Anders watched motionless and in disbelief as Ivan reached up with his hand and jumped. The green dragon passed over him and he arched as he grabbed the horn to his saddle and was carried off into the mountain air. Sheathing his sword as he sat in the snow, Anders saw his father look back at him one last time before the green dragon dipped into the canyon below.
Zahara landed on the slope next to him, her body freshly bloodied from her scrape with the green dragon. Come on, they’re getting away, she said. When Anders didn’t move or respond, she said, Anders, get out of the snow; they’re getting away!
Anders moved his blank stare to Zahara as she stirred uneasily in the snow. He looked directly into her eyes as she extended her head toward him and sniffed, What’s wrong? You aren’t injured, are you?”
Anders searched for the right words, opening his communicative link with her but not finding anything fitting to say. He felt her confusion when she asked, What did he tell you? You’re in disbelief, but I can’t feel what exactly he told you?
Help me out of here, he managed to respond. Anders reached out and held onto her claw as she lifted him from the hole in the snow. Anders rushed to climb onto Zahara. Seating himself in the saddle, she ran down the slope, letting her wings carry them off the mountainside. As they climbed higher in the sky, Anders saw Raffa’s bulky form rush over them. The large dragon roared as he passed.
Are you going to tell me what happened back there or am I going to have to read deep into your thoughts? Zahara asked again.
It’s just that, I don’t want to believe what I just saw, he replied.
What did you see?
The rider’s helmet came off and I saw who it was, Zahara. Ivan is Merglan’s right-hand man. Anders felt her heart sink and they shared the sorrow and realization that Anders’ father, the man who’d spent his whole life trying to stop Merglan, was now carrying out his bidding. The only thing that kept them going now was the knowledge that Merglan had sent Ivan to kill Kirsten, Thomas and their companions. Anders refused to let Merglan take away any more members of his family. In that moment, Anders knew what he had to do.
Chapter 69
King’s Fall
Catching Raffagaun and Maija, Zahara matched elevation with the red dragon and Anders called out to them, “Don’t aim to kill! The rider in black must be captured alive!”
Maija nodded, but he could tell from her expression that she didn’t fully understand why.
“The rider isn’t a stranger. It’s Ivan,” he said. The fact that his father was working for Merglan still didn’t fully register with him. His words felt hollow, void of actual meaning.
“Are you sure?” Maija shouted back, her features registering fear and concern.
Anders nodded, feeling tears welling in his eyes, “I don’t know how,” he started, but couldn’t finish his sentence before his emotion took over, so he stopped talking. With a horrible pain growing in the pit of his stomach, he said, “We just need to stop him.”
Maija nodded and they faced ahead, catching sight of Ivan and the green dragon in the distance as they climbed to altitude over the mountains.
Once we catch up with them again, how are we going to stop him? Zahara asked.
We’ll have to take out the dragon, Anders said. Without him, Ivan won’t be able to get to Kirsten and Thomas quickly. We’ll have a better chance at capturing him and trying to undo whatever it is that Merglan’s done to him.
I don’t like the idea of killing the dragon either. It’s just as likely that it was forced into service in the same way as Ivan, she replied.
I’ll do my best to avoid mortal harm, but if it comes down to protecting my family, I’ll do what must be done to ensure their safety. After he finished the thought, Anders didn’t hear her reply.
Zahara and Raffa pursued Ivan’s dragon in tandem, tracking his path over the mountains. With Raffa and Maija close by, Anders and Zahara flew at their pace, steadily gaining on Ivan’s green dragon. Anders felt hesitant to engage with Ivan again and definitely didn’t feel comfortable doing it alone again.
Zahara, Anders said as she trailed Ivan’s dragon by just ten lengths or so, well within striking distance if he chose to use his magic. Can you sense any kind of consciousness from Ivan?
No, she replied after a moment of silence. This is the first time I’ve ever felt such a lack of being in something living. Usually if they’re hiding it, I can still see or feel the hole in the space where they should be. Like when I know there is a fish behind a rock in a river, but I can’t see it from the surface, yet I still know it’s there. This is different, though. I can’t feel anything from him; it’s like he’s not there at all.
Like that part of him has been removed, Anders added.
Exactly. But how could Merglan remove the presence of someone and still have that person appear to be alive and acting on his behalf?
There are so many things about Merglan’s magic that we don’t know.
At least his powers are limited now. He should be incarcerated by this time.
Ivan still has at least one of Merglan’s crystals that we didn’t know to alter. I saw it in his dagger back there. If we can separate him from the dagger, we might have a chance at bringing him back, Anders said.
That might work, unless he’s doing this of his own accord? Zahara suggested.
No, Ivan would not do this! It must be the dagger controlling him. Ivan has fought his entire life; every ounce of his being has been dedicated to stopping Merglan. He wouldn’t just give in and convert. He would rather die. Something else is at play here and it doesn’t feel right.
As they crested the last of the ridgelines before the Frozentip Mountains gave way to the Riverlands near Brookside, a dark clustering on the landscape caught his eye. At first Anders thought it was the buildings of Brookside, but something was off. This area was miles outside of town closer to the edge of the Bareback Plains. Anders could just make out the separation of ranks formed in the grass. Focusing on them, he asked Zahara, Do you see that?
He felt her scrutinize the gathering of people and then she responded, An army.
Are they human? Anders asked, narrowing his eyes.
I can’t tell from here, she responded.
Maybe Maija can hear something? Anders suggested. He waved to get Maija’s attention and called to her, “See the army down there?” he pointed. “Can you hear anything from them?”
Anders watched as she leaned over so her ear was toward the soldiers in the distance. After a moment, Maija sat up and shook her head, “I can’t hear anything. Sorry.”
Anders kept an eye on the mass as it slowly moved closer to the forest’s edge. He couldn’t see or sense what they were marching toward and wondered what they were doing. Rather than letting the army below distract him for more than a moment, Anders concentrated on where Ivan appeared to be directing his dragon. Ivan’s dragon dipped down, angling more directly toward the people massing near the forest.
Is he going to attack them? Anders asked Zahara. They watched as Ivan pitched down lower to the ground.
If he isn’t attacking them, he’s going to join up with them. We’d better intervene now, Zahara said, noting Ivan’s change in direction.
