Tears of War (59 page)

J
ocelynn walked down the hall of the castle at Markene. Where had Loki gone off to now? Honestly, the boy needed to take his duties more seriously. Especially since an undercurrent of dissension still flowed through the nation even after the visit by Sadira. Granted, Sadira’s visit had made the people understand exactly what they were up against. The story of Haden’s display of abject fear, witnessed by many, had spread like wildfire as had the story of Kalila’s firm stand. It had cemented her place on the throne and yet still someone stirred up trouble.

Minor trouble to be sure, but it still undermined what Kalila was trying to do here. Jocelynn glanced down a long hall. It wasn’t likely the boy was hiding in here. Exasperated, she reached out for her green, Adirynn.
“Can you get Merru to answer you?”

“I have tried several times.”
The green’s irritation mirrored her own.
“You would think after what happened last time, they would know better.”

Jocelynn flipped her long red-blonde braid over her shoulder.
“If he gets into enough trouble that Kellinar has to come after him again…well it might be the first time ever that a Guardian has killed another Guardian in the history of Galdrilene.”

“Abrax and Varnen are out searching, perhaps they will find them,”
Adirynn sent.

Jocelynn looked over her shoulder as Kalila’s advisor Lalani turned into the hall. “Lalani, have you seen Loki or Merru anywhere?”

Lalani raised her thin, arched eyebrows. “Missing again is he?” She shrugged slightly. “I am sure they will turn up.”

Jocelynn watched the woman walk away. She was no Silver, but her gut told her Lalani knew more than she was saying. What was the woman up to? What did she know of Loki’s whereabouts?”

She turned and walked back down the long halls until she reached the inner courtyard. The mid-day sun shone brightly against the stone and reflected off Adirynn’s rich green scales as she walked toward the dragon. She sent a brief glare in the direction of the sun. Wonderful. Now she got to spend the rest of the day out in the bright sunlight searching for the boy. She didn’t get along well with the sun. Her skin was quite fair and she burned easily, often breaking out in a rash if in it too long. With an irritated sigh Jocelynn buckled the catcher strap on. She was going to have to Slide to Galdrilene after this to see a healer again. She leaped off Adirynn’s leg and caught the saddle, pulling herself the rest of the way up. Maybe when Serena or Anevay got back to Galdrilene they could work up a weave of some sort to keep the sun from bothering her so much. A moment later she had the safety straps tight across her thighs.

As they rose in the air, Jocelynn caught sight of Abrax to the north, soaring over the trees and the low craggy hills. The sun rippled along his scales like blue fire. If Abrax and Varnen had the north, she would take the south. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too tired or too burnt to a crisp to enjoy the evening with Varnen. They weren’t bondmates, but they had still developed a deep attachment to each other. She was glad they got assigned here together.

Adirynn turned south. They began to make long sweeps across the wide expanse of the prairie that reached to the Galdar River and then continued on the other side, stretching all the way to the desert.

Kellinar sat down. It had been a busy morning. He smiled to himself; it had been a busy night too. He had to admit, it was nice having Anevay back with him. Kellinar had worried more about her when she was on the border than he ever had when she’d been in Trilene. He couldn’t convince either of his bondmates to stay in Galdrilene where it was safe. If they had to go throwing themselves in front of swords, at least they were with him. Although the knowledge Anevay and Latia brought back with them about the Ke’han certainly made Anevay’s return interesting. Who knew there were Kojen-like beings that weren’t really Kojen out there?

Serena, Anevay, and Taela settled down in chairs around him on the wide terrace in front of the Thieves’ Caves. The cacophony of the Mallay provided familiar background noise. As late afternoon set in, the herders brought their goats and geese in from the pasture. Hawkers still called out their wares, babies cried, people argued or laughed, and goats bleated loudly at being put in their small pens.

Between them, Belan and himself had gotten a lot done that day. The seeds of dissension were spread, helped along by those few in the Trilene and Dellar Districts who wanted nothing to do with the Shadow Riders. Down on the docks, in the vineyards, around dinner tables, and in the out of the way corners of the markets, people whispered that maybe there was another way. That the cost would be high but maybe it was worth it.

The city of Trilene was a boiling cauldron about to explode.

Anevay, Taela, and Serena all leaped to their feet at the same time as Shryden’s urgent sending flowed into Kellinar’s mind.
“There are two distress calls. One from Nydara and Tellnox; Maleena and Mckale are injured, Mckale badly. The other is being broadcasted by Adirynn and Abrax in Markene, something has happened to Loki and Merru. I’m getting a call from Merru as well, but it’s very faint.”

Kellinar rose from his seat as the dragons dived toward the terrace. Which did he go to first? It felt like he was being torn in half on the inside.

Serena shook her head, worry clear on her face. “Kellinar, you, Anevay and Taela take care of Loki, the danger is there. From what I’m getting from Tellnox through Miya, it’s bad. I will see to Maleena and Mckale.”

Seconds later the dragons were landing on the terrace and at the bottom of the stairs. Kellinar sprinted to Shryden and started to jump in the saddle.

“Catcher strap,”
Shryden reminded him.
“I won’t fly until you have it on.”

Cursing, Kellinar snugged the strap down and buckled it tight then leaped into the saddle.
“Alright it’s on. You can take off while I get the other straps on.”

The blue launched into the air.

The sun sat cocked to the west when Jocelynn decided to take a rest. They’d covered the south for miles and most of the west. She let herself down from the large green and settled on a rock outcropping. In front of her, the ground fell away for at least two dragon lengths. She and her dragon could rest here and still keep a good lookout. The sun burned down on her and she glanced at her arms. They held the distinct pink shades of a sunburn that would deepen. Glancing back she eyed the two shrubby trees behind her. Turning around, she laid her hands against the trunks and let her magic flow into them. They bent easily to her will, leaning over her and lacing their branches together, creating a well-shaded place for her to sit.

Drawing her legs up, Jocelynn rested her arms across her knees and stared out over the land. Where had Loki gone? Should she let Kellinar know he was missing? She shook her head. No sense making him worry when there was likely nothing to worry about.

“He should have been back by now,”
Adirynn sent.
“He was only flying patrol. They’ve been acting pretty good lately.”

Jocelynn looked at her dragon.
“What are you getting at?”

“I don’t think they would have just taken off like that. Not after the last time.”
Adirynn turned anxious green eyes on her.
“I’m worried.”

She sent waves of comfort to the dragon.
“It hasn’t been that long, maybe a couple of hours. He probably just grew bored with patrol and decided to fly for fun afterward. Loki is young; he likely didn’t think to tell anyone.”

“It isn’t like Merru not to answer us,”
Adirynn’s sending was full of worry.

Do you think you should send a message to Shryden?”

The dragon huffed a heavy breath and indecision weighed heavy in her sending.
“I don’t know. I hate to have them all running here for nothing. And yet if something is wro—”

The dragon jerked her head up, her wings raised in agitation.

Jocelynn jumped to her feet.
“What? Adirynn, what is it?”

“Merru just sent a distress call. He’s been unconscious…”
She swung her head toward Jocelynn.
“It’s bad. Get on, fast!”

Jocelynn leaped into the saddle, fumbling with the safety straps in her hurry.
“What happened?”

“I don’t know. It’s fuzzy and weak. His distress call isn’t reaching very far.”
The green let out her breath in a long hiss.
“A soul separator.”

“A what?”
Jocelynn grabbed the handles on the front of the saddle as Adirynn leaped off the outcropping into the air. Her wings pushed them forward with powerful strokes.

“A soul separator. What nearly took Syrakynn. They have a working one. I already sent a call to Shryden. He and the others have already Slid. There are Shadow Dragons.”

Dread settled in Jocelynn’s stomach as the green spun open a Slide and dove into it.

Fire burned across the sky as they came through the other side. A black dragon nearly crashed into them and Jocelynn was thrown against the straps as Adirynn twisted away. Shryden came within touching distance as the blue flew at the black, grabbing it by the throat.

The blonde on the back of the Shadow shrieked curses at him as a black arrow coated in sickly green lightning leapt from her bow. It burned across Kellinar’s shoulder. With a roar, Shryden released the black dragon and snapped instead at its blonde rider.

Syrakynn blasted fire at another black. Latia streaked through the air after a man and his Shadow. Namir crashed into the Shadow that Latia chased. The two dragons tumbled through the air as their riders tried to aim weaves at each other.

Jocelynn searched the ground and saw a group of Kojen standing around Loki and Merru. Adirynn flew at them, landing a few paces away though she didn’t stop. Instead the green charged into them snapping at them and crushing them in her jaws.

More came running from a copse of trees. Jocelynn loosed the safety straps and leaped off the running dragon, her zahri in hand. Her feet hit the ground and she rolled, coming up ready to fight. The Kojen turned and charged her. Jocelynn set the zahri in her hands and waded into them; the blades on either end of her weapon were immediately bathed in dark blood.