The Dragon's War Read online

  “And what’s that?”

  “Those restraints that were on my mother.”

  Raine’s expression grew grim. “Ah, yes. The gift from the Goddess.”

  Idonea leaned close and grasped Raine’s arm, emphasizing the weight of her concern. “First off, they were mere filaments, strands, little more than a bracelet. If they had been any larger, I’m not sure I could have broken them.”

  Raine sighed heavily. “And it’s certain Hel is working on something larger.”

  “More importantly,” Idonea said, “there was some dark magic in them, but very little. They were made of something else, and their power was not magical in origin.”

  “So it’s not likely I could disenchant them,” Raine said. She leaned on the marble railing of the walkway, staring at nothing. “The gods have a power all their own. Hel can immobilize me, but it’s as if she saps my will. It’s not magic.”

  “Perhaps it’s something similar, then,” Idonea said.

  “Perhaps.” A muscle worked in Raine’s jaw as she wrestled with demons that Idonea could only imagine.

  Raine sighed again and pushed away from the railing. “Then we just have to make sure the restraints stay off your mother.”

  The two started walking, attracting many admiring looks from the Royal Guard they passed. The fair-haired Scinterian and the dark-haired mage were a study in gorgeous contrast. Raine was unaware of the scrutiny, still mulling over the restraints, but Idonea cast many flirtatious glances along their path. It was not long before they reached the Scholar’s wing.

  Gimle was waiting for them in her annex, and they had no sooner arrived than Skye rushed in with Kara and Runa.

  “I hope you don’t mind my presence,” Runa said, bowing to the First Scholar. “I have no magical skill of my own, but there is a young woman in my cohort, fresh from the Academy, who has shown some promise. I would like to help her.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Gimle said warmly. The Ha’kan were not naturally skilled at magic and most had no ability whatsoever. Gimle was a rare exception and acted not only as the First Scholar, but as the Queen’s battle mage. Kara, her successor, had no penchant for magic, so Skye’s unexpected ability was considered a gift from the gods, for it was assumed she would act as Dallan’s battle mage. “You are most welcome.”

  All settled into the cushioned, circular seating area.

  “Now Skye,” Idonea began. “I want you to tell me about the invisibility spell, and more importantly, about its second half.”

  “Okay,” Skye said, thinking back to the events with the sorceress. “Right after you had to leave, Ingrid turned on us. I knew we didn’t have a chance, so I pulled everyone close and made us invisible.”

  “An illusion spell?” Runa asked with interest.

  “No,” Gimle answered. “I’ve seen Skye do this before and I’m highly resistant to illusion magic. It’s not done by influencing the mind. It’s pure light magic.”

  “We couldn’t be seen,” Skye explained, “but we could be heard, and we could be hurt. Here, watch.”

  And without hesitation, Skye cast the spell upon herself and disappeared. Runa stared in astonishment, then jumped when Skye’s voice came from where she was still seated.

  “I’m still here, you can touch me.”

  Tentatively, Runa reached out and felt the area where Skye had been. Her hand brushed what felt like an arm, and she grasped it in wonder.

  Skye reappeared. “So that is the first half of the invisibility spell.”

  “You used to use visualization to cast spells,” Idonea said. “It didn’t look like you needed it just then.”

  Skye was thoughtful. “No, you’re right. I used to imagine hiding in the forest, but now I just feel a surge of emotion.”

  Idonea nodded her understanding. “Good, that’s a major advancement. Now what happened next with the sorceress?”

  “We put some distance between her and us, because she began flinging fire and ice around. Then she opened a portal and Reaper Shards came through when she left.”

  All paled at the mention of the monstrosities, all except Raine and Idonea, who merely grew grim because they had killed more than their fair share of the foul creatures.

  “We were trapped and they could sense us. They came right for us. When they were almost upon us, Dallan remembered that Isleif had given her a message, the word ‘ephemeral.’”

  Idonea leaned forward. “And then what happened?”

  Skye’s gaze was distant, her eyes on a battlefield of a ruined garden. “When she spoke the word, I heard Isleif’s voice, and I knew instantly what to do. The words just came to me in my head, in a language I don’t even think I know.”

  “Can you remember the words?” Raine asked.

  The words came out slowly, primeval and arcane. Gimle cocked her head to one side. She was fluent in multiple languages, but this one was not familiar. “It sounds elvish, but I don’t recognize any of the words.”

  Idonea looked to the only one who would, and Raine nodded.

  “It’s the Ancient tongue, an elven language almost forgotten even by the elves themselves.”

  “But you speak it,” Runa said in admiration.

  “I am goddaughter to Y’arren,” Raine explained, “the matriarch of the wood elves. She taught me years ago.” Raine turned the attention back to Skye. “So you were able to grasp this spell from one word and repeat it in a nearly dead language you don’t even know.”

  Skye furrowed her brow. “It sounds very hard when you put it that way. It was more like I just understood. The Reaper Shards were almost on us, I drew everyone close and made us ephemeral.”

  “What is the difference between invisible and ephemeral?” Kara asked.

  “Let me show you,” Skye said, and again effortlessly cast an impossible spell.

  The Tavinter disappeared, and Kara reached forward to touch her. But this time, her hand simply passed through the space where Skye had been. When she sat back, Skye reappeared exactly where Kara’s hand had just been.

  “You need to be a little careful with that,” Raine cautioned, “if you had reappeared when Kara’s hand was still there, that could have been a problem.”

  “I thought about that when we were running through the forest,” Skye said. “We were running right through trees, and if I had lost control of the spell, that could have been a disaster.”

  “So you were able to add the rest of your band, almost thirty people total, to your ephemeral spell, while you were running through the forest?” Idonea asked.

  “I got tired very quickly,” Skye confessed, “and Rika had to carry me.”

  Raine suppressed a grin. Skye was confessing to a nonexistent weakness, for it was likely she was the only one who could cast such a spell, let alone do so while fleeing from a horde of Hyr’rok’kin.

  “Did you have to touch the other members of your band to add them to the spell?”

  This had not occurred to Skye before. “No,” she said in surprise, “I didn’t. We were running right for them and there was no time.”

  “Excellent,” Idonea said, enormously pleased. “That is another major advancement. All of your crutches are being removed and you’re moving toward an expression of pure magic.”

  Skye contemplated this milestone. “So I don’t need to physically connect with someone to include them in my spell.”

  “Apparently not,” Idonea said. “Cast the invisibility spell on everyone here.”

  Skye did so, and everyone but Raine disappeared.

  “And of course, nothing works on our Scinterian,” Idonea’s voice said. “Skye, now cast the ephemeral spell.”

  To Raine’s vantage point, nothing changed. But no one was speaking and the room was silent and still. Out of curiosity, she reached to her right and left and made both Idonea and Gimle reappear. And when she reached out and touched Skye, everyone reappeared.

  “That’s amazing,” Skye said, speaking of Raine’s ability and not he
r own.

  “It is extraordinary, is it not?” Idonea said, knowing exactly what Skye was talking about. She had more than once experienced it herself. “So much magic and power, then suddenly, it’s just gone.”

  Raine chuckled. “Believe it or not, I once took that ability for granted. When I was young and training with the last of the Scinterians, it seemed little more than a novelty. It would not stop a sword or an arrow, or even a punch to the face. It felt almost useless. But after three centuries, I can say it is the greatest gift that I have.”

  Raine left Skye to Idonea’s tutelage and thought to roam about the nearby countryside. It was unlikely that Talan or Kylan had left any Hyr’rok’kin for her, but she could find some game if nothing else. Although she could have found numerous companions to accompany her, Raine decided a little solitude would do her good. She quietly informed the guards at the south gate of her intention, then slipped away soundlessly into the forest.

  After trudging for some time without finding any game, Raine admitted to herself she wasn’t really looking. Her bow was still folded at her belt, the arrows were still quivered, and the swords were still sheathed. She walked noiselessly, but not with the stealth required to hunt. A rustle of leaves in the brush next to her caught her attention, and she spoke to the interloper.

  “Come on out.”

  A young wolf crawled from the underbrush, got to his feet, and shook the leaves from his coat. He trotted over to her, then fell into stride next to her. Raine welcomed his company.

  “I thought I was going to hunt,” Raine said, “but I guess I’m not in the mood.”

  The wolf was content just to lope at her side, and Raine again fell into silence. Her mood at the moment was contemplative, even a little gloomy, something that would have been evident to those around her, and she did not want her temperament to influence them. It was crucial that she appear as confident and cheerful as always.

  But although she still felt confident, Raine was hardly cheerful. She felt an oppression, a great pressure, a darkness looming on the horizon like a deadly storm. It was the hand of fate that was coming down to crush her, or worse, pluck her up and carry her away.

  Raine shook her head to clear it. “I need to stop thinking like that.”

  The wolf glanced up at her quizzically, but continued to lope along. He stopped when Raine stopped, and although he did not sense what she sensed, he sat down on his haunches patiently.

  “What is this?” she murmured.

  It felt familiar, something she had met once before. She cocked her head to one side and now she could hear it. The low rumbling breath of something very large. The wolf, too, could hear it, and the hair on the back of his neck raised ever-so-slightly. He was not fearful, just wary, and he stood up and stepped forward when Raine did.

  Raine pushed through the trees toward the low rumbling, and it grew louder as she neared. She could see the creature through the tangle of branches, the opal-white scales that glowed. She stepped into the clearing, and the deep blue eyes of the white dragon assessed her at length. They slid to her wolf companion.

  “Fenrir’s children adore you,” the dragon said, “but he cannot help you.”

  “I know that,” Raine said calmly. “Can you?”

  The dragon was expressionless and her tone was impartial. “I cannot.”

  “Then why are you here?” Raine demanded.

  “To convince you to run. You and your dragon lover could find a place to hide.”

  “Run away? And abandon the people of Arianthem to the Hyr’rok’kin?”

  “They will abandon you.”

  The words were chillingly matter-of-fact.

  “I don’t believe that,” Raine said, “and even if it’s true, I don’t care. I won’t let the weakness of others dictate my path. I will make my own destiny.”

  The dragon’s nostrils flared slightly as she took a deep breath. “Do you even know your destiny, the fourth line of the prophecy?”

  “No,” Raine said angrily, “and I don’t care. It won’t make any difference.”

  “And that is where you’re wrong, Scinterian.” For the first time, the dragon displayed emotion, and it was sadness mixed with regret. “I can assure you that Hel knows the final line.”

  Raine stood silently, seething at the dragon’s words. “And why would Hel be interested in a prophecy supposedly about me? One in which all worlds are saved?”

  The blue eyes gazed at her intently. “Because that prophecy was given to Hel. Eons ago, before you were ever born.”

  This silenced Raine, for she had no response to words spoken with such authority. There was no question of their truth.

  “Who are you?” Raine said at last.

  “It doesn’t matter,” the white dragon said. And with those final words, the creature disappeared.

  Raine was leaning against the railing waiting for Talan when she returned. The dragon took one look at her companion’s expression and wrapped her arms about her, hugging her tightly. She stood behind Raine, still embracing her.

  “I saw the white dragon again,” Raine said.

  “The dragon who is not a dragon?”

  “Yes,” Raine replied, “I don’t know what she is. But she came to me again in the forest.”

  “And what words of wisdom did she have for you this time?”

  “They were hardly wise,” Raine said sarcastically. “She told us, as in you and me, to run and hide.”

  “That does not necessarily sound unwise,” Talan commented.

  “Do you want to run?” Raine said, turning to look over her shoulder.

  “In a way, yes,” Talan admitted. “But I don’t think that will help. Hel will eventually find you. And while we delay the inevitable, she will punish Arianthem mercilessly.”

  “Speaking of which, did you find Hyr’rok’kin?”

  “Many. There are pockets springing up everywhere, which tells me that they are preparing for a massive assault.”

  “How soon do you think it will happen?” Raine asked with concern.

  “Not imminent,” Talan said, “but soon. We found the Hyr’rok’kin threat severe enough that Kylan has gone to scout the Empty Land to make sure they are not staging there.”

  “Will she pass into the Veil?” Raine asked.

  “I told her not to,” Talan said, “she will scout the periphery, then head north.”

  Raine breathed a sigh of relief. The Empty Land was bordered by The Edge of the World, great cliffs that dropped into a veiled land of strangeness that separated the mortal realm from the Underworld. Horrible creatures inhabited that strange world, monstrosities that would be dangerous to even one such as Kylan.

  Talan pulled Raine close and kissed her neck. “Neither of us can escape fate, but destiny will be what we make it.”

  And for the moment, Raine felt save in her lover’s embrace.

  Chapter 4

  Raine rose before dawn, leaving her lover still tangled in the sheets. She went out onto the terrace to watch the rising sun. The city was quiet, still recovering in slumber from the festivities that would shortly resume. One of the Queen’s attendants brought her a steaming cup of tea which she took gratefully. She leaned against the marble banister, enjoying the peaceful solitude.

  Movement on the adjacent terrace caught her eye as Skye came out and struck a similar pose. Skye’s survey of her surroundings settled on Raine, and Raine motioned her over.

  “You’re up early,” Raine commented as the attendant brought out a second cup of tea.

  “Thank you,” Skye said to the lovely server, who nodded graciously and wordlessly disappeared. “So are you.”

  Raine had dreamed of disturbing things, which had awakened her, but she did not share this with Skye. She had a feeling the young woman might have had her own disturbing dreams, and turned her head sideways to look at her.

  “Something on your mind?”

  Skye did not answer at first, then spoke quietly. “Ingrid is still out the
re.”

  “I know.”

  It was Skye’s turn to look sideways at Raine, wondering if Raine had sensed what she herself felt. Raine confirmed this.

  “Idonea said the sorceress was casting a spell of binding upon you when she arrived. She was able to block it, but I wonder if the smallest part did not get through.”

  Skye nodded in agreement. “I think that it did. I feel a faint connection to her, nothing as powerful as my connection to you, but something.”

  “I feel it as well,” Raine said.

  Skye grew even more troubled. She had not thought about it from that angle. Years ago, Raine had created a bond between them to save Skye’s life and keep her from passing into the Underworld. If Skye was connected to the sorceress, that meant Raine was, too.

  Raine read her expression and shook her head. “The bond I created with you was physical; the one between you and Ingrid is magical. It cannot affect me. I’m more concerned that she can find you.”

  “She found me easily enough before,” Skye said. “And it’s not as if she doesn’t know where I am. I’m not powerful enough to defeat her, not yet. So I’m going to have to find another way to deal with her.”

  “It’s not as if you’ll have to deal with her alone.”

  “I don’t want to keep endangering everyone around me because of her.”

  “What is it she wants from you?” Raine asked.

  Skye was thoughtful. “At first, I think she just wanted revenge on my great-grandfather. Now I feel that something has shifted. I know she enjoys having sex with me,” she added wryly.

  Raine hid a smile. The young Tavinter spoke almost matter-of-factly, tossing out a phrase that she would have choked on a few years back. She was becoming more like the Ha’kan every day.

  “And I think she drinks my blood,” Skye said.

  “That’s how she stays young.”

  “’Tis an odd beauty regimen,” Skye remarked. “But it works.”

  Raine remained silent. If Skye sensed a shift in the sorceress, Raine sensed an interesting shift in Skye as well. The hazel-eyed beauty turned to her.

  “You’ve known Ingrid for a long time, and had many run-ins with her. Is she evil?”