Heir of the Dragon Read online

  There wasn’t much conversation. It wouldn’t have been hard with their moderate pace and the lack of wind. None of them had anything to say, apparently.

  Which made thinking impossible to avoid.

  Wylan’s team and the Wardens would have arrived at the eastern outpost yesterday, having a shorter flight. It was five days ago that they’d all left Calcaria, and parted ways. She’d thought earlier that saying goodbye to Yhkon would be the hardest. That was before she’d learned Wylan felt the same as she did...before they’d become more than just good friends.

  Not that it had been demonstrated beyond that first kiss. She could see it in his eyes, but that was it. Probably he didn’t want to make it public to the world just yet, or maybe he thought that since they were going to separate so soon, it was better not to get closer. Either way it was fine with her. She didn’t want everyone to know yet, either. Well, not really. Part of her was dying to tell someone—Terindi, Jaylee, maybe Kae. Not Ami so soon, she would be far too animated, and she’d pester poor Wylan to no end about it. Plus she’d tell everyone else without meaning to.

  That didn’t mean it wasn’t at the forefront of her mind. Or that she didn’t miss him already. Not that they hadn’t gone a week apart before, not that she was that dependant on his company. It was more the knowledge that it wasn’t just this week...it was another month, minimum. Likely more. Things could change in that amount of time. Not that she expected they would...Wylan wasn’t like that. He wasn’t one for whims; he was loyal and devoted.

  Pushing it out of her mind, she turned to other topics. Like Yhkon. In the time before they’d left Calcaria, she’d never managed to sniff out just what was going on between him and Grrake...except that Grrake had no idea there was anything going on. Whether that was because he was too happy with Shanteya to notice, or because Yhkon was doing a good job of pretending, she didn’t know. Either way, he’d denied it and refused to share anything. Hopefully they figured it out soon—they were out in the field together now, without Shanteya around to distract.

  The four of them rode until the sky started to dim. Still a hundred miles from the nearest civilization, there was no reason not to have a fire, and she decided it was safe to skip a night watch. Since they were in good hunting territory, they took the time to catch a few barbsits and roast them over the fire. Paired with some unleavened bread, the last of the fresh vegetables they packed, it was a decent meal. Not what they had grown accustomed to in Calcaria, but better than what she knew they’d be eating for the months to come.

  “So,” Rikky sighed the word as he stretched his arms behind his back. “How long till we get to Aydimor?”

  Skyve was gnawing on a barbsit leg, but interrupted the process to answer. “Without trouble, ten days. With trouble, who knows.”

  There was no reason to expect trouble. The Calcarians had retreated almost completely from Zentyre in the last two years, only leaving a handful of scouts that swapped places periodically, to keep an eye on things. Until they made their presence known by making an attack, there was no reason to expect pursuit. As long as they avoided any towns or Kaydorian patrols, it should be a peaceful trip.

  There was still little conversation, so they set up two tents and retired as soon as it was dark. It was nostalgic, sleeping in shelters on the forest floor, like they had for all those months. In the three years since, she’d only slept somewhere other than her luxurious bed a few times. Mostly on hunting trips or training excursions. Once the Wardens had taken her and the other wards deep into the woods in Calcaria, supposedly to hunt a dragon, and then disappeared, leaving the eight of them to fend for themselves. Figuring quickly that it was a test, they’d caught the dragon they’d been tracking then found their way back to the city, where the Wardens were waiting for them with satisfied smiles.

  Thinking about it made her miss them. All of them—the Wardens, the other wards. Wylan and Yhkon the most, but all of them.

  Pursing her lips, Talea shifted onto her side, and forced her eyes to close.

  The next morning, after a breakfast of more roasted barbsit and some dried fruit, they were on their way. As time passed everyone seemed to relax and there was a bit more talk and banter. Though it wasn’t the best group for it—Rikky could jest, and she could reciprocate, but she wasn’t good at initiating. Skyve or Terindi weren’t particularly good at either. Skyve was more likely to end up on a rant about his latest philosophy or scientific discovery, Terindi generally kept to herself except in intimate groups of two or three. Talea hoped that she would make an exception for their group of four, after awhile.

  As the days went by, the travel was indeed peaceful. There was one encounter with a nest of zorcs that ended with Rikky killing one and Terindi zapping the other well enough that it left them alone.

  After the beginning wistfulness and adjustment, it was rather enjoyable...but they arrived to Aydimor far too soon. She knew as soon as she saw the city walls that enjoyable was behind them.

  Not having to tell anyone to focus was odd—usually, with all eight wards, either the twins, or Ami, or Rikky, or all of them had to be quieted or told to concentrate. No one had to tell Skyve to focus. Or Terindi, or even Rikky, in this group.

  “So.” Talea rubbed her hands together. “There’s a wall. How do we want to go about...surmounting it?”

  Skyve, naturally, wasn’t shy to offer an idea. “We need a way we can use more than once. Something discreet.” She could practically see his mind working. “Let’s go around the perimeter.”

  “Just for fun, or…?” Rikky raised an eyebrow. Only his eyes were visible anyway, since they all wore their hoods and masks now that they were likely to be seen.

  “No.” Skyve always sounded so disgusted whenever someone either questioned his intelligence or failed to match it. “To find a gutter or drainage tunnel.”

  Talea pointed a finger at him. “Good idea.” She led the way as they started walking around the wall, keeping a couple stone’s throws away to avoid being spotted by the sentries that patrolled the top. The city was a few square miles and the wall surrounded the whole thing, along with a mote that was twenty feet wide. Luckily they didn’t have to walk far before they found what they were looking for: a drainage tunnel, large enough for a person to crouch in.

  However, there were vertical metal bars, a few inches apart, blocking the entrance. “Alright wise man.” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “What’s your plan?”

  Skyve took only a moment to think before he answered. “Enough electricity could burn through the bars, then we might be able to bend them enough to create an opening.”

  It wasn’t hard to surmise that “enough electricity” would have to come from her, and the strength to “bend them” would have to come from Rikky. Sounds...exhausting. “Alright, I’m guessing the electrical part is me, the bending is Rikky. How do we get it done without being noticed by the guards?”

  “I’m flattered.” Rikky pretended to puff up his chest, and laughed when she responded by whacking him.

  Skyve didn’t even notice. “Terindi and I distract them.” He eyed the guards atop the wall, then Talea. “That kind of energy output will wear you out, and it will hurt. But Rikky, don’t help her. You’ll need to be able to bend the bars and then get her back across the mote.”

  Sounding better and better. “Alright, go distract the guards. But be careful!”

  Skyve and Terindi consulted briefly, before splitting ways. Talea waited with Rikky, until she heard one of the sentries yelling and could see movement on the wall through the trees. She waved Rikky after her and sprinted forward, leaving the concealment of the woods and diving into the mote. The cold water took her breath away, washing over her skin like ice. Submerging herself completely, she swam under the surface to make as little noise as possible. Swimming had never been her strength, but it was a short distance, even if her boots and gear made it difficult. Rikky was already on the bank as she surfaced, and helped her out. Typical—it w
as almost always safe to assume that if it was a physical activity, Rikky was better at it.

  They made it into the alcove in the wall that held the gutter and waited. There was still noise from the guards above them, but it didn’t seem directed at her and Rikky. Good, the distraction had worked.

  Talea approached the bars and wrapped her hands around two of them. A deep breath. Closing her eyes to make it easier to tap into the energy in her core, she directed it into her hands, full-force. It was mere seconds before the heat became uncomfortable. She pulled her hands back a little, but had to keep them within a couple inches of the bars to keep the electricity concentrated. A few more seconds, and the heat emanating from the bars was painful. The glow from her skin was white, nearly blinding, while the bars burned orange like fire.

  A gasp snagged in her throat as the pain heightened. She was grateful when Rikky put a steadying hand on her shoulder, as she started to feel the strength drain from her body with the electricity.

  But then, she was through. She pulled her hands back, biting her lip hard to keep from making any noise over the fire that still filled her palms. Rikky took her place, grabbing just below the still-glowing break in the bars, drew in his breath through his nose, and pushed. The muscles in his back and shoulders contracted beneath his shirt as he strained. A low creaking sound told her the bars were bending. She listened for any sign that the guards had heard...nothing. Looking at the opening he was creating as he gradually forced the bars horizontal instead of vertical, Talea winced. It wasn’t big enough.

  Her palms were red, blistered from the heat. Pressing them to the cold steel of the next two bars offered some relief...she pulled them back, a couple inches from the bars, and started exerting energy again. Eyes squeezed shut against the pain, she didn’t know Rikky had successfully bent the first bars down until his hand landed on her shoulder again, and his voice came close to her ear, “Almost. You’ve almost got it.”

  She bit her tongue. A groan still squeezed from her throat. Almost…she didn’t dare open her eyes to see if he was right. The distant noise of the guards drew closer. Her breath coming fast and ragged, Talea grit her teeth and forced the electricity to flow stronger. The flare of heat brought a cry from her lips, just before she’d burned through the bars.

  Rikky took her by the upper arms and drew her back, keeping her upright when she stumbled, and lowered her to her knees by the mote. He didn’t need to guide her through the rest—she put her burning hands into the water, sighing at the instant, if incomplete, relief of the coolness on the raw skin. The same low creaking from behind told her that Rikky was working on the next two bars. The shouting and clanking armor of the guards fading with distance told her that Skyve and Terindi had distracted them again. Weariness made it impossible for her to care about anything more than that.

  After a few seconds, Rikky was beside her again, putting his arm around her as if to carry her across the mote. “I’m okay,” she whispered. Okay enough to swim across, anyway. Without ever removing her hands, she slipped the rest of her body into the water. Crossing the short distance below the surface had become so much harder, the drain of energy taking its toll. On the other side Rikky helped her out and kept a grip on her wrist as they jogged back into the forest. When they could no longer hear anything from the guards, he slowed to a walk and she gratefully did the same.

  “Can I see your hands?” He started to lift the wrist he held. Talea rotated her arm so he could see her palm. A grimace scrunched his face. “Ouch.”

  Without the cold water to soothe the burns, her palms and fingers were throbbing hotly. “Please tell me that opening is going to be big enough.”

  “A bit squishy for me,” he flexed his arm and winked, “but yeah, it’ll be fine.”

  They continued to where the celiths had been left, a mile and a half from the city wall. Skyve and Terindi rode up with their celiths in tow before they had to travel the whole distance. “Come on.” Skyve gave Talea the reins, giving her blistered hands a quick scan. “I’ll dress those soon, but we need to put some distance between us and the wall. A few of the guards are still looking for us.”

  Talea mounted Ember, trying to keep a loose grasp on the reins. Ember made it easy—she only needed minimal guidance, and simply followed the other celiths as they cantered farther from Aydimor.

  After half an hour, Skyve suggested they stop. He took the medical supplies from his bag and unceremoniously grabbed one of her hands, applied a stinging salve, wrapped it, and repeated the process with the other. The throbbing lessened somewhat after a few minutes.

  Another hour of riding, and she decided they were far enough to safely set up camp for the night. Or at least, Skyve said he thought they were far enough, and she’d been happy to agree rather than decide for herself. Such a leader, Aysa…

  Still tired from all the electricity she’d used, she suggested they retire early and everyone agreed. It would be best to be well-rested for their first attack on the city.

  ~♦~

  Their sloshing footsteps echoed in the tunnel. Each drip from the ceiling sounded much louder than it should have, and Talea had to remind herself to relax—there was no way anyone outside the drain could hear them.

  Until they neared an opening within the city walls. Then she allowed herself some tension, keeping her footsteps soft, her movements controlled. Ten feet away from the end of the tunnel, she put her hand out for Skyve, Rikky, and Terindi to stay back, while she edged forward. At the opening, she poked her head out just enough to see what part of the city they were in.

  Houses. Small, shanty-like, most of them old and in need of repair. They must still be in the outskirts, where the lower class lived. That had been the hope—it would be the easiest part of Aydimor to go unnoticed, so an ideal entry and exit. She waved her friends forward and darted from the shelter of the drainage tunnel to the nearest house to hide behind. From there, to the next one, and the next, gradually making their way from the eastern edges to the northern portion, where the castle and the military base were.

  The castle towered above every other structure in the city, even the largest of wealthy noblemen’s mansions. She remembered it from three years ago, when they’d entered Aydimor to get Ami, who lived in the orphanage right beside the castle at the time. It still looked just as massive, daunting, and despite her better judgement, intriguing. Behind and around the castle lay the army barracks and stables. That was their target.

  Talea led them as close as she dared to the arena where a few hundred Kaydorian soldiers were practicing formations. Her breathing was already rapid and uneven, her heartbeat pulsing like a drum in her ears. Whoever thought she should be a warrior was lacking all of their senses. And whoever thought she should be the Captain of Calcaria, responsible for the other wards, for leading this war...was the unfortunate victim of a serious and complete impairment of the brain. Training hour after hour, day after day, to be said warrior and leader was one thing. Actually doing it? Standing here, about to attack a few hundred soldiers? That was something else entirely. All that training...and she felt utterly unprepared. Inadequate.

  Rikky crouched beside her. “What’s our play?”

  “Um…” She allowed herself three seconds, to survey the knights again, collect her wits, and pretend she wasn’t terrified. “You and I will go straight for them. Skyve and Terindi, you each go to either side, to keep them hemmed in. We…” Her false confidence faltered. Hem them in. To kill them, to kill as many of them as possible. They couldn’t take prisoners, they weren’t after just one or two leaders...their goal was to take down as many as possible. I can’t do this. I can’t just—

  “Sounds good to me.” Rikky pushed his fist into his other palm, popping his knuckles. “Ready?”

  No. No, she wasn’t ready. “Keep your distance, be ready to retreat,” was all she managed, with the tiniest of nods.

  Rikky stood up, and waited for her to do the same. No...it was all wrong...but she was standing up. W
atching, for an unending second of indecision, as he charged the arena and she stayed where she was. Running after him. Gathering electricity in her hands. Deciding which form would be the most effective, and where to aim it...and killing fifteen men with a barrage of mini lightning bolts. The drain of energy from her body, the flash of light, the blue reflection on iron armor, burned black.

  She could sense more than see Rikky beside her, and Terindi and Skyve on either side of the arena. None of them went within the perimeter fence—they were safest and most effective from a distance. The knights couldn’t do anything against their lightning when they were out of reach of swords. They were helpless. Like scared mice in a barrel. Her mind snatched the memory without permission...the mice, caught from the palace kitchens, scurrying about the bottom of a barrel, desperate for an escape. The servant boy, gleefully killing them one at a time. It had horrified her. She’d taken the remaining mice from him, saying she was going to dispose of them more efficiently, when in reality she’d taken the barrel into the woods and released the little rodents, and buried the ones he’d already killed.

  She had wanted to smack that little boy. Now...she was doing the same thing that had so appalled her, except she was doing it to people.

  It wasn’t a conscious thought or command, that made her hold back. She just did. The onslaught remained as constant as she could manage, but the voltage of each lightning bolt wasn’t potent enough to kill. Most of them would lose consciousness and depending on how they were hit have a nasty burn...but they’d live.

  That was the best she could do. She had to fight.

  Talea suspected Terindi, and maybe Skyve, were using her same restraint. Rikky she doubted—he was a soldier, even if this was his first experience in the field.

  The few hundred in the arena had dwindled down to dozens in just two minutes. Those dozens had organized enough to escape the arena and charge them. It was a good enough excuse for her, even if they could easily win. “Retreat!”