Alexia pulled back and met Perrine’s sad stare. “You have to trust me, Peri.”
The Gyrkyme frowned. “I do trust you. You know that. I just don’t like being apart from you. Kerrigan has Bok. Who have you got?”
“Who will Alexia need?” Vriisureol snorted at Perrine, ruffling feathers. “You need not fear for her.”
Alyx smiled despite the dulling of the light in her sister’s eyes. “I will be fine, Peri, and we will return quickly. Vriisureol has promised to bring us back.”
Sayce, her arms crossed over her belly, nodded solemnly. “Very fast, I hope. The news from Caledo is not good. The dragon there took down part of the city wall. It seems to be resting, but there is nothing we can do to stop it.”
“Marimri.” Kerrigan smiled and tugged on mittens. “Vriisureol said her name is Marimri. She’s young, so she’ll have to rest for a while before melting another wall.”
“So Caledo’s life can be measured in days, not hours.”
The dragon lifted his head, glanced at where Bok was tying a chest into the harnesses on his back, then looked at Sayce. “Marimri likes pretty things. Bribes will work. And songs; Marimri likes songs. If the songs are pleasing, Marimri will listen for as long as they are sung.”
Alexia nodded. “Then you bring the troops here to the east, hit any supply trains heading south from Porjal, and hit the rear of the army.”
Vriisureol nodded. “Bring bards. Have them sing loudly.”
The redheaded Murosan looked surprised. “That might work. I will see what my father thinks. That might just work. Thank you.”
Alexia smiled and gave Sayce a hug. “Take care of yourself. We will be back as soon as we can.”
She gave her sister a final hug, then followed Kerrigan to the dragon’s paw. She mounted behind him, steadying him. She seated herself opposite him and tied into the flight harness. The dragon scales, while quite hard, were smooth enough that they’d not be too uncomfortable.
Vriisureol craned his neck around to inspect his cargo. Apparently satisfied, he came up on all four feet. Muscle rippled beneath his flesh as his wings unfurled. With one tremendous downbeat, the dragon left the earth and Alexia laughed aloud. For the first time in a lifetime, she could feel what her sister felt when flying, and despite being where she was, she was happy.
69
From Procimre’s back, Isaura was able to see the disk of winter’s always-night curving sharply down over Aurolan’s white tundra. North they had flown, over the Sebcian peninsula, past Vorquellyn and the ruins of Fortress Draconis. Over the Boreal mountains they went and yet farther north. As the day died and darkness overswept the world, the purple dragon began to descend into the valley in which her mother’s castle sat.
Isaura shivered, but not with cold. The heat from the dragon’s muscles took the edge off the air. She had also never thought of her mother’s realm as cold, but seeing it shrouded in shadow, it suddenly seemed frigid to her, and part of her wanted to avoid this homecoming.
The rest of her immediately rebelled. Her mother feared betrayal, but she would not be the one to betray her. She trusts me, and I owe her everything. The young woman steeled herself for what she feared might be her mother’s displeasure, and sought those things that might brighten her mother’s outlook.
There were not many. Neskartu had been slain by a child. The dragon Vriisureol had destroyed the rest of the Conservatory students. The entire army besieging Nawal had been eliminated. Naelros had not been a favorite of her mother’s, but the loss of any allies hurt.
Trib’s death had saddened Isaura. She’d beseeched the kryalniri to join her and escape, but he had refrained. He knew Vriisureol would permit only her escape; his presence would put her in jeopardy.
The dragon landed before the black citadel, then reared up and rested his chin on the balcony. Isaura unhitched herself, scaled his neck, passed between his horns, then slipped off his nose and onto the stone. Without so much as a hiss or murmur, the dragon withdrew, and Isaura did not regret his slinking departure.
The grand chamber she entered had been changed somewhat, but it took her a moment to figure out how. Some of the furnishings had vanished, though from the smashed piece of a bench leg near the hearth, she supposed they had been broken up and fed into the flames.
Opposite the fireplace, an inky blackness stained the wall. A couple of steps into the room she realized it was not paint, but the flaccid flesh Neskartu had last worn. She saw the limp limbs and the withered wings. It hung there from the wand, which appeared to have been driven into the stone to half its length.
Isaura fought another shiver, then smiled happily. “Mother, it is good to see you again.”
Chytrine’s head came up and, just for a moment, Isaura caught the last of a venomous expression as it bled away. A smile replaced it, though not as broad as the one she wore. “Daughter, you are come home. Had you not arrived within the hour, I would have sent Nefrai-laysh to find you.”
The smaller of the two sullanciri sketched a bow. “Within the hour, the skies I would scour, to find that shining star which, dear Isaura, you are.”
“My lord Nefrai-laysh devalues the stars.”
“He thinks too much of them, you mean to say, daughter.” Her mother’s blue-green eyes narrowed slightly. “You were seen home safely?”
“Yes, Mother. Vriisureol allowed me to come north.” She hesitated and bit her lower lip. “He destroyed the army at Nawal. He killed Naelros.”
Her mother waved that report away. “That army never should have been there. It was useless, and remains useless. The fall of Caledo will render that loss insignificant.”
“It pleases me that you are not disappointed, Mother.” Isaura smiled again and looked at the other sullanciri. “And you, Lord Nefrai-kesh, how goes the war in Okrannel?”
“It is done, Princess.” Nefrai-kesh smiled politely.
“You defeated Adrogans?”
“By no means. He has taken Svarskya and Okrannel. He has won his prize.”
Isaura frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Chytrine laughed lightly. “It was necessary for Adrogans to succeed in order for us to succeed. We have given them back a ravaged country, while we have made great gains in the south. When Muroso falls, we will be farther south than we were before, and Oriosa will not be an obstacle.”
“But, Okrannel…”
“Isaura sweet, you do not understand. In Svarskya are hidden the seeds of the Southlands’ destruction.” Chytrine’s voice took on an edge. “Okrannel’s loss did come sooner than I had intended, but other events conspire to make up for this setback.“
Nefrai-kesh dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “It is to my mortification that I have failed you so, Empress.”
“A minor failure, pet, and one worth nothing compared to your victories.” Chytrine reached a hand out and lifted his chin. “You will not fail me again, will you?”
“Never, Mistress.”
“Good. There are important tasks to which we must attend. You, Nefrai-kesh, shall remain here to coordinate things. Your son has been given his assignment. I shall be taking Myrall’mara and Ferxigo with me. Anarus shall press the siege. Things are working to my satisfaction.”
“What would you have me do, Mother?”
Chytrine regarded Isaura with wide-eyed innocence. “You, child? I would have you remain here and learn from Lord Nefrai-kesh.”
“But is there nothing else I could do?”
“Oh, sweet child, what is it?”
Isaura started to speak, but her throat thickened. How can I tell her that I feel she does not trust me? “Mother, I did not mean to fail you.”
“Fail me? Oh, no, child, you mustn’t think that.” The Aurolani Empress moved to her daughter and embraced her. “You have seen much in the south, and I wish you a chance to know peace again. To know peace before I call upon you to help me once more.”