Part 21 (1/2)

FLIGHT.

”DRAGONS!”

I struggled around Sam's arms and legs, shouting. He jerked awake, and on the other side of the tent, Stef and Whit were already out of their sleeping bags and lighting lanterns and finding pistols. Sylph poured from the tent, shrieking.

”Where are they?” Stef turned on her pistol, and the blue targeting beam shone across the tent. Lantern light caught her face, darkening the shadows around her eyes.

”I don't know.” I tried to straighten my clothes as I stood. ”I hear the sound. The ringing.”

Wing thunder clapped again, and we all followed the sylph outside. Snowy rocks stung my bare feet, and the surrounding woods were black with shadows, both real and sylph. The sound of their moaning rose higher.

Above, dark shapes flew across the midnight sky. They circled us, as though looking for a place to land.

How had they found us?

”I have an idea.” I dashed into the tent again and pulled my flute from its case. Sam grabbed me when I emerged again.

”What are you doing?”

”You are doing it.” I pushed my flute into his hands. ”They're afraid of you.”

”Are you sure it's wise to threaten them like this?” he asked.

”They're armed. Now we are, too.”

Trees snapped like twigs as dragons batted them aside. Rus.h.i.+ng and cracking and chaos sounded. Birds squawked and flew away, calling out warnings. Animals in the forest skittered as trees fell and immense wings shadowed the earth.

I found one of the lanterns and turned the light as high as it would go.

<the one=”” with=”” the=”” song=”” is=”” here.=””> <they need=”” us.=”” they=”” will=”” not=”” use=”” the=”” song=”” against=”” us.=””> Sam, Stef, and Whit all screamed and clutched their heads against the ringing, but while it made my head throb, I kept on my feet. Maybe I was growing used to it.

Three dragons landed in front of us, wings tucked alongside them, blue eyes luminous. Immense talons dug gouges in the frozen earth. Snow dusted their scales. Their huge fangs shone in the lantern light.

I stepped forward, no coat and no boots, but sylph fanned around me like wings. ”What do you want?”

<we have=”” decided.=””> They'd actually been considering helping? Huh. ”And?” It took all my will, but I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and check on my friends. Hearing the dragons speak for the first time was a painful experience.

<we have=”” looked=”” at=”” your=”” city.=”” the=”” tower=”” s.h.i.+nes=”” even=”” in=”” daylight=”” now.=”” the=”” evil=”” inside=”” grows=”” stronger.=”” your=”” people=”” are=”” enslaved=”” to=”” their=”” own=”” kind.=””> I didn't move. Hardly breathed.

<the earth=”” cracks=”” itself=”” apart.=”” the=”” steam=”” vents=”” have=”” blown=”” open=”” wide=”” enough=”” for=”” a=”” dragon=”” to=”” nest=”” inside.=”” your=”” lake=”” is=”” gone.=”” only=”” death=”” lingers=”” there=”” now.=””> Acid Breath's voice was huge, booming inside my head. Nodding made the world spin, but I managed to hold myself upright. ”Yes.” My voice seemed thin and weak, though aside from the sylph's soft moans, my friends' groaning, and the crack and patter of fallen trees settling, my voice was the only sound. ”Yes, those things are happening because of what lives inside the temple.”

<many things=”” live=”” inside=”” the=”” temple,=”” but=”” the=”” only=”” one=”” you=”” want=”” to=”” destroy=”” is=”” the=”” one=”” you=”” call=”” janan.=””> ”Yes.” What else lived inside the temple? There was nothing. Just endless mazes and horrorsa”and the skeleton chamber. But the skeletons didn't count as living, did they? ”Why do dragons attack the temple?”

<to destroy=”” the=”” one=”” with=”” the=”” song.=””> I spun to find Sam clutching my flute to his chest, his eyes round and shadowed in the lantern light. He'd heard. The othersa”they were both looking upa”had heard, too.

”All those attacks,” Whit said, ”to stop Sam?”

To stop Sam, who'd only just learned he had some kind of weapon, which he didn't even know how to wield.

Fleetingly, I considered telling the dragons he never intended to use the song against them, but they were unlikely to believe me, and if I wanted to keep them a little afraid of us, I needed something besides the sylph.

I focused on the dragons. ”If you help us destroy the tower, the cycle of reincarnation will end. You won't have to fear the song anymore. Once Sam grows old and dies, it will be gone forever.”

<we do=”” not=”” fear=”” the=”” song.=””> I lifted an eyebrow, but one didn't just accuse a dragon of lying.

Acid Breath glared at Sam, who was silent. Not moving.And we wouldn't have to rely on a weapon we didn't know how to use. We'd just have to rely on dragons.

I glanced at Sam. This was his choice.

His voice came low and rough. ”Destroy the tower.”

<good.> Acid Breath drew back and up, casting a disinterested glance over our campsite. <gather your=”” belongings.=””> ”Why?” I put my fists on my hips and glared up at the dragon, like I wasn't imagining how easily he could swallow me whole. As if the sylph knew my fears, they moved closer.

<humans walk=”” too=”” slowly.=”” we=”” will=”” take=”” you=”” where=”” you=”” need=”” to=”” go.=”” then=”” we=”” will=”” return=”” north=”” and=”” rally=”” our=”” army.=”” your=”” tower=”” will=”” be=”” nothing=”” but=”” rubble.=””> Ride the dragons to Menehem's lab? Ride the dragons?

I glanced over my shoulder. Sam just stared blankly, while Stef and Whit seemed at a loss for words. Riding the dragons would get us there much more quickly, but then we'd have to trust them not to kill us.

Still, if they wanted to destroy the templea”and therefore the song they feared so mucha”they needed the poison only we could provide.

But Sam wouldn't be able to do this. There was no way he'd ride a dragon, even if it had good incentive not to drop him onto a mountain. We'd have to run all the way to Range.

”No,” I said. ”We'll walk.”

”No. We'll never make it on our own.” Sam strode forward and stopped beside me. His knuckles were white around my flute, but his voice was suddenly strong. ”We accept your offer.”

Acid Breath took us in for a long moment before nodding. It was a slow, heavy movement that looked foreign on his serpentine body. <let us=”” outline=”” the=”” terms=”” of=”” our=”” agreement.=””> I raised my voice. ”Very well: you will not hurt any of my friends. Not now, and not after we destroy the tower. When the tower is destroyed, the cycle of reincarnation will end, and so will the threat of the phoenix song.”

<yes. the=”” same=”” must=”” go=”” for=”” us.=”” we=”” will=”” not=”” harm=”” youa”or=”” the=”” one=”” with=”” the=”” songa”but=”” you=”” will=”” not=”” use=”” your=”” lights=”” against=”” us.=”” you=”” will=”” not=”” use=”” your=”” shadows=”” against=”” us.=”” you=”” will=”” not=”” use=”” the=”” song=”” against=”” us.=”” if=”” either=”” side=”” breaks=”” these=”” conditions,=”” our=”” agreement=”” is=”” off.=””> And we could go back to trying to kill one another like normal. Great.

Acid Breath wasn't finished, though. <none of=”” you=”” will=”” play=”” music.=”” especially=”” not=”” him.=””> The dragon tipped his nose at Sam.

I turned toward Sam. ”Are you sure about this?”

His expression was hard, his mouth set into a line. Stiffly, he handed my flute to me and said, ”We agree to the conditions.”

<desperate.> <hush.> I pressed my flute to my chest, feeling the keys, the polish, the engravings on the silver, still sharp and new.

”Are we going now?” Whit asked, coming up behind us.

”I think so.” Best to get there as quickly as possible and send the dragons on their way. I didn't think any of us would be able to sleep the rest of the night knowing there was a trio of dragons just outside our tent. ”Stef, we'll need some kind of harness. We don't want to fall off.”

She nodded. ”I already have an idea.”

Cris hovered around us. -We can't protect you in the air.- ”It's fine.” I offered him my hand, and a tendril of shadow circled my fingers. ”You can reach the lab quickly, right?”

-Yes.- ”Be there when we arrive. We'll be fine on the dragons. They need us.”

-I don't trust them.- ”Me neither.” I smiled, though the expression was grim. ”But I trust they want the temple destroyed.”

-They want the phoenix song destroyed. That just happens to be inside the tower.- Sam lowered his eyes. ”Let's hurry and get this over with.”