Dragonwatch, vol. 4: Champion of the Titan Games Read online

  “I had some help,” Seth said, hoping to be mysterious.

  “I’m not interested in your history,” Dante said.

  “I know things about the dragon war,” Seth said. “And the Under Realm.”

  “Celebrant is abroad,” Dante said. “Soaring Cliffs fell. You helped Wyrmroost fall. Crescent Lagoon fell and was reclaimed. Frosted Peaks went down recently. Do you know what Celebrant intends for Titan Valley? Do you still serve his cause?”

  “I’m not sure how much to say without an arrangement,” Seth said.

  “Mortals lie more readily than most,” Dante said. “A disgusting trait. The story about your memories might be fabrication.”

  “I gave you my word,” Seth said.

  “Tell me why you helped topple Wyrmroost,” Dante said.

  “I was in training, working for the Underking,” Seth said.

  Dante shivered. “I believe you. I can spot a liar. But I doubt you have knowledge I need. I want no dealings with the undead.”

  “Are there winnings in the Games?” Seth asked. “Could I offer you a share?”

  “This troll wants no share of hypothetical prizes,” Dante said. “I don’t speculate that way. Let others gamble.”

  “Could I owe you a favor?” Seth asked. “My abilities are useful.”

  “What favor can a dead boy provide?” Dante countered. “The Games are lethal. Even armed with sound advice, you are heading to your demise. Unless you can offer value now, I see no profit in helping you.”

  “I’m a shadow charmer,” Seth said. “Do you have any problems with the undead?”

  Dante rubbed two of his three chins. “As a matter of fact, there is a cottage on the road just east of here with an unruly presence inside.”

  “A wraith?” Seth asked.

  “You pick a name,” Dante said. “I don’t study these matters. If you expel the presence, I will provide you with an introduction to one who can advise you about the Games.”

  “Sounds fair,” Seth said.

  “Brunt will escort you,” Dante said, heaving himself to his feet. “Succeed and we both benefit.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” Seth assured him.

  “I like the confidence,” Dante said, slapping Seth on the shoulder. “If you perish, Brunt and I will share a good laugh.”

  Is that dragon pulling a wagon?” Knox called from where he stood by the window in the wall of the wicker house.

  Kendra crossed the swaying floor and braced herself against the windowsill. The view was out the side of the house. Not far off, moving parallel to them, a giant considerably smaller than Rustafet drove a huge wagon harnessed to an emerald green dragon, the heap of cargo in the back covered by a tarp. Wings pinned down by the harness, the dragon strained to pull the heavy load as the driver swung a lash.

  “No way,” Kendra said.

  “Get used to that sight,” Rustafet said. “No free rides for dragons at this sanctuary. They contribute.”

  Vanessa, Warren, and Tess gathered at another window.

  “I never imagined I would see a sight like this,” Vanessa said.

  “Is it safe to ride in a dragon wagon?” Tess asked.

  “I want to ride in one,” Warren said. “Pulled by Celebrant. Maybe I’ll feed him a carrot.”

  As Rustafet progressed onward, they passed other dragons hauling other loads, all wearing confining harnesses. Then Kendra spotted a huge brick building with a red dragon chained out back. When the bald giant beside the dragon prodded it with an iron spear, the dragon blew fire through a window into the facility.

  “What is happening there?” Knox asked.

  “Dragon forge?” Warren guessed.

  “Exactly,” Rustafet said cheerfully. “We have the last five dragon forges in the world.”

  “What are those?” Tess asked, pointing upward. “Dragon kites?”

  Up ahead Kendra saw a pair of dragons circling in the sky, harnessed to long poles. As they drew nearer, Kendra beheld that the poles attached to a wheel atop a squat tower.

  “It’s a mill,” Tanu said, “powered by dragons in flight.”

  “Very good,” Rustafet said. “The mills are a newer innovation, but we’re getting good results. It took time to develop poles that were long enough, light enough, and strong enough. Plenty of magic involved!”

  “Don’t the dragons fight back?” Kendra asked.

  “It’s been a long while since we had serious resistance,” Rustafet said. “It took the Giant Queen some time to establish order here. But now the reptiles generally know their place. A few rogues are on the loose, but they stay free by hiding, not fighting.”

  Kendra could hardly believe her ears. Dragons were so proud and fierce! Yet there in front of her was a smallish silver dragon rigged to a plow, managed by a burly giant with a heavy tunic and a tangled black beard.

  “What would Celebrant say to this?” Knox asked.

  “He would go berserk,” Warren said.

  “He would burn this sanctuary to the ground,” Kendra said.

  Rustafet chuckled. “A lot of us actually hope the warring dragons come here. Once we subjugate them, we could expand our industries! Build more forges, mills, and wagons!”

  Kendra wondered what a fight between giants and dragons might look like. Having seen dragons in action, she suspected the battle might not be as easy as Rustafet seemed to think. “Can’t the dragons burn you?”

  “Depends on the giant,” Rustafet said. “Some of us have thick hides. Fireproof, even against dragon fire. Don’t fret about dragons here. Under our protection, you’ll be fine. Terastios is just ahead. I’ll turn so you can see it.”

  Rustafet pivoted, and a vast fortress slid into view, a colossal gray rectangle with no towers and few adornments, flanked by sheer mountains. A massive door was opening as they approached. When Rustafet straightened to face the fort directly, Kendra watched the monumental building swing out of sight.

  She hurried to a rear-facing window to see the conscripted dragons recede from view as Rustafet passed through the gaping doorway into the tremendous fortress. A female giant nearly the size of Rustafet closed the doors after they entered, her brown hair in a single thick braid that almost reached her waist.

  With the rear view cut off, Kendra returned to the side-facing window beside Knox. They had entered a large chamber.

  “Hang on,” Rustafet said. “It’s time to set you down.”

  Kendra and Knox clung to the windowsill as the wicker house rocked and lowered, finally settling on the floor. They gathered at the door, where Tanu undid the latch and gripped the handle. He paused.

  “It’s a big world out there,” Tanu said.

  “And I want to see it,” Tess enthused.

  Newel and Doren charged down the stairs from an upper story. “We do too!” Doren called.

  Tanu opened the door and stepped out into the gigantic chamber. Kendra felt like she was exploring a room from the perspective of a mouse. The wicker house matched their scale, but nothing else in the giant room came close. Not the table in the corner with the huge guest book propped on a stand. Not the monumental suits of armor flanking the towering gilded doors on the far side of the room. And not the giant who had toted them here.

  Rustafet came and stooped over them, an intimidating presence considering that Kendra would have had to jump to reach the middle of his shin. “You look drier than when you arrived,” he said.

  “Still damp,” Kendra said. “Luckily, it’s a warm day.”

  “Such a big man,” Tess said softly.

  “Big to you,” Rustafet said. “You’re about to meet some real giants. Be polite to her majesty. Protocol is for visitors like you to bow or curtsy. Her subjects kneel. If she dislikes you, she will expel you from the sanctuary. She prefers to speak more than to listen, unless she asks a direct question. Ready?”

  “Will you carry us in there?” Knox asked.

  “New visitors enter the throne room at their own height, unde
r their own power,” Rustafet said. “By decree. Follow me!”

  The knocker on the doors was in the shape of a peasant lugging a heavy cauldron. Rustafet approached and used the cauldron to rap three times. The massive doors swung inward and he stepped aside, admitting Kendra and her companions into a grand hall, the dimensions vast even relative to a giant.

  About thirty giants awaited in the room, wearing togas and sandals, a few leaning against pillars or roosting on stools, most standing in groups. All conversation quieted as Kendra and her friends entered, lofty eyes gazing in their direction. The shortest of these giants was a head taller than Rustafet, and some were so colossal that Rustafet’s head did not clear the middle of their chests.

  At the far end of the room, the Giant Queen sat on her immense throne. Even seated, she was clearly the largest person in the room. Younger and prettier than Kendra expected, if the Giant Queen had been human, she would have been in her late thirties. The elaborate green dress she wore showed off a build like an Olympic swimmer’s, with square shoulders, a narrow waist, and athletic limbs. Her auburn hair was caught in looping braids that spilled out beneath her stately crown.

  Kendra and her friends approached the Giant Queen along a red carpet roughly the size of an airport runway. As they walked, most of the other giants returned to their conversations. Kendra and her comrades strode briskly, but it took them nearly ten minutes to reach the far end of the carpet near the base of the dais.

  As they arrived at the end of the carpet, a giant near the dais jabbed the butt of his halberd against the floor, the loud crack echoing across the voluminous room. Conversation died out.

  “Her royal majesty, Queen Imani, recognizes the arrival of Kendra Sorenson, disgraced former caretaker of the fallen sanctuary Wyrmroost, and her assorted cohorts.”

  Kendra wasn’t sure the word disgraced had been necessary. If Seth had been here, an argument would almost certainly have followed the comment. But at the moment, Kendra felt keeping the relationship functional was more important than verbally scoring points. She curtsied, as did Vanessa and Tess. The males bowed.

  The queen raised a compact golden tube to one eye, using it like a spyglass. “You’re all damp,” the Giant Queen observed in rich alto tones. “You came through the Fairy Queen’s shrine?”

  “Yes, your majesty,” Kendra said.

  “She permitted you to traverse her realm?” the Giant Queen asked.

  “She knew it was an emergency,” Kendra said.

  “She is a very small queen,” the Giant Queen said.

  “So is the Underking, compared to you,” Kendra said. “But they’re very powerful.”

  The Giant Queen gave an indulgent laugh. “Everyone is small compared to me. I suppose you would like to see my full height? Most visitors take an interest.”

  “Yes, please,” Kendra said.

  The Giant Queen arose, towering almost to the ceiling. When she came down off the dais, she was at least a head taller than the loftiest giant in the room. Her scale was so overwhelming, Kendra could hardly comprehend her as a living being. And yet her proportions were those of a powerfully built human woman. Kendra doubted whether she could reach higher than the top of the queen’s ankle.

  “I’ll give you a moment to absorb the experience,” the Giant Queen said from high above. “Astonishment is a forgivable reaction.” She twirled. “Too much woman for any man on this planet. Am I right?”

  “Dragons must seem like little pets to you,” Tess said.

  “An astute realization,” the Giant Queen said. “Who is this cherub?”

  “My cousin Tess,” Kendra said.

  “We brought family, did we?” the Giant Queen asked, returning to her throne. She turned and sat.

  “Yes,” Kendra affirmed. “And this is my cousin Knox.”

  “It’s odd to imagine one so tiny living an actual life,” the Giant Queen said. “Having a family, for example. Or hobbies. Or pets.”

  “Some creatures make us look like giants,” Knox said. “Fairies, for one.”

  “Fairies are invisible specks,” the Giant Queen said. “You’re not much better. It strains reason to grant significance to anything so minute.”

  “We’re here because of the dragon war,” Kendra said.

  “I’m well aware,” the Giant Queen said. “Celebrant took Wyrmroost from you. And I understand you seek refuge with me.”

  “Yes, we all do,” Kendra said.

  The Giant Queen lifted the tube to her eyes. “I see two satyrs. Strange folk.”

  “Not much normal about us,” Newel said.

  “At your service,” Doren added with a bow.

  “At least you appear housebroken,” the Giant Queen remarked. “And three others besides the cousins. Are they relatives too?”

  “Well, Tanu is an expert potion master—”

  “I believe I asked a simple question,” the Giant Queen interrupted.

  “Not two of them,” Kendra said, annoyed by the rudeness of the queen but trying not to let it show. “The other is a second cousin.”

  “I will grant the refuge you seek,” the Giant Queen said. “We can offer accommodations on your scale here at Terastios, and most public spaces here include access for wee folk.” She gestured toward an area to one side of the dais with bleachers and couches where human-sized people sat watching. Compared to the Giant Queen, they looked miniscule.

  “I’m also searching for my brother,” Kendra said.

  “The former co-caretaker of Wyrmroost,” the Giant Queen said.

  “I believe he came here,” Kendra said.

  “Not to my knowledge,” the Giant Queen said. “Many tourists of your size visit for the Games. I cannot keep track of all who come and go. My servant Raza will host you during your stay and acquaint you with your accommodations and our policies here. Direct inquiries about your brother to him.”

  A man in a white, embroidered sherwani and red harem pants detached from where the human-sized spectators were gathered and came toward Kendra. He had dark hair, suntanned skin, meticulous stubble on his jaw, and looked to be in his forties.

  “Do you need help with defensive measures against the dragons?” Kendra asked.

  In her peripheral vision, Kendra noticed that several of the giants looked taken aback by the question. Queen Imani leaned forward with an ironic smile.

  “There is a reason you are seeking refuge here,” the Giant Queen said. “This is the largest and most secure magical preserve on the planet. I have strangled dragons with a single hand. Your entire world will fall long before Titan Valley encounters any trouble from those worms. Dragonwatch asked for me to take you in, and so I have. Remember, dangers that seem large to you might lack significance to me.”

  Kendra felt embarrassed by the scolding. She curtsied and said, “Thank you, your majesty.”

  “Very well,” the Giant Queen said. “Raza can address any concerns, and he will arrange for the comfort of your little band. Off you go.”

  It doesn’t look too bad,” Seth said, standing between Hermo and Brunt, staring at the log cottage. Empty flower boxes hung below the windows. Quaint carvings decorated the eaves. A path of pebbles led from the road across the weedy lawn to the red front door.

  Brunt harrumphed. “Maybe it won’t take long.”

  Seth looked at the imposing alley troll. “Do you want to help?”

  Brunt shook his head and took a step back. “Nobody crosses that threshold anymore. Nothing good happens.”

  “What does happen?” Seth asked.

  “They get hurt,” Brunt said. “Or disappear.”

  “Does Dante own this place?” Seth asked.

  “He does now,” Brunt said. “Bought it cheap before we departed from the tavern. Your job is to ensure that was a profitable purchase.”

  Seth nodded. “You want to help, Hermo?”

  “Me stay with alley troll,” Hermo said. “Guard road.”

  “I’m not sure the road is in any danger
,” Seth said.

  “Better safe than sorry,” Hermo maintained.

  The alley troll gave a single chuckle.

  Seth shrugged. “If you say so.” He walked up the path, pebbles crunching underfoot. The closer he got to the cottage, the less welcoming it appeared. The red paint on the front door was cracked and flaking off in places. Spiderwebs laced many of the carved eaves. The windows were dirty, the inside of the glass smeared with grime, as if grubby hands had wiped them hastily.

  Seth paused at the door. “How do you feel?” he muttered.

  “Like a bully who all sensible people avoid is waiting in ambush,” Calvin replied quietly. “And we’re walking into the trap. Let’s hope this is something we can handle.”

  “Ronodin never taught me about ‘presences,’” Seth said.

  “It might be a phantom,” Calvin said. “I don’t think Dante knows what’s haunting the place.”

  Seth reached out with his power, searching for any undead. He didn’t sense a wraith inside the cottage, but there was . . . something. Could it be a phantom? To what extent could they disguise themselves?

  “I feel something in there,” Seth said.

  “A presence?” Calvin ventured.

  “I’m not sure what.”

  “Probably something new to you,” Calvin said.

  “Do I knock?” Seth asked.

  “I guess, if it’s locked,” Calvin said.

  Seth tried the handle and pushed the door inward. Sunshine filtered through the grimy windows to dimly light the interior of the cottage. Some of the furniture was overturned in the large front room. One armchair had been slashed open and bled fluffy wads of stuffing. Seth noticed cobwebs, and in many places wide streaks interrupted the dust on the floor, as if large objects had been dragged across it. A doorway led to a kitchen, and an open door granted access to a bedroom. Some unnameable quality in the musty air felt unsafe.

  Seth stepped fully into the cottage and felt a sudden breeze as the front door slammed shut behind him. The room appeared empty. Engaging his senses, he could not pinpoint an entity.

  Just walk in? a voice spoke in his mind. Is that polite?