Snake Heart (Chains of Honor #2) -Lindsay Buroker Page 0,109
“At the time, I wasn’t sure how many ships Snake Heart claimed. I assumed we needed a force large enough to scare her off. Ravencrest was running war exercises in our seas already, so it didn’t take long to gather the needed numbers.”
“But why are they still here?” Yanko asked.
Dak asked the admiral. Ravencrest’s brow furrowed, then he replied sturdily with a one-word answer.
“Training exercise,” Dak said, not taking his eye from the admiral. Apparently, it was two words in Nurian.
“Could Sun Dragon have influenced him?” Yanko asked quietly.
“Possibly. But why would he want more warships down here instead of fewer? There shouldn’t be any enemies to encounter. Sailors avoid this area.” Dak spread his hand toward the waters, then lowered it, along with his voice. “Unless you think he’s considering us enemies right now.”
“What if the land lifted up while your ships were on it?”
“At the least, we would be stranded. If the upheaval was violent, it could be worse. But what power could the man possess that would allow him to do such a thing? If your people were that strong, we’d never beat them at war.”
“Not our people—the Kyattese. They’re the ones who made the artifact.”
Judging by Dak’s skeptical expression, he didn’t think the Kyattese could field anyone stronger than Sun Dragon. Maybe he was right. But the history texts said they had been the first Makers, their practitioners figuring out how to hold magic within items such as that lodestone. If enough of them had worked together to hide this continent, might they have created a tool with enough power to unhide it someday? They must have figured they might want to come back.
“Why don’t you and I go chat with Sun Dragon, Dak?” Yanko said. “And feel free to bring as many burly Turgonians as you like.”
“Do we get to come along?” Lakeo asked.
“Sure. You’re burly enough.”
“Thanks,” she said dryly.
“What do you think Sun Dragon will reveal?” Dak asked.
“Out loud, where you can hear him? I’m not sure. He likes to chat in my head. He offered to keep me alive if I went up to join him.”
“Magnanimous of him.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Yanko started for the steps that led atop the forecastle, pausing only to make sure Dak followed. He didn’t want to be caught up there alone with Sun Dragon. Dak, Arayevo, and Lakeo were following him. He took solace in the support and allowed himself some confidence as he strode up the steps. That confidence faltered when he reached the top, for he found not only Sun Dragon but the white-clad mage hunter up there, her hair bound again, her hood pulled up so only her face showed. She stood to the side of Sun Dragon and watched Yanko with impassive eyes.
Bodyguard, her stance said.
Well, he had a bodyguard, too, and he would pit Dak against her in any fight. He just wished he was as certain that he could come out ahead in a fight against Sun Dragon.
The graying mage stood at the railing, his elbow propped upon it, his chin resting on the lodestone. He wore a backpack, along with an ornate scimitar that hung in a wide scabbard on the belt that cinched his crimson robe shut. White and golden hems filled with runes adorned that robe, reminding Yanko much of the one he wore.
“Planning a trip, Sun Dragon?” Dak asked, flicking a hand toward the pack.
“Yes, very soon now,” Sun Dragon said without looking back at him. “We’re almost there.”
Can you feel it, White Fox? he added silently.
Yanko felt the presence of the lodestone, but, assuming the mage had more in mind, he let his senses trickle downward. They were approaching an underwater volcano, with lava oozing out of fissures in the earth’s crust. All manner of strange vegetation grew around the steamy water. Intrigued by the underwater growth, Yanko almost missed the more obvious thing down there: a pulsing crater that he felt with his mind, its magic almost pulling at him.
He walked to the railing, half expecting to see some sign of it down there with his eyes. Quiet waves lapped at the black hull of the ironclad. The water and the depths hid everything else from mundane sight.
“It’s calling for the key,” Sun Dragon whispered, pressing his lips to the lodestone. “It’s been waiting for centuries.”
Yanko stepped closer to him, an inkling of what the man intended growing in his mind. What would happen, indeed, if the land rose up while the Turgonian fleet floated over