springing lithely upon her first foe using the pouncing rajal technique, slitting his throat before he had time to raise his weapon; now spinning into a powerful, sideways double cut which gutted two soldiers, soaring above a wild cut to slash a man’s face on the way past. Thrust! Slide! She weaved among the flying blades. The dragonet screamed before her, firing tiny fireballs, so that it seemed that a single fire-spitting, blade-wielding creature of an impossible number of arms, legs and wings tore into Ra’aba’s soldiers.
Suddenly, Lia arrived at Queen Shyana’s toes.
“Mother,” she exclaimed softly, gripping the Queen’s arm.
The tall, graceful Queen of Fra’anior had never seemed more shocked. “Lia? My girl–it’s really you?”
“I came for you, mother!” Hualiama hugged her fiercely. “Now, grab a sword and help me.”
“What?” The Queen smiled uncertainly, ambushed by hope. “You brought Dragonships? Troops? You’re alive? My darling petal–warrior? What’s this outfit you’re wearing?”
“Mom! Explanations later!” Stooping, Hualiama robbed a fallen soldier of his sword and lobbed it to Ari. “Are you with me, brother?”
There was Elki–oh, great Islands! Shouting, “Every man grab a weapon!” her scamp of a brother grabbed Lia about the waist and planted a swift kiss on her cheek.
More soldiers charged them from the direction of the forges. Lia exchanged weapons with lightning speed. An arrow leaped to her bowstring. Zip! A man in that dozen-strong formation fell.
“For the King!” someone shouted.
“Sound the alarm!”
Hualiama drew and fired as fast as she could, downing four men before they fell upon the slaves, who had begun to scatter in search of weapons and soldiers to kill. A huge brawl developed as the slaves mobbed the soldiers, beating them down by sheer numbers. Pity those men.
“Fright at night!” said Elki, sword in hand. “Where’d you spring from, sister?”
“Get them on the platform and get moving!” she rapped at him. “If they close the gates up top, we’re finished. Where’s father?”
“Over there.” He pointed at the melee. “We’re all here except Kalli, who’s sick upstairs. Oh wow, would you look at Mom?”
Gentle, artistic Queen Shyana put her foot to a soldier’s belly to pull her blade free. Shouting orders, she herded slaves toward the platform.
“Arrows!” cried Lia, yanking Elki down.
Flicker took care of the archer, ripping out his throat with his claws. The dragonet fought like a swarm of maddened hornets. Anyone wearing a purple uniform seemed to be fair game. Hualiama helped Flicker with a stream of arrows, but he was causing enough trouble all on his own. Chuckling, she turned away, and rammed her head into her father’s breastbone.
“Lia.” King Chalcion’s eyes were as hollow as the cough that rattled his chest. “How come you’re alive?”
“That’s a story!” She threw her arms around him; the King patted her shoulder absently. “Briefly, we’re starting a rebellion to take back the Onyx Throne. With a little help.”
“But Ra’aba has Dragons.”
Exile had been unkind to her father, Lia thought. He looked little better than an ambulatory corpse. Perhaps the poisons of the deep mines did that to a person. She shoved the King toward the platform. “Will you get the family together, father?”
Was that thunder? Lia’s head snapped about. Queen Shyana bundled people onto the swaying platform, slapping shoulders and shoving anyone not moving fast enough for her liking. Aye, Dragon thunder without a doubt. Grandion had come, and not a moment too soon, because she heard an answering challenge reverberating somewhere in the depths of the caverns. It sounded large and decidedly unimpressed.
“La-La!” A muscular pair of arms picked her up off the ground.
“Little brother,” she smiled at her dark-haired brother. At just nine years old, her brother Fa’arrion or Ari for short–whom her father called ‘the simpleton’–was already four inches taller than her and twice her weight. “It’s me.”
“La-La die?”
“La-La is definitely alive. Now get on that platform before I put you over my knee.”
“’Oke?” He seemed confused.
“Just a joke,” Lia agreed. “Help Mom, Ari. Get this platform moving.”
Ari ran to apply his muscle to the levers. The winches groaned and began to rotate.
Lia scanned the cavern. Where was that Dragon? They would be meat on a mobile grill-rack if a Dragon caught them before they reached the top.
Elki screamed at her, “Lia! Come on!”
Taking five running steps, Lia launched into a vertical leap for the rising platform. Leaning dangerously over the side-rail, her brother caught her wrist. She swung on board. Arrows pinged the underside of their platform, but there were still slaves down below battling with the soldiers, some of