Tears of War Read online

  Taela smoothed a wrinkle in her divided riding skirts. Kellinar could sense her unease. He didn’t blame her; this was going to drudge up bad memories. He leaned over and laid a hand over hers. He searched her face. “You can leave for a bit and I can tell this part if you need me to. You don’t have to go over it again.”

  She took a deep breath, her eyes sad as shook her head. “No, I will tell it, but thank you.” He gave her hand a squeeze.

  She turned back to Bahar. “When I got to my rooms, I slammed the door shut and the locking bar down. When I turned around, there were two dark figures in the room. They offered me a way out, a sanctuary. I almost refused them but then you started shouting and pounding on the door. I panicked. I thought you had found out and were there to arrest me so I took their offer.” She took a deep breath and let it out, her fingers absently stroking Kellinar’s hand. “I ended up at the Kormai where the Shadow Dragons live. It’s a place of evil and darkness, and where I hatched Paki, my dragon. Her egg was flawed and she didn’t hatch as a Shadow Dragon. I don’t have good memories of that place other than Paki. Kellinar helped me escape while rescuing another Dragon Rider. If wasn’t for him, I don’t think Paki and I would have made it out of there alive.”

  Bahar let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chair. “I had no idea magic had been used. All I was told was Sehlas had collapsed in the garden and you were seen running. As I came to your door, I heard you scream. When I finally gained entrance, you were nowhere to be found. You couldn't have jumped out a window and survived, but you were not on the stones below.” He wiped his hands over his face and took a deep shuddering sigh. “I tore the kingdom apart looking for you.”

  His gaze settled on Kellinar. “It appears I need to offer my thanks for saving the life of my daughter. And perhaps, an apology.”

  “No thanks are needed, Bahar.” Kellinar glanced at Taela. Maybe if he smoothed things out, her anger would dissipate. “I have my own apologies to offer. My dragon, Shryden, pointed out my behavior was a natural reaction to your challenge to my bond with Taela, but it’s not an excuse.”

  Bahar folded his hands and obviously worked to get himself back in control. “Your dragon? Did you also hatch yours in this Kormai?”

  Kellinar shook his head. “No, I hatched Shryden in Galdrilene. One of my friends was captured by the Shadow Riders, but the Kormai is like a honeycomb and difficult to navigate. My talents, honed by years as a thief in the Mallay, made me particularly qualified to sneak in and bring Taela and Maleena out.”

  Bahar looked at Serena. “I suppose you have a dragon as well?”

  She nodded. “A yellow named Miya.”

  Bahar rubbed his face again. “It seems with mention of this Kormai and Shadow Riders, there is much more to be said. Please, Serena, sit. I promise there will be no more of this, how did you say, ridiculous male posturing.” He reached behind him and pulled a cord several times as she sat down. “It is past time for food and drink, don’t you think?”

  Kellinar’s stomach rumbled in response and Bahar smiled slightly. “I am to assume then that these dragons are somewhere nearby?”

  Taela nodded, relaxing into her chair a little. “They circle high above us, but it would only take a few seconds for them to dive the intervening distance. And, of course, we are not without our own protections so they would have plenty of time to get here.”

  Bahar chuckled and set a few pieces of paper to one side. “I have no intention of testing that.” He glanced up at Kellinar. “That was the wrath you spoke of if I tried to take your life, wasn’t it?”

  Kellinar leaned forward and two of his braids swung over his shoulder, the blue and white beads at the ends clicking. “Yes, and I feel it’s only right to tell you that Shryden did offer to eat you.” He smiled. “He was only joking of course.”

  Bahar reshuffled the thick parchment papers and smiled, though his hands trembled. “Of course. I didn’t know dragons joked. The legends speak of nothing but mindless, flying beasts that burn and kill at will.”

  “That would be Shadow Dragons,” Taela said.

  Bahar said nothing. Instead, he stood and walked to a set of double doors on the far wall. They slid open to reveal a small room with a polished wooden table and chairs. “Please, join me for dinner. This is a private dining room. Once the food and drink is set, we will be left to our private conversation. And I do think it is best to keep it to ourselves for the moment until I understand better what has happened in the world. I imagine there are going to be enough rumors flying around about your return in the company of strangers especially after being shuttered away for a long time with me in a private conference. I want to make sure I have all of the answers before the questions start flying at me.”

  Kirynn smiled at the townspeople standing back. She and Vaddoc had decided it was best to take off just outside of town where the dragons wouldn’t risk damaging any homes with their wings. Kirynn didn’t want Syrakynn hurting herself either by trying to take off in an awkward position.

  Only Medar stood next to them. “Are you sure you do not want one of us to accompany you? It might make things go over a bit better.”

  Vaddoc shook his head. “I doubt it; they would likely just think we had threatened your family or something. Unfortunately, I do not think there is going to be anything easy about any of this.”

  “Thank you for offering though,” Kirynn said, smiling down at him from her saddle.

  Medar nodded. “If you ever need anything, we will be here for you.” He backed up until he stood next to the others. Kirynn scanned their faces. Lenya sat in her mother’s arms, big tears rolling down her face. Beside them, her older sister, Tenyi, stood with a yearning hunger in her eyes as she watched Kirynn on her dragon. She had been Kirynn’s shadow the entire past week in the village. Full of questions, the girl must have asked her everything under the sun. She showed particular interest in Kirynn’s zahri and in Syrakynn.

  With a last glance across their faces, she let Syrakynn know it was time to go. The red leaped into the air at the same time she brought her wings down, making the lift off dramatic and beautiful. Kirynn smiled. “Show off.”

  “They are good people. They deserve a show,” came the dragon’s smug reply.

  Kirynn only laughed as they climbed higher into the sky. When they reached a comfortable altitude, Syrakynn spread her wings and rode the updrafts, finding them with ease and showing no particular hurry.

  “You certainly don’t seem in a rush,” Kirynn sent.

  “Why should I be? We will easily reach Marden by late afternoon. And when we get there, you plan to land in the middle of the castle grounds. I imagine there will be all manner of people trying to kill you.”

  Kirynn chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Tell you what; if someone tries to kill me and I in turn must relieve them of their life, you can eat their horse.” Syrakynn immediately picked up speed, drawing another laugh from Kirynn.

  The sun rose hot in the clear blue sky. Kirynn couldn’t believe how warm it was already in Shadereen. In Boromar it would still be shifting between warm and cool. It was a time of year for wicked storms. But not a single drop of rain had fallen since they arrived.

  As the day wore on, the towers of Marden reared up on the horizon. It wouldn’t be long now. She felt the familiar rush of adrenaline as she set herself for a possible battle. The last thing she wanted to do was kill anyone, but she wouldn’t stand by and let someone use her as a pincushion for their sword either.

  Syrakynn and Namir angled down, coming in low over the city. In the streets below, people screamed and ran, dropping possessions and snatching up children as they fled to the shelter of their homes. Kirynn growled under her breath. What had the Shadow Riders inflicted on these people? A certain amount of fear was understandable given the legends told about dragons. But the abject terror she saw unfolding in the streets as they flew over went beyond that.

  They approached the fortress-like castle in the c
enter of Marden, flanked on three sides by the barracks and training yards of the Border Guard. Kirynn reached out to Syrakynn, “There is a huge open courtyard just inside the wall of the castle. Don’t land in it just yet.”

  “I planned to land on the wall,” the red returned. “I have no intention of giving up the high ground just yet.”

  Kirynn smiled, feeling a rush of love and admiration for the dragon.

  Syrakynn slowed, working her wings in short, powerful strokes to lower herself toward the curtain wall. As men scattered for the shelter of the various towers, the red landed with one back foot on the wall walk, the other on the parapets of the curtain wall, and her two front feet on the low wall on the inside of the wall walk. The stone groaned under the weight of the dragon but held.

  She kept her wings spread, ready to lift off at any indication of a serious threat to her rider. At the red’s request, Kirynn made no move to loosen her safety straps. She sensed the coiled readiness in the dragon.

  To their right, Vaddoc and Namir landed on the next section of wall. The stone groaned and crumbled slightly under the heavier frame of the golden male. The inner courtyard below boiled with chaos. Border Guards rushed to place themselves between the dragons and the massive keep of the fortress. But even as they put up a show of defense, there was a certain hesitancy among them; a visible sense of defeat before the battle had even begun.

  The other inhabitants scurried for cover. Horses were left unattended, and everything from buckets to trays were dropped and abandoned.

  Within minutes of the dragons’ landing, silence settled over the courtyard like a heavy blanket, the tension and fear thick in the air. The Border Guards stood with weapons drawn, numerous arrows pointed at the riders and their dragons through the arrow slits in the keep walls. Everyone waited.

  The main door to the keep opened and eight men walked out. The Border Guards moved smoothly in response to keep themselves between the dragons and the men. One imposing man with graying hair to his shoulders walked in front of the other seven. He never took his amber eyes off the dragons.

  Though he held his head high and his broad shoulders straight, worry tightened his eyes, and anger and defeat filled his expression. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard. The silence seemed to deepen. He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, his voice strong and deep as it rang out. “Why are you back here? What more do you want? What more do you wish to inflict upon us?”

  Vaddoc held his hands up to show they were empty although Kirynn didn’t see the point in the gesture. How could they find empty hands comforting when they were staring down the snout of a massive, fire-breathing dragon? She turned her attention back to the fortress, alert for any sign of attack and praying to the Fates it didn’t come. A bunch of dead people wouldn’t exactly ingratiate them with the people of Marden.

  “Alrendoc,” Vaddoc called. “We have no wish to inflict anything on you or force you into anything.”

  Alrendoc scowled. “Why do you play games now?”

  Vaddoc unbuckled his safety straps and leaped down from the saddle, pausing only long enough to release the catcher strap. “We are not Shadow Riders. We are not here to harm any of you.”

  “You expect me to believe such lies?” Alrendoc called back, anger thick in his voice. “I have had enough of you and your ilk. Since I cannot stop you, say what you need to say and leave.”

  The hiss of it slicing through the air was the only warning Kirynn got of the arrow before it pinged harmlessly off Syrakynn’s breastplates. The red turned with a snarl in the direction the arrow had come from, smoke curling from her nostrils.

  Kirynn sent soothing waves to the dragon as she held her own flare of anger in check. She turned a glare on Alrendoc. Kirynn didn’t care what the Shadow Riders had done; she wouldn’t stand for them trying to kill her dragon. It didn’t matter that an arrow had no hope of penetrating the red’s scales, what mattered was the intent.

  She raised her voice enough to be heard, her tone conversational. “If you wish to keep this peaceful, I would encourage you to reign in your archers. I don’t want to cause injury to any of you, but another attempt on my dragon’s life and I will burn this place to the ground.”

  Even at a distance of fifty paces, she heard Vaddoc’s resigned sigh. Kirynn didn’t care if it ruffled the feathers of these prancing ponies. She saw no point in beating around the bush. They had made their intentions clear with the arrow; it was only fair that she made hers known as well.

  Alrendoc turned to her with a startled look. He recovered quickly and bent his head to one of the Border Guards. The guard turned and ran into the keep while the others shifted to fill in his empty spot in a fluid maneuver. “I apologize for that incident. It will not happen again. Please do not hurt anymore of my people.”

  She smiled at him though she knew it held no friendliness. “Refrain from threatening my dragon and we won’t have any problems. If you feel the need to come at me then do it like a man and attack me directly.” Syrakynn swung her head around until her large green eyes glared straight at Alrendoc. A quiet but menacing rumble in the dragon’s throat made it clear that attacking her rider would be an unwise decision.

  Kirynn unbuckled her safety straps and leaped lightly to the ground. With quick fingers she loosened the catcher strap then walked to the stairs leading down from the wall walk. She crossed the courtyard, keenly aware of the multitude of arrows pointed at her. She paused when she reached the line of Border Guards and smiled at them. “Don’t make me move you.”

  They looked uncertainly at her, obviously afraid of what she might do. Kirynn knew some of what the Shadow Riders had done and although torture wasn’t her style, she intended to use their fear against them. All was fair in love and war and until the lines of peace were drawn, they had shot an arrow at her dragon, this was war.

  Several of the guards looked to an older man who must be their commander. Indecision warred on his face as he grappled with what to do. Alrendoc stepped forward, waving the men away. Kirynn’s respect for the man went up a notch. He may be a king, but he was willing to put himself in harm’s way rather than hide and watch his men suffer the consequences he believed her capable of.

  Kirynn eyed him for a moment, taking his measure. “Since it appears we can refrain from killing each other perhaps we can attempt a peaceful approach that doesn’t involve arrows, fire, and angry dragons.”

  Alrendoc wasn’t a fool. He glanced up at the two dragons and back at her. “If this is some sort of twisted game…”

  Kirynn shook her head. “I told you, we are not Shadow Riders. I’m Kirynn Izenar, rider of Syrakynn, senior member of the Tower of Fire, and Guardian of Galdrilene. I don’t play games. I will be upfront and honest with you at all times. When I tell you we are not here to force you into anything by way of torture and death, I mean it.”

  Alrendoc must have seen the truth in her eyes. He nodded slowly. “Understood.”

  She turned as Vaddoc crossed the courtyard. “I believe you already know Vaddoc.”

  A sharp intake of breath from some of the Border Guards and the hard look in Alrendoc’s amber eyes told her that Vaddoc was indeed recognized.

  Vaddoc approached, his shoulders squared and his face impassive. Kirynn wondered how it would feel when it came time for her to face the judgment of her birthplace, even if the King of Boromar did know the truth about magic. A slight shift ran through the Border Guards though not all of them looked on with distrust or hostility. Interesting.

  Alrendoc turned his stony eyes on Kirynn. “You expect me to trust what you say when you bring a traitor into our midst?”

  “Vaddoc is the traitor?” She shot him an icy look. “And what are you? Vaddoc was as loyal as anyone else. In fact, it took him some time to be able to sever the ties and his loyalty to Shadereen and the Border Guard. Perhaps if those he was loyal to hadn’t been so ready to kill him, he wouldn’t have had to abandon everything.”

  “It is the law,” Al
rendoc said, his tone flat.

  Kirynn shrugged. “It’s a stupid law.”

  “People who can use magic go insane. I have yet to see anything to convince me otherwise.”

  Kirynn laughed darkly. “Oh but my dear King, Vaddoc and I can both use magic. Do you see us running about torturing people?”

  Alrendoc’s brows drew down at her casual address of him. “The day is early yet. I will wait and withhold judgment, but do not expect me to trust you yet.”

  “You don’t have to trust us at all.” Kirynn shrugged. “In fact, you can tell us to leave now and we will. If you wish to take on the Shadow Riders by yourself or break under their rule that is your business. You are, after all, the wise and powerful ruler of this nation. We wouldn’t presume to know any better than you.” He eyed her uncertainly, as if trying to decide whether or not she had just insulted him.

  Vaddoc’s approach turned the king’s attention to the man that had once sworn allegiance to him. His face was devoid of expression as he looked the king in the eye. “Alrendoc.”

  The Border Guards around them shifted, a barely audible angry muttering running through them. But again, not all of them.

  “Vaddoc.” Alrendoc’s brows knit together in a scowl. “Is this the proper way to greet me?”

  “I greet you as one equal to another. My allegiance belongs to my dragon and Galdrilene.”

  “You are not a king and a Border Guard’s pledge is for life.”

  Vaddoc smiled slightly. “My old life ended the moment Namir hatched. And I am indeed equal to you. Not that Galdrilene’s hierarchy is set up quite the way you are used to.”

  “I will not have this,” Alrendoc’s voice rose slightly. “This woman said you would leave, I am asking you to leave. Be gone from Marden and Shadereen. You are not welcome here.”