“I’m taking you to the authorities, boy. Don’t try to run. I’ll make as much coin from bringing you dead as I would alive.”
I spun, looking for an escape route and he rushed toward me, brandishing his axe.
I stumbled to the side, barely dodging his wild blow as his axe crashed into the stone, sparks flying where its edge hit the wall.
What in the-
Bataar is a wanted man! Somehow word is out that we have him and that we will be looking for a healer. Don’t go to the house of healing.
Too late. And I looked a lot like Bataar with this band wrapped around my head! I ripped it off and threw it to the ground.
The wild healer was charging for a second attack and I scrambled down the hallway, pulling a vase down from an alcove and throwing it behind me. Anything to gain a few strides on him and that axe!
There was a cry from behind us at the entrance and a deep shout. That wasn’t Shabren, was it?
I launched forward at twice the speed. I needed Saboraak! I couldn’t manage this part on my own. I rushed to a circular metal stairway, pounding up the steps, my legs on fire with the effort. They were going to be strong after a week in this vertical city.
You’re going to have to manage on your own. I’m busy here.
Well, that was convenient. She was busy, was she? Maybe I’d be busy the next time her life was threatened. Maybe I should have been less worried about her safety in Eski and more worried about my own.
Don’t be childish. You’ll be fine. Just don’t die.
Yeah, that was the plan.
I could hear footsteps right behind me and my breath came faster and faster, searing my lungs with fiery pain. But that was nothing compared to the pain that would greet me if that axe hit me. There was a door at the top of the stairs and I rushed through it and then threw myself against the wall right beside the doorframe.
This was another hall. I didn’t know where it led or how to get out of this place or who else might be looking for me with axes int heir hands.
Below me, I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and shouts. Shouts meant more people. People with axes. My chest was heaving, and I tried to calm my breathing down. What was the best way to deal with a problem?
One step at a time.
Good advice. Step one: deal with the axe. My pursuer had an axe. I did not. This needed to change.
I took a deep breath as the footsteps grew closer. The second the door beside me was flung open, I launched myself forward, head curled down so I could hit him in the face with my skull. I felt the crack on the top of my head, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to recoil from the impact. My attacker stumbled to the side, colliding with the half-open door and falling to one knee. His axe fell from his hand, skittering across the stone floor and into the hall.
I scooped up the axe and plummeting down the hall.
Step one, complete.
Now the man chasing me was down one axe and I was up one axe – not that I planned to use it. I shuddered at the thought of cleaving a person like one might cleave wood.
No time for that!
There was a window at the end of the hall. I could try one of the heavy doors along the way, but I had no idea what could be in them and I could end up trapped in a room with no exit.
There was a shout behind me and I risked a glance over my shoulder. Men with oak-leaf wreaths around their necks were rushing through the door and down the corridor. No time to make plans. I was a betting man. It was my fault and also my strength.
Time to bet that I could jump out a two-story window and live.
Don’t do it! Human’s are fragile! You will break yourself!
Not if I did it right.
I sped up, excitement coursing through my veins. I never felt so alive as when I was being chased. I jammed the axe handle into my belt. It had better hold! That thing was heavy.
You’re crazy.
The window loomed ahead, big and bright – easy to vault through. I measured my steps by eye, counting, ready ...
“Stop!” That was Shabren’s voice. No time to turn and confirm.
I reached the ledge at the exact right moment, letting my momentum help as I lifted both legs while my hand found its place on the ledge.
I leapt, flying through the window, spinning to turn toward the wall.
Was I right?
I’d better be right.
Yes!
A green banner hung from just below the window, exactly as I’d been betting on. I grabbed it frantically, sliding down it as my grip slowed me. There!
I slowed to a stop, dangling free over the side of a building set in the side of a cliff. I could see the little boardwalk below and below that vertical city falling down, down, down beneath me – and below that clouds, and below that ... who knew? Death, perhaps.
One step at a time!
Oh yes. This was the step where I got to the ground faster than they did.
I let the fabric slide through my hands, dropping me down until I was almost at ground level. I’d have to drop free the last few feet. I let go, falling into a crouch on the boardwalk.
Around me, people gaped, stopping to stare at my sudden acrobatics.
No time to stare back.
I sprinted down the boardwalk. I needed an alley. Preferably one with laundry hanging to dry. There! I paused in the entrance, glancing backward and nearly froze like the crowd.
Something was coming out of the same window I’d leapt from – not a man, or at least, not only a man. It was a flying rug with three men sitting on it, and one of them was Shabren the Violet.
Chapter Fourteen
I ducked into the alley, running as fast as I could. I’d done this before. I needed to remember that.
I’d run from the city guard, from merchants, from angry citizens, from fire, and from dust demons. I could do this.
Step three, change how I look.
There! A washing line hung along the alley, some of the clothing hanging low enough for me to grab them. I snatched anything I could reach and kept running. The alley was dark and grimy, but there were fissures in the stone wall it butted up against. I was looking for one the exact right size – big enough to hold a man.
The first one was occupied. Someone about my size was curled up in the shadow there, sleeping. Good to know that people like me lived here, too – people surviving on luck and brashness.
There was another crevice up ahead. Unoccupied. Good. My luck hadn’t run out yet.
I ducked inside and examined what I had. A light red cloak, threadbare and not nearly as warm as the dark one Hubric had given me. Reluctantly, I exchanged them, hiding the axe and the fancy belt beneath the cloak.
The other garment was black and loose like a long scarf. I tangled it around my head like I’d seen some of the visitors at the gate do. It covered my face except for my eyes. Perfect. No one could tell who I was beneath this.
Now, the cloak. If I left it here it would be a dead giveaway ...
With a flash of inspiration, I backtracked, dropping the cloak over the sleeper in the other crevice. He could use it. Sleeping outside in this cold couldn’t be easy. And if someone was looking for that cloak, he’d make a good distraction.
I hurried further down the alley. That flying rug would be here any minute and before it arrived, I needed to get further away. No ... wait. They would just expand the search farther. What I needed was a place to hide. Then I could hunker down until dark and give them the slip under the cover of night.
But this was a foreign city and I didn’t know the back ways yet. Going down would be easier than going up. I should drop down a level.
Don’t drop down.
Why not?
We are dealing with our own situation here and I can’t allow you to bring trouble back with you.
She had to be kidding me! Was I not in trouble, too?
You’re on your own, kid. Hold them off. Don’t die. I’ll let you know when you can come back.
Rej
ection and betrayal filled me as I hurried up the alley, looking both ways in the street beyond.
Don’t take it personally. I have a lot of responsibilities to juggle here.
The problem with compassionate people was that sometimes they were so busy being compassionate to strangers that they made bad friends.
Ouch.
I almost didn’t see the green embroidered sleeves of the guard at the end of the alley. I drew in a deep breath when it finally registered. His back was to me, standing guard over the alley. There was no way to slip around him.
I stumbled backward, wincing as I hit my heel on a stone. I didn’t dare make a sound. I wasn’t going to have anyone to save me if I messed this up. Those traitors!
Get over yourself. Zyla and I were betrayed. Since then, we’ve changed locations, changed disguises, and found a friend. We’ve been a bit busy. But we’re still being hunted, and we need to find a safe place before we’re discovered. Do you know how hard it is to hide when you’re a dragon?
Didn’t Zyla say there would be dragons here? Why didn’t she go hide in a dragon cote? She could pretend to be a purple. They were notoriously reclusive. Zyla could be her rider and they could tuck Zin and Bataar into the saddlebags until things settled down.
That’s actually a very good idea.
I was known to have those. I eased myself along the wall of the building behind me. It smelled like rat. Why was my stomach rumbling? I had better not have developed a taste for rat. That would be awful.
Why didn’t you suggest this plan before?
I’m running for my life, remember?
I leaned back and took a second step backward, back brushing the wall. My footing felt spongy – and then suddenly I was falling. I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming as the ground gave out beneath me. I must have stepped on rotten wood. Skies and stars!
Terror shot through me as visions of falling forever filled my mind, but I landed before I could flesh them out.
Ngh!
I clenched my whole body against the impact. My hip throbbed like I’d bruised it, but I pulled myself to my feet.
I was in a cellar, or maybe a storeroom. Crates and barrels were scattered around the room with old sacking and straw strewn untidily about. Someone wasn’t keen on housework. Not that I minded too much. I hadn’t slept in almost two days and even then, I’d been unconscious. Maybe this was a good place to lay low. No one was going to find me here.
I gathered the loose sacking and straw, found a dark corner and wrapped the old red cloak around me. I already missed the black one. I had a bad feeling I wasn’t going to be able to replace it any time soon.
The axe dug into my side as I settled in, but I didn’t adjust it. I liked the reminder that I had a weapon now – even if I had no idea how to use it.
Sleep came quickly.
Chapter Fifteen
Wake up! Wake up!
Skies and stars, she could keep the flaming yelling to herself!
Your enemies are upon you!
I scrambled up from the cellar floor, my heart leaping into my throat at the scurrying sounds around me until my brain supplied me with a reminder – rats.
I stood still and silent, listening. It was strangely quiet for a city, no sound of bustle or business outside.
You slept the day away. Darkness falls.
The barest glimmer of light worked its way down from the rotten wood I’d fallen through. Could I climb back up through it? Yes, if I used the barrel. I heard a scrape from further into the room. Maybe Saboraak was right. There might be someone coming down here.
Of course, I’m right.
I grabbed one of the barrels, rolling it toward the hole. The movement sounded loud in the silence. Are you nearby, Saboraak? Can you hear that? There was a knot forming in my belly.
Hardly. We followed your plan. We’re in the dragon cotes three levels below you. Zyla is trying to sort out Zin and Bataar without a healer. We really could have used one.
You wouldn’t have wanted me to send the one I met ...
I climbed up on the barrel, steadying myself and ready to climb through the hole. Why was it so silent out there? Sweat formed along my brow. The scarf wrapped around my face wasn’t helping with that.
The Cantata is about to begin.
Cantata?
Cantata of Lights. It’s part of the Festival.
And that made the whole city silent? If I climbed through here, it was going to be noisy enough in all that silence that I would certainly draw attention.
It won’t be silent for long. Move.
Light flared into the room as a door opened. I hadn’t even realized there was a door there. A guard held a bright lantern up.
“There he is!”
Not for long! I leapt up from the barrel, grabbed the lip of the hole where I fell through only hours ago and dragged myself up over the jagged wood. The edges of it bit into my belly as I wriggled across and I knew they would leave marks. But those guards with the axes would leave far worse marks.
What was with everyone and their axes around here? I hadn’t seen a decent tree in days.
The axes appear to be of ceremonial importance. Perhaps they think they can divide the lies they tell with such tools.
I was sprinting down the alley, not bothering to look behind me. I already knew what I would see. So much for sneaking out after they’d given up looking for me.
I’d need a different plan this time.
I adjusted the scarf around my head, making sure it covered my face. Okay. If there was still a guard at the end of the alley, I’d have to take action. Violence wasn’t really my thing, but neither was dying.
Yep, there he was, still standing at the mouth of the alley. I yanked the axe free from my belt. I didn’t want to do this.
Axes have two sides.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I turned the axe around, trying to be careful not to hit too hard as I struck the back of his head. The guard fell, and I bit my lip, trying not to look at him as I stuffed the axe back into my belt. I didn’t want to know if I’d accidentally killed him.
There was a shout behind me and I dashed out into the boardwalk only to draw up short. Wha - ?
The Cantata of Lights. I told you it was starting.
People lined the boardwalk, motionless, looking out into the sky beyond. From where I stood, I could see that every boardwalk, every staircase, every open window was filled with silent, statue-like people. Cold ice whirled around them in the black of the night and then, as if by magic, lights sprang up on the lower level, spreading one after another to light the entire city.
I almost jumped as a crackling sound started over my head. A spark sped up a line above me, lighting each candle in blue lanterns above me as it ascended.
From below, a ghostly sound began. No time to listen. I edged my way up the line of people, sneaking behind them, hoping they were too absorbed in their silent celebration to notice. The sound was growing louder. Voices, I thought.
I dashed to a staircase, climbing behind the backs of the silent crowds.
Was that singing? Wordless – or with words I didn’t understand – the song grew. Layer upon layer of harmonies rose level upon level through the city.
Below me, the guards dashed out of the alley. I caught a glimpse of purple in the blue lights. Shabren.
He opened his mouth, but at that moment the people nearest me began to sing, their powerful voices drowning out whatever he had meant to shout.
I continued my climb, speeding up until the muscles in my legs burned from the effort and my lungs grew ragged from sucking in the icy air.
I didn’t have a plan. I was only running, running, running. I needed some burst of genius to help me, but nothing was coming to me as I rushed up the stairs.
What was this festival for? Between the eerie blue lights and the focused singers, the whole mountain seemed to be caught up in the drama of the moment. Across from our mountain peak, the other two ci
ties lit up in a wave of blue just as ours had and my imagination made me think that I could hear their singers, too – though in reality, all I could hear was my own heart beating so hard it was going to rip my chest in half.
Zyla left me with the others. She is looking for a healer. You are still on your own.
Great. Just great.
The city grew more decadent the higher I climbed. Carved arches were spaced out across the boardwalks, both suspending them and adding beauty to the structures. The buildings on either side were carved out from the rock – likely there were few alleys here – and the skill involved in carving the intertwined knotwork that decorated them was something I’d never seen before. At this rate, I’d never seen it again.
Shabren was gaining on me. Every time I glanced behind me, he was closer, forcing his way through the well-dressed people on this level, their long vests and wide belts trimmed with ermine and fox. The women’s hair was elaborately dressed and some of the men wore scarves around their faces and heads just as I did. Good. That should make me blend in more – except for the threadbare cloak. When the time was right, I would need to slip that off.
Why hadn’t he brought his flying carpet?
Too conspicuous in the middle of the celebration. He would be seen, and such an offense would alienate any allies he has here. This day is sacred to Ko’Torenth.
I was looking desperately for an opportunity, now. I glanced down every walkway, into every window, dodging people like a fish dodged seaweed, but looking, looking, looking until my eyes streamed with tears from looking too hard. If he caught me, there would be no escape. Saboraak was stuck helping the others. Zyla didn’t even have the connections to help her sister. Bataar was a wanted man and Hubric didn’t know where we were. I was on my own and I didn’t know the city. This one, wild chase was my only remaining hope.
I was running out of time and running out of city. The crowds thinned as I gained another level, getting closer and closer to the apex of the city. Despite fewer people, the sound of their song filled every available space. It reverberated through me like I was a part of it, it was rushing into me – a waterfall into a basin.
Dragon Chameleon: Paths of Deception Page 6