Dragon Racers: The Complete Trilogy, page 41
Sharrah was seated under the crystal bubble on one of a dozen sofas scattered with lounge chairs around the tiled floor. Meifeng was on her left and Princess Kaylynn was on her right, with one arm hooked in hers. Since she’d asked about other gnomish kingdoms, the young woman seemed intent on keeping Sharrah very close.
Sharrah was getting an uneasy feeling about the princess, but kept reminding herself how she’d healed her ribs and Liaka’s face, back at Emperia Radosta. She knew it didn’t mean she could be trusted, but it forced Sharrah to continue giving her and her gracious mother the benefit of the doubt.
At first the controller, a thin gnomish man with a wild mop of pink hair, wearing a tailed coat, caused the view through the dome to move near Majestic Falls, and even down into the gorge where the strange birds had been feeding. Sharrah leaned back and took it all in as it displayed for them on the inside of the ceiling, like a moving painting. She tried not to show how amazed she was. Meifeng, and the others, Cholt, Liaka, Tink, and a pair of guards who’d been following them around in silence since they arrived, weren’t as able to contain their awe.
“Take us to Sky Island,” Queen Bria told the controller.
“Yes, majesty,” he nodded and leaned down as if he was playing a piano that made no sound.
“Take us somewhere she has never been,” Princess Kaylynn said. “How about the Troll Forest or the Spoils? She needs to see how it really is here. Not everywhere is like the Dregs, Lady Sharrah.”
The controller stopped what he was doing and looked at the queen. Sharrah admired his spectacles. They looked a lot like her opaque goggles, only the small coin sized lenses set in these wire frames rode the very tip of his nose and were clear yellow.
Only after Queen Bria gave him a nod did he return to his mechanisms.
Meifeng elbowed Sharrah and whispered, “Pay attention.”
The view shifted and they were looking down on a forest full of towering pines set against the foothills of a snow-covered mountain range. Beyond the tree tops Sharrah saw a herd of elk fleeing something. Then, she saw a troll was chasing them over a hill. It was huge. It looked as big as she would if she was chasing a bunch of hounds. They watched the troll lope along until it could bash one of the elk with the club it was carrying. Thankfully the view shifted away right before it took its prey.
As the scene was shifting Sharrah thought she saw one of the hills move. For the briefest of moments, she saw a giant. It was huddled down with snow accumulated on its big body, just like the boulders and hills around it. It seemed to look right at her. It blinked its lids over clear blue eyes, and there was a moment of recognition, but then it was gone.
Sharrah remembered seeing Trolls and Giants pushing war machines through one of the portals between Xuanpu and her world, on their way to make war in Deggari. The images displayed above them streaked around crazily for a moment. And she had to clench her eyes shut to avoid a rush of dizziness.
“Now the Spoils,” Princess Kaylynn called.
To everyone’s great surprise, only the fringes of the Spoils were filthy like the Dregs. Not so far past those boundaries, the grass was lush and vivid, and the forests dense and full of life. As the view lifted, they saw not one, but three great cities in the distance. As they neared, Sharrah saw there were actually five.
The largest city was between them all, built on an island in the middle of a vast reservoir. Towering structures, similar to those on Sky Island, rose up from the congested streets and almost reached the clouds. This island was not hovering in the sky, but it was easily as amazing as the one that was.
Sharrah took in the four bridges that spanned between the island city and the other metropolises set on the lake’s shore. People, mostly gnomes, but a few other creatures, like goblins, dwarves, and more than a few fairies moved about. Some had wagons, and others what looked like spring or steam powered carriages that were traveling with purpose. She looked for any sign of the Sun, but found none. It was hard to say if the surrounding clusters of buildings and their bridges were built on the Cardinal directions, but they were equally spaced so that the bridges leading into them formed a giant symmetrical cross. Between the outer cities, busy roads circled the lake, and hovering over it all were scores of blimps and balloons.
“King Grayscon’s announcer is about to speak, Majesty,” the controller said. “Should we listen in?”
“Of course,” Queen Bria nodded, and she looked to Sharrah like she was intent on hearing every word.
“You, the people of the Spoils, have done well,” the announcer said, in a voice that echoed across the entirety of the scene. The travelers on the roads all stopped, and turned to face the center city. “Now our gracious king needs your best effort. The invaders are trying to come take all we’ve built. They’ve taken Radosta and will come for the abandoned if we flinch. We must build faster, so that our machines can protect us from those coming to end our comfortable way of life.”
“He says that stuff every time,” Princess Kaylynn shook her head, “Save for the part about Emperia Radosta.”
“Grayscon took Radosta, not their enemies,” Sharrah whispered back indignantly. She knew this for a fact, because she’d been there. The princess glanced at her mother, then shrugged. Her response was to look back up at the scene, which was slowly zooming in on the center city.
“The rumors are true. Mighty King Grayscon triumphed at the Competition of the Gods yet again,” the loud voice echoed. “For those of you who earn, tribute will be taken from your wage. For those who serve, time will be added to your day. The King thanks you in advance for your kind gestures of tribute.
“It is imperative we continue to make these Spoils better, stronger, and safe from those who would come and try to take away your fare share. We are equals under a great and powerful king. He guarantees no voice here is greater than another. No one subject has more than the next. There is no prejudice, no animosity among the races, and no violence. This is King Grayscon’s gift to us all. In return, we must keep the dragons fed, and the cogs turning. We must move forward and--”
Queen Bria harrumphed and the controller shifted the scene away from the Spoils. Sharrah’s mind tried to understand what she’d just heard and seen, while her eyes tried to keep up with the blurring of movement.
“Here we have Emperia Tenodera,” Queen Bria said as much to the controller, who was still trying to focus in on somewhere. “Land of the Mantai.”
Sharrah wondered what King Grayscon’s announcer was about to say that she hadn’t wanted them to hear, but now a great forest, with strange hive mounds on the round, and huge nests formed of branches and mud in the trees, appeared on the domed ceiling above.
The mantai were like King Hotei, tall, thin, with huge eyes and small chins. Sharrah saw some of them had wings, and others didn’t. Remembering the statues they’d seen the day before were all of male creatures, she figured the females were the ones without them.
As curious as it was seeing all these strange creatures, she couldn’t get the Spoils out of her head. She never expected such a clean and wonderful place. More than that, she never expected the creatures and people inhabiting the tyrant king’s lands to be so peaceful, healthy, and even happy looking.
Knowing how easily most of the mindless creatures here served whoever was bold enough to demand they do so, Sharrah chose not to have much faith in what her eyes took in. Those working in the Spoils might have looked content, but it was because they were too dumb to know any better, not because they were happy.
“Can we see Deggari,” Liaka asked.
Cholt abruptly stood, and strode over taking up a place behind Sharrah. He leaned up between she and Meifeng with a stricken look on his round face. His breath was hot and smelled of wine and cheese, but his words caused a chill to run down Sharrah’s spine.
“Grayscon attacked the estate. He took the twins,” he whispered. “We must go, now.”
Chapter Nine
“What do we do with them?” Sharrah asked Master Rompart after arriving back at the estate. Seeing Flame and Azure’s wounds, made her angry as she’d ever been. She had half a mind to let the dragons eat the would-be thieves, but concern over the twins and confusion over what happened kept her from it. “I’m not sure I understand how these fools had anything to do with Grayscon taking the twins. How did you manage to catch them by yourself?”
“I had help,” Rom answered. He acted like he was holding something back, but when he indicated Morto and Dummly, she decided not to question him. The sudden look on Meifeng’s face was even stranger though, and Sharrah spun around to see the old crone from the main house standing there.
“It has been a while, Sharrah,” the hag said in a soft voice that didn’t fit her. “Here,” she waved a hand around and she changed from the witchy old woman into her mother—No it wasn’t her mother, but – but—
“Aunt Maralee?” Sharrah ran to her. Was it true? “What? Why?”
“Sadie and I were tasked to watch over you, love,” she responded. She held Sharrah’s head between her hands and kissed her forehead.
“There is so much-- So much I need to know,” Sharrah started to cry when the memories of her mother came in a flood of emotion.
“You will eventually, love.” Maralee hugged her close. “I’ve hated these charades so much. You cannot even begin to understand. I’m so sorry for all of this, but with my terrible father out there hunting anything that might take away his power, it just had to be this way.”
“What about them?” Rom asked. “They don’t need to hear any of this.”
“Have Tink take them into Piktalla,” Sharrah said flatly. “I’m sure Queen Vydak knows what to do with people who would steal from those under her protection. I’d imagine it is sort of like stealing directly from the crown.”
Kin Kuul won again, but he couldn’t figure out why Devina wasn’t showering him with her affection like she usually did after he raced. She seemed offish and concerned about something. The fact that Vakki, her brother, and King Jonce were nowhere around wasn’t that big of a concern for Kin. In fact, he welcomed the time alone with his new love, but to his great disappointment, she wasn’t showing the same sort of emotion.
“What is it?” Kin asked her. “I’m sure they’ve found a gathering and wound up drinking and passing out, like after I won last time.”
“No,” she shook her head. Even though she was gnomish, he thought she was beautiful. “They would have shown up by now. It’s midday.”
“If you remember last time, we didn’t come out of that merchant’s private chambers until almost dark fall.”
“Stop it Kin!” she snapped harshly. “You’re a fool.”
Kin felt a knot form in his gut. She’d never taken that kind of tone with him. Worse, the look on her face was one of disgust. He didn’t understand.
“What?” He asked, now feeling desperate and hurt. “What did I do? I won, like I was supposed to?”
“Kin,” she softened her tone, but only slightly. “You are blind. We’ve been planning on stealing Sharrah’s prize this whole time. You told us the layout of the house they are staying at, and Vakki’s spy knew that Sharrah went away with her entire guard attachment. Do you think putting up everything we have, just to gain a handful of silvers every night is profitable? If you mess up just once, we lose it all.”
“What?” Tears welled up and he felt like a dagger had been shoved through his heart. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you could win a thousand times and not profit enough to eat.” She looked like she might spit at him. “Everyone knows you are going to win, fool. I think the others got caught, or something.”
Kin didn’t know what to do. He loved Devina. A small bit of him was now concerned about Sharrah, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his crushed esteem with worry. He found his mind wouldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling he was losing the one he needed most.
He was so embarrassed by his naiveté. How could he face Vakki and the others knowing they’d just been using him all this time. What had he been thinking? How could he return and face Sharrah and his friends? He couldn’t think of anything left worth living for. He just wanted to die.
No, Mala’s voice cut through Kin’s mind like a hacking sword. Come, she commanded. Leave her. You are better than this.
He didn’t even want to face Mala. The night before, when they were racing, he’d bragged to his mount how their win was going to seal her love for him. How could he have been so stupid and gullible? What had he been thinking?
You were not thinking, Kin. Mala spoke into his mind. Her thought voice was firm and motherly, and seemed full of ages old wisdom, even though she wasn’t all that old. You were feeling. As bad as it sometimes hurts to do so, pain and emotion are what make you human. Devina is gnomish. She will never know true love, or freedom of thought. She was never the one for you. Now come. I sense terrible things have happened, and even worse things are on the horizon. Our real friends need us.
Kin, despite a swelling urge to beg Devina to reconsider, fought shimmering memories of all the smiles and good times he’d shared with Sharrah and the others. His dragon was filling him with an undeniable sense of pride, too. It wasn’t much, but it was enough that he was able to lift his chin and stride away.
Chapter Ten
“They will most likely end up in Grayscon’s dragon pens,” Aunt Maralee told Sharrah about the twins. Cholt, and Meifeng were with them at the kitchen table. Others were in the hall and gathering room. “The dragons that show promise get trained to race his courses and eventually are bred or auctioned. The ones who don’t pique his interest get strapped to a wheel. They turn the cogs that make his empire ratchet along. The wyrms that can’t do either are fattened on garbage, then slaughtered and fed to the rest.”
“I can usually reach out and communicate with them.” Sharrah fought back tears of concern for poor Sizzle. The idea of him having to labor because he couldn’t fly very well was appalling. “I can’t even sense them anymore. Neither can their mother.”
“Of course not,” her aunt reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “They are no doubt in the Spoils, beyond his barrier.”
“What barrier,” Rom asked. He was as concerned as Sharrah was, if not more. Rom had mothered the young dragons since before they broke out of their egg.
“I’m sure it was one of his wishes,” Maralee started, “Somehow he created a shield of sorts around the Heart of the Spoils, the island kingdom he originally won. Dragon thought, or any other form of mental or magical communication won’t pass. The ward was meant to protect his five-city stronghold from a coordinated attack by wizards or wyrms.”
“Wards?” Sharrah asked, remembering something. “Have you ever heard of an Axept?”
“I can’t say I have,” Maralee shook her head. “Why? What is it?”
“Cholt, do you remember that goblin that walked up on me when we first appeared in the Dregs?” Sharrah asked, but didn’t wait for his answer. “It said something to me. It said I needed to find the Axept, in the Yonder, if I wanted to pass his wards.”
“You’ll not be going off into the Yonder, love.” Aunt Maralee said firmly. “There are terrible things in that bleak place. The Yonder is where the forgotten wishes end up, and though it has been a while since I was in Xuanpu, I don’t know of anything that has gone too far in and returned.”
“You don’t know everything then, do you?” A voice sounded without a body to go with it.
Cholt and Meifeng looked at Sharrah then each other until Sir Grady stepped in front of Meifeng protectively. From the hallway Sharrah heard Tink’s sword slide free of its sheath.
There was a flash of sparkles and smoke. Sharrah reached over and stopped Cholt from blasting the newcomer just in time. “It’s Anshi,” Sharrah said, raising her voice over the rising din. “HOLD! It’s just Anshi!”
“Who is Anshi?” Maralee asked.
“He is the one who ended King Travvingto and warned me of--”
“Master Luumin’s other child,” Meifeng added over her. The distaste in her voice was palpable, though it wasn’t clear if it was actually for Anshi, or for Master Lummin’s infidelity.
To Sharrah’s great disappointment, it wasn’t her brother who appeared within the smoke, but his boyish construct. Anshi was pretty smart, she knew. Of course, he wouldn’t just put himself in harm’s way. As strange as it was, even the magically formed version of him, from when he was far younger, made her feel safe. Sort of like her father had, before King Grayscon murdered him.
Now mysterious Anshi was the most powerful spell caster she knew, save for maybe Cholt, and it sounded like her brother knew something helpful.
Later, Tink told Liaka to take the three shackled thieves back to Queen Vydak’s court for judgment. He had Liaka put them in the back of a canvas covered wagon that was surrounded by six horse mounted guards. As they bumped and swayed down the hard pack, Liaka sat beside the driver with a loaded and cocked crossbow on her lap.
Tink said was sure the three hadn’t acted alone, but he didn’t think she would have any trouble taking the thieves in. He warned her to stay vigilant, and she was wise enough to follow his advice. It was for that very reason the attack that came wasn’t that much of a surprise. Unluckily for half of the mounted guards, it was no human attack, and the three angry dragons that swooped down on the procession terrified their horses into a panic.
Liaka loosed her crossbow bolt right into the underbelly of an orange and yellow brindle striped wyrm. It passed close over the wagon before it crashed. As it went by it managed to strip away the wagon’s canvas cover with a claw.
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