Dragon Venom (Obsidian Chronicles Book 3) (40 page)

He had not expected that, but it did fit with what he had been told by the thing in Tirikindaro—men and dragons were somehow interre-lated. The elixir could be made only with human blood; any other sort simply diluted the poison without altering its nature.

His methodology in this series of experiments had the side effect of producing numerous ordinary kittens, born before the venom mixture was administered and therefore unaffected by the elixir. At first he tried to bring these kittens to Obsidian House to be raised in the kitchens there, but it soon became clear that Patch and Smudge did not approve, and he instead began delivering them to Lady Rime's home, where her adoptive grandchildren were delighted by these new pets, and happily gave them the careful attention they needed.

Not all of them survived, but Arlian felt he had done his best for them, and told himself that most would surely have died in the alleys and cellars of Manfort if he had never intervened in their mothers* lives.

That the mothers would have lived—well, he preferred not to think about that. The importance of his efforts made such losses tolerable.

As he continued his experiments at the Grey House he also walked up the hill to Obsidian House periodically to check on the results of his earlier trials, and confer with Black and Brook regarding their own observations. He watched as Patch and Smudge grew into misshapen parodies, miniature cat-men like nothing ever seen in Manfort, though there were certain similarities to the gaunts and nightmares of the south.

The pair ceased to be cute—quite an accomplishment in creatures that had begun life as kittens, and were not yet two months old. They walked awkwardly on either two legs or four, and gracefully not at all; their tails shrank to mere stubs, their ears moved down the sides of their heads, and their fur grew thin and patchy everywhere but the tops of their heads.

They did retain some kittenish traits, though—they were active, impulsive, and inquisitive, frequently startling the inhabitants of Obsidian House by turning up in unexpected places or suddenly dashing across the floor in front of unsuspecting humans. They were given the run of the house, since their agile little fingers could defeat almost any lock or barrier, but they stayed mostly in the kitchen and pantries.

Despite their choice of residence, they did not eat or drink; like dragons, they apparently subsisted entirely on air and magic.

When a later experiment—one involving Stammer's blood—pro-

duced another live magical kitten, Arlian delivered the creature to Obsidian House, where Patch took an intense interest in the new arrival, prodding it gently with those unnatural fingers. She did not spit or claw, as she had at the ordinary kittens Arlian had brought in.

Others were less enthusiastic. Smudge ignored this new kitten entirely—which was a more positive reaction than he had had to the o r d i n a r y o n e s , b a t still n o t especially w e l c o m i n g . K e r z i a a n d A m b e r d i n e w a t c h e d i t warily f r o m a s a f e d i s t a n c e ; D i r i n a n r e f u s e d t o b e i n t h e s a m e r o o m w i t h it, s h r i e k i n g a t t h e s i g h t o f i t S t a m m e r r e l u c t a n t l y a c c e p t e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r its c a r e , a n d n a m e d i t B e e w h e n i t m a n a g e d a f a i n t b u z z i n g p u r r a s i t lay c u r l e d i n h e r h a n d s .

" H o w . . . h o w m . . . h o w m a n y m o r e ? " s h e a s k e d , a s s h e c a u t i o u s l y p e t t e d t h e k i t t e n .

" I d o n ' t k n o w , " A r l i a n said, g l a n c i n g a t P a t c h . " I ' m t r y i n g t o u n d e r -

s t a n d w h y t h e s e c r e a t u r e s a r e a s t h e y are, a n d I d o n ' t k n o w y e t w h a t I n e e d t o k n o w . "

P a t c h t u r n e d h e r h e a d t o s t a r e a t h i m .

Don't you?

" N o , I d o n ' t , " A r l i a n said, g l a r i n g a t t h e c r e a t u r e .

S t a m m e r was s t a r i n g a t h e r a s well. " I t s p o k e , " s h e s a i d .

" I k n o w , " A r l i a n said. H e l o o k e d f r o m t h e c a t - t h i n g t o t h e n e w b o r n k i t t e n , t h e n a t S t a m m e r a n d a t t h e t w o g i r l s s t a n d i n g a s a f e d i s t a n c e away. " T h e y c a n d o t h a t . "

" T h e y c a n ? " K e r z i a said.

" W h a t else c a n t h e y d o ? " A m b e r d i n e a s k e d . " T h e y ' r e m a g i c , a r e n ' t t h e y ? C a n t h e y w o r k spells o r g l a m o u r s ? "

" I d o n ' t k n o w , " A r l i a n said. H e l o o k e d d o w n a t B e e , f r o w n i n g — i t s e e m e d s u c h a s m a l l , h e l p l e s s t h i n g t o b e t h e r e s u l t o f s o m u c h e f f o r t a n d b l o o d , a n d t o b e a p o s s i b l e h o p e a g a i n s t t h e d r a g o n s .

P a t c h still c r o u c h e d a t t h e e d g e o f his field o f v i s i o n ; s h e w a s a l r e a d y a t least t h r e e t i m e s B e e ' s size, a n d f a r m o r e f o r m i d a b l e . P e r h a p s t h e h o p e w a s real, A r l i a n t h o u g h t — b u t h e w a s n o t h a p p y a t t h e f o r m i t t o o k . P a t c h a n d S m u d g e h a d n e v e r d o n e a n y t h i n g o b v i o u s l y m a l i c i o u s o r i n t e n t i o n a l l y c r u e l o r d e s t r u c t i v e , b u t A r l i a n c o u l d n o t d e n y t h a t t h e c r e a t u r e s m a d e h i m u n c o m f o r t a b l e . T h e y w e r e s o v e r y u n n a t u r a l , s o m y s t e r i o u s — t h e y c o u l d c o m m u n i c a t e , b u t d i d s o o n l y v e r y r a r e l y , s o rarely t h a t B l a c k ' s c h i l d r e n h a d n o t k n o w n t h e a b i l i t y e x i s t e d . A r l i a n h a d n o t realized t h e i r w o r d s w e r e t h a t r a r e ; h e h a d a t t e m p t e d t o c o n v e r s e w i t h t h e m a f e w t i m e s , w i t h l i t d e r e s u l t . T h e y n e v e r said m u c h , a n d n e v e r a n s w e r e d his q u e s t i o n s w h e n h e a s k e d w h e t h e r t h e y k n e w a n y -

t h i n g o f t h e i r o w n n a t u r e .

T h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t t h e k i t t e n - t h i n g s m i g h t p r o v e a s u n a c c e p t a b l e i n t h e i r o w n w a y a s t h e d r a g o n s h a d c r o s s e d h i s m i n d , b u t h e h a d dism i s s e d it- T h e y w e r e n e w a n d s t r a n g e , a n d v e r y y o u n g , t h a t w a s all; w h e n t h e y h a d m a t u r e d a n d l e a r n e d a l i t t l e m o r e t h e r e w o u l d b e t i m e t o i n s i s t o n a n s w e r s t o h i s q u e s t i o n s .

H e r o s e . " I h a v e m o r e e x p e r i m e n t s t o c o n d u c t , " h e s a i d , a s h e t u r n e d a n d m a r c h e d o u t . H a l f a n h o u r l a t e r h e w a s b a c k a t t h e G r e y H o u s e , g o i n g o v e r h i s n o t e s a n d t r y i n g t o i g n o r e t h e l i n g e r i n g s t e n c h o f o r d u r e a n d d e a t h t h a t h u n g o v e r h i s w o r k a r e a d e s p i t e h i s b e s t e f f o r t s a t c l e a n i n g a n d a i r i n g .

F o r h i s n e x t p l a n n e d t r i a l h e i n t e n d e d t o c o m b i n e h u m a n b l o o d , p i g ' s b l o o d , a n d v e n o m a n d s e e w h e t h e r t h e k i t t e n t o o k o n a n y p o r c i n e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . H e h a d a s e a l e d jar o f W a l t ' s b l o o d a n d a n o t h e r o f p i g s b l o o d o n h a n d , a n d h i s t w o b o t t l e s o f v e n o m — t h o u g h t h e b r o w n o n e w a s n o w m o s t l y e m p t y . H e m a d e h i s p r e p a r a t i o n s , k e e p i n g a c a r e f u l w a t c h o n t h e c a t s h e h a d c a g e d a n d w a i t i n g .

I t w a s p a s t m i d n i g h t , a n d h e w a s d o z i n g i n h i s c h a i r , w h e n s o m e -

t h i n g w o k e h i m ; h e t u r n e d t o s e e t h a t h i s m i d d l e c a t w a s l a b o r i n g .

H e s n a t c h e d u p h i s w a i t i n g vial a t e l i x i r a n d o p e n e d t h e c a g e — t h e n b e c a m e a w a r e t h a t s o m e t h i n g w a s w a t c h i n g h i m , s o m e t h i n g o t h e r t h a n t h e t h r e e c a t s . H e t u r n e d .

P a t c h w a s c r o u c h e d o n h e r h a u n c h e s i n t h e c o r n e r o f t h e r o o m , h e r f o r e p a w - h a n d s f o l d e d b e n e a t h h e r c h i n , s t a r i n g i n t e n t l y u p a t h i m .

" H o w d i d y o u g e t h e r e ? " A r l i a n s a i d , a s h e u n c o r k e d t h e vial.

F o l l o w e d y o u
, c a m e t h e r e p l y .

T h e n t h e s t r u g g l i n g o f t h e m o t h e r - t o - b e d i s t r a c t e d h i m , a n d h e t u r n e d h i s a t t e n t i o n t o t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e f i r s t k i t t e n . W h e n i t w a s d o n e a n d s a f e , A r l i a n g r a b b e d t h e m o t h e r ' s h e a d a n d f o r c e d h e r m o u t h o p e n .

Stop
, P a t c h s a i d .

A r l i a n d i d n o t s t o p ; h e e m p t i e d h i s p r e p a r a t i o n i n t o t h e t h r a s h i n g a n i m a l . T h a t d o n e , h e t o s s e d h i s f e e d i n g vial a s i d e a n d t u r n e d a s t h e m o t h e r b e g a n t o v o m i t H e h a d s e e n t h i s b e f o r e , a n d h a d n o d e s i r e t o w a t c h a n o t h e r d e a t h — b u t t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e k i t t e n - t h i n g w a s n e w . H e l o o k e d i n t h e c o r n e r .

P a t c h w a s n o l o n g e r v i s i b l e .

" W h e r e a r e y o u ? " A r l i a n a s k e d .

She is dying.

H e c o u l d n o t l o c a t e t h e s o u r c e o f t h e u n s p o k e n w o r d s . " I k n o w t h a t . "

You have killed her. Poisoned her
.

"Yes. I am trying to learn how the magic works, so I can take it away from the dragons."

You killed our mother this way then?

"Yes." He hesitated, then added, "I'm sorry."

You say you are sorry, yet you do it again.

"Yes. I need to know, to understand."

Why?

"You would not understand; you don't know enough of the world."

I may know more than you think. Answer me—why do you need to know?

"So I can destroy the dragons without unleashing wild magic on the Lands of Man."

You wish to destroy?

"Only the dragons. To save innocent lives."

How is one life better than another? Why should the dragons die, rather
than those you call innocents?

"The dragons kill people."

You kill.

" B u t . . . it's not the same. I kill only for important purposes. The dragons kill because they enjoy it. They slaughtered my family on a whim. I must destroy them so they cannot kill others as they did my parents."

You killed our mother, and are still killing. Must we destroy you, then?

"I killed your mother to create you! To make something that could contain the dragons' magic without becoming a dragon."

I do not know what a dragon is. What do dragons have to do with cats?

"Nothing." He remembered all the failed experiments with blood other than human; whatever the connection between men and dragons might be, cats did not share it. "Cats were just convenient." He stared into the dim corners of the room, trying to locate the little creature; behind him the dying cat gave a final heave, and expelled a second and final kitten.

If you seek allies in your battle with these dragons, should you not find ones
you can recruit without killing their parents? You slew my mother—do you
think I should help you, when you have done this to me?
Blue eyes appeared in the gloom, staring at him.

"I didn't know it would kill her, at first," Arlian said. "I was trying to find a mixture that would transfer the magic without harming anything."

The eyes vanished.
You know now, yet you have just killed another cat. If
you want allies, find something that your poison won't kill.

"I tried," Arlian said. The cat-thing had made no threats, nor was the tone of its unspoken voice noticeably angry, but Arlian's hand had fallen to the hilt of his sword.

Did you? And you found none?

Arlian did not answer; instead he turned at a flash of movement.

The second kitten had been born as its mother died—and now tiny hands gripped its head and twisted, displaying far more strength than any creature so young should possess, and fangs flashed as they plunged into the mewling little thing's throat. An instant later the newborn was dead.

"What are you doing?" Arlian demanded.

No more,
Patch replied, glowering at him as she stood on her hind feet over the dead kitten, the live firstborn squirming blindly a few inches away, groping for its dead mother's breast.
You will make no more
of us. It held out a handlike fore-paw. Look at this, at what you have done—

this is not right. I am neither feline nor human.

"Indeed you are not," Arlian agreed. "You are more than either, a product of this land's magic. Where is the wrong in that?"

You killed my mother to make me what I am; is that not wrong enough?

"Dragons are born of death; the wizards and monsters of the south, too."

And did you not seek something better?

"I seek an alternative, yes—and you are a possible alternative."

I am a monstrosity. I forbid you to create more.

"Forbid? You are a kitten, scarcely larger than my hand—how do you think to argue with a grown man, and one possessing the heart of the dragon?"

I am, as you have just said, an embodiment of the land's magic—and these
are the Lands of Man, the Dragon Lands, not the kingdom of the cats. There
are greater powers here, and for the moment I give them voice, and in that
voice I tell you, kill no more beasts in your foul experiments.

"I will do as I must," Arlian said angrily.

The cat-thing did not reply, but instead leapt at him, tiny fingers outstretched, in a leap that should have been impossible for so small a creature.