Sable waited a moment, making a show of looking as if she were considering Blackrose’s words, as the five dragons stared at her. The Quadrant clause was fine; if she truly needed to use it, she would take it and hang the consequences. The gold she had already agreed to deliver, so that was no problem, either. As for the threat regarding her lies, well, all she had to do was make sure she never got caught again.
She bowed her head a fraction. ‘I accept.’
Chapter 17
The Eastern Tower
A lea Tanton, Tordue, Western Khatanax – 29th Luddinch 5252
‘Bloody dragons,’ muttered Arete. ‘I’ll have to go in person.’
‘That seems a little excessive,’ said Leksandr, sipping wine from a tall-stemmed glass. ‘Do we not have several thousand Banner soldiers under our command?’
‘If there were just one case to deal with, then yes, but the rogue beast hiding in the forests of Kinell will also need to be addressed. The authorities in Kin Dai are frothing at the mouth, demanding assistance. Normally, I would ignore the hysterical ravings of mortals, but from the few witnesses who survived the attack on the camp, it appears to have been carried out by the same dragon that was involved with the other in the fighting at Yoneath; a young, silver female. I’ll handle that one first, then proceed to the Catacombs.’
‘When will you be leaving?’ said Belinda.
Arete narrowed her eyes. ‘Immediately. That way, you’ll have less time to warn them.’
‘I have already warned the mortal that I wish to be left unharmed.’
‘Indeed. However, the motley collection of rebels and malcontents do not appear to have heeded your words. They are still there, skulking in their filthy tomb. I entered the mind of a weak, runt dragon named Deepblue, and as far as I can see, the black dragon hates the Holdfast witch, and I’m almost tempted to watch them destroy each other. Were it not for the riots that are consuming the city, I would do just that.’
‘The mortals want their pit dragon back,’ said Leksandr.
‘Yes, but the black-scaled beast shall be gifted to the Bloodflies,’ said Arete, ‘not handed back to the Deadskins. It was Latude’s meddling that caused this situation – one dragon for each team, it’s the only fair solution.’
‘Perhaps we should execute Latude,’ said Leksandr. ‘He is bitter and resentful, and has caused us nothing but problems.’
‘I agree,’ said Arete. ‘Then we can hang his corpse up for all to see, and blame him for the riots.’
‘Do it upon your return from the Catacombs,’ said Leksandr. ‘You enjoy these tasks more than I. Third Ascendant, do you have anything to say on the matter?’
‘No.’
‘Then we are in agreement. Let’s keep it to ourselves for the moment; there’s little point in alarming Latude, and the other gods might get nervous if they knew.’
‘Maybe we should get rid of Felice at the same time,’ said Arete; ‘make a clean sweep.’
‘I’d rather not,’ said Leksandr. ‘She may be incompetent, but she shields us from having to deal with the day to day running of the city; I have no time for the tedium that would involve.’
Arete stood up from the table. ‘We’ll see.’ She gestured to a guard by the door. ‘Bring in the squad.’
The guard bowed low, ‘Yes, your Highness.’
He opened a set of doors and a dozen heavily armed Banner troopers in steel plate strode into the dining room. They lined up in front of the three Ascendants and bowed.
‘Is that all you’re taking?’ said Leksandr.
‘It’s all I need.’ She withdrew a Quadrant from her robes and smirked. ‘Behave yourselves while I’m gone.’
The air shimmered, and Arete and the dozen soldiers disappeared.
Leksandr chuckled. ‘I do believe that Arete is almost excited to be going on a dragon hunt.’ He glanced at Belinda. ‘Do you intend to warn them again?’
‘No. I sent word to my old friend when we assumed that Sable Holdfast was dead. Now that we know the truth, I have nothing else to say to them. If they choose to ally themselves to Sable, then I don’t want anything more to do with them.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘You make it sound personal.’
‘It is personal. Sable Holdfast is a sworn enemy.’
‘There you go, thinking like a mortal again.’ He shook his head. ‘In a hundred years, every mortal you know will be dead; friends and enemies alike. You should try to look beyond your personal feelings; they are transient, fleeting, just like the mortals. Arete, on the other hand, will still be around in a thousand years from now; perhaps you should worry more about her enmity.’
Belinda nodded. ‘I am still learning.’
‘I know, and you are making mistakes. One thing, however, you may have got right – your intuition about the Sextant. I have pondered your words, and I now believe that you are correct; something, some part of the device, has been deliberately removed to render it inoperable. I assume it was you who removed it, Third Ascendant.’
‘That assumption is probably correct.’
‘It could be anything – a cog, a wheel, a rod; and there are several locations on the Sextant where such a part could be placed. In fact, more than one part might be missing. I intend to search Shawe Myre again; that is the most likely place where you would have hidden such a part.’
‘That seems logical.’
‘Indeed. We can rule out Yoneath, as it seems unlikely that you would have placed the missing part so close to the rest of the device. It is imperative
