“Yes, Captain.”
Vesryn leaned down to scoop up a pile of metal shards. He inspected them closely. It was a puzzle. He saw how many of the shards could fit together. Vesryn grabbed a larger shard, unsheathed his dagger, and attempted to pound its hilt onto the piece of metal. It remained solid. He frowned.
“How did these chains shatter?” Vesryn muttered.
“I don’t know, Captain.”
Vesryn snarled at the dragonrider. “What do you know?”
“I interrogated them, and while most weren’t helpful, one woman quickly confessed they were traveling south to Laeraed.”
“Laeraed? Interesting.” Vesryn paused. “She gave this information freely?”
“Well, no, Captain. I gave her a couple of minor wounds to loosen her tongue.”
“Where were these minor wounds?”
“Her forearms, Captain.”
“Hmm.”
Vesryn strolled in a circle, scratching his chin.
“Start from the beginning. You captured them, had them in camp chained—then what happened?”
“I heard a growl in the woods. At first, I was only mildly curious. I knew with my dragon, that no matter what kind of wild beast it may be, I would be safe. However, it continued to growl, and the growl grew louder, like it was approaching the camp. I sent my dragon after the noise to check it out.” He took a deep breath. “After a moment of silence, I heard growls again, coming from two creatures this time. I waited a while longer, but then I heard a loud noise; it sounded like the earth was cracking apart. I checked the prisoners’ chains to make sure they were secured to the tree, then I left the camp to find the fight, and to see if my dragon was all right.”
“What did you find?” the captain asked.
“My dragon sprawled out on the ground, rolling in agony. I rushed over to the creature, putting my hand on its stomach.”
“What did it feel like?”
“Excuse me?”
“The beast’s stomach. What did it feel like?”
“Hard, it’s always hard. Not as hard as its back scales, but—”
“Anything else? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Uh—”
“Was its body cold?”
“Yes … yes, as a matter of fact it was. Which is unusual—”
“For a red, fire-breathing dragon,” Vesryn finished.
“What are you saying? That an ice dragon attacked my dragon and stole my prisoners? There is no such thing as ice dragons. Are you suggesting a rogue dragonrider is plotting against us?”
“Not necessarily,” Vesryn whispered.
He studied the other dragonriders before turning back to Tirask.
“What is it?” Tirask asked.
“A mercenary came to our camp yesterday, with orders from the general for access to our intelligence, and to assist us.” Vesryn paused. “He had a blue dragon.”
Tirask’s eyes widened. “Do you think he’s plotting against the empire?”
Vesryn shook his head. “I think the general sent him to retrieve the traitors. After we lost the traitors the first time, I don’t believe the general trusts us.”
“But he trusts a mercenary?” Tirask’s face twisted with a snarl.
“Apparently.”
Vesryn climbed back atop his dragon. “No point in staying here, boys. We best be off.”
“Where to?” Tirask asked.
Vesryn pointed a finger. “You have one last chance before I send you to the general.”
Tirask nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
“Well, if what you said is true, they’re heading to Laeraed. We’ll split into three groups. Tirask and Nathiel… you’ll be with me, and we’ll go to Trevium.”
He motioned to four others. “You four travel to Uriah.”
His order was acknowledged.
Vesryn faced the last four. “And you four … travel down to Laeraed.” He paused. “The rest of you, scour the forests near the river.”
He studied the faces of the ten dragonriders. “Fly low, search the ground as well. Perhaps we will get lucky and spot them. Find our agents in the cities and have them keep an eye out as well. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” echoed through the camp.
“Then let us be off,” Vesryn said.
The dragonriders mounted. Wings flapped in front of Vesryn as the dragons took flight. Broken chain shards fluttered in spirals all around the camp. Vesryn watched as his dragonriders ascended into the sky, blocking the blaring light from the two suns. He stroked the neck of his dragon, before patting its side twice. It was time to go.
9
Devarius stood at the mouth of a cave, watching a storm in the twilight. They were safe and warm for the night, but Devarius didn’t know for how long. He needed to bring them to Vaereal, but with every dragonrider in the empire searching for them, he didn’t know how he could.
“What worries you?” Paedyn asked from behind.
Devarius turned around. He half smiled at his friend. “How will we reach Vaereal without the empire finding us? Now that they know we’re traveling at least as far south as Laeraed, they’re probably searching every village from here to there. Besides, we’re hiding in a bloody cave dug in the ground, and they have dragons. If they know this cave is here, or if they spot it, they will search it.”
“We are at a risk, this is true. But it’s better than being in the open. At least we have one thing going for us right now.”
“What’s that?” Devarius asked.
Paedyn grinned. “This horrible storm. If the dragonriders fly in it, they won’t be able to see us. They’ll most likely travel over us to search the villages as you said, but they won’t notice this small underground cave in this weather.”
Devarius clasped his hand on Paedyn’s shoulder. “You always do know how to improve my mood, don’t you? How do you always stay so positive?”
Paedyn shrugged. “Someone has to.”
Devarius shook his head. “Any ideas on how we can reach Vaereal without giving notice?”
Paedyn bit his top lip. “Now that they know we’re traveling in a party of thirty, they will expect us to travel slow. That dragonrider saw we are low in supplies, and most of what we had, he took from us. I don’t believe we gathered much in our rush to leave, and they’ll know that. They’ll stick to the villages and cities, waiting for us to arrive and restock. A large party like ours entering any community would bring notice … like the last time.”
“Yes,” Devarius replied. “That was a mistake. We should have known better.”
Paedyn shook his head. “It’s in the past, my brother.” Paedyn coughed, glancing behind them to make sure no one was listening. He made sure to keep a careful eye on Dasyra. “They won’t expect us to travel south by the river, and it’ll be the fastest way. We’ll need to exit the river when the mountain comes into view so we don’t travel all the way to Laeraed, where they’ll be watching for us for sure. Then, we have to pass around the mountain from the north, around the west side, and back south to Vaereal.”
Devarius shook his head. “That’s a complicated journey. And why are you so sure they won’t check the river?”
“Thirty people traveling downstream without boats? They may check once or twice, but it won’t be their focus. They’ll be focused on the villages. I don’t know how many dragonriders are after us, but that dragonrider made it seem like there was a captain and maybe a few others. Even with dragons, that is a lot of ground to cover. So far, it doesn’t seem we’ve attracted the attention of the entire empire … At least, not yet.”
Devarius laughed under his breath. “We’ll see how long that takes. Hopefully, we’ll find the Resistance by then.”
Paedyn smiled.
“I have one problem with your idea.”
Paedyn tilted his head.
“Where are we going to get boats? We’ll need from seven to ten boats, depending on size.”
Paedyn’s eyes glinted. “Trevium is
just east of here.”
Devarius raised his eyebrows. “Trevium? Trevium is the closest city to where that dragonrider held us. They will definitely be looking for us in Trevium. We can’t just stroll in there to buy ten boats. We can’t stroll in there, period.”
“They’re looking for a large party. Thirty people. Not two or three people. We’ll have the rest of our party travel just south of Trevium. We’ll meet them down there after we acquire the boats.”
“Still, what if someone grows suspicious and they talk to the dragonriders?”
“We’ll create a distraction.” Paedyn glanced back over to Dasyra. “It’s time we lost a little deadweight. I have a plan.”
Devarius scratched his chin. He eyed Dasyra with suspicion. His eyebrows rose. “What did you have in mind?”
10
Derkas stood on the top of the mountain, gazing to the cave at the base of the mountain. Daylight gleamed over the horizon as the new day awakened. He pondered the new information he’d gathered. The night before, it had stormed with heavy rain and loud thunder, but he’d still overheard most of the conversation from the mouth of the cave. The group he’d tracked for the last several days was heading to Vaereal. It wasn’t the location of the Resistance, of that he was certain. He had been to Vaereal before. It was mainly a port village, one where provisions were transported from the southern cities to the keep at Meldakar. He gathered that there was a contact they were supposed to find in Vaereal.
Commotion from below shifted Derkas’s attention to the present. He moved behind a large rock to hide while motioning to his dragon to stay out of sight. Two men exited first, one dark-skinned, the other pale. He assumed them to be the two who had conversed the night before. The dark-skinned man commanded the others with confidence, though Derkas noticed the man’s face twist when he turned away from his companions, his left cheek puffing up, as if he worried whether he had made the correct decision. When he faced the others, he appeared self-assured, with a straight face and hard eyebrows. He conversed with the pale man and an equally pale woman, walking ahead of the party while the rest followed. The leather packs slung on their backs caved inward. Derkas assumed their rations were low and needed to be replenished.
Once they were far enough away, Derkas leaned against the rock, watching them. They were traveling west, almost directly toward Trevium, though with their current path, they would arrive just south of the city. Derkas bit his upper lip. If he hoped to receive his gold for the whereabouts of the Resistance, the party would have to reach Vaereal. However, Captain Doofus and his men could be a problem. Because they suspected the traitors to travel as far as Laeraed, Derkas knew the roads south would all be monitored. He would need to distract the captain and his men. The general did not have faith in the captain, and had decided it would prove more useful to follow the traitors to the Resistance, rather than capture them. At first, Derkas hadn’t understood why. Now he did. He observed the captain and the other dragonriders. Stealth was definitely not their forte. The buffoons would not be successful following the traitors without notice. Derkas would.
He turned away from the party as they departed and strode over to his dragon. The creature lay on the ground. Its eyes met Derkas’s. It huffed loudly.
“I know, boy,” Derkas said as he knelt on the ground to stroke the creature’s forehead.
A grumble vibrated the creature’s body, reminding Derkas of a purring house cat.
“It’s time to go.”
The dragon lifted its head, its lips twitching slightly upward as if in a smile. Unlike most dragonriders, Derkas didn’t believe dragons were stupid beasts without emotion. He knew his dragon understood his every word and was loyal to him to the death.
Derkas climbed atop the saddle and stroked the dragon softly on its neck. He sat back, tightened his black gloves, then patted the dragon twice on the neck.
“Remember, fly low and keep your distance. We don’t want them looking up to see us.”
The dragon’s head bobbed once in response.
11
A small breeze brushed across the back of Devarius’s neck, sending chills down his spine. A ribbon of unsettled nerves wrapped around him, leaving him unsure. Devarius’s skin pricked as though he were being watched. He shook off the feeling. Dusk approached as they neared the lake. They took a break as they said their farewells.
Devarius walked over to Aquila to embrace her. He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. She trembled underneath his touch.
“Keep everyone safe,” he whispered.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Aquila asked as she peered at Dasyra from the corner of her eye.
“I have to do something.”
She nodded. “Be careful.”
His lips quirked into a smile. “Always.”
Devarius joined Paedyn and Dasyra. He kept his focus forward, not wanting to turn around to look at those he left behind. A shiver traveled along his body, and he hoped he would see them again.
He welcomed the silence of their walk through the fresh early morning, but as he’d suspected, it didn’t last for long.
“So, we’re traveling to Trevium for supplies?” Dasyra asked.
“Yes,” Devarius replied.
“Then, where are we going?” she asked.
“Then …” Devarius sighed. “We’ll meet up with the others and continue our journey.”
“At the lake?”
“Where else would they go?”
“Are we still traveling to Laeraed?”
“Why would we travel there if that’s where they think we’re going now?” He glared at her.
“Look … I’m sorry.” She felt the wounds on her forearms with her fingertips. “I was afraid he’d slice me to pieces, then cut my head off like he did the old man’s. Then, what if he went to somebody else—what if he targeted the children next?” She sighed. “I’ve never been tortured before.”
Devarius gritted his teeth. “It’s in the past.”
“I’m surprised you let me come with you.”
Devarius raised an eyebrow. “Let you come? Paedyn and I decided to come to the city to gather supplies for everyone.” He studied her with clenched eyes. “You insisted you needed to come with us. You insisted that without your help, we would spend all our coins with barely anything to show for it.”
“He has a point,” Paedyn said. “You were rather insistent that two men were too incompetent to gather supplies for the needs of thirty people.”
“I didn’t say it like that,” she pouted.
“You implied it,” Devarius stated flatly.
“Everyone agreed with me. I am the daughter of a merchant. I know the cost of supplies.”
“Everyone?” Paedyn questioned.
“Well, many …”
“Look, it’s over,” Devarius said. “Let’s make the best of it. There are many people who are depending on us.”
“How exactly are we going to get inside the city?” Dasyra asked. “Don’t you think they’ll be looking for us there?”
“Yes, they will.”
“So, what is the plan?”
“We sneak in.”
“How are we going to sneak in through the gate?”
Devarius raised an eyebrow. “We never said we were going in the front.”
“Is there another entrance?”
“No,” Devarius said.
“Then how—”
“Just follow us. Paedyn and I have done this before.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” she huffed.
He shrugged.
“So, if we’re not going to Laeraed, where are we going?”
“We know nothing about the Resistance. All we know is, if we do nothing, the Dragonia Empire will continue to massacre thousands of people. We were traveling to Laeraed because it’s a straight path south along the river, which makes for easy traveling. We had planned to stop at every village and city along the way, hoping to find out more information about wh
ere we should actually travel. Since they will be looking for us in Laeraed, east seems to be a logical course.”
“East? Where to?” Dasyra asked.
“Sephreal isn’t too far away. We can start there and see where the road takes us. It may be best if we all just lay low there for a while, until the dragonriders give up their search.”
“Will they give up?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
Devarius motioned for her to be silent, and hoped she would heed his warning. Months of travel with the party had taught him one thing … Dasyra didn’t know how to be quiet. They reached the eastern side of Trevium. Tall trees cluttered the outside of the wall. He motioned Paedyn to stay with Dasyra while he scouted the area.
He returned with a satisfied nod, then climbed a large pine tree with the aid of two solid daggers. When he reached high enough, he was thankful for the long shadows of twilight. He wore black clothing, which blended well with the tone of his skin, allowing him to melt into the darkness. However, when he peered across the other side of the wall, he noticed the nearest section of the city was nearly empty. He pulled the rope off his shoulder, tied it around a nub on the wall, and dropped it to the others below. Devarius dared not wait for them to climb up. He rolled over the wall and used his daggers against the seams of the stone wall to ease himself down.
When his feet touched the ground, he scanned the immediate area. Nothing but an empty alley surrounded him. One guard loitered nearby, whom Devarius rendered unconscious by stalking him from behind and knocking him on the back of the head with a loose stone. After securing him by tying his hands and feet, he returned to the gate. Paedyn was waiting for him, dusting off his arms.
“Where’s Dasyra?” Devarius whispered.
“Climbing isn’t exactly her forte.”
Devarius glanced up and saw a shaking Dasyra on the top of the wall, clinging to it like a wren on a swaying reed.
He inhaled loudly. After retrieving the two daggers from his belt, Devarius climbed back up the wall. When he reached the top, he grabbed Dasyra, tossed her over his shoulder, repositioned the rope to inside, grabbed ahold of it, and slid down. When his feet touched the ground, he set Dasyra down and yanked the rope loose.
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