Dragons In The Stars Part 21

The air erupted with a thunderous commotion as the dragons reacted to her cry. They flew one way and another around the riggers, rumbling and billowing fire. Jael sensed Ar's alarm. Ed was beside himself, squawking,Graggons, graggons! Jael was speechless; this was hardly what she'd been expecting. The dragons, too many and too fast to follow, swarmed closer and closer, filling the air with smoke and fire.

She remembered now that this was how it had happened the first time, until she'd made peace with Highwing. Perhaps she could make peace again.

Please!she shouted.We want to talk to you!A gnarled-faced dragon wheeled around from the front. Jael started to speak - but a billow of flame and sparks erupted in her face and a voice rumbled in her mind,DO YOU THINK TO MEDDLE AGAIN IN THIS PLACE, RIGGER? The dragon sheared away, rocking the net with turbulence. Jael gasped, struggling to maintain control.

No!she yelled.Ar, be ready for a fight! Fireproof us! Ed, stay behind me and be still!

As he a.s.sisted Jael in strengthening the bubble of the net that surrounded them, Ar asked worriedly,Jael, what's going on? Are these real, or are they from your memory?

Were they real? she thought in anguish. Of course they were! And yet - she remembered her false image of Mogurn, and just for an instant, doubted. Could this all be a manifestation of her own fears?

Highwing? she cried out desperately, hoping to drive fear from her thoughts.

Another blast of flame splashed over the net, and a great dark shape rocked them as it flew past.Begone!

it snorted contemptuously.

Or do you think yourself a guest here?laughed another, pa.s.sing just as close.

Fear began to give way to anger.We are here to see Highwing! she shouted, as Ar strained to hold the net firm. She was well aware of their reduced strength in the net and had no idea how long they could survive a real attack.

A new voice seemed to echo from the cliffs.IF YOU HAVE COME TO SPEAK THAT ACCURSED NAME, THEN YOU TOO WILL DIE!.

Jael s.h.i.+vered, and following Ar's push on the stern-position, helped him veer away from two dragons that were rising from below. The creatures shot upward, past them, a.s.seneca rolled into a dive. Flames blossomed around them, but only for an instant.Jael, we have to know! Ar shouted.Is this real or isn't it?

REEEL! IT'S REEEL!Ed shrieked, taking flight over their heads.TERRIBLE! TERRIBLE! FLY AWAY!

FLY AWAY!.

Ed, stay down, d.a.m.n it!Jael shouted.Yes, it's real! I don't know what's wrong! She did not dare cry out for Highwing again. The best thing she could do was to get them out of here. But how? Above them soared a sky fall of dragons. The horizon offered only barren peaks where they would be as vulnerable as lambs. Below them loomed cliffs and jagged slopes, and they were moving too fast to spy a hiding place, even if one existed.

I'm changing the image,Ar said, and Jael offered no objection. She felt a moment of lightheadedness, and her vision blurred perilously - they were too d.a.m.ned close to those rocks now!

She heard a squawk.That way! That way! Hrawwwk!

Ed flew down toward the rocks, and the landscape s.h.i.+mmered and became solid again, unaltered.It won't change, Ar said, and his voice was calm, but tinged with fear.

No, Jael whispered.This is the landscape that is. But if we can't change it, we can change ourselves instead! She swallowed and looked up, where the dragons were circling - and saw them peeling off one by one to dive for the attack.We've got to make ourselves smaller, and find a place to hide.

This way!Ed screamed, batting back up toward them and spinning in midair to dive again.Jael didn't hesitate, and Ar was right behind her. They wrapped the net tightly around themselves; the three of them andSeneca became as one - a hawk speeding toward a crevice in the nearby cliff. The parrot led the way flawlessly; he was terrified, but his keen eyes brought them directly into the narrow opening. The cliff seemed to swallow them, as a splash of flame seared their tail.

An angry dragon raked at the outside of the crevice with its claws.IF YOU WOULD BE OUR GUEST, THEN COME WITH US! it bellowed raucously, its voice reverberating through the stone. But they were out of reach now, in a narrow cave that seemed to extend far back into the mountain.

They sped onward, transforming themselves into a bat, seeking the deepest recesses of the cavern. Was there an end to this cave, this fracture in the mountain? Jael couldn't tell. Ed urged them onward into the darkness. A stream of dank air flowed past, chilling Jael to the bone.

Eventually they slowed, to rest and gather their wits. Jael, trembling, whispered silently to herself: Highwing are you here? Are you anywhere? And to Ar:Maybe we can go all the way through to the other side of the mountain, and then we can ... and she ran out of words, because in fact she had absolutely no idea what they could do, even if they succeeded in pa.s.sing through the mountain.

Ar was very close to her in the net, his voice calming.They knew Highwing's name, Jael! They knew it. But they hated it. Why?

Yes - why? she thought. She had reacted with such alarm to the immediate peril that she had not focused on what the dragons had said:You too will die....

My G.o.d,she whispered. Had Highwing died, then - killed by his own kind? Or were they threatening to kill him?Ar, if those were enemies of Highwing ... if it was something that I did ...

She hesitated, feeling a terrible dread. She remembered suddenly the moment in which she had given Highwing her name, and the tremors that had shaken the mountains in response. She felt as though those tremors were echoing inside her right now. She remembered that Highwing had said there would be trouble because of what he had done, in befriending her. If he was in danger now because of her ...Ar, is it possible - do you think there is any way that we could -? Her voice caught, and she couldn't finish the question. But she knew this: if Highwing was in danger, she could not just leave and pretend she hadn't known.

It was obvious that Ar understood her intent.Jael, what could we possibly do to help your friend?

We're in terrible danger ourselves. And we don't even know where he is.

Their eyes met in the gloom of the net. Jael wished she could somehow will him to understand how deeply her heart went out to Highwing, and how much she would risk for the friend who had helped her so. But she could find no words.

They were gliding slowly through the darkness, twisting and turning to follow the narrow pa.s.sage. She could sense the stone pa.s.sing close by on either side of them, and was grateful for Ed's sharp eyes and instincts. The parrot was completely absorbed in finding a way through this labyrinth of darkness. They pa.s.sed a patch of wall that glowed dimly, perhaps from phosph.o.r.escent lichen or moss. It was an eerie sight, and she s.h.i.+vered as she turned to watch the ghostly light disappearing behind them.I know we're in danger, she said finally, her voice echoing softly.But I owe him, Ar. More than I can say. If there's any way I can help him, I have to try.

When Ar didn't answer immediately, she took his silence as deliberation. There was a change in him, and she thought she knew what it was. It was that he believed her now. He had seen the dragons, seen their fury - not as a tale, but as reality. And he wanted to get away from it; he didn't like the dragon reality,didn't like it at all. But now, it seemed, they would have to make some choices. And her choices might not be the same as his.

She had no idea how far they had traveled through the body of the mountain, when Ed squawked, fluttering his wings,Aarrk. Coming out, coming out.

Jael peered ahead, and indeed there was a vague lessening of the darkness, and a fresher smell to the air.

But would dragons be waiting for them on the outside?We must be very careful coming out. I suggest we stay small, until we know we are in the clear. Ar didn't answer, and she a.s.sumed control as they neared the exit point. The rocks widened, became a gloomy cave, slowly brightening. They were still in the form of a bat, quick and maneuverable in flight.

They emerged from the mountain, gulping in the fresh air, then began a slow, zigzagging flight. They searched the sky in all directions; there were no dragons visible, or anything else living. A smoky red sun was going down behind a line of mountains to their left. They had emerged, apparently, deep within the range. Which way should they go? Toward the sun? That might take them out of the range, Jael thought, out of the dragon realm altogether. She wasn't sure. She hesitated, thinking of Highwing. Peering to the right, she saw nothing in particular, but felt something, a small familiar twinge. She turned that way, on a heading that would take them even deeper into the mountains. Ar followed silently.

I wish I knew what was happening here,Jael muttered, as they sailed slowly through an evening gathering into night, guided only by starlight and by intuition.I wish I knew what was wrong.

Ar's voice betrayed his tension.One thing I know is that we don't belong in this place. It's not our territory, Jael. And what about our s.h.i.+p? We're responsible for the vessel, you know.

She nodded, but had no answer. She knew that Ar's fear was intensified by his newly shaken a.s.sumptions about reality. At least that was what she told herself. Maybe she was endangering her crewmates and s.h.i.+p by proceeding on this heading, but she didn't know that for sure, and she didn't want to think about it. Her concern now was for Highwing. She felt certain that he must be in some terrible danger, that nothing else would have kept him from coming to her. She refused to consider the possibility that he might be dead. And if he was alive, she was determined to find him.

But how? She was afraid to call out again. Something about this place felt fundamentally wrong; she could not tell exactly what, but something in her heart, some intuition told her that this place had somehow been twisted andmade wrong. It was not just the behavior of the dragons. She felt it in the air, in the darkness, even in the starlight reflecting off the mountains, and in the clouds scooting overhead; something was not right here. Ed seemed to sense it as well; he seemed quiet but skittish, as though he were expecting sudden disaster. She remembered the dragon magic that Highwing had once shared with her. Now, she thought she sensed another magic, similar in its power maybe, but dark and brooding, a power that did not approve of her presence here. She felt that they were being watched as they flew through these night-shrouded mountains, and she did not like her feeling of what might be watching them.

Highwing would know what to make of it, if he were here. If he could hear her call.Highwing, she whispered, almost silently.Friend of Highwing. And she swallowed, afraid that even that soft murmur would attract the wrong sort of attention.

A ma.s.sive peak loomed off to the left. Ahead and to starboard, a ridge of peaks seemed to stretch out forever. Ar was humming softly as he steered, wielding the tiller of a sailing s.h.i.+p at sea - a sea of air - riding what breeze there was, as Jael smelled and evaluated the air. Ed was perched beside her, turning his head alertly.Smell something, Ed?

The parrot made a guttural sound, then said distinctly but softly,Lizards. Graggons. Nearby.Jael felt a chill of fear ... and hope.Do you know ... can you sense ... whether they are friendly or not?

Hraww. Nope.The parrot lifted his beak.Smell them. Close.

Jael sensed Ar taking a deep breath, then settling back. He was no longer humming. He was afraid, she knew - terribly afraid of what she was getting them into. Nevertheless, he was willing to follow.

Whatever she did now ... she was responsible for his life and Ed's, as well as her own. She drew a breath and said, raising her voice just above a whisper,I am Jael, friend of Highwing. Who knows where is Highwing?

The night answered with utter silence.

The dragons came in silence, as well. Ed make a choking sound, and an instant later, Jael saw starlight reflected in the eyes of a great winged serpent as it swept across their bow, shaking them violently. Jael helped Ar to steady the s.h.i.+p, and as she did so, she heard a voice like thunder, calling, DI-I-I-I-I-E-E-E ... LIKE HIM-M-M ....

She could not see their foe, or foes, in the night. But she heard a scream of rage - and she and Ar, terrified, drew the net in tight - as a blast of fire lifted them and hurled them downwind.Ar, hold on! I AM A FRIEND OF HIGHWING! she bellowed, knowing that it was stupid and futile.

A dragon shot past, its wingtip catching them and flipping them into a dive, its own body illuminated by a glow of dragon fire.AWAY, BROTHER! Jael heard, as another dragon thundered past, raking the first with flame. She and Ar struggled to pull out of the dive, cursing the sluggishness of the damaged net; and only after they were level again did it register in her mind that she had seen one dragon attacking another!

She turned to look. A pair of gleaming dragon eyes was bearing down on them from above and behind.

What do you want? she screamed, ashamed of the fear in her voice, but unable to keep it out.

There was no answer; there was only a dark, reeking wing blotting out the night and enveloping them, with a control so total that there was no hope of escape. Then a voice roared,I CLAIM THESE RIGGERS AS MINE! And in reply, there were loud blasts of fury; but Jael, barely able to see beyond the dragon's wing, thought that she sensed the other creatures veering away, leaving them uncontested to their captor.

She and Ar struggled to free themselves. She felt a flash of hope as the wing opened and the night air washed over them, but the hope vanished again as the dragon caught them with its powerful talons. Jael grunted as the net absorbed the force, and she felt a woolly darkness growing around her as the dragon did something to the s.p.a.ce surrounding her.

As she lost sight of the mountains and the night, she heard a dragon's throaty voice murmur,Why do you call out to my father, you foolish riggers?

Twenty-five.

Windrush.

They flew on in silence for a time, until Jael recovered her senses.What did you say? Are you ... is Highwing your father? She felt Ar close to her and Ed trembling nervously under her arm, and the air rus.h.i.+ng past, but she could not see where they were going. She was trying hard not to be afraid.The dragon's voice answered throatily,That depends, I would say.

Depends? On what?she whispered.

On who and what you really are, rigger-demon. I am not so eager to give even my father's name without knowing - Jael interrupted the dragon, her voice almost failing.I am Jael, friend of Highwing!

The air trembled suddenly, and the curious darkness that had enveloped them fell away. Once more the mountains were visible in the night, beyond the great set of claws that imprisoned them high in the air.

Overhead, the dragon's wings beat steadily. The dragon bent its head down to angle a look at them with one green eye.I see. It raised its head again and snorted sparks into the air.Then, Jael, it rumbled softly,I am Windrush, Son of Highwing, and I am grieved and honored to meet you. I shall allow you to see where we are bound.

Windrus.h.!.+Jael cried, recognizing a part of Highwing's own name.

Quiet! Do not shout my name, or my father's name, again! Nor, if you are wise, your own name.

Jael drew a breath and asked softly.Why? What is happening? Where is your father?

In answer, she heard a soft murmur that was almost like a chuckle, but it seemed to carry no amus.e.m.e.nt, only sadness. Finally the dragon answered.In time, rigger. In due time, we may speak of that. But first we must reach a place of safety.

We can fly,Jael said.

No. I will bear you. It is safer that way. And I sense, rigger, that you are hampered. Your strength is not all that it might be.The dragon beat his wings harder, gaining alt.i.tude.Rest and conserve yourself, and later we will talk about what will become of us. He was silent again for a moment, before adding,And perhaps, in time, I will learn the names of your companions, as well. But until then - My name is Ar,the Clendornan interrupted, in a low voice.And this is our parrot - Rawk! Ed! My name Ed!

The dragon peered back down in surprise, losing some alt.i.tude as he craned his neck. His eyes glowed briefly.So, he said finally, working to regain the lost alt.i.tude.You are indeed a strange and impulsive breed, you riggers. So quickly you decide. So quickly. Do you not know that the giving of your name can open you to your enemies as well as to your friends? He flew in silence for a few moments.

I suppose I must follow in my father's error. I can Windrush. Honored and grieved. I had hoped - frankly - that you would not return to this realm, rigger-called-Jael. Why are you here?

We arrived by accident, as a matter of fact,Ar answered.

Accident!the dragon exclaimed, snorting sparks.It must have been some accident to bring you here at such a time as this. Some accident, indeed!

Why?Jael asked softly.What danger is your father in? Everything seems different to me here. What is happening?

The dragon's wings beat the air, making a sound like a sail flapping in a changing breeze.These are darktimes, riggers, he said, after a pause.You come here at great peril to yourselves.

I can see that. But I had thought, as Highwing's friend, that I would receive a better welcome.

The dragon snorted.Did you now? I trust that you have come to understand otherwise. Jael swallowed and nodded. Still, the dragon sighed,I must recognize your friends.h.i.+p with my father.

We, too, recognize her commitment to Highwing,Ar said. His voice trembled only a little as he addressed the dragon.

I see. Admirable of you. I know of Jael's vow - but not of yours, however. I think for now I must blind you to our course. Perhaps all will be made clear later.

Before any of them could reply, an airborne darkness curled in like streaming ink and surrounded Ar and Ed. And Jael, discomfited, was left alone with the dragon - alone, except for the faint rustling of the parrot's wings in the region of darkness.

The aerie was high in the mountains, well hidden within a labyrinth of ridges and outcroppings. Jael had stayed in the net with Windrush, rather than withdrawing into the s.h.i.+p where she might speak to her rigger companions. She had thought it best to watch the route that Windrush was flying, in the event that she had to retrace it without the dragon's help. However, she'd long since lost track of the twists and turns.

They did not speak again until the dragon came to a landing. Wings flapping vigorously, he first released Jael and the inky cloud containing her friends onto a narrow outcropping. Then he himself alighted, gripping the rock with his talons. The dragon was enormous, perched beside Jael.Can you continue on foot? he asked, peering down at her.Will your s.h.i.+p - is that what you call it? - allow that? His gaze s.h.i.+fted to the ghostly shadow of the s.h.i.+p that trailed behind her, only dimly perceptible in the night.

Jael nodded and made the s.h.i.+p disappear.What about Ar and Ed?

The dragon made atsk ing sound as he peered at the cliff face above them. Smoke issued from his nostrils, and a rumble from his throat. Jael started. There was now a large opening in the rock wall, where before there had been none. The night air s.h.i.+mmered, and Ar stood beside her while Ed fluttered in the air. The parrot made a grab for her shoulder.Glizzard! he scolded.Graggon tricks! Yaww!

Dragon,Jael corrected gently.Hush, now, Ed. We're entering the dragon's lair, and you must be respectful of his ways. And of his magic. She turned to Windrush, who issued a thin stream of smoke into the cave, as though to usher them in. Jael drew an uneasy breath and walked into the side of the mountain.

The stone pa.s.sageway that she had somehow been expecting wasn't there. Instead, they stepped directly into a mammoth cavern, which was dimly illumined by the glow of burning embers. Drawn instinctively toward the fire, they approached a stone hearth at the end of the cavern, followed by the hissing dragon.

Their footsteps echoed hollowly. Jael stood before the hearth, marveling at the firelight that seemed to issue from a silently burning bush. She tipped her head back, peering upward. The s.h.i.+fting fireglow was so dim, and the cavern vault so high, that the ceiling was impossible to see clearly. Ar, beside her, gazed around with eyes that sparkled purplish red. She touched his arm, wanting to say something encouraging, but not sure just what. She let her hand drop and turned to Windrush.

The dragon, more in the manner of an enormous dog than of a serpent, had curled up to make himself comfortable on the floor of the cavern. He gazed at them with eyes that, like Ar's, caught the glow of the hearth; but the dragon's eyes were far larger and more luminous, a deep emerald green like Highwing's.

Jael approached the dragon to speak, but found herself captivated by something that seemed to dancewithin those eyes. There was an entrancing play of light within them, a cool, faceted fire that was more than just light. It occurred to her how much like Highwing's eyes they were - powerful and spellbinding.

She had intended to ask again what had happened to Highwing, but it was too late to speak now, too late to stop whatever Windrush was doing to her with his eyes. You fool, she thought. You should have expected it.

The dragon's gaze was a bottomless well. She was already submerged in it, sinking deeper into the faceted fire, losing her awareness of self, drawn into the abyss of light by a consciousness that was reaching out to touch hers. And now it was drawing her into itself, as irresistibly as another dragon had, once before. And now it was studying her, observing what it was she wanted so deeply, why she was here, and showing her why that could not be, could never be....

When Jael jerked herself back to a confused awareness, she stepped back involuntarily on the cold stone floor and stared at the dragon in disbelief. Her mind was full of images she did not understand: visions of a dark enchantment across the land; of a great mountain that could not be found, and of the s.h.i.+mmering crystalline beings who lived in it; visions of warfare and strife among dragons; and of one particular dragon persecuted above all, one dragon held prisoner by an angry army of his own kind. She had not been shown that dragon's face, but a tight knot in her chest suggested who it was.

She shuddered, twisting away from the luminous eyes, from the smoldering nostrils.You did not know of these things, Windrush hissed, sounding surprised.

Oh, Highwing!Jael whispered to herself. And to Windrush,How could I have known? She turned to Ar, who was watching their exchange in bewilderment. She wanted to explain, but her thoughts were churning, so confused that she didn't know what to say. Finally she turned back to the dragon.Is all this -all that you've shown me - and her voice stumbled, because there was so much that she didn't understand -is all this true? Has it really happened?

The dragon's voice rumbled, not just with sorrow, but with anger.Do you think I create such images in my imagination? I am no rigger to create demon visions! His nostrils steamed as he turned his gaze away.Forgive me. I should not have used that word, "demon." I have known of you, rigger Jael!

His gaze turned back, and it was full of fire.I have known, of you! My father made known to me his friends.h.i.+p with you. And I have wondered ever since whether to hate you for my father's suffering!

But why!she cried.Why has he suffered because of me? She could still see the image that Windrush had put into her mind moments ago: an image of a lone dragon imprisoned by sorcery in a chamber of stone, imprisoned with no appeal, no mercy, no hope of escape. The image tore at her heart.