Though it was obvious Chase wanted to be reunited with his cousin, the danger was far from averted. From all appearances, Catrin might be a danger to herself. While they hadn't found the bodies they had been expecting, they did find scorch marks blistering the great hall. In places, the mosaic was now once again in disarray. The damage was confined to the general area around Catrin, and it was clear she exercised some control in venting the excess energy, or there might not be anyone left alive. Seeing scorch marks and a mighty split bisecting the oversized throne, it was clear where Catrin had concentrated her rage. Trinda would not be pleased, but Trinda had yet to face Catrin. The thought gave Kenward a chill. He'd said once that he'd happily give up adventure for a trader's life, yet here he was in greater danger than ever.
The feral queen slithered down the column and crept across the hall to face Kyrien. Kenward was trying to decide which was more intense, the looks exchanged between Catrin and Allette or between the dragons they rode. The four sized each other up.
Now it was Kyrien's tail lashing the air. Kenward couldn't imagine what the dragon was thinking. The ferals had been responsible for exterminating his race, making him the last of his kind, yet he'd mated with a feral queen, producing the regal dragons. Uncertainty hung in the air. Kenward knew the slightest thing could set these two to tearing the world apart. No one wanted to see how capable they truly were.
"I have no quarrel with you," Allette said. "I did not summon you. The child queen is responsible for that, and I would thank her for the kindness. Would you care to join me?"
"I have no quarrel with you," Catrin said, her face stony and cold, "but I take exception to the company you keep."
The feral queen extended her wings, made even more imposing. Kyrien remained as he was, which was perhaps even more intimidating.
"You and the dragon you ride were not part of the attack that killed the regent queen, but some of those here were; I can smell the blood of the regents on them, and I will make no peace with them. Their lives are forfeit--a small price for the loss of an entire species."
"You are correct," Allette said. "Vekkara and I were not a part of that heinous act."
Kenward wasn't quite certain the statement constituted an apology.
"For this day, I propose a truce," Catrin said. "If your forces do not attack anyone within this hold, with the noted exception of Trinda Hollis, then I will allow you all to live."
From any other person, those words might have been an idle threat, especially to one as powerful as Allette. But there was no doubt Catrin meant what she said. It looked as if Catrin could barely keep from killing them all. It unnerved him. Catrin would never intentionally hurt him, but a history of unintentional consequences made Kenward take a step backward.
"Accepted," Allette said.
"Where is Trinda Hollis?" Catrin asked in a frightening voice that carried throughout the hold.
"Cat!" Chase yelled, and Catrin turned to him. The expression on her face changed from a stoic mask to an emotional storm. A sad smile morphed into guilt. "I am so sorry you mourned me. I never meant it to be so."
"It's OK, Cat," Chase said, his voice cracking and tears streaming down his face. "You're here. That's all that matters."
Catrin released the saddle straps and climbed down. The truce was a shaky one, and Kenward was glad to see her not making any sudden moves. Though he loved her dearly, she did frighten him so. Of just about any other person, Kenward would chastise himself for the fear, but with Catrin, it was warranted. This was the only person in existence who might inadvertently destroy the world. Kenward wondered for one terrifying instant what would happen if Catrin had nightmares, but he pushed the thought from his mind lest it paralyze him. His world had become a dangerous place.
"The last I saw Trinda," Chase said, "she was near the great wheel with Sinjin."
Catrin's head snapped to the side, and she started toward Chase. "Take me there," she said in an unfriendly tone. "Now."
Allette dismounted a bit more quickly and walked to Catrin's side. "I will join you."
"My son--" Catrin said.
"Will come to no harm from me," Allette said. "You have my word."
Catrin said no more and pushed Chase into the lead. Kenward followed, knowing he was of no use at all. Despite that, he had to know what happened. The events of Catrin's life had permanently shaped his own, and he had to know what could possibly come next. He was especially curious to find out what it was Trinda wanted. Her story about the great wheel destroying the hold was almost certainly a ruse, but there was but one way to find out.
* * *
The arrival of the feral dragons had made it clear it was time to leave the Godfist, despite the fact that the Serpent had never returned. Benjin stood at the rail, watching the seas.
"Pelivor and Gwen will awake soon," Fasha said when she reached his side. The feel of her close to him was comforting; it was among the things he clung to. In many ways his world was dull and faded compared to what it had once been. His wife, his friends, their ship, and a daughter of which he could not be more proud were the things that kept him moving. Even with all that bounty, his losses had torn great holes in his heart. The pain of it was at times unbearable. Fasha sensed his mood and wiggled herself under his arm. He did nothing to stop her.
"Have I told you today, my wife, how much I love you?"
"No," she said. "You're late."
"Have I mentioned you're as beautiful as the sunrise? And I get to gaze on you even at night."
"Feeling poetic today?" Fasha asked.
"I'm feeling something today. I'm not quite certain what it is. I just needed to get a bit of air and clear my head. Did you finish the inventory?"
"I did," Fasha said. "We can make for the Firstland and not stop for food or water."
"We're going to need to keep our flightmaster and thrustmaster in check."
Fasha laughed. "They'll rest even if I have to knock them over the head."
Benjin knew it was so and let at least that one worry go. Gwen was his daughter, and he expected things from her he could expect from no one else in this world. But Pelivor was not his son, and he had no right to ask the man for so much. He knew just how twisted it was that he expected more from Gwen than he felt comfortable asking from Pelivor, but it was so. It was something Benjin had to accept about himself.
"I feel so helpless," Fasha said after a long silence. "There's nothing we can do on the Godfist and really nothing we can do on the Firstland. We're not even bringing trade goods. It goes against my heritage."
Benjin smiled. As he'd thought many times before: Once a sailor, always a sailor. Once a pirate, always a pirate. Once his, he'd never let go. He pulled Fasha a little closer. "I don't know what we'll do to help, but we'll find some way. We've managed not to be completely useless up until now."
"Speak for yourself," Wendel said from not far away.
"Eavesdropping?" Benjin asked.
"Normally I wouldn't interrupt your private conversation," Wendel said, "but I was drawn out here by a feeling. I tell you I'd've laughed at anyone who told me that years ago, but then Catrin came along." He sniffed. The rest of those aboard, most of whom had known Catrin personally, gathered with them and shared her memory. No one spoke. No words were required. Catrin's presence was overwhelming. Then the thunder started. Unlike natural thunder, this was continuous, though the intensity fluctuated.
Looking out at roiling clouds suddenly lit from within, Benjin held a hand up to shade his eyes. All those aboard were speechless when rainbows burst through gaps in the clouds backed by orange fire. Benjin's breathing quickened and he grabbed Wendel by the arm. In the next minute, he was the only thing holding his friend up. From the clouds burst a vision of the goddess reborn adragonback. Shining like a font of pure energy, both dragon and rider were engulfed in flame. Even from a distance, Benjin could see Catrin struggling'. His friend was alive, but she was far from saved.
Wendel's knees buckled and B
enjin went to one knee with him, gazing back up to the skies with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. Had he gone mad? Then he thought he might be dreaming as Catrin and Kyrien dipped in close, just as Pelivor and Gwen arrived on deck. Like blowing a kiss, Catrin sent a twinkling ball of light speeding toward the Dragon's Wing. It raced over the ship, and as it reached the mainmast, it exploded into an umbrella of sparkling light shimmering and dancing in the air, closing in on the ship like a shrinking dome. Benjin extended his hands and let the sparkles gather there. They were warm to the touch and left a tingly feeling in their wake, long after they faded and disappeared.
Each burst of light brought with it a memory of Catrin, a laugh, a rare hug, more than a few giggles. Tears streamed down Benjin's cheeks. Wendel held his face in his hands, so powerful were his emotions. When the last of the glittering gifts had passed and Catrin and Kyrien had long since disappeared from sight, Benjin and Wendel lay down on the deck and slept better than they had in a long time.
* * *
"I am sorry about the regent dragons," Allette said as they made their way to Dragonhold's interior. It was dangerous territory, and Kenward dearly wished the girl would just remain silent and not push the issue.
Catrin nodded in acknowledgment. "Do you know the reason?" she asked.
Silence was broken only by their footsteps as Chase continued to lead the way.
"Bad blood," Allette finally said. "It goes back a very long way. The memories of dragons are far longer than ours. Has your dragon not told you this?"
Catrin's glare would stop a charging bull. "I asked what you are aware of. I already know what I'm aware of."
"There was war during the last age of power," Allette said. "During the long sleep, the dragons rest and keep themselves nourished until the goddess returns. Given the chance to avenge yourself the losses of the last age, what would you do?"
It was a rhetorical question, but Kenward half expected Catrin to answer nonetheless. "And now what do you and the ferals want?" she asked instead.
"To be left alone," Allette said. Kenward had to admit that for the time they had been left to themselves, they had caused no trouble. Many had insisted they would quietly rebuild their strength then attack again, but Kenward wasn't so sure. There was something in the Black Queen's eyes that made him second-guess himself. Such humanity existed there, though it was laced with dark, reptilian coldness. Kenward shivered when she caught him staring at her. Did she blush after turning away? Kenward wasn't certain since he couldn't look directly at her. Instead, he had to try to catch a glimpse from his peripheral vision. Whether she had or not, Kenward felt himself flush, and his knees were a little unsteady as unbidden thoughts flooded his mind. No matter how much he wished them away, they persisted. He hoped no one was looking at him.
Chase held up his hand, calling for them to stop. He moved to the end of the narrow, secondary hall they were walking through and peered around the corner. He came back shaking his head. "They're all there," he whispered. "It looks like they are waiting for us."
"Since we lack the element of surprise," Catrin said, "I'll be on my way. Thank you, my dear cousin. Now get out of my way."
Allette moved at Catrin's side. They were perhaps the oddest of alliances, and Kenward hoped the allegiance would last long enough for him to escape. It occurred to him, perhaps too late, that Catrin might best be loved and admired from afar. As she walked, the air shimmered around her, and as if it were contagious, a nimbus of power also grew outward from Allette. Hers was all violets and deep blues. Catrin's aura ran more reds, oranges, and yellows. Kenward had no idea what it meant, but a similar nimbus surrounded Trinda. She waited for them, arms outstretched and holding the Staff of Life and Koe. Fire and lightning danced around the serpent on the staff, showing Trinda was drawing deeply from the dragon ore stones in its eyes.
Catrin and Allette carried no dragon ore, and Kenward wondered if they could defeat Trinda within her very center of power. She had everything at her disposal, and they had been summoned. One did not, in general, summon someone she could not control or dominate. That fact had them all on edge. Trinda had proven unpredictable in the past, and no one knew quite what to expect. It was unnerving in the extreme.
Sinjin and Kendra watched with worry as Catrin and Allette approached. Something bothered Kenward about what he saw, but he couldn't quite place it. Sinjin's expression puzzled Kenward. Then he realized what was missing: surprise. Realization slammed into Kenward's psyche, and he couldn't decide if he wanted to punch Sinjin and Kendra or hug them. Keeping such a secret was a tremendous burden, he knew, but it was such a pointless secret. Pointless until he considered Trinda's ability to summon dragons and apparently their riders as well. He wondered about that last part, but then Trinda spoke.
"Welcome home, Catrin Volker," Trinda Hollis said.
Catrin and Allette continued forward. Neither spoke.
"And I thank the Black Queen for joining us. I know I've kept you waiting, but now that Catrin has joined us, we can begin."
"Begin what?" Allette asked, her tone miles from friendly.
Trinda lowered her hands, and it was only then Kenward noticed Trinda was straddling a hole in the black stone floor. The mighty wheel spun with dizzying speed now, and when Kenward looked closer at the hole, he saw runes around it glowing blue. A scream was forming on his lips as he realized the runes were actually on the stone ring found in the Drakon Ghar's secondhold. He remembered then the scroll.
"Beware the Fifth Magic!" he shouted.
Before anyone else could act, Trinda's hands were moving downward, inserting the Staff of Life into the now glowing orifice. The shaft sank in just deep enough to keep the serpent's glowing eyes visible. The child queen twisted the staff until there was a rocky click. Sound erupted from Kenward and everyone else at the same time. The cacophony prevented anyone from being heard, but there was no need for words or commands, only warning.
Trinda wheeled and retreated toward the giant stone wheel, reaching into her robes. Catrin lashed out, her attack followed a heartbeat later by Allette's. Both attacks struck the child queen's exposed back and she shuddered.
Falling forward, she did manage to free whatever it was she'd been trying to pull from her robes. In her hand, Kenward saw something he recognized--the figurine the lord chancellor had asked him and his men to hold when they had first met. He'd been told it was for ceremonial purposes and was merely tradition, but he now suspected it was something entirely different. Trinda rolled onto her back, stunned.
Guards moved to surround her, the window of opportunity closing. Catrin and Allette did not attack, though Kenward wasn't sure why they held back. Perhaps neither could stomach harming someone in a little girl's body, despite knowing she was older than Catrin. No matter the reason, there were consequences. They should have taken their chance while they could. Though placing the staff within the stone ring had no discernible effect, what Trinda did next would forever change the Godfist. With trembling hands, she placed the figurine Sevon had stolen from the Heights into a much smaller opening in the rock and gave it a turn.
Catrin's second attack raced toward her but too late. The delicate figurine of a woman in flowing robes went fully erect. With the hand gripping a lightning bolt held high, the figurine began to spin, the centrifugal force causing previously hidden blades to extend. For a moment, Kenward was struck by its beauty. He had no idea how such a thing could be made or why all these otherwise unrelated pieces interacted in such an amazing way. His infatuation was interrupted by a whirring sound from the spinning figurine, which was now rotating faster, causing the sound to grow higher and higher in pitch. Then the figurine suddenly and catastrophically stopped. The blades must not have been connected to the center of the figurine because the sudden stop allowed the blades to continue rotating until they crashed into one another. What had been beautiful a moment before was now in chaos. The trend would continue.
The stone ring holding the Staff of Li
fe disappeared into the hole, and the staff dropped with it until only a single hand's width of ancient wood remained above the stone. Part of Kenward wanted to race to the staff and keep it from dropping any further. Never before had it been so clear that he was powerless.
For a few moments, the keep was silent. Trinda lay still. Bernerd knelt to check her for signs of life, but then the keep shuddered. A deep, painful vibration hurt Kenward's joints and gave the impression of giant gears being engaged. He had the distinct feeling his fate was already sealed. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, and it was too late for him to change it. He'd been in dangerous situations before, but never had he been so utterly helpless. When the stone floor leaped up to meet him, he thought his luck might finally have run out.
* * *
The decision to return to the Godfist came down to Wendel Volker. It was, after all, his daughter who'd just effectively come back from the dead. And now she was flying back into danger. Benjin didn't know how to feel except worried. There were very few ways he could imagine this ending well. Almost all paths led to disaster. Again he tried to understand Trinda's motives but could make no sense of them. Why bring all the dragons to Dragonhold if not to get the most powerful people on Godsland in one place. It was possible the girl could not differentiate which types of dragons she summoned, but Benjin suspected she knew exactly what she was doing. He just didn't know why, which bothered him greatly.
Going back to the Godfist was an enormous risk, but the weather had worked to Benjin's advantage for once in his life. Though storms were something they normally sought to avoid, a storm fronted by strong winds and headed in the correct direction had made their already swift vessel even faster. Ferals had ignored the Dragon's Wing last time, but that didn't mean they would do so again. His wife and daughter were on this ship, and every crew member was a dear friend. All of them had agreed, which did nothing to reduce the responsibility weighing on Benjin. His family and friends were strong and craftier than most would give them credit for, and still Benjin felt he should turn back out to sea.