Read Online A Memory of Fire (The Dragon War, Book 3) by Daniel Arenson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Daniel Arenson
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tunic, perhaps he could
contain the shards' magic and fly. Would he have to rebury them
after all that work?
"How about this?" Erry
said. She scampered across the beach, lifted one of the magnifying
cylinders, and waved it about. "The ladybug shite can go in
here."
"Will you please stop
calling them that?" Leresy said.
He grabbed the cylinder from
her. It was made of hard, boiled leather like the armor his recruits
used to wear. It could work, he had to confess. He popped off the
lid, revealing the glass lens, and drew his dagger.
"Don't scratch it,"
Erry said.
"Be quiet. I'm working."
With a few twists and pokes of
his dagger, he pried the lens off the cylinder. He revealed a hollow
receptacle about a foot deep. He filled it with red shards, popped
the lens back in, and screwed the lid back on. Erry, meanwhile,
scurried around the beach and returned with three more magnifying
cylinders in her arms. She dumped them at his feet, and Leresy
filled those too. It took four cylinders to seal all the red shards.
"Now try to shift,"
Leresy said, holding the cylinders. "The shards are sealed. No
more light. Go on, fly!"
Erry gave a few stretches,
touched her toes, and shook her legs. With a clearing of her throat,
she shifted.
Wings burst out from her back.
Copper scales rose across her. She took flight, her beating wings
tossing sand onto Leresy.
"Moldy troll toes, it
works!" she said and flew over the water, heading back west.
"Now come on, fly after me. We're getting out here."
Leresy unscrewed the lid off a
cylinder and pointed it at her. Red light shone out the lens.
Erry's magic vanished.
She tumbled in human form and
crashed into the water.
"Leresy, you dung-sucking
puddle of codpiece-juice!" She floundered in the water. "I'm
going to shove these shards down your throat!"
She swam back to shore, stepped
onto the beach, and marched toward him. With a glower that could
wilt flowers, she grabbed the cylinders from him and shoved him back.
"Give me those, you
piss-drinking maggot worm breath."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means you're a damn
child."
He shrugged. "I had to
test them. And they work beautifully. Thank you for your dedication
to our cause."
She kicked his shin, and when he
cursed and leaped with pain, she sealed the open cylinder. She held
all four cylinders to her chest and shifted back into a dragon,
taking the vessels into her larger form. She beat her wings and flew
again.
Leresy summoned his magic. It
crackled through him, as familiar as a warm, old cloak. He rose as a
dragon, blasted fire against the sand below, and flew after Erry.
As they dived across the sea,
heading back to Horsehead Island, Leresy imagined the Legions flying
toward him, a storm of scale and fire covering the sky.
And he imagined them falling.
"I'm coming home, Father,"
he said into the wind.
As he flew onward, a grin
stretched across his face, wide enough to hurt his cheeks. He had to
keep grinning. He had to keep drowning that fear under rage, or he
would see the blood again, the fire and death and guns blazing.
"I will face you again,
Requiem," he swore. "And this time I will not run. This
time I will win."
He flew. He kept
grinning—forced himself to keep grinning—even as his tears fell and
his belly twisted.
RUNE
He sat in his cell, chained and
bruised, and stared at the wall that awaited him.
He had stared at these
instruments for so many days, they had become like people to him,
staring back at him, waiting, thirsty for his blood. The thumbscrew
hung from the wall, its two bolts like eyes watching him, its vise
like a mouth waiting to bite his fingers.
I
will crush your fingers and toes! it cried to him, staring, waiting. Your
bones will snap between my jaws.
Rune turned his eyes toward the
stretching rack. Knots in the wood reminded him of a face, sagging
and cruel.
I
will tear your bones from your sockets, Rune, the face hissed at him. Come
lie with me.
The pliers laughed from
contain the shards' magic and fly. Would he have to rebury them
after all that work?
"How about this?" Erry
said. She scampered across the beach, lifted one of the magnifying
cylinders, and waved it about. "The ladybug shite can go in
here."
"Will you please stop
calling them that?" Leresy said.
He grabbed the cylinder from
her. It was made of hard, boiled leather like the armor his recruits
used to wear. It could work, he had to confess. He popped off the
lid, revealing the glass lens, and drew his dagger.
"Don't scratch it,"
Erry said.
"Be quiet. I'm working."
With a few twists and pokes of
his dagger, he pried the lens off the cylinder. He revealed a hollow
receptacle about a foot deep. He filled it with red shards, popped
the lens back in, and screwed the lid back on. Erry, meanwhile,
scurried around the beach and returned with three more magnifying
cylinders in her arms. She dumped them at his feet, and Leresy
filled those too. It took four cylinders to seal all the red shards.
"Now try to shift,"
Leresy said, holding the cylinders. "The shards are sealed. No
more light. Go on, fly!"
Erry gave a few stretches,
touched her toes, and shook her legs. With a clearing of her throat,
she shifted.
Wings burst out from her back.
Copper scales rose across her. She took flight, her beating wings
tossing sand onto Leresy.
"Moldy troll toes, it
works!" she said and flew over the water, heading back west.
"Now come on, fly after me. We're getting out here."
Leresy unscrewed the lid off a
cylinder and pointed it at her. Red light shone out the lens.
Erry's magic vanished.
She tumbled in human form and
crashed into the water.
"Leresy, you dung-sucking
puddle of codpiece-juice!" She floundered in the water. "I'm
going to shove these shards down your throat!"
She swam back to shore, stepped
onto the beach, and marched toward him. With a glower that could
wilt flowers, she grabbed the cylinders from him and shoved him back.
"Give me those, you
piss-drinking maggot worm breath."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means you're a damn
child."
He shrugged. "I had to
test them. And they work beautifully. Thank you for your dedication
to our cause."
She kicked his shin, and when he
cursed and leaped with pain, she sealed the open cylinder. She held
all four cylinders to her chest and shifted back into a dragon,
taking the vessels into her larger form. She beat her wings and flew
again.
Leresy summoned his magic. It
crackled through him, as familiar as a warm, old cloak. He rose as a
dragon, blasted fire against the sand below, and flew after Erry.
As they dived across the sea,
heading back to Horsehead Island, Leresy imagined the Legions flying
toward him, a storm of scale and fire covering the sky.
And he imagined them falling.
"I'm coming home, Father,"
he said into the wind.
As he flew onward, a grin
stretched across his face, wide enough to hurt his cheeks. He had to
keep grinning. He had to keep drowning that fear under rage, or he
would see the blood again, the fire and death and guns blazing.
"I will face you again,
Requiem," he swore. "And this time I will not run. This
time I will win."
He flew. He kept
grinning—forced himself to keep grinning—even as his tears fell and
his belly twisted.
RUNE
He sat in his cell, chained and
bruised, and stared at the wall that awaited him.
He had stared at these
instruments for so many days, they had become like people to him,
staring back at him, waiting, thirsty for his blood. The thumbscrew
hung from the wall, its two bolts like eyes watching him, its vise
like a mouth waiting to bite his fingers.
I
will crush your fingers and toes! it cried to him, staring, waiting. Your
bones will snap between my jaws.
Rune turned his eyes toward the
stretching rack. Knots in the wood reminded him of a face, sagging
and cruel.
I
will tear your bones from your sockets, Rune, the face hissed at him. Come
lie with me.
The pliers laughed from
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