Lord Of Dragons (Book 2) (11 page)

The dwarves were going to lose this war. Master Vhelan was glad he had commanded their dragons to fly north and await their call. He hoped the distance they flew was far enough to escape the attention of their enemies. Scores more of the draenyx horde poured through the gate, engulfing the rakkanon as the machines whirred and spun their hammers at the beasts. Now only twenty or so of the fabrications survived to oppose the enemies, and most moved in a confused gait, turning and striking at flying, leaping draenyx who easily outmaneuvered the machines.

Shrieks and screams could be heard deeper inside the city as their enemies surged past the line of dwarven soldiers. Brilliant silver lights streaked across the cavern as a score of enemy Hakkadian sorcerers flew out from the open gate and hovered over the battlefield. The gait of a familiar figure in silver armor strode into the cavern and shouted a cry of victory with his sword hefted high.
 

King Braxion had arrived with a squad of Vizathian Knights, and Master Vhelan knew the battle was lost. They had no choice but to escape and flee the mountain. The old sorcerer gave the signal to his elders, and he opened a magical portal, and leapt inside.

Chapter Thirteen

IN THE WARM wind that wafted over the Ferelian Sea, the delicate fragrance of orchids and pineapple drifted into Sebine's nostrils, igniting a craving for the feeling of dry land and the taste of tropical fruit. She stared out over the emerald waters of the narrow bay as their ship sailed on towards Rez'el. The land on either side was thick with lush jungles and swamplands teeming with a myriad of strange creatures and wild, exotic sounds. She longed to explore the unfamiliar foliage and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Sebine had refused to speak with Tael over their many days journey from Glar Bay, and she still felt upset whenever she pictured him lying naked on the witch's bed. In her mind she tried to tell herself that he wasn't to blame for what had happened. But it was not easy to convince herself of this thing. Certainly the witch had used mentalist magic on him, and combined with the temptation of her alluring body, both had caused Tael to betray Sebine, with his body and by spilling their secrets to the woman.
 

Off to the side Sebine could see Tael gripping the railing, his eyes enchanted by the vibrant jungle. The captain had sailed the ship closer to the northern side of the bay, affording them a clear view of the dense forest. The deep throaty calls of tropical birds filled the humid air, and he scanned over to where a pair of brilliant red birds with blue-tipped wings flew lazily over the treetops. With another pleading call, the sound of a mate longing for a lover, she could feel the heat of Tael's attention fixed on her.

She turned and stared into his green eyes, the words of love and apology beaming inside. A habit of resistance clenched up her chest and she went to turn away from him and storm off to the other side of the ship, but the hatred in her heart melted at seeing the look of vulnerability and innocence on his face. A question formed in her mind, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out the words.

"If the same thing had happened to me in Glar Bay, if a wizard had seduced me and you had found me like that, would you have forgiven me?" Tael looked stunned for a moment after she had spoken.

"Without a question, I would have forgiven you." He sighed and ran his fingers through his long, black hair. "You have to believe me, I am truly sorry for what happened there in Glar Bay. What I did in the witch's laboratory was wrong, and I feel that I am to blame as well—I should have resisted more."

A laugh escaped from her mouth. "Well, you were tied up. I guess it was a bit hard for you to resist."

"No, I mean it, I should have done more." His piercing eyes were fixed on her now in earnest attention. "I hurt your feelings and I'm truly sorry for it."

His words resonated in her heart. He had hurt her, regardless of whether he intended to or not. Seeing him there like that had stained her image of what intimacy would be like with him. But at least now she felt a little better, like his words had cooled her anger and allowed her to feel that warm connection with him once again. She bowed her head and slumped, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

Tael came to her at once and wrapped his strong arms around her in a warm embrace. The held back tears spilled down her cheeks and wetted his shirt. It felt good to have him close once again, after so many days of being apart. She hated to admit it, but she missed him sleeping next to her each night. Often she'd woken after a nightmare and reached for him, only to find herself alone and filled with an empty, lonely feeling of loss. She hoped it would never happen again.

"I don't want to lose you, Sebine," Tael whispered, and ran his hands up along her back. "I'll do whatever you want to make it right with us. What can I do?"

"I'm going to need your help to get us to Shaar'el." She separated from him and studied his eyes. "You know the world, you've seen so much more of it than I have. You're a traveler and used to life out on the run. I'm afraid of what I've heard of Rez'el. And from the whispers of the sailors, they avoid going into the city proper, and stay mostly to the shantytown around the docks. They're afraid of the cultists who worship a god of the earth, a god of fertility and wine."

Tael smirked and widened his eyes in mock horror. "Sounds like a terrible cult if they worship wine. Could it be all that bad? Rez'el
is
famous across the world for their red wine. My father always raved about the Malathian wine that hailed from Rez'el, and their vineyards high in the hills surrounding their city. The hills have the right combination of coolness and moisture needed to grow their particular variety of red grapes."

"Why are we talking about wine?" She scowled at him, wishing he were more serious. "What I am saying is I'd rather avoid Rez'el altogether and find another ship to Erelim. And I think it will be faster if we go overland from there."

"Assuming we can actually find a ship. And after all the wait, it might be faster just to travel to Shaar'el from Rez'el. Why don't we just ask around and see which way is faster? I'm worried that the Malathians might declare war before we reach Shaar'el. We should try and form an alliance with them."

Sebine gave Tael an incredulous look. "What alliance? Master Vhelan abandoned us, the knights are gone, and your grandfather is gone."

"He said he'd meet us in Shaar'el before the end of next month." Tael's voice was indignant and irritated, but beneath all his bluster he sounded just as scared as she felt.

"You know we have nothing to negotiate with. If we had the dragons and Master Vhelan it might be different. We have to act cautiously and feel our way around in the Malathian Kingdom. Once we get to Shaar'el, our best hope is to seek out an audience with Prince Jaraz, or if he won't see us, I believe his sister Princess Marei will be open to talking with me. I did save her life."
And I saved her from torture and rape by the King's soldiers.
She felt a shiver run through body at the memory.

"Then we need to get to Shaar'el as fast as possible." Tael's face fixed in a firm expression. "Trust me to find a way there. I want to make it right with you. During our journey I spent quite a bit of time talking to the few Malathian sailors on board, and I found out that one lived in Rez'el for a several years when he was young. His parents journeyed on a pilgrimage to visit the seven sacred relics of Shaar'el. The pilgrims made the journey overland in a vast caravan of camels and horses. And get this, he said that we are in the holy days, and likely there will be caravans leaving daily to reach Shaar'el before the end of a month of fasting and prayer. We can make it, I know we can."

Sebine doubted whether or not they could fit in with the pilgrims, but she nodded in affirmation to Tael, not wanting to diminish his hope of finding a way for them to travel to Shaar'el. And she admitted to herself that the timing of the caravans was fortuitous, and going with a large group of religious adherents would likely be safer than trying to purchase passage on a trading caravan. Though what Sebine knew of the bishops of Trikar, the priests were often more greedy than merchants, and they would certainly need to offer a steep donation to the priests to guarantee their place amongst the caravan of devotees.
 

The ship veered towards shore and Sebine could see they had reached the outskirts of the city of Rez'el. The coast was dotted with shacks with women out in front stretching fish to dry in the sun. Fishing boats dotted the water, and men cast out long nets between the vessels, trawling the bay for their rich harvest. The sailors seemed excited to finally sail to port, and the faces of the men stared in hunger and lust at the life bustling around the port.
 

Where Glar Bay had been chaotic and dirty, the city of Rez'el looked pristine and organized, and the city itself was nestled high above the port on a hill overlooking the bay. The walls were white-washed as were the buildings, with golden-domed temples and thin, gold-capped spires stretching towards the brilliant blue sky. Peace filled Sebine's heart as she stared at the city, and she wondered why there were so many stories of warning about the place. Compared to Glar Bay and their visit to Lord Oberon, this place was a dream.

Soon they anchored at the pier, and Tael went with Sebine to retrieve their things. They thanked the captain for the safe voyage, and Tael handed the man a gem as payment for their trip. The man refused, claiming that Sebine had likely saved his life and the life of his men, and that he was forever in her debt.

"Anytime you need to sail back east to Cranth just ask around for when Captain Hainish will return to port. I anchor here and sometimes in Erelim, though now I will return to Cranth with a load of Rez'el's finest wines and honey from the hills." The old captain gave Sebine a pitiful look. "Don't look so sad to be here, love. I'm sure you'll find your way to Shaar'el unscathed. Just keep your wits about you and stay cautious, the citizens of Rez'el are a strange people."

They debarked the ship and waved goodbye to the sailors, and Sebine reached out and slipped her hand in Tael's. He gave her a kind look and squeezed softly, and they strode together past men unloading crates and barrels from the boats. There were several dockmasters studying the activity, and farther up the pier, a band of soldiers wearing light ringmail armor and plumed helms marched in formation, their hard eyes scrutinizing the passengers leaving the ships. Sebine felt her heart go cold when their eyes fixed on them. She'd forgotten to cast an illusion over herself.

The squad leader spotted the sword at Tael side, and he withdrew a long, curved blade went to intercept them. Scanning around, Sebine realized that none of the men wore swords, as was the custom of most men of Valance. At any lack of recognition on the soldiers' faces, Sebine relaxed, hoping none of them had ever traveled to Valance and might have seen her.

"Who are you?" the squad leader said, and cast suspicious eyes at Sebine and Tael. "What is your purpose for visiting the Malathian Kingdom? You wear the style of clothing common to the cursed kingdom of the east. Swords are not allowed to be worn within our cities."

Sebine realized she had not even thought of practicing a suitable response, nor even talked with Tael about establishing an alias and a story of why they had come here. How could she have allowed them to be so unprepared?

"We are seekers of spiritual wisdom," Tael said, and pressed his hand over his heart and two fingers on his forehead and bowed. The squad leader put away his sword and the soldiers returned the expression, pressing palms to their hearts and touching their foreheads with two fingers. Sebine found her mouth forming a small smile. Tael had prepared for this. Impressive. "I am called Geldrin Salan, and this is my wife."

"Welcome, seeker." The squad leader said, and Sebine wondered if it was customary for husbands not to reveal the names of their wives in Rez'el. For the soldiers now fixed their attention solely on Tael, and unlike their earlier inspection, ignored her.

"We come from the City of Cranth, on this long and troublesome voyage, as pilgrims to your holy land. We have been persecuted by the Calathian Church for our humble study of the seven truths of the earth, water, and the sky." Tael touched his forehead again with his fingers, and the soldiers did the same.

"You may find sanctuary here in the city of the earth." The squad leader eyed him with a zealous expression on his face. "Tell me, are you here for the pilgrimage to the city of the sky?"

Tael nodded in agreement and tilted his head as if in a question. "We have heard this from devotees of the seven truths. But we feared we were too late, as we found trouble plaguing our journey, and we were trapped in a foul, evil place."

"You mean Glar Bay?" The soldier's face went angry and his eyes narrowed in rage. "Curse that man who calls himself Lord, and for his inviting dark magic into that viper's den. May the god of the earth dry their wells and spoil their rivers." The man again touched his fingers to his forehead, and Tael bowed and did the same. "But do not fear! You are not too late for the pilgrimage, though you will need to pass through certain formalities..." He waved his hand dismissively, as if any government concerns would be solved easily.