It occurred to her that Fograth, Relvin, and whoever else had been ordering the military officers around might be in the tunnels underneath it. Since the stormers had sneaked into them to attack the shieldertwice, the underground passages weren’t as much of a secret as they had been, but it was possible Dolok hadn’t thought to search them. He didn’t have a reason to look that hard for those who’d been pressuring him, did he?
ButSylahad a reason. She would find them, question them on where the moon-marked people had been taken, and then she would arrest them and officially take back the throne. If she was going to have a chance to stop the mad god, she would have to.
21
Vorik hadn’t beenas successful atrounding upallies as he’d hoped, and he and Agrevlari were flying toward the Kingdom islands by themselves. Oh, Chieftess Marvola and the others who’d remained in camp hadn’t opposed his desire to help, but their dragons, in particular, had been unwilling to engage in a fight with their ally dragons and the storm god. Not on behalf of the Kingdom. Marvola had given Vorik a pat on the shoulder before he’d left, saying they would be open to negotiations if the Kingdom survived the week, and had wished him luck.
“We’re going to need a lot more than luck, I’m afraid,” Vorik muttered while trying not to feel the situation was hopeless. And that Syla was in the middle of it.
Will you fight your brother again when we catch up to the others?Agrevlari asked.
Vorik sighed.I may not have a choice.
I believe his spirit is commingled with that of the storm god.
Yeah, I got that feeling too. Do you think hevoluntarilydid that?
If he was near death when the god reached out to him, he may not have had a choice.
Do you think there’s a chance that he would return to his normal self if we could drive the storm god out of this world?
One does not driveouta god,Agrevlari said.Even dragons do not have the power to do so. Humans certainly do not.
Syla will try to find a way. She’s determined.
I hope her determination will not result in Wreylith being killed while she is with eggs. That would be dreadful.
I agree, but if the storm god unleashes his fury on the world, I expect there’ll be a lot of death.
Likely so.Agrevlari didn’t point out that the deaths would more likely be human than dragon since his kind were the storm god’s creations.
Vorik was glad his ally was willing to take him to the battle and fight with him. As one of those creations himself, Agrevlari could have chosen to stay on Froha—or even to have answered the call that so many others had, to join forces andhelpthe storm god.
I would not have gone with them,Agrevlari said.
Because the storm god is mad and evil and not worth helping?
Because Ozlemar is leading the group, and he is peeved with me.
Vorik snorted.So that’s the main reason you’re not going to jump in.
I also would not desire to battle Wreylith, who will doubtless fight with your queen. She would mostcertainlynot allow me to name the male hatchlings if I came at her as an enemy again.
Are you sure? Wasn’t it after you attacked her and drew blood at Bogberry Island that she started talking to you again?
Hm.
Maybe Vorik shouldn’t have pointed that out. The long silence that followed thathmwas a little disquieting, and hepeered toward the horizon. The Kingdom islands weren’t yet in view, but did he see gray clouds in that direction? If they were the ones that had blanketed the Harvest Island volcano when he’d left, they had spread.
Two dragons have come within range of my senses.Maybe Agrevlari’s silence had been because he’d been trying to determine who else was out over the sea with them.They are flying to the east of us and heading in the same direction.
Have we caught up with a couple of stragglers from Ozlemar’s allies?
I do not believe so. Their route suggests they came from the north rather than the northwest, as we did. Is that not… the young dragon from the Freedom Faction? Igliana?
Vorik peered to the east but couldn’t yet see anyone else.
The other with her I also recognize,Agrevlari said.The green dragon, Venvarlorin, who is bonded with Chieftess Atilya.
