Chapter Thirty-Seven

Hal followed his first instinct, and kissed Lady Khiri thoroughly. After awhile, she pulled back and whispered, "I'm certainly glad you're not one of those who believe in propriety."

Only then was Hal vaguely aware, through the roaring in his ears and his mind yammering for him to lug her into the nearest tent and work his lack of will on her, the cheering from the men on the dragon line.

He blushed a little, let her go.

"You know," she said, still in that wonderful whisper, "what they say about fliers is true. You all do smell like dragons."

"Uh," Hal managed. "I guess so. I suppose it's because—"

Khiri interrupted him. "I don't mind it at all. It makes you smell like sex."

A few feet away, Thom Lowess coughed discreetly.

"I'm also glad to see you, Lord Kailas."

Hal came back to himself, half-saluted Lowess.

"And I you, sir. What brings you here?"

"I, and my aide," Lowess said, indicating Khiri, "are in search of good tales. Tales to embolden the hearer, tales of victory and hope."

He made a face.

"And, right now, the dragon fliers are about the only good thing of notice around Aude. Although…" He let his voice trail off.

Hal looked at the taleteller questioningly, but got only a bland smile.

"Well," Khiri managed. "You certainly don't have to make any protestations of your virtue after that."

"Sorry," Hal said. "I didn't mean to lose control… at least not so quickly."

"So shut up," she said, lifting her legs around him, "and don't stop."

She moaned, then bit his ear.

"What would you say if I said I thought I was falling in love with you?"

Hal covered her mouth with his, didn't answer.

Hal vaguely expected some comments from his fliers about Lady Khiri, or at least some raised eyebrows. If there were any, they were very much behind his back, and it seemed that most soldiers in his flight thought it was perfectly all right for the "old man," as he'd come to be known, not yet twenty-five, to have a little joy in his life.

Both Khiri and Lowess busied themselves during the day interviewing everyone in the flight, including the dragons, or so it seemed.

" Good tales, m'boy," Lowess said. "Especially this duel you're having with Sir Nanpean Tregony for being the ultimate Dragonmaster.

Especially especially with you both having come from the same town, and now being friendly rivals.

"It's the buzz of all Deraine, you know."

Hal thought of explaining, decided what he and Tregony felt about each other was no one's business, so long as it didn't get in the way of the war.

He did have one question of Lowess—how had this matter of their purported competition spread so widely?

"You certainly don't think you're the only young hero who's got a taleteller hanging to his coat tails, do you?" Lowess answered briskly. "You just happen to have gotten lucky and drawn the best."

Hal and his flight element, now down to ten fliers, nine dragons, went about their mission, escorting the convoys up and down the River Comtal.

Sometimes they met the black dragons, and fought them if they had the advantage, but mostly were forced to flee, swearing at Hal's absolute orders, and sworn at by the sailors below, who had no reason to understand their abandonment.

Hal realized, after a day or two, that Lowess was just passing time, waiting for something.

Since he didn't get in the way much, and his presence kept Khiri around, that was well and good with Kailas.

He wanted her not to leave until he finished puzzling this matter of love over in his mind.

Now the rumor was everywhere—Deraine and Sagene were getting ready for a great offensive that would end the siege once and for all.

Hal cursed the inability of anyone in the army to keep his mouth shut and his nose in his own business, but it didn't change matters.

Alarms were shouted, trumpets blared, and there was chaos in the village. Hal made it out of his sanctuary, no more than a towel wrapped around him, in time to see a huge black dragon climbing away from the village.

"What is it?" Khiri asked sleepily, coming out to the head of the steps.

It was just dawn, and they'd been up later than they should, still delighting in each other's body.

Hal shook his head, saw a soldier running toward him, waving a tube.

"Sir!" the woman shouted. "It's for you."

Hal blinked, took the tube. Tied to it was a pennon Hal recognized— Ky Yasin's!

And his name was neatly written on the tube.

He twisted it open, forgetful of sorcery, and took out a note.

It read:

Lord Kailas:

There appears to be a matter of honor between us, that you might find amusing to settle at your convenience.

I have heard that you are the ranking dragon killer of Deraine and Sagene, and have even had the temerity to dub yourself Dragonmaster.

I will meet you, just the two of us, over any place you name, at a time and date of your choosing, where we may discuss this matter at greater length.

If you have interest, and consider yourself an honorable man, return this container with your conditions across the walls of Aude. It will reach me.

Ky Bayle Yasin

Commander

First Guards

Dragon Squadron

Hal read it once, again. A smile came. He had an idea that might possibly solve two problems at the same time.

The dragon fliers listened closely as Hal outlined the challenge from Yasin. Lowess hovered in the background, beaming at yet another superb tale falling into his lap, pen scribbling frantically.

"First question I've got," Hal said, "is the bastard being honorable.

Opinions?"

He pointed around. They ran from Mariah's "friggin' impossible. He's a Roche," to Gart's "maybe. Just maybe," to Sir Nanpean's "who gives a hang. What a chance to go down in history, win or lose."

Indeed, Hal thought. Especially if I lose, Tregony'll be the one going down in history. I'll just be going down:

"My own opinion," he said carefully, "is it's worth a shot. I personally don't believe Yasin'll be the only one to show up.

"But that doesn't mean we should play the utter fool."

He went to a large-scale map of the Aude region.

"Now, here's what I propose. I'll drop the message over Aude, agreeing to the meet. I'll set it for… oh, five days from now. At dawn. We'll meet here," and his finger stabbed at the map about ten miles downstream from Aude.

"Away from the front lines, and this is a huge damned meadow," he went on.

"I'll agree to fight him at, say, 500 feet."

"That'll give you some advantage," Sir Loren said judiciously. "The air's thicker down there, and his black will be a little harder to handle in tight turns."

"More than one advantage," Hal said. "Just in case he brings friends, I'll want the rest of you on the ground here," and he indicated an area about a mile from the meadow.

"Light trees, which'll give the dragons cover. If he fights fair, you can stay where you are. But if he shows up with his squadron, then you can get in the air fast, save my young ass, and maybe wipe out some of those blacks.

"Rumor has it we'll be needing all the help we can get in the not too distant future."

"You're a damned romantic fool," Khiri said.

"So it appears," Hal agreed. "But I happen to believe I can tear Yasin's nose off, and feed it to his damned black dragon."

"As if he'll be the only one there!"

"If that's the case, then I'll have the whole flight behind me. I don't think he'll bring his whole squadron to wipe out one dumb Deraine."

"You think!" Khiri said. "Men!"

"Shut up, and come here."

She came across the room, sank into his arms.

Hal nibbled on her ear, then whispered, "Even a romantic can be a sneaky bastard."

She lifted her head back, considered his smile.

"You have a plot."

"Maybe."

"Which you won't tell me about."

"Not now. Now, give me back that ear, if you will."

Hal rode to Command Headquarters, looked up Limingo.

"I'm sorry, Lord Kailas," he apologized. "But I've been running myself ragged, like every other magician with the army, with… with this plan we're developing. But I promise you, within the week, I'll let you know what clues that dagger gives."

Hal wasn't happy—he'd hoped sorcery could keep him from having to play out the game with Yasin.

But since it wouldn't, he found Lord Cantabri, asked him for a small favor, and explained.

"One company, only?" Cantabri looked at the map again. "I'll have two there, I promise. That might improve the quality of slaughter.

"You know, your duel with Yasin has shot around the army like an arrow-chase."

"What are the odds?"

Cantabri hesitated.

"Six to five," he admitted. "No one feels that the Roche will live up to their end of the bargain."

"Six to five," Hal mused. "That's the best life gives you, isn't it? Either way?"

Cantabri grinned.

"Perhaps, knowing what you told me, I might be convinced to have a bit of a go myself."

The days crawled past. Hal watched his fliers closely, but none of them behaved differently than before, and he wasn't able to narrow his search for the spy, if spy there was.

A courier came down to summon Sir Thom Lowess to the Armies'

Command, the day before the duel. Hal knew that meant the offensive was drawing near.

Lowess sent the courier back, saying he'd be honored to join them, in a day's time, but he had another matter to take care of first.

"I don't know," Khiri said, "if I should be here, or not. If something happens…"

"If something happens," Hal said, "wouldn't you rather hear it directly?"

"I suppose so. Oh, dammit, I'm going to cry."

Hal slept badly that night. He was glad to be roused by the orderly warrant two hours before dawn.

He dressed quickly, went to the fliers' room. He'd ordered guards around the building, and the only people to be admitted were Sir Loren, Farren Mariah, Mynta Gart.

"I'm changing the orders," Hal said briskly. "I want each of you to take two other fliers out under your absolute orders.

"But don't, I repeat, do not, land where I ordered you to.

"Instead…" And Hal outlined his orders.

"A question, if I might?" Sir Loren asked. "Why the change?"

"You can ask, but you'll not get an answer. At least, not right now.

"You're dismissed. The other fliers and the dragons should be getting rousted out and fed by now."

Half an hour before dawn, the rest of the dragons in the flight took off.

Hal had told each of them to obey any commands signaled by the three team leaders, no matter what they were.

He waited until they disappeared into the darkness, then went to Storm.

The dragon bubbled a greeting.

Khiri Carstares was waiting.

"I just wanted to say I love you."

Hal, mind already in the air, thinking about the meeting over a certain clearing, had to force himself to smile, give her a hug.

"I love you back," he said. He still wasn't sure if he did, but if he didn't come back…

He forgot that possibility, clambered into Storm's saddle, tapped the dragon's neck with his reins.

It snorted, ran forward, and leapt into the air, somehow sensing this day was different.

Hal let Storm climb until he was about 700 feet above the trees, the dark mass just beginning to lighten. He needed no compass or map to navigate to the Comtal, and up the river toward the clearing.

Just above him, about a thousand feet above the ground, was the usual scattered predawn cloud cover.

Very good.

Darkness became gray, and Hal knew, above the clouds, the sun could be clearly seen.

It was light enough to make out the clearing. Flying in lazy circles, about a hundred feet below him, a mile distant, was a single black dragon.

Hal checked his crossbow, eased a bolt into the trough.

"Let's go kill him," Hal said, snapping his reins.

Storm had already seen the dragon and, shrilling a challenge of his own, was flying toward it.

The dragon climbed to meet Hal, trying with its talons for Storm's head.

Hal jinked his dragon to one side, couldn't find a clear shot at its rider.

But he saw Yasin's banner clearly.

He pulled Storm up as the black dipped a wing, turned hard, came back at him.

An arrow whispered past him, a foot or two distant.

Hal held his fire, still not happy with his shot. The two dragons sped past each other, talons reaching for a grip, finding none. Yasin's black flailed at Hal, missed him, and Hal fired a bolt into the monster's tail.

It thrashed, almost caught him, then the two were clear, climbing toward the clouds for an advantage.

The black shrieked three times, and, as Yasin turned back toward the attack, five black dragons dove down at their brother's signal.

Yasin hadn't played fair. Hal grinned tightly, did the unexpected, and instead of diving for the ground, came in again on Yasin. He fired at the man, cursed as his bolt missed.

Then he turned for the ground, diving toward the edges of the clearing, looking back as if he were panicked as the six blacks came after him.

None of the Roche saw the nine Deraine dragons plummet down toward them, from behind, from where they'd been flying, at Hal's orders, just above the clouds.

Hal had set a double trap, one for Yasin, one for the spy.

If there was a spy, Hal assumed Yasin had been told, somehow, about Hal's plans, which is why he'd changed them at the last minute, ordering his dragon flight to fly high above the meadow, and attack anything they saw below them.

Hal pulled Storm up, into a wingover, was rushing headlong at the Roche dragons. An arrow went above him, and he aimed carefully, shot one of the Roche fliers in the chest at point blank range. The Roche slumped, and the dragon banked, into Storm's talons. The beast howled, tried to dive away, but Storm's tail caught him, smashed his neck.

Then the Roche saw their pursuers, just as the Deraine monsters were on them. There was a swirl of fighting, and Hal heard shouts from men, screeches from dragons, and two black dragons went plummeting toward the meadow.

A trumpet blared, and the three surviving dragons dove toward the ground, intending to escape by flying at treetop level.

Well-trained, as Hal had assumed, they went low, very low.

Lord Cantabri's two companies of archers came out of their hiding along the fringes of the meadow, and arrows sheeted up toward the Roche.

They pincushioned the rear beast, and he squealed, lay over, and smashed into the ground, bouncing to stillness.

Two, Hal thought, and then, past him, came Sir Nanpean Tregony, having a bit of height, enough to close on the forward black. He was almost atop the beast, and Hal wondered if Tregony's dragon would tear the flier from his mount.

But Tregony was leaning out, aiming, and his crossbow bolt took the Roche in the back of the neck. He contorted, and fell away.

Hal was closing on the last dragon, Yasin's, but the black had speed on him, and slowly pulled away from him.

Hal broke off the fight, banking up and around, trumpet blasting the signal to return to base.

"An' you're a cagey, cagey bastard," Farren Mariah said admiringly.

"Remind me to never wager with you, least not unless we're usin' my cards."

"And how did you know they'd be waiting for us in the clouds?" Gart asked.

"I pray regularly," Hal said piously, and Sir Loren snorted in laughter.

Hal, surrounded by congratulating members of his flight, leaning against Storm, who was almost purring in content, pulled Lady Khiri to him.

"I love you," he whispered, leaning back against Storm, and this time he meant it.

He smiled, as if well content with the day. In some ways, he was. He'd lived.

More importantly, he'd confirmed the presence of a spy in the formation.

But he still didn't know who he was. And Ky Bayle Yasin still lived.