Dragons of Kings (Upon Dragon's Breath Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  Sounds of battle neared—the clash of swords, shouts and screams, the frightened whinnies of the horses. I could smell it as well in blood spilled and fires that still burned. Ash floated on the breeze. We had to get to Ryland.

  Even as I thought that, Ryland appeared to the right, still mounted on his pony, his sword now blood-stained and his face dirty with smoke. He pulled his mount to a halt and looked from the Iron Guards to Saffron. I didn’t know if he thought Saffron was responding to Enric’s magic commands, voiced by the guards. But I had no time to worry about him.

  I had seen Saffron’s magic before—had even felt it. It was becoming clear to me that when Saffron used it on her own, it always seemed to come out too strong and too wild. It was as if, on her own, her power controlled her rather than the other way around. But with Jaydra just now, Saffron had been in better control.

  Just a few moments ago, Saffron had called on Jaydra for help. I hadn’t been certain what Saffron meant, but when Saffron and Jaydra eased the magic that seemed to crush us, I knew they had been working together. It was dragon magic and Saffron’s magic that had saved us. Now Saffron wanted me to call to Jaydra and run, but I was certain Saffron needed Jaydra here. She needed help.

  Even as I thought that, Jaydra landed between Saffron and where Ryland sat on his pony. Ryland struggled to control his mount—the pony wanted nothing to do with any dragon. Ryland’s expression tightened, but I glanced at Jaydra. “Help her again,” I shouted. I could only hope Jaydra understood.

  Shouting and battle yells grew louder as Ryland’s men neared. Arrows began to skim the air, landing in the ground from shots gone wild. I feared Saffron was about to get herself killed—so many Iron Guards faced her, and they were backed by Enric’s magic.

  I started to wonder if Enric’s magic had gone dark because he had no dragons. Could magic only stay pure if aided by dragons—was that really all Saffron needed to help her? But I stared at the Iron Guards, with sunlight glinting off their metal armor—what we needed were more dragons. That might sway the balance of power here.

  I had no innate magic as Saffron did, and I was no mighty warrior like Ryland, but I had been born with royal blood in my veins.

  The blood of a Dragon King.

  Zenema had spoken to me and I had mentally communicated with Jaydra a few times. Saffron had always told me as well that when the time came I would know how to reach out to a dragon and ask for their help. During our training on the island, she had said it was the one thing she could not teach me—I must know it or not. But it was my birthright, or so I thought, to command dragons. Or maybe not so much as command, as beg for their help.

  Letting my worry for Saffron, my fear for her rise up, I looked to the skies and shouted, “Dragons, we need your aid. Now is the time to come to us!”

  Nothing happened.

  The sky overhead remained nothing more than drifting smoke and high clouds. The sun was starting to sink into the west and I knew we could not afford to be out here in the woods with these Iron Guards—they would have no difficulty seeing in the dark, but we would.

  Anger and frustration leaked in to replace my fear. Maybe I was doing this wrong. Saffron always just sent thoughts to Jaydra. Maybe Jaydra could hear me and would call the other dragons. But Jaydra was needed by Saffron, so I closed my eyes and poured my emotions into one thought and plea. Dragons of the Western Isles—dragons of old, you once listened to my forebears, now listen to me. The rightful Dragon King of Torvald calls upon our ancient bond.

  I wasn’t even sure if the words were really mine. Maybe I had read them in an old book, but they felt right to me and seemed to well from my heart.

  For a moment, the world seem to hold still. Then it was as if the wind brushed my face and I rode the currents and the world spread out below me as if I was upon Jaydra’s back. My senses did not seem to be my own, and then a voice rumbled through my mind.

  Hail, Bower, True King and dragon-friend!

  Opening my eyes, I called out, “Zenema!” But I could still see nothing more than smoke and clouds in the sky.

  Dragons come. Ysix flies to you with her brood. As soon as we had a new den safe, she left to join you, drawn by Jaydra’s thoughts. Resist and be safe. Dragons will be with you by tomorrow nightfall.

  Suddenly my mind was empty of Zenema’s voice, but something had changed within me. It was as if some part of my mind’s long asleep had woken. I had a sense of warmth inside me, an awareness now not just of Jaydra but of dragons approaching from far to the southwest. I could sense their senses, feel their wings beating almost as if they were my own.

  And that wasn’t all.

  It seemed as if I could sense all dragons near to us.

  In the peaks of the mountains around us, three minds touched mine. These were not island dragons, and neither were they the wild, angry black dragons I had faced earlier. I caught a sense of power and minds that were both old and wise. Looking up, I spotted three dots of red growing larger and larger. These dragons appeared far larger than Jaydra, with huge wing spans, thick bodies and powerful necks. Three of them few in a V-formation. With roars, they swooped down on the Iron Guard.

  The dragons released jets of flames down into the trees, setting the tops ablaze. Ryland’s pony tried to bolt, but he held it in place with a tight rein and a force of will. Saffron was still walking toward the Iron Guard, and they stood in a line now, facing her. The air seemed to boil with arrows from the king’s army, but the red dragons swatted them away or flamed them to dust. The red dragons turned and rose into the sky, starting to climb and turn again for another attack. But could they reach the Iron Guards this time?

  The weird voice from the Iron Guard boomed once more, calling out their frightening message, “Saffron Maddox…return to me.”

  Saffron’s magic—green and gold—spilled from her hands, shot out to tangle with a darker magic that lurked within the Iron Guard. Something like thunder seemed to rise from the ground with a deep rumbling. The ground shook as if the trees were trying to tear their roots from the earth. I staggered, trying to keep to my feet. Jaydra let out a roar and rose up in the air slightly, hovering just over Saffron. The green and gold of Saffron’s magic wrapped around the dragon, and the entire world seemed to shake.

  Boulders larger than any Iron Guard bounced down from the mountain. I threw myself to the side as a boulder rolled past me and I feared for Saffron, but Jaydra was swatting the boulders with her tail, knocking them into the Iron Guards as if they were nine-pins to be flattened.

  The first row of Iron Guard raised their arms as if to ward off the huge rocks crashing into them. Boulders smashed into the guards. I saw several shattered into parts that lay twitching on the ground. Boulders smashed into the line, knocking into trees, trapping guards in clouds of rock and dust. I could hear Ryland’s pony neighing as if it wanted to be anywhere but here.

  More boulders rolled past me, and I got up and ran, seeking to get out of the way, dodging the rocks. The red dragons overhead wheeled and tore down, parting company with each other, now reaching down with claws to pluck up any enemy and then drop him from a great height. I heard screams and the clatter of the Iron Guard as rocks stuck them down, or as they fell and came apart in a horrible smash that almost sounded like a scream of fury and pain. Dust and smoke swirled in the air, along with stray arrows that now fell with their fletching on fire.

  Choking on the smoke, I tried to look for Saffron. I could no longer see the sparks of her magic. Had one of the boulders she had shifted loose struck her? Had she fallen to one of the Iron Guard? Seeing no other choice, I ran for the spot where I’d last seen Saffron, knowing that if I could not find Saffron’s slight body I could at least find a huge dragon such as Jaydra.

  Bower! To me!

  Jaydra’s call sounded in my mind. The smoke cleared, pushed away by a sudden breeze. Jaydra stood guard over Saffron’s slumped form. She lay still on the ground. Both had been surrounded by the remaining Iron Guard, who
were cautiously closing in.

  Jaydra lashed out with her tail, knocking back the Iron Guard. But they rose and came at her again. She snapped at them, and any she caught she dashed to the ground, smashing them with her powerful claws. Some of the Iron Guard were now missing arms or legs, but still they struggled to come at Jaydra and Saffron. I knew they must be trying to get Saffron away from Jaydra—and take her alive. That was why they did not use their swords.

  From the side, I could hear Ryland’s war cry, and the clash of sword on metal. He, too, was hacking at the Iron Guard. But his sword would do little. Overhead, the red dragons roared, and the sounds of battle in other parts of the woods carried to me. But I kept my focus on Saffron. I had to get her away from here.

  And Jaydra knew this.

  Waiting until Jaydra cleared a gap in the circle of Iron Guard, I ran past and dove under Jaydra’s swooping tail. Running to Saffron’s side, I grabbed her, my heart hammering. Every muscle in my body screamed at me. I was still aching from my battle with the wild dragon, but I could not think of that now. Lifting Saffron’s limp body, I threw her slight form over my shoulders, then reached up to grab onto Jaydra scales. My grip slipped, but Jaydra slapped my back side with her tail, boosting me onto her broad back.

  Clinging to the spines on Jaydra’s neck, I urged her to fly with my thoughts.

  She needed no more encouragement. Leaping forward, Jaydra slashed at two of the Iron Guards with her claws, knocking them flat. She vaulted into the air, her wings stirring the smoke and dust into a mix that left me coughing and my eyes stinging.

  When I glanced down again, I saw we had gone high above the forest. The three red dragons circled around us, continuing to attack the king’s army and the Iron Guard with fire and claw, knocking trees down on the army and Iron Guard, striking out with deafening roars. Far below us, I saw Ryland turn his pony to head up the mountain. A horn echoed and I hoped Ryland was calling the Three-Rivers clan to retreat—escape was the best we could hope for now.

  Clutching Saffron close to me, I put my cheek against hers. She seemed cold, but she was breathing and I could feel her heart still beating against mine.

  Saffron’s fingers twitched and a spark of gold jumped at me. I hoped she would not use her magic just now. I had had enough of magic for this day.

  With nowhere else to go, I urged Jaydra to return to the Three-Rivers clan’s settlement. And I just hoped we would be safe there for long enough to regroup and figure out what to do next. Saffron gave a groan and muttered something as if a fevered sleep held her. But I really wasn’t sure if it was that, exhaustion, or dark magic that had struck her down.

  Pulling her closer, I muttered, “You have to be well again. You must be.” I did not think I could continue this fight without her.

  Part III

  Learning to Lead

  15

  Unwelcome

  The eerie voice that had called to me echoed again in my mind. It seemed to be trying to pull on my power. The voice shifted and seemed to fade into the sound of wind through the trees.

  Cracking my eyes open a fraction, the voice faded into nothing. I thought that somehow I must still be stuck in that mountain forest with the Iron Guard marching toward me.

  Instead, clean mountain air brushed my face. Jaydra’s wing beats carried to me. I tried to talk but it seemed too much effort so I let myself slip away again.

  When I woke next I heard voices and footsteps and could smell cooking fires. But the steps seemed hurried, and the voices rose like the sharp cries of the seabirds as they argued over fish. Dragging my eyes open, I stared up at a rough wooden roof. Under my hands I could feel a wool blanket that covered me. Another seemed to be underneath me. The clanging of metal and hurried footsteps carried to me from outside.

  Sitting up, my head spun. Fatigue dragged at my arms and legs and left me wanting to lie down again, but I forced myself upright.

  I lay in a small hut, on a rough, brown woolen blanket on the floor. A small table and two roughly-crafted wooden stools shared the room with me.

  Where am I?

  Saffron? Jaydra breathed warm thoughts against my mind. The wooden walls creaked and I realized Jaydra had curled almost completely around the hut.

  “Jaydra?” I asked and put a hand to my throbbing head. It felt as if my skull had been pounded between two rocks. Flashes of what happened came back to me—the Iron Guard, Enric speaking through them, my magic rippling out and pulling at the mountain rocks, sending them tumbling as I poured my anger and hatred of Enric.

  Something had held me back from destroying everything.

  It seemed to me that Jaydra had been working with me somehow.

  Den-sister slept deep and long. Saffron went where even Jaydra could not follow, Jaydra thought to me, and I sensed her sorrow at the idea that we could be separated like that.

  It was the magic, I knew. It had almost killed me. But had it stopped King Enric’s dark army?

  I felt drained, as if all of the strength had left me. What would this magic do to me if I kept using it like this? Would it turn me into a walking skeleton like Enric had become—was that why he had to use illusions to make people believe he was still young? Was he really old or just aged by magic?

  My skin chilled and I rubbed my arms.

  What if magic makes me become someone like him?

  Saffron can never be Enric, Jaydra thought to me, her tone firm and final.

  The poles supporting one side of the hut creaked again as she leaned closer. Suddenly, I wanted to be outside with her in fresh air and free from these confining blankets. I fought to stand, staggering to the hut’s canvas door.

  The canvas seemed almost too difficult to part, meaning I was weaker than I knew. I staggered outside and stopped.

  A circle of long spears had been driven into the ground, set so they pointed at the hut and where Jaydra lay curled. Jaydra butted her head against my shoulder, but I stared at the spears. While Jaydra could easily hop over them, the message was clear.

  Jaydra and I were now regarded not as guests, but as potential enemies.

  “What do you mean, I’m being held under suspicion?” I said once again to Bower.

  We sat outside the hut where I had woken, looking at the wall of spear points. Clouds dotted the sky, driven on a cold wind. Bower, it seemed, was still a guest, and some of the warriors had moved the spears to allow him to come in. He had also acquired a coat and had brought me and Jaydra water and fish.

  He looked as if he was still a little shaky on his feet—he had been glad to sit down on a blanket I had pulled from the hut. A bruise was swelling on his cheek and a bandage of a strip of white linen wrapped his head. He was also moving a little slowly, I thought.

  I wasn’t surprised at all, given the battering we had both recently taken.

  But why was he a guest while I’d been stuck behind a wall of spears?

  “It was what the Iron Guard said. Or rather what King Enric said through the guards. It seemed like you responded to that call.” Bower shook his head and stared at the hard-packed dirt within our spear circle. Just beyond the spears, I could see people hurrying past. It was as if everyone had something to do except us. Were they getting ready to pack up and run? Or were they getting ready to defend their settlement?

  “You said Enric was using those guards the way that the Three-Rivers clan uses horns or flags—to send a message from afar.”

  Bower looked up. “It may be because they’re metal. The Iron Guards acted like lightning rods—or like magical relays.”

  “Is that some other bit of magic? I’ve never heard of a lightning rod. Does it create lightning?”

  “It’s a thing you put up on a building, a metal pole to draw a storm’s lightning to the pole and not any part of the structure. I think somehow Enric can reach his Iron Guard with his magic, and I’ll bet he has them stationed between here and Torvald, so Enric’s magic can jump from one guard to the next, covering vast distances.”
r />   I frowned. “That’s still got to take a lot of energy from him. Did we at least beat back his guard and army?”

  Bower frowned and let out a sigh. “It’s as I said, the Iron Guard is unstoppable. You managed to destroy a lot of them. So did the red dragons that helped us. But the Three-Rivers clan fears they will regroup and head here next.”

  Peering past the spears to the settlement, I watched the Three-Rivers clan bustle about. Women hurried past, carrying baskets of what I guessed would be food to take with them or store. I could see a blacksmith sharpening a sword. Boys were fitting leather armor to each other. “These people….nowhere will be safe. If all it takes for Enric to reach out with his magic is one Iron Guard, he’ll be able to spread his power from one end of the world to the other.”

  “I know,” Bower said. He sounded depressed at the idea. “I think that is partly why this.” He waved at the spears. “I think Ryland is more than a little afraid of what could happen to his people.”

  “Meaning I could happen to them. He thinks I will betray him, his clan and everyone else, too.”

  Picking up a rock, Bower tossed it at the spears. “I’ll keep talking to Ryland.”

  I shook my head. “He can’t really listen to you, now can he? Not while still looking like a leader to his people. And he keeps me and Jaydra here. I could ask Jaydra to tear down half of the village and she would do so. Or we could just fly away, right over the top of those spears.”

  Bower shifted, winced and glanced at me. “I can’t go.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “If we’re to fight Enric’s army we need Ryland and the Three-Rivers clan. Just what happened back in the woods? I only remember bits and pieces.”

  Picking up a straw, Bower drew a line in the dirt. “Ysix and her brood are coming. They’ll be here by nightfall.”