Treasures of Fantasy - Margaret Weis [168]
She walked into the circle of candles. Seeing her, radiant and beautiful and awful, Skylan and Aylaen sank to their knees.
“Vindrash,” said Aylaen, “forgive me for being in the house of your foe. I came to free Garn. . . .”
“You have already done so. His spirit has joined the heroes in Torval’s Hall,” said Vindrash. She glanced back over her shoulder at Acronis and smiled gently. “The last I saw, he was dancing with a new young friend.”
Acronis sank to his knees. He did not believe in gods and he was in the presence of a goddess.
Vindrash turned back. “What about you, Skylan? Do you ask my forgiveness?”
“I have asked so often, blessed Vindrash,” said Skylan. “I fear you must be weary of the sound of my voice. But I do,” he added, raising his eyes to hers, “with all my heart.”
Vindrash laid her hand upon his forehead. “Five dragonbones, Skylan Ivorson. Do you know the secret?”
“I believe so, Vindrash,” said Skylan in a troubled voice.
“You do or you don’t,” she said.
Skylan paused, then said firmly, “I know the secret.”
“Then you know what you must do. Fight well in the Para Dix, Skylan Ivorson,” said Vindrash. “I have a wager with Torval on this game. My fish knife against his shining sword.”
The goddess vanished, leaving behind the sparkling shimmer of dragon scales in Acronis’s mind.
“The Para Dix?” Aylaen said, puzzled. “What does she mean? We have to find Treia—”
“We will find Treia in the Para Dix arena,” said Skylan, rising to his feet.
“But why would Treia be there?” Aylaen asked. Her tone sharpened. “Skylan, tell me what’s going on. This has something to do with the secret of the Vektan dragonbone. You told the goddess you know the secret. What is it?”
“Aylaen, I need for you to go back to the ship. Keeper will take you—”
“You are not getting rid of me,” said Aylaen. “Treia is my sister. I’m coming with you.”
Skylan heaved a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. He walked out the door and drew up, startled to find Acronis standing in front of him.
“You said to me, ‘If we can find the spiritbone, we can save the city.’ What did you mean by that?”
“I don’t have time to explain,” said Skylan, and he added shortly, as he hurried on, “Tell me how to find the arena. Then you and Keeper take Aylaen somewhere safe.”
“What is going on?” Acronis demanded.
Skylan hesitated, then said, “Treia has the spiritbone of one of the Vektan dragons. I believe she is going to try to summon the dragon.”
“I’m coming with you, of course. I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” said Acronis.
“You don’t understand, sir,” said Skylan, casting an anguished glance at Aylaen. “I can’t allow Treia to summon the dragon! I must stop her—any way I can.”
“You think you might have to kill her,” said Acronis. “Kill the sister of the woman you love.” Skylan stood, agonizing. Acronis rested his hand on Skylan’s shoulder. “Trust in that god of yours. He’s done well by you so far. I will take you to the arena. You will never find your way through the streets without me.”
They left the fane. Aylaen was already on her horse, waiting with Keeper, who said he had handed the women safely over to one of the Temple guards.
Acronis lifted his head, breathed deeply of the night air. He did not know how many breaths he had left, but it didn’t matter. All his life, he had been bound like a slave to something: to ambition, to politics, to wealth. Everything was gone. He had given it all away. He felt now as he felt sometimes upon his ship when he walked the deck in the moonlight and saw nothing around him but the vast dark sea and the vast dark sky and the stars that sparkled like the scales of a dragon.
He had seen the face of a goddess.
He could not wait to tell Chloe!
CHAPTER
15
* * *
BOOK THREE
Treia stood in the center of the arena near the sacred fire pit, holding the Vektia spiritbone. Sliver moonlight