Offspring (The Sword of the Dragon) (37 page)

She held her head high and gazed down at him. “Vectra and I have come here to make a pact of alliance, but I see now that her plan for binding it for eternity will not work. However, you can still serve as witness to this event. If you will serve as witness to our oaths, then I will forgive and forget your misconduct, and we will leave you to your solitude.” She looked into Vectra’s dark eyes. “He is harmless. I do not sense wickedness in his heart. What he has done is wrong, but I will forgive if he does this deed.”

Gruffly, the creature grunted.

Oganna looked down at the man. He smiled his gratitude and mouthed a “Thank you.”

“One thing, sir. I am
not
a wizard.” She held her hand to her chest. “I am the human offspring of a dragon. Please do not make me cringe by associating me with demonic forces.”

The man smacked his knee. “No. You are an angel.” Thereupon, he stood as witness while Vectra and Oganna declared an alliance between their two peoples and pledged to hold to their vow no matter what the future might bring.

The man raised his sword with both hands. “This vow must be maintained.” He snorted a laugh. “Or I will come back to haunt you.” His whole person phased, the sword disappeared, and so did he.

The megatrath stepped back when he disappeared—as did Oganna. The creature dropped its voice to a whisper. “Maybe he
is
a spirit.”

Oganna laughed. “If he is a spirit, then maybe I am too.” She straddled Vectra’s neck. The megatrath shook its hide and turned in the direction they’d come. With powerful strides it carried her up and out of the chambers. Behind them the lights flickered and extinguished, leaving the chamber once more in darkness. It took a while, but gradually Vectra climbed out of the subterranean world’s depths. On the way Oganna occasionally peered into the deep crevices bordering the trail and wondered what mysteries remained to be solved in the still-deeper regions of this place. A shiver ran down her spine as an image of abandoned cities haunted by a creature dwarfing the megatraths painted itself in her mind. Deep, deep underground. She shuddered and forced her thoughts elsewhere.

This alliance that she had formed with the megatrath could greatly benefit her father’s people. But what would he think of her committing herself to this pact without his prior consent? And what would Caritha and the other Warrioresses say? She ignored the doubts and determined that, whatever might happen, she would remain a faithful friend to the megatrath. She would keep her oath.

They reached a higher elevation where the firelights lit the way. She glanced back one time, wondering what had become of the man who lived down below. His wounds had been severe, and even though she had healed him, he was old and would likely die. But then again maybe she was wrong. After all, he had an extraordinary knowledge of the Ancient Ones’ technology. Perhaps someday it would be possible for her to return. Perhaps one day the secrets buried here would be revealed to her. Perhaps.

T
he narrow band of water that formed the underground stream flowed unhindered through the stones. Oganna, holding her sword in one hand to light the way, followed the stream from the chamber in which she’d slept. It bent around a corner and angled down, leading her into a tunnel she had not explored.

Before she saw the waterfall, she heard it thundering from high in its cavern. Soon it came into view, plummeting to a circular pool carved in the stone floor by centuries of erosion. A hole somewhere above allowed a band of light to beam on the pool. It reflected on the water and danced in white and silver patterns along the walls.

She sheathed her sword, knelt, and drank deeply, savoring the cool, refreshing liquid. Submerging her hands, she cupped them. Next she splashed water on her face and wiped it with a handkerchief.

Someone walked to the other side of the pool. She could hear footfalls on the stone, and she discerned the figure of a woman in the reflected light.

“Good morning, Oganna.” It was Caritha’s voice. “You were up late last night?”

“Vectra was showing me around.”

“Um, hum. I see.” She washed her face in the pool, then stood and came to Oganna. The reflected light created wild patterns on her dark hair and highlighted its reddish tinge. “Well, as soon as Laura, Rose’el, Levena, and Evela wake up, we can say our farewells to the megatraths and be on our way.”

Oganna bit her lip. “No. No, I am afraid it will not be that simple.” She folded her hands behind her back. “Last night I took an oath of alliance with these creatures, namely with Vectra.” She told Caritha of the old man dwelling deep in the caverns, whom she’d fought—but left out the part where she ended up on another world—and she told her how the man had witnessed the pledge to ally with the megatraths. “So,” she said, “today we will leave, but Vectra is coming with us.”

“What?”

“She wants to meet Father and, if she is able, to help him with his troubles in the north. The megatraths are desert creatures after all.”

“Oganna, I know that you did this with the best of intentions. But I do not believe you considered all the facts before you made this commitment. These creatures are a race bent on conflict, and they revel in testing one another’s physical strength. You may respect Vectra, yet I see no reason to believe we can trust her followers.” She put a hand on Oganna’s shoulder. “However, you
are
the princess and thus the future queen of your father’s people. The decision is not mine to make; it is yours. I may not fully agree with it, but I will support it.”

Oganna smiled and stood. “Will you tell the others for me? They will not object if they know that you stand behind my decision.”

“Of course.” Caritha’s hand slid off Oganna’s shoulder and dropped into her pocket. She started to walk away.

Oganna held up her hand. “Oh yes, there is one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“We leave within the hour. Tell them that you are all to meet me at the ledge where we first came into this place. And everyone should make sure to grab breakfast first. Bring your packs with you to the ledge.”

Caritha nodded, smiled, then pulled her hand out of her pocket to wave as she left. Something shiny clattered to the stone. She knelt on the floor, searching for it.

“Aunt Caritha, did you drop something?” She stepped toward her, but the woman held up a hand.

“Yes—please do not come any closer.” The woman laughed with relief and picked something off the stone surface. She stood and clutched it to her breast, then raced out of the cavern.

Sparks flew from the stones above Oganna’s head as Vectra dug in with her claws, swung her body out of her cave, and slid down the cavern wall. “A good morning to you, Princess. Did you sleep well?”

Oganna bowed as the creature thudded to the ground and loomed before her. “Very well, thank you. Is everything ready?”

“Yes.” The creature stretched and yawned. “I’ve already set things in motion.”

“Good. The Warrioresses will meet us at the rendezvous within the hour.”

Vectra hunkered on the stone floor and rumbled an invitation. “Care to ride on me to the ledge?”

“No, thank you. I think I’ll stretch my legs before the trip.”

Vectra lumbered to the tunnel that led out of her subterranean home. Oganna followed close on her heels. The megatrath dug her claws into the stone walls, and her powerful legs pulled her at an astonishing pace up the tunnel. When they reached the cave at the tunnel’s end and stood on the ledge that overlooked the desert, Vectra angled her long head to look down at her. “What do you call my desert, Oganna?”

“We don’t have a name for it.” Oganna walked forward, feeling the mighty creature’s gaze follow her. She looked out over the sands stretching to the horizon. “It is known to my people as the southern desert.” She looked to the creature. “Why? Do you have a name for it?”

Vectra chortled. “When all megatraths were united as one nation, we called it Resgeria.”

“Then Resgeria it is.” Oganna peered over the ledge. Several dozen megatraths lumbered onto the baking sand, aiming their long bodies in the direction of the Hemmed Land. “How many are coming with us, Vectra?”

The creature threw the front half of her body over the ledge. Her rear legs dug into the cave floor, holding her in place. The creature counted on her claws. “One hundred of my finest followers.”

The Warrioresses stepped up on either side of her. Their mouths dropped open, and Rose’el looked at Oganna and clacked her tongue. She edged closer and spoke so only Oganna could hear. “I hope you know what you are doing, young lady.”

“Wait a minute, Oganna.” Laura glanced at the megatrath force and swallowed hard. “You can’t bring all of them with you. What would your father say? The people will be frightened beyond belief.”

“This is a token of Vectra’s commitment to our alliance.” Oganna rested a hand on Vectra’s side. “They will bring us to the Hemmed Land, and we will bring them to meet Father.”

Vectra spun around, jumped backwards, and grasped the rock face with her great claws. “Coming?” She skidded down the cliff, leaving fresh scratches in her wake.

Oganna and the sisters followed her to the desert floor with all due speed, but compared to the megatrath they made slow progress. Oganna looked at the remaining descent and clambered back to the cave opening, ignoring the quizzical expressions on her aunts’ faces. After pulling a thin rope from her pack, she tied it around a boulder in the cave, pulled it taut, backed over the ledge, and rappelled down the rock’s face. In this way she passed the sisters and reached the desert floor ahead of them.

The Warrioresses descended foot by foot and finally arrived on the desert floor. Rose’el looked at the rope and shook her head. “Humph! You could have saved that. It’s stuck up there now.”

“Maybe not.” She held the rope out to Vectra. “Do you think you can snap it for me?”

“With pleasure.” The creature jerked the rope and it fell to the ground. Its end had ripped, but the rest of it was still good.

Vectra bent low and addressed the Warrioresses while Oganna climbed to the nape of her neck. “You may ride on my back or on the necks of other megatraths if you so choose.”

“Riding the neck is smoother.” Oganna tucked her skirts under her bottom and bounced a little. “Believe me. I’ve tried both.”

In a graceful move, Caritha sidled up to another of the creatures and bowed to it. “May I?”

A pleased rumble came from the creature’s mouth, and it bent down. She clambered on, the creature stood, and she spoke to her sisters. “It really is quite comfortable up here.”

Laura and Rose’el murmured to each other, then led the others to Vectra. They sat on the hard scales of her back and held on to the short horns protruding from her spine. Oganna shrugged. “All right, but I think you’ll regret it!”

Having all her passengers on board, Vectra dug in her heels and dashed northward. A strong wind bit the sand, spinning it in thick clouds. Visibility fell to zero, but the megatrath charged through.

Oganna put her cheek against the creature’s neck, reached to her back, and pulled a shawl from her pack to wrap around her head. The sand stung without relenting. When at last the wind let up, Oganna unwound the shawl from her head. Hot, dry air chapped her face.

One glance at the sisters riding Vectra’s back, and she smirked. Sand had attached itself to their sweating faces. They bounced with each stride and clung tightly to the creature’s body. Caritha’s mount ran fast on Vectra’s heels.

Yelling over the din of six hundred pounding feet, Oganna twisted to look back. “Comfortable back there?”

“Very funny.” Evela spat sand from her mouth. “Just you wait. Once we get off, I’ll teach you a lesson or two in manners, young lady.”

The megatraths did not stop until midday, and then it was only to take a short rest. Several of them ripped up a portion of the desert floor with their claws until they reached clay about fifteen feet down. Digging a little farther, they hit an underground spring. A pool of water formed, and everyone drank. Afterward the megatraths rolled in the mud.

Oganna watched with fascination, then looked up at Vectra. “Why are they doing that?”

Vectra rolled herself in the mud before replying. “Yimshi’s rays will bake a crust of mud over our scales, allowing us to maintain a cooler body temperature for a longer period of time.” She motioned over to one of her followers and ordered him to clean the mud off her neck and back. “Unless you prefer to sit in mud—,” she said to the women. They assured her they were indeed more comfortable without the mud.