The world was a different place when seen from the back of a dragon. It was so much larger, and smaller at the same time. High above the clouds, Ban Karst felt both insignificant and supreme. With Deebee beneath him, the waters of the Great Leyr appeared like a sheet of mirrored glass reflecting the sunset behind him.
"We're losing daylight," Ban shouted to be heard over the wind. "Are we close?"
"We'll arrive soon," Deebee said. "Either my friend will be able to point us towards where Kimpo is, or Almo is the reason Elise sent her here."
Ban raised his helmet's visor and shifted his riding posture to look behind him. Moon stood a pace away on Deebee's right flank. The knights were adopting nautical phrases when in flight-- natural for Altieri-- so Ban supposed he should start calling that side of Deebee starboard.
Moon saw him looking her way and held out her thumb and index finger, the kith gesture signaling that no enemies were in sight.
Ban nodded to her then checked over the rest of the crew. The rope and leather harness Deebee wore had been devised by Nooka the Artificer and Paladin Hugin, then constructed over the past few days by the craftsmen following the army. She and the other dragons all had harnesses, and the mighty were wearing them whenever in their true forms. The idea was to grow acclimated so the riding tack could be carried through polymorphy as with clothing.
Other than Ban and Moon, fifteen Karst armsmen and ten goblins rode Deebee. Each had their own harnesses that attached to Deebee's via snap-lock shackles. The harness system kept the crew from losing balance during a dragon's more dramatic aerial maneuvers. It also allowed the braver crewmen to catch a little sleep over long flights like this.
Nooka and Hugin had grand plans for outfitting dragons further, such as cargo nets and fitted armor to protect the more vulnerable areas. It would be some time before any of that came about, but the harnesses were working. That was more than Ban could have hoped for considering the short timeframe. In recognition of the achievement, Enfri had appointed Hugin as her Lord of Emeralds.
Seeing the crew move about Deebee's back reminded Ban of sailors clambering along the rigging of a ship. They kept one hand on the harness at all times, pulling themselves along, detaching and reattaching the snap-lock, and moving between the watch positions. Four dauntless souls even hung beneath Deebee's belly, keeping an eye on the ground.
"You're sure this isn't uncomfortable?" Ban called up to Deebee.
"For the last time," she replied, "not in the slightest. I hardly feel you lot at all. I'm quite accustomed to it now." A sound rumbled deep within her. It carried a note of consideration. "However, I can see the harness rubbing my hide raw if this goes on too long. I've never experienced scale-chafe, and I don't care to."
"We're still working the snags out of how the knightly orders will operate," Ban said. "Nautical terms, goblin hand signals... We still need a reliable way to signal the rest of the formation. The flags just aren't working."
Deebee grunted. "That oil-less lantern Nooka brought from Irdruin might be the answer."
Ban recalled the strange device. Turn a crank and it shone with a bright light for a little while. Irdish artificers were coming up with all sorts of marvels as of late. "After we have Kimpo back, we might see to commissioning a few more. Worth looking into, if nothing else."
The port watch blew their whistle. Ban twisted at the waist to look to his left.
Grimdar emerged out of a bank of clouds. His gigantic wingspan trailed droplets of water along its length as he came out, and his crew shook beading water from their arms. Knight-Lieutenant Valuris, a blossom knight from House Ulthred, was acting as Grimdar's stand-in Ruby for this flight.
Ban heard Grimdar's starboard watchman blow his own whistle. So far, the whistles were the best they had for calling out the position of other dragons in the formation. It got basic ideas across, but they needed a better method for when it came time to communicate in detail.
Grimdar adjusted his course to fly alongside Deebee. He was far larger. Reds were much bigger than silvers, and male dragons tended to be significantly larger than females. Even Kimpo, who was a good fifty years older than Grimdar, would have been three-quarters his size. The Gladiator, the largest dragon Ban had ever seen besides Varn, carried forty House Yora armsmen on his back.
The formation passed through the clouds and broke out into clear skies. Ban required a moment to take it all in. The beating of dragon wings all around him felt like thunder in his bloodstream. Brightly colored scales reflected the waning light in a brilliant display. Across the spans of open sky, Ban could hear several crews singing out old Altieri sea shanties.
The dragons ranged from three to five centuries in age, the oldest of the dragons who had sworn to Enfri. None of them smaller than a trade frigate while others, like Grimdar, approached the size of a Gaulatian dreadnought. Twenty dragons, two hundred and fifty armsmen, and another fifty goblins. With this many soldiers being able to move across great distances at speed, they could secure the western shores of Sholis and make certain that Elise's knight wouldn't escape with Kimpo.
They would need to spread out before much longer. A wide area needed to be covered, and the goblin diviners didn't know Kimpo's exact location in Sholis; scries were bound to locations where the goblins kept watch on other lands. The seers knew Kimpo entered Sholis and hadn't yet left, but she wasn't currently somewhere they could see.
Doesn't matter, Ban told himself. With this many dragons and armsmen, no one will be able to get through the net we cast. Waves, but Shan Alee's a force to be reckoned with.
Enfri's army was powerful enough that Ban actually felt uneasy about it. The part of him that was still Knight-General Kastus' student saw how devastating an aerial force like this could be.
The nature of war was changing.
Moon went to stand on Deebee's shoulder. It bothered Ban that she alone of the goblins didn't bother using her harness. She wore one, she just didn't use it. That infuriated Ban and made him want to throw up out of worry for her. He remembered how a few weeks ago she had leapt from Deebee's back to Kimpo's.
She tries something like that again and I'll latch my snap-lock to her, Ban groused to himself. Even the other goblins think she's off her nut.
It was taking some getting used to, but Ban was beginning to learn that Moon was an outlier among goblins. He'd believed that all the kith were just as fearless as she was. In retrospect, he should have known better. His lasichka was exceptional.
Rippling Moon had taken her platinum blonde hair out of its multitude of braids and let it hang free. It was longer than when she'd last worn it down, and it would have reached past her shoulders if it wasn't blowing behind her in the wind. Moon looked ahead, like a sea captain standing at the prow of her vessel, as if the skies were hers alone.
Her yew wood bow was in hand, and a quiver of arrows hung behind her waist. Her collection of steel knives were strapped to her belt and to her thighs. Ban wished she would concede to wear armor-- this was a frequent subject of argument between them. The one bit of protection she had was an ornate shoulder guard Ban gave her out of his father's armory. It was engraved with the Karst sigil, and Ban was certain she only wore it because it had been a gift.
As a counterpoint to Moon's assured confidence, Deebee's final passenger crawled up the harness towards Ban. Reyn moved as if unwilling to let go with even a single hand for more than a moment. It was a laborious process for her to go even a few paces. She'd kept dead center of Deebee's back for most of the flight, so something pressing must have been urging her to leave her spot of perceived safety.
Reyn glanced at Moon and went pale at the sight of her moving about unsecured. The scribe took in a deep breath and resumed her climb towards Ban. It had been apparent from the start that Reyn didn't have a head for heights. Ban supposed he couldn't blame her since even he got a little dizzy if he looked over the side.
"Lord Bannlyth," Reyn called weakly.
Feeling magnanimous, Ban unhooked his snap-lock and went to help her. She squealed in fright as Ban detached her from the harness and pulled her the rest of the way.
"Never," Reyn panted once he reattached her, "never, ever do that again."
"The air's calm," Ban said. "Deebee's steady as a stone balcony."
"Balconies have railings."
"I stand corrected. There something you need?"
Reyn glared at him from beneath a knitted brow. She'd been cold towards Ban at their first meeting, and the weeks since hadn't warmed her disposition in the slightest. If there was something Ban did to warrant her attitude, he had no idea what it might've been. The two of them could maintain a civil discourse on the ground, but that changed a mile in the air when her nerves were frayed to the point of snapping.
"I wanted to ask of Princess Pacifica's presumed status. She and the Ascendent must have reached Kothal by now."
Ban settled back into a riding posture. "Good thing, too. We'll cause a stir among the Sholan houses by showing up like this. When Pacifica delivers Enfri's letter of intent to the premier, it'll smooth over any feathers we ruffle."
Deebee chuckled. "We wouldn't want the Sholan's thinking they're being invaded."
"I'm well aware of Pacifica's mission, Lord Bannlyth," Reyn huffed. "I penned the letter. Forgive me for saying, but you seem intent on angering every woman in the army with your actions."
Ban shrugged. "Anyone in particular? Pacifica seemed willing enough."
"The princess is a Diamond Knight," Reyn said, "and you made her a messenger."
"Diplomat," Ban corrected. "That's what Diamonds do now, isn't it? Dragon bound or not, Pacifica hasn't ever been in combat. Besides, Adar's the fastest dragon we have and the only one that could reach Kothal before the rest of us enter Sholis." Ban gave his head a shake. "Why am I arguing this? Am I Knight-Marshal or aren't I?"
"You may outrank Princess Pacifica, but how do you justify your orders concerning Her Majesty?"
"Ban has my support in this matter," Deebee said. "Our beloved has no business flying off into danger. If I had it my way, we'd have left even more of the mighty behind to keep her safe."
"She has Jin," Ban said. "Four bonded knights and the greater portion of the army. If she's not safe in Temradel, she's not safe anywhere."
Deebee snorted, sending a plume of white smoke out of her nostrils. "For your sake, I hope she calms down and sees reason before we return."
Ban laughed to hide his nervousness. "She didn't like being told she couldn't come along."
Reyn clung to her harness with a white-knuckled grip. Her red hair kept blowing into her eyes, but she didn't dare let go to brush it away. "Then I must protest once more. I am Her Majesty's scribe and handmaiden. If I'm not to accompany Princess Pacifica, I should be with Her Majesty. Why am I here?"
With you, her tone implied.
Deebee glanced back to Ban as if wondering the same thing.
"I should have been more upfront about it," Ban admitted. "I didn't offer much of an explanation before tossing you aboard. You have every right to be angry. I'm sorry. My haste murdered my manners."
Reyn frowned. She did that a lot around him. She did, however, seem to be mollified somewhat by the apology.
"There are three ways to rescue Kimpo," Ban said. "One, threaten Elise until she unlocks the bond herself. She's not in Sholis, so that's not going to happen. Two, kill Elise. Same problem. The only other way is with a Dekaam spike, and you're the only mage slayer we have."
"I beg your pardon," Reyn sputtered. "What gives you the idea that I'm..."
"We don't have the luxury of catering to your mystique," Ban said. "I heard how you fought in the palace during the battle. One touch and armsmen dropped as if ethershocked. Either you're a Dekaam or some sort of fey I've never heard of."
Reyn drew back, at a loss for words.
Ban shut his visor. "It's of interest to me where you learned to do what Elise does. Enfri says it's an Aleesh discipline."
"Not exclusively," Reyn said. She had an anxious look about her that made Ban wonder if she was coming up with a lie. "The Dekaam have been known to the magocracy for many years. Several hierarchs have studied it for its ability to unlock other arcanists' spells."
"You're magocracy educated then?"
"No, but my master was."
It might have been true. Ban didn't know enough about Reyn for his hydromancy to tell him different. "As it stands, I know just two things about you. One of them is that Pacifica trusts you. For the moment, that's all I need to know."
"For the moment," Reyn said with a slight sneer.
Ban held back from sighing. Despite the fact that Reyn was crotchety as a mountain goat with a sore tooth, he'd rather not have to butt heads with her. Her loyalty to Pacifica put her high up in Ban's estimations, and he'd seen her sigils. Whatever other secrets Reyn harbored, she was an amazing scrivener. Ban would've preferred being on good enough terms with her to exchange notes.
"What's the second thing?" Reyn asked. Her tone had a note of worry to it.
Ban lifted his visor enough so she could see his smirk. "You have nice legs."
She got red in the face, but if it was a blush or he'd really ticked her off was difficult to say. Ban took the safe bet and assumed the latter. He might've pushed her too far, but he thought it was worth it.
Reyn turned away from him, indignant. Ban noticed that her eyes were darting towards Moon moving around.
"It is unexpected," Reyn said softly. "I would not have thought an Altieri knight of your position would become so close with fey."
Is that her problem with me? Ban thought. If she's friends with Pacifica, she might disapprove of how I broke off the betrothal to be with Moon.
"You make friends easily," Reyn said. "Not only goblins, but the mighty speak highly of you. I wonder if you would accept..." She cut herself off and bowed her head.
"You wonder if I would accept what?"
She exhaled heavily. "It is not important, Lord Bannlyth. A passing thought and nothing more."
Ban tried to use his elder magic to get some insight. The drain on his ether was heavy, unable to put what little he knew into anything that made sense, and he gave it up. Reyn played her cards so close to her chest that even a hydromancer couldn't get a peak at them.
None of my business anyway, Ban decided. He put Reyn out of his mind and braced himself while Deebee led the formation in a descent to a lower altitude. Whistles blew to signal the course changes, and Ban saw the shoreline of Sholis approaching rapidly ahead.
It was time to get his Huntress back.
oOo
"--Sight reaching beyond sky and stone. Grant vision to distance unseen.--"
Krayson's scry provided him with a vision of a rocky shoreline. It faded almost immediately, long before he could discern anything useful. While he wouldn't have called himself a master, the school of divination was a talent of his. It often came in handy when tracking down the recipient of a bloodsong.
"Anything?" Saveen asked. Her wingbeats were slowing as the journey went on. Receiving strength through the bond had allowed her to come this far, but they were reaching their limits.
"No change. The connection between my imprint and Kimpo's isn't strong enough for a proper scry."
Starra, bundled up in a warm woolen dress, rode behind Krayson and held onto his waist. "Disappointing but unsurprising. Scries are better suited for keeping watch over prearranged locations or finding someone you're intimately familiar with."
"Any other divining spells that would work?" Saveen asked.
"I've tried auguries," Starra said. "I didn't learn anything more than Brother Joshuan. Wizards are capable in the school, but witches are the true masters."
"What about sorcerers?"
Josy spoke up from where she crouched with Maya between Saveen's wings. "Sorcerers do just fine if we know the manifestations. Unfortunately, neither of us has much practice in it."
"We can make do," Starra said. "You spent more time with the Huntress than any of us, dear one. You might try the incantation Brother Joshuan just used."
Saveen made an anxious sound.
"It will be alright," Krayson said. "It's a relatively simple spell. If you're worried, I can give you more ether."
"It's just..." Saveen sighed. "How did it go again?"
Krayson repeated the incantation for her. "Remember, witchery is as much mental as speaking the words. The spirits aren't doing all the work so much as granting you some of their abilities. Keep Kimpo in your mind, and the magic will do the rest."
Saveen tensed and spoke the incantation.
"Oh! Flames! I see her, and she's with Cardin and... Drat, I lost it."
Her wingbeats faltered and they dipped in the air. Saveen recovered quickly, but it was becoming clear that she wouldn't be able to stay aloft for much longer.
"Could you discern any landmarks?" Krayson asked. "Anything we can use to navigate?"
"I think so. There was a thin cleft of rock right on the water and a black mountain. There were strange rock columns all along the shoreline. They looked natural, and they were tall and six-sided."
"Basalt forms like that very rarely," Krayson said. "There's only a few places I know of that fit that description. On the Sister islands in Teularon, a few of the Shoto Isles, and in western Sholis at the base of Mount Vorti."
"The Ogre's Causeway," Starra said in excitement. "Remote and treacherous landscape, perfect for an isolationist dragon to make his lair. It's not terribly far, but we might've passed right by without realizing if you hadn't divined the right location. Well done, dear one."
Saveen couldn't seem to decide if she was more proud of the accomplishment or embarrassed by the praise.
Krayson sent as much through the bond as he could to help Saveen last long enough to reach Mount Vorti. It was a dormant volcano that hadn't erupted in three hundred years. Krayson prayed it would sleep for at least a little while longer.
According to Saveen, Kimpo was adept in vulcanamancy, an esoteric and devastating discipline. If there was one place Krayson didn't want to see that magic put on display, it was near a natural volcano. He'd rather not be targeted by it anywhere at all, but the possibility that Kimpo's spells could awaken Vorti from its long slumber just made the proposition that much more daunting.
We'll just have to get Starra to her before that happens, Krayson thought. Maya and Josy will handle Draxa. Saveen and I will distract Cardin. That should give Starra an opening to teleport up to Kimpo and put a spike in her.
Severing the bond could prove to be the easy part, unfortunately. Kimpo wasn't in her right mind, and there was no guarantee that she'd be free of Elise even once the bond was gone. She'd put herself into the path of a lightning bolt to save her empress when doing nothing would have freed her. That kind of conditioning wouldn't be easy to overcome.
We may need to have Starra ethershock her, and I could possibly use an enchantment to put her to sleep until the Lady Yora can control her with a bond. Thunders, but how are we supposed to cart a senseless dragon all the way to Temradel? I hope this Almo will be in a charitable enough mood to lend a hand.
They'd flown another hour before finally reaching their destination. Mount Vorti was a lone, black mountain that loomed over the shoreline. The eastern slope was slight and gentle while the west was practically a cliff. Long dormant, the caldera at the summit now held a shallow, steaming lake that reeked of sulfur. The slopes were barren of vegetation; there was only dark gravel made from porous stone.
"We're close enough, dear one," Starra said. "You and Brother Joshuan are spent. Rest a while before we go further. We can wait until after dusk before setting out again.
Saveen landed midway up the eastern slope. The gravel was loose, and she skidded a dozen paces before coming to a complete stop. Maya and Josy hopped off. Starra and Krayson followed just as Saveen collapsed in a panting heap.
For the rest of Sholis, the sun was just beginning to touch the horizon. In the volcano's shadow, twilight was upon them. The sky itself was still bright with orange light, and the barren terrain took on an ethereal quality.
"Flames, but I don't think I've ever been this tired before," Saveen said through her gasps for air. "I tried using ether to revitalize myself like you said, Krayson. I don't think it worked all that well."
"It's tricky," Krayson said. "I was able to use mine to build up more strength to give you, so it worked as well as it needed to. You only need more practice."
"I'd... rather not."
"May come a time when it could save your life. You will practice."
Saveen wrinkled her snout. "That doesn't mean I have to like it, master."
Krayson shrugged. Learning magic wasn't just conjuring rainbows and firefly lights. The sooner Saveen came to terms with how hard it was going to get, the better it would be for her.
While Krayson sat next to Saveen and offered a few points of advice, Josy and Maya trotted off to scout ahead. The duchess said something about reconnoitering the terrain around the Rampart's lair, but Krayson was too involved with teaching Saveen to pay Josy much heed. He was letting his body rest and felt his fatigue lessen as ether trickled back into his bloodstream.
Replenishing ether was a slow process. It was said that some hierarchs could require as much as two days to fully recuperate from ethershock. Even Maya had needed twelve hours to return to her full power after fleeing the Sanguine Tower, and she likely hadn't used up half of her stores.
Maya's power is astonishing, Krayson thought. She could found an arcane dynasty of her own if she wanted to.
"Is everything alright, Krayson?" Saveen asked. She changed to her blue-skinned human form, and Krayson was momentarily startled to see that she came out of it with her clothes on. Her abilities had improved while he was dead to the world. "You drifted off mid-sentence."
"I'm well," Krayson said. "I let my mind wander."
"Is something the matter?"
"No, not especially." He turned his head to watch the assassins walk out of sight around the slope. "I was just wondering why Maya never had a preserver. Strong as she is, I'd think House Algara wouldn't want to risk losing her bloodsong."
Starra rummaged through her travel bag as she spoke. "You've noticed her power, then?"
Krayson hummed an affirmative.
"I've heard it said that Maya plateaued early on in her sorcery. Adding to that, she spent most of her childhood beneath sealing spells to limit access to her stores of ether. Can you imagine?"
"Actually, yes," Krayson said. "It was the same with me in Teularon. However, it was done more for the relative ease of using incantations than me being particularly powerful."
Starra glanced up at him from her bag. "Indeed. She is something of a marvel, really. Ambrose put some effort towards keeping Vintus' claws off of her. It was important to my master that Her Highness doesn't end up fighting for the wrong side."
"I much prefer being allies," Krayson agreed. He thought back to their first couple of meetings and nearly shivered. It had been almost two weeks since then, but he could remember how Maya once looked at him. She would have killed him purely for the enjoyment of watching him die, and there was nothing he could've done to stop her.
Envy. That was another emotion Krayson still possessed. He wanted to be as strong as Maya was. That she was largely born to her power made it all the more unbearable, when Krayson had needed to struggle, train, and sell his soul to get what he had. Everything Krayson had garnered, he owed to his ambition.
Garret said my ambition must come from my Althandi half, Krayson thought. Blood magic never took that away. I suppose I should be grateful I'm allowed to keep the one thing I have left from my mother.
Even so, ambition wasn't often thought of as a virtue. Little of what Krayson had left to him was.
It was something of a cruel irony. After this contract was over, Krayson doubted he'd be welcome in Althandor. Teularon was forever closed to him. Where then could he go? Perhaps Empress Enfri would contract him as a preserver, and he could find asylum with her infant empire. Now there was a cruel irony. He'd already turned down such a contract with one Dragon Empress, and now he found himself hoping to do it for a different one.
One day, I'll track down this Fate miscreant and beat him bloody.
That was an ambition Krayson could pursue wholeheartedly. He found some amusement in imagining it when he became aware of Starra's eyes on him. "What is it?" he asked.
Starra chewed the inside of her cheek as if considering something. She appeared to reach a decision. "About Maya, Brother Joshuan. Have you put thought to exactly why your house betrayed King Cathis?"
"I..." Krayson blinked, unsure of how to respond. "I suppose I always assumed the Courtesans made it worth their while."
"It might've been no more than that." Starra frowned, perhaps second-guessing bringing this up at all. "I can't be certain. Please know that. But... Ambrose took special note of Maya's wellbeing over the years. She's important."
"Important to what?" Saveen asked.
"To the world," Starra said. Her voice lowered an octave, hesitant to speak the next part. "And the Courtesans tried to have her killed."
Krayson looked away. Starra had said before that the Courtesans moved at the behest of the old masters. Was the same true of House Krayson? Had his family once been in thrall to demons just as Prince Vintus was now?
Why is Maya so important? he wondered. Her power. Is she strong enough that the Courtesans started a war for the chance to kill her while she was still a child?
Whatever the reason, Maya now hated him for his family's complicity in the death of her younger brother. Krayson couldn't even truly say he resented her for it. He'd never known what it must have been to have a sibling. Perhaps if he did...
"Fire wards!" Starra screamed.
"--Spirits of fire, deny your essence!--" Krayson and Saveen shouted. Their unison link was unplanned, yet flawless. The ward they created together shone bright as it enclosed around them and Starra. It was strong enough to repel the veritable storm of dragon fire that fell upon them.
The flames surrounded their group, only held at bay by the ward. Krayson couldn't see anything beyond the inferno-- not the location of their attackers or their identity-- but the list of who it could be was a short one.
"They were waiting for us?" Krayson said as he concentrated on maintaining the ward. "How could they know we were coming?"
"By all means, I'll tell you." Draxa's voice, lilting and coquettish, was unmistakable. "I've been sensing your scries for the last several days. Did you really think such clumsy attempts to spy on us would go unnoticed?"
Starra and Krayson exchanged bemused looks.
No scries of ours, he thought. We only started looking last night.
The dragon fire subsided. It had been Kimpo's flaming breath, and she stood higher up on Mount Vorti's slope. Draxa was beside her, both dragons in their truest forms. Draxa, a white and gray contrast to Kimpo's black and red. There wasn't any sign of Cardin, but Krayson kept a wary eye out for him.
"I can't imagine what you hoped to accomplish here," Draxa continued, mocking and derisive. "It's becoming clear that the Rampart won't see reason, but now we needn't return to our beloved empty-handed. The empress will have a blue dragon after all, and the First Knight is set on finding you again, Blood Runner."
Saveen's eyes were drawn away. She turned about as if seeking out the source of a noise only she could hear. "Cardin's close," she said under her breath. "I can feel... something. It's like a spell echo, but the essence is strange."
Krayson furrowed his brow. He concentrated but couldn't sense anything.
"Are you certain, dear one?" Starra asked.
"If she says so, it is so," Krayson said. He then hid a hand behind his back to conceal the additional spells of strength and speed he wove with his somatics.
"Saveen the Bastion," Draxa said. "Come to us, little one. It's time you return to your empress. Submit willingly, and our beloved will be lenient with you."
"Elise is not my empress," Saveen shouted. "Kimpo, you taught me who our beloved really is. You taught me about Empress Enfri and your Ruby Knight!"
Draxa glanced sidelong at Kimpo, who was shaking her head.
"You're confused, Saveen. I have no Ruby and merely serve our beloved until a more worthy dragon can be found."
"You're the one who's confused," Saveen cried. "Have you forgotten who you are, Kimpo? You're the Huntress, the second of the mighty to follow the true Dragon Empress."
"Saveen, that's enough!" Kimpo shouted. She grew agitated and bared her giant fangs. "You don't understand, young one. We're trying to help you."
"Shut up!" Saveen closed her eyes and shook her head. "She's brainwashed you, and you've forgotten Empress Enfri and Ban Karst. You forgot Deebee the Storyteller!"
"Any dragon who disobeys our beloved is a traitor to the mighty," Kimpo snarled. "The Storyteller is a fool."
"She's your mate!"
"Lies!" Kimpo pounced and her claws smashed through their wards. Krayson and Starra dived out of the way, but Saveen was caught in Kimpo's grip. The red dragon picked Saveen up in the air then smashed her down into the ground.
Krayson regained his footing a dozen paces from them and called out Saveen's name. Healing was taken through the bond. A lot of it. Krayson fought to keep his feet after losing the amount Saveen needed to take.
"Shed that body," Kimpo demanded. "Face me as your truest self, dragonet!"
"--Celestial Maiden, grant your embrace,--" Krayson chanted. He threw a lightning bolt at Kimpo while Starra sought an opening to use her Dekaam spike.
His astramancy was thwarted as Cardin appeared out of thin air in the lightning's path. The bolt was intercepted and deflected away by a ward. Elise's Moonstone Knight no longer looked the part of a daanman ruffer. He was armored in a white breastplate, and his limbs were enshrouded in chainmail. For whatever reason, he'd kept his battered fedora.
Cardin learned Elise's trick, Krayson thought. Vanishing and reappearing, but it's different from teleportation somehow.
"Don't hurt her, Kimpo," Cardin ordered. "She's just had her head filled with bad advice. Saveen needs our help."
Krayson could stomach a lot, but what Cardin said pushed him past his ability to keep a hold on his temper. Eyes flashing with rage, Krayson threw another lightning bolt, then another, at Cardin. "Help?" he roared. "She needs your thundering help? Does that come before or after Trell forces her to become his mate?"
Cardin batted the lightning away with casual gestures. The spells were weakening. Krayson had little ether left, and he didn't dare take any from Saveen while she was incapacitated.
"If you must kill someone," Cardin said with a sneer, "kill the Blood Runner."
"Lord Garret wants the bloodsong this boy carries, master," Draxa pointed out. She approached at an unconcerned pace, her long tusks held high off the ground..
"Flames take the Onyx," Cardin growled. "Kill him and break their bond. Then Saveen can be given a Sapphire worthy of her."
Krayson was panting. He could feel ethershock coming on, but he cast another lightning bolt anyway. "No one who follows Elise of Eastrun could ever be worthy of Saveen."
Cardin's lip curled, and he charged forward, a short sword-- little more than a long knife-- held in front of him. He came at Krayson, intent on killing him.
Krayson pulled his own knife, but it was hardly a tool for fighting like Cardin's. An incantation strengthened his arms and increased his weight as Cardin crashed into him. The crossguards of their small blades locked, and the two young men put all their physical strength into pushing back the other. Krayson ground his teeth as he was slowly overpowered.
Starra was unable to get close to Kimpo while both dragons were ready for her. Saveen was senseless in Kimpo's claws, the assassins were nowhere to be found, and Krayson was about to get killed by Cardin. Hopeless.
A deafening call washed over the mountainside. It was a man's voice, amplified by spellcraft. "Knights of Shan Alee, attack!"
Cardin snorted derisively as he gained the upper hand. "I don't need help to finish this. Didn't even know someone was coming to reinforce us."
Krayson strained to stay upright. He was bent over backwards, and his eyes looked into the sky. Above, a host of the mighty dove towards the skirmish. At their head was a silver dragon. Krayson blinked twice before he made sense of what he saw.
"Thunder crash on your head, fool," Krayson said through his teeth. "That's not your Shan Alee."