His troops marched at a slow, dogged pace. Their feet seemed to drag along the path.
His generals had survived, and they rode beside him now. No one spoke, and Wilam was sure they were planning how to report his defeat to Gwendolyn in hopes of stealing her favor.
Despair washed over him, and he felt like a little child. There had been times when his father had called him to account for a misdeed. King Felix of Yelsia was a stern man who brooked no failure, especially in his firstborn son. Disappointing his father had happened infrequently, but it had happened. Now he felt the same sense of dread. Clouds rolled across the sky until it was so dark out that torches had to be made and lit.
Wilam guessed correctly that their progress was too slow. They would have to march through the day, his men moving slower and slower. If it rained, it would only make things worse. They had very little food and water, and each stop to rest would bring their enemy closer. They were four days from the Grand City, perhaps five at the pace they were moving. Prince Wilam estimated that they would be caught late on the third day, or early on the fourth. Despite his gut-wrenching failure, he began to plan how to save as many of his troops as possible.
* * *
Offendorl was sore. His back and legs ached, but the young woman’s hands kneaded his ancient flesh. Her hands were warm and she rubbed lineament and oils into his skin. Normally, Offendorl did not rely on physical healing methods, but now the elder wizard was conserving his strength. The battle had drained him, and he’d been forced to take shelter in a small cottage after the fire burned most of the village. The townsfolk were either dead or gone, having deserted the village in the midst of the fires. Offendorl didn’t blame them. He was surprised, however, that the young woman had stayed with him. He had cast no spells on her and wasn’t sure exactly why the woman had taken to him so strongly. His only guess was that she was attracted to power. He understood that, and would reward her loyalty.
He hadn’t destroyed the other dragons the way he had hoped, but he felt he had at least bought enough time to deal with Gwendolyn. Bartoom was in bad shape, but Offendorl wasn’t the type to care overmuch about the people or dragons around him. He had called the massive black beast back to the village when it became obvious that Bartoom could not match the speed of the other dragons in its wounded state.
Offendorl hadn’t known about the girl. Of course she had created the dragons, he’d read of her kind, but he had not expected her to be with the pride. Her ability to heal the dragons was unique. Gold was the only other thing he knew of that could heal a wounded dragon, if the beast did not heal naturally. They were strong creatures, without many weaknesses, but once their almost impenetrable hide was rent, they were as vulnerable as any other creature.
Offendorl needed Bartoom healthy when he faced Gwendolyn. He had gathered as much gold as he could find for the dragon, but the village was poor and most of the homes were piles of smoldering rubble now. Still, it would have to be enough. The elder wizard forced the black dragon to heal its wing first. The wounds in its back were serious, but the beast could fly and breath fire with a wounded back. The dragon was worthless to Offendorl if it couldn’t fly. At least the wing had not been broken, like the little blue dragon that had been caught in the trap he’d set in the ruins of the ancient castle. The woman had healed that dragon rather quickly, and her ability to control fire was unheard of. Even Offendorl himself couldn’t endure heat to that extreme. The entire top of the hill had been melted and now resembled a lake of obsidian, like a black, glassy pond.
He would have to make his next moves carefully. Returning to the Grand City undetected would be difficult. The woman would be of service there, he thought to himself as he calculated his plans. He would have to refrain from using magic-even the smallest spell could be detected if Gwendolyn was being careful. He had to assume that she was, even though the arrogance of taking over the tower of Torr gave him doubts. Perhaps she thinks I’m dead, he pondered. Why else would she act so brazenly?
It didn’t matter what her reasons were. He had to assume she was at the peak of her power. She also had access to his library. It was the largest collection of ancient books and scrolls ever collected. Each volume was filled with information that a wizard-or in her case, a sorceress-could use. But he would get it back. He would make her pay in pain and blood. Her penalty would be slow and agonizing. And Offendorl would start with the witch’s sister.
“Tell me your name?” he asked the woman who was massaging him. Although she had seen to his every need, he had not bothered to learn her name. If she was going to help him in the Grand City, he would need to rely on her even more.
“Havina,” she said, caressing his skin affectionately.
“Good child, you shall be of service to me in the Grand City.”
“As you wish, master,” she said in a coy voice.
“Don’t play games with me. I do not care for your safety or lust for your body. Is that clear? You will do as I say or be cast aside.”
He knew that being replaced or sent away was more threatening to the power hungry girl even than death. Her face revealed her fear and confirmed his suspicions. She would do whatever he wanted, as long as he was the most powerful person in her acquaintance. She would be useful against Gwendolyn, although he might be better served to discard her before he faced the young wizard Zollin again.
“Now, find my carriage and a horse. It’s time to move on from this place.”
Chapter 23
Brianna’s heart ached almost as much the searing pain in her dislocated shoulder. She and Selix had reached the coast just south of Brimington Bay at dawn. They found the other dragons waiting. Tig and Torc had not been twins in the conventional sense, but she had made them together, breathing the same breath of fire into their stone bodies so that they shared a bond even closer than the other dragons of the pride. Tig’s grief over the loss was staggering. The dragons wailed, almost like abandoned kittens, not quite roaring but making more noise than was prudent, given how close they were to one of the largest cities in Osla. They were nestled in an area of sandy dunes not far from the shore. The dragons nuzzled one another, and especially Tig. Brianna sat on the crest of the dune, watching for signs that someone or something might approach to investigate the heart-rending cries of her pride.
Brianna had never felt such grief as she felt over the loss of the small, blue dragon. She had created Torc, had watched the dragon grow in wisdom and friendship. She could not get the image of Bartoom tearing the smaller dragon’s head off out of her mind. She felt sick and afraid at the same time. When they had fought Bartoom before, she had been nervous for the safety of her pride, but now she felt terrified they would all be killed. She had to fight the urge to lead them back north. She wanted to take them and hide in the Highlands, to keep them far from danger, but she knew that they could only hide from that danger for so long. If they ran now, Offendorl would only grow stronger. The threat he posed would become greater and their fates would be sealed.
Zollin was her only hope now. Zollin had to defeat the evil wizard, she thought. He had to win or they would all be killed-or worse, enslaved. Brianna had been hurtling at breakneck speed when she had smashed into the elder wizard’s magical defenses, but she had noticed the young woman clinging to him. The wizard was an ancient looking man, powerful in magic, but his body seemed as fragile as a dried reed. Still, he had taken her blow with less injury than she had. The pain in her dislocated shoulder was so intense she was sweating. She knew that soon they would have to find Zollin, or she would have to go into a town alone to look for a healer. Leaving her pride undefended simply wasn’t an option at the moment, which meant she would have to endure the pain and let the dragons carry her to Zollin.