“Hurt me?” Koren looked again at Madam Orley. If she allowed them to deflate Exodus, could she help her former mistress? The words spoken by Brinella’s image returned to Koren’s mind. And you will learn that even the scrapings of the skin of Exodus can provide healing.
“The scrapings of the skin,” Koren murmured. Brinella must have meant that a stardrop could be used to heal someone, but as long as Madam lay down there and Exodus floated up here, no one could test the theory. And what good had she done as a guiding angel? Very few believed her. Taushin would likely turn his wrath on the children next. How could she allow them to burn while she floated above the suffering, simply because she didn’t want to be Taushin’s slave? She had to bring this madness to an end and stop those fiends. It seemed impossible to do anything more from her pedestal in the sky.
“Get off me!” Madam Orley shouted as she pushed Tibalt. “I need to talk to Koren.”
After Tibalt helped her rise, she stood on wobbly legs, her face dark red and one sleeve burned away, exposing a blackened arm. She spoke with a stern tone, though her voice barely rose above a whisper. “You did the best you could, dear girl. I think it’s time you came down so you can shine your light at our level. I will need your help.” She then spelled out more words with her fingers: “You and I can plot against the dragons together.”
As new tears emerged, Koren scooted Exodus closer to Zena. Her black eyes were clearer than usual, and as she stood in a white dress with her arm poised to throw the spear, her angular profile seemed surreal, like a celestial being ready to execute justice.
“A little closer,” Zena crooned. “You’re almost in range.”
Koren gazed at the crowd. As if mesmerized again by her hypnotic charms, they stared with wide eyes and open mouths. They craved freedom. They ached for release from the toils, the threats, the intimidations, not only for themselves, but also for their children, both born and those yet to be born.
She had offered them freedom, and they refused. They didn’t want to take the risk. They wanted freedom without cost, without sacrifice, without bowing to a higher authority.
“There,” Zena said. “Hold the star right there. Let me know when you’re ready.”
Koren began weeping again. She pushed back her cloak, spread out her arms, and set her feet, balancing her body in case the star kicked away. “I’m … I’m ready.”
sixteen
Just as Zena drew the spear back, Taushin called out, “Wait! I hear something odd.” Zena kept her stare on Koren. “A beating of wings?”
“Yes. Wings. All dragon allies are either here or at assigned stations. You are my eyes, Zena. Search for the source.”
“It’s one of Koren’s tricks,” Yeager said. “She’s pretending to give in, but she’ll hypnotize us again. Spear the star!”
“Do not listen to that ignorant fool,” Taushin said. “He has no idea of the danger that could come upon us if Magnar’s curse has been broken.”
While dozens of eyes scanned the sky, Koren looked at her outstretched arms. With her sleeves now up to her elbows, the red marks left by the manacles had come into view, as well as her slave’s brand, eight black characters burned into her skin in the dragon language. Koren stared at them. What had just happened? Had Taushin’s words hypnotized her? His speech was so seductive, and his threats had shaken her to the core, replacing thoughts of forever freedom with fear of immediate harm, the very fear she had warned her people about.
She bent her brow low. How could she submit to that cruel beast again? Even if it meant freedom for the other humans, how could she become a slave to evil? There had to be another way. The people had to swallow their pride and believe the Creator’s guiding angel. If she couldn’t convince the people of their need to change their hearts, she would have to wait for another opportunity.
A woman in the crowd pointed. “I see a dragon coming this way.”
“Two dragons,” a man said. “And isn’t that odd? It looks like humans are riding on their backs.”
Koren looked at the approaching dragons and their familiar flight styles. Arxad and Fellina! Maybe they had hoped for a stealthy approach, and maybe she could help them.
Letting Exodus drift back out of Zena’s reach, she held up her arms. “Yes, it is odd, indeed. Watch them carefully, and listen to my words as you take in this unusual sight.”
“No!” Yeager shouted. “We can’t let her put us under a spell. Don’t look, or you’ll be caught in her trap.”
As the people turned toward her again, she continued drifting away. “A spell? No, Yeager. I am merely telling the truth, which I have always told. Arxad and Fellina are coming this way. Train your eyes on them, and listen to me.”
Yeager pointed at Koren. “Silence her! Throw the spear!”
Zena glanced at Taushin. “What is your bidding?”
“Throw it!” Taushin barked. “These dragons are not whom I feared.”
Zena reared back again, but just as she lunged, Arxad dropped out of the sky and knocked her to the ground. The spear flew from her hands and rolled toward Madam Orley. Tibalt dove for it, but Yeager kicked him in the face, sending the old man sprawling backwards.
Madam Orley snatched up the spear and pointed it at Yeager. “Leave us, you coward!”
While Yeager backed away and blended into the crowd, Tibalt shook his head. “I ain’t been kicked like that since old Juniper the mule planted her hoof right in my kisser.”
Arxad landed in a flurry of wings. Two young men leaped from his back, their swords drawn.
Koren clapped her hands. Jason! Randall!
Jason pressed the point of his sword against Taushin’s underbelly while Randall set the side of his blade against Zena’s neck as she lay on the street. “Don’t move,” Randall ordered, “or my hand just might slip.”
Arxad bumped into Hyborn. “You have heard what happened to Maximus, have you not?”
Hyborn nodded. “I have.”
“Then heed my words. Trust me. Stay out of this conflict, and allow me to contend for our species.”
“I will keep my peace for now,” Hyborn said. “Yet if events transpire that threaten to topple dragon sovereignty, I will respond.”
Koren glanced at Madam Orley. Still holding the spear, she crept closer to Arxad and Taushin. What did she have in mind? An attack would be madness. Someone had to stop her or at least distract her.
“What is happening?” Taushin asked. “I see a stranger with a sword, and I feel a sting in my abdomen.”
“That’s my sword,” Jason said. “You will do as we say, or I will drive it through to your spine.”
Fellina landed behind Arxad. As soon as Elyssa dismounted, Fellina took off again, appearing to head for the Zodiac.
“Elyssa!” Koren shouted. “Can you help Madam Orley? She has some terrible burns.”
“I’m on my way.” Elyssa rushed toward Madam. A glowing girl trailed her, her bare feet raising sparks as they made contact with the street.
“Deference?” Koren called. “Is that you?”
While Elyssa continued her dash toward Madam, Deference stopped and looked up, fading as she spoke. “Yes.”
Koren glanced again at Madam Orley. Although she hadn’t released her grip on the spear, she was allowing Elyssa to examine her charred arm. With Taushin and his allies temporarily stymied, it seemed that everyone focused on the minidrama taking place around Madam, as if awestruck by the ghostly girl with a glowing body who spoke like a normal human.
“Do you remember your real name, Agatha?” Koren asked.
As Deference nodded, her head appeared. “I remember. It wasn’t so long ago.”
“Agatha?” Madam Orley broke away from Elyssa.
“Agatha, is that you?”
Deference turned toward her, cocking her head, apparently not recognizing the disfigured woman approaching her with a brandished spear. She backed away. “Who are you?”
Madam Orley halted. With her singed hair and
clothes flapping in the breeze, and her skin darkened by soot, she looked like a scorched crow. “Who am I? I’m your mother, of course.”
New whispers rustled through the crowd, but no one seemed brave enough to interrupt the eerie conversation.
Backing away another step, Deference shook her head. “I beg your pardon, but you’re not my mother.”
The spear trembled in her grasp. “Don’t you remember me?”
“No, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“So the scoundrels drained your memory?” Madam turned toward Arxad and Taushin, her teeth clenched as she spoke with a threatening growl. “This is all your doing!”
Koren gasped. Taushin would see the attack coming through Zena’s eyes, and he wouldn’t care that Jason threatened with a sword. He would defend himself and kill Madam.
Running like a wounded bull, Madam charged with the spear. Koren pushed Exodus downward and knocked several people over as she blocked Madam’s path. The spear plunged into Exodus’s membrane and stuck there, half of its length now within the star.
Koren screamed. Such pain! It seemed that the spear had pierced her own body. She shot upward with Exodus. The rope dangled underneath, pulling slightly, adding to the torture.
“Koren!” Arxad shouted. “Stop!”
After halting Exodus at about thirty feet from the ground, she heaved in deep breaths, her brain dizzied by the quick moves. Below, Madam Orley wept on her knees, while Deference laid her glowing hands on her mother’s shoulders.
“Is the star leaking?” Arxad asked.
Grimacing, Koren slid closer to the wound. It seemed that the spear plugged its own hole, and the star’s membrane formed a seal around the shaft. “I don’t think so.”
Arxad waved a wing. “Stay where you are. We cannot allow the spear to be dislodged.”
Jason sheathed his sword. “Randall, watch this dragon. I’m going to make sure no one touches that rope.”
“No problem.” Randall set his foot on Zena’s arm and shifted the sword to Taushin, pressing the point into his gut. “Don’t move, either one of you.”
As soon as Jason grabbed the rope, Taushin let out a trumpeting wail, long and loud.
“He is calling for other dragons!” Arxad shouted.
“I’ll put a stop to that.” Randall drew his sword back, but just before he could strike Taushin, Zena swept her leg through his feet. He toppled backwards and slammed against the cobblestones. His head lolled to the side, and his eyes closed.
Jason tossed the rope to Elyssa, charged Taushin, and plowed into him, driving him to the ground. Tibalt staggered toward the battle, yelling, “I’m on my way!”
Belting out a scream, Zena leaped up and jumped on Jason’s back. She clawed his neck and cheek savagely. Tibalt tore her away from Jason, but Zena threw Tibalt to the ground and pounced on him like a wildcat. She scratched the old man’s face and drove a knee into his stomach. He punched her in the nose, but she seemed to register no pain.
Hyborn frowned, studying the battle as he glanced at Arxad every few seconds. He seemed to be waiting to see if the situation would get out of control.
“People of Starlight!” Koren shouted, pressing a hand against her aching side. “Come to the aid of your fellow humans! Now is the time to rise up. I know you have never battled against your masters before, but if you want to be free, you must fight now! If you capture Taushin and Zena, you will be able to decide your own destiny!”
“Fight?” Yeager said. “You saw what Hyborn did to Madam Orley. That was just a taste of what they would do to our children.” He thrust a finger toward the sky. “And look. More dragons are coming. We wouldn’t stand a chance against so many.”
A dragon descended from the direction of the Zodiac, and another appeared, flying north from the mines. Soon at least a dozen dragons approached from all directions. When Zena turned to look, Tibalt grabbed her hair and slung her away. Taushin clamped down on Jason’s arm with his jaws and slammed him to the ground.
Beating his wings, Arxad scooted toward them and collided with Taushin. Taushin’s teeth tore across Jason’s forearm, ripping his skin. With a back claw, Arxad pinned Taushin to the ground, and, raising his head high, shouted, “Cease fighting!”
His voice rumbled like thunder. Everyone froze and stared at him. As he lifted his leg to allow Taushin to rise, several dragons landed, their wings pushing conflicting breezes through the crowd. Two stormed toward Arxad, mouths agape and teeth bared, knocking humans to the ground as they passed.
Arxad roared. “Stay where you are, fellow dragons! Taushin is unhurt. The slaves are not in rebellion.”
Both dragons halted and looked around at the other dragons as if trying to decide what to do.
“There is no cause to react with violence,” Arxad continued. “Let us have peace and discuss the reason for this assembly.”
“I agree,” Hyborn called. “Let us hear what Arxad has to say.”
While the newly arriving dragons settled, Taushin rose to his haunches. Jason climbed to his feet, clutching his bleeding forearm. His sword lay on the ground, but he made no move to pick it up. He reached for Randall with his good arm and helped him to his feet. Randall blinked, as if in a daze. Tibalt stood in a stiff pose, like a soldier at attention, but he seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Still holding the rope, Elyssa sat with Madam Orley. The two appeared to be whispering. Occasional sparks indicated that Deference sat with them as well. Madam held the Code in her lap, flipping through the pages. The edges were charred, but it seemed to be intact for the most part.
Koren released the pressure on her side and looked at her hand, reddened by sticky liquid. Blood? How could that be? The spear had punctured Exodus, not her body. Was she now connected to the star so completely that its wound had become her own?
And what should she do now? With so many dragons around, it was probably too late to fight. Their only chance was to capture and control Taushin, but Arxad seemed to have other ideas.
Koren looked out at Taushin. His eyebeams rested on Zena as she stared at Arxad. Blood spattered her dress, and her hair blew in disarray. “By what authority,” Taushin said, “do you usurp control of this meeting? I am the king of the dragons.”
“And I am high priest, so it is my duty to mediate conflicts. In that role, I supersede even the king. Perhaps you were unable to see that I ended the violence and a potential uprising. My role is that of a peacemaker.”
“Very well. Say what you have to say. Then I will pronounce my judgment.”
“When I arrived,” Arxad said, “it was clear that Zena was about to plunge a spear into Exodus. The consequences of such an action are grave, so I had to stop it immediately. My passengers attempted to enforce my wishes in an aggressive manner, for which I apologize.”
Taushin nodded. “I will take your apology into account.”
Koren let Exodus drift lower. “Arxad,” she said, trying to hide her pain, “Zena wasn’t acting violently toward me. I was about to acquiesce to the spear, but I changed my mind at the last moment. That’s when you arrived. Earlier, Taushin promised to free the slaves if I would resurrect Exodus. I have fulfilled my part, and now pheterone is flooding the atmosphere. If Taushin has integrity, he will let my people go. If he would do what he promised, there would be no need for a revolt or any violence whatsoever. A good king keeps his word.”
“A good king keeps his word,” Taushin said, “according to the timetable he wishes to set. The cattle camp is empty, and the mining activities have ceased. I will let the people go when I believe dragonkind is able to adjust to life without servants and when humans have learned to take care of themselves. This is fair and reasonable for dragons and humans alike.”
Koren surveyed the crowd. Taushin’s words had a mollifying effect on everyone. They believed his rhetoric, even though he failed to specify a crucial element: the timetable. With those conditions, he could delay freeing the slaves for as long as he wished. In the meantim
e, he would never give up his attempts to get her back into his clutches. His tactics were clear—freedom for the slaves in exchange for her eyes. “To prove your words,” she said, “you should set a firm date. I am sure we can agree on a reasonable time period.”
Taushin shook his head. “Since such an adjustment has never occurred in the past, the time it will take is impossible to predict. Surely you can understand that we have to evaluate the humans’ progress before we can let them go.”
“It will never happen.” Koren allowed Exodus to come within eight feet of the ground. “Dragons are addicted to human service, and humans are too accustomed to their chains. The only way to break these habits is for the humans to walk away from their chains, believing they can live without them.”
“Nonsense. The change must be gradual. These people have been slaves all their lives.” Taushin raised his voice. “What do you say, humans? Will you be able to defend yourselves against the wild beasts we dragons now chase away? Can you choose a leader who will govern you? Who among you is qualified to write your laws, police your activities, and render judgment when someone commits a crime? Can you build shelters in the colder climate when you have no craftsmen who have ever assembled anything more complex than a raft without the help of dragons?”
Murmurs rose from the crowd, peppered with a few clear statements. “He’s right,” and “I wouldn’t want to be a leader,” and “Hyborn chased a wolf away and saved my son.”
“So you see,” Taushin continued, “your own people realize that the faith you ask them to embrace is unreasonable. No one can make such a drastic change. It is impossible.”
Koren glared at Taushin. He was crafty. His faithless rhetoric filtered into the ears of pitiful wretches who knew nothing other than cruel slavery. And those words brought nods of approval, nods of ignorance. How could someone who had never known freedom understand the reality of living without chains? Such a life seemed impossible, because they had never experienced it, nor seen anyone live it. Somehow, she had to show them the truth and expose Taushin for the liar he was.