Dragonseed

'We need to go to the mountains,' she said. 'We'll probably never find my old genie. But I know the location of a third one. It's my best hope at regaining my powers.'

Even as she said the words, she questioned their wisdom. They'd buried the goddess's heart-her genie-to ensure that no unseen remnant of her could somehow be revived. Was she really so hungry for power that she was willing to go back and risk the return of the goddess? Was this her idea, or the idea of the unwelcome second passenger in her brain? For an instant, she started to tell the others it was a dumb idea, that they should just return to Dragon Forge and help Burke build guns. But thinking of Burke's broken leg let her remember all the good she could do if she had her powers once more. She had to take the chance. What was there to fear? The goddess was dead. Her body had been burned. Genies responded to a person's thoughts, and thoughts were the product of a brain, and Jazz's brain had been reduced to cinders that had blown off in the breeze. The chances of recovering from that were somewhat remote, thought Jandra.

Anza got up from the bed. She looked toward the door, cocking her head as she held up her hand, motioning the others to stop talking.

'What is-?' Shay began to ask.

Anza gave him a dirty look and drew a finger across her throat. Jandra heard noises in the hall, the sound of armor-clad guards climbing up stone stairs.

'Hurry,' she whispered. 'The invisibility circle is still active. Get to the center of the room. The more open space we keep around us, the easier it will be to evade them.'

A hushed voice murmured beyond the door: 'It's as you said. The door's open.'

A louder voice replied: 'Vulpine's understanding of human motivations is unsurpassed. It's… perhaps motivations isn't the correct word. It implies a higher order of thought for which there is only the faintest evidence in humans. Urges? Desires?'

'Oh no,' said Shay, grabbing Jandra's arm, speaking as softly as he could. 'It's Chapelion!'

'He's not very good at stealth,' whispered Jandra.

'He's half deaf. He probably thinks he's whispering.'

An earth-dragon poked his head into the open doorway, his dull eyes scanning the darkness. Jandra recognized this dragon-it was Ledax. She'd saved his life during the attack of the Sisters of the Serpent, neutralizing a poison in his blood. Of course, he'd been unconscious and she hadn't stuck around to take credit. She couldn't count on his gratitude. Lizard's hind claws sank more firmly into her shoulders as he stared at the adult earth-dragon.

Anza silently drew her sword from its scabbard. With her left hand, she freed a tomahawk from her belt. Jandra reached out and touched her shoulder; Anza looked back. Jandra shook her head. They were still invisible. It wasn't yet time for violence.

'Nobody's here, boss,' said Ledax, looking back into the hallway.

Chapelion said, 'Make certain.'

Ledax entered the room, a battle axe clutched in both hands. Behind him, Jandra heard the shuffling of other guards. It sounded as if a small army was waiting on the steps. Anza crouched lower, ready to spring. Ledax didn't approach the center of the room. Instead he followed the wall, eyeing a slender rope that lead high up into the darkness. It was one of the ropes that held the unlit lanterns. Only, when Jandra looked up into the gloom, she couldn't see any of the lanterns. Instead she saw… what? It was like some sort of grid laid out on the ceiling, millions of small squares covering the entire space.

Suddenly, she knew what she was looking at. Throwing away all hope of stealth, she cried out, 'Stop him!'

It was too late. Ledax swung his axe toward the rope. Sparks flew as it bit into the stone wall, severing the hemp. The frayed end shot upward. Anza leapt as Shay brought his shotgun to his shoulder. Jandra grabbed Lizard and held him to her breast as she curled down to absorb the impact on her back.

The net hit. It was heavy, woven from ropes a half inch thick, in a mesh of three inch squares. The impact caught Anza in mid-leap, and knocked the shotgun from Shay's hands as he pulled the trigger. The gun barked out, spitting fire, sending chips of granite flying as the shot tore into the flagstones.

Jandra calmly stood up, pulling out the knife Burke had given her. The air was full of silver dust. The rush of wind that had accompanied the falling net had disrupted their invisibility, not that it mattered much now. She grabbed the mesh before her as earth-dragons marched into the room, encircling their prisoners. There were at least fifty guards plus another ten sky-dragons. She noted with some surprise that the sky-dragon group was of mixed sex-there were four males from the aerial guard, and five valkyries from the Nest. The sexes rarely mingled among sky-dragons. Stepping in front of all these was an older sky-dragon, a familiar face from many of the formal events at the palace, though she'd never personally met him.

'Chapelion!' Shay cried out, now down on his knees, growing more entangled in the net as he struggled. 'How could you know I'd be here? How?'

'Don't be so egotistical, Shay,' Chapelion said. 'We didn't lay this trap for you. Jandra is the true prize.'

Anza was perfectly still beneath her section of the net. Jandra wondered if the impact had knocked her out. Then, with a barely perceptible motion, Anza carefully cut another of the ropes that entwined her with a knife no longer than her thumb. Frayed ends lay down the entire mid-section of her body.

Jandra decided to make sure the dragons were focused on her instead of Anza.

'You know I'm Jandra, daughter of Vendevorex,' she said, mimicking the deep, theatrical voice that her master used to summon. 'I command the same mystical forces he possessed. Leave if you value your life! This net cannot hold me.'

'Your claims would be more convincing if you weren't still in the net,' said Chapelion. Sky-dragons couldn't smile, but there was a gleam in his eyes that indicated he was pleased with himself. 'If you do possess mystical powers, I invite you to demonstrate them. The slaves whisper that you gain your powers from consorting with demons. I have other, more rational theories. Vulpine delivered a device he took from you, a weapon that an uneducated observer might think of as magic wand. I know it was only a trick of chemistry and metalwork-I've sent it to Bazanel at the College of Spires for analysis. I do not fear your so-called magic.'

Chapelion glanced toward the guards. 'Place manacles on Jandra and Shay. The girl in the buckskins is unimportant. Dispose of her.'

Before the guards could move, Anza leapt to her feet, the sliced ropes falling away from her body. She spun in a graceful circle, her sword extended full length, at throat level for the earth-dragons. She made a noise, the first Jandra had ever heard from Anza's mouth, as she rapidly clicked her tongue against her teeth while sucking in air, 'tk-tk-tk-tk!' The noise was as a chilling as a rattlesnake's warning.

Jandra took inspiration from Anza's dark skin and pitch black hair and the icy menace of her gaze.

'You should have listened to your slaves, Chapelion. I do consort with demons. This one sloughed off your net as if it were water. She can kill your guards before you can blink. Leave this place at once.'

Chapelion stared through his spectacles at Anza. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. Anza met his stare with an unblinking gaze.

'I see moisture upon her neck,' he said. 'Would a demon sweat?'

'How would you know?' asked Jandra.

Chapelion furrowed his brow, contemplating the matter.

Before he could speak, Jandra heard distant shouts from below. Jandra wasn't certain, but it sounded like someone was shouting, 'Fire!'

Chapelion's eyes flickered toward the door, as if he, too, heard the cries.

From outside the tower, there was a strange skittering sound. The noise resembled nothing so much as the scratching of a thousand large squirrels climbing the stone walls. A shadow passed across the high windows as something long and serpentine slithered across one, then another, then another, spreading darkness.

Jandra could sense the panic building among the earth-dragons. With no idea whatsoever what was climbing the walls outside, she decided to bluff: 'Anza isn't the only demon I've summoned tonight.'

Almost as if her words had made it happen, one of the high windows exploded inward, shards of glass flying through the room. Cold night air swirled into the chamber as a human figure appeared in the window. He was mostly in shadow, his body contours partially concealed by a cape. One thing that was easily visible, however, was the bow he held, and the arrow pointed straight at Chapelion's heart.

With a voice a cold as the winter wind, the new arrival said, 'I've set your library on fire, dragon.'

Chapelion chuckled and looked to Jandra. 'I can't help but notice that all your demons look human. This is a rather quaint bluff. I'm more entertained than intimidated, however. Hmm. 'Entertained' isn't quite what I mean.