Tamerlan tried to force him aside, but it was impossible to get Ram out of his thoughts anymore. Even now as his own heart bent to every movement of Marielle, as his own eyes wanted to linger on her forever, as his own feet wanted nothing more than to follow her, rebellion brewed in his mind.
Ram was strong and growing stronger by the moment. And if Tamerlan didn’t find a way free of him, then eventually Ram would be even stronger than the love he felt for the girl with the purple eyes.
“Should you close that portal?” he asked Marielle.
“I can’t yet,” she said, taking his hand. “Come on, we have to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the Five Cities of the Dragonblood Plains,” she said.
Perfect! Ram crowed. We’ll make her an avatar there and bind the dragon you brought to the mountains. I’m ready.
“I think I should stay here,” Tamerlan said, nervously.
“In this dead city?” Marielle asked.
He only shook his head, worried by his trembling hands. Maybe he should smoke anyhow. Maybe it would call one of the other Legends. Any of them would be better than Ram all the time.
Yes! Smoke! Ram sounded excited.
Or maybe it would deliver the last of him into the Hunter Legend’s hands.
Marielle led him to Jhinn in the gondola below. Jhinn’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. Tamerlan looked at him with puzzlement and at Etienne who sat in the boat too, a barely suppressed rage in his eyes.
“Where is Rajit?” Marielle asked, worry in her voice.
“He took Etienne’s boat through the portal,” Jhinn said, excitement and longing in his eyes. “It worked. He went on with the dragons.”
“And you remained,” Marielle said with compassion in her voice. “You could have gone, too.”
He shook his head, looking at Tamerlan with an expression Tamerlan couldn’t read.
“We’re not done here yet,” Jhinn said. “You and I have more work to do, Marielle.”
“And is anyone going to tell me what that work is?” Etienne asked. His eyes were clear of Legend. He didn’t look like he was going to attack Tamerlan right now – though he watched Tamerlan with wary eyes – the same way that Tamerlan was watching him.
“Not yet,” Marielle. “Right now, you’ll just have to trust us.”
“When, then?”
“As soon as we can,” she said with a sigh. “For now, grab an oar. It’s a long way back to the plains.”
Without the protection of the dragons, it was also a cold way back to the plains. And as the winter winds blew the snow around them Tamerlan thought of the cities below and the fast they’d be having over Winterfast. They had no idea what their history really was. They had no idea of the sacrifices that had been made ... or the ones still to be made.
He shivered despite the noonday sun and watched Marielle like the moon watched the earth – forever outside its reach, and yet forever the guide of its path. He would just have to trust her. If he dared. And hope he didn’t lose the last of himself before she succeeded in saving them all.
Springhatch
Book Five
“Death, the great equalizer of men, stalks our steps, shadows our thoughts, and mimics our hopes. So that in the end, only by embracing its cold touch may we ever be free of its tyranny.”
-Legends of the Dragonblooded
Legends – As they stand in the story so far ...
Byron Bronzebow DEAD
A good-looking hero who carries a bronze bow. Known in history for his care for the poor and needy.
Deathless Pirate
Known for his love of treasure and invulnerability and recognized by his hook for a hand and belt of human skulls.
Grandfather Timeless
Based in the Timekeepers religion he is known for his high hat, long black coat and golden waistcoat. He is Time in human form subjecting all to his will.
King Abelmeyer the One-Eyed DEAD
Known for his single eye and broken crown, King Abelmeyer united the five cities of the Dragonblood Plains in the alliance that lasts today.
Lady Sacrifice DEAD
Known for her loveliness, innocence and sacrifice for the people, she is usually clad in a white dress.
Lila Cherrylocks
A master thief and trickster. Known for her long cherry-red locks, deft skills, and adventurous spirit.
Maid Chaos (Reborn)
The right hand of Death. Known for destruction, death and the golden breastplate she wears.
Queen Mer DEAD
Queen of the Sea and mother to the Waverunners. Queen Mer is known for her revenge upon man in the form of hurricanes and typhoons and for the shells, scales, and seaweed that she wears.
Ram the Hunter
The unspoken Legend. Not mentioned in the Dragonblood Plains except in whispers, he is known for slaying dragons and going insane in the aftermath.
The Admiral
New Legend added by the Retribution in Choan.
1: Running River
Marielle
Marielle gripped the sides of the boat as Jhinn called commands from the rear.
“Hold on to something!” he called.
The water had changed directions as soon as they outdistanced the pull of the portal, and with the removal of half the mountain range – since those mountains had been trapped dragons, which were now free – the water all flowed downhill and very quickly.
Tamerlan held an oar and stood in the front of the gondola, using an oar to shove them away from any large rock or piece of debris as they rushed down the angry river.
Etienne looked equally tense as he held the other oar and used it to steer as Jhinn commanded. Jhinn was manning the pedal assembly, refusing to let anyone else take a turn at the pedals, and angrily ordering Tamerlan and Etienne as they worked. He hadn’t let up since the moment they turned their backs on the portal and Marielle could almost see the strain of it in his face – as if the portal was calling him back even as he fled in the other direction.
His scent was a tangled mess of hope and anxiety – smoked paprika and morning dew fighting for dominance.
She understood why. There was nothing he wanted more than the culmination of his life coming true in the waters of the worlds between worlds. And yet, he couldn’t leave his people ignorant of the fact that what they’d hoped for all their lives was finally becoming real.
If only Marielle’s news was so sweet and hopeful. When she reached the plains, she would have her own message to deliver, but it was hardly the good news of a great hope. It was the grim warning to flee every city before she made them each uninhabitable. If the people there knew what she was going to do – if Etienne or Tamerlan knew – then they’d try to stop her with everything they had. It had to remain a secret until the right time. Until then, she could only trust Jhinn.
Which was the first of her problems. She needed to get to the back of the dragon H’yi – the very dragon they’d fled just days ago – and smash Grandfather Timeless’ clock before that dragon flew again. It was the only way to free her next potential ally. Until then, she couldn’t trust Etienne. Even now, she could see the gleam in his eyes as he watched her. Was that him or the Legend inside him looking at her that way?
If only there was a sure way to get a dragon to sit still. She frowned thinking about it. Had she seen that happen before?
Yes, she realized, blanching at the thought. Tamerlan had used Abelmeyer’s Eye to bring a dragon down. It had only held him a few months, but he’d done it. But to use it, he’d given up use of one eye. And she still wasn’t even sure how he’d made the exchange.
She swallowed roughly and edged toward the front of the gondola. Tamerlan leaned forward, shoving the nose of the gondola away from a sharp black rock. They heaved away from it, foam and spray spilling over the sides of the boat.
Marielle laid a hand on Tamerlan’s arm and he flinched and then immediately moved the oar as if to distract from his m
ovements. It was hard not to let his reaction gut her – even knowing it was the Legends and not Tamerlan. His golden scent washed over her, laced with cranberry guilt.
“Marielle,” he said gently, offering her a small smile. He was still himself sometimes. But who would listen to her plea? Him or Ram the Hunter? Or another Legend?
She would have to be careful how she worded it. She didn’t want to deceive him. Not until she had to.
“Tamerlan, do you still have Abelmeyer’s Eye?”
He flinched again, this time his hand moving to his chest. Did he have it under his shirt? Somehow that sounded like him – to run around the countryside with a priceless gem under his shirt. His expression hardened.
“Did you use it before to bring down the dragon Jingen?” she asked, but she didn’t have to ask. His one eye – the one that turned a little more opaque every day – was all the evidence she needed that he had given an eye to do that. Besides, he’d screamed that at her only hours ago.
“Yes,” he rasped and this time the suspicious slit-eyed look on his face was certainly not his own. Neither was that Elderflower scent of insanity. One of the Legends had his ear right now. His hands around the oar were white-knuckled, as if he was fighting an internal battle.
“If I needed to bring down another dragon and hold him in place, do you think it would work again?” she asked.
This time there was no mistaking how his hand clutched at his chest. “You just set a hundred dragons free, and now you’re talking about trapping one.” His words were light, but she heard the warning behind them. “Even if you did want to trap one, I told you before that I am fighting to keep you out of this battle. Why should you lose an eye, also?”
His voice throbbed with pain at the end of his statement and she felt a stab of fear. He was going through so much! But if she didn’t end this somehow – and quickly – the Legends within him would destroy him from the inside out.
“And you promised to trust me,” she reminded him.
He turned a look on her that broke her heart. A look half of desperation and half of hope. There was no residue of a Legend in it at all. The colors of that scent tangled around him – orange and bronze.
“Of course,” he said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe he’d ever resisted her.
He reached in his collar and pulled out the amulet with the single ruby at the center – Abelmeyer’s Eye. “Please, take it.”
That earnestness – those deep blue eyes and trembling lips – she just wanted to save him from this. She wanted to tuck him away somewhere safe and wake him when it was over. But it didn’t work like that. Couldn’t work like that. She had an entire world to save – and she doubted anyone in it was going to make this easy for her. Even her own allies were as likely to turn on her as strangers if she didn’t play this just right. But the eye was the first step. After all, the Legends wouldn’t suspect a thing if she seemed to be on their side, would they?
She smelled a sudden puff of suspicion and spun to see Etienne glaring at her, suspicion leaving a trail behind him that stained the river stone grey. Of course. Ram the Hunter might be fine with her having the eye – especially if that meant lulling a dragon to sleep – but what would Grandfather Timeless think of it? Could he possibly suspect what she hoped to do to one of the only two dragons roaming free? Or why she might need to do it before he ever suspected?
She held the amulet, staring at the ruby in the center. How did you even use something like this?
YOU PLAN TO BETRAY US?
She jumped at the voice of the dragons in her head, echoing as if from far away.
No! She wasn't trying to betray them. But she had to make H'yi sit still long enough to do something about the Grandfather on his back. As long as the Legends lived, the dragons were tied to them. Which meant that every single Legend had to be destroyed to free the dragons. Or was she wrong about that?
YOU ARE NOT WRONG.
That meant she needed H'yi to sit still for long enough to get in the city and to the clock.
YOU COULD JUST ASK.
Ask the dragon? Yes, that would work out. He'd been so accommodating the last time they’d tried to hold him down.
WE WILL ASK.
The water around them was flowing more quickly and Marielle wiped spray from her eyes. They'd been in this narrow rock channel for a while now. It flowed between two mountains, never branching. But they were still at a high elevation. How long could this channel keep going?
She looked back at Jhinn. His face was white and worried as he looked ahead.
"I think we need to stop and one of you needs to scout ahead," he said. "The water is speeding up and I have a bad feeling about this."
"The river is the fastest way to the lowlands," Etienne replied. he had to raise his voice. The sound of the water was growing stronger. "Walking out would take months and we have no supplies."
Which would be deadly considering it was winter in the mountains. Here in the river, the water was running and it hadn't frozen over, though the edges of the river had a foot of ice stretching out toward the center. Bright blue ice that looked like it could cut you, the edge was so sharp. Etienne was right that this was the only way out.
WE HAVE FOUND THE DRAGON H’YI. HE WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACCESS HIS BACK. BUT YOU WILL NEED TO WORK QUICKLY. HE IS ANGRY AND IN GREAT PAIN. HE MAY ACT UNPREDICTABLY.
Great. An unpredictable dragon. Just what she'd always wanted.
"It's not a matter of how to reach the lowlands," Jhinn said. Was he shouting now? "I'm more worried about the waterfall."
"Waterfall?" Fear filled Etienne’s eyes, puffing up in lightning-blue clouds and then he was looking at the steep cliff faces on either side - the cliff faces that had gotten steeper as they spoke - so steep and slick that there was no way you could climb them - especially as they were coated with a shining skim of ice.
"Why do you think I've been warning you that we need to stop?" Jhinn yelled.
Etienne cursed, by Marielle was shaking her head. There was no way to stop. There was nowhere to grab a hold of. No options except to keep going.
H'YI IS CLOSE. HE WILL MEET YOU. WE TRACK YOUR MIND.
Well, that might be hard to arrange since she was about to go over a waterfall. Her gaze met Tamerlan's and they shared a look of understanding, of pain, of bitter hope. Marielle took a step forward and took his hand, thrilling for a moment at the way his face relaxed when she held it. They had that much at least – a bond of trust that ran deep through their shared pains and guilt. He drew his oar into the boat.
"Oars in. Motor up. Get low!" Jhinn commanded from the back, working to strap his motor into the boat. "Tie in!"
Tamerlan drew Marielle down and together they tied the rope at the front of the boat around their waists. They were certainly going to die. The moments seemed to drag out as if Marielle's brain was trying to live every one of them as quickly as possible. She gripped Tamerlan's hand, trying to keep her expression calm and reassuring instead of panicked, but her thoughts were a maddening swirl of fear.
On a whim, she pulled her head up and leaned against the ferro so she could see. The gondola turned a corner and ahead of her the river just stopped and there was only sky and clouds beyond that point and a fine mist of water in the air that made particles dance in a rainbow just above the surface of the water. They were going to die in style.
"I'm glad I knew you, Tamerlan," Marielle said. “I want you to know,” she hesitated a moment, but there was no time to second-guess. “I love you.”
And he leaned in, pressing a cheek to hers and then kissed her forehead like a man drinking water for the last time. It was a goodbye like the goodbye of the sun before it was eclipsed by the stormclouds.
The gondola seemed to tip for a moment and then they were falling through the frosty air. Marielle thought she might be screaming. The water plunged below them through a drop higher than she could have imagined - even having flown on the back of a dragon. It went on and on
and on, the trees on the banks below looking like tiny miniatures.
And then suddenly, eclipsing the sight, the blackened and burned body of a dragon suddenly burst under the fall of water, the water pouring over its back, spreading out across the ruined city streets and buildings there. Behind her, Etienne was screaming something. She didn't know what. And then the buildings were right there. They were going to hit one - or failing that, hit the street under the water.
And then the gondola plunged beneath the waves and the ferro she was holding was gone, the breath whooshing out of her lungs. Coldness shattered her thoughts and water swirled all around her in clouds of bubbles so erratic that they blurred her vision. She tried to hold her breath but there was nothing to hold and she sucked in water that burned, burned, burned. Something pulled her. Air hit her face like a blow. She coughed, expelling water everywhere, her lungs screaming, her eyes blinded by streams of water.
Her hands clawed out and met fabric and she clutched it, coughing and heaving, curled over herself like a mollusk as she tried to squeeze every drop of burning water from her lungs. Someone was murmuring to her.
"That's right. Get it all up. There you go. Just breathe, sweet Marielle, just breathe." Hands gently drew her dripping hair back from her face and then gathered her shivering body in, in, in.
She blinked and looked up into ice blue eyes and blue lips. Tamerlan was shaking in the cold just like she was. She looked around. They were on the hull of the gondola. It was upside down and Jhinn was in the water, holding the gondola with one hand and the edge of a bridge with the other.
He coughed in the water, his movements slowed by the cold.
"We need to flip it over and assess the damage," he said through thick lips. "Can you stand on the bridge, Marielle?"
Bridge of Legends- The Complete Series Page 79