Unraveled

  They plunged into darkness so quickly that she grew disoriented. An intense ache pierced her ears as they descended, but it disappeared almost immediately. The dragon’s magic?

  The bright green glow of a blurry sword came into view, the blade leaning against the silt-covered remains of a wreck. Seven gods, they’d made it to the bottom in five seconds, if that.

  I can’t touch it with magic, but you can grab it. Shulina Arya tilted on her side so Rysha could reach it.

  She couldn’t see well with her spectacles in her hand, but the glow was hard to miss. She stretched, fingers brushing the hilt. Before she touched it, she knew this was Eryndral, Kaika’s blade, instead of hers, but it didn’t matter. They needed to recover both.

  Got it, Rysha thought, clenching her teeth as the foolish sword tried to convince her to slay Shulina Arya. The second should be by those barges.

  Yes, I see. I shall swim like a dolphin!

  Later, when Rysha wasn’t holding her breath and hoping she wouldn’t run out of air, she would ponder with some bemusement why a dragon might find dolphins so appealing.

  Because we didn’t have oceans in the other world, Shulina Arya thought, laughing into her head. Water is fantastic. And there are so many brilliant creatures. Did you know that deep down in the ocean trenches, there are all manner of incredibly bizarre creatures? There is your sword, Storyteller!

  Rysha grinned despite the terrifying darkness rushing past all around her and the fact that her lungs were starting to long for air. That did you know had sounded so much like one of her own did you knows. After being mocked by a former love interest, Rysha had tried to stop using that phrase, but it hadn’t lasted more than a few weeks. She always wanted to share what she knew and never could understand why people weren’t as fascinated by quirky facts as she was.

  I see it! Rysha thought, spotting the green glow in the darkness.

  Dorfindral lay among sponges and strange tentacled creatures attached to the rocks. Again, Shulina Arya tilted so Rysha could reach the weapon without moving from her back.

  When her hand wrapped around the hilt, Rysha not only felt Dorfindral’s desire to slay dragons, but she experienced a feeling of triumph over their reunion. She wasn’t sure if it came from her or from the sword, but she once again felt that she could matter, that she could be a great warrior.

  You matter even without the sword, Trip’s calm voice sounded in her head. Or maybe he was weary instead of calm. He sounded like he barely had the energy for this telepathic contact. You’re a far greater warrior than you believe.

  I appreciate the support, but shouldn’t you be focused on that dragon?

  Yes, but I wanted to make sure your exuberant dragon hadn’t drowned you. You’ve been down a while.

  Her lungs agreed.

  I need air, Shulina Arya, she thought. And to slay that bronze dragon.

  Yes, it will be most glorious.

  They shot upward, toward the light of day and the battle.

  18

  The bronze dragon was wounded.

  Trip would have felt exultant, but he was so weary, he could barely keep the soulblades from slipping out of his fingers. Their attacks had grown weaker, too, and he knew they didn’t have unlimited reserves. Trip tried to take solace in knowing he was keeping the dragon from doing further damage to the steamer and the people around the harbor, but shielding so many while also attacking was intensely draining.

  Give me the journal, and I shall spare your siblings, the dragon whispered into his mind.

  Xandyrothol. He’d introduced himself earlier, before promising to destroy the babies and to eat Trip. It had been a while since he’d made those threats. Now, he was trying to deal. Trip sensed the dragon was weary, too, and scared now that Shulina Arya had arrived. He didn’t seem to know if the gold was a threat or not. Shulina Arya hadn’t physically engaged with him yet. Maybe she hadn’t said anything to him at all.

  “Trip,” Kaika called from inside the hold. “Your baby boxes are underwater, and I’m not sure if things are working anymore. Can you get us out of here? I don’t want to leave them.”

  Fresh fear rushed into Trip’s heart. He remembered hearing something break when the dragon had hurled him against the stasis chambers. He still sensed some power coming from the devices, but he could tell they had been damaged. He worried the occupants might even now be dying, as his sire had, trapped within his own giant stasis chamber deep in that mountain.

  “Yes, but we may be vulnerable while I do it,” Trip called back.

  “I can’t believe I don’t have any bombs to throw at that hairy dragon’s ass.”

  “Hairy?” Trip sheathed the soulblades, crouched, and gripped the hull under his feet, the edge of the hole the dragon had made. He concentrated on expanding the opening, melting and forming the metal to create a gap he could levitate the stasis chambers through.

  “I’m sure it was hairy when it was human.”

  Xandyrothol flew back and forth, staring down at Trip, a predator sensing an opportunity.

  Guard us, please, Jaxi and Azarwrath, Trip thought, dropping his barrier because he needed the concentration for this.

  We will, Azarwrath replied firmly.

  Jaxi moaned into his mind, sounding exhausted. The hilts of the soulblades warmed Trip’s thighs through his clothing and their scabbards, as if they were overheated horses in need of a stable and a rubdown.

  I’m less inclined to protect you when you compare me to a horse. Jaxi sniffed, managing to sound indignant through her fatigue.

  Are you saying you wouldn’t like a rubdown later? A nice oiling, perhaps? Trip stood, the hole wide enough now.

  As long as it doesn’t take place in a stable. I prefer a more serene setting.

  We are shielding you, Azarwrath said, but we can’t protect the entire ship.

  I think everybody is out, Trip thought.

  Kaika climbed out beside him, dragging all three of the team’s packs, as Trip focused on releasing the stasis chambers from the magical straps he’d created to hold them in place. The devices slid deeper into the hold, fully immersed in the water. He prayed it wasn’t too late to keep the babies inside alive. He couldn’t fail in this, damn it.

  Feeling his power flagging, he gritted his teeth as he lifted the devices through water and against gravity. They floated into the air and toward the hole.

  “He’s coming down.” Kaika clenched her fist, as if she would punch the dragon.

  A wave of power crashed into the soulblades’ barrier as Xandyrothol plummeted from the sky, seeing his chance to get at Trip, to kill him and all those with Agarrenon Shivar’s blood in one final attack.

  Keep that barrier up, Trip urged the soulblades, sensing that it was weakening, that it might drop and let the dragon cruise through.

  As the stasis chambers floated into the open, Xandyrothol’s eyes seemed to light up. Trip quickly lowered the devices to the water, using a tendril of his power to ensure they would float for a few moments, and threw all his remaining energy into strengthening the barrier.

  Power buffeted it, rocking him back on his mental heels. But it held.

  The dragon must not have expected it to stay up, because he struck the invisible field and bounced off, as if he were a trampolinist. Before he reached the apex of his bounce, an invisible locomotive seemed to smash into Xandyrothol from the side.

  He was hurled across the harbor like a cannonball, his wings furling tightly to his body and his tail clenching. He smashed into Bhodian’s palace with so much force that he destroyed the entire structure. Wood flew in a million directions, and the barge sank below the surface before popping up again.

  “Did you do that?” Kaika asked.

  Gawking, Trip shook his head. He would have if he could have, but—

  I did that, a female voice spoke into Trip’s mind. And it was fun!

  Shulina Arya’s golden form streaked up from the depths of the harbor, sloughing rivers of water. Rysha sat a
stride her back with not one but two chapaharii swords gleaming pale green in the sunlight. She wasn’t wearing her spectacles. Trip hoped she hadn’t lost another set. He also hoped she could see.

  “I am definitely starting to like that dragon.” Kaika waved to Rysha, probably hoping she would drop off Eryndral.

  But Shulina Arya flew straight for the half-destroyed barge where the bronze dragon struggled to rise from the wreckage of the palace. She opened her great fanged maw, and flames roiled out like water sprayed from a fire hose. They completely engulfed the barge. The bronze managed to erect a tiny barrier around himself, keeping the flames from striking him.

  Trip decided he needed to focus on getting the stasis chambers to safety instead of feeling smug that Bhodian’s barge was being annihilated by crashing dragons and fire. He summoned what little energy he had left to levitate them out of the water and toward the beach. Azarwrath lifted Trip and Kaika with his own power, pushing them in the same direction.

  While he concentrated, Trip watched Shulina Arya and Rysha. They weren’t done with their bronze foe yet.

  The female dragon swooped toward the smoke and flames, tilting in a smooth maneuver that brought Rysha close enough to their enemy for her to slash the swords over her head, to strike Xandyrothol’s barrier.

  Though nothing visible happened, Trip sensed it popping. Shulina Arya flew in a tight circle, her back to the bronze dragon, giving Rysha more chances to attack with the chapaharii swords.

  And attack she did. She leaped up, defying gravity to stand atop Shulina Arya’s back and wield both blades.

  If Xandyrothol tried any magical attacks or defenses, they did not work. He attempted to block Rysha’s attacks with his wings, but her swords slashed in and bit deep, battering the dragon.

  As ferocious and terrifying as Trip had found Xandyrothol when he first ran to the docks, and as much damage as the bronze had done, he seemed pitiful next to the larger gold dragon. And Rysha… She was magnificent. She looked just like some epic dragon rider of old, like she belonged in that exact spot.

  Trip smiled as he watched. He’d meant what he told her, that she didn’t need magical weapons to be a great warrior, but he understood why she felt so much more powerful with them. Injured and exhausted, Xandyrothol was completely inept at fighting her off.

  The bronze sprang into the air, leaving the smoldering ruin of the barge, and tried to fly away, but Shulina Arya gave chase. She was relentless, and he was injured, barely able to gain altitude as he did the aerial equivalent of limping away.

  Shulina Arya opened her maw again. This time, when the fire rolled out, Xandyrothol couldn’t muster a defense. An inferno engulfed him, and for long seconds, he was invisible, hidden behind curtains of flames.

  When she finally ended the attack, only a blackened husk of a dragon remained, like some unrecognizable piece of meat that had fallen through a grill to the coals and been left to burn. The dead dragon dropped into the harbor and sank, much as the nearby barge was doing.

  “That was impressive,” Kaika said as she and Trip landed on the beach next to the stasis chambers. The rest of the beach was devoid of life, as were the docks. The crew of the steamer and the citizens of Lagresh had fled far into the city to let the dragons battle between themselves. “Though it would have been more impressive if I’d had my sword and been along for the fight.”

  “It was wonderful,” Trip said. “Do you think she’ll still share a bed with me when she’s a famous dragon rider?”

  “Does she share one with you now? There haven’t been many beds on this journey, unless you count the cactus pad mattresses in the hostel. Even your grandparents just gave us the rug in front of the fireplace. Except for Leftie, who hogged the couch for himself. He is not a gentleman.”

  “Do you think she’ll still share an alley with me then? Or a cave?”

  Kaika curled her lip at him. “An alley?”

  “I would have taken her to a hostel if the rooms here weren’t so abysmal.”

  “The alleys certainly aren’t better. Hells, Trip, if she shared an alley with you, she’s probably yours for life.”

  “Really?” He managed a smile, despite his weariness. He felt ridiculously bolstered by this third-party observation.

  “Really. Go check your baby boxes.”

  Trip wanted to drop to his back in the sand, his entire body numb and exhausted after all the power he’d called upon, but he forced his legs to carry him to the stasis chambers. He fell to his knees and fought the intense headache pulsing behind his eyes to check on them.

  As he ran his senses along the magical components, he identified damage to several conduits. One was severed. A couple of the tiny power sources had burned out. Already several of the chambers weren’t working.

  He swallowed, dread hollowing a pit in his stomach. He didn’t think the occupants had died yet, but surely, they would if he couldn’t fix the damage. Or… what if he simply took all the babies out? If his mother had done it, it couldn’t be that hard. But what would he do with them here? In this awful place? It wasn’t as if that steamer would be leaving in the morning to carry them to Iskandia. Not now. Probably not ever.

  He laid his hand on the side of a chamber with a human baby girl inside, tears forming at the idea of not making it in time, of losing his siblings before he even got to know them. He’d already lost one, unless Grekka kept her word. Unless—

  Look up, Azarwrath said.

  Trip did so, and his mouth fell open. The single missing stasis chamber floated across the waterfront street and down the beach toward him. He spotted Grekka standing next to the open door of her battered steam carriage.

  Do not forget your promise, she told him silently, meeting his eyes.

  I won’t.

  The stasis chamber settled in the sand next to the others, and Trip jumped to check it. The dark-haired girl was inside, and the device appeared to be functioning normally, despite dents in the side that hadn’t been there before. He sagged with relief. He’d started to give up on ever seeing the little girl again.

  Thank you, Grekka. Trip looked up, but she had already disappeared into her carriage, and it was rolling back up a street and into the city. Perhaps the harbor was too chaotic for her right now. He was glad that her barge hadn’t been destroyed in the battle.

  “Now we just have to figure out how to get all of you home,” Trip said, patting the stasis chambers.

  Perhaps your new dragon friend can give you a ride, Jaxi suggested.

  Three people and two dozen stasis chambers?

  Dragons use magic to carry people, not muscles. And they fly fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could get you back to the capital by dawn.

  I don’t know her very well. It seems a presumptuous thing to ask.

  Just offer to build her a dolphin toy, Jaxi said. If we get back soon, you should have time to get Sardelle’s advice on these things. Or just take all the babies out. And get Sardelle’s advice on that.

  Trip felt somewhat heartened that there was someone he could turn to, even if they still had to fly across an ocean and a continent to get to that person.

  Shulina Arya landed on the beach, and Rysha slid off, both swords still in hand. She ran over, handing Kaika her blade, then dropped down beside Trip.

  “Are they all right? Did you get them out in time?” She’d returned her spectacles to her face.

  “They’re damaged. We need to get back as soon as possible.”

  I will take you, Shulina Arya announced into their minds. I was sent to get you.

  You were? Trip looked toward the dragon.

  She perched atop a log, preening under one wing like a gold egret. Hm, not precisely. I was invited to a meeting with Bhrava Saruth and your king and some of your generals, and someone said, ‘I wonder what happened to Captain Trip and his plan to bring back Agarrenon Shivar, because we could use an elder dragon’s help now.’ Bhrava Saruth said he wouldn’t go to Rakgorath-ilthin to check because of the ma
gic dead zone, but I’m far braver than he, and I intended to show it. So, I volunteered, and here I am!

  Shulina Arya twisted her head upside down to do something to the bottom of an outstretched wing. It couldn’t be preening exactly, could it? Dragons did not have feathers. Surely, scales didn’t need straightening and cleaning. Though Trip did see her pull off a piece of seaweed and toss it to the sand.

  “That dragon has a flexible neck,” Kaika observed.

  Do you think you can carry all three of us back and all these stasis chambers too? Trip asked the dragon. They were damaged.

  “Maybe she can fix them.” Rysha touched the device with the dark-haired girl inside. “You got the missing one back?”

  “Yes, thanks to Grekka.”

  Rysha’s lips thinned. Trip could understand why she wouldn’t want to thank Grekka for anything.

  Shulina Arya turned her long neck and brought her head over to peer into the chambers. It was alarming how large a dragon head was up close, and Trip made a point of not looking at her fangs.

  Kaika came over to stand next to Shulina Arya and touched her scaled neck. The gesture surprised Trip until he realized Shulina Arya had the same aura—scylori—as other dragons. The chapaharii blades might dull its effects for Rysha and Kaika, but this close, they must still feel the pull. Trip certainly felt the draw of the dragon’s power, even though she wasn’t performing any magic, other than perhaps sensing the stasis devices.

  I do not know how to repair these, Shulina Arya announced. I do not believe this magic was used in the other world. I do not know anything about machines, only about science. My sires were scientists. They taught me about animals and geology and climates, mostly in the world where I was born, but they also told me about Serankil. They always believed dragons would return to this world one day.

  “Did you say sires?” Rysha asked.

  Yes, if you will tell me the story of the first dragon riders on the way back, then I will tell you how two bronze dragons saved me from my mother—a nasty female who was going to sacrifice me to a volcano because she thought I was born too small and weak.