Kathir's Redemption (Book 6) (7 page)

Duskeye licked his scaly blue lips.
“
You can thank the elves for that! Xiiltharra is the one who contacted me
—
her powers are very strong. I was waiting for you on the coast, unsure of what I should do. I heard Xiiltharra
’
s voice in my head, and soon enough, I saw her riding her dragon in the sky. I followed her here with the others.
”

“
Xiiltharra is a dragon rider? For how long?
”
It was a shock.

Duskeye
’
s great blue head dipped down low.
“
For some time, now, apparently. Her dragon
’
s name is Atejul. As you can see, he
’
s gigantic
—
quite difficult to miss. I
’
ve never seen an emerald dragon so large. Nagendra and Blacktooth were accompanying them.
”

Tallin looked over at Xiiltharra
’
s
dragon.
“
I don
’
t understand
—
was Atejul simply hiding in Brighthollow this whole time?
”

Duskeye chuckled.
“
No, you
’
ve seen him before. You just don
’
t remember.
”

Tallin gave Duskeye a quizzical look.
“
I honestly don
’
t remember
—
no. He looks so young. Did he flee the desert before the war?
”

Duskeye shook his head.
“
Atejul is Nagendra
’
s hatchling. You met him in the desert when he was just a fledgling, remember?
”

Tallin
’
s jaw dropped open.
“
Nagendra
’
s hatchling
—
well, by
Baghra,
then he
’
s your son!
”

Duskeye nodded, and the look on his face displayed the great pride he felt. Female dragons never revealed their mates, but since there were so few dragons left, it was obvious who Atejul
’
s father was.

“
Amazing,
”
said Tallin. He then remembered his dragon stone and pulled it out of his pocket. He placed it against his chest and flinched as the stone embedded itself once again into his tender skin. Despite the pain, it felt good to be whole again.

At that moment, the other dragons, Nagendra and Blacktooth, flew below and reunited themselves with their riders. The dragons purred and nuzzled the elves, who laughed so elatedly that it seemed they would burst with happiness.

Everyone paused and waited as the elf queen slid delicately from her dragon
’
s saddle. Xiiltharra was very tall, and she towered over everyone else by at least a head. She wore a rich emerald-tinted gown that shimmered with gold as she moved. The garment seemed designed specially to display the dragon stone embedded near her throat. The glittering emerald caught the dim light with a fiery luster. Xiiltharra
’
s strawberry-blonde hair fell in loose waves down her shoulders. Her skin was extremely pale, but her lips were very red. Her eyes were such a light shade of blue that they looked almost colorless from a distance.

Xiiltharra looked like a young woman, but everyone knew that she was hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years old. Mugla stepped over the bodies of the guards around her and walked up the stairs. She went over to Skera-Kina, knelt down, and placed two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. 

Tallin headed over to his aunt.
“
Is she still alive?
”

Mugla nodded, but her expression was grave.
“
She
’
s still alive, but barely. Her neck is broken. It
’
s beyond my power to heal an injury this severe.
”

Xiiltharra tried to walk over to where Skera-Kina was lying down, but she was blocked by several guards. The elf queen sighed, as if deeply irritated. She turned to the High Priest.
“
Call off your guards. Now.
”

Despite his fear, the priest shook his head.
“
I will not! Who are you to speak to the High Priest of Balbor in such a manner?
”

The elf queen
’
s jaw clenched, and her eyes narrowed.
“
I am Xiiltharra, Queen of Faerie, and by the terms of the Brighthollow Pact, I am your sovereign! You will obey me, whether you like it or not!
”

She waved her hand in the air, and all the guards flew backwards off the platform as if they had been struck by an invisible fist. All of them hit the ground below with a hollow thud. The queen then turned to face two assassins who were standing before the priest.

“
Now get rid of these two,
”
she ordered.

The High Priest recoiled in fear, but he did not obey. Instead, he pushed the assassins forward.
“
Kill the elf witch! It
’
s your duty to protect me!
”

The first assassin drew a poisoned knife and pointed it at her.

Xiiltharra chuckled lightly.
“
A poisoned blade? Against me? You must be joking.
”
She made a circular motion in the air with her index finger. The assassin twirled around rapidly before she cast him down to the street below. The assassin landed on his head with a loud crack and did not rise again.

Xiiltharra addressed the High Priest again.
“
You are trying my patience, priest. Call off your last man, or I
’
ll kill him, too.
”

The remaining assassin moved forward cautiously.

Tallin stepped forward to help, but Mugla grabbed his elbow.
“
Don
’
t go
—
Xiiltharra doesn
’
t need your help, believe me.
”

The last assassin proved more stubborn. He struck out and was able to graze Xiiltharra
’
s sleeve with his blade.

“
Kala!
”
she shouted, her voice booming through the cold air. The assassin shrieked and stumbled back. A blue spark shot from Xiiltharra
’
s palm and embedded itself in a tiny spot of bare flesh on his shoulder.

Flakes of snow formed on the assassin
’
s skin where the spark had touched him. The ice expanded instantly and spread across his skin. He screamed once with shock and pain. Seconds later, his entire body was frozen.

The queen swept by and pushed his frozen body as she passed. She watched emotionlessly as the assassin
’
s frozen body tumbled to the ground and shattered like a block of ice.

The elf queen smoothed her dress and walked toward the High Priest, who was trembling violently. Her expression was no longer angry or troubled.
“
That
’
s better. Now we won
’
t be interrupted. Tell me, priest...what is your given name? The name you were born with?
”

The High Priest said nothing, mute with fear.

“
Answer me, or I
’
ll rip your tongue out of your mouth,
”
she said. Her expression remained totally calm.

“
Fereroaz! My name
…
is Fereroaz,
”
he croaked.

“
Fereroaz, eh?
”
She rolled her gaze upward and tapped her chin with her forefinger.
“
And what of Civodous? What happened to him?
”

The High Priest looked confused for a moment.
“
Civodous? Why, Civodous was my great-grandfather. He died many years ago.
”

The elf queen clucked her tongue.
“
So soon? Ah, you mortals. Your lives are so short. You don
’
t live very long at all.
”

“
I don't understand,
”
said the priest.
“
What do you want from me?
”

“
In due time, my dear. Be patient. For right now, I just want you to be quiet.
”
Xiiltharra paused and looked around.
“
Where is the daughter of Carnes
î
r? I know that she is here.
”

“
That
’
s her,
”
said Tallin, pointing in Skera-Kina
’
s direction.
“
She
’
s badly injured.
”
Skera-Kina was lying on the ground, her breathing was shallow and uneven.

Xiiltharra walked over to where Skera-Kina lay unconscious. She reached down and touched Skera-Kina on the cheek.
“
Good. She is still alive.
”

Xiiltharra drew a small vial of white liquid from her bosom and poured several drops into Skera-Kina
’
s mouth.
“
Rise, forgotten daughter of Carnes
î
r,
elfling
child.
”

At that moment, F
ë
anor rushed up the stairs. He looked alarmed.
“
Your Royal Highness! Stop! This woman is a murderer. She
’
s the one who killed Carnes
î
r!
”

Xiiltharra shot him a withering look.
“
I know what I
’
m doing, F
ë
anor. Are you questioning my judgment?
”

“
Uh
…
no,
”
said F
ë
anor, looking confused.
“
It is just that I do not want you to make a mistake."

The elf queen smiled.
“
I do not make mistakes. This female is an elfling, a product of an elf mating. She carries our blood, even though she is tainted
…
with the blood of a dwarf. I warned Carnes
î
r
countless
times about his little indiscretions. He made the choice to lie with mortal women. And worse, he did it under a magical glamour. I warned him not to trifle with mortal women, and this is why.
”

“
But why would you save her life?
”
F
ë
anor sputtered.
“
She
’
s a danger to us all!
”

Xiiltharra continued as if she hadn
’
t heard him.
“
I
’
ve decided that Skera-Kina shall live. She will be a living reminder for all of you. Carnes
î
r
’
s actions had consequences. He did not understand the price of his recklessness until it was too late. It seems fitting that Carnes
î
r
’
s coquetries cost him his life. Carnes
î
r
’
s child will live a very long life
…
and remain a constant reminder of his foolishness. That is Carnes
î
r
’
s legacy and his eternal shame.
”

F
ë
anor nodded and lowered his head.
“
I
—
I understand, My Lady. If I may ask, how did you learn of Carnes
î
r
’
s death?
”

“
Carnes
î
r
’
s dragon, Poth, felt his partner
’
s death from afar. Poth collapsed and died in Brighthollow from the shock. That
’
s when I decided to intervene. I called the dragons to me, and we crossed the sea. We passed through Balbor
’
s wards with the shadowkey.
”

F
ë
anor stepped back and said nothing more. Behind them, the moon was rising over the top of a jagged cliff, its light turning the sky a creamy blue.