Bones of the Dragon - Margaret Weis [166]
Skylan called for Wulfe again. When he didn’t answer, Skylan shrugged. “I guess he’ll come out when he gets hungry.”
He sighed and squared his shoulders, preparing for a difficult task. “And now I must tell my father and the rest of the people the terrible news.”
“Draya?” asked Garn.
“She is dead,” Skylan said. “They are all dead. Their bodies lie at the bottom of the Hesvolm Sea.”
CHAPTER
16
When we reached the Dragon Isles,” Skylan said, “we did not beach the dragonship, but kept it in the water. There was something strange about this place I did not like. Draya felt the same, and she remained on board the ship while my men and I went to shore. When we walked onto the beach, I knew immediately that going to the Dragon Isles had been a terrible mistake.”
Skylan paused to take a drink of ale. No one spoke. The Torgun gave him their full attention, listening in hushed, respectful silence, no one interrupting, no one expressing doubt or disbelief. Skylan was telling his tale well. Not surprising. He had spent so much time on board the dragonship rehearsing his lie, perfecting it, reciting it over and over, that he was almost starting to believe it himself.
“We came upon a strange imprint in the sand,” Skylan continued. “We did not know at first what to make of it. The imprint was huge, as long as this hall, and it was not natural. I looked at it, looked at the shape. And then I knew. It was made by a foot. A foot as long as this hall and just as wide.”
Skylan paused for effect and lowered his voice. “It was the footprint of a giant.”
“A giant!” Erdmun laughed in disbelief, as did many of the young warriors.
The older warriors shouted angrily for silence.
“Do you laugh at Torval?” Norgaard asked sternly, glaring at Erdmun, who tried to hide from his Chief’s wrath by ducking behind his older brother. “Torval gave the giants the Dragon Isles to live upon. In return, the giants guard the Hall of Vektia.”
“I confess, Father, that I did not believe the old tales,” said Skylan. “I should have listened to them.”
In truth, it was Norgaard’s stories about the giants of the Dragon Isles that had given Skylan the idea. Legend held that giants guarded the Hall of Vektia. No one had ever seen a giant, however, and many Vindrasi, especially the young, doubted the giants’ existence.
The tale of giants was admirably suited for Skylan’s purposes, however. His father believed in them, as did the older warriors. The fact that no one had seen a giant in many generations was easily explained. The giants appeared only when the Hall was threatened.
“The next moment,” Skylan continued, “a spear, the size of a full-grown oak tree, flew from the sky and cut down three of my warriors. The giants came thundering out of the woods. They bore spears and clubs, but they needed no weapons. They had only to stomp their feet and my men died, crushed to bloody pulp. Most of my warriors fell before they ever knew what had happened to them.”
“Why would the giants attack?” Norgaard demanded. “We have not broken any law—” He stopped in midsentence.
“As you have guessed, the Vektan Torque is the reason, Father,” said Skylan. “I fought the monsters. Draya was on board the ship, trying to summon the Dragon Kahg. Before she could complete the spell, a giant grabbed hold of her and plucked her off the ship. I fought for her,” Skylan added, subdued. At least that was the truth. “I tried to save her. The giant flung her, screaming, to the ground. Her back was broken. She could not move. I held her in my arms as she died.”
Women wiped tears from their eyes. Men rubbed their noses. Aylaen wept. Norgaard was grim. Skylan did not look at Garn. It was Treia who broke the sorrow-laden silence. She seemed to be taking the sad news with calm equanimity.
“The giants killed the Kai Priestess. They killed your men. How came you to survive?”
Skylan had been waiting for this question.
“I wanted to die,” he said somberly. “I wanted to be the one to lead my warriors before Torval. I was not given the chance.”
He