Book 5 Chapter 15 - Heading Out

    Brixaby curled his neck around to stare at Arthur. There was shock in his gaze, but also a challenge.

    When Griff and Squish were far enough so they couldn’t hear him, he spoke. “These are supposedly the best Purples in the hive?”

    Arthur shook his head. “I think you missed the point, buddy.”

    Griff’s words disturbed him, but he knew better than to take it at face value. Even though it fit disturbingly well into what he had seen of the Commons. Something was rotten at Blood Moon hive. But his ‘warning’ could also be a ploy to shake up the new ranker.

    Though in his heart of hearts... he doubted it.

    “Let’s fly,” Arthur said grimly.

    Eager to prove himself, Brixaby buzzed upward so fast that Arthur was pressed backward into one of his sharp ridges. Thankfully, his dragon riding skill and pure experience riding his dragon helped him keep his seat.

    And a good thing, too. He could tell Brixaby was using his fast sprint skill because they were soon almost caught up with Squish.

    Moments later, Brixaby was nearly tossed in the backwash of the other dragon’s wind stream and had to twist to get out of the way. Like every other purple, Squish had four wings, but the air that spilled from them was unusually turbulent. He didn’t just buzz through the air — he barreled through it like a dragon several time his size.

    Arthur yelled out in surprise as Brixaby was flung up and to the side. His dragon righted himself before he tumbled over, and, with another burst of speed, came even with the other purple. It wasn’t just the backwash.

    Arthur’s immediate outrage died as he looked closer at the other flying pair. They had not even glanced backward at Arthur and Brixaby — hadn’t realized they’d been that close behind them. The droning sound of his wings was several times louder than Brixaby’s, too. And...

    “There’s something wrong with the way he’s flying, isn’t there?” Arthur frowned, studying Squish, whose mouth was already agape as he took in air even though they were only halfway to the portal.

    He works too hard, Brixaby said into his mind. He doesn’t fly through the air. He fights with it.

    To Arthur’s eye, Squish’s wings were a blur, just like every other purple. But he would take Brixaby’s word for it.

    Then he was forced to tighten his grip as Brixaby moved ahead to catch up with a few Commons. He blasted past them, Arthur thought, just to show he could. The Commons called out cheerfully as Brixaby showed them his tail.

    A moment later, they entered the wide portal. This was a high quality one, and not simply a rip in the sky like Wolf Moon usually managed. It was akin to entering a picture frame that led to another place. An instant transition from one landscape to another without the least turbulence.

    They broke into the morning sun.

    Looking around, Arthur saw with relief that this eruption was rural. They were above a temperate forest without a city in sight, though the small farms dotting the landscape here and there were about to have a very bad day.

    All around, more portals from the kingdom’s eleven other hives were opening to spill out dragons. Even with the wait to gather everyone up, Blood Moon had been one of the first on the scene.

    The eruption cone lay ahead, visible rising just above the trees and spilling out scourglings by the second.

    The Blood Moon purples arrowed straight for the farms. These were marked by chimneys spilling a bit of smoke in the air or by breaks in the forest land where people had carved out some pasture.

    The purples descended and scooped up, not just people, but everything in sight. One Uncommon Purple swooped to grab up the sheep so fast they had barely time to bleat in surprise. Another rider dismounted his dragon to unhook plow horses from the hastily abandoned machinery. The farmer was nowhere in sight — probably ran for his life when the eruption shakes started.

    The horses, who were beyond panicked, screamed and ran off the moment they were free. The rider and dragon took the plow.

    Arthur saw one small Purple frantically chasing chickens that eluded every grasp. It was utter madness.

    Arthur would have liked to swoop in and ensure the farm was properly evacuated. It seemed they were more focused on the goods than the people. But, as he didn’t see anyone running for their lives, he had to let it go for a moment.

    The scramble to collect from the doomed farms had drawn the attention of all the purples – including the Commons who had been hovering wistfully around Brixaby to get his attention.

    Now no one was looking their way.

    “It’s time, Brix,” Arthur said.

    Immediately, Brixaby folded his wings and dove as if he had spotted something. The moment they were under the canopy, Brixaby halted in place and twisted entirely around in a way only a Purple could manage. They watched above for a few moments to make sure no one was following.

    They weren’t.

    Though... Arthur couldn’t discount any card power that could see through a thick roof of leaves or track them. But there was nothing they could do about that.

    As Arthur already had quite a lot in there, it was a tight fit. He managed, though, and as he went around to touch the objects one by one to store them, he began telling everyone what he had discovered in the hive.

    He half expected to be twitted at for going in alone—from the exasperated looked Cressida sent him, she wasn’t pleased—but everyone was properly horrified about what he’d seen of the Commons.

    Marion stepped forward. “Go over their symptoms once again. Did the man you saw seem to be running a fever?”

    “No, nothing like that. Everyone in the lower levels was drunk, and I half wondered if he was hungover too, but it was more than that. And he was so afraid...” Arthur shook his head. “I don’t think the Common riders have a very easy time there.” “Glad we’re going in as Uncommons,” Horatio muttered. Sams nodded.

    Brixaby, however, had other concerns. “I do not understand how you could misread the map. It appears inside of your head. How can you misunderstand what level the card was on?”

    “I didn’t misread it,” Arthur said, turning to him. “The card moved.”

    “That card is not in anyone’s heart deck,” Brixaby shot back.

    “Do you know that for sure?” little Equinox asked, his head cocked to the side.

    “Of course I know. It is a card that belongs to my set,” Brixaby snapped at the little dragon.

    “Don’t talk to him like that,” Soledad said.

    Arthur held up his hand to forestall an argument. “We don’t have time for this.” His pile of needed items—not junk, thank you very much, Cressida—had grown small. Brixaby had managed to stuff the last of his objects into his Personal Space even faster.

    Arthur turned to Marion. “You’re going to find a lot of patients to examine, and I’m sure you’ll find out what’s wrong with them. Brix, you’ll see what I’m talking about, too. Hopefully, that card doesn’t jump around again.”

    “Cards cannot jump. They do not have legs,” he grumbled, but Arthur ignored him.

    Cressida jumped in. “He’s right. We can’t stay here a moment longer than we need to—you all know that.”

    Everyone else nodded with grim expressions.

    Arthur straightened, looking at them all. He got the sense there was something more at play. “What happened?”

    Cressida gusted a sigh. “Someone blew up a section of the south walls, and it took out a lot of homes along with it. The group that’s claiming responsibility says that unless their candidate is put in charge of city administration, they’re going to target within the city. They mentioned the hospital.”

    “Things are falling apart here,” Horatio added flatly. “I guess the whole ‘reshuffling’ has finally started. And sooner or later, someone is going to remember that having dragons on your side will make a powerful statement.” He cut his eyes to the double doors, which Arthur now saw had been reinforced with steel bars.

    Arthur closed his eyes, pained. A large part of him wished that they could stay.

    But helping would mean not only fighting the increasingly violent groups who wanted power over this small city, but putting himself right at the top. He would have to rule here. That meant he and Brixaby would not have time to complete their sets.

    And it wasn’t like the scourglings were going away. They had to get to the bottom of why the eruptions were happening with increasing frequency.

    Their progress would stop moving forward, and Arthur could not allow that.

    The last of the items disappeared within his Personal Space, and he turned to the others. “Time to go. Say goodbye to New Houston.”

    “Not soon enough,” Horatio muttered to himself.

    Arthur smiled at his grumpy friend, then noticed how Horatio extended his arm to Soledad, who took it with a smile.

    “Off to a new land,” she said. As they walked out, Arthur heard her added. “I’m not certain I like what I’ve seen of it so far, but I’m willing to give it a few shakes.”

    “I’m sure there are things we can find for you to like,” Horatio replied in a weird, soothing tone Arthur had never heard from him before.

    He blinked and turned to Cressida, who watched the two of them with a smile.

    Then, daring, he extended his own arm. She took it, beaming.

    Marion rolled his eyes at them all.