“I tried to talk to you … a few villages ago, but I was pulled away,” Zaviana responded carefully.
“That’s right. Your husband pulled you away.”
Zaviana scoffed. “He wishes. He is not my husband. He was my captor.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “Your captor?”
Zaviana held her hand out. “Zaviana.”
The woman grabbed Zaviana’s hand carefully. “Naveen.”
A jolt of electricity traveled between them through their hands. They tensed, stared each other in the eyes for a second, then released hands.
“Zaviana? What were you trying to tell me in the village?”
“You are in danger. The resistance is in danger.”
Naveen raised an eyebrow. “I’m not with the resistance.”
Zaviana glanced from side to side. She noticed the small party of people accompanying Naveen. Two men and a woman. Each wore thick leathers to protect them from the cold.
“You mean you’re not with them yet. I happen to know where they are.”
Naveen’s eyebrows quirked. “You do, do you?”
“Yes, but they won’t be safe for long. We need to reach them before it’s too late.”
“What are you talking about?” Naveen asked.
“The empire is coming. They know where the resistance is hiding. We need to warn them.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You can’t.” Zaviana sighed. “But do you have a choice?”
Naveen’s nose wrinkled. “Where are they?”
“East … in the mountains.”
Naveen’s brow furrowed. “East? How far north or south?”
Zaviana shook her head. “Directly east. We must hurry. I don’t know when Derkas will catch up with me.”
“Who?”
Zaviana sighed. “Derkas. The man who wouldn’t let me talk to you. He’s a mercenary, and the one who found the resistance and told the empire where they are. He held me prisoner, but I escaped two nights ago. He will be looking for me.”
“I suppose you’re right. I have no choice. The rest of my allies are outside of the village. We’ll have to stop there to collect them.”
Zaviana nodded. “Let’s hurry.”
12
Three hundred people trekked up the mountain. Naveen and Zaviana led them. They talked a little during the journey, but most of all, they tried to keep warm. Snow already covered the ground all throughout the south, but the mountains were even worse. Instead of mere inches of snow, they had feet of snow to tread through. They made it between the two mountains to find many more mountains blocking their way.
“Where exactly is this place?” Naveen asked.
Zaviana closed her eyes. “Someone approaches.”
Naveen shivered, her senses starting to throb in her mind. She furrowed her brow at Zaviana. Was she able to use an extra sense as well? Naveen opened her mouth to ask, but closed it when a small force of warriors appeared.
The warriors were clad in leather armor and had swords at their hips. She counted five who approached, and another five a little further back.
“What is your business in these mountains?” the leader asked.
“We seek refuge,” Zaviana said.
“Seek elsewhere. These mountains are dangerous in the winter.”
“We seek the resistance,” Zaviana stated.
The man paused as he studied the group accompanying Zaviana. “And what makes you seek them here?”
“I know you are here. And you have a problem … so does the emperor.”
His eyes widened before he straightened himself, giving her a stern look. “What do you know?”
“I will speak with your leader. Danger is coming.”
He scanned the villagers one more time. “Very well, follow us.”
Warriors approached all around them, walking along their sides and behind as they followed the captain deeper into the mountains.
Zaviana took a deep breath, relieved to have reached the resistance at last. Her only growing concern was how soon the emperor would attack. She supposed it depended on how threatened he was about the resistance. If he truly feared them, he would gather as much of his army as he could before he attacked. That gave them time; however, it also meant if they weren’t fast enough, there would be no hope. The empire would crush them.
They followed the warriors through swirls of trails through the mountains until they approached a large gate. Zaviana’s eyes widened as she saw the exterior of the city. It was fortified with stone and metal, most likely from the mountain itself. Even if the empire attacked, the city didn’t look like it would fall easily.
The gate opened and everyone went inside. Once the last warrior at their rear entered the gate, he signaled, and it closed.
“Welcome to Saefron,” the captain said.
“It’s incredible,” Naveen said.
Zaviana smiled as she looked around. The streets were clear, and several of the buildings appeared deserted. Most were made of stone, but many others were built with wood. She marveled at their appearance. But as she looked around, an unsettling feeling came over her. The city was massive, as large as Melonia, but the streets were empty. It wasn’t night, but midday. More people should be in the streets.
“It looks empty … deserted,” she whispered.
The captain glanced at her. “Come. We’ll need to see Ellisar in the conference room.” He wrinkled his nose at the villagers. “The others will need to stay behind. We don’t have room for everyone. They will be taken care of.”
“I understand,” Zaviana said. “However, I request Naveen accompany us. She speaks for most of the villagers.”
“Very well.”
Zaviana followed the captain to the center of the city. She took in the sight of the city as she followed, marveling at its beauty, but concern still flooded her with how empty the streets were. Only a handful of women and children littered the streets. She did not like the shivers that traveled down her spine. Something was wrong.
The captain led them inside a large room with a long rectangular table. At the head of the table sat an old man, whose white mustache curled toward his nose. He smiled at them as they sat down.
“Welcome to Saefron. My name is Ellisar. I am the leader of the resistance. I was sent word that you have dire news for me to hear.”
Zaviana glanced from Ellisar to the captain. “I’m assuming your captain sent word ahead as we were being escorted here?”
Ellisar nodded.
“And what is your name?” She asked the captain.
“Balderyck. I’m the standing captain while Tynaer is away.”
She nodded to him. “First, I want to recognize Naveen here. Her courage is what brought so many villagers to your doorstep today. When her village was attacked by dragonriders, and her friends and companions hung for traitors, she rallied several of the villagers to join her and find you.”
Ellisar’s bushy white eyebrows rose on his forehead. “The Dragonia Empire is still resorting to murdering villagers?”
Naveen nodded. “Yes, milord. They claim the villagers were resistance sympathizers and traitors to the empire. I knew many of them. They were no such thing. We lived simple lives and did everything we could to remain unnoticed from the empire’s eye.”
“What village are you from?”
“Anius.”
“I had a few followers there, but they were to remain low-key. Do you remember the names of the people they killed?”
She nodded.
“If you could, I would like their names later. I would like to know if I knew any of them.”
“As you wish.”
“Ellisar, they did this to at least two more villages,” Zaviana said.
His eyes widened.
“Dragonriders have been traveling from village to village, accusing people of being traitors, hanging several people from each village, and burning their homes,” Zaviana said.
“That is ill news. I d
on’t know what you want from me though. We do not have the power to protect the villages.”
“I believe they are instilling fear into the villagers, fear to join you.”
“Fear?”
Zaviana nodded. “Yes. And I’ve asked myself many times … why would they bother instilling fear in their people?”
He scratched his shaved chin. “And your conclusion?”
“They’re scared. People weren’t leaving the villages in waves to join you. Many villages thought the resistance was only a rumor. You haven’t exactly been recruiting. Until recently, no one has known where you are—”
“Until recently,” he interrupted.
“I heard you recently won a battle against the empire. Is that true?”
He nodded. “A battle … yes. It was unintentional, and it left many casualties. But we did survive it.”
“No one ever has, and now the emperor is scared.”
“What did you mean when you said until recently no one has known where we are?”
Zaviana inhaled, looked down, then blew out a slow breath. She met Ellisar’s eyes. “The emperor knows you’re here. You’re in danger. In fact, we all are now that we’re here.”
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “How? Did you lead them here?”
She shook her head. “I was a prisoner of the emperor … for many years. I was first captured by two dragonriders collecting taxes from northern farms. My family was killed except for my brother. He was left to spread the news. I was taken. I was intended for the dragonrider, but a mercenary found me. He was on a quest for the empire, tracking down some traitor who stole a stone from the emperor—”
“The dragon stone?”
Zaviana flinched. “Yeah … the dragon stone. How did you know?”
Ellisar exhaled. “He was supposed to deliver that to me. It would have turned the tide of the war years ago.”
Zaviana’s lips pressed firmly together. “Well, the mercenary found me and saved me. He killed the dragonrider who tried to force himself on me. The other fled.”
“And the dragon?”
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I’ve always wondered what happened to the dragon after its rider was killed.”
“The dragon shrieked in rage at first, but it left with the other rider when it couldn’t defeat Derkas.”
“Derkas … yes, I’ve heard the name. He has quite the reputation. So what happened to you?”
“We traveled together for a time. He offered his protection, and I was scared, so I clung to him. My emotions were high, and after months of traveling with him in search of this traitor and the stone, I fell for him.”
Ellisar didn’t show emotion. He simply nodded.
Zaviana gulped. “When we finally found the stone and the man who had stolen it, we brought them back to the emperor. Derkas kept me out of sight, but the emperor sensed me. He came after me. An army of dragonriders surrounded me, and I couldn’t fight them. When Derkas was giving the traitor and the stone to the emperor, they captured me and brought me in.”
“Why did the emperor seek you out?” Ellisar’s index finger rubbed his mustache.
“I don—”
Ellisar jerked upright. “Did you touch the stone?”
“I—” Zaviana broke off. Shivers traveled over her body. A cold sweat overcame her.
“Did you touch the stone?”
She gulped. “Yes.”
“Is it true then?”
“Is what true?”
“Did the dragon stone do something to you? Did some of its power transfer over to you?”
Zaviana’s lips crunched together. She hadn’t realized the leader of the resistance would know so much. Most of the events with Derkas and the dragon stone she had kept secret. No one knew. It was time for her to reveal her longest kept secret.
“Yes.”
“Magic …” Ellisar whispered.
Zaviana nodded.
Ellisar’s face remained stoic for a long while, then it split into a grin. “Perhaps the tides are turning after all.”
Zaviana shook her head. “I was a prisoner for many years. The emperor studied me, tested me, did many cruel things to me … all to discover the limits of my abilities. I resisted most of it.”
“How did you escape?”
“I didn’t. Derkas came back. He traded for me.”
“Traded? What could the empire possibly want enough to let you go ...” His eyes bulged.
“You. Derkas discovered your location. He told the emperor where you are … and now the Dragonia Empire is coming. They are coming here.”
13
The conference room filled with silence. No one spoke for several long minutes. The only sound was their heartbeats and breaths, which were mind-numbingly loud. Not one of their hearts beat with the serenity of calm. Each person in the room had a rapid heartbeat, one of worry and fright.
“Coming here?” Ellisar asked at last.
“Yes,” Zaviana said. “We need to ready your defenses. You’ve defeated them once, we need to do so again.”
“Defeated them? We’ve never taken the wrath of the entire Dragonia Empire. If they indeed have discovered where we are, they won’t have a mere ten dragonriders. They’ll have hundreds. We can’t defeat them.” Ellisar stood. “We barely defeated the ten dragonriders the last time!”
“But you did defeat them,” Zaviana retorted.
“We defeated them with our army … I don’t know if you have noticed, but we are rather without one at the moment.”
Zaviana’s brows furrowed. “I noticed the streets are empty. I hoped there were more of you. Where is your army?”
Ellisar rubbed his face with both hands. “They’re off the west coast of Kaeldroga, on a small island in the south.”
Zaviana’s mouth dropped open. “What in the blazes are they doing there?”
“Training,” Ellisar muttered.
“Why are they training all the way over there? We’re on the eastern side of Kaeldroga … that’s months away.”
Ellisar nodded. “Yes.”
“We’re doomed, aren’t we? We’re all going to die here.”
“Perhaps … perhaps not. We can make the journey by ship in a week if we’re lucky.”
“A week?” Zaviana asked. “Even if that’s true, we’d have to bring them all back, and depending on how many, that’d take at least several weeks, if you even have enough ships for all of them.”
“They don’t need ships to return.”
“Don’t need ships?”
“They have wyverns.”
Zaviana bit her bottom lip. “Wyverns? What are wyverns?”
“They’re flying reptiles similar to dragons … but a lot smaller.”
Zaviana raised an eyebrow. “How much smaller?”
“Instead of an ant riding a lizard, think of an ant riding a grasshopper.”
Her brow furrowed. “And you’ve been training them to ride?”
Ellisar nodded.
“And can they breathe fire like dragons?”
His eyes glowed as a smile found its way onto his face. “Much more. So far, we’ve discovered wyverns that can breathe fire, ice, acid, lightning, and a powerful wind current.”
Zaviana’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “How many?”
Ellisar smiled. “Hundreds.”
“Where are they?”
His face fell. “As I said … they’re on a small island many miles off the western bank of Kaeldroga in the south.”
Her hand touched her face as she considered his words. “That’s why your warriors are so far away. This island must be the wyverns’ native land.”
“That is correct.”
“If they reach us in time, do we stand a chance?” Naveen asked.
“That is hard to say. We’ve only had one battle so far, and it was twenty wyverns versus ten dragonriders.” Ellisar gulped. “And we lost over half.”
“It’s our only chance,
” Zaviana said.
“Yes it is. For our sake, I hope they reach us in time … and I hope we have enough.”
“When do we leave?”
He tilted his head. “Leave?”
“You said a ship has to be taken to this island to request the army returns. When do we leave?”
“I’ll send men first thing in the morning. Do not concern yourself with it.”
“It is my concern. I will accompany them. I will help bring word to your warriors.”
“Why? There is no need for you to go. You can help us here.”
“I have seen what the Dragonia Empire is capable of. I have seen the dragonriders, the dragons … and I know what they can do. I need to see these wyverns, their abilities, so I can judge the most effective way to use them.”
Ellisar sighed. “Very well. But for now, get some rest.” Zaviana and Naveen walked out of the council room, their heads held high. An overwhelming gloom settled upon them as they thought about the Dragonia Empire’s arrival. But they focused on hope. The red sun set in the west, casting a beautiful scarlet glow over the horizon.
“Would you like to watch the sunset?” Naveen asked.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sunset,” Zaviana said.
“Perhaps we can talk a little bit as well…”
“Yes, we should.”
The two of them walked together in silence. Each had burdens weighing on her shoulders as she thought about the implications of the Dragonia Empire and the resistance. Neither knew what they were going to do if the resistance were to fail.
“How long were you a prisoner of the emperor?” Naveen asked.
Zaviana took a deep breath, stretched, opened her mouth, and paused to study the sunset for several long moments. “Well, you want to dive right into, don’t you?”
“Well, I don’t know much about you. I want to know more.” Naveen brushed her hand through her long black hair. “I feel a connection with you. I don’t know how to explain it, but I have this sense we’re meant to be close.”
“A sense, you say?” Zaviana asked.
“Yes, I’ve had an extra sense all my life. My mother called it a gift. My father called it a curse. She had the gift too, you know? But Father was right. When I was a little girl, she let me watch her use her extra sense. The villagers saw and called her witch.”
Dragonia- Dragonia Empire series Box Set Page 24