Dragon School_Sworn Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dragon School: Sworn

  Dragon School, Volume 5

  Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Published by Sarah K. L. Wilson, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  DRAGON SCHOOL: SWORN

  First edition. January 22, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Written by Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Behind the Scenes:

  for Nev & Leif

  Chapter One

  Swirling snow fell around us as we dropped to the ground, deadening sound and making everything seem other-worldly. Had I been falling through the air only a moment ago? Raolcan – my beloved dragon - spiraled gently as he lowered us, his wings wide and cupped against the air. He was careful about approaching his landing, like he was worried about his cargo of people.

  The bright sky city above sparkled like a torch brandished against the night, but it also blocked out the view of the moon and stars. I felt like a massive over-ripe melon was hanging over my head and ready to drop the moment it rotted from the vine. I ducked my head and tried not to think about it.

  We have worse trouble coming, Raolcan told me in my mind.

  Of course, we did. We needed to find somewhere warm before we all froze and get some medical attention for Leng. I needed to see how bad things were for Savette and to see if we could help her with them. I needed to find out what happened to Lenora and help her if I could. Oh, and I needed a new crutch. I’d lost mine in our flight.

  Before any of that, we will need to deal with Bellrued, Tyalmae, and Enkenay.

  Who?

  The dragons who will land just after we do.

  His feet hit the ground and we skidded through the snow a few feet before we stopped. All I heard was the quiet of three people and a dragon breathing.

  Leng stirred, pulling himself up to sit with a straight back. His words were thick with pain and exhaustion.

  “We need to move before they follow. The Dusk Covenant has agents everywhere. Someone will have seen our escape and we know too much to be left alone.”

  How bad were his injuries? He sounded like a man who was barely conscious.

  Raolcan shuffled slightly to the side, like a nervous horse when danger was ahead. A moment later, three dragons descended, two on one side and one on the other, snow puffing up in clouds from where they landed.

  “Too late,” Savette whispered. She looked so pale in the cold of the night. I shuffled out of my cloak – not warm enough by half for a dragon ride on a snowy night – and put it around her shoulders. I missed it immediately, but I bit my lip, accepting the cold. At least I had a dress. Hers was ripped to shreds.

  The dragon riders who dismounted and approached could have been sisters. They were tall and lean with their long black hair styled in the dragon rider way – some braids interspersed almost randomly with bits of feather and golden talismans within their masses of tight curls. Their eyes – like those of hawks – pierced right through us.

  “Three of you,” the one with two dragons said. Her scarves and dragons were emerald green while her sister’s were white. They exchanged a glance before the one in green noticed Leng. Her expression grew worried.

  “What did you do, Leng? We saw the burst of magic and then you were falling through the floor onto this dragon. This isn’t Ahlskibi!”

  Leng looked exhausted, his good hand clinging to Raolcan.

  “He’s exhausted,” she said to her sister. “We’ll have to bring them all with us, whoever they are.” She turned to Savette and me. “I am Ephretti Oakboon and you have my word of honor that I will not betray you.”

  “Ephretti Oakboon of the Green?” Savette’s voice seemed far away. “Sounds familiar.”

  “It should, child. I have not fought darkness all these years for nothing. Come now, we must hurry.”

  Leng nodded, tiredly, as if that settled everything and the two dragon riders returned to their dragons. I fought a shiver that made my whole body tremble.

  “Who are they, Leng?”

  “Friends. I sought them out before I went to the moneylender’s for Savette. We didn’t know she was there. It was only a wild hunch I was following on my own.” He turned his gaze to me, looking past Savette as she stared off toward Ephretti. “Thank you for coming for us, Amel. We could not have survived what they were doing to us. You saved our lives. Again, I am in debt to you. I owe you so many lives now that I will never be able to repay the favor.” His expression as earnest and I found myself melting under his dark grey gaze.

  “You could repay it by treating your life with value. Every time I see you, you’re risking it for something!”

  He shrugged. “I’m a Dragon Rider. We hold our lives with open hands.”

  It seemed like a terrible way to guard something so precious.

  Should I follow these dragons, then?

  What other choice did we have?

  I see more dragons coming this way- Blacks. They could be friends.

  Or they could be enemies. Or they could be officials. I was wary of officials. Who knew if they served the laws of the land or laws they made up to get what they wanted? It seemed our best option was going with these dragon riders.

  Raolcan leapt into the sky as they rose on either side of us and I reached out an arm to steady Savette. Her blank eyes were fixed on the city above. I wished I had more arms. Leng was already slumping again, as if that brief conversation with Ephretti and then with me had taken the last of his strength. As another chill took me, I hoped they were taking us somewhere close. And somewhere out of the wind.

  Chapter Two

  My stomach sank as they led us back toward the sky city. Black dragons swirled around the perimeter like hornets when a rock has been thrown at their nest. The guards were certain to stop us and demand answers, certain to detain us once they learned who we were. Even while I was worrying, the Green dragons and the White surrounded Raolcan in formation, shooting up towards the center of the sky city – not far from the stem.

  As we drew closer to the floor of the sky city I saw where we were headed. There was an opening above disguised in the woven floor, but a blue light waved across it like a signal. So, the Dusk Covenant weren’t the only ones with a secret basement. That, or these dragon riders were Dusk Covenant, too.

  I don’t think so. The Green ones sing of honor.

  And what did that mean? Anyone could sing a song.

  Not a dragon. What w
e sing is what is at the purest core of our being.

  “They killed Eeamdor,” Savette said, as if the appearance of so many dragons had brought him to mind. Her tone was filled with sorrow. “That’s what they told me. They slaughtered him in his alcove.”

  I shivered. Wouldn’t I have heard about it if that were true?

  If they did, they were very quiet about it and it was covered up quickly. Things like that are not routine in the coates.

  “They are liars, Savette. There is no way to know if what they said was true.”

  I wanted to say more, but a flare of light from across the other side of the city floor drew my attention. A green burst of light filled the sky there. Wasn’t that close to where we had dropped through the floor? It was! And that was a person falling, their hands full of green fire! Black dragons swooped toward the falling figure, orange flames flicking towards the green.

  Magika Hectorus.

  How could he be sure?

  Dragon eyes are better than human eyes. Looks like he took the fall for what happened – literally.

  Could I be so blasé about the death of a person – even a person like the Magika?

  Wait until you’ve lived as long as I have.

  How long did dragons live? And where was Hectorus? I’d lost sight of him in the swirling bodies of the black defenders.

  “Duck your head,” Leng said, his voice raw and pained.

  I pulled my gaze from the skirmish to where Raolcan grasped the edge of an opening and with a bunching burst of muscle and flipped up into the room. My head whirled with the suddenness and I gasped. Raolcan, unworried, walked slowly to an alcove. There were six dragon coates tucked into the sides of the room with that great round hole in the center. Already, a boy a little older than me was lowering a trapdoor back over the hole and the full dragon riders were dismounting. The room was deepest over the door, narrowing as they came to the edges of the room. Clearly, this was to keep it disguised from below. Did everyone in this city have one of these? Was it only a secret to outsiders like me?

  I doubt it. The dragons are proud of this. It is very clever.

  I was first to dismount, leaning against Raolcan as I helped Savette down. The coates were fully outfitted with everything dragons might need and beside the trap door in the middle was a staircase and a set of shelves filled with supplies. Another rack held weapons of every variety.

  The Dragon Rider who had called herself Ephretti scooped a quarterstaff off of the rack as she walked towards us. Did she mean to threaten us with it? I lifted my chin defiantly. There was nothing I could do if that was her intention, so I’d better focus on what I could do. I offered my hand to help Leng down. He shook his head and dismounted on his own, but his movements were stiff and pained and he had to lean against Raolcan afterward, huffing and clutching at my friend’s side for support.

  “You should let other people help you,” I whispered.

  “Not now.” His eyes were on Ephretti. “Is this a safe place to talk?”

  Ephretti squared herself up with us and her sister drew up alongside of her. “We can go above to talk.”

  “Where were you?” Leng asked, shuffling to stand between Savette and me and the two full Dragon Riders.

  “We had no idea where you were, Leng! You ran off on your own like a hot-headed fool.” She frowned, one hand on her hip like an older sister. She was probably ten years older than him. “Enough of that for now. You clearly found the girl you were looking for, but who is the other one?”

  “Amel Leafbrought,” Leng said. “An Initiate. She is the one who rescued us.”

  “Her?” The White dragon rider seemed shocked.

  Savette leaned in to whisper to me. “They are powerful dragon riders, renowned in the community. They have the authority to demand that Leng listen to them – maybe even to demand that he obey.”

  I hadn’t realized that anyone could tell a Dragon Rider what to do, other than the Dominar.

  We are all under authority. Even if we don’t all acknowledge it.

  Leng straightened himself up. “We should be glad she did, or Savette and I would be victims of the Dusk Covenant.”

  Ephretti let loose a foul curse but Dashira threw up a hand. “Why did you go there on your own? Were you looking to stumble into trouble like a baby bear into a bees’ nest, or were you really so stupid?” She clucked her tongue. “Don’t bother answering, we are wasting time here. Your wounds need binding. You are ours now, whether you like it or not.”

  What did she mean by that? I didn’t like the idea of someone else laying a claim to Leng. Especially not someone beautiful and powerful like Dashira.

  And you thought he sounded crazy when he talked about keeping you safe. You’re just as bad with this jealousy thing.

  “Are you going to use that quarterstaff?” Leng asked.

  “Only if you said they were a threat.” Dashira threw it to him and he caught it. “You don’t look injured enough to need a crutch if that’s what you want it for.”

  “It’s not for me,” Leng said, handing the quarterstaff back to me. It couldn’t replace the beautiful crutch he’d carved for me, but it would have to do.

  “Enough delays,” Dashira said. “Follow me.”

  I felt my face heating as we followed them. The quarterstaff was hard to lean on, much less effective than a proper crutch and I fought to keep up with the others. Ephretti and Dashira led the way, Leng following and I was last. The boy who had closed the trapdoor remained behind and I saw him blowing out the flame on his blue lantern. Who was he and could he be trusted down here with Raolcan?

  I can take care of myself.

  There was a murmuring from up ahead that sounded like Dashira was asking Leng a question. A moment later her exclamation surprised me as I struggled up the stairs.

  “She did what? Her? No, I think I understand.”

  When I finally reached the top of the stairs, everyone was staring at me.

  Chapter Three

  “So, you are why Tena and Javeen went running out of our meeting today,” Ephretti said to me. They were in a small room with a roaring fire in the hearth. Seats were scattered around a large bearskin rug and small tables were set up around the edges. On one side of the room a wide window was covered by thick blue curtains and on the other side were two closed doors. A strange tapestry of a man on a dragon landing among a pack of dogs hung on one wall. If I were to think of a ‘hideout’ the place I would imagine would be this room.

  One more step up and I could join them in the room, but Ephretti blocked the way, hands on hips and face stern. Dashira pulled Leng to a small table with two chairs, her hands already investigating his burnt arm. Despite his wince, his eyes were on me, but Savette had eyes only for the fire. She walked quickly to it and sat on the floor, huddled in my cloak. She needed attention, not me.

  “My friend needs some clothing,” I said, nodding to Savette.

  Ephretti looked surprised. “But you are one of the Initiates they found loose in Vanika, aren’t you?”

  I nodded. Ephretti smiled, “See, Dashira, I told you she was one of them.”

  She strode across the room, flung open a chest and began to rummage inside. When she found what she was looking for, she crossed to Savette.

  “Here, girl. Take these clothes and dress in the room through that door. Be quick about it or we will worry about you.” She turned to me. “And you can finish climbing the stairs and close the door behind you, or are you frozen in place?”

  With a start, I leapt to obey, noting that Savette was doing the same thing. Ephretti had a voice with command in it. She was clearly the one in charge here.

  “How is his arm?” she asked her sister. Leng sat slumped in his chair, grimacing as Dashira examined it. Ephretti’s words were harsh in tone, but her face was soft with compassion. She cared about Leng. I felt a stab of something painful in my chest. “You only got what you deserved going off on your own, Leng. We should have found you dead.”
/>   “If you’d come looking right away instead of waiting for approval then it wouldn’t be so bad.” He sounded grumpy.

  “Next time you come to us and ask for help, stick around long enough to get it!” Ephretti crossed her arms over her chest, her face flushed, but the easy way that Leng took her scolding told me this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

  Dashira’s words were firm as if she was used to cutting off their arguments. “Enough arguing. We all did what we did for good reason. Now, Leng is wounded and we will deal with that. Was this magically wrought, Leng?”

  “Yes.”

  “And is it only the arm?”

  “No.” He was blushing now.

  “Well then, strip down and let’s see.”

  He went redder, his eyes scanning the room.

  “Oh, for pity’s sake! Save your blushes and strip! There’s nowhere else to do it and waiting will only make it worse. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

  He grimaced. His bald head gleamed with sweat. He was clearly fighting pain. My hands wrapped around the quarterstaff worriedly. How bad was it? He began to strip off his leathers. He started with the scarves, but Dashiva grew impatient and began to help him with his buckles.

  “Here, I’ll help you with your shirt.”

  As she stripped it off him, I gasped. His chest and arm were a mass of bubbling, black wounds. They were bloody around the edges, but a gleaming black in the center. Dashiva clucked her tongue and then reached for his breeches.

  “No need,” Leng said, warding off her hands. “All my wounds are exposed.”

  “You’d better not be lying to save your dignity. Sit,” she said firmly, pushing him into the chair and examining his wounds.

  His eyes locked on mine and I felt almost as if he were pleading with me. But for what?

  Dignity. He wants your respect despite the fact that you always see him broken.

  I didn’t realize I was moving until I’d crossed the room and taken his hand. The lines around his eyes seemed to fade as if my touch had helped.