A Memory of Fire (The Dragon War, Book 3) by Daniel Arenson Page B
Authors: Daniel Arenson
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twisted into a mockery of a grin.
"And we both hate Frey Cadigus. The question is, Sila... will
you hate him in hiding, or will you fight with me?"
Sila
found that his fist trembled. Sweat trickled down his back. Damn
it. Damn it!
He took a step closer, muscles
tense and heart pounding. He stood only a foot apart from Valien and
stared into his eyes, seeking deceit and finding none.
"Frey cannot be defeated,"
he said. "All of Tiranor fought him. Three million of my
people perished in his flame. You lead a few thousand warriors.
Among my people, only two thousand are strong enough to fight. We
cannot defeat him."
Valien's twisted grin—a wolf's
grin—only widened.
"A few thousand dragons...
bearing two thousand gunmen on their backs. The world has never seen
such an army. We cannot fight him? Oh... I think we can."
Sila stared at him a moment
longer, silent and still.
Then he drew his sword, thrust
it forward, and sliced Valien's ropes.
"Come with me to my camp,"
he said.
As they walked down the
hillside, Sila's throat tightened and he could not stop his heart
from thrashing. When he looked toward the sea, he saw the waters
turn red again, and he saw the refugees begging and scratching at his
hull.
I
fled war, he thought, fists clenched. Curse
the Sun God. Now it returns to me not with fire, but with a whisper
and a hope.
When they reached his daughter,
and she stared at him with earnest eyes, Sila decided that he
believed Valien's story... and that frightened him more than a
hundred enemy dragons.
LERESY
He spent all night in the hole,
digging with his shovel, collecting soil thick with gems, and sifting
with a canteen he'd punched full of holes. Erry had given up only an
hour after sundown, then gone to sleep upon the beach, but Leresy
would not sleep. This was too important.
"Here is my salvation,"
he whispered as dawn crept through the cave entrance. "Here is
my father's death."
He had fashioned his shirt into
a sack. Inside glowed thousands of red crystal shards. Each one was
no larger than his smallest fingernail, and inside them glowed
swirling red liquid like lava.
He straightened, and his back
creaked after so many hours hunched over. He lifted the sack of
shards, tossed it across his shoulder, and climbed outside the hole
into daylight.
Genesis Isle sloped down around
him, littered with the barrels, tools, and weapons Bantis had built.
Below upon the sand, Erry lay sleeping, her cheek on her hands.
"Wake you, you lazy dog's
bottom!" Leresy called out and began walking downhill. "I
damn well broke my back while you were dreaming of unicorns."
She sat up, moaned, and rubbed
her eyes. "Bloody bollocks, Ler. I wasn't dreaming of no damn
unicorns. I was dreaming that you actually had some muscles on you."
She stared at his bare torso and grinned. "A good night of
shoveling didn't help that dream come true."
He stomped down to the beach,
kicked sand onto her, and placed down the shards as she cursed.
"I dug them all up,"
he said. "What do you reckon they are?"
She spat out sand. "Ladybug
shite."
"Be serious." He
growled and lifted a shard; it was the size of an apple seed. "These
aren't natural gems. They're polished. It looks like... like pieces
from a smashed stained-glass window, but there's some liquid inside.
They almost look like drops of blood." He blew out his breath.
"Bantis said they're a great weapon. How do you kill with
them?"
Erry chewed her lip. "Well,
we can tell Frey they're candies and maybe he'll choke. Or we can
call him over, then spill the shards onto the floor, so he trips and
breaks his neck. Or wait—I know! We can wait until he's very frail
and old, and then pelt him to death with them—death by a thousand
tiny jabs." She nodded thoughtfully, lower lip thrust out.
"Quite a weapon. Definitely more powerful than dragonfire."
Leresy waited and sighed. "Are
you done?"
"Or maybe we can—"
"You're done!" he
said. "Be quiet. Burn me, I preferred you sleeping.
"And we both hate Frey Cadigus. The question is, Sila... will
you hate him in hiding, or will you fight with me?"
Sila
found that his fist trembled. Sweat trickled down his back. Damn
it. Damn it!
He took a step closer, muscles
tense and heart pounding. He stood only a foot apart from Valien and
stared into his eyes, seeking deceit and finding none.
"Frey cannot be defeated,"
he said. "All of Tiranor fought him. Three million of my
people perished in his flame. You lead a few thousand warriors.
Among my people, only two thousand are strong enough to fight. We
cannot defeat him."
Valien's twisted grin—a wolf's
grin—only widened.
"A few thousand dragons...
bearing two thousand gunmen on their backs. The world has never seen
such an army. We cannot fight him? Oh... I think we can."
Sila stared at him a moment
longer, silent and still.
Then he drew his sword, thrust
it forward, and sliced Valien's ropes.
"Come with me to my camp,"
he said.
As they walked down the
hillside, Sila's throat tightened and he could not stop his heart
from thrashing. When he looked toward the sea, he saw the waters
turn red again, and he saw the refugees begging and scratching at his
hull.
I
fled war, he thought, fists clenched. Curse
the Sun God. Now it returns to me not with fire, but with a whisper
and a hope.
When they reached his daughter,
and she stared at him with earnest eyes, Sila decided that he
believed Valien's story... and that frightened him more than a
hundred enemy dragons.
LERESY
He spent all night in the hole,
digging with his shovel, collecting soil thick with gems, and sifting
with a canteen he'd punched full of holes. Erry had given up only an
hour after sundown, then gone to sleep upon the beach, but Leresy
would not sleep. This was too important.
"Here is my salvation,"
he whispered as dawn crept through the cave entrance. "Here is
my father's death."
He had fashioned his shirt into
a sack. Inside glowed thousands of red crystal shards. Each one was
no larger than his smallest fingernail, and inside them glowed
swirling red liquid like lava.
He straightened, and his back
creaked after so many hours hunched over. He lifted the sack of
shards, tossed it across his shoulder, and climbed outside the hole
into daylight.
Genesis Isle sloped down around
him, littered with the barrels, tools, and weapons Bantis had built.
Below upon the sand, Erry lay sleeping, her cheek on her hands.
"Wake you, you lazy dog's
bottom!" Leresy called out and began walking downhill. "I
damn well broke my back while you were dreaming of unicorns."
She sat up, moaned, and rubbed
her eyes. "Bloody bollocks, Ler. I wasn't dreaming of no damn
unicorns. I was dreaming that you actually had some muscles on you."
She stared at his bare torso and grinned. "A good night of
shoveling didn't help that dream come true."
He stomped down to the beach,
kicked sand onto her, and placed down the shards as she cursed.
"I dug them all up,"
he said. "What do you reckon they are?"
She spat out sand. "Ladybug
shite."
"Be serious." He
growled and lifted a shard; it was the size of an apple seed. "These
aren't natural gems. They're polished. It looks like... like pieces
from a smashed stained-glass window, but there's some liquid inside.
They almost look like drops of blood." He blew out his breath.
"Bantis said they're a great weapon. How do you kill with
them?"
Erry chewed her lip. "Well,
we can tell Frey they're candies and maybe he'll choke. Or we can
call him over, then spill the shards onto the floor, so he trips and
breaks his neck. Or wait—I know! We can wait until he's very frail
and old, and then pelt him to death with them—death by a thousand
tiny jabs." She nodded thoughtfully, lower lip thrust out.
"Quite a weapon. Definitely more powerful than dragonfire."
Leresy waited and sighed. "Are
you done?"
"Or maybe we can—"
"You're done!" he
said. "Be quiet. Burn me, I preferred you sleeping.
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