Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After a stormy encounter, fate gave the young people a break. For the next few days Toad walked tirelessly southwards along deserted paths, keeping far away from the trade route. The terrain changed little by little - ahead was the Riverland, where the rivers running from the mountains to the west were intertwined and scattered in a dozen channels, making their way to the lands of the New Empire and the Great Steppe. Don Marius believed that the rebel duchy's army and its allies would take up positions at a natural boundary along one of the rivers. King Auguste's army was to be found there as well.

- A military camp is not the safest place, but you can get home with an escort from there, - the young knight reasoned at one of his stops. - You have connections in the capital, don't you?

- There are warehouses and Granchi's office there, -the girl confirmed. - We could write a letter to the manager.

In fact, Rosa was not yet sure what she would do next. Having realised Don Marius's true purpose, the young sorceress experienced the feeling that pushed her into the dustiest corners of libraries and eventually led her to the ill-fated expedition. Curiosity. Or rather - the fear of missing a fleeting chance to learn something important. Having met the knight, the girl became a part of some big and significant story. To part with him means to return to the role of an outsider. Would the comfort and security be worth it? Rosa hesitated.

But her inner turmoil did not prevent her from recovering from her ordeal. The calm, measured journey made the young people remember about propriety, and at nights they slept on opposite sides of Toad, warming themselves against her scaly flanks. The green dragoness thus played the role of a sword, which the knight from fairy tales put between himself and the rescued maiden. She also guarded the sleepers for most of the night, leaving Rosa and Marius a couple of hours on duty each. On the third morning Rosa had recovered enough to take care of herself. She bathed in a nearby stream, washed herself with hot water from the kettle, washed her laundry, put on a new pair of clothes, brushed her hair and cut her nails. At the end of the day, she began to rub cream from a small silver box on her hands.

- Are you all right, signora? - Don Marius, who had seen this, inquired warily. He was wiping Toad's head with a damp cloth while the girl went to the stream. - Are your hands sore?

- No, no, it's fine, - the sorceress assured the young man. - It's just... well, for the skin. To keep my hands from getting hard.

- Ah, yes. - The knight cleared his throat. - Of course.

- Let me guess, - the girl said with a smile. - Don't your sisters and cousin knights do that?

- I just wasn't really interested. - Marius shrugged, looking away. - I'm sorry, signora.

- Why? - Still smiling, Rose looked up at him. - You apologise too often, my lord. To a commoner, too.

Determined not to drive her saviour into a blush, the girl immediately continued:

- It's not for beauty. A researcher needs sensitive fingers. Whether a magician or an anatomist. That's why I like gloves - without them, my hands would have turned into a blister like a peasant woman's. And the cream wouldn't have helped.

- I can't imagine you with muzzled hands, signora. - The young man also allowed himself a slight smile. - But you know... I can't imagine you with rouge on your face and an elaborate hairdo, either.

- A very difficult compliment, my lord. - Rose closed the box of cream with a click. - I must think it over.

She did make Marius blush after all.

The king's camp made itself known on the fifth day - by the fumes near the horizon. Many black columns stretched to the sky. Too many for another burnt village.

- This is it, - the knight said with a sigh, looking up at the fumes from his high saddle. - I will leave you here, signora. I wish I could take you further and make sure there are no misunderstandings, but I don't know how Auguste's troops will receive me. And it'll be harder for me to cross the border anyway. Be confident when you meet the soldiers, give your name at once and ask to be escorted to commander.

- And you, milord? - Rose asked, sitting behind him. She had always had to hold on to the knight's waist or shoulders on the journey, which had made him terribly embarrassed at first, but now they both ignored it.

- I'll wait until nightfall and try to get round the camp, - Marius replied. - It's just as I thought - the river beyond the camp, the Shaanta. De Velonda's positions are surely on the other side. The armies are at the fords, and I'll cross at the deepest place.

- Is it dangerous? - Rose squirmed in her saddle. - Toad swims well, but if the king's army has dragons, the rebels might be ready for something like this. What if they fire on you? Or you’ll be get trapped on the shore? Anything's possible in the dark.

- That's my problem, Signora Rosa.

- Yours and Toad's. - The girl clenched the knight's sides with her fingers so that he flinched. - You're risking her, too. I think you'd be better off taking to the air and flying to the other side, then approaching the rebel forces on foot, in broad daylight, in the open.

- I don't think Toad is capable of long-distance flying yet. - There was doubt in Marius's voice. Rosa wished she could see his face, but it was awkward to crane her neck and peer into his eyes from over his shoulder.

- She’s can, - the sorceress assured him. - The bone is already fine. There may be some pain, but I'll take care of it.

- How do you take them off if...

- I'm coming with you, - the girl said firmly. - Toad needs looking after. Besides, I seem to have some business with the rebels, too.

The latter was a lie, but Rosa did care about the green dragoness. Not that it was her primary motive...

- That’s impossible. - Don Marius looked round himself. He seemed alarmed, but at the same time... reassured?

- Let me eliminate the possibility of an argument right away. - Rose squeezed the knight's sides again. She knew that her fingers, though thin, were very strong. This time, however, the young man did not react. - If you drop me here, I'll cross the river myself and meet you at de Velonda's camp when you get there, wet and tired. You think I can't?

The knight was silent for a few seconds, and then... laughed. He said, turning away:

- You are ruthless, signora. If that's the case, I think you'd better stay with me. Are you sure it's safe for Toad to take to the air?

- Yes, milord. - Rosa didn't know if she was glad. If Marius had refused her, she would hardly have carried out the threat. But it was too late to change her mind anyway. - The bone and muscle were fine. There will be a little pain when she tense the muscles, but not enough to interfere with the flight. And I'll take it off anyway.

- Then we'll start now, - the young man decided. He unhooked from his saddle a steel helmet with a louvered visor, the top of which had a rectangular window made of thick glass. - The night flight won't give us much advantage, and patrols near the camp might be on the roads.

It was the second time Rosa had fly on a dragon, but she remembered the first one faintly. It was too short a trip across the Clay, and she had been busy searching for the enemy mage and dealing with Toad's acute pain. Now she could enjoy the flight to the fullest. Spreading out, Toad got off the ground and began to rise higher and higher, shifting to the southeast in a spiral. Marius probably wished to gain altitude before approaching the positions of the two armies. Last time Rosa, snuggled against Marius's back, had not noticed the wind - now it was in her face, forcing her to squint. The girl's huge round spectacles were a poor defence.

The fumes drifted downward, and the royal army's camp became visible. Rose couldn't see the details, but she could see that the rows of tents spanned the horseshoe bend of the wide river. On the other side of the Shaanta, tents were also crowded together, and there were dark strips of earthen ramparts, fences, and ditches. Toad began to round the bend with both camps from the east. For a time it glided through the air, rarely flapping its wings, but after a few minutes it suddenly turned its head and uttered a high bird-like cry.

- Dragons! - Don Marius turned his head round. When he realised where Toad was looking, he pointed his finger. - There!

Now even Rose could see two dots approaching them along the Shaanta riverbed. The alien lizards had been hovering above Toad, and were now shortening their distance while simultaneously descending.

- Air patrol, - the knight said, surprisingly calm. Though Rosa was used to Marius being more confident in the face of danger than he was when he talked to her. - There must be one flying west of the camp.

- Are they gonna get in our way?

- Yeah. They may think we're delivering an urgent message or something, but they'll soon realise we're flying across the river.

- What are we supposed to do?

- Trust me and Toad, - the young man said briefly. Rose squeezed his shoulder silently for a moment and leaned back, gripping the saddle to keep out of the way.

Don Marius did not try to gain altitude. He reassured Toad and told her to stay on her original course. The patrolmen might have thought the green dragon didn't see them. Toad headed straight for Shaanta, descending gently. The royal dragons followed her, still keeping higher. Rose could now make out their silhouettes - one lizard was black in colour, the other was scarlet. Both of them seemed much larger than Marius's pet. She had never thought about it before, but by dragon standards, the green dragoness was really quite small.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

- Black is someone from de Moradi's pack, - Marius said, speaking to no one in particular. - Maybe Slow-witted or Deerslayer. I don't recognise the red one.

Rose had a million questions on her tongue, but she held back. There would still be time to talk. If they both survived today.

As the waters of Shaanta glistened below, the red dragon folded its wings and dashed downwards, like an attacking falcon. Rose couldn't stand it:

- Marius!

- I know.

The scarlet silhouette grew larger, but Toad continued to fly as if she didn't see the threat. When Rosa thought she could see the red lizard's eyes, Marius shouted:

- To the left!

The Toad didn't just dodge the blow - it jerked to the side, spinning round and round to the deafening flapping of its wings. For a brief moment, the young sorceress felt the straps tying her to the saddle tighten. The royal dragon cometed to the right. It flapped its wings, trying to slow down. But now Toad dived down. The green dragoness sank her claws into the wide-spread wing of the scarlet lizard and tore at the webbing. The red dragon cried out pitifully, spinning like a maple seed. The Toad flew away, down, over the river. Rose turned round. The black dragon, who had trusted the first blow to his comrade-in-arms, was now also descending, but much more cautiously. Still, the distance to him was closing.

- Hold on, signora, - Marius advised.

- Shouldn't you have done it before? - The girl burst out laughing nervously.

The green dragoness dipped lower and lower, and suddenly Rosa realised that they were flying straight to the front of the rebel army. Where the lines of field fortifications stretched out. The black dragon followed them like a tether. White puffs of smoke rose above the ramparts.

- To the right! - Marius ran his palm over Toad's skin. The dragoness somersaulted through the air again, shifting off course and accelerating. Something whistled past. A moment later, explosions rumbled from behind. Looking over her shoulder, the girl saw the royal dragon literally flying into a wall of black and white explosions.

- Magic detonation bombs! - exhaled the knight. - I was hoping for them...

The royal dragon trotted left and right, seeming to search for a passage amidst the fire and smoke. More white clouds bloomed behind the fortifications. So the cannons firing from the ramparts were only marking a target for others. The toad did another mad somersault that made Rosa's stomach jump to her throat. The black lizard also tried to dodge the volley, but its manoeuvrability was at a disadvantage to the green dragoness. The poor thing was drowned in the flames of the close hits. The roar of pain reached even the ears of the girl and the knight. The lizard collapsed into the waters of Shaanta.

- Time to sit down. - Marius leaned forward. The Toad skipped high above the front ramparts, circled downwards, and almost landed on the strip of bare ground between the fortifications and the tents of the camp. Obeying the rider's commands, it lay down on its belly, tucked its paws and lowered its head. Marius took out a white shirt from under the saddle and clipped it to the scabbard of his sword. Standing with his feet on the saddle, he waved the improvised banner. Just in time - from the camp and from the ramparts, armored horsemen were already racing towards them, accompanied by carts with cannons. A few minutes later, the quietly lying dragoness was surrounded by two hundred mounted and foot soldiers. Guns with bronze barrels mounted on swivels in the carts kept the Toad in their sights. Transparent smokes hovered over the wicks of cannoneers and rows of gunners.

- I am Don Marius de Hvogbjorn! - shouted the knight, looking round the soldiers. - I have with me the magician of the Academy! We have urgent and important news for Donna Vittoria de Morax and your command!

No shots were fired, which was good. Nothing happened for a while. Then there was a movement among the rebels, and a man in a light-coloured cuirass came forward. His head was covered by a hat with a brightly coloured feather instead of a helmet.

- You may give your news to me, Don, - he said loudly, but not in a high-pitched voice. - I am the commander of the Duchy's Third Cavalry Regiment, Don Eugène de Beaulior.

- Forgive me, Don, but first I must inform Donna Vittoria. - Marius lowered his shirt on scabbard. - Only she can authorise me to pass the information on to someone else. Donna is in the camp, isn't she?

- Yes, she is here, - the colonel nodded, eyeing the young knight with a studied look. - But she is not the one I serve. On the other hand, taking you straight to the duke is not a good idea. Especially since he's not in the camp. Very well, then. - He slapped his palm on the saddlebows. - Come down. They'll take you to the donna, and if you don't cut her down, General Monvant will come there too. Then you will tell him your news anyway.

- You should look after Toad. - Knight turned to Rosa, who was just unfastening the straps that held her in the saddle. Until the last moment she had feared that they would have to take off again under artillery fire.

- I'm coming with you. - The young sorceress gave Marius a glare. He shook his head:

- Good. I hope you... find something to do after this.

Toad was obviously not happy to let his master go anywhere in such a tense situation, but after a few repeated commands she resigned herself and stayed where she was. The uninvited guests were led to the camp on foot, under a solid escort. Colonel de Beaulior certainly knew what dragon knights were capable of even without weapons. Strangely enough, the escort did not go to the main camp, but somewhere around it. It wasn't a long journey, and Rose was out of breath before the group reached their destination. It was a smaller part of the camp, made up of tents of a different colour. While most of the tents Rosa had seen were made of yellow and red cloth - probably de Velonda's crest colours - these stood out with grey or brown walls. Only a couple of larger tents flaunted black and gold colours. The dim camp was far away from the river and the other tents, and the ducal banner did not fly above it.

- They are Loyalists, - Marius said quietly to the girl. - Supporters of Queen Octavia. Donna Vittoria is with them, not the duke's men.

- Who is she? - Rosa asked, but she did not have time to hear the answer. He went into one of the black and gold tents, stayed there for half a minute, and came out in a hurry. He gave orders:

- Come on in. Donna's waiting.

The convoy remained outside - the young men and girl entered the tent alone.

- Good day, Don. Good day, colleague, - the hostess greeted them, standing beside a mahogany folding table.

Donna Vittoria de Morax was a woman just over twenty-five, tall and slender, even graceful. And dazzlingly beautiful - Rosa felt a pang of envy at the sight of her delicate face, her pure white skin, and her luxuriant red hair in two thick braids. As if realising that her beauty was already obvious, she wore a simple blue dress with a pelerine, adorned only with a gold brooch, as well as unadorned high heeled boots. She wore round gold spectacles, much thinner and lighter than Rosa's. The woman's waist was bound by a wide magician's belt with the obligatory set of flasks and pouches.

- I have been informed that you have arrived in a rather memorable way. - Donna rested her palm on the tabletop. Her green eyes glittered behind the lenses of her glasses. There was a strange half-smile on her lips – like she seemed to know something about her guests that they didn't know themselves. - And it's me you're looking for. Well, I'm listening.

The dragon knight bowed briefly, and Rose, belatedly realising, followed suit.

- Are you Donna Vittoria de Morax, royal forensic necromancer of Daert, my lady? - Marius straightened and stepped forward.

- That's right. - The woman only nodded slightly in response to the ceremonial bow.

- You were commissioned by Queen Octavia to investigate certain events in the kingdom with the bailiff, Don Armando de Gorazzo?

- Right. - The red-haired donna tilted her head to her shoulder. Her face remained impenetrable, but her lips quivered for a subtle moment. Rose wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been watching the woman's face closely.

- I met Don Armando a few weeks ago. - Marius put his hands behind his back. - He was travelling with a party along the Senare River. Among his companions were my cousin, Minerva, and her dragon.

- Have a seat. - Vittoria gestured to a couple of chairs in front of the table. She lowered herself into a much more comfortable armchair with a soft, high back. When the guests were seated, she said: - Luca, get the wine.

What Rosa first thought was a grey leather bag in a dark corner moved. The strange wrinkled creature straightened up, waddled over to the chest covered with a white cloth. The girl held her breath as she realised she was looking at an orangutan ape. A bald ape. A dead bald ape that Donna the necromancer uses as a servant.

- Go on, Don. - Vittoria herself did not even glance in Luca's direction. Her attention was on Marius. - Hurry, the Duke's men will be here soon.

- Don Armando was disembarking from a riverboat on the shore of Senara when I met him. - The knight tried to remain calm, but his gaze also jumped back and forth to the necroconstruct. - Don Ardano, my cousin, and a group of imperial agents were with him.

- Imperial? - Vittoria raised her eyebrows.

- Yes, - Marius glanced at Rosa and, apparently for her, explained: - Queen Octavia accidentally discovered that on the territory of Daert there is some secret organisation of people who are beyond the control of any form of magic. These people used unusual machinery that our best engineers cannot understand. To investigate their origins and ties to local forces, the Queen has assigned a few reliable judicial officials.

- Me and the two crown bailiffs, - Donna Vittoria nodded. She intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on them. Luca came over and placed a jug of wine and three silver goblets on the table.

- Turns out these people aren't just active in our Coalition. - Marius moved away while the dead orangutan poured him wine. - They were committing murders and trying to put their people in important positions in the East, in the Empire. Imperial agents in their investigation reached Daert, where they met with Don Armando. They made an alliance. Their captain, the elven Lady Valria, shared the information with me.

Marius grabbed the goblet and drained it half-full at once. Under Donna Vittoria's scrutinising gaze, he blurted out:

- The Imperials are our enemies, but... These people who are immune to magic are aliens. They come from another world where magic doesn't exist, but machine technology is incredibly advanced. So much so that sometimes it's superior to magic or indistinguishable from it. The new king, Auguste, is their ally. They supply him with weapons and men in exchange for co-operation. The outsiders want to control the continent through puppet rulers. Auguste killed Queen Octavia with the weapons of the outsiders. Don Armando saw it with his own eyes. Octavia's family was probably killed in the same way two years ago. It's a conspiracy against everyone. The Kingdom, the Empire, the Coalition duchies, the elven principalities, all are in danger.

For half a minute there was silence in the tent, viscous as tar. Finally, the red-haired donna leaned back in her chair:

- Don Armando worked in the provinces, I worked in the capital. I didn't meet any Imperials, but I learnt a few things myself while the Queen was alive. It's not strange that the new king has declared me and Don an outlaw. If Armando and I combined our information, we could cause Augustus a lot of trouble. We'll have a more detailed conversation, Don Marius. While we think of what to tell the Duke's men.

For the first time in the entire conversation, she shifted her gaze to Rose:

- And you, colleague?

- Rosa Granchi, nature mage. Second grade, fifth year at the Academy. - It sounded silly, but she couldn't think of anything better. Donna Vittoria somehow gave Rosa a feeling of unease and a chill between her shoulder blades. Not only because of her speciality - there was something in her demeanour, in her look, in her intonation, something... unpleasant, but at the same time paradoxically attractive. - I'm just a travelling companion. Don and I met by chance and... well... travelled together. I was treating his dragon.

- I suppose you want to go back to the Academy?

- No. - Rosa pulled herself together and answered firmly. - I want to stay and help. To Marius and... to you, I suppose. Marius will stay with you, won't he?

- Yes, a bail bondsman with a dragon would come in handy for me. - The red-haired donna's grin grew wider. - If he doesn't mind. And you, Rosa...

The necromancer stood up, walked around the table, touched the frozen girl's shoulder with her fingertips. Their gazes met.

- Nature magic and necromancy study the same thing: living beings. - Donna Vittoria spoke with deliberation. - Just in different states. At the end of the fifth year, you are already a graduate, but without the stamped paper. It's time for you to continue your studies with a personal tutor. Would you like to start learning a new speciality...?

"Pragmatists are not born, they become. This is a fairly obvious truth. But some will call my next statement nonsense. Idealism and pragmatism are quite compatible. A person who combines both of these qualities is capable of much. Perhaps it is precisely such people that future generations call heroes"

The Witch-Queen, "Memories", volume one.