Soulblade (50 page)

“Bhrava Saruth?” she asked. “Are you all right?”

A single green eye opened part way, focusing on her.
Ssh.

Pardon?

Since I am so grievously wounded, these humans are admiring the sacrifice I made for them. They do not fear me like this.

Are
you grievously wounded?

I could get up if I wished.

But you’re lying here, feigning death instead, so they’ll sympathize with you?

Not death, just grievous injury. I am healing myself while they admire me. And touch me. Will you tell them that recovering dragons need belly rubs?

Sardelle’s first instinct was to say that she certainly would not, but that green eye gazed imploringly at her. He
had
fought bravely for them, even when he had no real reason to risk himself to defend the king and the castle. It wasn’t as if this was
his
king and castle. In addition to the battle, he had been helping her all week.

She rested a hand on his head, then cleared her throat, drawing the eyes of the people gathered around him. “This is Bhrava Saruth. He’s a noble dragon who likes to help humans. When he has recovered from his injuries, he would be willing to heal you of any injuries you may have received. That goes for all of those in the castle, I’m certain. All he hopes for in exchange is your regard.” She couldn’t bring herself to mention worshipping.

Bhrava Saruth cleared his throat in her mind.
Belly rubs.

“Ah, yes. He also likes to have his belly rubbed.”

Several eyebrows rose at this statement.

“It’s good luck,” Sardelle added.

That might work on Ridge. She wasn’t sure if it would on castle servants.

“Oh,” the woman in the apron said. “Like putting a lucky dragon statue above your hearth.”

“Exactly like that,” Sardelle said. She wouldn’t mention how Ridge’s last house had been blown up while a lucky dragon statue perched on his hearth. “There you go,” she encouraged as a couple of the women stepped forward and ran their hands along his scales. “Yes, there’s room for more. Don’t step on his wings, please.”

A soft contented sound drifted from the dragon’s vocal cords. Not quite a purr, but something akin to one.

I believe you have officially accepted the job of high priestess
, Jaxi observed.
Either that, or you’re his procuress.

I don’t remember signing a form promising I would be either.

Tacit assent. Resign yourself to getting a robe. And building a temple. Maybe Ridge will help you. It will give you time to reacquaint yourselves with each other. Of course, given the way Angulus keeps glowering at him, he may get assigned to a very distant duty station next. Do you think Bhrava Saruth minds if his temple is next to the crystal mines?

I better get over there to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Sardelle gave Bhrava Saruth a parting pat and trusted that his needs were being met.

Maybe you can comfort Ridge with more hugs and kisses.

I wouldn’t mind that.

Though he seems to be busy chatting with Therrik right now.

Chatting?
Sardelle wouldn’t classify any of the conversations Ridge had with Therrik as chats.

When she reached the gathering, Sardelle found Ridge holding up Wreltad while rocks shifted and floated away from the collapsed tower. Tolemek was staying out of the way, pacing and looking toward the sky above the sea. Phelistoth perched on one of the more distant towers, also looking out toward the sea.

Therrik stood next to Ridge. He had either taken back Kasandral or Ridge had given the sword to him.

“That witch was far more of a pest than the dragon,” Therrik said.

“We barely knew the dragon,” Ridge said. “He could have become a pest.”

“Once cut, he fled like a whipped hound. It took far more courage to strike down the witch.”

“The witch was already wounded and barely standing when you cut her down. The dragon was a bigger threat.”

“Had you taken
me
up there and let
me
wield the sword, I would have killed the dragon, not just driven him away.”

“You would have been too busy throwing up in my back seat to kill anything except my upholstery.”

“What’s going on?” Sardelle asked, coming up and linking her arm with Ridge’s, though she had gotten the gist of the
chat
.

I believe they’re arguing over whose penis is larger
, Jaxi said.

Humans have changed very little in three thousand years
, Wreltad remarked.

The soulblades must have shared their words with Ridge, as well as Sardelle, because one of his eyebrows cocked as he looked down at Wreltad. Oddly, Jaxi did not get a similar look.

He’s used to my keen observations.

Angulus paced as Wreltad continued to move rocks, barely acknowledging the arguing men or shaking off the comforting words Ort offered. Judging by his bleeding nails and fingers caked with dust, he’d had to be pulled bodily away from the rubble, and he had probably only allowed it because the magic was more efficient.

“Will our dragon ally live?” Ridge asked Sardelle, adjusting their linked arms so that the sides of their bodies touched.

She leaned against him, pleased to be close, and looked toward Bhrava Saruth. He still lay in the supine position, but no less than ten people were stroking his scales at various points on his body. Now that she knew that his injuries were not too serious, she could see that he was far more relaxed than tense. His tail twitched in contentment as the strokes continued.

“He’ll live,” Sardelle said.

Jaxi started moving rocks, too, and the pace picked up, boulders whizzing past so that people had to scoot back lest they be brained. About half of that was Jaxi and half Wreltad. Sardelle decided Therrik and Ridge weren’t the only ones comparing the size of their... attributes.

A disdainful
Hmmph
sounded in her mind.

Sardelle smiled.

Wreltad pulsed a handsome shade of silvery blue, blowing up some of the boulders as they whizzed past while shielding them within invisible bubbles so the shards wouldn’t fly away and hurt anyone. It made for quite an impressive display, having an artistic aesthetic.

I’ve changed my mind
, Jaxi said.
I think Wreltad would be perfect for Tylie.

Because they’re both creative? Or because you’re jealous that Ridge is waving around another soulblade?

He better not start oiling Taddy’s blade.

Sardelle let her senses trickle through the dwindling pile of rubble blocking the base of the tower and stairs leading down to a basement level. She located Kaika’s aura and smiled, finding her more annoyed with the situation than injured. The second person was even more annoyed. Sardelle’s first brush with the Cofah emperor struck her as strange, if only for its utter mundaneness. There wasn’t any dragon blood in his veins, nor did she sense anything special or unique about him. He was just a man in his sixties, whose feelings vacillated between righteous indignation and outright fear. Nobody had told him yet whether he was to be allowed to live or whether he would be interrogated and forced into signing treaties, and all Kaika was doing was glowering at him and fondling her grenades.

No, you’ll only be exiled, Sardelle thought, but did not share the words with him. He would find out soon enough.

As the final stones were removed from the stairs to the lower level of the tower, she sensed more fliers arriving, these coming from the direction of the ocean. She checked the pilots, worried the Cofah had sent air and sea forces to retrieve their emperor.

Four fliers cruised toward the harbor, none of them belonging to the enemy.

Tolemek met Sardelle’s eyes. “Is that Cas?”

Sardelle nodded. “Cas, Blazer, Pimples, Duck, Tylie, an officer I haven’t met, and a young woman I also haven’t met.”

“That would be Colonel Quataldo and Princess Zilandria,” Tolemek said.

“Princess
who
?” Angulus had been forced to step back, his guards insisting on going first down the stairs and into the dark tower basement. “My orders didn’t say anything about kidnapping a princess.”

Tolemek held up his hands. “You’ll have to take that up with Farris.”

Ridge lowered Wreltad, a bemused expression on his face. “Pimples went along on a covert overseas mission? Was math required?”

“My understanding is that the math interest helped in securing the rather bookish princess,” Tolemek said. “Cas has more details. Pimples even more.”

Ridge’s puzzled expression did not fade. Sardelle, also knowing nothing about what had transpired over there, could not enlighten him.

“Out of my way,” came Kaika’s voice from the bottom of the stairs. “If I wanted your paws all over me, I would have let you know when we first met. Scoot, move.”

A thump sounded, someone being shoved against the stone wall as Kaika barreled past, her prisoner in tow. Covered with dust and soot, she burst into view, barely slowing as she thrust the bound and gagged emperor at two guards, then launched herself at Angulus.

Therrik stepped forward, raising Kasandral, as if to defend his monarch from a fellow officer who had gone mad. Ridge halted him with a smirk—and an iron grip.

Angulus spread his arms, and a second later, he and Kaika stood with limbs entwined, locked in a kiss that could have woken a man—or woman—from the dead. The guards sighed and looked at the ground.

Therrik gaped.

Ridge’s smirk widened. “Good to see some things didn’t change while I was gone.”

Therrik didn’t stop staring, but he did manage to close his mouth and fix it into his usual scowl. He stalked over and took over guarding the emperor, who had been struggling to escape the guards.

Are there any Cofah coming in behind our people’s fliers, Jaxi?
Sardelle dreaded the idea of another fight, but she wouldn’t be surprised if more than dragons had been sent to recover the emperor—and his daughter.

None on the horizon yet
, Jaxi said.
Though maybe you want to ask Bhrava Saruth about that. His range is a lot farther than mine. That is, if he can pull himself away from that massage.
Jaxi sniffed.
I had no idea dragons were so needy.

Just that one. I’ve never seen Phelistoth request belly rubs.

We don’t know what he asks Tylie for when we’re not around.

Sardelle didn’t want to contemplate that.

“Therrik,” Angulus said, finally breaking his kiss with Kaika, though he hadn’t let her go yet—a challenge when she had one leg wrapped around him. “Take a couple of guards and find someplace to lock up our prisoner until I can have him taken to the new home I’ve prepared for him. We may need to take over the old citadel for the time being.”

The emperor’s eyebrows drew together in a V, and he looked like he wanted to speak, but nobody had removed his gag.

“Yes, Sire,” Therrik said.

“See to it that he has food and something to drink, whatever small comforts we can offer, considering...” Angulus extended a hand toward the ruined castle.

“Yes, Sire.”

As Cas and the others soared over the castle, looking for places to land their fliers—a challenge in the demolished courtyard—Therrik strode off with his head high, Kasandral sheathed on his back, and his prisoner gripped firmly in hand. While they waited, Kaika walked over to Ridge, a satisfied grin on her face, and thumped him on the shoulder.

“Good to see you alive, General.”

“Good to see your lip muscles haven’t atrophied while we’ve all been away, Captain.”

“I keep them well exercised.”

Ridge opened his mouth, caught Angulus looking at him through slitted eyes, and shut it before anything else came out. Maybe the last couple of weeks had left him a little wiser.

Just subdued, I think,
Jaxi said.
I’m sure his mouth will be back to normal once you forgive him for lip wrestling with other women.

I’ve already forgiven him.

Don’t tell him that right away. Tonight, he plans to very passionately and vigorously demonstrate to you that you are the only woman he loves.

I do enjoy his vigor.

Now, if I can just get him to put that scruffy Cofah soulblade aside. With vigor.

After landing, the flier pilots and their passengers headed directly to the king and the growing group around the collapsed tower. Unlike her father, who was no longer in the area, the young dark-haired Cofah princess was not bound or gagged. She followed Pimples and looked around with large, uncertain eyes.

Cas ran ahead of the group, reaching them first. After a hasty salute for the king and a grin and a salute for Ridge, she went to Tolemek for an embrace that wasn’t quite as molten as Angulus and Kaika’s but which, given their usual preference for privacy, surprised Sardelle in its thoroughness. Ridge usually sighed and rolled his eyes when his lieutenant showed affection for Tolemek, but he merely smiled and pulled Sardelle closer.

After a suitable time had passed, and while Angulus greeted the princess formally and respectfully, Cas left Tolemek’s embrace and came over to stand in front of Ridge.

“It’s good to see you alive, sir.” She saluted him solemnly and hesitated, glancing at Sardelle.

Sardelle inclined her head and stepped to the side. Cas bit her lip and hugged Ridge. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he returned the embrace and patted her on the back.

“Are you all right, Ahn?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, sir.” Cas cleared her throat and backed up, her cheeks flushing slightly. “We all thought you were dead.”

“I’m glad to disabuse you of that thought then. Now, before you leave, could you explain to me why that young woman—a Cofah princess, I understand?—is holding Pimples’ hand?”

Her eyes crinkled. “I’m not sure I
can
explain that, sir.”