* * *
Diplomacy was made difficult by the lord chancellor's refusal to meet with Brother Vaughn. The best he could do was talk with the people at the market while trying to keep Kenward out of trouble, the latter of which was like trying to keep the wind from blowing.
"For all of these," Kenward said to a gem merchant, "I will give you one of these." He produced a dried and preserved yet still lustrous saltbark leaf.
"Do you think me a halfwit?" the man asked, his voice high and accent thick. The interaction did not go unnoticed, and guards moved closer to where they stood. Brother Vaughn had the distinct feeling he was being watched from above, and he gave Kenward a nudge.
"I mean no offense," Kenward said. "This saltbark leaf will cure almost any ill and is considered as valuable as a life."
The merchant made a show of being unconvinced but soon reconsidered. "Half," he said. "Because I cannot know it is real until it's needed."
"It's real," Brother Vaughn said. "I was there when it was harvested, and I have seen the healing it can bring. It's real."
"Half," Kenward said, "but I pick which half."
The merchant cast Kenward a sideways glance then smiled, "Deal."
With every stone selected, the merchant acted as if he were being robbed. This was apparently not all that unusual since the guards and other merchants ignored it.
"How will Umair feed his children?" he cried.
"Hold this, Sevon," Kenward said, but Sevon did not answer. Brother Vaughn turned, but the little man was nowhere to be seen.
When Kenward had only one selection left to make, he was torn between a pretty, red stone growing out of a darker stone and a much smaller translucent stone with but a hint of green giving it color. His hand hovering near one then the other, Kenward read Umair's eyes. He grabbed the smaller greenish stone, feeling apprehensive, but Umair cried out as if he'd been assaulted. This the guards could not ignore, and they closed in on the merchant's shop.
"What's the problem, Umair? Are you being robbed again in the broad light of day?"
"This man tricked me into thinking he was an idiot, and instead he's a thief!"
"I may look dumb," Kenward said, "but it's just a disguise."
"You see? He tricked me."
"Move along," the guard said to Kenward, and Brother Vaughn sighed in relief.
"Can we go back now to see if the men are done repairing the Serpent?"
"I need some more rope," Kenward said. "The crew can't fix the ship without materials, but everything here is expensive."
"It's all imported," Brother Vaughn said.
"That's crazy," Kenward said. "Give anyone control over your food and goods, and they'll eventually use it against you."
Secretly Brother Vaughn was dreading getting back on the Serpent, but it didn't appear he was going to make any progress here on his own. The Serpent might be his only way home, which was a less-than-comforting feeling.
"For rope?" Brother Vaughn heard Kenward say and he turned. "Did you spin it out of rainbows and dragon tears?"
The merchant did not respond.
"We'll have to use what we've got," Kenward said, finally convinced to go back to the ship. It was a long and uncomfortable walk. He spent his time grumbling over the prices merchants dared ask for their goods, imported or not. Brother Vaughn knew returning to the vacuous hall where the Serpent lay on her side like a grounded whale might also mean getting another chance to see a verdant dragon up close. He hoped any he encountered would refrain from roaring at him. His hearing was just starting to return to normal.
His dreams of seeing another verdant dragon were fulfilled when they entered the hall, except this dragon was different from the rest. Jehregard stared down at Brother Vaughn, one eye more like a gemstone than eye. His mottled black and gray skin was like rock with moss and lichen growing between his mighty plates and giving him a greenish hue. There was no malice in the dragon's stance, eyes, or the energy he exuded, but he was intimidating nonetheless. One false step could kill a person, and having been stepped on by multiple horses, Brother Vaughn wasn't certain how close he wanted to get. Atop the dragon's back was a smaller version of the tierre, which could still hold ten people comfortably.
"I wonder how the old boy might feel about giving us a nudge," Kenward said.
Brother Vaughn shivered at the thought. It hadn't been Onin's verdant dragon that saved them from being dragged over the ledge, but he was certainly powerful enough to push the Serpent back into open air. What happened afterward being the true cause for concern.
Onin appeared a moment later, along with Sensi. The rotund man had been nothing but rude and seeing him was not a hopeful sign.
"Onin, my friend," Kenward said.
The older man cast him a flat glare. "What?"
"My men should soon complete the repairs needed, but my ship is now much heavier, and I was hoping I could beg a favor of you."
"What?"
"A push," Kenward said. "More of a nudge, really. Just enough to send us on our way."
"Not soon enough," Sensi said in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Fine," Onin said.
"Are you going to the council?" Brother Vaughn asked.
The looks returned to him were cold.
"Yes," Onin said.
"May I go with you?" Brother Vaughn asked before he lost his nerve.
"That would be most appreciated," Kenward said. "I can use the extra weight."
Brother Vaughn didn't appreciate being judged by nothing but his weight, but he saw Kenward's point. Onin turned to Sensi, saying nothing.
The fat man groaned. "If you must."
Knowing his welcome was tenuous at best, Brother Vaughn did his best to fall in behind Onin, remaining silent and invisible. Jehregard continued to watch them approach.
Bryn ran out to meet Kenward. "Almost ready, sir," he said, "just need that rope and we'll be airworthy in no time."
Lying on her side and belching black smoke, the Serpent was an ominous sight. The wind socks started to reinflate, and Kenward bade them a brief farewell. "Got to go," he said. "I'll shout when I need that nudge. Be gentle, will you?"
Onin grunted.
Not a moment before Kenward reached the Serpent, Sevon appeared from within the crowds gathering to watch them depart--or perhaps just burn to cinders. There was shouting coming from aboard the ship, and flames leaped up from between the decking. Kenward, Sevon, and the rest of those not onboard raced back to the ship. Wind gusts, powerful and insistent, threatened to pull the Serpent into the open air as well as fanning the flames.
Brother Vaughn wasn't certain how pleasant his trip to the council would be, but he knew he'd made the right decision. Kenward's orders echoed through the chamber, and Jehregard added his deep baritone roar. As the Serpent moved closer to the edge, so did Kenward's voice go up in pitch. Steam poured out and black smoke engulfed the ship, leaving the crowds to gasp and wonder her fate. Jehregard moved closer before Onin could reach the agitated dragon. Every step made the stone tremble, tierre and harness rattled and popped, and the mighty beast was lowering his head when the smoke suddenly cleared. Kenward and his crew scrambled over the airship, checking lines and shouting. The same wind that cleared the smoke also dragged the Serpent from the hold.
"I think we're good," Kenward shouted just before the ship dropped from sight. The crew's screams grew distant. Brother Vaughn ran toward Jehregard, his fear outweighed by the need to know what happened to his friends. Though he was glad not to share their fate, he would never have wished them harm. Snaps, cracks, and screams echoed as he ran, and his heart pounded. Jehregard gave a great trumpeting call, but Brother Vaughn didn't know what it meant. It only added to his anxiety and confusion. When he did finally reach the edge, he managed to keep a goodly distance between himself and the agitated dragon. Peering down, the Serpent resembled a falling toy--how far it had dropped was terrifying. With full and taut wind socks, though, the ship right
ed herself. Trees in their wake reeled from recent impact, but Kenward's laughter could be heard even from the heights.
"That man is quite insane," Brother Vaughn said. No one argued.
"Come," Onin said, pushing him from behind. Sensi approached more slowly, but even he appeared to be moved by a sense of urgency. Jehregard extended his leg, providing an easy climb to the tierre. Onin went first and Brother Vaughn followed. Sensi offered a few choice words to the wind before doing his best to climb in a dignified fashion. When he reached the tierre, the big man was breathing hard and had to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Tie yourselves in," Onin said.
Brother Vaughn didn't hesitate for an instant. Nothing he'd seen of flying thus far gave him any reason to believe he had the ability to stay where he was on his own. Sensi halfheartedly pulled at the too-short ropes and managed to secure himself, if just barely. Brother Vaughn couldn't help but check and recheck the knot he'd tied. He was considering untying it and retying it to make it more secure when Jehregard issued another deafening call, one Brother Vaughn could feel in the seat of his pants even when he held his hands over his ears.
A cold feeling unsettled his stomach, but Jehregard proved his skill. Extending his wings, the dragon left the cold stone without any noticeable sensation to those aboard. Seemingly without moving a muscle, the verdant dragon sailed into the open air as smoothly as could be. Brother Vaughn breathed a deep sigh of relief and wiped sweat from his own forehead. Sensi gave him a disgusted look.
No sooner had Jehregard executed a turn than shouting from within the mountain hold began. One word rang through the air, "Thief!"
Sensi cast an accusing glare at Brother Vaughn, who shrugged and turned his hands palm up.
"Go back," Sensi said.
"Why?" Onin asked, surprising Brother Vaughn.
"Because something has been stolen, and it's possible the thief is aboard," Sensi said without looking at Brother Vaughn.
"Did you steal anything?" Onin asked Brother Vaughn, turning to look over his shoulder.
"No."
"He didn't do it," Onin said.
"You're just going to believe him?" Sensi asked, incensed.
"My tierre, my rules," Onin said, and their course did not change.
"This is why the lord chancellor doesn't trust you," Sensi said.
Brother Vaughn shrank into the padded chair and checked his knot once again. Roars echoed from the heights. A pair of full-sized verdant dragons gained the skies, their huge tierres bristling with activity. Like war on wings, they instilled fear.
As if guessing his thoughts, Sensi said, "There'll be more."
"It will take them time," Onin said. "The great oafs are too big to be nimble. That is, after all, why you are aboard, is it not? Do you wish to try to have one of those beasts land amid the keys? I think you would never come back. I am no thief, you are no thief, and the monk is no thief. We fly. Let them chase the airship; there they will find fools and thieves alike."
It was the most Brother Vaughn had ever heard Onin speak, and he turned to Sensi, who appeared annoyed but otherwise calm. Something about that bothered him, but he didn't get the chance to reason it out.
"Hold on," Onin said. "The ride may get a little bumpy."
In the next instant, clouds engulfed them, and Jehregard's smooth flight was anything but. Sensi was holding the ropes with white knuckles. Brother Vaughn did the same. Ropes were small comfort when the bottom dropped out.
* * *
Convincing Kendra to leave Gerhonda wasn't something within Sinjin's power, which left him going to the council alone. There would be advantages, but he had to admit he would be vulnerable. It wasn't something he liked to admit, but there was a time and place for foolishness, as his mother had always said. Sometimes he thought of her in the past tense, which made it easier to cope--easier to avoid slipping around Kendra or anyone else. She had never accepted his reasons for not searching for his mother's saddle. Perhaps the greatest reason to think about his mother in the past tense was to keep his anger at bay. He'd been deprived of a mother, though she still lived. He'd been deprived of an honest relationship with his wife. The guilt wore on him, and he blamed his mother for swearing him to silence, especially with regard to Kendra. What was he supposed to do? It was a question threatening his sanity.
Seeing the shallows in the distance added to the sense of urgency. He needed to have his words sorted out before he and Kendra next spoke. He loved her and didn't want to hurt her, but he could not give in this time. Valterius snorted and dipped low over the water, knowing their destination was near. Pillars loomed above saltbark trees, and soon the channel through which the Slippery Eel once sailed would come into view. Sinjin had never seen the place, and it was like having something from a fairy tale materialize before you. He knew the stories his mother had told him were all true, but they had never felt like the real truth. He'd been unable to visualize such things as exploding mountains. Yet before them was the remains of a towering peak, as if a god had cleaved it with a mighty ax.
Valterius soared lower and Sinjin was thrown forward as they slowed. With a triumphant cry, Valterius thrust skyward, a glittering silver and green fish in his claws. More splashes followed as the Drakon fished, and Sinjin was glad for it. They all needed rest. While the dragons fed, the Drakon could prepare a more palatable meal than raw fish. When his mother told him about this place, he had dreamed of swimming in such magical waters. Tales of giant sharks gave him pause. By the size of the fish the dragons pulled from the waters, ample food existed to support predators.
When they reached the pillars carved with visages of madness and faded over eons, the winds were still, so Valterius could not do what Kyrien had done and hover within the pillars. Instead, the dragon had to land on a saltbark tree. As soon as he landed, a stiff wind blew, nearly knocking Valterius from the tree. It was the only way the dragons could stay dry in the place without landing on the mountain itself. He felt bad for treating the trees poorly, but he could not bring himself to camp in a place where a mountain had once exploded. The pillars were close enough, and he didn't expect to stay long. The Drakon could feed their dragons and return to Windhold when they were rested. He would leave for the Keys of Terhilian with or without Kendra.
She and Gerhonda perched nearby. "Do we really have to sit here like so many blackbirds? Why not camp on the land surrounding the mountain?"
"The mountain gives me the crawls," Sinjin said.
"It already blew up. What are you afraid of?"
"It feels like it wants to explode again."
Kendra made no response to those words and remained quiet while climbing down from Gerhonda's back. The dragon remained saddled but could eat more comfortably without Kendra's weight on her back. Sinjin slid down as well and settled on a low branch, careful not to crush the leaves. Valterius had already destroyed sections of the tree's precious foliage, but there was nothing to be done except try to do no more harm.
"So you're going alone?" Kendra said from her own branch.
"I didn't say that," Sinjin snapped in response.
"You didn't have to. I won't fight you, but I'll never forgive you if you don't come back."
"It'd be better if you went with me," Sinjin said.
"You said only one dragon."
"I did."
"Then we will ride Gerhonda?"
"No."
Silence.
Sinjin expected a number of things, but he had not expected to hear his wife crying. It was not something he could abide, not at his word or his action. Slipping into the cold water, despite knowing the danger, he faced his fears to reach her.
"I'm sorry," Sinjin said. "I didn't want to make you cry."
"I can't leave her," Kendra said, a catch in her voice.
"Then I'll go alone."
"No," Kendra said. "That's not an option."
Pulling himself from the water and onto the branch where he could put his wet but, he hoped, comforting arm aroun
d her.
She leaned against him. "I know you're right about only one dragon," she said. "But going alone is too risky. You need a good sword at your back. But I cannot send Gerhonda back to the Firstland."
Sinjin sighed and thought for a while before saying anything else. His wife wasn't being unreasonable, yet she still managed to be impossible. At times such as these, a man must think fast. "Then we'll achieve both. You and I will fly to the council on Valterius, and Gerhonda will remain nearby but concealed."
Kendra said nothing and instead kissed him on the cheek. Sliding one hand up the back of her neck, he turned and kissed her in a manner she could not ignore. Gerhonda snorted.
* * *
Despite knowing where Onin and Jehregard were going, no verdants awaited them when at the Keys of Terhilian. Brother Vaughn breathed a tentative sigh of relief; at least he would not have to live the nightmare of facing angry verdant dragons. These beasts could tear down mountains if they so chose. He had no interest in seeing them fight one of their own. He'd seen what they and those in their tierres could do in times of war. It was something that still haunted his dreams, though he'd admit it to no one.
Jehregard landed not far from where the oversized table would be placed. The table would come by ship from the Greatland, and Jehregard would most likely be asked to hoist the heavy table from the barge onto shore. It was a service Onin said the dragon was happy to provide. Brother Vaughn was glad for Onin. Though he was gruff and opinionated, he was a great deal more pleasant to talk to than Sensi. Brother Vaughn got the distinct impression his very presence offended the fat man, and he couldn't wait to be away from him. It was something he had done nothing to deserve, which raised his ire.
"Mids," Onin said pointing. A tall ship moved under full sail. It was indeed a Midlands ship.
Not long after the ship was spotted, Brother Vaughn scanned the horizon and saw a dragon approaching. Shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight, he saw a single dragon with two riders. Storm clouds still gathered along the horizon, and the shifting clouds played tricks on his eyes.
"Dragon riders," he said, pointing.
"And Greatlanders," Onin added.
The atmosphere grew heavier and thicker with the new arrivals. Tension fouled the air. Longboats had been dropped from the Midlands ship, and the barge was being assembled alongside the Greatlanders' ship. Sinjin and Kendra were visible as the dragon grew closer, and Brother Vaughn had the nagging feeling more dragons were near. Valterius landed not far from Jehregard, and the two dragons greeted each other. It was difficult to tell if it was an amicable greeting since all dragon greetings sounded alike to Brother Vaughn, which was odd given how many bird songs he could identify and imitate. It was something to which he decided he would someday devote more time.