Taylina did not respond. She had chosen saving her people for her favor, and she did not want to get her hopes up that he might grant two. She had no idea if he meant that she had been permanently accepted as his rider, when he had spoken of that, or if it was only for the night, only for this mission.
“I can make the swim,” Taylina said, when her Father looked at her.
“I wish we had some rope,” Father said, looking through the spyglass again. “We may be able to reach the ship without being noticed, especially if we approach from the dark side, but it’s a stretch up to the deck. We may need to—”
I can lift you to the deck, Bhrava Saruth said.
“Won’t using your magic be a bad idea?” Taylina asked. “Because of the two dragons aboard that ship? What if they sense it?”
I will be delightfully subtle. And if that fails, then I shall lead them on a high-speed chase around the island while you free your kin.
Taylina would rather attempt the freeing with Bhrava Saruth at her side, because she worried they would run into soldiers on the ship. Only her father had any experience with fighting. Without Bhrava Saruth, she wouldn’t be an asset to the mission. She would only get in the way. An embarrassed flush heated her cheeks at the realization. Perhaps she had been foolish to insist on coming along. What would she, a woodworker, be able to do against soldiers?
Give me your staff, Bhrava Saruth said.
Taylina laid it on the ground in front of his paws but asked, “Why?”
I will bless it too.
“To make it fertile?”
To make it more useful.
“We had better go,” Father said, as Bhrava Saruth rubbed his paw along the staff, “if we’re going to get down there and swim out to the ship by the time Raff takes action. We should have told him to wait a half hour.”
I will inform him, Bhrava Saruth said, and bowed his head toward the staff.
Taylina picked it up. The wood was slightly warm, but she couldn’t guess what he had done.
Father led the way down the slope at a quick pace, perhaps not trusting a dragon to deliver messages. She hurried to keep up, trying not to set her staff down heavily with her steps. The roar of the sea would drown out some sounds, but if they passed near an alert guard, he might hear the thuds. She could not tell what Bhrava Saruth had done to her staff. Maybe he had simply given it some reinforcement so it would not break in a fight. Not that it would have anyway. She had turned the wood and carved the protective sigils of the gods herself.
Hugging the outskirts of town, and keeping to unlit streets, they reached the eastern end without running into soldiers. Father was about to head onto the promontory when a thud and a laugh came from a house they had just passed. The door was open, and lantern light came from inside. Two shaven-headed Cofah soldiers dragged out a woman. Erla, the cobbler’s wife.
Since Taylina and her father were farther up the road and in the darkness, the soldiers did not notice them. Taylina gripped her staff, tempted to step in and try to keep them from taking Erla, but she saw the swords and cudgels swaying on the men’s hips, and the bow across one’s back. Even if she caught them by surprise, could she do anything?
Father took a step toward them, but paused when one of the soldiers shrieked and let go of his captive. He started slapping at his trousers.
The second man asked something in his tongue, something that sounded like the equivalent of, “What is it, you fool?”
Taylina couldn’t guess at what the response was, but soon, the second soldier joined the first in his discomfort, slapping at his trousers as if ants had crawled up his legs.
Erla pulled away from the men and started to run back into her house, but Father lunged forward.
“This way, Erla,” he called, waving to her while eyeing the men warily, his other hand on a knife at his belt.
Distracted by whatever was assailing them, they did not seem to see him. Erla veered straight toward Father, and he hurried to lead her into the darkness. Taylina started after them, but he waved her toward the promontory.
“Go,” he whispered. “I’ll direct her back to the others and catch up.”
After glancing back at the soldiers to ensure they hadn’t heard, Taylina hustled toward the promontory. A path that fishermen used ran atop it for part of the way, so it was easy walking at first. Bhrava Saruth accompanied her, his dog tail up at a jaunty angle.
Sometimes, the simple magics are the most entertaining, he announced into her mind. Better than simply engulfing enemies in fire.
“I’ll agree with that,” Taylina murmured. The Cofah might have invaded her home and hurt her people, but she couldn’t say she wanted to watch them be burned to death.
They came to the end of the path, and the terrain grew trickier, especially for someone relying on a staff for support. Taylina peered toward the warships, but they were anchored out in the deeper water, and she had yet to draw even with them. Father caught up as she felt her way along the lumpy rocks. She envied him his agility as he passed her and took the lead. Bhrava Saruth bounded easily over the rocks, and she wistfully thought that it might be nice to be a dog.
You wish to be a dog? I could make you a dog!
No, no, she hurried to think in response, afraid he might already be composing the spell or whatever it was dragons used. The fear that he might turn her into a dog and leave her that way alarmed her enough that she tripped over the next rock.
Father turned back, lifting a hand, but paused before reaching out to her. As he’d long ago learned, she hated to rely on anyone and tended to snap at those who helped.
“I’m fine,” she said.
People adore dogs, Bhrava Saruth informed her, as if she might rethink her decision. You’re more likely to get belly rubs when you’re furred than when you’re scaled. Or skinned.
“I’ll remember that.”
Someone is looking in this direction, he said, his words more serious.
Taylina peered toward the closest warship, a huge three-masted vessel with two tiers of cannon ports, along with harpoon launchers on the main deck. She was fairly certain that was the flagship Bhrava Saruth had pointed out earlier, which meant the dragons, and presumably their sorcerous riders, were aboard it.
Father must have heard Bhrava Saruth’s words, because he dropped to a crouch, partially hidden by one of the big black rocks. Taylina picked her way to him.
Duck down, Bhrava Saruth warned.
She flattened herself to her belly, rock gouging into her hip. Fiery orange light streaked from the deck of the warship. Taylina gasped, afraid that was some fireball that would crash into them.
But it appeared more akin to the Solstice Fest fireworks the town launched above the harbor in the summers. The orange line passed over the promontory, traveling out over the ocean before flaring into a bright ball. It did not boom like fireworks, only lighting up the sky before it fizzled out.
Her gut clenched as she realized that “lighting up the sky” was likely the reason it had been launched. Had the orange light shown her little group atop the rocks?
I camouflaged us, Bhrava Saruth said—he, too, had flattened to his belly. But do not move again yet. There are men with spyglasses looking in this direction, and there is a sorceress too. One of the dragon riders, I believe. She will have powerful magic for a human. She may have sensed my manipulation.
“Shouldn’t it be past their bedtime over there?” Taylina muttered.
Even from her stomach, she could see all the people milling around on the deck, more than had been out there a few minutes ago. She had hoped the darkness would hide her and Father, but someone must have spotted them walking along the rocks.
Voyages are slow and ponderous in their wooden boats. They may have napped on the way over.
Another streak of orange shot forth from the warship, and Taylina did not comment. She felt vulnerable and poorly hidden as the sky lit up above her. A woman in blue and black silks was the one shooting the flame
s, and she gestured to a man wearing a spotted leopard-fur cape and a hat with a yellow plume. The sorceress, and would that be the captain of the ship? Or the admiral of the entire armada? If so, he was the commander she had been thinking of fooling earlier. He was the one who could order these troops to withdraw and the ships to sail away. She just had to come up with a bright way to get him to do that…
If he wasn’t protected by other dragons, I could do that, Bhrava Saruth said.
Unfortunately, he looked well protected on that cannon-filled ship, especially when a huge figure clambered out of the ship’s cargo hold and appeared on deck. A gold dragon. It flexed its wings and stretched its spine, as if it had just woken from a nap. Then it rotated toward the promontory, facing Taylina and Father.
“They seem certain someone is out here,” Taylina said, glancing back toward land. Had those soldiers had time to warn someone that they had experienced some magic? Or was it Bhrava Saruth’s presence that was alerting the magic-users on the ship?
It wasn’t the soldiers, Bhrava Saruth said. They believe they stumbled across some vicious and fast-traveling subtropical ants.
So… it’s you they sense?
It may be, he said, lament in his tone.
On the ship, the sorceress turned from the railing, her flowing silks snapping in the breeze. She strode to the dragon and sprang onto his back, seeming to fly part of the way. She withdrew a sword from a scabbard and held it aloft. It glowed a silvery blue that Taylina might have found pretty if she hadn’t been certain it was on its way to visit her.
The dragon leaped into the air, its golden wings gleaming in the lantern light from the ship. It headed straight toward the promontory.
8
They know I’m here, Bhrava Saruth spoke into Taylina’s mind. You and your father hide in the rocks. I’ll lead that dragon away.
There wasn’t time for Taylina to find a good hiding spot. The dragon crossed the harbor quickly, those powerful wings cutting through the wind unerringly. She scooted over to join her father behind the big rock where he crouched as Bhrava Saruth ran the other way. He took several bounding dog leaps along the rocks, and then, between one leap and the next, transformed into his dragon form.
He sprang into the air just as the Cofah dragon reached the promontory, his huge golden belly flying right over Taylina’s head. She hugged the rock, afraid the great creature might strafe them with fire on the way to chase Bhrava Saruth.
But the dragon and his rider must have wanted Bhrava Saruth all along. They arrowed straight at him, talons outstretched. Since Bhrava Saruth was taking off and hadn’t gained much momentum yet, they caught up with him. Taylina winced, envisioning those talons gouging into his side. But the big dragon struck something, some kind of invisible barrier around Bhrava Saruth. The Cofah dragon bounced away, as if he’d hit a wall.
As it flapped its wings and recovered, its rider pointed her sword at Bhrava Saruth. A gout of silvery energy streaked toward him. It, too, ran into the invisible shield, flaring wide as it struck.
“How many attacks can he withstand?” Father asked. He sounded awed as he watched the dragons—maybe he hadn’t quite believed the dog trotting along at their side was a dragon.
“I don’t know,” Taylina said, relieved when Bhrava Saruth picked up speed.
He flew along the coast, heading away from the town and the harbor. The Cofah dragon chased after him.
Be careful, Taylina thought silently, though she doubted he would be monitoring her thoughts now. He had bigger problems to worry about.
He’s just cranky because I’m not a female, Bhrava Saruth replied.
Is that the one that came to Bergethor’s cave? If so, Taylina hoped he had sustained some injuries and wouldn’t be a match for Bhrava Saruth. She worried about that sorceress, though, especially since she had a magical sword. It seemed like two against one.
The same. I will fly by the cave so he is reminded of how foolish he was to fall for that trick.
“Antagonizing him might not be the best idea,” Taylina murmured, still looking along the shoreline, though the dragons had flown out of view.
Father touched her shoulder. “If we’re going to try to board, now’s our opportunity.”
The soldiers on the deck had turned away from the promontory, apparently not believing that any other trouble would come from that direction.
“Do you want to stay here?” he asked. “Or come along?”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re giving me that choice, now that…” Taylina waved in the direction Bhrava Saruth had gone. “I don’t have any power with which to help you.” She didn’t voice her earlier concerns, that she would be more of a burden than a help.
“Well, I was hoping he did something to your staff when he fondled it.”
Of course! Bhrava Saruth spoke into her mind, his “voice” much more distant than it had been before. How far had the Cofah dragon chased him? Would he be able to come back, or would they keep a watch for him? Use your skills and your talents, and the staff will respond to you, he added.
Respond to me? What does that mean?
He did not answer, and worse, she felt a strange twinge in her mind. She couldn’t have said how she knew, but she suspected Bhrava Saruth had just been hurt. She closed her eyes, hoping he had only received the dragon equivalent of a scratch.
“Tay?” Father asked, bumping her shoulder again. “Stay here. I’m going to run back to Erla’s house and look for a rope and a hook of some sort. Without your dragon friend, we won’t have a way to get from the water and onto the ship.”
“All right. But keep an eye out. Those soldiers might come back looking for her.”
“I will,” he said, his voice a touch dry. Maybe he was amused at her giving him orders. Mother wasn’t here, though. Someone had to tell him to stay safe.
He had only taken a few steps when the darkness swallowed him. Feeling she should be doing something besides sitting and waiting, Taylina picked her way down the rocks toward the water. The climb would take her longer than it would him, so getting a head start was a good idea. Also, she would be less likely to be spotted if she was among the rocks rather than on top of them, if anyone aboard the ship looked toward the promontory.
Once she reached the algae-slick boulders near the water level, she crouched between two of them, the waves splashing just below her feet. The water in the harbor was protected, but she could hear the roar of waves crashing a little farther out. Spray came up, misting her cheek. She wished a great storm would come in and batter the warships, but the clouds drifting across the stars remained innocuous.
Taylina shifted her weight several times, her thighs burning from holding them in position for so long. She peered back toward the waterfront street. Most of the houses were dark, some of them merely piles of rubble, destroyed from the dragons’ mental attacks. She did not see any soldiers near the end of the street now, but she did not see Father either. He should have returned by now.
A series of yawns found her as she hunkered in the dark. Bhrava Saruth’s blessing might have stolen her aches for now, but sitting in the dark without any immediate threats to keep her heart racing was starting to wear on her. She wished she could communicate with her father the way she could with Bhrava Saruth.
Out on the ship, the deck had grown quieter. Lanterns still burned, but she did not see many people walking about. A few soldiers patrolled along the railing, with bows or crossbows in their hands, but the commander had gone below decks.
“Now would be a good time to sneak aboard,” Taylina muttered, leaning out and hoping to see Father walking atop the promontory. But only the wind stirred up there.
Bhrava Saruth? she tried. If he was near the island, he might be able to tell if her father was still looking for the rope, or if something had happened.
Shouts erupted on the other side of the harbor. Taylina rose to her feet, trying to see over the docks. Father hadn’t ended up over there somehow, had he?
<
br /> No, she realized. That must be Raff trying to free the people locked in Town Hall. She’d forgotten all about him. He must have been delayed, too, because it had been well over a half hour since they parted ways. Maybe he had seen the gold dragon chase off Bhrava Saruth and had decided to wait.
Taylina bit her lip, once again looking for Father. This was their distraction, and he wasn’t here to take advantage of it.
Was there any point in her swimming out there alone? Without a rope and a grappling hook, could she find a way onto the ship? Doubtful. Unless…
She ran her hand along the staff, trying to guess exactly what it might do. The warmth it had gained after Bhrava Saruth touched it remained, pleasant beneath her chilled palms. But could a warm stick get her on a ship?
“Have to try,” she whispered.
If it did not work, she could always return to the promontory. She had grown up around the water and swam well. Her leg did not bother her in the buoyant salt water, and her brother had joked that she was far more graceful in the sea than on land. Like a dolphin, she’d suggested. More like a turtle, he’d said, tousling her hair.
She grimaced, hoping he was well, wherever he was. Father too. And Jessa.
She closed her eyes, offering a silent prayer to Archleon, hoping the god would protect her family and that everyone she cared about would survive this. And then, with a snort, she hoped to Bhrava Saruth that everyone would be all right too. She wouldn’t consider him a god, but he had helped her more than anyone else this day.
With the prayer sent, Taylina slid down the rocks until her shoes dipped into the water. More shouts came from across the harbor, and men on one of the warships piled into a longboat and started toward the docks. The soldiers patrolling the flagship all headed for the bow of the ship, also looking in the direction of Town Hall. None of them were gazing out toward sea, the direction that Taylina wanted to approach from.
She took a deep breath and dropped fully into the water. Though the ocean was far from ice cold this far south, it wasn’t like swimming during the heat of the day, and she pushed off the rocks, eager to warm herself with movement. Her clothes and shoes tugged at her, but the salt water made it easy to stay afloat, even with the waves undulating into the harbor.