Chapter 8
Tynan
Xendus and Surath take flight, rapidly ascending to get out of range of the shadowdust cannons. My heart is racing, and my mind is spinning. What the hell has been going on here?
Where shall we go? Xendus asks.
“You’re asking me?”
Surath is worried about Saxon.
“So am I.” Using the enhanced vision I have during flight, I watch the guards drag Saxon toward camp. “Short of you burning everyone on that field to a crisp, I’m not sure how we can free Saxon right now.”
Burning them sounds like a plan.
“What if you kill Saxon too?”
That was a joke, Xendus says. But those humans do deserve to be burned.
“We should get away from here. Let’s regroup so you can shift, and we can all discuss this.”
I agree. So does Surath.
The three of us fly into the mountains of Verax, taking a route not that different than the one Zogar took on the day of the massive demon attack. That day we flew all the way to the border of Khotor.
Where shall we land? Surath is impatient.
I’m reminded that the dragons can have conversations I’m not privy to. That, combined with Xendus’s ability to read my every thought, makes our relationship very unbalanced.
“Maybe we should head to Khotor?” I suggest. “My family is there.” And I need to determine why the klericks were wearing Khotori ensigns, and why everyone who greeted us used my honorific.
In the past, no one at camp acknowledged that I am a prince. When I first arrived, I told my fellow recruits to call me Your Highness. It did not go well.
Xendus chuckles, and I wish I knew how to keep my thoughts to myself.
Surath agrees with the plan to visit your kingdom, young prince.
Excitement builds inside me, despite the obvious mocking in Xendus’s response.
I’ll be returning to Khotor as a dragon rider, and that thought fills me with powerful pride and a thirst to punish my grandfather and father for all the things they did to me.
When we arrive, we should circle my grandfather’s castle a few times, spread some fire around, scare the breeches off everyone.
And after that I’ll land in the courtyard—assuming Xendus will fit in there.
And what of Surath? Xendus asks. How does she fit into your little show of dominance?
I shrug. “Okay, so after we circle a few times, we land in the fields outside the castle.” The idea of landing inside the grounds was only a fantasy.
Tynan, that’s not what I meant. Xendus uses my name for the first time. You’re not thinking this through. Surath can’t be seen in flight, not without a rider. Surath and I must be in our true forms, when you have your family reunion.
“You’re right.” I shake my head. I’ll find a way to demonstrate my riding skills at some time in the future.
Skills. Xendus chuckles. You are hilarious.
I frown. It’s become clear that the single biggest skill involved in riding a dragon is the bravery to attempt a mounting. That and slaying demons.
Not demons.
“Yes, yes. I know.”
Surath suggests we land far from your castle, he says. We must ensure no one sees us in the sky.
“But—” We need to cross both Verax and Achotia before reaching Khotor. I can’t guarantee that no one will see us.
We’ll remain in these mountains until the sun sets. Then travel the rest of the distance under the cover of night.
“Flying at night? Isn’t that dangerous?”
Xendus laughs.
“Okay, okay. I assume you can see in the dark?” And me, by extension, perhaps.
We could see well in Lymbo, could we not?
“But there was some light in that horrid grey place.” I realize that, given I was either atop Xendus’s back, or viewing Zogar’s illusions the whole time, I have no way of knowing how Lymbo might look to my naked eye.
Yes, Lymbo has some light, Xendus says. And here, your moon casts more than enough light for Surath and me to avoid crashing into the side of a mountain.
I nod. My mind’s already running new scenarios for our arrival in Khotor.
And even though I know Xendus can hear the chatter in my head, I tell him my decision.
“I know where we should land. It’s more than two day’s walk to the castle, but it’s remote, and it’s unlikely anyone will see us in the air. ”
Good, Xendus says. We’ll circle through these mountains until night falls.