The Fifth Magic (Book 1) (14 page)

As they approached, Jehregard lowered a wing, allowing Onin to dismount. Sinjin was surprised to see Thundegar Rheams as well.

"You gave me quite a start," Kenward said to Onin as Sinjin and Kendra approached.

"Are you all right?" Kendra asked.

"Onin's dragon nearly scared the wind out of me," Kenward said with an accusing glance at Jehregard.

"You have my apologies," Onin said. "If someone would lend me a sledgehammer, I'll make sure he's aware of my displeasure."

"A sledgehammer?" Kendra asked.

"The great brute won't feel anything less, and I want him to know just how much I appreciate him bringing me here against my will. And what, if I may ask, are all of you doing here?"

"We were summoned," Sinjin said. Onin noticed him for the first time, a confused look crossing his gnarled visage. "Trinda sang and summoned the regal dragons. It would appear Jehregard also answered the call."

"Regardless," Onin said, "I will greatly reward the person who brings me a sledgehammer."

Sinjin reminded himself not to cross Onin.

For a moment, silence fell over them, and Sinjin was momentarily overwhelmed by the strangeness of it all. He wondered if he were dreaming since none of this could really be happening to him. Moments later, the feeling grew.

Without warning, Trinda spoke, "Welcome, Onin of the old guard. Welcome, Jehregard."

Onin opened his mouth to say something, but Jehregard, whose head loomed just behind Onin, issued a deafening bellow directed at Trinda. Onin's hair--beard, braids, beads, and all--danced in the wind of his dragon's roar.

Holding his ears, Onin turned around and glared at his dragon.

When Onin did speak, he shouted far more loudly than needed. "Why have you summoned us?"

"I need your help," Trinda said.

"You've got a funny way of asking for favors," Onin shouted. "Can I expect to be compensated for this effort and the inconvenience?"

Sinjin was surprised by Onin's words, having expected him to take Trinda to task.

"What compensation do you require?" Trinda asked as if intrigued.

"For starters," Onin said, "I need a sledgehammer."

* * *

Sinjin was conflicted about the stone throne finally finding its way into its rightful place, the place his mother had intended to put it when she commissioned the stone chairs years before. Like many of the things taking place within Dragonhold, they were things his mother had strived for, yet they hadn't been completed until after Trinda took control. Sinjin heard speculation Dragonhold was better off under Trinda's leadership than under his mother's control. He couldn't help but resent it. His mother had worked for years to convince people to return Dragonhold to its former glory, and it was only after the accidental discovery of the hold's ability to reconfigure itself that Trinda was able to do what she had done, however remarkable it might be. Sinjin wondered what his mother would have accomplished given access to the entire hold.

He had to take a moment to shake his head. If not for his best friend's laziness, the hold might have remained forever divided. Again, Sinjin wondered if he were dreaming. When the second throne was finally resting in its permanent home, he had to admit the place was now. . . right. There was symmetry and balance. His mother had taught him how important each of those were.

Trinda cast him a coy smile, no doubt proud of once again fulfilling his mother's ambitions. Then, though, she gazed out the stone portal to the skies beyond. After sucking in a deep breath, she ran from the room. Her guards struggled to keep up.

Sinjin and Kendra ran behind, joined by Martik and Chase, who'd orchestrated the stone chair's placement.

"Stick with me if things go badly," Chase said.

"Or with me," Martik said. "Either of us should have a chance at getting you to a safe place."

"What's Trinda playing at?" Sinjin asked his uncle.

Chase just shook his head. "Wish I knew," he said. "I'm starting to wish I'd taken one of the opportunities I've had to leave this place. I've got a really bad feeling."

This made Sinjin feel even worse. No one asked any more questions.

When they neared the great hall, Chase signaled them to slow. He sneaked to the corner, peeking around. He just stood there, frozen, not giving any indication of what he saw. When Sinjin and Kendra walked up to join him, he jumped.

"I think we should try to get out of the hold. Now," he said, and he pushed them back.

"What is it?" Sinjin asked. "What's happening?"

Chase continued to push him back, but Sinjin was no longer a child. If he didn't want to go back, then he would not. The look on his uncle's face surprised him when he resisted. The older man just nodded and let him go. Where Sinjin went, so went Kendra.

Slowly he poked his head around the corner. Jehregard had moved deep into the great hall and was the first thing to grab Sinjin's attention. Toward the far end of the hall, Trinda, stood alone before the
Serpent,
her arms spread wide, holding two objects. Immediately he recognized the Staff of Life. From the distance, he couldn't be certain it was Koe she held in her other hand, but he surmised it was so.

Perched atop the
Serpent
and crushing her under its weight was a nightmare made flesh. A maturing feral queen lashed the air with her tail in clear agitation. Sinjin knew animals, and this one was ready to shred anything that came close. He couldn't really blame it. Though ferals had been his enemy, this dragon had not come of its own volition, nor did those atop her. Dressed in black and wielding a staff of dark swamp root that glistened under a polished sheen, Allette Kilbor watched Trinda with deadly intent. Before her, the cloud cat dug its claws deeper into wooden panels built into the otherwise dragon-leather saddle.

The dragon hide offended Sinjin's sensibilities. Along with a host of other reasons, he was starting to think Chase was right. When he turned to leave, though, Kendra grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she said.

Torn, Sinjin decided to trust his wife's instincts. She'd been right before, and he also knew knocking her out would be the only other way to pull her away from something she'd decided she wanted to see.

"Why have you brought me here?" Allette demanded, her dragon's tail still twitching.

"I need your help," Trinda said.

"And why would I want to help you?" Allette asked.

"Because I am not your enemy," Trinda said.

"I recall differently," Allette said. Trinda's forces and herald globes had turned the tide of the Jaga War.

"You have not attacked us, and we have not attacked you," Trinda continued. "There has been peace."

"Until now," Allette said.

This was almost enough to convince Sinjin to drag Kendra from Dragonhold. Things were about to get ugly.

The feral queen shifted her weight, and the
Serpent
groaned beneath her. Timbers snapped and the sound was almost physically painful; Sinjin knew how much Kenward loved his ships, and though Sinjin had sworn never to board the
Serpent,
he felt a certain attachment to her.

"Whatever you two are going to do," Sinjin heard Kenward shout. "Leave my ship out of it!"

"Silence!" Trinda demanded, ringing the flagstone with Sinjin's staff, the same staff his mother had once guarded and Nat Dersinger's family before her. A frost ring radiated from the staff, stunning those around Trinda and striking the feral queen in the muzzle. The dark creature responded with a furious bellow.

The following events were instantly burned into Sinjin's memory. Kenward and his crew fled the
Serpent.
Timbers snapped when the feral queen launched herself. Hovering in the air above the child queen, who was dressed all in white, Allette and her dragon resembled death incarnate.

The feral queen snapped at Trinda. The girl hurled a fist of lightning to intercept the approaching dragon's muzzle. The two connected with a sizzling pop that left the air smoking. The feral queen reared, and Allette stood tall in the saddle. Leveling her inky black staff at Trinda, she sent forth black flames in a gushing font that stained whatever they touched. Trinda cast up a defensive shield, her power magnified by Koe and the Staff of Life. Dark flames washed over it on a raging torrent. Her energy shield still held around her, the child queen retreated, disappearing into the halls leading to the kitchens.

The feral queen settled herself on the overlarge throne. Now it was small and fragile under the weight of Allette's dragon. Sinjin stepped out and waved to Kenward and his crew. Once Kenward had spotted them and waved back, Sinjin turned to Kendra. He opened his mouth to speak, but the roar of the feral queen filled the hall. Jehregard responded with a deep bellow that vibrated the stone, and even the regal dragons trumpeted from the darkness above. Hearing Valterius made Sinjin want to cry. How in the world were they going to get their dragons out of here?

In the next instant, the question was irrelevant. Pointing her black staff at the gates, Allette issued a blast of darkness. The crossbar keeping the towering gates closed shattered. Slowly the massive timbers swung inward. Feral dragons flooded the hall. With them came twisted demons like those that had plagued the Godfist in the past, and Sinjin felt sick. The feeling grew worse when screams came from the God's Eye.

Chapter 13

To bend the wind is to hold hands with the gods.

--Pelivor, flightmaster

* * *

There was nowhere to run. Sinjin considered their options, none of them good. If Allette's forces were outside the hold, then fleeing would put them in greater danger. Allette stood between them and the tunnels leading to much of the hold. The God's Eye stood in the way of the only other route Sinjin knew of to gain the interior of Dragonhold. Staying near Valterius, the other regals, and Jehregard was a far safer thing to do.

Allette and the feral queen cleared most of the main hall, and demons made their way toward where Onin, Thundegar Rheams, and Jehregard stood. Thundegar had known the girl; he'd been a father figure to her at a critical time in her life, but when the man started walking toward her, Sinjin feared for his life.

"What in the world just happened?" Kendra asked in a low voice, still stunned over Trinda's retreat and Allette's sudden taking of the outer hold.

"We're in trouble," Sinjin replied.

There was no more time for talking. Thundegar had come face-to-face with one of Allette's demons, and the monstrous, twisted creature brought up a heavy maul with black metal studs, and a mere heartbeat before it brought down the weapon with the full force of its might, Allette spoke. "No." With her staff, she pointed at the demon, and it dropped its weapon before falling to its armored knees. There it remained. Those who had been approaching slowed then stopped.

"You have just come very close to death," Allette said. "Do not test me. I'm not the girl you knew. I am the Black Queen, ruler of the Jaga, and you will bow before me."

"I do not fear death . . . nor you," Thundegar said. "And I bow before no one. Nor should you or anyone else for that matter."

The feral queen lashed the air with her tail and coiled her serpentine neck all while moving closer to where Thundegar stood. Standing in her saddle, the Black Queen loomed over Thundegar. Perhaps she would have killed him then, but Rastas intervened. After struggling a moment to free his claws from the wood blocks he used to secure himself, the cloud cat took three long strides and leaped off the front of the feral queen's angular snout before the dragon had the chance to react. The dragon didn't appear to appreciate it and snapped at Rastas's tail. The cat Thundegar had raised charged toward him at a full run, never slowing. Just before he reached Thundegar, who braced himself on his cane, the cloud cat leaped, sending his considerable girth into Thundegar's chest, knocking him down.

The stone rushed up to meet Thundegar, air bursting from his lungs when he struck. Even as Thundegar struggled to regain his breath, the big cat rubbed his face along Thundegar's torso; then he was attacking the man's boots; after grabbing one boot and weaving his head back and forth like the great goofball he was, the cat actually coaxed a laugh from Thundegar. He rubbed his old friend between the ears, as he hadn't been able to do for so long. "Crazy cat," he said.

Those words softened Allette's expression, showing hints of the frightened and broken little girl who'd fled back into the Jaga after their last meeting.

"Why did you bring me here?" Allette asked him softly. "Why would you want to hurt me so?"

The feral queen growled, low and deep.

"I was summoned, same as you," Thundegar said. Allette looked dubious. "Trinda has the ability to summon dragons. I was riding the dragon you see behind me with my friend Onin when it happened to us too."

Suspicion showed on Allette's face and posture.

"There are other dragons here as well," Thundegar said. "They're hiding--first from Trinda and now from you."

Allette's eyes narrowed. "You lie," she said.

Sinjin stepped closer but Kendra grabbed his arm and held him fast.

"This is something I must do," he said. Kendra squeezed hard one last time before letting him go. He made a mental note to remind her how strong her grip was if he survived the next few minutes. "I, too, was summoned along with my dragon."

At the sight of Sinjin, Allette hissed and the feral queen's pupils narrowed. It was a disconcerting sight, and it stilled his breath for a long moment. "You know me," he said. "And I know I've brought you great pain in the past, but it was not out of malice."

Allette did not appear convinced.

"Sinjin is among those who voted to leave you in peace," Kendra said, stepping out behind him. "There're others who wished to attack you before you could regain your strength. I beg you not to prove those imbeciles correct."

"Where is your dragon?" Allette asked Sinjin, no warmth in her manner.

"Valterius!" he shouted. Nothing happened. Demons moved closer. Sinjin could feel the beasts' hot breath on his face. The smell alone was enough to make him want to flee, but he held his ground. To retreat would be to trigger instinct in the predatory dragon; this much Sinjin knew. He also knew standing his ground probably didn't increase the odds of his survival by all that much. "Valterius!" he shouted again, hoping his dragon would sense the urgency in his voice, but still nothing happened.

"Gerhonda!" Kendra shouted when Valterius did not materialize.

The feral queen hissed and turned on Kendra, ready to snap her up in her jaws. The creature's head was so big, it wouldn't even need to chew before swallowing her. The thought made Sinjin ill. Demons closed in on him now, perhaps only Rastas kept them from harming Thundegar. Sinjin and Kendra had no such protection.

Just as they found themselves back to back, the air pressure changed. Sinjin cried out as he was violently snatched from within the crowd of demons. In the next instant, he was flying, but not as he usually did. Valterius gripped him with both claws and flew through the halls of Dragonhold with incredible speed. Only when his wife cursed did he know Gerhonda followed. About the rest, Sinjin could not say. He was too busy being terrified.

Valterius wove through towering pillars, making himself a difficult target to hit. Jehregard's massive head appear before them, and Valterius flew just a little higher before turning on a wingtip and diving toward the hall leading to the God's Eye. There Kenward, Chase, and the others waited.

"Look out!" was all Sinjin had the time to shout before they flew through a too-small space. Valterius' scales made a frightening sound when scraping against the ceiling, and Sinjin's feet occasionally came into contact with the stone floor, causing him to nearly slip from his dragon's grip. The sound of Kendra's complaints gave him a little comfort--at least he knew she was alive. His breath and all other thought were taken from him when they entered the chamber containing the God's Eye.

Valterius flew higher, dodging the stalactites reaching down from the chamber ceiling. Sun- and comet light streamed in through a narrow opening in the ceiling of the chamber, and Sinjin had a sick feeling when he thought his dragon might try to escape through that too-narrow gap. Instead, Valterius continued toward the far side of the chamber. When Al'Drak was forced lower by a protruding formation, Sinjin saw the reflection in the still lake. It featured him and Valterius against the backdrop of daggers made of stone. That was until a demon burst forth from the water, breaking the illusion and nearly catching Sinjin's ankle as they passed.

Gerhonda swooped in, smacking the demon in the head with her bottom jaw. The demon quickly disappeared from sight, and Sinjin caught his first glimpse of Kendra, who hung upside down, Gerhonda gripping her by her ankles. Sinjin knew Kendra well, and if they survived this, he knew he might need to intervene on Gerhonda's behalf. Of course that would have to be after he and Valterius got a few things straight.

Those thoughts were washed away when Sinjin saw the barges under attack and the head of a feral dragon sticking in through the far entrance. Demons taunted those aboard the unarmed and overfull barges.

What had Trinda been thinking? Sinjin had to ask himself. Then he had to hold on as Valterius plunged him into the lake. The dragon's open jaws sent demons flying away from them. The feral dragon roared, trying to squeeze itself into the chamber without much luck. Though the feral dragon posed little danger as long as they did not approach it, Sinjin also knew they wouldn't be able to escape that way. Valterius fended off demons and placed Sinjin onto the barge. The dragon did not let go of him.

"Hold on to me," Sinjin shouted, and the people around him did as he asked, nearly crushing him with their desperate grasps. Valterius flapped his wings and moved the barge toward a nearby opening, one Sinjin knew led to the inner hold, perhaps their last chance at finding safety. Water splashed behind him followed by more of his wife's cursing, and he shouted, "Help her!"

Those nearest Kendra let go of Sinjin and reached out for his wife. The moment she was in their embrace, Gerhonda released her. The regal dragon used teeth, claws, and tail to fend off the encroaching demons. Gathered beneath the barge, the twisted, unnatural creatures rocked the unwieldy vessel, trying to tip it over. Those aboard were tossed about when a massive wave pitched the barge as Gerhonda dived beneath.

Moments later, Valterius's effort paid off, and the barge thumped into the wall of the chamber. As soon as they struck, the people let go of Sinjin, and Valterius flew on into an even smaller hall than the last. Sinjin had to keep his knees bent to not be dragged along the floor. Again, Kendra's shouts reached him. He turned long enough to catch a glance of her, now right side up and struggling the same as he.

Remembering this hall, Sinjin hoped Valterius could truly read his thoughts, for there were tight places ahead, places where he'd nearly died the last time, he recalled. The dragons proved their skill at flying even in tight spaces, executing swift turns that left their humans pale and queasy.

When at last they broke into the chamber with the mountain like bridge of loose, black stone, the true majesty of the city on one side of the bridge was revealed. Beside the titan wheel that spun ever faster, Trinda waited. Sinjin wondered what kind of reception they would get.

Valterius denied Sinjin a dignified entrance and sent him sprawling on the wet flagstone at Trinda's feet. Gerhonda, at least, tried to redeem herself by gently placing Kendra at Sinjin's side. His wife helped him stand and wiped blood from his lip.

When he looked at Trinda, he expected a sarcastic remark, but all she did was raise one eyebrow. This, he decided, was no better.

* * *

Occasional sounds of battle and the roars of dragons filtered down to where Sinjin and Kendra confronted Trinda. Or perhaps it was she who confronted them. The dragons had retreated to a pair of rock protrusions high above.

"None of this makes sense," Sinjin said. "Why have you done this? What purpose could it possibly serve?"

Trinda responded with nothing more than a smile. It crawled under his skin and made him want to scream, but when a growl escaped his wife's lips, he held her back. This was no time for tempers.

"Are you going to let them take over the hold?" Sinjin asked. "Or are we going to fight?" It was the most diplomatic approach he could take. Perhaps if Trinda could be persuaded to align her forces with his, then they would have a chance.

"Allette is not evil," Trinda said.

Sinjin blinked. "What?"

Trinda sighed with a pained look on her face, as if she spoke to a slow-witted child. "The sounds you hear are not the slaughter of people; it is the posturing of dragons trapped in a confined space and people being herded into areas where they can be controlled. I'm not saying no one will get hurt, but I can assure you the self-proclaimed Black Queen is not a mass murderer."

It took a bit of time for Sinjin to process the information.

"That still doesn't explain why you summoned the dragons here. What game are you playing?" Kendra asked, venom in her tone and flames in the corners of her eyes. By the gods, Sinjin loved that woman, and by the goddess, she did her best to drive him mad.

"Perhaps I don't
want
to tell you," Trinda said. "You haven't been very nice to me, so you shall have to wait and find out with all the rest." The words were said with cool power flowing through them. They escaped the child queen's lips like wisps of mist. Then her voice turned hard and icy. "But do not think for an instant I'm vapid or without cause. Perhaps someday you'll find understanding, but I doubt today will be the day."

Kendra audibly ground her teeth, and he could only hope she would maintain control of her rising temper. Kendra was no stranger to conflict. Clenching her teeth, she let Sinjin ask the next question.

"What are we going to do when they get down here?" Sinjin asked in as polite a tone as he could manage without sounding entirely insincere.

"Leave me to worry about that," Trinda said.

Sinjin couldn't help but feel betrayed and helpless. They'd never had any choice in the matter of coming here. He worried over these things to mask deeper worries. Trinda eyed him as if trying to read his anxiety, and he pushed those feelings deeper. Fortunately for him, he had an abundance of things about which to worry and let his thoughts remain a maelstrom of anxiety. The sounds drifting to them grew louder, and he wondered just how much time they had left.