When Dragons Rage

40

For Alexia, the time spent in Bokagul had many dreamlike qualities, all of which conspired to push the horror of winter and the war into the background. Though she still felt the urgency to get to Caledo, the trip through the urZrethi halls and corridors—she could not bring herself to consider such places tunnels—went faster than expected.

The halls took her breath away. Having grown up in Gyrvirgul, she was used to living within mountains. After all, the urZrethi had created Gyrvirgul for the Gyrkyme, willingly courting the anger of elves by providing the winged ones with a home. There the urZrethi had created vast open galleries that were perfect for the Gyrkyme.

But had she been asked to predict the nature of urZrethi architecture, she would not have thought of the tall galleries as being something they would normally create. But it seemed the urZrethi built everything on a grand scale, with walls rising into gloom. Floor after floor of galleries and balconies, all decorated with ornate sculptures, soared into the shadows. The stone looked less carved than cultivated—trained the way gardeners worked topiary.

The whimsy in some of the decorations surprised Alyx. Her mental image of the urZrethi had rendered them dour and doughty, stout-hearted and humorless. But granted most of the tales she knew involved warriors who had emerged from the mountain strongholds for battle, and that might have provided a skewed view. She welcomed the chance to have her knowledge of them broadened.

Each night over the five days of their journey, the company was welcomed into a cork. Perrine always took the premier position by dint of the fact that she had what all urZrethi wanted: the ability to fly. Watching how the urZrethi reacted to Peri suggested that even if elves had offered to go to war over the Gyrkyme, the urZrethi still would have created Gyrvirgul.

Alexia shared a chamber with Crow at night and the others seemed to be happy for them—though Peri teased her as only a sister might. Alyx looked forward to the time she got to lie with Crow, whispering conspiratorially with him so as not to disturb any of the others. She loved tracing her fingers through his white hair, or down through the thatch on his chest and along the trio of scars that marked the right side of his body.

Occasionally she would forget the scars were there. One time, upon encountering them, her hand recoiled, but Crow’s hand covered it. “It’s all right, Alexia. They don’t hurt.”

“It’s not that.”

He snorted lightly and she could sense a smile forming on his lips. “You fear the memory would be painful, or could have been, but I was simply doing what had to be done to save my friends. When I did not break and when she could not trick me, Chytrine decided to kill me. The fact that I’ve lived long enough for these scars still to be there is a victory. There are few enough of those in the world.”

Her fingers came up and raked through his beard. “We will have more, you know.”

Crow’s right hand came up. His index finger played along her jaw, then tipped her face up. “The same day Chytrine got the Svarskya fragment of the DragonCrown, she let you slip away. I think she will find that a very grave error.”

He kissed her then and they made love. Softly, slowly, and quietly they joined, despite the urgency they felt. Desire flashed through Alyx. She wanted to touch and taste and caress. She wanted to feel him move under her and over her. She wanted to hold him very close and to be held closer, then have their worlds melt and fuse in passion until their unity was all that existed.

And, for a time, it was. In the time after that, sleep came, deepened by the feeling of safety in his arms. That struck her as odd, though, because she had never felt unsafe or insecure. She had just always felt that she needed to be on her guard, but with Crow that was utterly unnecessary.

That next day, the third in their trek, Alexia did manage to slip away and join the Communion of Dragons, while sitting back after a meal, listening to urZrethi singers present a melodic series of ballads she could not understand. Maroth met her at the slip and took her to the island, where she found the Black Dragon and two other individuals. One was female and appeared to be completely fashioned of ice. Alyx wondered if, for a moment, Chytrine had managed to project herself into the Communion, but she felt no malevolence coming from the woman.

The other figure was a man—or so she assumed since all she saw was the clothing he wore. From boots and velvet trousers to a heavy jacket and on up to a black velvet cap, it all seemed rather fashionable. At least she had seen some people in Meredo so attired. Of his flesh there was not a sign.

The Black Dragon greeted her warmly. “It is very good to see you. I had heard reports that you had gone north from Meredo, but nothing since.”

Alyx regarded him curiously. “You are tracking me?”

“I will admit an interest in you, since I nominated you to join us, but I have not been hunting or spying. I assume you are traveling to Muroso? You left Meredo in the company of a princess.” The Black’s jaw dropped open in an approximation of a smile. “Prince Linchmere is missing from the capital, and many believe he’ll be found dead with the spring thaw.”

Alyx could not keep from smiling. “They will have to look well outside Meredo to find Linchmere. Just so you know, I am heading north. Right now we are moving through Bokagul. We are probably a week away from Caledo.”

The Unseen Man sipped a cup of wine. “A week and it shall yet be there. Two perhaps.”

The woman hissed. “Caledo will take far longer to fall, if it does at all.”

“I hope, for your sake, Ryme, that your people fare far better than mine. The Aurolani would be at the gates of Caledo already save that the consolidation of Sebcia is taking longer than expected. The blizzards are in their favor, but they are slowing down troops and supplies. Sebcians have been laying their own nation to waste as they retreat.”

Alyx nodded. “Your source is reliable?”

A hearty laugh issued from the invisible throat. “My dear child, I am my source. I fled Lurrü when it fell, and am now fighting on the peninsula. If no ships can be found, I’ll die there, too.”

The Black shook his head. “You’ll not die. You’re far too resourceful.”

“My frostbitten toes—the few I have left—thank you, my friend.” The clothes bowed toward the Black. “Chytrine’s army is vast. Gibberers clearly breed faster than imagined. I have heard tales of other creatures in her armies, but have seen none myself. Sullanciri have been sighted, but again I have seen none. The push is on to Muroso, though.”

The woman nodded. “Sebcian refugees have told terrible tales.” She looked at Alyx. “My sister is safe with you, is she not?”

The princess frowned. “You know who I am?”

“No, but I would not be here were I not able to deduce that the Murosan Princess traveling north from Meredo is my sister. Her mission to bring the Norrington to Caledo was not sanctioned by our father. He will be pleased to accept help, but her departure angered him.”

“Your sister is well, and is a bold warrior.”

“A bit headstrong, but likewise heartstrong.” Ryme’s comment was made with some affection, but more annoyance. “The Aurolani have advanced on a broad front so you will never be truly safe until you reach Caledo.”

“Thank you.” Alyx frowned. Because she had learned about the Aurolani advance in the Communion, she would not be able to share that information with anyone outside. She would not be prevented from acting on it, however, and could direct things so that their guard would be up when they left the mountains.

She looked at the Black. “Anything from Fortress Draconis or Okrannel?”

He shook his head. “I fear the worst for our Communicants at Fortress Draconis. In Okrannel there is much secrecy, but Adrogans does appear to be moving against Aurolani probes in the Guranin Highlands. Beyond that I know nothing, though I do hope for the best.”

“As do I.” Alyx smiled. “I’d best be back to Bokagul. Until we meet again.”

The Unseen Man raised his goblet in a salute. “Till we meet again.”

His words echoed in her head as she blinked her eyes and returned to the cork. Crow offered her a tankard of mulled wine. “Anything wrong, Highness?”

She accepted the wine from him, letting her left hand surreptitiously stroke the back of his right. “No, nothing.”

“You seemed far away.”

“I was, but I am back now. Come, sit beside me.”

He eyed the choir. “Misery loves company?”

She winked. “No, lover, temptation demands it.”

Will hunched his shoulders and pulled his cloak tighter about himself as the massive urZrethi portal rolled back. He squinted as light reflected brightly from the virgin snow. The company rode from a warm mountain fastness out to the shore of a huge lake in the northern reaches of Bokagul. Breath steamed, and ice began to form almost immediately on the muzzle of his horse.

Silide-tse Jynyn came striding up on his left, keeping pace with him and Princess Sayce. “The lake is Osemyr, which means lake of the stars. In the summer, on a moonless night, one can come here and peer at the lake. Its dark waters perfectly reflect the night sky. Constellations twinkle and stars streak to their death.”

Will looked past her at a vast snowfield. “I’m sure it’s beautiful. As beautiful as it is cold.”

The urZrethi sighed. “My apologies. But our journey outside could not be helped.”

For four days they had traveled through the halls of the urZrethi, passing from realm to realm. The whole of Bokagul was divided into duchies, baronies, and counties; cities, towns, and villages—which struck Will as incredibly odd because it was all underground. The routes they traveled were the equivalent of the kings’ roads, save that a village might be above or below it, and therefore entirely unseen. The corks in which they stayed were guest lodgings, and delegations from the local nobility would come out to fete them. The idea, though, that someone could ride through a hallway and move from one realm to another just boggled Will’s mind.

The reason they had been forced outside was Kerrigan’s servant, Bok. His family name was Jex, and the next realm on the route was his home. Word of his presence had traveled quickly through Bokagul. Whereas most urZrethi just ignored his presence in deference to their visitors, the Baroness of Yreeu refused to grant them passage. That forced a detour out to the lakeshore and the biting cold.

Sayce looked over at Silide-tse. “It is not your fault. It is understandable that he would not be welcome there.”

Will arched an eyebrow. “It is? What did he do wrong?”

The urZrethi kept her voice even. “He is a rebel against our society, Lord Norrington. He chose to live apart, so his return is not permitted.”

“Urn, you said he chose to live apart, but I thought he just decided not to be a slave. I mean, that’s what I was told it meant to be branded a bok.”

Sayce shook her head. “It is more complicated than that. Society has rules so that everyone can play their part. In Muroso, people are bound to the land, to work it for their liege lords. They produce food and livestock and generate income for their master and he, in turn, protects them. Your Freemen, when the war is done, will go with you to Eori and will begin farming until the time for them to rise and serve you as warriors comes again.”

“But what if they don’t want to?”

The Murosan Princess looked hard at him.“ ‘Don’t want to’?”

Silide-tse cleared her throat. “I believe, Lord Norrington, human society might be different than ours. We have roles for our males. There are things that need to be done. When they do these things, they are fed and clothed and housed. They are well treated, but they are also delicate of mind and spirit. For one to rebel as the bok did is clearly a sign of abnormality.”

Will twisted in the saddle and wanted to argue the point, but Bok took that moment to open his mouth wide and let out a belch that echoed from the mountains and might have triggered a small avalanche on the far side of the lake.

“Well, maybe that is the urZrethi way, but it’s not the same for men.” He glanced at Sayce. “Are you going to tell me that Muroso is different, too, or that being as how I was a thief, I’m an outlaw?”

She frowned. “I didn’t mean to anger you.”

“I’m not angry.”

“The edge in your voice…”

“What edge?”

Sayce shook her head. “My mistake. No, Lord Norrington, I would not accuse you of being an outlaw, at least not in the sense we were speaking. Yes, as a thief you did work outside the law, but in accepting the mantle you have, you are preserving the very society you once defied. And it may be that you or your Freemen are not suited to being peasants, but not everyone else is capable of handling the responsibilities of danger and destiny.”

“I can see that, but what is expected of normal folks, and what is permitted nobility are two different things, aren’t they? Nobles are given the most responsibility, yet they don’t acquit it.”

Sayce shifted her shoulders. “I’m not sure I follow you.”

Will sighed. “The crowns ruined Crow’s life because they didn’t want to take responsibility. King Scrainwood engineered things so that if Crow ever comes back to Oriosa, he’ll find himself back on trial. There’s so much deception, and it’s not right.”

The Murosan Princess smiled slyly. “You, a thief, complaining about deception?”

Will frowned. “Well, when I did it, it was honest deception.”

“Honest deception.”

He’d have taken offense at her comment, but mirth underscored her words, and he saw no malice in her eyes. “Thieves are supposed to deceive people. Leaders are not.”

“Very true, but the complexities of the truth sometimes make it difficult for people to see what needs to be done.” Sayce sighed. “While some people see that and can be shepherds, others can never be anything more than sheep.”

He wanted to argue that point, but he stopped himself. Even in Yslin he’d seen sheep—human sheep, Vork sheep—and he’d seen the frostclaw that preyed on them. He liked to think of himself as a frostclaw. Which means I accept what she’s saying as true, as much as I hate it.

Will sighed. “You might be right, Princess, but then I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“How do you know who was truly meant to be a sheep? By your way of reckoning, I’d have been counted as a sheep, or something worse, but here I am leading men who aren’t sheep, on a very unsheepy adventure. You might be right, but it could be that in every village of sheep there’s one or two shepherds who never get the chance to be a shepherd.”

She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it and frowned. Finally, she glanced at him. A wisp of her red hair lashed her cheek as she did so. “I need to think about that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The trek took them a quarter of the way around the lake, then back down into the domain of the Seegg family. They were welcomed most profusely, both because the Seeggs and Yreeus had something of a rivalry going, and because several urZrethi from that duchy had served at Fortress Draconis, including one of the duchess’ cousins. No word had been heard as to her fate, but everyone seemed hopeful.

Silide-tse explained that the next day they would complete their journey through Bokagul and head northwest to Muroso. “I will not be able to accompany you, but I will wish you the best on your journey.”

Because she was going to be leaving them, the company made certain their meal in the guest cork was in her honor. Much food was eaten and much wine drunk, then various among them gave her gifts. Will presented her with a sapphire ring he’d taken from the castle of the Pirate Queen of Wruona. Resolute gave her one of his bladestars and Kerrigan took a piece of wood and magically shaped it into a bracelet that had a rune for each of them on it.

Perrine’s gift was the best, however. She plucked a brown feather from the leading edge of her left wing and offered it to her. “With you as our guide, we have flown through Bokagul. When it is time for you to fly, I shall be your guide.”

The assembled urZrethi all fell mute. Silide-tse’s eyes teared up and her mouth quivered. She said nothing for a long time, then glanced down at the table. “Save for you, I would be long dead. My life is yours, so it shall be lived in your honor, my friends. I shall make you proud.”

Will had to swallow hard, but managed to squeeze that lump out of his throat. He raised his cup. “You’ve called us friends. You’ve shared your home with us. I don’t know about proud, but I couldn’t feel more honored.”

Everyone drank to that, then the urZrethi offered toasts and another choir started singing. Resolute, whose pained expression suggested he was close to killing something, suggested that in lieu of another song, perhaps Will would tell the tale of how he got the ring he’d given Silide-tse. He did, with Silide-tse translating, and their hosts were mightily entertained.

Exhausted, Will finally rose from the table and, from the state of his clothes the next morning, assumed he had fallen asleep before his body actually hit the mattress. The next morning, however, the condition of his clothing mattered little, for he woke with a furious thundering in his head. He clapped his hands over his ears by reflex and discovered two things.

His head did not hurt as if he was hungover, and the thunder wasn’t coming from inside. He opened his eyes and rolled off his bed just in time to hear shouting. He poked his head out and heard another thunderous blast.

“That sounds like…”

“Dragonels, yes.” Resolute growled as he emerged from his hole and strapped on his sword.

Just then Silide-tse came running into the cork. “Hurry, my friends; to arms!” She pointed back the way she had come. “The Aurolani have breached the Seegg gates. They have invaded Bokagul!”