Dragon.
“This isblasphemy,” Aesira whispered through gritted teeth. “If Stone thinks Desmond has gone looking for”—she pointed to the last word—“Desmond would be considered acriminaland if you think the scroll you saw this morning was treasonous, this would be worse by ten. A hundred, even.”
Aesira ran a hand down her face and shook her head. “He would be viewed as a betrayer of Celestria, Kam. If he believes dragons to exist, he would defy the very religion his throne is built upon.” Aesira was talking too fast, her face burning red. She paced the room, the click of her boots and grinding of her armor filling thespace. “Dragons,” she whispered, “are unspoken for a reason. They directly challenge Celestria.”
“I know,” Kamari said.
“Of all the beasts in the west…” She shook her head again. “Desmond wouldn’t be welcomed back and if he managed to he would be—”
“I know.” Kamari folded the paper again, placing it back in her dress pocket.
“If we acknowledge this, we may be tried as well.” Aesira bit her bottom lip. If Desmond truly believed dragons to be real, his mind was far worse than Kamari let on.
“I won’t make you go,” Kamari said. “I won’t risk your life for the sake of another’s. I know you don’t trust Stone, but he’s my only chance.”
“No,” Aesira cut her off. “I’m going. I made you a promise and I plan to keep it, I just want you to realize the risks. Belief in”— she mouthed the worddragons—“is not just a crime in Vargah, but Novaria too.”
“I know,” Kamari said again. But did she know? Did she see how severe the consequences of betraying Celestria would be? The goddess blessed their kingdoms. Provided what they needed to sustain life in the barren desert. She was fickle, however. Nothing would compete with her power and anything remotely close would be abolished. Cursed. No gods or deities. No beasts with wings.
Celestria was All and they would worship as such to gain her privileges. Like theastrathat kept Vargah running and in turn, Novaria and smaller dwellings like the Outpost. She blessed them with water that staved their thirst and kept them alive.
“They’re bringers of despair,” Aesira said. “I don’t know why he’d wish to find such things.”
Kamari glanced out the window, her eyes distant and shoulders slumped. “It seems despair has found us either way.”
Five
Aesira
The Phoenix was raucous as usual as Aesira and two of her knights squeezed through the crowded tavern to find a spot at the bar.
“Any luck with the headliner?” Aesira snatched a pint from behind the counter and slid it to Nev, her second in command. Finally, the three of them had a night off, the first in weeks, and the promise of indulging in a foamy point had driven her through the last of her rounds at the wall.
Nev took a sip of the foamy ale, licking it clean from her lips. “Some young shit trying to make a name for himself. I shut him up,” she said. “I’d tell her Majesty not to worry.”
Aesira snorted and took a sip of the sour ale. “If only you knew my sister.”
Nora waved down the barkeep and ordered another round before she’d even taken a sip of her first drink. Aesira and Nev shot her a look and she smiled, crinkling her freckled nose. “What?” She shrugged. “If I’m being assigned to a perilous quest across the least charted land in the country, why shouldn’t I enjoy my last night off? It’s not like the Order will know.”
Nev tossed a broken piece of cracker at her twin before returning to her drink. Between the two, Aesira had chosen to take Nora with her, leaving Nev here to look after Kamari. She didn’t trust Lord Raffe for a second and if she couldn’t keep an eye on him herself, Nev was her next best option.
“And if the General finds out you two have left your station?” Nev asked, pulling her red hair back into a tight bun.
Aesira hid her flinch at the mention of the General, the Order’s highest ranking officer. Her direct superior. The small wounds that lined her neck and arms ached, the memories of what she’d endured at the hand of the woman who was meant to be her savior rising to the surface. “She won’t find out, we’ll be back before our official orders are up.”
“When do we leave?” Nora asked.
Aesira took a sip of her drink, steadying her nerves and numbing the phantom pains in her arms and neck. “Just as soon as that smuggler fixes the ship.”
“Stone,” a voice came from behind them. Aesira let out a long sigh before Stone leaned between her and Nora, sliding a few coins on the bar top. “My name is Stone, we’ve gone over this, Commander.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “I’m wounded you don’t remember.” He turned his focus to Nora. “Forgive me for the reach, I just need to pay my tab.”
“How civil of you,” Aesira mused. “Wouldn’t peg you as the kind of man to make sure his dues are paid.”
“Oh?” Stone crossed his arms across his broad chest. “And what kind of man do you peg me for?”
Nora coughed into her drink, concealing a laugh. Aesira stood, abandoning her half-drunk ale on the bar. “You think you’re clever,” she said, “but clever men don’t get caught. And if my math is right–” She held up one, two, three fingers and smiled. “You were caught three times smuggling durgi from the Outpost to both Novaria and Vargah.”
Stone’s smile widened, his hands raising in defeat. “That’s fair,” he said. “I did get caught.” He stepped closer, invading her space. Grease and oil still stained his shirt. He pushed his glasses up and Aesira’s eyes snagged on a pointed star inked to the side of his neck. “I also got out,” he said. “I’m a free man now, Commander. As much as I’m sure that disappoints you.”
