The Silver Mage - Katharine Kerr [185]
The army made camp early that afternoon. As soon as it had stopped, and before the servants could tether and hobble the horses, Rori left Salamander out of sight on the crest of a forested hill and plunged down. He killed one horse and panicked the rest as he carried the bleeding carcass away. Although most of the soldiers took out after their fleeing mounts, the Keepers of Discipline had to beat some of the men into joining the chase. Rori stayed on guard in case a squad came after him, but apparently no one had the courage, this time around.
The two brothers made their own camp in a clearing among the trees, a good distance from the army. Salamander was eating cold venison, and Rori was busying himself with the dead horse, when they heard the drumming of dragon wings coming up from the south.
“That will be Arzosah,” Rori said. “The prince must be safely in Cerr Cawnen.”
“I’d assume so, yes,” Salamander said. “You know, you really need to tell—”
“I do know!” Rori snarled and clambered to his feet. “I—my apologies. I’m not looking forward to this, not in the least.”
Rori waddled to the edge of the clearing. He made a quick run across, then took to the air, circling up clear of the forest around him, while Arzosah’s wingbeats drummed closer and closer. He gained height, saw her off to the south, and roared. She roared in answer and changed course to fly straight for him. When they met in midair, they swerved and circled around each other twice in greeting. With a dip of one wing he led her back to the south a little distance to a grassy hillside he’d spotted. They landed some yards apart, then walked toward each other until they could sit, crouching nose to nose.
“Where’s that chattering elf?” Arzosah said in Dragonish. “I hope you’ve lost him.”
“No, he’s in a camp in the forest,” Rori answered in the same. “I wanted to have a private talk with you.”
She laid her ears back and narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she said. “Something is.”
“It’s about that book of dragon dweomer. Laz Moj has found it.”
She hissed and stretched out one front paw, claws splayed. Rori took a deep breath and decided that he’d best blurt the truth and be done with it.
“Dallandra thinks she can return me to my human form,” Rori said. “It would be best if she did. I can’t live like this.”
Arzosah raised her head and roared so loudly that the earth trembled under them. “I should have known,” she said in a normal voice. “That meddling bitch! I suppose she wants you for herself again.”
“Don’t talk like a fool! Of course she doesn’t. It’s just not my wyrd to live life as a dragon.”
Arzosah hissed, raised herself up then flopped back into the grass with another long roar.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It aches my heart to hurt you like this, but I never should have let Evandar—”
“Oh, hold your tongue, you wretched stinking male!”
It was, he supposed, the worst insult she could think of at the moment. He took refuge in silence.
“I’m going to have a talk with her,” Arzosah said. “I doubt very much if she and her minions have the power to turn you back. It’s no certain thing, Rori.”
“She did warn me that the spell or whatever it is might be beyond her unwinding.”
“Then she’s wiser than I thought.” Arzosah growled deep in her throat. “But there’s no use in my vexing myself until we see if she can succeed without me.”
“Without you?”
“Do you think you would have survived Evandar’s meddling without me there to lend you strength?”
Rori opened his mouth then shut it again. He could feel his tail lashing through the grass of its own accord.
“Hah!” Arzosah said. “You did think so, didn’t you? You were dying, Rori. I refused to lose you,