Wreylith didn’t comment, but a rumble reverberating through her body might have indicated agreement.
Fel grunted an acknowledgment. “Is Tibby going to be able to work on building a new shielder from the components you returned with? Even if that one is destined for Harvest Island, we could use it if some stormers manage to take down the one here. Plant it right in one of the palace towers and activate it.”
“Aunt Tibby is… working on another project right now.” Syla spotted the first wagons arriving at the mining buildings, troops unloading with a woman in a dress among them. Tibby. Several armed men accompanied her past a shallow bog and to the building with the lift cage inside. At least she was well protected.
“What project could be more important than fixing the shielder?” Fel asked.
Even though she trusted him fully, Syla was reluctant to explain the plan, as if voicing details might make it more likely to come to pass. “I think she needs the outside shell and components from the destroyed shielder back at the castle,” she said, though she had no idea if that was true. At the least, Tibby probably hadn’t brought along the magical tools she would need.
“We should send her on a ship heading back as soon as possible, then.” After a moment, Fel added, “There’s no reasonfor an engineer to be trapped in a war zone. Because of her moon-mark, she might be targeted.”
There was a reason, but Syla kept it to herself. Instead, she lightly asked, “Goodness, Fel, do you care about her fate?”
“She’s gruff, insulting, and thinks I’m a warmongering idiot.”
“So, you like that she challenges you.”
Fel’s grunt sounded like denial, but it wasn’t as vehement as Syla would have expected.
“I think you’re growing on her too. Maybe you two can go to a nice diner for a meal after this is all over.” Realizing there were numerous ways the war could end up beingover, Syla amended her words. “After we’ve driven out the stormers and secured the Kingdom.”
“If we succeed at doing that, I’ll go to a meal with anyone. Even your dragon.”
“Wreylith is a delightful dining companion.” Syla thought of the intestines that Wreylith had flung upon the stone wall.
Dragons do not seek to be delightful,Wreylith said.Certainly not in the eyes of puny humans. Hold. Others are speaking with me.
Wreylith flew around the lake, her presence making the fishermen look up. Even though they’d probably heard by now that the red dragon was an ally, and Wreylith’s flight was low enough that they would be able to see Syla on her back, the men skittered under cover.
Igliana and other Freeborn Faction-aligned dragons are informing me that many new dragons have entered the area.
Stormer dragons.
Yes. Some are alighting on the Island of Eliok. Others are approachingthisisland.
With riders that they intend to drop off so they can swim in and invade?
Perhaps, but there are also many ships in the sea—stormer ships—that are full of troops, and they are also approaching this island.
Full of troops means… what? Dozens of men? Hundreds?
At least. Igliana has counted twenty ships so far.
Syla grimaced, though it was what she’d expected would happen. “I guess they’re sending more than a team.”
Fel’s next grunt was one of inquiry.
“Wreylith says a lot of stormer ships and dragons are close.” Syla hadn’t seen any vessels in the waters near that cave, nor had it housed hundreds of men. Jhiton must have called for troops from all of their tribes to join in on this.
As Wreylith flapped her wings to carry them from the lake to the buildings again, Syla glimpsed someone in the trees. It had looked like a man rather than Lesva, but had those been black riding leathers the person had worn?
“I saw someone in the trees,” Fel said, but he pointed at least a hundred yards farther up the bank than where Syla had glimpsed someone.
“There may already be stormers on the island moving into the area.” Syla couldn’t see any ships anchored in the waters beyond the shield yet, but stormers had helped Lesva attack the palace—and Vorik attack the docked ships—so there were people here already. “We’d better go down and warn the military leaders that Oyenar sent on those wagons. We may have less time to prepare than we thought.”
When the road, railroad tracks, and buildings came into view again, the wagons she’d mentioned were already on their way back. Returning to the barracks in the city to fetch more troops most likely. Syla didn’t see any of the men left in the area. Had they all gone down into the mine with Tibby? Someone should have been placed on guard around the buildings, surely.
I sense them, Wreylith said.
