Dragon School: Pipe of Wings Page 4

  “Yes!”

  “And who was it?”

  “Jalla of Bao’hauld.”

  If Ephretti had looked upset before she looked like she might be chewing on dragon claws now. Her face went red, her mouth working like she was going to speak.

  She’s met Jalla before. Perfect.

  I felt his humor when eventually Ephretti managed to speak.

  “Skies and stars! That woman!”

  “Yes, that’s her,” I said.

  Chapter Ten

  I helped Lenora build a fire while Ephretti went to get their dragons.

  “It’s so good to see you again,” Lenora said as soon as Ephretti was out of earshot. She gave me a quick hug. “She’s been wound up tighter than strings on a fiddle since we left Gerdath.”

  “I was worried about you,” I said moving to gather loose wood from the bushes near the cliffside. “Especially once the invasion started.”

  Lenora dragged small rocks into a ring for the fire. “We’ve been helping the Lightbringers across the north. Mostly it’s been assisting refugees reach safety or serving as scouts for groups of Reds. I think Ephretti is getting anxious to be more involved, though. She looks to the south a lot and talks about Leng.”

  I bitter taste filled my mouth, but I kept my thoughts to myself, piling up loose brush in the circle Lenora had formed.

  Jealous much?

  “I almost thought that finding this Dusk Covenant stronghold was a good thing. I mean, if that’s where all the trouble is coming from, then maybe we could make a difference if we could just stamp it out, but now that’s caused new troubles,” Lenora said, deftly starting a small fire with a handful of twigs and her flint and knife.

  “What new troubles?”

  “Well, we can’t do it on our own and Ephretti combed the Ruby Isles looking for help. No one will come with us. To be honest, there aren’t many people left here who can fight. Most of them died when the fighting broke out here.” Lenora’s big eyes were sad. “The ones left are just trying to salvage what they can from the wreckage. Trying to save wives and little ones. Trying to find food and fresh water in this mess. That’s all scarce, by the way, so I hope you brought your own.”

  I nodded. But no one would want my water – not when it was laced with Silla. I dragged a few larger branches over and offered my kettle. Lenora smiled and began to brew tea with water from her own waterskin and a handful of tea leaves.

  “There are a few Dragon Riders here – mostly Blacks, but a White or two as well. They can’t fly further south because anything south of here is occupied by our enemies and north there is nothing but Baojang. They won’t leave. Not even for a day and certainly not on what they call a ‘suicide mission.’”

  “And is it a suicide mission?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. It was funny, but the thought of fighting a handful of Ifrits didn’t seem like sure death anymore.

  Dragon-level overconfidence at its best. Yep. You are right on track to be a full Dragon Rider before the year is out. Maybe after that, we’ll promote you to honorary dragon.

  Lenora shrugged. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t want Ephretti trying to kill me, let me tell you! She’s only trying to train me and that’s tough enough!”

  I laughed and she joined me.

  “What’s so funny?” Ephretti asked, appearing from over the cliff side with Lypukrm, Bellrued, and Tyalmae. They settled in beside Raolcan, growling and snapping at each other. I watched them out of the corner of my eye.

  They’re stressed. They haven’t been with other dragons for a long time and they tire of one another’s company.

  “Nothing, master,” Lenora said.

  My eyes grew wide now. Hubric hadn’t asked for that kind of formality from me in a long time. Lenora began to pour tea as Ephretti sat down by the fire.

  “Do you need to go into the city, Amel?” she asked.

  I looked down over the heaved rubble below, at the solitary dragon I saw circling the sky where hundreds had been only a few months ago and at the empty streets that had bustled with people. There were only two ships in the harbor – one without a mast. I swallowed, blinking back extra moisture in my eyes. To me, the Ruby Isles had been a magical place. If they were ever going to be magical again they would need people like me – and if I was being honest, Ephretti – to make it safe for them to thrive again. But I did need to find help. Maybe one of those Dragon Riders would leave for something other than a suicide mission – whatever Ephretti thought of them.

  “I’d like to,” I said, meeting her eyes.

  She sighed. “You don’t need to go there. I’ve decided I will help you with Jalla of Bao’hauld, Amel Leafbrought. But only if you first go with me to the Healing Arches south of here and help me purge the Ifrit threat.”

  “Agreed.” After all, we could clear out a few Magikas, right? We’d done it before. She began to smile before I spoke again. “Can we get anyone else to help?”

  Her smile vanished. “It’s up to us now. Trust me, no one else has the stomach for what’s coming next.”

  Chapter Eleven

  We set out as soon as we were done with breakfast. Ephretti rode Bellrued while Tyalmae carried their baggage.

  “Is it strange to be her apprentice?” I whispered to Lenora while we loaded Raolcan.

  “She’s very strict, but very good at her job. I’ve learned so much about being a Green! Ephretti says she’s sure I’ll qualify for a Color once we find enough Greens for the ceremony. And ... well, I don’t know if you know but she has other very important interests, too.”

  “She’s a Lightbringer,” I said with a nod.

  Lenora nodded. “She has me copying out a book although I’m only about a third of the way through.”

  I pulled out Talsan’s Ibrenicus Prophecies and showed them to her. “This book?”

  Lenora laughed. “I guess we’re on the same track.”

  “Did you see them calling up Ifrits from the ground at the Healing Arches?” I asked. For some reason, it seemed strange. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

  “No. She spoke to another Dragon Rider who had seen it. Ephretti is ... high spirited. She doesn’t turn down a challenge. I don’t think she could walk away from this, even if it was only her and me who were going.”

  It was strange that she was willing to put so much trust in me – a Purple trainee was hardly a warrior.

  “And you?” I asked. “How are you?”

  Her face turned pale. “I’ve seen things ... War is not something that should ever happen, Amel. No matter how hard Ephretti works there are always things we didn’t do, places where we didn’t arrive on time. Things that slipped through. Every time something like that happens, it’s so hard to pick up and get going again. Maybe someday I’ll be tough like her. Right now, I’m just holding on and trying to survive this war. Our generation of Dragon Riders is going to be like no generation before us. We weren’t trained in the halls of Dragon School. We were forged in the fires of war.”

  She looked off into the distance like she was seeing the future.

  “I wonder what the school will be like when all this is over,” I said, mounting Raolcan and strapping my crutch in.

  “Better, I hope.” She smiled and opened her mouth to say more, but at Ephretti’s whistle she gave a quick wave instead and ran to mount Lypukrm. Ephretti sure was strict.

  She is tough. But I think she is hiding something. Why would no other Dragon Riders go with her to these Healing Arches? Surely, they aren’t so beat down that they are war-weary already. Why did she make such an effort to keep you from talking to anyone else in the Ruby Iles? She and Lenora were clearly watching for someone like you to fly in so they could pounce on you before you spoke to anyone else. If a small effort could make a big difference you’d think at least some would be willing to go. I see Reds in the distance, just a few, but she said there were only Blacks and Whites here. Reds are usually the first to wheel into battle.

  Perhaps her dragons w
ould explain what was happening.

  They don’t know. They are just excited to be flying on a new adventure. The wind feels good beneath their wings and they are spoiling for adventure. Greens. It’s all about what they can feel and see in the moment. They’re very sensual creatures.

  I wondered, briefly, what had happened to Olla and Orra in all of this. They had always struck me as being just like their dragons – in the moment and full of the joy of living.

  We left the Ruby Isles without speaking to a single other person. There was no guard flying around the Isles as there had been before the war, and now that the sun was up there were small wisps of smoke coming up from the islands.

  The conflict here ended two weeks ago and the Baojang invaders moved south. Fires still smolder in parts of the city. The conflict was brutal. These people are just holding on to what they have. Ephretti was right about most of it. These are survivors just trying to stay alive. But those Reds ... Reds would never say no to a fight. Even injured ones. What do they know that we don’t? Hmmmm...

  Are you saying we should stay here instead of going with her?

  No, just keep your eyes open.

  Our flight took us over the ocean for the rest of the day and Raolcan and I were left to our thoughts. We were both on edge, both nervous about how to fulfill Jalla’s mission while still keeping her overall scheme from happening, both concerned for the survivors on the Ruby Isles and helpless to do anything for them, both trying to guess what surprise Ephretti might have for us.

  We were halfway across the ocean bay when I heard Savette’s voice in my mind. If I hadn’t been strapped in, I would have fallen off of Raolcan’s back. As it was, I slipped, just grasping my straps again in time.

  Amel, Savette said in my mind. I think you can hear me now. Sometimes. You must hurry. Bring our allies to Dominion City before all is lost.

  Savette? There was no reply. Perhaps this communication only went one way. I bit my lip and thought about the map in my head. How soon could Jalla’s armies arrive? Could we get them there in time?

  Perhaps. Keep focusing on what you are doing. We need Ephretti’s loyalty and help for our next step. For that, we need to deal with her situation here.

  I was still worried about it when we made camp on the dark beach that night. The rolling breakers crashed so loud that our voices were lost to them, but even with that to cloak us, Ephretti insisted on whispers and no fires.

  “We are in enemy territory here,” she whispered to me. “You’ve been lucky to be so far away. You haven’t seen what has happened to our land and our people. But now that you are here, it’s up to me to keep you alive and that means you play by my rules.”

  I unloaded Raolcan and gathered my bedroll to curl up beside him. Lenora was already setting up a low tent beside Lypukrm. Ephretti surprised me by stepping out of the dark and pointing to my finger.

  “Whose davari is that?”

  Uh oh. Why didn’t I realize she would ask that? “Leng gave it to me.”

  She sniffed and stalked off.

  She doesn’t like obstacles. Her usual way of dealing with them is to smash right over them.

  And I was an obstacle on her way to Leng. I made my bed uncertainly. How should I handle this? I couldn’t – wouldn’t – give her what she wanted, and it was obvious that she just wasn’t going to let it go. I needed her, too. With a sigh, I curled up against Raolcan, but sleep did not find me. I felt a keen longing for Baojang and the wide-open spaces that made thinking so easy. I couldn’t fall asleep until I’d had a sip of water from my waterskin and even then, it was with a sinking heart as I realized that Jalla probably hadn’t been lying after all. There was no other reason for me to long for a foreign country that had brought me nothing but grief, was there?

  Chapter Twelve

  “You didn’t say anything about an army,” I said as we crouched on the edge of the hills surrounding the Healing Arches. I wiped my hands on my pants. Nerves made them clammy. The battered one had new bandages, but it still ached with every task and the deeper cuts still left blood on the bandages.

  Like the Healing Arches I’d been to with Savette, these ones formed a ring of huge stone arches. There were large stone steps leading up to the arches on every side so that they formed a circular stone platform. I had expected that. I’d even expected the Magikas sitting and standing on the stone steps, their pavilions arranged near to the arches. Magika apprentices ran through the camps with baskets or rolls of messages in their hands. What I hadn’t expected was so many. There must have been hundreds of them. More Magikas than I’d expected to see anywhere - ever.

  Just as Ephretti said, they had torn the earth in a long seam leading out from the Arches inland. Along the seam, Magikas stood with arms raised as a steady stream of Ifrits marched out from the rip in the ground and sped south like stones launched from a catapult at the landscape beyond.

  I’d been to a potter’s shop in our village once and I’d been fascinated by how his family worked – one spinning pots on a wheel, while the next added the handles and a third set them into an oven. A little further down the shop, a daughter took hardened pots from the oven, setting them on a shelf to cool while another daughter painted color onto the fancier pots and dishes. This was just like that – but rather than a shop for clay pots, it was a shop for dust demons. And my mouth felt dry as I watched them steadily march from the ground to the lands beyond.

  “It’s not exactly an army,” Ephretti said, but she didn’t sound as confident as usual. Her eyes, oddly enough, lingered on my finger until I tucked my hand out of sight. I didn’t like the way she was looking at my ring. She was too distracted when she needed to be focused.

  “What would you call a few hundred Magikas?”

  She shrugged.

  “Or those soldiers posted as guards all around the perimeter?”

  There were probably a hundred of them as well, posted in rough-hewn wooden towers that had clearly been made from trees in the surrounding forests. They kept watch around the Healing Arches and around the rift in the ground. These Magikas were no fools. They knew how badly their enemies would want to see this stopped.

  This was a job far beyond three Dragon Riders. Even if we’d managed to bring every able-bodied dragon and rider from the Ruby Isles it wouldn’t have been enough.

  The landscape around the arches was heavily forested and we were perched on a rocky hill nearby, watching to see what we could before making a plan. It occurred to me, that Ephretti was here more out of desperation than any sort of rational thought. After all, no sane person would think they could do anything about this place on their own.

  Then she chose the right ones for the job. Neither of us has done anything sane in months.

  And I was her only rival for the man she clearly loved. Did that factor in?

  I don’t think she’d consciously risk you for that. She’s not evil, just jealous.

  I frowned and studied the landscape below. I was used to being thrust into situations like this or being led there by someone else. I was not used to choosing them for myself.

  Ephretti has a point. If we don’t do something about it, no one will.

  I glanced at her. Her jaw jutted out mulishly and her arms were crossed over her chest as if she expected some sort of argument. Which was strange since she outranked me. Wait. She didn’t have a plan, did she? She was hoping I would. That’s why she was acting right now as if I were the one in charge. All this depended on me.

  Nervously, I played with my ring where she couldn’t see it, studying the people below us. There were so many of them. If we moved from here, they would see us in a moment. There were no dragons, but that hardly mattered with so many Magikas and Ifrits below. The symbols of the Dusk Covenant were everywhere – which was no surprise. Hmmm. The beginnings of a plan were forming.

  This morning I had been reading Talsan’s book while we rode here. A phrase came to mind.

  In secret, their doom is sealed.


  In secret, it is wrought.

  Evil brings its own demise.

  The dusk may still be fought.

  It could be fought, but should we be the ones to fight it here and now when we were alone?

  YES.

  I tried to hide my startled reaction. Was everyone going to invade my mind now?

  I’d hardly call our relationship an invasion, Raolcan said.

  But, of course, I hadn’t meant him. I’d meant Savette and now the Troglodytes - again.

  WE WATCH YOU, CALLER. WE DEMAND YOU DESTROY OUR ENEMIES.

  Well, that sealed it. I owed the Troglodytes. They’d come to my call when I needed them. But we couldn’t fight this enemy head-on. We needed to be cunning.

  I turned to Ephretti.

  “Ready to attack?” she asked, but she looked uncertain.

  “If we do this, we do it my way, Ephretti. Your way is just going to get us all killed.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  We crept back down the hill to where the dragons waited and arranged ourselves in a loose circle. Ephretti’s dragons yawned and snapped at each other like humans bickering.

  They’re best friends, but even best friends grow tired of each other from time to time.

  “So, what’s your big plan?” Ephretti asked me aggressively. How did she get along with other Lightbringers when she was always so aggressive?

  This is not normal for her. She’s even wondering why she’d like this. You bring out the worst in her.

  And there was no reason for that. I’d been nothing but reasonable.

  Well, she is in love with a man who gave you a silver ring. That’s going to drive anyone crazy. And she can’t understand why he’d pick you instead of her.

  That stung.

  Why? It’s just the truth. If the truth stings its only because you’ve been fogging your own mind. If you let the truth pierce through that, you’ll be stronger for it.

  I wasn’t Purple enough to want that. When did you get to stop always learning to be better and learning from your flaws? I hoped it would be soon. I was getting tired.