by Alex Sapegin
Andy was a complete mystery and did not hurry to give away clues to solving his secrets, but Ania was not a deaf-mute. During the entire virk, the shkas kept making the others think, and his deductions pushed the sida to the brink of killing the clever fellow traveler, but he immediately warned her of the fallacy of that rash step. Ania then reasonably decided that it would be undesirable to rush things, and she was not mistaken. The meeting with the “ghosts” and the reception arranged by the Great Mother confirmed the correctness of the main line of conduct and added questions. It wasn’t a secret to anyone in the retinue that the high priestess’s arrest during the reception was somehow connected with the dance of the elements and the familiar shkas. No one had ever seen a splash of spontaneous magic like that before, ever. Only Manyfaces knew how the Miur (or not the Miur?) managed to retain control over the destructive energy. All the elements at the same time… No matter how skillful the spellcaster may be, all the elements simultaneously were subject only to dragons. Then Ilirra asked her father’s spy: “Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Ania did not know what the princess was thinking, but all the lady’s thoughts were generally easy to read on her face. The young dragoness could think and analyze. She did not at all like being led by the nose like a little puppy. Ilirra cautiously asked about the silver bloom and met a wrathful look… The sida was not planning on letting anyone in on her inmost feelings, and Ilirra was the last person she would have wanted to see in her inner world. But Andy had firmly established himself there, and not only there…. By the time the virk/envoy was on its way back, the woman knew for certain that the blue-eyed shkas who had given her this flower of love was a real dragon. But to share that with the princess…
Ania once again directed her gaze towards the mirror’s surface, glancing at the straight face of the Great Mother’s ambassador. Surprisingly, during the negotiations, not a single muscle moved on his face. It seemed the dragon was presenting himself as a stone monolith, imperturbable from outside factors. Even his aura, which Andy did not hide, did not flash with colors of anger or annoyance even once. He had himself completely under control. She didn’t believe that this was the same man who had once given her a silver bloom, or that the statue sitting in the “lotus” pose on the sofa could actually have feelings.
“No,” said the prince, rising from the table. “Are you asking me to run away? What kind of prince would I be if I give the people who trusted me, the elves and the dragons, up to the clawed paws of the usurper? My answer is no!”
The prince did not accept the offer, which was his right. Andy easily jumped to his feet, now face to face with the aged ruler. For several seconds, he looked at the prince, summing him up as if he had just seen him for the first time. External curiosity in no way affected the color scheme of the aura. Internally, the ambassador remained a piece of ice, but... under icy shells, hot hearts are hidden. Ania again touched her corset. The prince had promised her freedom.
“Allow me to demonstrate?” said Andy, undoing the belt of his ceremonial attire.
* * *
This time, His Lordship met the ambassador in human form: he was a tall, gray-haired old man, with wide curved shoulders, an angry look in his sky-blue eyes, and an aristocratic face with a fine mesh of wrinkles. He reminded Andy of a dense oak, widely sprouting branches. The oak had deep roots and up to now had successfully survived the storms of life. This latest hurricane did not frighten the wise politician, who for three thousand years managed to dance on the blade of a hot knife.
Andy corrected the ceremonial rashag, to the hilt of which more than a dozen colored ribbons were attached. Illusht personally tied a whole bunch of ribbons on it; the look of it made jaws drop in the prince’s entourage. For those in the know, the ribbons said more than any words.
For over an hour, Andy portrayed himself as a silent idol. According to protocol, Princess Illusht and His Lordship settled the main issues of military cooperation. Each of them brought a whole staff of clerks from diplomatic services. War was going on; the rulers had no time to settle every petty fact. That’s what their bureaucrats were for. To solve small current issues. When the prince and the princess had talked over the main points, it came time for Andy’s proposals, which crossed out all the agreements that had just been reached. They themselves were to blame: he asked to be given the first word, but the old dragon said no.
“Are you asking me to move to another planet?!” The prince said in shock.
“Yes,” Andy did not beat around the bush. “No sweet life on Ilanta is foreseen. There, war is raging as well, but it is a way for you to avoid total destruction.”
“Two hours ago, I was informed of the loss of the interplanetary portal. The emperor seized it and has already organized defense. How do you plan to make the transition?”
“You can win the portal back…. There are other ways too.” Andy did not show his cards. Inwardly, he sensed that he had not been taken seriously, and the ruler of the besieged lands would not build upon his initiative to resettle the people.
“No,” the old dragon replied after a long hesitation, rising from the table. “Do you propose I flee, abandon my land, honor, and dignity? My answer is no!”
“Stubborn old fool,” Andy thought, not allowing his thoughts to reflect on the external energy shell. “He’s drowning and pulling others down with him. A good answer, though. The prince is worthy of respect for self-sacrifice, but what should I do? Without dragons, we won’t get any portals. Checkmate. The time for trumps has come.”
Andy stood opposite the prince, removed his belt, bared his chest, plunged into the settage. Following the instructions of the Great Mother, he mentally merged with the gold disc that had settled inside him and began pumping energy from his internal reserves to the key accumulator. The ruby lit up like a red lantern; a light ripple ran over the surface of the amulet from the stone; the runes on the amulet flashed. Breaking the skin, the key burst out of him.
“I am the keeper of the key,” he wheezed, glancing at Ania. He handed the key to his neighbor, who passed it to the prince. All present took a moment to examine it in all its glory and then handed it back to Andy, who put it back in its “place.” The wounds so similar to the mark left by the central concress of the dugaria cocoon closed up. A wave of flame swept over his body, burning up the blood that had spilled out.
“My answer is no!”
“That is a pity.”
“The audience and the negotiations are finished. We can return to your question tomorrow or the day after tomorrow when intelligence will estimate the number and combat capability of the emperor’s troops who seized our portal. How long did the Great Mother give you the right of Voice?”
“Just for the negotiations.”
“That is fine; we can solve the issue privately.”
It was a fiasco. Before the negotiations, Andy hoped that the prince, trapped by the Imperial legions on both sides, would seize the opportunity of relocating to another planet with all four paws. But life and Lady Luck ordered otherwise. Stupid protocol drafters, Targ-loving Illusht. Why did she have to give the old dragon hope? That awful cat. She destroyed the whole game. Has she completely gone off her rocker, promising military support on behalf of the Great Mother? Targ, Targ! The old fart beat the Miur—he got her signature on the document; now he’ll play differently.
Andy bowed low to the prince, accepting his decision.
“I ask everyone except Her Highness to leave the office. We need to talk privately,” said the prince. “Daughter, you know what to do.”
Andy’s sixth sense, which had saved him more than once, alerted him that the old flyer’s words were about him personally. Sooo, his Lordship has contrived his game and given the go-ahead to start it. I’m so SICK of them all!!
“Irran!” quietly called Andy, coming out of the negotiation room.
“I am here, sir!”
“How is the channel coming along?”
“All
is ready. In fifteen minutes, the mages will launch the sound-muffling amulets.”
“Go quietly as a fly to the mages. I need to speak to the Great Mother!”
“Yes, sir!”
“...The old goat… Twins almighty, why am I so unlucky?!” said Andy in Alat.
“Have you been refused?”
Andy turned around and locked eyes with Ruigar, who was crucified between two power posts. The magical poles, shimmering with greenish light, pulled mana out of the prisoner. The governor was in human form. All bruised and bloodied, in tattered clothes, he no longer resembled the imposing macho he was a few hours ago. Tomorrow he would be executed.
Andy was wrong: Ilirra loved power much more than she did the governor of the northern lands, if she even loved him at all. History abounds in thousands of examples of unbending men breaking down because of their love for noble maidens. There were reverse cases too, where women fell because of their loves, but not now. Ruigar, who was in it up to his horns, mistook what he wished for reality, and now he was slurping boiled soup with a ladle. Hazgar bent him, Andy broke him, and Ilirra finished him off completely. The girl did not forgive betrayal. When she got over the initial shock, the princess did not say a word to her father in defense of her former lover. One admirer less, no big deal. How many more would there be? The dragon had become too human, too…
“Yes, he refused.”
“I can give you some advice.” Ruigar spit a bloody loogie.
“Hm, that would be interesting to hear….”
The dragon flashed his eyes at the guards on the perimeter of the site.
The hint was understood. Andy fenced himself and the prisoner in with a sound curtain, which had to be constantly fed. The columns greatly weakened the structure of the interweave.
“I know what you want; the Miur of your squad blabbed. No, no, it is not what you think. Two or three unrelated words, but I can draw pictures and draw conclusions. Here in the borderlands, you have to. Are you from there?” Ruigar pointed his chin at the luminous sickle of Ilanta and coughed. A new bloody spot of spittle decorated the pavement. The prince’s executioners really did a number on him. “You do not have to answer. I was at the portal complex three fivers ago. I personally studied the remaining seals. The true bloods of Ilanta knew how to impose magical obstructions. Nobody could break them in three thousand years, but now only a key is needed to open the portal. I realized something was wrong with you when I looked at you with true vision. I saw threads of scars on your chest and a dense energy cluster in the center of your aura, besides your perfect knowledge of an unnecessary and forgotten language from a foreign planet. Then there are your magical interweaves that are not taught in any school. I put the facts together and came to an interesting conclusion. So you are from there?”
“What can I say….”
“So I am correct.” Ruigar swung on the invisible chains. “A-huh, HUH.” He coughed. “Did you ask the prince for help returning?”
“No, why?”
“What did you ask?”
“I suggested relocation.”
“You told him about yourself and…,”
“Do not take me for a complete fool.” The conversation was starting to bore him. He was supposed to be giving advice.
“Alright, be an intelligent fool.” Ruigar stretched his cracked lips into a smile. “The prince will not let you go. He will do everything in his power to keep you beside himself, then give you up to Hazgar. Ora knows very well that the emperor dreams of getting his hands on the interplanetary portals. Now you are a pawn in a grand political game. A valuable pawn, truly.”
“More valuable than you?” Andy lifted one eyebrow.
“I am trunk change,” the dragon said bitterly.
“You said something about advice….”
“Today in the capital the conclave of clans is meeting. Not all the prince’s subjects support his policy of staying and fighting. Many forced migrants would gladly be removed as far as possible from the emperor. The prince plans to visit the conclave; the mages have set up a portal. I am in chains, and people are not shy about talking about state secrets. In their eyes, I am a dead man. What can the dead tell?”
“A lot if you raise him in time and the brain has not begun to rot. For some reason no one on Nelita practices necromancy; that field is not plowed…”
Andy looked at the former great state official and thought about how Ruigar’s words converged with his personal thoughts. He had already begun to take steps in that direction. Evael had begun turning the gears among the elves and especially trusted humans. It was plan “B” in case of failure of the main mission, which now could safely be called failed. The old man had assigned him one clan magician for communication and coordinating their actions. As it turned out, the point-ears were even craftier than they seemed. They found a way to bypass the jammers but preferred to keep the secret from friends and enemies alike. Kerrovitarr was a happy exception.
“Do you want to live?” Andy said, igniting sparks of hope in the prisoner’s eyes with his unexpected question. “Well?”
“Yes.” Ruigar stared into his eyes.
“You will take a blood oath of fidelity to me, an immutable pledge.”
The dragon did not think it over long.
“I agree.”
“Terrific.” Andy felt like a Sith Lord from Star Wars, but what else could he do? The prince left him no choice. What do stubborn people do when you don’t let them in the door? Climb in the window!
“Wait,” Andy said, grabbing Ruigar by the chin and removing the sound curtain. “You brute!” He stuck a strong, deliberate, ostensible blow to the jaw. The captive jerked on the invisible chains. The kick in the stomach made Ruigar moan. “You wanted to play me, you cur!”
The dragons guarding the site grinned. They would not have made merry if they could see the smile on the prisoner’s lips and his hopeful eyes.
* * *
“Sir, we can not get through the interference,” one of Illusht’s telephone workers leaned in front of him.
Should have seen it coming. Ilirra took action while daddy was distracting the feline princess. The connection would not be restored until the ambassador was separated from the Great Mother’s heiress. Andy hoped Illusht would not enlighten the prince on the details of the Great Mother’s work on the resettlement of the Miur. Nothing was threatening the white cat, but he was a different story: his status after the unsuccessful negotiations looked very doubtful. The ruler gave him the right to be her Voice only for this meeting with the prince. Now he had turned into nothing, and he had to strike while the iron was hot, before they noticed the change. Ruigar pointed out the direction where to look.
“Irran.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The general meeting. Where is Nariel, the elf mage?”
“Everyone is here, sir. Is something happening?”
“I lost the status of the Voice. I need to high-tail it.”
“Where to?” asked Irran, always ready for action. Andy narrowed his eyes.
“Would you like to walk to the capital of the principality?”
“I have always dreamed of visiting Raygor.”
“We will do this…. Capture the teleport platform…. The second dozen Miur should tie up the portal mages. You have five minutes to prepare. We are on!”
No one expected an attack from the inside. The dragons that were conveniently located on the heated stones of the site with the convict were blinded and deafened by the bright flashes from the tricky blinding and deafening interweaves that went off before their snouts. A dozen cat people, peacefully marching to the fortress gates through the portal platform, dramatically changed many mages’ plans for the evening. The teleport operators did not expect the attack or the charged gunners in their faces. The second group of Miur appeared in front of the arc in five seconds. The Miur smelled like alchemical potions and blood. It was not possible to blind every
one, so there was a case for the use of gunners. Three cats and Andy, slipping past the blinded dragons of the guard, freed the prisoner. Andy cut the governor over his forearm.
“Your oath!”
Ruigar quickly whispered the words of the magical oath. They were not able to get away without some adventures. When Andy and the three miur, one of whom was dragging a huge bag hidden by a small magical curtain, crossed a small courtyard between two barracks while moving towards the portal site, Ania and several dragons of the princess’ retinue came out of the nearest building to the dungeon. Ilirra’s servants, stunned by the meeting, fell to the ground and became prisoners of force for the second time in a day.
“Ania!” Andy cried.
“On it!” Milla dashed towards the swearing dragons and threw the elf over her shoulder.
“To the portal, quickly!” A mild “press” spell hit the dragons, silencing their cries. Next, a strong curtain of silence fell on the fettered dragons.
* * *
“Activate it!” Irran towered over the goat-bearded boss of the portal mages.