I’ll be returning to Khotor as a dragon rider, and that thought fills me with powerful pride and a thirst to punish my grandfather and father for all the things they did to me. Whenwe arrive, we should circle my grandfather’s castle a few times, spread some fire around, scare the breeches off everyone. And after that I’ll land in the courtyard—assuming Xendus will fit in there.
And what of Surath?Xendus asks.How does she fit into your little show of dominance?
I shrug. “Okay, so after we circle a few times, we land in the fields outside the castle.” The idea of landing inside the grounds was only a fantasy.
Tynan, that’s not what I meant.Xendus uses my name for the first time.You’re not thinking this through. Surath can’t be seen in flight, not without a rider. Surath and I must be in our true forms, when you have your family reunion.
“You’re right.” I shake my head. I’ll find a way to demonstrate my riding skills at some time in the future.
Skills.Xendus chuckles.You are hilarious.
I frown. It’s become clear that the single biggest skill involved in riding a dragon is the bravery to attempt a mounting. That and slaying demons.
Not demons.
“Yes, yes. I know.”
Surath suggests we land far from your castle,he says.We must ensure no one sees us in the sky.
“But—” We need to cross both Verax and Achotia before reaching Khotor. I can’t guarantee that no one will see us.
We’ll remain in these mountains until the sun sets. Then travel the rest of the distance under the cover of night.
“Flying at night? Isn’t that dangerous?”
Xendus laughs.
“Okay, okay. I assume you can see in the dark?” And me, by extension, perhaps.
We could see well in Lymbo, could we not?
“But there wassomelight in that horrid grey place.” I realize that, given I was either atop Xendus’s back, or viewing Zogar’s illusions the whole time, I have no way of knowing how Lymbo might look to my naked eye.
Yes, Lymbo has some light,Xendus says.And here, your moon casts more than enough light for Surath and me to avoid crashing into the side of a mountain.
I nod. My mind’s already running new scenarios for our arrival in Khotor. And even though I know Xendus can hear the chatter in my head, I tell him my decision. “I know where we should land. It’s more than two day’s walk to the castle, but it’s remote, and it’s unlikely anyone will see us in the air.”
Good, Xendus says.We’ll circle through these mountains until night falls.
CHAPTER 9
Saxon
The shackles dig into my ankles as the guards force me to my knees, and the blindfold is pulled off me. We’re in the chapel, next to a small door I’ve never noticed before. It’s normally hidden behind a screen with a vivid image of Othrix carved into it.
Kaelus, my old nemesis, gloats over me. His red robes seem even brighter and more ornate now, and they’re adorned by the crest of Khotor.
Something has profoundly changed while we were gone.
No klerick wears the crest of a kingdom. Klericks answer only to Othrix. This is the law, although we all know that the klericks in each kingdom, especially each kingdom’s Head Klerick, often follows the will of their King, even if they’d ultimately yield to the Prime Klerick if ever forced to choose an allegiance.
“I knew you had Darkness.” A malicious grin spreads over Kaelus’s wrinkled face. “I should have locked you up the day you arrived here at camp.”
I cast my gaze down, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of any hint of pain in my eyes. Now that my magic has fully woken, I feel Darkness crackling around the old klerick, and anger builds inside me at the hypocrisy of his accusation. Does Kaelus even know how much Darkness he holds buried inside him?
“You are accused of blasphemy,” he says. His voice is stronger now and clearly meant to be heard by far more people than just me. “Saxon, you stand accused of hiding Darkness. Of wielding magic borne of that Darkness. And you are accused of maiming a dragon. All these are high crimes against the Tenets of Othrix.” He slams his staff against the stone floor. “How do you plead?”
I keep my gaze down, my mouth shut. Of all these accusations, the most absurd is maiming a dragon. The dragon handlers did that. I only changed which dragon they maimed. But that’s the least of my crimes, and I refuse to cooperate with this farce.
