Cas and Pimples were a couple of miles from them when Phelistoth and I left, but they are near the city, yes. Blazer and Duck are back at the original landing place.
Can you talk to Cas telepathically?
Not from here. I’m close to the bay, where I made Phelistoth put me down. I came to look for you. She’s too far away for me to reach.
Tolemek’s mind whirled. He wished it was as easy as sending Tylie back to talk to the others, but she couldn’t walk through the swamp alone. She had no way to defend herself from winged alligators and the other dangers that filled the waters. He growled under his breath, almost as annoyed at Phelistoth for leaving her alone in a dangerous place as he was at the dragon for wanting to double-cross the Iskandians. He could understand choosing one’s homeland over what one had always considered the enemy nation. He couldn’t understand leaving a girl alone in this hells-kissed wilderness.
Kaika stopped and raised a hand. “Cofah ahead,” she whispered.
“We’ve reached the hot air balloon,” Quataldo whispered back.
“Change of plan.” Tolemek had put his knockout grenade away, but he slipped it out of the pouch on his belt again.
“What?” Quataldo’s hand tightened on his arm.
“Just listen for a moment, and stop manhandling me, Colonel.”
Quataldo growled but let him go.
“My sister is nearby—Phelistoth dropped her off out here, so he could go talk to the emperor.”
“What?” Kaika and Quataldo whispered in unison.
“I’m just learning about this. Cas and Farris are within a couple of miles of the city with their fliers. They have the princess, though I’m not sure yet if that helps us or makes us more of a target. Either way, if Tylie can get back to those two and let them know what we plan, they may be able to fly in and pick us up at an opportune moment.”
“Such as immediately after we kidnap the emperor and before his highly trained imperial guards shoot us?” Kaika asked.
“That does sound opportune.”
“Is your sister on her way to tell them now?” Quataldo asked.
“She’s on her way here,” Tolemek said. “Someone needs to escort her back. The swamp is too dangerous for her to navigate alone.”
“Not you. We need you.”
“As bait, I know.” Tolemek rubbed the grenade in his hand. He had no intention of being bait, but he did need to go along. He had the tools to knock out swaths of soldiers without making a sound. Even the deadly Colonel Quataldo wouldn’t be as efficient as his grenades. “Quataldo, if you go back with her, I’d feel secure knowing she would be protected. If Kaika and I get in a heap of trouble up there, I’d also be reassured knowing that you were going to be riding in the back of one of those fliers to jump down and get us.”
“Just you and Kaika to kidnap the emperor?” Quataldo asked skeptically. “Even if you get aboard his ship, he’ll be heavily guarded.”
Kaika nudged Tolemek. “Should we be offended that he thought that wasn’t a problem when he was coming along but is certain we can’t handle it by ourselves?”
“I’m not certain of that,” Quataldo grumbled. “Just concerned. I’m familiar with your work, and we need the emperor kidnapped rather than blown up.”
“Technically, I think both possibilities would give Iskandia a ruler to deal with that’s less of an ass.”
Quataldo hesitated. Tolemek frowned. He was willing to kidnap the emperor, but he hadn’t come to be an assassin, and it bothered him that Kaika had that notion in mind.
“Angulus wants him kidnapped, not assassinated,” Quataldo said.
“I do hate disappointing him,” Kaika said. “We’ll do our best to stick to the original plan. I think Tylie is coming. She needs her escort.”
Tolemek sensed Tylie walking straight toward him, having no trouble finding him in the dark. He spread his arms, and she hugged him fiercely. He didn’t need magic to sense that she blamed herself for some of the trouble.
“It’s all right,” he whispered.
“I miss Mother,” she said into his chest, “but I didn’t want—I don’t want to go home. I know it wouldn’t be as I remember it, and that they wouldn’t approve of me studying magic. Father... you know how Father is. I want to go back and keep studying with Sardelle and Jaxi. And I want to find out if General Ridge is alive. And I want to see if the squirrels out back had babies. I was feeding them seeds and nuts. Did you know? Phel wouldn’t listen. He said he knew what was best for me.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Tolemek said. “We—”
A roar sounded from the direction of the bay, loud and reverberating with power. The combined effect raised the hairs up and down Tolemek’s arms.
“What was that?” Quataldo whispered.
Tolemek barely heard him over the raised voices up ahead—the guards around the hot air balloon had obviously heard the noise too.
“The female dragon,” Tylie said. “She sensed Phelistoth coming. She’s warning him to stay away.”
“Will he listen?” Tolemek asked.
“If he’s smart.”
“Was that a yes or a no?” Kaika asked dryly.
“He is smart,” Tylie said, “but he’s determined too. He wants an audience with the emperor. He’ll probably try something crafty to get the female out of the area for a while.”
Another roar echoed from the skies, this one deeper and coming from farther north, in the direction of the city. Phelistoth.
“The soldiers will be distracted,” Quataldo said. “This is the ideal time for us to go in.”
“For us to go in.” Tolemek waved at Kaika. “You’re taking Tylie to find the others, remember? Then coming back in the fliers.” Another time, he might have felt presumptuous giving an Iskandian colonel orders on an Iskandian mission, but he knew he was right and that they didn’t have much time, not if they wanted to take advantage of the darkness and the dragons challenging each other.
“Very well,” Quataldo said. “Don’t make me regret this.” He stared straight at Tolemek. What, did he think Tolemek had some betrayal in mind?
The lack of trust frustrated him, but Kaika patted him on the back and said, “Let’s go.”
At least she wasn’t hesitating to head into the Cofah camp alone with him. Tolemek would have to win the Iskandians over, one person at a time. If Phelistoth didn’t ruin everything for him.
He hugged Tylie and whispered, “Be careful,” before letting Kaika lead him away.
I’ll be careful, Tylie spoke into his mind as they left, but you’re the one going to visit enemies. You should be even more careful.
I see my little sister has grown wise as well as accomplished in the ways of magic.
I wish I was accomplished. Then I could be more help.
One day, Tylie. One day.
Tolemek did not share that he hoped this mission would be successful and result in a world in which they didn’t constantly have to fling themselves into danger, one where Tylie could finish growing up and study whatever she wished without having to worry about becoming a tool for one nation or another.
• • • • •
“It’s a fine raft, Farris,” Zia said from her cross-legged perch on precisely the fourth log from the right, the one that continued to bind her to it.
“Thank you.” It was too dark to see Pimples’ smile, but Cas could tell from his tone that it was there.
Cas did not say anything but admitted that he had put together an admirably sound raft, given the awkwardness of working around Zia and the limited time and resources they’d had. Now, he and Cas stood on the edges, poling it through the water and staying close to the shoreline while Zia rode in the middle.
So far, nothing inimical had disturbed them. The swamp was much quieter than it had been earlier, with only the occasional squeak of a bat or hoot of an owl. Cas did not know if the stillness had to do with the late hour or if Phelistoth might be nearby. She kept glancing skyward, expecting him
to catch up with them and grow angry that they had presumed to move his prisoner.
“I’m sure you’ll build a fine house someday,” Zia added.
Cas held back a snort. During the hour they had been poling their way toward the part of the marsh where they had left the fliers, Pimples had been chattering about his plans for constructing his dream house. He had also regaled her with stories from his academy days and some of their missions against pirates—either by accident or design, he hadn’t recounted any tales that had involved attacking the Cofah. Cas had heard the stories before and had not spoken much, but to her surprise, Zia responded enthusiastically, also sharing a few tales of her school days and explaining her interest in science and history. She wanted to be a researcher at a university and maybe a teacher, but she found the idea of standing in front of rows of students intimidating. Pimples had promised her that she would be good at it, based on the fact that he had known her for almost three hours. Cas poled along silently, letting them bond. It could only help if a Cofah princess thought fondly of them, or fondly of Pimples rather.
“Take us to the right, Pimples,” Cas said. “I think the fliers are up that hill. That little beach may be as close as we can get.” She hoped the fliers were up that hill. All of the trees, waterways, and hills looked the same, especially at night. Usually, she prided herself on her sense of direction, but she wouldn’t be shocked if they pushed their raft into a river and out to sea instead of finding the fliers.
“Pushing,” Pimples said, shifting to the back of the raft and shoving them off the bottom in the desired direction.
“Why does she call you Pimples, Farris?” Zia asked.
Pimples managed a dramatic sigh while pushing on his pole with both hands. “It’s the horrible nickname my squadron gave me. Most of the pilots get names that embarrass them. I’m told it’s a rite of passage.”
“What’s her nickname?”
“Raptor.”
“That doesn’t sound embarrassing.”
“She’s special.”
Zia frowned at Cas, as if this were her fault.
“Lieutenant Cas,” came an unexpected whisper from the trees.
“Is that Tylie?” Cas lifted her gaze, assuming Phelistoth would be nearby.
“Yes, and I’m with Colonel Abram.”
“Is that Quataldo?” Pimples whispered.
“I assume so.” Cas had noticed that Tylie rarely used people’s surnames.
Tylie stood beside a tree and waved at their raft. Cas did not see Quataldo, but trusted he was there. But why was he there? And where was Tolemek?
Cas poled harder, pushing them the final few meters to the bank. The raft snagged on something under the water, and she had to jump off early. If Zia weren’t stuck on the log, they could have let their little craft go, but she assumed the princess did not want to float away. Pimples jumped in and helped Cas tug the raft to shore.
“Where’s Phelistoth?” Cas asked, walking up the bank with Tylie so they would be out of earshot from Zia.
“I didn’t agree with what he was doing, so I told him to leave me.”
“What he’s doing?”
“We can explain it on the way,” Quataldo said quietly, stepping out of the shadows. “We need to get the fliers in the air, so we can pick up Tolemek and Kaika in the bay to the south of here. With luck, we’ll be picking up the emperor too. Can you communicate with Blazer and get her and Duck up here too? We’ll need all of the seats.” He gave Tylie a troubled look. If she wasn’t able to ride back with Phelistoth, they were actually a seat short.
“Even with all of them, there’s not room for Zia,” Pimples said, still standing in the water next to the raft where she had to remain, thanks to Phelistoth’s magic.
“Our next stop will be Iskandia,” Quataldo said. “I’m sure she would prefer to stay with her people. Ahn, go rub a crystal.”
“Yes, sir.” Cas started toward the fliers, leaving the others to figure out what to do with their guest. Her heart pounded as she imagined Tolemek and Kaika trying to infiltrate the Cofah fleet by themselves. She also hadn’t forgotten that Phelistoth had bent some trees to make room for her and Pimples to land, trees that wouldn’t likely bend again without him here.
She found the fliers under their camo netting, undisturbed. She wriggled up into the cockpit before bothering to peel back the netting and thumbed the communication crystal.
“Captain Blazer?”
An impressive yawn answered her.
“I’ll take that for a yes. Are you and Duck ready to fly, ma’am?”
“Always ready to fly. Do they have the emperor already? Where’s the pickup? The city?”
“I’m not sure what the status is on the emperor, but our team is making their incursion now.” Did two people count as an incursion? “Kaika and Tolemek, at least. Quataldo is with us approximately two miles west of the city. Pimples and I have to do some work to free our fliers. You should fly within a couple of miles of the city, staying out of sight of the bay and the imperial airships, then circle until one of us contacts you. We’ll want to go in together, in and out as quickly as possible.”
“No argument from me. We’ll be up there faster than Duck can skin a ’gator.”
“Does anyone have an axe in their tool kit?” Cas pushed the camo netting away from her cockpit, frowning at a tree that was too close for her to take off without mangling her wing.
“I have a nail file,” Pimples said.
“So you can work on your cuticles while you fly?” Cas cursed and jumped down. She had a small survival axe for chopping branches for firewood, but it would take days to hack down the trees around them with it.
“I lost my screwdriver, and the supply sergeant wouldn’t give me a new one. The file does in a pinch.”
“I don’t think it will work to saw down a tree.”
“You need the trees moved?” Tylie asked, touching the thick trunk Cas had been glowering at earlier.
“Just that one, and probably those two by Pimples’ flier. We’ll risk crashing through a few branches to get out of here.”
“I think I can do it now. I watched Phel and then asked him about how he talks to the nature.” Tylie lowered her chin to her chest and leaned her forehead against the trunk.
“Talks to the nature?” Cas mouthed.
Pimples came up beside her, his own netting already rolled and folded. “You sure you don’t want my file?”
A distant roar floated through the marsh. A frog that had been croaking in the reeds halted abruptly.
“What was that?” Cas asked.
“The dragons were posturing at each other as we left,” Quataldo said.
“Dragons? More than one?”
“I’ll explain that en route too. Did you reach Blazer?”
“Yes, sir,” Cas said. “She and Duck are coming.”
“Tylie insists on going along to help her brother,” Pimples said.
Cas shoved her camo netting into its compartment with more muscle than the job required. Tolemek would be devastated if they left his sister to be eaten by alligators, but was taking her into battle any better? What if something happened to her? Tolemek had been hurt enough in his life, and he had so few people in the world who cared about him and whom he cared about. He needed Tylie, perhaps even more than he realized. Cas shuddered at the idea of being responsible for losing her.
“Zia thinks she’ll be fine by herself. She said she’d pole the raft back to the city where she’ll be safe.” Pimples grimaced, his displeasure at leaving her alone obvious, but they didn’t have many other options. The princess hadn’t been afraid to shoot and had kept her head against those alligators, but that didn’t mean she had been effective against them. None of them had, aside from Phelistoth. “I’m hoping we can finish quickly and that I can come back for her,” he said.
“She’s not coming to Iskandia with us,” Cas said. “There’s no room in the fliers, and that could start a war.”
Pimp
les’ chin came up. “Like kidnapping the emperor won’t?”
“He’s a crotchety old ass who has successors coveting his throne. How many people will risk themselves to save him? She, on the other hand, is young, pretty, and nice.”
“Yes,” Pimples said with a dreamy sigh. “She is.”
“The entire empire might rally to retrieve her.”
A soft moan came from behind them. It wasn’t a human or animal noise; it sounded more like wood sighing. The tree Tylie stood next to now leaned away from the flier, as it had when Cas first landed.
Tylie held up her hand, as if she were commanding it to stay, then jogged toward the second tree blocking them in.
“Huh,” Cas said. “Maybe she can do more than we think.”
Quataldo strode over to join them. “We ready to go?”
“As soon as those two trees over there sigh,” Pimples said.
“Get the fliers ready. I’ll come with you, Lieutenant Ahn.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Pimples, you’ll take Tylie. At some point, she’ll have to transfer back to Phelistoth, so we have room for the emperor.” Quataldo frowned, and Cas wondered at the logistics of mid-air transfers. It might be better to leave Tylie with Zia, but then, she was the only one who could communicate with Tolemek and Kaika, since they had lost the other communication crystal. “Let’s hope they can reconcile long enough for a flight home.”
“Yes, sir,” Pimples said. He started for his cockpit, but then sprinted back toward the water.
He splashed into it and leaned onto the raft to whisper a couple of words to Zia. He touched a hand to her arm, then leaned back to go. She reached out and caught him, whispered something back, then took his face in her hands and kissed him.
At first, Cas could only gawk. Then she looked at Quataldo, afraid he would be irritated at the delay—even though Tylie had one more tree to move. The colonel merely looked stunned.
He turned his confused gaze to Cas, as if she could explain. “That’s the Cofah princess, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And that’s Lieutenant Pimples, isn’t it?” He truly sounded like he wasn’t sure.
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