* * *
Smoke on the air was the first sign they had reached the war zone. Cloudy skies made for unpleasant flying and low visibility. In spite of that, wreckage that was scattered across the waves was unmistakable. Here and there masts protruded from the water, and in some cases, large sections of dirigible remained afloat. Some wreckage was still occupied by airmen clinging to it in hopes of being rescued. Cries for help were replaced with warning shouts. Dashiq ignored them.
There had been no sign of Berigor for days, and now Riette suspected she knew why. The larger dragon was headed for the Heights. Dashiq had taken them farther south to where the fleet gathered. The hum of engines announced airships ahead, and they were on full alert. Urgent orders being issued made it clear they knew Dashiq and her passengers were coming. The dragon exerted power with grace and ease, flying with a level of confidence and speed that put even airplanes to shame. Fire and lightning danced along the copperwork reconstruction of her face, and Riette braced herself, habitually double-checking Emmet's straps to make certain he was secure.
Chaos erupted when Dashiq burst from the clouds above the main Zjhon fleet. Airships crowded the skies, many of which still bearing the planes they had transported across the vast seas. Riette thought for an instant they might not be too late, that there might be a way to save her homeland yet, but then planes streamed from the naval fleet and dropped from the airships carrying them. The air became the most dangerous place on the planet. While the cannons below were no doubt loaded with heavy shot, they did not dare fire into the air above them, knowing they would take out their own ships and aircraft as well. Small shot, however, was a much better risk, and U-jets screamed through the air, casting streams of scatter shot before them.
Dashiq navigated the wind, guided by a symphony she alone heard. With subtle movements, she dodged fire and aircraft alike, all the while placing herself in such a way that any fire directed at her and her passengers was also aimed at another jet or airship. Many pilots realized this too late when the dragon darted out of their path, revealing one of their own now in the line of fire.
Dancing through the air fleet, Dashiq used the planes against the naval fleet, causing them to collide with one another and damage the ships below. Some, though, she simply grabbed out of the air with her jaws and whipped her neck to send them hurtling toward her target. Those above and below the carnage saw what was happening and abandoned caution. Heavy weaponry opened fire; no one was safe or immune.
Completely changing her tactics, Dashiq dropped low and raced along the waves, forcing all the guns to follow. It took a few moments for the lumbering guns to move into place and commence firing again. It was a foolish thing to do, but panic had set in. Dashiq was no normal dragon. Lightning danced over her entire body now, and Riette gasped when she realized it pulsed over herself and Emmet as well. There was no pain; she felt invigorated by the energy. It flowed from the saddle and around them all. Riette noticed the stones decorating the saddle no longer shone as brightly and slick as they once had. She didn't know how much power the saddle possessed, but there appeared to be limits.
At the sound of air cannons firing, Dashiq soared straight upward, large stone shot narrowly missing her exposed breast. Some had expected this move and left their cannons aimed skyward, but the dragon had effectively divided their fire and made evasion more manageable. From the high-pitched shouts below, it was clear her tactic had been effective in getting the Zjhon to attack themselves. The air fleet moved north, toward the Heights, their bomber fleet mostly intact. Dashiq pursued and only then released the pent-up energy pulsing around them. Riette felt it rush out of her along with her breath. Emmet appeared ready to pass out, even Barabas swayed in his saddle. Wood canvas and even metal burned at the touch of dragon fire. Within minutes, the entire fleet of airships lit the clouds before crashing into the sea.
Airplanes zipped past, firing rounds that made the air sing of death. Only the dragon's evasive maneuvers kept them alive. It was a tenuous existence, and Riette continued to lament her lack of control over the events that ruled her life. Holding on with all her strength, she was powerless and small up against forces that would tear her world asunder. Diesel planes now approached, outfitted with the largest firing tubes yet. Smoke poured from them, and rockets took flight. Zipping through the air across an erratic flight path, these missiles followed the dragon's movements, and even more concerning were the explosions when they got close. With her ears ringing and the ends of her hair singed, Riette knew it would take but a single direct hit from one of those weapons to knock them from the sky.
Dashiq lashed out, filling the air with dragon fire, and Riette sensed the strain it put on dragon and saddle alike. Aircraft dropped from the skies like a deadly rain, and most of those loaded with rockets exploded before hitting the water. Within minutes, much of the eastern Zjhon fleet had been destroyed.
Not looking back, the dragon flew north. A portion of the air fleet had escaped to assault the Heights, and there was little chance Dashiq would make it to the mountains in time to prevent major damage and casualties. But she was in a perfect position to make sure those aircraft had nothing to come back to.
"They are beaten!" Riette shouted. "We should finish them off!"
Barabas shook his head. "We've only so much magic. The Heights can hold against the likes of them. We must save our strength for what's to come. This is far from over."
Riette crossed her arms over her chest but considered his words.
Farther inland, the weather cleared and the Heights were visible in the distance, along with the aircraft circling the mighty peaks. Darting between those shadowy silhouettes were dragons.
"We have to save them!" Riette shouted involuntarily.
"The Heights will hold," Barabas said.
Dashiq continued to fly north and west.
"There's no one at all defending Sparrowport. We can fly around the swamp to the north and stop at Dragonport."
No one flew straight over the twisted Jaga swamp. It was said wild dragons ruled those skies. Such were the stories told to children in Sparrowport to keep them from wandering too far, but Riette had never seen a wild dragon. Riding a dragon made her second-guess that preconception. All dragons had seemed like mythical creatures, just stories and legends, until she had seen them herself and they became real. The thought gave her chills and made her wonder how many of the dangers from fireside tales were also real.
Dashiq, unlike any other dragon, gleamed in the afternoon skies. Her copperwork facial reconstruction now smooth and sleek, no green remaining. Details previously obscured or worn beyond recognition had been restored. The metal had been lovingly crafted in intricate detail. Metal scales lined up with flesh-and-blood scales, but around the eye was a design that did not mirror the opposite side. The dragon's real eye was much larger than Azzakkan's Eye, but the radiating lines and interlocking triangles that filled the space appeared almost natural. It was a masterwork requiring magic—the last magic his people then possessed. Some hated Barabas for that, and he had done it anyway, knowing it would be the case. Now he returned with far greater magic and refused to use it to save them.
True to his prediction, though, those within the Heights must have fought valiantly since the air around the mountain was free of airships by the time it disappeared from sight. When Dashiq slowed, it came as a surprise. Riette had thought she might soar all the way to Sparrowport faster than the most powerful airplane. Instead, she landed on a sizable island that showed signs of being used by humans. Several docks floated within the natural harbor, but no ships were moored there. The few buildings scattered along the shoreline were dark, and no smoke rose from chimneys. The air smelled of salt and the distinct odor of the shoreline.
"Why are we stopping?" Riette asked.
Barabas shrugged. Dashiq turned back to look at Riette and made it clear she was to disembark. Riette owed the dragon her life, but under such scrutiny, she felt small and weak and feared sh
e might become lunch. It was an unrealistic fear, but she did not want to risk a dragon's wrath either way and hurried to get herself and Emmet unstrapped. The reddish clay shoreline was uninviting, but Riette wanted nothing to do with the buildings there. She'd much rather be back in the sky than remain in this place another moment. It gave her the crawls. Emmet stayed close by.
Barabas and Tuck did their best to tend to Dashiq, whose needs were not entirely known or understood by Riette. The cloudiness of the stones embedded in the saddle was an indication their time and resources were limited. Perhaps some magic remained in the atmosphere, as the tales said, but that required one to believe the tales of gods and goddesses were at least in some part true. It was a difficult thing for her to reconcile, yet she had the results before her. If the tales really were true, then what remained was a mere shadow of the power that had once been and would someday be again. Even those who believed true magic would return along with the goddess agreed it would be thousands of years hence. Hardly something that would help in the current circumstances. They had found a small well and already threatened to run it dry. It was a terrifying realization. They had faced but half the Zjhon strength. Barabas was right; this wasn't over. Previously the full extent of the change in the saddle had been hidden. Now she understood.
Barabas was a man who made difficult decisions and did not appear to second-guess himself. Riette envied him. So often she questioned her decisions and actions, and for a great portion of her past, she had been very wrong about so many things, it was difficult to trust herself to make the right decisions going forward. No matter how much she had hated him not so long ago, she found herself wanting to understand Barabas, to know what he thought and what he would do. She felt safe with him, even though the entire world was falling apart. People had said it was an exciting time to be alive with so much innovation and change going on around them, but Riette would have been just as happy for everything to have stayed the same. The cost was far too great.
No matter how unexpected the break, it felt good to walk. Emmet never left her side, and she wasn't certain if it was out of fear or something else. When he spoke, it came as a surprise.
"Dragons," he said, pointing.
Shielding her eyes, Riette scanned the horizon and drew a sharp breath when she realized how close the two dragons had come without their noticing. Though the Drakon should consider them allies, it was disconcerting. Barabas and Tuck calmly watched the dragons approach, which was all that stayed Riette's rapidly beating heart. Even so, she dragged Emmet back to Dashiq's side at a fast walk.
"Do you know them?" Riette asked Barabas.
He nodded.
It made sense that he would, and Riette felt silly, but she was tired of being left out and uninformed. It was time she started to take charge of her own life, and she had to do what was right for Emmet. Wandering around, following a crazy man and his dragon might not be the best answer. It was false but she couldn't stop herself from thinking it anyway.
The dragons that landed were both larger than Dashiq, but they treated the older dragon with a certain amount of deference. Each dragon bore two riders, and Riette's breath caught in her throat when she recognized Keldon. Berigor had saved all of their lives, and seeing Keldon without his dragon seemed unthinkable.
"When you didn't arrive at the Heights, I had to come looking for you."
Barabas nodded. "How is Berigor?"
The man hung his head. "It's not good," he said. "The healers are working with him, but his wounds are grievous. He wanted to be here—" A man who was among the toughest warriors Riette had ever seen cracked at that moment and could speak no more through his grief and worry. No matter how much she hated to see another human being suffer so, it gave her some semblance of hope for herself.
Tarin was among the men who accompanied Keldon. Riette did not recognize the other two. All three remained silent and stoic. "We weren't certain we would find you," Keldon continued. "But I'm glad we did. We need you back. I was wrong."
"No," Barabas said.
"But I cannot be Al'Drakon knowing you are the one of which the legends speak. Dashiq is Al'Drak, which makes you Al'Drakon. The choice is not yours. You gave her Azzakkan's Eye. You saved her. And now we need you to save us all."
Riette held her breath, knowing how much it must have hurt Barabas to be cast out and accused of treason.
"No," Barabas said again.
"The choice is not yours," Tarin said.
Turning back to his dragon, Barabas waited. Dashiq watched. Humor dancing in her eye, she snorted and nudged him with her maw. Barabas put his hands in the air and turned back around to face the Drakon. "Fine," he said. "Keldon Tallowborn, I charge you with managing the war effort from the Heights and seeing to your dragon's needs. I order the rest of you to follow him and do as he says; he's not nearly the fool he's made himself out to be."
Tarin had the courage to laugh.
Keldon shook his head. "And what will you do?"
"Exactly what I was already planning to do," Barabas said. "We will go to Sparrowport."
"Then let us go with you," Tarin said. "You decimated the southern fleet! I would not believe it if I didn't see it for myself. Fortunately others also saw it, or no one in the Heights would ever have believed. It's an honor to have fought with you, Al'Drakon."
"You have served well, Tarin. Do me a favor and stay alive until this is all over. I'll buy you a mug of ale."
Tarin's reaction showed he valued the gesture far more than any tankard, and Riette had to once again adjust her notion of who Barabas DeGuiere was. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he changed, and every time, she cared for him more. It was starting to frighten her. All the things in her life she had loved had been taken from her save Emmet. Who would be next? The thought made her tremble.
"When the Heights are secured, you may come find us," Barabas continued. "Until then, you will serve me best by maintaining order and dealing with what remains of the southern fleet, though I suspect they already know they are defeated."
"You are a good man, Barabas DeGuiere," Keldon said. "You embody the true meaning of what it is to be Al'Drakon. Thank you."
Barabas nodded. Nothing was different for Riette and her companions, but the way these other men regarded Barabas had completely changed. The more Riette thought about it, the more she realized things had changed for her as well. Now she needed to understand what it was and what exactly it meant.
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