The Fifth Magic (Book 1) (2 page)

Black smoke poured from the chimstack, and steam billowed around it.

"We got a leak!" someone cried from belowdecks and the crew worked to stem the flow. The ship's shadow danced along the vegetation and grew closer. It was just a matter of time before they crashed into it. Not far in the distance, the greenery ended and desert began. Brother Vaughn wasn't certain what to wish for, so he simply prayed the crew could fix the steam leak in time. The billowing air bags rippled above them in danger of collapsing. Brother Vaughn braced himself. He'd thought flying on a dragon or on a ship with a flightmaster was terrifying. This took fear to a new level.

The ship's shadow raced along the desert, a sand cloud swirling in their wake. The cries from below changed in pitch, and after a fevered moment of shouted orders, the steam rising from belowdecks decreased. The wind socks--or bladders, as Kenward called them--firmed and snapped taut. The ship began to rise, and Brother Vaughn prayed they were not too late. A stiff wind now pushed them toward the heights faster than any of them would have liked. Kenward called out more orders, and the
Serpent
responded--somewhat. As if waking from a long sleep, the ship lumbered upward; cast like a leaf in the wind, it twisted. The ropes holding the air bags popped and whined but continued to hold. By some luck, the wind straightened the ship, line, and sail.

Pointed in the right direction, Kenward took advantage. "More flame!"

Black smoke grew thick. The ship ascended into it then leaped higher, supported by thermals rising above the sands. With the increase in smoke came more steam, and Farsy shouted from belowdecks, his words distorted but his intention clear. The black was choked to a fraction of what it had been, and the steam lessened. The
Serpent
could climb only so high so fast. Fortunately the thermals did most of the work, leaving them drifting higher and higher in a lazy circle. Tilted sails caught uprising air, the angle of one side less than the other, allowing them to spiral upward.

The people of the Heights had been notified the
Serpent
was coming, but Brother Vaughn still wasn't certain what to expect. At that point, just about anything would be better than being on Kenward's airship. What
had
he been thinking?

The captain appeared to be feeling quite good about himself. Brother Vaughn could imagine his words, "First person to ever fly a steam-powered ship across the Endless Sea and do trade with the Heights."

A crowd appeared along the edges of the gaping openings in the mountains. With the sun setting behind them, Kenward guided the
Serpent
away from the thermals and toward the tallest spire. There waited an official delegation, and he guided the airship closer.

Erratic wind gusts and vortices tossed the ship during the final approach, and those waiting within the cavernous chamber scattered. With the lines creaking and groaning from the strain, the
Serpent
cleared the expansive opening with excessive speed. Again the wind gusted, catching the air bags in the gale. Into the stone floor the hull slammed, jolting all those aboard, before changing direction and being dragged back toward open air.

"Cut the lines!" Kenward shouted, his voice high. "Quickly!"

Moving with all the speed they could muster, the crew worked to cut the ropes. They would not be quick enough. Brother Vaughn would have jumped, but he was not strong enough. Others made the leap and landed on solid stone, but he remained rooted and would go where the ship went. The world stopped moving suddenly and completely. A deep boom rattled his being, and Brother Vaughn's eyes felt as if they might be torn from his head. When he opened them, his vision was blurred, and it took a moment to see the largest eye he'd ever seen gazing down upon him. The mighty verdant dragon, his head nearly as big as the ship, snorted and rattled the chamber, then roared. Brother Vaughn would always remember it as if the dragon had roared at him personally.

Grateful for the leviathan's help, Brother Vaughn tried to be thankful while he pulled himself over the rail to drop onto the cavern floor. The dragon had stopped the
Serpent
from being dashed against the rocks, but he had also nearly deafened Brother Vaughn and risked giving him a heart attack. Men in white linen robes with shoes that shone even in the failing light approached.

"I am Brother Vaughn."

"Your people certainly know how to make an entrance," said a fat man with a lopsided grin.

Sensi, Brother Vaughn presumed as he picked himself up from the cold stone.

Chapter 2

Change threatens all that is and shall be met with fire.

--Sensi, chamberlain to the lord chancellor

* * *

Diplomacy was made difficult by the lord chancellor's refusal to meet with Brother Vaughn. The best he could do was talk with the people at the market while trying to keep Kenward out of trouble, the latter of which was like trying to keep the wind from blowing.

"For all of these," Kenward said to a gem merchant, "I will give you one of these." He produced a dried and preserved yet still lustrous saltbark leaf.

"Do you think me a halfwit?" the man asked, his voice high and accent thick. The interaction did not go unnoticed, and guards moved closer to where they stood. Brother Vaughn had the distinct feeling he was being watched from above, and he gave Kenward a nudge.

"I mean no offense," Kenward said. "This saltbark leaf will cure almost any ill and is considered as valuable as a life."

The merchant made a show of being unconvinced but soon reconsidered. "Half," he said. "Because I cannot know it is real until it's needed."

"It's real," Brother Vaughn said. "I was there when it was harvested, and I have seen the healing it can bring. It's real."

"Half," Kenward said, "but I pick which half."

The merchant cast Kenward a sideways glance then smiled, "Deal."

With every stone selected, the merchant acted as if he were being robbed. This was apparently not all that unusual since the guards and other merchants ignored it.

"How will Umair feed his children?" he cried.

"Hold this, Sevon," Kenward said, but Sevon did not answer. Brother Vaughn turned, but the little man was nowhere to be seen.

When Kenward had only one selection left to make, he was torn between a pretty, red stone growing out of a darker stone and a much smaller translucent stone with but a hint of green giving it color. His hand hovering near one then the other, Kenward read Umair's eyes. He grabbed the smaller greenish stone, feeling apprehensive, but Umair cried out as if he'd been assaulted. This the guards could not ignore, and they closed in on the merchant's shop.

"What's the problem, Umair? Are you being robbed again in the broad light of day?"

"This man tricked me into thinking he was an idiot, and instead he's a thief!"

"I may look dumb," Kenward said, "but it's just a disguise."

"You see? He tricked me."

"Move along," the guard said to Kenward, and Brother Vaughn sighed in relief.

"Can we go back now to see if the men are done repairing the
Serpent
?"

"I need some more rope," Kenward said. "The crew can't fix the ship without materials, but everything here is expensive."

"It's all imported," Brother Vaughn said.

"That's crazy," Kenward said. "Give anyone control over your food and goods, and they'll eventually use it against you."

Secretly Brother Vaughn was dreading getting back on the
Serpent,
but it didn't appear he was going to make any progress here on his own. The
Serpent
might be his only way home, which was a less-than-comforting feeling.

"For
rope?
" Brother Vaughn heard Kenward say and he turned. "Did you spin it out of rainbows and dragon tears?"

The merchant did not respond.

"We'll have to use what we've got," Kenward said, finally convinced to go back to the ship. It was a long and uncomfortable walk. He spent his time grumbling over the prices merchants dared ask for their goods, imported or not. Brother Vaughn knew returning to the vacuous hall where the
Serpent
lay on her side like a grounded whale might also mean getting another chance to see a verdant dragon up close. He hoped any he encountered would refrain from roaring at him. His hearing was just starting to return to normal.

His dreams of seeing another verdant dragon were fulfilled when they entered the hall, except this dragon was different from the rest. Jehregard stared down at Brother Vaughn, one eye more like a gemstone than eye. His mottled black and gray skin was like rock with moss and lichen growing between his mighty plates and giving him a greenish hue. There was no malice in the dragon's stance, eyes, or the energy he exuded, but he was intimidating nonetheless. One false step could kill a person, and having been stepped on by multiple horses, Brother Vaughn wasn't certain how close he wanted to get. Atop the dragon's back was a smaller version of the tierre, which could still hold ten people comfortably.

"I wonder how the old boy might feel about giving us a nudge," Kenward said.

Brother Vaughn shivered at the thought. It hadn't been Onin's verdant dragon that saved them from being dragged over the ledge, but he was certainly powerful enough to push the
Serpent
back into open air. What happened afterward being the true cause for concern.

Onin appeared a moment later, along with Sensi. The rotund man had been nothing but rude and seeing him was not a hopeful sign.

"Onin, my friend," Kenward said.

The older man cast him a flat glare. "What?"

"My men should soon complete the repairs needed, but my ship is now much heavier, and I was hoping I could beg a favor of you."

"What?"

"A push," Kenward said. "More of a nudge, really. Just enough to send us on our way."

"Not soon enough," Sensi said in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Fine," Onin said.

"Are you going to the council?" Brother Vaughn asked.

The looks returned to him were cold.

"Yes," Onin said.

"May I go with you?" Brother Vaughn asked before he lost his nerve.

"That would be most appreciated," Kenward said. "I can use the extra weight."

Brother Vaughn didn't appreciate being judged by nothing but his weight, but he saw Kenward's point. Onin turned to Sensi, saying nothing.

The fat man groaned. "If you must."

Knowing his welcome was tenuous at best, Brother Vaughn did his best to fall in behind Onin, remaining silent and invisible. Jehregard continued to watch them approach.

Bryn ran out to meet Kenward. "Almost ready, sir," he said, "just need that rope and we'll be airworthy in no time."

Lying on her side and belching black smoke, the Serpent was an ominous sight. The wind socks started to reinflate, and Kenward bade them a brief farewell. "Got to go," he said. "I'll shout when I need that nudge. Be gentle, will you?"

Onin grunted.

Not a moment before Kenward reached the
Serpent,
Sevon appeared from within the crowds gathering to watch them depart--or perhaps just burn to cinders. There was shouting coming from aboard the ship, and flames leaped up from between the decking. Kenward, Sevon, and the rest of those not onboard raced back to the ship. Wind gusts, powerful and insistent, threatened to pull the
Serpent
into the open air as well as fanning the flames.

Brother Vaughn wasn't certain how pleasant his trip to the council would be, but he knew he'd made the right decision. Kenward's orders echoed through the chamber, and Jehregard added his deep baritone roar. As the
Serpent
moved closer to the edge, so did Kenward's voice go up in pitch. Steam poured out and black smoke engulfed the ship, leaving the crowds to gasp and wonder her fate. Jehregard moved closer before Onin could reach the agitated dragon. Every step made the stone tremble, tierre and harness rattled and popped, and the mighty beast was lowering his head when the smoke suddenly cleared. Kenward and his crew scrambled over the airship, checking lines and shouting. The same wind that cleared the smoke also dragged the
Serpent
from the hold.

"I think we're good," Kenward shouted just before the ship dropped from sight. The crew's screams grew distant. Brother Vaughn ran toward Jehregard, his fear outweighed by the need to know what happened to his friends. Though he was glad not to share their fate, he would never have wished them harm. Snaps, cracks, and screams echoed as he ran, and his heart pounded. Jehregard gave a great trumpeting call, but Brother Vaughn didn't know what it meant. It only added to his anxiety and confusion. When he did finally reach the edge, he managed to keep a goodly distance between himself and the agitated dragon. Peering down, the
Serpent
resembled a falling toy--how far it had dropped was terrifying. With full and taut wind socks, though, the ship righted herself. Trees in their wake reeled from recent impact, but Kenward's laughter could be heard even from the heights.

"That man is quite insane," Brother Vaughn said. No one argued.

"Come," Onin said, pushing him from behind. Sensi approached more slowly, but even he appeared to be moved by a sense of urgency. Jehregard extended his leg, providing an easy climb to the tierre. Onin went first and Brother Vaughn followed. Sensi offered a few choice words to the wind before doing his best to climb in a dignified fashion. When he reached the tierre, the big man was breathing hard and had to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Tie yourselves in," Onin said.

Brother Vaughn didn't hesitate for an instant. Nothing he'd seen of flying thus far gave him any reason to believe he had the ability to stay where he was on his own. Sensi halfheartedly pulled at the too-short ropes and managed to secure himself, if just barely. Brother Vaughn couldn't help but check and recheck the knot he'd tied. He was considering untying it and retying it to make it more secure when Jehregard issued another deafening call, one Brother Vaughn could feel in the seat of his pants even when he held his hands over his ears.

A cold feeling unsettled his stomach, but Jehregard proved his skill. Extending his wings, the dragon left the cold stone without any noticeable sensation to those aboard. Seemingly without moving a muscle, the verdant dragon sailed into the open air as smoothly as could be. Brother Vaughn breathed a deep sigh of relief and wiped sweat from his own forehead. Sensi gave him a disgusted look.

No sooner had Jehregard executed a turn than shouting from within the mountain hold began. One word rang through the air, "Thief!"

Sensi cast an accusing glare at Brother Vaughn, who shrugged and turned his hands palm up.

"Go back," Sensi said.

"Why?" Onin asked, surprising Brother Vaughn.

"Because something has been stolen, and it's possible the thief is aboard," Sensi said without looking at Brother Vaughn.

"Did you steal anything?" Onin asked Brother Vaughn, turning to look over his shoulder.

"No."

"He didn't do it," Onin said.

"You're just going to believe him?" Sensi asked, incensed.

"My tierre, my rules," Onin said, and their course did not change.

"This is why the lord chancellor doesn't trust you," Sensi said.

Brother Vaughn shrank into the padded chair and checked his knot once again. Roars echoed from the heights. A pair of full-sized verdant dragons gained the skies, their huge tierres bristling with activity. Like war on wings, they instilled fear.

As if guessing his thoughts, Sensi said, "There'll be more."

"It will take them time," Onin said. "The great oafs are too big to be nimble. That is, after all, why you are aboard, is it not? Do you wish to try to have one of those beasts land amid the keys? I think you would never come back. I am no thief, you are no thief, and the monk is no thief. We fly. Let them chase the airship; there they will find fools and thieves alike."

It was the most Brother Vaughn had ever heard Onin speak, and he turned to Sensi, who appeared annoyed but otherwise calm. Something about that bothered him, but he didn't get the chance to reason it out.

"Hold on," Onin said. "The ride may get a little bumpy."

In the next instant, clouds engulfed them, and Jehregard's smooth flight was anything but. Sensi was holding the ropes with white knuckles. Brother Vaughn did the same. Ropes were small comfort when the bottom dropped out.

* * *

Convincing Kendra to leave Gerhonda wasn't something within Sinjin's power, which left him going to the council alone. There would be advantages, but he had to admit he would be vulnerable. It wasn't something he liked to admit, but there was a time and place for foolishness, as his mother had always said. Sometimes he thought of her in the past tense, which made it easier to cope--easier to avoid slipping around Kendra or anyone else. She had never accepted his reasons for not searching for his mother's saddle. Perhaps the greatest reason to think about his mother in the past tense was to keep his anger at bay. He'd been deprived of a mother, though she still lived. He'd been deprived of an honest relationship with his wife. The guilt wore on him, and he blamed his mother for swearing him to silence, especially with regard to Kendra. What was he supposed to do? It was a question threatening his sanity.

Seeing the shallows in the distance added to the sense of urgency. He needed to have his words sorted out before he and Kendra next spoke. He loved her and didn't want to hurt her, but he could not give in this time. Valterius snorted and dipped low over the water, knowing their destination was near. Pillars loomed above saltbark trees, and soon the channel through which the
Slippery Eel
once sailed would come into view. Sinjin had never seen the place, and it was like having something from a fairy tale materialize before you. He knew the stories his mother had told him were all true, but they had never felt like the real truth. He'd been unable to visualize such things as exploding mountains. Yet before them was the remains of a towering peak, as if a god had cleaved it with a mighty ax.