Jack Campbell - The Hidden Masters of Marandur

The huge, glinting eyes glared at Alain as he fell to his knees, totally used up and not able to run now that his last effort had failed. The dragon’s hind legs tensed to bring it the short distance closer so it could smash Alain. The Mage watched the dragon, knowing that nothing he could do could change things now, his mind filled not with fear but with regret that he would never see Mari again.

A different kind of sound came from behind Alain, farther up the canyon, like the boom of the Mechanic weapons but louder and followed by a sustained rumble which grew rapidly in volume. A streak of smoke flew past over Alain’s head, soaring straight into the center of the dragon’s chest where its armor was strongest, ending in a flash of fire, a bigger gout of smoke and another crash of thunder.

Time seemed to pause then, Alain and the Alexdrian soldiers gawking at the smoke trail, the dragon staring down at its chest, the echoes of the explosion fading down the canyon. The smoke blew to reveal a crater in the dragon’s chest, not so much wide as deep, as if a huge, invisible lance had driven through the armored scales and well into the flesh inside.

The dragon raised its head slowly, glaring at Alain. Its remaining good arm began to rise, then the enormous spell beast started to lean forward. It kept leaning until suddenly it was falling, its whole length going limp. The body hit so hard the ground shook again, dislodging rocks which clattered down from the canyon walls. The massive head landed less than a lance length from Alain. The gleaming eyes were still fixed on him, filled with the need to kill him, but as Alain watched, the light in the eyes faded and went dark.

Alain just stayed there, still on his knees, trying to comprehend what had happened. Slowly he became aware that the Alexdrians were cheering. Racing up the canyon, streaming past the dead body of the dragon, they gathered around him to shout his praises as a hero until the canyon rang with them.

General Flyn was beside him, offering a respectful hand as Alain struggled to his feet. “Sir Mage, I would not have believed it if I had not seen it. We’ve never cheered a Mage before, but any other Mage would have run and left us to our fates and no other could have done what you did here. You’re twice the man I am, and I’ll flatten anyone who says otherwise!”

Alain shook his head, still bewildered. “I did not do it.”

“What? What’s that?”

“I did not kill it.” Alain pointed at the huge body sprawled almost literally at his feet. “I do not know what did.” He stared at the commander.

The Alexdrian cheers began faltering up-canyon, and Alain heard the sound of iron-shod hooves clattering their way. He stared as the ranks of the Alexdrians parted, making way for a single rider. The one they had seen earlier coming their way. A rider in the dark jacket of a member of the Mechanics Guild. A rider whose raven-black hair was cut short at her shoulders. Alain’s heart leaped. It cannot be.

But he felt the thread once again, the thing which had been hovering on the edge of his awareness as he faced the dragon. Insubstantial but now intense, it led straight to the Mechanic.

Mari rode up to Alain and dismounted a bit clumsily, her horse standing with the lowered head and sweat-soaked sides of a mount which has been ridden hard. Mari wore her usual clothing, a light shirt under the dark Mechanics jacket and a pair of trousers of tough material tucked into leather boots. She carried a large tube of some sort, almost as long as she was tall and with an opening in the end so big that Alain could easily have put his fist inside. A mist of smoke still drifted from that opening. A second tube was strapped to the saddle of her horse.

She walked a few more steps, the soldiers giving way before her. Finally stopping directly in front of Alain, Mari dropped the tube on the ground where it clattered like an empty container. Mari took a deep breath, then nodded to him. “Mage Alain.”

Still dazed, Alain nodded in return. “Master Mechanic Mari.”

Mari glanced at the Alexdrian soldiers standing around with wide eyes, all of them shocked at seeing a Mechanic and a Mage speak to each other. “A little room,” she asked, and even though her tone wasn’t that of an order, the soldiers hastily backed away several lance-lengths.

Looking at Alain again, Mari smiled and toed the empty tube. “After what happened in Dorcastle, I thought we might run into another dragon. I figured I ought to be ready for one this time.”

“It is fortunate for me that you were.”

“Are you hurt?” A rush of feeling came through in those words, even though Mari kept her expression controlled.

Alain spread his arms. “I am somewhat battered and bruised, as well as exhausted, but I avoided other injury.”

“You promised me that you’d stay safe,” she accused him. “Typical Mage. Your word isn’t worth much.”

Alain had to pause a moment to think of a reply, realizing that Mari was using what she called her sarcasm. “I told you that I could not control where my Guild sent me, or what my contracts might be.”

She waved away his words. “Excuses.” Then she took another deep breath. “I’m so glad I got here in time. Blazes, it’s good to see you again. We need to talk.”

“We are talking.”

Mari shook her head in exasperation. “Alone, you literal Mage. We need to talk alone, just you and me.” She gestured to the crowd of Alexdrian soldiers still staring at them.

General Flyn, though apparently as stunned as his troops, had now recovered and stepped forward, his face determined. “Lady Mechanic, you are here alone?”

In response, Mari turned and looked back the way she had come. “Looks like it. Are you expecting anyone else?”

The general frowned, puzzled by her attitude. “No, Lady, but we were not expecting you, either. Mechanics do not normally travel alone.”

Mari shrugged. “These are not normal circumstances. Not for me, anyway. I came here after this Mage and would appreciate being left alone with him.”

Flyn stood his ground. “Lady Mechanic, this Mage is attached to my command. He has given his all to defend us and cannot protect himself now, but I will not allow someone hostile to his interests to make a prisoner of him or harm him. Not even a member of your Guild can order me to do that, not when a Mage is involved.”

Mari quirked an eyebrow at the Alexdrian commander. “A common is willing to fight to protect a Mage from a Mechanic?”

Flyn’s frown grew deeper. “I agree that is unusual, Lady Mechanic. But this is an unusual Mage.”

“I figured that out long before you did,” Mari replied. “You do realize that if I was hostile to this Mage’s interests, instead of killing that dragon I could’ve just let it turn him into a bloody smear on the rocks. You don’t have to defend him from me.”

“I hope that is true, but with all due respect, Lady Mechanic, the hostility between your Guilds is longstanding. We know this Mage, but we don’t know you. We owe this Mage our respect, for he has saved us by his efforts.”

“And I haven’t?” Mari asked. “How many dragons does a girl have to slay to get some respect around here?”

Flyn considered that, but he still sounded a bit reluctant when he answered Mari. “I apologize for appearing to disparage your actions, Lady. Killing a dragon is a feat which few ever achieve, especially a monster such as that one.”

Alain hoped his voice stayed properly emotionless despite his tiredness and elation. “That is the second dragon this Mechanic has slain, General.”

“You’ve slain two?” Flyn eyed Mari, visibly impressed now, but also clearly baffled. “I hope not to meet you on the field of battle at any future time, Lady Mechanic, unless we are fighting on the same side.”