Soulblade (4 page)

“Dismissed,” Angulus said.

Cas tugged on Tolemek’s hair. He was the last one sitting at the table. Sighing, he stood. They walked out together behind Kaika and Quataldo, and she linked her arm in his.

“You look pleased about all this,” he observed as a pair of guards fell in behind them to make sure they headed out instead of wandering around the castle for a private tour.

Cas seemed to have gotten over being stunned about being referred to as Zirkander’s protégé and now had a gleam in her eyes.

“Relieved is the word,” she said. “When I saw that I was the only pilot in there, I thought he would want me to take the awful sword to wield again. Especially when he started talking about dragons and a shaman fiancé. If all he wants is for me to pick some good people and go along to guard the rear after the kidnapping, I’m relieved.”

“Where
is
that sword?” Tolemek asked as they walked out of the building and crossed through the courtyard, where landscapers trimmed the manicured lawn and flowering hedges. “The last I saw of it was at Galmok Mountain.”

“Ort left it up there with Therrik, since the sorceress was believed to still be in the mountains and likely up to mischief. Also, he wasn’t sure if more dragons would come for different artifacts. Sardelle mentioned that there were others, though now that most of the levels of mines have been collapsed, even a dragon would have a hard time getting at them.”

Tolemek grimaced at the idea of Therrik with Kasandral, a sword happy to slay anyone with a smidgen of dragon blood. Still, if Tolemek, Sardelle, and Tylie weren’t up in the outpost and the only possible people for Therrik to attack were enemies, he supposed it was in capable hands.

“I’m not positive it’s still up there,” Cas said, “but I’m hoping it is. I prefer sniper rifles to swords.”

“Who doesn’t?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, some of the tension fading from him as they passed through the castle gate and headed along the cobblestone drive that led down the hill and back into the city—and to his lab.

“It won’t take me long to pack and get my people ready. Are you going to be up all night mixing goos? Or shall I stop by?”

“Yes and yes. Mixing
goo
is lonely work.”

“I noted that you didn’t object to being turned into a pharmacy when the king was doing it,” Cas said, “not the way you used to when General Zirkander did it.”

“The king
pays
me to be a pharmacy. Or whatever else he needs. And he supplies my lab. Chemicals, books, tools, state-of-the-art equipment.”

“It sounds like he’s courting you effectively.”

Tolemek snorted. “I guess he is. So long as he leaves Tylie out of this.”

“You don’t think Tylie would like to help get rid of the person who issued the bounty on her brother’s head?”

Tolemek halted, not caring that they were in the middle of the street and that a steam carriage was clanking in their direction. “Don’t tell me
you
think she should go along.”

Cas lifted her hands. “I understand your concerns and agree that she shouldn’t be in a combat position, but I also think she’s safer on Phelistoth’s back than anywhere else in the world. This mission might be more likely to succeed with a dragon’s help, especially if...”

“What?”

Cas pulled him to the side of the road so the carriage could pass without rolling over them. “I’m not sure if Sardelle will go. The last time I talked to her, she was very determined to go back to the Ice Blades. I don’t think she’s going to give up until she finds Zirkander’s body.”

“But that could wait until we got back.”

“Could it? If she thinks he’s injured out there somewhere, she’ll be worried about delaying.”

Tolemek stuffed a hand in his pocket and stared at the ancient cobblestones. “
You
don’t think he’s alive, do you?”

“No, but I’m not his—” She groped in the air with one hand. “Let’s just say that if it was you, I’d want to make sure too.”

“Hm.” Even though they were musing about his death, he found this proof that she cared, and would perhaps even care to the exclusion of reason, heartening. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and steered them back onto the road, this time walking to the side so they were not in danger of being run over. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Does that mean you’ll talk to Tylie about coming?”

He grunted. That wasn’t what he had been agreeing to at all. “Maybe I’ll talk to
Phelistoth
about coming. Tylie could stay home and study.”

“Have you spoken with him often?”

“Not... often.” As far as he knew, Tylie tended to be everyone’s intermediary for the dragon. Oh, Phelistoth spoke from time to time, especially when he was in human form, but he always gave the impression that it was tedious for him to have to do so.

“That should prove interesting,” Cas said.

“Yes,” he murmured. As they continued into the city, he dwelled upon what sort of bribe he might offer to a dragon to help with a kidnapping.

Chapter 2

T
he guards led Sardelle into the atrium, a part of the castle that usually soothed her nerves, thanks to its gurgling fountains and chirping birds. This time, she wasn’t in the mood to be soothed. She twisted her hand in the sash that wrapped her waist, acting as a belt for the elegant blue dress she had chosen for this meeting. She wanted to look professional, even if the king never seemed to require much in the way of ceremony or formality. She planned to return to the Ice Blades one way or another, but it would be much easier to go with a flier.

Or a dragon.

Find me a dragon, and I’ll consider that. I haven’t even seen Phelistoth since we returned.

No, he’s probably cuddling with that crystal. When Bhrava Saruth lets him.

“Sardelle?” came Angulus’s voice, almost hesitant. That was unlike him.

She followed the sound to a wide wall fountain that occupied the far corner of the atrium. He sat on the rim, goldfish darting about in the shallows of the pool behind him. She sensed bodyguards in the room, but they were being discreet and stood far enough away to allow a private conversation. Did he have something in mind that he wanted to discuss? When she had sent a message requesting an appointment, she hadn’t mentioned what
she
wished to discuss.

“Please sit.” Angulus gestured to the ledge.

Sardelle shifted the material of her dress so nothing would dangle in the water and perched beside him, leaving a few feet between them, not wanting to presume any intimacy. She had expected to be led to his office or to the throne room rather than this serene setting.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He leaned over and rested his hand on the back of hers for a moment. “I’m sorry that Zirk—Ridge—didn’t make it.”

“Thank you, Sire.”

He leaned back, withdrawing his hand. “We have about an hour until the council heads start arriving, and I’ll be swamped with attending to their needs—excuse me, listening to their wisdom—for the next week. There’s something I’d like to ask you—two things, actually—but tell me what you need first.”

“Yes, Sire. I want to go back and do a more thorough search for Ridge. It’s possible that he’s injured somewhere and that we’ve all abandoned him. I talked to General Ort, and he said all of the flier squadrons are occupied and that he can’t spare anyone. I know you keep a flier or two here, for your personal use. I was wondering if I could borrow one if I could find a suitable pilot.” She thought about saying she could figure out how to fly the craft herself, with magic if not with skill, but she wasn’t sure that would make him more likely to lend it to her.

Less likely, I should think. You know even less about machines than I do.

That’s not true.

You didn’t read all those scintillating books in the prison library while you were knocked out for three hundred years.

“Judging by the reports—by what General Ort reported—it’s unlikely that he could have survived,” Angulus said, his tone gentle.

“Yes, Sire. Unlikely, but not impossible. And then there’s the sorceress.”

Angulus’s eyebrows rose. “Yes?”

“Jaxi sensed her in the area right before the other dragons showed up. We think—”

Oh no, don’t include me in this.
You
think.

“I’m not sure what to think, Sire,” Sardelle admitted, “but if Eversong was nearby, she adds an unknown factor to the equation. Also, it might be useful to locate her, get a feel for what she’s up to.” So long as Sardelle could
survive
locating her. Their last confrontation had left her devoid of ideas as to how to defeat the woman. In truth, she only mentioned her in the hope that Angulus would be more likely to provide a flier.

“I won’t deny that,” he said, “but I have had other matters on my mind this week. I was going to ask if you would go with Tolemek, Lieutenant Ahn, and Captain Kaika on a mission to kidnap the Cofah emperor.”

Sardelle stared at him, not certain she had heard him correctly. He’d said it so casually, as if emperors were kidnapped all the time. “I—now, Sire?”

“They’re leaving in the morning. We have an opportunity to catch him out of the empire, a rare one. We have to act swiftly to exploit it.”

Sardelle stared down at the fish darting under the rippling water of the pool. Even without hearing the details, she judged this mission to be something that would take many days, if not weeks. “Sire, I would normally agree to help, but if Ridge is injured somewhere out there, he may have very limited time.”

She made herself look up, though she was afraid she would catch a pitying look in his eyes, the same one Cas had given her, the one that said that it was sad that she’d lost the love of her life but that it was misguided of her to believe he might still be alive. And yes, that was exactly the look Angulus gave her. She didn’t need to brush his mind with her senses to tell what he was thinking.

“Sire, I chose to stay down in the outpost when they went into the air. I—I didn’t factor in the wind and the storm, so I didn’t realize how far away the battle would take them. I thought I could protect the fort
and
Ridge and the others at the same time. But by the time I made it over to them, it was too late. If I’d gone up with them, maybe I could have done something. Maybe—” She swallowed and looked down at the fish again. She’d thought she could get through this without falling apart. She wanted him to help her because of reason, not out of pity or because she was weeping into his fountain.

“I know what it’s like to make mistakes,” Angulus said softly. “Trust me. Though I’m not sure you made one. I think Ridge would agree that protecting hundreds of people is more important than protecting one.”

“Jaxi didn’t agree,” she muttered.

“Your sword has spoken to me a few times. She seems... young.”

Young? What does that mean? Is that an insult? Do I need to incinerate his nose hairs?

“She’s six hundred years old, Sire. And passionate.”

“Hm.” This time, he was the one to gaze down at the fish. He dragged his finger through the water. The fish must have thought that implied feeding time, because a school of them formed and came to the surface, lips pursing eagerly. Angulus snorted and reached over to a shelf beside the fountain. He pulled off a canister, opened it, and tossed in some flakes of seaweed or whatever it was goldfish ate. “I think you could be a great help on this other mission, but I understand that your heart calls you another way. You’re not a soldier—or a king—so you’re allowed to choose what your heart wants over any duty imposed upon you by others.” A wistful smile flashed across his face, the expression gone almost as soon as it formed. “And if you believe Ridge might still be alive, then I can’t help but wonder about that too. Losing him is a great blow. Even if I haven’t always approved of his methods of doing his duty, there’s no doubt that he always
did
do his duty, and that he and his squadron brought down more enemies than anyone else in the country.”

Sardelle leaned toward him, hoping this meant he would give her what she wished.

“It would also be useful for me to know where that sorceress is, even if we don’t have the means to destroy her currently.” Angulus had been dropping pinches of fish food into the fountain, but he paused, his hand dangling. “Actually, we might.” He looked at her, his eyes narrowing.

“The sword?” Sardelle guessed. “I can’t wield it, Sire.”

She almost pointed out that Cas could and that she could be her pilot in this, but if she was heading out on another mission, they would have to find someone else.

“Wait here a moment, please.” Angulus returned the canister to the ledge and stood. “I want to show you something.”

High priestess!
sounded a cry in her mind.

Sardelle was so startled that she nearly pitched backward into the fountain. Fortunately, Angulus had already disappeared through the potted trees and rosebushes and didn’t notice.

Bhrava Saruth?
she asked, though she recognized the voice, a voice she hadn’t heard since the day the dragon had helped with the search for Ridge.

Bhrava Saruth, the god, yes! I have been looking many places for you. You left your mountain fortress.

Her fortress? Hardly that.
Yes, I live down here most of the time.

In a castle? Yes, that is fitting for my high priestess. Look at all the people in this city. So many! There were never so many in one place in my time. Do they worship another god? Could we convert them to worship me?

I—uhm. We need to talk about that, Bhrava Saruth.
Sardelle looked in the direction the king had gone, wondering how long she had until he returned. This might require a lengthy discussion, and what if she irked the dragon with her admissions? She didn’t want to risk bringing down his ire on the castle or the town.

What, you don’t think he’ll appreciate that you lied to him?

I didn’t lie, Jaxi. I just let him think... things. And I did give him what he sought.
Sardelle shifted her mind’s focus, imagining the dragon, though she wasn’t sure where he was. Somewhere in the city? Outside of it? The general populace did not know about dragons yet, so she hoped he wasn’t perched on a clock tower somewhere. Wherever he was, he was beyond her range to sense, and she wouldn’t have been able to speak to him if he hadn’t been reaching out to her.
Were you able to get any useful information out of the crystal, Bhrava Saruth?