Part 26 (2/2)

2.

Cold wind whipped them in the early morning's flight. The up and down plunge of the drake's wings was like oars in boat-side water. At times Eric felt he was back at the tower, looking into the tabletop map of Levaal. Below them now a river spilled down a waterfall into a vast lake with water so clear they could see huge fish sluggishly prowling near the surface.

The drake's belly gave an impressive rumble. 'Are you sure we don't have to feed it some real food, or give it drink?' Eric said.

'He likes beer,' said Aziel, sitting tall and prim in the foremost of Case's natural saddles. 'He'll stop at an inn when we find one and steal whatever he wants.'

'We've named him well, then,' said Eric. 'The real Case would be proud.'

The drake groaned.

'Are you sure you know where we're going, lad?' said Loup behind him. 'Have you thought it through?' It was the first time the folk magician had voiced this concern.

'I don't know if I have or not. The mage back at the tower told me to go to the castle. He told me that by going, I could bring Vous undone.'

Loup sighed heavily. 'Not much good we'll find at that old castle. And it's Blain's advice too, don't forget. Be wary whenever you find yourself in agreement with the likes of him.'

As night came the drake found another good camping spot on a high platform under the open sky, in what Loup said were called the Spirit's Crown mountains. 'Has other names too, but that's what we called it where I come from. They used to mine these places.'

'For scales?'

'Magic stone. You could find it here, back before they dug the guts out of the place. Made some of Tanton's and High Cliff's city walls with it, stone that'd give itself easy to effects.'

'Effects like what?' Eric asked, settling into Case as though he were a beanbag. The drake seemed quite content with this arrangement.

'Spells of defence,' said Loup. 'Try climbing those walls, if you're an enemy of the city!'

'So you think they'll hold out awhile when the castle attacks?'

'Longer'n the others did, aye. Even when the full weight of the castle falls on em. Which it will, and soon. Whole world's about to change, lad. Aziel here might call it a victory. But sometimes, n.o.body wins a fight. n.o.body at all.'

The following day they saw some of that very force, a huge contingent of men crossing the vast plains between Tsith and the inland sea it shared with Yinfel. Countless spear tips pointing skyward made a shuffling forest. 'Look at all that yonder,' said Loup sadly, pointing to where ma.s.sive sheets of grey-black smoke plumed into the air. 'Fools're burning the farmland as they go. Such waste.'

'Why would they do that?' said Aziel.

Loup scoffed. 'They don't plan on living in the cities they take. They'll kill everyone off and be done with it. No more taking over a new city, taming a reluctant population. When the war's over, they won't need people or cities. We're done and goodbye. A few of us'll live on the fringes for a while. Maybe a long while, till they push us into the unclaimed lands. Hunt us down like they hunted the half-giants.' Loup sighed. 'Hard future ahead, girl. Not for you, but for everyone else.'

'Doesn't sound much different from what the dragons have in mind for us,' said Eric. Case wheeled east so they would not fly into the sheets of smoke.

'Aye no, it's no different. Death's at both doors, and his ghoulish children at the windows, looking in. No way out, lad. Unless you can do some miracle at the castle, you with no plan or clue what you're up to!' Loup laughed sadly.

'Take me down there,' Aziel ordered the drake.

'Now what? Why's that then?' cried Loup.

'I'll tell them to turn around, since you're so worried about what they're doing. I don't like them lighting fires any more than you, even if those are rebel cities.' The other two laughed. Aziel turned about, glaring at them both. 'Why are you laughing? I'm the Lord's daughter! They'll obey me. Drake, take us down there. Go! Down!' She raised a hand as if to slap the beast, but instead clutched at her neck and moaned.

'What's wrong?' said Loup.

'It's getting hot,' she said. 'He's moving around in there. I can feel it. He wants to get out.'

'You keep him in,' said Loup. 'Hold him! That's the last thing we need, is Shadow loose again.'

Aziel said nothing. Eric could feel the heat from her necklace. An occasional glint of light ran about it, so quick it was hard to be sure he'd seen it. He thought back to Shadow, enraged, running in a circle about the tower's water; of how the rocks had melted from the heat he'd caused. 'Hold onto him,' he whispered into Aziel's ear. 'He'll think you and I tricked him, that we trapped him in there. You and I are the ones he'll be angry at.'

'You're the one who tricked him,' she said.

'Sure. Do you want to have to explain that to Shadow? Hold onto him. You can do it.'

'I'll try,' she said, sounding nothing like a Lord's daughter.

3.

The drake descended from the clouds to find shelter for their third night, finding another old nest as though it had seen a sign planted high up in a hillside made for drakes' eyes only. A single piece of lightstone in the cavern roof gave the place a gentle flickering glow. It showed faded hieroglyphs and runes across the curved walls. Loup ran a gnarled forefinger over them, murmuring as he tried to read them. 'Not just a drake den, this place,' he said. 'People used this cave too. We're the first here in a long while ... a long while.'

'What's the writing say?' said Eric.

'Mostly a lost tongue,' said Loup. 'Something about this being a favoured casting place. My guess, a dragon cult used it. This before the dragon cults were all scattered and killed off (with the Spirits' blessings and help, if the talk's true). The Spirits must take kinder to Inferno cults than dragon cults. If you know why, well hey! It's news to me. They kill off old Inferno but let his cults alone, who want nothing more than to wake him up and feed his embers!'

Eric ran a finger over the runes. They flared with icy cold in response to his touch.

'Careful, lad,' said Loup.

'Why would mages come all the way up here to cast their magic?' said Eric.

'Ah, not mages, lad,' said Loup, crouching low to peer at some marks gouged into the stone. 'Anyone can cast magic. You and Aziel could, if you knew some rituals. Just takes more time than the way mages do it. Long-casting, some call it, or ritual-casting. Can't rely on it, might not work half the time. Ritual casters can't see the airs to tell if the airs are right! Nor see what airs they're working with lots of different kinds of airs, y'see. My little tricks are good with most types. But those Inferno cult fools, like that Lalie girl, remember? They were doing such spells before the Tormentors found em.'

'Are there any spells we could do now?' said Aziel, looking eager to try.

'No! Never bothered with that nonsense,' said Loup, flopping down on Case as though he were a couch, a bit too heavily for the drake's liking. He said, 'Takes days to cast something that way. Sometimes weeks or more, if you want to make serious magic. Oh aye, once there was a cult which set some kids aside at birth to cast lifetime spells, blessing their valleys and lakes and fields.'

'Did it work?'

'Aye, la.s.s, it did! Good magic, some of it. I've no issue with blessing a paddock so your carrots and tatoes grow! The Inferno people though, not a true mage among em.'

Eric was running out of fairy tales for them. Tonight's was Red Riding Hood, which Aziel found particularly gripping, and which Loup apparently took as a comedy. Rain outside eased them to sleep in Case's warmth.

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