Free Crown of Dragonfire by Daniel Arenson

of spirits. Behind him, he dragged a
collared and bruised slave.
    Meliora winced and kept
walking along the boardwalk. She had never been to the port before; her mother
had always forbidden it. Meliora had always imagined a delightful, magical
place, akin to the little stream that ran through the palace gardens. In her
imagination, men and women sat dangling their feet in the water, singing songs
while pups scampered between flower beds, and in the water sailed ships carved
like swans, adorned with crystals, bringing with them the treasures from
distant lands: sweet cakes, the softest silk, and exotic birds in cages.
    Now Meliora understood
why her mother had forbidden her to visit. Here was no place for a pampered,
innocent princess. A drunk seraph lay on the cobblestones by an emptied bottle,
drooling. A few pleasure slaves lurked in the shadows—not adorned in silk and
jewels like Tash but coated in bruises and scrapes. As chariots shrieked
overhead, raining sparks, gamblers were quickly packing up their games of dice
and retreating behind the trees. The firehorses galloped above, and soldiers
stood a hundred yards away, holding torches.
    We must hurry, Meliora thought.
    "Now, let's see who we
can buy a boat from," she said. "Everyone seems to be fleeing the boardwalk."
    She looked around,
frowning. The last few fishermen were scurrying off the boardwalk, between the
columns, and hiding in the grove of palm trees. The light of chariots reflected
on the water, and more soldiers came marching onto the boardwalk, torches
crackling.
    "Forget buying a boat!"
Tash said. "That one. Quickly!"
    Meliora nodded and
gestured for Vale and Elory to follow. The four cloaked and hooded figures made
their way across the boardwalk and onto a pier. A reed boat swayed in the
water, tied to a peg.
    "Quickly, everyone in!"
Meliora whispered. "We'll—"
    "Halt!" rose a voice
behind them.
    Meliora's heart sank.
She spun around to see a seraph, armed with spear and shield, march toward her
along the pier. His eyes burned within his helmet like candles in a lantern.
    Meliora's heart now
threatened to leap out of her mouth. She held out her palm, letting the jewels
shine. "I'm here to buy this boat. This boat is yours, yes? Of course it is.
Take these jewels and—"
    The soldier reached her
and grabbed her wrist. "Are you trying to bribe a guard of the city?" He
growled and reached for her hood. "Show your face, seraph! Who are you? I—"
    Tash leaped forward and
opened her palm, spraying out green, sparkly dust. The smell of purified hintan
filled the air, and the spice covered the soldier's face. The seraph blinked,
inhaled sharply, and coughed.
    "I . . .," he
whispered. "I . . . who . . .?"
    Tash gave the man just
the gentlest of shoves. He fell from the pier, vanishing into the water.
    "A pleasurer's weapon."
Tash flashed Meliora a grin, then leaped into the boat.
    Vale and Elory
followed, and finally Meliora stepped into the boat. She drew her halved spear
from her cloak and lashed the blade across the rope several times, finally
severing it. The current began pulling them downstream. It was a small reed
boat, barely large enough for the four of them, and dipped deeply into the
water.
    Elory grabbed the oars
and rowed, adding speed. They kept flowing down the river, moving farther from
the bank. The water rippled around them, and Meliora thought she glimpsed
gleaming, reptilian eyes that soon vanished.
    "We've got company,"
Vale muttered and gestured to the boardwalk. Two seraphim guards had noticed
them.
    "You, fishermen!" one
cried from the boardwalk. "There's a curfew, damn it. Get back here."
    Meliora tugged her hood
lower, clutching her spear. Tash drew her dagger, and Vale reached into his
cloak and drew his own halved spear. Elory kept rowing, glancing around
nervously.
    "Damn it, I said get back
here!" shouted the guard. The two seraphim spread their wings, took flight, and
stormed toward the boat. "Are you deaf, damn