Revelations

  Shulina Arya was gazing at her. Raptly? Or was she considering eating Rysha, since she carried that pesky sword?

  Feeling nervous, Rysha babbled a bit as she continued on, “Did you know that Griyon, the first emperor of the Cofah, a man who conquered thousands of square miles in the time of bronze weapons and in an era when horses were the only means of transportation, convinced his people that the elder gods were on his side and that they decreed the Cofah the worthy rulers of the world? But in truth, he was an atheist. It was one of his eighteen wives who gave him the idea of claiming a divine right to rule, something would-be emperors and monarchs have glommed on to over the centuries—almost everyone ruling a nation today claims the gods willed it to be so.”

  “Ravenwood,” Blazer said, making a cutting motion across her throat with her hand, then pointing to the portal.

  Oh, right. Kaika’s detonator was counting down.

  You’re a storyteller, Shulina Arya blurted, the words thundering in Rysha’s mind, powerful and… excited?

  “A historian,” Rysha said. “Historians tell good stories,” she added, since the dragon seemed to like the idea.

  “Or bore people to sleep,” Blazer said.

  There are Cofah airships flying away from this place, a new voice cried into their minds. A male one. They are not utterly destroyed. The Cofah must be utterly destroyed.

  “I don’t know who that dragon is,” Kaika said, “but I like him.”

  Follow me, comrades. A gold dragon flew toward the main tunnel, and two bronzes and a silver flapped after him. We will teach them not to trouble the humans or dragons of Iskandoth.

  We shall also depart, Phelistoth said. I see enough explosives have been planted to destroy this entire mountain.

  “Only half of it.” Kaika smirked.

  Tylie climbed onto Phelistoth’s back and waved at Duck as the silver dragon flew her into the tunnel.

  Human female, Shulina Arya said. Climb aboard my back. If you keep your evil sword sheathed, I will take you from this place. And you can tell me stories!

  “I would be happy to tell you stories.” Rysha grinned at the idea of riding a dragon, as if she were a dragon rider in the legends of old.

  “That’s an odd dragon,” Blazer whispered.

  “I like her,” Duck said. “She’s right friendly. And doesn’t seem to think she’s a god.”

  Not all dragons can be gods, Bhrava Saruth announced. One must have a divine presence and many worshippers.

  “Leftie said he’d become one of your worshippers, Bhrava Saruth, if you carry us all out of here,” Duck said.

  “What?” Leftie blurted.

  “Wait.” Blazer lifted a hand. “We need to pick up our fliers. Also, someone is going to have to stay close and make sure the explosives do indeed blow up the portal. And if they don’t…” She pointed at Kaika’s chapaharii blade.

  “Let me take a look at it,” Trip said. “The soulblades may have some insight into whether the bombs will be sufficient.”

  “Good luck getting up there,” Kaika grumbled. “I had to—”

  Trip rose into the air, as if he were in one of those fancy steam-powered elevators in the newer buildings in the capital. Rysha told herself it wasn’t any different from when the soulblades had levitated them to the bottom of the canyon, but she wasn’t positive they were responsible this time. Was that their power? Or Trip’s?

  I don’t know how to make myself fly, Trip said softly, speaking into her mind. There was a sadness to his tone again, as if he believed they would all distance themselves from him because everyone now knew about his scaled father—and his potential as a sorcerer.

  But that wasn’t why she’d been thinking of distancing herself, or at least not kissing him again for a while. The sword was the problem, not him.

  Too bad, she thought, deciding on a joke instead of attempting to explain her concerns, concerns she feared he would attempt to bat away. You would be able to repair fliers while they were in the air.

  That could indeed be handy, he allowed.

  Trip floated up through the donut and crouched atop the portal as Kaika had done. He pulled off a glove and laid his hand flat on the crystal.

  The portal flared a brighter purple, highlighting his face and the startled expression on it.

  “It’s not telling him it’s going to annihilate the world if we destroy it, I hope,” Blazer said.

  “Trip, don’t kick any wires while you’re up there,” Kaika called up. “I’d prefer it if the explosives didn’t go off until after we’re out of the mountain.”

  Trip leaped through the hole, dropping forty feet to the ground and landing in an easy crouch.

  I did that, Jaxi said into Rysha’s mind, sounding smug. Your dragonly future lover is an utter novice when it comes to magic. You should convince him to see Sardelle about some training. His primary interest is flying and shooting things. He takes after Ridge. It does seem like he should be Ridge’s son instead of that of some big, scaly dragon that sounds like he has the personality of a dyspeptic warthog.

  We don’t get to choose our fathers, Rysha thought back, her own family coming to mind. She loved her father and wouldn’t wish to have another, but there were times when she wished he were more like his mother had been when it came to outlooks and beliefs.

  “I believe the portal can be destroyed with the explosives,” Trip said, facing Blazer, “if it’s first drained of its power. If it’s turned off, essentially.”

  Rysha looked around at the dragons, wondering if they would object further to the destruction of this doorway into another world. Bhrava Saruth had been surprised at the announcement, but he hadn’t brought it up again. Because he’d been distracted? What about the other dragons? If some of their allies remained on the other side, they might fight the destruction of the portal. Or had all the dragons that wanted to come through already done so?

  But she couldn’t read expressions on those reptilian faces, and if they were speaking telepathically among themselves, she would never know it.

  “Also,” Trip said, “when I touched the portal, it showed me in sort of an accelerated-time vision all the dragons that have come through it since it was powered up this time.” His eyes were grim, somber.

  “And it’s a lot?” Blazer asked.

  “I can’t tell whether they were loyal to the Cofah and Yisharnesh or not, but four to five hundred easily.”

  “That’s more than the few dozen Sardelle thought.” Blazer sighed.

  “But we have some allies against them now, right?” Duck gestured to Bhrava Saruth who was facing six other dragons, the ones who hadn’t left to go after the airships. Were they all having a telepathic conference?

  “A dozen at most,” Blazer said. “If we count the ones that flew out already. And if we assume all of those are interested in helping Iskandia. I won’t object to any allies, but I’m concerned about how many that leaves that aren’t interested in helping us.”

  “Who may be interested in eating us,” Kaika said.

  Humans do not taste good. Bhrava Saruth’s neck twisted, so he could look at them. Not like sheep. Sheep are delicious. He drew out that last word with loving care.

  “Better than tarts?” Duck asked.

  No, tarts are also delicious. Many foods are delicious. Except humans. And muskrat. Muskrat is awful. It tastes like spoiled beef.

  What’s a tart? Shulina Arya asked.

  I will show you. Humans make wonderful sweets. I do not know why other dragons want to destroy humans. Who would be left to make pastries?

  “We need to power down the portal and get out of here,” Trip said, pointing up.

  I can ensure the portal is not used again by Cofah dragons. Bhrava Saruth gazed up at it, and the purple crystal floated out of the socket it had been placed in. The portal grew dark. The crystal itself still glowed, and it floated down to his side, then disappeared from sight.

  Had he destroyed it? Or was he magically hiding it som
ehow?

  Rysha noticed Bhrava Saruth hadn’t said he would ensure the portal was destroyed. Just that it wouldn’t be used by Cofah dragons again. Did that mean he didn’t think the explosives would do anything? That the portal would remain intact and only inaccessible as long as the crystal wasn’t inside that keyhole?

  Or was Rysha reading too much into his words?

  “Is that all we had to do to make it so no more dragons could come through?” Blazer asked, glancing at Kaika. “Could Trip have done that?”

  “Maybe so, but wouldn’t you feel better knowing it was also blown into a thousand pieces?”

  Rysha would feel better if Trip had removed the crystal and now had control of it. Bhrava Saruth seemed goofy, but it was entirely possible that was an act, or that he was goofy and intelligent.

  “Assuming there’s no way to trick all those dragons into leaving again, I guess that’s the next best option.”

  Our kind would not go through again under any circumstances, a male voice said. The other world was inhospitable to dragons. All this time, we have longed to come home.

  Blazer grimaced. “Bombs it is, then.”

  Come, my worshippers and future worshippers. Bhrava Saruth crouched low, spreading his wings to offer access to his back. Let us give you a ride over the lake of lava and out to finish off the Cofah before all the fun is done.

  The rest of the dragons seemed more reserved, none of them offering rides as Blazer and the others headed toward him. Except for Shulina Arya.

  Her head swung toward Rysha again. You will ride with me, storyteller, yes?

  “Yes.” It seemed impolite, and possibly bad for one’s health, to refuse a ride from a dragon. “And so will Trip.”

  He’d started walking toward Bhrava Saruth, but he paused as Rysha extended a hand toward him.

  Excellent. I see that his swords do not wish to kill me.

  “No, but Jaxi may insult you.”

  I only insult delusional dragons, Jaxi informed them.

  Rysha climbed onto the female dragon, and Trip followed her up. It wasn’t quite like mounting a horse. He found a position behind her and, as the dragon sprang into the air, he brought his hands to her waist, either to keep her from falling off, or to keep himself from falling off.

  The chapaharii blade sent a rumble of discontent into Rysha’s mind, and she sensed it wasn’t happy about her riding a dragon or being touched by Trip. She hoped she could figure out what the sorceress had done to give her command words more power than Rysha’s because she didn’t want to be a threat to any of their new dragon allies. Even more, she didn’t want to be a threat to Trip.

  She closed her eyes and thought of their kiss on the airship, his warm presence contrasting with the chill air. She wanted to kiss him again, to invite him to be a part of her life.

  One way or another, Rysha vowed to find a way to completely and reliably control the swords. Because that was the only way her allies would be able to trust her. And because she liked the feel of Trip’s hands on her waist, damn it.

  18

  The smoking wreckage of the two Cofah airships grew visible as the dragons soared through a soft snow, following the canyon northward. Trip still rode behind Rysha on the female, Shulina Arya, while Blazer, Duck, Leftie, Kaika, and Dreyak all sat astride Bhrava Saruth’s back.

  Even as large as the golds were, it seemed the team’s combined weight would be far too much for one dragon. But perhaps magic played more of a role than physics. Trip hadn’t missed Bhrava Saruth making that purple crystal disappear and that he’d abruptly stopped sensing its magical aura. He didn’t believe the dragon had destroyed it or left it behind, and even though the entire side of the mountain had crumbled as the muffled booms of Kaika’s explosives sounded, Trip wondered if the portal had truly been demolished. Or was it buried intact under the rubble? He couldn’t sense it, but that had been true since the portal had been turned “off.”

  He hoped, as long as Yisharnesh was dead and Bhrava Saruth had the crystal, the portal wouldn’t be used against Iskandia, but he wished his team had dealt with it before freeing the dragons. With them looking on, Trip couldn’t be certain he and the others had made the right choice. Maybe they should have hacked at the portal with the chapaharii blades before collapsing the mountain. Would Bhrava Saruth and the other dragons have allowed that?

  “Is anyone left alive down there?” Rysha asked, the wind almost stealing her words.

  Trip thought he knew the answer, but he swept out with his senses, something that was growing more natural for him. He didn’t detect anyone left alive among the smoldering wreckage of the airships. The vessels had crashed near the edge of the canyon, and though he deemed it unlikely, he also checked for life at the bottom. But nothing lived down there.

  He sensed more dragons flying over the surrounding fields of ice, and he jerked in alarm. Then he recognized them as the ones that had been freed and raced out to deal with the Cofah. Were they looking for more enemies to destroy? Trip shuddered at the devastation below.

  Blazer waved toward Trip and Rysha from atop Bhrava Saruth’s back, a lit cigar once again clenched between her teeth, and she pointed toward the wreckage. Trip missed their fliers with the embedded communication crystals, and thought about attempting to speak telepathically into Blazer’s mind, but he doubted she would appreciate that. Besides, he could guess what she wanted.

  Your teammates wish to retrieve the chapaharii sword, Azarwrath verified, then go back to your flying machines. They’re not finding the experience of riding a dragon as glee-inspiring as your female is.

  My female? Rysha? Trip would have told the soulblade that Rysha was hardly his, but Azarwrath spoke again first.

  Indeed. She is grinning every time Shulina Arya banks or swoops about. And they are speaking with each other.

  Telepathically?

  Yes, the dragon is asking why these humans were slain. She wants stories that explain the differences between the Cofah and your Iskandians.

  You could likely eavesdrop if you concentrated on it, Jaxi put in.

  Didn’t you say that spying on people’s thoughts was frowned upon?

  In my era, yes, but times have changed. There’s nobody left enforcing the Referatu rules.

  Trip shook his head. Though he felt a little left out because the dragon wasn’t including him in the conversation, he wasn’t tempted to intrude on their private words. The thought that he might be able to made him uneasy.

  Remembering Rysha’s question, Trip rested his hand on her shoulder. “There aren’t any survivors down there, but we need to go down and retrieve your sword.”

  Rysha stiffened. Because of his words, or because of his touch? Worried it was the latter, he withdrew his hand. She still wore one of the chapaharii swords at her waist.

  Rysha nodded, but didn’t otherwise respond. Trip chose to believe the carnage below was what had upset her, the lack of survivors. Either way, he sensed her pleasure from riding a dragon disappearing.

  Maybe she didn’t want to retrieve Dorfindral, and that was what bothered her. The squadron, or at least Blazer, seemed determined that she wield one of the chapaharii blades, whether she wanted to or not.

  Trip supposed it was selfish, but he hoped someone else would be given that task once they returned to the capital. He didn’t have to ask Rysha to know she was upset that she’d allowed the sword to guide her into attacking him. Forced her to attack him.

  Bhrava Saruth and Shulina Arya landed in the snow next to the wreckage. There wasn’t any wind, and the smoke hung low over the field of ice. Strange how it smelled of nothing more than a campfire or someone’s wood stove burning on a chill day. Smoke from a fire that resulted in death and destruction should have a gloomier scent.

  “Can you lead me to it?” Rysha asked Trip after they slid off the dragon’s back.

  Blazer dismounted and headed over, but there was no need to wait for her orders, no question as to what she wanted.

  Th
e chapaharii swords did not emit auras of power the way the soulblades did—indeed, they seemed designed to be difficult to find by those with magic—but Trip found that he’d been around Dorfindral long enough that he could find its faint signature among the wreckage.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’ll show you the way.”

  Rysha jogged over and gave Blazer the chapaharii blade she’d carried during the battle, Eryndral. Then she followed Trip up the smashed hull of the airship, over the remains of the charred railing, and across the hole-riddled deck.

  The smoke scent grew stronger, the haze thicker in the air. Here and there, flames still crackled. The envelope had burned away, with the skeletal remains of its framework toppled to one side, like a felled tree.

  Trip spotted the first body, charred and mutilated but not unrecognizable. He almost wished it had been. It was one of the Cofah researchers, a man that he and Azarwrath had healed.

  Even though the Cofah team had been withholding information and working at cross purposes to them, seeing people dead that he’d been speaking with the day before made Trip feel sick. He wished he’d tried to keep the dragons from going out to raze the airships, but how could he have? They would never have listened to him. Besides, he’d made his choice the day before, when he’d agreed to leave the Cofah airship to be bait so his team could sneak into the dragon compound. It seemed hypocritical of him to be upset now.

  “There’s Jylea,” Rysha said, her voice numb as she pointed to a charred body dusted with snowflakes. Dorfindral’s hilt was still in Jylea’s hand, though her fingers had unfurled in death. The blade appeared undamaged by the dragon fire that had half-consumed the woman. It glowed a faint green, no doubt noticing Trip’s presence, and that of the nearby dragons. “What’s left of her,” Rysha added softly.

  Trip barely heard the words. He turned and, through the falling snow, glimpsed tears in her eyes. The flakes sticking to the lenses of her spectacles didn’t quite hide the moisture behind them.