"On his lips are words of blasphemy, the words of creation unspoken." The dragon snaked around the throne and whispered, its words a hissing undercurrent to the booming cacophony of Kathrik Mel's speech. "In his ears are the screams of his foes, bringing delight to his heart."
Varish Blackmane ceased to exist. To Kathrik Mel's regret, not even a drop of blood remained. But the screams-they seemed to echo in the black pavilion, to his delight.
When Gaven appeared before her on the deck, draped in a black traveling cloak, Rienne knew she was dreaming. He cocked his head to look at her, and she laughed.
"What are you doing here, love?" she said.
"I wanted to see what you're like without me."
"I'm lost without you, Gaven. Just lost."
"You don't seem lost," Gaven said. "It seems like you found your purpose."
"I found a purpose. I don't know if it's mine."
"Whose purpose is it, then?"
Rienne buried her face in her hands. "Maelstrom's, maybe. Maybe yours. It's your fault I'm all tangled in the Prophecy."
"None of us is tangled in it, Ree. It's a path we walk. A labyrinth perhaps. But you're above it, not caught in it."
Gaven stepped, almost hopped closer to her, cocking his head strangely again, and she laughed at him again.
"You look like a bird when you do that," she said.
He turned his head in surprise, then spread his cloak into big black wings and flapped into the air. She heard more wings behind her, and footsteps on the deck.
"Jordhan," she murmured, then she realized she was awake.
"I'm no help against a dragon," Jordhan said, "but at least I can chase off the vultures." He tried to smile, but either his wounds or his pride turned it into a grimace of pain.
Rienne jumped to her feet and rushed to Jordhan's side. "You shouldn't be up," she said. "Come back to your cabin and rest some more."
"I'm fine," he said. "You're the one that needs rest. You've been worrying over me all day. Point me the way you want me to fly and we'll get a few hours on our way while you sleep. With no vultures this time."
"No, no. Your wounds-"
"Aren't serious enough to keep me from flying. It's really not strenuous work, as long as the elemental knows who's in charge. So where are we going?" He grasped the helm, and Rienne could feel a surge of power through the ship. Jordhan was right-the elemental did the work of flying the vessel, and it was clearly ready to answer to his command.
"East," she said. "We have some idea of the size of the invading force and what they're capable of. So this time we circle around them, keeping clear of the dragons, and look for a place where the Reachers are mustering their defenses. That's where we'll take our stand."
"East it is," Jordhan said, and the airship began to rise.
Rienne put a hand on his shoulder. "Jordhan?"
He lifted an eyebrow, but didn't look at her. His attention seemed wholly focused on the ship.
"Thank you," she said.
He half smiled, met her eyes for an instant, and looked away. She went to the cabin and curled up in Jordhan's bunk, hoping to dream more of Gaven.
CHAPTER 10
Aunn wiped the surprise from his face and peered into the crystal. A woman's face looked back at him, her sharp features and dark eyes conjuring the image of a raven in his mind. He knew her at once-Nara ir'Galanatyr, former head of the Royal Eyes. Why was she expecting contact from Kelas?
"I'm sorry," Aunn said. How did Kelas address Nara?
"What's going on? Where are you?"
Two questions meant the opportunity to answer only one. "I'm in Fairhaven," he said.
"I saw the storm, Kelas. It was breathtaking. And I'm told that Varna lies in ruins. Was the queen pleased?"
So she knew about the Dragon Forge. That meant she was involved in the conspiracy-had Kelas been reporting to her all along? She'd been removed from her position at the end of the Last War, which could mean that Kelas had been plotting against the queen for three years or more.
"She was impressed," Aunn said. "The device worked exactly as planned."
"His storm flies wild," Nara said, "unbound and pure in devastation." She sounded reverent, almost breathless.
Was that the Prophecy? Aunn glanced at Gaven, who had leaned forward at Nara's words. Gaven's eyes were fixed on the globe, but his lips were forming words-finishing the verse Nara had begun, no doubt. Could he see her image in the glass? Could she see Gaven?
"What's wrong?" Nara said. "Is someone else there?"
"No." Aunn brought his eyes back to the glass. "I was just thinking."
"Thinking what?"
"About what comes next."
"Indeed. The Time of the Dragon Below is upon us at last. All our planning is coming to its fruition." She looked for a moment as though she were gazing into the glorious future she imagined, then her eyes hardened. "Why are you in Fairhaven? It isn't safe."
If he hoped to learn anything more from Nara, he had to tell her as much of the truth as he dared. "There's a problem," he said.
"Go on." Her voice was steel.
How much did she know already? When had Kelas spoken to her last? "The Dragon Forge is destroyed."
"What?" she shrieked.
"As soon as the queen departed, we came under attack."
"The dragon king? Or the excoriate?"
Aunn almost blamed the dragon king, because Malathar was already dead. But too many people knew the truth-if Nara got a report from anyone else who was there, she would know he'd deceived her. "The excoriate," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
"Damn it, Kelas! I told you to kill him quickly! I warned you not to let the Thuranni toy with him like that! Is he still alive? Is he free?"
He had paraded Gaven through the Cannith enclave that evening-Jorlanna would certainly know by morning that Gaven was in his custody. "I have him here with me. He's in a stupor. As he destroyed the forge, he shattered the dragonshard that held his mark, and it seems to have shattered his mind."
"He destroyed the dragonshard?" Her voice was a gasp, as if the news had been a physical blow to her gut.
"Yes." Aunn felt confident in that lie-no one but Cart, Ashara, and the kalashtar could tell her otherwise. And he didn't want her to come looking for the shard, or order him to bring it to her.
"His mark-it hasn't returned to his skin, has it?"
Aunn glanced at Gaven, who was staring into the dragonshard again. The lines of the Mark of Storm still coiled within the rosy stone. Gaven's skin was still red where his mark had been. It looked tender.
"No, there's no sign of it."
"Twelve moons," she said. "So we have no Storm Dragon. But he has a few verses yet to fulfill." Nara tapped a finger to her lips. "Damn it, Kelas. I've been planning this for a very long time. You know I don't like surprises like this. We'll survive the loss of the Dragon Forge-it has played its part in the Prophecy-but without the Storm Dragon, what happens to the Blasphemer?"
"The barbarians," Aunn blurted. Kelas had been counting on the Dragon Forge to stop their advance through the Eldeen Reaches-or so he'd said. "Without the forge-we have to find a way to stop them."
"Stop them?" Nara chuckled. "And undo all of your dear changeling's hard work? 'The Blasphemer's end lies in the void, in the maelstrom that pulls him down to darkness.' You're teasing me… Kelas." Her eyes grew hard as she said his name.
Aunn swallowed. He had to convince her he'd been joking, allay whatever suspicion had just formed in her mind. "Of course I am. I neglected to tell you that my changeling also returned to the Dragon Forge with Gaven, panicked about the onrushing barbarians." He saw Nara's eyebrow rise and a smile play at one corner of her mouth-good signs. "He did not survive the attack."
"Excellent," Nara said, chuckling. "Still, it says a great deal that he survived as long as he did. He could have been a tremendous asset."