Shadow (23 page)

‘And here is the heart of it. The dragons do not have room in their reclaimed world for any of us. They have little love for us, we small weak self-important beings whose existence denies them their freedom.'

‘Not for
any
of us?' said Far Gaze with a half smile.

Stranger smiled too, without humour. ‘You guess well. They intend to keep a small number of us alive. Those of us who help them gain their freedom. They call this group
the Favoured.
I was told I was one of these. But before you call me a traitor to my kind, that was not why I helped Dyan. I helped him because I loved him.'

Far Gaze quietly laughed. ‘How many Favoured will there be?' he said.

‘I was not told. Enough to fill a city, enough to fill a house, I do not know.'

Across the room, Gorb had been busy watching Bald the Engineer trying to build a new version of Eric's gun and trying to keep him quiet. The half-giant it seemed had been following the conversation, for his voice carried across the room: ‘Over at the village, if we ever need to kill some sheep, we say soothing things. To lead them to slaughter with no fuss. I don't know any dragons. But I'll bet they don't think much more of us than we do of sheep.'

5

‘Tell us about Dyan,' said Far Gaze. ‘What does he want?'

‘It's a mistake to think all the dragons are of the same mind, any more than we are,' she said. ‘Dyan does not hate us. He enjoys women very much. He enjoyed his spell play with you, found you a delightful novelty. He would never have killed you. Among the Major personalities, there is division. Four, I think, hate us with fury and poison we cannot imagine. Others – Vyin, Hyan – do not blame us for the crime of existing. But they are only two. And of those two, Vyin may be the only true friend we have among the great Dragons. The idea of the Favoured is a compromise between them all. Without Vyin, there would not even be that much.'

‘If Dyan could escape, why can't the rest of them?' said Eric.

‘You are asking me to guess,' she said. ‘Dyan must have known he and I would part, for he did not tell me everything. I know nothing of the magic that holds the dragons in their prisons. They have not often tried to break out, fearing their Parent would wake and slay them. I would guess Dyan was instructed to try, to see if this would occur. Surely the Majors helped him do it. Perhaps he has tasks to perform for them. Perhaps he defied them and got free of his own will.'

Far Gaze said, ‘You hold something back. For which dragon does he work?'

‘For himself,' she said, face in hands. ‘I tire of this interrogation!' She took a few deep breaths of magic, muttered to herself.

‘What did you just cast?' cried Loup.

‘Nothing! Ease yourself, you need not fear me. As for Dyan, he has had a taste of freedom. He's revelling in it. He
is
supposed to watch us. For which member of the brood I am unsure, nor may you be certain he will do his duty. He is rebellious. And he does not hate us. He may be quite content for his kindred to remain where they are. Why would he care?
He
is free, and here in this realm he is mighty compared to us, beholden to no one.'

‘Would he help us, then?' said Far Gaze. ‘Can you bring him to our side?'

She laughed. ‘Our side in the war among cities? Why would he care about that? Why would any of the dragons? Do Lords care about feuding neighbours in their realm?'

‘
We
aren't beneath their notice,' said Eric. ‘Your dragon friend followed us all the way from the castle to World's End. If he's spying on us for the greater dragons it means
they're
interested in us, too. And I think we all know that means they're very interested in
me.
Or should I say in Shadow?'

‘Everyone is,' said Loup. ‘The Mayors, the dragons, even that foul-faced bastard Arch Mage.'

‘Enough!' Aziel yelled, surprising everyone. She had seemed asleep throughout. She rose from her bed. ‘Don't talk about Arch like that.
You
don't know him. Just because he's ugly on the outside, you think he's ugly inside. Well
you're
all ugly to me, fouler than death.' In tears she ran down the steps.

Far Gaze said, ‘Don't let her escape. Stranger, mind her.
Please,
' he added sarcastically with a bow to Eric.

Stranger went to leave, taking one last big sniff of the magic airs winding above the platform. It made her cough violently. ‘What is it?' said Loup. ‘You cast something?'

‘No! Bad airs in what I just breathed. Foreign. Just a trace, mixed with the rest.'

‘She's right,' said Far Gaze. ‘I don't need the mongrel's nose to scent that bad airs approach.'

When she'd gone Far Gaze called Gorb over. ‘Can I trust her?' he said.

The half-giant rubbed his chin, thinking about it. ‘She knows more'n she tells,' he said slowly. ‘Sadness is the main thing in her right now, real deep. Makes it hard to see the other stuff behind it. I can't figure out mages as well as regular people. She doesn't plan any harm from my reckoning, though she don't like
you
at all.' He nodded at Far Gaze. ‘These others, she's no issue with.'

‘Will you watch her for me, Gorb? Don't let her leave the tower without my knowledge, under any circumstance.'

‘I'll try,' said the half-giant. ‘I fight good. But mages can be tricky.'

VISITORS

1

Impaired by tears in her eyes, Aziel nearly went head-first down the steps.

On the lower floor the drake was by the window. She ran to it and crouched by its head. ‘Take me home, quickly,' she whispered into its ear. ‘These are
enemies.
They're going to kill me, or …
use
me somehow. Why did you bring me here, you horrid thing? They sent you to get me, didn't they?'

The drake's big emerald eyes peered into hers as though he wished she'd shoosh and let him sleep. Which was preposterous. ‘Come on, take me home!' she said, slapping its rump as hard as she dared. The drake groaned and heaved up some spit on the floor with a horrible noise. ‘What's wrong? You're sick. Serves you right!'

‘Aziel!' cried a voice. ‘Aziel, come quickly!'

She started and looked around. Stranger's footsteps sounded coming down the stairs, but the voice had come from much closer. ‘Aziel! I heard you! Come here!'

There in a triangular shard of the broken window was Ghost, the large hollow-eyed face being jostled on all sides by the others. She picked up the glass and brought it near the drake so that from across the room Stranger would think she spoke to the creature instead. ‘How did you find me here?' she whispered.

‘Very difficult! We've been going to every window and mirror we can find. So many windows! We're so happy you're here. Are you hurt?' Ghost sounded more frightened than she'd ever heard it.

‘My legs are sore from riding this terrible monster. It stole me from my room!'

‘We know. We told Arch about it. But Aziel. Is – did they – your chastity, is it—'

‘Never you mind that! Go and tell Arch where I am.'

‘We'll tell him, but where is this place?'

‘I don't know.' She described as best she could remember their flight path to the tower. ‘There were some woods not too far. In the shape of a shoe, from high up. Then fields, lots of fields for miles and miles. Tell Arch that they have me! Quickly! Tell him to rescue me before they do something horrible. It's so awful, everyone sleeps in the same room! They have a half-giant here and he smells bad. Those things
eat
people!'

‘Who are you speaking to, Aziel?' said Stranger, walking over.

Ghost whimpered in fright. ‘I'll tell him!' it said, then vanished.

‘No one,' said Aziel, smiling nervously up at Stranger. ‘Just the drake. I think he's ill.'

Obligingly the drake retched again, heaving violently and spilling great strings of clear spit onto the floor. ‘Help him!' Aziel ordered.

Stranger laughed. ‘Evidently I rank low even among the captives,' she said. ‘I will obey, O Aziel.' She crouched beside the beast and gently stroked its head. ‘What's wrong, little dragon? Have you eaten something you shouldn't have? Is there flame in there that needs to come out? Stick your head out the window, if you have to. Don't set any fires in here.'

The walls creaked as though the tower were in agreement. But the drake breathed no fire. With a horrible choking sound a glut of liquid poured through its open jaws across the floor.

Something shone brightly in the midst of its spew. It was a necklace, gleaming and shimmering. Aziel and Stranger both gasped.

Stranger crouched down beside it. ‘Vyin's,' she whispered reverently. She reached for it, then drew her hand back with some effort. ‘Don't touch it, girl,' she told Aziel sternly. ‘I mean it. You don't know what it is or what it will do. But one of the dragon-youth touched it. Very recently. That means whatever it is, it's dangerous.' Stranger looked at the drake in wonder. ‘Where have you
been,
little dragon? What have you seen and heard?'

Case the drake groaned and lay back down by the window to sleep with a guilty look at the mess he'd made. Stranger ran upstairs to get the others.

Aziel stared at the necklace, amazed at how its gleaming prettiness shifted when she closed one eye, then the other. She took a step to the right and found it took on a new set of hues, colours she hadn't ever
seen
before mixed in with sparkling golds, reds and blues. Two steps the other way and it changed again, seeming to draw the room's light about it, making it swirl like a hoop of gems in motion.

She went closer to it, crouched down unmindful of the drake's stinking mess, and reached out just as the others came to the bottom of the steps.

‘Don't touch!' Loup cried.

‘Aziel, leave it!' yelled Stranger.

Barbarians! She would not take orders from
them.
She slipped the necklace over her head to demonstrate the point. There was a flash of white fire like a lightning strike. Where its metal touched her skin was a coldness so intense it only hurt for an instant before cutting off all feeling. She gasped and fell to the floor as the necklace fused to her, embedded in her as securely as the drake wore his scales.

2

The others ran to Aziel's body but could not get close enough to touch. A wall of heat had come up about her so strong it was a wonder she herself was not engulfed in flame. She appeared unhurt; her chest rose and fell, her face like someone peacefully sleeping.

‘She'll survive,' said Stranger, ‘though I doubt she will be unchanged.'

They sat as close as they could and watched her. The heat about Aziel gradually subsided.

‘What can you tell of that charm?' said Far Gaze.

‘Very little. I can tell it is a great work, but so can you. Vyin crafted it, I think. His is the only touch I see upon it.'

‘What's it do?' said Loup. ‘I can't make sense of those patterns.'

‘Nor I,' said Stranger. ‘Nor I suppose could any human. But Vyin's having made it should be a relief to you.'

They lingered around Aziel's sleeping body until the heat had eased off enough to crouch beside her. Very carefully, Loup reached a gnarled old hand down and tried to lift the charm from Aziel's neck, but it was not to be moved. ‘It's picked its wearer,' he muttered. ‘Won't get it off, not easy anyway.'

‘I'm not so sure it was meant for her,' said Stranger, looking at Eric.

‘Then let it choose again,' said Far Gaze. He went and returned with a hunting knife.

‘Don't cut her,' Stranger warned.

‘Not more than I need to,' he said, lip curling. ‘We can't have blood spill from our Friend and Lord's daughter, can we? Not after all he's done for us. Relax. Loup and I both know arts of healing. I promise not to enjoy myself too much.' He delicately brought the knife's tip to the necklace. The second it touched Aziel's skin the knife was flung across the room and Far Gaze was sent sprawling backward, clutching his chest. Blood gushed from his nose. ‘One learns,' he muttered when his breath returned.

‘One learns quickly,' said Stranger too quietly for him to hear.

3

Night came with still no sign of Siel. Eric had spent what remained of the day with Gorb and Bald, offering what help he could on the design of their new gun. There were now five versions spread on the floor by the Engineer's bed. Bald's latest model was beginning to resemble a thin length of plumbing pipe nailed to a block of wood. The trigger mechanism was an impressively complicated web of black metal he'd used magic to make. Eric picked up one of the cruder versions, a cumbersome blocky thing which didn't even have a trigger. ‘Guys. I'll say it one more time. These things are never going to fire. You realise that, right? Copying the shape isn't going to be enough.'

But Gorb was quietly confident and Bald cackled and babbled non-stop. He'd even begun to work on projectiles for the ‘guns'.

Aziel still slept where she had lain after passing out. None of them dared touch her. The necklace sometimes glowed brightly enough to fill the room with strange light. At times it was nearly invisible, little more than a slight lump about her throat the same colour as her skin.

Eric understood that Stranger felt the necklace was made for him. He was glad Aziel had taken it. But deep into the night he couldn't sleep, despite the soothing sound of lapping waves and breeze throughout the tower. While the others slept, he went downstairs to the window he and Siel had climbed through. The drake opened one eye and sighed. It had given up trying to speak to him; it had tried to do so every time he'd come near it, as though it had important things to impart.