Through the Ashes: The Complete Series

By J.A. Culican

"An unforgettable tale brimming with suspense, action and dragons."- Through the Ashes will thrill fans of The Gender Game, Divergent & The Hunger Games.

Grab the complete USA Today Bestselling Series TODAY all in one box set!

Prequel: Spark of War
Book 1: Sword of Fire
Book 2: Embers of Darkness
Book 3: Blaze of Magic

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.A. Culican
• Release date: Jan 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781540117878

J.A. Culican

J.A. Culican is a teacher by day and a writer by night. She lives in New Jersey with her husband of eleven years and their four young children. J.A. Culican's inspiration to start writing came from her children and their love for all things magical. Bedtime stories turned to reality after her oldest daughter begged her for the book from which her stories of dragons came from. In turn, the series The Keeper of Dragons was born.

Book preview

Jaekob ran through the tunnel, dodging left and right to avoid the many people clogging it up. A wagon loaded with a mountain of mushrooms rolled out, right in front of him. The wagon was priceless, but it was too late to stop. He dove over it, landing on the far side and rolling to break the fall. He came up on his feet and hardly lost any speed, still running. Grinning, he glanced over his shoulder. As he had hoped, his pursuer hadn't risked the reckless jump himself and now stood far behind, shaking his fist. The wagon's wealthy owner was doing the same, Jaekob noted with a grin.

He looked ahead again--just in time to see the startled expression of a young woman right before he barreled into her at a full run. She toppled over with him on top of her, and they crashed to the stone floor in a heap together. He found himself looking into her eyes, emerald green, unlike his own cobalt-blue eyes. He rolled off her and tried to get up, but he was dazed and his limbs refused to obey him. The woman lay next to him, gasping for air and glaring at him.

The chase... Jaekob looked back at the wagon, but he didn't see his pursuer. He had also dropped his bag, which held all the goods he'd acquired in the market. Someone in the growing crowd must have snatched it when it went flying. With no bag, though, at least he didn't need to fear his pursuer catching him.

As he rose unsteadily to his feet, he shoved his shaggy brown hair out of his face and then he pulled his accidental victim to her feet, too, instead of sprinting away, he checked her over for any signs of injury.

Are you okay?

She dusted herself off without looking at him and snarled, I'd be a lot better if you paid attention to where you were going, you dimwit.

She turned to face him, and whatever she was going to say got caught in her throat. Her face turned two shades paler. I'm... I'm sorry, I--

He cut her off with a hand wave. He often got that reaction, and it was always irritating. I'm not my father. Anyway, I should be the one to apologize.

Almost as if on cue, he felt a strong hand planted firmly on his shoulder. Give it up, you scoundrel, he heard a man's voice from behind him, Where's your bag? I'm claiming what's mine, and you can just face the consequences.

The woman scrambled away from the two and couldn't get lost in the growing crowd fast enough.

Jaekob smirked and turned to face his pursuer. What bag? No bag means no bonus for you, Kalvin.

The other man groaned. "Don't tell me you lost it?"

Well, do you see a bag? Sorry. But you lost the bet. Jaekob's mouth turned up at the corners and he smirked.

Kalvin, who stood at least a head taller than him, scowled. "How do you figure I lost the bet? Neither of us has the bag, so no one wins."

Actually, Jaekob replied, still smiling, the bet was that you could get tonight's dinner to my chef before I could. You haven't done that, so you lose.

Kalvin thumped him on the arm. Technicality!

Ow!

"That's for weaseling out of a bet, again. It was Kalvin's turn to grin. But don't tell your dad I hit you."

Jaekob rolled his eyes. Now, neither of us has dinner, and both our gold pouches were in my sack. What should we do?

I only had silver. C'mon, we'll go back to the same stands and you can use your father's name to get us ingredients for free. Kalvin turned to head back the way they had come.

Jaekob didn't move.

What is it, now? Kalvin looked back at him over his shoulder.

I'm not using my dad's name to steal from the merchants. Our people have little enough as it is without me running around taking more than I can pay for.

Kalvin let out a sigh, and the corners of Jaekob's lips twitched. This is an old argument. You know the Council will cover the expense. What's the use of having a father who leads the Council if you can't use it to get a meal, now and then? You'd better get used to it, you know.

Jaekob spun around without replying and stormed toward a wide tunnel on the vast market chamber's far side.

Kalvin jogged to catch up and then fell into step beside him. I'm sorry. I know you think they'll need all the supplies they can get, when the war comes, but everyone says it's not going to come to that. Plus, we're totally safe here. These walls have never seen an enemy get through.

Jaekob grunted. So far. That doesn't mean they'll never get through, and it doesn't mean we should take advantage of people. Besides, I have no interest in leading the Council. You know that.

They dodged half a dozen of the tough little pull-carts the wealthier people used in Safeholme. The carts were crafted from basalt, a strong and lightweight igneous stone with many large air pockets. Strong, but brittle. It was the weight and ease of crafting them that made them popular among those wealthy enough to afford them.

Mirroring his own thoughts, Kalvin said, It would be nice if everyone could afford wagons like those, or for enough extra cloth to make a bag like yours. Cloth is too expensive to waste on bags--unless you're the son of the First Councilor.

I think my father will be angrier about someone stealing my bag than about losing dinner. It wasn't really fair, of course. He could already picture his father's angry face on finding out. Losing the bag hadn't been Jaekob's fault, though. People stole things sometimes, and that was on them, not on victims such as he.

Kalvin nodded. Probably. Taking your bag was stupid, though. No one could confuse your family's colors for someone else's. Only the First Councilor's family are allowed to use red, so who else could even use it once they stole it?

Jaekob agreed. It had been stupid. They spent the rest of their walk talking about other things, mercifully, but all too soon, they arrived at his home. The place was a fortress. S luxury fortress, perhaps.

Leading to the entry courtyard was a long corridor that snaked back and forth, and chambers within its walls allowed the guardians to attack anyone invading through it. The tunnel was a testament to a more war-like time, when humans made war on dragons--and lost. The fortress had never yet been assaulted, but it had been carved out from a granite deposit, almost impossible to break through. Granite also contained the essence of volcanic stone, which made it easy for the enchanters to strengthen its walls so invaders couldn't dig through into the fortress itself, or so he'd been told in the short time he'd been Awakened--eight years all together.

Jaekob nodded to the uniformed guard at the front gate as they went through, but he didn't slow down to talk. All the saluting and formality made it pointless to try to have a conversation with the guardians, or with any of his father's servants, for that matter.

After they were out of earshot, Kalvin grinned and said, Your father is going to skin your hide when he finds out about the bag.

Then you don't know Mikah very well. He thinks because he works hard keeping our people safe down here, we're entitled to a little more.

A lot more, but I agree with him.

"The point is, we aren’t safer down here, and that's only one reason why I don't want to follow in his footsteps. He'll be more angry about a late meal than the bag, I'd bet a basalt boat on it."

You don't even know what a boat is.

I do too. My mother knew. Does yours?

Careful, buddy. You're just lashing out at me because you're scared about the war coming. I get that. I'm scared, too, but you know the Spirit Pool keeps us safe. No one can get through the wards unless they have our blood in them, and the war above can't reach us if humans can't find us. You need to lighten up. He stuck his foot out and Jaekob almost fell on his face to the stone floor.

Jaekob scowled as he caught his balance. You're light enough for both of us. Someone has to take something seriously, and that sure isn't you. Now, knock it off and let's go get some more gold from my father. He's going to want to eat a meal, after all.

Of course I keep it light. Someone has to keep you from living in your room with the candles off and the curtains shut. If you had your way, no glowshroom light would get in, either, so your room could be as dull as your sense of humor.

Jaekob laughed. Part of him wondered if his friend was right, but it was hard to be cheery when an apocalyptic war was coming whether he wanted it to or not. Far too many people wanted that war and a single dragon like him had little hope of stopping it. More likely I'd be in my 'other room,' if you know what I mean.

Making sculptures from ore with your dragon's breath and a hammer, yeah. Your workshop is coming along nicely. People are talking about the sculptures you have me sell for you.

Shhh... Jaekob said, putting a finger to his lips. If anyone finds out what I'm doing, Mikah will hear it and put a stop to it. He thinks blacksmithing is a foolish hobby for the future First Councilor.

Have you told him you don't want to follow in his footsteps? It wouldn't be so bad if your father would just let us Rise.

Jaekob snorted as they rounded the corner to the First Councilor's chambers. You've been reading those pamphlets again, haven't you? Next thing, you'll be spouting bad poetry about how it's the dragons' manifest destiny to Rise and be the guardians of the Earth, like in the old legends.

Knowing Kalvin, he probably had other things in mind, though, such as the up above, where young dragons like them could soar for hours, catching thermal updrafts left and right all day long, dancing in colored circles with all the other men and women of the burrow, and with room enough not to crash into one another and no walls to block them in. Plus, there was daytime up there. Seeing a sunrise would almost be worth the price of getting involved in the wars up on top. Almost.

He waved at his father, who had been bent over writing a letter. Mikah smiled at his son and stood to greet them both. I see no sack, son. Where's dinner, and how did you lose that? You'll lose more supporters than bags, if you keep being irresponsible.

Kalvin snorted. Some other man's son is eating the missing meal from the missing bag. It got stolen while we were, um, distracted.

Jaekob elbowed him in the ribs, fighting back a grin. Thank goodness for Kalvin, there was no way he would manage life without him.

Jaekob sat next to his father while the council debated. Some of it was interesting, like the discussions on how to improve distribution on the crops. With so many varieties of fungus growing in different regions in the burrows, each with different nutritional values, it was a logistics nightmare making sure everyone had equal access to a wide enough variety to stay healthy.

But when they talked about preparing for the war, he felt his pulse quicken. The Council was so eager to Rise, just like the rest of the people, rushing headlong into whatever war above had caused the dragons to Awaken. He hoped in his heart that they wanted to fly more than they wanted to exert their role as leaders of all the Pures.

Darren, a Councilor in the pro-war faction, was making a fiery speech about honor and duty, and it was all Jaekob could do to sit still and look attentive instead of rolling his eyes or walking out in disgust. Darren said, You know as well as I do that we have to fulfill our duty. Who else will lead the Crown of Pures, if not us? The Elves? Ha!

Mikah leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, and drummed his fingers on the rectangular council table. "We weren't due to wake up for another century, Darren. We also awoke over a century ago for a few years, but that was a human war. And again, thirty or so years later, and that too was a human war. They've grown advanced enough to wage wars that can drag us from our slumber. I'm sure this one is more of the same--just humans killing humans, as they always have. Our duty is to protect our kind, not meddle in the affairs of humans."

Darren frowned and stood from the table. The last time, the evil ones would have won, had we not stopped them from summoning all the Pures.

We still don't know how they learned the rituals. Are we so sure we destroyed that knowledge once and for all?

But we meddled then, Darren replied, "and it saved millions of those humans you seem to be ignoring. Their lives have value, too, don't they? And what if they really have re-learned how to summon the Pures--that includes us."

Jaekob could take it no longer. Fists clenched, he blurted out, That's just foolish!

Mikah put a hand on Jaekob's chest and growled a warning. Darren was too powerful to insult for so little reason, he seemed to be saying.

Jaekob pursed his lips, but he submitted to his father's iron will, slouching his shoulders and looking down. What I meant to say is that we killed the evil ones trying to bind the Crown of Pures--the Pure council--and then we destroyed the records and artifacts they had gathered in the human city of Berlin. No one could have survived. The ancient roads to drawing us out are now closed to the humans.

Darren smirked and puffed his chest out, nose rising in the air arrogantly. Not so closed, young man. How can we be sure of that when here we are, Awakened and talking before our time? We've been Awakened twice before in the last hundred years. Did you know that the last time that had happened was half a millennium before? And the time before that was when Rome fell.

Those were human wars, too, Jaekob muttered, still looking down. He hated being submissive to the Councilors, but they were his elders and had earned the right, and probably knew better than he did. Maybe. They sure weren't acting like it, though.

Darron paused to smile wanly, and his face was frozen in an expression that looked like he was only humoring the young man. Then, he said, But we sped their demise, did we not? We may need to do so again. Also, you do realize that with it being so close to our regular time of awakening, the people will want to Rise. Right?

Mikah frowned. So? It isn't our time yet. In a century, we'll Arise when we should, and we can put anything right up above if we need to. What's a century? Nothing.

Darren looked like he wanted to spit on the floor, lips curled back in disgust. It was rare to see anyone even come close to disrespecting Mikah. He said, Who wants to go back to slumber for a measly century? Not me. Let us Rise and make our position in the world clear to the humans once again.

Mikah stood, too, facing off with Darren. The Crown of Pures has not convened. We have not received our summons to it, so clearly, the other Pures have decided it's not yet the right time to rejoin the world.

They will, mark my words. First Councilor, we must Rise! It's our role to lead Pures--all of them--unless you feel like losing control of the Crown of Pures. Do you ignore our place among the others? Don't give up on our duty to lead.

Jaekob muttered, We don't have a duty unless the Crown meets.

Mikah smiled at his son. Jaekob, the heir to the First Councilor, speaks wisely. As I said, we haven’t been summoned. So, this is a pointless conversation. It gets tiresome hearing the same arguments, day after day.

Darren sat back down, looking away. His body language said that, for now, he would submit to his leader's decision. I imagine they will want to come back to the world again, too. The Pures, as all our peoples so eloquently call themselves, aren't meant to hide from humans. The surface people may once have been Pure, but humans are only fit to serve us, now. The Romans destroyed their only strength when they killed the last of the humans who could summon or control us, their Druids.

Mikah's face grew red and he opened his mouth to reply, when a faint warbling noise sounded in the distance. He closed his mouth with a click. At first, the sound was no louder than the cooing of a canary, but as it grew in volume, the councilors heard it, too, and stopped to listen. All ears were perked to hear it.

Mikah's face went from red to pale in an instant, and Jaekob felt his own cheeks tingle as understanding the noise dawned on him: The Wards had been penetrated and were issuing the alert to warn them all. He spun to face his son. Come on! We have duties to attend. Darren, rally the guardians. You know the contingency plans for an invasion.

Darren saluted, a grim and determined look on his face, and sprinted out of the room.

Mikah left the chamber with Jaekob trailing behind him, the council session breaking up without another word.

Jaekob rushed to catch up to his father. Mikah strode out of the council chamber, setting an urgent pace, and Jaekob almost had to jog to keep up.

The tunnel ended in a T, and they turned left. Three intersections down, they turned right into a narrower corridor. As they approached a hole in the floor with a ladder sticking up through it, Mikah finally slowed down enough for him to shorten his stride. He found himself breathing through his mouth to get enough air.

They climbed down the ladder at least one hundred feet, getting off on an entirely different level. Mikah grabbed Jaekob's arm as he stepped off the ladder.

I need to talk to you, son. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Let's walk while we talk.

Jaekob said, Sure. I do love our chats. What's on your mind?

They reached an even narrower tunnel intersection and turned left again. It was empty of any traffic. Mikah stopped, looked all around, and then turned to face Jaekob.

I know what you've heard in council, how we don't know anything about the war that awoke us and that we haven't heard from the other Pures.

Right... and you know I don't really care. We should stay out of it.

That's not entirely true.

Jaekob frowned. Which part isn't true?

Mikah's gaze never wavered and he said, All of it. We do know something about the war above, and we have heard from the other Pures.

Jaekob clenched his jaw. You lied to the Council, is that what you're telling me? He wasn't sure whether it would turn out to be a good or bad thing, but it wasn't safe or right. The First Councilor had the authority of a king, but the Council had power, too. This is why I don't want to take over as First Councilor from you.

Mikah shrugged, but he shook his head at the same time. I didn't lie to them. I've spoken to them individually, but under strict confidence. That's why you didn't hear about it in the council chambers--none of them know the others know.

For now, maybe. But what's there to know?

The truth is, I believe war is coming to us whether we want it or not. Nothing is certain yet, but it seems to be getting more likely by the day.

Jaekob furrowed his eyebrows. What do you mean, war is coming? Humans don't have any idea we exist, anymore. The last time we Arose, we got rid of any evidence we exist. They had so kindly gathered it all in the Berlin city.

Micah shot Jaekob a smirk. And why is it that we hide down here in the burrows if humans don't know we exist, do you think? Wouldn't we be somewhere remote, yet on the surface, instead? I'd rather be somewhere we could stretch our wings.

Jaekob paused. He had a hard time believing what his father was saying. Maybe we're hiding from the other Pures? His voice trailed off. It was a stupid idea, and he didn't bother finishing his thought.

"They're family, if only cousins. A few of them did know where the warrens are, and I'm sure they've passed that information on from generation to generation. No, it's the humans we still hide from. The Impures. What only a few dragons know is that, when we got rid of the German records and their soldiers who knew of us, we weren't as successful as we first thought. We must have left some trace, some knowledge, after the last great human war awoke us."

Why are you saying this? Jaekob found himself dreading what he was about to hear. None of the ideas flashing through his mind would have been a good reason.

Because this time, the humans came to us within days of when we opened our eyes again. Also--

What? Jaekob blurted out. Humans can't know. That's impossible! They would never have left us alone for so long.

After all, humans were broken. They weren't Pures anymore. Some dragons said the humans had been Pures originally, but from the memories about humans he'd gained from his mother during the slumber, he found that hard to believe.

Mikah looked sad as he gazed at his son. Humans are in a war, but that isn't why we awoke early again. Not directly.

Will you please get to the point? Jaekob shifted from foot to foot, back and forth. You're killing me with the suspense.

Patience, young man. I'm getting tired of waking up for big human wars, by the way. Rising for a century every millennium ought to be more than enough time awake for anyone. If only they could behave themselves...

Is that why I feel sleepy all the time? Just because we awoke early?

Yes, we only get a few short hours of sleep every night, when a big war has Awoken us, and that's not our way. During our normal century awake, we don't sleep at all.

Yeah, and that sounds much nicer. Should I ask if we're in danger?

Mikah let out a long, slow breath. He seemed to be steeling himself for what he was about to say. Humans now have the technology to bore through the earth, not just their surface mines. Now, they can dig down into the earth's mantle--far deeper than Safeholme itself.

Jaekob's jaw dropped again. So... they drilled down and just accidentally found us?

Don't be ridiculous. What would be the odds of that? No, to find us, they must have known where to look. They sent two envoys--negotiators, not geologists.

"What did the humans want? What could they ever want from Pures? We already left the world to them, don't tell me they want our barren tunnels, too."

Whatever it was the humans wanted, it couldn't be good for Pures... Jaekob listened with rapt attention.

Well, Mikah said, and took a deep breath before continuing. They threatened to bring their war to us, to Safeholme, unless we agree to help them.

Jaekob shook his head. How could that even be possible? Surely they knew better than to threaten dragons. Hesitantly, he said, "I find that hard to believe. They had to know we'd burn them down if they ever tried to harm us, right? I mean, we're dragons."

Be that as it may. Their technology has advanced beyond anything we could have imagined. They've even harnessed the power of the atom.

Then why do they need us? And what side wants us to join the war? It's not those Germans again, is it? If it is, we need to hide deeper next time.

Mika's face fell. If it were the Germans again, I think we would have just turned their realm to cinders and been done with it, this time. No, the humans are in a war they didn't want. They tell us that their enemies ordered the whole world of humanity to surrender, to submit to slavery and torment. When the humans refused to bend their knees and their necks--

The war began, whether they wanted it or not.

Mikah took a deep breath and put his hand on his son's shoulder, then looked into his eyes. The envoys told us humanity is desperate for help. Even though the whole world of humans joined together for simple survival--which is hard to imagine, even for survival--but even that wasn't enough to save them.

It would take all the Pures to beat the humans, if they banded together. Who is strong enough to drive the humans back?

The ancient city of Baghdad was utterly destroyed a few seconds ago. No... a few weeks ago. At my age, years seem like minutes. Anyway, Baghdad was the largest city I'd ever seen, when we last Rose. Even bigger than Berlin, which you should have some memories of from your mother.

Jaekob nodded. Obviously, the city's destruction was no natural disaster for it to have made the humans so desperate. Who on Earth could be attacking them like that? His mind reeled.

Mikah clenched his jaw and stared his son in the eyes as he said, "The human envoys told us that more than a million humans were reduced to souls when the city was destroyed."

Jaekob's jaw dropped. Who would do something so terrible? Even humans wouldn't do that... would they? His mind drifted back to the histories he learned from his mother during the most recent deep slumber. He was born during a time of slumber, in fact. The memories were mostly of fire, war, and pain. Humans could indeed do something so evil, he realized, but they also were capable of great love and unimaginable works of art.

Mikah muttered, Your fallen face tells me how shocked and disgusted you are. Good. Your mother taught you well.

Was it the humans who did this? The idea of a race that could kill a million people and knew where dragons laired was a frightening one. Especially since his mother died at their hands, as far as he could recall--those earliest memories were fuzzy.

"This time, it wasn't a human war that brought us awake before our time."

Then who?

They say... They've told us it was done by Pures.

What? That's impossible. They're in hiding just like us, and no Pure would do something so evil. A million people dead!

Mikah snapped, You heard me, son! Sorry, but you're being argumentative, not thinking it through. Listen, the elves have apparently led the other Pures back into the human world, crossing over through the shadow-places in the world, and through the darkness on many humans' hearts. The elves aren't content to live in the shadows anymore. They've left the Fae world and returned to the world above, as they had so long ago when humans were a young race.

So, the other Pures attacked the world of humans. Is it true? Jaekob looked at Mikah, skeptical.

That's what the envoys tell us, and their descriptions could only come from seeing actual Pure races.

If... If there are so many humans now, how did the elves beat them? The old tales say some of them can wield the Art, as the elves do.

Humanity's great magics disappeared during their last global war, again thanks to their Germans. Losing that left them defenseless against the Pures now pouring into their world.

But their numbers will win out in the end, right? Their technology? If there were a million people in one city, there must be billions up there, now. You have to tell the Council. You have to--

Mikah cut off Jaekob with a chop of his hand, cutting through the air. You think I haven't told them? I did.

Jaekob paused before replying, We aren't going to war against our own kind, are we?

"The other Pures are not our kind. Remember that. But no, most of the Dragon Council agrees with me and wants to let the situation develop before we decide. We'll see how things go before we reveal ourselves again to the world at large. Things have been mostly peaceful since we withdrew from humans."

Peaceful for us, maybe. Humans became more destructive than ever before. I have some of my mother's memories of what they've done to the place, up there.

You have no idea, Mikah muttered, shaking his head. "They have the power to destroy their world, but not the way we do, with magics. What they lack is the power to defeat Pures in open warfare without destroying the world entirely."

Jaekob followed his father when he began walking again.

Come along. We need to check in with Brandon and see where things stand with our security. If the alarms mean the humans attacked us, as they threatened to do, then we'll be forced to join one side or another.

Jaekob nodded, knowing which side dragons would join if the warrens were attacked. The wards sense dragon blood, do they not? Only a dragon can get into Safeholme.

Perhaps, but that doesn't protect the warrens, just Safeholme. We have other settlements, you know. And don't rule out the possibility of someone who isn't a dragon finding a way in. Magic is temperamental that way.

Jaekob had as good sense of direction as any proper dragon, so he had no problem keeping track of where they were, first heading this way and then that way as they rushed through Safeholme's many tunnels.

After a few minutes, they came to a small, rough-hewn chamber about thirty feet across, bustling with activity. Generally, rough chambers were the ones that weren't common knowledge, having been carved out on the sly. If they were meant for public use, they would have been smoothed out with dragonfire or hundreds of artisan chisels. He had been to that chamber at least a hundred times with both his father and Kalvin, so it certainly wasn't the most classified chamber, but he still enjoyed knowing something almost everyone else didn't. Kalvin's father, Brandon, was the chief of security in Safeholme. Jaekob and his friend had often visited this cavern, Brandon's HQ, since the awakening.

He spotted Brandon near one of the dozen desks. These were the cheaper kind, made of dried strips of fungus glued and dried into whatever form was needed, like particle board. They were light and strong, but disintegrated in water and didn't last more than a couple decades under normal use.

Brandon stood tall in his elegant uniform shorts and his weapons bandoleer--fabric was too costly to waste on head-to-toe duty uniforms, and Brandon was a frugal man. Kalvin often joked that his dad was cheap, but most of the older dragons were, having survived the lean times at the height of the Roman Empire or at least the hard times during the second German war. Those were only stories to Jaekob and Kalvin.

Mikah walked up to Brandon, who immediately got down to one knee and brought his right fist over his heart in the usual salute before standing again. No one but Mikah would be brave enough to approach the security chief so directly. Brandon was a rough and violent man by trade, though he had a good heart and a solid sense of justice, in Jaekob's experience.

First Councilor, how may I be of service? Brandon asked.

Mikah smiled wanly and shook his hand. Good to see you, friend. I need a status update. What do we know, and when did we know it?

Brandon pointed to a nearby cavern wall segment, which held a map of the warrens on the left, and one of Safeholme on the right. After the wards were tripped right here, starting the alarms, he said, pointing to a section of warrens that was especially maze-like, near Safeholme's edge, we sent runners to check them. None were damaged. We also just got a report of some movement in the tunnels near the Ancestral Archives, over here. He pointed to another spot, one of the oldest mazes in all the warrens. You know what a labyrinth that area is.

Yes, Mikah said, if you haven't already sent teams to investigate the movement reports, please don't let me get in the way of your duty.

Jaekob spotted Kalvin standing up against the wall to one side, staying out of the way, and left his father doing whatever the First Councilor did when the wards went off. He leaned up against the wall beside his friend so they could talk quietly without shouting or being overheard in the bustling room. How's it going?

Kalvin shrugged. No one knows what's going on, from what I can see. Dragons are running around like they're Darmians, but without the ants' efficient patterns.

You do know Darmians hate being called ants, right?

Kalvin grinned. "Yeah, but they aren't even from this dimension. We don't have anything else to compare 'em to. But back on topic, we haven't had a ward alarm in centuries, my dad said, so everyone seems a bit stalag on what to do."

I did notice they seem lost. They're out of practice, I guess.

Only dragons can get through our wards without a real invasion, which I haven't seen, so why worry about alarms?

Jaekob said, Probably lost people from another settlement, right? My mother's memories tell me that all the recent breaches were invasions, at least until just a millennium ago.

Maybe longer, Kalvin said, nodding.

And the wards were strengthened after that. Jaekob considered explaining what his father had said about the humans, but decided against it. Kalvin could be impulsive sometimes, but even he couldn't reveal a rumor if he hadn't heard it. Besides, he had the strong feeling that his father didn't want him to repeat what he'd said. After all, he had let the Councilors each think they were the only one who had been told.

Kalvin growled, a hint of steam escaping his nose. I hate waiting. I'd rather be doing anything else. Literally anything. The scout teams better hurry up.

Jaekob chuckled. They'd better... or what? All we can do is wait around and try not to get underfoot. He agreed, though. His fire was quickening with anticipation of finally being able to do something adventurous. He only needed the right opportunity to get out from under his father's gaze.

Jaekob tried not to grin when the scouts returned without any prisoners and the wards had still continued with the alarms, which echoed faintly in a thumping beat that was felt more than heard. It made him want to dance. Too bad people were watching.

Looks like they didn't find the intruders, Kalvin said, stating the obvious. But the wards are still going off.

You noticed that, did you? Good boy!

Well, Kalvin said as a grin spread across his face, what's the First Councilor-to-be gonna do about that?

Jaekob struggled to keep his face expressionless. I don't want to take over the job.

Kalvin's grin turned into a frown. You're missing the point.

Am I?

Now I know you're messing with me. I mean, we should go find the intruders ourselves. They can be dragons or the alarms wouldn't be thumping in my chest right now, and if they aren't dragons, what's there to worry about? Even the fur-faces can't beat us in a stand-up fight.

Yeah, right. You just want to play a trick on your dad. He's head of security, and it might be embarrassing if you could find what he didn't.

I'll get in less trouble than the time I hid his uniform shorts right before Councilor Darren's swearing in.

Jaekob grinned. That was funny, yeah. He had to wear his at-home shorts and everything. Really irritated everyone.

I had to work on digging out our nursery chamber for a week, but it was totally worth it. Kalvin smiled back at him. So what are we waiting for?

Fine, I'll go. Just to keep you out of trouble. Jaekob looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching him. We can head out the north tunnel and swing east. They already checked the north tunnels, so we won't be seen by any patrols, once we get out of here.

Kalvin didn't say anything, but turned and walked to the chamber entrance. Jaekob followed. They turned right into the tunnel outside, then right again. That tunnel was rarely used since the occupants had moved to the newest settlement, during the last Awakening. They found one tunnel or chamber after the next, all empty except for the leftovers of a vanished people. It made the whole complex feel creepy, but he and Kalvin had been hiding out in there since they Awoke--privacy was hard to come by in the occupied warrens, even in Safeholme.

Once they passed through the empty complex, they followed the tunnel as it swept to the right, heading south and down. It grew even narrower, until there was barely enough room for them both to walk side by side. He felt vulnerable in those tunnels, with no room to summon his dragon if they got into trouble, but he wasn't about to admit his nervousness. Kalvin would have never let him live it down.

Kalvin said, You look a little pale. If you want to turn back, we can. I know how much you need your dragon in a fight.

Jaekob forced a smirk onto his face, despite his heart beating faster. You just want to turn back and blame me for it. How are you ever going to take over for your dad if you can't walk down an empty tunnel without sweating?

Kalvin's laughter sounded forced. I'm sweating because we're walking downhill and I have to take such tiny little steps to let you keep up with those short legs of yours. Walk faster, we'll see who sweats.

Still you.

Ha. You're the one who's afraid, Kalvin snorted. I hear your heartbeat thumping. Can you hear me over the sound of your own heart in your ears?

Jaekob laughed, but sounded just as forced as Kalvin's had. Neither of them had the bad grace to say anything about that, though.  You must be hearing your own heart, mine's like a clock, it beats so evenly.

Jaekob thought about how much trouble the two had gotten into, just by egging each other on. Most of it, probably... He grinned at the memory of some of their more recent shenanigans.

The tunnels continued onward, then rejoined a main corridors running from Safeholme to other settlements in the warrens. So far, they hadn't seen anyone, but that was expected. Dragons rarely traveled between settlements except on official business.

They came to a T intersection, with a narrow tunnel leading off to the east again.

Jaekob said, I think I hear the ward alarms echoing from this side tunnel. We can keep on the main path, or head down here.

Kalvin ran his finger along the new tunnel's wall. It came up gray with dust. No one has been down here for a long while.

So it seems. Do you remember seeing this one before?

Kalvin shook his head. No. Maybe it's a shortcut. We should check it out. I bet the scouts didn't check it out because of the dust.

Maybe they were right, Jaekob said and nudged his friend with his elbow. It's probably empty anyway.

Still, the wards... Let's check it out and, if we don't find anything within a couple of miles, we'll head back and take the normal way.

Jaekob headed into the tunnel, his friend catching up in a few steps with his longer stride. The corridor stretched out of sight in the pitch blackness, and he wished they'd thought to bring glowshrooms. Without them, they couldn't see very far.

After a mile and a half, as Jaekob started to consider turning around, they walked through a slight curve in the tunnel and ahead, the bright blue light of glowshrooms crept into view, revealing the tunnel opening out into a cavern that was large enough so they couldn't see the far wall. That meant it was two-hundred yards across, at least.

That chamber is as big as a village market. What's a market chamber doing out here? Kalvin missed a step, then stopped.

I've seen small villages that would fit inside that chamber, Jaekob replied. I wonder why that side tunnel looked so old. I mean, our patrols should check it, right?

I hear my father complain all the time about how the Dragon Council doesn't approve enough supply for Security to do their jobs. The Council thinks that we don't need security because of the wards. Maybe they decided it didn't look important enough to investigate, much less patrol.

Maybe this will change their minds, Jaekob said as he headed into the broad chamber. Let's find out if they were right! That is, if you aren't too afraid.

You're afraid, not me. Kalvin sped up.

Once they passed the threshold, Jaekob's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. All through the cavern were square stone huts built in a grid pattern. The doors, he saw, hadn't yet turned to dust or even rotted away. They had to be a couple hundred years old, he figured, yet they still hadn't disintegrated. Maybe the fungus strips-and-glue furnishings lasted longer with no one using them.

Where are the people? Kalvin asked, interrupting his thoughts. I see pottery, and through the windows, furniture. But how can that be?

He was right. Jaekob saw it, too. Let's check the whole cavern. Maybe people still live in one corner.

That didn't seem likely, but for once, Kalvin didn't argue. They went house to house, shop to shop. Most still had equipment, but it all looked broken. A couple of the biggest houses even had curtains, but those too were damaged. They had torn from gravity and neglect, but how much wealth would it take to use curtains instead of shutters?

We should take all the cloth we find. No one here needs it, and I could use the trade goods, Kalvin said, rubbing the torn black cloth of a half-complete set of curtains. Who would leave cloth behind? Even scraps?

Good question. Let's go finish checking the west cavern.

Kalvin grinned. Maybe we'll find more cloth. By all means, let's search the place.

Jaekob stopped mid-step, frowning.

What?

"It just seems disrespectful to loot their stuff. I mean, it seems like they all left quickly, right? They left cloth."

Kalvin's smirk spoke volumes. It isn't like they need it anymore. Shoot, you have to be the son of the First Councilor to even think like that.

Jaekob punched him in the arm, but then held his hand out, pointing west. After you, thief.

It's not stealing if it doesn't belong to anyone, Kalvin muttered as they entered one of the larger stone buildings. It had few windows. Maybe it had been a warehouse...

Inside, they found rows of stone circles filled with ashes. Stone blocks that looked bed-sized were scattered all about. In each corner were large, round pits with stone benches across them, each with multiple smaller holes carved into them.

Jaekob asked, Toilets?

And beds. Fire pits. This was full of people, once. Kalvin nudged his toes through the ashes in the nearest fire pit.

Jaekob caught sight of a flash of color in the otherwise gray world of the cavern. He bent down and tried to pick it up. As he pulled it up through the dust and ashes, he blew it off, sending a cloud of dust toward Kalvin. Examining the object, he saw that it was paper. It had brightly colored drawings on it in wax. Crayons? It was a kids' drawing using wax crayons and blank paper, all of which had no business being down in the warrens.

That doesn't belong here, Kalvin said, peering over Jaekob's shoulder.

No kidding? Thanks for clearing that up for me. Your keen powers of observation will make you a fantastic member of the Security team someday.

I know, right? So what do you think that is?

Jaekob frowned. It's impossible, but I think it looks like a kid's drawing.

No it doesn't. Where's the charcoal lines? Kalvin pursed his lips and squinted, leaning closer to it.

It was Jaekob's turn to smirk. "Just because your mother never saw a Crayon drawing, to pass the memory down to you, that doesn't mean it isn't common."

Touche. Kalvin walked off to the next fire pit as he whistled a tune.

Jaekob looked back at the crayon picture. A yellow sun made of a circle with lines radiating off it sat in the upper right corner, and below it, the sky was blue over a house and a field of grass. The paper had been partially burnt away, though, and only half the house was there. Why would dragon vagrants draw pictures of sun and sky and above-ground houses? No dragon had lived up there in well over a thousand years. Either the picture was far older than Jaekob, or it hadn't been drawn by dragon kids. Unless they'd drawn from a memory inherited from their mothers, of course. That was a possibility.

Kalvin let out a triumphant whoop. Jaekob looked up and found his friend several yards away, rooting through an old, carved-fungus basket. Kalvin grinned at him. I found things to collect. A little knife with a blade I can salvage. Some rolled-up cloth, like bandages, if you can believe that. Smooth, round stones like Security uses in their slings, but without any runes etched into them... Lots of small useful things.

I should come get my share, then, Jaekob said, but his smile was forced. A flash of memory sped through his mind--his mother in an old cavern, talking to his father. She'd said, 'Many useful little bits, here.' The memory passed, but it left a shiver running down his spine, because this cavern was so similar to the one in his inherited memory.

You okay? Kalvin paused, motionless, and stared at him with a concerned expression.

Not really. This place reminds me of something. My mom used to scavenge lost caverns like this one. When we Awoke during the second German great war, and we had no way to get to the surface for supplies without humans seeing us at one point, our parents scavenged like this.

Yeah, I know. I have a memory like that from my mom. Kalvin pulled his hand out of the basket. He held a necklace of gemstone bits in different colors. The stones had a pattern--yellow, blue, green, red, green, blue, yellow...

Jaekob froze in place, eyes riveted to the necklace. Something about it was tickling the back of his mind, some half-forgotten memory. He could almost put his finger on it, but not quite. Not his mother's memory, either. It had the warm feeling of a personal memory. He must have been very young, then.

Kalvin wrapped the necklace around his hand, then walked up to Jaekob and held out the necklace for him to look at.

Jaekob stared at it. A gift that was it! It looked like a necklace he'd made for his mother. Same pattern, even. That was unusual, but there were only so many colors of gems. It couldn't be the same one, anyway. The necklace he gave his mother had a golden coin attached like a medallion, a coin Mikah had said was Roman, like those he'd found himself when he was a kid.

Kalvin let the necklace unwind from his hand and drop, but kept his fingers tightly on the cord.

As the necklace dangled, Jaekob saw that it had a golden medallion attached to it, previously hidden in Kalvin's palm. He hissed, and his eyes flared brightly red as the once-blue iris shrunk on either side, creating an oblong slit up and down like a viper's. He blinked rapidly and turned away to wipe his eyes.

Kalvin politely pretended not to notice, and said nothing about the tears. You can keep the necklace.

Jaekob still couldn't bring himself to turn away, and wiped his eyes again. Thanks. I appreciate it. The gems were almost useless, but they had value to him as mementos of his mother. Let's head back. We can tell your dad about this place and he can send scouting teams out.

Kalvin grabbed Jaekob's shoulder and half-spun, half-dragged him toward the tunnel they'd come by, ignoring the other tunnels along the walls. The six of those were only the ones they could see from where they were, too. There might have been others, but they didn't search more to be sure.

When Jaekob got back into the tunnel, he welcomed the sudden feeling of safety that came from having solid stone all around him, like a shield to protect him from his terrible childhood memories. The idea of being above ground seemed suddenly much less attractive, more scary. More dangerous.

Jaekob led Kalvin out of the narrow, dust-covered tunnel, into the wider corridor that led into Safeholme proper. Let's find your dad first, he said, and then we can tell Mikah if Thomaes thinks we should.

In reply, Kalvin simply walked a bit faster and Jaekob followed. They sped down the corridor at a brisk pace. Mid-stride, Jaekob froze in place and looked around, confused. It took him a second to realize what was going on--he had smelled something he'd never smelled before. Something new. There was nothing new in the warrens, ever. His mind raced, trying to catalog the scent.

What's up? You okay? Kalvin had stopped. He looked concerned.

Jaekob raised his nose in the air and took quick, shallow sniffs, but as suddenly as it had hit him, the scent was gone. I think so... I thought I smelled something. I might have imagined it. Come on, let's go.

But then, after a couple hundred more yards and passing several side corridors, a noise echoed in the hallway. He stopped, holding his arm out to block Kalvin, then cocked his head to listen better. Voices, he muttered.

Kalvin was listening carefully, too. From ahead, not behind, though. Let's check it out. I sense dragons.

Who else would be in those warrens? Jaekob remembered the wards going off—they could be connected. He started to walk toward the noise, but slowly, listening and sniffing as they went. As they advanced together, the noise got louder and seemed to be coming toward them.

Kalvin said, I hear a bunch of voices, now. They sound angry, and they aren't trying to hide themselves.

So, not invaders. Not that Jaekob had seen or even heard of invaders in the last two Great Sleeps, except during the second great German war.

Ahead, the glow of phosphorous mushrooms flickered as though someone was carrying the light. The noise kept getting louder. Moments later, the first dragon came into view, but he wasn't the last and a stream of dragons followed on his heels. They were shouting at each other, voices raised high and tense.

Kalvin barked, What's going on, here? His voice cut through the mob's buzz. They quieted down, but when Jaekob stepped out from behind his friend, they grew silent and stared at him.

Jaekob said, You heard him. What is the problem?

A woman's voice rose from the crowd. It's the First Councilor's heir. Tell him.

Another voice followed, shouting, He can judge this, and the crowd murmured its agreement.

Jaekob took a deep breath and walked toward the mob, which had stopped in its tracks. I can try to fix the issue, if you tell me what's the matter.

The man in front said, An egg is missing.

Another woman shouted, That's impossible! You lie.

The man turned and snarled, I'm no liar. Shut your mouth.

Jaekob shouted, Quiet. Start over, one at a time. He pointed at a man in the crowd. Like many of them, his face was flushed and angry. You there, tell me what's going on.

My cousin's egg is missing. That means someone took it.

Another said, You're a fool, and so is your cousin. She must have misplaced the thing.

The first man shouted, That's not a 'thing'. He launched himself into the other man, fists flying.

Kalvin said into Jaekob's ear, Eggs are a big deal. Figure this out or someone's going to start flaming.

Jaekob shouted for the crowd to break it up, and people pulled the two men apart. They continued to snarl and curse at one another, but being firmly held, they soon quieted down. A hush fell as they looked at Jaekob.

Then, in the sudden, sullen silence, an older woman said, No one takes eggs. I bet there never was one. It's just some stunt for sympathy.

Several in the crowd broke into fighting again, and the woman was knocked to her knees by the tornado of brawling.

Jaekob turned to Kalvin. He was desperate to end the fighting before it went too far. The dragons were too agitated, and someone was going to die soon. Kal, you're a warrior. Wade in there and break this up!

Not on your life. Kalvin pursed his lips and looked back out over the crowd.

Jaekob shouted for order and moved to split them up himself. In the melee, a random fist caught him on the side of his head, and he staggered back. Someone shrieked, The heir! Stop, fools!

The crowd worked to get the two sides pulled apart. Those who had been fighting glared at each other from across the corridor, but all knew what would happen if Jaekob reported the assault. Mikah would move mountains to get whoever had done it, and those who weren't glaring at each other watched Jaekob in chilly silence. No doubt they were realizing the consequences they faced, and what could happen next.

Holding his ear and jaw, Jaekob made a quick decision. I won't report this. It was an accident. But now, I expect you to talk, and to listen. Your ears for your life, understand?

They murmured agreement. Then, another man’s voice rose up above the low murmur rippling through the crowd. "You can’t think the missing egg and the alarms are a coincidence. If they can get in, then we're all in danger."

Jaekob could almost feel the crowd's mood shift from anger and fear to a chilly, frightened silence. He felt tingling on the backs of his arms as he realized the risk. A scared crowd could be more dangerous than an angry one. He had to divert them somehow before they started talking again and egging each other on to do something stupid. Enough of that. No one can get through the wards except those with dragon blood in their veins. All of you know this. You're letting your fears get in the way of your reason.

"Then what should we do, if you're so sure it can't be them."

Jaekob didn't know who 'they' were, but there were only two possibilities, Pures or humans. Neither one could get through Safeholme's wards.

Kalvin whispered, The best thing would be to somehow split the crowd and get their attention redirected to something positive.

Yeah, Jaekob replied, his voice rising above the crowd noise. To the crowd, he said, I need two of you to go to your Ward Guardian and explain that some dragons are claiming an egg has been taken. If it didn't exist, as some of you believe, then we lose only time. But if it does exist, then we may save a life.

Then, he pointed at several more and continued, You four, go door to door and ask her neighbors if they've seen the egg. The rest of you, get into teams of two and start to search the egg's Crèche, the areas around the woman's house, and also the market chamber. Perhaps it was set down somewhere.

"But what if they took it? Then what--"

Stop. That's not possible. No one can get into Safeholme except for dragons. Focus on what's likely, instead. Time is wasting, so get moving. Jaekob drew himself to his full height and glowered at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them, meeting their eyes.

You heard him. Move it, Kalvin barked, and they stood still and silent at first, but then one broke away and headed back. Then another, and the whole crowd soon began to break up.

A minute later, he and Kalvin were again alone in the tunnel.

Kalvin stared after the crowd. You realize that if the Pures found a way through and took that egg, we're going to war, right?

That's not possible. Dragonblood. Jaekob tried to sound certain, but inside, he had his doubts about how secure the wards truly made them.

I hope you're right, but I can't help thinking that thousands of years is a long time to learn ways to beat the wards.

Maybe. We don’t have time to talk ourselves into a panic, though. Come on.

Kalvin frowned. What's your hurry?

I don't want to talk about it. I'm going back. You can come if you want.

When Kalvin gave him a faint nod, Jaekob left and his friend stayed a few paces back as they went. He was grateful for that. Kalvin was a prankster, but he was also a good friend, and he must have realized that Jaekob needed some space, because for once, he didn’t talk as they walked.

Jaekob made his way through the tunnels of Safeholme until he got to the one he needed, a wide, long, well-used tunnel. He had been to his destination so many times that he easily found the correct cavern by memory, paying little attention to where he was going, rather than by the sign out front that proudly proclaimed it to be the shop of Thomaes, MBs--Master Blacksmith. The bright-red glow pouring into the tunnel