Page 98 of Red Dragon
She properly and soundly seduced the pirate captain and battled the dragons attacking his ship.
“You werethere?”
When Wreylith didn’t answer, Syla read on. “It looks like she went off on adventures even after her marriage and was captured another time by a ship of stormer troops. Against her bodyguard’s advice, Erasbella used the glass lenses of her spectacles— Wreylith, you didn’t tell me she wore spectacles. Did she read a lot? Spend her youth hunkered in dark rooms in the castle while taxing her eyes? But she was a warrior. She learned sword-fighting.”
She did enjoy books.
“But thesword-fighting.”
Do your glass seeing circles preclude learning to wield a blade?
“Nottechnically, but a lack of athleticism in general makes it difficult, and poor vision doesn’t help anything.” Syla thought of Vorik’s suggestion that she learn to juggle to improve her abilities. Maybe she would try when she had time.
Erasbella did not lack athleticism.
“I guess I knew we weren’t that similar, but I’m excited to learn that she wore spectacles and was a little more like me than I would have guessed from the other history texts I’ve read. She evenseducedan enemy to get out of a jam. I wonder if it was natural for her, or she was more like me, and a little…” Syla kept herself from sayingawkward. Wreylith might judge her for that.
Eager to learn what had happened next, Syla continued reading, sharing some of the words aloud. “She used the glass lenses of her spectacles to capture a ray of sunlight through the porthole, directing it into straw and rat droppings that littered her cell. It started a small fire, which she encouraged to spread, though the act endangered the life of her and her bodyguard. The flames burned through the wall of the cell and into the armory on the other side, where black powder for the cannons caught fire and exploded. Though injured by the event, Erasbella and her bodyguard, who cursed the gods for placing her at the queen’s side, escaped, recovered their swords, and fought their way to the deck, the entire ship now in flame. A great red dragon descended and plucked them up so that they might escape. It was not the first time that the dragon had been observed in the queen’s presence, even after her marriage. Despite her various adventures over the years, Queen Erasbella did ultimately marry Lord Gerringtor, birth children, and rule the Kingdom with grace and poise.”
It is possible that LordGerringtorwas convinced to act as a very humble and proper mate after witnessing Erasbella flying upon a dragon’s back and wielding a sword,Wreylith said dryly.
“You were there,” Syla said. “Youwere the red dragon.”
Certainly.
“Why were other dragons attacking that pirate ship in her first adventure? And why did you decide to help Erasbella?”
The pirate captain had earned the loathing of one dragon in particular. As to the rest, I saw Erasbella battle nobly against the pirates and outmaneuver them more than once. She did that withmanyenemies, including stormers and dragon riders. Over the years, she again and again proved herself worthy.Wreylith sounded pleased by the memories of the decades-gone queen.Eventually, we bonded, though her duties mostly kepther on her island instead of flying about with me. There were, however, occasional adventures when she wasn’t busy with queenly duties or birthing and raising offspring. She saw that pirate captain more than once.
“Did she actually disappear at sea in a storm later in life?”
She might have, deciding she’d produced a capable heir, arranged to disappear and continue to have adventures until the eventual day of her demise.
“That’s amazing.”
For a puny human, yes.
“Is that when the krendala was made?”
Soon after I met her, yes, by one of the last human crafters with the knowledge and ability to make them.
Syla closed the book, pleased to learn the truth about her ancestor. If it would help her in her quest, she didn’t know, but she was beginning to understand more about Wreylith—and what did and did not impress her. With luck, that might come in useful one day.
21
The smellsof seasoned roasting meat were scintillating, and the faction people even produced bottles of gin and cactus wine to share with their guests. The alcohol produced from items foraged from the desert gave Vorik an idea about where theirlastheadquarters had been.
As he watched the preparations, Vorik felt more like aprisonerthan guest, and he tried to figure out which food or beverage Atilya’s people would drug or poison. If not for the teal ore glowing from the back of the cavern, he wouldn’t have stuck around.
Wise sat shoulder to shoulder with him around one of the campfires, the smoke wafting up to haze the air in the high ceiling of the cavern. Vorik hadn’t yet gotten an opportunity to speak privately with him and suggest he might not want to eat much of the food. Or would it be the drink? With its strong flavor, wine could hide bitter substances.
Faction members loomed close though, too close for even whispered conversations. Since Captain Atilya was bonded to her dragon, she would have keen hearing, and others present might also have magical enhancements. He eyed everyonewearing the fingerless black gloves of riders, gloves like his that could hide a dragon tattoo. It surprised him that so many of the self-interested predators had stuck close to the stormer deserters, but maybe they’d convinced the dragons that their plans would one day result in them gaining access to the Garden Kingdom islands and the protected prey and livestock that they craved.
Will offerings be made to dragons?Agrevlari asked from the back of the cave where he was ostensibly socializing with the scaled locals.
Vorik had asked him to subtly investigate the ore and whether it might be extracted without special tools. His gargoyle-bone blade had the strength to cut through many substances that would be impervious to simple steel, but he couldn’t imagine using the slender sword to gouge out pieces of ore. And how much did they need? Wise hadn’t mentioned if the scrolls said that.
There are many former riders here.Vorik waved toward Atilya, who hadn’t gone far, and a couple of others he recognized as previous members of the Sixteen Talons.I’m certain they’ve learned to treat their dragons well.
