“No, the newspapers said dead!”
“Your people aren’t that filled in on what’s happening,” Vorik observed as Agrevlari ripped the previously discussed sun-god figurehead off its mount and flung it to the deck before arrowing away, just avoiding two cannonballs blasting toward him.
“I may not be that filled in either,” Syla said.
Cannons boomed from her small fleet, and her aunt stood on the weapons platform, hands on the marble posts. Alarm quickened Vorik’s heartbeat. Unlike with cannonballs, a dragon couldn’tdodgethe awful magical projectiles that thing fired. The memory of the time Tibby had launched one of them at him surged into his mind.
“Turn back,” an officer on one of the enemy ships called. “Get us back under the shield!”
Agrevlari flapped his wings and gained altitude, allowing the vessels to change course. There was a smug sashay to his tail that reminded Vorik of the young orange dragon, Igliana.
The cannons stopped firing, and Vorik found it encouraging for Syla that her people weren’t all eager to kill her. If she could find and deal with the usurper, maybe she could reclaim the throne without starting a civil war.
Only two of the three ships made it back under the shield. The third, with gaping holes in the hull, listed to the side as it took on water.
Agrevlari could have finished it off, but he flew higher without guidance. Vorik gave him a pat, glad the dragon had gotten the gist of the mission. While his attacks hadn’t beengentle,he hadn’t carelessly killed people.
Good work,Vorik said.
My work is always excellent. I will head to the freight harbor that your mate desires us to scout.Agrevlari flew high enough to soar above the Castle Island shield as he turned inland.
“Thank you, Vorik and Agrevlari.” Syla loosened her grip enough to brush the side of Vorik’s neck with her fingers, then pat the dragon on the scales. “As soon as I’m able, I’ll reward you both.”
“With blackberry cobbler?” Vorik asked.
With horn-hog cobbler?Agrevlari asked.Wreylith has spoken of that creature’s sumptuousness and availability on your Castle Island.
“I think blackberry season is over,” Syla said, “and any recipes involving baking horn hogs would be forcasseroleor possiblypot pierather than cobbler, but I can find suitable food rewards for you both. It’s interesting that you’re motivated by the same desires.”
“We’re simple souls,” Vorik said.
As they flew over the center of the island, he spotted a wagon of Kingdom soldiers traveling along the main highway. Though they were too far away to represent a threat, they peered up at the dragon, not missing their passing. It might not be safe for Syla anywhere on her island. Her goals wouldn’t be easy to accomplish.
Vorik didn’t know how much help he could offer, but he would give it. With her arms still wrapped around him, it was easy to squeeze her hand, then let his fingers linger, offering support. With the warmth of her body and her soft curvespressed into his back, he thought of offering even more, but he was so numb from his brother’s passing and all the colleagues he’d lost that sex wasn’t prominent in his mind. Not that he hadn’t been able to rouse himself in the cabin of her ship the night before. He smiled at the memory.
When Agrevlari reached the northern coast, he flew west along it, away from the capital. They passed a couple of coves, and Syla murmured to herself and pointed to ones that didn’t have any ships anchored in them. They would be possible places for her small fleet to sail into long enough to let her disembark.
“There’s Lyvoran Freight Harbor.” Syla pointed between Agrevlari’s horns toward a town around a larger cove with a couple of docks. Numerous large ships were moored, but they were, as she’d mentioned earlier, cargo vessels. “And the two warships that Hixun correctly said would be there. But I don’t see any more of the fleet.”
“If you don’t want a confrontation of any sort, one of the empty coves would be a better place to put ashore.”
“Yes, but Aunt Tibby needs to visit the glassworks in Lyvor. And I think… I don’t think we’re going to anchor five ships anywhere around the island without them being swiftly discovered.”
Syla said more, but something in the distance caught Vorik’s attention, and he peered out across the Sea of Storms. A dark-gray dragon was flying parallel to the island with a rider on its back.
Can you tell who that is?Vorik asked Agrevlari.
They were too far in the distance for him to identify by sight, but dragons could sense and identify magical beings from farther away than eyes could see.
That is Lieutenant Wise riding Tonasketal.
Ah.Vorik didn’t ask Agrevlari to reach out to the other dragon. He’d been told to remain in the stormer camp, not visitBogberry Island, and certainly not descend into the mine, kill his brother, and help the Kingdom queen escape. Even though he would have to one day deal with his people and accept the responsibility for his choices, he dreaded that.
I now sense many stormer-allied dragons in the area,Agrevlari said.I believe your people are trying to figure out what happened at the Island of Bogs. From what I gathered, few escaped the chaos and reported back, and we dragons could never fly close to see details. Of course, we could see the sinkhole that the lake turned into from above the barrier, but even I do not know what happened underground.One of Agrevlari’s silver eyes turned back toward Vorik.
Nothing good, my friend. Nothing good.
Sooner or later, his people would figure out exactly what had happened. The chiefs might exile Vorik. Or… for taking down the leader of the Sixteen Talons, they might decide he should be killed. And Agrevlari, as he was well aware, couldn’t fly through the barriers around the Kingdom islands. There would be no protection for either of them if Vorik’s people decided to hunt him down.
