Sable glanced at the young woman. ‘If you earn it, I’ll call you it.’
Maddie smiled. ‘I heard you were a princess.’
‘What?’ said Millen.
‘I’m not,’ said Sable. ‘I’m the daughter of a queen, but my birth was out of wedlock. Dear old Godfrey Holdfast, my father, was cheating on his wife. The affair went on for years, and then the queen broke it off when she fell pregnant. I was raised by the Blackholds; my aunt was married to the queen’s brother, but no one ever told me who my birth parents were.’
‘You used to be Sable Blackhold?’ said Maddie, leaning forward in her chair.
‘Yes. I still think of myself as a Blackhold, though less and less as time goes by. I found it hard to accept that I was a Holdfast at first; but I guess I’m quite similar to Daphne in some ways; I’m like a tainted version of her.’
‘Daphne?’ said Millen.
‘My half-sister, and the mother of Kelsey, Corthie, Karalyn and Keir. Assassin, murderer, ruler, vision mage. She saved my life when the Empress wanted my head; I’ve never really understood that.’
‘Wow,’ said Maddie. ‘This is more than you’ve ever told us before, and despite your protests, you can’t deny that you’ve got royal blood in you.’
Sable smiled. ‘If you feel you have to start referring to me as “your Highness,” I won’t stop you.’
Millen groaned. ‘I have to travel with two women who both think they’re royalty? How did my life come to this?’
‘Going to Dragon Eyre can be a new start for each of us,’ said Sable. ‘That’s why I thought I’d open up a bit; once we’ve left Lostwell, it’ll be the three of us, together. No one on Dragon Eyre will know us.’
A shriek rang out, echoing through the tomb.
Maddie’s eye’s widened. ‘That was Deepblue.’
They got to their feet and hurried through the cavern to Blackrose’s lair. Inside, the four other dragons were staring at the body of Deepblue as she writhed on the ground. Sable and the two other humans stood back to avoid her tail, which was swinging back and forth.
‘Deepblue!’ cried Blackrose. ‘What is wrong?’
The small, blue dragon’s head lifted. Foam was coming from her jaws as if she were in great pain.
‘Blackrose,’ her voice groaned, ‘or should I call you Obsidia?’
The others glanced at each other.
‘What’s happening to her?’ said Broadwing.
Deepblue raised her head further, her eyes on the black dragon. ‘I see you. You can run, but there is nowhere you can hide. I, the Seventh Ascendant, see you and the pathetic band you have assembled.’
‘It’s Arete,’ said Sable. ‘She’s in Deepblue’s mind.’
The blue dragon turned to her. ‘Yes. I see you too, Holdfast. You have interfered in our business for the last time. Death is coming to you all, except for Obsidia – she has a cage in the pits waiting for her. She will…’
Sable drove her vision into Deepblue’s eyes, and found the presence of Arete, her grip on the dragon’s mind almost total. Deepblue was in agony, every ounce of her trying to resist the invasion of her head by the Ascendant. Sable tested Arete’s powers; they were immense, but she couldn’t sense Sable. She saw the fear that possessed the Seventh Ascendant – fear of Edmond, fear of the Holdfasts, fear of failure. She sensed a recent defeat caused by Kelsey Holdfast, and her hatred of the entire family. Sable smiled, and then severed the connection between Deepblue and the Ascendant as easily as blowing out a candle.
Deepblue, you are strong; you can resist Arete’s powers. She cannot hurt you.
The blue dragon collapsed to the ground, panting, her eyes closed.
‘I have freed her mind,’ said Sable.
The others turned to her.
‘I have also put some resistance into her; it might not work for long, but she should be able to repel the Ascendant if she tries again.’
‘Where is she?’ said Blackrose. ‘Where is the Ascendant?’
Sable shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’
‘Then look for her. If she is close, then she may try something else.’
‘Belinda was right,’ said Maddie; ‘they’ve found us.’
‘Should we flee?’ said Broadwing.
‘If she is close, we should attack,’ said Ashfall.
‘Quiet,’ said Sable. ‘I need quiet if I’m going to search for her.’
A low, groaning, rumbling noise began. Dust fell from the ceiling of the cavern, and the dragons glanced up.
‘Out of the tomb!’ cried Blackrose. ‘Out, before the god brings it down upon us.’
Broadwing, who was closest to the entrance, began hurrying towards the tunnel that led outside, almost knocking the three humans over in his haste. Sable ran to Sanguino, and clambered up the straps to get onto his shoulders. She connected her mind to his, an exercise that had become second nature to her. Ashfall left the cavern after Broadwing, while Blackrose nudged Deepblue.
‘Get up, little one,’ said the black dragon.
Deepblue got to her feet, swaying, as a large chunk of ceiling collapsed onto the ground, sending a cloud of dust upwards. A crack began to open up in the wall, and the level of noise grew to a sharp grinding of rock. Sanguino strode towards the main tunnel, as Sable glanced around. Maddie was climbing up onto Blackrose’s harness.
‘We must go,’ said Sanguino; ‘we have only moments until the entire tomb falls in.’
‘Where’s Millen?’ Sable cried.
Sanguino reached the main tunnel. Broadwing and Ashfall had already left the tomb, and Blackrose was carrying Maddie closer to the patch of blue sky at the end of the tunnel. Sable turned, craning her neck, and saw Deepblue with Millen clasped within a forelimb.
‘Let them pass first,’ said Sable to the dark red dragon.
Sanguino waited, allowing Deepblue to race towards the square opening, then he
