The knight, the dragon and the necromancer. Daert dilogy-1

Rose sat over her companion's body as the dragon tore the last of the looters to bloody shreds. Hands and heads were flying in all directions. Three or four of the steppesmen managed to catch their horses and run away. One of them was thrown by a frightened horse right under the winged lizard's clutches, and the others soon disappeared from sight. The dragon flattened the unlucky rider with a paw, lay down on its belly and began to lick its claws with its long, thin tongue. The man slid down on its lowered wing to the ground. Holding his sword in his sling, the stranger walked briskly toward Rose. She found the strength to stand up, pulling on her glove. Her beret was left at the edge of the woods, along with her crossbow, and she brushed her short, shoulder-length hair back with the palm of her hand.

The dragon rider was a russet-haired young man in his twenties. He was draped in the white leather costume of a royal dragon knight, his belt buckle decorated with a crest unfamiliar to Rose. Almost running up to the girl, the knight asked excitedly:

— Mademoiselle, are you all right?

"The girls at the Academy joke about a knight on a white horse, but I was saved by a knight on a green dragon..." — Rose thought out of place. She nodded tiredly:

— Yes. Yes. I am.

Only now did the young man notice Paulette's body. Pale, he squeezed it out:

— Sorry, I didn't have time... I happened to hear the screams and decided to check it out. Or rather, my dragon did, and then I did. I had to...

— You should have, — Rose repeated slowly, looking the knight in the face.

— I'm sorry. Who was she?

— My maid.

— And you, mademoiselle?

— I... — Rose stammered. Tears suddenly sprang to her cheeks. Her throat spasmed. It was as if a tight string had burst in her chest. She fell to her knees and burst into tears, covering her face with her hands, dropping her glasses to the ground, shaking her whole body. The dazed knight first looked helplessly at the crying girl, then gently touched her shoulder:

— Well, well. You're safe now. Toad and I will protect you.

Seeing that it wasn't working, the young man bit his lip and suddenly... put his arms around Rose, pulling her tightly against his chest. He whispered in a voice she could barely hear:

— It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Everything is good. Everything is good. It's okay.

— Y-yes. — A minute or two later, Rose pulled herself together and gently pushed the knight away from her. He handed girl her glasses and helped her stand up. — Thank you, my lord.

— I'm sorry, I just have a lot of sisters, and I'm used to them crying... Oh, yes, I'm not... — The young man coughed embarrassedly. — I am Don Marius de Hvogbjorn, dragon knight. And you are?

— Rosa Granchi. — The girl sobbed convulsively and wiped her tear-wet gloves on her jacket.

— I knew at once that you were Iolian, from the Republic, — Don Marius smiled. — Black hair like that is rare in Daert. And your skin is so dark.

— I'm not... I mean, yes, I'm Iolian, but I'm not from the Republic. — Rose finally got her voice under control. She unhooked a flask of water from her belt, poured some directly onto the palm of her gloved hand, and rubbed her face. The touch of the glove's rough skin against her cheeks helped shake off the daze. — I was born in Daert. In the capital.

— What were you doing here, Donna Rosa? — The knight gently took the girl under her elbow and led her away from the maid's body, back to his dragon.

— I am not a donna, — the girl corrected him. — We are merchants. I'm... oh... I'm a mage. Worked here in the woods. Don, where are the nomads from? It's a week and a half on horseback to the steppe border.

— The Duc de Velonde has let several tribes of savages across the border to plunder the lands of Daert, — the knight explained glumly. — He hopes to weaken and delay the king's army, which is on its way to put down his rebellion.

— What king? — Rose stumbled on a flat spot and stopped. — Queen Octavia came to visit us at the Academy recently....

— How long have you been... in the forest, mademoiselle? — Don Marius asked softly, standing up beside her.

— A couple of months. Maybe three.

— Oh... — The young knight rubbed his forehead with the base of his palm. — Queen Octavia has been murdered by conspirators. The new king is Auguste the First, the former Duc de Veronne. Not everyone has accepted him. There is war in the kingdom, mademoiselle.

Rose lowered her head and covered her eyes with hand. She took a few deep breaths. Straightening up, she asked:

— What is your dragon's name, my lord? Did you say Toad, I believe?

— Uh... — The young man blushed. — She's Cornelia Severina the Sixth, but... Yes, you can call her Toad.

— May I touch her, my lord? — The girl spoke softly, looking at the knight's chin rather than into his eyes. — I need it now... I need it very much...

Chapter 2

There was no better way for Rosa to calm her nervous shivers than to hug a big, warm animal. Provided, of course, that the beast didn't mind. And the green dragoness didn't mind when the girl snuggled up to its scaly neck — it even squawked softly, like a giant rumbling cat. It seemed that Toad was very calm — the battle was barely over, and she had already calmed down. For a couple of minutes Rosa basked in the warm calm of the huge animal until Don Marius coughed behind her:

— Mademoiselle, I'm sorry, but we don't have much time. The nomads will be back soon.

— You think? — The girl reluctantly turned to the knight, still keeping her palm on the lizard's neck. — Even knowing there's a dragon here?

— I'm afraid the dragon is the reason they're coming back. — The young man bit his lip annoyingly. — There were only a dozen steppers here. They don't operate in such small groups. They are scouts. They'll tell their people about the skirmish, and we'll be hunted. There's a whole tribe nearby, and any steppe chief would lay down a third of his warriors for a trophy like a dragon skull. One hundred and fifty or two hundred riders with battle mages is too many even for Toad. We must leave now.

— Together? — Rose touched the frame of her glasses in confusion.

— Yes, — the knight nodded. — Let there be a chase, you'll be safer with me anyway. There are several tribes prowling the plain, bands of brigands, deserters... A lot of vile things have come out of their holes since the war began.

— But where are we going?

— To the southeast, — the young man answered without thinking. For some reason, he pointed in the direction with his hand. — I have a task... I'll drop you off at a major city along the way. Pack your bags.

— We must... we must take care of Paulette first. — Rosa overpowered herself and looked at the body of the maid lying by the campfire.

— We don't have much... Although, yes, you're right. — Don Marius rubbed the back of his head and immediately looked like an embarrassed boy. — I'll arrange it.

The funeral didn't take long. Toad dug the hole in no time with her mighty paws. The knight wrapped Paulette's body in the tent cloth and laid it at the bottom. While the dragoness filled the grave, Rose said a short prayer. Then, without wasting another second, she began to pack her bag. Fortunately, the magical equipment did not attract the attention of raiders — kits with herbs, flasks with infusions, small amulets and tools were in their places. Money, food, utensils, some weapons were missing. Horses disappeared too — there were three of them in the camp. In the end, apart from the magic tools, the girl packed only spare clothes, a bed, a piece of soap and a bag of salt. Don Marius did not hesitate to examine the tattered corpses of the steppes, and on one of them he found a purse with a silver crab emblem.

— Yours? — He asked Rosa, who was stuffing her camping bag with laundry.

— Yes, — the girl answered, casting a quick glance at the purse. — Thank you.

Running off to get her crossbow and beret, she informed the don that she was ready to move.

— The horses don't come back, — he sighed. — You'll have to climb on Toad's back. Wait a minute.

The knight was the first to climb up onto the dragon, using the harness straps as steps for a rope ladder. He hung down from the saddle and held out his hand. Rose climbed up, following his movements, and only at the end, out of pure politeness, touched the don's palm with her fingers. She had learnt to climb trees as a child, and Toad's harness was much more comfortable than the brittle, crooked branches. The long saddle was fastened at the base of the dragon's neck. Don Marius seated the girl behind him, fastened her to the saddle with straps, and took his seat. Somewhat embarrassed again, he muttered:

— Let's go.

The toad snorted or sneezed loudly and trotted off at a shaky trot.

They travelled first along the edge of the forest, then through the fields, from woodland to woodland, trying to stay less in the open. For the first half hour of the journey, the young men were silent. The dragon knight was thinking about something of his own, the young sorceress tried not to think about anything at all. It didn't work well. The faces of the nomads bent over Rosa and the bloody wound in the chest of the dead Paulette appeared in front of her eyes. Then the girl took off her glove, put her palm on the dragoness's broad back and whispered a spell. She didn't try to establish a full-fledged connection — she only touched the dragoness's mind with her own. She wanted to feel the calmness of a giant animal that knew no fears or worries, but instead she felt pain. Not too much, but Rose still flinched as if from a sudden prick. She strengthened the etheric link, tried to reach deeper into the lizard's skin to find the source of the pain, but Don Marius interrupted her.

— I'm sorry for your loss, mademoiselle, — the knight said, looking over his shoulder. Rose blinked and took her palm away from Toad's pelt. — Were you close? With your companion?

— Not really, — the girl shook her head. She mechanically pulled on her glove and adjusted her glasses. — Paulette served in our capital house. I didn't know her much. But she was a country girl, not a city girl. So of all the maids, I took her with me. She was diligent.

— And what were you doing here, mademoiselle? — Don Marius continued. He seemed to be trying to distract her from her heavy thoughts, and Rosa was grateful. The girl smiled faintly, and offered:

— This address, "Mademoiselle", is so long. Why don't you call me "Signora" since I'm Iolian? Even though I'm not from Iolia. It's shorter.

— Of course, Signora Rosa, — he agreed eagerly. — I'm just not used to talking to commoners. And you're not a servant. Are you a magician from the Academy?

— A fifth-year student, natural magic. A second-stage mage, — Rosa said, but she was quick to clarify: — Only formally. More like third.

Most mages were only able to put energy into form through tools. First, the mage created an amulet, then filled it with magic — the shell determined its properties. The highest levels, the first and second, were those mages who could work sorcery without tools, by force of will and word. Rosa's abilities were enough to light a candle with her gaze or lift a feather into the air without the aid of amulets. Nothing more.

— I've only ever met battle mages, — the young man admitted. — They're more soldiers than scientists. They're not interested in subtle matters. What does nature magic do? Do you study animals?

— And them, too. — Rose was glad to be having this conversation. She squirmed as she settled into the stiff leather saddle. — Nature magic studies the Mechanism of Life. Animals are part of it.

— I've heard something like that before. But from a priest, not a magician.

— It's a concept that mages and most churchmen believe in, — Rosa explained, feeling more and more confident. The girl was in her element. — God did not create life in a ready-made final form, but as a complex mechanism, constantly moving forward. Only the One Creator himself is perfect, and he created the Mechanism so that life would one day come to its perfection. How apes became men and ancient lizards became dragons is the work of the Mechanism. — She faltered. — About dragons... My lord, why aren't we flying? A dragon can lift two. Is there something wrong with Toad?

— I thought you would ask earlier... — the knight sighed heavily. — She and I fell into the river the other day. From a height. Toad hurt her leg and broke her wing. The bone has healed, but we can't put much weight on it.

Rosa thought for a while and touched Marius's shoulder:

— We have to stop.

— Absolutely not, signora. The camp is too close, we may be overtaken. Only if you can't bear it, then for a moment, no more.

— Not for me! — The girl burst out. — I can help Toad. She'll go faster.

— Really? — The young man turned to her. His gaze was filled with joy and disbelief. — Can you?

They turned to the walnut grove, where the dragoness lay down between the trees, almost touching them with her rounded sides. Obeying the rider's commands, Toad laid her head on her outstretched legs and spread her wings. Rose walked round the lizard, touched the dragon's bruised paw with her gloved hands. She pressed her bare cheek against it, using her magic. Yes, the joint was a source of pain. But only one, and not the strongest. Rose marked it in her mind and walked over to the wing. There were scuff marks on it, as if the bone had been fixed with a splint for a long time. She's wondered if Marius had made it himself, or if he'd brought a ready-made one with him. From these marks on the scales, it was not difficult to determine where the fracture had occurred. The girl probed the bone, creating an etheric link. She grimaced as the pain echoed in her head. She spoke without removing her hands from the wing:

— Paw's fine now, just sore. The wing is well fused, but it's still weak. Just as you said, milord. Give me my bag.

The young sorceress took out a couple of flasks, a thin silver pipe with a sharp end, and a leather jug from her bag. She poured the contents of the first flask into her hunting knife. After cleaning the blade, she carefully cut a couple of scales from Toad's wing and pierced its skin. All the while, Rose "drank" the dragon's pain, taking it for herself. It was unpleasant, but familiar — healers had learnt this technique from nature mages. If she spread the pain throughout her body, it would subside, turning into a nasty but harmless ache. And then it'll fade quickly. The knife's stab was probably no worse than a mosquito bite for the dragoness, but Rose didn't want to cause her the slightest discomfort. Into the resulting wound, the girl inserted a silver tube. She poured the liquid from the second flask into the vial, connected its to the tube, pushed the air from the tube into the vial with a spell, shook it, pushing the bubbles to the top....