James Maxey: Dragonseed

"You're lucky you escaped before you were used up," Thorny said. "These days, I can't even button my own clothes."

During this discussion, Anza had her arms crossed. She looked impatient. Thorny, apparently sensing this, said, "I should get a wagon from the barn to load Burke's inventory. Since we're abandoning the place, the rest of you can look around and see if there's anything you want to take. If you don't grab it, the dragons will. I'll wake some of the other men to help; it looks like you all could use some rest."

He and Anza moved toward twin wooden doors on the southern wall. She pulled them open to reveal a long tunnel leading up. Unlike the steep stairs, the tunnel had a gentle slope. Anza grabbed a lantern and stayed at Thorny's side as they walked toward the far end of the brick lined tunnel. Vance trailed after them. Shay remained in the workshop, taking books from the shelves and reverently looking at their title pages. Jandra decided to stay behind as well. She'd witnessed Burke's handiwork at Dragon Forge, and was intrigued by the unfamiliar tools that lay around the room.

Fresh air swirled into the room as Anza and the others reached the end of the tunnel and opened the broad doors. Jandra looked up the long shaft, seeing starlight.

Shay let out a gasp. Jandra looked at him. He was in front of the bookshelf.

"By the bones!" said Shay. "He has all seven!"

"All seven what?"

"The Potter biographies! The College of Spires only had five of the volumes… four now, since I stole one."

"What's so special about these books?" She picked up one of the fat tomes and flipped it open.

"Potter was a member of a race of wizards who lived in the last days of the Human Age," said Shay.

Jandra frowned as she flipped through the pages. "Are you certain this isn't fiction?" she asked.

"The books are presented as fiction," said Shay. "However, there are other artifacts that reveal their reality. I wouldn't expect you to know about photographs, but-"

"I know what a photograph is," she said. In truth, the goddess knew what a photograph was, and Jandra was only borrowing the memory.

"Photographs recorded the physical world, and a handful of photographs of this famous wizard still survive. Some show him in flight on his…" His voice trailed off. He turned toward Jandra, studying her face carefully. She knew what he was about to ask.

"Is it true you know magic? That you and your master Vendevorex command supernatural forces? Are you one of the secret race?" His voice was quiet as he asked this, his tone almost reverential.

Jandra twisted a strand of hair around her finger as she contemplated her answer. When she still had her genie and could turn invisible, or disintegrate solid matter, or heal almost any wound, she'd always been quick to deny that she possessed supernatural powers. She'd shunned the label witch. Now, stripped of these powers, it might be dangerous to deny them. Having people believe you commanded supernatural forces was a kind of power in its own right.

She decided to answer his question with a question. "How did Potter control his magic?"

"With a wand and words. Is this how you use your magic?"

Jandra was intrigued. Her genie could take on any shape she desired. Why not the form of a wand? Of course, she'd never needed any magic words-the genie responded her thoughts. Still… could this Potter have been a nanotechnician? Perhaps one of the Atlanteans Vendevorex had warned her about?

She knew little about Atlantis, but perhaps Shay knew more. "Have you ever heard of Atlantis?"

"Certainly," said Shay. "It's referenced in…"

His voice trialed off. He cocked his head toward the tunnel.

Jandra tilted her head as well. What was that noise? Was someone screaming?

Now, there could be no doubt. It was Thorny's voice they heard as he ran toward the tunnel doors. He stumbled as he reached the slope, falling on his chest, the air forced out of him. He rose to his knees, sucking in breath. The entire workshop echoed as he shouted, in a high, panicked voice, "Dragons!"

CHAPTER SIX:

JANDRA RAN UP the tunnel, shotgun at the ready. She stopped in front of Thorny, who was still sprawled on the ground. She glanced over her shoulder at Shay, whose face was pale as he trailed behind her.

"You ever been in a fight?" she asked.

"Once," Shay said.

"You win?"

"I survived," said Shay. "Because of Bitterwood."

"Bitterwood?" Jandra took Thorny's twisted fingers into her hand as she helped him back to his feet. "You've met him?"

"'Met' really isn't the right word," said Shay. "I watched as three slavecatchers who were brought down by an archer I never saw. The slavecatchers thought it was him, though."

"Sounds like him." She nodded toward the gun in Shay's hands. "Burke's placing a lot of faith in you. You think you're up to this?"

Shay clenched his jaw. "Let's do it."

Jandra gave Thorny a gentle shove back down the tunnel. "Lock the doors behind you," she said.

"I'd be out there if I could still hold a sword," Thorny said mournfully as he loped down the slope.

In the distance, Jandra heard a woman screaming. She turned toward the sound and ran out into the starry night. A half moon cast stark shadows over the town. The bare branches of a nearby apple tree swayed in a rising wind. She spun around, trying to get her bearings. The Forge Road was almost a hundred yards behind her. She ran, staying in the shadows of Burke's tavern. Dozens of earth-dragons swarmed on the road, their steel armor glinting in the moonlight. Beyond the tavern lay a simple stone cottage. She watched as a trio of brawny earth-dragons kicked in the door and charged inside. A dog barked savagely at the invasion, then yelped and fell silent. Somewhere in the distance, a baby was crying.

Jandra pressed her back against the tavern wall, mere feet from the road. The earth-dragons hadn't spotted her yet. There were too many to count, a hundred at least, maybe twice that number. Even though this town hadn't been stripped of its men by Ragnar's recruiting, the villagers were still hopelessly outnumbered.

Jandra fingered the silver bracelet on her wrist. Should she turn invisible? The shotgun was a powerful weapon. Burke assured her it would punch through a dragon's armor. But it took so long to reload. After one or two shots, she'd be swarmed. From an invisible fighting stance, perhaps she'd have a chance. On the other hand, invisibility wasn't the greatest tool against earth-dragons. As a race, they were notoriously near-sighted. They compensated with sharp hearing and a sense of smell far superior to humans. The shotgun was loud and the smoke stank. It wouldn't take them long to find her.

She looked over her shoulder to see if Shay was behind her. He was nowhere to be seen. In the distance, there was a clap like thunder. He'd apparently found a place to make his stand. Many dragons in the street paused at the sound, turning their heads toward a nearby barn.

The brief moment of inactivity quickly gave way to resumed violence. One of the earth-dragons glanced in her direction. He cocked his head as he untangled the shadows that concealed her, and then narrowed his eyes. He lifted his battle axe in meaty paws and stalked toward her. Jandra raised her gun.

She never got the chance to fire. The dragon toppled as a silver tomahawk dug into the back of its neck. As the dragon fell, Anza was revealed, standing in the middle of the street, a second tomahawk in her left hand, her right hand going for one of the throwing knives strapped to her leg. Anza spun on her toes and whipped out her arms. Two more dragons toppled as she released her weapons. A score of dragons all looked her way. As one, they raised their axes and charged.