The Dragon Empress: The Dragonspire Chronicles Book 6

by James E. Wisher

  The attack must have shaken him more than Callie first thought. The king never talked like this to anyone, not that she’d ever heard anyway. Near death from the fiery breath of a dragon was enough to change anyone’s outlook.

  She shot Moz another sidelong look. Well, almost anyone.

  They marched on until an hour before sunset. That’s when Callie caught a whiff of smoke mingled with simmering stew. They had to be close to the refugees’ camp. And thank the gods for that. Her legs were ready to fall off.

  The first tents came into view a few minutes later. A squad of guards spotted them coming and stood at rigid attention. King Rend didn’t even have the energy to wave them off so Moz did it for him. They entered the camp and made for the nearest fire. Callie was hungry enough to eat a whole sheep, but she’d settle for whatever stew was bubbling in the cast iron pot.

  “Callie!” Tamsin came running up. “Are you okay? I barely cleared the city before the dragon attacked. I was afraid…”

  Tears ran down the girl’s face. Despite everything she’d seen, it was easy to forget that Tamsin was only sixteen. Callie hugged her and stroked her hair.

  “I’m okay. We’re all going to be okay. Did the other bards get set up?”

  “Yeah.” Tamsin’s eyes went wide when she finally noticed the ragged king standing beside Callie. “We prepared a tent for Your Majesty as well. It’s not much, I’m afraid, but—”

  “If it has a place to sit and a hot meal waiting, you’ll hear no word of complaint from me. Did my uncle make it back?”

  “We’ve seen no sign of General Rend. I’m sorry.”

  The king let out another in a long string of sighs and shook his head.

  “Don’t count him out, Majesty,” Moz said. “The general’s a tough son of a bitch. I wouldn’t bet against him even facing a dragon.”

  The king snorted a laugh. “So he is. Show me that tent if you please, young lady.”

  Tamsin beamed and guided King Rend deeper into the camp.

  When they’d gone Callie asked, “Do you believe that?”

  Moz shrugged. “He needed to hear it. Doesn’t matter if I believe it. If the king loses heart, we’re finished. He doesn’t need to come up with great plans, but he needs to show that we have a chance. If I need to stretch the truth a little to help with that, I don’t mind.”

  Callie smiled. That was such a perfectly Moz thing to say. Somehow it made her think they might actually have a chance.

  While burning the two kingdoms’ capitals had been a fine demonstration of his power, it also demonstrated how limited the dragons’ might really was. Leonidas left Ariel in the throne room and descended to the bottom floor where his cadre awaited further orders. As he drifted down, his mind raced. While he had the power to destroy anyone or anything that might dare oppose him, the dragons couldn’t control and administer territory. He needed a proper army and a noble class to oversee the day-to-day operation of his new empire.

  The Dark Sage agents scattered throughout the land could emerge from hiding to assume those roles, but before they did, they’d need soldiers to back up their power. It was becoming clear that the dragons’ greatest value lay in being a seldom-used threat. If everyone knew that resistance meant you and everything you cared about ending up ash, the necessary soldiers should be minimal.

  His feet hit the stone at the bottom of the tower. Shade and Rondo were playing cards at a table to his right. Polymus was reading one of the thousands of volumes lining the many bookshelves. Domina and Jax were both absent. She was likely in her lab while Jax was no doubt somewhere dark, but close by.

  “Listen up,” Leonidas said.

  Everyone present had turned their attention his way. A moment later Jax materialized out of a shadow. He didn’t need Domina at the moment, so he didn’t bother sending someone for her.

  “Shade, I want you to take Rondo and recruit as many mercenaries as you can. Now that we’ve softened up our targets, it’s time to seize control. They’ll become the first of my imperial legions.”

  “What about pay?” Shade asked. “You know that’s what they’ll ask.”

  “Standard rate, plus the usual bonus if there’s combat. Frankly, I expect little resistance after what we just did.”

  “What if some of them say no?”

  “If any of them are that stupid, contact me and I’ll instruct them in the error of their ways. I promise you the next group will be eager to join up. Is the mirror ready, Jax?”

  “It is.” The wizard walked over to Shade and handed him a mirror with a black, rune-marked frame. “A single drop of blood will activate it and allow you to speak with Leonidas. You can activate it three times a day for five minutes each time. And do be careful, Shade. I spent nearly a month enchanting it.”

  “Relax. You want us to contact all the usual crews, Boss?”

  “Yes, we’ll need everyone and then some, but our usual groups will do to start.”

  Rondo stood then he and Shade hurried out.

  When they’d gone Polymus said, “I see you’ve already realized the dragons’ weakness. This is why there was an imperial army as well.”

  Leonidas hardly needed the obvious pointed out. He’d known this would happen from the beginning. Finding soldiers was easy, far easier than controlling dragons.

  “Jax, I’d like you to scry on the kingdoms and see if you can get a feel for what they might be planning by way of a counterattack. I’m sure they’ll try something, regardless of how pointless it might be.”

  “As you wish, Leonidas.” Jax vanished into the shadows again.

  “And me?” Polymus asked. “Do I get an assignment as well?”

  “You can start by teaching Domina how to make the immortality potion.”

  “It would be simpler to make it for you myself.”

  “I imagine it would, but since I don’t trust you, you’ll have to make do.”

  Polymus offered a mocking bow and withdrew toward Domina’s lab. Leonidas seriously doubted the man meant him any good, but hopefully Domina could see through his tricks and glean the secrets of the potion.

  All his pieces were in play. Now all Leonidas could do was wait.

  Callie wiped the sweat from her brow and moved on to the next wounded person, in this case a little girl with a nasty scrape on her arm. A heated tent had been set up for those in need to see a healer. She’d been working her way through the refugees, helping out where she could. Most of the injuries were from panicked people falling or getting shoved aside.

  A soft hum and brush with her hand soothed the girl, turning the nasty red section of her arm back to pale, smooth skin. The girl hugged her before running to her mother.

  Her back popped when she straightened. Beyond the tent flap, darkness had fallen. The group was due to move out at first light, so she’d best get to her tent and get some sleep.

  Before she could take a step, a wild-eyed soldier burst through. “General Rend has returned and he’s burned bad.”

  “Clear a space,” Callie said. “Bring him here, quickly.”

  The soldier disappeared again but only for a few seconds, just enough time for the helpers to clear a cot. Two stretcher-bearers pushed through. Callie winced at the smell of burned flesh. The right side of the general’s body was a charred mess, and most of his hair was gone as was his uniform. It was a miracle he was still breathing.

  She didn’t even wait for the bearers to set him down. Callie hummed and summoned her power. Healing energy flowed into the general. Slowly, the burns scabbed over. She focused on the side of his face. There would be some scarring, even her gift wasn’t powerful enough to avoid that given the amount of damage, but if she was quick and thorough, she could keep it to a minimum.

  “Where is my uncle?” King Rend forced his way past the crowd that had gathered. “Gods’ blood.”

  Callie ignored the outburst and focused on healing. The king knelt on his uncle’s good side, took his hand, and bowed his head in prayer.

/>   It took half an hour of concentrated effort, but when she finished, the general was breathing deep and steady. He had light scarring on the side of his face and chest, but given that those injuries should have killed him, she was content to call it a good night’s work.

  Callie slumped and settled on the floor. She hadn’t been this tired in a long time.

  “You did well,” the king said. “When this business is over, assuming we’re still alive, there’ll be a medal waiting for you.”

  She forced a smile. “If I live through this, all I want is to go back to my school and teach.”

  There was a hint of movement at the tent flap. She turned to see Moz standing there wearing his we’ve-got-trouble look. Just what they needed, fresh trouble.

  “Majesty,” Moz said. “We have a guest.”

  The king forced himself away from his uncle’s side. “What sort of a guest?”

  “A wizard from Carttoom. She says she has a message from the king and will only give it to you. She’s waiting in your tent.”

  “That was fast.” King Rend walked toward the exit.

  Callie forced herself up and after him. Whatever was happening, it was best if she heard it directly from the source rather than secondhand.

  She fell in beside Moz who offered her his arm. She took the support gladly.

  “I see you haven’t lost your touch,” he said. “Good thing. I suspect we’ll be needing it.”

  Callie feared he was right but didn’t want to talk about it. “Did the wizard say anything?”

  He shook his head. “Only that she wanted to talk to the king. Crazy woman landed right in front of our northern picket. One of the guards took a shot at her. The crossbow bolt bounced right off some kind of magic barrier. We took the fact that she didn’t blast him to ash on the spot as a sign of good faith.”

  They reached the king’s tent and followed him in. The interior wasn’t nearly as nice as you’d expect given who was staying there, but at least he didn’t have to share. A woman in deep-red robes rose and bowed to them. Callie guessed she was about forty, with fine lines around her dark eyes and streaks of gray in her brown hair.

  When the wizard straightened, she said, “I bring you greetings from King Carttoom. Like yours, our capital city has been destroyed. My lord offers an alliance until the threat of the new Dragon Empire has been dealt with.”

  “And what form does he suggest this alliance take?” King Rend asked.

  “Since the battle will no doubt be fought on Carttoom soil, it is only natural that we would take the lead.”

  “I don’t think so. My people would never follow the commands of a Carttoom leader. I suggest we coordinate only and let each side handle its own forces.”

  “That is acceptable,” the wizard said. “Do you have a plan?”

  “We intend to dispatch a small strike force to eliminate the enemy leadership. Fighting the dragons head-on is a fool’s errand.”

  She nodded. “Our generals came to a similar conclusion. We have the locations of the enemy’s main bases. Shall we combine our forces then advance together to strike them?”

  “It might be better if our people hit the central tower while yours dealt with their citadel.”

  “That is not at all acceptable. We must be certain you don’t seize the tower for yourselves.”

  Callie looked from one to the other. She understood both their points. Neither would dare allow the other to seize the tower on their own. Did Carttoom know that the one actually controlling the dragons was a Rend citizen? She doubted it and if they ever did find out it might lead to another war, at least after the current one ended.

  “What about the satellite towers?” Moz asked.

  King Rend and the wizard both looked at him as though surprised anyone would dare intrude on their conversation. He had a good point even if he shouldn’t have butted in to make it.

  “Our investigations indicate that dealing with the central tower will also cause the peripheral towers to deactivate,” the wizard said.

  Moz nodded and fell silent. Callie doubted he’d just take the wizard at her word, but for now he had no other choice.

  “What if we meet up outside the city?” the king said. “We can make plans, then move on to the tower. If our groups attack from opposite directions it might give us a better chance of success.”

  The wizard nodded. “That is agreeable. Who will lead your strike force?”

  The king jerked a thumb back at them. “Moz will handle it. He’s our most decorated ranger.

  Her lip curled in distaste at the mention of rangers. Not an uncommon reaction among the people of Carttoom given their history. If she accepted Moz as their group’s leader, it meant they were really desperate for an alliance.

  “Well enough,” the wizard said. “We have withdrawn our border forces so you will have no trouble crossing over. How long will it take you to reach the citadel?”

  King Rend looked back at Moz who thought for a second and said, “About a month assuming the weather holds.”

  “Sooner would be better, but that will do. I shall return and inform my king that we have an agreement.” She bowed, brushed past Callie, and stepped out into the night.

  Callie caught a glimpse of her shooting skyward through the swinging flap. When she’d gone Moz asked, “Do you trust her?”

  “Of course not,” King Rend said. “But under the circumstances I’m not about to turn down the help. Whatever happens, Carttoom must not gain control of the tower.”

  Moz nodded. “We should sleep. At daybreak I’ll figure out who to take north. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  Chapter 5

  “There it is,” Mom said. “Kranic’s citadel.”

  The fortress was built on a ledge that jutted out from the mountain. The stone of the building so perfectly matched the color of the surrounding mountains that if Yaz’s mother hadn’t pointed it out, he might not have spotted it on his own. They’d lucked out that the fortress wasn’t that far from the Tower of Punishment. They’d made the journey in the flying sleigh in only a day and a half.

  It was a good thing they had the magical transport. The mountain snows were several feet deep. On foot it might have taken weeks to cover the fifty or so miles. As they flew, Yaz sat in the back with his mother while Brigid sat up front with Silas. Brigid hadn’t said more than a handful of words to him since they learned the secret of his birth. Yaz feared she might be having second thoughts about the two of them, not that he could blame her if she did.

  To take his mind off Brigid, he tried to talk to his mother about what she went through in the tower, but she only shuddered and said she preferred to forget all about it. If whatever happened affected his mother that strongly, it must have been bad. In their own way, it seemed both of his parents had suffered a great deal. He only wished he could have gotten to them faster.

  Silas landed the sleigh in front of a massive set of iron-banded double doors. They were so tall a dragon could have passed through them with room to spare. Assuming the doors were locked from the inside, how were they going to get in?

  He was about to ask when his mother trudged over to the doors and grasped the knocker. The last thing he wanted to do was alert the entire place to their presence. Before Yaz could say anything, she twisted the knocker a full turn to the right then two rotations to the left. When she released it, the doors opened silently on their own.

  She looked back and flashed a smile. “Kranic didn’t want to have to wait for a servant to let him in, so he set this bit of magic up to do the job. Guess he was too lazy to change it after I left.”

  Yaz, Brigid, and Silas followed his mother inside. The doors opened into a great hall. The floor was done in smooth, gray stone. A huge, cold fireplace dominated the far side and heavy red tapestries hung from the walls. A door on the right side of the fireplace led deeper into the fortress. Aside from the echoing of their footsteps, silence filled the air.

  “Shouldn’t there be at leas
t a few people here?” Silas asked.

  “There should,” his mother said. “Even if Kranic is away on Dark Sage business, there’s always at least a handful of servants to keep things tidy and a trio of researchers busy working on various projects. If the fortress is as empty as it seems, then something is very, very wrong.”

  Yaz glanced at Silas. “Can you sense anyone with your magic?”

  Silas closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. “There’s something, but I’m not sure it’s human.”

  “I think I preferred it when I thought the place was empty.” Brigid hugged her ironwood staff as she tried to look in every direction at once.

  “You two can wait in the sleigh if you wish,” his mother said. “We can make a quick run to the lab, get what we need, and be back in five minutes.”

  Silas shook his head and Brigid said, “No way are we letting you two go alone. Let’s grab whatever it is you need and get out of this creepy place.”

  Yaz grinned, not at all surprised that his friends wouldn’t let him go on alone. After everything they’d been through, it would take more than an empty castle to scare them off.

  His mother just shrugged and set off toward the inner door. It opened easily at her tug revealing a long hall beyond. It was pitch black so Silas summoned light for them.

  Mom seemed to know exactly where she was going as they passed a handful of doors without her giving them so much as a passing glance.

  Eventually the hall opened into a square room, this one featuring a staircase to the next level. They started climbing. About five steps from the top his mother froze. Yaz smelled the rancid stink of rotting meat a moment later. Beyond his mother, a corpse lay sprawled on the second-floor landing.

  It was a mess. It looked like something had grabbed the unfortunate person – given the state of the body he couldn’t tell if it had been a man or a woman – and crushed them into a ball before throwing them through the door to end up on the landing.