smart as an earth-dragon. Sun-dragons might be as smart as the humans, but they're also bullies. They're used to winning fights due to their size, but if a few of them get hurt, the rest turn tail and run. They don't know the first thing about real courage-and next to nothing about strategy-because they don't need it. When evolution has left you with the deadliest jaws in the food chain, you get used to solving all your problems with your teeth. We sky-dragons are made of different stuff. Our brains might be half the size of sun-dragons, but we actually bother to use them. We study the world. We learn things. Brute force failed to break the rebellion at Dragon Forge. It's time for a more thoughtful approach.'
'You have a plan in mind?'
'The rough outlines of one, yes,' said Vulpine. 'This isn't something we're going to be able to do alone, however. We should go consult with Chapelion.'
'So it's back to the College of Spires.'
'No,' said Vulpine. 'To the Grand Library of the High Biologian. That's where Chapelion will be by now. He's bringing some order to this chaos.'
'How?'
Vulpine ignored him. 'Our second priority should be reconnaissance. Let's study the area and gather the information we'll need to solve this problem once and for all. They say the new bows can reach out up to a mile… but there's a lot we can learn from over a mile away.'
Balikan looked puzzled. 'Our second priority? What's our first?'
Vulpine looked down at the bodies of the three slavecatchers. 'We should build a pyre and cremate the remains of our brethren. I've known Zernex almost thirty years. He deserves a more noble end than to be pecked apart by buzzards.'
'Of course,' said Balikan, sounding embarrassed that this had required explanation. 'What of the slaves?'
Vulpine shrugged. 'Let the birds have their fill.'
CHAPTER THREE:
THE CITY AS A HEART
JANDRA LOOKED DOWN at her notes on the thick oak table beside her. 'Unlatch safety,' was underlined. 'One second delay between spark and shot,' was underlined twice. 'Keep butt of gun against shoulder,' had four thick lines beneath it.
She looked back across the spacious loft at the target, a round wooden shield balanced atop a stool about fifty feet away, with a feather mattress behind it, and a thick brick wall behind that. She braced herself as she aimed, gritting her teeth as she pressed the butt of the weapon firmly against her bruised shoulder. She pulled the trigger. There was a flash, a hiss, a curl of peppery smoke, then BOOM. The force rattled every bone in her body, but she kept her balance. A cloud of thick white smoke in front of her hid the target for a few seconds. When it dispersed, she found the target gone, reduced to splinters jutting from the feather mattress. A few puffs of down floated in the air.
'Bull's eye,' said Burke. 'That's how it's supposed to work.'
Anza had her fingers in her ears. Her nose wrinkled as the acrid smoke reached her.
'Does it have to be so loud?' Jandra asked.
'Yes,' said Burke. 'The cannon I'm building will be even louder. It's the sound of the future, girl. Get used to it.'
Jandra tried reloading the weapon the way Burke had shown her, stuffing the wad of powder-filled cotton down the barrel with the ram-rod, then stuffing the shot bag in with it. She tapped some fresh powder into the flash pan, and inserted a new fuse.
'This isn't exactly a fast weapon to reload,' said Jandra.
'I'm still working on a percussion-activated cartridge,' said Burke. 'In the Human Age, guns took centuries to refine. I had a week.'
'I wasn't criticizing your work.'
Burke sighed. 'Sorry if I'm defensive. I've had almost no sleep. It's got me on edge.'
'Is your leg keeping you awake?'
'That's part of it. The bigger part is trying to keep this town running. Ragnar's management skills are somewhat lacking. He had no plans for securing resources like food and water, let alone coal and ore. We've had some lucky breaks so far, but it's only a matter of time before the dragons reorganize and set up a blockade. It's what I would do. Holding onto the town isn't enough. We have to be able to project force.'
Anza set up a new target, the top of a crate on which the crude outline of an earth-dragon had been drawn. Jandra looked toward the fireplace, where Lizard, the earth-dragon child, sat on the hearth, staring at the flames. The scales on his back shifted slowly through shades of dull orange and red. If Lizard had been frightened by the rifle shot, he didn't show it. She wondered if he'd even recognize the outline on the board. Once Anza was clear, Jandra pulled the trigger again. She clenched her jaw as the fuse sizzled… BLAM! Her shoulder felt bruised down to the bone. Again, though, she was pleased with the results. The target was shredded.
'Okay,' Jandra said, lowering the gun. 'This gives me the firepower I need if I get into a bad spot. And, I still have this if I need to turn invisible.' She raised her left arm, sporting the silver bracelet, the ring of invisibility she'd created for her sun-dragon friend Hex. Her former friend, to be exact, now that Hex had stolen her genie, the source of her powers. Jandra had charged the bracelet with enough reflective nanites to work a half-dozen times. Hex had used it once, to her knowledge, meaning she had five chances to vanish from sight if needed.
Burke said, 'Anza will be along to help remove obstacles. I'm also sending Vance.'
'Vance?' Jandra asked. Anza glanced up from the stack of targets, looking as if she, too, was surprised by this news. 'The short guy with the bad mustache? Why him?'
'He's the best archer we have with a sky-wall bow,' said Burke. 'Also, I like him. He's got a good heart. I trust him.'
Anza made a flurry of hand signals toward her father. Burke frowned. 'How can you say he's just a kid? I think he's the same age you are. He's definitely older than Jandra. He's going. I don't have the energy to discuss it further.'
Anza scowled. Though Anza's feelings were easy to interpret at the moment, Jandra worried more about Anza as a companion than Vance. Anza didn't speak, and Jandra didn't understand her hand signals. Without Burke around to translate, she was worried about how they were supposed to communicate. Jandra was also worried about Burke's health. He was sweating despite the frigid drafts that cut through the loft. If she still had her powers, healing his leg would be a simple matter. She was frustrated that he had to be in such pain.
There was a knock on the floor. The trap door swung open, revealing the bald pate of Burke's chief foreman, a portly fellow everyone called Biscuit. 'I know you said no visitors, Burke, but I think you're gonna want to talk to this guy. He says he's an escaped slave from the College of Spires. Used to work for Chapelion himself.'
Burke raised an eyebrow. 'Of course. Bring him up.'
The man who followed Biscuit up through the trap door was dressed in a fine red coat with shiny metal buttons. The coat was mud-flecked and covered with brambles and small rips. Despite the poor state of the coat, it reminded Jandra of the finery she used to have access to growing up in the palace. Unlike many of the rough, rugged rebels who populated Dragon Forge, the new arrival looked as if he had at least a passing familiarity with soap. His bright orange hair was pulled back into a short braid with a black ribbon. He was young, in his early twenties perhaps, quite tall despite his atrocious posture, and too thin for his height. His face had a slightly feminine quality, perhaps due to the unusual fullness of his lips; his cheeks were dotted with freckles.
The new arrival cleared his throat. 'You must be Kanati,' he said, addressing Burke. 'My name is Shay. I can't believe I've actually found you.'
'Nobody calls me Kanati anymore,' said Burke. 'I left that name behind when I fled Conyers. I don't miss it. Call me Burke.'
'By whatever name, it's an honor, sir,' Shay said, crossing the room and extending his hand. Burke reached out and grasped it, giving it a good shake. 'Chapelion wrote the history of the battle of Conyers. Even though Chapelion
