Embers at Galdrilene

by Audra Trosper

  Carefully, Maleena lifted her other hand to her head. Her fingers found a deep gash running from the middle of her hairline across her forehead to her right temple. Something sticky and wet matted her hair. She pulled her hand away. Blood. She felt dried and drying blood all down the right side of her face. More exploration found the left leg of her pants mostly burned away. She gingerly touched the angry blistered skin and higher up on her side and found more burns.

  Somewhere in the darkness at the back her prison, water dribbled in a small tinkle. It made her thirst seem worse, like her mouth was stuffed with cotton. The sound of the water pulled at her. She tried to push herself to her hands and knees and cried out again at the wave of agony that tore through her body. The room spun. She gagged.

  Maleena gritted her teeth and suppressed a sob; it would only make her ribs hurt worse. Then, like a balm on her wounds, Nydara was there in her mind, crooning and comforting. Her eyes stung as tears of relief welled and coursed down her face. Nydara was safe in Galdrilene.

  Then Mckale was there with Tellnox in the background. For a moment, she felt Mckale’s fingers on her face as if he was there. The pain in her head and ribs eased. He was pulling some of the pain away from her and into himself. As much as Tellnox would allow. Her head still pounded and her breath still came in gasps, but she was able to crawl toward the trickle in the dark.

  She sat down and reached for the wall. Her fingers touched something soft and spongy, like the moss that grew on the rocks along the bay at Galdrilene. Then she found it. A tiny stream of water, no wider than a finger, running down the wall. It made a puddle about the size of her fist at the floor before disappearing under the wall.

  Maleena scooped a handful of water out of the little pool and drank it. Cold and fresh, it slid down her parched throat. She waited while the pool filled back up then drank again. Too tired to do more, she leaned her head against the soft, wet moss. The cold water trickled onto her forehead and down the blood caked side of her face. She dozed slightly, leaning up against the mossy wall in the darkness at the back of the cell.

  She woke, drank and slept several times. How much time had passed? Hours? Days? There were no windows, no way to know the passing of the sun. No one came to bring her food. Occasionally, she crawled to the far corner to relieve herself in the rancid smelling bucket she assumed had been left for that purpose. Nydara tried to keep her abreast of how long she slept, but dragons perceived time differently than humans and in her weakened state, Maleena was unable to work it out in her head.

  The sound of someone in the passageway outside pulled her from a fitful sleep. Her stomach twisted in hunger. She tried to ignore it. More light reached into the cell and she blinked, trying to adjust her eyes. The dark beauty she had seen in Taela’s mind stood outside the cell staring at her with calculating, black eyes. A woman with golden blonde hair stood next to her.

  “I see you found the water we left you. It’s not much, but we could have placed you in a dry cell. I may still do that if I decide it suits my fancy. I am Sadira. This is Oksana. You are?”

  Maleena didn’t answer. She didn’t dare reach out and touch Sadira’s mind to find out her plans. With her head already aching and Mckale too far away to shield her, she was afraid to try.

  Sadira smiled. “You will tell me what I wish to know.” Thin, oily shadows flowed through the bars from Sadira’s hands. Maleena shrank away from them.

  “Tell me your name,” Sadira demanded.

  “M…Maleena.”

  “Tell me Maleena, are you and your dragon bound together like the Benduiren say you are?”

  Oksana shifted. “This is stupid. Why are we trying to provoke them into coming here in force?”

  Sadira barely flicked her eyes at the blonde woman. “Alden says it won’t. He says her dragon will react and come on its own.” Her dark eyes fixed on Maleena again. “So, is the binding true?”

  Maleena understood now. Her pain would be Nydara’s pain. Sadira knew it. It didn’t matter how she answered. The shadows that coiled and twisted around each other inches from her skin were going to hurt her. Maleena steeled herself against the coming pain. No matter what they did, they would get no information from her. She tried to wall Nydara and Mckale off, but she wasn’t strong enough right then to manage it. “We are one. I will be with you no matter the pain,” came the sending from Nydara.

  “I take that as a yes, you are bound to each other.”

  Oksana glared at Sadira. “We should question her, kill her, and be done with it. Why do we need her stupid dragon here? Let it die with her. One less Guardian to deal with.”

  “She won’t answer us, no matter what we do.” Sadira’s face twisted into a malignant smile. “But apply the same treatment to her dragon and she will tell us anything we want to know.” The shadows leaped forward and buried themselves in the flesh of Maleena’s arm. Agony tore a scream from her throat. Her skin bubbled and blistered where the shadows touched. They writhed their way up her arm from wrist to shoulder and across her back. In her head, Nydara roared with rage and shared pain.

  Sadira pulled the shadows back. Maleena sobbed, unable to control her shaking. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Sadira gazed down at her with an evil glint in her eyes. “Your dragon will come for you now. And when she arrives, she will find you bound by shadows and I will control her through you. You will be my new pet and so will your dragon. I look forward to meeting her. To ensure her swift arrival, I will be back tomorrow and every day until she arrives. And when I come, we shall make time to talk about Galdrilene, and what goes on there.”

  Through the haze of terror and pain, Maleena barely noticed when the women left. Sadira took the torch and left her in absolute darkness. She wished she could stop the tears. She wished Nydara would wall herself away.

  Through it all, Maleena felt Mckale’s rage. He would come, too. He and Nydara and Tellnox. All of them would walk into the trap. She needed to make them stay away. Although if the roles were reversed, nothing would stop her from coming.

  Maleena curled up on the floor next to the tiny pool and wept until sleep took her.

  Mckale paced back and forth unable to remain still, while the others gathered at the long, oval table to discuss plans for a rescue. His fellow riders, Emallya and Bardeck, talked with the Mage Councilors over a sketchy map stretched out on the table. Tarik, the city leader, Hemmen and Yaakov, the first and second of the Defenders, and Anevay, listened quietly.

  He had suffered for three days, unable to feel Maleena. In the four days since she woke, he lived with the knowledge of her hunger, her exhaustion, and her injuries. He shouldered as much of her pain as Tellnox would allow. It wasn’t that the dragon was afraid of the pain, but he knew there was only so much Mckale could take without placing himself in danger.

  Nydara’s misery tore at him. Despair and frustration filled the silver, though she did her best to keep her emotions from flowing over to Mckale and Tellnox.

  In the past few days each of the dragons mastered the basics of Sliding. It was rushed and Emallya and Bardeck both admitted it wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much choice.

  Mckale tensed as he felt Maleena scream in pain. Outside, Nydara roared. His jaw clenched and he grasped the edge of the table to steady himself as the pain he assumed spiked before Tellnox intervened. Vaddoc and Kirynn stood on either side of him, asking if he was alright. He couldn’t answer. Maleena suffered. Nydara suffered. The distress Tellnox felt for his mate pressed on Mckale and he couldn’t do anything about any of it. He was not alright.

  Nydara’s roar quieted to a soft keening and she passed to him what she had heard through Maleena.

  Emallya’s voice reached him, “Mckale? What happened?”

  “They know she is bonded to Nydara and what she feels, Nydara feels. They are torturing her to force Nydara to react and to get information about Galdrilene.”

  Serena leaned forward and frowned. “Our bodies and minds may be stronger due to the drago
n bond, but there is still a limit to how much we can stand. Without the dragon bond the injuries Maleena has already sustained would probably have killed her. I imagine she’s near her limit. She’s not going to be able to survive any kind of torture for long. If we don’t hurry, we may end up losing Maleena, and Nydara with her.”

  Emallya shook her head. “It does not help to hurry if we fly straight into a trap. If they are doing this to force Nydara to act then they will be expecting at the very least, Maleena’s dragon. We would be fools to think they do not expect some of the rest of us.”

  Mckale looked around at them. “I’m done planning. It’s time to move.”

  Bardeck shook his head. “Unfortunately, these things take time. We just don‘t have a viable plan for getting either Maleena or the book out of the Kormai.”

  Kellinar leaned his fists on the table top, his pale blue eyes steady. “I’ll go.”

  The room fell silent as everyone looked at him. “What do you mean, you will go?” Emallya asked.

  He straightened. “You need a person and an object stolen from a place that is difficult to get in and out of. Who better for such a job than the former Thief Lord?”

  “How would you do it?” Bardeck asked. “The only way in is through the canyon and main cavern.”

  “There is always a back way, always a secret entrance.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “It’s there, trust me. Shryden could Slide me there, drop me off and Slide back. Then he and the rest of you can be ready and waiting to Slide the minute I need you. I’ll take Loki with me.”

  Emallya shook her head. “Your plan might actually work, but I draw the line at Loki. He is just a child.”

  Kellinar smiled slightly. “I’ll take him with me. For two years he was my shadow. He’ll know what he needs to do and how to do it. His small size can be an invaluable asset. Besides, once I let him know what I intend you’ll never be able to stop him. No one can keep track of him when he doesn’t want them to.”

  The older woman sighed and shoved a hand through her chestnut hair. “I still do not like it.”

  Mckale felt the first glimmer of hope since Nydara came back without Maleena. “You are certain you can do this?”

  Kellinar nodded. “She’s my friend, as are you. If it’s even remotely possible to get her out, I can do it.” He looked at Emallya. “I want to be clear, though. I’m doing this to get Maleena back and get the book. I’m not risking myself, Maleena, Loki, or any dragon to try and get some strange woman and her half-shadow dragon out of there.” He turned to Yaakov, the first officer of the Defenders. “Would you please fetch Loki for me?”

  Yaakov nodded and left. The room remained quiet while they waited. After a long while Yaakov returned with the sandy-haired boy. A year older than when he first arrived, he was still small for his age. Although the child barely glanced around the room, Mckale was sure he missed nothing. He was so much like Kellinar they could have been brothers.

  Loki looked at Kellinar. “What’s going on?”

  Kellinar leaned on the table. “We have a job.”

  Loki’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You mean a ‘job’ job. Who or what are we stealing from where?”

  Kellinar smiled, but his eyes were serious. “You know Nydara accidentally Slid to the Kormai and returned without Maleena?”

  The boy nodded, his face sober. “The mages and professors have tried to keep it quiet, but nobody can keep things from me.”

  “That is the job we have, Loki. We need to ‘steal’ Maleena from the Kormai. And if at all possible, we need to get our hands on a book that has an emblem on its cover that looks just like my Di’shan pendant.”

  Emallya leaned toward the boy. “It will be more dangerous than anything you have ever done. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to you in the Kormai.”

  Loki drew himself up and looked her in the eye. “I’ll go with Kellinar. I’m not afraid.”

  A small smile tugged at the corners of Emallya’s mouth. “I think I remember hearing that once before.”

  Bardeck nodded sharply. “It seems we have a plan. Kellinar, Loki, make ready to go.” He turned to the Mage Councilors. “Pick who you want among the mages to go. They will help defend the rider’s backs. Whomever you pick needs to be as skilled with a weapon as they are with their magic. I know it will be difficult to pick just one, but without more extensive preparation and training with the dragons, we can’t safely transport more.”

  He looked at Amariel Molloren, the Spirit Mage Councilor. “The mage you choose will have to ride alone on Nydara. The saddle is repaired, but the mage will have to not only be unafraid to ride a dragon, but also be able to blindly trust that dragon.”

  Amariel raised her chin slightly. “They have captured and tortured one of our Spirit sisters, there will be no shortage of those willing to fly and trust the dragon.”

  “The Spirit mage will not fly alone.” Emallya said, drawing startled looks from those in the room. Bardeck stepped toward her, but she held up her hand to stop him, her expression hard. “I will fly with Nydara as well.”

  “Emallya.” Worry creased Bardeck’s brow.

  Her look softened and she laid her hand on his cheek. “I must, my heart. Besides yourself, I am the only one who has personal experience with Shadow Dragons and their riders. I am the only one who has fought Benduiren. You and Mernoth cannot go.”

  Bardeck’s eyes searched her face for a long moment. He nodded and sighed. “Very well.” He turned and his look took in all of the gathered Mage Councilors. “Choose your mages and have them hurry. We are out of time. I want Kellinar on his way first thing in the morning. Kellinar, we will be awaiting your call.”

  Hemmen, the leader of the Defenders, scowled. “Are you sure there is no way for them to take any Defenders with them? Mernoth can still get off the ground, would he be able to open the Slide?”

  Emallya shook her head. “We should not ask it of him if we can avoid it. It pains him greatly to fly. The flight down to the docks the other day was agony for him and he would have to travel through the Slide with the Defenders, which would place him in the middle of battle. And he would have to be able to fly again in order to open a Slide to bring himself and any remaining Defenders, back. It might be more than he can do. There is guaranteed to be Kojen there. I am sure we will be out numbered, but unless there is no other hope we cannot ask Mernoth to do it.”

  Mckale really looked at Emallya for the first time since Maleena’s capture. Dark circles made smudges under her eyes and her face looked pale and strained. Sympathy washed through him. She worked for over five hundred years to keep the eggs safe and bring those who were called to them. And now when it looked like there was hope for Galdrilene and the world all could be lost because of a simple miscalculation. He had no comfort for her. He hoped they all returned. He hated to think of any of his friends dead, but he would not abandon his bondmate there.

  As the meeting broke apart, Kellinar paused to clasp him on the shoulder. “I will get her back, my friend.”

  Maleena’s eyes fluttered open. Light flickered in the passageway outside the cell. A tremble ran through her body. Had it been a day already? The cell felt strangely warm and cold at the same time. She shivered. Nydara remained fully merged with her, refusing to leave, willing to bear the burden of pain with her.

  Maleena blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. Never had any creature loved her so fully. Even Mckale, as much as he loved her, would put Tellnox first, as he should. Maleena knew from Nydara there were preparations underway for her rescue. She wished they wouldn’t come, that they wouldn’t put themselves and their dragons in danger for her. If any of them were killed the weight of their loss would be on her shoulders.

  The one thing she was unwilling to do was allow Nydara to suffer in any way. Sadira thought she could control Nydara through her, thought she could use Nydara to make her talk, but she was sorely mistaken. Maleena would never allow such suff
ering to be placed upon her dragon. She would take herself to Maiadar, the realm of the dead. Without an anchor, Nydara would quickly follow her there and Sadira would be left empty handed. She cared deeply for her companions. Her bond with Mckale ran almost as deep as the bond she had with her dragon. But in the end, it was Nydara who Maleena would die for.

  The light stopped outside her cell. She squinted as her eyes worked to adjust to the flicker of the torch. The smell of food wafted toward her, making her stomach clench and twist. Slowly, painfully, she pushed herself up into a seated position. A young woman stood outside the cell with a tray in her hands. She was taller than Maleena by several inches, with black hair that hung down her back and tilted, dark blue eyes full of sorrow. She looked familiar, but Maleena couldn’t place why.

  “I brought you some food,” the woman whispered.

  “Paki says it is Taela,” Nydara sent.

  Maleena let out the breath she hadn’t realized she held. “Taela?” Yes, this was the woman she had seen in the bowl.

  Taela stepped closer to the bars “I am so sorry. It’s because of me you are here. Paki said you wanted to help us. When I saw them carry you in…at first I thought you were dead. Then I heard what they planned. I wish I could control my magic better. Then I wouldn’t have accidentally connected with you and this would never have happened.”

  Maleena pushed herself to her feet. She couldn’t help hunching over her ribs or the way she flinched from the pain inflicted by Sadira’s shadows. She wished she could. Taela didn’t need to feel any worse than she already did. “I could have shut you out if I wanted. I didn’t want to then and I still don’t regret it now. The reason I am here is my own fault. I shouldn’t have flown alone and I should have paid more attention. I’m sure the list of ‘should haves’, could go on for a long time. Done is done, you owe me no apology.”

  Taela hung her head. “Paki says they are coming for you. You are here because of me. They are coming because of you. It may have been accidental, but it still remains that not for me, none of you would be in danger.”