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21

LATE TO THE PARTY

L ennon had calmed down. Through whatever telepathy she had with Kivi, she had learned her dragon was still alive. Step by step, she and Griffon moved toward the cave while keeping an eye on the colorful newcomers, most of whom remained mounted on their dragons. Though a green and yellow beast had perched on the back of one of the black beasts, the latter didn’t complain. In fact, it looked terrified.

A shiny black dragon with narrow blue stripes descended into the middle of the fray and sent soldiers scurrying to make room for it. When it rested on solid ground, its rider dismounted, sliding smoothly from its back and hopping off its leg.

His hair was golden brown, his robes matched the colors of his dragon, and his smile never faltered as he searched the crowd. His attention skimmed over the commander, the ranking Guardian Rider, and took in the fact that some of us were being detained. Then he looked again, turning in a circle, and finally settling on our little party. Specifically, Tearloch.

He ambled our way, in no hurry, though fifty people waited on him. He offered Tearloch a terse bow. "Sir. I am Ciro."

"Tearloch."

"And which of you is DeNoy?"

Tearloch didn't so much as blink. "We were told he is DeNoy." He pointed to the executioner who had rejoined his traveling companion and whose face had turned pale, even in the darkness.

"Ah." Ciro started for the henchman, who immediately retreated a step, then another. Sensing danger, the Guardian Rider put some distance between them. Ciro stretched out his right arm and another colorfully dressed DeNoy hurried to place a hilt in his grasp. He raised the sword without missing a step and brought it down and across, executing the executioner in one smooth move. When he stopped and spun on one heel, he was all smiles again. He marched back to Tearloch and tossed the blade to its original bearer. "Now, sir, where is the other?"

Tearloch said nothing. Moved nothing. Not a thing in his manner would have given Lennon away.

"Come, sir. The blue dragon must have a rider." He glanced around. "Where is our blue, by the way?" Turning and studying the crowd, he found no help. Most eyes were cast down until he pointed to the devious devil who had hoped to run his spear through Tearloch. "You," Ciro said. "Where is the blue dragon?"

The man pointed to the cave. "The cavern behind you. Sir," he added, belatedly.

When Ciro headed for the gap in the rock, I glanced at Minkin, who shook her head. "Not him," she said. She couldn't influence a man like that.

Griffon and Lennon moved to block the entrance. Ciro stopped immediately, grinned at Lennon, and held out his arms as if he would embrace her. "Ah, here you are." Only Griffon's stiff arm kept the DeNoy from touching her, which only made Ciro laugh. "A protector. How charming." He offered Griffon a shallow bow. "And you are?"

"Griffon. This is my wife, Lennon." And you will not touch her was implied.

To her, Ciro said, “But you are DeNoy.”

“Yes.”

“And DeNoy have no permanent mates. It is…unwise.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re not from here. And we’re not staying.”

Ciro chuckled. “Nonsense. All DeNoy long to come home. Tell me you haven’t felt the same.”

“I haven’t.”

“You…lie. But no matter. You brought a blue back to Hestia’s skies?—”

“And you mean to punish her for it?” Griffon’s smile promised pain for the wrong answer.

“Certainly not. It is time for celebration. The blue has come. This means we will no longer be required to destroy our own.”

Griffon looked doubtful. “But it also means everyone in Hestia dies, does it not?”

Ciro rolled his eyes and threw his hands out. “Do not tell me you believe in such superstition. Look around you. The blue has come and we all still live.” He glanced back at the body of the DeNoy henchman. “Well, most of us.” He slapped his hands together. “Come. Introduce me to your…Kivi, is it?” He laughed at their obvious surprise. “She has been speaking to my Skullcrusher. He wants her and he hasn’t even seen her yet.”

The man slid past Lennon into the dark maw and the couple had no choice but to follow. Tearloch took my hand, and we pushed past the oddly resigned guards to follow after them.

Glow stones and a quickly dying fire cast an eerie illumination to the rough walls of the cavern and left the lofty ceiling in darkness. Ciro pulled a bright stone from his pocket and chased the shadows back. Lennon stalked around him to reach Kivi first, then put her back to her beloved dragon and braced herself for a fight. Griffon moved so he could concurrently keep his eye on the exit, his woman, and the DeNoy none of us trusted.

The fact that he’d cut off the executioner’s head with no pre-amble had unnerved us all. But I suspected that was the point.

“Hello my beauty,” Ciro said, and advanced toward Kivi’s head, hand held out.

Lennon blocked him. “She is not your anything.”

He held up his hands. “Quite right. Quite right. I must remember you are unused to our ways. In time…”

Lennon and Griffon exchanged a look. Tearloch and I did the same. The man wasn’t going to let them go…easily.

Tearloch cleared his throat to get Ciro’s attention. “We, on the other hand, are Hestians, and we will help them all we can.”

The DeNoy’s attention finally fell on me. He took in the details of my ripped dress Tearloch’s arm around me. “Well done, sir. Royalty, even.” He studied my face with narrowed eyes for a long while. Then suddenly, he clapped his hands again and started back to the entrance. “Come. I insist you and your people accompany us. One of mine will ride the blue, to teach her the way.”

“Not without me,” Lennon said, marching after him.

“That goes without saying.”

* * *

The Guardian Rider, the commander, and the rest of the king’s men looked on, powerless, while the DeNoy took their prize away. Ciro insisted our party come along, but Morrow, Lears, and Poole were given the option of staying. They jumped at the chance to be free of the king’s guards and whatever judgment might have been rendered for their involvement, but I think they all knew they were choosing to jump from one unknown fire into another.

Nogel was not invited.

“Please, sir.” He followed Ciro to the side of the black and blue dragon. “I’ll find a way to be useful to my lady. Also, I’ve never seen the Eastlands, let alone The Soundless.”

The DeNoy stared him down, then nodded. “If the Princess wills it.”

Since the king’s men hadn’t been interested in punishing a dragon rider, I thought maybe the young man would like to return to Sunbasin and avoid more trouble. But he assured me that was the last thing he wanted. “Besides,” he reasoned, “you’ll need a guide like me around so many dragons.”

I turned to Tearloch. “What do you think?”

“I think he’ll regret it. I think we’ll all regret not taking a stand here and now. But remember, death is still on its way, and the boy wants to spend his last days on an adventure.”

Nogel beamed.

“All right. You can come.”