Dragonvein (Book Two) (19 page)

Renald sneered. “You bring a traitor to my home, and then think to threaten me?”

“Jonas is no traitor,” snapped Markus. “An old pain in the ass, maybe. But he’s not a spy.”

“He may not know it,” Renald countered. “But he is most definitely under Shinzan’s control. I knew it the moment he stepped through my wards. I’m just not sure to what extent.”

“I checked for any sign of influence before we left Elyfoss,” Lylinora objected. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”

Her claim drew a mocking laugh from Renald. “You think much of your abilities. Even so, I assure you that I am not mistaken. And for now you must trust that he is unharmed.”

“Show him to me,” demanded Ethan. All trace of sorrow was now gone from his eyes, replaced by a steadily building anger. “Show me, or I’ll leave right now.”

Renald leaned forward to scrutinize Ethan closely before responding. “Stubborn. That much at least you have in common with Praxis.” He pushed back his chair. “Very well. Come with me.” The others began to rise, but he held up his hand. “Only Ethan. His word that Jonas is unharmed will need to suffice all of you.”

Markus began to object, but Ethan waved him off. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming after you,” Markus stated.

Ethan gave him a nod and a smile before following Renald outside. They rounded the house and approached the building beside the smoke house.

“You’re friends are devoted,” remarked Renald. “A good quality. Though they are not the type of people I would have expected.”

“And what
would
you expect?”

Renald laughed softly. “For certain, not a rogue, a fledgling mage, and a child.” He opened the door and gestured for Ethan to enter.

Ethan stopped short the moment he was inside. There stood Jonas, eyes closed, hands hanging loosely at his sides, and completely motionless. Ethan moved closer to touch him on the arm. His skin felt like stone, and there was no movement in his chest to indicate he was breathing.

“What did you do to him?” he growled.

“I simply suspended him. And rest assured, in spite of appearances, he lives.”

Ethan turned to face the old man. “If I find out you’re lying…” He allowed the implied threat to hang in the air.

Unmoved, Renald exited the building and started back to the house. “I want you to know that I was fond of Jonas. It gave me no pleasure to do this.”

“And you’re certain that he’s been sending information to Shinzan?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “But like I said, he may not be aware of it.”

“Can you help him?”

Renald paused just as they reached the porch. “I don’t know. I will try.” He waved a hand. “But there are more important things than Jonas to deal with at present. For now we must attend to
you
. There is much to do, and very little time.”

Ethan scowled, hating the thought of Jonas being held against his will and with an uncertain fate hanging over him. Yet what could he say? Difficult as it was to believe that Jonas had somehow been bewitched, Renald did not appear to be attempting any sort of deception.

The others were already on their feet when they stepped back inside.

“Jonas is…” Ethan began. “Well…he’s not hurt.”

“I cast a suspension spell on him,” Renald explained as he took a seat at the table. He looked at Lylinora. “I’m sure that even with your limited training you are familiar with these. Though I doubt you could cast one.”

Lylinora puffed up, her eyes furiously boring into the old man. “I’ll have you know that both my mother and father trained me very well.”

He gave her a scoffing grin. “If you say so. I suppose we’ll see soon enough.”

Once everyone was reseated, Renald leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The sharp cry of Maytra outside penetrated the walls.

“She’s still quite upset,” he said. “It may be some time before she allows you to touch her again.”

Ethan nodded slowly as he once again began to feel the tiny dragon’s immense sorrow. He scratched his thumb where she had bitten him. “You said that we were running out of time.”

Renald’s eyes cracked open. “True. And even with you now here, there is still very little hope.”

He leaned his elbows on the table. “You require years of instruction. And I am too old to be of much use.” His hand shot up, silencing the barrage of questions rising on the tip of Ethan’s tongue. “Before you assault me with your ignorance, I would hear everything that has happened. Leave out no detail.”

For the next several hours, Ethan told his story. Renald listened patiently with hands folded and chin resting on his chest. Only the growling of Markus’ stomach forced a pause in the telling. Renald left the house and returned a few minutes later with a portion of smoked ham. After a quick meal, Ethan continued.

He noticed a frown on the old man’s face at the mention of the dwarves, and a look of anger when he spoke of General Hronso. But it was the story of their encounter with the
sirean
that really produced a reaction. Renald leapt from his chair, face awash with fury.

“Why would you do that?” he shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. “Why would you attack them?”

“Attack them?” repeated Lylinora. “
They
attacked us.”

“Idiot girl! They were just children. How could they possibly have harmed you?” He began pacing the floor rapidly, rubbing at his temples. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

Ethan could see the pained expression on Lylinora’s face. He was about to speak, but Kat came to her defense first.

“Lylinora was only protecting us,” she insisted. “She did the right thing.”

Renald spun around to face the young girl. “She killed a child. One who was merely having a bit of fun. If they wanted to seriously harm you, why would they have thrown darts used only to hunt seagulls?”

“I…I didn’t know.” Soft sobs were creeping into Lylinora’s voice, though her expression was unchanged.

Renald took a breath and sat back down. “Calm yourself. I do not think you acted out of cruelty. The fault rests with those who taught you.”

This did little to salve her guilt. “I would have never harmed a child. Not intentionally. No one in living memory has seen a
sirean
. Most thought they were a legend. How was I to know?”

Ethan recalled feeling that something was wrong about the encounter. Now it was clear. The attack was nothing more than mischief. Harmless by their way of thinking. “There’s nothing to do now,” he said, attempting to move on. “What’s done is done.”

“Killing a
sirean
child will most surely spur retribution from the parents,” Renald told him. “If they know where you are, you will not be allowed to leave this place alive.” His brow creased in thought, then he shrugged. “But as you said: what’s done is done. I’ll go to the shore tomorrow and see if you were followed. From there we can know what actions, if any, need to be taken.”

An uncomfortable hush fell over the room.

“What about the dragons?” said Kat, breaking the silence. “Ethan came here because of them. Where are they?”

“Ethan will meet them soon enough, child,” he replied. “After I have dealt with the
sirean
, he and I must depart. And before you ask - no, you cannot go with us.”

Kat folded her arms across her chest. “And why not?”

“Because I’m not sure how they would react,” he answered flatly. “Dragons do not care for strangers. Your presence might easily upset them, and believe me when I tell you that you do
not
want to upset a dragon.”

By then it was long after dusk. Renald stretched and yawned.

“How have you survived for so long?” asked Markus.

Renald pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll answer this question. But then I need to rest. I haven’t used so much magic in more than two-hundred years. It has taken a toll on these old bones.”

Ethan was clearly disappointed, but he nodded with understanding. Kat was already rubbing her eyes wearily.

Renald looked over to Lylinora, who was still obviously disturbed. “Clear your mind of troubles for now. I was overly harsh. I’ll deal with the
sirean
. You have more important tasks to focus on.” He motioned to Kat. “Like teaching this young one magic.”

Lylinora frowned. “But I thought now that you are with us you’d be –”

“I’ll be instructing you, and to a lesser degree, Ethan,” he said, cutting her short. “But I have neither the strength nor the will to take on one so young as an apprentice. It would likely kill me if I tried.” He waved his hand. “But now to your question, Markus, so I may rest.”

He drew a long breath. “I came here just after the fall of the Council of Volnar. Praxis had asked me to go with him and the others still left alive to challenge Shinzan. I knew it was hopeless, so I refused. Shinzan’s power is way beyond what we could understand. Its very essence is unlike anything I have even heard of. The things he is capable of, made most mages seem as children.

“Shinzan had already destroyed most of the dragons by the time I arrived here. The lands were a vast smoldering waste, and the few who had managed to survive were in hiding. It was only through my connection to them as a Dragonvein that I was able to make contact. I was still young and strong back then, so I built my home and cleansed the land surrounding it.

“I would have been content to live out my natural life here and allow the mages to pass into the depths of history. But the remaining dragons would not allow that to happen. They knew of the elf prophecy. And they knew that I was still needed. So through them I have lingered on; kept alive for century upon century by their power. And now that Ethan is here, my time is nearly at hand.”

He pushed back his chair. “So there is your answer. I live because the dragons willed it to be. More than that, I don’t have the strength to tell right now.” He heaved himself up. “But no matter. Being that you will be staying here for some time, there will be ample opportunity for answers later on. For now, find yourself a spot on the floor to sleep.”

Ethan watched as he hobbled over to his bed and unceremoniously threw himself down. In seconds, the old man’s breathing was deep and regular.

“Are you certain Jonas is all right?” asked Kat.

Before Ethan could answer, Lylinora spoke. “The spell he describes is harmless.”

“But do you really believe him?” Kat persisted. “If Jonas has a spell on him, you would have detected it, right?”

Lylinora first glanced to Ethan, then spread her hands. “Perhaps not. I remember my father talking about Renald Dragonvein. He was a powerful mage. Almost as powerful as Praxis himself. He turned down a seat on the Council of Volnar because he said he couldn’t stand the politics. But my mother thought it was because he was too close to the elves. The rumor was that he had even lived among them for a time.”

This revelation caused Markus to stiffen. “How could a human live among elves?”

“I said it was a rumor,” she pointed out. “It may not be true. Although from what I’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Anger was seeping into her voice as she glanced over at Renald’s sleeping form. “He’s a crude, brute of a man compared to your father, Ethan. It’s a wonder that they were brothers.”

Her words had an immediate effect on him. Only now did it fully strike him that Renald was indeed a blood relative. All his life he had wondered about his true family. And now…an uncle. Although a mean, cantankerous old bastard, he was probably the best Ethan could hope for.

“I want you to be careful tomorrow,” Markus told him. “I don’t care if he
is
your uncle. He didn’t blink an eye before imprisoning Jonas. There’s no telling what he’s capable of.”

The mention of Jonas cast a gloom over the party, bringing all conversation to a temporary halt as people reflected. It
had
seemed odd that the Emperor was able to follow their every move. And though Ethan was confident that Jonas would never consciously betray him, if his uncle’s claim was true, it would explain a great deal.

“Could you free him, Lylinora?” asked Kat.

She thought for a moment before replying. “I doubt it. At least, not here. If it’s the dragons that are enhancing Renald’s power then I can’t know how strong the spell is. And even if I tried to do something, I might end up accidentally hurting Jonas instead. Possibly even killing him if it’s the wards Renald has cast.”

“What are
wards
exactly?” asked Ethan.

“Barriers,” she replied. “Safeguards against harmful magic. I used a simple form of one to protect King Halvar. But as far as I know, it’s been a very long time since most mages bothered to learn the art of true ward making.”

“Why is that?”

“There hadn’t been a war between mages in centuries,” she explained. “The Council of Volnar had all but eliminated the possibility. But long ago, before the council was formed, there was a great deal of fighting among our kind. In those days, wards kept a mage’s home safe from his foes. Some were said to be very powerful, even preventing physical attacks.”

“From the look of it, they work pretty well,” remarked Markus.

Lylinora nodded. “It would seem.”

At this point, Kat jumped up from her chair and grabbed Ethan by the hand. “I want you to show me where he’s keeping Jonas,” she told him. When Ethan hesitated, her eyes took on a pleading quality. “Please! I’ll be able to sleep much better if I can see he’s all right.”

Knowing how close the pair had become, Ethan reluctantly agreed.

It was as he feared though; seeing Jonas only made her mood worse. The sight of his frozen form caused her tiny hands to clench tight until her knuckles turned white. All the way back to the house, Ethan could hear her muttering furiously under her breath.

Lylinora was already on the couch, and Markus was busy unpacking his bedroll. They found an empty area near to the fireplace and did their best to get comfortable.

Ethan stared at the ceiling, a faint smile on his face. Though his mind was filled to bursting with questions, the voices in his head were now silent. Very quickly he began to drift. The hard, unyielding wood floor was not to his liking, though without the constant desperate call of the dragons raking at his mind, it didn’t matter so much.