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    The Dragon Society
    The Dragon Society
    The Dragon Society
    Ebook650 pages8 hours

    The Dragon Society

    By Lawrence Watt-Evans

    ()

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    Dragons had preyed on humans since time immemorial, and no one had ever found a way to kill them. Now, though, Arlian had learned the secrets the dragons had hidden from humanity for centuries. He knew how the dragons could be destroyed forever, and he intended to see it done. The only catch was that several humans, including Manfort's most powerful men and women, had to die to make it happen. Some of them did not intend to cooperate. Indeed, they preferred to cooperate with the dragons instead, to protect themselves, no matter how many innocents might die as a result. And Arlian would have to defeat this unholy alliance if he ever hoped to end the draconic threat.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMisenchanted Press
    Release dateNov 1, 2020
    ISBN9781619910317
    The Dragon Society
    Author

    Lawrence Watt-Evans

    Born and raised in Massachusetts, Lawrence Watt-Evans has been a full-time writer and editor for more than twenty years. The author of more than thirty novels, over one hundred short stories, and more than one hundred and fifty published articles, Watt-Evans writes primarily in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books. His short fiction has won the Hugo Award as well as twice winning the Asimov's Readers Award. His fiction has been published in England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Poland, France, Hungary, and Russia He served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1994 to 1996 and after leaving that office was the recipient of HWA's first service award ever. He is also a member of Novelists Inc., and the Science Fiction Writers of America. Married with two children, he and his wife Julie live in Maryland.

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      Book preview

      The Dragon Society - Lawrence Watt-Evans

      This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

      THE DRAGON SOCIETY

      Copyright © 2001 by Lawrence Watt-Evans

      All rights reserved.

      Published by Misenchanted Press

      Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110

      www.misenchantedpress.com

      ISBN: 978-1-61991-031-7

      First Edition: December 2001

      First Misenchanted Press Edition: November 2020

      The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices.

      Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher.

      Dedicated to my son,

      Julian Samuel Goodwin Evans,

      who has been very patient with me

      BOOK

      I

      Secrets

      1

      Strangers at the Gate

      Late one winter night, at an hour when all sensible folk were long abed, a man stood yawning atop the city wall beside the gates of Manfort, leaning against the gate tower and peering every so often into the darkness outside the city. He was wrapped in a thick coat and wore a broad-brimmed black felt hat, but still shivered with the cold, occasionally stamping his feet on the stone battlement.

      Then a dull, distant creaking drew his attention. The streets inside the gates and the paved square outside were dark, cold, and empty, but somewhere to the south, far down one of the roads leading out of the plaza, he could see a dim flicker of light. Suddenly alert, he stared at it, shuttering his lantern so that his eyes could adjust more completely to the darkness—and so he would not be seen so easily.

      The light drew nearer, and the creaking grew louder, until at last the man on the wall could make out a wagon trundling up the road toward the city. The wagon was large and boxy, drawn by oxen—the sort of wagon used by the caravans that brought goods from all over the Lands of Man. A single lantern dangled from a long iron hook above the driver’s seat, providing just enough light to let the tired oxen see where to set their feet.

      Caravans did not travel by night, of course—but the man on the wall was not waiting for a caravan. He unslung the bow on his back and strung it without ever taking his eyes off the approaching vehicle.

      The wagon drew steadily nearer, the oxen trudging stolidly up the street toward the plaza, through occasional patches of half-melted slush that had fallen from the roofs on either side; the wheels slipped sideways on the wet cobblestones now and then, but the wagon moved steadily forward.

      The two men on the driver’s bench sat side by side, huddled against the cold. One, the driver, was a stocky, crop-haired man of indeterminate age clad entirely in black leather; he stared into the darkness ahead, as calm and stolid as the oxen pulling the vehicle. Beside him, alternately drowsing and starting into intense alertness, slumped a tall young man wrapped in a black woolen cloak piped with white; a scar marred this man’s right cheek. He came alert as the wagon neared the gates and scanned the towers carefully.

      The man on the wall beside the tower ducked behind the parapet, out of sight, and drew an arrow from the quiver on his back.

      We should have stopped at an inn, the driver said as the wagon bumped into the plaza. Dawn can’t be more than two hours away. You’re exhausted, the oxen are exhausted, I’m tired myself, and we still have to get to the Upper City and get everyone inside.

      The young man shook his head sharply. No, he replied. I might still have enemies here. If we had arrived by daylight the news of our return would be everywhere in minutes, and they could have had assassins in the crowds on the street before we could get inside the gates, let alone reach the Old Palace.

      They could have assassins on the wall or the rooftops right now, Ari, and we’d never know it in the dark.

      Only if they knew we were coming, the other said, but he threw a quick glance at the stone parapet, which was little more than a black shape against the starry night sky.

      Lord Toribor is a sorcerer, isn’t he?

      The young man snorted. Lord Belly? Not much of one. He left the sorcery to Enziet and Drisheen.

      You swore to kill Lord Nail, as well as Belly, and surely he knows some sorcery.

      True. I suppose he might know enough to know we were coming.

      Then why don’t you think Lord Nail might have archers on the rooftops, waiting for us?

      The younger man sighed. He might. But he’s still sworn not to kill me in Manfort itself, and I think he’ll probably keep that oath.

      What about the others, then? Do you think any of them might decide to avenge Enziet or Drisheen?

      I don’t know. I don’t know what the rest of the Dragon Society knows, or what they would think of any of it…

      He was interrupted by the slap of a bowstring. The young man was too tired to recognize the sound immediately, but his leather-clad companion reacted instantly, shoving Arlian to one side while he dove to the other. Arlian’s hat fell to the pavement.

      An arrow whirred between them and embedded itself with a thump in the back of the driver’s bench.

      Damn! Arlian said, fumbling at his belt as if expecting to find a sword there. Black, where did it come from?

      There, Black said, pointing at the archer on the wall—who had risen from concealment with another arrow nocked. Arlian tumbled completely out of the wagon, and the arrow smacked into the seat where he had been a moment before.

      If he’s smart, he’ll shoot the oxen, Black hissed, as he crouched half on and half off the driver’s bench. Let’s hope he’s a fool. We can dodge better than they can.

      Arlian had gotten to his feet and stepped back beside the still-moving wagon, out of the light. Thirif! Shibiel! he called quietly as he walked alongside.

      No one responded.

      Don’t wake them, Black said. They’ll stick their heads out, half-asleep, to see what’s happening. You could get them killed.

      "We could get killed! They might have some magic that would help—maybe an illusion of some sort, like the one they used at the inn in Cork Tree."

      I think we can handle one bowman without magicians, Ari.

      I don’t have a sword, Black—it broke back there in the cave, remember? And how do you know there’s only one?

      Black didn’t reply at first, and Arlian called, Black?

      Hush, Black said. Listen!

      Arlian listened, and heard creaking wheels, ox hooves slapping on wet pavement …

      And something else, farther away. Footsteps. Running footsteps at street level.

      It isn’t just one, Black said.

      I sincerely regret being right about that, Arlian said. Black, I’m completely unarmed.

      Another arrow whirred past Arlian’s ear, uncomfortably close; apparently he wasn’t as well hidden by the wagon as he had hoped.

      Can you use a whip? Black called.

      To drive oxen, yes; to fight, no.

      I’ll keep it, then.

      A fourth arrow chipped a splinter from the wagon inches from Arlian’s nose.

      "I notice he’s only shooting at me," Arlian said.

      Yes, I know, Black said. You’re the one someone set assassins on.

      Arlian noticed that Black’s voice seemed to be receding. He risked poking his head forward and looking around.

      Black was no longer on the driver’s bench. His black leather clothing, black hair, and black beard blended into the darkness, and Arlian could not spot him for several seconds, but finally he made out a low shape moving rapidly forward, bent over and moving with amazing stealth, his drover’s whip clutched in one hand. Arlian watched him run a zigzag path across the plaza toward the gates.

      He could no longer hear any footsteps; he peered into the darkness, trying to guess where the assassins were. He heard the snap of a bowstring, but did not hear or see the arrow’s flight, and the click of a steel point striking stone seemed distant—was this some other bowman at work? The first archer was presumably still on the wall, but those other footsteps had not been …

      Someone shouted, and he thought he heard a scuffle; he looked for Black, but could not locate him in the darkness.

      Then an unfamiliar voice called from some distance, Lord Obsidian!

      Puzzled, Arlian hesitated, then shouted back, Who calls?

      I’m called Horn, came the reply. I work for Lord Wither.

      "Lord Wither sent assassins?" Arlian was startled; while he and Wither had had their disagreements, he had not thought the old man wished him any serious harm.

      No, my lord—we have captured the assassin. I have my knife at his throat. What would you have me do with him?

      This was all far too confusing in Arlian’s exhausted condition. Black? he called.

      There was no reply for a moment; then he heard voices muttering in the distance, too low for him to make out any words. Then Black’s voice called, Wait there, Ari.

      Arlian waited, baffled. He glanced up at the battlements just as a light flared, and saw several men, one of them with his hands raised while the others surrounded him. The light came from a lantern in one man’s raised hand.

      Then the light vanished behind the gate tower, to reappear moments later at the tower’s base, where Arlian could see that it was now Black who held the lantern. There were two others with him, both strangers—but one of them did, as he had said, hold a knife at the other’s throat.

      Arlian had thought there were more people than that in the lantern’s glow atop the wall, but there were only the three approaching now. Arlian stood and waited for them.

      Lord Obsidian, the man with the knife said as they drew near the wagon. This is the assassin.

      And you are Horn? Arlian asked.

      Yes.

      Would you mind telling me why you are out here in the middle of the night, saving me from assassins? How did you know who I was?

      Sorcery, my lord, Horn replied. Lord Wither grew impatient for your return, and used sorcery to determine when you would arrive—and in so doing, he learned of this ambush, and sent me to ensure your safe arrival.

      That was kind of him, Arlian said. And is Lord Wither here?

      No, my lord. He is safely home in bed. He trusted me and my men to deal with matters here.

      Your men?

      I have others with me. They have remained on the battlements, in case other dangers still lurk.

      Arlian nodded. Then he turned his attention to the other stranger, the man with the knife at his throat.

      You meant to kill me? he asked.

      Yes, my lord. The man’s eyes were downcast, staring at the paving stones.

      Why?

      I was hired to do so, my lord.

      By whom?

      The assassin looked up and met Arlian’s gaze.

      My lord, you understand that revealing that would ordinarily put my friends and family at risk, and since you are surely going to kill me in any case…

      No, I am not, Arlian interrupted.

      That seemed to disconcert the assassin; he stammered, then said, I cannot … I … This is a special circumstance, my lord.

      In what way?

      The man who hired me is dead, my lord. You killed him.

      Arlian blinked wearily at him. Did I? Who was he?

      Lord Drisheen, my lord.

      Arlian nodded. So I did.

      If he were still alive I would not betray him, but he is dead, and left no family…

      Arlian snorted at the very idea of Lord Drisheen having a family.

      He paid us half before he left, the assassin continued. The other half was put in trust, to be delivered when your death was confirmed—if you came back to Manfort; if you died elsewhere, we would not be involved. But we were to kill you outside the gate—he insisted upon that—so my brother and I have been taking turns freezing up on that wall for months. If we had been able to strike in your home…

      I’m sure you’d have done better, Arlian said. He noticed that this fellow seemed to have no compunctions about betraying his brother’s role in the scheme. "I don’t suppose Drisheen told you why I was to be killed?"

      The assassin’s surprise was plain even by lantern-light. Revenge, of course. He knew you meant to kill him.

      Of course. Arlian sighed. He looked at the waiting wagon—the oxen had stopped when Black made his dash across the plaza—and at the arrow embedded in the back of the driver’s bench.

      Shall I kill him now? Horn asked.

      No, Arlian said. Let him go.

      My lord? Horn said, startled.

      Release him. He’s unarmed, of course?

      Of course, Horn said. Well, at least we took his sword and knife and bow—he might have other weapons hidden. But surely, my lord, you cannot mean to let him go free?

      I can and I do. You heard me say I did not mean to kill him, and I don’t. Let him go.

      Horn hesitated, then lowered the knife and released his hold on the assassin’s arm.

      One thing, Arlian said, as the man stood staring stupidly at him. You are no longer an assassin. If you ever attempt another murder, I will hunt you down and kill you. You heard how Lord Wither’s sorcery warned him of your intent—well, I have two Aritheian magicians in this wagon whose magic makes Lord Wither’s mightiest sorcery look like a child’s game. I have had my fill of vengeance for the nonce, but I am being merciful, not stupid. Do not test me on this; my mercy is limited. Do you understand me?

      Yes, my lord. The assassin bowed deeply.

      You got half your money; enjoy that, and make no further attempt at the rest.

      Yes, my lord.

      Now, go away.

      The assassin hesitated, then turned and ran for the gate.

      Arlian, Black, and Horn watched him go.

      "I had heard, my lord, that you were obsessed with revenge, Horn said. It would appear I was misinformed."

      You were not misinformed, Arlian said. My obsession has become more specific than that. I am obsessed with revenge upon the dragons, not upon men.

      In other words, he’s mad, Black said cheerfully. But he pays well.

      Horn grimaced. Arlian studied him.

      So I am under Lord Wither’s protection?

      For the moment, yes, Horn said.

      Why?

      He says you have something he wants, my lord.

      And has he asked you to collect it for him, or to bring me to him, so that I can pay him for saving my life?

      I am not at all sure we did save your life, my lord—your man here seemed well on his way to settling the matter, had we not done so first. At any rate, we are not to trouble you. Lord Wither will wait upon you in his own good time, when you have had a chance to recover from your journey.

      Will he, indeed? Arlian had a fairly strong suspicion that Lord Wither’s courtesy and consideration was not entirely unselfish. The old man probably thought that a polite approach was more likely to be effective in cozening Arlian. Arlian also had a fairly strong suspicion that he knew what Lord Wither wanted, and that he was not going to get it.

      Thank you for your help, Horn, Arlian said, and my thanks to Lord Wither for his intervention. Tell him I will be happy to see him in a few days.

      Horn bowed.

      Can we go now? Black asked, gesturing at the wagon.

      Horn stepped aside. Arlian retrieved his fallen hat, then hurried to the driver’s bench. A moment later he and Black were back in their seats, the arrow embedded in the back of the bench between them had been pulled free and tossed aside, and the oxen were trudging onward as if nothing had happened.

      2

      Homecoming

      The wagon rolled slowly up the streets of Manfort, toward Arlian’s home in the Upper City. I told you we should have stayed at an inn tonight, Black said. I don’t think he would have attacked us if we had arrived by daylight, with people everywhere.

      Oh, I think he would, Arlian said. He could have lost himself in the crowds and escaped.

      Black clearly didn’t believe this, but did not actually say so. Arlian glanced at him, then said, We had to come through the gate sometime, and I thought our chances were better late at night. I may have erred.

      I think you just didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to get home, Black replied. Not even a few hours.

      That’s part of it, Arlian admitted. After all, Hasty’s child is due at any time, if it hasn’t come already. But also, I have a reputation to keep up as Lord Obsidian. He caught himself on the edge of the seat as the wagon bumped over a loose paving stone. "Which do you think is a better entrance—riding in openly at midday, dirty and tired, in a cheap old trader’s wagon, or simply reappearing without warning, back in place at the Old Palace?"

      Why do you still care what anyone thinks? Black demanded, throwing his companion an angry glance. Enziet and Drisheen and the others are dead, and Nail and Belly know you for who you are. Who are you trying to impress?

      Everyone I can. If I intend to hunt down and kill the dragons that destroyed my village, I’m going to need help. I can’t do it alone.

      Black glanced at him, and saw that his companion’s expression was intent, although he was staring into empty darkness. Clearly, Arlian was seeing something other than the street ahead of them, and Black suspected it had something to do with dragons. "You probably can’t do it at all, Ari," he said gently.

      I have to try.

      Black’s manner turned harsher. "And just who do you think could possibly help? Lord Wither? He seems to be eager enough to help you as it is, at least against Drisheen’s assassins, but what could he do against a dragon? Who are you trying to impress?"

      The Duke of Manfort, for one, Arlian replied. His ancestors led humanity in the wars against the dragons, seven hundred years ago. He might welcome a chance to continue the job.

      Black grimaced. He’s more likely to hang you. After all, you hunted down and killed his chief adviser. If he’s sufficiently annoyed about that I don’t think it will matter whether he finds you in your palace or in the gutter. It’s lucky for you that he probably doesn’t have the wits to find anything but wine, food, and women without an adviser telling him where to look—and unlucky for your plans that I don’t think he has the nerve to do anything about the dragons.

      Arlian shrugged. If his advisers urge him on, who knows what he might do?

      Arlian, why would his advisers urge him to do anything as insane as hunting dragons? The only one mad enough to even consider it is sitting beside me on this wagon.

      Arlian did not argue with that; instead he asked, "Who are the Duke’s advisers now? The names I knew were Lord Enziet, Lord Drisheen, Lord Hardior, and Lady Rime."

      Well, you’ve just named the four best known.

      Arlian smiled wryly. And it would seem I’ve killed two of them.

      So you did, Black acknowledged. And I believe Lord Hardior fell out of favor last year. That leaves Lady Rime.

      Who sleeps behind us, Arlian said. He glanced over his shoulder at the interior of the wagon. I’m amazed she didn’t wake during our little encounter at the gate.

      She might well have awakened and had the sense to stay quiet.

      So she might, Arlian agreed. He glanced back into the wagon again, but could not make out any of the passengers—the lantern was positioned so that its light did not penetrate far into the interior.

      At any rate, Lady Rime was not here to maintain her position or claim Enziet’s, Black said, and somehow I doubt that void went unfilled. There is undoubtedly some sweet-tongued scoundrel who has wormed his way into the Duke’s favor in our absence—Lord Hardior, reclaiming his position, or perhaps some other courtier.

      And we don’t know who that might be, nor whether he’s kindly disposed toward us, so wouldn’t you say it would be best to impress him?

      Oh, I suppose so, Black muttered.

      One might expect that whoever it is would be grateful to us for removing Enziet and Drisheen and creating an opportunity for advancement in the Duke’s favor, Arlian suggested hopefully.

      Gratitude is a virtue that is expected more than practiced, Black remarked dryly.

      I’ve noticed that, Arlian admitted. He looked around at the deserted streets.

      Here and there a torch or lantern cast an orange glow across the gray stone walls and stone-paved streets of Manfort, or the mounds of dirty, melting snow, but for the most part the city was dark. There was no sign of any further ambush, nor any sign of Horn or Lord Wither’s other men—but then, why should there be? Drisheen had left the city hurriedly, and had little time to prepare; furthermore, like all members of the Dragon Society, he had been sworn not to seriously harm another member within the city walls. He had probably only had time to commission the one pair of assassins, and would not have arranged an attack to take place within the city—he had surely expected to return, and to take up his place once more in the Society, so he would not have broken his oath so openly.

      And Lord Wither would know that.

      Arlian, Wither, Drisheen, Enziet—they were all members of the Dragon Society, all dragonhearts. Each of them had survived an encounter with a dragon. Each had at some point swallowed a mixture of human blood and dragon venom, and had been transformed thereby. Long ago a few dragonhearts—Enziet, Wither, and the long-dead Rehirian—had founded the Society with the stated purpose of opposing the dragons however they might, of avenging the attacks they had survived, the attacks that had slain their friends and families. For centuries, every known dragonheart in the Lands of Man had eventually joined the Society.

      And those dragonhearts were no longer entirely human.

      Dragonhearts did not age. They were immune to poisons and disease. They all had, to varying degrees, a supernatural vigor—dragonhearts were a shade stronger and faster than ordinary men, and did not tire as easily. They possessed an unnatural charisma, so that all of them, over the centuries of life the elixir granted them, were able to become wealthy and powerful. Every member of the Society, no matter how lowly born, was now a lord or lady, as the terms were used in the Lands of Man—owners of profitable businesses, with multiple employees they did not oversee directly.

      Those were the positive effects of the heart of the dragon. The less pleasant consequences included sterility, toxic blood—and other things, secrets that most of them did not yet know. Further, dragonhearts tended to grow cold and detached from normal society over the years, and had therefore banded together in their own secret society—though even there, their relationships were often less than cordial.

      Arlian, for example, had vowed to kill five of his fellow members, as well as various other people, in vengeance for certain crimes. He had dealt with three of those five—Horim, Drisheen, and Enziet.

      Drisheen, it seemed, had attempted to return the favor.

      That left Lord Stiam, known as Nail, and Lord Toribor, also called Belly, at least nominally Arlian’s sworn foes—but he was certain that neither of them would try to kill him inside the walls, either directly or through hirelings. They took their oaths seriously.

      So he was safe, for the moment, and had only to get home to the Old Palace. He peered around in the darkness, trying to recognize where he was. After an absence of more than four months Arlian was not entirely certain he could have found his own way to his estate by night; he had lived in Manfort only briefly.

      Black, though, seemed to know every twist and turn of the route. He guided the oxen unhesitatingly up the slope toward the Upper City. It occurred to Arlian that he didn’t know whether Black was a native of Manfort, or whether he had come from somewhere else originally. Black was not particularly prone to talk about his own past, beyond a few amusing anecdotes he would sometimes retail when drunk.

      Arlian respected that. After all, his own history was not something he wanted widely known. He had told Black and Rime and a few others the entire story, and much of it had been revealed during his initiation into the Dragon Society, but to most of the population of Manfort Lord Obsidian was a figure of mystery, his background unknown.

      And since he was an escaped slave, that was a very good thing. Arlian doubted that a runaway mine slave who had stolen and adventured his way into a fortune would get the same respect as someone whose background was entirely unknown.

      He had not been born a slave; he had been born Arlian of the Smoking Mountain, a free citizen in the mining village known to outsiders as Obsidian. The natives had never bothered with a name among themselves, since there was only the one village on the Smoking Mountain; Arlian had not known that anyone called it Obsidian until long after the place was destroyed.

      He had been a boy of eleven when three dragons swooped down from the overcast sky of a sweltering summer day and burned the village to the ground. He had survived in his family’s cellar, where he had been trapped beneath his grandfather’s corpse—and where he had swallowed a mixture of his grandfather’s blood and a dragon’s venom.

      It was in the aftermath of that destruction that Arlian had been captured by looters and sold into slavery. He had spent seven years in the mines of Deep Delving before an overseer, grateful that Arlian had saved his life, had helped the young man escape.

      Arlian had not dared to use his real name for a time after his escape, and had gone through several other names before finally arriving in Manfort, wealthy from adventures in Westguard and the magic-haunted south, and adopting the identity of Lord Obsidian.

      As a boy he had sworn to avenge his home’s destruction, and his own enslavement. He had later also sworn to avenge the murder of friends in Westguard, and the abuses suffered by the slaves kept in the brothel there known as the House of Carnal Society and the House of the Six Lords.

      A sadistic overseer from the mines in Deep Delving, a young man known as Lampspiller, was also on Arlian’s list of people who deserved punishment for their crimes, but he was only a minor concern.

      Arlian had made a good start on fulfilling those oaths of vengeance. Most of the looters were dead; the last two, Dagger and Tooth, had long since vanished from Manfort and were perhaps dead as well.

      Of the six lords who had been behind the atrocities in Westguard, Arlian had rid the world of four—three dragonhearts, and Lord Kuruvan.

      The other two were the least of the lot—Nail had gone so far as to apologize for his actions and turn over the two women he had still held as household slaves, and Arlian had fought and wounded Toribor once already, almost three months ago, in a nighttime duel in the streets of a town called Cork Tree. Toribor’s pair of maimed slaves, Cricket and Brook, were now safely in the back of Arlian’s wagon, with Lady Rime and two Aritheian magicians, and pursuing their former master did not seem especially urgent. As he had told the assassin, Arlian had had his fill of vengeance, at least for now, and at least against men and women.

      But then there were the dragons—not merely the three who had burned Obsidian and slaughtered Arlian’s family, but all the dragons that still lived deep beneath the earth, and ventured forth to kill and burn when the whim struck them. Arlian wanted them all dead.

      No man, it was said, had ever slain a dragon, in all of human history—not in the old days when the dragons ruled the world, nor in modern times when the dragons had retired to their caverns and left humanity to mind its own affairs.

      So it was said—but it wasn’t true.

      Arlian had killed a dragon.

      Admittedly it had been only a newborn dragon, a mere infant, and even so he had almost died fighting it, but he had killed a dragon.

      Save for the venom scar on his face, his injuries from that battle were healed now—or at least, the injuries to his flesh; he was not sure just how much damage had been done to his spirit. He had learned things in that conflict that troubled him deeply.

      He had also learned secrets that he thought might enable him to someday slay the dragons that had destroyed his home and family, as he had slain the infant—secrets that might eventually allow the complete extermination of dragons—but there were complications, very severe complications.

      Arlian wanted to think everything out very carefully before continuing his quest for vengeance—and he definitely intended to continue.

      He could do that thinking anywhere, but he preferred to do it in Manfort, heart of the Lands of Man, in his home the Old Palace, a rambling monstrosity that the current Duke of Manfort’s grandfather had abandoned as too expensive to maintain, but which Lord Obsidian had bought and restored.

      It was in Manfort that Lord Toribor and Lord Nail lived. It was in Manfort that Lord Enziet had served as chief adviser to the Duke. It was in Manfort that the Dragon Society, the sorcerous secret masters of the Lands of Man, met—and it was inside Manfort’s walls that the members were sworn not to kill one another. If Arlian stayed elsewhere, his enemies in the Society could send assassins after him, but here, they could not.

      It was in Manfort that his potential allies dwelt, as well. If he hoped to wipe out the dragons, he would almost certainly need a great deal of assistance, and the Dragon Society—at least, those members, like Lord Wither or Lady Rime, who had no reason to hate or fear him—seemed a likely source for that aid.

      Though there were complications.

      And it was in Manfort that he had a household awaiting him—his hired servants, and four of the women he had saved from the House of the Six Lords.

      He held no slaves, of course; after his years in the mines Arlian could hardly allow slavery in his own home. His four guests had been brothel slaves for years, their feet amputated to prevent any attempt at flight, but he had freed them.

      He had freed those four—but it should have been more. Arlian’s gut knotted at the memory of poor Sweet, who had died in his arms; of Sweet’s friend Dove, whose bones still lay in Lord Enziet’s house; and of Sparkle and Ferret, whom Lord Drisheen had hanged out of spite rather than permit Arlian to rescue them.

      There were the two in the wagon, Cricket and Brook, which made six in all, but still, the House of the Six Lords had had sixteen unwilling occupants. Arlian had been unable to save ten of them.

      He sat, silently remembering, as the wagon moved slowly up the street, and then dozed briefly and unhappily, the faces of dead women drifting through fragmented dreams.

      He jerked awake again as the wagon bumped across a gutter as it crossed an intersection. He glimpsed the familiar outline of the Old Palace ahead, a black shape barely distinguishable from the black night sky behind it. The windows were dark, and no lantern hung at the gate or in the forecourt.

      We’re almost there, he remarked.

      Almost, Black agreed.

      I hope someone’s awake to admit us.

      I have the keys, Black said.

      Arlian nodded. He should have expected as much, he told himself; Black was always prepared. A man of great foresight; Arlian knew he had been very lucky to stumble into such a companion, and even luckier that Black had stayed with him for so long.

      Oh, he paid Black a generous salary, and Black was moderately susceptible to the superhuman charisma of anyone possessing the heart of the dragon, but there was no question that Black had the willpower and common sense to leave if he chose.

      That he did not so choose flattered Arlian immensely. He wondered sometimes whether he deserved such an honor.

      I think the postern would be appropriate, Black suggested, breaking into Arlian’s thoughts. Given the hour.

      Of course, Arlian agreed—though if he had been driving in his current weary state he would have taken the wagon directly to the front gate without thinking about it.

      Black clucked and pulled at the reins, and the oxen turned in to the alley, bound for the kitchen entrance.

      A moment later the wagon creaked to a stop, and Black leapt to the ground. You wake the others, he said. I’ll unlock the doors and see if there’s a fire.

      Arlian, who had been poised to jump down after his steward, caught himself. Of course, he said. He turned and ducked down into the body of the wagon, dodging the arrow that still stood in the floorboards.

      The Arithean magicians were curled up on one side, Lady Rime on the other; at the back, sleeping on cushions atop the luggage, were Cricket and Brook.

      There was no sense in waking the younger women until someone was available to carry them; Arlian turned to the magicians, Thirif and Shibiel, first. He shook Thirif’s shoulder gently. The Aritheian stirred and sat up, then awakened his companion while Arlian turned his attention to Lady Rime. Rime came awake instantly and stared up at him.

      We’re at the Old Palace, he told her. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, or we can take you to your own home once we have the others safely inside.

      Rime shot a glance at the sleeping women, and another at the magicians. I’ll stay here tonight, she said.

      It’s almost dawn, Arlian said.

      Then I’ll stay the morning, Rime replied. She twisted around, pulled her wooden leg from the corner where she had secured it, and set about strapping it onto the stump of her left leg.

      Good, Arlian said. He turned toward the others, and found Cricket already stirring, her sleep disturbed by their voices.

      A moment later Black returned to announce that the postern was open, the kitchen fire burning, and the staff alerted. Will you want breakfast, my lord? he asked.

      Arlian blinked at him.

      I want sleep, he said. Have my bed readied, and places found for all of us. Anything else can wait.

      As you will, my lord, Black said.

      Arlian stared at him for a moment. Black had slipped easily back into his formal role as steward after months of casual equality on the road; Arlian, in his exhausted condition, could not make the adjustment so readily. Let us fetch the women, he said, gesturing toward Cricket and Brook.

      Black nodded.

      Everyone was awake now, and the Aritheans lent a hand in getting Brook and Cricket down from their perch and out of the wagon.

      Brook stared at the arrow, but said nothing. The others seemed not to notice it. Arlian suspected that Rime had been awake for at least a portion of their encounter with Drisheen’s assassin, and had already seen it.

      We’re really here? Cricket asked sleepily, as Black lifted her and started for the postern. I’ll really see Lily and Kitten and Hasty and Musk?

      You really will, Black assured her.

      She smiled happily. That’s wonderful! What else could I ask for?

      Feet, Brook said grumpily as Arlian hoisted her in his arms, the stumps of her ankles waving in the air.

      And on that note, Lord Obsidian re-entered his home.

      3

      An Unexpected Legacy

      Arlian came awake with the odd impression that he had coughed. His throat felt entirely fine, however. He blinked up at the plaster nymphs on the dimly lit ceiling.

      Ahem.

      That explained it, he realized. He hadn’t coughed; someone else had, to awaken him. He lifted his head.

      He saw at once that the light in his chamber was only dim because the curtains were drawn. The narrow gap where one pair failed to close completely allowed a beam of sunlight, like a bright golden screen, to cut across the far end of the room at a steep angle.

      From that, Arlian judged it to be roughly midday.

      It was good to be home, he thought, where he could sleep away the morning in a real bed, untroubled by innkeepers or the exigencies of travel. He stretched beneath the covers, enjoying the feel and smell of the fine linen sheets, then looked around for the source of the

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