Free SummerDanse by Terie Garrison Page B

about the prophecy that I had helped fulfill in bringing them back from Stychs to Hedra. I couldn’t tell him about my maejic power. Nor could I tell him about who my parents were or about their abduction. “I think he said something about selling me as a slave.” Maybe that would be believable. Slavery had been outlawed in Alloway long ago, but rumor had it that King Erno kept many of them, regardless.
    Zhantar nodded. “Yes, perhaps that was his purpose. It is hard to know for sure, since you were found abandoned, wrapped in a sheet like a corpse, in one of the palace gardens.”
    I shuddered in horror, glad I had no memory of that. “Then why am I here, sir? I don’t remember the end of the journey much, not after he covered the cage.”
    “I suppose it is true that you should’ve been taken to the palace infirmary, since you were found on the palace grounds. But luckily, it was one of my servants who found you, so I had you brought to my house, instead. They can be so ... inquisitive up at the palace, as I suspect you can imagine.”
    I shuddered again at the thought of my narrow escape. “Thank you, sir. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay your kindness.”
    He smiled. “Do not give that another thought. Let there be no discussion of repayment. Sometimes, one simply does what is right. Now, I think it best that you rest again. I will send Nilla back in to look after you through the night. She has such a restful spirit, do you not think so?”
    He left, and Nilla returned. She closed the window and drew the curtains, then pulled the counterpane up over me. Sleep beckoned as I snuggled into the comfortable bed. Nilla put a hand on my head, and all the horrible memories fled.
    It wasn’t until much later that I realized I was still wearing the wood collar.

    I felt better the next morning. Nilla brought a light breakfast, and I actually felt hungry enough to eat it.
    My skin hurt, though, from the sunburn, and it had started peeling in places. I couldn’t resist the urge to help it, and it was a strange pleasure to see just how much I could get off in one piece.
    I got out of bed, and though I still felt weak, I went to the window and looked out on what I knew must be Penwick. The house was high up the central hill on and around which the city had grown. It stretched out for miles in all directions. Off to the left, I caught a glimpse of the River Mull.
    I’d been to the capital once before, and only for a short time, and though I didn’t know its layout well, I remembered a few key things. The palace was built atop the hill, and its golden roof could be seen from almost anywhere. The huge stone arena that housed the fighting pit was near the palace. The dragons were stabled beneath it. I recalled the agony of Xyla when she’d been captured and kept down there. That had been for only a few days; I couldn’t imagine what it must be like for all those other poor dragons who lived their entire lives down there, unable to see the sun and breathe the fresh air except for the few short minutes of a fight. If there was any way I could, I would help those dragons.
    The arena wasn’t visible from my window, but I knew it couldn’t be far away, not when we were so near the top of the hill. Would I be able to hear the roaring of the dragons and the crowd? I hoped not.
    My hand drifted up to the wood collar. Why hadn’t they taken it off? I would have to ask Zhantar if he could send someone with the necessary tools. Then I could find a bird to take a message to Yallick. He and the others were far away now and it would take several days to reach him, but what was that compared to what I’d already been through?
    As that day dragged by, being alone with nothing to do gave me time to brood.
    About my parents.
    About Grey.
    About Anazian.
    About the dragons.
    My parents. Grey. Anazian. The dragons. And what was Breyard doing? And Traz? And the mages, especially Yallick?
    I wished for someone to talk to, to get my mind