“He has fooled all of us, Pendric!” Jaax insisted firmly. “Not just you. He’s deceived his father, his mother. He spent the past two weeks cultivating Jahrra’s friendship to the point of absolute trust.”
“I will not listen to you!” the captain of the guard growled, his fists clenched at his sides as he paced the small ledge on the staircase, his cloak billowing out behind him.
“You must!” Jaax stated with some heat, tendrils of smoke escaping between his sharp teeth. “It explains so much. Mine and Ellyesce’s distrust of him, the way the commander of the Red Flange was able to sneak into the city undetected, the fact that the men who accosted Jahrra knew exactly when and where she would be found alone.”
Pendric glared at the dragon with hard, blue eyes. “This is treason you speak of. Treason a son has committed against his own father,” he said.
Jaax shook his head. “It would be treason if Morivan were king. Morivan is not king, but it is treachery, nonetheless.”
The Resai elf paced for a few moments more, but he seemed to be losing his bluster. Eventually, he sank onto one of the stone benches nearby and dropped his face into his hands. Jaax gave him a few moments, only imagining the sort of turmoil he must be going through. To discover that the young man he had sworn to protect from all evil had turned on him and his people was an injury that would not heal anytime soon. Especially for someone with as much honor as Pendric.
“I cannot believe it,” he finally murmured.
Jaax had to strain his ears to hear the elf. Above and below them, the soldiers of Cahrdyarein were alive with activity, their leather and metal armor squeaking and clinking as they bustled about, making ready for battle. Every now and then, a voice would bark out an order for men and women to remain at their posts or to run off and awaken their comrades who slept safely in their homes, unaware of the impending danger that loomed on the horizon.
“You must,” Jaax said once again.
Pendric wrenched his dark head away from his hands. His pale eyes were haunted with rage, sorrow and disbelief. The captain of the guard swallowed.
“But you did not see him yourself. You did not hear his words with your own ears.”
Jaax shook his head somberly. “Dervit has proven himself honorable on more occasions than I can count on two hands. He would not lie.”
Pendric grit his teeth and bit out, “But you have known him less than a month!”
“Pendric!” Jaax snapped. “I understand the terrible shock this must be to you, but it is the truth! There was no lie in the limbit’s eyes, and a subtle darkness clings about your young lord. I sensed it, Ellyesce sensed it. Even Dervit sensed it.”
“Then why did I not notice?” Pendric cried out, standing up in a rush and facing Jaax head on.
So, this was what most troubled the captain. Not that Keiron had betrayed them, but that he, the captain of the guard, the one person responsible for the safety of the people of Cahrdyarein, hadn’t seen the evil in his young student’s soul.
“Pendric, listen to me,” Jaax said carefully. “You are not to blame for this misfortune. I have seen you work with the soldiers, I have heard Jahrra sing your praises. Just as the rain falls upon a forest, bringing its cool nourishment to the abundant life around it, there are those who will still curse it for daring to dampen their heads.”
The elf took a deep breath and regarded the dragon with a tired expression.
“You cannot cultivate honor in all those you meet, nor should you be expected to. All you can do is exude the goodness within your own soul and hope your influence falls upon willing hearts.”
To his relief, Pendric’s lip curled up in the corner. “You know, that is something Jahrra might say to someone having a bad day during practice. Not those exact words, of course, but the delivery would be the same.”
Despite himself, Jaax smiled. A true, full smile without a speck of his usual domineering arrogance.
“It’s something the Korli dragon Hroombramantu taught me, and seeing as Jahrra was also his pupil, I am not surprised in the least she might repeat the philosophies he impressed upon her.”
The Resai elf returned Jaax’s smile, but it didn’t last long. He released a deep breath as a shadow fell over his face again. “I still struggle to believe it, but you have no reason to lie to me, and you have shown your worth and honor these past weeks in Cahrdyarein.”
Jaax nodded, his own face grim.
A flurry of activity on the wall above drew Pendric’s attention away.
“Captain!” someone barked. “We have heard back from the runners. All troops have been told to prepare for battle and meet here to receive further word.”
Pendric nodded. “Good,” he said.
“Should I take my men and march upon the southeastern quarter of the wall?” the soldier asked.
Pendric shot Jaax a glance, then faced his second in command. “There is more to this impending battle than we were first told, Gendon. I need you to gather all the senior officers currently stationed near the north wall and bring them back here.”
The elf gave his captain a quick nod of the head and turned to the young soldiers surrounding him. He then barked out orders for them to disperse along the wall for a mile in each direction and to inform any first officers they met along the way to report to the north gate.
Pendric turned to Jaax. “I’m certain I can count on you to delay the horde gathered on the western road for as long as possible. The wall should hold, but now that I know Keiron has betrayed us, I cannot rely on our secret entrances being secret any longer. We have hidden chambers located beneath the city, and I will order all the young children and civilians to hide there until this fight is over. Tunnels running from those rooms lead to an extensive cave system that eventually empties into the river basin several miles down the valley. If the worst happens, they will know to head for the caverns.”
Jaax bowed his head. And this is why he had insisted upon sending his wife and child away with Jahrra. They would have a much better chance surviving with his ward than they would with the refugees. At least they had a head start, and their final destination was a guaranteed safe haven. And Jaax could only imagine the guilt Pendric felt for getting the chance to send his family to Nimbronia while others would watch theirs perish, or wonder if they’d ever escape the caverns once the enemy learned of their existence.
The dragon drew in a deep breath and let it out quickly. “You know I will do everything in my power to diminish their numbers, but I fear even my fire isn’t enough to destroy them all. And they have skurmages with them.”
He clenched his jaw, then added, “I do not fear death, should that be my fate. What I do fear is Jahrra continuing on her current path alone.”
The Tanaan dragon knew Ellyesce would not abandon her, nor would her new friend Dervit, but the idea of dying before Jahrra had her chance to confront the Crimson King dug at him in a way that made him want to defy Ethoes herself should death try to claim him. He would not let his ward face such horrors alone.
Pendric nodded once. “I understand.”
“Then, I had best get to my task. Dawn is not too far off, and the Tyrant’s troops have surely been called to march by now.”
Jaax turned and spread his wings, ready to launch himself into the sky.
“Raejaaxorix,” Pendric called out behind him.
The dragon turned and peered at the captain over his shoulder.
“Does Jahrra know? About Keiron?”
Jaax shook his head. “No. Not yet.”
Pendric placed his hands on his hips and let some of the tension drain away.