Liberator

  “Sure.” She climbed down from Jason’s back and sank into the girl’s body. A few seconds later, her head protruded from the girl’s chest. “It’s beating. Just a flutter, but she’s alive.”

  As soon as Deference fully emerged, Jason sheathed his sword and scooped the girl into his arms. A quick scan of the street revealed at least thirty more bodies, some frozen and some likely victims of the disease. “Can you check all the rest? If you find anyone alive, come and tell me.”

  Deference curtsied. “I beg your pardon, Jason, but what about Koren? She’s waiting for me.”

  “She’s all right for now. Finding survivors is more urgent.”

  “I understand.” Deference glanced at the portico, then rushed to the closest body and sank into it.

  Jason hurried up the stairs, where the man with a wooden staff met him and used it to walk at his side. With a few strands of gray in otherwise dark hair, he appeared to be in his forties. “My name’s Benjamin. Is there any way I can help you?”

  “Don’t you have the disease?”

  “Sure. It hurts like a hundred whips, but I can’t let that stop me from helping.”

  Jason hiked the girl higher in his arms. “Then stay close. Maybe we can figure out what to do.”

  Benjamin nodded at her. “She’s a breeder, and a daughter of a breeder. She never knew her parents, and she’s had maybe three children already, but the breeding forewomen took them from her right away.”

  “Does she have a name?”

  “I heard someone call her Bantur, the dragon word for ugly, but I think her real name is Kenna.”

  “Kenna. Such a pretty name.” Stepping around the seated and prone bodies, Jason made his way to his father and presented Kenna. “She’s barely alive.”

  “As are many here.” Edison swept his finger around the inner wall of a little bowl, scooping up a pink salve. “There’s enough medicine left for only one more. Even your brother isn’t getting any.”

  A wave of murmurs rose and quickly settled.

  Jason looked around. “Is Adrian here?”

  “Not Adrian.” Edison point toward the Zodiac’s doorway. “Frederick.”

  A body lay near the door, guarded by Taushin and Mallerin. The two dragons sat and watched, as if waiting for something. A man carrying a limp little girl stood nearby, peeking into the Zodiac’s entry corridor.

  Jason shifted his gaze to a man standing at the front of the medicine waiting line. In his arms he held an infant who lay just as motionless as the girl Jason carried.

  “Can we get more medicine?” Jason asked.

  Edison smeared the remaining ointment on the infant’s chest. “We need some ingredients—stardrop material and Cassabrie’s genetics.”

  “I heard that Cassabrie’s coming this way. I know how to get stardrop material.”

  “And her genetics?”

  “I have some. It’s probably not enough to cure everyone, and from what Koren told me it won’t make a permanent cure, but it should help.” Jason laid Kenna down and ripped his tunic open in front, exposing the litmus finger embedded in his chest. “Cut it out of my skin.”

  Edison’s brow shot up. “Cut it out? Son, are you sure?”

  “It’s not very deep. Just a small cut should do it. You should be able to reach in and pull it out.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I know you’re not afraid of pain. But won’t that take away your immunity to the disease?”

  “I’m willing to risk facing what you, my brothers, and all these other people are already suffering. If we can’t all get the medicine, then I won’t get it either. At least we can ease some suffering for a little while.”

  “Very well.” Edison touched a sheath at his hip. “I have a dagger, but I blunted it trying to get Frederick out of the ice.”

  Jason glanced back at Benjamin, who now stood watching intently from a few paces away. “Can you help?”

  Benjamin lowered his staff and limped to Jason’s side. “Name it.”

  “Are you able to stand well enough to steady my sword while my father cuts with the tip?”

  “Without a doubt.” Benjamin drew the sword from Jason’s scabbard and held it firmly.

  Edison pinched the blade and set the tip against the outline of the litmus finger. “Are you ready?”

  Jason closed his eyes and nodded. “Do it.”

  A sharp pain jabbed his chest. As gasps rose from the crowd, warm liquid dripped down Jason’s torso and spilled over his trousers waistband. He peeked at his chest. Edison pushed against Jason’s skin until the finger protruded from the cut.

  Benjamin lowered the sword. “You’re braver than I am, young man.”

  Jason pinched the litmus finger and dropped it to his palm. It glowed bright blue through a smear of blood, warm to the touch. It seemed smaller than before, probably due to his body absorbing part of it.

  A woman hobbled to him and dabbed his wound with a cloth. “Don’t worry. It’s clean.”

  Jason flinched, not only from pain but also because the disease likely swarmed all over this “clean” cloth. Still, the infection would come anyway. It was only a matter of time.

  He took the cloth and pressed it over the wound, whispering, “Thank you.”

  “If you get stardrop material …” Edison displayed a small bowl in his palm. “This is what they put the medicine in.”

  Jason took the bowl and shoved it into his trousers pocket.

  “An impressive sacrifice, Jason Masters.” Taushin shuffled toward them, Mallerin at his side, cradling Frederick in her forelegs. “I suspect that your escape was equally impressive.”

  Jason glared at him. No use giving away any information, especially if it meant trouble for Koren.

  As the dragons drew near, Benjamin and the other slaves shifted to give them room, some on their own power and the others helped along. Mallerin laid Frederick gently on the floor, then drew back several steps.

  “I know you lack trust in me,” Taushin continued, “so I offer your loved one freely with no conditions. He still lives. When you make the new medicine, I hope it heals him and everyone else.”

  Jason looked at Frederick. The bluish tint to his lips and skin raised a chill. “You’re right about one thing. I don’t trust you. What’s in it for you?”

  “As I said, there are no conditions. Of course, I do hope that my gesture will soften your heart toward me. As I am sure you noticed, the battle is going poorly for my side, and if the Benefile are victorious, you will find that their version of slavery makes ours compassionate by comparison.”

  “So you want me to do something to help you in the battle.”

  “Not in battle. I am ready to signal a retreat before I lose all my dragons. I will send them to a refuge the Benefile cannot enter. They might give chase, but they might also stay here to finish their destruction of the slaves. In either case, they will eventually destroy the remaining humans. It will not matter that some are on the mend, and they will not listen to claims of a cure while the disease is still ravaging so many. They know about Darksphere, so they will try to repopulate this world by taking some from your world after the disease is gone.” Taushin cast his eyebeams on Jason’s chest. “What I need is for you to keep the Benefile here until Cassabrie comes. When they see her, they will be overcome by her presence, and she will have an opportunity to hypnotize them. They will then be vulnerable to an attack.”

  “I see. You want us to kill the Benefile for you while Cassabrie has them hypnotized.”

  “You are a gifted thinker, as I expected.”

  “A surprise attack while they can’t defend themselves.” Jason smiled, but the twist in his face felt wrong. Why would satisfaction sprout from such an attack, a cowardly ambush? The Benefile were dangerous, yes, but to slaughter them in their sleep? Who could find pleasure in that?

  “Give me a minute to think.” He looked at Taushin, then at the finger in his hand. The devil of a dragon had bided his time until the litmus fing
er was removed. With Cassabrie’s influence gone, he moved in and plied his deceptive trade.

  Jason closed his fist around the finger. So this was how Koren felt while dressed in black. Taushin infected her mind and injected influences she didn’t know how to deal with. Being a slave all her life, she always had to say yes to whatever she was told. And now that Koren had been set free, Taushin was looking for new victims.

  “And I nearly gave in, too.” Jason laughed under his breath. “You plan to attack us after we’ve done your dirty work.”

  “Not at all. We—”

  “Just stop it, Taushin. I’m not buying it. I’ve seen enough of what you did to Koren to know not to listen to you. I shouldn’t have let you get two words out of your mouth.” Jason grabbed the sword from Benjamin. Clutching it tightly, he glared at Taushin, then at Mallerin. Her head swayed like a snake ready to strike, and sparks fell from her nostrils. One false move, and hundreds of slaves would die. No wonder Father allowed Taushin and his mother to stay here. Even though they probably had enough soldiers to defeat two dragons, they couldn’t risk innocent lives.

  “Just get out of my sight,” Jason said as he lowered his sword. “We can take care of ourselves.”

  “We will leave, but perhaps you will tell me how you escaped from the chains Koren put you in. Did she find the key and release you, or do you have talents of which I am not aware?”

  “I’m not going to tell you anything. Just leave.”

  “Then I will ask Koren when I next see her. She is more pliable than you are.” Taushin and Mallerin lifted into the air as one and flew down to the street. When they landed, Mallerin looked up while Taushin kept his eyebeams on her, both apparently watching for Cassabrie.

  Jason knelt between Frederick and Kenna and touched each with a hand, his fist still closed around Cassabrie’s finger. They both seemed lifeless. He laid his ear on Kenna’s chest again. Although it was quieter under the roof, the cries of battling dragons still flooded his ears.

  “I’m here,” Deference whispered from his back. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get past everyone without being seen by Mallerin.”

  “I believe it.” With Mallerin’s evil eyes always trained on him, Jason kept his whisper as quiet as possible. “Can you check Kenna again?”

  “Sure. By the way, I couldn’t find any living slaves out there. They’re all dead, including the frozen ones.”

  “Okay. Try to hurry.”

  Deference zipped from Jason’s back and into Kenna’s chest. Jason raised his head and set a hand in front of Kenna’s lips. Not a puff of breath touched his fingers. After a few seconds, Deference’s eyes appeared on Kenna’s tunic, blinking. “I’m sorry, Jason. She’s dead.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.” He gestured with his head. “When you get a clear path, go back to Koren.”

  “Okay.” She sank back down.

  Jason shifted his hand to Kenna’s cheek. The poor girl was left out on the street like a pile of trash. No parents to mourn her. No one to carry her up the stairs to get out of the rain of fire and ice. She surely died alone.

  “She’s dead.”

  Edison knelt beside him. “At least you tried.”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t enough.” Jason slid over to Frederick and grasped his clammy hand. “Now we just have to wait for Cassabrie.”

  “Edison?” A little girl walked toward them from the Zodiac’s entry, a man following.

  Edison looked up. “Reesa! I’m so glad you’re feeling better!”

  “Me, too.” She lifted her shirt and rubbed her finger across some leftover ointment. “I have a little extra for your son and that girl. I hope it’s enough.”

  The man with the infant stooped with them. The little boy wiggled in his arms, his sores mostly faded. “We can find some, too,” the man said.

  “I’m afraid it’s too late for Kenna,” Jason said, “but I appreciate whatever you can do for my brother.”

  Benjamin pointed at Jason with his staff and called out, “Everyone who has some extra medicine, put it on this young man’s brother. We need warriors like him to go out and fight.” Spreading his arms widely, he shouted, “Look at us! We’ve been sitting here like defeated donkeys, our backs slack and our tails between our legs. I don’t care how sick you are; we can’t let these men fight alone. There aren’t enough of them. If they die, we die. That’s no worse than living like cowards.”

  A few weak cheers rose from the crowd, but they quickly faded. At least ten children pressed close, each one with a finger raised. One after another, they smeared ointment across Frederick’s face and rubbed it in.

  Jason had to bite his lip to keep it from trembling. These slave children were giving all they could, and it might turn out to be the greatest treasure they could imagine.

  By the time they finished, Frederick’s lips had turned from blue to pink. His cheeks flushed red. Then he blinked, looked around, and smiled. “Well, this is a pretty sight. Look at all these beautiful children.”

  The children clapped their hands and bounced on their toes. Jason grasped Frederick’s wrist and hoisted him to his feet. Edison joined them and wrapped both his sons in a powerful hug.

  Jason punched Frederick’s arm. “Are you ready to go back to battle?”

  “Ready, little brother.” Frederick touched the sword at his hip. “What’s the word?”

  “The Southlands dragons might retreat soon, so I say we battle them now and try to keep them here. It’s the best way to get help from the Benefile.”

  “Won’t we add to their desire to retreat?” Edison asked.

  Jason shook his head. “Not if we capture Taushin.”

  “Good point, but what about Mallerin?”

  “I’ll handle Mallerin.” Benjamin limped closer, his staff resting against his shoulder. “Just provide a distraction.”

  “Any particular kind of distraction?” Jason asked.

  Benjamin leaned to the side and peered at the sky. “I see Magnar is back in battle. If you could call him down, I think that will be the only distraction Mallerin will need. He’s her mate, and they have an unsettled feud.”

  “A dragon spat as a distraction,” Edison said, nodding. “Will she attack Magnar?”

  Benjamin smacked his staff with his palm. “Not if you get the Benefile to attack him first. One strange thing about dragons and their mates. They might scratch and claw each other, but if someone else threatens one, the other comes to its defense.”

  Edison nodded again. “I have seen that in humans as well. It could work.”

  “Father,” Jason said, “remember the war story you told us about the Piedmont Campaign?”

  “Feigning dissension?”

  “Right.” Jason sheathed his sword. “Just follow my lead.”

  “Whatever you decide to do,” Benjamin said, “wait for me to get into position, then call Magnar down to join you. I’ll do the rest. When Mallerin leaves Taushin by himself, be ready to take him.” He hobbled down the stairs on the grottoes side, ducking to avoid the fiery rain.

  Frederick drew his sword. “Let’s do it.”

  “I’m ready.” Jason wrapped the litmus finger in the cloth the woman gave him and pushed it into his pocket. “Since Magnar is back, maybe Elyssa is, too. We’ll go to Arxad’s cave next.”

  Jason, Frederick, and Edison hurried down the stairs. At the bottom, they summoned Captain Reed and the other soldiers. Ten stayed to guard the portico while the rest gathered at the bottom of the stairway. Above, the dragons continued their aerial battle. With only twenty or so Southlands dragons remaining, it wouldn’t last much longer, especially with Magnar fighting against both species, shooting and clawing any dragon within range. He seemed to be the most powerful force in the sky, larger than any other dragon, though not as fast and agile as the Benefile.

  Edison cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted, “Magnar! Come to us!”

  After slapping a drone with his tail, the mighty dragon flew
down and landed on the run. When he stopped in front of the soldiers, he panted showers of sparks. “Have you finally decided to join the battle, as you promised?”

  “We cannot fly,” Edison said, “and our spears are ineffective from this distance. If you have a way to bring the battle to us, we will gladly join it.”

  Magnar pointed at the sky with a wing. “The key is to lure the Benefile down. We need to do something that would require punishment. Beth is their leader. If she comes, the others will follow.”

  Jason glanced at Benjamin. Standing next to Mallerin about thirty paces down the street, Benjamin pointed toward the portico. Mallerin rose from her haunches. Even from this distance, the fire in her eyes was obvious.

  “Will you be the bait?” Jason asked.

  Magnar bobbed his head. “I am willing, but I expect you to be my allies and fight with me.”

  “To the death,” Edison said, “but be ready for surprises. This deception will take perfect coordination.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Jason hustled up the stairs, scooped up Kenna, and carried her down to the street. After laying her in front of Magnar, he called out, “Beth! Look at this dead girl!”

  Above, Beth descended several feet and flew in an orbit over them. “Why have you summoned me? There are many dead girls.”

  “This girl was a breeder, forced into the worst kind of slavery by a savage, uncaring dragon.” Jason pointed at Magnar. “And here is the culprit. Justice demands that he be punished, but he has eluded you. I demand that you come and execute justice. If you refuse, then justice itself will cry out against your apathy.”

  Beth dove and landed in front of Jason. “Stand back, human, and we will focus our wrath on this evil son of corruption.”

  Magnar’s eyes flared. For the first time, he appeared frightened.

  “Back off!” Edison stepped in front of Magnar and waved his sword. “I will not allow anyone to hurt my ally!” Captain Reed and ten other soldiers joined him and blocked Beth’s way.

  Beth let out a high-pitched whistle. The other two Benefile broke off from the battle and landed behind her, while the Southlands dragons flew to the edge of the grottoes and settled in a group, panting and gasping.