I have no way of knowing what Tynan disclosed over the two moon cycles I’ve been held. He hasn’t come to see me, and that gives me a tiny bit of hope that he’s not cooperating with my captors. If he were, they would have used him to aid their interrogations.
“After the guards dragged you from the field,” Treacher continues, “Tynan mounted his dragon and—” he leans forward “—you won’t believe this, butyourdragon, Surath, shealsotook flight. All on her own!” He shifts back, looking for my reaction.
I give him none.
“I tried to mount her.” Treacher whistles softly. “She nearly killed me in the process.”
I fight to hide the grin rising inside me. I would have loved to see Surath toss Treacher off her back, not to mention the look on everyone’s face when she took flight on her own.
“I broke my leg as it was, and that’s one reason it took so long to find you,” Treacher continues. “Tynan and Xendus fled that day, with your dragon following behind. Four dragon handlers bore witness to it, alongside me, or I would’ve kept that part to myself.”
He shakes his head. “Kaelus had ordered both dragons to be hobbled. Tynan barely got away in time.”
I shift in the chair, thankful that Xendus and Surath escaped that fate, and proud of Tynan for getting them away—assuming he had any part in the decision.
“No one knows where Tynan took the dragons.” He shakes his head. “I ordered a battalion of riders to follow him, but the fucking klericks overrode my orders.”
He leans forward again. “Can you imagine? Klericks issuing commands to dragon masters.”
I shake my head, yielding my first true indication that I’ve been hearing him speak.
“I suspect the klericks know where Tynan and the dragons went, but they haven’t told me. Doyouknow?” Leaning forward, Treacher lifts from his chair and whispers close to my ear. “They think all of this was your doing.Allof it. The klericks believe your magic allowed your dragon to fly without a rider. Is that true?” He leans back to look into my eyes, but I give him nothing.
“Saxon.” He swallows hard, and his apple of Othrix bobs sharply. “We’ve never been friends—I know that—but you need to defend yourself, man—and soon. They plan to kill you.”
CHAPTER 27
Zogar
Eldrath leads me to a door in an alley between two buildings.
I was shocked to learn that the entrance to the place below is left unguarded, but the gold I handed over gave me a code to a keypad that opens the door. Once used, the code will never work again, so unless I want to return to my hoard for a fourth time to gather more gold and gems, I must find and kill Gabreal today. After our first visit to my hoard, I discovered another way into that park, one that didn’t involve sprites or forging that river.
Eldrath hands me a dagger with an ornate stone handle, carved with unrecognizable symbols. The blade looks sharp but is a mere five finger widths long.
“This tiny weapon can slay a demon?”
“Certaindemons,” Eldrath replies. “Eachgenusof demon has a specific sword or dagger, bound to them.”
“And this dagger kills Gabreal.” I stash it against my hip.
The elven lord shakes his head.
I frown. “Then why did you give it to me?”
“For protection,” he replies. “Gabreal, if you find him, will be heavily guarded. And while that dagger won’t slayeverydemon you encounter, you can severely wound the most common types. It could give you a fighting chance to get back above ground alive.”
Doubt builds inside me again. Doubt that’s been worming in, since Eldrath first convinced me to leave Rosomon in our apartment and make this trip alone. But his stories of what I could encounter Below convinced me she’ll be safer up here.
Rosomon will be safe. I need to trust that. It took far more gold than I expected to purchase a suitable home for us, but the one I selected occupies the very top floor of what I am assured is the most secure building in the city. Eldrath recommended the agent—a gargoyle—who helped me make the acquisition, but it’s difficult to know whom to trust.
Not that I made that decision solely on trust. Our new home has a private elevator that leads directly into our apartment. I instructed the lobby guards—both Orcs—to block anyone from boarding the elevator except me. I paid them handsomely to ensure this, promising them even more gold when I return to find my wife safe.
Beyond that precaution, for anyone to use the elevator—even the orcs—Rosomon must let them in. On the off chance that someone gets past the guards, Rosomon will hear a bell, and will be able to see who’s requesting access, using something called a video screen. The elevator doors will only open if she pushes a button inside the apartment, and she won’t press that button for anyone but me. She was highly insulted when I asked her to swear to this.
In spite of my wife’s adventurous and spontaneous nature, she’s no fool, yet it feels unnatural—terrifying—to leave her behind. We’ve been exploring this city—and exploring each other—for ten days now and haven’t been parted for a moment.
Together, we’ve learned more about the advances here in the Darkness, I’ve shared more about my life and dragon culture, and she’s told me more about her life back in Achotia. Given all she’s said, I will require a great deal of self-restraint to refrain from killing her father when I meet him—not to mention Tynan’s grandfather, whom she was meant to marry.
