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Land of Dragon 11
The CousinThe dress outfit that Marziel had packed for Treylen wasn’t asrepulsive as he’d worried it would be. It was Iveran in cut, without all the pleats and ruffles. But with just enough color and plumage to be distinctly foreign.It cut a stark contrast to Marziel’s. When Treylen arrived on the central terrace and caught sight of his mentor’s outrageous, flopping patchwork of a suitcoat, it was clear that Marziel had worn it as a favor.Dinner was underway when they arrived. It was an outdoor event in the style of a picnic. A long wooden table had been set on the middle terrace between the lodges. Apart from Ibex milk cheeses, it was the same overcomplicated, under-seasoned fare that he'd come to expect from fine dinners when he traveled with his parents. Treylen longed for the dark- crusted bread and rich stew of Coops Abbey.Marziel sat with Count Tsoro at the opposite end of the table, though from what Treylen could see, he spent most of the time talking to the count’s aide,
Land of Dragon 12
The CampsiteDid you know Jargus’s father was the one who found my egg?Rime crept up the side of the eastern lodge to join Treylen on the roof of his grandfather’s tower.Thunder rolled overhead and thick clouds made the night as black as the queen’s obsidian throne. The dragon squeezed inside of Treylen’s hood and poked his head out. He was far too large for that sort of thing now, and the action pulled the hood off of Treylen’s head.“Did Marziel say that or did you guess it?”He told me. Rime let his back end sit in Treylen’s hood and rested his head on his shoulder, staring out at the Dragon Lands. Treylen used the dragonmind to pierce the darkness, so that he too could watch the barren cliffs.What he really wanted was to be looking over Aaron, to make sure he was healing, and safe through the chilly night, but the clan kept a watch posted in the lower levels.And Treylen had seen something on the mountain.So that night, when most of the town had gone to bed, he’d slipped on hi
Land of Dragon 13
The Meeting The man’s face contorted and he barked a warning to hiscompanions. Treylen pulled himself up, but the soldier still loomed a head taller than him. He reached behind his back and drew the dagger halfway from the sheath so it flashed in the lamp light. He put the other hand across his chest as he bowed slightly.The two armored men bared their swords.“Stand down soldiers. I serve Queen Olysya Rewenis Ivera. State your business here.”“Assassin?” The first man raised a hand and his companions lowered their weapons. He bowed at the waist. The accent was thick and unlike any Treylen had heard. How strange, he thought, that Iverna had more in common with the Jaul than with these Ketaresk allies. But why would allies be hiding in the mountains?“That’s right,” Treylen answered, giving as pleasant a smile as he could.He pushed
Land of Dragon 14
The Morning Treylen dreamed of the black stone where the queen held her court.Aaron lay bleeding in his arms while Treylen begged the queen to help him. “I’m quite fond of him,” the queen answered.“Yes, he will do well here.” Her shadow leaned behind Treylen, long fingernails digging into his shoulders.“You have to help him though.” Aaron let out a gurgling noise and Treylen tilted Aaron’s mouth so the blood spilled out. He fumbled desperately with his friend’s jaw, trying to find a way to stop the bleeding.She watched but did nothing. The hands rubbed Treylen’s shoulders.When he looked up, it was not the shadow, but Apogee, leaning over him. “I’ll help.” She held a needle in one hand. The other held the rottencorpse of a dragon.There was a knock on the door to his room and Treylen shook the dream away, forcing one eye open.
Land of Dragon 15
The Mines The minor lord who looked a bit like a rabbit would not stoptalking.His demeanor lent credence to the authenticity of Marziel’s obnoxious alter ego. Treylen had intended to pay close attention to the count and countess who gave a thorough overview of the mine’s operations—from labor and capital to the finer points of prospecting for new ore deposits.But the lord's chatter about food, weather, and his frequent trips to and from the capital formed a steady din that drilled into Treylen’s ear like a wood beetle. It was all he could do, to smile and nod, and to say, my uncle would have me wait to give our assessment, whenever his opinion was asked on anything. That seemed to frustrate the mine officials, but not the count and countess, as they likely had no intention of taking Marziel's advice in the first place. The hospitality they had received was all just a show of
Land of Dragon 16
The Scene The spycatcher’s neck was broken. The throat had been cut so deeplythe head fell back like a cast-off hood with only a scrap of skin and sinew holding it to the body. Someone had pulled the head out from under the body and pushed it back into place, but even without it, Treylen would have recognized the build of the woman who had snuck up on him the night before.Adeline Vait, aide to Count Tsoro, lay at the base of the ore pile, in the pit just outside the entrance to the mines. She’d been stuffed into a cart and covered over, then the cart had been left in an offshoot of the upper tunnels until one of the clan women saw it and took it to be dumped out.That woman was being questioned by Jargus Duremo to the side of the path while his mother, the countess, leaned over the body along with three mine supervisors, Aide Remin, and a blue-vested woman that Treylen
Land of Dragon 17
The Guard Dreams troubled him again.Treylen had slept longer than he was accustomed to. He was certain they were watching the room so he’d kept his outing short that night. He’d snuck out and searched the alleyways then crept around the outside of the lodge, peering into the rooms where he suspected the servants of the Tsoro household slept. Then he jogged out to the stone in the mountains where he’d fought the Ketaresk men. Nothing. No blood stains. No signs of struggle. He couldn't even find the bodies that she’d hidden for him, though he’d climbed down through the dwarven gate again and spent an hour walking the wide, empty tunnels that he found there.He’d returned early, in case they came early to question him, and was asleep hours before dawn. But the dreams kept waking him. Blood and rain. Dirt and daggers. There was no plot to them, only gore and filth, and a sickening u
Land of Dragon 18
The Breakfast Treylen woke to a heavy fist knocking on the door. His firstthought was of Aaron. He’d worked into the early hours to finish the letter, then placed it along with some blank pages, a fresh quill, and a stoppered inkwell inside of a scroll case that he’d found in the writing desk. He tied a strap to it so Rime could more easily carry it in his teeth.It had been near morning. The guards had been dozing in shifts and kept a sharp eye on Treylen’s balcony. He’d cracked the door, met the eyes of the guard, then stepped out and made a show of leaning on the railing and yawning as if he’d been unable to sleep while Rime snuck out onto the balcony. Treylen had looked out at the darkened city, then scowled at the man before going back inside, shutting the door, and going to bed.Maybe Aaron had found something already. It would have to be urgent if he’d come here.