A Shadow Flame (Book 7) (7 page)

Calexis shrugged.

"No, that can wait" she said. "There are others coming, and they will arrive here soon."

"Then we wait upon your command," the Darga said, then he shifted nervously. "Is there food to eat in the city, highness? Many Darga hunger for meat."

"Take what you will from the city this day. That will be your reward for killing a few elves," Calexis told him, then she turned and walked back up the steps.

The Darga rose to his feet and grinned as the reptilian crowd growled and roared, and the creatures turned and left the courtyard, bounding out past the palace walls. Calexis watched them leave, and within moments, screams echoed from the city, followed by raucous bellows as the creatures tore through the streets of Maramyr. With a pointed fingernail, she gestured for Aaron to rise and he followed her back into the palace, silently as she laughed at the madness in the city and the weak resistance she felt from the young man who struggled in the grip of her power.

As useless as she knew his resistance was, it both irritated and amused her that the young man would continue to defy her, though the resistance of the Darga to her power far more bothersome. Deep within her memories, she knew of the dragon gift, the power to command the allegiance of such creatures, but despite all that she had taken from the young dragon prince, Elric, it remained a power that she lacked. Luckily, the Darga had developed a culture of leaders, and by besting their strongest, she had become their ruler, but they were still not truly subject to her will, and that was unacceptable. Annoyed with the Darga, and now losing patience with Aaron's quiet defiance, Calexis cuffed him in the back of the head, sending him tumbling face first to the polished stone floor inside the palace, and as he tried to rise, she shoved him forward again, this time with her heel.

"Crawl, on your knees," she said as Aaron lifted his face from the floor.

*****

Under the ominous skies that hung silently over the city, the three mages worked quietly, carefully using their power to alter the magic of the crystals, redoubling their efforts at the sight of the rampaging Darga, and trying not to despair at the sounds of suffering that filled the air, for there was little doubt among them that time was growing short, were they to have any chance of saving anyone at all. And in the distant horizon, the skies were darker still, and what little light that passed for day began to fade into darkness.

The great falls of Rivergate that plunged from the high mountain cliffs loomed up toward the starry night sky overhead as the Maramyrian soldiers filed silently into the dark tunnels. The rushing sound of the waterfall covered the clank of metal and the creak of leather and, with the dragons to guide them in the dark, several hundred, led by Kaleb, made their way from the edge of the forest, then up through the stone passage that led to the city atop the cliffs. The larger force, under Nathas' command, waited in the trees at the base of the stone steps that led up the cliff itself, ready to ascend, with shields at the front of their ranks, prepared for whatever the enemy might throw at them. Once everyone was in position, Storm, and the three young dragons, with Keira and Margo mounted on two of them, flew out over the forest, then up over the cliffs and perched themselves on the mountain ridges above the city, awaiting the signal to attack.

With Ariana atop Borrican's powerful shoulders, he flew as quietly as he could, approaching the city from the east, using the dark, rocky cliffs to obscure his passage, his black scales a shadow against the stars. The guards that stood at the gates and upon the walls only heard a gust of wind as he passed silently overhead, and he flew onward, over the city, toward an inn with a trail of smoke coming from its chimney. Borrican flared his wings, coming almost to a stop, then he shifted his form and the both of them dropped to the ground in the dark stable yard. Horses neighed and stamped at the strange sound but Borrican was careful to silence his predatory dragon thoughts, and within a few moments the beasts were calm once more. With the hoods of their cloaks pulled low around their faces, they walked around to the front of the inn and pushed open the door.

Inside, the tavern was dark, with only a few patrons, sitting quietly in dark corners. Standing at the end of the bar was a guard, whose pale eyes stared at Ariana and Borrican as they walked over to a table and sat down. A few moments later, a woman who Ariana recognized appeared from the kitchen, carrying a plate of food and a mug of ale, which she delivered to a patron at one of the tables. Noticing the new arrivals, she walked over to where they sat, their faces turned away from the glow of an oil lamp that hung nearby, and instead of the lively greeting that Ariana remembered, Milli simply sighed and stared straight ahead when she spoke.

"It's a might bit late," she said, repeating words she had said countless times before. "Will you be eatin' or drinkin' or both? I suppose you would like a room as well."

"I am Edward, and this is my wife, Katie," Borrican said, giving the woman the names Ariana had told him. "Is it true that you run a discreet business?"

Milli looked confused for a moment, then her eyes lit up with excitement. She leaned forward and took a closer look at Borrican, and her face fell with disappointment when she found that she did not recognize him.

"Is there something wrong?" Borrican asked.

"No, no," Milli said glumly. "I thought you was someone else, is all."

"Who might you think we would be?" Ariana asked, leaning forward, looking up at the innkeeper from underneath the hood of her cloak.

Milli's eyes went wide, and she smiled but she quickly dropped her grin when Ariana put her fingers to her lips.

"I run a very discreet establishment," she said, doing her best to hide her excitement. "And it isn't easy with them foul soldiers everywhere, stinkin' up the place, at the bar, at the top of the stairs, and even one in the cellar, if you can believe that."

Ariana cursed inwardly that the only passages she knew were all guarded, for they had hoped to get as many of their soldiers into the city as they could before the alarm was raised.

"That is truly unfortunate," Borrican said.

"You're tellin' me," Milli said. "And they stink to the heavens. I'm surprised they didn't put a guard out in the stables."

"You sayin' bad things about us guards, Milli?" the dead guard by the bar shouted, his voice a hard rasp.

"No," she said, glancing over at him. "Jes' sayin' how safe it is in Rivergate thanks to you and the other six hundred of you, what protect us, an' all."

"That's right," the man sneered, then he went back to staring at the door.

"Do you perhaps have any horses for sale?" Borrican asked. "I presume they would be out in the stable that you mentioned."

"I do," she said. "A couple of travelers, much like yourselves, left 'em here some time ago, an' I've done my best to keep 'em in good health in case they ever come lookin' for 'em. Soldiers tried to take 'em for their own, and the guards tried too, but I argued with 'em and there they stayed. Must admit, I've become a little fond of 'em, but I'd be willing to part ways with 'em for the right price."

"Perhaps I could take a look at them," Borrican said, echoing the suggestion that Ariana sent to him in his thoughts.

"I will wait here," Ariana said, and Milli looked a little nervous until she turned her face and let the glow of the lamp catch the crystals that covered the side of her face. "Don't worry, I will be fine."

"Well then," Milli said with a nod, her eyes wide. "Let me fetch a lantern and I will show you."

Borrican stood and followed Milli out of the inn, and several guards walked past as the two of them made their way over to the stable.

"You don't look at all like Edward," Milli commented.

"I'm not him, but he is a very good friend of mine," Borrican told her.

"Oh, well that's good," she said. "A fine young man, and handsome too, like you. She sure knows how to pick 'em, she does."

Borrican felt a little awkward, but he decided to let it go, and Milli pushed open the stable door.

"The horses are in here," she said, loudly, for the sake of another groups of guards that walked by on the street. "Better offer me a good price for 'em too!"

The horses snorted and stamped as Borrican entered the stable, but he knew that they would not stay calm for long.

"The horses got somethin' into them. Gettin' nervous," Milli said, and she reached out and touched one of them on the nose. "There, 'ats better." The horse eyed Borrican and snorted, its ears twitching. "Seems he doesn't like you."

"Perhaps I should have had something to eat before we came here," Borrican said as the horse snorted and stamped again.

"What's that?" Milli asked, having missed what he had said.

"Nothing. You said there was a door to the passages out here?"

"Aye," she said as she led him to a far stall and kicked aside some hay and manure with the bottom of her shoe, and tapped her foot, revealing that the boards were hollow underneath. "Not sure what you're planning but the tunnels under Rivergate have been blocked."

"What's this?" Borrican felt his heart sink. "How?"

"Filled with rocks, 'bout halfway down."

"That is truly unfortunate," he said, and he sighed, irritated that the fight was going to be that much more difficult. "I guess there's nothing we can do about it now."

"Well, it's still good place to hide, if that's what you're needin'," Milli said.

"That wasn't the plan," Borrican told her. "You might want to find a safe place, Milli. There's going to be some fighting soon."

"For true?" Milli said, excitedly. "Please tell me you're gettin' rid of them soldiers. You do that, well I'd love ya for life."

"How about free ale for life," Borrican suggested.

"Now you're talkin' foolish talk," Milli said. "No one gives away free ale."

"So I suppose sweetwater is out of the question."

"Not a chance," Milli said with a grin, a twinkle appearing in her eye. "You're a pushy young fella aren't ya."

"Never hurts to ask," he said with a smile, then he sighed. "I suppose we'd best get back inside. The guards you told us about are probably dead by now."

"What? How?"

"Katie...can be a little impatient sometimes," he said, and he felt Ariana's thoughts confirming what he had just guessed.

"Yes, Katie. And what's your name, if you don't mind me askin'?" Milli asked, her voice a low whisper. "You do look a might familiar."

"I am Borrican," he said, with a short tilt of his head.

"Akandar?" she whispered. Borrican nodded and Milli grinned. "Well, aren't I jes' a bug in a mug."

Borrican froze. The horses snorted and neighed as his dragon senses flowed outward. He heard a sound, and it was coming from the floor of the stable, inside the stall. Two taps, the sound of steel on wood, came from the floor and it appeared that Milli heard it as well.

"There are no guards nearby," Borrican said. "Can you open the passage?"

"'Course. Hold this," Milli said, and she handed him her lamp, then walked over to a half-barrel in the corner and stepped inside it. After crouching slightly, she jumped straight up, and when she landed, several floorboards popped upwards. She reached out her hand and Borrican helped her out of the water barrel, then she walked over to the boards and pulled them upward, revealing a dark passage. Borrican held the lamp over the hole in the floor and saw Kaleb's face looking up at him, covered in dirt and dust.

"The two of you are noisy, stomping around up here," he said. "And it's a good thing too, or we'd never have found you."

"Kaleb," Borrican said, keeping his voice low, as he handed Milli the lantern, then reached down and helped Kaleb up to the stable. "That stomping was likely the horses. It's good you made it."

"Would have got here sooner but someone tossed enough rocks and rubble into these tunnels to build a castle wall," Kaleb griped, then he smiled. "Nothing a determined bunch couldn't handle though."

"All right," Borrican said. "Get as many up from the tunnels as you can. There are six hundred guards in the city, and from the looks of them they are greys, so as soon as one of them sees us, they will all know, and so will Calexis, most likely."

"Right," Kaleb said as he reached down and helped a Maramyrian soldier up from the floor, and he looked at Milli in the dim light. "I've met you before, haven't I?"

"A humble innkeeper I am," Milli said, whispering. "Milli's the name. You're Lord Kaleb of White Falls."

"Nice to be known," Kaleb said. "That makes me feel important."

"I follow all the royals," Milli said. "All the stories, all the gossip."

"Oh, well I'd better watch myself then," he said.

"No need to worry about me," Milli replied. "I run a discreet establishment, if you know what I mean."

Borrican felt Ariana becoming more impatient, and he decided that they had better return to the inn.

"Come, Milli," he said. "We should go back. It won't be safe out here much longer."

"Right," she said. "I still got a few hiding places the guards don't know about."

"Good," he said, and he nodded at Kaleb then walked out of the stable, leaving it in the darkness.

When they walked back through the door of the inn, Ariana looked as though flames might start coming out of her ears, and Borrican already knew she was beyond irritated at how long it had taken he and Milli to return from the stables. The dead guard at the bar was now truly dead, laying on the floor with his head smashed in, and Borrican noticed that the handful of patrons who had been sitting in the tavern room were now slumped over, unconscious.

"While the two of you have been gossiping, the three guards are dead and everyone else will have a headache come morning," Ariana said.

"Oh my!" Milli exclaimed, beaming as she walked toward Ariana. "It really is beautiful."

"What's beautiful?"

"I would love to find me a jeweled mask like that," Milli said. "No doubt the girls would too, if there were any left."

"It isn't a mask, Milli," Ariana said. "But I'm glad you like it."

"Really? It's quite lovely," Milli told her. "Quite lovely indeed."

"The tunnels were blocked, but Kaleb made it through," Borrican said. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever to do what we came to do."

"Milli, you should stay here, and bar the door," Ariana said, and flames began to dance around her.

"Right then," Milli replied, wide eyed at Ariana's fire, and she followed her and Borrican to the door of the inn. She flinched at the piercing screech that rang out in the night as soon as Ariana stepped outside, blazing with flames, and Milli was even more surprised when Borrican ran out into the yard, then leapt into the air and disappeared into the night, becoming an enormous black shadow with wings. When he let out a deep roar and acid fire dripped from his mouth as he circled over the rooftops of the mountain city, Milli shut the door and quickly put the wooden bar in place and leaned against the door.

A few moments later, she heard the sounds of pounding boots and soldiers shouting, then her expression turned to a grin and Milli walked over to the bar and pulled the cork from a bottle of sweetwater. She took a swig of the powerful liquid, then she looked around the almost empty tavern, pleased as a plum, as she envisioned a full tavern and busy rooms upstairs once again.

*****