The Last Dragon: Book Three

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Damon

Once the Slave-Master started talking, the Young Mage had become confused at his abruptness and was intimidated by him as well as me, although my magic was small in comparison. He didn’t like that I had any magic, I suspected. He was suspicious and wary. While I had watched Emma, I had considered touching minds with Anna for her assessment, but decided against it, in case we were overheard, if that’s the correct way of putting it with speaking directly from one mind to another.

Besides, the Slave-Master was as much as playing a game of blocks with the Young Mage, bluffing with a weak hand masterfully. He pretended as if we were in a better position—and did it masterfully. My respect for the man grew.

Princess Elizabeth saw it too. Her hesitant stance revealed her thoughts. We held little power, the Young Mage held it all, but he was unsure of himself because of the act the Slave-Master put on. The Young Mage was afraid to act like so many young people, afraid to make a mistake and appear weak or worse, silly. He had yet to gain the self-assurance that comes with age. And he revealed that he was not only scared of the dragon; he was terrified.

Again, I wondered at his reaction. We believed magic was connected to the last dragon, and while Wyverns also shared Essence, they contained far less. So, in one respect, he needed the dragon for more power. In another, he feared it. Either we were wrong on some basic point, or there was more we didn’t know or understand.

Elizabeth said, “Three things for us to remember and work with. He’s young, scared, and overconfident. How can we put those things to use?”

The Slave-Master turned to her. “I think he will leave us alone if we depart for another kingdom, at least for a while, especially all of you. That’s been his main consideration the entire time. He does not want us, or the dragon, entering Kaon. I think he will bargain.”

Elizabeth’s voice rose. “So, you suggest we go away and use our time to make better plans before returning to fight him? Or before he comes after us and our kingdom and kills all royals? You’re suggesting we go home and just sit and wait for the day we know he will come and kill us?”

“No,” Kendra almost shouted.

“Why not?” Elizabeth asked, not reacting to the emotion in Kendra’s voice because she was watching the Slave-master closely. She wanted him to reveal more about himself. She didn’t fully trust him.

Kendra was on her feet and suddenly moved closer to Elizabeth than was acceptable in polite society. I hadn’t seen her move, but she was standing nose to nose with her. Kendra said, “Because that’s what he wants. The Young Mage wants us to leave him alone. While we’re somewhere else planning how to defeat him, he will be planning how to defeat us, and he has all the power on his side.”

My sister was right. We were still camped not far from the Waystone on the ridge that had allowed a mage to watch us approach from across the desert. It was a crossroad for us. Whichever direction we took would determine our futures, and the campfire had been fed continuously while we discussed our options, until only a few small sticks remained to be burned.

As with most campers, we normally went to sleep shortly after dark, but tonight was different. It was in the air. We all felt it. Tensions were high. We’d all taken turns searching for wood to burn, scavenging what we could find on the hillside. The scant amount nearby meant we would either search out in the darkness or go without fire soon.

I surreptitiously looked at each of my companions. All were tired, dressed in rags, thinner than a few weeks ago, and weary. Our minds were much the same, but all were determined to continue to Kaon to fight the Young Mage.

A chill in the night air didn’t deter us. Blankets were over our shoulders. We needed a plan of attack, but devising one against a magical being, or a being who used magic, whichever he was, was not easy. There might only be one chance for us to succeed. Delaying was a distinct possibility because at least we could search for more information—the one thing we lacked.

The Slave-Master pointed north and said, “Ahead, in Kaon, we will all probably die. Are you prepared for that?”

Flier said, “Don’t forget, the Young Mage has my family, and your friend, Avery. He will widen his net and take more prisoners, like the family of the princess. He will hold them hostage until he is ready to conquer us or kill them. Only the Slave-Master is immune from that threat.”

“Not true. I have a sister in Kaon. Nobody is aware of that, I hope, especially him. I am sharing that information in good faith and to convince you of my sincerity.”

A few hundred steps away a slave cried out in pain. The muffled grunt of a Kaon guard sounded, and the quiet of the desert returned. We were restrained, almost used to ignoring their pain and suffering in favor of fighting the Young Mage and hopefully ending slavery.

In case we chose to enter Kaon, the slaves were part of our disguise. That disagreed with me, but for now, I’d let it stand. Later, slavery would be challenged, and perhaps a few of the slaves in the darkness would forgive us.

The others seemed to have similar unspoken thoughts.

“Kendra and I only have each other,” I added to the Slave-Master’s statement, for some reason wanting to fit in with the shared group-misery.

*Is that how you really feel?*

I spun to face an angry little girl with flashing eyes sitting near Kendra. *No. You can’t accept what I say without considering the circumstances. It has always been just Kendra and me. Now it is the three of us. I should have said that sooner. You are one of us.*

*Thank you.*

*I’m sorry. We can talk about this later.*

Kendra was unaware of our private spat. While we hadn’t discussed Anna’s future but she had somehow become one of us. Kendra turned to the Slave-Master and said, “If you smuggle us into Kaon, I can command my dragon to follow us. It can stay out of sight, but close enough to fly to our rescue. If the Young Mage does not want the dragon in Kaon, then I suggest it is what we do. We can figure out why he is afraid of it and that might tell us all we need to defeat him.”

“Then what?” the Slave-Master asked. “Are you going to use your dragon to burn down a third city? My home?”

Kendra stood, and as she did, the two throwing knives appeared in her hands as if by magic. She must have been practicing when I hadn’t noticed. Her eyes blazed at the Slave-Master.

“Stop it!” I growled but didn’t dare move because it looked like any sudden movement might set her off, and the knives would fly. “Both of you need to calm down.”

The Slave-Master interlocked his fingers over his ample stomach, the touch of a smile at the corners of his mouth. In a soft, calm voice he said, “Have you ever heard of being too close to a problem? So close you do not understand what you see?”

He talked as if he was willing to share something and had our total attention.

The Slave-Master continued, “While I do not know much of what has transpired in your world, I know about mine, and what I have overheard from all of you. I know more about my world than you and have listened and learned since our first encounter. I also know how to solve problems. I consider what is most important and work from there to meet my objectives, and that skill has made me wealthy. The one you call the Young Mage is behind most, if not all, of what has happened in replacing kings with ruling councils. That is the central issue to think about.”

Elizabeth said, “Go on.”

“His magic skills are greater than any other mage. But magic is not free. He draws it from outside himself, as do all mages.”

We listened to the Slave-Master because he seemed to be leading us to a conclusion. However, his time was growing short, as far as I cared. I was about to tell him to make his point when he turned to me.

“Damon, you know your magic increases when you are closer to a Waystone. We proved it with the fire you created, and it grew as you moved closer. You all know there must be a source of magic, and that is Essence that comes from a true-dragon. Essence can only be used when a dragon is nearby.”

Elizabeth said, “That is not true. There is only one dragon, and Kaon is a long way from Dire, yet this Young Mage, and all mages wherever they live have been using their magic for centuries. Besides, Wyverns also produce Essence, from what little I know. Theirs is less effective, but still good enough if they are close, like with the ships at sea.”

The Slave-Master still wore the same slight smile, which was transforming into a self-satisfied smirk. “All true. Yet, you keep missing the obvious answer, which is the Waystones.”

“They allow mages to travel from place to place, we believe. How does that answer anything?” my sister asked, clearly growing as frustrated as I felt.

“Because,” he continued as if not interrupted, “you have already found the answer. Allow me to explain. You said your dragon was kept chained on a mountain in Mercia for hundreds of years, but you never asked, why. Now, I am asking you that question.”

We exchanged blank looks.

He shrugged. “Instead of all the other problems, distractions, emergencies, deaths, and cities burning that you’ve been dealing with, including endless storms at sea, illness in your families, and entire cities like Trager starving, you’ve missed the central issue. Not that I blame any of you.”

*Her eggs!*

I answered Anna with an exclamation in my mind, *There was one at the mountaintop in Mercia. An egg, I mean.*

*One that a mage stole from that open Waystone.*

Anna’s talk struck a chord with me. One phrase in particular. She said open Waystone. I nearly shouted, “The container on the mountaintop was a Waystone, but the top was open to accept newly laid eggs. It had the same symbols carved on the outside.”

“It was also warm to the touch,” Kendra added.

I said, “The one in Mercia was a “collector” of some sort. The eggs were either laid inside or moved into the Waystone and sent elsewhere via other Waystones. As Kendra suggested once, the dragon eggs power them, but not forever. When the Essence weakens, a new egg is needed to replace the old.”

The Slave-Master allowed his smile to develop fully. “Yes, it’s all about the eggs.”