The Flames of Dragons Read Online Free Page B

game.
    “Let’s head back to camp,” he said, “and don’t worry about Rondel. I’ll make sure she comes back to Sorengaral with us.”
    Rondel flashed him an aggravated expression. She opened her mouth, surely to spit some nasty comment, but Narunë stopped her with a look.
    Minawë eyed the two elders for a moment. At last she nodded curtly. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll walk behind you two on the way back to make sure you don’t try anything.”
    Narunë shrugged and motioned for Rondel to take the lead. After a few steps though, he came level with her. Without turning his head he murmured, low enough that Minawë couldn’t hear, “Give me until Sorengaral. She’s my niece. I can convince her to stay there. Then you can disappear without her following you.”
    Rondel kept her body position unchanged as she replied, “I’m counting on you. I saw how Minawë reacted when Iren turned from her. She had an opportunity to stop him, and she let it slip away. I can’t risk her interfering.”
    “Why?” Narunë asked. “Are you afraid Iren will attack her?”
    “No,” Rondel whispered, “I’m afraid I will.”

CHAPTER FOUR
The Female Mayor
     
     
    “There it is,” Dirio said from the head of the column of villagers, “Kataile.”
    Balear crested the small rise so he could stand beside Veliaf’s mayor. It was a strange title, considering that thanks to Balear, Veliaf no longer existed.
    “It’s beautiful,” Dirio breathed.
    Balear frowned. From here he couldn’t even see the city itself. Kataile was built into the side of a white limestone plateau that jutted out from the Eregos Mountains’ northeast corner. The plateau curled around into a crescent-shaped barrier that surrounded the city and shielded it from view. From this angle, all Balear could see was the outside of the cliff and the ocean east of it.
    But Dirio’s eyes were wide with hope, so Balear nodded. They had come so far, and they couldn’t go back. They could do nothing but hope.
    The only way in or out of the city was along the beach that separated the cliff from the sea. Balear and Dirio headed down the hill toward it, the villagers following behind.
    Despite his lack of a view, Balear couldn’t help but feel a small share of the balding fifty-year-old mayor’s excitement. Here was a place, perhaps alone in Lodia, untouched by the civil war. With Kataile’s natural protection, no other city’s army could invade it. In addition, the city’s port gave it access to the sea for food and trade with the Tacumsah Archipelago.
    As Balear crossed onto the sand, though, his optimism fell. A driftwood barricade blocked off the beach, and armed guards stood behind it. Dirio motioned for his people to stand back. He and Balear approached the guards alone.
    The men behind the barricade looked confident, but Balear could tell it was an act. Either that, or they were such complete novices that they really believed this shoddy pile of wood could protect them. It was barely four feet high and wasn’t even nailed together. Balear figured he could breach it with one swing of the Auryozaki strapped to his back. For that matter, he could probably crush the blockade just by setting the massive sword on top of the wood.
    Not that there was a need to break it. The barricade extended to the cliff wall, but with the ocean’s changing waves, it couldn’t block passage on that side. As long as you didn’t mind getting your feet wet, you could just walk around it.
    The barricade’s guards were no more formidable. There were six of them, each armed with a fishing spear. Only two had any armor, and that was boiled leather. Just one had a sword, and even with it sheathed, Balear could tell it was useless. The handle had too much decoration. It was a weapon designed for parades, not combat. Balear doubted it was even sharp.
    From back on the hill, Balear had thought Kataile impregnable. But if this paltry blockade was any indication, the city might be