Dragon School: Troubled War

Dragon School, Volume 18

Sarah K. L. Wilson

Published by Sarah K. L. Wilson, 2018.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

DRAGON SCHOOL: TROUBLED WAR

First edition. September 6, 2018.

Copyright © 2018 Sarah K. L. Wilson.

Written by Sarah K. L. Wilson.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Behind the Scenes:

For Annaliese whose thoughts have been invaluable to me.

Chapter One

“They fled like rats from a flaming city,” Jalla said, looking out across the plains below Leedris where Ifrits, dragons, and soldiers left a long trail of dust. Broken brush and abandoned items were scattered across the sides of the road, evidence of their flight.

I shivered at her analogy. The thought of a flaming city still filled me with shame. Especially now that we stood in yet another ravaged city. I looked behind my shoulder at the smoke trails rising up through Leedris City. It hadn’t burned like Vanika, but there had been a half a dozen small fires in the conquest. And other horrors that my mind shied away from.

Our army had worked through most of the night to clean out the last pockets of resistance from the city and now Habrida’s war leaders had guards stationed on the walls and the turrets of the Castel. They were looking for any Castelans they could find among the people. I doubted they would find many. Any who had been here were either fleeing with the Dominar across the plains below or already dead. It was a grim day for the Dominion – and a grim day for Leedris. My heart felt heavy at the thought of having to tell Savette about her family’s involvement. She had believed them to be loyal to the Dominion. Perhaps it was that connection with the underground plots and not their loyalty that had pressed them to offer her as a bride to Baojang. Perhaps, this had been going on for far longer than we suspected.

“And now we need to discuss the governance of the city,” Hubric said to Jalla. It wasn’t like him to talk about something like that – not like him to thrust himself into the spotlight, but by the gleam in his eye, I could tell he was as worried as I was about the citizenry here. These were our people. We needed to protect them as much as we needed to pursue Iskaris.

It had been hours before Rakturan and Jalla returned from chasing the Dominar the night before. Grimy and weary, they had been forced to admit that it would take more than a pair of war leaders to hunt down and destroy an army. Iskaris’ escape had been too well executed to catch him before he reached his greater forces.

I would have been irritated at them, but I was too grateful to be angry. Without Rakturan, I would have died on a wooden ‘X’ hung over the city.

“I’ll leave a War Leader here, Dragon Rider. He will maintain order.” Jalla looked tired. I didn’t think she’d slept the night before, making this the third night in a row for her without sleep.

“Not Habrida?”

“That wouldn’t be a question if you had obeyed orders in the warrens. But no, not Habrida.”

I’d finally fallen asleep halfway through the night when my own exhaustion would wait no longer. Raolcan, Ahlskibi, Leng and I had formed a ring in the attic above the audience room – away from the massive hole torn in the floor – and fallen asleep under the high beams of the ceiling there. Doubtless, there were other more comfortable rooms, but the attic was high up in the Castel, hard to access, and it was easy to hear any intruders enter. I’d fallen immediately into a deep sleep and hadn’t woken until Jalla stormed into the room and demanded we talk about the present situation.

We were standing now in the rubble-strewn attic, looking out from the wide windows over the city and the surrounding plains. The attic was large enough for dragons to stand easily and as we spoke, Raolcan yawned dramatically, stretching like a cat.

“You could use the current systems and structures to run the city until you return,” Hubric suggested in a way that was incredibly diffident for him. “Not to rule, obviously, but to keep everything working – food coming in and waste going out, business and commerce, the care of the people and prevention of disease.”

Jalla’s gaze was eagle-like as she turned from the window to consider him through narrowed eyes. “You could arrange for that?”

“I have contacts here with the Lightbringers-”

“The religious sect,” Jalla said.

“If you want to call it that. They are seeded throughout the city infrastructure and could help to maintain order and commerce under whoever you leave to govern.”

Jalla considered for a long moment. “I will leave Avdam, the Sand Prince, to guard our hold here. Go and arrange to have the city work under his rule. Work quickly. We march again tomorrow.”

Hubric nodded briskly, hopefulness in his eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief. He would arrange to protect the people here. We would do what we could to make there suffering more endurable. At least that was done.

“And now we make plans,” Jalla said as Leng joined us. He adjusted his scarves as if he wasn’t really paying attention, but I knew he was.

“An army on the run is vulnerable,” he said, looking through the window.

“Exactly,” Jalla said with a smile. “I have half a mind to chase them now, but that would be irresponsible. I have armies to lead, and Amel failed to kill the Serpent Prince, so I have that headache to deal with.”

My eyes widened, and I saw Leng’s start to widen before he fought them under control. She thought of killing a man as a mere headache! Jalla’s ruthlessness would never stop surprising me.

“You need scouts to keep an eye on where they are going,” Leng said. He must have some sort of plan. “Amel and I could scout for you.”

Ah, that was the plan. I couldn’t fault him for it. I wanted to be away from all of this, too, but life was rarely so simple.

Jalla tapped her chin with a finger. “Yes. But more than that. We need to lay a trap ahead of them and hold them in place so my army can catch up and destroy them.”

I cleared my throat. “Shouldn’t we wait and attack them from the rear when they hit Savette’s army to the south? Then they will have enemies on every side.”

Jalla shook her head. “We don’t know how well or poorly your friend is faring. Perhaps her army is already destroyed. Better to take this army on the run before he can find his own allies or a place to make a stand. You and this bald one can go and scout for me. Take the Pipe and the dragons. When you find a likely place for a trap, set it up and send back a message to let me know where you are. If you can hold the Dominar’s army in a likely place until we arrive, we can pinch him between us and destroy him where he is most vulnerable.”

I swallowed. Warfare was not for me. If it was, I would have been a Red.

“I’ll send Hubric to help you when he is done arranging things here. Watch for him.”

“And Rakturan?” I asked.

Her face was tight when she said, “The Dark Prince stays with me. I have need of him.”

She turned and strode away, purpose in every movement and I watched her go with concern. Jalla was planning something and Rakturan was the key to whatever it was. That worried me. Was my theory correct that Rakturan could watch me through visions?

Ironic, isn’t it? He watches you and you watch everyone else.

Chapter Two

Leng and I hadn’t talked last night – we’d been too busy fighting and managing problems and then we’d collapsed into sleep. And now that we were alone in the attic, I felt oddly shy. I glanced up to see him lean against the window frame, a smile flickering on his face before he bit his lip.

We’re here, too, but sure, ignore the dragons. Everyone does.

“You’re alive,” he said. His voice was magnetic. It drew me in and made me want to hear more.

“I should probably mention that I’ve been seeing you in visions,” I said awkwardly.

He chuckled. “As long as you aren’t dreaming about anyone else.”

I felt my face heat, but I didn’t need to tell him I’d been seeing other people in visions, too. That wasn’t what he meant. His true meaning made a lump form in my throat. He wanted me to be his alone. Someone – other than Raolcan – wanted me to be his.

“I’ve been worried about you,” I said. “You’ve been doing dangerous things.”

He laughed. “More dangerous than leading an army of dragons? I knew you were different when you came to Dragon School.”

He was smirking and the way he looked at me ... I had to look away. That much emotion made me feel overpowered.

“How was I different?” Better to distract him with conversation.

“Purples always choose their dragons. And bonds are formed that are close. But they take years. Ahlskibi barely tolerated me that first year even though he chose me. We weren’t friends until I was through training. He certainly didn’t like me touching him! But Raolcan let you in like a true friend right from the beginning.” He licked his lips. “The thing about Purples is that they can read people so well – even when they aren’t listening to their thoughts – that they know who a person is right away. They can warm up to someone over time, of course, and they have strong instincts about who they might come to like, but to attach to a human that quickly? You had to be pretty special. Pure of heart. Full of truth. Rare.”

I looked up to meet his eyes and I could barely breathe. I felt like I was tingling all over with his gaze on me. He approved of me – maybe even admired me. I didn’t think another human had ever felt that way. Especially not someone so incredibly amazing as Leng. He stunned me with his easy ability to do anything necessary. I was bowled over with his confidence and quiet authority – and he liked me!

Okay, that’s nice. Now settle down before you give us all an emotional hangover.

Leng stepped forward and took my hand. I was suddenly glad that it was free to take. It was nice to only need one crutch again.

“I hope you still feel the same way about me,” he said. “But I understand if you don’t.”

I looked away, suddenly nervous. How could I tell him that he made me feel better, bigger, fuller when I was with him?

Just tell him that and put us all out of our misery!

I was startled when Ahlskibi snorted, filling the attic with a puff of smoke.

“Leng, you know I’m ... I’m in love with you.”

I glanced up, nervously, and was surprised when he took my face gently in one hand and kissed me.

“Good.” He smiled. “It would be awkward if I was the only one.”

I laughed, so nervous now that my body felt like it was awash with acid, making every part of me feel delighted and ill at the same time, like one person couldn’t hold so much emotion.

He kissed me again.

“We might not have many of these moments left,” he said, eyes sad.

I nodded. After all, we were about to try to set a trap for an army.

“As long as I’m alive, I want to have these moments. But Leng?”

“Yes?” his voice was husky.

“What if things change after?”

“How would they change?”

I shrugged. How did I put into words my fears? Raolcan was a prince. I was blood sisters to a crazy Baojang War Leader. I knew the True Dominar and the Chosen One by their first names. He was the brother of the Dominar. How could things not change?

He pulled me into a hug and I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of being perfectly and totally safe.

“No matter how they change, Amel, it won’t change how I care for you. You have my word on that.”

I sniffed, trying to keep from crying and trying to remember this moment all at once.

There was a cough on the other side of the room and my eyelids flared bright red for a moment.

“Alright you old goon, we’re just about done,” Leng growled.

I laughed and a moment later Leng’s chest shook from his own laughter. When he relaxed the hug, I stepped back.

“I guess we should get ready to go before these two burn down the Castel after all.” I gave Raolcan a pointed look, but he was still snickering.

Chasing an army! Now that’s a lot more fun than kissing is!

I didn’t agree.

Chapter Three

I think you should hold the Pipe, Raolcan said as I finished packing his saddle. Leng and I had found provisions and water to restock our dragons and warm cloaks and clothing to wrap around ourselves now that Autumn was here. I was grateful for the thick fur cloak and wool scarf.

Holding the Pipe wasn’t a good idea. I’d seen what that Pipe could do and now that we knew our enemies wanted the dragons, it was too dangerous for me to hold it. I couldn’t protect it.

I don’t trust anyone but you and I can hardly carry it in my mouth indefinitely.

Why not? Did it taste bad?

Ha ha. How about you carry a twig around in your mouth and after a few hours when you feel like screaming we’ll talk again.

Admittedly, that couldn’t be comfortable. How had he held it in there while he was flaming and fighting?

I’m a dragon of many talents. But seriously, I tucked it under my tongue.

Raolcan spat the Pipe onto the ground where it bounced slightly with a ting. I was about to scold him that he might damage it – but wasn’t that what we wanted?

We’ll keep it safe until we can dispose of it somehow. It would probably be best to give it back to the Elders.

That made a lot of sense.

“What’s that thing?” Leng asked as I gingerly picked up the slobbery pipe, trying to wipe it with an old curtain from the corner of the attic.

“It’s the Pipe of Wings. It can control dragons,” I said casually.

Ahlskibi growled behind me.

“I’m not using it, Ahlskibi!” I protested, but he gave me a wicked look. Raolcan better explain this quickly or I’d be nothing more than a smoking pair of boots.

“What happened to your eye, old fella?” Leng asked Raolcan, changing the subject.

“He lost it in a battle against the Dusk Covenant,” I said quietly.

“It makes me think of one of the Ibrenicus Prophecies. Have you read this one?” he asked.

“When the people of the earth sound horn of battle,

And the land trembles and is torn,

When the skies are rent in sorrow,

And the depths bring help no more,

Then the lame and the blind shall lead them,

And guide them from the storm.”

I looked at Raolcan.

I’m not blind. I’m just missing an eye. Just like you aren’t lame. Tell this fool to quote something else.

Well, he was feeling cranky!

“Raolcan says he’s not blind,” I said.

Leng laughed and gestured for me to come over to Raolcan’s blind side before he snuck a kiss.

“We’d better take off,” he whispered.

Don’t think I didn’t see that. I don’t need an eye to see.

He didn’t?

It’s one of the advantages of reading minds. I can track anyone anywhere and if I really concentrate, I can even see where walls and objects are through their minds.

Handy. I wished I could make up for my bad leg so easily.

I didn’t say it was easy. It’s a crutch. And one that’s hard to use if I’m distracted.

Was he ready to fly?

Always.

I smiled at Leng as Raolcan helped to nudge me up into the saddle. I didn’t really need the extra help anymore, but it was still nice to have – and it felt less humiliating all the time.

You have a prince lifting you into a saddle – and that’s humiliating?

I strapped in quickly, stowing my crutch and then Raolcan was ambling across the attic floor, climbing up the window ledge and leaping through, his wings spread to catch the air as we fell and then lifted, soaring upward into the pink morning sky.

I would never get sick of the feeling of flying. The freedom was worth the price.

Play the pipe now to call the dragons.

But didn’t we decide it was unethical?

Not when I’m telling you to do it.

I pulled out the pipe, my nose wrinkling when I remembered his slobber dripping from it.

Get over yourself.

And then I put it to my lips and played my three-note call. Leng and Ahlskibi leveled off beside us while below us in the sky city colorful dragons swirled up into the air like flocks of birds over a dewy field.

They joined us slowly, lazy despite the brisk Fall air, a group here and a straggler there, and then we were flapping hard to gain height and hit an airstream heading south.

Would we even be able to catch Iskaris? He was probably riding one of those Silver dragons that guarded the Dominar. He probably had hundreds of Ifrits with him and they could move as quickly as any dragon. And they had a big head start.

But he also has an army to lead. Men on horses and marching on foot. It’s too great an asset to leave behind. And the army has to travel by the road while we can fly directly over the mountains.

But would he stay with them or fly on ahead?

It’s impossible to know for sure, but judging by his own insecurity, I would guess he will stay with them. He doesn’t expect us to catch up now that he has gained a head start and he won’t want to appear anywhere without a horde at his back. It would make him look weak. And people who steal power instead of earning it are always afraid that people will find out they are frauds.

But the Dominion wouldn’t see him as a fraud. To them, the mask was the Dominar, not the man.

He can’t trust that. He knows the truth – that he has no right to his authority. He is always afraid that everyone else knows it too.

What a terrible way to live your life.

A surprising number of people live that way. Dragons, too.

Why would a dragon live a lie?

Not all dragons have a rider like you, Amel.

We winged our way south and I pressed my cheek against Raolcan’s neck, enjoying the feeling of belonging. If only every hour could be as beautiful as this one.

Chapter Four

You don’t really make camp with dragons, you just find a likely hillside, preferably near water, and stop flying for the night. Our massive dragon army cleaned the mountainside bare of any animal or plant they could find. I hadn’t realized that dragons would tear up grass like a horse.

Ugh. Don’t compare us to those mindless creatures. Even humans eat salad sometimes.

We were heading due south through the Dragon Snout Mountains. Iskaris’ army would have had to go southeast of Leedris City to skirt around them, taking the longer route by road to eventually swing south and head to the twin cities, Dominion City and Sky City. If we planned to ambush them, we would need to stage ourselves somewhere along that path before they arrived. Raolcan thought the spot where the road wound between a mountain range and thick forest would be the best place to pin them down.

It would be better in the mountains, but they will avoid mountains on foot – which is how we will get ahead of them. The river is also a possibility. There is a bridge across it, and if we destroyed the bridge they would be in trouble. Ifrits don’t do well with water and the horses and men wouldn’t be able to cross. But could we reach the river before the army did and have enough time to set a trap?

I was brewing tea on the fire as Leng gathered more wood for it. We’d pulled a pair of fallen trees from nearby to serve as benches, but we were the only humans and none of the dragons needed a fire to warm them. And if they changed their minds they could set one for themselves.

They’re happy to be traveling with us. We dragons have taken a strong dislike to the Ifrits.

Did the dragon army realize that we were fighting to maintain their buffer against extinction?

They know it is a possibility. We have always known. I don’t know how many of them realize how close this battle will be. We are not very humble, in general.

That was an understatement.

“I think the river is our best bet,” Leng said as he dropped a saddlebag beside me.

He opened the top flap fishing out bread, butter, and cheese from the depths of it. I was beginning to miss hot meals. The last time I’d had one was the broth Dax fed me when I was recovering. I accepted the bread and cheese with a smile, though. It was still better than dried meat.

“Raolcan agrees with you, but I’m worried about that. If we destroy the bridge before they arrive, then they will know that we are there, and they won’t walk into the trap. If we leave it intact, then we will have to destroy it while they are crossing it. People will die without warning. Those are the only ways to use the bridge as a trap and if we do either, then our own army won’t be able to cross when it gets there.”

“Warning them won’t make it any easier for them to die,” Leng said, but he chewed his lip like he was trying to find a way to tell me something. “Maybe you should let me lead this ambush, Amel. I don’t think war is easy on you.”

“Is it easy on you?” It had better not be! He had better not love death or killing.

“Of course not!” He sounded offended. “You’d have to be heartless to find it easy but ... it needs to be done or worse things will happen.”

Everyone else understood that better than I did.

My mind flashed suddenly to a vision of Savette. She looked thin and worn, her face drawn and her dress dirty around the hem. Both of her palms were on a table and she leaned hard on them as if they were barely holding her up. Beneath them was a map.

“Days at best,” an advisor was saying to her. “We’ve fought hard Chosen One and spent lives like water for you. When will you admit it is time to surrender? Starie Atrelan and her demons of dust are too strong for us. You keep saying that allies are coming, but none are here. Our water is contaminated, our food stores used up, our forces down to the bitter edge of the sword.”

“Not yet,” Savette said, her expression taut.

“Please, Chosen One, don’t make us all die for you.”

“Five more days, Casadis. Just five more.”

His voice was quiet when he said, “We’ll be lucky to last until dawn.”

My eyes snapped back to Leng and I gasped.

“Was that one of your visions? Who did you see? Shonan?”

I shook my head. “Savette. Her army is spent.”

“Defeated?” he was pale.

“Not yet.”

“Then there is still hope. We need to stay the course. If Iskaris joins the battle with his forces that will be the end of Savette’s army. It needs to be the bridge, Amel.”

I nodded in agreement, finishing my meal in silence. Time was running out. We were facing down battle after battle to even have a hope of freedom and there was no guarantee that any of us would survive this.

I looked up at Leng. There was no guarantee that he would survive.

“Are you okay?” He shifted closer to me on the fallen log, concern all over his face.

I studied his every feature, trying to memorize them, trying to remember this moment.

“We’ll make it in time, Amel. Don’t be afraid.”

He started to smile, but I leaned forward and kissed him, cutting off whatever he was going to say next. I was done with his gentle sweet kisses. I wanted to show him - maybe in this last chance that I had – how much I cared about him.

His arms wrapped around me and he kissed me back, all restraint gone in his matching intensity.

When eventually we broke for air he asked, “What was that for?”

“I don’t want you to forget me.”

He licked his lips. “I don’t think that’s even possible.”

He leaned in for another kiss but the spell was broken by a gruff voice.

“Leave them alone for a few hours and this is what you get.” Hubric strode in from the darkness and sat down beside the fire. “Oh, do carry on. Anything you can do on your own you can do with me here – or did you marry when I wasn’t around, too?”

I felt the blood rushing to my face as we broke apart, scooting to leave room between us on the fallen log.

Chapter Five

“It has to be the river,” Leng said to Hubric as we drank the last of the pot of caf and prepared to fly again. “By my estimation, we can be there by nightfall and the forces on foot will be days away even if the Ifrits and dragons help them go more quickly. The bridge will bottleneck their forces.”

He was drawing on the ground, showing the road, bridge, and river.

“It won’t affect the dragons or Ifrits. The dragons can fly over the water and legend has it that the Ifrits can ghost under it. Destroying a bridge won’t stop them.” Hubric’s objection echoed my own.

“But it will stop the army and the Magikas and the others will be forced to wait and defend them.”

Hubric shook his head. “Or they might choose to carry on without the regular army and leave them there while the Magikas rebuild.”

Leng had a firm set to his expression. “There isn’t anywhere better to stage this. It’s our best bet. We need to leave for there now, so we can assess the situation and plan the details of the trap.”

Hubric weighed him carefully. “If you’re so certain, then perhaps it’s best.”

What was he thinking behind those hooded eyes? Did he see something we didn’t? I stared at the lines Leng had drawn, trying to visualize the plan as he saw it and trying not to think of the people who would die at our design.

“Trust me,” Leng said firmly. Hubric nodded and I joined him.

“As you say, Purple.” Hubric was already up, wrapping his caf pot in thick leather and stowing it in place for the journey.

When his back was turned I gave Leng a fleeting kiss and a smile. There was something so satisfying about that simple gesture. I couldn’t seem to get enough of it.

“I trust your plan,” I whispered.

“Fly safe, heart of my heart.”

It was misty in the mountains and chilly and I wrapped my scarf snuggly around my neck before tightening the last straps on our baggage.

“Ready?” I asked Raolcan.

Always.

We leapt into the mist, the droplets of water chilling me as we rose up and above of them in a puff of vapor. The sun was bright and cool above the clouds and only the highest mountains peeked out of the fog.

Kyrowat and Ahlskibi popped up out of the thick blanket and then a few dozen more dragons and a few dozen more until it was hundreds of us winging our way to the river pass. I pulled out my maps to review the area we were flying to. Leng’s plans made a lot of sense, but I couldn’t help the anxious feeling that welled up in me at the idea of trying to trap an army, Ifrits and all.

I tucked away the map, pushing that feeling down, and reached for my book of prophecies. I hoped Talsan didn’t mind that I was still using his. I thought that perhaps I’d always use his copy. It meant something to me after all this time. My fingers traced the passage Leng had quoted.

When the people of the earth sound horn of battle,

And the land trembles and is torn,

When the skies are rent in sorrow,

And the depths bring help no more,

Then the lame and the blind shall lead them,

And guide them from the storm.

I understood the references to battle and war. And the earth tearing apart and producing Ifrits was becoming as common as torn clothing. I shivered at the thought of that. But what did it mean about the depths bringing no more help? What help came from the deep? Troglodytes?

They had ‘gifted’ me with my visions – and whether that was a help or not was still to be seen. They’d also helped me gain the Pipe which was just sitting there ready to be unleashed on their people. Why leave it there? Why had they not removed it years earlier, knowing what it could do?

Perhaps they couldn’t get to it without you.

But they were powerful and magical.

It hurts them to be above the ground. And I seem to remember it being a terrible battle to get your hands on that thing through the Kah’deem.

But they were the ones who gave it to Baojang!

A long time ago. Things have changed.

They seemed to be glad I had it.

I think I should point out – again – that being good and being on Amel’s side are not always the same thing.

What was that supposed to mean?

Only that they could be a force of good but at the same time sometimes work at cross purposes to you. Like Rakturan.

I wasn’t sure I agreed with that. If I was right in what I thought – and I hoped I was! – then all right-thinking people would agree with me.

We didn’t stop for breaks of more than a minute or two for the rest of the day. The dragons seemed content enough. Flying was natural to them and they enjoyed air more than land, but I was getting sleepy when the mist burned away in the afternoon sun and we emerged from the mountains.

There was the river, winding out before us like a silver ribbon. It made me shiver with memories of Talsan and the Ifrit under the water. It hadn’t been too far from here that I’d almost been killed. I was glad when no one suggested stopping at Backwater Manor. We flew on, tracing the winding river.

There it is. The bridge.

As usual, Raolcan’s eyes were better than mine, but I scoured the golden landscape along the silver river, looking for a bridge. There were mounds along the river like small hummocks. They stretched all across the plain and into the nearby forest as if a farmer had stacked hay through the wild grasses and trees.

There! There was the bridge. It crossed the river at a narrow point where the water rushed and gurgled over dragon-sized boulders, steep cliffs on either side. Built with rock and carefully dressed stone, it was an amazing sight. For a country girl used to ferries, seeing a bridge was still a surprise. Someone had carefully planned each stone of this structure before putting it into place. Someone very clever.

A Magika.

But why did the countryside around it look so peculiar?

We’re not the first to arrive here.

As if responding to his thought, Ahlskibi dove toward the ground like an arrow shooting out of the sky. Leng! Was he okay?

The bumps along the river unfolded into dozens of dragons.

Chapter Six

Dragons? Here? It was as if they had laid an ambush for us!

Leng isn’t the only one to think the bridge makes a good place to ambush someone. His brother thinks the same way.

His brother? Raolcan leaned into a spiral and beneath us I could finally see Shonan standing between a Red and a Gold dragon as he spoke to his brother. What were they saying? I leaned to the side, trying to see as Raolcan slowly leaned into his own landing in front of them. Leng embraced his brother and they broke apart before Raolcan’s feet hit the turf. Where was Rasipaer?

Back to Ashana. These dragons have taken turns carrying Shonan. None are bonded to him. It is a strange alliance and a slightly uncomfortable one.

Kyrowat was close on our heels and Hubric leapt off his dragon before Kyrowat had finished landing, earning him a grunt from the old dragon.

“A bit off course, aren’t you Shonan?” he asked gruffly. “I’m pretty sure our Chosen One needs you on the fields around Dominion City.”

“I’m needed here,” Shonan said tightly. His voice sounded nervous despite its usual strength. I shifted uncomfortably in my saddle. In my experience, that voice of authority was rarely nervous and something in me – the part that stood up and took notice whenever Shonan was around – was screaming at me to fight with him to fix whatever that thing was.

“In the middle of an empty road?” Hubric prodded. Why was he baiting Shonan?

He has his reasons. He can feel there is more to it than the bald face of things – and you must think so, too. Remember the promise Shonan made to the Troglodytes? After all, you were the one who made it through him.

My eyes grew wide at the memory of gripping the handles of the Kah’deem and seeing the world through Shonan’s eyes. The Troglodytes had demanded that he topple the imposter Dominar before they would ratify a treaty with him – and I’d agreed to it through his voice.

“In exchange for a new treaty with the dragons, I am required to challenge and destroy the current Dominar.”

“The pretender,” Leng said with tight lips. “Which is perfect timing. We plan to stop his army here at this bridge and defeat as many of them as we can with these dragons, our allies.”

Shonan looked worried but still very controlled. “Haz’drazen was very strict in her renegotiations – and the Troglodyte Elders even more strict. They gave me a long list of things that will nullify the treaty and forcing any dragon to serve us – other than those sent to us by the lottery system – will mandate an immediate termination of the treaty. Did you force these dragons to follow you here?”

“They’re here of their own will,” Hubric said carefully.

But were they? After all, they might be in line with us and our goals now, but originally I had called them inexorably to myself without them having any will of their own.

Shonan nodded with a look of relief and we began to choose a hidden place with a good view of the road and bridge to set up our camp.

“I arrived here only yesterday,” Shonan said as we moved to a nearby hillside. “We fought in the south with Savette until we realized that the Dominar had moved north to Leedris. He had business there with the Magikas – or so our captives told us. Why he would leave a battle over his capital city for that ...”

“They were manufacturing Ifrits in the north and channeling them through Leedris to send to the war,” Leng explained as we laid out the camp.

I busied myself gathering rocks to ring the fire. My recently injured leg was stiff from all the riding, but a little bending was good for it. If I didn’t move it, I would heal with less mobility. I knew how these things worked.

“A wise Dominar would not leave his city simply for that.” Shonan sniffed.

“I think he was waiting for word from Ko’Torenth and the Rock Eaters about a possible alliance. They must have been planning to meet there – away from the conflict,” Leng said. “They spoke of those other nations often. But always quietly and always with a sense of uncertainty.”

“They want the dragons. They always have,” Shonan said as he and Leng set up the tents. I couldn’t help shaking my head. How long had it taken me to realize what Shonan saw immediately?

Hubric set down the wood beside me and set to making a fire as I put his caf grounds into a pot. If we were going to wait, we might as well drink something hot. This cold was going to be the death of me. It sank right into my bones and chilled me so I couldn’t get warm again.

I hate winter. We should fly back to Baojang when it gets really cold.

That was definitely not an option!

Maybe we can go invade their territory. You know, take a turn at the whole invasion thing. And they can try defense and watching their beloved cities burned to the ground...

I hoped we wouldn’t do something so foolish. If I were ever Dominar, I would do everything in my power to prevent war.

By now you should realize that being too cautious can lead to as a much trouble as being too aggressive. Wisdom is not simply following a set rule or principle – it’s knowing how to apply the right rule or principle to the present situation.

Fortunately, I would never be the Dominar. Shonan would be the one weighing those things.

“But we will be here to protect the dragons and carry on our side of the bargain and they will help us to that goal,” Shonan said, bringing a pot and waterskin to the fire. “As long as we don’t break the terms. That’s why I’m here. I must fulfill our side of the agreement.”

I pulled out a few vegetables that Leng and I had scavenged from the Castel at Leedris and a small bag of barley. A soup would be nice on a day like this. The Pipe fell out of my bag and onto the grass. Quickly, I snatched it back up, replacing it in the bag, but when the noise around the campfire suddenly quieted, I looked up.

Shonan stared at me, his face ghost-white and his eyes wide.

“What is that?” There was danger in his voice.

Chapter Seven

“It’s the Pipe of Wings,” I said, tension building inside me as I held my bag close. What if he asked for it? I couldn’t give it to him. I’d already given it to Roalcan. But could I say no to the true Dominar?

“I saw a picture of it in a book,” Shonan said. His words were slow and deliberate, like he was trying to be very clear. “Under the drawing, it was stated that this was the Pipe of Wings, an ancient artifact of Baojang, gifted to them by the Troglodytes long ago but lost to their use.”

“That’s true,” I said, my mouth feeling drier than it should. “I acquired it in Baojang.”

His eyes met mine and his anxious expression was plain. His face was taut and small lines appeared around his eyes and between his eyebrows.

“And can it be used to force dragons to do you will, Amel? Is that how you have come here with a dragon army?”

“It’s not like that,” I began, but the look of horror filling his face cut me off.

“Can be used for the control of dragons?” His voice was higher than usual. “Answer me plainly.”

“What are you afraid of?” I glanced around the fire.

Everyone was frozen in place. Leng’s stick still poked the fire, but the tip of it was ablaze and he didn’t even notice. Hubric tilted his head to the side like he could hear what we weren’t saying.

“Amel, there was a list of things in our treaty that, if broken, nullified the treaty. One of them was use of any magic device to influence or control a dragon, including the whips Magikas – and Dragon Riders training new dragons - use.” He cleared his throat. “Your pipe was on the list. It must not be used.”

“I gave it to Raolcan. I can’t give it to you,” I said, feeling a bead of sweat on my forehead.

Shonan ran a hand over his face. “I can’t believe it. After all that. After the promises I made. After everything that happened. It’s all been for nothing.”

“But it hasn’t,” I protested.

“If Amel just found out and if she stops using it, then we haven’t broken the treaty,” Leng said, throwing his burning stick into the fire like he was waking up from a trance. His stance was stiff and his eyes took on a new intensity as he quickly tried to solve the problem. “Raolcan keeps the Pipe. I’m sure that’s fine since he is a dragon. Amel doesn’t use it again. You kill Iskaris. And there we have it, our bargain is kept.”

“I doubt they will see it that way,” Shonan said. He looked sick. His face was practically green as he slumped to sit on the ground, head in his hands.

But it was the Troglodyte’s who gave me the gift that gifted me the Pipe. They had been watching me all along – and occasionally commenting. They’d known when they were making the treaty with Shonan that I had the Pipe, so they must be fine with it.

“Are you certain that they meant using this Pipe?” I asked him. “Maybe it’s a misunderstanding?”

He pulled himself to his feet, but he wouldn’t look at me. “It’s a disaster.”

“What happens if we break our side of the treaty?” I asked. Leng and Hubric turned from me to look at Shonan. Everything was hanging on his words.

“Then we forfeit our right to take dragons for training and riding. The other portions of the treaty remain – we will defend the dragons and they us – but no more Dragon Riders. Without them, the strength of the Dominion is gone.”

“And the dragons we work with now?” Hubric asked. “What about them?”

“They remain. But for how long? Our nation is doomed by this folly.”

But they knew! They made the treaty with him knowing that I had the Pipe. They knew I had used it and would keep on using it!

They’d tricked him.

They’d tricked me.

I had always thought that the Troglodytes were good. After all, they rescued me. They opposed the Ifrits. They gave me a gift. But they’d purposely deceived Shonan. I felt like the bottom was dropping out of my world.

Just like with Rakturan, things are more complicated than that.

With Rakturan they weren’t complicated. He just made them that way. He claimed to be loyal to Savette but he didn’t love the Dominion. The Troglodytes pretended they were here to help us, but they manipulated us into betraying our nation.

“And you don’t need to keep your side of the bargain to retake the Dominar’s mask, do you?” Leng asked Shonan. “Since that was a part of it.”

“I still need to do that.” His voice was quiet. “Or the rest of the treaty is gone, too, and every dragon becomes our enemy.”

And so, we were caught. We must fulfill what was left of the bargain but lose the reward of it.

They didn’t negotiate for you, Amel. That’s the difference. They negotiated on behalf of the dragons.

And did Raolcan think they did the right thing? Did he think it was fair that they trapped me into betraying my people?

I think they are looking out for their own. That doesn’t make them bad. It makes them ... shrewd.

No one could even look at me. Hubric stared into the fire, his face so intense that he could have lit it with his expression. Leng stood halfway between Shonan and me, looking back and forth like he was torn.

I pulled myself to my feet, leaned into my crutch and limped away. I was so angry. I felt like a pawn who’d been played by giant hands into a position I hadn’t asked for and didn’t want. It wasn’t me who wanted that Pipe. Wasn’t me who thought it needed to be played. In fact, I’d given it to Raolcan! And they’d known all along that they were setting me up to ruin everything. Everything.

I wanted to bite through something and chew. I wanted to bite one of those Troglodytes with their creepy translucent skin and shake them until their glowing insides faded to dark.

Violent much?

I was too angry to answer. I didn’t want to hear from Raolcan if he didn’t take my side. He could just go congratulate the Troglodytes on their shrewdness while I sat here and thought about my predicament.

Maybe my rage was too strong. Or maybe I just deserved a lot better than this. Maybe, for once in my life, I should demand to be treated better.

Chapter Eight

“Shonan has calmed down,” Leng said, joining me in the dark. My back was to the fire and I had hobbled out of hearing range. I didn’t want to see or hear anyone right now. Not even Raolcan. “I explained that you couldn’t possibly have known. We agreed on a plan of attack, and we’ll set it up in the morning. Ahlskibi tells me that Raolcan is asking the dragons to help. We can’t demand anything, but they can still choose to help us.”

Well, good for them. Nice to know they had everything sorted out and that everyone was feeling calm and hopeful.

“He’s not mad at you, Amel. When Hubric told us how you got the Pipe – well, it’s obvious that you were maneuvered into this. You couldn’t have stopped it. No one blames you.”

That made it so much worse. I was humiliated by that – by being maneuvered and tricked and pushed into place like a fool. I hated myself for being a fool. They didn’t blame me?

“You’re going to need to say something, eventually. We need you for your part of the ambush. And I know you, Amel. You aren’t so angry that you’ll want this to fail.”

They needed me to be a pawn, too. No. I was no one’s pawn. I was no one’s tool. I was done with being blown from place to place for purpose after purpose. I wasn’t the one wearing a mask or even wearing the final uniform of a Dragon Rider.

“Listen, it’s natural for the pressure to get to you at this point – to feel overwhelmed and like you don’t have what it takes to keep going. We’re all feeling it. It’s been months of pushing and fighting and desperation.”

I was just a girl with a crutch who was really angry that everyone seemed to be seeing the world differently than her – and in their version, she was just a piece to be slotted in the correct part of the puzzle. I gritted my teeth. Enough.

The Troglodytes thought they could manipulate me and use me a piece on their game board, did they? Well, they had better look out because I wouldn’t be played.

DESTROY OUR ENEMIES, CALLER.

I flinched at their voices in my head.

But it seemed to me that I was the one up here risking everything – my life, my Dominion, my friends – while they were tucked safely underground making demands and ridiculous contracts. They wanted me to destroy their enemies while they undermined what I loved. Nope. If they wanted me to destroy their enemies, then they would keep this contract with Shonan intact. They would not break it because they maneuvered me to get the Pipe.

DESTROY OUR ENEMIES.

Only if you keep the contract.

RETURN THE PIPE.

I always meant to return it. They knew that. They just pushed me here because they thought it was a way to gain the upper hand. I would only agree if they agreed to my terms, too.

ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN, THE CONTRACT KEPT INTACT.

I froze. Did they mean that? They would honor the contract if I destroyed the Ifrits and returned the pipe?

They seem to be saying that.

Oh, Raolcan was willing to weigh in now that things were looking up?

I was giving you space. You seemed to need it.

Hmmph. I’d have to decide if I was going to forgive him.

Of course, you’ll forgive me. You love me. Besides, it’s not in your nature to hold a grudge. I’m a little surprised you lost your temper, but I suppose even the sweetest honey has a fly or two in it from time to time.

My eyes widened. I should make him eat feet for saying that! He was treating my reaction like it was trivial!

There’s the spirit.

Agreed, I said silently to the Troglodytes. I hadn’t forgiven them for this. But I would have to work with them.

AGREED.

I gritted my teeth to turn to Leng. He was still beside me, refusing to walk away despite everything.

“Don’t hold this against me, Amel. Don’t push me away. It’s not me who put you in this position.”

“Thank you for standing up for me,” I said. My voice was tighter than I would have liked. I was still smarting under the humiliation of being forced and maneuvered like I had been. “Thank you for explaining that I never meant to cause this.”

“I know it’s true,” he said. He sighed. “Don’t crack under the pressure, Amel. Stay with me. We can do this together, but we need to stay focus. We can’t let it break us.”

“I have a way to fix it. The whole thing with the deal and the Trogs and everything.”

“Let’s go back to the fire, Amel.” Was he afraid I was lying to myself, that I would crack if I tried to fix it? “We all need some rest. I’m exhausted. These last months ... Whatever the Dominion becomes, you’ll be one of the brightest parts left in it, Amel. It will all have been worth it, knowing you’re still shining here somewhere. And Shonan – we can be friends again even after he is Dominar once more. I’m getting used to the idea. I think I could keep it a secret between us, find ways to communicate or slip through the guards to visit him. I’m almost looking forward to it.”

I laughed lightly, feeling the anger and frustration melting away.

“In fact, I hope you’ll help me sneak around Dominion City,” he smiled roguishly.

“I’m not much good at sneaking,” I said, brandishing my crutch.

“Then I guess we’ll be caught because I won’t do it without you.” He kissed the top of my head and wrapped an arm around me.

Of course, things were tough. Of course, there were forces and people trying to force me into the path they’d set. It would always be like that, but I would always have Leng.

And me.

Leng. He was faithful and on my side.

Oh, the burn of it! You have no faith.

You weren’t on my side. Don’t even try to lie about that.

I just ... see a bigger picture than you do.

Are you suggesting that I am not as smart as you? That I’m blind somehow?

Only that you are human. And that means we’ll never be exactly the same. And that’s okay.

That sounded a bit like an insult.

It’s an apology.

Raolcan? Apologizing?

I know. I even surprised myself.

Chapter Nine

My sleep was troubled. I didn’t know if I was dreaming or seeing visions. Savette flashed through my mind, kneeling in the mud, rain pouring over her. Was she crying or was that me? I dreamed of a room I’d never been in – a long marble room gleaming and white. Carved dragons ringed the bases of the pillars. Dragons were carved in snarling poses around the base of a dais and a tall white throne carved of marble sat astride the backs of a tangle of dragons. There were no steps up to the throne. One would have to climb up on the snouts or shoulders of the dragons to reach the towering seat.

I woke with a gasp. Something had felt strangely familiar about that place.

I felt that, too. But why would the throne room of the Dominion feel familiar to you?

Perhaps, one day, I would deliver messages there. Perhaps I would kneel before Shonan in his masked crown and bring messages of peace and prosperity from around the Dominion. I would like that.

We have a long way to go before we get there. We have a war to win first. It’s easy to lose heart after so many battles, but I know you. You have a huge heart.

I drank my caf that morning with a feeling of peace. I was ready for the next stage. I would find a way to help win this war – one piece at a time – starting here with this ambush. We’d keep the enemy pinned here while Baojang traveled to support us. Then, we’d sweep south and join Savette in her fight and when it was all done, I would return the Pipe to the Troglodytes and all this would be over. We would be at peace again. I just needed to be strong and steady and not give in to worry.

I felt a hand slip into mine and Leng smiled down at me.

I smiled back. “Thank you for helping me find my way again.”

“Of course,” he said. “Are you ready?”

I nodded, taking one last deep breath. We all had our roles here. This morning, Shonan would stage on the hillside here with the dragons under his command. They would wait to quell any Ifrits or dragons who made the leap over the bridge after the army was forced to stop. Leng and a group of dragons, who Raolcan assured us had volunteered for the role, were set to spend the morning blocking the bridge with piled rocks and then to defend it. We’d debated destroying the bridge – still my own preference – but in the end Shonan argued that it would make it difficult to clear later when Baojang wanted to cross. We needed their army to reinforce Savette.

Hubric had already flown off on his own journey – he was to scout for the oncoming army and try to stay hidden. It was hard to plan an ambush without knowing when your enemy would arrive.

I wasn’t excited about my role. Raolcan and I were going to fly rings around the bridge and hills, high up in the sky. From there, Raolcan could direct dragons and – if utterly necessary – I could use the Pipe to affect them.

“Remember, only use the Pipe as a last resort,” Shonan said from beside the fire, as if he was reading my mind. “I don’t really believe that you can change the Troglodytes minds, but any further infractions can only set them further against the treaty.”

He ran a hand over his face.

“We’ll succeed, brother.” Leng let go of my hand to clap his brother on the shoulder.

Shonan nodded, but his face was screwed up in thought. “The main thing, for all of us, is to keep the Dominar and his army from reaching Dominion City. Whatever sacrifice that requires is worth making. Even if that brings displeasure from our allies. I woke with a deep feeling that this battle today or tomorrow – whenever they arrive – will change everything. It bears great significance for me.”

“It’s just that mask,” Leng said. “The heaviness of it weighs on you even now. If we defeat Iskaris today, you will have to don it again.”

“I’m not afraid. I won’t shrink back,” Shonan said, his eyes on the landscape beyond the bridge, but his voice was pitched low and almost intimate as he spoke to us. “I’m willing to bear the burden of it for my people and this time I won’t do it alone, right brother?”

His eyes, when they finally met Leng’s, were full of hope mixed with anxiety.

“It will be different,” Leng assured him. They were two sides of a coin standing side by side with shoulders back and eyes looking unflinchingly into the distance. “We’ll change tradition. I won’t abandon you. The fate of a nation shouldn’t be borne by one man alone with no support. It should never have been that way.”

“There’s a reason they place the throne so high above the people,” Shonan said, his voice still laced with worry. “And it’s not because a ruler looks good up there. It’s to emphasize how separate he is. Separation from the rest of humanity is a terrible punishment.”

His eyes looked haunted as he remembered his past. What would it take to choose to bear that burden? What sort of big heart would you have to have to accept it, knowing there was no way out, knowing it would be so lonely?

On an impulse I hobbled over and hugged him. “We won’t make you do this alone.”

He seemed stunned when I pulled back, his arm still open as if he were reaching to hug me back but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.

“See?” Leng said with a chuckle. “You’ll even get surprise hugs sometimes.”

I felt my face heating. I wasn’t used to displaying my emotions so clearly, but I guess I was infected by the same sense of foreboding that he was. For some reason, this battle on the horizon felt different. Maybe we were all cracking just a little under the pressure.

Chapter Ten

We’d been circling for two hours and I was feeling antsy. I didn’t like waiting.

At least you have something to watch.

Leng and his dragons were putting the final touches on the rubble-filled bridge. No human was going to cross that any time soon – definitely not on horseback and definitely not with dragons in his way. Ahlskibi straddled the center of it like a dragon from lore sitting on a pile of gold.

On the south side of the bridge, Shonan had finished arranging his own dragon troops and cleared the top of the highest nearby hill of brush and stones. I wasn’t sure why.

He’s preparing a stage for battle. If Iskaris slips by him today he will have failed the Troglodytes.

I returned to my Ibrenicus prophecies, reading over and over the same passage.

“When the people of the earth sound horn of battle,

And the land trembles and is torn,

When the skies are rent in sorrow,

And the depths bring help no more,

Then the lame and the blind shall lead them,

And guide them from the storm.”

I found it unsettling. How could the lame and blind lead? What did it say about the destruction of a war if there were only lame and blind left to do that? It made me nervous. Over and over again these prophecies had been fulfilled. I’d seen it. I’d relied on it. I’d found guidance in the words and thoughts of them. I was as certain of their truth as I was of my own name. What did I do with one that made me feel so off-kilter?

I chewed my lip, watching the horizon. There was a small black blip too far out for me to see what it was. A bird? No. There was a trail behind it of smoke. Strange.

I tucked the book away in my pocket and leaned forward over Raolcan’s neck, trying to strain to see the figure. There was something familiar about it ... was that Hubric already?

A burst of light surrounded the figure – flames? And then I noticed two other small dots. They moved too quickly for me to make out what they were doing. If they were flying in formation, then they were very bad at it.

As they grew closer, I began to make out details. Three dragons with riders. Two of them flamed at the third as he ducked and wove. His tail smoked as he flew, as if it were on fire.

Raolcan reared back suddenly, and then a fist of our own dragons – positioned on the north side of the bridge – launched. They rocketed toward the three dragons and my heart raced as I watched them quickly meet the others in the air.

Hubric on Kyrowat, both blackened and battered, dropped as the other dragons formed a shield to protect them, taking the full fury of the pair of silver dragons on themselves. We should have sent more scouts. We shouldn’t have sent Hubric alone.

Kyrowat flew erratically to the hill where Shonan was stationed while the dragons Raolcan had sent attacked the Silvers. I shut my eyes when a big Black dragon bit down on the slender arching neck of the lead Silver, severing it so violently that I could almost hear the crunch.

I wouldn’t look at what happened next. I swallowed, willing my belly to calm down. With trembling hands, I tightened the scarf that held my hair back from my eyes.

It’s done now.

I glanced to where Hubric and Kyrowat had landed on the tallest hill to speak to Shonan.

Iskaris is with his army. The Ifrits and dragons are in the vanguard. Hubric estimates them an hour out. He should have just looked and returned, but he was tempted by curiosity and took too long watching them. When he was on his return route to us, their own scouts – those two Silvers – attacked him and Kyrowat. They are battered but fine.

Hopefully, Shonan was persuading him to rest.

Even as I thought that, Kyrowat leapt into the air, heading north by northwest back to the Dragon Snout mountains.

Shonan has sent him to bring word to Jalla of where the ambush is set and that it will spring today. We need her army to hurry to form the other side of the pincher. We won’t be able to hold them otherwise.

But he was hurt!

Better hurt than dead. He sends a last message to you – stay alive.

I should be sending that message to him! Why had he been so curious that he had lingered near the enemy?

The Magikas were assembled. They were performing a magic unusual for them. Hubric was curious.

What sort of magic?

He thought they might be able to make their own bridge.

I looked down at the bridge we’d so carefully blocked and arranged for defense and my heart stuttered. We were in real trouble if that were true.

Chapter Eleven

There should be more things we could do to prepare. Surely there was something left undone that could be done ahead of time – some kind of preparation that would make all the difference.

You’re just terrible at waiting.

But I was great at worrying and as the hours ticked by to noon, I felt worry burning as hot in my belly as the sun burned on my back.

That’s life I’m afraid. Days, months, even years of anticipation all burned up in a few hot minutes of the final action. It leaves nothing but ashes and dust behind and maybe ... if you are very lucky ... success.

But what was success?

Continued love. Love that hasn’t died. Isn’t that why we fight? So that tomorrow the people we love will still be here for us to enjoy?

I glanced down to where Leng sat astraddle Ahlskibi. I’d be gutted if I lost him. I laid a hand on Raolcan’s neck. And Raolcan, too.

Can I assume then, that all is forgiven?

I shouldn’t have had that outburst. I just felt so cornered lately. This – everything – was such an enormous task and sometimes it felt like I had no decisions in it, like it was driving me instead of me driving it.

It is driving you. It’s like we were in a river and when we chose to swim down the branch we did it narrowed and narrowed and now it’s rushing around us, too fast to stop and too angry to fight. We can only let us take us over the falls and hope we all survive.

I swallowed, watching the horizon and thinking about what he said. I hoped we survived. On the road to the north, I thought I saw the first movement all day. It was strange that there hadn’t been any casual travelers.

Heading toward a war? Anyone with half a grain of sense would be heading away from Dominion City or hunkered down in a place where they think they can survive.

True. Which meant that movement was certainly the army of Iskaris.

It is. They will arrive this afternoon.

And before them was a cloud of smoke with flashes of silver. It broke off from the main army as I watched, speeding toward us.

They know we are here now. They are trying to hit us with a hammer of force rather than wait for us to spring a trap. Dividing an army is usually a bad tactic, but in this case, it makes sense. The army on foot can’t cross this chasm until we are dealt with and only the Ifrits and dragons can deal with us.

My belly clenched at his words. I hated battle. I hated the results. I hated Ifrits. Thank goodness there were no innocents here and nothing that could be set on fire.

Raolcan felt tense, too, his wide circles narrowing and his mind distant as he gave orders to the dragons around us. A group of Reds swooped up, swirling in the air above the bridge in time with us.

I felt like every inch of my skin was reporting to my brain, like my eyes were flitting from one thing to the next, like my breath was coming too quickly.

It is. Calm down.

I focused on long slow breaths as the Ifrits went from faraway smoke to clear shapes swarming toward us. What were they carrying?

Magikas. Uh oh. They have a plan, too.

I held on tight as Raolcan led the first charge with the Reds. I knew the plan. We would fly along the road, flaming along the right side of the army to keep them hemmed in on the road beside the forest.

We dove toward the line of Ifirits and I held on tight, trying to stay flat across Raolcan’s neck.

This is the fun part! See us roar, Ifrits!

We swept beside the leader of the Ifrit horde. He towered, mountainous in size, swirling flames dancing in the caverns where his eyes and mouth should have been. His arms were full of Magikas. They looked almost as if they were hanging in swaths of black smoke, but their eyes were closed and their hands glowed with light. What exactly were they planning? What sort of nerve would it take to let one of those monsters carry you?

Raolcan flamed as we swept by the first Ifrit and then flaming again and again as we passed dozens more. His flight path was erratic, dodging and weaving to avoid any defense they might mount.

They ignored him and the Reds who followed us in the flaming charge. I heard cries from some of the Magikas, but the Ifrits were intent on their goal – the raging river and the bridge that crossed it. They didn’t slow or stop. What would they do when they got there?

Raolcan pulled up before we reached the end of the line, somersaulting backward the way we came. I held on tight, eyes clenched against the dizzying roll and the spinning landscape. I tried not to take too big of breaths. All I could smell was burnt cloth and flesh with the overpowering smoky smell of Ifrits mixed in with everything else.

Their sheer numbers worried me. In every other Ifrit encounter, escape had been our main goal. There was no escape here. Here we must meet them head on and win.

We will!

But as they rushed toward the tumbling river set in the cradle of Autumn fields, I didn’t share his good spirits. There were simply too many of them, and what possessed these Magikas to allow dust demons to carry them to the edge of the river? They had a plan and I didn’t think that bridge building accounted for it.

I stole a glance over my shoulder as we hurtled toward the river, trying to count the Ifrits, but my mental count stuttered to a halt as the Silver dragons rose above their heads, picking up speed now that we were close to the river. I was certain that I saw the glint of a silver mask on one of the riders.

Chapter Twelve

We reached the river and wheeled to face the enemy. Somehow the current below us looked angrier, stronger, as if in reaction to our enemy.

The first Ifrit hit the bank of the river the moment we turned, tossing the Magikas he carried to the ground. He placed himself in front of the Magikas as the next Ifrit quickly imitated him, depositing his cargo and forming up along the bank. So. They would serve as a shield, ignoring the current bridge entirely.

Raolcan roared and then every dragon with us rose from the ground or poured in from the surrounding forest and hills. The roars joining his made the earth below us tremble. Ahlskibi scrambled up into the air from the bridge as the smaller rocks they’d piled on the bridge trembled and fell to the river below. Leng kept his seat with a calm expression. He held a short sword in one hand, ready to defend our bottleneck on the bridge.

I clamped my hands around my ears, bracing against the sound. When it was over, twenty Ifrits faced us, shoulder to shoulder along the riverbank. Behind them, more rows of Ifrits formed. I tried not to shudder at their sheer numbers.

The first one opened his cavern mouth and laughed. Or at least, I thought it was a laugh. The sound – like roaring flames and breaking branches – gave me chills.

I clenched my jaw, preparing for the response. I was not wrong to brace myself. We were hurtling forward before I had time to realize what was happening and then it was all I could do to hold on as Raolcan swooped in among the Ifrits, dodging arms and roaring mouths, blazing his own fire into one smoky monster after another.

The world was flame and smoke, spinning horizons, choking dust, and acid fear. It was my heart in my throat and my mouth gasping for air. It was twenty dragons pulling an Ifrit from the fray and shredding it to pieces in their powerful jaws.

Another Ifrit was drawn out the same way. I saw glimpses of him being shredded as Raolcan barrel rolled out of an engagement.

There was a knot of Magikas below – maybe twenty? – they linked hands in a circle, light filling the circle and bubbling up like a spurting fountain above their heads. Didn’t they need to be near one of those power wells to do that?

Remember, we are not far from the Feet of the River, a place of great power.

I remembered that place. I swallowed, thinking about how much power it was rumored to have. Raolcan dove toward a group of Magikas but was batted aside by an Ifrit, sending us into a deadly spin. I gripped tightly to him, bracing for the impact of the ground. It didn’t come. I opened my eyes to see he’d pulled us out of the tumble and was gaining height.

It was hard to keep up with the action – I didn’t know how Raolcan stayed on top of everything, guiding an army as he fought and fending off attacks with only one eye to watch for them.

Beneath us, the battle swirled, lines of colorful dragons diving in arcs into a mass of dust demon clouds and flower-like patterns of Magikas holding hands and pulling up golden fountains of light. As I watched, the light from the seven flowers rose, linked and rushed toward the river. I was expecting the bridge to form so they could race across the water.

I didn’t expect it to hit the existing bridge with the force of a thousand dragon fires. Ahlskibi leapt from the rubble just in time, Leng clinging to his back. A flurry of other dragons took flight like a startled murder of crows. Beneath where they had crouched, the bridge cracked, split and then broke into a thousand shards, spilling through the air and plummeting into the canyon, choking the river.

I gasped as the water rose for a few moments before boiling over the make-shift dam and thundering onward down the river.

The bridge was gone.

But why? Shouldn’t they be building a bridge of their own?

A second spurt of light began in one of the flowers but was extinguished as a line of Red dragons burst through the Ifrits guards, flaming the flower of Magikas. Men and woman fell to the ground, their robes aflame and their screams silent in the clash and chaos of the battle.

It wasn’t enough. The other six flowers were already working, purple light bubbling up around them. It met in the middle, swirling as it coalesced into a glowing rope of thousands of light strands. Wind whipped up around us, pulling toward the flowers and one of the Ifrits was whipped off his feet, swirling into the mass of woven light until he disappeared. All around them, on the ground, spiderwebs of darkness pulled from the ground into the circles of Magikas, leaving the ground behind it dull and lifeless as if something had been sucked out of it.

The rope of light spurted upward, swirling as it stretched across the river so suddenly that it might have been a rainbow springing to life. The end of it slammed into the ground, making everything nearby shudder and then coalesced from light into a thick bridge that looked like metal.

Sky steel, unless I am mistaken.

The Magikas stood utterly still, their hands still linked, their light still feeding the bridge.

And now we see their plan. With our bridge gone and theirs in its place, they control who crosses on it. Not only can their army cross, but our Baojang reinforcements will arrive to find their trap sprung and their way blocked. I suspect that once the Magikas leave, this temporary bridge will leave, too.

We hadn’t trapped them. They’d trapped us.

I felt the blood draining from my face.

Across the river, enhanced by magic or some other trick, Shonan’s voice rose, filling every ear.

“Come to me, Dominar. Come and claim a final victory, or lose your mask in defeat!”

Didn’t he realize the situation we were in? This wasn’t the time for a one on one battle. We were in the throes of defeat!

Not quite yet.

And if he was locked in battle, there would be no escape.

There is no escape for any of us. We win today, or we die trying.

Chapter Thirteen

Raolcan spun as the silver dragons streaked by. He dove, suddenly, with a furious flapping of wings and his neck shot forward, his mouth opening and biting down on the neck of the Silver. His victim thrashed against the hold, knocking his body into Raolcans and bringing his rider side by side with me.

My eyes widened as the man in ornate silver-trimmed armor narrowed his eyes. His helm was an open-mouthed dragon and an angry scar ran down his cheek. I’d never been so close to a dragoon when he was flying. The look on his face froze my blood. He reached for his sword and I scrambled to free my crutch from Raolcan’s saddle.

It was tied too tightly. It wouldn’t pull free. I worked at it, almost feeling the blade of my adversary plunging through me. Any moment now it would. Any moment...

The crutch pulled free and I gripped it in both hands, spinning to defend myself. My eyes widened when I saw an empty saddle where my enemy had been. What ...?

I looked from dragon to dragon around me. It wasn’t Raolcan. He was still shaking the Silver dragon as its wing began to droop and the added weight made us sink toward the ground.

Sink.

Whoever had helped us must be above us now. I looked from the empty saddle and the torn leather straps, my gaze following an invisible line upward. I grimaced when I finally saw the rider, limp and broken in Ahlskibi’s mouth. Leng was leaning forward in the saddle, his mouth a grim, determined line.

I signed a thank you and breathed a sigh of relief, strapping the crutch to my arm so I wouldn’t lose it. I should keep it close. Next time, Leng might not be so close.

Raolcan dropped the Silver to the ground, climbing back into the descending clouds. A dark storm front was rolling our way. Between dark blue clouds, rays of gold pierced the sky, illuminating tiny spots along the hillside in halos of gold while the rest of the landscape grew dark.

One golden gilded the hilltop Shonan had prepared and sparkled along the wings of the Silver dragon who landed before it.

Paaaalk. Iskaris rides him. A proud dragon, sworn to service and trained to defend. He does not care who wears the mask, he is loyal to it regardless.

Maybe we could persuade him to defend the real Dominar.

The real Dominar is the one in the mask.

The real Dominar was Shonan.

What we know is true and what everyone else knows is true are different. We can’t just demand that they see the truth we do. We need to find a way to show them. Would you change your mind just because someone shouted that Iskaris was Dominar?

Hardly.

Then let the true Dominar prove his point.

He was about to. Raolcan was already moving to his next target, but my eyes were glued to the showdown beyond us. Iskaris dismounted from his dragon and strode to the center of the hill, his single arm holding a sword at ready stance. Shonan had his own sword out – the only two one-armed men I knew, and they were ready to fight. I swallowed. Why would Iskaris fight when he didn’t have to?

Even the worst of us can’t silence the voice in our heads saying, ‘Maybe you are nothing after all.’ Even Iskaris needs to prove to himself that it isn’t true – that he has the right to be the Dominar. He knows Shonan – knows he is no great swordsman – knows his weaknesses in a way that only a faithful guard could. He knows he can win. The temptation to silence him in such a public way is too much for him. Shonan knew it would be true.

But could Shonan win?

Raolcan wheeled to the side, avoiding an Ifrit hand that smacked the air around us. Behind us, dragons were grouping again, ready for a second assault on the Ifrits. We had numbers on our side, but were they enough? I swallowed as I realized how many dragons lay on the ground already.

The Silvers are no longer our problem. They are guarding Iskaris on the hill. The Magikas fight to hold their bridge in place. They can’t hurt us with fire while they are occupied with that. Only the Ifrits need concern us now.

But that wasn’t so easy. For every Ifrit our dragons shredded, we lost multiple dragons. I watched as a Gold was snatched from the air and hurtled into the rocks below, breaking his back over the granite. Carefully, I counted Ifrits and then dragons and then Ifrits again.

We didn’t have the numbers.

We have the spirit!

Shonan would have to face Iskaris alone. We could spare no one to guard him.

He’ll be fine.

And we didn’t have the numbers.

Stop worrying so much.

We dove toward the Ifrits, but even in the middle of the smoke and flame, as Raolcan helped lure an Ifrit after him to let a group of Greens pounce on it, I was still trying to find some way we could turn the tide on them. There had to be something more that we could do than just fight.

The time for planning is over. Now it’s time to put our heads down and rip and tear!

Raolcan was giddy with the excitement of it, reveling in every Ifrit he tore to shreds.

For each one I destroy, hundreds of humans and dragons are saved.

But I was watching the hillside where another battle was being fought in snake-like sword stances and the road beyond where the silhouettes of a human army marched across the land like a swarm of ants. Time was running out.

Chapter Fourteen

“The army will be here before we can finish off the Ifrits,” Leng called to me. Ahlskibi had flown to level with Raolcan as Raolcan spiraled upward to get a better look at the battlefield. This many hours into the battle we were all soot-streaked and exhausted. Behind us, on the hillside, Shonan and Iskaris still fought, their stances and sudden lunges slowing as the weariness of a long battle overcame them.

Leng’s gaze swept to them every few minutes, his body language tense. One-armed fighting wasn’t the same as two-armed. One slip could be a disaster. Worse, Iskaris’ experience and heavier musculature were beginning to show. A knot grew in my belly as the swordplay stretched out longer and longer.

Below us, dragons tore another Ifrit to pieces, but our numbers had lessened, and the shoals of colored dragons were thinner ribbons than they had been before. A dozen Ifrits still stood, protecting the Magikas, and now Iskaris’ army was almost here.

Ten minutes.

Even Raolcan was sounding tense. Too many broken dragons littered the riverbanks, some of them swept down the river like fallen leaves.

“If they make it here first, they’ll rush across the river and this whole ambush will have failed!” Leng said, his face screwed up in concentration as he considered the approaching army.

But what could we do? Any direct attack on the Magikas would be a suicide mission with the Ifrits still guarding them.

I swallowed.

Some things are worth dying for.

“We need to attack the Magikas as hard and fast as we can,” I called back. “Ignore the Ifrits and go straight to them!”

Leng nodded grimly, rubbing a hand over his face like he could wipe away the task in front of him. I gripped my cane, took the Pipe out of the saddlebags and tied it around my neck. Whatever came next, we needed to be ready.

Unstrap the bags. There is nothing in them so precious as the extra seconds we can gain without them.

I hurried to comply and saw Leng doing the same.

“You still have my davari?” he asked as he worked.

I lifted a hand to show him, worry making my head feel light.

He smiled very briefly before calling out, “Don’t lose it. The promise still stands!”

Before I could respond, Ahlskibi was plunging forward, Raolcan hot on his heels. I gripped his neck. We’d be okay, wouldn’t we?

Of course! It takes a lot to bring this dragon down!

We fell toward the earth like meteors, wind whipping around us, other dragons rushing to fall in behind us. Raolcan dropped until I thought we would hit the ground. I was already bracing for impact when he suddenly swooped up, skimming the ground with his belly as he crashed through a knot of Magikas. They tumbled in all directions, their magical light that fed the bridge faded for a moment.

Already, the ones picking themselves up again were casting balls of flame at us as quickly as they could. Raolcan’s neck arced around to grab one off the ground and shake him, tossing him into a woman who had both her hands lifted, flames surrounding them. Both of them fell to the ground, the flames sputtering out.

A quick glance showed me that two other knots had been disrupted, but one was already reforming, the Ifrit protectors around it having left the attacking dragons crumpled on the ground nearby.

Raolcan! On your right!

He spun just in time to avoid the Ifrit that sped toward us, jumping into the air, but his launch was interrupted as the Ifrit’s hand grazed his wing tip, knocking us to the ground.

I cried out as my leg hit the ground – not hard and not for long, but enough to hurt! We tumbled, and I could tell Raolcan was maneuvering to avoid hurting me.

He scrambled up from the earth as soon as he could gain control of himself, clawing through dirt and over the fallen body of a dead White to try to get enough clearance to fly. A fireball splashed beside us, lighting the rocks and ground ablaze. I flinched from the flame, guarding my eyes with my forearm.

Raolcan leapt into the air as two more fireballs hit around us. I looked around, disoriented, but I was too dizzy to place where we were. Where was the river? The horizon wove in my vision and nausea filled me. I couldn’t quite get my bearings ...

Humans and horses surged beneath us, channeling into a single stream.

The bridge!

They surged across the bridge of magic as Raolcan steadied himself and then swooped toward them like an arrow. He flamed across the bridge, sending humans and horses plunging to a watery death.

I held my breath, stiffened by terror as we turned to do it again.

My Raolcan.

My rock.

Fearless.

A second pass across the bridge and I was beginning to hope we could stem the tide of soldiers. Maybe we had a chance here! We could do it!

I clung to Raolcan’s neck, channeling all the love and support I could into him.

We were going to make it!

A blow came from the side, knocking me loose from the saddle, I was flung hard against my straps. They creaked but held and then I was plummeting to the ground, dragged by Raolcan’s heavier weight. Something had hit him from his blind side! I hadn’t seen it coming to warn him.

Raolcan! Are you okay?

A cloud of reeking dust surrounded me. I couldn’t breathe! I choked against it and then a second hit spun me in a new direction and with a snap, my strap broke and I was plummeting through the air, arms wind-milling as air whipped around my face.

I didn’t know if I was screaming or not. Didn’t know if the tightness gripping my heart was real or imagined, but the awful silence of my dragon’s mind deafened me.

Something snatched me from the air at the same moment that I felt water spray on my face. I struggled against the grip, looking for Raolcan.

Where was he? Was he okay?

The dust was subsiding.

I thought that, perhaps, it was his purple form I saw sweeping down the roiling river and out of sight.

My heart burst.

Chapter Fifteen

“Don’t fight me!”

I twisted to see Leng gripping my safety strap, hauling me up onto Ahlskibi’s neck. We were flying low in the carved out riverway, along the water.

“Raolcan!” I gasped. “He went down the river!”

My crutch caught against Ahlskibi’s saddle and Leng freed it, tucking it in beside me. Ahlskibi coughed, fell a little in the air, and then recovered, flapping up the bank of the river and then over the side. He was flying low to the earth.

“We have to go after him!” My gaze couldn’t leave the river – not for a thank you, not to find comfort in Leng’s eyes – I needed Raolcan to be okay. I didn’t hear his voice in my mind no matter how hard I tried to listen. We needed to go after him. This battle meant nothing without my dragon whole and well.

“Ahlskibi is hurt,” Leng said tightly at the same moment that I was jarred so hard that my teeth shut in a violent chatter and my neck jerked forward and then back.

I ripped my gaze from the river to the clods of flying dirt around us. Ahlskibi skidded along the ground, tearing a line through the grass on Shonan’s side of the river. His great wings tangled around his neck and when he came to a stop he was limp and crumpled.

Leng leapt off his back racing to the head of his great dragon. I already knew there was nothing he could do. Dirt was packed around his head and forelegs from where he hit the ground.

Panicked, I scanned the world around me. It looked different from my place on the ground – tangled, chaotic, bloody. Dragons lay dead or dying in heaps, both near us and across the river. The army of Iskaris surged across the magical bridge, fanning out over the road and grassy hills to make space as more and more of them ran or rode or drove carts across the bridge. I watched as a knot of Magikas carefully crossed, holding their bubbling light in the center of their group the entire way across.

Up on the hill, Shonan and Iskaris still fought in a slow dance of death. Silver dragons ringed the hill, guarding the battle. All the other dragons – our dragons – were busy on the other bank, fighting the last of the shadowy Ifrits. Even if they won, we were too late. The ambush had failed.

Despair sunk into my heart as I carefully dismounted, leaning into my crutch. I hobbled up to where Leng stood by Ahlskibi’s head. The Purple dragon’s big eyes were closed but little steam bursts still came from his nostrils.  Maybe he’d recover in a moment and we could go after Raolcan. He’d be okay. He’d wash up on the shore and we’d nurse him back to health and ...

My gaze met Leng’s and I felt cold fill me, starting at my face and then spreading down to fill every part of me like freezing rain in winter filling a barrel and coating the sides with ice.

There were tears on Leng’s face. Leng – who had faced torture and death. Leng – who had been hunted by the Dusk Covenant and tapped by Magikas to trap dragons. This Leng was crying.

I looked around at the dust and chaos, breathed in the pungent, eye-stinging smoke from patches of fire in the grass, heard the shouts of soldiers running just a dragon length from us as they ran to form up along the road and I realized that we were defeated. I couldn’t catch a breath. I couldn’t hold a thought. I didn’t know what to do next.

There was only Shonan and his battle left to hope in. If he won ...

I gasped as a Silver dragon swooped down suddenly over us and yanked Leng off his feet. His eyes grew large and his mouth opened, but I didn’t hear what he said before he was gone. Involuntarily, I reached toward him, feeling as if my heart had been wrenched from my chest. Not Leng, too!

I was yanked off of my own feet so suddenly that I lost my breath and then rough hands threw me over the back of a saddle. I grunted as the breath was knocked out of me. Wet leather and the smell of dragon filled my nose.

“Stay put,” a rough voice said.

I lifted my head to see what was happening and received a cuff from a gloved hand in return.

“I said, stay put!”

I was shaking all over, my teeth chattering and my hands and feet trembling uncontrollably as we flew through the air. Not being able to see where we were going and lying belly-down over the back of a saddle without even being strapped in left me queasy and ill.

When the Silver landed, it knocked my breath out a second time, and then I felt the same rough hands winding rope around my wrists and ankles and then again around my middle, cinching it tightly to the saddle.

“There. You can watch your leader die before we move on. But don’t try to escape. We don’t have to leave you alive. It’s only a courtesy to a fellow Rider.”

I lifted my head carefully, expecting another blow, but the Dragon Rider who captured me was already dismounting. His gilded armor was dull in the shadow of the dark clouds above us, but his face had a noble cast to it and his dragon rider braids were familiar as he strode away from the Silver he’d left me tied to. The unfamiliar dragon rumbled under me. For the first time in a very long time, I felt fear at being on the back of a dragon.

All I could think about was how different this one was from my Raolcan.

I was trying not to think of Raolcan as dead. There had to be some other reason that I couldn’t hear him in my mind. He would have survived the fall. He would be fine, floating in the river. Maybe he was hurt like Ahlskibi. Maybe he was just resting somewhere while he caught his breath. He’d been fighting for hours before he fell. He was probably tired. We were probably just too far apart to hear each other.

Excuses came faster than thought. But though my mind went through a thousand reasons, my heart welled up with sadness. It knew what I wouldn’t admit – that only death would keep my dragon from saving me. Only death could keep us apart. And if he hadn’t returned yet, he never would.

Chapter Sixteen

I didn’t realize how close I was to the battle between Iskaris and Shonan until I heard Iskaris’ voice.

“You weaken, boy.”

Boy? Shonan had been a man for at least a decade. Did Iskaris really think that treating him like a child would mean anything?

My mind was racing. Shonan winning right now was our last and only hope. If he won, then he would pick up that mask and put it on and everyone would know Iskaris had deceived them and the Silver Dragon Riders and the men who followed Iskaris would have no choice but to switch their loyalties to Shonan. The Magikas would be another matter, but our dragons could deal with them. They were fighting the Ifrits and Magikas on the other side of the river, but we didn’t need them there anymore. We needed them to help Shonan.

Part of me asked how they could help now when they couldn’t help before, but the rest of my mind suppressed it. Shonan’s battle was our only hope. The dragons were our only resource. I needed to match one with the other and it would work out.

But how? Raolcan was not here to direct them. I felt the dull pain where the Pipe dug into my chest between me and the Silver’s saddle. Perhaps, if I wiggled around I could shift it out of my shirt and out to where I could grasp it in my lips and play it – not well, obviously, but playing it at all would do.

I twisted and wriggled, feeling like I was moving it by increments.

“You’ve got a live one there,” a woman’s voice said and then the rough voice of my captor responded.

“She’s tied securely. She’s going nowhere.”

“Why capture her at all?”

“She’s a Dragon Rider. Honor demands that the Dominar judge for himself what to do with her.”

As if I wasn’t already motivated enough. I knew exactly what Iskaris would do to me. I wriggled more, feeling the Pipe jab at my throat. Success! It was almost out of my shirt. I glanced up to see if anyone was watching me.

The guards were focused on the battle between Iskaris and Shonan. I watched as Iskaris made a tired lunge and Shonan barely evaded it. He was getting too slow. That lunge nearly had him. Sweat poured down the true Dominar’s face, glittering in the light through the parted clouds. His dark face was grim but there was a sense to his expression, as if a part of him were tucked far away from all this – untouchable, unstainable.

Across the ring from me, Leng watched from the back of a saddle. He seemed unharmed, just as I was. He was tied, just as I was, to the back of a Silver dragon, but where Shonan seemed almost peaceful as he battled, Leng’s face was torn with anxiety. This was his brother, fighting for his life. His dragon lay out in a field, vulnerable and hurt. And there was nothing I could do for him about either of those things.

I turned my attention back to the Pipe, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest. Where was the magic when you needed it? Where were the miracles?

The Pipe fell loose of my collar, still hanging on the leather string Hubric had made for it. It lay in a tiny ridge on the leather saddle and I leaned the weight of my head against my cheek on the saddle and carefully edged my face closer, trying to take the mouthpiece in my lips without knocking the Pipe loose from its perch. The seconds felt too long and the delicate maneuvering made my shaking worse.

After long seconds, I managed to grasp it, hoping beyond hope that it was still set to dragons.

I blew as hard as I could into the Pipe, note after note after note. Any help would be appreciated!

A rough hand yanked the pipe from my mouth and cut the leather strap.

“All that to blow a whistle? And who do you think is coming for you? Do you have a pack of dogs out there somewhere?” My captor laughed.

My eyes teared as I looked past him to see that he was right. No one could help us now. The air around me was filling with forest moths of every size and color. Their delicate wings were lit with gold around the edges as they flew in and out of the golden beam of light over the hill, but they brought no hope and no help.

The Pipe, it seemed, had been reset to butterflies.

Bitter despair filled me, as tears leaked from my eyes. Through my blurry vision, I saw Shonan look up into the sunbeam and smile at the moths above him. They swirled around him like the throngs that would hail him if they knew who he was, settling on his shoulders and the crown of his head. He looked so monarch-like in that moment that I wondered at the Silver Dragon Riders for not seeing it and bowing the knee to him.

They didn’t.

Instead, Iskaris leapt like a snake, his sword stinging with such speed that it was as if he had been storing it up for that moment. He plunged his sword through Shonan’s chest and as the true Dominar sank to his knees, Iskaris spun in an unfolding dance that ended when his sword swept across Shonan’s throat.

I gasped.

Across the hill from me, I heard Leng’s cry of despair as clearly as if he was beside me.

Everyone was silent for a heartbeat.

“Well, that’s done, then,” my captor said as if this shattering moment didn’t matter at all.

Chapter Seventeen

“Witness this day, that the traitor is defeated!” Iskaris called, holding his sword over his head like he thought he was a hero. “Your Dominar’s authority upheld.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of Shonan. I hadn’t ever actually believed this was possible. I hadn’t thought it could happen.

Tears blinded me. Despite all my anxiety and worry, I had never really believed that we would fail – that Shonan wouldn’t regain his rightful crown. That Leng and I wouldn’t visit him in Dominion City and watch with pride from afar as he ruled again.

There was no happily ever after without Shonan.

Iskaris’ words echoed in my head as I watched the rest of their army flooding over the bridge. With every heartbeat, they pounded that nail into my heart. Defeated. Defeated. Defeated.

Nearby the Silver Dragon Riders shifted uncomfortably, still loyal to Iskaris, but with grim expressions on their faces.

“Gather our wounded and our captives. We march now, to rid the Dominion of the Lightbringers and their schemes!” Iskaris’ voice rang out firm.

No more dragons filled the skies. Any still living must have fled with the death of Shonan and disappearance of Raolcan. I had no Pipe to call them back.

Where was Ahlskibi? Had someone killed him as he lay wounded on the ground?

Where was Raolcan? I needed him so badly and I couldn’t stop hoping ... couldn’t believe ... no! I would not give up hope for my dragon!

Magikas swarmed across their bridge as the last of the army trickled onto the road beyond and joined the others winding their way along the twisting path. I bit my lip as I watched Ifrits go where the Magikas sent, speeding across the landscape – clouds of dusty intent.

Iskaris adjusted his mask, wiping blood off his sword in the grass. He pointed to Shonan. “Someone toss this traitor into the river.”

My heart felt like it was tearing apart as they scooped Shonan up out of the grass, dragging him across the turf toward the river. The look on Leng’s face broke me. If I was despairing, he was hopeless.

This couldn’t be real.

Raolcan! Please, can you hear me? Please!

No thoughts came to me from Raolcan and I bit the inside of my cheek to try to keep from crying. He was not dead. I wouldn’t believe that.

My mind felt thick. It was hard to think. The landscape was even shifting colors as the golden beams that pierced the clouds only moments ago disappeared now as more clouds moved in. From their dark depths, the first swirl of icy snow began to fall.

There was a cry and I looked up to see one of the Silver Dragon Riders pointing to the land across the river. The bridge the Magikas had made faded away. On the road from the north, a swell of black figures stormed across the ground, finally reaching the river – just moments too late. Their foreign dress marked them as the armies of Baojang and their stony expressions were as grim as when they raced through the warrens unafraid of sudden death.

They were led by a wave of creatures hovering in a uniform block – Sentries. If I still had the Pipe I could call them to come.  They descended in an unsettling mass on a single Magika who had been forgotten or left for dead before the bridge was removed. He fell to the ground under the swarm and I looked quickly away. I knew how they killed their victims.

At the head of the army, three dragons flew: White, Gold, and Purple.

Jalla’s hand extended out as she pointed toward our hill, her bearing regal and her cold expression unconcerned about the sudden setback. Behind her, Renn rode awkwardly as if he no longer was the rider of his own dragon.

Would they come for us? Of course not. There was an army here and only a few dragons and Sentries who could cross without a bridge. Beside her, I saw Hubric gesturing toward us as if encouraging her to fly to our rescue anyway, but Rakturan slashed a hand through the air in negation. He would never allow her to risk herself – or the army – for the two of us. His bright gaze met mine across the field and I knew for certain that there would be no rescue.

All my hopes and plans were destroyed with my army. At least Hubric had survived it. I felt one last surge of gratitude toward Shonan as the guards Iskaris had sent with his remains hurled him over the side of the bank into the boiling river.

Like a Purple bolt of lightning, Kyrowat leapt after him, surging upward a moment later, further down the river. In Hubric’s arms, Shonan’s corpse lay like a sleeping child. He’d be buried and his grave marked. At least he would be given that honor. Heaviness descended on my heart as if I was the one being buried, as if I was the one with a heavy stone laid over me to mark the end. It felt as if it really was me about to be buried.

Chapter Eighteen

The Silver Rider mounted up, his body blocking my view as he strapped himself in.

“I’ve got you until we make camp,” he said gruffly. “No squirming. It makes Yarobet nervous. He doesn’t like this whistle of yours.”

“Who are you?” I asked. I was craning my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of Leng when the dragon he was tied to leapt into the air and I lost sight of it entirely.

“I’m Ralk Wheelspinner, Silver Dragon Rider and Guardian of the Dominar and the Dominion. Don’t mistake my civility for mercy. You deserve the punishment that all traitors to the throne deserve.” He said it so matter-of-factly as if it were obvious.

“What if I told you the man in that mask isn’t the Dominar?” I asked as Yarobet’s muscles beneath me bunched and then he launched into the air with a suddenness that knocked my breath out.

“I’d tell you that you’re a fool. The mask is the Dominar. And I’d tell you to save your treason for the Magikas. They’ll handle your imprisonment after tonight.”

“He stole that mask from the true Dominar. He was a guard – just like you – a dragoon. Until he ripped the crown off his master’s head and tried to kill him.”

“Tried?”

“I stopped him.”

He laughed. “That’s a good story. A girl who can barely walk stops a dragoon and yet somehow he still steals a kingdom. Keep telling that story and maybe someone will take pity on you for your insanity and spare your life.”

We climbed into the sky, the light snow swirling around us. Even my thick fur-lined cloak couldn’t keep the wind from making my hands and feet numb. It felt, almost, as if someone had torn the sky and snow was falling out.

My heart lurched when we plunged through the black clouds to the bright sky above them. Kyrowat was waiting there for us, as if he expected us. All around, Silver after Silver popped through the clouds, but he stayed there, steady and solid, a cranky look in his eyes, a grizzled rider on his back and in the rider’s arms the corpse of our hopes. They were stained with soot and sweat, but they still seemed untouchable. My eyes filled with tears as I caught Hubric’s red-rimmed gaze.

Yarobet reared, flaming a warning but Kyrowat held his place as Hubric signed rapidly to me.

Remember the prophecies.

He nodded briskly and then Kyrowat dropped back into the clouds and out of sight, leaving me a prisoner while he went to bury our friend. I tried to keep tears of despair from overwhelming me. What good were the prophecies now? That’s what Hubric spent his last word to me on? Tonight, when the Magikas had me, I would likely be tortured or killed and that was what he wanted to say? Not that he would save me, not that he would look for Raolcan, just to remember the prophecies?

We were at the end of the dream, at the broken edge of the bridge of hope. I’d been such a fool to think it could turn out any other way.

I’d been such a fool to believe in happy endings.

All of that was done. The only ending left was the one where they made me eat my hopes and dreams like a cannibal living on her own soul until the last bite took my life with it.

I didn’t sleep or dream, but I did fall into something other than alertness as we flew slowly south. Ralk flew circles around the army, but from my position tied to the saddle, it was hard to make out any clear sight of where we were or what we were doing.

The hours faded and the crisp cold of a Fall night descended.

Eventually, we were circling over dozens of tiny red flowers that multiplied new flowers every few minutes. Fires, my weary mind told me. The army is below us, lighting fires. The dragons circle to protect their Dominar below.

Protect him from what? There was nothing left to fight him with.

Protect him from you, my mind said.

I laughed aloud.

“Ready for landing?” Ralk asked, as if it mattered whether I responded, but the landing was gentler as if Yarobet was trying not to hurt me, and I realized as Ralk’s rough hands untied me that he was not intentionally harsh with me. He was just a man doing an unpleasant job, bringing a traitor to justice.

The internal part of me that watched the world from within must have broken in the fight because it was laughing now. Laughing at the men who served traitors thinking they were defending against traitors, laughing that Ralk was probably a good man with a good dragon and yet his good actions were destroying the last shred of good in the Dominion.

A deep voice startled him as he was finishing the job of pulling me down from Yarobet’s back. He shifted in an almost protective stance over me.

“That’s the girl you took prisoner? The Purple?”

“Yes, Dominar.” He saluted.

He took my arms and turned me to show me to the Dominar. Iskaris stood in a dark shadow behind one of the pavilions. Firelight reflected on his mask, and on the helms of the five dragoons clustered around him – but faintly and from afar. We were on the far end of a dragon picket. Likely, that pavilion was his, guarded and tended by dragoons.

“She had a pipe with her.”

Where had Iskaris heard of the Pipe? Did he realize what it did?

“Here, Dominar.”

In the faint light from a nearby fire, something glimmered in the dark as it changed hands. The Pipe of Wings. In the hands, now, of one of our worst enemies.

“Interesting. Take her to the Magikas and give them this pipe as well.” He handed back the object. “They are ready for her.”

Fear stabbed through me as Ralk saluted and then marched me through the darkness. He stayed slow enough for me to hobble in the dark on a crutch, but kept a hand pinched uncomfortably on my shoulder.

“Don’t risk your life in a fool’s move,” he murmured when I paused too long to catch my breath. “There’s no one on this side of the river who can help you now.”

As if triggered by his words, a vision flashed across my mind of Hubric and Rakturan carefully laying Shonan in a freshly dug hole. They climbed out, and Enkenay lay his mighty head down beside the hole and breathed into it. Shadows danced as the fire stream seemed to go on and on and on.

Ralk’s grip tightened. “Come on.”

I stumbled after him to the perimeter of a brightly colored orange silk tent. A pair of Magikas stood at the door, their ostentatious robes road worn and grimy. Around us were the sounds of tired soldiers pitching camp – eating, tired, tending wounded, tending horses, snoring.

“Special Delivery,” Ralk said, pushing me forward and shoving the Pipe into the hand of one of the Magikas.

I gasped as they opened the door of the pavilion, so I could stumble in.

Inside the tent, a dark figure in a cloak stood, back turned to me.

Chapter Nineteen

The pavilion was too opulent for something thrown together in a hurry. From the silk tent to the patterned rugs laid over the dirt of the floor to the folding chairs and tables, I couldn’t help but think that I hadn’t seen pack horses or wagon trains to carry this much stuff. There were even a chest and a large mirror on one side of the tent. Was it possible that someone had met the army coming from the other direction?

Tall candelabras stood around the pavilion, lighting the tent brightly despite nightfall and Magikas stood quietly around the perimeter. Their sharp eyes watched me as I stumbled into the tent, but none of them spoke or moved to intercept me. Were they busy connecting to the veins of magic in the earth underneath me? Or were they waiting for the dark figure to turn?

I swallowed. Leng was not here. I would have thought that if they were going to interrogate me, they would interrogate him, too.

“I’m not going to interrogate you,” the figure said, turning, finally, and lowering the hood of her cloak.

My mouth felt dry. Why was my good leg so weak? It felt as if it wouldn’t hold my weight and my arm holding my crutch trembled.

I fought to remain in control as Starie Atrelan ran her hands through her long red hair to push it out of her face. Her black blindfold was not comforting to me. Darkness still escaped around the edges of it and seemed to pierce right through the cloth so that I could feel the oily touch of it on my skin.

I cleared my throat and glanced around to where the Magikas shifted uncomfortably, their faces white and eyes wide.

“I came to rein in a troublesome gelding, only to find an old friend was here.” Starie smiled and I felt my own lips turning down in horror. Her smile was as wrong as a flower growing out of a corpse. “So, of course, I had to invite you to my tent.”

My mind was racing. A troublesome gelding? Did she mean Iskaris? Had she traveled north to bring him back to Dominion City? But why would she leave her armies behind?

“They are in competent hands,” she said.

Could she read my mind now?

Starie took a step forward, and the Magikas on either side flinched. She waved a hand, dismissively.

“I’ll send for you when I need you. Stay close.”

They scurried from the tent like mice from an opened box and I felt my jaw drop. Magikas – the most powerful people of the Dominion – scurried when Starie spoke?

“They fear me with good reason.”

She really could read my mind.

“You should practice better mental discipline. Your thoughts are not hard to read.” She gestured to one of the folding chairs. “Sit. Before you fall over. I don’t want you dead before your time.”

I sat carefully. Did she mean she didn’t want to harm me, or that she didn’t want to harm me yet?

“Yet. I have plans for you. Have you lost your voice? Or has fear made off with it?”

I cleared my throat as Starie sat regally in the folding chair opposite to me. Her smile had morphed into the grin of a cat playing with its food.

“I don’t fear you,” I said.

“Don’t lie to me.” But her words sounded like she was enjoying the lie. “I will know.”

“Why are you here?” I tried. After all, if I could get her talking, perhaps I could find a weakness.

“There are no weaknesses to find. But I am happy to talk. It’s why I called for you. Oh! And for one other thing.”

She snapped her fingers and a Magika ducked his head into the tent. Starie held out a hand, palm up, and he rushed forward, placed the Pipe of Wings in her hand and then bowed low before striding out. He walked with dignity, but even I noticed his steps were too quick. He was afraid.

“An interesting trinket,” Starie said, playing with the Pipe in her hands. She moved the lever from where it was set to butterflies. “And you called butterflies with it. Appropriate. You’re a butterfly kind of girl.”

I willed my mouth to stillness. I needed to keep my thoughts from thinking – Raolcan. I would think of Raolcan.

“Your dragon. Ah. Even the subconscious can betray you. Did you realize that?” Starie sounded so much older than she had before – she had grown up from the petty child whining for her own way.

Her head shot up from studying the Pipe to pin me with her hidden gaze. “Your friend Savette sees the light, doesn’t she?”

We both knew that.

“And I see the darkness,” Starie said. “Tell me, Amel, what is the night sky, but darkness? What is the universe, but deep, fathomless darkness? What is the ocean, the cavern, the heart and mind of man but endless darkness? When you stand in bright light it blinds you, but in the darkness, your eyes grow wider. You think that darkness has stunted me? What a joke! It has opened my eyes. I grow to fill the darkness, to fill the never-ending void. I am already greater than you think. Imagine what I shall become before the end.”

I shivered.

“Yes,” she said. “I see that you comprehend.”

She twisted the Pipe in her hands, but she wouldn’t be able to play it. At least I had that to comfort me. Jalla hadn’t been able to do anything with it no matter what she tried.

Only I could play the Pipe.

Starie laughed, lifted the Pipe to her lips and played three notes so crystal perfect that it was like she had been playing all her life.

Gnats swarmed into the tent, biting and filling my eyes, nose, and mouth. She played again, and they were gone, leaving me coughing and gasping for air.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like the world was going dark, and everything around me was being sapped of color. She couldn’t ... wouldn’t ...

“Don’t underestimate me.” Starie tucked the Pipe down the neck of her dress. “Anything you have, I can take.”

My heartbeat filled my ears, pounding, pounding, pounding until my head was swimming and my vision was dotted with bright, lightning-bug lights.

She had the Pipe.

She could control dragons.

It was all over.

“For you ... it is all over.” Her voice had a lull to it like a song for a child.

And then in the middle of my panic, a faint voice rang in my mind.

Amel?

Raolcan! He was alive.

Where are you?

I’m here! I’m here!

Read the rest of Amel’s story in Dragon School: Starie Night

Behind the Scenes:

USA Today bestselling author, Sarah K. L. Wilson loves spinning a yarn and if it paints a magical new world, twists something old into something reborn, or makes your heart pound with excitement ... all the better! Sarah hails from the rocky Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario -

learning patience and tenacity from the long months of icy cold - where she lives with her husband and two small boys. You might find her building fires in her woodstove and wishing she had a dragon handy to light them for her.

Sarah would like to thank Harold Trammel, Eugenia Kollia, and Sarah Brown for their incredible work in beta reading and proofreading this book. Without their big hearts and passion for stories, this book would not be the same.

Follow me on Amazon for new release alerts.

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Visit Sarah’s website for a complete list of available titles.

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Dragon School Reading Order:

Dragon School: First Flight

Dragon School: Initiate

Dragon School: The Dark Prince

Dragon School: The Ruby Isles

Dragon School: Sworn

Dragon School: Dusk Covenant

Dragon School: First Message

Dragon School: Warring Promises

Dragon School: Prince of Dragons

Dragon School: Dark Night

Dragon School: Bright Hopes

Dragon School: Mark of Loyalty

Dragon School: Dire Quest

Dragon School: Ancient Allies

Dragon School: Pipe of Wings

Dragon School: Dragon Piper

Dragon School: Dust of Death

Dragon School: Troubled War

Dragon School: Bitter Darkness

Find them all on their Amazon series page.

Why Novellas?

I love watching television series. I don’t really like movies, because they’re simply too short of a story arc for me. I prefer long, drawn out stories in smaller, bite-sized episodes. Dragon School is my book version of the television dramas that I love. I’m writing the type of series I want to read – long and rich but with short episodes I can read in a single evening. I hope that you’ll enjoy this format as much as I do. I am planning approximately twenty episodes (we’re almost there!) for the first season. The first season will be a complete, self-contained story.

There is a second season planned for 2019 that will continue in the same world and timeline with a new main character and dragon. Many of the beloved characters from Dragon School will pop in and out of the story, so you won’t miss them too badly. Stay tuned for Dragon School: Chameleon!

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Behind the Scenes: