The Dragon Empress: The Dragonspire Chronicles Book 6

by James E. Wisher

  The clock started ticking. He landed twenty yards from the tower entrance, a suit of dark magic armor protecting him. Now that he was closer, he could see it was Soto facing him. She bared her fangs and hissed.

  “Easy, girl. You remember me, right?”

  Soto roared and opened her mouth. Fire gathered at the back of her throat.

  Yaz gestured and a band of dark magic formed around her mouth, snapping it shut before she could breath fire at him.

  “Sorry, girl, but if you’re going to be unreasonable, I don’t have any choice.” A second band around her neck forced Soto to the ground.

  She struggled and he added a third and fourth band, one around her wings and the last stilling her tail.

  The first of his conjured hands crumbled, freeing the dragon inside it.

  Time was rapidly running out. He slipped around Soto and entered the tower.

  Yaz drew a deep breath that smelled of parchment and dust. Gods it was nice to be home even if only for a minute. He hurried to the center of the tower and deactivated the sigil. By the time he finished, all the dragons had freed themselves. He needed to get out of here before they got back to the village.

  With a regretful sigh he retreated to the door and stepped out. Soto was still struggling to free herself. She looked so pathetic it broke his heart, but at least she wasn’t hurt.

  “Sorry about this, girl.” Yaz leapt into the air and flew straight up as high as he could. One thing Dad always pounded into the riders was that the dragons couldn’t fly too high. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but none of them followed him as he turned away from the village and powered west, back to the ruined city.

  It was time to end this once and for all.

  Chapter 21

  Moz led his team through the ruined city. He would have liked to have the elemental dragon of fire along, but the man still hadn’t regained the use of his magic and without it he was just a middle-aged guy with no combat skills. Better for everyone if he stayed somewhere safe and out of the way.

  They were about a third of the way to the tower and had yet to see any sign of giant snakes. This was one time he wouldn’t have minded if one showed up. If Lucy could take control of it, the beast would make a powerful weapon. Of course, that was a big if. So far, she had only been able to send them away, not seize full control. Probably in the middle of the most important mission of their lives wasn’t the best place to experiment.

  A gust of chill wind sent a pile of rubble tumbling down somewhere to his left. That was the problem with this place. Everything was falling apart and constantly crumbling. He had a hard time telling what was a threat and what was decay.

  He glanced back. So far, Albert had been able to warn them if trouble was approaching, hopefully that would continue.

  “Moz,” Albert said.

  Speaking of the earth master… “What is it?”

  “I think someone’s co—” Albert grabbed his neck and fell to his knees.

  “Defensive positions!” Moz drew his swords and joined the other rangers in a protective circle around the bards. “Callie?”

  “He’s already dead,” Callie said.

  “How?”

  “Poison. Someone darted him. Looks like from a blowgun.”

  “Tonia! Wind wall,” Moz ordered.

  The wind swirled then gusted to the speed of a weak tornado around them. No way could anyone get an arrow, much less a dart, through that.

  Moz turned and winced when he saw the black ruin that was Albert’s face. The skin had already sloughed off and the muscle appeared to be melting as they watched.

  “I’ve never heard of a poison that works that fast or melts someone’s flesh.”

  Callie just shook her head, a hard grimace twisting her face. “I never had a chance. He was dead in seconds.”

  “This is Domina’s work, you may depend on it,” Helena said.

  Moz turned to look at Yaz’s mother. “How can you be so sure?”

  “The sadistic bitch gets off on creating things like this. She has to be one of the most talented alchemists I’ve ever met, yet this is what she spends her time researching.” Helena shook her head.

  “Is there any cure or way to protect ourselves?” Callie asked.

  “The only way to protect yourself is not to get hit by a dart. The substance isn’t poison in the traditional sense. It appears to be more of a fast-acting acid.”

  “Great.” Moz scrubbed a hand over his face. And with their only earth master dead, finding the assassin would be all the harder. “Tonia, can you tell where that dart came from?”

  “No, the wind spirits aren’t really good at that sort of thing. I can maintain the wind wall for as long as you need though.”

  Moz nodded and thought for a moment. With the wind protecting them, they didn’t have to worry about darts, but the dust blowing around made it impossible to see where they were going. They could wander the ruins for hours and never get any closer. Yaz expected them to meet him outside the tower when he got back. There was only one real option.

  “I’ll have to track him down,” Moz said. “If a dart hits me in the arm or leg, how long do I have?”

  Helena pursed her lips. “Once the acid gets in your blood, in a peripheral area like a limb, two seconds, then it melts your heart.”

  “You’re a font of good news,” Moz said. “I’ll have to cover everything but my eyes. A blowgun dart has little penetrating power, so even loose cloth might be enough to stop one.”

  “I’ll be going too,” Callie said. “Those two seconds might be enough to let me save you.”

  Moz opened his mouth then closed it. Arguing with her wouldn’t do any good.

  “Fine, let’s see what we can put together for extra protection. You all stay here where it’s safe until we return.”

  Moz and Callie wrapped themselves in strips cut from a spare cloak, shared a look, and ran out through the wind. It was a race to see who found who first. Winner lives, loser dies.

  Moz stood with his back against the wall of a half-fallen building. He studied the gaps between piles of rubble in the hopes of spotting a silhouette or movement, anything that might provide a clue as to where the assassin waited. Callie panted on one knee beside him. They’d been sprinting from hiding place to hiding place and the running had taken a toll on her. Neither one of them was as young as they used to be. At least no darts had come zipping in.

  “What the hell’s he waiting for?” Callie asked between gasps. “We’ve been running around for twenty minutes out here.”

  Waiting! That was it. The assassin was playing hide and seek with them in hopes of delaying their advance. While they were running around, he was probably perched somewhere overlooking the others, twiddling his thumbs, and laughing. But why?

  “Why would he be trying to delay us? I doubt there’s another army coming and they could summon a dragon anytime if that’s what they intended.”

  “What are you thinking?” Callie asked.

  “I think we need to find the highest point with a view of the others. Ten gold scales says that’s where we’ll find our assassin.”

  “No bet. You’re too good at this to risk gold I don’t have. Which way?”

  Moz looked around and did a little dead reckoning. The rest of the group should be on his right. If he wanted to come up on the assassin from behind, he’d need to go left then make a wide sweep. It would be a lot easier to plan this if he had a certain destination. He’d just have to wing it and hope for the best.

  He set out on a northwesterly track, avoiding the open street and instead keeping to the broken buildings. Anything that kept the maximum number of obstacles between him and any incoming darts. Despite his confidence in his calculations, Moz had never been one to take unnecessary chances, especially when there was so much on the line.

  When they were roughly due north of where the group was waiting, he stopped and studied the buildings. None of them were especially tall and the ones that were he doubted
would support a grown man’s weight. Had he been wrong about the assassin’s hiding place? Just because that’s where Moz would have gone, didn’t mean his target would do the same thing. He chewed his lip and thought. Where could he be?

  Moz was so deep in thought he almost didn’t notice when Callie tugged on his sleeve. “What is it?”

  “How about there?” Callie pointed at a mostly intact tower, probably one used by the city guards back when. There was a single arrow slit that would give a perfect view. It was maybe a story shorter than the tallest points, but still plenty high enough. The tower was out of range for a blowgun, but it would still make a good lookout position.

  “Good eye. Let’s check it out.”

  Moz set out once more, this time looping around the tower in the hopes that the assassin would fail to notice their approach. Every instinct in his body screamed that this was the place. It had to be. There was nowhere else that kept him out of sight yet provided a clear view.

  Five minutes later they were creeping up on the tower. The entrance door had long since disintegrated, but the stone archway looked solid. Moz knelt and studied the dirt. There were fresh prints, but they were so scuffed he couldn’t tell if they were going in or in and out.

  “Callie, I’ll—”

  Something hit the scarf around his neck.

  Callie shoved him into the tower, yanked the scarf off, and tossed it away. She studied him for a moment then sighed. “The dart didn’t penetrate. That was too close.”

  Moz nodded and looked at the slowly dissolving scarf. Too close indeed.

  “He knew someone would spot this tower and think exactly the way we did. Damn it! I should have known better.”

  “Forget that. What do we do now?”

  “The effective range for a blow gun is about twenty yards. He’s got to be close.”

  “Sure, but as soon as we stick our heads out, they’re liable to get melted.”

  “You don’t need to tell me. We need a shield.” Moz looked around the interior of the tower, but there wasn’t much beyond broken stone and rotten timbers. Nothing he could rig into anything resembling a shield. “I’ll charge him. Give me your scarf. After I’ve dealt with him, you can come out.”

  “I told you I wasn’t letting you do this on your own and I meant it.”

  “I know you did, but circumstances have changed.”

  “Nothing has changed. If I can get close and he has any old wounds, I can end this instantly. If you charge, I’ll be right behind you.”

  Moz grimaced, but she had that look, so he nodded. “At least stay behind me.”

  “Deal.” Callie unwrapped her scarf and handed it to him.

  When Moz was ready they backed as far away from the doorway as they could and charged. The dart had come in from Moz’s right. He turned that way.

  No one was visible. He kept moving, his eyes darting everywhere, searching for any sign.

  “Aww!” Callie fell behind him.

  “Callie!”

  She pointed left. “He’s there. Get him before he can reload.”

  For half a second Moz was torn, but Callie could heal herself. He needed to make sure she didn’t get hit a second time.

  Moz ran toward the pile of rubble she indicated.

  He leapt over it. On the other side the assassin was dipping a needle into a vial of liquid. The blowgun rested on the ground in front of him.

  Moz lunged and stomped, snapping the blowgun in half.

  He barely recovered in time to deflect a dagger strike to the face.

  The assassin gave him no time to collect himself. The twin daggers came in from every direction.

  It took all of Moz’s skill to stay alive. His opponent was young, fast, and fearless. The man grinned as he fought, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the battle.

  “Your friend is going to die,” the assassin said. “Her leg will melt off.”

  Moz had no breath for banter. Besides, the assassin didn’t know Callie.

  His opponent thrust at his chest and Moz braced himself, trusting the dragonscale armor to protect him.

  He grunted at the impact, and the assassin staggered. It was a small opening, but Moz had no intention of wasting it.

  Moz thrust with his left-hand blade, spun, and slashed with his right.

  The assassin leapt back, landed, and sprang forward again. Fighting him was like fighting a wall of blades. The two daggers seemed to be everywhere at once.

  Moz was forced back again. It was unbelievable. He’d beaten a giant with the ability to heal virtually any wound, and he was going to die at the hands of a normal man. The gods must laugh.

  He deflected an incoming left-side slash and grunted when the hilt of the right-hand blade crashed into his temple. His knees wobbled and he went down.

  The assassin’s daggers rose for a final time.

  The man screamed and blood gushed out of his side.

  Moz gathered himself and sprang, driving both sword through the assassin’s chest. A bubble of blood appeared in his mouth and popped.

  The assassin grinned at him and slumped to the ground.

  Moz ripped his swords free and turned to find Callie, pale and hunched over, standing behind him. “Took you long enough.”

  “You’re welcome.” She winced. “That acid was horrible stuff. I’ve never felt pain like that. It was like my blood was boiling. My healing gift could barely keep up. If the dose had been even a speck larger I’d have died.”

  “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.” Moz kissed her on the top of the head. “We’d best get back. Daylight’s burning.”

  Chapter 22

  “Shade’s dead and the enemy are getting close,” Jax said.

  Leonidas rested his head on the back of the throne and blew out a long sigh. He’d told Shade to be careful, but it wasn’t in his nature. Now he’d paid the price. Worse, he’d compromised the final defense of the tower.

  “What about the dark magic user?”

  “Not here yet as far as I can see.”

  “How long until sunset?”

  Jax closed his eyes and concentrated on forces beyond Leonidas’s perception. At last he said, “I can open the portal in half an hour. The enemy will get here in ten minutes.”

  Leonidas grimaced. “Prepare the trap. I’ll call in the black dragon. That should be enough to hold them off until dark.”

  “As you wish.” Jax nodded and withdrew, leaving him alone with his morose thoughts.

  Leonidas wanted to scream and rage in frustration. Why couldn’t the people of the world see that what he was trying to do was for the best? With humanity united, they could focus on the important things rather than their petty squabbles.

  No matter. Once he crushed this dark magic user, there would be no one left with the power to oppose him. Though he was limited to the magic of only one tower, it was still enough to kill anyone that dared oppose him.

  He was reminded of the first lesson his first master taught him. Those who reach for the sun tend to get burned. He’d countered that those who don’t tend to be forgotten.

  Leonidas had no intention of either being burned or forgotten.

  When five minutes had passed, he assumed Jax and the others would be in position. “Well, little one, let’s call a dragon, shall we?”

  Ariel stared up at him. He’d framed his command as a question, so she didn’t obey.

  “Call the black dragon. Have it land in front of the tower door.”

  The viewing rectangle appeared in the air in front of him. Only a few seconds later the tower appeared as the dragon landed. So it was staying close. Interesting, given that he hadn’t ordered her to keep the beast nearby. The image shifted as it turned away from the tower to face the ruins. The dragon could only see one side of the tower, but since it was standing directly in front of the door, the enemy would have to approach eventually if they wanted to get in.

  Ariel looked up at him again, but he had no more orders for the moment. Let the enemy show themse
lves. They could taste dragon fire.

  It was closer to dark than Yaz would have liked when he arrived back at the ruined city. Everyone should be gathered near the tower by now. He’d stay high to have a look around.

  Lucky for him that he did. The black dragon was standing directly in front of the tower door. Of course, he’d recognized the possibility that he’d need to deal with her, especially now that they had isolated the Dark Sages to this final redoubt. Still, he’d somehow hoped to avoid it. If he told someone that it bothered him more to hurt dragons than it did people, they’d think he was crazy.

  You are crazy. Anything that gets in your way deserves to get hurt.

  Mentioning that he heard a voice in his head wouldn’t help with the crazy diagnosis. Especially since the voice belonged to an aggressive cosmic entity.

  First things first. He needed to find his mother and the others. They had to be close, but out of the dragon’s line of sight. He flew in a slow circle, studying the ground.

  “Yaz!” He spun to find Tonia flying toward him. “Callie asked me to keep an eye out for you. Everyone’s gathered but we’re not sure what to do about the dragon.”

  “Where are they?”

  “I’ll take you. Follow me.”

  Tonia led him to a badly leaning shack on the opposite side of the tower from the dragon. A pair of rangers along with Lucy were keeping watch. She nodded to Yaz as he passed and stepped into the building.

  “Yaz!” Brigid ran over and hugged him.

  He sighed as her warmth washed over him. “I’m glad you’re all okay.”

  “Not all of us,” Callie said. “Albert got killed on our way in.”

  Yaz wasn’t sure which one that was but he said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” Callie said. “Do you have any thoughts on moving that dragon?”