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––––––––
Both groups set out early the following day. They would arrive at their destinations in five or six hours and then wait until nightfall before making their next moves as it was too difficult for fully grown dragons to stay out of sight while flying in broad daylight.
Just before sunset, Helina brought Karn and Shaala to the bank of a river that flowed from a nearby mountain lake, the large lake that fed the three main falls of Issalia. They were then very close to the handful of buildings that Elenskaer and her dragons used.
“How shall we do this?” Helina asked after changing into her human form.
“First of all, I’ll get the prisoners to safety,” Karn said. “Then you and I will take care of the dragons.”
He then looked at the group of dragonets hovering around them. “And you lot keep out of sight, all right?”
They chatted cheerfully in return but thankfully not too loudly.
“And what will we do with the dragons?” Helina asked. “Shall we capture or kill them?”
“Let’s wait until we’ve seen them first,” Karn replied.
He then moved forward, motioning the others to keep well back. As he edged along the river to the little clearing under the mountain where Elenskaer’s modest settlement lay, he made no sound. He studied the buildings. There were lights coming under the doors and through the windows of several of them and he noticed that a couple of the buildings had no windows, just little skylights in the roof. He stretched out to one of them with the gift and sensed Queen Haadeiya’s presence there.
He tried to comfort the Ulak queen through the gift and assure her and the other prisoner, as he didn’t want to startle them when he came through the door.
Then he tried to get a sense of where the dragons were. They each had their own private dwelling, which was interesting. He sensed that two of them were men, and since Elenskaer was the only woman among them, it made it that much easier to determine where she was.
Then he tried to gauge how alert the dragons were. He found that the idea that someone might enter their encampment uninvited hadn’t entered their minds. However, there had been some trouble in their midst. Trying to gauge the minds of both the prisoners and the dragons, he realized that the trouble had happened only a couple of nights ago. Several people had shown their true colors and Elenskaer was one of them.
Putting the revelation aside, he turned and signaled for Helina and Shaala to come over. Then he crept over to the building where Haadeiya and the other prisoner were being held. There was a rudimentary lock on the door but he had expected something like this.
Producing a small instrument, he picked the lock and opened the door, something he hadn’t done for quite some time.
“Karn,” Queen Haadeiya exclaimed. “This is a surprise.” She gestured to the woman standing beside her, an attractive woman with luminescent red hair. “This is Daphne. She’s the governor of Carcasia. We think the governors of Illisden and Un’vari are next door. And Lord Falk’s either with them or one room farther down.”
Karn nodded. “I see.”
Haadeiya then looked startled. She saw Shaala enter the room, followed by a stark naked woman who closed the door.
Seeing where her gaze had drifted, Karn looked at Helina and then turned back to Haadeiya and Daphne with a smile. “It’s quite all right. This is Helina. She’s a dragon but she’s from I’estre, not Drach’nsvoiya. And she’s here to help us.”
Helina made a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“No, the pleasure’s ours,” Queen Haadeiya said, bowing in return.
“No,” Helina said, taking Haadeiya’s hands in her own and lifting her back up. “A dragon is no more worthy of honor than a human. That was a mistake the dragons of Drach’nsvoiya made, thinking it was otherwise. Honor is earned by our actions and how we treat others. From what Karn and Shaala have told me, you’ve both earned honor in this way and have helped many people. I myself have not yet earned my honor.” She then smiled. “However, I hope to earn some degree of it tonight.”
“You’ll earn it, Helina,” Karn said, stepping in before the conversation strayed too far from more urgent matters. “Now...” He turned back to Haadeiya and Daphne. “There’s a matter that needs to be decided. As of this moment, all three Drach’nsvoiya dragons here still live. Shall we allow them to continue to do so?”
Daphne hesitated. “I can’t speak for all of them but if you’re asking us, then please don’t hurt Elenskaer.”
Haadeiya stepped in. “One of the dragon men... tried to do something to Daphne. Elenskaer stopped him. And considering the fact that she was physically no match for him, she risked her life to do so.”
Karn nodded. “All right. We’ll take her prisoner. And the one who tried to harm Daphne has forfeited any right to mercy from us but what about the third?”
“I don’t know,” Daphne said. “Elenskaer was clearly misguided and it’s obvious she’s not interested in power. She acts as if it’s some kind of duty. The third dragon might be the same. You know, from our conversations with her, it sounds as though Elenskaer’s actually trying to manage her new domain properly.”
“That can’t be easy for her,” Karn said.
“No,” Daphne agreed. “Carcasia, Aracea, Illisden... Araseu. All these places were supported by nearby countries, the western coast... But Elenskaer’s trying to run her lands independently, like Karafae and Savenya are.”
“Well,” Karn said, “like Karafae was. He’s dead now, along with one of his companions.”
“And the other?” Daphne asked. “I think each of the orchestrators had two companions.”
“The other’s with us now,” Karn told her. “She’s on our side. Elenskaer might be given that opportunity as well, but as Helina said before, these things must be earned.”
Haadeiya’s face then paled. “Karn. Whatever you plan to do, you should do it quickly. Elenskaer comes here around this time every night to bring our dinner.”
“She brings you dinner herself?” Karn shook his head. “Well, I can definitely see why you want her spared then. And she comes around this time, does she?”
“Yes.”
Karn thought about it. “So how much time do we have before she comes through that door?”
Daphne shrugged. “I don’t know. Half an hour. Maybe a little more. Maybe a little less.”
“That should be enough.”
“What do you want us to do?” Haadeiya asked.
“Just wait here.” Karn turned to Shaala. “You can wait here too, just stay by the wall, so when Elenskaer comes in, she won’t be able to see you.”
“You’re not going to try to capture her?” Daphne asked him.
“Well, if she’s coming here anyway, then she’s going to trap herself, isn’t she?” Karn then nodded to Helina. “And you’re coming with me.”
“What about the dragon who tried to hurt Daphne?” Haadeiya asked. “We can describe him for you.”
Karn hesitated and then sighed. “It’s all right. I can recognize him from what I’ve seen in your minds.”
He then left with Helina before the questions started flying.
––––––––
“What’s this?” Helina asked as Karn shook up the mixture he’d concocted. They had gone back to the river and Karn had produced two tiny vials from a pouch in his pocket and mixed the contents of one with the other.
“I don’t know what you’d call it,” Karn said. “I brewed this up while we were down in Khalahi. I thought it might be useful. It’s made from several plants and it’s a mixture that Khalahi healers use to induce sleep in the people they’re treating. It’s quite popular with healers in the Greater Realms as well. And the time for which someone will be asleep can be varied with the dose that’s administered.”
“Then how long will that dose put anyone under?” Helina asked.
“Longer than you think,” Karn told her. “It’s very potent. Also, it’s usually administered orally and it takes a while to work its way into the bloodstream. However, I’ve got a more direct technique in mind.” He pulled out a slender dart. “This is heavier than it looks too,” he added. “For throwing balance.”
He paused and turned to his right, where one of the dragonets was standing over his shoulder looking intently at what was going on. He smiled at the creature. “Not now, my friend.”
The dragonet inclined her head, perhaps imitating a nod. Which she probably was, Karn thought to himself.
“All right,” he told Helina, getting up. “You open the doors for me so I can throw these things the moment I get a look in each room. And if either of these dragons makes a spirited attempt to thrash me, I’ll be counting on you to restrain them. Sometimes, a rush of adrenaline can slow the effects of this stuff.”
“Well, I’ll try. But I’m no fighter and I’m not as strong as these Drach’nsvoiya emeralds.”
“You won’t need to be,” Karn assured her. “A rush of adrenaline won’t slow the effects too much. You just need to throw them off balance for a moment.”
When they reached the buildings where the dragons were, Karn took his position by the first door and nodded. Helina swung it open, Karn stepped inside and threw a dart into the neck of the room’s sole occupant where it would work its way into the bloodstream quickly. The dragon had enough time to look surprised and reach for the dart before he collapsed.
This was the dragon that had tried to ravage Daphne and so Karn drew a knife and dispatched him before he and Helina moved on.
In the next room, they repeated the process with the other male dragon but Karn let that one live for the time–being.
Then they went outside and waited for Elenskaer to make the dinner rounds. It was not a long wait.
When she appeared, Karn saw was carrying a heavy tray with succulent roasted meat, cups, and flasks of both water and wine. This was not the action of someone who enjoyed dominion over others and he wondered how she could have ever been caught up in Savenya’s schemes in the first place. Clearly, Savenya had some skill at manipulating people and she was probably quite charming in her way. However, Savenya wasn’t his concern and right then, he was grateful she wasn’t.
––––––––
As Elenskaer opened the door, she knew something was wrong.
“It’s all right, Elenskaer,” Karn told her, stepping behind her. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
Maintaining her elegant poise, Elenskaer placed the tray down on the table. “May I see the face of my captor?”
“You can turn around if that’s what you mean,” Karn said. “But whether I’m your captor or not remains to be seen.” He nodded to Daphne as Elenskaer turned and saw him. “Daphne tells me that you’ve taken good care of her and Haadeiya, and I can see that’s the case. And you protected her the other night, risking your own life as well. And for your compassion, you deserve our own.”
Elenskaer frowned. “Where are my companions?”
“You wish to see them?” Karn asked. “The one who attempted to assault Daphne is dead. We don’t hold with that.”
Elenskaer nodded. “Neither do I.”
“Who was he?” Karn asked.
“Syvalgri. He was a brute.”
“I see,” Karn said. “And the other?”
“Harvindar.”
“Well,” Karn told her, “Harvindar’s still alive. He’s unconscious in his dwelling but he’s unharmed. What do you suggest we do with him?”
Elenskaer swallowed. “If my wishes mean anything, then I’d ask you to spare him. He’s not like Savenya. He’s even noble in his own way. All he wanted was a better life for himself. That’s how he became involved. But it all just got out of hand.”
Stepping into view, Shaala gave Karn a nod. “She’s telling the truth.”
“So what will become of us then?” Elenskaer asked, lowering the tray.
“You’re acting as if you’re a condemned woman, Elenskaer,” Karn told her. “You’re not. No one was killed by your hand. People have lost their freedom, yes, but you can return that to them.”
“What of the others?”
Karn shrugged. “A fair question. Karafae attempted to resist us with violence and lost his life because of it. One of his dragons, Araestae I think his name was, attempted to use the queens of both Ilara and Maharei as hostages, drawing a blade on one of them. That cost him his life. Nera however appeared to be remorseful for her actions, and it seemed to us that she was just a pawn in all this. And she’s quite safe and we’re treating her well.” Karn gave Elenskaer a smile. “So you see, we are even handed and we’d rather avoid bloodshed if we can.”
“And what of Savenya?” Elenskaer asked.
“That’s for others to decide,” Karn replied. “What happens here though is up to you.”
“And the Angdar?”
“A good question,” Karn said. “My friends and I have been contemplating that for several days. Should we kill them off? They are a violent people and there’s no hope for them.”
“But if they’re a dying race anyway,” Elenskaer said, “even though they’re a violent one, wouldn’t it be kinder just to leave them alone and let them die in peace?”
“You know they’re a dying race?” Karn said.
Elenskaer sighed. “It was obvious when I first saw their settlements up north. I don’t like them but I pity them, to tell you the truth.”
“I don’t know if you believe it or not,” Karn told her, “but so do I. I’ll talk to them to see if I can persuade them to return to those settlements of theirs. And since the other option would be their immediate slaughter, I’m sure they can put aside their aggressive instincts for the time–being and leave peacefully.”
Elenskaer nodded and then she gazed in Karn’s eyes. “There’s something I have to know.”
Karn frowned. “What’s that?”
“Who are you?”
He smiled. “I’m Karn Zell.”
“The mage who defeated Dominicon,” Shaala added, with a smile of her own.
Hearing this, Elenskaer’s entire demeanor changed and she knelt down before Karn, clasping his hands. “Then I’m at your service. For years, I lived in fear of that beast. From now on, ask of me what you will.”
Shaala then came over and helped her to her feet. “It’s all right, Elenskaer. We’re glad to help you. I’m Shaala and I know about your kind and the other dragons that live on Drach’nsvoiya. Although I’ve never laid a foot on it, I’ve seen the rivers of lava there, the ash, the hot and humid jungles, the shrubs that satisfy the hunger of nothing and the way you prey on each other. I’ve seen these things in the mind of Dominicon himself so I can only imagine how bad Drach’nsvoiya was for the rest of you.
“I’ve also seen what it does to you all. You’re splendid beings – you with your hide of ruby red and Harvindar in his coat of emerald – yet Drach’nsvoiya turns you to desperation and pettiness, and makes you less than you are. But here, you can be what you’re supposed to be.”
Tears flowed down Elenskaer’s cheeks as she listened to Shaala. Every word rang true. And around the room, the others watched and waited.
Shaala then knelt down in front of her, while Helina crouched beside her as well and put her arm on her shoulder. This was the end of the life that Elenskaer had known and it was the beginning of something far more meaningful.
––––––––
Ramonda alighted on the ramparts of the fortress of Wyvern’s Peak, keeping her balance by slowly beating her wings. “I’ll stay here,” she said as Natooka, Talon and Ishtvan leapt down from her back. In the air above, Haitarus took up a scouting position.
Natooka then led Talon and Ishtvan down into the fortress. She signaled them both to be quiet as they came to the first room below the ramparts, a small guardhouse. There was no one inside so they pressed on, using only the light of the moon through the windows to guide them.
Farther down the stairs, there were a handful of torches on the walls and some lamps on little tables. They then came to another door. Natooka frowned. It didn’t seem as though it were occupied either. There was a light coming from under it but there were no sounds.
Talon looked at Natooka and she shrugged in return, reaching for the handle. It was unlocked. She gave Talon a nod and he and Ishtvan held short blades at the ready. Throwing daggers that Shaala had forged.
As Natooka opened the door, they moved to throw the blades but stopped. No one was inside... which was disappointing. If someone had been, they would have killed Savenya.
They continued down the stairs and came to the prison.
––––––––
“Natooka?” Keld asked, keeping his voice down.
“I thought you might miss me,” she told him with a little smile. She nodded to Kaolin and the others as she pried at the lock with a small pin that Karn had given her.
“Of course,” Keld replied. “But I must admit, this is quite a surprise.”
“So’s seeing you all penned up in here,” Natooka countered. She pried the lock open and Keld, Kaolin, Kaodas and Lord Asmundyr hurried out. They then saw Talon and Ishtvan.
“And the surprises keep coming,” Kaolin murmured. She reached out and held Talon’s hands. “Is Kelahil safe?”
“He’s in Saharei with Lorial, Gandon and no Drach’nsvoiya dragons in sight,” Talon assured her.
Kaolin hugged him. “Thank you, Talon.”
Talon smiled. “It was nothing, my lady.”
“Knock that off,” Kaolin said, wiping some tears from her eyes. “We’re practically family.”
Talon smiled, some tears coming to his own eyes as well. “Sorry.”
“Where’s Savenya?” Natooka asked them.
“The last time we saw her, she was heading down to the lower levels,” Lord Asmundyr told her.
“Let’s see if we can dispatch her before we get to the villagers,” Natooka said to Talon.
“How do you know where everyone is?” Kaodas asked.
“Dragonets,” Natooka replied, giving him a grin.
“What are dragonets?”
“You’ll find out soon.” Natooka then turned to Ishtvan. “Ishtvan. Do your mother and Queen Heptapshu proud and take everyone up to the roof.”
“Wait,” Keld said to her. “Can’t we help?”
“Wish you could,” Talon told him. “But we don’t have any weapons for you.”
“There were some swords in the guardhouse back there,” Ishtvan said.
“Were there?” Talon asked him, frowning.
“Yes, there were,” Natooka said.
“All right,” Talon said, thinking. “Take Lord Keld there and the others can head for the roof.”
Natooka shook her head at him with an amused smile. “The Lord Keld, the Lady Kaolin, King Kaodas and Lord Asmundyr. Eirahir warriors to the core and you think they’re just going to go to the ramparts and wait for us?”
Talon nodded. “That was pretty stupid of me. All right, Ishtvan. Weapons for everyone.” He turned to Keld. “However, when we head down, Ishtvan and I will go first. Our weapons are a little different.”
––––––––
A few minutes later, the party, now four stronger than they had been earlier, headed farther down the stairs. They came out into a larger part of the fortress, still high up. They approached one of the rooms on that level and Natooka listened to the faint noises that came from it with keen ears that missed nothing.
She opened the door before the others could say anything but she knew what she was doing. There was a dragon in the room but he was looking the other way.
There was a woman in the room as well, wearing little more than rags. She had more rags in her hands and there were piles of rags around her as well, some dry but most soaked, and she was kneeling on a stone floor while the dragon was sitting at a table above her. As they watched, he sculled some wine and then spilled some onto the floor in front of her.
“Ah, look! There’s more!” he cried out with laughter as the woman soaked it up with another rag from the pile by her side.
Talon threw one of Shaala’s blades into the small of the dragon’s back and the brute keeled over, collapsing on the floor. Then the woman saw them and wept with relief. She crawled over to them and threw herself at Kaolin’s feet. “Oh, my lady!”
“No, no, no,” Kaolin said, her voice filled with anguish. She crouched down and helped the woman up.
“So this is what Savenya’s thugs have been doing while she was sweet–talking me,” she said to Keld, cold anger rising through her. “How dare they?”
“Orleich?” a male voice called out from somewhere close by.
Everyone whirled around – their hands on their weapons – except Kaolin, who moved away from the door, sheltering the woman in her arms.
Another dragon appeared outside the room and his eyes lit up as he saw them all standing there.
“Saveny–arghh!” he shouted out, his cry cut off as Ishtvan threw his own dagger at him. The dragon raised his hand to defend himself but it tore a deep gash through his arm.
Clutching at his wound, he turned and ran for the stairs in long powerful strides, heading down and disappearing from sight.
“That’s Ilvenghaast,” Kaodas said to the others. “Savenya’s favorite among her two servants. Come on. We have to stop him!”
“Natooka! Ishtvan!” Talon shouted. “Stay with Kaolin and the woman.”
He ran off with Kaodas, Asmundyr and Keld close behind him. When he reached the stairs, he leapt down them two at a time. He wondered why Ishtvan’s dagger hadn’t affected Ilvenghaast as it was one of the ones that Shaala had made down in Saharei. However, as he caught sight of him again, he saw the dragon was slowing down and lurching from side to side.
Talon then felt a rush of air and saw that Lord Asmundyr had overtaken him on the stairs.
“I’ll handle this, son,” the older man shouted and then he leapt, holding a short sword out in front of him. And as he came down, the blade sank into Ilvenghaast’s back.
Ilvenghaast fell forward. And still gripping the handle of the sword, Asmundyr landed on him, sliding left of the hilt so he didn’t drag the blade back through himself. Then, as they fell to the next landing on the stairs, the two of them slid to a halt and Asmundyr climbed off the dragon’s corpse and stood up.
However, before the lord of Erahil had even a moment to admire his handiwork, Keld shouted out in excitement.
“Savenya!”
And sure enough, the dragon was there. And she had seen Ilvenghaast’s end. However, there were another two landings separating her from them and she was fast. The first thing she did was run for a window and for a moment, it looked as though she would leap out, changing into her dragon form then and there. But she pulled her head back in with an expression of disbelief and fury, then turned and headed for another flight of stairs.
“They’re the main stairs that lead to the gate,” Keld shouted. “She’ll get away.”
They were running as fast as they safely could on the stairs but Savenya had already disappeared from sight.
At this point, Talon turned around to head back the way they had come.
“Stay with her and be careful!” he called after the others.
“Where are you going?” Keld asked, surprised to see the younger man abandoning the chase.
“To get help!” Talon called back, and he was already at the next landing above them.
Turning away, Keld continued down the stairs just behind Asmundyr, with Kaodas at the front. As they made their way farther and farther down, they passed several more Arahir women.
“My lords!” one of them exclaimed as they ran past.
“Did Savenya pass this way?” Keld asked them.
“She did but you must hurry,” the woman told him. “She’s very fast.”
Keld nodded and continued on, realizing that he was too old to be racing down flights of stairs like this. It was a huge fortress and everywhere there were disused corridors that led to battlements and armories. It had been Askenroth’s stronghold during the first great war and it had no doubt been expanded upon and modified many times during the years in which Askenroth and Gammoroth had stayed there under siege, which meant there were many rooms in which Savenya could hide from them if she chose.
Keld also wondered whether she might try taking one of the other Arahir women as hostages but they seemed to have passed all of them and were now in the bowels of the fortress.
Then they came to a halt.
All around them were Angdar soldiers and terror froze Keld in place. He had not seen this many Angdar in the one place since the war and he had been much younger then, with a better sword at his side than the one he was carrying. He’d also usually had more than two companions at his side as well.
For a few moments, no one moved and no one spoke.
“What are you doing, my lords?” one of the Angdar asked. It was hard to tell whether he was mocking them, threatening them or whether he was merely curious. All the Angdar appeared to have a detached attitude to what they were witnessing.
Then Savenya appeared from an alcove behind them and as they realized she was there, a change came over them. Something in their eyes faded and their shoulders slumped.
Savenya walked towards Keld and his companions. “These lords are out of their room and are armed,” she said to the Angdar. “Kill them.”
Before any of them moved though, Keld stepped forward. “You can kill us if you wish,” he told them, ignoring Savenya. “But if you do, you shall remain here as Savenya’s servants. Is this what you wish?”
“They wish to survive, Lord Keld,” Savenya told him, her voice cold. “And to survive, they must obey.”
“For fear of retribution from you?” Keld asked. “You’re trapped here. You can’t change into your dragon form and while you’re still strong in your present one, the Angdar will be stronger still. And as you can see, they outnumber you too.”
“If any harm falls on me,” Savenya warned, speaking for the Angdar’s benefit, not Keld’s, “then Ilvenghaast and Orleich will destroy those responsible. All of those responsible.”
“Ilvenghaast and Orleich are dead,” Keld told them. “We can show you their corpses.”
“Charming,” Savenya said and then turned back to her soldiers. “Do you honestly believe these three men could overwhelm dragons?”
The Angdar didn’t answer.
Savenya scowled. “Let me put it this way then. If you don’t kill these lords, then you will answer to me right now!”
The Angdar then moved to the pillars throughout the room and picked up weapons from the stacks underneath them.
Then Keld realized something. For years, the Eirahir had patrolled the wild lands of the north east, killing any Angdar they could find and so while the Angdar had little love for Savenya, they had even less for him and his companions.
“Oh, hell,” he said.
With Kaodas and Asmundyr at his side, he turned and ran for the stairs, realizing that in all likelihood they wouldn’t reach them. And they didn’t.
The Angdar moved in from all sides. Unable to escape, Keld and his companions formed a small circle, protecting each other’s backs. In a detached manner, Keld noticed that Savenya had slipped away. Then one of the Angdar took a step towards him. Since the creatures knew the advantage was theirs, they weren’t in much of a hurry.
Then the sound of breaking glass rang through the room and several small dragon–like creatures came flying inside, hovering about the ceiling. Shrieking at the Angdar, they dived towards them, pecking at them and clawing at their faces, tearing flesh as they did so. Some of the Angdar tried to swipe at the creatures but they were too fast, darting back towards the ceiling and out of reach.
“What are these things?” Kaodas exclaimed.
“I think they’re the dragonets Natooka mentioned,” Keld replied. “But whatever they are, they just saved our lives. Come on!”
He then led the way through a nice little corridor the creatures had opened through the ranks of the Angdar and they resumed their headlong race down the stairs.
They passed several more floors of the fortress and while it was possible that Savenya could have been hiding on any of them, it seemed that her plan was to escape from the fortress altogether. And when they reached the gate, they saw that she had. Lying in the dusty entrance was her velvet dress.
With a sigh, Keld stepped outside and looked around.
“Keld!”
Nearly jumping out of his skin, Keld looked up and saw Natooka astride a gold dragon.
“Did you find Savenya?”
“Both of her companions are dead,” Keld replied, “but it looks like she escaped.”
He dashed back to the gate and picked up the dress to show her. “We found this.”
“So she’s changed.”
“Yes.”
“We didn’t see anything though,” Natooka said. “Hold on.” On her dragon steed, she soared over their heads and down over the cliff behind the fortress, circling the mountain several times.
Keld then saw a much larger dragon circling overhead as well. It was hard to make out in the moonlight but it also appeared to have a golden hue. Clearly a lot of things had been happening while he’d been locked away.
“Nothing,” Natooka said as she reappeared. “Where could she have gone?”
“I don’t know,” Keld replied. “Maybe we should search the fortress.”
“Maybe.” Natooka sounded doubtful.
“Speaking of which,” Keld told her, changing the subject, “there are a lot of Angdar in there and they’re pretty angry.”
“More good news,” Natooka called back. “Well, don’t worry. Ramonda is already on that.”
“Ramonda?” Keld asked. And he and the others looked up to see the larger gold dragon return and blast a stream of fire through the windows that the Angdar were behind.
“I’d better get back and help get all those women and children to safety!” Natooka shouted.
Then she and the dragon soared up towards the ramparts of the fortress.
––––––––
In the dark up above Keld and the others, Savenya clung to the bricks of the fortress walls, wedged in a small corner. Then, once the woman and her dragon left, she climbed back down and eased her way over the edge of the cliff face. Slowly but steadily, she made her descent.
Scrambling up and down steep rocky slopes had been a useful skill for her in the past, helping her to escape larger dragons unnoticed. Now, once again, it had saved her life.
––––––––
The meeting was held in the mountains above Kalishar where Karafae had made his dwelling. Two weeks had passed since Savenya was driven from Wyvern’s Peak.
“All right,” Ramonda announced. “Before we begin, let’s first make sure we have dealt with our other concerns.”
She picked up some papers that had been prepared for her after Savenya’s escape and proceeded to read. Despite what some in the group had thought, the dragons of I’estre were quite literate. But considering their long lives of peace and contentment, it should have been more surprising if they weren’t. Ramonda looked at the first item. “Harvindar.”
“I told him we were free to go our separate ways,” Elenskaer replied. “And he told me he wanted to explore the Southern Lands.”
“He won’t cause trouble down there, will he?”
“I doubt it,” Elenskaer said. “I’ve told Karn before, but Harvindar’s honorable in his own way. Also, he’s afraid of doing anything that might anger Karn since he was the one who killed Dominicon.”
“Very well,” Ramonda said, making a note of it. “We’ll assume we won’t be hearing from him again. Now, the remaining Angdar at Wyvern’s Peak.”
“I met with them,” Baine said. “Those who survived won’t go anywhere near Arahir or Valahir again. They’ve retreated back to the Ogjenskarrat.”
Ramonda nodded. “Good. Now, has everyone in the Greater Realms been informed about the present situation?”
Queen Haadeiya addressed that one for the group. “Well, the other civic leaders and I have discussed this and everyone in all the major cities should know by now as official messengers were employed to spread the news. As for the villagers, we’ve been working on that too. Shaala’s been helping us by summoning messenger falcons and even going herself to various places around the Greater Realms with Helina.”
She paused. “We decided not to use the dragonets yet because, given a lot of people’s recent experience with larger dragons, they might startle them. However, we’ve mentioned the dragonets in the messages along with you and your companions, of course.”
“Well, I think that’s everything,” Ramonda said. He turned to Kaolin. “How are the women Savenya’s companions kidnapped?”
Kaolin sighed. “I don’t know. As well as can be expected, I suppose.”
Beside her, Keld squeezed her hand.
Ramonda bowed her head. “I hope they can soon put what happened behind them.” She paused before addressing the group once more. “Now, let’s talk about Savenya.”
“Is it possible,” Queen Heptapshu asked, “that she simply returned to Drach’nsvoiya?”
“Possible, yes,” Ramonda said. “But from what I’ve learned of her from all of you, unlikely. Now, I can’t propose any real solution for finding her but I think we can guard ourselves against her if we can inform each other quickly if anyone sees her. Karn, if you, Shaala and Elenskaer keep watch at Cirreone, you can contact other dragons or mages if you see her, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be our eyes and ears in the east. Helina, I’ll station you at Olcenberg. You can liaise with the governing council there and keep watch over Illisden, Carcasia, Ungvemhaast and Un’vari. Haitarus, you can stay in Saharei. It’s possible that Savenya may try to cause trouble in the Southern Lands. And Baine, you and Nera can stay here.”
“Sounds good to me,” Baine replied, giving Nera a smile.
“And finally, I’ll go to Wyvern’s Peak and keep watch over the northern lands,” Ramonda said. “Now, we also have fifteen dragonets with us and they wish to help. So for the duration of our vigil, seven of them shall act as messengers for you all if you need urgent aid. King Kaodas. Lady Kaolin. Lord Asmundyr. Queen Heptapshu. Queen Isabelle. Lady Daphne. Queen Haadeiya. When you all return to your homes, a dragonet will go with you. In the meantime, the other dragonets will continue scouting out the Greater Realms to see if Savenya can be found.”
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Savenya however had no plan. She sat in the ruins of her fortress overlooking the ashen waste of her temporary home, a good imitation of Drach’nsvoiya. Somehow, its dull barren landscape appealed to her mood right then, and while the fortress she’d found here was very different from Wyvern’s Peak, it had a similar feeling to it in some respects as both places had been built by men of similar character.
However, where Askenroth had been proud and boastful, whoever had made this had been crafty and practical, a survivor. Askenroth’s fortress had towered over the lands, proclaiming his might to all who saw it. This fortress though, Kharadaan as it was called, was crude, a series of rooms and tunnels carved out of a mountain of rock. The fortress of Wyvern’s Peak stood atop a mountain but Kharadaan was a mountain. And while it had fallen into disrepair after its final abandonment, it could never be wholly destroyed.
Savenya sat naked in one of the caves, cooking the meat of a wild goat she had killed, turning it over the fire she had made. It wasn’t civilization, but then again, she had tried her hand at that and had failed. She still missed it though. The softness of her bed. Those velvet dresses. She even missed sparring with Kaolin and the others.
Angrily, she played about with the fire, prodding sticks into it to make it spark. It had been a mistake trying to govern whole lands. She knew that now. It was pointless work, taking a tribute to feed those awful Angdar creatures that she was better off without. Also, she didn’t feel too bad about losing Ilvenghaast and Orleich. They’d been brutes anyway, especially Orleich. He hadn’t known what to do with civilization and had broken the rules of conduct she had set out for them all.
As Savenya turned the meat that hung above the fire, she tried to clear her thoughts and focus on what it was she really wanted. She’d been thinking about it for two weeks now and in a way, she’d been wondering about it far longer than that. She enjoyed the space she had at Kharadaan but she didn’t plan to stay there. She just needed time to plan her next move. She also wanted companionship, and the black dragons and wyverns she had found in this new land were pretty pathetic on that front. And black dragons just didn’t taste the same any more either.
Wyverns had been interesting to her for a little while, especially as they had been oddly non–existent around that peak that carried their name. They seemed to be the Greater Realm’s native equivalent of a dragon species and they would have been wholly unremarkable creatures – scraggly and ungainly vermin – if it weren’t for the interesting fact of their stinging tails. For a little while, Savenya had contemplated rounding up a group of the things, along with a few black dragons and attacking those who were responsible for her current predicament. The only problem however was that she didn’t know who they were, or where they were either for that matter.
There had been other dragons at Wyvern’s Peak, a large gold and a slightly smaller one and then there had been all those silver creatures that looked like dragons in miniature. Then someone had let Keld, Kaodas and Asmundyr out of their prison. And Kaolin must have got out as well.
She shook her head. There was no way she could have known anything like that was going to happen. Clearly, she had underestimated the people of the Greater Realms.
She wondered then whether perhaps the best thing would be for her to go to Elenskaer or Karafae asking for aid but the idea of crawling to them on her belly repulsed her.
Then the answer struck her. She would make her way through the Greater Realms in her human form since the people who had driven her from Wyvern’s Peak, if they were still hunting her, were hunting a striped ruby dragon.
She smiled to herself, pleased with this resolution. The only thing that remained was to decide where to go. She had to go somewhere where there were people and the means to travel because, as much as she preferred her human form, it made traveling slow work. She needed access to horses, ships and the like.
As she ate her dinner, she contemplated the problem more and then late in the night, she took off for one last flight in her dragon form and headed far to the south–east, to the land of Hadras.
This land had once been home to the Lia’shael people, a people of olive complexion who had lived off the bounties of the sea. In the first great war of the Greater Realms, they had been driven from that land to the peninsula of Aracea, where Cirreone lay. Then most of them had fled farther west after the wars with Strahd had broken out.
Afterwards, Hadras had been largely forgotten. The massive armies that the fallen mages of the first war had brought with them were long gone, the fortress of Argon that they had built near the mountains of that land was now just a relic from another era, and any evidence of the original Lia’shael inhabitants of Hadras had been lost. Living among the many peoples of places like Kalishar and Ensari, they had no interest in returning.
However, after the defeat of Marshal Artaeis, a handful of settlers from Kalishar had traveled there and now there was a scattering of small villages along the coast. It was at one of these villages that Savenya changed into her human form.
After making sure there was nobody watching, she walked to the shore of the sea, waded into the water and completely soaked herself. Then she rolled about in the sand and then lay on her front, turned her head to one side and shut her eyes.
She remained there until morning and as the sun grew hot on her skin, she heard the voices of village men as they ran down to the beach.
“Ah, it breaks my heart when the sea claims the life of another innocent traveler,” one of them said.
“Search the beach. There may be more bodies.”
“I doubt it. There’s no wreckage from the boat. I’d say this poor lady’s been swept a long way from wherever she was.”
One of the men sighed. “Well, I suppose we’d better clean her up and give her some kind of fitting ceremony. A few words, throw the ashes into the sea, something like that.”
“This is awful.”
“Yes.”
Savenya then felt hands grabbing hold of her and she was turned over onto her back.
“She’s alive!” one of the villagers exclaimed, and Savenya felt hands brushing her cheeks as though the men were trying to wake her. It was time.
She coughed, weakly at first and then with a little more force. Then she shuddered, shivered a little and allowed herself to open her eyes, perfecting a confused and bleary gaze. She looked around and said nothing.
“Are you all right?” a concerned suntanned face asked her. “What happened?”
“My ship...” Savenya stammered. “I paid for a crossing to the Southern Lands.” She affected a dizzy spell and leaned forward, forcing tears. “There was a storm. We had to swim...” Then she cried, heaving her shoulders and sobbing.
“It’s all right,” someone told her, an arm around her. “You’re safe now. Look at that sky. Not a cloud! And the sea’s as flat as a mirror. You’ll be all right now.”
“The poor thing must be exhausted,” another man said, shaking his head. “Come on. Let’s get her inside. Let my wife take a look at her. She’s got this trick of putting herbs or what–have–you in a heated bath. I reckon that’s just what this young lady needs.”
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Over a month passed and then as autumn arrived in the Greater Realms, Queen Haadeiya saw a dragonet alight on the ground before her. Her own dragonet companion, who she had grown quite fond of during their time together, went to greet the newcomer and she followed.
“Hello, my friend,” she said, giving the arrival a piece of dried meat that she kept handy for the dainty creatures. The dragonet gobbled it down and rubbed his head against her thigh affectionately. Smiling, Haadeiya patted him and reached down to remove the message that had been tied to his leg.
“Oh,” she said after she’d read it. She then took a little sip of water from a cup on her table, folded the letter and slid it under the cup.
“What’s that about?” one of the Ulak nearby asked her.
“Ramonda sent it,” she said. “She’s calling off the vigil. And she’s leaving.”
“Savenya’s been found then?”
“No,” Haadeiya replied. “But Ramonda thinks there’s no need for us to worry about her any more. Besides, we can’t keep looking over our shoulders forever. There comes a time when we just have to get on with our lives and Ramonda says that time for us has come and gone.”
“That makes sense, I suppose,” the other Ulak said. “But I wonder why he’s not concerned.”
Haadeiya thought about it. “They’re not vengeful, these I’estre dragons. They simply wanted to help us. And not just help us get back on our feet, but help us learn to fend for ourselves. Because when you think about it, Ramonda didn’t really fight a whole lot of Drach’nsvoiya dragons for us. In the end, she didn’t have to do much at all. But what she did was guide the rest of us.”
The other Ulak nodded. “So that’s why she’s leaving now, even though Savenya is still out there somewhere.”
“Right,” Haadeiya said. “Because she knows now we can take care of ourselves.” She paused, looking at the rest of the message she held in her hand. “Just as Tal and Morgiana do too.”
“They’re going somewhere?”
Haadeiya shook her head. “They’ve already left. Haitarus and King Nabahar said they just found their room in Saharei empty one day. They’d been keeping to themselves quite a lot during the past few weeks apparently, and no one had noticed. And then they just left.”
“I wonder where they went.”
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Adeiris grinned at his sister. “I’ve spoken to Queen Heptapshu and she’s going to give us another ship. A bigger ship.”
Ariadne smiled back. “That’s wonderful. It’ll be nice to return to I’estre. Especially now we can stay as long as we want. But who’s going to sail our old ship back afterwards?”
“We’ll worry about that when we get there,” Adeiris said. “But it won’t be us. I think we’ll give our ship to someone who deserves it.”
Ariadne laughed. “It sounds like you’re already quite taken with our new ship.”
“Oh, wait ’til you see it,” her brother replied.
“So when are we leaving? What’s the plan?”
“We’ll leave tomorrow,” Adeiris said. “We’ll meet Ramonda and Haitarus at a cove near the mouth of the Kanafwae River. Then it’s straight to I’estre.”
“Helina’s not coming? I mean, I know Baine’s staying here with Nera but...”
“Helina’s staying here too. Perhaps she can help look after all the dragonets.”
“Yes, there do seem to be a few more of them around,” Ariadne said. “I’m sure a few of them are pairing up.”
“And I’m sure that was probably intentional on the part of Ramonda or someone,” Adeiris said. “And more have come from I’estre as well.”
“Yes, I’m sure Ramonda planned this. All the various leaders around the Greater Realms have dragonet companions now. And pairs of them, male and female. And King Nabahar has a pair of them in Saharei as well.”
“She planned a lot, didn’t she?”
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To the south of Saharei, a man and a woman on horseback wandered, occasionally hunting for meat, occasionally trying out small portions of the various fruits and tubers that grew in the land to see first of all what they could eat and secondly, what they would actually want to.
They also came across other groups of people. Some of them were more hospitable than others, although none of them were openly hostile. By and large, they appeared to have been unaffected by the wars that had plagued the Greater Realms and it seemed to the two travelers that much of the world was probably the same way. It also seemed there was much more of the world than they had thought and that the Greater Realms, and maybe even the joint landmass they formed with the Southern Lands was only a small part of it.
Surprisingly, they could speak to the various people they came across without difficulty. The language that they had thought of as their own was widely spoken and they came to realize that there could only be one explanation for it. Since the people of the Greater Realms knew little of what lay beyond their lands, they could not have spread the language. Someone else must have done so, and by extension, the language must have originally come from them. And for the man and the woman wandering the Southern Lands, there was only one group of people they could think of who could possibly have traveled so far and influenced so many others. Dragons. Although whether they were dragons from I’estre or some other part of the world, they didn’t know.
However, it looked as though they were long gone now, or maybe through intermarrying with humans, their descendants now lived as humans as well. Perhaps, this explained why some humans were able to harness the power of the gift. Dragons, with their abilities to change forms and communicate through thoughts, were clearly magical beings. If they had intermarried with other people, then perhaps something of their abilities occasionally emerged in their descendants.
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When they had set out from Saharei, Tal and Morgiana had imagined finding a quiet little place where they could settle. They had thought they might settle just a little south of Khalahi in one of the pleasant coves they had found. They could put up a fence to keep the lions out and grow a few of the better tasting things they had found around the area. However, the more they wandered, the more they had wanted to keep exploring.
Most likely, they would settle somewhere but they weren’t ready yet. They were ready however to share their lives with one another, embracing each other heart and soul. And when night fell, they would often lie together under the stars or in a crude shelter they had made, with their arms about each other. After countless years fighting and rebuilding, they were free at last to do the one thing that neither of them had risked before. They were free to love.