The Dragon Hunter and the Mage (29 page)

The poor guy never finished the sentence.

“Instructor,” Trissa called.

“Yes?”

“I wouldn’t mind knowing who came second,” she replied. “Me or Aric.”

“That would be you, Trissa.”

If disappointment had a sound, Aric thought, that would’ve been it. It was still better than losing, though. Nahir and everyone in his original team couldn’t even take their faces off the ground. Losing two challenges in a row had to be rough.

“The three remaining team leaders are to report to the Grand-Master’s study for the next mission’s briefing. Dismissed.”

“We almost lost. Again…” Aric said. It was the first thing out of his mouth since him, Leth, and Clea had left the Company’s quarters.

“We’ll do better next time,” Clea told him.

A piercing sound made them both jump.

“Goddess, Leth!” Clea cried. “What the heck are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Leth said, indicating the pickaxe in his hand and the cracked stone slab he had just hit.

Clea fumed. “I’ve had enough of weird places in the fortress for today. Why did you have to bring us to this creepy old tower? And why in the world are you hacking at the floor?”

“I’m finding out the truth,” Leth said as if making a solemn vow, then he stabbed the floor once again.

“What?!” Clea asked again, dumbfounded.

“There used to be a library on the floor below,” Aric explained.

“What do you mean
used
to be?” Clea asked.

“This being the mage tower, obviously, the Paladins wiped it clean,” Aric replied. “There aren’t any books left.”

“Then why is he trying to get in there? And what’s wrong with using the front door?!”

“What Aric forgot to tell you,” Leth said, wiping sweat from his forehead, “is that the library has a walled off section. Who knows what the Paladins
didn’t
wipe clean?”

Clea shook her head. “And you thought this was the best moment to begin your… excavation?”

“Well,” Leth replied. “It’s not like we’ve had lots of free time lately, have we?” He stabbed the floor once again, making Clea cringe.

Aric stood up. “Well, I have to go,” he announced.

“Future Captain’s duties, huh?” Clea said.

Aric smiled faintly. 

“I can’t wait to learn what’s next on Saruk’s catalogue of tortures,” Leth said, swinging the pickaxe above his head. He struck the stone slab again, his whole body lending strength to the blow. “Goddess damn this! What is this floor made of?”

“What are you expecting to find down there, anyway?” Aric asked as he walked towards the exit.

Leth lowered the pickaxe, resting his arms. “You never know,” he said between heavy panting. “I might find the desert Witch.” He smiled devilishly and Aric smiled back.

“If the Mages wanted that section to be a secret, it’s going to stay a secret.”

Aric ducked under a massive spider web and walked out the door, still in time to hear Leth screaming, “Dead Mages are no match for the finest son of House Ranraik!”

It made Aric laugh out loud, even though he was already alone. He left the Mage Tower and had to cover his eyes from the burning sun as he crossed the stone bridge leading back to the Main Tower. A Company of senior Hunters was readying their gear on the Main Hall, and Aric recognized most of their faces.

That was the seventh Company. Whitejackets was their nickname, although why, Aric did not know. He had never seen any of them wearing a white jacket. What Aric did know was that they had returned from patrol less than a week ago, and apparently were being shipped out already. None of them seemed very happy about it either.

Trissa and Ashur were already by the door to the Grand-Master’s study when Aric arrived.

“What are you looking at?” Trissa was asking Ashur.

The fair haired Samehrian smirked. “Just wondering what your duties will be when I become Captain.”

Trissa looked away, shaking her head. “Idiot…”

The three of them waited in silence for a little while until the black door opened with a creak and Saruk waved them in. They formed up in front of the huge table holding the map of the Mahari desert, Grand-Master Sylene standing across from them like one of the marble statues of the Citadel. Slowly, she moved towards them, inspecting each one from head to toe, until she stopped in front of Aric.

“Is this the armor you were issued by the Guild?” the Grand Master asked.

“Yes, Grand-Master.”

“What happened to your own Dragon scales armor?”

“It’s in my bunk, Grand-Master.”

“Your bunk? Why?” Sylene asked. “Are you afraid it’ll get damaged?”

“No. It’s just… a bit flashy. Makes me stand out too much.”

Sylene frowned and paused for a little bit. “Makes you stand out? What, are you trying to hide from someone?” she asked.

“Hide?!” What the heck kind of question was that? “No.
I‒
”

“That cuirass is the finest piece of equipment in this whole mountain. From this day forward you will wear it at all times, is that understood, recruit?”

“Yes, Grand-Master.”

“And what’s this I hear about you adopting some kind of desert creature?”

“It’s just a cat, Grand-Master.”

“It’s not a cat,” Saruk intervened. He was standing behind Sylene like a body-guard. “It’s a desert lynx.”

Sylene gave Aric a look of shock.

“He’s harmless,” Aric assured her. “Besides, Geric likes to hang out in the desert. He rarely even comes inside the fortress.”

“Yeah,” Ashur said, “but when he
is
inside, he likes to eat my sandals.”

Aric had to fight back a smile. “It happened once. And I punished him for doing it.”

“You punished him?” Sylene asked. “Let me get this straight. You named a desert lynx after a person and are trying to train it? Is that it?”

“I named him after my ancestor, Geric Auron, the conqueror of Saggad,” Aric replied.

“I know who Geric Auron was, that’s not the point, recruit! The point is a desert lynx is
not a pet
.” Aric was going to protest but Sylene raised a hand, silencing him. “I don’t care what you and your lynx do out in the desert, but he is not allowed inside my mountain, is that understood?”

“Yes, Grand-Master,” Aric replied, his eyes on the ground.

“And I better not hear about any missing goats from the pens or you’ll both find yourselves in serious trouble.” Without even waiting for a reply, Sylene turned and moved towards the next recruit, Trissa. A smile grew on her face. “Oh, I like this one,” she said. “There’s some fire in her isn’t there, Saruk?”

“I would say so, Grand-Master,” Saruk replied.

“Reminds me a bit of myself when I was her age,” Sylene added.

That managed to make Trissa grow a couple of inches taller.

“Let me guess,” Sylene said. “Akhami?”

“Cyrinian, Grand-Master. But my parents moved to Akham after the Purge.”

“Ah, Runium traders, I imagine.”

“My father was, yes.”

“I used to do Blood Runs before the Purge. Before I became…” She moved an arm around, indicating her study. “Maybe we did business back in the day. What’s his name?”

Trissa’s eyes narrowed. “His name was Pashet, Grand-Master.”

The smile on Sylene’s face faded. “I see. Forgive me, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Grand-Master.”

Sylene nodded solemnly and stood in silence for a bit, then turned and moved to Ashur.

“You, I remember well. I don’t get that many volunteers, after all.”

Aric and Trissa’s heads snapped, their eyes wide. Ashur was a
volunteer
?

“You know,” Sylene continued. “There are only three kinds of volunteers. The ones that come for the money; the ones that come for the glory; and the ones that are insane. The curious thing is, Dragon Hunting isn’t lucrative anymore, not since the Purge. So I wonder… exactly how crazy are you?”

“I… I just want to protect the Empire, Grand-Master,” he replied.

Sylene chuckled. “Of course you do.” She turned around and walked away. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re in the Guild now. Your past is gone. All that matters in your life now is the desert, this mountain, and your fellow Guildsmen. Nothing else. For now, however, the three of you must remain rivals. Saruk, if you’d be so kind.”

“With pleasure, Grand-Master.” Saruk took a step forward while Sylene leaned against her desk. “The next challenge will take place tomorrow. I like to call this one the Blood Raid, and it is quite simple. There are two crates filled with Dragon blood hidden inside two different caves in the middle of the desert. Two crates for three teams. Which means the team that fails to return to Lamash with one of them, loses. Out of the two teams that do return with the crate, the first one back wins.”

The Grand-Master picked up three pieces of parchment from her desk. “These maps contain the location of both crates,” she said as she handed one of them to each recruit. “None of you, or any member of your team is allowed to leave the fortress before dawn. At first sunlight tomorrow, the sentinels will sound the fortress’s alarm and the challenge will start. Any questions?”

Ashur raised his arm. “If we’ll be competing for the same crates, are we allowed to fight?” he asked.

The question made Aric shift his weight from one leg to the other.

“This is the Dragon Hunter’s Guild,” the Grand-Master said. “I’m pretty sure that, by now, you have all realized the risks you face.” She paused and looked each recruit in the eyes. “With that being said, however, you are all brothers and sisters nowand are expected to act accordingly. So, if that is all
I‒
”

“Excuse me, Grand-Master,” Ashur said, raising his arm once again. “But that does not answer my question.”

“I was exceedingly clear, recruit,” Sylene told him, her eyes narrowed. “If you failed to understand my words, then I believe that to be
your
problem.”

“Grand-Master,” Trissa said. “I disagree. I think that is
my
problem. Ashur here has nine people on his team. I have three. If he decides to beat my team into a pulp, there will be little I can do about it.”

“As I’ve told you, recruit,” Sylene said, “all of you should be familiar with the risks you face by now. However, if team Ashur’s conduct, or any other’s for that matter, is deemed to be… outside the boundaries of reason, well…” Her head twitched in a most sinister way. “They will surely find themselves taking a rather long walk around the deep desert.” She looked straight into Ashur’s eyes. “The Guild might be in desperate need of manpower, but it has no need for thugs.”

This time, it was Ashur who shifted his weight.

“Now, as I was saying before,” Sylene continued. “You’ll want to sleep so that you are well rested tomorrow, but if I were you, I’d spend some time tonight studying that map and planning a strategy. Oh, and one more thing. The crates we use to carry Dragon blood are big and heavy. You won’t be able to carry them on your backs like a pitcher. For that reason, on this challenge, you are allowed the use of horses, as well as carts and other tools like rope. Good luck, recruits.”