Mercedes Lackey - Alta

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EPILOGUE

SANCTUARY

Kiron stood on the top of a squat, wind-eroded tower, and looked down at the improvised pens where ten dragons wallowed in sun-heated sand, as contented as ever dragons could be. The Lost City was a very strange place. He had thought it would seem desolate, and haunted by the ghosts of thousands. It actually seemed empty, and waiting, as if it never had held people before this moment. The buildings were familiar, yet unfamiliar, the shapes like those of Alta and Tia, yet unlike. Partly it was the utter lack of paintings, inscriptions, and carvings; there werent even any statues of gods here. Partly it was the curves of the walls; there wasnt a straight line here anywhere. The dragons liked it, though. Perhaps it reminded them of the wind- and water-cut valleys and caves where their kind made their homes.

There was water here, the first need of life, an underground source that seemed bottomless. You reached it through the well house in the center of Sanctuary, which covered the stairway down, which in turn led to a cave and a huge spring-fed pool.

Sanctuary itself provided the shelters, far more than the current population needed, although there were more people trickling in all the time. The first two had been Lord Khumun and Heklatis, the latter having shed his womanly disguise, but after them had come several of the dragon boys of Alta and Tia (including Baken!) some of the Healers of Alta, and other folk, common and noble. One of those had been Lord Ya-tiren, who had doubled the population of Sanctuary by bringing with him his entire household. Aket-ten and Orest could not have been more overjoyed.

Kiron could not have been more relieved.

Aket-ten came up through the hole in the roof of the tower to stand beside him. He smiled at her, and made room for her to sit on the sand-scoured parapet. Look she said, pointing straight down below.

Directly below was Kashets pen. Entering it were Ariand Nofret.

Their voices drifted up on the hot wind.

but of course there can be more dragons, and more dragon riders, Nofret was saying, in a voice that sounded surprised. It is not so difficult! How do we get young falcons? We take them from the nest, of courseand we can do the same with dragonets. We have ten dragons that can guard us while we take a single youngster, and we can ensure we do no harm by taking the ones that might not otherwise live, just as we do with falcons!

That never occurred to me, Ari replied, sounding surprised. Butby Haras, you are right! We can set a watch on the dragon neststake the ones that are not prosperingtake the ones from parents that are not skilled

And tell me, are there not times when the parents are slain, as happens with falcons? Nofret asked Or injured, or killed by a disease? We can save those entire clutchesand of course, since they will have bonded first to their parents, they will eventually breed as well, and then we will have the best of both sorts of dragon, tame and wild!

Her voice was alight with enthusiasm, as Kiron had never heard before. And Aris when he replied, was warm with pleasure.

How is it that you know so much about falcons? he asked, And care so much about dragons? I haveforgive me, my lady, but I admit my experience with women is rather limitedI never met a woman whowho

Who thought about more than hair and gowns and jewels? she laughed. But I was a falconer, Ari! I helped tend and raise my fathers birdsPe-atep was my fathers man, and I trained him. As for dragons, wellthe first time I met Aket-ten and saw her Re-eth-ke, my thought was not, that was Toreths dragon, it was I want one like that! I confess to you, I was raw with envy, and I would have traded every gown, wig, and gem in the world for a dragon of my own.

Ah, now I understand why you thought so much about how to gain more! Ari laughedand his hand inched toward Nofrets.

Oh, I must also confess that my first flight was utterly terrifying, she said, a smile still in her voice, And for a little whilea littleI thought perhaps this is not for mebut I managed to get beyond that fear as I watched Aket-ten and Kiron flying away into the sky.

And her hand inched toward his.

And when they touched, their fingers curled around each others, interlacing until they seemed that they had never been apart.

I believe, my Lady, said Ari softly, that we must needs find you a dragonet of your own. I should not like to find you trying to win my Kashet away from me. And II would like to show you what the world looks like from above. It is strange. There are no borders, you see

Kiron found himself smilingthen grinningand had to swallow to keep from whooping aloud, as Nofret leaned her head on Aris shoulder. I should like that, Ari. And please call me Nofret. There are no ladies here.

With a start, Kiron realized that his fingers had somehow gotten entwined with Aket-tens. I think we should give them some privacy, dont you? he whispered, hoping she could not hear how his heart pounded.

That might be a good idea, she whispered back with a grin. And you know, we might want to go see if there are dragon nesting places around here. Its going to be a while before Sanctuary can do anything about the Magi and the war. And were going to need more dragon riders when we do.

We certainly will, he replied, warmly, basking in their shared dream. Perhaps he was no Winged One, but the vision was clear to both of them. We certainly will.

ONE

OVERHEAD, the stars that filled the night sky, the ornaments upon the robe of the Goddess of the Night, seemed close enough to touch. The kamiseen wind whined in the tops of the trees of the oasis beside him; even at night, it never completely ceased. It smelled of baked stone, with a hint of desiccated plants.

He had come to learn that the desert was not all one sort of landscape; he had escaped over stony hills into the pure sand of the desert dune country; now he was in yet another sort of desert, a place of marginal life. The sand beneath Vetch was not as comfortable to sit in as one might suppose; since this wasnt dune country, the ground was hard beneath a surface mix of dust, sand, and pebbles. He was glad of his bedroll now since it provided a layer of softness between himself and the ground. Strange. When he had been Khefti-the-Fats serf, he wouldnt have noticed how hard it was; in so short a time he had gotten used to certain comforts.

Yes, it was the time of the kamiseen, and the ever-present wind whined over the desert, carrying with it a film of dust and sucking away moisture. But this was an oasis, with carefully tended date palms, and Vetchs camp was downwind of the palm grove. The Bedu camped within the oasis, permitting Vetch the downwind side for his own camp, so the kamiseen would not trouble him much tonight.

Vetchs scarlet dragon Avatre slumbered at his back, her body warm inside the pit he had dug in the sand and lined with stones heated in his fire. Fuel was as precious out here as water, but tonight no one begrudged the effort of collecting it for him. Firstly, this clan of Veiled Ones boasted many camels and could afford the dried dung for the fire. And secondly, Avatre had earned the right to her fuel and more.

She had eaten well today, taking down four of the desert gazelles. The first time had been this afternoon, twice in rapid succession, enough to feed her well at midday. The second time had been with the help of Vetchs sling, and enabled the two of them to provide an evening meal not only for Avatre herself but for Vetch and the clan of Veiled Ones who were hosting him on this last evening in the desert. There was a faint scent of roasting meat on the

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