6.0 - Raptor (46 page)

There are three coming, and I didn’t ask them. Maybe the bombing is what broke their magical prisons and freed them.

“Dragon?” Therrik asked. “Are they hurting it?” He had been craning his neck, probably wondering if there was anyone else besides Sardelle that he could appeal to for information.

Maybe he’s afraid he’ll have to be civil to you now that you’ve saved his life.

Ignoring Jaxi, Sardelle offered Therrik an arm. “My understanding is that they’ve hurt him, yes, but that they’re having trouble getting their bullets through his shield to finish him off, and Cas isn’t able to get close enough to hit him with the sword. Do you want to stand? If you’re careful, you should be able to.” Sardelle looked toward the southern sky, as if she could see the threat coming through the snow. “I’ll need to see you again later, but your lungs are in working order. They’ll be tender. Don’t overdo anything.”

Instead of accepting her offer of a hand up, Therrik touched his chest, staring down at his blood-spattered jacket. He touched his mouth. The blood he had been spitting up earlier had dried, but she didn’t know if he could feel it or even if that was what he was trying to feel. He seemed dazed.

I’m sure he’s never been healed before. Sardelle?
Jaxi rarely showed signs of anxiousness, but her agitation came through now, along with her insistence that they do something.

I know. I just don’t know what we can do. Would it be possible to get back down into the mountain and hide the crystal in the vault again? So they can’t sense it?

You mean the vault that Morishtomaric melted with his mind?

Ah, possibly.

Therrik pushed himself slowly to his feet. Sardelle’s knees were cold from kneeling in the mud, and she stood too. She picked up the crystal, more because she felt she had been anointed its keeper rather than out of a desire to hold it. She worried that Phelistoth hadn’t told them enough and that giving it to the dragons could be a bad thing, especially if these dragons were coming from that cavern. The plaque on the wall there had promised they were imprisoned because they were criminals.

I’m asking Phelistoth—he hasn’t quite flown out of my range yet. He says it’s only a repository of knowledge, nothing more. Definitely not a weapon.

Knowledge can be a weapon, Jaxi.

He thinks they want to know what he wants to know—what happened to their kind. Maybe they’ll find out and then leave this world to join them.

What if the dragons all died? I doubt these ones will make a suicide pact to join them. If the others went somewhere else, what if… what if there’s a way for them to come back? What if they’re able to communicate with other dragons and invite them to return to our world?

You’re speculating wildly. Whatever’s in that rock, it’s not worth dying for, not when nothing could be gained from your death. Just leave it in the mud and let them fight among themselves for it.

Is that what they would do? Can you get a sense of them?
Sardelle doubted Jaxi could read any of the dragons’ thoughts, since neither of them had gotten the gist of Phelistoth’s or Morishtomaric’s minds.

I can see that they’re not flying in a happy V like ducks. They seem to be racing each other.

“I’m going to report to General Ort,” Therrik said.

Sardelle almost waved goodbye to him, with the notion that clearing the courtyard would be a good idea, but she had to warn the soldiers that more company was coming, even if their artillery weapons could do nothing to stop them.

“Therrik?” Sardelle asked.

He had taken a few steps, but he paused, a wary expression on his face.

“Please tell General Ort that there are three more dragons coming. Jaxi—” She paused, debating if he already knew about Jaxi or if she would have to explain the sentient soulblade to him. In that moment, the first dragon came close enough for her to sense it.
Her
. A female.

Two are male and one is female, the one in the lead
, Jaxi informed her.

“If you’re trying to make me piss myself in fear,” Therrik said, “that’s not going to happen. Your cloud-humping boyfriend is the only one who’s ever managed to get me to lose control of bodily functions.”

A second dragon came within her range, and she barely heard his comment. The pressure that came with a dragon’s presence started to build in Sardelle’s head again.

“I’m not,” she said, realizing Therrik was staring at her. Waiting to see if she was joking? As if she would joke about such a thing. “I’m the one who got stuck cleaning your lost control up the first time.”

Therrik grunted, then waved to her. Whether it was in acknowledgment or dismissal, she did not know. He turned his back and strode toward the nearest set of stairs leading up to the wall. At the moment, the guns weren’t firing, not with Morishtomaric behind the mountain and out of the soldiers’ sight, but she could hear the men’s voices as they wondered what was going on. More than a few of them were gazing down at her and Therrik, and the miners were still watching the courtyard and the skies from the doors and windows of their barracks. She reminded herself that she had stayed behind to help those people.

Sardelle hefted the crystal.

Jaxi’s pommel flashed red in irritation.

Don’t be crabby. I’m just going to try something.
Sardelle peered in the direction that the dragons were coming from. She couldn’t see anything, but they were flying faster than Ridge’s best flier, so it wouldn’t be long before they descended upon the outpost.
Any idea as to which one seems the most likely to make a deal with a human?

They haven’t introduced themselves to me.

The third dragon came within Sardelle’s range.
Perhaps the one losing the race?

Whatever you’re planning to do, try it soon. Ridge and Cas are having trouble. The dragon has stopped trying to catch them with fire and is hurling his magic around.

Sardelle closed her eyes, fresh worry eating at her. Fresh guilt too. There was one more flier in the fort, wasn’t there? The one Cas had piloted from the airship the day before. Yes, it was in the corner behind the headquarters building. Now that Therrik was on his feet, could General Ort take the flier up to join the others? She didn’t know what he could do, but maybe being up there and harrying the dragon would help Ridge and Cas stay alive.

I’ll ask him while you toss the crystal on the ground and forget any plans you have involving dragons.

Jaxi…
Sardelle didn’t think Jaxi had communicated with Ort before, and this wasn’t the time to alarm him with her existence.
I’ll go up there myself. In a minute.
She prayed that Ridge
had
a minute, and tears sprang to her eyes at the thought of losing him because of a foolish decision. But he wouldn’t want her to abandon the fort and all of these people to help him.

It doesn’t
matter
what he would want. He’s more worth keeping alive than these clods.

Jaxi sounded more emotional than rational, something Sardelle had no problem understanding.
I didn’t realize you were so attached
, she thought sadly, little humor in the comment.
I’m going to—
She halted, an idea popping into her head.
Wait, Jaxi. I take it back. Talk to Ort. Tell him to get his flier ready. We need to get into the sky right away.

Understood
. Jaxi must have seen Sardelle’s intentions in her mind, because she didn’t argue.

That might or might not mean approval, but there was no time to ask. Sardelle closed her eyes and envisioned the dragons—three golds—fighting the wind as they approached the front of Galmok Mountain. They were angling to fly around it, in the direction of the outpost rather than toward Goat Mountain and the battle. Alarming, but a relief all the same. If they had been going to join Morishtomaric, there would not have been any way she could join Ridge before it was too late. As it was, Morishtomaric might have started flinging magic about instead of fire because he sensed them coming and knew he was out of time.

Dragon
, Sardelle called out to the gold losing the race, falling farther behind the two leaders. She wished she knew the creature’s name. She would recognize it if he introduced himself, since she had studied all of the names on that plaque, but she had no way to know which three dragons were coming.

Rude of them not to wear nametags.

Ha ha. Did you talk to Ort?

Yes. He’s worried about the others too. He’s willing to go up if you can keep the flier aloft in the weather.

I can promise to help with the weather, yes.
Keeping it aloft against everything else… that was tougher to promise.

He’s on his way down.

Dragon
? Sardelle called again, wondering if he hadn’t heard her or if he was simply ignoring her. She jogged toward the flier in the corner of the courtyard while hoping she wasn’t wasting her time. If this one was too self-important to talk to her, she would try the second-place dragon.

Dragon?
came a response that made her stumble with its power. I
am the god! Bhrava Saruth! You may worship me when I arrive.

Oh, no. He’s not self-important at all,
Jaxi said.

I am looking forward to doing so
, Sardelle responded, ignoring the incredulous noise Jaxi made in her mind.
I have something for you.
She sent an image of the crystal in her arms as she rounded the headquarters building and the flier came into sight.

“Sardelle?” General Ort was in the cockpit and had already started the flier. Good man.

“Coming.” She tossed the crystal into the seat behind him, assuming a thousand-year-old dragon artifact wouldn’t break easily.

Maybe if you crack it, they’ll all lose interest in it.

Yes,
Bhrava Saruth said, almost purring into Sardelle’s mind
. You must keep it for me. Do not let those lesser dragons have it. They are not gods.

Even though they can fly faster than he can?
Jaxi asked.

Ssh.

I will make you my first high priestess in this era if you bring it to me,
Bhrava Saruth added.

An appealing offer
, Sardelle responded, once again ignoring noises Jaxi shouldn’t have been able to make since she didn’t have lips.

We’ve discussed my talents before,
Jaxi said.

If I bring the crystal to you, Bhrava Saruth, will you take it and leave this continent?

You wish me to
leave
?

Was that genuine distress in the dragon’s tone? She hoped she wasn’t starting something that would have unforeseen consequences.

Oh, I think that’s a given,
Jaxi said.

Well, you would be welcome to stay,
Sardelle amended.
But these other dragons are troublesome. Especially that Morishtomaric.

Morishtomaric,
the dragon replied with a derisive snort.
He has always been trouble. And ill-tempered. Nobody would listen to him if he weren’t so strong.

Yes.

Sardelle wondered if she should find it encouraging that another gold dragon thought Morishtomaric powerful. Maybe that meant that other encounters with dragons would not be quite so impossible, if they had to deal with more in the future. Still, three medium-powered gold dragons didn’t sound much better than one extra-powered one.

He ruts with horses, you know
, Bhrava Saruth added.

I—uh.
What did one say to that? Sardelle decided to ignore it.
Is there any chance you can convince him and these other two to leave? Then you can claim this territory for yourself.
Sardelle grimaced, not sure how one dragon would manage what she was asking or why he would. Also, what would King Angulus say about her granting part of his nation to a strange dragon? As Ort fiddled with the controls in the cockpit and the flier lifted into the air, inspiration struck.
I seek to protect the humans who live here because they are your future worshippers. Morishtomaric has been
killing
your worshippers.
She sent an image of Ridge rubbing his lucky dragon figurine before lifting off into the air, then showed him in the air shooting at Morishtomaric.

That figurine—is that
me
?
Bhrava Saruth asked, his tone impressively full of glee considering he was sprinting around the mountain after the other two dragons and had to be doing the dragon equivalent of panting, sweating, and cramping.

Ridge is a devoted dragon worshipper,
Sardelle said, hoping he would forgive her later. He would probably be amused. So long as they didn’t have to build a temple devoted to Bhrava Saruth together. Generals definitely did not have time for that.

I will protect him!
Bhrava Saruth promised.
Just bring me the repository.

We’re on our way in the mechanical aircraft.
She hoped Bhrava Saruth wasn’t tricking her even more than she was trying to trick him. She was well aware that Morishtomaric had originally been released from the cavern because he had deceived King Angulus.

“Which way, Sardelle?” Ort called back over the wind as they gained altitude. Jaxi had extended her shield to protect the flier from the elements as much as possible without interfering with the propeller’s draw, but that mostly meant covering them from above and not from the sides.

“Southwest,” she called back. “Around Galmok.”

You know he thinks we’re going to help Ridge, right?
Jaxi asked.
I didn’t mention the dragons.

Didn’t Therrik tell him?

That they’re there, yes. That we’re going to visit them, no.