Chapter 6

Traveling within the country wasn't a particularly troublesome endeavor. Especially if you're traveling on the queen's personal errand, which usually means that all the papers are signed, all the supplies are prepared, and all the questions are settled in advance, without your participation. But even with this support, the bailiffs were not able to leave Daert until the day after the night's conversation. They traveled incognito, so the steel rods were not hanging from their belts, but were hidden in their saddlebags, under the bundles of clothes. Armando had Octavia's hunting dagger next to his staff, a blade too conspicuous to be worn openly, but the young official did not want to leave the royal gift at home, unattended. Gotech, on top of everything else, proudly rode a new horse - a knight's war stallion from the Guards' stables. The black beast was a sight to behold, but certainly no more so than his rider. But the stallion not only carried the one-armed giant without difficulty, but could trot and gallop without panting after a hundred paces.

The friends passed the western gate at dawn, just as soon as the horizon was painted gold. Formally, the great Daert ended here. Leaving behind a cyclopean wall of white stone, the travelers were leaving behind the capital of the kingdom. In practice, the city had long ago outgrown the imperial boundaries, spreading a ring of residential neighborhoods far beyond the line of fortifications. It was strictly forbidden to construct buildings directly under the fortress towers, but Daert continued within an arrow's flight of them. Inns, merchants' warehouses, stables, and dwellings clustered along all the roads that spiderwebbed out from the capital - and the bailiffs traveled by foot for nearly an hour before they reached the open space. Rows of brick and stone buildings were replaced by wooden huts, strips of trees, followed by hilly plains. And when even the fumes from hundreds of stovepipes melted over the horizon, Armando and Gotech's path was blocked by a dragon.

De Gorazzo could not believe his eyes at first. His sight, however, did not deceive him. The giant lizard, covered with black matte scales, sat in the middle of the path, licking the webbing of its right wing with its long, bifurcated tongue. When the dragon saw the riders, it raised its head, spread its wings, and made a low hissing sound, like a red-hot billet of iron on which a blacksmith had splashed water.

- It can't be... - Gotech exhaled in shock. Suddenly he spurred his horse and galloped forward.

- Stop! - de Gorazzo shouted, not knowing what had come over his friend. Did he think he was the dragon-fighting hero of fairy tales?

But the black-skinned giant had no intention of attacking the lizard. The dragon suddenly tilted its head low, spreading out on the ground. A small figure in white jumped from its neck and ran toward the rider. Gotech spurred the stallion, kicked up a cloud of dust, and jumped down. He picked up the white figure with one hand, held it to his chest, and spun it around. And then Armando realized what kind of dragon it was.

When he came closer, the big man had already lowered the dragon rider to the ground. The knight was a short and thin white-haired girl with clear blue eyes and pale freckles - not so much beautiful as pretty. Armando would have given her twenty-five or twenty-seven years of age at first glance. The girl's knightly armor was replaced by an unusual tight-fitting costume, as if made of a single piece of white leather with no visible seams. She wore high boots with cavalry heels and leather gloves, tied with straps behind the wrists. In addition to the long sword, the knight had some iron hooks and skeins of rope attached to her belt, and the scabbard of a broad dagger attached to her left hip.

- The noble donna... - de Gorazzo hastened up and bowed respectfully.

- This is my friend Armando, I told you about him, - Gotech smiled broadly at the girl. - A cunning, bribe-taking, lazy and savior of the queen. Armando, let me introduce Donna Minerva de Hvogbjorn. Dragon knight. My fiancée.

- Pleased to meet you. - Armando straightened, noting to himself the knight's interesting surname. According to it, Minerva was descended not from the old nobility of Daert, but from one of the companions of the konung Olaf Ider, the founder of the royal dynasty. - I suppose you are the man Her Majesty hired to help us?

- That is correct, Don. - The knight nodded gravely. - I will not accompany you, but I will go ahead and meet you later at the agreed place. Besides, the queen asked me to give you some papers.

- Her Majesty said she couldn't ask the family of the dragon knights for help, - the young official remembered Octavia's words.

- She didn't ask the family, she asked me personally. - Donna Minerva shrugged her shoulders. - 'I am no longer a child, after all. I have no need to report to anyone about where I'm going. Let's go.

The three of them approached the calmly waiting dragon. It was licking its paw now, squinting at them with a round yellow eye.

- What is the name of your... steed? - Armando asked.

- Charcoal. - The knight blushed a little, but kept her face serious. - Actually, the royal registry lists him as Tiberius Augustus the Fifth, but we riders never use those names. He only responds to Charcoal.

- Charcoal, then... - de Gorazzo said, tilting his head to get a better look at the lizard. Up close, he noticed the intricate system of straps around the dragon's body, a veritable harness. Minerva ran up the straps like an experienced sailor on the shrouds, opened the pouch strapped to Charcoal's spine, and took out a couple of scrolls. She deftly jumped down from a rather solid height and handed them to Gotech:

- Here is information about all the places where the Academy mages have noticed the signals of the aliens' radio stations. Also described are ways to make contact with some of the king's spies. One will be waiting for you at a tavern on the tract, a day's journey from your destination. He'll bring you up to speed on local affairs and help you as best he can.

- And you? - De Ardano asked, taking the papers.

- I'll hide Charcoal in a secluded place, dress inconspicuously, and go to town. I'll try to find out something useful when you arrive - not about the aliens, but about the rebel barons.

- Be careful. - Gotech frowned. - You're not a very good spy.

- I'm not going to sniff out anything, - she smiled softly, taking the giant's single hand in her own. - I'll listen to what they say in the markets, in the streets, in the inns. You can learn a lot that way, too.

- Noble Donna, before we part, may I ask you a question? - Armando suddenly squinted his eyes.

- Of course.

- My friend has never told anyone about the circumstances of your acquaintance. In the meantime, I am very, very curious... Perhaps you would consider it possible....

- Of course. There really isn't much to hide. - Still smiling and holding Gotych's palm with one hand, the knight placed the other on Charcoal's scaly side. - It happened eleven years ago, during the war with the Empire.

- That long ago? - Armando wondered.

- Yes. I was sixteen, but I had already ridden around Charcoal, and the Coalition needed dragons. I was sent into battle. Remember the siege of Sane Chatto?

- Uh... no, I wasn't in the war, - de Gorazzo admitted, blushing in turn. Normally Armando did not care that he had not fought for the kingdom and the crown, but in front of this girl he felt embarrassed.

- Oh, I'm sorry. It's a small town. It was besieged at the end of the war when the Imperials broke through the kingdom. Gotech was there with Marshal de Vosse's army. The Coalition sent out swarms of dragons to destroy enemy siege machines, but the Imperials intercepted them on approach, and aerial battles were often fought over the city. In the first battle, Charcoal was wounded, and he and I went down on the neutral strip, exactly between the city walls and the Imperial trenches. I wasn't hurt, but... I couldn't leave Charcoal behind.

- I was outside with my men at the time, updating the palisade, the moat, the traps, - Gotech muttered reluctantly. - I saw them fall, and that the rider was alive, but not leaving the dragon. And a trio of imperial lizards circling in the sky. So I took my ten and went to help. Some more men followed me...

- Gotech brought thick, pointed stakes and drove them into the ground around Charcoal, - Minerva added. - So the enemy dragons couldn't attack us. Then I sent men into the city, and they pointed ballistae and cannons from the nearest tower in our direction. The Imperials called off the dragons, but they moved a squad of infantry toward us. We... stopped it.

- Minerva stopped it, mostly, - the black-skinned giant said.

- Not true. - The girl squeezed his elbow. - The cannons from the walls had crushed half the Imperials on the approach, and the rest were scattered and frightened, just enough pressure to make them run. We started getting artillery fire too, but it was getting dark and Charcoal had recovered a bit and was able to stand up. We went into town on foot. It was in that battle that Gotech lost his arm. Charcoal was at first out of sorts from the pain and....

- So that's him? - Armando wondered.

- Yes. -The knight lowered her gaze. - Gotech helped me calm the dragon, and the dragon... didn't immediately realize that only his own people were around.

- Anyway, he bit my hand off, - the big guy said simply.

- Wait. - De Gorazzo shifted his eyebrows. - But it had to have happened in the beginning, when the dragon was still recovering. So you did the rest....

- Yes, without an arm, - Donna Minerva confirmed. - He tightened the stump with a belt and continued to supervise the work. Fortunately, the marshal himself could see it all from the walls. For his bravery and for saving the dragon, his lordship granted Gotech a nobility right there on the spot.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

- No one cared about the rider, the dragon was more important, - the giant grinned wryly. - Everyone but me. Minerva then came to our barracks and brought with her a whole barrel of wine, the likes of which none of us had ever drunk in our lives. Well... and we've been hanging out ever since. Closer and closer.

- Eleven years... - Armando stretched out, remembering how many romantic interests he'd had in that time.

- I'm patient. - From the look on his face, Gotech understood exactly what his friend was thinking.

- So do I, - Minerva supported him. - And this task of the queen is especially important for us. Her Majesty has already hinted to my parents that she is not against my marriage with Gotech, and if she is confirmed on the throne, the family will definitely have to give in.

- That would be a wonderful outcome to your story, - Armando agreed. - Well, I hope we'll have more time to talk when we meet again. I'm sure I'll have something to tell you about our mutual friend, Donna. - He winked at Gotech, who responded by shaking his fist at his friend.

After a warm farewell, the knight climbed back onto the lizard's back, slid into the saddle at the base of the dragon's neck. She buckled herself into the belt loops on her hips, put on a light steel helmet with a louvered visor, and waved to the bailiffs. The Charcoal scattered along the track, flapping its wings, lifted off the ground and flew westward, gaining altitude. The dust tornado it raised shrouded Armando and Gotech in a gray cloud. Coughing, the black-skinned giant shook the smile off his face and said grimly:

- On the one hand, I am pleased that Queen Octavia has only dragged in our closest people whom we can trust. But...

- On the other hand, I am very worried that the Queen has involved our close people, - de Gorazzo finished for him.

- I understand Her Majesty well, - the big man sighed, climbing into the saddle. - I'm afraid she's having a harder time than we are. I'm not sure she has even a few people she trusts as much as you and I trust Vittoria and Minerva. Still, I'm worried.

- It's too late to retreat. - Armando stroked his horse's forehead - unlike Gotech's battle stallion, it was still nervous, frightened by the dragon's closeness. - Once you become a hero-savior of the crown, you can't stop... Your opinion is no longer important.

The meeting with the dragon and its rider was followed by days of boring travel along the path. Nothing interesting happened, and the path itself remained deserted. This lull bothered Armando more and more. When merchant wagons cease to meet on a major trade route, it is never a good thing. A silent tension hung over the western provinces like a hot haze over the sand. Rare travelers gave the bailiffs wary glances. In the villages along the roadside, sentries with hunting bows stood on watch on slanting towers. Large detachments of sentries guarded the gates of the walled towns. Soldiers' helmets gleamed on the towers of castles. The innkeepers looked as if they did not know whether to rejoice at the sight of new guests or to prepare their axes. The young queen was quite right when she said that the west was ready to burst into flames at any moment.

The bailiffs' final destination was the crown city of Edicium, a craft center where timber was brought for processing. The town was ruled by a crown-appointed official-prevo, and was not formally part of any of the western baronies. It's not hard to guess that Edicium should have been the first target for the rebels. And it was within its walls that three radio stations were now active. And a couple more in the neighborhood. Armando and Gotech were to meet their contact in an inn half a day's ride from the city, and with his help they were to start tracking the outsiders.

But no one was waiting for them at the agreed place.

- Red-haired, mustachioed, forty years old, at a table in the corner, from noon to dusk, right? - de Gorazzo asked in a low voice, looking around the inn's rather spacious common room.

- Yes, -his friend nodded.

- And where is he?

Two suspicious-looking men in ragged traveling clothes were sipping lazily at a round table by the window. There wasn't a soul in the room except the innkeeper.

- Not much of a choice, - Gotech said with a sneer. - Either dead or delayed.

- Either way, it's lousy. - De Gorazzo scratched the back of his head. The queen's plan implied that they would determine their future actions based on the information they received from the spy. - We don't go to the city yet. We'll wait here for two days. Maybe he'll show up again. You never know.

- I agree. - The big black man called the owner of the place with an expressive wave of his hook. - But my advice is to keep your pants on at night and your sword under your arm.

All the rooms on the second floor of the inn were vacant, but the bailiffs took one for two. Sleeping apart seemed like a bad idea.

- If the king's spy has been caught by the conspirators, we'd better not let anything happen to Minerva, - De Ardano said sullenly, as darkness fell and the friends went up from the common room to the bedroom.

- The spy didn't know anything about her, - Armando reassured the giant. - He didn't know anything about us either, except that on a certain day people were supposed to come and give the password. Minerva is probably in the city now, and it's pretty safe there. The city garrison and the prevo are on the queen's side, so there's not much to go on.

And yet de Gorazzo himself was troubled by anxious thoughts all the evening. He did not fall asleep immediately, tormented by a premonition of impending trouble. Years of experience had not deceived the young official's instinct for trouble.

A muffled cry literally threw Armando off the bed. He blinked and looked around, pulling on his boots. The room was in total darkness, the narrow window in the ceiling providing little light. Gotech, also awakened by the shriek, was fumbling in the darkness on the other side of the bed, jingling his iron.

- What's that... - Armando began, groping for the sword scabbard leaning against the wall. There was another scream from downstairs, this time it was a woman's, and it ended on a high note with a nightmarish gurgling sound. De Gorazzo glanced at the only window, realized that not even a child could fit through it, and drew his blade:

- Shall we wait or shall we go and see?

- I'd watch. - The blade of Gotech's axe glinted in the darkness. - It's not a good place to defend ourselves anyway. And there must be visitors.

The bailiffs left the bedroom and went down to the common room. The innkeeper in a gray nightgown was lying down in the middle of the hall. Under the man's right arm was a puddle of burning oil from a broken lamp. It gave off an uneven, shuddering light that made the walls of the hall dance with jagged black shadows, wavering and eerie.

- No one, - Armando almost whispered, looking around. - Who was that woman screaming?

- The owner's wife, probably. Or a servant. - Gotech strode fearlessly to the center of the room, bent over the body.

- How is he?

- Dead. - The dark-skinned bailiff shook his head. - I don't see any wounds, no signs of strangulation either... And how would he have screamed like that if he'd been strangled? And his face is all twisted.

- Gotech! - Armando suddenly exclaimed, raising his sword. The Don saw in the glow of the burning oil that another shadow had appeared beside his friend's shadow, one just as large but irregularly shaped, inky black, fluttering at the edges. As soon as he looked closely, however, the shadow separated from the wall and floated through the air toward the giant. The giant noticed the movement and drew back, his axe in front of him. Armando whirled his head around and saw shadows surrounding them on all sides. The ugly black blotches were literally emerging from the walls, no longer pretending to be shadows, their silhouettes changing into meaningful shapes. De Gorazzo counted five... no, six fake shadows that closed a ring around a pair of bailiffs. The silence of the common room was broken by strange clicking and clacking sounds. It was impossible to understand where they were coming from - the sound seemed to be coming from all directions, even from above and below.

- De... demons! - squeezed out through the spasm in his throat. - Demons, demons, it's bloody demons! Demons!

Armando frantically tugged at the chain around his neck, pulling out a silver Creator Symbol from under his shirt. The sacred sign did not impress the inky creatures. They advanced slowly, knowing their prey had nowhere to go, savoring its terror. The closest of the creatures had already grown long, three-toed paws, which it used to reach for the humans. Gotech lunged forward and swung his axe, the iron passing through the demon's body without causing any noticeable harm. The demon lunged in response, but the big man dodged the black claws with surprising agility for his size.

- I should have asked for some amulets in the armory before I left, - he muttered, stepping back to stand back to back with Armando. There was no fear in the one-armed giant's voice, and de Gorazzo was ashamed of his consternation. Swallowing, he lowered his grandfather's useless sword and tried to feign a grin-though his lips trembled treacherously:

- Who knew then. Everyone is strong in hindsight. What will we...

The creature that had grown its paws first rushed in without any warning.... but not in time to reach its victims. Another figure - this time human - literally wove itself out of the air between the demon and the bailiffs, covering the men with itself. A tall, black-haired girl in a blue uniform and light armor swung a broad knight's sword at the demon's curled fingers, and with a reverse movement from the bottom to the top, slashed his chest. The shimmering silver blade ripped through the black flesh of the otherworldly predator, much to the bewilderment of both the bailiffs and the creature itself. The demon recoiled with a gurgling howl, but the girl followed it up with three swift swings of her sword, severing the creature's limbs and slicing its torso in half. The inky blob, never taking its final form, began to disintegrate, melting right in front of their eyes. The chopped demon's comrades froze, and the savior turned to the bailiffs. Armando recognized her at once, even without seeing her face.

- Lady Jana! - he exclaimed. There was no doubt that she was the same girl he had met in the cellars of the Hall of Executors, the same girl he had seen in the portrait in Vittoria's house. The ghost gave off a familiar bone-chilling chill, but Armando was glad of it now. - Are you... helping?

The ghost nodded and looked sideways. Armando followed her gaze... to see a boarded-up door behind the innkeeper's counter.

- Gotech, that door! - he shoved his friend in the shoulder. - It must be to the kitchen. And from the kitchen...

- Maybe its own exit - the giant realized without further prompting.

The demons had purposely cut people off from the stairs to the second floor and the door leading from the hall to the street, but the death of one creature had broken the ring, and the way to the counter was still free.

- Let's go! - Though Armando's heart was racing, he was the first to move. Gotech was only a fraction of a second behind him. As he sprinted over the counter, the official looked back. The demons realized that their prey was fleeing and angrily snapped and pulled up behind them. Lady Jana tried to hold them off. She swung her sword skillfully, but there were too many for her. Here, one of the creatures threw forward a thin tentacle that sank into the ghost's shoulder. The girl cut the tentacle off, but another of the same kind pierced her thigh. Armando didn't see what happened next - he followed Gotech into the tavern's kitchen. There was indeed an exit for the servants. The one-armed giant didn't check to see if the door was locked, but threw his shoulder against the door, knocking it open with the hinges. The bailiffs almost tumbled out of the doorway, crossed the backyard, and ran at full speed into the fields, not knowing where they were going. Almost immediately they were outrun by Lady Jana. Armando had thought for some reason that the ghost would float through the air, but apparently this tradition of the dead did not apply to dead Elvartian guards. The lady simply ran ahead, quite ordinarily holding the scabbard of her long sword to keep it from hitting her legs. A faint white glow emanating from her armor and blade illuminated the fugitives' path.

- After her! - de Gorazzo blurted out, trying not to lose his breath. Behind them they could hear the gurgling and snapping of demons in pursuit.

The ghost girl led Gotech and Armando away from the path. They stumbled toward the darkening grove beyond the tavern. When they were about twenty paces from the edge of the forest, Lady Jana stopped, spun on her heels, and grasped her sword with both hands. Facing the chase, she spread her legs shoulder-width apart and smiled. A blinding white light flashed behind the trees behind her.

De Gorazzo stumbled over a bump, collapsed face first into the dusty grass. He fumbled, clumsily trying to get up, the strap of his traveling bag tangled in his legs. All around him there was hissing, roaring, rumbling, clicking and clacking. The white light flashed again and again. When Don managed to roll over onto his back and wipe away his tears, instead of demons or ghosts, he saw two blurs against the black sky, one dark, the other light. As the rainbow halos dancing before the bailiff's eyes faded, the spots became clearer. Until finally they became the faces of two strangers leaning over the lying Armando, a swarthy black-bearded man and a pale blonde girl. Noticing that the royal official's gaze had cleared, the bearded man grinned and held out his hand to him:

- Get up, noble don. You won't be able to rest today....