Edit May 2010: FFN decided to eat all the scene dividers so I'm having to go back and add them all in again. I'm also removing the review responses. NOTHING ELSE HAS BEEN ALTERED; if you've read this story before, you don't need to read it again (although you're more than welcome to).
A few people have commented on the parallels between the dragons and some of the Tortallans; it's interesting, isn't it? I never picked up on it from reading the books, but when I was rewriting that scene and really paid attention to what was being said, why, and how, it struck me all of a sudden. I wonder if it was deliberate?
This chapter is shorter, I'm afraid, because the next part hasn't been written yet.
Numair was relieved to see that Daine appeared unhurt, despite Rainbow's reassurances that she was fine, and tried to keep the smile from his face as she blinked dizzily at him. "What happened?"
Rainbow gently nudged Scamp to one side and loomed over them. –Forgive my lack of precision in grabbing you out of harm's way, Godborn. I allowed Jewelclaw to upset me. What you felt was dragon magic, nothing more.–
"I'm glad it was nothing more," Daine replied vaguely. "Think how upsetting it might be to be squeezed from a shape – like milk from a teat – by something big."
"Is she all right?" Numair asked Diamondflame, twisting to look up at the blue dragon, his words part irony and part genuine concern. "Not – damaged?" There was no point asking Daine herself; she'd insist she was fine no matter what.
–She seems well enough now,– Diamondflame replied.
"You don't know her as I do," Numair said wryly. "She's never this philosophical about surprises." He saw the faint gleam of humour in her face as he looked back at her and smiled slightly in response as Rainbow reached out a careful paw to help her sit up.
"Where'd everybody go?" she asked, looking around the amphitheatre.
–Where they would have been if Moonwind and her Separatists had not chosen to meddle in business that was not theirs,– Diamondflame said cuttingly. –They have gone home. Ancestor Rainbow ruled that your visit, concerned as it was with returning to my grandchild, was a matter for my clan alone.–
Some of them needed a little persuading first, though, Numair added silently. He'd faced down two dragons and survived. That was a feat he had never heard of anyone else achieving. And he'd done it here, where everything up to and including the plants was more powerful than he was. All in all, he was feeling relatively pleased with himself at the moment, although it wasn't likely that anyone was actually going to believe him.
Daine braced herself, and Numair moved forward to help her stand, leaving his arm around her shoulders and hugging her loosely to him as they turned to face Diamondflame, who reared to look around the arena at the remaining dragons. –Who will help me convey these mortals out of the Dragonlands?–
The group of young dragons that had initially escorted them here had remained surprisingly silent until now, watching everything with wide eyes; at Diamondflame's question, they all instantly began shouting and pushing forward. The blue dragon silenced them with a glare. –Those of you who can fly are too small. The rest of you cannot fly at all – and fly we must. You will stay here, and mind Ancestor Rainbow.–
The disappointment in their faces was unmistakeable; Numair and Daine exchanged glances, smiling, as Scamp muttered, –We never do anything interesting.–
–I will come with you,– a new voice said. The owner of the voice was a female dragon only a little smaller than Moonwind, whose scales were grey and gold; she walked over to them. –I am Wingstar. Your Skysong is my grandchild. The least I can do is bring her humans back to her.–
Numair was amused to be described as Kitten's human. Then again, he strongly suspected that Kit herself would agree with that description. Queenclaw had been right, the dragons were worse than cats in a number of ways.
–Climb onto us,– Diamondflame said crisply. –I believe the Dragonmeet is done.– The other dragons who had stayed to watch were now leaving. The two humans stayed still along enough to be rejoined by the darkings; Jelly slid inside Numair's shirt rapidly enough that it clearly hadn't liked being in the Dragonlands very much, although Leaf seemed to be enjoying itself.
–I will take you, Weiryn's daughter,– Wingstar told Daine, crouching. –You do not appear to have so many bony angles to you.– Numair rolled his eyes; Wingstar had fifty feet on him. She might have had a point, though; he had lost weight since being here. Daine grinned at him as she scrambled onto the dragon's back; he responded with maturity and dignity by sticking his tongue out at her before turning to pull himself up onto Diamondflame's back and settling himself as best he could. Rainbow handed his staff up to him; after a moment's thought he twisted and pushed it through the straps of his pack. He still wasn't a very good rider; he would definitely need both hands to hold on.
The dragons tensed in readiness, muscles flexing; abruptly Daine cried, "Wait!" When they all stared at her, she explained worriedly, "When we came through last time, we – more me, but both of us for a while – got fair sick. We need to tell you – "
–Nothing,– Diamondflame interrupted, somewhat to Numair's relief since Daine had made an excellent point and one that he himself had forgotten about. The dragon continued, –You were brought here by lesser gods, not by dragons. You will not become ill in the least.– Numair bit his lip to hold back a grin as Daine scowled. –Hold on,– Diamondflame cautioned him, crouching slightly; he obeyed, and felt a jolt as the dragon leaped into the air.
It took Numair less than thirty seconds to decide that this was real flying. He watched as the Dragonlands fell away beneath them with astonishing speed; this beat anything he himself could do as a hawk. He was slightly less enamoured of the experience when they flew into a thick bank of cloud, however; it was cold, and damp. Still, it helped chase away the lingering weariness of his fight and the fact that he hadn't slept since the aftermath of the Stonemaze. "Are you truly Skysong's grandfather?" he asked Diamondflame curiously. "Icefall and some of the other youngsters called you Grandsire, but she explained the actual relationship was more distant."
–Blood ties are important amongst dragons. Icefall and Steelsings are only distant kin to me, but we still acknowledge the relationship. However, Skysong is indeed my grandchild; Flamewing was mine and Wingstar's daughter,– the dragon explained. He added with a touch of humour, –The long life span of a dragon tends to yield some very tangled family trees.–
The dragons broke from the clouds into clear air; the condensation in Numair's clothes and hair promptly froze and turned to ice crystals. Shivering, he looked around, and somehow wasn't very surprised to see a flock of Stormwings waiting for them. Shaking his head wryly, he acknowledged Rikash's mocking grin with an answering smile, and nodded to Barzha and Hebakh.
–You have interesting friends,– Wingstar observed, and he grinned. You have no idea.
"If you don't mind, we will go with you to the mortal realms," Barzha said quietly. All of the Stormwings were carrying an impressive variety of edged weaponry in addition to their glittering feathers. "We have business to settle." Numair glanced at Rikash, who grinned and mouthed, Better late than never.
–I will not wait if you fall behind,– Diamondflame said warningly. The immortals circled and took up their places around the two dragons, save for Rikash, who glided into the space between them.
"Is this wise?" Daine called to him. "Ozorne's folk outnumber you almost four to one."
"Since when are Stormwings wise?" Rikash called back cheerfully as the dragons and their escort spiralled down into the clouds once more. Numair was shivering almost uncontrollably now, but he could still feel a subtle lingering power beginning to slide along his skin; it reminded him of the sensation he had felt when he had used the focus to go to Daine – something he would never have attempted in the mortal realms, and had he been thinking clearly at the time probably wouldn't have risked trying here. Probably. How this spell worked, he had no idea, and sensed he wouldn't understand the explanation, but on the whole he vastly preferred it to how it had felt when Weiryn and Sarra had pulled them through at Midsummer.
The broke through the clouds into glorious sunshine with all of Corus laid out beneath them. It was one of the most beautiful sights Numair had ever seen, and for a moment he was simply drowning in the pleasure and relief of being home at long last. The very air felt different as he inhaled; this was where he belonged, and the profound rightness of it filled him. Only for a moment, before he frowned as his brain caught up; why Corus? As they circled above the palace, he glanced over at Daine and saw her frowning as well, clearly just as puzzled. Raising his voice, he called to Diamondflame, "Why come here? Skysong is at Port Legann!" Or she had been at Midsummer, at any rate; he supposed anything could have happened since they'd left.
–Why are we here?– Wingstar echoed in a dry voice, giving Diamondflame a long look. –You guided us, Diamondflame, and I too thought you would take us to our grandchild. I don't even see an army in this place.–
–The god of the duckmoles is here,– Diamondflame said grimly. –I want to know why.–
–Broad Foot? In this city?– Wingstar asked blankly.
–On the other side of the world from his mortal children,– her mate agreed. –Involving himself in mortal affairs.–
Numair exchanged glances with Daine and wondered if he looked as guilty as she did. Broad Foot had helped them willingly, he reminded himself uneasily; he had only needed a little persuasion. "How do you know all this?" he asked loudly, trying to change the subject.
–I am a dragon,– Diamondflame replied scornfully. –My power tells me a great many things that you are blind and deaf to.– Numair scowled; no, he definitely wasn't going to miss being in the Divine Realms. This was his territory, and here he was back where he belonged near the top of the power structure.
Silver fire glittered in the air, and Broad Foot materialised slowly. His appearance made Daine cry out, "What's happened to you? You look terrible!" Numair agreed, somewhat uneasily.
The god looked amused more than anything, despite his haggard appearance. –I overestimated my ability to contain Malady,– he replied cheerfully, if weakly. –It will not break free of me, but... it fights.– The two mortals exchanged another guilty look.
–This is incredible!– Diamondflame interjected. –What possible interest have you in the affairs of humans?–
Broad Foot snorted contemptuously at him. –Have you dragons shut yourselves off so completely from affairs in the mortal and divine realms? Can you not feel the battle that is raging? Read the Chaos currents around you!–
–Humans and their wars,– Wingstar snapped unconvincingly.
–If she overturns the mortal and divine realms, how long do you think it will be until she turns on the Dragonlands?– the duckmole asked tartly. –You have made them separate from the Divine Realms, but you share a common border with them, and Uusoae is nothing but appetite. Even when fed to gorging, she hungers still.–
The immortals stared at one another for a tense moment. Numair was preoccupied in scanning the distant city below them and wishing vaguely that he had his spyglass – the gods alone knew where that had ended up. "Would you dragons mind setting down for a moment?" he asked. "I would like to know what the situation is here." He had lost track of time in the Divine Realms, but from the feel of the air it was late in the summer now; anything could have happened in the weeks or even months that they had been away.
–And I would like to talk to you, duckmole,– Diamondflame said ominously as the group began to descend. Despite the forbidding tone, the dragon sounded uneasy.
As they drew nearer to the palace, Numair hastily scanned the buildings below him, tracking the magical signatures of all the mages present and looking for anyone he recognised. Most would be with the army, and certainly none of his Gifted friends were here, but... Trying to ignore the catapults currently being aimed at them, he reached for his Gift and framed a speaking spell, spotting a familiar-looking gleam – he could picture the mage, but for the life of him he couldn't remember the man's name. Still, that didn't matter; he opened his hand and began speaking rapidly into the ball of black fire hovering above his palm.
"Call the men off! This is Numair Salmalín; the dragons and the Stormwings are with us! Who's in charge here?"
A shaky reply came through faintly. "Master Salmalín?"
"Yes, you dolt," he snapped. "You know my Gift when you see it. Give the command to stand down before someone does something stupid! The dragons are on our side, but they won't be if you shoot them! Who is in charge?"
"Duke Gareth, but – "
"Tell him Numair Salmalín and Daine Sarrasri are here, and tell him now," Numair said curtly. As they drew closer to the ground, he watched the flurry of activity warily, relieved to note that the soldiers had stopped loading the catapults. Whilst it would have been ironic to make it back home only to be killed by his own side, it was an irony he could well do without.
Diamondflame and Wingstar landed side by side in front of the palace, and two riders emerged from the gate; Numair grinned broadly when he recognised not only Duke Gareth but Buri, and raised a hand to wave, smothering laughter when he realised how this must look to them. What a way to make an entrance!
"They're friends," Daine told Wingstar. Looking over, Numair saw she was grinning as broadly as he was. "It's all right."
–They may well be friends,– the dragon responded dryly, –but do they know that we are?–
Daine dismounted first, jumping easily to the ground. Numair followed suit far less gracefully and jogged after her towards the horses and their riders, still grinning as he saw the sheer disbelief on their faces. He clasped hands with the duke in greeting as the man's warhorse nuzzled Daine.
"I had thought that I was past being shocked by your companions," Duke Gareth said dryly. "Clearly, I was mistaken."
Welcome to my life. "You should have seen where we got them," Numair told him wryly, turning to shake hands with Buri; nobody was going to believe them when they finally got around to telling the story. And he had no intention of telling them everything. Pulling his mind away from that line of thought took all his years of mental discipline, but there wasn't time to stop and think about it all yet. "Where's the queen? For that matter, where's the enemy?" he asked.
"Gone, except for our prisoners," Buri told him, dismounting to hug Daine. "They scrambled out of here half a day before a relieving force from the Yamani Islands came in – just pulled up stakes and vanished."
"We still maintain our forces on alert, however," Gareth added. "Just in case the enemy attempts something crafty." Or in case a couple of lunatics show up on dragons? Numair added silently, smiling as the duke continued, "The army is camped throughout the Royal Forest, and between here and Port Caynn."
"Thayet took a picked force and some mages and went south on some of the Yamani ships," Buri explained. "They're going to try and break the siege at Port Legann."
"There's a relief fleet going there from the Copper Isles!" Daine interjected worriedly, looking at Numair. "They'll be caught betwixt and between!" Numair bit his lip, his thoughts racing as he began hurriedly piecing together just where everybody was at the moment and what needed to be done.
"I'd ask how you know," Buri said slowly, "except anybody can tell you've been strange places."
You have no idea. Numair closed his eyes for a moment, thinking rapidly; when he opened them everyone was looking at him. After the Divine Realms, it felt almost pleasant to be in charge; I really have lost my mind. "We'll have to catch up with Her Majesty, then," he decided, looking at Duke Gareth. "You're certain everything is well here?"
The duke smiled. "Enough that you can go to them. We are well situated. You know that Her Majesty would not have left us vulnerable – "
"No more than she'd go if she thought there was still work to do here," Buri added. That was true enough.
"Will you take us to the queen?" Daine asked the dragons, who had apparently finished their discussion with the duckmole. "They're at sea, on their way to Port Legann."
–The badger and Gold-streak are with them,– Broad Foot added; Numair saw Daine smile.
–We will do more than convey you to her,– Wingstar said unexpectedly. –Broad Foot has told us enough that my mate and I have decided to help you, and our grandchild, fight.–
Numair grinned fiercely at the news; this might just tip the balance. And he really, really wanted to see Ozorne's face when he showed up on the back of an eighty-foot dragon. "Do you think your fellow dragons might be concerned enough about the danger from Uusoae to fight on our side as well?" he asked hopefully, ignoring the confused expressions on the faces of Buri and Duke Gareth.
–If you are prepared to wait a few decades for them to reach the decision,– Diamondflame replied dryly. –That is one reason why few of us will argue with a personal choice. Long lived as we are, we still would die of old age before our peers would agree on anything.–
He winced, recalling the endless arguments of the Dragonmeet far too clearly. "Please, forget I asked."
Barzha spiralled down from the waiting flock of Stormwings, scowling. Buri and Duke Gareth looked even more confused as the Stormwing queen demanded, "Why do you gab here like pigeons? Ozorne is not here. Our people are not here."
–I needed to speak to the duckmole,– Diamondflame informed her coolly.
"You have spoken, have you not?" she shot back. "Then let's find our battle. We didn't come to admire scenery." She took off back to the rest of her flock, and Numair looked back at his friends.
"Time to go, it seems," he remarked.
"All right, but you owe us a story," Buri told him, shaking her head.
"You and everyone else," he replied, turning to haul himself onto Diamondflame's back once more as Daine remounted Wingstar. "It's going to have to wait; we've got a war to end first."
I really dislike this part of this book. It's so disjointed. It's taken me a while to sort out where everyone else is and what happens between this last scene in Corus and the next canon scene outside Legann several days later. The next chapter will be Numair and Daine joining Thayet's attack force, some conversation – although not as much as you might think; you'll see why – an unashamedly sappy farewell or two and the start of Numair's duel with Hadensra. The duel itself is quite long, so it will be split into two parts.
Lots of people have been asking this – no, I will NOT be ending this story in the same way that TP ended RotG. I wouldn't do that to you all. There will be at least a chapter or two past the canon ending, tying up all the loose ends, and there will possibly be some short stories set after that. Possibly.
Today's shameless advertising: sylvanius invited me to a forum she runs onsite, The DN Writer's Faction. Thus far it's not terribly active, but now that the Immortals series has its own category she wants to change that – I figure that if we all head over there it won't stay inactive for long, right? It can be found at fanfiction dot net /forum/The_DN_Writers_Faction/58994/ or if that link hasn't worked, check her profile.
Loten.
