by David Ekrut
She produced two blades, seemingly from thin air, holding them out to Daki hilt first. Her next words were in their language. Elwin could not guess her meaning, but he still felt dread watching his friend’s face. The frown looked strange, coming from Daki.
When she finished, Daki’s eyes were filled with tears. “I am sorry, Elwin.”
“Sorry for what?”
He drew the blades from their scabbards and turned to face Elwin. “Our halls must be cleansed.”
Chapter 12
Old Swords and New Journeys
Only fools and madmen dare to hunt the dragons without the blessings from the magi. Their incantations alone can make mortal steel pierce the scales of that which cannot be broken. And even then, one must bind himself to his blade, heart and soul, or he will perish.
~Faragand the Red, 888 A.R.
~
Feffer pushed the book across the table. “There. Read that.”
He watched Zarah read the passage he had marked with his finger. Her eyes scanned the page, and she frowned.
“We already know there were dragon hunters. So what?”
“Keep reading. It finishes on the next page.”
She pushed the book back to him. “I do not wish to search for it. Read it to me.”
“Yes, your highness,” he said in a mocking voice. Scanning the page, he found the paragraph he needed. “Forged from the soul of a dragon born, the heartblades are the true source of the hunter’s prowess. Easier is it to thread a wyvern’s teeth than to best a dragon without first bonding a warrior to this artifact.”
She snatched the book back. “What else does it say?”
“Nothing really. More of the same. Talks about the families of dragons and their domains over Arinth.”
After reading for several minutes, she turned to the front and made a disgusted noise. “Why did chroniclers of the ancient times not believe in making an index of contents? How is a person supposed to sift through all of this?”
“Well, highness, I suppose they expected us to read the entire book.”
She let the cover close. “We do not have time to pour over books, hoping to gleam snippets of knowledge. None of this is helping. Father has a bonded blade, but that did not save mother.”
“But is it a heartblade?”
“How can I know that? This says nothing of what this heartblade looks like or what it can do. The soul of a dragon? Nothing we do can even hurt one, let alone take its soul, which I am assuming to be its essence.”
“Heartblades. Plural.”
“What?”
“You said ‘this heartblade’, but the book here implies there is more than one. Surely such an artifact would be considered a great treasure. If they truly exist, people would pass them down from generation to generation. Even after all the dragons disappeared, I can’t imagine anyone giving one up, which means some lord has one somewhere. Probably hanging on some grand hall as a forgotten heirloom.”
“Yes,” she said, sitting up straighter. “Feffer. By the Lifebringer, you are right.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Wait. Where are you going?”
“The hall of records. Any heirloom worth a substantial sum would be recorded to tally estate taxes. If a heartblade is in Justice, it would be in those books. Sometimes, unique artifacts have sketches for the records. We can compare it to my father’s weapon.”
“Glad I could help.”
“Come on,” she said, moving deeper into the library. “I need your assistance combing through the archives.”
Feffer suppressed a sigh and mumbled, “When I was given the promotion to Elite Guardian, I didn’t think my biggest threat would come from a paper cut.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” he said, catching up. “What if your father’s sword isn’t a heartblade. What if there is nothing to stop the dragons in all of Justice?”
“We will be forced to seek our weapons elsewhere.”
“Do you think Zaak will let us?”
“Why would he not?”
“For starters, you are his only heir,” Feffer reasoned. “The kingdom is already grieving for Jasmine’s condition. I would bet a farm to a single gold crown he won’t let you as far as the river. After telling him about your new found abilities, his response was to lock you away in the library.”
She shook her head. “He did not lock me away. I am searching for any clues on how to use the hidden powers in his weapon. I am helping in the best way I can. I will admit he is distracted with matters of state and my mother, but you are wrong. When the need for us to make the journey arises, I will be the first he calls upon. Our success is far more important than one person. If we do not find a way to defeat the dragons, our kingdom will fall. I am certain of it.”
“The visions?”
“Partly. But mostly, it is simple deduction. We are losing the support of our citizens. Every day, more of our own people are turning to the guardians for answers and believing their falsehoods. And that is here in the capital. I can only imagine the words of the inquisitors in remote villages. Outlawing our tamings will only appease the people for so long. It is a matter of time before we have a rebellion within the kingdom. If we fail to restore order, our kingdom dies. My mother dies. I will not let that happen. So, I must defeat the dragons.”
“You are certain she will not recover without healing?”
Zarah stopped at a metal door. “Yes. Unlike with you and everyone else, I see few phantoms near her. There is just the one lying there. And more faintly, I see her sit up to dragons ripping into the castle by Elemental healing. It can only mean one thing. She will not get out of that bed on her own. Tharu even tried with his gifts, but she is far too injured for the Chai’s abilities.”
“But you can’t see that far into the future. Maybe if we wait—”
“No.” She banged the side of her fist on the door. “I have told you. This is the only way. I need to heal her with the Elements, or she will die. To do so without risking myself and the rest of the kingdom, I must find a way to kill the dragons or return them to their slumber. Where is that librarian?”
“Here, Highness.” A wiry man with thick spectacles appeared. “How may I serve you?”
“Danserin, there you are. This is the hall of records, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I need this opened. Please.”
“Of course, Highness.” The librarian produced a key and opened the door. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No. Thank you, Danserin.”
He bowed and returned to dusting the shelves. When he was out of sight, Zarah stepped into the room. Several dozens of shelves held a thousand ledgers. Zarah closed the door then turned to stare at the shelves. He wanted to ask what she could see, despite knowing what she was doing. She had done this when they searched for the books on dragons and hunters.
She was watching phantom Zarahs and Feffers pull out and look at ledgers. The volumes their alternate selves kept were the ones she would send him to fetch.
After several minutes of her saying nothing, he had to ask. “Are there none?”
She didn’t answer. Just when he was about to speak again, she pointed and said, “There. That one might have something.”
Feffer grabbed it off the shelf and handed it to her. “Is this it?”
“Yes. There are no futures in which we grab another volume.” She hugged the ledger. “This is the one.”
“And you cannot see inside it?”
“No. I told you. Not from here. We find the answers at that table.”
He looked at the thickness of the ledger and frowned. “Could have saved us a lot of time if you could just find the page we are looking for.”
“I can see a short time into the future, but I cannot give us the knowledge those future selves lea
rn. And there are dozens of threads to follow. I am figuring this out as I go here, but I think I can narrow it down to a few pages.”
She left the hall of records and marched back to their table, then placed the ledger in front of Feffer’s seat.
“Sit,” she ordered. “I am going to watch you search for evidence of the heartblade.”
He sat and flipped the cover open and past the leafs of legal jargon. The first surname was Graysine. The page was divided into a column of items with values in crowns to the right. At the bottom was a tally of taxes owed and who the fortune passed to.
“For the love of Life,” he said, scanning down the numbers. “How are these artifacts worth so much?”
“They are all touched. See here. This symbol indicates an item crafted by Spirit and Air.”
“And this one is what? Earth?”
“Very good. Now start flipping through the pages looking for a sword with three or more symbols.”
He did as instructed. After going through a few leafs, she stopped him.
“Try from here,” she said, flipping closer to the back.
As he scanned the contents, Zarah said, “No. Next page at the bottom.”
He flipped and found the item labeled, touched sword. There were five symbols next to it, and the value was the largest he’d seen on any page.
“This is it,” she said, then ran her finger along the heir of the fortune. “Heartblade, originally owned by Faragand of Bersethine. The sword was recovered by—”
“Faragand Bersethine?” Feffer said, unable to hide his excitement. “Are you telling me that Faragand the Red was a real person? And he was from Justice? But no, that wouldn’t be possible. Faragand hunted dragons, long before Justice ever existed.”
Her forehead ruffled in confusion. “The red? What are you babbling about?”
“Wait. Princess Know-it-all has never heard of Faragand the Red? Are you saying I actually know something that you don’t? Hold on. I need to savor this moment.”
She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a no-nonsense look. “I see a future where you receive a black eye.”
“No need for violence.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I would love to talk about Faragand. My father used to read his stories to me. I just knew I would grow up to be him someday. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of him.”
“Well, I have not,” she said in a tight voice. “Would you please enlighten me?”
“Right. Yes. He was a famed swordsman and dragon hunter, who traveled the world in search for any of the dragonkin. And he was a man of honor. One time, he fought off a group of dragon hunters attempting to kill a dragon in its slumber. He would only face a dragon who could defend itself, but on the field of battle he would show them no quarter. He became so famous for his skills, an order of dragons united against him and finally defeated him. He died in the mountains of Abudaria, wherever that is.”
“It is Abadaria,” Zarah said, “not Abudaria. It is an ancient ruin in Alcoa. The city was destroyed during the dragon wars, but it does not say Faragand carried the sword here, just that it once belonged to him. It says the weapon was recovered by the house of Versyatine and stayed with them for nineteen generations, but was then surrendered for auction when they could not afford the estate tax. It was purchased by Tesithine Melcoa, a distant relative, who paid the tax to keep the blade.”
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “You look as if you’ve swallowed a gnat.”
“The Melcoas are a prominent family in Alcoa, close cousins to the king. Why were they here?”
“Maybe they knew they were getting a heartblade. At least we have a clue.”
“Yes. The weapon we need could truly be hanging on a wall in some lord’s feast hall. And now we know exactly which lord.” She stared at him for several seconds. “Feffer, we need to go to Alcoa.”
“Wait,” he said as she all but ran from the room. “Where are you going?”
As he chased her down the stairs to the lower floor, he knew the answer. The gigantic dining hall had been converted to Zaak’s throne room, while the real one underwent repairs. When they arrived, Zaak was up, pacing where the long table used to be. He stopped when his daughter entered.
“Zarah. What is the matter?”
“Father,” she said after a few deep breaths. “I know how to defeat the dragons.”
The king leaned a hand on his throne. “Truly?”
As she rushed through their findings, Zaak sat. His expression became more resolute as she spoke. When she finished, he nodded.
“Can you reach out to Alcoa with the rod of sending?” she asked
“I already have. Since the first dragon appeared, we have spoken daily. Until two days ago. Either he has lost his rod of sending, or he is unable to send or receive messages. As a nation built by the Elements, his struggles have been even greater than our own. I fear the worst.”
“Which is why we need to travel there,” Zarah said. “Feffer and I can be on ship by nightfall and—”
“Slow down, Zarah,” Zaak said. “First, what is this about?”
“Of course,” Zarah said, excitement tinging her words. “The hunters used artifacts to defeat the dragons. They are special swords, similar to yours. We’ve used tax records to trace one to the Melcoas. It is possible they still have it.”
“What of the words?” Zaak asked. “Have you found nothing on them?”
“There is nothing in our libraries,” Zarah said. “We could look for those in Alcoa as well. I should leave at once.”
Zaak stared at her for several heartbeats, then he glanced to Feffer. “No. Once Alcoa responds, I will ask him to—”
“But this is our only clue,” she protested. “We have no other chance to save our people.”
“What chance? A touched sword? I have one strapped to my back. You saw what use it was against the dragon. You will stay here, where it is safe. I have sent Tharu to seek out Elwin. With any luck, the Chai took him in. Tharu can bring back the tome.”
Zarah said, “But the legends say—”
“Legends? Do you hear yourself? You are the daughter-heir. One day, you will rule our nation. You cannot afford to give yourself over to fanciful tales. We do not need another bonded blade.”
“You do not understand,” Zarah said with much more patience in her tone than was in her expression. “The sword has the same name as those in the books about the dragon hunters. We need that blade. Yours has power, yes, but we do not know that it is a heartblade. Even if it is, the sword itself is not enough. Maybe the Melcoas have journals on how to use it.”
“I cannot risk your life over maybes and mights. You are my heir. We have a vast library that—”
“Has nothing helpful. We have gone through every isle. Only two books give us any clues. Those clues lead us to Alcoa. Father, please.”
As Zaak studied her, his expression softened. “Feffer will go. The primary mission will be to access the library. Their collection is the greatest in Arinth. Perhaps King Alcoa knows something of the heartblades. I will send as many soldiers as I can spare to aid him, but you will remain here.”
“What?” she said with incredulity. “No. We never would have found this without my visions. With my gift we can search the library faster. Father, I must go.”
“Out of the question. I am not simply your father. I am also your king. Your responsibilities are with our nation. When I die, you will be queen. Until then, you will obey my orders. Understood?”
“If we do not defeat the dragons, I will not have a kingdom to rule. Our own people are turning against us. Do you not see?”
“I see much and more, Zarah. And my decision is final.” The king turned to Feffer. “Prepare yourself for departure then go to the docks. I want you sailing within the hour.”
“Yes, your highness,” Feffer said
with a bow.
“And take this.” He pulled out a small rod covered in glyphs and pointed to the symbol of a sword, the hilt replaced by balancing scales. “Touch my house sigil and speak into this end to send a message to me. When you receive one, this symbol will light up. Touching will activate the message.”
“I understand,” Feffer said, “but won’t using this attract the dragon. This still uses the Elements, right?”
“It does make use of the Elements, but so far, the dragons have not shown interest in our artifacts. Use it with caution and when the dragonkin are not near.”
“I have to ask,” Feffer said. “Why are they called dragonkin and not just dragons?”
“There are also the dracons,” Zaak said. “We have yet to see them step from the shadows. They are closer in appearance to us, like dragons walking on two legs with the arms and torso of men. If legends can be believed, they once lived amongst us. The Kalicodians worshipped a dracon named Virasti. Their religion is built upon it. Anyway, together dragons and dracons make up the dragonkin. Now, if there are no more questions, I can see from Zarah’s expression she wishes to argue with me.”
“Thank you, majesty. I have no more questions.” He bowed to his king, then turned to Zarah. Leaning forward, he whispered. “Is this a bad time to collect that crown? I might not see you for a while, and a wager is a wager after all.”
He tried to dodge when he saw her punch coming, but it had been a feint. Instead of dodging, he moved his eye directly into the path of her fist.
As he fell, he couldn’t help but think, he had probably deserved this. But that wouldn’t stop him from asking her for his winnings again, of course.
Chapter 13
Just One Job
Carpeci,
Why has the rogue’s path not been secured? Do you not value the freedoms His gifts have afforded you? This is your last chance. If he does not reach Wiltshire in time, you will not see the new moon.
~His Messenger, 2999 A.S.
~
Jax pulled the cowl low enough to cover most of his face. He could just see the smoky tavern above the rim of his tankard of untouched ale. All around him, he heard the sounds of merriment. Cards being shuffled. Dice bouncing on tables. Laughter and curses were spoken to the raking in of coins.