Autumngale Read online

  Autumngale

  Bridge of Legends, Volume 3

  Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Published by Sarah K. L. Wilson, 2019.

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

  AUTUMNGALE

  First edition. November 6, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Written by Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Other Books by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Legends

  Prologue

  1: Burning City

  2: Rain on the River

  3: Inside the Clock

  4: The Whisper

  5: Ivory Cathedral

  6: Queen Mer

  7: Stalking Shadows

  8: Searching Through Time

  9: Kidnapped

  10: Visions of a Future Past

  11: Hunting Time

  12: At Home in a Library

  13: Meeting of Players

  14: Ghostly Guardians

  15: Cogs and Gears

  16: Lies and Rumors of Lies

  17: Choan

  18: At Sea

  19: Out of Reach

  20: Isle of Mer

  21: King Abelmeyer

  22: Scent of Gold

  23: Orange War

  24: Chaos Born

  25: Stalking Madness

  26: Beneath the Embalmer’s Guild

  27: Chaos Incarnate

  28: Come back!

  29: Unthinkable

  30: Bell Tower

  31: Yellow and Purple Sparks

  32: Triumph of the Mother

  33: All is Ever Lost

  34: Whisper of Rebellion

  35. New Legend

  36: Fight for Footing

  37: Close the Clock

  Epilogue

  Behind the Scenes:

  For Cale, always.

  Other Books by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Dragon School Series

  First Flight

  Initiate

  The Dark Prince

  The Ruby Isles

  Sworn

  Dusk Covenant

  First Message

  Warring Promises

  Prince of Dragons

  Dark Night

  Bright Hopes

  Mark of Loyalty

  Dire Quest

  Ancient Allies

  Pipe of Wings

  Dragon Piper

  Dust of Death

  Troubled War

  Starie Night

  Ascendant Light

  Dragon Chameleon Series

  Rogue’s Quest

  Paths of Deception

  City of Ice

  Mist of Power

  Silver Eyes

  World of Legends

  Chase the Moon

  Shadow Quest

  Creeping Darkness

  Golem Siege

  Memory of Mountains

  Color of Victory

  Dragon Tide

  Dragonlet

  Dragon Staff

  Desperate Flight

  Bubbles of Hope

  Waves of Destiny

  Tides of Change

  Keys of Power

  Rock Eaters

  Underworld

  Chosen One

  The Unweaving Chronicles Series

  Teeth of the Gods

  Lightning Strikes Twice

  Thunder Rattles High

  Bridge of Legends

  Summernight

  Dawnspell

  Autumngale

  Winterfast

  Springhatch

  Legends

  BYRON BRONZEBOW

  A good-looking hero who carries a bronze bow. Known in history for his care for the poor and needy.

  Deathless Pirate

  Known for his love of treasure and invulnerability and recognized by his hook for a hand and belt of human skulls.

  Grandfather Timeless

  Based in the Timekeepers religion he is known for his high hat, long black coat and golden waistcoat. He is Time in human form subjecting all to his will.

  King Abelmeyer the One-Eyed

  Known for his single eye and broken crown, King Abelmeyer united the five cities of the Dragonblood Plains in the alliance that lasts today.

  Lady Sacrifice

  Known for her loveliness, innocence and sacrifice for the people, she is usually clad in a white dress.

  Lila Cherrylocks

  A master thief and trickster. Known for her long cherry-red locks, deft skills, and adventurous spirit.

  Maid Chaos

  The right hand of Death. Known for destruction, death and the golden breastplate she wears.

  Queen Mer

  Queen of the Sea and mother to the Waverunners. Queen Mer is known for her revenge upon man in the form of hurricanes and typhoons and for the shells, scales, and seaweed that she wears.

  Ram the Hunter

  The unspoken Legend. Not mentioned in the Dragonblood Plains except in whispers, he is known for slaying dragons and going insane in the aftermath.

  Prologue

  “And in those days brother fought against brother and father against son as the factions fought for control of the cities until one voice rose up and calmed them all. One voice could be heard ringing out over the people – the voice of Mer. And she became our Queen, the savior of our lives.”

  – Legends of the Dragonblooded

  “The Ancient Legends, bane of man, riders of dragons, Emperors of sky and stars – they had to be stopped. They had to be contained. We were willing to give anything to stop them – our blood, our bones, our children.”

  – Ancient text found on a scrap of parchment from the Time Before.

  “And the voices called to him. And the pillars of the earth shook. And sanity found no place in the world beyond. For the Legends were reborn and their fate overtook them. The ancient ones rose again, the skies burned and the water was licked up before them. And they named him death – the stealer of life, the murderer of hope the destruction of our souls.

  – Songs of the Retribution

  1: Burning City

  Tamerlan

  TAMERLAN CLUTCHED ABELMEYER’S Eye to his chest, his own single eye studying Etienne’s face as Jhinn steered their gondola out of H’yi to the Cerulean river. The other man was sober – grim in the flickering light and shadows of the dying flames.

  The clock still stood – unaffected by the fires – prison, sanctuary, and trap. And back there at the heart of H’yi, in its depths, Marielle flickered in and out of life – a half-living ghost.

  Tamerlan choked down what he thought might be a sob. This wasn’t a time for tears. And what Marielle needed right now wasn’t a tearful boy. She needed a tragedy-hardened man ready to fight for her.

  He coughed on the smoke clouds they drifted through – relieved it was only the smoke of a burning city and not the smoke that altered everything.

  Black clouds surrounded them, blocking out the drifting boats of survivors coughing and hacking on the choked rivers. He thought he saw a man collapse in a boat further down the river – saw the others in his boat scrambling to his aid. It was hard to tell in all the smoke and chaos. There would be more deaths as people fled. There was too much smoke to get a clean breath.

  This was a time to face grim reality, though his single eye wasn’t ready to face anything.

  He’d made a choice back on Summernight to save Marielle and doom everyone else, and he’d been watching the horrific consequences of that choice play out ever since. When he had the same choice to make all over again on Dawnspell, he’d tried to find redemption by choosing t
he other option – dooming her to save everyone. It should have felt like he’d done the right thing. It should have felt like redemption.

  Instead, it was ashes and bitterness in his mouth.

  Whatever he did now would have to be different. It would have to heal and not destroy. He would have to find some third option.

  He coughed on the billowing smoke, leaning down to wet his neck scarf in the river water to tie around his nose and mouth like Etienne had. It took two tries to gauge his swipe at the water correctly. It was going to take time to get used to losing vision in one eye.

  Smoke seemed fitting. It was as opaque as his situation. It choked out life just like his decisions did. It felt as insubstantial as his demons.

  He needed guidance.

  The world spun as he tried to adjust to his one working eye. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. It would never be fully clear again. And even that didn’t seem like full payment for all he’d done. If he hadn’t asked Marielle to scent for him, she wouldn’t be in the clock.

  And the dragon would still rage across the earth, Abelmeyer reminded him. He was still there – still haunting Tamerlan’s mind.

  And your pretty behind would be as dead as everything else on the Dragonblood Plains. That was Lila haunting him, too.

  “We’ll get her out,” Etienne said, looking at the clock in the distance. Soon, the sight of it would be lost in the smoke. His hands were shaking. And no wonder. His crimes were as full and deep as Tamerlan’s now. Without him, the Legend Grandfather Timeless would still be in the clock. And Marielle would not be.

  “Promise me,” Tamerlan said through gritted teeth. Redemption wasn’t possible anymore. Forgiveness was not something he’d ever taste. But he could at least be faithful in this one thing. “Promise me that you will not rest until she’s out of the clock – that you’ll work with me to free her.”

  Etienne looked up at the clouds of black smoke swirling above them. “There are things – plans – things I need to do to help my people.”

  “You’re the one who freed the Legend,” Tamerlan said through gritted teeth. “You opened the Bridge of Legends and let him out.”

  Etienne looked back at him, fury in his eyes. “With that recipe of yours. With that mixture of yours. One breath of smoke and he took me completely – held me for days to do his bidding. Is that your magic, Tamerlan? Possession by spirits?”

  “Not spirits,” Tamerlan said, tightly. “Legends. And I can control it.”

  Etienne’s laugh was harsh. “No one can control it, Tamerlan. It controls you. It’s an evil thing. A thing that should not be touched.”

  He stole magic from the dragon, day after day – that’s where his power came from before you took it from him. That didn’t seem to trouble him, but one brush with the Grandfather and he’s done with magic? Lila sounded disbelieving. Hypocrite.

  Dragon. Dragon. Dragon. Even with the dragon stopped, Ram was still just an insane echo constantly ranting in the back of Tamerlan’s mind.

  “Like the magic you siphoned from the dragon before he fled?” Tamerlan asked.

  “Dragon’s spit! It’s not the same. It was never for me.”

  “Neither was this!”

  “It was always for the good of others.”

  Tamerlan’s replies were getting louder. “What did you think this was for?”

  “Chasing goals for yourself is easy. Trying to do good for a whole population is a lot harder!”

  “Do you think it was easy to go against a whole city to save my sister? Did you think it was easy to halt a dragon in the sky? Do you think it’s easy to lose an eye? Oh, it’s still there – but it doesn’t see. I gave that up to stop him – to stop you.”

  Etienne looked away but Tamerlan couldn’t stop. He felt like all his edges were raw.

  “And Marielle is in a clock. And the world is still falling apart!”

  And he didn’t see a way clear. Didn’t see any reason to keep going when all was lost. Except maybe for her.

  “You have to stop smoking that stuff,” Etienne said quietly. He looked stoic and dignified as he watched the horizon before them. “It’s a magic you don’t understand and can’t control.”

  “I’ll stop when it’s over. When everything is right again.” Because how else would he fix it? He couldn’t do it on his own – he never could.

  Lean into us, Alchemist. We can help you. You don’t need to do it alone. Lila’s words were as enticing as honey.

  “It will never be over,” Etienne said with a shudder. “One thing only leads to another. Always. Forever.”

  “Then what’s the point? What’s the point of anything?” Tamerlan asked and his words hung in the air like the black smoke above them – just as choking and grim.

  “Adventure,” Jhinn said from the back of the boat. Tamerlan had almost forgotten he was there. “It’s all we’re promised in life – an adventure.”

  If only life could be so simple.

  “I promise,” Etienne said, heavily. “I make my vow to you as Etienne Velendark, formerly the Lord Mythos of Jingen that I will not rest until Marielle Valenspear is out of the clock. I will work with you to accomplish this.”

  He leaned forward and seized Tamerlan’s hand. Tamerlan flinched back from a searing heat like fire bursting up his arm. Pain reverberated through him as he tried to pull his hand back. Etienne held it firmly in place, a smile of smug satisfaction on his face.

  “I have at least enough power left to do that. We’re bound now, you and I. Dragon help me, but we’re bound.”

  “If we’re bound then we’ll find Grandfather Timeless,” Tamerlan said. “We’ll bind his avatar again. And we’ll get Marielle out of the clock. We owe it to her. She’s the only one of us without blood on her hands.”

  They broke their handclasp, each looking out over the fiery horizon. Each consumed by his own demons as they made their way up the river, looking for any sign of the Legend they were promise-bound to hunt.

  And in the clock, Marielle slept – or didn’t sleep – as time ticked on.

  And under the thick, fecund mud of the Dragonblood Plains, the dragons slept – and dreamed – and drew closer to the world of man.

  Two Months Later

  Drawing Bounds

  Night One of Autumngale

  2: Rain on the River

  Tamerlan

  “THOSE BOOKS ARE GOING to get wet, boy,” Jhinn said as Tamerlan held his book out from the edge of the tarp, trying to read in the flickering light of the gondola lamp.

  “There has to be an answer in here. What is he trying to accomplish? Where is he going?”

  “Where does the wind go? What does it want?”

  “Maybe there’s a way to trap him. Some way to keep him from slipping through our fingers again.”

  Jhinn snorted as he worked his wrench. “You want to trap time? Good luck with that. You know what your Lord Mythos says about that. He says your only chance is to surprise him.”

  They had pulled the gondola under the edge of a bridge as the torrent poured down on them and Tamerlan had the tarp pulled over his head as he read, trying to keep the precious books dry, but even with so many precautions it was hard to read without getting raindrops smeared across the ink of the pages.

  “Etienne doesn’t know everything,” he muttered.

  The drip, drip, drip was a near-constant thing, and the sound of rain on water – while soothing – blocked out everything from the world around them so that it seemed like it was only them and the boat and the bridge and the rain.

  “Lord Mythos isn’t going to be happy if he comes to life again and sees you’ve wrecked his books. He told you they were hard to get. He bribed a Librarian to get them. What do you think he bribed her with? He doesn’t look like one to kiss in corners or take a girl down to see the falls.”

  Tamerlan’s smile quirked up in one corner of his mouth. Jhinn’s firm belief that anyone not on the water was not real – or was at the very least dead
– constantly fascinated him. Waverunner beliefs were simple enough to grasp, but hard to really understand. Or maybe it was just the absolute conviction of those beliefs that was hard to believe. Tamerlan didn’t know anything for sure anymore.

  Right now he couldn’t be distracted by that. Etienne had visited the gondola that morning with a new book – the sixth one he’d brought from the Bronzebow Library all the way in Xin. Half the reason they hadn’t caught Grandfather Timeless yet was all these trips of Etienne’s all over the Dragonblood Plains. If he would just stay in Yan with them, they’d be able to search together. Like the other books, he claimed it would have new information they could use to trap Grandfather Timeless.

  The Grandfather will not be easily trapped. And certainly not by anything found in a book.

  That might have been Lila Cherrylocks. Or maybe Byron Bronzebow. Or maybe it was Tamerlan’s own thoughts. He was having trouble keeping them apart after all these months – not that they didn’t sound different from one another. Their voices simply flowed through his thoughts so constantly that he was barely conscious of them most of the time, speaking into his mind and into his dreams, making judgments, fueling ambitions, but always talking, talking, talking and never giving him a moment of peace. He’d pay all these books and the cloak on his back for just one precious moment of peace.

  His hands shook as he turned a page, reading intently and ignoring Jhinn’s chastisements. It was getting harder not to smoke when he didn’t need to. There was a relief in hearing just one voice instead of all of them. It didn’t help that his brain felt sluggish when he wasn’t smoking the spices. He’d started thinking of them just as “Spices” because it made it easier to smoke than when he admitted what he was doing – that he was accessing an ancient, deadly magic that no one should touch.

  “If you’re going to ignore warnings, at least tell me what you think I should do now that I’ve fitted the gears together. Is this looking good to you?” Jhinn asked, pointing at his latest creation.

  Tamerlan looked up at the device Jhinn was building for his gondola. He’d been working on it for weeks now, slowly making one part after another and always casually asking what Tamerlan thought of it each time. It was growing so large that it was hard for it to fit easily in the gondola with both of them and all the books and the makeshift tent and cookpot, too. The gondola was looking more and more like a family boat all the time.