Chapter Five

Lord Baylis rose from his ornate throne, stalking toward Hathos and Valla. A thick band of gold and jewels sat on his brow, weighing down his wheat-colored hair. He was large, even for a dragon, though not as big as Shrake, the red male who’d brought them in.

Hathos was shocked by the number of dragons living in this fortress. They easily outnumbered the Dragonvale and Red Crag clans combined. If these southerners weren’t so barbaric in their attitude toward humans, they might have proven to be valuable allies.

Passing through the courtyard, he’d seen a woman being whipped, hands bound to a post, back bloody and torn. When he protested her treatment, Shrake explained she was a slave, like all the other humans. Her pain meant nothing, her life worth no more than the labor she provided.

A miasma of fear hung over the massive and richly appointed fortress. Hathos, with his empathetic nature, felt the slaves’ despair like a chilling fog. This was not a happy place.

“Shrake tells me you know something of my daughter’s disappearance,” Baylis boomed. He towered over Hathos, face grim, eyes aflame with menace. “Where is she?”

Around them the throne room remained silent. Afternoon sun slanted through diamond-paned windows, forming patterns of light on the marble floor. The few dragons present observed from a discreet distance, their postures tense.

“I don’t know much,” Hathos answered. “But she is being held in a tower, close to the sea…perhaps on an island.”

“Who keeps her there?”

“A sorcerer. I’m not sure of his exact intentions, but they don’t seem benign.”

“And how do you come by this information?”

“From my dreams. I have skill with—”

“Rubbish. Speak sense, pup, or you’ll regret it.” Baylis’ brows lowered like storm clouds.

“I am speaking sense, if you’d just listen. Oliana appears in my dreams. She’s desperate for help, and her need has been drawing me south. That’s why we’re—”

“Don’t lie to me!” Baylis cuffed Hathos hard across the head, sending him staggering.

Valla snarled, throwing herself between the two of them. She struck Baylis in the gut, doubling him over. Quick as a flash, she dropped low, sweeping a leg across his ankles and toppling his bulk to the floor. He lay prone and winded, struggling to rise.

Shrake and another male launched themselves forward, shoving Hathos out of the way. They grabbed Valla from both sides, but she ducked and spun, almost breaking free. A third male entered the fray. She managed to land a kick to his knee, before Shrake clamped a beefy hand over her windpipe.

“We’ll have no more of that,” he growled, taking a fistful of dark hair and wrenching her head back. She bared her teeth but gave no other indication of pain.

Lord Baylis pushed heavily to his feet. “Throw these two in the dungeon and let them stew for a few days. Then we’ll see what they have to say.”

“But we must rescue Oliana,” Hathos insisted, as guards stepped forward, taking him by the arms. “I can help—”

“Silence!” Baylis advanced, anger etching his features. “I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but I won’t be tricked by talk of magic dreams. I won’t be made a fool of, and I won’t pay any ransom. Either give my daughter back or tell me where to find her. Those are your only options.”

“I can’t do either…yet.” Hathos tried to keep desperation out of his voice. “And locking me in your dungeon won’t change things.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“If you’ll take a suggestion, Sire…” Shrake spoke up, his voice grating like stone on stone.

“What is it?”

“These two need harder convincing, especially the female. A little rough handling ought to do the trick. “ He yanked Valla’s head back further. “I’d be happy to oblige.” Grinding his hips against her in a crude parody, he made his intentions clear.

She struggled, fury burning her eyes, deepening their color to indigo. The three males hung on, barely restraining her. For an instant, she broke an arm free. Just long enough to punch one of them in the groin.

He sank to his knees, face contorted with pain. Shrake bellowed and smashed a fist into Valla’s brow, knocking her unconscious. She slid to the marble floor.

“No!” Hathos cried out in alarm. “Leave her alone.”

Shrake cocked his head, offering an unpleasant smile. “I’ll do whatever I damn well please. But if you’re lucky…I’ll let you watch.” He prodded Valla’s chest with his boot. “She’s a fine specimen, if a bit wiry for my tastes. This should be fun.”

“Please, Father. You can’t let Shrake have her.” A young tawny-haired male stepped forward, addressing Lord Baylis. “We have no proof these strangers are lying. What if they’re not? Maybe they could help us find Oliana.”

Baylis shook his head. “The fools talk nothing but nonsense.”

Hathos thought about restating his case but decided against it. If he was lucky, Lord Baylis’ son would do the job for him.

“How can we ignore a possible lead, without knowing more?” The young male’s voice rose in frustration. “These two might be telling the truth, and they’ve done nothing wrong.”

“The bitch attacked me.” Baylis pointed a finger at Valla, his face reddening.

“You struck her companion. She only acted out of loyalty.”

“Bah. You’re smitten with her looks. I know how you think, Orlis, and it’s all from the waist down.”

The young male grimaced. “At least allow them a few days to come around…like you said before. Let them stew in the dungeons a while, but don’t give her to Shrake until you’re sure she deserves it. These are dragons we’re dealing with, not humans. Don’t we owe them the benefit of the doubt?”

Baylis eyed his son speculatively, some of the ire fading from his face. “I’ve never heard you speak so well before. Perhaps you are finally growing up.”

“Does that mean you’ll listen to me?”

Baylis gave a slow nod. “They have three days to come around. After that, Shrake can do what he likes with them.”

****

Oliana curled in a ball, willing sleep to come. Her body still trembled and ached from the magical sourcing. To the sorcerer’s credit, he had given her a strengthening tonic and brought an extra blanket. Yet that hardly made up for his earlier actions.

He might not want her dead, but he cared little for her suffering. She had to escape soon, before he used her as a source for more magic. If only Hathos could help. He’d pledged to keep searching until he found her, and that promise remained her best hope.

Some unknown grace had forged a link between their dreams. She didn’t understand how it happened, but she never doubted Hathos was real. He’d become her lifeline, the only good thing to arise from all this horror.

Outside, the moon rose, shining stripes of pale light through her barred window. A keening wind circled the tower, finding every hole and crack between the stones. It tormented her, but no more than the scurrying rats and spiders. They were her only cellmates, and she hated them.

At last, late in the night, sleep came. She slipped into a dream, finding herself standing on a long dirt track. It stretched away in both directions, disappearing into a mist that crept ever closer.

Though she knew it was a dream, the mist made her uneasy. It seemed to be swallowing the track, one yard at a time. She didn’t want it to touch her, in case she too might vanish.

“Hathos!” she called, desperate to make a connection with him. “Where are you?” She turned a full circle, searching the mist for signs of life. “Please come to me. I need you.”

As if the words held true power, he appeared, standing on the track beside her. His presence provided immediate comfort, his hazel eyes filled with compassion, the touch of his hand reassuring.

He’d told Oliana he was a healer, and she could see the pearly glow of magic surrounding him. It radiated from his fingers, soothing her. Even the mist responded, rolling back to reveal a curving stretch of coastline, bright in the sun.

With each passing night, the dreams evolved, becoming more vivid and real. At first, Hathos seemed barely more than a whisper, but now he was a fully realized presence. Being with him, like this, was the only happiness she’d known for weeks.

“I have to get away from here.” The words rushed from her, accompanied by fresh tears. “If he uses me for another spell, I’ll die. I know it. I barely survived this time.”

He moved closer and put his arms around her. She melted into the embrace, letting his kindness surround her like a warm cloak. It was the first time she’d felt safe since her capture.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Concern threaded his voice.

She shuddered at the memory but managed to describe how the sorcerer bound her with magic, drawing on her life force as a source of power. Worry darkened Hathos’ eyes as he listened.

“I didn’t know such a thing was possible,” he said. “It’s a terrible magic, one no decent individual would use.”

“The sorcerer is completely mad. He doesn’t care how much he hurts me. I have to find a way to escape.”

His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists. “If only I wasn’t stuck in that damn dungeon. I feel so useless!”

“Dungeon! What do you mean?” This was the first she’d heard of it.

“Your father has me locked up, along with my friend Valla. He thinks we’re connected to your disappearance.”

“You’ve met my father?” Hathos was closer than she’d realized. Perhaps that’s why his presence in this dream seemed so clear and strong. He might be only a few leagues away.

“We were brought before him yesterday. He didn’t believe a word I said, but your brother seemed to. He’s the only reason we weren’t beaten to a pulp, or worse.”

“Orlis defended you?”

“Quite eloquently.”

“Are you sure that’s Orlis we’re talking about?”

“I’m positive. Your father called him by name, and I couldn’t mistake his resemblance to you.”

“I never thought of my brother as eloquent, but I’m glad he came to your aid.”

“He also visited the dungeon and snuck us food.”

This gave her an idea. “If he comes again, I have a message for you to pass along. It might prove to him that you’re telling the truth about our shared dreams.”

Hathos’ countenance brightened, hope lighting his handsome face. For a moment, Oliana lost herself in admiring him. He was more appealing than any of her suitors, and not only in looks. She liked everything about him, from his rich melodic voice, to his healing hands, and gentle nature.

“Tell Orlis, if he helps free you, I’ll write him a fantastic love poem for Lirris.” Surely, no one else knew of their last conversation, in the garden. Orlis would hardly boast about getting his sister to help him write a love poem.

“That will convince him?”

“It should. Especially if he’s already sympathetic to your cause.”

“Excellent!” Hathos smiled broadly. “Once we’re free, it’s just a matter of finding you. Right now, I can feel the pull of our connection stronger than ever. I should be able to follow it to your location.”

“I wish I could show you what the island and the tower look like,” she said. “It’d make your search easier.”

“Maybe you can.” He took her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “Try picturing the place very clearly in your mind. Then visualize taking me there. Since we’re dreaming, it may work.”

“I don’t have any magical abilities,” she countered. “I’ve never been able to control my dreams.”

“Yet you called me, all the way from the Drake’s Teeth Mountains. If that isn’t magic, what is?”

“All right. I’ll try.” She closed her eyes, focusing on an image of the island and the crumbling tower. With effort, she pictured details of the scene, making it as vivid and lifelike as possible.

Please, Oatha, help me show him, she prayed, holding tightly to his hand.

Together they flew suddenly upwards, into the sky. Air whistled in her ears, and her skin prickled with excitement. The ocean raced by beneath them, as they shot toward the western horizon.

“There it is!” she cried, pointing to the island with its rocky bluffs and crumbling tower. “Now you can find me.”

Hathos opened his mouth to say something, but the dream broke, and he vanished. Oliana woke with a gasp. The sense of loss was awful, being forced back into her aching body and dreary cell. But at least now, her faith had strengthened.

Hathos would come for her.