Gold Dragon Codex (11 page)

Just in case, Sandon spent the next fifty seconds looking all around the portal for any unusual piles of ash.

When the count was finished, Sandon took a deep breath, pushed away his fear, and followed the soldier through the rippling arch. It felt like jelly on his skin, thick and gooey, making Sandon instinctively close his eyes and pinch his nose shut with one hand. He could feel it ripple over his skin when he pushed forward, breaking through the plane of the arch. It felt cold, slippery, and sticky. The stickiness washed past him and was gone, leaving behind only a thin wetness on Sandon’s skin. Everything felt cold and light, and Sandon wondered if all of his organs were in the right places.

Wincing, he opened his eyes. Smoke was rising all around him, and most of the hair on his arms had been singed off. His eyebrows felt a little short too, and when he shook his head, a thin stream of ash fluttered down from his hair. He was standing in a thin hallway,
completely surrounded by stone. The corridor was no more than five feet wide, and very short—really, more like a log closet than anything else. He was standing in a portal exactly like the other, glistening faintly and shedding a dim light. By its glow, Sandon could see Kine crouched at the other end of the hallway, sword by his side on the ground. He was fiddling with something in front of him. As Sandon stepped down from the portal’s golden base, he heard something click.

“Got it,” Kine said proudly.

Part of the wall swung away, revealing a room on the other side. Kine froze, gesturing to Sandon to remain still, and listened. Three long breaths later, he stood up, sword in hand, and gently pushed open the secret door.

“Swords afire,” Sandon gasped, borrowing the soldier’s oath. “That’s my mother’s room!”

The chamber inside was dusty and unused, with sheets over the chairs. There was a heavy smell of disuse. The stale room was filled with dust and the windows were gray with years of soot and grime. Her books were still on the bookshelves, and the big desk she’d used to write letters and keep the baronial records stood dark and empty near the windows. The bed was still made, bedspread smooth, pillows leaning against the headboard.
On the bed stand beside the pillows, Sandon saw bottles of perfume.

Her jewelry box was still on her dresser, lid open to reveal necklaces and rings. The fireplace was barren and the metal frame was sooty and empty. Her little reading table by the fireplace had been tipped over. Sandon walked toward it and found three books lying on the floor. “It’s been years since I’ve been in here.” He bent down to pick them up, feeling the stiff leather covers and the crackling paper.

“Your mother, hm? The baroness?” Kine walked carefully across the plush rugs, trying not to leave heavy boot marks on the blue pile. “What happened to her?”

“She died three years ago.” Sandon realized he was avoiding the question. Starting over, he said, “She was poisoned.”

“Poisoned? By whom?”

“We used to have a lot of travelers passing through the valley, and my mother was really big on helping them out. That’s why I knew about the succor law—Mother used it a lot back then to take in wanderers and make sure they had a good meal before they went on their way. Whenever soldiers came into Hartfall on their way back from the war, or refugees from other areas of Solamnia that were harder hit than we were, Mother
would help them all. We’d ride out and invite them into the palace, and open the barracks if we needed to, to let entire caravans get a rest when it was stormy.” Sandon righted the reading table and placed the books, one by one, back on top. “One night, when we were hosting a large group of travelers, my mother was found on the floor in her chambers. There was poison in her wine. The guards heard her fall down after she drank some, and they broke into the room, but she died before Father could come to her side.”

“That’s horrible. Sandon, I’m sorry.”

Sandon kept his eyes on the books, flipping the pages idly. “I miss her a lot. My dad threw out every traveler we had in the keep and never let anyone back in. He never offered help to soldiers passing through, and without Mother to push him, he stopped going out of his way for people. I don’t guess anyone can blame him. If I hadn’t spoken up to give you succor, you probably wouldn’t have been let in either.” Sandon walked to the door of the room and tugged on it. Locked. His father had given an order that the room be sealed right after his mother’s death, and to Sandon’s knowledge, nobody had been in here ever since. “We’re locked in. Maybe there’s a key in here somewhere that we can use to get out?”

“Three years?” Kine shuffled through the room, poking at things. “That’s when the gold dragon stopped appearing too.”

“Yeah. I guess we know why now, don’t we?” Sandon sighed “Mom must have flown the dragon. I wonder if Dad knew that?” He considered, and then shook his head. “No. If he did, he wouldn’t have kept going up to the tower and blowing the horn. He did that for years after she died, always hoping that the gold dragon would return.”

“He might have been throwing off suspicion.” Kine shrugged.

“What are you trying to say?”

Kine kept his back to Sandon, fiddling through the quill pens on the big desk. “Who found your mom?”

“Jonas, one of the guards.”

“And he ran to get your dad? Where was your dad?”

“Dad was in his office, right down the hall. Kine! My dad had nothing to do with it! He was devastated! My mom’s death really hit him hard. He started doing everything differently. He threw out all of the people we’d been trying to help, he locked Mom’s rooms—”

“So nobody else could find the gold dragon and go fight Lazuli.”

Infuriated, Sandon stormed over to the soldier and
punched him in the arm. Kine yelped in surprise and spun around, and Sandon saw that his mother’s desk drawer was open. Slamming it shut, he growled, “If you’re trying to say that my father killed my mother, you’re wrong.”

“Your mother is the actual baronial line, right? Her parents were baron and baroness before she was. Your father is a soldier she married—”

“A soldier from Hartfall who guarded and defended this barony!”

“—and right after she died, Lazuli showed up. I’m just saying you should think about it, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m not going to think about it! I’m sick of you, Kine. Even before we went up to the cave, you were making mean comments about my dad. What’s wrong with you? He took you in and fed you. He’s given you a place to rest and be safe for a while.”

“He’s working with a blue dragon.” Kine’s tone was flat and deadly. “Nobody in Hartfall is safe.”

Just then, there was a pounding on the door of the room. “Who’s in there?” Sandon’s yelling must have alerted the guard. “Open this door and surrender!” The voice was thick and husky, guttural with wine and good living. “I’m a wizard! I’ll … blow the door in! Do you hear me?” Despite the brave words, the voice sounded anything but confident.

“It’s me, Wizard Yattak!” Sandon went to the door and thumped on his side of the wooden paneling. “The door’s locked. We can’t get out!”

“Sandon?” The second voice sounded like Uncle Vilfrand’s. Sandon heard the captain give Jonas an order to go get the key. “We’ll get you out of there immediately. Who’s in there with you?”

“Uh …” This wasn’t going to go well, but there was no way to hide it. “Kine.”

“Vicious beast! Horrible wretch!” Yattak moaned like an old aunt at a wedding. “He’s kidnapped the baron’s son! Holding him for ransom! We’re all ruined when Baron Camiel finds out!”

“Kine! Does he have a weapon? Sandon, are you in danger?” Sandon heard a key turn in the lock, and Vilfrand shoved the door open ferociously. Three guards holding halberds stood behind him, weapons at the ready. Vilfrand drew his sword and reached to grab Sandon’s shoulder and drag him into the hallway. “By Paladine! Are you all right, Sandon? Did he hurt you?”

Still angry at the soldier, Sandon answered, “I’m fine.” He turned and glared at Kine.

Yattak was clutching his heart as if it might burst. “Heavens bless us! It’s a miracle!” Sandon saw the long-suffering apprentice, Umar, clutch at the wizard’s ruby
red robes and steady him, offering up a canteen that looked almost empty. Yattak took a long swig of it and then stared blearily at Kine. “You’re a wise man to not provoke me. Because you’ve released the hostage, I shall not strike! My magic will remain hidden—a secret of the ages!” A faint belch distorted the last word, and Yattak frowned in annoyance. “Count your blessings, scoundrel.”

“What were you doing in there?” Vilfrand looked Sandon in the eye. “What did he want?”

Uh-oh. Sandon wasn’t ready to tell Vilfrand the truth about the golden dragon. He remembered how disappointed he himself had been to find out that it was nothing but a construct. What if the rest of the village knew? With Lazuli threatening them and the baron about to sacrifice himself—stupid Kine, of course he wasn’t working with the blue!—the people of Hartfall didn’t have a lot of hope. Telling them their legendary protector was nothing more than a lump of cogs and gears would crush them. But how could he lie to his uncle? Sandon opened his mouth, unsure what to say, and ended up shaking his head instead.

“Money, I suppose. Jewelry. They’re all the same, these filthy grunts,” Vilfrand spat. “You give them an inch, and they’ll rob you for a mile. I’m glad your father stopped taking them in. I’m sorry you had to learn that
lesson so sharply, Sandon, but at least he didn’t hurt you.” He turned to Kine. “Breaking and entering. Kidnapping of the baron’s son and heir.” Vilfrand counted off the charges protectively, keeping Sandon close. “We’ll have you behind bars for the rest of your life. I don’t care if you are a knight.”

“He’s not a Knight of Solamnia.” The words burst out without Sandon even thinking about them. He was still stung by Kine’s accusations about his father. “He’s nothing but a dirty soldier.”

Kine stared at him, and the look he gave Sandon wasn’t one of physical pain. Sandon hardened himself, throwing his shoulders back, and allowed Vilfrand to pull him away. He stepped closer to his uncle and faced the soldier squarely. Kine slowly unlatched his sword belt and tossed it onto the baroness’s bed. “I won’t give you a fight, Captain”—his eyes narrowed sharply, taking in the row of halberds—“even though I’d like to.”

“Vilfrand,” Yattak muttered in the background, mopping his sweaty temples with a lacy handkerchief. “If you don’t need me further … it looks as if you have this handled.”

The captain ignored him. “I knew you were a brigand. With the baron’s son speaking against you, we won’t even need a trial.”

“Vilfrand, wait.” Sandon tried to talk, but his tongue was thick in his mouth. “That wasn’t—”

“What is it, Sandon?” Vilfrand turned toward him, blue eyes sharp. “Did I miss a charge?”

“No … it’s just that he … well …” Sandon gulped. He didn’t want to tell Vilfrand about his mother’s secret, but there wasn’t much he could do. He started to speak, but didn’t get farther than, “The truth is—”

Kine interrupted him. “You caught me fair and square, Captain. I did everything you say.”

“By Paladine!” Vilfrand swore, surprised. “Damned by your own mouth! The brass! Yattak, imprison this man in magical bars!”

Yattak, who had started to slip away, let out a little
eep
and spun back around. “Captain! I may have spoken out of turn when I threatened actual harm on this man. You see, I didn’t happen to memorize that particular spell this evening. Had no cause to, really, wasn’t expecting any trouble …”

Frustrated, Vilfrand turned on the woozy wizard. “Well, what can you do? Turn him to ice? Twist his mind into goo? Anything useful?”

Yattak hemmed and hawed until his apprentice, mousy little Umar, ventured, “We could summon an invisible servant to clean the room, if you like?”

“Can it hold him prisoner?” The captain rolled his eyes.

Umar shrank back. “Er, no. If it is attacked, it vanishes.”

“Useful.” Vilfrand’s voice was as dry as a desert. His eyes flicked back to the soldier. “Back to you, then, brigand. I think you were confessing?”

“I convinced Sandon to let me in here. I made him show me where his mother’s rooms were because I guessed that she had jewelry and things I could easily take without them being noticed. And once I’d gotten everything, I was going to tie him up and leave him here while I snuck out of the barony. By the time you found Sandon, I’d be far gone from here.”

“Kine!” Sandon burst out. “That’s not true!”

“Silly little boy. I went on a little adventure with him to make him trust me, and then got him talking about how much he missed his mommy. When he was almost in tears, I asked him to show me her rooms. Breaking in was easy. I used these.” Kine drew a small leather-wrapped bundle from his pocket and tossed it on the floor in front of Vilfrand. It uncoiled, scattering a variety of small tools onto the rug—the tools that Kine had been using to open the secret door.

“Search him.” Vilfrand gestured to the guards,
eyes narrowing. “Who knows what else he might have in his pockets.”

“Kine, tell them it’s not true.” Even though he was angry at the soldier, Sandon couldn’t let Kine take all the blame for their actions. He was trying to hide Sandon’s mother’s secret—Sandon’s secret now—but didn’t he realize Captain Vilfrand was serious?

The guards moved to either side of Kine, gripping him roughly. They pushed him to his knees on the floor and held his arms out spread eagled while a third went through the soldier’s pockets. Vilfrand held Sandon close, his hand on the boy’s shoulder. The guards turned out all of Kine’s pockets, tore off his belt and even took off his boots.

“Sir!” one of them called out suddenly. The soldier held out his hand. In it was a golden necklace, the chain heavy and thick, with a round gold locket on the end, studded with sapphires and emeralds. “I found this.”

Vilfrand sighed. Instead of looking at Kine or at the guards, he looked down at Sandon and said, “I’m sorry, son.”

“No …” Sandon whispered, his gaze stuck to the necklace in the guard’s hand.

The captain reached out and took it, eyes falling to the locket. “This belonged to the baroness. Men, clap
him in irons and take him to the dungeons. I’ll inform Baron Camiel immediately.”