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MY FOOT HURT. I WASN’T saying that Saboraak had pierced the skin or broken it or anything, only that it hurt like crazy. And my head hurt, too. I wasn’t meant to be dragged through the air upside down. That was hero stuff and I was no hero.
You could have fooled me.
I was still holding the axe. I couldn’t have said why. It made more sense to just drop it, but my frozen fingers couldn’t relax if I tried.
Above me, Bataar was riding like a king on Saboraak’s back. Tor? Oh, don’t worry. We’ll just scoop him up like a fish and drag him to wherever we are going.
Don’t be so dramatic, Tor.
And we were in trouble. We were being hunted now. Powerful people wanted us dead or wanted to use us. Neither Bataar or I could show our faces at night – just in case someone demanded to see our arms. We had no safe house, no money, and nothing of value except the items I snatched from the basement of the magical pawnshop. My whole life dangled from a thread just like my body dangled from a foot.
Maybe you should be acting at the theatrical performance Zyla is watching. Histrionics would suit you.
Don’t remind me. She’s with that stuffy Apeq. He betrayed us. I know he did. And now he’s charmed Zyla and Zin into his pocket.
Forget him and focus. We’re nearly at the peak that looks like a gnarled tree. What should we be looking for?
I didn’t have an answer to that. I’d only figured out the first part of the riddle so far.
Three there stand but four there be,
One the shape of gnarled tree,
Wait for moon before you go,
Fail and you will never know.
We found the fourth peak. Which meant that the next clue must be about the moon – somehow.
The three mountain peaks ascending from a single base, Eski, Balde, and Ziu were lit up by smoking braziers and hanging lanterns, but their lights were small from here. The gnarled peak was just out from the edge of the middle peak, Balde – out on its own tiny peak like an island in the air, almost hidden by the perpetual mists that rose from the base of the mountain. The moon hid behind the jagged rock of that peak, but there were no lights, no ladders, no walkways, no signs of people at all.
Let’s fly closer.
Saboraak – my dragon partner and dare I say, friend? – drew so close to the peak that she almost scraped her wing tips on the rock as we flew
If I’m not your friend after saving your life three times, then I’m not sure what else I could do to earn that title. You’re a hard boy to please, Tor.
Wait. What did I see glimmering in the moonlight? Was that the symbol of the Lightbringers, a rising sun over a hill? It was scrawled as if written by hand in silver on the side of a rock. The marking was so small that you had to be nearly on top of it to see it.
Saboraak flew closer and I tried to twist to get a better view.
Stop squirming!
Why was it so faint?
I think it’s an ink that only can be seen in the moonlight.
Did everyone have that stuff? Don’t even get me started on doorways that tattoo it to your arm ...
There! Behind the symbol, a rock jutted out and behind the rock was a dark shadow.
You want me to try to squirm into that shadow with you in my mouth?
She was already landing like a bird of prey on the lip of it, ducking her great head and slipping inside the rock.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Bataar said from above. “Where are we going, exactly?”
“I’m following a hunch,” I said through gritted teeth. My head bumped against the rock below. “Oww!”
Sorry. It’s dark in here and I can’t flame for light with your foot in my mouth.
We all have our trials to bear. I wished I could roll my eyes mentally.
There was the sound of flint striking and then a flickering flame above us.
“I always keep a flint and candle stub on me,” Bataar said.
I bet that when he was a kid the grownups were always pointing to him saying, ‘You should be more like Bataar,’ to other kids. I was never friends with kids like that.
It was hard to be too bitter when his candle lit the cavern with weak light. It was big in here. Bataar lit a lantern on the wall and I gasped as the light grew stronger.
Saboraak dropped me.
“Ow!”
I crashed to the ground, barely shielding my head with my arms before I landed. My legs and back hurt from the drop.
You were only an inch above the ground. Don’t be a hatchling.
You should know, Saboraak, that humans are not built with permanent armor. You could have snapped my neck!
So easily? You are delicate things ...
But I didn’t have time to chastise her more. I checked my leg for gashes and was relieved to find that her teeth hadn’t broken the skin.
I leapt to my feet. Time to explore. I’d fuss about the bruises on my legs later.
Or you could thank me for saving your life ...
In one corner there was a fireplace – venting through a tunnel to the outside, I guessed – with wood set in the hearth and stacked in an alcove to the side. Bataar was already dismounting with his gaze set on the fireplace.
A pair of cots were near the fire and a wide rug with a small table and chairs of various types were set between them. Bookshelves lined one wall and a set of shelves with supplies lined the other wall. I set about exploring immediately with one of the lanterns while Bataar lit a fire.
This main room was the size of three dragons, mostly empty, and smelling of acid – a sure sign that Saboraak was not the first dragon to occupy this area. Tack hung on the wall beside the entrance – dragon saddles, bridles, and saddlebags. I almost pumped a fist in excitement.
Small rooms led off from the main room through jagged doorways with no doors. One led to a room with water flowing slowly down the rock, another to a room with a stone-carved lavatory, another to a dry storeroom. There were barrels and casks sealed within. I grabbed a crowbar and cracked a small cask open. It smelled of cider. Tasted like cider, too. My eyes grew big as I looked around the storeroom. If all of this was food, we could live here for months!
I snatched up a slip of paper lying on the shelf beside the cider and read it in the lantern light.
Tor,
I’m assuming you found the food first and this note. There is coin at the back of the shelf. Please use it sparingly. It may be hard to get more to you.
There are doves on the upper floor. Use them wisely to send messages through my network. If we have been separated, please send a report immediately.
If we were separated, then no doubt the note I gave you brought you here. You may have no idea of how vital your role here is.
Gather as much intelligence as you can on the Doors of Heaven.
If a man arrives in the city with Ko on his arms, this will begin a disruption in Ko’Torenth society that will ripple throughout the world. Send word to me immediately if this happens, but at all costs, avoid the succession war that is bound to follow.
Avoid the Exalted, except to gather information on them. I think specifically of an Exalted by the name of Apeq A’kona of the House of Flame. I do not know what he is planning, only that he seems to be entangling half the city in his scheme.
We are most keen to find out a few things. Watch for these:
First, are the Magikas fleeing the Dominion allying themselves with Ko’Torenth?
Second, has Ko’Torenth found a solution to the problem of magic disappearing from the world?
Third, does Ko’Torenth plan to continue their covert operations against the Dominion?
A succession war would certainly delay all of these outcomes. While that would be beneficial to the Dominion, I caution you in the strongest words: Do not start a succession war. Do not search for a Door of Heaven. If you find one, do not touch it. Avoid entangling yourself in the affairs of Ko’Torenth or becoming known to any of the Exalted.
I will return to you soon.
Hubric.
Oops. Too bad I didn’t find that note sooner. I would have at least pretended to try not to break all of his rules if I’d known what they were.
I looked up from the letter to find Bataar in the doorway. He leaned one shoulder against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
“How long have you been a spy?” he asked.