The day passed slowly, the sun rising high as the dragons finally gave into grief and exhaustion. Brianna was exhausted too, but she was in too much pain to sleep. She tried lying down on the edge of the sandy hill, but she simply couldn’t get comfortable. Her head was swimming by the time the sun began to set. She roused the dragons and sent them mental images of Zollin.
Selix was full of concern, but Brianna knew that all the dragons were tired-partly from the battle and partly from shock. Still, they had to move. She doubted that Bartoom could follow them-the big black dragon’s wing was shredded and it had not been healed from their last encounter. That was a clue that led Brianna to believe the wizard who controlled Bartoom did not have the power to heal the dragon.
Selix had some minor scratches and bruises. Ferno and Tig were both healed of their major injuries, but both were still in shock from the damage done to their bodies in the trap. Tig’s right leg was hurt, but the small dragon refused to have Brianna heal it. The small blue dragon acted almost as if the injury was a badge of honor. Gyia alone had been unharmed, but the graceful purple dragon had been chased by lightning and the terror of that was enough to shock the normally calm and strategic-minded dragon into irrational fear.
“We must go,” she said through clenched teeth. “He can heal my shoulder.”
Selix agreed, nuzzling Brianna on her uninjured side, but Ferno looked almost shamefaced. Brianna saw an image in her mind of the dragon unable to carry her. She nodded at the muscular, green dragon.
“I know. We’ll stop and rest when we need to. But we can’t stay here.”
She felt their fear and was helpless to reassure them. She knew Zollin was their only hope, but she wasn’t sure that they would survive that battle she knew was coming. She would have to explain to them the best she could, and then give them the opportunity to stay and fight, or to return to the mountains.
Selix wrapped her in its long, golden tail, trying to move her gently, but causing Brianna to wail in pain just the same. Ferno roared suddenly, filling Brianna’s mind with images of anger and hatred. The fierce green dragon had not seen Torc ripped apart by Bartoom, but the others had, and the mental images they shared when they spoke of it were graphic in nature. The big dragon was angry now, anxious to finish the fight or die trying.
“In time,” she assured Ferno. “Soon we will see the wizard destroyed and make Bartoom answer for the death of our brother. But now we must regroup. We cannot be swayed by the magic of the elder wizard again. We must join Zollin and fight with him,” she said, her voice fading as spots began to appear in her vision.
She swayed on the dragon’s back, but Selix used its long tail to steady her, then it took to the air, the other dragons following. The sky turned dark as the big, golden dragon sailed along. It stayed only high enough to be sure no tree or hill impeded their path. Brianna was naked, having burned through her clothes in her efforts to save Ferno, so the dragon let its fiery breath wash over Brianna as often as it could. There were many settlements along the coast, but whenever there was an area that looked sparsely populated, the dragons breathed fire onto Brianna, who was now between consciousness and sleep. She trembled with chills brought on by her injury more than the cold night air.
Selix was forced to stop twice in the night to rest. Ferno, weak from the injuries it had sustained, still took up a guard position. Tig, in shock from injuries and grief, dropped unceremoniously onto the ground whenever they landed and went promptly to sleep. When dawn broke, the dragons could feel Zollin ahead of them, but they still had several hours to travel. There were clouds in the sky, so the dragons flew into the clouds, doing their best to remain undetected, but of course it was a futile effort. It was almost noon by the time they came within sight of Zollin and Eustice, but the wizard was in a small town, and although Selix wanted to take Brianna straight to Zollin, Gyia convinced them to wait in a tall grove of palm trees not far from the settlement.
* * *
Zollin had just purchased a basket of fruit and was looking forward to eating some of the cool, sweet items. The daily heat was growing more intense the further south they traveled, despite the cool breeze from the ocean. He thanked the vender and joined Eustice, who had just strapped a small keg of ale to the back of their packhorse. The ale made Zollin think of Mansel.
He had left his friend the day before, but it felt longer to Zollin. He missed Mansel, and Kelvich, and of course Brianna-he even missed his father.
“We can go soon, I just need to see if I can get any information about what is happening in the Grand City,” Zollin told Eustice. “Mansel always said that taverns were the best places to hear the local gossip. How about we get a cool drink and see what we can learn?”
Eustice, as silent as ever, smiled and flashed Zollin a thumbs up. They led the horses to a tavern that seemed busy. Inside, there were fishermen and merchants. Girls younger than Brianna served as tavern maids, fetching drinks or food. Zollin sat at a table in the shady tavern. Unlike the inns Zollin was used to, most of the buildings in Osla had no walls-just an elevated floor and a sturdy roof. He supposed that it never got cold enough to need protection from the weather. It gave the area a decidedly foreign feel, as did the towering palm trees.
“Can I get you something?” one of the young maidens asked.
“What do you have that is cool and refreshing?”
“We have spiced coconut milk,” the girl said. “It’s very good.”
“We’ll have two pints of it then,” Zollin said. “And maybe a little information,” he added as he slid two silver marks across the table. It was enough money for the two men to drink on for the rest of the day. The girl glanced around before snatching the coins up and tucking them into the neck of her shirt.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, then pranced off toward the kitchens.
“They like their girls young in this town,” Zollin said to Eustice. “It’s hard to believe that girl is old enough to be out of essentials school.”
Eustice shrugged his shoulders, gesturing that he didn’t know.
“I don’t guess you got a chance to go to school, did you?” Zollin asked. “How old were you when you went to the Torr?”
Eustice held up eight fingers.
“Eight years old? What about your parents?”
Eustice shrugged his shoulders again. Then the barmaid returned, followed by a gruff-looking man who was carrying his own drink.
“These are the strangers, Papa,” she said, setting down wooden mugs in front of Zollin and Eustice. She flashed them a smile and then hurried away.
“I hear you gentlemen are looking for information,” the gruff looking man said. “I’m Ornak, owner of this establishment.”
“Zollin,” the young wizard said, “and this is Eustice. We saw an army marching into Osla a while back. Any news about what’s going on?”
“Lots of rumors,” Ornak said. “Word is King Belphan was killed up north. Although that’s just rumors, mind you. I’ve also heard that King Zorlan from Falxis is leading that army, although King Oveer from Ortis beat him to the Grand City.”
“You think they’re trying to take over Osla?” Zollin asked.
“I’m sure there is something going on. First King Belphan takes the army north. Now armies are marching into Osla. It’s all shady from my perspective. I mean, what happened to the treaty between the kingdoms?” Ornak said before taking a long drink and then wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “The latest word we got just this morning was that King Zorlan’s forces routed Oveer’s troops.”
“You don’t seem bothered by this rumor,” Zollin said.
“Well, I don’t know all the details, but from what I’ve heard, King Falxis was marching with the Oslan troops. That makes ’em more on our side, I suppose.”