Chasing the Lantern(102)

"Captain!" came a cry from the starboard gunwales. A frightened looking pirate was pointing frantically overboard.

What now? he wondered. Anger rising, he stalked over to the man. "What is it? I've got more important things to do than—"

The city was gone. It was obscured by a black cloud of shifting, soaring creatures. Hundreds upon hundreds of scryn were rising up, bathing the ship in crimson light.





Chapter Twenty-Two



Lina crouched down lower behind a bush. The two Draykin stood on the other side, hissing and spitting at each other in their guttural tongue. Lina was close enough to touch one, if she wanted.

The sun hung just a little after noon. Its light peeked down past the towers to reflect off of the wide, paved streets. Up above the valley, the jungle air was hot and humid and Lina had had to work for each breath she took. Down here it was dry, almost baking. That was probably why the reptilian Draykin liked it so much.

She had descended into the valley by way of the thinly carved stair in the southern cliff. It had been almost two hundred feet, dizzyingly high above the ground. Back aboard the Dawnhawk, Lina had never had the chance to be up on the gas-bag frame. She wondered, after that climb, if she would ever do so, given the chance.

Once on the ground she'd found herself in the streets of the city, and far from alone. The Draykin seemed hostile, at least all of them so far, barring the mysterious Rastalak. And she wasn't even sure about him yet. So she had hidden herself and crept after the procession carrying her friends and captain.

That was easier said than done. The streets of the city were wide enough to allow five wagons to pass abreast. Between the streets sat wide green spaces where the great towers arose. Most of those spaces were filled with foliage, either gardens cultivated by the Draykin, or spots the jungle had reclaimed. These would be ideal for sneaking, but for one problem. Most of these lots were bordered by low stone walls scrawled with bas-reliefs. Sneaking parallel worked well enough, but every time she came to a side-street or junction, Lina was forced to scramble madly over a wall, dash out into the open, and then climb over another into the shrubbery.

Amazingly, it had worked fairly well so far. The denizens of the city were either following the procession, or pointing up at the sky between their buildings at the airship overhead. Lina had gotten a good quarter-mile before getting stuck in one place.

She lay down now on soft grass beneath a thick fern, moving as little as possible. Behind her lay a jumbled ruin of the same cunningly worked stone as all of the older, larger structures. The lot around it was overgrown, spilling out into the street through the likewise-broken wall. Lina smelled jungle smells here, and something else. An overpowering and pungent scent that rankled her nose and made her breath through her mouth.

The two Draykin had appeared just as she was running through the brush. She'd caught sight of them quickly enough and had thrown herself prone. Unfortunately, they'd continued walking the grounds of the strangely verdant ruin until they were right above her.

Huh. They wear jewelry. From where she lay, Lina spied the legs of the nearest. It wore anklets made of brass or gold, but was otherwise barefooted. She hadn't noticed at the time if the one she'd killed had worn anything special.

The lizard-creatures jabbered on. Oh just get on with it. Why were they even in here? As far as she could see, the grounds of the ruin was just that, of no value to anyone. Were they lovers? Or conspirators? Whatever their goal, they could have picked a better place to chat. This one stank.

Just as Lina was about to try something drastic, one of the Draykin left. She wanted to sigh, but the other didn't move to follow its friend. Instead it squatted down, pushing its tail back through the fern until the tip was above her head.

Then it relieved itself with a grunt.

The pungent stench assailed her. Lina gagged and rolled away, not caring if she was heard. She scrabbled through the grass and ran blindly until she reached the next wall. Lina was mortified. No wonder this place stinks. The ruin was a communal toilet.

From the grunts echoing up behind her, the Draykin hadn't even noticed her flight. As well, it was likely sick. Lina glared at the foliage around her head and brushed her hands on her pants. Then she peered out through the nearest crumbled section of the wall.

She'd made it closer to the center of the city. The ancient towers around her seemed to stop a short distance ahead. Unfortunately, she had lost the procession. That was all right, though. If she had to guess, they were heading straight for the large pyramid that dominated the city. That gave her a goal. Though, she was worried. Not about Fengel, though the thought of something happening to him made her stomach twist. No, she'd seen him being carried through the streets along with the others.