Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) (26 page)

Azurynn released him from the weave that held him in place. He sank to the stones, bowed his head, and wept. She turned toward the guards and gestured at Rehnlas. “You may help him now.”

They scrambled off their horses and lifted him to his feet. One of the men was sent racing for the king’s carriage. Sadira walked over to the king and took his chin in her hand, turning his face to get a better look. “Make sure you have your physician care for this. I’ve watched many die from the infection this causes. It’s most entertaining. For me at least. I don’t believe the subjects of my attention found it so. It appeared to be a most disagreeable way to die.”

She dropped her hand and stepped back. “We are placing a mage as an advisor in Hanover to help maintain control. We will be doing the same here. We wouldn’t want another misunderstanding like we had today, would we?”

Rehnlas just stared at her.

Sadira’s face twisted. “Answer me.”

“No. I have no desire to have another misunderstanding,” he mumbled through lips swollen well beyond proportion on one side.

She patted the injured side of his face and laughed when he flinched away in pain. “Good boy. Now, off to your castle for treatment, your carriage has arrived.”

The carriage horses bogged down as they did their best to find footing among the dead and pull the wagon over the bodies. The guards helped Rehnlas into the carriage when it came to a stop, then it pulled away.

“It would seem,” Azurynn said as she looked around, “our work here is done. Even Ranit has run out of people to kill.”

Oksana glanced to the south. “Dusa and Murynn will likely be a while.”

“Most likely. No matter, we can all ride on Ranit, and she can Jump us back to the Kormai.” Azurynn brushed away the ash from the burning boats that had landed on her shirt.

“I agree.” Sadira walked over to where they stood. “As fun as this has been, I have other things to do.” She raised her voice and called for Ranit. The big black with her tarnished gold underside was quick to respond.

The ride back to the Kormai would be anything but comfortable. After Sadira strapped herself into the saddle, Azurynn and Oksana scrambled up behind her.

The scales were slippery and the dorsal ridge a torture, even so, Azurynn clung tight to Oksana and hoped Oksana wouldn’t let go of Sadira. Ranit lifted off, rising slowly into the air. Word of what happened must have already spread like wildfire. The streets below were completely empty, not a soul could be seen. How long before they came out of their houses? How long before they were brave enough to deal with the hundreds of dead by the docks?

Azurynn slid off Ranit the minute the black landed. The muscles in her legs protested after the effort of trying to keep her weight off the dorsal ridge. There was a reason for saddles. Perhaps it was time for the Shadow Riders to adopt something similar to the double saddles the Guardians used.

Kovan sat on one of the built-in benches along the wall, staring at the floor. Azurynn ignored him and walked into the smaller hall that led to her bedchambers. Murynn would be a while. She wasn’t sure how she knew, she just did.

Inside her chamber, she flopped on the bed, exhausted by the heavy use of magic and the emotions of the day. Kovan’s persistent search for little Marek didn’t improve her mood. He would never find that baby. She would make sure of it if she had to kill Kovan herself.

Marek was her redemption, as much as she could possibly be redeemed for the things she’d done. For the tiny life she’d taken that day in the bowels of the ship. It didn’t matter that ultimately she’d saved her newborn daughter’s life by killing her. Saved her from suffering the same fate on the boats.

Azurynn was forever thankful for the storm that had tossed the boat violently in the water and allowed her to give birth undetected. On a calm day, it would have been impossible to conceal, and she would have been guarded at all times when she was with the babe. When they reached the docks, her daughter would have been taken and given to a slave handler to raise until deemed old enough to be sold.

The violet eyes of the daughter who’d lived less than an hour had gazed back at her while she held the tiny form wrapped in the bloody skirt of her scanty dress, cradled in her arms. She’d allowed the babe to feed and held her until the storm began to calm and their time together ran out. Then she used the bilge water, sloshing high due to the storm, to send her daughter to the safety of Maiadar.

Already damaged, Azurynn’s actions that day broke something deep inside her that still haunted her in unwary moments.

Marek would never suffer that same fate no matter what she had to do. He was safe and always would be. He would never know abuse at the hands of those he should trust, never know the betrayal of those same people selling him.

She would make sure the child never saw the darkness that lurked behind false smiles of people more evil than she could ever be. At least the people at the dock knew what they were doing. And they knew not to trust her the minute Murynn landed. They had more of a chance than she ever did. More than her daughter had. Marek was the baby she could save in the place of the one she couldn’t.

Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. Crying had never helped her, never helped anyone around her. It was a waste of time. If she had known then that less than a year later her magic would free her…she shook her head. That too was a waste of time to dwell on.

Sighing, she rolled over and gazed at the wall where five completed black chains hung waiting—soul separators. Unease crawled through her. From an experimental point of view, it was fascinating to watch it work. But something had bothered her when it began to separate the young rider and his dragon. Thrilled with the success of her creation, it took a while for the impact of it to set in. For the unease to take root.

Why did these chains bother her so? It was almost an instinctive fear. Rising, she crossed the room and ran her fingers over one. In the back of her mind she sensed Murynn shudder. The dragon didn’t like the chains either. None of the other Shadow Dragons seemed to have a problem with them. What was different about Murynn? Why did the chains make the dragon as uneasy as they made her? And how did she know Murynn had shuddered?

The puzzled pieces fell into place and the picture they built made her gasp. Her own soul had definitely torn during Murynn’s hatching but not exactly in half. Only a portion had torn away to hatch Murynn. She could sense the piece that was gone. The only way she and Murynn could have both survived the hatching under those circumstances would be if Murynn had her own soul. Or at least a part of one.

It explained the connection they had, why she didn’t carry as many dark emotions beneath her wings, and why her underside had slowly changed from gray to silver as the black matured. It explained why she and her dragon both felt an aversion to the chains. And why, if she wanted, she could use her magic the same way a Silver Rider of the Guardians could, though she never had the desire.

The chains would separate her and Murynn as easily as they would Guardians. Azurynn turned that over in her mind. There was some meaning in this, but it was like looking through smudged glass. To the depths of her being, she knew it was important. It was also clear it would reveal itself in due time.

H
e stood in the underground cave near the massive natural spring that fed the castle and all of the fountains of Shadereen and kept a wary eye on Kovan. The Shadow Rider paced like a wild animal in a cage and the dark rings under his eyes spoke of lost sleep.

Kovan glared at him. “You are certain no women have showed up in Shadereen at the beginning of winter? None that claimed to have been captured, none with an infant son?”

What was this man’s obsession with a woman and her baby? “There have been no reports. All births in Shadereen are recorded; there has been nothing out of the ordinary. I wish I had something I could tell you that would help.” Something that would ease the madness that hovered in the rider’s silver eyes.

Kovan sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he appeared more in control. “What about other things here in Shadereen?”

“More and more women are starting to wear pants and learn weapons, standing up to their husbands. It is chaos. I’m at a loss how to stop it. The people think they love the Guardians and their Dragon Law. None of them seem to know what is truly best for them, truly best for Shadereen.”

“What are the Guardian’s numbers in Shadereen now?”

“Three stationed here. However, others flit in and out of the borders regularly enough that the number is in constant flux. Some days there are only three and others there are as many as six. I have no way of knowing when they come or go. I believe they have become suspicious of both king and Council and are now keeping a lot of information close.”

“That helps make sense out of a few things on our end.” Kovan slowed his pacing and rubbed his chin. “Recently, Kojen sent against the villages along the river aren’t returning. The Guardians must have helped them build defenses or learn something that would help bring the Kojen down and decided not to tell you what those measures are.”

“I am only one man; there is only so much I can do.” Though he never thought such a thing would cross his mind, he suddenly wished it were Azurynn who still handled these meetings.

Kovan abruptly spun on his heel and walked toward the black dragon lying at the water’s edge. “Then it might be time to find one or two others you can trust. The way things are going here now, it will be all out warfare in Shadereen. It’s possible a good deal of your nation will be destroyed in such an endeavor.”

“I will see what I can do. But if it comes to that, I would rather see Shadereen destroyed than continue on the path it’s on.”

“Winter wanes and the season of war is nearly upon us. We will meet when the moon is new again and see where Shadereen stands and whether or not you truly wish to see it destroyed.” Kovan climbed into the saddle then fastened the safety straps. “Although if you can’t bring this under control, the Shadow Riders will destroy it no matter how you feel rather than leave it to the Guardians.”

He backed away as the dragon lifted off and opened a black Jump. Then he stood alone with the water lapping the gravel bank as the only sound. Who could he trust to see things his way? Only one man came to mind. Surely, he would be one to stand with him.