Tears of War (43 page)

“What?” Serena looked up, her expression startled.

Kirynn smiled. “You’ve been staring at my injuries and frowning since you arrived. I thought perhaps you were trying a new technique.”

“I’ve been trying to heal them, but that chain seems to be blocking my magic.” She stood and brushed her hands off with a frustrated grimace. “I think I will have to wait until it’s off before I can do anything.”

“We should get you out of here. Emallya would like you to return to Galdrilene to have the chain removed, and both Kellinar and Vaddoc are asking if there is room for them to Slide into this cavern,”
came the sending from Syrakynn.

“Tell them we will meet them at Galdrilene. And tell them not to Slide here. The cavern is large but not big enough for two more dragons,”
she sent back.

Kirynn raised her voice and yelled, “Taela, we need to get a move on before we have everyone in this Fate-forsaken cavern.”

Taela walked back from the smaller cave. “I know; Kellinar is pestering me about getting out of here.”

“What were you doing?”

Taela frowned. “What did Sulwyna look like? What is left of her is burned beyond recognition.”

“Brown hair, head scarf, hazel eyes, olive skin. I’ll have Syrakynn send you the image from my mind.”

Taela sucked in a deep breath and Kirynn raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Sulwyna was Sehlas’ youngest wife. His brother didn’t throw her out; she left to become a Shadow Rider. I always thought she knew what I did in the garden when I broke Sehlas’ mind.” Taela glanced back at the small cave. “I’m glad you were able to kill her.”

Kirynn shrugged slightly and stood. “Glad to be of service. Let’s get out of here.”

She waded into the water next to Syrakynn and laid her hand on the red’s scales for a moment, relief filling her again. The loss of the dragon would have killed her, of that she had no doubt. With a deep sigh, she turned and pulled the catcher strap from where it had fallen in the water and fastened the wet cuff around her ankle. After leaping into the saddle she looked down at Serena. “Are you flying with me or Taela?”

Serena smiled. “Taela. No offense Syrakynn, but you seem to love pushing the limits more than me. You are too much like your rider and I don’t want the Slide back to Galdrilene to scare me half to death. Since Miya has already Slid back to Galdrilene to wait for me, I will be happy to hitch a ride with Taela.”

Kirynn shrugged. “Suit yourself.” What was the other woman talking about? Syrakynn just believed in getting things done in a timely manner which Kirynn appreciated. The red knew the limits and flew just within them.

Syrakynn waited until Taela and Serena were on Paki and the silver had a chance to shift out of the way before lifting off. Kirynn saw the image of Galdrilene form in the dragon’s mind as the Slide spun open.

M
aleena paced along the edge of the inner terrace, waiting for Kirynn to arrive. Emallya and Bardeck waited patiently in the caldera with Vaddoc, Kellinar, and Anevay. She reached out for Tellnox, pleased to find that so far there were no Kojen in Calladar. The green and Mckale continued to patrol the eastern border of the nation. She didn’t like that he was there alone.

The other riders with dragons either too young to Slide efficiently or too young fly gathered around on the inner terrace. Belynn leaned against her red as she nervously chewed on a fingernail, her hazel eyes worried.

Brock paced along the other end of the terrace, his intense blue eyes staring down the caldera while Toren and his red Rahu stood on the ledge outside their hatchling lair. Nolan and Sumara stood together in tightlipped worry.

The air rippled in a giant whirlpool as a Slide opened. Maleena stopped pacing and watched. Kirynn and Syrakynn came through first, followed by Paki and her passengers. The knot in Maleena’s stomach loosened at the sight of the red and her rider. She knew they were safe, but it was good to actually see it.

The red landed smoothly and Kirynn leaped down from the saddle. Maleena and Emallya hurried across the grass of the caldera to Kirynn, while she unbuckled the catcher strap and Paki landed.

Emallya studied the chain around Kirynn’s neck with tightlipped worry.

Vaddoc strode toward Kirynn. “Are you alright?”

Kirynn glared at him. “Of course I am.”

He stopped a few steps away and folded his arms across his chest, one eyebrow raised. “You hardly look it.”

She glanced at her bloody wrists. “This? This is nothing and as soon as I get this shadow-blasted chain off, Serena will heal them.”

“You missed all of the fun this afternoon, what happened?”

Kirynn glared at him. “While you were having fun killing Kojen, I was stuck in some underground cavern with a lake, having a chat with a couple of creepy women. One of which is dead now.”

“Hold still,” Maleena said as she examined the heavy black links half-buried into Kirynn’s skin. Faint traces of Shadow magic still radiated from it. Etched into the metal were symbols. A few minutes later Taela joined her. Soon, she saw the symbols translated in the other woman’s mind. Maleena’s blood began to run cold as the meaning behind the symbols became clear and the weave that had been used was revealed.

“Right here.” Taela traced a symbol on one link with her finger. “This is where she went wrong. She forgot to add a single line in this area and it left a seam that Kirynn was able to break open.”

Maleena studied the images in Taela’s mind. Her Spirit sister was right. If Azurynn hadn’t missed that one line, Kirynn and Syrakynn would have been lost to them. She looked at Emallya. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Emallya nodded as Nolan and Anevay came closer to examine the chain. “Yes, during the War of Fire. I had hoped since we were unable to recover the Kor’ti they wouldn’t find anyone who could read it. Apparently they have.”

Serena frowned at the chain. “How do I remove it?”

“You do not. I will show Maleena and Taela how to remove it. Then you can heal the wound it will leave behind.” Emallya looked at Maleena. “This is going to hurt. Even if Mckale’s shield was working properly, it would still hurt. The bondmate shield does not protect against this,” her eyes flicked to Taela, “no more than it did when you used Shadow magic to help Paki.”

Maleena nodded. “I know. I can sense the Shadow magic in it but I can handle it.”

Taela turned to Maleena with a startled look. “Why isn’t Mckale’s shield working?”

Emallya smiled, a wealth of warmth in her eyes as they settled on Maleena. “Because she is pregnant. During the first few months the shield is adjusting to the new person growing inside. It will not quite work fully until the pregnancy is over, but it will get better as it progresses.”

“At least it will get better,” Maleena said. “I forgot how difficult it was without it.”

Kirynn nodded impatiently. “This is all fascinating, but do you think you can talk about it after you get this flaming thing off me?”

Emallya glanced at her. “Sit down and we will get it off.”

Kirynn flopped down in the grass as they knelt around her. “Merge with me and we will get this done.”

Maleena reached out for Emallya with her mind and felt the merge with her, and then with Taela. For moment, thoughts and memories from the other two women flowed into her mind; it was unavoidable at the beginning of a merge. Images of Dragon Riders strung up by their wrists on poles in a bloodied battlefield with black chains around their necks as their dragons lay dying flashed; of Bardeck in a tender moment; of Kellinar standing in the light of the setting sun and several more.

Once the merge was complete, Maleena was able to control the flow and isolate them so they didn’t bother her while retaining the present thoughts in the forefront. It had taken her several months in the beginning of her training to learn how to do that.

With the meaning of the symbols clear in their minds from Taela, Emallya began to show them the process of disassembling and separating the remainder of the weave from Kirynn. The pain from the Shadow magic beat at all three of them. Maleena’s head throbbed. Because of the merge she felt what the other women felt and they felt what she did, however she sensed it made it easier to have the pain divided among the three of them.

With sickening clarity, she saw the way the weave had embedded the chain into Kirynn’s flesh. The darkness, not visible when she was just looking at it, now showed as black, infectious lines webbing into Kirynn’s skin.

Carefully, line by line, they tore apart the weave while the agony of touching Shadow magic bore into them. Finally they had it down to only a couple of symbols which were unraveling on their own and fast.

“Everyone turn away,” Emallya gasped out in a strained whisper. “Kirynn close your eyes, this is the part that will hurt you.”

Emallya dropped the merge as she turned away both mentally and physically. Maleena tried to stagger away. Her head felt like it had been kicked by a horse. A loud pop and a shout of pain signaled the collapse of the rest of the weave. A piece of chain smacked her in the shoulder as it torn free from Kirynn’s skin.

Agony ripped through Maleena’s mind from the backlash of the collapsed weave and she felt Vaddoc’s hand around her waist to steady her. She barely noticed the roars of pain from the two silver dragons as her stomach lurched and she doubled over, vomiting on the ground. Vaddoc used his other hand to hold her hair out of the way.

When her stomach was finally empty, he helped her up onto the inner terrace and eased her down to sit. He crouched in front of her, his amber eyes worried. “Are you alright?”

Maleena nodded. The pain was already fading. “Thank you.”

“Do you need me to bring Mckale?”
Tellnox sent.

Maleena took a couple of slow, deep breaths.
“No, I’m fine now. I will be back in Calladar soon.”

She sensed the hesitation in the green through the bond before the reply came.
“If you are certain.”

“I’m certain.”

She looked over at Emallya and Taela. Kellinar held Taela while she too emptied her stomach. Emallya leaned against Bardeck, her face ashen. She glanced at Maleena and smiled wanly. “It has been a long time since I have had to do that. I had forgotten how much it hurts.”

Maleena looked at Kirynn. Bits of chain stained with blood lay scattered on the grass around her. Although Anevay, Serena and Nolan had been quick to step in and heal her, blood still streaked down her chest and back. The two healers pulled back, murmuring in irritation. Serena appraised Kirynn. “No matter what we do, wounds caused by Shadow magic don’t heal right. You will have scars.”

Kirynn rubbed at her chest where the chain had laid. “I don’t care about the flaming scars; I already have plenty of those. I’m just glad that stupid thing is off. Why in the name of the Fates did it explode off me?”

Emallya looked at her. “It was the weave that bound it into your skin. When the weave collapsed at the end, it shattered and so did the chain. I know it hurt to have it ripped out like that, but it is the only way.”

“Well, I’m going to get a bath.” Kirynn stood and wiped at the blood on her chest. “At least I can get one here without someone drugging me.”

Vaddoc shook his head. “I am going to head back to Shadereen. I need to make sure the Kojen are gone and then see if I can figure out who it was that betrayed us.”