He smiled wistfully. “There is more. Left unchecked, the mages will win full control of Trager. Before the death of the king, they will seat the council and remove any claimants to the throne. That seems their pattern. I sense the time is near. You can help me.”
“Tell me.”
“There must be an event, a catastrophic happening that will break the cycle the mages have put in place. The people of the city must finally pull together and fight the council. A revolution must occur.”
“Avery, I am a servant of a princess far removed from the seat of power in a foreign land. It sounds like you want me to trigger the event.”
“No. Your sister. I have laid the groundwork, spread the rumors, and hinted of what the mages intend, which is to destroy the lower city of Trager, leaving only the upper city and palace intact. They will kill all who live here.”
“I don’t understand,” I confessed.
“People know mages work with dragons, and now with Wyverns. They saw the fight in the sky today. They have heard of Mercia being destroyed by you, the Dragon Tamer. If a dragon attacks the city, its great size will knock down wooden buildings. Any burning candles or lamps will catch fire to the wood and burn more of the city. It will convince the people left they are doomed if they remain in lower Trager.”
“So, they will flee to the upper part of the city, overwhelming the guards and barriers. You will go with them.”
“A priest is trusted. Once there, especially if there are enough people fighting and general confusion, I may locate the king and if possible, rescue him.”
“Or, you can die trying. That is, you can die with all the rest of the people who will die with your plan.”
He closed his eyes and drew a long breath before speaking. “May I point out two items? First, unless something changes in Trager, all here will be dead before winter passes. There is no food, people are already starving, and disease is taking a toll daily. They kill each other for a moldy wrapper. Second, with the rumors active, the people know they are living a lie. They are prepared to escape more fires by fleeing to the upper parts of the city. The casualties will be slight. They just need a push.”
“You want Kendra to use the dragon to attack the city? You could start a series of fires easier to achieve the same thing.”
“No, the dragon puts the fear of all the gods at hand. It raises the level of terror in each to a point where they must react and gain access to the safety of the upper city.”
If Kendra could control the dragon, could she force it to attack the city? Would she, even if she could? Besides, there was a timing issue. “We are planning to escape from the ship. Tonight.”
Avery turned slowly to face me. “Then it is perfect.”
“I can’t see Kendra doing it, even if she is able.”
He stood with a sly smile. “Ask her. You might be surprised at her answer.”
His response had that same old slyness that he used to anger me since I’d known him. A superior attitude as if he always knew something I didn’t. However, this time it was different. I returned the same sly smile he used and said, “I have a message for you.”
“A message?” He asked.
“Proceed.”
His face paled. Without responding, he stood and shuffled slowly in the direction of the gangplank, without saying goodbye or anything else. The single word in the message had stunned him as much as if I’d punched him between his eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A very used his crooked cane to thump his way across the wooden deck of the ship as if we’d agreed on a plan to destroy the city, and he was intent on proceeding, whatever that meant. What we had actually agreed upon was that I’d talk to Kendra. If she could control the dragon enough to convince it to attack the city was an unknown and would completely surprise me. That she would do so, would astound me.
Long after Avery departed, I sat in the same location, lost in thought, alone in the darkness.
Kendra, Anna, and Emma arrived at my side. Each carried a small bundle. My bow and sword were carried by my sister. She jutted her chin at the stern where there were deep shadows and where it was farthest from the piers and the prying eyes.
She said, “The crewman appointed by the purser to stand watch on the gangplank will have deaf ears, and his eyes will remain averted. I paid handsomely for that service. We must go stand near the coiled ladder and lower it in preparation. When there is nobody else on deck, we will climb down.”
“You’ve been busy.”
“So, have you. A visitor, I hear.”
It was a surprise she knew of Avery’s visit, then I remembered spotting Will as he spied on us. He reported to Elizabeth, Kendra’s best friend. It was natural he told Elizabeth of our meeting, and she told Kendra. “Avery. I passed on the message.”
“You say his name like a curse.”
“I didn’t mean to. Despite our differences, my respect for him has grown since we departed Crestfallen.”
“But . . .?”
Within my mind, I debated how to best tell her, finally just blurting it out. “He wants you to direct the dragon to attack lower Trager and knock down some buildings. Tonight. He wants the city to burn.”
She hesitated. “Did he say why? It must be important.”
Her answer nearly made me gasp. Not that she would question why he felt to ask if it was important, but where was her indignity and denial that she could do such a thing? That caught me off guard. She should have accused him of being silly or uninformed.
I’d been talking to her as we’d always talked, but my attention changed to focus on her face, the slightest twitch around her eyes, the set of her jaw. Anything to indicate what strangeness was inside her head.
My second round of thoughts concerned her as a person, and my sister. Without flinching, my sister was willing to discuss ordering the burning of a city to the ground, and her only question was to comment that it must be important to do so. Avery had been right. I was surprised at her answer—so far.
“Kendra, I just said that Avery wants you to control your dragon and use it to destroy the city. Do either of those things upset you?”
“Of course. I was just wondering why he needs it done, but do you think I’m a monster who does not care?”
She still didn’t understand my concern. “Let’s take this one step at a time. Are you able to order the dragon to come here and knock down houses and buildings?”
“I’ve never tried, but I think so. If she is willing. Gods above and below, did I just say that?” Her hands rose in shock to cover her mouth. Her eyes went wide as she turned to me in fear.
I went on, “Would you consider doing such a thing? If the dragon cooperates?”
Her face turned stern. She nodded, just the smallest of movements.
“Really?”
“Tell me the circumstances. I know you and Avery do not agree on many things, but he would not ask me unless it is vitally important.”
With as few words as possible, I repeated his story. She questioned me on a few points, especially about making comparisons about another king too ill to rule properly while an “appointed” council ruled in his stead. It sounded so much like what was happening at home, only there hadn’t been time for the heirs in Dire to perish in “accidents” or “mysterious illnesses.”
She said, “You and I met him, you know. The king of Trager. Think back seven or eight years. A young man who was with Avery ate dinner with the three of us. Actually, we ate pheasant that they brought to us after hunting.”