Chapter 56
Fern
“I’m Fern Rochester.” Saying my name felt strange, as if putting on clothes made for quite a different shaped body and trying to convince myself they fit. “This is Lance Axton, Kael...”
I realised then I didn’t know which family name he used.
“Son of Elsie,” came Kael’s smooth reply. “And these are my brothers.”
Introductions were made and hands were shaken, but I barely felt the professor’s clasp. How could I when the pressure of Dain’s arms around me hadn’t faded?
“The sword master’s son.” The man pursed his lips. “And some cadets. I’m afraid I have no need for lessons in swordplay.”
“Christian, the librarian up at the keep, gave us your card,” I said. “He said you might be able to answer some questions about ancient dragons?”
Before he could reply, another voice cut him off.
“Neal, old fellow.” A man with a thin face and alarmingly bushy eyebrows came walking in. “Do you have Forbes’ treatise on dragon physiology on hand? The one in the original Marcellane… Oh.” He shot us a nervous smile. “And who do we have here?”
“Christian sent the lieutenant and some of cadets down to find out more about ancient dragons of all things.” Professor Sinclair shifted his weight to his left hip as he crossed his arms. “Which is quite a broad topic, so it’s impossible to discuss without further clarification, so if you’ll excuse—”
“Drathnor,” I said. “We are trying to find the nest of dragonstone left behind by the ancient dragon, Drathnor.”
“Well.” The thin-faced man brightened. “That is interesting. Felix Rathbone.” He held out a hand and all of us shook it. “Drathnor, eh? Ever been to the Tomb of Terror?”
“We just returned from there actually,” I said, then reached into my pocket, producing one of the crystal eggs. “And we found this.”
“A Tanis egg!” Rathbone’s eyes lit up as Sinclair’s frown deepened. “Our offices are down the hall. Come and I’ll call for some tea.”
“Really, Felix?” Sinclair said with a sigh. “I have a class to teach.”
“Teach away.” Felix rushed down the hall and we were left to follow or be subjected to yet more frowns from Sinclair. “Now, start from the start. How on earth did you end up with that egg?”
We told him.
Dain shot me a dark look, particularly when I talked about his involvement in the process. His frown grew more and more pronounced, but Felix was captivated. When the tea lady arrived with her little trolley, he seemed almost shocked to see her, despite ringing for her services some moments before.
“Gods…” The man took a hold of the stone egg, turning it around in his hands, then picking up a letter opener and stabbing it into his thumb.
I blinked as he squeezed out a drop of blood, pressing it to the stone, but right when I expected him to go blank eyed and staring, seeing the same vision we saw, he shook his head in frustration.
“What I would give to have the kind of psychic ability to see the things you describe. Unfortunately, I am a complete null when it comes to these matters.” The egg was pressed back between my fingers.
“This is all very fascinating, but how can the Centre help?”
“We’re seeking Drathnor’s nest,” Kael said. “Do you have any maps or information about where that might be?”
“There was some debate as to whether or not Drathnor and her sisters, Skael and Tharla—”
“Those were the names of her sisters?” I leaned forward, wishing I’d brought a notebook with me.
“Yes.” Felix smiled as he set out tea cups across his table.
Finding a space between the mounds of paperwork was difficult, but he managed it.
“One theory is that the duchies of Skane and Harlston took their names from them and that Wyrmpeak is a derivation from the more ancient name, Drathpeak. The clergy tends to get a little huffy about that sort of thing. Turning the triple goddess into three queen dragons—”
“White-gold dragons.” That came out without thought, and Felix’s eyebrows shot up as a result. “Not gold queens, but white-gold queens.”
“You’re not the riders of those silver beasts that everyone is talking about, are you?
” His gaze sharpened as he looked Kael and his brothers over.
“I’ve petitioned the general for permission to come and talk to you, and to no avail.
Your dragons could be the missing link between the modern chromatic dragons and the massive ancient creatures we know flew the skies of Nevermere. To have living specimens—”
“Our dragons aren’t specimens.”
Dain’s growl forced Felix to pause, but Kael leaned forward.
“We’d be happy for you to meet our beasts,” he said. Felix’s ability to rally was admirable. His expression shifted instantly to one of hope. “On one condition. We need to find Drathnor’s nest.”
“Every academic worth his salt has sought the nests of the three sisters.” Felix shook his head.
“The fact that dragons store their knowledge in stone rather than something as fragile as paper is both genius and frustrating, because who knows how much history has been lost as humans spread out further across our country? So if I had any idea where the nest was, believe me, I’d let you know. ”
“Maps,” Lorien said. “Of the different ruins around Wyrmpeak. Do you have something like that?”
“The archaeology team might perhaps.” Felix’s finger tapped his bottom lip. “I could ask, but I admit the study of ancient dragons is not a priority at the university. There was a professor here, John Murdoch—”
“Murdoch, Murdoch, clever knave...” Lorien sang, then let his voice trailed away.
“You’re Harlstonian?” Felix asked, looking at the three silver riders.
“Coalbottom, born and bred,” Kael replied with a tilt of his chin.
“Didn’t realise they still sang that song about him.
” The professor shook his head slowly. “In academic circles, Murdoch is used as an example of what can happen if you allow yourself to be consumed by your work. The lengths he went to determine what actually happened to Drathnor helped establish the study of dragonology…” I watched him purse his lips.
“It also means other academics view us as crackpots by default. Most of the really important texts about dragons are found in the keep.”
I sank back into my chair, going limp at his words.
So the general is keeping this information from me, Auren growled. I will tear his head from his shoulders, no matter what his dragon might think.
“However, we are the only institution to have access to Professor Murdoch’s original papers.”
“Mad Murdoch might know where the nest was?” Lorien flushed when Felix glanced sharply his way. “I mean Professor Murdoch.”
“Let’s find out, shall we?”
A large key ring complete with archaic looking keys was produced and we were led deeper into the centre.
Past classrooms full of students, Sinclair looked up briefly as we passed, then turned back to keep delivering his lecture.
Framed images of dragons, samples of claws and fangs and scales all lined the walls, but we didn’t get a chance to pause and look further at them.
Felix came to a stop outside a nondescript door and then pulled out a key.
“The door can be a little…”
His voice trailed away as the door swung open and it was immediately apparent why. Was the office left exactly as this ‘Mad’ Murdoch had left it? I didn’t know, but Felix did.
“This…?” His hands hovered in the air as his eyes darted back and forth. “That…?” With effort, he mastered himself. “I apologise, but I’ve been in this room many a time and this is not how it normally looks.”
“Like someone broke in and rifled through every drawer, every cupboard.” Lorien’s arms crossed over his chest as he regarded the mess.
Papers were scattered everywhere, books left to fall open on the floor.
Even a picture frame on the wall was left askew.
“Looking for something.” He glanced back at Felix.
“Any idea what that might be, Professor?”