We had about half of them down when Chast.i.ty arched sudden and painful, and I saw the catapult she was wrangling go down on top of her.

We were out two Jacquelines, two of our f.u.c.king bigs, and one of the swifts, and who knew what else since Iad stopped paying attention. I was so fierce and shaking with rage that Have must have picked up on it, which I guessed was why she turned about quick as a gasp and had us headed back into the city, where our boys were making their last stand.

It was a f.u.c.king nightmare, everything on fire no matter where you looked, and sc.r.a.ps of torn-up metal shimmering on the ground as the flames heated it shapeless.

I couldnat think about that kind of stuff, couldnat listen to the screech and groan of what dragons had already been brought down when I was flying, but the sound of it was what brought Havemercy up short, and that was when the boulder got us by the tail, sent us into a spin, and brought us down.

The impact broke some ribs, I was f.u.c.king sure of it. It was a good thing we landed the way we did, or else it wouldave broken both my legs, and I needed those for running and otherwise putting myself to good use before I was through. It was tough work to untangle my wrists from the harnesses, especially while Have was twisting her head back and forth like she was in agony, and in the end I had to cut myself free with one of my knives.

Growing up the way I did, I always kept my knives with me, even when I was flying. There were two of them, prettier than the ones Iad had when I was a kid and dirt poor on top of that, and their blades were real sharp. Theyad come in handy now, since there were plenty of Ke- Han warriors on the scenea"some trying to douse the fire, some aiming arrows at the men still left flying.

I could see Compa.s.sus sweeping low, her shadow like an omen as it pa.s.sed above usa"I heard Ghislain screaming, then I saw him actually picking Luvander up; was he out of his mind? Anastasia was practically falling out of the aira"I didnat know where the f.u.c.k Adamo was; there were too few shadows overhead. Even Have was down for good.

I twisted myself around with a snarl and a grin, knives held for fighting the way I knew almost as well as I knew flying. I couldnat take on a whole city by myselfa"sooner or later, theyad bring me downa"but before me was the dawn. It was the same dawn that would rise over the mountains between me and Volstov, the same dawn that would bring the news of what had happened here to Thremedon.

Inside that city, my citya"somewherea"sleeping or not sleeping, crying or not cryinga"doing bastion only knew what with himselfa"was my brother. I knew sure as that same dawn that I loved him, same way as how the blood was flowing too fast for lying to myself. I was fighting now, and I was fighting for him alongside of revenge.

A Ke-Han warrior came at me with one of them long, flat Ke-Han blades, and I met him head-on, screaming his own war cry right back in his face.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

ROYSTON.

Hal was holding my pocket watch with white fingers and staring at it when I lost consciousness, so in fact I knew the exact moment it happened, down to the very second.

It was three past seven in the morning when I collapsed, and forty-eight past when I came around afterward, Hal looming above me, one hand against my chest while the other still clung to my pocket watch.

aWhat time is it?a I demanded.

In retrospect, it wasnat the most sensible thing to say, but there must have been something in the sound of my voice that gave Hal hope, for his whole face lit up.

aForty-eight past seven,a he replied, not letting me go.

aHow long was I out?a I asked.

aForty-five minutes exactly,a Hal replied. a Royston, you sounda"a aAs though fever has no longer made water out of my brain?a I offered. I blinked my eyes a few times to clear them completely and took stock of my surroundings. I wasnat in a room I recognizeda"it was far too ornate to be my own home, the ceiling decorated like a midday sky blushed with pale cloud wispsa"and I appeared to be lying upon all of Volstovas most uncomfortable couch. I had no idea how Iad come to be here, much less where aherea was, though I was sure knowledge of the latter might inform me as to the former. aHal,a I added, momentarily tentative. aWhere in bastionas name am I?a aOh,a Hal said. aThis is one of the Esaras sitting rooms.a I thought about it. No, I decided at last; I needed more help than that. aAnda"why exactly am I here?a I asked.

Worry damped down the light in Halas eyes. aHave you forgotten everything?a he asked, and I saw his fingers tremble.

aHardly everything,a I replied, covering his shaking hand with one of my own. I was stiff and sore all over, the reason for which I was certain I knewa"only I couldnat quite remember it. aIam aware of my own name. And yours, as you may have noticed.a aYes,a Hal said. There were dark circles under his eyes. aYes, of course. Only we were waiting herea"the Esar said we mighta"and you were very ill, then you collapsed completely this morning. Iama"I havenat slept.a aForgive me,a I said, and meant it sincerely.

aFor making me think I would lose you?a Hal asked, fingers tightening against the front of my shirt. aNo. I donat think so.a He drew in a steadying breath. aTo answer your question,a he went on, voice calmer, aweave been here since yesterday afternoon, when you demanded an audience with the Esar anda"I a.s.sume because you were so loud about ita"you secured us one.a I began to remember, or thought I did. It was still somewhat difficult to decipher. aAh yes,a I said, more confident than I felt. aAnd then we . . .a aAnd then we explained our theory to him,a Hal said. aOr, I did. And whenever he threatened not to listen, you began to scream again.a aHow clever of me,a I replied.

aI thought so,a Hal agreed. aAt least, it seemed to work.a aAnd then?a I prompted.

aAnd then,a Hal continued, awhen the Esar had listened to our full solution, he called for the Dragon Corps. They all flew out, even though they were suffering something the same as the magicians. I hopea"a Hal broke off, and looked up at the ceiling. aOnly they havenat returned,a he finished gravely. aNone of them. Theyave been gone a long time.a aBastion,a I swore, memory flooding back to me all at once. aBut if Iam bettera"a aThen presumably it means they managed to take down the Ke-Han magicians,a Hal replied. aAll of them. If our theory was correct.a I pa.s.sed a hand over my eyes and swallowed, the full impact of our actions settling as a deadweight tied to my heart. aWeave been very busy,a I said. aYou havenat slept.a aIf I look even half as tired as I feel,a Hal admitted, athen it must be a very unpleasant sight to get well to.a aYou look terrible,a I said, ruthlessly honest. aThat doesnat mean I wouldnat prefer seeing you to anything else.a I would have expected him to be too tired even to blush, but the familiar pink color touched his cheeks, and I felt properly aware of him for the first in a long time.

aWell,a he said. aI feel as though Iam liable to collapse at any moment, just so that you know.a Then, presumably having used up the last of his stamina to explain the situation, he leaned his head against my chest where I knew he would fall asleep if I let him. aI am glad youare all right. I thought maybea"when the others started fading away so quicklya"I could barely keep track of how many had died, were still dyinga"a aYou need to sleep,a I told him, and wrapped my arms close about him even while knowing perfectly well that this would not be the place for managing sleep. The Esaras couches might have been designed for a great many things, but neither rest nor comfort was one of them.

There were other forms of comfort though, and Hal had been awake and worried for a very long time.

aI know,a he said, voice heavy and warm. I could practically hear the drowsiness in his voice rising up to claim him. aI will. Itas justa"We were so busy.a aAnd weave accomplished something quite unheard of,a I rea.s.sured him. aYouave not even been in Thremedon a quarter of the year and already youare saving the city.a He made a self-deprecating noise in his throat, but didnat protest any louder than that, and so I knew he was likely settling to sleep. Despite the unforgiving architecture of the couch, and the entrenched stiffness in my joints, I thought that I could be quite pleased to lie here and enjoy Halas repose.

Then the door opened. The Provost wasnat a man p.r.o.ne to kicking down doorsa"as, after all, he had people to do that for hima"and only directly involved himself in matters that required a touch of finesse, or those that were critically important to the security of the city. Thisa"judging by what Hal had told mea"had to be the latter.

aMargrave Royston,a he said, sounding decidedly more fl.u.s.tered than he had the last time wead spoken. aBy decree of His Majesty the Esar, I am to inform you that your company is to be deployed within the hour, and he expects you to be punctual.a For a moment, I had to admit I was dumbfounded. Against me, Hal stirred, then sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes with a sheer stubbornness he rarely displayed.

I felt sure that the groaning in my muscles wasnat only in my head. As I sat up, it seemed impossible that the sound wasnat loud enough to echo off the Esaras outlandishly decorated walls.

aTalk sense, Dmitri,a I said, perhaps more curt than one could afford to be with the Provost of the city, but then Iad never had much good common sense to speak of.

The Provost folded his arms as though he were dealing with an obstinate child, and when he spoke again his voice had lost its gilded edge. aThe armyas moving out. Today. The Ke-Han cityas in flames over there, and no one knows whatas happened to the dragons, but weave got to leave now if we want to get there in time enough to make a difference. If we want to hit them hard enough that maybe this time they really wonat get back up again. And,a he added, after a pause, aweave got to get the dragons out.a aNo,a said Hal. He spoke quietly, as if head only been thinking it and hadnat really meant to utter it aloud. aYou canata"Youave only just got well again. What ifa"No.a aHal,a I said. aEveryone whoas well again will be heading out to fight. I cannot linger.a His eyes were more gray than blue as he considered this, then he leaned up to kiss me with a suddenness that made something in my chest burst open like the seedpods William had collected in the country. I took his face in mine anda"though this wasnat to be any kind of a farewella"took my leave from a loved one the way countless soldiers had throughout history. Hal murmured in surprise, at my sudden capitulation no doubt, and he lifted his fingers to touch my throat.

We were interrupted by the sound of the Provost scuffing his boots uncomfortably against the carpet, and Hal pulled away with his cheeks burning fiercely. I myself felt no remorse over our actions. It was as though all the most sensible parts of me had been burned out by the fever.

I couldnat bring myself to regret it.

aWell,a I said. aIt would seem youave made your informed decision.a aI donat want you to go,a said Hal, and even though he couldnat bring himself to smile, his expression was lit with a fire that flared beneath his evident exhaustion.

aI must,a I said, feeling suddenly wretched that there was no real comfort that I could offer him.

aIf Iave heard correctly,a said the Provost suddenly, buoyed by impatience or discomfort or both, athere isnat much left of the lapis city. Not to say that them as are there wonat be fighting hard as first-time convicts, but,a he paused, as though examining the wisdom of his rea.s.surance, then seemed to think the better of it. aWell, you never know.a I felt an odd sense of grat.i.tude at the effort head made, however misplaced. The city had indeed been turned on its head if I was feeling a grudging sort of appreciation for the Provost. I nodded and stood.

aGo to the house,a I said, in a tone that I hoped conveyed something beyond simple concern. aSleep. If I find you looking this tired when I return, I shall be very cross.a He stood then and put his arms about me so tightly that I thought my ribs would surely crack under the strain. aWhen you return, then,a he said, voice echoing with none of the tremor that shook his thin frame. aYouall have to wake me up.a aOf course,a I said, then, aHal, I have to go.a He released me, rubbing his sleeve over his eyes in a habit that he had not yet outgrown from either his childhood or his time in the country.

aHurry then,a he said, in a tone that made me wish to do anything but leave. aThe quicker youare done with the Ke-Han, the quicker you can come home.a I knew that I would never leave if I didnat manage it that instant. I clenched my hand where it would have reached for one last touch and instead turned away from Hal, striding out the door the Provost held open for me.

I heard him fall in line behind me, silent as head been the day head come for our chat at Our Lady of a Thousand Fans, which now seemed a lifetime ago. I was nearly certain he was thinking of that day, as well.

Or perhaps that wasnat it at all. He was a hard man to read.

aThereave been wagons and the like taking soldiers through the streets all day,a he said. aTheyare dropping them off at the foothills and sending everyone through as quick as they come.a aSurely it will take more time than weave got to cross the mountains,a I said, as he drew even with me. He shook his head.

aTheyare not using the usual routesa"Youall be going straight across. Theyare using the tunnels, see? Does f.u.c.k-all for the element of surprise, so I guess thatas why they arenat the preferred option, but with the dragons bringing the city down around them, I guess the Ke-Han have figured out whatas what, and there isnat any need to attempt to sneak up on them now. What men do they even have left to hit us? Itad be a suicide run, and they know it.a It was the most the Provost had ever said to me all in one go that wasnat a decree read off of a piece of paper.

aAh,a I said, and nodded.

aThereall be a carriage for you outside,a he went on. aAs I understand it, further instructions will be given at the foothills, but from the sound of things itas not going to be anything more complicated than keep going until either you canat or they canat.a I quashed the perverse impulse to ask whether the Esar had a preference either way.

We exited the building, the sudden light threatening to set off a headache in my temples before the shock of it pa.s.sed and my thoughts cleared. It was still early enough for the skies to be gray, though I knew that if there were any dragons still in the air, it would place them in a dreadfully vulnerable position. If news had returned, then surely so had at least some of the dragons, I told myself, but one could never be entirely certain.

Palace Walk was eerily empty as we strode down the center of it, without any of the usual gossiping n.o.blesse accompanied by their servants, or those who had business with the Esar marching hopefully up to the palace doors.

aWill you be joining us on the field?a I asked, with perhaps less kindness in my voice than Iad intended. We werenat close enough to indulge in the verbal sparring I made a habit of, and I realized it too late. Fortunately, as Dmitri himself had said, I was greatly needed for the war and therefore couldnat be tossed into jail for insolence.

He shot me a rueful smile, instead. aOnce Iave finished collecting everyone thatas meant to be there.a The hansom waiting out front was all black, which I felt was grimly apt, and the horses waiting tossed their heads as though they were impatient to deliver me to the fiery scene of battle. The Provost stopped short, nodded to the driver, then turned off in another direction completely, presumably to uproot another man from his home to send him off to join our last stand.

I didnat wait for the steps to descend but rather opened the small door and hauled myself up and in.

It wasnat empty, a fact I barely had time to register and adjust for before I sat on Alcibiadesa lap. He wore an expression of extreme irritation, though his eyebrows shot up when he saw me.

aIf you arenat the luckiest wh.o.r.eson this side of the Cobalts,a he snorted, then set to examining the side door as if I wasnat there at all.

I tried to match his annoyance as best I could, but I felt nothing but a curious kind of relief at seeing a familiar face, a companion of mine whoad managed to survive the plague. I hadnat had a chance to speak with Hal about what had happened to the others after Berhaneas pa.s.sing, though it wasnat until Iad seen Alcibiades that I knew Iad feared the worst.

Next to mea"where Iad taken my seat on the bench oppositea"someone stirred, though I hadnat noticed him, a pale cutout in the dark of our carriage. I recognized the fall of his blond hair, though, and the same lazy elegance head exhibited while napping during his occasional attendance at meetings of the Basquiat.

aI told you not to speak until wead reached the mountains,a said Caius, though he didnat open his eyes, and he sounded a little dreamy still, as though he were half-asleep.

aWhat a warm welcome this is,a I said, pulling aside the little window curtain so that I could watch the city as it pa.s.sed quickly around us. aIam quite happy to see the rest of you alive as well.a aDonat worry,a said Caius, with a yawn like a catas. aIam sure it wonat last long.a Alcibiades shrugged broad shoulders, though he too was looking out the window now that Iad exposed it. aIam just looking forward to getting this over with one way or the other,a he said.

aSoldieras talk,a Caius retorted. aAny academic will tell you that nothing exists in such extremes except for stories in romans for children.a aThe same romans that led to Halas discovering our cure, do you mean?a I watched the spires of the Basquiat off in the distance and knew I would never be able to look at them again without remembering our confinement.

Alcibiades snorted again, and Caius merely made a censorious sound in his throat as though he thought he had better things to argue. The coach fell silent as we withdrew into whatever more private thoughts we were each of us entertaining.

I had never considered myself to be anything like the more patriotic soldiers who would fight and die simply because our Esar told them to. Iad always believed it was the province of the intellectual to scoff at such mindless obedience. I thought that there were better solutions to a conflict than an endless war, despite my Talentas natural proclivity for it, and though I was a loyal citizen of the realm and did my duty as it was commanded, Iad never been stirred by anything deeper than that. For me, there was only the threat of treason and the desire to do a job well enough that I might return once more to the comforts of the Basquiat and Tabernacle Bar.

With every b.u.mp and sharp swing of the carriage as it turned corners it had never been built to turn, I saw more of the city Iad come to as a haven from my country upbringing. She had taken me in as her own after Iad spent the long years of my childhood feeling as though there mightnat be any place to which I truly belonged.

Thremedon was my home, and it held everything I had ever loved or had ever been given cause to love me.

I thought of Hal, rubbing his eyes with such force he was sure to damage them, forcing himself to stay awake through one more chapter, one more page, until finally head solved it. We were all of us fighting in our own ways, and to protect the things we loved seemed to me the best reason Iad ever been given.

I wondered then if the lapis city would still be burning when we came to it at last, if our forces at the front would still be fighting. It was a scene I both did and did not wish to see, but I felt a supreme and wholly strange grat.i.tude to be living at this time, for whatever horrors it held, whatever tragedy, it was a history I could call my own.

ROOK.

As far as I could understand them, the Ke-Han who were holding me prisoner kept asking me why Havemercy wasnat flying. Despite the barriers between us being able to communicate properlya"like how we didnat speak the same language, and also happened to f.u.c.king hate one another on principle alonea"my reply of af.u.c.k youa seemed to come over loud and clear. We understood one another just fine as far as the basics were concerned.

So at bottom what it shook down to was that they tried a lot of things to get me to talk. But I was better than that.

aYou brought her down,a I told my favorite guard, who mustave kept requesting sessions for torture with me acause the feeling was mutual. He was missing an eye, which he obviously thought made him look real tough. aYou f.u.c.king solve that problem on your f.u.c.king own!a He didnat like taking no for an answer. Not a single one of the Ke- Han sons-of-a did, but I wasnat yessing anytime soon, and they werenat getting anything out of me. We were equal parts stubborn; the only problem I saw was that they were the ones holding the whip.

And the Ke-Han were pretty imaginative. They kept me like a rat in the dark, starving me, dripping water somewhere just to drive me wild. No matter what they did, though, I wasnat spilling anything. I knew that if they had any of the other boys, theyad be doing the same thing: just taking what was being laid down and suffering in private when no one could see them silently screaming.

It was kind of a bitter thing to hope, and one that made my stomach turn jack-flips inside of me, but I was praying at that point to anyone whoad listen that Have was in pieces somewhere. Sheadave preferred it, rather than give these wh.o.r.esons something to use. But even as I tried to think of her being gone for good, I also realized what a f.u.c.king genius shead beena"seeing through me and Thom and sensing we were of the same blood.

Worst of all, I didnat know if itad work or not. Could be Iad sit here in this hole in the ground with the rats eating my toes or whatever the f.u.c.k it was they thought they were doing, with my girl destroyed, while meanwhile the Ke-Han rallied their forces and burned every last building in Thremedon to the ground, just as a thank-you. So that was pretty bad, even worse than the nightly visits from my one-eyed friend.

I donat know how long it went on. Like I said, I lost track of time, and Iad have better luck asking the rats than my captors.

And then one daya"no f.u.c.king warning or nothinga"this trapdoor above my head opened up, which wasnat the usual route they took when they were coming to visit me special and ask me their questions again, and I was hauled out into the sunlight, people talking in the Ke- Han babble all around me and the sun so bright I had to close my eyes against it. I was shivering, this close to puking all over someone, and what I really wanted to do was spit on somebodya"only I didnat think I had any saliva left in my entire mouth, so that little show of defiance was out of the question.

I was shaking too much to be mad.

They wrapped a blindfold around my facea"which I shouldave thanked them for, acause at least I didnat have to deal with the sun directlya"and shoved me along some path that felt like I was walking on shards of gla.s.s the entire time. I figured it for rubble, but it could have been some brand-new kind of torture for all I knew. I was close to throwing myself down on it and hoping I hit something particularly sharp by the time they finally let me stop, and by then I was walking on something smoother but too hot, like sand under the sun at noontime.

Theyad taken my boots at some point, probably days ago, so the whole ordeal was a real p.i.s.ser.

I stood there for a little while, Ke-Hans whispering close by and some not so close by, and as far as disorienting me completely went, this was a pretty good trick. Finally, I felt someoneas fingers at the back of my head, and when they took off the blindfold and I got a chance to get my bearings, I realized I was standing in what used to be the magiciansa dome. I was surrounded by a group of men and women, all of them Ke-Han, and most of them looking pretty much the way I felt, all sh.e.l.led out with no home anymore.

For some reason, theyad all gathered together like a bunch of toys in the torn-up sh.e.l.l of the dome. If this was some ritual killing, I just wanted them to get it over with.

In front of me was a man who dressed so fine and held himself so straight I knew who he was without even needing to be introduced. No matter what a man was, Volstovic or Ke-Han or Arlemagne or anything, there was no mistaking royalty.

Iad come pretty far in life for the Ke-Han warlord himself to be requesting an audience with me.

I probably should have bowed or something, but if Iad tried it Iadave gone completely off-balance, what with my hands being tied behind my back, and the rest of me being dizzy in the first place.

The warlord had his hands folded behind his back and for a long time he didnat even acknowledge me; he was just surveying the damage, drinking it all in, like some sort of sick game he was playing with himself. When he turned around, there was a catas kind of anger in his eyes, wild and fierce and narrow. I lifted up my chin. It was the only show of defiance I had left.

aYou wear your hair the way we wear ours,a he told me, and though his accent was rough and his words stilted, at least it was a language I f.u.c.king recognized.

aYeah?a I asked. I was dizzy and half out of my mind; there was blood under my fingernails, and this cut Havead scored across my chest when her wing snapped was festering. I could smell it, rotten and sick, especially in open air. aLooks better on me, though.a The warlord smiled, the expression thin and sharp. I wondered for a moment why he didnat just kill me for my insolence, because it was clear as the mustache on his face that he wanted to, but instead he lifted one hand with his palm facing out and complete silence descended over all of us. There wasnat even a whisper or the sound of somebody breathing too loud on the aira"thatas how quiet everyone was, and just acause their warlord had shown them the palm of his hand.

aIt is because of the terms of the treaty,a he said, athat I refrain from killing you.a aTreaty,a I said. The sun was getting to be too much. aWhat f.u.c.king treaty?a aThe one we have just signed,a he replied. aI believe it was an hour ago.a With a bow, one that was stiff and curt because bowing to n.o.bodies was something head never had to do before, he nodded to his left, and I saw that it wasnat just the Ke-Han who were gathered around in a circle watching me like I was the main attraction at carnivale. There were a group of people I didnat recognize but who sure as f.u.c.k werenat Ke-Han standing there, most of them inspecting a pile of sc.r.a.p metal I could only a.s.sume was the last of our girls, but a few mustave broken away from the rest at my arrival, and at this signal from the warlord, they came forward.

as.h.i.t,a I said, when they got close enough for me to see. aI know who you are.a aIs that so?a the man asked, motioning for the man with hima"and he was one I didnat recognize at alla"to untie my hands. I winced the second he touched me and swore in the Old Ramanthe.

aYeah,a I said, pain coloring my voice enough so I cursed again to chase it out. aYouare the one they exiled for f.u.c.king the Arlemagne prince.a aAh,a said the Mary Margrave, not even blinking. aIndeed, you are correct in that regard. It is thrilling to see you still possessed of all your wits.a aWell,a I said. aSome of aem. Maybe.a aYou have suffered less than the rest,a the Margrave told me. aNone of the others we hoped to find here in confinement is still living.a I felt this strange thing happen inside my stomach. I really wouldave been sick, and all over too, except there was nothing for me to get rid of inside my stomach. Instead, I guess I mustave groaned, or moaned, or something. It sounded real pathetic, even to me, but then I barely heard it.

an.o.body else?a I asked. af.u.c.king none of aem?a aFour made it back to Thremedon,a the Margrave said. aYou are the fifth and final survivora"all that remains, I am sad to say, of the Esaras Dragon Corps.a I licked my lips like I thought that would do anything toward making them feel any less dry. aWe ainat thaEsaras Dragon Corps no more,a I said, sounding just like the real kid from the streets I was.

If there was a treaty, there wasnat a war anymore. And if there wasnat a war, there wasnat any Dragon Corps; it was simple as that. With only five of us still living, and most of our girls no more than junk metal by now, then there wasnat anything left of usa"literal or figurative, in body or in soul.

I could smell it about to happen before it did, could feel my vision waver as I lost all feeling in my hands.

aAirman Rook,a the Margrave said, but if there was anything more he said, I didnat hear it, seeing as how I blacked out right then and there and didnat even feel it when I hit the ground.

When I woke up, I guessed I was somewhere else; in any case I wasnat standing, and the Margrave wasnat there. I thought I saw my brothera"real this time, and not some dead hallucinationa"and he called me by two different names, Rook and John both, atil I didnat know who I was, and it didnat really even seem to matter over the hurt rooted deep down like it was a permanent part of me.

He told me to sleep, and I wanted to tell him he was my f.u.c.king little brother, which meant he couldnat tell me what to do, but then the blackness reached up again with nimble fingers and pulled me down into the quiet where there wasnat n.o.body, not even me.

HAL.

I wasnat made for this sort of excitement. As much as I enjoyed the stories found within my favorite romans, of daring escapes and heroic battles and discoveries made in the eleventh hour, I found living them a far less attractive proposition than reading about them, and the strain of it had left me ill and exhausted more often than not. I didnat have the const.i.tution for large, sweeping events; or, at least, that had been what Iad told Royston in the days after his return, when we had time to spare for speaking.

Head been busy, as part of the delegation formed by the Esar at the last minute to negotiate the terms of our peace treaty with the Ke-Han. Head even have to leave yet again, however briefly, to see that the conditions were being carried out.

Royston had explained the terms of the provisional treaty to me thusly: that all surviving dragons were to be retired, but that the pieces found past the Xiaan border were to be returned to Volstov. That the Kiril Islands were to be returned to Volstov, that the Ke-Han people would allow Volstovic occupation while they rebuilt their city, and that an established border would be fixed along the Cobalt Mountains. All in all it was fairly simplea"at least, simple enough that I understood it alla"and not even Royston could find anything about it to argue against.

When I had gone to visit Thom at the Airman, he told me in a terrible sort of voice that only four members of the corps had made it back from their final flight, and that the rest of the airmen had most likely been captured and tortured, or killed.