Moroda (World of Linaria) Read online

  ‘I’m going to follow him,’ Anahrik panted, sharing a nod with Palom, before transforming again and flying after Kohl as quickly as he dared.

  ‘You don’t trust him?’ Morgen asked Palom in a hushed voice, as the party huddled under the covered deck, trying to keep out of sight now hiding had appeared as a third option.

  ‘Anahrik does not, but…I do not know.’ Palom said. ‘But I want to find out. Morgen, come with me, let’s see what we can learn from the ground if they are this close.’

  The soldier nodded, and the two clambered down the side of the ship and ran off along the line of the field toward the Arillians.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere until I see the all clear,’ Amarah said to Sapora, Eryn and Moroda—the only remaining passengers. She stamped the bottom of her scythe on the deck floor. ‘But I’d grab that crossbow if I were you, Moroda. Just in case…and prepare to actually use it.’

  Chapter Ten

  Kohl had hoped to approach the Arillians undetected, but it appeared they weren’t scouts for nothing. The group also had a height advantage, and Kohl felt immediately foolish for trying to sneak up on them in the first place. As they turned to face him, Kohl lowered his altitude slowly, keeping his eyes on the group as they approached, before landing in the middle of a wheat field to await them. He was acutely aware Khanna was hidden nearby, with only two lines of conifers for cover, but was grateful he had approached from behind. There was still a good chance they’d not spotted the airship, and would be focussed on him now he was in the open.

  He held his breath as they slowly descended, and felt the familiar, cool, rush of adrenaline as they drew close—a mixture of fear, anxiety, and anger. Shame was in there too, somewhere.

  All six members of the scouting group surrounded him as they landed, and Kohl lowered his eyes after taking stock of who was present. Most of the grunts were practically faceless, there was nothing special about them, but the one who landed closest to Kohl was one of Aciel’s generals, one he had to respect.

  ‘Kohl, it’s been a while. We did not expect to see you in Corhaven,’ the general said, his voice soft despite the underlying anger in his tone.

  ‘General Fogu.’ Kohl kept his eyes on the ground. He had briefly noted the general wore almost no armour—a little light metal guarding on his shins and shoulders, but nothing that would provide any real protection. It seemed more ornamental than anything else. Was he that brazen? They were in a foreign land, where their kind were shunned at best and openly attacked at worst. Perhaps Aciel’s visit to the Corhaven capital had resulted in a far stronger effect than Kohl had first thought. It was a worry.

  ‘Well? Anything to report? How many dragons have you killed?’

  ‘One, sir,’ Kohl answered, though he immediately knew what he said would be unsatisfactory. The snickering from the scouting group surrounding him confirmed that.

  ‘You’ve been gone three months and all you can show for yourself is one dragon?’ Fogu snarled, his wings ruffling. ‘Are you taking your orders seriously?’

  ‘I’ve been tracking their movements, sir,’ Kohl added, chancing his luck at raising his gaze slightly. The general was more interested in silencing the other Arillians, and Kohl breathed a sigh of relief. They all seemed to be young and relaxed, informal, even. They were lazy in their stance, fiddling with their own armour or glancing around, uninterested in the conversation between himself and Fogu. Distracted. Careless. These were not the ranks of fighters he knew Aciel and his generals to train. Had they all been influenced by their leader?

  ‘I suppose it proves you’re good for little else than exile.’ Fogu sighed, shaking his head and returning his attention to the dragon hunter. ‘We received a report of a small, dark ship seen heading in this direction. I don’t suppose while tracking your elusive dragons, you happened to see anything?

  Kohl shook his head.

  Fogu narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re very sure, Kohl?’

  ‘Absolutely, sir.’

  ‘Heh, too much wildlife around here.’ One of the scouts commented, drawing the gaze of Kohl and Fogu. It was a young woman, with short brown wings and matching hair. She watched a spot in the sky and was fixated by a group of birds flying tightly together a short way above them. Raising her left hand, she drew her fingers into her palm for a moment, before releasing skywards and sending a bolt of lightning shooting up into the fray. The birds cried out and scattered, much to her delight.

  ‘After that stupid dragon burnt half of Niversai down, there’s been hardly anything in the sky. We wanna keep it that way.’ She smirked at Kohl. ‘It belongs to us. Not ships.’

  ‘Looks like that’s about as much excitement as we’re going to have here anyway. Nothing but farming fields here.’ Fogu mused, ignoring the outburst and turning back to Kohl. He mirrored the other woman’s swift hand motion, and Kohl buckled in pain as the invisible blow struck his chest.

  He sank to one knee and clenched his teeth to keep from crying out. The second blow was just as vicious as the first, but by the sixth, Kohl was almost numb to it. Bolts of lighting and cutting wind joined the fray as the other scouts released their pent up anger on him, and Kohl closed his eyes and held onto his tongue, waiting for the pain to pass. The thunder accompanying their attacks rolled around him and shook the ground beneath his feet, but he was able to wait it out.

  He couldn’t tell whether seconds or minutes elapsed until the end of his torment, but the group soon tired of their game and took to the skies, hovering just above where he hunched. Fogu remained standing above Kohl, delighting in his suffering.

  ‘You’re lucky you’re a dragon slayer, Kohl. I’d kill you myself otherwise. Be grateful for your exile,’ he said. Grinning, he took to the air after his scouts. ‘We’re heading deeper into Corhaven: takeover will be complete by winter, thanks to the wondrous Aciel. I wonder whether you’ll even be allowed home when it’s finished.’

  Ignoring their laughter, Kohl dropped to the ground completely as his body tried to recover from the racking pain shooting through it.

  By the time he had his breath back enough to open his eyes and stand up straight, the scouts were long gone, the thunder was a distant echo, and Kohl was by himself in the wheat field. He exhaled slowly and steadily, trying to calm his breathing and thoughts. His mind raced at Fogu’s words and the Arillians’ behaviour. Aciel taking over Corhaven by winter? Or was Fogu speaking of all Linaria? Regardless, he doubted the others he travelled with would last very long if real war was to break out. Some of them were fighters, yes, and all were clearly adaptable, but he did not think it would be enough to survive the takeover, even if they banded together.

  As he stood in the field, thinking over his options, he felt eyes on him again. Turning around, Kohl tensed, ready to jump into the air and get out of danger if he was attacked again. When he saw Morgen and Palom step out of the crops, he relaxed. ‘I’m touched you came to make sure I was alright.’ He greeted, pleased to see a face not utterly full of contempt.

  ‘Arillians…you can’t be too careful,’ Morgen said, his voice shaking after the run. ‘I mean, erm, present company excluded. We heard the thunder. Definitely them, wasn’t it?’

  Kohl sighed and picked up his hat from the ground, dusting it off as he inspected it. Placing it securely back on his head, he laughed, ‘Indeed it was. And I know exactly what you mean…I have to admit I agree.’ Though his tone was humorous, Kohl did not smile, not truly. He knew his kind were not loved, no more than the Varkain, but to be shunned by your kin and never quite accepted by the remaining people of Linaria was something he struggled to accept. ‘Is the ship okay?’

  ‘Everyone is fine. The Arillians?’ Palom asked, searching the skies.

  ‘They’re gone. Deeper into Corhaven from the sounds of it.

  They won’t bother us if we make haste.’ Kohl replied, brushing down his clothes and adjusting his heavy cloak. There was one thing to be said for Fogu’s attacks—they very rarely left a mark. He wa
s grateful the general was in a good mood—Kohl had seen Fogu’s real power, and it was far above anything Aciel was capable of.

  Pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind, he gratefully walked back with the other two across the fields, towards where Khanna lay hidden.

  ‘You’re not flying?’ Morgen asked, watching the dragon hunter carefully.

  ‘Saves energy by not. Besides, Anahrik keeps trying to push the pace. I’m quite tired after the first part of this morning’s excursion.’

  ‘The same reason I do not transform,’ Palom added, beating Morgen with the answer to his question before the young soldier had even asked it.

  ‘Sorry,’ Morgen said, shaking his head as the trio made their way into the second wheat field. ‘I come from a tiny village to the north-east of Corhaven. Niversai is the biggest place I’ve ever been, and I’ve only been in the Imperial Guard about a year. Just as soon as I feel I’ve got the hang of something, I’m thrown back to the bottom of the pile with loads more to learn.’

  ‘You’ll never learn until you experience new things, go to new places,’ Palom said. ‘Many Ittallan are travellers, you know. We rarely stay in our birth town. Is it the same with your people?’ he asked Kohl.

  ‘Perhaps, once. Less so now. Unless you are Aciel or one of his followers.’

  ‘Why is that?’ Morgen asked, direct once again.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Kohl said, unwilling to speak any more of his lineage.

  Picking up on his reluctance, Morgen chose not to press the matter; though he promised himself he would discuss it later, when Kohl was a little more open.

  Morgen found the walk back to Khanna more pleasant than the rush into the fields. Though the day was still young, the wun was warm and the morning was mild. If he tried very hard, he might have been able to convince himself the dragon attack was little more than a dream, and the world would go on as normal. He knew it was foolish thinking, but the idea of change scared him. It had been such an incredible push to get to Niversai in the first place, let alone join the guard. The fact he had been promoted to the rank of officer within a year had turned some of his colleagues against him. Maybe everything had been leading up to the moment the dragon chose to attack? If not, he would still be a farmer’s son half a world away, with no idea about the wider world, other people, their magic, or the power of the dragons.‘You’ve gone very quiet, Morgen,’ Palom commented.

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m just thinking about my report.’ He lied. In fact he hadn’t planned on returning to Niversai at all—the town of Burian was far more welcoming than the capital, and he was already a local hero, even though Kohl had done all the work in bringing down the dragon. ‘I need to make sure I remember everything that happens, or my captains will have my hide!’

  ‘I think this Amarah will have your hide if we keep her waiting. Let’s make haste—the sooner we get to Berel, the better.’

  ‘I’m not sure what’s scarier, the thought of another dragon, or her wrath.’

  ‘Keep your distance if you know what’s good for you,’ Kohl added, his voice low. ‘She’s nothing more than a thief and a pirate. She’ll look for any opportunity to gain the upper hand.’

  ‘Is that not what we are all doing?’ Palom questioned.

  ‘Not in such an illegal manner,’ Kohl retorted, almost offended.

  Palom grinned, parting the wheat before him as the three reached the edge of the next field and found Khanna berthed a short way along the line of trees. ‘Let’s go, quickly.’

  Kohl crouched momentarily, before taking to the wing again, gaining height as he flew up the side of the airship and landed softly on deck. ‘The threat has passed. Palom and Morgen are getting on board now. Amarah, may we leave?’

  ‘Moving on now.’ Amarah replied, stepping over to the wheel and unfurling her sails.

  ‘No problems with your kin, I hope?’ Sapora asked. ‘I’d be most interested to hear your conversations.’

  Kohl watched Sapora carefully. ‘There isn’t much to say. They were looking for the ship, I did not know its location, they moved on. We’ll be safer in Berel.’

  ‘That’s a shame.’

  Morgen and Palom climbed up on deck as Khanna rose gracefully out of the wheat field; loose straw falling from her underside where it had stuck to the splintered wood.

  Amarah turned the airship slowly, keeping low to the ground, then powered east and south as she skimmed the tops of the field. As the river opened out below, she put on another burst of speed. ‘We’ll follow the river all the way to Berel. Kohl, keep a good eye out for us. Don’t want to have any more damned surprises, alright?’ Amarah said.

  ‘I’m so glad that’s passed,’ Moroda breathed, happy once again to walk out to the deck, crossbow held at her side.’

  ‘I thought my heart was going to burst,’ Eryn replied, shaking her head and watching as her sister gaze over the sides of the ship.

  ‘Shall we put our things in the crew quarters?’ Moroda asked, turning back to the deck. ‘Amarah said it’ll be first come first served, and I haven’t seen the others go downstairs yet.’

  ‘Good idea. We can take stock of what we have. Plus it’ll be warmer down there!’ She glanced at the others before leaning close to Moroda, ‘And away from him, too.”

  ‘We’re heading below deck,’ Moroda called to the captain, heading to the hatch and ladder below. Amarah replied with a grunt, her focus on the flight and little else, which suited Moroda just fine. Eryn was still quite wary of the woman, and was pleased with the opportunity to get away from being in such close proximity to her. Moroda could sense her sister’s wariness, but there was little she could do—they were stuck on Khanna at least until Berel.

  Thankfully Amarah was busy enough to leave them alone, and Moroda hoped it would remain that way for the rest of the flight, for Eryn’s sake.

  Moroda tried to ignore Sapora’s stare when she and Eryn crossed the deck to the hatch, and couldn’t help but shiver a little as she followed her sister downstairs.

  It was indeed warmer below, but it was noisier, too, and far more cramped. Eryn led the way, heading down the narrow metal steps and through the door which ran above the engines. A short hallway was on the other side, with three cabins leading off to the right and two to the left.

  Amarah used one of the smaller left cabins as her pantry and armoury. The second was kept locked, and she had threatened them all with death if they so much as thought about breaking in.

  Sapora had claimed the largest cabin on the right, and no- one was to argue with him. Palom and Anahrik were happy to sleep on deck with their weapons, as was Kohl. Amarah also slept on deck, which left Morgen one cabin, and the sisters the other.

  Unwilling to sleep near Sapora, Eryn led Moroda into the first cabin on the right, the farthest they could be from the Varkain’s chosen bed. It suited Moroda well enough—it was not luxury by any stretch, nor was it large or comfortable. But it was surprisingly clean, and she doubted they’d spend any more than two or three nights on the ship at any rate.

  The fact that Khanna was a pirate ship had its advantages. There were vast amounts of storage and hidden holes, and between them they were able to stow away their valuables while the cabin itself still seemed unused.

  A pair of bunk beds were built into the wooden wall opposite the door, Moroda suspected they may have started out life as shelves, and there was a washbasin on the right. The roof sloped at such an angle, there was only room for a small square trunk on the left, which served more as a seat than anything else.

  Eryn sat on the lower bunk, pulling her own satchel off and resting it at her feet. Moroda put her bag on the floor next to her sister’s, and sat on the crate, leaning forward so she did not hit her head on the sloped roof. ‘Are you okay, Ryn? With everything that’s going on? This won’t be a straightforward trip.’

  ‘With the threat of attack by dragon or Arillian looming?’ Eryn raised an eyebrow.

  ‘All the more reason to go
on it. This sort of thing doesn’t happen. The more we know, the more we can find out…well, I think the safer we’ll be. I know it sounds silly.’

  Eryn signed and rubbed her eyes. ‘I don’t know. I’m still tired from everything that’s happened. Last night, this morning, all these people,’ she trailed off, rubbing her forehead.

  ‘There are oat biscuits wrapped up in my bag if you want some,’ Moroda said, trying not to yawn in response to Eryn. ‘From Burian. I picked them up this morning when I got our things.’

  ‘Ah, sounds wonderful. A rare luxury,’ Eryn pulled Moroda’s bag over to her and rooted through it eagerly. She took out two biscuits, wrapped carefully in tissue, and handed one to her sister. ‘This is really happening then,’ Eryn said.

  ‘Yes. But please, try not to worry. It’s just a quick trip away, like when we were children,’ Moroda answered as she wolfed down her biscuit. ‘I just want to learn more about the dragons, really, and their stones. The Arillians, too. If change is coming, as Palom and the others think, we need to be ready. This is what we’ve been hoping for.’

  ‘Hoping for change, yes, but not like this.’ Eryn brushed crumbs off her lap. ‘I know things have been hard. We’re no good at running the stall. With winter on the way, all sales would have dried up. We were running it into the ground. It was stupid to think we could do it alone.’ Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. ‘That’s not true. It was one of your better ideas! We would have pulled through, we would have!’ Moroda said, amazed at her sister’s sudden pessimism. Moroda was usually the more reserved of the pair and Eryn far more open, and certainly far more positive. It was hard for Moroda to see her sister so worried. ‘Whatever would have happened won’t happen now. This trip is our opportunity. We need to learn everything we can to make it worthwhile.’

  ‘How will we get back, though? If we have no coin?’

  ‘Palom said he would look after us.’