Sivich’s armies were halfway to Nightpool, Ebis the Black’s
best horse soldiers surrounded them and killed them.”
Teb smiled. “We thought . . .” A
commotion in the sea stopped him. Thakkur stepped to the door,
sword drawn.
The white otter stood watching uncertainly
as, beneath the cliff, the water roiled and heaved. Suddenly a huge
white head burst out. Thakkur stared, then said, “Hah!” He stood
his ground, looking, and Seastrider stared back at him, her green
eyes laughing. A tuna dangled from her fangs. A second later,
Windcaller crashed onto the sea from the sky, nearly drenching the
island, certainly drenching her rider.
Teb had never seen Thakkur speechless. The
white otter’s eyes were eager. His whiskers worked with excitement.
He seemed to absorb every shining line of the dragons, every
reflected color, every curve of their spreading wings. These were
the creatures he had seen only in vision, had only dreamed
about.
Seastrider thrust her head at the white
otter, pushed her nose at his face, and nuzzled his whiskers.
Thakkur stroked her nose, his dark eyes bright with wonder.
“You are Thakkur,” she said. “You are the
Seer of Nightpool.”
“I am Thakkur.”
“Come on my back, great white otter. I will
show you the sky.”
Teb had to laugh at Thakkur; the white
otter’s eagerness made him shiver like a cub. Seastrider swam close
to the cliff, holding steady in the waves. Thakkur leaped from the
cliff to her back as if he did it every day, then tucked his paws
into the white leather harness.
As Seastrider lifted into the silvered sky,
bearing the white otter, a shout behind Teb made him turn.
“Hah! Dragons! There are dragons!”
“Thakkur—on a dragon! Oh, my!”
Chapter 10
On Ekthuma, five speaking wolves were
discovered talking with some children. They were killed and their
bodies bound by chain to the children’s necks, and the children
were made to drag them about the city. That is the way of the
un-men. They hunger to destroy warmth and love.
*
“Dragons in the sea! Hah, dragons!”
Teb stared up the cliff. Two sleek brown
faces looked down at him with broad, whiskered grins and dark eyes
shining.
“Charkky! Mikk!”
“Tebriel! You have dragons!”
The two otters slid down the cliff to
embrace him. They smelled richly of the sea and of fish. Teb knelt
and gathered them in, hugging them, laughing with pleasure into
their whiskered faces. Charkky pounded his back. “It’s a dream!”
Charkky shouted. “You really do have dragons! You found dragons!”
Mikk winked at him with admiration and looked up at Windcaller
banking away over their heads. Kiri sat on a rock, watching them
with interest.
“Maybe a dream,” Mikk said, “but their wings
make real wind. And Teb is real, I can smell him! And who is that
sitting on the rock?”
“Kiri,” Teb said, putting out a hand to her.
She came to stand beside him. Mikk shook her hand.
Charkky smiled shyly when she shook his paw;
he turned away and pulled at Teb’s arm. “Now that you have dragons,
Tebriel, you can drive Sivich from the land. Kill Sivich—”
“I thought Ebis killed him. I thought—”
“Oh, Ebis didn’t kill Sivich,” Charkky said with disgust. “Sivich escaped. He was
mounted— he wouldn’t go into battle on foot. He keeps a few
horses locked in the stable; we couldn’t get at them. We had to
leave them behind.”
Kiri looked from one otter to the other,
first puzzled, then with surprised admiration. “So that was what
happened to the horses. You stole them? I saw the battlefield.”
The two otters smiled.
Teb said, “If Sivich escaped, we’ll find
him.” He put a stranglehold on Charkky so the young otter thrashed
helplessly. With his face close to Charkky’s, looking into the
otter’s dark eyes, Teb said in a low, growling voice, “We will
destroy him—together, we will.”
“Hah, Tebriel! We’ll do that!” Charkky
cried.
Teb held Charkky away,
best horse soldiers surrounded them and killed them.”
Teb smiled. “We thought . . .” A
commotion in the sea stopped him. Thakkur stepped to the door,
sword drawn.
The white otter stood watching uncertainly
as, beneath the cliff, the water roiled and heaved. Suddenly a huge
white head burst out. Thakkur stared, then said, “Hah!” He stood
his ground, looking, and Seastrider stared back at him, her green
eyes laughing. A tuna dangled from her fangs. A second later,
Windcaller crashed onto the sea from the sky, nearly drenching the
island, certainly drenching her rider.
Teb had never seen Thakkur speechless. The
white otter’s eyes were eager. His whiskers worked with excitement.
He seemed to absorb every shining line of the dragons, every
reflected color, every curve of their spreading wings. These were
the creatures he had seen only in vision, had only dreamed
about.
Seastrider thrust her head at the white
otter, pushed her nose at his face, and nuzzled his whiskers.
Thakkur stroked her nose, his dark eyes bright with wonder.
“You are Thakkur,” she said. “You are the
Seer of Nightpool.”
“I am Thakkur.”
“Come on my back, great white otter. I will
show you the sky.”
Teb had to laugh at Thakkur; the white
otter’s eagerness made him shiver like a cub. Seastrider swam close
to the cliff, holding steady in the waves. Thakkur leaped from the
cliff to her back as if he did it every day, then tucked his paws
into the white leather harness.
As Seastrider lifted into the silvered sky,
bearing the white otter, a shout behind Teb made him turn.
“Hah! Dragons! There are dragons!”
“Thakkur—on a dragon! Oh, my!”
Chapter 10
On Ekthuma, five speaking wolves were
discovered talking with some children. They were killed and their
bodies bound by chain to the children’s necks, and the children
were made to drag them about the city. That is the way of the
un-men. They hunger to destroy warmth and love.
*
“Dragons in the sea! Hah, dragons!”
Teb stared up the cliff. Two sleek brown
faces looked down at him with broad, whiskered grins and dark eyes
shining.
“Charkky! Mikk!”
“Tebriel! You have dragons!”
The two otters slid down the cliff to
embrace him. They smelled richly of the sea and of fish. Teb knelt
and gathered them in, hugging them, laughing with pleasure into
their whiskered faces. Charkky pounded his back. “It’s a dream!”
Charkky shouted. “You really do have dragons! You found dragons!”
Mikk winked at him with admiration and looked up at Windcaller
banking away over their heads. Kiri sat on a rock, watching them
with interest.
“Maybe a dream,” Mikk said, “but their wings
make real wind. And Teb is real, I can smell him! And who is that
sitting on the rock?”
“Kiri,” Teb said, putting out a hand to her.
She came to stand beside him. Mikk shook her hand.
Charkky smiled shyly when she shook his paw;
he turned away and pulled at Teb’s arm. “Now that you have dragons,
Tebriel, you can drive Sivich from the land. Kill Sivich—”
“I thought Ebis killed him. I thought—”
“Oh, Ebis didn’t kill Sivich,” Charkky said with disgust. “Sivich escaped. He was
mounted— he wouldn’t go into battle on foot. He keeps a few
horses locked in the stable; we couldn’t get at them. We had to
leave them behind.”
Kiri looked from one otter to the other,
first puzzled, then with surprised admiration. “So that was what
happened to the horses. You stole them? I saw the battlefield.”
The two otters smiled.
Teb said, “If Sivich escaped, we’ll find
him.” He put a stranglehold on Charkky so the young otter thrashed
helplessly. With his face close to Charkky’s, looking into the
otter’s dark eyes, Teb said in a low, growling voice, “We will
destroy him—together, we will.”
“Hah, Tebriel! We’ll do that!” Charkky
cried.
Teb held Charkky away,
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