The Dragon Rogues, page 28
“You engaged us all to perform this job, we do the job for you, and now you’ve gone off on your own?”
“I haven’t gone off and done anything,” Jonathan said. “I tried to help the rest of the team.”
Heziah laughed, the sound filled with familiar bitterness. There was that angry streak Jonathan knew.
“Of course you have. The great Jonathan Aguelon can’t resist trying to help everyone, can you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you think you can fix everyone. Only, you can’t even fix yourself. Maybe before, you could. Maybe back when you were in your prime, before you were captured. When you were the Dragon.” He laughed again, a dark and resentful sound. “Or maybe not. It’s possible you could never have done anything.”
Jonathan stared at him. “What’s this about?”
“You wanted a sorcerer.” He spread his hands to the side, energy crackling from one to the other. “And I provided one.”
Jonathan blinked. He’d been played.
“Why?” he asked.
“Mostly because I wanted to see what you might know.” Heziah took another step toward him, and Jonathan shifted the markers in his hand, holding them carefully. He wouldn’t get many opportunities here. Jonathan didn’t want to have to fight his way past Heziah, but he might need to use some of his last enchantments.
“How did you even know what I was planning?”
“You weren’t subtle,” Heziah said. “You came looking for a sorcerer, and you didn’t check into my background.”
Jonathan frowned. Bartholomew had helped, hadn’t he? He had dug for information on Jonathan’s behalf, searching for answers as to what Heziah might be doing outside the Society.
He thought he had understood Heziah. Had he not?
Jonathan frowned. “You set all of that up.”
“It was easy enough. When it became obvious you were interested in finding out about poor old me, I knew just what I would have to do. With a little coin, anything is possible.” He glanced past Jonathan, looking into the vault. “As you have come to see.”
“But you truly were exiled from the Society.”
He smiled. “I was.”
Jonathan had to make a move, but he needed to understand. “So you’re a part of Vileforn’s plan for the king.”
Heziah snorted. “I don’t care what he intends for the king, but he was making preparations to move the contents of the vault, and I couldn’t have that happen without gathering what I wanted. Especially since you failed when I hired you the last time.”
Everything within Jonathan went cold. “What was that?”
Heziah laughed. “You never knew, did you? I hired you. Then you failed, which prompted him to increase the security of his vault. I had thought my chance lost, especially when I learned he started moving the contents of his vault, but then I heard you were out and looking for revenge. So I returned.”
For a moment, he’d started to think that Heziah was his mysterious benefactor.
“You just used me?”
“You were convenient. I needed a way in, and I needed someone to deflect attention from the real prize.” He sneered at Jonathan. “I don’t care about the gold, but I do care about some of the relics he stored there. Those I very much care about.”
He had gotten himself embroiled in something beyond his understanding.
“Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“But… you’re a sorcerer.”
Heziah snorted. “A pity that’s all you see and can understand.”
Heziah regarded him. Jonathan’s arms tingled, his skin feeling tight and stretched and raw.
“You could have just said your reason for wanting in. Why all this performance?”
Heziah’s face darkened a moment. “You wouldn’t have included me had you known I’d hired you before. I had to keep you from learning, but I needed to be there this time. His collection has grown, you see. It’s even more valuable.”
Jonathan snorted. “And you couldn’t get in on your own.”
“As I said, he had it well protected. Even from me.”
“Then what’s the real reason?”
Heziah didn’t answer the question, though Jonathan had a sense of his power building. That sense lingered, a potent energy.
“I’m not giving you anything until you answer,” Jonathan said.
“Oh, I’m not asking. Besides, you will serve a different purpose. A dead thief in a vault will lead to questions, but they will be quickly resolved.” Heziah laughed. “Go on. See if you can’t come up with some way to get out of here. I can wait.”
“What did you do to the others?”
“Nothing. Yet. They believe they are merrily on their way back to the tavern. It will be easy enough for me to remove them.” He smiled. “Only, now that I know of their particular abilities, they will be quite useful. I will use them for my next project.”
“You will not use them.”
“Like you didn’t do the same?” Heziah snorted. “That’s all you’ve ever done, isn’t it? Use the people around you. No, you use them the same as anyone else. You took them for their abilities, and you drew them into your own personal battle.” He took another step toward Jonathan. “And lose them. Like you lost your woman.” He smiled. “How did that feel to lose even her to Vileforn?”
Jonathan wouldn’t be baited by Heziah. That was what he wanted.
But how would he get through this?
Heziah was powerful. He’d seen it. He’d felt it.
What he needed was something equally powerful.
Something like the markers that had gotten him into the vault.
Heziah wasn’t the benefactor. And he hadn’t been able to get into the vault. But the benefactor’s enchantments had made it so that Jonathan could get into the vault.
He glanced down at one of markers—the full moon. He found the orb in his pocket and brought it together with the marker. The marker glowed. Could this work?
Jonathan flipped it toward Heziah.
When it landed on the ground, Heziah looked down at it. “Do you think I won’t know how to break these?”
Jonathan wasn’t sure whether Heziah would be able to. He had seen Heziah do something similar when he’d destroyed the enchantments Jonathan had gathered for the tests, but he had to think this might work. There was no choice but to try.
The enchantment bulged. It was the only way he could describe it. The marker created a swell of power that expanded outward, and then it began to collapse. Its power held Heziah, trapping him inside.
As it did, Heziah held his hands out to either side of himself, and lightning streaked from hand to hand, then crackled within the orb. Heziah tipped his head to the side as he regarded Jonathan, before he turned his attention back to the power.
“This is not like the other enchantments,” Heziah said.
“Good,” Jonathan said.
Heziah sent his energy through the orb, trying to break free, but he couldn’t.
Jonathan had to find a way past him, the same way he had somehow gotten past the other sorcerers. He hadn’t planned on this. Then again, how could he have planned for any of it?
Heziah had been part of his team. He had known the plan. He had known everything Jonathan might do. But he didn’t know about the benefactor. That gave Jonathan hope that he might be able to use more of these enchantments against him.
The swell of power around Heziah also made it difficult for Jonathan to move, though he strained to do so. The magic trapped him in place as well, while Heziah struggled to break free of it.
Heziah sneered. “The great Dragon. Not that he could control another team, when he couldn’t even protect his last one.” Everything went cold inside Jonathan. “You surprised me, though. I didn’t think you’d be able to assemble one that was skilled enough to very nearly make it into the vault.”
“I did make it into the vault,” Jonathan said.
Heziah smiled. “Nearly. Had you been more careful, you would’ve recognized the facade that you fought through.”
Jonathan hesitated.
What was he saying about a facade?
“You still don’t see it?”
“What?”
“Your friend. Your mentor, I believe,” Heziah said with a bitter laugh. “He created the facade. When I saw his work, I knew he would be useful. I wonder if he ever imagined I would use it against you.”
Heziah knew what had happened to Grayson?
“Where is he?” Jonathan said through clenched teeth.
Heziah laughed.
“Where is he?”
As Heziah resisted against the power holding him, the orb began to bulge outward. The shell still held Heziah, though. Though lightning crackled inside and bounced off the walls, it did nothing.
Jonathan noticed a ring on one of Heziah’s hands that hadn’t been there before. The ring seemed to glow, and it had to be what was helping the sorcerer expand the shell around him. If Jonathan didn’t work quick enough, Heziah would find a way past the enchantment holding him. As much as he wanted to know about Grayson—and he did—he needed to take care of this.
Heziah intended to use him, but maybe Jonathan could do the same with Heziah.
Could Jonathan push the giant orb?
He gave it a shove, and Heziah went rolling inside. Jonathan laughed softly to himself as he pushed on it again, barreling Heziah into the vault. He grabbed the enchantment from the ground, and once more placed all the markers into the door again. He had to find a way to close the vault.
As he studied the door, he came across something he hadn’t noticed before. There was a collection of energy in the center of it where the enchantments seemed to crisscross. Jonathan pressed on it, and the door rumbled as it started to glide closed. A burst of magic came toward him from inside the vault, but the door closed before it reached him. He hurriedly pulled the markers from the door, stuffed them into his pocket, and ran. By the time he got to the entrance hall, he’d found no guards—not even the unconscious ones. Had one of the sorcerers moved them?
He paused for a moment and looked out into the hall. He didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean there was nothing. In fact, he was more concerned that there were sorcerers here than anything else. He knew there was still at least another one.
He didn’t want to come across Jayna. Now that he had these enchantments, though, he did wonder if he might be able to dissuade her from following, but he had no interest in using them against her. Maybe she would understand what he was doing.
Or probably not.
He hurried toward the stairs and raced up them. Sounds echoed behind him, but he ignored them as he sprinted upward and rounded a landing, where he came face-to-face with guards.
Jonathan started to reach for his knife before thinking better of it and grabbed one of the markers instead. He activated it with the correct item stuffed into his pocket, then tossed it to the ground. He backed away, uncertain what it might do.
A concussive blast sent the guards flying.
Although Jonathan didn’t know if the markers could be reused, he scooped it off the ground. Plus, they were certainly the key to the vault, and he wanted them for himself if nothing else.
He rushed up the stairs into the main part of the palace, but the door to the front entryway was locked. He swore under his breath. Leland would’ve locked it behind them.
One option could be to climb out a window, but the front of the palace didn’t have many, likely designed to be impenetrable. He could go up to a higher level, but that would only lead him closer to Vileforn.
Maybe he could use an enchantment to get out. Where would he go, even if he escaped? Heziah knew everything about the crew. Where could they be safe?
Thoughts for another time.
The markers had worked on the vault, so it was possible that they might work here, but he didn’t know. Even if they did, he still had to get through the yard and through the maze, all without getting caught. They had used the entire team to get in, and he didn’t know if he would be able to escape without them.
He felt a sense of magic from below him. His skin tightened; his hairs stood on end.
The vault wouldn’t hold the sorcerers for much longer, he guessed.
Jonathan tried different ways to trigger the front door, but he was running out of time. Eventually there would be more guards or sorcerers. Or Heziah.
Almost on cue, an explosion of power thundered from some place deep below him.
The vault was open.
He leaned on the entry door, which was glowing and becoming warm, and a soft pressure was coming from behind it. Jonathan spun and reached for one of the markers as the door opened.
Matthew stood framed in the doorway. “There you are,” he said, grinning. “We all came back for you. Well, all but Heziah. That bastard ran off after we got back to the tavern. I think he wanted a drink.”
Jonathan shook his head. “No. He’s one of Vileforn’s sorcerers.” He looked past Matthew to see Leland and Elizabeth standing behind him. He wanted to smile, but he could feel the pull of magic behind them. They didn’t have much time. “We have to go. And we need to stay away from any place that Heziah might know about.”
They stepped out into the courtyard, and Elizabeth put up a facade to shield them.
Leland pulled the door closed and locked it again, breathing heavily as he did. When Jonathan looked over to him, he shrugged. “I’ve done more tonight than I have in a long time.”
As they reached the maze, Matthew held up a hand. “I think I have a way to get through here quickly.” He tossed something ahead of him, and a path exploded in front of them. They raced through the opening Matthew had created, heading toward the gate.
Matthew unsheathed his sword and swept through the swarming guards. He was a flurry of movement, twirling and slamming his sword into guard after guard, knocking them down without killing any of them. He worked quickly, rhythmically, almost in a pattern Jonathan could follow. It was like magic.
“How can you move so quickly?” Elizabeth said.
“Enchantments,” Jonathan answered, though he knew that wasn’t it. Matthew never used those types of enchantments.
When all the guards were down, Matthew slipped his sword back into its sheath, then motioned for them to follow. They raced through the streets.
“He’s going to know every place we’ve been,” Jonathan said.
Matthew smiled tightly. “Every place we wanted him to know about.”
“What are the two of you talking about?” Elizabeth asked.
Jonathan shrugged. “Well, we might have a different place to go.”
They veered off, heading toward the Raltan Tavern. When they reached it, they hurried inside and up the stairs into Matthew’s room. He closed the door, then pulled another enchantment out and pressed it up against the door.
All of them panted as they paused to catch their breath.
Finally, Matthew turned to Jonathan. “Well?”
“I’m sorry,” Jonathan said. “I realized when we were down there that I couldn’t have you getting caught. I figured I would draw them away, take the blame, and—”
“That’s not what we care about,” Matthew said. “You got into the vault?”
Jonathan nodded. “I did.”
Leland plopped into a chair and leaned forward, eyes wide. He rubbed a knuckle against the corner of his eyes, blinking for a moment. “The gold?”
“It was there,” Jonathan said.
Leland sat back and swept his gaze around the small room, which contained nothing more than a table, several chairs, and a hearth. It was the place Matthew and Jonathan had planned as a backup. They had kept it secret from the others.
“Was,” the locksmith said.
“It was too heavy for us to move.”
Leland let out a heavy sigh. “All that for nothing.”
Matthew patted him on the shoulder. “We will help your mother.”
“How?” Leland looked up at him, then gestured to Elizabeth. “She wanted to get out of her part of the city. How can you help any of us?”
Jonathan grinned and reached into his pockets. “With this.” He took all the jewels out and piled them on the table. Each scoop of his hands revealed more jewels. More diamonds. More wealth.
Leland stared. “How much is that worth?”
“Probably not as much as all the gold would have been, but this is still a considerable score. The largest I’ve ever had, actually.” And it was probably the better prize. They had known about the trunks of gold, but this was something else, and easier to transport. “We can sell these. Leland, you can use as much as you need to help your mother.” He looked over to Elizabeth. “And you can take what you need to get out of there.”
Elizabeth’s eyes were transfixed, as if she were afraid to look away. “They’re so pretty.” Her voice was a whisper.
Jonathan laughed. “Pretty. Valuable. Everything you wanted.”
She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“I told you I would help.”
“No. Thank you for believing in me. Not many have.”
An uncomfortable silence fell around them, which Jonathan didn’t want to interrupt. He got to his feet. “I have a few less valuable items I’m going to secure in my room.” When the others glanced at him, he shrugged. “A few things that I think might offer us another measure of protection. I’m going to lock them in my room, and then we can celebrate. After that, we have to figure out what we will do about Heziah.”
Jonathan reached the door, but Matthew grabbed his arm and leaned close. “He’s powerful, isn’t he?”
“There’s a plan and a way for dealing with everyone. And everything.”
Matthew nodded slowly.
Jonathan stepped out of the room and closed the door, and he couldn’t help but feel as though Matthew placed another enchantment behind him to lock it once again. He headed down the hall, reached the room he had secured for himself, and used a ring—a different kind of enchantment—to open it. He pulled the remaining items out of his pocket and set them on the table. Then he took the markers out, situating them near each of the items he’d been asked to gather. He stared at them and noted that the markers were glowing softly, their energy giving off a hint of power.
