House of Winter

Chapter 13, Part 2

"Please," Ari said suddenly. "You can't keep this tiger. The tiger is bonded."

The White Queen scowled, and Ari realised she had not been invited to address her. "And who are you? A little girl who would look right at home in the red curtain rooms of my pleasure houses. I should dress you in silks and feed you estellaine to keep you happy. Who are you to talk to me, little fish? You are not a fire starrling, so you have no claim over this tiger. And I can tell from the way you seem to fear your own dragon that it is has formed no bond with you. I suspect you are no water starrling at all."

Ari swallowed. She hadn't realised that it would be obvious that Warrah was not her own kinnling.

"The tiger belongs to my friend," Ari said.

"Your friend?" the Queen said. "You are no friend to a fire starrling."

"I need to take this tiger back to my friend," Ari said, her voice pleading.

Beside her, Savvas shifted.

"This war may never come to Vastier's shores if I can return this tiger," Ari said, finally voicing the thoughts she had been to afraid to let herself hope for. "If the starrling rider of this tiger can return to Lombardia, she may be the one to stop the war. I believe in her."

The White Queen sat forward. "You are no ord companion of Pythos Savvas, one of his girls in his water dancing troupe. I know who you are. You are Lombardian."

"We'll need fire to get out of here," Savvas whispered to her in Starg, rather than the Vastien tongue. "Remove Jinni's muzzle first, he'll do the rest."

Ari glanced at Savvas, feeling her pulse quicken. She noticed that more of the queen's men seemed to be surrounding them than they were before. Somehow, without any explicit order from the Queen, the guards had sensed an imminent threat.

Ari took a breath in, and then out again, trying to calm her nerves.

Sanna's lessons had always been the most important to her. Her practical lessons at the school had always left her feeling powerless and foolish, but Sanna's gentle teaching had allowed Ari to understand her magic better than anyone. Her simple words about drawing from the heart and surging magic through her palm came to Ari now. She would need it.

Savvas stood up. "If you insult my companion, I feel we are no longer welcome here."

Two of the queen's guards stepped forward, but Savvas turned to them. "The Dragon Army would forgive your debts," he said, and it seemed like both of the guards paused momentarily, but then the queen shouted a command, and the guards moved to seize Savvas.

Ari slipped, unnoticed, away from both of them, as she heard the Water dancer and his dragon start a spectacular display of water magic against the guards. Around her, the casino erupted into chaos. Guests shrieked in delight at what they thought was a magical show, as Savvas spun out of the grip of the guards, water in a spiral around his body. Ari passed unnoticed through the chaos, with her gaze fixed only on Jinni.

Jinni, in turn, was suddenly frantic, pulling against his chains, but Ari could tell he was not strong enough to break free. She seized upon him, pulling at the leather strap of the muzzle and flinging it free.

Jinni let out a roar, and fire erupted from his mouth. This time, the shrieks of the guests turned to screams of horror as the tiger roared. Ari barely escaped the lick of flame.

"I'm getting you out of here, you idiot," Ari snapped. "Don't burn me!"

Jinni's black wings unfurled. Ari grabbed onto the chain that was attached to his neck, trying to find the clasp to unbuckle it. She found nothing, but suddenly she was yanked off her feet. She held on as Jinni rose on his hind legs and then pulled with more strength than he had displayed. The chain yanked free, and Jinni was in the air, with Ari clinging desperately to the collar around his neck.

"Jinni!" Ari yelled, but the tiger paid her no mind.

"Seize the tiger!" the queen roared, her voice suddenly a deep below, and two of the jewelled dragons launched on their hind legs, spraying a ferocious blast of water at Jinni.

Ari somehow managed to swing her leg over Jinni's back. She saw Savvas was now astride his dragon, and Warrah was in the air, clawing desperately at a jewelled dragon.

"Get us out of here!" Ari shrieked, and Jinni obeyed, swooping over the heads of a crowd of gamblers, lighting a path of fire before him.

Warrah was behind them, and when Ari twisted and looked back she saw that Savvas was with them too.

"To the river!" Savvas yelled.

Ari had no idea where the river was, but Warrah shot out in front, through the huge doors of the casino, and out onto the street. White Dragons members, on their own dragons, were trying to pursue them, but there was a reason Pythos Savvas was the champion kinncharger. He stood on his dragon's back, graceful as a dancer, shooting jets of water at any who tried to follow.

They flew through the streets and towards the river, and Ari looked back to see that their pursuers had dropped back, apparently deciding they had no change in fighting Pythos Savvas.

Warrah had led them to the river, and Pythos directed his dragon to land directly on a boat that was tied up.

He wasted no time, unfurling ropes that attached the boat to the harbour.

No one had followed them, but Ari couldn't help but look back at the city, terrified that White Dragons members would suddenly appear in the sky to pursue them.

"Why did they stop?" she asked, after making sure that Jinni was okay. "Why aren't they coming after us?"

"We're on the Red Dragons side of the river," Savvas explained. "The White Dragons won't pursue us here or risk a battle with them."

"And whose ship is this?" Ari asked.

Savvas answered by unfurling a sail, to display a ferocious red dragon, breathing fire.

Ari swallowed. "Do you think it's a good idea to anger both gangs in one night?"

"Doesn't matter now," Savvas said. "We can't stay here. The White Queen wanted the tiger, and now she knows who it belongs to. You gave it away."

Ari felt her stomach lurch. "It was my fault?"

"She would have figured it out eventually," Savvas said. "But now we've run out of time. We can't stay in Zantiala. Olatuja will have to continue the mission of recruiting for the Dragon Army. You and I will need to go to Kakaio."

At this, Jinni's ears perked up.

"That's right boy," Ari said.

Savvas directed the boat out of the harbour and onto the river and then towards the sea. As they got to open water, both of the dragons slid into the ocean to swim alongside the boat, while Jinni remained on the deck.

"This boat is too small to brave the open ocean, so we'll need to stick close to the islands and go via the trade route, and drop anchor every night, since we don't have a night crew," Savvas said. "But it'll do. We'll make it to Kakaio in a few weeks."

"Weeks," Ari choked out.

"Without a crew, there's not much faster we can go."

Ari nodded. "At least we're on our way. Lumi will be waiting for us."

x

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