Anza strained to move her feet. She had to look down to see if they moved. She really couldn't feel much save for the two burning suns in her cheek where Colobi had slapped her.
"What's your name?" Colobi asked.
Anza made no effort to answer. She focused on putting one leg in front of the other as they slowly walked away from the dark river.
Anza regained control of her legs by the time they reached the Free City. The town was surrounded by a palisade of logs. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tents had been erected by the road leading to the gates. Anza sniffed the air. There were earth-dragons nearby, a lot of them, as well as humans. She tried to remember everything she knew about the Free City, but her head still felt stuffed with snow. She did remember, however, that the place had been abandoned in the aftermath of the attempted genocide within its walls. So who were all these people?
A tent flap lifted and a sky-dragon stepped out. The sky-dragon looked straight toward them and raised a fore-talon in a gesture of greeting. "Good evening, sister," the sky-dragon said. "I see you've found an injured soul."
"I pulled her from the river, brother," said Colobi. "I think she's the one the aerial guards were hunting."
Anza pulled free of Colobi, stunned by this betrayal. She raised her hand to the scabbard on her back. Her fingers were still too numb to grasp the sword.
She shoved her fingers beneath her armpits to try to warm them.
"There's no need for alarm," the sky-dragon said, shifting half his body back into the tent. "No one will betray you. Everyone is welcome here, human or dragon, no matter your past. I was once a tatterwing, surviving as a bandit, until the healer found me. He repaired my body and then charged me with the duty to repair my soul." The dragon pulled back from the tent carrying a heavy quilt. He approached Anza and draped it over her shoulders.
Anza frowned, her body tensing. Was this some trick? Through sheer will, she commanded her fingers to move again, opening and closing as blood flowed back into them. The bones of her fingers ached.
"I can see you're skeptical," said the sky-dragon. "You'll see the truth once you meet the healer."
"We shall all be healed, brother," Colobi said.
"We shall all be healed, sister," said the sky-dragon. He gave a respectful nod, then spread his wings and jumped into the sky, journeying toward whatever his original destination had been.
Anza lowered her hands from her armpits to the steel tomahawks on her belt. The handles had been machined to fit perfectly in her grasp. She felt a little stronger as she held them. Colobi looked toward her with a gentle smile.
"There's no need for weapons here," she said. Anza looked down. The quilt wasn't fully closed around her. The tomahawk in her left hand was plainly visible. "The Free City is the safest place on earth. The healer sees to all our needs. He restores our bodies so that we may work on the more difficult task of restoring our hearts and minds."
Anza ground her teeth. She didn't have the energy to deal with crazy people. On the other hand, she also didn't have the energy to flee. She was dead on her feet. And right now, following Colobi offered the greatest probability of survival. Anza hooked the tomahawks back onto her belt.
"Are you able to talk yet?" Colobi asked.
Anza shook her head.
"Once the healer feeds you, you'll feel better," said Colobi. "I imagine you have an interesting story given the commotion at the palace."
Anza shrugged, attempting to convey the impression that she didn't have a clue what Colobi was talking about.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," said Colobi. "I once lived the most violent life imaginable. I was a Sister of the Serpent, a sworn devotee of the Murder God. I fell victim to his dark seductions due to painful events in my past. I grew up believing the only law was to kill or be killed. Until the healer opened my eyes, I was blind to the magic of simply being alive. You, too, will be freed from all your pains. Are you ready to be healed?"
Anza wasn't sure how to respond. The Sisters of the Serpent were deranged. They killed because they thought it was an act of holiness. Anza had never taken a life in the name of a higher power, nor had she ever struck a blow in hatred, anger, or fear. Her father had taught her that it was only ethical to use violence when it was guided by the rational mind. Colobi was obviously not a rational mind.
Still, Anza was cold, her legs felt like rubber, and she couldn't remember when she'd last eaten. Dawn brightened the eastern horizon. Off in the distance a cock crowed, joined quickly by another, and another. Within the Free City, she could see the smoke rising from hundreds of chimneys and could smell oats boiling as people rose to greet the day.
The most rational path was to stay near Colobi, at least until she could knock the chill from her bones and get some food in her stomach.
"Are you ready?" Colobi asked again.
Anza nodded.
Colobi smiled. "The healer may not be awake yet, but he will be soon. He'll be happy to receive you."
Colobi held out her open hand. Anza tentatively placed her palm against Colobi's. The white-robed woman led Anza through the wide-open gate of the Free City, humming softly beneath her breath.
The most disturbing thing about the streets was their unnatural cleanliness. In Dragon Forge. grime fell constantly from the sky. Even Anza's home town of Burke's Tavern had shown the wear and tear of daily life, with cracked paint on the houses, fallen slats on fences, and windows forever dimmed with lamp soot. In contrast, the Free City looked as if it had been built only yesterday. Every wall was bright with fresh paint. Granite cobblestones paved the streets, speckled with crystals that glittered in the morning light. Every shingle on the houses that lined the boulevard was precisely parallel to its neighbor.
There was no hint of the savage battle that had covered these streets with blood. Anza wondered if reports of the Battle of the Free City had been exaggerated. Or perhaps the people who now lived here were simply working overtime to erase all traces of the unpleasant history.
They turned onto a boulevard where the houses were still half-finished. A crew of five human workmen stood near a stack of freshly cut lumber, mumbling words and laughing as they drank hot broth from tin cups. Their white canvas overalls looked newly tailored. There were no rips, patches, or stains. The men, all middle-aged adults, had a curiously pristine appearance as well. Anza couldn't recall the last time she'd ever seen five men together where at least three of them didn't show some obvious facial scar. Nor were these men sunburned or wind-chapped. Odd.
The hair on the Anza's neck rose as a trio of green, scaly heads approached the workmen. Earth-dragons. The humans raised their hands and offered greetings as the dragons sauntered up to them. Additional cups of the broth were poured from a ceramic kettle and offered to the dragons, who took them gently in their massive claws.
Colobi must have noticed that Anza was staring.
"Here, there is no hatred between humans and dragons," she said. "For centuries, we've struggled to distribute the resources of the land between four intelligent species with uneven talents and abilities. Now, the days of hunger and bitterness are at an end. We've reached the time of plenty. Dragon and men shall be part of a greater family. We've been sickened by poisonous philosophies. We shall all be healed."
As if to prove her words, a pair of sky-dragons descended to the construction site to be greeted with open hands by the humans and the earth-dragons. The sky-dragons unrolled a large parchment sheet atop the boards and everyone gathered around to look at the plans.
Colobi walked on, heading toward a large red barn. As Anza followed, Colobi said, "You may be surprised to find that the healer resides in such humble surroundings. There are those among us who would prefer to build a temple for his comfort; he insists, however, that we use our labor for the good of the many rather than the good of the one. Priority must be given to building homes for the refugees."