jade dragon statue. "You must understand that my people have a long history with the mainlanders, and they will not take kindly to being told they are to fight alongside them. What you ask is much greater than you realize. I may be ruler of Gesh, but my hands are tied to my people, and they will not support you—not yet. Not until the threat is clear."

  I glared at her back. "And my father's murder wasn't clear enough?"

  She looked back at me. Her lips tightened and she fought to hide whatever it was she felt.

  But I felt her grief.

  "You know there's no time," I continued. "We must use your portal."

  She sighed, her arms falling limply at her sides almost in a gesture of surrender. "Daria, even if the threat arrived at our walls, we could not let you pass. Our portal is sacred. All portals are sacred, but ours is one of the few viewed as such by its people. Our protocol is severe i
n its rigidity. It opens once every few years, and even then it is our venita who pass through in order to report on the portal's conditions."

  "Venita?" I asked.

  "Our vicars. We have three of them, and they have spent their entire life in solitude and prayer. They live at the temple, and they are the only ones who pass through our portal. On occasion, they'll take another with them—someone of Gesh who has done a great service for our people. It is a way of honoring them, but to allow the three of you passage would be considered blasphemous. I am sorry. I cannot grant you this."

  And that was final.

  I grit my teeth and stared vacantly at my sheets. What would we do now? There had to be another way. I would talk to Alex. Maybe he could help me devise a plan and maybe we could somehow sneak through the portal.

  Maybe.

  I hated to defy Mercedes when she'd been so hospitable, but I was running out of options. And time.

  "There is…something else I may be able to help you with," she said suddenly, carefully. Her eyes leveled on mine, and my curiosity piqued. "I am dining this evening with the patricians of Gesh, my real advisors. It is a rare occasion that we are all present—you know how it is. Demands from the people pull us away. But tonight we are gathering in the great hall to celebrate the summer solstice."

  I waited, already understanding where she was going with this.

  "I extend a dinner invitation to you." She touched the end of her braid. "As daughter of the crown, your attendance would be extraordinary, and I believe, with the right conduct, you may find the aristocratic gathering somewhat…propitious."

  She was giving me an opportunity to speak with the decision-makers of Gesh. She was allowing me to represent my brother and all of Valdon in order to garner support. She was treating me as an equal.

  No, she's treating you as a princess.

  It didn't solve the portal problem, but having Gesh's reinforcements might bide us more time to sail to Pendel and then back to Valdon, and they would be able to help Stefan in the interim. I smiled at her. She did not smile back, but I saw the glimmer in her eyes like we were a pair of conspirators.