The Dragon’s Appraiser: Part Three (4 page)

O
n horseback
, Madja made it to Bern in only a few hours. Unfortunately, that had not been enough time for her to figure out why the hell she was doing it.

Right now, Sevrrn’s lair was the safest place on the island. No matter what happened, she could ride out the attack there. Even the Allonans with their powerful weapons wouldn’t dare approach the mountain, not without first securing the island.

But how could she stay put when she knew that people would die? People who believed that Sevrrn would come to save them? A year ago, even she had believed in Sevrrn, if just a little. It had been her impending death that had necessitated her skepticism.

She knew from her own experience eight years ago, that Erda had no defensive plans. In its long history, it had only been attacked a few times, and all of those times it had been protected by Sevrrn. The government invested all of its money in the trading industry—and lining its own pockets. The capital had a few warships, but they were primarily used for trade escorts and had never experienced a siege.

Even as cannons fired on the small port towns like Bern, the people of the capital would go about their business, waiting for Sevrrn to come and defend them. And while they did, people would die.

Somehow, she had to tell the people of Bern to evacuate, to move inland where it would be safe. If they could survive another week or two, Sevrrn would return and despite all of his words to the contrary, she knew he would do something. She would
make
him do something.

Madja’s flimsy plan was hampered at every turn. The town was in total lockdown. The streets were empty and the few patrol men she found ignored her and insisted that she return to her home before they made her take her curfew in the jail. She tried going to the mayor’s house, where she had gone with Yoren and his daughters during the festival, but it was as empty as it had been that night. In fact, it seemed as though all of the upper-class homes had been evacuated, and she realized with sickening malice that they had abandoned the town, probably to take refuge in the capital.

She realized then that if she were going to affect any change, it would have to start in the capital. If she could convince the central government that Sevrrn would not be coming, at least not yet, then they could get word to all of the towns. They could mandate evacuations and while the armada may pillage the port towns, the people would be safe.

The only problem was that the capital was nearly a day’s ride from Bern and by the time she arrived, Bern could possibly be under siege. There were good people in the town, people she didn’t want to see harmed. She had no idea where Yoren and his daughters lived, but she could help Irina and her father, and perhaps they would be able to convince others to take refuge as well.

She rode through the empty streets to the inn, narrowly bypassing several patrols along the way. When she reached the seaside inn, she hitched her mare and knocked on the door. No one answered, but she saw a candle burning through the window. Time being of the essence, she opened the door and let herself in.

The innkeeper was sitting at the table and appeared to have been reaching for his cane when she let herself in. He looked up at her and smiled apologetically.

“Can’t move like I used to,” he said. His glassy eyes moved over her. He must have still had a modest amount of vision, because even in the low light, his gaze flickered with recognition. “Oh, it’s you. Welcome back. Come to wait out the battle?”

Madja smiled, dipping her head politely. “I’m afraid not. I’ve come to give you a warning. Allona’s armada is attacking Leaz, a town just north of here.”

The innkeeper nodded and tugged on one ear with a weathered hand. “Even these old ears can hear the cannons.”

“Of course,” she said, blushing a little. She started to speak again, but then closed her mouth, trying to figure out how to phrase her next words. How could she convince him to leave his home? Who was she to say that Sevrrn would not be coming to save them?

“And your companion?” he said. “He will be taking care of the armada?”

Madja’s eyes widened. “You…knew? All along, you knew who he was?”

The man laughed, a surprisingly youthful sound. “Oh no, I was quite shocked. But when he left those for me, it all began to make sense. The strange things he would say, that is.”

“Left what?”

The old man nodded towards a wooden cupboard. “In the top drawer, under the ledger.”

Curious, Madja walked over to the cupboard. The top drawer was cluttered with inkbottles, paperwork, and various odds and ends. On the far left side was a fat, leather bound ledger, which she hefted out. Hidden beneath it was a bulky pouch of burlap and twine. Placing the ledger aside, she unwrapped the pouch. Inside it were what appeared to be three thick mineral shards, one red and two gold. She picked up one of the gold ones, holding it up to inspect it in the candlelight. It was beautiful, and she knew exactly what it was.

“The night he brought you here, I told him about Irina, how I worried about her being provided for once I was gone. I showed him the red scale, which I intended to sell for her dowry,” he recounted. “The day you left, I found the other two resting on the pillow of the guestroom.”

“He left these for you?” she asked in awe.

“I imagine so, though I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them. Even the greatest appraisers in Erda will assume they’re fakes. No one has ever seen a scale from the god, Sevrrn.”

“He’s not a god,” Madja said solemnly. She placed the scale back in the burlap pouch. “He’s just a dragon, and not a very benevolent one at that.”

She turned to face him. “He’s not coming. At least, not yet. I’m going to try to convince him, but you have to get yourself, Irina, and anyone that will listen, as far away from the shore as possible. Move inland, head to the foot of the mountain. You’ll be safer there.”

He looked as though he were going to protest, but Madja cut him off. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you show them these scales, people might listen. I need to go to the capital, so that the prince can evacuate all of the port towns, but I won’t get there in time to save Bern.”

Slowly, the old man nodded. “I will see what I can do.”

M
adja abandoned
her horse on the outskirts of the capital. Not only would the mare slow her down on the crowded city streets, but the lowtown residents had taken to looting and thieving and she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

She had ridden through the night and the better part of the next day. Adrenaline had kept her awake and alert, but the moment she stepped off her horse, her body nearly collapsed. She forced herself to press on, knowing that if she stopped to rest, it could mean that more people would die.

In a way, she felt responsible for everything. It was Sevrrn’s job to protect the island, but he had left because of her, because her mortal body was inadequate for him and he needed to fix her. If she hadn’t gotten sick, he might not have left so soon.

It was a stupid thing to feel guilty about, and she forced it out of her mind as she pushed her way through the throng of refugees. Unlike Bern, the capital was in chaos. Not only had the island’s nobility descended upon the city in droves, but so had the remaining denizens of the two port towns that had been sacked thus far. People of all backgrounds flooded the streets, overwhelming the merchants and even forcing themselves into homes. The city guard was stretched thin and Madja kept her head down, trying to look small and insignificant.

The guards, she found, were concentrated in the upper district. Madja was stopped at a checkpoint, but between her fine robes and confident bearing, she was able to convince them that she was one of her cousins.

The upper district reminded her of Bern. The lavish homes appeared abandoned, but as she traversed the streets, she occasionally caught glimpses of people peeking out past curtained windows. Seeing the nobility and wealthy traders sequestered in their homes, she felt much less like a coward than before. Not long ago, she would have been just like them, but now, she may very well be saving them all.

At the highest point in the city was the royal estate. Although nobility, her cousin’s name would not get her through those gates, especially in a time of crisis. And so when she approached the guards, she held her head high and said the only thing that would get their attention.

“I am Madja O’aer. I come to speak with the Prince, on behalf of Sevrrn, Patron of Erda.”

The guards looked between each other with varying expressions of incredulity and disbelief. Madja kept her gaze focused on one guard in particular, a portly man with a bulbous nose. She recognized him as one of the men who had torn her from her bed last autumn, the night she’d been taken away to become Sevrrn’s sacrifice.

The man swallowed hard and waved the guards aside. “I’ll take her.”

He was silent as he led her past the gates and through the lavish estate gardens. Madja glanced up at him once, seeing his face reddened with shame. Then, her focus turned inward as she went over what she would say to the Prince.

Although she had been impatient to get to the estate, she felt herself wishing she’d had more time to prepare. She had never actually met the Prince, only seen him at a distance during social functions. She knew that he was young, and had heard that he was a reasonable man.

But as she rounded a row of hedges and he came into view, she remembered something else she’d heard about him: he was meek. He stood in the center of the gardens, adorned in lavish silver robes and a modest golden crown, conversing with a man Madja recognized to be the captain of the city guard. Over his shoulder, practically breathing down the Prince’s neck, was Chancellor Jerl Kavesh.

She should have known Jerl would be there. After all, the guard that was presently escorting her was one of his very own men. It had been Jerl who had chosen Madja for sacrifice to Sevrrn, just as it had been Jerl who had condemned her father to death, simply for hoarding a few golden spoons.

All three men turned their way when Madja and the guard stepped into the courtyard. Jerl’s eyes instantly narrowed, but the Prince looked at her without the faintest glimmer of recognition. Of course he couldn’t be bothered to remember the innocent woman he’d condemned to death.

Madja kept her expression neutral, even as anger flared in her veins. She couldn’t let her own grievances stand in the way of the greater good.

As she approached, Jerl whispered something in the Prince’s ear. The Prince’s eyes widened and he regarded Madja with a newfound astonishment.

The guard gave a low bow and then gave Madja an unnecessary introduction. Jerl dismissed him before he could finish, leaving Madja alone with the three important men. Standing in front of them, she was surprised to find that she wasn’t the least bit intimidated. After all, she had spent the past several months living in the presence of a dragon. These were just…humans.

With that realization, she found herself completely at ease.

“My lord,” she said, addressing the Prince. “I’m here on behalf of Sevrrn. I’ve come to—”

Jerl cut her off with a loud snort. “Do you really think we are going to believe that a god sent you on his behalf?”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t care what you believe, but if you don’t listen to what I have to say, a lot of people will die.” She turned back to the Prince. “The Allonan armada has sacked two port cities that I know of. At this rate, they’ll have them all by the end of the month. You need to tell the townspeople to evacuate.”

“Evacuate?” The Prince said, his brows rising. “Evacuate to where? Isn’t Sevrrn coming to stop the armada?”

“He will,” Madja assured him. “But right now, he’s away from the island. It could be a few weeks before he returns and—”

“My Lord,” Jerl interrupted, “you cannot possibly mean to listen to anything this miscreant has to say. Do you really think she speaks on behalf of Sevrrn? She must have escaped his lair.”

The Prince fidgeted, looking between them with obvious discomfort. “I—”

This time it was Madja who interrupted. “You sacrificed me almost four months ago. Pray tell, where have I been since then?”

“Hiding out in some slum,” Jerl replied. There were flecks of spittle dangling from his moustache.

Madja glared at him. “If I was hiding out, why would I come here trying to help, exposing myself in the process?”

“If I had to wager, I’d say you managed to free yourself, then stole the tributes we left for Sevrrn. You must have pawned them off in town and went into hiding. When your money ran out, you concocted this fable, hoping to come back and be restored to house and title.”

“I don’t need any house or title. In fact, I’ll be leaving as soon as you both come to your senses and—”

Jerl stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm, his hand tightening in a vice grip. “My Lord, this explains everything. We sacrificed her for Sevrrn’s favor and yet she turns up while the Allonans are sacking our island. It is no wonder our god has not come to save us. He believes we are negligent in our worship because she did not die as she was supposed to. I told you we should have slit her throat.”

Madja hissed, trying to jerk her hand free. “You’re an idiot, Jerl Kavesh! Sevrrn isn’t a god, he’s just a temperamental dragon that you’ve all pissed off because you’ve forgotten that he’s the one who keeps you safe and rich.”

“Oh, we’ll pay tribute to him,” Jerl sneered, spittle falling on her face. “By
truly
sacrificing you.”

“Jerl,” the Prince said, stepping forward. There was alarm on his face, but he hesitated just long enough for Jerl to counter his protest.

“If Sevrrn does not come, we will all be dead anyway. What do we have to lose?”

Madja gasped. “If you kill me, you’ll all die.”

And that, she knew for certain. Yes, perhaps Sevrrn wouldn’t die for her, but he would most definitely kill for her.

“You are full of convenient things to say, aren’t you?” Jerl said. He looked to the captain. “Take her to the dungeon while the Prince and I continue this discussion.”