Orc’s Forbidden Claim (Red Planet Dragons of Tajss #33)

6. Khiara

6

KHIARA

“ W e need to see that leader, the Al’fa,” Dilacs says.

“Rosalind. She’ll listen,” Gwen says.

“Can we get to her?” I ask. “Will she take an audience with us? We should also inform the Queen.”

“Gwen and I will go to Rosalind, you go to the Queen,” Dilacs says.

“They won’t let you near her,” Gwen says.

“Let them try to stop me,” I growl.

She opens her mouth to protest but then she shuts it without saying a word. I stare, wanting her to speak her mind, but she shrugs and shakes her head.

“Let’s go,” Dilacs says. “They may already be ready to act. There is no time to waste.”

I motion for him and Gwen to take the lead and follow in their wake. We travel in a group to the bottom of the ramp that leads around the central area that the lizards call the arena. At the bottom, they head across the dirt of the arena floor, and I head for the rooms of the Queen.

The lizards we pass on the way don’t say anything, though they look at us with suspicion and derision as they always do. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I fix my stare straight ahead and refuse to let them see that their stares bother me. It would accomplish nothing and now is not the time to fight.

When I enter the hall that holds the Queen’s rooms two lizards stand next to her door. They always keep a guard on her. As if she is the dangerous one. If they want dangerous, let Dilacs and I be given free will to act.

They turn to watch as I stride down the hall towards them. When I am halfway there a horn sounds. I stop, looking around. In the time we have been here, I have never heard this sound before and I do not know what it means. The guards shift and look around. The sound of it reverberates off the stone walls in one long, low thrumming note. I turn back to them.

“What is that?” I yell to be heard over the sound.

They look at each other again as if they either don’t understand or don’t know if they should answer. I know they understand because my Zmaj is not that bad. I storm the last distance between us, hands balled into fists, ready to beat the answer out of one or both of them.

One of them moves to pull his weapon off his back but the other one places his hand on his arm and stops him. They waste time looking at each other and I growl in response.

“An alarm,” the one who stopped the other from drawing his weapon says.

“I am not a fool, I could guess that, an alarm for what?” I ask.

They look at each other again.

“Your kind,” the other one says. “Inside the barriers.”

It hits me like a fist to the face. Inside the barriers. We’re too late.

“Do you know where?”

My Queen is in the doorway to her chambers. Beautiful, radiant as she ever was, exuding calm and control even as she raises her voice to be heard over the blaring of the horn that continues to sound over and over. I drop to one knee, bowing my head.

“No,” one of the lizards says.

“Rise Khiara,” the Queen orders. “Go. Help our new allies. You know our people better than they will. Go where they would infiltrate first.”

“Yes, my Queen,” I shout, leaping to my feet and running.

I don’t know for sure where, but no matter what, she is right. I know our people. The lizard's compound is huge and there are large sections of it that they haven’t used in a long time. Left to collect dirt and rot. If I was going to invade with a small party, intent on doing what Dilacs and I think they are, I’d come in one of those areas first.

But how would they know? Have they been tunneling longer than I suspect? Does the Shaman know more? Can he possibly use his twisted magic to far see?

I run through the halls until I see a good size group of lizards with drawn weapons ahead. I run after them, hoping they know where the trouble is. I follow them through the twisting corridors. Past unused rooms that reek of mold and dust.

Turning a corner, I see more lizards in a group ahead, milling around one room. The group I’m following runs up. Orders are being barked but then one of the lizards sees me. He’s a big, ugly bastard with a broken horn and one eye is milky white.

“You, what are you doing here,” he demands.

“I am here on orders of my Queen,” I say, growling at the end. “I am to help.”

“Help?” he barks, and the others turn, watching with wary eyes.

“Yes. To help. What happened?”

“Show him,” the broken horned one says.

He steps to the side, and I walk past him, through the group of lizards standing to either side. Feeling their hard stares as I pass and their muttered threats that are barely under their breath at all.

I walk into the room that their lineup leads me to. My eyes take in the ceiling first. The large hole that has been cut out. It opens onto a tunnel. I take a step towards the hole to inspect further then a glint on the floor catches my attention.

I turn and move to inspect. Dropping to my knees I gently gather it up into my hands, holding it up and letting it dangle. It glistens in the firelight. A broken chain with a green stone wrapped in thin wire on the end. It’s Saylor’s necklace. Then one that I had given her.

Gripping the necklace tight, I look up at the hole in the ceiling and roar.