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

— But you found a way out, signora, -Marius said, clearly just out of politeness. He had no time to talk. The young knight was shifting from foot to foot, glancing restlessly at the oak table in the centre of the tent. There his cousin was slowly regaining consciousness. The lizard woman had been sedated by putting a potion in her food. Then she was taken out of her cage and tied to the table with thick ropes. They tried to make her comfortable — the table was covered with a soft blanket and a small pillow was placed under her head. But still, it looked... unpleasant. Alas, the sleeping potion was slowing her heart rate, and for the upcoming surgery, such a thing was unacceptable. Minerva needed to be awake from start to finish.

— I can't promise anything, my lord. — Rosa sighed. The worries of the last few days had taken up all her free time, and she had stopped visiting Toad's stall. She had longed to see Marius, but certainly not under these circumstances. — I remembered two incidents I had once read about. They don't look like myths, and the way of healing is described in detail, without too much mysticism. In the first case, the knight was placed in familiar surroundings. He was kept in the rooms where he had lived all his life, his family and associates talked to him through the bars every day. After three years, something awoke in the knight's mind. One morning he was found in human form, on the floor of his room. He recovered, though he could not remember the recent events.

— That method is not for us, I'm afraid, — Donna Vittoria said over her shoulder. The necromancer was arranging open vials of potions and mixtures on a copper tray. Apart from the three of them, only Jeanne was in the tent. Two soldiers were outside, under strict orders to ignore any sounds they might hear.

— Yes, we can't wait three years, — Jeanne agreed. Until now, even she had not been privy to the details of the future operation. — And the familiarity of the neighbourhood is also a problem. Milord alone would not be enough. — She nodded to Don Marius.

— So I turned to the second case, — Rosa continued. — There, medicine, including magic, came into play. A female knight lost her mind when her husband and two sons were killed in battle. But her dragon survived. The healers used sympathetic magic. The rider and dragon literally exchange portions of blood when creating bonds. It's a small but crucial part of the long ritual. Milord Marius has some of Toad's blood running through his veins. And vice versa. This blood is still connected to the original host. It does not dissolve into the partner's blood. That's how the bond is created. The blood itself serves as a sort of anchor.

— That sounds creepy. — Jeanne snorted. — The creepy stuff, as I see it, is in every school of magic, not just necromancers.

— There's nothing creepy about it, — the young sorceress said. — The point is that the healers took the dragon's blood and used it as a sample. They managed to separate the dragon's blood from the knight's. Removed it from the woman's body. The bonds were broken. The knight lost all her powers, including the ability to change her appearance. She was transformed on the operating table. She became human again. — Rosa didn't add that the unfortunate woman's mental wounds were never healed. One problem at a time, just like they taught her at the Academy. The troubles that had not yet happened would wait their turn.

— That sounded more interesting already. — Jeanne was still sceptical. — But we don't have the right dragon. A Toad wouldn't do, would it?

— No, — the girl shook her chin. She walked over to the table and stroked Minerva's head. She let out a startled wheeze, shuddered, blinked a lot. — However, this story gives us the most important knowledge. A knight's transformation is constantly sustained by his powers. If the bonds are broken, he will not remain in lizard form, but will return to his normal state.

— But how are you going to pull off the Minerva trick?

— Rosa is proceeding on the assumption that donna's dragon has been slain. — Vittoria turned to them with the vial in her hands. — The blood of a dead dragon should be different from that of a living one. As a necromancer, I should be able to sense it.

— Shouldn't the dragon's death break the bond by itself? — The guardswoman glanced at Marius, as if expecting an answer from him, not from the sorceresses. But the young knight remained silent. Then Rosa took the floor again:

— Maybe over time. But if it does, it doesn't happen all at once. Even after the dragon dies, the bond lasts for years, though it becomes unstable. I'm sorry, I can't explain it better. My mentor and I are not experts in blood magic either. And we don't have the opportunity to study the precedents.

Dona Minerva twitched in her bonds, hissed. Vittoria emptied her vial in one gulp, nodded to her student. Roae clapped her hands together:

— All right! Let's do it!

They surrounded the table. Jeanne stood at the headboard and put her black-gloved hands on the patient's shoulders. Marius pinned his cousin's legs below the knees. The sorceresses positioned themselves on opposite sides of the tabletop.

— I should have practised healing magic more often, — the red-haired donna murmured, placing her palms on Minerva's forehead and collarbones. — I haven't had to remove impurities from the blood for about ten years now.

— Concentrate on finding the dead blood. That's all, — Rosa said quietly, getting into a working mood. — I'll take care of the side effects. Painful sensations are possible for both her and you. Go ahead, I'll take it off. You won't be distracted.

Greenish glowing strands of light braided around the necromancer's hands, diving under Minerva's skin. Vittoria's eyes flashed the same emerald fire. The woman mumbled verbal formulae, and Rosa echoed her, touching Minerva's thigh and stomach with her fingers. Nothing happened for several minutes. Then Minerva screamed, arching her back, and the young sorceress clenched her teeth, absorbing the pain like a sponge absorbing spilled wine....

...The operation lasted an hour — twice as long as they had hoped. When Donna Vittoria stepped back from the table and said: "It's done," Rosa thought at first that she had misheard. She stood like that, controlling Minerva's breathing and circulation, until she received a poke in the shoulder from Jeanne. With a twitch of her whole body, the young sorceress recoiled. She shook her head. Still not believing her eyes, she exhaled:

— Did you get it?

— It worked, — Don Marius almost whispered. — It worked.

He caught Rosa's glance and suddenly rushed to her and embraced her, forgetting all propriety:

— You did it, Rosa!

Donna Minerva was lying on the table, unconscious, but in her most human form. Mariuse's cousin was the same age as him, rather thin and wiry. Her face was not exactly beautiful, but... sweet, perhaps. She had freckles. The knight's body was covered in black stains and sweat — the dead blood was coming out of her body with sweat, and at one point it came out of her nose and mouth, almost suffocating Minerva. Now, however, the worst was over. What remained to be seen was the end result — the return of reason.

— Unless you're planning to marry my young colleague right now, milord, I would advise you to be more restrained, — Donna Vittoria warned mockingly. The necromancer sounded exhausted but pleased with herself.

— Oh... sorry. — Marius let go of Rosa in embarrassment, stepping towards the table. — What's wrong with her cheeks?

— What about them? — Rosa stood beside the young man. She frowned. Two narrow strips of black scales ran down donna Minerva's cheekbones. Somehow it resembled the battle colouring of the Ludria natives. — Mm... hmm. The method doesn't seem to be working as well as we thought. Maybe it'll fade with time.

Minerva slowly opened her eyes. With a groan, she turned her head, squinting into the light of the magic lanterns.

— Can you hear us, Donna? — Rosa asked softly, leaning towards the woman. — Do you understand me?

— Yes, — the knight said in a cracked voice. Rosa noticed that besides the scales on her cheeks, she still had long, sharp fangs in her mouth. Because of this, Minerva had a slight lisp. — Yes... Who are you?

— You don't know me, milady. But your kinsman is here. — Rosa moved aside so as not to block Marius's view. He grabbed his cousin's arm:

— Minerva, it's me, Marius!

— I'm... sorry. — The knight took a couple of deep breaths. — I don't remember you. Why... am I tied up?

— What do you remember at all? — Donna Vittoria asked quickly. — What is your name? Where are you from?

— I'm... Minerva? He said my name was... Creator almighty! — Minerva squeezed her eyes shut. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. — I can't remember. I... I can't remember anything at all. Nothing at all!

— Marvellous. — Vittoria folded her arms across her chest. — Now we have a valuable witness.

— She remembers the One Creator and can talk, — Rosa spoke up for the woman. — It's not that bad. Mila... Minerva, what's on my face?

— Erm... glasses?

— She also remembers the names of objects, — the young sorceress stated. — The amnesia is not complete, the basic knowledge is preserved. In time, maybe we'll be able to recover the rest. In the meantime... untie her already.

Leaving Vittoria to put away her tools and Marius to look after his cousin, the young sorceress left the tent. To get some fresh air, she told the others. Passing the pale guards at the entrance, the girl hurriedly went behind the nearest bushes. It was only there that she fell to her knees. She had thrown up. A large shiver ran through her body, and a sweat appeared on her forehead.

— And that's why you held on so long? — A familiar voice sounded behind Rosa. — Were you afraid of spoiling the carpet in the tent? There's straw on the floor.

— Go... to the demons, Jeanne, — the young sorceress growled, wiping her lips with her handkerchief. — Yes, I'm weak, but I'm trying to appear strong, so what? Is this the first time you've seen this?

— You're not weak, you just don't know how to fight. — The guardswoman knelt down on one knee beside her. — How could you even think such a thing, after all you've been through?

— The mentor laboured three times as hard as I did. — The girl let Jeanne lift herself to her feet. She leaned on the warrior's shoulder, feeling her knees trembling. — Have you seen how she looks? She looks fine. Not even sweating.

— There were guys in the palace guard who weighed more without armour than I did in armour. — Jeanne put her arm around her mistress's waist, helping her to stand. — Any one of them in a hand-to-hand struggle would have crushed me like a fly. Any one of them in a real fight, I'd kill in three lunges. Pure strength is a useful thing, but it's not the measure of all things. Drop the nonsense. Donna Vittoria is stronger than you, it's true. But you can beat her. You already do some things.

— Thank you, Jeanne. — Rose pressed herself harder against the warrior. The night was cool, but Jeanne was warm.

— You're welcome.

— We did a good thing today, didn't we?

— Very good, mistress.

They stood like that for a long time, in silence, listening to the wind and admiring the stars. And then the sky in the south flashed.

Chapter 14

The yellow and scarlet glow lit up like a magic lantern, instantly and silently. In seconds the glow spread to a quarter of the horizon, illuminated the clouds below, and faded just as quickly. At the tent one of the sentries groaned. Another called excitedly:

— Donna Vittoria! Milady!

The Necromancer immediately appeared on the threshold. She froze, holding the entrance canopy with one hand and looking south. The distant flames were not completely gone; now they stretched in a purple, flickering streak against the night sky. It seemed like a huge bonfire smouldering beyond the horizon. Vittoria clenched and unclenched her fists. She said dryly to the sentry:

— The prisoner no longer needs a cage. I'll send her clothes. When she is dressed, escort her to my tent in the camp. — She looked up to find Rosa emerging from the bushes. Jeanne still had her arm round the girl's waist. — You both come with me.

In the Loyalist camp the horns were blowing — the sentries had raised the alarm. Soldiers rushed from their tents, snatching spears from their racks, tightening belts and fastening buttons as they ran. The women walked past a group of gunners blowing on the fuses of their arquebuses, past a stableman hastily leading three horses, past an army magician handing out amulets to the field healers. They met Marshal de Cotoci outside his tent. The commander stood surrounded by his aides-de-camp and listened glumly to the report of the guard officer. As soon as he saw Donna Vittoria, he turned to her at once:

— I knew there was no need to send for you, master. It's not magic, is it? I've already asked a couple of mages, and they didn't feel anything.

— No, milord, this is not magic. — The Necromancer stopped, putting her hands behind her back.

— There in the south... is that where Velonda is, milord? — Jeanne asked sullenly. She held Rosa's elbow the whole way, as if she were a child and might get lost in the dark. — The capital of the duchy?

— As well as the Duke himself, his family, and his loyal dragon knights. — The Marshal pressed his lips together. — Yes. It's burning where the city should be. Trust an old soldier who knows how to relate maps to the terrain.

— This is it, isn't it? — Rosa dared to ask at last. The answer seemed obvious, but she needed to hear it from someone else's lips. — An atomic bomb? They... Auguste had blown up the city with an alien bomb?

— But how could it have got to Velonda? — Jeanne let go of the girl's elbow, clenching the hilt of her sword instead. — It's kind of a big thing, you can't get it past ground and air patrols that easily.

— Domestic transport... — the red-haired donna muttered, wrapping her slender fingers around her chin. — Remember? The elves couldn't track all the bombs' movements inside the kingdom. I thought the conspirators were just hiding them better, but it turns out.....

— The bomb was brought to Velonda before the war, before the rebellion, — Rosa blurted out. — In peacetime, with the queen still alive!

— How many more cities could be mined? — The marshal asked in a grey voice.

— Hardly much, — the necromancer replied calmly. Surprisingly enough, Rosa was pretty sure that calm wasn't a contrivance. — That shouldn't concern us right now. What have you done, Marshal?

— Our allies have sent mounted scouts towards the city. — De Cotoci twisted the tip of his moustache. His gaze became distracted. — I have decided to do the same. Now I'm thinking of going to their headquarters. The duke's son may now be the new head of the duchy. And we need to agree on how to proceed in case the capital falls.