slowly. His eyes were serious. I would get no apology from him. He would have sacrificed everything in this mission. I thought back to his conversation with Edwin, to the things he'd been saying about the greater threat. I remembered what he had told me on the road to the City and shook my head. "What is it?" I asked.
He tilted his head, waiting for me to clarify, and I asked, "What is the dragonswarm?"
The wizard held my gaze. "There are old legends, myths, that tell of a time when the dragons began waking." He said it almost offhand, but there was a terrible intensity in his eyes.
My mouth was suddenly dry. I had to swallow. "Which dragons?"
"All of them," he said. "Enough to fill the sky to black at noon. Enough to burn the world to ash."
I chewed my lip. I remembered the strange vision I had intruded on during our trip to the City. The whole experience felt like a dream, but the image of the dragons in flight stood out stark within my memory. Enough to burn the world to ash. I believed it. "That would be a fearsome thing," I said.
He nodded and said nothing.
It did nothing to change what I had done. It did nothing to lessen the dangers I now faced from the king's justice. It only added new nightmares to be feared. I fought against them and fought to catch my breath.
The ship flew south, dancing along the waves. Warm sunlight bathed us, and a cool spray occasionally touched my cheek, my hair, the skin of my neck. For a while I tried to think about that instead of the dangers. It didn't work. At last I said, "Why did you recruit me?"
Claighan's mouth turned down in a sour frown. "This is the fourth time you've asked me that."
"And the answer never satisfies." Before he could respond, I pushed myself to my feet and faced him. "Am I to be another battle wizard in the Royal Guard?"
He shook his head and I nodded. "I thought not. Am I to be an answer to a rebel army?"
His head sank, but I saw another little shake no. I nodded again. "You mean for me to fight dragons."
His eyes found mine. They burned with a vicious fire. "All of them."
He was a madman. He was my only hope for refuge now, for redemption, but he was clearly a madman. But I remembered again a vision of the dragons waking and my breath caught in my throat. "It's just a story," I said. It sounded unconvincing even to me.
Claighan stepped away from the rail. "That is what everyone insists," he said. "It is a comforting thought." He turned and walked away.
----
Hours later I was still sitting at the deck rail when Claighan came and joined me. I stared out over the waters slipping past, afternoon sun flashing gold and silver off the dancing waves. I didn't look up as the old wizard joined me, just spoke to the wind. "Three days ago, at this moment, I was putting sheep in Jemminor's pen."
He sank down to rest on his heels for a moment, then sat stretched out on the deck beside me. He leaned his back against the rail and drew out an old, ornate pipe. While he filled it, he nodded at my comment.
"An hour later you fought and conquered one of the king's elite guards."
"I had a job, a home, a family...."
"You had a closet dug from the basement wall, Daven. You had one pair of pants and two shirts. You had a taskmaster."
I nodded. The waters danced by while a light blue smoke drifted up and away. "It was home to me. I had friends."
"Do you wish to go back?"
"No." After a moment, "Could I if I wanted to?"
"At this point...no. You could , but they would find you eventually."
"Of course." A school of fish skipped past, one great shadow just beneath the surface. "What now?"
"Now we go to the Academy. You will be safe there, and in time I will go back to the capitol to set things straight."
"Won't he kill you?"
Claighan smiled. "Wizards are not easy to kill. I imagine I'll survive."
I nodded. In my head the sheep were bleating, the sun beating down on a cold pasture, the flock milling idly beside a quiet stream. Terrailles had plenty of quiet
He tilted his head, waiting for me to clarify, and I asked, "What is the dragonswarm?"
The wizard held my gaze. "There are old legends, myths, that tell of a time when the dragons began waking." He said it almost offhand, but there was a terrible intensity in his eyes.
My mouth was suddenly dry. I had to swallow. "Which dragons?"
"All of them," he said. "Enough to fill the sky to black at noon. Enough to burn the world to ash."
I chewed my lip. I remembered the strange vision I had intruded on during our trip to the City. The whole experience felt like a dream, but the image of the dragons in flight stood out stark within my memory. Enough to burn the world to ash. I believed it. "That would be a fearsome thing," I said.
He nodded and said nothing.
It did nothing to change what I had done. It did nothing to lessen the dangers I now faced from the king's justice. It only added new nightmares to be feared. I fought against them and fought to catch my breath.
The ship flew south, dancing along the waves. Warm sunlight bathed us, and a cool spray occasionally touched my cheek, my hair, the skin of my neck. For a while I tried to think about that instead of the dangers. It didn't work. At last I said, "Why did you recruit me?"
Claighan's mouth turned down in a sour frown. "This is the fourth time you've asked me that."
"And the answer never satisfies." Before he could respond, I pushed myself to my feet and faced him. "Am I to be another battle wizard in the Royal Guard?"
He shook his head and I nodded. "I thought not. Am I to be an answer to a rebel army?"
His head sank, but I saw another little shake no. I nodded again. "You mean for me to fight dragons."
His eyes found mine. They burned with a vicious fire. "All of them."
He was a madman. He was my only hope for refuge now, for redemption, but he was clearly a madman. But I remembered again a vision of the dragons waking and my breath caught in my throat. "It's just a story," I said. It sounded unconvincing even to me.
Claighan stepped away from the rail. "That is what everyone insists," he said. "It is a comforting thought." He turned and walked away.
----
Hours later I was still sitting at the deck rail when Claighan came and joined me. I stared out over the waters slipping past, afternoon sun flashing gold and silver off the dancing waves. I didn't look up as the old wizard joined me, just spoke to the wind. "Three days ago, at this moment, I was putting sheep in Jemminor's pen."
He sank down to rest on his heels for a moment, then sat stretched out on the deck beside me. He leaned his back against the rail and drew out an old, ornate pipe. While he filled it, he nodded at my comment.
"An hour later you fought and conquered one of the king's elite guards."
"I had a job, a home, a family...."
"You had a closet dug from the basement wall, Daven. You had one pair of pants and two shirts. You had a taskmaster."
I nodded. The waters danced by while a light blue smoke drifted up and away. "It was home to me. I had friends."
"Do you wish to go back?"
"No." After a moment, "Could I if I wanted to?"
"At this point...no. You could , but they would find you eventually."
"Of course." A school of fish skipped past, one great shadow just beneath the surface. "What now?"
"Now we go to the Academy. You will be safe there, and in time I will go back to the capitol to set things straight."
"Won't he kill you?"
Claighan smiled. "Wizards are not easy to kill. I imagine I'll survive."
I nodded. In my head the sheep were bleating, the sun beating down on a cold pasture, the flock milling idly beside a quiet stream. Terrailles had plenty of quiet
Similar Books
![The Sextet Presents… By Male Order [In Days of Olde] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)](https://fs.ageofbook.com/617035/thumbs/152x264/the-sextet-presents-by-male-order-in-days-of-olde-siren-publishing-menage-everlasting.png)
