Page 54 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

Ciro would want his skies protected at all times.

No vibrations. No voices. Either there was a single guard or whoever stood inside the tower felt no need for conversation.

With his companions ready, Tearloch turned the latch. The door opened smoothly and silently. They stepped through and found themselves in a stairwell. No noise came from below.

They edged their way up and to the right. Silence followed. Twenty steps later, they emerged in the round, windowed turret. All of The Soundless was laid out before them. Shadows on shadows. A city to the northeast, agriculture to the southeast, mountains on the north and west. And due east, that huge arena on the far side of the courtyard walls.

Unfortunately, the only thing Tearloch wanted to see was the north edge of that wall, but the castle itself was too big and blocked the view.

A tall circular table filled the center of the room. Spy glasses, charts, and empty cups littered the surface. Along the outer wall, embedded in the very center of two thick windows, were the long straight horns they sought.

He was well aware of the plan. If the horns could not be removed, two of them were to stay and wait until they saw Kivi fly across the castle. Their friends would need enough time to reach the dome before the horns could be blown. What happened to him and Morrow after wouldn't matter. The others would be able to escape and that was the important thing.

He turned to face the other two. Both seemed disappointed but resolute. But that oil burning in his guts boiled hotter.

“Cheer up,” he said quietly. “We're taking the horns with us. No one is staying behind.” He walked around the table searching. A cushion on a high stool would do nicely. He removed it, held it against the glass beside one of the horns, and told Nogel to hold it there. With the hilt of his sword, he hit the thick glass. Nothing happened. Barely a smack of noise. He had to put more muscle behind it.

“Be ready,” he said, and struck a second time. Nothing.

Morrow stepped up to the other side of Nogel and raised his sword as well. After a nod, they both struck the glass to either side of the cushion, hoping it might absorb some of the sound. But no matter. Tearloch was in the mood to fight in any case. If they only allowed one guard through the door at a time, they could eliminate them all.

It took yet another blow to finally get the crystal to crack. After that, all it required was a push here and there to get the horn free and pull it back inside. They hurried to the next horn. Nogel pressed the cushion next to the hole and once again, it took both men two tries to have any effect. But the second horn was bigger. They had to break more crystal away to get the wide part free.

They set the horns aside and braced themselves for a fight. But no one came.

True, they were on top of the castle, and they hadn't made much noise. The glass hadn't shattered and screamed. Nothing slammed to the floor. But still, someone should have come.

Tearloch moved to the door and looked out. No movement. He waved for the other two to follow. Whether or not they brought the horns with them likely wouldn't matter. They had obviously stepped into some sort of trap. But they would keep pushing through.

Nogel and Morrow brought the bulky instruments. Tearloch was poised for the first blow, but it never came. Each step they descended in the stairwell built anticipation. When they stepped back into the gallery, it was empty.

“They are either fools or very clever,” Morrow said, “but we must take advantage while we can.”

Tearloch agreed with a nod and took Nogel’s horn so they could move faster. The foyer was still empty. The stars through the glass were their only witnesses as they rushed to the main floor.

Instead of turning to the right to continue down the North hallway, they went straight out the doors ahead of them. No more jumping at shadows. No more possibilities for ambush. He always preferred to fight outside anyway, where he and his foe would be on equal footing.

Fifty feet out from the castle, ankle-deep in snow, Tearloch pause to look back. Nothing moved. Scanning the massive courtyard, he saw two dragons and the shadows of their riders above the east wall. None of them looked their way.

Why not?

He was almost tempted to stomp and shout to prove he was real, to prove he wasn’t just caught in the middle of a nightmare.

The snow made them stand out too much, so they retreated to the castle wall and headed north. And with every step, his dread grew.

26

DRAGON HUNTING

Lennon…

It seemed like Griffon and I had been sneaking around Hestia for a lifetime, but it had only been a matter of days. We had landed at the palace in the middle of the night, and because Griffon had wanted nothing to do with distant Hestian relatives, we had left with only a few parting words.

"Won't you stay?" His father had asked. "You should know where you come from."

Griffon shook his head briskly. "I know enough."

"You don't want to meet Moire?"

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