Flight of the Dragon Read online

  “Zara.” Salcombe’s voice pulled me back to the present. He indicated the wall with his bony forefinger. “Where should he strike?”

  I looked at the goon standing by the wall, holding a pickax in his meaty hands, and sent a silent apology up to the resident for what we were about to do. “Here,” I said, indicating a spot in the middle of the wall. “The box is just below this spot, so be careful.”

  The man swung the pickax, and the wall crunched as it caved in. Bits of dust and plaster clouded the air, and I was thankful for the cloth covering my face that shielded me from the worst of it. Waving our hands to dispel the debris, we waited until the cloud cleared before we approached.

  “Looks like some kind of chest,” Trolbos grunted. He took the pickax in his other hand and used it to widen the hole, then reached in and pulled out a wooden chest. It was the size of a small dog and secured with steel locks. Trolbos set it on a table, and Salcombe eagerly fished his lock picks out of his pocket.

  "Let's see what's in here," he murmured, his eyes gleaming. But his delight quickly soured—the moment he tried to insert the lock pick into the keyhole, the hole disappeared. He pulled the pick back, and the hole reappeared, then disappeared again when he tried to insert it once more.

  “Blast it,” he growled after the third try. “There is some kind of spell on the chest. We’ll need to take it back to the hotel so I can work on this properly.”

  We packed up and headed back to the inn, where Salcombe immediately set to work on breaking the box open. Sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace, he set the box on the low table in front of him and called for one of his henchmen to bring a leather satchel that turned out to contain several magical items and ingredients. While Salcombe wasn’t a mage, he often bought temporarily spelled items from mages that could be used in situations like these, to break open a resistant chest or vault, amongst other things.

  Settling on the couch across from him, I decided not to tell Salcombe I already knew what was in the box. Closing my eyes, I called up my mental image of the contents—a red leather-bound book, some jewelry, and a few trinkets. The magic on the box prevented me from seeing exactly what the trinkets were or what jewels were inside, but it didn’t matter—my treasure sense told me that the book was by far the most valuable object inside.

  "Aha!" Salcombe cried as the lock opened. It landed on the table with a heavy thud, and I sat up to peer into the box as he flipped the lid open. His eyes flickered with disappointment that there was no dragon heart inside, but open curiosity quickly replaced the look as he removed the leather book.

  “This is written in ancient Zallabarian,” he said, flipping through the pages. “A kind of diary.”

  “Hmm.” I made a noncommittal sound in the back of my throat, trying to seem disinterested, and picked up the dagger instead. If Salcombe thought I was interested in the book, he would immediately start to scour every inch of it, and I was hoping he wouldn’t look at it too closely. “This looks like one of those athames.”

  Salcombe looked up from the book and nodded. “Used in ritual ceremonies.” He took the jeweled blade and studied it for a moment, then handed it back to me. “You could probably fetch a pretty price for it in your shop.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You really think that after all this is over, I’m just going to go back to my shop and pick up where I left off?”

  “Of course not,” Salcombe said with a snort. “I was merely making conversation.”

  I rolled my eyes at him before examining the rest of the items—a small, magical mirror that showed only swirling colors on its silvered surface, a matching set of ruby and gold jewelry, and a purse full of old gold coins that would also fetch a nice price from the right collector. Salcombe gave these cursory glances, but to my dismay, he was far more interested in the book than anything else. He settled back into his chair and started to pore over it, hoping it would contain clues as to where to locate the other pieces of heart.

  Sighing, I settled back on the couch again and stretched my legs across the cushions. A servant came in with glasses of warm, honeyed milk, and I took the one she offered me. Salcombe wasn’t going to let me get my hands on that book until he was good and finished with it, so I took a deep drink and let the warm, sweet liquid flow down my throat. A drowsy feeling immediately swept over me, and I set it down on the side table, closing my eyes for a few minutes. Salcombe could wake me if he needed anything. After the day I’d had, I deserved a bit of shut-eye.

  7

  The sound of rotors spinning and wind rushing beyond the walls poked at my consciousness, pulling me out of a dead sleep. Groaning, I sat up and gritted my teeth. We were back on the airship again. A quick look out the window told me that we’d left Zallabar far behind, though the thick cloud coverage made it hard for me to see more than glimpses of the land below.

  “You drugged me,” I accused Salcombe, who was sitting on the bench seat across from me, still studying that blasted book.

  “Of course I did,” he said mildly. He turned the page, not bothering to spare me a glance. “You are far more manageable when you’re unconscious, after all. I don’t need to deal with your jabbering mouth or your tiresome objections.”

  I clenched my fists at my sides, wanting to tear into him. But there was no point in getting into a fight—clearly, I had no rights in Salcombe's eyes, and there was no use in trying to convince him otherwise. I would have to bide my time until I saw an opening to escape, and give him as few reasons as possible to lash out at me.

  “So,” I said after I’d counted to twenty and gotten my anger under control. “Have you found anything useful?”

  "The book belongs to a mage called Mariyah Von Mahler," Salcombe said, finally raising his head to look at me. The excitement sparkling in his eyes made my stomach pitch. "From the dates in the book, it seems as though it is only four hundred years old, which makes me think she wrote in ancient Zallabarian only to make it harder for someone else to decipher the diary. There is priceless magical lore in here that many mages would give their right arm to have, but what is most interesting is the mentions of something important entrusted to the Mahler family. She seems quite confident that this mysterious object is well-protected, and that no one will ever be able to find it."

  “You think it’s the dragon heart?” I asked, infusing my tone with a hint of skepticism.

  “There are several letters tucked in here that discuss the heart,” Salcombe said. “One of them speaks of a family member that emigrated to Traggar, and possibly took the heart with him. There is even mention of a family name that is remarkably similar to the name of one of the original mages who broke the heart into pieces.” His eyes sharpened. “Why? Do you have reason to think any of this information is incorrect?”

  I lifted my left shoulder in a shrug, refusing to betray the knot of nerves in my chest. "I guess there's no way to know until you look into it some more, but it's not going to be easy. After all, Mahler's right, isn't she? We didn't find the piece of heart even though we were likely on her property."

  Salcombe’s eyes darkened. “Indeed,” he said softly, and gestured to his men. They immediately yanked me out of my seat, holding my arms out to the sides.

  “What are you doing?” I screamed, thrashing against them, but it was no use. They were extraordinarily strong, and they barely seemed to notice my glancing blows. Terror roiled in my gut as Salcombe rose from his chair, a needle in his hand.

  “We are going to find out if you’ve been telling the truth.”

  He pricked the crook of my elbow with the needle, and I hissed. At first, I felt nothing but that tiny bit of pain, but a rush of giddiness quickly followed that, and I giggled as the drug hit my system. My head was crystal clear and my body felt relaxed, like I could sink back into the arms of the men who held me and let them carry me wherever they wanted. I trusted them. They were my friends. I could tell them anything.

  “Set her back down,” Salcombe said, and the men retu
rned me to my seat. I stretched my arms across the back and grinned at Salcombe, happy to see him. But my heart plummeted into my stomach at the scowl on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, my insides twisting with anxiety. “Have I done something to upset you?” Salcombe was my oldest friend—I didn’t want to make him mad. I wanted him to like me!

  The angry look melted from Salcombe’s face, and a wave of relief swept through me. “I’m not angry,” he said, his face settling into a mask of indifference. It wasn’t a smile, but that was okay—he usually looked like that anyway. “And I won’t get angry with you, as long as you answer my questions truthfully.”

  “Of course!” An alarm bell went off in my head, but I immediately pushed it away. There was nothing to be afraid of. I was amongst friends. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  “Very good.” Salcombe smiled, and I wanted to cheer. “Think back to yesterday, when we visited that old woman’s townhouse. Did you sense any valuables on the premises?”

  "Oh yes," I gushed, more than happy to answer. "She had lots of great stuff. There were some valuable paintings on the walls, and—"

  Salcombe waved his hand, interrupting me. “The piece of heart, Zara. Did you sense it on the premises?”

  “Oh no.” My eyes widened. “I would have started with that. The pieces of the dragon god’s heart sound very loud in my head—there’s no way I would have missed it. I can usually sense anything if it’s within a mile radius.”

  “Interesting.” Salcombe raised his eyebrows, looking both surprised and impressed. “Have you always been able to do that?”

  I shook my head. “Bonding with Lessie enhanced my treasure-sensing ability,” I told him, “and Lord Tavarian helped me learn how to use it better.” A pang of longing hit me as I remembered my dragon and my new mentor, and my skin crawled with an uncomfortable sensation. “I miss Lessie,” I said with a sniff.

  “You’ll be reunited with her very soon,” Salcombe said in a soothing voice.

  I opened my mouth to ask how when something slammed into the side of the airship. My head rang as Salcombe and I smashed into the opposite wall, and panic sliced through me at the sight of a cut blooming on Salcombe’s cheek.

  “Are you all right?” I cried, lurching to my feet.

  “Zara!” Lessie’s voice cut through the mess of swirling emotions in my head, and I froze. “Get to one of the starboard windows!”

  Before I could even think to respond, something smashed into the right side of the ship. I flew into the left wall, and my mouth dropped open as a large shape moved away from the side of the ship that had been hit. It was Kadryn. And on top of him…

  “Jallis?” I cried.

  "Get her!" Salcombe shrieked, his face purpling with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at me, his eyes wild, and terror gripped my throat as two of his men lunged at me. The serum Salcombe had pumped into me was wearing off fast, and I was starting to realize just how much trouble I was in. The ship was beginning to sink, dipping and leveling out at irregular intervals, making it hard to stand. Had one of the dragons punctured the air balloon?

  I raised my hands to defend myself, but Jallis and Kadryn slammed into the ship again, knocking us all off our feet. As I struggled to get up, Lessie slammed her claws through one of the windows, spraying shards of glass everywhere.

  “COME ON!”

  Heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet and launched myself through the window. The bits of jagged glass cut my hands, but I barely noticed as I leaped into the air and onto Lessie's waiting back. Roaring, she thrashed her tail, slamming it into the side of the ship again just as Jallis and Kadryn dove. The airship spun to the side, plumes of black smoke marring the clear sky, and I held on tight as Lessie propelled us in the opposite direction with a mighty flap of her wings.

  “Are you all right?” Jallis yelled, his dragon coming close so he could be heard over the wind. “You look a little out of it!”

  “Did Salcombe hurt you?” Rhia, who I hadn’t seen before, demanded. She flanked my other side as we watched the airship go down, descending in fits and starts. The pilot seemed to have enough control over the ship that he’d be able to land it with minimal damage, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It would be so much easier if Salcombe died in a crash, and yet…

  “Zara?” Jallis said, sounding concerned. “Are you okay? Are you coherent enough to fly?” He reached out a hand, ready to pull me onto Kadryn’s back so I could fly with him, as I’d done so many times in the past.

  I shook my head, trying to clear some of the fog from my brain. “I’m fine,” I shouted back. “Salcombe was interrogating me with a truth serum, but it seems to have mostly worn off.” My head was starting to pound, the giddiness and sense of relaxation long gone. “What are you guys doing here?” Weren’t they supposed to be at the academy? Dragon’s Table was a long way from…well, wherever we were.

  “We are still in Zallabarian territory,” Lessie told me. “Which is quite unfortunate, since this country seems to hate dragons. We’ll need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

  “Lessie told Kadryn you were in danger,” Jallis told me, “and the two of us came as quickly as we could. But let’s talk once we’re back on the ground.”

  The three of us fell silent, and Kadryn and Ykos moved away, giving themselves and Lessie room to maneuver properly. “Kadryn says that Jallis wants us to head for that hilltop,” Lessie said, using her muzzle to indicate a tall, grass-covered mound less than a mile away.

  “Let’s do it,” I agreed.

  The three of us headed for the hill, and I leaned against Lessie, enjoying the smooth feel of her hide against my cheek. “I’m so glad you came for me,” I said. “I’m guessing you managed to make it past the tops of the cliffs?”

  “I did.” I felt a surge of pride in the bond. “First try, too. I told you Tavarian was worrying for nothing.”

  A giant grin spread across my face, and for the first time since I left Tavarian’s secret estate, the gnawing anxiety that had plagued me finally removed its teeth from me. “I missed you,” I told her.

  “Missed you, too.”

  We landed on top of the hill, which was wide enough to accommodate all three dragons, and yet small enough that we were still shielded by the hills and mountains that rose up all around us. Judging by the landscape, I guessed we were not far from the Elantian border.

  Now that we were on the ground and didn’t have to shout at each other, I told Jallis, Rhia, and Lessie about how Salcombe had kidnapped me, and what he wanted. “Luckily, we didn’t actually find any pieces of heart,” I told them, “but he still has those locks of my hair and can use them to track me down whenever he wants. He’ll be coming for me again.”

  Lessie hissed at that, and Ykos and Kadryn let out low growls, echoing Lessie’s sentiments perfectly. “I’d say that we ought to go after him and kill him once and for all, but I’m not sure that’s wise,” Jallis said, the corners of his mouth tightening with concern as he looked toward where Salcombe’s airship had fallen. “We snuck out of the academy to get to you, which is bad enough as it is. If we end up causing an international incident when we’re already on the brink of war, we’ll be severely punished.”

  “And if Salcombe ends up resurrecting the dragon god, we’ll all be dead,” Rhia pointed out. “We can’t just stand around and do nothing.”

  I bit my lip, conflicted. On the one hand, I didn’t want to risk Rhia’s and Jallis’s lives, especially when they’d already put their lives and careers on the line just by coming out to rescue me. But on the other hand, Salcombe still had that book…

  “You guys should return to the academy,” I told Jallis and Rhia. “Now that I’ve got Lessie back, I should be fine on my own. Salcombe and I recently uncovered a book that has clues to the location of one of the pieces of heart. I have to get it back if I can, but there’s no need for you to put yourselves in danger. You’ve already done the most important pa
rt—setting me free.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Rhia snorted. “What kind of friends would we be if we let you run off into danger by yourself? Of course we’re coming with you.”

  “Rhia’s right,” Jallis said. “If you’re going to do this, you shouldn’t do it alone, and if you think getting that book back will stop Salcombe from finding another piece of the dragon god’s heart, we should definitely do it. But if we’re going to go after Salcombe, we should do it now, while the crew is still hurt and demoralized.”

  I nodded. “Salcombe is way too resourceful and clever to sit around long. We’ll go after him now, but we’ll have to be careful and make sure he doesn’t see us coming.”

  “We should probably leave the dragons behind, then,” Rhia said ruefully. Ykos let out a rumble of protest, but she patted his neck. “Sorry, buddy, but your stealth skills are useless on the ground.”

  “Not to mention that if any Zallabarians see our dragons, we’re toast,” Jallis said darkly. “Regardless of what happens, we need to be out of here in the next couple of hours. If the Zallabarians see dragons on their side of the border, they’ll take that as a declaration of war, and then all bets will be off. In fact, we can’t be sure they didn’t already see us when we took that airship out.”

  I shuddered at the idea of being the ones responsible for setting off Zallabar while Tavarian was still trying to negotiate with Quoronis. I would never forgive myself if I put him in any danger, and the council wouldn’t either. In fact, they’d probably roast us all.

  Jallis and Rhia stripped off their dragon rider armor, and together, the three of us headed down the hill and into the nearby valley. We’d flown over a town nestled in the valley and hoped we might figure out where Salcombe and his crew had gone. No doubt, he would have headed for the nearest town to restock on supplies and nurse any wounds they had.