The wind and snow were bad enough within the city walls, but outside the main gates, the cold took Sara's breath away. The snow, driven in horizontal sheets, struck her like needles of ice. She pushed forward toward the ring of tents she knew to be out there in the wild, swirling darkness. Only for brief instants, when the gusts parted the curtains of snow, could she see faint glimpses of torchlight from the camps.
Sara pushed on into the blinding storm while the wind roared its wild melodies around her. Her cloak whipped around her, sometimes wrenching at her neck as the wind tried to pull it off. Other times it wrapped around her legs so suddenly it made her stumble.
It seemed the cold and the winds, the noise and the smothering, scratching snow would last forever. But at last Sara saw the dark humps of the tents through the blinding snow, and she stumbled gratefully into the meager windbreak provided by the camp. The guards, huddled in the shelter of a low shed, merely nodded to her.
She worked her way across the open quadrangle to the talon's section of the camp. In the whipping snow and darkness, she did not see Cobalt until she fell over his tail.
Sleepily the blue dragon lifted his head from beneath his wing. He lay curled around Sara's tent, his big body protecting her shelter from the ravages of the wind. Already a thin layer of snow blanketed his blue hide. He blinked at her. "Are you all right?"
Deeply touched by his concern, Sara threw her arms around his neck. She inhaled his pungent, reptilian odor and felt the slickness of his scales on her cheek. He felt cool to her touch, which accounted for his sleepiness, but Sara knew he could easily sleep out in a storm like this without discomfort. As long as he could feed in the morning.
"General Abrena is sending us to Solace as soon as the weather clears," she told him.
He tilted his head curiously. "What for?"
"To go to the Tomb of the Last Heroes."
"All right," he answered, too drowsy to really care. He nudged her good night, tucked his head back under his wing, and went back to sleep.
Sara made a quick round of the other tents to tighten storm ropes, check pegs, and make sure there was plenty of coal for the braziers. At last she stumbled into her own tent,. She had to stand for a minute, taking deep breaths, before she could peel off her snow-crusted cloak and stoke up the banked embers of her own brazier.
In the ruddy glow of the little brass heater, she boiled water for tea and warmed her numb hands. She heard the newly knighted talon return to camp, but she did not go out to greet them. She could not face them, not yet. She Knew she would have to soon, but tonight she needed the solitude of her own thoughts.
Derrick called to her once, and she stood still, hoping he would think her asleep. Cobalt grumbled sleepily at him, and Sara heard his steps crunch away until there was nothing left but the whining song of the wind and the creak and flap of the tent around her. She hung her cloak to dry, then bundled herself in the warmest clothes she had and crawled under her blankets.
As soon as the storm ended and she could say goodbye to the recruits, she would leave. She would put Neraka behind her forever, tucked away in the dark corners of her mind with her memories of Storm's Keep and Lord Ariakan and Steel Brightblade.
21
The storm lasted through three long and miserable days. The snow fell heavily, and the wind, which continued to blow with a ferocity that cut through the warmest clothes, built the snow up into towering drifts. Powerful gusts shook the tents, sent snow swirling in blinding ground blizzards among the camps, and made cooking outdoors impossible.
During that time, the new knights stayed together in their tents or fought their way to the nearest inn for a hot meal and a bit of warmth. There was no practice, no training, and very little work beyond the effort of survival. They still had to haul coal, check their tents for wind damage, cook their meals, and shovel through deep snow that clogged the paths.
Cobalt brought the other dragons to help the knights build windbreaks around their tents, and they plowed through several drifts that piled up in inconvenient places.
Sara helped them as well, but she kept a distance between herself and the others and spent most of her time in her tent. She congratulated them all with an obvious lack of enthusiasm, then refused to speak any more about the knighting. She also told them she would be going to Solace on the general's business.
The young men and women wondered at her behavior and worried.
The snow stopped on the third day, but it was two days later before the sky cleared and the wind died to a breeze. In the crystal light of morning, the general's goblin brought the order for Sara to go.
"Governor-general sends you map. She say you have a fortnight. Return to her by time moon is full to report."
Sara snatched the map out of his clawed hands. "Thank you," she said, shooing him out.
The young knights, attracted by the goblin's arrival, crowded inside the tent's entrance.
Sara shoved the map in her belt. The map wasn't really necessary. She had a complete knowledge of Ansalon's continent from her time at Storm's Keep. What she needed now was a spiritual guide to help her get through the next few hours. She looked at the expectant faces around her and managed a smile.
"I have permission from the general to take one of you with me on this quest." She had spent hours debating this question, but in the end, the choice was inevitable. She chose Derrick for his grin like Steel's, his youthful courage, and for the mantle of loyalty and honor he wore that, to Sara, did not seem to have a place among the Dark Knights. She had tried once to sway a young man away from the darkness by taking him to a tomb and had failed. Perhaps this time she would be more successful.
A puzzled look flashed over Derrick's face so quickly Sara thought she had mistaken it. Then it was gone, and he grinned, pleased by her decision.
"All right. It's time to go, Derrick. Pack your gear. We'll take just Cobalt-one dragon to sneak into Abanasinia. Weil need several days of food, two waterskins, and a camp tent. Bring something to wear besides you armor. You can't get into Solace sporting that death lily." Sara knew she was talking too fast and too much to hide the unexpected surge of emotions that made her fingers tremble and her voice shake. She was leaving this hateful place at last, leaving the foul city, the dangerous citizens, and the bloodthirsty knights. Yet she studied the faces peering in at her and knew she would miss them horribly.
"Knight Officer, now that you're leaving and we're getting a new talon leader, I want to request the position of junior officer," Treb said loudly.
Well, Sara thought, all but that one. "Take it up with your new leader, Treb. If you want it, you will have to earn it."
"Over my dead body," Kelena muttered darkly.
With the help of the talon, Sara and Derrick gathered their gear. Sara had brought little with her, so the knights did not think it odd when she left her tent, that there was nothing remaining inside but the original contents. They loaded the bundles behind Cobalt's two-seat saddle and stood in a row to see the travelers off on their quest.
Only Sara knew this good-bye was permanent. She held on to her tears with an iron grip. This wasn't the time to weep. Yet the leave-taking was harder than she imagined. I should never have allowed myself to become so close to these young people, she thought wearily.
Forcing a smile to her face, she gave the talon the knight's salute and scurried up Cobalt's leg into the saddle. Derrick climbed up behind her, his expression blank. He saluted his talon mates and held on as Cobalt spread his wings.
The dragon was eager to be off. At Sara's word, he sprang into the air, his powerful wings lifting them swiftly into the morning sky.