“I’ve betrayed my people as surely as Venia did,” she whispered, remembering her sister’s body on the floor of the shielder chamber under the castle. Venia’s betrayal had been inadvertent, a byproduct of falling for a stormer with a handsome face, but General Dolok hadn’t been sympathetic in the least. Because of Venia’s failing, he hadn’t given Syla a chance to prove herself. And now… when he heard about Syla’s blunder, he would know he’d been right.
What happened?Igliana asked.
I let the stormers give me a drug that loosened my tongue, and I told them where the Bogberry shielder can be found.
Youletthem? Were there not many, many of them? And you were alone?
Yes, I don’t think I could have escaped my fate, but…Syla wrestled with the knowledge that she hadn’t tried as hard to escape Vorik’s kidnapping as she could have, that she’d thought it might be a good idea to be swept off to the stormer cave. She looked down at the amphora. She’d accomplished what she’d hoped, but at what cost? With the components, Aunt Tibby might be able to repair the Harvest Island shielder, but the stormers were about to do their best to destroy another one.If it hadn’t been Vorik, I would have fought harder to escape.
You are not a dragon. You are not even a warrior among the two-legs.
I’m not completely helpless though.Syla couldn’t imagine using her power on Vorik, but if Jhiton had been in that kayak, dragging her out to sea, she wouldn’t have hesitated to use her magic on him. Or any other stormer, for that matter. Instead, because Vorik had been involved, she’d believed… She supposed she’d believed she could use their relationship to come out ahead. And hehadhelped her escape. But he’d also held her while the healer stabbed that needle into her. She sighed, as conflicted about him and their relationship as she’d ever been.I think the problem is that I tried to be clever so that I could redeem myself for past failings. I want to protect my people, Igliana, but I also want to be… worthy of the throne. Worthy enough that others won’t scheme and try to kill me to take it for themselves. Instead, I’ve put my people in greater danger than they were in before.
The stormers have not taken your artifact yet!
No, you’re right.Syla straightened her back. She would speak with her fleet commander and Lord Oyenar and whatever military leaders he could summon, and they would come up with a plan. It wasn’t as if the stormers could ride their dragons to the salt mine and use them to extract the shielder. For the time being, the barrier was up, so they would have to bring ships or swim to land themselves. Even if some of the stormers were enhanced by magic, they were still human.We’ll find a way to stop them,she said with determination.
Certainly. You can accomplish this.
Syla rested a hand on Igliana’s cool scales.You’re a good dragon. A very good ally.
Better than Wreylith?
Syla managed a smile at the youthful tone.You’re certainly more encouraging than she is.
Yes, very much so.Igliana sashayed again.
As they flew closer to Bogberry Island, Wreylith came into view, sunbeams gleaming on her brilliant red scales. Syla didn’t yet know for certain why Wreylith hadn’t been able to leave the island and watched to see if she, as Syla drew closer, would be able to soar through the barrier. Wreylith didn’t try. Once she was out over the coastline, she did the aerial equivalent of pacing back and forth and waiting for them.
You’ve finally returned to free me from this imprisonment!Wreylith boomed into Syla’s head.
Sorry my escape took longer than you would have liked. Were there not delicious bog bears here for you to hunt? And were you not comfortable knowing that no stormer dragons could reach and threaten you while you relaxed and swam in the many lakes?
No matter how vast the comforts of a cage, it still confines you. Dragons must fly free.
I understand the sentiment.
We are not bonded, so I cannot fly through the barrier.WhenIgliana reached the invisible shield, she flew alongside it, matching speed and altitude with Wreylith on the other side.Hold on to your items.
Syla frowned at the thought of another dousing in the ocean, but she had little choice.If you fly low and drop me, I can paddle over to?—
Igliana startled her by twisting her neck in the air, her fangs reaching for Syla. As friendly andencouragingas the orange dragon was, having that deadly maw lunge close was alarming, and Syla barely had the presence of mind to guess her intent and grab the amphora and grip the straps of her pack and medical kit. She’d no sooner clutched everything than Igliana picked her up and tossed her like one of Vorik’s juggling balls.
Fear almost made Syla scream as she soared through the barrier hundreds of feet in the air. Reminded that Wreylith wasless inclined to use her magic to guide a rider into place and keep her on, Syla struggled to arrange herself to land on the red dragon’s back without bouncing off. Even so, when she thumped onto her hard red scales, she lost her grip on the amphora as she tried to flatten a hand to Wreylith to use her magic as an anchor.
Surprisingly, power flowed from the red dragon, righting Syla and securing her in place. But the amphora tumbled toward the ocean.
“That’s a shielder component,” she blurted.
Wreylith dove after it, and Syla remembered the newspaper that the dragon had incinerated.
“I need that! Don’t toast it, please!”
Reaching the amphora scant feet before it would have disappeared into the water, Wreylith opened her jaws. Syla closed her eyes and winced, afraid she would hear the snapping of ceramic and watch the precious moss-bulb powder fly out to land on the waves. But with surprising gentleness, Wreylith caught the amphora in her jaws. Her belly skimmed the water as she spread her wings, then flapped them to regain altitude. Once she was high enough, her neck twisted, and her head came back, allowing Syla to take the amphora from her grip.
“Thank you, Wreylith.” Syla slumped in relief. If, after everything, she’d lost one of the rare shielder components, she didn’t think she could have faced Lord Oyenar or Aunt Tibby. The only thing that would make explaining the impending stormer incursion less difficult was that she’d at least achieved one small victory.
Igliana roared and somersaulted in apparent approval for Wreylith’s athletic maneuver.
