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She had counted over a hundred more of the booms by the time she made it outside. The entrance to the lair was positioned on a high bluff, giving her a solid view of the northwestern part of the island. If she squinted, she could make out dozens of dark figures on the water—ships. The wind carried the scent of smoke and gunpowder and she could see fires in the distance. Not Bern, but another port town not far from it.
The Allonan armada had arrived. Were the people prepared? Were they safe? Or were they waiting for a god that wouldn’t come?
7
Chapter Seven
On horseback, Madja made it to Bern in only a few hours. Unfortunately, that had not been enough time for her to figure out why the hell she was doing it.
Right now, Sevrrn’s lair was the safest place on the island. No matter what happened, she could ride out the attack there. Even the Allonans with their powerful weapons wouldn’t dare approach the mountain, not without first securing the island.
But how could she stay put when she knew that people would die? People who believed that Sevrrn would come to save them? A year ago, even she had believed in Sevrrn, if just a little. It had been her impending death that had necessitated her skepticism.
She knew from her own experience eight years ago, that Erda had no defensive plans. In its long history, it had only been attacked a few times, and all of those times it had been protected by Sevrrn. The government invested all of its money in the trading industry—and lining its own pockets. The capital had a few warships, but they were primarily used for trade escorts and had never experienced a siege.
Even as ca
Somehow, she had to tell the people of Bern to evacuate, to move inland where it would be safe. If they could survive another week or two, Sevrrn would return and despite all of his words to the contrary, she knew he would do something. She would make him do something.
Madja’s flimsy plan was hampered at every turn. The town was in total lockdown. The streets were empty and the few patrol men she found ignored her and insisted that she return to her home before they made her take her curfew in the jail. She tried going to the mayor’s house, where she had gone with Yoren and his daughters during the festival, but it was as empty as it had been that night. In fact, it seemed as though all of the upper-class homes had been evacuated, and she realized with sickening malice that they had abandoned the town, probably to take refuge in the capital.
She realized then that if she were going to affect any change, it would have to start in the capital. If she could convince the central government that Sevrrn would not be coming, at least not yet, then they could get word to all of the towns. They could mandate evacuations and while the armada may pillage the port towns, the people would be safe.
The only problem was that the capital was nearly a day’s ride from Bern and by the time she arrived, Bern could possibly be under siege. There were good people in the town, people she didn’t want to see harmed. She had no idea where Yoren and his daughters lived, but she could help Irina and her father, and perhaps they would be able to convince others to take refuge as well.
She rode through the empty streets to the i
The i
“Can’t move like I used to,” he said. His glassy eyes moved over her. He must have still had a modest amount of vision, because even in the low light, his gaze flickered with recognition. “Oh, it’s you. Welcome back. Come to wait out the battle?”
Madja smiled, dipping her head politely. “I’m afraid not. I’ve come to give you a warning. Allona’s armada is attacking Leaz, a town just north of here.”
The i
“Of course,” she said, blushing a little. She started to speak again, but then closed her mouth, trying to figure out how to phrase her next words. How could she convince him to leave his home? Who was she to say that Sevrrn would not be coming to save them?
“And your companion?” he said. “He will be taking care of the armada?”
Madja’s eyes widened. “You…knew? All along, you knew who he was?”
The man laughed, a surprisingly youthful sound. “Oh no, I was quite shocked. But when he left those for me, it all began to make sense. The strange things he would say, that is.”
“Left what?”
The old man nodded towards a wooden cupboard. “In the top drawer, under the ledger.”
Curious, Madja walked over to the cupboard. The top drawer was cluttered with inkbottles, paperwork, and various odds and ends. On the far left side was a fat, leather bound ledger, which she hefted out. Hidden beneath it was a bulky pouch of burlap and twine. Placing the ledger aside, she unwrapped the pouch. Inside it were what appeared to be three thick mineral shards, one red and two gold. She picked up one of the gold ones, holding it up to inspect it in the candlelight. It was beautiful, and she knew exactly what it was.
“The night he brought you here, I told him about Irina, how I worried about her being provided for once I was gone. I showed him the red scale, which I intended to sell for her dowry,” he recounted. “The day you left, I found the other two resting on the pillow of the guestroom.”
“He left these for you?” she asked in awe.
“I imagine so, though I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them. Even the greatest appraisers in Erda will assume they’re fakes. No one has ever seen a scale from the god, Sevrrn.”
“He’s not a god,” Madja said solemnly. She placed the scale back in the burlap pouch. “He’s just a dragon, and not a very benevolent one at that.”
She turned to face him. “He’s not coming. At least, not yet. I’m going to try to convince him, but you have to get yourself, Irina, and anyone that will listen, as far away from the shore as possible. Move inland, head to the foot of the mountain. You’ll be safer there.”
He looked as though he were going to protest, but Madja cut him off. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you show them these scales, people might listen. I need to go to the capital, so that the prince can evacuate all of the port towns, but I won’t get there in time to save Bern.”
Slowly, the old man nodded. “I will see what I can do.”
Madja abandoned her horse on the outskirts of the capital. Not only would the mare slow her down on the crowded city streets, but the lowtown residents had taken to looting and thieving and she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.
She had ridden through the night and the better part of the next day. Adrenaline had kept her awake and alert, but the moment she stepped off her horse, her body nearly collapsed. She forced herself to press on, knowing that if she stopped to rest, it could mean that more people would die.
In a way, she felt responsible for everything. It was Sevrrn’s job to protect the island, but he had left because of her, because her mortal body was inadequate for him and he needed to fix her. If she hadn’t gotten sick, he might not have left so soon.