Chasing the Dragon (13 page)

"Namitus," Alto
guessed. "He hasn't returned yet. They must have taken him."

Carson and Karthor both gasped. "What do we do?" Karthor asked.

"We get him back and kill the sons of whores who took him," Alto vowed.

Karthor frowned. "Is this what you were like when you wandered the mountains?"

Alto took a moment before he responded. "No, I sought death then. Not mine, the death of anything I found. Everything I found. It didn't matter."

"Kind of like Jakar?" Carson asked.

"Nothing like Jakar," Alto said.

Karthor glanced at Carson and shook his head. Before either man could ask anything else
, the door into the room at the base of the stairs bumped against the pile of corpses. All three men looked at it, and then at one another.

"
We need to get out of here. Through the other door," Alto said.

"We don't know where it goes!" Karthor warned.

"One of the guards escaped down it, so it must go somewhere," Carson said.

"We'll find
our way free," Alto promised as he ran over to the three bodies piled against it. He pulled them back enough to open the door so they could slip around it and into the corridor beyond. They ran down it, weapons in hand and expecting the worst.

They reached an intersection and stopped. To their left
, they saw a door and to their right, the hallway turned and passed out of sight. Ahead of them, the passage continued. Alto chose to go straight, forcing the others to follow him or become separated.

They ran down it and passed by three doors before reaching a door at the end of the hallway. Alto tried the latch and found it open. He stepped in and sniffed the air.

"By the saints, what is that stench?" Carson gasped when his nose picked it up.

"Sewer," Karthor said.

"Shazamir has sewers?" Alto asked. "There's not that much water, is there?"

"We're under the palace," Karthor pointed out.
"The rest of the city may not but the royals wouldn't live in their own filth."

Alto grunted. But Carson just looked around with his nose wrinkled. "So we go back then?"
he asked.

Alto shook his head. "No, this will get us out."

"How?"

"Either the Khalalid or the harbor."

Carson gagged and shook his head. "If I'd have known I was signing up for this, I'd have stayed with Bucky."

Alto led the way into the room and towards one of the doors that led towards the sewers. "Breathe deep," he advised. "It's only going to get worse."

Chapter 13

"I don't like this," Celos muttered over his shoulder to Aleena.

She nodded for his benefit but kept her misgivings to herself. They were walking through tunnels in the mountain where Sarya had laired. Where Alto had slain her. This was the heart of the Northern Divide, where thousands of goblins, ogres, trolls, mountain wolves, and even giants had gathered.

This time, instead of thousands, they'd seen hundreds, but they hadn't been massing an army, they'd been creating. The monsters were building a city.

Ketten led them out into an opening that was lit with torches pounded into walls. The rock was stained black as the smoke rose above them, but it filtered over and out to their left, into a large room that the outside light shone down through. The light fell on a glistening silver statue of a dragon that was so tall Aleena had to crane her neck up to see it all. The neck curled down to show a lifelike head with glistening ruby eyes. She shivered inside her armor.

"Ketten!" a woman cried out.

Aleena's attention was jerked away from the dragon statue by the voice. She saw a woman wearing a man's pants and a loose
-fitting brown shirt that hung loosely on her thin frame. She frowned and turned to look at Celos and Aleena. Her eyes, Aleena noted, reminded her of the dragon. They weren't red but they sent chills down her spine from their intensity.

"Queen
Rosalyn." Ketten bowed deeply. "I found these two knights as I was conducting your business. They sought an audience with you, Your Highness."

The queen's eyes narrowed and then she nodded. "I hope they are more interesting than the last knights you brought," she growled.

"They are from the church of Leander, Highness," Ketten said.

"I see," Rosalyn said, her eyes taking in Celos's and Aleena's tabards. "Not mere knights either, but paladins. And a woman."

"Lady." Celos bowed his head respectfully. "I am Sir Celos and this is Dame Aleena. We have been sent to inquire about certain disruptions in the Northern Divide."

Rosalyn stepped closer to him and studied him, her sharp eyes taking in every detail. She looked away from him to Aleena and a flicker of a smile curved her lips. "Dame Aleena," she said with a nod. "I shudder to think what you have endured to obtain such a position."

Aleena curtsied in her plate armor and then stood straight. "Thank you, but I have only listened to Leander's teachings and followed my heart."

Rosalyn nodded. "I was a little girl once
who dared to dream of a grand life of importance," she said. She sighed and glanced around. "This is what I've gotten."

"Rather chilly," Aleena said.

Rosalyn smiled. "Yes, yes, I suppose it is. No doubt you saw the city being built on your way in? Imagine it, a city designed by ogres and goblins." The witch shook her head. "I dared to dream of a land of tolerance and equality. Where a woman may be treated as a man and not married off to a farm boy in search of a brood mare. When I learned I must create such a land on my own, I knew it would be difficult. I had no idea it would begin like this."

"The monsters of the mountains obey you?" Celos asked.

Rosalyn turned on him, her smile vanishing as her eyes flashed with irritation. "Monsters you call them? They have brought me food and warmth while I united them and stopped them from raiding and killing each other and kingdom families. They would call you monsters for fighting and killing them without stopping to parley."

Celos stiffened but Aleena nodded and moved to stop him from making a difficult situation worse. "I understand," Aleena said. "It is a matter of perspective. I hear of men who are heroes yet I saw them when I was a simple barmaid and they were eager to pinch and grab as sure as the most lecherous drunkard."

Rosalyn smiled and looked at Aleena again. "You and I are not so different, perhaps? Yes, I see the hardship you've endured. It is good to know that Leander has the wisdom to include you among his ranks."

"We
fought at the battle for Dragonsgate," Celos said in a tight voice. "There was no mistaking the murder in the hearts of your people then."

Rosalyn waved her hand, dismissing his claim. "That was war. A war before I came to the mountains, I should add. Their leader was killed in this very room by a man from your kingdom." Rosalyn turned and pointed to a dark spot on the floor before the statue. "This statue is all that remains of the dragon Sarya. A reminder to all of the eventual outcome of greed."

"Alto," Aleena whispered. She saw Celos twitch out of the corner of her eye. She bit back the urge to sigh and face him.

Rosalyn turned to look at her for a long moment. "You know this man?"

Aleena nodded. "He is a friend of mine," she said. "A dear friend."

"I see. And does his lady know how dear a friend you are?" Rosalyn asked with a hint of a smile.

Aleena felt the heat in her cheeks. "Oh! Nothing like that! Lady Patrina is a noble woman in deed and heart as well as blood. I consider them both friends."

Rosalyn's nose twitched but she looked away, glancing at the statue again. "I should like to meet this Alto one day. I've heard much of him, from both the people
who admire him and the people who fear him."

"Fear him?" Aleena asked. Celos snorted softly beside her.

"He and his band of warriors cut a swath through these mountains. Goblin, troll, ogre, and even giant fell before them. Indeed, had it not been for him, I would not be the woman I am today."

Aleena glanced at Celos and saw his eyes were rounded. He was as puzzled as she was.

Rosalyn saw their confusion and explained, "If Sarya had won, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have the chance to show the people of the mountains there are better ways to live. Better ways to co-exist."

"Is killing kingdom miners and taking their mines your idea of co-existing?" Celos asked.

Rosalyn sighed. "My, you're to the point, aren't you? As for what my people have done to secure their livelihood, I regret the unfortunate violence. They have been living in harsh oppression their entire lives. Showing them a better a way is not a simple process."

"You haven't answered for the property you've taken that was not yours to take," Celos pointed out.

Aleena pressed her lips together tightly. Her mentor's tactics were often well suited, but in the heart of a possible enemy land, an assault upon their queen was not the best tactic to use.

"The borders of the kingdom end at Highpeak, is this not so?" Rosalyn asked.

Celos gave a curt nod.

"Then who owns the land? Show me a man or a woman and they will be given options. Since there is no such person, it is just simple ground
that defaults to the owner of the land. I have been granted ownership over this land. The kingdom miners were trespassing and stealing from my people."

"Baron Highpeak feels differently."

"Then have the baron visit me so that we might discuss terms more to his liking," Rosalyn stated. She raised her arms out to her side and gestured. "These mountains are a beautiful place. They are filled with wonder and opportunity, yet there is little to offer in terms of resources. My people must have gold to trade for food. The mines belong to them, and they are not up for negotiation."

"What about the kingdom men
who were killed?" Aleena asked before Celos could finish drawing in a breath to speak his mind. "For every miner who was killed during this period of misunderstanding, don't you think it fitting that a sum of gold be paid to that miner's family?"

"Gold?" Rosalyn and Celos both asked.

Aleena glanced at the both, startled, and then nodded. "Gold can never replace the life of a loved one, but it can ease the hardship of a family who has lost its breadwinner."

Rosalyn frowned and then nodded. "That is a fair arrangement that avoids any unnecessary complications."

"We will take it back to Baron Highpeak," Aleena said. She bit her lip and glanced at Celos. She saw the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes tighten as he saw her pondering something. She flashed him a quick smile and turned back to Rosalyn. "You seem like a fair and wise ruler. I will offer my counsel that the kingdom recognize you. I wonder, though, you mentioned some concern about the construction skills of your people? I wonder, do they have the same skills at mining?"

Rosalyn barked out a laugh. "If, by
skills, you mean clueless, then yes. These mountains are rich in minerals but most of my people wouldn't know the difference between a pearl and a bird egg, let alone a vein of silver or gold."

"Why?" Celos asked Aleena, his voice barely above a growl.

Rosalyn glanced at Celos and said, "Yes, I must agree with Sir Celos. Why do you ask?"

"There's a lot
of land that could be farmed south of Highpeak," Aleena said. "The men of Highpeak are mountain men. They are a tough lot who know the hills above and below. We talked to them quite a bit while trying to find you."

"You tried to find me?" Rosalyn stood taller and asked. "Me
, the Queen of the North, or…"

"We heard the best guide had taken a woman into the mountains and disappeared," Aleena said with a nod of respect to Ketten. The man smiled and lifted his head a little higher at the praise. "We were worried that whatever had happened in the mountains might have claimed the two of you."

"Never suspected you were behind it," Celos said.

Rosalyn's raised eyes narrowed as a mask fell over her face. "Yes, I am behind it," she said. "As for the men of Highpeak, they will have to learn new trades. If they won't grow crops and slop pigs
, then they must find another way."

Aleena frowned at Celos. "Lady Rosalyn, I have an idea that benefits everyone. What if you allowed those men to work and train your workers
? Pay them an honest wage and you gain from their experience and tutoring, as well as the product of the mines that you need."

Rosalyn's frown faded slowly as she stared at Aleena. "You have a keen mind, Dame Aleena."

Aleena blushed and bowed her head. "Thank you. I'm just seeking what's best for everyone. No one benefits from going hungry or spilling more blood when it need not be spilled. Besides that, I've always felt that a kingdom—or a queendom, in your case—should fill its treasury with honest gold, not by creating taxes that weigh upon the farmer, merchant, and common man. I believe it is the job of a king or queen to protect and guide their people, not to steal from them."