Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 28 - Ladies Can Fight Too

Kastali Dun

Claire raced through the keep as if the Vodar were already nipping at her heels. Her heavy skirts twisted about her ankles. With Saffra in the lead, she and Desaree struggled to keep up. All the while, a number of horrible scenarios flooded her mind. How long did they have before the enemy arrived? Minutes? An hour, perhaps?

Given Saffra's obvious distress, there wasn't a moment to spare. "We must warn Commander Daxton!" she called over her shoulder. It was easy to see why Dax was her first thought.

They plunged down a set of stairs and raced through an open courtyard. It wasn't until they had reached the second level of the keep that Claire stopped them. "Wait...wait!" she gasped, clutching her side. Commander Daxton's quarters were on the second level; they were nearly there. At Claire's insistence, they came to a stop. "Even if we find Dax," Claire said, "how will he know what to do? Where to go?"

"The Vodar are after the Stones," Saffra said.

"Right," Claire said. She blinked several times, trying to think. "That does not exactly help us. I don't know where..." The words died on her lips. What had happened to the Stones? Come to think of it, no one had bothered to tell her. "I don't even know where they are..." she said at last. Fear gave way to frustration. After everything she had given for the damned Dragon Stones, she never thought to follow up on their safety. She had merely handed them over. Her shoulders slumped.

"I saw the Vodar flying into the castle," Saffra said, her voice reassuring. "That means they are hidden within."

Claire's eyes widened. "Talon's Shields! If the Stones are in the castle, the Shields will know where."

Saffra slapped her hand to her forehead. "But that's it!" she cried. "You! You can warn them, Claire." She pointed an accusing finger at Claire. "Use your mind! Use telepathy. Tell them what I saw."

The blood drained from Claire's face. "I—I can't! They don't know about me...I can't give it up." She looked from Desaree to Saffra, pleading.

"You must!" Saffra said.

The wrong secrets breed folly, Claire...

Cyrus's voice was not reassuring. Claire shook her head back and forth until her brain felt dizzy. Her ability to communicate with the Drengr was her secret—hers to give when she was good and ready. She couldn't bear to do it now, not when... "The king doesn't know," she said. "I can't tell his Shields. If I speak to them...If I say anything..."

Saffra gave Claire a displeased look. Desaree remained silent. Claire gazed back at them, unwilling to budge. They both knew her secret ability would save them time—but they also knew she would not concede.

Claire took a deep breath, trying to think of a better way to help them understand. Then she realized something they hadn't yet taken into account. "It's nearly dark. We've gone in the wrong direction. Commander Daxton won't even be down here. He'll be in the dining hall. The Shields, too."

"Gods above!" Saffra cried. "Yes, we must go to them." She grabbed Claire's arm and Claire grabbed Desaree's. They changed direction to the dining hall where dinner was promptly held when darkness fell.

Unfortunately for them, the dining hall was on the main level of the keep. The keep's tiers were designed to withstand sieges by creating varying levels through which one could retreat to safety, beginning with the bottom-most level. For Claire, Desaree, and Saffra, that meant many flights of stairs.

When they reached the dining hall, they were panting and gasping for air. The dining hall's doors were already closed. By rule, they were not to be opened for late-comers. The king himself followed this ruling; he ate dinner alone in his tower when he could not be on time. Closed doors or not, they had to act! Before the guards realized what was happening, the ladies pushed the doors open. Ignoring the surprised protests from the two guards, they scurried inside.