He still didn’t understand how something like this would have been fired across such a great distance and with such accuracy. More than that, he didn’t understand why they would have been fired on at all. There was something here that he failed to grasp, and it troubled Fes in a way that he did not care for.

  Sensing the elder dragon’s anxiety, he returned to his seat on his back. When they took to the air, the dragons made a point of veering away from the mountaintop, streaking higher and higher into the sky as they went, to the point where Fes could no longer see anything but the mist of clouds around them.

  The dragons were scared.

  Even when he had been a part of their return, he had never detected any fear from them. The only time that he had sensed anything bordering on fear had been around the Damhur, but even that was mixed with a certain arrogance, a belief that they would never be Called, and if they were, the dragons would have some way of avoiding a Calling.

  This… This was something else. This was a worry that there was something beyond their experience, and they were concerned that a power they did not fully grasp could harm them. Given everything that he’d gone through, and his commitment to protect the dragons, Fes wanted nothing more than to offer them the knowledge that he would do everything in his power to protect them, but if they came across another place like this, would there be any way to protect them?

  Worse, what if the Damhur had knowledge of a similar power?

  So far, they had tried to Call rather than harm, but if they were able to use similar weapons, Fes would need to be prepared to protect as much as he could.

  Troubled thoughts followed him all the way back to the empire. It wasn’t until they reached the dragon plains, a sacred place of dying for the dragons, that Fes began to relax, but he sensed the dragons didn’t.

  It took him a moment to realize why.

  What if the dragon plains hadn’t been a place where they had gone voluntarily to depart this world? What if something else had taken those dragons, harmed them, and forced them from the world?

  CHAPTER THREE

  The inside of the palace carried a certain quiet about it. Servants making their way through the hallways were different than they once had been, and as Fes headed toward Azithan’s quarters, he paused every so often, taking in the sight of them. He knew he shouldn’t fear them, but a part of him held a lingering doubt, a worry that perhaps there was something that he had yet to catch. He didn’t think there would be another attack inside the walls of the palace, but what if he was wrong?

  There had been a strange sense drawing on him ever since they neared the city, almost a drawing sense calling him south. After what he’d just seen, he couldn’t deny there was that need for him to follow that sense.

  Every so often, the sense of fire mage magic built around him. When it came, he felt something that he never would have believed before. It was comforting. There was just something about having both the potential for his Deshazl magic along with that of the fire mage magic all around him, and though he didn’t know all of the fire mages, at least he recognized that their power might be necessary.

  Turning the corner, he came face to face with a trio of sharply dressed soldiers. He paused, smiling tightly at Jaken, the commander of the Dragon Guard. His hair was shorn, and his already angular face had become even leaner over the last few months as a result of all of the fighting that he had done. He carried two dragonglass swords strapped at his waist, mimicking Fes’s style. Fes understood the need for that, if only because the dragonglass somehow connected them to their Deshazl abilities in such a way that they were able to carve through fire mage spells. It was both a protection and a certain reassurance.

  “Fezarn. Where have you been?”

  Fes glanced over his shoulder. He could sense the dragon still circling overhead, waiting for him. This was supposed to be a brief visit before they headed to Javoor. “Other than looking for dragonglass sculptures?”

  Jaken glowered at him, lowering his voice. “You know my father has made a point of telling you that is unnecessary.”

  Fes almost smiled to himself. The fact that Jaken had embraced his title and his place in the city was of significance. People now knew that he was the emperor’s son, making it so that the line of succession was clear if something were to happen to the emperor. Unfortunately, beyond Jaken, the succession planning wasn’t nearly as well developed, at least as far as Fes knew. It was possible that the emperor—and Azithan—had thoroughly planned for the possibility of something happening to both Jaken and the emperor, but if it came down to that, then they were in graver danger than he wanted to consider.

  “I know what your father has said, but seeing as how I don’t have to serve the empire, I believe that I can do as I please.”

  One of the Dragon Guard behind Jaken stiffened, and Fes wondered if he might’ve pushed a little too hard. There was no point angering the commander of the Dragon Guard, but at the same time, he doubted that Jaken would take much offense to him saying that. Besides, Fes had been responsible for saving the empire on more than one occasion. That alone granted him a certain level of freedom that others did not have.

  Jaken knew that as well as he did. “Would you at least make it look like you are trying to serve the empire?”

  “I’m not making it seem like I’m not.”

  “And yet, you continue to head through the city, defying my father’s orders…”

  “His order was not to abandon my search. I believe what he wanted instead was for me to avoid raising any more dragons.”

  “And have you been?”

  “If I have, I’m not sure that I should tell you.”

  “Fes…”

  Fes shrugged. “No. I have not been raising any more dragons. If I did, I would tell you.”

  “I wonder whether that’s true or not.”

  “Yeah. I wonder if that’s true or not too.” He hesitated. He doubted there was anything the emperor—or the empire, for that matter—could do about the fact that he had been traveling with the dragon, but at the same time, he didn’t want to create a new concern by drawing a danger to the empire that had been previously unknown. He wasn’t responsible for what had happened with the Damhur coming here, but if whoever lived in that mountain city had some way of following them, he would be responsible for that. “Have you ever heard of a people living north of the mountains?”

  Jaken frowned. “There’s nothing north of the mountains.”

  “There has to be something.”

  “The empire has sent many expeditions through the mountains, trying to get to a point where we can cross, but they go on, eventually becoming impenetrable.”

  “What if people are living in the mountains?”

  “Fes—”

  “I saw something that leads me to believe that there are some people within the mountains.”

  “Why would you have been traveling there?”

  “The dragon brought me. We were circling above the dragon plain, and…”

  “What did you see?”

  “Nothing clear. Which is why I thought of asking. If there is nothing that we need to worry about, then I won’t worry. If there is something there, then I wonder if perhaps we should be preparing for it.”

  “I think we have enough to worry about as it is,” Jaken said.

  “Has there been any further attack?”

  “You mean since you used the dragons to turn the Damhur back from our shores?” Jaken arched a brow at him. “Between the presence of the dragons that cannot be Called and fire mages who have placed spells all throughout the empire, we are as well protected as I think we ever have been.”

  The empire probably was. From the tone of Jaken’s voice, Fes had the sense that satisfied the emperor—and Jaken. “Have you given any thought to my proposal?”

  “By your proposal, I presume you mean your request that we bring the fight across the ocean?”

  “We know what they are capable of doing.”

  “And now they know what we are capable of doing. Not only do we have to worry about solidifying our borders, but we also have to ensure that Toulen doesn’t attack again.”

  “Toulen hasn’t shown any evidence of wanting to attack, not like Javoor.” Why couldn’t they see that? “Indra has—”

  “We cannot trust the safety of the empire to your friend Indra. I know you don’t necessarily agree with my tactics, Fes, but all I care about is making certain that the empire is as protected as we can be. Right now, that means that we need to avoid confrontations with a potentially dangerous people.”

  “You sent an envoy to Javoor, didn’t you?”

  “Fes—”

  Fes shook his head. He should have expected that, but at the same time, he hadn’t really expected that the empire would send out a request for peace so quickly after having been attacked. “Do you think they can be trusted?”

  “No.”

  “But you did send an envoy.”

  “We have requested that they meet.”

  “I’m not sure that the empire’s form of diplomacy will be effective when it comes to the Damhur. I know that you don’t want to hear that, but everything I’ve seen from them tells me that they will manipulate you.” A thought occurred to Fes. “How do you know that you didn’t send someone who had Deshazl bloodlines?”

  If they had sent someone with Deshazl bloodlines, it was possible that they could be manipulated by the Damhur, Called in such a way where any agreement would be formed in Javoor’s benefit.

  “We sent a fire mage.”

  Sending a fire mage at least made it less likely that someone would be able to be Called, but there remained a risk with that. It was possible that a fire mage would be overpowered by someone from Javoor. Knowing the kind of magic they possessed, it posed significant risks to the empire.

  “Who?”

  “Ellorayne.” When Fes didn’t answer immediately, Jaken smiled. “I take it that you approve of that choice?”

  “She, at least, is powerful.”

  “She is nearly as powerful as Azithan. He wanted to go, but my father refused.”

  Fes could easily imagine that Azithan would have wanted to go, and if he would have gone, the empire ran the risk of losing someone of considerable strength. Even with Ellorayne going, there was a risk of power disappearing.

  “Where is Azithan?”

  “I’m not the fire mage’s keeper.” Jaken nodded to the other two Dragon Guard before turning to Fes. “Please don’t cause trouble for the empire, Fezarn.”

  “I’m trying to help save the empire.”

  “By not supporting us? I think your type of saving is a little different than how I would describe it.”

  “Just because I do it differently than you doesn’t mean that I don’t care.”

  “And yet, you have made it quite clear that you don’t intend to defend the empire.”

  Jaken started away, and Fes continued on through the halls. As he went, he focused on the sense of the dragon flying overhead. He was still there, circling, and within the dragon, there was the persistent sense of uncertainty. The attack in the north had troubled the dragon more than Fes would have expected.

  Perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised by that. The dragons were confident, almost arrogant, and suddenly coming to terms with the fact that there might be some way of simply overpowering them was beyond what they were accustomed to experiencing.

  Reaching a side hall, Fes paused as he watched the servants. He was reminded of the uprising, the helpless way that he had felt when it had come, and the fact that the servants who had been here had such an advantage. Had the emperor been more careful this time? Hopefully he had learned a lesson, preparing for the possibility that the servants had an advantage when navigating through the palace, but Fes wasn’t sure that he had always been paying attention to those lessons. He had ignored the lessons that he should have learned from the war a thousand years ago, not taking the opportunity to continue to learn, to prepare, and ignoring the role the dragons had played in the empire’s survival.

  That was part of the reason Fes found it difficult to trust any decision the empire might make. While he got on reasonably well with the emperor, and he had developed a certain fondness for Jaken, he still didn’t know whether he could trust them if it came down to it.

  Continuing to weave through the palace, Fes found his way to Azithan’s quarters. Pausing briefly, he knocked, not simply hurrying in the way that he once would have done. There was the sense of energy on the other side of the door, a distinct signature that told him that fire mage magic was used within, and after focusing on it for only a moment, he realized that it was more than one signature.

  When the door opened, and Azithan greeted him, Fes looked beyond the fire mage to see Jayell inside, holding a massive dragon pearl in one hand while working on a spell.

  “Fezarn. I was not expecting you, but I suppose that you may come in.”

  “You suppose? Why should I give you the opportunity to tell me otherwise?”

  “Do not think me helpless to defend myself against you, Fezarn.”

  “I never would have accused you of helplessness, Azithan, but seeing as how you have Jayell here, you wouldn’t be able to keep me out.”

  “No. I suppose that is correct. The two of you have certainly developed something of an interesting rapport.”

  “May I come in?”

  Azithan chuckled. “Now you would ask?”

  “Well, you have made a point of telling me that I needed to.”

  “Of course, Fezarn. Far be it for me to prevent you from seeing our work.”

  Once inside, Azithan closed the door, sealing it with a hint of a spell. That surprised Fes. Usually within the palace, Azithan didn’t try to conceal what he was doing, but maybe it was more about protection than about concealment. With as much power as the two of them were throwing around, it was entirely possible that Azithan intended to ensure that neither of them caused any damage to the rest of the palace while working.

  “Is there a reason for your visit?” Azithan asked.

  “I thought you would be happy to see me.”

  “I would say that I am happy to see you, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t question the purpose of your visit in the middle of the day, Fezarn. As far as I was aware, you have been spending your time collecting dragonglass sculptures.”

  “Are you going to try to tell me that I shouldn’t be doing that, too?”

  “On the contrary, I think that gathering all of the dragonglass sculptures that contain the essence of dragons is incredibly critical. There is no one better to do so than you, Fezarn.”

  “Somehow I get the sense that you are going to again tell me that I shouldn’t try to return the dragons I find.”

  “There’s a difference between collecting them and restoring them. We still have not yet grasped the full consequences of what it means for you to have returned the dragons as you have. How many have returned at this point?”

  Fes thought about how many dragons he had restored over the last month. There had to be nearly thirty, and all of them had protected themselves in a way that would keep them from a Calling. “You know the number as well as I do,” Fes said.

  “Indeed. I have been keeping track of you and your efforts, and while I appreciate the passion, I’m not sure that I completely approve of the sentiment.”

  “Was it your suggestion to send an envoy to Javoor?”

  “It was not my suggestion, but I did not disapprove of it.”

  “It won’t work.”

  “You say that without knowing.”

  “What is this?” Jayell asked. The pearl in her hand glowed softly, a greenish yellow light coming from it. It shone onto her face, and Fes smiled at her.

  “The empire has decided to send an envoy to Javoor to ensure peace.”

  “And you don’t think they should?” Jayell asked.

  “I’m not sure that Javoor can be trusted to maintain peace.” It was more than that, but even if they did come to a peace agreement, Fes remained determined to free the captive Deshazl. That was something that Azithan and the emperor did not agree with, mostly because they saw it as something akin to an act of war on Javoor. How was it that they couldn’t see the necessity? The emperor was Deshazl, no differently than Fes, and he had experienced the power of the Calling in a way that would let him know just how dangerous the Damhur were.

  “Part of negotiation is finding a common ground,” Azithan said. “You don’t have to like the other person, and you don’t necessarily have to approve of everything that they do, but you do have to come in with a willingness to negotiate.” He turned toward his hearth, waving his hand briefly, and a flame sparked before burning brightly. With the flame came a hint of spice to the air, a familiar odor that Fes had known and attributed to Azithan as long as he had known the man. “Your concerns may be premature, Fezarn. We don’t even know if they will have a willingness to meet with us. For all we know, they will refuse to see our envoy.”

  “Or they will see her and attack.”

  “We have asked for neutral ground.”

  “When it comes to Javoor, is there such a thing?”

  “Fes,” Jayell said, reaching for his hand and squeezing. “The fighting can be done. Weren’t you the one who tried to convince us of that?”

  “The fighting can be done, but it’s not over until the Deshazl are freed.”

  “That can all be part of the negotiation, Fezarn.”

  “What?”

  Azithan waved his hand. “Did you think that I would not push for the Deshazl to be freed?”

  “Why?”

  “We’ve seen it with our own people, and we recognize that most of the people living in the empire share some Deshazl heritage, though not many are quite as pure blood as yourself. The Deshazl are our people, the same as they are yours. That is one part that the emperor will push for.”

  “What happens if the Damhur won’t agree to that?”

 

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