Treasures of Fantasy - Margaret Weis [180]
“You’ve got a cracked skull,” said Skylan. “Come on, I’ll take you down to the hold. We can’t have anything happening to you, my friend. You are going to buy us safe passage through the ogre fleet.”
Keeper grunted in understanding. He started to insist that he was fine, but when he stood up, he keeled over backward. Erdmun and Skylan caught him and between them they managed to help the ogre down the ladder.
Aylaen had brought her sister into the hold as well. Treia sat huddled on a sea chest, wrapped in blankets, staring at nothing. Water sloshed about the deck. Aylaen sat beside her, chafing her cold hands and talking to her reassuringly.
“It wasn’t your fault, Treia,” Aylaen was saying. “You couldn’t know what would happen when you summoned the dragon. You must have all five of the Vektan dragons in order to control them. That is the secret of the Vektia. You couldn’t know.”
Skylan felt a chill of foreboding. He wished Aylaen hadn’t told Treia the secret. She didn’t seem to have heard, however. Her eyes were dull and lifeless. Aylaen wrapped another blanket around her sister and began to rock her like a child.
Keeper sat down with a groan on a sea chest and lowered his throbbing head into his hands. Skylan was about to leave when Wulfe appeared from nowhere and flung himself on Skylan with a glad cry.
“The dragon is upset,” said Wulfe. “That’s why he left. I know why—”
Sigurd began bellowing from the deck, shouting for Skylan. He extricated himself from Wulfe’s grasp.
“Stay down here out of the way. Aylaen, see to Keeper. He’s the one who needs your help.”
Returning to the deck, Skylan saw a fearful sight. The Vektan dragon was right behind them, flying down the river, rushing at them. The water beneath its fire-lit belly foamed and churned and boiled.
“Why is it chasing us?” Bjorn cried.
Skylan put his hand to the golden necklace.
“Because I have its spiritbone.”
He yelled for Aylaen. She hastened onto the deck. Seeing the dragon and the thundering wall of water bearing down on them, she stopped to stare in horror. Skylan fought his way forward, buffeted by the wind. He thrust the spiritbone of the Vektia into Aylaen’s hands.
“Talk to the Dragon Kahg! He’s the only one who can save us!” Skylan yelled over the howling shrieking of the wind and the near-constant thunder.
Aylaen looked up at the dragon, then she shook her head.
“He cannot stop the Vektia.” Aylaen had to grab on to Skylan to keep from being blown over. “It’s not a true dragon.”
Aylaen looked into the dragon’s eyes. The fire of his gaze seemed to ignite her red hair, surround her with flame.
“Aylaen!” Skylan cried, shaking her.
But she was far away from him and could not hear.
CHAPTER
21
* * *
BOOK THREE
Aylaen walked the battlements of Torval’s Hall. Her boots crunched on snow that was churned and dirty and stained with blood. The wind blew cold and fierce, stinging her cheeks and freezing her breath. She was dressed warmly in a fur cloak with a hood and thick wool gloves. She wrapped the cloak more closely about her.
She looked out over the battlements onto a vast, frozen landscape of ice and snow. The sky was a brilliant, aching blue. The sun was so bright it hurt her eyes, but it gave no warmth.
Torval, leaning against the battlements, stared out over the silent land. His spear rested against the wall. His shield stood beside him. His sword was in its fur-lined sheath. Some distance from him, Hevis and Joabis squatted in the snow, playing with dice made of walrus tusks.
Vindrash stood near Torval. She was clad in armor and fur and she looked at Aylaen and then looked away, back out over the frozen fields and plains to the distant mountains beyond.
“Is the fighting over?” Aylaen asked.
“For the moment,” said Torval. “Our enemies have been forced to retreat.”
“Thanks to me,” said Hevis, tossing the dice. “I win.”
Joabis swore and threw down a handful of jewels. Hevis gathered them up and stuffed them in a pouch.
“You won by revealing our secret to our enemies!” Torval said angrily.